Backfire: How a Stupendously Ignorant Tweet from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Undermines Single Payer Healthcare

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Before we delve into her new “argument,” I’d like to make a point about why the conservative commentariat sometimes seems fixated on Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. First, she entered the national spotlight as a media fascination and darling — a young woman of color who shook up the Democratic Party from the left by defeating an establishment fixture. She wasn’t randomly plucked from relative obscurity by right-wing writers or pundits for sport; she was elevated by a mainstream media that loves covering, and sympathizes with, rising liberal stars. And please recall the DNC Chairman referring to her as “the future of our party.” Second, because of the attention lavished upon her, she has built a massive online platform. Among the dozens of newly-elected Democrats arriving in DC to serve in the next Congress, Ocasio-Cortez has, by far, the largest social media following. . .

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She also pretended that an obvious spoof video was insidious fake news, and somehow ‘proof’ that Republicans are ‘scared’ of her, or something. And don’t forget the time she claimed Ben Shapiro’s offer to debate her was tantamount to “cat-calling.” In other words, she’s a lightning rod with a very large press and social media following — and she’s leaning into the role. Which is why when she says things like this, a forceful response is warranted:

This astoundingly false talking point is rooted in a story from The Nation, a left-wing magazine, which attempts to track the Pentagon’s various accounting maneuvers, gimmicks, and tricks. Ocasio-Cortez, who either didn’t read the piece or lacks basic reading comprehension skills, gives her followers the distinct impression that by merely recouping $21 trillion in military accounting errors, the US government could fund two-thirds of “Medicare for All,” i.e., single payer healthcare (reminders: existing Medicare is going insolvent, and the realistic ten-year price tag for single payer is closer to $40 Trillion). This represents a distortion so ludicrous that it can be comprehensively debunked from multiple angles, starting with this one:

(Read more from “Backfire: How a Stupendously Ignorant Tweet from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Undermines Single Payer Healthcare” HERE)

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Criminal Complaint Filed Against Mueller

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Conservative author Jerome Corsi is aiming to take Robert Mueller to court, claiming the special counsel’s investigators tried to coerce him into giving “false testimony” against President Trump. The complaint is addressed to law enforcement leaders like Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, D.C.’s U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu and the Bar Disciplinary Counsel. Corsi wants the Department of Justice to open criminal and ethics probes into Mueller and his staff.

“Special Counsel Mueller and his prosecutorial staff should respectfully be removed from his office and their practice of the law and a new Special Counsel appointed who respects and will obey common and accepted norms of professional ethics and the law and who will promptly conclude the so-called Russian collusion investigation which had been illegally and criminally spinning out of control,” the complaint reads.

The “false testimony” Mueller’s team supposedly wanted Corsi to give concerned his relationship with Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone and WikiLeaks.

According to Corsi’s complaint, they wanted him to demonstrate that he acted as a liaison between Stone and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on one side and the Trump campaign on the other, regarding the release of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee.

The complaint states that Mueller’s office is now “knowingly and deceitfully threatening to charge Dr. Corsi with an alleged false statement,” unless he gives them “false testimony” against Trump and others.

(Read more from “Criminal Complaint Filed Against Mueller” HERE)

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Jeff Flake Holds Judicial Nominees Hostage to Mueller Protection Bill, Forces GOP to Drop Confirmation Votes

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By Daily Wire. The Senate Judiciary Committee has canceled hearings on a list of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees after outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) pledged to vote against any Republican judicial nominee so long as the GOP refuses to pass a bill protecting Special Counsel Robert Mueller from any detrimental White House actions.

“The panel was scheduled to advance six Circuit Court nominees, 15 District Court nominees and several bipartisan bills on Thursday to prepare them for possible floor action over the next month,” Politico reported, noting that the nominees are all to key seats, and all could be easily pushed through both committee and the full Senate with full Republican support.

But Flake says he will not vote “yes” on a single nominee unless a “bipartisan” bill, which requires Mueller be fired by a senior administration official rather than by presidential tweet and would give Mueller an “expedited review” of his filing if he requested it, is brought to the floor.

On Wednesday, Flake and a Democratic colleague, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), tried to convince Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to bring the matter to the floor. When McConnell refused, Flake voted “no” on judge Thomas Farr’s nomination to the Federal district court.

Now the GOP has been forced to cancel a vote on at least 21 lifetime appointments, even though they control the Senate. Flake is currently the 51st vote of a 51-49 majority, which gives him the power to stall any close contests. In the case of Farr, Republicans had to call in Vice President Mike Pence to break a 50-50 tie. (Read more from “Jeff Flake Holds Judicial Nominees Hostage to Mueller Protection Bill, Forces GOP to Drop Confirmation Votes” HERE)

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Senate Grapples With Consequences of Flake’s Vow to Block Trump Nominees

By Fox News. It’s not uncommon to discuss law in this space. After all, we report on Congress.

However, it’s rare that we discuss laws of physics here. In particular Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton’s law details how force, introduced by friction, tension, gravity and magnetic fields trigger a polar and uniform reaction.

This week, the laws of physics can be fused with the laws of politics.

The Third Law of Congress dominated the United States Senate this week. The Third Law linked the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to the failed nomination of Thomas Farr to the federal bench. (Read more from “Senate Grapples With Consequences of Flake’s Vow to Block Trump Nominees” HERE)

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Getting Rid of Guns Really Cost Dick’s Sporting Goods

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By Daily Wire. Dick’s Sporting Goods is warning investors that its decision to remove certain “assault-style” weapons from its Field & Stream stores cost it dearly and may limit its future gains.

The sporting goods retailer was forced to confront angry shareholders late last week after its stocks tanked more than 4.5% and financial conglomerate J.P. Morgan Chase downgraded Dick’s shares, saying the company was “overweight.”

“Gross margin-driven upside appears less probable given 3Q’s performance, changing comparisons, and rising inventory levels,” an analyst for J.P. Morgan told CNBC. The same analyst noted that same-store sales for Dick’s outlets are expected to grow less than 1% even as the company’s inventory rises.

“The analyst pointed out that Dick’s same-store sales growth for 2019 is expected to be less than 1 percent after averaging 2.1 percent between 2011 and 2015. He also noted that while the company’s 25 percent Black Friday store discount will help boost sales, it will not boost margins,” the analyst continued. “Inventory levels, meanwhile, rose 1 percent in the third quarter after falling 5 percent in the first half of 2018 with inventory days estimated to return back to 2015-2017 levels.” (Read more from “Getting Rid of Guns Really Cost Dick’s Sporting Goods” HERE)

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Dick’s Sporting Goods Ban on Some Guns Dented Sales. but Weaker Gun Market Also Took Toll

By USA Today. While a decision to stop selling assault-style weapons in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting dented its overall sales, Dick’s Sporting Goods says that the dip reflects a broader weakness in the world of firearms

The nation’s largest seller of sporting goods reported that consolidated same-store sales were down 3.9% in the third quarter, due in part to double-digit declines in the areas of electronics and hunting.

The weak numbers come in the wake of the Dick’s decision in February to not only halt assault weapon sales, but to no longer sell guns to people under the age of 21 in response to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead.

But broader trends also appear to have had an impact. After breaking records each of the last three years, the number of background checks conducted by the FBI for gun purchases this Black Friday was down 10 percent from that day last year. (Read more from “Dick’s Sporting Goods Ban on Some Guns Dented Sales. but Weaker Gun Market Also Took Toll” HERE)

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Mysterious Sea Creature Draws Alien, Devil Comparisons

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By Fox News. Hanna Mary was strolling along a beach with her mom and pup close behind when she spotted what she first believed was plastic sheeting. After a rough storm hit Canterbury, New Zealand, last week, Mary anticipated piles of “rubbish” would wash ashore.

But when she inspected the bizarre-looking object Saturday at a Rakaia Huts beach, shrieking after she realized it wasn’t just another piece of trash — it was the skeleton of an “alien”-like critter. . .

With its wings, small fins on its back, two “legs” on either side and “barbs all over” that look like teeth, Mary had to partially agree with her followers that it was definitely unusual. That’s why she decided to take it to a local taxidermist, though he wasn’t able to confirm anything.

Malcolm Francis, a fisheries scientist and marine ecologist at National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), told the New Zealand Herald it’s a New Zealand rough skate, also known as a Dipturus nasutus.

“They are called rough skate because they are very prickly … it’s quite common in Canterbury,” Francis, who has been studying fish for more than 40 years, told the newspaper. “It’s like flat shark, it has a skeleton made out of cartilage. They spend much of their time on the bottom.” (Read more from “Mysterious Sea Creature Draws ‘Alien’ Comparisons” HERE)

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‘It looks like the devil’: Mystery sea creature baffles locals after washing up on a New Zealand beach… so do you know what it is?

By Daily Mail. The skeleton of a mystery sea creature has washed up on a beach, baffling locals as to what kind of animal it could be. . .

The strange creature was found at a beach in Canterbury, New Zealand and was originally assumed to be an alien. . .

Skates are a type of fish that have cartilage instead of bone and enlarged pectoral fins attached to their heads forming a disc-shaped body. (Read more from “‘It looks like the devil’: Mystery sea creature baffles locals after washing up on a New Zealand beach… so do you know what it is?” HERE)

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Watch: Migrant Caravan Leaves Bottles of Urine, Mountains of Trash Behind

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By Daily Wire. Caravan migrants from Central America that are stuck in Tijuana, Mexico are reportedly trashing the area, leaving behind bottles of urine and mountains of trash.

The news comes as migrants are facing increasing backlash and negative attitudes from local Mexican residents, as the overwhelming majority of Mexican residents — 73% — hold negative views towards the migrants, according to a poll from the Mexican newspaper El Universal.

(Read more from “Watch: Migrant Caravan Leaves Bottles of Urine, Mountains of Trash Behind” HERE)

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Tijuana Shuts Down Migrant Caravan Shelter

By Washington Times. The city government of Tijuana announced Saturday that it has closed down a migrant shelter at a sports complex close to the U.S. border that once held about 6,000 Central Americans who hope to get into the U.S.

Officials said all the migrants were being moved to a former concert venue much farther from the border. The city said in a statement the sports complex shelter was closed because of “bad sanitary conditions.”

Experts had expressed concerns about unsanitary conditions that had developed at the partly flooded sports complex, where the migrants had been packed into a space adequate for half their numbers. Mud, lice infestations and respiratory infections were rampant.

The remaining migrants were taken by bus to the new shelter about 10 miles from the border crossing at Otay Mesa and 14 miles from San Ysidro, near where people line up to file applications for asylum in the United States.

Tijuana officials had said earlier that nobody would be forced to move to the new facility, a large building and concrete patio known as El Barretal that was used for concerts and other events until about six years ago. But they also warned they would stop offering food and medical services at the Benito Juarez sports complex. (Read more from “Tijuana Shuts Down Migrant Caravan Shelter” HERE)

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NPR Blatantly Lies About Donald Trump Jr.’s 2017 Senate Testimony

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NPR falsely claimed that Donald Trump Jr.’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017 conflicted with an account given by a former attorney for President Donald Trump. . .

In fact, Senate investigators were asking Trump Jr. about a series of efforts to develop property in Russia, going back several years. Reporter Phil Ewing (reporter Tim Mak contributed to the story) conflates one of those efforts with another separate effort. That conflation results in the false news report.

A full 100 pages before the portion Ewing quotes, Trump Jr. explicitly contradicts NPR’s false claim when he gives a clear answer to the following question:

Q. It’s been reported that in late 2015 or 2016 when now President Trump was running for office the Trump Organization was pursuing a plan to develop a massive Trump Tower in Moscow. Is that accurate?
A. Yes.

A hundred pages later, the investigator asks if there was an effort by Felix Sater to “bring together a development in Moscow.” Trump Jr. says he believes there was an effort to work on that with Cohen in 2015. Asked if he knew about the deal, he says not much, but that it got to the point his father signed a letter of intent. He said he would provide a copy of that letter. Trump Jr. says he was aware of this deal “peripherally.” (Read more from “NPR Blatantly Lies About Donald Trump Jr.’s 2017 Senate Testimony” HERE)

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These Were George H.W. Bush’s Last Words

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The late President George H.W. Bush’s last words before he passed away Friday night were to his eldest son, President George W. Bush, who he spoke with over the phone.

James Baker, former chief of staff to the 41st president, told CNN that just before the president passed away, he spoke to his children and told Mr. G.W. Bush, “I love you too.”

Mr. Baker, who frequently visited Mr. Bush while he was ill, described his passing as “peaceful.”

“He used to refer to our relationship as big brother, little brother…that is a characterization I take as quite an honor. I consider him to be my best friend,” Mr. Baker told CNN on Sunday.

Mr. Bush passed away Friday night, roughly seven months after losing his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush, in April. (Read more from “These Were George H.W. Bush’s Last Words” HERE)

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Why Putin’s Game of Russian Roulette With Ukraine Is a Big Deal

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In a stunning sequence of events, the Russian military opened fire then seized three Ukrainian navy vessels in an unprovoked attack on the Black Sea last Sunday. In the melee, several Ukrainian sailors were wounded and 24 captured. Moscow followed up this flagrant act of war by parading the sailors on Russian television to give clearly coerced confessions of guilt.

This attack is but the latest escalation in the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine that has been churning since 2014. It’s also the first great test for the Trump administration regarding Russia and one that will have lasting consequences on the future of Europe and the world. . .

The war in Ukraine began in 2014 after Russian special forces seized Crimea. The tactic Moscow used is what I dubbed, in U.S. Army publications, “the strategy of ambiguity.” Putin directed that his troops remove all symbols and anything else that would identify them as Russian soldiers.

This had the desired effect, as American journalists breathlessly reported of the ridiculously labeled “little green men” from unknown origins taking control of Crimea. President Obama and the rest of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies wrung their hands on what to do. The tactic worked––as President Obama dithered, Russia seized Crimea within a week without firing a shot in anger.

The takeover of Crimea was quickly followed by local referenda to ascertain if Crimea desired to become part of Russia––a vote, of course, that overwhelmingly supported the idea. The deal was sealed just a month after the little green men seized the country, with Putin announcing that Crimea would be annexed by Russia. (Read more from “Why Putin’s Game of Russian Roulette With Ukraine Is a Big Deal” HERE)

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New Details Reinforce That the FBI Used Fake Pretexts to Start Investigating Trump

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The evidence continues to mount that during the Obama administration, the FBI used George Papadopoulos as a prop to legitimize launching its investigation into the Donald Trump campaign. While the FBI claimed it initiated Crossfire Hurricane on July 31, 2016 in response to reports that Russian-linked individuals told Papadopoulos the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton, that story seemed shaky from the start.

Since then, text and email messages between former MI6 spy and Fusion GPS dossier author Christopher Steele and twice-demoted Department of Justice attorney Bruce Ohr raised the possibility that information Steele fed the FBI through Ohr was the true justification for the the FBI targeting the Trump campaign. A Wednesday tweet from Carter Page gives further credence to the suggestion that the Hillary Clinton campaign-funded Steele dossier served as the basis for the FBI’s interest in the Trump campaign. . .

A second detail from this week’s reporting on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation adds further evidence to the fraud the FBI pushed in pointing to Papadopoulos as the basis for the Russian probe. Papadopoulos’ purported Russian connection was a Maltese academic named Joseph Mifsud, who supposedly told Papadopoulos that the Russians had dirt on Clinton. However, as I noted previously, in February 2017—more than six months after the FBI launched their investigation into the Trump campaign—Mifsud spoke at a State Department-sponsored function in Washington D.C., at which time the FBI interviewed him. Mifsud later returned to Italy and disappeared.

Contrast the FBI’s kid-glove handling of Mifsud, the supposed Russian agent, with how Mueller’s team treated a London-based academic named Ted Malloch. Malloch made news again this week when Jerome Corsi, a former bureau chief for InfoWars and WorldNetDaily author, claimed Mueller’s team wanted him to testify that he “was the conduit to WikiLeaks and Assange for Roger Stone, who in turn had been a conduit to the campaign.”

While Corsi denied contacting WikiLeaks’ founder, Corsi reportedly forwarded Malloch an email from Stone, in which Stone wrote: “Get to Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and get the pending WikiLeaks emails.” Corsi claims he never heard back from Malloch and had no contact to Assange. (Read more from “New Details Reinforce That the FBI Used Fake Pretexts to Start Investigating Trump” HERE)

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