theblaze--2020-11-19--WATCH: Andrew Cuomo MOCKS reporters for questions on NYC school closures — so Glenn Beck responds in

WATCH: Andrew Cuomo MOCKS reporters for questions on NYC school closures — so Glenn Beck responds in kind

WATCH : Andrew Cuomo MOCKS reporters for questions on NYC school closures — so Glenn Beck responds in kind

New York City shut down its schools over the coronavirus with barely any notice. But even before that, Gov. Andrew Cuomo apparently wasn't in the mood to be asked about it, and he made that very clear to reporters.
Asked on Wednesday whether parents could expect schools to be closed as soon as Thursday, Cuomo mocked reporters for their "obnoxious and offensive" questions and accused them of not paying attention. Watch the testy exchange for yourself here.
On Thursday's radio program, Glenn Beck and producer Stu Burguiere had plenty to say about Stu's least favorite governor and the decision to close schools. But Glenn also offered his own theory on why the coronavirus restrictions have become so political: Americans refuse to be forced into submission.
Watch the video below to catch the conversation:
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theblaze--2020-11-19--Democrats say NO to Thanksgiving, while Oregon decriminalizes Methamphetamine

Democrats say NO to Thanksgiving , while Oregon decriminalizes Methamphetamine

One week before Thanksgiving, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer implemented new COVID-19 restrictions for her state.
On Thursday's show, Pat outlined 14 major changes in Michigan:
High school classes must be conducted remotely College classes must be conducted remotely Work must be done remotely Indoor dining no longer permitted Organized sports are no longer permitted, except for professional sports and select NCAA sports Group fitness classes not permitted Movie theaters must close Stadiums and arenas must close Bowling alleys must close Ice skating rinks must close Indoor water parks must close BINGO halls must close Casinos must close Arcades must close
Pat noted how many businesses are likely to fail as a result of Whitmer's lockdown in Michigan. Later, Pat discussed how in the state of Oregon, too many family members under one roof on Thanksgiving could land residents in jail, while hard drugs including: heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine were decriminalized.
Watch the video for more details from Pat.
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theblaze--2020-11-19--Trump legal team claims 'national conspiracy' of voter fraud will be proven in court

Trump legal team claims 'national conspiracy ' of voter fraud will be proven in court '' This has been a @ @ @ @ @ of the voting system in the greatest democracy on earth . ''

President Donald Trump's campaign legal team hosted a barn-burner news conference Thursday during which Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani alleged that there is evidence of a "centralized" plan in a "national conspiracy" by Democrats to steal the 2020 presidential election.
Giuliani did not show specific evidence of a conspiracy to commit widespread voter fraud, instead stating that this is the "logical conclusion" he reached by studying several allegations of voting irregularities in various contested battleground states.
"What I'm describing to you is a massive fraud," said Giuliani, who was joined by attorney Sidney Powell and Trump campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis.
Trump's lawyers challenged reporters who claim there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, insisting that the sworn affidavits in various lawsuits being undertaken by the campaign will prove in court that fraud not only took place but was so voluminous that former Vice President Joe Biden's victory was illegitimate and will be overturned. The existence of the sworn affidavits is the evidence, they insisted.
"There's not a singular voter fraud in one state. This pattern that repeats itself in a number of states, almost exactly the same pattern," Giuliani claimed, saying this pattern suggests "there's a plan from a centralized place to execute these various acts of voter fraud specifically focused on big cities and specifically focused on big cities controlled by Democrats."
The allegations of fraud cited by the former mayor of New York City mostly had to do with mail-in absentee ballots, which he claimed were extremely susceptible to fraud, and irregularities in ballot counting, to which he promised sworn witness testimony will be provided in court.
Giuliani said the Trump legal team is in possession of hundreds of affidavits that attest to fraud and chastised the media for neglecting to report the contents of those affidavits. Some of these affidavits have been made public and have been reported by TheBlaze and others, but most have not been released by Trump's legal team nor presented in court yet.
"I can't give you all these affidavits because if I do these people will be harassed, they'll be threatened, they may lose their job, they will lose their friends. We've lost lawyers in this case because they've been threatened," Giuliani told reporters.
Among the allegations Giuliani cited were claims that Trump campaign poll watchers in Pennsylvania were prohibited from observing the ballot counting process because they were told to keep back to comply with coronavirus restrictions. The Republicans had sued and a judge ruled in their favor, allowing them to observe ballots being counted from six feet away, but Pennsylvania officials appealed that decision.
Giuliani also said he has hundreds of witnesses who will testify that election officials in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh permitted voters in those cities to fix errors on their absentee ballots while in the rest of the state, particularly in places with high Republican turnout, voters were not allowed to do so. He said this was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and that the fixed ballots must be thrown out. Giuliani also claimed that there are 682,770 absentee ballots for which Trump's legal team has affidavits alleging that they were not inspected before they were counted and therefore must be tossed.
Other affidavits Giuliani cited claim that in Pennsylvania and Michigan poll workers received instructions from their supervisors to commit fraudulent acts. One affidavit claims that in Pittsburgh poll workers were told to assign unregistered and unnamed absentee ballots to registered voters in Pennsylvania's voter system that hadn't shown up to vote yet. If a registered voter did show up and was told he had already voted, he would be given a provisional ballot, Giuliani said.
Giuliani read from the sworn testimony of Jessy Jacob, a furloughed Detroit city worker who was temporarily assigned to the city clerk's office to work the election. Jacob's testimony was part of a lawsuit filed in Michigan pursuing an audit of election results in Wayne County and making various allegations of election fraud. Last week, Wayne County Circuit Chief Judge Timothy M. Kenny dismissed the lawsuit, finding Jacob's testimony lacked credibility.
Giuliani accused Democrats of committing acts of fraud in parts of the country where "judges are appointed politically" and "too many of them are hacks," leading to some Republican lawsuits being dismissed. He did not mention whether he thought the judges currently reviewing the Trump campaign's lawsuits were "hacks."
The ballot counting irregularities alleged by Trump's legal team centered on claims that communist Venezuela and George Soros interfered in the U.S. election through weaknesses in Dominion Voting Systems software. Attorney Sidney Powell described how "one very strong witness" told the Trump legal team how the voting system software used in several battleground states has technological vulnerabilities, "backdoors that can be hooked up to the internet or a thumb drive stuck in it or whatever." She alleged that one of the key features of the system "is its ability to flip votes," suggesting that votes cast for President Trump were manipulated and switched to votes for Joe Biden.
Powell said the campaign is uncovering "the massive influence of community money through Venezuela, Cuba, and likely China, in the interference with our elections here in the United States. The Dominion voting system, the Smartmatic technology software and the software that goes in other computerized voting systems here as well — not just Dominion — were created in Venezuela at the direction of Hugo Chavez to make sure he never lost an election after one constitutional referendum came out the way he did not want it to come out."
Trump's legal team connected Dominion, a company that sells voting machines used in 28 states, to another voting company called Smartmatic, which reportedly only had machines operating in Los Angeles County during the 2020 election. Both companies have issued statements saying that no ownership relationship exists between the two firms, which are market competitors. They have both denied having any ties with foreign governments as well.
Dominion Voting Systems has categorically denied "false assertions about vote switching and software issues with our voting systems," and further denied that it has any connection or partnership with it's "fierce competitor" Smartmatic.
"Dominion has no company ownership relationships with the Pelosi family, Feinstein family, Clinton Global Initiative, Smartmatic, Scytl, or any ties to Venezuela," the company said in a statement. "Dominion works with all U.S. political parties; our customer base and our government outreach practices reflect this nonpartisan approach."
Smartmatic has likewise denied any financial relationship to Dominion.
"Smartmatic has never owned any shares or had any financial stake in Dominion Voting Systems. Smartmatic has never provided Dominion Voting Systems with any software, hardware or other technology. The two companies are competitors in the marketplace," the company said.
The Trump legal team insists, however, that the allegations they present in court will ultimately be shown to be true and will overturn the election. Trump campaign senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis said the allegations presented Thursday are the "opening statement" of the Trump campaign's legal argument and that the evidence will be reviewed in court.
"What you have heard, I'm sure, in the fake newspapers tomorrow will be one of two things. Either there was not sufficient evidence that we presented, or we spoke too long," Ellis said. "What you've heard now is basically an opening statement. This is what you can expect to see when we get to court to actually have a full trial on the merit, to actually show this evidence in court and prove our case. This is not a 'Law & Order' episode where everything is neatly wrapped up in 60 minutes."
"This is basically an opening statement so the American people can understand what the networks have been hiding and what they refuse to cover, because all of our fake news headlines are dancing around the merits of this case and are trying to delegitimize what we are doing here," she continued. "Let me be very clear that our objective is to make sure to preserve and protect election integrity."
"This has been a massive attack on the integrity of the voting system in the greatest democracy on earth," Giuliani said. "The people who did this have committed one of the worst crimes that I've ever seen or observed."


theblaze--2020-11-19--Kyle Rittenhouse doesn’t regret bringing a gun to Kenosha riots: ‘I would’ve died that night if I di

Kyle Rittenhouse doesn’t regret bringing a gun to Kenosha riots: ‘I would’ve died that night if I didn’t’

Kyle Rittenhouse doesn ’ t regret bringing a gun to Kenosha riots : ‘ I would ’ ve died that @ @ @ @ @ t ’

In his first public interview since being arrested, Kyle Rittenhouse — the 17-year-old charged with fatally shooting two people and injuring a third during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August — told the Washington Post that he doesn't regret bringing a firearm to the riots.
"No, I don't regret it. I feel I had to protect myself," he said, speaking on the phone from the juvenile detention center where he is currently being held. "I would have died that night if I didn't.
"I was going into a place where people had guns, and God forbid somebody brought a gun to me and decided to shoot me ... I wanted to be protected, which, I ended up having to protect myself," Rittenhouse added.
During the interview, the Post also learned that Rittenhouse, who was too young to purchase a firearm himself, had arranged for an adult friend to buy it with government stimulus money Rittenhouse had received.
Rittenhouse has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, and attempted first-degree intentional homicide for his actions the night of Aug. 25, which led to the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and the injury of Gaige Grosskreutz. If convicted, he will serve a mandatory life sentence in prison.
But he explained to the news outlet that he was not in Kenosha that night to commit violence. He described to interviewers how he was hoping to protect a local business against violence and help injured people receive medical assistance.
That particular night, Rittenhouse appeared on video saying, "Our job is protect this business ... and part of my job is to also help people.
"If there's somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way and that's why I have my rifle," he continued, "to protect myself obviously."
When asked by the Post how he had thought the evening would unfold, Rittenhouse similarly said he expected that he would just be "watching over the business and providing first aid for minor injuries to people."
Attorneys for the teenager have claimed their client acted in self-defense during the altercations that night, arguing that he was the one being chased down and attacked in each event. They even pointed out that the criminal complaint outlining homicide charges against Rittenhouse appear to read as if he acted in self-defense.
In a statement in August, Rittenhouse's legal team stated, "Kyle did nothing wrong. He exercised his God-given, Constitutional, common law and statutory law right to self-defense."
Videos that have surfaced and circulated on social media from that night appear to back their claims. However, it will be a jury that will ultimately decide Rittenhouse's fate.


theblaze--2020-11-19--Washington Gov. Inslee bans singing in church. Broadway celeb responds: I'm not going to comply with

Washington Gov. Inslee bans singing in church. Broadway celeb responds: I'm not going to comply with your 'unlawful orders.'

Washington Gov .
Inslee bans singing in church .
Broadway celeb responds : I 'm not going to comply with @ @ @ @ @

The liberal Democratic governor of Washington's new COVID -19 restriction banning congregational singing in religious worship services is not sitting well with many citizens.
One Washington celebrity, Broadway star Chad Kimball, made it clear what the governor can do with his ban on musical worship.
What did the governor do?
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued new COVID-19 restrictions for his state Sunday.
Those new restrictions are widespread and include limits on social gatherings, closings of bars, restaurants, and gyms, occupancy restrictions for businesses, bans on indoor sporting events, and prohibitions on wedding receptions and funeral wakes.
Many citizens of the Evergreen State took serious issue with those new state dictates, but what really set off a significant share of the population was the governor's treatment of religion and the exercise thereof.
Inslee's declaration places hard limits on the number of people permitted to attend a religious service, prohibits choirs, bands, and ensembles, and outright bans congregational singing, which is a vital part of worship for many faiths. From the governor's declaration (emphasis added):
Religious Services are limited to 25 percent of indoor occupancy limits, or no more than 200 people, whichever is fewer. Congregation members/attendees must wear facial coverings at all times and congregation singing is prohibited. No choir, band, or ensemble shall perform during the service. Vocal or instrumental soloists are permitted to perform, and vocal soloists may have a single accompanist. Outdoor services must follow the Outdoor Dining Guidance.
What was Kimball's response?
Kimball took to Twitter shortly after Inslee's announcement and made it clear where he stood on the governor's attempt to ban singing during a religious service.
The Tony-nominated actor, who recovered from COVID-19 last spring, vowed to let no one ever stop him from singing or worshiping God and noted that this was a power grab by Inslee.
"Respectfully, I will never allow a Governor, or anyone, to stop me from SINGING, let alone sing in worship to my God," Kimball wrote. "Folks, absolute POWER corrupts ABSOLUTELY. This is not about safety. It's about POWER."
"I will respectfully disobey these unlawful orders," he concluded.
His stance, of course, did not sit well with his liberal colleagues in the acting world who took to Twitter to respond. Deadline dug up several of those responses, including:
Sharon Wheatley, Kimball's "Come From Away" costar: "I respectfully totally and completely disagree with you. I respectfully feel you are very much on the wrong side of this. I FaceTimed with you when you had Covid, Chad. You were very sick. I remember. It scared me. I love you like a brother, but I disagree with you."
Colin Donnell, Broadway actor and star of NBC's "Chicago Med": "Tried to think of something clever to say but just got more and more angry. 246,000+ dead. Entire industries shut down, including the one you're in. A medical community full of people putting their lives on the line to take care of others, including you. This is f***ing moronic."
Patti Murin, who starred as Princess Anna in the Broadway version of "Frozen": "No one said you can't sing. You can sing. Alone. In your own home. Possibly for the rest of your life, after this tweet."
Jarrod Spector, star of multiple Broadway hits: "It really doesn't seem like too much to ask that when you go to gatherings of up to TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE you refrain from using your well-trained diaphragm to aerosol spray everyone around you with Covid."
Steve Kazee, Tony-winning actor: "The ones who quote the Bible most seem to be the ones who follow its teachings the least. This is not about you and your need to sing your praise songs. I'm almost certain selfishness is frowned upon in that big book of yours. Wear a mask. Take care of your fellow humans."
Kimball later clarified that he's not arguing with masks but with the governor's overreach by banning singing even when people are wearing masks.
"To be clear: nobody is going maskless," he said. "The overreach — in my opinion! — is not being able to sing even WITH a mask. No singing WITH a mask ON. Everyone will continue wearing masks. With respect and with hope and with care."


theblaze--2020-11-19--NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo: It's 'frightening to me' that 'arrogant' sheriffs won't enforce my COVID restr

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo: It's 'frightening to me' that 'arrogant' sheriffs won't enforce my COVID restrictions over Thanksgiving

NY Gov .
Andrew Cuomo : It 's 'frightening to me ' that 'arrogant ' sheriffs wo n't enforce my @ @ @ @ @ I do n't believe as a law enforcement officer you have a right to pick @ @ @ @ @ will enforce . '

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ripped sheriffs in the state who've recently declared they won't be enforcing Cuomo's COVID-19 restrictions over Thanksgiving — particularly the one that bans gatherings of more than 10 people.
"I don't believe as a law enforcement officer you have a right to pick and choose what laws you will enforce," Cuomo said Wednesday during an Albany news conference.
What's the background?
Cuomo announced new restrictions last week in response to the COVID-19 surge, saying gatherings in the state would be limited to just 10 people, including at private residences.
"New York follows the science," the far-left Democrat said of his decision. "We know indoor gatherings and parties are a major source of COVID spread. To slow the spread, NYS will limit indoor gatherings at private residences to 10 people. This limit takes effect Friday at 10 p.m."
But Cuomo didn't say how the new restrictions would be enforced and left those decisions up to local authorities — after which Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino said he wouldn't be doing any cracking down.
"With regard to the Thanksgiving Executive Order, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office will NOT be enforcing it against our County residents," Giardino wrote in a Facebook post.
Then Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy said there won't be any Thanksgiving enforcement of Cuomo's restrictions, the New York Post reported, adding that Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo said Monday that goes for his jurisdiction as well.
"I can't see how devoting our resources to counting cars in citizens' driveways or investigating how much turkey and dressing they've purchased is for the public good," Zurlo said in a news release, according to the paper.
Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard said his office would also ignore the indoor gathering limit, the Post reported.
The governor fires back
Cuomo told reporters Wednesday that an executive order "is a law" and that the issue "has been litigated."
He then spoke as if he was a sheriff defying his COVID-19 restrictions: "Well, I don't believe in that law, and therefore I won't enforce it."
Cuomo, speaking as himself, said such an attitude "is, frankly, frightening to me as an individual, frightening to democracy. It's arrogant, and it violates your constitutional duty."
He added that the opinion of an officer about a law "doesn't matter" and that such agents have sworn to "enforce the laws."
Cuomo also spoke as if he was an officer who doesn't want to enforce domestic violence statutes: "That's a family affair. They had a family fight, and I don't think it's the state's right to come in and say you shouldn't treat your wife that way, you shouldn't treat your husband that way."
"No," Cuomo said, responding to his own scenario. "There's a law, and you have to enforce the law, or don't call yourself a law enforcement officer."
Video: Cuomo: It's not up to sheriffs to pick and choose on law enforcement youtu.be
Anything else?
Cuomo's new COVID-19 restrictions have also irked politicians in the state, including Staten Island Republican City Councilman Joe Borelli, who tweeted last week he's planning on having a party with over 10 guests — daring a crackdown, the New York Post reported.
When pressed on how his restrictions could be enforced, Cuomo acknowledged that it's largely an honor system, the Albany Times Union reported.
"Nobody is saying knock on doors and count heads," he added, according to the Times Union. "But you come across a gathering for one reason or another and there's 20 people there, you say, 'This can't happen.'"
A Cuomo spokesman later clarified that Cuomo isn't encouraging police to make arrests but to take steps to ensure that illegal gatherings are broken up, the Times Union added.


theblaze--2020-11-19--Boulder at major college got called racist name in 1925 newspaper story — and black students this su

Boulder at major college got called racist name in 1925 newspaper story — and black students this summer called for its removal. That plan is underway.

Boulder at major college got called racist name in 1925 newspaper story — and black students this summer called for @ @ @ @ @ is underway .
'We wo n't have that constant reminder , that symbol that we @ @ @ @ @

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a 70-ton boulder named Chamberlin Rock — in honor of Thomas Crowder Chamberlin, a geologist and former university president, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
But on Oct. 9, 1925, the Wisconsin State Journal printed a story about the process of digging up the boulder — and it was referred to in the story as a "n*****head," which was a commonly used expression in the 1920s to describe any large dark rock, the paper said.
It's unclear if or for how long the boulder was called that racist name, the Journal said, adding that the term itself appeared to fade from common usage by the 1950s. In addition, the paper said university historians identified the news story as the only known instance of the offensive term being used.
Fast forward to 2020
But in the wake of George Floyd's death in May and the nationwide protests and rioting that followed — including the tearing down and demands for removal of statues and monuments with any connection to racism — the Wisconsin Black Student Union followed suit over the summer and called for the removal of Chamberlin Rock, the Journal said.
And just last week UW's Campus Planning Committee unanimously voted to recommend to Chancellor Rebecca Blank that the boulder be removed, the paper reported.
Blank has previously indicated she supports the rock's removal, the Journal added, although a timeline for such a project hasn't been established.
UW's Black Student Union President Nalah McWhorter said the boulder is a symbol of daily injustices students of color face on the predominantly white campus, the paper said.
"This is a huge accomplishment for us," she told the Journal on Wednesday. "We won't have that constant reminder, that symbol that we don't belong here."
Kacie Butcher, the university's public history project director, said there was a Ku Klux Klan presence throughout Madison in the 1920s and on-campus minstrel shows, the Capital Times reported.
"That racism hasn't left campus. It's just changed, and this rock … is a symbol of this ongoing harm," Butcher said, according to the Times. "We have a real opportunity here to prioritize students of color and their experiences — something we haven't really done historically — and this is an opportunity for us not to trivialize these demands, but instead truly engage in these really complex conversations."
Now what?
As far as what will happen to the rock once it's lifted from its spot, the Journal said options include burying it at its original resting place, breaking it apart and disposing of it, or moving the rock to the Ice Age Trail — a thousand-mile footpath formed by glacial ice in Wisconsin.
More from the paper:
The Black Student Union is conducting a survey and hosting an open forum on Sunday to gather feedback on members' preferences, which it will then take back to the Campus Planning Committee.
The group is also working with the Department of Geoscience, which sees educational value in the rock and its rich geological history. Carried by glaciers from perhaps as far north as Canada, the boulder was excavated from the side of Observatory Hill in 1925.
Geochronology professor Brad Singer told the committee the department prefers it be relocated so instructors can continue using it as a teaching tool.
UW-Madison needs to secure approval from the Wisconsin Historical Society before removal begins because the rock is located near an effigy mound.
The first step requires UW-Madison to submit a request to disturb a catalogued burial site. All Native Tribes of Wisconsin are notified during the process, which can take 60 to 90 days and includes a 30-day comment period. A qualified archeologist is also required to be on site during removal.
Officials estimate the cost to remove the boulder ranges from $30,000 to $75,000, the Journal said.
Once the rock is gone, McWhorter told the paper that the Black Student Union will focus on generating ideas for how students of color can reclaim the space, such as installing a piece of art.
"So it becomes a way to celebrate instead of having it as an empty space reminding us of what it once was," she added to the Journal.
Anything else?
The school's Black Student Union over the summer also called for the removal of an Abraham Lincoln statue on campus.
McWhorter at the time said the iconic former president who abolished slavery was "very publicly anti-black" and that "just because he was anti-slavery doesn't mean he was pro-black."
Since then the school's College Republicans launched a petition in opposition to the school's student government passing legislation that calls for the removal of Lincoln statue, the College Fix said.
The legislation from the Associated Students of Madison says the Lincoln statue is a "remnant of the school's history of white supremacy," the outlet said.
But Blank, UW's chancellor, pushed back on demand to remove the Lincoln statue, the Fix said, which cited her June statement on the matter:
The university continues to support the Abraham Lincoln statue on our campus. Like those of all presidents, Lincoln's legacy is complex and contains actions which, 150 years later, appear flawed. However, when the totality of his tenure is considered, Lincoln is widely acknowledged as one of our greatest presidents, having issued the Emancipation Proclamation, persuaded Congress to adopt the 13th Amendment and preserved the Union during the Civil War.
Blank also said as the "leader of UW-Madison, I believe Abraham Lincoln's legacy should not be erased but examined, that it should be both celebrated and critiqued," the Fix noted.


theblaze--2020-11-19--CDC issues official advisory against traveling for Thanksgiving as COVID-19 cases surge

CDC issues official advisory against traveling for Thanksgiving as COVID-19 cases surge 'CDC is recommending against travel during the Thanksgiving @ @

As coronavirus cases spike across much of the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its holiday guidelines recommending that people refrain from traveling for Thanksgiving and wear masks around the dinner table.
"Travel may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19," the agency says on its website. "Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year."
Instead, Americans should "consider making other plans, such as hosting a virtual gathering or delaying your travel."
For those not traveling but still planning to attend a gathering, health officials recommend that it be with only members of their immediate household — or those who have been living together already for at least two weeks.
If gathering with individuals outside one's household, the CDC advises wearing a mask and maintaining six feet of distance away from others.
"Always wear a mask in public settings, when using public transportation, and when around people who you don't live with,
the guidance continues. "Wear a mask and safely store your mask while eating and drinking."
During a news conference on Thursday, Dr. Henry Walke, the CDC's COVID-19 incident manager, relayed a grim warning for those who may ignore the warnings and decide to travel.
"The tragedy that could happen is that one of your family members, from coming together in this family gathering actually could end up being hospitalized and severely ill and die," he said. "CDC is recommending against travel during the Thanksgiving period."
Health officials at the agency also urged families of college students who are returning home for the holiday to be extra cautious because they'll be gathering with people outside of their normal communities.
The updated guidance comes as COVID-19 cases and deaths are on the rise in the country. As of Wednesday evening, the virus' death toll in America officially surpassed 250,000. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. saw its highest daily death toll in more than six months, with at least 1,707 fatalities being reported on Tuesday.
"We're alarmed," Walke added in the news conference. "COVID-19 is turning out to be quite a formidable foe."


theblaze--2020-11-19--Nearly 200 arrested in 'large-scale' sex trafficking investigation in Florida

Nearly 200 arrested in 'large-scale ' sex trafficking investigation in Florida Operation Stolen Innocence led to 106 suspects being charged @ @

Police in Florida arrested 178 people following in what the U.S. Department of Justice called a "large-scale human trafficking investigation." The Tallahassee Police Department made the announcement Tuesday about "Operation Stolen Innocence," a two-year-long investigation into sex trafficking in Florida's capital city.
The investigation began in November 2018, after authorities discovered a 13-year-old child's image on a prostitution website. Elizabeth Bascom, one of the lead investigators in the case, told the Tallahassee Democrat that abuse of the girl may have begun even before her 13th birthday, and called the girl's exploitation "horrific."
"This was a child, 13 turning 14 ... who worked through her birthday as if it did not exist, who worked through Thanksgiving while we sat at tables and enjoyed our families, who worked through Christmas like it wasn't even there," Bascom said.
Several of the defendants told investigators during sworn interviews that the girl's mother wouldn't allow anyone to have sex with her daughter unless they brought money or drugs, according to police reports.
Police did not reveal if the victim's mother was involved in the sex trafficking ring, or if she was charged with any crimes.
The meetings occurred in an apartment, as well as hotels and motels. The encounters were arranged via text messages and social media, providing a trail of electronic evidence.
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said the investigation resulted in the 178 arrests; 106 people have been charged with felonies, and 72 face misdemeanor charges. There are 19 suspects who face federal felony charges. Charges include the production of child pornography, human sex trafficking of a minor, and solicitation of prostitution.
"It is difficult to comprehend the depravity of these criminals who prey on the most innocent in our society," acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Field Office Kevin Sibley said. "Thanks to the collective efforts of the Tallahassee Police Department and HSI special agents, our local communities are significantly safer today as a result of this investigation."
"Human sex trafficking is a $150 billion industry worldwide," Revell said. "Florida ranks in the top 5 in the nation for reports of human trafficking."
The Tallahassee Police Department's Special Victims Unit rescued the girl.
Revell said the teen is "on the road to recovery, and she's doing well given the situation."
"She does have things to say," Bascom said of the victim. "She was able to say that this has seriously impacted her life, and it is very difficult at times. But she is working to get her life back."
Operation Stolen Innocence was a multi-agency investigation that included the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The U.S. Marshals Service has participated in numerous human trafficking operations this year and have rescued dozens of missing children. Earlier this month, the U.S. Marshals rescued 27 missing children in Virginia during "Operation Find Our Children."
On Oct. 27, the United States Marshals Service announced the recovery of 45 missing and endangered children in Ohio and West Virginia during "Operation Autumn Hope." The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force made 179 arrests during the investigation.
On Oct. 1, the U.S. Marshals located 11 children in New Orleans, two of which were in "extreme danger."
On Sept. 21, U.S. Marshals announced that they had recovered 35 missing children in Ohio during "Operation Safety Net."
On Sept. 17, U.S. Marshals Service completed "Operation Triple Beam," a 60-day mission to decrease violent gang crime in Oklahoma City. U.S. Marshals made 262 arrests and located five missing children,
On Sept. 4, the agency said that it had rescued eight "highly endangered" missing children during "Operation Homecoming" in Indiana.
On Aug. 27, U.S. Marshals retrieved 39 missing children in Georgia and Florida during "Operation Not Forgotten." Authorities said the children were between the ages of 3 to 17. Of the 39 endangered children, 15 were victims of sex trafficking.


theblaze--2020-11-19--Video shows brutal attack on older woman who asked a young couple to put on masks before joining her

Video shows brutal attack on older woman who asked a young couple to put on masks before joining her in elevator

Video shows brutal attack on older woman who asked a young couple to put on masks before joining her in @

Police are looking for two suspects in connection with a brutal attack on a 60-year-old woman last Friday.
The attack took place in a subway station elevator near the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, according to TMZ.
What are the details?
According to the outlet, an unnamed 60-year-old woman reportedly tried to reason with a young couple to put on masks before joining her in the subway station elevator.
Video surveillance of the exchange shows the woman appearing to speak to the couple about their lack of masks.
Instead of complying with her purported request, a young male can be seen forcing his way past the woman as his young accomplice gets into a scuffle with the older woman.
The male suspect can then be seen exiting the elevator, and when outside the doors, he begins to strike the older woman, knocking her down on the ground.
The three continue to scuffle as the woman is down on the ground, and both the male and the female can be seen raining blows down on her.
After the incident, both suspects — who the New York Post reports are believed to be in their late teens — reportedly fled from the scene.
At the time of this reporting, the two suspects are still believed to be on the run.
The NYPD is seeking the identities of the male and the female on the video, and is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for tips leading to the arrest.


theblaze--2020-11-19--National Democratic Party official suggests re-education for Trump supporters: 'How do you deprogram

National Democratic Party official suggests re-education for Trump supporters: 'How do you deprogram 75 million people?'

National Democratic Party official suggests re-education for Trump supporters : 'How do you deprogram 75 million people ? '

David Atkins, a newly elected California member of the Democratic National Committee, declared recently that Democrats and liberals should "start thinking in terms of post-WWII Germany or Japan" in order to "deprogram 75 million people."
The 75 million people he referred to are presumably Trump supporters.
According to the Associated Press, President Donald Trump received more than 73 million votes during the 2020 presidential election.
What are the details?
Conservative activist Jack Posobiec tweeted Atkins' remarks, captioning them, "A Democrat Party official in California is calling for national re-education camps for families who voted for Trump. This is not OK."
The tweets in question began, "How do you deprogram 75 million people who would literally die to stick it to the domestic enemies the teevee and youtube conspiracy vids told them to hate?"
He added, "No seriously...how *do* you deprogram 75 million people? Where do you start? Fox? Facebook? We have to start thinking in terms of post-WWII Germany or Japan. Or the failures of Reconstruction in the South."
"This is not your standard partisan policy disagreement," said Atkins, who is also a self-described author and activist. "This is a conspiracy theory fueled belligerent death cult against reality & basic decency. The only actual policy debates of note are happening within the dem coalition between left and center left."
He wasn't done there.
After receiving comments questioning his tweets, Atkins continued by attacking some conservatives for their ideals.
"I know conservatives are upset by some of the responses here," he continued. "And yeah, many are out of line. But what do you expect people to do in self-preservation? The Right has been running 4 years on 'f*** your feelings, my conspiracy theories are valid opinions, and we have more guns."
"You can't run on a civil war footing hopped up on conspiracy theories hating everyone who lives in cities, mainlining Fox/Breitbart/QAnon, threatening to kidnap governors and shoot protesters, without people trying to figure out how to reverse the brainwashing," he continued.
"[I] mean, for chrissakes, conservatives are literally giving themselves COVID just to own the libs," Atkins railed. "They're dying in COVID wards insisting they don't have COVID because it must be a liberal plot. People are gonna try to figure out how to defend themselves."
Anything else?
According to his website, Atkins served as a volunteer in Howard Dean's failed presidential campaign.
"In the 15 years since, I haven't stopped organizing to beat Republicans, support progressive causes, and hold the Democratic Party accountable to its values," the page boasts.
"Recently as a party activist I have ... [c]o-authored a successful resolution that the California Democratic Party passed in support key economic components of the Green New Deal," his page continues, pointing out the rest of his more recent accomplishments, which you can read all about here.


theblaze--2020-11-19--New Senate report purportedly 'confirms' Biden family's business ties to Chinese, Russian government

New Senate report purportedly 'confirms' Biden family's business ties to Chinese, Russian governments

'The new information is consistent with other records '

Two top Republican senators who have been investigating Hunter Biden's overseas business dealings have released additional findings that they say "confirm" troubling connections between the Biden family and the Chinese and Russian governments.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) published the findings Wednesday in a "supplemental" to their September report, which was titled, "Hunter Biden, Burisma and Corruption: The Impact on U.S. Government Policy and Related Concerns."
In the new five-page report, Grassley and Johnson disclosed new evidence of ties between Hunter Biden and a business partner, Rob Walker, who they said "appears to have been associated with at least three companies connected to Hunter Biden: Oldaker, Biden and Belair LLP; Seneca Global Advisors; and Rosemont Seneca Advisors."
The senators connected the dots based on information provided to their committees by former Hunter Biden associate Tony Bobulinski. In the report, they said WhatsApp messages between Bobulinksi and Walker, which were handed over to their committees, purportedly show a close working relationship between Walker and the Biden family, including Hunter and his uncle, James Biden.
"The new information is consistent with other records within the Committees' possession which show millions of dollars being transferred from a Chinese entity linked to the communist party to Robinson Walker LLC," the senators noted before detailing the transactions.
In the report, two separate wires are cited, each totaling $3 million, which were sent by a Shanghai-based company called State Energy HK Limited to a bank account for Robinson Walker LLC in 2017. The senators noted that State Energy HK Limited was at the time associated with another Chinese company with ties to the communist government, CEFC China Energy.
"These transactions are a direct link between Walker and the communist Chinese government," the senators stated.
"These new records confirm the connections between the Biden family and the communist Chinese government, as well as the links between Hunter Biden's business associates and the Russian government, and further support the Committees' September 23, 2020 report's finding that such relationships created counterintelligence and extortion concerns," they concluded in the report.
They added that "to date, the Committees have requested records from Hunter Biden, James Biden, James Gilliar, Tony Bobulinski, and Rob Walker. At this time, only Bobulinski has cooperated with the Committees."
The senators' September report purportedly concluded that Hunter Biden, among other things, "received a $3.5 million wire transfer from Elena Baturina, the wife of the former mayor of Moscow."
Prior to the election, several Democratic lawmakers and members of the media claimed that reports about the Biden family's overseas business dealings were part of a Russian disinformation campaign. But Grassley and Johnson have vehemently denied the accusation, arguing their reporting has been based on documented evidence.


theblaze--2020-11-19--Experts: Tens of thousands of nursing home residents died from neglect and 'despair' during the COVI

Experts: Tens of thousands of nursing home residents died from neglect and 'despair' during the COVID-19 pandemic

Experts : Tens of thousands of nursing home residents died from neglect and 'despair ' during the COVID-19 pandemic Nursing @ @ @ @ @ despair by prolonged isolation ' because of the coronavirus pandemic

Experts found that tens of thousands of people in nursing homes "have died from neglect and sorrow related to the pandemic," according to an eye-opening report from the Associated Press.
The report stated that there have been more than 97,000 residents of U.S. nursing homes who have died during the coronavirus pandemic. A nursing home expert analyzed 15,000 U.S. long-term care facilities and estimates that for every two coronavirus victims in nursing homes, there is a person who died prematurely of other causes.
The report stated that the "excess deaths" in nursing homes could total over 40,000 since March.
"Interviews with dozens of people across the country reveal swelling numbers of less clear-cut deaths that doctors believe have been fueled not by neglect but by a mental state plunged into despair by prolonged isolation listed on some death certificates as 'failure to thrive,'" the AP reported.
Nursing home watchdogs claim that they have been "flooded" with reports of nursing home inhabitants suffering from neglect, including people being "kept in soiled diapers so long their skin peeled off, left with bedsores that cut to the bone, and allowed to wither away in starvation or thirst."
The article featured several surviving family members of the victims who have died at long-term care facilities for alleged neglect. Barbara Leak-Watkins' 87-year-old Army veteran father, Alex Leak, went for a check-up in February, where he reportedly "had gone so long without water his potassium levels rocketed and his kidneys started failing."
Leak-Watkins, who is from North Carolina, said her father served in the military and always stressed the need to stay hydrated.
"The facility is short-staffed ... underpaid and overworked," Leak-Watkins told the AP, adding that if the nursing home "can't provide you with liquids and fluids to hydrate yourself, there's something wrong."
According to his death certificate, Leak died two weeks later of lactic acidosis, a buildup of lactic acid that can cause liver and kidney damage, which can be fatal.
Donald Wallace, a 75-year-old living at a nursing home in Alabama, "became so malnourished and dehydrated that he dropped to 98 pounds and looked to his son like he'd been in a concentration camp." Wallace suffered from septic shock and had "E. coli in his body from his own feces."
"He couldn't even hold his head up straight because he had gotten so weak," his son, Kevin Amerson, said. "They stopped taking care of him. They abandoned him."
Stephen Kaye, a professor at the Institute on Health and Aging at the University of California, San Francisco, who conducted the analysis for the Associated Press, explained how the COVID-19 pandemic affected long-term care residents who weren't directly suffering from coronavirus.
"The healthcare system operates kind of on the edge, just on the margin, so that if there's a crisis, we can't cope," Kaye said. "There are not enough people to look after the nursing home residents."
The nursing home trade group, American Health Care Association, dismissed the AP report of tens of thousands of long-term care facility non-coronavirus fatalities as "speculation," adding that the "disturbing stories" are not widespread.


theblaze--2020-11-19--Tom Cotton blasted as a 'racist piece of trash' for criticizing NYT article describing 'cruel histor

Tom Cotton blasted as a 'racist piece of trash' for criticizing NYT article describing 'cruel history' of Thanksgiving

Tom Cotton blasted as a 'racist piece of trash ' for criticizing NYT article describing 'cruel history ' of Thanksgiving

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is being called "a racist piece of trash" and a "white supremacist" after defending the legacy of the Mayflower Compact and criticizing an article in the New York Times that called the story of the Pilgrims a "myth" and re-examined the "cruel history" of Thanksgiving.
In a speech delivered on the floor of the U.S. Senate Wednesday, Cotton honored the anniversary of the Pilgrims' arrival in America in 1620 and lamented that "there appear to be few commemorations, parades, or festivals to celebrate the Pilgrims this year."
The Pilgrims were a group of settlers who traveled on the Mayflower and arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620, establishing the first permanent New England colony in America. The Mayflower Compact was a covenant signed by the settlers giving honor to God, pledging their loyalty to the King of England, and establishing rules for self-government in the new colony to "covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering."
Cotton said that "revisionist charlatans of the radical left" who have "lately claimed the previous year as America's true founding" were at fault for causing the Pilgrims to fall out of fashion. He was referring to the New York Times' 1619 Project — a series of articles that seek to reframe American history from the perspective of African slaves and claim 1619, the year the first slaves were brought to America, as the true founding of the United States.
"Some—too many—may have lost the civilizational self-confidence needed to celebrate the Pilgrims," Cotton said. "Just today, for instance, The New York Times called this story a 'myth' and a 'caricature'—in the Food Section, no less. Maybe the politically correct editors of the debunked 1619 Project are now responsible for pumpkin-pie recipes at the Times, as well."
That line of Cotton's speech provoked the 1619 Project's chief author, New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, to respond, saying the Pilgrims' story "literally is a caricature."
The Times article Cotton cited is titled, "The Thanksgiving Myth Gets a Deeper Look This Year."
"The caricature of friendly Indians handing over food, knowledge and land to kindhearted Pilgrims was reinforced for generations by school curriculums, holiday pageants and children's books," Brett Anderson wrote for the Times. He went on to describe the "brutality of settlers' expansion into the Great Plains and American West," which he said has been "drastically underplayed in popular myths about the founding and growth of the United States."
Cotton rejected this interpretation of Thanksgiving in his speech, instead celebrating the Pilgrims as "our first founders," reflecting on the Mayflower Compact as "America's very first constitution," and recounting the history of the first Thanksgiving meal shared between the settlers of the Plymouth colony and members of the Massasoit and the Wampanoag Native American tribes.
"Now, the Thanksgiving season is upon us and once again we have much to give thanks for. But this year we ought to be especially thankful for our ancestors, the Pilgrims, on their four hundredth anniversary," Cotton said. "Their faith, their bravery, their wisdom places them in the American pantheon. Alongside the Patriots of 1776, the Pilgrims of 1620 deserve the honor of American founders."
Cotton's critics and his political opponents blasted the senator on social media. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) mocked him, tweeting his "sense of history doesn't go beyond your 3rd grade coloring books."
Others accused the Republican senator of being a white supremacist or a racist.
Below is the video of the speech, followed by the full text as posted by the senator's office:
November 18, 2020: Senator Cotton Delivers Speech Ahead of 400th Anniversary of Pilgrims www.youtube.com
A great American anniversary is upon us. Four hundred years ago this Saturday, a battered old ship called the Mayflower arrived in the waters off Cape Cod. The passengers aboard the Mayflower are, in many ways, our first founders. Daniel Webster called them "Our Pilgrim Fathers" on the two hundredth anniversary of this occasion. Regrettably, we haven't heard much about this anniversary of the Mayflower; I suppose the Pilgrims have fallen out of favor in fashionable circles these days. I'd therefore like to take a few minutes to reflect on the Pilgrim story and its living legacy for our nation.
By 1620, the Pilgrims were already practiced at living in a strange land. They had fled England for Holland twelve years earlier, seeking freedom to practice their faith. But life was hard in Holland and the Stuart monarchy, intolerant of dissent from the Church of England, gradually extended its oppressive reach across the Channel. So the Pilgrims fled the Old World for the New.
In seeking safe harbor for their religion, the Pilgrims differed from those settlers who preceded them in the previous century, up to and including the Jamestown settlement just thirteen years earlier. As John Quincy Adams put it in a speech celebrating the Pilgrims' anniversary, those earlier settlers "were all instigated by personal interests," motivated by "avarice and ambition" and "selfish passions." The Pilgrims, by contrast, braved the seas "under the single inspiration of conscience" and out of a "sense of religious obligation."
Not to say all aboard the Mayflower felt the same. About half of the 102 passengers were known as "Strangers" to the Pilgrims. The Strangers were craftsmen, traders, indentured servants, and others added to the manifest by the ship's financial backers for business reasons. The Strangers did not share the Pilgrims' faith, suffice it to say. Winston Churchill in his History of the English-Speaking Peoples, wryly observed that the Strangers were "no picked band of saints."
So these were the settlers who boarded the Mayflower, which Dwight Eisenhower once characterized as "a ship that today no one in his senses would think of attempting to use." One can only imagine the hardships, the dangers, the doubts that they faced while crossing the north Atlantic. The ship leaked chronically. A main beam bowed and cracked. The passage took longer than expected—more than two months. Food and water (or beer, often the beverage of choice) ran dangerously low.
But somehow, through the grace of God and the skill of the crew, the Mayflower finally sighted land. Yet the dangers only multiplied. William Bradford, a Pilgrim leader whose Of Plymouth Plantation is our chief source for the Pilgrim story, recorded those dangers:
"They had now no friends to welcome them, nor inns to entertain or refresh their weather-beaten bodies; no houses or much less town to repair to, to seek for succor.… And for the season it was winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent, and subject to cruel and fierce storms, dangerous to travel to known places, much more to search an unknown coast. Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness…"
And to those physical dangers, you can add legal and political danger. While the Mayflower had found land, it was the wrong land. For, you see, the Pilgrims' patent extended to Virginia, but Cape Cod was hundreds of miles to the north. According to Bradford, "some of the Strangers," perhaps hoping to strike out on their own in search of riches, began to make "discontented and mutinous speeches." These Strangers asserted that "when they came ashore, they would use their own liberty; for none had the power to command them" in New England.
Maybe they had a point. But Pilgrim and Stranger alike also had a problem: they couldn't survive the "desolate wilderness" alone. Before landfall, then, they mutually worked out their differences and formed what Bradford modestly called "a combination."
This "combination" is known to us and history, of course, as the Mayflower Compact. But this little compact—fewer than two hundred words—was no mere "combination." It was America's very first constitution; indeed, in Calvin Coolidge's words, "the first constitution of modern times."
Likewise, Churchill called the Mayflower Compact "one of the more remarkable documents in history, a spontaneous covenant for political organization." High praise, coming from him, so it's worth reflecting a little more on a few points about the Compact.
First, while the Pilgrims affirmed their allegiance to England and the monarchy, they left little doubt about their priorities. The Compact begins with their traditional religious invocation: "In the name of God, Amen." They expressed as the ends of their arduous voyage, in order, "the Glory of God," the "advancement of the Christian faith," and only then the "honor of our King and Country." And much like the Founding Fathers' famous pledge to each other before "divine Providence" one hundred fifty-six years later, the Pilgrims covenanted with each other "solemnly and mutually in the presence of God."
Second, they respected each other as free and equal citizens. Whether Pilgrim or Stranger, the signatories covenanted together to form a government, irrespective of faith or station.
Third and related, that government would be self-government based on the consent of the governed. The Pilgrims did not anoint a patriarch; they formed a "civil body politic" based on "just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices." And immediately after signing the Compact, they conducted a democratic election to choose their first governor.
Fourth, again prefiguring the Declaration, the Pilgrims did not surrender all rights to that government. They promised "all due submission and obedience" to the new government—not their "total" or "unquestioning" or "permanent" submission and obedience. That obedience would presumably be "due" as long as the laws remained "just and equal," and the officers appointed performed their duties in "just and equal" manner.
Finally, even in that moment of great privation and peril, the Pilgrims turned their eyes upward to the higher, nobler ends of political society. They listed their "preservation" as an objective of their new government, but even before that came "our better ordering." The Pilgrims understood that liberty, prosperity, faith, and flourishing are only possible with order, and that while safety may be the first responsibility of government, it's not the highest or ultimate purpose of government. This new government would do more than merely protect the settlers or resolve their disputes; it would aim for "the general good of the Colony."
There, aboard that rickety old ship, tossed about in the cold New England waters, the Pilgrims foreshadowed in fewer than two hundred words so many cherished concepts of our nation. Faith in God and His providential protection. The natural equality of mankind. From many, one. Government by consent. The rule of law. Equality before the law, and the impartial administration of the law.
Little wonder, therefore, that Adams referred to the Mayflower Compact and the Pilgrims' arrival as the "birth-day of your nation." Or that Webster, despite all the settlements preceding Plymouth, said "the first scene of our history was laid" there.
But that history was only just beginning. The Pilgrims still had to conquer the "desolate wilderness" and establish their settlement. Considering the challenges, it's a wonder that they did. As Coolidge observed, though, the Compact "was not the most wonderful thing about the Mayflower. The most wonderful of all was that those who drew it up had the power, the determination, and the strength of character to live up to it from that day."
They would need all that and more to survive what has been called "the starving time." Upon landfall, the Pilgrims "fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean." But it would be a "sad and lamentable" winter of disease, starvation, and death, as half the settlers died and seldom more than half a dozen had the strength to care for the ill, provide food and shelter, and protect the camp.
As anyone who has endured a New England winter knows, at that rate there might not have been any camp left to protect by spring. But what can only be seen as a providential moment came in March, when a lone Indian walked boldly into their camp and greeted them in English. His name was Samoset. He had learned some broken English by working with English fishermen in the waters off what is now Maine. Samoset and the Pilgrims exchanged gifts, and he promised to return with another Indian, Squanto, who spoke fluent English.
Squanto's tribe had been wiped out a few years earlier by an epidemic plague; he now lived among the Wampanoag tribe in what is today southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The plague had also weakened the Wampanoags, though not neighboring, rival tribes. The Wampanoag chief, Massasoit, thus had good reason to form an alliance with the Pilgrims. Squanto introduced him to the settlers and facilitated their peace and mutual-aid treaty, which lasted more than fifty years.
Squanto remained with the Pilgrims, acting, in Bradford's words, as "their interpreter" and "a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectations." He instructed them on the cultivation of native crops like corn, squash, and beans. He showed them where to fish and hunt. He guided them on land and sea to new destinations.
And you probably remember what happened next. As the Pilgrims recovered and prospered throughout 1621, they received the blessings of a bountiful fall harvest. The Pilgrims entertained Massasoit and the Wampanoags and feasted with them, to express their gratitude to their allies and to give thanks to God for His abundant gifts. This meal, of course, was the First Thanksgiving.
Now, the Thanksgiving season is upon us and once again we have much to give thanks for. But this year we ought to be especially thankful for our ancestors, the Pilgrims, on their four hundredth anniversary. Their faith, their bravery, their wisdom places them in the American pantheon. Alongside the Patriots of 1776, the Pilgrims of 1620 deserve the honor of American founders.
Sadly, however, there appear to be few commemorations, parades, or festivals to celebrate the Pilgrims this year, perhaps in part because revisionist charlatans of the radical left have lately claimed the previous year as America's true founding. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Pilgrims and their Compact, like the Founders and their Declaration, form the true foundation of America.
So count me in Coolidge's camp. On this anniversary a century ago, he proclaimed, "it is our duty and the duty of every true American to reassemble in spirit in the cabin of the Mayflower, rededicate ourselves to the Pilgrims' great work by re-signing and reaffirming the document that has made mankind of all the earth more glorious."
Some—too many—may have lost the civilizational self-confidence needed to celebrate the Pilgrims. Just today, for instance, The New York Times called this story a "myth" and a "caricature"—in the Food Section, no less. Maybe the politically correct editors of the debunked 1619 Project are now responsible for pumpkin-pie recipes at the Times, as well.
But I for one still have the pride and confidence of our forebears, so here today, I speak in the spirit of that cabin and I reaffirm that old Compact.
As we head into the week of Thanksgiving, I'll be giving thanks this year in particular to "our Pilgrim Fathers" and the timeless lessons they bequeathed to our great nation. For as Coolidge observed, "Plymouth Rock does not mark a beginning or an end. It marks a revelation of that which is without beginning and without end."
May God continue to bless this land and may He bless the memory of the Pilgrims of 1620. I extend my best wishes to you and your family for a Thanksgiving as happy and peaceful as the First Thanksgiving.


theblaze--2020-11-19--San Francisco has a new pollution problem thanks to the pandemic: Used masks, gloves, and other PPE

San Francisco has a new pollution problem thanks to the pandemic: Used masks, gloves, and other PPE litter the Bay Area

San Francisco has a new pollution problem thanks to the pandemic : Used masks , gloves , and other PPE @ @ @ @ @ City by the Bay continues to trash itself

The San Francisco Bay Area has gained a reputation for being pretty trashy.
The garbage problem in San Jose has gotten so bad that the city last week launched a new "Cash for Trash" program to pay homeless people to pick up garbage.
San Francisco's district attorney announced last November that he would not be prosecuting any so-called "quality-of-life crimes," including public urination, camping on the streets, blocking sidewalks, and sex solicitation.
And everybody is aware of the City by the Bay's poop problem: Actual human waste on the streets of a major American city has become such a problem that elected officials had to create a "Poop Patrol" to deal with it.
Now San Francisco is dealing with a new pollution problem tied directly to the pandemic: Used masks, gloves, and other PPE being discarded in the streets by its citizens.
What's that?
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday that the "fall flush" of rain during the stormy season pushed more than just the usual trash into streams, creeks, rivers, and the bay.
Now the Bay Area is dealing with a surge of PPE waste in the waterways.
In fact, the problem has reached such a level that the California Coastal Commission said it had to create a new trash category for masks and gloves, according to the Chronicle.
PPE came in No. 12 on the commission's list of 50 types of debris, KNTV-TV reported, ranking between plastic cups and beverage lids.
This number was "extraordinarily high," the station said, "considering this is the first time PPE has made the list."
Save the Bay's executive director, David Lewis, lamented the pandemic's impact on pollution.
"There's so much COVID trash," he told the paper. "People might think it's just a little trash and it's unsightly, but it's actually having an environmental impact."
"We're all generating a lot more trash and much of it is ending up as litter on our streets," Lewis told KNTV.


theblaze--2020-11-19--POLL: Should the government pass another COVID-19 stimulus bill?

POLL : Should the government pass another COVID-19 stimulus bill ?
Cast your vote and do n't forget to share @

POLL: Should the government pass another COVID-19 stimulus bill?
Cast your vote and don't forget to share!


theblaze--2020-11-19--Masks now required inside Pennsylvania homes when members of different households gather

Masks now required inside Pennsylvania homes when members of different households gather Plus those traveling to the state must test @ @ @ @ @ hours prior to arrival

A new Pennsylvania COVID-19 mandate requires the wearing of masks in homes when members of different households gather, the Associated Press reported.
What are the details?
Dr. Rachel Levine, the state health secretary, said Tuesday the order applies even if people are physically distant, the AP noted. But Levine acknowledged that officials are relying on voluntary compliance rather than on enforcement, the outlet added.
The order applies to every indoor facility, in addition to private homes, the AP said.
More from the outlet:
A separate order mandates that people who are traveling to Pennsylvania from another state, as well as Pennsylvania residents who are returning home from out of state, must test negative for the virus within 72 hours prior to arrival. The order does not apply to people traveling back and forth for work or medical treatment. People who refuse to be tested will be required to quarantine for 14 days, Levine said.
Again, the state has no plans to enforce that measure, but is asking for voluntary compliance.
The AP said health officials blamed the spread of the virus in part to small indoor gatherings, and Levine noted that how Pennsylvania does in the coming weeks and months will depend largely on the public's willingness to wear masks and practice social distancing.
"In the end, people will have the consequences of their actions as well as their families and their communities, and if they do not wear masks, if they do not social distance, then those communities are going to see even more spread of COVID-19," Levine added, according to the outlet.
The numbers
The state is reporting more than 5,000 new infections per day, up more than 115% in just two weeks, the AP said, adding that more than 2,700 people are now hospitalized in Pennsylvania with COVID-19 — not far from the state record of about 3,000 in early May.
The AP said Pennsylvania will run out of Intensive Care Unit beds next month at the present admission rate, according to models from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
And the rate of positive COVID-19 test results, as well as deaths, have been rising, the outlet added.
While Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf imposed a state-at-home order and closed "non-life-sustaining" businesses early in the pandemic, the AP reported that Wolf and Levine have consistently said they don't intend to implement another broad-based shutdown.
But Levine on Tuesday did not rule out more mitigation measures, the outlet said.
"Whether we have to do anything else really depends upon you. It depends upon the public, each one of us taking our responsibility for the common good of everyone in Pennsylvania," Levine said, according to the AP. "And if we all do our part, and we stand united, then we might not need any further mitigation measures."


theblaze--2020-11-19--Michigan's Republican House speaker will not allow impeachment vote against Gov. Whitmer

Michigan 's Republican House speaker will not allow impeachment vote against Gov .
Whitmer 'Republicans are not the party of @ @ @ @ @ they disagree with someone '

The Republican leader in the Michigan House of Representatives ended talk of impeachment proceedings against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday amid an ongoing debate about the governor's authority to issue coronavirus restrictions.
Earlier, three Republican members of the state House introduced a resolution for impeachment against Whitmer, charging that her executive orders were unconstitutional and accusing the governor of "using state resources to reward political allies."
"Today I introduced Articles of Impeachment against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer," Rep. Beau LaFave tweeted Wednesday.
"The four articles of impeachment against Gov. Whitmer include failing to respect the separation of powers by exercising power granted to the legislative branch, violating the constitutional rights of the people of Michigan, issuing executive orders against the interests of the people and state, and using state resources to reward political allies," he wrote.
The Michigan Constitution's impeachment process is similar to how impeachment works at the federal level. The state House of Representatives would file articles of impeachment against the governor and hold a vote. If a simple majority of lawmakers votes to impeach, then the state Senate would conduct a trial. Two-thirds of state senators are needed to convict.
But according to House Speaker Lee Chatfield, a Republican, impeachment proceedings will not advance in the House while he is the leader.
"It's no secret that I have disagreed with this governor. I have debated a lot with this governor. I have many differences with how the governor has handled COVID. We have a time and place to deal with differences — that's at the ballot box. The voters of the state of Michigan will have a chance to choose in 2022," Chatfield said in a statement reported by WOOD-TV.
"Republicans are not the party of people who impeach just because they disagree with someone. We just saw that in Washington. We're not going to do that in the state of Michigan. With the facts that we have, the impeachment resolution is not going to get a vote on the House floor. It's not the right way to deal with this situation or this disagreement.
"The idea of impeachment would face another, likely insurmountable, obstacle even if it did proceed," Chatfield continued. "In the Senate there are 22 Republican and 16 Democrats. It would take 25 votes to convict. Even if the process was to make it out of the House, which it clearly will not, getting the votes in the Senate would be difficult if not impossible."


theblaze--2020-11-19--College deletes Instagram post spotlighting Republican student after fellow students complain conser

College deletes Instagram post spotlighting Republican student after fellow students complain conservatives are dangerous, want to kill black people

College deletes Instagram post spotlighting Republican student after fellow students complain conservatives are dangerous , want to kill black people

Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, deleted an Instagram post profiling a conservative student addressing the importance of voting.
The college removed the posting following outcry from other students who said that conservatives want to kill black people and are an active threat to the school community.
What are the details?
According to Campus Reform, the post featured Bates College Republicans President Quinn Troy, who shared a statement about the importance of voting.
The outlet reported that the since-deleted post featured a photo of Troy and read, "Most of my participation comes through my work with College Republicans: increasing the visibility of the club on campus, disseminating conservative ideas, and making sure that people know that there's a space where you can support a Republican candidate without getting a side eye or without being baselessly labeled as hateful."
The post concluded, "Just make sure you vote. Either way you vote, we should be able to coexist with one another regardless of political affiliation. I think that's the most important part."
Following the post, students and social media users took to the post to express their opinions that it was inherently wrong to feature a conservative Republican student — which they said, according to Campus Reform, is "actively harmful to the community" — on the Instagram page.
Bates College Black Student Union issued a statement about the posting and blasted Troy and his sentiments.
"We, too, believe that we should be able to 'coexist peacefully' ... except when we're being forced to coexist with people that want to kill us, poison us, and push us into war," the union posted in response to the original posting.
What did the school say?
The very same day, the school shared a statement from President Clayton Spencer regarding the college's decision to feature Troy and his thoughts on the social media channel.
Spencer's statement said, "The right to free speech — including, especially, robust debate of political views — is a core value of our democracy. The freedom to form one's views and values by one's own lights is also the essence of a liberal arts education. We can only be a healthy college and society when all of us are prepared to subject our own views to scrutiny and debate, and consider the contrary views of others."
Later, the original post — and that of Spencer — was deleted entirely from the account, and the college explained that the posts were removed due to a "number of violations of the college's social and digital media comments policy."
In another Instagram post, the Bates Student Government said that the school "should not claim that both sides of this conversation are equal."
"If Bates wants to claim that it cares of all its students, especially those who are persecuted directly by the actions of this administration and all its supporters, then it cannot pander to those who actively work to attack, limit, or deny the rights of those students," the statement added.
Following further outcry and even a peaceful protest against the original post — as well as Spencer's subsequent clarification — both Spencer and the school ultimately ended up apologizing for Troy's post.


theblaze--2020-11-19--Steven Crowder reviews new Michigan voter data

Steven Crowder reviews Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono 's views on Big Tech censorship , and then turns to review some @ @ @ @ @ believes to be odd .
Then Steven and the team review the latest video from @ @ @ @ @ Are White People Superior At ? ''
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Steven Crowder reviews Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono's views on Big Tech censorship, and then turns to review some data from Michigan that Steven believes to be odd. Then Steven and the team review the latest video from The Cut, "What Are White People Superior At?"
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theblaze--2020-11-21--Donald Trump Jr. tests positive for COVID-19

A spokesperson says 'he 's been completely asymptomatic so far '

President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump, Jr., has tested positive for the coronavirus, but remains asymptomatic, according to a spokesperson. The news was first reported by Bloomberg.
What are the details?
A representative for the president's oldest son confirmed to Politico that Don Jr. received the positive test result at the beginning of the week, and "has been quarantining out at his cabin since the result." The spokesperson added that "he's been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended COVID-19 guidelines."
Don Jr., 42, is the latest Trump to contract the virus, after his father, step-mother, and half brother Barron Trump all tested positive in October. Don Jr.'s girlfriend, Trump campaign fundraiser and former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, also tested positive for the virus over the Fourth of July.
All have since recovered, but President Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for days following news of his diagnosis.
According to ABC News, Don Jr. "has consistently downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, even after his father was diagnosed."
The outlet reported:
In an interview with Fox News on Oct. 30, he said deaths from the disease were "almost nothing."
"Why aren't they talking about deaths?" he told host Laura Ingraham. "The number's almost nothing because we've gotten control and we understand how it works. We have the therapeutics to be able to deal with this."
More than 250,000 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in the United States since the pandemic was discovered in the country early this year. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, America currently ranks 13th in the world in case-fatality ratio. The nation with the highest death rate on the list is Mexico, followed by Iran and the United Kingdom.
Anything else?
Earlier in the day on Friday, Andrew Giuliani—a special assistant to the president and the son of Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani—also announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. CBS News reported that the outlet confirmed "at least four other White House aides have tested positive for COVID-19," in addition to the younger Giuliani, noting that "Trump campaign adviser Jenna Ellis said she and Rudy Giuliani had tested negative."
Several Trump administration officials have also tested positive for the coronavirus this year, including White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, HUD secretary Ben Carson, former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, and current adviser Hope Hicks.


theblaze--2020-11-21--Cosmopolitan publishes hit piece on Trump but BlazeTV's Chad Prather sets the record straight

Cosmopolitan publishes hit piece on Trump but BlazeTV 's Chad Prather sets the record straight

Cosmopolitan magazine published an opinion editorial titled, "A 'Blue Wave' Can't Happen When the GOP Is This Good at Cheating." The premise of the article centered around the author's disappointment that President Donald Trump received so many votes in the 2020 election.
In this clip, BlazeTV's Chad Prather read the scathing article in which the author accuses Republicans of cheating for over 100-years and claims Donald Trump undermined the legitimacy of mail-in voting.
"The president spent more time undermining the legitimacy of mail-in voting—even though this is how he voted in Florida in 2016—than he did crafting a tangible political platform for which to seek reelection beyond "make America great again... again,' the article claimed.'
Chad said his problem was not with mail-in voting, and that his issue was with the lack of voter I.D. laws.
"We have to be able to confirm who it is voting," Chad asserted.
Watch the video for more.
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theblaze--2020-11-21--A defensive Nancy Pelosi claims she won the 2020 election despite losing so many seats in the House

A defensive Nancy Pelosi claims she won the 2020 election despite losing so many seats in the House Pelosi is @ @ @ @ @ poor showing of the Democrats

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) defensively argued that House Democrats could claim a victory in the 2020 election despite losing numerous seats and not flipping one from red to blue.
Pelosi made the argument before reporters during her weekly media briefing on Friday.
She pointed out that in the 2018 midterm elections the Democrats were able to garner 40 more seats in the House of Representatives, with 31 from Trump districts. She went on to compare the total number of votes House Democrats received against those of House Republicans and the president himself.
"Imagine nearly two million more votes than Donald Trump, and people say, 'well, the Democrats didn't turn out,' no, we did!" she pleaded.
"We turned out our folks. In fact, more than three million more than the Republicans did. But as I said, in the most gerrymandered voter suppressed political arena with President Trump on the ballot," Pelosi claimed.
"So I congratulate them for the seats they won. I congratulate him for the turnout that he created, he got a good vote!" said Pelosi.
"But I just wanted to show you how we related to these others," she said.
While Democrats were able to retain control of the House, they lost many seats to Republicans despite numerous polls predicting that there would be a "blue wave" and massive turnover in favor of the Democrats. As of Friday, the Republicans were able to flip 9 seats previously held by Democrats to their side.
Control of the U.S. Senate will be determined by two runoff elections in the state of Georgia. If both Democrats are able to declare victory, the Senate will be in a 50-50 tie that will be broken by a vote of the Vice President. Victory by at least one Republican in Georgia would mean that they retain control.
In-fighting has exploded between the progressive far left wing of the party and the more moderate centrist establishment Democrats as the latter have blamed the former for damaging narratives that helped sink some candidates in competitive districts.
Here's Pelosi defensively arguing her case:


theblaze--2020-11-21--Convicted killer Orlando Hall executed for kidnapping, raping, and burying Texas teen alive

He was the 8th inmate put to death by the U.S. government under the Trump administration

Convicted murderer Orlando Hall, found guilty of kidnapping, raping, and burying a teenage Texas girl alive in 1994, has been put to death.
He was the 8th federal inmate executed by the U.S. government since the Trump administration resumed capital punishment this year after a 17-year hiatus.
What are the details?
Hall, 49, died of lethal injection shortly before midnight on Thursday following a nearly 6-hour delay, after several last-minute filings— including to the U.S. Supreme Court — were unsuccessful in stopping the execution that took place at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In 1994, Hall was part of a marijuana trafficking ring in Arkansas. One night, a drug deal fell through, leading Hall and four accomplices to drive to the Texas home of a man they suspected of stealing $4,700 from the operation.
CNN reported:
The man's 16-year-old sister, Lisa Rene, was home and refused to let them inside, the statement said. Although she had no connection with the drug transaction, the men broke into the apartment, kidnapped her at gunpoint and fled in a car to an Arkansas motel.
Rene was repeatedly raped in the car and at the motel. When Hall realized she knew too much, the statement said, he and his accomplices took her to a park where they had dug a grave. They beat her with a shovel, then buried her alive, according to the statement.
Lisa Rene was an honor student who had dreams of becoming a physician.
According to The Washington Post, the Office of Solicitor General asked the Supreme Court to allow Hall's execution to proceed.
The filing read:
The public and the victim's family have an overwhelming interest in implementing the capital sentence recommended by a jury a quarter-century ago against petitioner, who perpetrated a heinous series of crimes against a child, has had notice that he faces execution for the past 25 years, and has been able to file a clemency petition for the past 13 years.
Hall never denied his involvement in Rene's death, according to his attorneys. In his final words, he reportedly asked witnesses in attendance on his behalf to tell his children that he loved them, and expressed his gratitude to those who had supported his family during his incarceration.
Federal Execution of Orlando Hall www.youtube.com
Anything else?
Attorney General William Barr announced last year that federal executions would begin again in 2020, after none had been carried out since 2003. But they may soon be put to end.
While President Trump is currently contesting the results of his race against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, the Trump campaign carries the burden of proof in their claims that widespread voter fraud occurred at a scale that flipped the election to Biden — who has been roundly declared the projected winner by mainstream media.
Biden has vowed to end the death penalty upon taking office. The Washington Examiner pointed out that Biden's campaign website stated that he would "work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level, and incentivize states to follow the federal government's example. These individuals should instead serve life sentences without probation or parole."


theblaze--2020-11-20--Actor Scott Baio threatens to move to Utah to unseat Sen. Mitt Romney after his anti-Trump tweet

Actor Scott Baio threatens to move to Utah to unseat Sen. Mitt Romney after his anti-Trump tweet '' Maybe I @ @ @ @ @ unseat you . ''

Actor Scott Baio threatened to move to Utah in order to run against Republican Sen. Mitt Romney after he tweeted against the litigation the president was supporting to challenge the results of the 2020 election.
Romney tweeted a statement scolding the president after his legal team made accusations of a massive election fraud scheme in a media briefing on Thursday.
"Having failed to make even a plausible case of widespread fraud or conspiracy before any court of law, the President has now resorted to overt pressure on state and local officials to subvert the will of the people and overturn the election," tweeted Romney.
"It is difficult to imagine a worse, more undemocratic action by a sitting American President," he added.
Baio, who is a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, took issue with the statement and issued his own missive in response.
"Hey @MittRomney, beautiful golf courses in Utah......maybe I'll move there, play a few rounds and unseat you," tweeted Baio.
"P.S. My wife is still waiting for her $2600 refund. Remember your wife canceled that Beverly Hills political luncheon fundraiser? But your campaign kept the money," he added.
Baio received more than 8,000 retweets in support of his sentiment.
The actor made headlines in 2016 when he said that Nancy Mack, the wife of the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers rock band, assaulted him in front of his wife and children over his support of then-candidate Donald Trump.
In 2017 Baio apologized for retweeting a conspiracy theory claiming that the victims of the horrific Newtown massacre were actors participating in a government scheme to justify gun confiscation. He deleted it after the victim excoriated him for the baseless accusation in a Facebook post.
Here's more about the Giuliani election accusations:


theblaze--2020-11-20--BLM founder calls for Biden to sign radical legislation to 'abandon police, prisons, and punishment

BLM founder calls for Biden to sign radical legislation to 'abandon police, prisons, and punishment paradigms'

BLM founder calls for Biden to sign radical legislation to 'abandon police , prisons , and punishment paradigms' Black Lives @ @ @ @ @ enact radical legislation that leads to 'police and prison abolition '

Patrisse Cullors, one of the three co-founders of the Black Lives Matter organization, is calling for Joe Biden to enact far-left legislation that would lead to the abolition of police and prisons, and other radical proposals.
In July, Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts announced the BREATHE Act, a sweeping far-left piece of legislation that aims to bring revolutionary change to the United States. The proposal has not been brought before Congress as of yet.
The drastic legislation calls for the end of life sentences, as well as all mandatory minimum sentencing laws. In a Teen Vogue article, Cullors wrote that the act would "put us on the road to police and prison abolition." The BREATHE Act demands the dismantling of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and immigration detention centers. The legislation also demands the repeal of federal laws that "criminalize human movement and border entry."
The BREATHE Act calls for "repealing and replacing the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act," which "Biden, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, largely wrote and shepherded through the legislative process."
The BREATHE Act would create a commission to study reparations proposals for African Americans, based on "mass criminalization – including the War on Drugs, the criminalization of prostitution, and police violence; border violence; and the systemic violation of the U.S. Government's treaty obligations to Tribal nations."
"Eliminating surveillance tactics that are disproportionately used to target Black, Brown, and Muslim communities by prohibiting predictive policing, racial recognition technologies, drones, and similar tools," the BREATHE Act states. "Eliminating the use of electronic monitoring, including ankle monitors, smartphone applications, and any other tool used to track location."
The legislation calls for the removal of all police, school resource officers, and armed security from schools, plus the metal detectors and surveillance equipment would be banned.
Public school systems would be required to develop curricula that examines "the political, economic, and social impacts of colonialism, genocide against indigenous people, and slavery."
"The creation of comprehensive health centers that offer culturally competent services for all people, including services related to reproductive health," the BREATHE Act states.
The proposal requests job programs "that specifically target the most economically disadvantaged individuals, including Black cis- and trans women, formerly incarcerated people, undocumented people, and disabled people."
The legislation also calls for politicians to develop a plan for developing "100% of the State power demand using clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources."
The BREATHE Act is a "project" by the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of more than 150 organizations.
Cullors, a self-described "trained Marxist," called the BREATHE Act a "landmark civil rights bill," and wants the "next Presidential administration to prioritize the passing" of the legislation.
Cullors told The Hollywood Reporter, "We are requesting that — in the first 100 days — the Biden-Harris administration works to pass this legislation."
"This moment is a watershed moment," Cullors said. "I think this moment calls for structural change and transformative change in ways that we haven't seen in a very long time. We see this opportunity to push for the BREATHE Act as a part of what we're calling the modern-day civil rights act."
When asked about the 2020 presidential election, Cullors said, "Black people — especially Black women — have saved the United States. Whether in Milwaukee, Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, or Los Angeles, Black voters showed up in huge numbers to turn this country around and remove the racist in the White House."


theblaze--2020-11-20--Kevin McCarthy letter urges 23 House Dems to bypass Nancy Pelosi and deliver COVID-19 relief for Ame

Kevin McCarthy letter urges 23 House Dems to bypass Nancy Pelosi and deliver COVID-19 relief for America ' ... it @ @ @ @ @ live up to their word . '

The Republican minority in the House of Representatives is pushing on moderate Democrats to break with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and pass a coronavirus relief bill that can advance through the Senate.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Friday sent a letter to 23 House Democrats who were previously open to bucking party leadership and moving forward on a coronavirus stimulus without Pelosi's backing, the Daily Caller reported. McCarthy's office delivered the letter after Democrats once again blocked an effort from House Republicans to reconsider their coronavirus relief bill Thursday.
McCarthy urges his Democratic colleagues to file a discharge petition to force a House vote on a bipartisan stimulus bill, as they previously threatened to do in September.
"On September 27, nearly two months ago, you signed a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi stating: 'It is our request that you continue to negotiate towards a bipartisan deal. Otherwise, a discharge petition is the only potential option for COVID-19 related action on the House Floor…' As we know, no bipartisan deal has yet been reached," McCarthy said in his letter.
In September, 23 House Democrats urged Pelosi and Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to "continue bipartisan negotiations" in pursuit of "meaningful relief for the American people" from the economic hardship caused by coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. The 23 Democrats said that if Pelosi did not reach an agreement with Republicans, "a discharge petition is the only potential option for COVID-19 related action on the House Floor and we do not believe that is the best path forward."
The House has taken no action on the coronavirus relief since these Democrats put the discharge petition on the table. Now, McCarthy wants them to take action. He criticized Pelosi's failure to negotiate with Republicans.
"Perhaps more discouraging is that even after Speaker Pelosi failed to secure a deal before recessing the House ahead of the election, you did not live up to your word to sign Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) discharge petition. This legislation would free up $137.5 billion of unspent PPP funds. It would allow small businesses to take a second PPP loan and extends the PPP deadline until December 31, 2020," McCarthy's letter continues.
Republican and Democratic congressional leaders met Thursday to discuss new COVID-19 relief measures and new federal spending legislation to keep the government open. Congress must pass appropriations bills before Dec. 11 to avert a government shutdown.
The White House is involved in the negotiations. On Friday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that GOP leaders will "come up with a plan to sit down with Pelosi and Schumer and try to get a targeted bill done for the people that really need it."