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‘Antifa’ Preps Mass Uprising to Remove ‘Fascist’ Trump

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On Nov. 4, the group Refuse Fascism is calling for gatherings around America to demand “the Trump/Pence regime must go.”

The group claims the Trump administration is “fascist” and must be resisted, channeling the rhetoric of the antifa, or “anti-fascists,” which have been active across the country.

Yet the group has a larger agenda than simply resisting “fascism.”

Refuse Fascism is a front group for the Revolutionary Communist Party, a fiercely anti-American leftist group noted for its overt call to abolish the United States. WND reported in July the group protested the United States and burned American flags outside the Republican National Convention.

The party has even drafted a “Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America” as a template for the post-American order. (Read more from “‘Antifa’ Preps Mass Uprising to Remove ‘Fascist’ Trump” HERE)

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Why Trump’s Appeals Court Nominees Are Backed up in the Senate

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President Donald Trump’s nominations for judgeships on federal courts have been excellent so far, and his just-announced nominees to fill four appeals court vacancies in Texas and Louisiana are no exception.

The four are among a slate of new judicial nominations rolled out Thursday by the president as he makes steady progress toward filling more than 160 current and future vacancies on the federal courts.

While Trump announces more and more outstanding nominees, they are, unfortunately, piling up in the Senate. The chamber has confirmed only seven judges (including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch) this year.

Part of the problem is the Senate Judiciary Committee’s policy, known as “blue slips,” which asks the two senators from a nominee’s home state for their opinion before the committee holds a hearing or further evaluates the nominee.

Senators select “I approve” or “I object” on a blue slip of paper. The president has the power to appoint judges—with the advice and consent of the Senate—but under this 100-year-old tradition, a single senator may be able to bring a confirmation to a crashing halt.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, should not let this obstruction continue. Instead, he should ditch the blue-slip practice for appellate nominees.

Before specifying earlier judicial nominees who are yet to be confirmed, often because of blue slips, let’s look at Trump’s four new nominees to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals:

1. Kyle Duncan is a seasoned attorney in private practice in Washington, D.C. He served as Louisiana’s first solicitor general and general counsel for Becket Law when the firm represented Hobby Lobby in its challenge to Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate. Duncan has argued cases in more than 30 federal and state appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Duncan, who also was a professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law, is the president’s pick for a Louisiana seat on the 5th Circuit. Louisiana’s two senators are Republicans Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy.

2. Kurt Engelhardt, chief judge of the Eastern District of Louisiana, has served as a district court judge since his nomination by President George W. Bush in 2001. Prior to that, he was in private practice. Engelhardt made headlines for taking the Obama Justice Department to task for leaking grand jury information while prosecuting police officers who shot six unarmed individuals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Trump nominated him to fill another Louisiana seat.

3. Don Willett is a justice on the Texas Supreme Court who is known as the “Tweeter Laureate of Texas” for his entertaining social media presence. Despite this playful side, Willett is a thoughtful jurist with more than a decade of experience on the bench. Willett was included on Trump’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees—and he earned a spot on The Heritage Foundation’s list as well. He is the president’s choice for a vacancy in Texas, which has two Republican senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.

4. James Ho, a partner at the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn, previously served as solicitor general of Texas. In that post, he received two Best Brief Awards from the National Association of Attorneys General. Ho also served in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel during the George W. Bush administration, and clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas. He is slated to fill another Texas seat.

While we don’t expect these four nominees to the Texas and Louisiana seats on the 5th Circuit to face blue-slip problems, the same cannot be said of all the other nominees announced earlier this year.

Here’s a look at 10 nominees for federal judgeships who are waiting for a Senate hearing or vote:

1. Stephanos Bibas, a professor of law and criminology at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, was nominated to the 3rd Circuit in June. Bibas is one of our nation’s leading criminal law experts, and runs a clinic at U Penn for students to participate in Supreme Court cases. Pennsylvania has one Democrat senator, Bob Casey Jr., and one Republican, Pat Toomey. Bibas’ hearing before the Judiciary Committee is scheduled for Oct. 4, so he has cleared potential blue-slip hurdles.

2. Joan Larsen is a Michigan Supreme Court justice nominated to the 6th Circuit. After some delay, likely influenced by the fact that she is on Trump’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees, Michigan’s two Democrat senators, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, returned their blue slips. Larsen, a former clerk to the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, appeared before the Judiciary Committee for a Sept. 6 confirmation hearing and awaits a committee vote.

3. Michael Brennan, an attorney in private practice in Milwaukee, was nominated in August for the 7th Circuit. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, announced that she is “extremely troubled” by Trump’s “partisan approach” in not deferring to Wisconsin’s judicial selection committee. Ron Johnson, a Republican, is Wisconsin’s other senator.

4. Amy Coney Barrett, a law professor at Notre Dame, also was named to the 7th Circuit. While Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., dragged his feet over the summer, he eventually joined Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., in returning the blue slip. You may recall that at Barrett’s confirmation hearing in September, Democrats asked inappropriate questions about her Catholic faith. She awaits a committee vote.

5. David Stras, a Minnesota Supreme Court justice, was nominated in May to the 8th Circuit. Sen. Amy Klobuchar issued a statement calling for a hearing for Stras (though she wouldn’t have picked him), but her fellow Minnesota Democrat, Sen. Al Franken, announced he would not return his blue slip. Franken said Stras “would be a deeply conservative jurist in the mold of Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia.” Stras is also on Trump’s short list for the Supreme Court.

6. Steve Grasz, a lawyer in private practice in Omaha, Nebraska, previously served in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, where his cases included defending the state’s partial-birth abortion ban before the Supreme Court. Grasz was nominated to the 8th Circuit in August. The state’s senators, Ben Sasse and Deb Fischer, are both Republicans.

7. Ryan Bounds, a federal prosecutor in Oregon, is a nominee for the 9th Circuit. He worked in George W. Bush’s Office of Legal Counsel and clerked for a conservative powerhouse, Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, had another individual in mind for the vacancy, so they informed the White House they intended to block Bounds’ confirmation.

8. Allison Eid is a Colorado Supreme Court justice and nominee to the 10th Circuit seat vacated by Gorsuch. Also on Trump’s Supreme Court list, she previously served as Colorado’s solicitor general and is a former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas. Her confirmation hearing was in September, and she awaits a committee vote.

9. Lisa Branch, a Georgia state court judge, was nominated to the 11th Circuit in September. She is another Bush administration alum, having served in both the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Management and Budget. Georgia’s senators, David Perdue and Johnny Isakson, are both Republicans.

10. Greg Katsas, deputy White House counsel, was nominated for the D.C. Circuit. Formerly a partner at the D.C.-based law firm Jones Day, Katsas has argued cases before the Supreme Court, including the first Obamacare challenge, NFIB v. Sebelius. He held several posts in the Justice Department during the Bush administration and also clerked for Thomas. Since no senators represent the District of Columbia, he doesn’t need to worry about blue slips.

We applaud the president’s selection of these tremendous individuals for vacancies on the federal appeals courts.

But they are just the tip of the iceberg. With more than 160 vacancies to fill, senators need to stop stonewalling and get to work confirming these highly qualified, conservative nominees. (For more from the author of “Why Trump’s Appeals Court Nominees Are Backed up in the Senate” please click HERE)

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Tom Price Resigns as HHS Secretary

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President Donald Trump accepted the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price on Friday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced late Friday afternoon.

Price had been under fire for his use of private charter flights.

“Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price offered his resignation earlier today and the president accepted,” Sanders said in a statement released just after 4:30 p.m.

“The president intends to designate Don J. Wright of Virginia to serve as acting secretary, effective at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2017,” Sanders continued. “Mr. Wright currently serves as the deputy assistant secretary for Health and director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.”

Earlier Friday, Trump had said of Price, “He’s a very fine man,” but had added, “I certainly don’t like the optics. I’m not happy, I can tell you that. I’m not happy.”

He came under fire for many domestic private chartered flights, such as from Washington to nearby locations like Philadelphia and New Hampshire.

Some of Price’s controversial flights were used for travels to Africa to review progress on Ebola, and to participate in global health meetings in Europe.

In his resignation letter, Price wrote, “I have spent forty years both as a doctor and public servant putting people first. I regret that the recent events have created a distraction from these important objectives.”

Because of the controversy Price had said he would pay more than $51,887.31 back to the U.S. treasury, a portion of the total transportation cost, which would exceed $400,000 for the private charter domestic flights. However, Politico also reported that the administration approved another $500,000 in costs for traveling on military planes for health conferences in Africa, Asia and Europe.

During the period from Jan. 20 to Sept. 19, the Trump administration authorized 77 military flights, while the Obama administration allowed 94 flights during the same time in 2009, Fox News reported Friday.

Trump also noted this before boarding Marine One in the White House South Lawn.

“We put in an order that no more planes – if you look at past administrations, for instance, if you look at the Obama administration and take a look at the amount of time they spent in the air, they spent a lot of time in the air,” Trump said. “But I felt very badly because Secretary Price is a good man. But we are looking into it and we are looking into it very seriously.”

In his resignation letter, released by the White House, Price wrote:

It is an honor and privilege to serve you as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Under your leadership, the Department is working aggressively to improve the health andwell-being of all Americans. This includes working to reform a broken health care system, empower patients, reduce regulatory burdens, ensure global health security, and tackle clinical priorities such as the opioids epidemic, serious mental illness and childhood obesity.

I have spent forty years both as a doctor and public servant putting people first. I regret that the recent events have created a distraction from these important objectives.

Success on these issues is more important than any one person. In order for you to move forward without further disruption, I am officially tendering my resignation as the Secretary of Health and Human Services effective 11:59 PM on Friday, September 29, 2017.

You may rest assured that I will continue to support your critical priorities going ahead because failure is not an option for the American people.

n a statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan called Price “a good man.”

Price “has spent his entire adult life fighting for others, first as a physician and then as a legislator and public servant. He was a leader in the House and a superb health secretary. His vision and hard work were vital to the House’s success passing our health care legislation,” Ryan added.

During the Obama administration, a 2013 Government Accountability Office report found a similar problem, in this case, by the Justice Department. Two luxury jets the FBI had said were needed for security against global terrorism were used instead by Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller. Holder’s predecessors in the George W. Bush administration, Attorneys General Michael Mukasey and Alberto Gonzales, also used the jets. It came at a total cost of $11.4 million, the GAO found.

The HHS secretary isn’t required to use non-commercial flights as some national security officials are.

Fox reported that Holder, in 2014, also took at government-owned Gulfstream and flew to the Belmont Stakes thoroughbred race in New York with family members and two security offices. The trip reportedly cost the government $14,440. Holder reimbursed the government $955.

The Washington Times reported that while serving as CIA director, Leon Panetta refunded the government $630 for flights on luxury jets that cost about $32,000 per trip.

Price’s international travels had involved significant work on health issues. On May 17 and 18, Price traveled to Liberia to meet with the country’s leaders and health officials regarding the Ebola outbreak the ravaged the country in 2014. He met Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and other top officials where he talked about the partnership with Liberia and United States government.

“Ebola survivors who met with the secretary described the significant stigma associated with the virus and continuing discrimination they face. Secretary Price shook hands with survivors, an important public gesture,” said a description by the Department of Health and Human Services.

He next traveled to Berlin to attend the G20 Health Ministerial Meeting, held on May 19 and 20. He met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Topics at the meeting included preparations to combat influenza and viruses with pandemic potential, antimicrobial resistance work with World Health Organization, or WHO.

His next stop was the 70th annual World Health Assembly in Geneva, the 194-member government body of the WHO, where he spoke on May 22.

The next major travel came Aug. 20-26, where he visited China, Vietnam, and Japan.

On Aug. 23, Price delivered the keynote address at the 7th High Level Meeting on Health and the Economy of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. (For more from the author of “Tom Price Resigns as HHS Secretary” 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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Trump Tax Plan Doubles Standard Deduction

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The long-awaited Republican tax-overhaul proposal would double the standard deduction for joint filers to $24,000, establish three tax brackets of 12 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent to replace the current seven rates, and set the corporate tax rate at 20 percent.

Many details remain unclear, including the income levels for each tax bracket, but according to details released early Wednesday, the corporate tax rate will be lowered to just below the 22.5 percent average of the industrialized world to continue President Trump’s campaign to bring jobs back from overseas and “make American great again.”

The president has said the plan will be the largest tax cut in American history.

A framework released by members of Congress cites the four requirements the president laid out: “First, make the tax code simple, fair and easy to understand. Second, give American workers a pay raise by allowing them to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks. Third, make America the jobs magnet of the world by leveling the playing field for American businesses and workers. Finally, bring back trillions of dollars that are currently kept offshore to reinvest in the American economy.”

The plans come from the White House, the House Committee on Ways and Means, and the Senate Committee on Finance. (Read more from “Trump Tax Plan Doubles Standard Deduction” HERE)

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I’m a Black Football Fan, and I’m Done With the NFL

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Saturday night working in my wood shop, I heard a reporter on the radio say, “Trump has found someone else to pick a fight with, the NFL.” Clearly, the reporter wanted listeners to believe Trump was the bad guy. And yet, fake news media swears their reporting is not biased.

Leftists are outraged because Trump said, “The NFL should fire or suspend players who kneel during our national anthem.” I totally agree with our president. I suspect a majority of Americans also agree. Strictly from a common sense business point of view, shouldn’t team owners stop their players from doing things that turn off football fans? America and football fans have been extremely good to these spoiled brat wealthy players. Pro athletes live lives far above most Americans in terms of finances, power and influence. Fans do not deserve pro athletes slapping us in the face.

My immediate response to Trump’s recommendation to the NFL was, “Amen brother! Thank God for Donald Trump!” Folks, I am so sick of wimpy politicians. More and more our country is turning into a bizarro-world in which politicians are terrified of offending Leftists, scrambling to meet their absurd demands. Trump is a straight-talkin’ real man with backbone; a long-awaited breath of fresh air in the international political arena.

On Sunday, seeing NFL coaches and players in locked arms, protesting Trump for criticizing players who dis our flag was devastating to me as a football fan. We tune in to watch football, not to see players giving our nation their middle finger. By NFL owners, coaches and players saying screw you Trump, I feel like the NFL is saying screw you America and fans. (Read more from “I’m a Black Football Fan, and I’m Done With the NFL” HERE)

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Aides Are Blocking Key Info From Reaching Trump, Congressman Says

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President Donald Trump is being blocked from knowing he can pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in exchange for information vindicating Russia of hacking allegations, according to Republican California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.

Trump told reporters Sunday that he has “never heard” of a potential deal with Assange.

“I think the president’s answer indicates that there is a wall around him that is being created by people who do not want to expose this fraud that there was collusion between our intelligence community and the leaders of the Democratic Party,” Rohrabacher told The Daily Caller Tuesday in a phone interview.

Rohrabacher met with Assange in August at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where the WikiLeaks founder has lived in asylum since 2012 due to now-dropped sexual assault charges in Sweden. However, American authorities are reportedly still investigating Assange for his role in disseminating thousands of classified U.S. documents. (Read more from “Aides Are Blocking Key Info From Reaching Trump, Congressman Says” HERE)

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Dem Senator Is ’99 Percent’ Certain These Trump Associates Will Face Charges

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A Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he is “99 percent certain” that indictments will be handed down for former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

“I’m about 99 percent sure there will be some criminal charges from this investigation,” Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal told Politico on Tuesday.

Blumenthal said that Flynn and Manafort “are the most prominent” Trump associates who are likely to be indicted, “but there may well be others” charged as part of a sprawling investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Blumenthal also told Politico that he is less certain that Trump will face any charges related to the investigation, which has expanded to include a look at whether Trump obstructed justice by firing James Comey as FBI director in May. (Read more form “Dem Senator Is ’99 Percent’ Certain These Trump Associates Will Face Charges” HERE)

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California Billboard Urges Drivers to Impeach Trump

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It could be argued that calls for President Donald Trump’s impeachment have become more “California” than blockbuster movies, surfing and the Pacific Coast Highway. In June, California Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman filed an article of impeachment against Trump, and in July thousands gathered in Los Angeles to call for Trump’s impeachment.

On Monday, a group in the San Francisco Bay area upped the ante in its bid to impeach the president, using a billboard to let its thoughts be known. Drivers near the Bay Bridge were greeted with a billboard of Trump’s face next to the word “impeach.”

A California-based super PAC named Courage Campaign is responsible for the billboard, which can be seen below in a tweet from KTVU.

Back in 2013 the organization gained notoriety after spearheading a petition and rally campaigning to prohibit the sale of assault weapons after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The 1.4-million-member “progressive” group actively urges followers to engage in “courageous resistance,” which involves sending letters to Congress opposing the American Health Care Act and refraining from eating in an effort to show solidarity with farmers who make a living off of people buying the food they farm.

Courage Campaign’s executive director Eddie Kurtz said in a news release Monday that impeaching Trump is a “no-brainer.”

“From using his position as president to enhance his personal bank account via foreign interests — in direct violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause — to revealing classified information to Russia and openly admitting that he fired FBI Director James Comey in order to obstruct the Russia investigation, the case for the impeachment of Donald Trump on legal grounds is a no-brainer,” Kurtz said.

Kurtz also blamed Trump’s supposed defense of “white supremacy” and his supposed “misogynistic rhetoric” as factors that have led to the “moral imperative to act.”

“The United States’ constitutional system is one of delicate, deliberately designed checks and balances, and it is Congress’ duty to keep the president from eroding the rule of law,” Kurtz added.

“Such flagrant violations must not go unchecked. Continuing to let Trump’s trespasses go unaddressed plainly and simply undermines the very foundations of America’s democracy. Congress must show Americans the values that our country stands for by taking steps to impeach President Trump,” he said.

According to Newsweek, the billboard was paid for by members of the the Courage Campaign and via a national crowdfunding campaign. (For more from the author of “California Billboard Urges Drivers to Impeach Trump” please click HERE)

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California Dreamin’: Cali Demands APOLOGY From Trump? Fat Chance!

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The state legislature in the People’s Republic of California has passed a resolution that demands Trump “publicly apologize to all Americans for his racist and bigoted behavior.”

Yes, these are the kinds of constructive bills California lawmakers are coming up with to fix their insolvent state. (Next on the agenda is making it impossible to deport illegals who commit felonies!)

The alleged basis for Trump’s “racist and bigoted behavior” was when he condemned “in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides” in the wake of the Charlottesville clashes.

If that made you scratch your head, it’s because it makes no sense; most rational people don’t equate condemning “hatred, bigotry, and violence” with “racist and bigoted behavior.”

But the green commies in California don’t seem to get that, for some reason. Maybe it’s time for them to lay off the pot.

In a FREE White House Brief, I explain all the terrific things Trump is doing to improve the country and shouldn’t apologize for. Watch:

(For more from the author of “California Dreamin’: Cali Demands APOLOGY From Trump? Fat Chance!” please click HERE)

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