Category: US News

Candace Owens accuses Rep. Ted Lieu of flagrantly distorting her comments. Tensions at a heated House Judiciary Committee hearing on online hate speech boiled over on Tuesday, when conservative commentator Candace Owens accused Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., of distorting her comments on Hitler so flagrantly for the sake of a smear that he must “believe black people are stupid.” “In congressional hearings, the minority party gets to select its own witnesses,” Lieu began. “Of all the people the Republicans could’ve selected, they picked Candace Owens. I don’t know Miss Owens; I’m not going to characterize her; I’m going to let her own words talk.” Lieu then produced a cellphone  and played a short clip of Owens’ previous remarks at a conference in December, which were widely circulated in February : “I actually don’t have any problem with the word ‘nationalism.’ I think the defintion gets poisoned by elites that want globalism. Globalism is what I don’t want.  When we say ‘nationalism,’ the first thing people think about — at least in America — is Hitler. You know, he was a national socialist, but if Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, OK then, fine. The problem is, he had dreams outside of Germany. He wanted to globalize. He wanted everyone to be German. …” Owens’ remarks echoed those of President Trump, who has repeatedly defended nationalism against progressive attacks that the concept is intrinsically racist. Lieu then asked committee witness Eileen Hershenov: “When people try to legitimize Adolf Hitler, does that feed into white nationalist ideology?” But Owens soon made clear she felt Lieu had intentionally misrepresented her views to drive a false narrative not just against Owens, but also Trump and Republicans in general. “I think it’s pretty apparent that Mr. Lieu believes that black people are stupid and will not pursue the full clip in its entirety,” Owens said. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-NY., interrupted, telling Owens, “It is not proper to refer disparagingly to a member of the committee. The witness will not do that again.” After clarifying that she had not, in fact, called Lieu stupid, Owens continued: “As I said, he is assuming that black people will not go and pursue the full two-hour clip. He purposefully cut off — and you didn’t hear the question that was asked of me. He’s trying to present as if I was launching a defense of Hitler in Germany, when in fact the question that was presented to me was pertaining to wheher I believed in nationalism, and that nationalism was bad.” As Owens went on, Lieu tapped his hands together silently. “And what I responded is that I do not believe we should be characterizing Hitler as a nationalist,” Owens said. “He was a homicidal, psychopathic maniac that killed his own people. A nationalist would not kill their own people. … That was unbelievably dishonest, and he did not allow me to respond to it.” “I think it’s pretty apparent that Mr. Lieu believes that black people are stupid.” — Candace Owens Owens concluded: “By the way, I would like to also add that I work for Prager University, which is run by an orthodox Jew. Not a single Democrat showed up to the embassy opening in Jerusalem. I sat on a plane for 18 hours to make sure I was there. I am deeply offended by the insinuation of revealing that clip without the question that was asked of me.” Turning to her 75-year old grandfather seated behind her, Owens remarked, “My grandfather grew up on a sharecropping farm in the segregated South. He grew up in an America where words like ‘racism’ and ‘white nationalism’ held real meaning.” The hearing was separately derailed when a YouTube livestream of the proceedings was bombarded with racist and anti-Semitic comments from internet users. YouTube disabled the live chat section of the streaming video about 30 minutes into the hearing because of what it called “hateful comments.” FILE – In this Dec. 17, 2018, file photo, a man using a mobile phone walks past Google offices in New York. Executives from Google and Facebook are facing Congress Tuesday, April 8, 2019, to answer questions about their role in the hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism in the U.S. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) The incident came as executives from Google and Facebook answered lawmakers’ questions about the companies’ role in the spread of hate crimes and the purported rise of white nationalism in the U.S. They were joined by leaders of such human rights organizations as the Anti-Defamation League and the Equal Justice Society, along with conservative commentator Candace Owens. Neil Potts, Facebook director of public policy, and Alexandria Walden, counsel for free expression and human rights at Google, defended policies at the two companies that prohibit material that incites violence or hate. Google owns YouTube. “There is no place for terrorism or hate on Facebook,” Potts testified. “We remove any content that incites violence.” The hearing broke down into partisan disagreement among the lawmakers and among some of the witnesses, with Republican members of Congress denouncing as hate speech Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s criticism of American supporters of Israel. As the bickering went on, Nadler was handed a news report that included the hateful comments about the hearing on YouTube. He read them aloud, along with the users’ screen names, as the room quieted. “This just illustrates part of the problem we’re dealing with,” Nadler said. Monday’s hearing was prompted by the mosque shootings last month in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead. The gunman livestreamed the attacks on Facebook and published a long post online that espoused white supremacist views. Owens was named in the mosque shooter’s manifesto, along with eco-fascism, socialism, Trump, and other seemingly unrelated actors. The shooter, who professed affection for divisive online memes and sowing social discord, explicitly stated that his intent was to gin up division and goad different factions into attacking one another. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article includes rhetorical uses of profanity.

It’s a damn shame I have to wait another 20 months to vote for President Trump. I wish I could do it now. Twice. Or better yet, in as many jurisdictions as I can. Preferably in every swing district and every swing state.

Yeah, yeah, I know — sadly, I can’t. It’s been a hell of a ride these past couple of years, and I sure hope it doesn’t end next November.

I am a middle-of-the-road Republican who voted for Trump with the utmost reluctance in 2016. He sure wasn’t perfect. He was no Cicero, either––though he can give a decent speech when the chips are down. He had a few extra skeletons rattling in his closet, especially compared to colorless non-entities like Jeb. So yeah, I was queasy about voting for an ex-registered-Democrat-from-New-York-and-possible-liberal-now-turned-Republican.

Was I worried? Hell, yeah! Was I depressed? You bet. But, really, what options were there? Hillary? Jill Stein? Seriously? Trump wasn’t my first choice or my second choice or my third choice, but by the time November 2016 rolled around, Trump was the only choice on the menu. So I swallowed hard, took a leap of faith, and pulled the lever for the Donald.

Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen Are Non-Issues For Me

And let me tell ya, every time one of these newly minted Democratic “stars” opens their mouth, the same thought goes through my mind: Thank God for Trump. Trump is my last line of defense. Trump is the only thing that stands between me and these hallucinogenic socialist nut jobs. Trump is what’s keeping chaos and left-wing insanity at bay.

Maybe I am not a gettable voter for the Democrats. Certainly not easily gettable, but had Trump turned out to be a closet Nelson Rockefeller, and the Democrats were to nominate a genuine centrist, who knows what could’ve happened? Isn’t that what politicians running for president are supposed to do––spend a few months promoting themselves as the reasonable choice, and the other guy as unacceptable?

But today, every single Democrat I can name is working overtime to make damn certain that I will pull the lever for Trump again, and with both hands this time. Trump need not worry about locking down my vote––the Democrats are doing all the heavy lifting.

Every time the Democrats and their media allies peddle yet another “end of the Trump presidency bombshell,” I laugh hysterically. If I laughed any harder, people would think I was having an epileptic seizure.

I can’t even keep track of half the revelations that were supposed to bring Trump to an ignominious end. Even the Democrats forget most of them within days. Remember Papadopoulos? Flynn? Gates? Roger Stone? Some 77-year-old guy I’ve never heard of, getting a handjob at a Florida massage parlor?

Say what? This is a Trump scandal because apparently the former massage parlor owner posed with Trump and various Republicans who know or have spoken to Trump. Who? What? Huh? Democrats don’t just own crazy anymore; Democrats left crazy in their rearview mirror months ago.

Stormy Daniels? Right. Who gives two shits about Trump’s sex life 12 years ago? But, but, “Trump paid her off! It was hush money!” you say? Yeah, okay. He probably did. Oh, hell, who are we kidding here? I am certain that he did. And I care about all this why? I can see why Melania would care, but why do I care?

Heck, I’ll go even further––it wouldn’t surprise me if Trump paid off a bunch of other women over the years. In fact, and here I am really going out on a limb, there was some reason to suspect, even before the election, that Trump hasn’t always been a faithful husband to his various wives. But, dear Democrats: I just checked my Vanguard and Fidelity account balances, and I just don’t give a squat about Trump’s sex life or his ex-mistresses or how much they cost him.

Michael who, you say? Michael Cohen? Oh, yeah, the sleazeball who took Trump’s money for years and years, and then, once his taxicab schemes and assorted other shenanigans fell apart and prison time loomed, suddenly had an epiphany about Trump?  The guy who plead guilty to lying to Congress? The guy who begged Trump for a pardon? That Michael Cohen? If Democrats think Michael Cohen’s pathetic drooling before some congressional committee will change my mind, they are beyond delusional.

Sundry Scandals Don’t Bother Me Either

Trump Organization, you say? Something about possible non-compliance with New York State health insurance purchasing regulations? Congress will investigate, you say? Uh huh. I am fatigued out with these investigations. You want me to vote for some Democrat because Andrew Cuomo says Trump didn’t follow his insurance regulations? Are you people for real?

What’s that? Russia? Mueller? Collusion? I am sick of Russia and I am sick of Mueller. I am sick of Comey, Rosenstein, Ohr, McCabe, Yates, Strzok, Page, Baker, and the rest of the gang. I am beyond sick of them. I am vomit-inducingly sick of them. (And, for the record, I was born in Russia, so I know Russia like these Democrat clowns can’t even imagine.) After years of nonstop investigations, all they actually have on the collusion front is Manafort’s tax evasion from 10 years ago. That’s it?

Remember that New York Times monster 15,000-word article about Trump’s inheritance taxes 30 years ago? Ask me if I care. Jared Kushner? Next! Ivanka’s shoe line? Whatever. Trump Hotel in DC? Yawn. The Emoluments Clause? Puuuuhhhhlease. Obstruction? Here, I agree. Trump made a mistake. He should have fired Comey’s ass on day one instead of waiting two months to do it.

But then, this is all yesterday’s news. Who needs last year’s bombshells when we have today’s contestants!  The Donkey Party has a new leader: someone called Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Every time her bright red lips form a sentence, I hear a clarion call: Must Vote For Trump! Unlike AOC, I actually know firsthand what socialism is. I don’t need to imagine the future that AOC is trying to shove down my throat––I lived in that future and I pray I’ll never have to live in that future again.

Every time AOC proposes to build trains to Europe, or wants butt plugs for cows to control their flatulence, or wants to spend $93 trillion on fairyland, I really, really want to vote for Trump. So make Ocasio-Cortez more visible! Make Ocasio-Cortez speaker of the House! Make her the keynote speaker at the convention!

All the CNN talking heads agree that Trump is an idiot? Maybe, but at least he isn’t planning to ban my car. Trump lies? Maybe, but with Trump, we’ll still have airplanes (and my 401(k) plan has been doing great since his election).

Presidential Contenders and Congressional Nutjobs

This gets us to the next installment of “Friday the 13th,” a.k.a. the Democratic presidential candidates. Kamala Harris, you say? You seriously want me to vote for Kamala Harris? And you say that Cory “Spartacus” Booker is just like Kamala, only better and balder? Are you kidding me? Pete Buttigieg? Ask me again when I stop laughing.

Bernie? Really? This grumpy near-octogenarian “public service” millionaire with three mansions is running for the presidency of the wrong country. All his best ideas have already been put into practice––in Venezuela.

This is a guy who pseudo-honeymooned in the USSR (two years before it collapsed!), and didn’t notice that people were waiting in mile-long lines for literally everything. This is a guy who has never met a paleo-Stalinist dictator he couldn’t be best pals with. Bernie doesn’t need to pretend he is a complete crank; he is a complete crank.

I will personally call every one of my friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, and beg them to vote for Trump. I will even offer to come and wash their cars while in the nude, if only they’d vote for Trump.

Did someone say Warren? Warren, the first Cherokee candidate — that Warren? Doesn’t she now want reparations not just for African-Americans, but also for Native Americans? Where, oh where, is that lever to pull for Trump?

Biden? The creepy old guy who likes to massage women and 13-year-old girls in public? That guy? I have a 19-year-old daughter, and I sure hope he never goes anywhere near her. But I do hope he runs. It feels like he’s been running for president in every election since Eisenhower. Can he lurch far enough to the left this time, to satisfy the woke police? I doubt it, but it will be fun to watch him try.

Ilhan Omar? Maybe she should run for president too. Nancy suggests that Omar is a good person who is simply too ignorant to understand what her words mean. I disagree. Omar is only saying what all the other Democrats are thinking. Yes, she is an anti-Semite. Yes, she is totally mainstream within the Democratic Party.

Throw that toxic Tlaib person into the mix, and we’ve got the triumvirate that truly runs the Democratic Party now––Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, and Tlaib. I see this nutterfest, and let me tell you, dear Democrats: I am motivated as hell. If ever given a choice (in this election or in other ones) between Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Tlaib, Pelosi, Warren, Harris, Booker, Biden, Sanders, or Trump, I will take Trump any day of the week.

I am a highly motivated Trump voter because the Democrats have motivated me up to my eyeballs. I have never been more motivated in my life, because the Democrats are terrifying me. I am locked, cocked, and ready to rock in that voting booth. I just wish I didn’t have to wait 20 months.

What makes an army a good one or a bad one?  What makes a religious group religious?  Can they be both?

The Trump Administration declared Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a “foreign terrorist organization” on Monday.  The unprecedented move is the first time the United States has labeled another country’s military a terrorist group.  “This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft,” President Trump said in a statement.  The IRGC was established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979.  According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Iran’s military numbers 125,000, is in charge of the nation’s missile and nuclear programs and controls a large slice of Iran’s economy.

The Trump administration hopes the declaration will diminish the IRGC’s financial resources and presence in the Middle East.  The Wall Street Journal reports that the designation comes with sanctions against the Islamic state, including a freeze on assets the IRGC may have in US jurisdictions and a ban on Americans doing business with the Guard.  The WSJ also reported that national security advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed for the move.  In February, Pompeo attended a US-led security conference in Poland that focused on deterring Iran’s influence in the region.  “You can’t achieve peace and stability in the Middle East without confronting Iran,” Pompeo said during the conference. “It’s just not possible (with) their malign influence in Lebanon, in Yemen, in Syria and Iraq.”

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) said he supports the move in a statement.  “A formal designation and its consequences may be new, but these IRGC butchers have been terrorists for a long time,” Sasse said.  Iranian leaders threatened to blacklist the United States as a terror entity if the US follows through on Monday’s designation.  “If the Revolutionary Guards are placed on America’s list of terrorist groups, we will put that country’s military on the terror blacklist next to Daesh (Islamic State),” Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, Iran’s head of parliament’s national security committee, said on Twitter.

Trump has done more for me than Obama: Grey’s Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington slams ’44’ for ‘not supporting Africa or the Black Agenda’ and praises ’45’ for inviting him to White House to celebrate First Step Act prison reform

Actor Isaiah Washington has slammed Barack Obama for not supporting ‘Africa or the Black Agenda’ while praising Donald Trump for inviting him to the White House to celebrate the First Step Act prison reform. The former Grey’s Anatomy star tweeted his thanks to ’45’ while criticizing ’44’ in a series of posts where he shared pictures of the current president from this week.

Washington was at the White House to see the celebrate a prison reform bill, the First Step Act, which is focused on inmate rehabilitation.  He wrote: ‘I voted for 44 twice. I even checked my emails in his Senate Office while lobbying for Salone to be given another chance to rebrand.  ‘Not once in 8 years was I given any support regarding Africa or the Black Agenda, but 45 invites me to the WH to celebrate the #FirstStepAct.’

Congress passed legislation last year called the First Step Act that gives judges more discretion when sentencing some drug offenders and boosts prisoner rehabilitation efforts.  The effort drew strong support from Republicans and Democrats worried that mandatory minimum laws had generated unfair sentences in many drug-related cases.  He said a ‘Second Step Act’ will focus on ‘successful re-entry and reduced unemployment for Americans with past criminal records.’ His goal is to cut that unemployment rate for ex-prisoners to single digits within five years.

Washington shared pictures and videos of himself from inside The East Room and added: ‘Those who know, know that I’m not a Democrat or a Republican. I will work with anyone as long as things get done.’  Speaking directly to Trump he said: ‘@realDonaldTrump you freed 3,000 Federal Prisoners, got 16,000 in drug rehabilitation programs and now you just need to deliver.’

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President Trump has announced he will nominate former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain to the Federal Reserve Board. The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza sought the Republican nomination for president in 2012 and he is also an ally of Trump.

“I’ve told my folks that’s the man,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office according to the Associated Press.

“He’s a very terrific man, a terrific person,” Trump said. “He’s a friend of mine.”

President Trump’s decision to nominate Cain comes as his second in recent weeks after nominating economist and former campaign adviser Stephen Moore to fill another vacancy on the board. Trump has been critical of the Federal Reserve Board for not being committed to low-interest rates, stating that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s interest rate hikes have put a drag on the economy.

The Federal Reserve, consisting of seven members, plays a vital role in the US economy. The board holds meetings to debate and vote on interest rates that have an effect on several aspects of the economy. The two new additions, if approved by the Senate, will bring more individuals with strong conservative values onto the board.

Since Moore’s nomination, President Trump has been criticized for his decision. Opponents have argued that Moore is too political and does not have the required experience. Some news outlets have reported Moore had a lien of more than $75,000 in January 2018 for unpaid taxes and accused him of not paying alimony and child support to his ex-wife.

Now, opponents are using Cain’s departure from the 2012 Republican presidential nomination to fight back. Cain dropped out after allegations arose that he sexually harassed someone in the 1990s and that he had an extra-marital affair for more than 13 years. Cain says those allegations were false but that he has “made mistakes” in life.

Senate leaders have stated they will be the ultimate judge of whether someone is fit or not.

“They all have to go through the process and see whether or not they’re a good fit — both in terms of qualifications and just the experience and everything else,” stated Sen. John Thune, the Republican whip. “You want somebody on the Fed to be somebody who’s very knowledgeable on economic issues.”

Cain’s nomination comes after the Fed announced they will hold interest rates steady after signs of possible economic slowing.

“I was right – but we would’ve been over 4 (percent growth) if we didn’t do all of the interest rate hikes and they tightened,” stated Trump. “I said, what’re we doing here?  3.1 (percent) may be the best in 14 yrs – I’m not happy with it. We shoulda had much higher.”
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Senate Democrats blocked a $13.5 billion bill for disaster relief from recent floods, hurricanes, and wildfires on Monday, arguing that the more than $600 million provided to Puerto Rico was not nearly enough.

The disaster relief package combined aid for a variety of natural disasters the country experienced, including support to southern farmers, California towns hit by wildfires and mudslides and states such as Georgia, Florida and North Carolina that were hit by hurricanes. The legislation would also provide funding to rebuild military bases in Florida and North Carolina that were destroyed during the hurricanes.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise is pushing forward with legislation that would save the lives of babies born after a botched abortion.

The Louisiana Republican said, “All the Democrats who ran saying they were pro-life, this is going to be the true test.”

Scalise and US Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) are introducing a discharge petition next week that would force a vote on the Born Alive Survivors Protection Act.

The measure would give legal protection to infants who are born alive after a botched abortion.

House Democrats have blocked requests to pass the bill by unanimous consent 20 times.

With the infanticide debate and late-term abortion-up-till-birth laws threatening the lives of viable babies, critics say current federal policies do not sufficiently protect babies who are born alive following an attempted abortion.

As CBN News reported, The Heritage Foundation took a closer look at statistical evidence from just four states that prove dozens of infants manage to outlive lethal terminations every year:

• Florida reported that in 2017, 11 infants were born alive following an abortion, and six were born alive in 2018. Florida law includes protections for born-alive babies.
• Arizona reported that in 2017, 10 fetuses or embryos were delivered alive following an abortion. Arizona law includes protections for born-alive infants.
• Minnesota reported that in 2017, three babies were born alive following an abortion. Minnesota law includes protections for born-alive infants.
• Oklahoma’s 2017 report includes a section tallying infants born alive, but the information is ‘suppressed to maintain confidentiality,’ indicating that at minimum one infant was born alive following an abortion.”

“There are babies being born alive and then ultimately murdered,” Scalise said at a press conference outside of the Capitol building recently.

At the same event, House pro-life caucus leader Chris Smith (R-NJ) described one such murder in a Florida abortion clinic.

“The clinic owner took the baby who was gasping for air, cut her umbilical cord, threw her into a biohazard bag and put the bag in the trash. Like so much garbage,” he said.

If Scalise and Wagner get the 218 signatures needed, they can go around Democratic leadership and bring the legislation to the floor for a vote.

Since the very beginning of the 2-year long Mueller probe, the American public has been impatiently waiting for its release. And while Mueller has officially completed his investigation, we are still left disappointed and with a multitude of unanswered questions.

After the conclusion of Mueller’s investigation, the Special Counsel sent the report to Attorney General Bill Barr, who released a measly 4-page “summary” of the finding over the weekend — a summary that most are calling extremely influenced by partisan sentiment, considering the ties that the Barr family has and continues to have to POTUS.

Since then, Americans have been rallying with hashtags and petitions, urging for the report to be released in its entirety to not only members of Congress but to the general public, as well. Trump and his family, as well as members of his administration, have made cryptic remarks about the report’s release, but no one has yet to produce anything. If Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has anything to do with it, the contents of that report are never going to see the light of day.

As of this afternoon, McConnell has blocked a non-binding resolution to make the full report of the investigation conducted by Special Counsel Mueller public. Of course, the resolution was passed unanimously and without question in the House. But once it made its way to McConnell’s side of the fence, it was quickly shot down — with the Senator citing national security as his reasoning behind the decision and asserted that Attorney General Barr should be given adequate time to decide what parts, if any, of the report, should be made public.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who was responsible for putting forth the resolution for transparency, pointed out that the resolution did not even specify a time frame, and thus would not be limiting Barr’s ability to consider it extensively.

Honestly, this comes as no surprise. Trump has been running his mouth all over social media and to reporters about his supposed “exoneration” but lo and behold, his cronies are blocking the release of the report at every given turn. Someone should tell him, you only have things to hide when you’re guilty.

Featured image via DC Tribune gallery