News of the Week for April 10th, 2016
- Election 2016
- Obama Scandals
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Election 2016
Cruz snaring Trump’s Arizona delegates
Sen. Ted Cruz is out-hustling Donald Trump and looks set to ensure many Arizona delegates will defect to him in a convention floor fight.
Cruz engineering second ballot defection of “Trump delegates”
Trump’s delegate castle built on sand.
Economic models predict GOP White House, even with Trump
Republicans are expected to win the White House under two economic models that have accurately forecast presidential elections for decades.
What dirt does Donald Trump have on Fox News? New report claims Roger Ailes is afraid to attack the mogul because he has an “arsenal” of information that could destroy the network
In a new cover story in New York magazine, reporter Gabriel Sherman details how Donald Trump came to have insider information on Fox News
In Case Of Trump, Keep Calm And Turn Out For The Down-Ticket
Saying “never Trump” shouldn’t mean staying home on election day. The down-ticket races are arguably more important.
What to Expect at This Year’s Republican Convention
There’s a very slim chance any remaining Republican candidate will secure the Republican nomination prior to the convention. The possibility of an open convention has wrought all kinds of conspiracy theories, doomsday scenarios, and wish casting.
Video Surfaces of Bernie Sanders Praising Breadlines and Food Rationing
Vermont’s Democratic socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has sought to separate his views from those of tyrannical socialist regimes throughout history. The problem is that back in the 1980’s Sanders was outspoken in his support of communist dictator Fidel Castro as well as the Soviet-aligned Sandinista government in Nicaragua.
Hillary Clinton Questions Bernie Sanders’s Democratic Bona Fides
In an interview with Politico’s Glenn Thrush the day of the Wisconsin primary, Hillary Clinton challenged Bernie Sanders’s commitment to the Democratic party.
After Wisconsin Loss, Hot Mic Catches Clinton Telling Supporter “We’ve Got to Get the Energy Going”
After suffering yet another lopsided loss to Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton remarked Wednesday after a speech in Pennsylvania that her team needed to “get the energy going.”
Trump ally admits campaign has “no infrastructure” in remaining primary states
A former senior adviser to Donald Trump claims the Republican presidential front-runner has virtually no campaign infrastructure in the primary states that lie ahead.
Should the GOP Nominate By Plurality?
To me, the nomination math is simple. As soon as one of the candidates receives the votes of a majority of the delegates (i.e., 1,237), either on the first ballot or on a subsequent ballot, he or she is the nominee. Until someone gets a majority of the ballots, the delegates keep voting.
Cruz Ventures Into the Bronx in Delegate Quest
NEW YORK—Fresh off a convincing victory in Wisconsin, Ted Cruz found himself in a “Chino-Latino” restaurant Wednesday in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx.
Student Government Leaders At Tennessee University Demand Student Resign Because She Supports Trump
College campuses in this country have completely given up trying to expose students to a variety of ideas to help them find their own voice.
The GOP Convention Opportunity
Everyone seems to think that the GOP convention this summer is likely to be a disaster, with the party splitting and at least half the delegates going home unhappy that their man didn’t prevail. Let me suggest that this is a yuuuge opportunity for Republicans to make lemonade out of lemons. As Trump might say, the greatest lemonade ever!
Trump leads poll in California, but shows regional weakness
Many of Trump’s supporters are same Republicans who voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger
Five Things You Must Know About the New York GOP Primary
In two weeks New York has its primary. It has a huge pool of delegates. It is Donald Trump’s home state. Trump’s stooges are still in disarray over Trump losing four states in a row to Ted Cruz and they will be out for blood.
Why a race further down the Wisconsin ballot rattled Democrats
Wisconsin’s luckless Democrats, gerrymandered into a minority and unable to retire Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.), went into Tuesday night hoping for a breakthrough.
Sanders And Clinton Battle Over The Meaning Of “Quote Unquote”
The temperature of the Democratic presidential primary has been turned up a few notches this week.
CA’s AG Kamala Harris: Worse than Senator Boxer?
Targets Planned Parenthood undercover video maker for raids, fossil fuel industry for retribution.
Will The GOP Go “Off The Board” To Pick A Nominee?
As the delegate trench warfare grinds on in a delegate by delegate battle, people are coming to grips with the idea of a “contested convention” where no candidate arrives in Cleveland with the requisite 1,237 delegates to secure the nomination.
How New York’s Voter Registration Law Is Going To Screw Donald Trump
One of the interesting things about this primary season is learning just how byzantine our party primaries are. I’ve posted twice now on the New York primary, relying upon the New York Board of Elections website as a source.
Priebus: Nomination Might Go to Outside Candidate on “Eighth or Ninth or 100th Ballot”
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called it “highly unlikely” that someone other than the three candidates in the GOP race will win the nomination at a contested convention.
Philadelphia Hit With Lawsuit for Concealing Election Records
City has failed to provide information on possible non-citizen voters
List Of Upcoming Senate Primaries
Lost in the excitement of the presidential races is the fact that there are several key Senate primaries coming up in the next 6 or so weeks.
Trump’s getting trounced in Indiana
The state hasn’t even voted and convention delegates are already lined up against the front-runner.
California Stopping Trump
This is the winning formula that worked so well in Wisconsin focusing on delegate-wins instead of state wide wins. Trump has failed to master the complicated minutia of delegate allocation — a major weakness of his candidacy.
Should Cruz Even Be in New York Right Now?
John Kasich Actually Serves a Purpose
Obama Scandals
Obama Admin Tells Landlords They Can’t Refuse To House Criminals
The Obama administration released a warning Monday telling the nation’s landlords that it may be discriminatory for them to refuse to rent to those with criminal records.
Feds Spend $548,459 Studying Male Students’ “Microaggressions” Towards Women
Students to be videotaped in engineering classrooms
VA bosses in 7 states falsified vets’ wait times for care
Supervisors instructed employees to falsify patient wait times at Veterans Affairs’ medical facilities in at least seven states, according to a USA TODAY analysis of more than 70 investigation reports released in recent weeks.
Gun Rights
Swiss want more guns despite lower crime
Across Switzerland, there was a surge in people applying for gun permits in 2015. Was crime a driver?
Gun control: Stymied in 2016, Oregon Democrats vow to try again in 2017
Unable to pass new gun-control bills this year, months after the state’s deadliest shooting, Oregon Democrats are diving into campaign season with promises to try again in 2017.
Hide the Decline
Environment &
“Green Energy”
Climate-change models wrong on predicting rain, drought extremes
A newly released international study debunks climate models on global warming that forecast extreme rainfall and drought tied to temperature swings, casting doubt on disaster scenarios promoted by the climate-change movement.
Competitive Enterprise Institute subpoenaed in global warming “fraud” investigation
The Competitive Enterprise Institute has been issued a subpoena by the attorney general of the VIrgin Islands to hand over all communictions between 1997 and 2007 on climate change.
California’s Ongoing Suicide Watch
Even Jerry Brown admits that California’s newly mandated $15 an hour minimum wage is economically unsound, but we’re doing it anyway, Because Justice! Or something.
Hot magma is melting Greenland ice – can windfarms save it?
Here on the ball of magma called Earth, there’s a hot plume of rocks under Iceland that stretches right across under Greenland. Those hot rocks are melting the ice from below in a band 1,200 km long and 400 km wide.
Deep-sixing another useless climate myth
The vaunted “97% consensus” on dangerous manmade global warming is just more malarkey
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
Why Is Obamacare Regulating Health Savings Accounts Out of Existence?
Almost six years to the day after the Affordable Care Act was enacted, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken steps to kill health savings accounts (HSAs) in the state health-insurance exchanges. It was bound to happen at some point, although some may be surprised that it took this long. In case you missed it, final regulations published on March 8 will make it impossible to offer HSA-qualified plans in the future. Whether this is by accident or design, the outcome is clear.
Security flaws found in 3 state health insurance websites
Federal investigators found significant cybersecurity weaknesses in the health insurance websites of California, Kentucky and Vermont that could enable hackers to get their hands on sensitive personal information about hundreds of thousands of people, The Associated Press has learned. And some of those flaws have yet to be fixed.
War & Terror
Isis “bans all Christians from leaving Raqqa” as military operations against group intensify in Syria
There was no explanation for the reported decree, which came after the group was driven out of Palmyra
German Police Caught Concealing Numerous Cases of Rape and Molestation by Muslim Asylum Seekers
The police concealed a sex attack by asylum seekers on two women in Meschede. They say their approach was justified by tactical considerations. Even after the events in Cologne, they hold to this line.
Swedish national police chief: – Can not guarantee the safety of the Swedish people anymore
The Swedish national police chief, Dan Eliasson, said during a panel discussion recently that he is “surprised how bad it is” and that he “can not guarantee the safety” of residents in parts of Sweden anymore.
Why Russia Is Rebuilding Its Nuclear ArsenalSimon Shuster
Vladimir Putin skipped the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington last week—one more sign that Russia isn’t interested in cutting its arms
National
Supreme Court rules in redistricting case: Illegal immigrants, other non-citizens can be counted
A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Monday that illegal immigrants and other non-citizens can be counted when states draw their legislative districts, shooting down a challenge by Texas residents who said their own voting power was being diluted.
Judge Allows Case to Go Forward In Tough Decision Against Brandeis University
Universities continue putting students into rape courts for things which are plainly not rapes, and furthermore, continuing denying them the most basic due process during these kangaroo courts.
2 Republican Senators Revoke Support for Garland Hearings
The wall of Republican opposition to the nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland to the Supreme Court has been shored up by two Republican senators revoking their support for holding confirmation hearings.
New York taxi drivers to be banned from flirting with or ejaculating on passengers
The new rules come off the back of a large increase in complaints ranging from inappropriate conversation to unwanted contact and rape
FIRE Aims to Challenge Legality of Federal Sexual Misconduct Mandate
Five years ago today, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced sweeping new requirements for colleges and universities adjudicating allegations of sexual misconduct. By unilaterally issuing these binding mandates via a controversial “Dear Colleague” letter (DCL), OCR ignored its obligation under federal law to notify the public of the proposed changes and solicit feedback.
Heavy recruitment of chinese students sows discord on U.S. Campuses
Chutian Shao moved from China to the Midwest college town of Champaign, Ill., a few years ago. Some days, he says, it feels as if he hasn’t traveled very far at all.
Rep Jason Chaffetz Takes HUGE Step to Abolishing BLM Power!
Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz has introduced legislation that destroys policing responsibilities from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Stanford Students Fight Campus Groupthink
In a startling development, Stanford University students are petitioning to be taught Western civilization once more. If they win, groupthink loses.
Freddie Gray: Prosecution to Compel Another Officer to Testify
Prosecutor Mosby seeks to compel Officer Garrett Miller to testify against Officer Edward Nero
Would touching a robot turn YOU on? People become aroused when asked to “grope intimate parts” of machines, study finds
Scientists programmed a robot to ask people to touch it in 13 places
Nearly Half of Students Are Open to Free-Speech Restrictions on Campuses, Survey Finds
Nearly half of college students believe in curtailing the news media’s access to campus events in certain scenarios, such as when protesters want to be left alone (48 percent), when they believe a reporter will be biased (49 percent), and when they want to tell the story themselves on social media (44 percent), a new Gallup survey has found.
Republican Senator Calls for Hearing for Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Tuesday that she met with President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland, and she is “more convinced than ever that the process should proceed” despite the GOP leadership’s assertion that the next president should nominate the next Supreme Court justice.
Everyone mistook a priest for a KKK member
Rumors of a klansman on campus have proven false after a priest innocently made his way through Bloomington.
PayPal’s Glaring Bathroom Hypocrisy Exposed
Let’s start off this piece with the understanding that hypocrisy is a liberal virtue.
Planned Parenthood videos bring raid, abortion activist says
An anti-abortion activist who made undercover videos at Planned Parenthood clinics said in a social media posting that California Department of Justice agents raided his home Tuesday.
What life is like after police ransack your house and take “every belonging” — then the charges are dropped
A self-described Michigan “soccer mom” who had “every belonging” taken from her family in a 2014 drug raid has been cleared of all criminal charges, 19 months after heavily armed drug task force members ransacked her home and her business. But in many ways, her ordeal is only beginning.
Mom Unleashes Fury After Spanish Teacher Sends Children Home With This “Privilege” Assignment
The mother of a Tampa, Florida, seventh-grader is speaking out after finding an assignment given to her 12-year-old daughter and other students in Spanish class at Monroe Junior High.
Chelsea Clinton hints she may run for New York City Council
You knew something like this was coming. The Clinton family openly lusts to emulate the Kennedys, Bushes, and Cuomos in establishing a political dynasty, no matter how thin the blood has gotten in one generation.
Yet Another Worthless Study on Police Shootings
Study excludes single most likely variable in examining fatal police shootings
Court rules Wisconsin right-to-work law is unconstitutional
Wisconsin’s right-to-work law, championed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker as he was mounting his run for president, was struck down Friday as violating the state constitution.
190 people in this Indiana town were diagnosed with HIV
From the start of the HIV outbreak here, health officials emphasized that nothing set Scott County apart from many other rural communities where opioid drug use had become an epidemic.
PSU protesters shut down trustees meeting, demand members pay for tuition
Though the protesters were there primarily to protest a tuition increase and advocating for a $15 minimum wage, they spent much of their time arguing for stricter gun control, and leveraging allegations of racism at the administration.
Fla. gov. releases attack ad against woman who called him an “a–hole”
Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s political action committee on Friday released an attack ad against a woman who verbally lashed out at him at a Starbucks earlier in the week.
Crazy #ShoutYourStatus Tweets Reveal What Feminists Want to Teach Your Kids
DePasse is a feminist who joined the #ShoutYourStatus campaign for Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Awareness Month, declaring that her herpes infection had not prevented her from having a “fulfilling sex life.” DePasse went so far as to assert that being infected with herpes “actually made my sex life healthier & more satisfying than before.”
Economy & Taxes
California: Where Economic Justice Trumps Economic Reason
Brown admits, “Economically, minimum wages may not make sense.” Then signs law!
Bald Supervillain Plots To Destroy California
Remember when you went to the movies to watch Superman save people, not kill them or stand by helplessly while they’re killed? Those were the days.
San Francisco approves fully paid leave for new parents
San Francisco became the first place in the country Tuesday to require businesses to provide fully paid leave for new parents in what was hailed as the latest move to address income inequality in the nation.
New York Gov. Cuomo signs $15 minimum wage law
The law also establishes paid family leave for New York workers.
Texting While Walking Could Be Banned in the Garden State
New Jersey Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt isn’t trying to be a buzz-killing, technology-hating Luddite by proposing legislation to impose a $50 fine on anyone caught texting or talking on a smartphone without a hands-free device while walking.
Minnesota Lawmaker Says “Crude” Transgender Reaction Strengthening Resolve on Bathroom Bill
Minnesota Sen. Scott Newman (R) contends Minnesota’s transgender community is not being bullied by his legislation that would regulate bathroom use by sex. Rather, Newman argued transgendered people and their supporters are the bullies, and he is the one being bullied because of his legislative proposal.
International
The Guardian: Mexico Tortures Illegal Immigrants To Make Them Admit They’re In the Country Illegally
Few things to note off the bat: We don’t necessarily know this is true; it seems that it’s part of the standard script for forcing countries to bend to a pressure group’s will to allege all sorts of abuses that didn’t actually happen. Don’t believe me? Note the high number of hoax racial incidents and hoax rapes on college campuses.
Prison as the New Retirement Plan
Apparently, Japan is suffering from a geriatric crime wave
Inside China’s largest “ghost city”: Museums, mosques and giant horses… the surreal town which was meant to house a million people but stands almost empty
Ordos city, in northern China, covers an area larger than Las Vegas but only two per cent of its buildings are filled
Iceland’s PM announces resignation amid Panama Papers fallout
After widespread calls for his resignation, Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson announced he is stepping down — an apparent casualty of the Panama Papers leaks.
Afghan migrant who lied that he was a child raped a 15-year-old mentally ill virgin after he was placed in Swedish children’s care home – then claimed asylum
Ali Bahmani raped mentally ill 15-year-old girl at Stockholm psych ward
Male Norwegian politician raped by asylum seeker says he feels GUILTY that his attacker will now be deported because the man might suffer back in Somalia
Norwegian politician says he feels guilty that his rapist was deported
EU may require visas from Americans and Canadians
The European Union executive is considering whether to make U.S. and Canadian citizens apply for visas before traveling to the bloc, a move that could raise tensions as Brussels negotiates a trade pact with Washington.
“The beginning of the END for the EU” Brexit fans rejoice as Dutch vote humiliates union
THE Netherlands could follow Britain out of the European Union after rejecting a Brussels plot to work with Ukraine, says the deputy leader of UKIP.
Russia’s Communist Party Wants to Copyright Iconic Red Star Symbol
Since the Russian Revolution, the red star has served as an international symbol of Communism, spangling the flags and insignia of myriad Communist states.
Stranded sailors rescued from Pacific island after building “help” sign on sand
When the three men were tumbled out of their 19-foot skiff at night by a large wave they had no choice but to strike out for land two miles away in the darkness.
Ex-Argentine President Fernandez charged with money laundering
Cristina Fernandez, who stepped down as president of Argentina in December after eight years in office, has been charged by a prosecutor with money laundering, local media reported on Saturday.
Medical Tourism Gone (Horribly) Wrong
It’s been a while since we’ve covered Medical Tourism, but this one’s a doozy.
Brazil capital ramps up security for impeachment vote
Workers erected barricades Sunday along Brasilia’s Esplanade of Ministries to separate supporters and opponents of President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment, on the eve of a crucial vote on her political fate.
Opinion
Stick A Fork In Common Core – It’s Done
The postmortems will roll out in a year or two, but it’s already clear Common Core is eking out its last gasps. Inside its mayhem lies opportunity.
Obama Punishes North Carolina For Protecting Women’s Rights
Women’s toilet security indicates a country’s commitment to women’s equality. So why is the Obama administration threatening North Carolina’s commitment to male-free women’s bathrooms?
Look What’s Making a Comeback — Eugenics
The “science” of eugenics seemed to have died in Dr. Mengele’s unholy Nazi laboratories in World War II, but history has taught us never to count a potent idea out.
Organized Chaos
Yesterday was April Fools’ Day and it was fun to watch on various online platforms as known friends and associates plastered various outrageous statements on their accounts. Much of it was political in nature and, because most of my associates are conservative, a lot of it involved switching to the Democrat Party and endorsing Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. My standard response to every blatant April Fools’ joke was, “not today.”
The New Thought Crime: “Adultism”
The essential sovereignty of parents in raising their own children has been under assault in America for a long, long time.
Harvard Law Is Decadent and Depraved
Have you ever heard of Isaac Royall Jr.? Me, neither, until I started reading about “Reclaim Harvard Law,” an anti-white protest group at Harvard University Law School.
Gender-Neutral at Notre Dame?
The University of Notre Dame is a Catholic school, most famous for its Fighting Irish football team and, uh, “gender-nonconforming people.”
How The Media Attack Religious Liberty
Step one: pretends it doesn’t exist.
Students Can’t Remember A Past They Never Learned
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” George Santayana tells us.
The “Regret Equals Rape” Factor (Also, USC Is Decadent and Depraved)
Everybody remembers the notorious case of John Doe v. Washington and Lee University, in which a university official reportedly told students that “regret equals rape,” advice that John Doe blamed for a false accusation of sexual assault against him by an ex-girlfriend.
Don’t be fooled – Elon Musk’s electric cars aren’t about to save the planet
As Elon Musk presented the new Tesla 3, a fawning press announced that the “world-changing car” could “dominate” the market. Within days, 276,000 people had put down $1,000 to pre-order the car.
Stanford Students Fight Campus Iconoclasts For Western Civilization
This year, the barbarians have been raging within our nation’s leading institutions of “higher” education. Now among the young have arisen champions of Western civilization.
The Left’s Huge Double Standard For Corporate Speech
Big business has coordinated against religious freedom across the country, and the Left loves it. Just don’t corporations dare to exercise conservative political speech.
Mike Lee for SCOTUS?
Crazier things have happened
The social justice issue liberals refuse to discuss
You want social justice? I’ll give you social justice.
Death, Destruction, and the Dragon Awards
I am probably the last person to find out that Dragon*Con, probably the largest non-comics convention in fandom, has finally bestirred itself and created its own set of awards – the Dragon Awards.
Everything is Racist, Everything Must Be Controlled
Destroying the black community for fun and profit.
Dear “Nice Guys”
While scrolling through Feminist Tumblr today — yes, I read that crap, so you don’t have to — I read yet another denunciation of “nice guys,” which is actually a feminist synonym for loser, particularly a clueless loser who doesn’t know why he keeps losing.
“I Have Become the Establishment, Destroyer of Plans.” (MO Caucus Roundup.)
So, as I noted, I made it to caucus today. It was…more eventful than expected. I took 2 pages of notes so I’ll try to tell you what happened to the best of my notes and memory. I shall also remind you of my biases, I went to Caucus today with 2 goals: 1) #neverTrump 2) some random platform amendments I’ll get to in a moment.
Sci-Fi insurance
About 4 years ago, we blogged on the (fictional) financial impact of the Avengers’ New York battle. That post looked at how all the damage inflicted by the various superheroes and supervillains might be covered by insurance. It’s the only instance we’ve seen combining science fiction and insurance. Until now.
Amy Schumer hates being lumped in with fat women
Amy Schumer, who proudly posed in last year’s Pirelli calendar wearing practically nothing, displaying the rolls of fat on her stomach, has long positioned herself as an activist, feminist media personality.
