Republican Who Flipped California Congressional District: People Are ‘Underestimating’ Trump’s ‘Popularity’

Republican Mike Garcia credited the power of President Trump’s popularity for his success in flipping a California congressional district — the first such defeat for Democrats since 1998.

“California’s 25th District — Northern L.A., parts of Ventura County, very purple district — and people are underestimating the popularity right now of President Trump,” Garcia, a former military pilot, said Saturday on “Cavuto Live.”

“And it’s not just among the Republicans, but also the middle third of Americans … who just want to be able to continue to afford to live in California and want to see jobs improve, wages go up, and this economy get back on its feet,” he told host Neil Cavuto.

“So when you look at who you trust to lead us through this recovery, it should be put back in the hands of the folks that got us to this thriving economy, the record-setting economy around the world, and that is this administration and the Republican Party,” he added.

Garcia won the district’s special election earlier this week, replacing former Rep. Katie Hill, a Democrat who resigned amid scandal after admitting to an affair with a campaign staffer. (Read more from “Republican Who Flipped California Congressional District: People Are ‘Underestimating’ Trump’s ‘Popularity'” HERE)

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‘Facebook Sucks’: Elon Musk Slams Social Network Exec Who Criticized His Knowledge of AI

Elon Musk took a swipe Thursday at a Facebook exec who criticized his knowledge of AI (artificial intelligence).

“Facebook sucks,” Musk wrote in response to a tweet from Jerome Pesenti, Facebook’s head of AI.

Pesenti had earlier tweeted that Musk “has no idea what he is talking about when he talks about AI” in response to a CNBC article about the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s “complex” relationship with the AI community. . .

In his tweet, Pesenti wrote that “there is no such thing as AGI [Artificial General Intelligence] and we are nowhere near matching human intelligence.”

The CNBC article cited “multiple” unnamed AI researchers from different companies who described Musk’s comments on the technology as “inappropriate.” They also urged the public not to take Musk’s views on AI too seriously. (Read more from “‘Facebook Sucks’: Elon Musk Slams Social Network Exec Who Criticized His Knowledge of AI” HERE)

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States That Reopened Haven’t Seen Any Spike in New Coronavirus Cases (VIDEO)

By Newsweek. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Sunday he has not seen any spikes in new coronavirus cases in states that recently reopened “non-essential” businesses.

The HHS chief expressed optimism that state governments have the tools to avoid new outbreaks of COVID-19, as several places including Wisconsin, South Carolina, Georgia and Colorado enter new phases of reopening local businesses. Several states have recorded record highs in the number of new daily coronavirus cases, but those numbers are in direct correlation to an increasing amount of tests being made available to residents. Newly reported deaths tied to the virus have leveled off or decreased.

During a CNN interview, host Jake Tapper said to Azar that it’s “intriguing” that some states that reopened “despite warnings of dire consequences from health experts” have — so far — not seen any dramatic spikes in new cases. “Is it still too early to tell?” he asked Azar Sunday morning.

“We are seeing that in areas that are opening, we’re not seeing the spike in cases,” Azar said. “We still see spikes in some areas that are, in fact, closed, very localized situations. And so this is going to be very important for us to watch the circumstances on the ground.” (Read more from “States That Reopened Haven’t Seen Any Spike in New Coronavirus Cases” HERE)

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HHS Secretary Points to ‘Unhealthy Comorbidities’ When Asked About High Coronavirus Death Rate in U.S.

By The Hill. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Sunday pointed to a “significantly disproportionate burden of comorbidities” when asked about the high coronavirus death rate in the U.S.

Azar said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the U.S. has been able to manage the health care burden of the coronavirus, despite having the highest reported death rates of any country from the virus.

“Every death is a tragedy, but the results could have been vastly, vastly worse,” he said, adding that “to our knowledge” nobody in the U.S. has died because they didn’t have access to a ventilator or a bed in an intensive care unit.

(Read more from “HHS Secretary Points to ‘Unhealthy Comorbidities’ When Asked About High Coronavirus Death Rate in U.S.” HERE)

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Iran Calls Israel ‘Rabid, Predatory Dog’ as Jewish State Swears in New Government

By Newsweek. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Khamenei railed against Israel this weekend as the Jewish state’s parliament approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new unity government.

“The Zionist regime & its criminal supporters recognize no bounds in brutality & trampling of moral norms,” Khamenei wrote in a series of tweets on Saturday evening local time. “They consider genocide, destruction, the massacre of children & women, & any oppression permissible in #Palestine. This rabid, predatory dog attacks innocent ppl [sic].”

Khamenei also accused the Zionist regime of failing to abide by any treaty. They do not “understand any language but the language of force,” he wrote. “Israel has proven it only knows force. It cannot be spoken to except with the Palestinian nation’s language of power & the Islamic nation’s global power.”

(Read more from “Iran Calls Israel ‘Rabid, Predatory Dog’ as Jewish State Swears in New Government” HERE)

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Airstrike Attributed to Israel Said to Kill 7 Iran-Backed Fighters in East Syria

By The Times of Israel. Unknown warplanes attacked Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, killing several of the Iraqi militiamen, Syrian opposition activists said Sunday.

The strikes late Saturday targeted a base near the border town of Boukamal, killing seven fighters, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor.

Omar Abu Laila, a Europe-based activist from Syria’s eastern Deir el-Zour province, confirmed that a strike hit Iran-backed Iraqi fighters in the area, but had no exact word on casualties. The strikes came days after reinforcements were brought into the area from Iraq, the Observatory and Abu Laila said.

Abu Laila, who runs Deir Ezzor 24, an activist collective that reports on news in the border area, said Israel was most likely behind the attack, but gave no evidence. (Read more from “Airstrike Attributed to Israel Said to Kill 7 Iran-Backed Fighters in East Syria” HERE)

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WH Trade Adviser: China Deliberately Allowed Coronavirus to Spread Outside Its Borders; Navarro Ties Obama, Biden and China Together in Coronavirus Attack

By Breitbart. During an interview broadcast on Friday’s edition of the Fox Business Network’s “WSJ at Large,” White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro stated that China deliberately allowed the coronavirus to spread to the rest of the world and that the virus “could have been contained in Wuhan.”

Navarro said, “China hid the virus behind the shield of the World Health Organization, and that was a time, Gerry, when that virus could have been contained in Wuhan. Instead, what China did was put hundreds of thousands of Wuhanians and Chinese on planes that were allowed to go to Milan and New York and elsewhere, but not to Beijing and Shanghai.” (Read more from “WH Trade Adviser: China Deliberately Allowed Coronavirus to Spread Outside Its Borders” HERE)

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Navarro Ties Obama, Biden and China Together in Coronavirus Attack

By Politico. White House adviser Peter Navarro came out swinging against former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden and China in a vigorous defense of the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.

On Sunday morning, Navarro started off by calling Obama’s administration a “kumbaya of incompetence.”

“I’m glad Mr. Obama has a new job as Joe Biden’s press secretary,” Navarro responded on ABC’s “This Week.” “As far as I’m concerned, his administration was a kumbaya of incompetence in which we saw millions of manufacturing jobs go off to China.” . . .

That statement led Navarro to his next target: Using the term “China virus,” he said it could have been contained in Wuhan, where it was thought to have originated. However, he said, the Chinese government intentionally hid information and sent its citizens to other countries to “seed” the virus. (Read more from “Navarro Ties Obama, Biden and China Together in Coronavirus Attack” HERE)

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House Republican Introduces Bill to Ban ‘Ballot Harvesting’; Vote-By-Mail Primary Stirs Fraud Concerns, as Unclaimed Ballots Pile Up

By Breitbart. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), ranking member of the Committee on House Administration, introduced a bill last week to ban the practice of “ballot harvesting,” which allows anyone to deliver unlimited numbers of mail-in ballots on others’ behalf.

The practice, legalized by Democrats in California in 2016, is banned in most of the rest of the country, except for immediate family members. It is also unknown in the rest of the world, because of its high susceptibility to fraud.

In 2018, California Democrats used “ballot harvesting” as part of a successful effort to flip seven Republican-held seats. Hundreds of thousands of ballots were dropped off by Democratic Party operatives. Republicans have been unable to do the same because Republican voters apparently do not part with their ballots as easily as Democrats. . .

The bill would prevent states that allow ballot harvesting from receiving federal funds through the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The only people who would be allowed to deliver other people’s ballots would be election officials; U.S. Postal Service employees and officials authorized to deliver the mail; and a “family member, household member, or caregiver of the person to whom the ballot was mailed.” (Read more from “House Republican Introduces Bill to Ban ‘Ballot Harvesting’” HERE)

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Nevada’s Vote-By-Mail Primary Stirs Fraud Concerns, as Unclaimed Ballots Pile Up: ‘Something Stinks Here’

By Fox News. Red flags are being raised about the all-mail voting system being used in Nevada’s most populous county ahead of the state’s June 9 primary election amid reports that thousands of ballots are being sent to inactive voters — fueling concerns about the possibility of voter fraud and ballot harvesting.

Thousands of ballots have been sent out by the Clark County Election Department to inactive voters – those who have not voted in recent elections, a roster that can include people who either have moved or are deceased – and the envelopes are piling up in post office trays, outside apartment complexes and on community bulletin boards in and around Las Vegas.

The excess ballots have drawn complaints from local residents, who worry that anyone could pick up a ballot off the street and cast a fraudulent vote, as well as from Republican Party officials in the state who see a nefarious motive behind the vote-by-mail system being employed by the Democrat-dominated Clark County Commission.

“What’s going to happen with these things, they’re not secured at all and there are thousands of them just sitting here,” Jenny Trobiani, a postal worker in Clark County who told Fox News that she has seen hundreds of ballots being mailed to inactive voters.

“This just seems fraudulent to me, something stinks here,” she added. (Read more from “Nevada’s Vote-By-Mail Primary Stirs Fraud Concerns, as Unclaimed Ballots Pile Up: ‘Something Stinks Here'” HERE)

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Hilarious: Priest Goes Viral for Using Squirt Gun to Bless Churchgoers With Holy Water

Father Tim Pelc is bringing a water pistol to a coronavirus fight. The Catholic priest from the Detroit area is doing his best to combat COVID-19 by using a squirt gun to bless parishioners and their Easter baskets.

Inside the St. Ambrose Church is the pews, but outside the church, Father Tim Pelc is bringing the *pew pew pews*. The church in Grosse Pointe Park offers a drive-thru service where parishioners can be blessed while still observing proper social distancing guidelines.

The 70-year-old Catholic priest is armed with a water gun filled with holy water. Churchgoers drive up, then stop in front of the church steps, and open their windows. Father Pelc takes aim, and blasts parishioners with holy water. . .

Pelc wears a mask, gloves, and a face shield to protect himself and others. The priest has been doing his unorthodox way of blessing his congregation since around Easter. He has gone viral, and there have been dozens of memes lionizing the now-famous priest. (Read more from “Hilarious: Priest Goes Viral for Using Squirt Gun to Bless Churchgoers With Holy Water” HERE)

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Business Owner Who Defiantly Reopened Says Child Protective Services Questioned Her Family

An Oregon business owner who reopened in defiance of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown’s lockdown order said Child Protective Services showed up at her house and questioned her children.

Lindsey Graham, owner of the Glamour Salon in Salem, vowed earlier this month to reopen her business despite the possible consequences of violating the stay-at-home order.

“I’m risking going to jail to do it. That’s how important it is to my family,” she said, according to KPTV-TV. “I’m deciding that it’s more important for me to feed my family and pay the bills that are going to keep our home and our family alive than take the risk to remain being shut down for an undisclosed amount of time.” . . .

“If you can possibly believe this, on May 7 Child Protective Services showed up at my home. They questioned my husband and I, they questioned my child without me present, they searched our home,” Graham said, KOIN-TV reported. . .

Graham will face more fines if she continues to operate her business — something she vowed to do. (Read more from “Business Owner Who Defiantly Reopened Says Child Protective Services Questioned Her Family” HERE)

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T Cells Found in COVID-19 Patients ‘Bode Well’ for Long-Term Immunity

Immune warriors known as T cells help us fight some viruses, but their importance for battling SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been unclear. Now, two studies reveal infected people harbor T cells that target the virus—and may help them recover. Both studies also found some people never infected with SARS-CoV-2 have these cellular defenses, most likely because they were previously infected with other coronaviruses.

“This is encouraging data,” says virologist Angela Rasmussen of Columbia University. Although the studies don’t clarify whether people who clear a SARS-CoV-2 infection can ward off the virus in the future, both identified strong T cell responses to it, which “bodes well for the development of long-term protective immunity,” Rasmussen says. The findings could also help researchers create better vaccines. . .

All of the patients carried helper T cells that recognized the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which enables the virus to infiltrate our cells. They also harbored helper T cells that react to other SARS-CoV-2 proteins. And the team detected virus-specific killer T cells in 70% of the subjects, they report today in Cell. “The immune system sees this virus and mounts an effective immune response,” Sette says.

The results jibe with those of a study posted as a preprint on medRxiv on 22 April by immunologist Andreas Thiel of the Charité University Hospital in Berlin and colleagues. They identified helper T cells targeting the spike protein in 15 out of 18 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. (Read more from “T Cells Found in COVID-19 Patients ‘Bode Well’ for Long-Term Immunity” HERE)

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The Constitution Requires Judge Sullivan’s Lawless Amicus Order Against Michael Flynn Be Overturned; Flynn Judge Ignores Shocking Record of False Guilty Pleas

By The Federalist. On May 13, Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a blatantly biased and unconstitutional order in the long-lasting Michael Flynn criminal case. To preserve the rule of law and our constitutional separation of powers, the Department of Justice has no choice now but to seek a writ of mandamus from the D.C. Circuit Court ordering the criminal charge against Flynn dismissed and reassigning the case to another judge. . .

Soon after Judge Sullivan announced he would accept amicus briefs, a group of lawyers operating under the moniker Watergate Prosecutors filed a notice of its intent to file an amicus brief. That a group of left-leaning lawyers intended to relitigate Obamagate via the Flynn case wasn’t surprising. What was surprising—no, unbelievable—is what Judge Sullivan did on Wednesday: He entered an order “appoint[ing] The Honorable John Gleeson (Ret.) as amicus curiae to present arguments in opposition to the government’s Motion to Dismiss.”

This order was jaw-dropping for two reasons. First, the U.S. Constitution makes clear that the judiciary has no business second-guessing prosecutorial decisions. In fact, the very case Judge Sullivan cited for the proposition that he had the inherent authority to appoint an amicus curiae—United States v. Fokker—made clear Sullivan’s order was lawless.

In that case, the government had criminally charged Fokker Services with violations of export control laws. The government and defendant entered a deferred prosecution agreement, under which the government would dismiss the charges in exchange for Fokker Services agreeing to several compliance provisions. But when the parties went before a federal district court judge to formalize the arrangement and a waiver of the Speedy Trial Act, the presiding judge refused to accept the waiver—which in essence doomed the agreement—because he believed the agreement was too lenient on the business owners.

The government filed a “writ of mandamus” with the D.C. Circuit Court. A writ of mandamus is a procedural machination that allows a party to seek to force a lower court to act as required by law. The Fokker court explained that while mandamus is an extraordinary remedy, it is appropriate where the petitioner: (i) has “no other adequate means to attain the relief he desires”; (ii) “show[s] that his right to the writ is ‘clear and indisputable’”; and then “(iii) the court ‘in the exercise of its discretion, must be satisfied that the writ is appropriate under the circumstances.’” (Read more from “The Constitution Requires Judge Sullivan’s Lawless Amicus Order Against Michael Flynn Be Overturned” HERE)

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Flynn Judge Ignores Shocking Record of False Guilty Pleas

By The New York Sun. . .The fact is that it’s by no means rare for persons to plead guilty to crimes they didn’t commit. Some are scared. Others confused. Some lack the intestinal fortitude or financial wherewithal to stand up against the warnings or threats from the prosecutors. What’s so unusual in the Flynn case is that the Democrats and liberals are siding against the poor schlepper caught in the prosecutorial vice. . .

Some 95% of felony convictions in America, the Website notes, are obtained through guilty pleas. Among persons known to be exonerated, it reports, a staggering 18% pleaded guilty to crimes they didn’t commit. It is a humbling statistic for those of us who cover the courts. The filing of a guilty plea by an innocent party occurs at a pace that leaves GuiltyPleaProblem.com saying: “there’s no telling how many are behind bars as a result.”

So where are the liberals now? Where’s the logic of Judge Sullivan getting up on his high horse over the idea that someone in his court might move to withdraw a guilty plea? The idea that General Flynn was uncomfortable with his own plea deal can’t be a surprise to the judge. It was already in the air when the judge erupted at the general at a now-infamous hearing in open court back in December 2018.

That’s the hearing at which the judge declared, “I’m not hiding my disgust, my disdain, for this criminal offense.” With the judge listing the general’s misdeeds, the Washington Post reported at the time, “was not how Flynn’s supporters or Trump thought Tuesday’s sentencing hearing would unfold.” They’d hoped Judge Sullivan would be the one “who would reveal overreach by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and the FBI.” (Read more from “Flynn Judge Ignores Shocking Record of False Guilty Pleas” HERE)

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