Just 6 Percent of People Say They Trust the Media

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jeune-femme-poste-de-travailTrust in the news media is being eroded by perceptions of inaccuracy and bias, fueled in part by Americans’ skepticism about what they read on social media.

Just 6 percent of people say they have a lot of confidence in the media, putting the news industry about equal to Congress and well below the public’s view of other institutions. In this presidential campaign year, Democrats were more likely to trust the news media than Republicans or independents.

But trust today also goes beyond the traditional journalistic principles of accuracy, balance and fairness.

Faced with ever-increasing sources of information, Americans also are more likely to rely on news that is up-to-date, concise and cites expert sources or documents, according to a study by the Media Insight Project, a partnership of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the American Press Institute.

They want to be able to navigate the news app or website easily and quickly, without having to wade through intrusive or annoying ads. (Read more from “Just 6 Percent of People Say They Trust the Media” HERE)

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Hillary Clinton Receives Rude Awakening by Bernie Supporters

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Hillary_Clinton_speaking_at_Families_USA (2)Award-winning Hollywood actor and political activist George Clooney voiced his support for Hillary Clinton and even held a $33,400 per plate fundraiser at his Los Angeles home over the weekend. But the invited guests were not the only ones who showed up for the event. Bernie Sanders counter-protesters were also prepared with their own party crashing plans.

Sanders supporters lined the streets outside Clooney’s home, holding posters. One poster was designed to resemble an Exxon logo and had the words written, “Big Oil 4 Hillary: We Fracking Love You.” Others lifted “Feel the Bern” posters. However, it was what the protesters did when Clinton drove by in her motorcade that drew the most attention. As Clinton’s armored car drove past, protesters showered the car with dollars bills, and blasted the 1930’s song “We’re in the Money.”

One of Clooney’s Sanders supporting neighbors, Howard Gold, even held his own per person fundraiser at a cost of only $27 per person. Rubbing the per person savings in Clooney’s face, the protesters held up signs reading “Feel the Bern: Only $27.”

Gold, who founded the 99 Cents Store chain of retail outlets, dubbed his counter event the “99% Party” in reference to Clinton and Clooney representing the richest 1 percent of Americans, while the working class are the 99 percent. The $27 price was a reference to the average donation Sanders’ supporters donate. (Read more from “Hillary Clinton Receives Rude Awakening by Bernie Supporters” HERE)

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Establishment Senators Push GOP Unity Ahead of Conservative Values

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6161473677_d865e1b30f_b (1)The nickname was reinforced last week by a behind the scenes account of GOP senators who view their “club” as a pretty exclusive place.

Basically, conservative ideas, opinions, and research need not apply.

The main focus of The Hill’s article was about GOP senators criticizing Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, for not showing more “collegiality” towards fellow Republicans, i.e., not being more of a go along, get along, get in line type of lawmaker.

Lee apparently believes the GOP conference rule on term limits, which holds that senators in leadership positions must step aside after three terms, should be followed. But as the account reveals, this is about more than certain senators just wanting to hold on to their leadership positions. It would seem some senators don’t like the fact that Lee and his staff talk to people outside the club to fact check and get input about legislation that has been introduced by other Republicans.

As The Hill reports:

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., accused Lee’s staff on the Republican Steering Committee of coordinating with outside groups to oppose compromise bills put together by Republican senators, according to sources who attended Thursday’s meeting…

Corker argued that it’s counterproductive for an internal Senate policy group funded with dues from GOP senators to stake out positions against bills championed by those member senators.

So, is Corker suggesting that the Republican Steering Committee should simply support whatever legislation any GOP senator, who is a member, introduces? Is he suggesting that senators should not seek research from outside groups about the impacts of this or that legislative proposal?

Frankly, I would expect my members of Congress to do a little homework. I don’t want them rubberstamping a bill simply because one of their colleagues introduced it or a group of them have put together a “compromise” bill.

Maybe Corker doesn’t like the fact that organizations like The Heritage Foundation have buildings full of researchers and policy experts whose full-time job it is to comb through legislative proposals, analyzing the pros and cons, what they will cost taxpayers, and how people will be affected by them. And that’s exactly what Heritage scholars did with a current proposal put forward by Corker dealing with the issue of human trafficking.

Corker should be applauded for taking on this issue. He should not take offense that Heritage’s analysis of the bill, which we made public as we do with all our research, found that the legislation needed to be strengthened to achieve its objectives and to ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars and “funds from any organization or program established by the U.S. government” are not spent in ways that conflict with U.S. policy.

Unfortunately, Corker isn’t alone in his view that organizations like Heritage and others, who represent millions of Americans, shouldn’t be meddling in their business. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is quoted in the article saying that “Generally speaking, any effort that would encourage outside groups to weigh in on internal discussions is not healthy.”

When “internal discussions” are about the positive or negative impact a particular bill might have, it would seem our public servants shouldn’t be so afraid of input from, well, the public.

Perhaps Corker and Murkowski wish others weren’t paying such close attention so their legislative proposals could sail through. It would be much easier for them if things operated that way. But it would not be good for the American people—who may not “pay dues” to the Senate conference but who do pay the salaries of every member of Congress. (For more from the author of “Establishment Senators Push GOP Unity Ahead of Conservative Values” please click HERE)

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‘It’s a Rotten System’ Ron Paul Says US Elections Are Rigged, Voting Simply Used to Pacify the Public

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Ronpaul1Dr. Ron Paul says the American electoral system is rigged to keep “independent thinkers” from succeeding.

“I see elections as so much of a charade,” the former Texas congressman said during an April 11 appearance on RT America’s “The Fishtank.” “So much deceit goes on.”

Paul is no stranger to the twisted rules of the American presidential horse race. He ran for the highest office as a Libertarian in 1988, and in 2008 and 2012 as a Republican.

He arguably came closest to the nomination in 2012, when the GOP amended its party regulations to prevent the former Texas representative from stealing Mitt Romney’s thunder.

Rule 40(b) of “The Rules of the Republican Party” was changed so the Republican National Committee could “limit the visibility and power of libertarian-minded Texas Rep. Ron Paul at the convention and thus present a unified front behind Mitt Romney, the presumptive nominee,” according to David Byler, an elections analyst at RealClearPolitics. The rule requires that, in order to win the nomination, a candidate must have the support of a majority of delegates from eight states. (Read more from “‘It’s a Rotten System’ Ron Paul Says US Elections Are Rigged, Voting Simply Used to Pacify the Public” HERE)

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Jab at Trump? McConnell ‘Optimistic’ About Contested Convention

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5435150785_cd4c33b4fa_bSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an implicit jab at Republican primary front-runner Donald Trump, said he is “increasingly optimistic” that voting at the Republican National Convention in July will go to a second ballot.

The comments, made over the weekend to WHAS-TV in Louisville, represent a break of sorts for the Kentucky Republican who has sought in public to remain neutral on the race. While McConnell did not openly criticize any candidate, the senator seemed to be rooting for a contested convention – something Trump is battling to avoid, as he tries to lock up the nomination outright before July.

“I’m increasingly optimistic that there actually may be a second ballot,” McConnell told WHAS-TV.

“I want somebody who can win in November and the whole process is about trying to beat Hillary Clinton in November,” he said. “And I think our delegates, if they end up actually having the latitude to make a decision, which would occur on the second and third ballot, are going to be interested in who can win.”

A candidate would have to amass the support of 1,237 delegates in order to clinch the nomination. While it’s still possible for Trump to reach that number ahead of the GOP convention in Cleveland, it’ll be tough. If Trump cannot reach that threshold, voting would proceed to a second ballot at the convention, with a majority of delegates free to vote for whomever they choose. (Read more from “Jab at Trump? McConnell ‘Optimistic’ About Contested Convention” HERE)

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Clinton Insider Just Made Stunning Admission About Hillary’s Emails–’Wouldn’t Be Surprised If…’

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maxresdefault (92)Lanny Davis, former President Bill Clinton’s White House Counsel from 1996-1998, is a close friend and adviser to both the former president and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In an interview on DC’s WMAL AM 630 with Larry O’Conner and Brian Wilson, Davis revealed new information about the state of Clinton’s email debacle.

Host Wilson said a hacker known as Guccifer, who hacked Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal’s personal emails which were published in Russian news outlets immediately following Benghazi, had been extradited to the United States. Allegedly, the FBI is consulting with Guccifer while conducting its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information.

“Do you think you still want to stand by and the Clintons want to stand by the statement that her server (private home-based server) was never hacked, never infiltrated?” Wilson asked Davis.

Davis replied, “Well, I think the answer is there’s no evidence that the server so far hasn’t been hacked but wouldn’t be surprised that if she had been hacked.” Citing instances where State Department servers had previously been hacked by the Chinese and the Russians, David said the hacking of Clinton’s server it isn’t outside the realm of “possibility.”

Davis defended Clinton saying “ninety percent” of her emails were sent to state.gov email addresses and, since the State Department’s server has already been hacked, her emails were likely hacked, as well. “I wouldn’t be surprised [if Clinton’s private email server had been hacked] because the federal government itself has been hacked,” Davis concluded. (Read more from “Clinton Insider Just Made Stunning Admission About Hillary’s Emails–’Wouldn’t Be Surprised If…'” HERE)

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Ted Cruz Wins Wyoming Republican Presidential Nominating Contest

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8004836220_c1f6e2b257_bBy Ginger Gibson. Republican U.S. presidential hopeful Ted Cruz won all 14 delegates at stake on Saturday in Wyoming, besting rival Donald Trump, who made little effort to win the rural state, and further narrowing the gap in the race for the party’s nomination.

Cruz is trying to prevent Trump from obtaining the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination at the July convention in Cleveland. By continuing to rack up small wins, Cruz is gaining ground on the New York real estate mogul, who has thus far failed to shift his focus on the local-level campaigning necessary to win delegates.

Trump has been critical of the process, again on Saturday calling it “rigged” while speaking at a rally in Syracuse, New York. He has repeatedly complained about Colorado, which awarded all 34 of its delegates to Cruz despite not holding a popular vote.

Trump said his supporters are becoming increasingly angry with states such as Wyoming and Colorado . . .

While Trump has won 21 state nominating contests to Cruz’s 10, the billionaire leads the Texas senator by only 196 delegates (755-559). That means he must win nearly 60 percent of those remaining before the party’s political convention in July. (Read more from “Ted Cruz Wins Wyoming Republican Presidential Nominating Contest” HERE)

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Trump Campaign: Cruz Staged ‘Attack’ in Georgia to Steal Delegates…’Not Grassroots Activism’

By Patrick Howley. The Donald Trump campaign is accusing the Sen. Ted Cruz campaign of staging a coordinated “attack” in Georgia that led to pro-Trump delegate candidates being challenged and deposed in every corner of the state, which Trump had won resoundingly in the primary.

“Private backroom nominations committees producing ‘recommended’ slates, county delegations voting in blocs, floor motions made targeting our supporters,” Trump national delegate director Brian Jack claimed, in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News. “This is the machine politics we read about in school, not the grassroots activism our campaign encourages.”

Trump supporters walked out of the district convention in Buford Saturday after a Cruz-Sen. Marco Rubio alliance bumped all of the potential Trump delegates off that district’s slate. But the chaos in Buford happened everywhere at Saturday’s district conventions, with Cruz supporters isolating and targeting pro-Trump delegate candidates in order to reverse Georgia’s votes on a potential second ballot at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July.

“Within an hour I knew this had happened all over the state of Georgia,” Thomas Deen, senior data analyst for the Trump campaign in Georgia, told Breitbart News. “I am aware of instances in all fourteen of our congressional districts. (Read more from “Trump Campaign: Cruz Staged ‘Attack’ in Georgia to Steal Delegates…’Not Grassroots Activism'” HERE)

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Commander-In-Chief Hillary? Not So Fast!

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2232632457_e3e1328a1d_oPerhaps Hillary Clinton will get the Democratic presidential nomination . . .

But will she be able to survive the storm brewing from a series of investigative articles, books, movies and surprise witnesses about to unload on her character, her past, her secrets and her blunders? . . .

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store:

A series of investigative reports to be published in WND coinciding with Judicial Watch’s upcoming questioning of Hillary Clinton and her top aides, including Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills. That’s right. It looks like there is no stopping Judicial Watch from deposing Clinton and her two top aides . . .

The FBI’s massive criminal investigation is expected to continue through June with the strong possibility of a recommendation to the Justice Department for indictments.

Even if the Justice Department does what is expected, given the inappropriate public lobbying on behalf of Hillary’s supposed innocence by Obama and Joe Biden, how will FBI Director James Comey react? Will he take refusal to prosecute a national security case sitting down? Not likely, say insiders. How would a very public resignation by the FBI director over this matter look in the heat of a presidential campaign?

(Read more from “Commander-In-Chief Hillary? Not So Fast!” HERE)

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‘Danger Is Rapidly Building,’ Wealthy Flee Cities

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packs-163497_960_720It certainly looks like the elite know something the rest of us don’t, as many are fleeing cities and even entire countries.

Some are preparing emergency bunkers and panic rooms – all at a time when Republican front-runner Donald Trump and some economists are predicting an imminent recession.

Thousands of millionaires have fled the troubled city of Chicago, reportedly motivated by “rising racial tensions” and “crime.”

But more than twice as many wealthy people fled the city of Paris, France, which was recently hit by terrorism and suffers from similar racial tensions.

While the wealthy fleeing Chicago mostly moved within the United States, many of those rich people escaping Paris are leaving France altogether. About 10,000 millionaires fled the country, with the exodus blamed on rising religious tensions between Muslims and the native French in urban areas. (Read more from “‘Danger Is Rapidly Building,’ Wealthy Flee Cities” HERE)

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Obama Amnesty Supreme Court Case to Test Limits of Presidential Power

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hqdefaultThe Constitution was ratified more than two centuries ago, and in all that time no president had ever tested the limits of executive power enough to force the Supreme Court to rule whether he has lived up to the founders’ command that the laws be “faithfully executed” . . .

When the justices convene Monday morning, they will hear what is shaping up to be the biggest case of the term, and perhaps one of the most consequential in a generation, as they consider whether President Obama has overstepped his constitutional powers by trying to grant a tentative deportation amnesty to up to 5 million illegal immigrants.

“In 225 years, the Supreme Court has never had occasion to ask the president whether he has reneged on his oath to take care that the laws are faithfully executed. However, with pens and phones replacing checks and balances, the Supreme Court is now poised to break new constitutional ground in order to preserve our embattled separation of powers,” said Josh Blackman, associate professor at the South Texas College of Law, who has followed the case from the start and filed amicus briefs opposing Mr. Obama’s claim of powers.

At issue is the Take Care Clause, which is what scholars call the Constitution’s charge to presidents to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”

That clause has been read to be both empowering to presidents, emboldening them with independent authority to see through the execution of laws, but also as a check — that, in the end, he carry out laws rather than write them. (Read more from “Obama Amnesty Supreme Court Case to Test Limits of Presidential Power” HERE)

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