theblaze--2020-01-14--Megan Rapinoe 'will not be silenced' by Olympic Committee's ban on political protests

Megan Rapinoe 'will not be silenced ' by Olympic Committee 's ban on political protests Megan Rapinoe ( right ) @ @ @ @ @ before the match between the United States and the Netherlands on Sept. 18 , 2016 @ @ @ @ @ Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images )

U.S. women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe doesn't plan to comply with the International Olympic Committee's recently announced rules limiting political protests by athletes during the upcoming Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Rapinoe, who several years ago joined then-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in protest by kneeling during the national anthem, posted on Instagram her disapproval that the IOC was more concerned with protests than the reasons for them.
"So much being done about the protests," Rapinoe wrote. "So little being done about what we are protesting about. We will not be silenced."
The IOC announced more specific rules about political protest in order to maintain a sense of unity among competitors from various nations. The rules prohibit hand gestures, kneeling, and signs by athletes in the Olympic village or during medal ceremonies.
"They are not and must never be a platform to advance political or any other divisive ends," IOC President Thomas Bach said. "Our political neutrality is undermined whenever organizations or individuals attempt to use the Olympic Games as a stage for their own agendas, as legitimate as they may be."
When Rapinoe began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016, she wrote "I haven't experienced over-policing, racial profiling, police brutality or the sight of a family member's body lying dead in the street. But I cannot stand idly by while there are people in this country who have had to deal with that kind of heartache."
She no longer kneels during the national anthem but she is still sympathetic to the motive behind the protests. Rapinoe became an even more polarizing political figure during the Women's World Cup in 2019 when she sparked a back-and-forth with President Donald Trump by saying "I'm not going to the f***ing White House" if the U.S. Women's National Team won.
(H/T: The Daily Wire)


theblaze--2020-01-14--Former Iranian state TV anchor: ‘Forgive me for the 13 years I told you lies’

Former Iranian state TV anchor : ‘ Forgive me for the 13 years I told you lies ’ More pressure @ @ @

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.
On Monday, The Guardian reported that multiple Iranian state TV news anchors have quit in the fallout of the downing of the Ukrainian jet. Another, Gelare Jabbari, quit earlier but took to Instagram to apologize for telling lies.
The Guardian wrote:
At least two presenters working for the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB have announced they have quit their jobs, with a third saying she quit some time ago after having told lies on behalf of the state for 13 years.
Gelare Jabbari apologised in an Instagram post, writing: "It was very hard for me to believe that our people have been killed. Forgive me that I got to know this late. And forgive me for the 13 years I told you lies."
The American media continue to blame President Trump for Iran's shooting down of the Ukrainian jetliner that killed 176 people, on the day Iran retaliated for the United States' killing of terrorist mastermind Qassem Soleimani. Given their logic, will they also give him credit for the door opening to freedom for the Iranian people?
Since the downing of the airliner, Iranian students have taken to the streets, TV anchors have resigned, and support for the exiled crown prince of Iran has been heard, among other things. It's almost as if the appeasement of the Obama administration doused the flames of freedom.
Perhaps this action by Iranian state TV anchors could result in American media types engaging in self-reflection and apologizing for the lies they've consistently told for years. Don't hold your breath.
Links …
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theblaze--2020-01-14--Stephen King says that people should judge art on its quality, not its diversity. Social media lefti

Stephen King says that people should judge art on its quality, not its diversity. Social media leftists tear him to shreds.

Stephen King says that people should judge art on its quality , not its diversity .
Social media leftists tear @ @ @ @

Author Stephen King received a full blast of anger from social media on Tuesday after he waded into diversity controversy clouding the 2020 Oscar nominations, saying that art should be judged based on its "quality" rather than on its "diversity."
On Monday, the Academy revealed the nominations for its 92nd annual Academy Awards. Social media users went on the offensive after discovering that no women had been nominated for best director and that very few people of color were nominated at all.
You can read the full list of nominees here.
What did he say?
King, a 72-year-old proud progressive who is also an Oscar voter, made the remarks on Twitter.
He wrote, "As a writer, I am allowed to nominate in just 3 categories: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Screenplay. For me, the diversity issue — as it applies to individual actors and directors, anyway — did not come up."
“That said, I would never consider diversity in matters of art," he continued. "Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong."
What was the response?
One person in particular who was not very happy with King's remarks was director Ava DuVernay.
She responded to King's remarks on Twitter, calling his remarks out as "backward and ignorant."
"When you wake up, meditate, stretch, reach for your phone to check on the world and see a tweet from someone you admire that is so backward and ignorant you want to go back to bed," she complained.
Here are some more interesting reactions
Not Stephen King's best week on Twitter.
Stephen King and other white dudes are WAY too confident in spouting wrong opinions on Twitter.
Who would have thought the scariest thing Stephen King ever wrote would be his Twitter account?
Stephen King is my literary inspiration. But man, I sort of wish he wasn't on Twitter. I don't know what exactly this forum does to people, but it's not flattering.
Notice how quality is framed as innately the opposite of diversity (whiteness)? Diversity is not deficiency and it is not charity. Stephen King is a perfect example here of why these awards shows are so vvhite.
As a fan, this is painful to read from you. It implies that diversity and quality cannot be synonymous. They are not separate things. Quality is everywhere but most industries only believe in quality from one demographic. And now, here you are.
Damn, Stephen. Damn. I thought you were better than this. It should be obvious that diversity and quality *aren't separate qualities,* or in opposition to each other -- except in the minds of bigots. Damn.
Anything else?
King issued further thoughts on art and diversity a few hours after his initial remarks.
"The most important thing we can do as artists and creative people is make sure everyone has the same fair shot, regardless of sex, color, or orientation. Right now such people are badly under-represented, and not only in the arts," he insisted, adding "You can't win awards if you're shut out of the game."
(H/T: The Daily Wire)


theblaze--2020-01-14--Mitch McConnell leaves door open for Republicans to call Hunter Biden, other witnesses in upcoming S

Mitch McConnell leaves door open for Republicans to call Hunter Biden, other witnesses in upcoming Senate impeachment trial

Mitch McConnell leaves door open for Republicans to call Hunter Biden , other witnesses in upcoming Senate impeachment trial ' @ @ @ @ @ there will only be witnesses Democrats want to hear from

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) left the door open for Republicans to call key witnesses, including Hunter Biden, in the upcoming Senate impeachment trial against President Donald Trump, NBC News reported Tuesday.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday afternoon, McConnell remarked that if witnesses are called, "I can't imagine" only the Democrats having people they would like to hear from appear before Congress.
In other words, if those who favor impeachment call someone they believe will help the case against Trump, such as former national security adviser John Bolton, it can be expected that those opposed to impeachment would be able to call on witness of their own, including Hunter Biden, who Republicans believe has relevant information validating Trump's concern about corruption in Ukraine involving former Vice President Joe Biden.
NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Kasie Hunt broke the news when she asked McConnell whether he would back calling Hunter Biden to the witness stand, as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has recently suggested.
McConnell's comments came just hours after he knocked talk of calling additional impeachment witnesses, saying the need to call for more witnesses shows the impeachment case to be particularly weak.
"If the existing case is strong, there's no need for the judge and the jury to reopen the investigation. If the existing case is weak, House Democrats should not have impeached in the first place," McConnell said from the Senate floor, according to The Hill.
On Monday, Politico reported that GOP senators are at odds over how to handle the calling of witnesses in the upcoming trial, many weighing a vote in favor of calling witnesses despite McConnell's wishes.
Sen. Paul reportedly warned Republican colleagues at a party lunch last week, saying, "Don't think you can just vote for Bolton and not the witnesses Trump wants."
The GOP will need to decide rather quickly how to proceed as McConnell confirmed that "in all likelihood" the Senate impeachment trial would begin Jan. 21.


theblaze--2020-01-14--Public college 'equity and inclusion officer' posts photo of himself holding 'F*** Trump' sign at pr

Public college 'equity and inclusion officer' posts photo of himself holding 'F*** Trump' sign at protest of president's visit to city

Public college 'equity and inclusion officer ' posts photo of himself holding ' F*** Trump ' sign at protest of @ @ @ @ @ ' I strive to have respectful dialogue on some of the most challenging issues with @ @ @ @ @ opinion than mine '

The irony appears strong with this one.
The chief equity and inclusion officer of a public college posted a photo of himself holding a sign reading, "F*** Trump, F*** McConnell, F*** Graham," at a protest of the president's visit to Battle Creek, Michigan, last month — and now Jorge Zeballos says he regrets placing Kellogg Community College in a negative light.
What's the background?
Zeballos took part in the Dec. 18 protest — and he later posted the photo in question to his Facebook page, which is no longer publicly accessible, WMMT-TV reported. But as some might say, the internet is forever:
Image source: Facebook, redacted
'I deeply regret'
According to WBCK-FM, Zeballos posted the following explanation on his Facebook page:
"Recently I posted a picture on my page of me holding a sign at a rally to protest Trump's visit to Battle Creek. While I stand by my first amendment right to express myself, I understand that my public and private actions have repercussions on the institution I work for, Kellogg Community College. Because of this, I deeply regret posting the picture on my Facebook page and the controversy it has generated.
"Anyone that has interacted with me, both professionally and personally, knows that I strive to have respectful dialogue on some of the most challenging issues with anyone that holds a different opinion than mine. This incident doesn't change who I am and what I stand for, creating a more equitable and inclusive society."
WMMT said it emailed Zeballos an interview request to which he hadn't responded.
What do critics of Zeballos have to say?
Critics of the photo indicate Zeballos falls short of the equity and inclusion he's supposed to uphold — and there is concern about how he might treat conservative students and staff at the college.
A WBCK talk show host who goes by "Renk" penned an article criticizing Zeballos as "crude":
"Regardless of your views about President Trump, or for that matter any president or person, this certainly is not the language you should be using. I assume Jorge is an educated person and probably could have chosen better words to show how un-inclusive he really is behind the scene[s].
"Does he have First Amendment rights to say and do what he did? Yes!
"Does he have the right to a job as a Chief 'Equity and Inclusion Officer' at a college? No!
"Is this the type of behavior you would expect from someone working in 'higher education' and being paid by our tax dollars?
"Will Kellogg Community College stand for such behavior or take action by removing him from ever being around students let alone professors who teach students? We will see."
What do defenders of Zeballos have to say?
"He's totally justified," Gavin Powell — one of the organizers of last month's protest — told WMMT of Zeballos. "First Amendment rights. He was just standing up for what he believes in, just holding a sign."
Powell added to the station that Zeballos didn't make the sign seen in the photo: "One of our organizers made it. We had a bunch of extra signs on hand for people, and this is just what he grabbed."
Gavin Powell Image source: WMMT-TV video screenshot
What does the college have to say?
WMMT said Kellogg Community College released a statement emphasizing that Zeballos expressed personal opinions on his own time and not as a representative of the school.
"However, this matter is a teachable moment and healthy reminder for all KCC employees that our actions as individuals can have an impact on the institution," the statement said, the station reported. "Whether that impact affects an individual's employment status at KCC, positively or negatively, is a determination made via KCC's ongoing performance management process"
Zeballos continues to work in his usual capacity at the college, a school spokesperson told WMMT.
(H/T: Campus Reform)


theblaze--2020-01-14--Caitlyn Jenner speaks out on her infamous Vanity Fair cover, says it was 'tough' wearing a bustier

Caitlyn Jenner speaks out on her infamous Vanity Fair cover , says it was 'tough ' wearing a bustier

Transgender former athlete and reality star Caitlyn Jenner says that it was difficult wearing a bustier for her infamous Vanity Fair cover in 2015.
What are the details?
During a discussion with The Guardian's Leah Harper, the 70-year-old Jenner expressed her love of fashion.
Jenner transitioned at the age of 65 and made her public debut on the cover of Vanity Fair wearing a sateen bustier and not much else.
"Like most transgender women, my hips are not as big and my shoulders are a little bit wider, so those are the challenges when buying clothes," she admitted.
Jenner said that she recalled a conversation about fashion with reality star and stepdaughter Kim Kardashian.
"She has been good for tips, and [Jenner's daughters] Kendall and Kylie [Jenner] watch me closely, too, because I'm their dad," she added.
Jenner said that she struggled most with wearing the Vanity Fair bustier because it was likely her flashiest look to date.
"The one fashion thing that was tough was when I wore a bustier for the Vanity Fair cover shoot," she admitted. "Some of the family members, especially the guys, were like 'Why did you have to do that?' There were other, more conservative, pictures that ran inside, but I had been sneaking around, hassled by paparazzi for years and years."
She added, "When that cover came out, it was like, 'All right, all you people who have been criticicing me, there you go. Take that.'"
What else?
Jenner also revealed that before coming out, she operated under strict secrecy when buying her own women's clothing.
"In the old days, buying clothes was one of the most difficult tasks," she recalled. "I had a friend of mine use a debit card with her name on it, and I had a secure email address so I could buy things online – it was very challenging, because I couldn't out myself."


theblaze--2020-01-14--A New York Times reporter praised Iran for showing 'more restraint' than the US — nevermind the pass

A New York Times reporter praised Iran for showing 'more restraint' than the US — nevermind the passenger jet they shot out of the sky, killing 176

A New York Times reporter praised Iran for showing 'more restraint ' than the US — nevermind the passenger jet @ @ @ @ @ sky , killing 176

New York Times foreign correspondent Rukmini Callimachi praised the Iranian regime Monday for supposedly showing "more restraint" than the U.S. amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Newsbusters reports.
What did she say?
Appearing on "MSNBC Live with Ali Velshi," Callimachi criticized the U.S. following the rocket strike that killed Iranian terrorist military leader Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3, arguing that the action violated international law and sent the wrong message to others in the region.
"The perception of America right now, I would say, in the Middle East, is that we act outside the law. I hear this all the time from Iraqis, from Syrians, who do not see a legal process behind what we are doing," she said.
"What's the consequence of that? Velshi then asked.
"For one, I believe that American civilians are much less safe in places like Iraq, Iran, the Middle East, areas where at one point we could walk around freely and now where we have to watch out for our security," Callimachi answered.
But she wasn't done yet. She still needed to contrast America's supposed recklessness with Iran's apparent diplomacy.
"One of the takeaways of the past week is that we actually saw, in my opinion, Iran act with perhaps more restraint than our own government," Callimachi continued, referencing Iran's retaliatory missile strikes on military facilities in Iraq housing U.S. troops.
Did she forget about the Iranian missile strike that downed a Ukrainian passenger jet?
It is difficult enough to follow Callimachi's logic given the fact that Soleimani, Iran's former top military leader, was responsible for orchestrating 17 percent of all deaths of U.S. personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2011, or that Iran has killed at least 1,500 of its own people during protests in the country in recent months, or that Iranian members of parliament chanted, "Death to America" in the days following the Soleimani killing.
But all that is not to mention the fact that Iran sent a missile into a Ukrainian passenger jet earlier this month, killing all 176 people on board, After days of denying responsibility, Iran finally admitted they shot down the plane "unintentionally."
Even so, "restraint" does not seem to be correct word.


theblaze--2020-01-14--Gun-toting woman with concealed carry permit confronts man allegedly masturbating in women's restroo

Gun-toting woman with concealed carry permit confronts man allegedly masturbating in women's restroom

' I was very happy I had something to protect myself '

Stacey Crawford told WJBK-TV she's been visiting the salon in Macy's at the Fairlane Mall in Dearborn, Michigan, for the last decade — but her experience in a women's restroom Friday night is one she'd prefer to forget.
"There was a man, pants down, and masturbating," she told WXYZ-TV.
What are the details?
Crawford noted to WJBK that as she was going into the restroom, another woman was in there "wrapping up" — and soon enough, things got scary.
"I'm in the stall, she's beating on the stall [saying], 'Ma am, ma'am.' and I hear the urgency in her voice," Crawford told WJBK. "I'm like, 'What's going on?'"
Stacey Crawford Image source: WXYZ-TV video screenshot
Crawford then told the station when she opened the stall door, she saw a man touching himself and looking at the other woman — who became so terrified that she pulled out her gun.
"She was so afraid; she didn't want to do that. She felt threatened," Crawford told WJBK, adding that the man "looked as if he had heinous things on his mind."
Crawford and the other woman screamed for security and blocked one of the exit doors, but the station said the man casually took another way out of the restroom, made it through Macy's — and into the mall.
"No one stopped him," Crawford told WJBK.
What did the woman with the gun have to say?
"I was very happy I had something to protect myself," Taj Jones — who's licensed to carry concealed weapons — told WXYZ.
Taj Jones Image source: WXYZ-TV video screenshot
But she added to the station that the man "walked slowly out of Macy's" with "no sense of urgency; he wasn't scared" and that it "seemed like he did it before."
Crawford agreed, telling WJBK that "he was not afraid, and it made me feel that he's done this before."
Anger at Macy's, too
Both women told the station they're disappointed with Macy's response and said security seemed unfazed.
"The security guard from Macy's asked if we wanted to call the police," Crawford told WJBK. "I asked, 'What is Macy's policy if something like this happens? Of course we want you to call the police.'"
"I'm angry," Crawford added to the station. "I'm afraid that no one is concerned enough."
What did Macy's and the police have to say?
"We take these situations very seriously," Macy's said in a statement to WXYZ. "We are committed to providing a safe and secure shopping environment and ensuring all customers and colleagues are treated with respect and dignity. We are cooperating with the Dearborn Police Department and are unable to provide any additional information, as this is an ongoing investigation."
Police told WJBK they have surveillance video from inside the store but are not releasing it yet while they work to identify the man in the women's restroom.
Final warning
"When you are going to ... restrooms, check the stalls," Crawford told WJBK in a warning. "We have to be on high alert at every moment."


theblaze--2020-01-14--Washington, D.C., knocks Baltimore off top spot in the nation for bedbug treatments

Washington , D.C. , knocks Baltimore off top spot in the nation for bedbug treatments They can survive up to @ @ @ @

As it turns out, Washington, D.C., has a problem with parasitic creatures, and a lot of them are actually, in fact, insects.
According to rankings published Monday by pest control company Orkin, the nation's capital is the first in the United States for bedbugs. The district came in first on the company's annual "Top 50 Bed Bug Cities list" and beat nearby Baltimore, which had held the top spot for three consecutive years prior.
Rounding out the top five in order are Chicago, Los Angeles, and Columbus, Ohio. The rankings are based on treatment data, the release explains.
"While bed bugs have not been found to transmit any diseases to humans, they can be an elusive threat to households," Orkin entomologist Chelle Hartzer said of the results in a statement. "They are excellent hitchhikers, and they reproduce quickly which make it nearly impossible to prevent bed bugs. Sanitation has nothing to do with where you'll find them."
Hartzer went on to explain in the release that the key to combatting bedbugs is early detection.
"When one or more bed bugs enter a space, we call it an introduction," she said in the release. "During an introduction, bed bugs probably haven't started reproducing yet, but they could soon. Vigilance is key to stopping bed bugs before infestation levels."
The release says to look for "the black, ink-like stains they can leave behind," since they can be hard to see in daylight.
The Environmental Protection Agency's website explains that while the parasitic pests typically feed on blood every 5 to 10 days, they can go for up to a year without a feeding. In order to protect your home and family from the insects, the agency offers several tips such as checking over secondhand furniture, reducing clutter, and being careful when using shared laundry facilities.


theblaze--2020-01-14--John Kerry says Trump ‘wouldn’t qualify for a security clearance’ if he wasn’t president to a crowd

John Kerry says Trump ‘wouldn’t qualify for a security clearance’ if he wasn’t president to a crowd of just two dozen people

John Kerry says Trump ‘ wouldn ’ t qualify for a security clearance ’ if he wasn ’ t president @ @ @ @ @ two dozen people

Speaking at a small campaign event Monday for former Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State John Kerry claimed that President Donald Trump "wouldn't qualify for a security clearance" if not for the fact that he is president.
"If he wasn't president of the United States, he wouldn't qualify for a security clearance," Kerry said, according to a tweet from New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi.
The campaign stop in Marshalltown, Iowa, only drew "roughly two dozen" people, according to Nuzzi, who followed the entire event.
Kerry has been stumping for Biden in Iowa ahead of the state's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses on Feb.3.
At the Marshalltown event Monday, Kerry called Biden "by far the most qualified candidate in the race," the Times-Republican reported.
On Saturday afternoon in Davenport, Iowa, Kerry argued, "There's only one person here who's ready and capable of throwing these rascals out of the White House and winning back the future of the country, and that's Joe Biden,"according to the Quad-City Times.
Bitter about the Iran deal fallout?
As secretary of state, Kerry was an instrumental player in securing the Iran nuclear deal, from which Trump withdrew in 2018.
At the Davenport event, Kerry called the deal "the strongest, most transparent, most accountable nuclear agreement on the face of the planet" and blamed Trump, rather than Iran, for recent hostility in the Middle East.
"Everything that happened in the last week was predictable, foreseeable and foreseen," Kerry said. "There were no missiles being fired at ships in the Gulf before (Trump) walked away (from the nuclear agreement). There were no people attacking our embassy before he walked away. We weren't asked to leave Iraq before he walked away. We were there welcomed to fight ISIS."
Trump has long criticized the Iran deal, often labeling it the "worst deal ever."
Most recently, Trump has argued that it was money given to Iran via the nuclear agreement — $150 billion to be exact — that, in large part, has funded the regime's terrorist activities over the last several years.
Kerry attempted to push back on that claim Sunday on "Face the Nation," arguing that not all of the $150 billion went to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the military arm responsible for Iranian terrorist activities and proxy wars, but that only some of it did.
"Clearly some money from the budget of Iran is going to go to the IRGC. It always has. That's no surprise," Kerry said.
"The IRGC has never had a problem getting money," he acknowledged. "Donald Trump keeps saying they got $150 billion dollars. A lie. The vast proportion of that money went to the economy of Iran and they're always going to be funding the IRGC," Kerry added. "There was no question about that."
After Kerry's appearance on the "Face the Nation," Trump took to Twitter to argue that Kerry proved his point.
(H/T Newsweek)


theblaze--2020-01-14--VIDEO: Former NFL star Antonio Brown records profane anti-police video as he berates cops responding

VIDEO: Former NFL star Antonio Brown records profane anti-police video as he berates cops responding to domestic dispute

VIDEO : Former NFL star Antonio Brown records profane anti-police video as he berates cops responding to domestic dispute 'Get @ @ @ @ @ f***ing p***ies '

Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown broadcast a video on social media that shows him cursing out both his ex-girlfriend and the police officers who responded to the domestic dispute, while his young children were present.
Brown, 31, recorded a livestream video as Hollywood police escorted his ex-girlfriend and their children off the premises. He was accusing the woman, Chelsie Kyriss, of trying to steal his Bentley car after she came to pick up the children for school.
The receiver, who has flushed his professional football career down the drain over behavior issues and a sexual assault controversy, told police he evicted Kyriss and had filed a restraining order against her, only allowing her at the house to get clothes for the kids.
As Kyriss and the children are getting into the police car to leave, Brown berates both the officers and his ex, taking a brief moment to tell one of the children he loves him before resuming the profanity-laced tirade.
"Get the f*** outta here," Brown yells on the video. "Go with the b**ch ass police. Look at the little cop, you wish you could take me you b**ch ass n*****."
TMZ reported that he also threw a bag of penis-shaped gummy candies at Kyriss, telling her to "go eat the bag of d**ks."
Brown was one of the top players in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His tenure in Pittsburgh ended badly after he criticized coaches and teammates, and was suspended for the final game of the 2018 season for missing practice.
The Steelers traded Brown to Oakland, where a dispute over his ability to wear a specific helmet and a confrontation with the team's general manager led to his release.
Brown was then signed by the New England Patriots, but was shortly thereafter hit with a sexual assault lawsuit by a woman accusing Brown of sexually assaulting or raping her three separate times. Brown was cut by the Patriots after less than two weeks with the team, after Brown was found to have sent threatening text messages to another woman who accused him of sexual assault.


theblaze--2020-01-14--Rapper Cardi B considers running for Congress: 'I deadass have sooo much ideas'

Rapper Cardi B considers running for Congress : ' I deadass have sooo much ideas' ' I think I want @ @ @ @ @

Rapper Cardi B suggested Monday that she might entertain the idea of running for Congress.
On Sunday, the rapper, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, wrote on Twitter, "I think I want to be a politician. I really love government even tho I don't agree with Goverment."
She followed up that thought on Monday, writing that she "deadass have sooo much ideas that make sense" and that if she returns to school, then she would have the opportunity to "shake the table."
The Grammy award-winning rapper floated the idea just days after she said that she would be "filing for my Nigerian citizenship" in response to President Donald Trump authorizing the airstrike that killed Iranian military leader and terrorist Qassem Soleimani.
"Its sad this man is putting Americans live in danger. Dumbest move Trump did till date ...I'm filing for my Nigerian citizenship," Cardi B said, adding in a follow-up tweet, "Picking my tribe."
Cardi B, who has become an international superstar, is often outspoken about her political beliefs. She supports Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign, advocates for gun control, and often uses her platform to speak out against injustices that impact the black community, such as police brutality.
But Cardi B has also made headlines for advocating a traditionally conservative policy: lower taxes.
"So you know the government is taking 40 percent of my taxes and Uncle Sam, I want to know what you're doing with my f***ing tax money!" she said in a viral 2018 video. "When you donate, like, to a kid from a foreign country, they give you updates of what they're doing with your donation. I want to know what you're doing with my f***ing tax money!"
(Content warning: Rough language):


theblaze--2020-01-14--Left-wing college students: President Trump is biggest threat to world peace — even bigger than lead

Left-wing college students: President Trump is biggest threat to world peace — even bigger than leaders of Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China

Left-wing college students : President Trump is biggest threat to world peace — even bigger than leaders of Iran , @ @ @ @ @ and China ' I just hate him ... he 's definitely a threat to the @ @

A bunch of left-wing students attended the College Convention 2020 in New Hampshire last week — which featured numerous Democratic presidential candidates as speakers — and a reporter from The College Fix was there, too, and asked the students one question:
Among the following five world leaders — Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin, China's General Secretary of the Communist Party Xi Jinping, and U.S. President Donald Trump — which one is the "greatest danger to world peace?"
Do you really need a magic 8-ball?
Dear readers, we're talking about progressive college students — young men and women who never met a communist or totalitarian leader they didn't like and would search for needles in endless haystacks for reasons to criticize Trump.
So, yeah, the Fix said the vast majority of interviewed students said their president is the biggest threat to world peace.
One student said Trump's "erratic behavior" and "how unpredictable he is" makes him a bigger danger than the other world leaders.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
A scraggly dude managed the following reply: "I think having our president be Donald Trump, it is severely dangerous to our country and the world — peace."
Image source: YouTube screenshot
Got it.
Another student said even though the American government employs checks and balances, "we've all seen that [Trump] decides to do whatever he wants. I think Iran is terrifying, but I think that Trump really was the one who triggered [the present conflict with Iran]. I don't think we would be as afraid of Iran and North Korea if it wasn't [for] Trump who is breaking all these rules in the United States and taking scary political action."
Image source: YouTube screenshot
One student acknowledged that he believes Trump is the biggest threat, but he appeared to blame the power of the office, as he said his answer would have been former President Barack Obama or former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton had she been elected.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
"Trump," another student said without hesitation. "I just hate him. I think he's irrational. I think he makes decisions that put us in a dangerous position, like what we're in right now with Iran, like we have no idea what's about to happen. He's definitely a threat to the world."


theblaze--2020-01-14--Iranian state TV journalists resign, ask for viewers' forgiveness after regime lied about shooting d

Iranian state TV journalists resign, ask for viewers' forgiveness after regime lied about shooting down Ukrainian airliner

'Forgive me for the 13 years I told you lies' Iranian state TV journalists resign , ask for viewers ' @ @ @ @ @ shooting down Ukrainian airliner Flowers and candles are placed in front of the portraits of @ @ @ @ @ 752 at the memorial corner of Boryspil International Airport .
( Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via @ @ @

After the Iranian government attempted to cover up the fact that it accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner the night it fired missiles at an Iraqi air base where U.S. troops were stationed, Iranian state TV journalists have resigned and asked the public to forgive them for pushing lies on broadcasts, according to The Guardian.
"Thank you for your support in all years of my career," former IRIB anchor Saba Rad said. "I announce that after 21 years working in radio and TV, I cannot continue my work in the media. I cannot."
"Thank you for accepting me as anchor until today," Zahra Khatami said in her resignation announcement. "I will never get back to TV. Forgive me."
Gelare Jabbari, who apparently had already quit her post with the state TV network, apologized for what she had done in a since-deleted Instagram post.
"It was very hard for me to believe that our people have been killed," Jabbari wrote in the post. "Forgive me that I got to know this late. And forgive me for the 13 years I told you lies."
Ukrainian jetliner PS752 crashed Jan. 8, and the crash was initially blamed on a technical issue that caused the plane to catch fire. However, Iran's refusal to turn over the plane's black box to Boeing aroused suspicion about that conclusion. The plane had just taken off from Tehran's airport with 176 people on board.
Iranian officials later admitted that members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defense force shot down the civilian plane by mistake.
Current Iran state TV broadcaster Ghanbar Naderi told BBC Radio Today that the attempted cover-up has ruined whatever trust people may have had in the government.
"There is little trust in the government and people want more freedom," Naderi said. "The lies they said about shooting down the airplane lost public trust. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps know it very well.
"Millions and millions took to the streets following the assassination of Qassem Suleimani. It was a rare moment of unity but the IRGC blew it," Naderi said.
Over the weekend, protests reportedly began as vigils for the victims of PS752, but quickly descended into anti-government demonstrations.


theblaze--2020-01-14--'Jeopardy!' issues apology for ruling that the Church of the Nativity is located in Israel — and not

'Jeopardy!' issues apology for ruling that the Church of the Nativity is located in Israel — and not Palestine

'Jeopardy ! '
issues apology for ruling that the Church of the Nativity is located in Israel — and not @

"Jeopardy!" has issued an apology for initially ruling that the historic Church of the Nativity is in Israel and not Palestine.
During last week's broadcast, "Jeopardy!" posed a question of where is the Church of the Nativity located. One of the contestants answered that the church is located in Palestine. The answer was considered incorrect at the time.
Social media erupted, with many users voicing opposition to the ruling, insisting that the beloved game show was wrong, and that the Church of the Nativity is in Palestine, and not Israel.
You can read more about the incident and resulting controversy here.
What are the details?
In a Monday statement, the show apologized, saying that the clue was "flawed."
"In the process of taping this clue, 'BUILT IN THE 300s A.D., THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY' we became aware that the clue was flawed as written and that determining an acceptable response would be problematic," the show's statement revealed.
The show pointed out that it decided to void the clue altogether. But "human error" resulted in the question making it to air anyway.
"In accordance with our rules and in the interest of fairness, we voided the clue and threw it out," the statement continued. "We restored Katie's and Jack's scores to what they were prior to the clue. The outcome of the game was not affected. We then continued the game with this replacement clue."
You can read more about the background courtesy of the Daily Mail here.
Christians recognize that the church, which is located in Bethlehem, is the birthplace of Jesus. According to Haaretz, the church has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under "Palestine" since 2012.
Also, the Palestinian Authority does have direct control of the church and the city of Bethlehem and has since 1995. Israel still maintains control over access to tourist areas in the West Bank.


theblaze--2020-01-15--Watch: Elizabeth Warren refuses to shake hands with Bernie Sanders in tense post-debate exchange

Watch : Elizabeth Warren refuses to shake hands with Bernie Sanders in tense post-debate exchange Things got testy between the @ @ @ @

A dispute between Democratic presidential candidates and longtime friends Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) became a focus of the Democratic National Committee's primary debate Tuesday night, and post-debate footage shows Warren refusing the offer of a handshake from Sanders before the two appeared to engage in a tense private exchange on stage.
What are the details?
The Daily Caller posted video on Twitter following the debate with the message, "Warren refuses to shake Bernie's hand" with a bunch of eyeball emojis.
In the clip, Warren is seen brushing past fellow candidate Joe Biden to approach Sanders as Sanders reaches out to offer a handshake.
Warren was already talking to Sanders when she rebuffed his extended hand with a quick clenching of her fist before she clasped both of her hands together as the two carried on what appeared to be an uncomfortable conversation ending with Sanders turning and walking away.
What's the background?
During the debate, CNN moderators brought up a disputed report from the outlet that Sanders allegedly told Warren during a December 2018 private meeting that a woman could not win in 2020. Sanders denied the allegation both before and during the debate but the moderators carried on as if it were true, drawing criticism online from both sides of the political aisle.


theblaze--2020-01-15--Michael Avenatti arrested by federal agents while facing disbarment in California

California attorney formerly representing porn star Stormy Daniels and unrelenting Trump critic Michael Avenatti has been arrested again, this time by federal agents after he left a disciplinary hearing where California's State Bar was pursuing his disbarment.
What are the details?
The Daily Beast reported Tuesday that Avenatti's "arrest occurred outside the disciplinary hearing in which the State Bar of California has accused the hard-charging, tough-talking attorney of using a doctored document to scam a client out of nearly $840,000, funneling money from a lawsuit settlement fund to his own personal use."
Reuters reporter Brad Heath posted a snippet on Twitter of a court document regarding Avenatti's arrest, with the message, "Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles say he violated the terms of his pretrial release."
The feds did not specify what "potential violations of the conditions of pretrial release" Avenatti allegedly committed.
The Daily Beast reported that as Avenatti was being led out of the courthouse, he told reporters, "Completely innocent."
To add to Avenatti's woes on Tuesday, a judge in another case denied the one-time Democratic White House hopeful's request to delay a trial against him in another state. According to the Associated Press, a judge in New York decided to move forward as scheduled with the Jan. 22 trial deciding whether Avenatti is guilty of trying to extort tens of millions of dollars from Nike.
Avenatti is currently facing three trials over the next four months, along with the disbarment proceedings against him in California.
Anything else?
Before his current legal troubles, Avenatti spent time in Iowa last year exploring the prospect of running for president on the Democratic ticket. Since then, he's spent his days apparently fighting legal battles while attempting to antagonize President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. on Twitter.
When news of Avenatti's latest arrest broke Tuesday night during the Democratic presidential primary debate, Trump Jr. tweeted, "Again??? He would have been more entertaining on tonight's #demdebate than these jokers. What happened?"


theblaze--2020-01-15--Liberals rage against CNN over question to Bernie Sanders during Democratic debate

Liberals rage against CNN over question to Bernie Sanders during Democratic debate '' Is the fix against Bernie in again @ @ @ @

Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were outraged on social media on Tuesday when a CNN moderator asked what they thought was an unfair question to their candidate during the Democratic debate.
"I can't believe the way CNN framed this as fact. Such bulls**t. It is disputed at best," tweeted liberal pundit Krystal Ball. "This is why no one trusts the media. Congratulations."
The question had to do with a disputed report from CNN that Sanders had told Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) during a private meeting that a woman could not win the 2020 election.
Sanders angrily denied the report, but Warren later confirmed it, which further enflamed the feud between the two candidates seeking to court the progressive wing of the party to challenge Joe Biden.
His supporters and others criticized the framing of the question on social media immediately after the interaction.
"You can't make this stuff up," responded progressive candidate Russ Cirincione.
"Utterly sleazy framing of that last question from CNN," tweeted Luke Savage.
"Warren is lying to try to get women voters from the debated candidates. But CNN presented it like it was fact. Disgraceful," responded labor activist RoseAnn DeMoro.
"Bernie just crushed this ludicrous allegation but everyone just pretended he said it anyway. Moderators are covering for Warren's lies," responded activist Abby Martin.
Even Donald Trump Jr. responded, "Is the fix against Bernie in again???"
Before the debate, a Sanders campaign aide lashed out at the women of "The View" for similar criticism against Sanders over the CNN report.
Here's the question from the CNN debate:


theblaze--2020-01-15--Michael Flynn moves to withdraw guilty plea in scathing rebuke of DOJ

Attorneys for former national security adviser and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn have filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea from two years ago, "because of the government's bad faith, vindictiveness, and breach of the plea agreement."
What are the details?
The Washington Examiner notes that Flynn "was one of handful of people connected to the Trump campaign who were targeted by the FBI's counterintelligence investigation, Crossfire Hurricane." Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., The Hill reported, and agreed to cooperate fully with former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
In documents filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Flynn's new defense team came out swinging, accusing prosecutors of trying to force Flynn to sign a statement that said he intentionally signed a Foreign Agents Registration Act disclosure form — required for public officials to fill out and reveal relationships with foreign principals — containing material false statements.
The motion filed by Flynn's attorneys also points out other new developments in Flynn's case, particularly the FISA abuses uncovered last month in the Department of Justice inspector general's report showing the abuses used by the FBI to spy on Trump campaign aides.
Flynn's attorneys further accused the court of rejecting "every request in Mr. Flynn's motion for exculpatory evidence, including requesting the required production of the inexplicably 'missing' original 302 by the fired and infamous former FBI agent Peter Strzok."
"It is beyond ironic and completely outrageous that the prosecutors have persecuted Mr. Flynn, virtually bankrupted him, and put his entire family through unimaginable stress for three years," Flynn's attorneys wrote, further pointing out that as of December 2018, the government was so satisfied with Mr. Flynn's cooperation "that it filed its motion recommending probation because of his substantial assistance."
The defense team accused the government of breaching its original plea agreement when Justice Department prosecutors did an about-face last week, and asked the court to sentence Flynn to up to six months in prison.
"Justice is not a game," Flynn's attorneys wrote," and there should be no room for such gamesmanship in the Department of Justice."


theblaze--2020-01-15--'Family Feud' contestant's embarrassing answer goes viral on social media, but she's getting the las

'Family Feud' contestant's embarrassing answer goes viral on social media, but she's getting the last laugh

'Family Feud ' contestant 's embarrassing answer goes viral on social media , but she 's getting the last laugh @ @ @ @ @ won a whole lot of chicken

A contestant on the "Family Feud" game show got the wrong attention with an embarrassing answer that went viral, but she's cashing in despite the ridicule online.
Eve Dubois was one of two contestants in a "sudden death" trial on the Canadian version of the show when she was asked to give an answer to the question, "Name Popeye's favorite food."
Dubois shouted "chicken!" and gave a sassy dance, believing she had won $10,000 for her family.
"Oh my God!" uttered her family member as the host collapsed in laughter.
The answer was incorrect.
Dubois watched as her opponent answered, "spinach" and took the prize.
The hilarious moment went viral on social media, with many making jokes at the expense of Dubois.
Popeye's Chicken, however, sensed a social media opportunity, and swooped in to reward her brand-friendly viral moment.
"Our survey says you got that right. DM us to claim your $10,000 worth of Popeyes," said the chain restaurant's social media account.
The video has nearly two million views on YouTube and many more millions on Twitter.
Here's the video of the hilarious viral moment:


theblaze--2020-01-15--WATCH: Undercover video shows Bernie Sanders staffer calling for the 'reeducation' of Trump supporte

WATCH: Undercover video shows Bernie Sanders staffer calling for the 'reeducation' of Trump supporters, praising Soviet-style gulags

WATCH : Undercover video shows Bernie Sanders staffer calling for the 'reeducation ' of Trump supporters , praising Soviet-style gulags @ @ @ @ @ to teach you to not be a f***ing Nazi '

On the "What Happened While You Were Away" segment on Tuesday, the "Steve Deace Show" broke down some of today's trending topics, including a bombshell video released by Project Veritas that shows a campaign staffer for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) praising "gulags" and advocating violent riots if President Donald Trump is re-elected.
In the undercover video, a campaign organizer identified as Kyle Jurek can be heard suggesting the "reeducation" of Trump-voters in Soviet-style gulags.
"In Nazi Germany after the fall of the Nazi party there was a sh*t ton of the populace that was f**king Nazi-fied. Germany had to spend billions of dollars to reeducate their people to not be Nazis. We're probably going to have to do the same f**king thing here," said Jurek.
"That's kind of what Bernie's whole free education for everybody...because we're going to have to teach you to not be a f**king Nazi," he added. "There's a reason Josef Stalin had gulags. And actually, gulags were a lot better than what the CIA has told us that they were. Like, people were actually paid a living wage in gulags, they had conjugal visits in gulags. Gulags were actually meant for, like, reeducation."
Jurek goes on to issue a threat to police if Sanders doesn't get the Democratic nomination.
"The cops are gonna be the ones that are getting f**king beaten in Milwaukee," he said. "Cities are going to burn."
Watch the video below for more details:
What Happened While We Were Away for Tuesday, January 14th, 2020.
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theblaze--2020-01-15--Bernie Sanders' aide lashes out at women of 'The View' for segment calling him sexist

Bernie Sanders ' aide lashes out at women of 'The View ' for segment calling him sexist The Bernie—Warren feud @ @ @

A top aide of the presidential campaign for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) lashed out at the women of "The View" for criticizing the candidate's comments about the chances of a woman being elected president.
The comments from Briahna Joy Gray came on Tuesday just ahead of another Democratic presidential debate where sparks are expected to fly between Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Gray is the national press secretary for the campaign.
"More women have given to Bernie's campaign than any other campaign. We have the most diverse, least white collation," she tweeted.
"But the millionaires on 'The View' openly smear the teachers, Walmart workers, and post office employees who form our base," she added. "Shameful."
Gray posted a video showing the segment from the show where hosts discussed a disagreement between Sanders and Warren about what he said in a December meeting between the two candidates.
A CNN report said that Sanders told Warren at the meeting that he didn't think a woman could win the presidential election. Sanders put out a statement vehemently denying the report on Monday, but the Warren campaign later confirmed the report in a later statement.
Sunny Hostin claimed on the clip that it was sexist attacks from Sanders supporters against Hillary Clinton that inspired similar attacks from then-candidate Donald Trump.
"He has a problem with women," agreed co-host Meghan McCain.
"I'm a longtime watcher of @TheView, and respect its reach and influence a great deal. That's why I want it to be accountable to the women whose interests it's attacking.
I'm a longtime watcher of @TheView, and respect its reach and influence a great deal. That's why I want it to be accountable to the women whose interests it's attacking.
Whatever this segment is, it isn't feminism.
— Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) January 14, 2020
"Whatever this segment is, it isn't feminism," she concluded.
Gray also retweeted a user calling the panel "mostly just empty-headed warriors for the status quo."
Here's the full video from The View:
Bernie Sanders Said a Woman Can't Win Say Sources, Part 2 | The View www.youtube.com
[H/T: The Hill]


theblaze--2020-01-15--WATCH: Five recent, major border security wins

On Tuesday 's episode of `` The White House Brief , '' Jon Miller discussed progress made by the Trump @ @ @ @ @ border , and breaks down five recent , major border security wins .
Then , @ @ @ @ @ Warren 's campaigns are letting the personal attacks .
Finally , Miller gave the play-by-play @ @ @ @ @ transgender woman who tries to bully estheticians into waxing her scrotum , confronting a reporter @ @ @ @ @ for more details .
Use code WHB to save $ 10 on one year of @ @ @ @ @ Jon Miller ?
To enjoy more of Jon 's take on what 's happening at @ @ @ @ @ mainstream media is n't telling you , subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network @ @ @ @ @ , defend the Constitution and live the American dream .

On Tuesday's episode of "The White House Brief," Jon Miller discussed progress made by the Trump Administration in securing the southern border, and breaks down five recent, major border security wins. Then, both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren's campaigns are letting the personal attacks. Finally, Miller gave the play-by-play of Jessica Yaniv, the transgender woman who tries to bully estheticians into waxing her scrotum, confronting a reporter.
Watch the video below for more details.
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theblaze--2020-01-15--Family claims 15-year-old was expelled from Christian school over LGBT birthday cake — school says t

Family claims 15-year-old was expelled from Christian school over LGBT birthday cake — school says there's more to the story

Family claims 15-year-old was expelled from Christian school over LGBT birthday cake — school says there 's more to the @ @ @ @ @ , she feels judged , very just devastating for us . ''

The family of a 15-year-old says she was expelled from a private Christian school in Louisville, Kentucky, over a Facebook post from her birthday party, but the school claims the media is misrepresenting the story.
"I feel judged, she feels judged, very just devastating for us," said Kimberly Alford, the mother of Kayla Kenney.
The family says that she celebrated her fifteenth birthday with a rainbow colored cake while wearing a rainbow design on her shirt. They posted video of the celebration on Facebook and it was shared with staff of the Whitefield Academy.
That's when she was expelled from the school.
The family says the cause was the rainbow colored cake and the shirt, which are taken as symbols of support for the LGBT political cause, but the school says that was the tip of the iceberg.
While they did cite the rainbow cake and shirt as being contrary to the values of the school, they added that Kenney had violated their code numerous times previous to her birthday, and that they had spoken to the family about the issue.
The family claims they did not intend the cake to be about sexual orientation.
"I do not think Kayla should be held accountable for a cake that I purchased with no intention of promoting a posture of morality and cultural acceptance that contradicts that of Whitefield Academy," Alford said.
"The only celebration that was taking place was my daughter's 15th birthday," she added.
Here's a local news video about the cake expulsion:


theblaze--2020-01-15--BREAKING: House passes articles of impeachment to Senate, Pelosi names Schiff to lead trial

BREAKING : House passes articles of impeachment to Senate , Pelosi names Schiff to lead trial Meanwhile , Russians hack @ @ @ @ @ center of it all

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.] announced Wednesday that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) will lead the seven-member prosecution team during the Senate's impeachment trial for President Donald Trump. The team will also include House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who like Schiff has been intricately involved with the impeachment process from the beginning. The Senate impeachment trial is scheduled to formally begin on Thursday.
Pelosi's announcement came just hours before the House voted to send two articles of impeachment against the president to the Senate, which have been held back by the speaker for the past four weeks.
On the radio program Wednesday, Glenn Beck and chief researcher Jason Buttrill discussed the House's case for impeachment as they attempt to convince the Republican-majority Senate that the president abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate corruption potentially involving political rival Joe Biden, and obstructing Congress' subsequent probe.
Meanwhile, the president's team has continued to build the case proving there was extensive corruption in Ukraine. And now, Russian hackers have successfully hacked into Burisma, the Ukrainian natural gas firm that employed Biden's son, Hunter, which is at the center of President Trump's impeachment allegations. What they found may be the final smoking gun needed to prove what's really been going on in Ukraine.
Watch the video below to catch more of the conversation:
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theblaze--2020-01-15--Mark Levin: Bernie's Plans 'Tear at the Very Fabric Of Our Society'

Mark Levin : Bernie 's Plans 'Tear at the Very Fabric Of Our Society '

On Tuesday's episode of LevinTV, Mark Levin dissected what socialists mean when they use the word "transformation." Then, Levin explains the constitutional ramifications of a Democratic Party that is obsessed with the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
Bernie's plans "tear at the very fabric of our society,' Levin said.
Watch the video below for more details.
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theblaze--2020-01-15--WATCH: Here are the 'best' moments from first Dem debate in 2020

WATCH : Here are the 'best ' moments from first Dem debate in 2020

On Wednesday's episode of "Pat Gray Unleashed," Pat discussed the "best" moments from the Democratic debate Tuesday night in Iowa. First, Joe Biden highlights his skewed recollection of the Iran nuclear deal. Then, tensions flare between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders on the debate stage.
Watch the video below for more details.
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theblaze--2020-01-15--Police threatened LSU football players with arrest for smoking cigars in the stadium after national

Police threatened LSU football players with arrest for smoking cigars in the stadium after national championship Some players thought it @ @ @

After capping an undefeated season with a national championship game win over Clemson on Monday, some LSU football players decided to light some victory cigars in the locker room — which caught the attention of some police officers, according to AL.com.
As smoke from the cigars filled the locker room after the game, one officer reportedly told the players that anyone smoking cigars could be subject to arrest. Even after another officer tried to say it was OK, the officer maintained that his commander would not allow it.
The below video appears to show the officers going around the locker room warning players about the cigars. It also shows Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., a former LSU player, spanking the officer on his backside and taunting him.
Some players laughed initially, apparently unsure if the officer was serious about potentially arresting them for smoking cigars.
Ultimately, however, no one was arrested during the celebration, and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow continued smoking his cigar even as he walked to the postgame news conference.
The Tigers' celebration was eventful, helped by the location of the championship game in New Orleans. Beckham, in addition to spanking a police officer, was seen handing out cash to players after the win (something the NCAA may have to take a look at).
LSU officials initially claimed that the cash was fake — a claim that Burrow quickly exposed as false on the "Pardon My Take" podcast. Burrow confirmed the cash was real.
"I'm not a student-athlete anymore so I can say it, yeah," Burrow said.
LSU beat Clemson 45-25 on Monday night to win the national championship and finish the season undefeated at 15-0. Burrow is likely to be the top pick in the upcoming NFL draft.


theblaze--2020-01-15--Police in the UK failed to pursue dozens of child sex abuse suspects over concerns about racial tens

Police in the UK failed to pursue dozens of child sex abuse suspects over concerns about racial tensions

Greater Manchester Police and the Manchester city council declined to adequately pursue child sex abuse suspects partially out of fear that such could spark "racial hatred," an independent investigation found.
The revelation is tied to a 2004 operation called Operation Augusta that began after the death of 15-year-old rape victim Victoria Agoglia.
The operation identified 57 victims of sexual abuse, and 97 suspects involved in grooming and abuse in the area. The victims were mostly white girls between the ages of 12 and 16, and the suspects were primarily from Asian backgrounds.
Despite the fact that police had names, addresses, and workplace information for the suspects, "very few of the relevant perpetrators were brought to justice and neither were their activities disrupted."
"Concerns were expressed about the risk of proactive tactics or the incitement of racial hatred," the report reads. "The authorities knew that many were being subjected to the most profound abuse and exploitation but did not protect them from the perpetrators. This is a depressingly familiar picture and has been seen in many other towns and cities across the country."
According to the Independent, the investigation into the 97 suspects did not receive adequate resources before being closed down with a total of three convictions. A recent incident of racial tension due to unrelated cases involving the Kurdish community reportedly caused officers to be reluctant about the sex abuse investigation.
Manchester officials have apologized for the failures in light of the new report.
"This report makes for painful reading,' said Joanne Roney, Manchester City Council chief executive. "We recognize that some of the social work practice and management oversight around 15 years ago fell far below the high standards we now expect. We are deeply sorry that not enough was done to protect our children at the time."
Detectives will now begin reinvestigating the more than 15-year-old allegations.


theblaze--2020-01-15--Federal judge blocks Trump policy allowing states to deny refugee resettlement

This judge has come up against President Trump before

A federal judge has placed a temporary block on enforcing an executive order from President Donald Trump that allows state and local governments to opt out of the federal refugee resettlement program.
In his Wednesday court order U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte — a Clinton appointee — wrote that "a potentially insuperable Constitutional barrier looms" on the order. By which he means that the "power to include or excluded non-citizens is 'exclusively' federal in nature" and "Making the resettlement of refugees wholly contingent upon the consents of the State or Local Government ... thus raises four-square the very serious matter of federal pre-emption under the Constitution."
The complaint in this case was brought by refugee resettlement agencies HIAS Inc, Church World Service Inc. and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service back in November.
"This injunction provides critical relief," said LIRS President and CEO Krish O'Mara Vignarajah in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Those who have been waiting for years to reunite with their families and friends will no longer have to choose between their loved ones and the resettlement services that are so critical in their first months as new Americans."
The executive order in question, which the White House announced in September says that "with limited exceptions, the Federal Government, as an exercise of its broad discretion concerning refugee placement accorded to it by the Constitution and the Immigration and Nationality Act, should resettle refugees only in those jurisdictions in which both the State and local governments have consented to receive refugees under the Department of State's Reception and Placement Program."
At a rally in Minnesota in October, Trump touted the executive order, telling voters "You should be able to decide what is best for your own cities and for your own neighborhoods, and that's what you have the right to do right now."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made the Lone Star State the first to opt out of the program on Friday, bucking a trend by several other GOP governors who have thus far opted in.
"In addition to accepting refugees all these years, Texas has been left by Congress to deal with disproportionate migration issues resulting from a broken federal immigration system," Abbot explained of his decision in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
This is not the first time that Messitte has ruled on a case involving against President Trump. He was scolded back in July by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals over his handling of a case dealing with Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., and the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution, which the higher court threw out. The higher court found that Messitte's actions "amounted to a clear abuse of discretion" and that some of his reasoning in the matter "blinks reality."


theblaze--2020-01-15--One person complained to atheist group about cross on a mural — and now its future is in doubt

One person complained to atheist group about cross on a mural — and now its future is in doubt But @ @ @ @ @ cross has attracted more than 22,000 signatures

It often seems as though the ball gets rolling with the Freedom From Religion Foundation after one local individual sees a faith-based symbol on public property or notices a faith-based action by public officials, doesn't like it, and complains to the atheist activist group.
And that's exactly what's going down in Effingham, Illinois, as the FFRF penned a Dec. 18 to letter to Mayor Mike Schutzbach, saying one local resident didn't appreciate seeing a cross on a mural, the Effingham Daily News reported.
What's the beef?
The mural on the wall of the Raney Street overpass shows an American flag and white Latin cross with light emanating from it, the paper said.
Image source: WCIA-TV video screenshot
The cross on the mural is a depiction of the city's famous 200-foot Cross at the Crossroads, the paper added, which has stood near an interstate highway since 2001 and is supported by a faith-based group representing numerous denominations.
Image source: WCIA-TV video screenshot
But the mural is on city property, the Daily News said — which makes the cross potentially problematic and even perhaps in violation of the establishment clause, which prohibits the government from establishing a religion or favoring one religion over another.
Passionate voices at city council meeting
The paper said it was standing room only at Effingham City Hall last week as numerous residents told council members to leave the cross alone.
"One can only be offended by a cross, if you choose to be offended," according to a statement by Beverly Soltwedel, which was read by her brother-in-law, Norbert Soltwedel, the Daily News said.
"I was coming home from my mother's house yesterday, and I looked up in the sky. The jet stream made a perfect cross," Soltwedel continued, according to the paper. "I thought to myself, 'Should we ground all jets because the jet stream made a cross?' None of us stand at the gate of the tunnel and ask you if you are a believer or not."
Dale Spindler told the council to not be intimidated by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Daily News said. "The mural does not force religion on anyone," he said. "It depicts the landscape from the football field, which happens to include this landmark of the Effingham area."
Jarrett Jones started the Change.org petition to keep the cross on the mural and defended the cross as a former athlete, the paper said.
"I played football on the football field all four years," Jones said, according to the Daily News. "As someone who has walked through that tunnel more times than I can count, here's what I see. I see community involvement for art. That mural was paid for by individuals and businesses. The full name of the tunnel is 'The Tunnel of Pride.' We are a community of pride."
He also said the cross isn't a religious symbol.
"It's not just any cross — but our cross," Jones added, according the paper. "The cross is our main landmark visible for miles. For the community of Effingham, the cross depicted on the tunnel isn't a spiritual symbol, but a symbol of our community. It is a symbol of hardworking, generous people who support each other. The cross is what Effingham is known for and it should be saved."
What do city officials have to say?
"The city was unaware it would include a religious symbol," city administrator Steve Miller said, the Daily News noted. "The city has initiated a preliminary review of this matter with assistance of legal counsel."
City attorney Tracy Willenborg issued a statement, the paper said: "The city is of the opinion that the mural at issue does not constitute a violation of the establishment clause, as it constitutes purely private speech, having been placed by a private organization with a message that was not and has not been approved or adopted by the city. The city, however, is currently evaluating options relative to the use of the headwall, including the current mural, as well as evaluating the risks associated with each potential option."


theblaze--2020-01-15--Breaking: Michael Avenatti remanded to federal custody, denied bail after even more fraud, money lau

Breaking: Michael Avenatti remanded to federal custody, denied bail after even more fraud, money laundering charges

Breaking : Michael Avenatti remanded to federal custody , denied bail after even more fraud , money laundering charges

Former presidential candidate and attorney Michael Avenatti is headed for federal custody and has been denied bail.
According to reports, including those from defense attorney David Wohl, Avenatti was "remanded to federal custody, [and] denied bail."
What are the details?
Prosecutors revealed Wednesday that Avenatti's Tuesday arrest stemmed from allegations that he had been engaging in money laundering while out on bail.
Manhattan federal prosecutor Matthew Podolsky told Judge Paul Gardephe that the allegations are lurid, especially considering the fact that Avenatti has been on pre-trial release since May.
"We understand in substance that the allegations have to do with fraud, money structuring, money laundering, and other crimes by [Avenatti] while he's been on pre-trial release," he said during an emergency conference following Avenatti's Tuesday arrest.
Avenatti is also facing charges in California for embezzlement.
According to the New York Post, unsealed documents claim that Avenatti "illegally moved a nearly $1 million payment to his law firm to another account ... in an attempt to hide the funds from creditors he owes upwards of $10 million."
Avenatti also reportedly attempted to coerce his ex-wife into using $50,000 of his money in order to purchase a Mercedes-Benz vehicle in her own name. The vehicle, according to records, is a vehicle mainly used by him and his driver.
The Post reported that Avenatti was making significant bank withdrawals and redepositing it in order to remain under the $10,000 threshold that would require financial institutions to flag such transactions to the federal government under banking regulations.
What else?
Defense Attorney Scott Srebnick told the court that the new accusations are a bombshell in the Avenatti-Nike extortion trial, which was set for Tuesday. You can read more about Avenatti's entanglements with Nike — which include allegations that Avenatti attempted to extort more than $20 million from the sportswear giant — here.
Srebnick pointed out that the new allegations threw a wrench into defense plans since it would call into question Avenatti's financial situation.
"The arrest of Mr. Avenatti has essentially thrown this trial into chaos," Judge Gardephe said. "Mr. Avenatti has been out on bail in the California case for a long time. There are certainly questions in my mind about why it was necessary to raise questions about bail violations so close to trial."
The embattled attorney also faces a May trial in California for allegations that he defrauded clients of millions of dollars, committed bank fraud, and circumvented the IRS' authority.
Avenatti has pleaded not guilty to those charges.


theblaze--2020-01-15--A Florida woman walked into Walmart and allegedly built a homemade bomb. An off-duty cop and a secur

A Florida woman walked into Walmart and allegedly built a homemade bomb. An off-duty cop and a security guard stopped her before she could set it off.

A Florida woman walked into Walmart and allegedly built a homemade bomb .
An off-duty cop and a security guard @ @ @ @ @ set it off .
'This woman had all the supplies she needed to cause mass @ @

A Florida woman who walked into a Walmart and attempted to construct a homemade bomb was stopped just in the nick of time, police say.
Emily Stallard, 37, was spotted wandering around a local Walmart gathering supplies with her son when a security guard took notice of her suspicious behavior, WTVT-TV reported.
After the guard watched Stallard open several unpurchased items, including "flammable materials, projectiles, and matches," he decided to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office and alert an off-duty Fish and Wildlife Conservation officer who happened to be inside the store.
According to the police report, the off-duty officer and security guard stopped her right as she was about to light her shoelace as a wick. The two men then detained Stallard until deputies arrived.
The deputies found a mason jar with fuel denatured alcohol and wire brad nails inside.
"This woman had all the supplies she needed to cause mass destruction at her disposal," Sheriff Chad Chronister said, according to WTVT-TV.
"Had it not been for an alert off-duty law enforcement officer and a watchful security staff at Walmart, she may have followed through with her plans to cause an explosion inside the store. I can't stress this enough: if you see something, say something. You don't have to tackle a bad guy to be a hero," he added.
Investigators said that Stallard had also taken her young son into the store with her, enlisting his help in making the bomb.
"The defendant encouraged the child to engage in an act that could have caused great bodily harm and induced the child to become delinquent," the arrest report said.
Investigators added that Stallard resisted arrest and spit at deputies as she was being loaded into a patrol car.
She has been charged with multiple felony crimes, including attempted arson, fire bombing, and child abuse.


theblaze--2020-01-15--WATCH: 'Trans-surgery ruined my life': Trans woman transitions back to man

Clinics gladly help teens transition , but what happens if they regret it ?

On Tuesday's episode of Slightly Offens*ve, Elijah Schaffer, sat down with Abel Garcia, a transgender woman who regrets transitioning medically from a man to a woman at age 18.
After hormone and surgical procedures, Abel realized the lie he says was pushed on him as a young person -- too young, in fact, to even buy alcohol or cigarettes. But when he decided it was time to go back to being a man, he found out it's not as simple as it sounds.
Watch the interview below to hear why Abel claims "trans-surgery ruined my life."
"TRANS SURGERY RUINED MY LIFE" - Trans Woman Transitions Back to a Man | Slightly Offens*ve youtu.be
Also, find the full length interview here.
Want more from Elijah Schaffer?
Subscribe to Elijah's 'Slightly Offens*ve' channel on YouTube or BlazeTV for FREE access to his man-on-the-street interviews, protest coverage and more craziness that happens everyday in the USA.


theblaze--2020-01-15--Colorado mother files fraudulent red-flag gun law petition against cop who fatally shot her son

Colorado mother files fraudulent red-flag gun law petition against cop who fatally shot her son The judge will hear the @ @

The fifth extreme risk protection order petition filed under Colorado's new red-flag gun law contains false information in an attempt to have a police officer's weapons confiscated — and a judge is still going to hear the case, according to KUSA-TV.
The petition was filed by Susan Holmes, the mother of the late 19-year-old Jeremy Holmes. Jeremy was shot and killed by a Colorado State University police officer in July 2017 after charging at the officer with a knife.
What's wrong with the petition?
Colorado's law allows for family members, household members, or law enforcement officers to file extreme risk protection order petitions against someone.
Holmes' petition falsely claims that she and the officer, Cpl. Philip Morris, share a child together. KUSA reported that the two have no such relation.
In the petition, Holmes calls Morris a "credible threat" to commit "unlawful or reckless use of a firearm," saying Morris "used his firearm to recklessly and violently threaten and kill 19-year-old Jeremy Holmes."
Despite the petition not falling under the requirements of the law, it will still be heard by a judge.
Why was Holmes killed by the officer?
Jeremy Holmes died in what investigators have called "suicide by cop." Morris and other officers encountered Jeremy Holmes on the sidewalk in Fort Collins. He was armed with a knife.
Morris is heard on body camera repeatedly asking Holmes to drop the knife while backing up as Holmes continued moving forward. Eventually, Morris reaches to holster his gun and prepare to attempt to stun Holmes, and Holmes charged at him. Morris and another officer fired multiple shots, killing him.
Officer-involved shooting of 19-year-old Jeremy Holmes by CSU Police Dept. Corporal in Fort Collins youtu.be
Colorado House Minority Leader Patrick Neville pointed to this case as an example of the danger of red-flag laws.
"We predicted this and said a falsely accused person has no recourse other than hoping a DA files charges," Neville wrote on Twitter. "No recourse to recoup lost wages or reputation. One example of many about how this bill was so horribly written."


theblaze--2020-01-15--UK college will pay students to monitor racist language and 'microaggressions' on campus

UK college will pay students to monitor racist language and 'microaggressions ' on campus Twenty 'race equality champions ' will @ @ @ @ @ hours weekly for the University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom announced that it's hiring students to monitor and stand up to "microaggressions" on campus as well as language deemed racist, BBC News reported.
What are the details?
Due to demand from the student body, 20 "race equality champions" will work two to nine hours weekly for a little over $12 per hour (U.S.) to challenge wrongdoings — and will be trained to "lead healthy conversations" about preventing racism on campus and how "to help their peers understand racism and its impact," the outlet said.
The school said microaggressions are defined as "subtle but offensive comments" that might be unintentional but can upset minority groups, BBC News reported.
Examples of microaggressions, the outlet said, include phrases like:
"Stop making everything a race issue."
"Why are you searching for things to be offended about?"
"Where are you really from?"
"I don't want to hear about your holiday to South Africa. It's nowhere near where I'm from."
"Being compared to black celebrities that I look nothing like."
Vice chancellor Koen Lamberts told BBC News the idea is to "change the way people think about racism" — and rather than wanting to control speech, the university says it's "opening up a conversation."
The Equality and Human Rights Commission last fall warned that racism was a "common occurrence" among some students, the outlet said, adding that examples included name-calling, physical attacks, and racist material on campus.
Anything else?
One might say speech in the U.K. isn't protected nearly as well as it is in America:
Interestingly, a recent poll found that among U.S. millennials, 51% believe hate speech should be against the law — so one can imagine the percentage in the same age group in the U.K. with its laws against certain kinds of speech.


theblaze--2020-01-15--'A hopeless nightmare and a disaster': Gov't watchdog paints bleak picture of Afghanistan reconstruc

'A hopeless nightmare and a disaster': Gov't watchdog paints bleak picture of Afghanistan reconstruction

'There is an odor of mendacity throughout the Afghanistan issue '

U.S. officials in Afghanistan are almost incentivized to lie about how things are going on the ground, a government watchdog for Afghanistan reconstruction told lawmakers Wednesday at a House hearing.
"The problem is there is a disincentive, really, to tell the truth," Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko explained in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
"We have created an incentive to almost require for people to lie," Sopko explained of Afghanistan reconstruction efforts. " I don't want to sound like something from Burl Ives in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' but there is an odor of mendacity throughout the Afghanistan issue."
Sopko's answer was in response to a question about information in The Washington Post's publication of the "Afghanistan Papers" last month, which described the lengths to which U.S. officials have overplayed America's progress in the country during the past two decades. That bombshell report was based on a long list of government documents that were created from a "Lessons Learned" project conducted by Sopko's agency, which he said at the hearing were prompted by a disconnect between what he saw in Afghanistan and what he heard from agencies back in Washington.
The inspector general went on to explain that the incentive to misrepresent the situation on the ground comes from the "bottom up" because officials are given "short time frames" from six months to one year in order to show successful results.
"That gets reported up the chain and before you know it, the president is talking about a success that doesn't exist," Sopko said.
During the hearing, Sopko also told members that government officials should have done a better job up to this point of taking inventory of which Afghan reconstruction programs were working and which ones weren't. As an example, he pointed to Afghanistan's military and police forces, which he described as "a hopeless nightmare and a disaster."
"Part of it is because we rotate units through who aren't trained to do the work and they're gone in six to nine months," Sopko explained. "I don't blame the military, but you can't bring in a Blackhawk pilot to train an afghan policeman to do police work."
In his prepared testimony, Sopko described the problems with training Afghan police forces in greater detail and points out that neither the military nor the State Department were fully up to the task:
State lacked the in-house expertise and was unable to safely operate in insecure environments like Afghanistan; the U.S. military could operate in an insecure environment, but had limited expertise in training civilian police forces. Our research found instances where Black Hawk helicopter pilots were assigned to train police, while other soldiers turned to TV shows such as "NCIS" and "COPS" as sources for police training program curricula.
Another big problem in Afghanistan that Sopko described is that a lot of important information doesn't make it back to people who need it to make prudent policy decisions.
"A lot of the facts that you need, you're not being given; they're over-classified, they're not being collected, or they're just ignored," Sopko lamented during an exchange with committee ranking member Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
"And when we talk about mendacity, when we talk about lying, it's not just lying about a particular program, it's lying by omissions," Sopko continued. "Turns out that everything that's bad news has been classified over the last few years."


theblaze--2020-01-15--Bruce Springsteen's son is now a brand-new Jersey City firefighter

Is he now the boss ?

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen's youngest son, Sam, is a new recruit of the Jersey City Fire Department.
What are the details?
Sam, 26, was sworn in alongside 14 other new recruits during a Tuesday ceremony at the Jersey City, New Jersey, town hall. Sam graduated from the Monmouth County Fire Academy in 2014. He previously served as a volunteer firefighter at three area stations before taking the civil service exam. He later attended five months of training at the Public Safety Academy in Morristown, New Jersey.
Sam's father, mother Patti Scialfa, and his brother, Evan, all attended the swearing-in ceremony.
“It was a long road," Bruce told WCBS-TV about the difficult process. “He was very dedicated for quite a few years, and we're just excited for him today."
NBC News reported that a smiling Sam said "it wasn't easy" when asked about the process of becoming a Jersey City firefighter.
What else?
In a photo-studded Twitter statement, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop that he is very happy to welcome Sam to the department.
“The Boss @springsteen + Patti visited us in #JerseyCity City Hall today. They're such nice ppl. We got to spend some time in my office talking about music but more than that they're proud parents of a new JC firefighter," Fulop wrote. “Congrats to all the new FF joining the best FD anywhere."
You can read more about Sam's proud accomplishment here.


theblaze--2020-01-15--Iran bulldozed the grave of a Christian pastor who was hanged by the regime for renouncing Islam

Iran bulldozed the grave of a Christian pastor who was hanged by the regime for renouncing Islam 'The Iranian authorities @ @ @ @ @

The grave of an Iranian Christian pastor who was tortured and hanged for renouncing Islam and converting to Christianity has been bulldozed.
The Rev. Hossein Soodmand converted to Christianity before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and was actively involved in Christian ministry prior to facing execution for his faith in 1990.
The discovery of the desecrated gravesite was first reported by Article18, an organization that promotes religious freedom in Iran. A spokesman for the organization told Fox News that Soodmand's family had found the bulldozed grave when they came to pay their respects on Dec. 3, the anniversary of his hanging.
The pastor's daughter, Rashin Soodmand, who currently lives in exile in Europe, spoke to Article18 about how Iran's recent actions have affected the family.
As a member of the family of this martyred pastor, I can say that the recent disrespect shown to our father's grave wounded our hearts yet again.
Our father was killed cruelly and contrary to the law. They buried him in a place they called la'anatabad [accursed place], without our knowledge, and did not even give our family the opportunity to say goodbye to him, or to see his lifeless body.
For years we had to travel to this remote place to visit his unmarked grave, and we were not even allowed to construct a gravestone bearing his name.
And now they want to completely remove the only sign of him left for us. We will take our appeal to any relevant national or international institution about this disrespect and cruelty.
A spokesman for Article18 said that the family had not been allowed to lay a proper gravestone, and that the only sign that anyone was buried there was an unmarked concrete slab.
When the family returned in December, even that had been removed, and all that remained was soil.
"The Iranian authorities certainly made the call," the spokesman said. "We don't know who exactly — perhaps the local mayor — but our understanding is they are expanding the cemetery and selling off plots to wealthy families who can afford them."
Soodmand was active in Christian organizations such as the Bible Society and led an Episcopalian church in Isfahan and later an Assemblies of God church in Mashhad.
But in 1990, he was arrested and held in solitary confinement for over a month.
According to Article18, during a short furlough from prison, friends advised him to flee the country to save his own life, but Soodmand refused.
"By following the example of the great shepherd of the flock, the Lord Jesus Christ, I am willing to sacrifice my life for my sheep. My escape from these dangers would weaken the flock of God and discourage them. I don't want to be a bad example to them, so I am ready to go to jail again and, if necessary, even to give my life for them," he wrote to his friends.
Two weeks later, he was martyred after being convicted of apostasy by a special court of clergy.


theblaze--2020-01-15--'The View's' Sunny Hostin confronts Michael Bloomberg over stop-and-frisk apology: 'Sounds like a po

'The View's' Sunny Hostin confronts Michael Bloomberg over stop-and-frisk apology: 'Sounds like a political move'

'The View 's ' Sunny Hostin confronts Michael Bloomberg over stop-and-frisk apology : 'Sounds like a political move '

"The View" co-host Sunny Hostin confronted presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg over stop and frisk.
Stop and frisk is a controversial police practice in which police officers briefly stop a person, question them, and pat them down to check for any weapons or other contraband. Many New Yorkers believed that the practice allowed law enforcement officers to unfairly target minorities.
You can read more about the practice and its background here.
What happened during the exchange?
Bloomberg appeared on Wednesday's broadcast of "The View," where he discussed his 2020 presidential aspirations.
At one point during the panel discussion, Hostin pressed Bloomberg over his recent apology over employing stop and frisk — a policy he defended for years before announcing his candidacy for Democratic nominee.
Saying that the apology felt like a political stunt, Hostin said, "[Stop and frisk] has caused 600[%] increase in police stops that disproportionately targeted black and Latino men, 90% of whom were innocent."
"We're talking about 14 stops out of 10,000 only produced a gun, OK?" she continued. "Many questioned the authenticity of that policy, Mayor Bloomberg, myself included, only because in January of that year you stood up for stop and frisk. So what happened between January and November that caused this change of heart? Because it sounds like a political move to me."
Bloomberg hemmed and hawed before responding that the practice "saved a lot of lives" but "got out of hand."
"You're never going to have everybody that you stop with a gun, we don't know, but the courts had said you can do this, that, or the other thing," he reasoned. "The bottom line is when I saw it was, we had gone way overboard, I stopped it and before I left office, we cut 95% of it out."
"Then," he continued, "I apologized when enough people said to me 'You were wrong,' and I thought about it, and I wish I had done it earlier. I just didn't. So you apologize, and you go on."
(H/T: Mediaite)


theblaze--2020-01-15--Leftist Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes California to be 'no-kill state' for cats and dogs. But for babies

Leftist Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes California to be 'no-kill state' for cats and dogs. But for babies in the womb — not so much.

Leftist Gov .
Gavin Newsom pushes California to be 'no-kill state ' for cats and dogs .
But for babies @ @ @ @ @ so much .
'No adoptable or treatable dog or cat should be euthanized '

Far-left Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing California to stop euthanizing cats and dogs.
"We want to be a no-kill state," Newsom said at a news conference where he presented his 2020-21 budget, the Sacramento Bee reported, adding that he's prepared to fund the effort through taxpayer dollars.
The paper said Newsom's budget calls for a $50 million one-time general fund allocation to the University of California, Davis, Koret Shelter Medicine Program to develop a grant program for animal shelters, the Bee explained.
The program's aim is helping communities “achieve the state's policy goal that no adoptable or treatable dog or cat should be euthanized," the paper said, citing the budget summary.
What about 'no-kill' funding for babies in the womb?
While Newsom is most definitely gung-ho for saving the lives of cats and dogs — which certainly isn't a bad thing — he's less enthusiastic, putting it mildly, about "no-kill" efforts when it comes to babies in the womb.
To wit:
"According to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, the former research arm of Planned Parenthood, at least 15% of all abortions in the country are committed in California. The number, however, could be even higher than that, as California chooses to opt out of reporting its abortion statistics to the CDC," Live Action reported, adding that the state's attorney general also argued that killing abortion survivors doesn't qualify as infanticide.
And the unborn apparently aren't the only human beings at risk in California. More from the outlet:
In addition to killing preborn children through abortion, California allows the killing of adults through assisted suicide. That legalization has had extremely negative effects, with reports of insurance companies in the state refusing to pay for patients' treatment and pushing assisted suicide instead. State laws were also amended to say that someone who encourages a person to kill himself will not be prosecuted. A regulation was also put into place allowing assisted suicide for those who are involuntarily committed due to mental illness.
(H/T: LiveAction)


theblaze--2020-01-15--Van Jones tosses wet blanket on Democrats' 2020 hopes with sobering debate reaction: 'Cold oatmeal'

'Democrats are gon na have to do better '

CNN political commentator Van Jones tossed a wet blanket on the Democratic Party's 2020 aspirations after Tuesday's debate, explaining without mincing words that Democrats have their work cut out for them if they want to defeat President Donald Trump.
"I came away feeling worried for the Democratic Party," Jones said during a panel discussion after the debate. "It felt like a big bowl of cold oatmeal, and I got to say this: I missed Andrew Yang tonight."
The debate was the seventh of the Democratic primary and the final debate before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3. The debate also had the smallest and least diverse field of any preceding Democratic debates this election cycle: just six candidates, all of them white, and only two women.
The result was a "dispiriting" event, Jones said.
"There's something that this party has got to figure out. How can it light that fire again? This felt like drudgery tonight," Jones explained.
"Tonight for me was dispiriting. Democrats are gonna have to do better than we saw tonight," he continued. "There was nothing I saw tonight that would be able to take Donald Trump out and I want to see a Democrat in the White House as soon as possible. There was nothing tonight, if you were looking at this thing, that you could say any of these people are prepared for what Donald Trump is gonna do to us."
Jones also took a direct shot at Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — who tussled over whether or not Sanders privately told Warren last year that a woman would not win the race for president — condemning their "vitriol" for one another.