California Adds State to ‘Travel Ban’ Over Refusal to Fund Gender Transitions

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California announced last week that it has added Iowa to the list of states on its ever-expanding “travel ban” list because of that state’s new prohibition against funding gender-transition surgeries under Medicaid.

The announcement by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra means that as of Oct. 4, California will no longer offer taxpayer-funded trips to Iowa for any public employee or student at a state-run university. . .

“The Iowa Legislature has reversed course on what was settled law under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, repealing protections for those seeking gender-affirming health care,” Becerra said in a statement. “California has taken an unambiguous stand against discrimination and government actions that would enable it.”

The brouhaha began after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in March that taxpayers could be forced to pay for gender reassignment surgery. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law effectively overriding that ruling two months later.

“This narrow provision simply clarifies that Iowa’s Civil Rights Act does not require taxpayer dollars to pay for sex reassignment and other similar surgeries,” Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett said in a statement at the time. “This returns us to what had been the state’s position for years.” (Read more from “California Adds State to ‘Travel Ban’ Over Refusal to Fund Gender Transitions” HERE)

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Edward Snowden Says He Will Return to United States on One Condition

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Controversial whistleblower Edward Snowden, living in exile in Russia, said Monday he would like to return to the United States — but only if he can get a fair jury trial.

“That is the ultimate goal, but if I’m going to spend the rest of my life in prison then my one, bottom-line demand that we all have to agree to is that at least I get a fair trial,” Snowden said Monday on “CBS This Morning.”

Snowden told CBS’ morning show that the U.S. government has “refused” to guarantee a fair trial. . .

Snowden fired back: “I’m not different. Again, I’m not asking for a parade. I’m not asking for a pardon. I’m not asking for a pass. What I’m asking for is a fair trial.”

Snowden explained to the “CBS This Morning” panel that a jury would consider whether his actions were lawful or unlawful, as opposed to right or wrong. (Read more from “Edward Snowden Says He Will Return to United States on One Condition” HERE)

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Big Trump-Russia Report Is Coming, but How Much Will Remain Secret?

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On May 23 of this year, President Trump gave Attorney General Bill Barr “full and complete authority” to declassify information relating to the actions of the FBI and intelligence community in investigating the 2016 Trump campaign.

Granting Barr that authority “will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions,” the White House said.

The move immediately set off speculation. What would Barr do? Would the public see a flood of secret documents, like records of informants and spying on the Trump campaign, like documents relating to the start of the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” probe, like papers on the use of the secret FISA court and wiretap authority? Congressional investigators and journalists who had long wanted to see such documents were in a state of high anticipation. . .

But now, anticipation is building again. On Friday, Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz sent a letter to key members of Congress saying he has finished his investigation into what Republicans call “FISA abuse,” but which GOP lawmakers suspect will be a much more wide-ranging look at the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. . .

How much will be hidden? Some lawmakers have said they think as much as one-fifth of the Horowitz report might be redacted. That would be entirely antithetical to the public’s need to understand the beginnings of the Trump-Russia affair. (Read more from “Big Trump-Russia Report Is Coming, but How Much Will Remain Secret?” HERE)

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Duke University’s Student Government Rejects Young Life Over LGBTQ Policies

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Duke University’s student government has denied the Christian organization Young Life official status as a student group on campus, citing its policy on sexuality. . .

Young Life, like many evangelical groups, regards same-sex relations as sinful. Its policy forbids LGBTQ staff and volunteers from holding positions in the organization.

The student newspaper the Duke Chronicle reported Thursday that the student government senate unanimously turned down official recognition for the Young Life chapter, because it appeared to violate a guideline that every Duke student group include a nondiscrimination statement in its constitution.

Young Life, which is based in Colorado Springs, is a 78-year-old organization with a mission to introduce adolescents to Christianity and help them grow in their faith. It has chapters in middle schools, high schools and colleges in all 50 states and more than 90 countries around the world. . .

The Young Life policy states: “We do not in any way wish to exclude persons who engage in sexual misconduct or who practice a homosexual lifestyle from being recipients of ministry of God’s grace and mercy as expressed in Jesus Christ. We do, however, believe that such persons are not to serve as staff or volunteers in the mission and work of Young Life.” (Read more from “Duke University’s Student Government Rejects Young Life Over LGBTQ Policies” HERE)

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WATCH: Beto Unleashes Foul-Mouthed Rant on Buttigieg Over Gun Control

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Beto O’Rourke launched an expletive-fueled defense of his call Sunday to ban assault-style weapons and impose mandatory buybacks of AR-15s and AK-47s while also pushing back at critics — including fellow 2020 Democrat Pete Buttigieg.

During last Thursday’s presidential debate, the former Texas congressman said, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, and we’re not going to allow it to be used against your fellow Americans anymore.” Three days later, O’Rourke appeared on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” where host Chuck Todd pointed out that there was “a lot of hand-wringing” about the presidential contender’s full-throated call on national TV for confiscating such rifles.

As O’Rourke had put the issue of gun violence at the center of his campaign effort, some fellow Democrats chastised him and were concerned that his statements may have made things harder for gun control supporters as they negotiate with President Trump on legislation to respond to this summer’s mass shootings. . .

Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and agreed with Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., saying the clip of the former O’Rourke’s statement about AR-15s and AK-47s “will be played for years at Second Amendment rallies with organizations that try to scare people by saying Democrats are coming for your guns.” . . .

[Beto] later tweeted, “When candidates say, ‘At least Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are pretending to be interested,’ sh–, that is not enough. Neither is poll-testing your message. Gun violence is a life or death issue—and we have to represent the bold ideas of people all over the country.”

(Read more from “Watch: Beto Unleashes Foul-Mouthed Rant on Buttigieg Over Gun Control” HERE)

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FISA Report: Comey, McCabe ‘Predicted’ to Face Criminal Charges

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., promised that guilty parties will be held accountable after Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz releases his report on the FBI’s alleged abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in the Russia investigation, and predicted that former bureau leaders James Comey and Andrew McCabe will face criminal charges after what he described as an attempted “coup” to take down President Trump.

The report will address concerns with whether or not the FBI acted improperly in obtaining a FISA warrant to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in the early stages of their investigation of Russian election interference and possible Trump campaign connections. The Inspector General’s office has already turned over a draft of its findings to Attorney General Bill Barr, and a final report is expected in the near future.

“We came the closest ever to this country having a coup, and now we need accountability,” McCarthy told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “I respect this attorney general so greatly, that the way he has handled this, he believes in accountability, but more importantly, he believes in the rule of law.” . . .

James Comey and Andrew McCabe, who were the director and deputy director of the FBI when the Russia probe began, have been the subjects of separate IG investigations, and McCarthy believes they will both face consequences.

“We will see an indictment,” he said of McCabe, who is facing the prospect of federal charges after Horowitz faulted him in a separate inquiry over statements he made during a Hillary Clinton-related investigation. The review found that McCabe “lacked candor” when talking with investigators, but the former FBI official has denied wrongdoing. Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu recommended charges against McCabe after the DOJ rejected his appeal. (Read more from “FISA Report: Comey, McCabe ‘Predicted’ to Face Criminal Charges” HERE)

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Department of Education Report: Chicago Public Schools ‘Inexcusably Failed’ to Protect Children From Sexual Assault

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A report released Thursday by the United States Department of Education excoriated the Chicago Public School system for failing to protect children from sexual abuse over the course of many years. The department also ordered Chicago Public Schools to implement a new plan to address those allegations in a document that read like a well-deserved public flogging.

The report complained that investigators found evidence of “widespread” failure to properly investigate reports of sexual abuse lodged by children and employees.

Local media in Chicago have chronicled the troubling extent of sexual assault in Chicago Public Schools for years, as well as the failure of school district authorities to properly respond to those complaints. Federal authorities began to investigate those complaints under Title IX in 2015 when it received two separate complaints that the district was not properly investigating complaints levied against teachers and against students for sexual assault.

As part of the investigation, the Department of Education evaluated the school district’s response to 2,800 complaints of student-on-student sexual assault, and 280 complaints of adult-on-student sexual assault. In announcing the findings of the investigation, Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights Kenneth Marcus said, among other things, that Chicago Public Schools’ response to those complaints was “inadequate, unreliable and often conducted by untrained staff,” and that Chicago’s overall response to those complaints was “tragic and inexcusable.” . . .

Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot, however, seemed to suggest that the report was some sort of political stunt orchestrated by the Trump administration, telling WBBM-TV that she believed the Trump administration enjoyed “teeing off” against the city of Chicago, and further stating, “I take some of those comments with a grain of salt considering the source.” She did not mention that the investigation was begun and partially conducted during the Obama administration. (Read more from “Department of Education Report: Chicago Public Schools ‘Inexcusably Failed’ to Protect Children From Sexual Assault” HERE)

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Report: Here’s Why John Bolton Resigned (Or was fired)

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. . .According to Axios, Bolton resigned one day after Trump suggested relieving severe economic sanctions on the Islamic nation, a source close to Bolton told the news outlet.

Bolton did not agree with giving Iran sanction relief and “believed the maximum pressure campaign was working,” Axios reported. . .

One day later, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani “signaled approval” of Bolton’s departure, the Associated Press reported. Bolton is widely seen as a war hawk, which certainly made Iran uneasy given increased tensions Iran has generated in the Middle East this year.

The Daily Beast reported this week that Trump is actively considering offering Iran a $15 billion line-of-credit under the condition that Tehran complies with rules established by former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal. (Read more from “Report: Here’s Why John Bolton Resigned” HERE)

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Delaware 2017: Joe Biden Recounts Nearly Wrapping a Chain Around a Gang Leader Named Corn Pop’s Head (VIDEO)

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Joe Biden told a harrowing story during an event in 2017 about facing down a razor-wielding gang leader named Corn Pop in his youth by threatening to “wrap” a chain around the man’s head. The incident came back into the spotlight over the weekend when footage of Biden’s remarks began circulating social media.

The former vice president, who has come under scrutiny in recent weeks for embellishing portions of his personal and political life, told the story when being honored with having a community pool named after him in a Wilmington, Delaware, historically black neighborhood. Biden had reportedly been the only white lifeguard at the pool during the early 1960s when segregation was still in effect.

The event started with Biden discussing how his time as a lifeguard had opened his eyes about racial injustice and privilege. It, however, quickly took a strange turn when Biden, flanked by children from the local community, decided to recount a nearly violent altercation he had at the pool with a misbehaving swimmer.

“Corn Pop was a bad dude, and he ran a bunch of bad boys. Back in those days, to show how things have changed … if you used pomade in your hair, you had to wear a bathing cap,” Biden said. “He was up on the board and wouldn’t listen to me, so I said ‘Hey, Esther, you, off the board or I’ll come up and drag you off.’”

Corn Pop, according to the former vice president, did not take kindly to being called “Esther” — an “emasculating” reference to the 1950s swimmer Esther Williams, as the Washington Post noted — and promised to “meet” him outside. Biden realized he had to take Corn Pop seriously when he purportedly saw the gang leader waiting around for him with three other guys carrying straight razors.

(Read more from “Delaware 2017: Joe Biden Recounts Nearly Wrapping a Chain Around a Gang Leader Named Corn Pop’s Head” HERE)

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Former NFL Player Accused of Vandalizing His Own Business With ‘MAGA’ and Racist Slurs

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A former NFL player has been arrested in Georgia for vandalizing his own business with racist slurs and the phrase “MAGA,” to make it appear as if Trump supporters and racists attacked him.

Former Washington Redskins tackle Edawn Coughman, 31, was arrested in Gwinnett County, Georgia, on September 11 after someone reported the vandalism of his small restaurant.

Coughman owns the Create and Bake pizza restaurant and Coughman’s Creamery in Lawrence, an establishment that police found damaged after a citizen reported that the establishment was being broken into and deface, according to 11 Alive.

When police arrived, they observed Coughman driving away from the place in a black Chevy Silverado. When they pulled him over, officers discovered a number of flatscreen TVs still on brackets in the truck’s bed. The TVs appeared to have been ripped from the walls of the restaurant.

Meanwhile, other officers discovered that Coughman’s establishment had been seriously vandalized with “MAGA” spray painted on the walls several times along with racial epithets.

(Read more from “Former NFL Player Accused of Vandalizing His Own Business With ‘MAGA’ and Racist Slurs” HERE)

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