wnd--2020-09-27--Dems' 'secret' of being under thumb of liberal extremists to be 'thrust into open view'

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]
In Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ’ s final speech on the chamber floor before the vote confirming Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh , he exhorted Americans angry over the fierce partisan confirmation warfare to vote in the midterm elections .
“ Our country needs to have a reckoning on these issues , and there is only one remedy .
Change must come from where change in America always begins : the ballot box , ” Schumer said .
“ So to Americans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by what happened here , there ’ s one answer : vote.
” TRENDING : Alleged attacker behind carnage at pro-Trump event linked to 'Caravan 4 Justice ' group He and other Democrats awoke the day after Election Day 2018 to this USA Today headline : “ Democratic senators lost in battleground states after voting against Kavanaugh.
” Senate Democrats ’ campaign against the nominee over unproven , 36-year-old sexual assault allegations backfired when it animated Republican voters more than their own liberal base in key swing states .
Even though Democrats retook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the ugly confirmation process , which captured the nation ’ s attention in the weeks preceding the midterms , played a role in the defeat of four Democratic senators : Joe Donnelly of Indiana , Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota , Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Bill Nelson of Florida all lost their seats .
Turnout is lower in midterm elections than in presidential contests , so it remains to be seen which side ’ s base will be more energized by what could be an even nastier partisan battle over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ culminating just days before voters will decide whether to deny President Trump a second term .
But so far , Republicans are citing the Democrats ’ treatment of Kavanaugh both as a reason to flip their position on whether presidents should be able to seat high court picks in an election year and as a preview of how voters will react to Democratic attempts to stop it .
Schumer , standing next to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , over the weekend vowed to use “ every tool ” at his disposal to blow up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with plans to fill the seat left open by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg ’ s death on Friday .
While Schumer didn ’ t disclose what those tools are , other Democrats were quick to echo previous threats to pack the high court ( the process of adding more justices beyond the nine existing positions ) , eliminate filibuster rules for legislation , and to make Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia states , thus adding up to four more Democrats in the Senate .
Speaker Nancy Pelosi also didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Attorney General William Barr if Republicans move forward with trying to fill the high court vacancy .
To accomplish most of that plan , Democrats would have to win back not just the Senate majority on Nov. 3 but the White House to preclude a presidential veto , and Republicans say they like their election odds better now with the court battle in front of them .
One possible beneficiary is Arizona Sen. Martha McSally , who polls have consistently shown is lagging behind her Democratic challenger , Mark Kelly , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former Rep. Gabby Giffords .
Giffords left Congress after being shot and nearly killed in 2011 .
McSally narrowly lost her race against Kyrsten Sinema in 2018 but was appointed to the Senate seat left open with Sen. John McCain ’ s passing 2018 .
Because the McSally-Kelly race is considered a special election , whoever wins will be seated Nov. 30 , potentially changing the Republicans ’ confirmation math in a lame-duck session should Kelly claim victory .
In a tweet Sunday , the challenger said he believes filling the high court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election and possibly until Inauguration Day if Joe Biden wins .
“ Arizonans will begin casting their ballots in a few weeks , and I believe the people elected to the presidency and Senate in November should fill this Supreme Court vacancy , ” he tweeted , arguing that the decision is especially important “ with an upcoming case about health care and protections for pre-existing conditions.
” Since the pitched battle over the vacancy began over the weekend , McSally ’ s campaign has seen an increase in donations , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believes cuts the incumbent ’ s way .
“ The enthusiasm that ’ s been generated by the campaign and the president ’ s campaign in Arizona has already been ratcheted up and magnified by the introduction of the single biggest motivating issue for Republican voters , ” Caroline Anderegg told RealClearPolitics .
“ ...
It reminds our voters what ’ s at stake and crystallizes for so many people what ’ s at stake in protecting the Senate majority.
” A McSally fundraising email over the weekend referenced the Democratic fight over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as reason for supporters to contribute to her campaign so the senator could help the GOP combat “ the smears.
” “ No matter who President Trump nominates , the [ Democrats ’ ] liberal base will take this opportunity to drag us through the mud — just like they [ did ] to Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh , ” the fundraising pitch states .
Republican operatives also told RCP they are planning to use the words of Ocasio-Cortez over the weekend in upcoming television and digital ads .
The freshman New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upcoming battle over the high court nomination “ radicalize you ” into action .
Liberal activists gathered outside the Washington , D.C. , home of GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham , chairman of the Judiciary Committee , early Monday to protest filling the vacancy either before or in the weeks immediately following the election .
“ We ’ re here with your wake-up call , ” the protesters yelled outside the senator ’ s townhome .
Democrats and other liberal groups have urged Graham to abide by statements he made in 2016 against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama pick took place in an election year .
Later Monday , Graham , who is in the final leg of a closer-than-expected reelection campaign , said he ’ s not going to be deterred from advancing a nominee , underscoring his position by citing the Democrats ’ treatment of Kavanaugh .
“ After the treatment of Justice Kavanaugh , I now have a different view of the judicial confirmation process , ” he said in a statement .
“ ...
Compare the treatment of Robert Bork , Clarence Thomas , Samuel Alito @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ruth Bader Ginsburg , Sonia Sotomayor , and Elena Kagan , and it ’ s clear that there already is one set of rules for a Republican president and one set of rules for a Democrat president.
” At least one Republican in a tough election contest , Sen. Susan Collins of Maine , who played a pivotal role in backing Kavanaugh late in his confirmation process , over the weekend quickly announced that she is opposed to her party ’ s push to seat a Trump nominee in the coming weeks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerable Republican senators , such as Cory Gardner of Colorado , Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Steve Daines of Montana , signaled their support for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ’ s decision to move forward and fill the vacancy rather than wait for the election results .
Tillis , along with Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa , will play high-profile roles in the confirmation as members of the Judiciary Committee .
Ernst , who is in a tougher-than-expected reelection fight , indicated over the summer that she would support moving forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election or during a lame-duck session afterward .
Conservative judicial strategists argue that an intense televised Supreme Court fight will only help Ernst and Tillis as it shifts the narrative from voter dissatisfaction with Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus to the makeup of the Supreme Court , which will impact public policy for decades to come .
“ The Supreme Court fights are critically important to the Republican base , ” Mike Davis , a former Republican Senate and White House aide who played a key role in the confirmations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We have the opportunity of a lifetime to transform the court .
I believe this will motivate Republicans more than Democrats , especially if Democrats move to impeach .
There would be nothing better than AOC becoming the face of the Democrats ’ Supreme Court fight.
” Meanwhile , top Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee cast Graham and McConnell as hypocrites for arguing in 2016 for the need to wait until after that year ’ s presidential election to consider Garland ’ s nomination because the American people should have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coons , a Delaware Democrat who sits on the panel , over the weekend said he was furiously calling Republican colleagues and pressing them not to destroy what ’ s left of the Senate ’ s bipartisan decorum by moving forward with the nomination process .
Sen. Dianne Feinstein , the top Democrat on the committee , chided Republicans for breaking with their own 2016 statements .
By the end of Monday , however , the party ’ s left wing criticized her for arguing against ending the filibuster on all legislation if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few weeks and Democrats then win back the Senate majority in the election .
“ I don ’ t believe in doing that .
I think the filibuster serves a purpose , ” Feinstein told a Bloomberg reporter .
“ It is not often used .
It ’ s often less used now than when I first came , and I think it ’ s part of the Senate that differentiates itself.
” MSNBC host Chris Hayes was one of several liberal Democrats to call out Feinstein for what they viewed as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mark Moulitsas , founder of the liberal Daily Kos , was harsher .
“ Wrong on the merits , wrong on the facts .
Feinstein is the worst .
California deserves better , ” he tweeted .
Some of the same Democrats are criticizing Biden for carving out a less confrontational path than Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez .
The nominee has implored Republican senators to let cooler heads prevail and wait until after the election on the court vacancy .
Biden , though , carefully avoided Ginsburg ’ s death and the looming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manitowoc , Wis .
Instead , he chose to continue hitting Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic while making an appeal to working-class voters .
Pointing to the nation ’ s 200,000 COVID-related deaths , Biden excoriated Trump for holding large rallies with packed crowds .
He also laid into Trump for recent revelations in Bob Woodward ’ s book that the president downplayed the virus ’ severity early on so people wouldn ’ t panic .
“ Trump panicked , ” Biden said .
“ The virus was too big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also isn ’ t going for the jugular when it comes to the high court vacancy .
Instead , she has continued to press vulnerable Republicans over Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus , as well as cite GOP attacks on Obamacare , rather than launch a new round of salvos on the Supreme Court battle ahead .
Lauren Passalacqua spent the weekend highlighting news that political handicapper Larry Sabato had moved Collins ’ race from a likely “ tossup ” to “ lean Democratic , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely Republican ” to “ lean Republican , ” based on new polling .
She also trained her comments regarding the Supreme Court on the impact a lopsided conservative high court majority could have in dismantling the Affordable Care Act .
“ Tens of millions of Americans would lose coverage through Medicaid and subsidized marketplaces and many more would lose the law ’ s consumer protections , including a ban on discriminating against those with preexisting medical conditions , ” she tweeted , quoting a Washington Post story about Obamacare ’ s chances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by RBG ’ s death.
” Biden and Senate Democratic campaign operatives aren ’ t mimicking Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez ’ s call to arms over the court vacancy because they got burned last time around , said Jesse Hunt , a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee .
Senate Republicans argue that a nasty , Kavanaugh-like redux would benefit them far more than Democrats by alienating independents .
They also don ’ t believe Democrats would attack a woman nominee in such personal terms as those used against Kavanaugh and argued they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the nomination process in other ways .
“ This puts Democrat candidates in the uncomfortable position of having to disclose to voters they are controlled entirely by Chuck Schumer and the insurgent wing of liberal extremists that have hijacked the Democratic Party , ” Hunt said .
“ What had been a poorly kept secret will now be thrust into open view , hurting Democrats ’ chances to appeal to independent voters in key Senate races .
”

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]
By Susan Crabtree
Real Clear Politics
In Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s final speech on the chamber floor before the vote confirming Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, he exhorted Americans angry over the fierce partisan confirmation warfare to vote in the midterm elections.
“Our country needs to have a reckoning on these issues, and there is only one remedy. Change must come from where change in America always begins: the ballot box,” Schumer said. “So to Americans, to so many millions who are outraged by what happened here, there’s one answer: vote.”
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
He and other Democrats awoke the day after Election Day 2018 to this USA Today headline: “Democratic senators lost in battleground states after voting against Kavanaugh.”
Senate Democrats’ campaign against the nominee over unproven, 36-year-old sexual assault allegations backfired when it animated Republican voters more than their own liberal base in key swing states. Even though Democrats retook the House majority, exit polling showed that the ugly confirmation process, which captured the nation’s attention in the weeks preceding the midterms, played a role in the defeat of four Democratic senators: Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Bill Nelson of Florida all lost their seats.
Turnout is lower in midterm elections than in presidential contests, so it remains to be seen which side’s base will be more energized by what could be an even nastier partisan battle over the Supreme Court this time around – perhaps culminating just days before voters will decide whether to deny President Trump a second term.
But so far, Republicans are citing the Democrats’ treatment of Kavanaugh both as a reason to flip their position on whether presidents should be able to seat high court picks in an election year and as a preview of how voters will react to Democratic attempts to stop it.
Schumer, standing next to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, over the weekend vowed to use “every tool” at his disposal to blow up the confirmation process if Republicans move forward with plans to fill the seat left open by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death on Friday.
While Schumer didn’t disclose what those tools are, other Democrats were quick to echo previous threats to pack the high court (the process of adding more justices beyond the nine existing positions), eliminate filibuster rules for legislation, and to make Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia states, thus adding up to four more Democrats in the Senate. Speaker Nancy Pelosi also didn’t rule out launching impeachment proceedings against Trump or Attorney General William Barr if Republicans move forward with trying to fill the high court vacancy.
To accomplish most of that plan, Democrats would have to win back not just the Senate majority on Nov. 3 but the White House to preclude a presidential veto, and Republicans say they like their election odds better now with the court battle in front of them.
‘It Reminds Voters of What’s at Stake’
One possible beneficiary is Arizona Sen. Martha McSally, who polls have consistently shown is lagging behind her Democratic challenger, Mark Kelly, a former NASA astronaut and the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords. Giffords left Congress after being shot and nearly killed in 2011.
McSally narrowly lost her race against Kyrsten Sinema in 2018 but was appointed to the Senate seat left open with Sen. John McCain’s passing 2018. Because the McSally-Kelly race is considered a special election, whoever wins will be seated Nov. 30, potentially changing the Republicans’ confirmation math in a lame-duck session should Kelly claim victory. In a tweet Sunday, the challenger said he believes filling the high court vacancy should be postponed until after the election and possibly until Inauguration Day if Joe Biden wins.
“Arizonans will begin casting their ballots in a few weeks, and I believe the people elected to the presidency and Senate in November should fill this Supreme Court vacancy,” he tweeted, arguing that the decision is especially important “with an upcoming case about health care and protections for pre-existing conditions.”
Since the pitched battle over the vacancy began over the weekend, McSally’s campaign has seen an increase in donations, as well as media attention, which a spokeswoman believes cuts the incumbent’s way. “The enthusiasm that’s been generated by the campaign and the president’s campaign in Arizona has already been ratcheted up and magnified by the introduction of the single biggest motivating issue for Republican voters,” Caroline Anderegg told RealClearPolitics. “ ... It reminds our voters what’s at stake and crystallizes for so many people what’s at stake in protecting the Senate majority.”
A McSally fundraising email over the weekend referenced the Democratic fight over Kavanaugh and fellow Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch as reason for supporters to contribute to her campaign so the senator could help the GOP combat “the smears.”
“No matter who President Trump nominates, the [Democrats’] liberal base will take this opportunity to drag us through the mud — just like they [did] to Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh,” the fundraising pitch states.
Republican operatives also told RCP they are planning to use the words of Ocasio-Cortez over the weekend in upcoming television and digital ads. The freshman New York congresswoman urged Democratic voters to let the upcoming battle over the high court nomination “radicalize you” into action.
Liberal activists gathered outside the Washington, D.C., home of GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, early Monday to protest filling the vacancy either before or in the weeks immediately following the election.
“We’re here with your wake-up call,” the protesters yelled outside the senator’s townhome. Democrats and other liberal groups have urged Graham to abide by statements he made in 2016 against the prospect of confirming Merrick Garland because the Obama pick took place in an election year.
Later Monday, Graham, who is in the final leg of a closer-than-expected reelection campaign, said he’s not going to be deterred from advancing a nominee, underscoring his position by citing the Democrats’ treatment of Kavanaugh.
“After the treatment of Justice Kavanaugh, I now have a different view of the judicial confirmation process,” he said in a statement. “... Compare the treatment of Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh to that of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, and it’s clear that there already is one set of rules for a Republican president and one set of rules for a Democrat president.”
At least one Republican in a tough election contest, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who played a pivotal role in backing Kavanaugh late in his confirmation process, over the weekend quickly announced that she is opposed to her party’s push to seat a Trump nominee in the coming weeks, citing Garland as a precedent. Other vulnerable Republican senators, such as Cory Gardner of Colorado, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Steve Daines of Montana, signaled their support for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to move forward and fill the vacancy rather than wait for the election results. Tillis, along with Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, will play high-profile roles in the confirmation as members of the Judiciary Committee. Ernst, who is in a tougher-than-expected reelection fight, indicated over the summer that she would support moving forward with hearings if they come before the election or during a lame-duck session afterward.
Conservative judicial strategists argue that an intense televised Supreme Court fight will only help Ernst and Tillis as it shifts the narrative from voter dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the coronavirus to the makeup of the Supreme Court, which will impact public policy for decades to come.
“The Supreme Court fights are critically important to the Republican base,” Mike Davis, a former Republican Senate and White House aide who played a key role in the confirmations of Kavanaugh and Gorsuch, told RCP. “We have the opportunity of a lifetime to transform the court. I believe this will motivate Republicans more than Democrats, especially if Democrats move to impeach. There would be nothing better than AOC becoming the face of the Democrats’ Supreme Court fight.”
Senate Judiciary Dems Respond
Meanwhile, top Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee cast Graham and McConnell as hypocrites for arguing in 2016 for the need to wait until after that year’s presidential election to consider Garland’s nomination because the American people should have a voice in the selection.
Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who sits on the panel, over the weekend said he was furiously calling Republican colleagues and pressing them not to destroy what’s left of the Senate’s bipartisan decorum by moving forward with the nomination process.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee, chided Republicans for breaking with their own 2016 statements. By the end of Monday, however, the party’s left wing criticized her for arguing against ending the filibuster on all legislation if Republicans move the nomination in the next few weeks and Democrats then win back the Senate majority in the election.
“I don’t believe in doing that. I think the filibuster serves a purpose,” Feinstein told a Bloomberg reporter. “It is not often used. It’s often less used now than when I first came, and I think it’s part of the Senate that differentiates itself.”
MSNBC host Chris Hayes was one of several liberal Democrats to call out Feinstein for what they viewed as an early capitulation in the Supreme Court fight. Mark Moulitsas, founder of the liberal Daily Kos, was harsher. “Wrong on the merits, wrong on the facts. Feinstein is the worst. California deserves better,” he tweeted.
Some of the same Democrats are criticizing Biden for carving out a less confrontational path than Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez. The nominee has implored Republican senators to let cooler heads prevail and wait until after the election on the court vacancy.
Biden, though, carefully avoided Ginsburg’s death and the looming Senate showdown during his speech Monday in Manitowoc, Wis. Instead, he chose to continue hitting Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic while making an appeal to working-class voters. Pointing to the nation’s 200,000 COVID-related deaths, Biden excoriated Trump for holding large rallies with packed crowds. He also laid into Trump for recent revelations in Bob Woodward’s book that the president downplayed the virus’ severity early on so people wouldn’t panic.
“Trump panicked,” Biden said. “The virus was too big for him.”
The top spokeswoman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also isn’t going for the jugular when it comes to the high court vacancy. Instead, she has continued to press vulnerable Republicans over Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, as well as cite GOP attacks on Obamacare, rather than launch a new round of salvos on the Supreme Court battle ahead.
Lauren Passalacqua spent the weekend highlighting news that political handicapper Larry Sabato had moved Collins’ race from a likely “tossup” to “lean Democratic,” and Graham’s race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican,” based on new polling. She also trained her comments regarding the Supreme Court on the impact a lopsided conservative high court majority could have in dismantling the Affordable Care Act.
“Tens of millions of Americans would lose coverage through Medicaid and subsidized marketplaces and many more would lose the law’s consumer protections, including a ban on discriminating against those with preexisting medical conditions,” she tweeted, quoting a Washington Post story about Obamacare’s chances of surviving a “Supreme Court diminished by RBG’s death.”
Biden and Senate Democratic campaign operatives aren’t mimicking Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez’s call to arms over the court vacancy because they got burned last time around, said Jesse Hunt, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Senate Republicans argue that a nasty, Kavanaugh-like redux would benefit them far more than Democrats by alienating independents. They also don’t believe Democrats would attack a woman nominee in such personal terms as those used against Kavanaugh and argued they would be likelier to try to blow up the nomination process in other ways.
“This puts Democrat candidates in the uncomfortable position of having to disclose to voters they are controlled entirely by Chuck Schumer and the insurgent wing of liberal extremists that have hijacked the Democratic Party,” Hunt said. “What had been a poorly kept secret will now be thrust into open view, hurting Democrats’ chances to appeal to independent voters in key Senate races.”


wnd--2020-09-28--Oops! School says Biden wasn't student, like he claimed

( FOX NEWS ) -- Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden alleged on the campaign trail last year that he had @ @ @ @ @ Delaware State University .
However , according to a new report in The Washington Times @ @ @ @ @ refutes Biden 's claims .
The director of news service for Delaware State , Carlos @ @ @ @ @ former vice president was never a student , though he has made appearances on campus @ @ @ @ @ at the university in Dover .

(FOX NEWS) -- Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden alleged on the campaign trail last year that he had jumpstarted his academic career at Delaware State University.
However, according to a new report in The Washington Times, the historically Black college refutes Biden's claims.
The director of news service for Delaware State, Carlos Holmes, said that the former vice president was never a student, though he has made appearances on campus twice before for commencement speeches at the university in Dover.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-09-29--Man accused of dismembering, 'boiling' parents who cut him off financially

( KNEWZ ) -- A trial has begun for Joel Guy Jr. — a man accused of murdering and dismembering @ @ @ @ @ off financially , then trying to chemically dissolve their bodies to cover up the crime @ @ @ @ @ News Sentinel , a jury has been seated for the trial of Joel Guy Jr. @ @ @ @ @ murdering his mother Lisa Guy , 55 , and his father Joel Guy Sr. , @ @ @ @ @ Guy Jr ’ s parents told him during the 2016 Thanksgiving holiday that they would @ @ @ @ @ .
The son denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty .

(KNEWZ) -- A trial has begun for Joel Guy Jr. — a man accused of murdering and dismembering his parents for cutting him off financially, then trying to chemically dissolve their bodies to cover up the crime.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, a jury has been seated for the trial of Joel Guy Jr., who stands accused of murdering his mother Lisa Guy, 55, and his father Joel Guy Sr., 61.
Authorities claim that Guy Jr’s parents told him during the 2016 Thanksgiving holiday that they would be cutting him off financially. The son denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-09-29--Virtual church service gets hacked with porn and racial slurs

( MYFOX8 ) -- GREENSBORO , N.C. — What started as a day of worship quickly turned into chaos when @ @ @ @ @ hacked on Sunday .
The Minister of Sharpe Road Church of Christ , Nicholas Glenn @ @ @ @ @ individuals got on his congregation ’ s virtual church Zoom call , posted pornographic images @ @ @ @ @ threatening words of hate during the service .
The incident is being considered a harassment @ @ @ @ @ the Guilford County Sheriff ’ s Office .
The department ’ s internet crimes team @ @ @

(MYFOX8) -- GREENSBORO, N.C. — What started as a day of worship quickly turned into chaos when a virtual church service got hacked on Sunday.
The Minister of Sharpe Road Church of Christ, Nicholas Glenn, said a group of individuals got on his congregation’s virtual church Zoom call, posted pornographic images and typed racial slurs and threatening words of hate during the service.
The incident is being considered a harassment case currently, according to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. The department’s internet crimes team is investigating.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-09-29--Study: COVID-19 weakening as death rate falls

Amid fears of a possible second wave , a new study find COVID-19 's severity may be fading as the death rate falls .
Researchers at Wayne State University in Michgan say the viral loads in patients with SARS-CoV-2 , the virus causing COVID-19 , are continuing to decrease , which they connect to the lowering death rate , reported Study Finds .
Dr. Said El Zein and his team analyzed nasal swabs of COVID-19 patients at Detroit Medical Center from April 4 to June 5 and found a downward trend in the amount of virus detected in patients .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ found in an analysis of data that up to 90 % of people testing positive carried barely any virus .
TRENDING : Alleged attacker behind carnage at pro-Trump event linked to 'Caravan 4 Justice ' group Times reporter Apoorva Mandavilli summarized her story on Twitter : `` NEW : All these months into the pandemic , we may have been testing the wrong way .
Data from some state labs suggest up to 90 % ( !
! )
of people who get a positive result are no longer contagious and do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Centers for Disease Control issued new estimates that showed people under 50 years infected by COVID-19 have nearly a 100 % survival rate .
It broke down to a 99.997 % survival rate for 0-19 ; 99.98 % for ages 20-49 ; 99.5 % for 50-69 ; and 94.6 % for those over 70 .
Those who died of coronavirus , according to the CDC , had an average of 2.6 comorbidities , meaning more than two chronic diseases along with COVID-19 .
Overall , the CDC says , just 6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths died of COVID-19 alone .
The CDC 's overall count shows a signficant downward trend from a peak of 17,054 deaths on April 18 .
Last week , a study by researchers at the Houston Methodist Research Institute raised concerns about coronavirus mutations as the fall season begins .
Among more than 5,000 genetic sequences of COVID-19 they found more than 90 % of samples contained a mutation .
Significantly , however , the Houston researchers found the mutations did not make the virus deadlier .
The CDC 's latest survival-rate figures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DeSantis last week at a roundtable he hosted with health experts from Harvard and Stanford prior to his decision to reopen bars and restaurants in his state to 100 % capacity .
On Monday , White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci called the Republican governor 's decision `` very concerning , '' citing an average of about 40,000 new coronavirus cases reported per day .
`` Well that is very concerning to me , I mean , we have always said that , myself and Dr. Deborah Birx , who is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is something we really need to be careful about , '' Fauci said in an interview with ABC 's `` Good Morning America . ''
`` When you ’ re dealing with community spread , and you have the kind of congregate setting where people get together , particularly without masks , you ’ re really asking for trouble .
Now 's the time actually to double down a bit , and I don ’ t mean close , '' he said .
DeSantis said that along with lifting state restrictions on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also barring local governments from shutting down businesses or implementing restrictions without any economic or health justifications .
At his roundtable last week , DeSantis asked Stanford professor of medicine Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya about the studies showing 90 % of the COVID-19 testing is too sensitive .
`` We 're quarantining across the country probably hundreds of thousands or millions of people who are n't even contagious , and I think that obviously has a huge cost to society that does n't seem to be getting a lot of discussion now , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` what is being amplified '' in the testing is `` something that is not going to pose any risk to you or to others . ''
`` It 's not a false positive in a technical sense , '' he said , `` but in a functional sense it 's a false positive . ''

Amid fears of a possible second wave, a new study finds COVID-19's severity may be fading as the death rate falls.
Researchers at Wayne State University in Michigan say the viral loads in patients with SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, are continuing to decrease, which they connect to the lowering death rate, reported Study Finds.
Dr. Said El Zein and his team analyzed nasal swabs of COVID-19 patients at Detroit Medical Center from April 4 to June 5 and found a downward trend in the amount of virus detected in patients.
In August, the New York Times found in an analysis of data that up to 90% of people testing positive carried barely any virus.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Times reporter Apoorva Mandavilli summarized her story on Twitter: "NEW: All these months into the pandemic, we may have been testing the wrong way. Data from some state labs suggest up to 90% (!!) of people who get a positive result are no longer contagious and don't need to isolate."
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control issued new estimates that showed people under 50 years infected by COVID-19 have nearly a 100% survival rate. It broke down to a 99.997% survival rate for 0-19; 99.98% for ages 20-49; 99.5% for 50-69; and 94.6% for those over 70.
Those who died of coronavirus, according to the CDC, had an average of 2.6 comorbidities, meaning more than two chronic diseases along with COVID-19. Overall, the CDC says, just 6% of the people counted as COVID-19 deaths died of COVID-19 alone.
Should lockdowns be lifted across America? Yes No Completing this poll entitles you to WND news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use You're logged in to Facebook. Click here to log out. 97% (303 Votes) 3% (8 Votes)
The CDC's overall count shows a significant downward trend from a peak of 17,054 deaths on April 18.
Last week, a study by researchers at the Houston Methodist Research Institute raised concerns about coronavirus mutations as the fall season begins. Among more than 5,000 genetic sequences of COVID-19 they found more than 90% of samples contained a mutation.
Significantly, however, the Houston researchers found the mutations did not make the virus deadlier.
Florida opens up
The CDC's latest survival-rate figures were cited by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week at a roundtable he hosted with health experts from Harvard and Stanford prior to his decision to reopen bars and restaurants in his state to 100% capacity.
On Monday, White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci called the Republican governor's decision "very concerning," citing an average of about 40,000 new coronavirus cases reported per day.
"Well that is very concerning to me, I mean, we have always said that, myself and Dr. Deborah Birx, who is the coordinator of the task force, that that is something we really need to be careful about," Fauci said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America."
"When you’re dealing with community spread, and you have the kind of congregate setting where people get together, particularly without masks, you’re really asking for trouble. Now's the time actually to double down a bit, and I don’t mean close," he said.
DeSantis said that along with lifting state restrictions on restaurants and bars, the state is also barring local governments from shutting down businesses or implementing restrictions without any economic or health justifications.
At his roundtable last week, DeSantis asked Stanford professor of medicine Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya about the studies showing 90% of the COVID-19 testing is too sensitive.
"We're quarantining across the country probably hundreds of thousands or millions of people who aren't even contagious, and I think that obviously has a huge cost to society that doesn't seem to be getting a lot of discussion now," the governor said.
Bhattacharya agreed that "what is being amplified" in the testing is "something that is not going to pose any risk to you or to others."
"It's not a false positive in a technical sense," he said, "but in a functional sense it's a false positive."


wnd--2020-09-29--The Bidens avoided paying more than $500,000 in payroll taxes by exploiting S corporations

While the Joe Biden campaign was quick to leap on a New York Times story that President Donald Trump paid a small amount in personal income taxes in recent years , it is clearly a case of the pot calling the kettle black .
Joe and his wife Jill Biden funneled millions in income through a pair of S corporations they set up in Delaware as a way to circumnavigate paying Social Security and Medicare taxes , according to an August opinion article in The Wall Street Journal .
Of the nearly $ 13.3 million the couple took in primarily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2017 and 2018 tax years , they claimed just $ 750,000 in income .
The other 94 percent of the money passed through the corporations as a direct distribution to the Bidens , preventing it from being subject to the 15.3 percent combined Social Security and Medicare tax rate , according to CNBC .
The Internal Revenue Service requires S corps to pay `` reasonable compensation '' to employee shareholders before making non-wage distributions to them .
TRENDING : Alleged attacker behind carnage at pro-Trump event linked to 'Caravan 4 Justice ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what should be characterized as income and what can be a distribution to an employee shareholder as money generated from the business .
`` But to the extent gross receipts are generated by the shareholder 's personal services , then payments to the shareholder-employee should be classified as wages that are subject to employment taxes [ Social Security and Medicare ] , '' IRS guidance reads .
Such is clearly the case with the Bidens .
The companies made money through their speaking fees and book royalties and apparently little , if anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the compensation the couple received from the S corps should have been in the form of income , subject to employment taxes .
Even left-wing journalist Ryan Grim , with The Intercept , during the heat of the Democratic primary race last year , highlighted the Bidens ' use of Delaware corporate law to shield their income from public scrutiny .
The Biden campaign was quick to grab on to a New York Times story claiming Trump paid only $ 750 in personal income taxes the year he won the presidency in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Times story , the president tweeted Monday morning , `` The Fake News Media , just like Election time 2016 , is bringing up my Taxes & all sorts of other nonsense with illegally obtained information & only bad intent .
`` I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled , like everyone else , to depreciation & tax credits , '' he added .
Due to the nature of Trump 's business being primarily in real estate development , tax law does provide for significant tax credits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take risks .
Trump 's oldest son , Donald Trump Jr. , also addressed the Times story in an appearance on `` Fox & Friends '' on Monday , pointing to the development of the Trump International Hotel Washington , D.C. , as an example for which his father received tax credits .
`` My father 's paid tens of millions of taxes , '' Trump Jr. , said .
`` If he does things in certain years where you get depreciation , where you get write-off , where you get historical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we took on the risk of building the Old Post Office in DC . ''
The Old Post Office Building , originally constructed in the 1890s not far from the White House , reopened as a newly renovated Trump hotel in October 2016 .
`` That was literally a government contract , '' Trump Jr. recounted .
`` We bid against every hotel company in the world .
Historical tax credits that you use to offset tax payments for taking the risk to build that .
That was done under the Obama administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress to get it done . ''
The president 's son further suggested that while his father 's federal income tax due may be low any given year , he still had to pay property taxes and payroll taxes ( Social Security and Medicare ) among others .
Trump Jr. also pointed out that his father put `` thousands and thousands of people to work on an annual basis '' through his various business ventures .
Those people pay taxes too .
The Times ' big scoop appears to be that a businessman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And ?
Of far greater service to the public would be reporting on the tax avoidance schemes of the Bidens and the shady dealings of their son Hunter .
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .

While the Joe Biden campaign was quick to leap on a New York Times story that President Donald Trump paid a small amount in personal income taxes in recent years, it is clearly a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Joe and his wife Jill Biden funneled millions in income through a pair of S corporations they set up in Delaware as a way to circumnavigate paying Social Security and Medicare taxes, according to an August opinion article in The Wall Street Journal.
Of the nearly $13.3 million the couple took in primarily through speaking fees and book royalties during the 2017 and 2018 tax years, they claimed just $750,000 in income.
The other 94 percent of the money passed through the corporations as a direct distribution to the Bidens, preventing it from being subject to the up to 15.3 percent combined Social Security and Medicare tax rate, according to CNBC.
The Internal Revenue Service requires S corps to pay "reasonable compensation" to employee shareholders before making non-wage distributions to them.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The nature of the business dictates what should be characterized as income and what can be a distribution to an employee shareholder as money generated from the business.
"But to the extent gross receipts are generated by the shareholder's personal services, then payments to the shareholder-employee should be classified as wages that are subject to employment taxes [Social Security and Medicare]," IRS guidance reads.
Such is clearly the case with the Bidens.
The companies made money through their speaking fees and book royalties and apparently little, if anything, else.
Most if not all the compensation the couple received from the S corps should have been in the form of income, subject to employment taxes.
Even left-wing journalist Ryan Grim, with The Intercept, during the heat of the Democratic primary race last year, highlighted the Bidens' use of Delaware corporate law to shield their income from public scrutiny.
The Biden campaign was quick to grab on to a New York Times story claiming Trump paid only $750 in personal income taxes the year he won the presidency in 2016 with an attack ad.
In response to the Times story, the president tweeted Monday morning, "The Fake News Media, just like Election time 2016, is bringing up my Taxes & all sorts of other nonsense with illegally obtained information & only bad intent.
The Fake News Media, just like Election time 2016, is bringing up my Taxes & all sorts of other nonsense with illegally obtained information & only bad intent. I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled, like everyone else, to depreciation & tax credits..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 28, 2020
"I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled, like everyone else, to depreciation & tax credits," he added.
Due to the nature of Trump's business being primarily in real estate development, tax law does provide for significant tax credits, deductions and depreciation to encourage entrepreneurs to take risks.
Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., also addressed the Times story in an appearance on "Fox & Friends" on Monday, pointing to the development of the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C., as an example for which his father received tax credits.
"My father's paid tens of millions of taxes," Trump Jr., said. "If he does things in certain years where you get depreciation, where you get write-off, where you get historical tax credits, like we did when we took on the risk of building the Old Post Office in DC."
The Old Post Office Building, originally constructed in the 1890s not far from the White House, reopened as a newly renovated Trump hotel in October 2016.
"That was literally a government contract," Trump Jr. recounted. "We bid against every hotel company in the world. Historical tax credits that you use to offset tax payments for taking the risk to build that. That was done under the Obama administration. It literally took an act of Congress to get it done."
.@DonaldJTrumpJr is spot on.@realDonaldTrump has actually created jobs, while Joe Biden has just talked about it for 50 years as a career politician. pic.twitter.com/7dKFPR2d0k — Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) September 28, 2020
The president's son further suggested that while his father's federal income tax due may be low any given year, he still had to pay property taxes and payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare) among others.
Trump Jr. also pointed out that his father put "thousands and thousands of people to work on an annual basis" through his various business ventures. Those people pay taxes too.
The Times' big scoop appears to be that a businessman took advantage of business tax deductions. And?
Of far greater service to the public would be reporting on the tax avoidance schemes of the Bidens and the shady dealings of their son Hunter.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
UPDATE, Sept. 29, 2020: This story previously referred to the 15.3 percent combined Social Security and Medicare tax rate that makes up the self-employment tax. In fact, 15.3 percent is the typical tax rate, as the Internal Revenue Service sets a maximum net earnings figure that is subject to the Social Security portion of the tax each year. In some cases, the combined tax rate may be lower than 15.3 percent. This story has been updated to note that 15.3 percent is the maximum rate.


wnd--2020-09-28--Book shows how to put the 'tough' in 'tough on China'

Both presidential candidates are trying to out-tough each other on China .
Both have `` Buy American '' proposals , and agree somewhat on `` Buy American '' and trade policy .
My new book , `` UNCONSTITUTIONAL : Our Founding Fathers Rejected FREE TRADE And So Should We , '' shows how important it is to get these issues right or risk losing our nation as we know it to China worldwide dominance .
The candidate who wins must be tougher on China than we have been or America loses .
My book `` UNCONSTITUTIONAL , '' strongly makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is unconstitutional .
Our U.S. Constitution makes no mention of free trade or free markets in any sense of those terms because our Founding Fathers never intended them for our economy .
• We should apply `` equalizing tariffs '' on all imports , as Teddy Roosevelt said : tariffs must never be reduced below the point that will cover the difference between the labor cost here and abroad .
Today , we would call this equalizing tariffs .
• We should `` discontinue '' imports if we have a domestic alternative available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... would continue ( trade ) where it is necessary , and discontinue it , where it is not .
• Import tariffs protect American jobs , encourage companies to bring jobs home from overseas , and generate revenue to help America pay its bills .
• And most importantly , America is in danger of losing its place as the world 's number one economic , technological , and military superpower to China .
TRENDING : Alleged attacker behind carnage at pro-Trump event linked to 'Caravan 4 Justice ' group Some Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retaliate and cause job losses in other areas .
However , refusing to stand up for victims of free trade because other countries might retaliate is like refusing to stand up for your son , who is being bullied in school , because the bully might retaliate and bully your daughter .
What parent would allow this fear of retaliation by the bully ?
Refusing to stand up for what is right never because there are consequences shows weakness .
It follows then that we need to stand up for every American worker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trade by applying constitutional tariffs to make trade fair .
And if foreign countries decide to retaliate , we will deal with it .
Anything less is throwing American workers victimized by free trade under the bus .
The U.S. Constitution also says that all laws are to be applied uniformly and equally .
It leaves no room for any legislator to misapply or circumvent our laws in a manner that would inflict injury on any industry , segment , or individual within our society for the benefit of others .
Few would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Any trade policy , whether based on unconstitutional free trade or constitutional protective tariffs , will result in job losses somewhere .
Here 's the difference : With free trade , the losers are created because they are unfairly forced to compete directly against foreign , lower-cost producers on an unlevel playing field .
At least with a trade policy that utilizes protective constitutional tariffs , losers are created through fair competition .
The rules for access to the U.S. market are the same for foreign and domestic producers .
Surely a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to level the playing field will not result in 3.4 million lost U.S. jobs over 15 years , as free trade policies have .
However , we will gain far more jobs and lose far fewer of them with a constitutional protectionist trade policy than with an unconstitutional free trade policy .
As I have written four books about Buy American ( including three editions of `` How Americans Can Buy American '' , it is not inconsistent that I write my fifth book about trade policy .
`` Buy American '' and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
How so ?
When you consider buying American , you are considering imports and exports , and are , by default , should have an opinion about trade policy .
Any `` Buy American '' advocate should be equally concerned about trade .
Trade policy determines whether American-made products will be competitively priced with foreign-made products .
You wo n't find my new book `` UNCONSTITUTIONAL : Our Founding Fathers Rejected FREE TRADE And So Should We '' on Amazon .
Amazon 's policies are a wash for small publishers like me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for small businesses for other reasons .
A July 2020 Wall Street Journal article titled `` Amazon reportedly invested in startups and gained proprietary information before launching competitors , often crushing the smaller companies in the process '' says a lot about Amazon 's integrity .
The famous `` Small Business Saturday '' should be emphasized every day – not just one day a year .
You can read samples of all the chapters in my new book , which retails for $ 12.95 , for free at www.rejectfreetrade.com .
We need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never intended it , and it does n't work for America today .
Even the most ardent free traders admit that trade does not inevitably promote prosperity and freedom worldwide .
Many free traders now see and understand that American jobs and wage gains are threatened by the unfair practices of other countries like China .
My new book `` UNCONSTITUTIONAL '' makes that abundantly clear in ways you wo n't read or hear anywhere else .
It is incredibly eye-opening .
If we were ever to lose our status as the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we would no longer be in the best position to spread our version of democracy and worldviews around the globe .
Instead of exporting democracy , we would be exporting hypocrisy as no nation would follow or listen to a world power that is not number one .
We can not let China surpass us to become the world ’ s number one superpower economically , technologically , and/or militarily .
If we do , will Americans take to the streets chanting , `` We 're number two , we 're number two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Second place means second tier and second rate .
That 's not America .
A trade policy with adequate , equalizing tariffs as advocated by our Founding Fathers that goes hand-in-hand with a strong Buy American policy is a must in keeping America number one .
Without both , we lose , and China wins .
`` UNCONSTITUTIONAL : Our Founding Fathers Rejected FREE TRADE And So Should We '' explains how we can keep that from happening Roger Simmermaker has written multiple books on buying American and trade policy since 1996 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fox News , Fox Business Network , CNN , and MSNBC .
Roger has also been quoted or featured in The Wall Street Journal , USA Today , BusinessWeek , and The New York Times , among many other publications .
His new book `` UNCONSTITUTIONAL : Our Founding Fathers Rejected FREE TRADE And So Should We , '' was printed in January 2020 .

Both presidential candidates are trying to out-tough each other on China. Both have "Buy American" proposals, and agree somewhat on "Buy American" and trade policy.
My new book, "UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Our Founding Fathers Rejected FREE TRADE And So Should We," shows how important it is to get these issues right or risk losing our nation as we know it to China worldwide dominance. The candidate who wins must be tougher on China than we have been or America loses.
My book "UNCONSTITUTIONAL," strongly makes the case that:
Free trade is unconstitutional. Our U.S. Constitution makes no mention of free trade or free markets in any sense of those terms because our Founding Fathers never intended them for our economy.
We should apply "equalizing tariffs" on all imports, as Teddy Roosevelt said: tariffs must never be reduced below the point that will cover the difference between the labor cost here and abroad. Today, we would call this equalizing tariffs.
Today, we would call this equalizing tariffs. We should "discontinue" imports if we have a domestic alternative available, as Abraham Lincoln said: I...would continue (trade) where it is necessary, and discontinue it, where it is not.
Import tariffs protect American jobs, encourage companies to bring jobs home from overseas, and generate revenue to help America pay its bills.
And most importantly, America is in danger of losing its place as the world's number one economic, technological, and military superpower to China.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Some Americans oppose import tariffs since foreign nations might retaliate and cause job losses in other areas. However, refusing to stand up for victims of free trade because other countries might retaliate is like refusing to stand up for your son, who is being bullied in school, because the bully might retaliate and bully your daughter. What parent would allow this fear of retaliation by the bully? Refusing to stand up for what is right never because there are consequences shows weakness.
It follows then that we need to stand up for every American worker who loses their job due to free trade by applying constitutional tariffs to make trade fair. And if foreign countries decide to retaliate, we will deal with it. Anything less is throwing American workers victimized by free trade under the bus.
The U.S. Constitution also says that all laws are to be applied uniformly and equally. It leaves no room for any legislator to misapply or circumvent our laws in a manner that would inflict injury on any industry, segment, or individual within our society for the benefit of others. Few would suggest our laws should be applied unequally.
Any trade policy, whether based on unconstitutional free trade or constitutional protective tariffs, will result in job losses somewhere. Here's the difference: With free trade, the losers are created because they are unfairly forced to compete directly against foreign, lower-cost producers on an unlevel playing field. At least with a trade policy that utilizes protective constitutional tariffs, losers are created through fair competition. The rules for access to the U.S. market are the same for foreign and domestic producers.
Surely a constitutional trade policy of advocating import tariffs to level the playing field will not result in 3.4 million lost U.S. jobs over 15 years, as free trade policies have. However, we will gain far more jobs and lose far fewer of them with a constitutional protectionist trade policy than with an unconstitutional free trade policy.
As I have written four books about Buy American (including three editions of "How Americans Can Buy American", it is not inconsistent that I write my fifth book about trade policy. "Buy American" and trade policy are essentially the same issues. How so? When you consider buying American, you are considering imports and exports, and are, by default, should have an opinion about trade policy. Any "Buy American" advocate should be equally concerned about trade. Trade policy determines whether American-made products will be competitively priced with foreign-made products.
You won't find my new book "UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Our Founding Fathers Rejected FREE TRADE And So Should We" on Amazon. Amazon's policies are a wash for small publishers like me. Plus, Amazon is often bad for small businesses for other reasons. A July 2020 Wall Street Journal article titled "Amazon reportedly invested in startups and gained proprietary information before launching competitors, often crushing the smaller companies in the process" says a lot about Amazon's integrity. The famous "Small Business Saturday" should be emphasized every day – not just one day a year.
You can read samples of all the chapters in my new book, which retails for $12.95, for free at www.rejectfreetrade.com. We need to reject free trade because the Founding Fathers never intended it, and it doesn't work for America today. Even the most ardent free traders admit that trade does not inevitably promote prosperity and freedom worldwide. Many free traders now see and understand that American jobs and wage gains are threatened by the unfair practices of other countries like China. My new book "UNCONSTITUTIONAL" makes that abundantly clear in ways you won't read or hear anywhere else. It is incredibly eye-opening.
If we were ever to lose our status as the world's number one superpower to China, we would no longer be in the best position to spread our version of democracy and worldviews around the globe. Instead of exporting democracy, we would be exporting hypocrisy as no nation would follow or listen to a world power that is not number one.
We cannot let China surpass us to become the world’s number one superpower economically, technologically, and/or militarily. If we do, will Americans take to the streets chanting, "We're number two, we're number two!"? I doubt it. Second place means second tier and second rate. That's not America.
A trade policy with adequate, equalizing tariffs as advocated by our Founding Fathers that goes hand-in-hand with a strong Buy American policy is a must in keeping America number one. Without both, we lose, and China wins. "UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Our Founding Fathers Rejected FREE TRADE And So Should We" explains how we can keep that from happening.
About Roger Simmermaker
Roger Simmermaker has written multiple books on buying American and trade policy since 1996, and has been a frequent guest on Fox News, Fox Business Network, CNN, and MSNBC. Roger has also been quoted or featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BusinessWeek, and The New York Times, among many other publications. His new book " UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Our Founding Fathers Rejected FREE TRADE And So Should We," was printed in January 2020.


wnd--2020-09-28--Biden's handlers – and wife – are guilty of elder abuse

I believe the Democratic Party and the Biden campaign should be indicted and charged with elder abuse for what they 're doing to Joe Biden .
Look , I do n't like rats or groundhogs , but I do n't want to see them tortured endlessly for the exclusive benefit of the torturer .
That 's exactly how I feel about Biden .
It 's a fact and attested to by his closest friends on Capitol Hill : Biden is at or near the very end of the line when it comes to brains .
Newt Gingrich , among others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , admits publicly that Biden is a likable , funny guy , with no one at home upstairs .
Watching his campaign apparently pump him up with drugs and him still unable to coherently read the words on a teleprompter is beyond the pale .
For them to resort to staged townhall events in which the persons asking the questions are part of his campaign team , and camera angles that conceal the fact the room/area is virtually empty save for his campaign people , and still watch him unable to answer questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joke punch line .
Even more insensitive and inexplicable is his wife .
What kind of woman who claims to love her husband sits by , letting a man in Biden 's condition suffer his continued cognitive decline on the public stage ?
How can she with straight face deny Biden is in a state of massive cognitive decline ?
What does she hope to gain by having her husband 's mental deterioration take place before a global audience ?
I would n't support Biden if he were lucid with the sharpness and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ F. Buckley .
Biden is everything I 've always despised .
But , he 's still a human being , and it 's painful to watch him being abused and humiliated publicly , and him not realize it .
TRENDING : Alleged attacker behind carnage at pro-Trump event linked to 'Caravan 4 Justice ' group This is n't about my liking or disliking a person like Biden .
This is about my concern for the mental health and the final years ' quality of life that should be afforded to every human being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politician like Biden .
He should be in his favorite chair on the back porch of his mansion enjoying his grandchildren and the quality of life he 's now reduced to , i.e.
, kind of good cognitive days and very bad cognitive days – even though bad cognitive days outnumber the good .
I feel like Larry Holmes as he pleaded with the referee to stop his fight against Muhammad Ali , out of compassion for the once virtually unbeatable legendary former champion , who was reduced to suffering a brutal beating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of scorn ; any woman who would aid and abet in the anguished cognitive collapse and public humiliation of her husband is a type of person decorum prevents me from naming – at least for the moment .
I 've been around and involved in politics for nearly 50 years .
I 've never witnessed a political party , a wife and a duplicitous media resist and attack anyone who dares broach the subject of Biden 's severe mental/cognitive health deterioration .
I 'm not being mean-spirited ; I 'm being more honest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 'm not making things up .
There are countless YouTube and Twitter videos of Biden making one gaffe after another .
These are n't doctored or edited to make him appear like a befuddled mentally challenged old man .
Attacking anyone and everyone who questions and/or points out Biden 's clearly worsening dementia and accusing them of being supporters of President Trump , as Biden 's wife is now doing , does n't help Biden .
Denying that Biden has massive mental health issues is n't prolonging his life .
It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not make it through a 30-minute question and answer every several days , how can he be expected to effectively run the country and meet with foreign leaders ?
I 've made it clear that there 's not a Democrat on earth and very few Republicans I would cast my support behind ; but besides my being a conservative political activist , pundit , author and columnist , I 'm also an ordained minister , i.e.
, a reverend – which means that compassion for needless suffering and abuse of the elderly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condemnation of the industrialized slaughter of children , because both groups are helpless .
The progressives surrounding Biden are running a campaign consisting of television ads that are pure Pollyanna .
The `` Walking Dead '' series is more real than the Biden ads .
Every honest , truthful , thinking person who has seen and/or heard Biden speak knows this .
Yes , I 'm a supporter of President Trump and enormously proud to be same .
But , I 'm not without compassion for the sick in mind and mentally suffering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump to win , but that does n't mean I stop caring about the mentally diminished .
My mother passed away when she was 94 years old .
The last years of her life were spent with dementia .
If Jill Biden were a decent human being , she would put her husband 's quality of life before the pursuit of a job he could n't competently perform if it were handed to him by fiat .
Biden the candidate is the clearest example of non compos mentis in history .
Order Mychal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Feel the Presence of the Lord , '' a collection of devotions intended to encourage the reader to seek and see the Lord in every aspect of life .

I believe the Democratic Party and the Biden campaign should be indicted and charged with elder abuse for what they're doing to Joe Biden. Look, I don't like rats or groundhogs, but I don't want to see them tortured endlessly for the exclusive benefit of the torturer. That's exactly how I feel about Biden.
It's a fact and attested to by his closest friends on Capitol Hill: Biden is at or near the very end of the line when it comes to brains. Newt Gingrich, among others who have known Biden for many years, admits publicly that Biden is a likable, funny guy, with no one at home upstairs.
Watching his campaign apparently pump him up with drugs and him still unable to coherently read the words on a teleprompter is beyond the pale. For them to resort to staged townhall events in which the persons asking the questions are part of his campaign team, and camera angles that conceal the fact the room/area is virtually empty save for his campaign people, and still watch him unable to answer questions lucidly is reducing Biden to a boorish joke punch line.
Even more insensitive and inexplicable is his wife. What kind of woman who claims to love her husband sits by, letting a man in Biden's condition suffer his continued cognitive decline on the public stage? How can she with straight face deny Biden is in a state of massive cognitive decline? What does she hope to gain by having her husband's mental deterioration take place before a global audience?
I wouldn't support Biden if he were lucid with the sharpness and quickness of mind of the late William F. Buckley. Biden is everything I've always despised. But, he's still a human being, and it's painful to watch him being abused and humiliated publicly, and him not realize it.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
This isn't about my liking or disliking a person like Biden. This is about my concern for the mental health and the final years' quality of life that should be afforded to every human being – even an oleaginous pettifogger and corrupt politician like Biden.
He should be in his favorite chair on the back porch of his mansion enjoying his grandchildren and the quality of life he's now reduced to, i.e., kind of good cognitive days and very bad cognitive days – even though bad cognitive days outnumber the good.
I feel like Larry Holmes as he pleaded with the referee to stop his fight against Muhammad Ali, out of compassion for the once virtually unbeatable legendary former champion, who was reduced to suffering a brutal beating.
Again, Jill Biden is worthy of scorn; any woman who would aid and abet in the anguished cognitive collapse and public humiliation of her husband is a type of person decorum prevents me from naming – at least for the moment.
Is Joe Biden's candidacy for president elder abuse? Yes No Completing this poll entitles you to WND news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use You're logged in to Facebook. Click here to log out. 98% (127 Votes) 2% (2 Votes)
I've been around and involved in politics for nearly 50 years. I've never witnessed a political party, a wife and a duplicitous media resist and attack anyone who dares broach the subject of Biden's severe mental/cognitive health deterioration.
I'm not being mean-spirited; I'm being more honest than Biden's wife and family. I'm not making things up. There are countless YouTube and Twitter videos of Biden making one gaffe after another. These aren't doctored or edited to make him appear like a befuddled mentally challenged old man.
Attacking anyone and everyone who questions and/or points out Biden's clearly worsening dementia and accusing them of being supporters of President Trump, as Biden's wife is now doing, doesn't help Biden. Denying that Biden has massive mental health issues isn't prolonging his life. It's doing just the opposite.
If Biden cannot make it through a 30-minute question and answer every several days, how can he be expected to effectively run the country and meet with foreign leaders?
I've made it clear that there's not a Democrat on earth and very few Republicans I would cast my support behind; but besides my being a conservative political activist, pundit, author and columnist, I'm also an ordained minister, i.e., a reverend – which means that compassion for needless suffering and abuse of the elderly is on a level consistent with my condemnation of the industrialized slaughter of children, because both groups are helpless.
The progressives surrounding Biden are running a campaign consisting of television ads that are pure Pollyanna. The "Walking Dead" series is more real than the Biden ads. Every honest, truthful, thinking person who has seen and/or heard Biden speak knows this.
Yes, I'm a supporter of President Trump and enormously proud to be same. But, I'm not without compassion for the sick in mind and mentally suffering. Of course, I expect President Trump to win, but that doesn't mean I stop caring about the mentally diminished. My mother passed away when she was 94 years old. The last years of her life were spent with dementia.
If Jill Biden were a decent human being, she would put her husband's quality of life before the pursuit of a job he couldn't competently perform if it were handed to him by fiat. Biden the candidate is the clearest example of non compos mentis in history.
Order Mychal Massie's new book, "I Feel the Presence of the Lord," a collection of devotions intended to encourage the reader to seek and see the Lord in every aspect of life.


wnd--2020-09-28--Christian minister silenced after Muslims disrupt famed 'home of free speech'

A Christian street preacher speaking at London 's famed `` home of free speech '' was removed by police after using a visual aid to point out there are `` holes '' in the Quran , with dozens of differences in various publications of Islam 's holy book .
Muslims reacted by stealing Hatun Tash 's exhibit – a copy of the Quran with holes drilled in it – at Speakers ' Corner in London 's Hyde Park .
The police action on Sept. 13 effectively enforced Islamic law , or Shariah , in Speakers ' Corner , wrote Tim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` They acted to protect Islam from criticism , '' he said .
`` Ostensibly they were merely acting to protect a brave , but vulnerable woman – but their action also served to silence her .
It should have been those making threats who were removed , not Hatun .
The result was that a Christian preacher was silenced by police in the home of free speech . ''
TRENDING : Alleged attacker behind carnage at pro-Trump event linked to 'Caravan 4 Justice ' group Speaker 's Corner `` has long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.K. '' and is `` reputed to be the most famous location for free speech in the world , '' Dieppe noted .
It dates back to 1872 , when Parliament set it aside for public speaking .
Among those who have appeared there are Karl Marx , Vladimir Lenin , George Orwell , George Bernard Shaw , Winston Churchill and Billy Graham .
`` Anyone can turn up unannounced and speak on almost any topic they like – though they may well have to cope with heckling , '' Dieppe explained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the speakers have been street preachers , both Muslim and Christian .
`` I have been there myself for a Sunday afternoon and seen how the place is now dominated by Muslims , but with some brave Christians holding forth , '' Dieppe said .
`` Video footage will show that it is a highly combative environment with accusations , and insults being thrown all over the place , and where strength of voice can be almost as important as strength of argument . ''
He said he nevertheless was `` impressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christians and Muslims that goes on there . ''
`` You need to be very well-informed to be able to hold your own in the discussions . ''
He said the woman who was removed , Hatun Tash , is `` incredibly well informed on Islamic apologetics and an expert in engaging in the cut-and-thrust debate that occurs there . ''
Despite threats threats by Muslims against her life that have been documented by police , she continued to speak at Hyde Park .
`` She believes that the Muslims are making threats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop her from preaching at Speakers ’ Corner because she is so effective .
She has seen many Muslims convert to Christianity through her remarkable ministry , '' Dieppe said .
Then came Sunday , Sept. 13 when police escorted her from Speakers ' Corner .
`` She was told that if she returned there she would be arrested .
This raises many questions about the home of free speech , '' Dieppe said .
`` It appears that the police believe that it is no longer safe for Christians to critique Islam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step in and remove Hatun and prevent her from sharing the gospel there .
Where next for free speech in this world-famous location ? ''
Hatun and her helpers had taken 26 different Arabic Qurans to Speakers ' Corner and explained that they are all different . ''
`` This point is very disturbing to Muslims who have been taught that the Quran is eternal and unchangeable and perfectly preserved , '' Dieppe said .
`` The Muslim leaders were so alarmed by this display that you can see them in the video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they didn ’ t want them to hear or see this material , against which they had no answer . ''
To illustrate her point , Hatun used `` a large Quran with holes drilled through it .
`` Provocative to be sure , but not outside the bounds of free speech – and certainly not in Speakers ' Corner , the home of free speech , '' Dieppe said .
`` Holes in any other book would have been seen as fair game .
Hatun has seen at least one Muslim convert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this visual aid .
`` As sunset approached , a Muslim snatched Hatun 's holey Quran from her and ran off with it .
Two of her Christian friends were punched trying to recover it .
Shortly after this , the police intervened . ''
The police were enforcing a `` hecker 's veto , '' he explained .
Muslims there now know that `` if they get angry enough and start threatening a Christian preacher then the police will step in and remove the preacher . ''

A Christian street preacher speaking at London's famed "home of free speech" was removed by police after using a visual aid to point out there are "holes" in the Quran, with dozens of differences in various publications of Islam's holy book.
Muslims reacted by stealing Hatun Tash's exhibit – a copy of the Quran with holes drilled in it – at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park.
The police action on Sept. 13 effectively enforced Islamic law, or Shariah, in Speakers' Corner, wrote Tim Dieppe of the U.K. charity Christian Concern.
"They acted to protect Islam from criticism," he said. "Ostensibly they were merely acting to protect a brave, but vulnerable woman – but their action also served to silence her. It should have been those making threats who were removed, not Hatun. The result was that a Christian preacher was silenced by police in the home of free speech."
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Speaker's Corner "has long been a bastion of free speech in the U.K." and is "reputed to be the most famous location for free speech in the world," Dieppe noted.
It dates back to 1872, when Parliament set it aside for public speaking. Among those who have appeared there are Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill and Billy Graham.
"Anyone can turn up unannounced and speak on almost any topic they like – though they may well have to cope with heckling," Dieppe explained.
In recent years, about half of the speakers have been street preachers, both Muslim and Christian.
"I have been there myself for a Sunday afternoon and seen how the place is now dominated by Muslims, but with some brave Christians holding forth," Dieppe said. "Video footage will show that it is a highly combative environment with accusations, and insults being thrown all over the place, and where strength of voice can be almost as important as strength of argument."
He said he nevertheless was "impressed with the high quality of debate between Christians and Muslims that goes on there."
"You need to be very well-informed to be able to hold your own in the discussions."
He said the woman who was removed, Hatun Tash, is "incredibly well informed on Islamic apologetics and an expert in engaging in the cut-and-thrust debate that occurs there."
Despite threats threats by Muslims against her life that have been documented by police, she continued to speak at Hyde Park.
"She believes that the Muslims are making threats in order to get the police to stop her from preaching at Speakers’ Corner because she is so effective. She has seen many Muslims convert to Christianity through her remarkable ministry," Dieppe said.
Then came Sunday, Sept. 13 when police escorted her from Speakers' Corner.
See the raw video:
"She was told that if she returned there she would be arrested. This raises many questions about the home of free speech," Dieppe said. "It appears that the police believe that it is no longer safe for Christians to critique Islam there. The police were prepared to step in and remove Hatun and prevent her from sharing the gospel there. Where next for free speech in this world-famous location?"
Hatun and her helpers had taken 26 different Arabic Qurans to Speakers' Corner and explained that they are all different."
"This point is very disturbing to Muslims who have been taught that the Quran is eternal and unchangeable and perfectly preserved," Dieppe said. "The Muslim leaders were so alarmed by this display that you can see them in the video calling other Muslims to come away because they didn’t want them to hear or see this material, against which they had no answer."
To illustrate her point, Hatun used "a large Quran with holes drilled through it.
"Provocative to be sure, but not outside the bounds of free speech – and certainly not in Speakers' Corner, the home of free speech," Dieppe said.
"Holes in any other book would have been seen as fair game. Hatun has seen at least one Muslim convert to Christianity following a conversation provoked by this visual aid.
"As sunset approached, a Muslim snatched Hatun's holey Quran from her and ran off with it. Two of her Christian friends were punched trying to recover it. Shortly after this, the police intervened."
The police were enforcing a "hecker's veto," he explained.
Muslims there now know that "if they get angry enough and start threatening a Christian preacher then the police will step in and remove the preacher."


wnd--2020-09-28--Will Justice Amy star in 'The Five'?

Will Justice Amy star in 'The Five'?

By nominating federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court , Donald Trump kept his word , and more than that .
Should she be confirmed , he will have made history .
Even his enemies would have to concede that Trump triumphed where his Republican predecessors – even Ronald Reagan , who filled three court vacancies – fell short .
Trump 's achievement – victory in the Supreme Court wars that have lasted for half a century – is a triumph that will affect the nation and the law for years , perhaps decades .
Trump 's remaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well be the crown jewel of his presidency .
Consider .
If Judge Barrett becomes Justice Barrett , she will join Justices Clarence Thomas , Sam Alito , Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to create a constitutionalist core of five justices , a controlling majority .
TRENDING : Alleged attacker behind carnage at pro-Trump event linked to 'Caravan 4 Justice ' group On the other side would sit the three liberals : 82-year-old Stephen Breyer and Barack Obama appointees Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor .
If Chief Justice John Roberts envisioned a Roberts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote for 4-4 deadlocks , deciding every such case himself , his dream could be about to vanish .
If Barrett is confirmed , the new court becomes `` The Five , '' with its youngest , newest and most charismatic member , a 48-year-old protege of Justice Antonin Scalia , its brightest and rising star .
Consider the credentials of the jurist Trump just named .
Barrett was summa cum laude at Notre Dame Law School , graduating first in her class .
She clerked for Scalia , taught law at South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for three years on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals .
She is a non-Ivy League , Middle American and a devout Catholic and mother of seven , including a special needs child and two adopted children from Haiti .
Almost universally , former classmates and colleagues , liberals among them , praise her temperament , brilliance and scholarship .
America 's court wars , in which the coming battle over Barrett 's nomination may prove decisive , go back half a century .
It was begun in June 1968 , as Richard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primaries , was moving inexorably to the GOP nomination in Miami Beach and very possibly on to the presidency of the United States .
Chief Justice Earl Warren , an old adversary of Nixon 's from California days , was not happy with this .
A report in the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Warren `` is said to feel that Richard Nixon – regarded as the GOP 's likely presidential nominee – would be bound to appoint a new Chief Justice pledged to overturn recent court decisions guaranteeing constitutional rights of criminals .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a note : `` Buchanan : Why does n't ( Strom ) Thurmond send this to Southern papers – opinion leaders . ''
The Inquirer article proved to be on point .
In collusion with Chief Justice Warren , President Lyndon Johnson had hatched a plot .
Warren would announce his resignation as chief justice and would make acceptance contingent upon Johnson 's nominee to succeed him being confirmed .
And that nominee would be Justice Abe Fortas , a court ally of Warren and longtime crony of LBJ .
All three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was confirmed , his vacant seat as associate justice would then be filled by Federal Judge Homer Thornberry , also an ally of Johnson 's going back to his Texas days .
Thus would Nixon be preempted , the liberalism of the high court guaranteed , and the Warren Court succeeded for another decade by the Fortas Court .
When LBJ named Fortas , Nixon went silent .
But GOP Sens .
Robert Griffin , John Tower and Howard Baker moved to block Fortas ' ascent .
They used an argument familiar to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in November , not the president retiring in January , should choose Warren 's replacement as chief justice .
The attack from Senate Republicans soon zeroed in on Fortas ' social liberalism on pornography as manifest in his having voted alone on the court to approve for public viewing films depicting acts of homosexual sex .
Fortas not only failed to win the support of the two-thirds of the Senate he needed to overcome a Republican filibuster , he also failed to win a simple majority , receiving only 45 votes for confirmation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fortas asked Johnson to withdraw his nomination , and in the spring of 1969 , he was forced to resign from the court in a financial scandal .
Warren would have to swear in Nixon as the nation 's 37th president on Jan. 20 , 1969 , and then watch Nixon replace him as chief justice with Judge Warren Burger in the spring of that same year .
Came then Nixon 's losing battles to put Southern judges Clement Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell on the court , Reagan 's failure to elevate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failed assaults on Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh .
If Senate Republicans stay united , then they can realize a victory that generations of their GOP predecessors had hoped to see .

By nominating federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, Donald Trump kept his word, and more than that.
Should she be confirmed, he will have made history.
Even his enemies would have to concede that Trump triumphed where his Republican predecessors – even Ronald Reagan, who filled three court vacancies – fell short. Trump's achievement – victory in the Supreme Court wars that have lasted for half a century – is a triumph that will affect the nation and the law for years, perhaps decades.
Trump's remaking of the Supreme Court for constitutionalism may well be the crown jewel of his presidency.
Consider. If Judge Barrett becomes Justice Barrett, she will join Justices Clarence Thomas, Sam Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to create a constitutionalist core of five justices, a controlling majority.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
On the other side would sit the three liberals: 82-year-old Stephen Breyer and Barack Obama appointees Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.
If Chief Justice John Roberts envisioned a Roberts Court where he would be the swing vote for 4-4 deadlocks, deciding every such case himself, his dream could be about to vanish.
If Barrett is confirmed, the new court becomes "The Five," with its youngest, newest and most charismatic member, a 48-year-old protege of Justice Antonin Scalia, its brightest and rising star.
Consider the credentials of the jurist Trump just named.
Barrett was summa cum laude at Notre Dame Law School, graduating first in her class. She clerked for Scalia, taught law at South Bend for 15 years and has served for three years on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
She is a non-Ivy League, Middle American and a devout Catholic and mother of seven, including a special needs child and two adopted children from Haiti. Almost universally, former classmates and colleagues, liberals among them, praise her temperament, brilliance and scholarship.
America's court wars, in which the coming battle over Barrett's nomination may prove decisive, go back half a century.
It was begun in June 1968, as Richard Nixon, victorious in his party's primaries, was moving inexorably to the GOP nomination in Miami Beach and very possibly on to the presidency of the United States.
Chief Justice Earl Warren, an old adversary of Nixon's from California days, was not happy with this. A report in the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Warren "is said to feel that Richard Nixon – regarded as the GOP's likely presidential nominee – would be bound to appoint a new Chief Justice pledged to overturn recent court decisions guaranteeing constitutional rights of criminals."
Nixon sent the clipping to me with a note: "Buchanan: Why doesn't (Strom) Thurmond send this to Southern papers – opinion leaders."
The Inquirer article proved to be on point. In collusion with Chief Justice Warren, President Lyndon Johnson had hatched a plot.
Warren would announce his resignation as chief justice and would make acceptance contingent upon Johnson's nominee to succeed him being confirmed. And that nominee would be Justice Abe Fortas, a court ally of Warren and longtime crony of LBJ. All three were in on it.
When Fortas was confirmed, his vacant seat as associate justice would then be filled by Federal Judge Homer Thornberry, also an ally of Johnson's going back to his Texas days.
Thus would Nixon be preempted, the liberalism of the high court guaranteed, and the Warren Court succeeded for another decade by the Fortas Court.
When LBJ named Fortas, Nixon went silent. But GOP Sens. Robert Griffin, John Tower and Howard Baker moved to block Fortas' ascent. They used an argument familiar to us today. The new president chosen in November, not the president retiring in January, should choose Warren's replacement as chief justice.
The attack from Senate Republicans soon zeroed in on Fortas' social liberalism on pornography as manifest in his having voted alone on the court to approve for public viewing films depicting acts of homosexual sex.
Fortas not only failed to win the support of the two-thirds of the Senate he needed to overcome a Republican filibuster, he also failed to win a simple majority, receiving only 45 votes for confirmation. On Oct. 1, 1968, Fortas asked Johnson to withdraw his nomination, and in the spring of 1969, he was forced to resign from the court in a financial scandal.
Warren would have to swear in Nixon as the nation's 37th president on Jan. 20, 1969, and then watch Nixon replace him as chief justice with Judge Warren Burger in the spring of that same year.
Came then Nixon's losing battles to put Southern judges Clement Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell on the court, Reagan's failure to elevate Bob Bork, and the brutal but failed assaults on Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh.
Now comes Amy Coney Barrett's turn.
If Senate Republicans stay united, then they can realize a victory that generations of their GOP predecessors had hoped to see.


wnd--2020-09-28--Petition seeks investigation, charges for makers of 'Cuties'

Already , members of Congress have written to Attorney General Bill Barr asking for prosecution of Netflix for `` child pornography '' for its movie `` Cuties . ''
It 's been described as the blatant sexualization of young girls , and the letter from Reps. Doug Collins , Jim Banks and 32 others contends the movie 's distributors `` should be prosecuted . ''
Now a petition has been launched by the organization Enough is Enough that seeks an investigation and possible prosecution .
TRENDING : Alleged attacker behind carnage at pro-Trump event linked to 'Caravan 4 Justice ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the film and asks for a Department of Justice investigation of the film production team as well as Netflix on `` potential child pornography charges . ''
`` Those responsible for the filming , production and distribution of the content MUST be held accountable , '' the organization said .
`` It is NEVER okay to sexually exploit children in broadcast programming or on the internet ... or anywhere else !
Further , this type of content whets the appetites and sexual fantasies of pedophiles , sexual predators and traffickers , and sends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is desired . ''
Enough is Enough said : `` Child pornography under federal law is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor ( someone under 18 years of age ) .
Visual depictions include photographs , videos , digital or computer generated images indistinguishable from an actual minor , and images created , adapted , or modified , but appear to depict an identifiable , actual minor . ''
The members of Congress told the DOJ : `` 'Cuties ' defenders claim that the film intends to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The reality is that 'Cuties ' does depict minors engaged in sexually explicit acts .
It ’ s visual fodder for pedophiles and its message is beside the point . ''
It warns there 's `` a scene where an 11-year-old girl dressed in a tank and panties in splashed with water and begins twerking in a frenzied kind of way '' along with the `` display of an 11-year-old child 's bare breast . ''
The petition promoters explain the movie `` displays scantily-clad preteen girls on the world stage for all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exploits the young pre-adolescent actresses in skimpy attire who twerk , hump , gyrate , and perform stripper-esque dance moves with crotch grabs and leg spreads , while production cameras zoom in and slowly pan up and down the girls ’ bodies . ''
It notes Turkey has banned it .
`` In a digital society already overrun with child sex abuse images , 'Cuties ' is an irresponsible , gross display of sexual exploitation on the part of Netflix and the film 's French director and writer Maïmouna Doucouré , whetting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual predators and traffickers with its hypersexualized content , '' the petition states .
`` At best , 'Cuties ' is grossly negligent on the part of its producers and Netflix .
At worst , it 's possibly criminal as the dance moves alone by these young actresses may meet the legal standard of child pornography . ''
The petition demands that the executives at Netflix and the film production crew members be held accountable .
At the IMDb movie data website , one review said , `` Worst movie ever seen .
@

Already, members of Congress have written to Attorney General Bill Barr asking for prosecution of Netflix for "child pornography" for its movie "Cuties."
It's been described as the blatant sexualization of young girls, and the letter from Reps. Doug Collins, Jim Banks and 32 others contends the movie's distributors "should be prosecuted."
Now a petition has been launched by the organization Enough is Enough that seeks an investigation and possible prosecution.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The organization wants Netflix to remove the film and asks for a Department of Justice investigation of the film production team as well as Netflix on "potential child pornography charges."
"Those responsible for the filming, production and distribution of the content MUST be held accountable," the organization said.
"It is NEVER okay to sexually exploit children in broadcast programming or on the internet ... or anywhere else! Further, this type of content whets the appetites and sexual fantasies of pedophiles, sexual predators and traffickers, and sends a message to youth that sexualized behavior is desired."
Enough is Enough said: "Child pornography under federal law is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor (someone under 18 years of age). Visual depictions include photographs, videos, digital or computer generated images indistinguishable from an actual minor, and images created, adapted, or modified, but appear to depict an identifiable, actual minor."
The members of Congress told the DOJ: "'Cuties' defenders claim that the film intends to criticize the objectification of young girls. The reality is that 'Cuties' does depict minors engaged in sexually explicit acts. It’s visual fodder for pedophiles and its message is beside the point."
It warns there's "a scene where an 11-year-old girl dressed in a tank and panties in splashed with water and begins twerking in a frenzied kind of way" along with the "display of an 11-year-old child's bare breast."
The petition promoters explain the movie "displays scantily-clad preteen girls on the world stage for all to see."
"The film exploits the young pre-adolescent actresses in skimpy attire who twerk, hump, gyrate, and perform stripper-esque dance moves with crotch grabs and leg spreads, while production cameras zoom in and slowly pan up and down the girls’ bodies."
It notes Turkey has banned it.
"In a digital society already overrun with child sex abuse images, 'Cuties' is an irresponsible, gross display of sexual exploitation on the part of Netflix and the film's French director and writer Maïmouna Doucouré, whetting the appetites and sexual fantasies of pedophiles, sexual predators and traffickers with its hypersexualized content," the petition states.
"At best, 'Cuties' is grossly negligent on the part of its producers and Netflix. At worst, it's possibly criminal as the dance moves alone by these young actresses may meet the legal standard of child pornography."
The petition demands that the executives at Netflix and the film production crew members be held accountable.
At the IMDb movie data website, one review said, "Worst movie ever seen."