China Supposedly Meddling in 2018 Elections

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By AP. Taking center stage at the United Nations, President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused China of trying to interfere in the upcoming U.S. congressional elections because it opposes his tough trade policies. The White House provided scant evidence of anything akin to the level of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

“They do not want me or us to win because I am the first president ever to challenge China on trade,” Trump said as he chaired the U.N. Security Council for the first time. He made his accusation against the backdrop of the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the last election to help him and amid concerns that this November’s elections also could be vulnerable.

Asked later what evidence he had, Trump said there was “plenty” but didn’t immediately provide details, suggesting that some of the material was classified. Instead, he zeroed in on China’s propaganda efforts to flood the heartland with ads and statements against Trump’s billions of dollars in punishing tariffs. (Read more from “China Supposedly Meddling in 2018 Elections” HERE)

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Trade Turmoil Between China and the U.S. Spills Into Military Relations

By CNBC. As the world’s two largest economies exchange tit-for-tat tariffs, there are growing suggestions that the trade turmoil has spilled over into military relations.

China has canceled friendly engagements with the U.S. Navy, possibly due to the trade dispute.

In an interview with CNBC’s Morgan Brennan, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, the branch’s top civilian, explained the intricate relationship between the two naval forces.

“When we look at China, it’s a very complex situation to say the least because they are also a great trading power,” Spencer said. “We have a major trading power as a competitor,” he added, noting Beijing’s ambitious military buildup.

Spencer’s comments come on the heels of reports that China’s top naval commander canceled a planned visit this week to meet with his American counterpart and that the U.S. was denied a port visit in Hong Kong for its USS Wasp amphibious ship. (Read more from “Trade Turmoil Between China and the U.S. Spills Into Military Relations” HERE)

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Mega-Pastor: Ten Commandments No Longer Applicable

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A mega-pastor of one of the largest “evangelical” churches in the U.S. is attacking the Old Testament again, this time insisting Jesus rendered the Ten Commandments null and void, issuing one new law “as a replacement for everything.”

Andy Stanley, pastor of the 34,000-member North Point Community Church in suburban Atlanta, who famously advised his flock to “unhitch” from the Old Testament in a sermon last spring, has now penned an article promoting his new book saying laws such as “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” and “Thou shalt not kill” are no longer relevant to Christians living in the New Covenant era.

“You’ve heard the story before: A group of Christians puts up a monument of the Ten Commandments in a public space or on government property,” begins Stanley in his article titled, “Why do Christians want to post the Ten Commandments and not the Sermon on the Mount?” “Someone says it violates the separation of church and state. The Christians say taking it down would violate their freedom of speech. There’s some back and forth in court and both sides say some not-so-great things about the other. Rinse and repeat. But how many times have you seen Christians trying to post the text of the sermon on the mount in a public place? Or the all-encompassing commandment Jesus gave us? ‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another — John 13:34 The one commandment! Doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? But if we’re going to create a monument to stand as a testament to our faith, shouldn’t it at least be a monument of something that actually applies to us?”

Stanley goes on to write that the Ten Commandments are from the Old Covenant, which he says “played a significant role in God’s creation of the nation of Israel. It gave them moral guidelines and helped separate this new nation from their neighbors. This was part of the formal agreement (or covenant) God created with his people, but Jesus’ death and resurrection signaled the end of that covenant and all the rules and regulations associated with it. Jesus didn’t issue his new command as an additional commandment to the existing list of commands. He didn’t say, ‘Here’s the 614th law.’ Jesus issued his new commandment as a replacement for everything in the existing list. Including the big ten. Just as his new covenant replaced the old covenant, Jesus’ new commandment replaced all the old commandments.”

The implications of that unequivocal statement have been staggering to other Christians who point out how the words of Jesus and the apostles seem to contradict them flatly and reject such a conclusion. (Read more from “Mega-Pastor: Ten Commandments No Longer Applicable” HERE)

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Watch: Here’s How Clarence Thomas Responded to Allegations Against Him

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Then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas faced sexual misconduct allegations while he was going through the Supreme Court confirmation process in 1991 after being nominated to the court by George H. W. Bush.

On October 11, 1991, Thomas gave a statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee after then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) asked him if he had anything to say regarding the allegations.

“Senator, I would like to start by saying unequivocally, uncategorically, that I deny each and every single allegation against me today that suggested in any way that I had conversations of a sexual nature or about pornographic material with Anita Hill, that I ever attempted to date her, that I ever had any personal sexual interest in her, or that I in any way ever harassed her,” Thomas began.

“A second, and I think more important point,” Thomas continued. “I think that this today is a travesty. I think that it is disgusting. I think that this hearing should never occur in America. This is a case in which this sleaze, this dirt, was searched for by staffers of members of this committee, was then leaked to the media, and this committee and this body validated it and displayed it at prime time over our entire nation. How would any member on this committee, any person in this room, or any person in this country, would like sleaze said about him or her in this fashion? Or this dirt dredged up and this gossip and these lies displayed in this manner? How would any person like it?”

“The Supreme Court is not worth it. No job is worth it. I am not here for that. I am here for my name, my family, my life, and my integrity,” Thomas said. “I think something is dreadfully wrong with this country when any person, any person in this free country would be subjected to this.”

(Read more from “Watch: Here’s How Clarence Thomas Responded to Allegations Against Him” HERE)

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John Kerry Attacks President Trump

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By Washington Times. Former Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday said President Trump’s recently lamenting the indictments of two Republican congressmen so close to the midterm elections demonstrates that Mr. Trump doesn’t understand America or how the country’s justice system is supposed to work.

Mr. Kerry said Mr. Trump chastised Attorney General Jeff Sessions for “following the law” after the Justice Department recently announced charges being brought against GOP Reps. Chris Collins and Duncan Hunter, two early supporters of the president, and that the president put the charges in the context of how they could affect the midterm elections.

“You have a president who clearly doesn’t understand America, doesn’t understand the Constitution, doesn’t understand the role of the Justice Department, the separation of powers, and that’s dangerous,” Mr. Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, said on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS.”

Mr. Trump tweeted last week that Democrats must “love” Mr. Sessions now.

“Two long running, Obama era, investigations of two very popular Republican Congressmen were brought to a well publicized charge, just ahead of the Mid-Terms, by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department. Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job Jeff……” the president tweeted. (Read more from “John Kerry Attacks President Trump” HERE)

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Trump Policy on Iran ‘Dangerous and Ill-Advised,’ Kerry Says

By Politico. Former Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement he helped negotiate was “dangerous and ill-advised.”

Speaking on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” Kerry called the deal the “single strongest, single most accountable, single most transparent nuclear agreement anywhere in the world,” saying Trump had mucked everything up by exaggerating the importance of potential long-term problems.

“I think it’s a very dangerous and ill-advised move that is not based on any broad strategy,” said Kerry, who served under President Barack Obama and has been a target of Trump’s criticism.

Kerry was a key negotiator on the agreement, which was designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and which also included the world’s other leading powers, including Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia. He said that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal had empowered Iran’s hard-liners in their criticism of the United States as untrustworthy. (Read more from “Trump Policy on Iran ‘Dangerous and Ill-Advised,’ Kerry Says” HERE)

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Mattis Makes Announcement on the Future of Military Exercises With South Korea

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U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. is preparing to resume military exercises with South Korea after they were briefly suspended this past summer.

“We took the step to suspend several of the largest military exercise as a good faith measure,” Mattis said at the Pentagon. “We have no plans at this time to suspend any more exercises.”

“We will work very closely … with the Secretary of State and what he needs done, we will certainly do to reinforce his effort,” he added. “But at this time there is no discussion about further suspensions.”

Following a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June, President Trump suspended war games with South Korea as a gesture of good faith in the denuclearization process. . .

However, relations with North Korea have recently stalled. President Trump cancelled Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s planned trip to North Korea last week, citing the lack of progress in the goal of denuclearization.

(Read more from “Mattis Makes Announcement on the Future of Military Exercises With South Korea” HERE)

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Pro-Life Priests Arrested for Prayerful Protest at Late-Term Abortionist’s Clinic in DC

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By Townhall. Yesterday morning, two Catholic priests (along with two additional pro-life activists) were arrested for praying inside of a Washington, D.C. abortion facility.

The “Red Rose Rescue”–where pro-life individuals peacefully enter an abortuary, distribute red roses to mothers as a symbol of life, and quietly speak with and pray for them–was intentionally scheduled for the same day as the sentencing hearing of two different pro-life activists, arrested in December 2017 for participating in a rescue at the same clinic.

Those arrested yesterday were named as Father Dave Nix of the Archdiocese of Denver, Father Fidelis Moscinski of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Will Goodman, and a woman who goes only by the name of “Baby Jane Doe”. Additional pro-life activists stood outside in the rain, praying, as the four were handcuffed by police and taken to jail.

The rescue took place in D.C.’s Capital Women’s Services, where the notorious Dr. Stephen Chase Brigham works as a late-term abortionist.

According to Operation Rescue (a pro-life activist organization and watchdog), Dr. Brigham is considered to be “the worst abortionist in America.” He is so bad, in fact, that the National Abortion Federation (certainly no pillar of virtue itself) allegedly revoked his membership years ago. (Read more from “Pro-Life Priests Arrested for Prayerful Protest at Late-Term Abortionist’s Clinic in DC” HERE)

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2 Catholic Priests, 2 Activists Arrested for Pro-Life Witness Inside Abortion Center

By Life Site News. Two Catholic priests and two pro-life activists were arrested for refusing to leave an abortion facility this morning, where they distributed red roses and begged the mothers inside to choose life.

Father Fidelis Moscinski of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Father Dave Nix of the Archdiocese of Denver, Will Goodman, and an unidentified woman entered Capital Women’s Services, the abortuary operated by Steven Chase Brigham at 6323 Georgia Ave NW, Suite 210 shortly after 9:00 a.m.

They were inside for roughly two hours, and then, because they refused to cooperate with the police on scene, were carried out one by one. Goodman and Fr. Nix eventually stood up to get inside police cars; Fr. Fidelis and the unnamed woman, who goes by “Baby Jane Doe” in solidarity with aborted children, were both limp as officers loaded them into police vehicles. “Baby Jane Doe,” who participated in a May 26 Red Rose Rescue at the same facility, will not give her name to the police. After her last arrest, the charges against her were dropped and she was released from police custody without ever revealing her name. (Read more from “2 Catholic Priests, 2 Activists Arrested for Pro-Life Witness Inside Abortion Center” HERE)

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Charlotte City Council Member Compared Trump Supporters to Ku Klux Klan

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On Friday, the Republican National Committee announced that the 2020 Republican National Convention will be held in Charlotte, N.C. The convention will nominate the GOP’s 2020 presidential and vice-presidential candidates, presumptively President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, for re-election.

“I am thrilled to announce Charlotte as the official host city for the 2020 Republican National Convention,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a press statement. “We look forward to seeing the Queen City take center stage as the Republican Party re-nominates President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to continue fighting for the American people.”

The decision by the RNC was unanimous, but the deal was approved by the narrowest of margins in the Charlotte City Council. After three and a half hours of debate earlier this week, in which more than 100 speakers were invited to weigh in on the matter, the Council voted 6-5 to approve permitting the city manager to negotiate contracts with the RNC, the Charlotte Observer reported Monday.

A Democratic member, Larken Egleston, cast the deciding vote in favor of hosting the convention but voiced opposition to President Trump.

“I will not combat the disappointing characteristics of this president by emulating them,” Egleston said. “Hosting the RNC in Charlotte in no way implies our endorsement of this president.”

But another Democrat on the council who voted against bringing the RNC to Charlotte denounced Trump as “dangerous” and compared his supporters to the Ku Klux Klan.

“This president is dangerous,” said Justin Harlow. “I’d no sooner bring Donald Trump and the RNC to Charlotte, to the home that I chose and love where my wife and I are raising our black son, any sooner than I would support a Klan rally in this city. The president may not be a Klansman, but some of his supporters are.”

Charlotte’s Democratic Mayor Vi Lyles said leading the effort to bring the RNC to her city was “the most difficult decision of my career.” On Friday, she reacted positively to the RNC’s decision.

She will not, however, deliver a welcoming address for the RNC delegates, eschewing common practice, according to the Observer.

Charlotte was the host city for the 2012 Democratic National Convention that re-nominated President Barack Obama for president.

Here’s full video of the City Council debate:

(For more from the author of “Charlotte City Council Member Compared Trump Supporters to Ku Klux Klan” please click HERE)

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Page Thinks She’s Above the Law, so Congress Sends in U.S. Marshals

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By Conservative Tribune. That’s the scenario playing out this week in Washington, as Congress tries to get former FBI lawyer Lisa Page to testify about anti-Trump texts she exchanged with FBI agent Peter Strzok, with whom she was having an affair. . .

“I am very disturbed by this,” Ryan said of Page’s no-show during a press conference. “Congressional subpoenas for testimony are not optional. … She was a part of a mess that they have uncovered over at DOJ. She has an obligation to come testify.” . . .

Republican Rep. Robert Goodlatte of Virginia said Wednesday that Page’s attorney initially agreed to accept service of the subpoena for Page, but “then turned around and immediately tried to reject it,” according to Fox News. . .

Page’s attorney, Amy Jeffress, said her client did not appear Wednesday because she did not have time to prepare, claiming Page had been denied access to FBI files necessary for her to prepare for questioning.

“Through her actions and words, Lisa has made it abundantly clear that she will cooperate with this investigation. All she is asking is to be treated as other witnesses have under the Committees’ own rules,” Jeffress said in a statement. (Read more from “Page Thinks She’s Above the Law, so Congress Sends in U.S. Marshals” HERE)

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U.S. Marshals ‘went to Lisa Page’s house three times’ to serve a subpoena

By Emily Goodin and Ariel Zilber. A top Republican on Capitol Hill has sent the United States Marshals Service to deliver a subpoena to a former FBI lawyer who defied an earlier request by Congress to testify about alleged anti-Trump bias within the bureau.

Representative Bob Goodlatte, a Republican from Virginia, says he instructed the Marshals to serve a subpoena to Lisa Page, whom he has accused of ‘apparently’ having ‘something to hide.’

Earlier on Wednesday, Page defied a congressional subpoena and declined to appear before a closed-door session of the House Judiciary Committee, which Goodlatte chairs.

Goodlatte said that initially Page’s lawyer agreed to accept the subpoena, but ‘then turned around and immediately tried to reject it,’ according to Fox News.

[He continued:] ‘They had to go back three times before they were finally able to reach her.’ (Read more from “US Marshals Go to Page’s House Three Times” HERE)

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Shameless: Schumer’s Hilarious, Desperate Flip Flop on SCOTUS Nominees and the ‘Ginsburg Standard’

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When you’re going to be a hack, you might as well be a shameless hack. Liberals are humiliating themselves over President Trump’s latest Supreme Court nomination, trafficking in insane conspiracy theories, and launching bogus, half-cocked (“extreme distortion”) attacks, as part of a frenzied “kitchen sink” approach. They’ll grasp at any straw to oppose Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, even as some key red state Senate Democrats are taking pains to avoid talking about the issue. The Associated Press describes the cacophony of resistance and discord:

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, says it’s all about health care. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., worries about the impact on the special counsel investigation. And Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., sees an assault that could set women’s rights back decades. There’s so much for Democrats to dislike about Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick. And that may be the problem. In the hours after the Republican president tapped the conservative jurist, Democrats struggled to unify behind a clear and coherent message to combat the nomination, which could shift the court to the right for decades. They’re energized, outraged and ready to fight. But what, exactly, is their argument to voters?…It’s an all-too-familiar political challenge for Democrats, who’ve left voters confused in the Trump era about what the party stands for beyond simply opposing the president. And in this case, the muddled messaging threatens to dampen a new surge of voter enthusiasm just a few months before [the] midterm elections.

As for Schumer’s new talking point that the Supreme Court fight is all about…healthcare, or something, it’s a line so unserious that even the Senate’s most moderate Republican couldn’t help but dismiss it with a rhetorical eyeroll:

Someone should inform Schumer that the Supreme Court doesn’t craft healthcare policy. While they’re at it, they should tell Schumer that one of the few Kavanaugh rulings that some conservatives are upset over involved, um, Obamacare. So it’s a stupid point on two levels. Sen. Collins also went on to say that Kavanaugh is obviously qualified for the job and reinforced the so-called ‘Ginsburg standard’ — pioneered by leftist icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg — under which Supreme Court nominees decline to discuss specific issues or cases that could come before them on the bench (though, as a former top ACLU attorney, she was willing to talk about abortion):

(Read more from “Shameless: Schumer’s Hilarious, Desperate Flip Flop on SCOTUS Nominees and the ‘Ginsburg Standard'” HERE)

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Trump’s SCOTUS Pick: It’s Down to These Three People

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By Townhall. We have another name to add to the Supreme Court short list: Judge Raymond Kethledge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals…reportedly. NBC News reported on this development. Judges Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, who were supposedly the final two, are also on the list. Kethledge is 51 years old and a graduate of Yale Law School:

President Donald Trump has narrowed his list of contenders to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy to three serious candidates, a source familiar with the selection process told NBC News on Thursday.

Those candidates are appeals court judges Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett, the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said.

Kavanaugh, 53, and Kethledge, 51, are both former law clerks to Kennedy, as was Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s first Supreme Court nominee, who succeeded Antonin Scalia. Kavanaugh, also a veteran of George W. Bush’s White House, currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

(Read more from “Trump’s SCOTUS Pick: It’s Down to These Three People” HERE)

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Trump Completes Interviews of Supreme Court Candidates, as Shortlist Shrinks

By Fox News. President Trump has completed the interview process for Supreme Court candidates after speaking with six judges, a source with knowledge of the selection process told Fox News – with three finalists in particular leading the field.

The president and his vetting team have moved quickly ahead of an expected announcement on Monday.

While liberal advocacy groups and others are gearing up for a major confirmation fight, Trump is charging ahead with an imminent decision to fill the seat of retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, and potentially move the court more solidly to the right.

Fox News is told that Trump has interviewed six candidates: Appeals court judges Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge, Amy Coney Barrett, Amul Thapar, Joan Larsen and Thomas Hardiman. The interviews comprised seven conversations – Trump talked to one candidate twice.

Multiple sources indicated Kavanaugh, Kethledge and Barrett are currently the focus of attention. (Read more from “Trump Completes Interviews of Supreme Court Candidates, as Shortlist Shrinks” HERE)

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