Leftist Dark Money Group Pushes Scheme to Pack Supreme Court With Liberal Justices

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Demand Justice, an organization founded by former members of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and associated with a secretive “social welfare organization” financed by billionaire activist George Soros, is pushing a scheme to pack the Supreme Court with liberal justices by adding new seats to the nation’s highest court.

This comes after Demand Justice has failed in its repeated attempts to bring about the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. . .

The missive, also promoted in Demand Justice mass emails, claims “Republicans stole a seat when they put Neil Gorsuch on the bench, so Democrats need to be committed to fighting back by adding seats to the Supreme Court.”

The petition continues, “You know what’s at stake: the right to a safe and legal abortion, the right to seek asylum, the right to a workplace free of discrimination for LGBTQ+ people, and so much more.” . . .

Immediately after the confirmation of Kavanaugh last year, Breitbart News reported that already some Democrats and progressive activists began shifting tactics, pushing the scheme to “pack” or “balance” the Supreme Court by adding two new seats to be filled by liberal judges. (Read more from “Leftist Dark Money Group Pushes Scheme to Pack Supreme Court With Liberal Justices” HERE)

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Hundreds of ISIS Supporters Escape Camp in Syria; Media Begin to Acknowledge: Some Kurdish Forces Are a Problem

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By Fox News. Hundreds of people affiliated with the Islamic State escaped a camp where they were being held on Sunday after Turkish forces approached the Kurdish-held town, Kurdish officials said.

About 950 ISIS-connected foreigners managed to leave the camp, located in Ain Eissa, roughly 20 miles south of the border, after detainees apparently attacked the camp’s guards and gates and fled, the Kurdish-led administration said in a statement.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, said Turkish warplanes struck villages near the camp on Sunday. They didn’t provide the exact number of residents who fled the camp, but said clashes broke out between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and Kurdish forces. . .

The Kurdish forces, who partnered with the U.S. in the fight against ISIS, say they may not be able to maintain detention facilities holding thousands of militants as they struggle to stem the Turkish advance.

Turkish forces have been pushing toward the town as part of their offensive against Kurdish-led forces — fighters which Turkey believes are terrorists because of their links to the insurgency in its southeast. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Turkey won’t stop until the Syrian Kurdish forces withdraw at least 20 miles from the border. (Read more from “Hundreds of ISIS Supporters Escape Camp in Syria” HERE)

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Media Begin to Acknowledge: Some Kurdish Forces Are a Problem

By Breitbart. The mainstream media have begun to acknowledge that some Kurdish forces in the Turkey-Syria border region are a legitimate national security concern for Turkey, after a week of criticism of President Donald Trump’s withdrawal.

On Sunday, the New York Times published an article about how Kurdish forces, apparently out of spite, were no longer allowing U.S. forces to take control of detainees linked to the so-called “Islamic State” (ISIS) — though the Times headline cast the issue as America’s fault (“U.S. Forces Leave ‘High-Value’ ISIS Detainees Behind in Retreat From Syria”):

The Kurds refused, the officials said, to cooperate in permitting the American military to take out any more detainees from the constellation of ad hoc wartime detention sites for captive ISIS fighters. These range from former schoolhouses in towns like Ain Eissa and Kobani to a former Syrian government prison at Hasaka.

The prisons hold about 11,000 men, about 9,000 of them Syrian or Iraqi Arabs. About 2,000 come from some 50 other nations whose governments have refused to repatriate them.

Later in the article, the Times acknowledged: “The Turkish government sees the Kurdish military presence so close to its border as a serious security threat, because the Kurdish forces have close ties with a guerrilla group that has waged a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey itself” (emphasis added). (Read more from “Media Begin to Acknowledge: Some Kurdish Forces Are a Problem” HERE)

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Thousands of U.S. Troops to Be Deployed to Saudi Arabia

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The United States is deploying an additional 2,800 U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of Iran’s attack on Saudi oil facilities in September, the Pentagon announced on Friday. The deployment includes fighter squadrons, early detection aircraft, and air defense systems.

The new forces will join the 200 American service members that are part of the Patriot air defense battery and radars sent to Saudi Arabia in late September in response to the Sept. 14 attack that the United States blames on Iran.

“[Defense] Secretary Esper informed Saudi Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Muhammad bin Salman this morning of the additional troop deployment to assure and enhance the defense of Saudi Arabia,” said Chief Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman in a statement on Friday. “Taken together with other deployments, this constitutes an additional 3,000 forces that have been extended or authorized within the last month.”

“We have been concerned, based on what we hear from partners and allies in the region, about continued Iranian behavior,” Esper said at a Pentagon news conference on Friday.

“There are things that we pick up, if you will through intelligence, that we thought it was important to deploy forces to deter and defend and to send the message to the Iranians do not strike another sovereign state,” he added. (Read more from “Thousands of U.S. Troops to Be Deployed to Saudi Arabia” HERE)

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2020 Dem Considering Skipping Upcoming Debate Because the DNC Is so Corrupt

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Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) said Friday that she may skip Tuesday’s primary debate because the Democratic National Committee has rigged the system to influence the primary result, according to The Hill. . .

Gabbard did not qualify for the September debate, but she has qualified for Tuesday night’s debate. The threshold was 130,000 individual donors and at least 2 percent in four national polls approved by the DNC.

“The DNC and their corporate media partners are essentially trying to hijack this election process away from the responsibility that voters have,” Gabbard said Friday. “They’re trying to be the ones to hold their own, essentially their own primary election before the primary election even begins by deciding through their pseudo-polls and arbitrary requirements—who’s raising how much money, how much grassroots support do they have—and determining who’s winning and who’s not winning, blocking voters from hearing from all the candidates who are offering to hear them as president.” . . .

Despite Gabbard’s complaints, some have felt the DNC’s debate criteria, announced in May, has actually been too lax. The debates held to this point have featured stages with 10 or more candidates, some of them split into two nights.

The debates, crowded with candidates who have never stood a chance at securing the nomination, have produced events during which the contenders rarely are forced to speak thoroughly about their policies and political histories. Tuesday’s debate will be the largest stage yet, with 12 candidates. (Read more from “2020 Dem Considering Skipping Upcoming Debate Because the DNC Is so Corrupt” HERE)

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Hunter Biden Breaks His Silence on Ukraine Scandal; Hunter Biden Likely Still Has Millions in China-Backed Investment Fund

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By Townhall. Hunter Biden has decided to step down from the board of BKR, a Chinese private equity firm, and vows to avoid foreign work should his father, former Vice President Joe Biden, become president.

“Hunter always understood that his father would be guided, entirely and unequivocally, by established U.S. policy, regardless of its effects on Hunter’s professional interests,” Hunter’s attorney, George Mesires, said in a statement. “He never anticipated the barrage of false charges against both him and his father by the President of the United States.” . . .

“Under a Biden Administration, Hunter will readily comply with any and all guidelines or standards a President Biden may issue to address purported conflicts of interest, or the appearance of such conflicts, including any restrictions related to overseas business interests,” Mesires said. “In any event, Hunter will agree not to serve on boards of, or work on behalf of, foreign owned companies.”

“He will continue to keep his father personally uninvolved in his business affairs, while availing himself as necessary and appropriate to the Office of the White House Counsel to help inform his application of the Biden Administration’s guidelines or standards to his business decision-making,” Mesires said.

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, has been at the center of the Ukraine scandal. While Biden was handling international relations with Ukraine on behalf of the Obama administration, Hunter was being paid $50,000 a month by Ukrainian gas company Bursima despite having no natural energy experience. (Read more from “Hunter Biden Breaks His Silence on Ukraine Scandal” HERE)

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Expert: Hunter Biden Likely Still Has Millions in China-Backed Investment Fund

By Breitbart. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden announced Sunday that he was stepping down from his board position at BHR Equity Investment Fund Management, but he likely still has millions of dollars of value in the company.

Hunter Biden has a 10 percent stake in BHR, which he acquired through a company he created named Skaneateles LLC in 2017.

Although Hunter Biden’s lawyer has said that his client’s stake in the company is only valued at $420,000, a FactCheck.org analysis estimates it’s value to be millions.

“It is difficult to imagine, if not incomprehensible, that a 10% stake in those economics is worth only $420K,” Steven Kaplan of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business told FactCheck.org. “The distinction they appear to be making is they capitalized the management company with $4.2 M even if the fund manages $2 B. The value of that management company is likely far in excess of $4.2 M if they are managing $2 B.” (Read more from “Expert: Hunter Biden Likely Still Has Millions in China-Backed Investment Fund” HERE)

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WATCH: Gen. Mattis WARNS ISIS ‘Will Resurge’

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On Sunday, ABC’s “This Week” played a Saturday-taped interview with former Secretary of Defense General James Mattis.

During the interview, host Chuck Todd asked Mattis about the ongoing situation with Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Mattis asserted that “if we don’t keep the pressure on,” a reemergence of ISIS is “a given.”

MATTIS: Well, what we see is the continued reliance that we have on allies. The fight against ISIS was fought largely by the Syrian Democratic Forces. We have lost, during several years of fighting in Syria, for example, less than a dozen troops, each one a tragedy, but the Syrian Democratic Forces, primarily the Kurds, have lost well over 11,000 killed, over 23,000 wounded. So, you see how we are fighting this enemy, doing it in a way by, with, and through allies that spreads the load, so it’s not just the American people, the American taxpayer, the American troops carrying the full load.

TODD: Do you feel as if, are we still doing this fight now? Or have we just pulled back, and it’s now up to the Kurds on their own?

MATTIS: Well, it’s in a situation of disarray right now. Obviously, the Kurds are adapting to the Turkish attacks. And we’ll have to see if they’re able to maintain the fight against ISIS. It’s going to have an impact. The question is, how much?

(Read more from “WATCH: Gen. Mattis Says ISIS ‘Will Resurge’” HERE)

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Democrat Rep: We’re Considering Jailing the President’s Allies If They Don’t Comply With Impeachment Inquiry

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Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), one of the key members of the progressive Congressional “squad,” reiterated a claim Sunday that Democrats are quietly considering jailing allies of President Donald Trump if they do not comply with the House’s impeachment inquiry.

Tlaib told local Detroit news program, Deadline Detroit, that Democrats, who have issued a number of subpoenas to Trump friends, family members, and administration officials, have discussed detaining those who don’t show up to testify, the Hill reports.

“There have been actual serious conversations about what the logistics would look like … if we did have to force someone through a court order to come before the Congressional committee,” she said.

Congress typically negotiates with potential witnesses who receive subpoenas but have concerns about testifying. Jailing those who refuse to comply with a demand for testimony would be a novel approach, which Tlaib acknowledged: “This is pretty uncharted territory for many of us and even for Congress.”

This isn’t the first time Tlaib has talked about jailing ideological opponents, particularly those allied with the president, who could have information as to whether Trump discussed a deal with Ukrainian officials, returning cancelled foreign aid if Ukrainian prosecutors pursued Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, and investigated an energy corporation that placed Hunter Biden on its board. (Read more from “Democrat Rep.: We’re Considering Jailing the President’s Allies If They Don’t Comply With Impeachment Inquiry” HERE)

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Turkey Attacks U.S. Special Forces in Syria, Apparently by Mistake; Pentagon Chief on Decision to Move Troops in Syria: ‘We Put the Safety of Our Soldiers First’

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By Newsweek. contingent of U.S. Special Forces was caught up in Turkish shelling against U.S.-backed Kurdish positions in northern Syria, days after President Donald Trump told his Turkish counterpart he would withdraw U.S. troops from certain positions in the area. A senior Pentagon official said shelling by the Turkish forces was so heavy that the U.S. personnel considered firing back in self-defense.

Newsweek has learned through both an Iraqi Kurdish intelligence official and the senior Pentagon official that Special Forces operating on Mashtenour hill in the majority-Kurdish city of Kobani fell under artillery fire from Turkish forces conducting their so-called “Operation Peace Spring” against Kurdish fighters backed by the U.S. but considered terrorist organizations by Turkey. No injuries have been reported.

Instead of returning fire, the Special Forces withdrew once the shelling had ceased. Newsweek previously reported Wednesday that the current rules of engagement for U.S. forces continue to be centered around self-defense and that no order has been issued by the Pentagon for a complete withdrawal from Syria. . .

The Turkish Defense Ministry issued a statement in response to Newsweek’s report, denying that its military had targeted U.S. forces. The ministry affirmed that “Turkish border outposts south of Suruc came under Dochka and mortar fire from the hills located approximately 1,000 meters southwest of a U.S. observation post.” (Read more from “Turkey Attacks U.S. Special Forces in Syria, Apparently by Mistake” HERE)

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Pentagon Chief on Decision to Move Troops in Syria: ‘We Put the Safety of Our Soldiers First’

By Breitbart. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday the Trump administration decided to pull back less than 50 U.S. troops from northern Syria in order to make sure they were not caught in a pending fight between Turkish and Syrian Kurdish forces.

“When Turkey notified us of an imminent military operation, we relocated a small contingent of less than 50 special operations soldiers out of the immediate zone of attack,” he said. “This decision was made to ensure that American troops were not caught up in the fighting between Turkish and Kurdish forces.”

“The safety of our men and women in uniform remains our top priority,” he added.

Esper said Turkey’s decision put the U.S. in a tough situation, given that Turkey is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally. He said:

The impulsive action of President Erdogan to invade northern Syria has put the United States in a tough situation, given our relationship with our NATO ally Turkey, who has fought alongside the United States in the past, and the Syrian Democratic Forces who helped us destroy the physical caliphate of ISIS, and the safety of U.S. military personnel.

(Read more from “Pentagon Chief on Decision to Move Troops in Syria: ‘We Put the Safety of Our Soldiers First’” HERE)

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Harry Reid Praises Trump as ‘a Very, Very Smart Man’

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Harry Reid had high praise for President Trump calling him “smart” and hard to beat in a recent appearance.

“I used to think that Donald Trump was not too smart. I certainly don’t believe that anymore,” the former Senate majority leader told David Axelrod in an interview preview that aired Friday on CNN. “I don’t think he’s intellectually a powerhouse, but he is basically a very, very smart man. No matter what the subject, any argument he involves himself in, it’s on his terms.”

The 79-year-old Nevada Democrat said the Democratic presidential contenders should not be under the illusion that Trump would be beaten easily in 2020.

In August, he warned that his party’s presidential candidates were taking far-left positions that were hurting their chances of beating Trump. He specifically pointed to “Medicare for all” and decriminalized border crossings as two potentially hazardous positions for Democrats.

Reid held his Nevada Senate seat from 1987-2017 and was the leader of the Democratic conference from 2005 to 2017. He announced he would not be running for reelection in 2016 after an injury left him blind in one eye. Sen. Chuck Schumer from New York is now the leader of the Senate Democrats. (Read more from “Harry Reid Praises Trump as ‘a Very, Very Smart Man'” HERE)

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NYC Plans Statues to Honor Seven Women — Two of Them Were Actually Men

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New York City has selected seven women to honor with statues placed around the city, two of whom were actually born male.

The statues were planned as part of the “She Built NYC” initiative spearheaded by the first lady of NYC, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife Chirlane McCray, meant to celebrate the women who had a hand in making the city what it is today.

McCray, along with former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, announced the project in June of 2018, saying that they would take nominations from the public and a committee would narrow down the suggestions to choose a winner. . .

[Marsha] Johnson and [Sylvia] Rivera, neither of whom were born female, are set to be honored with a joint monument in Manhattan. . .

Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian-American woman who was the first American to be recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church, reportedly received the most votes from New Yorkers when McCray asked for public submissions — but she was still passed over when the final selections were made.

(Read more from “NYC Plans Statues to Honor Seven Women — Two of Them Were Actually Men” HERE)

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