Tag Archives: Yahoo News

Heads, I Win; Tails, You Lose

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Heads, I win; tails, you lose is the game the Democrats are currently playing with the voters in the State of Maine.

On July 9th, Yahoo News posted a CBS News article that reported:

Democrats are facing a rapidly closing window to replace Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, who dropped out of the race Wednesday following a sexual assault allegation.

…The party will now have less than three weeks to pick a new candidate to go up against Collins. The exact process is not clear, but state Democratic officials have promised “transparency” — and say Platner himself will not be involved.

…State law does not delineate how the party should choose a replacement. The Maine Democratic Party announced Wednesday it would hold a nominating convention to select a nominee. It said it would announce the timeline, details on the process, how to participate and requirements for candidates “soon.”

Graham Platner was elected by a large majority in the Democrat primary in Maine (which used ranked choice voting). The Democrats ran a test and gambled to see how much Democrat voters would put up with and still support a candidate. The Nazi tattoo did not drive the voters away–voters were aware of it before the primary. The initial charges of sexual misconduct did not cause Platner to withdraw. It was only the charge of rape by a Democrat that has caused him to suspend his campaign.

So what did we learn? The ‘me, too’ movement and the statement ‘believe all women’ only apply when the charges are against a Republican or made by a Democrat supporter. If a political party puts up a questionable candidate who wins a primary, but is forced to withdraw, they can choose the replacement candidate–not the voters. In Maine, the candidate will be determined by the people selected to attend the nominating convention. The people attending that convention may or may not be representative of the voters in Maine. When President Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race, were the voters represented in the choice of his replacement? There seems to be a pattern here.

It’s Time To Stop Being Patient

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On Tuesday, Yahoo News posted a Reuters post about recent attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. I don’t think Iran is behaving very well, and I think it’s time for Iran to be held accountable for its bad behavior.

The article reports:

Three tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, including an LNG carrier at risk of explosion, as huge crowds mourned Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the holy city of Qom.

Qatar blamed Iran for the attack on a huge Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, the Al Rekayyat, which reported being struck overnight by a drone that caused a ‌fire in its engine room.

The crew were safe and being evacuated, but maritime security sources told Reuters the fire could put the ship at risk of explosion.

A Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker, believed to be the ‌supertanker Wedyan, was also damaged off Oman, maritime security sources said. The cause was not immediately clear.

The article concludes:

In a CNN interview, Netanyahu said it was too early ‌to say how negotiations with Tehran will play out, but hinted at a continuing divergence ​with the White House over whether diplomacy can ultimately neutralize Iran’s ​nuclear program.

“The President believes that he can stop Iran’s nuclear program,” Netanyahu told CNN, adding that he has his doubts.

Nevertheless, Trump should be “given the chance” to achieve that goal, Netanyahu added, insisting the two governments were aligned on Iran strategy. “On the big things we see eye to eye, and occasionally we don’t, but we’re true allies,” he said.

Oil prices, which have returned to around the prewar level since last month’s interim deal, rose ​more than 2% on Tuesday following the incidents in the waterway.

In launching the war ‌four months ago, Trump said his aims were to destroy Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes, end its ability to threaten its neighbours and create conditions for Iranians to topple their leaders.

None of those goals ​has been met, although Washington says a permanent deal will halt what it says is an Iranian programme that could make a nuclear bomb, which Iran says it never sought.

At some point you have to stop negotiating with the neighborhood bully and simply punch him in the face!

UPDATE: I think President Trump has run out of patience.

Your Gas Stove May Be Safe (But Not Totally In New York State)

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On Wednesday, Yahoo News reported:

(The Center Square) — New York could be moving ahead with a first-in-the-nation ban on natural gas hookups in new buildings after a federal appeals court rejected a challenge from industry groups.

The ruling issued Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit rejected a lawsuit by natural gas industry groups challenging a provision of New York’s All-Electric Buildings Act, which would ban gas hookups in new buildings under seven stories, among other restrictions.

A coalition of construction and trade groups sued to block the 2023 law, saying it conflicts with federal law under the 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act and would drive up costs for businesses and energy consumers.

But the appeals court upheld lower court rulings that had determined federal law “does not preempt ” the state’s regulations on natural gas hook ups, and on Tuesday dismissed the industry lawsuit.

It’s gets interesting when the Federal Government steps in.

On Thursday, Legal Insurrection reported:

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced his department wants to eliminate the stupid appliance mandates.

“U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to permanently end home appliance and equipment mandates that raise costs and disrupt consumer choice,” according to a press release. “The proposal will update the Department’s Process Rule used to establish energy conservation standards for household appliances and equipment, including air conditioning units, gas stoves, washing and drying machines, water heaters, refrigerators, and other products Americans rely on every day.”

FOX News was the first to report the move.

“In America, you should be able to choose a dryer that dries clothes on the first try rather than one that takes multiple cycles—unfortunately, past administrations thought otherwise,” Secretary Wright said. “For too long, the American people paid the price for mandates that restricted consumer choice and drove up costs. President Trump promised to end this nonsense and that is exactly what we are doing.”

I am so tired of low-pressure shower heads. I take longer to do the dishes, even rinsing them, due to my new kitchen faucet. Don’t even get me started on toilets, especially when you’re sick.

So while New York State is limiting gas stoves, the U.S. Secretary of Energy is working toward appliance freedom for Americans. And we wonder why people are leaving New York! I would love to go back to having a dishwasher that finishes in an hour.

Say It Isn’t So

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On Friday, Yahoo News posted a frightening article.

The article states:

For decades, the idea of a four-door Ford Mustang has lived mostly in fan renderings and online debates. Purists usually rejected the concept outright, while others wondered why Ford never tried building an American performance sedan around the Mustang formula.

Now, the idea suddenly appears far more realistic. A recent Ford trademark filing for the name “Mach 4,” combined with comments from executives and earlier dealer leaks, strongly suggests the company is seriously exploring a four-door Mustang sedan.

Unlike the all-electric Mustang Mach-E crossover, this rumored model could return to traditional internal-combustion performance. If the speculation proves accurate, Ford may finally deliver a rear-wheel-drive muscle sedan powered by a V8 engine.

The timing is particularly interesting because most automakers are abandoning the segment entirely. Dodge killed the Charger and Chrysler 300 as traditional V8 sedans, Chevrolet discontinued the SS years ago, and imported performance sedans continue getting more expensive. That leaves a potential opening Ford may be eager to exploit.

…The biggest clue comes directly from Ford’s recent trademark activity. Earlier this year, the company filed for the “Mach 4” name through the United States Patent and Trademark Office, covering both gasoline and electric automobiles.

That filing immediately reignited speculation surrounding a Mustang sedan. The name itself seems intentionally designed to connect a four-door model to the existing Mustang lineup while distinguishing it from the Mach-E crossover.

Trademark filings do not automatically guarantee production plans, but automakers rarely spend time protecting names without at least considering future use. Combined with other recent developments, the filing carries much more weight than a random rumor circulating online.

Don’t do it, Ford. The electric Mustang lost the look of a Mustang. Putting another door on will only further dilute the brand. I drive a 2010 Mustang convertible, and I love the lines of the car. There isn’t enough room in the backseat for anyone over 3 feet tall, so why do they need a door?

Unfortunately, Peace May Not Be Possible

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On May 21st, Just the News posted an article that may explain the problem in negotiating a peace treaty with Iran.

The article reports:

Iran’s supreme leader reportedly won’t consider removing the country’s supply of enriched uranium, a key Trump administration requirement in negotiations to end the United States’ war with the Middle East country.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s directive to retain that supply will likely impede an end to the conflict, according to Reuters.

The United States launched a war on Iran on Feb. 28 following failed efforts to get Iran to end its program to enrich uranium to develop a nuclear warhead. 

Iran’s top officials say removing the material will leave the country vulnerable to attacks from the U.S. and Israel, which also joined the U.S. in air attacks starting Feb. 28.

Just for the record, no one is going to attack Iran if it stops funding terrorism and starts getting along with its neighbors.

Another thing to consider as these negotiations drag on is the Islamic concept of hudna. Hudna simply means declaring a truce until you can rearm enough to win the war. According to some sources, Iran is using the cease fire to rearm and reinforce its missile launching sites.

According to Yahoo News:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As negotiations with the United States hang in the balance, a hard-line Iranian general linked to notorious attacks at home and abroad over the past decades is believed to have seized a place near the center of power.

Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who heads Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has become a major player in formulating Iran’s tough stance in negotiating a possible end to the war with the United States, experts say. He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after being reportedly wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Until the Revolutionary Guard is removed, I seriously doubt we will have peace.

A Victory For Election Integrity (Almost)

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On Tuesday, Yahoo News reported that a Fulton County judge has now ruled that observers will be allowed into the reporting room on Election Day.

The article reports:

State Senator Greg Dolezal, along with two co-plaintiffs, U.S. House candidate Christopher Mora and Cobb County District 1 Commissioner Keli Gambrill, filed an emergency lawsuit against Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who is a Republican gubernatorial candidate.

Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville granted the injunction, prohibiting Raffensperger and staff from excluding observers from the state’s election operations.

Judge Glanville held that Georgia law “expressly entitles properly designated poll watchers to observe the conduct of the election and the counting and recording of votes at tabulation centers and related locations.”

Judge Glanville also found that denying observation would cause injury as transparency would be lost.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger took office in 2019. The term of office is four years. He was elected again in 2022 and ran for Governor this year. He was defeated in the primary. To be honest, I have a lot of questions about this man’s integrity. I wonder why the people of George have elected him twice. Why would the Secretary of State want to exclude observers from the election process?

The article notes that the temporary restraining order expires May 28, unless modified. That restraining order should go through the November election.

UPDATE: I celebrated too soon.

On Monday, CBS News reported:

While Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville originally granted a temporary suspending order allowing the poll watchers and other officials into reporting room. He reversed the decision hours later, saying that the petitioners did not comply with Georgia law when seeking the injunction against Raffensperger.

If I could, I would put the vote counting and the vote recording in a stadium with huge TV screens so everyone could see the vote counting all the time!

A Law That Needs To Be Changed

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Although Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. is working to wind down animal testing, as of now the testing still continues. That needs to change. Meanwhile, a puppy mill in Wisconsin that raises Beagles for animal testing has come under fire recently.

Yahoo News posted an April 22, 2026, article from the Wisconsin Examiner about the Ridglan Farms Biomedical Research Facility.

The article reports:

Fallout from a weekend attempt by animal rights activists to breach the Ridglan Farms Biomedical Research Facility and rescue beagles bred inside continues. On Tuesday, four of the activists were charged in Dane County with felony burglary. Meanwhile, Ridglan Farms has been cited for filling a trench around its facility with manure — an environmental hazard for which it lacked a permit — in an effort to prevent the activists from entering over the weekend.  Calls for an investigation into the farm and  police use of force  against them continue. 

Wayne Hsiung, Aditya Aswani, Michelle Lunsky, and Dean Wyrzykowski were all charged with felony burglary. Hsiung was noted as among the first people arrested within minutes after arriving at the farm. Although the activists had publicly advertised the rescue — which included hundreds of participants — as  planned for Sunday, the activists hit the farm a day early. Images captured on Saturday showed the air thick with tear gas, and witnesses  reported that rubber bullets and pepper balls had been used. Injuries were also reported, including one man who reportedly lost multiple teeth after being beaten by officers. 

…Thousands of dogs are kept and bred at Ridglan Farms. The facility has been accused of subjecting beagles to cruel and inhumane conditions by enclosing them in gated cages, not allowing them outside or play time, and removing parts of their bodies or subjecting them to experiments without anesthesia. Ridglan has denied some of the allegations.

The article concludes:

Two elected members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors have also said they’re initiating the steps needed to begin an independent investigation into the force used by the Dane County Sheriff on activists and protesters Saturday. Sheriff Kalvin Barrett has said that the actions of his deputies was proportionate and appropriate to the situation they faced Saturday.

Obviously, I would like to see scientific experiments on animals ended, but beyond that, it is cruel to keep dogs in cages with no outside running time. Ridglan Farms seems to be a puppy mill with a horrific ending for the puppies involved.

Why We Need To Teach Civics In Our Schools

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On Wednesday, Yahoo News posted an article about a County Sheriff in North Carolina who couldn’t answer a very basic civics question.

The article reports:

North Carolina Republican state Rep. Allen Chesser said he was taken by surprise when a Democratic sheriff who has long opposed cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could not answer a basic question about how the government works.

A North Carolina House Oversight Committee hearing spurred on by the recent killing of a young Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, in Charlotte, took an unexpected turn when Chesser asked Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, “What branch of government do you operate under?”

McFadden, who is the top law enforcement officer in the county where Zarutska was killed, simply answered, “Mecklenburg County,” prompting Chesser to repeat, “What branch of government do you operate under, sheriff?”

The sheriff answered, “The Constitution of the United States,” to which Chesser responded, “That is what establishes the branches of government; I’m asking what branch you fall under.”

The article continues:

After that, Chesser continued to press McFadden about how he reconciles his responsibility as an officer under the executive branch to enforce the law with his opposition to cooperation with ICE. Chesser asked McFadden how he reconciled his responsibility with a previous statement in which the sheriff said, “We do not have a role in enforcement whatsoever, we do not have to follow the rules and the laws that are governed by our lawmakers in Raleigh.”

The sheriff said that Chesser was taking his quote out of context, saying it was strictly in reference to immigration enforcement.

Though declining to offer more context on the statement, McFadden affirmed his office is now abiding by state law requiring cooperation with ICE, saying, “We follow the law, when the law is produced, we follow the law.”

The Oath of Office for a sheriff in North Carolina includes the words “I will support and maintain the Constitution and laws of the United States, and the Constitution and laws of North Carolina not inconsistent therewith…. How can you support and maintain the Constitution if you have no idea what it says? Maybe we need to make all of our elected officials take a short course on the U.S. Constitution after they are elected.

The North Carolina Shrimp Fishermen And Their Friends Speak Up

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On Tuesday, my husband and I and some friends attended a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, to support our local shrimp fishermen. The purpose of the rally was to ask the legislature not to pass House Resolution 442. We visited a number of legislators and asked them to kill the bill. I am not in any way directly involved with the fishing industry, but while living in Massachusetts, I watched government regulations drive generations of Portuguese fishermen out of business along the southern coast of Massachusetts. I don’t want to see that  happen to the shrimp fishermen in North Carolina.

On Tuesday, Yahoo News reported:

North Carolina fishermen abandoned their boats on Tuesday to walk the halls of the General Assembly and voice strong opposition to legislation that would ban inland shrimp trawling. House Bill 442, passed by the Senate last week, would prohibit trawlers from using their nets for shrimping in all inshore waters and within a half mile of the coast.

The original bill passed by the House in May dealt with strengthening the state’s flounder and red snapper stocks by regulating the harvest season and the number of fish that could be taken. The measure, however, was rewritten to address the shrimp trawling issue and quickly approved by the Senate last week.

The article includes some of the comments made by the legislators:

Rep. Phil Shepard (R-Onslow) said the legislation was not just bad for commercial fishermen, but consumers who prize fresh seafood.

“I was born Down East, and I know the difference in a local shrimp and one that comes from Thailand or China.”

Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) — one of the legislature’s leading voices for environmental protection — also joined the chorus of voices opposing the trawling ban.

Senator Bobby Hanig, who represents ten coastal counties, has been fighting the ban in the upper chamber. Hanig called the Senate maneuver to pass the revised version of HB 442 “sleazy politics at its worst.”

Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort) said the bill would “flip the switch” on the economy in eastern North Carolina, harming not just the commercial fishermen, but all the supporting businesses.

“Are we going to shut down the people who live every day making an honest living because some branch of the government finally decides some slimy backroom deals that they don’t want to do this anymore?”

Kidwell said the bill would not advance in the state House on his watch.

“We’re going to spike this bill. And we’re going to drive a stake through its heart so it’s dead — because as you’ve noticed many times in this building, bills are like Freddy Krueger. Once you think they’re dead, they come back to life. This one’s going to die. It will be a swift, painful death.”

Kidwell also predicted House Bill 441 that would offer temporary “transition payments” to commercial fishermen impacted by the proposed trawling ban, would also fail as primary sponsors of the original bill have asked that their names be removed from the legislation.

The article concludes:

The commercial shrimping industry in North Carolina is valued at more than $14 million per year.

It’s Time To Stop The Insanity

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We need to find the person who put this questionnaire together and make sure they are never again involved in public policy.

On Monday, Yahoo News reported that parents of newborn babies born in New Jersey are legally required to fill out a form that has an option of listing the child as transgender.

Here is a screenshot of the form:

What manner of insanity is this?

The article reports:

Inspira claims that it created the questionnaire to comply with a New Jersey law requiring healthcare providers to “collect race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity in a culturally competent and sensitive manner”.

The questions are intended to “provide a safe and compassionate experience” and “comply with recently-enacted state legislation”, the form states.

Republican State Senator Holly Schepisi told the Post: “The entire thing lacks such common sense, and serves no purpose whatsoever.

“As a mom myself, I know you’re exhausted after giving birth, you’ve got a crying newborn and you’re trying to figure out how to feed it. To be handed that sort of form in the midst of all that has no medical value, it makes no sense.”

She added that she would introduce a bill next week to revise New Jersey law to limit the data collection to patients aged over 16 years.

The article concludes:

Inspira Health told The Telegraph that it was “required by New Jersey law” to “request their patients provide their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity”.

It continued: “Patients are permitted to decline to provide this information.

“Per recent guidance from the New Jersey Department of Health stating that health systems can collect that data in a clinically appropriate and culturally competent manner, Inspira Health will request this information from adults.

“This update in protocol remains compliant with the law, and we respect patients’ right to decline to respond.”

He added that the company had sought a waiver from the state but that it had not been granted.

I don’t have a problem with the government collecting basic birth statistics. However, this is ridiculous. Babies know how to eat, cry, smile, and make messes. Their intellectual capacity in other areas is very limited.

The Games Have Begun

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On Tuesday, Yahoo News posted an article about some of the lawsuits filed against President Trump’s executive orders. President Trump won the popular vote and the Electoral College, but that is not going to stop the deep state from trying to limit his power.

The article reports:

The lawsuits started to roll in on Monday within minutes of Trump being sworn into office for a second term. The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider.

Here are the Trump initiatives that have been targeted so far:

The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency came under swift legal attack shortly after Trump signed an executive order formally creating the group that aims to slash wasteful federal spending.

Advocacy organizations and public interest groups quickly filed a handful of lawsuits in the US District Court for the District of Columbia against DOGE.

Three of four lawsuits filed argue that DOGE violates the transparency requirements of the 1972 Federal Advisory Committee Act. DOGE, the lawsuits say, is not a federal department and should be considered a federal advisory committee subject to the FACA law.

…Another lawsuit, filed by several groups including the American Public Health Association and the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, contends that DOGE is a “shadow operation led by unelected billionaires who stand to reap huge financial rewards from this influence and access.”

…A fourth lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity against the Office of Management and Budget, seeks to compel the government agency to hand over records related to DOGE under the Freedom of Information Act.

“These records are important for the public to understand the threats to numerous environmental protections embodied in rules and orders and how, when, and under what circumstances the new administration intends to act on these threats,” the lawsuit says.

Another major target of the lawsuit:

One of Trump’s executive orders targets the constitutional right to birthright citizenship. The order bars federal agencies from issuing documents recognizing the citizenship of babies born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally.

…The lawsuit says the order conflicts with the 14th Amendment’s provision that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”

“This principle has enabled generations of children to pursue their dreams and build a stronger America,” the lawsuit says.

Please follow the link to the article for further details. The bottom line here is simple–the battle is not over–it has just begun.

The Lie That Keeps Being Told

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To debunk one of the claims repeatedly made by the Harris campaign, I am going back to an article from December of 2021. The facts have been available since then, but the campaign has chosen to ignore them–just as the campaign has continually lied about Project 2025 and President Trump’s stand on abortion.

In December 2021, Yahoo News shared an article from The Hill.

The article reports:

Congressional Democrats have argued that one of the best ways to pay for the legislation is to raise taxes on wealthy households, which, according to many on the left, have benefited disproportionately and unfairly from the 2017 tax reform law passed by Republicans and signed by former President Trump. The latest data, however, proves that this claim is pure mythology.

Income data published by the IRS clearly show that on average all income brackets benefited substantially from the Republicans’ tax reform law, with the biggest beneficiaries being working and middle-income filers, not the top 1 percent, as so many Democrats have argued.

A careful analysis of the IRS tax data, one that includes the effects of tax credits and other reforms to the tax code, shows that filers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $15,000 to $50,000 enjoyed an average tax cut of 16 percent to 26 percent in 2018, the first year Republicans’ Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect and the most recent year for which data is available.

Filers who earned $50,000 to $100,000 received a tax break of about 15 percent to 17 percent, and those earning $100,000 to $500,000 in adjusted gross income saw their personal income taxes cut by around 11 percent to 13 percent.

By comparison, no income group with an AGI of at least $500,000 received an average tax cut exceeding 9 percent, and the average tax cut for brackets starting at $1 million was less than 6 percent. (For more detailed data, see my table published here.)

That means most middle-income and working-class earners enjoyed a tax cut that was at least double the size of tax cuts received by households earning $1 million or more.

What’s more, IRS data shows earners in higher income brackets contributed a bigger slice of the total income tax revenue pie following the passage of the tax reform law than they had in the previous year.

The article concludes:

Every income bracket with a top level lower than $25,000 experienced a reduction in its number of filers, and every income bracket above $25,000 increased in size, with the biggest gains occurring in the brackets with a floor of at least $100,000.

The fact is, Republicans’ 2017 tax reform law did exactly what was promised: It lowered taxes for all income groups, provided the greatest benefits for middle-income households, and spurred economic growth that helped reduce poverty and improve prosperity.

It would be a grave mistake for Democrats to eliminate key parts of this important legislation.

Numbers don’t lie. Unfortunately, Democrat Presidential candidates do.

Europe Is Waking Up

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Most of Europe has had open borders for a while now. It has not worked well. Even Paris is being pressured to change its world famous culinary habits by Muslim immigrants (story here). There have been drastic increases in crime in Germany and Sweden. Sweden is offering immigrants $34,000 to leave the country (story here). So what can people do? They can vote the people supporting unlimited immigration out of office.

On Sunday, Yahoo News posted an article about recent elections in Austria. The article describes the winning party of the election as ‘far right.’ If you understand the current state of the media, you realize that ‘far right’ means actually representing the common man.

The article reports:

Political parties on the European right celebrated Sunday’s parliamentary election victory by Austria’s Freedom Party (FPO) as a boost for national conservatives amid advances by the hard right fuelled by worries about immigration.

Led by Herbert Kickl, who capitalised on a misfiring economy and concerns that Austria has taken in people faster than it can integrate them, the FPO won around 29% of the vote, a record result that may give it a platform to lead the next government.

Kickl must find a partner to form a stable coalition and he is loathed by other party leaders, who have refused to serve under him and quickly began discussing the possibility of sounding out alternatives to an FPO-led government.

But there were warm words from allies in Europe, where the FPO forms part of a right-wing group inside the European Parliament led by France’s far-right National Rally (RN).

Its leader Marine Le Pen expressed delight at the victory and said it showed those parties were advancing.

“After the Italian, Dutch and French elections, this tidal wave which supports the defence of national interests, the safeguarding of identities and the resurrection of sovereignties, confirms the triumph of the people everywhere,” Le Pen wrote in a post on X.

The recent elections in Europe have not gone the way the European Union and the World Economic Forum want them to go. That is a good thing.

 

The Joys Of Communism

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On Monday, Yahoo News reported that Cuba has cut the size of its daily breat ration because of a shortage of ingredients.

The article reports:

The bread, one of a handful of still subsidized basic food products in Cuba, will be reduced from 80 grams to 60 grams (2.1 oz), or approximately the weight of an average cookie or a small bar of soap. Its price, too, was slightly reduced, to just under 1 peso, or 1/3 of a cent.

Still, many Cubans, who earn around 4648 pesos a month, or around $15, can scarcely afford to shop for more expensive bread on the private market, leaving them with few alternatives.

“We have to accept it, what else can we do?” Havana-resident Dolores Fernandez told Reuters while she stood outside a bakery on Monday. “There’s no choice.”

Cuba last week said it had run short of the wheat flour it needs to produce the bread, a predicament the government blames on the U.S. trade embargo, a complex web of restrictions that complicates Cuba’s global financial transactions.

The Caribbean island nation is suffering from extreme shortages of food, fuel and medicine, shortfalls that have primed a record-breaking exodus of its citizens to the nearby United States.

Cuba’s ration book, or “libreta,” as it is known among island residents, was once considered a hallmark of Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, providing a range of deeply-discounted products to all Cubans, including bread, fish, meat, milk, and cleaning and toiletry supplies.

This is one example of what happens when the government controls the price of food. Price controls create scarcity.

Keeping The SALT Limit Where It Is

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On Wednesday, Yahoo News posted an article about a bill to change the SALT deduction. The bill failed in the House of Representatives. The SALT deduction is the State and Local Tax deduction that President Trump capped at $10,000. High-tax states like New York, New Jersey, California, and Pennsylvania want the limit higher. That way when they charge their residents exorbitant tax rates, the residents can deduct those taxes on their federal income tax. In some high-tax states, just the real estate taxes on an average home are over $10,000. Generally, allowing higher SALT deductions is a gift to wealthy people and to people who live in high-tax states. In a sense, lower-tax states are funding the spending of the higher-tax states.

The article at Yahoo states:

A bill called the SALT Marriage Penalty Elimination Act, which would have raised the tax cap for some married filers and ease some of the burden in high-tax states like New York, was on the table in the House of Representatives. But it was rejected before it could even be formally considered.

“I’m hopeful this can be a moment of unity among my colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” said Rep. Mike Lawler (R.-N.Y.), the bill’s lead sponsor, as the debate got underway on Wednesday afternoon.

But — as was widely expected — it was not to be, with both Republicans and Democrats voting against the bill as it failed to garner agreement in a procedural vote.

The final vote on adopting a combined rule was rejected in a tally of 195-225, a defeat that is likely the end of the bill for the time being.

While I agree that all of our taxes should go down, limiting the SALT deduction was a way to hold high-tax states more accountable.

The Action And The Location Are BOTH Important

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On January 2nd, Yahoo News reported that Israel has killed Saleh Arouri, a top official with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and three others.

The article reports:

An explosion in Beirut on Tuesday killed Saleh Arouri, a top official with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and three others, officials with Hamas and the Lebanese group Hezbollah said.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the blast killed four people and was carried out by an Israeli drone. Israeli officials declined to comment.

If Israel is behind the attack it could mark a major escalation in the Middle East conflict. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to retaliate against any Israeli targeting of Palestinian officials in Lebanon.

Hamas official Bassem Naim confirmed to The Associated Press that Arouri was killed in the blast. A Hezbollah official speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations also said Arouri was killed.

The explosion took place in Lebanon and killed officials in both Hamas and Hezbollah. This should be a warning to Hezbollah to avoid attacking Israel while Israel is engaged in the Gaza Strip.

The article concludes:

The explosion shook Musharafieh, one of the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, which are a stronghold of the militant Hezbollah group, which is an ally of Hamas. The explosion caused fire in Hadi Nasrallah street south of Beirut.

The explosion came during more than two months of heavy exchanges of fire between Israeli troops and members of Hezbollah along Lebanon’s southern border.

Since the fighting began on Oct. 8, the fighting has been concentrated a few miles (kilometers) from the border but on several occasions Israel’s air force hit Hezbollah targets deeper in Lebanon.

Earlier in the day, Hezbollah said its fighters carried out several attacks along the Lebanon-Israel border targeting Israeli military posts.

At some point we are going to have to admit that generally speaking, terrorists cannot be rehabilitated and need to be eliminated.

Is This Appropriate?

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The Democrats cheered John Fetterman’s return to the Senate after his two-month absence. Senator Fetterman checked into the hospital for depression. He is now returning to work. I appreciate his returning to work–he is supposed to represent the people of Pennsylvania, and he can’t do that unless he shows up. However, I truly question his judgement in showing up to the Senate in a hoodie and shorts. I am not the fashion police, but that just seems disrespectful to me.

This is the picture:

I guess I am old-fashioned, but I think this is totally inappropriate dress for the Senate.

On Tuesday, Yahoo News posted an article about Senator Fetterman’s return. Skip the article, and read the comments. I am not the only one offended by the lack of respect for the Senate shown by the way the Senator is dressed.

Protocol Matters

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I guess I am just old-fashioned, but I believe that there are certain protocols found in the history of America that should be maintained. Somehow, it seems to me that ignoring these protocols or changing them is not appropriate. One of these protocols is the Oath of Office taken by a newly-elected official on the Bible (or even on the Quran).

On Wednesday, Yahoo News reported that Representative-elect Robert Garcia of California will be taking his Oath of Office with three items beneath the U.S. Constitution he is swearing on. Those items are a photo of his mom and step-father, who both died of COVID-19; a copy of his United States Citizenship certificate; and a first-edition Superman comic, courtesy of the Library of Congress. While I appreciate the sentiment of the first two, I question the appropriateness of the third. Note that there is not a Bible involved.

The article reports:

The Superman comic, which was published in 1939, is a collector’s item (similar versions of which have sold for upwards of $5 million) — but more than that, it’s personal for Garcia, who was born in Peru.

“I came to America at the age of 5 as a Spanish-speaker,” the lawmaker tells PEOPLE. “As a kid, I would pick up comics at old thrift shops and pharmacies and that’s how I learned to read and write in English.”

That’s very nice, and I am glad that he obviously appreciates being an American citizen. However, I am not sure that this is the place for a superman comic. On the other hand, based on some of the antics of Congress, a comic book may be more appropriate than not.

Lying Or Simply Not Knowing?

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On Thursday, The U.K. Daily Mail posted an article about a recent speech by President Biden.

The article reports:

President Joe Biden touted U.S. manufacturing gains Thursday on a trip to Syracuse – where he claimed gas prices were down compared to when he took office, when in fact they are higher.

‘We’re down $1.25 Since the peak this summer, and they’ve been falling for the last three weeks as well as well, and adding up real savings for families today.,’ Biden said. 

‘The most common price of gas in America is $3.39 down from over $5 When I took office,’ he continued.

The average cost of a gallon of gas on the AAA site was $3.76 Thursday. When he took office, it was averaging $2.39 – or about half what he said it was then – according to the Energy Information Institute.

President Biden has a very shaky relationship with the truth. Remember how the political left was always accusing President Trump of lying? Somehow that hasn’t happened to President Biden, even when he is lying.

Yahoo News recently fact-checked another of President Biden’s statements:

Joe Biden: “wages have gone up higher, faster than inflation”

PolitiFact’s ruling: Mostly false

Here’s why: President Joe Biden defended his record on the U.S. economy while attending the international climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

Biden entered the United Nations’ COP 26 summit facing supply chain challenges and high levels of inflation back home. At a press conference, he said the U.S. is still in a better place than a year ago, when the coronavirus pandemic limited family gatherings and hampered the economy.

“This Thanksgiving, we’re all in a very different circumstance,” Biden said on Nov. 2. “Things are a hell of a lot better, and the wages have gone up higher, faster than inflation.”

On inflation and wages, Biden has a point for the most recent two months — August and September 2021. However, inflation outpaced wages by so much earlier in his presidency that these two months haven’t changed the overall picture much. All told, Americans are worse off on the comparison of inflation and wages than they were roughly a year ago. (The White House did not respond to an inquiry for this article.)

At least someone is noticing the lies.

Is Accountability Coming?

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On September 30, Yahoo News posted the following headline:

The FDA Misled the Public About Ivermectin and Should Be Accountable in Court, Argues the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)

Wow. I have no idea what the motive of the FDA was (although I could make some educated guesses), but people died because of their actions. They do need to be held accountable.

The article reports:

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) filed its motion and amicus brief Thursday evening with the federal district court in Galveston urging it to allow the lawsuit to proceed against the FDA for its misleading statements against ivermectin. In Apter v. HHS, a group of physicians sued to hold the Food and Drug Administration, a federal agency within the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), accountable for its interference with physicians’ ability to treat Covid-19.

“Defendant FDA has improperly exploited misunderstandings about the legality and prevalence of off-label uses of medication, in order to mislead courts, state medical boards, and the public into thinking there is anything improper about off-label prescribing,” AAPS writes in its amicus brief to the court. “Not only is off-label prescribing fully proper, legal, and commonplace, but it is also absolutely necessary in order to give effective care to patients.”

Yet the FDA published multiple statements and sent letters to influential organizations to falsely disparage ivermectin, implying that it was not approved for treating Covid-19. Many, including courts and state medical boards, were misled by the FDA into thinking that its lack of approval for this treatment meant that ivermectin should not be used to treat Covid-19.

“It has never been proper for the FDA to interfere with that essential part of the practice of medicine, and the FDA knows it,” AAPS informed the court. The FDA “insisted and continues to insist on interfering with the prescription of this safe medication by physicians in treating Covid-19,” AAPS added.

The article notes that AAPS General Counsel Andrew Schlafly stated that once the FDA approves a medication as safe, then physicians have full authority to prescribe it to treat any illness.

People died because of the actions of the FDA.

Common Sense Steps In

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Yesterday I reported that the man who attacked Congressman Lee Zeldin (article here) had been released from jail “on his own recognizance.” He was released due to the ridiculous bail reform laws in New York State. However, that is not the end of the story (thankfully).

Late Saturday, Yahoo News reported the following:

A Perinton man was arrested Saturday afternoon on a federal charge of assaulting Congressman Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee for New York governor, at a campaign event Thursday.

David G. Jakubonis, 43, made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marion W. Payson at the Keating Federal Building in Rochester. He was charged with assaulting a member of Congress using a dangerous weapon and is being held in custody pending a detention hearing on July 27.

Jakubonis had already been arraigned on a state charge of attempted second-degree assault and was released on his own recognizance, according to a news release from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

It is a federal crime under Tile 18, U.S. Code, § 351 to assault a member of Congress. Prosecutors do not have to prove that a defendant knew that the victim was a member of Congress to prove a violation of the law. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

On Sunday, The Huffington Post reported:

A man accused of attacking New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin during a recent campaign rally told investigators he’d been drinking that day and didn’t know who the congressman was, authorities said as the man was arrested on a federal assault charge Saturday.

David Jakubonis, 43, made an initial court appearance Saturday before a federal magistrate judge in Rochester, New York, on a single count of assaulting a member of Congress with a dangerous weapon. The charge carries a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Isn’t it interesting that the attacker is claiming that he did not know who his victim was. Why does he thing the Congressman was standing on a stage talking to a group of people? I suspect it will be a shock to him when he finds out that the fact that he claims he did not know the Congressman is irrelevant.

Looking For An Incident?

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On Wednesday, PJ Media reported that on Wednesday afternoon the FBI arrested Nicholas John Roske near the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The article reports:

The list of weapons and gear the suspect had on his person reads like something out of a horror movie. Roske, who told police that he planned to assassinate Kavanaugh, was arrested with a suitcase containing “a black tactical chest rig and tactical knife, a Glock 17 pistol with two magazines and ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, screwdriver, nail punch, crow bar, pistol light, duct tape, hiking boots with padding on the outside of the soles, and other items,” according to the FBI.

…The suspect, who said he found the address of Kavanaugh’s home on the internet (that’s on YOU, left-wing whack jobs), told Montgomery County Police he was upset about the leaked draft opinion of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which could potentially overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, and also the recent school shooting in Uvalde. He admitted to targeting Kavanaugh because he believed the justice would “side with Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws.” He said he planned to kill Kavanaugh and then commit suicide to give his life purpose.

On Wednesday, Breitbart reported:

The Justice Department appears to still be allowing protesters to gather outside of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home even after police arrested a man who allegedly intended to assassinate him.

Video on Wednesday showed protesters marching in front of the justice’s home shouting pro-abortion slogans. The protesters also made their way over to Chief Justice John Roberts’ home as well.

I realize that protesting is legal, but once there is an actual murder attempt, shouldn’t it be curtailed. Aren’t there buffer zones around abortion clinics? Shouldn’t there be ‘protection zones’ around the houses of Justices who have been threatened?

Breitbart also reported on Wednesday:

The Justice Department appears to still be allowing protesters to gather outside of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home even after police arrested a man who allegedly intended to assassinate him.

Video on Wednesday showed protesters marching in front of the justice’s home shouting pro-abortion slogans. The protesters also made their way over to Chief Justice John Roberts’ home as well.

Despite McCarthy’s request, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats failed to comply with McCarthy’s proposal to bring the bill to vote.

UPDATE:

Yahoo news reported on Thursday:

The House will vote next week on legislation to expand security for the families and staff of the Supreme Court justices, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Thursday. The Senate approved the legislation unanimously last month,

Stay tuned.

This Could Easily Crash The American Economy

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In explaining why oil is traded in American dollars, Quora reports the following history:

Allegedly, In a series of meetings, the United States — represented by then U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger — and the Saudi royal family made an agreement. The United States would offer military protection for Saudi Arabia’s oil fields, and in return the Saudi’s would price their oil sales exclusively in United States dollars (in other words, the Saudis were to refuse all other currencies, except the U.S. dollar, as payment for their oil exports). By 1975, all of the oil-producing nations of OPEC had agreed to price their oil in dollars and to invest surplus oil proceeds in U.S. government debt securities in exchange for similar offers by the U.S.

That agreement has propped up the American dollar during Washington’s wild spending binges. It has allowed America to create the massive debt we now have without going bankrupt. Just for the record, high inflation makes it easier to pay off that debt.

Yesterday Yahoo News posted an article that is not good news for the future of the American dollar.

The article reports:

Saudi and Chinese officials are in talks to price some of the Gulf nation’s oil sales in yuan rather than dollars or euros, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The two nations have intermittently discussed the matter for six years, but talks have reportedly stepped up in 2022, with Riyadh disgruntled over the United States’ nuclear negotiations with Iran and its lack of backing for Saudi Arabia’s military operation in neighboring Yemen.

Nearly 80 percent of global oil sales are priced in dollars, and since the mid-1970s the Saudis have exclusively used the dollar for oil trading as part of a security agreement with the U.S. government, according to the Journal.

The talks are the latest in an ongoing effort by Beijing both to make its currency tradeable in international oil markets and strengthen its relationship with the Saudis specifically. China previously aided Riyadh in construction of ballistic missiles and consultation on nuclear power.

Conversely, the Saudi-U.S. relationship has been increasingly frayed in recent years. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman initially put forth a public image as a reformer, liberalizing the country’s policies on women’s rights and criminal justice.

However, the 2018 assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been catastrophic for both the crown prince’s public relations offensive and relations with Washington. The rift intensified after President Biden, who has said the assassination should make the kingdom a “pariah,” took office.

During the same period, China’s economic relationship to Saudi Arabia has grown closer, with the kingdom providing 1.76 million barrels of oil a day to the country in 2021, according to the Journal, citing China’s General Administration of Customs. While the country plans to maintain the dollar for the majority of its oil trading, a shift by the Saudis could create a domino effect for China’s other major oil suppliers, such as Russia, Angola and Iraq.

I am not a financial expert and would not presume to tell anyone what a safe investment would be for the future, but I can say that this is not good news for the American economy.

The Long Reach Of The Government Just Got Longer

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The Patriot Daily wire is reporting the following today:

The federal government is issuing warrants from compliant Google to turn over anyone typing in certain search terms.

But they assure the American public that they can be trusted. Just like the federal government assured Americans they would not abuse the secret FISA courts to spy on innocent Americans!

We now know that crooked feds were spying on Donald Trump, his family, his campaign and his presidency using the secret courts to obtain warrants.

Frankly, I use Duck Duck Go as a search engine. I am not sure if they have been hit by warrants yet.

The article includes the following excerpt from a Yahoo News article:

The U.S. government is reportedly secretly issuing warrants for Google to provide user data on anyone typing in certain search terms, raising fears that innocent online users could get caught up in serious crime investigations at a greater frequency than previously thought.

In an attempt to track down criminals, federal investigators have started using new “keyword warrants” and used them to ask Google to provide them information on anyone who searched a victim’s name or their address during a particular year, an accidentally unsealed court document that Forbes found shows.

Google has to respond to thousands of warrant orders each year, but the keyword warrants are a relatively new strategy used by the government and are controversial.

“Trawling through Google’s search history database enables police to identify people merely based on what they might have been thinking about, for whatever reason, at some point in the past,” Jennifer Granick, surveillance and cybersecurity counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, told Forbes.

“This never-before-possible technique threatens First Amendment interests and will inevitably sweep up innocent people, especially if the keyword terms are not unique and the time frame not precise. To make matters worse, police are currently doing this in secret, which insulates the practice from public debate and regulation,” she added.

The government said that the scope of the warrants is limited to avoid implicating innocent people who happen to search for certain terms, but it’s not publicly disclosed how many users’ data are sent to the government and what the extent of the warrant requests are.

This may be what eventually will change the focus of the American Civil Liberties Union to protecting the First Amendment rights of Americans, which is what they should actually be doing.

What Will Be The Long-Term Impact Of This?

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Scott Johnson at Power Line Blog posted an article today about what is happening with the Haitian refugees that are coming into our country right now.

The article quotes the Associated Press:

Many Haitian migrants camped in a small Texas border town are being released in the United States, two U.S. officials said, undercutting the Biden administration’s public statements that the thousands in the camp faced immediate expulsion.

Haitians have been freed on a “very, very large scale” in recent days, according to one U.S. official who put the figure in the thousands. The official, with direct knowledge of operations who was not authorized to discuss the matter Tuesday and thus spoke on condition of anonymity.

Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving, the official said.

The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said. They are processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

The article notes that a U.S. official has stated that large numbers of Haitians are being released into America rather than being sent home as we have been told.

Meanwhile, Yahoo News reported the following yesterday:

Haitians deported from the U.S. on Tuesday assaulted the pilots on board one of the flights when it arrived in Port-au-Prince and injured three U.S. immigration officers, according to a source familiar with internal reports of the incident.

Unrest broke out shortly after a flight carrying single adult men arrived and released the men to Haitian authorities on the tarmac. Then, the source said, several of the men stormed another recently arrived flight carrying families.

The men assaulted the pilots of that plane, who work for a government contractor licensed to fly deportation flights for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while the families were still on board. Three ICE officers were also attacked on that plane, each suffering non-life-threatening injuries, the source said.

Yesterday The Washington Examiner reported:

Haitian migrants who were being transported on a federally contracted private bus away from the border revolted during the ride and overtook control of the commercial vehicle before escaping, according to two law enforcement officials.

A large white bus bound for San Antonio, Texas, was overtaken Monday afternoon during the two-and-a-half-hour trip from the international bridge in Del Rio. The migrants on board had been picked up from the makeshift migrant camp, where thousands are waiting to be taken into custody, two federal law enforcement agents told the Washington Examiner.

“They did break out of the bus, and they did escape,” a senior federal law enforcement official confirmed to the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.

There seems to be a pattern here, and it is not a good one.