thetennesseestar--2020-10-07--Belmont University Says It Will Be ‘100 Percent’ Ready to Host Final U.S. Presidential Debate

The University of Belmont announced Monday that it will be “ 100 percent ” prepared to host the last U.S. presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden , Fox 17 reported .
“ Twelve months ago , Belmont was selected to host the third and final presidential debate of 2020 .
With less than three weeks to go , we are fully committed to working with the Commission on Presidential Debates ( CPD ) and our health advisors on final preparations and will continue to follow their lead and guidance , ” Belmont University President Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17 .
The third presidential debate will take place on October 22 .
Belmont issued this statement on the same day Trump left Walter Reed Hospital after being hospitalized with the coronavirus .
The president will continue his recovery from the White House after spending four days in the hospital .
White House physician Sean Conley said in a Tuesday memorandum that the president is not showing any symptoms and that his vital signs remain stable .
The next debate between Trump and Biden is set for October 15 in Miami .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday at the Arsht Center .
“ I am looking forward to the debate on the evening of Thursday , October 15th in Miami , ” Trump tweeted .
“ It will be great !
” Kate Bedingfield , Joe Biden ’ s deputy campaign manager , told ABC ’ s This Week that the Democratic nominee ’ s campaign is open to having the second presidential debate next week .
“ Obviously , that ’ s going to depend on a lot of factors here .
First and foremost , President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we send him the best , and we are — we are hoping for a speedy and full recovery , as is everybody in this country , ” Bedingfield said .
“ So our hope is that the debate will go forward on the day that it ’ s scheduled , but obviously we will be attune to any changes that need to be made , ” she added .
For Wednesday ’ s vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris , extra precautions have been added .
According to The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be separated by plexiglass and be distanced 12 feet apart from each other .
The debate will take place at the Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City .
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media .
If you have any tips , email Zachery at [ email protected ] .
Follow Zachery on Twitter @ zacheryschmidt2 .
Photo “ U.S .
Presidential Debate ” by CSPAN .

The University of Belmont announced Monday that it will be “100 percent” prepared to host the last U.S. presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, Fox 17 reported.
“Twelve months ago, Belmont was selected to host the third and final presidential debate of 2020. With less than three weeks to go, we are fully committed to working with the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) and our health advisors on final preparations and will continue to follow their lead and guidance,” Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher said, according to Fox 17.
The third presidential debate will take place on October 22.
Belmont issued this statement on the same day Trump left Walter Reed Hospital after being hospitalized with the coronavirus. The president will continue his recovery from the White House after spending four days in the hospital.
White House physician Sean Conley said in a Tuesday memorandum that the president is not showing any symptoms and that his vital signs remain stable.
The next debate between Trump and Biden is set for October 15 in Miami. The president anticipates going to the debate next Tuesday at the Arsht Center.
“I am looking forward to the debate on the evening of Thursday, October 15th in Miami,” Trump tweeted. “It will be great!”
I am looking forward to the debate on the evening of Thursday, October 15th in Miami. It will be great! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2020
Kate Bedingfield, Joe Biden’s deputy campaign manager, told ABC’s This Week that the Democratic nominee’s campaign is open to having the second presidential debate next week.
“Obviously, that’s going to depend on a lot of factors here. First and foremost, President Trump’s health, which we – we send him the best, and we are — we are hoping for a speedy and full recovery, as is everybody in this country,” Bedingfield said.
“So our hope is that the debate will go forward on the day that it’s scheduled, but obviously we will be attune to any changes that need to be made,” she added.
“We have every expectation that the Debate Commission take all necessary precautions to ensure that everybody who attends the debate is safe,” Kate Bedingfield says, adding if “expectations are met,” the Biden campaign looks forward to the VP debate. https://t.co/iJpXFwk0u6 pic.twitter.com/Qc49bSIWCe — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 4, 2020
For Wednesday’s vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, extra precautions have been added.
According to The New York Post, the candidates will be separated by plexiglass and be distanced 12 feet apart from each other. The debate will take place at the Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City.
– – –
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media. If you have any tips, email Zachery at [email protected]. Follow Zachery on Twitter @zacheryschmidt2.
Photo “U.S. Presidential Debate” by CSPAN.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-07--Marsha Blackburn Talks Senate Hearings for Amy Coney Barrett and the Plight of the Conservative Woma

Marsha Blackburn Talks Senate Hearings for Amy Coney Barrett and the Plight of the Conservative Woman in Washington D.C.

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Sen. Marsha Blackburn to the newsmakers line .
During the third hour , Blackburn weighed in on how the hearings for Amy Coney Barrett as one of the next Supreme Court justices will unfold and how the Democrats will attack her faith .
She added that most often a conservative woman ’ s strengths are used against her by the left .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the newsmaker line by our good friend Senator Marsha Blackburn .
Good morning , Senator Blackburn .
Blackburn : Good morning !
How are you ?
Leahy : Well , I ’ m delighted you ’ re able to join us .
You were last here about a month ago .
Not much happened in the past month has it ?
Blackburn : Not much at all .
Just kind of cruising along as you said .
But you know what ?
It ’ s 2020 .
Leahy : It did go crazy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that you are a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee , and the hearings on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett are apparently scheduled to begin in Washington on Monday .
Will you be there ?
Blackburn : I will be there .
I ’ m looking forward to being there .
And after we work through the hearings for four days and vote her from the committee to go to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote , I look forward to casting that yes vote for the next constitutional judge who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court .
Leahy : How many members are on the Judiciary Committee ?
Blackburn : All told I think we have 25 .
It ’ s majority Republican .
Leahy : Is it 13 , 12 or 14 ?
Leahy : Yeah , I think it ’ s 13:12 .
And so it ’ s almost certain that you will be approved out of the committee .
And then that takes four days .
So it starts Monday , will end probably Thursday afternoon the vote will be held .
I guess there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : What do you expect is going to happen ?
What do you think the Democrats are going to do in those hearings ?
Blackburn : Well , they ’ re going to try to delay .
They are trying to say that her being a woman of faith is a disqualifier .
And that is just so egregious that they would even make those comments .
But they ’ re trying to say , you know , the dogma lives in you .
Or questioning her orthodoxy .
Or questioning the Knights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like are really are an affront to my friends who are Catholics and very active in their faith .
I think if you look at the way that the left is looking at religion right now they feel as if you need to be an atheist or a secularist to hold a seat on any of our federal courts , including the Supreme Court .
So they ’ re going after that .
They ’ re going after the fact that she is pro-life .
Much of that Centers in her Catholic faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to try to investigate these areas of her life and have the FBI investigate .
That ’ s one of the areas they ’ re going to use to try to slow things down .
Quite frankly , I don ’ t think they ’ re going to be successful in that .
Our constitution prohibits a religious litmus test .
They should know better than to go there .
So we ’ ll see how this they ’ re going to conduct themselves .
But we will take that first vote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the committee .
We vote to hold her over when we finish the hearings on the 15th .
And then we come back and vote her to the floor next week .
Leahy : Oh , so that ’ s how it will work .
I didn ’ t know that procedural element to it .
Here ’ s an interesting question for you .
So the vice presidential nominee for the Democratic party , Senator Kamala Harris is one of the Democrats on that committee .
She was way over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brett Kavanaugh back in 2018 .
Do you have any indication as to how she ’ s going to approach her questioning of Amy Coney Barrett ?
Blackburn : I don ’ t .
I think she will be very aggressive .
I do think that the religious liberty issues and the campus free speech and the immigration issues are the most likely areas for Kamala to go .
I think after tonight to VP debate will have a better or not tonight tomorrow night .
We ’ re going to have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to go with her questioning .
Leahy : Yeah .
I think that ’ s probably a very astute observation .
We ’ ll see what that debate looks like tomorrow night .
Question for you .
Have you had an opportunity yet to meet with or talk with Amy Coney Barrett ?
Blackburn : Oh , yes .
I was just at the White House for her announcement and I talked with her there .
And I also had the opportunity to visit with her separately last week and talk about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I wanted to delve a little bit further in .
Bear in mind , she has written over 100 opinions as a circuit judge .
So there is a lot of material there .
Looking at some of her writings on originalism .
Talking with her about her position as a professor and Notre Dame and campus free speech , which I know is an enormous issue with moms that have children in college and concerns over that .
And you know , I think that ’ s an issue where we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on these college campuses where they are not allowing counterpoint or robust debate .
It is becoming a cancel culture and you have to believe a certain way in order to be accepted .
Leahy : I read a report that if confirmed , Amy Coney Barrett would be the first mother of school-age children serving ever on the Supreme Court .
Is that true ?
And what do you think that will do in terms of her judgment ?
Blackburn : Yes , that is definitely true .
And we know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what has happened to her .
Of course , I have had happened to me for four years you have reporters out there who are on the left who are saying , well , you know , the woman has seven children .
She obviously does not have time to do the job .
It has that this much test to the job and I have found that really curious to get out .
If Amy Coney Barrett were a liberal woman they would be lining up to cheer her own and talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she is managing so many facets of her life .
She is a circuit court judge .
She is a law professor .
She is a spouse .
She has seven children two of them are adopted one has special needs .
It is a very full life .
So this is something they ’ re trying to turn around and use against her .
But you know , this is what the left does .
They try to take your strength and turn them into weaknesses when you are a conservative woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Leahy : Well , they haven ’ t been able to do that very well with you because you ’ ve got the art of push back down to a tee .
And I don ’ t think they take you on anymore from what I can tell .
Blackburn : I don ’ t know .
They take me on on a daily basis and you realize after a while that this is what they are going to do .
And so you better prepared for it .
But yes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time .
Leahy : Hey , I guess I would say not take you on effectively because you really you do you take them down pretty well , Senator Marsha Blackburn .
Thank you so much for joining us today and keep us posted on what happens in Washington D.C .
Thanks for joining us .
Listen to the full third hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” by U.S. Senate .
Background Photo “ Amy Coney Barrett ” by The White House .

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Sen. Marsha Blackburn to the newsmakers line.
During the third hour, Blackburn weighed in on how the hearings for Amy Coney Barrett as one of the next Supreme Court justices will unfold and how the Democrats will attack her faith. She added that most often a conservative woman’s strengths are used against her by the left.
Leahy: We are joined now on the newsmaker line by our good friend Senator Marsha Blackburn. Good morning, Senator Blackburn.
Blackburn: Good morning! How are you?
Leahy: Well, I’m delighted you’re able to join us. You were last here about a month ago. Not much happened in the past month has it?
Blackburn: Not much at all. Just kind of cruising along as you said. But you know what? It’s 2020.
Leahy: It did go crazy here. There’s a report that you are a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the hearings on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett are apparently scheduled to begin in Washington on Monday. Will you be there?
Blackburn: I will be there. I’m looking forward to being there. And after we work through the hearings for four days and vote her from the committee to go to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote, I look forward to casting that yes vote for the next constitutional judge who will take a seat on the Supreme Court.
Leahy: How many members are on the Judiciary Committee?
Blackburn: All told I think we have 25. It’s majority Republican.
Leahy: Is it 13, 12 or 14?
Blackburn: Yeah, whatever.
Leahy: Yeah, I think it’s 13:12. And so it’s almost certain that you will be approved out of the committee. And then that takes four days. So it starts Monday, will end probably Thursday afternoon the vote will be held. I guess there’s Thursday the afternoon?
Blackburn: Yes.
Leahy: What do you expect is going to happen? What do you think the Democrats are going to do in those hearings?
Blackburn: Well, they’re going to try to delay. They are trying to say that her being a woman of faith is a disqualifier. And that is just so egregious that they would even make those comments. But they’re trying to say, you know, the dogma lives in you. Or questioning her orthodoxy. Or questioning the Knights of Columbus and things that I feel like are really are an affront to my friends who are Catholics and very active in their faith.
I think if you look at the way that the left is looking at religion right now they feel as if you need to be an atheist or a secularist to hold a seat on any of our federal courts, including the Supreme Court. So they’re going after that. They’re going after the fact that she is pro-life. Much of that Centers in her Catholic faith. And so they’re going to try to investigate these areas of her life and have the FBI investigate. That’s one of the areas they’re going to use to try to slow things down.
Quite frankly, I don’t think they’re going to be successful in that. Our constitution prohibits a religious litmus test. They should know better than to go there. So we’ll see how this they’re going to conduct themselves. But we will take that first vote. It takes two votes to get her out of the committee. We vote to hold her over when we finish the hearings on the 15th. And then we come back and vote her to the floor next week.
Leahy: Oh, so that’s how it will work. I didn’t know that procedural element to it. Here’s an interesting question for you. So the vice presidential nominee for the Democratic party, Senator Kamala Harris is one of the Democrats on that committee. She was way over the top in her attempts to smear Brett Kavanaugh back in 2018. Do you have any indication as to how she’s going to approach her questioning of Amy Coney Barrett?
Blackburn: I don’t. I think she will be very aggressive. I do think that the religious liberty issues and the campus free speech and the immigration issues are the most likely areas for Kamala to go. I think after tonight to VP debate will have a better or not tonight tomorrow night. We’re going to have a better idea of where she’s going to go with her questioning.
Leahy: Yeah. I think that’s probably a very astute observation. We’ll see what that debate looks like tomorrow night. Question for you. Have you had an opportunity yet to meet with or talk with Amy Coney Barrett?
Blackburn: Oh, yes. I was just at the White House for her announcement and I talked with her there. And I also had the opportunity to visit with her separately last week and talk about some of the issues in areas that I wanted to delve a little bit further in. Bear in mind, she has written over 100 opinions as a circuit judge. So there is a lot of material there. Looking at some of her writings on originalism.
Talking with her about her position as a professor and Notre Dame and campus free speech, which I know is an enormous issue with moms that have children in college and concerns over that. And you know, I think that’s an issue where we need to all look at what is happening on these college campuses where they are not allowing counterpoint or robust debate. It is becoming a cancel culture and you have to believe a certain way in order to be accepted.
Leahy: I read a report that if confirmed, Amy Coney Barrett would be the first mother of school-age children serving ever on the Supreme Court. Is that true? And what do you think that will do in terms of her judgment?
Blackburn: Yes, that is definitely true. And we know that I have found it so curious and what has happened to her. Of course, I have had happened to me for four years you have reporters out there who are on the left who are saying, well, you know, the woman has seven children. She obviously does not have time to do the job. It has that this much test to the job and I have found that really curious to get out.
If Amy Coney Barrett were a liberal woman they would be lining up to cheer her own and talk about what a superwoman she is because she is managing so many facets of her life. She is a circuit court judge. She is a law professor. She is a spouse. She has seven children two of them are adopted one has special needs. It is a very full life. So this is something they’re trying to turn around and use against her. But you know, this is what the left does. They try to take your strength and turn them into weaknesses when you are a conservative woman and they do it every single time.
Leahy: Well, they haven’t been able to do that very well with you because you’ve got the art of push back down to a tee. And I don’t think they take you on anymore from what I can tell.
Blackburn: I don’t know. They take me on on a daily basis and you realize after a while that this is what they are going to do. And so you better prepared for it. But yes, they try to take me on all the time.
Leahy: Hey, I guess I would say not take you on effectively because you really you do you take them down pretty well, Senator Marsha Blackburn. Thank you so much for joining us today and keep us posted on what happens in Washington D.C. Thanks for joining us.
Listen to the full third hour here:

– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Marsha Blackburn” by U.S. Senate. Background Photo “Amy Coney Barrett” by The White House.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-07--Trump Halts COVID-19 Relief Talks Until After Election

WASHINGTON , D.C. ( AP ) — President Donald Trump abandoned COVID-19 relief talks on Tuesday , saying they won ’ t resume until after the election .
The move came as the chairman of the Federal Reserve said that further fiscal intervention is needed to prevent the economy from spiraling downward .
Trump tweeted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was “ not negotiating in good faith ” and said he ’ s asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to direct all his focus before the election into confirming his U.S. Supreme Court nominee , Amy Coney Barrett .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiating until after the election when , immediately after I win , we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business , ” Trump tweeted .
Trump ’ s move came immediately after he spoke with the top GOP leaders in Congress , who had been warily watching talks between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Pelosi .
Many Senate Republicans had signaled they would not be willing to go along with any stimulus legislation that topped $ 1 trillion , and GOP aides had been privately dismissive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Last week , the White House said it was backing a $ 400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and dangled the possibility of a COVID-19 relief bill of $ 1.6 trillion .
But that offer was rejected by Pelosi .
Pelosi had spoken with Mnuchin earlier Tuesday .
After Trump ’ s tweets spiking the negotiations , Pelosi said Trump was “ unwilling to crush the virus ” and “ refuses to give real help to poor children , the unemployed , and America ’ s hard working families.
” Trump broke off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned earlier Tuesday that the economic recovery remains fragile seven months into coronavirus pandemic without further economic stimulus .
Stocks dropped suddenly on Wall Street after Trump ordered a stop to negotiations .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average swung instantly from a gain of about 200 points to a loss of about 300 points .
Powell , in remarks before the National Association for Business Economics , made clear that too little support “ would lead to a weak recovery , creating unnecessary hardship for households and businesses.
” Trump cited Pelosi ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a key reason for pulling out of the talks .
Pelosi and Mnuchin were far apart on that issue — with Trump offering $ 250 billion while Pelosi was holding out for more than $ 400 billion .
And Pelosi was asking for a higher weekly jobless benefit and refundable tax credits for the working poor , among other provisions .
The negotiations started in July and were on pause for weeks before recently reheating .
Pelosi was insisting on an aid package exceeding $ 2 trillion — roughly the cost of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump said Pelosi ’ s offer was $ 2.4 trillion .
Aamer Madhani and Andrew Taylor are reporters for The Associated Press .
AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber contributed .
About the Headline Photo : The White House is seen in Washington , early Tuesday , Oct. 6 , 2020 , the morning after President Donald Trump returned from the hospital where he was treated for COVID-19 .
Traffic moves along K Street NW as TV crews set up in Black Lives Matter Plaza .
( AP Photo/J .
Scott Applewhite )

by Aamer Madhani and Andrew Taylor
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump abandoned COVID-19 relief talks on Tuesday, saying they won’t resume until after the election. The move came as the chairman of the Federal Reserve said that further fiscal intervention is needed to prevent the economy from spiraling downward.
Trump tweeted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was “not negotiating in good faith” and said he’s asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to direct all his focus before the election into confirming his U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett.
“I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business,” Trump tweeted.
Nancy Pelosi is asking for $2.4 Trillion Dollars to bailout poorly run, high crime, Democrat States, money that is in no way related to COVID-19. We made a very generous offer of $1.6 Trillion Dollars and, as usual, she is not negotiating in good faith. I am rejecting their… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2020
…@senatemajldr Mitch McConnell not to delay, but to instead focus full time on approving my outstanding nominee to the United States Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett. Our Economy is doing very well. The Stock Market is at record levels, JOBS and unemployment… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2020
Trump’s move came immediately after he spoke with the top GOP leaders in Congress, who had been warily watching talks between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Pelosi. Many Senate Republicans had signaled they would not be willing to go along with any stimulus legislation that topped $1 trillion, and GOP aides had been privately dismissive of the prospects for a deal.
Last week, the White House said it was backing a $400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and dangled the possibility of a COVID-19 relief bill of $1.6 trillion. But that offer was rejected by Pelosi.
Pelosi had spoken with Mnuchin earlier Tuesday. After Trump’s tweets spiking the negotiations, Pelosi said Trump was “unwilling to crush the virus” and “refuses to give real help to poor children, the unemployed, and America’s hard working families.”
Trump broke off talks after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned earlier Tuesday that the economic recovery remains fragile seven months into coronavirus pandemic without further economic stimulus.
Stocks dropped suddenly on Wall Street after Trump ordered a stop to negotiations.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average swung instantly from a gain of about 200 points to a loss of about 300 points.
Powell, in remarks before the National Association for Business Economics, made clear that too little support “would lead to a weak recovery, creating unnecessary hardship for households and businesses.”
Trump cited Pelosi’s demands for state and local governments as a key reason for pulling out of the talks. Pelosi and Mnuchin were far apart on that issue — with Trump offering $250 billion while Pelosi was holding out for more than $400 billion. And Pelosi was asking for a higher weekly jobless benefit and refundable tax credits for the working poor, among other provisions.
The negotiations started in July and were on pause for weeks before recently reheating. Pelosi was insisting on an aid package exceeding $2 trillion — roughly the cost of the landmark CARES Act in March. Trump said Pelosi’s offer was $2.4 trillion.
– – –
Aamer Madhani and Andrew Taylor are reporters for The Associated Press. AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber contributed.
About the Headline Photo: The White House is seen in Washington, early Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, the morning after President Donald Trump returned from the hospital where he was treated for COVID-19. Traffic moves along K Street NW as TV crews set up in Black Lives Matter Plaza. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)


thetennesseestar--2020-10-07--State Dept. Officials Told They Broke Law by Monitoring Americans During Ukraine Scandal

State Department officials were explicitly ordered in spring 2019 to stop tracking 13 prominent Americans ’ social media accounts for information about the Joe Biden-Ukraine scandal because the monitoring violated federal law , according to emails that were originally redacted to hide the concerns from the American public .
“ We are barred by law from actively monitoring the accounts of American citizens in aggregate — and particularly from identifying and monitoring individual , selected accounts , ” a State Department official wrote in an April 1 , 2019 email to officials in Washington and the U.S. embassy in Kiev @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just the News , raise new questions about the accuracy of State Department officials ’ testimony during President Trump ’ s impeachment proceedings .
They also provide a window into how the department used redactions in a Freedom of Information Act case to hide the potentially explosive information just weeks before Election Day 2020 .
The emails show State Department officials under Trump openly worried a year before the 2020 election that the emerging storyline that Vice President Joe Biden may have engaged in a conflict of interest by presiding over Ukraine policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukrainian gas company might prove to be “ the mother load [ sic ] and main thread to play out , possibly thru Nov. 2020.
” The illegal monitoring was , in fact , ordered specifically to counter that narrative as well as another storyline that involved the liberal megadonor George Soros , the newly unredacted passages of the emails show .
The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch first raised concerns earlier this year that the U.S. embassy in Kiev run by then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch had created an “ enemies list ” by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of prominent Americans last year when the Ukraine scandal about Joe and Hunter Biden first surfaced .
After a protracted legal fight , the State Department released memos to the group last month confirming the embassy did in fact monitor the accounts of 13 Americans , including Fox News personalities Sean Hannity , Laura Ingraham and Lou Dobbs , the president ’ s son Don Jr. , his lawyer Rudy Giuliani as well as this reporter , whose articles in The Hill first shined a light on the Bidens ’ possible conflict of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email was among those released , but it was heavily redacted to hide the statements showing the monitoring was ordered shut down specifically because it violated the law .
Tom Fitton , the Judicial Watch president , accused the State Department of editing the documents to hide the truth from the American people .
“ It looks like this material was blacked out not for legal reason but for political reasons : namely to help Joe Biden , ” Fitton said .
“ Judicial Watch first exposed this illicit spy operation against Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ material by the State Department for over a year is inexcusable .
Our lawyers will review this new material and consider the legal ramifications.
” You can view the redacted memo here .
And here is the unredacted version .
The possibility that U.S. officials in Ukraine and Washington were monitoring perceived critics of Joe Biden in the American news media first surfaced last winter during the Trump impeachment proceedings .
Yovanovitch , an Obama-appointed ambassador who carried over to the new administration before Trump fired her , testified to House investigators that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a column in The Hill quoted a Ukrainian prosecutor raising questions about her and the embassy in March 2019 .
“ So we , you know , we ’ re interested in , you know , kind of keeping track of the story so that we would know what was going on , ” she testified , acknowledging she received a “ finished product ” from the mining of the social accounts .
“ Because , I mean , there ’ s an interest , obviously , I had an interest since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledged her embassy asked State officials in Washington to assist in the monitoring .
When asked why the monitoring stopped , she blamed a lack of resources .
“ What we were told is that the folks in Washington were too busy to do this , etc , etc.
, ” she testified .
In fact , the unredacted email shows the monitoring of the 13 email accounts using a mining tool known as CrowdTangle was ordered stopped by a lawyer in the State Department because federal law prohibited the agency from targeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of having these types of reports developed around emerging conversations , but I have asked [ redacted ] to delete the CrowdTangle list , which explicitly pulls this information from lists that include the personal accounts of American citizens , amongst others , ” the official wrote .
His admonition that the activity was “ barred by law ” was underlined and bolded for emphasis .
“ We can use CrowdTangle to monitor terms as they pertain to Yovanovitch , but these search terms can not be used to target a particular list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the email added .
Other unredacted emails also show that the search terms Yovanovitch ’ s team sought to use included stories about herself as well as the liberal megadonor George Soros .
They also expressed a desire to combat the narrative — later confirmed in testimony to be true — that State officials perceived Vice President Joe Biden had engaged in a conflict of interest in 2016 by continuing to preside over U.S. anti-corruption policy in Ukraine while his son Hunter served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company called Burisma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent , then an official in the embassy , emailed the embassy team on March 27 , 2019 , imploring them to “ get up to ramming speed ” to counter four narratives in The Hill newspaper , including the Biden-Burisma controversy .
“ This story is being set up to both snowball and slow burn with now four separate storylines having been put into play the past week , ” wrote Kent , previously Yovanovitch ’ s top deputy at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his list read : “ Biden and Burisma , looking ahead to 2020 ( note : to my mind the mother load [ sic ] and main thread to play out possibly through Nov. 2020 ) .
” The emails don ’ t explain why the embassy believed it had a policy reason to be concerned about the 2020 U.S. election or Biden .
But they are likely to provide fodder to Trump ’ s defenders that the testimony given at his impeachment proceedings was inaccurate and that his own State Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurtful to Trump ’ s likely opponent in 2020 , Joe Biden .
To see the full list of Americans whose social media was monitored by the State Department , click here .
John Solomon is the Editor in Chief at Just the News .
Photo “ Joe Biden ” by The White House .
Background Photo “ U.S .
Ukraine ” by U.S. Army Europe .

by John Solomon
State Department officials were explicitly ordered in spring 2019 to stop tracking 13 prominent Americans’ social media accounts for information about the Joe Biden-Ukraine scandal because the monitoring violated federal law, according to emails that were originally redacted to hide the concerns from the American public.
“We are barred by law from actively monitoring the accounts of American citizens in aggregate — and particularly from identifying and monitoring individual, selected accounts,” a State Department official wrote in an April 1, 2019 email to officials in Washington and the U.S. embassy in Kiev.
The unredacted emails, obtained by Just the News, raise new questions about the accuracy of State Department officials’ testimony during President Trump’s impeachment proceedings. They also provide a window into how the department used redactions in a Freedom of Information Act case to hide the potentially explosive information just weeks before Election Day 2020.
The emails show State Department officials under Trump openly worried a year before the 2020 election that the emerging storyline that Vice President Joe Biden may have engaged in a conflict of interest by presiding over Ukraine policy while his son worked for a corrupt Ukrainian gas company might prove to be “the mother load [sic] and main thread to play out, possibly thru Nov. 2020.”
The illegal monitoring was, in fact, ordered specifically to counter that narrative as well as another storyline that involved the liberal megadonor George Soros, the newly unredacted passages of the emails show.
The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch first raised concerns earlier this year that the U.S. embassy in Kiev run by then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch had created an “enemies list” by ordering the monitoring of social media accounts of prominent Americans last year when the Ukraine scandal about Joe and Hunter Biden first surfaced.
After a protracted legal fight, the State Department released memos to the group last month confirming the embassy did in fact monitor the accounts of 13 Americans, including Fox News personalities Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Lou Dobbs, the president’s son Don Jr., his lawyer Rudy Giuliani as well as this reporter, whose articles in The Hill first shined a light on the Bidens’ possible conflict of interests in Ukraine.
The April 1 email was among those released, but it was heavily redacted to hide the statements showing the monitoring was ordered shut down specifically because it violated the law.
Tom Fitton, the Judicial Watch president, accused the State Department of editing the documents to hide the truth from the American people.
“It looks like this material was blacked out not for legal reason but for political reasons: namely to help Joe Biden,” Fitton said. “Judicial Watch first exposed this illicit spy operation against Trump world, and the coverup of this material by the State Department for over a year is inexcusable. Our lawyers will review this new material and consider the legal ramifications.”
You can view the redacted memo here.
And here is the unredacted version.
The possibility that U.S. officials in Ukraine and Washington were monitoring perceived critics of Joe Biden in the American news media first surfaced last winter during the Trump impeachment proceedings.
Yovanovitch, an Obama-appointed ambassador who carried over to the new administration before Trump fired her, testified to House investigators that her embassy had asked for the monitoring after a column in The Hill quoted a Ukrainian prosecutor raising questions about her and the embassy in March 2019.
“So we, you know, we’re interested in, you know, kind of keeping track of the story so that we would know what was going on,” she testified, acknowledging she received a “finished product” from the mining of the social accounts. “Because, I mean, there’s an interest, obviously, I had an interest since I was being directly attacked.”
She acknowledged her embassy asked State officials in Washington to assist in the monitoring. When asked why the monitoring stopped, she blamed a lack of resources.
“What we were told is that the folks in Washington were too busy to do this, etc, etc.,” she testified.
In fact, the unredacted email shows the monitoring of the 13 email accounts using a mining tool known as CrowdTangle was ordered stopped by a lawyer in the State Department because federal law prohibited the agency from targeting Americans.
“I understand the urgency of having these types of reports developed around emerging conversations, but I have asked [redacted] to delete the CrowdTangle list, which explicitly pulls this information from lists that include the personal accounts of American citizens, amongst others,” the official wrote.
His admonition that the activity was “barred by law” was underlined and bolded for emphasis.
“We can use CrowdTangle to monitor terms as they pertain to Yovanovitch, but these search terms cannot be used to target a particular list if it includes American citizens,” the email added.
Other unredacted emails also show that the search terms Yovanovitch’s team sought to use included stories about herself as well as the liberal megadonor George Soros.
They also expressed a desire to combat the narrative — later confirmed in testimony to be true — that State officials perceived Vice President Joe Biden had engaged in a conflict of interest in 2016 by continuing to preside over U.S. anti-corruption policy in Ukraine while his son Hunter served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company called Burisma Holdings that was under investigation for corruption.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent, then an official in the embassy, emailed the embassy team on March 27, 2019, imploring them to “get up to ramming speed” to counter four narratives in The Hill newspaper, including the Biden-Burisma controversy.
“This story is being set up to both snowball and slow burn with now four separate storylines having been put into play the past week,” wrote Kent, previously Yovanovitch’s top deputy at U.S. Embassy Kiev.
The third item on his list read: “Biden and Burisma, looking ahead to 2020 (note: to my mind the mother load [sic] and main thread to play out possibly through Nov. 2020).”
The emails don’t explain why the embassy believed it had a policy reason to be concerned about the 2020 U.S. election or Biden.
But they are likely to provide fodder to Trump’s defenders that the testimony given at his impeachment proceedings was inaccurate and that his own State Department was trying to counter a narrative deemed hurtful to Trump’s likely opponent in 2020, Joe Biden.
To see the full list of Americans whose social media was monitored by the State Department, click here.
– – –
John Solomon is the Editor in Chief at Just the News.
Photo “Joe Biden” by The White House. Background Photo “U.S. Ukraine” by U.S. Army Europe.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-07--Massive Trump Caravans Take Over Where the Boat Parades Left off

As boat season winds down with fewer pro-Trump boat parades scheduled , patriotic Americans throughout the nation are increasingly participating in car and truck caravans to show their support for President Donald Trump .
Now , more than ever , Republican voters are hitting the streets to support the president in the wake of his recent coronavirus diagnosis .
A caravan of the president ’ s supporters circled Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC , on Sunday , as a large crowd stood vigil outside the hospital .
Trump briefly left the hospital Sunday evening to wave to the supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the supporters and great distress of the corporate media .
Hundreds of flag-waving Trump supporters also lined up outside Trump Tower in New York City early Sunday , to show their love for the president .
These pro-Trump caravans have been going on for months , but have amped up in recent weeks .
Unfortunately , as the pro-Trump events have increased , so have violent , left-wing counter-demonstrations , especially in Democrat strongholds .
On September 26 , for instance , up to 7,000 MAGA flag-waving motorists paraded through downtown Kansas City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president .
The caravan started at the National WWI Museum and Memorial and ended up at the Plaza , where the Trump supporters were met by a gaggle of protesters , 41 Action News reported .
“ I was there- the people that came out to protest the parade were shouting some of the meanest , rudest , most hate filled things you can imagine .
It has got to be the most middle fingers I ’ ve ever seen in one afternoon .
It was really sad to see so much hate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” one participant noted in the YouTube comments .
“ The differences between the two sides couldn ’ t have been clearer !
” Almost as if to underscore that point , a Kansas City-based “ black rights activist ” and his videographer came to the pro-Trump rally , expecting to be verbally assaulted with racial epithets .
Instead , as he noted in the video below , he was met with nothing but love and handshakes .
“ I ’ m not voting for Trump , ” the activist , known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a couple of Trump supporters through the open window of their vehicle toward the end of his caravan walk-through .
“ That ’ s okay !
” the woman behind the wheel smiled .
Bulljunk noted that it was all “ love and no hate ” at the Trump rally , and asked the woman how that could be , as it was not at all what he expected .
“ Because we have to learn to get along , ” the Trump supporter answered .
“ No matter what our views are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everybody , ” the woman added .
“ We ’ re in America , the land of the free.
” An impressive Trump truck convoy in Michigan last month received no media attention outside of Facebook .
On September 12 , a massive pro-Trump caravan spanned the entire I-275 loop in Cincinnati , approx 85 miles around the city & thru Northern KY .
In Los Angeles last month , a huge Trump caravan paraded down Ventura Blvd .
Over 1,500 vehicles took to the streets of Long Island last month in another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump supporters at The Villages in Florida , held a massive golf cart parade honoring Trump .
Approximately 750 golf carts and nearly 1500 people attended the parade which stretched nearly 2 miles the carts made their way though the parade route .
An impressive Trump truck convoy in Michigan last month received no media attention outside of Facebook .
On September 12 , a massive pro-Trump caravan spanned the entire I-275 loop in Cincinnati , approx 85 miles around the city & thru Northern KY .
In Los Angeles last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ventura Blvd .
Over 1,500 vehicles took to the streets of Long Island last month in another huge show of support for the president .
Trump supporters at The Villages in Florida , held a massive golf cart parade honoring Trump .
Approximately 750 golf carts and nearly 1500 people attended the parade which stretched nearly 2 miles the carts made their way though the parade route .
A Trump caravan in Ozark , Missouri , on Sept. 26 brought out hundreds of Trump supporters .
Trump supporters in New Mexico also came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump supporters decked out their cars with flags and banners on Saturday and hit the road as part of a nationwide caravan .
Vietnamese-American Trump supporters came out for the president in Orange County , Calif. “ We love Trump !
Trump number one !
” a Vietnamese woman shouted from her car .
“ Nobody like him , okay ?
!
” A Trump caravan in southwestern Missouri over the weekend brought out 140 vehicles .
In heavily Democrat areas , of course , the Trump caravans have run into issues with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Despite the threat of violence from the left , Trump caravans from New York to California are scheduled to take place every weekend until the election .
Debra Heine reports for American Greatness .
Photo “ Trump Caravan ” by Anthony Crider CC BY 2.0 .

by Debra Heine
As boat season winds down with fewer pro-Trump boat parades scheduled, patriotic Americans throughout the nation are increasingly participating in car and truck caravans to show their support for President Donald Trump.
Now, more than ever, Republican voters are hitting the streets to support the president in the wake of his recent coronavirus diagnosis.
A caravan of the president’s supporters circled Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC, on Sunday, as a large crowd stood vigil outside the hospital.
Trump briefly left the hospital Sunday evening to wave to the supporters gathered outside, to the delight of the supporters and great distress of the corporate media.
Hundreds of flag-waving Trump supporters also lined up outside Trump Tower in New York City early Sunday, to show their love for the president.
Trump's caravan of love: Hundreds of supporters in cars gather in NYC https://t.co/GKjA0qh270 via @MailOnline — Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) October 4, 2020
About 50 to 100 cars so far stopping traffic on 5th Avenue. Many with flags, chanting and beeping in support of the president. Some are without masks. Organizers said more are on the way from Ronkonkoma, Long Island @NY1 pic.twitter.com/iMCh1zpuPZ — Alyssa Paolicelli (@APaolicelli17) October 4, 2020
These pro-Trump caravans have been going on for months, but have amped up in recent weeks. Unfortunately, as the pro-Trump events have increased, so have violent, left-wing counter-demonstrations, especially in Democrat strongholds.
On September 26, for instance, up to 7,000 MAGA flag-waving motorists paraded through downtown Kansas City in a show of support for the president.
The caravan started at the National WWI Museum and Memorial and ended up at the Plaza, where the Trump supporters were met by a gaggle of protesters, 41 Action News reported.
“I was there- the people that came out to protest the parade were shouting some of the meanest, rudest, most hate filled things you can imagine. It has got to be the most middle fingers I’ve ever seen in one afternoon. It was really sad to see so much hate. They were even yelling at kids,” one participant noted in the YouTube comments. “The differences between the two sides couldn’t have been clearer!”
Almost as if to underscore that point, a Kansas City-based “black rights activist” and his videographer came to the pro-Trump rally, expecting to be verbally assaulted with racial epithets. Instead, as he noted in the video below, he was met with nothing but love and handshakes.
“I’m not voting for Trump,” the activist, known as “Mugzy Bulljunk,” told a couple of Trump supporters through the open window of their vehicle toward the end of his caravan walk-through.
“That’s okay!” the woman behind the wheel smiled.
Bulljunk noted that it was all “love and no hate” at the Trump rally, and asked the woman how that could be, as it was not at all what he expected.
“Because we have to learn to get along,” the Trump supporter answered. “No matter what our views are. I love you, I love everybody,” the woman added. “We’re in America, the land of the free.”
An impressive Trump truck convoy in Michigan last month received no media attention outside of Facebook.
On September 12, a massive pro-Trump caravan spanned the entire I-275 loop in Cincinnati, approx 85 miles around the city & thru Northern KY.
TRUMP CARAVAN: Just in case you missed it! Sometimes it’s boat, this time it’s cars! @realDonaldTrump vehicle parade on the I-275 loop in Cincinnati, with a cruise around #Ohio, #Kentucky and #Indiana! #TrumpCaravan pic.twitter.com/xAMgk9zCqx — John Cremeans (@JCremeans) September 12, 2020
In Los Angeles last month, a huge Trump caravan paraded down Ventura Blvd.
#WeAreTheRally #Trump2020 #CA Trump vehicle, caravan, parade Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck ..Ventura Blvd..
a huge group of Trump voters drove by.. I don't think this enthusiasm is being properly measured in polls. 🇺🇸 8:34 PM Sep 13, 2020 Los Angelespic.twitter.com/A6Ugf22ZnM — Transition To Greatness 2020 (@RobSmall_Trump) September 14, 2020
Over 1,500 vehicles took to the streets of Long Island last month in another huge show of support for the president.
Trump supporters at The Villages in Florida, held a massive golf cart parade honoring Trump. Approximately 750 golf carts and nearly 1500 people attended the parade which stretched nearly 2 miles the carts made their way though the parade route.
An impressive Trump truck convoy in Michigan last month received no media attention outside of Facebook.
On September 12, a massive pro-Trump caravan spanned the entire I-275 loop in Cincinnati, approx 85 miles around the city & thru Northern KY.
In Los Angeles last month, a huge Trump caravan paraded down Ventura Blvd.
Over 1,500 vehicles took to the streets of Long Island last month in another huge show of support for the president.
Trump supporters at The Villages in Florida, held a massive golf cart parade honoring Trump. Approximately 750 golf carts and nearly 1500 people attended the parade which stretched nearly 2 miles the carts made their way though the parade route.
A Trump caravan in Ozark, Missouri, on Sept. 26 brought out hundreds of Trump supporters.
Trump supporters in New Mexico also came out for Trump on Sept. 26.
Trump supporters decked out their cars with flags and banners on Saturday and hit the road as part of a nationwide caravan.
Vietnamese-American Trump supporters came out for the president in Orange County, Calif.
OC: A predominately vietnamese Trump caravan is currently making its way through Orange County. Currently trying to discover their destination pic.twitter.com/IFzkbydznU — Kalen From Scriberr (@FromKalen) October 3, 2020
“We love Trump! Trump number one!” a Vietnamese woman shouted from her car. “Nobody like him, okay?!”
A Trump caravan in southwestern Missouri over the weekend brought out 140 vehicles.
In heavily Democrat areas, of course, the Trump caravans have run into issues with profanity-spewing, violent and disruptive “counter-protesters.”
Despite the threat of violence from the left, Trump caravans from New York to California are scheduled to take place every weekend until the election.
– – –
Debra Heine reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Trump Caravan” by Anthony Crider CC BY 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-07--Brennan Personally Briefed Obama on Clinton Campaign’s Russia Collusion Operation in 2016

CIA Director John Brennan personally briefed former President Barack Obama on Russia ’ s knowledge of Hillary Clinton ’ s “ plan ” to smear then-candidate Donald Trump as a Russian stooge during the 2016 presidential election , newly declassified documents reveal .
Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Tuesday declassified Brennan ’ s handwritten notes from the briefing , as well as a CIA memo revealing that officials referred the matter to the FBI for potential investigative action .
That referral was sent to then-FBI Director James Comey and then-Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok .
Ratcliffe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month that the FBI were aware of Russian intelligence regarding Hillary Clinton ’ s plan to link Trump to Russia as “ a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.
” Comey testified under oath last week to the Senate Judiciary Committee that the CIA referral didn ’ t “ ring any bells ” with him and therefore he was puzzled by Ratcliffe ’ s letter .
When asked by Sen. Lindsey Graham , the chairman of the committee , whether he had considered conducting an investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Comey feigned ignorance .
“ I can ’ t answer that .
I ’ ve read Mr. Ratcliffe ’ s letter which frankly I have trouble understanding , ” he answered .
“ You don ’ t remember getting an investigatory lead from the intelligence community ?
Sept. 7 , 2016 , U.S. intelligence officials forwarded an investigative referral to James Comey and Strzok regarding Clinton ’ s approval of a plan [ about ] Trump…as a means of distraction ?
” Graham demanded .
“ That ’ s a pretty stunning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bell , ” Graham fired back .
“ You get this inquiry from the intelligence community to look at the Clinton campaign trying to create a distraction , accusing Trump of being a Russian agent or a Russian stooge !
” Brennan apparently wrote the notes after he had briefed Obama and his top national security advisers on the matter , according to Fox News .
“ We ’ re getting additional insight into Russian activities from [ REDACTED ] , ” Brennan ’ s handwritten notes state .
“ CITE alleged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to villify [ sic ] Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security services.
” According to Brennan ’ s notes , Obama appeared to be more interested in tying Russia to Trump .
“ Any evidence of collaboration between Trump campaign + Russia , ” the notes read .
The remainder of the notes are redacted , except in the margins , which reads : “ JC , ” “ Denis , ” and “ Susan , ” referring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough , and former White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice .
In the memo to Comey and Strzok , the CIA said it was providing information about the Russian intelligence “ for the exclusive use of your bureau for background investigative action or lead purposes as appropriate.
” “ This memorandum contains sensitive information that could be source revealing .
It should be handled with particular attention to compartmentation and need-to-know .
To avoid the possible compromise of the source , any investigative action taken in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coordinated in advance with Chief Counterintelligence Mission Center , Legal , ” the memo read .
“ It may not be used in any legal proceeding—including FISA applications—without prior approval… ” “ Per FBI verbal request , CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date , ” the memo continued .
“ “ An exchange [ REDACTED ] discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ’ s approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a private email server.
” The memo too is heavily redacted .
According to Ratcliffe ’ s letter , the intelligence included the “ alleged approval by Hillary Clinton on July 26 , 2016 , of a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by Russian security services.
” Nick Merrill , Clinton ’ s spokesperson , called the the new information “ baseless b———t.
” But Ratcliffe , in a statement to Fox News , pushed back on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ To be clear , this is not Russian disinformation and has not been assessed as such by the Intelligence Community , ” Ratcliffe said .
“ I ’ ll be briefing Congress on the sensitive sources and methods by which it was obtained in the coming days.
” A source familiar with the documents told Fox News on Tuesday that the allegation was “ not disinformation.
” “ This is not Russian disinformation .
Even Brennan knew , or he wouldn ’ t be briefing the president of the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ There is a high threshold to orally brief the president of the United States and he clearly felt this met that threshold.
” Another source familiar with the documents told Fox News that “ this information has been sought by hundreds of congressional requests for legitimate oversight purposes and was withheld for political spite—and the belief that they ’ d never get caught.
” The source added that the Brennan notes are significant because it is “ their own words , written and memorialized in real time.
” “ The documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen , I have only seen a few of those – they ’ re smoking guns , ” Nunes said on Fox news ’ “ Sunday Morning Futures ” this week .
“ That information definitely needs to be made available to the American public.
” The California congressman added that there is “ even more underlying evidence that backs up ” the information Ratcliffe released , and called the amount of time it took for the information to be declassified and made public “ mind-boggling.
” “ This has been a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bottom of , because you have corrupt officials , ” Nunes said .
Attorney General Bill Barr last year appointed U.S. Attorney of Connecticut John Durham to investigate the origins of the FBI ’ s Russia probe shortly after special counsel Robert Mueller completed his years-long investigation into whether the campaign colluded with the Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election .
The declassified documents were transmitted to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees on Tuesday afternoon .

by Debra Heine
CIA Director John Brennan personally briefed former President Barack Obama on Russia’s knowledge of Hillary Clinton’s “plan” to smear then-candidate Donald Trump as a Russian stooge during the 2016 presidential election, newly declassified documents reveal.
Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Tuesday declassified Brennan’s handwritten notes from the briefing, as well as a CIA memo revealing that officials referred the matter to the FBI for potential investigative action. That referral was sent to then-FBI Director James Comey and then-Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok.
Ratcliffe first revealed in a letter late last month that the FBI were aware of Russian intelligence regarding Hillary Clinton’s plan to link Trump to Russia as “a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.”
Comey testified under oath last week to the Senate Judiciary Committee that the CIA referral didn’t “ring any bells” with him and therefore he was puzzled by Ratcliffe’s letter.
When asked by Sen. Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the committee, whether he had considered conducting an investigation in 2016 to look into the matter, Comey feigned ignorance.
“I can’t answer that. I’ve read Mr. Ratcliffe’s letter which frankly I have trouble understanding,” he answered.
“You don’t remember getting an investigatory lead from the intelligence community? Sept. 7, 2016, U.S. intelligence officials forwarded an investigative referral to James Comey and Strzok regarding Clinton’s approval of a plan [about] Trump…as a means of distraction?” Graham demanded.
“That doesn’t ring any bells with me,” Comey replied.
“That’s a pretty stunning thing that it doesn’t ring a bell,” Graham fired back. “You get this inquiry from the intelligence community to look at the Clinton campaign trying to create a distraction, accusing Trump of being a Russian agent or a Russian stooge!”
Brennan apparently wrote the notes after he had briefed Obama and his top national security advisers on the matter, according to Fox News.
“We’re getting additional insight into Russian activities from [REDACTED],” Brennan’s handwritten notes state. “CITE alleged approval by Hillary Clinton–on 26 July–of a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to villify [sic] Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security services.”
According to Brennan’s notes, Obama appeared to be more interested in tying Russia to Trump.
“Any evidence of collaboration between Trump campaign + Russia,” the notes read.
The remainder of the notes are redacted, except in the margins, which reads: “JC,” “Denis,” and “Susan,” referring to former DNI James Clapper, former White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, and former White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice.
ENCLOSURE_1__Brennan_Notes__U
In the memo to Comey and Strzok, the CIA said it was providing information about the Russian intelligence “for the exclusive use of your bureau for background investigative action or lead purposes as appropriate.”
“This memorandum contains sensitive information that could be source revealing. It should be handled with particular attention to compartmentation and need-to-know. To avoid the possible compromise of the source, any investigative action taken in response to the information below should be coordinated in advance with Chief Counterintelligence Mission Center, Legal,” the memo read. “It may not be used in any legal proceeding—including FISA applications—without prior approval…”
“Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date,” the memo continued. ““An exchange [REDACTED] discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public form her use of a private email server.”
ENCLOSURE_2__DCIA_Memo_09-07-16__U (1)
The memo too is heavily redacted.
According to Ratcliffe’s letter, the intelligence included the “alleged approval by Hillary Clinton on July 26, 2016, of a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by Russian security services.”
Nick Merrill, Clinton’s spokesperson, called the the new information “baseless b———t.”
But Ratcliffe, in a statement to Fox News, pushed back on the idea he was advancing “Russian disinformation.”
“To be clear, this is not Russian disinformation and has not been assessed as such by the Intelligence Community,” Ratcliffe said. “I’ll be briefing Congress on the sensitive sources and methods by which it was obtained in the coming days.”
A source familiar with the documents told Fox News on Tuesday that the allegation was “not disinformation.”
“This is not Russian disinformation. Even Brennan knew, or he wouldn’t be briefing the president of the United States on it,” the source said. “There is a high threshold to orally brief the president of the United States and he clearly felt this met that threshold.”
Another source familiar with the documents told Fox News that “this information has been sought by hundreds of congressional requests for legitimate oversight purposes and was withheld for political spite—and the belief that they’d never get caught.”
The source added that the Brennan notes are significant because it is “their own words, written and memorialized in real time.”
House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes, R-Calif., called the new information “smoking guns.”
“The documents that are underlying what we now have seen, I have only seen a few of those – they’re smoking guns,” Nunes said on Fox news’ “Sunday Morning Futures” this week. “That information definitely needs to be made available to the American public.”
The California congressman added that there is “even more underlying evidence that backs up” the information Ratcliffe released, and called the amount of time it took for the information to be declassified and made public “mind-boggling.”
“This has been a very difficult task for us to get to the bottom of, because you have corrupt officials,” Nunes said.
Attorney General Bill Barr last year appointed U.S. Attorney of Connecticut John Durham to investigate the origins of the FBI’s Russia probe shortly after special counsel Robert Mueller completed his years-long investigation into whether the campaign colluded with the Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The declassified documents were transmitted to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees on Tuesday afternoon.
– – –
Debra Heine reports for American Greatness.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-07--Harvard Lecturer Pushes Wild Conspiracy Theory About Russian Spies at Walter Reed Hospital

Harvard University professor and CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem alleged that it is “ very likely ” that Russian spies infiltrated Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and gained access to information about President Donald Trump ’ s medical condition .
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday .
The president experienced symptoms before moving to Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda , Maryland , out of an “ abundance of caution ” the following day .
Kayyem , a senior lecturer in international security at Harvard ’ s Kennedy School of Government , speculated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and had more information about the president ’ s condition than the American public .
“ It is very likely that Russian intelligence agencies — through signal and human intel sources at Walter Reed , etc — have more information about the President ’ s condition than we do , ” said Kayyem .
The tweet came amid criticism that the White House was not transparent about Trump ’ s condition and the timeline in which it happened .
Although Kayyem shared the hashtag # DoctorsLieToo , she has been highly supportive of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regard to social distancing and mask-wearing .
Social media users began mocking Kayyem for pushing this highly speculative viewpoint that Russian spies infiltrated Walter Reed Hospital .
Kayem later doubled down , responding to one prominent Twitter conservative .
“ Yep .
What part of this don ’ t you believe : that Trump team is lax on security and vulnerable or that Russia isn ’ t interested in Trumps [ sic ] health leading to election [ sic ] they are interfering in .
Keep doing what you are doing .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the hospitalized Trump , ” she replied .
James Carafano , a Heritage Foundation fellow and an expert in national security , explained to Campus Reform that determining President Trump ’ s medical condition would be a poor use of resources for the Russians .
“ The Russians are not ten feet tall , ” he said .
“ The notion that Trump gets rushed to Walter Reed and the Russians put together some kind of sophisticated intelligence operation is probably close to zero… The notion that they can just throw something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test.
” If Kayyem is implying this type of surveillance by her tweet , Carafano says that such quick action by the Russians is “ unrealistic.
” “ I would imagine , actually , the Russians probably are doing the same thing we ’ re doing , which is reading what the doctors are saying , ” said Carafano .
“ The notion that you would cultivate a unit resource on twenty-four hours ’ notice is nuts .
The capabilities the Russians have are classified , so if this professor has any knowledge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capabilities are , that ’ s really interesting.
” Although it is “ not unthinkable ” that the Russians could create a longstanding surveillance capability at Walter Reed , Carafano sees this as rather unlikely .
Since the United States is “ very transparent about the medical condition of our public officials , particularly the President , ” Carafano likewise says that establishing surveillance capabilities at Walter Reed “ doesn ’ t actually seem incredibly logical.
” Campus Reform has reached out to Kayyem and will update this article accordingly .
Benjamin Zeisloft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting on liberal bias and abuse for Campus Reform .
He is studying Finance and Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania .
Benjamin also writes for The UPenn Statesman and the Wharton International Business Review .
Photo “ Juliette Kayyem ” by Juliette Kayyem Twitter .
Background Photo “ Kayyem Tweet ” by Juliette Kayyem Twitter .

by Ben Zeisloft
Harvard University professor and CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem alleged that it is “very likely” that Russian spies infiltrated Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and gained access to information about President Donald Trump’s medical condition.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. The president experienced symptoms before moving to Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, out of an “abundance of caution” the following day.
Kayyem, a senior lecturer in international security at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, speculated that Russian intelligence had infiltrated Walter Reed and had more information about the president’s condition than the American public.
“It is very likely that Russian intelligence agencies — through signal and human intel sources at Walter Reed, etc — have more information about the President’s condition than we do,” said Kayyem.
The tweet came amid criticism that the White House was not transparent about Trump’s condition and the timeline in which it happened.
Although Kayyem shared the hashtag #DoctorsLieToo, she has been highly supportive of science in other circumstances, particularly with regard to social distancing and mask-wearing.
Social media users began mocking Kayyem for pushing this highly speculative viewpoint that Russian spies infiltrated Walter Reed Hospital.
Kayem later doubled down, responding to one prominent Twitter conservative.
“Yep. What part of this don’t you believe: that Trump team is lax on security and vulnerable or that Russia isn’t interested in Trumps [sic] health leading to election [sic] they are interfering in. Keep doing what you are doing. It’s working so well for America and the hospitalized Trump,” she replied.
James Carafano, a Heritage Foundation fellow and an expert in national security, explained to Campus Reform that determining President Trump’s medical condition would be a poor use of resources for the Russians.
“The Russians are not ten feet tall,” he said. “The notion that Trump gets rushed to Walter Reed and the Russians put together some kind of sophisticated intelligence operation is probably close to zero… The notion that they can just throw something together doesn’t pass the laugh test.”
If Kayyem is implying this type of surveillance by her tweet, Carafano says that such quick action by the Russians is “unrealistic.”
“I would imagine, actually, the Russians probably are doing the same thing we’re doing, which is reading what the doctors are saying,” said Carafano. “The notion that you would cultivate a unit resource on twenty-four hours’ notice is nuts. The capabilities the Russians have are classified, so if this professor has any knowledge whatsoever of what Russia’s syncing capabilities are, that’s really interesting.”
Although it is “not unthinkable” that the Russians could create a longstanding surveillance capability at Walter Reed, Carafano sees this as rather unlikely.
Since the United States is “very transparent about the medical condition of our public officials, particularly the President,” Carafano likewise says that establishing surveillance capabilities at Walter Reed “doesn’t actually seem incredibly logical.”
Campus Reform has reached out to Kayyem and will update this article accordingly.
– – –
Benjamin Zeisloft is a Pennsylvania Senior Campus Correspondent, reporting on liberal bias and abuse for Campus Reform. He is studying Finance and Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Benjamin also writes for The UPenn Statesman and the Wharton International Business Review.
Photo “Juliette Kayyem” by Juliette Kayyem Twitter. Background Photo “Kayyem Tweet” by Juliette Kayyem Twitter.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-07--Commentary: Biden Is Behind the Curve in Fighting COVID

To hear former Vice President Joe Biden tell it , in January , he had perfect knowledge about the Chinese coronavirus , what its mortality would be and all the actions that would be necessary to save American lives .
On July 20 on MSNBC , Biden claimed , “ I , all the way back in January , warned him this pandemic was coming .
I talked about what we needed to do , ” referring to President Trump and a Jan. 27 oped he wrote on the virus .
But that oped in truth was very short on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we needed to do ” all Biden offered in late January was to “ ask Congress to beef up the Public Health Emergency Fund and give me the power to use the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to declare a disaster if an infectious disease threat merits it ” and “ I will also renew funding — set to expire in May — for the nationwide network of hospitals that can isolate and treat people with infectious diseases , and fully fund the Global Health Security Agenda so the world is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s it .
Turns out President Trump did not need Congress to change the Stafford Act in order to invoke it and declare a national emergency , he simply declared one on March 13 .
Apparently , Biden would have waited .
You can read the rest of the oped for yourself , which is mostly touting his past record during his term as Vice President , including addressing the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Africa , and blasting Trump for supporting travel bans .
But it was hardly a crystal ball .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 31 China travel ban but did nothing to support it .
Instead , Biden blasted Trump ’ s calls in 2014 for travel restrictions during the Ebola outbreak as “ reactionary ” .
Biden wrote , “ I remember how Trump sought to stoke fear and stigma during the 2014 Ebola epidemic .
He called President Barack Obama a ‘ dope ’ and ‘ incompetent ’ and railed against the evidence-based response our administration put in place — which quelled the crisis and saved hundreds of thousands of lives — in favor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made things worse.
” On Feb. 1 , after Trump shut down travel from China , Biden said in Iowa , “ We have , right now , a crisis with the coronavirus… This is no time for Donald Trump ’ s record of hysteria and xenophobia — hysterical xenophobia — and fearmongering to lead the way instead of science… Diseases have no borders , they have no borders.
” On March 12 , when Trump issued more travel restrictions on Europe Biden said in a speech , “ Banning all travel from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world may slow it but as we ’ ve seen will not stop it .
And travel restrictions based on favoritism and politics , rather than risk , will be counterproductive.
” The same day , Biden tweeted , “ A wall will not stop the coronavirus .
Banning all travel from Europe — or any other part of the world — will not stop it… ” But it turns out , the travel restrictions saved lives .
When asked by House Minority Whip Steve Scalise ( R-La . )
if he believed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United Kingdom saved lives , Dr. Anthony Fauci , Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , in testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis stated , “ Yes , I do.
” On ventilator production , Biden is not much better , another Joey come lately .
The very first time Biden mentioned invoking the Defense Production Act to boost U.S. ventilator production was on March 18 — the same President Trump was already invoking it saying it was “ in case we need it.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on March 27 , President Trump issued a presidential proclamation on the Defense Production Act and General Motors , stating at the White House , “ This afternoon , I invoked the Defense Production Act to compel General Motors to accept , perform , and prioritize federal contracts for ventilators .
Ventilators are a big deal and we ’ ve delivered thousands of them .
And oftentimes , you don ’ t need ventilators very much .
Hospitals don ’ t have very many .
And now we ’ re — turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers .
But we ’ ve been able to do that and we ’ re going to be doing a lot more.
” Trump added , “ This invocation of the DPA should demonstrate clearly to all that we will not hesitate to use the full authority of the federal government to combat this crisis .
We thought that we had to deal with , as an example , General Motors .
And I guess they thought otherwise ; they didn ’ t agree .
And now they do .
They do agree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to pull it .
But we let them know the way we felt , and they can ’ t be doing that.
” In addition , on reopening , Biden is again late to the party .
On Aug. 21 , Biden told ABC News ’ David Muir that if elected President in November , he is prepared to shut down the U.S. economy again to deal with the Chinese coronavirus .
“ I would be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives because we can not get the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order to keep the country running and moving and the economy growing and people employed , you have to fix the virus , you have to deal with the virus , ” Biden explained , adding , “ I would shut it down , I would listen to the scientists.
” But we ’ re already past the state lockdowns in large part .
The scientists are not recommending another shutdown .
The White House , Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease for Control and Prevention have already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopening America in three phases where after periods of confirmed cases declining based on conditions on the ground with the virus , states , medical centers , schools and business could reopen .
Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx defined the criteria at the White House for entering each of the phases as “ you have to go through those gating criterias related to 14 days of decreasing evidence of illness and decreasing testing , despite adequate testing.
” Meanwhile , Dr. Fauci told Politico in early August that following the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is no need for another shutdown .
“ That would not require shutting down again , ” Fauci said , adding , “ There seems to be a misperception that either you shut down completely and damage a lot of things , mental health , the economy , all kinds of things , or let it rip and do whatever you want .
There ’ s a stepwise fashion that you can open up the economy successfully .
You don ’ t have to lock down again , but everybody has got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five or six fundamental public health measures.
” Instead of another lockdown , Fauci listed things the American people can do instead , even without a vaccine , which he says he is “ cautiously optimistic ” about : “ Universal wearing of masks , six feet or more ; avoid crowds ; outdoor better than indoor ; stay away from bars if you possibly can and in some cases even have authorities close them , that ’ s a hotbed of transmission ; and maintain hand hygiene.
” Finally , on just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Biden leaves much to be desired .
While Biden routinely cancels campaigning , hiding from the virus , President Trump keeps working even as he contracted the virus and was briefly admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center .
Now , Trump has returned to the White House , and is still working .
If how he campaigns is how he will govern on the virus , Biden will at best be a part-time President .
Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government .
Photo “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CC BY-SA 2.0 .

by Robert Romano
To hear former Vice President Joe Biden tell it, in January, he had perfect knowledge about the Chinese coronavirus, what its mortality would be and all the actions that would be necessary to save American lives.
On July 20 on MSNBC, Biden claimed, “I, all the way back in January, warned him this pandemic was coming. I talked about what we needed to do,” referring to President Trump and a Jan. 27 oped he wrote on the virus.
But that oped in truth was very short on substance.
In terms of “what we needed to do” all Biden offered in late January was to “ask Congress to beef up the Public Health Emergency Fund and give me the power to use the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to declare a disaster if an infectious disease threat merits it” and “I will also renew funding — set to expire in May — for the nationwide network of hospitals that can isolate and treat people with infectious diseases, and fully fund the Global Health Security Agenda so the world is ready for the next outbreak.”
That’s it. Turns out President Trump did not need Congress to change the Stafford Act in order to invoke it and declare a national emergency, he simply declared one on March 13. Apparently, Biden would have waited.
You can read the rest of the oped for yourself, which is mostly touting his past record during his term as Vice President, including addressing the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Africa, and blasting Trump for supporting travel bans.
But it was hardly a crystal ball.
It anticipated President Trump’s Jan. 31 China travel ban but did nothing to support it. Instead, Biden blasted Trump’s calls in 2014 for travel restrictions during the Ebola outbreak as “reactionary”.
Biden wrote, “I remember how Trump sought to stoke fear and stigma during the 2014 Ebola epidemic. He called President Barack Obama a ‘dope’ and ‘incompetent’ and railed against the evidence-based response our administration put in place — which quelled the crisis and saved hundreds of thousands of lives — in favor of reactionary travel bans that would only have made things worse.”
On Feb. 1, after Trump shut down travel from China, Biden said in Iowa, “We have, right now, a crisis with the coronavirus… This is no time for Donald Trump’s record of hysteria and xenophobia — hysterical xenophobia — and fearmongering to lead the way instead of science… Diseases have no borders, they have no borders.”
On March 12, when Trump issued more travel restrictions on Europe Biden said in a speech, “Banning all travel from Europe or any other part of the world may slow it but as we’ve seen will not stop it. And travel restrictions based on favoritism and politics, rather than risk, will be counterproductive.”
The same day, Biden tweeted, “A wall will not stop the coronavirus. Banning all travel from Europe — or any other part of the world — will not stop it…”
But it turns out, the travel restrictions saved lives. When asked by House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) if he believed barring travel from China, Europe and United Kingdom saved lives, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis stated, “Yes, I do.”
On ventilator production, Biden is not much better, another Joey come lately. The very first time Biden mentioned invoking the Defense Production Act to boost U.S. ventilator production was on March 18 — the same President Trump was already invoking it saying it was “in case we need it.”
A little more than a week later, on March 27, President Trump issued a presidential proclamation on the Defense Production Act and General Motors, stating at the White House, “This afternoon, I invoked the Defense Production Act to compel General Motors to accept, perform, and prioritize federal contracts for ventilators. Ventilators are a big deal and we’ve delivered thousands of them. And oftentimes, you don’t need ventilators very much. Hospitals don’t have very many. And now we’re — turning out that we have to produce large numbers. But we’ve been able to do that and we’re going to be doing a lot more.”
Trump added, “This invocation of the DPA should demonstrate clearly to all that we will not hesitate to use the full authority of the federal government to combat this crisis. We thought that we had to deal with, as an example, General Motors. And I guess they thought otherwise; they didn’t agree. And now they do. They do agree. And I think we might be able to pull it. But we let them know the way we felt, and they can’t be doing that.”
In addition, on reopening, Biden is again late to the party.
On Aug. 21, Biden told ABC News’ David Muir that if elected President in November, he is prepared to shut down the U.S. economy again to deal with the Chinese coronavirus.
“I would be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus… In order to keep the country running and moving and the economy growing and people employed, you have to fix the virus, you have to deal with the virus,” Biden explained, adding, “I would shut it down, I would listen to the scientists.”
But we’re already past the state lockdowns in large part. The scientists are not recommending another shutdown.
The White House, Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease for Control and Prevention have already issued a strategy and recommendations for safely reopening America in three phases where after periods of confirmed cases declining based on conditions on the ground with the virus, states, medical centers, schools and business could reopen.
Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx defined the criteria at the White House for entering each of the phases as “you have to go through those gating criterias related to 14 days of decreasing evidence of illness and decreasing testing, despite adequate testing.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci told Politico in early August that following the Trump administration’s strategy for virus mitigation that there is no need for another shutdown.
“That would not require shutting down again,” Fauci said, adding, “There seems to be a misperception that either you shut down completely and damage a lot of things, mental health, the economy, all kinds of things, or let it rip and do whatever you want. There’s a stepwise fashion that you can open up the economy successfully. You don’t have to lock down again, but everybody has got to be on board for doing these five or six fundamental public health measures.”
Instead of another lockdown, Fauci listed things the American people can do instead, even without a vaccine, which he says he is “cautiously optimistic” about: “Universal wearing of masks, six feet or more; avoid crowds; outdoor better than indoor; stay away from bars if you possibly can and in some cases even have authorities close them, that’s a hotbed of transmission; and maintain hand hygiene.”
Finally, on just acting in the full capacity as President, Biden leaves much to be desired.
While Biden routinely cancels campaigning, hiding from the virus, President Trump keeps working even as he contracted the virus and was briefly admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center.
Now, Trump has returned to the White House, and is still working. If how he campaigns is how he will govern on the virus, Biden will at best be a part-time President.
– – –
Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government.
Photo “Joe Biden” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-07--Andrew Cuomo Threatens to Shut Down Churches, Synagogues, Says ‘Religious Institutions Have Been a P

Andrew Cuomo Threatens to Shut Down Churches, Synagogues, Says ‘Religious Institutions Have Been a Problem’

Democratic New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo threatened Monday to close down religious institutions , specifically Jewish synagogues , if they do not follow his coronavirus restrictions .
“ We know religious institutions have been a problem , ” Cuomo said at a Monday press conference .
“ We know mass gatherings are the super spreader events .
We know there have been mass gatherings going on in concert with religious institutions in these communities for weeks .
For weeks.
” “ I don ’ t mean little violations , ” he continued .
“ I ’ m talking about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have 50 outdoors , they had 1,000.
” The governor referred to pictures from “ the past couple of weeks , ” calling the pictures “ emblematic ” of the mass religious gatherings occurring during the pandemic .
It appears that the photos that Cuomo referred to are from 2006 and show the funeral of Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum , according to Jewish Insider ’ s Jacob Kornbluh .
Cuomo ’ s office did not immediately respond to a press inquiry regarding the photos .
Cuomo said that he understood that closing down religious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situations , but that he will tell the Orthodox community on Tuesday : “ If you ’ re not willing to live with these rules , then I ’ m going to close the synagogues.
” “ I have had a 30-year relationship with the Orthodox community , ” he added .
“ It goes back to my father .
I have a very close personal relationship with them .
This is the last thing I want to do , forget the politics , I don ’ t care about that anymore .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have this conversation .
It ’ s a difficult conversation .
And you ’ re right on the line of government intrusion on religion .
So it ’ s hard.
” The New York governor also described how health department officials can help monitor whether religious institutions are following coronavirus restrictions .
He offered the example of a Nassau County Department of Health Official who is stationed in front of St. Peter ’ s church .
“ The capacity is 150 , ” he said , speaking as a hypothetical state official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stand at the front door .
When they go over 75 , you close the door and call me .
And if you have any problem , the state police officer is down the block , and he will come help you.
” Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Andrew Cuomo ” by Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York CC BY 2.0 .

by Mary Margaret Olohan
Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo threatened Monday to close down religious institutions, specifically Jewish synagogues, if they do not follow his coronavirus restrictions.
“We know religious institutions have been a problem,” Cuomo said at a Monday press conference. “We know mass gatherings are the super spreader events. We know there have been mass gatherings going on in concert with religious institutions in these communities for weeks. For weeks.”
“I don’t mean little violations,” he continued. “I’m talking about, you’re only supposed to have 50 outdoors, they had 1,000.”
The governor referred to pictures from “the past couple of weeks,” calling the pictures “emblematic” of the mass religious gatherings occurring during the pandemic.
It appears that the photos that Cuomo referred to are from 2006 and show the funeral of Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, according to Jewish Insider’s Jacob Kornbluh. Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to a press inquiry regarding the photos.
Cuomo said that he understood that closing down religious institutions can lead to “uncomfortable” situations, but that he will tell the Orthodox community on Tuesday: “If you’re not willing to live with these rules, then I’m going to close the synagogues.”
“I have had a 30-year relationship with the Orthodox community,” he added.
“It goes back to my father. I have a very close personal relationship with them. This is the last thing I want to do, forget the politics, I don’t care about that anymore. Personally, I don’t want to have this conversation. It’s a difficult conversation. And you’re right on the line of government intrusion on religion. So it’s hard.”
The New York governor also described how health department officials can help monitor whether religious institutions are following coronavirus restrictions. He offered the example of a Nassau County Department of Health Official who is stationed in front of St. Peter’s church.
“The capacity is 150,” he said, speaking as a hypothetical state official running the task force. “You stand at the front door. When they go over 75, you close the door and call me. And if you have any problem, the state police officer is down the block, and he will come help you.”
– – –
Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Andrew Cuomo” by Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York CC BY 2.0.