Dem Refuses to Concede After Losing Lottery Drawing in Tied Va. Election

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The craziest election of 2017 finally reached its procedural conclusion Thursday as the Virginia Board of Elections held a drawing to determine the winner of House District 94. The Republicans won the random drawing, maintaining a narrow one-seat majority in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Initially, Democrat Shelly Simonds was declared the winner by a margin of one vote, but a three-judge panel ruled that a discarded vote for Republican incumbent David Yancey should have been counted, leaving the race tied at 11,608 votes each.

Simonds filed a lawsuit to challenge the uncounted ballot, but the recount court rejected the challenge and upheld the previous ruling.

Fortune smiled on the Republicans, as Yancey won the random lottery drawing, preserving the 51-49 GOP majority in the state legislature. But it might not be over.

On Wednesday, the Democrat Simonds said that “all options are still on the table” since Yancey had declined her offer to make the drawing final.

Reportedly, Simonds is not conceding.

What are these “options?” According to Virginia law, while tied elections are to be determined by lot, “any person who loses the determination by lot may petition for a recount.”

So Simonds could ask for yet another recount in the election that never ends. Stay tuned! (For more from the author of “Dem Refuses to Concede After Losing Lottery Drawing in Tied Va. Election” please click HERE)

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Trump Administration Issues Major Decision on American Oil Production

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In what is sure to seem a controversial move to some, the Trump administration proposed Thursday that it is considering permitting drilling in most U.S. continental-shelf waters.

The plan includes drilling in areas such as the Atlantic and Arctic, considered protected areas and staunchly opposed by governors along the east coast and more than 100 U.S. lawmakers, according to The Washington Post.

According to Interior secretary Ryan Zinke, the proposal would exclude oil and gas exploration in only one of 26 planning areas in the Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

However, the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management recently identified 47 potential areas where companies within the industry can buy leases between 2019 and 2024 — the duration when the proposal would begin and end.

Yet, even though those such as The Draft Five Year Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program seem to be on board with the decision, the administration is expecting to face opposition from numerous state officials and environmentalists.

“Nothing is final,” Zinke said during a news conference. “This is a draft program. The states, local communities and congressional delegations will all have a say.”

And many conservatives, including Zinke, state the proposal is consistent with the president’s executive order in April when he made a pledge to widen energy exploration.

Zinke added that there was a clear difference between Trump’s plan and the previous administration’s policies.

The Obama administration, heeding the call of many environmentalists, had considered a five-year plan that would have permitted drilling in the Atlantic but abandoned the proposal by March of 2016 after concerns that the Navy conducted military exercises near those particular areas.

“This is a clear difference between energy weakness and energy dominance,” Zinke said, adding that the current administration would be cautious of environmental safeguards put in place.

However, environmental disasters of the past remain on the minds of many state officials along the east coast, specifically those who oppose drilling in the four planning regions all the way from Maine to the Florida Keys.

During a bipartisan call, both Republicans and Democrats have rejected to the uncertain terms that oil and gas drilling proposals have given.

“I’m not in favor of offshore drilling,” said Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.

And even Henry McMaster, the Republican governor for South Carolina, has expressed concern over the impact to natural resources when drilling is performed.

Yet, Zinke didn’t address the other potential resistance from the Pentagon, but Assistant Secretary Kate McGregor stated that a task force has been implemented between the Interior and Defense departments in order to cool any misunderstanding and deal with the conflicts.

“We believe things can be done safely,” McGregor said. “In fact, in the central Gulf of Mexico planning area, 36 percent of leases are in military planning areas.

“We intend to continue a very strong relationship with DoD.” (For more from the author of “Trump Administration Issues Major Decision on American Oil Production” please click HERE)

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Sexuality Center Director: Majority of Transgender Children Outgrow Those Feelings

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Toronto Sexuality Center Director Dr. James Cantor discussed 12 studies that concluded that a majority of transgender children outgrow those feelings.

“There are 12 such studies in all, and they all came to the very same conclusion: the majority of kids cease to feel transgender when they get older,” he wrote.

Cantor is a clinical psychologist and sexual behavior scientist who runs a blog called “Sexology Today!” that “brings to readers new research findings in the fascinating science of sex, translating the often technical language of science into plain-language summaries.”

In one such post in December, he broke down the studies that were criticized by activists in The National Posts‘ coverage of why CBC cancelled a BBC documentary on transgender children.

“One study of Dutch children, in particular, assumed that subjects had ‘desisted’ purely because they stopped showing up to a gender identity clinic,” one criticism in The Posts’ article read.

Cantor said that the study appeared to be in reference to a study called “Factors associated with desistence and persistence of childhood gender dysphoria: a quantitative follow-up study” done by T.D. Steensma, J.K. McGuire, B.P.C. Kreukels, A.J. Beekman and P.T. Cohen-Kettenis in 2013.

In this study, the researchers followed up with 127 transgender kids: 47 were still transgender, 56 were no longer transgender and 24 did not respond to the invitation to participate in the study.

The findings of the research reported that 63 percent of the children desisted, 80 of the 127 children.

In the Netherlands, medical services for transition are free, and only one clinic provides those services, so the researchers were able to confirm the 24 who did not respond did not follow through with an actual transition. When the unknown 24 are not included in the results, 54 percent of the cases ceased to be transgender, still supporting the conclusion that “the majority of kids cease to feel transgender when they get older.”

The other criticized study “cast too wide a net on which children were legitimately displaying gender dysphoria,” The Posts’ article said.

Cantor said those alleged complaints probably refers to “Developmental Psychology” by K.D. Drummond, S.J. Bradley, M. Badali-Peterson and K.J. Zucker in 2008.

This study followed up with 25 children who were assessed in childhood for gender issues: 15 received official diagnoses for gender dysphoria and 10 were experiencing the feelings, but “subthreshold” for the diagnosis.

According to Cantor, the main criticism of the study is that “subthreshold” cases discredits the results. Looking at just the official diagnoses, two were transgender in adulthood, and of the 10 without an official diagnosis, only one continued to be transgender.

So, the closer look at the individual parts of the study show that 88 percent desisted, supporint the same conclusion as the other study.

The 12 studies that all support the same claim come from a variety of countries and labs, and span over four decades.

Although the studies say the majority of transgender kids desist, Cantor points out that it is not a large majority and that results should not be exaggerated in either direction. (For more from the author of “Sexuality Center Director: Majority of Transgender Children Outgrow Those Feelings” please click HERE)

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Rush Limbaugh Believes Trump Has Found the Perfect Way to Handle Kim Jong Un

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Rush Limbaugh defended President Donald Trump’s nuclear button tweet on his show Thursday.

“If you’re dealing with lunatics and if you’re dealing with the insane, throw it back at ’em,” Limbaugh said, according to Mediaite.

The president had tweeted earlier this week, claiming that he has a “bigger & more powerful” nuclear button than Kim Jong-un on his desk.

While others worried that Trump was acting childish and that Kim Jong-un would see this tweet as a threat, Limbaugh suggested that he might be “brilliant.”

“Trump’s brilliant. He knows who he’s dealing with an how to reach them,” he said. “You know, throw a little unpredictability and lunaticism back at them.”

Limbaugh also claimed that the president’s strategy is proving to be effective and the “little pot-bellied dictator” does not know what to do.

“And it discombobulates ’em — and in fact it is. Kim Jon-un is confused.” Limbaugh said, according to Mediaite. “Kim Jong-un doesn’t know how to deal with Trump.”

He also used Trump’s tweet to criticize the media for overreacting.

“You know another thing they’re made about? They’re made that there hasn’t been a similar eruption — I mean, the left did, of course.” he continued. “But there hasn’t been a nationwide negative reaction to Trump’s tweet.”

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also defended Trump against the media following his tweet.

NBC News reporter Kristen Welker asked Sanders about the statement during the Wednesday daily press briefing, questioning whether it is wise to provoke Kim.

“You just said that people should question the mental fitness of Kim Jong Un. So then isn’t it dangerous for the president to be taunting him on twitter?” Welker wondered.

“And it discombobulates ’em — and in fact it is. Kim Jon-un is confused.” Limbaugh said, according to Mediaite. “Kim Jong-un doesn’t know how to deal with Trump.”

He also used Trump’s tweet to criticize the media for overreacting.

“You know another thing they’re made about? They’re made that there hasn’t been a similar eruption — I mean, the left did, of course.” he continued. “But there hasn’t been a nationwide negative reaction to Trump’s tweet.”

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also defended Trump against the media following his tweet.

NBC News reporter Kristen Welker asked Sanders about the statement during the Wednesday daily press briefing, questioning whether it is wise to provoke Kim.

“You just said that people should question the mental fitness of Kim Jong Un. So then isn’t it dangerous for the president to be taunting him on twitter?” Welker wondered.

“I don’t think it’s taunting to stand up for the people of this country. I think what’s dangerous is to ignore the continued threats,” Sanders responded. “If the previous administration had done anything and dealt with North Korea and dealt with Iran instead of sitting by and doing nothing we wouldn’t have to clean up their mess now.”

Sanders was also asked whether “Americans should be concerned about the president’s mental fitness, that he appears to be speaking so lightly about threats regarding the nuclear button?”

“The people of this country should be concerned about the mental fitness of the leader of North Korea,” she replied. “This is a president committed to protecting Americans … and he’s not going to back down.” (For more from the author of “Rush Limbaugh Believes Trump Has Found the Perfect Way to Handle Kim Jong Un” please click HERE)

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Connecticut Man Ripped 20 Chickens’ Heads off During ‘Jealous Rage’

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A Connecticut man is facing animal cruelty charges after he allegedly ripped the heads off of 20 chickens during a “jealous rage” on Christmas Day after viewing pictures of other people hanging out with his wife, police say.

Authorities in Milford said Gregory Ulrich, 28, also smashed the windows of cars with an ax while leaning out of a car driven by John Budnovitch, 21.

“Ulrich was highly intoxicated and was in a jealous rage,” Officer Michael DeVito told the Hartford Courant. “He banged [the chickens] on the ground to kill them and snapped the heads off.”

Both men were arrested Wednesday. Ulrich faces numerous charges, including 20 counts of cruelty to animals. Budnovitch was charged with conspiracy to commit cruelty to animals, among other charges. The pair posted bail and were set to appear in Milford Superior Court on Jan. 30.

DeVito said Ulrich had Budnovitch drive to the homes of people that sparked his anger and swung an ax at their car windows. The two allegedly engaged in the behavior after Ulrich left a bar early Christmas morning. (Read more from “Connecticut Man Ripped 20 Chickens’ Heads off During ‘Jealous Rage'” HERE)

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Legal Marijuana Expansion Across the US Is About to Hit a Big Speed Bump

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions ended an Obama-era policy that led to the expansion of legalized marijuana across the U.S., The Associated Press reported.

The new stance will replace the “lenient-federal-enforcement policy” passed by then-Deputy Attorney General James Cole with federal prosecutors able to decide how strongly they want to enforce the federal law prohibiting legal marijuana.

“In deciding which marijuana activities to prosecute under these laws with the Department’s finite resources, prosecutors should follow the well-established principles that govern all federal prosecutors,” Sessions’ one-page memo read.

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado quickly voiced his opposition to the policy change on Twitter.

In 2013, Barack Obama’s administration said that it would not get in the way of states that wanted to legalize marijuana as long as the drug was kept out of the hands of criminals and minors.

Now that the policy has been rescinded, federal law enforcement officials can interfere with marijuana sales in states where it is legal.

Political reporter Brandon Rittiman had asked President Donald Trump in 2016 about his view on marijuana, to which he responded that “it should be up to the states.”

Trump’s attorney general, on the other hand, has compared marijuana to heroin and blamed it for violence, the AP reported.

Sessions had met with with anti-marijuana advocates last month including president and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Kevin Sabet.

“There is no more safe haven with regard to the federal government and marijuana, but it’s also the beginning of the story and not the end,” Sabet said. “This is a victory. It’s going to dry up a lot of the institutional investment that has gone toward marijuana in the last five years.”

The new policy will likely cause confusion in states where the drug is legal for recreational use, right after shops opened in California at the start of the year, as well as states where marijuana is legal for medical purposes.

Vice president of the Colorado Drug Investigators Association Jim Gerhardt told KATV the dangers of legalized marijuana in 2016.

“A week ago we had a 14-year-old shot and killed when he jumped into the backyard of a man’s house trying to take marijuana out of the backyard,” Gerhardt said.

Marijuana advocates voiced their opposition of Sessions’ policy change, and the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance asserted that the attorney general “wants to maintain a system that has led to tremendous injustice … and that has wasted federal resources on a huge scale,” the AP reported.

“If Sessions thinks that makes sense in terms of prosecutorial priorities, he is in a very bizarre ideological state, or a deeply problematic one,” Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno said. (For more from the author of “Legal Marijuana Expansion Across the US Is About to Hit a Big Speed Bump” please click HERE)

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Iran Uprising Blamed on Cash Transfers to Hezbollah Terrorists

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The terrorist organization Hezbollah is partly responsible for the popular uprising in Iran against the mullah regime in which citizens are shouting slogans addressing the ayatollah such as “Aren’t you ashamed Khamenei?”

That’s according to Yves Mamou, an author and journalist based in France writing for the Gatestone Institute.

Mamou explained that the protests in dozens of Iranian cities – which have prompted President Trump to suggest the U.S. could offer support at the right time – are because of the Iranian’s regime commitment to funding Hezbollah.

“The demonstrators were demanding that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spend Iranian money for Iranian people – and only for Iranian people,” Mamou wrote.

“Ironically, Iran’s receiving more than $100 billion in frozen assets (from the Obama administration) for the hapless ‘nuclear deal’ succeeded in breaking the solidarity between Iranian people and the Ayatollahs’ regime better than the sanctions did. During the tough time of sanctions, the Iranian people stood by their leaders,” Mamou wrote. (Read more from “Iran Uprising Blamed on Cash Transfers to Hezbollah Terrorists” HERE)

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Justice Department Looking Into Hillary Emails Again

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Days after marked-classified information turned up in the release of State Department emails found on the laptop of Anthony Weiner, the Justice Department once again is looking into Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of government secrets while she served as secretary of state, according to a report.

The Daily Beast cited an ally of Attorney General Jeff Sessions who said officials are looking into “how much classified information was sent over Clinton’s server; who put that information into an unclassified environment, and how; and which investigators knew about these matters and when.”

The Sessions ally, according to the Daily Beast, also said officials have questions about immunity agreements that Clinton aides, presumably including longtime top aide Huma Abedin and counsel Cheryl Mills, may have made.

WND reported last Friday documents belonging to Abedin that were discovered on the personal computer of her estranged husband, Weiner, during an FBI investigation were released by the State Department, including at least four that were marked classified.

FBI Director James Comey cited the emails recovered on Weiner’s laptop as the reason he reopened the investigation of Clinton’s mishandling of classified information 11 days before the November election. (Read more from “Justice Department Looking Into Hillary Emails Again” HERE)

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US Muslim Population Expanding Rapidly

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Pew Research Center came out this week with an updated estimate of the American Muslim population, which is sure to cause a stir on all sides of the issue.

The new numbers come in at 3.45 million Muslims living legally in the U.S. in 2017. That represents only 1.1 percent of the U.S. population but it’s up, by Pew’s estimates, from 3.31 million in 2016.

The U.S. Muslim population grows by about 100,000 every year, according to the Pew study.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, says Pew’s estimates are way off, and that the true number is roughly double, in the 6 to 8 million range – and that was more than two years ago.

“Muslim advocacy groups such as the Council on American Islamic Relations routinely cite a span of 6 million to 8 million people in describing the size of Islam in America. That would be between 2 percent and 3 percent of the U.S. population and make Muslims greater in number than Mormons or Jews,” CAIR stated on its website in March 2015.” (Read more from “US Muslim Population Expanding Rapidly” HERE)

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Vacationing Couple Bled to Death in Satanic Ritual

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A tourist couple who bled to death in a Greek island guesthouse appear to have been performing a Satanic ceremony before their double suicide on New Year’s Eve, authorities say.

Knives, candles and a pentagram symbol — used by devil-worshippers — were found in the Airbnb room near the bodies of Lilia Botusheva, 23, and her 30-year-old German boyfriend.

The sinister arrangement of objects in the blood-soaked apartment led investigators to believe the pair were taking part in a black magic ritual.

The 24 hours before the first full moon of the year is said to be associated with sacrifices and other Satanic practices. (Read more from “Vacationing Couple Bled to Death in Satanic Ritual” HERE)

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