News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Texas man accused of shoving 78-year-old father off cliff
McCants’ father told police his son said he wanted to show him a rattlesnake he had found, Austin’s Fox 7 reported, citing an arrest affidavit.
The father got in the car with McCants, who drove about a half a mile from his father’s home, according to the station.
The father told police his son lured him to an area near the edge of the cliff where the rattlesnake supposedly was.
As the father looked for the rattlesnake, McCants allegedly shoved him off the cliff, sending him tumbling into dense brush and undergrowth, Fox 7 reported.
Man driving truck that dropped stove on Anaheim freeway, killing a deputy, is set free
Cole Wilkins served 13 years of a 16-year-to-life sentence for the fatal accident in July 2006 on the 91 Freeway in Anaheim.
He was driving with unsecured stolen kitchen appliances in the back of his truck when the stove fell onto the roadway.
Off-duty sheriff’s Deputy David Piquette, 34, died in a traffic collision with a cement truck while swerving to avoid the stove in the early morning darkness.
It took only a matter of minutes for the judge to issue the new sentence. Wilkins did not make any statements. No one from the victim’s family was present.
Ross acknowledged the hurdles during the case, one of which was showing that a California Highway Patrol supervisor rewrote incident reports to favor the prosecution.
Environmental Activists Are Blocking The Clean-Up Of A Polluted Mining Site In Idaho
Creeks and streams near the site contain high levels of arsenic from careless mining that occurred decades before current mining regulations, modern techniques, or even the Environmental Protection Agency existed.
As part of the mining plan, known as the Stibnite Gold Project, Midas Gold has pledged to restore the site by stopping erosion, cleaning up waste dumps and toxic pits, improving water quality, and reestablishing a salmon spawning stream that has been blocked by mining activity since the 1930s.
Midas Gold will be required to set aside tens of millions of dollars to erase much of the damage of the past and fully restore the water quality, landscape, fisheries, and natural habitat of the area. Restoration will occur side by side with operations.
Still, some activists refuse to allow the Stibnite Gold Project to move forward without a fight.
Texas AG Ken Paxton on the Google Antitrust Probe & Combating Human Trafficking, Opioids [CPAC 2020]
Commentary/Opinion:
In this episode of American Thought Leaders 🇺🇸, we’ll sit down with Ken Paxton, the Attorney General of Texas, who is leading a multistate investigation into Google for possible monopolistic behavior.
He is focusing on advertising, while other states are focusing on other aspects of Google like Android and search results.
We also discuss his work to combat human trafficking in Texas, including partnerships he’s building with local companies and organizations all over the state and the country.
To deal with the opioid crisis, Paxton is also leading efforts to sue or potentially get settlements with manufacturers of opioids for misleading people and not adequately informing them that these drugs can be highly addictive.
Trump speaks to press after Senate Republican luncheon.
Patient One: First U.S. Coronavirus Case Suffered Pneumonia, Recovered
The March 5 paper notes that the patient is a 35-year-old male near Seattle, Washington, who had traveled to visit relatives in Wuhan, China, and took himself to an urgent care clinic on Jan. 19 after suffering a fever and cough.
He was hospitalized, and his symptoms remained stable for several days, aside from loose bowel movements, until the fifth day — the ninth day of the illness — when he showed signs of pneumonia and was given oxygen.
He was given various different drugs and had begun to recover by his eighth day in hospital — the twelfth day of illness.
The study of the first patient’s recovery suggests that other medicines may help alleviate the symptoms of the illness, even if a coronavirus vaccine is not yet available.
National Guard ordered to New York suburb New Rochelle to contain coronavirus
(Newsday LLC / Getty Images)
Schools, businesses, synagogues, and other facilities within one mile of the city center will close for two weeks, beginning Thursday.
Northwell Health, New York state’s largest healthcare provider, will set up a satellite testing lab in the contained area.
Cuomo said that New Rochelle has “probably the largest cluster in the United States in these cases and is a significant issue for us.”
New York is currently reporting 173 cases of the virus — 108 of which are in New Rochelle.
ICE Arrests Alleged Illegal Alien Rapist After Boston Authorities Released Him
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal officers arrested Alois Mutare, a 42-year-old Zimbabwean national, on March 2, according to a press release from the agency.
The apprehension comes after Mutare was indicted on felony rape charges and released from local law enforcement custody without any notification to ICE.
Mutare was arrested by Boston police in December 2019, and later released on bail by Suffolk County Superior Court on March 3.
An ICE investigation discovered that Mutare, while he entered the U.S. legally in 1999, overstayed his temporary visa by nearly two decades
Dept. of Veterans Affairs identifies 5 coronavirus patients, puts nursing homes on emergency lockdown
One patient has already been confirmed by the VA to have the coronavirus, while four more patients have tested positive for the virus but are awaiting further confirmation, USA Today reported.
Visitors will not be allowed at any of the VA’s 135 nursing homes, which house more than 8,000 veterans according to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. Wilkie said those nursing facilities are “going into an emergency situation.”
The coronavirus is of particular concern to elderly individuals. Additionally, around half of the veterans in the VA’s care are 65 or older and many have other pre-existing health concerns that could raise their vulnerability to the ongoing coronavirus.
Pence: Health care CEOs agreed to cover coronavirus treatment
President Trump and VP Pence meet with health insurance CEO’s about the cost of coronavirus testing and treatment.
California border officers find man hidden inside seat of car in act of ‘inhumane’ smuggling
An 18-year-old woman driving a black Mitsubishi was stopped at the Calexico West port of entry just after 1 a.m., U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a news release. A booth officer sent the driver, a U.S. citizen, and the vehicle for further inspection.
A CBP canine team examined the car and alerted officers to the rear seat, the agency said.
A 48-year-old Mexican national was found hidden within “a non-factory compartment” beneath the seat cushions.
US servicemen killed in Iraq during mission against ISIS identified, were part of Marine Raider Battalion
Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo, 34, of Simi Valley, Calif., and Capt. Moises A. Navas, 34, of Germantown, Md., were supporting Iraqi Security Forces in a mountainous area of Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.
Both Marines were assigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command out of Camp Lejeune in N.C.
The U.S.-led coalition launched additional forces to recover the bodies from the southern Makhmur Mountains, about 37 miles (60km) south of Erbil, coalition spokesman Col. Myles Caggins said in a statement.
As the forces trekked across the mountainous terrain, they eliminated four hostile ISIS fighters who were barricaded in caves, Caggins said. The full recovery operation took about six hours.
DC mayor asks hundreds of church members to quarantine after priest with coronavirus gave Communion
Cole announced Sunday that he was “patient 1” and is in the hospital. Congregants have been told by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to isolate themselves for 14 days, FOX 5 reports.
Late Monday, the district announced three more confirmed cases, including the organist/choirmaster who attended Christ Church and is at home feeling well “given the circumstances,” according to the church’s Facebook page.
Of the 550 parishioners in self-quarantine, at least one, Jim Cannon of Silver Spring, told The Washington Post he’s not planning to quarantine and instead played golf with friends Monday in Reston, Va.
Tucker Carlson Gives Us a Realistic Look at Just How Bad the Coronavirus Is
(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
“The Chinese coronavirus is a major event” that will “affect your life,” Carlson contended before citing current death statistics that show the coronavirus has a higher death rate than the flu.
“In other words, our country is likely to experience a painful period we are powerless to stop,” he said.
But aside from that, Carlson also noted that this virus problem puts our dependence on China in full.
China practically has the U.S. at its mercy thanks to the fact that we’re so reliant on it for materials that we use here in America every day.
China even went so far as to threaten us, with its state-run news media issuing a statement.
Tucker: We must remain calm but not complacent about the coronavirus
Commentary/Opinion:
Our leaders need to prepare Americans for what’s coming and mitigate the damage that China caused. Now, it’s also the time to start looking ahead to the future.
Think about what it would mean to face a deadlier version of coronavirus. It’s not unimaginable. It’s very easy to imagine. Are we ready for that? We are not ready now. We ought to be.
One of the first things we can do to prepare ourselves is break our dependence on China for essential medical supplies.
Last week, China’s official news service published a piece gloating that the country has brought coronavirus under control.
The story claims the rest of the world should apologize to China for criticizing the country over the virus and then drops this not very subtle warning:
Politics:
How the scales of justice have been weighted against Trump-aligned Republicans
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) ** FILE **
President Trump’s confidant Roger Stone is awaiting a 40-month prison sentence while former FBI bigwig Andrew McCabe enjoys life as a high-profile CNN commentator, creating outrage among conservatives who see a political double standard when it comes to prosecutions of false statements.
Here are some other instances of Trump-aligned operatives facing time behind bars, while aides to former President Barack Obama avoided prosecution and punishment:
Flipping the script, here is the fate of Mr. Obama’s operatives.
“The declination of prosecution with McCabe seemed to be a tipping point where the perception of a double standard became reality,” said Kevin Brock, a former assistant director of intelligence for the FBI.
Muslim On The Real Danger Of Ilhan Omar’s Agenda (Pt. 1) | Dalia al-Aqidi | POLITICS | Rubin Report
Commentary/Opinion:
Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report talks to Dalia al-Aqidi (Journalist, Republican Candidate) about why she is challenging Rep Ilhan Omar for her congressional seat in the fifth district of Minnesota.
Dalia is a Muslim refugee who grew up in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. She immigrated to the US when she was 20.
She shares her concerns about groups like CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) and how they worked with and groomed congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
She reveals how CAIR is a front for the Muslim Brotherhood and is working to train many more candidates in the same progressive mold.
Laura Loomer Campaign Announces CoronaVirus Precautions
Republican congressional candidate Laura Loomer announced that due to the Public health emergency declared by FL Governor Ron Desantis and recent coronavirus cases and deaths in FL that she will be ending her petition drive and current door knocking efforts and will instead pay to get on the ballot for the August 18, 2020 Republican Primary.
Campaign activities will remain the same, with more contact and voter outreach taking place online and on the phone (for safety reasons) while state and health officials deal with the coronavirus.
No campaign is worth risking the health and safety of people in the community who are susceptible to contracting coronavirus.
Ending the petition drive until the threat of coronavirus passes is the safe and responsible thing to do. We all need to be safe and healthy to have an election victory and flip FL-21!
Four North Carolina counties approve sales tax increases
Voters in Bertie, Chatham, Forsyth and Madison counties approved referendums that will increase taxes to cover expenses for teacher recruitment and construction projects.
North Carolina’s current sales-tax rate is 4.75 percent on all purchases except gas and groceries. Counties can enact additional sales taxes to generate additional revenue.
Bertie, Chatham, Forsyth and Madison counties have a local sales-tax rate of 2 percent.
The four counties will join 39 other North Carolina counties that have implemented a quarter-cent sales tax increase over the past several years.
In 2007, the North Carolina General Assembly gave counties the option to push for a quarter-cent sales tax increase with voter approval.
Florida House sends licensing reform, school-choice expansion, parental rights bills to Senate
The measures were among a bevy of bills approved in the Senate and House by early evening Monday. Both chambers were poised to act on measures as they were cleared by budget negotiators.
• House Bill 1059: The Florida Parental Bill of Rights Act, sponsored by Rep. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, advanced in a 77-41 vote.
Grall added an amendment that affirms parental rights in any type of school environment to remove their children from exposure to curriculum containing objectionable instructional material “based on beliefs regarding morality, sex, and religion or the belief that such materials are harmful.”
Grall said the intent is simple: governments cannot restrict or impede a parent’s right to direct the moral and religious upbringing, education, health care and mental health of his or her child.
Northam likely to sign bill that lets localities remove Confederate monuments
Current law prevents localities from removing such monuments. Lawmakers mostly pushed new legislation, Senate Bill 183, so localities could remove Confederate monuments.
There are about 220 Confederate monuments in the commonwealth.
The legislation passed Sunday – after the General Assembly extended the legislative session past Saturday’s scheduled completion – mostly along party lines, with support from Democrats and opposition from Republicans.
This bill is part of Gov. Ralph Northam’s justice and equity agenda, which is meant to promote black history and education on racial awareness. He is expected to sign the legislation.
VIDEO: Joe Biden Senior Adviser Symone Sanders Knocked to Ground During Rally Scrum
During a primary eve rally in Detroit, Biden was interrupted several times: First by anti-NAFTA protesters unhappy with Biden’s support for the 1990s trade pact, and moments later, “climate change” hecklers who were demanding Biden do more of what they want.
Video shows protesters holding “Green New Deal Now” and “Jobs for All” signs and wearing anti-capitalism t-shirts while chanting “Hey hey, ho ho, Joe Biden has got to go,” which drew in Biden supporters.
One could be seen grabbing a woman by the arm and attempting to drag her away from the group.
Biden supporters sought to counteract the large throng of protesters with chants of “Let’s go, Joe!”
The candidate struggled to regain the attention of the room.
Dem strategist threatens ‘scorched-earth’ crusade against Trump’s family over Hunter Biden pressure
Timothy O’Brien said on MSNBC over the weekend that there will be a “scorched-earth” crusade against Trump’s children if Republicans “make an issue out of Hunter Biden.”
“If the Republicans really want to make an issue out of Hunter Biden, which is very low-hanging fruit that I don’t think most Democratic voters care about anyway, there is going to be a scorched-earth response aimed at all of the Trump children that is unlike anything they’ve experienced thus far in the media,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien, who is an executive editor at Bloomberg’s news conglomerate, also claimed that the entire Trump family are “grifters,” a suggestion that their wealth is illegitimate.
Minnesota city recognizes ‘Abortion Providers Appreciation Day’ to ‘celebrate’ abortionists’ ‘high-quality care’
The resolution passed unanimously with a vote of 7-0.
The measure also called abortion “one of the safest medical procedures in the United States” — despite the fact that it must result in the willful termination of a human life in order to be successful.
Of course, last week’s vote didn’t go through without drawing some pro-life pushback.
Minnesota state Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R) criticized the decision on Twitter, calling it “bizarre.”
Rashida Tlaib spotted wearing T-shirt that completely erases Israel from the map
The image, first posted to Twitter by user Alex VanNess, appears to show Tlaib sporting the shirt while promoting a new book by Linda Sarsour, a fellow surrogate for the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is also a vocal critic of Israel.
The shirt shows the borders of modern-day Israel colored in with Arabic letters that spell Palestine, indicating a rejection of a two-state solution and the eradication of a Jewish nation-state.
According to an advertisement for the shirt online, wearers can “stand in solidarity with Palestine” by donning the “beautiful Palestinian tee shirt.”
Biden, on video, lashes out at Detroit autoworker in profanity-laced gun dispute
The worker then told Biden, “You’re working for me, man,” and told Biden that he saw an online video supporting his claim that Biden is hostile to the Second Amendment.
Biden, pointing at the individual as they were mere inches apart in the middle of a crowd, said he’s not working for him and told him not to be “such a horse’s a–.”
Biden, at one point mistakenly referring to “AR-14’s,” went on to press the individual to acknowledge that machine guns are illegal.
The dispute, caught on camera, happened at the Fiat-Chrysler plant as Biden stumped for votes in Michigan, the biggest prize among the states voting Tuesday with 125 delegates at stake.
World News:
From confidence to quarantine: how coronavirus swept Italy
Italy appeared well ahead of the curve when the coronavirus outbreak began to spread outside China.
After detecting three cases, including two Chinese tourists at the end of January, patients were isolated in a hospital in Rome.
Contacts were traced, and the country became one of the world’s first to cut transport links with China.
The sense of confidence was palpable. “The system of prevention put into place by Italy is the most rigorous in Europe,” the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, boasted on 31 January.
In reality, as would become clear in February, the virus had been circulating unnoticed in northern Italy via other local chains of infection, in all probability since mid-January.
Israel quarantines all international travelers over COVID19 – TV7 Israel News 10.03.20
1) Effective immediately, all people entering Israel from abroad will be forced into a 14 days quarantine.
2) Any foreign nationals that enter Israel will have to prove their ability to self-quarantine. If they cannot, they will be barred from entering the Jewish State.
3) In spite of growing measures that limit the freedom of movement and congregations, Celebrations are taking place across Israel for the Jewish holiday of Purim, which commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Biblical Book of Esther.
Inside the red zone: Photos show dramatic impact of Italy’s coronavirus lockdown
The decree went into effect as of Tuesday morning and will last until April 3, 2020. The lockdown is unprecedented during peacetime in the country.
“All the measure of the red zones are now extended to all of the national territory,” Conte said in a press conference on Monday.
Italy is the worst affected nation after China, and the epicentre of the virus in Europe. Cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in all 20 regions in Italy.
On Monday, Italy’s coronavirus death toll jumped from 366 to 463. At the time of publishing this story, the total number of cases had increased to 9,172 — that number was 7,375 on Sunday.
Commentary/Opinion:
Be A Man They Said
If you saw the video titled ‘Be A Lady They said,’ you need to watch this.
If you haven’t, you still need to watch this.
Here’s the Simple Truth.
Tomboy says she was convinced to have sex change surgery; now regrets it
Photo: From BBC interview
A “tomboy” who had sex change surgery as a teenager has a warning for others about rushing into gender changing surgery.
After transitioning to male, Keira Bell now says she accepts herself as a female and has stopped taking male hormones.
Three years ago, she had an operation to remove her breasts…She decided to stop taking cross-sex hormones last year and said she was now accepting of her sex as a female.
But she was also angry about what had happened to her in the last decade.