theblaze--2020-01-08--NBC News hypes live coverage of terrorist Qassem Soleimani's burial in Iran

Who wanted to watch that ?
People in various parts of Iran lit candles and mourned the night of Gen. @ @ @ @ @ in Tehran .
( Hamid Vakili/NurPhoto via Getty Images )

NBC News made an interesting editorial decision to carry the burial of Iranian terrorist Gen. Qassem Soleimani live on its network and to promote the coverage on social media.
Soleimani, who was killed Friday during a drone strike ordered by President Donald Trump, was the leader of Iran's Quds Force from 1988 until his death. The Quds Force is designated as a terrorist organization and has been since 2007.
Still, NBC opted to cover the death of a man responsible for many injuries and deaths of U.S. forces as if he was any other non-terrorist foreign leader.
Reporter Cal Perry, who was covering the event in Iran, said the magnitude of the event gave "a little insight into the kind of hero that this man was in Iran."
Perry went on to discuss how Soleimani and the Quds Force has bolstered Iran's ability to fight its enemies abroad, citing Hezbollah fighting Israel in Lebanon and Soleimani's direct engagement and killing of U.S. soldiers when the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003.
It's obvious that the network was attempting to highlight the importance of Soleimani to the Iranian people, but the choice to explain to an American audience how much of a "hero" Soleimani was for his efforts to kill American soldiers was not well-received by many viewers.
The replies to NBC News' promotional tweet were overwhelmingly negative, with the general sentiment being: Why are you covering this?
The response to Soleimani's death from media and opponents of President Donald Trump has seemed, at times, almost sympathetic toward the slain general.
For example, a tweet about Soleimani's death by the Washington Post referred to Soleimani as "revered military leader."


theblaze--2020-01-08--MSNBC and CNN go all in on Iranian propaganda

MSNBC and CNN go all in on Iranian propaganda Is the enemy of the media their friend ?

WTF MSM!? is a newsletter that puts a dose of sunlight on the mainstream media and exposes how the media twist facts, selectively report, and outright lie to advance their left-wing agenda. You can sign up for the WTF MSM!? newsletter here.
There is a long history of American media acting as the propaganda arm of American enemies, from Walter Duranty's praise of the Soviet regime to the present day, when outlets like CNN and MSNBC air, without challenge, Iranian propaganda on television.
Since Friday's drone attack that killed Iranian terrorist mastermind Qassem Soleimani, CNN and MSNBC have given a voice to Iranian propaganda. In stark contrast to how they routinely cover President Donald Trump, the outlets offered very little pushback.
On Tuesday, CNN's Christiane Amanpour interviewed Iranian Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Massoumeh Ebtekar about the drone attack. In the 15-minute interview, Amanpour offered no serious pushback on Ebtekar's claims, which included calling the elimination of one of the world's most notorious terrorists a "terrorist action."
As the Daily Caller noted, "Amanpour also failed to acknowledge that Ebtekar was chief spokeswoman for a group of Iranian students who held 52 American diplomats hostage at the U.S. embassy in Iran for 444 days, from 1979 to 1981."
Compare that with a CNN chyron on Tuesday that read, "Trump says, 'we saved a lot of lives' by killing Soleimani but offers no evidence."
Also on Tuesday, MSNBC aired propaganda directly from Iran that claimed that U.S. soldiers had been killed as a result of the rocket attacks earlier in the day. The claim was shared on Chris Hayes' program. Hayes also forcefully called out the Trump administration, saying, "War with Iran is madness … strategically and morally a disaster."
Is it too much to ask that the American media treat Iran with at least the same skepticism, if not more, as they treat President Trump?
The media seem to buy into the old Middle Eastern proverb, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Links ...
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theblaze--2020-01-08--College math professor asks for ideas on how to advance ‘social justice’ in math textbooks

College math professor asks for ideas on how to advance ‘ social justice ’ in math textbooks 'Please let this @ @ @

A mathematics professor at Williams College is soliciting ideas on how to advance "social justice" in a new series of math textbooks.
What are the details?
The professor, Chad Topaz, posted on Twitter Tuesday regarding the potential that he will be asked to join the editorial board for the unnamed book series.
If offered, Topaz said he would accept the post only "in order to advance #socialjustice."
For those understandably confused as to how exactly social justice might relate to the study of mathematics, Topaz offered a few ideas to get the ball rolling. "Free texts? Social justice content? Required 'inclusive teaching' component of book proposal?" he suggested, before adding, "Go nuts ..."
I MIGHT be offered to join the editorial board of a particular math book series. If so, I'd accept only in order to advance #socialjustice. What are your best ideas for how? Free texts? Social justice content? Required "inclusive teaching" component of book proposal? Go nuts...
— Chad Topaz (@chadtopaz) January 6, 2020


theblaze--2020-01-08--US Army warns of faked text messages informing Americans they have been selected for draft

US Army warns of faked text messages informing Americans they have been selected for draft Not since the Vietnam War @ @ @ @ @ a draft

The U.S. Army was compelled to speak out after a deluge of faked text messages reportedly warned U.S. citizens that they'd been selected for a draft.
What are the details?
The military is not drafting U.S. citizens to serve in any wars despite what some people might have received through electronic messaging means.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Army Recruiting Command issued a statement quashing reports stating otherwise.
The draft was last used in 1973 during the Vietnam War.
A spokesperson said the messages were "fake," and stressed the importance of Americans understanding that the messages are "false and were not initiated by this command or the U.S. Army."
The messages come at a worrisome time, as tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been escalating for more than a week with a U.S. airstrike, which killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. On Tuesday night, Iran fired short-range ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases that house U.S. military troops. No injuries or casualties were reported as a result of the attack, and President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday morning that an early warning system had been successful in clearing out personnel-sensitive areas within the base.
During his fiery Wednesday speech, the president also said that Iran appears to be standing down following the Tuesday night attack.
You can watch the president's full speech below.
Trump Addresses the Nation After Iran Attacks www.youtube.com
What else?
Last week, the U.S. Selective Service System issued an additional statement saying that it is "conducting business as usual."
"In the event that a national emergency necessitates a draft, Congress and the President would need to pass official legislation to authorize a draft," a Wednesday Facebook statement from the organization read.


theblaze--2020-01-08--Reputed gangbanger who dumped water on NYPD officers in viral video gets 10 days of community servic

Reputed gangbanger who dumped water on NYPD officers in viral video gets 10 days of community service 'This is the @ @ @ @ @ in now '

The reputed gangbanger who was caught on a viral video dumping water on a pair of New York City cops over the summer just got his punishment: 10 days of community service, the New York Post reported.
Courtney Thompson, 28, accepted a second-degree harassment charge Dec. 20, the paper said, adding that a plea deal got him out of jail time.
Thompson — a reputed member of a Crips gang affiliate — initially faced charges of third-degree criminal mischief, obstruction of governmental administration, criminal tampering, disorderly conduct, and harassment following the July incident in Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood, the Post noted.
Third-degree criminal mischief can land culprits in jail for up to four years, the paper said, adding that Thompson was on probation for a 2015 robbery at the time of the water dousing incident.
Thompson has over 20 prior arrests on his record, including busts for assault, sources told the Post in a previous story, adding that most of the related records are sealed.
The New York Daily News noted that Thompson actually "comes from a law enforcement family — his mother is a city Correction Department captain and his aunt is a federal corrections officer in Washington, D.C., his lawyer said at his arraignment. He was released on $3,500 bail."
What's the background?
In the water dousing video, two officers are seen repeatedly getting water thrown and dumped on them — and the drenched cops simply walk away without reacting.
Image source: Twitter video screenshot
Here's the clip: ( Content warning: Language):
Drenched cops OK'd plea deal
The two officers who got doused with water gave their approval for Thompson's plea deal before he accepted it, the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office told the Post.
“The defendant's conduct in this case was wholly unacceptable and deserving of criminal charges," a spokesman for the Brooklyn DA noted to the paper, adding that the DA's office made sure "the defendant took responsibility for his actions."
What did another cop have to say?
“I can't believe that guy got off," a police source told the Post. “I mean 10 days community service? Basically you're telling everybody that if you want to dump water on a cop, you can — and there's no consequences for it. This is the lawless society that we live in now."
Officers continue getting targeted
The water dousing incident was one among several examples of NYPD officers becoming targets of harassment and disrespect.
Another video from last July showed an officer getting hit in the head with a bucket while attempting to make an arrest with a partner, and both officers were doused with water as a crowd roared around them:
Last August, an NYPD sergeant was standing with other officers in Central Park during a concert when a fist-sized piece of concrete smashed into a tree three feet from the cops — and earlier that day in the Bronx five officers were injured when bottles were hurled at police as they tried to break up a 2 a.m. party with about 100 people in attendance.
In September, after NYPD officers evacuated a Bronx apartment building amid a sixth-floor fire, video showed someone in the rowdy crowd on the street tossing an open half-gallon of milk at an officer — and onlookers reacting with laughter and cheers.
On Halloween night, NYPD officers responding to a domestic violence call found their vehicle trashed with garbage and rotting food as one onlooker remarked, "Trick or treat, motherf***ers":
In November, a video surfaced showing a gang of bikers and ATV riders circling and appearing to taunt a lone NYPD officer at a Bronx gas station.
In December, an NYPD officer was injured after he bit a razor that was in a sandwich that he bought from a shop in Queens.
(H/T: BizPac Review)


theblaze--2020-01-08--Two Chinese students arrested for taking pictures of Naval Air Station in Key West

Two Chinese students arrested for taking pictures of Naval Air Station in Key West The second incident since Christmas

Two Chinese nationals who attend the University of Michigan were arrested in Key West, Florida, over the weekend after they were caught taking pictures of a naval base.
The duo, Yuhao Wang and Jielun Zhang, were arrested after entering Sigsbee Annex in the Naval Air Station. Guards had denied the 24-year-old men entry to the military facility, but the two entered anyway. Authorities eventually caught the students after 30 minutes of searching. They were found with cellphones and a Nikon camera, according to the Florida Keys Keynoter.
Once caught, both students acknowledged they disregarded guard instructions to not enter the facility.
An FBI affidavit said, "U.S. Navy Security Forces obtained consent to look at the devices and observed photographs taken on the Sigsbee Annex property, including U.S. military structures on Fleming Key."
The students were charged for "entering a U.S. Naval property for the purpose of photographing defense installations," the Keynoter reported. They both appeared in federal court in Key West on Monday. Their detention hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Wang and Zhang are the third and fourth Chinese nationals to be arrested for taking pictures of military installations at the Key West naval station.
One day after Christmas, 27-year-old Chinese student Lyuyou Liao was arrested for taking pictures at the Truman Annex, while 20-year-old Zhao Qianli was arrested for the same offense in September 2018. Qianli pleaded guilty last February to one count of photographing defense installations. Meanwhile, Liao is still waiting to be arraigned, the Miami Herald reported.
The incident comes as Chinese espionage efforts appear to be on the rise.
As TheBlaze reported, two Chinese officials were "secretly expelled" from the U.S. after they breached a "sensitive" military installation last September in Virginia. It was the first time in more than 30 years that the U.S. had expelled Chinese officials from the country.


theblaze--2020-01-08--WATCH: Combat veteran explains why the US is unlikely headed into WWIII

WATCH : Combat veteran explains why the US is unlikely headed into WWIII

On Tuesday's episode of "White House Brief," Jon Miller discussed how a leaked letter made it sound like the U.S. was preparing to withdraw from Iraq. Then guest and combat veteran Jesse Kelly joined the show and discussed why the United States is unlikely headed into World War III.
Watch the video below for more details.
Use code WHB to save $10 on one year of BlazeTV.
Want more from Jon Miller?
To enjoy more of Jon's take on what's happening at the White House that the mainstream media isn't telling you, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.


theblaze--2020-01-08--Dave Chappelle: 'The Second Amendment is just in case the first one doesn't work out'

Dave Chappelle : 'The Second Amendment is just in case the first one does n't work out '

On Tuesday night, PBS broadcast the 2019 Mark Twain Prize ceremony honoring comedian Dave Chappelle. During the program, Chappelle explained how "standup comedy is an incredibly American genre." He then explained how the First Amendment helped breed comedy, and how the Second Amendment guarantees it.
In a shot across the bow at politically correct cancel culture, Chappelle used his acceptance speech to highlight how every American viewpoint is represented in a comedy club somewhere — even the most repugnant. And he explained how that's OK.
Dave Chappelle Acceptance Speech | 2019 Mark Twain Prize www.youtube.com
Chappelle said, "We [standup comics] watch you guys fight. But when we're together we talk it out. I know comics that are very racist and I watch 'em on stage and everyone's laughing. And I'm like mmm that motherf***er means that s**t."
Chappelle continued, "Don't get mad at 'em. Don't hate 'em. We go upstairs and have a beer. And sometimes I even appreciate the artistry that they paint their racist opinions with. Man, it's not that serious. The First Amendment is first for a reason. The Second Amendment is just in case the first one doesn't work out."
It's not the first time in recent months that Chappelle has staked out what many would consider a conservative, pro-freedom opinion. On his latest Netflix special, "Sticks & Stones," Chappelle stunned America with a stinging pro-life message.
You can check out more of the author's media commentary by subscribing, for free, to Blaze Media's WTF MSM!? newsletter that puts a dose of sunlight on the mainstream media and exposes how the media twist facts, selectively report, and outright lie to advance their left-wing agenda. You can sign up for the WTF MSM!? newsletter here.


theblaze--2020-01-08--'Iran appears to be standing down': Trump declares victory in response to Iran's attack on US facili

'Iran appears to be standing down': Trump declares victory in response to Iran's attack on US facilities in Iraq

'Iran appears to be standing down ' : Trump declares victory in response to Iran 's attack on US facilities @ @

President Donald Trump is declaring victory — at least for now — in the scuffle between the United States and Iran that began last week when a U.S. airstrike killed Iranian terrorist military leader Qassem Soleimani.
"Iran appears to be standing down," Trump said in an address to the nation following Iran's retaliatory missile strikes Tuesday on U.S. facilities in Iraq.
The president confirmed the news that Tuesday's attacks resulted in minimal damage to U.S. assets and no casualties among U.S. or Iraqi military personnel.
"The American people should be extremely grateful and happy," Trump said. "No Americans were harmed in last night's attack by the Iranian regime."
POTUS Iran address takeaways:
Says Iran appears to be standing down,
Notes no US casualties in strikes, minimal damage
Affirms commitment to nuke-free Iran
Harsher sanctions on Iran
Asks for more NATO involvement in ME
Urges other countries to break away from Iran deal remnants
— Nate Madden (@NateOnTheHill) January 8, 2020
Trump also maintained a hardline posture toward the Iranian regime, vowing to deter Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon as long as he remains the president.
"As long as I am president of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon," Trump declared as he opened the address.
He then announced additional sanctions on the Iranian regime, called on increased NATO involvement in the Middle East, and urged other countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany to formally break away from the Iran nuclear agreement instituted during the Obama administration.
In fact, Trump argued, it was money given to Iran via the nuclear agreement that, in large part, has funded the regime's terrorist activities since 2013.
Initial response to the address has been positive, with even some Trump critics admitting that the outcome, at this point, looks like a win for the president and his administration's foreign policy objectives.
I'm far from a Trump supporter.
But impossible not to call Iran outcome a win for US president and a big opportunity going forward.
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) January 8, 2020
You can watch the full address here:


theblaze--2020-01-08--Democratic senator fears President Trump's response to Iran might be similar to 9/11 terror attacks

Democratic senator fears President Trump 's response to Iran might be similar to 9/11 terror attacks 'We have a choice @ @ @ @ @

Since the recent escalation of tensions and violence between the U.S. and Iran, Democratic politicians have grappled with how to make the entire situation about how bad President Donald Trump is, which has led to some comments that almost make it unclear whose side they're on in the conflict.
Some Democrats, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have struggled to even admit that Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani was a terrorist. Others have taken to calling the drone strike that killed Soleimani an assassination and saying it was illegal, despite the fact that he was a military leader who had planned and executed attacks that led to American deaths.
Now, Massachusetts' other senator has expressed fears that President Trump's response to Iran's hostility could be similar to what terrorists did to the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
"When al Qaeda attacked us on September 11, 2001, which targets did they select?" Sen. Ed Markey said during a speech Tuesday on the Senate floor. "They selected the World Trade Center, the symbol of capitalism in the United States. They selected the Pentagon, the symbol of our defense.
"We have a choice to make right now out here on the floor of the United States Senate," Markey said. "And that is to make a statement before we do that to the Iranians, because we ourselves experienced it, and we know what our reaction was. They will rise up in a way that will make it impossible to reconcile. We will be in eternal war in the Middle East."
Markey's Senate speech did not age well, as late Tuesday Iran launched more than a dozen missiles at an air base in Iraq where U.S. troops were stationed in retaliation for the killing of Soleimani.
While many feared that the missile attack would spur a disproportionate response from the president, that's not what happened. There were no U.S. casualties, and there are no plans for a military response by the U.S. Certainly no acts of terror against Iran, as Markey was worried about.


theblaze--2020-01-08--Two earthquakes strike Iran near nuclear power plant — just hours after country fired missiles at US

Two earthquakes strike Iran near nuclear power plant — just hours after country fired missiles at US troops Things that @ @ @ @ @

A pair of earthquakes hit Iran Wednesday morning near a nuclear power plant — just hours after the country fired missiles at U.S. military facilities in Iraq in retaliation for killing bloodthirsty Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.
What are the details?
The first quake measuring 4.9 magnitude struck just before 9 a.m. local time in Bushehr province, CNN reported, citing the United States Geological Survey.
About 30 minutes later a second quake measuring 4.5 magnitude struck the same province, which runs along the coastline in southwestern Iran, the cable network added.
The epicenters were within 12 miles of the city of Borazjan, which sits near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, CNN said, adding that a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit the same region less than two weeks ago.
Bushehr is Iran's first nuclear plant and the first civilian reactor in the Middle East, CNN noted.
More from the cable network:
Iran is no stranger to tectonic activity. The country sits on a major fault line between the Arabian and Eurasian plates, and has experienced many earthquakes in the past.
In November, at least five people died and 330 others injured when a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Iran.
A quake that struck near the Iran-Iraq border in November 2017 killed at least 452 people.
The deadliest quake this century occurred in 2003, when a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the southeastern Iranian city of Bam, killing some 26,000 people.
Here's a report on the Bushehr nuclear power plant when it opened in 2011 amid international controversy and concern:


theblaze--2020-01-08--US was aware Iranian missiles were en route ahead of strike, and was able to take cover according to

US was aware Iranian missiles were en route ahead of strike, and was able to take cover according to new reports

US was aware Iranian missiles were en route ahead of strike , and was able to take cover according to @ @

The United States had an early warning ahead of the Iranian missile strike, according to a USA Today report.
Iran launched more than a dozen short-range ballistic missiles Tuesday night, damaging two Iraqi bases that house U.S. and coalition forces. No deaths or injuries were immediately reported, and extent of the damage was not initially known.
What are the details?
The outlet reported that U.S. officials had "advance warning" of Iran's missile assault, which took place as retaliation after a U.S. airstrike killed Iranian military leader, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.
An unnamed official told USA Today that early warning systems were utilized to give U.S. forces knowledge that a missile attack was underway. U.S. forces and related personnel were able to evacuate certain areas for safety purposes ahead of the attack.
“The early warning system worked," the official told the outlet, admitting that U.S. intelligence officials were tipped off ahead of the attack.
On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi said that Iran sent Iraq a verbal message that an attack was imminent. He also said that the U.S. military simultaneously reported the attack.
The missiles targeted al Assad air base in Iraq's western Anbar province and another base in Erbil in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, USA Today reported.
What about the bases?
Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said the bases are still on high alert as officials evaluate the ongoing tensions.
"These bases have been on high alert due to indications that the Iranian regime planned to attack our forces and interests in the region," he said. "As we evaluate the situation and our response, we will take all necessary measures to protect and defend U.S. personnel, partners, and allies in the region."
You can read more on the missile attack and the escalating tensions here and here.


theblaze--2020-01-08--After party switch, Van Drew joins effort to bring up anti-infanticide bill in House

After party switch , Van Drew joins effort to bring up anti-infanticide bill in House The petition still needs 14 @ @

The House of Representatives' newest Republican member has put his name behind an effort to bring up a key piece of pro-life legislation for a vote on the floor.
Politico reported Tuesday morning that one of Rep. Jeff Van Drew's first legislative actions since switching to the Republican Party would be signing a discharge petition for a pro-life bill that would mandate medical care for the survivors of botched abortions. Tuesday evening, the House Republican Conference announced via tweet that Van Drew had signed the petition.
"We need just 14 Democrats to sign this to give lifesaving care to babies who survive an abortion," the announcement said. "It's time for Congress to take up the #BornAliveBill and #EndInfanticide."
The bill in question, the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, is an anti-infanticide measure that drew considerable attention on Capitol Hill after remarks by Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's now-infamous abortion comments kicked off a national debate about abortion and infanticide early last year.
During a Senate vote on the legislation in February, 44 of the upper chamber's Democratic members voted against the upper chamber's version of the bill. The bill needed 60 votes to pass, but failed in a 53-44 vote.
Lawmakers began the discharge petition effort last April in an effort to bring it to the floor despite the opposition of Democratic House leadership. If a discharge petition gets the 218 signatures needed for a majority of the House, the related legislation can be brought up for a vote, regardless of the whims of the House's majority party. Van Drew's signature brings the total number of signatures to 204, still short of the 218 needed.
Van Drew, a freshman House member from the state of New Jersey, announced that he would switch parties as a result of the House's impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump last month. He told Fox News that the "final straw" in his decision to change parties was being threatened with political consequences by a local Democratic Party county chairman if he didn't vote to impeach the president.
President Trump formally welcomed the congressman to the GOP during a public White House meeting the day after the impeachment vote.
During his time as a House Democrat, Van Drew earned a 100% rating on Planned Parenthood Action's congressional scorecard for his first year in Congress, which was criticized by the National Republican Congressional Committee in May.
The congressman's signature on the discharge petition comes during the same week as President Trump's re-election campaign announced a rally in Van Drew's congressional district for late January.


theblaze--2020-01-08--CNN gives air time to Iranian VP who in 1979 said she'd shoot American hostages in their heads if US

CNN gives air time to Iranian VP who in 1979 said she'd shoot American hostages in their heads if US tried to rescue them

CNN gives air time to Iranian VP who in 1979 said she 'd shoot American hostages in their heads if @ @ @ @ @ CNN 's Christiane Amanpour reportedly did n't mention Massoumeh Ebtekar 's role in the hostage @ @ @ @

CNN's Christiane Amanpour interviewed Iranian Vice President Massoumeh Ebtekar Monday regarding the killing of bloodthirsty Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. military airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump last week.
Normally that wouldn't be a big deal — except that Ebtekar has just a bit of a checkered past and is about as anti-American as you can get.
What did she do?
For starters, she served as spokeswoman for the Iranian students who took 52 Americans hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
Oh, and Ebtekar acknowledged in a televised interview that year that she'd shoot those same hostages in their heads if the U.S. tried to rescue them.
Here's the clip. The relevant portion starts just after the 2-minute mark:
Iran 1979: Masoumeh Ebtekar Rohani`s Vice President: I am willing to kill American hostages youtu.be
What's more, Ebtekar — now 59 and Iran's vice president for women and family affairs — was "an organizer and participant" in the hostage crisis, the Times of Israel reported, citing a statement signed by more than 100 expat Iranians around the world.
How did Amanpour handle Ebtekar's role in the hostage crisis?
Amanpour failed to note Ebteker's role in the Iran hostage crisis during the interview, according to NewsBusters and the Daily Caller.
Instead the CNN journalist — who has called herself "truthful, not neutral" when it comes to her reporting — characterized Ebteker as "a committed revolutionary. You were very prominent in the early days of the Islamic revolution, but you became more of a reformist as well, and you supported the negotiations for the Iran nuclear deal and diplomacy to .... settle some issues."
Amanpour's description of Ebteker begins at the 1:45 mark:
What else was said during the interview?
As you might expect, Ebteker lauded Soleimani and criticized Trump and the U.S. government.
"The American government, the American president made a serious miscalculation, they made a serious mistake by assassinating, by taking this terrorist action, against Commander Soleimani, and I'm sure that they regret what they've done," she said.
Soleimani led Iran's Revolutionary Guard, consorted with terror organizations, ordered the killing of Americans, and most recently was believed to be behind the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Nevertheless, Ebteker said Soleimani's killing kick-started a "wave of awakening" in Iran and that there's now "great opportunity" for the Islamic country, which "has been righteous in its positions" and "always working for peace and stability in this region."
The Daily Caller said Amanpour did little to challenge Ebteker's claim that Soleimani's killing was an act of terror by the U.S. — but added that the CNN journalist did say Soleimani wasn't favorably viewed outside Iran.


theblaze--2020-01-08--VIDEO: Attempting to rebuke Trump, Joe Biden confuses Iraq with Iran twice — in the same day

VIDEO : Attempting to rebuke Trump , Joe Biden confuses Iraq with Iran twice — in the same day

Former vice president and presidential hopeful Joe Biden confused Iraq and Iran twice while on the campaign trail Tuesday, one gaffe occurring during what was supposed to be a major foreign policy speech rebuking President Donald Trump's decision to strike and kill terrorist military leader Qassem Soleimani.
"Iran's parliament, Iran's parliament voted to eject all Americans and coalition forces from the country," Biden said during the speech in New York, just two days after the Iraqi parliament, not Iran's parliament, voted to expel U.S. troops stationed in the country.
In what was billed as a major foreign policy speech, Biden confuses Iraq and Iran. pic.twitter.com/xMWkRdkq7G
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) January 7, 2020
In the speech, which was reported to be the second major foreign policy address of his campaign, Biden lambasted Trump as "dangerously incompetent and incapable of world leadership."
Not once, but twice
But that was not the only time Biden mistook the two Middle East countries for each other. Earlier in the day, the Democratic presidential front-runner mixed the two countries up as he expressed fears that Trump would lead the U.S. into a new war "with Iraq."
"I said not long ago that as the walls close in on this president, I worried that he was going to get us in war with Iraq," Biden remarked.
Also, per pooler @ShaneGoldmacher, Biden twice appeared to misspeak, saying 'Iraq' instead of 'Iran':
"I said not long ago that as the walls close in on this president, I worried that he was going to get us in war with Iraq, as the ultimate wag the dog...'' Biden said.
— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) January 7, 2020
The Washington Examiner reports: "U.S. troops have been stationed in Iraq, which borders Iran, since 2003. Biden voted in favor of military action in Iraq in 2002 but has since falsely claimed that he opposed the effort 'from the moment' the March 2003 invasion started."
Surely, Iraq and Iran's phonetical similarities present a daunting challenge to any speaker, but Biden, who often boasts his foreign policy chops, should be expected to distinguish between the two.
The Washington Free Beacon notes that gaffes like the ones highlighted in this article have become commonplace for the 77-year-old candidate. Last December, Biden appeared to forget where he was on the campaign trail. Before then, he mistakenly said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated in the late 1970s, instead of the late 1960s.
According to Axios, Biden blames the gaffes on fatigue.


theblaze--2020-01-08--Ted Cruz rips Obama administration for essentially funding Iranian missile attack on US troops, alli

Ted Cruz rips Obama administration for essentially funding Iranian missile attack on US troops, allies

Ted Cruz rips Obama administration for essentially funding Iranian missile attack on US troops , allies ' ... do n't @ @ @ @ @ people who hate you and want to kill you '

After Iran launched more than a dozen missiles at an air base in Iraq where U.S. forces were stationed, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blasted the Obama administration for giving Iran money enabling it to carry out such an attack.
Cruz spoke to Fox News' Sean Hannity on Tuesday night and reminded viewers that the Iran nuclear deal that sent billions of dollars to Iran made Americans in the Middle East less safe.
"If you look at Iran policy I think you've seen a dramatic shift," Cruz said. "Under Barack Obama, the policy was appeasement. The policy under the disastrous Iranian nuclear deal under Obama was to give over $100 billion to Iran. They literally flew $1.7 billion in cash in unmarked bills on pallets in the dead of night into Iran. In a very real sense, the missiles that we saw fired on U.S. service men and women tonight were paid for by the billions the Obama administration flooded the ayatollah with and if history teaches anything it's don't give billions of dollars to people who hate you and want to kill you."
Ted Cruz youtu.be
Cruz is referring to payments made to Iran in 2016 as a part of an agreement negotiated under the Obama administration among Iran, the U.S., and the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Germany, and China.
The agreement, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, freed Iran from some economic sanctions and allowed the country access to previously frozen funds overseas in exchange for Iran's agreement to scale back its nuclear power research and development.
In August 2016, the Obama administration arranged for $400 million in cash on wooden pallets to be flown into Iran as the first payment in a $1.7 billion settlement. The secret cash delivery came the same day that Iran released U.S. hostages and implemented the terms of the nuclear deal.
Iran undoubtedly gained access to billions of dollars from the nuclear deal, although whether that amount was actually $150 billion is a matter of some dispute.
Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was critical of the payment.
"Iran was in big trouble, they had sanctions, they were dying, we took off the sanctions and made this horrible deal and now they're a power," Trump said at the time, according to CNN. "We paid $400 million for the hostages. Such a bad precedent was set by Obama. We have two more hostages there right? What's are we going to pay for them? What we're doing is insane."
(H/T: The Daily Wire)


theblaze--2020-01-08--Judge declares Hunter Biden 'biological and legal father' of young boy born to Arkansas mistress

Judge declares Hunter Biden 'biological and legal father ' of young boy born to Arkansas mistress

An Arkansas judge ruled Tuesday that Hunter Biden is officially the "biological and legal father" of a child born in August 2018.
"The results of the DNA tests indicate with near scientific certainty that the defendant is the biological father of the child in this case," the court order signed by Arkansas Circuit Court Judge Holly Meyer declared.
Meyer also ordered the Arkansas Department of Health to issue a "new or substituted" birth certificate that lists Biden as the father of the child, whom he had with 28-year-old Lunden Roberts. The two reportedly met at a strip club located in a historic Washington, D.C., neighborhood.
In a separate order, the judge gave Roberts primary custody of the child, whose name remains sealed, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
However, the judge ruled that Biden "shall have visitation with the child as agreed between the parties," according to the newspaper.
Roberts is seeking financial assistance from Biden.
After initially refusing to take a paternity test, Biden agreed to the test last October after Roberts went public that he was the father of her newborn son. In November, DNA tests showed that Biden was the child's father, despite his public denials. He did not challenge the validity of the test results.
Robert's attorney, Clinton Lancaster, has said that Roberts does not want her case to become a "media spectacle" or impact Joe Biden's presidential campaign. Instead, she just wants financial support from Biden.
The next hearing in the case, scheduled for Jan. 29, will address "temporary child support."


theblaze--2020-01-08--Ukrainian plane carrying 176 crashes in Iran, killing all on board. Now Iran is reportedly refusing

Ukrainian plane carrying 176 crashes in Iran, killing all on board. Now Iran is reportedly refusing to hand over the black box.

Ukrainian plane carrying 176 crashes in Iran , killing all on board .
Now Iran is reportedly refusing to hand @ @ @ @ @ Majority of people on the airliner were from Iran and Canada .

A Ukraine International Airlines aircraft crashed on Wednesday morning in Iran, killing all 176 people on board.
The plane crashed just 10 minutes after taking off, appearing to burst into flames while in midair.
FlightRadar24 reported that the plane lost contact about two minutes after taking off.
What are the details?
The airliner, a Boeing 737-800 NG, was just three years old and had been recently tested. The last scheduled maintenance on the plane was just two days before the fateful flight, which left Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran and was bound for Kyiv, Ukraine.
The Ukrainian embassy in Tehran initially issued a statement dismissing the notion of terrorism, but deleted the statement. It later reissued a statement saying that the cause was unknown and the disaster was under investigation. Authorities have chalked the crash up to technical issues.
The region has experiencing a plethora of unrest over the last week, beginning with the U.S. airstrike on Gen. Qassem Soleimani, which ultimately resulted in Iran firing numerous missiles on military facilities housing U.S. troops in neighboring Iraq Tuesday night. However, authorities do not believe that the crash is related to the missile launches.
According to Reuters, Pirhossein Koulivand — head of Iran's emergency services — said that flames from the wreckage were "so heavy" that no rescue was possible. Rescue methods included 26 ambulances and a helicopter.
The New York Times reported that Qassem Biniaz at the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development said that one of the airliner's engines caught fire and that pilots lost control.
IRIB, the Iranian state broadcaster, said that one of the airliner's black boxes was discovered. Reuters also reported on Wednesday that Iran, however, is refusing to hand over the black box for investigation.
A spokesperson for Boeing issued a statement confirming the crash.
"We are aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information," the statement said. "This is a tragic event and our heartfelt thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families. We are in contact with our airline customer and stand by them in this difficult time. We are ready to assist in any way needed."
What was the Ukraine reaction?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's offered his "sincere condolences to family and loved ones of all passengers and crew members."
Ukraine International Airlines announced an indefinite suspension of flights to Tehran in the crash's wake.
"It was one of the best planes we had, with an amazing, reliable crew," Yevhen Dykhne, president of the Ukraine International Airlines, said during a news briefing on the incident.
NBC News reported that the majority of people on the airliner hailed from mainly areas in Iran and Canada.
The outlet reported that 82 people on board were Iranian, 63 were Canadian, and 11 people were Ukrainian, including the flight's nine crew members. Also, 10 people were from Sweden, four people were from Afghanistan, three people were from Germany, and three people were from the United Kingdom.


theblaze--2020-01-09--Judge orders Google to turn over a year of Jussie Smollett's emails, data to special prosecutor

Judge orders Google to turn over a year of Jussie Smollett 's emails , data to special prosecutor Investigators want @ @ @ @ @ the actor were dropped

A judge has ordered Google to hand over a full year of Jussie Smollett's emails, location data, search history, photographs, private messages and other information in order to assist the special prosecutor investigating why charges were dropped against the actor who was accused of staging what he claimed was a violent, racially-charged, anti-gay attack against him.
What are the details?
The Chicago Tribune reported that a Cook County judge in Illinois signed off on warrants filed last month for the probe led by special prosecutor David Webb, who is investigating why the office of State's Attorney Kim Foxx dropped all charges against the actor. Webb will also determine "whether to criminally charge Smollett again."
The two warrants requested all Google information from the accounts of both Smollett and his manager from November 2018 to November 2019. Smollett claimed that on the night of Jan. 29 last year that he was jumped by two men wearing MAGA hats who put a noose around his neck and berated him with threats and slurs.
Smollett — who is black and gay — claimed he was the victim of an alleged hate crime, but his story began to unravel after Chicago police investigated and found two "suspects" they had taken into custody for the attack were actually friends of Smollett's who claimed he paid them $3,500 via check to fake the attack.
Evidence backed up the men's claims, and then-CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at the time that when the department discovered Smollett set up the alleged hate crime in hopes of furthering his career, "it pissed everybody off."
TheBlaze's Dave Urbanski reported that in early March 2019, a grand jury indicted Smollett "with 16 counts of disorderly conduct in connection with the staged-attack allegations. But a few weeks later all charges against Smollett were dropped."
The city of Chicago then sued Smollett for $130,000 in order to recover its expenses from his alleged hoax.
What else?
The Chicago Police Department is also helping out the special prosecutor, a CBD spokesperson confirmed to The Tribune, conducting "follow-ups" on the department's original investigation.
It is unclear whether Google has yet complied with the warrants. If the special prosecutor does obtain the data, Webb and his team may be able to piece together the details of what truly happened before, during, and after the alleged attack on Jan. 29, 2019 — and how the State's Attorney's office handled it.


theblaze--2020-01-09--The internet is outraged that fitness trainer Jillian Michaels won't celebrate Lizzo's 'body positiv

The internet is outraged that fitness trainer Jillian Michaels won't celebrate Lizzo's 'body positivity'

The internet is outraged that fitness trainer Jillian Michaels wo n't celebrate Lizzo 's 'body positivity' '' You can not @ @ @ @ @ dangerous .
It kills people . ''

Reality show physical trainer Jillian Michaels faced social media blowback for her "fat-shaming" comments about singer Lizzo, who has been praised for her message of "body positivity."
Michaels was being interviewed on the Buzzfeed series, "AM to DM," when she made the controversial comments.
"We should always be inclusive, but, you cannot glorify obesity," Michaels said, speaking about political correctness. "It's dangerous. It kills people."
Host Alex Berg disagreed and cited the example of Lizzo, who flaunts her body despite being overweight.
"Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? Why aren't we celebrating her music? 'Cause it isn't going to be awesome if she gets diabetes," Michaels responded.
"I'm just being honest. I love her music, like my kid loves her music, but there's never a moment when I'm like, 'I'm so glad she's overweight.' Why do I even care? Why is it my job to care about her weight?" she added.
Berg later tweeted that she had to "restrain" herself from defending Lizzo.
What I was going to say here is that Lizzo has been incredibly important in giving so many of us a possibility model for accepting our bodies as we are and celebrating bodies that are normally ridiculed. Had to restrain myself from defending Lizzo's honor!
Michaels' honest assessment about the health implications of being overweight were not appreciated by Lizzo fans who attacked her on social media.
"Jillian Michaels can go f**k herself. Lizzo is celebrated because not only is she talented, she shows other girls to love themselves no matter what. Jillian Michaels can only trend for being an a**hole. F**k her," responded liberal critic Tony Posnanski.
"All this time it turns out Jillian Michaels was the biggest loser," joked Daily Show writer Travon Free.
Comedian Sara Benincasa responded, "there is a racial component here, whether or not Michaels makes a policy of policing all famous self-described fat women's bodies. White women like Jillian Michaels ALWAYS get angrier about a bigger Black woman enjoying herself in public vs. white women or even other WOC."
Almost a third of American children and teens are obese or overweight, and the rate has tripled since 1963.
Here's the video of Michaels' comments:


theblaze--2020-01-09--Anti-Trump columnist Paul Krugman suggests QAnon may have downloaded child porn using his IP address

Anti-Trump columnist Paul Krugman suggests QAnon may have downloaded child porn using his IP address 'It 's an ugly world @ @ @ @

Economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman — a frequent critic of President Donald Trump — wrote on Twitter Wednesday that his computer connection had been compromised and used to download child pornography, then suggested QAnon could be behind it.
What are the details?
"Well, I'm on the phone with my computer security service, and as I understand it someone compromised my IP address and is using it to download child pornography," Krugman wrote in a now-deleted tweet. "I might just be a random target. But this could be an attempt to QAnon me. It's an ugly world out there."
A few hours later, Krugman tweeted, "The Times is now on the case."
The Washington Examiner described QAnon as "a complex conspiracy theory that spawned from the internet and alleges there is a 'deep state' plot against the president," noting that "the believers of this conspiracy theory are largely a subsection of Trump supporters."
TheBlaze's Carlos Garcia has pointed out in the past that the QAnon conspiracy theory also "includes claims that Democrats and liberal celebrities are involved in a massive satanic child sex and prostitutions scam."
Krugman's name began trending on Twitter after his claim and he was mocked by users pressing him for further details on the ordeal. In the evening, the economist deleted the original tweet from his feed and explained, "Times thinks it may have been a scam. Anyway, will have more security in future."


theblaze--2020-01-09--Ilhan Omar says President Trump imposed sanctions to 'starve' the people of Iran. She wants sanction

Ilhan Omar says President Trump imposed sanctions to 'starve' the people of Iran. She wants sanctions against Israel.

Ilhan Omar says President Trump imposed sanctions to 'starve ' the people of Iran .
She wants sanctions against Israel @ @ @ @ @ named 2019 anti-Semite of the year by one group

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) claimed during a news conference Wednesday that the U.S. sanctions against Iran re-imposed by President Donald Trump were intended to "starve" the regime's people, causing observers to note her longstanding calls for sanctions against Israel.
What are the details?
"Since he got into office, the President of the United States has been goading Iran into war," Omar said of President Trump. "First, he cancelled our best shot at avoiding armed conflict — the Iran nuclear deal — then he announced crippling sanctions to starve the innocent people of Iran."
GOP Rapid Response Director Steve Guest posted a clip of Omar's remarks on Twitter, saying, "You can't make this up. 2019 Anti-Semite of the Year Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar condemns 'crippling' Iranian sanctions despite being an avid supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel."
Guest then tweeted a link to an article by The Washington Free Beacon reporting that Omar was named 2019 anti-Semite of the year by the organization, StopAntiSemitism.org.
The Free Beacon quoted StopAntiSemitism.org's news release announcing Omar had been selected for the recognition, where the group explained, "Among Rep. Ilhan Omar's transgressions, she perpetuated anti-Semitic tropes on Twitter to nearly two million followers and introduced an anti-Semitic resolution in Congress that promoted boycotts of the State of Israel and likened them to boycotts of Nazi Germany."
The news release went on to say "The public's vote highlights the growing concern among Americans about the Congresswoman's ability to use and abuse her position of power to propagate hatred in the U.S."
Omar joined fellow Democrats Reps. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and John Lewis (Ga.) earlier this year in introducing a resolution aimed at bolstering the BDS movement which is an international call for countries, among other things, to "impose embargoes and sanctions against Israel."
When Omar announced her resolution in July, she told Al-Monitor it was "an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support a nonviolent movement, which is the BDS movement."


theblaze--2020-01-09--Lindsey Graham accused Rand Paul of 'empowering the enemy', and he just shot back a fiery response

Lindsey Graham accused Rand Paul of 'empowering the enemy ' , and he just shot back a fiery response '' @ @ @ @ @ our founding fathers , and what we do stand for in this Republic ... ''

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) accused fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) of a "low gutter type of response" for accusing him of aiding U.S. enemies in his support of the Democrats' resolution to limit executive war powers.
Paul responded to Graham's criticism on CNN on Wednesday after host Wolf Blitzer played footage of the criticism from Graham.
"I think they're overreacting quite frankly," said Graham.
"Go debate all you want to, I'm going to debate you, trust me, I'm gonna let people know that in this moment in time to play this game with the War Powers Act, which I think is unconstitutional, is, whether you mean to or not, you're empowering the enemy," he continued.
"I know you don't mean to," Graham concluded, "but we live in the real world here. So debate all you went, this is a constitutional democracy, but get ready for a lively debate."
Paul and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) were incensed about a meeting with the White House where they claimed that the justification for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week was lacking.
"You know I think it's sad when people have this fake sort of drape of patriotism, and anybody that disagrees with them is not a patriot," responded Paul.
"Look, I love my country, I have many family members who have served in the military and continue to serve in the military. I like my country as much as the next guy, but for him to insult and to say that somehow we're not as patriotic as he is," he added.
"He hasn't even read the history of the Constitution. The Constitution specifically says that the war-making power resides in Congress. He believes in this unitary theory of the executive that presidents can do whatever they want, the only way you can stop them is by defunding a war," Paul continued.
"That's not what our founding fathers said. It's not what the Constitution says. And he insults the Constitution, our Founding Fathers, and what we do stand for in this Republic by making light of it and accusing people of lacking patriotism," he added.
"I think that's a low, gutter-type of response," Paul concluded.
Paul admitted that Soleimani was evil, but said the issue was what the global political ramifications would be to such a drastic military action.
Here's the video of Rand Paul's response:


theblaze--2020-01-09--WATCH: Dan Crenshaw blasts Democrats' Iran lies: 'Trump finally took action and stopped letting Iran

WATCH: Dan Crenshaw blasts Democrats' Iran lies: 'Trump finally took action and stopped letting Iranians punch us in the face'

WATCH : Dan Crenshaw blasts Democrats ' Iran lies : 'Trump finally took action and stopped letting Iranians punch us @ @ @ @ @ to respond and the president did just that .

On Wednesday, BlazeTV's "Rant Nation" posted a video clip featuring Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), a Navy SEAL veteran, as he debunked the false premises being peddled by Democrats to disparage President Donald Trump's decision to order the airstrike that killed Iranian military leader and terrorist Qassem Soleimani last week.
"The Democrats' arguments rely on two false premises. One is that history began with Donald Trump's strike against Soleimani. That is, of course, not true," said Crenshaw. "History began long before Donald Trump finally took action and stopped letting Iranians punch us in the face.
"The second false premise, is that there is this false choice between doing nothing and all-out war," he added. "The president is not taking us to all-out war. There's a lot in between, and we have to be more honest about that fact. We have to set a red line and say that, as the United States of America, we will not be punished indefinitely. We have to take action. We had to respond and the president did just that. It's time to unify behind our president instead of casting partisan stones."
Watch the video below for more:
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theblaze--2020-01-09--Susan Rice staunchly defends the Obama administration sending billions to Iran

The former national security adviser criticized President Trump for re-imposing 'crippling sanctions ' on the regime

President Barack Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, defended the Obama administration's decision to send billions of dollars to Iran through its Iran Nuclear Deal, after she was asked about President Donald Trump saying Wednesday that Iran went on a "terror spree" with the funds the regime received under the deal he has since withdrawn from.
What are the details?
President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday morning about the Iranian missile strikes on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops the night before. During his speech, the president announced additional economic sanctions against the Iranian regime, citing a litany of aggressions by the country in recent months.
"Iran's hostilities substantially increased after the foolish Iran Nuclear Deal was signed in 2013, and they were given $150 billion not to mention $1.8 billion in cash," the president said in his address.
"Instead of saying 'thank you' to the United States, they chanted 'death to America.' In fact, they chanted 'death to America' the day the agreement was signed. Then Iran went on a terror spree funded by the money from the deal and created hell in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq."
President Trump added, "The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration."
Rice was on MSNBC to react to President Trump's speech, and was asked by host Andrea Mitchell to "fact check the $150 billion that went to Iran after the nuclear deal was signed."
"First of Andrea, as you know and as you were discussing with your colleagues, this is another series of despicable lies by President Trump," Rice replied. Appearing to dodge the question, Rice said "the fact that...three years after taking office he remains obsessed with President Obama just shows President Trump's extreme weakness and insecurity."
Rice went on to adamantly defend the Iran Nuclear Deal coordinated by the Obama administration, claiming, "In the years since the signing of the deal in 2015, up until President Trump's unilateral withdrawal abandoning our allies against the advice of his advisers, there were no proxy attacks by Iranian proxies on U.S. personnel in Iraq. There were no efforts by Iran to attack our drones in the Persian Gulf or attack shipping."
The former national security adviser added, "President Trump decided recklessly to withdraw unilaterally from the nuclear deal and to impose so-called 'maximum pressure' — crippling sanctions — and it was in the wake of that that we found ourselves in this escalatory cycle that's led to where we are today."
Anything else?
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also said following the Iran attacks Tuesday night that "in a very real sense, the missiles that we saw fired on U.S. service men and women tonight were paid for by the billions the Obama administration flooded the ayatollah with."
The senator pointed out that the Obama administration "literally flew $1.7 billion in cash in unmarked bills on pallets in the dead of night into Iran."
The Obama administration acknowledged in 2016 that its transfer of $1.7 billion to Iran under the nuclear deal "was made entirely in cash." As part of the deal, tens of billions in frozen Iranian funds were released, but according to PolitiFact, "$150 billion is a high-end estimate." The U.S. Treasury Department put the estimate at around $56 billion.


theblaze--2020-01-10--Breaking: House approves resolution to limit President Trump's authority to take military action aga

Breaking: House approves resolution to limit President Trump's authority to take military action against Iran

Breaking : House approves resolution to limit President Trump 's authority to take military action against Iran Republicans say the @ @ @ @ @ power of law

A congressional resolution to limit President Donald Trump's authority to take military against Iran without Congress passed the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The measure passed with a vote of 224 to 194.
Three Republicans voted for the measure, while eight Democrats voted against it. Independent Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) also voted in favor.
The measure says that the president should end military action in Iran after 30 days if he does not receive congressional approval.
Trump tweeted Thursday morning that he wanted all Republicans to vote against the measure.
"Hope that all House Republicans will vote against Crazy Nancy Pelosi's War Powers Resolution," he tweeted.
He followed up with a tweet approving a statement from John Bolton, his former national security advisor, opining that the 1973 War Powers Resolution was unconstitutional and should be repealed.
"Smart analysis, I fully agree!" he added.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) derided the vote and said the resolution had "as much force of law as a New Year's resolution."
He elaborated to reporters during a weekly press briefing.
"This is a meaningless vote that only sends the wrong message that the House Democrats would rather stand with the socialist base than stand against Iran," McCarthy said.
Iran retaliated with a missile attack in Iraq on Tuesday after the US killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike.
Here's the latest on the war powers resolution:


theblaze--2020-01-09--Mitch McConnell signs on to resolution allowing dismissal of impeachment without articles

Mitch McConnell signs on to resolution allowing dismissal of impeachment without articles The Senate majority leader also told Republicans he @ @ @ @ @ over the articles soon

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has signed on as a co-sponsor of a resolution allowing Senate rules to be changed in order to allow impeachment articles to be dismissed as the upper chamber continues to wait for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to end her hold on the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.
What are the details?
The resolution was introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Monday, and would change Senate rules so that if the House of Representatives fails to submit articles of impeachment to the Senate within 25 calendar days of their adoption, any senator may "offer a motion to dismiss such articles with prejudice for failure by the House of Representatives to prosecute such articles."
Axios noted that if Speaker Pelosi continues stalling the transfer of the articles of impeachment, the 25-day mark for her hold falls this Sunday, Jan. 12.
In announcing his intention for filing the resolution, Hawley likened Pelosi's refusal to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate to a prosecutor refusing to proceed with a case, saying that "in the real world" a case would be dismissed in such an instance.
The original co-sponsors of the resolution were GOP Sens. Rick Scott (Fla.), Mike Braun (Ind.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Steve Daines (Mont.), John Barrasso (Wyo.), Tom Cotton (Ark.), Joni Ernst (Iowa), David Perdue (Ga.), and Jim Inhofe (Okla.).
Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) jumped on board Tuesday, and Sen. McConnell signed on as the 13th co-sponsor on Thursday.
Anything else?
According to Politico, Sen. McConnell also told GOP senators on Thursday that he expects Pelosi could send the articles of impeachment to the Senate soon — possibly as early as Friday. The outlet reported that "most Republicans are now gearing up for the relentless pace of the impeachment trial to start on Monday or Tuesday."


theblaze--2020-01-09--Glenn Beck: 'This was an act of 'PLEASE don't hurt us!'

Glenn Beck : 'This was an act of 'PLEASE do n't hurt us ! '

On Wednesday's episode of "The News & Why it Matters," Blaze TV's Sara Gonzales, Glenn Beck, Chad Prather, and Aaron Colen discussed the Iranian missile attack on U.S. military bases in Iraq, which was in retaliation for the airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week.
Because the attack did not result in any American casualties, the panel believed Iran launched the attack with the intention of not killing American soldiers and not trying to start a war with the U.S.
"This was an act of 'please don't hurt us'," Glenn said of Iran.
Watch the video below for more.
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theblaze--2020-01-09--Challenge to transgender agenda: Five states may require public school athletes to compete according

Challenge to transgender agenda: Five states may require public school athletes to compete according to biological sex

Challenge to transgender agenda : Five states may require public school athletes to compete according to biological sex Particularly at @ @ @ @ @ identify as females and dominate biological female opponents

Republican lawmakers in at least five states are seeking to enact measures that would require public school athletes to compete according to their biological sex as opposed to their gender identities, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The bills have been introduced or prefiled in New Hampshire, Washington, Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri, the paper said.
Lawmakers are specifically concerned about biological female athletes facing unfair competition from biological males who identify as females, the paper said.
More from the Journal:
Legislators behind the measures say they are trying to ensure an even playing field for girls, arguing that transgender female athletes have natural physical advantages over biological females, including differences in muscle mass, bone strength, lung capacity, and heart size.
Critics say the legislation is unnecessary and could raise constitutional concerns about due process and discrimination.
In Tennessee, for example, House Bill 1572 would require public elementary and secondary schools to "ensure that student athletes participate in school-sanctioned sports based on the student's biological sex as indicated on certificate issued at time of birth," ABC News reported.
Republican state Rep. Bruce Griffey last month introduced the measure that would incur a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for any official who intentionally breaks it, the network said.
Likewise in Washington state, GOP state Rep. Brad Klippert of Kennewick proposed HB 2201 to prevent "students whose sex assigned at birth was male" from participating in individual competition sports intended for female students, the Daily World reported.
What's the background?
The issue is particularly fevered in Connecticut, where a pair of biological males who identify as females have been dominating sprinting competitions in high school track and field — and not every biological female opponent is happy about it.
Andraya Yearwood — a biological male who identifies as female — took second-place last year at Connecticut's indoor track girls' 55-meter sprint. Yearwood's time was 7.01 seconds; the third-place sprinter — a biological female — hit the tape at a distant 7.23 seconds.
Terry Miller of Bloomfield High — who, like Yearwood, is transgender — won the event with a state record time of 6.95 seconds, the Associated Press reported.
In 2018, Miller crushed the competition in the girls' 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at the state meet with Yearwood coming in second in the 100.
Not every student is down with it
"It's very frustrating," Selina Soule of Connecticut's Glastonbury High School told Fox News' Laura Ingraham. "Because I know I have put in — some of my friends and fellow competitors have put in — so much time and effort to take down our times and compete ourselves better, but we are not physically able to be competitive against someone who is biologically a male."
And in stark contrast to the state lawmaker enacting measures to prevent such frustrations among biological female athletes, all the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives save one cosponsored the Equality Act — intended, in part, to allow biological male athletes who identify as females to compete against biological females in public schools.
Here's a look at the Connecticut high school transgender sprinters:
Transgender track stars speak out as critics allege unfair advantage youtu.be
(H/T: Hot Air)


theblaze--2020-01-09--Jillian Michaels will not apologize for 'fat-shaming' Lizzo: 'Not a lie I'm willing to tell because

Jillian Michaels will not apologize for 'fat-shaming' Lizzo: 'Not a lie I'm willing to tell because it's politically correct'

Jillian Michaels will not apologize for 'fat-shaming ' Lizzo : 'Not a lie I 'm willing to tell because it @ @ @ @

Jillian Michaels, reality show fitness trainer famous for "The Biggest Loser," says that she doesn't have any plans to apologize to music artist Lizzo after allegedly fat-shaming the full-bodied body-positive star.
What's a brief history?
Speaking to Alex Berg for Buzzfeed series, "AM to DM," Michaels said that glorifying obesity is "dangerous."
"We should always be inclusive, but, you cannot glorify obesity," Michaels said. "It's dangerous. It kills people. ... Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? Why aren't we celebrating her music? 'Cause it isn't going to be awesome if she gets diabetes.
"I'm just being honest," Michaels added. "I love her music, like my kid loves her music, but there's never a moment when I'm like, 'I'm so glad she's overweight.' Why do I even care? Why is it my job to care about her weight?"
Michaels received heavy criticism for her remarks. You can read some of the backlash here.
What is she saying now?
Michaels told TMZ that her remarks were in context because she is a professional
"Look, I'm a health expert," she reasoned. "For decades, I have said your weight and your size have no bearing or merit on your value, your beauty, your worth, your ability. Where it does have relevance is your health. And to pretend that it doesn't is not only irresponsible, it's dangerous. And it's just not a lie I'm willing to tell because it's politically correct."
Michaels insisted that you can still simultaneously love yourself and take care of your health.
"My overall point is to take care of your health because you love yourself," she explained. "That's kind of the whole point. And that we should value people based on their skills and their abilities. It should be irrelevant what size they are."
Jillian Michaels Defends Lizzo Size Remark as Comment on Health Not Value | TMZ www.youtube.com
Did Lizzo respond?
On Wednesday, Lizzo shared an Instagram video post that many social media users took to indicate as a reference to Michaels' remarks.
The caption read, "At the 25 second mark I want you to take 5 deep breaths... in through the nose... out through the mouth.. today's mantra is: This is my life. I have done nothing wrong. I forgive myself for thinking I was wrong in the first place. I deserve to be happy."


theblaze--2020-01-09--Vermont state senator wants to ban cellphone use for people under 21 — they are 'not developmentally

Vermont state senator wants to ban cellphone use for people under 21 — they are 'not developmentally mature enough' Violators @ @ @ @ @ year in prison , a $ 1,000 fine , or both

A Democratic state senator in Vermont has proposed a bill to ban cellphone use for all persons under the age of 21 years old.
The bill, introduced Thursday by Sen. John Rodgers to the Judiciary Committee, would make the possession of a cellphone a misdemeanor offense punishable by up to one year in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both, WPTZ-TV reported.
What is the rationale for the bill?
Rodgers points to the fact that cellphone use while driving is one of the leading causes of death for teenagers in America as a reason for the bill's proposal.
"Each day, 11 teenagers die in automobile crashes in this country," the bill notes.
He also highlights the role cellphones play in teen bullying, which often leads to suicides, internet radicalization of "terrorists, fascists, and other extremists," and the use of the internet on cellphones by teenage mass shooters to research previous shootings.
"In light of the dangerous and life-threatening consequences of cell phone use by young people, it is clear that persons under 21 years of age are not developmentally mature enough to safely possess them, just as the General Assembly has concluded that persons under 21 years of age are not mature enough to possess firearms, smoke cigarettes, or consume alcohol," Rodgers argues in the text of the bill.
The bill is meant to start a conversation
Rodgers told the the Barre Montpelier Times-Argus that he knows the bill won't pass, but that he introduced it to make a point.
"I have no delusions that it's going to pass. I wouldn't probably vote for it myself," he said.
The state senator meant to draw a comparison to similar bills passed in that last two legislative sessions that increased the age requirement for purchasing tobacco products and firearms to 21 years old.
Rodgers said he's a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and that the Legislature "seems bent on taking away our Second Amendment rights."
According to the Times-Argus, he argued that based on the information presented in his bill, a cellphone is much more dangerous than a gun.
Several states have passed bills restricting cellphone use while driving for persons under 21 years of age, but Rodgers' bill marks the first time legislation has been drawn up to ban cellphone use in its entirety.


theblaze--2020-01-09--Surprise! Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy says he regrets 'discrediting' faith-based organizations after c

Surprise! Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy says he regrets 'discrediting' faith-based organizations after cutting charitable donations

Surprise !
Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy says he regrets 'discrediting ' faith-based organizations after cutting charitable donations

Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy said he regrets "discrediting" faith-based organizations by cutting charitable donations to such organizations.
In November, Chick-fil-A announced that it would no longer be donating to organizations such as the Salvation Army or other operations that some people consider to be "anti-LGBTQ." You can read more about the move here.
What are the details?
In a letter to the American Family Association's Tim Wildmon, Cathy expressed regrets of Chick-fil-A pulling funding from a variety of faith-based organizations.
Wildmon had written Cathy with his concerns about yanking funding to Christian groups. One of Wildmon's questions read, "Will Chick-fil-A publicly state that it does not believe the Salvation Army and FCA are hate groups because of the ministries' beliefs about sexuality, marriage, and family?"
A December AFA petition that garnered more than 100,000 signatures prompted Wildmon to write a strong letter to Cathy about reconsidering the company's new giving structure.
Cathy responded to the letter by saying that he'd "inadvertently discredited several outstanding organizations," and insisted that the company never intended to "make a statement or support a political or social agenda."
The Chick-fil-A CEO also insisted that the company made such changes to its charitable donation structure in order to "better focus on hunger, homelessness, and education."
Cathy also insisted the company would continue supporting faith-based organizations.
"Chick-fil-A will give to faith-based and other organizations that we believe to be highly effective in a particular area," he added.
Cathy's letter draws praise
On Tuesday, Wildmon praised Cathy's letter and called it a "welcomed clarification."
“It appears that Mr. Cathy understands how many evangelicals perceived the company's decision, as he stated that these Christian groups were 'inadvertently discredited,'" he said. "The fact that Dan Cathy called these two Christian groups 'outstanding organizations' will mean a lot to evangelicals."
He added, "As a result, AFA will continue to monitor Chick-fil-A's corporate giving, at least for the foreseeable future. We believe our supporters rely on us to do so."
"Most of the Christians I know love Chick-fil-A and want to trust the company to uphold scriptural principles," his letter concluded. "We have all been huge fans of Chick-fil-A, and want that to continue."


theblaze--2020-01-09--Video shows the moment a missile strikes Ukrainian plane over Iran

A video shows the moment that an Iranian missile struck a Ukrainian passenger plane over Iran just minutes after it took off from the airport in Tehran .
Here 's the video obtained by the New York Times : The video would corroborate reports that the crash was caused by an Iranian missile being fired in the midst of increasing hostilities between the United States and Iran .
The crash of the Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 resulted in the death of all 176 passengers on board .
Reports initially blamed the crash on instrument failures , but U.S. intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was fired upon by the Iranians with a Russian-made missile , likely by accident .
Officials were very confident of their assessment based on what they saw on radar before the crash , including signals of radar being turned on and blips corresponding to missiles being fired .
Tension increased when Iran issued retaliatory attacks in Iraq over the airstrike that killed Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani , who had been designated as a terror threat .
Here 's more on the plane crash : Pentagon officials believe Iran shot down Ukrainian @ @ @

A video shows the moment that an Iranian missile struck a Ukrainian passenger plane over Iran just minutes after it took off from the airport in Tehran.
Here's the video obtained by the New York Times:
The video would corroborate reports that the crash was caused by an Iranian missile being fired in the midst of increasing hostilities between the United States and Iran.
The crash of the Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 resulted in the death of all 176 passengers on board.
Reports initially blamed the crash on instrument failures, but U.S. intelligence officials said they had cause to believe it was fired upon by the Iranians with a Russian-made missile, likely by accident.
Officials were very confident of their assessment based on what they saw on radar before the crash, including signals of radar being turned on and blips corresponding to missiles being fired.
Tension increased when Iran issued retaliatory attacks in Iraq over the airstrike that killed Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, who had been designated as a terror threat.
Here's more on the plane crash:


theblaze--2020-01-09--'I think the president agrees with me': Sen. Mike Lee doubles down on fiery rant over 'unconstitutio

'I think the president agrees with me': Sen. Mike Lee doubles down on fiery rant over 'unconstitutional' Iran briefing

' I think the president agrees with me ' : Sen. Mike Lee doubles down on fiery rant over 'unconstitutional @ @ @ @ @ commend the president .
I support the president ...
I think the president wants to @ @ @ @

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) joined Glenn Beck on the radio program Thursday to discuss what he called "probably the worst briefing I've seen" in regard to Wednesday's congressional briefing on the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Iran's retaliatory missile attack.
"What I found so distressing about that briefing was that one of the messages we received from the briefers was 'do not debate, do not discuss the issue of the appropriateness of further military intervention against Iran. And if you do, you'll be emboldening Iran,'" Lee told reporters on Wednesday.
"It is not acceptable for officials within the executive branch of government — I don't care whether they're with the CIA, with the Department of Defense or otherwise — to come in and tell us that we can't debate and discuss the appropriateness of military intervention against Iran. It's un-American. It's unconstitutional. And it's wrong," he added.
In this clip, Lee made it clear that he is not speaking out against President Donald Trump's decision to order the airstrike that killed Soleimani or his handling of the ongoing conflict with Iran.
"I commend the president. I support the president. This president has actually been the most respectful and the most restrained in his use of military power as commander in chief. More so than any other president in my lifetime. And I respect him for that," Lee said to Glenn on the phone.
"What I'm concerned about is where we go from here," he continued. "I want to make sure that any subsequent military action against Iran is carried out only through the constitutional formula, which is through a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force. And I actually think the president wants the same. I think the president wants to follow the Constitution."
According to Article 2 of the Constitution, the president has the power to order a strike that is "discreet and necessary" in order to repel an actual or imminent attack, Lee said.
"But further actions, a sustained military effort, something that would qualify as an act of war, does, in fact, require congressional authorization. And that's what they need to obtain," he added. "I think the president agrees with me on that. I just think some of those surrounding him, advising him, and advising Congress on behalf of the executive branch yesterday are not adequately taking that into account."
Watch the video below to catch more of the conversation:
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theblaze--2020-01-09--President Trump says 'nothing's a hoax' when it comes to climate change

President Trump says 'nothing 's a hoax ' when it comes to climate change

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that "nothing's a hoax" when it comes to climate change.
What did he say?
During a White House briefing, Trump told reporters that he is a "big believer" in climate change as he addressed changes to the 50-year-old National Environmental Policy Act.
"Nothing's a hoax about [climate change]," he said. "It's a very serious subject. I want clean air. I want clean water. I want the cleanest air with the cleanest water. The environment's very important to me."
He added, "I also want jobs. I don't want to close up our industry because somebody said you have to go with wind or you have to go with something else that's not going to be able to have the capacity to do what we have to do."
The changes, according to The Hill, would "relieve agencies from considering climate change as they weigh environmental impacts of major infrastructure projects," such as highways or gas pipelines.
In 2016, Trump called climate change a "hoax."
What else?
According to CNN, the administration plans to revamp such regulations, which would ultimately "have the effect of relaxing government efforts to fight the climate crisis."
The administration reasons that such a move is necessary in order to expedite necessary infrastructure projects.
"These endless delays waste money, keep projects from breaking ground and deny jobs to our nation's incredible workers. From day one, my administration has made fixing this regulatory nightmare a top priority," Trump said during his remarks at the press briefing.
You can read more about the regulatory rollbacks here and here.


theblaze--2020-01-09--Phil, Al, and Jase give their take on being armed in church

Phil , Al , and Jase give their take on being armed in church One thing is certain — we @ @ @ @ @ guns off the street .

On Wednesday's podcast, "Unashamed" hosts Phil, Al, and Jase Robertson discussed their take on being armed in church. Although the guys did not agree about whether or not pastors should carry guns in church, they did agree on one universal truth about guns — we will never get all the guns off the street.
Watch the clip below for details.
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theblaze--2020-01-09--Trump hater orders man to remove MAGA hat; he refuses. So Trump hater makes threat, takes swing at h

Trump hater orders man to remove MAGA hat; he refuses. So Trump hater makes threat, takes swing at hat — and victim pulls out his gun.

Trump hater orders man to remove MAGA hat ; he refuses .
So Trump hater makes threat , takes swing @ @ @ @ @ pulls out his gun .
The Trump hater quickly opted for a change of scenery

As TheBlaze has been documenting for some time now, "Make America Great Again" hats — the iconic symbol of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign — are like kryptonite to leftists.
In fact, some of them have flipped out at MAGA-hat wearers, taken off or knocked the caps off their heads, spit at the wearers, and actually stole the hats as video ran.
And our newest winner is...
Well, that same MAGA-hat delirium struck last week at the Wyoming Valley Mall in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania, the Citizens' Voice reported.
Seems a Trump supporter was wearing his red MAGA hat when another man "told him to take the hat off," Police Chief Will Clark told the paper, adding that the pair were "complete strangers."
When the man refused, the Trump hater "threatened to assault him" and then "took a swipe at the hat to knock it off his head," Clark added to the Citizens' Voice.
Don't mess with MAGA
The chief told the paper at that point the MAGA hat-wearer backed up, pulled out his gun, and "pointed it at the ground."
As you might guess, the aggressor got way less aggressive — in fact, "the guy took off," Clark noted to the Citizens' Voice.
The man who pulled out his gun has a concealed carry permit, police added to the paper.
Uh oh
But patrons panicked and fled the mall as well, police told the Citizens' Voice, adding that fears of a mass shooter at the mall spread online.
However, police quickly posted on social media that there was no active shooter — and that the Trump supporter appeared justified in pulling his gun in self-defense, the paper reported.
Clark added to the Citizens' Voice that the aggressor "was obviously not a proponent of Donald Trump."
No charges for MAGA-hat man
Clark told the paper that police won't take action against the man who pulled the gun because he didn't commit a crime — but they were still looking for the suspect who fled the scene.


theblaze--2020-01-09--Former 'America’s Next Top Model' contestant counters Michelle Williams while prepping for labor: ‘B

Former 'America’s Next Top Model' contestant counters Michelle Williams while prepping for labor: ‘Babies don’t keep us from our dreams’

Former 'America ’ s Next Top Model ' contestant counters Michelle Williams while prepping for labor : ‘ Babies don @ @ @ @ @ our dreams ’ 'New life is always a gift '

Former "America's Next Top Model" contestant Leah Darrow posted an inspiring video on her Instagram Tuesday to counter the popular narrative that motherhood holds women back from achieving their dreams.
The video, which Darrow recorded while she prepared to deliver her fifth child, comes in response to Michelle Williams' speech at Sunday's Golden Globe Awards, in which the Hollywood actress credited her career success to an abortion she had earlier in life.
"This obviously is not what I planned on doing or saying, but it was on my heart," Darrow said as she laid in a hospital bed preparing for labor. "Especially in light of what Michelle Williams said at the Golden Globes.
"I'm here getting ready to deliver my fifth baby, and I want to let all you women know, and all you young ladies who haven't had babies, or are maybe listening to what the culture says about birth, and women, and babies, and choice ... babies don't keep us from our dreams," Darrow said.
"I'm getting ready to deliver a baby that will not keep me from my professional growth, but will make me better because of it," she continued.
"That is my acceptance speech of this new little baby that I'm going to be having soon," Darrow concluded.
In the caption for the video, Darrow went on to say "new life never keeps us from our dreams" and "is always a gift."
Darrow, a devout Catholic, did not shy away from labeling the narrative that babies hold women back from achieving their dreams as a "lie" from "the Devil."
"One of the cruelest lies that the Devil tells women is that we aren't brave or strong enough to do what God invites us into when we bring life into the world," she continued.
Darrow then asked viewers to share the message with the women in their lives "because women deserve a better narrative than what the culture gives us."
During her acceptance speech Sunday, Michelle Williams said: "I've tried my very best to live a life of my own making, not just a series of events that happened to me, but one that I could stand back and look at and recognize my handwriting all over, sometimes messy and scrawling, sometimes careful and precise, but one that I carved with my own hand."
She added that she wouldn't have been able to do this without "employing a woman's right to choose."
The notion that motherhood is restrictive has increasingly become a rallying cry for those who promote women's rights. Just last month, the U.N. Women Twitter account called motherhood "a penalty" that "not every woman could afford."
Certainly, many women, like Darrow, do not agree with this perspective and hope to offer a different and more hopeful message to young women.
(H/T: The Daily Wire)


theblaze--2020-01-09--Footage of Jeffrey Epstein cell during first alleged suicide attempt lost due to 'technical errors'

It 's almost comical at this point Footage of Jeffrey Epstein cell during first alleged suicide attempt lost due to @ @ @ @ @ of the Metropolitan Correctional Center where the U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in @ @ @ @ @ 10 , 2019 .
( Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images )

Surveillance footage of Jeffrey Epstein's cell during his first alleged suicide attempt at Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City has been lost, and prison officials have attributed it to "technical errors," according to the New York Daily News.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Swergold initially said in court last month that the video had been lost, before changing his story a day later to say it had been archived.
Now, he and fellow Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey say the footage is indeed permanently lost. From the Daily News:
"The footage contained on the preserved video was for the correct date and time, but captured a different tier than the one where Cell-1 was located because the preserved video did not show corrections officers responding to any of the cells seen on the video. After speaking with MCC legal counsel, the Government was informed that the MCC computer system listed a different, incorrect cell for Tartaglione," prosecutors wrote in a letter filed in Manhattan Federal Court.
Even worse, there was a backup system for the video footage, but that wasn't working, either.
"The requested video no longer exists on the backup system and has not since at least August 2019 as a result of technical errors," the prosecutors wrote.
Epstein allegedly attempted to hang himself in his cell in July. Less than three weeks later, he was found dead in a different cell, which he was occupying alone, having apparently hung himself with his bedsheet.
Attorney General William Barr has referred to Epstein's death as a "perfect storm of screw-ups." The guards responsible for watching Epstein stand accused of falsifying records and either sleeping or shopping online while they were supposed to be on duty when he died.
Epstein was in a cell alone, even though he was required to have a cellmate. He had been taken off heightened watch despite his previous alleged suicide attempt. Even though he was supposed to be checked on every half hour, he was left alone for extended periods of time when guards missed or skipped their rounds.
The medical examiner has ruled the death a suicide, but former New York City medical examiner Michael Baden, hired by Epstein's brother, says the injuries to Epstein's neck could indicate homicide, not suicide.


theblaze--2020-01-09--Celebrity doc says impeachment hearings prompted him to mull run against Adam Schiff

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.) might end up having to contend with some celebrity star power on the campaign trail in the near future.
Celebrity addiction medicine specialist and former "Loveline" host Dr. Drew Pinsky told The Hill in a recent interview that he's "ruminating" about running against the House Intelligence Committee chairman in his southern California congressional district, saying that he feels like he has to do something to address how just how poorly things are going in the Golden State.
"We have people literally dying in our streets," he told the outlet, adding that the Los Angeles County and statewide government is "not functioning,"
"I wake up every day and drive through this town and I am morally moved where I feel like I have to do something," he lamented.
"People have sort of been swirling around me, going, 'Oh, you should run for mayor.' Well I didn't really want that job. 'Well, you should run for governor.' Well, that's not really possible. So I was sort of thinking about these things," the 61-year-old Pinsky explained in the report.
What turned Pinsky's thoughts to a congressional run, he said, was watching the House's impeachment hearings on television.
"I was watching all the impeachment proceedings and I was going, 'Oh my God, our Congress is tied up and we're dying out here in California. What are these people doing?'" he said.
Then, he says he realized he'd lived in Adam Schiff's district for 20 years and thought that he had to run for the office "at least just to get him to start participating in the governance of this region."
He said he's "very moderate" and if he ran, he'd probably do so against Schiff as a Democrat in California's "jungle" primary system. Just for reference, Adam Schiff has been serving in Congress since 2001 and won his last re-election bid with just over 78% of the vote.
However, Pinsky says he's reluctant and explained that right now he's only considering the idea.
"Believe me," he said of a potential congressional run. "I don't want to."
According to his website, Pinsky currently still treats medical patients at his practice while hosting a Los Angeles-based radio program and a show on MTV.


theblaze--2020-01-09--US officials believe Iran shot down Ukrainian passenger plane with anti-aircraft missile — likely by

US officials believe Iran shot down Ukrainian passenger plane with anti-aircraft missile — likely by mistake

U.S. officials and Ukrainian investigators said Thursday that they believe a missile likely caused Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 to crash near Tehran Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers on board, the Washington Post reported.
A team of 45 experts and search-and-rescue personnel arrived from Ukraine to investigate the incident, saying in addition to engine failure, they were looking into a missile attack or a terrorist attack as the possible cause.
According to a report by Newsweek, two U.S. officials and one Iraqi intelligence official also believe the crash was a result of Iran firing an anti-aircraft missile into the plane. The U.S. officials added that the Pentagon has assessed the firing as "accidental." They noted that Iran's anti-aircraft systems were likely active following the country's missile attacks on military facilities housing U.S. troops Tuesday night.
CBS News reporter, Kris Van Cleave, confirmed the news on Twitter, saying U.S. officials are "confident" the flight was shot down after intelligence picked up signals of the radar being turned on and satellite detected infrared blips of two missile launches.
A missile — possibly Russian?
Ukraine National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danylov wrote on Facebook Thursday that his team would search for debris from a Russian Tor air defense missile after reading various reports online saying fragments were discovered near the crash site.
According to Al Jazeera, Danylov confirmed to reporters that his team "intends to look for the debris of a Russian Tor air defense missile" while investigating a wide array of possibilities including "an explosion inside the plane as a result of a terrorist attack," a collision with another flying object or the explosion of one of the engines.
The outlet also noted that Russia has for decades supplied Iran with sophisticated weaponry, including Tor M1 missiles in 2007.
Preliminary investigation by Iran's Civil Aviation Organization cited witness accounts that recalled that the plane was on fire before it hit the ground, suggesting that the cause of the crash may not have been "engine failure" as Iranian investigators initially concluded.
The Post reported that "several independent aviation experts have noted that, based on video and the wide debris field, it appeared the Boeing 737 800 was breaking apart in the air."
A surveillance video posted on Twitter by Iran's state broadcaster appears to show a fiery orange glow interrupt early morning darkness before flaming debris scattering over a wide area.
Immediately after the crash, Iranian officials said the plane had encountered technical problems, but investigation reports noted that no distress call ever came from the aircraft. Iranian investigators also retrieved the black box, or the flight recorder, Wednesday, but Iran announced that they would not hand it over to Boeing or the U.S.
What's the background?
The plane crashed just 10 minutes after departing from Tehran en route to Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, appearing to burst into flames in mid-air.
FlightRadar24 had reported that the plane lost contact with the control center only two minutes after take-off. After reaching a flight altitude of 8,000 feet it turned back toward the airport, evidently encountering a problem.
The notion that the plane encountered such a catastrophic technical problem was called into question after Ukraine International Airlines said on Wednesday that the plane involved in the crash was one of the best in its fleet and that its pilots were very experienced.
According to Business Insider, the airliner, a Boeing 737-800 NG, was just three years old and had been recently tested two days prior to the flight.
The day of the crash the entire region was under duress. The night before the flight, Iran had launched several missiles onto military facilities in Iraq housing U.S. troops. The missile launches came in response to a U.S. rocket strike last week that killed Iranian terrorist military leader Qassem Soleimani. Undoubtedly many Iranians were on edge, waiting to see how the U.S. would respond.