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Watch Ted Cruz Savage Mark Zuckerberg Over Facebook’s Liberal Bias

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By The Federalist. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz savaged Mark Zuckerberg over Facebook’s tendency to shut down and silence conservatives and conservative ideas in a hearing on Tuesday.

Cruz asked Zuckerberg if Facebook considered itself a “neutral public forum,” making the Silicon Valley billionaire squirm.

“Senator, we consider ourselves to be a platform for all ideas,” Zuckerberg replied. “Our goal is certainly not to engage in political speech.”

Cruz proceeded to list a number of conservative Facebook pages that had faced censorship from the social network. (Read more from “Watch Ted Cruz Savage Mark Zuckerberg Over Facebook’s Liberal Bias” HERE)

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Zuckerberg Apologizes, Promises Reform as Senators Grill Him Over Facebook’s Failings

By The Washington Post. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg endured an hours-long grilling by dozens of U.S. senators Tuesday during which he repeatedly apologized and promised privacy reforms but also pointedly defended his company against the threat of new legislation.

Zuckerberg invoked Facebook’s unlikely journey — from a tiny start-up he co-founded in his Harvard dorm room 14 years ago to a social media behemoth — in explaining Facebook’s frequent privacy missteps and its failure to spot and defeat Russia’s aggressive campaign to manipulate American voters in 2016 and beyond.

Senators repeatedly challenged Zuckerberg’s explanations in the wide-ranging hearing, a rare joint session before two Senate panels — the Commerce and Judiciary committees — with 42 senators questioning the Facebook executive . . .

Zuckerberg took responsibility for the missteps. “We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. And it was my mistake, and I’m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I’m responsible for what happens here.” (Read more from “Zuckerberg Apologizes, Promises Reform as Senators Grill Him Over Facebook’s Failings” HERE)

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Watch Ted Cruz Handle Rude Woman Who Asks Him to Take a DNA Test to ‘Prove’ He’s Human

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An Austin woman put Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on the spot Tuesday evening, asking him to prove he is human with a DNA test.

YouTube user Tammy Talpas posted the video on the website Wednesday. The video shows a woman, who Talpas purports to be, confronting the senator about what appears to be his stances on repealing and replacing Obamacare.

“I’m a woman over 50 who, as of February 7th, has seven active pre-existing conditions. I’m not counting being female and a survivor of abuse. I purchase my individual policy on the Health Insurance Exchange. If you force me into a high-risk pool, you will either bankrupt me or kill me. I take your threats of medical aggression personally and seriously; and I can assure you, I’m not the only Texan who does,” the woman said to Cruz.

(Read more from “Watch Ted Cruz Handle Rude Woman Who Asks Him to Take a DNA Test to ‘Prove’ He’s Human” HERE)

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Ted Cruz: Tax Reform May Not Happen Until Early Next Year

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Sen. Ted Cruz expects tax reform to get done “late this year or early next year” — not sticking to the hard 2017 deadline set out by top Republicans.

The Texas Republican told CNBC on Friday it will take “at least a couple months” to iron out differences within the GOP, which has a narrow majority in the Senate.

“I do think virtually every Republican wants to get to yes” on overhauling the tax system, Cruz said on “Squawk Box.”

President Donald Trump, top White House officials and House Speaker Paul Ryan have all set a target of this year to approve a tax bill. Ryan said Thursday he would keep the House in session through Christmas if necessary.

Late last month, Republicans released a framework for the taxproposal they hope to pass this year. It calls for major reductions in household and corporate income tax rates and a doubling of the standard deduction. (Read more from “Ted Cruz: Tax Reform May Not Happen Until Early Next Year” HERE)

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Ted Cruz Blames Staffer ‘Liking’ Porn Tweet

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Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday that a staff member of his was responsible for “liking” a pornographic Twitter post with the Texas lawmaker’s account, chalking up the social media snafu to a “mistake.”

“There are a number of people on the team who have access on the account. It appears that someone inadvertently hit the like button. When we discovered the post, which was I guess an hour or two later, we pulled it down,” Cruz (R-Texas) said of the incident. “It was a staffing issue. And it was inadvertent, it was a mistake. It was not a deliberate act. We’re dealing with it internally, but it was a mistake. It was not malicious” . . .

Earlier Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Cruz announced via her own Twitter account that the “like” had been undone and that the post had been reported to Twitter.

“The offensive tweet posted on @tedcruz account earlier has been removed by staff and reported to Twitter,” Catherine Frazier, Cruz’s senior communications adviser, wrote on her Twitter account at 2:16 a.m. Tuesday morning. (Read more from “Ted Cruz Blames Staffer ‘Liking’ Porn Tweet” HERE)

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Christie Calls Cruz ‘Disgusting’ for Telling ‘Reprehensible Lies’ Over Hurricane Relief

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie slammed Sen. Ted Cruz Wednesday morning over what he said was the Texas Republican’s double standard in opposing Superstorm Sandy relief but requesting federal aid for Texas after Hurricane Harvey.

“I have no sympathy for this — and I see Sen. Cruz and it’s disgusting to me that he stands in a recovery center with victims standing behind him as a backdrop,” he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on “New Day.” “He’s still repeating the same reprehensible lies about what happened in Sandy (and) called on Congress Wednesday morning to work fast on a bill to aid Texas after Hurricane Harvey” . . .

“I’m sorry that there are politicians who are really desperate to get their names in the news and are saying whatever they need to do that,” Cruz said. “For folks who are focused on raising political shots and snipes about the Sandy bill, facts matter. And the fact is that the Sandy bill was over $50 billion and 70% of it was not emergency funding. Only 30% of the funding was emergency funding”. . .

[Christie responded], “Let me be very clear about this: Sen. Cruz was playing politics in 2012, trying to make himself look like the biggest conservative in the world. . . And what I said at the time, both to him and everybody else, was if you represent a coastal state, don’t do this because your day is going to come and you’re going to expect people to help you.” (Read more from “Christie Calls Cruz ‘Disgusting’ for Telling ‘Reprehensible Lies’ Over Hurricane Relief” HERE)

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4 Conservative Senators Say They Can’t Vote for GOP’s Draft Health Care Bill

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Four conservative senators promptly said they can’t support the draft of a health care bill released Thursday by the Senate’s Republican leadership as a cure for Obamacare.

“Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor,” Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Mike Lee of Utah wrote in a formal statement.

The four Republicans said they oppose the Senate leadership plan, called the ‘‘Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017,” because it does not fully repeal and replace Obamacare.

“There are provisions in this draft that represent an improvement to our current health care system, but it does not appear this draft as written will accomplish the most important promise that we made to Americans: to repeal Obamacare and lower their health care costs,” the four senators wrote.

The Senate plan would end mandates for health insurance, including the Obamacare mandate forcing consumers to buy insurance or pay a penalty. It also would phase out the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare over three years, Axios reported.

The eventual support of Cruz, Johnson, Lee, and Paul is crucial because Republicans have a 52-46 majority over Democrats in the Senate. Two independents caucus with the Democrats.

Republicans will need at least 51 votes to pass a health care bill under a procedure known as budget reconciliation, with Vice President Mike Pence empowered to break a tie.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday night in a speech in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that it would be “so easy and so beautiful” if some Democrats would judge the final plan on its merits.

One major difference in form compared with the House-passed version of the health care bill is the absence of the so-called MacArthur amendment.

The MacArthur amendment, negotiated in the House to resolve differences between conservative and centrist Republicans, gives states “the ability to repeal cost-driving aspects of Obamacare” left in place in the original version of the American Health Care Act, the House Freedom Caucus said in a formal statement.

Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Tuesday Group Co-chairman Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., negotiated the amendment.

The Senate proposal instead leans on Obamacare’s “1332 waiver,” described this way by Heritage Foundation health policy expert Bob Moffit in a recent report:

Section 1332 of Obamacare allows states to apply to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and get a ‘waiver’ from 11 statutory provisions, including the individual and employer mandates, the actuarial value mandate that determines coverage levels, the federal rules governing the definition of individual and small group coverage, and the federal essential health benefit requirements.

How much flexibility will states have under the Section 1332 waiver is an important question, some observers say.

In a statement provided to The Daily Signal, Moffit, who was traveling, said he is not sure how the Senate’s proposed legislation would repeal and replace Obamacare.

Overall, the Senate bill is better than Obamacare because it contains provisions to reduce insurance premiums and promote access to insurance in the short run; cut taxes; and provide major Medicaid reform that will help refocus the program to those most in need.

It is still an open question, however, whether the bill will repair enough of the damage caused by Obamacare so that the middle-class self-employed will be able to find affordable health insurance in five years.

The Senate plan retains Obamacare’s requirements for covering pre-existing conditions and preserves Obamacare’s tax credits for individuals based on age, location, income and geography, The Hill reported.

The legislation also would retain for two years Obamacare’s cost-sharing subsidies, which were created to reduce out-of-pocket costs for low-income patients who purchase silver-level insurance plans through Obamacare’s exchanges, as The Daily Signal previously reported.

Senate Democrats, some of whom Trump appears to be trying to shame publicly into negotiating, are wary of the draft. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was among them, tweeting:

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., tweeted:

The House passed its revised version of Republicans’ health care bill May 4 by a razor-thin vote of 217-213.

Senate Republicans are using the tool called budget reconciliation to pass a bill because it requires only 51 votes to clear the Senate, rather than 60 votes to end debate and proceed to a floor vote.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., formally released the plan Thursday.

Four conservative senators promptly said they can’t support the draft of a health care bill released Thursday by the Senate’s Republican leadership as a cure for Obamacare.

“Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor,” Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Mike Lee of Utah wrote in a formal statement.

The draft of the Senate bill would defund Planned Parenthood for a year, a promise that House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., made in March.

Senate Republicans’ draft also specifies that tax credits could not be used to pay for abortions.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a member of the House Freedom Caucus, voiced concern in a statement about the Senate draft:

I am extremely disappointed by the lack of resolve from Congress to repeal Obamacare—most recently, with the U.S. Senate’s legislation. The American people demanded a full repeal. Now, the 115th Congress is dangerously close to abandoning our promise and opportunity to completely repeal Obamacare, remove government from the health care industry, permanently defund Planned Parenthood, and give Americans their long-awaited relief from overwhelming premiums.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., another conservative senator, said he is studying the draft and hasn’t made up his mind.

“I’m going through it,” Lankford said in an interview with CNN. “I have a lot of questions still, a lot of things we have talked about. It’s 142 pages of text, but there’s things piled into that text that we’ve got to decipher. Put me down as a solid undecided.” (For more from the author of “4 Conservative Senators Say They Can’t Vote for GOP’s Draft Health Care Bill” please click HERE)

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New Poll Says Cruz Could Lose in 2018? Not So Fast

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Don’t freak out at a new poll showing Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, losing to a potential Democratic challenger. At least, don’t freak out yet.

The statewide poll conducted by Texas Lyceum shows Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, with 35 percent support from Texas adults polled. Sen. Cruz receives 31 percent in the theoretical head-to-head matchup. Joaquin Castro is the twin brother of Julian Castro, President Obama’s secretary of Housing and Urban Development — who was widely viewed as a potential vice-presidential candidate for Hillary Clinton. The Castro brothers, if you will, are rising stars among the radical Left.

Rep. Castro has not yet declared his candidacy for U.S Senate. He is, however, traveling the state in a “call to action” tour prelude to his official declaration, which KRISTV reports is expected at the end of this month.

A matchup between Cruz and declared candidate Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, shows a 30 percent tie.

Now there are a few important caveats to this poll. 37 percent of registered Texas voters said haven’t given any thought to the 2018 election. What this means is “Don’t know” actually lead the poll — which is why you shouldn’t freak out if you want to see Sen. Cruz reelected.

“Ballot tests conducted this far in advance of an actual election are, at best, useful in gauging the potential weaknesses of incumbents seeking re-election,” said poll conductor Dr. Daron Shaw, a Lyceum Alumnus and Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “But the substantial percentage of undecided respondents—coupled with the conservative, pro-Republican proclivities of the Texas electorate in recent years— suggest a cautious interpretation.”

The last Texas Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat was Lloyd Bentsen, and that election was in 1988 — 29 years ago. In 2012, Senator Cruz crushed his Democratic opponent by over one million votes, winning 56.4 percent to 40.1 percent.

It is difficult to imagine a situation where Sen. Cruz loses to a Democratic challenger. But the Texas senator is not taking anything for granted. In fact, he is warning his fellow Republicans that failure to keep their campaign promises could put a Democrat in the White House and wipe out Republican majorities in Congress.

“If we screw all this up, you better believe the American people could elect President Elizabeth Warren,” Cruz said of Republican promises. “If we deliver on all this,” it doesn’t matter who they nominate — we win.”

Those comments echo what Cruz said shortly after President Trump won election.

“If we’re given the White House and both houses of Congress and we don’t deliver, I think there will be pitchforks and torches in the streets,” Cruz said last November. “And I think quite rightly. I think people are so fed up with Washington, this election was a mandate with change and the most catastrophic thing Republicans could do is go back to business as usual.” (For more from the author of “New Poll Says Cruz Could Lose in 2018? Not So Fast” please click HERE)

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Ted Cruz Warns Obama Might ‘Plunge the Dagger Into Israel’ as a Final Sendoff

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Conservative Review Editor-in-Chief Mark Levin hosted Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas (A, 97%) on his radio show Tuesday evening to discuss the Obama administration’s war on Israel.

Cruz warned that President Obama wants to “plunge the dagger as deep as he can” into Israel before he leaves office, with potential further UN rebukes and even the recognition of a Palestinian terror state.

They also talked about the legislation introduced by Sen. Cruz to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps as terror groups.

Cruz announced that he and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Tenn would introduce legislation this week to defund the United Nations, in response to the international body’s anti-American, anti-Israel agenda. (For more from the author of “Ted Cruz Warns Obama Might ‘Plunge the Dagger Into Israel’ as a Final Sendoff” please click HERE)

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Ted Cruz Nukes the Obama-Kerry ‘Radical Anti-Israel Agenda’

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Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas (A, 97%) warned that history would remember President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry as “relentless enemies of Israel” in a statement issued in response to a speech Conservaitve Review Editor-in-Chief Mark Levin called “outrageous.”

“Like bitter clingers, President Obama and Secretary Kerry are spending every last minute of this administration wreaking havoc domestically and abroad,” Cruz wrote in a press release. “With their last breath in office, they have struck at Israel, through the United Nations and through today’s disgraceful speech.”

“Kerry’s speech drew a stunning moral equivalence between our great ally Israel and the Palestinian Authority, currently formed in a ‘unity’ government with the vicious terrorists of Hamas,” said Cruz. “Kerry’s central conclusion, that ‘Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both’ is an inanity that passes as profound only in Ivory Tower faculty lounges.”

“It is a sign of their radicalism and refusal to defend American interests, that Obama and Kerry choose to attack the only inclusive democracy in the Middle East — a strong, steadfast ally of America — while turning a blind eye to the Islamic terrorism that grows daily.” (For more from the author of “Ted Cruz Nukes the Obama-Kerry ‘Radical Anti-Israel Agenda'” please click HERE)

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Cruz and Meadows Introduce Bill to Eliminate Super PACs … the Constitutional Way

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Isn’t it funny listening to the people who couldn’t care less about the Constitution and are bought off by special interests lecture us about the need to “get money out of politics?”

Like every other unconstitutional federal regulation, “campaign finance reform” wound up exacerbating the very problem it purported to fix. By placing limits on the amount individual donors can contribute to candidates, it created a market distortion whereby donors funneled unlimited money to Super PACs. So instead of the funds going to the individual candidates who could be held accountable for the veracity of their message, Super PACs — which could receive unlimited funds for independent expenditures — began dominating the political scene.

The result of campaign finance restrictions has empowered special interests and have made it almost impossible to defeat an incumbent. By capping individual donations to specific candidates to just $2,700 per election, but allowing unlimited contributions to Super PACs, campaign finance, like every other government intervention, protects the big guys on the block.

To that end, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas (A, 97%) and Rep. Mark Meadows R-N.C. (A, 93%) introduced legislation to abolish the caps on individual spending. Instead of pursuing further regulation to fix the existing regulations in the perennial cycle of government failure, this bill would open up campaign donations to everyone.

“Restrictions to political contributions are always presented under the guise of preventing corruption and holding politicians accountable, when in fact they accomplish exactly the opposite: protecting incumbent politicians,” said Cruz in a statement. “This bill will put Americans on a level playing field with the media and politicians when it comes to influencing elections and exercising our First Amendment rights.”

During my work on primary challenges, I experienced this first hand. The individual caps cripple upstart candidates because they will never have an arsenal of donors who could give $2,700 at a K Street dinner like establishment incumbents can. However, there might be one or two wealthy patriotic donors who would be willing to give them several hundred thousand dollars to get their candidacy off the ground. With existing unconstitutional limits, it is almost impossible for someone to challenge an incumbent in a primary unless he is a self-funder. By lifting the caps on individual donations, not only will upstart candidates be placed on a more level playing field, but the entire rationale for Super PACs will disappear.

Given the growth of this country, the reality is that it costs a lot of money to disseminate a message and obtain name recognition even in a House primary. Money will never leave politics. It’s a question of whether we respect free speech and the open market or allow the worst of the special interests to game out the system.

Ultimately, the way to “get money out of politics” is to bring the Constitution back into politics in conjunction with enacting term limits. Individuals and trade associations have the right to ask for whatever parochial handouts, regulations, grants, price controls, or tax subsidies they desire. But if our federal government adhered to its enumerated powers, their efforts would be moot.

There is no perfect system, but only adherence to the Constitution and the free market, which eliminates the ability of the federal government to pick winners and losers in the first place, will foster the fairest and most prosperous economy and system of government. Opening up donations to individual candidates while precluding the need for Super PACs will be the only way to empower constitutional conservative candidates to win elections and make the systemic changes that will truly limit the money and influence in politics. (For more from the author of “Cruz and Meadows Introduce Bill to Eliminate Super PACs … the Constitutional Way” please click HERE)

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