It Begins: Feds Demand Facebook Hand Over Info on Political Activists

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Through a trio of search warrants, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is demanding Facebook hand over the personal information of potentially 6,000 of its users, it was revealed Thursday.

According to CNN, which obtained court documents pertaining to the case, the DoJ warrants target the accounts of three “anti-administration activists who have spoken out at organized events, and who are generally very critical of this administration’s policies.”

That description comes from the three users’ attorneys, CNN reports. It all stems from arrests made in Washington, D.C. on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration back in January, following what the government claims were riots.

The warrants were served to Facebook in February, but a gag order prevented the social media giant from alerting the three users to the government’s intentions until the order was lifted in mid-September.

Once alerted, the users contacted the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which now represents them.

“What is particularly chilling about these warrants is that anti-administration political activists are going to have their political associations and views scrutinized by the very administration they are protesting,” the ACLU’s Scott Michelman told CNN.

One of the warrants is for Emmelia Talarico, who ran the disruptj20 page where much of the anti-Trump protesting was organized. The other two are for Facebook users Lacy MacAuley and Legba Carrefour.

If Facebook complies with the DoJ’s request, it will mean the federal government will have access to the personal data — including private messages — of the nearly 6,000 users who simply “liked” the disruptj20 page.

In the ACLU’s motion to quash the warrants, filed with the D.C. Superior Court on Thursday, Michelman notes the type of data the government is seeking to obtain. From one of the warrants:

All profile information; News Feed information; status updates; links to videos, photographs, or other web content; Notes; Wall postings; Comments; Friend lists, including the friends’ Facebook user ID numbers; goups and networks joined by the Account, including the Facebook group ID numbers; event postings; and pending and rejected ‘Friend’ requests.

He sums it all up as such:

In short, the warrants sought a complete record of anything the three users communicated or received from a third party via Facebook, everyone with whom the users associated via Facebook, and everything the users searched for on Facebook, during the specified time period.

That time period is from November of 2016, just before the presidential election, and February 9 of this year, when the warrants were served to Facebook.

In addition to what the ACLU sees as a clear violation of their clients’ First Amendment protections, Michelman warns in the motion of the precedent that would be set:

Additionally, the enforcement of the warrants would chill future online communications of political activists and anyone who communicates with them, as they will learn from these searches that no Facebook privacy setting can protect them from government snooping on political and personal materials far removed from any proper law enforcement interest.

The ACLU also argues that there are no safeguards in the warrants to protect the privacy of those who ultimately had nothing to do with those “riots” back in January. They assert that the DoJ’s action violates Fourth Amendment protections against illegal search and seizure.

Facebook has yet to say whether it will comply with the government’s order, and the DoJ, as CNN writes, “is not commenting on these search warrants. (For more from the author of “It Begins: Feds Demand Facebook Hand Over Info on Anti-Trump Users” please click HERE)

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Muslim West Point Professor Mentored ‘Communism Will Win’ Cadet; See Outrageous Pics

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By Kristina Wong. The West Point mentor of a soldier now under investigation by the Army for engaging in political activity while in uniform is on administrative leave, Breitbart News has learned.

The adviser is Rasheed Hosein, a professor of Middle East history, who was in charge of Second Lieutenant Spenser Rapone’s development at West Point.

A West Point spokesman confirmed he is on administrative leave but said it is unrelated to Rapone.

“We are unable to provide information regarding administrative actions but can confirm that the details are unrelated to 2nd Lieutenant Rapone,” the spokesman said. (Read more from “Muslim West Point Professor Mentored ‘Communism Will Win’ Soldier” HERE)

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West Pointer is an Apparent Commie

By Fox News. A U.S. Military Academy graduate who posed with a sign reading “Communism will win” and posted pro-Colin Kaepernick messages on social media is now being ripped by the former Democratic congressman who helped him get into the prestigious school.

Ex-Rep. Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania, who served from 2007 to 2013, told The Daily Caller that Second Lt. Spenser Rapone – who is now the focus of an Army investigation – has let him down.

“Several years ago, I met Spenser Rapone when he was a high school student seeking an appointment to West Point,” Altmire said. “At the time, he was an outstanding, well-rounded student who came from a good family. I have not been in touch with him in the years since the appointment, and I was shocked and extremely disappointed in the recent reports of his indefensible actions”. . .

“While I strongly support the rights of American citizens to express their opinions, the actions of 2nd Lieutenant Rapone are abhorrent and appear to be in clear violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, in addition to being inconsistent with the values of the United States Military Academy. I have no doubt that the U.S. Army will take appropriate action,” Altmire told The Daily Caller.

The Army said in a statement Tuesday that “Rapone’s chain of command is aware of his actions and is looking into the matter.” The photos began circulating online over the weekend. (Read more about the officer who was mentored by Muslim West Point professor HERE)

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NFL Just Got Catastrophic News About Ticket Sales

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At an Alabama rally Friday night, President Donald J. Trump argued that NFL owners should release any team member who “disrespects our flag.”

Apparently, America agrees.

Since the president called on team owners to take action — and those same owners, along with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, essentially thumbed their collective nose at him — ticket sales have plummeted.

Online ticket re-seller TickPick told Paul Bedard at the Washington Examiner that NFL sales for Week Three games have dropped nearly 18 percent since prior to Trump’s statement.

According to the Examiner, TickPick cited two numbers damning to the NFL’s response to Trump and the recent national anthem controversy:

17.9 percent decrease in NFL orders this week compared to the previous week.
Last year the drop was 10.8 percent in orders on Monday & Tuesday following Week Three games.

Bedard referred to the sharp decline as the “Trump Effect.”

Trump said at the Alabama rally that he would “love to see” players fired who participated in protests, such as kneeling, during the pre-game playing of the national anthem, according to NPR.

“‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired,” Trump said he’d like to hear NFL owners say. “‘He’s fired.’”

After those statements, many, many more NFL players — some joined by coaches and other staff members — publicly took a knee during the national anthem, bringing even more attention to the controversy and apparently angering many fans.

Nonetheless, Goodell didn’t appear ready to back down.

“The way we reacted today, and this weekend, made me proud,” Goodell said Sunday of the NFL’s response to Trump’s statement, which he called “divisive,” according to Sport Illustrated. “I’m proud of our league.”

“We have seen a massive decrease in NFL ticket purchases this past week in comparison to years past,” TickPick’s Jack Slingland told the Examiner. “Week 3 seems to usually have less ticket orders than week 2, but this year ticket purchases are down more than 7 percent from this time last year.”

“While we can’t specify if this decrease is due to the president’s comments, player and owner protests, play on the field, or simply the continued division of consumer’s media attention, the conversation around the NFL this week has focused on the president’s comments as well as the players’ and owners’ reaction,” Slingland said.

“As viewers continue to abandon their NFL Sunday habits, both the number of ticket sales and the purchase price of tickets will drop,” he predicted.

Others agreed:

(For more from the author of “NFL Just Got Catastrophic News About Ticket Sales” please click HERE)

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Trump Admin Has Bad News for Companies That Refuse to ‘Hire American’

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After months of the Department of Justice warning U.S. companies not to put American workers at a disadvantage, the DOJ has finally decided to back up that warning with action.

The DOJ announced it has filed a suit against Crop Production — a Colorado-based company — on grounds of discriminating against U.S. workers in order to hire temporary foreign visa holders.

According to the DOJ site, the company “discriminated against at least three United States citizens by refusing to employ them as seasonal technicians in El Campo, Texas.”

The complaint further alleges that the “U.S. workers were subject to a more ‘onerous hiring process’ than the H-2A workers, such as drug tests, background tests and English proficiency.”

This act goes directly against President Donald Trump’s executive order to buy American and hire American.

According to the New York Post, the company is being “hit with an alleged violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which makes it unlawful for employers to intentionally discriminate against Americans because of … citizenship.”

Under the INA, it’s unlawful for employers to intentionally discriminate against U.S. workers in favor of temporary foreign workers. In fact, the H-2A visa program requires employers to recruit and hire qualified U.S. workers before that of foreign workers.

The DOJ suit, if successful will have the company giving those workers back pay and civil penalties, plus the implementation of other measures to overcome this type of discrimination.

“The Department of Justice will not tolerate employers who discriminate against U.S. workers because of a desire to hire temporary foreign visa holders,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said.

“Where there is a job available, U.S. workers should have a chance at it before we bring in workers from abroad.”

The suit is the first complaint filed since the “Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative” was launched on March 1.

According to Fox News, since the initiative’s launch, the division has opened 29 investigations of “potential discrimination against U.S. workers based on a hiring preference for foreign visa workers.” (For more from the author of “Trump Admin Has Bad News for Companies That Refuse to ‘Hire American'” please click HERE)

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Rescuing Boy From Burning Truck Leads to Charges?

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When a woman spotted a little boy in a burning pickup truck at Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, she acted quickly to help save him from flames shooting out of the vehicle.

Her actions ultimately helped save the boy’s life on Sunday, but Good Samaritan Tequila Isaacson may now face burglary charges for shattering a store window to access a fire extinguisher in the desperate frenzy to save the child.

“I’m in absolute shock,” Isaacson, 34, told KOMO News.

The blazing truck was parked near a Washington State Department of Transportation restroom. Next door, Isaacson spotted a Red Mountain Coffee shop, which had a fire extinguisher inside.

“We turned around and the whole vehicle was on fire,” she told the news station. “There were flames shooting between the cab and the bed of the truck – taller than the truck.” (Read more from “Rescuing Boy From Burning Truck Leads to Charges?” HERE)

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Conservatives Encouraged by Republican Framework for Tax Reform

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Any tax reforms passed by Congress should give relief to middle-class families and small businesses, bring jobs and capital back to the United States, and make the tax code more fair by ending loopholes and breaks for special interests, congressional Republicans said Wednesday in what they call a framework for debate.

The framework from House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and other GOP leaders calls for creating a larger zero-tax bracket (an individual’s first $12,000 of income would become tax free, and the first $24,000 for married couples), roughly doubling taxpayers’ standard deduction, and condensing the current seven tax brackets to three.

“This is a historic day,” Ryan said at an afternoon press conference. “This is a day that is a long time in coming. In fact, it was on this day, under this dome, in 1986 that Congress took the final vote on the last overhaul of our tax code. That long. After that vote, President Reagan said Americans would ‘finally have a tax code that they can be proud of.’”

“It was true then, but things look very very different today, don’t they?” Ryan added. “Instead of a source of pride, our tax code has become a constant source of frustration. It is too big. It is too complicated, it’s too expensive. Today, we are taking the next step to liberate Americans from our broken tax code.”

“Tax reform that follows the outline we heard today will deliver significant benefits for all Americans,” Adam Michel, a tax policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation, said in an email to The Daily Signal, adding:

The outlined tax reform will raise wages, increase job creation, and create untold additional opportunities. The plan goes a long way toward fixing our business tax system that makes it hard for businesses to invest in America.

Depending on their income, individual taxpayers currently may be taxed at one of these percentages: 10, 15, 25, 28, 33, 35, or 39.6.

The three brackets in Republicans’ proposed tax framework are 12 percent, 25 percent, and 35 percent.

The framework would end personal exemptions for dependents and increase the child tax credit.

President Donald Trump has made overhauling the tax code a major agenda item during his first year in office, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has promised to deliver it by the end of 2017, now three months away.

Republican lawmakers’ plan would repeal the alternative minimum tax, created in 1969 to ensure that more affluent taxpayers could lower their tax bill only via deductions a certain amount. Many lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, previously have called for an end to the alternative minimum tax.

The framework for tax reform would eliminate most itemized deductions, taken from a taxable adjusted gross income and “made up of deductions for money spent on certain goods and services throughout the year,” as Investopedia explains it.

The plan also calls for repeal of the estate tax—which opponents call the death tax—and the generation-skipping transfer tax, what the Tax Policy Center calls an “additional tax on a transfer of property.”

The plan includes tax benefits to incentivize work, higher education, and retirement security and promises to repeal many provisions “to make the system simpler and fairer for all families and individuals, and allow for lower tax rates.”

The framework also would:

Limit the minimum tax rate for small businesses and sole proprietorships to 25 percent.

Lower the corporate tax rate to 20 percent, “below the 22.5 percent average of the industrialized world.”

Allow expensing of “new investments in depreciable assets other than structures made after Sept. 27, 2017, for at least five years.”

Lower rates for domestic manufacturers and update rules for various industries and sectors “to ensure that the tax code better reflects economic reality and that such rules provide little opportunity for tax avoidance.”

The Republican plan also seeks to keep companies from moving overseas by taxing both businesses and foreign profits of U.S. corporations at a reduced rate.

Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest GOP caucus in the House, praised the newly released details.

“At first glance, the policies released today are good news to the American people,” Walker said in a formal statement. “I am proud to see that a large part of the Republican Study Committee’s submission to the tax reform task force was incorporated into today’s framework. We need to begin acting on this framework legislatively as soon as possible.”

Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., chairwoman of the House Budget Committee, said the goals would put America at an advantage:

By simplifying the system and getting the government out of the way of our free-market economy, America is made more competitive on an international scale and the potential for unprecedented job creation is unleashed. We believe this will be a catalyst for more jobs, bigger paychecks and fairer taxes—this framework is pro-America. Plain and simple.

Alfredo Ortiz, president and CEO of the Job Creators Network, said the plan shows promise.

“I’m encouraged to see that the administration is moving forward with tax cuts for small business,” Ortiz said in a statement provided to The Daily Signal, adding:

While many details still need to be filled in, this is a crucial and positive step in the right direction. Make no mistake: the recent progress in the campaign for tax relief should bring optimism to the 29 million small business owners and the roughly 56 million people that depend on them for their livelihoods.

In a statement provided to The Daily Signal, David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth, said the plan will foster economic development.

“Club for Growth is very encouraged and pleased with the long-awaited tax reform outline that the Big Six released today,” McIntosh said. “Fundamental tax reform comes around only once in a generation, and this is our chance. The outline is both aggressive and very pro-growth with its rate reductions.”

Mike Needham, chief executive officer of Heritage Action for America, the lobbying affiliate of The Heritage Foundation, said the plan is a call to action.

“While today’s announcement marks an important and encouraging first step, it is imperative the administration and congressional leaders work hand-in-hand with conservatives to push back against the radical left and the special interests that will pull out every stop to preserve the status quo,” Needham said. (For more from the author of “Conservatives Encouraged by Republican Framework for Tax Reform” please click HERE)

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NSA Leaker Told FBI That She Was Triggered by Fox News Being on at Her Workplace

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The National Security Agency contractor who leaked a top secret report about Russian activities during the election told FBI agents that she was upset with her employer because Fox News was played on TVs at her office.

“I’ve filed formal complaints about them having Fox News on, you know?” Reality Winner, the contractor, told FBI agents during a June 3 interview at her home in Augusta, Ga. “Uh, just at least, for God’s sake, put Al Jazeera on, or a slideshow with people’s pets. I’ve tried everything to get that changed.”

Federal prosecutors disclosed the interview transcript in a court filing on Wednesday. Politico first reported details of the document.

Federal prosecutors have charged Winner with mishandling classified information for leaking a top secret report that laid out evidence that Russian hackers had targeted U.S. voter registration databases. Winner, who faces at least nine years in prison if convicted, printed the document from her NSA office at Fort Gordon and then sent it to reporters at The Intercept. (Read more from “NSA Leaker Told FBI That She Was Triggered by Fox News Being on at Her Workplace” HERE)

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Megyn Kelly’s Today Show Plagued by Awkward Moments and Offensive Remarks

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[Editor’s note: We aren’t fans of Megyn Kelly, but it seems most of the hits on Kelly’s new show – like the video below – are coming from the left. If you’ve watched her since leaving Fox, please comment below on whether her show is worth watching]

It’s only day three of Megyn Kelly’s new daytime show on NBC, and the program is already being dragged down by a series of offensive remarks, cringeworthy interactions, and awkward moments.

“Megyn Kelly TODAY” has created a number of bad headlines since its Monday premiere.

In response to a promo video where Kelly claims to be a “unifying force,” John Oliver’s HBO program, “Last Week Tonight” ran a supercut of Kelly’s most “controversial” remarks:

On her first day, Kelly created a mini-controversy by hosting the cast of “Will & Grace” and making a bizarre comment about a gay fan of the show.

Russell Turner, a “super fan” of the show, was invited onstage by Kelly. When he got on onstage, Kelly made viewers cringe by asking, “Is it true that you became a lawyer–and you became gay–because of Will?” (Read more from “Megyn Kelly’s Today Show Plagued by Awkward Moments and Offensive Remarks” HERE)

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Ben Carson’s Perspective on NFL Anthem Controversy Is What We ALL Need to Read

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Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former presidential candidate Ben Carson’s Sunday Facebook post addressing the raging controversy surrounding NFL players kneeling during the national anthem lit up social media.

In a speech Friday during a rally in Alabama, President Donald Trump drew fresh attention to the controversy by deriding NFL players who he said disrespect the American flag by kneeling during the national anthem.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say ‘Get that son of a b—- off the field right now. Out. He’s fired! He’s fired’” Trump said.

Following Trump’s remarks, teams, players and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell responded with statements defending players’ right to kneel.

Goodell contended that Trump’s comments were “divisive” and demonstrated an “unfortunate lack of respect” for the NFL and its players.

But Carson added another perspective in his Facebook post on Sunday, lamenting that NFL Sundays used to “represent a time of fun, games and unity” that has now been compromised by protests during the national anthem.

“Here we are at another NFL Sunday,” Carson wrote. “That used to represent a time of fun, games and unity. I hope we can return to that situation soon.”

Carson noted that one of the reasons he believes the national anthem is played prior to sports contests is to “remind us that even though we’re rooting for different sports teams, we are united as a country.”

“That is a wonderful message that we should not allow to be distorted by anyone,” Carson wrote.

Carson said everyone has the right to express themselves, but argued that there is a proper “time and place for everything.”

“Last week I saw a story about pre-adolescent players being drawn into the ‘take a knee’ protests,” Carson wrote. “Does anyone honestly believe that encouraging even our youth to believe they are victims of our society will actually help us come together?”

Carson said he believes that many athletes “actually think they are making things better” by protesting.

“We would encourage them and all Americans to utilize their influence to truly draw people together and not be manipulated into doing the opposite under the guise of unity,” he added.

Carson’s post has gone viral, receiving more than 126,000 likes, nearly 49,000 shares and over 7,000 comments since Sunday morning.

Many commenters expressed their agreement with Carson’s sentiments.

“Ben you are a voice of reason in unreasonable times. Don’t know how we got to this place, I am truly ashamed,” one user wrote.

“Well said Dr. Carson. If only people would listen to common sense like yours this country could become great again. It is truly sad to see young children drawn into this foolishness,” another said.

Some said the anthem protests have caused them to stop following the NFL.

One commenter wrote, “Boycotting means not watching, not attending, not buying merchandise and sticking to our guns. I believe if enough people do this and they will see it in their pocketbooks! They’ll get the picture, but we can’t cave!”

“We use to love football Sunday but it has become a ‘political football’ and when enough people quit watching and these ridiculous salaries disappear, it will be a rude awakening to what most people deal with everyday,” another added. (For more from the author of “Ben Carson’s Perspective on NFL Anthem Controversy Goes Viral” HERE)

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Controversy Follows on Her Heels as Melania Takes to the Garden

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The sirens of the fashion police were blaring Friday after Melania Trump ventured forth into the White House garden.

“Melania Trump has made another public appearance in a pricey outfit,” wrote Kate Taylor on Business Insider, contrasting Melania Trump’s outfit, which included a plaid shirt that looked ordinary but had started life with a $1,380 price tag, with the gardening fashions of Michelle Obama.

“Obama used the garden as a place to showcase her down-to-earth fashion,” Taylor wrote, noting that Obama was praised for wearing J. Crew sweaters to show her common touch.

Some commenters didn’t even care about the facts as they attacked Melania Trump.

As multiple pictures showed, she wore sneakers.

Independent Journal Review decided the fuss belonged on the compost heap and looked into a true comparison of first lady outfits. He noted that Obama wore Jimmy Choo boots that retail for $1,150, while Melania Trump wore $50 Converse sneakers.

“So depending on how you look at it, Michelle Obama is the really out-of-touch first lady gardening. Her shoes were potentially $1,100 more expensive then Melania’s,” he wrote.

You can catch Obama’s pricey boots here, just after the 4:10 mark:

He then suggested that trying to diminish the first lady by attacking her clothes was a waste of time.

“Perhaps the lesson we should all learn here is that a first lady is a human being with a lot of pressure on her and we should stop trying to attack them based on their fashion choices,” he wrote, adding, “All first ladies wear expensive things, idiots.”

During her time in the garden with members of a local Boys & Girls Club to harvest a variety of vegetables, Melania Trump stressed the need for healthy eating.

“I’m a big believer in healthy eating because it reflects on your mind and your body, and I encourage you to continue to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits so you grow up healthy and take care of yourself. It’s very important,” said the former model. (For more from the author of “Controversy Follows on Her Heels as Melania Takes to the Garden” please click HERE)

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