News of the Week for March 19^th, 2017

• Gun Rights
• Hide the Decline
• Obamacare
• War & Terror
• National News
• Economy & Taxes
• International News
• Opinion

 

Gun Rights

 

Michigan police use fake Facebook profile to track gun advocates
A lawyer says Dearborn, Mich., police, used a Facebook profile name “Olivia,” to secretly monitor a network of Second Amendment activists and ambush two men who filmed themselves walking into police headquarters last month.

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &
“Green Energy”

 

The Problem of Success
By all accounts the Saudi economy is in decline. Low oil prices are forcing the Kingdom to live off savings, a process which can only last for so long.

Paris climate treaty dead
While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will never admit it, the 2015 Paris climate treaty Canada signed with great fanfare died last week.

Solar Update March 2017 – still slumping
Our divination of solar parameters is aimed to elucidating two things – the length of Solar Cycle 24 and the amplitude of Solar Cycle 25.

If only we had listened to climate scientists back in 1979…here’s what would have happened
In two previous articles I made a point that seems inarguable but that advocates of emission cuts seldom acknowledge: the only worthy metric of progress in reducing emissions is the CO2 intensity of GDP, which one could also call CO2 efficiency. Looking at absolute emissions is absurd because absolute emissions depend largely or mostly on GDP and the growth thereof, which are of course unknown (especially if we’re making projections about the year 2100!).

Scientists try to restore Pluto’s planet status
Johns Hopkins University scientist Kirby Runyon wants to make one thing clear: Regardless of what one prestigious scientific organization says to the contrary, Pluto is a planet.

 

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

Hawaii considering bill to force church, pro-life centers to promote abortion
Hawaii is considering legislation that would require all pregnancy centers to refer patients to clinics that provide abortions, — a move pro-life centers say will violate their religious beliefs and their free speech rights.

Planned Parenthood Official Won’t Tell Tucker Feelings about Aborting Baby with Detectable Heartbeat
She couldn’t admit the obvious—that a fetus with a heartbeat is a separate human life—because to do so would admit the inhumanity of abortion

TOM COTTON SEES THROUGH GOP WISHFUL THINKING ON OBAMACARE REPLACEMENT
Sen. Tom Cotton continues to speak more sensibly about Obamacare repeal than any legislator I knew of. Last week, he argued that the GOP is moving too fast on the matter. He stated, “I would much sooner get health care reform right than get it fast.”

Trump friend/Newsmax CEO: It’s time to ditch the conservatives in Congress and pass a more populist health-care bill
If you’re a conservative, this’ll bug you. If you’re a very populist but not very conservative president who cares more about a political win here than about the substance of the bill, this sounds like … a pretty sensible proposal.

Planned Parenthood Allies Give Away The Genocide Game
A creature working for the Los Angeles Times as a “Political Analyst/Columnist” named Cathleen Decker, came out with one of the most astonishing and honest takes on the Trump-Ryan Obamacare replacement plan that I’ve seen.

California lawmakers want to repeal HIV criminalization laws
Several lawmakers are promoting a bill by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, that would make it a misdemeanor instead of a felony to intentionally expose someone to HIV, the virus that causes the immune system-weakening disease AIDS. The change would treat HIV like other communicable diseases under California law.

CBO: Full Repeal Would Cover More People than House GOP’s ObamaCare-Lite Bill
A new Congressional Budget Office report projecting the effects of the House Republican leadership’s American Health Care Act weakens the case for the bill’s ObamaCare-lite approach, and strengthens the case for full repeal. The CBO projects that over the next two years, the AHCA would cause average premiums to rise 15 percent to 20 percent above ObamaCare’s already high premium levels. The report raises the prospect that insurance markets may collapse under the AHCA, just as they are collapsing under ObamaCare. It makes unreasonable assumptions about Medicaid spending; more reasonable assumptions could completely eliminate the bill’s projected deficit reduction. Finally, the CBO projects more people will lose coverage under the AHCA than under full repeal.

Assisted Suicide Loses in New Mexico
We keep hearing how legalized assisted suicide is unstoppable. And yet, over the last twenty-five-plus years, it is stopped again and again and again.

Anthem’s Top 20 (Percent, that is)
This is interesting: Ohio law requires health insurers to publish a “list of the top 20% of services based on use” as well as how much each insured has to pay for each of them.

Gavin Newsom adds a new plank to his 2018 campaign for California governor – a statewide universal healthcare system
In his 2018 bid for governor of California, Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom told the the Sacramento Bee he’ll propose a universal healthcare system for the state, a response to ongoing efforts by President Trump and the Republican-led Congress to replace the Affordable Care Act.

CBO Says Defunding Planned Parenthood Would Lead to More Births
The miracle of pregnancy described as something a woman must “avert” (“to prevent, especially danger”), like bankruptcy or highway robbery or gingivitis; human beings made in the image of God coldly dismissed as “additional births stemming from … reduced access,” as if they were the products of sporogenesis; the livelihood of the poor reduced to impersonal “costs” to be “netted against” projected “savings”-who can read this and not feel the air growing heavier, the aromatic scent, as of cedar logs and bitumen, flooding his nostrils, see the plumed feathers bedecking the shoulders of gilt statues and the ash falling like snowflakes?

 

War & Terror

 

How South Korea’s New Leadership Vacuum Endangers America
South Korea’s Constitutional Court just voted to oust the conservative, pro-America president Park Geun-hye, disgraced by a devastating corruption scandal.

U.S. Navy SEALs to take part in joint drills in S. Korea
U.S. special operations forces, including the unit that killed Osama Bin Laden, will take part in joint military drills in South Korea to practice incapacitating North Korean leadership in the case of conflict, a military official said Monday.

Russia Tried to Use Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassination to Start a Race War
The plot involved the KKK, the Jewish Defense League, black militants … and a bombing

Kim Jong-un’s Next Nuclear Weapons Test Might Be His Last, Says High-Ranking Defector
North Korea is suspected to be building a nuclear bomb much larger and dangerous than anything it has ever tested.

Nuke test films digitized, posted online
Tests occurred after WWII over 20-year period

Dutch elections: Turkish minister claims “holy wars will soon begin in Europe” after Geert Wilders beaten
Minister claims there is no difference between liberal politicians and “fascist” far-right leader

Historians: “Civil war can not be avoided”
“In 20 to 30 years, Europe will have become an authoritarian or imperial state after a period of civil war-like states and decay” – it is a gloomy future picture that the historian David Engels is now drawing in an interview. The Belgian sees clear parallels between the current crisis of Europe and the decaying Roman Republic in the first century BC.

Turkish FM warns of “religion wars” in Europe in remarks on Dutch elections
Europe will soon be the site of “religion wars,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoglu said on March 16, in Ankara’s first comment on the general elections in the Netherlands that saw the victory of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s Liberal VVD.

Report shows risks of “low cost” terrorism in Switzerland
The Swiss government recently published its third report on how to combat attacks by jihadists.

Letter bomb that exploded at Paris IMF office was sent from Greece
IMF employee who opened the letter received hand and face injuries.

Iran’s Missile Production Progam in Lebanon
Looking for means to continue spreading havoc across the Middle East and maintain a grip on its dwindling influence across the region, new alarming reports indicate Iran is now digging dangerously deep to establish a long-term strategic foothold in Lebanon.

Russia’s Most Powerful Nuclear Attack Submarine Ever Is Almost Ready for Sea
Russia is set to launch its second Yasen-class nuclear-powered attack submarine on March 30. Called Kazan, the new vessel is an upgraded Project 885M design that is in many ways much more capable than the lead ship of the class, K-560 Severodvinsk.

Defence pulls advertising from Breitbart, focuses on LGBT communications
The Australian Defence Force has pulled advertisements from the conservative website Breitbart.

 

National

 

NASA Considers Magnetic Shield to Help Mars Grow Its Atmosphere
NASA Planetary Science Division Director, Jim Green, says launching a magnetic shield could help warm Mars and possibly allow it to become habitable.

Chapman University’s inaugural “white identity” workshop draws a whopping … two students
In what may be a perfect example of what happens when students suffer from complete “social justice” exhaustion, the first meeting of Chapman University’s “White Identity and Allyship” workshop series drew more facilitators than students – 3 to 2, respectively.

Putin Spokesman: Russian Ambassador Met With Clinton’s Aides During the Presidential Campaign
Fareed Zakaria interviewed longtime Putin spokesman Dimitri Peskov and the subject of Russia and the 2016 elections came up. Particularly the subject of the contacts between Russia’s ambassador, Sergey Kislyak – he’s the guy who shows up everywhere and yet no one remembers meeting him – and US presidential candidates.

Do Apes Deserve “Personhood” Rights? Lawyer Heads to N.Y. Supreme Court to Make Case
When Steve Wise first started out as an animal rights lawyer, people used to bark at him when he entered a courtroom.

Tennessee sues federal government over refugees
Tennessee became the first state in the nation on Monday to sue the federal government over refugee resettlement on the grounds of the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Texas state rep proposes fines for masturbation
A Texas state representative has introduced legislation that would fine men for masturbating and require them to undergo counseling before obtaining a prescription for Viagra, in an effort to highlight anti-abortion laws that place restrictions on women.

Senate Dems “paralyzed” over Gorsuch confirmation
Still? Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to fill Antonin Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court on January 31st. According to Politico, Senate Democrats have not been able to figure out how they should respond in the six weeks following the pick, and are “paralyzed” by Gorsuch’s stellar record on the appellate bench

College students hate Trump EdSec DeVos – but agree with her beliefs
College students who oppose Betsy DeVos as Donald Trump’s Secretary of Education don’t know what they’re talking about, a recent YouTube video makes clear.

“Required” school survey probes student attitudes on Trump, race
Parents are taking issue with a “racist” survey given to students at Hudson High School last week and now they’re demanding answers from school officials.

White male professors under fire, cited as obstacle to diversity and inclusion
Faculty and staff survey: “VCU needs to hire more faculty that aren’t white males”

UC Davis language guide claims only white people are racist
A glossary of popular social-justice themed terms, and some not so popular, published by the University of California, Davis plainly asserts that only white people are capable of racism.

Physics conference urges attendees to wear “pronoun stickers”
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) encouraged attendees of its winter summit to wear “pronoun stickers” in order to “reduce instances of misgendering.”

Grade School Ends Father-Daughter Dance Tradition After A Few Parents Say It’s Not “Inclusive”
Officials in a taxpayer-funded California school district have scuttled an annual father-daughter dance — as well as annual mother-son hike – because a handful of parents complained that the event is not sufficiently “inclusive.”

“Woke Babysitting” Service Offers Childcare for Social Justice Warriors
What’s a modern protester to do?

MA Dems seeking savior for ’18
Early gov candidates fail to provide spark

How Education and Religiosity Divided the White Vote in 2016
One of the most widely discussed phenomena during the 2016 election cycle was the growing educational fissure in vote choice among white Americans. The larger cracks relative to past years were beginning to show in pre-election polling leading up to November 8th, and the earliest data released about the 2016 election confirmed the result: while white voters without a college degree voted for Donald Trump by 39 points, whites with at least a degree voted Trump by a margin of only four points. Much attention has been focused on trying to explain this educational gap among whites, which according to exit poll data, was the largest in recorded history during the 2016 election.

Trump Issues Executive Order to Review and Reorganize Federal Government, Eliminating “Unecessary” Agencies, Offices, and Programs
This order is intended to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the executive branch by directing the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Director) to propose a plan to reorganize governmental functions and eliminate unnecessary agencies (as defined in section 551(1) of title 5, United States Code), components of agencies, and agency programs.

NRSC and NRCC Fundraising Off to a Strong Start, But…
The National Republican Senatorial Committee raised a massive $5.1 million last month, following a $4.2 million haul in January, as reported by The Hill yesterday. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has yet to release it’s February figures, but trailed Republicans in January. This piles on top of the impressive haul the National Republican Congressional Committee has raked in: $10.5 million in February, $10 million in January. Republicans, however, are now the incumbent party, and faces a midterm with that dynamic for the first time in twelve years. As ACHA continues to draw blowback, both from the left and the right, strong fundraisers will be critical, but no guarantee of protecting against blowback in 2018.

4chan Users Already Messing With Wall Street’s “Fearless Girl” Statue
In case it wasn’t clear enough: 4chan doesn’t have time for pretentious posturing.

Atheists at risk of dying out due to belief in contraception, study claims
Religious people are having more babies

WikiLeaks Founder Claims Knowledge Of Clinton Plan To Oust Trump In Favor Of Mike Pence
Can we take Julian Assange seriously? His latest came in a pair of tweets on Tuesday morning, alleging that there was a plan in place to knock out Trump, in favor of Pence, and that Hillary Clinton was behind it.

Why Do So Many Muslims Hate Dogs?
A Muslim taxi-driver in England, one Abandi Kassim, was recently fined for refusing to take on a blind passenger’s seeing-eye dog because, as Kassim claimed: “For me, it’s about my religion.”

What a Relief! Trump Now Says He “Doesn’t Really Think” Obama Wiretapped Him
Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at the afternoon press briefing that President Trump “doesn’t really think” that former President Obama wiretapped him. In fact, Spicer says Trump never said that Obama wiretapped him at all.

Iowa High School Kids Attacked for “BLATANT Racism” of Wearing Red, White, and Blue
Students from one Iowa high school apologized to the principal of a rival school after spectators at a basketball game found the red, white, and blue attire of fans offensive.

Who leaked the old audio of Paul Ryan distancing himself from Trump after the “Access Hollywood” tape appeared?
Can you imagine Steve Bannon’s reaction upon seeing this story at Breitbart on the off-chance that he didn’t orchestrate the leak himself? The entire political establishment will assume that he ordered the hit, knowing how much antipathy Bannon has expressed towards Ryan in the past. In fact, this story from October, in which Bannon was accused of describing Ryan as “the enemy” and wanting him out as Speaker by this spring, appeared just two days after the Ryan conference call about the “Access Hollywood” tape that Breitbart’s publicizing today. Given how critical their site has been of the House bill and how dogged they’ve been in blaming Ryan for it (never mind that Trump has backed the bill to the hilt — so far), today’s piece will be read, fairly or not, as Bannon using his old platform to steer Trump away from the House bill.

Alabama Senate passes bill to eliminate marriage licenses
The Alabama Senate has passed a bill that would eliminate marriage licenses and instead have marriages recorded by probate judges.

Abortion Activists Kill Baby Jesus in Graphic Abortion on Virgin Mary Outside Catholic Church
Abortion activists in the pro-life nation of Argentina apparently think being as graphic as possible is the best way to promote abortions.

Judge blocks Trump’s revised travel ban
A federal judge in Hawaii has placed a nationwide block on President Trump’s revised travel order, delivering a major blow to the president’s policy just hours before it was set to go into effect.

Brett Kimberlin Re-Surfaces in Connection With “Fake News” Anti-Trump Forgery
John Hoge noticed that the pipsqueak pro se perjuring pipe-bomber Brett Kimberlin has made news again, and I’ve got $20 here that says Neal Rauhauser is also involved. Seems there were some Italian criminals peddling forged documents that claimed to show a billion-dollar conspiracy involving Exxon, Donald Trump and Rex Tillerson.

Deportation: This time it’s real
President Trump insists that the top priority of the order is to remove criminal, undocumented residents from the United States.

Liberals Love Socialism But These Venezuelans Should Scare Them
More and more liberal Americans are embracing socialism. Unfortunately, it seems many of them aren’t aware of the realities that citizens in countries like Venezuela face. Filmmaker Ami Horowitz spoke with Americans who call socialism “great.” Then, he traveled to Venezuela to speak with men and women actually living in the horrific environment that socialist policies have created.

Rapper Threatens to Make a Sex Slave of Melania Trump
After Donald Trump blasted rapper Snoop Dogg for his “Lavender” video in which he shoots the president who is dressed like a clown, several of Snoop’s cohorts came to the rapper’s defense, and Bow Wow is the worst of the bunch.

Casinos, developers hand out money in Las Vegas city races
Casinos, developers, law firms and other donors contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to mayoral and City Council candidates across the valley during the first 10 weeks of 2017.

More than 60 arrested in Nevada ICE operation; 25 arrests made in Reno
A previously deported Mexican national with a prior conviction for armed robbery is among the 61 foreign nationals arrested during a five-day operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week in Nevada targeting at-large criminal aliens, illegal re-entrants, and immigration fugitives.

Mexico upset that returning illegals are speaking English
Isn’t it irritating when foreigners come into a country in large numbers and refuse to speak the native language? It is irritating to Mexicans, who find that some deported illegals who return home are speaking English!

Astronomers Just Found a Star Orbiting a Black Hole at 1 Percent the Speed of Light
The closest we’ve seen a star get to a black hole.

Google adds tool to flag “offensive” search results
Google is trying to improve the quality of its search results by directing review teams to flag content that might come across as upsetting or offensive.

McDonald’s Twitter “Compromised,” Insults Donald Trump
Someone’s not lovin it…

Hawaii TRO and 9th Circuit En Banc Denial effectively strip Trump of executive powers
At this point, only the Supreme Court can restore presidential powers.

Five 9th Circuit judges dissent, arguing for vacating panel decision on President Trump’s immigration executive order
Last month, a 9th Circuit panel concluded that President Trump’s immigration executive order was likely unconstitutional. The administration withdrew that order, and substituted another, which is now being challenged; but the panel decision remained on the books, as binding law within the 9th Circuit. Some judges’ call for en banc rehearing (i.e., rehearing by 11 of the 9th Circuit’s judges, rather than the original three) also remained pending.

Heartbreak of a Moonbat Mommy: Daughter Admires George Washington
George Washington, the father of our country, is generally recognized as one of the greatest men the pages of history have to offer. Naturally he is hated by the sort of moonbats who write op-eds in the almost indescribably odious New York Times. How heartbreaking it must be for those who fail to pass on this hatred to their offspring.

McDonald’s Tweets At Trump: You’re A “Disgusting Excuse Of A President”
Someone with access to McDonald’s corporate Twitter account does not like President Trump very much.

Student op-ed: Yes, milk is racist
In an op-ed featured in the California State University-Long Beach student paper Daily 49er, Samantha Diaz follows up on stories about the silly usurpation of milk by white supremacists by arguing that yes, the dairy beverage really is racist.

TRENDING: Universities teach students and employees to yell “Ouch!” when they are offended
University of Arizona wants to “maximize free speech in the classroom”

NY state Senate Democrat Attacks Colleague for His “White Privilege”
A debate in the New York State Senate became heated on Wednesday when a member of the Independent Democratic Conference, Sen. Marisol Alcantara, said a fellow Democrat’s comments showed his “white privilege.”

Kansas school district: Students from 94 countries speak 109 languages
Nearly 20 percent of Wichita Public Schools’ roughly 50,000 students speak a language other than English at home – a total of 109 different languages from 94 different countries.

College course asks students to reveal racial preferences
Students in a communication course at California State University, Long Beach are being asked to answer sensitive racial questions in order to prove they are present in class.

A LIBERAL COUP IS IN PROGRESS
Derrick Watson, a Democratic Party activist who was appointed to the federal bench in Hawaii by President Obama in 2012, has issued a purported injunction barring implementation of President Trump’s travel order. I have not yet read Watson’s opinion, and will comment on it in detail when I have done so. But I have read Trump’s order, and the idea that it somehow can be blocked by a federal judge is ridiculous. The order is absolutely within the president’s constitutional discretion.

Trump Wants to Return to Original Travel Ban, Take It to Supreme Court
The Trump administration’s revised travel ban was supposed to go into effect today, but was halted by a federal judge in Hawaii after the state argued that the restrictions still equaled religious discrimination.

Patients Lose Sight After Stem Cells Are Injected Into Their Eyes
Three women suffered severe, permanent eye damage after stem cells were injected into their eyes, in an unproven treatment at a loosely regulated clinic in Florida, doctors reported in an article published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Syllabus says students “will participate” in anti-oil rally for “decolonizing” environment class
Revised to say “attendance is not mandatory” after our query

Anti-Semitic flyers attacking “Jewish privilege” appear at UIC
Anti-Semitic flyers appeared at the University of Illinois at Chicago Tuesday declaring that “Ending white privilege…starts with ending Jewish privilege.”

Parents denounce American flag, Pledge of Allegiance at NYC elementary school
A New York City elementary school sparked controversy this week when it installed American flags and started a daily ritual of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

School recruits kids for adult-led LGBTQ club after parents tell it to stop
But if it were religious, we wouldn’t allow it

Trump Didn’t Shake Merkel’s Hand? Umm… Then What Are These Pictures Of?
Do you want people to not trust the media? Because this is how you get people to not trust the media.

Border Patrol Stops Driver Coming From Mexico, Discovers 4 Chinese Nationals Hiding In The Trunk
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro port of entry thwarted an alleged human-smuggling attempt Tuesday after discovering four Chinese nationals concealed in the trunk of a vehicle.

Prayer Room At Public High School Raises Legal Concerns
A prayer room at a Texas high school is raising legal concerns and the state’s attorney general’s office in a letter on Friday to school district’s superintendent indicated the school’s policy should be neutral toward religion.

Megadeth’s David Ellefson Delivered Lecture on Martin Luther + Theology of Heavy Metal Lyrics
Megadeth bassist David Ellefson combined his passion for metal along with faith at a lecture yesterday (March 17). Having recently become a Lutheran pastor, he spoke on Martin Luther and the theology of heavy metal lyrics in Edmonton, Canada.

Majority of 18-30 year olds see Trump as an illegitimate president
A poll conducted by Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago and the Associated Press found a majority of respondents between 18 and 30 years old consider Donald Trump and illegitimate president.

Multnomah County offers incentives for homeowners to house homeless in backyards
With more than $300,000 and volunteer homeowners, Multnomah County has a new idea to fight homelessness: Build tiny houses in people’s backyards and rent them out to families with children now living on the street.

Chuck Berry, R.I.P.
Generations of teenage boys in garages everywhere learned to play the classics by the man who arguably invented rock-and-roll, who died this weekend at age 90.

Newspaper has a couple of takes on lawmakers practicing medicine without a license …or a clue
This is one of those days when I really wish the morning newspaper still allowed online comments about its stories and columns. The interplay of comments could be quite interesting and probably quite heated – picture heads exploding.

 

Economy & Taxes

 

Nevada Pensions: Liability Trends
Here comes the “fun” part. As I mentioned in the prior post, the asset side isn’t the problem for Nevada pensions. No, it’s not making the target 8%, but no plans are making that. The bad part isn’t the asset performance, but the assumption that 8% could be achieved in perpetuity.

Student loan defaults soar as millions miss payments
A new analysis of federal student loans reveals the number of people severely behind on repaying their debt has soared in the last year, painting a bleak picture of one of the largest government programs.

Budget Director: Meals on Wheels “Sounds Great,” But “Not Showing Any Results”
White House budget director Mick Mulvaney defended the administration’s proposal to eliminate the $3 billion Community Block Development Grant program in the Department of Housing and Urban Development that funds, among other social services, Meals on Wheels.

Las Vegas officials seek state permission for light rail
State and local officials are laying the groundwork to build a multi-billion-dollar light rail system in Las Vegas.

Trump “Skinny” Budget Blueprint Puts Department of Education on a Diet
For the first time in decades, an administration is significantly trimming the budget at the Department of Education.

Former Calif. state Sen. Isadore Hall, Now ALRB Member, Levels Threats in Obscenity-laced Tirade
A letter from Sen. Andy Vidak (R-Hanford) spelled out an appalling episode, in which several fruit growers whom Hall allegedly threatened, on the eve of his confirmation hearing to the Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

Trump Administration Reveals Its Budget Plan And Heads Begin To Explode
The Trump administration unveiled the budget it will submit to Congress. This budget is arguably the most revolutionary budget proposal in modern American history. It is anything but a business as usual budget that tweaks programs about the edges. Obviously, the budget is only for the non-mandatory items but if you had to sum it up you’d say the winners are the military services, veterans, school choice, and the border wall. The losers are just about everything that Lyndon Johnson started with the Great Society.

Politico: Republicans attack WH budget, but …
When is a budget not really a budget? The reporting on Donald Trump’s “skinny budget” proposal has focused almost exclusively on the big boosts in national-security spending and the major cuts almost everywhere else in discretionary spending. The fact that any White House budget is essentially out of order when it comes to the formal budget process, “skinny” or not, has been relegated mainly to footnotes – but it matters politically.

California’s Bullet Train may have received final, fatal fiscal hit
The state’s cap-and-trade auction, the only ongoing funding source, is a complete washout.

 

International

 

“Ghosts” drive Brazil’s president from residence: report
Brazil’s president Michel Temer blames bad vibes and even ghosts for driving him from his sumptuous official residence in the capital Brasilia, a Brazilian news weekly reported Saturday.

Scotland’s leader seeks new independence referendum
Scotland’s leader has said she will seek authority for a new independence referendum. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Monday she will move quickly to give Scottish voters a chance to make Scotland an independent country.

More anti-Semitic hate from a Canadian imam
As originally reported in CIJ News, Sheikh Abdiqani Mursal, an imam at Toronto’s Masjid Al Hikma mosque, read a passage from the Hadith called “Turmoil And Portents Of The Last Hour.”

Nobody wants to build a new police station in Rinkeby
Construction of the new police station in Rinkeby has dragged on. According to sources, SVT News has not been any bids because several large construction companies do not want to work for safety reasons. – It’s too dangerous to build a police station in the area, says many police officers who want to be anonymous to SVT News.

No new police station in Rinkeby – no one dares build it
There will be no new police station in the troubled immigrant suburb of Rinkeby in the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Not right now anyway. The reason: no construction company dares to build it.

“That’s Not How We Do Things in Australia”
Last October, Bill Leak woke up to find that, after a cartoon arising from a then current controversy on Aboriginal policy, he was to be investigated by the Australian state’s thought-police. Indeed, the government’s Race Discrimination Commissar, Tim Soutphommasane, was so anxious to haul Leak up on a charge of “racial stereotyping” that he was advertising for plaintiffs.

Saudi Arabia launches girls’ council – without any girls
It was an encouraging initiative for a country not known for giving women a platform in public life. But when Saudi Arabia wanted to show off its inaugural girls’ council in al-Qassim province, they overlooked one thing: the women.

South African poster: “kill whites, Indians, Aids-rape their kids”
Social cohesion activist Yusuf Abramjee laid charges on Sunday morning against Obatala Mcambi, the man believed to be behind a Facebook profile enjoining people to rob and kill Indians and whites, as well as rape and infect their children with Aids.

OH TRUDEAU!
Sooner or later most everyone is going to realize that Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a hopeless lightweight trading entirely on his father’s prestige, which was itself built largely on media image-crafting that would humble Donald Trump.

Germany Attacks Free Speech
This threat of massive government fines is clearly intended to have a chilling effect, to stifle dissent against Angela Merkel’s immigration policy, and to inhibit further election success by the anti-Merkel opposition.

German anti-immigrant party beats Merkel in her home district
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats were beaten into third place by the anti-immigrant and anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a north-eastern state election on Sunday, TV exit polls showed.

Nicola Sturgeon abandons bid to remain in EU as poll shows record level of Euroscepticism in Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon’s referendum plans were rapidly unravelling tonight as it emerged she is to abandon the SNP’s policy of rejoining the EU immediately amid record Euroscepticism in Scotland.

Geert Wilders and the Real Story of the Election
The patriotic revolution continues.

New Zealand Grants River Human Legal Rights
Um, okay.

Whoever wins this second referendum, Scotland loses
Oh Lord, not again. The reality of a second independence referendum – of the prolonged, furious and divisive punch-up that inevitably lies ahead – sends my heart plummeting to my boots

Venezuela has a bread shortage. The government has decided bakers are the problem.
Facing a bread shortage that is spawning massive lines and souring the national mood, the Venezuelan government is responding this week by detaining bakers and seizing establishments.

Australia: Teacher quits after primary school students threaten to behead her
Frightened teachers at a Sydney primary school have revealed students are showing signs of extreme radicalisation at a young age, saying they have been traumatised by threats of beheading and other violent behaviour.

Quebec: Imam says Islamic ruling on slave-girls was not abrogated
Canadian Islamic Centre in Montreal, says that the Islamic ruling on marrying slave women/ girls was not abrogated and it is applicable when the legitimate jihad is launched against the disbelievers.

Swiss police cancel commemoration event for 102nd anniversary of Battle Of Gallipoli
Swiss police on Friday cancelled an event celebrating the 102nd anniversary of the naval victory of the Ottomans against the mighty Allied forces and commemorating thousands who lost their lives during the Gallipoli Campaign, saying it could disrupt public order.

Where are Europe’s men? Faith Goldy on the “testosterone recession”
While women in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and elsewhere are being groped and raped by Muslim migrants, many are asking, “Where are their men?” As Faith Goldy of TheRebel.media notes, the ones that aren’t wearing miniskirts at protest rallies (!) are apparently doing nothing at all.

Turkish President to Turks in Europe: “Have five children, not three. You are Europe’s future”
Seeking demographic conquest.

 

Opinion

 

My Local School Board May Begin Silencing Parents Over Transgender Agenda
In Fairfax, 10 parents have just three minutes each to give their views to the county school board each meeting.

Take Down the Democrat 10
Spring training is underway. Hardball is back. But it’s not just about the game played on diamonds. It’s about politics. It’s about always finding the winning edge. It’s about playing hardball to get the edge. Democrats need to lose — and lose hugely — for trying to sabotage Donald Trump and his presidency. Not to mention conniving to throw the nation into turmoil. Congressional Democrats need to bear the brunt.

At Odds With History: States Seize Control of Civil Asset Forfeiture
In 1762, agents of the king of England entered John Entick’s house without his consent, searched it from top to bottom, and seized documents and other printed materials.

The Constitution and the Language of the Law
There has been a long-standing debate over whether the Constitution is written in ordinary or legal language. Yet no article has offered a framework for determining the nature of the Constitution’s language, let alone systematically canvassed the evidence.

ACADEMIC ABSURDITY OF THE WEEK: THE REAL RESISTANCE ON CAMPUS
The left is abuzz with talk of how they represent “The Resistance” to Trump, which I suppose is a successor to “The Movement” in the 1960s. Of course, what happened to “The Movement”?

The Real Lessons of Middlebury College
Many people seem shocked at the recent savagery of a mob of students at Middlebury College, who rioted to prevent Charles Murray from addressing a student group who had invited him to speak. They also inflicted injuries requiring hospitalization on a woman from the faculty who was with him.

Why Corporate Leaders Became Progressive Activists
U.S. corporate activism tilts overwhelmingly to the left.

Exploring Midterm Turnout Gaps
Anticipation for the 2018 midterm elections has already started to grow. While vote choice patterns across different groups prove similar between midterm and presidential years, turnout rates—and resulting electorate makeups-do not. I wanted to check the midterm-presidential gap in turnout rates within major demographic groups, and whether that has changed over time.

The Potential Consequences of Judge Watson’s Ruling
The sweeping nature of Hawaii federal district-court judge Derrick Watson’s ruling could have political consequences that go far beyond President Trump’s travel ban.

HAWAII JUDGE’S RULING COULD LEAD TO CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS
When a Ninth Circuit panel issued a decision striking down President Trump’s original travel ban, I described its opinion as “limited in impact, but full of mischief.” The biggest piece of mischief, I thought, was the panel’s suggestion the administration’s order violates the Establishment and Equal Protection Clauses because it was intended to disfavor Muslims.

Trump Budget Outline Presents Regional Political Risks
The EPA cuts are drawing significant attention and one proposed cut highlights how spending priorities and political realities are often in tension. The Great Lakes Restoration Imitative faces a substantial cut under Trump’s plan.

Breaking Faith
The culture war over religious morality has faded; in its place is something much worse.

This Court Case Proves Why the Oxford Comma is Valuable
Never again should the Oxford Comma’s power be doubted.

5 Problems With The Hawaii Judge Halting Trump’s Travel Ban
A federal judge in Hawaii relied on his feelings and flawed interpretation of Trump’s campaign rhetoric to block his latest travel ban.

REINS Act Opposition Displays Contempt For Consent Of The Governed
A large coalition of left-leaning interest groups oppose the REINS Act and Republicans’ broader aim to reassert elected officials’ authority over unelected bureaucrats.

What To Ask Neil Gorsuch At His Confirmation Hearing
Only by holding nominees’ feet to the substantive constitutional fire can we make confirmation hearings great again.

Progressives, Race & History
No figure was more central to the birth of our nation, first in war, then as a Constitutional Republic, than George Washington. In 1776, with the Revolution by all accounts lost and our army in tatters, it was Washington who led a ragged band of men in history’s most audacious, decisive and pivotal raids at Trenton and Princeton.

Here Are 4 Possible Outcomes for Gorsuch’s Confirmation Process
Confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court choice, will begin Monday, with the process culminating in one of four likely outcomes.

Is This The Beginning Of The End Of Europe?
From an aggressive Russia to the anti-Semitism sweeping across Europe, James Kirchick’s book “The End of Europe” makes a persuasive case that we can’t continue to ignore rising continental tensions.

They’re Coming For Your Children
Major cities along the East Coast may not have gotten the snowstorm meteorologists predicted this week, but every day snowflakes fly across the country on college campuses.

Ben Shapiro: Socialism is NEVER a Good Idea
Ben Shapiro explains why just the idea of socialism, even in its purest form, is inherently evil and immoral.

The Patriarchy Is Paying to Smash Itself
Who pays for feminism? (Hint: Not them.) The agenda of “equality” requires redistribution of resources, transferring wealth from males to females, which is what liberal social welfare states have been doing as a matter of public policy for many decades now.

The Left Now Criticizes the Campus Monster it Created
“These condemnations, coming about 50 years too late, should not be taken seriously.”