westernjournal--2020-01-07--Chelsea Clinton Racks Up $9 Million Worth of Compensation for Serving on Corporate Board

Chelsea Clinton , who serves on the board of IAC/InterActiveCorp , saw her stock shares skyrocket in value to almost $ 9 million on Friday .
According to financial publication Barron ’ s , the media and investment company ’ s stock has risen by 89 percent in 2017 , 50 percent in 2018 and 36 percent in 2019 .
Comparatively , the S & P 500 saw a 19 percent rise in 2017 , a 6 percent drop in 2018 and a 29 percent rise in 2019 .
As IAC director since 2011 , Clinton receives an annual $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stock units .
According to a form she filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission , she owns the equivalent of 35,242 IAC shares — 29,843 shares and 5,399 share units under a deferred-compensation plan .
TRENDING : Comedian George Lopez on Iran 's 'Bounty ' on Trump : 'We 'll Do It for Half' As of Friday , her shares were valued at $ 8.95 million , which is up from $ 7.2 million in June .
Once Clinton leaves the board , her share units will be converted to stock .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ brands including Vimeo , Tinder and Investopedia , according to The Hill .
The child of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton serves on more boards than IAC ’ s .
She also serves on the board of Expedia , a travel technology company chaired by Clinton ally Barry Diller , Fox Business reported .
Diller also controls IAC .
According to SEC filings , Clinton has been awarded about $ 80,000 worth of Expedia stock since 2017 .
In addition to serving on the various boards , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McKinsey & Company and NBC .
While working a correspondent for NBC News in 2013 and 2014 , Clinton earned an annual salary of $ 600,000 , Politico reported at the time .
When she joined the network , the New York Post referred to her as “ just another spoiled , aimless child of rich , successful parents chauffeured through adulthood by Mommy and Daddy ’ s connections.
” RELATED : Twitter Bans Journalist Andy Ngo for Teaching Chelsea Clinton the Facts on Trans Murder Rates NBC declined to discuss Clinton ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ NBC News continues to enjoy a wonderful working relationship with Chelsea , and we are proud of her work , ” a spokesperson said .
Most recently , Clinton has released a book titled “ The Book of Gutsy Women , ” which she co-authored with her mother .
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Chelsea Clinton, who serves on the board of IAC/InterActiveCorp, saw her stock shares skyrocket in value to almost $9 million on Friday.
According to financial publication Barron’s, the media and investment company’s stock has risen by 89 percent in 2017, 50 percent in 2018 and 36 percent in 2019.
Comparatively, the S&P 500 saw a 19 percent rise in 2017, a 6 percent drop in 2018 and a 29 percent rise in 2019.
As IAC director since 2011, Clinton receives an annual $50,000 retainer and $250,000 restricted IAC stock units.
According to a form she filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, she owns the equivalent of 35,242 IAC shares — 29,843 shares and 5,399 share units under a deferred-compensation plan.
As of Friday, her shares were valued at $8.95 million, which is up from $7.2 million in June.
Once Clinton leaves the board, her share units will be converted to stock.
IAC has an ownership stake in 150 brands including Vimeo, Tinder and Investopedia, according to The Hill.
The child of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton serves on more boards than IAC’s.
Do you think Clinton should be compensated like this for serving on the board? Yes No
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She also serves on the board of Expedia, a travel technology company chaired by Clinton ally Barry Diller, Fox Business reported. Diller also controls IAC.
According to SEC filings, Clinton has been awarded about $80,000 worth of Expedia stock since 2017.
In addition to serving on the various boards, Clinton has also worked for consulting firm McKinsey & Company and NBC.
While working a correspondent for NBC News in 2013 and 2014, Clinton earned an annual salary of $600,000, Politico reported at the time.
When she joined the network, the New York Post referred to her as “just another spoiled, aimless child of rich, successful parents chauffeured through adulthood by Mommy and Daddy’s connections.”
NBC declined to discuss Clinton’s contract with Politico in 2014.
“NBC News continues to enjoy a wonderful working relationship with Chelsea, and we are proud of her work,” a spokesperson said.
Most recently, Clinton has released a book titled “The Book of Gutsy Women,” which she co-authored with her mother.
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westernjournal--2020-01-07--WaPo Reporter Recalls Benghazi, Mentions Only 2 Americans Being Killed – There Were 4

I understand that for most people , 2012 is receding from memory .
For many young people , it ’ s long enough ago that one can forgive them for not accurately remembering the key events of that year .
David Nakamura isn ’ t that young , being in his late 40s .
Nor is he in a position where misremembering details or repeating them off the cuff is acceptable , given that he ’ s The Washington Post ’ s White House reporter .
So why , in a recent piece , did he only mention two Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The article , published Sunday , had to do with how President Donald Trump contrasts his foreign policy against that of former President Barack Obama as “ the metric he has to beat.
” This apparently passes as novel reportage , as if presidents never measure themselves against their predecessors .
Trump is the first because he plays to win .
Nakamura began with a roll call of prominent Republicans who compared the president ’ s approach to foreign policy with Obama ’ s after the airstrike last week that killed Iranian Gen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lopez on Iran 's 'Bounty ' on Trump : 'We 'll Do It for Half' He found this slightly curious — a choice that I , in turn , found curious given the number of people ( particularly media-adjacent ) who were talking about the Soleimani-approved embassy attack in Baghdad as being “ Trump ’ s Benghazi.
” There were also a few Democrats who were implying it as well .
Republicans , it seems , aren ’ t the only ones interested in comparing the two administrations .
Trump hit back this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was more evidence for his hypothesis .
” Trump did not mention Obama in brief remarks about the Soleimani operation Friday .
But days earlier — as an Iraqi militia aligned with the Iranian general breached security at the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in protest of an American strike on the group ’ s facilities in Syria and Iraq — Trump made a clear reference to his predecessor by threatening Iran over the incident and declaring the situation the ‘ Anti-Benghazi ’ on Twitter.
” It ’ s in the explication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fuzzy math .
“ [ Trump ] was alluding to a siege on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya in 2012 in which two Americans , including Ambassador Christopher Stephens , were killed — a tragedy for which Republicans faulted Obama ’ s administration for not securing the facility and for a muddied public accounting of what happened , ” he wrote .
[ Emphasis mine . ]
In fact , four Americans were killed in the attack : Stevens , Foreign Service Officer Shawn Patrick Smith and U.S. military contractors Tyrone S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my assumption here is that Nakamura was referring to the fact that only two of the individuals killed in the attack died in the embassy proper .
This is a dubious accounting of things , however : Doherty and Woods died at the CIA annex , a safe house that was supposed to be secret and to which staff had been evacuated , according to CBS News .
Just as U.S. commandoes arrived to extract them to the airport , the annex came under attack and the two men were killed .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t want to adduce more blame to Nakamura than is due .
I don ’ t know why he omitted the two other deaths in Benghazi or why he omitted that the attack went beyond our embassy .
However , it took place in an article comparing the relative legacies of Donald Trump and Barack Obama , by a writer who — given his place of employ and his past body of work — one can guess clearly believes one left behind a far more substantive legacy than the other .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ further than that , but — well , there you go .
Beyond that is a more serious question : Why are we even talking about this ?
I ’ m not saying this isn ’ t something we shouldn ’ t discuss now that it ’ s out there , of course ; I ’ m writing about it , which shows where I stand on that question .
Rather , why even minimize Benghazi in this way ?
Shoddy reporting ?
I know plenty of readers have snide remarks they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but Nakamura is far from a hack .
Mistake ?
I ’ m sure The Post ’ s newsroom has gotten its fair share of emails over this one since it was published Sunday , but the piece remained unaltered and uncorrected Tuesday morning .
Without casting aspersions on Nakamura ’ s intentions , it ’ s still an example of the media ’ s reluctance to treat Benghazi as anything more than a molehill that was sculpted into a mountain by the hands of Trey Gowdy .
It ’ s 2012 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What difference , at this point , does it make ?
It makes plenty of difference , however , when you ’ re writing about Donald Trump ’ s response to an attack that was called “ Trump ’ s Benghazi ” but definitely didn ’ t turn out to be a Benghazi .
Nakamura ’ s article quickly moved onto other arguments that he thought supported his hypothesis .
I wonder how many readers , like me , stopped taking him seriously when they saw that Benghazi death toll .
We are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

I understand that for most people, 2012 is receding from memory. For many young people, it’s long enough ago that one can forgive them for not accurately remembering the key events of that year.
David Nakamura isn’t that young, being in his late 40s. Nor is he in a position where misremembering details or repeating them off the cuff is acceptable, given that he’s The Washington Post’s White House reporter.
So why, in a recent piece, did he only mention two Americans being killed in the Benghazi attack?
The article, published Sunday, had to do with how President Donald Trump contrasts his foreign policy against that of former President Barack Obama as “the metric he has to beat.” This apparently passes as novel reportage, as if presidents never measure themselves against their predecessors. Trump is the first because he plays to win.
Nakamura began with a roll call of prominent Republicans who compared the president’s approach to foreign policy with Obama’s after the airstrike last week that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
He found this slightly curious — a choice that I, in turn, found curious given the number of people (particularly media-adjacent) who were talking about the Soleimani-approved embassy attack in Baghdad as being “Trump’s Benghazi.” There were also a few Democrats who were implying it as well.
Republicans, it seems, aren’t the only ones interested in comparing the two administrations.
Trump hit back this characterization — which, to Nakamura, was more evidence for his hypothesis.
”Trump did not mention Obama in brief remarks about the Soleimani operation Friday. But days earlier — as an Iraqi militia aligned with the Iranian general breached security at the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in protest of an American strike on the group’s facilities in Syria and Iraq — Trump made a clear reference to his predecessor by threatening Iran over the incident and declaring the situation the ‘Anti-Benghazi’ on Twitter.”
Do you think that the Baghdad attack was 'Trump's Benghazi'? Yes No
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It’s in the explication of this remark that Nakamura engages in fuzzy math.
“[Trump] was alluding to a siege on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya in 2012 in which two Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stephens, were killed — a tragedy for which Republicans faulted Obama’s administration for not securing the facility and for a muddied public accounting of what happened,” he wrote. [Emphasis mine.]
In fact, four Americans were killed in the attack: Stevens, Foreign Service Officer Shawn Patrick Smith and U.S. military contractors Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty.
Now, my assumption here is that Nakamura was referring to the fact that only two of the individuals killed in the attack died in the embassy proper. This is a dubious accounting of things, however: Doherty and Woods died at the CIA annex, a safe house that was supposed to be secret and to which staff had been evacuated, according to CBS News. Just as U.S. commandoes arrived to extract them to the airport, the annex came under attack and the two men were killed.
I want to be careful here because I don’t want to adduce more blame to Nakamura than is due. I don’t know why he omitted the two other deaths in Benghazi or why he omitted that the attack went beyond our embassy.
However, it took place in an article comparing the relative legacies of Donald Trump and Barack Obama, by a writer who — given his place of employ and his past body of work — one can guess clearly believes one left behind a far more substantive legacy than the other. I don’t want to extrapolate further than that, but — well, there you go.
Beyond that is a more serious question: Why are we even talking about this? I’m not saying this isn’t something we shouldn’t discuss now that it’s out there, of course; I’m writing about it, which shows where I stand on that question. Rather, why even minimize Benghazi in this way?
Shoddy reporting? I know plenty of readers have snide remarks they’re going to make about The Post, but Nakamura is far from a hack.
Mistake? I’m sure The Post’s newsroom has gotten its fair share of emails over this one since it was published Sunday, but the piece remained unaltered and uncorrected Tuesday morning.
Without casting aspersions on Nakamura’s intentions, it’s still an example of the media’s reluctance to treat Benghazi as anything more than a molehill that was sculpted into a mountain by the hands of Trey Gowdy. It’s 2012, they’ll point out. What difference, at this point, does it make?
It makes plenty of difference, however, when you’re writing about Donald Trump’s response to an attack that was called “Trump’s Benghazi” but definitely didn’t turn out to be a Benghazi.
Nakamura’s article quickly moved onto other arguments that he thought supported his hypothesis. I wonder how many readers, like me, stopped taking him seriously when they saw that Benghazi death toll.
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westernjournal--2020-01-07--Black Conservative Launches Bid for Congress: ‘I’m Everything the Fake News Media Tells You Doesn’t

Black Conservative Launches Bid for Congress: ‘I’m Everything the Fake News Media Tells You Doesn’t Exist’

Florida state Rep. Byron Donalds is wearing his conservatism like a badge of honor as he begins his campaign for Congress .
Donalds , of Naples , is competing for the 19th Congressional District seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Francis Rooney .
He is among several Republicans seeking the seat .
The Brooklyn-born Donalds told “ Fox & Friends ” on Tuesday that “ conservatism is a home for all Americans , no matter where you come from , no matter how you grew up.
” Donalds , who has lived in Florida since 2003 , announced his candidacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TRENDING : Comedian George Lopez on Iran 's 'Bounty ' on Trump : 'We 'll Do It for Half' “ Today , I ’ m everything the fake news media tells you doesn ’ t exist .
A strong , Trump-supporting , gun-owning , liberty-loving , pro-life , politically incorrect black man , ” he said in the video .
During his “ Fox & Friends ” interview , Donalds said his district needs “ a conservative that you can believe in in Congress.
” “ The key thing in our area , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massively important to us , ” he said .
“ We want to make sure that we actually fix our borders .
That we actually have an immigration system that works for all people trying to come to America the right way and also protects American citizenship , which is vital in the lives of all Americans.
” Donalds said conservative principles are essential to get America on track .
“ We have to have people who are going to stand firm on conservative principles to stand up for the United States Constitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been a constitutionalist ever since I have been in politics the last 10 years and so for me , it ’ s important to go to Washington to fight for the Constitution and also begin the work of expanding the Republican Party , because we have to have new voices , new faces , people who are going to help expand our tent , stand for the president and not only win in 2020 , but in the years beyond , ” Donalds added .
In the video , Donalds said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own party caved to the liberals on your Second Amendment rights , I fought them and will again , ” he said .
RELATED : CNBC Graphic Replaces Andrew Yang with Wrong Asian Man Then Confuses Gillibrand with Gabbard “ I believe in the Constitution , the wall and that socialism is another name for disaster , ” he said .
“ I was incredibly proud to stand with President Trump and work with him to deliver the president ’ s common sense criminal justice reforms , ” he said .
“ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the president against these impeachment radicals who trample our Constitution and paralyze our country with their dangerous lies , ” he said .
The video shows Donalds saying that he is the proof that the Republican Party is being mischaracterized by its critics .
“ The left wants you to think being Republican means being privileged , racist and out of touch , ” he continued .
“ Well , I am not going to let them get away with this.
” Donalds noted in the video that success comes from within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me off the streets , ” he said .
“ Trusting God did.
” He also listed the key pieces of his philosophy .
“ Love of family , personal responsibility and hard work , ” he said .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

Florida state Rep. Byron Donalds is wearing his conservatism like a badge of honor as he begins his campaign for Congress.
Donalds, of Naples, is competing for the 19th Congressional District seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Francis Rooney.
He is among several Republicans seeking the seat.
The Brooklyn-born Donalds told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday that “conservatism is a home for all Americans, no matter where you come from, no matter how you grew up.”
Donalds, who has lived in Florida since 2003, announced his candidacy in a campaign video on Monday.
“Today, I’m everything the fake news media tells you doesn’t exist. A strong, Trump-supporting, gun-owning, liberty-loving, pro-life, politically incorrect black man,” he said in the video.
During his “Fox & Friends” interview, Donalds said his district needs “a conservative that you can believe in in Congress.”
“The key thing in our area, number one, is that immigration is massively important to us,” he said. “We want to make sure that we actually fix our borders. That we actually have an immigration system that works for all people trying to come to America the right way and also protects American citizenship, which is vital in the lives of all Americans.”
Does the media distort the truth about conservatives? Yes No
Completing this poll entitles you to The Western Journal news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use Yes: 100% (223 Votes) No: 0% (1 Votes)
Donalds said conservative principles are essential to get America on track.
“We have to have people who are going to stand firm on conservative principles to stand up for the United States Constitution,” he said.
“I have been a constitutionalist ever since I have been in politics the last 10 years and so for me, it’s important to go to Washington to fight for the Constitution and also begin the work of expanding the Republican Party, because we have to have new voices, new faces, people who are going to help expand our tent, stand for the president and not only win in 2020, but in the years beyond,” Donalds added.
In the video, Donalds said he is staunchly pro-gun.
“When my own party caved to the liberals on your Second Amendment rights, I fought them and will again,” he said.
“I believe in the Constitution, the wall and that socialism is another name for disaster,” he said.
Donalds cited his support of President Donald Trump.
“I was incredibly proud to stand with President Trump and work with him to deliver the president’s common sense criminal justice reforms,” he said.
.@realDonaldTrump has been working hard for Black America. Opportunity Zones, the First Step Act, and an all-time low unemployment rate for Black Americans. As I said yesterday, Dems had their chance for 100 years and they blew it. It’s time! pic.twitter.com/PK8xzHUgCk — Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) November 9, 2019
“And make no mistake, I will stand with the president against these impeachment radicals who trample our Constitution and paralyze our country with their dangerous lies,” he said.
The video shows Donalds saying that he is the proof that the Republican Party is being mischaracterized by its critics.
“The left wants you to think being Republican means being privileged, racist and out of touch,” he continued. “Well, I am not going to let them get away with this.”
Donalds noted in the video that success comes from within.
“Government didn’t get me off the streets,” he said. “Trusting God did.”
He also listed the key pieces of his philosophy.
“Love of family, personal responsibility and hard work,” he said.
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Branco cartoons , go to WesternJournal.com/opinion/cartoons .
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Aldi opened its first store in the U.S. in 1976 after it was founded a decade earlier in Germany by two brothers.


westernjournal--2020-01-07--CNN Reporter Gets Ruthlessly Mocked After Flipping Out Over Satire Website Babylon Bee

The least trusted name in news just proved its title again .
A CNN reporter whose job is “ covering disinformation , politics and technology ” has kicked off a social media ruckus by showing just how bad much of the mainstream media is at covering any of those topics with a “ public meltdown ” over the conservative satirical website The Babylon Bee .
Reporter Donnie O ’ Sullivan claims to be concerned that a hilarious Babylon Bee “ report ” about Democrats mourning the death of Iranian terror mastermind Qassem Soleimani is being taken seriously by too many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dribble CNN has been known to pass off as news .
TRENDING : Chelsea Clinton Racks Up $ 9 Million Worth of Compensation for Serving on Corporate Board O ’ Sullivan was retweeting a post from a Twitter user who griped that the Babylon Bee post had been shared more than 500,000 times and claimed that family members had said “ Republican FB friends are circulating it like it ’ s legit.
” “ To put this in perspective , this is the same number of engagements the top NY Times and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past week , ” O ’ Sullivan wrote .
There are two obvious points to make here : The first is that , if many Americans truly don ’ t realize a report claiming Democrats are publicly grieving a strike that killed one of the country ’ s most vicious enemies is a joke , it ’ s because the Democrats have spent years convincing the country that it ’ s entirely possible .
The second is that O ’ Sullivan sounds worried that something as obviously humorous as The Babylon Bee Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That says a lot more about the lack of credibility in coverage from The New York Times and CNN than it does about the credulity of the American public .
Basically , after decades of feeding a liberal spin to viewers and readers , the mainstream media has kicked into overdrive during the Trump years , going from liberal bias to outright propaganda aimed at tarnishing President Donald Trump and everything connected with his administration .
The American people – a perceptive bunch when they ’ re paying attention – should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is presented to them as news is actually true .
( The “ Russia collusion ” fiasco is one that won ’ t be soon forgotten . )
There ’ s another point , too – that for the liberal establishment , “ satire ” is only an issue when it comes from the right .
CNN and other mainstream media outlets have no problem with satirical stories that come from the left wing of American politics .
When was the last time any reporter claimed that the satirical website The Onion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its clearly outrageous “ reports ” ?
Could the fact that The Onion tends to mock Republicans and conservatives have anything to do with that ?
Babylon Bee founder Adam Ford made that point clear in a Twitter thread responding to O ’ Sullivan ’ s bellyaching .
“ A CNN reporter is taking shots at the Bee because our articles get shared a lot and some people think they ’ re real ( which will always happen with satire ) .
After thinking “ how adorable , ” I thought , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Onion for the same thing.. , ” ’ Ford wrote .
“ As it turns out , Mr. O ’ Sullivan HAS tweeted about the Onion .
But it looks like he ’ s quite the fan !
” So , to a CNN reporter who covers “ disinformation , politics and technology , ” alleged disinformation is apparently only a problem when it comes to conservatives using technology to comment on politics .
O ’ Sullivan ’ s baseless complaints drew plenty of contemptuous comments on Twitter from other users @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But this one summed it up : That ’ s about what it amounts to .
Liberals love mass communication as long as they can control it – Hollywood , late-night comedians , the mainstream “ news ” media .
But when conservatives hit back — whether in traditional formats like Fox News or on social media with conservative news sites or satirical sites like The Babylon Bee — they start getting nervous and complaining publicly that the American people aren ’ t smart enough to distill the truth from the lies .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ since Trump ’ s upset victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016 , it ’ s why the liberal fact-checking site Snopes has spent an embarrassing amount of time “ fact-checking ” obviously satirical posts on The Babylon Bee .
And it ’ s not going away anytime soon .
But the latest uproar just shows again why CNN really is the least trusted name in news .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

The least trusted name in news just proved its title again.
A CNN reporter whose job is “covering disinformation, politics and technology” has kicked off a social media ruckus by showing just how bad much of the mainstream media is at covering any of those topics with a “public meltdown” over the conservative satirical website The Babylon Bee.
Reporter Donnie O’Sullivan claims to be concerned that a hilarious Babylon Bee “report” about Democrats mourning the death of Iranian terror mastermind Qassem Soleimani is being taken seriously by too many Americans — or maybe more seriously than the dribble CNN has been known to pass off as news.
To put this in perspective, this is the same number of engagements the top NY Times and CNN stories on Facebook had over the past week. A lot of people sharing this “satirical” story on Facebook don’t know it is satire. https://t.co/HnDjuqw2si — Donie O’Sullivan (@donie) January 5, 2020
O’Sullivan was retweeting a post from a Twitter user who griped that the Babylon Bee post had been shared more than 500,000 times and claimed that family members had said “Republican FB friends are circulating it like it’s legit.”
“To put this in perspective, this is the same number of engagements the top NY Times and CNN stories on Facebook had over the past week,” O’Sullivan wrote.
There are two obvious points to make here:
The first is that, if many Americans truly don’t realize a report claiming Democrats are publicly grieving a strike that killed one of the country’s most vicious enemies is a joke, it’s because the Democrats have spent years convincing the country that it’s entirely possible.
Do you think the mainstream media should be worried about its own credibility? Yes No
Completing this poll entitles you to The Western Journal news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use Yes: 99% (1757 Votes) No: 1% (11 Votes)
(The Bee’s headline should have been a giveaway: “Democrats Call For Flags To Be Flown At Half-Mast To Grieve Death Of Soleimani.” But Democrats have been so insane for three years now that it almost seems credible — that’s what makes it such excellent satire.)
The second is that O’Sullivan sounds worried that something as obviously humorous as The Babylon Bee Post is rivaling mainstream media outlets in popularity. That says a lot more about the lack of credibility in coverage from The New York Times and CNN than it does about the credulity of the American public.
Basically, after decades of feeding a liberal spin to viewers and readers, the mainstream media has kicked into overdrive during the Trump years, going from liberal bias to outright propaganda aimed at tarnishing President Donald Trump and everything connected with his administration.
The American people – a perceptive bunch when they’re paying attention – should be forgiven for noticing that so little of what is presented to them as news is actually true. (The “Russia collusion” fiasco is one that won’t be soon forgotten.)
There’s another point, too – that for the liberal establishment, “satire” is only an issue when it comes from the right.
CNN and other mainstream media outlets have no problem with satirical stories that come from the left wing of American politics. When was the last time any reporter claimed that the satirical website The Onion posed a threat to American democracy because of its clearly outrageous “reports”? Could the fact that The Onion tends to mock Republicans and conservatives have anything to do with that?
Babylon Bee founder Adam Ford made that point clear in a Twitter thread responding to O’Sullivan’s bellyaching.
“A CNN reporter is taking shots at the Bee because our articles get shared a lot and some people think they’re real (which will always happen with satire). After thinking “how adorable,” I thought, “well surely this guy has chirped at the Onion for the same thing..,”’ Ford wrote.
A CNN reporter is taking shots at the Bee because our articles get shared a lot and some people think they’re real (which will always happen with satire). After thinking “how adorable,” I thought, “well surely this guy has chirped at the Onion for the same thing…” 1/3 https://t.co/m047iwflAk — Adam Ford (@Adam4d) January 6, 2020
Lo, and behold…
“As it turns out, Mr. O’Sullivan HAS tweeted about the Onion. But it looks like he’s quite the fan!”
As it turns out, Mr. O’Sullivan HAS tweeted about the Onion. But it looks like he’s quite the fan! https://t.co/MMLRP8J8n0 pic.twitter.com/8iFA3CQlHi — Adam Ford (@Adam4d) January 6, 2020
So, to a CNN reporter who covers “disinformation, politics and technology,” alleged disinformation is apparently only a problem when it comes to conservatives using technology to comment on politics.
O’Sullivan’s baseless complaints drew plenty of contemptuous comments on Twitter from other users, too.
From the sarcastic:
I can’t believe this thread isn’t satire. https://t.co/CX3bcJcg9T — David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) January 6, 2020
To the serious:
why is a CNN reporter having a public meltdown over a satire site — Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) January 6, 2020
You guys should definitely keep focusing your energy on Babylon Bee and people sharing a joke article is in no way a reflection of the garbage state of your profession. https://t.co/FuzhjfcpPg — Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) January 6, 2020
This is a really bad look for reporters. And notice they never express this concern regarding The Onion. It’s an obvious and labeled satire site. A lot of people liking and sharing it doesn’t make it bad. https://t.co/ONZzccqg2h — (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) January 6, 2020
But this one summed it up:
Social media is great until conservatives show even a fleeting hint of competence at it, at which point it becomes Scary Thing To Be Regulated Dovetails nicely with the two gatekeeping pieces in the NYT over the weekend — Allan (@AllanRicharz) January 6, 2020
That’s about what it amounts to.
Liberals love mass communication as long as they can control it – Hollywood, late-night comedians, the mainstream “news” media.
But when conservatives hit back — whether in traditional formats like Fox News or on social media with conservative news sites or satirical sites like The Babylon Bee — they start getting nervous and complaining publicly that the American people aren’t smart enough to distill the truth from the lies.
It’s been an ongoing theme since Trump’s upset victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, it’s why the liberal fact-checking site Snopes has spent an embarrassing amount of time “fact-checking” obviously satirical posts on The Babylon Bee.
And it’s not going away anytime soon.
But the latest uproar just shows again why CNN really is the least trusted name in news.
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westernjournal--2020-01-07--Young Man Scorches Biden on Obamacare, Publicly Asks, ‘Were You Lying to My Dad?

On Monday , NBC News published a piece by Alex Seitz-Wald in which he argued that Joe Biden may be “ unsinkable , ” at least in the Democratic Party presidential primaries .
Sure , Seitz-Wald wrote , Biden is tepid old bathwater in a race where scalding hot bathwater like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders or tepid , newer bathwater like Pete Buttigieg and ( yes , even ) Amy Klobuchar have had their turns as the flavor of the week .
Sure , he gaffes like no tomorrow .
But , he started 2020 the same way he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even though you can ’ t quite figure out how he ’ s stayed there .
One stab that Seitz-Wald took at it , and one part that stood out to me , was a bit where a Biden supporter named Rosio Fuentes told NBC News why they liked him .
“ He just seems like a transparent person , someone who is honest and someone who stays true to his word , ” Fuentes , who plans to support Biden when Nevada holds its caucus on Feb. 22 , said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he means what he says.
” TRENDING : Comedian George Lopez on Iran 's 'Bounty ' on Trump : 'We 'll Do It for Half' If Biden backers want to keep the all-important Rosio Fuentes vote , they ’ d better hope Fuentes doesn ’ t see a video where Biden dissembles about Obamacare for several minutes straight without answering a simple question about Obamacare : “ Were you lying to my dad ?
” According to The Daily Wire , the video is from Dec. 28 in Washington , Iowa , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During the event , Biden handed the mic off to a young man who has a question about Obamacare .
See if you can guess the exact point in this exchange where Biden ’ s hair plugs began to stand on end .
“ During the run-up to the passage of Obamacare , President Obama promised my father that if he likes his plan , he can keep his plan , and that his insurance will be cheaper , ” the young man said .
“ After passage , his plan was no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Since you supported the plan , were you lying to my dad ?
Or , did you not understand the bill you supported ?
” The answer began with what I ’ m assuming was an attempt by Biden to sum up his answer with a folksy witticism but which is , I concluded after about 20 listen-throughs , not just inaudible but actually incoherent .
( I heard “ wine dog-faced pony shelter , ” for those of you who are curious . )
Anyhow , the next few minutes probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ wine dog-faced pony shelter ” talk .
“ What I ’ m talking about now is that when — because I get asked the question — since , what I ’ d do is I ’ d add a public option to the existence of Obamacare , meaning that a Medicare-like option is available if in fact you — but there ’ s 160 million people out there who ’ ve negotiated a health care plan with their employer that they like and they don ’ t want to have to give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Biden said .
“ It says you have to give it up .
You can not have any private insurance .
RELATED : Court Strikes Down Heart of Obamacare Requiring Americans To Spend Their Money on Insurance “ What happened is — and by the way , the cost of Obamacare has gone down in the last two years , not up as you probably know , you seem to know this , number one .
Number two is that , when you put yourself in a position of — I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you ’ ve worked and given up significant portions of your salary over the last 2 , 5 , 10 , 12 years to get a health care plan you like that you negotiated with an employer , then in fact , you should not be forced to give it up .
“ You should have the choice .
If you want to keep it , you can keep it .
And if in fact … the employer eliminates the plan , which he could , eliminates the plan , then you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a subsidized plan of Obamacare.
” There are bits of information in here , yet a ) no real cohesive argument and b ) no real answer to the young man ’ s question .
This sounds like a man who ’ s been briefed on bullet points as to why Obamacare isn ’ t as bad as its critics say it is but has no idea how to string those facts into anything resembling an argument .
Shortly thereafter , Biden summed up what he was saying , albeit unintentionally .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of things for the better , and we ’ ve tried under five Democratic presidents , tried to change those things , and people say , ‘ Well Biden , why now do you think you can add the public option and why can you further subsidize it ? '
” Biden said .
“ Well , because people , there ’ s two ways people know when something is important .
One , when it ’ s so clear when it ’ s passed that everybody understands it — and no one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was rolled out.
” At this point , why would you take another thing this man says on health care seriously ?
I don ’ t think I need to reiterate the ways in which Obamacare failed and continues to fail , but here ’ s a greatest hits list .
It forced Americans to buy a product many of them didn ’ t want to buy .
You liked your doctor , you didn ’ t get to keep your doctor .
Premiums went up .
Plans got canceled .
People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couldn ’ t afford that didn ’ t really cover them because the deductible was so high .
And apparently , according to Biden , “ no one did understand Obamacare ” when it was passed .
Yet that hasn ’ t stopped him from wanting to take the plan to a whole new level .
On Biden ’ s campaign website , the page about his health care strategy is called the “ Plan To Protect & Build on the Affordable Care Act.
” “ He opposes every effort to get rid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Republicans , and efforts by Democrats , ” the page reads .
“ Instead of starting from scratch and getting rid of private insurance , he has a plan to build on the Affordable Care Act by giving Americans more choice , reducing health care costs , and making our health care system less complex to navigate.
” Just like the first time , right ?
So , I have a few questions for Rosio Fuentes .
Is this a transparent man ?
Does that sound transparent to you ?
Honest ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , yes .
But about the viability of the plan going forward ?
Does he means what he says ?
I mean , even that part where he says no one understood Obamacare .
Its opponents understood it far too well — something Biden apparently even now can ’ t admit to over a decade after it became law .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

On Monday, NBC News published a piece by Alex Seitz-Wald in which he argued that Joe Biden may be “unsinkable,” at least in the Democratic Party presidential primaries.
Sure, Seitz-Wald wrote, Biden is tepid old bathwater in a race where scalding hot bathwater like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders or tepid, newer bathwater like Pete Buttigieg and (yes, even) Amy Klobuchar have had their turns as the flavor of the week.
Sure, he gaffes like no tomorrow. But, he started 2020 the same way he started 2019 — as the favorite, even though you can’t quite figure out how he’s stayed there.
One stab that Seitz-Wald took at it, and one part that stood out to me, was a bit where a Biden supporter named Rosio Fuentes told NBC News why they liked him.
“He just seems like a transparent person, someone who is honest and someone who stays true to his word,” Fuentes, who plans to support Biden when Nevada holds its caucus on Feb. 22, said. “When he speaks, you feel that he means what he says.”
If Biden backers want to keep the all-important Rosio Fuentes vote, they’d better hope Fuentes doesn’t see a video where Biden dissembles about Obamacare for several minutes straight without answering a simple question about Obamacare: “Were you lying to my dad?”
According to The Daily Wire, the video is from Dec. 28 in Washington, Iowa, but is just getting some traction now.
During the event, Biden handed the mic off to a young man who has a question about Obamacare. See if you can guess the exact point in this exchange where Biden’s hair plugs began to stand on end.
“During the run-up to the passage of Obamacare, President Obama promised my father that if he likes his plan, he can keep his plan, and that his insurance will be cheaper,” the young man said.
Do you think Obamacare has been a failure? Yes No
Completing this poll entitles you to The Western Journal news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use Yes: 99% (5675 Votes) No: 1% (44 Votes)
“After passage, his plan was no longer allowed and his insurance costs doubled. Since you supported the plan, were you lying to my dad? Or, did you not understand the bill you supported?”
The answer began with what I’m assuming was an attempt by Biden to sum up his answer with a folksy witticism but which is, I concluded after about 20 listen-throughs, not just inaudible but actually incoherent. (I heard “wine dog-faced pony shelter,” for those of you who are curious.)
Anyhow, the next few minutes probably made Biden wish he stuck with that “wine dog-faced pony shelter” talk.
“What I’m talking about now is that when — because I get asked the question — since, what I’d do is I’d add a public option to the existence of Obamacare, meaning that a Medicare-like option is available if in fact you — but there’s 160 million people out there who’ve negotiated a health care plan with their employer that they like and they don’t want to have to give up like ‘Medicare-for-All‘ requires,” Biden said. “It says you have to give it up. You cannot have any private insurance.
“What happened is — and by the way, the cost of Obamacare has gone down in the last two years, not up as you probably know, you seem to know this, number one. Number two is that, when you put yourself in a position of — I have faith in the American people — that if you’ve worked and given up significant portions of your salary over the last 2, 5, 10, 12 years to get a health care plan you like that you negotiated with an employer, then in fact, you should not be forced to give it up.
“You should have the choice. If you want to keep it, you can keep it. And if in fact … the employer eliminates the plan, which he could, eliminates the plan, then you’d have the option to buy into a subsidized plan of Obamacare.”
There are bits of information in here, yet a) no real cohesive argument and b) no real answer to the young man’s question.
This sounds like a man who’s been briefed on bullet points as to why Obamacare isn’t as bad as its critics say it is but has no idea how to string those facts into anything resembling an argument.
Shortly thereafter, Biden summed up what he was saying, albeit unintentionally.
“We’ve changed a lot of things for the better, and we’ve tried under five Democratic presidents, tried to change those things, and people say, ‘Well Biden, why now do you think you can add the public option and why can you further subsidize it?'” Biden said.
“Well, because people, there’s two ways people know when something is important. One, when it’s so clear when it’s passed that everybody understands it — and no one did understand Obamacare, including the way it was rolled out.”
At this point, why would you take another thing this man says on health care seriously?
I don’t think I need to reiterate the ways in which Obamacare failed and continues to fail, but here’s a greatest hits list.
It forced Americans to buy a product many of them didn’t want to buy. You liked your doctor, you didn’t get to keep your doctor.
Premiums went up. Plans got canceled.
People were left buying into health insurance they couldn’t afford that didn’t really cover them because the deductible was so high.
And apparently, according to Biden, “no one did understand Obamacare” when it was passed.
Yet that hasn’t stopped him from wanting to take the plan to a whole new level.
On Biden’s campaign website, the page about his health care strategy is called the “Plan To Protect & Build on the Affordable Care Act.”
(Biden quote at the top, for real: “When we passed the Affordable Care Act, I told President Obama it was a big deal — or something to that effect.”)
“He opposes every effort to get rid of this historic law — including efforts by Republicans, and efforts by Democrats,” the page reads. “Instead of starting from scratch and getting rid of private insurance, he has a plan to build on the Affordable Care Act by giving Americans more choice, reducing health care costs, and making our health care system less complex to navigate.”
Just like the first time, right?
So, I have a few questions for Rosio Fuentes.
Is this a transparent man? Does that sound transparent to you?
Honest? Perhaps about the ways the plan failed, yes. But about the viability of the plan going forward?
Does he means what he says? I mean, even that part where he says no one understood Obamacare.
Its opponents understood it far too well — something Biden apparently even now can’t admit to over a decade after it became law.
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westernjournal--2020-01-07--Over 20 People Charged with Deliberately Setting Australia Wildfires That Have Been Blamed on Climat

Over 20 People Charged with Deliberately Setting Australia Wildfires That Have Been Blamed on Climate Change

New South Wales police have charged more than 20 people with deliberately starting fires across Australia as the country beats back wildfires .
Meanwhile , activists and celebrities claim climate change played a part in the blaze .
The NSW Police Force has taken legal action against 180 people since the end of 2019 , according to local reports .
Australian fires have killed 18 people and claimed the lives of hundreds of millions of animals .
Roughly 24 people have been charged for allegedly starting bushfires , while another 53 people allegedly failed to comply with a total fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cigarettes on dry land .
TRENDING : Comedian George Lopez on Iran 's 'Bounty ' on Trump : 'We 'll Do It for Half' Hollywood actor Russell Crowe , for instance , said Sunday through a message delivered by actress Jennifer Aniston that global warming is partially to blame .
She delivered the message at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony .
“ Make no mistake , ” wrote Crowe , who has a home in Australia .
“ The tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate change-based .
“ We need to act based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to renewable energy and respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is.
” Crowe won the best actor award for his role in “ The Loudest Voice.
” The Washington Post ’ s Editorial Board also weighed in on the topic , telling its readers Monday that Australia ’ s wildfires should be a warning to the rest of the world and to those who are skeptical of climate change .
“ If a Hollywood producer ordered up these images , they might be dismissed as too dramatic : orange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; flames jumping as high as 230 feet ; people huddling for shelter on the beach , ” the editorial said .
“ Australia ’ s wildfires are a disaster on a scale hard to fathom , charring an area roughly the size of West Virginia .
California ’ s massive 2018 blazes hit a sixth as much land as Australia ’ s have so far this fire season .
Government officials report that a third of the koalas in New South Wales might be gone .
The nation ’ s eucalyptus forests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : 3 Female Suspects Under Investigation Following Deadly Blaze at German Zoo “ This is the future humanity is writing for itself , right now , every day world governments waste failing to respond to climate change.
” The Editorial Board then hedged by saying other factors are probably involved .
A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

New South Wales police have charged more than 20 people with deliberately starting fires across Australia as the country beats back wildfires.
Meanwhile, activists and celebrities claim climate change played a part in the blaze.
The NSW Police Force has taken legal action against 180 people since the end of 2019, according to local reports.
Australian fires have killed 18 people and claimed the lives of hundreds of millions of animals.
Roughly 24 people have been charged for allegedly starting bushfires, while another 53 people allegedly failed to comply with a total fire ban. Dozens of people allegedly discarded cigarettes on dry land.
Many people blamed climate change for super-stoking Australia’s wildfires.
Hollywood actor Russell Crowe, for instance, said Sunday through a message delivered by actress Jennifer Aniston that global warming is partially to blame. She delivered the message at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.
“Make no mistake,” wrote Crowe, who has a home in Australia. “The tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate change-based.
“We need to act based on science, move our global workforce to renewable energy and respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is.”
Russell Crowe won a #GoldenGlobes for his performance in “The Loudest Voice” but couldn’t attend the show because of the fires in Australia. Jennifer Aniston read his acceptance speech which called for action against climate change. https://t.co/9S2a0oRaU4 pic.twitter.com/rcAFTEVjfX — Los Angeles Times (@latimes) January 6, 2020
Crowe won the best actor award for his role in “The Loudest Voice.”
The Washington Post’s Editorial Board also weighed in on the topic, telling its readers Monday that Australia’s wildfires should be a warning to the rest of the world and to those who are skeptical of climate change.
Do you think climate change played a role in the Australian wildfires? Yes No
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“If a Hollywood producer ordered up these images, they might be dismissed as too dramatic: orange skies; ash-filled rain; fire tornadoes; flames jumping as high as 230 feet; people huddling for shelter on the beach,” the editorial said. “Australia’s wildfires are a disaster on a scale hard to fathom, charring an area roughly the size of West Virginia. California’s massive 2018 blazes hit a sixth as much land as Australia’s have so far this fire season. Government officials report that a third of the koalas in New South Wales might be gone. The nation’s eucalyptus forests may be damaged for good.
“This is the future humanity is writing for itself, right now, every day world governments waste failing to respond to climate change.”
The Editorial Board then hedged by saying other factors are probably involved.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.
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westernjournal--2020-01-07--Ilhan Omar Suggests Iran Threat on Trump Hotels Could Draw Him into War

Those Trump hotels are even more of a danger than anyone ever imagined , according to Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota .
Omar , a virulent critic of President Donald Trump , suggested Monday that the president might go to war to recoup lost revenue from the Trump Organization ’ s properties if Iran chooses to threaten them .
“ Trump needs to immediately divest from his businesses and comply with the emoluments clause , ” she tweeted .
TRENDING : Comedian George Lopez on Iran 's 'Bounty ' on Trump : 'We 'll Do It for Half' “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he could provoke war over the loss of revenue from skittish guests .
His business interests should not be driving military decisions.
” Upon taking office , the president stepped back from his business interests , which are now managed by his sons , Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump .
The Minnesota Democrat ’ s tweet was attacked by many who wondered which side Omar was on .
Omar ’ s tweet followed one from an Iranian official who noted the Trump Organization has extensive properties around the world .
Hesameddin Ashena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rouhani , sent two tweets that implied Iran could make its revenge personal .
One was a link to a Forbes article listing the various properties owned by the Trump Organization .
“ We have ZERO problems with the American people .
We even achieved deals with previous US administrations .
Our sole problem is Trump .
In the event of war , it is he who will bear full responsibility , ” he wrote .
Omar has criticized the drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani , who helped organize Iran-backed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Let ’ s not mince words : the assassination of Qasem Soleimani was an act of war undertaken without Congressional authorization , in violation of the Constitution of the United States of America , ” Omar said in a statement on her website .
“ Following the assassination , thousands of additional troops were sent to the Middle East in one of the largest rapid deployments seen in decades , ” she said .
“ This follows years of saber-rattling and threats of war against Iran by President Trump and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our Constitutional duty — and do everything in our power to stop another disastrous war.
” We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

Those Trump hotels are even more of a danger than anyone ever imagined, according to Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
Omar, a virulent critic of President Donald Trump, suggested Monday that the president might go to war to recoup lost revenue from the Trump Organization’s properties if Iran chooses to threaten them.
“Trump needs to immediately divest from his businesses and comply with the emoluments clause,” she tweeted.
Trump needs to immediately divest from his businesses and comply with the emoluments clause. Iran could threaten Trump hotels *worldwide* and he could provoke war over the loss of revenue from skittish guests. His business interests should not be driving military decisions. — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 6, 2020
“Iran could threaten Trump hotels *worldwide* and he could provoke war over the loss of revenue from skittish guests. His business interests should not be driving military decisions.”
Upon taking office, the president stepped back from his business interests, which are now managed by his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
The Minnesota Democrat’s tweet was attacked by many who wondered which side Omar was on.
Is it just me or is she possibly telling Iran where to strike to do the most “damage” to our President. — Keith Mullings (@kmullings17) January 6, 2020
If a Trump hotel is attacked now we will know who advised the attackers. — Otter Braun (@otteritarian) January 6, 2020
@realDonaldTrump’s businesses have no bearing or impact on his decisions regarding Iran or anything else. Stop the fear mongering. #stopthefearmongering — Hank Boggio (@VNOVA86) January 6, 2020
Omar’s tweet followed one from an Iranian official who noted the Trump Organization has extensive properties around the world.
Do you think this is the craziest claim Omar has made yet? Yes No
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Hesameddin Ashena, an adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, sent two tweets that implied Iran could make its revenge personal.
One was a link to a Forbes article listing the various properties owned by the Trump Organization.
We have ZERO problems with the American people. We even achieved deals with previous US administrations. Our sole problem is Trump. In the event of war, it is he who will bear full responsibility. — Hesameddin Ashena (@hesamodin1) January 5, 2020
“We have ZERO problems with the American people. We even achieved deals with previous US administrations. Our sole problem is Trump. In the event of war, it is he who will bear full responsibility,” he wrote.
Omar has criticized the drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who helped organize Iran-backed militias in Iraq that conducted terrorist operations.
“Let’s not mince words: the assassination of Qasem Soleimani was an act of war undertaken without Congressional authorization, in violation of the Constitution of the United States of America,” Omar said in a statement on her website.
“Following the assassination, thousands of additional troops were sent to the Middle East in one of the largest rapid deployments seen in decades,” she said.
“This follows years of saber-rattling and threats of war against Iran by President Trump and his accomplices. We in Congress must exercise our Constitutional duty — and do everything in our power to stop another disastrous war.”
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westernjournal--2020-01-07--Trump to Congress: ‘Disproportionate’ Retaliation on Table To Counter Any Iranian Attack

After a carping chorus of congressional critics demanded that President Donald Trump have consulted with them about last week ’ s drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and that Trump tell them what might be next in his plan to defend American interests in the Middle East , they got their wish , but in true Trump style .
“ These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target , the United States will quickly & fully strike back , & perhaps in a disproportionate manner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but is given nevertheless !
” Trump tweeted Sunday after a string of tweets warning Iran that any retaliation for the drone strike would be met by a rebuilt American military .
Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado said on CNN the tweet was like Trump “ raising his middle finger at the Congress , ” Newsweek reported .
TRENDING : Comedian George Lopez on Iran 's 'Bounty ' on Trump : 'We 'll Do It for Half' “ This Media Post will serve as a reminder that war powers reside in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And that you should read the War Powers Act .
And that you ’ re not a dictator , ” the committee tweeted .
On Monday , White House counselor Kellyanne Conway was asked whether Trump would declassify the intelligence that led to the drone strike “ and prove to Congress what the threat was from Soleimani , ” according to a White House media pool report .
“ Prove to a Congress — you think that they ’ ll be satisfied ?
It sounds like they ’ re defending Soleimani and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s on them .
I ’ m a little tired of this hero worship of whoever the president has taken out , ” she said .
“ He ’ s the commander in chief , and he did what a responsible , strong — not weak — commander in chief does when faced with the opportunity to take out one of the , if not the world ’ s most wanted terrorist , ” Conway added .
Noting that , “ his door is open , his phone works , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Congress .
She also said some members of Congress should not be informed .
“ A lot of people just like to head straight to the cameras .
Could you imagine telling the chairman of the Intel Committee , one Adam Schiff , that this was going to happen ?
Could you imagine ?
The man goes to bed with his earpiece and microphone on .
So what would ’ ve happened ?
” Conway said .
Citing past meetings that ended abruptly , Conway said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “ might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called her to the White House for a briefing .
Above all , Conway said , members of Congress demanding briefings they know will come in due course “ should calm down and celebrate , not denigrate , the fact that the world ’ s greatest terrorist , who is single-handedly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans ” was killed .
Conway ’ s comments echoed those of former Arkansas Gov .
Mike Huckabee , who said Sunday on “ Fox & Friends ” that Democrats need to look at Soleimani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a political lens .
“ This goon killed over 600 Americans directly responsible for tens of thousands , if not millions of deaths of Iranians and other people across the world , ” Huckabee said .
“ And for the Democrats and the media to be just mourning his death like he ’ s some kind of hero , I mean , this guy makes Charles Manson look like a Franciscan monk for heaven ’ s sakes.
” Huckabee noted that the U.S. has already shared its assessment that Soleimani was planning attacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he doing in Iraq driving around in a car from the airport ?
Was he cruising by to get a Sonic burger ?
No , he was there to carry on what he had already started and that was to attack the U.S. Embassy , ” Huckabee said .
“ The president ought to be applauded .
And I can ’ t imagine what ’ s wrong with people if they want a country to be a loser country , a patsy , a country that always apologizes for being strong , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

After a carping chorus of congressional critics demanded that President Donald Trump have consulted with them about last week’s drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and that Trump tell them what might be next in his plan to defend American interests in the Middle East, they got their wish, but in true Trump style.
“These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!” Trump tweeted Sunday after a string of tweets warning Iran that any retaliation for the drone strike would be met by a rebuilt American military.
These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020
Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado said on CNN the tweet was like Trump “raising his middle finger at the Congress,” Newsweek reported.
The Democrat-dominated House Foreign Affairs Committee tweeted back its snarky reply.
“This Media Post will serve as a reminder that war powers reside in the Congress under the United States Constitution. And that you should read the War Powers Act. And that you’re not a dictator,” the committee tweeted.
This Media Post will serve as a reminder that war powers reside in the Congress under the United States Constitution. And that you should read the War Powers Act. And that you’re not a dictator. https://t.co/VTroMegWv0 — House Foreign Affairs Committee (@HouseForeign) January 5, 2020
Do you support President Donald Trump's efforts to contain Iran? Yes No
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On Monday, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway was asked whether Trump would declassify the intelligence that led to the drone strike “and prove to Congress what the threat was from Soleimani,” according to a White House media pool report.
Conway swatted aside the suggestion.
“Prove to a Congress — you think that they’ll be satisfied? It sounds like they’re defending Soleimani and attacking this president, and that’s on them. I’m a little tired of this hero worship of whoever the president has taken out,” she said.
“He’s the commander in chief, and he did what a responsible, strong — not weak — commander in chief does when faced with the opportunity to take out one of the, if not the world’s most wanted terrorist,” Conway added.
Noting that, “his door is open, his phone works,” she said Trump has been in dialogue with members of Congress.
She also said some members of Congress should not be informed.
“A lot of people just like to head straight to the cameras. Could you imagine telling the chairman of the Intel Committee, one Adam Schiff, that this was going to happen? Could you imagine? The man goes to bed with his earpiece and microphone on. So what would’ve happened?” Conway said.
Citing past meetings that ended abruptly, Conway said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “might leave in a fit” if Trump called her to the White House for a briefing.
Above all, Conway said, members of Congress demanding briefings they know will come in due course “should calm down and celebrate, not denigrate, the fact that the world’s greatest terrorist, who is single-handedly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans” was killed.
Conway’s comments echoed those of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who said Sunday on “Fox & Friends” that Democrats need to look at Soleimani’s death through something other than a political lens.
“This goon killed over 600 Americans directly responsible for tens of thousands, if not millions of deaths of Iranians and other people across the world,” Huckabee said. “And for the Democrats and the media to be just mourning his death like he’s some kind of hero, I mean, this guy makes Charles Manson look like a Franciscan monk for heaven’s sakes.”
Huckabee noted that the U.S. has already shared its assessment that Soleimani was planning attacks against American targets.
“What was he doing in Iraq driving around in a car from the airport? Was he cruising by to get a Sonic burger? No, he was there to carry on what he had already started and that was to attack the U.S. Embassy,” Huckabee said.
“The president ought to be applauded. And I can’t imagine what’s wrong with people if they want a country to be a loser country, a patsy, a country that always apologizes for being strong, then vote for these Democrats.”
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westernjournal--2020-01-07--Ilhan Omar Declared ‘Antisemite of the Year’ by Anti-Hate Group

You ’ ve probably sorted through plenty of year-end lists by now , it being January .
StopAntisemitism.org , an anti-hate group that “ expos [ es ] antisemitism from the radical left , the religious extreme , and the alt-right ” was a little late to the party with its “ Antisemite of the Year ” award , only announcing it Monday .
This is a surprise , considering that it seems like it should have been a lock from the get-go .
And yet , even at that , it got plenty of pushback on social media .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the year , the group ’ s anti-Semite of the year is indeed Rep. Ilhan Omar , Democrat of Minnesota .
Omar only took office in January of last year but had an impressive rookie season with “ the squad.
” Here ’ s a greatest hits video assembled by the folks at StopAntisemitism.org : TRENDING : Comedian George Lopez on Iran 's 'Bounty ' on Trump : 'We 'll Do It for Half' To be fair , one of the incidents that contributed to her award in 2019 was a tweet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of having “ hypnotized the world.
” However , it ’ s not as if she handled the reemergence of the tweet very well , and it managed to presage a string of scarcely concealed dog whistles throughout the year .
These included claiming that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee had bought loyalty to Israel from Washington legislators .
Just so we were clear on what she was talking about , she decided to take us back to the 1990s by saying that it was “ all about the Benjamins baby.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a truly awful Puff Daddy song about stacking those $ 100s bills to drive home her truly awful point about Jewish money buying loyalty .
Even after all this , she didn ’ t get too much of a chastising from Democratic leadership .
It wasn ’ t until she accused Jewish Americans of dual loyalties — just weeks after this hot mess , she told an audience in Washington that “ I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK to push for allegiance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party got around to wagging a very flaccid finger in her face .
How flaccid ?
Consider that the resolution to tacitly condemn her was watered down to the point where it became a meaningless condemnation of all types of hatred , thus making it meaningless .
And , even though she ’ d hit every bumper on the Jewish stereotype pinball field , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that Omar ’ s actions weren ’ t “ intentionally anti-Semitic.
” Apparently , Pelosi thought Omar had somehow come upon all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , one individual who thought this wasn ’ t exactly felicity in reverse was David Duke .
Duke — the prolific bigot , former KKK third-degree super wizard ( or whatever ) and serially failed political candidate — lent his support to Omar in the wake of the controversy : RELATED : Ilhan Omar Posts Video That Proclaims the US Is 'Not Very Good at Anything ' Except War Isn ’ t that nice : Duke has finally found an African-American liberal he can support .
In the wake of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magically learn exactly what you couldn ’ t say publicly about Jewish people and , for the most part , didn ’ t say it for the rest of the year .
That said , she still managed to get herself embroiled in controversy over her support for the anti-Semitic Boycott , Divestment , Sanctions movement , which aims to treat Israel as if it were an apartheid state on par with South Africa .
After Omar ’ s spat with President Donald Trump over his controversial tweet about members of “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no small amount of sympathy for her , it must be noted — she decided her next move would be legislation which compared the BDS movement to boycotts against the aforementioned South Africa , the USSR and ( sigh ) Nazi Germany .
In what was a common theme for calendar year 2019 , no one in party leadership could apparently convince Omar that this was a poor use of political capital .
The best that could be said about the anti-hate resolution was that it died with a whimper , not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the award certainly remembered it , as did the folks at StopAntisemitism.org .
Omar fanboys didn ’ t exactly remember it , or chose , as they so conveniently do , to deliberately forget it : Yes , she got our attention and she ’ s Muslim .
Congratulations on that , I guess .
I don ’ t particularly see how those are related to the “ award , ” but I ’ m sure it sounded good being typed into the Twitter input box .
Omar ’ s 2020 will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaving her with plenty of opportunities to “ win ” the prize again this year .
The Minnesota Democrat has become a surrogate for Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail , something her supporters on the Twitter thread unsurprisingly tried to use to negate any charge of anti-Semitic rhetoric on Omar ’ s part , given that Sanders is Jewish .
It ’ s as if supporting one Jewish man whose policy positions align with hers suddenly erases everything she ’ s said in the past .
One wonders if these individuals feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While Omar hasn ’ t publicly said anything rebarbative about Jewish people of late , that doesn ’ t mean she ’ s settled into respectability or anything resembling it .
Her latest controversy , in the wake of the strike which killed Iranian terrorist and military figure Qassem Soleimani , was tweeting an obscenity-riddled George Carlin clip in which he said the United States was “ not very good at anything else ” aside from making war .
The year ’ s still young , however , and there are plenty of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she ’ s still the odds-on favorite to repeat as the winner of the award in 2020 .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

You’ve probably sorted through plenty of year-end lists by now, it being January. StopAntisemitism.org, an anti-hate group that “expos[es] antisemitism from the radical left, the religious extreme, and the alt-right” was a little late to the party with its “Antisemite of the Year” award, only announcing it Monday.
This is a surprise, considering that it seems like it should have been a lock from the get-go. And yet, even at that, it got plenty of pushback on social media.
In what was no doubt the anticlimax of the year, the group’s anti-Semite of the year is indeed Rep. Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota. Omar only took office in January of last year but had an impressive rookie season with “the squad.”
Here’s a greatest hits video assembled by the folks at StopAntisemitism.org:
Mazal Tov to #IlhanOmar on being named 2019’s Antisemite of the Year! Thousands voted & the Freshmen Congresswoman came out on top as the most vile Jew hater! America cannot afford leadership that perpetuates hatred against the #Jewish people! https://t.co/hrRKRxoYuo @Ilhan pic.twitter.com/NJFE3rcM9B — StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites) January 6, 2020
To be fair, one of the incidents that contributed to her award in 2019 was a tweet from 2012 in which she accused Israel of having “hypnotized the world.” However, it’s not as if she handled the reemergence of the tweet very well, and it managed to presage a string of scarcely concealed dog whistles throughout the year.
These included claiming that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee had bought loyalty to Israel from Washington legislators. Just so we were clear on what she was talking about, she decided to take us back to the 1990s by saying that it was “all about the Benjamins baby.”
It somehow seemed apropos she was referencing a truly awful Puff Daddy song about stacking those $100s bills to drive home her truly awful point about Jewish money buying loyalty.
Do you think Ilhan Omar is an anti-Semite? Yes No
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Even after all this, she didn’t get too much of a chastising from Democratic leadership. It wasn’t until she accused Jewish Americans of dual loyalties — just weeks after this hot mess, she told an audience in Washington that “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK to push for allegiance to a foreign country” — that her party got around to wagging a very flaccid finger in her face.
How flaccid? Consider that the resolution to tacitly condemn her was watered down to the point where it became a meaningless condemnation of all types of hatred, thus making it meaningless. And, even though she’d hit every bumper on the Jewish stereotype pinball field, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that Omar’s actions weren’t “intentionally anti-Semitic.”
PELOSI just told us she did not think @IlhanMN’s comments were “intentionally anti Semitic” — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) March 6, 2019
Apparently, Pelosi thought Omar had somehow come upon all of these tired anti-Jewish tropes entirely by accident. However, one individual who thought this wasn’t exactly felicity in reverse was David Duke. Duke — the prolific bigot, former KKK third-degree super wizard (or whatever) and serially failed political candidate — lent his support to Omar in the wake of the controversy:
Dr Duke & Eric Striker: By Defiance to Z.O.G. Ilhan Omar is NOW the most important Member of the US Congress! https://t.co/R4d4X81xdv pic.twitter.com/C083V57VQp — David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) March 7, 2019
Black Muslim dares to expose the Zionist buying of Congress. Jewish leaders demand resolution to condemn her and then transform it to a pro-Muslim and pro-Jewish vicious hate speech against White people.https://t.co/wE8gNlVMmu — David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) March 8, 2019
Isn’t that nice: Duke has finally found an African-American liberal he can support.
In the wake of the rebuke, Omar seemed to suddenly, magically learn exactly what you couldn’t say publicly about Jewish people and, for the most part, didn’t say it for the rest of the year. That said, she still managed to get herself embroiled in controversy over her support for the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, which aims to treat Israel as if it were an apartheid state on par with South Africa.
After Omar’s spat with President Donald Trump over his controversial tweet about members of “the squad” — a spat that engendered no small amount of sympathy for her, it must be noted — she decided her next move would be legislation which compared the BDS movement to boycotts against the aforementioned South Africa, the USSR and (sigh) Nazi Germany.
In what was a common theme for calendar year 2019, no one in party leadership could apparently convince Omar that this was a poor use of political capital. The best that could be said about the anti-hate resolution was that it died with a whimper, not a bang.
Yet, the folks voting for the award certainly remembered it, as did the folks at StopAntisemitism.org. Omar fanboys didn’t exactly remember it, or chose, as they so conveniently do, to deliberately forget it:
This is profoundly stupid and irresponsible. — jonathan zwickel (@zwickelicious) January 6, 2020
We love @Ilhan Stay strong, Ilhan, and don’t pay attention to the bullies and thugs. They’re panicked because history is passing them by. @DNC @HouseDemocrats are rejecting Zionism and racism. Hang in there! You are grace under fire. — Milo Somers (@milo_somers) January 6, 2020
congrats to Ilhan Omar on winning “Muslim woman whose existence we most had to acknowledge” of 2019 — Sam Adler-Bell (@SamAdlerBell) January 7, 2020
Yes, she got our attention and she’s Muslim. Congratulations on that, I guess. I don’t particularly see how those are related to the “award,” but I’m sure it sounded good being typed into the Twitter input box.
Omar’s 2020 will no doubt be an eventful one, leaving her with plenty of opportunities to “win” the prize again this year.
The Minnesota Democrat has become a surrogate for Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail, something her supporters on the Twitter thread unsurprisingly tried to use to negate any charge of anti-Semitic rhetoric on Omar’s part, given that Sanders is Jewish.
It’s as if supporting one Jewish man whose policy positions align with hers suddenly erases everything she’s said in the past. One wonders if these individuals feel the same way about David Duke.
While Omar hasn’t publicly said anything rebarbative about Jewish people of late, that doesn’t mean she’s settled into respectability or anything resembling it.
Her latest controversy, in the wake of the strike which killed Iranian terrorist and military figure Qassem Soleimani, was tweeting an obscenity-riddled George Carlin clip in which he said the United States was “not very good at anything else” aside from making war.
The year’s still young, however, and there are plenty of tweets to come. For my money, she’s still the odds-on favorite to repeat as the winner of the award in 2020.
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westernjournal--2020-01-07--40 People Killed in Stampede at Funeral for Iranian General Soleimani

A stampede on Tuesday at a funeral procession for a top Iranian general killed 40 people and injured 213 others , two Iranian semi-official news agencies reported .
The stampede took place in Kerman , the hometown of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani , as the procession got underway , said the Fars and ISNA news agencies , citing Pirhossein Koulivand , the head of Iran ’ s emergency medical services .
Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike Friday near Baghdad ’ s airport .
There was no information as to what had set off the stampede .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifeless on a road and others shouting and trying to help them .
Soleimani ’ s funeral was later delayed , but no new timing was given .
“ Unfortunately as a result of the stampede , some of our compatriots have been injured and some have been killed during the funeral processions , ” Koulivand earlier said .
TRENDING : Chelsea Clinton Racks Up $ 9 Million Worth of Compensation for Serving on Corporate Board In delaying Soleimani ’ s burial , authorities cited concerns about the massive crowd that had gathered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A procession in Tehran on Monday drew over 1 million people in the Iranian capital , crowding both main thoroughfares and side streets in Tehran .
Soleimani and his Quds Force were “ responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more , ” according to the Department of Defense .
“ General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region .
… He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack on December 27th — culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel , ” the Pentagon said .
Many in Iran , however , view him as a hero , and his death has sparked calls for revenge against America .
Early Tuesday , the leader of Iran ’ s Revolutionary Guard threatened to “ set ablaze ” places supported by the United States over Soleimani ’ s death , sparking cries from the crowd of supporters of “ Death to America !
” Hossein Salami made the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a central square in Kerman before a casket carrying Soleimani ’ s remains .
In the wake of Soleimani ’ s death , Tehran declared it was abandoning the remaining limits of its 2015 nuclear deal with then-President Barack Obama and other world leaders .
RELATED : Breaking : Iran Launches Series of Missile Attacks Targeting US Forces in Iraq Speaking in Kerman , Salami praised Soleimani ’ s exploits , describing him as essential to backing Palestinian groups , Yemen ’ s Houthi rebels and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an even greater threat to Iran ’ s enemies , Salami said .
“ We will take revenge .
We will set ablaze where they like , ” Salami said , drawing the cries of “ Death to Israel !
” According to a report Tuesday by the semi-official Tasnim news agency , Iran has worked up 13 sets of plans for revenge for Soleimani ’ s killing .
The report quoted Ali Shamkhani , the secretary of Iran ’ s Supreme National Security Council , as saying that even the weakest among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for the U.S .
He declined to give any details .
“ If the U.S. troops do not leave our region voluntarily and upright , we will do something to carry their bodies horizontally out , ” Shamkhani said .
President Donald Trump said Iran would seriously regret acting upon its threats .
The U.S. Air Force launched a drill with 52 fighter jets in Utah , just days after the president threatened to hit 52 sites in Iran .
Meanwhile , the U.S. Maritime Administration warned ships across the Mideast , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iranian response to this action , if any , is unknown , but there remains the possibility of Iranian action against U.S. maritime interests in the region , ” it said .
Oil tankers were targeted in mine attacks last year the U.S. blamed on Iran .
Tehran also seized oil tankers around the crucial Strait of Hormuz , the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 percent of the world ’ s crude oil travels .
The U.S. Navy ’ s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said it would work with shippers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat .
The 5th Fleet “ has and will continue to provide advice to merchant shipping as appropriate regarding recommended security precautions in light of the heightened tensions and threats in the region , ” 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr .
Joshua Frey told The Associated Press .
Meanwhile , Iranian Gen. Alireza Tabgsiri , the chief of the Guard ’ s navy , issued his own warning .
“ Our message to the enemies is to leave the region , ” Tabgsiri said , according to ISNA .
Iran ’ s parliament , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declaring the U.S. military ’ s command at the Pentagon and those acting on its behalf in Soleimani ’ s killing as “ terrorists , ” subject to Iranian sanctions .
The measure appears to be an attempt to mirror a decision by Trump in April to declare the Revolutionary Guard a “ terrorist organization.
” The U.S. Defense Department used the Guard ’ s designation as a terror organization in the U.S. to support the strike that killed Soleimani .
The decision by Iran ’ s parliament , done by a special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , comes as officials across the country threaten to retaliate for Soleimani ’ s killing .
The vote also saw lawmakers approve funding for the Quds Force with an additional $ 224 million .
Solemani will ultimately be laid to rest between the graves of Enayatollah Talebizadeh and Mohammad Hossein Yousef Elahi , two former Guard comrades .
The two died in Operation Dawn 8 in Iran ’ s 1980s war with Iraq in which Soleimani also took part , a 1986 amphibious assault that cut Iraq off from the Persian Gulf and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war that killed 1 million people .
The Associated Press contributed to this report .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

A stampede on Tuesday at a funeral procession for a top Iranian general killed 40 people and injured 213 others, two Iranian semi-official news agencies reported.
The stampede took place in Kerman, the hometown of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, as the procession got underway, said the Fars and ISNA news agencies, citing Pirhossein Koulivand, the head of Iran’s emergency medical services.
Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike Friday near Baghdad’s airport.
There was no information as to what had set off the stampede. Initial videos posted online showed people lying lifeless on a road and others shouting and trying to help them. Soleimani’s funeral was later delayed, but no new timing was given.
“Unfortunately as a result of the stampede, some of our compatriots have been injured and some have been killed during the funeral processions,” Koulivand earlier said.
In delaying Soleimani’s burial, authorities cited concerns about the massive crowd that had gathered, the semi-official ISNA news agency said.
A procession in Tehran on Monday drew over 1 million people in the Iranian capital, crowding both main thoroughfares and side streets in Tehran.
Soleimani and his Quds Force were “responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more,” according to the Department of Defense.
“General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. … He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months — including the attack on December 27th — culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel,” the Pentagon said.
Qassem Soleimani’s 20-year span of terror is finally over. America—and the world—are safer because @realdonaldtrump took action. pic.twitter.com/aieqB5iATA — Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) January 6, 2020
Many in Iran, however, view him as a hero, and his death has sparked calls for revenge against America.
Early Tuesday, the leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened to “set ablaze” places supported by the United States over Soleimani’s death, sparking cries from the crowd of supporters of “Death to America!” Hossein Salami made the pledge before a crowd of thousands gathered in a central square in Kerman before a casket carrying Soleimani’s remains.
In the wake of Soleimani’s death, Tehran declared it was abandoning the remaining limits of its 2015 nuclear deal with then-President Barack Obama and other world leaders.
Speaking in Kerman, Salami praised Soleimani’s exploits, describing him as essential to backing Palestinian groups, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria. As a martyr, Soleimani represented an even greater threat to Iran’s enemies, Salami said.
“We will take revenge. We will set ablaze where they like,” Salami said, drawing the cries of “Death to Israel!”
According to a report Tuesday by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Iran has worked up 13 sets of plans for revenge for Soleimani’s killing. The report quoted Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as saying that even the weakest among them would be a “historic nightmare” for the U.S. He declined to give any details.
“If the U.S. troops do not leave our region voluntarily and upright, we will do something to carry their bodies horizontally out,” Shamkhani said.
President Donald Trump said Iran would seriously regret acting upon its threats.
Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2020
….hundreds of Iranian protesters. He was already attacking our Embassy, and preparing for additional hits in other locations. Iran has been nothing but problems for many years. Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have….. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2020
….targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2020
The U.S. Air Force launched a drill with 52 fighter jets in Utah, just days after the president threatened to hit 52 sites in Iran.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Maritime Administration warned ships across the Mideast, citing the rising threats.
“The Iranian response to this action, if any, is unknown, but there remains the possibility of Iranian action against U.S. maritime interests in the region,” it said.
Oil tankers were targeted in mine attacks last year the U.S. blamed on Iran. Tehran also seized oil tankers around the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 percent of the world’s crude oil travels.
The U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said it would work with shippers in the region to minimize any possible threat.
The 5th Fleet “has and will continue to provide advice to merchant shipping as appropriate regarding recommended security precautions in light of the heightened tensions and threats in the region,” 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Joshua Frey told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Iranian Gen. Alireza Tabgsiri, the chief of the Guard’s navy, issued his own warning.
“Our message to the enemies is to leave the region,” Tabgsiri said, according to ISNA.
Iran’s parliament, meanwhile, has passed an urgent bill declaring the U.S. military’s command at the Pentagon and those acting on its behalf in Soleimani’s killing as “terrorists,” subject to Iranian sanctions. The measure appears to be an attempt to mirror a decision by Trump in April to declare the Revolutionary Guard a “terrorist organization.”
The U.S. Defense Department used the Guard’s designation as a terror organization in the U.S. to support the strike that killed Soleimani. The decision by Iran’s parliament, done by a special procedure to speed the bill to law, comes as officials across the country threaten to retaliate for Soleimani’s killing.
The vote also saw lawmakers approve funding for the Quds Force with an additional $224 million.
Solemani will ultimately be laid to rest between the graves of Enayatollah Talebizadeh and Mohammad Hossein Yousef Elahi, two former Guard comrades. The two died in Operation Dawn 8 in Iran’s 1980s war with Iraq in which Soleimani also took part, a 1986 amphibious assault that cut Iraq off from the Persian Gulf and led to the end of the bloody war that killed 1 million people.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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