NBA superstar LeBron James&#8217; rebuke of Houston Rockets’ General Manager Daryl Morey for advocating for Hong Kong&#8217;s freedom has been met with strong pushback from pro-democracy Hong King protesters, who took to social media to ask whether the Lakers star has been &#8220;brainwashed&#8221; by Communist Chinese propaganda or simply &#8220;bought.&#8221;
&#8220;We all talk about this freedom of speech, yes, we all do have freedom of speech, but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you’re not thinking about others and you’re only thinking about yourself,” James <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lebron-bows-to-communist-china-pro-hong-kong-advocates-not-educated-negative-things-come-with-free-speech">told</a> reporters before a game Monday when asked about the NBA-China controversy started by Morey simply tweeting &#8220;Fight For Freedom Stand With Hong Kong&#8221; before being pressured to delete it and apologize.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to get into a word or sentence feud with Daryl Morey, but I believe he wasn&#8217;t educated on the situation at hand, and he spoke,&#8221; James continued. &#8220;And so many people could have been harmed not only financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually. So just be careful what we tweet and say and we do, even though, yes, we do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negative that comes with that, too. &#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
LeBron James rips Daryl Morey, says Morey was uneducated. Says, “We do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negatives that come with that too.” Really. <a href="https://t.co/ZTw6a3FZ5n">pic.twitter.com/ZTw6a3FZ5n</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1183921775647875072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Amid outrage over his dismissive comments on the foundational principle of freedom of expression and his suggestion that those who defend Hong Kong are &#8220;misinformed,&#8221; James took to Twitter to &#8220;clear up the confusion&#8221; — but only  ended up inspiring more backlash.
&#8220;Let me clear up the confusion. I do not believe there was any consideration for the consequences and ramifications of the tweet. I’m not discussing the substance. Others can talk about that,&#8221; James <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1183934373671735296">tweeted</a>, adding in a follow-up <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1183934569411530752">post</a>: &#8220;My team and this league just went through a difficult week. I think people need to understand what a tweet or statement can do to others. And I believe nobody stopped and considered what would happen. Could have waited a week to send it.&#8221;
James&#8217; &#8220;clarification&#8221; ended up prompting more criticism for his attempt to paint himself and his team as the true victims of the situation. As reported by <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hong-kong-protestors-lebron-james-he-supports-totalitarianism-1247621">The Hollywood Reporter</a>, &#8220;many in Hong Kong argued that any such unpleasantness was little compared to police brutality.&#8221;
&#8220;The online platform LIHKG, the forum favored by Hong Kong&#8217;s protestors, was awash with criticism and handwringing Tuesday,&#8221; THR reports, citing a few examples of posts by outraged protesters, including &#8220;Has he been brainwashed by the Chinese Communist Party&#8217;s fake news or has he been bought?&#8221;
THR notes that others sarcastically retweeted James&#8217; past pro-free speech statements, including one from January 15, 2018 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. &#8220;Injustice Anywhere Is A Threat To Justice Everywhere- Our Lives Begin To End The Day We Become Silent About Things That Matter- #ThankYouMLK50,&#8221; tweeted James.
&#8220;Martin Luther King Jr. fought for civil rights, but LeBron James supports totalitarianism?&#8221; asked one protester. Another wrote in disbelief that &#8220;someone from the U.S. would not cherish the precious freedom of speech they have.&#8221;
James&#8217; complaint about him and his team going through &#8220;a difficult week&#8221; because of Morey expressing support of the pro-democracy protests was also met with severe backlash in the states — online, in the media and in the political world.
In an op-ed for <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/dan-wolken/2019/10/14/lebron-james-daryl-morey-china-hong-kong-tweet/3982436002/">USA Today</a>, Dan Wolken issued a heavily sarcastic apology to James. &#8220;On behalf of the 327 million American citizens who generally believe that freedom is good and authoritarian regimes are less good, let me apologize to LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers. It must have been a real inconvenience to take that 13-hour chartered flight to China last week and hang around a luxury hotel in Shanghai for five days while promotional appearances got canceled.&#8221;
&#8220;Gosnell&#8221; director Nick Searcy also blasted James for trying to make himself the victim, <a href="https://twitter.com/yesnicksearcy/status/1183939775666933760">tweeting</a>, &#8220;We are so sorry for your pain. Not as sorry as those imprisoned in Chinese re-education camps, but pretty sorry.&#8221; Many others on Twitter issued similar rebukes.
While many have felt compelled to call out James, thus far &#8220;woke&#8221; ESPN has covered the story pretty straight, its main <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27847951/daryl-morey-was-misinformed-sending-tweet-china-hong-kong">coverage</a> simply reporting what the Lakers star said.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/turkish-born-celtics-player-rips-lebron-over-china-comments-freedom-is-not-free">Turkish-Born Celtics Player RIPS LeBron Over China Comments: ‘Freedom Is Not Free’</a>

LeBron James

Pro-Democracy Hong Kong Protesters Unload On LeBron: ‘Brainwashed’ Or ‘Bought’?

ESPN

Free Speech

Hong Kong

Kurdish forces, facing a well-armed and aggressive Turkey, appear to have turned to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/14/middleeast/syria-turkey-kurds-civilians-isis-intl-hnk/index.html">the Syrian government</a> — meaning its sponsors in Iran and Russia — for rescue. It makes sense in historical terms, although it is likely to be bloody in current ones. Historical, in this case, means before the U.S. military presence in the northern part of the country.
The Syrian government is a minority Alawite (heterodox Shiite) one that had maintained control by allying with other minority groups in the country — such as Kurds and Christians — and with the Shiite rulers of Iran in order to keep a boot on the neck of the majority Sunni population. The war criminal Bashar al-Assad was simply following in his war criminal father’s footsteps —  in 1982, Hafez al-Assad <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/from-the-archive-blog/2011/aug/01/hama-syria-massacre-1982-archive">massacred tens of thousands of Sunnis</a> in the town of Hama, ensuring general quiet until 2011. Young Bashar, being a less efficient criminal, has killed more than half a million people (the U.N. stopped counting in 2016) and creating what the <a href="https://www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/statistics/">U.N. estimated in 2018</a> to be more than 13 million displaced people — more than six million <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internally_displaced_person">internally</a> plus more than three million in Turkey and one million more in Lebanon.
Most of them are Sunni. Deliberately.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, declared two goals in the current operation: To remove what he considers a threat from a terrorist organization, the PKK (set this aside for a moment), and to open the way to resettle more than one million Syrian refugees back in Syria. The refugees have become a political and economic liability for Turkey’s government.
Shiite Iran, one of Syria’s sponsors, was furious, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/iran-holds-military-drills-near-turkey-tells-it-stop-syria-attack-russia-accuses-us-1464124">warning Turkey</a> not to enter Syrian territory. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-opposes-military-action-in-syria-zarif-tells-turkey/">explicit</a>, denouncing military action and “urging respect for Syria’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.” His statement stressed “the need for the fight against terrorism and for the establishment of stability and security in Syria.”
Iran is less concerned about Kurds — PKK or otherwise — than with the disposition of the mostly-Sunni refugees. Iran’s entry into Syria in command of tens of thousands of Shiite troops — not primarily Iranians, but Pakistanis, Afghans, and others commanded by the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — was a wedge designed to <a href="https://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/2019/03/22/dividing-up-the-syrian-corpse/">ethnically cleanse the Sunni center</a> of the country. Alawites generally live along the Mediterranean coast and Kurds in the north and northeast. Decimating the center would allow Iran to move overland from Iran through Iraq and then into Syria and Lebanon, firming up the long-sought <a href="https://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/2019/09/03/the-shiite-crescent-and-regional-disaster/">Shiite Crescent</a> — Israel’s nightmare. American troops <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2169776/tanf-tiny-us-special-forces-base-big-role-donald-trumps-syria">remain in southern Syria and in Jordan</a> to prevent consolidation of such a route.
Russia, Syria’s other sponsor, is mainly concerned with maintenance of its bases, air and naval, on the coast. Deeply committed to the Assad regime — and complicit in its crimes — Russia will be satisfied with whatever brings more of Syria under the control of Damascus. Russia’s position since 2011 is that Syria is a country in civil war and only forces invited by the government should be permitted there.
For now, two of America’s adversaries — Iran and Russia — are willing to push Turkey back on behalf of the Kurds, not to befriend the Kurds but to discomfit Turkey. This is the long-term nature of the conflict. Russia and Turkey are historic adversaries; Turkey and Iran are historic adversaries. Russia has coveted warm water ports, including Mediterranean bases; Iran has coveted the Crescent. Four hundred years of <a href="https://istanbulclues.com/ottoman-empire-maps-and-facts/">Ottoman Turkish occupation</a> of the region that at one point included the entire Levant, the Balkans to Hungary, North Africa, the Crimean Khanate, and a border with Iran in the Caucasus down to Basra, should suggest that Turkey has been a thorn in the backside of a lot of people for a long time. The Armenian genocide and the massive transfer of the Greek population in the early part of the 20th century were last gasps of the Ottoman Empire.
But in the 21st century, apparently, Erdogan has delusions. The Russians and Iranians have dealt with them before — the West hasn’t since the Siege of Vienna. The United States never has.
The Kurds are friends of the United States, and the U.S. has worked with them in Iraq and in Syria — more successfully in the former than in the latter. Their present situation is much to be lamented, but it is clear that the United States is unwilling — and ill-prepared — to destroy the government of modern Syria and redistribute the territory. That being so, it will not find an appropriate spot in the fight among three revanchist, expansionist regional powers.
&nbsp;
Shoshana Bryen is senior director of <a href="https://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/">The Jewish Policy Center</a> in Washington, D.C.

Turkish tanks in Syria

BRYEN: History Before And After America

Donald Trump

Foreign Policy

Kurds

Middle East

Syria

Turkey

On Friday, anti-Trump protesters became violent outside the rally venue for President Donald Trump in Minneapolis , assaulting at least one female Trump supporter walking out of the event. 
In video captured by Alpha News MN, a young woman walking hand-in-hand with a young man in a pro-Trump “Make America Great Again” hoodie was sucker-punched by a female anti-Trump protester. 
&#8220;After the [Donald Trump] rally in Minneapolis, his supporters were attacked by left-wing extremists. An unprovoked assault on a woman was caught on camera by [Alpha News MN],” reported journalist Andy Ngo. “Mayor [Jacob Frey] defends charging Trump campaign $530k for public safety.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
After the <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> rally in Minneapolis, his supporters were attacked by left-wing extremists. An unprovoked assault on a woman was caught on camera by <a href="https://twitter.com/AlphaNewsMN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlphaNewsMN</a>. Mayor <a href="https://twitter.com/Jacob_Frey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jacob_Frey</a> defends charging Trump campaign $530k for public safety. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/antifa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#antifa</a> <a href="https://t.co/fGBzUiMMOQ">https://t.co/fGBzUiMMOQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/MgbsDh60NR">pic.twitter.com/MgbsDh60NR</a>
&mdash; Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1183602989451436033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Before the same rally, a far-left protester spit on an older gentleman wearing a MAGA hat. The moment was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-trump-thug-spits-in-trump-supporters-face-heres-how-he-responded">caught on video</a> by Vice News; the Trump supporter was mid-interview with the outlet when he was victimized. 
“Dave Carlson, a salesman in Minnesota, was sharing why he donates to President Trump’s campaign when a protestor openly spat in his face and kept walking by,” <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wjw7gq/protester-spits-on-trump-supporter-during-interview-at-minneapolis-rally">reported</a> Vice’s Elizabeth Landers. 
“That’s not how people really feel, that is f***ing disrespectful,” another anti-Trump protester told the victim. “On the other hand, that s*** is disrespectful as f***, too,” he added, pointing to the Trump hat. “So there’s a difference.”
The Trump supporter told him he “respects” his “opinion.” 
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Caught On Camera:
Protester Spits On Trump Supporter During Interview at Minneapolis Rally. <a href="https://t.co/VUcKAxVMxu">pic.twitter.com/VUcKAxVMxu</a>
&mdash; Alpha News MN (@AlphaNewsMN) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlphaNewsMN/status/1183136509764857856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As reported by Fox News’ Matt Finn, anti-Trump protesters, including far-left and typically violent Antifa protesters, lit MAGA hats on fire and antagonized the police, whom they called “pigs.” 
“Breaking: outside Minneapolis Trump rally. Protestors lighting Maga hats on fire. Rushing police. Calling them pigs, etc. Escalating scene,” Finn reported. 
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Breaking: outside Minneapolis Trump rally. Protestors lighting Maga hats on fire. Rushing police. Calling them pigs, etc. Escalating scene. <a href="https://t.co/HxUFzs8OWF">pic.twitter.com/HxUFzs8OWF</a>
&mdash; Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattFinnFNC/status/1182481964508557313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And the violence didn’t stop, there. 
“Man wearing a ‘Trump 2020’ hat is assaulted by a mob outside the [Minneapolis] Trump rally last night,” Ngo reported. “Video journalist [Elijah Schaffer] says this was happening routinely. If you wore a Trump hat or patriotic clothing, you were targeted. #antifa.” 
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Man wearing a “Trump 2020” hat is assaulted by a mob outside the Mineapolis Trump rally last night. Video journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/ElijahSchaffer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ElijahSchaffer</a> says this was happening routinely. If you wore a Trump hat or patriotic clothing, you were targeted. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/antifa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#antifa</a> <a href="https://t.co/aPJnSJMXz1">pic.twitter.com/aPJnSJMXz1</a>
&mdash; Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1182692086375690240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Alpha News MN complied a video (see below) of violence and troubling antics from the far-left outside the rally, which included the assault of another male Trump supporter and chants of “eat the rich” and “f*** Trump.” 
Far-left violence against people with dissenting views has become increasingly common since the 2016 election. 
In July, Antifa protesters in Portland, Oregon viciously attacked two men attending a rally for the “Him Too” movement, which purports to raise awareness for male sexual assault victims and men falsely accused of sex crimes. 
“One of the victims, <a href="https://twitter.com/michellemalkin/status/1145504828006817792">identified</a> by commentator and journalist Michelle Malkin as John Blum, suffered a bloodied face after he was beaten with a crowbar. The other man, identified as Adam Kelly, had his head split open by criminal Antifa members, suffering a concussion; he needed 25 stitches,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-elderly-man-beaten-crowbar-another-has-head-amanda-prestigiacomo">The Daily Wire</a> reported. 
“While John was being pummeled by the mob in the center, Adam was struck in the head with nunchucks, metal water bottles, some sort of metal rod, and fists,” Malkin reported. “John was sprayed with mace and blinded. He was led away as blood dripped down his face, then dragged to a sidewalk. Another observer notes that one of Adam’s attackers appears to wield something like a sock and padlock.”
WATCH:
<iframe title="ANTIFA &amp; Protesters Terrorize Minneapolis Trump Rally" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Vf22N1_8nE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Anti-Trump protest

WATCH: Female Trump Supporter Sucker-Punched By Left-Wing Protester

Antifa

Minneapolis

Minnesota

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) went after presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg on Monday after the South Bend mayor criticized his Democratic rivals over their small donor fundraising strategy and demand for federally-mandated gun confiscation.
&#8220;Small-dollar grassroots campaigns, aka what Buttigieg insults here as &#8216;pocket change,&#8217; out-fundraises him by millions,&#8221; Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. &#8220;Our nation&#8217;s leaders should not be working to end the era of big money politics, not protect it.&#8221;
&#8220;[And] Beto&#8217;s gun policy isn&#8217;t &#8216;picking a fight,&#8217; it&#8217;s taking a stand,&#8221; she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Small-dollar grassroots campaigns, aka what Buttegieg insults here as “pocket change,” out-fundraise him by millions.
Our nation’s leaders should be working to end the era of big money politics, not protect it.
&amp; Beto’s gun policy isn’t “picking a fight,” it’s taking a stand. <a href="https://t.co/a6k7rgXHiD">https://t.co/a6k7rgXHiD</a>
&mdash; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1183881130107428865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s comments come as O&#8217;Rourke has been facing widespread backlash from both sides of the aisle for demanding that the government seize millions of firearms from law-abiding American citizens.
While O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s declaration that &#8220;hell yes, we&#8217;re going to take away your AR-15 [and] your AK-47&#8221; has received massive applause from his left-wing supporters, many Democratic lawmakers have since been distancing themselves from the divisive rallying cries.
Democrats have long been defending their gun control agenda against claims that the party wants to take away Americans&#8217; firearms. Accordingly, Buttigieg slammed O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s proposal as playing directly into the hands of the Republican Party.
&#8220;Look, right now, we have an amazing moment right here on our hands,&#8221; Buttigieg said in September. &#8220;We have agreement among the American people for not just universal background checks but we have a majority in favor of red flag laws, high capacity magazines, banning the new sale of assault weapons. This is a golden moment to finally do something because we&#8217;ve been arguing about this for as long as I&#8217;ve been alive.&#8221;
O&#8217;Rourke has touted both Republican and Democratic disapproval of the program, contending that it means he is &#8220;doing something right.&#8221; However, he lashed out at Buttigieg over his condemnation, noting that he was especially &#8220;offended.&#8221;
The radical proposal was largely seen as a last-ditch attempt to bring new life to O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s presidential campaign. The former Texas congressman has been struggling to gain traction in the polls &#8212; he has not broken 5% support since April and is averaging at less than 2% support. After his third quarter fundraising fell far short of his Democratic primary challengers, he sounded the alarm on the need for a &#8220;breakthrough.&#8221;
&#8220;This is a policy disagreement and it is about governing,&#8221; Buttigieg later responded to O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s remarks. &#8220;I get it, I mean he needs to pick a fight in order to stay relevant, but this is about a difference of opinion on policy and my focus right now is getting something done.&#8221;
While Ocasio-Cortez has not clarified her stance on a government-run gun confiscation program, she has been <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-has-four-point-plan-solve-americas-gun-issues-1371990">vocal in her support</a> for various gun control measures such as universal background checks, banning magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, and implementing federally mandated safe storage requirements. She has also called for the U.S. government to ban all semi-automatic firearms, which accounts for the vast majority of guns in the country.
The New York congresswoman has yet to endorse a presidential candidate, but has voiced her praise for Sen. Elizabeth Warren and her progressive policies. Following the Democratic National Committee&#8217;s (DNC) first primary debate, Ocasio-Cortez highlighted Warren&#8217;s performance, noting that she &#8220;really distinguished herself&#8221; and that she even &#8220;knocked it out of the park.&#8221;

Large Climate Demonstration Marks The End Of The C40 World Mayors Summit 2019 In Copenhagen

Ocasio-Cortez Defends Beto&#8217;s Gun Confiscation Plan: It&#8217;s &#8216;Taking A Stand&#8217;

2020 Election

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Beto O'Rourke

Gun Control

Pete Buttigieg

Second Amendment

Democratic Presidential Candidate Beto O’Rourke is trying to clarify remarks he made at the CNN LGBT Town hall last Thursday, in which he told host Don Lemon that religious organizations should lose their tax-exempt status for opposing same-sex marriage, as reported by <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/10/11/beto_orourke_churches_that_oppose_same-sex_marriage_should_lose_tax-exempt_status.html">Real Clear Politics</a>. 
<blockquote>LEMON: Congressman, I want to ask you a question. This is from your LGBTQ plan, and here&#8217;s what you write. This is a quote. Freedom of religion is a fundamental right but it should not be used to discriminate. Do you think religious institutions, like colleges, churches, charities, should they lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage?
O’ROURKE: Yes. 
AUDIENCE: *Applause*
O’ROURKE: There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution, any organization in America that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us. And so as president, we’re going to make that a priority and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon the human rights of our fellow Americans.</blockquote>
President Donald Trump responded to O’Rourke&#8217;s remarks, telling supporters at the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-values-voter-summit/">Value Voters Summit</a> over the weekend that the candidate is a “wacko,” and that Trump would “never allow the federal government to be used to target, harass, or punish communities of faith.”
O’Rourke has subsequently tried to clarify his remarks. “Anyone can believe what they want — but organizations that discriminate when they provide public services should not be tax-exempt,” tweeted O’Rourke. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
This from a man who’s used his office to stoke hate, fear, and discrimination. Who tried to ban Muslims.
Anyone can believe what they want —but organizations that discriminate when they provide public services should not be tax-exempt.<a href="https://t.co/9S9E5n0CiU">https://t.co/9S9E5n0CiU</a>
— Beto O&#8217;Rourke (@BetoORourke) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1183184330690060288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
The tweet marked a departure from his previous stance that “any institution” that opposes same-sex marriage could have their tax-exempt status revoked, not just those providing public services. 
Jen O’Malley Dillon, O’Rourke’s campaign manager, followed suit, elaborating that “if a religious organization discriminates based on sexual orientation or gender identity when delivering public services, they shouldn&#8217;t be tax-exempt. But if a religious organization simply does not ‘believe’ in same-sex marriage, Beto won&#8217;t challenge their tax-exempt status.”
“So, for example, an adoption agency run by a religious organization that denies the adoption application of a same-sex couple solely because they oppose gay marriage, would lose their tax-exempt status,” continued Dillon. “A church that declines to marry a same sex couple would not.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
If a religious organization discriminates based on sexual orientation or gender identity when delivering public services, they shouldn&#8217;t be tax-exempt. But if a religious organization simply does not “believe” in same-sex marriage, Beto won&#8217;t challenge their tax-exempt status. <a href="https://t.co/1II13F51hY">https://t.co/1II13F51hY</a>
— Jen O&#8217;Malley Dillon (@jomalleydillon) <a href="https://twitter.com/jomalleydillon/status/1183416658767036419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
As the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-pete-buttigieg-takes-swipe-at-beto-im-not-sure-he-understands-the-implications-of-church-tax-policy">Daily Wire</a> previously reported, Pete Buttigieg took a swipe at Beto on Sunday for his answer at the CNN town hall, telling Jake Tapper on State of the Union, “I agree that anti-discrimination law ought to be applied to all institutions, but the idea you are going to strip churches of their tax exempt status if they have not found their way toward blessing same-sex marriage, I’m not sure he understands the implications of what he’s saying.”
Saloni Sharma, a campaign spokesperson for Elizabeth Warren, told the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/e1ce60c390a147b38daf7efed45ab6e1">Associated Press</a> on Monday that the senator would not revoke the tax-exempt status of religious institutions that disagree with same-sex marriage.
“Religious institutions in America have long been free to determine their own beliefs and practices, and she does not think we should require them to conduct same-sex marriages in order to maintain their tax-exempt status,” said Sharma in an email. 
O’Rourke will square off against other presidential candidates, most of whom are polling higher than him, in a twelve-person Democratic debate on Tuesday.

Democratic Presidential Candidates Participate In Third Debate In Houston

Democrats Blast Beto While His Campaign Walks Back Religious Liberty Stance

Religion

A Planned Parenthood CEO refused to answer questions Friday about her failure to reprimand a doctor who was secretly filmed boasting about &#8220;less crunchy&#8221; abortion techniques so as to acquire better body parts for sale.
Sheri Bonner, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley, refused to answer questions on Friday about evidence she gave in the organization&#8217;s lawsuit against journalist/activist David Daleiden, and his colleagues about undercover videos that showed senior executives negotiate over the sale of body parts from abortions.
The judge refused to let the &#8220;less crunchy&#8221; part of the video be shown in court and interrupted counsel when it was mentioned. Dr. Gatter said she had persuaded a fellow surgeon to employ the &#8220;less crunchy&#8221; technique so as to acquire a less damaged and therefore more valuable and sought-after body part. However, the jury did hear a defense lawyer start to talk about the quote and also heard that Dr. Gatter was &#8220;haggling&#8221; over the price of body parts retrieved from abortions.
At the time, Dr. Gatter was one of the most senior doctors and executives in Planned Parenthood. She was the medical director at Planned Parenthood Pasadena and the president of Planned Parenthood&#8217;s National Medical Directors Council.
It is illegal to profit from the sale of body parts in the United States. Leaving the court after giving evidence, Ms. Bonner refused to answer questions about whether it is legal to change abortion/medical techniques to make them &#8216;less crunchy&#8221; for profit and without the patient’s consent.
<iframe title="Speechless! California Planned Parenthood CEO Sheri Bonner, Confronted Over Sale Of Baby Body Parts" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wvbCkMBkf30?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In court, Ms. Bonner said she had not reprimanded Dr. Gatter for the secretly recorded admissions because they were part of a normal &#8220;business conversation.&#8221;
&#8220;Well, because I looked very carefully at the video. I had conversations with our attorney. I saw nothing in that video that would indicate that there was any reason to reprimand. It was a business conversation that was happening between two parties,&#8221; she told the court.
The judge refused to allows Daleiden&#8217;s defense counsel to question her on the &#8220;less crunchy technique&#8221; quote and Ms. Bonner refused to answer questions on the matter from Daily Wire correspondent, Phelim McAleer, as she left the court (see video). Her security detail tried to block the camera and interview before driving her away.
Planned Parenthood is seeking damages from Daleiden and his co-defendants for damages they say were caused by the videos. The abortion giant is also seeking damages for breach of contract and fraud for misrepresentations made to infiltrate the organization and for breach of privacy for filming the executives during negotiations.
Planned Parenthood had originally sought $20 million in damages for fraud and trespass against Daleiden and his colleagues. However, Judge William Orrick reduced potential damages to $600,000. Daleiden and his colleagues deny liability, maintaining that in situations where he broke the law on recording without permission, he was acting as a journalist and such practices are allowed under California law where they can be utilized to prevent a felony assault on a person.
Daleiden recorded Planned Parenthood executives stating they changed abortion techniques to ensure the retrieval of better and more profitable body parts. The recordings, he claims, took place in public places such as restaurants and hotels where participants have no expectation of privacy.
Planned Parenthood is not suing Daleiden for defamation or slander and its lawyers have not stated that the videos were inaccurate or exaggerated. They instead claimed in opening argument that they were filmed through illegal methods. The organization is also claiming Daleiden and his colleagues are guilty of fraud for setting up a fake company and identifications to start the business conversations with the Planned Parenthood executives.
Phelim McAleer is a journalist and filmmaker. He is the author of the New York Times best selling book &#8220;Gosnell &#8211; The Untold Story of America&#8217;s Most Prolific Serial Killer.&#8221;

Bonner

WATCH: Planned Parenthood Exec Confronted About Using &#8216;Less Crunchy&#8217; Abortion Technique To Increase Profit

Abortion

David

Planned Parenthood

As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graphic-video-of-president-trump-shooting-media-plays-at-trump-resort-white-house-condemns">reported</a> this morning, outrage has erupted over a meme played at a pro-Trump conference in Miami over the weekend. The parody video shows Trump shooting a bunch of media logos and media members. Few people at the conference saw the clip, as it apparently played in an <a href="https://twitter.com/cjciaramella/status/1182679455459893248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1182679455459893248&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fgraphic-video-of-president-trump-shooting-media-plays-at-trump-resort-white-house-condemns">empty side room</a> somewhere in the Trump resort where the event was held. Trump himself obviously had nothing to do with the video and the event organizers claim (credibly, I think) that they didn&#8217;t know about it and didn&#8217;t approve it.
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graphic-video-of-president-trump-shooting-media-plays-at-trump-resort-white-house-condemns">notes</a> that the controversial meme has been on the internet for a year without much notice. Only now, because of the media, do we all get a chance to see the thing that the media says might inspire violence against the media. If they were really concerned about the mystical powers of memes to inspire mass shootings, you&#8217;d think they would have just ignored this one and let it remain in obscurity.
But this controversy is interesting for a different reason. The meme makes use of a scene from the film “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” released back in 2015. In the original scene, Colin Firth&#8217;s character murders an entire church full of people in the Deep South. He shoots a woman in the face at point blank range, guns down dozens of other churchgoers, cuts someone&#8217;s head off, lights another guy on fire, and impales someone with a stake. But this is supposed to be alright, I guess, because everyone has been driven insane by a toxic gas. Plus, the church is a Westboro Baptist-stlye collection of crazy racists and homophobes.
Still, if a jokey meme showing Trump shooting news logos is &#8220;problematic&#8221; and even &#8220;dangerous,&#8221; then isn&#8217;t the original jokey scene showing a guy murdering churchgoers also problematic and dangerous? Yet, unsurprisingly, the media had little to say about the fictional bloodbath when it was first filmed. In fact, what little they did say was outright celebratory. The Washington Post, which labeled the Trump meme &#8220;vile and horrific,&#8221; used very different words to describe the scene on which it&#8217;s based. In a 2015 review of the film, Washington Post writer Michael O&#8217;Sullivan was positively <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/kingsman-the-secret-service-james-bond-meets-jack-bauer/2015/02/11/c22facf2-b203-11e4-854b-a38d13486ba1_story.html">rapturous</a>, calling the cartoonish carnage &#8220;balletic&#8221; and a &#8220;masterclass.&#8221; A more recent article in The Ringer <a href="https://www.theringer.com/movies/2017/9/22/16346680/kingsman-church-scene-kill-spree-ranked">says</a> the church massacre is the most &#8220;well regarded&#8221; moment in the film. The site concurs that the scene is indeed a &#8220;masterclass.&#8221; We should also note that the movie received generally positive reviews at the time of its release, <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kingsman_the_secret_service">earning</a> a very respectable 74 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Personally, I don&#8217;t care much about the original scene or the meme. Both are probably in poor taste, but they&#8217;re too over the top and absurdly gratuitous to have any sort of profound impact on the viewer. I doubt that anyone will be inspired to shoot up a church because of &#8220;Kingsman,&#8221; just as I doubt that anyone will be inspired to kill media members because of this meme or any meme. But if you take the position that the meme is awful, vile, evil, and dangerous, then you must say the same about the scene that made the meme possible. If you claim that the meme encourages violence against the media, then you must claim that the original scene encourages violence against Christians. There is just no way to separate the two.
The situation for the original scene is not improved much by the fact that the victims are all Westboro racists. First of all, that&#8217;s how Hollywood sees all Christians. For Hollywood, there really is no difference between a Westboro church and any other church. Especially in the south. Second, making them bigots was obviously a cheap narrative trick designed to give the viewer permission to take delight in their mass execution. In reality, we would hopefully all agree that it is not okay to randomly mow down racists at church. Or maybe we can&#8217;t agree about that. Either way, there is no reason to panic over the meme if you didn&#8217;t panic when the movie came out four years ago.

&#8220;Kingsman: The Secret Service&#8221; New York Premiere

WALSH: Media Outraged By Meme Of Trump Shooting Media Members. Here’s How They Reacted To The Same Scene When It Was Churchgoers Being Killed.

Hollywood

Racism

Violence

Westboro Baptist

On Monday night, Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter, who was born and raised in Turkey, laid into Los Angeles Laker LeBron James for his widely-criticized comments regarding Communist China and censorship.
Speaking to reporters, James complained that Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted out his support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and criticized the principle of freedom of speech, noting that it can have &#8220;a lot of negatives.&#8221;
“We all talk about this freedom of speech, yes, we all do have freedom of speech, but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you’re not thinking about others and you’re only thinking about yourself,” the NBA star said, as reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lebron-bows-to-communist-china-pro-hong-kong-advocates-not-educated-negative-things-come-with-free-speech">The Daily Wire</a> on Monday night. “I don’t want to get into a … feud with Daryl Morey, but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke. So many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
“So, just be careful what we tweet and say and what we do even though, yes, we do have freedom of speech, there can be a lot of negatives that comes with that too,” James added.
Kanter, who was banned from his home nation of Turkey after he was vocal about his opposition to authoritarian leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, let his frustration with James&#8217; comments known soon after the story hit social media, though Kanter never used James&#8217; name.
In one tweet seemingly directed at James, Kanter listed the injustices he&#8217;s faced for speaking up against Erdogan:
<blockquote>-Haven’t seen or talked to my family 5 years
-Jailed my dad
-My siblings can’t find jobs
-Revoked my passport
-International arrest warrant
-My family can’t leave the country
-Got Death Threats everyday
-Got attacked, harassed
-Tried to kidnap me in Indonesia</blockquote>
&#8220;FREEDOM IS NOT FREE,&#8221; he added, all in caps.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
-Haven’t seen or talked to my family 5 years -Jailed my dad -My siblings can’t find jobs -Revoked my passport -International arrest warrant -My family can’t leave the country -Got Death Threats everyday -Got attacked, harassed -Tried to kidnap me in Indonesia
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
&mdash; Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) <a href="https://twitter.com/EnesKanter/status/1183949336901816326?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tweets preceding the pointed post were also seemingly directed at James, which included a disappointing &#8220;Wow, dude&#8221; and &#8220;SMH,&#8221; which is the acronym for &#8220;shaking my head.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Wow dude! 🤦🏻‍♂️
&mdash; Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) <a href="https://twitter.com/EnesKanter/status/1183938681817698304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
SMH
&mdash; Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) <a href="https://twitter.com/EnesKanter/status/1183939462377676803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🤢
&mdash; Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) <a href="https://twitter.com/EnesKanter/status/1183946706100117504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Earlier on Monday, Kanter posted a video clip of his appearance on Fox Business discussing the retaliation he&#8217;s faced from Erdogan for speaking out against the government and asking President Donald Trump, whom he said he&#8217;d love to meet, to sanction Turkey.
&#8220;Turkish President <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DictatorErdogan?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#DictatorErdogan</a> has taken <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Turkey?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#Turkey</a> towards a dangerous path, and l believe if &#8216;America puts <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SANCTIONS?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#SANCTIONS</a> on Turkey&#8217; it will solve the problem,&#8221; Kanter captioned the video. &#8220;Turkey went from a Democracy to a Dictatorship under [Recep Tayyip Erdogan]&#8216;s rule.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Turkish President <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DictatorErdogan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DictatorErdogan</a> has taken <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Turkey?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Turkey</a> towards a dangerous path, and l believe if &quot;America puts <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SANCTIONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SANCTIONS</a> on Turkey&quot; it will solve the problem. Turkey went from a Democracy to a Dictatorship under <a href="https://twitter.com/RTErdogan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RTErdogan</a> &#39;s rule.<a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/X9jKCl0oI9">pic.twitter.com/X9jKCl0oI9</a>
&mdash; Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) <a href="https://twitter.com/EnesKanter/status/1183899227379978240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As noted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disaster-lebron-tries-to-explain-china-remarks-digs-deeper-hole">The Daily Wire</a>, James followed-up his much-maligned China comments with tweets that only added fuel to criticism against him.
&#8220;Let me clear up the confusion. I do not believe there was any consideration for the consequences and ramifications of the tweet. I’m not discussing the substance. Others can talk about that,&#8221; posted James.
&#8220;My team and this league just went through a difficult week. I think people need to understand what a tweet or statement can do to others. And I believe nobody stopped and considered what would happen. Could have waited a week to send it,&#8221; he wrote in a subsequent tweet.

Boston Celtics Player Enes Kanter

Turkish-Born Celtics Player RIPS LeBron Over China Comments: &#8216;Freedom Is Not Free&#8217;

NBA megastar LeBron James attempted to explain his shocking remarks about free speech, Hong Kong, and China on Monday night but ended up digging himself in a deeper hole.
“We all talk about this freedom of speech, yes, we all do have freedom of speech but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you’re not thinking about others and you’re only thinking about yourself,” James told reporters when asked about the backlash that Houston Rockets’ General Manager Daryl Morey received for advocating for Hong Kong’s freedom.
“I don’t want to get into a … feud with Daryl Morey, but I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke,&#8221; James continued. &#8220;So many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
James&#8217; comments went instantly viral, garnering more than 2.2 million views in a little over an hour after being posted to Twitter.
James tried to mitigate the fallout from his comments, which quickly became the #1 trend on Twitter, tweeting: &#8220;Let me clear up the confusion. I do not believe there was any consideration for the consequences and ramifications of the tweet. I’m not discussing the substance. Others can talk about that.&#8221;
James then suggested that he was somehow the victim of Morey&#8217;s tweet, writing: &#8220;My team and this league just went through a difficult week. I think people need to understand what a tweet or statement can do to others. And I believe nobody stopped and considered what would happen. Could have waited a week to send it.&#8221;
The NBA&#8217;s controversial decision to defend the Communist Party of China (CPC) gained serious national spotlight after Morey tweeted support for the protesters in Hong Kong.
Morey tweeted out a graphic a couple of weeks ago that stated: “Fight For Freedom Stand With Hong Kong.”
“The Houston Rockets suddenly find themselves in the middle of a geopolitical controversy that could put their chief front-office executive’s job in jeopardy,” The Ringer <a href="https://www.theringer.com/platform/amp/nba/2019/10/6/20901828/daryl-morey-hong-kong-china-houston-rockets-tweet-controversy">reported</a>. “After general manager Daryl Morey expressed support in a since-deleted tweet for pro-democracy efforts in Hong Kong, the Chinese government, the Chinese Basketball Association, and various Chinese businesses quickly denounced Morey and moved to sever ties with the Rockets. As a consequence, league sources told The Ringer that Rockets ownership has debated Morey’s employment status and whether to replace him.”
NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass released the following statement:
<blockquote>We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable. While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals’ educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them. We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.</blockquote>
Morey later apologized for standing with the protesters, tweeting: “I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives. I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention. My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA.”
James&#8217; initial remarks stirred strong backlash online, as did his subsequent attempt to explain himself and paint himself as the victim of the situation.

DISASTER: LeBron Tries To Explain China Remarks, Digs Deeper Hole

China

NBA megastar LeBron James cowered to the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Monday while talking to reporters about the backlash that Houston Rockets&#8217; General Manager Daryl Morey received for advocating for Hong Kong&#8217;s freedom.
&#8220;We all talk about this freedom of speech, yes, we all do have freedom of speech but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you&#8217;re not thinking about others and you&#8217;re only thinking about yourself,&#8221; James said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to get into a &#8230; feud with Daryl Morey, but I believe he wasn&#8217;t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke. So many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually.&#8221;
&#8220;So, just be careful what we tweet and say and what we do even though, yes, we do have freedom of speech there can be a lot of negatives that comes with that too,&#8221; James concluded.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
LeBron James rips Daryl Morey, says Morey was uneducated. Says, “We do have freedom of speech, but there can be a lot of negatives that come with that too.” Really. <a href="https://t.co/ZTw6a3FZ5n">pic.twitter.com/ZTw6a3FZ5n</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1183921775647875072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
Morey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/backfire-nba-houston-rockets-cower-to-communist-china-get-blasted-online">tweeted</a> out a graphic a couple of weeks ago that stated: “Fight For Freedom Stand With Hong Kong.”
“The Houston Rockets suddenly find themselves in the middle of a geopolitical controversy that could put their chief front-office executive’s job in jeopardy,” The Ringer <a href="https://www.theringer.com/platform/amp/nba/2019/10/6/20901828/daryl-morey-hong-kong-china-houston-rockets-tweet-controversy">reported</a>. “After general manager Daryl Morey expressed support in a since-deleted tweet for pro-democracy efforts in Hong Kong, the Chinese government, the Chinese Basketball Association, and various Chinese businesses quickly denounced Morey and moved to sever ties with the Rockets. As a consequence, league sources told The Ringer that Rockets ownership has debated Morey’s employment status and whether to replace him.”
NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass released the following statement:
<blockquote>We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable. While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals’ educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them. We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.</blockquote>
Morey later apologized for standing up for freedom, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/backfire-nba-houston-rockets-cower-to-communist-china-get-blasted-online">tweeting</a>: “I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives. I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention. My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA.”
Reaction to James&#8217; statement late on Monday night exploded online with the video garnering over 1.5 million views in the first hour that it was posted to social media.
Binyamin Appelbaum tweeted: &#8220;Daryl Morey: Freedom is good. LeBron James: Daryl Morey is wrong.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Daryl Morey: Freedom is good.
LeBron James: Daryl Morey is wrong. <a href="https://t.co/9fOUdQqihl">https://t.co/9fOUdQqihl</a>
— Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCAppelbaum/status/1183922585484038146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
Chuck Ross tweeted: &#8220;Wonder which re-education camp LeBron thinks Morley should attend.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Wonder which re-education camp LeBron thinks Morley should attend. <a href="https://t.co/qj5AwvAhCH">https://t.co/qj5AwvAhCH</a>
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckRossDC/status/1183927033992232960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
Tommy Vietor tweeted: &#8220;Wow is this answer by @KingJames wrong and embarrassing for him. It&#8217;s one thing to duck the question. This is actively spreading disinformation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Wow is this answer by <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KingJames</a> wrong and embarrassing for him. It&#8217;s one thing to duck the question. This is actively spreading disinformation. <a href="https://t.co/LfgjXMj3z7">https://t.co/LfgjXMj3z7</a>
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) <a href="https://twitter.com/TVietor08/status/1183930388009238528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
Dan McLaughlin tweeted: &#8220;Very clear by now the NBA has talking points on this &#8211; multiple players &amp; coaches have talked about being &#8216;educated&#8217; or knowing the &#8216;history&#8217; as if they need to read up on CCP propaganda to unsee what is in front of them.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Very clear by now the NBA has talking points on this &#8211; multiple players &amp; coaches have talked about being &#8220;educated&#8221; or knowing the &#8220;history&#8221; as if they need to read up on CCP propaganda to unsee what is in front of them. <a href="https://t.co/QI3rtcj8aZ">https://t.co/QI3rtcj8aZ</a>
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) <a href="https://twitter.com/baseballcrank/status/1183922671693770752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2019</a></blockquote>

Lebron James

LeBron Bows To Communist China: Pro-Hong Kong Advocates Not ‘Educated,’ ‘Negative’ Things Come With Free Speech

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he is imposing sanctions on Turkey over their invasion into Syria, saying: &#8220;I am fully prepared to swiftly destroy Turkey&#8217;s economy if Turkish leaders continue down this dangerous and destructive path.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s statement comes after Turkey invaded northern Syria following the president&#8217;s decision to pull U.S. troops back from the area.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CBS News&#8217; Margaret Brennan Sunday on &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; that the decision to pull the troops back came after the administration learned that Turkey was planning on invading the area, regardless if U.S. forces were present.
&#8220;It became very clear to me that the Turks were fully committed to conducting this incursion. And I think Secretary Pompeo would tell you the same. I know General Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has heard the same,&#8221; Esper said. &#8220;The Turks were committed to doing this. This should not be a surprise. If you go back in time to when we first began this relationship with the- with the Syrian Kurds at that time in 2014 the Turks were protesting at that moment.&#8221;
&#8220;But do you actually believe Turkey would fire on U.S. forces?&#8221; Brennan asked. &#8220;We are NATO allies.&#8221;
&#8220;Well I don&#8217;t know whether they have &#8212; they would or they wouldn&#8217;t,&#8221; Esper responded. &#8220;We have reports already of indiscriminate fire landing near American forces.&#8221;
Fox News&#8217; Trey Yingst reported on Sunday that there were serious atrocities being committed by Turkey against civilians in the area.
&#8220;There is evidence today of war crimes being committed, civilians being targeted and ISIS prisoners escaping,&#8221; Yingst reported. &#8220;All of this, after the Trump administration made a decision to withdraw a group of American forces meant to deter such an invasion from occurring.&#8221;
&#8220;To give you a better idea about what is unfolding on the ground, Turkish forces have taken over a number of key roads in the area. On one occasion, a prominent Kurdish politician was stopped, reportedly dragged from the vehicle and executed on the spot,&#8221; Yingst continued. &#8220;The worst of humanity is unfolding today in Syria as President Trump tweets. Congress considers sanctions that wouldn’t actually be implemented until a later date and the world watches.&#8221;
Trump released the following statement on Twitter:
<blockquote>I will soon be issuing an Executive Order authorizing the imposition of sanctions against current and former officials of the Government of Turkey and any persons contributing to Turkey&#8217;s destabilizing actions in northeast Syria. Likewise, the steel tariffs will be increased back up to 50 percent, the level prior to reduction in May. The United States will also immediately stop negotiations, being led by the Department of Commerce, with respect to a $100 billion trade deal with Turkey.
This order will enable the United States to impose powerful additional sanctions on those who may be involved in serious human rights abuses, obstructing a ceasefire, preventing displaced persons from returning home, forcibly repatriating refugees, or threatening the peace, security, or stability in Syria. The Order will authorize a broad range of consequences, including financial sanctions, the blocking of property, and barring entry into the United States.
Since my first day in office, the Trump administration has worked tirelessly to preserve the safety and security of the United States and its citizens. The United States and our partners have liberated 100 percent of ISIS&#8217;s ruthless territorial caliphate. Turkey must not put these gains in jeopardy. Turkey must also prioritize the protection of civilians, particularly vulnerable ethnic and religious minorities in northeast Syria. Indiscriminate targeting of civilians, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and targeting of ethnic or religious minorities is unacceptable. Additionally, the return of refugees must be conducted in a safe, voluntary, and dignified manner.
Turkey&#8217;s military offensive is endangering civilians and threatening peace, security, and stability in the region. I have been perfectly clear with President Erdogan: Turkey&#8217;s action is precipitating a humanitarian crisis and setting conditions for possible war crimes. Turkey must ensure the safety of civilians, including religious and ethnic minorities, and is now, or may be in the future, responsible for the ongoing detention of ISIS terrorists in the region. Unfortunately, Turkey does not appear to be mitigating the humanitarian effects of its invasion.
As I have said, I am withdrawing the remaining United States service members from northeast Syria. As United States forces have defeated the ISIS physical caliphate, United States troops coming out of Syria will now redeploy and remain in the region to monitor the situation and prevent a repeat of 2014, when the neglected threat of ISIS raged across Syria and Iraq. A small footprint of United States forces will remain at Tanf Garrison in southern Syria to continue to disrupt remnants of ISIS.
The United States will aggressively use economic sanctions to target those who enable, facilitate, and finance these heinous acts in Syria. I am fully prepared to swiftly destroy Turkey&#8217;s economy if Turkish leaders continue down this dangerous and destructive path.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Statement from President Donald J. Trump Regarding Turkey’s Actions in Northeast Syria <a href="https://t.co/ZCQC7nzmME">pic.twitter.com/ZCQC7nzmME</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1183833640507269120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2019</a></blockquote>

Trump

BREAKING: Trump Admin Takes Action Against Turkey For Syria Invasion

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) criticized his Democratic primary rival, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, on Monday after Buttigieg referred to a federally mandated gun buyback program as a form of &#8220;confiscation.&#8221;
&#8220;Calling buyback programs &#8216;confiscation&#8217; is doing the NRA&#8217;s work for them, [Buttigieg] &#8212; and they don&#8217;t need our help,&#8221; Booker said, referring to the pro-Second Amendment organization, the National Rifle Association (NRA).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Calling buyback programs &quot;confiscation&quot; is doing the NRA&#39;s work for them, <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteButtigieg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PeteButtigieg</a>—and they don&#39;t need our help. <a href="https://t.co/eshiBU7PIg">https://t.co/eshiBU7PIg</a>
&mdash; Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoryBooker/status/1183780451439263744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Booker&#8217;s remarks come as Buttigieg and former Rep. Beto O&#8217;Rourke (D-TX) have been butting heads over the former congressman&#8217;s demand to seize millions of firearms from law-abiding citizens through a mandatory gun buyback program.
Democratic lawmakers have long been defending their gun control agenda against claims that the party wants to take away Americans&#8217; firearms. Accordingly, Buttigieg slammed O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s divisive rallying cries as playing directly into the hands of the Republican Party.
O&#8217;Rourke was the first major 2020 Democratic candidate to endorse a government-run gun confiscation program for so-called &#8220;assault weapons,&#8221; but a few of his primary challengers, including Booker, have since followed suit. To date, none of the candidates have provided a clear definition of what constitutes an &#8220;assault weapon&#8221; or details on how they plan to carry out the actual buyback program.
O&#8217;Rourke has touted both Republican and Democratic disapproval of the program, stating that &#8220;it shows me we are doing something right.&#8221; But the presidential hopeful has also taken particular offense to Buttigieg&#8217;s condemnation.
&#8220;I was really offended by those comments,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke said earlier in October. &#8220;I think [Buttigieg] represents a kind of politics that is focused on poll-testing, and focus group-driving, and triangulating, and listening to consultants before you arrive at a position. I think our politics has to be about doing the right thing and saying the right thing.&#8221;
&#8220;This is a policy disagreement and it is about governing,&#8221; Buttigieg later responded to O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s comments. &#8220;I get it, I mean he needs to pick a fight in order to stay relevant, but this is about a different of opinion on policy and my focus right now is getting something done.&#8221;
This is not the first time, however, that Booker has been especially critical of describing his proposed gun confiscation program as &#8220;confiscation.&#8221; Following the Democratic National Committee&#8217;s (DNC) presidential debate in September, he told reporters that while he supports the federal government seizing certain firearms from American citizens, opponents who portray the program as gun confiscation are using fear to paint a narrative.
&#8220;You have to set up a system that is mandatory, you have to set up a system to pull them off, but this idea, this imagery that the fear-mongers and demagogues try to say of somehow armed police officers showing up and confiscating weapons &#8212; that&#8217;s the fear-mongering,&#8221; Booker said at the time. &#8220;And people trying to obscure and make people forget what we have done before as a nation with machine guns, what other nations have done with assault rifles.&#8221;
&#8220;Look, I hate when Democrats use the language that Republicans try to use to scare people away, as opposed to sort of the pragmatism and practicality of this,&#8221; he later added.

Booker Accuses Buttigieg Of &#8216;Doing The NRA&#8217;s Work For Them&#8217;

Cory Booker

Gun Buybacks

Kanye West confronted his wife, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, over her sexy outfits during a recent episode of E!&#8217;s &#8220;Keeping Up with the Kardashians.&#8221; West explained to Kardashian that while he used to think his wife should look like other girls who constantly show off their bodies, he now realizes that Kardashian’s revealing looks are negatively “affecting” his “soul and . . . spirit.&#8221;
West sparked the conversation while Kardashian was gearing up for the Met Gala. The 38-year-old&#8217;s nude-colored “wet” dress was comprised of a corset and plunging v-neck exposing much of her breasts.
&#8220;The corset, underwear, all of that vibe, I just feel like I went through this transition from being a rapper, looking at all these girls, and then looking at my wife like, &#8216;Oh, my girl needs to be just like these other girls, showing her body off, showing this, showing that,'&#8221; West told his wife, according to <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/elliewoodward/kim-kardashian-kanye-west-argument-met-gala-dress-too-sexy">BuzzFeed</a>.
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t realize that that was affecting my soul and my spirit as someone that&#8217;s married and loved, the father of what&#8217;s about to be four kids,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;A corset is a form of underwear. It&#8217;s hot. It&#8217;s like, it&#8217;s hot for who though?&#8221;
Kardashian protested, telling West that he was giving her &#8220;really bad anxiety.&#8221;
&#8220;The night before the Met, you&#8217;re gonna come in here and say that you&#8217;re not into a corset vibe? You&#8217;re giving me really bad anxiety — what are you talking about?&#8221; she told her husband, adding, &#8220;You knew last night that I was having really bad anxiety, and I don&#8217;t need any more negative energy for you to now say that you&#8217;re not into me wearing a tight dress.&#8221;
&#8220;You are my wife,&#8221; West told her, &#8220;and it affects me when pictures are too sexy.&#8221;
&#8220;You built me up to be this sexy person and have confidence and all this stuff, and just because you&#8217;re on your journey and you&#8217;re on a transformation, doesn&#8217;t mean that I&#8217;m in the same spot with you,&#8221; Kardashian retorted.
&#8220;That&#8217;s absolutely ridiculous,&#8221; West responded, before leaving the room. 
As argued by Kardashian, West has encouraged his wife&#8217;s signature sexy style in the past, telling <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/photography/a16784/kanye-west-kim-kardashian-interview/">Harper&#8217;s Bazaar</a> in July 2016, &#8220;I love her nude selfies. &#8230; I feel like it&#8217;s almost a Renaissance thing, a painting, a modern version of a painting. I think it&#8217;s important for Kim to have her figure. To not show it would be like Adele not singing.&#8221;
West&#8217;s apparent change of heart, however, coincides with his increasingly public life as a Christian. As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kanye-west-radical-obedience-christ-helped-my-paul-bois">The Daily Wire</a> in July, West said that his “radical obedience to Christ&#8221; helped stabilize his mental health. Moreover, earlier this year, the rap icon created “Sunday Service” events that include gospel music. 
“It’s honestly more like a healing experience for my husband. It’s just music; there’s no sermon. It’s definitely something he believes in — Jesus — and there’s a Christian vibe. But there’s no preaching. It’s just a very spiritual Christian experience,” Kardashian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kanye-west-radical-obedience-christ-helped-my-paul-bois">told</a> Elle magazine of the services. 
WATCH:
<iframe title="&#039;KUWTK&#039;: Kanye West Says Kim Kardashian&#039;s Sexy Photos Impact His Soul" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mvY1nYsK0fE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kanye-west-radical-obedience-christ-helped-my-paul-bois">Kanye West: ‘Radical Obedience To Christ’ Helped My Mental Health</a>

Kanye West And Kim Kardashian West

WATCH: Kanye Confronts Kim Over Her &#8216;Sexy&#8217; Outfits Hurting His &#8216;Soul And Spirit&#8217;

Kanye West

Kim Kardashian

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has earned a reputation as a guy who enjoys shaking things up on Capitol Hill, attempted to attend a deposition on Monday related to the Democrats&#8217; impeachment inquiry and promptly got booted out by the Democrat-run committees who say he had no business being there. His exclusion from the deposition, Gaetz says, is yet more proof that House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) is simultaneously running a &#8220;kangaroo court&#8221; and a &#8220;clown show&#8221; propped up by his &#8220;lies.&#8221;
As reported by multiple outlets, including The Hill, Gaetz, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, tried to sit in on the House Intelligence, Oversight, and Foreign Affairs committees&#8217; closed-door interview with Fiona Hill, Trump&#8217;s former top Russia aide, Monday but was blocked from attending because he is not a member of one of the three committees conducting the inquiry — a decision the House parliamentarian reportedly stood by.
After his thwarted attempt to peek behind the curtains of the Democrats&#8217; impeachment efforts, Gaetz turned to the cameras and social media to voice his disgust with Schiff and his fellow House Democrats&#8217; &#8220;charade.&#8221;
&#8220;So this morning we see further evidence that Adam Schiff&#8217;s clown show of an impeachment proceeding continues,&#8221; Gaetz told the press in video posted by The Hill (below). &#8220;Adam Schiff lied when he said that he and his team had not had contact with the whistleblower. He lied when he read a false transcript into the record as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.&#8221;
&#8220;Today, when the Intelligence Committee and other committees were meeting to examine witnesses, I appeared just to participate, just to observe as a member of Congress, as a member of the Judiciary Committee,&#8221; Gaetz said. &#8220;Traditionally the Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over impeachment. If Adam Schiff and House Democrats were so proud of their work, they would be willing to show it. Consistently, Republicans have come out of each and every one of these depositions and we&#8217;ve sought for a release of the transcript — for the American people to see more. So I guess the question is: Why is Adam Schiff trying to run a kangaroo court? Why is he continuing to limit access to evidence, limit access even from members of Congress?&#8221;
Video below via The Hill:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Rep. <a href="https://twitter.com/mattgaetz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mattgaetz</a>: &#8220;This morning we see further evidence that Adam Schiff&#8217;s clown show of an impeachment proceeding continues. Adam Schiff lied when he said that he &amp; his team had not had contact with the whistleblower. He lied when he read a false transcript into the record.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/5QRqCiWbGC">pic.twitter.com/5QRqCiWbGC</a>
— The Hill (@thehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1183783457157197824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
Rep. <a href="https://twitter.com/mattgaetz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mattgaetz</a>: &#8220;I appeared just to participate, just to observe as a member of Congress, as a member of the Judiciary Committee&#8230; Why is Adam Schiff trying to run a kangaroo court? Why is he continuing to limit access to evidence, limit access even from members of Congress?&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/J67OYnk9L7">pic.twitter.com/J67OYnk9L7</a>
— The Hill (@thehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1183784089603706880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<a href="https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/republican-rep-matt-gaetz-kicked-out-of-fiona-hill-deposition/">Law and Crime</a> notes that in defending his presence at the hearing, Gaetz argued that the chairman of the committee on which Gaetz&#8217; sits, House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), &#8220;<a href="https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/legal-expert-house-democrats-verified-theyre-considering-a-startlingly-weak-impeachment-process/">claimed to have begun an impeachment inquiry</a> before Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) backed one and before the three other committees got involved.&#8221;
&#8220;Chairman Schiff and the radical [D]emocrats are now active participants in the coup,&#8221; Gaetz tweeted in response to being barred from the deposition. &#8220;To exclude Members of Congress from hearings confirms the American people’s suspicions: this is not a legitimate &#8216;impeachment inquiry&#8217; — it is a charade.&#8221;
&#8220;Chairman Schiff and Speaker Pelosi are equally complicit in hiding and obfuscating the truth,&#8221; he added in a follow-up post. &#8220;Blocking Members of Congress from attending &#8216;impeachment'&#8221; hearings is not only unfair, it runs counter to our Democracy.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-what-ukrainian-president-just-said-should-end-this-democrat-scam">Trump: What Ukraine’s President Just Said ‘Should End This Democrat Scam’</a>

Matt Gaetz

WATCH: Republican Matt Gaetz Drops In On Impeachment Deposition, Gets Kicked Out, Calls Schiff A Liar

Adam Schiff

Last year, media outlets rushed to condemn President Donald Trump and his administration’s claims that terrorists were crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
While the precise number may have been exaggerated, there was at least one major piece of evidence that terrorists could use the U.S. immigration system to illegally cross the border from Mexico and commit an act of terrorism: The fact that someone had done it.
Just one year before the Trump claims, in 2017, Abdulahi Hasan Sharif allegedly rammed into Edmonton police constable Mick Chernyk. Sharif then exited his vehicle and stabbed Chernyk. Sharif fled, later rented a U-Haul truck, and led police on a chase during which he drove into four pedestrians. The attack was called an act of terrorism, as Sharif had an ISIS flag inside the vehicle he used to attack Chernyk, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-don-iveson-terrorism-attack-lone-wolf-1.4315693">according to Canada’s CBC News</a>.
Sharif’s trial began last week, but has received little coverage in the media.
Sharif is a Somali national who came to the U.S. illegally in 2011 after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The CBC <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-attacks-abdulahi-sharif-hasan-attempted-murder-border-crossing-united-states-1.4330527">reported</a> that while the “vast majority of Somalis arrived in the United States as refugees” and were “screened and approved for refugee status before entering the United States,” that is not how Sharif came to America. It appears he traveled to South America from Africa, and then illegally entered the U.S. It is unclear whether or not he made an asylum claim after entering the U.S. Asylum claims made after entering the U.S. are usually denied.
Either way, an immigration judge ordered Sharif to be deported from the U.S. to Somalia. Sharif did not appeal the order but was never deported. Instead, he made his way to Canada, where he allegedly committed the terrorist attack in 2017.
As The Federalist <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2019/10/14/the-first-illegal-alien-to-commit-a-north-american-terrorist-attack-is-on-trial-but-dont-expect-the-media-to-cover-it/">reported</a>, Sharif is now on public trial for the attack, but his trial is receiving little media attention.
“While he occupies a consequential homeland security pedestal of first border-crosser to conduct a jihadi attack in North America, his backstory remains largely unexcavated for learnable lessons to U.S. homeland security. That may or may not change in the coming weeks of a trial,” wrote Todd Bensman, a senior national security fellow for the Center for Immigration Studies.
As Bensman explained, the prospect that Islamic extremists would enter the U.S. illegally via its southern border has been taken seriously by authorities at the Department of Homeland Security, which overseas Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). From Bensman:
<blockquote>For instance, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations agents are <a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal-hrsp/file/997546/download">deployed</a> throughout Latin America to disrupt smuggling networks that specialize in transporting foreign citizens from Muslim-majority countries such as Somalia into the United States.
The government labels such migrants “<a href="https://cis.org/Report/Terrorist-Infiltration-Threat-Southwest-Border">special interest aliens</a>” so they can be flagged to ostensibly undergo enhanced security screenings, such as threat assessment interviews, to which Spanish-speaking people are not subject. As I <a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/toddbensman/2019/10/02/appellate-court-agrees-terrorists-sentence-was-lenient-kicks-back-nationally-consequential-case-n2554006">said</a> during recent field reporting on the migrant trails in Panama and Costa Rica, travelers on U.S. terrorism watch lists have been apprehended at the border or en route in recent years. Perhaps because <a href="https://cis.org/sites/default/files/2018-11/bensman-terrorists-crossed_0.pdf">as many as 20 such suspects</a> a year were caught in various American security nets, none had yet been able to attack in North America – until Sharif.</blockquote>
Sharif currently faces “11 counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and dangerous driving,” according to Bensman.

Edmonton terrorist attack

Illegal Alien On Trial After Terrorist Attack In Canada

Canada

Illegal Immigration

Somalia

Terrorism

“A republic, if you can keep it,” is a quote famously attributed to Benjamin Franklin as he emerged from the Constitutional Convention, upon being asked what sort of government the convention’s delegates had created. What interests me most is the second half of Franklin’s quote: Franklin, a student of various forms of government, emphasizing the fragility of government. Our republic has proven to be resilient — surviving a schism in the 1860s, and other calamities before and since — but its continuation is neither a foregone conclusion nor a certainty.
This year and next mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, perhaps the most massive undertaking in human history: The triumph of good over evil, with countless acts of heroism, and chilling, institutionalized viciousness. It also marks the victory of the rule of law over totalitarian government and all that follows from it. The lessons of the era, while we casually consider what would be revolutionary changes to our form of government, are many.
One lesson, in particular, is how evil incarnate can rise to power. Take one eminently despicable SS Nazi general, Hans Kammler, as an example. Kammler was an early adherent of the Nazi Party, joining the Party even before Hitler fully rose to power. He was an architect and engineer by training, distinguishing himself in the early years of the war as an efficient manager of civil engineering projects. When the Holocaust was to be implemented, it was Kammler who chose Auschwitz as a key camp site, creating the blueprints to double and then redouble the size of the camp. It was Kammler who designed the standard concentration camp barracks. It was Kammler who then installed the gas chambers and crematoria — at Auschwitz and at other camps throughout the Third Reich. He worked not from the safe distance of a bureaucrat, but with weekly and even daily visits to the camps, barking orders, demanding changes, and even firing his pistol into the air to demand greater activity by his underlings. Kammler became an expert at mechanizing death.
His next innovation was Germany’s slave labor trade. In charge of the concentration camps, Kammler and the SS decided to make slaves of the most able-bodied prisoners, renting them out to the German government and German industry and creating a revenue stream for the SS. Kammler became the overseer and predominant user of slave labor in the Nazi regime, using them both to fuel his SS construction projects and to turn a profit for the SS.
In the final year of the war, Kammler became the sole officer promoted to Obergruppenfuhrer, the highest commissioned rank in the SS — second only to Heinrich Himmler himself. From that perch, he ruled all of Germany’s secret weapons, including the revolutionary Vengeance Weapons, the V-1 and V-2 rockets. These were the ultra-secret ‘wonder weapons,’ hinted at in Hitler’s speeches, that were to reverse the course of the war in Germany’s favor. But, as detailed in my new book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Nazi-Untold-Story-Americas/dp/162157735X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1568307115&amp;sr=8-1">The Hidden Nazi</a>,” Kammler knew that even with the V-2, the war was lost. In December 1944, he cut a deal with the Americans — trade Germany’s rocket team with the Americans to escape justice. A month after the deal was struck, Kammler moved the rocket team to prevent them falling into the hands of the advancing Russians. A month later, Kammler learned the rocket team’s new location would be within the Russian post-war zone of occupation — so he moved the rocket team yet again, to Bavaria, into the path of the American Army.
Kammler, having delivered the rocket team, never faced justice for his horrendous war crimes. Conventional history reports that he committed suicide in the final hours of the war, and so no one pursued him. However, “The Hidden Nazi” presents documents revealing the stranger-than-fiction truth about Kammler. He did not die at the end of the war, but rather lived on. The “Hidden Nazi” tells the rest of the story in detail, with broad lessons about the fragility of the rule of law, and how a highly cultured society can so quickly and thoroughly run off the rails.
Winston Churchill was fond of citing the old saw that “democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Now is not the time to retry other failed forms of government.
&nbsp;
Dean Reuter is the principal author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Nazi-Untold-Story-Americas/dp/162157735X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1568307115&amp;sr=8-1">The Hidden Nazi: The Untold Story of America’s Deal with the Devil</a>” (Regnery History), and co-editor and author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A4XVTC0/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1">Liberty’s Nemesis, and Confronting Terror</a>.”

&#8220;Hidden Nazi&#8221; cover

REUTER: The Fragility Of The Rule Of Law

Germany

Nazis

On Friday’s episode of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” the Daily Wire editor-in-chief talks about Cory Booker’s appearance at a recent CNN town hall, in which he advocated for religious discrimination. Video and partial transcript below: 
So it’s not just Beto O&#8217;Rourke who has been doing this extremist routine. It&#8217;s also Cory Booker. Here&#8217;s Cory Booker [a few days ago, basically] suggesting that Catholic schools across the country should shut down. He says, Catholic schools across the country are using religion to justify discrimination. 
<blockquote>BOOKER: And so for me, I cannot allow, as a leader, that people are going to use religion as a justification for discrimination. I could respect your religious freedoms but also protect people from discrimination, and as I said in the earlier answer, I grew up in a household where my parents talked to me about how people used to use religion to justify the discrimination against African Americans. </blockquote>
&#8220;I cannot allow&#8221;? Who the eff are you, dude? You cannot allow? Guess what, that&#8217;s not your right. My right is to act in ways that don&#8217;t harm anybody else, and if I choose to have an institution where I am going to elevate heterosexuality above homosexuality, that is not harming anyone else. You don&#8217;t have to participate in that institution. It&#8217;s a free country. 
I mean, you have institutions where you don&#8217;t tolerate my religious beliefs. I don&#8217;t expect that when I walk into a mosque that suddenly they&#8217;re gonna start practicing Judaism, or expect that when I walk into an atheist meeting [that] they&#8217;re going to start keeping kosher. I don&#8217;t expect that when I walk into the offices of the Human Rights Campaign that they&#8217;re going to start handing out literature from Leviticus. Why in the world would you not express the same degree of tolerance for people who disagree with you and toward people who you agree with? If you are only tolerant of people who agree with you, this is a good indicator you&#8217;re not a very tolerant person.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Znm5oOP28QA" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
First of all, the very implication that the reason the Catholics are against homosexual activity is simply out of bigotry and discrimination is an absolute ignorance of Catholicism. It&#8217;s an absolute ignorance of the natural law history of Catholicism, of the natural law arguments with regard to human sexuality. For the same reason the Catholics are against abortion and contraception, they&#8217;re also against homosexual activity. Namely, they believe that the end of the sexual act is procreation, and that because sex is directed toward procreation and toward the deepening of relationships that end with procreation, heterosexual sex ought to be favored over homosexual activity — or by the way, over activity that ends the pregnancy outside of marriage, over adultery, over polygamy. 
There are plenty of sexual rules in religion, and picking out one of them and pretending that that&#8217;s the only one that matters is pretty insane by the Left anyway. It demonstrates a full-scale lack of understanding of how religion works. 
But notice that for the Left, they truly believe — many people on the Left like Booker — they truly believe that practice of religion is in and of itself discrimination. Okay well, guess what? Religion is exclusive. My synagogue is about practicing 613 commandments, and if you don&#8217;t practice a commandment, that would be a sin. 
Catholic faith: One of the tenets of Catholic faith is that you have to believe in Jesus. If you don&#8217;t believe in Jesus, you&#8217;re doing something wrong. You have to have faith in Christ, and if you don&#8217;t, then you are excluded from the Catholic faith. You are not a practitioner of the Catholic faith. Is that discriminatory? Sure, but that&#8217;s called religion. 
Okay, guess what? Cory Booker is discriminatory too, because I am barred from the kingdom of heaven because he and I disagree on social Leftism. Amazing. Tolerance only flows one way — it flows from people like me. Religious people like me, they don’t have any problem with Cory Booker feeling what he wants to believe, or Human Rights Campaign believing what they want to believe, or GLAAD believing what they want to believe. Do what you want, man; it&#8217;s a free country. But that tolerance does not extend back the other way. Not in any way, shape or form, and we can&#8217;t have a society that operates this way by the way. 
Cory Booker is crazy, [he] was asked about the Pulse terror attack. For those who don&#8217;t remember, the Pulse terror attack — it was up until the attack in Las Vegas, I believe, the deadliest terror attack in the United States, and we still don’t know if Las Vegas was effectually a terrorist attack or a mass shooting. It&#8217;s kind of on that fuzzy border of classification because there&#8217;s no actual political motive there. [But] we know the motivation in Pulse, where forty-nine people were killed at this gay bar. The motivation of Pulse was Islamic radical terrorism. 
Cory Booker tries to blame it on white supremacy, because we can never mention the intersectional conflict between radical Islam and gay rights. Whenever Cory Booker or Beto O’Rourke are attacking someplace, notice how they always attack synagogues and churches. They never have anything to say about mosques that believe exactly the same thing as synagogues and churches on traditional sexual morality. Here&#8217;s Cory Booker being a moron and suggesting that white supremacy was responsible for the Pulse terror attack.
<blockquote>BOOKER: So first of all, very clearly, it is a national emergency. The majority of terrorist attacks in this country since 9/11 have been right-wing extremist groups. The majority of them have been white supremacist and hate groups, and I will elevate as president United States an office on hate crimes and white supremacy to make sure it is a presidential-level effort to contact to protect our country as a whole. But I&#8217;m not stopping there. </blockquote>
Okay, by the way, the question that Booker was asked was about the Pulse terror attack. It sounds like he&#8217;s being asked about Tree of Life or something, [but] he was asked about the Pulse terror attack, which was committed by an actual terrorist, by an actual Islamic terrorist. Tree of Life was committed by a white supremacist, there is a bit of a difference there. 
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SHAPIRO: Cory Booker Preaches Religious Intolerance

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Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O&#8217;Rourke admitted Sunday that his plan to remove tax exempt status from those religious institutions that don&#8217;t officially recognize same-sex marriage would apply to mosques, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and predominantly black churches.
O&#8217;Rourke, trying to outdo his fellow contenders for the Democratic nomination in a forum on LGBTQ issues last week, claimed that he would take the drastic step of removing tax exempt status from any institution that refused to perform or host same-sex marriages, even if the practice goes against that institution&#8217;s core dogma.
Democrats were quick to distance themselves from O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s plan and the field&#8217;s only LGBT candidate, South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, even condemned O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s idea, calling it a violation of Constitutional principles and suggesting that O&#8217;Rourke failed to understand the &#8220;implications of what he was saying.&#8221; Such a move, Buttigieg explained, would hobble organizations dedicated to providing services to their home communities by forcing them to contribute a portion of their donations back to the Federal government.
Conservatives on social media also quickly pointed out that O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s policy would affect Muslims and historically black colleges and universities &#8212; not just the religious conservatives and Evangelical Christians that O&#8217;Rourke appeared to believe were at the root of the &#8220;intolerance&#8221; he considered problematic.
Sunday, O&#8217;Rourke begrudgingly admitted that he&#8217;d go after mosques and HBCUs, too, if they refused to see the error of their ways and embrace same sex marriage without question.
&#8220;To be clear, you are free to believe anything that you want to in this country. To associate with whom you please, to practice your faith as you best see fit,” O’Rourke told MSNBC, <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2019/10/14/beto-orourke-mosques-black-churches/">according to a report in the Daily Caller</a>. “But you are not allowed to discriminate against people in this country, to violate their civil rights or their human rights.”
“To be specific, the way that you practice your religion or your faith within that mosque or that temple or synagogue or church, that is your business, and not the government’s business,” O’Rourke continued. “But when you are providing services in the public sphere, say, higher education, or health care, or adoption services, and you discriminate or deny equal treatment under the law based on someone’s skin color or ethnicity or gender or sexual orientation, then we have a problem.”
Historically, that designation has not applied to performing same-sex marriages because such an action would involve a church actively participating in an activity that violates a core principle of it&#8217;s belief system.
The Supreme Court has regularly protected churches and other expressly religious institutions against being compelled to such &#8220;material cooperation,&#8221; and considers such protection a function of the First Amendment&#8217;s Free Exercise clause. The Court has not, however, directly discussed the same-sex marriage issue (though any attempt to enact a policy like O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s would naturally result in immediate litigation).
This clarification isn&#8217;t likely to win O&#8217;Rourke many fans to his flagging presidential campaign. Since announcing his intention to seek the 2020 Democratic, O&#8217;Rourke has not broken double digits in polling and has never been considered a front runner.

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Beto O&#8217;Rourke Admits He&#8217;ll Take Tax Exempt Status Away From Mosques, Historically Black Colleges

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