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Former Mexican President Vicente Fox: ‘I Will Never Apologize’ to Donald Trump	2016-02-26	[ "Former Mexican President Vicente Fox says he will not apologize for the language he used to attack Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s proposed Mexico-funded border wall.", "“No way. No way,” Fox told the Washington Post in an interview Thursday evening. “I will never apologize. He has offended Mexicans, and he’s the one who should apologize.”", "Earlier in the day, Fox responded to Trump’s plan to make Mexico pay for a wall along the southern border in an interview with Jorge Ramos on Fusion TV.", "“I’m not going to pay for that f—ing wall!” Fox was quoted as saying.", "Trump has demanded an apology from Fox for his profanity, both on Twitter and during the GOP presidential debate in Houston, Texas.", "FMR PRES of Mexico, Vicente Fox horribly used the F word when discussing the wall. He must apologize! If I did that there would be a uproar!", "Not only will he not apologize to Trump, but Fox added that the Republican Party should “demand from him respect” for Mexicans, the Pope and Muslims.", "“The Republican Party has let this go too far. It’s ridiculous,” Fox told the paper.", "The former Mexican president added that Republicans in the United States have told him they are “ashamed” of the Republican frontrunner.", "“I tell them, open your eyes, please,” Fox said. “Listen to what he is saying. This is a very shameful situation for the United States as a nation and for the Republican Party.”" ]	http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/26/former-mexican-president-vicente-fox-i-will-never-apologize-to-donald-trump/	Former Mexican President Vicente Fox: ‘I Will Never Apologize’ to Donald Trump Former Mexican President Vicente Fox says he will not apologize for the language he used to attack Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s proposed Mexico-funded border wall. “No way. No way,” Fox told the Washington Post in an interview Thursday evening. “I will never apologize. He has offended Mexicans, and he’s the one who should apologize.” Earlier in the day, Fox responded to Trump’s plan to make Mexico pay for a wall along the southern border in an interview with Jorge Ramos on Fusion TV. “I’m not going to pay for that f—ing wall!” Fox was quoted as saying. Trump has demanded an apology from Fox for his profanity, both on Twitter and during the GOP presidential debate in Houston, Texas. FMR PRES of Mexico, Vicente Fox horribly used the F word when discussing the wall. He must apologize! If I did that there would be a uproar! Not only will he not apologize to Trump, but Fox added that the Republican Party should “demand from him respect” for Mexicans, the Pope and Muslims. “The Republican Party has let this go too far. It’s ridiculous,” Fox told the paper. The former Mexican president added that Republicans in the United States have told him they are “ashamed” of the Republican frontrunner. “I tell them, open your eyes, please,” Fox said. “Listen to what he is saying. This is a very shameful situation for the United States as a nation and for the Republican Party.”
Rio Grande 'Splashdown' Yields $1M Marijuana Seizure	2017-09-29	[ "Fleeing drug smugglers executed a “splashdown” into the Rio Grande River border with Mexico leaving behind nearly $1 million worth of marijuana. Pursuing Border Patrol agents seized the drugs before they could be retrieved by smugglers on the Mexican side of the river.", "The “splashdown” incident occurred Wednesday after Border Patrol agents working near Mission, Texas, observed a brown GMC pickup truck moving towards the river. A few minutes later, agents observed the same truck attempting to leave the river area at a high rate of speed, according to information provided to U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Robert Rodriguez.", "A “splashdown” is a tactic used by drug smugglers after being discovered near the river by Border Patrol agents. In an attempt to flee and perhaps have some of the load recovered by co-smugglers in Mexico, the smuggler will crash his truck into the river. The hope is that some of the bundles of drugs will be recovered by smugglers standing by on the Mexican side of the river.", "The driver of the brown GMC pickup truck observed Border Patrol agents closing in on his location. He quickly executed a U-turn and returned to the river bank. He quickly drove the truck into the river and absconded back to Mexico, officials stated. The agents went to work, gathering up the bundles of marijuana before anyone from the Mexican side could retrieve them.", "Agents seized a total of 74 bundles of marijuana. The load weighed a total of 1,165 pounds. Officials estimated the marijuana to have a street value of $932,000. Agents retrieved the truck from the river on Thursday. The agents seized the truck as evidence.", "In June, cartel-connected drug smugglers carried out another “splashdown” after being discovered. That truck carried about 800 pounds of marijuana. Officials valued the load to be worth $641,320. Officials said the occurrences of these dangerous “splashdown” maneuvers is increasing in the Rio Grande Valley as smugglers become desperate to avoid a higher certainty of prosecution.", "The Rio Grande Valley Sector reportedly leads the nation in “splashdown” incidents." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/09/29/rio-grande-splashdown-yields-1m-marijuana-seizure/	Rio Grande 'Splashdown' Yields $1M Marijuana Seizure Fleeing drug smugglers executed a “splashdown” into the Rio Grande River border with Mexico leaving behind nearly $1 million worth of marijuana. Pursuing Border Patrol agents seized the drugs before they could be retrieved by smugglers on the Mexican side of the river. The “splashdown” incident occurred Wednesday after Border Patrol agents working near Mission, Texas, observed a brown GMC pickup truck moving towards the river. A few minutes later, agents observed the same truck attempting to leave the river area at a high rate of speed, according to information provided to U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Robert Rodriguez. A “splashdown” is a tactic used by drug smugglers after being discovered near the river by Border Patrol agents. In an attempt to flee and perhaps have some of the load recovered by co-smugglers in Mexico, the smuggler will crash his truck into the river. The hope is that some of the bundles of drugs will be recovered by smugglers standing by on the Mexican side of the river. The driver of the brown GMC pickup truck observed Border Patrol agents closing in on his location. He quickly executed a U-turn and returned to the river bank. He quickly drove the truck into the river and absconded back to Mexico, officials stated. The agents went to work, gathering up the bundles of marijuana before anyone from the Mexican side could retrieve them. Agents seized a total of 74 bundles of marijuana. The load weighed a total of 1,165 pounds. Officials estimated the marijuana to have a street value of $932,000. Agents retrieved the truck from the river on Thursday. The agents seized the truck as evidence. In June, cartel-connected drug smugglers carried out another “splashdown” after being discovered. That truck carried about 800 pounds of marijuana. Officials valued the load to be worth $641,320. Officials said the occurrences of these dangerous “splashdown” maneuvers is increasing in the Rio Grande Valley as smugglers become desperate to avoid a higher certainty of prosecution. The Rio Grande Valley Sector reportedly leads the nation in “splashdown” incidents.
China Protests U.S. Warships Sailing Near Disputed South China Sea Islands	2018-05-28	[ "Two American warships, the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins and the missile cruiser USS Antietam, conducted a freedom of navigation patrol near Woody Island in the South China Sea on Sunday – the same island in the Paracels chain where China landed nuclear-capable long-range bombers for the first time last week.", "U.S. officials said the two ships conducted operations within 12 nautical miles of four Paracel islands, including Tree, Lincoln, Triton, and Woody. The officials said the operation was planned months in advance, long before the decision was made last week to rescind China’s invitation to the multinational Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to protest its militarization of the South China Sea.", "“U.S. forces operate in the Asia-Pacific region on a daily basis, including in the South China Sea. All operations are conducted in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows,” the Pentagon said in a statement to Fox News.", "Fox notes that not only has China used its airbase on Woody Island to land heavy bombers, but it has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system. Satellite images taken last week appear to show two new missile launchers and a radar system on the northern shore of the island, concealed by a camouflage net. The system is described as a potential threat to both civilian and military planes within 125 miles of the installation.", "The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative in Washington believes new weapon systems were dropped on Woody Island under the guise of “military exercises” in early May, citing satellite imagery that shows much of the equipment is still in place even though the exercises ended weeks ago.", "China’s foreign and defense ministries both protested the “unauthorized” American freedom of navigation exercise. The Defense Ministry said that the Chinese military “took immediate action, deploying ships and aircraft to identify the U.S. vessels and issued warnings to drive them away.”", "China’s People’s Daily summarized the responses:", "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed the US of trespassing in China’s territorial waters. In a statement released on Sunday, spokesperson Lu Kang said that the US warships entered Chinese territory without permission from the Chinese government, adding that the Chinese navy identified the US warships, warned them, and drove them away.", "Lu stressed that Xisha Islands are China’s inherent territory, noting that the Chinese government, in accordance with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, promulgated the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to the Xisha Islands in 1996.", "Lu called on the US to immediately stop such provocative operations that encroach upon China’s sovereignty and threaten China’s security, adding that China will to take all necessary measures to protect and defend the nation.", "The Ministry of Defense also responded to the provocation. Spokesperson Wu Qian said in a statement that the US warships gravely violated Chinese sovereignty, undermined strategic mutual trust between the two militaries, and damaged peace, security, and good order in the waters.", "Wu added that the Chinese military stands ready to protect and defend the nation and maintain regional peace and stability.", "The operation also clearly angered many Chinese netizens, who took to the Internet to protest the provocation. “The US believes it should be the world’s policeman,” a Chinese netizen commented. “Perhaps we should send warships through their doorway to see what the reaction would be,” another commented.", "China’s Xinhua news service fumed about the U.S. warships “trespassing” into Chinese territorial waters in violation of “Chinese and relevant international laws.”", "Australia’s News.com notes that international law does not, in fact, support China’s claim of ownership over 80 percent of the South China Sea. Vietnam also has claims in the Paracels, while Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei have competing claims in other parts of the South China Sea. About $5 trillion in international shipping passes through the area every year." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2018/05/28/china-protests-u-s-warships-sailing-disputed-south-china-sea-islands/	China Protests U.S. Warships Sailing Near Disputed South China Sea Islands Two American warships, the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins and the missile cruiser USS Antietam, conducted a freedom of navigation patrol near Woody Island in the South China Sea on Sunday – the same island in the Paracels chain where China landed nuclear-capable long-range bombers for the first time last week. U.S. officials said the two ships conducted operations within 12 nautical miles of four Paracel islands, including Tree, Lincoln, Triton, and Woody. The officials said the operation was planned months in advance, long before the decision was made last week to rescind China’s invitation to the multinational Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to protest its militarization of the South China Sea. “U.S. forces operate in the Asia-Pacific region on a daily basis, including in the South China Sea. All operations are conducted in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows,” the Pentagon said in a statement to Fox News. Fox notes that not only has China used its airbase on Woody Island to land heavy bombers, but it has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system. Satellite images taken last week appear to show two new missile launchers and a radar system on the northern shore of the island, concealed by a camouflage net. The system is described as a potential threat to both civilian and military planes within 125 miles of the installation. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative in Washington believes new weapon systems were dropped on Woody Island under the guise of “military exercises” in early May, citing satellite imagery that shows much of the equipment is still in place even though the exercises ended weeks ago. China’s foreign and defense ministries both protested the “unauthorized” American freedom of navigation exercise. The Defense Ministry said that the Chinese military “took immediate action, deploying ships and aircraft to identify the U.S. vessels and issued warnings to drive them away.” China’s People’s Daily summarized the responses: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed the US of trespassing in China’s territorial waters. In a statement released on Sunday, spokesperson Lu Kang said that the US warships entered Chinese territory without permission from the Chinese government, adding that the Chinese navy identified the US warships, warned them, and drove them away. Lu stressed that Xisha Islands are China’s inherent territory, noting that the Chinese government, in accordance with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, promulgated the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to the Xisha Islands in 1996. Lu called on the US to immediately stop such provocative operations that encroach upon China’s sovereignty and threaten China’s security, adding that China will to take all necessary measures to protect and defend the nation. The Ministry of Defense also responded to the provocation. Spokesperson Wu Qian said in a statement that the US warships gravely violated Chinese sovereignty, undermined strategic mutual trust between the two militaries, and damaged peace, security, and good order in the waters. Wu added that the Chinese military stands ready to protect and defend the nation and maintain regional peace and stability. The operation also clearly angered many Chinese netizens, who took to the Internet to protest the provocation. “The US believes it should be the world’s policeman,” a Chinese netizen commented. “Perhaps we should send warships through their doorway to see what the reaction would be,” another commented. China’s Xinhua news service fumed about the U.S. warships “trespassing” into Chinese territorial waters in violation of “Chinese and relevant international laws.” Australia’s News.com notes that international law does not, in fact, support China’s claim of ownership over 80 percent of the South China Sea. Vietnam also has claims in the Paracels, while Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei have competing claims in other parts of the South China Sea. About $5 trillion in international shipping passes through the area every year.
Poll: Majority of Americans Oppose Scrapping Private Health Insurance	2019-07-01	[ "A CNN poll released Monday found that 57 percent of Americans oppose any Democrat efforts to completely eliminate Americans’ private health insurance in favor of a Medicare for All-style government healthcare program.", "A CNN poll released Monday found that 57 percent of Americans said that the government should not enact a program, such as Medicare for All, that would completely eliminate private health insurance, compared to 37 percent of those who said that they should scrap private health insurance, and six percent of those polled who had no opinion.", "CNN’s latest poll showcases a three-point gain for those who oppose eliminating private health insurance, which covers over half of Americans.", "Further, only 31 percent of Democrats said that a national program should completely replace health insurance, while 48 percent, or nearly a majority of Democrats, said that a national health insurance program should not completely replace insurance.", "The survey arises in the wake of the first 2020 Democrat presidential debates, in which several candidates, such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), raised their hands when asked if they would eliminate private health insurance in favor of Medicare for All.", "During the Thursday night debate, Sen. Sanders admitted that he would raise taxes on middle-class families to pay for big government programs such as Medicare for All, free state college tuition, and other programs.", "The survey found that a majority of Americans would remain willing to pay more in taxes if they were to receive a national health insurance program.", "Fifty-six percent of Americans said they would pay more in taxes if it would result in a national health insurance program, 40 percent said that the government should not raise taxes for the proposal, and three percent had no opinion.", "The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS June 28 to 30 among a random sample of 1,613 adults reached through landlines or cellphones by a live interviewer. The survey has a three-point margin of error, and the subsample of Democrat and Democrat-leaning independents who are registered to vote is 4.7 points." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/07/01/poll-majority-of-americans-oppose-scrapping-private-health-insurance/	Poll: Majority of Americans Oppose Scrapping Private Health Insurance A CNN poll released Monday found that 57 percent of Americans oppose any Democrat efforts to completely eliminate Americans’ private health insurance in favor of a Medicare for All-style government healthcare program. A CNN poll released Monday found that 57 percent of Americans said that the government should not enact a program, such as Medicare for All, that would completely eliminate private health insurance, compared to 37 percent of those who said that they should scrap private health insurance, and six percent of those polled who had no opinion. CNN’s latest poll showcases a three-point gain for those who oppose eliminating private health insurance, which covers over half of Americans. Further, only 31 percent of Democrats said that a national program should completely replace health insurance, while 48 percent, or nearly a majority of Democrats, said that a national health insurance program should not completely replace insurance. The survey arises in the wake of the first 2020 Democrat presidential debates, in which several candidates, such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), raised their hands when asked if they would eliminate private health insurance in favor of Medicare for All. During the Thursday night debate, Sen. Sanders admitted that he would raise taxes on middle-class families to pay for big government programs such as Medicare for All, free state college tuition, and other programs. The survey found that a majority of Americans would remain willing to pay more in taxes if they were to receive a national health insurance program. Fifty-six percent of Americans said they would pay more in taxes if it would result in a national health insurance program, 40 percent said that the government should not raise taxes for the proposal, and three percent had no opinion. The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS June 28 to 30 among a random sample of 1,613 adults reached through landlines or cellphones by a live interviewer. The survey has a three-point margin of error, and the subsample of Democrat and Democrat-leaning independents who are registered to vote is 4.7 points.
Trump says he has a responsibility to end Korean conflict	2018-04-27	[ "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump claimed credit Friday for a historic inter-Korean summit, but now faces a burden in helping turn the Korean leaders’ bold but vague vision for peace into reality after more than six decades of hostility.", "Trump must contend with two nagging suspicions: first about his own suitability to conduct that kind of war-and-peace negotiation and succeed where his predecessors have failed; secondly, whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un really is willing to give up the nuclear weapons his nation took decades acquiring.", "“It is still unclear whether North Korea still believes that it can have its cake and eat it too,” said Victor Cha, who until January had been in the running to become Trump’s choice for ambassador to South Korea. Cha said that while the atmospherics of the inter-Korean summit got an “A” grade, the meeting had failed to clarify whether Kim is willing to give up his nukes or is interested in just freezing his programs in return for sanctions relief and economic and energy assistance.", "At a White House news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump basked in the afterglow of the feel-good meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and said he has a responsibility to try to achieve peace and denuclearization.", "“And if I can’t do it, it’ll be a very tough time for a lot of countries, and a lot of people. It’s certainly something that I hope I can do for the world,” he said.", "While Moon and Kim pledged to seek a formal end to the Korean War by year’s end and to rid their peninsula of nuclear weapons, they didn’t specify how it would be achieved. And now the pressure to deliver results, at least on the allies’ side, has shifted to Trump.", "“There will be a suggestion that the South Koreans have teed it up very well for him and he’s not going to have the option of walking away in a huff,” said Christopher Hill, who was the lead U.S. negotiator with North Korea under the George W. Bush administration.", "Trump left little doubt the unprecedented U.S.-North summit, tentatively scheduled for May or early June, would go ahead. He said he was looking forward to the meeting and that it “should be quite something.” The U.S. had narrowed down the choice of summit venue to two locations he didn’t name.", "The president pushed back against critics that say he’s being manipulated by Kim, who has abruptly shifted to diplomacy after last year’s full-scale push to become a nuclear power that could threaten the U.S. mainland.", "“I don’t think he’s ever had this enthusiasm for somebody, for them wanting to make a deal,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “We’re not going to be played, OK. We’re going to hopefully make a deal. The United States in the past has been played like a fiddle.”", "New Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who as then-CIA director met Kim four weeks ago in North Korea, told reporters in Brussels that he got the impression that Kim was “serious” about negotiating on denuclearization because of the Trump-led economic pressure campaign.", "But Pompeo added a word of caution: “I am always careful. There is a lot of history here. Promises have been made, hopes have been raised and then dashed.”", "North Korea has already called a halt to nuclear and long-range missile tests, which has helped dial down tensions significantly. But Mark Fitzpatrick, the Washington-based executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the promise of denuclearization must now be backed by tangible actions, like an end of North Korean production of fissile material that can be used for bombs and the dismantling of nuclear facilities.", "Hill, the former U.S. negotiator, said the key hurdles for the Trump administration would be to set a timetable for denuclearization and overcome North Korean reluctance to allow a verification process — a failing of past aid-for-disarmament deals.", "“I’m guided by my experience which was they said all the right things but they gave us a declaration that was not complete and not entirely accurate, and they also failed to give us any kind of verification protocol,” he said.", "Despite the optimism, Trump reiterated Friday that the U.S.-led pressure campaign could continue “until denuclearization occurs.”", "North Korea was hit with unprecedented economic restrictions during a feverish 2017, when the U.S. and North Korean leaders traded threats while Kim pushed his nation to the verge of being able to fire a nuclear-tipped missile at the U.S. mainland.", "The diplomatic climate has changed dramatically this year, as Kim has ended his international seclusion, reaching out to South Korea, the U.S., and China.", "Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the U.S. is “optimistic right now that there’s opportunity here that we have never enjoyed since 1950” and any progress will be up to the diplomats. He was referring to the year the Korean War broke out.", "The fighting, which also involved China, halted three years later after hundreds of thousands of lives had been lost, through the declaration of an armistice, not a peace treaty. That has left the peninsula in a technical state of war for more than six decades.", "Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and Matthew Lee in Brussels contributed to this report." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/news/trump-says-he-has-a-responsibility-to-end-korean-conflict/	Trump says he has a responsibility to end Korean conflict WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump claimed credit Friday for a historic inter-Korean summit, but now faces a burden in helping turn the Korean leaders’ bold but vague vision for peace into reality after more than six decades of hostility. Trump must contend with two nagging suspicions: first about his own suitability to conduct that kind of war-and-peace negotiation and succeed where his predecessors have failed; secondly, whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un really is willing to give up the nuclear weapons his nation took decades acquiring. “It is still unclear whether North Korea still believes that it can have its cake and eat it too,” said Victor Cha, who until January had been in the running to become Trump’s choice for ambassador to South Korea. Cha said that while the atmospherics of the inter-Korean summit got an “A” grade, the meeting had failed to clarify whether Kim is willing to give up his nukes or is interested in just freezing his programs in return for sanctions relief and economic and energy assistance. At a White House news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump basked in the afterglow of the feel-good meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and said he has a responsibility to try to achieve peace and denuclearization. “And if I can’t do it, it’ll be a very tough time for a lot of countries, and a lot of people. It’s certainly something that I hope I can do for the world,” he said. While Moon and Kim pledged to seek a formal end to the Korean War by year’s end and to rid their peninsula of nuclear weapons, they didn’t specify how it would be achieved. And now the pressure to deliver results, at least on the allies’ side, has shifted to Trump. “There will be a suggestion that the South Koreans have teed it up very well for him and he’s not going to have the option of walking away in a huff,” said Christopher Hill, who was the lead U.S. negotiator with North Korea under the George W. Bush administration. Trump left little doubt the unprecedented U.S.-North summit, tentatively scheduled for May or early June, would go ahead. He said he was looking forward to the meeting and that it “should be quite something.” The U.S. had narrowed down the choice of summit venue to two locations he didn’t name. The president pushed back against critics that say he’s being manipulated by Kim, who has abruptly shifted to diplomacy after last year’s full-scale push to become a nuclear power that could threaten the U.S. mainland. “I don’t think he’s ever had this enthusiasm for somebody, for them wanting to make a deal,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “We’re not going to be played, OK. We’re going to hopefully make a deal. The United States in the past has been played like a fiddle.” New Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who as then-CIA director met Kim four weeks ago in North Korea, told reporters in Brussels that he got the impression that Kim was “serious” about negotiating on denuclearization because of the Trump-led economic pressure campaign. But Pompeo added a word of caution: “I am always careful. There is a lot of history here. Promises have been made, hopes have been raised and then dashed.” North Korea has already called a halt to nuclear and long-range missile tests, which has helped dial down tensions significantly. But Mark Fitzpatrick, the Washington-based executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the promise of denuclearization must now be backed by tangible actions, like an end of North Korean production of fissile material that can be used for bombs and the dismantling of nuclear facilities. Hill, the former U.S. negotiator, said the key hurdles for the Trump administration would be to set a timetable for denuclearization and overcome North Korean reluctance to allow a verification process — a failing of past aid-for-disarmament deals. “I’m guided by my experience which was they said all the right things but they gave us a declaration that was not complete and not entirely accurate, and they also failed to give us any kind of verification protocol,” he said. Despite the optimism, Trump reiterated Friday that the U.S.-led pressure campaign could continue “until denuclearization occurs.” North Korea was hit with unprecedented economic restrictions during a feverish 2017, when the U.S. and North Korean leaders traded threats while Kim pushed his nation to the verge of being able to fire a nuclear-tipped missile at the U.S. mainland. The diplomatic climate has changed dramatically this year, as Kim has ended his international seclusion, reaching out to South Korea, the U.S., and China. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the U.S. is “optimistic right now that there’s opportunity here that we have never enjoyed since 1950” and any progress will be up to the diplomats. He was referring to the year the Korean War broke out. The fighting, which also involved China, halted three years later after hundreds of thousands of lives had been lost, through the declaration of an armistice, not a peace treaty. That has left the peninsula in a technical state of war for more than six decades. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and Matthew Lee in Brussels contributed to this report.
Bernie Sanders Features Cardi B in Campaign Video: 'She's Really Smart'	2019-07-30	[ "Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VM) tapped rapper Cardi B to appear in one of his presidential campaign videos in a bid to appeal to younger voters, describing her as “really smart.”", "“We (are) working on a way to involve more young people in the political process,” Sanders told CNN as he arrived for the filming. “The future of America depends on young people. They are voting in large numbers, but not large enough numbers.”", "Cardi B meanwhile took to Instagram to affirm that Sanders would “fight for economic, racial, and social justice for all.”", "“Thank you, Senator Bernie Sanders, for sitting with me and sharing your plans on how you will change this country,” the Grammy-winner said on Twitter after the shoot. “Stay tuned to see how he will fight for economic, racial, and social justice for all. Together, let’s build a movement of young people to transform this country.”", "Not me, US. Thank you Senator Bernie Sanders for sitting with me and sharing your plans on how you will change this country. A couple of weeks ago I asked my followers if you had the opportunity to have a question answered by a democratic candidate what would it be ? I got a lot of submission and selected the most popular questions to get answered. Stay tuned to see how he will fight for economic, racial, and social justice for all. Together, let’s build a movement of young people to transform this country.LETS LEARN OUR CANDIDATES!", "Sanders recently sang the praises of the 26-year-old rapper, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, saying he had spoken with her on “multiple occasions.”", "“She is really smart. And she is deeply concerned about what’s happening in this country,” Sanders told Kimmel. “She wants to make sure we improve life for working people in this country, and I’m delighted that she is a supporter.”", "Cardi B recently expressed her admiration for Sanders’s, admitting she was left disappointed by the fact Hillary Clinton was chosen as the 2016 Democratic nominee.", "“I been reading about Bernie Sanders and I’m really sad how we let him down in 2016. This man been fighting for equal rights, HUMAN rights for such along time,” she wrote last week. “Seeing this country become a better place been really his passion for a long time not a new front for a campaign.”", "I been reading about Bernie Sanders and I’m really sad how we let him down in 2016 This man been fighting for equal rights,HUMAN rights for such along time.Seeing this country become a better place been really his passion for a long time not a new front for a campaign.", "However, it is not clear whether Cardi B realizes the implications of a Sanders presidency, particularly in regard to his plans to raise taxes on those with the highest income. Last year, she filmed herself railing against the size of federal and state government while demanding greater transparency about how her tax dollars are spent.", "“I want to know what you’re doing with my fucking tax money because I’m from New York where the streets are always dirty, it’s been voted the dirtiest city in America,” she declared at the time. “So what is y’all doing with my fucking money? I want to know, I want receipts, I want everything. Uncle Sam, I want to know what you’re doing with my fucking money.”" ]	https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2019/07/30/bernie-sanders-features-cardi-b-in-campaign-video-shes-really-smart/	Bernie Sanders Features Cardi B in Campaign Video: 'She's Really Smart' Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VM) tapped rapper Cardi B to appear in one of his presidential campaign videos in a bid to appeal to younger voters, describing her as “really smart.” “We (are) working on a way to involve more young people in the political process,” Sanders told CNN as he arrived for the filming. “The future of America depends on young people. They are voting in large numbers, but not large enough numbers.” Cardi B meanwhile took to Instagram to affirm that Sanders would “fight for economic, racial, and social justice for all.” “Thank you, Senator Bernie Sanders, for sitting with me and sharing your plans on how you will change this country,” the Grammy-winner said on Twitter after the shoot. “Stay tuned to see how he will fight for economic, racial, and social justice for all. Together, let’s build a movement of young people to transform this country.” Not me, US. Thank you Senator Bernie Sanders for sitting with me and sharing your plans on how you will change this country. A couple of weeks ago I asked my followers if you had the opportunity to have a question answered by a democratic candidate what would it be ? I got a lot of submission and selected the most popular questions to get answered. Stay tuned to see how he will fight for economic, racial, and social justice for all. Together, let’s build a movement of young people to transform this country.LETS LEARN OUR CANDIDATES! Sanders recently sang the praises of the 26-year-old rapper, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, saying he had spoken with her on “multiple occasions.” “She is really smart. And she is deeply concerned about what’s happening in this country,” Sanders told Kimmel. “She wants to make sure we improve life for working people in this country, and I’m delighted that she is a supporter.” Cardi B recently expressed her admiration for Sanders’s, admitting she was left disappointed by the fact Hillary Clinton was chosen as the 2016 Democratic nominee. “I been reading about Bernie Sanders and I’m really sad how we let him down in 2016. This man been fighting for equal rights, HUMAN rights for such along time,” she wrote last week. “Seeing this country become a better place been really his passion for a long time not a new front for a campaign.” I been reading about Bernie Sanders and I’m really sad how we let him down in 2016 This man been fighting for equal rights,HUMAN rights for such along time.Seeing this country become a better place been really his passion for a long time not a new front for a campaign. However, it is not clear whether Cardi B realizes the implications of a Sanders presidency, particularly in regard to his plans to raise taxes on those with the highest income. Last year, she filmed herself railing against the size of federal and state government while demanding greater transparency about how her tax dollars are spent. “I want to know what you’re doing with my fucking tax money because I’m from New York where the streets are always dirty, it’s been voted the dirtiest city in America,” she declared at the time. “So what is y’all doing with my fucking money? I want to know, I want receipts, I want everything. Uncle Sam, I want to know what you’re doing with my fucking money.”
AZ Court Rejects GOP Challenge to Election Results: 'See You at the Supreme Court'	2020-12-05	[ "An Arizona state court on Friday rejected a challenge lodged by Dr. Kelli Ward, the state’s Republican Party chairwoman, prompting celebration from Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D). However, the Arizona Republican Party indicates that leadership intends to push the challenge to the Supreme Court.", "“The court finds no fraud, no misconduct, and no effect on the outcome of the election,” Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Randall Warner ruled. “Plaintiff has not proven that the Biden/Harris ticket did not receive the highest number of votes.”", "Ward’s lawsuit claimed that observers were not able to monitor in a meaningful way, and it also “targeted Arizona ballots that election workers duplicated so they could be read by a tabulation machine, which they allege resulted in votes flipping from President Donald Trump to President-elect Joe Biden, and the state’s method for verifying signatures on mail-in ballots,” as Forbes detailed:", "The lawsuit also raised concerns about access for election observers, but the judge threw out that portion of the case Thursday, saying the complaint should have been brought earlier and not “when the only remedy would be to upend the entire election.”", "The GOP plaintiffs asked the court at a hearing Friday to order the state to inspect duplicated and adjudicated ballots, claiming without evidence that there could be enough uncounted votes for Trump to change the election results.", "Hobbs, who has a history of public disdain for President Trump and his supporters, even referring to Trump’s base as neo-Nazis, praised the ruling.", "“The allegations in this case were baseless, and I had faith the court would continue to do the right thing. Today’s ruling affirms that faith. As we argued in court, it is time for this to stop,” she said, describing the claims of fraud, error, and misconduct as “vague” and “unsupported.” She also asserted the claims were “undermining the foundation of our democracy” — an assertion she made last month after rejecting a request for an independent analysis of voting data.", "“Facts matter in a court of law, & the facts remain that this historic election had tremendous turnout and was both secure and accurate,” she added:", "The Republican Party of Arizona issued a pointed retort: “See you at the Supreme Court”:", "Hobbs certified the state’s election results, giving the Grand Canyon State’s 11 electoral votes to Joe Biden, in light of this week’s election integrity hearing, which featured several witnesses alleging irregularities and instances of intimidation.", "As Breitbart News reported:", "Cybersecurity expert Army Col. (Ret.) Phillip Waldron testified on his research of Dominion voting machines and software in Michigan. He said the systems have a number of vulnerabilities and that the systems are indeed connected to the Internet and were on Election Day, despite what Dominion has asserted.", "Anna Orth, a registered voter in Pima County, spoke about her alleged experience while volunteering as a poll observer on October 16 and a poll worker on November 3. She claimed that on October 16, she was not allowed in a room to watch the correcting of problematic ballots and was brought to another room where ballots were being separated from their envelopes. She said that not every table had a Republican.", "Matt Braynard, founder of the Voter Integrity Fund and former data chief and strategist for the Trump campaign, said there were a “tremendous number of anomalies” and that Arizona was at the “forefront” of the anomalies found.", "President Trump called into the hearing this week and criticized Gov. Doug Ducey (R), who has forcefully defended his state’s election results.", "“On top of it, you have a governor named Ducey,” the president remarked. “He just rushed to sign certificates. … What’s that all about? He didn’t have to sign it. I say, why would he sign when you have these incredible hearings going on that’s showing such corruption and such horrible fraud?”", "“You have to figure out what that’s all about with Ducey. He couldn’t go fast enough,” Trump said, adding that they are “not going to forget what Ducey just did.”" ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/12/05/az-court-rejects-gop-challenge-to-election-results-see-you-at-the-supreme-court/	AZ Court Rejects GOP Challenge to Election Results: 'See You at the Supreme Court' An Arizona state court on Friday rejected a challenge lodged by Dr. Kelli Ward, the state’s Republican Party chairwoman, prompting celebration from Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D). However, the Arizona Republican Party indicates that leadership intends to push the challenge to the Supreme Court. “The court finds no fraud, no misconduct, and no effect on the outcome of the election,” Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Randall Warner ruled. “Plaintiff has not proven that the Biden/Harris ticket did not receive the highest number of votes.” Ward’s lawsuit claimed that observers were not able to monitor in a meaningful way, and it also “targeted Arizona ballots that election workers duplicated so they could be read by a tabulation machine, which they allege resulted in votes flipping from President Donald Trump to President-elect Joe Biden, and the state’s method for verifying signatures on mail-in ballots,” as Forbes detailed: The lawsuit also raised concerns about access for election observers, but the judge threw out that portion of the case Thursday, saying the complaint should have been brought earlier and not “when the only remedy would be to upend the entire election.” The GOP plaintiffs asked the court at a hearing Friday to order the state to inspect duplicated and adjudicated ballots, claiming without evidence that there could be enough uncounted votes for Trump to change the election results. Hobbs, who has a history of public disdain for President Trump and his supporters, even referring to Trump’s base as neo-Nazis, praised the ruling. “The allegations in this case were baseless, and I had faith the court would continue to do the right thing. Today’s ruling affirms that faith. As we argued in court, it is time for this to stop,” she said, describing the claims of fraud, error, and misconduct as “vague” and “unsupported.” She also asserted the claims were “undermining the foundation of our democracy” — an assertion she made last month after rejecting a request for an independent analysis of voting data. “Facts matter in a court of law, & the facts remain that this historic election had tremendous turnout and was both secure and accurate,” she added: The Republican Party of Arizona issued a pointed retort: “See you at the Supreme Court”: Hobbs certified the state’s election results, giving the Grand Canyon State’s 11 electoral votes to Joe Biden, in light of this week’s election integrity hearing, which featured several witnesses alleging irregularities and instances of intimidation. As Breitbart News reported: Cybersecurity expert Army Col. (Ret.) Phillip Waldron testified on his research of Dominion voting machines and software in Michigan. He said the systems have a number of vulnerabilities and that the systems are indeed connected to the Internet and were on Election Day, despite what Dominion has asserted. Anna Orth, a registered voter in Pima County, spoke about her alleged experience while volunteering as a poll observer on October 16 and a poll worker on November 3. She claimed that on October 16, she was not allowed in a room to watch the correcting of problematic ballots and was brought to another room where ballots were being separated from their envelopes. She said that not every table had a Republican. Matt Braynard, founder of the Voter Integrity Fund and former data chief and strategist for the Trump campaign, said there were a “tremendous number of anomalies” and that Arizona was at the “forefront” of the anomalies found. President Trump called into the hearing this week and criticized Gov. Doug Ducey (R), who has forcefully defended his state’s election results. “On top of it, you have a governor named Ducey,” the president remarked. “He just rushed to sign certificates. … What’s that all about? He didn’t have to sign it. I say, why would he sign when you have these incredible hearings going on that’s showing such corruption and such horrible fraud?” “You have to figure out what that’s all about with Ducey. He couldn’t go fast enough,” Trump said, adding that they are “not going to forget what Ducey just did.”
Federal agent accused of sexually assaulting 3 women	2018-04-11	[ "MILWAUKEE (AP) — An agent who worked in diplomatic security protection for the U.S. Department of State is accused in Wisconsin of sexually assaulting three women with whom he was acquainted, according to a criminal complaint.", "David Scharlat, 53, was due in court Wednesday in Waukesha County Circuit Court where he faces five felony sexual assault charges.", "Scharlat’s lawyer, Paul Bucher, said the encounters with Scharlat’s accusers were consensual.", "“A lot of alcohol was consumed by all three women,” Bucher said Wednesday.", "According to a criminal complaint, a 43-year-old accuser told investigators she was sexually assaulted by Scharlat twice, on Oct. 20, 2017, at her residence in Hartland and again Oct. 22, 2017 at an acquaintance’s house in the Town of Brookfield. In the first incident, the woman said the two began to have consensual sex that eventually became non-consensual after she told Scharlat to stop because he was hurting her, the complaint said.", "In the second incident, the woman told police Scharlat forced her to have sex, causing injuries that later required surgery.", "The complaint says a 50-year-old woman told investigators Scharlat always had his gun on him or on the nightstand or desk when he had sex with her and that he wore his badge around his neck and would dangle it in her face. The woman said Scharlat forced her to perform a sex act on him in June or July of 2012 and on Feb. 14, 2013 and had made threats over the years, including threats to hurt her, kill her or stop helping her financially.", "The third woman, 48, said she met Scharlat in an online dating website in March 2013 and that after they started dating he became controlling and threatened to have her arrested because he was a federal agent, according to prosecutors.", "Scharlat forced the woman to perform a sex act against her will on Aug. 31, 2013 at his residence in the Town of Oconomowoc, the complaint said.", "Scharlat was charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault causing great bodily harm, three counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree sexual assault.", "The Department of State said in an email Wednesday that Scharlat was hired in September 2001 and was removed from access to the department’s facilities in April 2015. A state department spokesman, Ambrose Sayles, said that Scharlat remains an employee and that the department has cooperated with local authorities on the criminal investigation. The department declined to detail Scharlat’s duties, but Bucher said he worked in high-profile diplomatic security protection for the department.", "Waukesha County is located 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) west of Milwaukee." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/news/federal-agent-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-3-women/	Federal agent accused of sexually assaulting 3 women MILWAUKEE (AP) — An agent who worked in diplomatic security protection for the U.S. Department of State is accused in Wisconsin of sexually assaulting three women with whom he was acquainted, according to a criminal complaint. David Scharlat, 53, was due in court Wednesday in Waukesha County Circuit Court where he faces five felony sexual assault charges. Scharlat’s lawyer, Paul Bucher, said the encounters with Scharlat’s accusers were consensual. “A lot of alcohol was consumed by all three women,” Bucher said Wednesday. According to a criminal complaint, a 43-year-old accuser told investigators she was sexually assaulted by Scharlat twice, on Oct. 20, 2017, at her residence in Hartland and again Oct. 22, 2017 at an acquaintance’s house in the Town of Brookfield. In the first incident, the woman said the two began to have consensual sex that eventually became non-consensual after she told Scharlat to stop because he was hurting her, the complaint said. In the second incident, the woman told police Scharlat forced her to have sex, causing injuries that later required surgery. The complaint says a 50-year-old woman told investigators Scharlat always had his gun on him or on the nightstand or desk when he had sex with her and that he wore his badge around his neck and would dangle it in her face. The woman said Scharlat forced her to perform a sex act on him in June or July of 2012 and on Feb. 14, 2013 and had made threats over the years, including threats to hurt her, kill her or stop helping her financially. The third woman, 48, said she met Scharlat in an online dating website in March 2013 and that after they started dating he became controlling and threatened to have her arrested because he was a federal agent, according to prosecutors. Scharlat forced the woman to perform a sex act against her will on Aug. 31, 2013 at his residence in the Town of Oconomowoc, the complaint said. Scharlat was charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault causing great bodily harm, three counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree sexual assault. The Department of State said in an email Wednesday that Scharlat was hired in September 2001 and was removed from access to the department’s facilities in April 2015. A state department spokesman, Ambrose Sayles, said that Scharlat remains an employee and that the department has cooperated with local authorities on the criminal investigation. The department declined to detail Scharlat’s duties, but Bucher said he worked in high-profile diplomatic security protection for the department. Waukesha County is located 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) west of Milwaukee.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says She Is Voting in Person	2020-09-21	[ "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a huge proponent of mass vote-by-mail, revealed Sunday she is voting “early and in person” this year.", "“I am voting early and in person. What’s your voting plan?” the New York lawmaker asked, days after discussing the importance of voting on Instagram live following the news of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death:", "I am voting early and in person.", "What’s your voting plan?", "Ocasio-Cortez has remained a fierce supporter of mass vote-by-mail, particularly throughout the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. In April, far-left members of the “Squad” touted a list of demands they believe needed to be included in the next round of coronavirus relief.", "Demands included cash payments to illegal immigrants, as well as mass vote-by-mail:", "Tomorrow at 11:00 CT, @PramilaJayapal, @MarkPocan, @RashidaTlaib, @AyannaPressley, @AOC and I are unveiling a list of demands for the next relief package:", "✅ Provide financial relief.", "In June, Ocasio-Cortez declared the GOP resists mass vote-by-mail because it “chips away at their ability” to “target and disenfranchise Black voters and people of color.”", "Notably, last week, Joe Biden (D) — who has also championed mass vote-by-mail — voted early and in person ahead of Delaware’s primary:", "On Friday evening, Ocasio-Cortez offered a pep talk to concerned progressives, urging them to check their voter registration and explaining that the election is “not about whether you agree” with Biden. Rather, it is about allowing democracy to “live another day.”", "“What I’m here to say is that this year, this election voting for someone — voting for Joe Biden is not about whether you agree with him. It’s a vote to let our democracy live another day. That’s what this is about,” she said, pressing progressives to show up at the polls and “act in solidarity” for the “most vulnerable” people in America.", "“You are the answer. Mass movements are the answer. Millions of people are the answer. You are the answer. And so I need you. We need you. Even in Congress, we can’t do it alone. So we need you to show up,” she continued, concluding that “November’s about survival.”" ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/21/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-says-she-is-voting-in-person/	Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says She Is Voting in Person Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a huge proponent of mass vote-by-mail, revealed Sunday she is voting “early and in person” this year. “I am voting early and in person. What’s your voting plan?” the New York lawmaker asked, days after discussing the importance of voting on Instagram live following the news of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death: I am voting early and in person. What’s your voting plan? Ocasio-Cortez has remained a fierce supporter of mass vote-by-mail, particularly throughout the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. In April, far-left members of the “Squad” touted a list of demands they believe needed to be included in the next round of coronavirus relief. Demands included cash payments to illegal immigrants, as well as mass vote-by-mail: Tomorrow at 11:00 CT, @PramilaJayapal, @MarkPocan, @RashidaTlaib, @AyannaPressley, @AOC and I are unveiling a list of demands for the next relief package: ✅ Provide financial relief. In June, Ocasio-Cortez declared the GOP resists mass vote-by-mail because it “chips away at their ability” to “target and disenfranchise Black voters and people of color.” Notably, last week, Joe Biden (D) — who has also championed mass vote-by-mail — voted early and in person ahead of Delaware’s primary: On Friday evening, Ocasio-Cortez offered a pep talk to concerned progressives, urging them to check their voter registration and explaining that the election is “not about whether you agree” with Biden. Rather, it is about allowing democracy to “live another day.” “What I’m here to say is that this year, this election voting for someone — voting for Joe Biden is not about whether you agree with him. It’s a vote to let our democracy live another day. That’s what this is about,” she said, pressing progressives to show up at the polls and “act in solidarity” for the “most vulnerable” people in America. “You are the answer. Mass movements are the answer. Millions of people are the answer. You are the answer. And so I need you. We need you. Even in Congress, we can’t do it alone. So we need you to show up,” she continued, concluding that “November’s about survival.”
Polish Leader: Germany Should Pay the Consequences of the Migrant Crisis	2017-05-22	[ "Jarosław Kaczyński, chairman of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), says it was Germany’s decision to open Europe’s borders, not Poland’s, and his countrymen should not have to pay for their neighbour’s mistakes.", "“We have not opened Europe for refugees – Ms Merkel has,” the veteran conservative told public broadcaster TVP Info. “And it is Ms Merkel and Germany that have to bear the consequences, not Poland.”", "In late 2015, the European Union forced through measures requiring member states to accept a share of 120,000 migrants in southern Europe – later increased to 160,000 – despite strong opposition from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.", "The Civic Platform Party (PO) government, formerly led by current President of the European Council Donald Tusk, did not oppose the measures – a stance which led to the party’s landslide defeat in the parliamentary elections weeks later.", "Law and Justice repudiated the migrant quotas shortly afterwards in response to the Paris terror attacks.", "The party’s Minister for European Affairs said the attacks presaged “the necessity of an even deeper revision of the European policy towards the migrant crisis”, and insisted that Poland would not take any migrants without “security guarantees”.", "The EU has threatened Poland with sanctions for its refusal to implement its decision, but interior minister Mariusz Błaszczak has stated that acceding to the bloc’s demands would “certainly be much worse” than any potential punishment.", "Błaszczak has articulated a remarkably robust position on the migrant crisis, declaring that “the policy of multiculturalism in Western Europe is reaping a bloody harvest in the form of terrorist attacks”.", "Professor Ted Malloch, widely tipped as President Donald Trump’s eventual pick for U.S. ambassador to the EU, has described the clash between Poland and the central organs of the European Union as a logical consequence of the bloc’s “top-down approach to governance, where the smaller is subsumed into or supplanted by the greater”.", "In an article for Breitbart London, the professor has characterised the EU approach as “oppressive and ultimately unsustainable”, observing that “Poland knows this and support for a ‘Polexit’ from European Union oppression is on the rise”.", "He added the country has made itself “great again … by being Polish”, and urged all European countries “to rise to their natural role as proud leaders by being sovereign entities”." ]	http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/05/22/germany-created-migrant-crisis-pay-consequences/	Polish Leader: Germany Should Pay the Consequences of the Migrant Crisis Jarosław Kaczyński, chairman of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), says it was Germany’s decision to open Europe’s borders, not Poland’s, and his countrymen should not have to pay for their neighbour’s mistakes. “We have not opened Europe for refugees – Ms Merkel has,” the veteran conservative told public broadcaster TVP Info. “And it is Ms Merkel and Germany that have to bear the consequences, not Poland.” In late 2015, the European Union forced through measures requiring member states to accept a share of 120,000 migrants in southern Europe – later increased to 160,000 – despite strong opposition from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. The Civic Platform Party (PO) government, formerly led by current President of the European Council Donald Tusk, did not oppose the measures – a stance which led to the party’s landslide defeat in the parliamentary elections weeks later. Law and Justice repudiated the migrant quotas shortly afterwards in response to the Paris terror attacks. The party’s Minister for European Affairs said the attacks presaged “the necessity of an even deeper revision of the European policy towards the migrant crisis”, and insisted that Poland would not take any migrants without “security guarantees”. The EU has threatened Poland with sanctions for its refusal to implement its decision, but interior minister Mariusz Błaszczak has stated that acceding to the bloc’s demands would “certainly be much worse” than any potential punishment. Błaszczak has articulated a remarkably robust position on the migrant crisis, declaring that “the policy of multiculturalism in Western Europe is reaping a bloody harvest in the form of terrorist attacks”. Professor Ted Malloch, widely tipped as President Donald Trump’s eventual pick for U.S. ambassador to the EU, has described the clash between Poland and the central organs of the European Union as a logical consequence of the bloc’s “top-down approach to governance, where the smaller is subsumed into or supplanted by the greater”. In an article for Breitbart London, the professor has characterised the EU approach as “oppressive and ultimately unsustainable”, observing that “Poland knows this and support for a ‘Polexit’ from European Union oppression is on the rise”. He added the country has made itself “great again … by being Polish”, and urged all European countries “to rise to their natural role as proud leaders by being sovereign entities”.
Salvini Hits Back at UN as New Human Rights Chief Orders Probe into Italy ‘Racism’	2018-09-11	[ "Matteo Salvini has said he is considering cutting United Nations (UN) funding after its new human rights chief announced she is sending teams to Italy and Austria to investigate “racism against migrants”.", "Michelle Bachelet said in a statement Monday that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is set to “send personnel to Italy to evaluate reports of a sharp increase in acts of violence and racism against migrants, people of African descent and Roma”.", "Italy’s interior minister and deputy prime minister said the country would refuse to “take lessons from anyone, least of all the UN”, which he described as having “again proved itself to be biased, pointlessly costly and badly informed”, noting that police have denied allegations there is a “racism emergency”.", "“The UN is an organization that costs billions of euros, to which Italy gives over 100 million every year in contributions and we will weigh with our allies on the usefulness of continuing to give these 100 million euros to fund waste, embezzlement, and theft for a body that wants to give lessons to Italians and that also has countries that engage in torture and [still have] the death penalty,” Salvini continued.", "“If I were the UN, I would have half a world to send inspectors to before Italy. Go look for racism elsewhere, not in Italy,” he added.", "“Before doing checks on Italy, the UN should investigate its member States who ignore basic rights like freedom and equality between men and women,” Salvini added.", "Speaking in her first address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva Monday, Bachelet also expressed concern over reports of “anti-migrant violence” in Germany, in what was likely a reference to protests against migration policy in Chemnitz, which were sparked by the murder of a Cuban-German man, allegedly at the hands of asylum seekers.", "Apparently unaware of the debate taking place in the EU nation after its head of domestic intelligence stated there was “no evidence” that any such attacks took place, Bachelet said: “The shocking and recent outbreak in Germany of anti-migrant violence, which appears to have been stoked by xenophobic hate speech, is worrying.”", "The former leader of Chile and lifelong socialist, who opted to live in communist East Germany for some of her youth, used her speech to denounce U.S. President Donald Trump’s tougher border control policies and to demand the EU create a dedicated search and rescue mission to ferry migrants from Africa to Europe, according to the Associated Press.", "“Historically, people have always moved in search of hope and opportunities,” she claimed, warning that “erecting walls; deliberately projecting fear and anger on migrant communities… such policies offer no long-term solutions to anyone – only more hostility, misery, suffering and chaos.", "“It is in the interest of every state to adopt migration policies that are grounded in reality, not in panic; which provide opportunities for safe, regular movement instead of forcing people to take lethal risks,” Bachelet said.", "Having previously been the body’s top contributor, the U.S. pulled out of the United Nations Human Rights Council in June, calling it a “cesspool of political bias” that “makes a mockery of human rights”.", "Its previous chief, a Jordanian prince, had compared Trump and European leaders opposed to open borders to ISIS, and Viktor Orbán’s efforts to stop illegal immigration in Hungary to Nazi Germany." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/09/11/salvini-un-human-rights-italy-racism/	Salvini Hits Back at UN as New Human Rights Chief Orders Probe into Italy ‘Racism’ Matteo Salvini has said he is considering cutting United Nations (UN) funding after its new human rights chief announced she is sending teams to Italy and Austria to investigate “racism against migrants”. Michelle Bachelet said in a statement Monday that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is set to “send personnel to Italy to evaluate reports of a sharp increase in acts of violence and racism against migrants, people of African descent and Roma”. Italy’s interior minister and deputy prime minister said the country would refuse to “take lessons from anyone, least of all the UN”, which he described as having “again proved itself to be biased, pointlessly costly and badly informed”, noting that police have denied allegations there is a “racism emergency”. “The UN is an organization that costs billions of euros, to which Italy gives over 100 million every year in contributions and we will weigh with our allies on the usefulness of continuing to give these 100 million euros to fund waste, embezzlement, and theft for a body that wants to give lessons to Italians and that also has countries that engage in torture and [still have] the death penalty,” Salvini continued. “If I were the UN, I would have half a world to send inspectors to before Italy. Go look for racism elsewhere, not in Italy,” he added. “Before doing checks on Italy, the UN should investigate its member States who ignore basic rights like freedom and equality between men and women,” Salvini added. Speaking in her first address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva Monday, Bachelet also expressed concern over reports of “anti-migrant violence” in Germany, in what was likely a reference to protests against migration policy in Chemnitz, which were sparked by the murder of a Cuban-German man, allegedly at the hands of asylum seekers. Apparently unaware of the debate taking place in the EU nation after its head of domestic intelligence stated there was “no evidence” that any such attacks took place, Bachelet said: “The shocking and recent outbreak in Germany of anti-migrant violence, which appears to have been stoked by xenophobic hate speech, is worrying.” The former leader of Chile and lifelong socialist, who opted to live in communist East Germany for some of her youth, used her speech to denounce U.S. President Donald Trump’s tougher border control policies and to demand the EU create a dedicated search and rescue mission to ferry migrants from Africa to Europe, according to the Associated Press. “Historically, people have always moved in search of hope and opportunities,” she claimed, warning that “erecting walls; deliberately projecting fear and anger on migrant communities… such policies offer no long-term solutions to anyone – only more hostility, misery, suffering and chaos. “It is in the interest of every state to adopt migration policies that are grounded in reality, not in panic; which provide opportunities for safe, regular movement instead of forcing people to take lethal risks,” Bachelet said. Having previously been the body’s top contributor, the U.S. pulled out of the United Nations Human Rights Council in June, calling it a “cesspool of political bias” that “makes a mockery of human rights”. Its previous chief, a Jordanian prince, had compared Trump and European leaders opposed to open borders to ISIS, and Viktor Orbán’s efforts to stop illegal immigration in Hungary to Nazi Germany.
Report: Joe Biden Advisers Scrap Campaign Launch Video at Last Minute	2019-04-24	[ "Tensions among former Vice President Joe Biden’s advisers are rising ahead of the Thursday launch of his 2020 presidential bid, according to a new report, with a last-minute replacement of his announcement video and major worries about his fundraising needs.", "The New York Times reports Biden will enter the crowded Democratic field with zero campaign dollars and will need to raise at least $100,000 per day until Christmas if he wants to match the amount of cash that rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had in the bank on April 1st. Members of Team Biden are said to be concerned that the 76-year-old may not be able to raise the type of money Sanders and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) did in the first days of their campaigns. Each candidate took in roughly $6 million within the first 24 hours.", "“I don’t think the challenge is underestimated by the Biden team,” Rufus Gifford, President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign finance director, told the Times. “This is going to be tough. This is going to be a heavy lift,” Gifford added. “The Obama people are not a given, and they’re going to have to work for them just like everyone has to work for them.”", "The Times reports that fundraising isn’t the only matter advisors are worried about. At the last minute, his camp has reportedly scrapped and is scrambling to replace the video announcing his candidacy.", "Even before he formally enters the race, Mr. Biden is grappling with some internal tensions as he builds an organization: A launch video crafted by his new media consultant, Mark Putnam, was not favorably received by other advisers, and the former vice president’s longtime aide Mike Donilon devised an alternative video, according to two Democrats briefed on the dispute.", "TIME magazine reported last week that others close to Biden are worried that his 2020 preparations have thus far largely been a failure. “I’ve never seen anything so half-assed,” one former Biden aide said.“They’re improvising and doing last-minute planning. The guy has been running for President since 1987 and can’t figure the basics out, like where to stand on his first day? This should make everyone very nervous.”", "Biden is slated to announce his campaign on Thursday in the city of Pittsburgh, PA, backing out of Charlottesville, VA — an idea kicked around by aides in recent weeks, fraught with the risk of starting the campaign on a note of racial tension due to its association with the hoax narrative that President Trump called neo-Nazis marching in the city “very fine people.” In addition to the venue change, the campaign pushed back the launch date by one day." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/04/24/report-joe-bidens-advisers-scrap-campaign-launch-video-at-last-minute/	Report: Joe Biden Advisers Scrap Campaign Launch Video at Last Minute Tensions among former Vice President Joe Biden’s advisers are rising ahead of the Thursday launch of his 2020 presidential bid, according to a new report, with a last-minute replacement of his announcement video and major worries about his fundraising needs. The New York Times reports Biden will enter the crowded Democratic field with zero campaign dollars and will need to raise at least $100,000 per day until Christmas if he wants to match the amount of cash that rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had in the bank on April 1st. Members of Team Biden are said to be concerned that the 76-year-old may not be able to raise the type of money Sanders and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) did in the first days of their campaigns. Each candidate took in roughly $6 million within the first 24 hours. “I don’t think the challenge is underestimated by the Biden team,” Rufus Gifford, President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign finance director, told the Times. “This is going to be tough. This is going to be a heavy lift,” Gifford added. “The Obama people are not a given, and they’re going to have to work for them just like everyone has to work for them.” The Times reports that fundraising isn’t the only matter advisors are worried about. At the last minute, his camp has reportedly scrapped and is scrambling to replace the video announcing his candidacy. Even before he formally enters the race, Mr. Biden is grappling with some internal tensions as he builds an organization: A launch video crafted by his new media consultant, Mark Putnam, was not favorably received by other advisers, and the former vice president’s longtime aide Mike Donilon devised an alternative video, according to two Democrats briefed on the dispute. TIME magazine reported last week that others close to Biden are worried that his 2020 preparations have thus far largely been a failure. “I’ve never seen anything so half-assed,” one former Biden aide said.“They’re improvising and doing last-minute planning. The guy has been running for President since 1987 and can’t figure the basics out, like where to stand on his first day? This should make everyone very nervous.” Biden is slated to announce his campaign on Thursday in the city of Pittsburgh, PA, backing out of Charlottesville, VA — an idea kicked around by aides in recent weeks, fraught with the risk of starting the campaign on a note of racial tension due to its association with the hoax narrative that President Trump called neo-Nazis marching in the city “very fine people.” In addition to the venue change, the campaign pushed back the launch date by one day.
South Carolina Rep. Steven Long: Armed Teachers Could Stop 'Mentally Defective Cowards'	2018-02-27	[ "South Carolina State Rep. Steven Long (R-37) says armed teachers could stop “mentally defective cowards” before school children are harmed.", "In a Monday press release, Long said:", "We must do everything we can to ensure the safety of children in schools, both K-12 and our higher education institutions. Allowing teachers or school staff members to carry is the most efficient and most effective way to do this. This is entirely voluntary. We aren’t forcing teachers who don’t feel comfortable with a gun to carry. Not every teacher will want to carry or needs to carry, but for those who are willing and able, we need to allow them this protection. I’m open to a discussion regarding the specifics of a program that allows teachers to carry, but it is undeniable that we must take action on this issue.", "He added:", "The criminals who shoot up schools are mentally defective cowards. A shocking 98% of mass shootings occur in gun-free zones. The killers know that they are unlikely to encounter armed resistance and be stopped and they’re going after defenseless targets. Well, not anymore. By allowing trained adults to defend the students, we will send the message to those deranged psychotic degenerates that children are our top priority and we will protect them.", "Because he believes arming teachers is important, Long is hosting a drawing to give a gun to a K-12 teacher or school staff member and a college faculty member. The giveaway also covers the necessary training to enable the winners to get their concealed permits.", "Long’s efforts to arm teachers, thereby saving students from “mentally defective cowards,” is reminiscent of President Trump’s appraisal that armed teachers could “fire back if a savage sicko came to a school with bad intentions.” He noted that first responders are “5 to 8 minutes away” when a school shooting occurs, but armed teachers could take action “immediately.”" ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/02/27/south-carolina-rep-long-armed-teachers-stop-mentally-defective-cowards/	South Carolina Rep. Steven Long: Armed Teachers Could Stop 'Mentally Defective Cowards' South Carolina State Rep. Steven Long (R-37) says armed teachers could stop “mentally defective cowards” before school children are harmed. In a Monday press release, Long said: We must do everything we can to ensure the safety of children in schools, both K-12 and our higher education institutions. Allowing teachers or school staff members to carry is the most efficient and most effective way to do this. This is entirely voluntary. We aren’t forcing teachers who don’t feel comfortable with a gun to carry. Not every teacher will want to carry or needs to carry, but for those who are willing and able, we need to allow them this protection. I’m open to a discussion regarding the specifics of a program that allows teachers to carry, but it is undeniable that we must take action on this issue. He added: The criminals who shoot up schools are mentally defective cowards. A shocking 98% of mass shootings occur in gun-free zones. The killers know that they are unlikely to encounter armed resistance and be stopped and they’re going after defenseless targets. Well, not anymore. By allowing trained adults to defend the students, we will send the message to those deranged psychotic degenerates that children are our top priority and we will protect them. Because he believes arming teachers is important, Long is hosting a drawing to give a gun to a K-12 teacher or school staff member and a college faculty member. The giveaway also covers the necessary training to enable the winners to get their concealed permits. Long’s efforts to arm teachers, thereby saving students from “mentally defective cowards,” is reminiscent of President Trump’s appraisal that armed teachers could “fire back if a savage sicko came to a school with bad intentions.” He noted that first responders are “5 to 8 minutes away” when a school shooting occurs, but armed teachers could take action “immediately.”
Report: Saudi Arabia 'Corruption' Raid Arrests Nearly 300 More Officials	2020-03-17	[ "Saudi Arabia reportedly charged hundreds of government officials, including military and security personnel, with crimes involving bribery and exploiting public office, the nation’s anti-corruption agency said on Sunday.", "The announcement was shared by Saudi Arabia’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha). In the statement, Nazaha added investigators would bring charges against 298 people on crimes such as bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of power. These crimes reportedly involve 379 million riyals ($101 million).", "Nazaha’s announcement provided no names and few details about the cases; Saudi Arabia does not identify individuals indicted unless they are convicted to protect their privacy. However, reports indicate that there are eight defense ministry officers accused of bribery and money laundering in relation to government contracts from 2005-2015. Also reportedly implicated are 29 interior ministry officials in the Eastern Province, including three colonels, a major general, and a brigadier general.", "Two judges reportedly face bribery charges as well. In addition, nine officials at AlMaarefa University in Riyadh are among the followers.", "Mass raids of officials, including princes and others connected to the royal family, have become a recurring event following the ascent of Cornw Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to the position of successor to King Salman. In 2017, many of Saudi Arabia’s economic and political elite were detained in Riyadh at a luxury hotel in a crackdown on corruption; these arrests were viewed by some as an MBS effort to remove anyone posing a political threat. Last year, the royal court announced the end of this crackdown and that it would begin a new campaign to curb corruption by government employees.", "A new crackdown appeared to begin this month after the reported detention of two of the royal family’s most prominent members, Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz, a younger brother of the king, and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, nephew to the king and former crown prince. Saudi officials have not officially commented on these arrests. However, the detainment of such prominent royal family members fueled rumors of a possible coup attempt or the deterioration of 84-year-old King Salman’s health.", "Considered Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, MBS has reportedly sewn resentment within the royal family with his tightened grip on power, which many suggest is indicated by the necessity for such raids. A growing number of Saudi Arabia’s elites allegedly also question his leadership.", "In October 2019, a senior foreign diplomat, five royal sources, and business leaders disclosed to Reuters anonymously that Saudi Royal family members were increasingly frustrated over MBS’s leadership following the attack on Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil facilities that same month.", "One of the sources stated, “There is a lot of resentment. How were they not able to detect the attack?”" ]	https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/03/17/report-saudi-arabia-corruption-raid-arrests-nearly-300-more-officials/	Report: Saudi Arabia 'Corruption' Raid Arrests Nearly 300 More Officials Saudi Arabia reportedly charged hundreds of government officials, including military and security personnel, with crimes involving bribery and exploiting public office, the nation’s anti-corruption agency said on Sunday. The announcement was shared by Saudi Arabia’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha). In the statement, Nazaha added investigators would bring charges against 298 people on crimes such as bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of power. These crimes reportedly involve 379 million riyals ($101 million). Nazaha’s announcement provided no names and few details about the cases; Saudi Arabia does not identify individuals indicted unless they are convicted to protect their privacy. However, reports indicate that there are eight defense ministry officers accused of bribery and money laundering in relation to government contracts from 2005-2015. Also reportedly implicated are 29 interior ministry officials in the Eastern Province, including three colonels, a major general, and a brigadier general. Two judges reportedly face bribery charges as well. In addition, nine officials at AlMaarefa University in Riyadh are among the followers. Mass raids of officials, including princes and others connected to the royal family, have become a recurring event following the ascent of Cornw Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to the position of successor to King Salman. In 2017, many of Saudi Arabia’s economic and political elite were detained in Riyadh at a luxury hotel in a crackdown on corruption; these arrests were viewed by some as an MBS effort to remove anyone posing a political threat. Last year, the royal court announced the end of this crackdown and that it would begin a new campaign to curb corruption by government employees. A new crackdown appeared to begin this month after the reported detention of two of the royal family’s most prominent members, Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz, a younger brother of the king, and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, nephew to the king and former crown prince. Saudi officials have not officially commented on these arrests. However, the detainment of such prominent royal family members fueled rumors of a possible coup attempt or the deterioration of 84-year-old King Salman’s health. Considered Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, MBS has reportedly sewn resentment within the royal family with his tightened grip on power, which many suggest is indicated by the necessity for such raids. A growing number of Saudi Arabia’s elites allegedly also question his leadership. In October 2019, a senior foreign diplomat, five royal sources, and business leaders disclosed to Reuters anonymously that Saudi Royal family members were increasingly frustrated over MBS’s leadership following the attack on Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil facilities that same month. One of the sources stated, “There is a lot of resentment. How were they not able to detect the attack?”
MEP Verhofstadt Singles Out Hungary For Criticism as Bloc Announces €1.25 Trillion Budget, Will Stop Cash to Members Who Do Not 'Share Values'	2018-05-02	[ "The European Commission has announced the political bloc’s latest budget, an increase to €1.25 trillion, and has included a new clause to deny access to funds for states judged to be not “respecting the rule of law”.", "The seven-year budget was announced Wednesday afternoon by the European Commission and was welcomed by europhile MEP Guy Verhofstadt who wrote on Twitter, “The #EUbudget must apply conditionality: if a Government rejects #EUvalues, they shouldn’t be the largest beneficiaries of EU money either.”", "Verhofstadt singled out Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his remark saying: “European money should benefit our economies & citizens, not be used to enrich Orbán’s family or finance football stadia in his constituency.”", "The new section that would limit funds to countries like Poland, which the EU has slammed for its attempts at recent judicial reform, and others like Hungary who have come into conflict with Brussels over both the migrant redistribution programme and over the influence of left-wing billionaire George Soros and his vast network of NGOs.", "Earlier this week, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz commented on the changes saying: “We see this as an intention to exert pressure on some states, as political pressure before talks. For this reason we have a very negative opinion about these ideas.”", "According to the European Commission, “the purpose of the new rules (a Regulation) proposed today is to strengthen the EU budget and to protect it from financial risks linked to generalised deficiencies in the rule of law”.", "“The new proposed rules would allow the Union to suspend, reduce or restrict access to EU funding in a manner proportionate to the nature, gravity and scope of the rule of law deficiencies,” the Commission added.", "The change comes after months of conflict between Brussels and the Central European countries which has so far seen the EU invoke Article 7 on Poland which could strip the country of its EU voting rights.", "In November, four major European political figures also called on the EU to limit funds sent to Hungary following Prime Minister Orbán’s campaign against the influence of George Soros. Two of the four signatories were directly linked to George Soros through the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) which was created by Soros and receives money from his Open Society Foundations." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/05/02/eu-1-25-trillion-euro-budget-stop-payments-values-brussels/	MEP Verhofstadt Singles Out Hungary For Criticism as Bloc Announces €1.25 Trillion Budget, Will Stop Cash to Members Who Do Not 'Share Values' The European Commission has announced the political bloc’s latest budget, an increase to €1.25 trillion, and has included a new clause to deny access to funds for states judged to be not “respecting the rule of law”. The seven-year budget was announced Wednesday afternoon by the European Commission and was welcomed by europhile MEP Guy Verhofstadt who wrote on Twitter, “The #EUbudget must apply conditionality: if a Government rejects #EUvalues, they shouldn’t be the largest beneficiaries of EU money either.” Verhofstadt singled out Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his remark saying: “European money should benefit our economies & citizens, not be used to enrich Orbán’s family or finance football stadia in his constituency.” The new section that would limit funds to countries like Poland, which the EU has slammed for its attempts at recent judicial reform, and others like Hungary who have come into conflict with Brussels over both the migrant redistribution programme and over the influence of left-wing billionaire George Soros and his vast network of NGOs. Earlier this week, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz commented on the changes saying: “We see this as an intention to exert pressure on some states, as political pressure before talks. For this reason we have a very negative opinion about these ideas.” According to the European Commission, “the purpose of the new rules (a Regulation) proposed today is to strengthen the EU budget and to protect it from financial risks linked to generalised deficiencies in the rule of law”. “The new proposed rules would allow the Union to suspend, reduce or restrict access to EU funding in a manner proportionate to the nature, gravity and scope of the rule of law deficiencies,” the Commission added. The change comes after months of conflict between Brussels and the Central European countries which has so far seen the EU invoke Article 7 on Poland which could strip the country of its EU voting rights. In November, four major European political figures also called on the EU to limit funds sent to Hungary following Prime Minister Orbán’s campaign against the influence of George Soros. Two of the four signatories were directly linked to George Soros through the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) which was created by Soros and receives money from his Open Society Foundations.
Clint Eastwood: Donald Trump Challenging ‘Kiss-Ass Generation’	2016-08-03	[ "Actor-director Clint Eastwood believes that Donald Trump is benefitting from a trend in American culture by saying what he believes, despite criticism from all sides.", "“He’s onto something, because secretly everybody’s getting tired of political correctness, kissing up,” Clint Eastwood said in an interview with Esquire. “That’s the kiss-ass generation we’re in right now. We’re really in a pussy generation. Everybody’s walking on eggshells.”", "“He’s said a lot of dumb things. So have all of them. Both sides,” he said “But everybody —the press and everybody’s going, ‘Oh, well, that’s racist,’ and they’re making a big hoodoo out of it. Just fucking get over it. It’s a sad time in history.”", "Eastwood said that he hadn’t spoken to Trump about an endorsement, and hadn’t endorsed anyone for president. He clarified that he didn’t agree with everything that Trump said, but indicated that it was refreshing to see an unfiltered politician.", "“He’s just saying what’s on his mind and sometimes it’s not so good,” he said. “And sometimes it’s … I mean, I can understand where he’s coming from, but I don’t always agree with it.”", "But given the choice between Trump or Clinton, Eastwood suggested that he would probably vote for Trump because Clinton represented more of what Obama did to the country.", "“I’d have to go for Trump … you know, ’cause she’s declared that she’s gonna follow in Obama’s footsteps,” he said, calling Clinton “a tough voice to listen to for four years.”", "Eastwood criticized political figures who were using their position to make money, citing “too much funny business on both sides of the aisle.”", "“She’s made a lot of dough out of being a politician,” he said, referring to Clinton.", "Overall, however, Eastwood seemed dissatisfied with both Trump and Clinton.", "“Everybody is boring everybody. It’s boring to listen to all this shit. It’s boring to listen to these candidates,” he said.", "He added that an ideal candidate should more understanding instead of trying to insult his way to victory.", "“[G]et in there and get it done,” he advised, citing his father. “Kick ass and take names.”" ]	http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2016/08/03/clint-eastwood-donald-trump-challenging-kiss-ass-generation/	Clint Eastwood: Donald Trump Challenging ‘Kiss-Ass Generation’ Actor-director Clint Eastwood believes that Donald Trump is benefitting from a trend in American culture by saying what he believes, despite criticism from all sides. “He’s onto something, because secretly everybody’s getting tired of political correctness, kissing up,” Clint Eastwood said in an interview with Esquire. “That’s the kiss-ass generation we’re in right now. We’re really in a pussy generation. Everybody’s walking on eggshells.” “He’s said a lot of dumb things. So have all of them. Both sides,” he said “But everybody —the press and everybody’s going, ‘Oh, well, that’s racist,’ and they’re making a big hoodoo out of it. Just fucking get over it. It’s a sad time in history.” Eastwood said that he hadn’t spoken to Trump about an endorsement, and hadn’t endorsed anyone for president. He clarified that he didn’t agree with everything that Trump said, but indicated that it was refreshing to see an unfiltered politician. “He’s just saying what’s on his mind and sometimes it’s not so good,” he said. “And sometimes it’s … I mean, I can understand where he’s coming from, but I don’t always agree with it.” But given the choice between Trump or Clinton, Eastwood suggested that he would probably vote for Trump because Clinton represented more of what Obama did to the country. “I’d have to go for Trump … you know, ’cause she’s declared that she’s gonna follow in Obama’s footsteps,” he said, calling Clinton “a tough voice to listen to for four years.” Eastwood criticized political figures who were using their position to make money, citing “too much funny business on both sides of the aisle.” “She’s made a lot of dough out of being a politician,” he said, referring to Clinton. Overall, however, Eastwood seemed dissatisfied with both Trump and Clinton. “Everybody is boring everybody. It’s boring to listen to all this shit. It’s boring to listen to these candidates,” he said. He added that an ideal candidate should more understanding instead of trying to insult his way to victory. “[G]et in there and get it done,” he advised, citing his father. “Kick ass and take names.”
Megachurch founder quits amid sexual misconduct allegations	2018-04-11	[ "SOUTH BARRINGTON, Ill. (AP) — The founder of a Chicago-area evangelical church that grew to become one of the largest in the nation is stepping down, calling allegations that he touched and made lewd comments to female congregants a distraction.", "The Rev. Bill Hybels, 66, announced his immediate retirement at a meeting Tuesday with members of the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. He has said since 2012 that he planned to retire this October.", "The Chicago Tribune last month reported details of the misconduct allegations against Hybels stretching back to the 1990s. A church inquiry cleared Hybels. He has said he has been accused of things he “simply did not do” and that the allegations are “flat-out lies.”", "Hybels told congregants Tuesday that the allegations have become a distraction from the church’s mission and work. He apologized for making choices that put him in situations that could be misconstrued, and for reacting in anger when the accusations were made public.", "“I realize now that in certain settings and circumstances in the past, I communicated things that were perceived in ways I did not intend, at times making people feel uncomfortable,” he said.", "One of his accusers told the Tribune she does not plan to sue. It was unclear if others were taking legal action.", "He said the decision to step down now “was mine and mine alone after a lot of prayer.”", "Heather Larson, executive pastor, will take over as the church’s chief executive.", "“This is going to take time for all of us to process,” Larson said. “This is not the end of the story. It’s not the end of Bill’s story. It’s not the end of Willow’s story, and it’s certainly not the end of God’s story.”", "The church that Hybels started in Palatine, Illinois, in 1975, now has eight Chicago-area locations. Leaders say it draws 25,000 people each week." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/news/megachurch-founder-quits-amid-sexual-misconduct-allegations/	Megachurch founder quits amid sexual misconduct allegations SOUTH BARRINGTON, Ill. (AP) — The founder of a Chicago-area evangelical church that grew to become one of the largest in the nation is stepping down, calling allegations that he touched and made lewd comments to female congregants a distraction. The Rev. Bill Hybels, 66, announced his immediate retirement at a meeting Tuesday with members of the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. He has said since 2012 that he planned to retire this October. The Chicago Tribune last month reported details of the misconduct allegations against Hybels stretching back to the 1990s. A church inquiry cleared Hybels. He has said he has been accused of things he “simply did not do” and that the allegations are “flat-out lies.” Hybels told congregants Tuesday that the allegations have become a distraction from the church’s mission and work. He apologized for making choices that put him in situations that could be misconstrued, and for reacting in anger when the accusations were made public. “I realize now that in certain settings and circumstances in the past, I communicated things that were perceived in ways I did not intend, at times making people feel uncomfortable,” he said. One of his accusers told the Tribune she does not plan to sue. It was unclear if others were taking legal action. He said the decision to step down now “was mine and mine alone after a lot of prayer.” Heather Larson, executive pastor, will take over as the church’s chief executive. “This is going to take time for all of us to process,” Larson said. “This is not the end of the story. It’s not the end of Bill’s story. It’s not the end of Willow’s story, and it’s certainly not the end of God’s story.” The church that Hybels started in Palatine, Illinois, in 1975, now has eight Chicago-area locations. Leaders say it draws 25,000 people each week.
The Most Nixonian Thing Trump Did Today Had Nothing To Do With Comey	2017-05-12	[ "When the Trump administration sounded a triumphant chord announcing a set of trade deals with China this week, the most striking new policy was the announcement that the United States would be sending a delegation to a forum in Beijing devoted to China’s ambitious “One Belt, One Road” international investment, infrastructure and trade program.", "One Belt, One Road, often known by the ugly acronym OBOR, is China’s scheme to create a network of roads, railways and ports connecting the Euro landmass from East China to Europe through south and central Asia. Since President Xi Jinping launched One Belt, One Road in 2013 many countries in Europe and Asia–and most recently, Canada–have signed up to participate in this giant investment and infrastructure program.", "Obama administration, however, reacted with indifference and, behind the scenes, even hostility. Many policymakers in the U.S. viewed it as either a giant, wasteful boondoggle or a threat to American leadership. Japan also refused to play along with One Belt, One Road.", "The decision by the Trump administration to send a delegation to the One Belt, One Road forum caught many by surprise. Given President Donald Trump’s tough talk on trade and rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the conventional wisdom was that Trump would continue or even amplify the Obama administration’s resistance to playing a role in One Belt, One Road.", "Perhaps it took an economic nationalist to recognize how the U.S. could benefit from participation in One Belt, One Road. In the first place, Trump’s tough stance on trade puts him in the position to negotiate a U.S. role in the project without fear of seeming to be selling out U.S. interests. Think about the famously anti-communist Richard Nixon opening U.S. relations with Communist China.", "It seems likely that Trump sees One Belt, One Road as bearing a family resemblance to the the massive infrastructure program he would like to launch in the U.S. The combination of innovative financing with ambitious plans to build roads and railways could present a learning opportunity for Trump administration.", "There’s also a more practical aspect. One of the motivations behind the launch of One Belt, One Road was to give massively overbuilt domestic Chinese industries–including construction, cement, steel and coal–new sources of demand. Reducing excess industrial capacity in China, however, could have the effect of bolstering prices globally. Steel makers in the U.S. would be beneficiaries of a Chinese government program that sent Chinese steel to build rails, bridges and tunnels across Eurasia instead of into the U.S. market.", "Trump has surprised many political and economic “thought leaders” by seeking better relations with China but that is more of a reflection of their misunderstanding than a change on the part of Trump. When he rejected the consensus in favor of free trade agreements, they saw the only alternative as hostility and trade wars. Trump never presented his views on trade in those terms, instead insisting that better leadership could lead to better outcomes for the U.S. economy and U.S. workers." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/05/12/nixonian-thing-trump-today-nothing-comey/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+breitbart+%28Breitbart+News%29	The Most Nixonian Thing Trump Did Today Had Nothing To Do With Comey When the Trump administration sounded a triumphant chord announcing a set of trade deals with China this week, the most striking new policy was the announcement that the United States would be sending a delegation to a forum in Beijing devoted to China’s ambitious “One Belt, One Road” international investment, infrastructure and trade program. One Belt, One Road, often known by the ugly acronym OBOR, is China’s scheme to create a network of roads, railways and ports connecting the Euro landmass from East China to Europe through south and central Asia. Since President Xi Jinping launched One Belt, One Road in 2013 many countries in Europe and Asia–and most recently, Canada–have signed up to participate in this giant investment and infrastructure program. Obama administration, however, reacted with indifference and, behind the scenes, even hostility. Many policymakers in the U.S. viewed it as either a giant, wasteful boondoggle or a threat to American leadership. Japan also refused to play along with One Belt, One Road. The decision by the Trump administration to send a delegation to the One Belt, One Road forum caught many by surprise. Given President Donald Trump’s tough talk on trade and rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the conventional wisdom was that Trump would continue or even amplify the Obama administration’s resistance to playing a role in One Belt, One Road. Perhaps it took an economic nationalist to recognize how the U.S. could benefit from participation in One Belt, One Road. In the first place, Trump’s tough stance on trade puts him in the position to negotiate a U.S. role in the project without fear of seeming to be selling out U.S. interests. Think about the famously anti-communist Richard Nixon opening U.S. relations with Communist China. It seems likely that Trump sees One Belt, One Road as bearing a family resemblance to the the massive infrastructure program he would like to launch in the U.S. The combination of innovative financing with ambitious plans to build roads and railways could present a learning opportunity for Trump administration. There’s also a more practical aspect. One of the motivations behind the launch of One Belt, One Road was to give massively overbuilt domestic Chinese industries–including construction, cement, steel and coal–new sources of demand. Reducing excess industrial capacity in China, however, could have the effect of bolstering prices globally. Steel makers in the U.S. would be beneficiaries of a Chinese government program that sent Chinese steel to build rails, bridges and tunnels across Eurasia instead of into the U.S. market. Trump has surprised many political and economic “thought leaders” by seeking better relations with China but that is more of a reflection of their misunderstanding than a change on the part of Trump. When he rejected the consensus in favor of free trade agreements, they saw the only alternative as hostility and trade wars. Trump never presented his views on trade in those terms, instead insisting that better leadership could lead to better outcomes for the U.S. economy and U.S. workers.
FNC's Carlson, Univision's Ramos Battle Over American Public's Concerns About Illegal Immigration	2017-03-09	[ "During Wednesday’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson sparred with Univision anchor Jorge Ramos over many Americans’ concerns about illegal immigration and the impact it will have in the future.", "Ramos argued that Americans actually benefit from illegal immigrants, but Carlson cited that 15 percent of the illegal immigrants are federal inmates.", "Partial transcript as follows:", "CARLSON: Get back to the point that you were making a minute to go, that Americans have no right to be concerned about the dramatic demographic change taking place in their country. Let me just stipulate. I am for getting along, I am for colorblindness, I’m for tolerance 100 percent. But I also think that if things radically change your country, it’s okay for you to say, “What is this?” And maybe, “I don’t want to live in a country that looks nothing like the country I grew up in.” Is that bigoted? It seems to be in Mexico you would be allowed to say that.", "AMOS: Well, we have to understand that there’s a demographic waiver revolution if you want to call it, happening right here in the United States. Right now, there are about 60 million Latinos. In about 35 years, there’s going to be 100 million Latinos. One in three is going to be Latinos. So, there is a demographic revolution or a Latino revolution going on. Now, on the other hand if you are implying that there is an invasion to the United States, that is not true.", "CARLSON: I’m not saying invasion, I’m really saying you’re name calling. Wait, you’ve come to this country, you make a ton of money, and then you yell at people who say, “Well, wait a second. You know, this is having an effect on my kids’ school, on my culture, on the economy. And your point is you’re not allowed to have that opinion.", "RAMOS: Well, actually that is not true. Obviously, it’s having an impact but it’s having a positive impact.", "CARLSON: Yes. In some ways it is but not in always.", "RAMOS: No, no, no. Overall, there is an immigration surplus. All immigrants contribute about $2 billion to the economy of the United States. You know, immigrants contribute and put much more money into the system than what they take out in social services according to the National Academy of Sciences. In 20 years, it’s been $54 billion in input on immigration surplus. So, it is great to have immigrants in this country.", "I just want to make the point that there is a downside as well. There’s clearly an upside, and we all recognize people like immigrants actually in America, despite your claims. They do. But there’s also a downside. 15 percent of federal inmates, prisoners are Mexican citizens. So like, why shouldn’t I be allowed to say that’s a problem? I don’t want criminals here from another country. They’re not even citizens.", "RAMOS: That’s precisely the problem. Because you, like Donald Trump, are also criminalizing the immigrant population and that is not true.", "CARLSON: I’m not criminalizing! I’m noting the facts of who they are." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2017/03/09/fncs-carlson-univisions-ramos-battle-over-american-publics-concerns-about-illegal-immigration/	FNC's Carlson, Univision's Ramos Battle Over American Public's Concerns About Illegal Immigration During Wednesday’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson sparred with Univision anchor Jorge Ramos over many Americans’ concerns about illegal immigration and the impact it will have in the future. Ramos argued that Americans actually benefit from illegal immigrants, but Carlson cited that 15 percent of the illegal immigrants are federal inmates. Partial transcript as follows: CARLSON: Get back to the point that you were making a minute to go, that Americans have no right to be concerned about the dramatic demographic change taking place in their country. Let me just stipulate. I am for getting along, I am for colorblindness, I’m for tolerance 100 percent. But I also think that if things radically change your country, it’s okay for you to say, “What is this?” And maybe, “I don’t want to live in a country that looks nothing like the country I grew up in.” Is that bigoted? It seems to be in Mexico you would be allowed to say that. AMOS: Well, we have to understand that there’s a demographic waiver revolution if you want to call it, happening right here in the United States. Right now, there are about 60 million Latinos. In about 35 years, there’s going to be 100 million Latinos. One in three is going to be Latinos. So, there is a demographic revolution or a Latino revolution going on. Now, on the other hand if you are implying that there is an invasion to the United States, that is not true. CARLSON: I’m not saying invasion, I’m really saying you’re name calling. Wait, you’ve come to this country, you make a ton of money, and then you yell at people who say, “Well, wait a second. You know, this is having an effect on my kids’ school, on my culture, on the economy. And your point is you’re not allowed to have that opinion. RAMOS: Well, actually that is not true. Obviously, it’s having an impact but it’s having a positive impact. CARLSON: Yes. In some ways it is but not in always. RAMOS: No, no, no. Overall, there is an immigration surplus. All immigrants contribute about $2 billion to the economy of the United States. You know, immigrants contribute and put much more money into the system than what they take out in social services according to the National Academy of Sciences. In 20 years, it’s been $54 billion in input on immigration surplus. So, it is great to have immigrants in this country. I just want to make the point that there is a downside as well. There’s clearly an upside, and we all recognize people like immigrants actually in America, despite your claims. They do. But there’s also a downside. 15 percent of federal inmates, prisoners are Mexican citizens. So like, why shouldn’t I be allowed to say that’s a problem? I don’t want criminals here from another country. They’re not even citizens. RAMOS: That’s precisely the problem. Because you, like Donald Trump, are also criminalizing the immigrant population and that is not true. CARLSON: I’m not criminalizing! I’m noting the facts of who they are.
Mike Pence: Joe Biden Has Become ‘Most Liberal President Since FDR’	2021-06-04	[ "Former Vice President Mike Pence during a speech Thursday in New Hampshire blasted the policies of President Joe Biden, observing the president had gone from campaigning “as a moderate” to becoming “the most liberal president since FDR.”", "Pence delivered his remarks during the Hillsborough County GOP’s annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner, and as he railed against Biden and spoke optimistically about the Republican Party’s future, the former vice president only further added to speculation that he himself could be considering a run for president in 2024.", "Although Pence did not give any indications of his plans during his comments, he conveyed a hopeful message to the GOP base about its prospects for upcoming elections. “I am here to say I believe we’re on the verge of another great Republican comeback, and it starts right here in the Live Free or Die state of New Hampshire,” Pence told the crowd as it erupted into cheers.", "Much of Pence’s speech was spent contrasting the Biden-Harris administration with the Trump-Pence administration.", "“We made history. We made a difference. We made America greater than ever before,” said Pence, who had been welcomed to the stage with a warm introduction by his friend New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R). “But how times have changed. You know the governor said he didn’t come here to bash the current administration. Well I did,” Pence said as he was met with more applause.", "He continued, “So buckle up. I mean 134 days, and the Biden-Harris administration has launched an avalanche of big government liberal policies, the likes of which I’ve never even imagined I’d see in our lifetime, and all of it designed to derail the progress that we made over the last four years.”", "Biden last week announced a $6 trillion annual budget proposal, which Pence referenced as an “explosion of runaway spending” before hammering the president specifically for his coronavirus relief package. Biden had called the package the American Rescue Plan Act, which he signed in March despite no House or Senate Republicans supporting it. The bill totaled $1.9 trillion and was packed with items unrelated to coronavirus.", "“Our administration worked in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in a bipartisan way. Every bill that passed through Congress passed on a bipartisan basis,” Pence said. “They forced through the Congress a COVID bill to fund massive expansion of the welfare state. They passed it on a partisan vote.” He lamented, “It’s amazing the difference of approach.”", "The former vice president declared that “enough is enough” after “the Biden administration and Democrats in Washington have been pushing open borders, higher taxes, runaway spending, more government, defunding the police, abandoning the right to life, censoring free speech, [and] canceling our most cherished liberties.”", "Pence juxtaposed those criticisms with achievements of his and former President Donald Trump’s tenure, including pre-coronavirus record low unemployment levels, tightened border security, the confirmation of close to 300 conservative judges to the federal court system, Operation Warp Speed, a pro-Israel peace plan, and more. Pence excoriated Biden for his changes or reversals to the Trump-Pence administration’s accomplishments.", "“In 2020, you remember Joe Biden was campaigning as a moderate when he campaigned, but he’s literally governed as the most liberal president since FDR,” Pence declared.", "He referred to remarks far-left “Squad” leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) made in honor of Biden’s first 100 days in office. “Even AOC said that President Biden had quote ‘exceeded progressives’ expectations,’ and that’s saying a lot,” he quipped. “But I don’t believe for one moment that that’s what the American people voted for in 2020.”", "“They didn’t vote to open our borders, to give away safety of our streets, our prosperity, or our freedom, or our future, so I want to say again, coming here to New Hampshire tonight, it’s time,” Pence said. “It’s time for freedom-loving Americans to stand up and say, ‘No more.’ It’s time for freedom-loving Americans to unite behind an agenda that will bring America back.”", "Write to Ashley Oliver at [email protected]." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/06/03/mike-pence-joe-biden-campaigned-as-a-moderate-but-hes-most-liberal-president-since-fdr/	Mike Pence: Joe Biden Has Become ‘Most Liberal President Since FDR’ Former Vice President Mike Pence during a speech Thursday in New Hampshire blasted the policies of President Joe Biden, observing the president had gone from campaigning “as a moderate” to becoming “the most liberal president since FDR.” Pence delivered his remarks during the Hillsborough County GOP’s annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner, and as he railed against Biden and spoke optimistically about the Republican Party’s future, the former vice president only further added to speculation that he himself could be considering a run for president in 2024. Although Pence did not give any indications of his plans during his comments, he conveyed a hopeful message to the GOP base about its prospects for upcoming elections. “I am here to say I believe we’re on the verge of another great Republican comeback, and it starts right here in the Live Free or Die state of New Hampshire,” Pence told the crowd as it erupted into cheers. Much of Pence’s speech was spent contrasting the Biden-Harris administration with the Trump-Pence administration. “We made history. We made a difference. We made America greater than ever before,” said Pence, who had been welcomed to the stage with a warm introduction by his friend New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R). “But how times have changed. You know the governor said he didn’t come here to bash the current administration. Well I did,” Pence said as he was met with more applause. He continued, “So buckle up. I mean 134 days, and the Biden-Harris administration has launched an avalanche of big government liberal policies, the likes of which I’ve never even imagined I’d see in our lifetime, and all of it designed to derail the progress that we made over the last four years.” Biden last week announced a $6 trillion annual budget proposal, which Pence referenced as an “explosion of runaway spending” before hammering the president specifically for his coronavirus relief package. Biden had called the package the American Rescue Plan Act, which he signed in March despite no House or Senate Republicans supporting it. The bill totaled $1.9 trillion and was packed with items unrelated to coronavirus. “Our administration worked in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in a bipartisan way. Every bill that passed through Congress passed on a bipartisan basis,” Pence said. “They forced through the Congress a COVID bill to fund massive expansion of the welfare state. They passed it on a partisan vote.” He lamented, “It’s amazing the difference of approach.” The former vice president declared that “enough is enough” after “the Biden administration and Democrats in Washington have been pushing open borders, higher taxes, runaway spending, more government, defunding the police, abandoning the right to life, censoring free speech, [and] canceling our most cherished liberties.” Pence juxtaposed those criticisms with achievements of his and former President Donald Trump’s tenure, including pre-coronavirus record low unemployment levels, tightened border security, the confirmation of close to 300 conservative judges to the federal court system, Operation Warp Speed, a pro-Israel peace plan, and more. Pence excoriated Biden for his changes or reversals to the Trump-Pence administration’s accomplishments. “In 2020, you remember Joe Biden was campaigning as a moderate when he campaigned, but he’s literally governed as the most liberal president since FDR,” Pence declared. He referred to remarks far-left “Squad” leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) made in honor of Biden’s first 100 days in office. “Even AOC said that President Biden had quote ‘exceeded progressives’ expectations,’ and that’s saying a lot,” he quipped. “But I don’t believe for one moment that that’s what the American people voted for in 2020.” “They didn’t vote to open our borders, to give away safety of our streets, our prosperity, or our freedom, or our future, so I want to say again, coming here to New Hampshire tonight, it’s time,” Pence said. “It’s time for freedom-loving Americans to stand up and say, ‘No more.’ It’s time for freedom-loving Americans to unite behind an agenda that will bring America back.” Write to Ashley Oliver at [email protected].
Chinese Minister Rome Trip Sparks Debate over Vatican-Beijing Deal	2020-08-25	[ "ROME — Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi arrived in Rome Tuesday, rekindling debate over the renewal of the highly contested Sino-Vatican deal over the naming of Catholic bishops in China.", "Wang is scheduled to meet with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio. In March, 2019, Italy became the first large European economy to join China’s international infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).", "One unnamed Vatican source said that during his stay Wang will also “surely” meet with Holy See negotiators, perhaps in the Chinese embassy in Italy, Religión Digital reported Monday.", "“We must not forget that Wang Yi already met Paul Gallagher, his Vatican counterpart, in February,” the source reportedly added, in reference to a meeting between the two men in Munich at the beginning of the year.", "The secret accord between the Holy See and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), whose details have never been made public, was signed on September 22, 2018 and is due to be renegotiated and renewed next month, when it will expire. The controversial deal involved the Vatican yielding an unspecified amount of authority for the appointment of Catholic bishops in the country.", "Last June, Vatican Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, the head of the delegation in relations with the Chinese government, said on Italian television that the agreement is likely to be renewed this September.", "“Dialogue with China is not an easy path but we have embarked on a path made of respect, attention, and mutual understanding to resolve the knots that remain and the situations that leave us more than thoughtful, I would say worried,” said the archbishop.", "“I think we will probably have to reconfirm it for another 1-2 years, but still the Holy See has not made a decision on this matter which will then be communicated to the Chinese authorities,” he said. “However, the climate is positive, and there is an atmosphere of respect, clarity, co-responsibility, and foresight.”", "“We try to look to the future and try to give the future of our relationships a deep, respectful basis and I would say that we are working in this direction,” he said.", "“It is undeniable that there are situations and events that require a path that will not be easy. But the Holy See wants to continue on this path, it wants to go ahead and reach a normality from which the Chinese Catholics can express all their fidelity to the Gospel and also respect for his Chinese identity. The Catholic Church in China must be fully Chinese but fully Catholic!”", "Critics of the agreement have contended that the accord has made religious freedom in China worse, and the CCP has used it as cover for intensifying its persecution of Christians.", "Last January, the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released its annual report on human rights conditions and rule of law developments in China, finding an overall deterioration of religious liberty in China over the year 2019.", "“In September 2018, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement with the Holy See, paving the way for the unification of state-sanctioned and underground Catholic communities,” the report stated. “Subsequently, local Chinese authorities subjected Catholic believers in China to increased persecution by demolishing churches, removing crosses, and continuing to detain underground clergy.”", "“The Party-led Catholic national religious organizations also published a plan to ‘sinicize’ Catholicism in China,” the report continued, referring to the stated aim of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of forcing all religions to conform their teachings and practices to the party line.", "Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has doubled down on the “sinicization” of religion, the report’s executive summary observed. “Scholars and international rights groups have described religious persecution in China over the last year to be of an intensity not seen since the Cultural Revolution,” it added.", "While a representative of the Holy See stated that the aim of the agreement was “for Chinese Catholic believers to have bishops recognized by both the Holy See and Chinese authorities,” the report said that “observers noted that the Chinese government was likely seeking to increase its control over the underground community.”", "Beijing has cracked down on the underground church ever since the Holy See softened its position on the state-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association, allowing believers to join despite its insistence on total independence from Rome.", "“Although the terms of the agreement were not made public, a source familiar with the negotiations stated that the agreement gave the Chinese government the authority to nominate bishops, which the Pope would retain the right to veto,” the report continued. “The Holy See also recognized seven formerly excommunicated official bishops as part of the deal, having already asked two underground bishops to give up their positions to make way for two of these state-sanctioned bishops.”", "The report concluded that the situation of Catholics in China is now worse than it was before the Vatican signed its 2018 accord with the CCP.", "“Observers and Catholic believers expressed concern that the agreement did not provide sufficient support for the Chinese Catholic community, with one scholar pointing out that the authorities’ persecution of both underground and official Catholic communities has actually intensified over the last year under the ‘sinicization’ campaign,” it said." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/08/25/chinese-foreign-minister-arrives-in-rome-sparking-debate-over-vatican-beijing-deal/	Chinese Minister Rome Trip Sparks Debate over Vatican-Beijing Deal ROME — Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi arrived in Rome Tuesday, rekindling debate over the renewal of the highly contested Sino-Vatican deal over the naming of Catholic bishops in China. Wang is scheduled to meet with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio. In March, 2019, Italy became the first large European economy to join China’s international infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). One unnamed Vatican source said that during his stay Wang will also “surely” meet with Holy See negotiators, perhaps in the Chinese embassy in Italy, Religión Digital reported Monday. “We must not forget that Wang Yi already met Paul Gallagher, his Vatican counterpart, in February,” the source reportedly added, in reference to a meeting between the two men in Munich at the beginning of the year. The secret accord between the Holy See and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), whose details have never been made public, was signed on September 22, 2018 and is due to be renegotiated and renewed next month, when it will expire. The controversial deal involved the Vatican yielding an unspecified amount of authority for the appointment of Catholic bishops in the country. Last June, Vatican Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, the head of the delegation in relations with the Chinese government, said on Italian television that the agreement is likely to be renewed this September. “Dialogue with China is not an easy path but we have embarked on a path made of respect, attention, and mutual understanding to resolve the knots that remain and the situations that leave us more than thoughtful, I would say worried,” said the archbishop. “I think we will probably have to reconfirm it for another 1-2 years, but still the Holy See has not made a decision on this matter which will then be communicated to the Chinese authorities,” he said. “However, the climate is positive, and there is an atmosphere of respect, clarity, co-responsibility, and foresight.” “We try to look to the future and try to give the future of our relationships a deep, respectful basis and I would say that we are working in this direction,” he said. “It is undeniable that there are situations and events that require a path that will not be easy. But the Holy See wants to continue on this path, it wants to go ahead and reach a normality from which the Chinese Catholics can express all their fidelity to the Gospel and also respect for his Chinese identity. The Catholic Church in China must be fully Chinese but fully Catholic!” Critics of the agreement have contended that the accord has made religious freedom in China worse, and the CCP has used it as cover for intensifying its persecution of Christians. Last January, the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released its annual report on human rights conditions and rule of law developments in China, finding an overall deterioration of religious liberty in China over the year 2019. “In September 2018, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement with the Holy See, paving the way for the unification of state-sanctioned and underground Catholic communities,” the report stated. “Subsequently, local Chinese authorities subjected Catholic believers in China to increased persecution by demolishing churches, removing crosses, and continuing to detain underground clergy.” “The Party-led Catholic national religious organizations also published a plan to ‘sinicize’ Catholicism in China,” the report continued, referring to the stated aim of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of forcing all religions to conform their teachings and practices to the party line. Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has doubled down on the “sinicization” of religion, the report’s executive summary observed. “Scholars and international rights groups have described religious persecution in China over the last year to be of an intensity not seen since the Cultural Revolution,” it added. While a representative of the Holy See stated that the aim of the agreement was “for Chinese Catholic believers to have bishops recognized by both the Holy See and Chinese authorities,” the report said that “observers noted that the Chinese government was likely seeking to increase its control over the underground community.” Beijing has cracked down on the underground church ever since the Holy See softened its position on the state-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association, allowing believers to join despite its insistence on total independence from Rome. “Although the terms of the agreement were not made public, a source familiar with the negotiations stated that the agreement gave the Chinese government the authority to nominate bishops, which the Pope would retain the right to veto,” the report continued. “The Holy See also recognized seven formerly excommunicated official bishops as part of the deal, having already asked two underground bishops to give up their positions to make way for two of these state-sanctioned bishops.” The report concluded that the situation of Catholics in China is now worse than it was before the Vatican signed its 2018 accord with the CCP. “Observers and Catholic believers expressed concern that the agreement did not provide sufficient support for the Chinese Catholic community, with one scholar pointing out that the authorities’ persecution of both underground and official Catholic communities has actually intensified over the last year under the ‘sinicization’ campaign,” it said.
Democrat Senator Blasts Donald Trump For Supporting Teachers Who Want Guns For Self-Defense	2016-07-28	[ "Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) is blasting Donald Trump for supporting teachers who want guns for self-defense.", "Trump has been clear throughout his campaign that he thinks gun-free zones — on campus or off — are killing zones. In fact, during the October 28 Republican debate Trump said gun-free zones simply provide “target practice for sickos.”", "And following the October 1 shooting in the Umpqua Community College gun-free zone, The Hill quoted Trump saying, “I’ll tell you, if you had a couple of the teachers or someone with guns in that room, you would have been a hell of a lot better off.”", "On January 8, 2016, The Washington Post quoted Trump saying, “I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools.”", "Senator Murphy blasted Trump’s stance against gun-free zones Wednesday night. He told the audience at the DNC that Trump is “doing the bidding of the gun lobby.” And he said Trump’s plan to allow teachers to carry guns is “sinister.”", "In fact, Murphy claimed Trump will spend part of his first day in office “putting guns in elementary schools.”", "The irony here is rich. Murphy began his speech referencing the heinous attack on Sandy Hook Elementary–an attack in which a lone gunman had over 9 minutes in a gun-free zone to shoot, reload, and shoot again at his leisure. Donald Trump says enough is enough, teachers should be able to defend themselves and their student and they can do so if they are armed. And Murphy says Trump’s plan is “sinister”?" ]	http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/07/28/democrat-senator-blasts-trump-wanting-teachers-armed-self-defense/	Democrat Senator Blasts Donald Trump For Supporting Teachers Who Want Guns For Self-Defense Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) is blasting Donald Trump for supporting teachers who want guns for self-defense. Trump has been clear throughout his campaign that he thinks gun-free zones — on campus or off — are killing zones. In fact, during the October 28 Republican debate Trump said gun-free zones simply provide “target practice for sickos.” And following the October 1 shooting in the Umpqua Community College gun-free zone, The Hill quoted Trump saying, “I’ll tell you, if you had a couple of the teachers or someone with guns in that room, you would have been a hell of a lot better off.” On January 8, 2016, The Washington Post quoted Trump saying, “I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools.” Senator Murphy blasted Trump’s stance against gun-free zones Wednesday night. He told the audience at the DNC that Trump is “doing the bidding of the gun lobby.” And he said Trump’s plan to allow teachers to carry guns is “sinister.” In fact, Murphy claimed Trump will spend part of his first day in office “putting guns in elementary schools.” The irony here is rich. Murphy began his speech referencing the heinous attack on Sandy Hook Elementary–an attack in which a lone gunman had over 9 minutes in a gun-free zone to shoot, reload, and shoot again at his leisure. Donald Trump says enough is enough, teachers should be able to defend themselves and their student and they can do so if they are armed. And Murphy says Trump’s plan is “sinister”?
Qatar Gives $100,000 to Texas School to Push Arabic Language and Culture	2016-05-30	[ "The Qatar Foundation International (QFI) granted $100,000 to a Texas school district to promote Arabic language and culture classes that begin next school year. This marks the third school district in Texas to accept funds from the Qatari non-profit’s global gift-giving arm.", "The Austin Independent School District accepted the $100,000 from QFI to jump start new Arabic language and culture classes coming to three of its campuses in Fall 2016. The grant funds teacher salaries, curriculum development, instructional materials and unnamed resources.", "Also, the University of Texas at Austin’s Arabic Flagship Program supports Austin ISD’s new Arabic classes. UT-Austin is one of four federally funded Arabic flagship college campus programs nationwide. Other participating universities are in Arizona, Maryland, and Oklahoma. The program started in 2000.", "The Flagship Language program says it strives to prepare students to enter college with a “measurable” second language skill and to “push the model” to the elementary level, calling it vital to “educate a citizenry prepared to address the nation’s well-being in the 21st century.” The language program currently boasts 27 Flagship centers that provide a pathway to professional-level proficiency in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi-Urdu, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, and Turkish.", "In May, Austin ISD World Languages Coordinator Tina Dong called it paramount that the school district prepares students for college, career, and life by “equipping them with the skills needed to authentically interact with individuals from diverse cultures.” The school district folded the Arabic language and its culture among its clarion call. In a press release, Austin ISD described QFI as committed to providing skills “to enable K-12 students to be engaged global citizens through education.”", "Last year, Breitbart Texas reported Al Jazeera creator Sheikh bin Al Thani, reputedly associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, created QFI. The organization gives to educational causes. In 2011, they partnered with the U.S. Department of Education’s Connect All Schools consortium “to connect every school in the U.S. with the world by 2016” digitally, which President Obama unveiled in his 2009 speech delivered from Cairo. QFI grants monies to over 20 U.S. schools in 10 states, reaching over 2,400 students.", "According to QFI, their support comes with the intention to establish or expand Arabic and culture programs in K-12 public and public charter schools. In addition to Texas, benefitting schools are located in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Utah, and the District of Columbia. QFI also funds programs in schools across the United Kingdom and in Brazil.", "QFI Executive Director Maggie Mitchell Salem welcomed three Austin public schools in “joining our growing network of partner schools across the U.S., making it a total of 24 K-12 schools across the nation invested in Arabic language and Arab culture education in 2016.”", "In 2015, QFI granted Houston ISD $75,000 to jump start its Arabic immersion magnet school, which Breitbart Texas reported. QFI also funded Austin suburb Pflugerville ISD’s Arabic secondary programs at two high schools.", "Of the chosen Austin ISD campuses, Burnet Middle School already offers a signature College and Careers in a Global Society program. Austin High School has its Academy for Global Studies with an international focus, according to the press release. The third public school International High shares a campus with Eastside Memorial High, which will have access to the course.", "“With the addition of languages deemed critical by the Department of State, we further cement our commitment to develop socially and civically engaged students who will emerge from our schools ready to make a difference,” said Dong.", "Austin ISD contends the program will continue for as long as interest exists. However, they say they intend to grow the Arabic language and culture program to more advanced levels. In the fall, they will start by offering Arabic 1. District spokeswoman Tiffany Young estimated 55 students will enroll between the two high schools with 15 more students anticipated to attend the middle school class.", "Breitbart Texas spoke to Young to learn more about the district’s Arabic language and culture program. She said it was driven by “need” but that need accounts for only 497 students in a district of 84,000, reflecting only 0.6 percent of the entire student population. Interestingly, even that number appears to be down from 675 in 2013-14 based on an Austin KEYE-TV (CBS) report. At the time, an influx of Iraqi and Syrian refugee students certainly created a need — for Arabic speaking tutors in Austin ISD classrooms.", "Young told Breitbart Texas by email that the district’s Department of English Language Learners (ELL) data broke down demographic home languages in April 2016. Behind Arabic at 497 native speakers came Vietnamese with 294, and Korean with 118. She said the three languages “ranked 2nd, 3rd, and 6th, respectively, out of 89 total home languages reported by parents.”", "Still, Spanish tops the list at exponentially greater numbers. Sixty percent or approximately 50,000 Austin ISD students are Hispanic. Only 26 percent are White, about 8 percent are Black, and the remaining school district diversity is clumped into a largely unspecified “other”category totalling around 7 percent or 5,648 students. It includes Asian/Pacific Islander. The district says 57 percent of students come from low-income families. ELL accounts for 28 percent.", "By contrast, in 2011, Austin ISD reported 196 Arabic students. Vietnamese student speaker population that year was 403. Korean had 144, and Mandarin, 83. Native Spanish speakers accounted for 30,000 students.", "Breitbart Texas inquired on the impetus behind pursuing a QFI grant. Young noted that Dong was aware of the UT-Austin Arabic Flagship Program. She also said principals at the three schools expressed an interest in the Arabic language and culture class based on the “high number of Arabic-speaking students.”", "Despite the assertion of a large population of native Arabic speaking students driving the demand, this demographic was not necesarily factored in as a category in the recently released Austin ISD annual demographic study based on Fall 2015 data. The report mainly forecasted 10-year projections of Hispanic, Black, White, and Asian ethnicities.", "Breitbart Texas also asked Young about what Islamic culture will be taught in these Arabic classes. She said “Unfortunately, it is too early to provide examples because the curriculum will not be developed until the summer.”", "By way of example, Young pointed out the district’s “Korean enrichment course already in place at Travis High School includes cultural topics such as traditional dress worn by men and women, as well as Korean food traditions.”", "She said teachers of these new Arabic courses will work with the coordinator for three weeks this summer to develop thematic units of instruction alighted with the state standards for Languages Other Than English (LOTE).", "Young added: “Culture is a major goal area in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for LOTE instruction. When studying culture, the expectation in the classroom, regardless of the language, is that students explore the products and the practices of the target culture.”", "She continued, “Most importantly, student expectations include the ability to relate these products and practices to their underlying perspectives. In so doing, students are able to access higher order thinking skills as well as gain a deeper understanding of that culture being studied. An example of a product of culture would be French fashion. An example of a practice would be German board games. Students are expected to evaluate the perspectives that underscore why French fashion and German board games are important to the culture of that group.”", "Austin ISD will also expand its World Languages program to include Korean and Vietnamese language and culture programs. They already offer Chinese, Japanese, Latin, American Sign Language, French, German, Spanish, and Spanish for Spanish Speakers." ]	http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2016/05/30/qatar-gives-100-k-texas-school-district-push-arabi-language-culture-program/	Qatar Gives $100,000 to Texas School to Push Arabic Language and Culture The Qatar Foundation International (QFI) granted $100,000 to a Texas school district to promote Arabic language and culture classes that begin next school year. This marks the third school district in Texas to accept funds from the Qatari non-profit’s global gift-giving arm. The Austin Independent School District accepted the $100,000 from QFI to jump start new Arabic language and culture classes coming to three of its campuses in Fall 2016. The grant funds teacher salaries, curriculum development, instructional materials and unnamed resources. Also, the University of Texas at Austin’s Arabic Flagship Program supports Austin ISD’s new Arabic classes. UT-Austin is one of four federally funded Arabic flagship college campus programs nationwide. Other participating universities are in Arizona, Maryland, and Oklahoma. The program started in 2000. The Flagship Language program says it strives to prepare students to enter college with a “measurable” second language skill and to “push the model” to the elementary level, calling it vital to “educate a citizenry prepared to address the nation’s well-being in the 21st century.” The language program currently boasts 27 Flagship centers that provide a pathway to professional-level proficiency in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi-Urdu, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, and Turkish. In May, Austin ISD World Languages Coordinator Tina Dong called it paramount that the school district prepares students for college, career, and life by “equipping them with the skills needed to authentically interact with individuals from diverse cultures.” The school district folded the Arabic language and its culture among its clarion call. In a press release, Austin ISD described QFI as committed to providing skills “to enable K-12 students to be engaged global citizens through education.” Last year, Breitbart Texas reported Al Jazeera creator Sheikh bin Al Thani, reputedly associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, created QFI. The organization gives to educational causes. In 2011, they partnered with the U.S. Department of Education’s Connect All Schools consortium “to connect every school in the U.S. with the world by 2016” digitally, which President Obama unveiled in his 2009 speech delivered from Cairo. QFI grants monies to over 20 U.S. schools in 10 states, reaching over 2,400 students. According to QFI, their support comes with the intention to establish or expand Arabic and culture programs in K-12 public and public charter schools. In addition to Texas, benefitting schools are located in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Utah, and the District of Columbia. QFI also funds programs in schools across the United Kingdom and in Brazil. QFI Executive Director Maggie Mitchell Salem welcomed three Austin public schools in “joining our growing network of partner schools across the U.S., making it a total of 24 K-12 schools across the nation invested in Arabic language and Arab culture education in 2016.” In 2015, QFI granted Houston ISD $75,000 to jump start its Arabic immersion magnet school, which Breitbart Texas reported. QFI also funded Austin suburb Pflugerville ISD’s Arabic secondary programs at two high schools. Of the chosen Austin ISD campuses, Burnet Middle School already offers a signature College and Careers in a Global Society program. Austin High School has its Academy for Global Studies with an international focus, according to the press release. The third public school International High shares a campus with Eastside Memorial High, which will have access to the course. “With the addition of languages deemed critical by the Department of State, we further cement our commitment to develop socially and civically engaged students who will emerge from our schools ready to make a difference,” said Dong. Austin ISD contends the program will continue for as long as interest exists. However, they say they intend to grow the Arabic language and culture program to more advanced levels. In the fall, they will start by offering Arabic 1. District spokeswoman Tiffany Young estimated 55 students will enroll between the two high schools with 15 more students anticipated to attend the middle school class. Breitbart Texas spoke to Young to learn more about the district’s Arabic language and culture program. She said it was driven by “need” but that need accounts for only 497 students in a district of 84,000, reflecting only 0.6 percent of the entire student population. Interestingly, even that number appears to be down from 675 in 2013-14 based on an Austin KEYE-TV (CBS) report. At the time, an influx of Iraqi and Syrian refugee students certainly created a need — for Arabic speaking tutors in Austin ISD classrooms. Young told Breitbart Texas by email that the district’s Department of English Language Learners (ELL) data broke down demographic home languages in April 2016. Behind Arabic at 497 native speakers came Vietnamese with 294, and Korean with 118. She said the three languages “ranked 2nd, 3rd, and 6th, respectively, out of 89 total home languages reported by parents.” Still, Spanish tops the list at exponentially greater numbers. Sixty percent or approximately 50,000 Austin ISD students are Hispanic. Only 26 percent are White, about 8 percent are Black, and the remaining school district diversity is clumped into a largely unspecified “other”category totalling around 7 percent or 5,648 students. It includes Asian/Pacific Islander. The district says 57 percent of students come from low-income families. ELL accounts for 28 percent. By contrast, in 2011, Austin ISD reported 196 Arabic students. Vietnamese student speaker population that year was 403. Korean had 144, and Mandarin, 83. Native Spanish speakers accounted for 30,000 students. Breitbart Texas inquired on the impetus behind pursuing a QFI grant. Young noted that Dong was aware of the UT-Austin Arabic Flagship Program. She also said principals at the three schools expressed an interest in the Arabic language and culture class based on the “high number of Arabic-speaking students.” Despite the assertion of a large population of native Arabic speaking students driving the demand, this demographic was not necesarily factored in as a category in the recently released Austin ISD annual demographic study based on Fall 2015 data. The report mainly forecasted 10-year projections of Hispanic, Black, White, and Asian ethnicities. Breitbart Texas also asked Young about what Islamic culture will be taught in these Arabic classes. She said “Unfortunately, it is too early to provide examples because the curriculum will not be developed until the summer.” By way of example, Young pointed out the district’s “Korean enrichment course already in place at Travis High School includes cultural topics such as traditional dress worn by men and women, as well as Korean food traditions.” She said teachers of these new Arabic courses will work with the coordinator for three weeks this summer to develop thematic units of instruction alighted with the state standards for Languages Other Than English (LOTE). Young added: “Culture is a major goal area in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for LOTE instruction. When studying culture, the expectation in the classroom, regardless of the language, is that students explore the products and the practices of the target culture.” She continued, “Most importantly, student expectations include the ability to relate these products and practices to their underlying perspectives. In so doing, students are able to access higher order thinking skills as well as gain a deeper understanding of that culture being studied. An example of a product of culture would be French fashion. An example of a practice would be German board games. Students are expected to evaluate the perspectives that underscore why French fashion and German board games are important to the culture of that group.” Austin ISD will also expand its World Languages program to include Korean and Vietnamese language and culture programs. They already offer Chinese, Japanese, Latin, American Sign Language, French, German, Spanish, and Spanish for Spanish Speakers.
Dem Rep. Kildee on Trump Taxes: We Need to Know if President Is Influenced by Private Interests	2019-04-04	[ "Thursday, House Ways and Means Committee member Dan Kildee (D-MI) discussed committee chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) formally requesting President Donald Trump’s tax returns from the IRS.", "Kildee said on CNN’s “New Day” that Trump has promised to provide his tax returns, but now he is “completely oblique when it comes to his personal interests.”", "“The point … is to ensure that as we examine the question as to whether or not the president is being subjected to the tax laws of the United States properly, whether, for example, he’s being audited which has been the practice of the IRS, we have to get a look at those returns,” Kildee outlined.", "He later explained, “We ought to be able to know, as a society, as a people, whether the president’s private interests influence his public decision-making, and we cannot know that when he’s unwilling to be transparent with the American people.”" ]	https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/04/04/dem-rep-kildee-on-trump-taxes-we-need-to-know-if-president-is-influenced-by-private-interests/	Dem Rep. Kildee on Trump Taxes: We Need to Know if President Is Influenced by Private Interests Thursday, House Ways and Means Committee member Dan Kildee (D-MI) discussed committee chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) formally requesting President Donald Trump’s tax returns from the IRS. Kildee said on CNN’s “New Day” that Trump has promised to provide his tax returns, but now he is “completely oblique when it comes to his personal interests.” “The point … is to ensure that as we examine the question as to whether or not the president is being subjected to the tax laws of the United States properly, whether, for example, he’s being audited which has been the practice of the IRS, we have to get a look at those returns,” Kildee outlined. He later explained, “We ought to be able to know, as a society, as a people, whether the president’s private interests influence his public decision-making, and we cannot know that when he’s unwilling to be transparent with the American people.”
NRCC Boosts GOP David Richter Against Democrat Andy Kim in New Jersey	2020-09-14	[ "House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) advanced 16 Republican congressional candidates on Monday to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) highest level of the 2020 “Young Guns” program, including New Jersey conservative David Richter.", "“These candidates are gaining serious momentum in their respective races,” McCarthy said in a statement on Monday. “They’re working every single day to fight back against the Democrats’ socialist agenda, and their success is critical to ensure we flip the House this November.”", "The NRCC will promote many Republican congressional candidates across the country to the highest level of the Young Guns program. This includes:", "- Tiffany Shedd in Arizona’s first congressional district.", "- Leo Valentin in Florida’s seventh district.", "- Anna Paulina Luna in Florida’s 13th congressional district.", "- Scott Franklin in Florida’s 15th congressional district.", "- Rich McCormick in Georgia’s seventh congressional district.", "- Jake LaTurner in Kansas’s second congressional district.", "- Peter Meijer in Michigan’s third congressional district.", "- Paul Junge in Michigan’s eighth congressional district.", "- Eric Esshaki in Michigan’s 11th congressional district.", "- Kendall Qualls in Minnesota’s third congressional district.", "- Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina’s 11th congressional district.", "- Matt Mowers in New Hampshire’s first congressional district.", "- David Richter in New Jersey’s third congressional district.", "- Stephanie Bice in Oklahoma’s fifth congressional district.", "- Bob Good in Virginia’s fifth congressional district.", "- Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin’s third congressional district.", "New Jersey’s third congressional district represents a pivotal swing district on the Republicans’ road to retake the House majority.", "Kim, whom Richter hopes to oust in the 2020 congressional elections, represents one of the 13 congressional districts that Trump won by more than six percent during the 2016 presidential election but that House Democrats managed to flip during the 2018 midterms. Republicans only need to retake a net 17 seats to regain the House majority.", "A Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) poll released in July found that the poll has struck a dead heat between Richter and Kim." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/14/nrcc-boosts-gop-david-richter-against-democrat-andy-kim-in-new-jersey/	NRCC Boosts GOP David Richter Against Democrat Andy Kim in New Jersey House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) advanced 16 Republican congressional candidates on Monday to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) highest level of the 2020 “Young Guns” program, including New Jersey conservative David Richter. “These candidates are gaining serious momentum in their respective races,” McCarthy said in a statement on Monday. “They’re working every single day to fight back against the Democrats’ socialist agenda, and their success is critical to ensure we flip the House this November.” The NRCC will promote many Republican congressional candidates across the country to the highest level of the Young Guns program. This includes: - Tiffany Shedd in Arizona’s first congressional district. - Leo Valentin in Florida’s seventh district. - Anna Paulina Luna in Florida’s 13th congressional district. - Scott Franklin in Florida’s 15th congressional district. - Rich McCormick in Georgia’s seventh congressional district. - Jake LaTurner in Kansas’s second congressional district. - Peter Meijer in Michigan’s third congressional district. - Paul Junge in Michigan’s eighth congressional district. - Eric Esshaki in Michigan’s 11th congressional district. - Kendall Qualls in Minnesota’s third congressional district. - Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina’s 11th congressional district. - Matt Mowers in New Hampshire’s first congressional district. - David Richter in New Jersey’s third congressional district. - Stephanie Bice in Oklahoma’s fifth congressional district. - Bob Good in Virginia’s fifth congressional district. - Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin’s third congressional district. New Jersey’s third congressional district represents a pivotal swing district on the Republicans’ road to retake the House majority. Kim, whom Richter hopes to oust in the 2020 congressional elections, represents one of the 13 congressional districts that Trump won by more than six percent during the 2016 presidential election but that House Democrats managed to flip during the 2018 midterms. Republicans only need to retake a net 17 seats to regain the House majority. A Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) poll released in July found that the poll has struck a dead heat between Richter and Kim.
North Dakota Man Arrested After Admitting Plan to Abduct Obama's Dog	2016-01-08	[ "A North Dakota man named Scott Stockert was arrested Wednesday after Washington, D.C., police officers learned he had traveled to the Hampton Inn near the Washington Convention Center to dognap the First Dog of the United States, Bo.", "Stockert appeared before a D.C. Superior Court on Friday on firearms charges.", "The Secret Service tipped D.C. investigators, who then tracked down Stockert at the downtown D.C. hotel. There Stockert admitted that he was armed with a shotgun and a rifle, according to police, and other charges were added as it is illegal to possess unregistered firearms in D.C.", "The police report also said Stockert had a machete and a billy club in his pickup truck, according to NBC.", "Stockert told police officers that his parents were John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, adding that he traveled to D.C. to declare his candidacy for U.S. president.", "He also said that he is Jesus Christ, court documents said, according to NBC Washington.", "Investigators said it’s still unclear why Stockert went through all the trouble to abduct the president’s 7-year-old dog." ]	http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/01/08/north-dakota-man-arrested-after-saying-he-planned-to-abduct-obama-dog-bo/	North Dakota Man Arrested After Admitting Plan to Abduct Obama's Dog A North Dakota man named Scott Stockert was arrested Wednesday after Washington, D.C., police officers learned he had traveled to the Hampton Inn near the Washington Convention Center to dognap the First Dog of the United States, Bo. Stockert appeared before a D.C. Superior Court on Friday on firearms charges. The Secret Service tipped D.C. investigators, who then tracked down Stockert at the downtown D.C. hotel. There Stockert admitted that he was armed with a shotgun and a rifle, according to police, and other charges were added as it is illegal to possess unregistered firearms in D.C. The police report also said Stockert had a machete and a billy club in his pickup truck, according to NBC. Stockert told police officers that his parents were John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, adding that he traveled to D.C. to declare his candidacy for U.S. president. He also said that he is Jesus Christ, court documents said, according to NBC Washington. Investigators said it’s still unclear why Stockert went through all the trouble to abduct the president’s 7-year-old dog.
Colonial Pipeline Restarts After Cyber Attack	2021-05-12	[ "CLEMMONS, N.C. (AP) — Drivers waited in long lines at gas stations in the Southeast on Wednesday after a hack of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline led to distribution problems and panic-buying, draining supplies at thousands of gas stations.", "Although there was no gasoline shortage, there was a problem getting the fuel from refineries on the Gulf Coast to the states that need it, and officials were scrambling to find alternate routes to deliver it.", "The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, was hit on Friday with a cyberattack by hackers who lock up computer systems and demand a ransom to release them. The attack raised concerns, once again, about the vulnerability of the nation’s critical infrastructure.", "Colonial initiated the restart of pipeline operations late Wednesday, “which means that all lines, including those lateral lines that have been running manually, will return to normal operations,” the company said in a statement. But it will take several days for deliveries to return to normal, the company said.", "In the meantime, drivers have been finding gas stations with little or no gas in some Southeast states.", "“What you’re feeling is not a lack of supply or a supply issue. What we have is a transportation issue,” said Jeanette McGee, spokeswoman for the AAA auto club. “There is ample supply to fuel the United States for the summer, but what we’re having an issue with is getting it to those gas stations because the pipeline is down.”", "The pipeline runs from the Gulf Coast to the New York metropolitan region, but states in the Southeast are more reliant on it. Other parts of the country have more sources to tap. For example, a substantial amount of fuel is delivered to states in the Northeast by massive tankers.", "Jamar Gatison, 36, was filling up his tank in Norfolk, Virginia, Wednesday before a doctor’s appointment.", "“I’m about to run out of gas, so I have no choice,” the construction worker said while waiting in line at a 7-Eleven.", "“I’m also an Uber Eats driver. I also need gas for that,” said Gatison, who added he probably won’t deliver food Wednesday night because he doesn’t want to wait in line again while the shortage continues.", "In North Carolina, 65% of gas stations were out of fuel, according to Gasbuddy.com, a technology firm that tracks real-time fuel prices across the country. Just outside Raleigh, two people were charged with assault after fighting and spitting in each other’s faces while arguing over their spots in line Tuesday at a Marathon gas station, authorities said.", "North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper urged people Wednesday to only buy gas if their tank is low, and to report any instances of price gouging.", "“We will continue our efforts to help make sure there is an adequate supply of fuel,” Cooper wrote on Twitter.", "Georgians were also getting squeezed, with 43% of stations there out of gas, according to Gasbuddy.com. In Virginia, 44% of stations were out, and in South Carolina, 16% had no fuel.", "Along the Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine through some of the most rugged and remote terrain in the Southeast, hikers depend on car and van shuttles to ferry them to and from the trail and get them back to civilization.", "“If I don’t have the gas, I’m not running,” said Ron Brown of Ellijay, Georgia, who operates Ron’s Appalachian Trail Shuttles and often takes hikers on hourslong trips from Atlanta’s airport into the north Georgia mountains, and to and from many points along the trail.", "Mary Goldburg, 60, of Norfolk, Virginia, waited more than 20 minutes for a slow-operating pump at a 7-Eleven to fill up her tank on Wednesday. Her job includes delivering T-shirts for events and other promotional products.", "“I can’t get paid until my customers get their products,” Goldburg said.", "Government officials have said Colonial anticipates restarting most of its operations by the end of the week. However, the disruption is taking place at the time of year when Americans begin to become more mobile, especially as the nation emerges from the pandemic.", "Four to five cars were lined up at each pump at a Circle K in Clemmons, North Carolina. Several people said they had driven to multiple gas stations to find one that had gas. Across the street, gas stations were out of fuel.", "Mair Martinez, who works in landscaping, was filling up his lawn equipment and truck after checking several other gas stations without luck.", "“I’m a local landscaper, so that’s why we’ve come in today, to fill up everything,” he said.", "Johnathan King, who works for an area towing company, was filling up his tow truck. He said he typically does 10 to 12 service calls a day, driving between several area cities.", "“It’s going to be very hard for us. Hopefully we’ll be able to get through it,” he said.", "Multiple U.S. agencies are coordinating to relax rules and enable fuel to be shipped faster using trucks, trains or ships, but those changes are having little impact so far.", "The White House said Wednesday that the Department of Transportation is now allowing states served by the pipeline to use interstate highways to transport overweight loads of gasoline and other fuels. But there’s a national trucker shortage, so the industry isn’t able to put many more trucks on the road.", "Nationwide there are about 121,000 convenience stores that sell about 5,300 gallons per day of gasoline, accounting for about 80% of retail fuel sales. At many stores demand has been two to five times the normal amount, said Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores, in a conference call with reporters. Retailers are even running out of fuel in parts of Florida that are not dependent on the pipeline, he said.", "Rationing has been imposed after some natural disasters, including Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but there could be resistance to that this time, especially if it looks like the pipeline could return to normal operation in a few days.", "It could also backfire. “Once rationing occurs, more panic buying ensues,” said Ryan McNutt, CEO of the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America.", "The national average price for a gallon of gasoline ticked above $3 for the first time since 2016 Wednesday, according to the AAA. Prices begin to rise around this time every year and the auto club said Wednesday that the average price hit $3.008 nationally.", "“You go to some states, and you’re going to see much higher increases, especially in the South, because that’s where you’re seeing the largest impact in terms of strain of gasoline, or strain of people,” McGee said." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/05/12/colonial-pipeline-restarts-after-cyber-attack-gas-shortages-continue/	Colonial Pipeline Restarts After Cyber Attack CLEMMONS, N.C. (AP) — Drivers waited in long lines at gas stations in the Southeast on Wednesday after a hack of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline led to distribution problems and panic-buying, draining supplies at thousands of gas stations. Although there was no gasoline shortage, there was a problem getting the fuel from refineries on the Gulf Coast to the states that need it, and officials were scrambling to find alternate routes to deliver it. The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, was hit on Friday with a cyberattack by hackers who lock up computer systems and demand a ransom to release them. The attack raised concerns, once again, about the vulnerability of the nation’s critical infrastructure. Colonial initiated the restart of pipeline operations late Wednesday, “which means that all lines, including those lateral lines that have been running manually, will return to normal operations,” the company said in a statement. But it will take several days for deliveries to return to normal, the company said. In the meantime, drivers have been finding gas stations with little or no gas in some Southeast states. “What you’re feeling is not a lack of supply or a supply issue. What we have is a transportation issue,” said Jeanette McGee, spokeswoman for the AAA auto club. “There is ample supply to fuel the United States for the summer, but what we’re having an issue with is getting it to those gas stations because the pipeline is down.” The pipeline runs from the Gulf Coast to the New York metropolitan region, but states in the Southeast are more reliant on it. Other parts of the country have more sources to tap. For example, a substantial amount of fuel is delivered to states in the Northeast by massive tankers. Jamar Gatison, 36, was filling up his tank in Norfolk, Virginia, Wednesday before a doctor’s appointment. “I’m about to run out of gas, so I have no choice,” the construction worker said while waiting in line at a 7-Eleven. “I’m also an Uber Eats driver. I also need gas for that,” said Gatison, who added he probably won’t deliver food Wednesday night because he doesn’t want to wait in line again while the shortage continues. In North Carolina, 65% of gas stations were out of fuel, according to Gasbuddy.com, a technology firm that tracks real-time fuel prices across the country. Just outside Raleigh, two people were charged with assault after fighting and spitting in each other’s faces while arguing over their spots in line Tuesday at a Marathon gas station, authorities said. North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper urged people Wednesday to only buy gas if their tank is low, and to report any instances of price gouging. “We will continue our efforts to help make sure there is an adequate supply of fuel,” Cooper wrote on Twitter. Georgians were also getting squeezed, with 43% of stations there out of gas, according to Gasbuddy.com. In Virginia, 44% of stations were out, and in South Carolina, 16% had no fuel. Along the Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine through some of the most rugged and remote terrain in the Southeast, hikers depend on car and van shuttles to ferry them to and from the trail and get them back to civilization. “If I don’t have the gas, I’m not running,” said Ron Brown of Ellijay, Georgia, who operates Ron’s Appalachian Trail Shuttles and often takes hikers on hourslong trips from Atlanta’s airport into the north Georgia mountains, and to and from many points along the trail. Mary Goldburg, 60, of Norfolk, Virginia, waited more than 20 minutes for a slow-operating pump at a 7-Eleven to fill up her tank on Wednesday. Her job includes delivering T-shirts for events and other promotional products. “I can’t get paid until my customers get their products,” Goldburg said. Government officials have said Colonial anticipates restarting most of its operations by the end of the week. However, the disruption is taking place at the time of year when Americans begin to become more mobile, especially as the nation emerges from the pandemic. Four to five cars were lined up at each pump at a Circle K in Clemmons, North Carolina. Several people said they had driven to multiple gas stations to find one that had gas. Across the street, gas stations were out of fuel. Mair Martinez, who works in landscaping, was filling up his lawn equipment and truck after checking several other gas stations without luck. “I’m a local landscaper, so that’s why we’ve come in today, to fill up everything,” he said. Johnathan King, who works for an area towing company, was filling up his tow truck. He said he typically does 10 to 12 service calls a day, driving between several area cities. “It’s going to be very hard for us. Hopefully we’ll be able to get through it,” he said. Multiple U.S. agencies are coordinating to relax rules and enable fuel to be shipped faster using trucks, trains or ships, but those changes are having little impact so far. The White House said Wednesday that the Department of Transportation is now allowing states served by the pipeline to use interstate highways to transport overweight loads of gasoline and other fuels. But there’s a national trucker shortage, so the industry isn’t able to put many more trucks on the road. Nationwide there are about 121,000 convenience stores that sell about 5,300 gallons per day of gasoline, accounting for about 80% of retail fuel sales. At many stores demand has been two to five times the normal amount, said Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores, in a conference call with reporters. Retailers are even running out of fuel in parts of Florida that are not dependent on the pipeline, he said. Rationing has been imposed after some natural disasters, including Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but there could be resistance to that this time, especially if it looks like the pipeline could return to normal operation in a few days. It could also backfire. “Once rationing occurs, more panic buying ensues,” said Ryan McNutt, CEO of the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America. The national average price for a gallon of gasoline ticked above $3 for the first time since 2016 Wednesday, according to the AAA. Prices begin to rise around this time every year and the auto club said Wednesday that the average price hit $3.008 nationally. “You go to some states, and you’re going to see much higher increases, especially in the South, because that’s where you’re seeing the largest impact in terms of strain of gasoline, or strain of people,” McGee said.
Twitter 'Accidentally' Shadowbanned a Conservative Journalist for Over a Year	2018-04-09	[ "Twitter “accidentally” shadowbanned and suppressed the posts of an Independent Journal Review editor for over a year according to a statement from the company.", "Independent Journal Review editor Caleb Hull became suspicious that many of his tweets weren’t being seen by his followers. Caleb reached out to Twitter to see if there was an issue with his account, suspecting that he had been “shadowbanned,” a term that refers to Twitter limiting users reach on their platform in an attempt to silence them without outright banning their account. Hull received a response from the social media company stating that his account had been “mistakenly caught by our spam filters.”", "Here’s Twitter’s response to my request to remove the shadow ban on my account.", "So what did this mean for Hull’s account? Breitbart News has previously outlined what happened when a user is shadowbanned — their tweets being listed as spam operates effectively in the same way that shadowbanning does. From Breitbart’s previous article:", "Shadow banning, sometimes known as “Stealth Banning” or “Hell Banning,” is commonly used by online community managers to block content posted by spammers. Instead of banning a user directly (which would alert the spammer to their status, prompting them to create a new account), their content is merely hidden from public view.", "For site owners, the ideal shadowban is when a user never realizes he’s been shadowbanned.", "Hull, however, did notice that his tweets weren’t being seen by his audience. Hull told Breitbart News in a statement “I noticed around a year ago that people just weren’t noticing [my tweets] but it wasn’t until 6 months ago when I was asked 100% certain.” The limiting of Hull’s reach seemed to happen without any prompting on his part; “I have no idea why it happened but everyone just started telling me they never saw my replies.” According to Hull, his tweets “[didn’t] appear on public searches and my interactions don’t appear in anyone’s notifications.”", "Hull noted in a tweet that Twitter has previously denied shadowbanning users, but has not denied “accidentally” marking users tweets as spam;", "Previously, Twitter denied that they shadow ban users after a @JamesOKeefeIII video was released.", "I guess they’re admitting it now." ]	http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/04/09/twitter-accidentally-shadowbanned-a-conservative-news-editor-for-over-a-year/	Twitter 'Accidentally' Shadowbanned a Conservative Journalist for Over a Year Twitter “accidentally” shadowbanned and suppressed the posts of an Independent Journal Review editor for over a year according to a statement from the company. Independent Journal Review editor Caleb Hull became suspicious that many of his tweets weren’t being seen by his followers. Caleb reached out to Twitter to see if there was an issue with his account, suspecting that he had been “shadowbanned,” a term that refers to Twitter limiting users reach on their platform in an attempt to silence them without outright banning their account. Hull received a response from the social media company stating that his account had been “mistakenly caught by our spam filters.” Here’s Twitter’s response to my request to remove the shadow ban on my account. So what did this mean for Hull’s account? Breitbart News has previously outlined what happened when a user is shadowbanned — their tweets being listed as spam operates effectively in the same way that shadowbanning does. From Breitbart’s previous article: Shadow banning, sometimes known as “Stealth Banning” or “Hell Banning,” is commonly used by online community managers to block content posted by spammers. Instead of banning a user directly (which would alert the spammer to their status, prompting them to create a new account), their content is merely hidden from public view. For site owners, the ideal shadowban is when a user never realizes he’s been shadowbanned. Hull, however, did notice that his tweets weren’t being seen by his audience. Hull told Breitbart News in a statement “I noticed around a year ago that people just weren’t noticing [my tweets] but it wasn’t until 6 months ago when I was asked 100% certain.” The limiting of Hull’s reach seemed to happen without any prompting on his part; “I have no idea why it happened but everyone just started telling me they never saw my replies.” According to Hull, his tweets “[didn’t] appear on public searches and my interactions don’t appear in anyone’s notifications.” Hull noted in a tweet that Twitter has previously denied shadowbanning users, but has not denied “accidentally” marking users tweets as spam; Previously, Twitter denied that they shadow ban users after a @JamesOKeefeIII video was released. I guess they’re admitting it now.
Blowback Following Biden Staffer Blocking Ted Cruz Filming Migrant Facility	2021-03-29	[ "Considerable blowback online followed the release of a video by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) which shows a woman the senator identifies as a Biden administration staffer attempting to prevent him from recording conditions at a heavily overcrowded migrant facility by blocking his view.", "Cruz and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) led a delegation of senators to Donna, Texas, to tour a migrant holding facility where migrants have been packed into facilities designed for far fewer people.", "“Please give dignity to the people. Please give dignity to the people. … Please respect the people, the rules,” the staffer tells Cruz as she continues to block his recording.", "“So you work for the commissioner, you’re a senior adviser, you were hired two weeks ago and you’re instructed to ask us to not have any pictures taken here because the political leadership at DHS [Department of Homeland Security] does not want the American people to know it,” Cruz said.", "“Your policies are unfortunately trying to hide them. I understand that you were instructed,” Cruz added. “I respect them, and I want to fix this situation, and the administration that you work for is responsible for these conditions.”", "How far is Joe Biden going to stop the American people from seeing inside the Donna CBP facility?", "Many took to Twitter to blast the Biden staffer for attempting to prevent a sitting senator from documenting detained migrant facility conditions.", "“This mindless drone of a woman is exactly the type who made sure the trains ran on time to the gulags,” wrote Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to President Trump.", "“Watch the emotional manipulation this woman attempts in the video,” wrote director and producer Robby Starbuck.", "“Just 2 years ago her party was demanding to see photos & videos inside these facilities. Trump let the media in. Biden won’t let them in. He’s trying to hide what he’s doing.”", "“Proud of @TedCruz,” he added.", "“Democrats think this woman is a hero,” wrote outspoken conservative actor Nick Searcy.", "“This is unbelievable,” wrote congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (R-TN).", "“This is shameful,” wrote conservative political activist Amy Kremer, along with a “#ImpeachBiden” hashtag.", "“Breathtaking,” wrote talk radio host Andrew Wilkow.", "“This woman reminds me of every campus crusader trying to block cameras from ‘safe spaces,’” he added.", "“‘Please respect the people,’ says the Biden operative,” wrote political commentator Ian Miles Cheong. “How about you let those kids out of the cages?”", "“Great work by @SenTedCruz to capture what’s going on inside Biden’s migrant detention centers,” wrote former Texas Assistant Attorney General Rob Henneke.", "“Biden has excluded the media because he does not want you to see this. This is what Biden Administration considers ‘dignity & respect,’” he continued.", "“More journalism here than from anyone in MSM.”", "Great work by @SenTedCruz to capture what’s going on inside Biden’s migrant detention centers.", "Biden has excluded the media because he does not want you to see this. This is what Biden Administration considers “dignity & respect.”", "“Would someone tell this lady to shut up,” wrote political commentator Caleb Bonham.", "“Her ‘heartfelt’ begging for dignity and respect is meaningless when you realize she’s just trying to hide the lack of dignity and respect she is enabling,” he added.", "Would someone tell this lady to shut up.", "‘How humiliating for the Biden admin,” wrote political columnist Benny Johnson.", "“The Biden administration’s strategy is, ‘If we can prevent the American people from seeing what’s going on, we don’t have to fix what’s going on,’” wrote former Georgia congressional candidate Mark Gonsalves.", "“Shame on all those involved in this despicable deception,” he added.", "The Biden administration’s strategy is, “If we can prevent the American people from seeing what’s going on, we don’t have to fix what’s going on.”", "“How sickening to have the Biden team Who wrapped & stacked those kids like baked potatoes Complaining that showing the world their disgrace Is what hurts their dignity,” wrote author and President of the Security Studies Group Jim Hanson.", "“You did this Team Biden,” he added. “Own it & fix it!”", "“This woman reminds me of every leftist in DC I’ve ever had a debate with,” wrote podcaster and columnist Derek Hunter.", "“The Biden Administration is failing miserably at the border,” wrote singer-songwriter Lisa Matassa.", "“They alone created this chaos and all the horrors that undoubtedly will follow from their actions,” she added. “America is under siege from within.”", "The Biden Administration is failing miserably at the border.", "They alone created this chaos and all the horrors that undoubtedly will follow from their actions.", "“Just wow,” wrote radio host Mike Opelka. “Thanks for standing up @tedcruz.”", "“Could you imagine if we did this during the Trump administration?” asked Katie Rose Miller, the former communications director for Vice President Mike Pence. “Sending a political appointee to block Democrat Senators?”", "“Orwell saw this lady coming, didn’t he?” wrote Phoenix pastor James White. “The Ministry of Truth’s spokesperson, on camera, 2021. The perversity should cause us all to shudder.”", "“These people have power now,” he added. “Evil, fully evil.”", "\"Please give dignity to the people.\"", "Orwell saw this lady coming, didn't he? The Ministry of Truth's spokesperson, on camera, 2021.", "“The people are in CAGES packed so tightly, wrapped in foil, that they look like a giant casserole!” wrote the PolitiChicks platform.", "“They aren’t safe. How are children protected from predators, inc teen men? And forget ‘social distancing’. Yet she continuously blocks the camera out of ‘dignity and respect’? Wow.”", "“It doesn’t get much worse than this,” wrote communications strategist Caleb Hull. “What a terrible look for the Biden administration.”", "“She’s blocking a sitting Senator from filming the horrors of the Biden administration,” wrote one Twitter user. “I swear, this feels like something the Chinese government would do.”", "“This one clip alone would be on a 24 hour loop at CNN if this was Trump,” the user added. “Don Lemon and Brian Stelter would be crying on tv.”", "“Is this Russia? Is this North Korea? Really!!!” wrote another Twitter user.", "“I think its[sic] pretty disrespectful to encourage a bunch of unfortunate people to come to your country and then imprison them and call it humane,” wrote yet another user.", "The #BidenCrimeFamily has done to these people?", "“The Biden administration thinks its[sic] respectful to look the other way and not pay attention as they put people in cages!” another Twitter user wrote.", "Cruz himself echoed similar concerns when he addressed the matter on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.", "“Many Democrats like to pretend their open-borders policies are somehow humane,” he said. “There’s nothing humane about what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are doing at the border.”", "“This is a humanitarian crisis, it is a health crisis, and it’s a national security crisis,” he added.", "Democrats like to pretend their open-borders policies are somehow humane.", "Discussing the facility in his video on Sunday, Cruz said that despite it being “designed to hold a thousand people” and “under COVID restrictions, its capacity is 250,” it currently “has over 4,000 people in it.”", "“It is at a 1,500% capacity, and that meant you saw in these cages children, little boys and little girls, side by side, they’re not 6-feet apart,” he added. “In that facility, children are testing positive for COVID at roughly a 10% rate.”", "The reaction comes as a patent double standard is repeatedly apparent from the attitudes toward the current president and former President Trump regarding migrant issues.", "Last Monday, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe released a series of photos showing the disgraceful conditions of migrant children being held in South Texas. In response, many expressed outrage at the media silence — as well as that of Democratic politicians — over an issue that had caused an uproar on their part during President Trump’s presidency.", "Congressman Cuellar, who lives along the Texas border with Mexico, leaked the photos to Axios while stating over 400 unaccompanied migrant children are living in “pods” designed to hold up to 260 people, according to Border Patrol officials.", "The same day, O’Keefe released additional disturbing photos and a video depicting children forced to sleep on floor mats in overcrowded facilities which were rapidly opened amid a worsening humanitarian crisis and where up to 3,000 unaccompanied migrant minors are being held, often well beyond the 72-hour legal holding limit for minors." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/03/29/blowback-following-biden-staffer-blocking-ted-cruz-filming-packed-migrant-facility-is-this-north-korea/	Blowback Following Biden Staffer Blocking Ted Cruz Filming Migrant Facility Considerable blowback online followed the release of a video by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) which shows a woman the senator identifies as a Biden administration staffer attempting to prevent him from recording conditions at a heavily overcrowded migrant facility by blocking his view. Cruz and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) led a delegation of senators to Donna, Texas, to tour a migrant holding facility where migrants have been packed into facilities designed for far fewer people. “Please give dignity to the people. Please give dignity to the people. … Please respect the people, the rules,” the staffer tells Cruz as she continues to block his recording. “So you work for the commissioner, you’re a senior adviser, you were hired two weeks ago and you’re instructed to ask us to not have any pictures taken here because the political leadership at DHS [Department of Homeland Security] does not want the American people to know it,” Cruz said. “Your policies are unfortunately trying to hide them. I understand that you were instructed,” Cruz added. “I respect them, and I want to fix this situation, and the administration that you work for is responsible for these conditions.” How far is Joe Biden going to stop the American people from seeing inside the Donna CBP facility? Many took to Twitter to blast the Biden staffer for attempting to prevent a sitting senator from documenting detained migrant facility conditions. “This mindless drone of a woman is exactly the type who made sure the trains ran on time to the gulags,” wrote Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to President Trump. “Watch the emotional manipulation this woman attempts in the video,” wrote director and producer Robby Starbuck. “Just 2 years ago her party was demanding to see photos & videos inside these facilities. Trump let the media in. Biden won’t let them in. He’s trying to hide what he’s doing.” “Proud of @TedCruz,” he added. “Democrats think this woman is a hero,” wrote outspoken conservative actor Nick Searcy. “This is unbelievable,” wrote congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (R-TN). “This is shameful,” wrote conservative political activist Amy Kremer, along with a “#ImpeachBiden” hashtag. “Breathtaking,” wrote talk radio host Andrew Wilkow. “This woman reminds me of every campus crusader trying to block cameras from ‘safe spaces,’” he added. “‘Please respect the people,’ says the Biden operative,” wrote political commentator Ian Miles Cheong. “How about you let those kids out of the cages?” “Great work by @SenTedCruz to capture what’s going on inside Biden’s migrant detention centers,” wrote former Texas Assistant Attorney General Rob Henneke. “Biden has excluded the media because he does not want you to see this. This is what Biden Administration considers ‘dignity & respect,’” he continued. “More journalism here than from anyone in MSM.” Great work by @SenTedCruz to capture what’s going on inside Biden’s migrant detention centers. Biden has excluded the media because he does not want you to see this. This is what Biden Administration considers “dignity & respect.” “Would someone tell this lady to shut up,” wrote political commentator Caleb Bonham. “Her ‘heartfelt’ begging for dignity and respect is meaningless when you realize she’s just trying to hide the lack of dignity and respect she is enabling,” he added. Would someone tell this lady to shut up. ‘How humiliating for the Biden admin,” wrote political columnist Benny Johnson. “The Biden administration’s strategy is, ‘If we can prevent the American people from seeing what’s going on, we don’t have to fix what’s going on,’” wrote former Georgia congressional candidate Mark Gonsalves. “Shame on all those involved in this despicable deception,” he added. The Biden administration’s strategy is, “If we can prevent the American people from seeing what’s going on, we don’t have to fix what’s going on.” “How sickening to have the Biden team Who wrapped & stacked those kids like baked potatoes Complaining that showing the world their disgrace Is what hurts their dignity,” wrote author and President of the Security Studies Group Jim Hanson. “You did this Team Biden,” he added. “Own it & fix it!” “This woman reminds me of every leftist in DC I’ve ever had a debate with,” wrote podcaster and columnist Derek Hunter. “The Biden Administration is failing miserably at the border,” wrote singer-songwriter Lisa Matassa. “They alone created this chaos and all the horrors that undoubtedly will follow from their actions,” she added. “America is under siege from within.” The Biden Administration is failing miserably at the border. They alone created this chaos and all the horrors that undoubtedly will follow from their actions. “Just wow,” wrote radio host Mike Opelka. “Thanks for standing up @tedcruz.” “Could you imagine if we did this during the Trump administration?” asked Katie Rose Miller, the former communications director for Vice President Mike Pence. “Sending a political appointee to block Democrat Senators?” “Orwell saw this lady coming, didn’t he?” wrote Phoenix pastor James White. “The Ministry of Truth’s spokesperson, on camera, 2021. The perversity should cause us all to shudder.” “These people have power now,” he added. “Evil, fully evil.” "Please give dignity to the people." Orwell saw this lady coming, didn't he? The Ministry of Truth's spokesperson, on camera, 2021. “The people are in CAGES packed so tightly, wrapped in foil, that they look like a giant casserole!” wrote the PolitiChicks platform. “They aren’t safe. How are children protected from predators, inc teen men? And forget ‘social distancing’. Yet she continuously blocks the camera out of ‘dignity and respect’? Wow.” “It doesn’t get much worse than this,” wrote communications strategist Caleb Hull. “What a terrible look for the Biden administration.” “She’s blocking a sitting Senator from filming the horrors of the Biden administration,” wrote one Twitter user. “I swear, this feels like something the Chinese government would do.” “This one clip alone would be on a 24 hour loop at CNN if this was Trump,” the user added. “Don Lemon and Brian Stelter would be crying on tv.” “Is this Russia? Is this North Korea? Really!!!” wrote another Twitter user. “I think its[sic] pretty disrespectful to encourage a bunch of unfortunate people to come to your country and then imprison them and call it humane,” wrote yet another user. The #BidenCrimeFamily has done to these people? “The Biden administration thinks its[sic] respectful to look the other way and not pay attention as they put people in cages!” another Twitter user wrote. Cruz himself echoed similar concerns when he addressed the matter on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo. “Many Democrats like to pretend their open-borders policies are somehow humane,” he said. “There’s nothing humane about what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are doing at the border.” “This is a humanitarian crisis, it is a health crisis, and it’s a national security crisis,” he added. Democrats like to pretend their open-borders policies are somehow humane. Discussing the facility in his video on Sunday, Cruz said that despite it being “designed to hold a thousand people” and “under COVID restrictions, its capacity is 250,” it currently “has over 4,000 people in it.” “It is at a 1,500% capacity, and that meant you saw in these cages children, little boys and little girls, side by side, they’re not 6-feet apart,” he added. “In that facility, children are testing positive for COVID at roughly a 10% rate.” The reaction comes as a patent double standard is repeatedly apparent from the attitudes toward the current president and former President Trump regarding migrant issues. Last Monday, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe released a series of photos showing the disgraceful conditions of migrant children being held in South Texas. In response, many expressed outrage at the media silence — as well as that of Democratic politicians — over an issue that had caused an uproar on their part during President Trump’s presidency. Congressman Cuellar, who lives along the Texas border with Mexico, leaked the photos to Axios while stating over 400 unaccompanied migrant children are living in “pods” designed to hold up to 260 people, according to Border Patrol officials. The same day, O’Keefe released additional disturbing photos and a video depicting children forced to sleep on floor mats in overcrowded facilities which were rapidly opened amid a worsening humanitarian crisis and where up to 3,000 unaccompanied migrant minors are being held, often well beyond the 72-hour legal holding limit for minors.
Pollak: Barack Obama Never Learned Anything from Obamacare's Failures	2020-03-10	[ "President Barack Obama released a video on Monday ahead of the 10th anniversary of the signing of Obamacare, celebrating it as “the closest we’ve ever come to universal coverage in America.”", "In truth, Obamacare expanded access to health insurance, primarily for the working poor, but at a massive cost to middle-class budgets. It also changed American politics for the worse, turning it into a zero-sum game in which compromise is nearly impossible.", "The Good: Obamacare can be credited with two achievements. The first is increased access to health insurance, largely through Medicaid, which was originally designed to help the poor. The new law expanded eligibility to households within 133% of the poverty line, covering many lower middle-class families. Federal funds covered the initial cost, and enrollment rose by 15 million people, though conservatives worried about the long-term cost.", "More generally, Obamacare enshrined the idea of a safety net for health insurance. Many conservatives argued, in principle, against making individuals more dependent on government, and in favor of private sector solutions. These debates continue, but Republicans accept that whatever alternative they propose to Obamacare will have to provide basic protections, such as covering pre-existing conditions. In that sense, Obamacare reframed the debate.", "The Bad: Obamacare failed to deliver on its basic promises. It did not lower health insurance costs by up to $2500 per household per year. On the contrary, it caused health insurance premiums to skyrocket, and many Obamacare policies had deductibles so high that the insurance was effectively useless. Moreover, Obama’s promise that “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor” turned out to be one of the biggest lies in the history of U.S. politics.", "Another area in which Obamacare failed was the cost of prescription drugs. The pharmaceutical industry bought immunity from Obamacare by promising to spend $150 million in support of the legislation, both in advertising and in support of Democratic members of Congress who had voted for the bill. It took the Trump administration’s regulatory changes to lower drug prices — and as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) often notes, they are still too high.", "Moreover, Obamacare violated the Constitution. The individual mandate, which forced individuals to buy health insurance, was only saved at the Supreme Court through dubious legal gymnastics by Chief Justice John Roberts. (Ultimately, President Donald Trump killed it in his 2017 tax reforms.) There were other violations: for instance, the Obama administration violated the separation of powers by altering the statute without congressional approval.", "Perhaps the most painful legacy of Obamacare is the political division it sowed. Before Obamacare, no major federal entitlement had ever been passed without bipartisan support. President Obama, facing opposition from Republicans and the public, chose not to compromise or to settle for incremental reforms. He set a precedent of pushing through dramatic changes on party-line votes, and reduced the incentives for bipartisan compromise.", "Obama continues to twist the knife. In his video, he praises Obamacare supporters: “There are people alive today because of what you did.”", "Not only does that statement ignore the fact that Obamacare put millions of Americans at risk by canceling their existing insurance, but it also casts opposition to the law as murder.", "That sort of framing makes rational debate, and cooperation, impossible. Obamacare is not something to celebrate, but to transcend." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/10/pollak-barack-obama-never-learned-anything-from-obamacare-failures/	Pollak: Barack Obama Never Learned Anything from Obamacare's Failures President Barack Obama released a video on Monday ahead of the 10th anniversary of the signing of Obamacare, celebrating it as “the closest we’ve ever come to universal coverage in America.” In truth, Obamacare expanded access to health insurance, primarily for the working poor, but at a massive cost to middle-class budgets. It also changed American politics for the worse, turning it into a zero-sum game in which compromise is nearly impossible. The Good: Obamacare can be credited with two achievements. The first is increased access to health insurance, largely through Medicaid, which was originally designed to help the poor. The new law expanded eligibility to households within 133% of the poverty line, covering many lower middle-class families. Federal funds covered the initial cost, and enrollment rose by 15 million people, though conservatives worried about the long-term cost. More generally, Obamacare enshrined the idea of a safety net for health insurance. Many conservatives argued, in principle, against making individuals more dependent on government, and in favor of private sector solutions. These debates continue, but Republicans accept that whatever alternative they propose to Obamacare will have to provide basic protections, such as covering pre-existing conditions. In that sense, Obamacare reframed the debate. The Bad: Obamacare failed to deliver on its basic promises. It did not lower health insurance costs by up to $2500 per household per year. On the contrary, it caused health insurance premiums to skyrocket, and many Obamacare policies had deductibles so high that the insurance was effectively useless. Moreover, Obama’s promise that “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor” turned out to be one of the biggest lies in the history of U.S. politics. Another area in which Obamacare failed was the cost of prescription drugs. The pharmaceutical industry bought immunity from Obamacare by promising to spend $150 million in support of the legislation, both in advertising and in support of Democratic members of Congress who had voted for the bill. It took the Trump administration’s regulatory changes to lower drug prices — and as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) often notes, they are still too high. Moreover, Obamacare violated the Constitution. The individual mandate, which forced individuals to buy health insurance, was only saved at the Supreme Court through dubious legal gymnastics by Chief Justice John Roberts. (Ultimately, President Donald Trump killed it in his 2017 tax reforms.) There were other violations: for instance, the Obama administration violated the separation of powers by altering the statute without congressional approval. Perhaps the most painful legacy of Obamacare is the political division it sowed. Before Obamacare, no major federal entitlement had ever been passed without bipartisan support. President Obama, facing opposition from Republicans and the public, chose not to compromise or to settle for incremental reforms. He set a precedent of pushing through dramatic changes on party-line votes, and reduced the incentives for bipartisan compromise. Obama continues to twist the knife. In his video, he praises Obamacare supporters: “There are people alive today because of what you did.” Not only does that statement ignore the fact that Obamacare put millions of Americans at risk by canceling their existing insurance, but it also casts opposition to the law as murder. That sort of framing makes rational debate, and cooperation, impossible. Obamacare is not something to celebrate, but to transcend.
Colorado Cops Seize 200 Pounds of Mexican Cartel's Marijuana	2017-12-27	[ "Local police officers in Colorado seized more than 200 pounds of marijuana and six pistols, all believed to belong to a Mexican cartel.", "The seizure took place this week when officers with Colorado Springs Police’s Vice, Narcotics, and Intelligence unit received information about marijuana being stored at a home in rural El Paso County, information released by CSPD revealed.", "With the help of El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies, authorities served a search warrant where they found 212 pounds of refined marijuana in various stages of packaging. The home also yielded six handguns; one of which had been reported stolen from a California law enforcement official earlier this year.", "The case began when the property owner had gone to check on the renter after not being able to contact them via email or phone. Fearing that the lessee ill or worse, they went inside and found the reported packaging operation. According to Colorado Springs Police, the evidence found points to the drugs belonging to a Mexican drug cartel." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/12/27/colorado-cops-seize-200-pounds-mexican-cartels-marijuana/	Colorado Cops Seize 200 Pounds of Mexican Cartel's Marijuana Local police officers in Colorado seized more than 200 pounds of marijuana and six pistols, all believed to belong to a Mexican cartel. The seizure took place this week when officers with Colorado Springs Police’s Vice, Narcotics, and Intelligence unit received information about marijuana being stored at a home in rural El Paso County, information released by CSPD revealed. With the help of El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies, authorities served a search warrant where they found 212 pounds of refined marijuana in various stages of packaging. The home also yielded six handguns; one of which had been reported stolen from a California law enforcement official earlier this year. The case began when the property owner had gone to check on the renter after not being able to contact them via email or phone. Fearing that the lessee ill or worse, they went inside and found the reported packaging operation. According to Colorado Springs Police, the evidence found points to the drugs belonging to a Mexican drug cartel.
Carlson: Democrats Know 'Talk About Ginsburg's Dying Wish Is Ridiculous and Insulting to All of Us and Our Country'	2020-09-22	[ "Monday on Fox News Channel’s ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson opened the show questioning the reasoning put forth by some Democrats to not proceed with the effort to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left behind by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.", "Carlson argued the notion President Donald Trump and Republicans should forego naming her replacement because it was her dying wish was not a justification and that Democrats know such reasoning was “ridiculous.”", "Transcript as follows:", "As you know, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died last Friday. She passed away of cancer.", "It was a sad moment because death is always sad no matter who dies. Death is coming for all of us someday. For that reason, we ought to mark a person’s passing with a bow of respect. Take a moment for humility and perspective, meditate on the fragility of our own lives and the lives of those we love.", "Remember that death is the one thing that unites every human being. No matter how powerful we imagine we are, at some point, we will be gone, all of us.", "In our case, we almost never agreed with Justice Ginsburg’s decisions. But on Friday night’s show, we did our best to show some reverence because that’s the right thing to do.", "The left by contrast, made no attempt at all. Prominent progressives immediately descended into hysteria and rage, unbridled rage. They told us that Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death was more than sad. They said it was a national crisis that imperiled this country’s freedoms.", "Ruth Bader Ginsburg they told us, singlehandedly kept America from descending into fascism and tyranny. Now that she’s gone, only her words can keep us safe.", "That’s an odd claim, if you think about it. This is supposed to be a democracy. No one ever voted for Ruth Bader Ginsburg. No matter how much you liked her or agreed with her, she was in the end a single judge in a country of 350 million people. She was not a god.", "Yet, according to the left, Ginsburg was all we had. We must obey her dying words as if they were a religious text. Her final wish supersedes our founding documents. What would Ruth Bader Ginsburg do? We must ask ourselves that and then do it. Watch.", "JOE BIDEN (D), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: As a nation, we should heed her final call to us, not as a personal service to her, but as a service to the country, our country at a crossroads.", "SEN. MAZIE HIRONO (D-HI): Honor her last words that she not be replaced until a new President is installed.", "SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): She said, my most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new President is installed.", "We believe that.", "SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): Her fervent wish is that the next President pick — that was the last thing she said to the public.", "REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): We know who this man is. We know who this man is. This is a man who does not care about a dying woman’s final wish, clearly.", "CARLSON: So turn down the volume and consider for a moment the reasoning here, the argument that they’re making. Nothing is more important than our Constitution. That Constitution is in grave jeopardy. That’s why we must substitute an 87-year-old woman’s final wish for the constitutionally prescribed process for filling a Supreme Court seat.", "That’s what they’re arguing. Got that? Pretty amusing.", "Keep in mind, we don’t really know actually what Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s final words were. Did she really leave this world fretting about a presidential election? We don’t believe that for a second. If it were true, it would be pathetic, because life is bigger than politics even this year.", "We wouldn’t wish final words that small on anyone. So we’re going to again choose to believe that Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn’t really say that, that in real life, she was thinking at the end about her family and where she might be going next. Human concerns, not partisan ones.", "But in practical terms, it’s irrelevant what she said. Ruth Bader Ginsburg doesn’t get to pick her replacement from her deathbed. That’s not how it works. We have a Constitution we’re supposed to be defending, remember? And that’s the whole point of the Constitution.", "If Justice Scalia had said something like that, nobody would have cared. We would have been embarrassed for him. Thankfully, he didn’t say that.", "On some level, Democrats know all this, all this talk about Ginsburg’s dying wish is ridiculous and insulting to all of us and our country, and they’ll stop soon. Democrats have an alternative argument at the ready and that’s one they’ve been honing all year. It goes like this, “Do what we want, or we will hurt you.” That’s the real argument they’re making.", "Reza Aslan, a longtime CNN employee wrote this in the hours after Ginsburg died, quote, “If they even try to replace RBG, we burn the entire effing thing down.” That effing thing being our country that we built.", "On Friday night, another Democrat tweeted instructions for how to begin that process quote, “We’re now walking to Mitch McConnell’s house to protest.” More than 120,000 people liked that post. Shockingly. The follow up came a few minutes later, quote, “His house is entirely dark. Significant police presence out front.” It’s not clear that he’s here. It’s good that he is not here as confirmed by a neighbor who is not fond of him. People are going home.", "That’s not a protest. That’s a threat. The point of it was to terrorize Mitch McConnell and his family. We kind of knew it was coming because that’s how things seem to work now. The police guarding his house are probably the only reason it’s still standing. Watch.", "UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move Mitch, get out of the way.", "GROUP: Move Mitch, get out of the way.", "CARLSON: We shouldn’t be surprised by that. It was just last year that another group of Democrats gathered outside Mitch McConnell’s home chanting death threats. It was all on video. We put up with it, of course. So it’s happened again. You get what you put up with.", "That’s true of children. It’s true of countries. And we’re putting up with this. So we shouldn’t be surprised. Who is doing it? Well, Trump voters are fascists they tell us.", "But when was the last time Trump voters threatened Democratic politicians in their home? It’s hard to recall that happening. No. The tactics are always the same and it’s always the same people doing it.", "Then in case Mitch McConnell didn’t get the message, Biden voters assembled at the home of Senator Lindsey Graham, Graham chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. They wanted to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish by making sure that Graham was intimidated. Watch.", "CARLSON: These aren’t spontaneous demonstrations. No, of course not. They’re organized on social media and they’re happening for a reason. The Democratic Party has encouraged this extremism over and over and over again. Nightly, we tell you about it, but it never ends. It gets worse.", "Last night, the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York held a press conference targeting Mitch McConnell by name. Hard to imagine that, but it happened and Schumer invited Sandy Cortez, a first term Congresswoman from the Bronx. Here’s what they said.", "SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): If you want to get back at Mitch McConnell’s blatant, nasty, hypocrisy, call your senator and tell them not to listen to Mitch McConnell, not to be afraid of Mitch McConnell.", "REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): And to Mitch McConnell, we need to tell him that he is playing with fire.", "CARLSON: We need to tell him that he is playing with fire. Really? That’s a threat. And on Instagram, Sandy Cortez, America’s most pampered revolutionary went ahead and suggested that Democrats go further, maybe even embrace violence. Watch.", "OCASIO-CORTEZ: Let this moment radicalize you. We are focused on voting for Joe Biden. I don’t care if you like them or not. This is not over. You know, we win in November. I’m sorry to tell you, you’re not going back to brunch. We’re not going back to brunch. That’s not happening.", "CARLSON: We’re not going back to brunch. So now you know what a freshman Member of Congress was doing standing at the podium with the most powerful Democrat in the Senate.", "Why would he choose Sandy Cortez? Well, because Sandy Cortez doesn’t simply represent a congressional district, she doesn’t do that very well. No, her real role is as commander of the youth wing of the Democratic Party, the direct action wing, the thugs who have spent the last three and a half months burning and destroying in some cases killing on behalf effectively of the Joe Biden for President Campaign.", "Cortez and her followers use these tactics for one simple reason. You know why? Because they work.", "This summer, a bar owner in Omaha called Jake Gardner was attacked during a BLM riot there. A man called James Scurlock jumped on Gardner’s back and put him in a chokehold. Gardner shot Scurlock in order to save his own life. It was clearly self-defense, and that’s what prosecutors concluded.", "But then Biden voters took direct action, they took to the streets. What does that mean exactly? Well, in this case, it means they gathered outside the home of Douglas County attorney, Don Kleine and they threatened him. Their presence was a threat. And guess what? It worked.", "Last week, Gardner was charged with manslaughter. This weekend, Gardner killed himself.", "See how that works. Do you want to live in a country like that? Megan Hunt does. Megan Hunt is a State Senator from Omaha. She is glad Jake Gardner is dead. Megan Hunt congratulated the mob on Twitter for pushing Jake Gardner to suicide. Hunt encouraged them to do it to others.", "As Hunt wrote on Twitter, and we’re quoting, “Jake Gardner is gone, but the white supremacist attitudes that emboldened him are still with us today.” End quote. In other words, you know what to do?", "This should terrify you. Democratic leaders have decided that everything is allowed in pursuit of power. Nothing is off-limits. Give us what we want or we will hurt you. In terms Nancy Pelosi can understand, that means maybe another impeachment.", "GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS HOST: Some have mentioned the possibility if they try to push through a nominee in a lame-duck session that you and the House could move to impeach President Trump or Attorney General Barr as a way of stalling and preventing the Senate from acting on this nomination?", "REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Well, we have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now.", "CARLSON: Oh, impeach the President. For what? For following the Constitution’s letter, for doing what the Constitution tells Presidents to do when there’s a Supreme Court vacancy. Could that really happen? What would the trial look like? We accuse you of following the law? Probably not going to happen. Plus, he knows that. That’s why she’s got other arrows in the quiver, as she said. One of those arrows is direct force.", "On Saturday, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Chief of Staff tweeted this, quote: “I am ready to fly to D.C. in the middle of COVID-19, and lay my body on the floor of the United States Senate to prevent a vote from occurring before the next term of Congress.” End quote. If she did that, many would join her and maybe they’ll do it. Maybe they’ll come to Washington and physically prevent lawmakers from voting.", "That’s never happened before in the history of our country. It could happen now. People are calling for it. Does that seem like extremism to you? Yes. But if it does, keep in mind, you’re the extremist. You’re the one who is willing to do anything for power, including use force.", "Here’s Hillary Clinton neatly explaining that her sins are in fact, your sins.", "HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What’s happening in our country is incredibly dangerous. Our institutions are being basically undermined by the lust for power, power for personal gain in the case of the President or power for institutional gain in the case of Mitch McConnell.", "CARLSON: Okay, so if you’re following at home, I just want to be clear on how this works. Democrats are so worried about your attempts to undermine our institutions that they in the end may have to burn those institutions down. Sorry, your extremism did it." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/09/22/carlson-democrats-know-talk-about-ginsburgs-dying-wish-is-ridiculous-and-insulting-to-all-of-us-and-our-country/	Carlson: Democrats Know 'Talk About Ginsburg's Dying Wish Is Ridiculous and Insulting to All of Us and Our Country' Monday on Fox News Channel’s ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson opened the show questioning the reasoning put forth by some Democrats to not proceed with the effort to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left behind by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Carlson argued the notion President Donald Trump and Republicans should forego naming her replacement because it was her dying wish was not a justification and that Democrats know such reasoning was “ridiculous.” Transcript as follows: As you know, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died last Friday. She passed away of cancer. It was a sad moment because death is always sad no matter who dies. Death is coming for all of us someday. For that reason, we ought to mark a person’s passing with a bow of respect. Take a moment for humility and perspective, meditate on the fragility of our own lives and the lives of those we love. Remember that death is the one thing that unites every human being. No matter how powerful we imagine we are, at some point, we will be gone, all of us. In our case, we almost never agreed with Justice Ginsburg’s decisions. But on Friday night’s show, we did our best to show some reverence because that’s the right thing to do. The left by contrast, made no attempt at all. Prominent progressives immediately descended into hysteria and rage, unbridled rage. They told us that Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death was more than sad. They said it was a national crisis that imperiled this country’s freedoms. Ruth Bader Ginsburg they told us, singlehandedly kept America from descending into fascism and tyranny. Now that she’s gone, only her words can keep us safe. That’s an odd claim, if you think about it. This is supposed to be a democracy. No one ever voted for Ruth Bader Ginsburg. No matter how much you liked her or agreed with her, she was in the end a single judge in a country of 350 million people. She was not a god. Yet, according to the left, Ginsburg was all we had. We must obey her dying words as if they were a religious text. Her final wish supersedes our founding documents. What would Ruth Bader Ginsburg do? We must ask ourselves that and then do it. Watch. JOE BIDEN (D), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: As a nation, we should heed her final call to us, not as a personal service to her, but as a service to the country, our country at a crossroads. SEN. MAZIE HIRONO (D-HI): Honor her last words that she not be replaced until a new President is installed. SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): She said, my most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new President is installed. We believe that. SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): Her fervent wish is that the next President pick — that was the last thing she said to the public. REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): We know who this man is. We know who this man is. This is a man who does not care about a dying woman’s final wish, clearly. CARLSON: So turn down the volume and consider for a moment the reasoning here, the argument that they’re making. Nothing is more important than our Constitution. That Constitution is in grave jeopardy. That’s why we must substitute an 87-year-old woman’s final wish for the constitutionally prescribed process for filling a Supreme Court seat. That’s what they’re arguing. Got that? Pretty amusing. Keep in mind, we don’t really know actually what Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s final words were. Did she really leave this world fretting about a presidential election? We don’t believe that for a second. If it were true, it would be pathetic, because life is bigger than politics even this year. We wouldn’t wish final words that small on anyone. So we’re going to again choose to believe that Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn’t really say that, that in real life, she was thinking at the end about her family and where she might be going next. Human concerns, not partisan ones. But in practical terms, it’s irrelevant what she said. Ruth Bader Ginsburg doesn’t get to pick her replacement from her deathbed. That’s not how it works. We have a Constitution we’re supposed to be defending, remember? And that’s the whole point of the Constitution. If Justice Scalia had said something like that, nobody would have cared. We would have been embarrassed for him. Thankfully, he didn’t say that. On some level, Democrats know all this, all this talk about Ginsburg’s dying wish is ridiculous and insulting to all of us and our country, and they’ll stop soon. Democrats have an alternative argument at the ready and that’s one they’ve been honing all year. It goes like this, “Do what we want, or we will hurt you.” That’s the real argument they’re making. Reza Aslan, a longtime CNN employee wrote this in the hours after Ginsburg died, quote, “If they even try to replace RBG, we burn the entire effing thing down.” That effing thing being our country that we built. On Friday night, another Democrat tweeted instructions for how to begin that process quote, “We’re now walking to Mitch McConnell’s house to protest.” More than 120,000 people liked that post. Shockingly. The follow up came a few minutes later, quote, “His house is entirely dark. Significant police presence out front.” It’s not clear that he’s here. It’s good that he is not here as confirmed by a neighbor who is not fond of him. People are going home. That’s not a protest. That’s a threat. The point of it was to terrorize Mitch McConnell and his family. We kind of knew it was coming because that’s how things seem to work now. The police guarding his house are probably the only reason it’s still standing. Watch. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move Mitch, get out of the way. GROUP: Move Mitch, get out of the way. CARLSON: We shouldn’t be surprised by that. It was just last year that another group of Democrats gathered outside Mitch McConnell’s home chanting death threats. It was all on video. We put up with it, of course. So it’s happened again. You get what you put up with. That’s true of children. It’s true of countries. And we’re putting up with this. So we shouldn’t be surprised. Who is doing it? Well, Trump voters are fascists they tell us. But when was the last time Trump voters threatened Democratic politicians in their home? It’s hard to recall that happening. No. The tactics are always the same and it’s always the same people doing it. Then in case Mitch McConnell didn’t get the message, Biden voters assembled at the home of Senator Lindsey Graham, Graham chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. They wanted to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish by making sure that Graham was intimidated. Watch. CARLSON: These aren’t spontaneous demonstrations. No, of course not. They’re organized on social media and they’re happening for a reason. The Democratic Party has encouraged this extremism over and over and over again. Nightly, we tell you about it, but it never ends. It gets worse. Last night, the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York held a press conference targeting Mitch McConnell by name. Hard to imagine that, but it happened and Schumer invited Sandy Cortez, a first term Congresswoman from the Bronx. Here’s what they said. SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): If you want to get back at Mitch McConnell’s blatant, nasty, hypocrisy, call your senator and tell them not to listen to Mitch McConnell, not to be afraid of Mitch McConnell. REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): And to Mitch McConnell, we need to tell him that he is playing with fire. CARLSON: We need to tell him that he is playing with fire. Really? That’s a threat. And on Instagram, Sandy Cortez, America’s most pampered revolutionary went ahead and suggested that Democrats go further, maybe even embrace violence. Watch. OCASIO-CORTEZ: Let this moment radicalize you. We are focused on voting for Joe Biden. I don’t care if you like them or not. This is not over. You know, we win in November. I’m sorry to tell you, you’re not going back to brunch. We’re not going back to brunch. That’s not happening. CARLSON: We’re not going back to brunch. So now you know what a freshman Member of Congress was doing standing at the podium with the most powerful Democrat in the Senate. Why would he choose Sandy Cortez? Well, because Sandy Cortez doesn’t simply represent a congressional district, she doesn’t do that very well. No, her real role is as commander of the youth wing of the Democratic Party, the direct action wing, the thugs who have spent the last three and a half months burning and destroying in some cases killing on behalf effectively of the Joe Biden for President Campaign. Cortez and her followers use these tactics for one simple reason. You know why? Because they work. This summer, a bar owner in Omaha called Jake Gardner was attacked during a BLM riot there. A man called James Scurlock jumped on Gardner’s back and put him in a chokehold. Gardner shot Scurlock in order to save his own life. It was clearly self-defense, and that’s what prosecutors concluded. But then Biden voters took direct action, they took to the streets. What does that mean exactly? Well, in this case, it means they gathered outside the home of Douglas County attorney, Don Kleine and they threatened him. Their presence was a threat. And guess what? It worked. Last week, Gardner was charged with manslaughter. This weekend, Gardner killed himself. See how that works. Do you want to live in a country like that? Megan Hunt does. Megan Hunt is a State Senator from Omaha. She is glad Jake Gardner is dead. Megan Hunt congratulated the mob on Twitter for pushing Jake Gardner to suicide. Hunt encouraged them to do it to others. As Hunt wrote on Twitter, and we’re quoting, “Jake Gardner is gone, but the white supremacist attitudes that emboldened him are still with us today.” End quote. In other words, you know what to do? This should terrify you. Democratic leaders have decided that everything is allowed in pursuit of power. Nothing is off-limits. Give us what we want or we will hurt you. In terms Nancy Pelosi can understand, that means maybe another impeachment. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS HOST: Some have mentioned the possibility if they try to push through a nominee in a lame-duck session that you and the House could move to impeach President Trump or Attorney General Barr as a way of stalling and preventing the Senate from acting on this nomination? REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Well, we have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now. CARLSON: Oh, impeach the President. For what? For following the Constitution’s letter, for doing what the Constitution tells Presidents to do when there’s a Supreme Court vacancy. Could that really happen? What would the trial look like? We accuse you of following the law? Probably not going to happen. Plus, he knows that. That’s why she’s got other arrows in the quiver, as she said. One of those arrows is direct force. On Saturday, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Chief of Staff tweeted this, quote: “I am ready to fly to D.C. in the middle of COVID-19, and lay my body on the floor of the United States Senate to prevent a vote from occurring before the next term of Congress.” End quote. If she did that, many would join her and maybe they’ll do it. Maybe they’ll come to Washington and physically prevent lawmakers from voting. That’s never happened before in the history of our country. It could happen now. People are calling for it. Does that seem like extremism to you? Yes. But if it does, keep in mind, you’re the extremist. You’re the one who is willing to do anything for power, including use force. Here’s Hillary Clinton neatly explaining that her sins are in fact, your sins. HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What’s happening in our country is incredibly dangerous. Our institutions are being basically undermined by the lust for power, power for personal gain in the case of the President or power for institutional gain in the case of Mitch McConnell. CARLSON: Okay, so if you’re following at home, I just want to be clear on how this works. Democrats are so worried about your attempts to undermine our institutions that they in the end may have to burn those institutions down. Sorry, your extremism did it.
Poll: Mike Braun Leading Joe Donnelly in Indiana Senate Race	2018-09-12	[ "Hoosier businessman Mike Braun leads Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) in a poll released on Wednesday.", "A Fox News poll released on Wednesday found that Braun leads over Donnelly–45 to 43 percent—while Libertarian candidate Lucy Brenton has three percent support and eight percent of Indianans remain undecided. The margin of error for the survey is 3.5 percent, making the race a dead heat between Braun and the incumbent senator, especially considering that one-third of Hoosier voters are saying they could change their minds before the November midterm election.", "The Fox News survey found that 54 percent of Hoosiers approve of President Donald Trump’s job performance and 37 percent of Indianans say the economy is doing better than worse.", "Sen. Donnelly faces an increasingly competitive re-election campaign in a state that President Trump won by 19 points during the 2016 presidential election.", "Thirty-three percent of Hoosierd say they will cast their vote to show support for the president, compared to 31 percent to oppose the president.", "Women prefer Braun over Donnelly by five points, and voters over 45-years-old also prefer Braun by ten points. White women also prefer Braun by 16 points over Sen. Donnelly.", "Hoosiers said that their top three issues for the Senate race are the economy at 28 percent, health care at 27 percent, and immigration at 16 percent. Voters emphasizing the economy and immigration back Braun, while those concerned about health care support Donnelly.", "Chris Anderson, a Democratic pollster, said in a comment on Wednesday, “In an electorate that is likely to be nearly 90 percent white and majority female, a Democrat has almost no path to victory without at least drawing even among white women.”", "Daron Shaw, who conducted the poll with Anderson, said, “This is a Republican state, and this seat is one of the most difficult that the Democrats are defending. Donnelly is even with suburban whites and manages to get 12 percent of Hoosiers who voted for Trump, yet he’s still down in the race right now.”", "Given Sen. Donnelly’s tight race, the Indiana Democrat faces increasing pressure to back President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.", "Twenty-nine percent of Hoosiers said that a vote against Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court would make it less likely for them to support Donnelly in the fall midterm election, while 21 percent said they would support the Indiana Democrat and 38 percent suggested it would not make a difference.", "Sen. Donnelly told reporters on Wednesday that he is “still reviewing everything” regarding Kavanaugh’s credentials for the Supreme Court.", "When asked when he would make a decision, he said it would be in the “near future.”", "Joe Donnelly, another vulnerable Dem and swing vote, said of Kavanaugh: “I’m still reviewing everything at this point”", "He said he would make a decision in the “near future”" ]	https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/09/12/poll-mike-braun-leading-joe-donnelly-in-indiana-senate-race/	Poll: Mike Braun Leading Joe Donnelly in Indiana Senate Race Hoosier businessman Mike Braun leads Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) in a poll released on Wednesday. A Fox News poll released on Wednesday found that Braun leads over Donnelly–45 to 43 percent—while Libertarian candidate Lucy Brenton has three percent support and eight percent of Indianans remain undecided. The margin of error for the survey is 3.5 percent, making the race a dead heat between Braun and the incumbent senator, especially considering that one-third of Hoosier voters are saying they could change their minds before the November midterm election. The Fox News survey found that 54 percent of Hoosiers approve of President Donald Trump’s job performance and 37 percent of Indianans say the economy is doing better than worse. Sen. Donnelly faces an increasingly competitive re-election campaign in a state that President Trump won by 19 points during the 2016 presidential election. Thirty-three percent of Hoosierd say they will cast their vote to show support for the president, compared to 31 percent to oppose the president. Women prefer Braun over Donnelly by five points, and voters over 45-years-old also prefer Braun by ten points. White women also prefer Braun by 16 points over Sen. Donnelly. Hoosiers said that their top three issues for the Senate race are the economy at 28 percent, health care at 27 percent, and immigration at 16 percent. Voters emphasizing the economy and immigration back Braun, while those concerned about health care support Donnelly. Chris Anderson, a Democratic pollster, said in a comment on Wednesday, “In an electorate that is likely to be nearly 90 percent white and majority female, a Democrat has almost no path to victory without at least drawing even among white women.” Daron Shaw, who conducted the poll with Anderson, said, “This is a Republican state, and this seat is one of the most difficult that the Democrats are defending. Donnelly is even with suburban whites and manages to get 12 percent of Hoosiers who voted for Trump, yet he’s still down in the race right now.” Given Sen. Donnelly’s tight race, the Indiana Democrat faces increasing pressure to back President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Twenty-nine percent of Hoosiers said that a vote against Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court would make it less likely for them to support Donnelly in the fall midterm election, while 21 percent said they would support the Indiana Democrat and 38 percent suggested it would not make a difference. Sen. Donnelly told reporters on Wednesday that he is “still reviewing everything” regarding Kavanaugh’s credentials for the Supreme Court. When asked when he would make a decision, he said it would be in the “near future.” Joe Donnelly, another vulnerable Dem and swing vote, said of Kavanaugh: “I’m still reviewing everything at this point” He said he would make a decision in the “near future”
Irish Archbishop Slams ‘Draconian’ Ban on Public Worship	2021-04-19	[ "The Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin, has sharply criticized a ban on public worship, calling the measure “draconian,” “provocative,” and “unnecessary.”", "Statutory instrument 171 of 2021, which was officially published on Friday, prohibits all religious services except weddings and funerals, while instructing clergy to conduct virtual services in lieu of in-person worship.", "Priests or other ministers of religion should “lead worship or services remotely through the use of information and communications technology,” the instrument states, as a means of curbing the spread of the coronavirus.", "“We consider the publication of this statutory instrument, together with associated penal provisions, to be provocative and formally enacting a potential infringement of religious freedom and of constitutional rights,” said Archbishop Martin, who is the primate of all Ireland.", "The archbishop said the instrument was introduced in a “clandestine manner without notice or consultation,” noting that the Irish bishops were not made aware of the law until Friday, despite its having been signed on Monday of last week by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.", "We have “consistently impressed on government that people of faith value highly their spiritual well-being and consider the public practice of their faith as essential — something which has not been sufficiently recognised in statute,” Martin said.", "The instrument is especially disappointing given “reassurances of the Taoiseach to Church leaders only three days ago that he understood the importance of faith and worship to the people of Ireland,” he added.", "“We will seek an immediate meeting with Minister Donnelly and we request the suspension of this harsh and unclear statutory instrument,” Martin said.", "The archbishop also took his complaints to Twitter, insisting that the instrument was “published without consultation” and is “confusing and unnecessary with regard to public worship.”", "“The Churches have been cooperating fully with #COVID19 restrictions to protect health, life and the common good,” he added.", "Even prior to the latest regulation, Ireland has distinguished itself for the harshest suppression of religious practice in all Europe, with months of lockdown and no Masses in the formerly Christian nation.", "Earlier this month, Bishop Denis Brennan of Ferns attributed the harsh restrictions to an “unwillingness or inability in Ireland to appreciate the value of religion or spirituality” during the pandemic.", "“I share the pain of many in Ireland at present as public worship is still not permitted,” the bishop said on April 4.", "While the prelate said he is “very conscious” of the need for measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, he added that it must not be at the expense of “religion and spirituality.”", "In a similar statement, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford and Lismore protested government discrimination against people of faith, saying on March 31 that the spiritual wellbeing of the Irish was being “eroded” because of ongoing bans on worship.", "“I must speak out to represent the voices of a very large cohort of people who are growing increasingly weary of being unable to attend Mass and whose spiritual and mental wellbeing is being eroded,” the bishop said. “Their patience is wearing thin. They are frustrated and feel unrepresented and discriminated against.”", "“It is very difficult to explain to people why they are banned from public worship bearing in mind also that Ireland is one of the tiny few countries in Europe where public worship is not allowed,” he added.", "On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis criticized such “severe” measures, calling for a lifting of restrictions on public worship.", "“Dear brothers and sisters, once again this year, in various places many Christians have celebrated Easter under severe restrictions and, at times, without being able to attend liturgical celebrations,” the pope noted during his annual Easter blessing.", "“We pray that those restrictions, as well as all restrictions on freedom of worship and religion worldwide, may be lifted and everyone be allowed to pray and praise God freely,” he said." ]	https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/04/19/irish-archbishop-slams-draconian-ban-on-public-worship/	Irish Archbishop Slams ‘Draconian’ Ban on Public Worship The Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin, has sharply criticized a ban on public worship, calling the measure “draconian,” “provocative,” and “unnecessary.” Statutory instrument 171 of 2021, which was officially published on Friday, prohibits all religious services except weddings and funerals, while instructing clergy to conduct virtual services in lieu of in-person worship. Priests or other ministers of religion should “lead worship or services remotely through the use of information and communications technology,” the instrument states, as a means of curbing the spread of the coronavirus. “We consider the publication of this statutory instrument, together with associated penal provisions, to be provocative and formally enacting a potential infringement of religious freedom and of constitutional rights,” said Archbishop Martin, who is the primate of all Ireland. The archbishop said the instrument was introduced in a “clandestine manner without notice or consultation,” noting that the Irish bishops were not made aware of the law until Friday, despite its having been signed on Monday of last week by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly. We have “consistently impressed on government that people of faith value highly their spiritual well-being and consider the public practice of their faith as essential — something which has not been sufficiently recognised in statute,” Martin said. The instrument is especially disappointing given “reassurances of the Taoiseach to Church leaders only three days ago that he understood the importance of faith and worship to the people of Ireland,” he added. “We will seek an immediate meeting with Minister Donnelly and we request the suspension of this harsh and unclear statutory instrument,” Martin said. The archbishop also took his complaints to Twitter, insisting that the instrument was “published without consultation” and is “confusing and unnecessary with regard to public worship.” “The Churches have been cooperating fully with #COVID19 restrictions to protect health, life and the common good,” he added. Even prior to the latest regulation, Ireland has distinguished itself for the harshest suppression of religious practice in all Europe, with months of lockdown and no Masses in the formerly Christian nation. Earlier this month, Bishop Denis Brennan of Ferns attributed the harsh restrictions to an “unwillingness or inability in Ireland to appreciate the value of religion or spirituality” during the pandemic. “I share the pain of many in Ireland at present as public worship is still not permitted,” the bishop said on April 4. While the prelate said he is “very conscious” of the need for measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, he added that it must not be at the expense of “religion and spirituality.” In a similar statement, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford and Lismore protested government discrimination against people of faith, saying on March 31 that the spiritual wellbeing of the Irish was being “eroded” because of ongoing bans on worship. “I must speak out to represent the voices of a very large cohort of people who are growing increasingly weary of being unable to attend Mass and whose spiritual and mental wellbeing is being eroded,” the bishop said. “Their patience is wearing thin. They are frustrated and feel unrepresented and discriminated against.” “It is very difficult to explain to people why they are banned from public worship bearing in mind also that Ireland is one of the tiny few countries in Europe where public worship is not allowed,” he added. On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis criticized such “severe” measures, calling for a lifting of restrictions on public worship. “Dear brothers and sisters, once again this year, in various places many Christians have celebrated Easter under severe restrictions and, at times, without being able to attend liturgical celebrations,” the pope noted during his annual Easter blessing. “We pray that those restrictions, as well as all restrictions on freedom of worship and religion worldwide, may be lifted and everyone be allowed to pray and praise God freely,” he said.
I’d Be Anti-Israel Too If I Believed Sanders' Lies About the Jewish State	2016-04-16	[ "I’m starting to understand the attitude of the wildly misinformed anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. I’d be anti-Israel too if I believed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ slanderous statements about the Jewish state, especially regarding the conduct of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).", "If I heard, for example, that Israel bombed “hospitals” during the 2014 Israel-Gaza War, as Sanders claimed during a recent interview, then I might believe the IDF is a morally depraved military that murdered innocent patients in cold blood.", "Never mind that the only strike on a hospital during the war was when the IDF surgically bombed a wing of Gaza’s empty Al-Wafa Hospital, with the Israeli army saying the building was being used as a Hamas terrorist command center and a launching site for rockets. No casualties were reported in the bombing, and Israel first fired numerous warning shots and spent days ensuring that the building was entirely evacuated. Sanders has not said a word about Hamas’ criminal use of hospital patients as human shields.", "Still, if I believed Sanders’ rhetoric that Israel indiscriminately leveled whole Palestinian apartment buildings, I too would likely view the IDF as a human rights violator. “My understanding is that a whole lot of apartment houses were leveled,” Sanders claimed to the New York Daily News two weeks ago.", "This was the same interview in which the socialist presidential candidate trumped Hamas’ own anti-Israel propaganda by falsely claiming that the IDF killed “over 10,000 innocent people” during the 2014 Gaza War.", "Who would not be outraged by a country that allegedly killed over 10,000 innocent people?", "Let’s put aside that both Israel and Hamas placed the number of dead well below 2,500 and that Israel says 1,408 of 2,203 Palestinians killed in the war were militants. Let’s ignore for the moment that the Palestinians – who use civilians as human shields – have a long and sordid history of wrongly claiming that innocents were massacred only to later have their lies publicly exposed.", "What Sanders is clearly implying with his ignorant rhetoric is that the IDF does not value Palestinian lives and bombs civilian neighborhoods with impunity.", "This is the exact opposite of reality. Israel goes beyond what many other countries do to protect civilians. The IDF regularly warns civilians of incoming attacks with phone calls and text messages. It further employs “roof knocking” – or firing warning shots – before any aerial bombing. If civilians still don’t evacuate, the Israeli army often makes announcements on loudspeakers. The IDF has called off scores of military raids because civilians were in the way.", "Meanwhile, I’d be a vocal critic of the IDF too if I believed that Israel should respond proportionately to incessant Palestinian rocket fire targeting Israeli cities.", "One of Sanders’ central anti-Israel arguments is that Israel’s response during the Gaza war was “disproportionate.”", "My initial response to this repeated claim by Sanders says it all:", "First, let’s not forget why the Gaza War was launched in the first place. Hamas repeatedly violated a truce by firing scores of rockets from Gaza into Israeli civilian population zones. In one day alone, July 8, Hamas launched 40 rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli retaliation and the start of the conflict.", "What nation on earth would allow a terrorist army to amass a rocket infrastructure in a neighboring territory and use that land – which Israel evacuated in hope of peace – as a staging ground for constant terrorist rocket attacks?", "And by calling Israel’s self-defense “disproportionate,” what exactly is Sanders advocating? That instead of acting to minimize the terrorist threat against its civilians, Israel should respond to every act of Palestinian terrorism with an equivalent act? So if Hamas fires a rocket into a Jewish city, Israel should therefore respond by indiscriminately launching a terror rocket into a Palestinian city with the intent of killing civilians? That the next time a Palestinian stabs an Israeli, the Jewish state should send one of its own into Ramallah to stab a Palestinian civilian?", "Sanders’s statement is preposterous, nonsensical, and negates Israel’s ability to defend itself and degrade Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure." ]	http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2016/04/16/id-anti-israel-believed-sanderss-lies-jewish-state/	I’d Be Anti-Israel Too If I Believed Sanders' Lies About the Jewish State I’m starting to understand the attitude of the wildly misinformed anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. I’d be anti-Israel too if I believed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ slanderous statements about the Jewish state, especially regarding the conduct of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). If I heard, for example, that Israel bombed “hospitals” during the 2014 Israel-Gaza War, as Sanders claimed during a recent interview, then I might believe the IDF is a morally depraved military that murdered innocent patients in cold blood. Never mind that the only strike on a hospital during the war was when the IDF surgically bombed a wing of Gaza’s empty Al-Wafa Hospital, with the Israeli army saying the building was being used as a Hamas terrorist command center and a launching site for rockets. No casualties were reported in the bombing, and Israel first fired numerous warning shots and spent days ensuring that the building was entirely evacuated. Sanders has not said a word about Hamas’ criminal use of hospital patients as human shields. Still, if I believed Sanders’ rhetoric that Israel indiscriminately leveled whole Palestinian apartment buildings, I too would likely view the IDF as a human rights violator. “My understanding is that a whole lot of apartment houses were leveled,” Sanders claimed to the New York Daily News two weeks ago. This was the same interview in which the socialist presidential candidate trumped Hamas’ own anti-Israel propaganda by falsely claiming that the IDF killed “over 10,000 innocent people” during the 2014 Gaza War. Who would not be outraged by a country that allegedly killed over 10,000 innocent people? Let’s put aside that both Israel and Hamas placed the number of dead well below 2,500 and that Israel says 1,408 of 2,203 Palestinians killed in the war were militants. Let’s ignore for the moment that the Palestinians – who use civilians as human shields – have a long and sordid history of wrongly claiming that innocents were massacred only to later have their lies publicly exposed. What Sanders is clearly implying with his ignorant rhetoric is that the IDF does not value Palestinian lives and bombs civilian neighborhoods with impunity. This is the exact opposite of reality. Israel goes beyond what many other countries do to protect civilians. The IDF regularly warns civilians of incoming attacks with phone calls and text messages. It further employs “roof knocking” – or firing warning shots – before any aerial bombing. If civilians still don’t evacuate, the Israeli army often makes announcements on loudspeakers. The IDF has called off scores of military raids because civilians were in the way. Meanwhile, I’d be a vocal critic of the IDF too if I believed that Israel should respond proportionately to incessant Palestinian rocket fire targeting Israeli cities. One of Sanders’ central anti-Israel arguments is that Israel’s response during the Gaza war was “disproportionate.” My initial response to this repeated claim by Sanders says it all: First, let’s not forget why the Gaza War was launched in the first place. Hamas repeatedly violated a truce by firing scores of rockets from Gaza into Israeli civilian population zones. In one day alone, July 8, Hamas launched 40 rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli retaliation and the start of the conflict. What nation on earth would allow a terrorist army to amass a rocket infrastructure in a neighboring territory and use that land – which Israel evacuated in hope of peace – as a staging ground for constant terrorist rocket attacks? And by calling Israel’s self-defense “disproportionate,” what exactly is Sanders advocating? That instead of acting to minimize the terrorist threat against its civilians, Israel should respond to every act of Palestinian terrorism with an equivalent act? So if Hamas fires a rocket into a Jewish city, Israel should therefore respond by indiscriminately launching a terror rocket into a Palestinian city with the intent of killing civilians? That the next time a Palestinian stabs an Israeli, the Jewish state should send one of its own into Ramallah to stab a Palestinian civilian? Sanders’s statement is preposterous, nonsensical, and negates Israel’s ability to defend itself and degrade Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure.
Rougher shoving likely in last Democratic debate before Iowa	2020-01-14	[ "DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Rougher shoving and sharper jabs are expected as a tighter field of Democrats takes the stage for Tuesday night’s final debate before Iowa’s leadoff presidential caucuses.", "Just six candidates are gathering in Des Moines, all anxious for a televised boost before the Feb. 3 caucuses that could give one or more of them momentum for the primaries that will then come hot and heavy. Or the Iowa results could all but end their White House hopes.", "State polling shows Iowans’ preferences too close to call.", "Some of the fiercest clashes could center on Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, fellow progressives who until now have largely avoided criticizing each other.", "Warren chastised Sanders over the weekend following a report that his campaign instructed volunteers to speak poorly of her to win over undecided voters. The tensions escalated on Monday after CNN reported Sanders told Warren in a private 2018 meeting that he didn’t think a woman could win the election, a charge that Sanders vigorously denied but that Warren said was true.", "The feuding will likely expand to include nearly every candidate on stage. Sanders has recently stepped up his attacks on former Vice President Joe Biden over his past support of the Iraq War, broad free-trade agreements and entitlement reform, among other issues. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has had several strong debates, will be looking for another opportunity to highlight her candidacy as she remains mired in the middle of the pack in polling. Billionaire Tom Steyer will have to answer criticism that he’s trying to buy his way to the White House.", "And with two surveys showing Pete Buttigieg losing support in Iowa, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, will need a breakout moment to regain strength before the caucuses.", "Those shifting dynamics mean Tuesday’s debate could be unlike any of the others that came before it this cycle. The generally polite disputes over policy items including health care and immigration are about to be replaced by increasingly bitter and personal knocks. And it will happen as many Democratic voters are just beginning to tune into the race.", "“The debates are always important — but this one’s probably the most important for these candidates,” said Scott Brennan, a former Iowa Democratic Party chair and current committeeman. “We’ve got at least four people who are bunched right there together at the top. So how do you break out?”", "Not to be forgotten amid the focus on the Democratic race, President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign announced it would fly a banner in the skies over Des Moines for several hours before the debate. Trump himself was countering by hosting a campaign rally in Milwaukee.", "The debate, on the campus of Drake University and televised on CNN, marks the first forum with an all-white lineup. Businessman Andrew Yang, an Asian American candidate who appeared in the December debate, failed to hit the polling threshold for Tuesday’s event. And New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker ended his campaign on Monday after he didn’t make the debate stage, leaving just one black candidate — former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick — in the race.", "This will be the first debate since Trump authorized the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, which heightened tensions throughout the Middle East.", "Biden advisers see that development as a boon to his candidacy, allowing him to argue he’s a steady, experienced alternative to Trump. But it could easily become a problem if Biden fails to answer what will likely be pointed attacks from Sanders on his support for the Iraq War.", "While Biden acknowledged over a decade ago his vote was a mistake, he’s struggled to offer a clear answer for his support, at times misleadingly asserting that he opposed the war from the start.", "Sanders is eager to take the fight to Biden, as his advisers believe his message on income inequality and major structural change can appeal to the same white working-class voters who make up much of Biden’s base.", "While Sanders and Warren have, until this weekend, publicly defended each other on the debate stage and in media interviews, Sanders’ team is expecting attacks from the Massachusetts senator on the debate stage. They believe that the Warren campaign is responsible for leaking what they say is an inaccurate description of their 2018 private meeting, as reported by CNN. But in a statement later Monday, Warren said the description of their meeting was correct.", "“Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate. I thought a woman could win; he disagreed,” Warren said in a statement. “I have no interest in discussing this private meeting any further because Bernie and I have far more in common than our differences on punditry.”", "The clashes could offer an opportunity for candidates who stay above the fray. While Klobuchar sparred with Buttigieg during the last debate, she’s previously sought to tamp down tensions among her opponents and avoided taking moderators’ bait to go after other candidates.", "And Steyer, who has largely flown under the radar throughout the campaign, could look to capitalize on a handful of recent polls that have shown him gaining traction in some of the early primary states.", "Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Des Moines and Steve Peoples and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.", "Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, “Ground Game.”" ]	https://www.breitbart.com/news/rougher-shoving-likely-in-last-democratic-debate-before-iowa/	Rougher shoving likely in last Democratic debate before Iowa DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Rougher shoving and sharper jabs are expected as a tighter field of Democrats takes the stage for Tuesday night’s final debate before Iowa’s leadoff presidential caucuses. Just six candidates are gathering in Des Moines, all anxious for a televised boost before the Feb. 3 caucuses that could give one or more of them momentum for the primaries that will then come hot and heavy. Or the Iowa results could all but end their White House hopes. State polling shows Iowans’ preferences too close to call. Some of the fiercest clashes could center on Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, fellow progressives who until now have largely avoided criticizing each other. Warren chastised Sanders over the weekend following a report that his campaign instructed volunteers to speak poorly of her to win over undecided voters. The tensions escalated on Monday after CNN reported Sanders told Warren in a private 2018 meeting that he didn’t think a woman could win the election, a charge that Sanders vigorously denied but that Warren said was true. The feuding will likely expand to include nearly every candidate on stage. Sanders has recently stepped up his attacks on former Vice President Joe Biden over his past support of the Iraq War, broad free-trade agreements and entitlement reform, among other issues. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has had several strong debates, will be looking for another opportunity to highlight her candidacy as she remains mired in the middle of the pack in polling. Billionaire Tom Steyer will have to answer criticism that he’s trying to buy his way to the White House. And with two surveys showing Pete Buttigieg losing support in Iowa, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, will need a breakout moment to regain strength before the caucuses. Those shifting dynamics mean Tuesday’s debate could be unlike any of the others that came before it this cycle. The generally polite disputes over policy items including health care and immigration are about to be replaced by increasingly bitter and personal knocks. And it will happen as many Democratic voters are just beginning to tune into the race. “The debates are always important — but this one’s probably the most important for these candidates,” said Scott Brennan, a former Iowa Democratic Party chair and current committeeman. “We’ve got at least four people who are bunched right there together at the top. So how do you break out?” Not to be forgotten amid the focus on the Democratic race, President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign announced it would fly a banner in the skies over Des Moines for several hours before the debate. Trump himself was countering by hosting a campaign rally in Milwaukee. The debate, on the campus of Drake University and televised on CNN, marks the first forum with an all-white lineup. Businessman Andrew Yang, an Asian American candidate who appeared in the December debate, failed to hit the polling threshold for Tuesday’s event. And New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker ended his campaign on Monday after he didn’t make the debate stage, leaving just one black candidate — former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick — in the race. This will be the first debate since Trump authorized the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, which heightened tensions throughout the Middle East. Biden advisers see that development as a boon to his candidacy, allowing him to argue he’s a steady, experienced alternative to Trump. But it could easily become a problem if Biden fails to answer what will likely be pointed attacks from Sanders on his support for the Iraq War. While Biden acknowledged over a decade ago his vote was a mistake, he’s struggled to offer a clear answer for his support, at times misleadingly asserting that he opposed the war from the start. Sanders is eager to take the fight to Biden, as his advisers believe his message on income inequality and major structural change can appeal to the same white working-class voters who make up much of Biden’s base. While Sanders and Warren have, until this weekend, publicly defended each other on the debate stage and in media interviews, Sanders’ team is expecting attacks from the Massachusetts senator on the debate stage. They believe that the Warren campaign is responsible for leaking what they say is an inaccurate description of their 2018 private meeting, as reported by CNN. But in a statement later Monday, Warren said the description of their meeting was correct. “Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate. I thought a woman could win; he disagreed,” Warren said in a statement. “I have no interest in discussing this private meeting any further because Bernie and I have far more in common than our differences on punditry.” The clashes could offer an opportunity for candidates who stay above the fray. While Klobuchar sparred with Buttigieg during the last debate, she’s previously sought to tamp down tensions among her opponents and avoided taking moderators’ bait to go after other candidates. And Steyer, who has largely flown under the radar throughout the campaign, could look to capitalize on a handful of recent polls that have shown him gaining traction in some of the early primary states. Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Des Moines and Steve Peoples and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report. Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, “Ground Game.”
Report: John McCain Associate Received Trump Hoax Dossier Directly from Fusion GPS Prior to FBI Handoff	2018-02-08	[ "TEL AVIV — David J. Kramer, a former State Department official and longtime associate of John McCain, received a copy of the infamous, largely discredited 35-page dossier on President Donald Trump directly from the controversial Fusion GPS political opposition research firm, according to a report in the Washington Post.", "Kramer obtained the dossier from Fusion GPS after McCain expressed interest in the document, according the report. McCain then reportedly passed the dossier directly to FBI Director James Comey.", "The new details mark the clearest indication yet that McCain may have known that the dossier originated with Fusion GPS, meaning that he may have knowingly passed on political opposition research to the FBI.", "Until now, it has not been clear whether McCain was aware of the origins of the dossier when he hand delivered the unsubstantiated document to Comey.", "It is still not clear whether McCain knew that Fusion GPS’s anti-Trump work resulting in the dossier was funded by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) via the Perkins Coie law firm.", "McCain has not responded to multiple Breitbart News requests seeking comment on the matter.", "The details about McCain’s involvement were buried toward the end of a nearly 4,100-word February 6 Post article titled, “Hero or hired gun? How a British former spy became a flash point in the Russia investigation.” The article was an extensive report describing the work done by ex-British spy Christopher Steele, who was contracted by Fusion GPS to produce the dossier. The Post article follows the release of a four-page House Intelligence Committee memo alleging abuse of surveillance authority allegedly utilizing the questionable dossier.", "According to the Post, Steele originally sought out Sir Andrew Wood, a former British ambassador to Moscow and friend of Steele, for advice prior to the election concerning his alleged research into Trump.", "In mid-November, following Trump’s victory, Wood reportedly turned to Steele to discuss whether additional steps were necessary to ensure the U.S. government was aware of Steele’s charges about Trump and Russia.", "Wood said that he then reached out to Kramer, who was known for his close ties to McCain, according to the Post.", "The Post cited Wood explaining that Kramer had arranged for Wood to meet McCain in December 2016 on the sidelines of a security conference in Canada. There, Wood described detailing Steele’s claims at the meeting with McCain, telling the Arizona senator that he could arrange for the politician to review the purported research.", "“I told him, ‘I know there’s a document. I haven’t read it, but it seems to me that it’s reliably set up,’” Wood told the Post.", "Wood described McCain as being “visibly shocked,” and expressing interest in reading the full report.", "Ten days after the Canada meeting, Kramer met Steele at Heathrow Airport in London and then went to Steele’s home, where the McCain associate spent several hours reviewing the dossier claims, according to people familiar with the events who spoke to the Post.", "The Post relates that Kramer then received a physical copy of the dossier directly from Fusion GPS Co-Founder Glenn R. Simpson:", "Back in Washington, Kramer received a copy of the dossier from Simpson and completed the handoff to McCain. In a private meeting on Dec. 9, McCain gave Comey the dossier — passing along information that Steele had provided to the FBI earlier in the year.", "Shortly before Inauguration Day, Comey briefed Trump on the document, alerting him to what the FBI director would later describe to Congress as a report that contained “salacious, unverified” information that was circulating in the media.", "The Post’s reporting marks the first public description of McCain’s associate, Kramer, as receiving the dossier directly from Fusion GPS.", "In a New York Times oped last month, Simpson and fellow GPS Co-Founder Peter Fritch relate that they helped McCain share their anti-Trump dossier with the Obama-era intelligence community via an unnamed “emissary.”", "“After the election, Mr. Steele decided to share his intelligence with Senator John McCain via an emissary,” the Fusion GPS founders related. “We helped him do that. The goal was to alert the United States national security community to an attack on our country by a hostile foreign power.”", "Simpson did not write that he directly handed the dossier to any “emissary.” It was not clear from the obscure phraseology in the oped whether McCain knew Fusion GPS was behind the dossier or whether the unnamed “emissary” was even aware of Fusion GPS’s connection to the document. The Post’s revelation about Kramer reportedly receiving the dossier from Simpson sheds new light on the topic.", "A January 11, 2017 statement from McCain attempted to explain why he provided the documents to the FBI but did not mention how he came to possess the dossier or whether he knew who funded it.", "“Upon examination of the contents, and unable to make a judgment about their accuracy, I delivered the information to the director of the FBI,” McCain said at the time. “That has been the extent of my contact with the FBI or any other government agency regarding this issue.”", "Kramer was reportedly questioned by the House Intelligence Committee about his involvement in the dossier affair.", "Newsweek earlier reported that McCain directly Kramer to meet Steele:", "Kramer was reportedly directed to meet with Steele in London by McCain, who then received copies of the Trump-Russia dossier and delivered them to the Arizona senator upon returning home. McCain then gave the dossier to the FBI in December 2016.", "It is still unclear why McCain needed to deliver the dossier to Comey last December. By then, according to the House memo, the FBI had not only already launched an investigation into Trump’s campaign partially utilizing the dossier but Comey himself had two months earlier signed an application using the dossier to obtain a FISA warrant on Carter Page, who briefly served as a volunteer foreign policy adviser to Trump’s campaign.", "Shortly after McCain gave Steele’s dossier to Comey, the FBI chief updated then President-Elect Trump and President Obama on the dossier in a classified briefing.", "As Breitbart News documented, Comey’s dossier briefing to Trump was subsequently leaked to the news media, setting in motion a flurry of news media attention on the dossier, including the release of the document to the public. The briefing also may have provided the veneer of respectability to a document that had been circulating for months within the news media but widely considered too unverified to publicize.", "Written with additional research by Joshua Klein." ]	http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2018/02/08/report-john-mccain-associate-received-trump-hoax-dossier-directly-fusion-gps/	Report: John McCain Associate Received Trump Hoax Dossier Directly from Fusion GPS Prior to FBI Handoff TEL AVIV — David J. Kramer, a former State Department official and longtime associate of John McCain, received a copy of the infamous, largely discredited 35-page dossier on President Donald Trump directly from the controversial Fusion GPS political opposition research firm, according to a report in the Washington Post. Kramer obtained the dossier from Fusion GPS after McCain expressed interest in the document, according the report. McCain then reportedly passed the dossier directly to FBI Director James Comey. The new details mark the clearest indication yet that McCain may have known that the dossier originated with Fusion GPS, meaning that he may have knowingly passed on political opposition research to the FBI. Until now, it has not been clear whether McCain was aware of the origins of the dossier when he hand delivered the unsubstantiated document to Comey. It is still not clear whether McCain knew that Fusion GPS’s anti-Trump work resulting in the dossier was funded by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) via the Perkins Coie law firm. McCain has not responded to multiple Breitbart News requests seeking comment on the matter. The details about McCain’s involvement were buried toward the end of a nearly 4,100-word February 6 Post article titled, “Hero or hired gun? How a British former spy became a flash point in the Russia investigation.” The article was an extensive report describing the work done by ex-British spy Christopher Steele, who was contracted by Fusion GPS to produce the dossier. The Post article follows the release of a four-page House Intelligence Committee memo alleging abuse of surveillance authority allegedly utilizing the questionable dossier. According to the Post, Steele originally sought out Sir Andrew Wood, a former British ambassador to Moscow and friend of Steele, for advice prior to the election concerning his alleged research into Trump. In mid-November, following Trump’s victory, Wood reportedly turned to Steele to discuss whether additional steps were necessary to ensure the U.S. government was aware of Steele’s charges about Trump and Russia. Wood said that he then reached out to Kramer, who was known for his close ties to McCain, according to the Post. The Post cited Wood explaining that Kramer had arranged for Wood to meet McCain in December 2016 on the sidelines of a security conference in Canada. There, Wood described detailing Steele’s claims at the meeting with McCain, telling the Arizona senator that he could arrange for the politician to review the purported research. “I told him, ‘I know there’s a document. I haven’t read it, but it seems to me that it’s reliably set up,’” Wood told the Post. Wood described McCain as being “visibly shocked,” and expressing interest in reading the full report. Ten days after the Canada meeting, Kramer met Steele at Heathrow Airport in London and then went to Steele’s home, where the McCain associate spent several hours reviewing the dossier claims, according to people familiar with the events who spoke to the Post. The Post relates that Kramer then received a physical copy of the dossier directly from Fusion GPS Co-Founder Glenn R. Simpson: Back in Washington, Kramer received a copy of the dossier from Simpson and completed the handoff to McCain. In a private meeting on Dec. 9, McCain gave Comey the dossier — passing along information that Steele had provided to the FBI earlier in the year. Shortly before Inauguration Day, Comey briefed Trump on the document, alerting him to what the FBI director would later describe to Congress as a report that contained “salacious, unverified” information that was circulating in the media. The Post’s reporting marks the first public description of McCain’s associate, Kramer, as receiving the dossier directly from Fusion GPS. In a New York Times oped last month, Simpson and fellow GPS Co-Founder Peter Fritch relate that they helped McCain share their anti-Trump dossier with the Obama-era intelligence community via an unnamed “emissary.” “After the election, Mr. Steele decided to share his intelligence with Senator John McCain via an emissary,” the Fusion GPS founders related. “We helped him do that. The goal was to alert the United States national security community to an attack on our country by a hostile foreign power.” Simpson did not write that he directly handed the dossier to any “emissary.” It was not clear from the obscure phraseology in the oped whether McCain knew Fusion GPS was behind the dossier or whether the unnamed “emissary” was even aware of Fusion GPS’s connection to the document. The Post’s revelation about Kramer reportedly receiving the dossier from Simpson sheds new light on the topic. A January 11, 2017 statement from McCain attempted to explain why he provided the documents to the FBI but did not mention how he came to possess the dossier or whether he knew who funded it. “Upon examination of the contents, and unable to make a judgment about their accuracy, I delivered the information to the director of the FBI,” McCain said at the time. “That has been the extent of my contact with the FBI or any other government agency regarding this issue.” Kramer was reportedly questioned by the House Intelligence Committee about his involvement in the dossier affair. Newsweek earlier reported that McCain directly Kramer to meet Steele: Kramer was reportedly directed to meet with Steele in London by McCain, who then received copies of the Trump-Russia dossier and delivered them to the Arizona senator upon returning home. McCain then gave the dossier to the FBI in December 2016. It is still unclear why McCain needed to deliver the dossier to Comey last December. By then, according to the House memo, the FBI had not only already launched an investigation into Trump’s campaign partially utilizing the dossier but Comey himself had two months earlier signed an application using the dossier to obtain a FISA warrant on Carter Page, who briefly served as a volunteer foreign policy adviser to Trump’s campaign. Shortly after McCain gave Steele’s dossier to Comey, the FBI chief updated then President-Elect Trump and President Obama on the dossier in a classified briefing. As Breitbart News documented, Comey’s dossier briefing to Trump was subsequently leaked to the news media, setting in motion a flurry of news media attention on the dossier, including the release of the document to the public. The briefing also may have provided the veneer of respectability to a document that had been circulating for months within the news media but widely considered too unverified to publicize. Written with additional research by Joshua Klein.
Nolte: Biden and Waters Deliberately Sought Mistrial in Derek Chauvin Case	2021-04-21	[ "After it became obvious former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin would be convicted of murdering George Floyd, Democrats Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and His Fraudulency Joe Biden timed their respective outbursts hoping there would be a mistrial, which would usher in a new wave of Black Lives Matter riots.", "Just as the case was about to go to the jury, Waters stood at Ground Zero — Brooklyn Center, Minnesota — and said there must be more intense violence — even more intense than the endless riots we saw last year after Floyd’s murder — if Chauvin was not convicted of first-degree murder. Chauvin was not even charged with first-degree murder.", "Then, a few days later, while the jury was deliberating, His Fraudulency used the bully pulpit of the presidency to demand a guilty verdict.", "You don’t do this… Unless you desperately want a mistrial and the explosion of violence that goes with it. You do not do this and both Biden and Waters know that.", "You see, the worst thing that can happen to the racial arsonists that have captured the Democrat Party is the system working, and Biden, Waters, and the vile corporate media that palace guard both, knew that if Chauvin was convicted it would be a shining example of the system actually working…. So they attempted to sabotage the system, to rig the trial, to deliberately behave in such an irresponsible and outrageous way a mistrial would be declared. Naturally, a mistrial would “prove” the system is rigged and justify an unholy wave of left-wing political terrorism across every Democrat-run city in the country.", "Thanks to Biden and Waters, Chauvin’s convictions might very well be overturned on appeal and a new trial ordered. If that happens, the left-wing terrorists in Black Lives Matter and Antifa will burn down Blue City after Blue City, while monsters like Biden, Waters, and the corporate media demagogue the effect of their own wicked handiwork to death.", "In my opinion, based on the evidence I saw, and just like the rest of America, the Chauvin jury made the right decision. If there is any system in America that Americans should still have faith in, it is the jury system… Why? Because juries are not made up of “experts” or bureaucrats or the professional class… No, juries are made up of the best and most incorruptible people in the world: everyday Americans, who must forever live with what will be one of the most consequential decisions of their lives.", "And who is out there deliberately seeking to undo the good work of this jury, to throw a wrench in the gears of a system that worked?", "Democrats, that’s who.", "The only good news in all this is that the only power Democrats and the corporate media have left is to burn down their own Deep Blue neighborhoods, which makes for pretty good TV out here in Rural MAGA Land — where the air and water are clean, where people of all races live together in harmony, where we all own guns and there’s no gun violence crisis or racial tensions.", "If there’s a long, hot summer in America, it will only be in those Democrat-run cities getting exactly what they voted for.", "Me? I’ll be on my porch sipping a cold one… It’s gonna be a great summer out here in Rural America.", "It always is!" ]	https://www.breitbart.com/law-and-order/2021/04/21/nolte-biden-waters-deliberately-sought-mistrial-derek-chauvin-case/	Nolte: Biden and Waters Deliberately Sought Mistrial in Derek Chauvin Case After it became obvious former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin would be convicted of murdering George Floyd, Democrats Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and His Fraudulency Joe Biden timed their respective outbursts hoping there would be a mistrial, which would usher in a new wave of Black Lives Matter riots. Just as the case was about to go to the jury, Waters stood at Ground Zero — Brooklyn Center, Minnesota — and said there must be more intense violence — even more intense than the endless riots we saw last year after Floyd’s murder — if Chauvin was not convicted of first-degree murder. Chauvin was not even charged with first-degree murder. Then, a few days later, while the jury was deliberating, His Fraudulency used the bully pulpit of the presidency to demand a guilty verdict. You don’t do this… Unless you desperately want a mistrial and the explosion of violence that goes with it. You do not do this and both Biden and Waters know that. You see, the worst thing that can happen to the racial arsonists that have captured the Democrat Party is the system working, and Biden, Waters, and the vile corporate media that palace guard both, knew that if Chauvin was convicted it would be a shining example of the system actually working…. So they attempted to sabotage the system, to rig the trial, to deliberately behave in such an irresponsible and outrageous way a mistrial would be declared. Naturally, a mistrial would “prove” the system is rigged and justify an unholy wave of left-wing political terrorism across every Democrat-run city in the country. Thanks to Biden and Waters, Chauvin’s convictions might very well be overturned on appeal and a new trial ordered. If that happens, the left-wing terrorists in Black Lives Matter and Antifa will burn down Blue City after Blue City, while monsters like Biden, Waters, and the corporate media demagogue the effect of their own wicked handiwork to death. In my opinion, based on the evidence I saw, and just like the rest of America, the Chauvin jury made the right decision. If there is any system in America that Americans should still have faith in, it is the jury system… Why? Because juries are not made up of “experts” or bureaucrats or the professional class… No, juries are made up of the best and most incorruptible people in the world: everyday Americans, who must forever live with what will be one of the most consequential decisions of their lives. And who is out there deliberately seeking to undo the good work of this jury, to throw a wrench in the gears of a system that worked? Democrats, that’s who. The only good news in all this is that the only power Democrats and the corporate media have left is to burn down their own Deep Blue neighborhoods, which makes for pretty good TV out here in Rural MAGA Land — where the air and water are clean, where people of all races live together in harmony, where we all own guns and there’s no gun violence crisis or racial tensions. If there’s a long, hot summer in America, it will only be in those Democrat-run cities getting exactly what they voted for. Me? I’ll be on my porch sipping a cold one… It’s gonna be a great summer out here in Rural America. It always is!
Texas AG Ken Paxton's Criminal Trial Halted	2017-05-17	[ "An appellate court stayed the securities fraud trial against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday. The issue is whether Judge George Gallagher is acting without authority to preside over the criminal case.", "Lawyers for Paxton filed extraordinary writs in the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas late Monday, and the appellate court issued an order the next day staying trial proceedings “until further order of this Court.”", "The intermediate appellate court gave the parties more time to file briefing to address if Judge Gallagher has the legal authority to remain as the presiding judge.", "Paxton’s lawyers urge that Gallagher no longer has jurisdiction to act in the case because he granted the prosecutors’ motion to transfer the case, and then moved the case to Harris County, a politically “purple” county. Conservative Collin County is a solid Republican jurisdiction.", "The special prosecutors asked the judge to grant their motion to transfer venue because they could not get a fair jury in Collin County. Paxton is from McKinney, Texas in Collin County and the tea party Republican is very popular in his hometown.", "Prosecutors urged that Paxton’s supporters tainted the jury pool by assailing the indictment, prosecution, and the special prosecutors. Taxpayers have also been protesting the legal fees of the special prosecutors.", "Grassroots defenders and others have called the proceedings a political witch hunt.", "Tuesday’s order stays a hearing that was scheduled by Judge Gallagher for Thursday in Houston.", "The writs of prohibition and mandamus and request for emergency relief ask the appellate court in Dallas to void the orders issued by Gallagher after he granted the motion to transfer venue. They also ask the appellate court to issue a writ of prohibition preventing the judge from further presiding in the case.", "The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure provides in article 31.09 that:", "If a change of venue in a criminal case is ordered under this chapter, the judge ordering the change of venue may, with the written consent of the prosecuting attorney, the defense attorney, and the defendant, maintain the original case number on its own docket, preside over the case, and use the services of the court reporter, the court coordinator, and the clerk of the court of original venue.", "Paxton’s criminal lawyers argue that it follows then “if the defendant and defense attorney do not provide written consent, the judge ordering the change of venue may not preside over the case.” They say the clear language of the statute controls the resolution of the issue.", "When Paxton’s defense team notified the judge of this provision, Gallagher responded by immediately issuing a scheduling order setting a trial date and giving written notice that he was going to continue to preside over the case. Judge Gallagher set Paxton’s criminal trial for September 11.", "The writs filed with the appellate court also stated that the judge “visited Harris County to consider facilities and accommodation for trial, and entered an order setting a hearing for later this week.” They say Gallagher also notified the Collin County Clerk that she will continue to serve as the clerk in the case and has refused to send the case file to the Harris County Clerk.", "The defense urges that the judge was acting without legal authority when he continued to preside over the case and asks the court of appeals to vacate Gallagher’s order and his hearing notice for Thursday.", "The order of the Dallas Court of Appeals gave the parties until May 23 to file responses.", "The question before the court has no precedent the defense says because there has been “no authority addressing these precise facts.”" ]	http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/05/17/texas-ag-ken-paxtons-criminal-trial-halted/	Texas AG Ken Paxton's Criminal Trial Halted An appellate court stayed the securities fraud trial against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday. The issue is whether Judge George Gallagher is acting without authority to preside over the criminal case. Lawyers for Paxton filed extraordinary writs in the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas late Monday, and the appellate court issued an order the next day staying trial proceedings “until further order of this Court.” The intermediate appellate court gave the parties more time to file briefing to address if Judge Gallagher has the legal authority to remain as the presiding judge. Paxton’s lawyers urge that Gallagher no longer has jurisdiction to act in the case because he granted the prosecutors’ motion to transfer the case, and then moved the case to Harris County, a politically “purple” county. Conservative Collin County is a solid Republican jurisdiction. The special prosecutors asked the judge to grant their motion to transfer venue because they could not get a fair jury in Collin County. Paxton is from McKinney, Texas in Collin County and the tea party Republican is very popular in his hometown. Prosecutors urged that Paxton’s supporters tainted the jury pool by assailing the indictment, prosecution, and the special prosecutors. Taxpayers have also been protesting the legal fees of the special prosecutors. Grassroots defenders and others have called the proceedings a political witch hunt. Tuesday’s order stays a hearing that was scheduled by Judge Gallagher for Thursday in Houston. The writs of prohibition and mandamus and request for emergency relief ask the appellate court in Dallas to void the orders issued by Gallagher after he granted the motion to transfer venue. They also ask the appellate court to issue a writ of prohibition preventing the judge from further presiding in the case. The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure provides in article 31.09 that: If a change of venue in a criminal case is ordered under this chapter, the judge ordering the change of venue may, with the written consent of the prosecuting attorney, the defense attorney, and the defendant, maintain the original case number on its own docket, preside over the case, and use the services of the court reporter, the court coordinator, and the clerk of the court of original venue. Paxton’s criminal lawyers argue that it follows then “if the defendant and defense attorney do not provide written consent, the judge ordering the change of venue may not preside over the case.” They say the clear language of the statute controls the resolution of the issue. When Paxton’s defense team notified the judge of this provision, Gallagher responded by immediately issuing a scheduling order setting a trial date and giving written notice that he was going to continue to preside over the case. Judge Gallagher set Paxton’s criminal trial for September 11. The writs filed with the appellate court also stated that the judge “visited Harris County to consider facilities and accommodation for trial, and entered an order setting a hearing for later this week.” They say Gallagher also notified the Collin County Clerk that she will continue to serve as the clerk in the case and has refused to send the case file to the Harris County Clerk. The defense urges that the judge was acting without legal authority when he continued to preside over the case and asks the court of appeals to vacate Gallagher’s order and his hearing notice for Thursday. The order of the Dallas Court of Appeals gave the parties until May 23 to file responses. The question before the court has no precedent the defense says because there has been “no authority addressing these precise facts.”
World Health Assembly on Coronavirus Begins Without Taiwan	2020-05-18	[ "The World Health Assembly (W.H.A.), governing body of the World Health Organization (W.H.O.), convened via teleconferencing on Monday to discuss the global coronavirus pandemic.", "The country that unleashed the pandemic through its dishonesty and corruption, Communist China, was present while the country that did the best job fighting the pandemic, Taiwan, was absent.", "China forced Taiwan out of observer status at the W.H.O. in 2016 after the election of anti-communist President Tsai Ing-wen and is stubbornly blocking its return to even that limited degree of participation for purely political reasons while thousands die around the world from the Wuhan virus.", "Taiwan announced on Monday that it has temporarily withdrawn its request to regain observer status, because it does not want a political battle to distract W.H.A. members from working on solutions to the pandemic.", "“Due to Covid-19, the agenda for this year’s WHA has been significantly shortened. Understandably, countries want to use the limited time available to concentrate on ways of containing the pandemic,” said Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.", "“For this reason, like-minded nations and diplomatic allies have suggested that the proposal be taken up later this year when meetings will be conducted normally, to make sure there will be full and open discussion. After careful deliberation, we have accepted the suggestion from our allies and like-minded nations to wait until the resumed session before further promoting our bid,” Wu said.", "In addition to working on a vaccine and sharing its expertise in controlling the pandemic, Taiwan has donated millions of protective masks and thousands of pieces of diagnostic equipment to other countries. Wu said about 25 million more masks, hundreds of thousands of protective gowns, and other equipment will soon be donated.", "A growing number of world leaders have joined the United States in calling for Taiwan to return to the W.H.O., including Canada, Australia, Japan, and every member of the European Union. According to the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry, as of Monday, 29 world governments have formally expressed support for Taiwan to rejoin W.H.O., while hundreds of lawmakers and officials from 43 countries have individually given their support to the effort.", "“Given what the world has endured as a result of COVID-19, U.N. member states joining together to insist Taiwan be invited to the upcoming virtual W.H.A. session in May 2020 is the right place to start,” said a bipartisan letter from the U.S. Congress to about 60 other countries sent last week.", "“Taiwan’s isolation from the global health community not only presents a serious public health concern, but also is an obstacle that hampers ongoing and future efforts,” the letter said.", "According to the World Health Organization’s legal counsel, there are “divergent views among member states” over Taiwan, so there was “no mandate” for the W.H.O. director to invite Taiwanese representatives into the W.H.A. meeting. In other words, China still has enough political clout to keep Taiwan out, a reality U.S. policymakers will doubtless consider carefully when deciding whether or not to resume funding the W.H.O.", "Although Taiwan temporarily set aside its request to attend the W.H.A. so as not to distract its members with a political struggle, Foreign Minister Wu expressed his country’s continuing dissatisfaction with how the assembly has “yielded to pressure from the Chinese government and continues to disregard the right to health of the 23 million people of Taiwan.”", "The regime in Beijing remorselessly continues to block Taiwanese participation, despite the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) incessant claims to be concerned about world health above all other things, because the CCP cannot tolerate Taiwan holding any membership position that would grant it legitimacy as an independent nation-state. During the seven years when Taiwan had observer status in W.H.O., it was obliged to refer to itself as “Chinese Taipei.”", "The CCP restated its callous position last week as calls for Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Assembly grew, explicitly laying out its purely political reasons for blocking Taiwanese membership.", "Chinese Communist propaganda denounced the effort to restore Taiwan’s membership as an “evil” stunt by “anti-China forces in Washington” to use the pandemic as an excuse to endorse the pro-independence stance of Taiwanese President Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP):", "In short, the DPP has hatched a political conspiracy to take advantage of the pandemic to seek “Taiwan independence”. And this conspiracy is being strongly backed by anti-China forces in Washington. In fact, some US officials and congressmen have been pressuring the WHO to allow the island to attend the WHA meeting unconditionally.", "That the United States is trying to incite the international community against the WHO and Beijing is evident from the fact that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has personally urged countries around the world to back Taiwan’s unreasonable demand and has been pressuring WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to invite the island to attend the WHA. From the US Congress and US ambassador to the UN to the American Institute in Taiwan, all of them have joined the island-cheering squad on social media.", "The US’ active support to the “pro-independence” Taiwan authorities is one in a series of US moves that has deteriorated Sino-US relations in recent years. The US is playing the “Taiwan card” to create more political troubles for the Chinese mainland, especially to divert American people’s attention from the failure of the administration to control the coronavirus outbreak at home.", "By openly backing the DPP’s separatist policies, Washington intends to intensify cross-Straits disputes and get the upper hand against Beijing. It is of least concern to Washington that in this Sino-US conflict the island could end up being the worst sufferer.", "Unsurprisingly, this tirade concluded with Beijing’s latest thinly-veiled threat to attack Taiwan if the island keeps refusing to accept Chinese Communist dominance.", "China’s state-run Xinhua news service claimed Beijing has already done more than enough to address Taiwan’s concerns – an outrageous claim given the CCP’s constant lies and evasions about the coronavirus – and insisted the rest of the world must keep giving Taipei the cold shoulder to demonstrate its commitment to the “one China principle”:", "The 73rd session of the WHA, scheduled from May 18 to 19, will only cover essential items including COVID-19 response and an executive board election. This shows that the goal of the member states is to focus on international cooperation to battle COVID-19.", "The WHA has for many years rejected some countries’ Taiwan-related proposals, demonstrating the shared international commitment to the one-China principle, an overriding trend that cannot be challenged.", "Since COVID-19 broke out, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party authorities have been hyping up the so-called “Taiwan’s participation in the WHA,” exposing their intention to use the epidemic to seek “Taiwan independence.” Such an attempt will never succeed.", "Taiwanese Foreign Minister Wu called out the CCP for its hypocrisy, declaring that the people of Taiwan “abhor the two-faced behavior of the Chinese government, which claims to care for their health and welfare while actually seeking to deprive them of their right to health at every turn.”" ]	https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/05/18/world-health-assembly-begins-without-worlds-top-coronavirus-fighter-taiwan/	World Health Assembly on Coronavirus Begins Without Taiwan The World Health Assembly (W.H.A.), governing body of the World Health Organization (W.H.O.), convened via teleconferencing on Monday to discuss the global coronavirus pandemic. The country that unleashed the pandemic through its dishonesty and corruption, Communist China, was present while the country that did the best job fighting the pandemic, Taiwan, was absent. China forced Taiwan out of observer status at the W.H.O. in 2016 after the election of anti-communist President Tsai Ing-wen and is stubbornly blocking its return to even that limited degree of participation for purely political reasons while thousands die around the world from the Wuhan virus. Taiwan announced on Monday that it has temporarily withdrawn its request to regain observer status, because it does not want a political battle to distract W.H.A. members from working on solutions to the pandemic. “Due to Covid-19, the agenda for this year’s WHA has been significantly shortened. Understandably, countries want to use the limited time available to concentrate on ways of containing the pandemic,” said Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. “For this reason, like-minded nations and diplomatic allies have suggested that the proposal be taken up later this year when meetings will be conducted normally, to make sure there will be full and open discussion. After careful deliberation, we have accepted the suggestion from our allies and like-minded nations to wait until the resumed session before further promoting our bid,” Wu said. In addition to working on a vaccine and sharing its expertise in controlling the pandemic, Taiwan has donated millions of protective masks and thousands of pieces of diagnostic equipment to other countries. Wu said about 25 million more masks, hundreds of thousands of protective gowns, and other equipment will soon be donated. A growing number of world leaders have joined the United States in calling for Taiwan to return to the W.H.O., including Canada, Australia, Japan, and every member of the European Union. According to the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry, as of Monday, 29 world governments have formally expressed support for Taiwan to rejoin W.H.O., while hundreds of lawmakers and officials from 43 countries have individually given their support to the effort. “Given what the world has endured as a result of COVID-19, U.N. member states joining together to insist Taiwan be invited to the upcoming virtual W.H.A. session in May 2020 is the right place to start,” said a bipartisan letter from the U.S. Congress to about 60 other countries sent last week. “Taiwan’s isolation from the global health community not only presents a serious public health concern, but also is an obstacle that hampers ongoing and future efforts,” the letter said. According to the World Health Organization’s legal counsel, there are “divergent views among member states” over Taiwan, so there was “no mandate” for the W.H.O. director to invite Taiwanese representatives into the W.H.A. meeting. In other words, China still has enough political clout to keep Taiwan out, a reality U.S. policymakers will doubtless consider carefully when deciding whether or not to resume funding the W.H.O. Although Taiwan temporarily set aside its request to attend the W.H.A. so as not to distract its members with a political struggle, Foreign Minister Wu expressed his country’s continuing dissatisfaction with how the assembly has “yielded to pressure from the Chinese government and continues to disregard the right to health of the 23 million people of Taiwan.” The regime in Beijing remorselessly continues to block Taiwanese participation, despite the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) incessant claims to be concerned about world health above all other things, because the CCP cannot tolerate Taiwan holding any membership position that would grant it legitimacy as an independent nation-state. During the seven years when Taiwan had observer status in W.H.O., it was obliged to refer to itself as “Chinese Taipei.” The CCP restated its callous position last week as calls for Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Assembly grew, explicitly laying out its purely political reasons for blocking Taiwanese membership. Chinese Communist propaganda denounced the effort to restore Taiwan’s membership as an “evil” stunt by “anti-China forces in Washington” to use the pandemic as an excuse to endorse the pro-independence stance of Taiwanese President Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP): In short, the DPP has hatched a political conspiracy to take advantage of the pandemic to seek “Taiwan independence”. And this conspiracy is being strongly backed by anti-China forces in Washington. In fact, some US officials and congressmen have been pressuring the WHO to allow the island to attend the WHA meeting unconditionally. That the United States is trying to incite the international community against the WHO and Beijing is evident from the fact that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has personally urged countries around the world to back Taiwan’s unreasonable demand and has been pressuring WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to invite the island to attend the WHA. From the US Congress and US ambassador to the UN to the American Institute in Taiwan, all of them have joined the island-cheering squad on social media. The US’ active support to the “pro-independence” Taiwan authorities is one in a series of US moves that has deteriorated Sino-US relations in recent years. The US is playing the “Taiwan card” to create more political troubles for the Chinese mainland, especially to divert American people’s attention from the failure of the administration to control the coronavirus outbreak at home. By openly backing the DPP’s separatist policies, Washington intends to intensify cross-Straits disputes and get the upper hand against Beijing. It is of least concern to Washington that in this Sino-US conflict the island could end up being the worst sufferer. Unsurprisingly, this tirade concluded with Beijing’s latest thinly-veiled threat to attack Taiwan if the island keeps refusing to accept Chinese Communist dominance. China’s state-run Xinhua news service claimed Beijing has already done more than enough to address Taiwan’s concerns – an outrageous claim given the CCP’s constant lies and evasions about the coronavirus – and insisted the rest of the world must keep giving Taipei the cold shoulder to demonstrate its commitment to the “one China principle”: The 73rd session of the WHA, scheduled from May 18 to 19, will only cover essential items including COVID-19 response and an executive board election. This shows that the goal of the member states is to focus on international cooperation to battle COVID-19. The WHA has for many years rejected some countries’ Taiwan-related proposals, demonstrating the shared international commitment to the one-China principle, an overriding trend that cannot be challenged. Since COVID-19 broke out, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party authorities have been hyping up the so-called “Taiwan’s participation in the WHA,” exposing their intention to use the epidemic to seek “Taiwan independence.” Such an attempt will never succeed. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Wu called out the CCP for its hypocrisy, declaring that the people of Taiwan “abhor the two-faced behavior of the Chinese government, which claims to care for their health and welfare while actually seeking to deprive them of their right to health at every turn.”