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Ignoring the Samantha Power bombshell

One of the challenges of Spygate is that it’s such a sprawling, complicated tale, filled with competing narratives and motives open to interpretation.  We understand that this is a serious situation – possibly the biggest scandal in U.S. history.  But how can one get the message across to the average American without his eyes glazing over?


To cut through the complexity, it helps to focus on specific actions by individuals that we all can agree are suspect.  This brings us to Samantha Power.



Of all the political stories from 2017, surely the most curious is this: why is everyone ignoring the bombshell revelations from Samantha Power?


As you recall, Power was caught using her security clearance as a U.N. ambassador to review private conversations by U.S. citizens.  According to official records, she requested the unmasking of these private citizens over 260 times in 2016 (this was an election year).  She was brought before the House Intelligence Committee to explain her actions.  


Her defense?  It wasn’t me.  Someone else in the Obama White House did this, using her security clearance.


There are two possibilities: that she is telling the truth, in which case someone else in the Obama administration is lying.  Or she is lying herself.


Let’s consider the implications if she’s lying.  Power, a supposed human rights activist and darling of the left, came into her office every day – Monday through Friday, 52 weeks a year – and did some reading.  But instead of the New York Times, or her favorite blog, she was reading the transcripts of private conversations of her fellow Americans, wiretapped by federal agents.  And not only that, but she made a request each day on average to unmask a U.S. citizen in those transcripts.


Why are our supposed human rights activists not horrified?  Why is this not a daily banner headline in every major newspaper in the country?  I could see the MSM attempting to hide this damning evidence of Obama administration malfeasance, but why are the conservative news outlets not clamoring for answers?


Perhaps 2017 just saw too many revelations of government abuse?  But this one does not deserve to be forgotten.  And if we don’t act soon, it will go down the memory hole.


Here’s how Power’s Wiki page spins it: “On May 31, 2017, Power’s testimony and relevant records were subpoenaed by the House Intelligence Committee as part of its investigation into the unmasking of Americans whose conversations were inadvertently captured during intelligence surveillance.”


There is nothing “inadvertent” about a White House official making over 260 unmasking requests during an election year.  And lying about it.


No one, it seems, is asking even the most basic questions: who was this mysterious, nameless Obama administration official?  Why would he use Samantha Power’s security clearance to unmask U.S. citizens?  What did he have to hide?  And if he was researching something that was purely legal, why the necessity for such subterfuge and deceit?


The only answer that makes sense is that this official was using Power’s security clearance for reasons that would not stand up to legal scrutiny, most likely for political or possibly illegal ends – such as spying on the Trump campaign.


A final thought: Why is Samantha Power herself so seemingly unconcerned about this violation of public trust?  Wouldn’t you expect this brave journalist, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the champion of the people, to be at least a little bit curious as to exactly who it was in the Obama administration who stole her passwords and used her security clearance in such a blatantly undemocratic and unlawful manner?


And wouldn’t you expect her to speak up about it?


Jay Latimer is an international businessman, writer, and investor who has worked in investment banking for several multinational banks in New York, Hong Kong, and Beijing.  


Photo credit: Flickr.


One of the challenges of Spygate is that it’s such a sprawling, complicated tale, filled with competing narratives and motives open to interpretation.  We understand that this is a serious situation – possibly the biggest scandal in U.S. history.  But how can one get the message across to the average American without his eyes glazing over?


To cut through the complexity, it helps to focus on specific actions by individuals that we all can agree are suspect.  This brings us to Samantha Power.


Of all the political stories from 2017, surely the most curious is this: why is everyone ignoring the bombshell revelations from Samantha Power?


As you recall, Power was caught using her security clearance as a U.N. ambassador to review private conversations by U.S. citizens.  According to official records, she requested the unmasking of these private citizens over 260 times in 2016 (this was an election year).  She was brought before the House Intelligence Committee to explain her actions.  


Her defense?  It wasn’t me.  Someone else in the Obama White House did this, using her security clearance.


There are two possibilities: that she is telling the truth, in which case someone else in the Obama administration is lying.  Or she is lying herself.


Let’s consider the implications if she’s lying.  Power, a supposed human rights activist and darling of the left, came into her office every day – Monday through Friday, 52 weeks a year – and did some reading.  But instead of the New York Times, or her favorite blog, she was reading the transcripts of private conversations of her fellow Americans, wiretapped by federal agents.  And not only that, but she made a request each day on average to unmask a U.S. citizen in those transcripts.


Why are our supposed human rights activists not horrified?  Why is this not a daily banner headline in every major newspaper in the country?  I could see the MSM attempting to hide this damning evidence of Obama administration malfeasance, but why are the conservative news outlets not clamoring for answers?


Perhaps 2017 just saw too many revelations of government abuse?  But this one does not deserve to be forgotten.  And if we don’t act soon, it will go down the memory hole.


Here’s how Power’s Wiki page spins it: “On May 31, 2017, Power’s testimony and relevant records were subpoenaed by the House Intelligence Committee as part of its investigation into the unmasking of Americans whose conversations were inadvertently captured during intelligence surveillance.”


There is nothing “inadvertent” about a White House official making over 260 unmasking requests during an election year.  And lying about it.


No one, it seems, is asking even the most basic questions: who was this mysterious, nameless Obama administration official?  Why would he use Samantha Power’s security clearance to unmask U.S. citizens?  What did he have to hide?  And if he was researching something that was purely legal, why the necessity for such subterfuge and deceit?


The only answer that makes sense is that this official was using Power’s security clearance for reasons that would not stand up to legal scrutiny, most likely for political or possibly illegal ends – such as spying on the Trump campaign.


A final thought: Why is Samantha Power herself so seemingly unconcerned about this violation of public trust?  Wouldn’t you expect this brave journalist, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the champion of the people, to be at least a little bit curious as to exactly who it was in the Obama administration who stole her passwords and used her security clearance in such a blatantly undemocratic and unlawful manner?


And wouldn’t you expect her to speak up about it?


Jay Latimer is an international businessman, writer, and investor who has worked in investment banking for several multinational banks in New York, Hong Kong, and Beijing.  


Photo credit: Flickr.




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Obama Administration Skirted U.S. Sanctions to Grant Iran Billions in Cash

The Obama administration skirted key U.S. sanctions to grant Iran access to billions in hard currency despite public assurances the administration was engaged in no such action, according to a new congressional investigation.

The investigation, published Wednesday by the House Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, further discloses secret efforts by top Obama administration officials to assure European countries they would receive a pass from U.S. sanctions if they engaged in business with Iran.

The findings confirm earlier reports by the Washington Free Beacon surrounding efforts by the Obama administration to go above and beyond the terms of the landmark nuclear deal to appease Iran and grant it billions in hard currency, as well as access to the U.S financial system, despite multiple assurances to Congress this was not the case.

Congressional investigators have now confirmed that the Obama administration ordered the Treasury Department to issue a secret license granting Iran access to the U.S. financial system and American dollar, a process that played out at the same time these senior administration officials were testifying to Congress that they were not engaged in such activities.

The investigation confirms allegations by many in Congress that the Obama administration was engaged in covert diplomacy with senior Iranian officials beyond the nuclear agreement to help Tehran obtain billions in hard currency, cash that was later used by the Islamic Republic to fund its ballistic missile program and fighting forces operating in Syria and across the region.

"The Obama administration misled the American people and Congress because they were desperate to get a deal with Iran," said Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. "Despite claims both before and after the Iran deal was completed that the U.S. financial system would remain off limits, the Obama administration issued a specific license allowing Iran to convert billions of dollars in assets using the U.S. financial system."

Several days after the Obama administration announced the implementation of the nuclear agreement, U.S. officials were contacted by Bank Muscat in Oman, which was seeking to convert nearly six billion dollars on Iran’s behalf.

Bank Muscat petitioned the Obama administration to allow it to access the U.S. dollar in order to conduct the transition, which was to be carried out from Omani rials, into U.S. dollars, and then into Euros. That money would then be transferred into the Central Bank of Iran, or CBI, which was long designated for sanctions by the United States as a result of its efforts to fund Iran’s terror operations and nuclear program.

"The inability to convert the funds held at Bank Muscat through the U.S. financial system frustrated key Iranian officials," according to the congressional investigation. "On January 24, 2016, a lead Iranian negotiator, wrote to his U.S. State Department counterpart, complaining that Iran could not convert its assets as it requested."

While such transactions remained prohibited under the nuclear agreement, also known as the JCPOA, senior Obama administration officials in the State and Treasury Departments scrambled to find back-door methods to appease Iran.

In one email obtained by congressional investigators, a Treasury Department official says that the United States committed much more to Iran than was publicly disclosed at the time by the Obama administration.

"Yikes. It looks like we committed to a whole lot beyond just allowing the immobilized funds to settle out," the official wrote.

While the administration was not obligated to conduct any such transactions on Iran’s behalf, Obama administration officials decided to pressure the Treasury Department to issue a secret license permitting Iran to access the $5.7 billion from Oman’s Bank Muscat using the U.S. financial system, according to the investigation.

"Treasury Department officials began working on a specific license authorizing Bank Muscat’s transaction," the report finds. "A specific license allows specified transactions to occur that would otherwise violate U.S. sanctions."

The license did not have to be publicly disclosed and it was ultimately issued during a time when top Obama administration officials were testifying to Congress that they had no intention of permitting Iran access to the U.S. financial system.

"On February 24, 2016, the Treasury Department issued a specific license to Bank Muscat to authorize the conversion of Iran’s rials to euros through ‘any United States depository institution … involved as a correspondent bank … where such foreign exchange conversion provides an indirect benefit to persons subject to the jurisdiction of the Government of Iran,’" investigators found. "Iran was then free to use a U.S. bank to act as the intermediary (called a ‘correspondent ban’) to convert its assets at Bank Muscat (Omani rials) through the correspondent bank account in the United States (U.S. dollars) to a designated bank in Europe (euros)."

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, subsequently lobbied two U.S. banks to convert the funds on Iran’s behalf.

"U.S. officials at OFAC contacted both of the banks to encourage them to convert the funds," according to the report. "Convincing a U.S. bank to convert the funds was crucial."

Obama administration officials then conducted a series of back-channel conversations aimed at getting top officials to pressure these banks to carry out the illicit transactions on Iran’s behalf.

"To further encourage the banks, one U.S. government official wrote, ‘I agree it would be a good idea to have [Secretary] Lew engage [the U.S. bank]," according to emails obtained by investigators. "If they refuse we can suggest [Secretary] Kerry will call, which will drive them nuts."

Both of the U.S. banks eventually declined to carry out the transaction due to concerns over U.S. sanctions laws.

However, the effort did not end there. Officials in the Treasury and State Departments held private conversations to find other avenues to help Iran receive the billions.

"Treasury and State Department officials sought other ways to move the funds. Discussions involved coordinating with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Bank for International Settlements, and the Central Bank of Germany," according to the report.

These efforts also were unsuccessful and the administration never ultimately found a way to enable Iran access to the $5.7 billion, which was later converted by Bank Muscat and Iran outside the U.S. financial system.

Iranian officials expressed outrage at the United States over the failed bid, which prompted another series of discussions with these Iranian official about ways the Obama administration was going beyond the terms of the nuclear agreement to help Iran obtain hard currency.

The United States "exceeded our JCPOA commitments by OFAC’s issuing a license to enable Bank Muscat to work with any U.S. financial institution to facilitate the conversation of assets in the banks from rials to other non-dollar currencies," one State Department official wrote to the Iranians in 2016.

This shadow diplomacy played out far from the public spotlight and occurred while Obama administration officials were publicly telling Congress a different story.

Sources familiar with the issue told the Free Beacon similar measures must have been taken to facilitate other transactions that the Obama admin hid from reporters, including the taxpayer purchase of Iranian nuclear material that Tehran produced in violation of the deal.

"As the Treasury and State Department worked behind the scenes to help Iran access the dollar, the message to Congress remained the same: The JCPOA did not allow Iran to access the U.S. financial system," the report notes.

The report further discloses efforts by top Obama administration officials to lobby European countries to reengage in business with Iran, despite U.S. sanctions laws.

In one secret meeting, U.S. officials "signaled that it would not aggressively enforce violations of the new sanctions regime," investigators found. "For example, during a [pro-Iran] roadshow in London in March 2015 with representatives from 10 major global financial institutions, the head of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Compliance [OFAC] assured attendees that ’95 percent of the time OFAC sees an apparent violation it results in a simple warning letter or no enforcement action,’" according to minutes of these meetings. "He explained OFAC would only take action in egregious situations."

The post Obama Administration Skirted U.S. Sanctions to Grant Iran Billions in Cash appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

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‘Fight for 15’ gets results: McDonald’s to use self-service kiosks in all American stores by 2020

McDonald’s announced this week that it plans to replace cashiers with self-service kiosks in all its American restaurants by 2020, a likely response to the “Fight for 15” movement and new technology.

What are the details?

CEO Steve Easterbrook told CNBC this week his restaurant chain will roll out the self-order kiosks in 1,000 new stores each quarter.

He estimated that half of the 14,000 U.S.-based stores would have the kiosks by the end of 2018 and every location would utilize the technology by 2020. He said about 3,500 restaurants already use the automated machines, or about one-quarter of the McDonald’s U.S. portfolio.

Easterbrook added that McDonald’s locations in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia are already “fully integrated” with the technology, while a majority of locations in France and Germany use it.

The reason behind the kiosks? According to Easterbook, McDonald’s has discovered customers “dwell” at the self-ordering stations, meaning they also buy more.

“What we’re finding is when people dwell more, they select more. There’s a little bit of an average check boost,” he said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Monday.

McDonald’s spokesperson Terri Hickey explained to BuzzFeed News that redesigned restaurants will still have cashiers, but “kiosks provide another option for customers to order and pay. We’re finding with kiosks, customers tend to feel less rushed, take their time, browse the menu, and often order more.”

In addition to self-order stations, McDonald’s is exploring more food delivery methods, including ordering through a mobile app and delivering food on Uber Eats.

What about rising labor costs?

McDonald’s is one of the biggest targets of the “Fight for 15” movement, whose goal is to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour nationwide, even in unskilled labor like entry-level positions at McDonald’s.

Many states cities and states, especially progressive localities on the West Coast, have answered the call, passing laws mandating a $15 per hour minimum wage, through gradual hikes. The rising labor costs associated with increased minimum wages have undoubtedly forced McDonald’s and other fast food chains to utilize self-service stations.

More from BuzzFeed:

In the first quarter of the year, McDonald’s payroll and employee benefits were 30.2% of sales, up from 27.8% during the same period in 2017.

So, what will McDonald’s do with workers displaced by kiosks?

Hickey told BuzzFeed only some of the jobs will be replaced with new positions.

“[With] the addition of self-order kiosks, restaurants are transitioning some roles to more customer engaging positions like Guest Experience Leaders and table service,” she explained.

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Michigan State University Health Physicist Charged with Bestiality

Michigan State University health physicist Joseph Hattey has been charged with bestiality with a dog, according to the Michigan attorney general’s office.

Adding to a string of sex crimes at Michigan State University, 51-year-old health physicist Joseph Hattey was charged this week with two counts of committing a crime against nature (bestiality). This comes in the aftermath of sexual misconduct investigations into two major Michigan State staff members. Dr. Larry Nassar, who sexually abused over 200 young female gymnasts, was sentenced to 4o to 125 years in prison. In April, former Michigan State University Dean William Strampel was arrested on sexual assault charges.

A local Fox affiliate reported that Hattey is accused of sexual acts with a Bassett hound including penetration with his genitals and hand. According to the report, the acts were unrelated to Michigan State University and did not take place on campus. The dog is currently in being held by the local animal control office.

In a statement, a Michigan State University spokesperson clarified Hattey’s role at the university and announced that he has been placed on administrative suspension.

Michigan State University was informed by the MSU Police Department on April 17 of a criminal investigation against Joseph Hattey, a health physicist with the Environmental Health and Safety Unit (note this position does not work with students, patients or animals). Hattey was immediately put on administrative suspension, pending the investigation. The university has been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement officials on this matter. MSUPD is providing digital forensic support in the investigation.

Hattey faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted of the charges.

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Teacher Charged for Allegedly Feeding Puppy to Snapping Turtle in Front of Students

A teacher in Preston, Idaho allegedly fed a small puppy to a large snapping turtle — right outside of the school, and in front of students.

Robert Crosland has been charged with one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, filed in Franklin County Court by a special prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Lawrence Wasden following an investigation into the alleged strange and horrific events of March 7. Crosland was allegedly involved in what the school administration called “a regrettable circumstance involving some of the biological specimens.”

One student has vocally disputed the story that has garnered international attention. “If anyone has a right to be upset, it is me,” Farahlyn Hansen told the East Idaho News. She claims that the puppy was already dying and this was a better fate than its slow and painful demise. “I am not upset. I felt like it was the more humane thing for Robert to do than to just leave it (the puppy) to die. … The puppy was dying,” she claimed.

A Facebook post calling for violence against the Preston School District put law enforcement officers on temporarily heightened alert, though it was not considered a “credible threat” to public safety.

While Crosland may face a $5,000 penalty and up to six months in jail, he has done considerably better than the turtle. It was captured and “humanely euthanized” for its meal, as it is considered a member of an invasive species.

While some 3,700 people are making their support of the teacher known, 192,000 people have already signed a petition asking the school to fire Crosland. PETA called Crosland “a bully who should not be allowed near impressionable young people.”

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New California Law Limits How Much Water People Can Use – Including Monitoring Toilet Flushes, Showers

New California Law Limits How Much Water People Can Use – Including Monitoring Toilet Flushes, Showers

Cristina Laila
by Cristina Laila
June 4, 2018

California Governor Jerry Brown signed a new law that would severely restrict the amount of water people can use inside of their homes.

The government of California will now be monitoring people’s toilet flushes, showers and laundry use.

Under the new water use limits, each person will barely have enough ‘water allowance’ to do one load of laundry and take an 8 minute shower. 

This also covers outdoor use so no watering your lawns or gardens, peasants. 

CBS Sacramento reported:

There will soon be more focus on flushes and scrutiny over showers with a new law signed in by the governor.

California is now the first state in the nation to enact tough new water-efficiency standards. The controversial rules limit how many gallons a person can use inside their home per day.

“So that everyone in California is at least integrating efficiency into our preparations for climate change,” said Felicia Marcus, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board.

So, what are the new rules?

In 2022, the new indoor water standard will be 55 gallons per person, per day. by 2030, it will fall to 50 gallons.

Just how many gallons do household chores take?

An 8-minute shower uses about 17 gallons of water, a load of laundry up to 40, and a bathtub can hold 80 to 100 gallons of water.

Greg Bundesen with the Sacramento Suburban Water District says they already assist customers.

“We offer toilet rebates, we offer complementary showerheads, we offer complementary faucets,” he said.

The new laws also require water districts to perform stress tests of their water supply and curb loss due to leaks.

“Some people may not be aware that you’re going to use a lot more water in a bath and you wouldn’t shower and it’s our job to make sure they’re informed,” Bundesen said.

Water districts who don’t comply face fines up to $10,000 a day.

The ultimate goal is to make conservation a way of life in California. Outdoor water use is also covered by the new laws.

California is sliding into the abyss of totalitarian rule.

A bill proposed in California would make the distribution of plastic straws illegal unless requested by a patron, with up to a $1,000 fine and jail time.

Now they’re monitoring toilet flushes and showers.

What’s next? Only allowing people to use one square of toilet paper per use just as Sheryl Crow used to push?

Back in 2007, far left singer Sheryl Crow wanted to control how much toilet paper people use. “One square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required,” said Sheryl Crow.

The left wants to bring us back to the dark ages. They will bring greater human misery to the masses claiming it is helping the environment.

Jerry Brown is more interested in monitoring how many times the people of California flush their toilets than he is monitoring the US-Mexico border where MS-13 gang members, drug cartels and illegals are spilling over into his state. Let that sink in.

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Catholic League: SCOTUS Cakeshop Ruling Big Loss for ‘Gay Bullies’

Catholic League president Bill Donohue said Monday that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case was a “smashing victory for religious liberty” and a bruising defeat for “gay bullies.”

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that Colorado baker Jack Phillips could not be coerced into making a cake to celebrate the wedding of a same-sex couple, which runs against his Christian beliefs on the nature of marriage.

The court ruled that Mr. Phillips had been the victim of religious hostility made manifest by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, one of whose members had called Phillips’ Christian beliefs on marriage “despicable.”

“The commission’s hostility was inconsistent with the First Amendment’s guarantee that our laws be applied in a manner that is neutral toward religion,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote.

The Court opted not to rule on the broader issue of whether the government can force people of faith to participate in same-sex weddings when the government does not show open hostility to their religious beliefs.

The Masterpiece case goes back to an incident in 2012 when Phillips refused to create a wedding cake to celebrate the marriage of two men in Massachusetts.

“I do not create custom designs that conflict with my conscience,” Phillips said, adding that, for the same reason, he does not make Halloween cakes.

Despite the ruling not going as far as it could have, Mr. Donahue said it represents an important milestone for religious freedom in America.

“Had the ruling gone the other way, black bakers would have to custom design cakes for Klansmen, Jewish bakers would have to inscribe cakes for Nazis, and gay bakers would have to make personalized cakes for gay bashers,” he said.

“This is a landmark victory for both religious liberty and freedom of speech. The bullies lost a big one,” Donahue added. “Those who lecture on bullying should discuss this case in their presentations, but we all know that the ‘tolerant’ ones who run these workshops will not.”

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is the largest Catholic civil rights organization in the United States and aims “to safeguard both the religious freedom rights and the free speech rights of Catholics whenever and wherever they are threatened.”

Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter .

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Search for Child Suspended When Mother Found Dead, Illegal Immigrant Boyfriend Suspected

The search for missing 14-month-old Owen Hidalgo-Calderon has been suspended after the body of his 18-year-old mother Selena Hidalgo-Calderon was found on May 24 in Upstate New York.

After twelve days of combing the area, authorities are almost certain that the body of the baby boy is not located on the property where his mother was found. “It doesn’t mean that he’s not … but we are at over 90 percent probability of detection,” said state forest ranger Lt. Charles Richardson, adding that “right now there’s really no need for us to continue searching here until we get other information.”

Wayne County Sheriff Barry Virts said, “At this time we have expended all of the current information and clues that we have, so we are going shut down the search.”

Owen was last seen on May 16. While the active search has ended, the investigation will continue. 25-year-old Everardo Donoteo-Reyes is a suspect in Selena’s death but has not been formally charged. Immigration has said that Donoteo-Reyes is an illegal Mexican immigrant and has already been deported twice. He has confessed to burying the woman but not killing her.

While not charged in the investigation, he has been charged with tampering with evidence and possessing counterfeit documents. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 4.

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GOP Leaders, Candidates Split Over Immigration in November Election

GOP leaders are betting their House majority on voters’ supposed gratitude for the 2017 tax cut, but GOP candidates are betting their seats on public opposition to more cheap-labor immigration in 2019.

The leaders’ risky focus on taxes was highlighted by election forecaster Charlie Cook, who told a mid-May meeting of GOP leaders:

that the tax cut did help among Republican voters, but helped only a little and temporarily among independents and did nothing with Democratic voters … The essence of what I said was that if they were going to rely primarily on the tax cuts to hang onto their majority, they were unlikely to succeed.

Cook’s comments were posted by Axios, which also reported that:

A non-leadership source told me it should be a wake up call to leadership, who are fixated on using tax reform as a selling point to voters. But leadership sources disputed that to me, saying tax reform is just one message in their toolkit, though an important one.

GOP leaders diverted attention away from migration by scheduling briefings from two pollsters who have long had close ties to pro-migration business lobbies. Axios reported:

Some were unimpressed by Cook’s presentation and felt that other pollsters who presented to the group — including Kristen Soltis Anderson and David Winston — gave compelling reasons to think messages of tax reform and economic growth would help them this year.

But GOP candidates are focusing on the immigration issue, despite the GOP leaders’ effort to tout taxes. On May 29, USA Today reported how the GOP candidates are spending their advertising dollars:

WASHINGTON – House Republican candidates are blanketing the airwaves with TV ads embracing a hard line on immigration — a dramatic shift from the midterm elections in 2014, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data from Kantar Media.

Republicans have aired more than 14,000 campaign ads touting a tough Trump-style immigration platform this year. The barrage underscores why House GOP leaders worry that passing a legislative fix for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children, referred to as DREAMers, would put GOP candidates at risk heading into the fall election …

“Just about every survey I’ve seen shows that among Republican primary voters, immigration is one of the most important issues, if not the most important,” said Brian Murray, a GOP consultant based in Arizona.

So far, most of the candidate advertising avoids a clash with donors by highlighting the problems about illegal migration and sanctuary cities — but not the damage caused to Americans’ wages by donor-preferred amnesties and cheap-labor.

Many polls show that the GOP candidates’ focus on immigration is a safer bet than the GOP leaders’ focus on tax raises.

For example, the 2018 Battleground Tracker poll by YouGov and CBS showed that 45 percent of likely voters say immigration has worsened their communities, while 42 percent said it had made no difference, and only 13.5 percent said immigration was good for their area. That’s a 31.5 point gap between those who say immigration is good or bad in these swing districts.

In contrast, the tracker poll showed tax issues have a minimal impact. Only 34 percent of independents said the tax-cut was good for them, while 18 percent said it was bad. That is a 16-point advantage, or half the 31.5 percent GOP-advantage in the immigration issue.

The tracker poll was conducted in late May poll. It included 5,923 registered voters in 64 districts, including the districts held by the GOP legislators who are pushing the amnesty-discharge petition. That means the poll included hundreds of registered voters in the districts of GOP Reps. Jeff Denham and Dave Valadao, plus Florida’s Chris Curbelo and Texas’s Will Hurd — and thousands of voters in districts held by the 23 GPO legislators who have signed the petition.

Similarly, a May poll of 1,347 registered voters by the Harvard-Harris showed that 27 percent of independents regard immigration as one of the top three issues “the most important issues facing the country today,” just one point less than the 28 percent who said the economy is the most important issue, and 4 points less than the 31 percent who say healthcare is the most important issue.

Only 9 percent of independents tagged taxes as one of the top three most important issues.

Among the GOP voters, 41 percent said immigration was one of the top three issues. Only 14 percent identified taxes as one of the three top issues. Only 28 percent of GOP voters said the economy was one of the top three issues.

Pulse Opinion Research conducted a poll in Denham’s district of Jeff Denham, one of the loudest advocates for the amnesty petition, and also a beneficiary of the CLF funding. A no-strings amnesty matching Denham’s proposal was opposed by 60 percent of 545 likely voters — and by 50 percent of the roughly 220 Hispanics in the poll, which was funded by pro-reform group, NumbersUSA.

Nonetheless, GOP leaders are zig-zagging their way towards approving an unpopular amnesty for 2 million illegals via the discharge-petition process.

That is s a risky course, admitted Dehnam, the leader of the discharge-amnesty push. In a June 1 article published by the New York Times, Denham said:

There have been some critics who say that this [discharge-petition strategy] could cost us our majority. My concern is if we do nothing, it could cost us our majority. So yes, it’s risky.

This process is being pushed and funded by GOP donors, including donors who say they will close their checkbook to the leaders unless they more cheap workers via an amnesty.

The GOP legislators who support the discharge petition echo the donor’s business-first policy. For example, Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo told the Washington Post that “the party should stand for an immigration system that complements our economy, that is compassionate to the victims of illegal immigration.”

In contrast, Trump was elected by GOP voters who want pro-American immigration reform, not the current business-first immigration rules. 

“I think it’s time to get the whole package,” Trump told Fox News’ anchor Brian Kilmeade in May. “It’s time to get the whole package … We’re going to change the system — we have no choice for the good of our country.” He continued:

A [visa] lottery is ridiculous, you know. I mean, they take people from the lottery where you can imagine these countries are not putting their finest in that lottery, so I don’t like the lottery. Chain migration is a disaster, and you look at what’s going on where somebody comes in who’s bad and yet they’ll have 24 members of a family, not one of them do you want in this country. So chain migration is terrible, lottery is terrible … [and] we have to get rid of catch and release.

Despite the views of voters and the President, House speaker Paul Ryan is convening a caucus meeting on June 7 to talk about the discharge-petition amnesty. But Ryan has the authority to block the amnesty vote by simply declaring the House is not in session on the two days allowed for the vote, June 25 and July 23.

Ryan’s deputies at the National Republican Congressional Committee are ignoring the immigration issue in the 2018 election. Instead, the committees’ ads and funding-pitches are dominated by praise for tax cuts and by threats about a return of Rep. Nancy Pelosi to the Speaker’s chair.

For example, a May 27 fund-raising pitch from Ryan said:

You – the American people – DESERVE a House that will work with President Trump to continue to grow this economy, create jobs, and make things better for the American people. After all, this is the agenda you voted for. We already know what Nancy Pelosi and her far-left allies bring to the table: obstruction, higher taxes, and failed big government policies.

A May 29 fundraising pitch from the third-ranking House GOP leader, Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, said:

This is Nancy Pelosi’s last stand. She is trying everything to ensure she becomes Speaker. If she fails, her fellow Democrats will turn on her to save themselves.

From April 24 to June 4, the NRCC’s Twitter account cited Pelosi 26 times and taxes 50 times — but did do not mention immigration or amnesty even once.

Any June 4 NRCC email asked for donations in honor Trump’s birthday — without mentioning migration:

Over the past two years, President Trump has fought to advance conservative values, cut taxes, and strengthen our economy. He is helping get hard-working Americans back on their feet, and we think he should have an abundance of signatures that reflects gratitude for his successful conservative agenda.

But the issue of lower immigration and higher wages is pushing its way to the front of voters’ attention, Don Trump, Jr. told Breitbart News radio. “The forgotten men that we campaigned on—they’re getting the real benefit” via rising wages, he said, adding:

They’re getting better wages. There’s more demand for their work. They’re able to do that. They’re able to support their families better. That helps their family structure. Everything—I mean, this is what we campaigned on. This is what my father ran on. This is helping the people in what was the forgotten land everywhere between New York City and Malibu that the Democratic Party establishment has forgotten about for decades.

 

 

 

 

via Breitbart News

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Policy Allowing Children to Identify as Transgender Without Parental Permission Reversed

The administration of Delaware Gov. John Carney, a Democrat, has reversed a prior policy proposal that would have allowed children to identify as transgender at school without notifying their parents or obtaining their permission.

Delaware education secretary Susan Bunting reversed course after reviewing some 11,000 comments, the majority opposed to the original provision that was termed an “anti-discrimination” policy.

Bunting’s office said the new version of the policy:

  • Removes the provision that allowed students to make changes on how they were identified without parental involvement and adds a requirement of parental notification and permission; and
  • Substitutes the state’s suggested model policy for a guidance document to assist districts and charters in creating local policies.

The original transgender provision was drafted by a panel consisting of educators, parents, and advocates appointed by Bunting.

In response to the overwhelming number of comments opposed to the original policy, Bunting also changed the purpose of the policy from one that would serve as a model that all school districts in the state would be urged to adopt, to one simply providing “guidance to assist school districts and charter schools in creating an anti-discrimination policy.”

According to the News Journal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Delaware said in response to the reversal that “students who are transgender will not be treated consistent with their core identity or accommodated in any way unless the school requests permission from a parent or guardian.”

The ACLU added the rule will “sacrifice the interests of some of Delaware’s most vulnerable young people in order to appease adults who do not believe in protecting the civil rights of people who are transgender.”

Another group, however, known as United Opposition to DE Regulation 225, said the reversal is “a victory.”

Jonathan Starkey, Carney’s spokesperson, released a statement about the reversal.

“We understand that there are strong feelings on all sides of this issue,” he said, according to WHYY. “There has been a significant amount of public feedback. Secretary Bunting and her team have carefully considered that feedback, and incorporated it into the updated regulation that was published today.”

“We believe the final product will help local districts craft policies that protect students, and involve families every step of the way in these discussions,” Starkey added.

The new policy states:

A school shall request permission from the parent or legal guardian before accommodating a request by a minor student that the school take action to recognize a change in any Protected Characteristic. Prior to requesting such permission, to safeguard the health, safety and well-being of the student, the school shall discuss with the student the permission process and, based on its discussions with the student, assess the degree to which the parent or legal guardian is aware of the change to the Protected Characteristic. If the student does not permit the school to request permission from the parent or legal guardian, then the request to take action shall not be accepted.

“They have created a policy now that in the end does not protect children,’’ said Andrea Rashbaum, a panel member and mother of a child who claims to be transgender. “The idea behind the policy was to protect children and it was to help children who may not have help in other ways. They may not have the social network, may be bullied in school and may not have parents’ support.”

However, state Rep. Rich Collins, a Republican, said the provision would have made parents’ rights subservient to students’ rights.

“I am cautiously optimistic that they have restored parental rights in education Regulation 225,” Collins said Friday. “Assuming that it is exactly as they said, then certainly it is a good thing that parents have been informed.”

Parent Emily Zinos tweeted, “When one parent speaks up, another parent is emboldened to do the same.”

“On and on it goes until thousands have the courage to say gender identity is a lie that hurts children,” she added. “And that’s when school officials start listening.”

Since the policy is a direct reversal of the previous one, Bunting’s office is allowing another public comment period until July 6.

via Breitbart News

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