thelibertydaily--2020-04-23--Democrat Communist China Queen Dianne Feinstein Used Her Senate Power to Push Most-Favored-Nation St

Democrat Communist China Queen Dianne Feinstein Used Her Senate Power to Push Most-Favored-Nation Status for the CCP’s Corrupt Dictatorship; Why?

In November of last year, a glittering array of world statesmen gathered in Beijing for Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum. At the top of the list was former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. He was worried. With China skeptic President Donald Trump imposing huge tariffs on Chinese goods, the most famous living diplomat was concerned about the future of the United States’ relationship with China’s Communist government. Trump’s actions, said Kissinger, had landed the two sides in “the foothills of a Cold War.”
That seemed unlikely, according to former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. “China will be a big part of the global financial picture in decades to come,” said the former George W. Bush cabinet member. And then, Paulson made an off-handed remark that may turn out to be the most unintentionally prescient observation of the 21st century: “Unless something goes terribly wrong in China,” said Paulson, “no other nation will wish to decouple from its financial markets.”
Five months later, the wisdom of exporting millions of American manufacturing jobs and large parts of critical supply chains for everything from medication to ventilators to a hostile overseas power is looking ever more questionable, as a novel pathogen of Chinese origin has wreaked havoc on the American economy and locked the entire country indoors. In retrospect, Richard M. Nixon’s 1972 meeting with Mao Zedong marked not only the opening of China, but also a nearly 50-year delusion about the nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its compatibility with America’s own economy and society.
For Kissinger, as for others, there was money at stake as well. “Kissinger was completely ‘played’ by the party,” says one experienced D.C. China hand. “His consulting enterprise, Kissinger Associates, built their ‘business’ around enabling the Chinese Communist Party and convincing Western business leaders that they needed to leave their ‘business judgment’ at the border and simply accept the party’s conditions as the price of entry into the China market.”
The links between leading American politicians and companies and the Chinese leadership are now likely to come under increased scrutiny.
First on that list of those deserving of close attention is the senior U.S. senator from California, Dianne Feinstein—a longtime member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence—who briefly made headlines a few years ago when reports surfaced that she had been forced to fire a longtime aide after learning from the FBI that he had been recruited on behalf of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
No one represents the marriage of American policy toward China and doing business with the PRC better than Feinstein. Her promotion of trade with China to advance the interests of her constituents turned into apologetics on behalf of the Communist Party, as it aided her political ascent and augmented her husband’s portfolio. In October, USA Today listed Feinstein as the sixth-richest member of Congress, with a net worth of $58.5 million—a sum that vastly understates her actual wealth. Richard Blum, her husband, is himself worth at least another $1 billion.
When Feinstein was first elected to the Senate in 1992, Blum’s interests in China amounted to less than $500,000. She was named to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1995 and by 1997, according to the Los Angeles Times, “Blum’s interest had grown to between $500,001 and $1 million.”
In 1994, Blum’s company, Blum Capital, had entered a joint venture to found Newbridge Capital, specializing in emerging markets, including Asia. Blum said in 1997 that less than 2% of the approximately $1.5 billion that his firm managed was committed to China. He held a $300 million stake in Northwest Airlines when it operated the only nonstop service from the United States to cities in China. In 2002, Newbridge was negotiating to acquire 20% of Shenzhen Development Bank. After some rough seas, it paid $145 million for an 18% share two years later, marking the first time a Chinese bank came under control of a foreign entity.
Feinstein says that Blum’s business in China had no effect on her foreign policy or trade positions regarding the country. “We have built a firewall,” she said of her relationship with her husband. “That firewall has stood us in good stead.”
Yet the record shows that the marriage between Blum’s business and Feinstein’s political career is a very close one. Journalists from Feinstein’s home state’s two largest media markets, Los Angeles and San Francisco, covered that relationship thoroughly and often quite skeptically throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. The fact that relationships that should have come under serious scrutiny have rarely been portrayed in anything other than a favorable light—the New Yorker breathlessly reported in a 2015 profile that China’s former President Jiang Zemin had spent Thanksgiving as a guest at the Blum-Feinstein home in San Francisco—reveals the extent to which the American elite has subscribed wholesale to the unproven theory that business with the Chinese Communist Party was good for America.
What began as faith in the inherent goodness of relations between the United States and China eventually transformed into something dark, crude, and cynical. As Benjamin Weingarten recently reported, Feinstein has repeatedly criticized Trump’s tariffs on China, turning her advocacy for the Communist Chinese government into an instrument of domestic political warfare—and cementing a pro-China policy as a foreign policy touchstone to rival support for the JCPOA, President Obama’s Iran deal, within the Democratic Party.
Dianne Feinstein first visited Shanghai in 1978, shortly after the United States and China opened diplomatic ties. San Francisco’s newly elected first woman mayor struck up a friendship with her counterpart, Jiang Zemin, who was mayor of Shanghai at the time. Under their guidance, Shanghai, China’s leading industrial city, and San Francisco, home to one of America’s largest Chinese immigrant communities, struck up a sister-city relationship. The two siblings did well by each other.
“China made friends first,” Feinstein told the New Yorker in 2015, “and then they did business with their friends.” Feinstein considers Jiang a “good friend.” Feinstein also spoke about how she and Jiang danced together. Then they started to make money. In the mid-’80s, a firm in which Blum invested struck a $17 million deal with a state-owned business for a retail and residential complex outside Shanghai.
In 1989, Jiang became general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Three years later Feinstein was first elected to the Senate. Serving two of the largest Chinese diasporas in the United States—the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose area (629,243) and the greater Los Angeles area (566,968)—Feinstein respected the wishes of many, but hardly all, of the Golden State’s Chinese Americans who wanted warm ties with their ancestral homeland. More importantly, her longstanding ties to senior Chinese Communist Party officials advanced the financial interests of her constituents. It is because of California’s trade relationship with China that the state is the world’s fifth-largest economy.
In 2015, China accounted for 35.1% of all imports to California. In 2017 California exported $15.6 billion in goods and another $9.1 billion in services to China. The top exported goods were motor vehicles, scrap products, industrial machinery, navigational and measuring instruments, and semiconductors and components. The top exported services included travel, education, royalties from industrial processes, film and TV distribution, and computer software. In 2018, total California trade with China topped $175 billion, with California exporting $16.3 billion worth of goods and services, and importing $161.2 billion, leaving it with a $144.9 billion trade deficit with China. From January to April of 2019 alone, China exported $39 billion, or more than twice what California exported the entire year, at $15.85 billion.
U.S.-China Business Council
And the relationship benefited Feinstein personally. In 1993, Jiang became president of China and invited Feinstein and Blum to Beijing to meet with party leadership. According to a 1994 Los Angeles Times story, Blum was planning to bundle $2 million to $3 million of his own with another $150 million from other investors to invest in state-owned enterprises, including telecommunications equipment.
Feinstein said at the time that Blum’s economic interest in China was “news to me.” The couple denied that his business in China profited from her then 15-year friendship with the president of China. “He is in San Francisco running his business, I am in Washington being a United States senator, and they are two separate things,” Feinstein told reporters. “I don’t know how I can prove it to people like you. Maybe I get divorced. Maybe that is what you want.”
There’s a logic to Feinstein’s self-pity—she was being singled out for doing what everyone else was also doing, or dreamed of doing. Taking a piece of the action was good for America, the winners told themselves. Business with China kept the peace. It was a central tenet of the post-Cold War order—with mutual financial interests at stake, no one makes war against their trade partners.
Nor were Feinstein and Blum alone in their wholesale profiteering from the U.S.-China relationship. The idea that there was something inherently virtuous about helping Chinese companies make money at the expense of their American rivals became so prevalent in Washington that it barely raised eyebrows when one-time Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, whose political brand was his supposedly unimpeachable rectitude, joined former Senate colleague Norm Coleman, a Republican, to lobby for ZTE, a Chinese telecom firm with reported ties to the Chinese intelligence services and military.
What makes this story even uglier is that American policymakers knew how the People’s Republic of China was targeting American companies: The same month that Lieberman signed on with a CCP telecom, the Justice Department asked Canadian authorities to detain the chief financial officer of another, Huawei. The daughter of the company’s founder, Meng Wanzhou, was named as a defendant in a case charging Huawei with racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets. A month later, grand juries in New York and Washington state indicted Huawei for stealing intellectual property from T-Mobile.
And yet, American officials have continued to sell their talents and contacts to Beijing. In April 2019, the same month that U.S. intelligence reported that Huawei was funded by Chinese state security, the firm hired the Obama administration’s former director for cybersecurity, Samir Jain. “This is not good, or acceptable,” Trump tweeted in response to the news. The Justice Department did not answer emails asking if Jain still holds a security clearance.
Kissinger’s 1972 opening of China is typically seen as a geostrategic masterstroke whose purpose was to further divide China from its rival communist power, the even more threatening Soviet Union. The reality is that Kissinger’s vision of China as America’s bride-in-waiting derived from much older ideas about the country.
More than a hundred years before, China’s defeat at the hands of France and Great Britain opened the country to foreign trade as well as foreign visitors, most notably Protestant missionaries. Thousands of American families joined their British counterparts in the Far East; fertile ground, they believed, for spreading the Gospel. These missionary pioneers would come to shape American foreign policy and attitudes toward China for generations to come, as their offspring filled positions of influence in the government, academia, and media. Henry Luce, for instance, the founder and editor-in-chief of Time magazine, the 20th century’s most influential publication, was raised in China to missionary parents.
Long after the 1949 communist revolution, Luce continued to wage a rearguard action, joined by other reactionaries like Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who complained that President Harry Truman’s State Department and the liberal establishment had “lost” China to the “Reds.” It’s true that some senior American officials preferred the communists to the ostensibly pro-Western nationalists, who were cruel and corrupt, but the reality is that no one “lost” China. Luce’s line of argument is derived from the same fiction that motivated his parents and their devout associates—China was theirs for the taking. Mao’s revolution should have made clear that Chinese politics and society, like those of every country, are moved primarily by its own internal forces.
Yet the conviction that China was ripe to be remade in America’s image continued to form the thinking of the American policy establishment. Their optimism was not wholly misplaced. America’s use of economic development to drive political liberalization had shown repeated successes in the post-WWII period. “It’s the strategy we used most consistently since the end of WWII,” says Matthew Turpin, who served as China director for Trump’s National Security Council staff in 2018-19, and held a similar position at the Pentagon under the Obama administration between 2013 and 2017.
“We used it with postwar Italy and Germany and Japan in the 1940s. In the ‘70s we used it with Spain, and in the ‘80s we used it with South Korea and Taiwan. And we used that approach after the fall of the Berlin Wall with the countries of Eastern Europe. The strategy has a logic to it. So, we thought the same with China. Building China’s economy and accustoming its leadership to the peace that is a natural consequence of prosperity would lead to political liberalization.”
The problem is that Chinese leadership saw through America’s strategy. You didn’t need to be steeped in Marxist doctrine to see that the capitalists understood China as an untapped resource just waiting to be exploited. China was a self-baiting trap and all Mao and his successors had to do was wait for the Americans to wander in.
If anyone should have understood the darker currents running through humanity, it was America’s 41st president, George H. W. Bush. A WWII Navy pilot who lost men in the Pacific, Bush had served as U.S. ambassador to China and also as director of the CIA before becoming vice president. In those roles, he came to know China well, while overseeing Cold War proxy fights and operations that cost many thousands of lives and decided the fate of hundreds of millions more.
But for whatever reasons—his WASP heritage, the primacy of Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union, or the sense that the world was owed a respite after so much bloodshed and that it was his historical role to usher in a post-Cold War era of peace—Bush was determined to see China as a partner rather than a rival. “I see a world of open borders, open trade and, most importantly, open minds,” he told the U.N. According to Bush, the new order is “a world that celebrates the common heritage that belongs to all the world’s people, taking pride not just in hometown or homeland but in humanity itself.”
For their part, the Chinese knew Bush and liked him—and liked Republicans. They had evidence that the GOP meddled less than the Democrats in the affairs of foreigners. After all, Kissinger had “opened” Beijing during the murderous mass purges known as the Cultural Revolution without batting an eye.
On the other hand, the Chinese were worried about Bush’s 1992 challenger, Bill Clinton. On the campaign trail, Clinton had linked trade with China to its human rights record.
But Feinstein wasn’t about to let this become an obstacle.
As the U.S. Senate deliberated whether to withdraw most-favored-nation trade status from China in 1994 because of human rights abuses, Feinstein—then a freshman senator—established herself as a strong advocate of closer ties. Expressing disapproval of Beijing, she argued, would be “counterproductive.” Punitive measures would only “inflame Beijing’s insecurities” and halt reform.
President Clinton came to see it the same way. In May 1994, he “de-linked” trade policy and human rights. “To those who argue that in view of China’s human rights abuses we should revoke MFN status,” said Clinton, “let me ask you the same question that I have asked myself over and over these last few weeks as I have studied this issue and consulted people of both parties who have had experience with China over many decades. Will we do more to advance the cause of human rights if China is isolated or if our nations are engaged in a growing web of political and economic cooperation and contacts?”
That American officials expressed concern for human rights in China and the 1.4 billion people living under a communist regime was, and still is, important. Yet the debate over what was actually best for China came at the expense of obscuring the issue that should have been foremost on the minds of American lawmakers—what was best for working Americans, and for the security of their own country. In 1993, China had exported $31 billion worth of goods to the United States compared to $8 billion going the other way. In other words, even with the United States running a trade deficit of $23 billion, there was almost no one making the case for the American work force.
Feinstein in particular was making the exact opposite argument. In a 1996 editorial, she wrote: “Tying most-favored-nation to improvement in human rights is ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst. Revoking the trade status would be seen by China as the United States promulgating a complete break in Sino-American relations, putting in grave danger U.S. strategic interests in Asia.”
Feinstein explained that Americans needed to be patient:
Just 30 years ago, China was engaged in the massive upheaval of the Cultural Revolution and Great Leap Forward, during which 20 million Chinese were either killed or imprisoned. Human rights were at their lowest point. Since then, the positive changes in China have been dramatic. Chinese society continues to open up with looser ideological controls, freer access to outside sources of information and increased media reporting. More people in China vote for their leadership on the local level than do Americans.
That last line is especially illustrative. Nearly the entire American establishment had convinced itself that treating the PRC like a normal country was a sign of virtue. We are all one people under the same sun, engaged in commerce with our fellow man: Who’s to say that the Chinese are not in fact more virtuous than we are? It takes a rare kind of contempt to push propaganda on American voters and tell them they’re less civic-minded than the subjects of the Chinese Communist Party.
Feinstein made a habit in fact of comparing the PRC to the United States to the advantage of the former and the detriment of her own country. She called for a commission of comparative human rights looking at China and America and studying, for instance, “the success and failures [of] both Tiananmen Square and Kent State.” Ohio National Guardsmen killed four students at Kent State in a 1970 anti-Vietnam war protest, an act that was widely condemned at all levels of American society. In 1989, the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army deliberately killed hundreds, if not thousands, of students in the middle of Beijing in order to maintain its own grip on power.
Feinstein talked to her friend Jiang about Tiananmen soon after the massacre. “China had no local police,” Feinstein said that Jiang told her. She was messaging on behalf of the CCP. “It was just the PLA. And no local police that had crowd control. So, hence the tanks ... But that’s the past. One learns from the past. You don’t repeat it. I think China has learned a lesson.” That sounds like a lot to swallow even for a committed advocate of the ruling party—let alone a U.S. senator.
According to reports that surfaced in 2018, Feinstein had employed a staffer who had been recruited by Chinese intelligence. Despite her sensitive position and the staffer’s many years of service, she brushed off the accusation. “He never had access to classified or sensitive information or legislative matters,” said Feinstein. She was named to the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2001, and became chair in 2009, giving her access to America’s most closely guarded secrets.
Charges were never filed against the staffer. Feinstein fired him around 2013, after he’d worked for her for 20 years—or starting around the time her friend Jiang became president.
Nor was this the only time the Chinese government targeted Feinstein. In 1997, she was warned by the FBI that the Chinese might try to push money into her campaign. She said she had “no reason to believe” that the CCP had actually contributed to her campaign. “None whatsoever.”
She had a point. Why would the CCP waste money on her campaign when it was already in business with her husband?
Two years after Blum had co-founded Newbridge Capital, an “emerging markets private equity fund” in 1994, Newbridge acquired a 24% stake in a state-owned enterprise producing iron used in making cars for $23 million. The deal was initiated by an investment company run by a former official from the state-owned investment company CITIC who was also an ex-vice minister of petroleum. Newbridge also invested $14 million for a 24% stake in a food and beverage company run by another former CITIC executive.
Feinstein said that her husband never sought to exploit her access to increase his opportunities in China. On a January 1996 trip to China, Blum and Feinstein went to dinner with Jiang. They dined in the room where Mao died.
“We were told that we were the first foreigners to see his bedroom and the swimming pool,” said Feinstein. She said her “husband has never discussed business with Jiang Zemin, never would, never has.” Of course, the fact that he was having dinner with the Chinese leader and visiting his bedroom and swimming pool would have been more than enough for lower-ranking Chinese officials to know exactly where Blum stood with their bosses.
Blum said that he’s also a “close personal friend” of the Dalai Lama, and claims to have served as a “liaison” between the holy man seeking Tibetan independence from Communist China and the Beijing government. Meanwhile, Chinese repression inside Tibet has steadily increased for the past two decades.
After the 1997 FBI briefing, Feinstein expressed her frustration to the press about accusations that she was being manipulated by the Chinese. “If there is credible evidence,” she said, “‘tell me what it is. Enable me to protect myself. That’s the job of the FBI.” According to her, none of the FBI agents “told me where or when or how or what to look for.”
In 2000, Feinstein achieved her longtime policy goal when Congress conferred permanent most-favored-nation status on China. The Senate voted in favor with 83 yeas, including Joe Biden. The Republican governor of Texas and presumptive GOP candidate for president praised the bill: “Passage of this legislation will mean a stronger American economy, as well as more opportunity for liberty and freedom in China,” said future President George W. Bush. And so, the deal was done.
In retrospect, some American politicians on the right now admit that their assumptions about the PRC were horribly mistaken. “We thought getting them into a rules-based system would gradually permeate their culture and that’d be a big step in the right direction,” said Newt Gingrich, author of the 2019 book Trump vs. China: America’s Greatest Challenge. “That was all wrong,” said the former speaker of the House.
With the coronavirus having put America on hold, it is worthwhile trying to figure out how and why we got it so wrong. The United States’ political and business elites told themselves that the new breed of Chinese communists were interested in money, just like capitalists. That fiction required American officials to ignore what they should have observed during the Cold War struggle against Soviet communism: Moscow apparatchiks and their Iron Curtain courtiers very much enjoyed the luxuries that money afforded them, like Western-made shoes and tailored suits, access to fresh vegetables and Swiss bank accounts, etc. The politburo confiscated private wealth not on behalf of the proletariat, but to enrich themselves.
The money pouring in from deals with Beijing lubricated America’s ruling classes, who wanted to be seduced—and so they ignored what was obvious about their new partners. What distinguished communists was not in fact their disdain for money or their trenchant critiques of consumer capitalism. Rather, it was their single-minded and paranoid pursuit of power.
By the time Xi Jinping began to consolidate his hold in 2012, it had become clear that Beijing wasn’t interested in joining the liberal international system. What China wanted was for its self-defined sphere of influence to be acknowledged by the United States and expanded throughout Asia. “When Xi came to power,” says Matthew Turpin, “the Chinese offered the U.S. a new form of international relations, which was actually a return to an older form: spheres of influence. The two powers would set norms in their own spheres of influence and show each other mutual respect. The Chinese said, ‘We get Asia, you get the West.’ The Obama administration rightly saw this as a complete rejection of the international system that had kept the peace for decades.”
Australian official John Garnaut, a respected former journalist who spent years reporting from China, explained the CCP’s paranoid worldview in an important speech he delivered in 2019: “The Western conspiracy to infiltrate, subvert and overthrow the People’s Party is not contingent on what any particular Western country thinks or does. It is an equation, a mathematical identity: The CCP exists and therefore it is under attack.”
In April 2013, the party’s Central Committee circulated a “Communique on the Current State of the Ideological Sphere.” Document No. 9, as it came to be called, explained the confrontation with the Washington-led liberal international system in stark terms—China’s enemy, it argued, is the West. Party cadres were required to wage an “intense struggle” against “false trends,” including Western constitutional democracy, human rights, and freedom of speech—especially journalism—which the Communists defined as instruments used to weaken the party.


thelibertydaily--2020-04-23--Democrat-Ruled Commiefornia Suspends First Amendment Rights In Response to Anti-Lockdown Patriotic P

Democrat-Ruled Commiefornia Suspends First Amendment Rights In Response to Anti-Lockdown Patriotic Protests

Restrictions wo n't be lifted until `` Phase 4 , '' officials say county is in `` Phase 1 ''

Last Updated on April 22, 2020
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has imposed perhaps the most draconian measure yet as the United States grapples with the COVID-19 outbreak, disallowing groups from peacefully assembling on state grounds after a Monday protest in which Californians defied the state’s “stay-at-home” order.
“Permits are issued to provide safe environments for demonstrators to express their views,” CHP said, according to The Sacramento Bee. “In this case, the permit for the convoy was issued with the understanding that the protest would be conducted in a manner consistent with the state’s public health guidance.”
“That is not what occurred, and CHP will take this experience into account when considering permits for this or any other group,” the law enforcement entity continued.
On Monday, hundreds of Californian’s swarmed the Capitol complex in Sacramento, causing traffic jams and honking their horns while people gathered to express their objections to being forced to stay in the house.
Apparently, such peaceful assembly has been deemed “unsafe” by the California Highway Patrol, and the law enforcement entity has decided to suspend the First Amendment until further notice.
California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom has not publicly commented on the issue.
Many states, notably Michigan, have imposed strict “stay-at-home” orders.
That state banned gatherings of 10 or more people, and barred residents from traveling to visit other residents.
But even Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer did not ban protests of her orders, though she did extend the lockdown after the latest round of angry citizens protested at the State Capitol.
With the nation’s economy collapsing, 22 million unemployed Americans, and experts predicting a recession, many citizens are bucking to reopen the country and get back to work.
Not everyone thinks the country should reopen just yet, though.
Nurses clashed with protestors in a wild scene in Arizona Tuesday, as tempers flared between healthcare workers and those who don’t believe the lockdown is warranted.
Follow Pete D’Abrosca on Twitter.


thelibertydaily--2020-04-23--Fascist Facebook Scrambles, Struggles to Block Patriotic Anti-Lock Protests as Posts Promoting Pushb

Fascist Facebook Scrambles, Struggles to Block Patriotic Anti-Lock Protests as Posts Promoting Pushback Explode

Last Updated on April 23, 2020
Facebook is trying to prevent in-person gatherings, but there are too many posts to block.
A spokesperson with Facebook had initially said hey received instructions by the state governments advising that in-person gatherings break lockdown and social distancing laws in place as a reaction to the coronavirus, and those events should be removed. Anti-quarantine posts have been removed for protests in California, Nebraska, and New York.
Facebook faces issues enforcing the removal of posts and events that violating social distancing due to to the number of posts being made, and the differences in laws state-by-state.
Anti-quarantine protests being organized through Facebook in California, New Jersey, and Nebraska, are being removed from the platform on the instruction of governments in those three states because it violates stay-at-home orders, Facebook spokesperson @andymstone tells @donie. — Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) April 20, 2020
“We [Facebook] reached out to state officials to understand the scope of their orders, not about removing specific protests on Facebook. We remove the posts when gatherings do not follow the health parameters established by the government and are therefore unlawful.”
Officials from both New Jersey and Nebraska have since made statements denying allegations that they reached out to Facebook with the intention of having events removed from the social networking site.
Justin Pinkerman, a spokesperson for the Nebraska governors office says that their office is “not aware of any Facebook events regarding COVID-19 protests, and has not requested Facebook to pull any events down.”
Why is @Facebook colluding with state governments to quash peoples free speech? Regardless of what you think about the lockdowns or the protests against them, this is a chilling & disturbing government directed shutdown of peoples 1st Amendment rights. Very dangerous! https://t.co/rnG09TSVhI — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 20, 2020
Confusion over the statement made by Facebook was settled on Monday when it was clarified that “events that defy government’s guidance on social distancing aren’t allowed on Facebook,” and the removal of anti-quarantine events wasn’t a request from the state’s government officials.
I'm sure glad Senator Hawley is one of my Senators and he sent Clair packing. Seems to me this FB action is illegal and may be the straw that breaks the camel's back? I'll ask @RonColeman, is due process the issue to prosecute here or free speech? Or is there no issue? — D.C. Bozos® (@536Clowns) April 20, 2020
No legal issue besides the ongoing consumer fraud engaged in by all social media companies. It's otherwise just plain old private censorship — Ron Coleman (@RonColeman) April 20, 2020
Dear Civil Rights Division of @TheJusticeDept:@Facebook is working hand-in-glove with tyrants in state and local governments to retaliate against Americans who are exercising First Amendment rights, by completely censoring (de-platforming) them. Crime?https://t.co/fN7F4tH7eV https://t.co/BoI0VhBN3C — 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) April 20, 2020
Although many Americans do not support the anti-quarantine protestors, the number of protests have been being planned more frequently than can be managed by the team at Facebook who have to navigate the mandates of 42 states’ stay-at-home orders.
These protests are thought to be influenced by President Donald Trump’s urgency in reopening the economy by ending strict social distancing.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1251169987110330372


thelibertydaily--2020-04-23--Chi-Coms Donate $30 Million to the Already Bought and Paid For World Health Organization After Presi

Chi-Coms Donate $30 Million to the Already Bought and Paid For World Health Organization After President Trump Suspends Funding

Last Updated on April 23, 2020
China has made a large $30 million donation to the World Health Organization after the US pulled funding from the group following wide scale questioning of their integrity.
According to the South China Morning Post, this is the second donation that China has made to the organization after making a sizeable $20 million donation in March.
Now totaling $50 million in donations in less than two months, many had previously questioned WHO’s narratives mirroring China’s reports–now shown to be false or significantly revised–of the coronavirus outbreak, prompting many to point the finger at the world’s second largest economy.
Beijing made the pledge to WHO as Trump halted America’s funding to the Swiss-based group, after formerly contributing 15% of their total budget. Now, Beijing has doubled-down their backing of WHO aiming to “support the global fight against COVID-19 and strengthen developing countries’ health systems.”
Despite the gesture, China’s state-run outlet, Global Times, recently ran two opinion pieces on the same day slamming America for their handling of the crisis. One piece compared America’s handling of the crisis to a “primitive society.” The other stated “the US is no match for China.”
Another state journalist also blamed America for the global pandemic, suggesting that the coronavirus was made in an American lab before being leaked at the Military Games held in Wuhan at the end of last year.
However, China has urged America to stop blaming them for their role in the crisis.
China’s Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Geng Shuang said: “[The donation] reflects the support and trust of the Chinese government and people for the WHO.”
A few days ago, Geng told reporters, “The international community can overcome the virus only if it can stay united and cooperate to make concerted efforts.
“Attacking and discrediting other countries simply wastes time and cannot save lost lives.”
“China has been attacked by the virus and is also a victim of the virus. We are not the culprit, nor the accomplice of the virus,” Geng added.
In the past five years, China’s donations to WHO have increased by over 50%.


thelibertydaily--2020-04-24--Judge Tosses Law Requiring Background Checks For Ammunition Purchases In California

A federal judge struck down a California law on Thursday that required purchasers of ammunition to undergo a background check @ @ @ @ @ Pistol Association had asked the Judge to block the background check law with a preliminary @ @ @ @ @ has been tried .
The casualties have been counted .
California ’ s new ammunition @ @ @ @ @ the Second Amendment rights of California citizens have been gravely injured , ” Benitez wrote @ @ @ @ @ opinion .
“ Criminals , tyrants , and terrorists don ’ t do background checks @ @ @ @ @ “ The background check experiment defies common sense while unduly and severely burdening the Second @ @ @ @ @ , gun-owning citizen desiring to lawfully buy ammunition.
” The law went into effect back @ @ @ @ @ and prior to the law going live , a huge run on ammunition was seen @ @ @ @ @ state attorney general ’ s office spoke with AP and said that they are reviewing @ @ @ @ @ ’ t stated whether or not they will appeal .

A federal judge struck down a California law on Thursday that required purchasers of ammunition to undergo a background check.
U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego called the regulations “onerous and convoluted,” adding that they violate a citizen’s Second Amendment rights, the Associated Press reported. via foxnews.com
The California Rifle & Pistol Association had asked the Judge to block the background check law with a preliminary injunction.
“The experiment has been tried. The casualties have been counted. California’s new ammunition background check law misfires and the Second Amendment rights of California citizens have been gravely injured,” Benitez wrote as part of his 120-page opinion.
“Criminals, tyrants, and terrorists don’t do background checks,” he continued. “The background check experiment defies common sense while unduly and severely burdening the Second Amendment rights of every responsible, gun-owning citizen desiring to lawfully buy ammunition.”
The law went into effect back in July of 2019, and prior to the law going live, a huge run on ammunition was seen in the state.
The state attorney general’s office spoke with AP and said that they are reviewing the decision, but haven’t stated whether or not they will appeal.


thelibertydaily--2020-04-24--Our Fearless Leaders: Nancy Pelosi Wipes Her Nose, Touches Podium — House Members Demonstrate The Wr

Our Fearless Leaders: Nancy Pelosi Wipes Her Nose, Touches Podium — House Members Demonstrate The Wrong Way To Wear Masks

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wiped her nose , then touched the podium on the House floor Thursday — and several other members demonstrated the wrong way to wear face masks .
The members in attendance appeared to be following coronavirus social distancing guidelines to a degree — their seats were spaced out and many wore face coverings ranging from scarves to medical masks — but as they took their turns at the podium , things appeared to fall apart .
( RELATED : Whoopi Goldberg Runs Cover For Pelosi Ad : ‘ The Ice Cream She ’ s Talking About @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Caleb Hull tweeted a series of photos from Thursday ’ s session showing representatives on both sides of the aisle having difficulty wrestling with their face coverings .
Pelosi appeared to wipe her nose with her finger and then touch the podium before she began to speak .
Congressional reporter Michael McAuliff criticized Republican Texas Rep. Michael Burgess and Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan for ignoring the House doctor ’ s recommendation that they all wear masks .
Hull pointed out that Burgess and Jordan were far from the only ones who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entirely or to wear their protective equipment in an ineffective manner .
None of the House members contacted by the Daily Caller returned requests for comment .

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wiped her nose, then touched the podium on the House floor Thursday — and several other members demonstrated the wrong way to wear face masks.
The members in attendance appeared to be following coronavirus social distancing guidelines to a degree — their seats were spaced out and many wore face coverings ranging from scarves to medical masks — but as they took their turns at the podium, things appeared to fall apart. (RELATED: Whoopi Goldberg Runs Cover For Pelosi Ad: ‘The Ice Cream She’s Talking About Actually Comes From A Small Business’)
Caleb Hull tweeted a series of photos from Thursday’s session showing representatives on both sides of the aisle having difficulty wrestling with their face coverings.
How are these people even real… Learn how to use the mask. pic.twitter.com/iElFSuCk92 — Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) April 23, 2020
Jerry Nadler really struggled to get his mask off. pic.twitter.com/ny96qCa4bJ — Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) April 23, 2020
Pelosi appeared to wipe her nose with her finger and then touch the podium before she began to speak.
Nancy Pelosi WIPES HER NOSE with her finger and then touches the podium that all lawmakers are sharing today. No mask over her face. These are the people who spend trillions of our dollars. Think about that. pic.twitter.com/E2XZ0f9FAl — Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) April 23, 2020
Congressional reporter Michael McAuliff criticized Republican Texas Rep. Michael Burgess and Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan for ignoring the House doctor’s recommendation that they all wear masks.
The House’s doctor advises members to wear masks to prevent them from spreading infection to others. Reps. Michael Burgess and Jim Jordan are among those ignoring that advice. So watch Jordan over Burgess’s shoulder here. pic.twitter.com/mQFNS9r2bH — Michael McAuliff (@mmcauliff) April 23, 2020
Hull pointed out that Burgess and Jordan were far from the only ones who had chosen to either disregard the recommendation entirely or to wear their protective equipment in an ineffective manner.
I watched the entire session. Every Democrat with the exception of 2-3 took their mask off while speaking, handled it with their hands, and Pelosi even wiped her nose and touched the podium. Michael, your partisan attack here is tone-deaf. https://t.co/poqab1klv7 — Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) April 23, 2020
None of the House members contacted by the Daily Caller returned requests for comment.


thelibertydaily--2020-04-24--Kim Jong Un Sister Could Be ‘More Tyrannical’ Than Brother Should He Die

Although it is virtually impossible to get any information , let alone truthful intel from North Korea , rumors are running rampant that the North Korean leader is in bad health .
It is widely believed that Kim is in poor condition following cardiac surgery on April 12th .
As VICE News puts it , “ the truth is that no one outside of a tiny group of North Korea ’ s ruling elite knows how ill if at all , Kim is.
” We can , however , take into account “ rumors about the dictator ’ s poor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how morbidly obese he is and his family ’ s history of heart disease , it is no surprise that attention is now turning to his successor.
” Just as speculation is the best we have when it comes to the dictator ’ s health , the same goes for what would happen in the event of his death .
As of now , it is believed there is a high probability Kim Jong Un ’ s 32-year-old sister , Kim Yo Jong is being groomed to fill the role .
As VICE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ at her brother ’ s side throughout his reign , attending many high-profile summits , including the two meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019.
” According to experts VICE News spoke to , some believe it is “ impossible ” for the young woman to “ take control of a country run by an elite group of powerful men ” while others say she ’ s the “ natural successor to Kim and that her recent high-profile public engagements show she is being groomed.
” What constitutes “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entirely be clear , but reportedly the sister “ saw Kim ’ s ruthless nature up close , including when he ordered the execution of their uncle Jang Song Thaek.
” Clearly the young woman was not shielded from the family ’ s leadership tactics who executed the uncle in 2013 for accusations of “ corruption , drug use , gambling , womanizing and leading a ‘ dissolute and depraved life.
” After her father , Kim Jong Il ’ s health went south after suffering strokes , she “ helped plan her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Supreme Leader in 2011 , when her father passed away.
” At the age of 9 , Yo Jong was sent to Berne , Switzerland for schooling .
She and her brother , Kim Jong Un lived together , and “ it was here that she forged a close bond with her older brother…the pair shared a private home and were attended to by their own chef , housekeeping staff , and bodyguards , according to North Korean Leadership Watch ” reported VICE .
If having the same childhood as her dictator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be in big trouble .
Yo Jong returned to North Korea in 2000 , after “ having completed the U.S. equivalent of sixth grade.
” In 2002 , her father declared his youngest daughter “ Was interested in politics and wanted a career in North Korea ’ s political system.
” Sung Yoon Lee , a Koreas expert at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University told VICE “ it is entirely possible that Ms. Kim will prove even more tyrannical than her brother or father or grandfather.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lee added , “ she will also have to show her mettle by provoking the U.S. with major weapons tests and lethal attacks on South Korea and U.S. forces stationed there .
”

Although it is virtually impossible to get any information, let alone truthful intel from North Korea, rumors are running rampant that the North Korean leader is in bad health. It is widely believed that Kim is in poor condition following cardiac surgery on April 12th. As VICE News puts it, “the truth is that no one outside of a tiny group of North Korea’s ruling elite knows how ill if at all, Kim is.” We can, however, take into account “rumors about the dictator’s poor health since last summer, and given how morbidly obese he is and his family’s history of heart disease, it is no surprise that attention is now turning to his successor.”
Just as speculation is the best we have when it comes to the dictator’s health, the same goes for what would happen in the event of his death. As of now, it is believed there is a high probability Kim Jong Un’s 32-year-old sister, Kim Yo Jong is being groomed to fill the role. As VICE reports, the younger sister has been “at her brother’s side throughout his reign, attending many high-profile summits, including the two meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019.”
According to experts VICE News spoke to, some believe it is “impossible” for the young woman to “take control of a country run by an elite group of powerful men” while others say she’s the “natural successor to Kim and that her recent high-profile public engagements show she is being groomed.” What constitutes “grooming” for a dictator may not entirely be clear, but reportedly the sister “saw Kim’s ruthless nature up close, including when he ordered the execution of their uncle Jang Song Thaek.”
Clearly the young woman was not shielded from the family’s leadership tactics who executed the uncle in 2013 for accusations of “corruption, drug use, gambling, womanizing and leading a ‘dissolute and depraved life.” After her father, Kim Jong Il’s health went south after suffering strokes, she “helped plan her brother’s ascension to the position of Supreme Leader in 2011, when her father passed away.”
If having the same childhood as her dictator brother is any indication, the world could be in big trouble.
At the age of 9, Yo Jong was sent to Berne, Switzerland for schooling. She and her brother, Kim Jong Un lived together, and “it was here that she forged a close bond with her older brother…the pair shared a private home and were attended to by their own chef, housekeeping staff, and bodyguards, according to North Korean Leadership Watch” reported VICE.
If having the same childhood as her dictator brother is any indication, the world could be in big trouble. Yo Jong returned to North Korea in 2000, after “having completed the U.S. equivalent of sixth grade.” In 2002, her father declared his youngest daughter “Was interested in politics and wanted a career in North Korea’s political system.”
Sung Yoon Lee, a Koreas expert at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University told VICE “it is entirely possible that Ms. Kim will prove even more tyrannical than her brother or father or grandfather.” Isn’t that just great? Lee added, “she will also have to show her mettle by provoking the U.S. with major weapons tests and lethal attacks on South Korea and U.S. forces stationed there.”


thelibertydaily--2020-04-24--President Trump Jabs at Slow Joe Biden: ‘We Have a Sleepy Guy in the Basement of the House That the

President Trump Jabs at Slow Joe Biden: ‘We Have a Sleepy Guy in the Basement of the House That the Press is Giving the Free Pass to Who Doesn’t Want to Debate’

DONALD Trump jabbed at Joe Biden on Thursday , complaining that the former vice president is hiding in his basement to avoid debating him .
Although Trump did n't directly name his Democratic rival , he accused Biden of getting a `` free pass '' from the media at his daily coronavirus press briefing .
`` We have a sleepy guy in the basement of the house that the press is giving the free pass to who does n't want to do debates because of COVID , '' Trump said .
`` We 've done a good job and gotten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we 've done because of the media , '' he continued , insinuating that reporters give Biden favorable treatment .
`` You have a large portion of the media automatically giving that guy a pass . ''
But earlier in the day , Biden countered his accusations and said he would debate Trump `` anytime anywhere he wants . ''
`` I can hardly wait to debate Donald Trump .
Are you kidding ? ''
the Democrat told donors during a virtual fundraiser .
`` Look , I 'm ready to debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or hangouts or in person , anytime anywhere he wants . ''
Despite Trump 's claims of Biden avoiding debate in coronavirus conditions , the former VP last appeared on the debate stage on March 15 .
He and Sen. Bernie Sanders went head-to-head at the CNN studios and bumped elbows instead of greeting each other with the typical handshake .
The Democratic nominee has been holed up inside his Delaware home adhering to stay-at-home guidelines .
Biden had a studio built in his basement to give television interviews and host campaign events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden has recently been at the center of controversy .
Earlier this month , former staff assistant Tara Reade filed a sexual assault complaint against Biden and accused him of attacking her in the Senate corridor in 1993 .
Biden has since denied the allegations , but acknowledged the complaint and promised to `` be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future . ''
Do you have a story for The US Sun team ?
Email us at exclusive @ the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552 .
Like us on Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ main Twitter account at @ TheSunUS .

DONALD Trump jabbed at Joe Biden on Thursday, complaining that the former vice president is hiding in his basement to avoid debating him.
Although Trump didn't directly name his Democratic rival, he accused Biden of getting a "free pass" from the media at his daily coronavirus press briefing.
8 Donald Trump accused Joe Biden Thursday of hiding in his basement to avoid debating him Credit: AP:Associated Press
8 Biden said he'd debate Trump 'anytime, anywhere' during a virtual fundraiser earlier in the day Credit: Getty Images - Getty
"We have a sleepy guy in the basement of the house that the press is giving the free pass to who doesn't want to do debates because of COVID," Trump said.
"We've done a good job and gotten very little credit for the good job that we've done because of the media," he continued, insinuating that reporters give Biden favorable treatment.
"You have a large portion of the media automatically giving that guy a pass."
But earlier in the day, Biden countered his accusations and said he would debate Trump "anytime anywhere he wants."
"I can hardly wait to debate Donald Trump. Are you kidding?" the Democrat told donors during a virtual fundraiser.
"Look, I'm ready to debate him. Zoom or Skype or Slack or hangouts or in person, anytime anywhere he wants."
8 Trump accused the media of giving Biden a 'free pass' while they criticized him instead Credit: AP:Associated Press
8 The former vice president has been holed up at his home in Delaware with his wife Jill
Despite Trump's claims of Biden avoiding debate in coronavirus conditions, the former VP last appeared on the debate stage on March 15.
He and Sen. Bernie Sanders went head-to-head at the CNN studios and bumped elbows instead of greeting each other with the typical handshake.
The Democratic nominee has been holed up inside his Delaware home adhering to stay-at-home guidelines.
Biden had a studio built in his basement to give television interviews and host campaign events online.
8 Despite Trump's claims, Biden has debated in coronavirus conditions before Credit: Reuters
8 He and Bernie Sanders bumped elbows before debating on the CNN stage on March 15 Credit: AFP or licensors
Like his Republican foe, Biden has recently been at the center of controversy.
Earlier this month, former staff assistant Tara Reade filed a sexual assault complaint against Biden and accused him of attacking her in the Senate corridor in 1993.
Biden has since denied the allegations, but acknowledged the complaint and promised to "be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future."
8 Earlier this month, Tara Reade, Joe Biden's former staff assistant, accused him of sexually harassing her in 1993 Credit: Twitter
8 Biden has since denied the allegations and promised to be 'more mindful' about respecting personal space Credit: AP:Associated Press
Donald Trump shares new campaign video mocking Biden and Obama
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS.


thelibertydaily--2020-04-24--Droves Of New Yorkers Are Looking To Leave The Big Apple

Will NYC rebound after the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic ?
Small spaces , dense population , high rent , crime rates , and poor governance were already things that some New Yorkers complained about .
Now that there have been thousands of deaths in the city because a virus spread rapidly , people are rethinking living in the city .
Waves of people are trying to leave New York for the suburbs and smaller cities amid growing fears that the city may never return to its former glory or that it will take years to get there .
Among those fleeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already been eyeing moves to suburbs and were give a push when the pandemic hit , and frustrated singletons who no longer see the point in paying exorbitant rent prices for small apartments when there is no city beyond their homes for them to enjoy .
It has sparked questions of whether New York will bounce back – like it did in the 1920s after the Spanish Flu , when there was a spike in creativity and population growth – but also fears that the Big Apple , beloved for its chaotic density @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same again .
This pandemic has revealed that some Americans really can change the way that they live and it isn ’ t necessary to live in the heart of the city .
People are looking to move into the suburbs and beyond .
Demand for suburban real estate is booming , but it is plummeting in Manhattan .
According to Urban Digs , demand in Manhattan is down 77 % .
Alison Bernstein , who runs a service called Suburban Jungle which matches city clients with suburban homes , told DailyMail.com she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suburban properties and properties in other cities… …The househunters are bolstered by the knowledge that they can work from home with more ease than they previously thought .
‘ Typically , they would have to be within 40 minutes of the city but now they can work from home they have started pushing further out , ’ she said .
Many of her clients are young families .
Bernstein says that she has seen an increase in families with young children who are finding life in the concrete jungle difficult these days .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and highrise living ( with young children touching elevator buttons , ) it ’ s difficult for a young family to manage both kids and telecommuting in a small apartment .
With the weather warming up , and nowhere to take the kids due to park closures , young families are longing for a yard to call their own .
But , Bernstein has also seen a bump in young , childless singles also looking to leave and want to head to places that are less expensive and with warmer weather like Austin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen this kind of exodus before and has bounced back–even after a deadly illness that spread rapidly as the Wuhan coronavirus did .
The question is , will it bounce back again ?
We live in different times with a different set of values .
Americans on the left of the political divide are increasingly wanting to be taken care of by the government and have prioritized safety over liberty .
They want things handed to them and have “ the rich ” pay for it .
They want their college degree , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
They want to have fantastic healthcare , but don ’ t want to pay for it like other services .
Democrat politicians were willing to tax the hell out of their citizens and offload the actual costs of their bad policy decisions on better-run states by using federal tax deductions–at least , they were until the Trump administration axed the SALT deduction .
Now we have people living in those badly-run states asking the question–Is it really worth it ?
For many , the answer seems to be “ No.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ socialism with you to wherever it is you go , because that ’ s one of the reasons why you left .
That ’ s what people mean when they say , “ Don ’ t California my Texas.
” And don ’ t New York the other red states , either .

Will NYC rebound after the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic?
Small spaces, dense population, high rent, crime rates, and poor governance were already things that some New Yorkers complained about. Now that there have been thousands of deaths in the city because a virus spread rapidly, people are rethinking living in the city.
Waves of people are trying to leave New York for the suburbs and smaller cities amid growing fears that the city may never return to its former glory or that it will take years to get there. Among those fleeing are parents with young children who had already been eyeing moves to suburbs and were give a push when the pandemic hit, and frustrated singletons who no longer see the point in paying exorbitant rent prices for small apartments when there is no city beyond their homes for them to enjoy. It has sparked questions of whether New York will bounce back – like it did in the 1920s after the Spanish Flu, when there was a spike in creativity and population growth – but also fears that the Big Apple, beloved for its chaotic density and busyness, may never be the same again.
This pandemic has revealed that some Americans really can change the way that they live and it isn’t necessary to live in the heart of the city. People are looking to move into the suburbs and beyond.
Demand for suburban real estate is booming, but it is plummeting in Manhattan. According to Urban Digs, demand in Manhattan is down 77%.
Alison Bernstein, who runs a service called Suburban Jungle which matches city clients with suburban homes, told DailyMail.com she has seen a surge in interest in suburban properties and properties in other cities… …The househunters are bolstered by the knowledge that they can work from home with more ease than they previously thought. ‘Typically, they would have to be within 40 minutes of the city but now they can work from home they have started pushing further out,’ she said. Many of her clients are young families.
Bernstein says that she has seen an increase in families with young children who are finding life in the concrete jungle difficult these days. With New York’s shelter-in-place order and highrise living (with young children touching elevator buttons,) it’s difficult for a young family to manage both kids and telecommuting in a small apartment. With the weather warming up, and nowhere to take the kids due to park closures, young families are longing for a yard to call their own.
But, Bernstein has also seen a bump in young, childless singles also looking to leave and want to head to places that are less expensive and with warmer weather like Austin or south Florida.
New York has seen this kind of exodus before and has bounced back–even after a deadly illness that spread rapidly as the Wuhan coronavirus did.
One of NYÇ's most creative periods was the 20s after the Spanish Flu. This virus will send some families away & make rich people flee to safety, but it will also draw the young, ambitious & creative to the city. https://t.co/hshBWkBD1f — Richard Florida (@Richard_Florida) April 21, 2020
NYC’s population actually grew by 1.3 million in the 1920s. In fact, during the 20s, NYC had a higher growth rate (23%) than in the prior decade (18%) and all subsequent decades. pic.twitter.com/oCt3AW74rj — Jonathan Bowles (@jbowlesnyc) April 21, 2020
The question is, will it bounce back again?
‘The obituary of New York City has been written more than once. And it’s always been proven incorrect,’ James Whelan, the head of the Real Estate Board of New York, said.
Source: Daily Mail
We live in different times with a different set of values. Americans on the left of the political divide are increasingly wanting to be taken care of by the government and have prioritized safety over liberty. They want things handed to them and have “the rich” pay for it. They want their college degree, but without the bill that goes with it. They want to have fantastic healthcare, but don’t want to pay for it like other services. Democrat politicians were willing to tax the hell out of their citizens and offload the actual costs of their bad policy decisions on better-run states by using federal tax deductions–at least, they were until the Trump administration axed the SALT deduction.
Now we have people living in those badly-run states asking the question–Is it really worth it? For many, the answer seems to be “No.”
Just one thing–don’t bring your socialism with you to wherever it is you go, because that’s one of the reasons why you left. That’s what people mean when they say, “Don’t California my Texas.”
And don’t New York the other red states, either.


thelibertydaily--2020-04-24--Famed Houston Doctor Leads Major Protest, Sues Judge Who Unconstitutionally Ordered People to Wear M

Famed Houston Doctor Leads Major Protest, Sues Judge Who Unconstitutionally Ordered People to Wear Masks in Public: ‘It is Time to Unmask Socialism’

You would never know it from the news cycle , but it IS possible to care about medicine AND liberty .
This doctor , who has been featured on our site before , is putting his money where his mouth is .
Now that a Judge has ordered mask-wearing in public , Dr. Steven F. Hotze is taking a stand .
He is leading a protest in Houston on April 23 .
Here ’ s what he has to say about it : Today , Harris county judge Lina Hidalgo ordered that everyone in Harris County be required to wear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 30 days .
Enough is enough .
It is time to unmask socialism .
I am filing a lawsuit against Hidalgo and am asking you to join me at the Let Freedom Ring Rally tomorrow at 3:00 pm , Thursday , April 23rd .
It will be held at the Harris County Administration Building , 1001 Preston in downtown Houston .
You can also go to my Facebook page , Conservative Republicans of Texas , for more information .
Please share this message with your fellow Texas Patriots .
We , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courageous , and stand up for our God given , unalienable constitutional rights .
Thank you and be sure to join me tomorrow at 3:00pm for the Let Freedom Ring rally !

You would never know it from the news cycle, but it IS possible to care about medicine AND liberty. This doctor, who has been featured on our site before, is putting his money where his mouth is.
Now that a Judge has ordered mask-wearing in public, Dr. Steven F. Hotze is taking a stand. He is leading a protest in Houston on April 23. Here’s what he has to say about it:
Dear Fellow Patriots,
Today, Harris county judge Lina Hidalgo ordered that everyone in Harris County be required to wear a mask in public and at work for 30 days.
Enough is enough.
It is time to unmask socialism. I am filing a lawsuit against Hidalgo and am asking you to join me at the Let Freedom Ring Rally tomorrow at 3:00 pm, Thursday, April 23rd.
It will be held at the Harris County Administration Building, 1001 Preston in downtown Houston. You can also go to my Facebook page, Conservative Republicans of Texas, for more information.
Please share this message with your fellow Texas Patriots. We, the people, need to be bold and courageous, and stand up for our God given, unalienable constitutional rights.
Thank you and be sure to join me tomorrow at 3:00pm for the Let Freedom Ring rally!
Sincerely yours,
Steven F. Hotze, M.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Conservative Republicans of Texas


thelibertydaily--2020-04-25--SHOCK: Michael Moore Turns on Climate Left With Documentary Skewering Green Energy

Left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore is under attack from his putative climate allies with a newly released documentary taking on one of the sacred cows of the environmental movement : green energy .
“ Planet of the Humans , ” released this week free of charge on YouTube to coincide with Earth Day , argues that replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy is not only a pipe dream , but that solar arrays , wind farms and biomass are doing enormous damage of their own to the environment .
The blowback from the left was immediate .
Josh Fox , director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and “ Gasland Part II , ” called on activists , scientists and others to sign a letter “ demanding an apology and an immediate retraction by the [ film ’ s ] producers , director and other advocates.
” Written , directed and narrated by veteran environmentalist Jeff Gibbs , the film also accuses the green movement of selling out to corporate America , taking shots at leading figures such as former Vice President Al Gore , 350.org ’ s Bill McKibben , former Obama green-jobs adviser Van Jones , the Sierra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “ The only reason we ’ ve been force-fed the story ‘ climate change plus renewables equals we ’ re saved ’ is because billionaires , bankers and corporations profit from it , ” Mr. Gibbs said in the 100-minute film .
Mr. Moore , the film ’ s executive producer , has admitted in interviews that he “ thought solar panels lasted forever ” and “ didn ’ t know what went into the making of them , ” referring to rare-earth minerals like quartz and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He told Reuters that he used to support electric vehicles , but “ I didn ’ t really think about , where is the electricity coming from ?
” More than 62 % of the U.S. utility-scale power grid is run on natural gas and coal .
“ [ W ] e are not going to be able to solar-panel and windmill our way out of this , ” Mr. Moore said on CBS ’ s “ Late Night with Stephen Colbert.
” “ We need a serious new direction.
” Free-marketers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposed solutions — population control and drastic reductions in consumption — but that doesn ’ t mean they haven ’ t enjoyed seeing Mr. Moore reiterate their talking points on green energy ’ s drawbacks .
Quipped the Competitive Enterprise Institute ’ s Myron Ebell : “ ‘ Planet of the Humans ’ should really be titled , ‘ The Luddite Left Eats the Climate Industrial Complex.
’ ” “ If global warming is really a problem , the solution can ’ t possibly be windmills , solar panels , burning biomass , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ebell , director of the CEI Center for Energy and Environment .
“ Climate and energy realists like CEI have been making these points for years , but now that leaders of the extreme anti-human , anti-industrial environmental fringe have reached the same conclusions , perhaps more people will start to pay attention.
” Heartland Institute senior fellow Anthony Watts , who runs the skeptical Watts Up With That website , hailed the film as an “ epic take-down of the left ’ s love-affair with renewables by one of the left ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there was plenty of outrage on the left over Mr. Moore ’ s betrayal .
Penn State climatologist Michael E. Mann , creator of the much-debated “ hockey stick ” graph of global warming , called it “ another polemic from Moore , but this time attacking climate action rather than the misdeeds of the right.
” “ Michael Moore ’ s prescription ( shunning renewable energy ) will insure a far LESS healthy planet , ” tweeted Mr. Mann , who holds a Ph.D. in geology and geophysics .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be viewing his error-riddled polemic at a time when we need to focus on REAL climate solutions.
” Others on social media blasted Mr. Moore as a “ blowhard , ” “ rich white guy , ” “ misinformed ” and “ dishonest.
” “ Michael Moore bringing together the white male small-population racists and the white male ecomodernist ultra-growth bros to attack solar and wind on Earth Day is just such a pure 2020 story , ” tweeted science writer Ketan Joshi .
No Michael Moore film would be complete without gotcha @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Humans ” has its share , including details on Mr. Gore ’ s financial ties to green energy , Mr. McKibben waffling on 350.org ’ s funding sources , and Mr. Jones , Mr. Kennedy and Mr. McKibben skirting questions on biomass .
Mr. McKibben issued a statement Thursday emphasizing that he changed his mind years ago about “ large-scale biomass , ” a renewable-energy source that involves logging and burning vast swaths of trees at power plants to produce electricity .
“ I am used to ceaseless harassment and attack from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve done my best to ignore a lifetime of death threats from right-wing extremists , ” said Mr. McKibben .
“ It does hurt more to be attacked by others who think of themselves as environmentalists.
” The film slams the Koch brothers , who are invested in renewables , but most of the criticism is devoted to bursting the left ’ s green-energy bubble .
A concert billed as running on renewables is actually plugged into the grid .
Acres of desert brush and trees are leveled for gigantic solar projects .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Power Facility in the Mojave Desert , co-producer Ozzie Zehner says that while solar energy is renewable , the array itself was built using fossil-fuel infrastructure .
“ You use more fossil fuels to do this than you ’ re getting benefit from , ” said Mr. Zehner , a visiting scholar at Northwestern and author of 2012 ’ s “ Green Illusions.
” “ You would have been better off burning the fossil fuels in the first place instead of playing pretend.
” In his letter , Mr. Fox called the assertion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accusing the film of using outdated information and making unfair , misleading attacks on “ movement leaders ” and “ important local campaigners.
” The Oscar-winning producer of films such as “ Bowling for Columbine , ” “ Fahrenheit 9/11 , ” and “ Roger and Me , ” Mr. Moore said he decided to release the film online because of the uncertainty about when theaters would reopen following the coronavirus closures .
“ [ W ] e are not going to be able to solar-panel and windmill our way out of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s “ Late Night with Stephen Colbert.
” “ We need a serious new direction.
” Whether Mr. Moore ’ s conversion changes any minds on the left remains to be seen , but Power the Future Western states director Larry Behrens said he doubted it .
“ The fact that the problems of the green agenda are so plain that even Michael Moore can figure it out is little comfort to those who support our workers and a strong economy , ” Mr. Behrens said .
“ Sadly , even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the socialist green agenda are still moving forward trying to destroy energy jobs across our country .
”

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thelibertydaily--2020-04-24--Despite Media Silence, Biden Assault Allegations Gaining Traction Among #MeToo Crowd

As Joe Biden marches , or rather slow crawls , to the Democratic presidential nomination , more and more # MeToo activists are finding it quite hard to ignore his sexual assault allegation and history of inappropriate touching .
The only question is , why haven ’ t the mainstream media been as invested in these earnest women , as they were when Brett Kavanaugh was under fire ?
On Friday , The Huffington Post published the distressing account of 15 assault survivors who are taking Tara Reade ’ s graphic allegations of sexual assault against the former Vice President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost all ” these women claim they thought Reade ’ s allegation was credible , “ all of them ” accused the Democratic establishment of being negligent for not talking about it .
The story seems to be gaining traction .
On Friday , as well , The Intercept broke the story of “ new evidence ” supporting Reade ’ s allegation and Politico published a piece on Thursday , April 23 , commenting on the problems candidate Biden poses for the # MeToo movement .
The MRC located the episode of CNN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Intercept and Scott Whitlock published it here at NewsBusters .
The # MeToo activists told Huffpost that by protecting Biden , the Democratic Party was sending them the message , “ You don ’ t matter.
” At least on the part of the Dems ’ media allies , they seem to have been sending that message for the better part of a month .
On April 13 , NewsBusters reported that neither ABC , CBS , nor NBC ever mentioned Reade ’ s allegation that the former Vice President assaulted her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a March 25 Rolling Stone podcast .
That ’ s a full three weeks after the allegation broke .
The double standard between this instance and the media ’ s coverage of allegations against conservative SCOTUS Justice Brett Kavanaugh is glaring .
NewsBusters noted that within the first 12 days since Christine Blasey Ford made her flimsy allegation against the then-SCOTUS nominee , the networks devoted “ 305 minutes ” to it .
Cable news networks ignored the Reade account , as well .
On April 3 , our outlet found that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and NBC asked Biden a total of 55 questions and none of them were Reade-related .
Only on Monday April 13 -- three weeks later -- did MSNBC decide to cover the Reade allegation , and the coverage was relegated to the tail end of MTP Daily where MSNBC host Katy Tur brought it up and then quickly switched over to President Trump ’ s coronavirus briefings .
Again , with Kavanaugh , CNN and MSNBC spent a total of four hours on flimsy allegations dredged up by Deborah Ramirez within the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Times .
“ From the first report at 9:42 am Sunday through 4:00 pm ET on Monday , CNN and MSNBC have spent a combined 233 minutes ( excluding teases ) peddling these dubious allegations , ” NewsBusters reported .
What ’ s more is that Ramirez ’ s accusations fell apart completely after modest scrutiny .
The double standard provides evidence that perhaps # MeToo issues are a huge priority to Democrats and their media allies when it ’ s politically expedient for them .
When it ’ s inconvenient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they “ don ’ t matter .
”

As Joe Biden marches, or rather slow crawls, to the Democratic presidential nomination, more and more #MeToo activists are finding it quite hard to ignore his sexual assault allegation and history of inappropriate touching. The only question is, why haven’t the mainstream media been as invested in these earnest women, as they were when Brett Kavanaugh was under fire?
On Friday, The Huffington Post published the distressing account of 15 assault survivors who are taking Tara Reade’s graphic allegations of sexual assault against the former Vice President “seriously.” Not only did “almost all” these women claim they thought Reade’s allegation was credible, “all of them” accused the Democratic establishment of being negligent for not talking about it.
The story seems to be gaining traction. On Friday, as well, The Intercept broke the story of “new evidence” supporting Reade’s allegation and Politico published a piece on Thursday, April 23, commenting on the problems candidate Biden poses for the #MeToo movement.
The MRC located the episode of CNN's Larry King Live alluded to by The Intercept and Scott Whitlock published it here at NewsBusters.
The #MeToo activists told Huffpost that by protecting Biden, the Democratic Party was sending them the message, “You don’t matter.”
At least on the part of the Dems’ media allies, they seem to have been sending that message for the better part of a month. On April 13, NewsBusters reported that neither ABC, CBS, nor NBC ever mentioned Reade’s allegation that the former Vice President assaulted her in 1993 since she first revealed it on a March 25 Rolling Stone podcast. That’s a full three weeks after the allegation broke.
The double standard between this instance and the media’s coverage of allegations against conservative SCOTUS Justice Brett Kavanaugh is glaring. NewsBusters noted that within the first 12 days since Christine Blasey Ford made her flimsy allegation against the then-SCOTUS nominee, the networks devoted “305 minutes” to it.
Cable news networks ignored the Reade account, as well. On April 3, our outlet found that since the allegation, CNN, MSNBC, and NBC asked Biden a total of 55 questions and none of them were Reade-related. Only on Monday April 13 -- three weeks later -- did MSNBC decide to cover the Reade allegation, and the coverage was relegated to the tail end of MTP Daily where MSNBC host Katy Tur brought it up and then quickly switched over to President Trump’s coronavirus briefings.
Again, with Kavanaugh, CNN and MSNBC spent a total of four hours on flimsy allegations dredged up by Deborah Ramirez within the first day-and-a-half of being touted by The New York Times. “From the first report at 9:42 am Sunday through 4:00 pm ET on Monday, CNN and MSNBC have spent a combined 233 minutes (excluding teases) peddling these dubious allegations,” NewsBusters reported. What’s more is that Ramirez’s accusations fell apart completely after modest scrutiny.
The double standard provides evidence that perhaps #MeToo issues are a huge priority to Democrats and their media allies when it’s politically expedient for them. When it’s inconvenient for their presumptive presidential nominee, perhaps they “don’t matter.”


thelibertydaily--2020-04-24--Power-Usurping Carter-Appointed Judge Tells ICE to Release Illegals Over Chi-Com Virus

U.S. district judge in Los Angeles—who was appointed by President Jimmy Carter—ruled Thursday that an unspecified number of detainees must be released at an ICE facility in the state due to the coronavirus outbreak .
Judge Terry Hatter said the facility in Adelanto , Calif. , must provide detainees with enough room to safely practice social distancing and that would require a dramatic drop in population .
He expects the agency to release the detainees in intervals .
Hatter , earlier this month , was criticized after he ordered the release of four detainees who have been convicted of felony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They included one 54-year-old who was convicted of “ lewd or lascivious acts with a minor ” and a drug trafficker .
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Newsweek reported that Hatter ’ s recent order requires that at least 100 should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be released by the end of the month .
The report said there are about 1,300 men and women at the processing center , which is one of the largest in the country .
ICE officials said these detainees are provided with soap and other cleaning supplies and took steps to increase social distancing , including adjusting meals and recreation times .
The lawsuit was filed earlier this month by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and the law firm Latham & Watkins .
The ruling will likely be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judicial overreach .
The Los Angeles Times reported that , in the ruling , Hatter ordered staff at the facility to maintain a six-foot separation from detainees and they must wear protective garb .
The report said that if federal officials “ fail to comply with any of the above , the Court will consider the immediate release of class members.
” The paper called the ruling the first of its kind in California and pointed to a similar ruling that was made earlier this week in Miami .
There are about 32,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ICE custody on civil charges , and there have been new calls to ensure their safety after the outbreak of the virus .
The New York Times reported that as of Wednesday night , there have been 287 confirmed cases .
“ This is a real recipe for a humanitarian disaster , ” Anthony Enriquez , the director of the unaccompanied minors program at Catholic Charities , told the paper .

U.S. district judge in Los Angeles—who was appointed by President Jimmy Carter—ruled Thursday that an unspecified number of detainees must be released at an ICE facility in the state due to the coronavirus outbreak.
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Judge Terry Hatter said the facility in Adelanto, Calif., must provide detainees with enough room to safely practice social distancing and that would require a dramatic drop in population. He expects the agency to release the detainees in intervals.
Hatter, earlier this month, was criticized after he ordered the release of four detainees who have been convicted of felony crimes, according to the Daily Caller. They included one 54-year-old who was convicted of “lewd or lascivious acts with a minor” and a drug trafficker.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Social media is cracking down on Conservative content. Many of you have complained that you never see our content in your news feeds. There’s only one way to fight back — and that’s by subscribing to my FREE weekly newsletter. Click here.
Newsweek reported that Hatter’s recent order requires that at least 100 should be released by April 27, another 150 should be released by the end of the month. The report said there are about 1,300 men and women at the processing center, which is one of the largest in the country.
ICE officials said these detainees are provided with soap and other cleaning supplies and took steps to increase social distancing, including adjusting meals and recreation times. The lawsuit was filed earlier this month by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and the law firm Latham & Watkins.
Fox News Star Contributor Blasts "Angry and Excitable People" Who Want to Re-Open Country https://t.co/f1V94FwDHl via @toddstarnes — toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) April 24, 2020
The ruling will likely be seen by some as another example of judicial overreach.
The Los Angeles Times reported that, in the ruling, Hatter ordered staff at the facility to maintain a six-foot separation from detainees and they must wear protective garb. The report said that if federal officials “fail to comply with any of the above, the Court will consider the immediate release of class members.”
The paper called the ruling the first of its kind in California and pointed to a similar ruling that was made earlier this week in Miami.
There are about 32,000 detainees who are currently being held in ICE custody on civil charges, and there have been new calls to ensure their safety after the outbreak of the virus. The New York Times reported that as of Wednesday night, there have been 287 confirmed cases.
“This is a real recipe for a humanitarian disaster,” Anthony Enriquez, the director of the unaccompanied minors program at Catholic Charities, told the paper.


thelibertydaily--2020-04-24--Drain the Swamp! Feds Were Buying Cats from Chinese Wet Markets, Fed Them to American Cats for Resea

Drain the Swamp! Feds Were Buying Cats from Chinese Wet Markets, Fed Them to American Cats for Research: Report

Do you find your stomach turning when you think of the treatment and handling of domestic animals , and the apparent disregard for sanitation , at China ’ s now-infamous wet markets ?
According to one report , you may have been providing those markets financial assistance for many years .
A March 2019 report from the White Coat Waste Project — a watchdog group that wants to “ drain the swamp ” by ending federal spending on projects that use dogs , monkeys , cats and other animals as guinea pigs — revealed that U.S. taxpayer funding went to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And it gets worse .
According to the the report , U.S. government researchers had been conducting “ kitten cannibalism ” experiments — spending taxpayer dollars to buy cats and other animals from Chinese wet markets and then feeding their tissue to kittens in the U.S. TRENDING : Days After Trump Cut WHO Funding , Michelle Helped Raise $ 55 Million for Incompetent Globalist Org The practice had apparently gone on for some time , too .
“ Since 1982 , the United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) Agricultural Research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and continues to perform , toxoplasmosis experiments on cats , ” the report said .
“ The currently approved protocol for this project calls for up to 100 kittens to be bred each year at ARS ’ s Animal Parasitic Disease Laboratory ( APDL ) in Beltsville , Maryland .
At eight weeks old , the kittens are fed raw meat infected with the Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii ) parasite , and their feces is collected for up to 3 weeks so experimenters can harvest oocysts ( eggs ) for use in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — who briefly pass the parasite ’ s eggs and become immune within weeks — are then killed and incinerated by USDA because they are no longer useful.
” That ’ s where the wet markets come in .
“ In addition to the cats USDA breeds and kills itself , for at least a decade — and as recently as 2015 — the same ARS experimenters purchased and killed hundreds of pet , stray or ‘ unwanted ’ cats ( and dogs ) from countries in Asia , Africa and Latin America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Particularly troubling is that some of these cats and dogs were purchased by the USDA from meat markets the some of the same Asian countries ( China and Vietnam ) that U.S. Congress roundly condemned for their dog and cat meat trades.
” The foreign cats ’ tissues , the White Coat Waste Project said , were then fed to the USDA ’ s lab-bred cats .
It remains to be seen how many American dollars were spent at such markets , though the report said the entire project cost $ 650,000 a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearts from at least 34 cats purchased at a Chinese meat market were fed to U.S. cats , the watchdog group said .
RELATED : AOC Lies About New Trump Welfare Rule & Children , Gets 40,000 Retweets One specific instance was particularly troubling .
As The Washington Times reported : “ White Coat managed to obtain documents detailing a cat ‘ menu ’ from 2006 detailing the ‘ donor ’ cats that were purchased and then reduced to ‘ serum , heart , feces , brain ’ and other parts , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Laboratory in Beltsville , Maryland , where they were fed to ‘ recipient ’ cats.
” It ’ s worth noting that after the report came out , the USDA said it would end all cat experiments and adopt out the 14 cats still alive at its Maryland facility .
Moreover , the agency has insisted it never bought any live animals from Chinese meat markets , or any specimens at all after 2006 .
“ USDA never purchased live animals , including cats and dogs , from Chinese meat markets .
USDA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wet markets in Wuhan , China .
USDA ’ s last purchase of feline specimens from China was in 2006 at the Changban Free Market in Guangzhou , Guangdong province , ” a USDA spokesperson told the Washington Examiner this month .
“ USDA did not pay for any animals to be slaughtered for research at Chinese meat markets .
USDA only purchased feline specimens that were slaughtered by Chinese market vendors for food in accordance with People ’ s Republic of China laws.
” Still , the report now has new relevance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being determined if the COVID-19 pandemic originated in a Wuhan wet market , or a virology lab in the area , wet markets have become a hot topic of discussion in recent months .
Justin Goodman , vice president for advocacy at White Coat Waste Project , told The Times the markets put human lives at risk , and called out the federal government for playing a role in supporting them .
“ This kind of reckless taxpayer-funded research involving disgusting wet markets — which even are known to sell experimental lab @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human and global health in grave danger and has to be prevented in the future , ” Goodman said .
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst is also now leading the charge in Congress to ensure that American dollars are never again spent at Chinese wet markets , or used to fund Chinese virology research .
( It was reported earlier this month that China ’ s Wuhan Institute of Virology received a $ 3.7 million grant from the U.S .
government . )
“ While previous administrations should have been working to shut down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were subsidizing them with taxpayer money , ” the Republican said in a statement on her Senate website .
“ That ’ s why I ’ m working across the aisle to prevent any more American tax dollars from going to China ’ s unregulated ‘ supermarkets of sickness.
’ ” “ Whether it ’ s the lab in Wuhan or these repulsive wet markets , Iowans shouldn ’ t be footing the bill for either , Ernst said .
Ernst is 100 percent right .
American taxpayers should never have been funding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

Do you find your stomach turning when you think of the treatment and handling of domestic animals, and the apparent disregard for sanitation, at China’s now-infamous wet markets?
According to one report, you may have been providing those markets financial assistance for many years.
A March 2019 report from the White Coat Waste Project — a watchdog group that wants to “drain the swamp” by ending federal spending on projects that use dogs, monkeys, cats and other animals as guinea pigs — revealed that U.S. taxpayer funding went to these repulsive centers for death and disease.
And it gets worse.
According to the the report, U.S. government researchers had been conducting “kitten cannibalism” experiments — spending taxpayer dollars to buy cats and other animals from Chinese wet markets and then feeding their tissue to kittens in the U.S.
The practice had apparently gone on for some time, too.
“Since 1982, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has conducted, and continues to perform, toxoplasmosis experiments on cats,” the report said.
“The currently approved protocol for this project calls for up to 100 kittens to be bred each year at ARS’s Animal Parasitic Disease Laboratory (APDL) in Beltsville, Maryland. At eight weeks old, the kittens are fed raw meat infected with the Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) parasite, and their feces is collected for up to 3 weeks so experimenters can harvest oocysts (eggs) for use in food safety experiments. These healthy kittens — who briefly pass the parasite’s eggs and become immune within weeks — are then killed and incinerated by USDA because they are no longer useful.”
That’s where the wet markets come in.
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“In addition to the cats USDA breeds and kills itself, for at least a decade — and as recently as 2015 — the same ARS experimenters purchased and killed hundreds of pet, stray or ‘unwanted’ cats (and dogs) from countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America,” the report said.
“Particularly troubling is that some of these cats and dogs were purchased by the USDA from meat markets the some of the same Asian countries (China and Vietnam) that U.S. Congress roundly condemned for their dog and cat meat trades.”
The foreign cats’ tissues, the White Coat Waste Project said, were then fed to the USDA’s lab-bred cats.
It remains to be seen how many American dollars were spent at such markets, though the report said the entire project cost $650,000 a year.
The tongues, brains and hearts from at least 34 cats purchased at a Chinese meat market were fed to U.S. cats, the watchdog group said.
One specific instance was particularly troubling.
As The Washington Times reported: “White Coat managed to obtain documents detailing a cat ‘menu’ from 2006 detailing the ‘donor’ cats that were purchased and then reduced to ‘serum, heart, feces, brain’ and other parts, which were brought to the Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, where they were fed to ‘recipient’ cats.”
It’s worth noting that after the report came out, the USDA said it would end all cat experiments and adopt out the 14 cats still alive at its Maryland facility.
Moreover, the agency has insisted it never bought any live animals from Chinese meat markets, or any specimens at all after 2006.
“USDA never purchased live animals, including cats and dogs, from Chinese meat markets. USDA did not purchase any feline specimens from wet markets in Wuhan, China. USDA’s last purchase of feline specimens from China was in 2006 at the Changban Free Market in Guangzhou, Guangdong province,” a USDA spokesperson told the Washington Examiner this month.
“USDA did not pay for any animals to be slaughtered for research at Chinese meat markets. USDA only purchased feline specimens that were slaughtered by Chinese market vendors for food in accordance with People’s Republic of China laws.”
Still, the report now has new relevance, for obvious reasons.
While it is being determined if the COVID-19 pandemic originated in a Wuhan wet market, or a virology lab in the area, wet markets have become a hot topic of discussion in recent months.
Justin Goodman, vice president for advocacy at White Coat Waste Project, told The Times the markets put human lives at risk, and called out the federal government for playing a role in supporting them.
“This kind of reckless taxpayer-funded research involving disgusting wet markets — which even are known to sell experimental lab animals for consumption — put animal, human and global health in grave danger and has to be prevented in the future,” Goodman said.
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst is also now leading the charge in Congress to ensure that American dollars are never again spent at Chinese wet markets, or used to fund Chinese virology research. (It was reported earlier this month that China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology received a $3.7 million grant from the U.S. government.)
“While previous administrations should have been working to shut down these dangerous, disease-prone markets, they were subsidizing them with taxpayer money,” the Republican said in a statement on her Senate website.
“That’s why I’m working across the aisle to prevent any more American tax dollars from going to China’s unregulated ‘supermarkets of sickness.’”
“Whether it’s the lab in Wuhan or these repulsive wet markets, Iowans shouldn’t be footing the bill for either, Ernst said.
Ernst is 100 percent right. American taxpayers should never have been funding these sorts of things in the first place.
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