News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Death Rate of Middle-Aged Americans Rises for Third Year
U.S. Mid-life Death Rate Rises (Jojjik/Dreamstime)
The researchers report a striking geographic pattern in rising mortality rates, noting that the largest relative increases have occurred in the Ohio Valley and New England.
What is going on?
The researchers point to rising deaths from drug overdoses, alcoholic liver disease, and suicides as the primary reasons for why mid-life mortality rates have been rising.
The JAMA researchers glumly report: “According to one estimate, if the slow rate of increase in US life expectancy persists, it will take the United States more than a century to reach the average life expectancy that other high-income countries had achieved by 2016.”
Georgia man on the run after tying up a woman, threatening to cut off her toes: police
“Anderson’s level of violence prompted the sheriff to place Anderson #1 on his top ten most wanted,” according to a press release.
Anderson is a white male who is about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and is considered armed and dangerous.
Anderson is being sought on charges that include aggravated assault, aggravated battery, terroristic threats and false imprisonment.
82-year-old female bodybuilder visits ‘Fox & Friends’ after beating up home intruder: He was ‘dumbfounded’
Appearing on “Fox & Friends” with hosts Steve Doocy and Emily Compagno, Murphy recounted the events of last Thursday night when a man broke into her home as she was getting ready for bed at around 11:00 p.m.
Murphy said that the man was “ringing, ringing. ringing the bell” and when she went to the door “he was all doubled up and he was saying, ‘Help me! Help me! Help me!’ I’ve been shot. I’ve been shot. Call 911.'”
Murphy said when she ran to get her phone and called police, “All of a
sudden I heard a crash.”
Judge clears Miami reggae DJ who fatally shot man suspected of raping his girlfriend
The judge cleared Campbell, 30, under Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law, which eliminated a citizen’s duty to retreat before using deadly force.
Critics have long complained that the law, backed by the politically powerful National Rifle Association, encourages vigilante justice and gives criminals an easy way to beat accusations of violence.
Under the Stand Your Ground law, judges have wide legal leeway to grant “immunity” to someone they deem was acting in self-defense.
“This was the most transparent self-defense case of justifiable use of deadly force I’ve seen,” said defense lawyer Jonathan Jordan, who defended Campbell along with Andrew Rier.
“Credit to Judge Pooler who followed the law the Legislature has set out. The ‘victim’ sought out Pete at his place of employment; Pete never asked for this but he was put into a situation where he had no choice but to defend himself or become a victim himself.”
Wildfire outside Santa Barbara, California, threatens homes, causes evacuations
The Cave Fire started in the Los Padres National Forest at around 4:15 p.m. on Monday in Santa Barbara County, about 90 miles (145 km) northwest of Los Angeles.
County officials declared a local emergency.
The fire had consumed some 4,100 acres (1,660 hectares) by Tuesday morning, with none of it contained, Daniel Bertucelli of the county fire department told reporters.
Mandatory evacuation orders covered some 2,400 homes, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Woman yells racist slurs, spits on and assaults hotel receptionist: suit
An unhinged woman was caught on camera screaming racist slurs at a Midtown hotel receptionist — all because the employee asked for identification before handing over a room key, according to a new lawsuit.
“Defendant spit on Plaintiff and then assaulted, battered, and attacked the Plaintiff, and used physical force without cause or justification and without Plaintiff’s consent,” the lawsuit charges.
The cops arrested Rajacic for the incident, police confirmed. She eventually was convicted of third-degree assault, according to the suit.
Once Rajacic got out of jail, the hotel gave her a free room, Shell said — prompting her to quit in disgust.
California DMV making big money selling drivers’ personal information, study finds
The California Department of Motor Vehicles is reportedly making over $50 million annually selling drivers’ personal information. Reaction on ‘Outnumbered.’
Dad shares one last beer with sons in photo taken hours before cancer death
The photo shows Schemm’s grandfather smiling in his hospital bed holding a Bud Light while surrounded by his three sons, all holding cups of their own, as well as his wife, who is holding his hand.
The touching moment quickly went viral on Twitter, reaching over 320,000, and thousands were moved to comment.
Many users even took the time to share their own final moments with loved ones, like one man who helped his grandpa smoke a cigar and drink a beer days before he died.
Supreme Court to hear major NY gun case next week – a first in 10 years
The case follows the complaints of licensed gun owners, backed by the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, who have challenged a since-repealed ban on transporting their firearms.
According to SCOTUSblog, the ban prevented gun owners with licenses to keep firearms in their homes from taking them to local shooting ranges and competitions or to residences outside New York City.
A federal district court initially ruled in favor of New York City’s travel restriction.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit also upheld the prior ruling of the district court. Now the case is set to appear before the Supreme Court for oral arguments on Dec. 2, SCOTUSblog reported.
Politics:
US House bill would help Holocaust survivors recover billions in insurance
(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Due to federal court rulings and a failure by insurance companies to adequately publish the names of recipients and pay these claims, 97 percent of the approximately 800,000 policies held in 1938 have yet to be honored.
The insurers’ unreasonable demands that death certificates and original policy paperwork be produced is all but impossible for survivors who, at the time, had just survived death camps, forced relocations, torture and death marches.
The Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2019 was introduced Friday by Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Republican Representative Lee Zeldin of New York.
A Senate companion bill was recently introduced by Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada.
Here Are The Obama-Era Operatives And Former Journos Behind A Covert Propaganda Outfit
Democratic operatives who worked for former President Barack Obama are spearheading websites designed to mimic journalism outfits in an effort to push liberal positions.
One of the founders behind the websites says media pundits should dispel of the idea of objective reporting and instead should push out liberal talking points that look like journalism.
The websites they are creating come on the heels of a Democratic-led misinformation campaign to troll conservatives during a 2017 special election in Alabama.
Pete Buttigieg Faces Left-Wing Backlash Over Resurfaced 2011 Clip
Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg is facing a left-wing backlash over a resurfaced 2011 clip that shows him talking about challenges faced by minority students.
The video shows Buttigieg, then a South Bend, Indiana, mayoral candidate, saying that “there are a lot of kids especially from lower-income minority neighborhoods who literally just haven’t seen it work, there isn’t somebody they know personally who testifies to the value of education.”
“While I obviously think that the characterization of me personally is unfair, I do understand the concern,” Buttigieg, who has consistently struggled with black voters, told a reporter, when asked about the article’s characterization of him.
The article’s popularity led the hashtag “#PeteButtigiegIsALyingMF” to surge into Twitter’s national trending topics.
Some conservatives defended Buttigieg against the attacks. The Washington Examiner’s Eddie Scarry described the The Root article as “nonsense.”
Judiciary Committee to hold first impeachment hearing next week
“The impeachment inquiry is entering into a new phase,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.
“Our first task is to explore the framework put in place to respond to serious allegations of impeachable misconduct like those against President Trump.”
Most notably, the hearing will give Trump and his legal team the option to participate.
The president and his allies have blasted Democrats over their impeachment inquiry, saying it has failed to include meaningful due process for the president.
Nadler sent a letter to Trump on Tuesday notifying him of his lawyers’ opportunity to attend and giving the president a deadline of Dec. 1 to inform him of whether his attorneys plan to participate.
Democrats’ Dread Goes Real: Polls Show Black Support For Trump Rising
On Monday, Rasmussen reports noted, “ICYMI: Last Friday we showed Black Likely Voter approval for @realDonaldTrump at 34%.
We then found out that a recent widely quoted @EmersonPolling Registered Voters based poll showed Black Voter approval for @POTUS at 34.5%.”
The Emerson Poll, released November 21, indeed showed Trump with 34.5% of black registered voter approval. RedState noted, “Thirty four percent approval for President Donald Trump.
And that’s not an outlier with other Rasmussen tallies, the average has actually gone up since last year when it was in the 20s.”
Real Clear Politics noted in October 2018:
‘Extremely Alarmed’: Bloomberg Union Demands Removal of Ban on Investigating Owner, Other 2020 Dems
(John Locher, File/AP Photo)
“Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth and as journalists, we must maintain an independence from those we cover.
The Guild believes journalists should not only be allowed—but encouraged—to thoroughly cover every single candidate as the profession demands in one of the most important elections in modern history,” the statement continued.
“A journalist’s job is, above all, to cover the news and to serve as an independent monitor of power.”
“We call on Bloomberg corporate management to rescind its policy and allow journalists throughout the Bloomberg family to do their jobs,” the union added.
John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, said in a lengthy memo over the weekend that it would “continue our tradition of not investigating Mike (and his family and foundation.)”
Backfired!
Commentary/Opinion: The open hearings backfired for Democrats. They actually lost public support for impeaching Trump.
Here’s the Simple Truth.
FBI Lawyer Referred for Criminal Prosecution
A former FBI attorney reportedly referred for criminal prosecution by Department of Justice Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz—for allegedly altering an email connected to the surveillance warrant on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page—was assigned in early 2017 as “the primary FBI attorney assigned” to the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into alleged Russian election interference.
The lawyer, who has been identified as Kevin Clinesmith in media reports, had been incorrectly portrayed by many members of the media as a “low-level” or junior member of the FBI’s legal team.
President Trump Signs an Executive Order
President Trump Signs an Executive Order Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.
AOC says her policies are not ‘free stuff’: ‘I never want to hear that term again’
“People like to say, ‘Oh, this is about free stuff.’ This is not about free stuff,” she said during the town hall. “I never want to hear the word, or the term, ‘free stuff,’ ever again.”
Radio host Mark Steyn commented Tuesday on Ocasio-Cortez’s claims and said she is promising the world to people by pushing for open borders, free health care and automatic public housing.
“What I love about her, by free stuff… essentially she wants everybody on the planet to be able to come here. So that’s free borders, and free health care and free college,” Steyn said on “Fox & Friends.”
“She wants seven billion people essentially, to be able to enjoy what in the 19th century would be the life of the younger son of a middle European grand duke — at the cost to the U.S. taxpayer.
And she says, ‘Oh, but don’t call that free stuff.’ God bless her.”
House Dem now sees no ‘value’ in impeachment, as polls show falling support among independents
Lawrence’s about-face came as polls have shown that independents are souring on the idea of impeaching and removing Trump from office, including in critical battleground states like Wisconsin, even as House Democrats aggressively presented their focus-group-tested “bribery” case against the president over the past two weeks.
“We are so close to an election,” Lawrence said Sunday on a Michigan radio program, noting that Trump stands little chance of being convicted by the GOP-controlled Senate.
“I will tell you, sitting here knowing how divided this country is, I don’t see the value of taking him out of office.
Shocking Testimony in Florida Court Accuses Rep. Ilhan Omar of Being a Qatari ‘Asset’
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The testimony came during the trial of Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, the brother of the former emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
He is accused of ordering his American bodyguard to murder two people, and of holding an American citizen hostage.
It’s difficult to believe that Qatar is responsible for Omar’s decision to become a politician. She majored in political science in college and from her early life, she was involved in Democratic politics in Minnesota. Sounds like the Qatari security officials were trying to impress Bender.
Nevertheless, the accusation is plausible. Omar believes the U.S. is evil, so she could easily see betraying an evil country as being justified.
That’s not even the full extent of Omar’s betrayal:
Obama warned he would intervene to stop Bernie, had cutting words for Biden: report
Obama has largely stayed on the sidelines to date, refraining from any endorsements though he has issued general warnings to the party to avoid calls for radical upheaval in their policy pitches.
These warnings were seen as a swipe at candidates like Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sanders.
But a new Politico Magazine report gives a clearer picture of what Obama is worried about — claiming he has said in private he’d speak out against Sanders if it looked like he could actually win.
World News:
Argentinian students parody ‘Barbie Girl’ with ‘Nazi Girl’ in school assignment, receive high marks
A group of Argentinan students who parodied the popular song “Barbie Girl” with their own rendition of “Nazi Girl” sparked so much outrage that their teacher ended up fired and their school was forced to apologize.
The video begins with a male student dressed as Adolf Hitler, and makes several references to what happened to the Jewish people in Nazi Germany. Students dressed up as Jews and homosexuals are knocked over or humiliated in the clip.
“You must behave, or you are gonna die,” the students sing in one scene, as they open up an oven. Other lyrics include, “Come on Jews, let’s go [to the] camps,” and “Come on Joseph, let’s make soap.”
Pompeo: Turkey’s test of Russian weapons system ‘concerning’
Speaking at a news conference, Pompeo said the United States has made it clear to Turkey that Washington wants to see Ankara move away from full operation of the S400 air defense system.
“Yes it is concerning,” Pompeo said, when he was asked about the reports that Turkish F-16 warplanes flew over the country’s capital Ankara on Monday to test its new Russian S-400 missile system.
“We are hopeful. We are still talking to the Turks, still trying to figure out our way through this thing,” he said.
Two Priests Sentenced to Prison Time for Abuse of Deaf Children in Argentina
A three-judge panel in the city of Mendoza sentenced Father Nicola Corradi to 42 years and Father Horacio Corbacho to 45 years, as well as gardener Armando Gómez to 18 years, for 20 counts of abuse from 2005 to 2016 at the Antonio Provolo Institute for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Children.
“Thank God there has been justice and peace for the victims,” Father Dante Simon, one of two priests sent by the Vatican to investigate, told The Associated Press after the ruling.
Pope Francis has not commented publicly on the matter, but Simon had previously told the AP that the pontiff expressed his sadness about the
case and told him that “he was very worried about this situation.”
Spanish police seize 6,000 pounds of cocaine during first-ever ‘narco-submarine’ capture, reports say
The 65-foot vessel, which in itself is estimated to cost $3 million to build, was tracked down Sunday off the coast of Pontevedra, according to El Pais.
Investigators are now hoping to crane-lift the sub onto the dock at the Port of Aldán so that they can get inside more easily, an official from the government’s office in the province said Tuesday.
Spanish authorities said it was the first time a submarine had been found to be used in drug trafficking in the country – and that they had been monitoring the vessel´s movements in recent days in coordination with international police.
Massive Colombia anti-government protests continue amid heightened violent crackdown
An estimated 250,000 anti-government demonstrators, including students, teachers and working-class union members, rattled Colombia when they took to the streets last week and voiced strong opposition to Duque’s conservative policies. It’s the largest protest Colombia has seen in years.
Unlike the protests in countries across Latin America, which are driven by the steep drop in commodity prices, there is no one single issue that is motivating Colombians to mobilize against the incumbent government.
Sergio Guzman, director of Colombia Risk Analysis, said the unfocused nature of the protest movement will make it difficult for it to negotiate with the government.
Balkans rocked by series of earthquakes, with at least 13 dead in Albania
The early morning quake, which was felt along the Albanian coast of the Adriatic and Ionic seas, was followed by scores of aftershocks, including three with preliminary magnitudes of between 5.1 and 5.4.
Hours later, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) reported a magnitude-5.4 temblor centered in Bosnia-Herzegovina. There were no immediate reports of injuries or structural damage, the EMSC said.
Albanian President Ilir Meta told journalists from Thumane, 36 kilometers north of Tirana, that “the situation is very dramatic. All efforts are being done to take the people out of the ruins.”
Commentary/Opinion:
How You’re Being Misled On The Electoral College (Pt. 1) | Tara Ross | POLITICS | Rubin Report
Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report talks to author, lawyer, and Electoral College expert Tara Ross about why she thinks we need the Electoral College.
Do you understand the Electoral College? How did the founders deal with the popular vote vs. the Electoral College question?
Why did they, after a careful study of history, come to the conclusion that pure democracies do not work and decide to create a system to pick the president not by a nationwide, popular vote but instead by 538 electors?
According to Tara Ross the Electoral College is essential because it helps preserve our republic of diverse states from a tyranny of the majority.
There are beginning to be more people trying to get rid of the Electoral College, and instead have a majority-rule affair where the President is chosen by a national popular vote.
So It’s more important than ever to understand what the Electoral College is and why America uses it to elect its presidents.
Tara corrects many of the myths surrounding the origins of Electoral College.