thegatewaypundit--2020-02-19--Reports: Barr Considering Resigning Over Trump Tweets, ‘Interference’ in DOJ; UPDATE: Spox Denies

Reports : Barr Considering Resigning Over Trump Tweets , ‘ Interference ’ in DOJ ; UPDATE : Spox Denies Reports breaking Tuesday night by The Washington Post , later confirmed by CNN , ABC News and the Associated Press state that Attorney General William Barr has told associates he is considering resigning over President Trump ’ s tweets and ‘ interference ’ with the Department of Justice .
UPDATE : Barr spokeswoman Kerri Kupic tweeted , “ Addressing Beltway rumors : The Attorney General has no plans to resign.
” One can parse the denial as “ no plans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considering resigning , but that ’ s the statement .
CNN ’ s Kaitlin Collins reported , “ CNN : Attorney General William Barr has considered resigning over President Trump ’ s interference with Justice Department matters , mainly his tweets , according to a source close to the situation.
” Just hours after President Donald Trump openly defied his public pleas to stop tweeting about criminal matters in the Justice Department , Attorney General Bill Barr told people close to Trump Tuesday that he is considering resigning over the tweets that Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ impossible ” to do his job , sources tell ABC News .
…In an exclusive interview with ABC News last week , Barr had warned Trump that his tweets about the DOJ , in particular the sentencing process of his former long-time advisor Roger Stone , were disrupting his ability to manage the department .
“ I ’ m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody.
” Barr said .
“ Whether it ’ s Congress , newspaper editorial boards , or the president .
I ’ m gon na @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And , you know , the , I think the — I can not do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.
” The Washington Post , which broke the story , headlined : “ Barr has told those close to Trump he is considering quitting over the president ’ s tweets about Justice Dept .
investigations ” Attorney General William P. Barr has told people close to President Trump — both inside and outside the White House — that he is considering quitting over Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , three administration officials said , foreshadowing a possible confrontation between the president and his attorney general over the independence of the Justice Department .
So far , Trump has defied Barr ’ s requests , both public and private , to keep quiet on matters of federal law enforcement .
It was not immediately clear Tuesday if Barr had made his posture known directly to Trump .
The administration officials said Barr seemed to be sharing his position with advisers in hopes the president would get the message that he should stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s ongoing criminal investigations .
“ He has his limits , ” said one person familiar with Barr ’ s thinking , speaking on the condition of anonymity , like others , to discuss internal deliberations .
…Some people familiar with Barr ’ s thinking cautioned that he would not make a hasty decision to leave , and it is unclear what precisely would trigger him to take such a dramatic step… President Trump spoke to reporters earlier Tuesday about Barr , as he prepared to board Air Force One at Joint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for a four day West Coast trip for campaigning and official business .
Q Do you have confidence in your Attorney General ?
First — THE PRESIDENT : Yeah , I have total confidence in my Attorney General .
Q And do you agree with his statement that he — that you should stop tweeting about Justice Department issues ?
THE PRESIDENT : Well , people like that .
But , you know , everybody has the right to speak their mind .
And I use social media .
I guess I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am .
I ’ m here .
And I probably wouldn ’ t have gotten here without social media because I certainly don ’ t get fair press .
So I wouldn ’ t have gotten here without social media and , perhaps , with all of the hoaxes .
You had the impeachment hoax , you had the Mueller hoax , you had the “ Russia , Russia , Russia ” nonsense .
All scams .
And if I didn ’ t have social media , I probably wouldn ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happy with social media .
But I think he ’ s doing an excellent job .
He ’ s a strong guy .
I never spoke to him about the Roger Stone situation .
Roger Stone , just so you know , never worked — he didn ’ t work for my campaign .
There might ’ ve been a time — way early , long before I announced — where he was somehow involved a little bit .
But he was not involved in our campaign at all .
And I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing that happened to Roger Stone .
Because when you look what happened with Comey after a 78-page , horrific report , when you look at what happened to McCabe with a recommendation of prosecution , and you look at all of these other people , and then you look at what happened to General Flynn , a highly respected man — look at — I mean , his life has been destroyed .
If you ’ re looking at Roger Stone for a tweet and some other things — you take a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these people .
Somebody has to stick up for the people .
So , my social media is very powerful .
I guess , Mark Zuckerberg just recently said , “ Trump is number one in the world ” on social media , which is a very nice statement , I guess .
Certainly it ’ s something you can be at least a little bit proud of .
But it means I have a voice so I ’ m able to fight the fake news .
Q Has the Attorney General threatened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then , also , he said that your comments on Twitter are making it “ impossible ” to do his job .
Are you making his job impossible ?
THE PRESIDENT : Well , but it allows me — yeah , I do make his job harder .
I do agree with that .
I think that ’ s true .
He ’ s a very straight shooter .
We have a great Attorney General , and he ’ s working very hard .
And he ’ s working against a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see good things happen , in my opinion .
That ’ s my opinion , not his opinion .
That ’ s my opinion .
You ’ ll have to ask what his opinion is .
But I will say this : Social media , for me , has been very important because it gives me a voice , because I don ’ t get that voice in the press .
In the media , I don ’ t get that voice .
So I ’ m allowed to have a voice .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ do his job with integrity , though ?
Q He says it ’ s making it hard for him to do his job with integrity .
THE PRESIDENT : He ’ s a very — he ’ s a man with great integrity .
The Attorney General is a man with incredible integrity .
Now , just so you understand , I chose not to be involved .
I ’ m allowed to be totally involved .
I ’ m actually , I guess , the chief law enforcement officer of the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be involved .
But he is a man of great integrity .
But I would be — I could be involved if I wanted to be .

Reports breaking Tuesday night by The Washington Post, later confirmed by CNN, ABC News and the Associated Press state that Attorney General William Barr has told associates he is considering resigning over President Trump’s tweets and ‘interference’ with the Department of Justice.
UPDATE: Barr spokeswoman Kerri Kupic tweeted, “Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign.”
Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign. — Kerri Kupec DOJ (@KerriKupecDOJ) February 19, 2020
One can parse the denial as “no plans to resign” not being the same as considering resigning, but that’s the statement.
Attorney General William Barr, November 2019 file image.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported, “CNN: Attorney General William Barr has considered resigning over President Trump’s interference with Justice Department matters, mainly his tweets, according to a source close to the situation.”
CNN: Attorney General William Barr has considered resigning over President Trump’s interference with Justice Department matters, mainly his tweets, according to a source close to the situation. @kaitlancollins — Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) February 19, 2020
ABC News:
Just hours after President Donald Trump openly defied his public pleas to stop tweeting about criminal matters in the Justice Department, Attorney General Bill Barr told people close to Trump Tuesday that he is considering resigning over the tweets that Barr had previously told ABC News make it “impossible” to do his job, sources tell ABC News. …In an exclusive interview with ABC News last week, Barr had warned Trump that his tweets about the DOJ, in particular the sentencing process of his former long-time advisor Roger Stone, were disrupting his ability to manage the department. “I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody.” Barr said. “Whether it’s Congress, newspaper editorial boards, or the president. I’m gonna do what I think is right. And, you know, the, I think the — I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.”
The AP:
Attorney General William Barr has told people close to him he’s considering quitting his post after President Donald Trump wouldn’t heed his warning to stop tweeting about Justice Department cases, an administration official told The Associated Press…
The Washington Post, which broke the story, headlined: “Barr has told those close to Trump he is considering quitting over the president’s tweets about Justice Dept. investigations”
Attorney General William P. Barr has told people close to President Trump — both inside and outside the White House — that he is considering quitting over Trump’s tweets about Justice Department investigations, three administration officials said, foreshadowing a possible confrontation between the president and his attorney general over the independence of the Justice Department. So far, Trump has defied Barr’s requests, both public and private, to keep quiet on matters of federal law enforcement. It was not immediately clear Tuesday if Barr had made his posture known directly to Trump. The administration officials said Barr seemed to be sharing his position with advisers in hopes the president would get the message that he should stop weighing in publicly on the Justice Department’s ongoing criminal investigations. “He has his limits,” said one person familiar with Barr’s thinking, speaking on the condition of anonymity, like others, to discuss internal deliberations. …Some people familiar with Barr’s thinking cautioned that he would not make a hasty decision to leave, and it is unclear what precisely would trigger him to take such a dramatic step…
President Trump spoke to reporters earlier Tuesday about Barr, as he prepared to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, outside Washington, D.C., for a four day West Coast trip for campaigning and official business.
Excerpt from White House transcript:


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-19--“SO DONE!!!!! GO TRUMP!!!!!!!!!” – Hah-Hah! – Pennsylvania Democrat Forced to Apologize to Party ove

“SO DONE!!!!! GO TRUMP!!!!!!!!!” – Hah-Hah! – Pennsylvania Democrat Forced to Apologize to Party over Old Pro-Trump Facebook Posts

“ SO DONE !
!
!
!
!
GO TRUMP !
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
” – Hah-Hah !
– Pennsylvania Democrat Forced to Apologize to Party over Old Pro-Trump Facebook Posts You got ta love this !
Democrats endorsed “ moderate ” Heather Kass last week to run for the state House of Representative to replace retiring Rep. Harry Readshaw , D-Penn.
, in April .
But Heather Kass is more than just a moderate .
She cheered Trump and slammed Hillary just a couple of years ago .
Heather Kass was forced to apologize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A Pennsylvania Democrat endorsed by a local committee to run for the state ’ s seat in the House of Representatives is facing backlash after the contender she defeated dredged up old posts made on social media indicating she bashed Hillary Clinton and expressed her support for President Trump instead .
Heather Kass , of Pittsburgh ’ s Carrick neighborhood , apologized for the resurfaced Facebook posts , in which she slammed recipients of ObamaCare , saying “ THESE LAZY NO GOOD IDIOTS SUCKING THE SYSTEM DRY AND I STILL HAVE TO PAY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the post from 2105 , “ GO TRUMP !
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
” with 12 exclamation points , according to reports by the Pittsburgh City Paper .
A year earlier , Kass also shared another post on Facebook from the right-wing group Freedom Works , decrying that they did not want Hillary Clinton to become president in 2016 .
Kass , a moderate Democrat was endorsed by the Allegheny County Democratic Party on Monday despite the posts , to replace retiring Rep. Harry Readshaw , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selected after beating another more liberal candidate , Jessica Benham , by a landslide , 49 to 19 for the endorsement .

You gotta love this!
Democrats endorsed “moderate” Heather Kass last week to run for the state House of Representative to replace retiring Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Penn., in April.
But Heather Kass is more than just a moderate. She cheered Trump and slammed Hillary just a couple of years ago.
Heather Kass LOVED Donald Trump.
Heather also trashed Hillary Clinton.
Heather Kass was forced to apologize for her pro-Trump posts this week.
Nice job, Democrats!
Haha!
FOX News reported:


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-19--‘A Violation of the Logan Act’ – Trump Blasts Dem Sen. Chris Murphy For Secretly Meeting with Irania

‘A Violation of the Logan Act’ – Trump Blasts Dem Sen. Chris Murphy For Secretly Meeting with Iranians (VIDEO)

‘ A Violation of the Logan Act ’ – Trump Blasts Dem Sen. Chris Murphy For Secretly Meeting with Iranians ( VIDEO ) President Trump on Tuesday suggested Democrat Senator Murphy ( CT ) violated the Logan Act when he secretly met with Iranians last week in Germany .
On Monday , Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist reported that according to a source , Dem Sen. Murphy secretly met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the Munich Security Conference last week .
Murphy attended the meeting with Javad Zarif without first seeking permission from the State Department , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday Senator Murphy admitted that he met secretly with the Iranian Foreign Minister in Germany .
“ I saw that…Senator Murphy met with the Iranians ; is that a fact ?
I just saw that on the way over .
Is there anything that I should know ?
Because that sounds like to me a violation of the Logan Act , ” Trump said while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews .
Following the death of Commander Soleimani Democrat Senator Chris Murphy ( D-Conn. ) lashed out at President Trump for assassinating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsible for the deaths and maiming of HUNDREDS of US soldiers .
Senator Murphy has a history of supporting Iran ’ s mullahs and was one of the biggest supporters of Obama ’ s Iran nuke deal .
Murphy is a routine speaker at the NIAC Council , the regime ’ s lobby house in the US .
And just like former Secretary of State John Kerry , Chris Murphy defied the Trump administration and engaged in shadow diplomacy .
Ironically , Senator Murphy demanded General Mike Flynn be investigated for ‘ violating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Russian Ambassador Kislyak on behalf of an incoming president .
“ Any effort to undermine our nation ’ s foreign policy – even during a transition period – may be illegal and must be taken seriously , ” Murphy said in 2017 .
So when does the investigation into Chris Murphy begin ?

President Trump on Tuesday suggested Democrat Senator Murphy (CT) violated the Logan Act when he secretly met with Iranians last week in Germany.
On Monday, Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist reported that according to a source, Dem Sen. Murphy secretly met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the Munich Security Conference last week.
Murphy attended the meeting with Javad Zarif without first seeking permission from the State Department, potentially undermining the US government.
On Tuesday Senator Murphy admitted that he met secretly with the Iranian Foreign Minister in Germany.
“I saw that…Senator Murphy met with the Iranians; is that a fact? I just saw that on the way over. Is there anything that I should know? Because that sounds like to me a violation of the Logan Act,” Trump said while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews.
WATCH:
President Trump: "I saw that…Senator Murphy met with the Iranians; is that a fact? I just saw that on the way over. Is there anything that I should know? Because that sounds like to me a violation of the Logan Act." pic.twitter.com/qOEwDaRptR — CSPAN (@cspan) February 18, 2020
Following the death of Commander Soleimani Democrat Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) lashed out at President Trump for assassinating the Iranian al-Quds terrorist leader who was responsible for the deaths and maiming of HUNDREDS of US soldiers.
Senator Murphy has a history of supporting Iran’s mullahs and was one of the biggest supporters of Obama’s Iran nuke deal.
Murphy is a routine speaker at the NIAC Council, the regime’s lobby house in the US.
And just like former Secretary of State John Kerry, Chris Murphy defied the Trump administration and engaged in shadow diplomacy.
Ironically, Senator Murphy demanded General Mike Flynn be investigated for ‘violating the Logan Act’ because he spoke to Russian Ambassador Kislyak on behalf of an incoming president.
“Any effort to undermine our nation’s foreign policy – even during a transition period – may be illegal and must be taken seriously,” Murphy said in 2017.
So when does the investigation into Chris Murphy begin?


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-19--Senior White House Official Calls California “Occupied Territory” as Trump Lands in Los Angeles at S

Senior White House Official Calls California “Occupied Territory” as Trump Lands in Los Angeles at Start of Four Day West Coast Swing

Senior White House Official Calls California “ Occupied Territory ” as Trump Lands in Los Angeles at Start of Four Day West Coast Swing Joe Grogan , Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council , set off a firestorm of criticism when he called California “ occupied territory ” in a tweet Tuesday night about President Trump ’ s trip to the Golden State .
Trump landed in Los Angeles Tuesday to kickoff a four day , four state West Coast swing that will see him appear at a mix of official events and fundraisers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rallies in Phoenix on Wednesday , Colorado Springs on Thursday and Las Vegas on Friday and other official events and fundraisers in those states .
Trump is scheduled to overnight in Las Vegas each night before his expected return to Washington Friday .
While the Trump administration will be hotly criticized for the slur , the media has other names for California ’ s relationship with White House .
Politico called California the “ State of Resistance ” in its preview article on the President ’ s trip .
“ For the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Union address , President Donald Trump is returning to the State of Resistance today .
As always , his reception will vary wildly.
” The pushback online was immediate , with some noting how much California pays in federal taxes compared to other states :

Joe Grogan, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council, set off a firestorm of criticism when he called California “occupied territory” in a tweet Tuesday night about President Trump’s trip to the Golden State.
Trump landed in Los Angeles Tuesday to kickoff a four day, four state West Coast swing that will see him appear at a mix of official events and fundraisers in California on Tuesday and Wednesday and campaign rallies in Phoenix on Wednesday, Colorado Springs on Thursday and Las Vegas on Friday and other official events and fundraisers in those states. Trump is scheduled to overnight in Las Vegas each night before his expected return to Washington Friday.
After 5 hr 11 min flight west, Pres Trump deplanes Air Force One in Los Angeles. Waves to supporters on tarmac. Will be meeting today with US Olympic & Paralympic Committee and LA2028 Organizers. Later has $7-million Trump fundraiser in Beverly Hills. pic.twitter.com/HAlhxsbLgI — Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 19, 2020
Grogan tweeted Tuesday evening, “Just landed in California. POTUS power swing through occupied territory.”
Just landed in California. POTUS power swing through occupied territory.  https://t.co/3juICy6NHN — Joe Grogan 45 Archived (@joegrogan45) February 19, 2020
While the Trump administration will be hotly criticized for the slur, the media has other names for California’s relationship with White House. Politico called California the “State of Resistance” in its preview article on the President’s trip.
“For the first time since his California-bashing State of the Union address, President Donald Trump is returning to the State of Resistance today. As always, his reception will vary wildly.”
The pushback online was immediate, with some noting how much California pays in federal taxes compared to other states:
Hey look at how many taxes this occupied territory pays. pic.twitter.com/woF4bJ5Q9t — Wanderlust 🌍✈🚢 🌊 🏳🌈🌻 End The Filibuster (@Keri_Wanders) February 19, 2020
Here’s an assistant to Trump calling a U.S. State “Occupied Territory.” I see they are trying they hardest to lose even more congressional seats than what they lost in 2018. https://t.co/uwiPtuTdOF — Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) February 19, 2020
Occupied territory? Occupied by whom, hardworking tax payers? This is from a federal employee. pic.twitter.com/MkuLWMY9RE — Diana Gonzales 🐈 (@trojanchick99) February 19, 2020
https://twitter.com/JoeyMRB/status/1229934094651232256
“Occupied territory.” Hey scumbag, I’m a patriotic American who pays your salary and yet you disrespect us? https://t.co/ywkCfhzzg2 — JEHawks (@jehawks) February 19, 2020
https://twitter.com/leahmcelrath/status/1229933598725279747
Imagine if Obama's Director of the Domestic Policy Council and advisor referred to Texas or some other red state as "occupied territory" https://t.co/O2up1lJuHx — Jordan (@jordan_j_2326) February 19, 2020
https://twitter.com/james94_SF/status/1229930409502228481


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-19--Global Surgical Mask Shortage Spells Doom For U.S. Amid Coronavirus Pandemic — TAIWAN CUTS OFF EXPOR

Global Surgical Mask Shortage Spells Doom For U.S. Amid Coronavirus Pandemic — TAIWAN CUTS OFF EXPORTING MASKS, THAILAND LIMITS EXPORTS!!

Global Surgical Mask Shortage Spells Doom For U.S. Amid Coronavirus Pandemic — TAIWAN CUTS OFF EXPORTING MASKS , THAILAND LIMITS EXPORTS !
!
In January my brother Joe called to tell us the stores were out of surgical masks as fear of coronavirus spread in China .
We sent Joe and his family a box of surgical masks , hand sanitizers , gloves and Zicam .
But today the surgical masks are out in most stores in America .
This is a serious issue now facing Americans .
–Jim Hoft As the deadly coronavirus suddenly spreads , paralyzing cities in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dozen other countries , medical face masks are suddenly one of the world ’ s hottest commodities .
The Chinese government has ordered citizens to don masks every time they go outside .
Once used , medical professionals advise a mask to be replaced with a fresh one , driving an explosion in demand .
Amid shortages and soaring prices of masks , scenes of people lined up for hours to get a protective face covering , only to be turned away when pharmacies run out , have become familiar .
Footage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , showing the Chinese government dragging people kicking and screaming to mass quarantine camps around the epicenter of the outbreak , has lit up the world wide web .
“ The epidemic is a demon , and we can not let this demon hide , ” warns Chinese president Xi Jinping .
Chinese community officers are even ruthlessly beating stray dogs to death in broad daylight to prevent them from spreading the virus .
The coronavirus poses an imminent national security threat that would induce the implosion of the U.S economy and beget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , predicts Mike Bowen , executive vice president of Prestige Ameritech , the sole full-line surgical mask manufacturer in America .
More than 90 percent of surgical masks and respirators sold in the United States are produced overseas , according to the Department of Health and Human Services .
China typically produces approximately half the world ’ s sanitary face masks — around 20 million a day , or more than seven billion a year , while Taiwan makes 20 percent of the global supply .
However , people are not showing up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crippling the communist country ’ s economy .
The virus has cut production down to approximately 10 million daily , which is not even enough to meet the current demand in China .
If factories in China continuously fail to operate at full strength , the global supply chain for even the most specialized products would cause large-scale global disruption .
At any given time , these countries could easily cut off the U.S. supply chain , leaving Ameritech Prestige as the last line of America ’ s defense amid biological warfare .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ global ] mask supply , ” Bowen explained on Steve Bannon ’ s “ War Room : Pandemic ” podcast .
“ China has steadily been taking away our mask business .
In a few years , it will all be owned by China – they sell the mask for less than I can buy the material .
“ America ’ s hospitals want to save money .
The way America ’ s hospitals buy products – it ’ s all rigged .
GPO , group purchasing organization , bid these things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the low price , that ’ s China .
That ’ s why all this happening.
” The most effective mask , known as the N95 respirator , is designed to filter at least 95 % of airborne particles and more sufficiently protects against the spread of virus-laden droplets than surgical masks .
China currently produces approximately 600,000 of N95 masks daily , according to figures from the Ministry of Industry .
Hospitals do not stockpile these high-quality masks and typically have enough to last just two weeks .
“ We are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bowens said .
“ We are the only surgical mask manufacturer still left in the USA –that ’ s no small thing because the N95 supply rests on the foundation of the surgical mask supply and if it collapses the N95 supply will immediately collapse.
” Last month , China , Taiwan and India banned the export of face masks to reserve them for desperate residents .
India removed the ban earlier this month .
Thailand limited exports of surgical masks earlier this month .
As a result , pharmacies in the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new survey conducted by the National Community Pharmacists Association , nearly 96 percent of U.S. pharmacists said the coronavirus has led to shortages and nearly 40 percent don ’ t have enough N95 respirators as retailers wait to restock shelves .
As the coronavirus metastasized across 24 countries , Prestige Ameritech is receiving international orders to outsource its supply from foreign governments , including Hong Kong , Singapore and Taiwan .
“ There is 200 times more demand than there is supply , ” Bowen said .
“ My phone is ringing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am getting an email .
I had to change my email address so that I could actually see emails from my customers.
” For over a decade , Bowen warmed government officials of the insecure U.S. mask supply , but those who had the power to preemptively remedy the situation brushed him off .
“ I ’ ve been preaching this American-made story since 2007 .
Nobody listened .
“ The whole mass market was only interested in price , ” he said .
“ I ’ ve been everywhere for 14 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ ve talked to congressmen .
I ’ ve talked to generals .
I ’ ve written the president .
I wrote President Obama five or six letters and he sent me a presidential proclamation on pandemics suitable for framing.
” The Department of Health and Human Service confirmed America ’ s mask makers had left the country in 2007 and HHS official met with Prestige Ameritech , Bowen explained , only to conclude the department merely had “ authority to study the problem.
” As of Feb. 18 , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been infected with the disease in China , while 1,868 people have died , according to the Chinese government .
Professor Gabriel Leung , the founding director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Infection Disease Epidemiology and Control in Hong Kong , estimates the number of people infected by the Wuhan coronavirus will double every six days and could potentially infect 60 to 90 percent of the world in the next couple of years unless public health authorities impose “ substantial draconian measures to limit population mobility.
” People need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become a global epidemic though it is “ not a certainty by any stretch of the imagination…we must prepare better for it , ” he told reporters in January .
The government ’ s apathy to the impending crisis , makes it near impossible to adequately supply the demand for masks upon the coronavirus hitting the U.S. and precipitously expanding the Prestige is a financial liability , Bowen argued .
“ It ’ s too little too late , ” he said .
When the Ebola pandemic caused global panic , “ we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ machines .
Everybody said they ’ d stay with us .
The day after the pandemic , they forgot who we were .
We nearly went out of business .
I had to sell 5 percent of the company to survive in 2011 .
“ The [ Center for Disease Control ] needs to get involved and they need to tell America ’ s hospitals what they ’ ve been telling me – this is a national security problem and they should buy American masks .
The Department of Defense should stop letting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s controlled by a foreign government .
I can ’ t help everybody right now .
We are going to help as many hospitals as we can .
It takes months to build a mass machine.
” The United States is also entirely reliant on Chinese manufacturing for nearly all pharmaceutical drugs , generic prescriptions and over-the-counter product supplements and medicines – including penicillin and vitamin C. If US-China tensions worsen , China could cut off antibiotic exports , throwing our hospitals into turmoil .
Bannon , a former top adviser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign dependencies are at the heart of what it means to be made in America .
“ In order to have a secure nation , it ’ more than just tanks and soldiers and missiles , there is health security .
We are now paying the true cost of the China price , with this just-in-time inventory , ” he said .
“ This globalization– it wasn ’ t just about taking jobs , which is bad enough , it wasn ’ t just about stripping our factories out of here– it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We are now supplicants to our enemies .
That is unacceptable and I know that is one of the reasons why Donald Trump is president of the United States .
”

In January my brother Joe in Hong Kong called to tell us the stores were out of surgical masks as fear of coronavirus spread in China.
We sent Joe and his family a box of surgical masks, hand sanitizers, gloves and Zicam.
But today the surgical masks are out in most stores in America.
This is a serious issue now facing Americans.
–Jim Hoft
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As the deadly coronavirus suddenly spreads, paralyzing cities in China and infecting thousands in more than a dozen other countries, medical face masks are suddenly one of the world’s hottest commodities.
The Chinese government has ordered citizens to don masks every time they go outside. Once used, medical professionals advise a mask to be replaced with a fresh one, driving an explosion in demand.
Amid shortages and soaring prices of masks, scenes of people lined up for hours to get a protective face covering, only to be turned away when pharmacies run out, have become familiar.
Footage documented by China’s citizen journalists, showing the Chinese government dragging people kicking and screaming to mass quarantine camps around the epicenter of the outbreak, has lit up the world wide web.
https://twitter.com/htommy998/status/1226935621127528448?s=20
Those unable to obtain masks face merciless backlash.
A man to enter village without wearing a face mask ang fit beaten up by locals … again, there are face mask supply shortage in China, maybe he just couldn’t buy one. #CoronaVirus #WHO #CoronaVirusOutbreak #NovelCoronaVirus#WuhanCoronavirus #武汉肺炎
#武汉疫情
#ChinaCorona pic.twitter.com/mhvb7SyjDx — me•media 迷 • 媒体 (@oznzusukca) February 9, 2020
“The epidemic is a demon, and we cannot let this demon hide,” warns Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Chinese community officers are even ruthlessly beating stray dogs to death in broad daylight to prevent them from spreading the virus.
https://twitter.com/BrutumF/status/1226392124922290176?s=20
The coronavirus poses an imminent national security threat that would induce the implosion of the U.S economy and beget an unprecedented “health security” crisis, predicts Mike Bowen, executive vice president of Prestige Ameritech, the sole full-line surgical mask manufacturer in America.
More than 90 percent of surgical masks and respirators sold in the United States are produced overseas, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
China typically produces approximately half the world’s sanitary face masks — around 20 million a day, or more than seven billion a year, while Taiwan makes 20 percent of the global supply. However, people are not showing up to the factories or their jobs, crippling the communist country’s economy. The virus has cut production down to approximately 10 million daily, which is not even enough to meet the current demand in China.
If factories in China continuously fail to operate at full strength, the global supply chain for even the most specialized products would cause large-scale global disruption. At any given time, these countries could easily cut off the U.S. supply chain, leaving Ameritech Prestige as the last line of America’s defense amid biological warfare.
“We make 7 percent of the [global] mask supply,” Bowen explained on Steve Bannon’s “War Room: Pandemic” podcast. “China has steadily been taking away our mask business. In a few years, it will all be owned by China – they sell the mask for less than I can buy the material.
“America’s hospitals want to save money. The way America’s hospitals buy products – it’s all rigged. GPO, group purchasing organization, bid these things out. They’re looking for the low price, that’s China. That’s why all this happening.”
The most effective mask, known as the N95 respirator, is designed to filter at least 95% of airborne particles and more sufficiently protects against the spread of virus-laden droplets than surgical masks.
China currently produces approximately 600,000 of N95 masks daily, according to figures from the Ministry of Industry. Hospitals do not stockpile these high-quality masks and typically have enough to last just two weeks.
“We are not the only manufacturer of N95s,” Bowens said. “We are the only surgical mask manufacturer still left in the USA –that’s no small thing because the N95 supply rests on the foundation of the surgical mask supply and if it collapses the N95 supply will immediately collapse.”
Last month, China, Taiwan and India banned the export of face masks to reserve them for desperate residents. India removed the ban earlier this month. Thailand limited exports of surgical masks earlier this month. As a result, pharmacies in the U.S. are reporting supply shortages. According to a new survey conducted by the National Community Pharmacists Association, nearly 96 percent of U.S. pharmacists said the coronavirus has led to shortages and nearly 40 percent don’t have enough N95 respirators as retailers wait to restock shelves.
As the coronavirus metastasized across 24 countries, Prestige Ameritech is receiving international orders to outsource its supply from foreign governments, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.
“There is 200 times more demand than there is supply,” Bowen said. “My phone is ringing every two minutes, every one minute I am getting an email. I had to change my email address so that I could actually see emails from my customers.”
For over a decade, Bowen warmed government officials of the insecure U.S. mask supply, but those who had the power to preemptively remedy the situation brushed him off.
“I’ve been preaching this American-made story since 2007. Nobody listened. “The whole mass market was only interested in price,” he said. “I’ve been everywhere for 14 years trying to get people to listen. I’ve talked to congressmen. I’ve talked to generals. I’ve written the president. I wrote President Obama five or six letters and he sent me a presidential proclamation on pandemics suitable for framing.”
The Department of Health and Human Service confirmed America’s mask makers had left the country in 2007 and HHS official met with Prestige Ameritech, Bowen explained, only to conclude the department merely had “authority to study the problem.”
As of Feb. 18, a total of 72,436 people are confirmed to have been infected with the disease in China, while 1,868 people have died, according to the Chinese government.
Professor Gabriel Leung, the founding director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Infection Disease Epidemiology and Control in Hong Kong, estimates the number of people infected by the Wuhan coronavirus will double every six days and could potentially infect 60 to 90 percent of the world in the next couple of years unless public health authorities impose “substantial draconian measures to limit population mobility.”
People need to be prepared for the outbreak to become a global epidemic though it is “not a certainty by any stretch of the imagination…we must prepare better for it,” he told reporters in January.
The government’s apathy to the impending crisis, makes it near impossible to adequately supply the demand for masks upon the coronavirus hitting the U.S. and precipitously expanding the Prestige is a financial liability, Bowen argued.
“It’s too little too late,” he said. When the Ebola pandemic caused global panic, “we hired 150 people, we built new machines. Everybody said they’d stay with us. The day after the pandemic, they forgot who we were. We nearly went out of business. I had to sell 5 percent of the company to survive in 2011.
“The [Center for Disease Control] needs to get involved and they need to tell America’s hospitals what they’ve been telling me – this is a national security problem and they should buy American masks. The Department of Defense should stop letting our warfighters rely on a mask supply that’s controlled by a foreign government. I can’t help everybody right now. We are going to help as many hospitals as we can. It takes months to build a mass machine.”
The United States is also entirely reliant on Chinese manufacturing for nearly all pharmaceutical drugs, generic prescriptions and over-the-counter product supplements and medicines – including penicillin and vitamin C. If US-China tensions worsen, China could cut off antibiotic exports, throwing our hospitals into turmoil.
Bannon, a former top adviser to President Donald Trump, warns these foreign dependencies are at the heart of what it means to be made in America.
“In order to have a secure nation, it’ more than just tanks and soldiers and missiles, there is health security. We are now paying the true cost of the China price, with this just-in-time inventory,” he said. “This globalization– it wasn’t just about taking jobs, which is bad enough, it wasn’t just about stripping our factories out of here– it’s left us exposed as a nation.
“We are now supplicants to our enemies. That is unacceptable and I know that is one of the reasons why Donald Trump is president of the United States.”


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-19--VIDEO: Kevin Hasset DESTROYS Liar Barack Obama on President Trump’s Historic Economy

On Monday Barack Obama tried to take credit for the record Trump economy .
It was a shameless move by the former president .
But it wasn ’ t the first time Obama tried to steal President Trump ’ s successes .
Barack Obama broke precedent as a former president in 2018 and trashed his successor President Trump–calling him out by name , and then took credit for Trump ’ s booming economy .
Obama gave a speech at the University of Illinois and arrogantly took credit for Trump ’ s booming economy .
Barack Obama had the worst economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only president in history to never see a single year of 3.0 % GDP growth yet here he is with a smug look on his face giving himself credit for Trump ’ s accomplishments .
In response to Obama ’ s ridiculous claim Kevin Hassett , the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under the Trump administration , addressed the White House press briefing the following Monday .
Kevin went through ISM Purchasing Managers ’ index , durable goods , employment and other statistics to bolster Trump ’ s claims about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the White House wanted to gang-rush Sarah Sanders but instead were forced to listen to Hassett lecture on economic facts !
Beautiful !
Hassett completely destroyed Barack Obama and his lies about the Trump economic miracle .
This was spectacular !
Here is the transcript from Hassett ’ s presentation with the facts on the Trump economy .
The mainstream media ignored Hassett ’ s remarks .
CHAIRMAN HASSETT : Thanks .
It ’ s really a great pleasure to be back here .
And thank you , Sarah , for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the hypotheses that ’ s been floating around about the economy lately is that the strong economy that we ’ re seeing is just a continuation of recent trends .
And , you know , since we ’ re the nerds at the White House , we decided that this is a testable hypothesis .
And so what we can do is we can go out and we can estimate recent trends — that is , trends that ran in the economy up to the point of the last election — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent trends .
In most cases , by the way , the estimates of the trends that we present to you here are very statistically significant , as are the deviations from the trend .
And so now I ’ m going to , as I always do , show you a few slides .
Could I have the next slide , please ?
That ’ s the first slide again .
There we go .
So the first slide that we ’ re looking at is small-business optimism .
And this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re going to see that each of the slides we go through is going to look a lot like this .
And so the blue part to the left of the slide is what happened from the 2012 election through the 2016 election .
And the dotted blue line is the trend that President Trump inherited from the previous President .
And the red line is what actually happened with the data .
And so , I think that if you look at this chart , you can see that the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chart is the percent reporting now as a good time to expand .
The last one is the percent expecting higher real sales in six months .
I think if you look at any of those , you ’ d say , “ Gee , that doesn ’ t really look like the continuation of a recent trend.
” Could I have the next slide , please ?
The next chart is something that , in my first presser here , way back last fall , we talked a lot about .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than $ 300 billion over the trend .
Again , if you look at the blue line on the left , the first chart is nonresidential fixed investment .
And the dotted line is the trend and the growth rate to that , that President Trump inherited .
For the middle chart is structures , or buildings .
And that , as you can see , the dotted line is something that is headed straight down .
And then , the final chart is equipment investment , and that went straight down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think that if anyone were to assert that the capital spending boom that we ’ re seeing right now was a continuation of the trend that President Trump inherited , then , well , you know , they wouldn ’ t get a high grade in graduate school for that assertion .
The next chart , please .
Durable goods orders , capital goods orders — it ’ s a key part of the economy , and it ’ s one of the factors that we look at most closely because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the jobs that affects normal Americans — blue- collar Americans .
And the first chart is core capital goods orders , and the second chart is core capital goods shipments .
And if you look at it , the blue again shows a clear downward trajectory and billions of dollars .
And then that trajectory reversed itself completely when President Trump was elected .
If you were going to assert that the current good news is just the extension of a recent trend , then you ’ d just simply be factually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Here we ’ re looking at the ISM purchasing managers index , which is a survey of people who are purchasing managers for manufacturing firms .
And so they ’ re the folks that , you know , as the title suggests , manage the purchases .
And so it ’ s a really great indicator of the economy because you can survey them and say , “ Hey , have you been buying lots of stuff this month or have you not ?
” And the index shows what their responses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the trend on the purchasing managers index was pretty much flat when President Trump took office .
And the red line shows you what happened since , that there ’ s a clear inflection right at the election and a clear break in the trend .
Let ’ s turn to the next one , please .
Now , one of the things that I can remember at the American Enterprise Institute talking a lot about before I came in here was the fact that entrepreneurship in America was falling off .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ measure entrepreneurship is that , if you start a new business , that you have to apply for an ID number — a tax ID number — for your business .
And so , in this chart , we ’ ve plotted the EIN applications for new businesses .
And if you look at the blue line , they were heading up because we were at a recovery , but there ’ s clear upward trajectory way above the trend at the end .
And , you know , Sarah — like John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And so she looked at that one , and said , “ Jeez , that looks like a very strong second derivative to me.
” ( Laughter . )
And then , I said , “ I didn ’ t know you did calculus.
” And she said , “ I like calculus better than talking to these guys.
” The next chart is prime-age workers reentering the labor force .
And again , if you look at the trend , one of the things people said when we put out our growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have 3 percent growth was we said that President Trump ’ s policies are going to bring factories back to the U.S. , give you the capital spending boom that you saw in the previous chart , and that was going to bring people back into the labor force at precisely the right time .
Once again , you can see that there ’ s clear break in the trend .
And so , if you see a break in the trend in the capital spending , the new plant formation that gives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next slide , please — then maybe we see a break in the trend in blue-collar workers employment as well .
And so this is employment for people in goods-producing industries .
If you look , again , at the blue part on the left , you can see that there ’ s a clear downward trend going on in the growth rate of that for President Obama , and then a clear inflection timed almost precisely , once again , at the election .
And the notion , again , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is a continuation of the trend is almost laughable if you look at this chart and , you know , look at the rest of them .
Now , somebody might say , if you ’ re showing a bunch of charts , well , gee , maybe it depends on when you estimate the trend .
And I ’ m sure that if you went back and began your estimate of the trend at the Civil War , and then thought about , well , what trend do we get then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re not — yeah , well , you would get a different answer from what we see .
But another way to sort of test whether the data that I just showed you is a fair representation of what a trend looked like when President Trump was elected is just to compare it to what nonpartisan bodies were saying .
So if I could have a look at my final chart here .
I know — guys , I heard this sigh of relief when I said “ final chart.
” So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you ’ ll see that the black line is , in June of 2017 , what the CBO — Congressional Budget Office , a nonpartisan agency that has a job , really , of looking at recent trends and projecting it — what they said would happen to capital spending back in 2017 .
The blue line is what they said in April 2018 .
And the red line is what ’ s actually happened .
And so , I would assert that if you look at the collective body of evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re seeing right now is just a continuation of recent trends is not super defensible .
And I think that — I know that we ’ re in a political time and passions are high .
But , as geeky economists , one of the things we have to do is think ahead to what historians will think when they look back at this time .
And I can promise you that economic historians will 100 percent accept the fact that there was an inflection at the election of Donald Trump , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started heading north .
They will , of course , argue for a long time about why that happened .
But my final thought for you is just this : That when they do that , and when you watch people do that in the media going forward , with op-eds and so on , that you should watch out for ex-post theorizing .
As an economist , one of the things I most care about is an ex-ante theory — something that happens before , and then let ’ s watch the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agrees with a theory .
That ’ s how you test a theory .
You might recall that I came back here last fall , and I told you that if we had the tax cuts that President Trump advised that we have , that he pursued — if we passed them , then there would be a boom in capital spending this year .
In fact , we provided estimates at the time last fall that said that capital spending this year would go up about 11 percent because of the tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first half of the year , capital spending is up 10 percent .
And so you don ’ t have to really reach far for a theory of what happened .
President Trump deregulated the economy ; we ’ ve talked about how that affects growth .
The tax cuts have had exactly the predicted effect on the economy that ’ s brought businesses back to the U.S. , factories back to the U.S. , and created jobs for ordinary Americans .
It clear in the data that there ’ s been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I look forward to taking a few questions before I hand it off to Sarah to talk about other things .
And I ’ ll let Mr. Roberts go first , and then I ’ ll maybe try one for each row , because I know I ’ m not allowed to go for the whole time .

On Monday Barack Obama tried to take credit for the record Trump economy.
It was a shameless move by the former president.
But it wasn’t the first time Obama tried to steal President Trump’s successes.
Barack Obama broke precedent as a former president in 2018 and trashed his successor President Trump–calling him out by name, and then took credit for Trump’s booming economy.
Obama gave a speech at the University of Illinois and arrogantly took credit for Trump’s booming economy.
Barack Obama had the worst economic recovery in US history; Obama is the only president in history to never see a single year of 3.0% GDP growth yet here he is with a smug look on his face giving himself credit for Trump’s accomplishments.
In response to Obama’s ridiculous claim Kevin Hassett, the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under the Trump administration, addressed the White House press briefing the following Monday.
Kevin went through ISM Purchasing Managers’ index, durable goods, employment and other statistics to bolster Trump’s claims about the economy.
The liberal media hacks in the White House wanted to gang-rush Sarah Sanders but instead were forced to listen to Hassett lecture on economic facts!
Beautiful!
Hassett completely destroyed Barack Obama and his lies about the Trump economic miracle.
This was spectacular!
Here is the transcript from Hassett’s presentation with the facts on the Trump economy.
The mainstream media ignored Hassett’s remarks.
CHAIRMAN HASSETT: Thanks. It’s really a great pleasure to be back here. And thank you, Sarah, for the kind introduction.
You know, one of the hypotheses that’s been floating around about the economy lately is that the strong economy that we’re seeing is just a continuation of recent trends. And, you know, since we’re the nerds at the White House, we decided that this is a testable hypothesis. And so what we can do is we can go out and we can estimate recent trends — that is, trends that ran in the economy up to the point of the last election — and then compare the latest data to the recent trends.
In most cases, by the way, the estimates of the trends that we present to you here are very statistically significant, as are the deviations from the trend.
And so now I’m going to, as I always do, show you a few slides. Could I have the next slide, please? That’s the first slide again. There we go.
So the first slide that we’re looking at is small-business optimism. And this is basically — for parallel construction, you’re going to see that each of the slides we go through is going to look a lot like this. And so the blue part to the left of the slide is what happened from the 2012 election through the 2016 election. And the dotted blue line is the trend that President Trump inherited from the previous President. And the red line is what actually happened with the data.
And so, I think that if you look at this chart, you can see that the first thing is small-business optimism. The middle chart is the percent reporting now as a good time to expand. The last one is the percent expecting higher real sales in six months. I think if you look at any of those, you’d say, “Gee, that doesn’t really look like the continuation of a recent trend.”
Could I have the next slide, please?
The next chart is something that, in my first presser here, way back last fall, we talked a lot about. It’s business investment, which is more than $300 billion over the trend. Again, if you look at the blue line on the left, the first chart is nonresidential fixed investment. And the dotted line is the trend and the growth rate to that, that President Trump inherited.
For the middle chart is structures, or buildings. And that, as you can see, the dotted line is something that is headed straight down.
And then, the final chart is equipment investment, and that went straight down before President Trump was elected.
And I think that if anyone were to assert that the capital spending boom that we’re seeing right now was a continuation of the trend that President Trump inherited, then, well, you know, they wouldn’t get a high grade in graduate school for that assertion.
The next chart, please.
Durable goods orders, capital goods orders — it’s a key part of the economy, and it’s one of the factors that we look at most closely because it characterizes, basically, the good-paying jobs, the jobs that affects normal Americans — blue- collar Americans.
And the first chart is core capital goods orders, and the second chart is core capital goods shipments. And if you look at it, the blue again shows a clear downward trajectory and billions of dollars. And then that trajectory reversed itself completely when President Trump was elected.
If you were going to assert that the current good news is just the extension of a recent trend, then you’d just simply be factually incorrect.
The next slide, please.
Here we’re looking at the ISM purchasing managers index, which is a survey of people who are purchasing managers for manufacturing firms. And so they’re the folks that, you know, as the title suggests, manage the purchases. And so it’s a really great indicator of the economy because you can survey them and say, “Hey, have you been buying lots of stuff this month or have you not?” And the index shows what their responses look like.
And you can see that the trend on the purchasing managers index was pretty much flat when President Trump took office. And the red line shows you what happened since, that there’s a clear inflection right at the election and a clear break in the trend.
Let’s turn to the next one, please.
Now, one of the things that I can remember at the American Enterprise Institute talking a lot about before I came in here was the fact that entrepreneurship in America was falling off. And one of the ways we can measure entrepreneurship is that, if you start a new business, that you have to apply for an ID number — a tax ID number — for your business.
And so, in this chart, we’ve plotted the EIN applications for new businesses. And if you look at the blue line, they were heading up because we were at a recovery, but there’s clear upward trajectory way above the trend at the end.
And, you know, Sarah — like John Roberts — is a calculus geek. And so she looked at that one, and said, “Jeez, that looks like a very strong second derivative to me.” (Laughter.) And then, I said, “I didn’t know you did calculus.” And she said, “I like calculus better than talking to these guys.”
The next chart is prime-age workers reentering the labor force. And again, if you look at the trend, one of the things people said when we put out our growth forecast that said that we’d have 3 percent growth was we said that President Trump’s policies are going to bring factories back to the U.S., give you the capital spending boom that you saw in the previous chart, and that was going to bring people back into the labor force at precisely the right time. Once again, you can see that there’s clear break in the trend.
And so, if you see a break in the trend in the capital spending, the new plant formation that gives blue-collar workers their jobs — go to the next slide, please — then maybe we see a break in the trend in blue-collar workers employment as well. And so this is employment for people in goods-producing industries.
If you look, again, at the blue part on the left, you can see that there’s a clear downward trend going on in the growth rate of that for President Obama, and then a clear inflection timed almost precisely, once again, at the election. And the notion, again, that somebody might defensively attempt to assert that this is a continuation of the trend is almost laughable if you look at this chart and, you know, look at the rest of them.
Now, somebody might say, if you’re showing a bunch of charts, well, gee, maybe it depends on when you estimate the trend. And I’m sure that if you went back and began your estimate of the trend at the Civil War, and then thought about, well, what trend do we get then — well, then, maybe we’re not — yeah, well, you would get a different answer from what we see.
But another way to sort of test whether the data that I just showed you is a fair representation of what a trend looked like when President Trump was elected is just to compare it to what nonpartisan bodies were saying.
So if I could have a look at my final chart here. I know — guys, I heard this sigh of relief when I said “final chart.” So if you look at the final chart, you’ll see that the black line is, in June of 2017, what the CBO — Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency that has a job, really, of looking at recent trends and projecting it — what they said would happen to capital spending back in 2017. The blue line is what they said in April 2018. And the red line is what’s actually happened.
And so, I would assert that if you look at the collective body of evidence, the notion that what we’re seeing right now is just a continuation of recent trends is not super defensible. And I think that — I know that we’re in a political time and passions are high. But, as geeky economists, one of the things we have to do is think ahead to what historians will think when they look back at this time. And I can promise you that economic historians will 100 percent accept the fact that there was an inflection at the election of Donald Trump, and that a whole bunch of data items started heading north. They will, of course, argue for a long time about why that happened.
But my final thought for you is just this: That when they do that, and when you watch people do that in the media going forward, with op-eds and so on, that you should watch out for ex-post theorizing. As an economist, one of the things I most care about is an ex-ante theory — something that happens before, and then let’s watch the data, and then see if it agrees with a theory. That’s how you test a theory.
You might recall that I came back here last fall, and I told you that if we had the tax cuts that President Trump advised that we have, that he pursued — if we passed them, then there would be a boom in capital spending this year.
In fact, we provided estimates at the time last fall that said that capital spending this year would go up about 11 percent because of the tax cuts. So far, in the first half of the year, capital spending is up 10 percent.
And so you don’t have to really reach far for a theory of what happened. President Trump deregulated the economy; we’ve talked about how that affects growth. The tax cuts have had exactly the predicted effect on the economy that’s brought businesses back to the U.S., factories back to the U.S., and created jobs for ordinary Americans. It clear in the data that there’s been a trend break.
And with that, I look forward to taking a few questions before I hand it off to Sarah to talk about other things. And I’ll let Mr. Roberts go first, and then I’ll maybe try one for each row, because I know I’m not allowed to go for the whole time.


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-20--Historical Reminder: Communism ONLY Helps Those on the Very Top – Here’s a Look at Bernie’s Three La

Historical Reminder: Communism ONLY Helps Those on the Very Top – Here’s a Look at Bernie’s Three Lavish Homes

Historical Reminder : Communism ONLY Helps Those on the Very Top – Here ’ s a Look at Bernie ’ s Three Lavish Homes Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg got hammered last night in his first presidential debate .
The billionaire businessman made the mistake of defending capitalism to the commie hordes .
However , Mini-Mike did land one shot on Bernie Sanders .
Bernie Sanders was later labeled a communist by the former New York City mayor .
This seems fair .
After all , Bernie honeymooned in the Soviet Union and his policies are complete takeover of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s studied history knows this will end in severe poverty , suffering and violence for 99 % of the population .
But Bernie doesn ’ t care .
As long as he lands on top .
Bernie the Socialist owns three beautiful homes as Bloomberg pointed out .
And these are not just rundown shacks in the woods .
And Bernie Sanders owns a DC row house that was built in the 1800s .
Not bad for a guy who never had a steady paycheck til he was 40 and then went @ @ @

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg got hammered last night in his first presidential debate.
The billionaire businessman made the mistake of defending capitalism to the commie hordes.
However, Mini-Mike did land one shot on Bernie Sanders.
Mike Bloomberg to Bernie Sanders: “What a wonderful country we have… the best known socialist in the country happens to be the millionaire with three houses”
Mike Bloomberg to Bernie Sanders: “What a wonderful country we have… the best known socialist in the country happens to be the millionaire with three houses” Bernie boy got real shook 😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/pImmTQJZPw — An0maly (@LegendaryEnergy) February 20, 2020
Bernie Sanders was later labeled a communist by the former New York City mayor.
This seems fair. After all, Bernie honeymooned in the Soviet Union and his policies are complete takeover of private industry and wealth.
Anyone who’s studied history knows this will end in severe poverty, suffering and violence for 99% of the population.
But Bernie doesn’t care.
As long as he lands on top.
Bloomberg forced Bernie to claim that it’s totally normal to own a ‘Summer Camp’.
Bernie the Socialist owns three beautiful homes as Bloomberg pointed out.
And these are not just rundown shacks in the woods.
Bernie owns an elaborate home in Burlington, Vermont.
And Bernie Sanders owns a DC row house that was built in the 1800s.
Bernie purchased a $575,000 lake home in cash in 2016.
Not bad for a guy who never had a steady paycheck ’til he was 40 and then went into politics.
Don’t be fooled.


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-20--VAST MAJORITY of Americans Believe Deep State Broke the Law Working Against Trump in Election – Even

VAST MAJORITY of Americans Believe Deep State Broke the Law Working Against Trump in Election – Even Larger Majority Say Criminal Deep State Hacks Will Likely Walk Free

VAST MAJORITY of Americans Believe Deep State Broke the Law Working Against Trump in Election – Even Larger Majority Say @ @ @ @ @ Likely Walk Free The Republican activist and Trump confidante will be sentenced to up to @ @ @ @ @ over process crimes in Robert Mueller ’ s Trump-Russia Collusion hoax .
He never should @ @ @ @ @ probe that the DOJ knew was a sham from the beginning .
Meanwhile Rasmussen released @ @ @ @ @ what Americans think of the deep state criminals .
52 % of Americans say it @ @ @ @ @ broke the law in an effort to prevent Donald Trump from winning the presidency .
@ @ @ @ @ is not true .
55 % of Americans believe no deep state officials will be @ @ @ @ @ Only 34 % believe their will be criminal charges 43 % want the deep state @ @ @ @ @ prison .
Only 26 % say they should be reprimanded and allowed to stay in @ @

Today is Roger Stone’s Sentencing day.
The Republican activist and Trump confidante will be sentenced to up to nine years in federal prison over process crimes in Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia Collusion hoax.
He never should have been questioned in this probe that the DOJ knew was a sham from the beginning.
Today demonic Judge Amy Berman Jackson, a hardcore leftist masquerading as a federal judge, will sentence Roger Stone.
Meanwhile Rasmussen released polling numbers this week on what Americans think of the deep state criminals.
52% of Americans say it is likely law enforcement officials broke the law in an effort to prevent Donald Trump from winning the presidency.
Only 39% believe this is not true.
55% of Americans believe no deep state officials will be charged for their crimes.
Only 34% believe their will be criminal charges
43% want the deep state criminals to serve time in prison.
Only 26% say they should be reprimanded and allowed to stay in office.
Via Rasmussen Reports:


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-20--Obama Appointed Judge whose Husband Was a Member of the Mueller Gang Overturned a Unanimous Jury Con

Obama Appointed Judge whose Husband Was a Member of the Mueller Gang Overturned a Unanimous Jury Conviction of Burisma Board Member Devon Archer The Deep State is well connected to the corrupt Democrat Party .
It makes your head spin when all the connections are identified like below .
We already know that when Joe Biden was Obama ’ s VP his son Hunter was appointed to the Board of the Ukraine ’ s largest oil and gas company – Burisma .
This is the same company Joe Biden bragged about removing a prosecutor who was looking into Burisma , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Ukraine : We also know that John Kerry was involved in the Ukraine as well .
We posted a 32 tweet thread that was an articulate and devastating summary of Obama ’ s Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Kerry ’ s corrupt actions in the Ukraine – • In early 2014 John Kerry visited the Ukraine and offered $ 1 billion in ‘ aid ’ shortly after protesters took over the government causing the Ukrainian President to flee to Russia and shortly after Russia invaded the Ukraine .
• Also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top campaign fundraiser from his Presidential run days , Devon Archer visited Biden in the White House .
Then Archer and Biden ’ s son Hunter are named to the Board of Burisma Holdings , the Ukraine ’ s largest gas producer .
• Next the Russian advance into the Ukraine was suddenly stopped by a mercenary army put together by billionaire banker Igor Kolomoisky .
• The Burisma hired John Kerry ’ s former chief of staff , David Leiter as a lobbyist .
Britain had frozen $ 23 million of Burisma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these charges .
• Some suggest that Burisma is actually owned by banker Kolomoisky who blew through $ 1.8 billion in 9 months in aid in a maze of offshore accounts .
Kolomoisky was placed on the US ’ s visa ban list but then was soon lifted .
• None Archer in 2018 was found guilty in a scheme to defraud Native Americans but his guilty plea was later overturned .
• The month before Biden ’ s last trip to the Ukraine , all investigations of Burisma were closed .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Burisma and the Democrat connected Atlantic Council signed cooperation agreements .
In addition , we ’ ve presented a video surfaced of Kerry bragging about himself , Obama and Biden all wanting the Ukrainian prosecutor gone who was looking into Burisma : We also know that Mitt Romney is connected to Burisma .
Joseph Cofer Black was announced as being appointed to Burisma where he would be “ leading the company ’ s security and strategic development efforts.
” Black had served in various CIA positions under Presidents Clinton and George W. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black was a “ top Romney aide.
” We also know that wherever there ’ s corruption , then the Clintons are right in the middle of it .
The Clintons received millions from Ukrainians over the years in donations to their ‘ Foundation ’ : We also know the son of ‘ Crazy Nancy ’ is involved in the Ukraine .
Speaker Pelosi ’ s son , Paul Pelosi Jr. , got paid thousands for a no-show job which he wasn ’ t qualified in an effort to buy influence with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that paid him is connected to the Clintons as well . )
Nancy Pelosi ’ s son Paul was also on the board of an energy company and he traveled to Ukraine for his work .
AND — Better Yet — Speaker Nancy Pelosi even appeared in the company ’ s video ad !
According to Patrick Howley Speaker Pelosi ’ s son Paul Jr. was an executive at Viscoil .
Of course , Democrat megadonor , George Soros , is involved in the Ukraine too .
Creepy George Soros was interviewed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time he was already involved in the Ukraine .
In this infamous interview Soros claimed to have no shame for turning in fellow Jews to the Nazis in World War II Hungary .
The Nazis then stole the booty from the Jews and Soros claimed that if he didn ’ t do what he did , someone else would do it .
This is the man many believe is behind today ’ s modern corrupt Democrat Party : See more corrupt Democrat connections in the Ukraine in this prior post here .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to highlight the incident noted above where Devon Archer in 2018 was found guilty in a scheme to defraud Native Americans but his guilty plea was later overturned by a Mueller connected judge .
It turns out that the judge who oversaw Archer ’ s case was none other than Democrat judge Ronnie Abrams , an Obama appointee : Judge Abrams is also married to Greg Andres from the Mueller investigation .
In June of 2018 , Judge Abrams oversaw the case of Devon Archer where he was convicted of securities fraud by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : But by November , Judge Abrams had a change of heart concerning only Devon Archer : So the judge whose husband was a member of the Mueller gang overturned the unanimous jury conviction of Devon Archer after having a change of heart ?
Who said there is a two-tiered system of justice ?

The Deep State is well connected to the corrupt Democrat Party. It makes your head spin when all the connections are identified like below.
We already know that when Joe Biden was Obama’s VP his son Hunter was appointed to the Board of the Ukraine’s largest oil and gas company – Burisma.
This is the same company Joe Biden bragged about removing a prosecutor who was looking into Burisma, the Bidens’ and George Soros in the Ukraine:
What is Quid Pro Quo? …This is ! pic.twitter.com/YOMwEcS08k — Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) November 20, 2019
We also know that John Kerry was involved in the Ukraine as well.
We posted a 32 tweet thread that was an articulate and devastating summary of Obama’s Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Kerry’s corrupt actions in the Ukraine –
In summary –
In early 2014 John Kerry visited the Ukraine and offered $1 billion in ‘aid’ shortly after protesters took over the government causing the Ukrainian President to flee to Russia and shortly after Russia invaded the Ukraine.
Also, in early 2014 Kerry’s top campaign fundraiser from his Presidential run days, Devon Archer visited Biden in the White House. Then Archer and Biden’s son Hunter are named to the Board of Burisma Holdings, the Ukraine’s largest gas producer.
Next the Russian advance into the Ukraine was suddenly stopped by a mercenary army put together by billionaire banker Igor Kolomoisky.
The Burisma hired John Kerry’s former chief of staff, David Leiter as a lobbyist. Britain had frozen $23 million of Burisma founder’s money but later dropped these charges.
Some suggest that Burisma is actually owned by banker Kolomoisky who blew through $1.8 billion in 9 months in aid in a maze of offshore accounts. Kolomoisky was placed on the US’s visa ban list but then was soon lifted.
Archer in 2018 was found guilty in a scheme to defraud Native Americans but his guilty plea was later overturned.
The month before Biden’s last trip to the Ukraine, all investigations of Burisma were closed. On Biden’s last day in office, Burisma and the Democrat connected Atlantic Council signed cooperation agreements.
In addition, we’ve presented a video surfaced of Kerry bragging about himself, Obama and Biden all wanting the Ukrainian prosecutor gone who was looking into Burisma:
https://twitter.com/TrueNewsGlobal/status/1225604627439214595
We also know that Mitt Romney is connected to Burisma.
Joseph Cofer Black was announced as being appointed to Burisma where he would be “leading the company’s security and strategic development efforts.” Black had served in various CIA positions under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush.
According to reports, Cofer Black was a “top Romney aide.”
We also know that wherever there’s corruption, then the Clintons are right in the middle of it.
The Clintons received millions from Ukrainians over the years in donations to their ‘Foundation’:
From 2009 up to 2013, the year the Ukrainian crisis erupted, the Clinton Foundation received at least $8.6 million from the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, which is headquartered in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, a new report claims.
In 2008, Viktor Pinchuk, who made a fortune in the pipe-building business, pledged a five-year, $29-million commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative, a program that works to train future Ukrainian leaders “to modernize Ukraine.” The Wall Street Journal revealed the donations the fund received from foreigners abroad between 2009-2014 in their report …
We also know the son of ‘Crazy Nancy’ is involved in the Ukraine.
Speaker Pelosi’s son, Paul Pelosi Jr., got paid thousands for a no-show job which he wasn’t qualified in an effort to buy influence with his politician parent. (The same company that paid him is connected to the Clintons as well.)
Nancy Pelosi’s son Paul was also on the board of an energy company and he traveled to Ukraine for his work.
AND — Better Yet — Speaker Nancy Pelosi even appeared in the company’s video ad! According to Patrick Howley Speaker Pelosi’s son Paul Jr. was an executive at Viscoil.
Paul Jr. traveled to Ukraine in 2017.
BOOM: Nancy Pelosi's son Paul Pelosi Jr. (who went to Ukraine in 2017) was a board member of Viscoil and executive at its related company NRGLab, which DID ENERGY Business in UKRAINE! And Nancy Pelosi appeared in a promotional video for the company!https://t.co/wlndLhPqLe — Patrick Howley (@HowleyReporter) October 3, 2019
Of course, Democrat megadonor, George Soros, is involved in the Ukraine too.
Creepy George Soros was interviewed by 60 Minutes years ago and at that time he was already involved in the Ukraine. In this infamous interview Soros claimed to have no shame for turning in fellow Jews to the Nazis in World War II Hungary. The Nazis then stole the booty from the Jews and Soros claimed that if he didn’t do what he did, someone else would do it. This is the man many believe is behind today’s modern corrupt Democrat Party:
See more corrupt Democrat connections in the Ukraine in this prior post here.
The point of today’s post is to highlight the incident noted above where Devon Archer in 2018 was found guilty in a scheme to defraud Native Americans but his guilty plea was later overturned by a Mueller connected judge.
It turns out that the judge who oversaw Archer’s case was none other than Democrat judge Ronnie Abrams, an Obama appointee:
@TuckerCarlson just mentioned that Democrat judge Ronnie Abrams was judge who ordered new trial for Devon Archer, Hunter Biden's partner and a family friend to John Kerry. He didn't seem to realize that she was married to Greg Andres, one of Mueller's thugs. https://t.co/8HDswzKEqk — Stephen McIntyre (@ClimateAudit) October 10, 2019
Judge Abrams is also married to Greg Andres from the Mueller investigation.
In June of 2018, Judge Abrams oversaw the case of Devon Archer where he was convicted of securities fraud by a “unanimous and swift jury”:
But by November, Judge Abrams had a change of heart concerning only Devon Archer:
A federal judge on Thursday overturned the conviction of a New York man on charges that he helped run a scheme to defraud a Native American tribe and multiple pension funds through the issue of $60 million worth of tribal bonds. U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams in Manhattan ruled that the evidence at the trial earlier this year had not shown that the man, Devon Archer, knew that the bond issue was fraudulent, or that he received any personal benefit from it. Abrams said she was “left with an unwavering concern that Archer is innocent of the crimes charged.” She upheld the convictions of John Galanis and Bevan Cooney, who were tried and convicted alongside Archer.
So the judge whose husband was a member of the Mueller gang overturned the unanimous jury conviction of Devon Archer after having a change of heart? Who said there is a two-tiered system of justice?
Hat tip D. Manny


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-20--LIVE FROM HONG KONG: Over 75,000 Infected with Coronavirus – As Deaths Increase China Is Anxious to

LIVE FROM HONG KONG: Over 75,000 Infected with Coronavirus – As Deaths Increase China Is Anxious to Get Its Economy Back on Track

John Hopkins reports today that the number of cases continues to increase to now over 75,000 world wide .
Meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ Researchers in China are saying that people with the novel coronavirus may have the same @ @ @ @ @ of virus in their body — whether or not they are actually showing symptoms of @ @ @ @ @ published in The New England Journal of Medicine , the researchers describe how they monitored @ @ @ @ @ in samples taken from the nose and throat of 18 patients : nine men and @ @ @ @ @ from 26 to 76 in Zhuhai , in China ’ s Guangdong province .
Their @ @ @ @ @ patients with symptoms had a similar viral load in tests to the one patient who @ @ @ @

Live in Hong Kong
John Hopkins reports today that the number of cases continues to increase to now over 75,000 world wide. Meanwhile, CNN reported yesterday:
Researchers in China are saying that people with the novel coronavirus may have the same viral load — or amount of virus in their body — whether or not they are actually showing symptoms of illness.
In a letter published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers describe how they monitored viral loads of the virus in samples taken from the nose and throat of 18 patients: nine men and nine women ranging in age from 26 to 76 in Zhuhai, in China’s Guangdong province.
Their analysis showed that the 17 patients with symptoms had a similar viral load in tests to the one patient who had no symptoms.


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-20--Another Promise Kept: Back in 2000 Donald Trump Said He Would Appoint Gays in a Trump Administration

Another Promise Kept: Back in 2000 Donald Trump Said He Would Appoint Gays in a Trump Administration – On Wednesday He Announced Ambassador Grenell as DNI

Back in 2000 Donald Trump was interviewed by the gay Advocate magazine .
This was after eight years of Bill and Hillary Clinton in the White House .
Donald Trump in 2000 defended gays from the Clintons and said he would appoint gays in a Trump administration .
This was 16 years before Donald Trump was elected president and 12 years before Barack Obama changed his stance to support gay marriage .
Here is the Advocate interview from 2000 , via Prntly : Last fall Donald Trump shook up the political world by announcing he was joining the Reform Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run for president .
The pundits laughed , claiming that the real estate mogul knew more about glamour than politics , but Trump made a number of television and personal appearances that showed his proposed candidacy was no joke .
Privately , friends speculated he was bored with the real estate business .
In January Trump published The America We Deserve , which outlines his vision for the nation .
Anyone who thinks his candidacy is a joke , he says , should read the book .
For moderates in the Reform Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope of stopping Pat Buchanan from winning the party ’ s presidential nomination .
With his name recognition and record in business , Trump could prove a wild card in the presidential race , appealing to people tired of politics as usual .
Recently I put a wide-ranging set of questions to Trump concerning gay issues , to which Trump responded in writing .
His answers might surprise some pundits , both for their thoroughness and for their bluntness .
Are you serious about running ?
Yes , I ’ m quite serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing is getting done .
No health care reform , no tax relief , no campaign finance reform .
The special interests run the country .
I think it will take a nonpolitician to break the logjam .
Somebody with a big-picture outlook .
I ’ m someone who has built a billion-dollar business enterprise and created hundreds of thousands of jobs .
I have made the tough decisions , always with an eye toward the bottom line .
Perhaps it ’ s time America was run like a business .
Why should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a presidential candidate ?
I grew up in New York City , a town with different races , religions , and peoples .
It breeds tolerance .
In all truth , I don ’ t care whether or not a person is gay .
I judge people based on their capability , honesty , and merit .
Being in the entertainment business — that is , owning casinos and … several large beauty pageants — I ’ ve worked with many gay people .
I have met some tough , talented , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is of no interest to me .
Would we see gay people in a Trump administration ?
I would want the best and brightest .
Sexual orientation would be meaningless .
I ’ m looking for brains and experience .
If the best person for the job happens to be gay , I would certainly appoint them .
One of the key problems today is that politics is such a disgrace , good people don ’ t go into government .
I ’ d want to change that .
What would you do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the idea of amending the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include a ban of discrimination based on sexual orientation .
It would be simple .
It would be straightforward .
We don ’ t need to rewrite the laws currently on the books , although I do think we need to address hate-crimes legislation .
But amending the Civil Rights Act would grant the same protection to gay people that we give to other Americans — it ’ s only fair .
I actually suggested this first , and now I see [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jumped on the bandwagon and is claiming the idea as his own .
[ A bill to amend the Civil Rights Act that would have included protections on the basis of sexual orientation was first introduced in the 1970s .
— Ed . ]
Let me tell you something .
Bradley is as phony as a $ 20 Rolex .
He says the president ought to have big ideas .
His last big idea — the 1986 [ Tax Reform Act ] — caused a recession and cost thousands of people their jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry , and he tanked the S & Ls .
It was a disaster .
Bradley walked out of the Senate like he was some kind of statesman declaring that “ politics is broken.
” The truth is , the voters were going to dump him in New Jersey .
He walked away .
Now he poses as some kind of outsider .
What a joke .
Bradley was a member of the Senate Finance Committee and a longtime part of Washington establishment .
When I was $ 900 million and my companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I didn ’ t walk away .
While others were declaring bankruptcy , I clawed my way back .
My businesses are now bigger and better than ever .
Are your gay employees allowed to be out ?
Everyone makes a personal choice .
Look , it just doesn ’ t matter to me .
I try to treat everybody equal and fairly .
Maybe that ’ s why I can count men like Muhammad Ali , Joe Frazier , and Sammy Sosa as my friends .
When you hang with people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an appreciation for other cultures .

Back in 2000 Donald Trump was interviewed by the gay Advocate magazine. This was after eight years of Bill and Hillary Clinton in the White House.
Donald Trump in 2000 defended gays from the Clintons and said he would appoint gays in a Trump administration.
This was 16 years before Donald Trump was elected president and 12 years before Barack Obama changed his stance to support gay marriage.
Here is the Advocate interview from 2000, via Prntly:
Last fall Donald Trump shook up the political world by announcing he was joining the Reform Party, a major step in exploring a run for president. The pundits laughed, claiming that the real estate mogul knew more about glamour than politics, but Trump made a number of television and personal appearances that showed his proposed candidacy was no joke. Privately, friends speculated he was bored with the real estate business. In January Trump published The America We Deserve, which outlines his vision for the nation. Anyone who thinks his candidacy is a joke, he says, should read the book. For moderates in the Reform Party, Trump has emerged as their best hope of stopping Pat Buchanan from winning the party’s presidential nomination. With his name recognition and record in business, Trump could prove a wild card in the presidential race, appealing to people tired of politics as usual. Recently I put a wide-ranging set of questions to Trump concerning gay issues, to which Trump responded in writing. His answers might surprise some pundits, both for their thoroughness and for their bluntness.
Are you serious about running?
Yes, I’m quite serious. Washington is in gridlock, and nothing is getting done. No health care reform, no tax relief, no campaign finance reform. The special interests run the country. I think it will take a nonpolitician to break the logjam. Somebody with a big-picture outlook. I’m someone who has built a billion-dollar business enterprise and created hundreds of thousands of jobs. I have made the tough decisions, always with an eye toward the bottom line. Perhaps it’s time America was run like a business.
Why should gays and lesbians be interested in you as a presidential candidate?
I grew up in New York City, a town with different races, religions, and peoples. It breeds tolerance. In all truth, I don’t care whether or not a person is gay. I judge people based on their capability, honesty, and merit. Being in the entertainment business — that is, owning casinos and … several large beauty pageants — I’ve worked with many gay people. I have met some tough, talented, capable, terrific people. Their lifestyle is of no interest to me.
Would we see gay people in a Trump administration?
I would want the best and brightest. Sexual orientation would be meaningless. I’m looking for brains and experience. If the best person for the job happens to be gay, I would certainly appoint them. One of the key problems today is that politics is such a disgrace, good people don’t go into government. I’d want to change that.
What would you do to combat antigay prejudice?
I like the idea of amending the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include a ban of discrimination based on sexual orientation. It would be simple. It would be straightforward. We don’t need to rewrite the laws currently on the books, although I do think we need to address hate-crimes legislation. But amending the Civil Rights Act would grant the same protection to gay people that we give to other Americans — it’s only fair. I actually suggested this first, and now I see [Democratic presidential candidate] Bill Bradley has jumped on the bandwagon and is claiming the idea as his own. [A bill to amend the Civil Rights Act that would have included protections on the basis of sexual orientation was first introduced in the 1970s. — Ed.] Let me tell you something. Bradley is as phony as a $20 Rolex. He says the president ought to have big ideas. His last big idea — the 1986 [Tax Reform Act] — caused a recession and cost thousands of people their jobs. This guy destroyed the real estate industry, and he tanked the S&Ls. It was a disaster. Bradley walked out of the Senate like he was some kind of statesman declaring that “politics is broken.” The truth is, the voters were going to dump him in New Jersey. He walked away. Now he poses as some kind of outsider. What a joke. Bradley was a member of the Senate Finance Committee and a longtime part of Washington establishment. When I was $900 million and my companies were $9 billion in debt, I didn’t walk away. While others were declaring bankruptcy, I clawed my way back. My businesses are now bigger and better than ever.
Are your gay employees allowed to be out?
Everyone makes a personal choice. Look, it just doesn’t matter to me. I try to treat everybody equal and fairly. Maybe that’s why I can count men like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Sammy Sosa as my friends. When you hang with people who are different from you, you get an appreciation for other cultures.


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-20--Study Finds Most Journalists Are Further Left Politically Than Bernie Sanders

Study Finds Most Journalists Are Further Left Politically Than Bernie Sanders The vast majority of people who work in media are on the left .
Anyone who has watched their coverage of Trump over the last few years knows this .
They are not even trying to hide it anymore .
But the truth is more shocking than you know .
Most of these people are further left than Bernie Sanders , the most far left political figure of our time .
Study : Most Journalists Are To The Left Of Bernie Sanders ( But Don ’ t Worry They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study by a trio of professors claims to have proven there is no such thing as media bias despite the fact that the same study found most journalists are much father left than the average Twitter user .
In fact , a majority of journalists , based on their Twitter interactions , are somewhere to the left of Bernie Sanders .
Here ’ s the graph showing the results : Those findings certainly comport with the experience of a lot of people on Twitter , a place where support for Sanders often seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to argue that despite this overwhelming personal bias , reporters don ’ t show any evidence of bias in their work .
How did they determine this ?
Well , that was a separate part of the study which directed emails at hundreds of journalists offering to let them sit down with a new candidate for office ( one who didn ’ t exist but the journalists didn ’ t know that ) .
In both cases the letter was identical except that in some cases the candidate was described as left-wing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is from the study : Figure 2 shows the distribution of ideological positions of journalists based on their Twitter interactions .
As can be seen , journalists are dominantly liberal and often fall far to the left of Americans .
A full 78.1 % of journalists are more liberal than the average Twitter user .
Moreover , 66 % are even more liberal than former President Obama , 62.3 % are to the left of the median Senate Democrat ( in the 114th Congress ) , and a full 14.5 % are more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most liberal members of the House ) .
In short , journalists are overwhelmingly liberal/Democrats and many journalists appear to be far to the left of the average American .
The next time someone in the media demonstrates a clear bias against conservatives , remember this study .

The vast majority of people who work in media are on the left.
Anyone who has watched their coverage of Trump over the last few years knows this. They are not even trying to hide it anymore.
But the truth is more shocking than you know.
Most of these people are further left than Bernie Sanders, the most far left political figure of our time.
Hot Air reports:
Study: Most Journalists Are To The Left Of Bernie Sanders (But Don’t Worry They’re Totally Fair) An academic study by a trio of professors claims to have proven there is no such thing as media bias despite the fact that the same study found most journalists are much father left than the average Twitter user. In fact, a majority of journalists, based on their Twitter interactions, are somewhere to the left of Bernie Sanders. Here’s the graph showing the results:
Study: Most journalists are to the left of Bernie Sanders (but don’t worry they’re totally fair) https://t.co/7ITG9jcmW8 — HotAir.com (@hotairblog) February 19, 2020
Those findings certainly comport with the experience of a lot of people on Twitter, a place where support for Sanders often seems overwhelming. But the study goes on to argue that despite this overwhelming personal bias, reporters don’t show any evidence of bias in their work. How did they determine this? Well, that was a separate part of the study which directed emails at hundreds of journalists offering to let them sit down with a new candidate for office (one who didn’t exist but the journalists didn’t know that). In both cases the letter was identical except that in some cases the candidate was described as left-wing and in others as right wing.
This is from the study:
Figure 2 shows the distribution of ideological positions of journalists based on their Twitter interactions. As can be seen, journalists are dominantly liberal and often fall far to the left of Americans. A full 78.1% of journalists are more liberal than the average Twitter user. Moreover, 66% are even more liberal than former President Obama, 62.3% are to the left of the median Senate Democrat (in the 114th Congress), and a full 14.5% are more liberal than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (one of the most liberal members of the House). In short, journalists are overwhelmingly liberal/Democrats and many journalists appear to be far to the left of the average American.
The next time someone in the media demonstrates a clear bias against conservatives, remember this study.
It’s not your imagination.
Cross posted from American Lookout.


thegatewaypundit--2020-02-20--“No Bull***t, No Weak Knees!” – The Pro-Tommy Tuberville GRIT PAC Releases Ad Slamming Jeff Sessions

“No Bull***t, No Weak Knees!” – The Pro-Tommy Tuberville GRIT PAC Releases Ad Slamming Jeff Sessions for Mueller Investigation (VIDEO)

“ No Bull***t , No Weak Knees !
” – The Pro-Tommy Tuberville GRIT PAC Releases Ad Slamming Jeff Sessions @ @ @ @ @ ) Former Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville is currently in a tight race in the Alabama @ @ @ @ @ .
Tuberville is facing off against former Senator and turncoat Jeff Sessions , who gave @ @ @ @ @ and Republican Bradley Byrne , a career politician .
Jeff Sessions has no business back @ @ @ @ @ the DC Swamp .
The pro-Tuberville GRIT PAC released a powerful ad this week titled @ @ @ @ @ let Mitt Happen to Alabama.
” Alabama currently has anti-Trump , pro-abortion Democrat Doug Jones @ @ @ @ @ .
Jones voted to impeach Trump in the slap-dash Pelosi impeachment sham .
In the @ @ @ @ @ Tuberville is only five points down to Jeff Sessions .
Tuberville is the pro-Trump candidate @ @ @ @ @ : The Gateway Pundit takes NO MONEY for promoting Tommy Tuberville .
We have seen @ @ @ @ @ the country and he has no business back in Washington DC .

Former Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville is currently in a tight race in the Alabama Republican primary for US Senate.
Tuberville is facing off against former Senator and turncoat Jeff Sessions, who gave America the Mueller investigation, and Republican Bradley Byrne, a career politician.
Jeff Sessions has no business back in Washington and back in the DC Swamp.
The pro-Tuberville GRIT PAC released a powerful ad this week titled, “Don’t let Mitt Happen to Alabama.”
Alabama currently has anti-Trump, pro-abortion Democrat Doug Jones representing the state of Alabama.
Jones voted to impeach Trump in the slap-dash Pelosi impeachment sham.
In the latest Club for Growth poll Tuberville is only five points down to Jeff Sessions.
Tuberville is the pro-Trump candidate in the race.
New: Club for Growth poll (conducted by WPA) shows tight race in AL Senate primary. pic.twitter.com/k7C7VhMO29 — James Arkin (@JamesArkin) February 13, 2020
Disclaimer: The Gateway Pundit takes NO MONEY for promoting Tommy Tuberville.
We have seen what Jeff Sessions did to the country and he has no business back in Washington DC.