Trump Nominates Attorney General With Anti-Roe v Wade Past

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After a month of speculation, President Donald Trump has selected William Barr to be his new permanent attorney general.

“I want to confirm that Bill Barr, one of the most respected jurists in the country, highly respected lawyer, former attorney general under the Bush administration, a terrific man, a terrific person, a brilliant man,” Trump said Friday, CNN reports. “I did not know him until recently when I went through the process of looking at people and he was my first choice from day one, respected by Republicans and respected by Democrats.”

A veteran of the CIA and Justice Department since the 1970s, Barr has already held the position of Attorney General during the first Bush administration, for which the Senate confirmed him unanimously.

“The president’s selection of Bill Barr as the next attorney general is a continuation of this law and order presidency,” said Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who has been serving in a temporary capacity ever since Trump fired his predecessor Jeff Sessions last month. “Bill is supremely qualified, highly respected at the Department of Justice, and will continue to support the men and women in blue. I commend the president for this excellent choice.”

Trump asked for Sessions’ resignation the day after the 2018 midterm elections, in which Republicans expanded their control of the Senate but lost the House of Representatives. The president had long been dissatisfied with the pro-life appointee’s handling of both the Russia investigation and scandals involving the previous administration. (Read more from “Trump Nominates Attorney General With Anti-Roe v Wade Past” HERE)

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Head of University Calls to Give 6 Year Olds Voting Rights

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Children as young as six should be able to vote in general elections to tackle age bias in society, Cambridge University’s head of politics has said.

Professor David Runciman said the British voting system was weighted against the young because older people yield far more votes, a problem made worse by an ageing population. . .

‘I would lower the voting age to six, not 16, and I’m serious about that,’ he said. ‘I would want people who vote to be able to read, so I would exclude reception. . .

‘It is never going to happen in a million years but as a way of capturing just how structurally unbalanced our democracies have become, seriously, why not? Why not six-year-olds?’ he asked. . .

‘If you are in your 20s, you are not represented in your parliament, you keep losing elections and you are expected to care about the future, the environment, the unborn… it is your job as a young person to somehow take up causes that old people are a little bit long in the tooth to worry about.’ (Read more from “Head of University Calls to Give 6 Year Olds Voting Rights” HERE)

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Teacher Fired for Using Wrong Pronoun for Transgender; 100 Students Protest Firing

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By Newsweek. A high school teacher in Virginia has been fired after refusing to refer to one of his students using [her] preferred pronoun.

Peter Vlaming, a French teacher at West Point High School, was fired after the School Board voted 5-0 in favor of terminating his role.

The decision was made after Vlaming disobeyed orders to refer to a ninth-grade student as a male following [her] gender transition. The case is believed to be the first of its kind in the state, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Vlaming, who has worked at the school for seven years, told the school his Christian faith prevented him from using the preferred pronoun of the student he still saw as female. (Read more from “Teacher Fired for Using Wrong Pronoun for Transgender; 100 Students Protest Firing” HERE)

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West Point Students Walk out of Class to Support Fired Teacher

By The Virginia Gazette. About 100 middle and high school students in West Point held a walkout in support of a teacher who was fired for refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred pronoun.

The West Point Public School Board voted unanimously 5-0 Thursday night to support division Superintendent Laura Abel’s recommendation to terminate French teacher Peter Vlaming’s employment, saying his actions harassed and discriminated against the student and were insubordinate.

The walkout began at 12:15 p.m. outside of the high school, and students trickled out of the school to protest the firing.

Students held signs reading “Justice for Vlaming” and “Save Vlaming,” as well as made shirts with French flags and signatures from classmates on them.

The students joined hands, formed a resistance chain around the high school’s front lawn and chanted “Justice for Vlaming” and other supportive chants during the walkout. (Read more from “West Point Students Walk out of Class to Support Fired Teacher” HERE)

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He Played Handball for Australia’s Men’s Team. Now Transgender, He’s Dominating Women’s Handball.

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Standing at six-foot-two and weighing-in at 220 pounds, male-to-female transgender handballer Hannah Mouncey is dominating at the women’s Asian Championships in Japan. . .

According to Handbolls Kanalen, Mouncey scored four goals in a match against Kazakhstan on Friday and contributed a combined eight goals in matches against Japan and Iran.

“Australia defeated Iran by 29-24 and the result may turn out to be gold worth. If they finish in fifth place or better, Oceania is winning a World Cup through the Asian Championship. It also means that IHF will not have a wild card to share,” reports the Swedish outlet.

Due to Mouncey’s weight, height, and testosterone levels, he was barred from entering the Australian Football League, Women’s (AFLW) draft, last year. Mouncey wrote a piece for The Guardian in September blasting the AFL for their regulations. He noted specifically that the weight regulation is a form of “body shaming” and a blow to all women, transgender or not.

“My biggest concern is the fact that weight is being used as one of the key physical measures for possible exclusion. Forget the fact that in a game that has such an emphasis on endurance and speed, being heavy is not necessarily an advantage and think about the message it sends to women and girls about their bodies: if you’re too big, you can’t play. That is incredibly dangerous and backward,” Mouncey said.

(Read more from “He Played Handball for Australia’s Men’s Team. Now Transgender, He’s Dominating Women’s Handball.” HERE)

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GOP Fails Pro-Life Voters by Refusing to Defund Planned Parenthood

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As the final weeks of the GOP-controlled Congress draw to a close, pro-life voters look on with great disappointment at the Republican politicians who failed to follow through on their most crucial promise: to defund Planned Parenthood. In about a month, Democrats will take over the House of Representatives and any hope of stripping the abortion giant of federal funding will pass away.

With precious little time left in the lame-duck session, GOP congressional leaders have chosen to ignore the persistent urgings of pro-life leaders. Just last week, leaders from Live Action, Students for Life America, the Susan B. Anthony List, Heritage Foundation and the March for Life sat down with White House officials to remind them of the paramount campaign promise that catapulted this administration to victory. . .

In separate letters sent to the president, Live Action President Lila Rose and Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins pleaded with Trump not to let millions of pro-life Americans down by compromising on what is for many the number-one reason they voted Republican.

While Trump has threatened to veto a proposal that compromises on his agenda, House Republicans have made it clear that they will not cede ground when it comes to Planned Parenthood, according to Politico. Alice Miranda Ollstein notes that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz “briefly tried — and failed — to rally support for one last bid to push through Planned Parenthood cuts, Obamacare repeal and other conservative priorities,” but most of his Republican colleagues dismissed these concerns amid fears of a government shutdown over Trump’s border wall. (Read more from “GOP Fails Pro-Life Voters by Refusing to Defund Planned Parenthood” HERE)

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George H.W. Bush’s Beloved Service Dog ‘Sully’ Has A Heartwarming New Mission

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The relationships between dogs and Presidents of the United States have always captivated and warmed the hearts of Americans. Now President George H.W. Bush’s service dog is melting the hearts of people everywhere as he prepares for a new mission of service to wounded soldiers.

On Sunday, Bush’s spokesman, Jim McGrath shared a powerful and iconic photograph clearly showing the loyalty Sully had to the 41st president. The image showed Sully laying beside the coffin covered in the American flag with the fitting caption:

Sully was later seen by the former president’s side at the U.S. Capitol.

President Bush passed away surrounded by his loving family Friday evening at 94 years old. Sully flew with Bush’s coffin to Washington, D.C. The Labrador Retriever was named after an airline pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, known for the “miracle on the Hudson” emergency landing of a US Airways Airbus in 2009.

Sullenberger commented about his namesake on Twitter on December 3.

Later this week, Sully returns to America’s VetDogs in Smithtown, New York where he will stay for the holiday season. At 15 months old, Sully was taken to the VetDogs prison puppy program, where inmates taught him the foundations of service dog training. Sully later honed his skills at the VetDogs facility in Smithtown.

Following his holiday visit in familiar surroundings, the presidential service dog will take on his new duties at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s Facilities Dog Program in Maryland. The center recommended Sully as a perfect match for Bush when the Labrador was 2-years-old.

In his new duties at Walter Reed, Sully will work with SGT Dillon and SGT Truman, two fellow service dogs. The dogs will work with wounded soldiers and active duty personnel while they undergo physical and occupational therapy at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

According to PEOPLE, Sully will work with soldiers who have suffered amputated limbs.

“THROUGH RETRIEVAL, BRACING, AND INNOVATIVE TUG-OF-WAR EXERCISES, THESE DOGS WORK WITH SERVICE MEMBERS AS THEY ADAPT AND WORK WITH THEIR NEW PROSTHETIC LIMBS.”

Sully provided invaluable service to President Bush, helping him cope with life after the loss of his beloved wife, Barbara, in April. Now he serves other veterans who have risked their lives for our country in combat. We don’t yet know who will have the honor to be Sully’s next handler at Walter Reed.

Follow Sully Bush’s Instagram account to keep up with the latest updates on this famous and loyal service dog. One of his last posts showed Sully laying beside President Bush as he voted in the midterm elections. Another post showed him helping with some Christmas decorations.

(Click HERE to view the original post.)

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All Class: Laura Bush’s Sweet Message to Melania Trump

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A day before former President George H.W. Bush was laid to rest, former First Lady Laura Bush and Bush family members were hosted by First Lady Melania Trump at the White House, touring the much-discussed Christmas decor. Mrs. Bush was quick to thank Mrs. Trump for the “sweet visit during this somber week.”

“Thanks to Mrs. Trump for inviting our family to the White House to see the Christmas decorations and our old friends, the residence staff,” wrote the former First Lady, posting two photos from the visit.

Following the visit, the Trumps and the Bushes greeted one another in a warm exchange outside the presidential guest house, Blair House (video below).

Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Trump have a much warmer relationship than what is perceived to be an essentially nonexistent relationship between the current FLOTUS and her predecessor, Michelle Obama.

In April, Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Trump shared tea together at the White House. Additionally, Mrs. Bush had nothing but warm wishes and kind words to say about the current First Lady during an interview with CNN in November of 2017.

(Read more from “All Class: Laura Bush’s Sweet Message to Melania Trump” HERE)

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School District Fires Teacher Who Told Students That Santa Claus Isn’t Real

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By Daily Wire. . .A substitute teacher in New Jersey school last week told a class of first-graders that Santa Claus isn’t real.

She was promptly fired, ​Montville Schools Superintendent Rene Rovtar said in a statement.

“‘During the course of the day, a substitute teacher apparently announced to the class that Santa was not real,’ the school’s principal, Michael J. Raj, wrote in the letter provided Friday to NJ Advance Media,” NJ.com reported. . .

Rovtar also issued a statement in which she said she was “troubled and disheartened by this incident.”

“The childhood wonder associated with all holidays and traditions is something I personally hold near and dear in my own heart,” Rovtar said. (Read more from “School District Fires Teacher Who Told Students That Santa Claus Isn’t Real” HERE)

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Christmas Ruined? Teacher Upsets Students by Saying Santa Isn’t Real

By NJ News 12. A Morris County school district is apologizing for a substitute teacher who told first-grade students that Santa Claus isn’t real. . .

At least one parent told News 12 New Jersey that her 6-year-old daughter Addriana was extremely upset by the ordeal.

“I was heartbroken. You know, my daughter is the hugest believer in the whole Christmas spirit – Santa, giving,” says Myra Sansone-Aboyoun.

Sansone-Aboyoun says that she assured her daughter that, yes, there is a Santa Claus.

Montville Schools Superintendent Rene Rovtar said in a statement that she was “troubled and disheartened by this incident.” Rovtar explained that “childhood wonder associated with all holidays and traditions” is special to her. (Read more from “Christmas Ruined? Teacher Upsets Students by Saying Santa Isn’t Real” HERE)

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Want to Defund Planned Parenthood? Shut down the Government — or Lose

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With the news that congressional Republicans are giving up on defunding Planned Parenthood, pro-life conservatives must face reality: Planned Parenthood is not going to be defunded under President Trump’s administration, or any Republican administration, even with full control of the House, the Senate, and the presidency.

Individual conservative lawmakers may continue the fight for protect unborn life, but a principled opposition by itself is not victory. A vote on a bill is not victory. Policy is victory, and to achieve policy leadership in Congress, the pro-life movement must be willing to adopt the means necessary to advance it. As of now, it is not.

As was demonstrated repeatedly this year, Republicans in Congress were not willing to attach language defunding Planned Parenthood to any of the must-pass spending bills advanced in Congress with full Republican control of government. According to Politico, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has been urging his Republican colleagues to make one more attempt at defunding Planned Parenthood and advancing other conservative priorities in the lame-duck session of Congress, but GOP Senate leadership refuses to risk a government shutdown, even now that the election is over. Some pro-life leaders are complicit in this surrender. Politico reports that in a meeting with the White House, when Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins urged President Trump to veto any spending bill that does not keep Republican promises to pro-lifers, a representative of an unnamed organization objected. “A shutdown strategy doesn’t work,” this individual reportedly said, calling for “a longer term vision for incremental progress.”

With Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., set to resume the speakership, the expectation from Republicans is that conservatives will permit them to move on from this fight until some future election.

Planned Parenthood, the nation’s top provider of abortions, literally rips apart babies in the womb and sells their body parts for profit. American taxpayers are subsidizing that evil right now through the U.S. Congress. And pro-life conservatives are expected to tolerate and fund that abominable organization because shutting down 17 percent of the federal government’s operations might be politically risky?

In reality, a government shutdown is the only means of actually defunding Planned Parenthood. The Democrats and two openly pro-abortion Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowksi, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, must be forced to choose between surrendering on this policy or keeping the federal government shut down indefinitely, and they must be forced to go to voters with their choice. Short of having that fight, there is nothing Republicans can do without a majority in the House of Representatives and a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate to enact conservative policy.

An “incremental progress” strategy is not actually achieving anything. President Trump’s administration may succeed in cutting Title X funding for Planned Parenthood via administrative action, but a federal court will issue an injunction blocking the move swiftly, as federal courts have done for many of President Trump’s policies. Then the next Democratic president will overturn that rule. States like Alabama and West Virginia may advance state constitutional amendments to strip Planned Parenthood of funding when Roe v. Wade is overturned, but those state policies are moot until the Supreme Court actually overturns the precedent. There is no indication whatsoever that there are five votes on the court to overturn Roe, even if Chief Justice Roberts agreed to hear a case that could have that outcome. In the meantime, courts are overturning state abortion restrictions, and Republican governors like John Kasich, R-Ohio, are threatening to veto pro-life bills.

“Incremental progress” is an excuse for inaction on policy. Inaction on policy in Congress permits lawmakers to avoid taking risks that might cost them their seats. Inaction on policy lets pro-life groups continue to fundraise on fighting abortion without ever winning the fight.

No Republican administration will successfully defund Planned Parenthood or advance any conservative policy until GOP leadership and the conservative movement are willing to do what it takes, even shut down the government, to force action in Congress. (For more from the author of “Want to Defund Planned Parenthood? Shut down the Government — or Lose” please click HERE)

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School Requires High Schoolers to Perform KKK Christmas Song

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By ABC News. A class assignment went awry after high school students in New Hampshire ended up re-writing “Jingle Bells” to be a racist tune as part of an assignment about the Reconstruction period.

An investigation is now underway after video of the 11th graders singing their Ku Klux Klan-themed version of the song surfaced online.

Dover High School superintendent Bill Harbron confirmed to ABC News that the song included the lines “KKK, KKK, Let’s kill all the blacks” and “White masks on our heads, blood beneath our feet, laughing till they’re dead — ha, ha, ha.” . . .

The incident took place in a U.S. history class last Friday as part of an assignment about the post-Civil War period.

“The teacher was not aware – nor were the students – that it was being videotaped by another student,” Harbron said. He noted that the video was subsequently posted on social media over the weekend. (Read more from “School Requires High Schoolers to Perform KKK Christmas Song” HERE)

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‘Kkk, Kkk, Let’s Kill All the Blacks,’ HS Students Sing Racist Rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’ for Class Project

By Live5News. New Hampshire school officials are investigating after a racist video showing students singing a Ku Klux Klan-themed song in class showed up on social media.

The video began circulating Friday and appears to show two students standing in front of a Dover High School classroom. “KKK, KKK lets kill all the Blacks … burn the cross on their front yard and hope they don’t come back,” the students sang to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”

School officials say the song was created for a U.S. history classroom project.

“From our understanding, the students were only doing the assignment they were asked to do,” district Superintendent William Harbron told the Washington Post. . .

“We are deeply concerned that an event such as this could occur and understand the emotion and concern that this event will create for our students, families and staff,” the letter posted to Facebook read. “Administration from Dover High School and the District are working with students and the school community to respond immediately and effectively to this racial insensitivity. (Read more from “‘Kkk, Kkk, Let’s Kill All the Blacks,’ HS Students Sing Racist Rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’ for Class Project” HERE)

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