News of the Week for Sept. 9^th, 2018

• Election 2018
• Gun Rights
• Hide the Decline
• Obamacare
• War & Terror
• National News
• Economy & Taxes
• International News
• Opinion

 

Election 2018

 

Axios Reveals Democrats Already Have 2019 Agenda
Health care, infrastructure are top priorities.

Six Key 2018 Governor Races to Watch Closely
Elections in Florida, Georgia pit political opposites in well-funded contests that may be decided by President Trump’s standing

Liberal insurgency targets Delaware senator next
Democratic Sen. Tom Carper faces a challenge from Kerri Harris, part of a movement of progressive primary challengers.

New Mexico’s Unilateral Ballot Change Goes to Court
The recent move by New Mexico’s Democratic secretary of state to establish down-the-line party voting might well be illegal.

“Pay the bills”: Gillum redactions still reveal mysterious $15K deposit just before trip with lobbyist
The first rule of redacting documents: Use scissors. Rule 1A: Failing that, use a black-ink marker heavy enough to actually cover up the redacted text. Andrew Gillum’s campaign didn’t pay attention to either rule and inadvertently exposed a $15,000 cash infusion just prior to a trip to Costa Rica that he took with a lobbyist, in records that were supposed to show that Gillum paid his own way.

How eight elite San Francisco families funded Gavin Newsom’s political ascent
Gavin Newsom wasn’t born rich, but he was born connected – and those alliances have paid handsome dividends throughout his career.

Why the Senate might well be in play
In August, during the last program we did for our VIP subscribers, the four of us ventured predictions for the 2018 elections. All four of agreed that the Democrats probably will win the House. John, Scott, and Steve agreed that the Republicans will retain control of the Senate. I said there is a substantial chance, approaching 50 percent, that the Democrats will capture the Senate too.

 

Gun Rights

 

Fun, new Texas law allows the open carry of swords and long knives
In the era of Live Action Role Playing (larping) and legalized marijuana, historic weapons enthusiasts are expressing their concerns

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &
“Green Energy”

 

With Florence approaching, Sea Surface Temperatures have been exceeded in the past, as far back as the 1860s
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies of the Patch of Warmer-Than-Normal Waters in the North Atlantic

Claim: Bangkok Climate Conference Failure USA’s Fault For Not Providing Money and Free Stuff
Despite the overall failure to achieve their stated goals, the now concluded Bangkok climate conference actually made some progress – they all agreed to jointly attack the USA for not providing all the climate cash and free technology transfers demanded by delegates.

 

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

Promoting “Rational” Elder Suicide
September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. I used to call the annual event “Invisible Suicide Prevention Day” because it is so often ignored in major media.

“Medicare for All” Is Really “Medicaid for All”
The Delaware primary results notwithstanding, the hard-left flank of the Democratic party has been on the march, successfully toppling several so-called centrists. This means that single-payer health care – popularized as “Medicare for All” by Senator Bernie Sanders – is going to become a major issue in the coming election.

California Legislature Tries to Stop “Patient Dumping”
Will the new law have the unintended consequence of accelerating the trend toward hospitals’ closing down their emergency rooms?

 

War & Terror

 

Explosion Outside U.S. Embassy in Cairo
Early reports indicate that a man detonated explosives outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, today. Security forces arrested a man at the scene.

China Is Getting Less Bang for Its R&D Buck Than Peers
China appears to be getting less bang for its R&D buck than other countries. Data on patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty show that for every $1 million in R&D expenditure, China generates 0.08 patent applications — that’s less than half the OECD average, and below Japan, South Korea and Germany. Research by Bloomberg Economics suggests that’s partly because a dominant state presence means that more efficient private-sector firms are crowded out, limiting potential for future growth.

NYT: Trump administration met with Venezuelan military coup plotters
Seems like old times, or at least that’s how this will be seen in South America if true. The New York Times reports that the Trump administration met clandestinely with rebellious Venezuelan military officers looking to stage a coup to overthrow Nicolas Maduro. Nothing came of the meetings, but this leaves the US in a very shaky – and familiar – position

 

National

 

Vassar Disorientation Guide urges students to “Slap a Zionist”
Vassar condemns “the behaviors this document advocates,” and has “identified the students believed to be responsible for its creation and distribution and began the student conduct process”

Many Newspaper Reports Back Up That Blockbuster Study About Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria
Reading tens of thousands of media articles about “all things transgender” has left me siding with the Brown University study’s conclusions.

Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl will be John McCain’s successor in the U.S. Senate
Jon Kyl, once one of the most powerful Republicans in the U.S. Senate, will return to Capitol Hill to succeed the late Sen. John McCain, The Arizona Republic has learned.

Collins: No sale on the Kavanaugh Roe memo
So much for bombshells today. Not only did Cory Booker’s “Spartacus moment” fall flat, so did the one strategy that might actually have derailed Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation. And in large part, both failed for the same reason – that legal analysis of a subject is not at all the same thing as expressing a policy choice.

Cory Booker Releases “Bombshell” Emails That Prove Kavanaugh Is Against Racism
Sen. Cory Booker called himself “Spartacus” Thursday morning during the Senate Judiciary hearing for Judge Brett Kavanaugh after releasing documents that were confidential to the committee and not intended for public release.

Alex Jones, InfoWars, ‘permanently suspended’ by Twitter
Twitter announced Thursday that it “permanently suspended” Alex Jones and his show InfoWars from their platform, as well as Periscope.

San Francisco taxi drivers are told to stop urinating and defecating on the streets outside the airport making the rank a ‘health hazard’
There is an epidemic of taxi drivers urinating and defecating outside airport

Shameless CA Legislators Pass Bill To Allow Them To Live Outside Their Districts
Just as the 2018 legislative session was winding down last week, California lawmakers sent Gov. Jerry Brown a bill that would allow them to live outside the districts in which they were elected and ostensibly represent.

Kamala Harris Dismisses Kavanaugh’s Pocket Constitution: “That Book You Carry”
Democratic Senator Kamala Harris referred to SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s pocket Constitution as “that book you carry” on Thursday.

Wyoming GOP office set on fire in apparent arson
Authorities in Wyoming said Thursday that a fire at a local Republican Party headquarters was being investigated as arson.

Ex-Muslim Christian Pastor, Refugee From Iran, Arrested for Sharing His Testimony – in Minnesota
Late last month, Ramin Parsa, a Christian pastor who fled Iran as a religious refugee, was arrested for privately sharing his faith testimony in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. He fled persecution in Iran and Turkey, only to find persecution in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Penn State math course covers “imperialism” and “cultural intolerance”
The course claims that former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were “guided always by the strength of character and force of intellect of First Lady Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton”

School’s “Civility Week” will feature “diversity” comic convention
Event will feature a “cosplay pageant,” LGBTQ panel

Study: 1 In 4 College Students Diagnosed With Mental Health Condition
New survey shows 75 percent of students at U.S. colleges have battled significant stress in the past year, leading 1 in 5 to consider suicide

Advisory Panel Urges Texas Schools to Drop ‘Heroic’ From Description of Alamo Defenders
A panel advising the Texas State Board of Education on curriculum is recommending that the word “heroic” be dropped from study materials that describe the defenders of the Alamo.

 

Economy & Taxes

 

The Bernie Sanders Big Brother Act of 2018
Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has introduced legislation to tax companies for the federal benefits their employees receive, unsubtly called the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies, or BEZOS Act. Leave aside for now the ominous nature of naming a piece of federal legislation after an individual, solely due to legislative animus at that individual’s financial success. Let’s look at how this would operate in practice.

 

International

 

Today’s The Perfect Day To Remember Poland’s Working-Class Revolt Against Communism
Lech Walesa turns 75 in September and 35 years ago won the Nobel Peace Prize. He’s probably the most important labor leader of our era.

Anti-Christian “Pogroms” in Nigeria
Not that you’d know this from the Roman Catholic leadership.

Life Under Socialism in Venezuela: Nasty, Brutish, and Stinky
But remember — real Socialism hasn’t ever been tried yet!

First UNSC Meeting of Haley’s Presidency Brings Clashes Over Nicaragua Crisis
The first substantive meeting of the U.N. Security Council under the presidency of the United States was marked by deep divisions on Wednesday, as several countries’ representatives slammed the decision to focus on the crisis in Nicaragua, and Venezuela’s delegate took the opportunity to label the Trump administration “one of the most obscurantist” in recent history.

Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro hurt in knife attack
Brazilian lawmaker Jair Bolsonaro, who is a leading candidate in next month’s presidential election, has been stabbed at a campaign event in southeast Brazil. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

First case of monkeypox recorded in UK
The rare viral infection was recorded on Friday in a Nigerian national staying at a naval base in Cornwall, Public Health England (PHE) said.

 

Opinion

 

Is Feminist Brain-Washing a Form of Child Abuse?
“If not, maybe it should be,” I thought after reading about the University of Kansas’s latest foray into indoctrinating parents and their children with the idea that gender doesn’t matter.

Is Transgender The New Anorexia?
A blockbuster study suggests that in some cases transgender is a ‘social contagion,’ a maladaptive coping technique spread by peer groups and the Internet.

Kamala and Cory, compare and contrast
Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker both treated the Brett Kavanaugh hearings as an audition for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Sen. Amy Klobuchar did too, but she’s not the same bracket as Harris and Booker – the ostentatiously left-wing, person-of-color bracket.

Transgender Pronouns Are Just the Beginning. How Coerced Speech Could Erode Liberty for Everyone.
During the past decade, transgender ideology has gained significant ground in society and culture. And, as its demands have been translated into public policy, it threatens not only the livelihood of public employees who don’t conform to speech codes, but also the free and democratic nature of American society.