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Here's How the Ruling Class USES the LeftI am writing this article for an audience consisting of all the good people who, like myself, sincerely want a more equal and democratic society and who (unlike myself), to achieve this goal, look for leadership from the prominent individuals and organizations that seem to share this goal. Most of these leaders are commonly identified either as "of the Left" or "progressive" or "liberal" or "Marxist." In this article I will refer to all of these prominent leaders as "the Left." According to the standard wisdom, the Left is providing good leadership to achieve a more equal and democratic society and the problem is that not enough people follow this leadership, and so the enemies of the Left (led by what I call the ruling class) remain in power. The problem, in this mistaken view, is that the Left is weak. What I will show is that, on the contrary, the problem (for those who want a more equal and democratic society, that is) is that the Left is wrong. What do I mean? The Left is wrong in its fundamental view of ordinary people, and because of this wrong view the ruling class is able to use the Left to divide and rule good people. So let's start by seeing what's wrong with the Left's view of ordinary people. The Left's Wrong View of Ordinary People Before discussing the Left's wrong view it helps to say what the truth is about ordinary people. The truth is that the vast majority of ordinary people (in the world, and in the United States as well) want society to be based on the positive values of concern for one another (as opposed to dog-eat-dog competition), mutual aid (as opposed to some people taking unfair advantage of others) and equality (in the sense of having no rich and no poor and in the sense of ordinary people rather than a privileged and self-serving elite having the real say in social decisions.) This is why ordinary people are the solution, not the problem, today. The Left disagrees. The Left views the majority of ordinary people as the problem, not the solution, because their supposed values are the problem: selfishness and greed, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and the list grows all the time. The Left believes that certain subsets of ordinary people (people of color, non-heterosexuals, transgender people, etc.) are oppressed by the ordinary people who are different. The solution, in this Leftist view, is to persuade the oppressive ordinary people to change their ugly ways and values. The Marxist Left (which I have written about here) sometimes adds to the above an emphasis, more than the liberal/progressive leftists, on the issue of class: the material oppression of the working class by the capitalist class. The Marxist Left thus, sharing the liberal/progressive left's negative view of the deplorable values of ordinary people, points out that despite their terrible values working class people nonetheless have a class interest in opposing the ruling class. The solution according to the Marxist Left is, again, to persuade ordinary people to change their ugly ways and values (or, as the Marxists would say, to "become class conscious.") The idea that the values of the vast majority of ordinary people are the solution, not the problem--that they are the values that ought to shape society and are the opposite of the terrible values of the ruling class--is the truthful idea that will enable good people to succeed in building a huge popular movement to make society genuinely equal and democratic. (A wonderful entire book about this is online here.) But hardly anybody knows how true this idea is, thanks to the ruling class propaganda against it and also thanks to the Left's rejection of it. Perhaps you, dear reader, think this idea is false. If so, please read ( here) about my experience at a pro-Trump rally asking random people there if they thought it was a good idea or a bad idea to "remove the rich from power to have real, not fake, democracy with no rich and no poor." 86% of them (43 out of the 50 I asked) thought it was a good (or great!) idea and those 43 people all gladly took my button with that message and many pinned it onto themselves right on the spot. Consider this please. If ordinary people were as selfish and vile as the Left claims, then our world would be infinitely more horrible than it actually is, with everybody stabbing each other in the back and nobody giving a damn about anybody else. This is the kind of world that it would be--a veritable hellish nightmare of a world--if the disgusting selfish competitive values of the ruling class were also those of everybody else. The fact that our world is not this hellish nightmare, but one in which most people cooperate and help each other and respect one another as equals in countless ways that we take so much for granted that we don't think about them or even notice them, this fact has huge significance: it shows that most ordinary people are the positive force in the world, a force that challenges capitalist values and that ought to shape all of society. How the Ruling Class USES the Left to Divide and Rule Us I have written a whole book(Divide and Rule) about how the ruling class uses the Left to divide and rule us. What follows is a brief summary with some links to some of my online articles treating particular issues in more detail. Here's how the ruling class uses the Left for divide-and-rule. The ruling class takes (or invents) a "hot button" (i.e., potentially very divisive social issue) and, with its control of the mainstream (and alternative!) media, it imposes a very particular framework on the public debate about the issue. The framework is designed to be maximally divisive. The framework is made maximally divisive by defining two opposing views (I call them "camps") in a way that ensures that the people in each camp--when they hear about the opposing camp--will view the members of the opposing camp with utter contempt and possibly fear. The ruling class does this by a) providing each camp's position with arguments designed to be maximally offensive to the other camp, and b) censoring facts that, if known, would cause people in the opposing camps to see that they had far more agreement with each other than they otherwise would realize, and that the concerns of the opposing camp were quite reasonable (instead of deplorable) even if they still disagreed. Here are some examples of how the ruling class uses the Left to make this work. How To Easily Kill 98% Of Mold In Your Home Race The truth is that a) the ruling class for centuries has systematically discriminated against people not of European descent ("whites") and b) the ruling class did this in order to more effectively dominate, control and oppress working class people of ALL races. The early British big property owners in the Virginia Colony instituted slavery based on race because they feared that otherwise there would be more rebellions of the working class (laborers in the tobacco plantations of both African and European descent) united regardless of race, as happened in Bacon's Rebellion in 1676--a rebellion that almost overthrew the British ruling elite. (Read more about this here.) The truth is that when the ruling class singles out some working class people for harsher treatment than others, it is for the purpose of creating mutual mistrust, resentment and fear between those singled out for special discrimination and the others. Thus the racist Jim Crow laws in the South not only harmed blacks; they also harmed the poor whites, whose wages were lower than white wages in the North because Jim Crow prevented them from having strong (i.e., integrated) unions and diverted their anger at blacks instead of the wealthy whites who oppressed them. The truth is that, among working class people, AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL. But the Left disagrees. The Left asserts exactly what the ruling class also asserts: that racial discrimination against non-whites benefits white working class people. The ruling class asserted that slavery and Jim Crow benefited poor whites and the Left chimes right in by asserting that white working class people enjoy "white privilege" (the word "privilege" means, by definition, a benefit). The Left never says that racial discrimination against non-whites also HARMS white working class people. The ruling class promotes (with its foundations) the use of "white privilege" rhetoric (as I show in great detail here) and counts on the Left not explaining (as I do here) that "white privilege" is a phrase designed to hide the truth that AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL. On the contrary, the Left is largely responsible for the sad fact that young people today use the horribly misleading phrase "white privilege" to refer to what the Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Movement referred to with the very good phrase "racial discrimination." The result is that working class people are being effectively divided and ruled along race lines, as I discuss here. Earlier, the ruling class promoted Affirmative Action to divide and rule us along race lines, as I discuss in more detail here. (Please read this short linked article if you believe that Affirmative Action was truly about helping non-white minority people. It was not!) Affirmative Action was the flip side of the coin of the New Jim Crow of racist prison incarceration; both were launched in the 1970s by the same ruling class. The New Jim Crow of racist prison incarceration was designed to make whites fear blacks and Hispanics as "a criminal race"; Affirmative Action was designed to make white working class people fear blacks and Hispanics as job-stealers, by making sure that whites applying for a job or school admission would be told essentially, "We're sorry, we couldn't give you the position you applied for because we had to give it to a less qualified minority person." Did the Left expose Affirmative Action for the divisive strategy it was? Did the Left fight for the kind of reforms that would truly remedy the harm of past racial discrimination and also gain large white working class support (as my above linked article discusses)? No! the Left accused white working class people who very understandably objected to the new government-mandated racial discrimination of being racists. The ruling class thus used the Left to ensure that its divide and rule strategy would be maximally effective. Feminism In the 1970s the ruling class hijacked the traditional feminist movement (that strove for equality of men and women under the law and in the workplace) and replaced its leadership with a new breed of radical feminists who asserted that our society was one in which men--all men, by virtue of being male--were the oppressor class oppressing all women; that men, in other words, were the enemy--the patriarchy. The ruling class defined "being a progressive feminist" as subscribing to this "men are the enemy" belief. It was pure divide-and-rule. I discuss this at some length in my article here. The Left completely agreed with the ruling class's "men are the enemy" theme and accused those who disagreed of being sexist. Just as with racial discrimination, there is real discrimination against women, but it harms working class men as well because, as discussed above, AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL. The Left, however, never explained this and in fact rejected it. The result, thanks in large part to the Left, is that ordinary people feel that their only choice here is either to a) agree that all men are the enemy or else b) dismiss any effort to end discrimination against women as an attack on men. Same-sex Marriage Believe it or not, there is a position on same-sex marriage that would be agreeable to most people in the pro- same-sex marriage camp and ALSO to most people in the anti-same-sex marriage camp. I write about this position here; it's a position that addresses the actual concerns of both camps. You've most likely never heard of this position because the ruling class didn't want it to be known; the ruling class wanted each camp on this issue to view the other as despicable. The Left went right along with the ruling class in this regard, leading in the campaign to demonize anybody opposed to same-sex marriage as a despicable bigot or idiotic Bible fundamentalist. The divisiveness on this issue is so thorough that many people cannot even imagine joining with people in the opposing camp to fight together for anything, such as making our society more equal and democratic. Thanks largely to the Left. Abortion As I discuss in some detail here, the ruling class has cleverly, and dishonestly, framed the abortion issue as one in which one side is against murder and wants women to suffer, and the other side doesn't want women to suffer and has no problem with murder whatsoever. Again, as with same-sex marriage, there is a position on abortion (discussed in my linked article above) that would gain the respect of most people in both the pro- and anti-abortion camps. But the ruling class censors this position, and the Left helps to censor it. The Left simply accuses people opposed to abortion of being deplorable. This is exactly what the ruling class counts on to make its divide-and-rule strategy work. Muslim Refugees Key Fact: The ruling class, as I discuss in detail here, makes sure that there are domestic acts (or almost acts) of "Muslim" terrorism so that many Americans will be terrified of Muslims. The ruling class then promotes a great debate about whether to allow or not allow Muslim refugees to enter the country. The camp in favor of not allowing them in accuses the opposing camp of being, at best, suicidal idiots. The camp in favor of allowing the refugees in (which the Left is a prominent part of) accuses the opposing camp of being inhumane racists. The Left is silent about the Key Fact. This makes the divide-and-rule work perfectly. Immigration Key Fact: The ruling class for a long time has been forcing large numbers ordinary people in Mexico and Central America to migrate to the United States illegally, as I discuss here and here. Because most people do not understand this key fact, the ruling class is able to orchestrate a big and extremely divisive debate about whether the illegal immigrants should be allowed to remain or not (not about whether the ruling class that forced them to come to the U.S. illegally should be removed from power, mind you, a position that would unite most of the people in both camps, not to mention the illegal migrants themselves!) Does the Left tell people about the Key Fact? No. It just accuses the people who want to deport the illegal aliens of being deplorable racists. While the ruling class and its right-wing radio talk show hosts exaggerate the harm to American citizens caused by the massive illegal immigration, there are in fact ways that this massive influx of people either directly causes--or is used as a pretext by the ruling class to cause--harm to working class American citizens. The Left ignores this fact (also discussed in my linked article above) and simply accuses anybody who supports deporting illegal immigrants of being motivated by racism or selfishness. This is exactly what the ruling class needs to make its divide-and-rule strategy work. How To Easily Kill All Indoor Odor, Mold, And Bacteria — Without Lifting A Finger Trump to End the Dollar as We Know It by August 1, 2018? Transgender Bathrooms Key Fact: In most states (including North Carolina with its infamous HB2 law), a person can have the gender on their birth certificate changed simply by providing documentation that they had sex-change surgery. As I discuss in some detail here, the transgender bathroom issue is phony from the git-go. The status quo (prior to this becoming a big issue) regarding bathroom use was not oppressive to, or even viewed as oppressive by, transgender people. The supposedly bigoted North Carolina HB2 law is not oppressive to transgender people because of the Key Fact. But NPR (etc.) censored the Key Fact so that its liberal audience, hearing about the HB2 law and being told that it was oppressive, would believe this lie, and view those who opposed the new liberal bathroom legislation (which truly IS oppressive) as bigots. The Left, as to be expected, eagerly accuses people of being transphobic bigots if they think that a woman in a public access shower room should be able to tell a person entering that room who has male genitalia to leave. (The new liberal laws are based on exactly this absurd notion!) What more could the ruling class ask from the Left than to accuse perfectly good and decent people with a perfectly common-sense opinion of being bigots? Israel The ruling class-imposed framework for debating U.S. support for Israel is this: "One camp is not anti-Semitic and therefore supports Israel, and the opposing camp is anti-Semitic and therefore does not support Israel." I have written in detail here(including the "must read" article it links to under the title) about why this framework is absolutely false. Some people in the Left support Israel and falsely accuse the other camp of being anti-Semitic, and some other people in the Left do not support Israel (they may support the BDS campaign). Many of the people in the Left who do not support Israel use an argument that many people perceive as an anti-Semitic argument; this only helps the ruling class maintain its false framework for divide and rule. The argument that many on the Left use and which is perceived to be anti-Semitic is this: "The Israel lobby controls the American ruling class so effectively that it forces America's rulers, against their will, to go against their own (our own) national interest and support Israel." This theory is often known as "tail wags dog" (the Israeli tail wags the United States dog) and its proponents use phrases such as "Congress is Israeli-occupied territory." As I discuss in my article linked to above, the "tail wags dog" theory is factually wrong, and is able to derive credibility (with difficulty since people know that tails don't wag dogs) only from the anti-Semitic canard that Jews have some mysterious power to control non-Jews (an idea famously espoused by the fraudulent and infamous document named "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion"). The result of the Left's role in the debate about Israel is that the false framework (that it's anti-Semites versus non-anti-Semites) remains reinforced by the Left, much to the delight of the ruling class. What Will It Take to Win? In order for good people to win a genuinely equal and genuinely democratic society we must build a movement of the great majority of Americans that explicitly aims for an egalitarian revolutionary goal: to remove the ruling plutocracy from power to have no rich and no poor, with real democracy--not the fake democracy that will always be the case as long as our society is one in which money is power and the billionaires have virtually all of it. To create this movement it is necessary that its leaders know and assert that the great majority of Americans share this positive goal, despite secondary disagreements that the ruling class tries to maximize. And it is necessary that its leaders explicitly advocate the egalitarian revolutionary goal, because otherwise it will never be adequately fought for and the ruling class will co-opt the movement with gimmicks (such as campaign finance reform) that leave it in power. The problem is that our current leaders in the Left do not believe that the great majority of Americans share the positive values that ought to shape society. They believe that about half of Americans are actually oppressors, and that ordinary Americans in general have quite negative values that first need to be changed before it would even be a good idea for them to have the real power in a genuine democracy. The Left consequently does not even try to build the kind of movement that it takes to make a genuinely equal and democratic society, and it actually helps (intentionally or not, it doesn't matter) the ruling class to divide-and-rule us. I have written in my book, NO RICH AND NO POOR, and on my website ( www.PDRBoston.org) about building a movement--an egalitarian revolutionary movement--that can win what most people want. Part of what is required is that we dump the Left. The Left includes politicians such as President Obama and other leaders of the Democratic Party, pundits such as Robert Reich, and virtually all of the Marxist organizations and individuals. (The links in the previous sentence are to my articles explaining what is wrong with these people.) The Marxists demonstrated their (to be kind) worthlessness in the way they responded to one of the most divisive actions of the Left. In 2015 a couple dozen Leftists blocked mainly white suburban commuters on I-93 in Massachusetts to deliberately piss them off, all in the name of "anti-racism." The message was that white working class people are the enemy of the anti-racist movement, the beneficiaries of "white privilege." This is exactly the divide-and-rule message that the ruling class promotes, and has been promoting since the days of slavery. The leaders we need would have sharply denounced this action as a disgusting attack on working class people and an act that sent the ruling class's Big Lie message. Practically all-ordinary people (except for hard core Leftists) understood it to be a disgusting attack on innocent people, and they were pissed. Many Left writers and organizations (see here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here for example), however, praised (either explicitly or by reporting it uncritically as an "anti-racist" action) the I-93 blockade action, and those that did not explicitly praise it refused to say it was a bad thing to do (see here and here and here for example). No Left writers or organizations that I am aware of have said it was a bad thing to do. The Left is perfectly fine with attacking white working class people in the name of black working class people. This is how the Left, wittingly or not, foments race war in the U.S.A. The reason good people are losing the fight against the ruling class is because we are following leaders who are actually our foes. The Ruling Class and the Bolsheviks Were Allied from the Beginning The notion that the Marxist Left is working to end the inequality and fake democracy so loved by the capitalist ruling class has been wrong for a very long time. As an example of how long this notion has been wrong, here's an interesting fact reported in Antony Sutton's book, Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution, published in 1974 (and online here), from which one excerpt about a William Boyce Thompson is given below. Thompson was at the very top of the American capitalist class when the Bolsheviks were in the process of taking power in Russia. Thompson was President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (the most important bank in the Federal Reserve system) from 1914 to 1919, the years about which Sutton writes. Thompson was a very wealthy mining magnate and he was prominent in the Republican party, as one can read about in the first linked article about him above. Here's what Sutton reports: Alzheimer's-Blocking "Super Coffee" May Be The "Memory Saving Discovery" Of The Century The Mysterious “Secret Stock” – It Could Fund Your Retirement How To Easily Kill 98% Of Mold In Your Home "Thompson's contribution to the Bolshevik cause was recorded in the contemporary American press. The Washington Post of February 2*, 1918, carried the following paragraphs: GIVES BOLSHEVIKI A MILLION W. B. Thompson, Red Cross Donor, Believes Party Misrepresented. New York, Feb. 2 (1918). William B. Thompson, who was in Petrograd from July until November last, has made a personal contribution of $1,000,000 to the Bolsheviki for the purpose of spreading their doctrine in Germany and Austria. Mr. Thompson had an opportunity to study Russian conditions as head of the American Red Cross Mission, expenses of which also were largely defrayed by his personal contributions. He believes that the Bolsheviki constitute the greatest power against Pro-Germanism in Russia and that their propaganda has been undermining the militarist regimes of the General Empires. Mr. Thompson deprecates American criticism of the Bolsheviki. He believes they have been misrepresented and has made the financial contribution to the cause in the belief that it will be money well spent for the future of Russia as well as for the Allied cause." [Kindle location 1412.] Note that Thompson was in Petrograd before, during and after the Bolshevik October Revolution. Sutton documents that Thompson's support for the Bolsheviks was far from exceptional among his class of top level capitalists, and that these capitalists had backing from the Executive branch of the Federal government. [Read the book for all the gory details!] One explanation for this apparently paradoxical alliance of capitalists and Lenin's Bolsheviks is given by Sutton. He argues that these capitalists were monopolists who made their fortunes by using the U.S. government--the biggest monopoly of all, in their eyes--as an instrument for personal enrichment, and that they saw that the highly centralized government that the Bolsheviks were creating could be equally useful to them as a government that would force the people of Russia to pay very high prices for American products. ---------------------- * I confirmed that this article truly does exist by asking the reference person at Harvard University's Widener Library to check it; she found the article, but it was in the January 31, 1918 edition, not the February 2, 1918 edition. I'm not sure why Sutton gives the latter date; maybe there were more than one edition with the article in it. If you doubt the veracity of this article, please call the library and find out for yourself what they tell you. (Article changed on October 10, 2017 at 20:53) The Mysterious “Secret Stock” – It Could Fund Your Retirement I am writing this article for an audience consisting of all the good people who, like myself, sincerely want a more equal and democratic society and who (unlike myself), to achieve this goal, look for leadership from the prominent individuals and organizations that seem to share this goal. Most of these leaders are commonly identified either as "of the Left" or "progressive" or "liberal" or "Marxist." In this article I will refer to all of these prominent leaders as "the Left." According to the standard wisdom, the Left is providing good leadership to achieve a more equal and democratic society and the problem is that not enough people follow this leadership, and so the enemies of the Left (led by what I call the ruling class) remain in power. The problem, in this mistaken view, is that the Left is weak. What I will show is that, on the contrary, the problem (for those who want a more equal and democratic society, that is) is that the Left is wrong. What do I mean? The Left is wrong in its fundamental view of ordinary people, and because of this wrong view the ruling class is able to use the Left to divide and rule good people. So let's start by seeing what's wrong with the Left's view of ordinary people. The Left's Wrong View of Ordinary People Before discussing the Left's wrong view it helps to say what the truth is about ordinary people. The truth is that the vast majority of ordinary people (in the world, and in the United States as well) want society to be based on the positive values of concern for one another (as opposed to dog-eat-dog competition), mutual aid (as opposed to some people taking unfair advantage of others) and equality (in the sense of having no rich and no poor and in the sense of ordinary people rather than a privileged and self-serving elite having the real say in social decisions.) This is why ordinary people are the solution, not the problem, today. The Left disagrees. The Left views the majority of ordinary people as the problem, not the solution, because their supposed values are the problem: selfishness and greed, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and the list grows all the time. The Left believes that certain subsets of ordinary people (people of color, non-heterosexuals, transgender people, etc.) are oppressed by the ordinary people who are different. The solution, in this Leftist view, is to persuade the oppressive ordinary people to change their ugly ways and values. The Marxist Left (which I have written about here) sometimes adds to the above an emphasis, more than the liberal/progressive leftists, on the issue of class: the material oppression of the working class by the capitalist class. The Marxist Left thus, sharing the liberal/progressive left's negative view of the deplorable values of ordinary people, points out that despite their terrible values working class people nonetheless have a class interest in opposing the ruling class. The solution according to the Marxist Left is, again, to persuade ordinary people to change their ugly ways and values (or, as the Marxists would say, to "become class conscious.") The idea that the values of the vast majority of ordinary people are the solution, not the problem--that they are the values that ought to shape society and are the opposite of the terrible values of the ruling class--is the truthful idea that will enable good people to succeed in building a huge popular movement to make society genuinely equal and democratic. (A wonderful entire book about this is online here.) But hardly anybody knows how true this idea is, thanks to the ruling class propaganda against it and also thanks to the Left's rejection of it. Perhaps you, dear reader, think this idea is false. If so, please read ( here) about my experience at a pro-Trump rally asking random people there if they thought it was a good idea or a bad idea to "remove the rich from power to have real, not fake, democracy with no rich and no poor." 86% of them (43 out of the 50 I asked) thought it was a good (or great!) idea and those 43 people all gladly took my button with that message and many pinned it onto themselves right on the spot. Consider this please. If ordinary people were as selfish and vile as the Left claims, then our world would be infinitely more horrible than it actually is, with everybody stabbing each other in the back and nobody giving a damn about anybody else. This is the kind of world that it would be--a veritable hellish nightmare of a world--if the disgusting selfish competitive values of the ruling class were also those of everybody else. The fact that our world is not this hellish nightmare, but one in which most people cooperate and help each other and respect one another as equals in countless ways that we take so much for granted that we don't think about them or even notice them, this fact has huge significance: it shows that most ordinary people are the positive force in the world, a force that challenges capitalist values and that ought to shape all of society. How the Ruling Class USES the Left to Divide and Rule Us I have written a whole book(Divide and Rule) about how the ruling class uses the Left to divide and rule us. What follows is a brief summary with some links to some of my online articles treating particular issues in more detail. Here's how the ruling class uses the Left for divide-and-rule. The ruling class takes (or invents) a "hot button" (i.e., potentially very divisive social issue) and, with its control of the mainstream (and alternative!) media, it imposes a very particular framework on the public debate about the issue. The framework is designed to be maximally divisive. The framework is made maximally divisive by defining two opposing views (I call them "camps") in a way that ensures that the people in each camp--when they hear about the opposing camp--will view the members of the opposing camp with utter contempt and possibly fear. The ruling class does this by a) providing each camp's position with arguments designed to be maximally offensive to the other camp, and b) censoring facts that, if known, would cause people in the opposing camps to see that they had far more agreement with each other than they otherwise would realize, and that the concerns of the opposing camp were quite reasonable (instead of deplorable) even if they still disagreed. Here are some examples of how the ruling class uses the Left to make this work. How To Easily Kill All Indoor Odor, Mold, And Bacteria — Without Lifting A Finger

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Report: Bernie and Jane Sanders hire lawyers amid FBI probeSen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and his wife, Jane Sanders have hired prominent defense attorneys amid an FBI investigation concerning possible bank fraud, according to CBS News and Politico Magazine. The investigation centers on a loan that Jane Sanders secured to expand Burlington College when she was its president. Jane Sanders allegedly distorted school donor levels in a 2010 loan application for $10 million from People's United Bank to buy 33 acres of land for the school, which shut down in 2016. Bernie Sanders told the Washington Post that the investigation would clear his wife of any wrongdoing. Rich Cassidy has reportedly been hired to represent Bernie Sanders, while high-profile Washington defense attorney Larry Robbins is reportedly representing Jane Sanders.

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Trump uncharacteristically criticizes Putin after reports of chemical attack in SyriaPresident Donald Trump on Sunday strongly condemned what he described in tweets as a "mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria" that allegedly left women and children dead. He laid the blame squarely at the feet of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia and Iran for backing resident Bashar al-Assad, who he called an "animal." Trump also warned, "Big price to pay." "Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!" the president wrote. In the third of a series of tweets, he faulted former President Barack Obama for not intervening in Syria during his time in office. In April of last year, Trump ordered a Tomahawk missile strike against a Syrian airbase for a similar chemical attack. Sunday's posts left many wondering if Trump would potentially retaliate against the Syrian government, which is backed by Russia. The criticism of Putin is arguably his strongest critique of Russia since he took office 442 days ago. Syrian aid groups and activists allege that dozens of people died in a suspected chemical weapons attack on the city of Douma, the last rebel stronghold in eastern Ghouta where Assad has pursued an intensive bombing campaign. The Syrian American Medical Society said that more than 500 cases, mostly women and children, suffered symptoms “indicative of exposure to a chemical agent” and 42 were reported dead. Both Syria and Russia deny involvement in Sunday’s alleged chemical attack. Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the White House is considering how to respond. He added that the national security team had been speaking to the president “all throughout the evening and the morning.” “I wouldn’t take anything off the table,” he said. The State Department, meanwhile, provided a full-throated critique of Russia in a statement on Saturday night that claimed that the nation had “breached its commitments to the United Nations” and called “into question [Russia’s] commitment to resolve the overall crisis and to larger non-proliferation priorities.” “Russia, with its unwavering support for the [Assad] regime, ultimately bears responsibility for these brutal attacks, targeting of countless civilians, and the suffocation of Syria’s most vulnerable communities with chemical weapons,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said. Last week, Trump reluctantly agreed to keep U.S. troops in Syria, though he stressed to his national security team his desire to end U.S. involvement in the conflict as soon as possible. Politicians call for action after Syria's alleged chemical attack Republican and Democrat leaders decried the alleged chemical attack on Sunday, calling for the U.S. to hold the Assad government accountable. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who serves on the Armed Services Committee called on the White House to act. “If [the president] doesn’t follow through and live up to that tweet, he’s going to look weak in the eyes of Russia and Iran,” Graham said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “This is a defining moment.” Others from the president's own party piled on. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said on CNN's "State of the Union" that Trump should rethink his plans for an early withdrawal from Syria and consider another targeted attack on Syria's military facilities, such as the one he ordered a year ago. "That may be an option that we should consider now," she said. "But it is further reason why it is so important that the president ramp up the pressure and the sanctions on the Russian government, because, without the support of Russia, I do not believe that Assad would still be in office." Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., also blasted the president, as he said Trump signaling last week that the U.S. would withdraw from Syria only served to embolden Assad, Russia and Iran to conduct the attack. While McCain said it was good that Trump criticized all three parties on Twitter, he said social media posts meant little in this situation. "The question now is whether he will do anything about it," he said. "The President responded decisively when Assad used chemical weapons last year. He should do so again, and demonstrate that Assad will pay a price for his war crimes." In the House, Republicans were also riled up and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said that the United States should continue to lead in holding Assad and Russia accountable. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who serves as chair of the House Homeland Security Committee voiced his agreement on Fox News and called for military action. “We’re not going to occupy countries anymore, but this cannot stand in the civilized world,” McCaul said. “This needs to be responded to in a very firm and strong way. I think we need to deal also with Russia and Iran’s involvement in this. I think they are complicit.” Democrats also called for the White House to act and coordinate an international response. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that "President Assad needs to be held accountable for his war crimes." "We need to make sure that there is a proceeding started by the international community to hold him accountable," said Cardin, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "This is not the first use of chemical weapons." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said that Putin needed to be held accountable for the alleged attack as he had enabled "these war crimes." But how to do that rests with the White House, she added. “Members of Congress expect a comprehensive intelligence briefing on this attack as soon as possible," she said in a statement. "The Trump Administration must finally provide a smart, strong and consistent strategy in Syria.” Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said it could affect Mike Pompeo, who Trump nominated to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, as he enters Senate confirmation hearings this week. “The United States must not waiver in our utter rejection of the use of chemical weapons anywhere in the world, by anyone, for any reason," Menedez said in a statement. "During his upcoming hearing, I expect Secretary of State-nominee Pompeo to articulate an actual policy for Syria.”

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ESPN accepted 'SportsCenter' anchor Jemele Hill's apology for her anti-Trump tweetsOn Monday ESPN suspended Jemele Hillfor 2 weeks in response to her tweets encouraging NFL fans to boycott anyone who sponsors Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones. Hill's tweet was in response to Jones comments that any player who disrespected the flag would be cut from his team. In a statement ESPN said, "Jemele Hill has been suspended for two weeks for a second violation of our social media guidelines. She previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive tweet. In the aftermath, all employees were reminded of how individual tweets may reflect negatively on ESPN and that such actions would have consequences. Hence this decision." ESPN says that it has accepted the apology of Jemele Hill for tweeting that President Trump and his followers are "white supremacists." Earlier this week, the co-host of ESPN's “SC6 with Michael and Jemele" fired off a series of tweets calling the President a "bigot" and "white supremacist." Hill apologized for her tweets on Wednesday. "My comments on Twitter expressed my personal beliefs." She wrote on Twitter. "My regret is that my comments and the public way I made them painted ESPN in an unfair light." The network issued a followup statement after her apology and said that Hill has a right to her personal beliefs, but said that they are not reflective of the company's opinions or beliefs. "She has acknowledged that her tweets crossed that line and has apologized for doing so. We accept her apology," they wrote. ESPN has been under intense scrutiny after they pulled their broadcaster Robert Lee off air “as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding" in August. The Associated Press contributed to this report. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is calling for the termination of an ESPN anchor after she called President Donald Trump a white supremacist on Twitter. “That is one of the more outrageous comments that anybody could make and certainly is something that is a fireable offense by ESPN,” Sanders said on Wednesday. This comes after Jemele Hill, who co-hosts a ESPN show called “SC6 with Michael and Jemele," fired off a series of Tweets denouncing Trump and calling his supporters white supremacists. EPSN soon issued a statement in response to Smith's remarks. “The comments on Twitter from Jemele Hill regarding the president do not represent the position of ESPN,” the network said. “We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate.” ESPN on Tuesday distanced itself from anchor Jemele Hill’s tweets calling President Trump “a bigot” and “a white supremacist.” “The comments on Twitter from Jemele Hill regarding the president do not represent the position of ESPN,” the network tweeted from its public relation’s department’s account. “We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate,” ESPN added of Hill, a co-host on the 6 p.m. broadcast of the network’s “SportsCenter” program. Hill on Monday had a series of Twitter exchanges with other users that involved her harshly criticizing Trump. “Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/other white supremacists,” she said in one tweet. “Trump is the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime,” Hill added in another post. “His rise is a direct result of white supremacy. Period.” Hill added in a third tweet that “Donald Trump is a bigot” before going on to deride the president’s supporters. “The height of white privilege is being able to ignore his white supremacy, because it’s of no threat to you,” she said. “Well, it’s a threat to me.” Some Twitter users on Wednesday praised Hill for singling out Trump, while others lambasted her decision instead. ESPN is owned by Disney, and neither company elaborated on a possible punishment for Hill, who was on Tuesday night’s broadcast of “SportsCenter” like normal. Former National Football League (NFL) quarterback Colin Kaepernick, meanwhile, on Tuesday voiced support for Hill on Twitter. Kaepernick remains unsigned after playing with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016 in a situation that remains controversial in the football world. The professional athlete began kneeling during the National Anthem last year to protest police brutality and racial injustice. Supporters say Kaepernick is making a legitimate stand for social justice, while critics charge he is acting unpatriotic instead. These celebrities ended up deleting their Twitter accounts. Let's get started!

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Leaked Podesta emails address Obama polling in 2008, executive privilegeEmails leaked from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s private email account Friday by WikiLeaks addressed using executive privilege to keep the emails between Hillary Clinton and President Obama from being released, a 2008 survey testing reaction to then-Sen. Obama’s Muslim father and use of cocaine, and a suggestion from former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm on how to take Clinton out of the “bubble.” March 2015: Podesta wrote to Cheryl Mills about withholding emails between Clinton and Obama Six days before Hillary Clinton spoke to reporters at the United Nations about her private email server, Podesta wrote to Cheryl Mills, “Think we should hold emails to and from potus? That’s the heart of his exec privilege. We could get them to ask for that. They may not care, but I seems like they will.” In September, Politico reported that the State Department would not release emails exchanged between Clinton and Obama to the public, citing the “presidential communications privilege,” which is another name for the executive privilege. Claiming the privilege enables the president to withhold certain information that has been requested by other branches of government or by the public. This means that the emails the two wrote to each other won’t be released until 5 to 12 years after the end of the Obama administration, as dictated by the Presidential Records Act. January 2008: Clinton pollster proposed message testing lines on Obama--including reference to his Muslim father, past cocaine use An email referring to “McCain Survey-3” from Greenberg research listed a number of survey questions with “negative facts” about Clinton’s primary opponent, then-Sen. Obama. Kristi Fuksa, of Greenberg Research, sent the email to Democratic operatives including Podesta, Paul Begala, Tara McGuinness and Susan McCue The statements floated included subjects like his upbringing among Muslims, his father’s Muslim faith, his referring to past cocaine use as “a little blow” -- here’s the survey: * 1 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh) was the only candidate at a recent event not to cover his heart during the national anthem and he has stopped wearing an American flag pin. * 2 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh) benefited from a land deal from a contributor who has been indicted for corruption. * 3 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh) would personally negotiate with the leaders of terrorist nations like Iran and North Korea without preconditions. * 4 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh) voted against allowing people to use handguns to defend themselves against intruders. * 5 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh) plans to raise taxes by 180 (one hundred and eighty) billion dollars a year to pay for his government-run health care plan * 6 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh) voted repeatedly against emergency funding bills for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. * 7 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh)‘s father was a Muslim and Obama grew up among Muslims in the world’s most populous Islamic country. * 8 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh) is ranked as one of the ten most liberal members of the Senate because of his support of issues like gay adoption. * 9 (Other) * 10 (All) * 11 (None) * 12 (Don’t know/refused) * 13 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh) voted against requiring medical care for aborted fetuses who survive the procedure. * 14 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh) supports giving driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants * 15 Obama (owe-BAHM-uh) described his former use of cocaine as using “a little blow.” Begala told the Washington Post that the survey was named for John McCain because “it was designed to test attacks that might come in the general election.” He also pointed out that “every campaign and every PAC tests potential negatives against the candidate they support...that’s all it was.” July 2015: Jennifer Granholm’s suggestion on how to get Clinton out of the “bubble” The former Michigan governor suggested Clinton could dispense with the idea that she’s “out of touch” by doing “work days,” in which she’d pick “8 occupations that she is willing to spend one day working at. She humbles herself, but gives dignity to the workers whose salaries she wants to raise.” Some of Granholm’s suggestions included working as a janitor in a school cafeteria, at a daycare center, making beds in a hotel, bussing tables at Denny’s or working “behind the counter at McDonalds or Chipotle’s!” CBS News’ Steve Chaggaris and Donald Judd contributed to this report © 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Trump Falsely Claims Republican Robert Mueller Is A DemocratTrump is so far off the reservation that he is claiming that Republican Special Counsel Robert Mueller is a Democrat who worked for Obama for eight years. Neither of these statements is true. Video: Trump said, “But you have a group of investigators that are all Democrats. In some cases, they went to the Hillary Clinton celebration that turned out to be a funeral. So you have all these investigators that are Democrats. In all fairness, Bob Mueller worked for Obama for eight years.” The Special Counsel is not a Democrat. He is a Republican. Robert Mueller did not work for Obama for eight years. He was replaced as FBI Director by James Comey in 2013. In 2011, Obama asked Mueller to say on beyond his initial ten-year term, and the Senate approved his request. Trump is in complete meltdown mode, and he is inventing reasons out of thin air for why he can’t sit down for an interview with the Special Counsel. The investigation is not a biased witch hunt against him. The Russia investigation is being run by members of Trump’s own party. Facts matter. The fact is that Trump is lying and running away from doing an interview with Mueller. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Michael Wolff on Billy Bush and How the Media Wrung Trump Dry Before Toppling Him Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Sleazy? Well, duh. Donald’s been a lout for three decades, but a sycophantic news business willingly built him up until, with some help from the former 'Access Hollywood' host (and Hillary's scary poll numbers), it decided to bring him down. Donald Trump has been hiding in plain sight. Or not hiding. Seldom, if ever, has an American politician so aggressively acted out and imposed his unfiltered personality on the public, consequences be damned. And yet, the final weeks of the presidential campaign now are wholly centered on the media's shocking revelations about who he really is. "Well, where have you been?" is one glaring question for the media. The other is about how complicit the media has been in covering for him until now. Trump is a thrice-married beauty pageant owner, a compulsive attention seeker and a sexual braggart. The possibility of him not engaging in lewd, loutish, outre and, for a presidential candidate, scandalous behavior is nil. Was no one in the media looking? Did nobody care about the details? Or was it just not possible to believe what was as clear as the noses on our faces? A journalist's job can't be so easy as that. Or, perhaps, it was just a case of not wanting to belabor the obvious: It would hardly seem to advance the discussion to insist that Trump is an oaf, brute, philistine and cad, which is, of course, exactly the shocked — shocked! — point that now repeatedly is being made in the campaign's final days. Or, as the candidate uniquely created and promoted by the media, has he been gamely protected and tolerated through stages of amusement, gratefulness ("It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS," said CBS Corp. chief Leslie Moonves earlier in the cycle, no doubt now regretfully), incredulity and alarm, until we reached the horror stage in September with a sudden leveling of the polls, prompting the media to act in righteous concert? The unavoidable awkwardness, of course, is that so many of the details about Trump's particular sort of sleaziness, so many smoking guns, actually have been in the hands of the media all along. The more or less fatal bullet came from the NBC-owned infotainment show Access Hollywood. Billy Bush, who would become a Today show regular this summer — that is, an employee of the NBC News division of NBCUniversal — was the other party to the tape. He knew! Reports indicate that inside NBC he was talking openly about what he knew since this past August. Still, perhaps this wasn't seen so much as news but as Trump being Trump, as hilarity. Really, does the video reveal anything about Trump that was not previously known? Bush, now losing his Today role, becomes something of a tragic figure in this. In the business of stroking celebrities, he now is reviled for stroking one. Likewise, NBC, ever on the job of the care and maintenance of NBC stars, was no doubt instinctively reluctant to shoot one — one, as it happens, running for president. Billy Bush Part of the rationale about the video's news value, and for why the media should be so righteous about stomping on Trump now, is the seeming singularity of the vulgarity in Trump's own voice. (For those without television or internet, he told Bush, among other things, he "moved" on Bush's Access Hollywood co-anchor Nancy O'Dell "like a bitch" and noted "when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. … Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.") To have imagined it, to have intellectually appreciated what it must be, is nothing like actually hearing it. And yet, it turns out his real voice, offering a detailed and nuanced account of his sexual views and habits, was not at all unique. What he said theoretically in private to Bush he has said publicly over and over again with many variations — including agreeing with the description of himself as a sexual predator — to Howard Stern, for 30 years a leading champion of sexual harassment practices. Trump himself — recalling Gary Hart's fatal invitation to reporters to follow him if they didn't believe his claims of virtue — assured Anderson Cooper during the second debate that, in fact, he really didn't do the things he said he did. Voila! Among the accounts to swiftly contradict him was one from a former People reporter, Natasha Stoynoff, assigned to cover Trump and Melania at Mar-a-Lago in 2005 on the occasion of their first wedding anniversary. During the interview, in Stoynoff's telling, Trump sexually assaults her with a sudden kiss and grope. It is pretty much only Trump himself who now points out that the article she wrote based on this interview is a celebratory one. Nobody else, least of all anyone in the media, is saying People published a fraudulent story. It lied: People had firsthand proof the marriage was something other than what it said it was but drooled sycophantically over the couple anyway. The influence of People contributed to creating the celebrity stature of Trump. Now, with no more information than it had then, it wants to take that stature back. Who's responsible for what? Who's less trustworthy here? From left: Trump with actress Arianne Zucker and Bush, who was fired Oct. 17 by NBC. Another aspect of the media rationale for why now and not before involves the recently enshrined journalistic principle that the testimony of one victim brings out supporting testimony of others — and now there's a growing list of Trump grope victims — quite putting aside the fact that when witnesses have the opportunity to compare accounts, that necessarily lessens reliability. While it is wholly believable that Trump systematically mashed a lot of women, it also is as reasonable that the rudeness and grossness he has made no secret of, only now, in the tailoring of a chorus of accounts (lawyers shaping the language of decade-old memories) inflates to a media consensus of sociopathic if not criminal behavior. Indeed, The New York Times, when it previously pursued the issue of Trump's behavior toward women for an article in May, relying on independent accounts, came up with an entirely different tenor of story — "a complex, at times contradictory portrait of a wealthy, well-known and provocative man and the women around him, one that defies simple categorization." Trump, not surprisingly, now that he has been simply categorized as a sex abuser, makes matters worse for himself. By attacking the media — with toothless threats of lawsuits — he fortifies its unity and its certainty. But you can see why he's hurt and confused. For so long the media encouraged him to be Donald Trump. Thirty years of enabling him and encouraging him. And through more than 18 months of campaigning for president, it really seemed like he was going to get away with being who he was. But let no one forget: The media, if it makes you — in this instance with great civic resolve — can break you, too. This story first appeared in the Nov. 4 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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CNN's Don Lemon: Has Trump Sparked a "Whitelash" Against NFL Players And SupportersCNN's Don Lemon discusses a potential "whitelash" created by President Trump with network contributor Van Jones and his panel. From Friday's broadcast of CNN Tonight: DON LEMON, CNN: So we're back now with my panel. I want to bring them back in. Scott Jennings, Van Jones and David Swerdlick. Scott, I read those numbers differently than you read them. Because it shows that -- I think that most people think that the players have the right to do it. They have the right, that they're doing the right thing or that they had the right to do it, not that they're doing the right thing. But I think that I read that differently, that poll differently than you did. Van, I'm not sure if that is what you wanted to comment on. VAN JONES, CNN: Well, what I want to say is what's surprising -- it's not surprising that the majority of Americans look down on this protest. If you look at the 1960s, 1963, 67, 70 percent of white Americans said, hey, stop this black protesting. This freedom rights, you're hurting your cause, the sit-in movement, you're hurting your cause. Cut it out, it's bad. Huge numbers of people in the '60s with Dr. King said stop these black protests. When you look at these numbers, these are some of the most popular black protests in American history. If you look at contextually, what they're doing are some of the most popular protests in American history with white folks, because in general the white public has not liked to see black folks protesting. So I see it differently. LEMON: I see it differently because everyone, listen, when taking a knee, that is in reverence. But even the player I had on Michael Thomas of the Miami Dolphins said to me the other night, he said, everybody would like to stand. I think most people would like to stand. What the issue is that -- in that poll, 60 percent of Americans think that President Trump did the wrong thing by criticizing the athletes. This doesn't necessarily that they agree with what they did, but they think he should not have inserted himself. If you ask someone should you stand up for the flag? Of course they say you should stand up for the flag. But did he do the right thing in calling them sons of bitches and saying they should be fired, the majority of people saying, no, he shouldn't have done that. Van, I was talking to you, because I interrupted you. JONES: I mean Donald Trump never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Here's an issue where his concern is this line with public opinion, but the way he deals with it is actually, you know, puts him in a super minority in terms of people who are able to somehow bring himself to support his language and demeanor. I want to say this as clearly as I can say it. In this country, African- Americans, no matter what we do -- when we sit in, when we freedom ride, when we kneel in, whatever it is, the initial response from the public tends to be overwhelmingly negative, because basically we're kind of raining on folks' parades, I don't want to hear this stuff. As time goes on, the Muhammad Ali's and all the people that raised those issues, they then become heroes later. They're never heroes in the moment. They're heroes later on when people reflect on the courage they showed and the issues that they raised. And that is really where we are. Colin Kaepernick, as the years go on, will be a more and more revered figure and frankly, Donald Trump is in danger of being a more and more reviled figure as the years go on. LEMON: Another message, David, from the President seems to be that he gets to define what patriotism is and who is patriotic. SWERDLICK: That is right, Don. And I think he is made the mistake here kind of along the lines of what Van is saying by casting his view in the way that he did. There was a point just a week ago where the owners and management in the NFL were a lot closer to the position of the President by castigating the players in this way, he has driven the owners closer to the players because they -- I think been able to see that, ok, now when you have the players versus the President of the United States, you can see more clearly what the players are trying to do. The players have said Colin Kaepernick has said, his former teammate Eric Reed said in "The New York Times" this week that they chose kneeling specifically, because they wanted to do a protest in the most respectful way possible. They didn't stay in the locker room. They didn't turn their backs on the flag. They came out for the anthem, but knelt to underscore what is the underlying issue here, which is police violence and the tension between communities of color and police. But, no, no, go ahead. LEMON: Not to rush you guys along but I want to get to two things. Why do we play the national anthem at a ball game anyway? Why is that such a big deal? JENNINGS: We play it at a lot of events. I view it as one of the rituals that we all go through together that reminds us that we're all in this together. We're all Americans and we're all in this experience together. But there's an important set of rituals we go through that sort of give us that every now and then reminder that, hey, we're all Americans and what does it mean to be an American? It means we're all in this country together and we're all fighting for the same thing, the same freedom, and the same liberty. I think when people see what they perceive as disrespect of those rituals, they have a visceral reaction. Trump has a visceral reaction, a lot of his supporters do. According to a CNN poll 90 percent of his supporters had the same reaction that he did. There's a population that don't like to see people disrespecting the rituals that reminds us, hey, we're all in this together. LEMON: That is been my whole point. Is that this President has had the chance to elevate and educate people to realize that just by draping yourself in the flag is not necessarily patriotism. That is just a ritual and rituals can be hollow. Van, when you step back and think about all the President has said about the NFL players, and I know that -- is this a white lash against the players and the supporters that is what's resulted here? JONES: If you take a big step back, there's something happening throughout the west that this politics of resentment, this politics of kind of finding these dog whistle issues is becoming a playbook for a certain set of politicians. You saw that happening in Germany, very far right people who made it to parliament in Germany. Playing us against each other. And I think the President of the United States is all too often guilty of those same kinds of tactics. I think that we have forgotten -- we've got of lost the plot here. Those NFL players, the African-American ones, they say well, they're rich. They should just be grateful. They shouldn't complain. Rich celebrities shouldn't complain. Donald Trump is a rich celebrity -- LEMON: All the time. JONES: -- and he is been complaining all the time. Apparently it's ok to be a rich celebrity and complain. Ask the President. That is how he got where he is. They say they shouldn't raise these issues, a lot of these guys are two or three years out of the hood. Their families still live there. They're getting text messages from cousins. They go home to thanksgiving to neighborhoods where if it was mine or yours or Donald Trump's neighborhood, they would be screaming and yelling something is going terribly wrong. The street violence and the police violence. Too much violence, too many funerals. They're doing a good thing for American racist issues.

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Truck Ad Featuring Ivanka Trump Bashing Roy Moore Trolls Dad's Rally We're in Pensacola promoting @IvankaTrump's comments on Roy Moore pic.twitter.com/NJ3evTw0mw— While President Donald Trump was inside the Pensacola Bay Center auditorium in Florida on Friday night, urging people to vote for Senate candidate Roy Moore, Ivanka Trump’s pointed comment on accusations against the Alabama Republican was plastered on a political ad outside. The giant ad covered the sides of a truck that was parked across the street from the auditorium and then was driven around the rally. The ad featured a giant photo of Ivanka’s face along with her cutting comment about Moore in an Associated Press interview last month. “There’s a special place in hell for those who abuse children,” she said. (She also said in that interview that she had “no reason to doubt the victims’ accounts.”) She criticized Moore just days after The Washington Post reported he had had inappropriate relationships with teens when he was in his 30s. One woman said he removed her clothing and groped her when she was just 14. The ads were arranged for Trump’s Pensacola rally by American Bridge, a liberal group and PAC. “Try as Trump and the Republican Party might, there’s no way to escape the truth about Roy Moore or Ivanka Trump’s own words,” American Bridge spokeswoman Allison Teixeira Sulier said in a statement. “It’s a disgusting new low that the President, the RNC, and the rest of the Republican Party are trying to help send a pedophile to the US Senate, and the American people won’t soon forget it.” The New York Times reported last month that Trump was angry with his daughterfor speaking out against Moore. The president strongly supports the former judge despite multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. Related Video:

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‘Mother of All Rallies’ MOAR Rally Photos: Pictures from the Pro-Trump EventA big pro-Trump rally called “The Mother of All Rallies” (or MOAR for short) is taking place today in Washington, D.C. These are photos from the event, to give you an idea of what is happening today. The MOAR rally began its opening ceremonies at the north end of the Mall, near the Washington monument, at 11 a.m. Eastern, according to their website. “Keynote speakers will include author Hamody Jasim, Marco Gutierrez founder of Latinos for Trump, and congressional candidate for California Omar Navarro. The band Madison Rising is the featured performer. Panel discussions on a number of hot topics are also planned and much will be happening throughout the day and evening.” Peter Boykin, president of Gays for Trump and a speaker at the rally, told the Washington Post that some topics discussed at the event will be more controversial, including transgender men and women in the military, Sharia law, and the dreamers immigration program. According to the event’s website, the rally is focused on freedom, putting America first, and uniting everyone under the American flag: …No confederate flags, communist flags, or foreign flags allowed. This is not a Democrat or Republican rally. It’s not a left or right rally. We condemn racists of all colors and supremacy of all colors. Our patriots are of all colors and we are uniting under our constitutional rights. We are Americans and our color shouldn’t matter.” The event’s Facebook page mentions that the event is “in support of American values, American culture, American traditions, and of course President Donald Trump.” About 2,000 people RSVP’d for the event on Facebook, and an additional 6,200 indicated that they were interested in the event. The organizers originally wanted one million people at the event. But both Jason Webber, an organizer of the Juggalo rally, and Peter Boykin, a speaker at the MOAR rally, told The Washington Post that their events don’t plan to interact with each other and they don’t expect any brawls. Supporters have also been posting on Twitter and other social media sites about the event. Some counter protesters showed up too: The website for the event took pains to set itself up as different from the Charlottesville rally, saying that they wanted American flags and Confederate flags would not be allowed. The event was also heavily pro-Trump.

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Racist Scare: The New McCarthyismDuring the 1950s “Red Scare,” innocent Americans were smeared and sometimes blacklisted for being supposed Communists. Real subversives existed, including Alger Hiss, a traitor and Soviet spy whom liberals – to their misfortune – made into a poster boy of McCarthyism. But the actual number of Communists was tiny and utterly not commensurate with the fervent public witch hunt led by right-wingers. Today’s group hysteria comes from the left, as a fanatic political mob sees racists behind every door. Their paranoia is not harmless, as they use the racist bogeyman to intimidate political adversaries – and sometimes erstwhile friends – while seeking to silence political dialogue. As with the Red Scare, there’s some reason for vigilance regarding actual racists, as Charlottesville reminded us. But as with the hunt for Communists under every bed, the scare tactics far outweigh the actual problem. The New McCarthyism revealed its full absurdity this week via the ACLU’s Twitter stream, which had the temerity to post a picture of an adorable young toddler holding an American flag and a doll with the tag line “This is the future that ACLU members want.” Because the girl (TRIGGER WARNING: I assume it’s a girl, given the doll) happens to be blonde and Caucasian, the ACLU was promptly attacked – the ACLU! Immediately the politically correct rage mob commenced a digital protest led by credentialed injustice professionals such as Professor Nyasha Junior of Temple University who posted, “A white kid with a flag?!” Yes, Professor. In much of America outside of your faculty lounge, young American children waving Old Glory warms the heart and makes us smile rather than prompt thoughts of white supremacy lurking under the sheets. Did the ACLU, a group once known for taking brave and unpopular stands, hold its ground or, better yet, simply ignore the online rabble? Sadly, no. The organization shortly responded with a Kermit the Frog image saying “That’s a very good point” and the post “When your followers keep you in check and remind you that white supremacy is everywhere.” Come again? This lovely young kid holding a flag equals “white supremacy”? Who even thinks of such things? Answer: the diversity hustlers. Shame on the ACLU, which apparently should have posted a picture of a gender-fluid dark-skinned child, holding a rainbow flag, perhaps with a COEXIST sticker on [gender-neutral pronoun] wheelchair. This is not merely social-media silliness. It’s not even lunacy, although it certainly seems insane. This is a weapon used cynically and viciously -- little girls are apparently acceptable collateral damage -- by the left to isolate and demonize opponents, and particularly President Trump and his supporters. As MSNBC’s Donny Deutsch said of Trump: “He is a racist -- can we just say it once and for all?” Such accusations are not rare. If I had a dollar for every time the mainstream media accused Trump and his voters of racism, I’d be about as rich as the recent Powerball winner. As a Hispanic, I believe that people of color, for far too long, have been taken for granted by the Democratic Party. I also believe that the Trump movement represents real policy solutions for the woes of poverty and violence that burden too many African-American and Latino citizens. But the digital rage mob holds people like me in particular contempt, as I saw during the 2016 campaign in the form of a constant stream of online slurs. Yes, today’s liberals are quick to use racism’s terms when it suits their purposes, calling me a “coconut” (brown on the outside, white on the inside) and “Tio Tomas” (Uncle Tom in Spanish). One of the main reasons America has succeeded as a country lies is our rejection of the tribalism that afflicts and paralyzes so much of the world. America is an idea, and one open to all who embrace it, regardless of skin color, heritage, or religion. To be sure, America must own the racist sins of our history. Thankfully, such systemic racism is just that, history – as evidenced by electing twice to our highest office an African-American man with a decidedly un-European name. Instead of allowing a new scourge, this Racist Scare, to corrode our discourse, we must embrace our common American identity, rooted in our best traditions and elucidated in our founding documents. We should be difficult to offend and slow to accuse others of the disease of prejudice. As the incumbent president of the United States explained in his inaugural address seven months ago: “When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for bigotry.” Amen. Steve Cortes, a contributor to RealClearPolitics and Fox News, is the national spokesman for the Hispanic 100, an organization that promotes Latino leadership by advancing free enterprise principles. His Twitter handle is @CortesSteve. Secret Message from God Found in Human DNA (See What It Says)

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Delighted' MEXICAN woman can't wait for Donald Trump's 'great wall' to be builtIn his election campaign, Mr Trump was clear about his desire to build a "great great" wall along the border of the US and Mexico which he believes will bring an end to illegal immigration from South and Central America. LBC presenter Ian Collins received a call from Mexican Josephine, who explained why she could not wait for work to begin on the wall. Josephine believes people from her native country are victimised because the Mexican government does not do enough for their people and have no authority when it comes to handling crime, especially in relation to drugs. She said: “We get the blame for all these criminals. A Mexican caller is excited for Donald Trump to build a wall along the American and Mexican border “The Mexican government has turned a blind eye and the war has been lost with the drugs. “Many areas of Mexico have become worse than Chicago. “People are shooting themselves... they look after their family and they have machine guns and they drive around in trucks.” Collins then asked: “So you’re saying Donald Trump wasn’t being a racist then? I don’t want to put words in your mouth I just want to be clear.” Tue, December 13, 2016 Donald John Trump is an American businessman and politician who is President-elect of the United States as well as chairman and president of The Trump Organization “No, no, no,” Josephine replied. Since becoming President-elect has reiterated his intention to crack down on immigration. Speaking to CBS in his first major interview since being elected Mr Trump said: “What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably two million – it could be even three million – we are getting them out of the country or we are going to incarcerate.” Collins, attempting to understand why the Mexican woman was so pleased about Mr Trump’s election success, said: “Was he saying something that lots of people think but are too scared to say?” Josephine said: “Yes, and another thing is that I love the people that are here that I know, I know many people that are Asians, that are Arabs, good speaking English people, but there are very few. “The most people in the area don’t want to mix, and they are very hostile. “Everything has been twisted. I have scrutinised everything in this campaign and newspapers said today he is getting rid of three million migrants. “But they missed a word. Trump said ‘illegal criminals’.”

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Uber Driver Catches Cop In A Lie About The Law And Totally Schools HimWhen you’re caught in a lie, it can be difficult to know what to do. As much as it may be morally correct to admit your wrongdoing, that’s too embarrassing and shameful for some individuals to handle. Unfortunately, that’s why many people find themselves only getting deeper and deeper into their lies. In order to cover up for themselves, they just keep making up more and more details until their story spirals out of control. One group of people that tend to know how to deal with liars easily are legal professionals. So when this cop tried to make up a law right to an attorney, you can imagine that things quickly got out of hand! Like many people looking to make a few extra dollars these days, Wilmington, North Carolina resident Jesse Bright had been using some of his spare time to serve as a driver for the ride-sharing app Uber. However, he also had a day job—one that would come in handy later. One day, Jesse was unexpectedly pulled over by a police officer, who detained his passenger, confiscating his items. Soon enough, Jesse was surrounded by officers. He thought that the whole situation seemed suspicious, to the point that he was afraid that one of the cops may have slipped something onto his passenger seat. Continue reading on the next page…

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Recycling Obama's Failed Policies Won't Boost DemocratsIf you don’t succeed at first, fail and fail again. Democratic congressional leaders who seem to be pursuing that strategy trotted out a series of failed solutions Monday to problems that only worsened under the Obama administration. They mislabeled their absurd plan “A Better Deal.” If truth-in-labeling laws applied to political slogans, the Democrats would have to rename their new game plan “An Awful Deal.” Read Full Article » Sponsored RCP Average 7/23 - 8/25 -- -- 26.0 18.8 14.5 12.0 6.3 Graham +7.2

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FBI reviewing newly discovered Clinton-related emailsThe FBI has discovered a batch of new emails that “appear to be pertinent” to the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, according to a letter FBI Director James Comey sent to the chairs of pertinent Congressional and Senate committees Friday. The FBI’s investigative team briefed Comey Thursday about the new emails and is now assessing, Comey wrote, “whether or not this material may be significant.” In his letter, the FBI director also warned the committee chairs, “I cannot predict how long it will take us to complete this additional work.” Law enforcement sources told CBS News’ Jeff Pegues that the sheer volume of emails and the process of examining them will take days. Investigators are looking into whether they contain classified information. In a hastily arranged press conference Friday night, Clinton said it was “imperative” for the FBI to “explain this issue ... without delay.” Clinton said she is “confident” the conclusion reached in July about her emails will not change and downplayed its potential effect on the election. “I think people a long time ago made up their minds about the emails,” she said. The new emails -- which potentially number in the thousands -- came from a laptop that had been shared by top Clinton aide Huma Abedin and her now-estranged husband, Anthony Weiner, CBS News’ Jeff Pegues reported. Asked if Abedin had shared with her what might have been discovered, Clinton said she had no information and “we don’t know what to believe.” “We’ve heard these rumors, we don’t know what to believe, and I’m sure there are going to be even more rumors, which is why it is incumbent on the FBI to tell us what is going on,” Clinton said. “Right now, you’re guess is as good as mine, and that’s not good enough.” Clinton’s campaign said it had no advance knowledge of Comey’s letter, and the campaign staff found out about it only after the news had broken Friday afternoon, while Clinton was on a two-hour,15-minute flight traveling with staff and with reporters to Cedar Rapids, all of whom had little or no Wi-Fi access for most of the duration of the flight Reporters shouted questions to Clinton as she walked from the plane in Cedar Rapids to the car that took her to her rally. She just smiled and waved, ignoring the questions. House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, announced the FBI’s discovery of the emails. FBI Dir just informed me, "The FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation." Case reopened— Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) October 28, 2016 Pegues confirmed Friday that the new batch of emails was discovered during the investigation into the August sexting scandal of Anthony Weiner, the husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, after the agency seized electronic devices belonging to the couple. Weiner was alleged to be exchanging sexually explicit messages with a 15-year-old girl. Comey’s letter to Congress informed lawmakers that he was supplementing his previous testimony on the matter of the investigation, which was completed in July. At the time, Comey recommended no charges against Hillary Clinton, which was accepted by the Justice Department. Following the release of the FBI letter, House Speaker Paul Ryan reiterated his call for the Director of National Intelligence to stop giving classified briefings to Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee. “This decision, long overdue, is the result of her reckless use of a private email server, and her refusal to be forthcoming with federal investigators,” Ryan said in a statement. “I renew my call for the Director of National Intelligence to suspend all classified briefings for Secretary Clinton until this matter is fully resolved.” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Friday that the Department is trying to figure out what these emails pertain to and whether they’re relevant to Clinton’s time as secretary of state. Toner said they can’t make any assumptions that they are, “but they may be.” If so, Toner said the State Department is ready to cooperate with the FBI, but as of Friday afternoon, the department had not been contacted by the agency. Donald Trump weighed in on the news at a Friday rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, saying that “perhaps justice will be done” after the FBI takes further investigative steps on the emails. The audience roared, “Lock her up! Lock her up,” as Trump declared, “Hillary Clinton’s corruption is on a scale we have never seen before...We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office.” Trump also commended the FBI for now being “willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made” in announcing its investigation was complete. “This was a grave miscarriage of justice that the American people fully understood and it is everybody’s hope that it is about to be corrected,” he said. Later, Trump said of the “system” he has claimed to be “rigged” for several weeks: “It might be not be as rigged as I thought. I think they’re going to right the ship, folks. I think they’re going to right this yet.” John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chair, called on Comey in a statement to “immediately provide the American public more information than is contained in the letter” sent to Senate and House committee chairmen. “Director Comey’s letter refers to emails that have come to light in an unrelated case, but we have no idea what those emails are and the Director himself notes they may not even be significant,” Podesta wrote Friday afternoon. “The Director owes it to the American people to immediately provide the full details of what he is now examining. We are confident this will not produce any conclusions different from the one the FBI reached in July.” He added that, in the months since the email investigation was completed, partisan efforts have continued to undermine the agency. “Donald Trump and his Republican allies have been baselessly second-guessing the FBI and, in both public and private, browbeating the career officials there to revisit their conclusion in a desperate attempt to harm Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign,” Podesta said. The timing of the revelation has angered some former Department of Justice employees. Former spokesman Matthew Miller called the disclosure “inappropriate” on Twitter and suggested that Comey had broken a cardinal rule: But today's disclosure might be worst abuse yet. DOJ goes out of its way to avoid publicly discussing investigations close to election. 5/— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 28, 2016 CBS News’ Jeff Pegues, Catherine Reynolds, Nancy Cordes, Andres Triay, Steven Portnoy and Hannah Fraser-Chanpong contributed to this report.

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Stephen Paddock: What We Know About The Las Vegas ShooterLas Vegas police confirmed the man they believe to be responsible for killing more than 58 people is Stephen Paddock. Here's what we know about him. - Stephen Paddock is a 64-year-old white male. - Paddock was not known to the federal authorities, but was known to local law enforcement. This is the first unconfirmed picture of Stephen Paddock. - He lived in Mesquite, Nevada with Marilou Danley on Babbling Brook Ct. Police are searching his house. NBC reporting #LasVegas shooter as Stephen C Paddock who looks to be living at this address with Marilou Danley who Police are searching for pic.twitter.com/Ib1FQMhDBC— Vincent McAviney (@Vinny_LBC) October 2, 2017 - Police said that Ms Danley was seen sitting with the suspected shooter in a car before the incident and they are searching for her. She is described as an Asian female who is 4'11". - He was found on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Casino. Police said he had numerous weapons with him. - Police believe he killed himself in a hotel room before they found him. Marilou Danley who #LasVegas police are searching for in connection to the #mandalaybay shooting has previously been to events at hotel: pic.twitter.com/djBDEmHKU0— Vincent McAviney (@Vinny_LBC) October 2, 2017 - Police believe this was a "lone wolf" attack and he was the only shooter. Over 58 people died and more than 500 were injured after a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival which was taking place across the road from Mandalay Bay on the famous Las Vegas Strip. This makes it the biggest mass shooting in US history.

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Confederate controversy“They’ve forgotten about us.” I don’t remember where I heard this, perhaps somewhere in the small town of Blacksburg, Virginia, but the context was definitely political. The IRS is always out to get our money – of course the government hasn’t forgotten about us, right? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized the meaning behind that statement. Since the founding days of the United States, a problem has always been the power balance between small states and big states. Presently, this has evolved into the local balance between rural areas and urban areas. I remember hearing in government class how just a dozen or so of the largest cities in the United States could swing the popular vote to one political party and realizing just how valuable the electoral college is to modern politics. There’s no simple alternative to balancing out protecting the interests of the rural minority and forwarding those of the urban majority. From the U.S. Census: “Rural areas cover 97 percent of the nation’s land area but contain 19.3 percent of the population.” This is a huge disparity; how can state governments look out for rural counties when urban counties dominate the political sphere? For many in southwestern Virginia, it seems that politicians are always subverting rural interests in favor of the dense, northern urban areas. Even the President and many other conservatives use this idea of rural areas being left out to win votes. From his always-rambunctious Twitter account, Trump proclaimed: “The Democrats in the Southwest part of Virginia have been abandoned by their Party. Republican Ed Gillespie will never let you down!” In a time of great change and technology around the globe, sometimes it can feel as if rural areas are being left behind. Given this context, I’d like to quickly transition to a discussion about the political frustrations surrounding the Confederate flag. The Civil War was definitely fought over slavery, but does that make the Confederate flag racist? Probably. But I’d also like to consider what the Confederate flag symbolizes to many in the South. Growing up, Confederate flags were never really made out to be a big deal. I remember thinking nothing of the raised Confederate flags on the way to swim meets and camps. I remember the public outcry throughout the region when the school sent out an announcement banning Confederate attire. Even recently, right before I came to Stanford, I was driving home one night and pulled up next to a beat-up pickup truck flying two large Confederate flags at a traffic light. It felt pretty normal, albeit a little strange especially because of the earlier South Carolina flag controversy and the happenings in Charlottesville. This was the norm. The problem is just how commonplace these provocative items are in the region. These rural Southerners, a legislative minority, are painted as villains, outcasts for not seeing these items as strange in such an apparently “progressive” society. This is an issue because first off, no one likes being called a villain, and secondly, to many of these people – who have seen crumbling infrastructure, a stagnating economy and skyrocketing health care premiums (one of my older teachers always complained about his wife’s new insurance bill under Obamacare) – are we really that progressive? And how high should working out our flag issues be on our priorities list? Should we be arguing over a flag when there are places with exactly zero professional medical attention? I remember watching the local news and finding out that in nearby Wise County, Virginia, the only time people can receive medical attention is once a year, when a mobile clinic known as the Remove Area Medical arrives. General health is deteriorating every year as lung cancer and obesity set in. Things really aren’t looking up for the people here. The fact that a colored piece of cloth is generating the most media coverage instead of a terrible healthcare crisis here is a sort of a slap in the face to the coal miner with permanent nerve damage or the diabetic who can’t access insulin. We tend to separate the world into “us” and the “other,” but we fail to realize that the “other” may also be struggling to come to grips with the world too. There are definitely two sides to the argument, and I’m not advocating for any position. There are many parts of the country that need work. Racism is a huge problem that we need to solve as soon as possible. Denigrating an important bloc of people for the sake of making a point will only divide the nation even more. If we are to move forward and be “progressive,” we need to set aside distractions, unify in our actions and put our attention to the big picture. Contact Tiger Sun at tgsun ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Donald Trump Cannot Be President of the United StatesYou cannot vote for Donald Trump and pretend that this is just another election, and he is just another candidate. Evan Vucci/AP It’s easy to make fun of the hats. It’s not so easy to contemplate what makes so many people think America’s greatness is in desperate need of reformation, or what would make them turn to someone like Donald Trump to make it a reality. America has flaws as deep as its founding, when the men who laid down basic principles of human rights – principles that have endured 240 years – were fed and clothed by human beings they owned. That paradox still defines the fault lines of our nation, and it’s along those lines we are drawing the ugliest election in modern history. It isn’t just economic anxiety or trade deals or the opioid epidemic driving the mostly white, mostly male movement behind Trump’s campaign. It is the existential fear of displacement from a world that has slowly – too slowly, for too long – been chipping away at white male supremacy. The “grab ’em by the pussy” moment was disastrous for Trump’s campaign; it reinforced the defining narrative of his sexism. But it drew his strongest supporters even closer to him, because it reminded them of the world they’re losing. They want to live in an America where they can grab women by the pussy and brag about it to their friends. They want to casually use the n-word – just for the bad ones; they’re not racist! – without being set upon by the PC police. They want what’s coming to them, what’s owed them. And they are willing to burn down the world to get it. Donald Trump is the worst major-party candidate for president in American history. This is not a close call. By virtually any measure, he is unfit to lead a Cub Scout troop, let alone the nation with the world’s most powerful military. It’s worth going back and reading the transcripts of his debates with Hillary Clinton just to remember how he speaks when he’s answering questions off the cuff. It’s breathtaking how incapable he is of forming a single coherent thought. The expectations for him were so low that there was little to no coverage of his failure over four-and-a-half hours to say anything intelligent about any issue important to the American people. He meanders, he interrupts, and he whines. He is uninformed and unprepared. Trump’s values are, in a word, deplorable. He launched his campaign calling Mexican immigrants rapists, issued a call for a ban on immigration by Muslims, and said women should be punished for getting an abortion. He lies, constantly, about everything. He stokes anger and fear and even violence among his supporters. He nurtures their very worst instincts. He brags he has the best temperament, but that’s nonsense. He’s lashed out and punched down, attacking the parents of a dead soldier, a former beauty pageant winner who gained weight, countless reporters and anyone he perceives as insulting him. It is impossible to predict exactly how deep a disaster Donald Trump’s presidency would be, but there’s no limit to the potential for horror. Think how much we still don’t know about Trump – how he hasn’t released his taxes, how many women there likely are who haven’t come forward – and you can imagine the scandals and corruption that lie in wait. Consider how thin his policy knowledge is and how impulsively he reacts to insults, and imagine his twitchy little fingers on the nuclear button. Donald Trump cannot be president of the United States. And while Trump has a considerable movement of supporters who see him as a great conquering hero, who believe every word of his lies, no matter how outlandish and easily disproven, there are many people, even at this late hour, who are torn about whether they can support him. Maybe they’re deeply conservative Republicans who despise what they believe Clinton would do to the country. Maybe they’re independents who see constant stories about her emails and have genuine fears about her judgment. But now is the moment for every last American to decide what it truly means to be a citizen. You can be reluctant about Hillary Clinton. You don’t even have to vote for her (though I did, without doubt or hesitation). What you cannot do is vote for Donald Trump and pretend that this is just another election, and he is just another candidate. It is your minimum duty as a citizen not to support a racist, sexist, unqualified, dishonest, corrupt manchild who celebrates everything that’s ugly about America and not a single thing that’s great about it. No matter how left out or left behind you feel, voting for Trump is nothing short of a moral failure. It’s a vicious act against the human beings, mostly women and people of color, who would suffer miserably under his presidency. It’s an act of violence against America itself, whose greatness has always been about progressing from more oppression to less – slowly, sometimes haltingly, but forward. The promise on those red hats is to turn back in the other direction. The greatness they sell is a lie. Watch Donald Trump’s acceptance speech after becoming the new President-elect of the United States.

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The Economist: Trump’s Creating More MS-13 GangmembersRUSH: I used to read The Economist. It's a British magazine that focuses on economic matters. It's also a journal of opinion disguised, and my memory is that The Economist -- and I'm talking 20 years ago, now, 25 years. I haven't read it in a long, long time. It used to be approved reading by the intellectual right. My memory was that it was valuable here and there. It had some decent insight. But they're gone. Look at this: The Economist explains how Donald Trump may be making life easier for MS-13, the street gang. This is very long, typically long. The Economist's argument, the point is Trump's tough talk is encouraging and emboldening the street gang MS-13. That's right! Tough talk at the North Korean lunatic dictator? That's just making him bigger! That's just making him tougher. That's just steeling his resolve. Now Trump is doing the same thing -- he's talking tough on MS-13 -- and what's happening? He's making them bigger! Let me ask you a question: What is the status of illegal immigration in the country today versus when Trump was inaugurated? In fact, let's just measure it year over year. Illegal immigration is way down, is it not? I mean, it's down by a factor of millions, is it not? It is, folks. Don't doubt me. Have we had any significant changes in the law? Has there been any comprehensive or otherwise immigration reform or new legislation? The answer is, no. There hasn't been any substantive change whatsoever. How has Donald Trump been approaching the issue? Well, since the middle of 2015, he's been talkin' tough on it, and he's been tellin' people we're going to build a wall -- and he's been telling people that if they come in illegally, we're going to track them down and we're going to deport them. He's been telling people if they're here illegally and we find them we're going to deport them. The point is Donald Trump has been talking tough on illegal immigration, and what has happened? It's way down. The number of people trying to get into the country illegally is way, way down. Now if you listen to the left, Donald Trump's tough talk on illegal immigration should have them pouring over the border. Donald Trump's tough talk on illegal immigration should be making these illegal immigrants and their coyotes and their supporters twice or three times as committed to get in here. But it's not working out that way. Just the enforcement of existing law -- the promise to enforce existing law, the threat to enforce existing law, the commitment to build the wall, the tough talk, the committed talk on the policy -- is actually working. It is causing there to be a massive, major reduction in the numbers of people attempting to get into the country illegally. There's documented evidence that tough talk is working. Honest, tough talk is working. Yet, tough talk with Kim Jong-un? "Oh, no! It's going to lead to nuclear war! Oh my God, we're going to die!" Same thing with MS-13, according to The Economist. Donald Trump is making life for these gang members easier and easier. He's talking tough and he's just helping them recruit more members. Now you can't have it both ways.

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B&B Recap: Quinn unleashes her inner pain on a stunned RidgeTuesday January 17, 2017: Eric hopes for a breakthrough, Thomas and Steffy chat about their lives, and Bill counsels Liam to have patience. In San Francisco, Ridge pours a drink and Quinn accepts another as well. She asks him to leave, but he’s not going anywhere. Quinn warns Ridge that if he thinks she’d betray Eric, he doesn’t know a damn thing about her. Ridge invites her to make him understand. Quinn opens up about feeling disrespected and used repeatedly. She recalls how Bill tossed her aside, and all the men who came after him were the same. Ridge notes he’s nothing like Bill Spencer. Incredulous, Quinn points out what Ridge was planning to do to her – he’s exactly like him! She says Eric is the first man to respect her and she’s not giving that up…ever. Ridge explains it’s his job to protect his dad from people like her. Quinn counters if she was a golddigger she would have gone after Bill’s millions. She becomes emotional describing what it was like to raise Wyatt while poor and trying to start a business. Ridge sees why she built a wall around herself, but says she went too far, with Liam for example. Quinn screams that she hates who she was then, but finally she has a life worth living because of love. “I am not letting you take that away from me!” Ridge reiterates that he wants to protect his father since Quinn goes through the world pushing people away. Quinn protests that she had to, to survive, but Eric saw through that and took a chance on her. She sobs that after years of being alone anymore, she’s not now, and she doesn’t ever want to be alone again. Ridge softens, and assures her she’s not alone. He can see why his father fell for her – he sees the beautiful woman she hides from the world. “It’s going to be fine.” Ridge warns she has to stop spinning webs and building walls. “You’re amazing. Trust that.” They embrace…and then kiss. Both look stunned. At the Forrester mansion, Katie is concerned about being alone with Eric while Quinn’s out of town. He reassures his neighbor that Quinn trusts him as much as he trusts her. They joke about Ridge and Quinn being in San Francisco. Eric is hoping for some sort of breakthrough. In Malibu, Bill and Liam discuss Spencer Publications business, but Liam is distracted. He wants Steffy to come home. Bill opens up about his frustrations with Brooke. He counsels that sometimes you just have to know that things will work out even if it takes time. Bill predicts Steffy will move back in with Liam and Brooke’s marriage to Ridge won’t happen. Bill is certain Ridge will mess up; he always does. Just in: B&B’s Linsey Godfrey reveals photos of herself as a zombie for Living With the Dead role At the loft, Thomas tells Steffy he doesn’t know when Caroline is coming back. He hints that when she and Douglas do arrive, it would be nice not to have a roommate. Steffy explains that she’s waiting to move back into Liam’s out of fairness to Wyatt. Talk turns to Quinn. Steffy will never trust her. Thomas wonders why she hasn’t had a meltdown yet. Steffy just hopes Eric’s not too badly hurt when she does. Next on The Bold and the Beautiful: Ridge and Quinn are surprised by their changing feelings toward one another. Photo credit: Howard Wise/JPI - Candace Young

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Liberals wailing about gun control, but what about abortion? Photo By Justin Sullivan/Getty Images In response to Joyce Newman’s recent letter about a conversation about guns: According to the National Right to Life Organization, approximately 600,000 babies are murdered every year by Planned Parenthood with more than 52 million murdered since Roe v. Wade. This makes Planned Parenthood the biggest mass murderer in the history of the world. Is she willing to have a serious conversation about that? Where is her outrage over that? More people die every year from overdoses or auto accidents then from guns. More people die every year from obesity then from guns. Where is her outrage over those issues? The left’s obsession with gun “control” is just that, control. It has always been about Democrats wanting to control every aspect of your life. They support Planned Parenthood but go ballistic when a gun is used to kill someone. It’s the old game of “don’t pay any attention to what’s going on over there, but look what’s happening here.”

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Latest leaked emails: Former top aide to Bill Clinton disparages Chelsea Clinton Chelsea Clinton strikes a pose during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008. Photos: Chelsea Clinton through The Years Photos: Presidential Daughters Photos: White House Weddings WASHINGTON Newly leaked emails show consternation among those closest to Hillary Clinton about how Bill Clinton’s business dealings might damage his reputation and potentially affect her presidential hopes. The emails, posted Monday by the WikiLeaks organization, also give insight into tension and turmoil within the Clinton Foundation while Clinton was serving as secretary of state. The chief operating officer of the family charity was reported to be threatening to commit suicide over the stress. WikiLeaks began releasing on Friday what it says are years of messages from the accounts of Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta. Podesta has acknowledged his emails were hacked, but warned the messages may have been altered or edited to do political damage to Clinton. It wasn’t immediately clear who hacked Podesta’s emails, though U.S. intelligence officials last week blamed the Russian government for a series of breaches and leaks intended to influence the presidential election. The emails that circulated among Podesta, Chelsea Clinton and former Bill Clinton aide Doug Band detail internal tensions that simmered inside the Clinton Foundation and appear to have played a role in Band’s departure from the family charity. Internal concerns among Clinton family intimates about Band and the private corporate advisory firm he co-founded, Teneo Holdings, have been previously detailed in several media accounts. But the new emails provide raw glimpses of an apparent power struggle between the Clintons’ daughter and Band, who worked closely for Bill Clinton for more than a decade after the end of the Clinton administration. In an email exchange from December 2011, Chelsea Clinton tells Podesta and others - including Clinton adviser and current Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe - that she’s increasingly concerned about Teneo. The email includes a forwarded news article that alleges that Bill Clinton had collected $50,000 a month through Teneo from MF Global, the commodities brokerage formerly run by former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, while MF Global was preparing to file for bankruptcy. Chelsea Clinton told Podesta and others that two people separately came up to her at a London event for the Clinton Foundation to raise concerns that someone representing Teneo clients had been calling members of the British Parliament “on behalf of President Clinton” without her father’s knowledge. Chelsea Clinton said the calls had people in London “making comparisons” between the “profit motivations” of the former president and former Prime Minister Tony Blair. “Which would horrify my father,” Chelsea Clinton wrote. Band wrote in an email that Chelsea Clinton seemed more concerned about critical news coverage about MF Global, a derivatives broker, and Band’s advisory firm, Teneo, than published reports about Bill Clinton’s infidelity. “I realize it is difficult to confront and reason with her but this could go (too) far and then we all will have a real serious set of other problems,” Band vented in an exchange sent to Podesta. “I don’t deserve this from her and deserve a tad more respect. ... She is acting like a spoiled brat kid who has nothing else to do but create issues to justify what she’s doing because she, as she has said, hasn’t found her way and has a lack of focus in her life.” The emails reflect the ascendance of Chelsea Clinton - as early as 2011 - inside the family charity. The younger Clinton was recently was anointed as the Clinton Foundation’s future leader if her mother wins the presidency next month. Bill Clinton announced in August that he planned to step down from the charity’s board if his wife becomes president. Chelsea Clinton will remain on the organization’s board. Bill Clinton explained in a letter to supporters in August that he would resign and stop raising funds for the charity to eliminate “legitimate concerns about potential conflicts of interest.” Calls seeking comment from the Clinton Foundation and from Teneo, where Band works, received no response Monday. Also in December 2011, Clinton Foundation chief operating officer Laura Graham contacted Band to complain that stress she blamed on the former president and Chelsea Clinton was causing her to consider suicide. Band wrote that when Graham called him, she was in her car parked near the water with her foot on the gas pedal. He said he dissuaded her from hurting herself. “She called me to tell me the stress of all of this office crap with wjc and cvc as well as that of her family had driven her to the edge and she couldn’t take it anymore,” Band wrote in an email to Podesta and Cheryl Mills, then Hillary Clinton’s chief of staff. Graham later departed the Clinton Foundation, taking a new job with the Empire State Development Corporation. Phone messages left for Graham on Monday received no response. © 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Harvey Shows America's Colorblind Spirit -- Bad News for Race HustlersHurricane Harvey reveals an America that many in the media seem not to know exists: a multi-ethnic, multiracial country where people, for the most part, get along. For those who claim that President Donald Trump "coarsened" our politics and "set back race relations," Hurricane Harvey was pretty bad optics. Only weeks ago, some Democrats were counting the days toward Trump's impeachment and an early departure from the presidency. But last week they saw Trump, in Texas, looking quite presidential in his role as comforter in chief. They saw photos of a president soothing and embracing survivors, no matter their race or gender or sexual orientation. If he is a germaphobe, his fear must be in remission, as he hugged adult survivors and held kids in his arms. Texans, including black ones, appeared pleased by Trump's visit even as Democrats like Maxine Waters have denounced him as "racist," calling for his impeachment as Harvey was bearing down on Texas. Imagine this: neighbors helping neighbors, irrespective of race. But really, this is an old American story. Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville traveled to this fascinating new country called the United States of America in the 1830s. He wrote about what he considered an astonishing number of "mutual aid societies," or charitable organizations and clubs set up to help a community's needy. Tocqueville wrote: "Americans group together to hold fetes, found seminaries, build inns, construct churches, distribute books, dispatch missionaries to the antipodes. They establish hospitals, prisons, schools by the same method. Finally, if they wish to highlight a truth or develop an opinion by the encouragement of a great example, they form an association. ... "The love and respect of your neighbors must be gained by a long series of small services, hidden deeds of goodness, a persistent habit of kindness, and an established reputation of selflessness. ... I have seen Americans making great and sincere sacrifices for the key common good and a hundred times I have noticed that, when needs be, they almost always gave each other faithful support." Tocqueville considered Americans' remarkable spirit of charitable giving a matter of enlightened self-interest: "American moralists do not claim that one must sacrifice oneself for one's fellows because it is a fine thing to do but they are bold enough to say that such sacrifices are as necessary to the man who makes them as to those gaining from them. ... They do not, therefore, deny that every man can pursue his own self-interest but they turn themselves inside out to prove that it is in each man's interest to be virtuous. ... Enlightened self-love continually leads them to help one another and inclines them to devote freely a part of their time and wealth to the welfare of the state." America just elected and re-elected a black president. Still, President Barack Obama famously said racism is "still part of (America's) DNA." Well, America's DNA clearly changed, and dramatically so. In 1958, when Gallup asked whether Americans would vote for a black person for president, 54 percent said, "No." A 2006 Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll found just 3 percent of Republicans and 4 percent of Democrats said they would not vote for a black presidential candidate. In fact, more Americans (14 percent) said they would not vote for a Mormon or a 72-year-old than the number who refused to vote for a black president. In the 1950s, interracial black-white marriages were extremely rare. Today, intermarriage of all races and ethnicities accounts for 17 percent of all marriages. This is why sane observers of O.J. Simpson's 1995 murder trial considered its defense a joke: that LAPD officers, including an Asian-American criminalist, seething at Simpson for having married a blue-eyed blonde, leaped at their opportunity to frame him. In liberal Los Angeles, where intermarriage is common? In the 1950s over 90 percent of Americans disapproved of black-white marriages, while recent polls say about 90 percent approve. If America were as racist as many in the media think, why do blacks excel in two of the most competitive fields -- sports and entertainment? On Forbes' list of highest-earning celebrities, blacks occupy seven of the top 25 slots, including Sean Combs, who clocks in at $130 million annually; Beyonce at $105 million; and Drake at $94 million. On Forbes' list of highest-earning athletes, blacks occupy 13 of the top 25 spots, including LeBron James at $86 million; Kevin Durant at $60 million; and Stephen Curry at $47 million. Watch out, Trump-hating media. As more blacks recognize that Republicans are not out to get them, and they look at cities like Detroit under Democratic leadership, Trump can potentially tip the black vote in his party's direction more than any Republican since Abraham Lincoln. COPYRIGHT 2017 LAURENCE A. ELDER DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM Secret Message from God Found in Human DNA (See What It Says)

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Is 'Black Lives Matter' a Racist Term? Watters' World Tackles RacismTrump: Let Hillary 'Release Her Emails and I'll Release My Tax Returns Immediately' One of the biggest issues of this presidential race is race itself. Jesse Watters traveled to Philadelphia and asked people about the definition of racism, whether Black Lives Matter is a racist group, and of course, Donald Trump. Check out some Watters' World exchanges below... Do you think "Black Lives Matters" is a racist term? 'If they were such a caring organization, I don't know why they're not going into their own neighborhoods and cleaning them up.' 'They do matter, don't get me wrong. But also, all lives matter.' Do you feel like the term 'racist' is thrown around too loosely these days? 'Every time you turn around there's an incident with a black vs a white, or a Hispanic...' 'You have a whole group of people that heard a man say 'I'm going to build a wall and deport millions of Mexicans and Hispanic-Americans from this country.' Nobody batted an eye.' Watters wondered whether "we're living in the same country," recalling that Trump got a "lot of heat" for the comments. Enjoy the Watters' World segment above, and don't miss the next Watters' World monthly special, airing October 1!

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NY cop killer is a known Hillary supporter New York Police Officer Miosotis Familia was brutally gunned down in cold blood by Alexander Bonds early Monday morning in an unprovoked attack. Officer Miosotis Familia was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. According to Infowars Bonds encouraged people to vote for Hillary Clinton. Would you look at that we have another cop killer, and the cop killer is a Hillary Clinton supporter. Wednesday’s identified assassin of a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer was a Hillary Clinton supporter, according to the killer’s Facebook page. So there you have it America this cop killer was another radicalized American done in by Obama's war a cops which Hillary Clinton supported as well. This once again shows the danger that Obama's and Hillary's rhetoric have given cops nationwide, as the last Presidency of Obama in the last two years of his administration made the environment for LEO's a very dangerous one as both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stated over and over again that police officers target blacks. Go figure though we have a cop killer again who is not only a Hillary advocate but an all out Democrat.

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Trump said it would be a 'very sad day' for North Korea if the US had to use forcePresident Trump holds a joint press conference with Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah of Kuwait. Trump holds joint press conference with Kuwait's leader, Amir ... Trump on Thursday also seemingly touted his administration's success against ISIS compared with his predecessor, former President Obama. "What we do is kill ISIS," Trump said of America's involvement in Syria. "We have done better in eight months in my presidency that was accomplished during the last eight years. ISIS is disappearing rapidly." President Trump on Thursday said it would be a "very sad day" for North Korea if the U.S. military needed to use force against it. "Military action would certainly be an option," he said during a press conference. "Nothing is inevitable. I would prefer not going the route of the military, but it could certainly happen." "Our military is stronger now," Trump added. "Each day new and beautiful equipment is delivered, by far the best in the world. Hopefully we don't use it on North Korea. But if we do use it on North Korea, it will be a very sad day for North Korea. I will tell you that North Korea is behaving very badly and it's gotta stop." President Trump on Thursday praised Kuwait for its contributions to defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other terrorist groups. "The United States is proud to have contributed to the liberation of Kuwait and the friendship we have built together in the years since," he said, referencing the First Gulf War from 1990 to 1991. "We also thank Kuwait for its humanitarian leadership and its partnership in the fight to destroy ISIS," Trump added in a joint press conference with Kuwaiti leader Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah. President Trump and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the leader of Kuwait, on Thursday are appearing together in a joint press conference after meeting in Washington, D.C. Thursday's meeting comes as Kuwait tries mediating an ongoing diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbors in the Middle East. Trump initially seemed to side with Saudi Arabia on the disagreement, but he then instructed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to back the Kuwaiti mediation initiative. Tillerson and other U.S. diplomats have since traveled through the region to boost Kuwait's efforts, but the dispute has dragged on despite their efforts. Trump was also expected to discuss global efforts to isolate North Korea by halting employment of its guest workers during his talks with Al Sabah. Kuwait has about 6,000 North Korean guest works within its borders as worldwide tensions rise over the Asian nation's pursuit of nuclear weapons. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Will Hurricane Matthew hit the US? Latest forecast for Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia, more Could Hurricane Matthew hit America? The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said the hurricane is bringing “devastating” storm surge, extreme winds and heavy rains” to extensive parts of Florida. “Extremely dangerous hurricane Matthew heading for Florida,” the NHC warned last night. “If you are one of ~1.5 million people in Florida under evacuation instructions, leave those storm surge areas and mobile homes now!” The latest map, from the NHC, shows that the eye of the hurricane is travelling along the coast of Florida towards Georgia and the Carolinas. It is not yet known if the hurricane will go back out to sea after passing Florida but before reaching the other states further north. The governors of Florida, Goergia the Carolinas have declared a state of emergency amid fears that the storm could wreak havoc on today. The NHC said that the hurricane is due to track run parallel along the coast of Florida and Georgia all the way to South Carolina. It added that just a “small deviation” off track could bring the major onshore with terrible consequences. A Hurricane Warning is in effect along the East Coast from Florida to South Carolina. A Hurricane Watch alert is also affecting parts of North Carolina. It added: “Although strong winds and heavy rain are being experienced, the eye and thus the strongest winds are currently remaining just offshore. “Hurricane force winds are very close to the coast of Florida and the outer eyewall of Matthew is touching Cape Canaveral. A wind gust of 107 mph was recently recorded.” “When a hurricane is forecast to track roughly parallel to a coastline - as Matthew is forecast to go from Florida through South Carolina - it becomes very difficult to estimate the impacts this far in advance,” the NHC added. This map shows the possible path of the hurricane The Met Office said: "It is likely the eye of Hurricane Matthew will pass very close to the entire eastern coastline of the US state on Friday. "Over the weekend it is expected that Matthew will weaken and turn north and northeast and affect the coastal areas of Georgia and the Carolinas. "However, this is the point at which uncertainty grows in forecasts. "It is looking increasingly likely that later in the weekend Matthew will turn out to sea, but the timing of this cannot be stated with certainty. "Thus it is unclear how far north along the US coast will see impacts from Matthew." Met Office tropical prediction scientist Julian Heming explained that there are differences between the models that track the “very oblique” path of the hurricane towards the US. Will Hurricane Matthew hit the Carolinas? A full evacuation has been announced in South Carolina after Hurricane Matthew tore its way through the Caribbean. A state of emergency has been declared across the whole state of South Carolina and 1.1million people are set to be evacuated across the state. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley urged communities along to coast to evacuate at least 100 miles away and fill their cars full of gas before they set off on their journeys. A NHC spokesman said the eye of the hurricane looks "like it's going to impact the Carolinas" at the end of the week or over the weekend. North Carolina’s Governor Pat McCrory has declared a state of emergency in 66 counties in central and eastern North Carolina. Parts of North Carolina have been evacuated. Mr McCrory also called on farmers to harvest their crops as soon as possible to prevent devastating flood damage if the hurricane hits. “We want to have everything in place early prior to the potential of an earthquake hitting North Carolina,” he said. “I’m hoping this is a false alarm but we can’t gamble - we won’t gamble - with people’s lives.” Met Office Will Hurricane Matthew hit Georgia? Large swathes of Georgia have been evacuated and there is a state of emergency in place. But Georgia might be spared if the eye of the hurricane goes back out to sea before reaching the state. Mr Heming warned that the hurricane was approaching the US at an oblique angle which means that "small shifts can make a big difference". Even if the eye of the hurricane does not hit Georgia, there will be strong winds, rain, rip currents and dangerous conditions at sea. Matthew has been downgraded from category four to category three but it remains extremely powerful. Tue, October 4, 2016 At least 108 people have been killed by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti and the Dominican Republic as the United States braces itself for the worst storm in a decade. Tropical Storm Matthew, which has since gained hurricane strength, is seen in an image captured by NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite.

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Harvey Weinstein became a major player in Democratic politics — here's the wide net of people he has given money toHollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is one of the Democratic Party's most prolific donors. Since the 2000 election cycle, Weinstein has donated nearly $1 million in his own name in addition to collecting and providing roughly $1.5 million as a part of "bundled" donations, which the Center for Responsive Politics defines as contributions provided by "people with friends in high places who, after bumping against personal contribution limits, turn to those friends, associates, and, well, anyone who's willing to give, and deliver the checks to the candidate." Top Democrats including former President Barack Obama, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Al Franken, Cory Booker, and Kirsten Gillibrand have all received contributions from Weinstein, the Hollywood mega-executive who co-founded Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company. On Thursday, The New York Times reported on Weinstein's decades of alleged sexual misconduct. The Times reported that Weinstein pressured younger women into giving him massages and asked them to watch him bathe, among other harassment. By Friday, Weinstein was suspended from his company, the Associated Press reported. Almost immediately, Democrats began facing pressure to return their donations from Weinstein. So far, a number of prominent Democrats already have. BuzzFeed reported that, as of Friday afternoon, 10 Democratic senators have donated campaign contributions from Weinstein to charity. They include Sens. Chuck Schumer, Martin Heinrich, Patrick Leahy, Richard Blumenthal, Kamala Harris, Booker, Warren, Gillibrand, and Franken. Many of the charities were either national or local nonprofits focused on combating sexual violence. The Democratic National Committee, which received more than $300,000 from Weinstein since 2000, decided to donate more than $30,000 to left-leaning political groups that support Democratic female candidates. Editor's Note: The donations included are all of Weinstein's contributions to candidates in federal elections and national political organizations since 2000. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Tom Price resigns after controversy over private flights — here are the casualties of the Trump administration so far See Also: Attorney Lisa Bloom says of working with Harvey Weinstein: I've always wanted to 'get on the other side and smack that guy around a little bit, verbally' SEE ALSO: Trump winks when asked again about his mysterious 'calm before the storm' comment

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‘Access Hollywood’ to Trump: The tape is ‘very real’ Photo via Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC-BY-SA) Screenshot via John Legum/Twitter (Fair Use) The infamous Access Hollywood tape in which Donald Trump brags about his ability to “grab” women with impunity because he’s famous is real, Access Hollywood‘s hosts asserted on Monday—just in case the president had any doubts. In response to a report that Trump was questioning the authenticity of the 2005 hot-mic recording, which captured the former reality TV star saying he could “grab [women] by the pussy,” Access Hollywood host Natalie Morales said on Monday’s show that the tap is, in fact, “very real.” “We wanted to clear something up that has been reported across the media landscape. Let us make this perfectly clear: The tape is very real,” Morales said. “Remember his excuse at the time was ‘locker room talk.’ He said every one of those words.” TRUMP: The "Access Hollywood" tape might be fake After the Washington Post revealed the tape ahead of the 2016 presidential election, Trump apologized and at no time stated that the tape was faked. When CNN’s Anderson Cooper pressed Trump on whether he “understood” that what he said was an admission of sexual assault, Trump pushed back, dismissing his comments as “locker room talk.” “I don’t think you understand what was said,” Trump responded to Cooper during an October 2016 presidential debate. “This was locker room talk. I’m not proud of it. I apologized to my family, I apologized to the American people. Certainly, I’m not proud of it, but this was locker room talk.” Following publication of the tape, at least 16 women came forward to say Trump sexually harassed or assaulted them. test test News that Trump reportedly questioned the tape’s veracity—once to a senator and, more recently, once to an adviser, according to the New York Times—brought the tape back to the surface amid an outpouring of allegations against high-profile men across entertainment, politics, and media. During Monday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders refused to address Trump’s reported skepticism of the tape’s legitimacy and characterized the tape as unimportant because Trump won the election. “The president addressed this, this was litigated and certainly answered during the election by the overwhelming support for the president and the fact he’s sitting here in the Oval Office today,” she said.

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The State Department said there's less urgency to release Clinton's emails due to low interestThe State Department argued at a federal hearing Thursday that its ability to process the 100,000 Hillary Clinton emails ordered released under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit has been hindered by a lack of manpower due to a "hiring freeze" and that the urgency to release the documents has been diminished by the public's lack of interest in the subject, according to the watchdog group that won the lawsuit for the document's release. But Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group that sued the State Department in May 2015 for the thousands of emails and documents, isn't buying it. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton is accusing the State Department of slow-rolling the emails being sent from the FBI to the State Department, a large number of which Clinton "failed to disclose" to the government when she served as secretary of state, he said. On July 15, the FBI allegedly turned over to the State Department a new disk of emails belonging to former Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The emails were apparently discovered on a laptop owned by Abedin's estranged husband, Anthony Weiner. Weiner pleaded guilty in May to sending a number of text messages and sexually explicit pictures last year to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. There apparently are 7,000 emails from Abedin on Weiner's laptop, said Fitton, who added that State Department and Justice Department lawyers are "claiming they have to appraise them, whether they are personal or government, and then sift through what can be shared publicly." State Department spokeswoman Pooja Jhunjhunwala told Circa "‎the Department takes its records management responsibilities seriously and is working diligently to process FOIA requests and to balance the demands of the many requests we have received." "We are devoting significant resources to meeting our litigation obligations," she added. The State Department was ordered in November to process documents at the rate of 500 pages per month, but "at that rate it would take until 2020 for the bulk to made public," Fitton said. So far, the State Department has produced 17 batches of documents, Fitton said. "President Trump needs to direct his agencies to follow the the law but right now they are making a mockery of it by saying they won't finish releasing it until 2020," said Fitton, whose group will be heading back to court three months from now to assess the progress. "I can understand the president's frustration because he wanted these made public. However, his Justice and State departments are making excuses of why they have to slow-roll it this way." Trump has made numerous assertions about Clinton and her email server. In June, he tweeted that Clinton destroyed her phones and "bleached" her emails. But the president's own Justice Department civil attorneys argued Thursday that there was "diminished public interest" in the emails. A U.S. official familiar with the case and the agencies told Circa on the condition that they not be named that "there are still holdovers within the departments that don't want to see these emails released, so slow-rolling these requests makes perfect sense. If the president wants these emails released then he will have to demand that the agencies abide." Last week, Judicial Watch released 448 pages of documents the State Department did turn over from Abedin, describing what it said was preferential treatment "to major donors to the Clinton Foundation and political campaigns," according to the group. "The documents included six Clinton email exchanges not previously turned over to the State Department, bringing the known total to date to at least 439 emails that were not part of the 55,000 pages of emails that Clinton turned over to the State Department, and further contradicting a statement by Clinton that, ' as far as she knew,' all of her government emails had been turned over to the State Department," the watchdog group stated in a July 14 press release.

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Fact Checks of the 2016 Election General Election Presidential Primary Mrs. Clinton said Senator Bernie Sanders has been a “largely very reliable supporter” of the National Rifle Association. Hillary Clinton said “of course” she would sign legislation raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Mrs. Clinton said more guns brought into New York and used in crimes come from Vermont, on a per capita basis, than any other state. Senator Bernie Sanders said Hillary Clinton has received significant contributions from the fossil fuel industry. "If you look back to Iowa, Ted did change his view and his stance on ethanol quite a bit." Gov. John Kasich said he would pressure China to use its influence on its neighbor North Korea, resist its aggression in the South China Sea and strengthen United States capabilities to fight Chinese cyberhacking. Marco Rubio said that the political and human-rights situation in Cuba had worsened since President Obama made his diplomatic opening to the island. Donald J. Trump said he would "listen to the generals" in deciding how many troops to commit to the battle against ISIS -- and the numbers he is hearing are 20,000 to 30,000. Ted Cruz said Hillary Clinton, like Donald Trump, expresses a desire to be neutral between the Israelis and Palestinians. Trump: "G.D.P. was zero, essentially, for the last two quarters." Marco Rubio says that most green cards are granted on the basis of family relationships. "We're going to have to make changes in Social Security." Mr. Kasich said he held 200 town hall-style meetings in New Hampshire. Mr. Trump said the families of some Sept. 11 hijackers were allowed to leave the U.S. days before the attacks. Mr. Cruz claimed Donald J. Trump repeatedly donated to Mrs. Clinton, writing several checks to her presidential campaign eight years ago. "Every other country we do business with, we are getting absolutely crushed on trade." Mr. Rubio said two-thirds of the votes cast in the Republican primaries and caucuses to date have gone against Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump says he has beaten Hillary Clinton in many general election polls. Mr. Kasich said he was the only candidate to mention jobs at last week’s Republican debate. Mr. Rubio said Donald J. Trump received draft deferments because he had injuries from playing squash. Mr. Trump said the Canadian border is about four times as long as the Mexican border. Mr. Trump said he never advocated for the United States to topple Libya's Muammar el-Qaddafi. Democratic-appointed Supreme Court justices always stay Democratic; not so for Republicans. Mr. Rubio says Obamacare "is not just a bad health care law. It is a job-killing law." Mr. Rubio said Donald J. Trump criticized Mitt Romney’s use of the term “self-deportation.” Donald J. Trump funded the "Gang of Eight" senators who forged immigration legislation. Mr. Trump said Ted Cruz does not have the endorsement of a single Republican senator. Mr. Trump said he used foreign workers at his Palm Beach club because Americans don't want temporary jobs in Florida. Mr. Trump says we are "losing $500 billion a year" to China. Donald J. Trump suggested he was not soliciting campaign contributions. Mr. Cruz says Donald J. Trump has contributed to John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid. Mr. Cruz said Marco Rubio told Univision that "he would not rescind President Obama's illegal executive amnesty on his first day in office." "We have in Social Security right now thousands and thousands of people that are over 106 years old. Now, you know they don't exist." "It's been over 80 years since a lame-duck president has appointed a Supreme Court justice." "The Constitution actually doesn't address that particular situation." Mr. Sanders said that none of the Republican presidential candidates believe that climate change is real. Waterboarding “does not meet the generally recognized definition of torture.” Mrs. Clinton said Mr. Sanders voted in 1998 for a resolution favoring regime change in Iraq. Mr. Sanders suggested that Mrs. Clinton was not welcoming to child immigrants from Central America. “Marco Rubio has gone on Univision and said in Spanish, ‘No, no, no, I wouldn’t rescind amnesty.’” Mr. Christie said a nurse quarantined during the Ebola outbreak had symptoms. North Korea's new missile launch "is the direct result of the failures of the first Clinton administration." "Right now, we're the highest-taxed country in the world." Mr. Trump tried to use eminent domain to take an older woman's home. Mr. Christie said President Obama was in favor of paying ransom for hostages. Mr. Cruz said his campaign mistakenly spread the word that Ben Carson was quitting the race because of a CNN report. Mr. Christie said Marco Rubio did not vote for his own Hezbollah sanctions act. Mr. Rubio said New Jersey's credit rating had been downgraded nine times during Gov. Chris Christie's tenure. "When you ran against Senator Obama, you thought him naïve because he thought it was a good idea to talk to our enemies." "Almost all new income and wealth is going to the top 1 percent." Mrs. Clinton said Bernie Sanders's vote against "Ted Kennedy's immigration reform" in 2007 was not progressive. Mrs. Clinton says that experts agree that her Wall Street reforms are the toughest. “Millions of Americans have lost their jobs” because of President Obama’s health care law. Mr. Rubio said Hillary Clinton “wants to put Barack Obama on the Supreme Court of the United States of America.” Chris Christie said New Jersey’s job growth in 2015 was the best in the past 15 years. Marco Rubio said that other countries would go along when he ripped up the Iran deal. Chris Christie said neighbors of the San Bernardino attackers knew of their plans. Cap-and-trade emissions regulations would "destroy our economy." The average worker "has lost $4,000 in the last seven years of his income because of this administration." Ted Cruz says he would carpet bomb the Islamic State, which Obama has failed to do because he has weakened the military. "My voting record in the Senate, during my years, is almost 90 percent, which is significantly higher than Barack Obama's or Hillary Clinton's was when they were running for president." "The leader of Goldman Sachs is a billionaire who comes to Congress and tells us we should cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid." Senator Bernie Sanders said that the United States must transform its energy system away from fossil fuels and toward energy-efficiency and sustainable energy. "I've got the most comprehensive legislation in the Senate to do that," he said. Hillary Clinton said Senator Bernie Sanders called President Obama “weak” and “disappointing,” and, in 2011, “publicly sought someone to run in a primary” against him. Hillary Clinton said that, because of the Affordable Care Act, "We now have driven costs down to the lowest they've been in 50 years." Senator Bernie Sanders said the United States spends almost three times more than the British on health care. Senator Bernie Sanders said 29 million people in the United States do not have health insurance. Donald J. Trump said he never suggested imposing a 45 percent tariff on Chinese goods. Donald J. Trump asserted that China, by manipulating its currency, has cost the United States "millions and millions of jobs." Senator Marco Rubio said President Obama had played down the threat of the Islamic State, which practices "genocide against Christians and Yazidis and others in the region." Gov. Chris Christie said President Obama and Hillary Clinton failed to enforce a red line in threatening to use military force if President Bashar al-Assad of Syria used chemical weapons against his own people. And he said Mrs. Clinton called Mr. Assad a reformer. Jeb Bush said he would move the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as a signal to Iran. Gov. Chris Christie said he did not support President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Kasich said wages have not climbed “because the Federal Reserve kept interest rates so low.” Discussing his eligibility to be president, Mr. Cruz recalled that in September, Donald J. Trump "said that he had had his lawyers look at this from every which way, and there was no issue there." Mr. Cruz said he disclosed bank loans that he obtained for his 2012 Senate campaign with the Senate, but his failure to disclose them to federal elections officials was just a paperwork error. "We have the lowest percentage of Americans working today of any year since 1977." “I never believed Edward Snowden was a good public servant the way that Ted Cruz once said, that he had done a public service for America.” Asked about his proposal for a 45 percent tariff on Chinese goods, Mr. Trump said, "I don't even know where the 45 percent came from." Mrs. Clinton said legislation that Bernie Sanders supported in 2005 forbids all lawsuits against gun makers and sellers. Mr. Rubio accused Chris Christie of having a record similar to President Obama's on issues like education, gun control and abortion. Mr. Christie said the murder rate had increased by 18 percent in Chicago and 11 percent in New York. Mr. Trump raised questions about whether Ted Cruz was eligible to be president because he was born in Canada. “I'm one of the few of the candidates that actually shows up to vote. Both Cruz and Rubio are missing the vast majority of their votes.” “Vladimir Putin is a person who has killed. He’s jailed and murdered journalists, political opponents. He bombed an apartment building as a pretext to attack the Chechens. He is responsible for the downing of that Malaysian airliner over Ukraine, because he provided the antiaircraft weaponry that was used for that.” “Our country is falling apart, frankly. Our infrastructure is a disaster. Our bridges are falling down. Sixty-one percent of our bridges are in danger.” Mrs. Clinton said Donald J. Trump “is becoming ISIS’ best recruiter. They are going to people showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists.” “Senator Sanders voted against the Brady Bill. Senator Sanders voted to give immunity to gun dealers. And Senator Sanders voted against even research dollars to look into this public health issue.” Mr. Sanders said he voted against the Iraq war because of his opposition to unilateral action. “I have never supported legalization” for undocumented immigrants. “There were numerous people, including the mother, that knew what was going on. They saw pipe bombs sitting all over the floor. They saw ammunition all over the place.” “On September 10th, 2001, I was named chief federal prosecutor in New Jersey.” Mr. Cruz’s characterizations of his vote on the USA Freedom Act, which expanded N.S.A. surveillance “so we now have cellphones” and other data. "Do you know how many illegal aliens George W. Bush deported? 10 million." "When I stand across from King Hussein of Jordan, I say to him, 'You have a friend again, sir, who will stand with you to fight this fight,' he'll change his mind." Mrs. Fiorina said Stanley A. McChrystal and David H. Petraeus were "retired early because they told President Obama things that he didn’t want to hear." Mr. Rubio said the Islamic State took root because of Bashar al-Assad's decision to bomb his own people, and because of President Obama's unwillingness to arm the rebel groups. Mrs. Fiorina said Silicon Valley companies “do not need to be forced, they need to be asked” to help law enforcement get access to encrypted data. Rand Paul on Marco Rubio: “He is the one for an open border that is leaving us defenseless.” At Hewlett-Packard, Mrs. Fiorina said she provided equipment to assist the National Security Agency. Mr. Trump said he “certainly would never have made that horrible, disgusting, absolutely incompetent deal with Iran, where they get $150 billion. They're a terrorist nation.” “One of the first things I do in terms of executive order if I win will be to sign a strong, strong statement” that “anybody killing a police officer — death penalty.” “I am self-funding my own campaign. I have no people giving me money.” A poll asserting that 25 percent of Muslim Americans condone acts of violence against other Americans was from a “very highly respected group of people.” “I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down. And I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down.” Ted Cruz was “part of that coalition that worked with the Democrats like Chuck Schumer and the A.C.L.U. to harm our intelligence programs.” “I said Osama bin Laden is going to come and do damage to us. And nobody believed it.” Mr. O'Malley said parents and students were being charged 7% to 8% interest on government-backed college loans. Mrs. Clinton said she introduced legislation to rein in executive compensation on Wall Street. Mrs. Clinton said that wages, when adjusted for inflation, have been stagnant since the end of the Clinton administration. Mr. Sanders said the United States is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to maintain 5,000 nuclear weapons. “I got to know him very well because we were both on ‘60 Minutes,’” Mr. Trump said, referring to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia Mrs. Fiorina said she met President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia “not in a green room for a show, but in a private meeting.” Mr. Paul says that if you want to live in a city with lower inequality, you live in a city with a Republican mayor. Dwight D. Eisenhower “moved a million and a half illegal immigrants out of this country.” “If we were serious about it, we would raise the capital requirements.” Mr. Trump said the United States was better off letting Russia and its president, Vladimir V. Putin, confront the Islamic State. Mr. Trump complained that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal did nothing about currency manipulation, which is a key problem with China.

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Meet The LEFTS’ WORST NIGHTMARE! Democrats Don’t Want Minorities Watching Her Videos!Share She’s young, attractive, articulate, conservative, and black! Candace Owens is surely the worst nightmare of the hard-Left wing of the Democrat party. For decades, those folks have taken the black vote for granted. Now blacks are waking up, and that could spell doom for Democrats — hence their “interest” in Latino-Americans, especially illegal immigrants. In the 2-minute video above, hear Candace’s advice and warning for Latinos — namely, don’t be scammed by Democrats the way that America’s blacks have been. Check out her longer speech too (below) given to the Conservative College Student Action Summit in January, 2018. She explains clearly how Democrats are eyeing illegal immigrants as the most promising new voting livestock for their Big-Government-Dependency Plantation. Owens’ message isn’t new, but her youth and style makes her among the best to reach America’s young people, no matter what identity group the Democrats assign them to. Thomas Sowell is fantastic, but he cannot reach young people the way Owens can. Via WFP

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Muslim, Sikh supporters for President Donald Trump rally in AnnapolisDozens of protesters gathered Saturday at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis to talk about President Donald Trump. This time, they were in support of him. About 50 people of diverse background who turned out for the Making America Great Again, Already! rally wore Trump T-shirts and hats, posed for pictures with Trump signs and waved Trump flags to show their support for the president’s agenda. It is the same site where numerous rallies have been held with speakers who have been critical of the president. Trump “has people against him … from within the party, from the media. We are here to support and endorse what he has been doing for the military and the economy,” said Sajid Tarar, a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan and founder of Muslim Americans for Trump. The rally comes at a time of intense controversy for the president. An ABC News/Washington Post poll from this month showed 66 percent of Americans said Trump has done more to divide the country than unite it. He recently criticized NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality against African-Americans. And the rally was held the same day as marches with speakers expected to be critical of the president were staged across the country in support of racial justice. Another is planned Sunday at Lawyers Mall. But Saturday, the crowd outside the State House had a different message. The rally, co-sponsored by Muslim Americans for Trump and Sikh Americans for Trump, was intended to bring together minority communities not typically associated with Trump’s largely white base and demonstrate support for Trump’s ideas. Tarar has been a vocal Trump supporter from early on; he prayed onstage at the Republican National Convention and spoke favor of the then-candidate. Trump’s statements about Muslims and Islam are not directed at the faith as a whole, Tarar said, nor at every Muslim American. It would be impossible, Tarar said, to cast blame on every person belonging to the world’s second-largest religion. “As a Muslim, I saw him as a relief. I saw him as the person who can fight the terrorism,” Tarar said. He said Trump’s travel ban, which originally blocked immigrants from Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan, isn’t a ban at all but a pause, to ensure thorough vetting of the people from these countries. The original restriction on travel from these six countries has expired and been replaced with an order that bans varying degrees of immigration from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. Tarar and Sikh Americans for Trump founder Jesse Singh both immigrated to the U.S. — “legally,” Singh told the crowd. Like Tarar, he attended the president’s inauguration. Singh said when he first arrived in Dulles International Airport in Virginia, he saw a futuristic marvel in the sleek terminals and busses that whisked passengers to and fro. But the bus that dropped him off in 1986 is the bus that he is still taking today, adding that the more impressive airports are now the ones in his home country of India. “Last year I went to India, and that airport I left is now looking futuristic,” Singh said. “When I came to Dulles Airport, the same 30-year-old bus with loose doors and torn carpet came to receive me. So, when Donald Trump says our infrastructure has gone down, he’s totally right.” Other speakers, including Republican strategist and commentator Ivan Garcia-Hidalgo, praised the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration and promise to build a border wall. At one point, a “Build that wall!” chant briefly broke out among the rallygoers. Garcia-Hidalgo spoke of a booming economy, a low unemployment rate and a strong stock market, and defended Trump’s response to the devastation to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Michael Cohen, who serves as Trump’s personal lawyer, also spoke at the rally via phone and thanked those gathered for their support. Congress has not yet approved funding for the border wall, but the Trump administration has announced companies that are building prototypes. Additionally, Congress has not passed any economic legislation, but the administration introduced a tax reform plan Wednesday. Maryland is a predominantly blue state. More than 60 percent of state voters cast ballots for Hillary Clinton in the last presidential election, and she edged Trump by 6,016 votes in Anne Arundel County. But Marcus Anthony, a Fairfax County, Virginia, resident, said he attended the rally to “preserve the other side.” “We live in a highly liberal area,” Marcus said. “As it is today, a lot of our side is continuously oppressed … It’s our responsibility to retain our perspectives.” All minorities are not against the president, Singh said. “Minorities have the same agenda as any other Americans,” he said. “We want America to be great again.”

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Hollywood Actors Who Condemn Trump but Were Silent on WeinsteinAshley Judd is the absolute worst. I want to like her, I really do. Sometimes she chooses a good cause, like speaking up for trafficked and abused children. Those are the activities she should stick to. Unfortunately, Judd had to go to the "Women's March," where hundreds of thousands of women wore pink "pussy" hats while claiming to be upset that Trump had used that word once. She performed ridiculous slam poetry, screeching defamatory accusations about the president wanting to have sex with his daughter and about other terrible things about which she had no first-hand knowledge. (You can watch the video below if you have the stomach for it.) But at no time did she ever discuss a man who she did know did horrific things. No "by the way, Harvey Weinstein is a dirtbag who tried to get me to watch him shower for a part." Why didn't that come up? I find it very difficult to believe Judd is this angry at Donald Trump, a man who has never done anything to her, or provably to anybody, when there is a man who did do something horrible to her whom she could be screeching about. She needs therapy. And possibly tranquilizers. Jennifer Lawrence was recently interviewed for her epic fail of a movie, Mother, and gave Democratic talking points like "equality for women in the workplace," blamed Trump for hurricanes, and rattled off the same tired Leftist arguments we've heard forever. During another interview, she claimed that she is terrified of Trump and wanted to make a video of herself saying "F*** you!" to him. Lawrence claimed she felt she could be a spokesperson for women who are underpaid: I felt like I had a voice, people look at me and listen to me, and to not say anything, that's never sat well with me. That seems disingenuous, because she kept quiet about the creepy mogul who everyone in Hollywood appears to have known was abusing women. Why stay quiet over that? Don't you have a responsibility to alert other women that there is a serial sexual predator in their midst? Lawrence hasn't alleged any harassment from Weinstein, although she is seen looking awkward in many photos with him while he holds her too close to his massive girth. It wouldn't surprise me if she had first-hand knowledge of his depravity. Gwyneth Paltrow is the most apolitical in this list. While she supported Obama, she never had anything more interesting to say beyond how handsome she thinks he is. Mostly she spends her life divorcing people and selling outrageously priced trinkets to rich women online. While she doesn't fit in the category of commenting on Trump, she bears much responsibility in this scandal.

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Did climate change effect hurricanes Irma and Harvey? Flooded homes are shown near Lake Houston following Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 30 in Texas (Win McNamee/Getty Images). (GMG) - The question is going to be asked many times, by many people: Did global warming cause or have any impact on Hurricane Irma? What about Harvey? While there is tremendous agreement among scientists about the basic science of climate change, politics and social media have created an atmosphere where a lot of incorrect information is being bantered about. Here's the truth about the relationship between global warming and hurricanes Irma and Harvey. Scientists are uncertain about whether global warming will cause more hurricanes. In fact, some scientists say that a warmer planet will actually result in fewer hurricanes. However, that is not the entire story. A warming world means that ocean temperatures increase, too. And we all know that warm ocean water is the fuel that power hurricanes. So, even if the coming decades show a decrease in overall hurricanes, those hurricanes that do develop in otherwise favorable conditions will likely be stronger. The bottom line is that our future may be one of fewer but stronger hurricanes. Is that good or bad news? Fewer hurricanes mean a lower chance that one hits Florida. But a hurricane that does form and heads our way will likely be stronger, with a more severe storm surge and higher winds. Something else to consider is that, as the world warms, more ocean water evaporates into the atmosphere (which has been documented...it's happening). This water vapor is what hurricanes turn into rainfall. Our warmer world with higher atmospheric humidity means that tropical weather systems have more moisture to tap into, which means greater potential for increased rainfall. Statistics show that extreme precipitation events nationwide are increasing, and this also applies to tropical systems. What most people don't realize is that, as summer wanes and we transition into fall, hurricanes are the atmosphere's natural mechanism to return the summertime water vapor back into the ocean. So, hurricanes are necessary to balance the planet's water budget. The only problem is that people get in the way, and hurricanes of the future likely will have higher rainfall and increased potential for catastrophic flooding events -- also due to higher storm surges, resulting from higher sea levels from the warming climate. Now, let's apply all of this information to hurricanes Irma and Harvey: --------- Did global warming cause Irma or Harvey? No. Both hurricanes could have developed, regardless of the warming climate. Could global warming have affected Irma’s record strength, or Harvey's rapid intensification, just before landfall? Harvey strengthened rapidly from a Category 1 to a Category 4 storm in just over a day, undoubtedly due to very warm Gulf of Mexico waters it traveled over in otherwise favorable conditions. It was the first Category 4 storm to make landfall in Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961. Irma became the strongest Atlantic basin hurricane when its winds increased to 185 mph, also due to very warm ocean temperatures and otherwise favorable conditions. There is no question that the warmer ocean temperatures we’re experiencing now have been impacted by the warming climate. So, global warming may have been part of the reason that Harvey rapidly intensified just before landfall, and Irma became a record-breaking hurricane. Did global warming cause the incredible rain amounts that Harvey produced? As we discussed above, increased atmospheric humidity due to global warming is making storms such as Harvey more predisposed to heavier rainfall. However, this is not the only reason Texas saw such extraordinary rain totals. Remember that most hurricanes (such as Irma) come and go: they make landfall and keep on moving. Hurricane Harvey became a tourist. It hung around for a while and meandered due to weak steering currents. While most people focus on wind, the true destructive power of that storm was water. Bands of torrential rain plagued southeast Texas for more than five straight days. Think about that for a moment: Hurricane and tropical storm-induced heavy rain bands, day after day. The bottom line is that, while global warming may have provided Harvey with extra water vapor to generate increased rainfall, the bigger reason for the catastrophic rain amounts was the storm's unusually slow movement. And by the way, there is no way to know, based upon our current knowledge, whether global warming had any impact on Harvey's slow movement. Hopefully, future research will answer that question. By Meteorologist Paul Gross Graham Media Group 2017

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NATO Agrees to Formally Joint Anti-ISIS CoalitionOfficials familiar with the situation say that NATO has agreed to join the US-led anti-ISIS coalition on an alliance level, with indications that Germany and France were the last nations to agree to the formal move, which will be announced during the Brussels summit. All NATO members are already individually members of the anti-ISIS coalition, and diplomats say that the move will have no actual consequence, and seemingly is being done just for the sake of a “purely symbolic” gesture during President Trump’s visit. President Trump has always been keen to bring NATO deeper into the ISIS war, of course, and has made a big deal about NATO’s obsolescence because it wasn’t formed specifically to deal with terrorism, claiming in April that “ back when they did NATO there was no such thing as terrorism.” While shortly after his election most NATO officials were just attacking Trump for being too “pro-Russia,” recently they seem to be eager to please him, so long as it only requires symbolic actions that won’t amount to anything. Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz

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ICE arrests 97 suspected illegal immigrants at Tennessee meat processing plantU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 97 people after raiding a Tennessee meat processing plant, in what civil rights activists say was the largest crackdown at a single place in almost a decade. ICE spokeswoman Tammy Spicer announced the raid in a statement on Friday and said that of the 97 people taken into custody from Southeastern Provision meat processing plant in eastern Tennessee, 11 people were arrested on criminal charges, 54 were placed in detention and 32 were released. She said they were all arrested on suspicion of being in the country illegally. The National Immigration Law Center said it believes this was the largest single-workplace raid since George W. Bush was president, the Washington Post reported. Federal immigration officials did not confirm if it was the largest. This was the latest crackdown on illegal immigrants by the Trump administration after he announced last year that ICE agents would be targeting employers that choose to hire immigrants knowing they are illegal. A total of 21 people were arrested after immigration agents raided 7-11 stores nationwide in January. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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ESPN Analyst Says Former San Fran Quarterback Colin Kaepernick Is the Victim Politics share tweet tweet “They are so blinded by their victim narrative that they don’t recognize that his very protest was actually an insult to the flag.” Colin Kaepernick continues to be in the news, though recently it is largely for what he isn’t doing. He was released from the San Francisco 49ers earlier this year, and he has yet to find work despite several tantalizing openings due to roster upheaval and injuries on other teams. This is because many NFL owners and fans did not like how he kneeled for the national anthem. They viewed it as a self-indulgent and disrespectful act that politicized what should have been a nonpolitical event. But, showing their continued march towards irrelevancy, left leaning commentators like Ryan Clark on ESPN’s Mike and Mike show are now saying Kaepernick is a victim. Without a hint of irony, Clark said that Kaepernick was the “flag bearer” for blacks in America and the NFL. But in order to use that analogy, a person would have to actually respect the flag, and this in turn undermines the narrative that liberals and activists are peddling. The narrative from activists, race hucksters, and many politicians is that blacks are disproportionately targeted by cops and the judicial system. That they are victims of systemic poverty that leads to crime, and that the root causes and issues that are important to them are not being addressed. This narrative isn’t wholly disconnected from reality, but it’s twisted into an overtly political narrative that often undermines meaningful reform. Flag bearers are important in history because they often represent the focal point of command and control. The flag was usually close to the commander, and the flag moving forward on the battlefield could communicate an attack when it was too loud for words. It was an honorable tradition to carry the flag, and the enemy often aimed for the flag bearer, which made it the most dangerous spot on the battlefield. Raising the flag on Iwo Jima became one of America’s most cherished memorials, and seeing the flag through a nightly bombardment supplied our national anthem. No compatible source was found for this video. The importance of the flag doesn’t seem lost on Ryan Clarke and other analysts when they compare Kaepernick to a flag bearer. This makes their use of that analogy all the more tone deaf. They are so blinded by their victim narrative that they don’t recognize that his very protest was actually an insult to the flag. It’s tougher to find people more removed from the poor and supposedly discriminated members of inner cities than professional athletes. Acting macho and street tough is part of their persona, but it’s just as authentic as professional wrestling. These athletes are part of the one percent, who make more money than most Americans and play in taxpayer subsidized stadiums while getting special treatment. I can’t think of an individual more unsuited to lead the supposed civil rights crusade for blacks than a pampered 1% athlete. But with a black President, Secretary of State, and Supreme Court Justice, it’s tough to argue that racism is worse now than in the past when athletes stood and honored the flag. If Ryan Clarke and other liberal sports analysts want to praise the act of kneeling for the anthem, they should avoid using analogies that underscore the importance of the flag.

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Las Vegas Shooting: 50 Dead, 200 Wounded at Jason Aldean ConcertAt least 58 people are dead and 518 more wounded after a gunman opened fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas Sunday night. The assailant opened fire with a fully automatic weapon just as Jason Aldean was beginning his show at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Videos posted on social media show Aldean, one of the biggest names in the genre, singing as very rapid gunfire begins in the background. He can be seen running from stage as he, and the thousands in the crowd who came to see him, realized the horror of what was happening. No matter how often these tragedies occur (and it is far too often), one never goes into an event thinking it will happen then or there. The terror is unimaginable. In this case, it was also protracted. A gunman continued to rain bullets on the audience for up to two terrifying hours, reports indicate. Victims ran to safety, according to NBC News, during momentary breaks in the violence, at which point the shooter presumably reloaded. Many were trapped in the venue for what must have felt like an eternity, but police SWAT officers eventually found and killed the shooter. He was found on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Casino, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said, and shot dead. “Right now we believe it’s a solo act, a lone wolf attacker,” Lombardo told reporters. “We are pretty confident there is no longer a threat.” The gunman has not yet been identified. Aldean said he was safe in an Instagram post early Monday, sharing an image of the city and asking for prayers for the victims: “Tonight has been beyond horrific. I still dont know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that Me and my Crew are safe." "My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight,” he wrote, clearly as stunned and traumatized as anyone else. “It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night.” Aldean’s wife Brittany Kerr posted her own message on Instagram, saying, “We are safe… our angels were definitely watching over us tonight." "No words for what happened," she added. "Just horrific. Praying for everyone.” Witness accounts are what you would expect - unable to fully do justice to what happened as you read this, but terrifying nonetheless. Country star Jake Owen was one of the witnesses, having just finished his set and was still on stage when the shooting started. “I was crouched down behind a cop car," he said. "There was blood on people and you could see a couple of people in the streets that looked like they had been shot,” Owen added. Ivetta Saldana told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “It was was a horror show. People were standing around, then they hit the floor.” Robyn Webb, who was at the concert along with her husband last night, told the newspaper, “It just kept coming. It was relentless.” Authorities, meanwhile, are searching for a 62-year-old woman named Marylou Danley, whom they believe is the gunman’s roommate. Police have searched a home in Mesquite, Nevada, 85 miles from Las Vegas, where it is believed the gunman lived with Danley. She is considered a person of interest in the case. UPDATE: Police have identified the assailant as Stephen Paddock, 64. He is shown above with his companion, Danley. Paddock is believed to have begun his attack around 10:00 pm local time and to have continued shooting for two hours. Police were reportedly able to locate Paddock quickly due to the smoke from his weapon setting off hotel fire detectors. Paddock's motives for the shooting remain unclear. Early reports indicate that he was not a member of any militant group. He was not known to hold extremist political or religious beliefs, though the investigation into the matter is just hours old. Danley was apprehended for questioning at 3:40 a.m. It is not currently known if she's being treated as an accomplice in the attack, or whether law enforcement simply wants to learn more. In any case, reports indicate that several guns, including at least eight rifles, were found in the room rented by Paddock and Danley. “We have no idea what his belief system was,” Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said during his press briefing early this morning. More details to follow as this shocking story develops ... UPDATE: The death toll is now 58 and climbing, according to an ABC News report, with more than 518 people wounded. Expect that to tragically rise as the day progresses.

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Butler County Sheriff requests ICE shut down local businesses that hire illegals Butler County Sheriff requests ICE to shut down business that hire illegal immigrants. (WKRC) BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WKRC) - Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has written a letter to President Trump, asking him to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Ohio, specifically to his county. In the letter, Sheriff Jones also calls for ICE to shut down businesses that hire illegal immigrants. He asks President Trump to come to Butler County, sit down with him and work on a plan to start "Work Place Enforcement". Sheriff Jones says he's also tired of illegal immigrants committing crimes here, bringing in drugs and risking the health and safety of citizens "every day that this country allows them to be here". Sheriff Jones spoke at a Trump rally in Sharonville last July.

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Trey Gowdy: FBI Was Only Following Trump's Order In this Dec. 7, 2017 file photo, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., speaks during a House Judiciary hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Newser) – If his TV was tuned to Fox News on Tuesday, President Trump surely didn't like what he heard. Rep. Trey Gowdy, a Trump ally and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, appeared on the network to poke holes in Trump's claim that the FBI planted a spy in his 2016 campaign. According to memos from James Comey, "President Trump himself … said, 'If anyone connected with my campaign was working with Russia, I want you to investigate it,' and it sounds to me like that is exactly what the FBI did," Gowdy said, referring to reports that FBI informant Stefan Halper reached out to Trump advisers George Papadopoulos and Carter Page before the 2016 election. Gowdy added that a Justice Department briefing last week convinced him the move had "nothing to do" with Trump. What Politico calls Gowdy's "significant pushback against the president" then received backing from another Trump supporter, Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano. "There is no evidence" to support Trump's claims that a spy infiltrated his campaign in order to pass information to the Obama administration and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, and "I'd want to see evidence before I made an allegation that outrageous," he said, before describing Halper's actions as "standard operating procedure in intelligence gathering and in criminal investigations." Despite anchor Shepard Smith later saying much the same, Trump stuck to his "Spygate" theory at a Tuesday rally in Nashville, asking the crowd, "How do you like the fact they had people infiltrating our campaign?" per the Post.

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Twitter Was Not Here For Sean Spicer's Emmy AppearanceAll in all, the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards was a pretty good Emmys. Stephen Colbert didn't make a single racially insensitive joke, Lena Waithe gave an incredibly inspiring acceptance speech, the gay episode of Black Mirror won twice, and there was not a Modern Family win in sight. But there was one dark cloud over the evening: the surprise, supposedly comedic appearance by disgraced former press secretary Sean Spicer. Judging by the Sean Spicer Emmy reactions on Twitter, viewers were not pleased to see this angry little man joking around with his pal Stephen Colbert on their television screen. Maybe it's a good thing the 2017 Emmys got this questionable political stunt out of the way early. The Former White House Press Secretary to President Trump was brought out on stage by host Stephen Colbert at the end of his opening monologue. The real Spicer rolled out on a mobile podium, famously used by Melissa McCarthy in her impressions of him on Saturday Night Live. The real Spicer got a few jokes in. He referenced his famously inaccurate judgment of the inauguration crowd size by saying, This is the largest audience to witness the Emmys, period. Both in person and around the world. Ha ha. Wink wink. Nudge nudge. Get it? It's totally fine that he spewed blatant lies to the American public, because now we can all laugh about it together! The audience laughed and cheered for this former face of the Donald Trump presidency, and then later in the night gave all the Emmys to The Handmaid's Tale, you know, that show about how a dystopian, oppressive government is a bad thing. Yay, cognitive dissonance! Anyways, I'm not the only one who found this particular political stunt to be in fairly bad taste. The reaction on Twitter to Sean Spicer's Emmy appearance was overwhelmingly negative — from both regular viewers and celebrity viewers. Former SNL player and actress Jenny Slate tweeted that she was "so grossed out" by the decision. She said, Truly so grossed out by A GROUP of people ever even considering the idea of real life Spicer at the Emmys. What is wrong with you? Wake up. Similarly, actor Zach Braff tweeted, I'm not ready to laugh "with" Sean Spicer. I think he is an evil, opportunistic liar that hurt our country. Filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner, known for his role as Max Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street, tweeted, DT is a sick liar. If we reward Sean Spicer for enabling his sickness, we are saying we accept a mentally ill POTUS. And of course, though she didn't share her opinion on Twitter, Melissa McCarthy's reaction when the camera cut to her during the real Spicer's bit said a thousand words: She did not approve. Many non-celebrities also shared their disapproval on Twitter, some viewer lamenting the double standard for 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and this small angry liar. Others critiqued the Television Academy for its hypocrisy. Again, though the night was filled anti-Trump sentiment, inspiring speeches about political activism, and supposedly subversive post-Trump television, Spicer was still invited onto that very same stage where that all took place. And according to journalist Chris Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter, who attended the show, Spicer had no lack of fans and attention after the Emmys. Gardner tweeted, What pariah? Sean Spicer getting mobbed in #Emmys lobby. Posing for pics, drinking beer, soaking up all attention after onstage appearance. Don't you just love it when lying politicians — who are so terrible at their job even Donald Trump has to fire them — become beloved, whacky celebrities? Thanks for that one, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

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10 arrested as clashes break out during Berkeley protestsBERKELEY, Calif. (KCRA) — Several fights broke out during largely-peaceful protests in Berkeley Sunday afternoon when about 4,000 people converged on the city, police said. Thirteen people who ranged in ages from 20 to 47 years old, were arrested for "various violations” including assault with a deadly weapon and felony assault during the events, Berkeley police said. Of the people arrested during the protests, several were wearing masks while others were connected to assaults. Two men were arrested after exchanging blows. The SFGate reported they were quickly swept up by officers inside Civic Center Park. Police detained Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson at the protests. The SFGate reported he was handcuffed after being chased by a mob of demonstrators who took swings at him and pepper sprayed him. Police said Gibson was actually "rescued" and was not arrested or charged. The crowd began to diminish around 3:30 p.m., six hours after a march led to the protests. The event was one of several rallies that had been called for Sunday in Berkeley, a day after a controversial freedom rally planned by Gibson in San Francisco fizzled amid throngs of counterprotesters. Hundreds of people gathered on the UC Berkeley campus around 10 a.m. Sunday. They then marched to Civic Center Park, where police had set up barricades and secured the area with bomb sniffing dogs. The march was part of the Bay Area Rally Against Hate Rally. In a statement early Sunday, the group said "we fully intend to move forward with (the Rally Against Hate)" on the campus despite calls by the university police department for people to stay away for safety reasons. The rally was held in response to the planned right-wing protest "No To Marxism in America." However, organizer Amber Cummings canceled the protest on Friday, saying Berkeley officials and left-wing extremists made it impossible to hold the event and she would be the sole attendee. Despite the cancellation, hundreds of ring-wing protesters showed up to the park. Around 1 p.m., police reported the crowd had grown to several thousand. A skirmish broke out between several dozen left-wing demonstrators and a handful of right-wing supporters. The skirmish was tense but ended quickly. The left-wing protesters surrounded the small number of right-wing supporters, then shouted at them and pushed them. The right-wing protesters sought protection from police and were escorted away. Before the unpermitted events, Berkeley police put into place several rules in response the protests, stating, "To ensure the peaceful expression of free speech, the City of Berkeley will be prohibiting sticks, pipes, poles and anything else that can be used for a 'riot' at Civic Center Park." Other banned items include explosives, pepper spray, axes, dogs (except for service animals), eggs, torches and more. Police also said anything that "covers or partially covers the face and shields the wearer's face from view, or partially from view, is prohibited." However, protesters with an anarchist group arrived at the park wearing masks and hoods that covered their faces. The group of more than 100 hooded protesters, with shields emblazoned with the words "no hate" and waving a flag identifying themselves as anarchist, broke through police lines, avoiding security checks by officers to take away possible weapons. Then the group blended in with the rest of the crowd. The group pushed their way past police barricades and into Civic Center Park. They assaulted at least five people by punching and kicking them. Gibson was one of the people assaulted by the group. Police broke up the fights, using what appeared to be a smoke grenade to stop one scuffle. The three people who were attacked ran behind police lines to escape. Then around 2:30 p.m., more than 1,000 people left the park and began marching north Martin Luther King Way. An hour later, the crowd had diminished and many roads reopened. ---- The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Why Did Mayor Petty Hire Well Known Communist Dan Margolis To Run His Campaign Smear Team And Serve On The Library Board?Why Did Mayor Petty Hire Well Known Communist Dan Margolis To Run His Campaign Smear Team And Serve On The Library Board? Want to advertise with Turtleboy? Email us at Turtleboysports@gmail.com for more information. Beautiful day outside. Perfect weather for Worcester’s Mayor Moron, Joe Petty, to do a standout with his communist friend Red Danny Margolis: Ya got that? The mayor of the second largest city in Worcester is working hand in hand with a guy who admittedly is trying to foment communist revolution, and targeted black churches because he believed they were vulnerable. This ain’t McCarthyism hyperbole either. Red Danny freely admits it all. Check out his Wiki page: “Dan Margolis was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1976. In 2006 he was chair of the New York State Communist Party USA. In addition he writes for the People’s World, covering local New York City and state issues, as well as events at the United Nations. He joined the Communist Party USA in 2001.” He has his own page on the American Communist Party’s website. According to his bio on there, his plan is to support people like Mayor Petty, because this is generally what communists do: “The Communist Party can exercise a leadership role by helping to show the importance of electing or defending Democrats as part of an overall strategy on the road towards socialism.” Communism only appeals to people in impoverished areas where they have given up and believe capitalism has failed them. Thus why Mayor Petty seems inclined on making Worcester’s people trapped in cycles of poverty. It’s why he wants to make Worcester a sanctuary city – so we can lose $59 million in federal funding. Red Danny was pumped when Obama won, and as the chairman of the Communist Party of New York, he gave the following statement, claiming that this was the “biggest continuation of that revolutionary spirit”: Where he expressed how bad he thinks the collapse of communism has been for the Russian people: Soviet Union obviously had problems, but now there are drugs, poverty, and unemployment. Life has gotten worse for the Russian people. Gangsters are running the streets. Actually, now Communist Parties are voted back to power by the people in such places like Moldova, Belarus, and Chech Republic. People didn’t like the shock therapy that Yeltsin had introduced. Boris Yeltsin once stood on a tank and protected the legitimate government from armed communists trying to stage a coups. Naturally Dan is not a fan of Boris Yeltsin. All of this information is public. Just a Google away for any responsible leader. Joe knows exactly who Red Danny is but he employs him on his campaign team anyway because he’s a useful idiot. One of his “morons.” He knows that Red Danny has his own blog where he makes up lies about Turtleboy Sports raping girls and blah, blah, blah. He also knows that Red Danny is OBSESSED with Councilor Michael Gaffney. And together Turtleboy and Gaffney are a HUGE threat to Petty’s grip on the taxpayer’s money. He ain’t giving that up without a fight, and he has no problem using communist revolutionaries. There’s a good chance he actually HIRED Dan to write his silly little blogs. Don’t worry though – within a couple days he’ll write another blog denying that Petty hired him. He a good soldier like that. But a picture doesn’t lie: Oh, and did we mention that Dan Margolis is also running the failed Turtleboycott campaign that harasses local businesses? The same businesses that Mayor Moron claims he wants to attract and keep in the city. Here’s the best part – he voted for his buddy Red Danny to be appointed to the Library Board on May 31 when he thought no one was looking: The City Council Tuesday night elected Daniel M. Margolis of 15 Rugby St. to the Worcester Public Library Board of Directors. Mr. Margolis was one of three candidates who sought to fill a vacancy on the library for for a term that expires on Dec. 31, 2019. Mr. Margolis received six votes, followed by Edward R. Carr who received four votes and Paul DePalo who received one vote. The two people who Red Danny beat? Edward R. Carr has a PhD and is a professor at Clark. Paul DePalo is a lawyer with 12 years of experience. Both of them are much, much more qualified than Red Danny, and unlike him they didn’t just move here last year after failing to foment revolution in New York City. Yet Mayor Puddy voted for his unqualified boy. Because this is how they gain legitimacy in our government. The rats get in this way. They sneak in the backdoor when no one is looking, and Petty orchestrates the whole thing. Not just him either – Councilors Khrystian King, Kate Toomey, George Russell, Tony Economou, and Candy Carlson all voted for him as well. Every single one of them has the power to Google, and they all read Turtleboy. They knew EXACTLY who they were voting for. And yes, you read that right – Sarai “Titi Ho” Rivera did not vote to put Danny in. Even though he’s got her back till the cows come home: This is the state of the city right now. People like Red Danny are allowed to serve in our government – an admitted, openly communist revolutionary. People like Etel Haxhiaj get appointed to the CAC under Petty’s watch, and deny ANYONE who “supports” Turtleboy Sports a job they are overly qualified for on city boards. Make no doubt about it – Petty is the mastermind here. Red Danny, Etel, Mosaic – these are just his goons. Because Petty does a great job of convincing everyone he’s this “nice guy” because he doesn’t get his hands dirty. Some people thinks Gaffney is a dick because he fights his own battles. Not Petty though. He just outsources to labor to nudniks with nothing to lose like Red Danny. But make no doubt about it – Dan Magolis is his right hand man and by far his biggest asset. This is what a vote for Mayor Moron is a vote for in November. Vote the Turtleboy Ticket: Mayor – Mike Gaffney Councilors at Large: Gaffney, Konnie Lukes D3: Davis Assare D4: Coreen Gaffney D5: Paul Franco School Committee: Everyone except Dante Comparetto. We urge you to support the following local businesses.

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Tim Kaine talks Iran cash transfer, Clinton's relationship with GOPHillary Clinton's running mate, Tim Kaine, will be campaigning in Wisconsin Friday. In a wide-ranging interview, he spoke to "CBS This Morning's" Norah O'Donnell Thursday at his home state of Virginia. He addressed the controversy surrounding the U.S. cash payment of $400 million to Iran, which Donald Trump claims is ransom for U.S. hostages released around the same time in January. The Obama administration has strongly denied paying ransom. "If you were vice president, would you allow a plane full of money to land in Iran on the same day that four U.S. hostages are freed?" O'Donnell asked. "Here's the thing. And Congress was briefed on this months ago. Again, I'm on these committees and we're aware of it. Iran had a sizeable legal claim against the United States that has been pending in international law for a very long time. There was a settlement of that claim. A settlement where the U.S. agreed to pay a fraction of the claim. And yes, the U.S. then paid that claim," Kaine said. "I understand that, but let's talk about the perception of on the very same day a plane with $400 million in foreign currency landing and being delivered. ... Is that ransom?" O'Donnell asked. "Perception is one thing. Reality matters more. We got hostages home and we took a legal claim that was a legit claim and bargained it down to a fraction and we paid that claim out," Kaine said. "That's the reality." "So as vice president, you would do that same deal? If you were vice president you would let it happen?" O'Donnell asked. "I would negotiate any legal claim that we had and I'd try to get the best deal we could. And I'd also try to get American hostages home," Kaine said. The Virginia senator, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, also addressed Trump's claims that he saw a video of the cash transfer between U.S. and Iran showing "money pouring off a plane." Trump claimed the Iranian government released the footage to embarrass the U.S. "I have no idea what he's talking about," Kaine said. "That video doesn't exist?" O'Donnell asked. "It doesn't exist. I-- he might be thinking about Iran Contra from, like, 35 years ago or something like this. He recently criticized me saying I was a bad governor of New Jersey," Kaine said. O'Donnell pointed out Trump may have confused Kaine with Tom Kean. "Tom [Kean] was the governor of Jersey 26 years ago. I mean, so it hurt my feelings till I realized, 'Wait a minute. I was never governor of New Jersey. I didn't even live in New Jersey.' He was confusing it with a situation from two or three decades ago. Maybe that's what he's doing with this video claim," Kaine said. "You think Donald Trump is confused?" O'Donnell asked. "I absolutely think he's confused," Kaine responded. Campaigning in Kaine's state of Virginia, Trump said he would take care of veterans better than anybody. "I don't think anybody believes that," Kaine said. "I mean here's what he's done in my home state just in the last two weeks. ... He trashed a Virginia family, the Khan family from Charlottesville, whose son is a UVA grad, who was a hero who was killed. Trashed this Gold Star family. He came to a rally in northern Virginia a couple of days ago and kicked a crying baby out of a rally. And then he had the nerve to say to the crowd, 'Hey, things are going lousy for you here.' This is Loudoun County. Loudoun County has the highest family income in the United States. ... But he told them how bad things were. This is not the way to win friends and influence people, to come into a state, trash military families, trash institutions that people care about and perpetrate sort of a falsehood about the state -- the state of the state's economy." Kaine also said Trump has "spent his whole life bragging about how he uses every dodge he can to pay as few taxes as he can." "How do veterans services get supported? They get supported by people like you and me paying taxes because we want to honor their service and sacrifice. A guy who tries to dodge paying taxes is no friend of vets," Kaine said. "At the Democratic convention, the former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, spoke and he said that Americans need a sane and competent president. Do you think Donald Trump is sane and competent?" O'Donnell asked. "Oh, I don't know Donald Trump, so I'm not gonna make any comment about mental capacity, et cetera. Why would I do that? I don't know him," Kaine said. "But again, when you say things, they reveal who you are. And when somebody shows you who they are, you oughta trust that." While the Clinton campaign has embraced President Obama's popularity, Kaine denied that a Clinton-Kaine administration would be a third Obama term. "And it's not a third Bill Clinton term. It is the first Hillary Clinton term. And it's very, very important that that be the case," Kaine said. "I think what you're gonna see in Hillary Clinton's choice of people around her when she gets in, is a very clear signal that we're taking advantage of new talent, new ideas, innovative people. Because this is the first Hillary Clinton term and I think she's gonna make that plain from the very first day," he added. "But how are they different? It's no secret that President Obama has not had the warmest of relations with Republicans in Congress. And as a result, there's been a lot of gridlock on a lot of really important issues facing this country," O'Donnell said. "What would [Clinton] do differently than President Obama?" "I wouldn't lay the gridlock just at President Obama's feet," Kaine said. "Remember, before he even made his first visit to Congress there was a meeting of Congressional Republican leadership and they said, 'Our top goal is to make him a one term president.' So I think you have the put a good bit of that on Congress' shoulders." Kaine said he gets along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "But let me tell you what's more important. The number of Republicans who tell me, 'You know, Hillary was actually a really good senator.' They tell me that all the time," Kaine said. "So you think Hillary Clinton has better relationships with Republicans than Barack Obama?" O'Donnell asked. "She was in the Senate for eight years and then four years as secretary of state, so she has got 12 years of working together with the Senate," Kaine said. "When the president was elected -- and I'm a big supporter of President Obama and a friend -- he had been in the Senate four years. Two years he was running. So just in terms of the time into the relationships. Yes, on her first day she will have a deeper well of relationships in Congress than President Obama had on his first day."

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T-Boz Seeks Justice After Cops Shoot Mentally Challenged Cousin 18 Times… #BlackLivesMatter Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins recently revealed that a family member was killed at the hands of an itchy trigger-fingered cop. Watkins hit the the net with her heartbreaking story about her cousin, 25-year-old Eddie Russell, Jr., who was shot multiple times and killed by police in Peoria, Illinois. The department is investigating the fatal shooting death, however T-Boz and her family are disputing the officer’s account of what happened. T-Boz posted the tweets above with the following caption: My Cousin Was Shot 18 Times Including the Face and Back of His Head! He Harmed NO ONE EVER! He Had Mental Health Issues AND THE COPS KNEW THAT! Anything he’s ever Done Was minor and NON VIOLENT! Eddie Russell Jr -A Human-Being -A Son- Brother-Friend-Nephew – Cousin-HUMAN! The cops told his mother to call him out on a bullhorn USED her saying “WE WILL GIVE HIM THE HELP HE NEEDS” and He Came Out Because He Heard His Mother and They used beyond excessive force to gun him down also with heavy artillery used in warfare! 18 times? Shot eighteen times??? IF THEIR GOING ON WHAT HES HOLDING AT THE BANK THAT ISN’T A GUN! (Picture Is Posted)They Keep saying he had a gun! I don’t see a gun in his hand at the bank they say he tried to rob! That’s NOT A GUN! They blocked everyone off including neighbors at a 4 block radius including his mother and father and family!People could NOT go home! So no camera phones accessible is that why? COPS DIDN’T HAVE ON BODY CAMS now isn’t that convenient! They Lied and told family members Eddie Jr was at the hospital to get them away from the house knowing he was dead outside the house where they killed him! They kept his BODY OUTSIDE ON THE GROUND FOR MANY MANY HOURS! First they reported he ran out shooting =LIES! Then one cop shot =LIES! Then 5-6 shots =LIES! Then 5-6 cops shot YEAH CLEARLY! But why SO MANY TIMES? Why THE AR15? They didn’t even wait for the negotiator to arrive or is it that the negotiator took his time getting there? They haven’t Even Gave my cousin the RESPECT of trying to call and explain WHAT HAPPENED IN DETAIL TO HER CHILD! He needs JUSTICE! His Mother and Father and Family need JUSTICE!!!! This wasn’t a hostage situation! He didn’t threaten anyone’s life! This was a mentally iLL young man who needed help and should have received just that! PLEASE HELP HIS MOTHER AND SPREAD HER STORY SO SHE CAN GET THE HELP SHE NEEDS AND JUSTICE FOR HER SON!!!! His Mother Has Tried For Many Years To Get Her Son Mental Health Counseling He Needed! The system Failed Him and Her! #AmericaIsTainted #TrumpIsAChump #TakeAKnee #BendAKnee #JusticeForEddieJr #Shot18Times #tboz #tlc #tbeezy #tlcarmy #justice #peoriaillinois #EddieRussell Eddie Russell, Jr., who suffers from mental illness, was named as a suspect in an armed robbery. Officers claim he robbed the First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust before returning home where an hours-long police stand-off ensued. Officers reportedly fired their weapons after Russell, Jr. emerged from his home. According to police accounts, Russell, Jr. exited the home in an “aggressive” manner and the officers stated they believed he was holding the same handgun used in the robbery. Eddie Russell, Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene on Wednesday, September 20. Condolences to T-Boz and her family. Hopefully they will find the answers they seek in this horrible tragedy.

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Video from Brazil: Muslim migrants throw homemade bomb at anti-Migration Law protestersBrazil’s new Migration Law relaxes criminal penalties for migrants. At a recent protest against this law in São Paulo, Muslim migrants demonstrated their distaste for dissent. Jihad Watch reader Natan sends in this video and writes: Terrorist Attempt at Anti-Migration Law Protest in Brazil. Syrian immigrants throw homemade bombs at peaceful people protesting at Av. Paulista in São Paulo, Brazil. The attack took place on May 2, when the group of protesters was walking. The attack was recorded by one of the protesters. In the video it is possible to see when the Muslims ignited the artifact and launched against the civilians. Police arrested the attackers, the crime was registered at a local police station.

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WATCH: Jimmy Fallon passes on monologue to reflect on Charlottesville protests Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon lost his mother Saturday, November 4, 2017. Gloria Fallon died at age 68. NEW YORK (WTHR) - Jimmy Fallon passed on the usual jokes to share his thoughts on the weekend protests in Virginia. "What happened this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia was just disgusting," Fallon said. He said he watched the protests and became "sick to my stomach." He added that he was concerned about the effect the news would have on his young daughters. "They're two years old and four years old, they don't know what hate is. They go to the playground, they have friends of all races and backgrounds, they just play, they laugh and they have fun," Fallon said. He said children need parents and teachers who they can look up to for guidance, as well as "leaders that appeal to the best of us." The "Tonight Show" host called out President Donald Trump, saying it was "shameful" that the president took two days "to clearly denounce racists and white supremacists," adding that Trump likely did so only after public pressure. "It's important for everyone, especially white people in this country, to speak out against this. Ignoring it is just as bad as supporting it," he said. Fallon paid tribute to 32-year-old Heather Heyer, who died when she was struck by a car during a counter-protest in Charlottesville. "I can't look at my beautiful, growing, curious daughters and say nothing when this kind of thing is happening," Fallon said. You can watch Fallon's entire speech in the video player above. The "Tonight Show" airs weeknights at 11:35 on Channel 13.

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Fiery Judge Jeanine to Comey: 'Send These Clintons Back to Where They Came From'As seen on Justice With Judge Jeanine Issa: Comey Reopening FBI Clinton Email Probe 'Matter of His Integrity' In her Opening Statement last night, Judge Jeanine Pirro said FBI Director James Comey owes it to the American people to reveal what new information made him decide to reopen the Hillary Clinton email investigation. "He's got to tell us what was discovered what was so big that he violated Justice Department and FBI guidelines and alerted the nation. He cannot hide behind protocol," Judge Jeanine said. She also called for a "thorough, unbiased investigation," with search warrants, empaneling a grand jury and a deal with Huma Abedin to get the top Clinton aide to talk. "Jim, go back to your roots," Judge Jeanine said. "You were once a great prosecutor. Don’t let Washington ruin you, too. You need to send these Clintons back to where they came from." Read the full transcript below, and let us know what you think in the comments. Liberals Bash FBI Director Comey Over Clinton Probe After Praising Him in July Mother of Jailed Sailor: 'Hold Hillary to Same Standards' as My Son on Classified Info The FBI’s ability to get Huma Abedin- Hillary Clinton's closest advisor, confidante and State Department deputy chief of staff - to sing will make or break this election. Right now, reports are the FBI is negotiating with Huma's lawyers, stemming from her joint computer with pervert husband, disgraced ex -congressman Anthony Weiner. Here we go again: We are nine days from an election that will redefine this nation. And as I said last night, we're on the precipice of yet another constitutional crisis because of the Clintons. This time, involving an alleged pedophile, our nation's top secrets and a couple of grifters from Arkansas. You already know how I feel about all this from my open last night. The American people are entitled to know before we go to the voting booth what it was that caused FBI Director Comey to reopen the case. He's got to tell us what was discovered what was so big that he violated Justice Department and FBI guidelines and alerted the nation. He cannot hide behind protocol. The Justice guidelines 'don't let me talk' rule doesn't work anymore. The 'we don't comment on pending cases' doesn't work anymore. There are no ethical prohibitions. You have been invited by the target and her surrogates to release the information that caused you to reopen a closed case. If there is an indictment, Hillary is now foreclosed from objecting to such disclosure. My bet is, she knows you wont - but thinks that she’s calling your bluff. If she really wanted to know, all she has to do is sit down with Huma and ask her. The investigation is then not compromised, since documentary evidence - here emails - do not change. So it's time to do what you didn't do last year- a thorough unbiased investigation, using all the tools available search warrants and empaneling a grand jury. No more mother may I routine. You’re the one who got yourself in this mess. And now the American people are in a bigger mess. In 2013 Huma signed a document under penalty of perjury when she left the state department that she had turned over all classified materials and that she was not retaining copies. It seems that metadata on 650 thousand emails suggest otherwise. Huma swore under oath that she searched thru all her devices for anything state related. She had a chance to turn things over and she didn’t. Start your negotiation there, Mr. Director. You've got her in a corner. It's time to throw some punches. Make your deal with Huma now. If you don't and Hillary gets elected, no one will care. Hillary will do what she’s always done. She'll be appalled at Huma. She’ll say she didn't know. She didn't remember. She short-circuited. She had a brain clot. She had no idea. Look, the American people are already traumatized by the Clinton scandals and we just can’t take 4 more years of them. Word is that although Justice told your FBI guys to shut down the Clinton Foundation investigation, it’s still ongoing. The justice dept. is dirty and you know it. Our attorney general actually pleaded the fifth on the Iran ransom probe. Loretta Lynch meeting with the spouse of a target and then the target herself days later saying I will keep Loretta Lynch as my attorney general is bribery pure and simple. Jim, go back to your roots. You were once a great prosecutor. Don’t let Washington ruin you too. You need to send these Clintons back to where they came from. It’s time for you to buck up put on your big boy pants and make a deal with Huma for the sake of this nation. You've got till Tuesday.

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Trump teases impending 'strong action' on border securityPresident Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his administration “will be taking strong action today” to address what he complained are especially weak border security protections that must be addressed by Congress and the construction of a border wall. “Our Border Laws are very weak while those of Mexico & Canada are very strong. Congress must change these Obama era, and other, laws NOW!” Trump wrote on Twitter. “The Democrats stand in our way - they want people to pour into our country unchecked....CRIME! We will be taking strong action today.” Trump’s online post, which did not come with further details as to what steps his administration would take, came one day after he announced that he would deploy U.S. troops to guard the southern border with Mexico until his promised border wall is completed. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said later Tuesday that Trump’s plan would mobilize the National Guard, which his two immediate predecessors had also done along the U.S.-Mexico border, and also press Congress to take steps to close “loopholes” in the nation’s immigration laws. Sanders did not say when or how many troops Trump would mobilize or where they would be deployed. The president has been especially preoccupied with border security this week, seemingly agitated by a group of migrants, mostly from Honduras, that was making its way north through Mexico, past immigration checkpoints and military bases, en route to the U.S. Trump said Tuesday that that group had been broken up by Mexican authorities, who he said did so only after he demanded they act. More broadly, Trump has struggled to get traction in Congress for his border security priorities, namely that the border wall he promised during the 2016 campaign would be paid for by Mexico. Democrats have thus far been largely unwilling to go along with plans for the president’s wall. Trump has complained loudly about what he has called their obstructionism and has urged the Senate GOP leadership to do away with the chamber’s legislative filibuster, something Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed never to do.

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Police in Seattle Can’t Say ‘Suspect’ Anymore, It’s Now ‘Community Members’ “We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end.” Have you ever had one of those days when you swear that you are actually being secretly taped for some sort of bad internet prank show? One of the best examples for me was when James Comey, then-director of the FBI, laid out the most impressive case against Hillary Clinton for illegal handling of classified information but then basically told the world, April Fools! I actually looked around my room to see if I was being filmed. I occasionally have the same experience when I read stories about liberalism and how they support the Constitution through totalitarian values. I found myself in that same situation this morning after reading about the new procedures for the police in Seattle, Washington. It all started when three outstanding young community members attempted to rob a 7-Eleven in downtown Seattle—a 17-year-old woman and two 19-year-old men. A police officer who was nearby immediately engaged with one of the men in a ground fight. During this fight, he was hit over the head with a bottle by the 17-year-old. One of the 19-year olds then ran into a building, where he engaged in a firefight with the police. During this exchange, one of the officers was shot in the face and ribs. Another officer was shot in the chest, but luckily she was wearing a protective vest. Yet another officer had his hand grazed by a bullet. The young community member who was shooting at the police was eventually killed in the gunfight, and the other two community members were apprehended without further injury. So, what about this is so surreal? While horrific and sad, nothing in this story thus far challenges our current view of the world. That is unfortunate in its truth, but what bothers me more is how the police are now being required to report upon these incidents. Instead of stating the truth—that these individuals are suspects in a crime (until they are tried in court and judged to be guilty, they are still innocent, no matter how obvious or horrendous the crime)—the police are now being told they are to refer to them as community members. I wrote recently about this very phenomenon. If the left cannot ignore the horrific nature of crime, they will simply relabel it so as not to offend those who are affected by the consequences. Well, that is not entirely true. There are those whom the left will not concern itself with. The victim of the crime will clearly be affected by this event. I am certain that they will carry with them a new sense of fear for the rest of their lives. The officers who were shot will also be affected forever as well, both mentally and physically. Being shot at is a significant event; I can only imagine that being shot magnifies this factor exponentially. Not only will the officers shot have their lives changed, but think of their families and especially their children. Every day they will wonder if that is the last time they will see their mother or father. Yet the left does not view any of them worthy of their guardianship. No compatible source was found for this video. As always, liberals will attempt to take responsibility away from the perpetrators of crime and throw that accountability onto society itself (often by blaming the victim). Since the crime itself cannot be questioned, they will instead change the verbiage so as to misconstrue the true depth. These scums aren’t suspects at all, they are simply community members. No different from you or me in any way that matters or is worthy of note. This is the essence of Newspeak, which George Orwell wrote of in his book 1984. If you want to control the minds of the people, simply choose the words that they can use. Once you lack the words to describe something, then that event or emotion cannot exist. Here we can see that very occurrence in real life. Forget about the victims or the police. Forget about those affected by causality. They are simply the collateral damage caused by society failing. There is no personal responsibility—only responsibility of society. Therefore, there is no individual control. This is why the left is so vehemently opposed to any sort of label that makes an individual take responsibility for themselves. To do so leaves them powerless and voids their control. In the book 1984, the hero makes a very astute statement: “Confession is not betrayal. What you say or do doesn’t matter; only feelings matter. If they could make me stop loving you—that would be the real betrayal.” This fact is not lost by liberals. Simply forcing someone to conform is not enough. Making someone say what you want does not change their beliefs or values. Instead, manipulate their ability to formulate thoughts through limitation of the language. I will close with this quote from the same book, which I feel sums up my view of progressives completely. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power…We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others…never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.

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Michigan State Police say viral Facebook human trafficking video is not accurate State Police say an investigation has revealed the information in the viral video not to be accurate. (Photo from WEYI/WSMH) (WEYI/WSMH) -- The Michigan State Police out of Detroit took to Twitter reporting the claims of a viral video about human trafficking in a Metro Detroit suburb are not accurate. "It was investigated by law enforcement and not a case of human trafficking. He was right about being vigilant but that’s about it," said the State Police on Twitter. This is the Facebook post where Nick Ahmad claims human trafficking almost happened to his wife and others. The video has been viewed over 650,000 times and shared close to 30,000 times. After an investigation the Michigan State Police took to twitter saying the viral Facebook video is not accurate.

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Former CIA director on "worst-case scenario" in Syrian civil war"Day One" is a multi-part series in which CBS News' Margaret Brennan speaks with former U.S. government officials on the major foreign policy issues the next president will inherit on the first day of their presidency. The next president will face countless challenges on day one. Among the biggest is the ongoing civil war in Syria. Margaret Brennan spoke with Leon Panetta -- a former CIA director, defense secretary, and White House chief of staff -- about the road ahead for U.S. involvement in the war-torn nation. LEON PANETTA: Inaction is not an option in Syria because if you stand back, the situation is gonna get worse. Look, the best-case scenario would be to have Assad step down, to have a transitional government be able to establish itself representing each of the factions that are there -- the Sunnis, the Kurds, the Shias. And then, frankly, have the Russians and whatever is left of the Syrian forces join with the United States in going after ISIS to truly defeat them. That would be the best-case scenario. MARGARET BRENNAN: What are the odds of that? PANETTA: Not very good. Not very good. BRENNAN: What's the worst-case scenario? PANETTA: The worst-case scenario is that Assad continues to remain in power, continues to kill Syrians. That refugees continue to flow out of Syria, that the Russians continue to have a presence there and continue to attack our moderate forces that we're trying to train in Syria. And that ISIS then uses that and creates an even bigger base from which to conduct attacks against this country. That's the worst-case scenario. BRENNAN: Sounds like you're describing what's happening now. PANETTA: It is what's happening now. And it's what can continue to happen in the future if we don't deal with it. BRENNAN: There are around 300 special operators in Syria right now. Will the next president have to commit more American boots on the ground? PANETTA: I think the likelihood is that the next president is gonna have to consider adding additional special forces on the ground to try to assist those moderate forces that are taking on ISIS, and that are taking on Assad's forces. And we have to increase our air strikes. We've got to do all of those things in order to put increasing pressure on ISIS but also on Assad. We can't surrender one objective for the other. We've gotta continue to press on both fronts. BRENNAN: Is it possible to defeat ISIS without challenging Assad? PANETTA: I think it's very difficult as we've seen to conduct effective operations against ISIS when we're dealing with Assad's forces pressing us in different places. And when we're dealing with the Russians who go in and literally bomb the very forces that we're training to go after Assad and to go after ISIS. We cannot have that situation continue in the future. Protect our forces there. BRENNAN: So the U.S. has to confront Russia? PANETTA: We are hoping upon hope that the Russians will do the right thing. They're not gonna do the right thing without pressure. They're not gonna do the right thing without giving our diplomats greater leverage than what they have now to deal with the Russians. To do that we have got to make very clear that we have objectives to achieve, that we intend to press to achieve those objectives, and that we will not allow them to divert us from the goals of defending ourselves. Here's where the candidates stand: Hillary Clinton wants to increase airstrikes against ISIS. She said she would arm the moderate rebels, and pressure Russia to get out of Syria. We should add that Panetta is advising the Clinton campaign. Donald Trump has announced he'd declare war on ISIS, and he wouldn't rule out more U.S. troops on the ground -- although he offered few details.

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Michelle Obama Expressed the Horror We're All Feeling About Donald Trump's Treatment of Women PHOTO: AP "I can't believe that I'm saying that a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women." And so First Lady Michelle Obama captured the sentiments of a majority of Americans during an emotional stump speech for Hillary Clinton on Thursday afternoon that lambasted Republican nominee Donald Trump's repeated demeaning and derogatory treatment of women. Speaking before a crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire, Mrs. Obama stated that the leaked Access Hollywood video of Trump bragging about groping, kissing, and trying to have sex with women has "shaken [her] to [her] core." "It would be dishonest and disingenuous to move on to the next thing like this was all just a bad dream," the first lady said. "We can't sweep this under the rug as another sad footnote in a disturbing election season. This was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior." Refusing to call Trump by name—only referring to him as Hillary Clinton's "opponent"—Mrs. Obama denounced the Republican candidate's defense of his past remarks as simple "locker room talk" while explaining how personal these comments felt to her—and for all women. For Trump, the 2005 Access Hollywood appearance was not an isolated incident. He has gone on record numerous times to comment on women in, typically, one of two ways: As objects of his own sexual gratification or as threats that should be wholly diminished for their intellect, ambition, or appearance. Though Trump has repeatedly claimed the "locker room talk" defense since the tape leaked last Friday, numerous women have since come forward to report their own sexual assaults at the hands of Donald Trump—meaning that this wasn't just talk, it was predatory action. Like millions of Americans, Mrs. Obama, felt shock and outrage over Trump's behavior, and could not believe that there are still people in this country who view women with such little regard, let alone the fact that one of them is trying to become the next president of the United States. "This is not normal. This not politics as usual. This is disgraceful," Mrs. Obama said. "It doesn't matter what party you belong to—Democrat, Republican, Independent—no woman deserves to be treated this way." Asserting that Trump is in no way qualified for the executive branch or be a role model for children who look up to the president, the first lady then praised Hillary Clinton for her longstanding commitment to public service (even saying that she has more experience than both "Barack or Bill"), before declaring that the former secretary of state would be the only candidate who could unite the country and guide the American public with strength and compassion. Making a call to undecided voters, Mrs. Obama urged them not to cast a protest vote or sit the election out entirely, saying that doing so would only help clear a path for Trump to the White House. She referenced the 2012 election, in which President Obama won New Hampshire by 4,000 votes. Though that figure might have seemed like a definitive win for the incumbent president, it broke down to a total of just 66 votes per precinct—or, dozens of votes that could make or break a candidate's victory. She additionally cited the power of women voters in this election, and the influence they can have in choosing the next president. A recent report from Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight election forecast suggested that if only women voted, Hillary Clinton would win by an overwhelming majority (which, horrifyingly, prompted a #Repealthe19th social media campaign among Trump supporters). Mrs. Obama invited all women to take this power seriously and use it to elect a candidate who has not only been a pillar of support for women, but would teach America's children that any kind of degrading, hateful rhetoric is wholly unacceptable. "We, as women, have all the power we need to determine the outcome of this election," Mrs. Obama said. "We have the knowledge, we have a voice, we have a vote. And on November 8, we as women, we as Americans, we as decent human beings, can declare that enough is enough and we do not tolerate this kind of behavior."

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The Hillary Clinton emails: What we know, and what we don'tFBI Director James Comey caused a major shakeup in the presidential election with his letter Friday revealing a review of newly-discovered emails related to the FBI previously-closed investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private server. Here is a rundown of what we know (and what we don't) so far: What emails were discovered? Many things remain vague and unknown about the newly uncovered emails. What we do know is that the FBI believes they are "pertinent" to its investigation into Clinton's use of a private server during her tenure as secretary of State. According to an official close to the investigation, there are thousands of new emails under review. What we don't know is whether they contain any classified material or could have any bearing on the previous investigation. Could the emails lead to criminal charges against Clinton? That is impossible to know at this point. In a speech Friday, Clinton said she is "confident" that the new developments won't change the FBI's recommendation not to prosecute her for improperly handling classified materials. Although Comey could not put a timetable on how long it will take to review the new material, a source tells USA TODAY that is unlikely it will be completed before Election Day. What is the connection to Anthony Weiner? The emails were discovered as part of an investigation into former New York congressman Anthony Weiner, who is suspected of having sexually charged communications with a 15-year-old girl. Investigators came across the emails while looking into devices used by Weiner. Weiner is married to — and currently separated from — longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin who had access to the same device or devices. Why did Comey make the review public? In his letter to lawmakers, informing them of the latest developments, Comey said he thought it was important to update them "in light of my previous testimony," which said the investigation had been concluded. Did Attorney General Loretta Lynch approve of Comey's letter to lawmakers? No. Lynch objected to Comey's decision to notify Congress that the FBI was reviewing newly discovered email, an official familiar with the matter told USA TODAY. Lynch based her objection on a long-held Justice Department policy that federal authorities should not take any action that may interfere with an election. Did Lynch try to stop Comey? Yes. Lynch shared her objections just hours before Comey sent the letter, according to USA TODAY's source. The FBI director weighed the attorney general's advice during a spirited discussion of the matter Thursday and early Friday, but in the end, Comey felt compelled to act. When is the election? Tuesday, November 8.

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Steve Bannon’s big problem isn’t Breitbart. It’s TrumpA note to Steve Bannon: No matter what your beliefs are, the most dangerous thing you can do is cross Donald Trump. The fallout against the former White House political strategist and Trump confidant is continuing this week, in the wake of his comments appearing in Michael Wolff's tell-all book, "Fire and Fury," and as his political foes are celebrating his perceived demise and his political friends are starting to distance themselves from him. One of Bannon's strongest allies — the Mercer family, which is funding Breitbart — issued a stinging rebuke on Thursday, but limited the scope of their attack to what Bannon said about the president. "I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected," Rebekah Mercer told the Washington Post. "My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements." And CBS reported Friday that Mercer "cut all ties" with Bannon because that's what Trump wanted her to do. . @CBSNews confirms Steve Bannon's longtime benefactor Rebekah Mercer cut *all ties* with him at the request of White House officials in the aftermath of #FireAndFury. pic.twitter.com/8eICjpp6Qw — ryan kadro (@RyanKadro) January 5, 2018 But Mercer is continuing to finance Breitbart, which has not only been Bannon's political agenda, it's been his political essence. Bannon made Roy Moore his candidate in the Alabama special election. When Moore's major flaws were exposed, Bannon dispatched Breitbart's staffers to attack the women who accused Moore of trying to date them when they were teenagers. After the election, Breitbart's editor admitted that they were acting as political operatives in their decision to cover the election. So while Breitbart's funders are wondering whether or not to cut ties with Steve Bannon, it's important to realize that Bannon's legacy will certainly live on. It will just be more Trump-friendly.

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GOP congressional candidate uses Twitter to coordinate attacks on 'Jewish media,' vowing to 'decimate them all'GOP congressional candidate Paul Nehlen has drawn on anti-Semitic sympathy to rally support for his fledgling campaign, BuzzFeed News reported Friday. Nehlen — who is running against House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in a Republican primary this summer — ran a Twitter group chat where he rallied white nationalists to attack his opponents, BuzzFeed News reported. One of Nehlen's stated adversaries was the "Jewish media," who he believed had "coordinated" to smear him after he lost the support of Breitbart News for sending tweets about white pride. Nehlen's list of targets included conservative personality John Cardillo, author Kurt Schlichter, and former Boston Red Sox pitcher turned Breitbart radio host Curt Schilling. All three men, BuzzFeed News notes, are conservatives who distanced themselves from Nehlen. The candidate turned to his Twitter group to ask for some backup, writing, "Cardillo and others like him are working for Jewish media. Then, there are the fake conservatives who happen to be Jewish." Per screenshots published by BuzzFeed News, Nehlen then added: "I'm going to decimate them all. And y'all are gonna help me." Sources who spoke to BuzzFeed News said that "such requests were common" from Nehlen. One of the group chat's most notable participants is Richard Spencer ally Eli Mosley, who heads a white nationalist group of his own called Identify Evropa, BuzzFeed News points out. Mosley is a polarizing figure even among white nationalists, as many reportedly think he sparked the violence at last year's "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a woman was killed by a white nationalist. Read more about Nehlen's group chat at BuzzFeed News. Kelly O'Meara Morales

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Sheriff David Clarke To Join Trump AdministrationWe saw this coming a mile away. Early Thursday, the controversial Milwaukee County Sheriff, David Clarke resigned without any notice. The move was a surprising one but we should have known that President Trump had something to do with it. The former Wisconsin sheriff gave his resignation on Thursday to join the Trump administration. While Clarke submitted his letter of resignation Thursday afternoon, the letter did not include the details of why he quit and what was next for the sheriff. However, CNN reports that Clarke will join the Trump administration but what exactly he will be doing is still unknown. Trump has pegged him earlier this year for a role, but Clarke withdrew from consideration within a few days of the announcement. According to CNN: “It’s unclear what job Clarke will take in the administration, but one of the sources said he’s expected to join the White House. Clarke likely won’t be offered a Senate-confirmed role because his nomination would face opposition from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.” Oncologists Are Freaking Out After True Cause Of Cancer Is Released Back in May, Clarke publicly announced he’d accepted a position as an assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security. But according to sources, no official offer had been made to him at the time of his announcement and was forced to withdraw from consideration. Clarke is known for defending Trump against racial claims. After the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, many critics spoke about against Trump’s response and his failure to condemn white supremacy. Clarke went on Sean Hannity’s show to defend the President by stating that he doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. Perhaps, Clarke will be joining the Trump team just to do television appearance on Trump’s behalf to combat claims of racism and bigotry. Only time will tell. What do you think about Clarke’s move?

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Trump accuses former Clinton aide of failing to follow security protocols Huma Abedin, an aide to Hillary Clinton, at a Women for Hillary event at West Los Angeles College on June 3, 2016, in Culver City, Calif. An article by the Daily Caller says Abedin forwarded some government passwords to her private Yahoo email account in 2009, when Clinton was secretary of state. Yahoo was hacked in 2013, which affected all 3 billion of its accounts. [Irfan Khan | Los Angeles Times via TNS] WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump made his first "Crooked Hillary" Twitter post less than 48 hours into the new year Tuesday, accusing a former Clinton aide of "disregarding basic security protocols," and calling his own Justice Department a "deep state." "Crooked Hillary Clinton’s top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols," he wrote. "She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others" Attacking his former Democratic opponent from the 2016 presidential election and taking aim at his own Justice Department struck familiar tones for the new year. Almost 14 months after the 2016 presidential election, Trump has kept up a regular drumbeat of attacks on Clinton. Last year, Trump also criticized the Justice Department and Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not pursing investigations of his political opponents. Tuesday morning’s Twitter post followed an article in the Daily Caller, a conservative publication that Trump closely monitors. The article said Abedin forwarded some government passwords to her private Yahoo email account in 2009, when Clinton was secretary of state. Yahoo was hacked in 2013, which affected all 3 billion of its accounts. After the breach, the data was offered for sale by a hacking collective based in Eastern Europe. Trump also implored his administration to investigate Abedin. The term "deep state" typically refers to a shadow government of agency officials who secretly plot to influence policy; they are usually associated with countries that have authoritarian elements that undercut democratically elected leaders. On Friday, the State Department released about 3,000 of Abedin’s work-related emails. The emails were found on the laptop of Abedin’s now estranged husband, Anthony Weiner, and were released as part of a public records request. The emails found on Weiner’s computer are a sore spot for Clinton. James Comey, the former FBI director, had notified Congress shortly before the 2016 election about the existence of newly discovered emails that could be relevant to the closed investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state. Clinton, in a book released last year, said Comey’s October 2016 disclosure hurt her campaign’s momentum and helped Trump win the election. In his Twitter post, Trump also referred to the case of a Navy sailor who was jailed for taking pictures inside a military submarine. According to a report in Fox News, the sailor had hoped to receive a pardon from the president, but has not.

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To distract from email controversy, Clinton targets Trump's record with women U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton acknowledges the crowd at a campaign rally in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. November 1, 2016. Hillary Clinton’s campaign is refocusing on Donald Trump and turning away from the latest investigation of her emails, reminding voters of all the reasons why she believes Trump is unqualified to be president. At three Florida rallies Tuesday, CBS News’ Nancy Cordes reports that Clinton ticked through her opponent’s most notorious comments about the opposite sex. “I want all the girls in America to know: you are valuable,” Clinton said at a rally in Fort Lauderdale. “Don’t let somebody like this bully tell you otherwise!” To another crowd in Dade City, Florida, she added: “He calls women ugly, disgusting, nasty, all the time... He doesn’t see us as full human beings.” For proof of her closing argument, Clinton turned to former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, who Trump publicly shamed in 1997 for gaining a little weight. “He said to me, Miss Piggy, Miss Housekeeping, Miss Eating Machine,” Machado said, joining Clinton in Dade City. It’s a closing argument aimed not just at female voters but also the men who love them. The Clinton campaign released a series of ads Tuesday -- all of them with the same message. “I wouldn’t feel good as a father voting for somebody like that,” one man says in an ad. In Columbus, Ohio, President Obama warned that Trump is unlikely to change. “If you disrespected women before you were elected, you will disrespect women once you’re president,” he said. But in Fort Lauderdale, a protester interrupted Clinton with a sign that said her husband, former President Bill Clinton, is a rapist -- a common sight at Clinton rallies that set her off last night. “I am sick and tired of the negative, dark, divisive, dangerous divisions and behaviors of people who support Donald Trump,” Clinton said. Aides to the Democratic nominee insist the race is not as tight as new polls suggest. And yet they’ve begun airing ads in four states that supposedly tilt their way: Michigan, Virginia, Colorado, and New Mexico. The campaign says that is not a sign of nervousness -- it’s a sign that they still have a startling $150 million in the bank so why not put it to good use, especially if it helps Democrats down the ballot. But that doesn’t explain why Clinton has added a stop in one of those states -- Michigan -- to an already packed schedule.

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Ingraham: ‘Successful Trump Presidency’ Would Be ‘Armageddon’ for Liberals LifeZette editor-in-chief says Democrats, establishment GOP ‘happiest’ when president struggles By Kathryn Blackhurst; LifeZette: LifeZette Editor-in-Chief Laura Ingraham said that Never-Trumper Republicans and resisting liberals are “happiest” when President Donald Trump’s approval numbers go down, even if their own numbers plummet as well. Ingraham, who was guest-hosting Tuesday on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” blasted balking GOP members of Congress and Democrats for blocking and stalling the president’s legislative agenda throughout his first 200 days in office. Noting that Republican senators such as Jeff Flake (Arizona), John McCain (Arizona), and Thom Tillis (North Carolina) delight in making rounds on the news talk shows to criticize Trump, Ingraham pointed out their own plunging approval numbers as the American voters wait for them to fulfill their campaign promises. “Do you know what a liberal’s idea of Armageddon is? No, it’s not a nuclear North Korea, but a successful Trump presidency. Do you know what the Never-Trump Republicans on Capitol Hill fear the most? No, it’s not ISIS and it’s not a 5,000-point [drop] in the Dow, but a successful Trump presidency,” Ingraham said. “Today is the 200th day of this administration,” she added. “And despite the hyperventilation and alarmism we’re hearing from the national press corps — they’re prematurely declaring the Trump administration a failure, of course — but in fact, it’s the resistance to Trump that is playing a risky gambit.” No compatible source was found for this video. In this “resistance,” Ingraham included Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and “supposed right” senators such as Flake, McCain and Tillis. And what unites all of them is their sad and rather pathetic fear and loathing of President Trump,” she said. “So they want you so saturated in this endless and mindless Russia story deal, and other irrelevant West Wing staff intrigues that’s mostly fueled by leaks, that you even begin to believe their negative spin. And let’s face it — these people are happiest when his numbers go down, when his legislation and his confirmations stall, even if their own approval numbers go down, too. It’s like they don’t even care.” Pointing to recent Quinnipiac University poll measuring congressional approval ratings, Ingraham noted these politicians have plummeted even as Trump’s numbers have dwindled into the 30s. “And Trump’s approval rating may only be about 37 percent according to one poll, but check this out. Tom Tillis’ approval rating, North Carolina — 29 percent. Nancy Pelosi’s — 27 percent. Chuck Schumer’s is 26 percent, and [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell’s is a very impressive 17 percent,” Ingraham said, noting that McConnell has failed repeatedly to rally 50 of 52 GOP senators in support of various measures to repeal and replace Obamacare. “Now despite two years of non-stop bile and vitriol from Washington’s bipartisan elite class, Trump is actually beating all of them,” she added. “Now while of course it’s true that key legislative successes are lacking, whether on health care, tax reform, infrastructure — but it’s equally true as well that President Trump has done a lot even without Congress to make our lives better.” Ingraham said that Trump does need to work on boosting his approval numbers, but she argued the president has “done a heck of a lot in just 200 days.” Pointing to the successful confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s slashing of Obama-era red-tape and regulations, the thriving stock market, consumer confidence and more, Ingraham said that Trump’s presidency hasn’t been the failure that the media, the Left and the Never-Trumpers are making it out to be. “His approval numbers — yeah, they need boosting, that’s for sure. But considering the 24/7 media onslaught against him, the distraction of the Russia probe, and the resistance from Congress — both sides in Congress — he’s done a heck of a lot in just 200 days,” she said. “And if he can keep focused and he can keep his team motivated, keep them together, and put pressure on the Hill to deliver on some of these big issues, he’ll improve his numbers and he’ll grow the populist movement.” To read related content visit LifeZette.

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92% of US Muslims are proud to be American, though most see 'a lot' of discriminationNinety-two percent of Muslims in the U.S. are proud to be American, even though 75 percent say there is "a lot" of discrimination against Muslims in the U.S. Nine-in-ten Muslims reported having a positive feeling about living in the U.S., even though 75 percent believe it has become harder to be Muslim in the U.S. in recent years. The survey found that Muslims feel that the main problems they face in the U.S. are negative media coverage about the religion (60 percent), misconceptions about Islam (9 percent) and President Trump’s attitudes and/or policies towards Muslims (9 percent). The survey was conducted Jan. 23 to May 2, and 1,001 U.S. Muslim adults participated. Nearly 48 percent have experienced some type of discrimination. Researchers at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) found that the number of hate groups specifically targeting Muslims in the U.S. has nearly tripled in the past year. SPLC reported that there were 34 hate groups in 2015 and the figure has risen to 101. The SPLC attributed the increase in hate groups in part to Trump's campaign rhetoric. "The growth has been accompanied by a rash of crimes targeting Muslims, including an arson that destroyed a mosque in Victoria, Texas, just hours after the Trump administration announced an executive order suspending travel from some predominantly Muslim countries," SPLC said in a statement. But despite the backlash Muslims have received from Trump's presidency, participants said they have experienced support in the past few months from non-Muslims

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Steve Bannon Gives Classic “Honey Badger” Response To Eminem Freestyle DissAfter constant attacks from the political and media elites, Steve Bannon has some of the thickest skin in America. Washed up rapper Eminem ripped Bannon during his now infamous BET Hip Hop Awards freestyle. When asked what he thought of the diss, the Breitbart boss offered a classic response. Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon does not “give a shit” about Eminem’s freestyle roast in which he name-checks Bannon in his attempted takedown of President Donald Trump. “On the record: Honey badger don’t give a shit,” Bannon reportedly told Joshua Green, the Bloomberg reporter and author of the best-selling Devil’s Bargain book, on Wednesday evening. At the BET Hip Hop Awards on Tuesday, Eminem appeared in a video in which he attacked Trump and referenced Bannon. As TGP previously reported, Eminen went on a four minute freestyle rap against President Donald Trump. This was very poor poetry. Hip Hop is really hurting these days. Complete with references to Steve Bannon and the KKK. Of course, there is no truth to anything Eminem was rapping about. But what the hell. Meanwhile inner cities across the US continue to suffer and wither away with their drugs, gangs and Democrat politicians. (Warning on Language) Eminem obviously wants to be invited back next year. What a disgrace. Sponsored Sponsored

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Barack & Michelle Obama ‘Disgusted’ By Harvey Weinstein Sexual Harassment Scandal REX/Shutterstock Barack and Michelle Obama are speaking out about the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal after their daughter, Malia, interned for his company. Find out what they said, here! Barack Obama, 56, and wife Michelle Obama, 53, finally released an official statement on Oct. 10, about the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment accusations and it’s not pretty, according to media outlets such as TMZ. “Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein,” the statement reads. “Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status.” The former U.S. president and first lady’s daughter Malia Obama, 19, interned at Harvey’s company, The Weinstein Company, before attending Harvard University and Harvey even donated $680, 000 for Barack’s 2012 re-election campaign. “We should celebrate the courage of women who have come forward to tell these painful stories,” the statement continued. “And we all need to build a culture – including by empowering our girls and teaching our boys decency and respect – so we can make such behavior less prevalent in the future.” Barack and Michelle’s statement comes just hours after a video message from the Republican National Committee, first reported by Daily Mail, condemned him for his silence in the case. Harvey has been accused of sexually harassing multiple women including many actresses he’s worked withsuch as A shley Judd, 49. The film producer continues to make headlines from the unfortunate situation with the most recent one involving an announcement that his wife, Georgina Chapman, 41, is leaving him. It’s been five days since the first allegations surfaced and since then, more and more women are coming forward with their own shocking stories. Harvey’s made various iconic films over the years, including Pulp Fiction, The Crying Game, and Shakespeare in Love. HollywoodLifers, what do you think about the Obamas’ opinion on the Harvey Weinstein scandal? Tell us your thoughts here.

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Facebook users got angry after they mistook empty bus seats for women in burqasA photo of empty bus seats caused a heated debate on Facebook because people thought they saw six women in burqas. The image was shared to a Norwegian anti-immigration group with the question: “What do people think about this?” Members sounded off, saying things like: “It looks really scary, should be banned. You can never know who is under there. Could be terrorists with weapons.” “Get them out of our country, those who look like collapsed umbrellas. Frightening times we are living in.” “I thought it would be like this in the year 2050, but it is happening NOW!!!!” The user who posted the photo wanted to show people the dangers of jumping to conclusions and spreading fake news. Norway's right-wing government recently proposed a law that would ban Muslim women from wearing full face veils in schools.

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King Co. executive to white supremacists: ‘We stand united against hateful rhetoric'The King County executive shared strong words as conservative, pro-Trump group known as “Patriot Prayer” descended on downtown Seattle in the wake of violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia. Demonstrators billed its “freedom rally" supported freedom and free speech. Executive Dow Constantine issued this statement as the demonstration was underway Sunday afternoon: “To the white supremacists and fascists who gathered today at Westlake Center under the false pretense of patriotism the day after the violence that a similar group sparked in Charlottesville, I have a message to share on behalf of the people of King County.” “We fought a Civil War against slavery, and you lost. We fought a World War against fascism, and you lost. Today, we stand united against the hateful rhetoric you have brought to our community. And you will lose again.” >> See photos from the demonstration here Other Washington state leaders, including Sen. Patty Murray, condemned the actions and made a call for people to "stand up and fight back." Who is Patriot Prayer? Portland-based Patriot Prayer’s Facebook event on its rally didn’t give clear reasons on why people were demonstrating. But the event page listed a variety of items the group claimed it was worried about – including sexual allegations against the Seattle mayor and what the group called “communist ideologies.” Leader Joey Gibson started the rally with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer asking for peace on the West Coast. Speakers in the rally called the Charlottesville incident an act of terrorism, said that white supremacists were not welcome at their event, and asked anyone who attended for racist reasons to leave. Gibson, who hosted a Patriot Prayer event earlier in the summer at The Evergreen State College, spoke to KIRO Radio on Monday and further spoke on his group's message. He said that he was not at Westlake Park to preach hate. “I have no idea what the hell they’re thinking about [this weekend] with the torches, David Duke and [Richard] Spencer, but I do not stand with that. The whole thing. I don’t understand what the hell happened yesterday. But they did it on purpose to tear apart this country,” Gibson told KIRO Radio. Activists counterprotest 'freedom rally' The “freedom rally" message was met by boos in the crowd as counterprotesters with the “solidarity met by hate” demonstration converged. "We don't want fascism in America," said counter-protester Mave Bowman, who lives in Los Angeles. "We don't tolerate violence like what happened [this weekend] so this is our way of saying no to like the Trump regime." Counterprotesters marched from Denny Park through downtown Seattle to Westlake Park, but many of those protesters were prevented from reaching the "freedom rally" location. But some counter-protesters made it. A barricade separated the groups of protesters in downtown Seattle. Police officers stood by dressed in black, riot gear. Police said they used pepper spray and blast balls to disperse crowds after fireworks were thrown at officers. Three people were arrested: a 40-year-old man for obstruction, a 37-year-old man for assault and a 25-year old man for assault. Council member Mike O'Brien expressed frustration over the crowd being kept away from Westlake Park. "Why weren't the demonstrators not allowed to get to Westlake Park?" O'Brien said. "I don't know what the call was. I'm not in a position to second-guess that at the moment." Demonstrations respond nationwide in wake of Charlottesville Seattle was just one of the cities in the United States on Sunday that had protesters decrying hate and racism. In Charlottesville over the weekend, neo-Nazis, skinheads, Ku Klux Klan members and other white nationalists gathered to "take America back" and oppose plans to remove a Confederate statue in the Virginia college town, and hundreds of other people came to protest the rally. The groups clashed in street brawls, with hundreds of people throwing punches, hurling water bottles and beating each other with sticks and shields. Eventually, a car rammed into a peaceful crowd of anti-white-nationalist protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. A Virginia State Police helicopter deployed in a large-scale response to the violence then crashed into the woods outside of town. Both troopers on board died. President Donald Trump condemned what he called an "egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides," a statement that Democrats and some of the president's fellow Republicans saw as equivocating about who was to blame. The White House later added that the condemnation "includes white Supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazi and all extremist groups." Some of the white nationalists at Saturday's rally cited Trump's victory, after a campaign of racially charged rhetoric, as validation for their beliefs. Some of the people protesting Sunday also point to the president and his campaign, saying they gave license to racist hatred that built into what happened in Charlottesville. The Associated Press contributed to this report. © 2018 Cox Media Group.

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Shahs of Sunset Recap: Keeping The Peace Shahs of Sunset Recap With a tumultuous and long-standing feud between Reza Farahan and Golnesa “GG” Gharachedaghi finally resolved, the Shahs of Sunset can get back to more important things, like peace in the Middle East. Just how does a Shah go about tackling the task that has eluded generations of people worldwide? By throwing a politically incorrect party, of course! Reza and Mike Shouhed nurse their hangovers at lunch, while they recover from Shervin Rpoohparvar’s Malibu party the night before. Mike never went to bed and when Mercedes “MJ” Javid shows up, it looks like she hasn’t either….for days. Talk turns from being hungover to how much Mike’s family means to him and that includes family in Israel that he hasn’t seen in over ten years. Hey, wouldn’t it be “the dope-est” if all of the Shahs went to Israel too? Apparently so, according to Reza. He is looking to connect with the Jewish side of his life via a posh vacation with his friends. When they try and get MJ on board, she initially balks, saying she doesn’t want to leave her father while he is sick. But she quickly realizes that she needs a break from her stressful life and I guess another cast trip with this bunch of hooligans is something she might find relaxing. She thrives in chaos after all! shahs-of-sunset-recap (3) A very pregnant Asa Soltan Rahmati takes a break from talking about her pregnancy to go kaftan boutique hunting with her family. Just kidding, she is still talking about it, saying that her family business is even more important now that there is another family member on the way. And everyone knows you can only sell kaftans out of a non-working refrigerator for so long before you have to upgrade to a ramshackled store front, which is exactly what Asa is doing. The landlord (and old friend of Asa’s) shows up in his landlord-y best, which includes a sundress, pink tights, rainbow wig, and nipple eyelashes, that he immediately shows off to everyone. Is this included in the rent? Never mind that, Asa has some sage to burn and twirls of happiness to make around the space so that it is cleansed and ready to sell kaftans. GG and thousands of her hair extensions are putting good things out in the universe and you know what that means – good things are coming back. Things like walking in a tacky sequined romper down a runway for some designer no one has ever heard of, I guess? Clearly, she must be friends with this designer and clearly, there is a shortage of eligible models for fashion week in L.A. because why else would someone risk having their clothes ripped off incredible hulk style, mid-catwalk if something doesn’t go Lochnessa’s way? I guess only time (and one fashion show) will tell. Reza is shopping for his “Gaza Strip, Israeli, Palestine, Peace in the Middle East” party and guys, I cannot stress for the life of me the importance of quotations in this recap. These are Reza’s words, not mine. With that disclaimer out of the way, back to culturally insensitive shopping, y’all! Destiney, who is off the People’s Couch and a supporting cast member now, shows up to help with the decorations. If this is anything like Mike’s party, Reza should know this isn’t a good idea but then again, Reza isn’t known for being classy when it comes to décor. He also isn’t known for being culturally sensitive but he explains that being a refugee from a war-torn country, where you can be hung for being gay, leaves him with a desire to poke fun at it as a way of coping with his feelings. He invites Destiney to the Israel trip since husband Adam Neely can’t come due to better judgment work. Destiney also likes “dope” things and taking a trip to Israel is one of them, so she happily accepts. shahs-of-sunset-recap (5) MJ, despite not being married, has some marital advice for all of us: you must date your husband until the day you die. I have some marital advice for MJ: you must marry a man for him to qualify as your husband. But my advice aside, MJ saying date nights are about romance and making sure your man knows that you still want to have sex. And how does one send up a smoke signal that you want to have a baby with said man? If you’re MJ, you simply tell him “eff it, I want to get ovulation strip and get pregnant.” If you’re fiancé Tommy Feight, your response is something along the lines of surprise, then a brief mention of being more responsible adults before bringing a child into this world, then saying let’s go for it. MJ reasons that Salma Hayek and Halle Berry did it, so why can’t she? I don’t have the answer to that but my guess would be that neither Salma nor Halle lived in a dirty, one bedroom apartment with no running water. That certainly wouldn’t preclude you from having a baby but it might make child rearing a little easier, don’t you think? With a big bite into a Korean BBQ rib, Tommy says he’s in and vows to stop and get ovulation test strips on the way home. At L.A. Fashion Week, GG (not to be confused with Gigi, an actual supermodel), has arrived to the show and is already swigging champagne and ordering around hair and makeup like she’s been a horrible person all her life. Oh, wait…she has! Shervin comes to support her but can’t manage to even have a conversation, thanks to all the naked models in the room. Within minutes of arriving, GG’s mood gets darker than her raccoon eye makeup after seeing Janice Dickinson, one of the world’s first supermodels, wearing the tacky sequined romper SHE was supposed to be wearing! GG is about to throw some murderous vibes into the universe and snaps at the designer to get “that old a** b**ch another outfit”. Reza and Adam arrive just in time to see this and obviously, can’t get enough. Shervin is oblivious because, boobs. Finally, GG takes a deep breath and says “fine” to another equally ugly sequined outfit and the team puts the finishing touches to her glamorous roadkill look. shahs-of-sunset-recap (6) With Lochnessa contained, Reza decides to invite Shervin on their trip to Israel and Shervin takes a pass, saying it would negatively affect some of his business relationships. Reza is confused and doesn’t understand why everyone just can’t join him in feeling “Jew-y,” while GG can’t understand why she would want to go somewhere where they want to bomb Palestinians. Reza waives off her statement and a symbolic champagne bottle pops loudly in the background, startling them all. Reza is still trying to get everyone on board and thinks exclaiming “eff Iran” out of frustration will do it. GG is offended but doesn’t really have time to discuss it further since she has a catwalk to go trip down. MJ has escalated pretty quickly on the baby fever scale and is already making Tommy pinky swear he won’t masturbate anymore. Her plan is to get knocked up and then have a legal wedding ceremony so her babies won’t be “bastards.” Oh MJ, if only anyone could take your idiotic morals to heart, but it’s so hard when you can’t even figure out how an ovulation test works. I know, it’s hard to read directions and pee on something without your fiancé standing over you to help, but I promise, it’s not nearly as hard as taking care of a baby, married or not. Maybe Salma and Halle are just better at reading directions. Despite almost clawing Janice Dickinson’s face off at the fashion show, GG is transitioning to a calmer, happier person and that means clearing the toxic energy out of her life. Or, what normal people would call, moving. Shervin and Annalise come over to help and thankfully, there are no naked models in the room so Shervin can remain focused. They quickly find out that GG isn’t just harboring toxic energy in her apartment but boxes of old blow up donuts she used to sit on after her butt implant surgery. Mike arrives and it turns out, his moving company is in charge of moving all the furniture and butt donut boxes. Yes, Mike opened a moving company and he says it’s not sexy but it’s a solid investment in a business because you can’t replace movers with robots. I didn’t know you could replace shoes with robots either so not sure why that business got tossed aside but whatever. Mike doesn’t even bother to wear his own shoe line to help move and is quickly complaining about scuffing up his new Adidas. Shahs of Sunset Recap The night of Reza’s big party and everyone is going all out in costume. MJ gets ready eating fried rice in her bathroom while getting her makeup done. At the party house, Reza and Adam arrive, dressed in full Orthodox Rabbi costumes. Reza muses that since he is more in tune with the Jewish side of his religion, he hopes he can wear the outfit without being disrespectful. In his next breath, he is showing off his “sexy burqa bitches,” who are there to entertain and serve the party goers in headscarves and sequined bikinis. Mike arrives as Moses, Asa arrives as…pregnant, but claims she is world peace, simply because she draped a white scarf that’s painted with a peace sign around her stomach. MJ is in a skin tight skeleton costume with side boob and Shervin comes in an orange suit, saying he’s an immigrant from the seventies. GG arrives in a full burqa and dark sunglasses, all which make it impossible for her to get drunk quickly. GG still isn’t sold on going to Israel and when Reza asks, Shervin also expresses concerns about being welcomed. Mike promises that Israel is very accepting, but GG pushes back again, saying they are not of Muslims. It starts to get a little heated but GG’s real issue is Reza’s comment to “eff Iran.” In a surprising twist, Reza immediately apologizes, explaining that he loves everything about Iran but the government. Asa tries to bring resolution to the conversation by reminding everyone how important it is that they respect each other’s journey. That’s enough for GG to fully get on board and agree to go to Israel so she celebrates by grinding on Mike, proving that all you need is love and a little dry humping to make the world a better place. TELL US – WERE YOU OFFENDED BY REZA’S COMMENTS? Photo Credit: Bravo Sponsored Sponsored

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Raw Video: 2 officers shot outside of Ferguson police departmentPublished March 12, 2015 BREAKING: Two police officers reportedly were shot early Thursday outside the police department in Ferguson, Mo. amid protests that followed the resignation of the town’s police chief. The shooting was first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ferguson Police Lt. Col. Al Eickhoff told the paper that he did not believe the officers were from his department and had no information on the extend of their injuries. The Post-Dispatch reported, citing a police source, that one of the officers was from St. Louis County, while the other was from Webster Groves, another St. Louis suburb located south of Ferguson. KTVI reported that as many as 200 protesters had gathered outside the police station to demand more changes in the city’s government after the resignation of Police Chief Tom Jackson Wednesday afternoon. The station reported that at least one person had been arrested and that protesters were blocking traffic on nearby Florissant Road. The Associated Press reported that the crowd had appeared to be dwindling when the shots were heard. The Missouri Highway Patrol told the AP that troopers were heading to the scene. Jackson was the sixth Ferguson employee to resign or be fired after a Justice Department report cleared white former officer Darren Wilson of civil rights charges in the shooting of black 18-year-old Michael Brown this past August, but found a profit-driven court system and widespread racial bias in the city police department. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Hurricane Harvey 2017: Forecast, Map, Path & Live UpdatesTropical Storm Harvey is building up strength in the Gulf of Mexico. A hurricane may be on our hands, and it’s headed to Texas and Louisiana, where it is predicted to do a lot of flooding with massive amounts of rain and 80 mph winds. Update (8/25/17; 8:29 P.M.): Hurricane Harvey has seriously picked up. The storm has upped the ante to a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds as high as 130 mph. Gusts of winds have been reported to be as high as 155 mph. Update (8/27/17; 10:45 P.M.): Massive flooding has reached Houston and many areas of southeast Texas, with 20 inches of rain hitting some areas. However, the hurricane has since dwindled from a Category 2, with sustained winds of 110 mph. More flooding and rainfall is expected into Wednesday, with meteorologists predicting 50 inches of rainfall. Three deaths have already been reported along with 12 injuries. Update (8/29/17; 7:52 P.M.): Harvey is officially a tropical storm. However, that doesn’t downplay the danger. An incredible amount of flooding has been reported in the Houston area. There are now 14 official causalities of the storm, including a family of six and a Houston police officer. Update (9/5/17; 1:34 P.M.): The death toll of Hurricane Harvey has increased to at least 60 causalities as a direct result of the storm. Officials are expecting up to 20 inches of rain in eastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana, starting Friday (August 25) up until the beginning of next week. As a result of the impending storm, Portland, Texas, is already being evacuated. Corpus Christi Mayor, Joe McComb, just announced that a voluntary evacuation is highly encouraged especially if you are in a low-lying area. — H-E-B Prepared (@HEBPrepared) August 24, 2017 Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell have also evacuated their employees. Flights in-and-out of the area have been cancelled and delayed. Gas stations are currently running out of gas as people are attempting to escape the path of the hurricane. Hurricane Harvey Path On Thursday, Hurricane Harvey can be found in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s been predicted that the storm will be into Texas by Friday, and will advance even more as it enters Louisiana. Flooding is expected in both states. The current speed of the hurricane is 80 mph. San Patricio County issues mandatory evacuation https://t.co/VEEaYZrMpS via @callerdotcom #HurricaneHarvey #RGV — Teddy Wilson (@reportbywilson) August 24, 2017 School Closures Schools in Houston have been closed in anticipation of Hurricane Harvey. Districts are announcing closures for public schools, community colleges, and universities. Hurricane Harvey school closures in Houston: Districts already announcing closures https://t.co/Dwd7vFuhFZ via @houstonchron — Andrew Blankstein (@anblanx) August 24, 2017 Here’s a short list of some of the schools that will be closing down as a result of the storm.

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Clinton staffer on Black Lives Matter founder: 'Yuck'A Hillary Clinton campaign staffer responded to an interview with a Black Lives Matter activist with one word: “yuck.” Clinton staffers circulated a radio interview in January with one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter Alicia Garza. Clinton herself flagged the interview, according to a new batch of hacked emails released by Wikileaks. In an email, Clinton’s research director Tony Carrk asked his team to find the interview because “HRC said there was a segment with a woman from BLM who said HRC/WJC ruined black lives.” Another staffer then sent a transcript of an interview on the New Yorker radio hour with Garza, who said Hillary “shunned and lectured” Black Lives Matter during a “ tense” meeting with the group in August 2015. At the end of the interview Garza said she would not vote for Hillary Clinton in the general election. Sara Solow, a domestic policy adviser to Clinton, responded to the transcript saying, “yuck.”

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Air Force Chief Staff ‘Classifies’ TRUMP as Enemy of AmericaAs we are writing this, Donald Trump is clothed in his war regalia as he prepares for a battle with the judiciary, the press, the CIA and probably innocent Americans. The good news is that we have a powerful and high-ranking military officer is not going to let Trump oppress the world. Air Force Chief of Staff Dave Goldfein may not have called Trump out directly, but his words are pointed at the president. In his interview with the press, Goldfein didn’t spare words of wisdom that Trump should better listen to. Earlier this week, President Trump aka ‘Orange Tyrant’ was at the MacDill Air Force Base to give his ridiculous and meaningless speeches. Imagine what he told the military officers who left what they should be doing to listen to him if they don’t like him, he is not going to like them. Barely a day after the president made this comment; Goldfein apparently seemed to implicitly attack what the president said. He said that “This is a great opportunity to step back and remind ourselves and the American people of the oath we take as members of the military.” Goldfein said that the oath they too and they always retake every time they were promoted was to defend and support the American Constitution against any enemy both in the domestic and foreign arena. By design, these military officers do not pledge to defend or support any leader or party because they are apolitical. The military is not too friendly with the president according to Goldfein, one day; the military may be protecting the people from Trump. Goldfein indirectly criticized the disastrous raid in Yemen authorized by Trump, the assurance of Trump that the SEAL was going to have a field only pointed out that he was a local fish without the experience of swimming in the international waters. One of the things that Goldfein is proud of is the fact that the military cannot lose sight that they go to war with their values. People who are critical of the efforts that the military undertakes each day to stop causalities are not aware of who the military are. Indeed, Goldfein is a true patriot who defends the real values of American. We are happy with the service that he is offering passionately to our country to ensure that our ideals are maintained. It doesn’t look like the upper class of the military really like Trump. They have rejected the requested Trump made for the military to go for the fascist-style military parade for his Inauguration Day. Americans need patriots like Goldfein. It is time for each one of us to stand up.

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Reporter: General Kelly Pulled Off Air Force One – May Resign by End of WeekThe mainstream media is floating rumors that Trump White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was removed from Air Force One this week and may be resigning. Kelly has been assigned Trump duties the past few months. According to conversations with Steve Bannon John Kelly is not allowing President Trump to receive his news from conservative news outlets. Pajamas Media reported: Bloomberg White House correspondent Jennifer Jacobs reports on Twitter that Trump’s chief of staff, General John Kelly, was originally going to be on the Air Force One flight to Las Vegas but was “pulled off flight” at the last moment. Gen. Kelly was originally going to be on AF1 to Vegas with Trump today but was pulled off flight, I'm told.WH not answering Qs about it. — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 4, 2017 Although the White House initially refused to answer her questions about this rather akward move, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders eventually said that there’s “nothing to read into here,” explaining: He is basically always on the manifest. Sometimes he travels, and sometimes he doesn’t. An important caveat, of course, but Huckabee’s explanation did not prevent Scott Dworkin from tweeting that not one, not two, but three people have told him that this may very well be General Kelly’s last week as Trump’s chief of staff. I’ve heard from three people from different circles on the Hill that this may be John Kelly’s last week as Trump’s Chief of Staff. #AMJoy https://t.co/T9AGHeGR9y — Scott Dworkin (@funder) October 4, 2017 Sponsored

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Gay Activists: Be Tolerant. Or We Will Destroy You!We have made great strides in the policing of thought in this country. Just ask Brendan Eich, one of the founders of Mozilla, developers of the web browser Firefox. Eich had just landed a promotion to the big chair as Mozilla’s CEO. He lasted all of nine days. The reason? Back in 2008 Eich donated a thousand dollars to support Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage. The unearthing of this donation led to protests from gay rights activists and the h igh profile call for a boycott of Firefox by dating site OkCupid.com. Eich, as many people in circumstances such as his, was stricken with the sudden desire to “spend more time with his family” and quietly resigned. Regardless of your position on same sex marriage, those activists who led to Eich’s resignation should be ashamed. Their basic message? “You’d better be tolerant. Or else we will show you a display of true tolerance. By crushing you.” In fact, it is no longer enough to be tolerant. Prior to his resignation, Eich told tech site CNET “[i]f Mozilla cannot continue to operate according to its principles of inclusiveness, where you can work on the mission no matter what your background or other beliefs, I think we’ll probably fail.” In the same interview, he said that he wished for those who were calling for his ouster to know that “without getting into my personal beliefs, which I separate from my Mozilla work — when people learned of the donation, they felt pain. I saw that in friends’ eyes, [friends] who are LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered]. I saw that in 2012. I am sorry for causing that pain.” Wow. Eich sounds like an intolerant jerk! No, strike that. He sounds like a dedicated and thoughtful professional who was able to separate his work and personal lives–as well he should have been. But to the activist crowd, it’s not enough that people are tolerant. They must offer affirmation of the LGBT agenda or pay the price. Their much vaunted toleration doesn’t extend to those who might have opposing viewpoints, like Eich. Of course, gay rights activists claim that Eich’s views are not deserving of toleration because he sought to strip them of their rights. This may or may not be the case, but I’d wager that many of them aren’t such dogged defenders of rights when asked about, say, the Second Amendment. And I’m hearing curiously little from these champions of freedom about the fact that 70 percent of California’s African Americans and over 50 percent of Hispanics voted for Prop 8. The uncomfortable fact for the left is that 2008 was the same election in which minority voters pulled the levers in droves for President Obama. Even more uncomfortable? President Obama himself was opposed to same sex marriage in 2008. But, then, it’s not about principle. It’s about ramming through the “right” outcomes. An Associated Press piece about Eich’s resignation asks “whether the episode undercuts the well-groomed image of Silicon Valley as a marketplace of ideas and diversity of thought, and whether, in this case, the tech world surrendered to political correctness enforced through a public shaming on social media.” Geez, ya think? Andrew Sullivan, the unreliably conservative columnist had this to say: Will [Eich] now be forced to walk through the streets in shame? Why not the stocks? The whole episode disgusts me – as it should disgust anyone interested in a tolerant and diverse society. If this is the gay rights movement today – hounding our opponents with a fanaticism more like the religious right than anyone else – then count me out. If we are about intimidating the free speech of others, we are no better than the anti-gay bullies who came before us. The trite knock at the religious right is to be expected from a regular guest on Bill Maher’s show, but Sullivan is right to call the gay rights activists out on their bullying tactics. And the man has skin in the game, as an openly gay man who has long supported same sex marriage. Kudos to Sullivan for recognizing that support for an issue doesn’t require the squashing of all dissenting viewpoints. Liberals like to mock those who speak of the “gay agenda.” The real agenda, they claim, is for homosexuals to be able to live out their lives in dignity with their loved ones. Such efforts at destroying opposition unfortunately make that more difficult to believe. And activists forget that perhaps next time, they won’t be the ones to define which thought crimes should be prosecuted. In a society which encourages the personal destruction of dissenters, any one of us can develop the desire to “spend more time with family” at any time.

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Biden does it in front of us! ‘Outraged’ Dems won’t talk about creepy Joe’s inappropriate touchingThe left continues to harp on unproven allegations that Donald Trump inappropriately touched women and said dirty words 11 years ago many are wondering where the outrage is about Joe Biden. For years the vice president’s inappropriate touching of women, and the invading of their personal space, has been a punchline seen as harmless. But now that the barrage of claims against Trump has reached its zenith social media has begun asking where the mainstream news sources are on “creepy Uncle Joe’s” unwanted encroachments. #WomenWhoVoteTrump wonder why Joe Biden gets a pass on “inapropriate touching.” Yikes!⤵If this was Trump, imagine the MSM headlines . #MAGA pic.twitter.com/gtk64X3tXH — Trump the Hill (@TrumpTheHill) October 15, 2016 @CNN @andersoncooper @Maddow @MSNBC Where’s the Wall 2 Wall segment on Creepy Uncle Joe Molesting Young Girls/Women? #HYPOCRITES #NVDebate pic.twitter.com/vODHxrEF0g — Truth Is Power (@truthispower777) October 15, 2016 #OnHillarysTeleprompter would someone tell Joe Biden that touching women and making them uncomfortable makes you unfit for office — Robert Wilson (@rwlawoffice) October 15, 2016 Katie Pavlich – It’s Time For a National Conversation About Joe Biden’s Inappropriate Touching https://t.co/ZHpbwjI5XU — Diamond Barbarian (@NoMoreElitists) October 14, 2016 No prof of Trump touching women. Watch Joe Biden Rub, Touch And Kiss His Way To Beck-Like Creepiness – YouTube https://t.co/jFWNo4ssgF — R. Wolfe (@WhoWolfe) October 14, 2016 Joe Biden can’t Keep his Hands off Women, a known fact! Always touching them! HYPOCRIT! pic.twitter.com/nNc1QFG7Hk — TRUMP/ PENCE 2017! (@audreyringrose) October 13, 2016 BIDEN IS A CLASS-A PERV. TALK ABOUT GROPING, HE’S ALWAYS TOUCHING WOMEN. IT’S RIGHT IN OUR FACES! https://t.co/aBAr2mzrlb — DeplorableWhatWhat7 (@OpinionOnion7) October 13, 2016 . @frankthorp Sure let’s have that conversation https://t.co/wC1deHu544 — Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) October 9, 2016

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Thurrock Muslims gather to pray for victims of Manchester terror attackTHURROCK Muslim community gathered to show their solidarity with victims of Manchester attack. A large number of Muslims gathered in Grays from around Thurrock to pray for the victims of this vicious attack. Mr. Abu Khayor and Qaisar Abbas on behalf of Thurrock Muslim community said “We strongly condemn this coward attack on innocent people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. The Thurrock Muslim community stands united in the face of those who seek to harm and divide us. We also pay tribute to our emergency services, police, and volunteers who worked tirelessly to save lives.”

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California dreaming... of secessionA lot of Californians are mad as hell. Some even say they’re not going to take it anymore. "It" is the result of November’s presidential election. What these Californians are doing is organizing a secessionist movement — as in, taking California out of the United States. Their movement is called Calexit, as in Brexit. Their inspiration is the growing gulf that separates them — politically, culturally, demographically — from the rest of the union. Hillary Clinton outpolled Donald Trump by a two-to-one margin here. "Without California, Trump would have won the popular vote," tweeted conservative pundit and Trump critic David Frum. The Golden State has a population of 39 million people, more than any other state in the union, and more people than in all of Canada. Metro Los Angeles alone is home to close to 19 million, a total greater than Ontario and Alberta combined. As Frum points out, those are numbers that come with economic clout, and therein lies the rub for many Californians. The U.S. without California, he writes, would be the world’s second-ranked technology power instead of the first. It’s home to Silicon Valley and companies such as Google, Apple, Cisco, Intel, Oracle, and SpaceX. California boasts the world’s sixth largest economy, greater than France, Italy, South Korea and India. California is also culturally distinct from much of the rest of the U.S. It’s synonymous with liberal causes, from environmental protection to gun control to health care, and that has other Americans judging Californians, and not in a flattering way. It’s a reality not lost on Marcus Ruiz Evans, one of the movers and shakers behind Calexit. "California," he admitted to the Washington Post, "(is) seen as weird." That weirdness extends to politics beyond the presidential variety. Gov. Jerry Brown has vowed to ensure Californians have health insurance coverage, offered through the state-run health exchange called Covered California, even if Trump Republicans repeal ObamaCare. But where the state most hears a different drummer is on immigration. Californians are decidedly in favour of it, and it’s easy to see why. California has the largest immigrant population in the union, approximately 10 million in total, a quarter of those undocumented. If you’re not an immigrant in California, you know one. Or two. Or more. In response to Trump’s ambitions to engage in large-scale deportation of illegal immigrants, the state legislature is considering a bill that would declare the state a "sanctuary." Lawmakers have even hired former Obama attorney general Eric Holder to battle the Trump administration on the issue. That step earned the enmity of the new president. "Trump claims California is ‘out of control,’ " writes columnist George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times, though the irony is undoubtedly lost on the president. Trump has threatened to cut off federal funds to California. "We’ll defund," Trump told Fox News. "We give tremendous amounts of money to California." The problem is that, like residents of Canada’s "have" provinces, Californians contribute more money to the federal treasury than what comes back. There has been much grousing about the Trump administration ever since the threats were levelled, fertile ground for Calexit. The secessionists even have the support of Silicon Valley billionaires Peter Thiel and Shervin Pishevar. Companies like Google have expressed concern about their ability in an anti-immigrant climate to recruit foreigners for jobs not enough Americans are qualified to fill. In January, the group Yes California was given permission to circulate a petition with the intention of putting the sovereignty question on the 2018 ballot. If the petition is successful — close to 600,000 signatures are required — a special vote to decide the state’s future would follow in 2019. Calexit does have its skeptics. "Canadians know you don’t escape the shadow of your giant neighbour by drawing a border," wrote Prof. Timothy William Waters in the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he believes secession is a bad idea. Such opinions are far from universal. According to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll taken in California, one-third of respondents support "peaceful withdrawal from the union." As one tweeter wrote: "We’ll just take our avocados and legal weed and go." Terry McConnell is a former Edmonton Journal columnist, editorial writer and copy editor now living in California

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Is Trump Spending More Taxpayer Dollars on Personal Travel than Obama Did?After only nine months in office, President Trump and family had already spent $147 million on personal travel, amounting to one-and-a-half times as much as President Obama and family spent in the eight years of the latter's presidency. Based on the limited information available as of October 2017, the Trump family's monthly travel expenditures during the early part of his administration exceeded the monthly spending averages of President Obama and family. The stated total of $147 million for President Trump and family's travel expenditures over nine months was vastly exaggerated and unsupported by actual data. The expenses incurred by United States presidents and their families on vacation trips and other travel away from the White House are an evergreen topic of partisan debate, given that much of those, including the requisite round-the-clock Secret Service protection and use of military aircraft for travel, are footed by the federal government. (By longstanding convention, even presidential vacation travel is categorized as “official business” for accounting purposes, since it is assumed, the Congressional Research Service tells us, that the president is always on duty.) In that vein, an Internet meme loosed on social media nine months into Donald Trump’s presidency made the claim that taxpayer expenditures on vacations, golf, and personal security for the president, First Lady Melania Trump, and their youngest son Barron had thus far averaged more than $16 million per month, as compared to an average of about $1 million per month for travel by President Obama and immediate family during Obama’s entire eight years in office. This is the text: As of October 14, 2017 Taxpayer dollars spend on vacations, golf and personal security while not at the White house for Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha $98,000,000.00 over 8 years or $1,020,833.33 per month Taxpayer dollars spend on vacations, golf and personal security while not at the White house for Donald, Melania and Barron $147,000,000.00 over 9 months or $16,333,333.33 per month Not a peep from Conservatives. If accurate, the comparison is all the more striking in that Trump was an inveterate critic of President Obama’s travel and vacation expenses for years: The Obama’s Spain vacation cost taxpayers over $476K http://t.co/W6kIpd5x They love to spend money. “I would rarely leave the White House because there’s so much work to be done,” Trump told The Hill in 2015. “I would not be a president who took vacations. I would not be a president that takes time off.” While campaigning for the presidency in 2016, Trump said to the American people: “I’m going to be working for you. I’m not going to have time to go play golf.” In point of fact, according to a report in USA Today, Trump only spent five of his first 26 weekends as president holed up exclusively in the White House. The rest entailed trips to his nearby golf clubs. In early August 2017, CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller toted up how many days Trump had spent away from the White House versus the number of days Obama spent offsite and found that Trump’s total, at all or part of 41 days away from Washington, was nearly twice Obama’s, at all or part of 21 days away (although George W. Bush had them both beat at 61 days away). Although it’s too soon as of October 2017, just nine months into his presidency, to render even a semi-complete portrait of the Trump family’s travel expenses (such details are rarely released except in response to Freedom of Information Act inquiries, and sometimes not even then), preliminary indications are that Trump’s past criticisms of Obama will come back to haunt him. Looking at the information we do have, the Obama family’s travel expenses during the entire eight years of his presidency totaled approximately $106 million, according to the most recent FOIA numbers released by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, who kept close tabs on Obama’s spending. The Obamas’ travel expenses therefore averaged about $1.1 million per month over the course of his term. Turning to Trump, the alleged $147 million already spent on travel by the president and his family during his first nine months in office wildly exceeds anything supported by actual data. That having been said, it does appear, based on the information available, that Trump and family have indeed likely outstripped the Obamas in terms of monthly travel costs, albeit by a smaller margin than claimed. Judicial Watch, who have vowed to monitor Trump’s travel expenses as closely as they did Obama’s (FOIA requests are already on file), reported in July 2017 that two months into Trump’s presidency taxpayers were already on the hook for $3.58 million in charges for air travel alone (i.e., excluding auxiliary costs such as Secret Service housing, local transporation, police protection, etc.) by the president, first lady, and vice president during February and March. That’s roughly $1.8 million per month, $700,000 more than the Obamas’ monthly average, which included the auxiliary costs we don’t yet have for Trump. Focusing just on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago trips, of which there were seven between Inauguration Day and mid-August 2017, an attempt at a more comprehensive estimate by the progressive watchdog group Center for American Progress Action Fund settled on a cost of roughly $3 million per trip — a total of $21 million for all of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago stays through August, amounting to $2.6 million per month). The reliability of that estimate has been rightly called into question, given that it was generalized from a Government Accountability Office report written well before Trump took office, but it is indicative of how high the Trump family’s travel costs — when they are updated to include actual Secret Service expenses and incidentals might well go. For that matter, obligatory Secret Service protection extends to all of Trump’s children, including his two adult sons, whose security costs while traveling are borne by American taxpayers even though they don’t work for the administration, instead running their father’s international business holdings. According to CBS News, lodging and transportation costs for federal agents protecting Eric and Donald Trump Jr. on their travels had already surpassed $190,000 by the end of President Trump’s third month in office. Also indicative is a USA Today report that in addition to his Mar-a-Lago residencies, as of 21 August Trump had racked up five visits to his private golf club in New Jersey. At these two locations, the Secret Service spent $60,000 on rent for the golf carts needed to protect the president. If that pattern continues, American taxpayers can expect to be dinged for as much as $103,000 per year in golf cart rentals alone. Although there isn’t yet enough information to work up a detailed comparison of the Trump family’s travel expenses versus the Obama family’s, it seems a near certainty, barring a dramatic change in lifestyle, that the Trumps’ expenses will continue to outpace the Obamas’ by a healthy margin, although nowhere approaching the $15 million-a-month disparity alleged by Internet sources. Snopes.com has long been engaged in the battle against misinformation, an effort we could not sustain without the support of our readers. If you'd like to learn more about how you can support us, click here.

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Police: Mom leaves 4 young kids home alone, goes on European vacationJOHNSTON, Iowa — An Iowa woman faces multiple charges after police said she left her four children home alone while taking a trip to Europe. Erin Lee Macke, 30, of Johnston, is charged with four counts of child endangerment – substantial risk, and one count of transfer of pistol or revolver to a person under 21. Johnston police Lt. Tyler Tompkins told KCCI that Macke left her children ages 12, 12, 7 and 6 alone at home Sept. 20 while she traveled to Germany. Tompkins said the children were left alone for 24 hours before the police department and Iowa Department of Human Services received a tip and visited the children. The children told police, “Mom left them and left the country,” police said. Tompkins told KCCI that police contacted Macke Sept. 21 and that Macke told officers she planned to be in Germany until Oct. 1. "All of her sitter options fell through, and she left the kids in the care of the two 12-year-olds," Tompkins said. He admitted that the case is well out of the ordinary. “I’ve never heard of anything like this before,” Tompkins said. “We have situations where parents go next door or parents may go out for the night, and while that’s not advisable either depending on the age of the children, obviously leaving the country is a totally different situation. This, where a parent has left the country and left the kids home alone, I’ve never heard of it before.” Authorities said they convinced Macke to return to the United States before Oct. 1. She arrived Wednesday evening and was arrested Thursday morning. Police said the 12-year-old children are staying with family and the seven- and six-year-old children are with their father. Macke is charged with one count of transfer of pistol or revolver to a person under 21 because there was a firearm within reach of the children in the home, according to police.

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Here’s What Happened When a Drunk Driver Pulled a Gun on a Police OfficerIt’s not often that a suspect’s attorney calls the police officer who arrested him a “true hero;” but in John Picerno’s eyes, that exactly what Overland Park Police Sergeant Scott Ferguson is. Back in April, Ferguson was on night patrol when he spotted a vehicle driving along the wrong side of road with no headlights on. He pulled the car over, but the driver quickly took off again…only to crash into a fire hydrant. Dash cam footage from Ferguson’s patrol car then shows the drunk driver exiting his vehicle. He stood there hunched over with his hands behind his back, until Ferguson began approaching. That’s when the driver pulled out a pistol. Rather than brandishing his own weapon, Ferguson wrestled the gun out of the driver’s hands – and the driver to the ground where he was finally handcuffed. At his hearing in August, the suspect pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and battery on a law enforcement officer, as well as driving under the influence. After serving 170 days of his sentence, he was placed on probation. But according to Picerno, his lawyer, he should just be thankful he’s alive. “He is very lucky and both he and his family are very grateful for the officer, Sgt. Scott Ferguson, who exercised extreme discretion during the incident,” Picerno said according to the Kansas City Star. He added that Ferguson likely would’ve been justified in firing his weapon in that situation. “No one is tougher on law enforcement than me,” he continued. “I have to say Sgt. Ferguson is a true hero in my book. He is an example of what good policing looks like.” We couldn’t agree more. You can watch the dash cam video here.

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Hillary's campaign and Bill's women Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky, Gennifer Flowers Early this year, Donald Trump made the seemingly audacious suggestion that Hillary Clinton was somehow responsible for Bill Clinton's infidelities. Trump called her an "enabler" and said she "attacked the women who Bill Clinton mistreated afterward." In typical Trump fashion, the comment was designed to get attention. Mrs Clinton has been a champion of family issues and women's rights throughout her career, so the idea that she was the enabler of someone Mr Trump has called "the greatest abuser of women in the history of politics," appeared outrageous. And yet, something resonated in Mr Trump's description of Hillary. There was a kernel of truth to his claim and now it is hurting Mrs Clinton with young female voters. The New York Times today has a long article outlining Mrs Clinton's role in the political handling of her husband's sexual affairs. It's pretty damning, and for Clinton's supporters it must make unpleasant reading. Anyone with an iota of empathy, of course, sympathises with what Hillary Clinton went through during the Lewinsky scandal. I was here and covered the story. It was grim, and the image of Chelsea steadfastly holding both parents hands as they walked, heads slightly bowed, to the helicopter on their way to that summer holiday in Martha's Vineyard will stick with me as one of the more poignant family portraits ever taken. Dealing with a spouse's unfaithfulness is traumatic in private. It must be an even deeper circle of Hell when splashed on the front of every newspaper. What is disconcerting now, however, is Hillary's role in pursuing the women themselves - Gennifer, Paula, Monica, they all, according to both the New York Times and previously published accounts, became the subject of brutal, organised discreditation campaigns. In 1992, Hillary told Esquire magazine that if she had the chance to cross examine Flowers, she would "crucify her." Taking such determined steps to destroy a woman's reputation in order to protect her husband's political career smacks of depressingly cynical calculation. The Clintons hired a famous private investigator to dig up the women's pasts with the aim of destroying their reputations. It is not clear from the Times' reporting to what degree Mrs Clinton favoured this tough approach. Did she drive it or just give it an accepting nod? Maybe the more relevant point is that she condoned it. Hillary also famously called Ms Lewinsky a "narcissistic loony toon," according to a friend's testimony. A staff member who was close to Hillary said she referred to Mr Clinton's affairs as "bimbo eruptions". And there's the problem for young women voters. Why should the character or the sexual past of these women be relevant to the truthfulness of their claims? Indeed, Mr Clinton went on to confess to affairs with both Ms Flowers and Ms Lewinsky, after initially denying them. By discrediting the women, the Clintons were spreading the subliminal message that it was somehow their fault more than Bill's. What were they trying to prove - that he was led astray by sexual predators? In 2016 that sounds grotesque. How it all started for Hillary Clinton How it all started for Hillary Clinton Today's sexual mores are very different from the 1980s and 1990s. Young women today expect women to stand up for other women, particularly in the area of sexual relations and particularly when those sexual relations involve a very powerful man and a younger woman. Younger women who have been through bruising college sexual abuse scandals across America have little tolerance for women who in any way cast blame on the victim. That empathy extends to consensual affairs - they just don't like women shaming other women. Which is exactly what Hillary Clinton was complicit in doing, according to the New York Times, and other previous accounts. Mrs Clinton's supporters say this is all old news, and is part of a right-wing attempt to slime her. Many millennial voters weren't even born when Monica and Bill were cavorting in the Oval Office. This is their first introduction to this sordid story. However the Clinton campaign tries to spin it, it just doesn't look great for their candidate.

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Nicolle Wallace: Ex-White House officials admit Trump’s inner circle is ‘flying blind’ where Mueller investigation is going MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace Former George W. Bush communications director Nicolle Wallace reported Tuesday multiple senior Republican officials have told her that to expect that special counsel Robert Mueller is pursuing an obstruction of justice case against President Donald Trump. “Three Republicans with close ties to the Trump White House, all veterans from previous Republican administrations, tell me that it’s clear from their conversations and contacts with the president’s inner circle that Bob Mueller is trying to build an obstruction of justice case,” MSNBC host of “Deadline: White House” reported Tuesday. “One of them going even farther and saying that the White House is now flying blind and doesn’t know who else might already be cooperating with Mueller’s team,” Wallace explained. That was not the only major news Wallace broke in the first minutes of her show. Wallace also introduced former U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg, who worked on the staff of both Robert Mueller and James Comey of the FBI. “Would you surmise that Donald Trump’s taxes are something that Bob Mueller either has or will seek to obtain?” Wallace asked. “I would, Nicolle, and here’s why. I was a federal prosecutor for a long time and a white collar prosecutor, at the beginning of any case what you need are leads, how do you get those? The first thing you do, you get credit reports and you get tax returns,” Rosenberg explained. “I don’t know that they have the tax returns, but I know what white collar tax attorneys do, they get tax returns,” Rosenberg noted.

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Will Clinton's new FBI controversy change voters' minds?At Price Hill Chili Restaurant in Hamilton County, Ohio, Tuesday morning, they served up hot coffee, scrambled eggs and a side of politics. CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller asked voters there whether the FBI’s decision to re-open Hillary Clinton’s email investigation is changing any minds. “I am standing by Hillary,” one said. “I am really rooting for Trump this year,” said another. Watch the video above for more reaction from swing state voters.

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Jeff Sessions announced new conditions for sanctuary cities to receive federal fundsAttorney General Jeff Sessions warned Tuesday that sanctuary cities in the U.S. will lose millions in grant money if they do not comply with federal agents' efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. Sessions issued a statement announcing new requirements for local governments that wish to receive money from a federal grant program called the "Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Programs." The rules require local governments to alert the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at least 48 hours before releasing inmates from local jails who are wanted by DHS agents. It also requires local governments to allow DHS agents to enter local jails and interview inmates suspected of being undocumented immigrants. "So-called sanctuary policies make all of us less safe because they intentionally undermine our laws and protect illegal aliens who have committed crimes," Sessions said in his statement. "These policies also encourage illegal immigration and even human trafficking by perpetuating the lie that in certain cities, illegal aliens can live outside the law." "We must encourage these 'sanctuary' jurisdictions to change their policies and partner with federal law enforcement to remove criminals," Sessions added. Sessions has been a fierce advocate for cracking down on illegal immigration. "These long overdue requirements will help us take down MS-13 and other violent transnational gangs, and make our country safer," he said. The new requirements will apply to cities seeking grants starting in September.

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Donald Trump Defends Past Remarks About WomenDonald Trump defended past disparaging remarks about women during Thursday’s GOP debate, saying he doesn’t have time for “total political correctness” and that oftentimes he’s just kidding. “You've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals,” Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly told Trump. “Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president,” she added. Trump said those comments were directed at TV personality Rosie O’Donnell, who has publicly feuded with Trump in the past. “I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I've been challenged by so many people and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness and to be honest with you this country doesn't have time either,” Trump shot back to cheers. “Frankly what I say and oftentimes it's fun, it's kidding, we have a good time,” Trump added.

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Ex-Secret Service officer behind Clinton tell-all planning defamation suit Getty Images A former Secret Service officer who published an explosive tell-all from his days guarding the Bill and Hillary Clinton White House is planning to file a defamation lawsuit against his detractors, The Post has learned. A lawyer for Gary Byrne, whose book “ Crisis of Character: A White House Secret Service Officer Discloses His Firsthand Experience with Hillary, Bill, and How They Operate,” has sent notices to Media Matters for America and David Brock informing them that he intends to file suit. “Officer Byrne will bring legal action against you, in your personal capacity, and against Media Matters,” a lawyer for the former Secret Service officer wrote to Brock, a loyal Clinton ally and the founder of the liberal advocacy group Media Matters. The letter requests Brock and Media Matters to “hold” all records and communications associated with their communications regarding Byrne — including “Any communication(s) between David Brock and The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton” regarding the former Secret Service officer, suggesting there might be collusion between the campaign and her defenders. It also demands Brock “immediately and publicly retract any statement or inference by yourself and/or Media Matters to the effect that Officer Byrne was not fully truthful in recounting within ‘Crisis of Character’ details from any previous testimony.” Additionally, Byrne’s attorney demanded a retraction for “the utterly false statement(s) that Officer Byrne was not in close proximity to President William Jefferson Clinton.” His lawyer states that “some of our best witnesses to such immediacy are George Stephanopoulos, John Podesta, Leon Panetta, Bruce Lindsey, Hillary Rodham Clinton and President Clinton himself — who appear to have already confirmed … under oath … the regular proximity of Officer Byrne to the President for many years.” Byrne claims the liberal advocacy group tried to hurt his credibility to defend the Clintons. Lawyers for Brock and Media Matters, Marc Elias and Ezra Reese, acknowledged receiving the letter from Byrne’s lawyer. Elias is also a lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s presidential election campaign. Byrne, who has been a surrogate for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, told The Post, “We’re moving forward with the suit regardless” of whether retractions are issued. My goal here is to get the message out – that everything in my book is true.” Byrne has sent a similar letter — and has threatened similar legal action — to Jan Gilhooly, president of the Association of Former Agents of the United States Secret Service, who also questioned the claims made in “Crisis of Character.” Byrne expects the legal filings to come after the November presidential election.

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US General Warns Growing ISIS Presence a Major Security Problem in CaribbeanPentagon officials are used to looking for ISIS everywhere they can nowadays, and have found a security threat from them in the Caribbean, where ISIS obviously isn’t a huge thing, but where growing numbers of people trying to join ISIS are seen as a concerning trend. Marine General John Kelly, set to retire later this month, says that these small numbers of ISIS supporters are a particular risk, because in small nations like Trinidad and Tobago, they don’t have anything comparable to the US military or the TSA to combat ISIS. Gen. Kelly declared that “just a few of these nuts can cause an awful lot of trouble down in the Caribbean,” complaining many of the islands don’t even have proper militaries, let alone something like the US military, a leviathan that intervenes globally and rivals the scope off any in human history. ISIS issued a video for Trinidadian recruitment way back in 2015, showing a recruit from the island and his three young children calling on the island’s Muslim population to join the fight. About 5% of the island’s population is Muslim, or about 60,000 people. The indications are that Caribbean-wide ISIS recruitment was around 150 people, up from 100 the prior year. In reality, the “threat” here is much less about Trinidad not having a globe-hopping military, than that ISIS isn’t making such a big deal about recruits coming to Syria anymore, and is instead pressing them to launch attacks at home. This is particularly problematic for the US because many Caribbean islands are popular tourist destinations, and American tourists are a likely target. Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz

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Martial Artist Dad Hears Piercing Scream, Then He Sees Woman Being Attacked And Rushes To HerLuis Ruiz is a fifth-degree black belt in karate and a martial arts instructor. His stepson, Antonio Pina, happens to be a third-degree black belt. Perhaps it was that the two men knew they could handle themselves that they fearlessly engaged with an attacker. One night, they were walking to their home in Brooklyn, NY. Ruiz heard a piercing scream. When they looked around, they noticed a woman being brutally beaten by a man. “We notice that he’s grabbing her and slamming her on the ground,” Ruiz told CBS. The father told his son to call for help. Ruiz quickly approached the criminal. “So I say ‘hey, is everything OK, are you guys OK?’ The guy gets up like nothing, turns to his right and walks away like he wasn’t doing anything wrong,” he said. Ruiz then comforted the woman, whose face, he says, was swollen beyond recognition and bloodied. The father and son were able to identify the attacker as Todd Deas. Police say he had 19 prior arrests, including rape and sexual abuse, and had recently been released on parole. Had they not been there, who knows what would have happened. “Hero is a big word. I’d rather think we just did the right thing, and that everyone in the neighborhood and in the world would do the right thing,” Ruiz said. Please SHARE if you think what Ruiz and his son did was very brave! Due to restrictions, this video cannot be viewed in your region.

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NFL will not discipline Rams for pregame gestureThe NFL will not discipline the St. Louis Rams players who held up their hands as a gesture of solidarity with protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, prior to Sunday's win over the Oakland Raiders. "We respect and understand the concerns of all individuals who have expressed views on this tragic situation," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement on Monday. Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, Chris Givens and Kenny Britt emerged from the tunnel during pregame introductions Sunday using the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" pose adopted by protesters following the August shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson. The St. Louis County prosecutor's office announced last week that it will not indict Wilson for the fatal confrontation, a decision that led to unrest in Ferguson and protests across the nation. The St. Louis Police Officers Association released a statement that it was "profoundly disappointed" by the display while "calling for the players involved to be disciplined and for the Rams and the NFL to deliver a very public apology." After Sunday's 52-0 win over the Raiders, Cook explained the thought process behind the pregame gesture. "We kind of came collectively together and decided we wanted to do something," Cook said via ESPN.com. "We haven't been able to go down to Ferguson to do anything because we have been busy. Secondly, it's kind of dangerous down there and none of us want to get caught up in anything. "So we wanted to come out and show our respect to the protests and the people who have been doing a heck of a job around the world." UPDATE: The Rams issued a statement on the matter Monday evening: "We had positive discussions today with St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Sam Dotson, St. Louis County Chief of Police Chief Jon Belmar and representatives from the St. Louis Police Officers' Association and St. Louis County Police Association during which we expressed our respect for their concerns surrounding yesterday's game. "What has transpired over the past four months is a tragedy that has impacted our entire community. Together we are beginning a healing process that will require time, energy and honest dialogue. The Rams will continue to build on what have always been strong and valued relationships with local law enforcement and the greater St. Louis community as we come together to help heal our region."

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Trump Campaign Mgr: He Raised Clinton Accusers Issue 'Exactly the Right Way'Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway reacted to Trump's debate performance and the fact he held a press availability with four women who have accused the Clintons of misconduct. "These women want to be heard," Conway said of Kathleen Willey, Kathy Shelton, Juanita Broaddrick and Paula Corbin Jones. "I'm really proud of Donald Trump for raising it in exactly the right way," she told Megyn Kelly on The Kelly File, " How does Hillary Clinton treat these women after the fact?" Conway was referring to Clinton's statement that alleged victims of sexual assault "deserve to be heard". "Or, are we excluding those who have had contact with her husband?" Conway asked. "Juanita Broaddrick in the pre-debate press availability said 'Bill Clinton raped me and Hillary Clinton attacked me'. This is her chance to tell her story." "If [Hillary] is going to... be some Joan of Arc for women...she totally ignored all four of the women tonight." Clinton, then Hillary Rodham, represented the accused rapist of then-12-year old Shelton, and reportedly laughed about the case after the suspect was vindicated. Willey and Jones have accused Bill Clinton of assault and have insinuated that Hillary Clinton enabled him and attacked them. Regarding Trump's vulgar recorded discussion with Billy Bush, Conway said it was "disgusting [and] offensive, and I'm not going to excuse what he said." What do you think? Let us know in the comments below. Overdoses Suspected After Little Girl Alerts Bus Driver About Unresponsive Parents

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Trump Destroyed Bill And Hillary Clinton With One TweetHillary Clinton crawled back into the spotlight once again to lob attacks at Donald Trump. She lost her mind over his speech at the U.N. General Assembly where he tagged Kim Jong Un with the nickname “Rocket Man.” But Trump fired back and destroyed both Bill and Hillary Clinton with one tweet. During Trump’s speech, he declared Kim Jon Un – whom he labeled as “Rocket Man” – was on a suicide mission by continuing to develop nuclear weapons. Trump said the United States would destroy North Korea if they threatened America or her allies. Rocket man (Kim Jong-un) is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime. – @POTUS #UNGA pic.twitter.com/AwPgyKyPrG Trump’s “Rocket Man” nickname for the North Korean tyrant was a big hit and other world leaders quickly adopted it. "It worked. … [Using the term "Rocket Man"] is a way of getting people to talk about [Kin Jong-un]." – Ambassador @nikkihaley pic.twitter.com/POZxcJbYXD — Good Morning America (@GMA) September 20, 2017 But not everyone was pleased. Hillary Clinton appeared at one of her safe spaces – Stephen Colbert’s late night comedy show – and attacked the speech as “dark” and “dangerous”. TONIGHT on #LSSC: Before getting into the 2016 election, @HillaryClinton reviews #WhatHappened in @realDonaldTrump's #UNGA speech today… pic.twitter.com/AguyWYMnH8 — The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) September 19, 2017 Trump immediately fired back. He pointed out he was only in this dangerous situation because of the Clintons. After allowing North Korea to research and build Nukes while Secretary of State (Bill C also), Crooked Hillary now criticizes. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2017 Trump correctly noted that in 1994, then-President Bill Clinton made a deal with the North Koreans where they obtained fuel and nuclear power plants in exchange for freezing their weapons program. The deal failed and North Korea gained the wherewithal to develop nuclear missiles. Hillary Clinton – as Secretary of State – presided over Barack Obama’s policy of “strategic patience.” This amounted to doing nothing and hoping someone else would clean up the mess. Now that Trump is taking steps to correct the Clintons errors, they are heckling him from the peanut gallery.

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Is The White House Using a Melania Trump Stunt Double? Voters Convinced On Twitter Put on your tin foil hats, kids — we’ve got a conspiracy theory for you. Is the White House trying to pull a fast one on us by using a Melania Trump stunt double? See the ‘proof’ on Twitter that has voters convinced our FLOTUS is a fraud! There’s a lot to dissect here, but first things first: why would the White House need to deploy a Melania Trump stunt double? Nobody really knows the answer to that question, but it doesn’t have anyone less convinced that President Donald Trump had a Melania decoy by his side during a press conference on the White House lawn on October 13. The masterful conspiracy theory was posited by intrepid internet explorer Andrea Wagner Barber, who posted a video of the presser on Facebook. Andrea pointed out that Melania didn’t look exactly like herself, and thousands on Twitter agreed. Watch the video below, and scroll through this gallery of Melania Pics to see if you can spot the difference! To the casual viewer half-paying attention to another POTUS and FLOTUS appearance, there’s really nothing amiss about Melania. It’s when you look closer that you see some subtle differences. “Melania” — if that’s her real name — is wearing massive sunglasses that cover half her face. Chic, or suspicious? Her lips appear to be much bigger and differently shaped. As some have pointed out, her hair is a little frizzy and dry, far from the pristine condition she usually keeps it in. Could it be a wig? Pay attention to the president, too. He says, “My wife, Melania, who happens to be right here…” Why would he need to point that out? Is he letting the world know that this isn’t Melania, and the real one’s chilling in Air Force One? Thinking about it, this isn’t the first time that he’s seemingly been confused about Melania’s whereabouts while they happen to be in the same room. During their trip to Texas to visit the victims of Hurricane Harvey, he said, “Melania wanted to be here today” during a press conference. Melania was standing directly beside him in her FLOTUS hat. Did Melania stay home and send out a decoy in her disaster heels? Of course, the most logical answer here is that Melania was simply having a bad hair day, wore a little too much lipliner, and on impulse bought a pair of sunglasses that her friends haven’t told her don’t work yet. Or…the conspiracy theorists have a valid point. Political decoys have been used throughout modern history to protect high-powered individuals from harm, or to attend to duties they cannot fulfill themselves. However, the technique’s been used very sparingly, and most likely wouldn’t work for someone like Melania. Let these voters tell you why they’re absolutely convinced we’ve got a bodysnatcher in the White House: HollywoodLifers, do you think the White House is using a Melania Trump stunt double? Let us know!

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Trump reportedly tried to privately ‘rationalize’ KKK membership in wake of CharlottesvilleAccording to the latest damning snippet from Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury, President Donald Trump tried to “rationalize” why people would join the KKK. From the New York Times review: There are lots of arresting details in the book. We learn that the administration holds special animus for what it calls “D.O.J. women,” or women who work in the Justice Department. Wolff writes that after the white supremacist mayhem in Charlottesville, Va., Trump privately rationalized “why someone would be a member of the K.K.K.” Many believe the anecdotes and quotes from Wolff’s book should be treated with a healthy dose of skepticism, but this one is not implausible. Trump went on the record in the wake of the Charlottesville white supremacy march that left Heather Heyer dead, saying he believed there were “ good people” on both sides of the protest, one side of which was rife with Neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Trump was widely criticized for the response, which many considered a tacit endorsement of white supremacy. During his presidential campaign, an old New York Times story was unearthed that reported Trump’s father, Fred, back in 1927, was arrested at a rally in 1927 where KKK members were present. It was never proven whether he was participating in the rally or a member of the group. David Covucci is the Layer 8 editor at the Daily Dot, covering the intersection of politics and the web. His work has appeared in Vice, the Huffington Post, Jezebel, Gothamist, and other publications. He is particularly interested in hearing any tips you have. Reach out at dcovucci@thedailydot.com.

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Hillary Clinton Officially Joins the 2016 Presidential RaceHillary Clinton has made it official. The former secretary of state announced that she will be seeking the nomination for President of the United States on Sunday with a campaign video on her official website. The spot opens with various people talking about their hopes for 2015, ending with Clinton saying, “I’m getting ready to do something too. I’m running for President.” “Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top,” she continues. “Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion. So you can do more than just get by, you can get ahead and stay ahead.” Clinton’s run for the presidency will hardly come as a surprise. The politician has long been hyped as the Democratic front-runner for the 2016 election. This marks Clinton’s second time vying for the presidency. She first ran during the 2008 election, but lost the Democratic ticket to then-junior senator Barack Obama. Clinton later served on Obama’s cabinet, working as the secretary of state from the start of his presidency in 2009 through Feb. 1, 2013. When Clinton, 67, left her position in 2013, political watchers took it as a sign that the former first lady was preparing for her own campaign in 2016. Her announcement makes her the first major candidate to seek out the Democratic nomination. On the Republican side, Senator Ted Cruz, from Texas, and Senator Rand Paul, from Kentucky, have already thrown their hats into the ring. Given Clinton’s high profile (and the fact that her candidacy has been speculated about for years), she has become a major target for both other Democratic hopeful nominees and Republicans. The past few months haven’t been without scandal. In March, she admitted to using a private email address while working as the secretary of state because it was “convenient.” While the politician said that she was “allowed” to use her personal email, critics took issue with the fact that it caused an issue for journalists requesting records through the Freedom of Information Act and Benghazi investigators who have subpoenaed Clinton. Watch These Children Freak Out as Bees Upstage President Obama More on Hillary Clinton: • Hillary Clinton Officially Joins the 2016 Presidential Race • Inside Hillary Clinton’s Decision to Run: ‘We Need to Break Down the Highest, Hardest Glass Ceiling’ • Barack Obama Offers Advice to Hillary Clinton for Her 2016 Run • What Should We Call Bill If Hillary Wins? He Has Some Ideas

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Maxwell Tani Maxwell Tani Reporter Maxwell Tani Maxwell is a politics reporter for Business Insider. He previously wrote for the Huffington Post and helped produce the Working podcast for Slate. He has also written about music and film for Washington City Paper. Sort: Newest Oldest Most Read Newsweek offices were raided by the Manhattan district attorney Read the email the writer behind the Aziz Ansari sexual misconduct story wrote slamming an HLN anchor who criticized her A Republican senator gave a blistering speech comparing Trump to Stalin and blasting the president's criticism of the press Top Republicans are taking aim at a Democratic senator who said Trump made 'shithole countries' comment Wall Street Journal clashes with Trump over the accuracy of a quote about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Trump's 'shithole' comment has revived a debate about calling Trump a 'racist' Sarah Huckabee Sanders has biting exchange with reporters over the White House's contradictory statements about spying Vox Media voluntarily recognizes employee editorial union Former top Fox News reporter left network following history of harassment allegations Steve Bannon is out at Breitbart Trump book author responds to criticism that he embellished stories: 'If it rings true, it is true' NBC deletes tweet that appeared to endorse Oprah for president Top Trump adviser throws former ally Steve Bannon under the bus in heated interview 'I've wasted enough of my viewers' time': Jake Tapper abruptly ends heated interview with Trump adviser The writer of the explosive new book on Trump is getting eviscerated over its accuracy — and it's not the first time BuzzFeed announces new White House correspondent after harassment-related firing Top conservative megadonor cuts ties with Bannon as pressure grows to oust him from Breitbart News Trump reportedly offered Tucker Carlson the White House press secretary job Bloomberg Businessweek hires a new editor Donald Trump Jr. goes off on Steve Bannon in brutal tweetstorm Vox employees are going on a 'Slack Strike' to push for a union Vice puts two executives on leave following sexual harassment reports 'A mess of low-context writing': Milo Yiannopoulos' former book editor ripped his manuscript to shreds Before-and-after photos show how dramatically presidents have aged while in office A top editor is leaving HuffPost amid a newsroom shift BuzzFeed has fired its White House correspondent after allegations of inappropriate comments to a colleague Sarah Huckabee Sanders: The tax bill is good because MSNBC staffers got a bonus Leaked Mashable documents show how bleak things were before Ziff Davis came to the rescue Former Fox News staffer says the network 'ruined people's lives' by turning a blind eye to sexual harassment NBC paid out a staffer who accused Chris Matthews of making inappropriate jokes in 1999 A new poll shows ominous signs for Republicans in 2018 The New York Times is reportedly divided over the fate of a top reporter accused of sexual harassment Republican congressman accused of sexual harassment won't seek reelection Joe Biden comforts tearful Meghan McCain after losing his son to the same cancer her father has Democrats have their sights set on a major Republican after Doug Jones' upset win in Alabama — Ted Cruz 'IT'S NOT OVER': Roy Moore refuses to concede and insists there could be recount Republicans blame Steve Bannon for Roy Moore's shocking loss in Alabama Chuck Schumer asks Capitol Police for investigation after forged document circulates accusing him of sexual harassment Top New Yorker political reporter fired for 'improper sexual conduct' Reporters repeatedly confront White House press secretary about sexual harassment allegations against Trump Next

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It's possible' Bernie Sanders says he could have beaten Donald TrumpMr Sanders challenged Mrs Clinton in the Democratic primary campaign, gaining massive support from disenchanted Democrats who were not willing to support Mrs Clinton. Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Mr Sanders, a senator from Vermont, was asked whether he would have fared better against President-elect Trump than Mrs Clinton. “There are polls out that suggest that but the answer is you don’t know, you really don’t know,” he told the Today programme. “I would have loved to have had the opportunity. I think it is possible [that he could have won]. Bernie Sanders says he could have done better then Hillary Clinton “Hindsight is 20/20. I don’t know.” Pressed again on whether he would have proved a tougher challenge for Mr Trump, Mr Sanders continued to dodge the question. He repeated: “I don’t know.” The 75-year-old then said it was important to note Hillary Clinton actually won the popular vote ahead of Mr Trump. While more people voted for the former Secretary of State, Mr Trump triumphed in the all-important electoral college, winning 290 electoral votes to Mrs Clinton’s 232. In his new book, ‘Our Revolution’, Mr Sanders has called for a fundamental reassessment of the Democratic Party – which he believes has lost sight of its basic principles. Donald Trump as he makes his acceptance speech in New York following his victory to become he 45th president of the United States. Speaking to NPR Mr Sanders said: “I think it’s time for a fundamental reassessment and I think what that reassessment has got to entail is to understand that we cannot have a party that will win if we continue to become dependent on big money interests and campaign fundraisers all over this country.” Discussing the shift of voters from Barack Obama to Donald Trump , Mr Sanders added: “I think a lot of people who voted for Barack Obama in 2008, voted for Barack Obama in 2012, and who like Barack Obama, said ‘You know what, I am going to go for Trump because he has been clear about feeling the pain of working families.” Speaking to donors in a conference call following her defeat, Mrs Clinton said FBI Director James Comey had played a crucial role in her defeat. She said the FBI’s investigations into emails linked to her had halted momentum she had built up following numerous sexual assault allegations which had been levelled against Mr Trump. Mrs Clinton also claimed the investigations “fired up” Trump supporters.

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How Bruce Rauner is trying to cripple the Democratic Party Republicans knew what they were getting when they overwhelmingly voted for Bruce Rauner. He made no secret of his support for abortion. In 2014, his wife, Diana Rauner, went so far as to take out an ad assuring pro-choice Democrats of her husband's stance. Despite what you've been reading about the far right's consternation with Bruce Rauner over his ostensible support for abortion in Illinois, I think it's been a pretty good month for the governor. The union-busting Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees case that he initiated has made it to the Supreme Court. And he's got liberal groups like Planned Parenthood praising him for his stance on reproductive rights. It looks like he may be able to put together the band of rabid right-wingers and abortion-rights moderates who helped elect him in the first place. I know that sounds like the oddest of coalitions—but it just goes to show you what a clever politician can buy with his billions. The Republican right-to-lifers are furious that Rauner flip-flopped and signed HB 40, the reproductive rights bill that expanded Medicaid funding for some abortions and eliminated the controversial "trigger provision" from state law. (The trigger language would've made abortions illegal in Illinois should Roe v. Wade be overturned.) And many, including Steve Bannon, are talking about recruiting someone to mount a primary challenge against Rauner. But I think it's mostly bluster. In fact, I can't understand why they're so outraged. They knew what they were getting when they overwhelmingly voted for Rauner back in 2014. Rauner made no secret of his support for abortion. In 2014, his wife, Diana Rauner, went so far as to take out an ad assuring pro-choice Democrats that when it came to abortion rights her husband would be no different than his opponent, former governor Pat Quinn. Backed by many pro-choice moderates in DuPage County, the North Shore, and the Gold Coast, Rauner edged out Quinn and promptly went to work bankrupting public education by vetoing the budget. Earlier this year, the governor panicked when it looked as though he might be losing support among downstate Republicans. So he assured right-to-life legislators he would veto HB40. That enraged pro-choice voters, who claimed he was betraying his lifelong commitment to their cause. Rauner found himself in a jam. He had to decide which group he could least afford to alienate on the eve of next year's election: Gold Coast and North Shore moderates or rabid Republicans. Obviously, he went with the former, at least partly because, if push came to shove, they might actually vote for a Democrat. As for the rabid right, he probably figured he'd give 'em a tax break and they'd follow him off a cliff. Of course, Rauner was slick about it. Over the summer he made a real show of inviting various pro-choice women to his office to explain to him how important it was to pass HB40. And then on September 28, he signed it, making a big deal about it, like he was King Solomon making a wrenching decision as opposed to a lifelong abortion supporter doing what he'd promised to do four years ago. In any case, it seems to have worked. Key players in the pro-choice movement fell for it. When Rauner signed HB40, Planned Parenthood of Illinois sent an e-mail calling on members to "thank Governor Rauner." Puh-lease! A more accurate response would've been "Thanks for nothing, Bruce!" Even if the strategy fails and he doesn't win reelection, Rauner's in a perfect position to achieve his great dream of damaging, if not destroying, public unions in Illinois thanks to the Janus case. Mark Janus is a state employee who argues that his First Amendment rights are being violated because state law requires him to contribute a "fair share" portion of his paycheck to the union that represents him—in this case, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. In particular, he doesn't think he should have to donate money to a union with which he disagrees politically. It's called a fair-share contribution because the money guarantees that workers share the cost of financing a union that represents them in bargaining and grievance hearings. On February 9, 2015, a few weeks after he took office, Rauner issued an executive order halting automatic fair-share deductions from paychecks. Several unions and attorney general Lisa Madigan sued and Rauner's executive order was overturned. Rauner also filed a suit in federal court seeking to stop automatic fair-share contributions on First Amendment grounds. In 2016, a federal judge ruled against Rauner, decreeing that the governor didn't have standing in the case. By then Janus had joined the case—as a state employee, he clearly has standing. Janus is being represented by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a union-busting outfit that's financially supported by the Koch brothers, the Walton Family Foundation, and other stalwarts of the far right. On September 28, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Janus's case. The suit is similar to one filed by Rebecca Friedrichs, a teacher in California, who lost when the Supreme Court was deadlocked 4-4. Since then President Trump and the Senate have put conservative Neil Gorsuch on the court. So unless another judge flips—c'mon Justice Kennedy, you can do it!—it looks like SCOTUS will issue a bruising blow against unions, which will have to scramble to keep up their funding. This is a cruel irony on many levels. For one thing, government employees such as Janus will be relatively defenseless without unions if they're fired or harassed by a powerful politician like Rauner. Good luck getting the National Right to Work Foundation to help them with that. As for Rauner's friends at Planned Parenthood—well, with a drop in membership, unions will be less able to help elect Democrats. So really the assault on unions is an attempt to cripple the Democratic Party. You don't think the Koch brothers actually give a hoot about workers like Mark Janus, do you? If Democrats can't beat Republicans, they can't enact liberal-minded measures, like—oh, just to pick one—reproductive rights. Think about this, Planned Parenthood. Your good friend, Bruce, is throwing you under the bus once again. Only this time he's got a more roundabout way of doing it. v

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If You Vote For Trump, Then Screw You If You Vote For Trump, Then Screw You Drew Magary wants a word with anyone who's about to be on the wrong side of history. Earlier this week, the Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold uncovered yet another Donald Trump scam job, in which he used over $250,000 in charitable donations to help pay off his legal bills. And, because this is Trump, that sordid (and almost certainly illegal) bit of money laundering is just ONE despicable detail of the story. There are many more, including Trump’s club trying to welch on a $1 million hole-in-one payout (out of all of Trump’s bad qualities, his steadfast refusal to pay people what he owes them, while bragging about it, is the most enraging), along with the old bit about Trump blithely ignoring local ordinances so he could put a big, dipshit flagpole up at the Mar-A-Lago club, with his lawyers stating—with a straight face—that a smaller flag “would fail to appropriately express the magnitude of Donald J. Trump’s . . . patriotism” (NOTE: Until recently, Trump didn’t know what the stripes on the flag symbolized). None of this is surprising, of course. Trump is a liar and a crook, and he commits abominable acts at such a frenetic pace that they get lost in the fury surrounding whatever horrible thing he does next. Keith Olbermann needed over 17 minutes on this site just to list a fraction of the atrocities Trump has staged during election season, and he’s gonna need 17 more minutes to cover what happens between now and Election Day. Remember when Trump said he would get rid of food regulations? That was Thursday. Regardless, in the end, people are still gonna vote for this man. Maybe not enough to get him elected, but still: it’ll be in the tens of millions. (Note to the people causing the polls to fluctuate: What the fuck is wrong with you? I gotta meet the five percent of people who saw Hillary come down with pneumonia and were like, “Forget her, gimme the dictator with dryer lint hair.”) Nothing that Trump says, no damning piece of Trump reportage, and certainly no opinion piece like this one will stop his voters from pulling the lever. Nor will anything stop Trump from being the officious, braindead goon that he is. He will never answer for his crimes, and there’s a frighteningly large portion of the electorate that will always love him for that. And so I’d just like to say to that portion of the electorate: Fuck you. No, seriously. Go fuck yourselves. I’m not gonna waste any more time trying to convince you that you’re about to do something you’ll regret forever. I’m not gonna show you old clips of Trump saying rotten things. I’m not gonna try to ANNIHILATE Trump by showing you records of his hypocrisy and greed. I’m not gonna link to a John Oliver clip and be like, “THIS. So much this.” Nothing’s gonna take down Trump at this point, so I’m not gonna bother. No no, this post is for ME. I am preaching to the sad little choir in my soul here. Because while Trump is a miserable bastard, YOU are the people who have handed him the bullhorn. YOU are the people willing to embarrass this nation and put it on the brink of economic ruin all because you wanna throw an electoral hissy fit. YOU are the people who want to revolutionize the way America does business by voting for its worst businessman, a disgusting neon pig who only makes money when he causes problems for other people instead of solving them. YOU are the thin-skinned yokels who clutch your bandoliers whenever someone hurls the mildest of slurs at you (“deplorables”), while cheering Trump on as he leaves a bonfire of truly hateful invective everywhere he goes. YOU are the people willing to overlook the fact that Trump is an unqualified, ignorant sociopath because DURRRR HILLARY IS BAD TOO DURRRR. WATCH Chris Hemsworth Goes Undercover on Twitter, YouTube, and Quora To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video WATCH Chris Hemsworth Goes Undercover on Twitter, YouTube, and Quora Share Tweet Email More... EMBED URL<script async src="//player-backend.cnevids.com/script/video/5b7490bd8c1abc4fee00001d.js?iu=/3379/conde.gq/partner"></script> VIDEO URLhttp://video.gq.com/watch/chris-hemsworth-goes-undercover-on-twitter-youtube-and-quora Our bad! It looks like we're experiencing playback issues. This live video has ended. It will be available to watch shortly. See what else is new Loaded: 0%Progress: 0% MuteVolume 0% Back Caption Options Close Settings Language English Font Size Small Medium Large Position Auto Bottom Top Sample Caption Text0:000:000:00 You know what? No, she’s not. She’s fine. I lived through one Clinton, and I can live through another. My reasons for hating Trump are better than your reasons for hating Hillary. Show me all the arguments against her you like. You guys don’t give a shit about facts and research when it comes to Trump, so I’m not gonna give a shit about whatever clumsy meme you cook up to explain why she did Benghazi. Nope. Sorry. Fuck your arguments, and fuck you. Trump has shown no respect for anyone, so I don’t see why you deserve any either. Whatever mildly frustrating centrist liberal bureaucracy that Hillary presides over will be fine compared to the spray tan mushroom cloud that would arise all because YOU thought Trump was such a brave, un-PC dickhead to everyone within shouting distance. Trump is human waste. He is the worst of America stuffed into a nacho cheese casing, and he is emblematic of the kind of arrogant, flag-waving, trashy, racist moron that the rest of us have to DRAG kicking and screaming into the 21st century: Cliven Bundy, Sean Hannity, Kim Davis, and on and on and on. Trump voters are the people who have spent the past decade or so voting insipid obstructionists into office, sending death threats to anyone who even mentions the idea of gun control, demanding 100% tax cuts on millions of dollars they can only daydream about making, and getting suckered in by any Oil Party candidate waving a NO GAYS flag. Fuck them. These are needy hillbilly loons who are just as starved for attention as Trump himself. And voting for Trump is their way of emulating him, of saying FUCK YOU to everyone else as a mission statement, with no regard for the fallout. TRENDING THIS VERY SECOND travel-and-eats Where to Eat and Drink in Houston, the New Capital of Southern Cool culture Serena Williams' Catsuit Is Banned from All Future French Opens news-and-politics No One Knows Why This QAnon Conspiracy Theorist Was in the Oval Office with Trump The old saw is that people get the politicians they deserve, and I’ll be crestfallen if Trump wins and proves this to be true once more. If you vote for him, you’re not making America great again. You are killing it. You are telling the world that America isn’t worth it. You are telling the world that all of our big talk about freedom and unity and ideals is just a load of shit, and that you would prefer a smoldering dystopia where freedom is just a flimsy cover for evildoing, led by a man who believes that strength is measured only in killing people. You are handing the most important job on Earth to Napoleon from Animal Farm. And you are revealing your breathtaking ignorance to everyone except for yourself. I can’t believe you can’t see this. I want you to see this. I wanna shine a big fucking light in your face and scream at you that Trump isn’t even qualified to be human, much less President. How are you gonna change the system if you elect some corrupt idiot who has no clue how to DO IT, huh? Can’t you see this? Haven’t you heard this asshole talk? THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? But I already know that’s a futile effort. So fuck you, and fuck the GOP leaders who are too chickenshit to stand up to you. I’m not gonna wish deportation or imprisonment or some kind of fantastical hyperbolic death upon you. I’m not gonna ask for a wall to be built on the Mason-Dixon line. No no, I think you people deserve the EXACT same fate as Trump himself, and that is to lose, badly. That’s what should happen to you. You and your hamburger puppet leader deserve to live the rest of your days arm-in-arm in disgrace, branded as losers for eternity. Because that’s what you are. Drew Magary is a GQ correspondent and author, most recently of " The Hike." Up Next: Is This the Last of Trump, or a Preview of His Presidency?

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Obama Commutes Sentence Of Chelsea ManningBarack Obama has shortened the sentence of whistleblower Chelsea Manning, She will be released on May 17, instead of remaining in military custody until 2045 as originally sentenced.

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