George and Barbara Bush Are Celebrating a Milestone Today No Other Presidential Couple Has Ever Reached

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Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara Pierce Bush, have made history. The couple celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary on Saturday — the latest milestone in what is already the longest marriage in presidential history.

As noted by WTTG, the couple met when George was just 16. At the time, Barbara was on holiday from her boarding school. They dated long distance for several years, then became engaged before George served as a naval pilot during World War II.

After he returned home, the couple got married and eventually moved to Texas with their oldest son, who was named after his father.

George H.W. Bush led a highly successful political career that included two terms in the House of Representatives, in addition to stints as U.N. ambassador, chairman of the Republican National Committee, chief of the U. S. Liaison Office in the People’s Republic of China and director of the CIA.

In 1980, he ran for the GOP presidential nomination, and though he lost to then-candidate Ronald Reagan, he would go on to serve two terms as vice president in the Reagan administration.

In 1988, Bush was elected president, and served in the Oval Office for one term, until he was defeated by Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential election.

Bush, 93, and his wife, 92, have five children — former President George W. Bush; former Florida Governor John Ellis “Jeb” Bush; fellow sons Marvin and Neil; and daughter Doro.

Another daughter, Robin, died in 1953 of leukemia.

The Bushes also have 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

As The Western Journal reported, it’s not the first time in recent months that George H.W. Bush has made history.

On Nov. 25, 2017, he became the longest-living president in U.S. history, reaching the age of 93 years and 166 days.

He surpassed the previous record held by former President Gerald Ford, who died in December 2006 when he was 93 years and 165 days old.

Bush was born on June 12, 1924.

The former president has led an active life well into his 90s. He went skydiving to celebrate his 90th birthday in 2014.

He celebrated his 93rd birthday by boating with his family.

However, a slew of health complications last year slowed the former president down.

Bush was hospitalized several times in 2017 for chronic pneumonia. (For more from the author of “George and Barbara Bush Are Celebrating a Milestone Today No Other Presidential Couple Has Ever Reached” please click HERE)

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You’ll Never Guess Who NBC Sees as Their ‘Future President’

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. . .During its broadcast of the 75th Golden Globe Awards, the official Twitter page of the National Broadcasting Company posted an intriguing tweet showing a laughing image of Oprah Winfrey with the message: “Nothing but respect for OUR future president. #GoldenGlobes.”

And despite the fact that Winfrey has squashed speculation of a potential presidential bid in 2020, Seth Meyers, the host of the TV event, tried his best to coax her into running during his opening monologue by invoking his previous remarks about President Trump.

“In 2011, I told some jokes about our current president at the White House Correspondents Dinner, jokes about how he was unqualified to be president,” Meyers said. “And some have said that night convinced him to run. And if that’s true, I would just like to say Oprah you will never be president. You do not have what it takes. And, Tom Hanks, you will never be vice president. You are too mean and unrelatable.” . . .

“It’s up to the people,” Winfrey’s longtime partner, Stedman Graham, told the Los Angeles Times. “She would absolutely do it.”

Steven Zeitchik of theWashington Post tweeted: “Asked Meryl Streep what she thought of Oprah’s speech. Her answer: ‘She launched a rocket tonight. I want her to run for president. I don’t think she had any intention [of declaring]. But now she doesn’t have a choice.’” (Read more from “You’ll Never Guess Who NBC Sees as Their ‘Future President'” HERE)

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Hold On! Trump Makes Big Change to Fake News Awards

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Despite days of anticipation, President Trump has decided to postpone his “Fake News Awards,” making people wait more than another week to find out who he thinks is the most corrupt and biased in today’s news media.

Trump tweeted the change in schedule Sunday afternoon, saying: “The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th, rather than this coming Monday. The interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated!”

Now, don’t expect Jim Acosta or Rachel Maddow to be strolling down a red carpet or arriving at the White House in limousines in hopeful anticipation of accepting the dishonor.

In fact, several late-night comedy hosts are actually campaigning for the public disgrace that presumably will bring higher ratings . . .

Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah all took time on their shows Wednesday to mull over their chances of receiving one of the awards – or as Colbert referred to them, “the Fakies.” (Read more from “Hold On! Trump Makes Big Change to Fake News Awards” HERE)

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Oscars Now Regret Banning Weinstein So Quickly

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When Hollywood’s most prestigious organization, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) — the group of nearly 7,000 actors, directors and other industry types who dole out the Oscars — expelled Harvey Weinstein on Oct. 14, audiences applauded. But by acting so swiftly, a mere nine days after the New York Times first reported allegations of sexual assault against the movie producer, the outfit now finds itself facing a dilemma.

Put simply: What to do with the rest of them?

“Harvey opened the floodgates,” said one male Academy member. “Now the Academy’s drowning in a tide of s—t. They don’t know what hit them.”

What hit, of course, were more alleged horror stories about so many other members: Kevin Spacey assaulting multiple young men, Dustin Hoffman sticking his hands in women’s pants, director Brett Ratner forcing himself on actresses. Ben Affleck seen on video groping a female host on “Total Request Live.” Screenwriter James Toback accused of sexual misdeeds by nearly 40 women. (As of this past Tuesday, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said it is considering criminal charges in five cases against Toback. He, Spacey, Hoffman and Ratner, deny the claims against them.) (Read more from “Oscars Now Regret Banning Weinstein So Quickly” HERE)

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The 3rd Most Popular Boy’s Name in US State Is Unusual

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St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota, came out with its annual list of top 10 most popular baby names for 2017, and No. 3 on the list of boys’ names was a bit of a surprise.

No. 1 – Henry
No. 2 – Liam
No. 3 – Mohamed
No. 4 – Jack
No. 5 – Nolan
No. 6 – William
No. 7 – Jackson
No. 8 – Logan
No. 9 – Wyatt
No. 10 – Grayson

The hospital has been publicizing its top baby names for boys and girls for as long as anyone can remember, but this is the first time the namesake of the Islamic prophet ended up in the top five.

In fact, as recently as 2013 the hospital published a list of its “Top 20” most popular baby names, and Mohamed was nowhere to be found . . .

The vast majority of Muslims in Minnesota are refugees from Somalia, and the Somalis have large families. Just since 2002, the U.S. State Department, in cooperation with the United Nations, has distributed more than 54,000 Somali refugees into Minnesota cities and towns. (Read more from “The 3rd Most Popular Boy’s Name in US State Is Unusual” HERE)

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Israel Dig Unearths Prehistoric ‘Paradise’

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Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a rare prehistoric site near Tel Aviv described as a “paradise” for hunter-gatherers living 500,000 years ago.

The site, next to a busy motorway at Jaljulia, has revealed hundreds of flint axes and other artefacts.

Experts say the area had a stream, vegetation and an abundance of animals – all perfect for early humans . . .

The ancient landscape was found between Jaljulia and the Route 6 motorway, about 5m (16ft) below the surface, and the finds indicate it was used by the ancestors of modern humans – homo erectus.

The Israel Antiquities Authority, which carried out the joint excavation with the university, said the finds had shed new light on the period. (Read more from “Israel Dig Unearths Prehistoric ‘Paradise'” HERE)

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The Author of the Explosive New Trump Book Admits There Are False Claims

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By Business Insider. The author of the explosive new book about Donald Trump’s presidency acknowledged in an author’s note that he wasn’t certain all of its content was true.

Michael Wolff, the author of “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” included a note at the start that casts significant doubt on the reliability of the specifics contained in the rest of its pages.

Several of his sources, he says, were definitely lying to him, while some offered accounts that flatly contradicted those of others.

But some were nonetheless included in the vivid account of the West Wing’s workings, in a process Wolff describes as “allowing the reader to judge” whether the sources’ claims are true.

In other cases, the media columnist said, he did use his journalistic judgment and research to arrive at what he describes “a version of events I believe to be true.” (Read more from “The Author of the Explosive New Trump Book Admits There Are False Claims” HERE)

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Trump World Frustrated, Angry Over New Book

By Jordan Fabian. Allies of President Trump are aghast at the damage caused by a new book that paints a picture of a chaotic, dysfunctional and incompetent early months of the Trump administration.

Current and former Trump aides believe many of the juiciest stories in “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” are exaggerated or wholly fictional and don’t think the book is resonating outside the Beltway among the president’s core supporters.

But they are shocked that the author, Michael Wolff, was given access to the White House for months to work on the project and stunned at the seemingly low regard some staffers have for the president as described in the book.

“The biggest political mistake in American history was to allow a reporter, whose integrity has been impugned across the spectrum, into the White House and give him free rein,” said one source close to the White House.

The source blamed former chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon for Wolff’s frequent presence in the West Wing. Bannon is quoted extensively in the book and offered blistering criticism of the president and his family. (Read more from “Trump World Frustrated, Angry Over New Book” HERE)

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This Gym Just Banned Something You’d Never Guess From Their TV – Says It ‘Doesn’t Fit Healthy Lifestyles’

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Life Time has scrubbed all-news cable channels from the screens at its fitness centers, saying a growing number of customers think they don’t fit a healthy lifestyle.

The Chanhassen-based company this week dropped CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and CNBC from TVs in front of various workout machines.

While the screens were in view of all in fitness areas, audio could only be heard through earphones.

With a few exceptions, TV screens built into treadmills and other cardio machines also “currently do not have the ability to display these channels,” Life Time spokeswoman Natalie Bushaw said Thursday. However, a second phase in this viewing shift, to be completed by the end of February, will have all stations available, Bushaw added.

USA, A&E, Discovery, HGTV, the local over-the-air stations and ESPN are all that remain on the visual menu of distractions while sweating off the caloric consequences of the holidays. (Read more from “This Gym Just Banned Something You’d Never Guess From Their TV – Says It ‘Doesn’t Fit Healthy Lifestyles'” HERE)

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New England’s Absurd Energy Policy

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The cold blast hitting the U.S. is exposing the absurdity of left-wing energy policies in New England. Natural gas prices are skyrocketing in the region as the gas demand for both heating and electricity exceeds supply.

ISO New England — the non-profit that runs the region’s power grid — issued a “cold weather watch” for January 5 to alert the wholesale power market to a surge in demand for the weekend, as temperatures are expected to plummet. The grid operator believes it has enough power, but the demand could exceed supply.

Don’t blame the weather for soaring energy prices and possible electricity shortages; blame the left-wing politicians and radical environmentalists for engineering a system certain to fail. Instead of promoting an energy policy focused on reliability with a diverse array of power sources for electricity generation, New England adopted a command-and-control energy policy built on feeling good, not reality.

Left-wing politicians concerned about global warming and an aggressive EPA regulatory agenda combined to reduce use of coal in New England from almost 20 percent in 2000 to about 2 percent in 2016. Natural gas is now the primary source of power, providing about 50 percent of electricity, up from about 15 percent in 2000. Burning natural gas emits about half the carbon dioxide emitted by coal.

The dependence on natural gas is a problem in New England because radical environmental activists are blocking construction of new natural gas pipelines needed to keep up with the increase in demand. Predictably, the law of supply and demand kicked in, resulting in an explosion of natural gas prices with plummeting temperatures.

During the first round of severe winter weather at the end of December, the surge in demand made New England “the world’s priciest” natural gas market, where the energy commodity jumped threefold on the spot market.

The so-called “bomb cyclone” storm that hit the East coast is pushing natural gas futures prices up significantly in New England. The Wall Street Journal reported the price for natural gas on January 3 rose almost 90 percent from the prior day and was about 1,200 percent higher than in early December.

The sharp rise in natural gas prices will eventually be passed on to consumers and businesses in New England, which already has the highest electricity prices in the nation. The problems in New England will get worse. Power companies switched to burning heating oil in order to keep the limited supply of natural gas for heating homes and businesses.

The loss of natural gas is forcing electricity providers to change the energy mix to generate power. Recently (based on real-time data January 4), oil-fueled power plants are providing about 30 percent of New England’s electricity, up from less than 1 percent, while natural gas is down to about 25 percent from almost 50 percent. Nuclear energy remains at about 30 percent, and renewable and coal provide a minor amount at 13 and 6 percent, respectively.

However, the use of oil for electricity will likely run into a problem in Massachusetts, where the state issued stricter carbon dioxide limits that came into effect on January 1. In 2008, Massachusetts passed The Global Warming Solutions Act, mandating a total reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors to 25 percent below the 1990 level in 2020 and at least an 80 percent reduction in 2050.

To avoid breaking the limits set for the power sector, the oil-fired units in Massachusetts could shut down, placing more stress on other states to supply electricity for the regional power grid. Relying on other states may also run into problems, because all New England states participate in The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — a program designed to reduce emissions from power plants.

Compounding the energy supply challenge, a number of power plants including nuclear, oil, and coal have closed or are set to close, reducing the availability of energy in the region, and renewable energy is unable to adequately fill the energy void.

Left-wing politicians and their radical environmentalist activist allies designed an energy policy that makes them feel good, but it comes at financial cost for the residents of New England. The impact on the carbon dioxide emission reductions for the entire country from the EPA’s Clean Power Plan under former President Obama was found to have no meaningful impact on global temperatures, so New England’s global warming regulations are meaningless except for political feel-good rhetoric.

Ignoring the reality of supply and demand and the importance of a diverse energy mix, including nuclear energy and fossil fuels such as coal, has consequences. (For more from the author of “New England’s Absurd Energy Policy” please click HERE)

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Illegal Alien Who Shot Kate Steinle Avoids Prison Over Firearm Conviction

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The illegal immigrant who discharged a firearm and killed 32-year-old Kate Steinle was sentenced to three years in prison Friday, but he won’t be spending any more time in state jail.

Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was acquitted of Steinle’s murder in December, but a jury convicted him of the lesser charge of a felon in possession of a firearm.

Since he has been detained in the San Francisco jail since his arrest on July 1, 2015, he was credited for time served.

Garcia Zarate will be on state parole for 48 months and will be transferred to federal custody.

He faces federal weapons charges under a Dec. 5 indictment.

The Steinle shooting touched off a nationwide debate over sanctuary cities after it was revealed that San Francisco authorities had released Garcia Zarate despite an outstanding detention request by immigration authorities.

Then-candidate Donald Trump pointed to the incident as a tragic consequence of San Francisco’s refusal to cooperate with immigration authorities.

At trial, defense attorneys conceded that Garcia Zarate fired the shot that killed Steinle, but asserted that he had accidentally discharged the pistol, which he found under a bench on the San Francisco pier.

That argument swayed the jury, which acquitted Garcia Zarate of murder, manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon. (For more from the author of “Illegal Alien Who Shot Kate Steinle Avoids Prison Over Firearm Conviction” please click HERE)

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