News of the Week for Apr. 15th, 2018
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Gun Rights
De Blasio’s Criminal Justice Deputy Arrested For Having Loaded, Unmarked Handgun
A high-level deputy in New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Office of Criminal Justice was arrested Saturday evening for being in a car with a loaded 9mm handgun that had its serial number scratched off.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan: ‘There Is Never a Reason to Carry a Knife.’ Here Are 5
On Sunday morning, London’s Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan responded to violence throughout Britain’s capital by declaring that no person in London should carry a knife. Seriously.
The Second Amendment Protects Knives as Long as They’re Not Made For Cooking
The Washington Supreme Court does consider things like police batons, billy clubs, dirks and switchblades as “arms”
How a ‘Cashless’ America Could Become ‘Gunless’
The United States is quickly turning “cashless,” buying most things from automobiles to hamburgers via bank loans and credit cards. Americans carry more than a trillion dollars on such “debt cards.” Banks for the moment still tolerate relatively small amounts of cash and cash-backed debit card transactions, but they would prefer to move solely to “cashlessness” – in which more and more of what we need is not earned or saved, but borrowed on credit for high interest.
Police said woman shot hatchet-wielding man outside store on south side
Police said a woman shot a man who allegedly threatened her with a hatchet outside of a store on Tucson’s south side Friday night.
Hide the Decline
Environment &
“Green Energy”
Searchlight residents blast proposed wind turbine project
A proposed wind project hit a gale of opposition Monday, as the Bureau of Land Management hosted the first of four meetings on the massive renewable energy project.
New source of global nitrogen discovered
Rocks could hold key to carbon storage and improved global climate projections
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
An ambitious California bill would put the state in charge of controlling prices in the commercial healthcare market
In one of the most aggressive efforts in the nation to curb soaring healthcare spending, a new California measure would put the state in charge of setting prices for hospital stays, doctor’s visits and most other medical services covered by commercial insurers.
Tennessee Defunds Planned Parenthood
“This will especially hurt women of color.”
Poll: Majority support single payer health plan (without a price tag)
A poll released yesterday by the Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation found that a slim majority supports single payer health care.
This Is What Medical Authoritarianism Looks Like
The Alfie Evans saga continues to roil the U.K., and it is increasingly looking like the Terri Schiavo case.
Refugees set for NHS payout because midwives didn’t tell them to feed baby
The Sri Lankan family of a brain damaged child is set for a multi-million-pound NHS payout because midwives didn’t explain the importance of feeding their newborn, a judge has ruled.
Now What? Congressional Republicans Can No Longer Run on Repealing Obamacare
Despite all of the dubious talk from some conservatives about the 2008 election, the notion a better Republican candidate than John McCain would have beaten Barack Obama is happy pill talk and not wedded to reality. Barack Obama had the perfect storm to win. An unpopular President beat down due to an unpopular war and an economy in freefall. When the inevitable happened, and Obama won, Republicans could do nothing except plan for the 2010 congressional races.
War & Terror
Greece opens fire on Turkey as military helicopter buzzes island
GREEK soldiers have fired on a Turkish helicopter in the Aegean sea amid growing tensions in the region.
National
Conservative pollster: “I think the Republicans are in deep trouble”
Conservative pollster Frank Luntz said on Sunday that he believes Republicans are in danger of losing both chambers of Congress in this year’s midterm elections.
Rick Scott: I’m taking on Bill Nelson for Senate
As expected, Rick Scott will toss his hat into the ring in an attempt to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in November. Rumors and then expectations have swirled for months about the Republican governor’s Beltway ambitions. However, Scott will frame his campaign as an attack on Washington DC, just like another candidate in 2016 did in pulling off a mild upset in the presidential election.
Students who sat in on “Christian Privilege” event call it short on proof, long on white privilege accusations
After gaining national backlash, a “Christian Privilege” diversity workshop at George Washington University faced thoughtful debate from Christian students who attended the event to defend their faith.
‘STDs are on the prowl and just can’t wait to jump in your pants!’ Toy company turns sexually transmitted diseases into ‘charming’ stuffed animals
A company founded to help teach kids about illness has introduced a new line of stuffed animal sexually transmitted diseases in honor of STD Awareness Month
Former Agriculture Secretary Under Bill Clinton Enters Mississippi Senate Race
Democrats hope Mike Espy, who has history of corruption charges, can win them seat in deep South
Sen. Ben Sasse Sassy Questioning of Mark Zuckerberg
Senator Ben Sasse asks Mark Zuckerberg pointed questions during his Senate Testimony.
TED CRUZ GRILLING: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Under Fire
A joint hearing with the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to examine Facebook, Social Media Privacy, and the use and abuse of data.
5 Questions Emerging From the FBI Raid on Trump Lawyer
The FBI raid on the office and home of President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, raises constitutional concerns and issues about the future of key Justice Department officials, including the attorney general and the special counsel.
Woman Accused Missouri Governor of Blackmail, But Now Doesn’t Know if He Took Pictures of Her
In her testimony, she admitted she never saw a camera or phone.
FBI raids offices of Trump attorney Michael Cohen
The FBI on Monday raided the Manhattan office of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, seizing scores of records including documents related to hush money paid to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels.
Border Patrol Actually Pretty Excited To See National Guard Helping Out
Ever since President Trump said he was sending “the military” to the border to help stem the flow of illegal aliens coming in from Mexico, the media has been in a tizzy. Was it legal? Was it a good idea? Could they really do anything productive? And just what did he mean by “the military” anyway?
Arizona Supreme Court strikes down in-state tuition for ‘dreamers’
“Dreamer” Fabiola Espinoza protests outside the Arizona Supreme Court in Phoenix during the hearing over dreamers’ in-state tuition on April 2, 2018.
Ryan to retire as Speaker in January
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is retiring at the end of this Congress, ending his speakership a little more than three years after it began and as the GOP faces a possible loss of its majority this fall.
We’re Going to Miss Paul Ryan
I noted during the frustrations of the John Boehner years that the easiest thing in the world to do in a legislature is complain about your leaders negotiations and insist that if you had been in charge, you would have gotten a better deal. Passing big, consequential pieces of legislation is hard. Coalitions are difficult to keep together. Everyone who benefits from the status quo lines up against you, with institutional advantages and the power of inertia. Oh, and the clock is on their side, too.
L.A. County wants to help build guest houses in backyards – for homeless people
“Not in my backyard” protests helped block homeless housing in Temple City, delayed it in Boyle Heights and, last month, killed Orange County’s plan to relocate homeless people to shelters.
Another “Hate Crime” Hoax
Are fake “hate crimes” now more common than actual hate? Sometimes it seems so, e.g., a recent incident in the Virginia suburbs of D.C.
Weird Beyond Words: An Online Transgender Blackmail Conspiracy?
The 4chan community has been buzzing for the past two days over an intensely weird story: A person using the handle “Reiko” was allegedly the ringleader of a group on a board called “r9k” that convinced vulnerable young men to engage in online transvestite roleplaying.
Break-up of California moves a step closer as billionaire gets enough signatures to trigger vote
The chance of California splitting into three has moved a step closer after a billionaire secured enough signatures to trigger a referendum on the issue.
Referendum to Split Calif. Into 3 States Will Be on Ballot
One of several proposals aiming to split California into multiple smaller states has reportedly reached an important new goal thanks in large part to the efforts of its billionaire champion.
CA Reps Introduce Orwellian ‘Police Accountability and Community Protection Act’
In my April 6 column here on PJ Media, I mentioned the legislative effort in California to address police shootings and change the legal standard by which they are judged. Assembly Bill 931, bearing the Orwellian title of Police Accountability and Community Protection Act, would make it unlawful for a police officer to use deadly force unless it was “necessary.” It sounds reasonable, of course. After all, don’t we want police to refrain from shooting people unless it’s necessary?
Profs critique “white fragility,” deny reverse racism exists
Roger Williams University hosted two “antiracist scholars” on April 4 for a lecture about “Race and Power” as part of this year’s annual them: “Talking About Race, Gender, and Power.”
Students protest conservative professor who wrote about blacks’ role in slave trade
Students also furious he calls Caitlyn Jenner “Bruce”
The Hubble Space Telescope finds an “Einstein Ring”
This is truly spectacular. From NASA and ESA. comes this photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope which clearly proves [one] of Einstein’s theories – gravitational lensing.
Scripps hosts ‘no whites allowed’ pool party
A student organization at Scripps College will host a pool party Friday night exclusively for people of color, clearly stating that there are “no whites allowed.”
Report: Articles of impeachment drafted in the House for Rod Rosenstein
I wonder if Rosenstein’s waiting until he’s gone to start writing his tell-all or if he already has it drafted and is adding chapters as the weeks roll by.
Economy & Taxes
President Trump Directs Administration to Rejoin Trans-Pacific Partnership
One of President Trump’s first acts in office was withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership which was one of the signature accomplishments of the Obama administration, the others being giving Iran over a billion dollars in cash and a roadmap to a nuke and setting off a regional war in Syria and Iraq.
Mulvaney to Congress: Thanks to you, I don’t have to answer any of your questions — ever
When Mick Mulvaney served in the House, he tried to warn colleagues that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was too independent of Congress. Now that he’s running the CFPB, Mulvaney wants to demonstrate just how correct he was. For the second straight day, the acting director has told a congressional panel that he can just sit in front of them all day and ignore their questions, and there’s nothing they can do about it
International
Hungary’s anti-immigration PM hails ‘extraordinary victory’ as his party is expected to win two-thirds of seats in the country’s parliament
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party Fidesz has won at least 134 seats, polls show
Court Grants Amazon River Legal “Rights”
The Supreme Court of Colombia has added tremendous heft to the “nature rights” movement by elevating the Amazon River into a rights-bearing entity. Yes, the world’s greatest river can now be added to the growing list of local environments, glaciers, and waterways – including the Ganges – granted legally enforceable rights by courts or statutes.
China has started ranking citizens with a creepy ‘social credit’ system – here’s what you can do wrong, and the embarrassing, demeaning ways they can punish you
The Chinese state is setting up a vast ranking system system that will monitor the behaviour of its enormous population, and rank them all based on their “social credit.”
British Police Are Threatening to Arrest People for Something Stupider Than Hate Speech or Knife Possession
In the early morning hours of April 4, 78-year-old Richard Osborn-Brooks awoke to noises in the home he shared with his wife who suffers from dementia. He found two burglars going through his possessions and confronted them. One of the burglars was armed with a screwdriver. In the struggle that followed, Osborn-Brooks ended up with the screwdriver and stabbed one of the men. They fled the house, but the stabbed man bled out internally and dropped dead on the street.
Implosion of Venezuela creates refugees wave on scale of Syrian civil war
Expatriates find welcoming immigration laws in Argentina, tightened border controls in Colombia, Brazil
“I knew it was racist then and I know it’s racist now”: BBC airs Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech in full on Radio 4… but listeners are split over whether it was insensitive or insightful
BBC broadcasted Enoch Powell’s 1968 anti-immigration ‘rivers of blood’ speech
Opinion
President Trump on Syria: Playing chess or clueless?
President Trump seems intent on withdrawing American forces from Syria in the very near future. He takes the position that we are in Syria only to defeat ISIS. With this objective nearly accomplished, he argues, it’s almost time for our forces to come home.
The brave new age of gender-neutral kids
When Storm was born seven years ago in Toronto, he or she became the most famous baby in the city. That’s because Storm’s parents announced that they were going to raise the baby as gender neutral. “If you really want to get to know someone, you don’t ask what’s between their legs,” Storm’s father, David Stocker, told The Toronto Star. In an e-mail, Storm’s parents told their friends, “We’ve decided not to share Storm’s sex for now – a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation.”
What Would William Howard Taft Do?
This is big week in Congress — for trade policy, antitrust policy (with the Facebook hearings on Tuesday), foreign policy (as the President threatens to send the national guard to the Mexican border), and environmental policy (as Scott Pruitt fights for his job.)
The Politicization of the MCAT
Why should we care about the opinions of aspiring doctors?
Another item in the “I probably couldn’t get a job as an academic these days” file
As an addition to the “I probably couldn’t get a job as an academic these days” file comes this link (via @roddreher) to a University of California San Diego document requiring a written statement from faculty applicants
5 Big, Fat Lies Free Speech Opponents Love
Free speech is under sustained attack in our country. Here are five lies the attackers use to undermine our most basic freedom.
Who Will Be Programming Mark Zuckerberg’s “Hate Speech” Killing AI Should Be a Massive Concern
During Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Q&A with Congress, there was one thing he had said that really caught my ear, and it worried me.
Women most responsible for gender pay gap
The people most responsible for the much-hyped gender pay gap are women.
Speaker Of The House Paul Ryan Is Stepping Down. Here Are 9 Things You Need To Know.
On Wednesday, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced to colleagues that he would be stepping down from his position as speaker after the November elections, and would not be running for re-election in his district – a retirement that will send shock waves throughout the Republican Party. An odd amount of celebration has broken out in more Trump-friendly circles of the Republican Party, where Ryan has been blamed for legislative shortcomings; a similarly odd amount of celebration has broken out in Democratic circles, despite the fact that Ryan’s attitude toward Democrats has been far more collegial than presumed alternatives.
How To Respond With Reason And Compassion To Transgender Bullies
Scholar Ryan Anderson’s new book, ‘When Harry Became Sally,’ employs science, medicine, and philosophy to answer the question ‘What is the most loving and helpful response to the condition of gender dysphoria?’
Why, as an Indian American, the Apu Simpsons Controversy Bothers Me
It’s absurd to blame the cartoon character for racial slights Indians have experienced in America.
But what does T-Bone think of gay sex?
Who is the most ridiculous Democratic Senator? There are so many deserving of recognition. The competition to settle on one is surely an impossible to task. We would have to consider all the relevant considerations and then accord them the correct weight. It probably can’t be done. Yet surely New Jersey Senator Cory Booker be in the running on just about any account. He is a pompous bully, a transparent phony, ha fool of political correctness and identity politics squared. He is constitutionally incapable of faking sincerity on any matter he touches. He is a prosecutor in search of thoughtcrime.
Jim Jordan to Fellow Republicans: “Let’s Just Do What We Said We Would Do”
Everyone knows this is a joke. It’s all pretend. Never going to become law. Never going to happen.
Write Girls
I noticed something while pouring through the lists of thousands of literary agents. There was a consistent theme, a repeated fact that stood out very noticeably after a short time. Literary agents are mostly women. By a fairly large margin. In fact, it became surprising to find a man who was an agent. After a while it was kind of an amusing game, picking through the list like looking for a four leaf clover.
