On Thursday, a Texas Judge Sandee Marion ruled that 11-month-old Tinslee Lewis can be taken off life support against the wishes of the child’s mother Trinity Lewis.
To the disagreement of Ms. Lewis, doctors say Tinslee is in pain and will never recover from her rare heart condition and other medical issues.
Ms. Lewis’ request to “issue an injunction to ensure that the Cook Children’s Medical Center doesn’t end her daughter Tinslee Lewis’ life-sustaining treatment” was denied by Judge Marion, the chief justice of Texas’ Fourth Court of Appeals, CBN News reported.
Tinslee was born premature and suffers from a rare heart defect, chronic lung disease, and severe chronic high blood pressure, according to CBN. “She hasn’t come off a ventilator since going into respiratory arrest in early July and requires full respiratory and cardiac support, deep sedation and to be medically paralyzed. The hospital said doctors believe she’s suffering,” the report noted.
Following the decision, Ms. Lewis and Tinslee’s grandmother Linda Williams spoke out about the ruling.
“This isn’t Tinslee’s first rodeo,” said Ms. Lewis. “She’s made it this far. I know she’s going to continue to fight for her life.”
Asked about the law ordering her daughter to be taken off life support, the young mother told reporters, “It’s not fair and I don’t feel it’s their right to take somebody’s life because they want to stop treating them.”
Williams said she disagrees with doctors who call her granddaughter’s case “hopeless.”
“Even though the doctors are saying it’s hopeless — hopelessness, I don’t believe there is such things as hopelessness, because there is hope,” she said. “What they want to do is remove her from the ventilator, and to me, that is not their decision to make.”
According to CBN, “Doctors at the hospital had planned to remove Tinslee from life support Nov. 10 after invoking the state’s ’10-day rule’ which can be employed when a family disagrees with doctors who say life-sustaining treatment should be stopped. The law stipulates that if the hospital’s ethics committee agrees with doctors, treatment can be withdrawn after 10 days if a new provider can’t be found to take the patient.”
“Hospital officials have said they reached out to more than 20 facilities to see if one would take Tinslee, but all agreed that further care is futile,” the report added.
Texas Right to Life says they will appeal the judge’s decision and keep fighting for Tinslee.
“I am heartbroken over today’s decision because the judge basically said Tinslee’s life is NOT worth living. I feel frustrated because anyone in that courtroom would want more time just like I do if Tinslee were their baby,” Ms. Lewis said in a written statement to Texas Right to Life. “I hope that we can keep fighting through an appeal to protect Tinslee. She deserves the right to live. Please keep praying for Tinslee and thank you for supporting us during this difficult time.”
Judge Marion was not the first judge assigned to the case. “Tarrant County Juvenile Court Judge Alex Kim originally took up the case, but he was removed after Cook Children’s Medical Center filed a motion questioning his impartiality and saying that he bypassed rules to make himself the presiding judge,” The Daily Caller noted in a report posted Thursday. “Marion, who ran for her seat as a Republican, was then assigned to the case.”
U.S. military forces have reportedly killed two top Iranian military commanders involved in terrorism on Thursday night in Iraq in an airstrike in what analysts said was a significantly bigger deal than the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were the two Iranian military leaders who were killed.
BBC reporter Ali Hashem reported: “My sources suggesting that commander of IRGC Quds force Qassem Suleimani and Deputy chief of PMU Abu Mahdi AlMuhandes were in the convoy hit by the U.S. airstrike near Baghdad airport Iraq.”
My sources suggesting that commander of #IRGC Quds force Qassem #Suleimani and Deputy chief of #PMU Abu Mahdi AlMuhandes were in the convoy hit by the #US airstrike near #Baghdad airport #Iraq
Hashem later noted that Iraqi state media reportedly confirmed the news with a PMU source.
“The American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani,” Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces umbrella grouping of Iran-backed militias, told Reuters.
“The attack appears to have been an airstrike that hit two vehicles,” The New York Times reported. “The strike was the second attack at the airport within hours. An earlier attack, late Thursday, involved three rockets that did not appear to have caused any injuries.”
The United States State Department released the following information about the Qods Force, which is a terrorist organization that Qassem Suleimani was in charge of:
The IRGC—most prominently through its Qods Force—has the greatest role among Iran’s actors in directing and carrying out a global terrorist campaign.
In recent years, IRGC Qods Force terrorist planning has been uncovered and disrupted in many countries, including Germany, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kenya, Bahrain, and Turkey.
The IRGC Qods Force in 2011 plotted a brazen terrorist attack against the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. on American soil. Fortunately, this plot was foiled.
In September 2018, a U.S. federal court found Iran and the IRGC liable for the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing which killed 19 Americans.
In 2012, IRGC Qods Force operatives were arrested in Turkey for plotting an attack and in Kenya for planning a bombing.
In January 2018, Germany uncovered ten IRGC operatives involved in a terrorist plot in Germany, and convicted another IRGC operative for surveilling a German-Israeli group.
Numerous analysts said that the airstrike killing the two leaders was greater than the killing of bin Laden and al-Baghdadi.
AJC Global analyst Julie Lenarz tweeted: “If you multiply the death of Osama bin Laden and Abu Bakr al Baghdadi you begin to understand the significance of Soleimani’s death. This man controlled the most powerful state-controlled army of terror.”
If you multiply the death of Osama bin Laden and Abu Bakr al Baghdadi you begin to understand the significance of Soleimani’s death.
This man controlled the most powerful state-controlled army of terror.
Free Beacon writer Noah Pollak wrote: “If this is true, and I hope it is, it’s a bigger deal for the Middle East than the bin Laden raid or the killing of Mughniyeh in 2008. A much, much bigger deal.”
If this is true, and I hope it is, it’s a bigger deal for the Middle East than the bin Laden raid or the killing of Mughniyeh in 2008. A much, much bigger deal. https://t.co/pKrhBCbOvM
The National Washington Correspondent Joyce Karam tweeted, “Hard to understate how big this is • Qassem Suleimani is Iran’s most powerful mil figure in Region • He runs Iran’s proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq • Both men designated by US as Terrorist • Muhandis was at US embassy attack protest, calls himself ‘Suleimani soldier.’”
Hard to understate how big this is
• Qassem Suleimani is Iran’s most powerful mil figure in Region • He runs Iran’s proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq • Both men designated by US as Terrorist • Muhandis was at US embassy attack protest, calls himself “Suleimani soldier”
With a growing number of states granting driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, the Trump administration might be looking at ways to slam on the brakes.
And it’s long overdue.
In a New Year’s Eve memo, according to The Associated Press, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf ordered a review of such laws from all agencies in the DHS, compiling information on how they affect the national security of the United States.
“The Trump administration takes the mission of protecting the Homeland very seriously,” DHS spokeswoman Heather Swift told the AP.
“These types of laws make it easier for terrorists and criminals to obtain fraudulent documents.”
Considering that a driver’s license is unquestionably the most common form of identification for most Americans, and one that’s widely accepted regardless of what state issues it, Swift might have been understating the problem.
Currently, 14 states – including California and New York, the two largest by population — grant driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, according to The Daily Caller.
By this time next year, that number will be at least 15, since New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill in December that will allow the licenses to be granted. That goes into effect in January 2021, according to NorthJersey.com.
And it’s not just the fact that more states are granting driver’s licenses to illegals.
Do you think driver’s licenses for illegal aliens are a security threat to the country?
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According to The Daily Caller, the laws in some of the states– including New York and New Jersey – specifically include prohibitions on sharing information with Homeland Security Investigations, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
That protects illegal aliens from possible deportation, but the fact it also protects potentially dangerous criminals from law enforcement apparently doesn’t concern liberal lawmakers much.
“Laws like New York’s greenlight law have dangerous consequences that have far reaches beyond the DMV,” Swift told The Daily Caller.
“These types of laws make it easier for terrorists and criminals to obtain fraudulent documents and also prevent DHS investigators from accessing important records that help take down child pornography and human trafficking rings and combat everything from terrorism to drug smuggling.”
Wolf’s memo could help form a picture of what that could mean to the nation as a whole. That’s no small development, considering the DHS includes agencies like the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection and the Coast Guard.
Wolfe’s memo seeks information about how licenses for illegals might hinder efforts to fight human trafficking, drug smuggling and, of course, terrorists aiming to strike on American soil.
Liberals scoff at the dangers, of course, because pandering to illegal aliens is part of being “woke” these days.
But for many sane Americans, the idea of state governments providing documents to illegal aliens borders on criminal.
Look at this news article from The Daily Caller: DHS orders review state laws allowing driver’s licenses for illegal aliens This is so dangerous what New York politician’s are doing!! This is insane and makes no sense why they would limit what DHS can do!! https://t.co/8ZW8QwiKCc
— Natalie Liberty Martinez (@NatalieLiberty1) January 1, 2020
Excellent! Some blue states have gone rogue in handing out rights of US citizens to illegal aliens! 💥💥💥DHS orders review state laws allowing driver’s licenses for illegal aliens https://t.co/lnWzQbVq8X
These laws prevent DHS investigators from accessing records that help take down child porn, human trafficking and combat everything from terrorism to drugs
Homeland Security Chief Orders Review Of State Laws Allowing Driver’s Licenses For Illegal Aliens https://t.co/Hm1CtOAKyu
DHS reviewing NY law on illegal licenses begs the question why a state which was subject to the largest terror attack in US history is openly trying to make it easy for such a thing to occur again. #Trump2020
Residents of New York – liberal or not – know first-hand how serious a threat terrorism poses to their own lives and the lives of their countrymen: The rest of the country watched as the Twin Towers were destroyed in 2001, New Yorkers lived it.
Residents of northern New Jersey, just across the Hudson River, did, too.
But liberals in power in both states insist that it’s somehow a good idea to give legal documents to people who have entered the country illegally, and clearly don’t respect its laws in the first place.
It’s not clear what, if anything the federal government can do about the irresponsible behavior of the states in a case like this, but getting a picture of the real danger it could be causing could be the first step toward getting it to stop.
In this case, bad news for illegal immigrants would be good news for the country.
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
From a young age, New Jersey child Benjamin Bruesehoff had always liked “all things girly.”
Whether it was the color pink or items that sparkled, Benjamin “gravitated toward typically feminine things” as early as ages two and three, parents Jamie and Christopher Bruesehoff, an activist writer and a Lutheran pastor respectively, told The Christian Post.
Faced with a child they allege was too “distressed” at the idea of living life as a male to go on, the Bruesehoff’s eventually determined their son was ready — at the ripe old age of eight — to transition into a female.
In the years since, the Bruesehoffs’ son — now going by Rebekah — has blossomed into a transgender activist, lobbying the New Jersey legislature to pass a bill allowing for the alteration of one’s birth certificate to reflect their “gender identity.” Bruesehoff even featured in the LGBT portion of Marvel Comics’ latest public advocacy stunt: the Hero Project.
And in November, the transgender youth made rounds in popular media once again as mother Jamie publicized that he had received a second round of surgically implanted puberty blockers — the first of which came when the boy was just 10 years old.
Apparently, this was something that warranted celebration.
“Today, [Rebekah] showed her strength once again,” Bruesehoff wrote on Facebook. “Today, she did something that was hard and scary.
“Today, Rebekah had her second surgical procedure to place a hormone blocking implant in her arm to prevent her from progressing farther into puberty,” she continued. “This is one example of what medically appropriate, medically necessary, life-affirming, and often literally life-saving treatment looks like for a transgender child.
“That is the face of a girl terrified of hospitals and needles, but more terrified of having to live life as someone she is not,” Bruesehoff added.
“This is allowing my child to live her best life.”
The grandstanding and virtue signaling did not stop there, however, with Bruesehoff proceeding to rail against the Republicans in Washington and across the United States who have, time and again, stood against legislation that would allow parents to medically transition underage children with gender identity disorder.
Heaven forbid mature adults deciding to place their “terrified” child under the knife or needle for the purposes of chemically inhibiting natural biological processes based solely on that child’s partiality toward sparkles and the color pink.
There is nothing “medically appropriate, medically necessary, life-affirming” or “literally life-saving” about this type of medical procedure — particularly when performed on a child.
The Heritage Foundation’s compilation of results for the most comprehensive, long-term medical studies regarding these treatments in Sweden and the U.S. overwhelmingly reveal that “treatments” like gender reassignment surgery have no impact on decreasing suicide rates or increasing long-term happiness among transgender individuals.
Do you think this is child abuse?
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In fact, the Swedish Karolinska Institute’s 30-year study on the subject revealed surgically reassigned transgender individuals in its research sample had a suicide rate 20 times higher than that of their non-transitioned transgender peers.
So let’s just call this what it really is: an opportunity for a couple of left-wing parents to appear empathetic for their friends and social media followers, at the expense of an impressionable, developing young boy.
It’s socially profitable child abuse, plain and simple.
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Ladies and gentlemen, the moment none of you have been waiting for has finally arrived.
One of Hollywood’s biggest film studios is preparing to bring a transgender character into the fold in its beloved franchises.
According to U.K. LGBT news outlet PinkNews, Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige told audiences at a New York Film Academy question-and-answer event last month that openly gay and transgender characters will “absolutely yes” be introduced into the widely loved Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In fact, Feige told the audience such diversity “was always the plan” and LGBT characters are apparently slated to make their first appearances “very soon, in a movie that [the studio is] shooting right now.”
Marvel President Kevin Feige Seems To Confirm That The First Trans Character Is Coming To The MCU https://t.co/KcxTPkRMA8
Judging from an announcement that “The Eternals” will include in its sizable cast of characters the gay superhero Phastos, as well as Marvel’s more recent July 2019 casting call for a younger “trans woman of any ethnicity,” The Daily Wire reports, it is likely diversity will be a focal point of the cinematic universe’s upcoming fourth phase of installments.
Marvel Studios first toyed with introducing openly gay characters in “Avengers: Endgame” — the highest-grossing film of all time and closing chapter of its phase three story — when a supporting character credited as “Grieving Man” confides in protagonist Steve Rogers at the outset of the film about a man he has been dating.
The decision to introduce the so-called Grieving Man was not, however, enough to appease the social justice left.
In fact, popular culture journalists — if you can even call them that — claimed it was a “missed opportunity” and a clear “afterthought,” if not an outright slap in the face.
“As disappointing as [previous] missed opportunities for queer representation were, none of them stung anywhere nearly as much as the Grieving Man’s introduction inadvertently does,” Gizmodo reporter Charles Pulliam-Moore wrote.
“His presence comes across like an inconsequential afterthought, and it doesn’t help matters that the Russos and Marvel appear to be quite pleased with the creative decision,” the writer added.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ features the first openly gay person in a Marvel film. But background character “Grieving Man” is hardly worth getting excited about: https://t.co/UPY6xtwEoIpic.twitter.com/QClZ1db6kj
Statements like this make one thing abundantly clear: despite constant conversation surrounding “diversity” and “inclusion” in popular culture, what the left really wants is spotlight — spotlight for the “marginalized” communities and ignored “identities” of their choosing.
A one-off, throwaway line of dialogue is simply not enough. A single character who happens to be of a certain race, ethnicity, color, creed or sexual orientation is not enough.
A massive floodlight must be shown on that specific trait or identity. And the character who possesses it must embody it at all times. They must be defined by it.
No matter who is making the concessions and no matter how much ground is given, an honest effort to appease the social justice left is never enough.
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And anyone who knows this much should find it absolutely mind-blowing that Marvel Studios — and that the film industry as a whole — is still willing to bend over backwards with massive plans to appease the incredibly vocal minority of people making these demands.
Do studio executives truly believe that Feige’s recently announced intentions to move the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the direction of increased diversity will be met with anything other than further complaints?
Because, if they do, I would happily bet against them.
When these movies hit the silver screen, we will undoubtedly be seeing headlines and editorials attacking Marvel Studios for not giving its newly introduced gay and transgender characters enough of the spotlight or weaving a strong enough social message into the films they star in.
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday night that the Trump administration will not be backing down in Iraq after the attack this week by Iranian-backed terrorists on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Appearing on Fox News’s “Special Report” with guest host Mike Emanuel, Pompeo said that the administration has no plans to evacuate the embassy in Baghdad and no plans to withdraw the troops that are in Iraq.
“This is 40 years of the Islamic Republic of Iran engaged in global terror campaigns, nuclear weapons dreams, and nuclear enrichment capability to existing today,” Pompeo said. “We came in when the previous administration had provided lots of money, lots of money that was used for that nuclear program, lots of money that had been used for terror all around the world develop their missile program.”
“The Trump administration’s taking a very different view,” Pompeo continued. “We put real pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran. We will continue to do so and we saw the president say today we will continue to hold the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable wherever we find their malign activity, and we’ll make sure we have the resources to do so.”
Several minutes later, Pompeo shifted to talking about the devastating effects that the sanctions the Trump administration has leveled against Iran has had on Iran.
“We’ve imposed an incredible economic burden on the regime,” Pompeo said. “We’ve watched the Iranian people demand that their leaders behave differently. You’ve seen the protests. Unfortunately, Iranians responded by killing hundreds of their own citizens.”
“But we’ve watched even in Beirut and in Iraq, even today, we saw protesters today, they weren’t covered in your footage, they weren’t at the embassy, but we saw protesters, real protesters, not Iranian backed militiamen who’d been directed to go to the embassy by [name of foreign official], but rather real protesters demanding to say that those folks at the embassy there, those aren’t Iraqi people,” Pompeo continued. “They’re not people who care about Iraq. We care about Iraq. And we want an Iraq that is free, independent, and sovereign in the United States under President Trump will continue to work on that project.”
WATCH:
Transcript of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s interview on Fox News’s “Special Report” with guest host Mike Emanuel provided via Fox News:
Emanuel: Let’s get the latest from America’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joins us tonight. Good to see you, Mr. Secretary. The images are striking. What is your assessment of what we saw in Baghdad today?
Pompeo: Well, what you saw was Iranian backed terrorists. Many of them are individuals who have been designated terrorist by the United States and others come into the American embassy and posing a risk to American diplomats and personnel inside the embassy. You saw President Trump direct a quick, decisive, prudent response, but making sure that we had all the resources necessary to keep people safe and to secure the compound as well. And as we go into the evening tonight, we’re continuing to watch. We’ll continue to monitor. As you know, Mike, this is a difficult place, tough terrain. And so we continue to take the situation seriously. And President Trump and our entire team are watching it closely.
Emanuel: Any plans to evacuate the embassy in Baghdad, sir?
Pompeo: None.
Emanuel: OK, any plans to pull some of the 5000 U.S. troops in Iraq out?
Pompeo: None.
Emanuel: OK, we are reporting that up to 4,000 more troops, 82nd Airborne could be going into the region to bolster American forces in the region. Is that accurate, sir?
Pompeo: You know, you have to put this in a larger context. This is 40 years of the Islamic Republic of Iran engaged in global terror campaigns, nuclear weapons dreams, and nuclear enrichment capability to existing today. We came in when the previous administration had provided lots of money, lots of money that was used for that nuclear program, lots of money that had been used for terror all around the world develop their missile program. The Trump administration’s taking a very different view. We put real pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran. We will continue to do so and we saw the president say today we will continue to hold the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable wherever we find their malign activity, and we’ll make sure we have the resources to do so.
Emanuel: So is that likely to be more ships in the region, sir?
Pompeo: So, I’ll leave to the Department of Defense to talk about specifics. But make no mistake about what the guidance President Trump has given to both the State Department and the Department of Defense is to make sure that we have all that we need to perform the missions that he set before us with respect to pushing back against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Emanuel: What’s your assessment of the Iraqi government’s response to what we saw at the embassy today?
Pompeo: So we worked alongside them today. Early this morning, spoke with Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi. I spoke with President Barham Salah. Later in the day, some of my officials did. The president spoke, as your piece reported, spoke with the prime minister late in the day to. We were urging them to continue to fulfill their responsibility, their obligation to protect our facility and our people. We were happy to see them to deploy forces there to do that. We continue to ask them to do everything it takes to ensure that that facility is protected as they have an obligation to do.
Emanuel: Is the administration confident the Iraqis can protect U.S. personnel and facilities going forward?
Pompeo: Collectively, we’re going to make sure that that gets done. We’re gonna make sure we do everything we can to keep that facility safe and secure and have the resources to push back against anything that may confront us there.
Emanuel: President Trump tweeted this afternoon, let’s put it on the screen. Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost or damage incurred at any of our facilities. They will pay a very big price. This is not a warning. It is a threat. Happy New Year. Your reaction, sir?
Pompeo: Been working on convincing the Islamic Republic of Iran to be him like a normal nation. For the entire three years we’ve been in office, we inherited a terrible nuclear deal. We had the terrible situation where the regime had lots of money to go foment bad things around the world. We withdrew from the nuclear deal. We’ve imposed an incredible economic burden on the regime. We’ve watched the Iranian people demand that their leaders behave differently. You’ve seen the protests. Unfortunately, Iranians responded by killing hundreds of their own citizens. But we’ve watched even in Beirut and in Iraq, even today, we saw protesters today, they weren’t covered in your footage, they weren’t at the embassy, but we saw protesters, real protesters, not Iranian backed militiamen who’d been directed to go to the embassy by [name of foreign official], but rather real protesters demanding to say that those folks at the embassy there, those aren’t Iraqi people. They’re not people who care about Iraq. We care about Iraq. And we want an Iraq that is free, independent, and sovereign in the United States under President Trump will continue to work on that project.
Emanuel: We reported at the top 100 U.S. Marines going to the embassy. They’re all there, sir?
Pompeo: They’re all there’s a security and deterrence to ensure that we have the resources available to combat anything that should come at the embassy, but also to signal very clearly to those who might think about bringing harm to our facility, to our people, that they ought to think twice. These are very capable young men prepared to deliver real force if that’s what’s called upon.
Emanuel: Are other assets likely to go into Iraq if necessary?
Pompeo: Absolutely, if required. I’m confident President Trump will authorize whatever it takes to keep American young men and women safe wherever we find them, not only at our embassy, but at the other locations and facilities we have where there are Americans today.
Emanuel: Now that ISIS is largely defeated, is your sense that the Iranians really want the United States out of the region so there’s a big void there?
Pompeo: You know, I think they probably do. But more than that, the Islamic Republic, Iran has had a singular mission right there. They’re kleptocrats, they’re theocrats. And they want to steal stuff, loot and destroy the lives of their own people. And they do that. They think they’re protecting themselves by committing terror all around the world, by assassinating people in Europe. The Islamic Republic run has fundamentally failed the Iranian people and I am convinced that the Iranian people know that. And you’ve seen President Trump make very clear we will continue to support the Iranian people.
Emanuel: You’ve made it clear the United States is not going anywhere in terms of its resources there. What do you think would happen if the United States were to leave Iraq?
Pompeo: No, I don’t want engage in hypothetical. We’re engaged. You talked about ISIS, we’re still there working to build out the Iraqi security forces to conduct the counter ISIS campaign, there’s still a threat of terrorism in parts of Iraq and in Anbar province and other places. President Trump is committed to completing that mission. We talked about this in the context of Syria several months back, which said for the caliphate is gone. President Trump put together a strategy that delivered the destruction and defeat 100% lock, stock and barrel of the caliphate. Now we have responsible ensure that the remnants of ISIS can’t harm us here in the United States of America.
Emanuel: Are more airstrikes likely, sir, on Iranian backed assets in the region?
Pompeo: I don’t comment on future activity, only say simply that we’re committed to the project that we began when we made the policy decision that President Trump’s direction, that we’re going to push back against the Islamic Republic of Iran to create stability throughout the Middle East. We’re still fully committed to that mission.
Police Findings at Clinic of Abortionist Ulrich Klopfer Who Worked Under Buttigieg’s Watch as Mayor
Joe Raedle / Getty ImagesDemocratic presidential candidate South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during a campaign event in The Skate Pit on Dec. 29, 2019 in Knoxville, Iowa. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
A preliminary report from the Indiana attorney general describes the conditions of an abortion clinic in South Bend, Indiana, where a prolific abortionist operated under 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s watch as mayor.
Ulrich Klopfer ran three different Indiana abortion clinics during his lifetime and performed more than 30,000 abortions since he began operating in 1974.
Authorities examined each of the clinics and detailed their findings in the AG report, which examines Klopfer’s misconduct, the resulting suspension of his medical license, and the subsequent finding of more than 2,000 fetal remains that were from 2000 to 2002 in his Illinois home.
Buttigieg served as mayor of South Bend since 2012 while the late Klopfer provided “general gynecological care, surgical and medical abortions, and vasectomies” out of the Women’s Pavilion Clinic.
The report stated Klopfer closed the Women’s Pavilion in 2016 following the suspension of his medical license.
The Indiana Medical Board suspended his license after finding Klopfer guilty of a number of health violations, according to the report:
for failing to make sure that qualified staff were present when patients were given or recovering from medications for abortion;
for failing to document in records that women had been provided with information and counseling 18 hours prior to their abortion;
for knowingly failing to report an abortion performed on at least two 13-year-old girls;
and for repeatedly engaging in a “pattern of conduct which demonstrated an inability to exercise reasonable care.”
Police searched the South Bend Women’s Pavilion, as well as a vacant lot owned by Klopfer near the clinic, on Sept. 19 following the discovery of more than 2,000 fetal remains in Klopfer’s garage, the report stated.
At the Women’s Pavilion, authorities did not find fetal remains but did find “the building in complete disarray,” covered in unsecured and scattered health records, with “boxes, garbage, and debris stacked from floor to ceiling in each room.”
“Upon entering the clinic, it was apparent that unsecured health records were strewn about the waiting area and throughout the facility,” the report reads.
“Health records were intermingled with boxes upon boxes of miscellaneous items including car parts, rotting food, unsterilized used medical instruments, hundreds of empty soda cans and protein shake bottles, various personal items, and medical supplies — including loose syringes,” the report added.
“Some of the health records were soaking in an unidentified liquid and were covered in mold.”
Buttigieg’s campaign did not respond requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation about the conditions of the South Bend clinic. Buttigieg did comment on the discovery of fetal remains in September.
“I find that news out of Illinois extremely disturbing and I think it’s important that that be fully investigated,” Buttigieg said.
“I also hope that it doesn’t get caught up in politics at a time when women need access to health care. There’s no question that what happened is disturbing. It’s unacceptable.”
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Founder of Liberal Vox Rings in New Year by Spreading Fake News in Viral Tweet
Dan Kitwood / Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump attends the NATO summit at the Grove Hotel on Dec. 4, 2019 in Watford, England. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)
Vox founder and editor-at-large Ezra Klein capped off his year by spreading misinformation in a viral tweet on Tuesday.
Klein tweeted out a nine-month-old Washington Post article alleging that counties that hosted Trump rallies saw massive spikes in hate crimes compared to counties that didn’t host Trump rallies.
Klein’s tweet had garnered more than 7,000 retweets and more than 14,000 likes by Wednesday afternoon.
But what Klein didn’t tell his 2.5 million followers was that the article was based on a study that was thoroughly debunked months ago by researchers at Harvard University.
“We found that counties that had hosted a 2016 Trump campaign rally saw a 226 percent increase in reported hate crimes over comparable counties that did not host such a rally.” https://t.co/zy0093lPoH
“The study is wrong, and yet journalists ran with it anyway,” Harvard researchers Matthew Lilley and Brian Wheaton wrote in a September article published in Reason magazine.
When Lilley and Wheaton tried to replicate the original study, they found that “adding a simple statistical control for county population to the original analysis causes the estimated effect of Trump rallies on reported hate incidents to become statistically indistinguishable from zero.”
The criteria relied upon for the first study actually demonstrated that rallies for former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton “contribute to an even greater increase in hate incidents than Trump rallies,” they noted.
“Given how little scrutiny was required to reveal the flaws in the thesis that Trump rallies cause hate incidents, one cannot help but wonder whether its viral status was aided by journalists predisposed to believe its message,” the Harvard researchers added.
Klein has yet to delete his viral-but-misleading tweet, even after others pointed out that he was promoting a debunked study.
Two bloody tragedies, just a few hours apart on December 28-29—the mass stabbings at a synagogue in Monsey, New York, and the thwarted mass shooting at a church in Forth Worth, Texas—have put questions about guns and public safety in a valuable new light.How do we stay safe?Especially in our houses of worship?And what should we do about the menace of marauders in our midst?
Yet at the same time, we could also say that the New York and Texas attacks put the public safety issue in a valuable old light.How so?Because we are seeing the right of each state to make its own decisions—for better or for worse, as the case might be—as enshrined in our founding document, the U.S. Constitution.
That is, the Founders fully intended for the states, not the central government, to take responsibility for many matters.As James Madison wrote in Federalist #45, published in 1788 as the Constitution was being ratified, “In the first place it is to be remembered that the general government is not to be charged with the whole power of making and administering laws.Its jurisdiction is limited to certain enumerated objects. … The [state] governments … will retain their due authority and activity.”
This is federalism.Federalism isthe principle that the states should be sovereign, operating within our national federal system; as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote in 1932, the individual states should each be “laboratories of democracy.” Hopefully, over the long run, these “laboratories” will all find their way to better results, although, of course, there can be no guarantee that every state will do the smart thing.
Sometimes, perhaps the best we can hope for is that the failures of some states will at least provide instruction to the others; as Army drill sergeants say to dud recruits, You can still serve a useful purpose—as a bad example!
So now, in the last few days, we’ve seen the results of two grisly “experiments” within our federal system.In New York, the assailant at the Netzach Yisroel congregation managed to stab five worshipers before he was subdued by the police.In Texas, the assailant at the West Freeway Church of Christ managed to shoot and kill two innocent victims before he himself was killed by an armed parishioner.The Fort Worth cops were rushing to the church, and yet, were it not for heroes already on the premises, the assailant might have killed many more in those precious seconds and minutes.
Indeed, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Joeff Williams paid tribute to West Freeway’s vigilant guardians on the afternoon of December 29: “The citizens who were inside that church undoubtedly saved 242 other parishioners. … It was miraculous. … [They were] true heroes.”
And Williams’ Republican boss, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, has been fully supportive of the armed-citizen concept; and as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick added, “The immediate responder is the most important.”
In fact, the state’s Republican leadership as a whole deserves credit for helping keep churchgoers safe. As The Forth Worth Star-Telegramreported, a 2017 legal ruling from the state’s attorney general clarified the legal right of churchgoers (with the church’s permission) to bear the arms needed to defend the congregation:
A Texas law went into effect in September 2017 that allows churches to hire armed guards. Attorney General Ken Paxton clarified months later that the law also allows licensed handgun owners to bring their firearms to church as long as the church does not oppose it. The clarification was released in an opinion by Paxton after a November 2017 shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. Twenty-six people were fatally shot, and another 20 were wounded.
We might note that at the time of this Texas ruling, national liberals were spluttering with outraged opposition. For instance, in 2017, Joe Biden sniffed about Paxton’s legal brief, “It’s just absolutely irrational. It’s totally irrational.”
Yet now, in 2019, we can see the life-and-death difference that robust self-defense can make: If an evil-minded gunman walks into an undefended church, he can kill or injure scores.But if an evil-doer walks into a defended church, he himself is dead within seconds.Sorry, Middle Class Joe: It’s totally rational for churches to be prepared for trouble.
As the West Freeway church’s senior minister, Britt Farmer, said on December 29, “I’m thankful our government has allowed us the opportunity to protect ourselves.”
Farmer’s words thus echo what National Rifle Association President Wayne LaPierre said back in 2012: “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.”
Ever since, the Main Stream Media has been scoffing at LaPierre’s words.For instance, here’s a 2018 headline from our friends at ABC News: “Breaking down the NRA-backed theory that a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun.”The MSM, in other words, seems to think that if a conservative issue is just “broken down” and “explained” better, then conservatives will see the error of their ways and become liberals.
Or maybe not.As Brad Palumbo recently wrote in the Washington Examiner:
Many Democrats and liberal media figures sneer at the “good guy with a gun” narrative when it comes to the debate over gun control, dismissing it as a myth clung to by Bible-thumping rednecks.Yet, if there was ever a single incident to remind us just how wrong they are, it’s the tragic church shooting that was thankfully stopped in its tracks on Sunday.
And yet, it’s not just Fort Worth.Studies show that good guys with guns thwart hundreds of thousands of crimes a year.
Still, not everyone agrees with Texas’s safety logic, and in our Madisonian federal system, states have the right to disagree with each other.For instance, New York is led by Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo; he’s one of those Wall Street-oriented progressives; that is, a Mike Bloomberg type. Indeed, Bloomberg must be pleased with Cuomo’s devotion to his cause, no matter what.
So we can see: Two different states—the Lone Star State, run by a Republican, and the Empire State, run by a Democrat—have chosen two different responses to horrible challenges.These states aren’t just laboratories of democracy; they are also laboratories of public safety.
In the meantime, as we watch this ongoing process of democratic experimentation unfold, we might reach a few conclusions, five, in fact:
First, it should be better understood that choices about guns can be a key issue in any state.For instance, when New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz first heard the news, she was terse and to the point: “We need guns.”A few minutes later, she added, “Every synagogue needs an armed guard.Every synagogue needs armed worshipers.”
Yet as we have seen, worshipers in Texas are already free to arm and to protect themselves—and so now, what sort of self-defense is legal in New York?Are New Yorkers happy with their liberal anti-gun governor?Are they happy with the status quo?We’ll know more in the next statewide election. In fact, we’re already seeing plenty of evidence–visual evidence, complete with the open carrying of self-defense weapons—that Jews in the New York region are taking seriously the threats they face from lowlifes; so now we’ll have to stay tuned as Cuomo/Bloomberg-type liberals evaluate this new challenge to their gun-control zeal.
Second, pro-Second Amendment forces, joined by others concerned about public safety, should draft up language replicating that of Texas Attorney General Paxton in clarifying gun rights in holy places.The idea would be to make sure that any congregation is guaranteed the right to be as safe as was the West Freeway church.Indeed, such language could be turned into a campaign pledge that candidates could be asked to make during election campaigns.We could call it the Church Protection Pledge.
Third, let’s ask: How quickly can President Trump bring together these heroes—the hero-defenders in Texas, at least one of whom, Jack Wilson, has been identified, and the hero-cops in New York, who have also been identified–to a televised ceremony at the White House?All these heroes certainly deserve honoring, both the volunteers and the police.
As Trump said of the good-guys-with-guns in a tweet on December 30, “Lives were saved by these heroes, and [by] Texas laws allowing them to carry arms!” So now, an in-person White House moment would send a valuable further signal to the nation—namely, that gun and self-defense rights are worth protecting, and that true heroes are worth truly honoring.If the Democrats don’t approve of such protecting and honoring, they are free, of course, to criticize.
Fourth, We need to take a hard look at policies that let active criminals run free; it’s one thing to show clemency to elderly prisoners who are clearly past the age of active criminality. It’s quite another thing to let young suspects loose, often with no bail, and even young convicts loose, often with no sentence. In the words of Liel Leibowitz, writing for the Jewish publication Tablet, “Letting violent, hate-filled bigots walk free to commit more violent hate crimes as a matter of public policy is the definition of insanity. It’s evil.” In fact, as of January 1, New York State has further loosened its laws. Note to New Yorkers and potential tourists: The bad old crime days of the 1970s are already making a comeback, and the problem will only get worse.
Fifth, we should find new and permanent ways to celebrate these heroes—the good guys with the guns, whether or not the guns actually had to be used.As we know, the left finds a way to celebrate its heroes; so we on the right should celebrate our heroes.
It would be cool for conservative activists to hail the courage of these stalwarts who confronted evil, looked it in the eye—and shot it dead.(Or otherwise brought the wicked to justice.) Indeed, such hailing could be regularized and systematized—on new media, social media, any kind of media—across the nation.There are, after all, such brave and resolute heroes in every state, and they all deserve to be valorized.
We might also note that these days, video cameras seem omnipresent—because of security cameras, as well as smart phones, drones, etc.—and so we find ourselves in an interesting situation, in which that many remarkable events are now digitally recorded. In other words, the deeds of heroes are likely to remembered forever, if, that is, we take the trouble to remember them. So the challenge to the right is to remember, with an eye toward replication: The more we lionize heroes, the more heroic lions we are likely to get. And we need them, now more than ever!
Once again, if the Democrats disagree as to who’s a hero, they are free to criticize. And that should be fine with Republicans, because under our Constitution, everyone is free to be right—or wrong.
In fact, it’s hard to think of better ground on which to fight the 2020 election—or any election.
President Donald Trump’s administration has spent 2019 making significant strides in accomplishing his America First agenda.
Here are seven agency success stories that have taken place this year:
#1 HUD: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the leadership of Dr. Ben Carson is one of the most prolific in accomplishments, or at least in making them public. The six-page report is divided into these categories: Advancing Economic Opportunity, Protecting Taxpayers, Reducing Regulatory Barriers, Funding Disaster Recovery at Historic Levels, Serving the Nation’s Most Vulnerable, and Spurring Reinvestment in Communities.
The details can be read here, but the aforementioned categories reveal that HUD is busy putting the president’s American First policies in place.
#2 USDA: The United State Department of Agriculture released the announcement of its 2019 accomplishments on December 19:
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today applauded the accomplishments made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over the past year. USDA has continued enacting President Trump’s goals of regulatory reform, streamlining government, and refocusing USDA to be customer oriented.
“At USDA it is our honor to work on behalf of America’s farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers. This was a tough year with historic weather damage and unjustified trade retaliation. Our goal was to ‘Do Right and Feed Everyone’ by implementing much needed farm bill programs, enacting President Trump’s Support Package for Farmers, and continuing to feed and clothe this nation and the world,” said Secretary Perdue. “As we look to 2020, we want to build upon trade accomplishments like the Phase 1 Deal with China, USMCA, and Japan, and open up new markets to help sell the bounty of American agriculture, all while removing the burden of government regulations from the backs of hardworking Americans.”
In May, Secretary Perdue stepped foot in Utah making it his 50th state visited since becoming Secretary. Since being sworn in, he has traveled nearly 160,000 miles, held over 220 town hall discussions and roundtables, and visited nearly 100 farms across the country listening to America’s farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers. Throughout his travels, Secretary Perdue has met with a number of folks who have had specific problems when it comes to working with the federal government. The Secretary has taken those concerns back to Washington, D.C. and has worked to deliver concrete solutions to the problems facing farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers. Watch this video to hear from some of the people Secretary Perdue has delivered for since visiting them and check out this Medium website to learn more about Secretary Perdue’s journey to all 50 states.
#3 DOE: The United States Department of Energy also had many accomplishments in 2019. It’s report, published on December 10, can be read here.
Some of the highlights include:
• Established the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office
• Developed and Identified the Energy Cybersecurity Workforce of Today and Tomorrow
• Led Emergency Response through the its Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response team, which “was activated for 79 days to date in 2019 and played an integral role in restoration, recovery, and energy security efforts in at least six states.”
• Established the Equity in Energy Initiative to help underserved communities.
• Announced the DOE Energy-Water Desalination Hub as part of the White House Water Security Grand Challenge: “DOE announced nearly $100 million for the National Alliance for Water Innovation to lead a DOE Energy-Water Desalination Hub, which will address water security issues in the United States.”
• “Over the past year, DOE has made significant progress in the treatment and disposal of nuclear waste, and in the fulfillment of its promise to do so.”
•Resumed activities in the uranium leasing program as part of Trump’s agenda of providing uninterrupted domestic uranium production.
The DOE also is home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners:
The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino “for the development of lithium-ion batteries.” Both Goodenough and Whittingham are longtime DOE Office of Science-supported researchers who have helped the Office of Science and the Department chart an effective path forward in transformative research on energy storage.
#4 DOL: The U.S. Department of Labor did not release a list of accomplishments as such but issued several press releases on New Year’s Eve revealing its year-long efforts to protect American workers. The headlines included:
• Judge Orders Michigan Landscaping Company to Pay Misclassified Employees $118,426 in Back Wages and Damages
• U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Uncovers Minimum Wage, Overtime, Child Labor Violations at West Texas Restaurant
• U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Recovers $541,597 in Wages for Workers with Disabilities at Alabama Facilities
• Pool Company Pays Penalties for Child Labor Violations Following a U.S. Department of Labor Investigation
• U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Pennsylvania Landscaping Company Paying $74,290 in Back Wages and Penalties For H-2B Visa Program Violations
• U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $130,000 for Employees of San Marcos, Texas Security Company to Resolve Minimum Wage, Overtime Violations
#5 NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is pare to the U.S. Department of Commerce, summarized its 2019 annual accomplishments report:
For NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), Fiscal Year 2019 was a year filled with new challenges and new achievements. In FY19: we provided scientific support for 133 pollution-related incidents (including a historic World War II tanker); we provided disaster coordination during the 2019 hurricane season through the Disaster Preparedness Program; we helped to settle seven pollution cases, resulting in $28 million for natural resource restoration; and we made major advances in data management.
Each year, we put annual report as an overview of the efforts in oil and chemical spill response, shoreline restoration, marine debris reduction, and the many other tasks OR&R accomplished. These accomplishments show our dedication to science-based solutions for protecting and restoring natural resources from coastal hazards.
#6 USCIS: Ken Cuccinelli, principal deputy director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said this about his agency’s accomplishments in 2019:
FY 2019 has been a historic year for USCIS and we have achieved many of President Trump’s goals to make our immigration system work better for America. As an agency, we have worked hand-in-hand with our fellow DHS components to answer President Trump’s call to address the ongoing crisis at our southern border. In the face of congressional inaction, we’ve taken significant steps to mitigate the loopholes in our asylum system, combat fraudulent claims and strengthen the protections we have in place to preserve humanitarian assistance for those truly in need of it. Meanwhile, the men and women of USCIS continue to administer our nation’s lawful immigration system, processing a large number of applications and requests while naturalizing 833,000 new U.S. citizens, an 11-year high.
In the coming year, we will continue to use every tool available to us to deliver on President Trump’s promises to the American people. We will continue to fulfill his goals to strengthen our nation’s strained immigration system and alleviate the crisis at our border while the agency continues to fairly and efficiently adjudicate the applications of those seeking lawful status in the U.S.
#7 FEMA: And while the Federal Emergency Management Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, doesn’t have a list of accomplishments in 2019, it does reveal that while the Trump administration has been harshly criticized by the left for the response to Hurricanes Maria and Irma that struck Puerto Rico, the year ended with more aid to the the U.S. territory:
FEMA and the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience, or COR3, have obligated over $20.5 million in additional funds for 37 projects related to the recovery and reconstruction of Puerto Rico. These funds were obligated between December 20 and December 26.
FEMA and COR3 continue to work together to develop strategies that advance recovery projects. To date, over $6 billion has been approved for Puerto Rico under FEMA’s Public Assistance program.
The latest grants obligated are as follows:
Over $6.7 million for administrative costs
Over $6 million for emergency protective measures
Over $5.1 million for repairs to roads and bridges
Nearly $1.3 million for repairs to public buildings and equipment
Over $1.2 million for work related to parks and recreational facilities
