News and Headlines. In The News, Politics, World News, commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
3 arrested in Alabama for allegedly locking children in wooden cages
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said investigators on Monday responded to a tip about a potential child abuse situation in the city of Smiths Station and arrived to find four children aged, 3, 4, 10 and 11 years old as well as observing two wood constructed cages with hasps and locks.
An 8-month-old child also lived at the residence but was not present when investigators arrived.
“Investigation revealed evidence that the children had been locked in the cages on multiple occasions,” the sheriff’s office said.
On Wednesday, county investigators obtained multiple warrants and all five children were removed.
Additionally, Pamela Deloris Bond, 66; James H. Bond, 69; and Kylla Michell Mann, 30, were all arrested and each charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse of a child less than 6 years of age and two counts of reckless endangerment.
Bernie Campaigner Kyle Jurek Arrested Days Before Project Veritas Exposé
Jurek was arrested on January 8 by Iowa state police, according to Polk County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Department. Jurek was charged with violation of probation, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to provide proof of financial liability, as well as operating while intoxicated — his second offense.
The 38-year-old was previously arrested in September 2019 for possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a prescription drug, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jurek is at the center of Project Veritas’s latest sting targeting 2020 Democrat candidates.
He was filmed arguing that gulags were beneficial for the Soviet Union and suggesting they could be used to re-educate both Trump voters and billionaires.
Man posts swastika, hateful language on condo, yells at reporters to ‘Call the White House’
Authorities were alerted to the hateful messages Tuesday and unsuccessfully attempted to make contact with the Park Sorrento Condominiums resident, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told KTLA.
Eventually, a man with a shaved head and a stack of papers came outside and began shouting at reporters below, KTLA video showed.
The papers re-stated many of the same messages posted on the sliding glass door. Some of the statements appeared to target President Donald Trump and Christians.
Authorities said they could not force the man to take down the messages since they were posted in his private residence.
A group of preschoolers set up a hot cocoa stand and raised $10,000 for a classmate battling cancer
Jasper Mazzocco, 4, was diagnosed with a rare type of brain cancer late last year. He was taken out of school and hospitalized, but his classmates at Redding Cooperative Preschool in Redding, California, never stopped thinking about him.
“The kiddos… miss and talk about him everyday,” Becky Haskins, a fundraiser organizer and mother to one of the preschoolers, told CNN. “He is one of the sweetest souls that I have ever met and his family is just the same.”
Haskins said her daughter suggested they sell lemonade to raise money for Jasper, but with the wintry weather she steered the brainstorm towards hot cocoa.
The local Trader Joe’s provided space and supplied water bottles, a Dick’s Sporting Goods offered to set up tables and chairs, and both the Costco and Starbucks donated baked goods.
Three Starbucks employees even made back and forth runs to supply hot water to make the cocoa.
Mom beaten to a pulp by teen girls outside HS. She was there to complain about daughter’s bullies — one of whom allegedly was part of the attack.
Maria Jimenez’s 16-year-old daughter told her she was being bullied by a group of girls at James Logan High School in Union City, California — so Jimenez and her husband Eder Rojas drove their daughter to school Tuesday morning to complain to the principal, KRON-TV reported.
Rojas told KGO-TV two teen girls — one of whom was bullying his daughter — confronted them before they made it through the school’s door.
Rojas blocked the teens from going after his daughter, so he said they targeted his wife instead, punching and kicking her.
California university encourages dorm students to become ‘sexperts’ and teach fellow students about ‘kink, BDSM, and sex toys’
Residence hall students are encouraged to complete the school’s “Safer Sex Peers Certification Training” for the chance to become an official Safer Sex Peer.
The perks? Safer Sex Peers receive condoms, lube, and various other forms of contraceptives to hand out, they learn all about safer sex, and earn 300 wellness points that go toward potential prizes.
The training to become a Safer Sex Peer is rigorous, though, as prospective sexperts are taught “all the basics safer sex at UCSB including gender, sexuality, pleasure, sex toys, STIs, hormonal contraception, and barrier methods.”
Iraq War vet tells of Vince Vaughn’s visit to dangerous war zone where no other celebs would go
The story comes from Colby Smith, a combat medic for the scout platoon of 108th Armor, 48th Combat Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, who said Vaughn visited in 2005 after a particularly tragic time for that group, which had just lost nearly a dozen people.
Smith said Vaughn had been warned that the area he was visiting, known as the “triangle of death,” was a truly dangerous place to be, but he wanted to go anyway.
“He did this [visit] because he heard that there was no one else coming to see these guys,” Smith told the Daily Caller. “And he did.”
Vaughn’s visit wasn’t a typical celebrity appearance, Smith said.
“One of the guys in the unit made a sign that read, ‘if you can dodge an IED, you can dodge a ball’,” Smith said.
“[Vaughn] thought it was great, so he was running around with the sign.”
California ranks 4th worst in new economic outlook analysis
The economic outlook ranking for California examined such variables as top marginal personal income tax rate (13.30) and top marginal corporate income tax rate (8.84).
Other measures examined include property and sales tax burdens, existence of estate or inheritance taxes, debt service as a percentage of tax revenue and the number of public employees per 10,000 people.
RichStatesPoorStates.org also ranked states based on their economic performances from 2007 to 2017. In that assessment, California ranked 18th.
The state’s cumulative gross domestic product from 2007 to 2017, its overall loss of population to other states between 2008 and 2017 and nonagricultural job growth from 2007 to 2017 determined how it fared in the economic performance ranking.
Massachusetts girl, 11, found 6 hours after getting abducted while getting off school bus; suspect in custody
Charlotte, a student at Hampden Charter School of Science in Chicopee, was still in her uniform when witnesses saw her screaming as the suspect forced her into a navy blue Honda Civic, police said.
Nearly six hours later, at around 7:15 p.m., police received several calls reporting a car matching that description eastbound on the Massachusetts Turnpike, FOX25 reported.
Police pulled the car over and found Charlotte in the back seat and 24-year-old Miguel Rodriguez behind the wheel.
Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy shows disturbing evidence pointing to his murder: pathologist
In a clip provided to the New York Post from a “Dr. Oz” special set to air Thursday, former New York City Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Baden discusses his theories and examines graphic photographs.
Among them are the burst capillaries and the fact that Epstein’s lower extremities were pale and not purple or bluish, which he said would have been the case had he hanged himself in August at the Manhattan Correctional Center.
“The blood settles after we die. The so-called lividity, if you’re hanging, the lividity is on the lower part on the legs.
These would be like maroon/purple, front and back and they aren’t,” Baden tells Dr. Mehmet Oz.
USMCA thumbs-up from Senate hands Trump second trade victory
The biggest trade deal of all time, the pact encompasses more than $1.3 trillion of commerce.
While winning enough votes to pass in the Republican-led Senate was anticlimactic after months of modifications by the Democratically-controlled House, it delivers on Trump’s 2016 campaign promise to overhaul the Clinton-era North American Free Trade Agreement that he called a “disaster.”
The vote was 89 senators in favor, with 10 opposed.
A day earlier, the president and a Chinese official signed an initial trade accord between their countries, cooling tensions in a nearly two-year trade war.
“Adding together USMCA and the China deal, that’s over $2 trillion of trade,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Thursday. “That’s an enormous number.”
A Full Third Of Flint’s Emergency $390 Million Water Funds Did Not Go To Clean Water
Of $66 million that went toward economic development, $20 million went to Uptown Reinvestment Corp., a firm associated with four investors, two of whom are donors to Snyder, according to campaign finance records.
Seven million dollars went to renovate an old building into new apartments, and $5.5 million to renovate the Capitol Theatre.
Under social development, the government also spent nearly $4 million providing extra money on the food stamp cards of residents, the state data show.
City officials also rescinded a contract from a company that was quickly making repairs and banned the use of “hydrovac” equipment, which digs up pipes cheaply and unobtrusively.
That steered more work to a politically favored but inexperienced construction firm owned by an NBA player, which dug up yards using backhoes.
Trans State Workers Sue Fla. for Not Covering Facial Feminization, Testicle Removal Surgery
In what appears to be a growing national trend, another public enterprise is being sued for failing to pay for transgenders’ costly sex-change surgery.
The plaintiffs in this latest case are two veteran state workers—both men—in Florida who allege sex discrimination because the state’s insurance policy doesn’t cover surgical procedures to help make them women.
Governments are increasingly being forced to pay for the pricey cosmetic treatments of transgender people who claim to be stuck in the wrong body.
Thousands of dollars are annually spent to give transgender jail inmates nationwide hormone treatments, laser hair removal and makeup.
In Massachusetts a convicted murderer actually sued the Department of Corrections to pay for sex-change surgery.
Last year a federal judge forced Wisconsin taxpayers to provide sex reassignment surgery and hormonal procedures for low-income transgender residents who get free medical care from the government.
Politics:
Trump Fighting to Put Prayer Back in Schools: ‘We Will Not Allow Faithful Americans to Be Bullied’
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos explained the new rules protect students’ right to pray, but they also go beyond that to protect faith-based student groups and much more:
“The Department’s efforts will level the playing field between religious and non-religious organizations competing for federal grants, as well as protect First Amendment freedoms on campus and the religious liberty of faith-based institutions.”
White House Domestic Policy Director Joe Grogan said, “We’re going to be making it clear that students have the right to pray publicly in school if they so choose.”
Due to cases where the law has been misunderstood, today’s announcement reinforces what’s on the books. Grogan says it will “remind the chief education officers in all 50 states that students have the right to pray at their own direction, to gather at their own direction, to bring the Bible to school if they choose to, to bring the Koran or the Torah in.”
The Feds — including ICE — appear to be investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar.
In October, the FBI SAC stated that the wide range of criminal activity suggested by the evidence against Rep. Omar may lead the FBI to expand the review to other federal departments.
In such situations, the SAC continued, the FBI often acts as a hub — sharing evidence, or coordinating a joint investigation, with several other investigative agencies.
Indeed, this has since occurred.
At least the following two federal agencies were contacted by the FBI with information regarding Rep. Omar. The FBI then placed the October meeting attendees in touch with selected investigators within these two agencies:
CATO: Warren’s day care subsidy plan would increase costs, reduce access
“Given the cost implications of capping the per income amount spent by any family, the federal government would inevitably have to circumscribe the nature of care, fix the rates taxpayers would finance or cap the total amount families could spend on child-care within the scheme,” Bourne said.
“These would fundamentally change the types of care available or used in the sector.”
State-level government regulations currently contribute to the high costs of childcare, he argues.
Evaluations conducted by the American Economic Association and RAND, suggest that approaches like Warren’s will further reduce the number of child-care facilities available in low income markets and increases prices for families.
The reports suggest such a plan would worsen the supply problem by promising to raise pay rates for day care staff, which in turn would increase demand and restrict supply even more and raise the underlying market prices.
These higher prices would be overwhelmingly paid for by the taxpayer.
Rand Paul Threatens GOP Colleagues with Vote on Hunter Biden Subpoena
Paul has a contingency plan. According to Politico, Paul “will make the Senate vote on subpoenaing the president’s preferred witnesses, including Hunter Biden and the “whistleblower” who revealed the Ukraine scandal” in the event that four or more of his GOP colleagues side with Democrats and call for additional witnesses, putting at-risk GOP incumbents in more vulnerable positions.
Paul says he would prefer to have the Senate trial dismissed as soon as possible, without calling witnesses.
Nevertheless, if his colleagues concede to the demands of Democrats, Paul is prepared to demand more.
“My first preference would be to be done with it as soon as possible and not to have any witnesses,” Paul told the outlet.
“If they insist on having people like Bolton coming forward, my insistence will be not just one witness.
But that the president should be able to call any witnesses that he deems necessary to his defense,” he added.
Paul’s plan follows reports of Collins working with a “fairly small group” of GOP senators to build support for impeachment witnesses.
Liz Cheney decides against Senate bid in Wyoming
Cheney’s decision comes after months of speculation over whether she would throw her hat in the Senate race after Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) announced in May he would retire after more than two decades in Congress.
The Wyoming Republican cited Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and “socialist Democrats” as her reasoning for staying in the lower chamber.
“Nancy Pelosi and the Socialist Democrats in the House of Representatives are threatening our freedom and our Wyoming values every day. They must be stopped.
Trump impeachment trial begins as articles formally presented to Senate
At noon, the Senate recognized the House managers who will prosecute the case against President Trump.
The body then began a formal presentation of the two articles of impeachment brought against him: charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the president pro tempore, presided over the Senate, as the House managers were welcomed and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., began reading the resolution.
Later Thursday, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts – who will preside over the trial – will come to the Senate to be sworn in. He will subsequently swear in the senators.
Iraqi refugee launches GOP challenge to Ilhan Omar: ‘She needs to be stopped’
Al-Aqidi, who discussed her newly launched campaign in an interview with Fox News, joins a growing field of Republicans looking to take on Omar.
“She needs to be stopped,” al-Aqidi told Fox News in a phone interview. “I truly believe that I’m strong enough to beat her at her own game.”
Al-Aqidi also alleged that Omar is more interested in raising her own political profile than helping her constituents.
“I am loyal to the country that gave me a chance, gave me a brighter future,” she said, claiming that Omar “continually tries to weaken the country and divide us.”
Democrats Identity Politics Imploding On Itself – Dave Rubin Responds | POLITICS | Rubin Report
Commentary/Opinion: Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report talks to Tucker Carlson and gives his thoughts on the criticism that the Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential election are too white.
Now that Corey Booker has dropped out of the race, liberal pundits have now directed their accusations of racism not on Republicans and conservatives, but on themselves and their own voters.
Dave points out how this form of identity politics can only destroy itself and seems to be taking the Democratic Party with it.
World News:
Syrian airstrikes in Idlib leave at least 21 dead despite ceasefire
The strikes, carried out by the Syrian air force and its Russian allies, hit a market and industrial zone in Idlib city in a ferocious attack on Wednesday that destroyed several buildings and set cars on fire, leaving the torched corpses of motorists trapped inside.
Children and rescue workers were among the dead, the UK-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.
Idlib province, on the Turkish border in north-west Syria, has been increasingly targeted by bombing in recent weeks after several failed or still-born ceasefires brokered by Russia and Turkey over the past 18 months.
Second patient DIES of mystery virus in China amid growing fears the lethal outbreak may spread around the world following a confirmed case in Japan
A second person has died from coronavirus in China amid fears the lethal outbreak may spread globally, officials have said.
The 69-year-old man, named only as Xiong, died in the early hours of January 15 at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan city.
He had been admitted to hospital on December 31 with symptoms of the virus, said officials at the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.
Medical treatment failed to save him after his health deteriorated on January 4, local media claims.
Israel strikes Islamist targets in Gaza in response to rocket fire – TV7 Israel News 16.01.20
1) Palestinian Islamists launched a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip toward Israel’s southern communities, prompting an Israeli retaliatory strike against Hamas installation in the coastal enclave.
2) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reveals that the Islamic Republic has already managed to increase its uranium enrichment to higher levels than it had before it adopted the 2015 nuclear agreement.
3) Jordan’s King Abdullah the second warned EU lawmakers in Strasbourg that allowing heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran to persist could lead to “untold chaos” across the Middle East.
New street protests in France amid pension strikes
PARIS — Opponents of President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed overhaul of France’s pension system marched in Paris and other French cities Thursday, the latest round of street protests against the government plan that also has brought 43 straight days of railway strikes.
At the call of trade unions, train and metro workers, teachers and other workers took to the French capital’s streets demand that the government scrap its pension proposals.
Hard-left unions said they still were dissatisfied despite the government’s decision last week to suspend a central piece of the proposed reform plan: raising the retirement age to qualify for a full pension from 62 to 64.
Commentary/Opinion:
China, Russia, North Korea and Iran Form Anti-American Alliance
In what is likely to be America’s biggest strategic challenge going forward, a new “Axis of Evil,” to borrow President George W. Bush’s terminology, has emerged on the world stage. China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, are working together to weaken the American-led world order.
This recent alignment of rogue nations poses a direct threat to all the strategic, trade, economic and cultural foundations that have anchored the world’s stability and development since the end of World War II.
Consequently, the challenge before American diplomatic and strategic institutions, as well as military planners, has now become much more formidable.
Sweden’s Bizarre Gender Experiment (Pt.2)| Aron Flam & Henrik Jönsson | INTERNATIONAL | Rubin Report
Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report talks to Aron Flam (Swedish Comedian) and Henrik Jönsson (Swedish Entrepreneur) about the many myths of Sweden.
Aron and Henrik discuss the real world outcomes of Sweden’s gender equity goals and diversity plans.
Sweden is attempting to achieve gender equity, as opposed to gender equality in all aspects of society. This approach is aiming for equality of outcome as opposed to equality of opportunity.
The goal being to have 50/50 male and female representation in businesses, schools and government. Aron and Henrik point out that to achieve these goals children are sometimes encouraged to suppress their natural behaviors.
This policy also distorts hiring practices to aim for 50/50 representations instead of simply going for the most qualified candidates.
Henrik also shares a story of how Jordan Peterson was on a Swedish talk show discussing that scientific studies have shown that some of the expected behaviors of boys and girls is related to biology, and how he was dismissed by Swedish politicians.
Standing Up For Women!
We should be standing up for the women of Iran.
Here’s the Simple Truth.
Discussion with Social Justice Millennials
It is now painfully evident what propaganda through any means, especially through technology and drugs, and indoctrination for the last forty years through education,
Hollywood, and the mainstream media, have done to younger generations of Americans. They are now the pliant drones, happy to be slaves to the globalist ideology which includes the U.N. Agenda 21/2030.
I had met recently with two Millennials who validated abundantly the indoctrination theory, hard-core D.C. liberals, who fortunately have not yet voted in presidential elections or any elections for that matter.
They get their information from other thoroughly indoctrinated friends who hear certain phrases and fabrications passed as reality. Repeated ad nauseam by the shrill leftist media and their low-information followers, the propaganda becomes truth.
There was a time when Americans in their late twenties were responsible adults, settled down in marriage and family with children.
Today they are immature, whiny snowflakes, easily triggered, cowardly, intolerant of others who disagree with them, cohabitating in small apartments, or living in their parents’ basements without any shame or feelings of self-respect and responsibility.