Posts on Thursday, May 14, 2020
Thursday on MSNBC’s “Deadline,” host Nicolle Wallace dismissed President Donald Trump’s claims about the “Obamagate” scandal, calling them the political equivalent of the tooth fairy.Wallace said, “I don’t mean to be sarcastic here. But does Donald Trump really think that in any corner of the country that he needs to swing his way again that Obama is less popular or viewed as less competent or anyone thinks that this would have gone down worse on Obama’s watch than his?”New York Times reporter Peter Baker said, “Yeah, I understand the question. Look, part of this, of course, is who you’re targeting your messaging to.
NFL players and Miami natives Deandre Baker and Quinton Dunbar have warrants out for their arrests on charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault, Miramar police announced Thursday night. Baker, a 22-year-old starting cornerback with the New York Giants, has been charged with four counts of armed armed robbery and four counts of aggravated assault. Dunbar, a 27-year-old cornerback formerly with Washington, now with the Seattle Seahawks, was charged with four counts of armed robbery.(Snip) On Wednesday, one of the victims was having a party at his Miramar home that began around 8 p.m., police said. Many people came
Trump campaign site's 404 error
page takes opportunity to mock Joe
Biden: 'You're as lost as I am' replies
page takes opportunity to mock Joe
Biden: 'You're as lost as I am' replies
The 404 error page on the Trump re-election campaign website takes a shot at his rival’s age and makes allegations about his mental acuity. Visitors to the site that click on a broken link or mistype a web address are directed to an image of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden looking confused. Text reads: “It appears you are as lost as me.” The Trump campaign hopes to make an issue out of Mr Biden’s age—the former vice president is 77 years old—as well as the times when he stumbles over words and occasionally misspeaks. Mr Biden has a stutter.
Thursday on MSNBC, former CIA Director John Brennan said he is “aghast” at President Donald Trump abusing his authority to corrupt the government as a despot would. Brennan said, “I think our country is in very serious trouble. When you have such blatant political corruption at the highest levels of the U.S. government, something I never thought I would see in my lifetime, but when you have an administration, White House, the attorney general, the acting head of the intelligence community all acting in concert to try to advance the personal interests of Mr. Trump and to misrepresent the facts and abuse the authorities within the intelligence community
US officials are working with some of the world's leading chipmakers in an effort to expand semiconductor manufacturing capability in the United States, a move intended to reduce the industry's reliance on producers in East Asia for those crucial electronics components. That would be a major shift for an industry that relies heavily on foreign production, largely from Taiwan, South Korea and China. And that transition may already be underway — semiconductor fabrication giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company will soon announce plans to build an advanced chipmaking facility in Arizona to help quell US officials' concern(snip). US officials contend that an investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing would bolster national security
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., TSMC, is expected to announce plans for a chip facility in Arizona, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The report indicates that the plant is likely to cost billions of dollars and could be producing chips by the end of 2023. TSMC is the world's largest contract manufacturer of silicon chips, the report states, with large clients, including Apple. An announcement on the facility could come as early as Friday, according to the report. It is not clear how many jobs such a plant would bring or where the chip plant will be located in the state.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday denounced Chinese hacking of American vaccine research and demanded Beijing halt the cyber theft activity. “The United States condemns attempts by cyber actors and non-traditional collectors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to steal U.S. intellectual property and data related to COVID-19 research,” Mr. Pompeo said in a statement.(Snip) Mr. Pompeo’s comments came in the wake of a notice published Wednesday by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warning about Chinese hacking of Covid-19 research. The agencies said investigators had uncovered cyber activities
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan called out the “political theater” being engaged in by House Democrats in their newly established select committee.The ranking member on the House Judiciary and Oversight and Reform Committees exposed the “partisan” sham of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis after its debut meeting, which he slammed for being “unfair” and only focusing on President Trump’s response to the pandemic. (Tweet/Video) “The very first action this committee took to restructure things was to send a letter,
New York’s elected officials are avoiding spotlight-loving firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez like, well, the plague, opting to craft their coronavirus response efforts without the lefty lawmaker, insiders tell The Post.Sources gave multiple explanations for why the Queens-Bronx Democrat has been largely relegated to the sidelines — and her “Animal Crossing” island — rather than in the fray.“They are not looking to work with her and they want nothing to do with her,” said one source plugged into Empire State politics, explaining that other pols feared she would outshine them
Questioned Thursday morning by a Democrat-friendly CNN “reporter” about the three unmasking requests he made in late 2016 and early 2017, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper essentially pleaded the fifth by claiming someone else had made the requests on his “behalf” and alleging that he doesn’t even remember why. His answers were difficult to believe.Listen: (Video) “Generally speaking, how many unmasking requests did you make, say, in a given week?” CNN’s John Brennan asked.“Well, great question, and it varied, and I don’t recall the exact number,” Clapper replied. “But over the six-plus, six and a half, almost seven years I served as DNI,
Thursday on MSNBC, former CIA Director John Brennan called Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) comments criticizing the unmasking of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn “inane,” adding Paul lacked understanding of the intelligence profession.Brennan said, “Let’s get straight what unmasking is. The National Security Agency, which is responsible for collecting intercepted communications and then pushing them out to the intelligence community, the professionals, when they see these intercepts of national security value, they distribute these reports, and if there’s a U.S. person’s name in it, they will conceal that name for privacy purposes as well as for counterintelligence investigative purposes.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday revived a lawsuit from the Maryland and Washington, D.C. attorneys general that accuses President Trump of violating the Constitution’s Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses by benefiting from use of the Trump International Hotel by foreign and U.S. officials. The case previously had been ordered dismissed by a Fourth Circuit panel. But the full roster of judges reheard the case and, in a 9-6 decision, determined Trump cannot have the court overrule a lower court’s decision to deny him certification to appeal before trial.
World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevedo said on Thursday that he will step down from his position effective August 31 after seven years at the helm of the global trade body. Azevedo, a 62-year-old Brazilian career diplomat, stepped down more than a year before his second term as WTO head was due to end. His departure comes at a difficult time for the WTO, which is charged with setting international rules for trade between member states. In December, the US effectively paralyzed the WTO's ability to settle disputes by blocking the appointment of judges to its appellate body. US President Donald Trump has regularly criticized the world trade body
President Trump on Thursday pressed Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham to call former President Barack Obama to testify amid new developments surrounding the origins of the Russia investigation and efforts at the time to "unmask" Michael Flynn's name in intelligence reports.
“If I were a Senator or Congressman, the first person I would call to testify about the biggest political crime and scandal in the history of the USA, by FAR, is former President Obama,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “He knew EVERYTHING.”
The Barr Justice Department dropped its case against General Mike Flynn last Thursday after bombshell documents were released that proved he was framed by Comey’s FBI.
This was a major win for justice in America after General Flynn was targeted and destroyed by the Obama deep state for daring to speak out against the former failed president. (Snip)Judge Sullivan today appointed retired Clinton appointee judge John Gleeson to argue against the government’s motion to dismiss the charge against Flynn!
This is unheard of!
First the attorneys for the Mueller team withheld Brady evidence from General Flynn for over a year and now this crooked judge won’t acquit!
Chick-fil-A is now the second-highest-grossing restaurant chain in the US—despite not being open on Sundays. Thanks to sales growth in 2019 of 13 percent to $11.3 billion, the chicken slinger leapfrogged over Taco Bell and Burger King to second place behind McDonald’s, according to Restaurant Business Magazine’s annual list of top 500 restaurants. The Atlanta-based chain’s dominance is even more impressive considering it has only 2,470 locations in the United States. McDonald’s, by comparison, raked in $40.4 billion in gross sales with its 13,846 American locations.(Snip) Last year, Chick-fil-A was 7th on the list, behind Burger King and Taco Bell, as well as Wendy’s and Subway.
Recent Decisions of the Court of Appeals
for DC Circuit Show Sullivan Must
Dismiss Flynn Case replies
for DC Circuit Show Sullivan Must
Dismiss Flynn Case replies
I’m seeing a lot of online “lawyering” on the legal question(s) before Judge Sullivan, with many focusing on the orders today with regard to accepting amicus curiae briefs, and later appointing retired federal Judge John Gleeson to serve as a “Friend of the Court” and offer a brief against the DOJ motion to dismiss the Flynn case.
(Snip) the issue before the Court as posed by the DOJ motion is very simple. The fact that Judge Sullivan is accepting amicus briefs and claims he needs a “Friend of the Court” to brief the opposing view on a minor point of procedural law is a transparent revelation of his duplicitous motives.
Florida Gov Ron DeSantis tore into other governors who have ordered 'draconian' lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday as he took further steps to reopen his own state. 'You're not a dictator, you don't have unlimited authority, and people do have rights,' DeSantis said in an interview with Fox & Friends. He made the comments after being asked if he thinks 'some of these governors that are just doing a one-size-fits-all for the entire state' are 'being too strict and going too far.''I don't think any governor has the authority to restrict anyone unless there's a direct relationship to combating this virus,' DeSantis replied.
Donald Trump will be banished from the club of living former Presidents when he leaves office after offending them all and shattering their unspoken conventions, according to a new book obtained by DailyMail.com. The President burned his bridges after trashing his predecessors and failing to show them respect - all 'cardinal sins' in the exclusive club of former leaders.
The book, which is out next week and by bestselling author Kate Andersen Brower, says the former Presidents feel that the 'mantle of decency that used to rest with the sitting President has now fallen to the men who used to hold that job'.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham announced Thursday afternoon he will hold a series of “in-depth” hearings, starting in early June, on Crossfire Hurricane and other Obama administration abuses. “Our first phase will deal with the government’s decision to dismiss the Flynn case as well as an in-depth analysis of the unmasking requests made by Obama Administration officials against General Flynn. We must determine if these requests were legitimate,” Graham released in a statement. “Our next area of inquiry, later this summer, will be oversight building upon the Horowitz report about FISA abuses against Carter Page. My goal is to find out why and how
President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar lashed out at ousted health official Rick Bright as he testified before Congress Thursday, dismissing his allegations about the administration ignoring his warnings about the pandemic as those of a "disgruntled employee.” (Snip)Azar: "Whose job was it to actually lead the development of vaccines? Dr. Bright. So while we're launching Operation Warp Speed, he's not showing up to work to be part of that. (Snip)
Bright claims he was pushed out of his role because he resisted efforts by HHS leadership to promote the drug hydroxychloroquine. Azar told reporters Thursday: "On hydroxychloroquine, Dr. Bright literally signed the application for
A business owner in Bellmawr has decided to “take matters into our own hands” by opening his gym in defiance of a state-ordered closing of nonessential businesses.
Ian Smith, co-owner of Atilis Gym, said he plans to open at 8 a.m. Monday for members. Smith said they’ve decided to limit capacity to 20% or about 44 people at a time, but he expects “thousands” of people to show up after a primetime national
There may be more to Dr. Rick Bright's story, Politico reports.
Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority who was leading the country's coronavirus vaccine development, filed a whistleblower complaint earlier this month claiming, among other things, that he was transferred to another position because he refused to cave to Trump administration pressure to push hydroxychloroquine, (Snip)"This type of abuse creates a highly stressful and toxic work environment that ultimately ruins productivity towards the BARDA mission," one staffer wrote in a complaint about Bright (Snip).
Another staffer told Politico "we would get yelled at when we didn't provide him with documents that didn't exist."
Open Memorandum to Barack Obama
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To: Barack Hussein Obama
From: Sidney Powell
www.SidneyPowell.com
Date: May 13, 2020
Re: Your Failure to Find Precedent for Flynn Dismissal
Regarding the decision of the Department of Justice to dismiss charges against General Flynn, in your recent call with your alumni, you expressed great concern: “there is no precedent that anybody can find for someone who has been charged with perjury just getting off scot-free. That’s the kind of stuff where you begin to get worried that basic — not just institutional norms — but our basic understanding of rule of law is at risk.”
Here is some help—if truth and precedent represent your true concern. Your statement is entirely false.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said the state was the "Wild West" on Wednesday night after the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked an extension of his stay-at-home order. The Democratic state leader told MSNBC that judges had created "chaos" in Wisconsin by voting 4-3 against the extension of state lockdown measures until May 26. Wisconsin Supreme Court judges ruled on Wednesday that his stay-at-home extension was "unlawful, invalid and unenforceable."
This is what Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “historic” success of clearing out the homeless from the subways looks like. The above photo was taken from the Bellevue Men’s Shelter Tuesday night, hours after the mayor touted his office’s ability to get the homeless off the streets and into shelters where they’re “accepting help.” It turns out that “help” includes curling up on a staircase or on the floor, mere inches from others amid a global pandemic, on makeshift, cardboard “beds.”(Snip) Thousands of single, homeless adults are being moved into hotel rooms using funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency but the officer said
Senator Richard Burr is stepping down temporarily as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday, a day after the FBI was reported to have seized his mobile phone as part of an investigation into stock sales.
“Senator Burr contacted me this morning to inform me of his decision to step aside as chairman of the Intelligence Committee during the pendency of the investigation,” McConnell said in a statement.
Burr, a North Carolina Republican, was among senators who sold holdings earlier this year around the time intelligence officials were delivering closed-door briefings about the emerging threat of the coronavirus. Burr has denied any wrongdoing.
After spending most of the pandemic crisis on vacation, an ice cream-fortified Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi finally emerged from her magnificent kitchen to propose a behemoth mess of a spending bill to allegedly save America’s faltering economy. Her 1,815-page proposal forms the “War and Peace” of legislative monstrosities. In fact, the endless big-government wish list contains generous payments for illegal immigrants, tax credits for wealthy residents of high-tax states, massive grants to fiscally irresponsible states, a national prohibition on identification for voters, and even federal loans for lobbyists.
In a bit of judicial leapfrog, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking the Texas Supreme Court to weigh in on his interpretation of how voters can qualify for absentee ballots during the coronavirus pandemic.Various lawsuits are pending over whether eligibility for mail-in ballots can be expanded to voters who risk contracting the virus by voting in person. Paxton believes it can't, and he asked the state's highest civil court Wednesday to issue a relatively rare writ of mandamus preventing local election officials from doing so.In a motion filed Wednesday, the Republican attorney general
The Justice Department’s move to dismiss the prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn does not need to be the end of the case — and it shouldn’t be. The Justice Department has made conflicting statements to the federal judge overseeing the case, Emmet G. Sullivan. He has the authority, the tools and the obligation to assess the credibility of the department’s stated reasons for abruptly reversing course.
The department’s motion to dismiss the Flynn case is actually just a request — one that requires “leave of the court” before it is effective. The executive branch has unreviewable authority to decide whether to prosecute a case. But once it
Mark Kelly, the former NASA astronaut who commanded the second-to-last space shuttle mission and spent 25 years in the Navy, readily acknowledges the myriad threats China poses to the U.S. (Snip)Kelly, however, has been far more reticent about the investment by a Chinese company in a commercial space exploration venture he co-founded. The company, tech giant Tencent, is one of the world’s largest internet enterprises and owns the Chinese social media platform WeChat. The text platform has more than a billion users and is suspected of monitoring the activity of many of them inside and outside of China.
As the Trump administration seeks ways to penalize China for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, it need look no further than Tennessee.The Lewisburg, Tennessee-based American Bondholder Foundation holds $1.6 trillion of century-old Chinese debt, including interest, dating to before the founding of the communist People’s Republic of China, that it wants the administration's help in redeeming. There is an estimated $6 trillion or more of the debt outstanding worldwide.The bonds were issued by the Republic of China -- which ousted the imperial government in a coup -- as far back as 1912 and backed by gold; they were defaulted on in 1938.
‘Unlawful, invalid, unenforceable’: Wisconsin
Supreme Court nukes Dem Governor’s
lockdown extension replies
Supreme Court nukes Dem Governor’s
lockdown extension replies
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers was dealt a blow as the state’s Supreme Court struck down his coronavirus pandemic lockdown order and allowed businesses to reopen.The unprecedented ruling handed down Wednesday found that the there was an overreach of authority when the Democratic governor’s stay-at-home order was extended without consulting with the state Legislature. President Donald Trump’s son appropriately declared in a tweet that the court had “nuked” Evers’ lockdown extension order.(Tweet) In the wake of the 4-3 decision, the first ruling in the country where several states are facing similar pushback from residents angry at local governments overstepping
On May 13, Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a blatantly biased and unconstitutional order in the long-lasting Michael Flynn criminal case. To preserve the rule of law and our constitutional separation of powers, the Department of Justice has no choice now but to seek a writ of mandamus from the D.C. Circuit Court ordering the criminal charge against Flynn dismissed and reassigning the case to another judge.
On Tuesday, Judge Sullivan shocked court watchers when he entered an order stating that, “at the appropriate time,” he intended to enter a scheduling order permitting “amicus curiae” or friend of the court briefs to be filed in Flynn case.
An unofficial state revenue forecast is projecting a $7 billion deficit for the next 4 years. (snip) As of today, however, state employees are scheduled to receive a 3% pay raise on July 1. A 3% pay raise also took effect last July. With the state facing a massive budget deficit, the Governor should immediately reopen the state employee contracts to cancel the new 3% pay raise before it takes effect. (snip) On May 13 he signed a directive to freeze state hiring, personal service contracts and equipment purchases.
Virginia governor Ralph Northam (D.) reversed his decision to reopen indoor gun ranges and other businesses throughout the state on Tuesday after pressure from county officials in Northern Virginia. In a new executive order, Northam said he would keep business closures in effect for localities in the populous northern part of the state. He had ordered restrictions on indoor gun ranges, restaurants, retailers, gyms, salons, and other retailers to be eased throughout the entire state on Friday. Citing requests from local officials in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., he extended shutdowns in the area through May 28. The decision could generate a new legal battle over shutdowns
Against the unmasking discussion currently underway, it is worthwhile contrasting the distinctions between: (1) the NSA unmasking of incidental collection; and (2) the FBI unmasking as a result of targeted investigations.
There is a big difference between the two types; and Mike Flynn was a subject of both. (Snip)on March 20, 2017, FBI Director James Comey outlined the FBI parameters for unmasking U.S. persons who are captured as part of domestic FBI surveillance.(Snip)The distinction between the two unmasking aspects is becoming increasingly important. The FBI is currently claiming the Flynn-Kislyak call was due to “incidental collection”; this is a lie. The New York Times is pushing that lie today:
Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan has issued a couple of extraordinary orders in the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn after the Justice Department moved to dismiss the case. Sullivan has not only decided to allow third parties to argue against an uncontested motion in a criminal case, but he has appointed retired judge John Gleeson to argue against dismissal and address whether Flynn should face a perjury charge from the Court itself. I have practiced in front of Judge Sullivan for many years. I have repeatedly(Snip) expressed my respect for his demeanor and directness. However, these orders raised deeply troubling questions of judicial overreach and enmity.
It likely takes a lot of main justice approvals to serve a search warrant for the device of the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). The Chairman of the powerful committee also sits on the congressional oversight team known as the gang-of-eight.
According to the Los Angeles Times the FBI served a search warrant on North Carolina Republican Senator Richard Burr Wednesday. The warrant appears connected to an ongoing investigation on whether or not Burr violated a law that prevents members of Congress from trading insider information they learn from their work.
The unmasking of Joe Biden
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The declassification of material from the Michael Flynn case has exposed more chilling details of a concerted effort by prosecutors to come up with any crime to use against the former national security adviser. This week, however, a letter revealed a new unsettling detail. Among more than three dozen Obama administration officials asking to “unmask” Flynn from the investigation was former Vice President Joe Biden. This revelation came less than 24 hours after Biden denied any involvement in the investigation of Flynn. It also follows a disclosure that President Obama was following that investigation.
For three years, many in the media have expressed horror
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously last week against the improper use of amicus briefs by judges to shape a court case as they wish — which is what Judge Emmet G. Sullivan is doing, critics say, in the ongoing Michael Flynn case. On Tuesday, Judge Sullivan announced that he would accept amicus briefs about whether he should grant the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) motion to dismiss the case against Flynn. On Wednesday, Sullivan went a step further, appointing retired judge John Gleeson as amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) to argue against dismissal, and to argue Flynn be held in criminal contempt.
The wheels of justice may turn slowly, as dictum claims, but those who ignore the relentless grind risk a painful surprise. That is the lesson for mischief-makers who engaged in a cloak-and-dagger plot to depose President Trump. More than 1,200 days have passed since Mr. Trump arrived in the White House — three times longer than it took to build the Empire State Building. It’s long enough for justice to run — or walk — its course.
The sudden upending of the case against former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has turned a trickle of facts into a flood.
What did President Obama know and when did he know it? That famous formulation is emerging as the question in the wake of new disclosures in respect of a meeting that took place inside the Oval Office in the closing days of Mr. Obama’s presidency. The meeting included not only his national security adviser, Susan Rice, and the head of the FBI, James Comey, but also Vice President Biden, now the prospective Democratic nominee.This is laid out in, among other places, a dispatch by Mollie Hemingway in the Federalist. Ms. Hemingway reckons the meeting is turning out to be, as her headline puts it,
For his high-school science-fair project, Glenn Orton chose to research Jupiter. It was 1965, and as the United States rushed toward the moon, Orton was mesmerized by the faraway planet, which he could see with his own telescope. He supplemented his project—which ended up winning the top prize—with images of Jupiter that he took himself.
Decades later, Orton, now a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who studies Jupiter, still gets a thrill from looking at pictures of the planet, he told me recently. It helps that they keep getting better. Just look at the one at the top of this article.
Fauci's Song and Dance
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Dr. Anthony Fauci has never been muzzled by President Trump, as the lamestream media often charged, but maybe he should have been and should be still. Before his tour de farce before the Senate Health Committee, the shy, modest, and unassuming Dr. Fauci emailed a New York Times reporter with a preview of his testimony, an apocalypse now prediction if we don’t hang on to and follow his sage and expert advice:
Dr. Anthony Fauci emailed New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg Monday night with a preview of his message for a Senate hearing on Tuesday in which he warns of “needless suffering and death” if
President Donald Trump, during an interview that aired Thursday morning, told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo that he was actually facing a number of opponents in the 2020 general election. Trump said that, in addition to “Sleepy Joe Biden,” he was running against media “and some really stupid Republicans.” WATCH:(Video) Trump began by reflecting on the results of two special elections that were held Tuesday, one in Wisconsin and one in California, both of which turned out in favor of Republicans.“These are two the press doesn’t even write,”
Former White House spin doctor Ben Rhodes isn't taking acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell's unmasking of Gen. Michael Flynn's Obama administration unmaskers very well. (snip) Spin it all as politicization on the Trump side, according to Ben. Rebrand the deep state minions honest toilers. Declare the extraordinary number of unmaskings just doing the yeoman's job of intel. You can bet these takes will go into the Democrats' talking points, to be lapped up by the adoring press some time soon.
Restaurants in Washington state will be required to keep a log of each dine-in customer to facilitate contact tracing during phase two of the state's coronavirus reopening plans. As part of the requirements, the log must be maintained for 30 days and must include each customer's telephone number and email address, and what time they came in to eat, according to officials. (Snip) In order to remain open, restaurants must also meet a dozen other requirements including operating at 50% capacity or below, and seating no more than five guests at each table, according to Inslee's office. Other phase two
The 'Let's Roll' Election
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The folks at Power Line took some time to discuss the merits of a recent editorial in the Washington Post by E.J. Dionne in which he argues that Republicans may “lose it all” in November. Dionne predicts that the “Trumpian circus-plus-horror-show” is inevitably leading to a Democrat-controlled House, Senate, and presidency. Paul Mirengoff agrees with Dionne’s prediction but not with his reasoning, placing the cause of a potential November slaughter squarely on the perfect storm of an intensifying pandemic and economic depression that will be impossible for President Trump and Senate Republicans to withstand. Scott Johnson acknowledges how difficult
Despite its many policy failures and foreign affairs disasters, the Obama administration always escaped serious criticism in the media because, we were told, there were no serious scandals during his two terms in office. As just-released documents show, President Barack Obama himself was neck-deep in the silent coup attempt by top U.S. officials at the FBI, Justice Department and CIA.
Another media myth, generated by left-leaning journalists to prop up their favorite politician, bites the dust. How do we know? #ObamaGate is now trending on Twitter, a sure sign of spreading interest in the scandal.
The latest document dump from
President Trump recently reacted to the latest revelations about General Michel Flynn, as well as the Obama administration’s involvement in the transition of power and information to the current White House team. He has called it “the biggest political crime in American history.” (Tweets) What could be the start of a new corruption case all began on January 5th, 2017. During a meeting, then-President Obama gave guidance to key Justice Department officials, who would be tasked with protecting his administration’s secretly funded Clinton campaign research, better known as Fusion GPS.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti Orders All
Residents Must Wear Face Coverings When
They Leave Home replies
Residents Must Wear Face Coverings When
They Leave Home replies
Los Angeles Democrat Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday that all residents will be forced to wear face coverings when they leave their homes.“We’re requiring all Angelenos to wear face coverings when they leave the house,” Garcetti said in a statement. “There are exceptions in place for small children or those with disabilities.” (Tweet) “Our Safer at Home order will remain in place beyond May 15. Depending on public health conditions, we will continue to adjust the order to safely allow more businesses to operate and more people to get back to work,” Garcetti added. “All retail locations — from electronics to beauty stores — will now be allowed
An illegal alien murdered a San Marcos, Texas, police officer and shot two others, injuring them, before taking his own life, according to law enforcement officials.Jose Alfredo Perez DeLaCruz, a 46-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, has been identified as the reported killer who allegedly murdered San Marcos police officer Justin Putnam, 31-years-old, on April 18.According to law enforcement officials, officers Putnam, Franco Stewart, and Justin Mueller responded to a domestic violence call where DeLaCruz was allegedly drunkenly hitting his wife.
A top Joe Biden aide lashed out at a CBS News correspondent for reporting on the release of a new memo indicating the former vice president was aware of the “unmasking” of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.On Wednesday, CBS News’s senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge made public a memo from acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell. The memo, which was declassified earlier this week and sent to members of the United States Senate, included a list of Obama administration officials who requested the names of American citizens picked up in national security surveillance between the end of the 2016 general election and when President Donald Trump took office
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine defended herself Wednesday after reports that her 95-year-old mother relocated from a care facility after Levine said such centers could begin accepting coronavirus patients discharged from hospitals. Cases of the virus in nursing homes have skyrocketed in Pennsylvania, with about two-thirds of the state's 3,800 deaths being residents of long-term care facilities, PennLive reported. "My mother requested and my sister and I, as her children, complied to move her to another location during the COVID-19 outbreak," Levine said in a news conference, according to Harrisburg's WHTM-TV. “My mother is 95 years old.
The mainstream media’s latest heroine/victim is CBS reporter Weijia Jiang who got into a tussle with President Trump at his May 11 coronavirus briefing. Jiang, of Chinese descent, asked Trump an argumentative question, got an argumentative response, and assumed that the response was personal based upon her race, rather than what she said. The case is a microcosm of what’s wrong with the media, both in terms of pure bias, basic competence, and professionalism. (snip) To the emotional but true accusation that people in America are still getting sick and dying, and the false implication that it’s his fault, he put the blame where it belongs, on China.
A word about Republican loyalty
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Good people who love our country are frustrated with Trump for not publicly pushing back against Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx. Folks, I know Trump is doing his best to reopen America despite tremendous pressure against reopening by Democrats and fake news media propagandists.
Ponder this coronavirus crisis without Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office. Unequipped to handle being ripped to pieces by media, a typical Republican president would surrender to keeping our country locked down indefinitely. A Democrat president would use coronavirus to become America's first communist dictator, abandoning the Constitution forever. I am extremely grateful that we have President Trump.
Clown Show: Flynn Was Never Charged With
Perjury, But Now Could Be Facing Charges...
of Perjury replies
Perjury, But Now Could Be Facing Charges...
of Perjury replies
Ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s war with the government isn’t over just yet. He scored a decisive win, with the Department of Justice filing a motion to dismiss the bogus “lying to the FBI” charges against him. Charges that were politically motivated, part of an elaborate and expansive FBI plot to entrap the former top Trump official. James Comey and Andrew McCabe were out to get Flynn no matter the cost. Department policy and the Constitution be damned; they were going to him. Flynn was the target of the FBI’s counterintelligence probe into Russian collusion because he spoke with the Russians…because that’s what incoming national security advisers do.
Grandpa Badfinger just let slip that he has a secret weapon for November. No, his secret weapon is not the utter hypocrisy of a Dem base that is eagerly going all in on a senile old weirdo who, when he says “#MeToo,” means that he too treated women like inanimate objects as did his pals Teddy Glug-Glug Kennedy, Bill Cohiba Clinton and Harvey Sex Toad Weinstein. Their hypocrisy can’t be a secret weapon because their hypocrisy is no secret.
No, Gropey J’s secret weapon is – get this – “Republicans for Biden.”
Stop looking at me like that. This is really a thing,
Obama is a dirty man. It's becoming clearer by the day. The collapse of the Trump-Russia collusion nonsense is exposing how the former president can smile at you whilst setting forth a plot to bring about your annihilation. We shouldn't be shocked; he did sign off on Fast and Furious that got a Border Patrol agent killed. Obama barely bat an eye.
The 2016 election was supposed to have Hillary Clinton making history. Instead, she became a two-time presidential loser, whose only accomplishment was that she married Bill, who does have the political skill to win an election.
A Tale of Two Sets of Rules
replies
With each passing day, it becomes clearer that the United States has two sets of rules: one for the elites in the Democratic Party, the media and the entertainment industry, and a different one for Republicans and us poor slobs in flyover country.
Take the COVID-19 lockdown. While our economy goes into free fall, we're told by politicians that businesses must stay closed, and everyone must stay home and engage in social distancing. Illinois, for example, is on lockdown until the end of this month, per Democratic Gov. Jay Pritzger's orders. Meanwhile, Pritzger's wife jets off to Florida.
Former US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power lied under oath to Congress about unmasking General Flynn.
CBS News reporter Catherine Herridge on Wednesday obtained the list of Obama operatives who unmasked General Flynn and released it to the public.
Names included former VP Joe Biden, former CIA Director John Brennan, Samantha Power, former DNI chief James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey and others.
According to the new documents released, Samantha Power sought to unmask General Flynn SEVEN TIMES.
Power’s first request was dated November 30, 2016 and her last unmasking request related to Flynn was dated January 11, 2017.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is finally bringing the House of Representatives back to work for a vote on Friday. The House went into recess on March 14 after passing the coronavirus stimulus bill, the CARES Act. Representatives briefly returned in late April to pass extra funding for the Paycheck Protection Act, but then they went into recess again. While the Senate went back to work last Monday, the House has remained in recess for two months. Both chambers went into recess citing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, as the Washington, D.C., area is a COVID-19 hotspot.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board urged the media and the public to never again trust House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff because of his repeated claims over the years that there was evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The editorial, which was published on Tuesday, reacted to the House Intelligence Committee releasing dozens of witness interview transcripts and related material regarding its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
"Schiff spread falsehoods shamelessly about Russia and Donald Trump for three years even as his own committee gathered contrary evidence," it wrote.
Prohibitions on elective surgeries, in place in most states since early March, have taken a toll on hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare workers. But patients may be the group that have suffered the most.
"A lot of treatment has been delayed that was important but not necessarily emergent," said Dr. Juliette Madrigal Dersch, a primary care physician in Marble Falls, Texas. Elective surgery includes heart operations, cancer treatment, joint replacements, and spine surgery. "Elective" only means that it is not a medical emergency, not that it is unnecessary.
Ann Herlocher's daughter, Abby, needed ear tubes due to recurrent ear infections. But the procedure had to be canceled back in March.
Rep. Adam Schiff blasted Attorney General William Barr, accusing him of politicizing the Justice Department for President Donald Trump's benefit following Paul Manafort's release from prison.
"This system stinks," Schiff said Wednesday on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports. "People have lost confidence in [the Justice Department's] neutrality that justice is blind. Instead, they think justice bends to Donald Trump’s will. And that’s just a tremendous disservice and risk to the rule of law."
Hours earlier, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was released from the FCI Loretto prison, where there have been no reported COVID-19 cases, to home confinement over fears of contracting the coronavirus.
'Ridiculous': Schumer slams Republicans
for pushing 'discredited conspiracy theories
against Obama' replies
for pushing 'discredited conspiracy theories
against Obama' replies
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rebuked his Republican counterparts for what he views as their prioritizing criticism of former President Obama over the coronavirus pandemic.
Republicans have recently attacked Obama for his criticism of the Department of Justice's move to drop the charges against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn. The former president alleged that the "rule of law is at risk" due to the DOJ's decision. Many conservative pundits and politicians have speculated that the previous administration was actively trying to hurt President Trump.
Schumer attacked his colleagues across the political aisle for focusing on Flynn and the subsequent fallout of his charges being dropped
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced another $3 trillion of spending as the Democrats’ latest response to the coronavirus pandemic. At over 1,800 pages, the mammoth legislation is a cynical left-wing wish not rooted in reality. It demonstrates that the Democrats are irresponsible and unfitted to govern at a time of crisis.
Some $2.9 trillion of spending already out the door means that by next year the federal debt is likely to be higher than the record set in World War II — a milestone that wasn’t supposed to be reached until over a decade from now.
Now, Pelosi wants to pile on another $3 trillion on top of that record profligacy.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard two cases asking whether members of the Electoral College are bound by laws requiring them to support the winner of the popular vote in their state.
Wednesday's cases involve six electors who were fined or disqualified because they voted for candidates of their own choosing in 2016, instead of abiding by the result of the vote in their state. The justices seemed ready to say that laws punishing so-called faithless electors are constitutionally permissible. Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia have such laws.
Is This Why the Judge Presiding Over
the Flynn Case Is Allowing Amicus
Briefs from Anti-Trump Lawyers? replies
the Flynn Case Is Allowing Amicus
Briefs from Anti-Trump Lawyers? replies
Justice for Michael Flynn has hit another snag. Judge Emmet Sullivan is ensuring that every method to legally slow down this case is utilized. I mean, there is no case. No one has opposed the motion to dismiss the charges lobbed against Flynn, who pleaded guilty to politically motivated “lying to the FBI” charges. The ex-national security adviser for President Trump was forced to plead guilty after the government threatened him and his family with financial ruin. Alas, new documents show that Flynn was the victim of an entrapment plot from the FBI’s top brass. James Comey was out to get Flynn
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power testified to Congress in 2017 that she never sought to unmask records containing information about former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Newly declassified documents from the National Security Agency (NSA), however, show that her name appeared on at least seven separate requests to unmask Flynn’s name between Nov. 30, 2016, and Jan. 11, 2017.
Power was asked explicitly during sworn 2017 testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) whether she had ever attempted to unmask information related to Michael Flynn, a retired general and former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency
Nancy Pelosi has unveiled an 1,800 page bill that provides for more than $3 trillion in new spending, ostensibly linked to the coronavirus. In fact, it is mostly must a liberal shopping list. This is, in summary form, some of what the bill contains:
* Nearly $1 trillion for state and local governments, ostensibly to make up for anticipated budget shortfalls due to the virus. $540 billion is earmarked for the states, divided according to a formula. Under the House bill, Minnesota would get $8 billion. Its projected revenue shortfall is $2.4 billion, substantially all of which can be covered by the state’s rainy day fund.
COVID-19 is a riddle wrapped inside an enigma and hidden within a Chinese wet market, or possibly a CCP laboratory.
World leaders are baffled by how to respond. The science keeps contradicting itself. The world’s greatest mathematicians can’t keep up with the ever-changing data sets. Who can the poor and frightened public turn to for help?
Never fear, Greta’s here. That’s right. Little Miss Thunberg, a 17-year-old Swedish girl who dropped out of high school to sound the climate change alarm, is turning her mega-brain towards COVID-19, just when we need her most.
Fixing the FBI
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To fix the FBI, we need to understand what went wrong with it. It is now beyond debate, and should be a bipartisan concern of the first order, that something was very wrong with the FBI’s most senior leadership in 2016-17. It is clear that Donald Trump’s election was the catalyst for that leadership to take one of the most important organs of our government completely off the rails. The conduct of former FBI Director Comey personally, and the FBI senior leadership in his tenure, has emerged as a history of repeated conduct that now demands examination. It starts, but unfortunately does not end, with failed leadership
U.S. shoppers are making more trips to the dollar store. They're stocking up with items from stores' private label brands more than usual and cutting back on snacks and sodas at convenience stores.
Those emerging data points, captured by market research firm IRI in recent weeks, may preview the next wave of grocery shopping during the coronavirus pandemic. They all have something in common: They are the buying patterns that herald an economic downturn. "As this drags on, you are going to see a lot more recessionary behavior coming up," said Krishnakumar Davey, president of strategic analytics for IRI. "We are just seeing the beginnings of it."
Lockdown Logic
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When politicians begin slinging around words like “expert” and “science,” any sensible citizen becomes a skeptic. Being elected to public office does not qualify anyone to lecture the public on scientific matters, but this is never pointed out to cable TV viewers tuning in for the daily lectures from Governor Science (D-N.Y.). Andrew Cuomo has a bachelor’s degree from Fordham and a law degree from the University of Albany, and if he has any specialized knowledge about infectious diseases, it’s only because he has presided over the worst COVID-19 pandemic in the world.
On a per-capita basis, nowhere has this virus been more deadly
The presumptive Democratic candidate for President Joe Biden heads a list of more than a dozen Obama officials who spied on Donald Trump’s ex-national security advisor Michael Flynn.
Others senior officials include Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and UN ambassador Samantha Power.
A list declassified Tuesday by Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grennel shows that Biden and others asked to have Flynn’s name “unmasked”
Fauci's Song and Dance
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Dr. Anthony Fauci has never been muzzled by President Trump, as the lamestream media often charged, but maybe he should have been and should be still. Before his tour de farce before the Senate Health Committee, the shy, modest, and unassuming Dr. Fauci emailed a New York Times reporter with a preview of his testimony, an apocalypse now prediction if we don’t hang on to and follow his sage and expert advice.
The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who have traditionally placed American flags on the graves of veterans at veterans’ cemeteries on Memorial Day have been barred from doing so because of the coronavirus crisis.
The Scouts cannot perform their acts of honor because the Department of Veteran’s Affairs has banned public events at the sites, Fox News reports, adding, “On Long Island, N.Y., where more than 500,000 veterans are buried at two national military cemeteries, there are demands for the VA to reconsider and rescind the ban.”
Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone told Fox News,
We’ve already seen multiple cases of tenants, primarily in the larger American cities, proposing or launching “rent strikes” where they refuse to pay their rent until the pandemic crisis passes and people are allowed to go back to work. This includes one Democratic congressional candidate in New York City named Pete Harrison, who doesn’t want anyone to have to pay, even if they can afford it. Harrison picks a rather easy target for his wrath because his apartment building is owned by a major investment banking firm.
WATCH: Reporter Tells Biden Internet Mocks
Him As ‘Dementia Joe’ And ‘Creepy Joe’,
Biden Responds replies
Him As ‘Dementia Joe’ And ‘Creepy Joe’,
Biden Responds replies
During an interview posted Wednesday, Vanity Fair contributor Peter Hamby told presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden that the internet mocks him with memes of “Sleepy Joe,” a nickname coined by President Donald Trump, and “Dementia Joe,” a rip on the 77-year-old Democrat’s apparent mental decline.
“Harvard did an analysis of all of the anti-Biden memes out there on the internet,” said Hamby, according to Vanity Fair. “According to them, the top three slogans they’re seeing, this is from the left and the right, are Dementia Joe, Sleepy Joe, Creepy Joe.”
“Barack Obama reportedly said last week that his daughters had been showing him anti-Biden TikToks,” he continued.
The GOP clinched major victories in two special elections held on Tuesday but was largely ignored by the mainstream media.
Mike Garcia managed to flip California's 25th District, becoming the first Republican to do that in the state since 1998. Garcia, a former Navy combat pilot, was declared the winner on Wednesday after his Democratic challenger, state assemblywoman Christy Smith, conceded the race. The congressional seat was previously held by Rep. Katie Hill, who resigned last year.
Both Garcia and Smith will face off again in November.
Sol Wisenberg says Flynn case judge
may be trying to force pardon out of
Trump with unusual orders replies
may be trying to force pardon out of
Trump with unusual orders replies
Former Whitewater deputy independent counsel Sol Wisenberg joined "The Ingraham Angle" Wednesday to discuss U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan's order allowing a third party to present arguments opposing the Justice Department's motion to dismiss the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
That third party is retired federal judge John Gleeson, who openly criticized the Trump administration's handling of Flynn's case in a recent Washington Post Op-Ed. That has raised concerns that he was selected to improperly bolster Sullivan's efforts to keep the Flynn case alive.
Virginia restaurant’s creepy plan to use
mannequins to enforce social distancing
gets mixed response replies
mannequins to enforce social distancing
gets mixed response replies
A Virginia restaurant got some serious social media pushback after it announced how it planned to enforce social distancing when it reopens this Friday.The Inn at Little Washington unveiled a plan that almost instantly conjured up “creepy” feelings online as reactions poured in to the idea of dressed-up mannequins being used to fill space at empty tables.(Photo) Chef Patrick O’Connell reportedly came up with the ill-fated idea as a way to comply with the state’s social distancing rule and requirements that restaurants only serve customers at 50 percent capacity, according to a Washingtonian magazine story published on Tuesday.
Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) signaled Wednesday that he will request Obama administration officials, including former Vice President Joe Biden, to testify in the wake of revelations that they may have sought to “unmask” communications by retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. “Right now we’re in the information-gathering phase of this and this obviously, from my standpoint, raises a lot more questions than it actually answers,” Johnson told reporters, according to The Hill. “We will start requesting interviews with those individuals.”
Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and social distancing guidelines advising people stay six feet apart, reports of terrified airline passengers on packed flights continue to emerge.Just this week, passengers on an Iberian Airlines flight became incensed over their crowded flight, which had jammed the plane to 70 percent capacity despite airline guidelines to have the cabin no more than half full. And photos from a United Airlines flight last week showed passengers sitting shoulder-to-shoulder — while a doctor returning from helping fight the virus in New York
Last Sunday, Mother's Day, made me think how my mom warned me, as a young teen: "Work hard! Or you'll freeze in the dark!"
Sometimes, the warning ended, "Or you'll starve in the cold."
She grew up during the depression. She and her peers were sensibly worried about freezing in the dark.
The message scared me, and I worked hard in school.
When I got my first job, I always put some pay in a savings account, even when (OK, it was long ago) I made only $132 a week. I feared a bad future, and I wanted to make sure I could support myself.
This wasn't all good.
If you travel in the near future, you're likely to be masked, restricted, and monitored very closely—and despite how that sounds, you probably won't be locked in the trunk of a car. Actually, that's how you're likely to travel if you're not in a car.
Based on regulatory guidance, industry recommendations, and company policies, the only way any of us are getting from Point A to Point B anytime soon without running a gauntlet of additional hassle and expense is to drive our own vehicles. And pick your destination carefully—hotels and tourist attractions may take a while to get back to normal, too.
A Brooklyn dad who let his kids walk a few blocks to the local store was arrested on Sunday morning and charged with endangering the life of a child.
The charges against Noah Chakoff, a rabbi, were dropped about 12 hours later. But the ordeal began when New York City police stopped the kids—ages 11, 8, and a 2-year-old in a stroller—as they were simply heading to their local bodega (a small candy-and-everything-else store).
"I can understand them stopping the children, just to ask a few questions," Chakoff's attorney, Jason Goldman, tells Reason. "But obviously I don't agree with them charging the rabbi
FBI agents reportedly seized the cell phone of a North Carolina senator Wednesday as part of a Justice Department investigation into the lawmaker’s eyebrow-raising stock trades at the start of the coronavirus crisis. Sen. Richard Burr, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, handed over his phone to the agents after they served him with a search warrant at his Washington-area home, an anonymous official told Yahoo News.(Snip) Burr had sold off $1.7 million in publicly traded stocks a week before the intensifying spread of COVID-19 led the market to crash. He was among a handful of lawmakers
Almost five years ago, then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris launched an investigation into the work of citizen journalist and anti-abortion activist David Daleiden, who discovered Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of aborted baby body parts. Now, after years of legal battles, Daleiden and his organization, the Center for Medical Progress, are suing Harris, Planned Parenthood, and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for their attempts to use the guise of state recording laws to criminally punish Daleiden(snip). When the Center for Medical Progress began releasing its undercover videos of Planned Parenthood executives discussing fetal tissue trafficking in 2015, Harris launched an investigation on Daleiden, ordered a raid on his home, and seized his