The Senate impeachment trial began in earnest Tuesday, but the defendant of the trial wasn&#8217;t there to see it. In fact, he wasn&#8217;t in the country — or even the Western Hemisphere, for that matter. And while Democratic senators began the &#8220;solemn&#8221; procedure by accusing Republicans of a &#8220;cover up&#8221; in setting nearly the same rules as those passed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/all-eyes-on-mitt-romneys-first-move-in-impeachment-trial-disappoints-democrats">unanimously</a> for Bill Clinton&#8217;s trial, President Trump was over in Davos, Switzerland, delivering what conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh called &#8220;one of his finest speeches of his entire administration.&#8221;
&#8220;The president in Davos today is speaking for America,&#8221; Limbaugh <a href="https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2020/01/21/the-president-makes-the-case-for-american-greatness-in-davos/">told</a> his massive radio audience. &#8220;The president in Davos today is speaking for the future of America. It isn’t today’s Democrats. It isn’t today’s leftists. It’s the president. He was on fire, and it may be one of his finest speeches of his entire administration.&#8221;
&#8220;Make America Great Again,&#8221; said Limbaugh, quoting Trump&#8217;s famous 2016 slogan. Referencing a clip from his show Monday in which Rush laid out Trump&#8217;s disgust with the idea that somehow &#8220;America is the problem in the world,&#8221; Limbaugh said: &#8220;This is exactly what bothers him. It’s bothered him for a long time as a citizen like it’s bothered me, like it’s bothered you, this view of America that has been adopted by the Washington establishment — by our civil service corps, the ambassador corps — that somehow we’re the problem, that we are the destabilizing agent in the world, and it’s a bunch … It’s a crock.&#8221;
&#8220;[T]hey love him in Davos, and you know why?&#8221; said Limbaugh. &#8220;‘Cause he’s been right &#8230; [T]he guys that own the yachts are there, and Trump has been going, and he’s telling them two years ago what he was gonna do. He’s telling them two years ago what can be possible.&#8221; It&#8217;s these same elite folks, said Limbaugh, who often &#8220;fall prey to all of this liberal thinking and the conventional wisdom — and they fall prey to it because it’s so dominant everywhere,&#8221; but Trump comes to Davos and sets them straight.
&#8220;Trump stands alone, tells them, &#8216;No. It’s wrong. America’s gonna be great. We’re coming back; let me tell you how we’re gonna do it,&#8217; and he’s done it,&#8221; said Rush. &#8220;They love the guy in Davos now because he’s been right about it, and it’s all been beneficial to them — and it’s not just individual wealthy people I’m talking about. It’s governments and a number of institutions which have been sucked in. I mean, if the United States elects a guy like Obama then the world thinks, &#8216;Wow. The United States wants to go socialist. We’d better go socialist. We’ve gotta stay friends with the U.S.,&#8217; and even if they think it’s the wrong thing to do, they did it because they’re afraid of being shut out by the U.S.&#8221;
Instead, Trump shows up and disavows socialist policies and embraces the idea of America leading the way, said Limbaugh, cuing a clip from the speech as an example:
<blockquote>TRUMP: When I spoke at this forum two years ago, I told you that we had launched the great American comeback. Today, I’m proud to declare that the United States in the midst of an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen before. America’s thriving, America’s flourishing — and, yes, America is winning again like never before. Just last week alone, the United States concluded two extraordinary trade deals, the agreement with China and the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement, the two biggest trade deals ever made. These agreements represent a new model of trade for the twenty-first century — agreements that are fair, reciprocal, and that prioritize the needs of workers and families. &#8230;
America’s economic turnaround has been nothing short of spectacular. When I took office three years ago, America’s economy was in a rather dismal state. The experts predicted a decade of very, very slow growth — or maybe even negative growth — high unemployment and a dwindling workforce and very much a shrinking middle class. Millions of hardworking, ordinary citizens felt neglected, betrayed, forgotten. They were rapidly losing faith in the system.</blockquote>
&#8220;Exactly!&#8221; Limbaugh exclaimed. &#8220;What were they being told? &#8216;America’s best days are behind us. America’s best days may not have been legitimate. We’re in a new era of decline mandated by world conditions. The United States finally must pay the price for all of its sins that it has committed that led to its superpower status.&#8217; Yada yada yada. Obama’s crowd said, &#8216;We’re the ones to manage the decline so the pain will be as limited as possible on you.'&#8221;
&#8220;That’s just three years ago that Trump came along and said, &#8216;This is not necessary! It’s not necessary to see the country this way. It isn’t necessary to see the world this way. There’s no reason in the world the United States has to be seen as in decline,'&#8221; Limbaugh noted.
After pointing to a segment of CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Squawk Box,&#8221; as Rush calls it, in which Andrew Ross Sorkin admits that Trump &#8220;turned the whole thing on its head&#8221; in Davos, helping create &#8220;the New Davos Man,&#8221; Limbaugh addressed why so many globalists are desperate to dethrone America.
&#8220;Cutting down the world’s lone superpower is fundamental — it’s required — if you are going to institute some mad dream of a globalist regime or government that you are part of,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You cannot have a globalist government if the most powerful economy and the freest society on earth is not part of it. So subordinating the United States, getting rid of borders, the whole concept of nations? It makes perfect sense why people of that bent would try to convince people America’s best days are behind them.&#8221;
But Trump has come along and helped steer the country back on the right course, where it is &#8220;bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,&#8221; as the president spelled out in his Davos speech:
<blockquote>TRUMP: Since my election, America has gained over seven million jobs. The unemployment rate is now less than 3.5%. We’re concentrating and creating the most inclusive economy ever to exist. We are lifting up Americans of every race, color, religion, and creed. Since I took office, more than two million Millennials have gotten jobs, and their wages have grown by nearly 5% annually — a number that was unthinkable. This is a blue-collar boom. Since my election, the net worth of the bottom half of wage earners has increased by plus-47%, three times faster than the increase for the top 1%. Real median household income is at the highest level ever recorded. The American dream is back bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.</blockquote>
&#8220;Damn right it is — and it’s, once again, the envy of the world, and it’s not unreachable for these people,&#8221; said Rush. &#8220;All they have to do is abandon their own socialism&#8230;&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/all-eyes-on-mitt-romneys-first-move-in-impeachment-trial-disappoints-democrats">All Eyes On Mitt: Romney’s First Move In Impeachment Trial Disappoints Democrats</a>
Transcript via <a href="https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2020/01/21/the-president-makes-the-case-for-american-greatness-in-davos/">RushLimbaugh.com</a>

President Trump

Limbaugh: As Impeachment Trial Kicks Off, Trump Gives One Of Best Speeches Of His Presidency

Donald Trump

Impeachment

Rush Limbaugh

Socialism

As President Trump recently pointed out, there&#8217;s a &#8220;feud brewing&#8221; between radical progressive Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) — and members of the media don&#8217;t appear to be trying very hard to conceal their bias in the internecine quarrel.
&#8220;Bernie Sander’s volunteers are trashing Elizabeth &#8216;Pocahontas&#8217; Warren,&#8221; Trump tweeted last week. &#8220;Everybody knows her campaign is dead and want her potential voters. Mini Mike B is also trying, but getting tiny crowds which are all leaving fast. Elizabeth is very angry at Bernie. Do I see a feud brewing?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Bernie Sander’s volunteers are trashing Elizabeth “Pocahontus” Warren. Everybody knows her campaign is dead and want her potential voters. Mini Mike B is also trying, but getting tiny crowds which are all leaving fast. Elizabeth is very angry at Bernie. Do I see a feud brewing?
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1216743062543663105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A feud is indeed &#8220;brewing&#8221; — and now boiling over — and many on the left, including CNN debate moderators and twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, are jumping in to take shots at Sanders.
Following a glaring example of CNN making painfully clear to its viewers during a primary debate that they believe Warren over Sanders regarding his alleged &#8220;sexist&#8221; comments about the 2020 election, NBC News&#8217; &#8220;THINK&#8221; section got in on the trashing Bernie action, publishing a piece that compares Sanders&#8217; supporters to the worst of the worst, at least according to mainstream media standards.
In the piece, published over the weekend, NBC News THINK contributor Kurt Bardella gave Warren an assist by taking full aim at &#8220;(some) supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders,&#8221; who, Bardella suggests, are racist, sexist bullies almost indistinguishable in their &#8220;tone and tactics&#8221; from the scum of the earth — that&#8217;s right, Trump supporters &#8230;
<blockquote>
On the morning after Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate, the#NeverWarren hashtag starting trending as (some) supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders went on the attack (and the media amplified those attacks). The anti-Sen. Elizabeth Warren missives took many forms, including a small snake emojis mob. But the aggressive tenor was familiar. &#8230;
The attacks against Warren come from the same corners of social media that disparage Democrats (like myself) as being “puppets,” “centrist,” “anti-Semitic, and “ageist” for having the audacity to question or scrutinize their chosen leader. People of color and women who dare to disagree with Sanders’ political assertions have often borne the brunt of this abuse.
This hyper-vocal faction of Sanders supporters — colloquially known as “Bernie Bros” — never went away after the 2016 presidential election. In my personal experience, these bros are almost overwhelmingly white men. And they share, like Trump&#8217;s ardent supporters, a desire to “put me in my place.” Disturbingly, there are times where you really can’t distinguish between the tone and tactics of Trump’s #MAGA nation and Sanders’ “Bros.”
</blockquote>
Clinton heaped on more fuel to the already party unity-damaging fire in an interview with <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/hillary-clinton-full-a-fiery-new-documentary-trump-regrets-harsh-words-bernie-1271551">The Hollywood Reporter</a> published Tuesday. Asked if she stood by her statements trashing Sanders in the new Hulu docuseries &#8220;Hillary,&#8221; the former Secretary of State doubled down.
&#8220;In the doc, you’re brutally honest on Sanders: ‘He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done. He was a career politician. It’s all just baloney and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it,’&#8221; THR <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hillary-attacks-bernie-no-one-likes-him-or-his-prominent-supporters-has-culture-problem">asked</a> Clinton. &#8220;That assessment still hold?&#8221;
&#8220;Yes, it does,&#8221; said Clinton.
Like Bardella, Clinton also took aim at Sanders&#8217; supporters. &#8220;[I]t’s not only him, it’s the culture around him,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It’s his leadership team. It’s his prominent supporters. It’s his online Bernie Bros and their relentless attacks on lots of his competitors, particularly the women.&#8221;
&#8220;And I really hope people are paying attention to that because it should be worrisome that he has permitted this culture — not only permitted, [he] seems to really be very much supporting it,&#8221; Clinton added. &#8220;And I don&#8217;t think we want to go down that road again where you campaign by insult and attack and maybe you try to get some distance from it, but you either don&#8217;t know what your campaign and supporters are doing or you&#8217;re just giving them a wink and you want them to go after Kamala [Harris] or after Elizabeth [Warren]. I think that that&#8217;s a pattern that people should take into account when they make their decisions.&#8221;
Sanders has since responded by taking the high road. “My focus today is on a monumental moment in American history: The impeachment trial of Donald Trump,” said Bernie in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bernie-sanders-responds-to-hillary-clintons-attack-while-his-supporters-trash-her">statement</a> Tuesday. “Together, we are going to go forward and defeat the most dangerous president in American history.”

Bernie Sanders

NBC News ‘THINK’ Trashes Bernie Supporters: Just Like Trump Fans In This ‘Ugly Tactic’

Elizabeth Warren

Media Bias

Democrats hoping that former presidential candidate and frequent Trump critic Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) will be a stumbling block for his Republican colleagues during the impeachment trial are undoubtedly disappointed in his response to House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-trial-schedule-released-by-mcconnell-shows-hes-not-playing-games">resolution</a> outlining the proceedings.
While Democrats are taking to various media platforms to express outrage over the Republicans&#8217; plans for handling the trial, accusing McConnell of attempting to “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/impeachment-trial-live-updates/2020/01/21/a52d9a74-3c3c-11ea-b90d-5652806c3b3a_story.html">cover up</a>” the president&#8217;s alleged misconduct by fast-tracking the proceedings, Romney pointed out in a statement issued ahead of the debate Tuesday that the rules set forth by his colleagues &#8220;align closely&#8221; with those established for the impeachment trial of then-President Bill Clinton, rules which were unanimously approved by the Senate.
Among the Democrats alleging Republican treachery is House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who laid it on thick Tuesday. “We are staring down an erosion of the sacred democratic principles for which our founders fought a bloody war of independence,&#8221; declared Schumer, as reported by<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/impeachment-trial-live-updates/2020/01/21/a52d9a74-3c3c-11ea-b90d-5652806c3b3a_story.html"> The Washington Post</a>. &#8220;The McConnell rules seem to be designed by President Trump for President Trump,&#8221; the New York senator added. &#8220;It asks the Senate to rush through as fast as possible and makes getting evidence as hard as possible.&#8221;
But in his statement responding to the Senate Republicans&#8217; resolution, Romney torpedoed the Democrats&#8217; talking point by looking at the precedent set in the Clinton trial. While stressing that he believes the allegations against Trump are &#8220;extremely serious&#8221; and thus require his fellow senators to &#8220;put political biases aside&#8221; and hear the case in &#8220;good faith,&#8221; Romney made clear that he sees no big problem with the rules laid out by McConnell.
&#8220;The allegations outlined in the articles of impeachment passed by the House are extremely serious — did the President abuse his office for personal political gain, and did he obstruct Congress’ investigation by blocking subpoenas?&#8221; Romney said in the statement. &#8220;These allegations demand that the Senate put political biases aside, and make good faith efforts to listen to arguments from both sides and thoroughly review facts and evidence. I have made clear to my colleagues and the public that the Senate should have the opportunity to decide on witnesses following the opening arguments, as occurred in the Clinton trial. The organizing resolution released tonight includes this step, and overall, it aligns closely with the rules package approved 100-0 during the Clinton trial. If attempts are made to vote on witnesses prior to opening arguments, I would oppose those efforts.&#8221;
Romney has since criticized Democrats over their histrionic response to the resolution. &#8220;If everything is an outrage, then nothing is an outrage,&#8221; said the senator, as reported by Manu Raju (via <a href="https://hotair.com/archives/ed-morrissey/2020/01/21/romney-im-pretty-cool-mcconnells-rules/">Hot Air</a>). Below is the full text of Romney&#8217;s <a href="https://www.romney.senate.gov/romney-statement-start-impeachment-trial">statement</a> responding to the resolution:
<blockquote>
<div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item">
As we approach the impeachment trial of the President, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to the Constitution, to the people of Utah and to the nation. I want to share my thoughts directly with Utahns — the people I was elected to serve in the Senate — about how I plan to approach this process.
Last week, I and all senators swore an oath to ‘do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: so help me God’ in determining whether the president has committed impeachable offenses that merit his removal from office. Deciding whether or not a sitting president should be removed from office is perhaps the most solemn matter that can ever come before the United States Senate. I enter this task with an open mind and a recognition of my solemn responsibility to fulfill my oath.
The allegations outlined in the articles of impeachment passed by the House are extremely serious — did the President abuse his office for personal political gain, and did he obstruct Congress’ investigation by blocking subpoenas? These allegations demand that the Senate put political biases aside, and make good faith efforts to listen to arguments from both sides and thoroughly review facts and evidence. I have made clear to my colleagues and the public that the Senate should have the opportunity to decide on witnesses following the opening arguments, as occurred in the Clinton trial. The organizing resolution released tonight includes this step, and overall, it aligns closely with the rules package approved 100-0 during the Clinton trial. If attempts are made to vote on witnesses prior to opening arguments, I would oppose those efforts.
I will conclude by noting that this is not a situation anyone would wish upon our country. It is difficult, divisive, and further inflames partisan entrenchment. There is inevitable political pressure from all sides. I have spent — and will continue to spend — many hours in careful deliberation about what this process and its potential outcomes could mean for our country. The best we in the Senate can do is strive to meet the obligations outlined by our founding fathers — to honor our constitutional duty and fulfill our oath to do impartial justice. That is the commitment I make solemnly and in good faith to the people of Utah and our nation.
</div>
</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-trump-kicks-off-impeachment-week-by-reminding-democrats-what-theyve-said-in-the-past-about-impeachment">WATCH: Trump Kicks Off Impeachment Week By Reminding Democrats What They’ve Said In The Past About Impeachment</a>

Mitt Romney

All Eyes On Mitt: Romney’s First Move In Impeachment Trial Disappoints Democrats

Charles Schumer

Mitch McConnell

The Senate trial over the House Democrats&#8217; two articles of impeachment against President Trump — for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — officially began Thursday, when Chief Justice John Roberts swore in Senators, but the trial begins in earnest Tuesday afternoon with a vote on the procedural rules, followed by the opening arguments from both sides. Here&#8217;s what to expect in the coming days.
The first order of business is the setting of the rules for the trial, the debate over which begins at 1 p.m. ET Tuesday. Though it hasn&#8217;t officially begun yet, the rules debate is already heated.
On Monday, McConnell released the Republicans&#8217; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-trial-schedule-released-by-mcconnell-shows-hes-not-playing-games">resolution</a> outlining the schedule and rules for the impeachment proceedings — and was met with Democrat allegations that Republicans are attempting to fast-track the proceedings in order to &#8220;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/impeachment-trial-live-updates/2020/01/21/a52d9a74-3c3c-11ea-b90d-5652806c3b3a_story.html">cover up</a>&#8221; Trump&#8217;s alleged misconduct.
The Republicans have given the next step the window of 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning: the filing of initial motions and responses to those motions by the Democrats&#8217; team of impeachment managers and Trump&#8217;s impeachment team, as outlined in the Senate Republican resolution:
<blockquote>The President and the House of Representatives shall have until 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, to file any motions permitted under the rules of impeachment with the exception of motions to subpoena witnesses or documents or any other evidentiary motions. Responses to any such motions shall be filed no later than 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 22, 2020. All materials filed pursuant to this paragraph shall be filed with the Secretary and be printed and made available to all parties.</blockquote>
Beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday, both parties will have a chance to present arguments on the motions. &#8220;Arguments on such motions shall begin at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, and each side may determine the number of persons to make its presentation, following which the Senate shall deliberate, if so ordered under the impeachment rules, and vote on any such motions,&#8221; the Republican resolution specifies.
Next will be the opening arguments from each side, which have been given a maximum of 24 hours for each team. The decision to limit the opening arguments to two days total, CNN notes, &#8220;indicates Senate Republicans are pushing to finish the trial as quickly as possible — ahead of the President&#8217;s February 4 State of the Union address.&#8221; The Republican resolution reads:
<blockquote>Following the disposition of such motions, or if no motions are made, then the House of Representatives shall make its presentation in support of the articles of impeachment for a period of time not to exceed 24 hours, over up to 2 session days. Following the House of Representatives’ presentation, the President shall make his presentation for a period not to exceed 24 hours, over up to 2 session days. Each side may determine the number of persons to make its presentation.</blockquote>
Republicans are limiting the total hours for Senators to questions both parties to 16 hours, followed by a maximum of 2 hours of response arguments for each party:
<blockquote>Upon the conclusion of the President’s presentation, Senators may question the parties for a period of time not to exceed 16 hours. Upon the conclusion of questioning by the Senate, there shall be 4 hours of argument by the parties, equally divided, followed by deliberation by the Senate, if so ordered under the impeachment rules, on the question of whether it shall be in order to consider and debate under the impeachment rules any motion to subpoena witnesses or documents.</blockquote>
The Senate will then vote on whether or not &#8220;to consider and debate under the impeachment rules any motion to subpoena witnesses or documents.&#8221;
“Following the disposition of that question, other motions provided under the impeachment rules shall be in order,” the resolution concludes. “If the Senate agrees to allow either the House of Representatives or the President to subpoena witnesses, the witnesses shall first be deposed and the Senate shall decide after deposition which witnesses shall testify, pursuant to the impeachment rules. No testimony shall be admissible in the Senate unless the parties have had an opportunity to depose such witnesses.”
The final step will be whether to convict or acquit Trump on the two articles of impeachment.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-trump-kicks-off-impeachment-week-by-reminding-democrats-what-theyve-said-in-the-past-about-impeachment">WATCH: Trump Kicks Off Impeachment Week By Reminding Democrats What They’ve Said In The Past About Impeachment</a>

The Senate Impeachment Trial Has Officially Begun; Here’s What To Expect

In a one-word post Monday night, Heisman-winning former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow celebrated officially tying the knot with 2017 Miss Universe winner Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters.
&#8220;Forever,&#8221; wrote Tebow, in a message directed to Nel-Peters along with a photograph of the two laughing and embracing after the ceremony in a location in South Africa, Nel-Peters&#8217; home country.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Forever <a href="https://twitter.com/DemiLeighNP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DemiLeighNP</a> <a href="https://t.co/HZyBAkMKNu">pic.twitter.com/HZyBAkMKNu</a>
&mdash; Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimTebow/status/1219426716352827392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Their wedding took place after a year-long engagement, Tebow, 32, proposing to Nel-Peters, 24, in January of 2019 after dating for several months.
Tebow rose to national fame as the star quarterback of the University of Florida, where he helped the team win two National Championships (in 2007 and 2009) and was awarded the Heisman (in 2008), the youngest player to do so at the time. The quarterback played in the NFL for three seasons. He was <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/13200/tim-tebow">drafted</a> in 2010 by the Denver Broncos, where he played for two seasons, after which he was traded to the New York Jets in 2012. After limited playing time in his one season with the Jets, Tebow was briefly picked up by the New England Patriots during off-season in 2013 but dropped before the season began. In 2015, the Philadelphia Eagles similarly took a look at Tebow but dropped him after preseason.
When his NFL career stalled, Tebow became an analyst for ESPN before getting a spot with the New York Mets&#8217; minor league baseball program in 2016, where he&#8217;s made some headlines for his athletic feats.
Tebow confirmed that he was dating Nel-Peters in 2018. In January 2019, he proposed. A few days ahead of the wedding, which was held in Nel-Peters home country of South Africa, the couple gave an interview with &#8220;<a class="external-link" title="(opens new window)" href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/tim-tebow-talks-wedding-planning-babe-68296285" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="external-disclaimer">Good Morning America&#8221;</a> in which they discussed their relationship and marriage plans:
<blockquote>Tim Tebow and his fiance Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters are in the &#8220;final stretch&#8221; before their wedding and are gearing up for the big &#8220;I do.&#8221;
&#8220;Wedding planning has been great. It’s been so much fun planning the day and seeing it all come together,&#8221; Tebow told &#8220;GMA.&#8221; &#8220;We have some really unique moments that will be a part of it. But honestly, I just mostly say ‘Yes, babe.'&#8221;
Listening to the bride-to-be may be a smart idea for any husband, including Tebow, who posted an outtake while shopping for a wedding outfit where he&#8217;s wearing just a tuxedo vest and no dress shirt.</blockquote>
The couple also discussed their love of hosting others, which inspired their registration with The Knot. “One thing Demi and I like to do is host people,” Tebow told GMA. “Family, friends, team members … so even though we had a few must-haves, we really wanted a bunch of products for cooking and entertaining.”
Along with the joking shirtless tuxedo photo, GMA highlights an Instagram post from Nel-Peters following their engagement, in which she wrote, “Any dreams I’ve ever had, you’ve exceeded them all! I love you and I can’t wait to spend forever with you!&#8221; as well as a posts showing the two of them working on their Cuban dancing ahead of the wedding.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-tim-tebows-impassioned-take-why-college-amanda-prestigiacomo">WATCH: Tim Tebow Gives Impassioned Take On Why College Players Shouldn’t Get Paid, Gets Slammed For ‘Privilege’</a>

Tim Tebow and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters

Tim Tebow Marries Miss Universe, Celebrates In One-Word Post

Football

Tim Tebow

In an interview with TBN that airs in full Tuesday night, a preview of which has been released exclusively to The Daily Wire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed President Trump’s decision to target Iran’s top military leader, Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. The removal of Soleimani, said the Israeli leader, is a “tremendous achievement” that accomplished two key priorities at once.
Asked how Soleimani’s death will “change the Middle East,” Netanyahu told TBN Television Networks President Matthew Crouch that he believes that, first of all, &#8220;it sends a message of American determination and American strength — it’s a deterrence, a very powerful one.&#8221;
“Secondly, Soleimani himself was the architect and the generator of Iran’s empirical [goals], the Iranian empire,&#8221; Netanyahu continued. &#8220;Iran is predominantly Shiite. [Soleimani] would go into a neighboring country, say Iraq, and he would find Shiites and would create Shiite militias … manned by Iraqi Shiites but commanded by his own officers, Iranian officers. The same he would do in Syria, same he would do in Yemen.&#8221;
“He was beginning to choke the Middle East,” the prime minister stressed. “He wanted to conquer the entire Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and ultimately destroy Israel. He was beginning to push his forces right next to Israel in Syria — and we responded to them very forcefully, we hit back.”
“But it is important to understand that Iran’s expansion into this horrible empire that brings misery and death to untold numbers of people in the Middle East—by the way, Jews and Arabs alike, Christians Muslims Jews, everyone,” said Netanyahu. “This man was an engine of destruction and conquest and subjugation. And his removal, I think, helps roll back these forces of tyranny.”
“It’s a tremendous achievement,” the prime minister added. “It both strengthens American deterrence but also pushes back Iran’s aggression.”
Video of Netanyahu’s comments below (full interview airs on TBN Tuesday night at 8/7c):
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According to a press release issued by TBN Monday, in the 24-minute interview Netanyahu discusses a wide range of topics, including &#8220;Israel’s role as the Middle East’s sole democracy, its determination to aggressively defend itself against Iran and others intent on its destruction, and the important commitment of President Trump and America’s conservative and Christian community to stand in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people.&#8221;
In response to the Trump-ordered strategic airstrike that took out Soleimani, Iran targeted two Iraqi bases where U.S. personnel were stationed. The next day, President Trump gave a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-addresses-nation-after-attack-no-lives-lost-iran-appears-to-be-standing-down">televised address</a> in which he announced that the strikes resulted in no U.S. or Iraqi deaths and that Iran had signaled that they were “standing down.” In the address, Trump reiterated his commitment to pushing back against Iran’s aggression in the region, particularly as orchestrated by Soleimani.
“As long as I am president of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump declared. “I am pleased to inform you, the American people should be extremely grateful and happy: No Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime. We suffered no casualties, all of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases. Our great American forces are prepared for anything. Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned, and a very good thing for the world.”
“For far too long, all the way back to 1979, to be exact, nations have tolerated Iran’s destructive and destabilizing behavior in the Middle East. Those days are over,” Trump stated. “Iran has been the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and their pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens the civilized world. We will never let that happen.”
&#8220;As the head of the Quds Force, Soleimani was personally responsible for some of the absolutely worst atrocities,&#8221; the president explained. &#8220;He trained terrorist armies, including Hezbollah, launching terrorist strikes against civilian targets. He fueled bloody civil wars all across the region. He viciously wounded and murdered thousands of U.S. troops, including the planting of roadside bombs that maim and dismember their victims. Soleimani directed the recent attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq that badly wounded four service members and killed one American, and he orchestrated the violent assault on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. In recent days, he was planning new attacks on American targets, but we stopped him.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/iran-sent-messages-through-three-back-channels-to-u-s-after-attack-to-say-they-were-done">Iran Sent Messages Through ‘Three Back Channels’ To U.S. After Attack To Say They Were Done</a>

Benjamin Netanyahu

WATCH: Netanyahu On Trump Taking Out Soleimani: ‘A Tremendous Achievement’ That Accomplished Two Key Goals

Iran

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps

Israel

Qassem Soleimani

In an interview with Turning Point USA published Sunday (video below), Jack Wilson, who was awarded the Texas Governor&#8217;s Medal of Courage last week for his life-saving response to a mass shooter at his church, gave a powerful defense of Second Amendment rights, which he maintains, are essential to keeping all our other rights under the Constitution.
Jack Wilson, 71, is a volunteer member of the security team at the West Freeway Church of Christ near Fort Worth, Texas, where a mass shooter opened fire during a church service on Dec. 29, 2019. As Texas allows licensed congregants to carry in churches, Wilson, a former Texas Army National Guardsman and NRA instructor, was armed, along with other members of the security team.
The expert marksman responded with remarkable speed when the shooter opened fire. Within six seconds of the gunman&#8217;s first shot, Wilson shot him dead, undoubtedly saving many lives. For his heroic actions, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) Abbott presented Wilson last week with the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/bloomberg-misfires-on-jack-wilson-11579219312">Governor’s Medal of Courage</a>, the highest civilian honor the state of Texas awards.
After receiving the prestigious award, Wilson spoke with TPUSA about what prepared him for that harrowing moment when he confronted the shooter, including not only his years of training with firearms but his realist views on self-defense and the presence of &#8220;evil&#8221; in the world.
&#8220;There&#8217;s evil in the world,&#8221; Wilson told the conservative nonprofit. &#8220;Be prepared to protect yourself.&#8221;
&#8220;I killed evil. I took out evil,&#8221; Wilson said of the harrowing moment he took down the gunman with a single shot.
&#8220;I spent six years at Texas Army National Guard, 30 years in the defense world, D.O.D. world, had my own business for 21 years teaching people how to shoot,&#8221; said Wilson.
&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t start at the moment that you need to protect yourself,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;You have to learn, choose a firearm you&#8217;re comfortable with, become proficient with it, train with it.&#8221;
&#8220;Without the Second Amendment — my opinion, very strongly — you will lose all other rights,&#8221; Wilson stressed. &#8220;The firearm is not the evil thing. The person behind it is either good or evil. It’s not a firearm issue. It is a person issue.&#8221;
Wilson also provided some details about how he and the rest of the security team was prepared for the actions of the shooter. When he first walked into the service, Wilson said he recognized him as an &#8220;obvious&#8221; potential threat in part because he appeared to be wearing a wig and a fake beard. &#8220;We were observed the individual, we were watching the individual,&#8221; he said, noting that he walked into the audio-visual room and instructed them to train one of the cameras on the individual.
&#8220;The individual got up and that&#8217;s when he turned &#8230; and pulled the shotgun &#8230; from underneath his coat,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Richard told him, &#8216;Drop the gun! Drop the gun!&#8217; I had people in front of me that prevented me from taking a body shot, a torso shot. The only shot I had was the headshot. When I took the headshot, the subject went down. From the time the individual turned with the gun in his hand till I was over him was a total of six seconds.”
&#8220;I did not do what I did &#8230; for hero status. I don&#8217;t see myself as a hero,&#8221; Wilson emphasized. &#8220;My role is more of a protector for anyone who happens to be in the congregation&#8230;&#8221;
In the end, he said, God is the one who should get the credit for the lives saved, saying, &#8220;God gave me the training, gave me the mindset, to be able to stop the situation.&#8221;
Video below via TPUSA:
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-hammers-bloomberg-for-his-comments-on-hero-with-gun-who-stopped-shooting">Trump Hammers Bloomberg For His Comments On Hero With Gun Who Stopped Shooting</a>

West Freeway Church of Christ

WATCH: Hero Who Stopped Texas Church Shooter: ‘Without The Second Amendment, You Will Lose All Other Rights’

Greg Abbott

Gun Control

Second Amendment

Texas

President Trump has been directing more criticism as of late toward former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose platform features radical gun control, which he has been promoting through his pro-gun control nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety since 2013.
After several tweets slamming &#8220;Mini Mike Bloomberg&#8221; last week, Trump hit the late addition to the Democratic presidential field on his past comments on Jack Wilson, a 71-year-old NRA instructor and volunteer security guard at a Texas church who stopped a shooter literally dead in his tracks before he could take more lives.
&#8220;It may be true that someone in the congregation had his own gun and killed the person who murdered two other people, but it’s the job of law enforcement to have guns and to decide when to shoot,&#8221; Bloomberg <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/479007-trump-slams-bloomberg-over-comments-on-man-who-shot-dead-texas-gunman">said</a> during an appearance at a church in Montgomery, Alabama, a few weeks ago. &#8220;You just do not want the average citizen carrying a gun in a crowded place.&#8221;
Trump added to his growing collection of &#8220;Mini Mike&#8221; tweets on Sunday by calling out Bloomberg over the comment.
&#8220;Now Mini Mike Bloomberg is critical of Jack Wilson, who saved perhaps hundreds of people in a Church because he was carrying a gun, and knew how to use it,&#8221; Trump tweeted. &#8220;Jack quickly killed the shooter, who was beginning a rampage. Mini is against the 2nd A. His ads are Fake, just like him!&#8221;
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Now Mini Mike Bloomberg is critical of Jack Wilson, who saved perhaps hundreds of people in a Church because he was carrying a gun, and knew how to use it. Jack quickly killed the shooter, who was beginning a rampage. Mini is against the 2nd A. His ads are Fake, just like him!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1219004689716412416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Texas&#8217; Republican Gov. Greg Abbott honored Wilson last week with the Governor’s Medal of Courage for rapidly shooting a gunman who opened fire in the church. Within six seconds of the shooter firing on congregants of the West Freeway Church of Christ, Wilson took down the gunman with a single shot. As <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/bloomberg-misfires-on-jack-wilson-11579219312">The Wall Street Journal</a> noted last week, &#8220;most of America rightly regards Mr. Wilson as a hero who used his gun to save innocent life on that December Sunday.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s tweet comes amid massive backlash to the Democrats&#8217; gun control agenda in Virginia. Late last week, the Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate passed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-governor-declares-state-of-emergency-over-massive-gun-control-protest-here-are-the-three-gun-control-laws-causing-all-the-controversy">three controversial gun bills</a> that have inspired tens of thousands of pro-Second Amendment rallyers to converge on Richmond, a development that has prompted Virginia&#8217;s Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam to issue a temporary state of emergency, banning all weapons at the state capitol.
Bloomberg&#8217;s <a href="https://www.mikebloomberg.com/policies/gun-safety?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxb6H9NKS5wIVRR6tBh1rEASKEAAYASAAEgLaAfD_BwE&amp;utm_expid=.Ean3QEj9S1KUM4de8VlRlg.2&amp;utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F">gun control platform</a> calls for imposing an &#8220;effective background check system so that no one can purchase a gun without passing a completed background check,&#8221; closing all so-called &#8220;loopholes,&#8221; &#8220;including one that prohibits married domestic abusers from possessing guns, but not many unmarried ones,&#8221; &#8220;reinstat[ing] the federal ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and banning &#8220;all guns in K-12 schools, colleges, and universities – except for law enforcement.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s Sunday tweet followed a series of posts hammering Bloomberg last week, including one accusing the former mayor of engaging in a &#8220;vanity project.&#8221;
“Mini Mike Bloomberg ads are purposely wrong — A vanity project for him to get into the game,” Trump wrote Friday. “Nobody in many years has done for the USA what I have done for the USA, including the greatest economy in history, rebuilding our military, biggest ever tax &amp; regulation cuts, &amp; 2nd A!”
The president also mocked &#8220;Mini Mike&#8221; for avoiding the debate stage thus far. “Mini Mike Bloomberg doesn’t get on the Democrat Debate Stage because he doesn’t want to,” her wrote. “He is a terrible debater and speaker. If he did, he would go down in the polls even more (if that is possible!).”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Mini Mike Bloomberg ads are purposely wrong &#8211; A vanity project for him to get into the game. Nobody in many years has done for the USA what I have done for the USA, including the greatest economy in history, rebuilding our military, biggest ever tax &amp; regulation cuts, &amp; 2nd A!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1218174158280019968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Mini Mike Bloomberg doesn’t get on the Democrat Debate Stage because he doesn’t want to &#8211; he is a terrible debater and speaker. If he did, he would go down in the polls even more (if that is possible!).
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1218165916451602432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Trump Hammers Bloomberg For His Comments On Hero With Gun Who Stopped Shooting

Michael Bloomberg

A pro-Second Amendment rally taking place in Virginia&#8217;s capital this week is expected to draw tens of thousands of protesters, all gathering in Richmond to express their opposition to a slate of controversial gun control bills pushed through by the Democrat-majority state congress and backed by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. Ahead of the rally, Northam <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-virginia-democrat-governor-ralph-northam-to-declare-emergency-banning-all-guns-from-state-capitol-grounds">declared</a> an emergency weapons ban at the state capitol and law enforcement has gone on high alert, the FBI already making some <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-arrests-members-of-group-preparing-for-race-war-ahead-of-virginia-gun-rally">arrests</a>.
After four out of five Democrat-sponsored gun control bills easily passed the Democrat-controlled Virginia General Assembly last Monday, three of the four bills passed in the Virginia Senate Thursday. The three bills that made it through include a law that will allow local authorities to ban weapons from public spaces during some events, another that limits handgun purchases to one a month, and a law requiring background checks for all firearm purchases,
The bill banning firearms in public spaces and bill limiting handgun purchases passed in the Senate by a razor-thin majority entirely along party lines (21-19), while the background check bill Gainesvilles two Republican votes. Below are descriptions of the three bills via Richmond&#8217;s <a href="https://wtkr.com/2020/01/17/three-gun-control-bills-pass-virginia-senate/">WTKR</a>:
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<li><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lis.virginia.gov_cgi-2Dbin_legp604.exe-3F201-2Bsum-2BSB35&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=aLv4kG3eFBuAUFgZFQ07JQ&amp;r=ksyXiO9uHm8aOu377TmyBg&amp;m=E1cLqjPNpOTZMsqEF6xThaBZeuo655xCnWqwNUE8G-o&amp;s=V3e6PzeNJP8EPwyJUs3a0PdzLBsDHH1rNpu9pyo9dBI&amp;e=">Senate Bill 35</a>: Authorizes any locality to prohibit the possession of firearms and ammunition in public spaces during permitted events or events that would otherwise require a permit. Introduced by Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon.</li>
<li><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lis.virginia.gov_cgi-2Dbin_legp604.exe-3F201-2Bsum-2BSB69&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=aLv4kG3eFBuAUFgZFQ07JQ&amp;r=ksyXiO9uHm8aOu377TmyBg&amp;m=E1cLqjPNpOTZMsqEF6xThaBZeuo655xCnWqwNUE8G-o&amp;s=zAb21OJWZSa3Iio8QplBQNNR2rM5c6cS-FRHszV5EX8&amp;e=">SB 69</a>: Prohibits anyone who is not a licensed firearms dealer from purchasing more than one handgun within a 30-day period, making the offense a Class 1 misdemeanor. Exempts those with valid Virginia concealed handgun permits and those replacing a lost or stolen handgun, as well as law enforcement agencies, state and local correctional facilities, private security companies and those with special circumstances with a  background check from Virginia State Police. Also exempts purchases made during a private sale for a personal collection of rare or historical items. Introduced by Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton.</li>
<li><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lis.virginia.gov_cgi-2Dbin_legp604.exe-3F201-2Bsum-2BSB70&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=aLv4kG3eFBuAUFgZFQ07JQ&amp;r=ksyXiO9uHm8aOu377TmyBg&amp;m=E1cLqjPNpOTZMsqEF6xThaBZeuo655xCnWqwNUE8G-o&amp;s=zHEbWKxrkdSADd_LQigfeRxh6MgVFdyUqM6Py6CQpWw&amp;e=">SB 70</a>: Requires background checks for any firearm transfer and directs State Police to set up a process for obtaining such a check from a licensed firearms dealer. Anyone who sells a firearm without a background check is guilty of a Class 6 felony, and the person who receives the firearm is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Exempts transfers between immediate family members and by estate administrators, as well as transfers during lawful activities at shooting ranges or similar spaces designed for target practice. It also exempts temporary transfers that occur while the owner is present or are necessary to prevent death or bodily harm. Additionally, it allows transfers of antique firearms, transfers that are part of a buy-back or give-back program and those that occur by operation of law. Introduced by Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth.</li>
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One Republican senator, Sen. Amanda Chase (Chesterfield) summarized Second Amendment advocates&#8217; argument against the bills, particularly SB 35, saying during the debate last week, &#8220;The good guys won’t have the guns. They won’t be able to protect themselves, and we’re basically creating a disastrous situation in which criminals will not follow the law, and it will only hurt and create victims.&#8221;
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A &#8220;red flag&#8221; law allowing authorities to temporarily confiscate guns from those deemed a risk to themselves or others passed in the Assembly but stalled in the Senate, while a bill expanding the definition of &#8220;assault firearms&#8221; in state law and banning their possession as well as prohibiting &#8220;the selling or transfer of any firearm magazine with the capacity for more than 10 rounds of ammunition,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gun-control-bills-advance-virginia-general-assembly">failed</a> to make it to the Senate.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-arrests-members-of-group-preparing-for-race-war-ahead-of-virginia-gun-rally">FBI Arrests Alleged Members Of Group ‘Preparing For Race War’ Ahead Of Virginia Gun Rally</a>
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US-POLITICS-DEMONSTRATION-WEAPONS

Virginia Gov Declares Emergency Gun Ban For Massive Rally; Here Are The Three Gun Control Laws Prompting Protests

Ralph Northam

Virginia

Actor John Cusack is a big fan of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders&#8217; particular brand of socialism. In fact, as the &#8217;80s actor made alarmingly clear at a Bernie rally in Exeter, NH on Saturday, he believes if we don&#8217;t stop &#8220;predatory capitalism&#8221; in the next &#8220;ten or twelve years,&#8221; we&#8217;re all toast.
&#8220;[T]he billionaires are getting nervous and all the corporate media is — they hate us, they don’t hate us, they&#8217;re confused. And it seems like every conceivable power structure on earth is trying to kill or derail our movement, but we’re still here,&#8221; declared Cusack, in remarks reported by <a href="https://news.grabien.com/story-john-cusack-we-have-10-12-years-save-planet-climate-capitali">Grabien</a>.
&#8220;We know this form of capitalism takes and takes; it takes whatever, whenever, however it wants,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It’ll take our lives, it’ll take our labor, our spirit, our air and water, even our earth.&#8221;
Cusack then echoed an alarmist line often repeated by global warming activist Greta Thunberg, but specifically tying the sentiment to Sanders&#8217; policies.
&#8220;Bernie respects us enough to tell the truth, the hard truth: We have a ten to twelve year window to radically transform our energy systems, or climate change, predatory capitalism, and endless war economies will rob us of the right to any future at all,&#8221; said the actor. &#8220;And as we can see literally every day, the house is on fire.&#8221;
Bernie, suggested Cusack, is our only hope in these desperate times.
&#8220;But as Bernie tells us, this is no time for despair, it&#8217;s no time for anything but action,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Because if we stand together, with him, the future is still indeed unwritten. And there’s nothing more powerful than a movement whose time has come.&#8221;
Cusack then invoked a vaguely defined &#8220;movement,&#8221; by which he appears to mean democratic socialism, which he says is now finally &#8220;close&#8221; to power.
&#8220;We have never had a movement candidate this close to power with a revolutionary movement he’s led and built, ready-to-go, all the way to change the country and help heal the world,&#8221; he said. &#8220;With people of every race, creed, gender, everybody stands together in solidarity when all of us whose labor powers this economy, stop the profiteering and tell the billionaires and the  corporate tyrannies that it&#8217;s time to start treating all human beings with respect and dignity.&#8221;
Video of Cusack&#8217;s remarks below (via <a href="https://news.grabien.com/story-john-cusack-we-have-10-12-years-save-planet-climate-capitali">Grabien</a>):
<iframe title="John Cusack at Sanders Rally: ‘We Have 10 to 12 Years’ to Save the Planet from Capitalism" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bc6CgJP9nro?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Other celebrities who&#8217;ve made millions from Hollywood&#8217;s &#8220;predatory capitalism&#8221; have resorted to Thunbergian rhetoric about climate change in recent months, including &#8220;Aquaman&#8221; (which blew up at the box office) star Jason Momoa, who told the United Nations in September that humanity is &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-aquaman-jason-momoa-says-we-are-a-disease-infecting-our-planet-rips-trump-at-u-n">a disease that is infecting our planet.</a>&#8221;
&#8220;From the atmosphere to the abyssal zone, we are polluted,&#8221; said the &#8220;Game of Thrones&#8221; star. &#8220;It is a known fact that the great garbage patch floating in the Pacific is larger than the country of France. Even at the depths of the Mariana Trench we are discovering nano plastics. And shockingly, there are more particles of plastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way. It is shameful.&#8221;
&#8220;Yet, the greatest threat to small island developing states is that entire islands are drowning into the sea due to the enormous volume of emissions generated by the first world countries,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Island nations contribute the least to this disaster but are made to suffer the weight of its consequences.&#8221;
Similar to Cusack, Momoa laid the blame at the feet of capitalism and failure of the government to intervene enough.
&#8220;Our governments and corporate entities have known for decades that immediate change is needed, yet change still has not come,&#8221; said the actor. &#8220;And when the front line is gone, we are doomed. There is no undoing. If you continue to watch unsympathetic to the issues of island nations, this realization will soon come — that you stood by and witnessed the world cross the critical tipping point, ushering in the death of our planet.&#8221;
Momoa&#8217;s speech the U.N. below:
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&nbsp;

John Cusack

WATCH: Actor John Cusack Goes Full Greta At Bernie Rally: ‘The House Is On Fire’

Capitalism

Climate Change

Global Warming

Greta Thunberg

Hollywood

Jason Momoa

President Trump ushered in the first official week of the Senate impeachment trial by reminding the Democrats behind the whole &#8220;hoax&#8221; about their past impassioned comments on the process that clash glaringly with their current rhetoric.
After having been sworn in Thursday by Chief Justice John Roberts, the U.S. Senate begins the impeachment trial in earnest Tuesday afternoon with a debate over a resolution setting the trial rules, followed by the opening arguments. Sunday night, Trump retweeted a video produced by The Daily Caller that includes an inconvenient collection of clips starring key Democrats involved in the impeachment process effectively arguing against their present actions (video below).
The first prominent Democrat featured in the video is a more corpulent, 20-year-younger Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who headed up the drafting of the two impeachment articles against Trump, declaring ahead of Bill Clinton&#8217;s impeachment that &#8220;an impeachment of a president is an undoing of a national election — and one of the reasons we are so angry about what [the Republicans] are doing is they &#8230; are ripping asunder our votes, they are telling us our votes don&#8217;t count!&#8221;
Next up is a younger Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), who&#8217;s been calling for Trump&#8217;s impeachment since before he took office, calling the Republicans&#8217; impeachment of Clinton all about &#8220;hate&#8221; and channeling Hillary saying, &#8220;You go out there and do the people&#8217;s work, and I&#8217;ll take care of you later!&#8221; (The Democrat crowd gets a big kick out of the congresswoman&#8217;s joke about a president abusing his power to take advantage of a young intern and publicly humiliate his wife.)
Waters&#8217; Democrat-celebrated performance is followed by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), now House speaker, who laments, &#8220;Today the Republican majority is not judging the president with fairness, but impeaching him with a vengeance.&#8221; Continuing to echo Republicans&#8217; current complaints, which she is now forcefully dismissing, the younger Pelosi says, &#8220;In the investigation of the president, fundamental principles which Americans hold dear — privacy, fairness, checks and balances — have been seriously violated. And why? Because we are here today because Republicans in the House are paralyzed with hatred&#8230;&#8221;
Then comes then-Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), who reminds us that &#8220;the President of the United States does not serve at the pleasure of the legislature &#8230; He is elected directly by the people of the United States of America, and an election of a president is the only nation-wide vote the American people will ever cast — that&#8217;s a big deal.&#8221;
The Daily Caller-produced video was tweeted out by former senior White House advisor and political commentator Oliver McGee, whose post Trump retweeted: &#8220;CAUGHT-ON-TAPE: Dems on <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/BillClinton" data-mentioned-user-id="1330457336"><s>@</s>BillClinton&#8217;s</a> Impeachment!&#8221; McGee captioned the video. &#8220;Retweet! This Impeachment Hoax of <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/POTUS" data-mentioned-user-id="822215679726100480"><s>@</s>POTUS</a> is an UNCONSTITUTIONAL UNDOING of a legitimate 2016 election, and an UNLAWFUL HIJACK ATTEMPT of a 2020 REELECTION LANDSLIDE of <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump" data-mentioned-user-id="25073877"><s>@</s>realDonaldTrump</a>! Dems want POWER FIRST NOT PEOPLE FIRST!&#8221;
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CAUGHT-ON-TAPE: Dems on <a href="https://twitter.com/BillClinton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BillClinton</a>&#39;s Impeachment! Retweet!
This Impeachment Hoax of <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> is an UNCONSTITUTIONAL UNDOING of a legitimate 2016 election, and an UNLAWFUL HIJACK ATTEMPT of a 2020 REELECTION LANDSLIDE of <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>!
Dems want POWER FIRST NOT PEOPLE FIRST! <a href="https://t.co/7QZiOBAxeE">pic.twitter.com/7QZiOBAxeE</a>
&mdash; Oliver McGee PhD MBA (@OliverMcGee) <a href="https://twitter.com/OliverMcGee/status/1219071530480566272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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On Tuesday, the Republican-led Senate will hold what is expected to be a fiery debate over the resolution that sets the trial rules. After the debate, both sides will present their opening arguments.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/monica-lewinsky-responds-with-f-bomb-to-new-additions-to-trump-impeachment-team">Monica Lewinsky Responds With F-Bomb To New Additions To Trump Impeachment Team</a>

Jerry Nadler

WATCH: Trump Kicks Off Impeachment Week By Reminding Democrats What They’ve Said In The Past About Impeachment

Robert Hyde, the former landscaper-turned-congressional candidate at the center of a new Ukraine &#8220;scandal&#8221; about supposed surveillance of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, posted a video message Friday addressing the bizarre WhatsApp messages that inspired Democrats to demand new investigations and prompted Ukraine to announce it was officially looking into the matter.
On Tuesday evening, House Democrats heading up the impeachment effort released new materials related to Ukraine that they say require &#8220;full investigation&#8221; and additional witnesses to be called for the impeachment trial in the Senate. Among the evidence is a series of typo-riddled, sometimes nonsensical WhatsApp messages sent in March 2019 by Hyde to Lev Parnas. Parnas is an ex-associate of Rudy Giuliani who has been indicted for attempting to funnel foreign money to Republicans and has been cooperating with the Democrat-led impeachment committee.
In the WhatsApp texts sent in March (excerpts below), Hyde claims he has &#8220;contacts&#8221; who are supposedly tracking the movements of Yovanovitch, who was still serving as ambassador in Ukraine at the time. Yovanovitch was eventually dismissed early from her position by Trump, allegedly because she stood in the way of investigations Trump wanted Ukraine to conduct involving Joe and Hunter Biden.
As Democrats called for an investigation into Hyde&#8217;s wild claims, Ukraine’s interior ministry issued a statement Thursday announcing that it has opened “a criminal investigation into the possible illegal surveillance” of Yovanovitch, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/ukraine-opens-criminal-investigation-surveillance-marie-yovanovitch/story?id=68324113">ABC News</a> reported. &#8220;The ministry in a statement said police had opened the investigation in light of text messages released by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee between two associates of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.&#8221;
Hyde has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ukraine-opens-investigation-into-surveillance-of-u-s-ambassador-after-dems-release-outrageous-whatsapp-texts">laughed off</a> the allegations on Facebook and in multiple interviews, saying he was just &#8220;playing.&#8221; &#8220;We sent some colorful texts,&#8221; Hyde told Eric Bolling on Wednesday. &#8220;It’s kind of unfortunate the left had to get their panties in a bunch.&#8221;
On Friday, Hyde posted a strange video in which he challenged House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) to reveal the texts that Hyde says he was being fed by some guy whose name he can&#8217;t pronounce about the alleged surveillance of Yovanovitch. Hyde also floats the conspiracy theory that the messages were sent to him by Schiff himself just to &#8220;f***&#8221; with him.
&#8220;Look like Adam Schiff liked to put out something between Parnas and I where we were effing around &#8212; and I was down in Ecuador, I believe, climbing volcanoes,&#8221; says Hyde. &#8220;But I would like Adam Schiff to put out the other transcripts from the guy I was talking to, that I think Adam Schiff put there to f*** with me.&#8221; He goes on to underscore that he has &#8220;no ties to Ukraine.&#8221; WATCH:
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<a href="https://t.co/RhidNMrOex">pic.twitter.com/RhidNMrOex</a>
&mdash; HYDE for U.S. Congress (@rfhyde1) <a href="https://twitter.com/rfhyde1/status/1218231487256055808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Below are some of the strange texts sent by Hyde to Parnas between March 23 and 29 included among the <a href="https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20200114_-_hpsci_transmittal_letter_to_hjc_-_new_evidence_attachment.pdf">materials</a> released by the Democrats Tuesday:
<blockquote>Wow. Can’t believe Trumo [sic] hasn’t fired this b*tch. I’ll get right in that … She under heavy protection outside Kiev … They are moving her tomorrow … The guys over they [sic] asked me what I would like to do and what is in it for them … Wake up Yankees man … She’s talked to three people. Her phone is off. Computer is off. … She’s next to the embassy. … Not in the embassy … Private security. Been there since Thursday … They know she’s a political puppet …. They will let me know when she is on the move … I mean where if they can find out … That address I sent you checks out … It’s next to the embassy … They are willing to help if we/you would like a price … Guess you can do anything in the Ukraine with money … What I was told …. Update she will not be moved special security unit upgraded force on the compound people are already aware of the situation my contacts are asking what is the next step because they cannot keep going to check people will start to ask questions … If you want her out they need to make contact with security forces … From Ukrainians … Nothing is changed she is still not moving they check today again … It’s confirmed we have a person inside … Hey brother do we stand down?? Or you still need intel be safe … She had visitors … It’s confirmed we have a person inside … Hey broski tell me what we are doing what’s the next step</blockquote>

Adam Schiff

WATCH: Man At Center Of Latest Ukraine ‘Bombshell’ That Sparked Investigation Has Challenge For Adam Schiff

Ukraine

On Friday, The New York Times broke the news that President Trump has added three high-profile names to his impeachment team — and two of them happen to have been involved in the investigation that resulted in the only other presidential impeachment in the last 150 years.
Monica Lewinsky, the former White House intern whose relationship with then-President Clinton, around which that investigation revolved, responded to the news with a brief but memorable tweet. &#8220;[T]his is definitely an &#8216;are you f***ing kidding me?&#8217; kinda day,&#8221; she wrote.
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this is definitely an “are you fucking kidding me?” kinda day.
&mdash; Monica Lewinsky (@MonicaLewinsky) <a href="https://twitter.com/MonicaLewinsky/status/1218192875931959296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Lewinsky — who was just 22 when Clinton, then 49, carried on a sexual relationship with her and has since gone on to become an anti-bullying activist — appears to have been responding to the news that former independent counsels Kenneth Starr and Robert Ray were joining Trump&#8217;s impeachment team, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/17/us/politics/trump-impeachment-lawyers-starr-dershowitz.html">reported</a> by the Times&#8217; Maggie Haberman Friday morning:
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President Trump plans on adding former independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr and the defense lawyer Alan Dershowitz to his legal team for his trial by the Senate, a person briefed on the plan said Friday.
Mr. Starr, whose investigation into President Bill Clinton’s sexual relationships led to his impeachment, will be joined by Robert Ray, who succeeded Mr. Starr as independent counsel and <a class="css-1g7m0tk" title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/12/us/the-starr-report-full-text-of-findings-sent-to-congress-part-two-of-thirteen.html">wrote the final report</a> on Mr. Clinton, the person said.
Rounding out the team will be Mr. Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor emeritus who became famous as a defense counsel for high-profile defendants like O.J. Simpson.
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Starr, Ray, and Dershowitz will join White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump’s personal lawyer Jay Sekulow to represent the president in the Senate trial. In a statement Friday, the team specifically addressed Dershowitz&#8217;s role in the process.
“Professor Dershowitz will present oral arguments at the Senate trial to address the constitutional arguments against impeachment and removal,” the team announced in a statement reported by the Times. “While Professor Dershowitz is nonpartisan when it comes to the constitution — he opposed the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and voted for Hillary Clinton — he believes the issues at stake go to the heart of our enduring Constitution. He is participating in this impeachment trial to defend the integrity of the Constitution and to prevent the creation of a dangerous constitutional precedent.”
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A Republican-majority House passed two articles of impeachment against Clinton on Dec. 19, 1998, for perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice related to his affair with Lewinsky. The evidence brought against Clinton came largely from the report produced by Starr, then head of the Office of the Independent Counsel.
What would come to be known as the &#8220;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/12/us/the-starr-report-full-text-of-findings-sent-to-congress-part-two-of-thirteen.html">Starr Report</a>&#8221; presented “substantial and credible information that President Clinton criminally obstructed the judicial process, first in a sexual harassment lawsuit in which he was the defendant and then in a grand jury investigation.” The report detailed “the President’s efforts to get Ms. Lewinsky a job, Ms. Lewinsky’s subpoena in Jones v. Clinton, the role of Vernon Jordan, the President’s discussions with Ms. Lewinsky about her affidavit and deposition, the President’s deposition testimony in Jones, the President’s attempts to coach a potential witness in the harassment case, the President’s false and misleading statements to aides and to the American public after the Lewinsky story became public, and, finally, the President’s testimony before a federal grand jury.”
Ray, who succeeded Starr as head of the Independent Counsel in 1999, submitted the final report on the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-responds-to-gao-report-saying-he-violated-law-in-withholding-ukraine-aid">Trump Responds To GAO Report Saying He Violated Law In Withholding Ukraine Aid</a>

monicalewinsky.jpg

Monica Lewinsky Responds With F-Bomb To New Additions To Trump Impeachment Team

Bill Clinton

Monica Lewinsky

Ahead of the rapidly approaching impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate, President Trump has reportedly added a few more key players to his impeachment team, among them two former independent counsels responsible for reports on the sex scandal that ultimately got Bill Clinton impeached, Kenneth Starr and Robert Ray, as well as prominent Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz.
The New York Times&#8217; Maggie Haberman first <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/17/us/politics/trump-impeachment-lawyers-starr-dershowitz.html">reported</a> on the additions of Starr, Ray, and Dershowitz Friday morning:
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President Trump plans on adding former independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr and the defense lawyer Alan Dershowitz to his legal team for his trial by the Senate, a person briefed on the plan said Friday.
Mr. Starr, whose investigation into President Bill Clinton’s sexual relationships led to his impeachment, will be joined by Robert Ray, who succeeded Mr. Starr as independent counsel and <a class="css-1g7m0tk" title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/12/us/the-starr-report-full-text-of-findings-sent-to-congress-part-two-of-thirteen.html">wrote the final report</a> on Mr. Clinton, the person said.
Rounding out the team will be Mr. Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor emeritus who became famous as a defense counsel for high-profile defendants like O.J. Simpson.
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The three will join White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump&#8217;s personal lawyer Jay Sekulow to represent Trump in the trial.
In a statement reported by Haberman, Trump&#8217;s impeachment team detailed the role Dershowitz — a self-described liberal who has frequently defended Trump publicly since he took office — will play.
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“Professor Dershowitz will present oral arguments at the Senate trial to address the constitutional arguments against impeachment and removal,” the statement reads. “While Professor Dershowitz is nonpartisan when it comes to the constitution — he opposed the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and voted for Hillary Clinton — he believes the issues at stake go to the heart of our enduring Constitution. He is participating in this impeachment trial to defend the integrity of the Constitution and to prevent the creation of a dangerous constitutional precedent.”
Starr&#8217;s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/12/us/the-starr-report-full-text-of-findings-sent-to-congress-part-two-of-thirteen.html">famous report</a> on Clinton&#8217;s sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky presented &#8220;substantial and credible information that President Clinton criminally obstructed the judicial process, first in a sexual harassment lawsuit in which he was the defendant and then in a grand jury investigation.&#8221; The Starr Report&#8217;s findings ultimately led to the Republican-majority House passing two articles of impeachment against Clinton, for perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice, on both of which the president was acquitted in the Republican-led Senate.
Among the damaging information detailed in the Starr Report are &#8220;the President&#8217;s efforts to get Ms. Lewinsky a job, Ms. Lewinsky&#8217;s subpoena in Jones v. Clinton, the role of Vernon Jordan, the President&#8217;s discussions with Ms. Lewinsky about her affidavit and deposition, the President&#8217;s deposition testimony in Jones, the President&#8217;s attempts to coach a potential witness in the harassment case, the President&#8217;s false and misleading statements to aides and to the American public after the Lewinsky story became public, and, finally, the President&#8217;s testimony before a federal grand jury.&#8221;
Ray submitted the final report on the Lewinsky scandal after he took over as head of the Office of the Independent Counsel in 1999, a position he held until 2002.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-responds-to-gao-report-saying-he-violated-law-in-withholding-ukraine-aid">Trump Responds To GAO Report Saying He Violated Law In Withholding Ukraine Aid</a>
This article has been updated to include more context.
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Trump’s Impeachment Team Adds More Big Names, Two From Bill Clinton Investigations

Alan Dershowitz

Christopher Wray

Ken Starr

Ahead of planned protests against Virginia Democrats&#8217; four new gun control bills, the FBI has arrested three people who are allegedly members of a racist and anti-Semitic group &#8220;preparing for a race war.&#8221;
The charges against the alleged members of the white ethno-nationalist group include federal gun charges as well as alien-harboring charges related to helping one of the suspects, a Canadian citizen, get into the country illegally.
&#8220;The charges announced Thursday grew from an investigation of a collection of online extremists who refer to themselves as &#8216;the Base,&#8217; which is the English translation of al-Qaeda,&#8221; <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fbi-arrests-alleged-members-of-white-supremacist-group-the-base/ar-BBZ1t9m">The Washington Post</a> reports. &#8220;According to experts who track hate groups, its members promote racist views and seek to unite different hate groups in preparation for a race war.&#8221;
&#8220;Officials said Brian Mark Lemley Jr., 33, and William Bilbrough IV, 19, both of Maryland, were charged with transporting an alien and conspiring to harbor an alien,&#8221; the Post reports. &#8220;Lemley is also charged with transporting a machine gun. Also charged is Patrik Mathews, 27, who has been living in Newark, Del. He is accused of transporting a firearm and ammunition with the intent to commit a felony.&#8221;
The Post reports that Mathews is a former member of the Canadian army reserve who went missing in August, having allegedly crossed illegally into the U.S., meeting Lemley and Bilbrough in Michigan before they traveled back to Maryland and Delaware. Lemley also served in the military, as a U.S. Army scout.
&#8220;Lemley, Mathews, and Bilbrough are members of a white supremacist organization named &#8216;The Base,'&#8221; the complaint against the suspects reads. &#8220;Within The Base’s encrypted chat rooms, members have discussed, among other things, recruitment, creating a white ethno-state, committing acts of violence against minority communities (including African-Americans and Jewish-Americans), the organization’s military-style training camps, and ways to make improvised explosive devices.&#8221;
The complaint states that an FBI agent witnessed Lemley firing a &#8220;machine gun&#8221; he and Mathews constructed at a gun range in Maryland on Jan. 2.
The arrests come ahead of protests planned to begin Monday at the state&#8217;s capital, protests which will reportedly include pro-Second Amendment protesters from both the left and the right.
While Second Amendment protesters are frequently assumed to be from the right, as <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/akwv4k/why-antifa-is-siding-with-thousands-of-pro-gun-conservatives-in-virginia">Vice</a> reports, members of the far-left Antifa say they also are planning to attend the rally next week in Richmond — but not because they intend to harass the &#8220;right-wingers.&#8221;
&#8220;Antifa Seven Hills, based in Richmond, are opposing the slew of gun bills introduced by the newly Democratic Legislature since November, because they say those types of laws are used primarily to criminalize poor people, minorities, and leftists — and to bolster law enforcement’s power,&#8221; Vice reports.
A spokesperson for the group, who requested anonymity, told Vice, &#8220;I think it’s been pretty important for us to focus on the fact that gun control in America has a legacy of racist enforcement. Like taking guns away from black people, because black people were perceived as a threat to property and the sanctity of the state.&#8221;
&#8220;The local antifa chapter’s engagement in this issue is another example of the resurgence of pro-gun leftists in America and yet more evidence that the gun-rights debate is growing increasingly politically diffuse and nuanced beyond simply being a GOP issue,&#8221; Vice notes.

FBI Seal

FBI Arrests Alleged Members Of Group ‘Preparing For Race War’ Ahead Of Virginia Gun Rally

White Supremacy

On Thursday, the Government Accountability Office issued its report on the White House temporarily freezing U.S. security aid allocated for Ukraine, concluding that President Trump violated the Impoundment Control Act by &#8220;substitut[ing] his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law.&#8221; Trump responded Friday morning by tweeting out a quote from Harvard Law&#8217;s Alan Dershowitz, who argues that the GAO has it &#8220;exactly backwards.&#8221;
“The [GAO] got it exactly backwards,&#8221; Trump tweeted, quoting Dershowitz, a self-described liberal who has frequently defended Trump over the course of his presidency. &#8220;Here’s what they said. The law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities to those Congress has enacted into law. It’s exactly the opposite. The Constitution does not allow Congress to substitute its own priorities for the foreign policies of the President.”
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&#8230;.for the foreign policies of the President.” <a href="https://twitter.com/AlanDersh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlanDersh</a> Alan Dershowitz <a href="https://twitter.com/seanhannity?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@seanhannity</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> They do what the House asks. The Swamp!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1218164098212474881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As The Daily Wire reported Thursday, the GAO issued its conclusions on the legality of the White House withholding the aid to Ukraine in an alleged attempt to &#8220;pressure&#8221; the government to conduct investigations into alleged Ukrainian corruption, particularly involving Joe and Hunter Biden.
“Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,” the 8-page <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000016f-aee6-dda2-af6f-efef31580000">report</a> signed by General Counsel Thomas H. Armstrong, states in its overview. “OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA). The withholding was not a programmatic delay. Therefore, we conclude that OMB violated the ICA.”
“In the summer of 2019, OMB withheld from obligation approximately $214 million appropriated to DOD for security assistance to Ukraine,&#8221; the GAO&#8217;s &#8220;decision&#8221; section outlines. &#8220;OMB withheld amounts by issuing a series of nine apportionment schedules with footnotes that made all unobligated balances for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) unavailable for obligation. … As explained below, we conclude that OMB withheld the funds from obligation for an unauthorized reason in violation of the ICA.1 See 2 U.S.C. § 684. We also question actions regarding funds appropriated to the Department of State (State) for security assistance to Ukraine.”
“At issue in this decision is whether OMB had authority to withhold the USAI funds from obligation,” Armstrong explains in the &#8220;discussion&#8221; section of the report. “The Constitution specifically vests Congress with the power of the purse, providing that ‘No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.’ U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 7. The Constitution also vests all legislative powers in Congress and sets forth the procedures of bicameralism and presentment, through which the President may accept or veto a bill passed by both Houses of Congress, and Congress may subsequently override a presidential veto. Id., art. I, § 7, cl. 2, 3. The President is not vested with the power to ignore or amend any such duly enacted law.”
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The report concludes by urging the OMB and the State Department to “provide the information we need to fulfill our duties under the ICA regarding potential impoundments of FMF funds.”
“We will continue to pursue this matter and will provide our decision to the Congress after we have received the necessary information,” Armstrong stresses. “We consider a reluctance to provide a fulsome response to have constitutional significance.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-it-gaos-report-on-white-house-withholding-ukraine-aid-violated-law">Read the GAO&#8217;s full report here</a>.
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Trump Responds To GAO Report Saying He Violated Law In Withholding Ukraine Aid

In an interview with Joe Rogan for his popular podcast released Wednesday, superstar actor Robert Downey Jr. explained why he ultimately chose to take on the role of self-important actor &#8220;Kirk Lazarus&#8221; for Ben Stiller&#8217;s 2008 comedy &#8220;Tropic Thunder,&#8221; a role that included Downey dressed for most of the film in blackface and doing a hilariously bad impersonation of an African-American man as imagined by an egotistical Hollywood A-lister.
Asked by Rogan if he could make a film like &#8220;Tropic Thunder&#8221; today, Downey suggestively responded, &#8220;Oh, you could do it &#8230;,&#8221; a line that drew a big laugh out of the host (video below).
&#8220;Tropic Thunder,&#8221; Downey explained, reminded him of his father&#8217;s 1969 dark satire, &#8220;<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064855/">Putney Swope</a>,&#8221; about a &#8220;token black man&#8221; on the executive board of an advertising firm who is accidentally put in charge and then gets a chance to reshape the corrupt company and, in the process, is forced to &#8220;confront his own corruption.&#8221;
When Stiller contacted him about playing the role, Downey said, he was initially enthusiastic, then began doubting the decision. &#8220;I thought, yeah, I&#8217;ll do that, and I&#8217;ll do that after &#8216;Iron Man&#8217;,&#8221; said Downey. &#8220;Then I started thinking, this is a terrible idea!&#8221;
&#8220;Then I thought, hold on, dude, get real here. Where is your heart?&#8221; said Downey. &#8220;And my heart is, A, I get to be black for a summer, in my mind &#8230; So there&#8217;s something in it for me.&#8221;
Having gotten another big laugh out of Rogan, Downey got to what he made clear was his true motivation for taking on the role: &#8220;The other thing is I get to hold up to nature the insane, self-involved hypocrisy of artists and what they think they&#8217;re allowed to do on occasion — just my opinion,&#8221; he said.
Downey also pointed to having a chance to work with Stiller, for whom he has immense respect, and who Downey praised for handling the inevitably &#8220;offensive nightmare of a movie.&#8221;
&#8220;And also Ben, who is a masterful artist and director — probably the closest thing to a Charlie Chaplin that I&#8217;ve experienced in my lifetime — he writes, he directs, he acts,&#8221; said Downey. &#8220;If you had seen him when he was directing this movie, you would have been like, &#8216;I&#8217;m watching David Lean, I&#8217;m watching Chaplin, I&#8217;m watching Coppola.&#8217; He knew exactly what the vision for this was; he executed it. It was impossible to not have it be an offensive nightmare of a movie — and 90% of my black friends were like, &#8216;Dude, that was great.'&#8221;
Asked about the other 10%, Downey said, &#8220;I can&#8217;t disagree with them, but I know where my heart was,&#8221; adding that he knows that&#8217;s &#8220;never an excuse to do something that is out of place and not of its time.&#8221;
Rogan responded by suggesting that, unless people&#8217;s sensitivity on the issue changes, the film might be &#8220;the last time&#8221; we see black face in humor again. &#8220;We almost lost the Prime Minister of Canada because he did brown face, he pretended to be Saudi Arabian,&#8221; Rogan added, referencing the Justin Trudeau scandal.
&#8220;It&#8217;s an interesting and necessary meditation on where is the pendulum, why is the pendulum right, where is the pendulum maybe cutting a little into what could be perceived as heart-in-the-right-place openness of its time,&#8221; said Downey. &#8220;There&#8217;s a morality clause here, on this planet, and it&#8217;s a big price to pay. And I think having moral psychology is job one.&#8221;
Video below via the &#8220;Joe Rogan Experience&#8221;:
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<iframe title="Could You Make Tropic Thunder Today? w/Robert Downey Jr. | Joe Rogan" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9ugC3TXSKoE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Robert Downey Jr.

WATCH: Robert Downey Jr. Explains Why He Played Blackface Role In Joe Rogan Interview

Joe Rogan

Since House Democrats released new evidence Tuesday evening from their investigation into the Trump administration&#8217;s Ukraine &#8220;pressure&#8221; campaign. Evidence Democrats say requires further investigation. The primary source of those materials, Lev Parnas — a former Rudy Giuliani associate who has been indicted on charges of funneling foreign money to Republicans — has been making the media rounds and leveling new accusations, including that U.S. Attorney General William Barr was &#8220;absolutely&#8221; in on the Ukraine scheme. The State Department has responded unequivocally to Parnas&#8217;s claim.
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Parnas appeared on MSNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Maddow&#8221; Wednesday, where host Rachel Maddow asked him to discuss the various <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-dump-new-impeachment-evidence-on-eve-of-vote-say-it-proves-senate-trial-cant-be-full-and-fair">allegations</a> included in the Democrats&#8217; eleventh-hour document dump. &#8220;It’s been reported as far as we understand from public reporting that you conveyed to [senior Zelensky aide Sergey] Schafer the exact quid pro quo that you wanted Zelensky to announce investigations into Joe Biden or military aid would not be released to Ukraine. Is that accurate?” asked Maddow, as reported by <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/news/giuliani-pal-lev-parnas-accuses-trump-of-clear-quid-pro-quo-all-aid-was-predicated-on-biden-investigation-announcement/">Mediaite</a>.
&#8220;Basically, the message that I was supposed to, that I gave Sergei Shaffer was a very harsh message that was told to me to give it to him in a very harsh way, not a pleasant way,&#8221; he said.
Asked who gave him the order, Parnas said, &#8220;Mayor Giuliani. Rudy told me after, you know, meeting the president at the White House. The message was it wasn’t just military aid, it was all aid. Basically their relationships would be sour, that we would stop giving them any kind of aid. &#8230; Unless — there were several demands at that point. A, the most important was the announcement of the Biden investigation.&#8221;
Parnas went on to claim that President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, national security adviser John Bolton, and Attorney General Barr were all &#8220;in the loop&#8221; on the Ukraine &#8220;shakedown&#8221; scheme.
Asked for comment by Maddow&#8217;s show on Parnas&#8217;s claim about Barr being &#8220;absolutely&#8221; in on &#8220;the effort to get the Ukrainians to announce an investigation of Vice President Joe Biden,&#8221; Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec responded, flatly, &#8220;100% false.&#8221;
In a follow-up discussion with the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/100-false-doj-rejects-lev-parnas-claim-that-barr-was-part-of-ukraine-scheme">Washington Examiner</a>, Kupec reiterated the adamant response. &#8220;Kupec told the Washington Examiner that there was no truth to Parnas&#8217;s claims,&#8221; the outlet reports. &#8220;She added that the Justice Department&#8217;s position &#8216;has not changed&#8217; since September, when the Ukraine controversy first broke through a whistleblower complaint and when the agency emphatically distanced itself from Giuliani&#8217;s foray into Ukraine in a lengthy statement.&#8221;
After Trump released the transcript of his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he said Barr would follow up about the investigations he mentioned, the Justice Department fired off a statement making clear Trump had never spoken with the attorney general about the matter.
&#8220;The President has not spoken with the Attorney General about having Ukraine investigate anything relating to former Vice President Biden or his son, and the President has not asked the Attorney General to contact Ukraine — on this or any other matter,&#8221; the statement read. &#8220;The Attorney General has not communicated with Ukraine — on this or any other subject. Nor has the Attorney General discussed this matter, or anything relating to Ukraine, with Rudy Giuliani.&#8221;
During his interview with Maddow Wednesday, Parnas also accused the president of knowing &#8220;exactly&#8221; what was going on with the Giuliani-led effort in Ukraine.
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&#8220;President Trump knew exactly what was going on,&#8221; Parnas <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/giuliani-associate-parnas-says-trump-knew-exactly-what-was-going-n1116731">told</a> Maddow. &#8220;He was aware of all my movements. I wouldn&#8217;t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president. I have no intent, I have no reason to speak to any of these officials. I mean, they have no reason to speak to me. Why would President Zelenskiy&#8217;s inner circle or Minister Avakov or all these people or President Poroshenko meet with me? Who am I? They were told to meet with me. And that&#8217;s the secret that they&#8217;re trying to keep. I was on the ground doing their work.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ukraine-opens-investigation-into-surveillance-of-u-s-ambassador-after-dems-release-outrageous-whatsapp-texts">Ukraine Opens Investigation Into ‘Surveillance’ Of U.S. Ambassador After Dems Release ‘Outrageous’ WhatsApp Texts</a>

William Barr

New Ukraine Allegation Leveled Against Attorney General Barr; State Department Slaps It Down

Rachel Maddow

READ IT: GAO&#8217;s Report On White House Withholding Ukraine Aid: Violated Law

WhatsApp messages sent by a landscaper-turned-Republican congressional candidate Robert Hyde to Lev Parnas, an indicted ex-associate of Rudy Giuliani, have prompted an official investigation by Ukraine into the potential surveillance of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. The messages, says Hyde, were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/man-at-center-of-new-ukraine-allegations-democrats-have-their-panties-in-a-bunch-over-drunken-jokes-on-whatsapp">just jokes</a> sent &#8220;to some dweeb we were playing with that we met a few times while we had a few drinks.&#8221;
Amid Democrats&#8217; calls for an investigation into Hyde&#8217;s comments about his supposed &#8220;contacts&#8221; tracking Yovanovitch in Ukraine, Ukriaine&#8217;s interior ministry issued a statement Thursday announcing that it has opened &#8220;a criminal investigation into the possible illegal surveillance&#8221; of Yovanovitch, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/ukraine-opens-criminal-investigation-surveillance-marie-yovanovitch/story?id=68324113">ABC News</a> reports.
&#8220;The ministry in a statement said police had opened the investigation in light of text messages released by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee between two associates of President Donald Trump&#8217;s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani,&#8221; ABC reports.
As reported by <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/15/democrats-demand-state-release-info-surveillance-yovanovitch-099321">Politico</a>, after releasing new Ukraine investigation materials Tuesday, Democrats are now &#8220;vowing to investigate&#8221; the allegations.
“This unprecedented threat to our diplomats must be thoroughly investigated and, if warranted, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who sent a <a href="https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/_cache/files/c/a/ca166ac6-08ec-43ce-976c-1a54bb55d236/2435CEEA38184D26095119FB565DF2DB.ele-to-brian-bulatao-letter-amb-yovanovich-1-15-20.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">letter</a> to the State Department on Wednesday demanding records on Hyde, Parnas and Yovanovitch, Politico notes.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders also weighed in on the WhatsApp messages, tweeting out a statement Wednesday decrying the &#8220;outrageous&#8221; messages and calling for a full investigation.
&#8220;It is outrageous that the President’s personal lawyers appear to have directed the surveillance of a U.S. ambassador,&#8221; Sanders wrote. &#8220;This must be fully investigated as the Senate conducts the impeachment trial. We have a responsibility to hold this lawless administration to account.&#8221;
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It is outrageous that the President’s personal lawyers appear to have directed the surveillance of a U.S. ambassador.
This must be fully investigated as the Senate conducts the impeachment trial. We have a responsibility to hold this lawless administration to account. <a href="https://t.co/nY3ykuKdiZ">https://t.co/nY3ykuKdiZ</a>
&mdash; Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1217508141530861571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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But Hyde says this latest Ukraine &#8220;scandal&#8221; is based on a trolling joke on &#8220;dweeb&#8221; Parnas, who he says he was warned about early on.
&#8220;I was never in Kiev,&#8221; Hyde wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday, as reported by <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/15/democrats-demand-state-release-info-surveillance-yovanovitch-099321">Politico</a>. &#8220;For them to take some texts my buddy’s and I wrote back to some dweeb we were playing with that we met a few times while we had a few drinks is definitely laughable.&#8221;
In an interview with NBC News Tuesday, Hyde added that he’d been drinking when he sent some of the messages, then addressed the issue again in a phone interview with “America This Week with Eric Bolling” on Wednesday.
“We were playing,” Hyde told Bolling. “I thought we were playing. I didn’t know he was so serious.”
“We sent some colorful texts,” Hyde added. “It’s kind of unfortunate the left had to get their panties in a bunch.”
Asked if he was actually tracking Yovanovitch, Hyde told Bolling, “Absolutely not. Are you kidding me? I’m a little nasty [expletive], excuse my language. Come on, you know me, Eric.”
Hyde also told Bolling that he&#8217;d been warned &#8220;a long time ago&#8221; about Parnas. “Listen, I was told a long time ago who Lev was by a lot of people down in communities throughout this country who would pull me aside, have meetings with me, and tell me to stay away from the guy,” he said.
Below are some of the key texts sent by Hyde to Parnas between March 23 and 29 included among the <a href="https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20200114_-_hpsci_transmittal_letter_to_hjc_-_new_evidence_attachment.pdf">materials</a> released by the Democrats Tuesday:
<blockquote>Wow. Can’t believe Trumo [sic] hasn’t fired this b*tch. I’ll get right in that … She under heavy protection outside Kiev … They are moving her tomorrow … The guys over they [sic] asked me what I would like to do and what is in it for them … Wake up Yankees man … She’s talked to three people. Her phone is off. Computer is off. … She’s next to the embassy. … Not in the embassy … Private security. Been there since Thursday … They know she’s a political puppet …. They will let me know when she is on the move … I mean where if they can find out … That address I sent you checks out … It’s next to the embassy … They are willing to help if we/you would like a price … Guess you can do anything in the Ukraine with money … What I was told …. Update she will not be moved special security unit upgraded force on the compound people are already aware of the situation my contacts are asking what is the next step because they cannot keep going to check people will start to ask questions … If you want her out they need to make contact with security forces … From Ukrainians … Nothing is changed she is still not moving they check today again … It’s confirmed we have a person inside … Hey brother do we stand down?? Or you still need intel be safe … She had visitors … It’s confirmed we have a person inside … Hey broski tell me what we are doing what’s the next step</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-dump-new-impeachment-evidence-on-eve-of-vote-say-it-proves-senate-trial-cant-be-full-and-fair">Democrats Dump New Impeachment Evidence On Eve Of Vote, Say It Proves Senate Trial Can’t Be ‘Full And Fair’</a>
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<div id="bling-4" data-google-query-id="CPS37tq_iOcCFQE-fwodsOoHEQ">This article has been revised for clarity.</div>
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James Barrett

Articles by James Barrett