In an effort to ensure the 2020 olympics remain as environmentally conscious as possible, the Tokyo Organizing Committee for Paralympics and Olympics, which is tasked with constructing Olympic Village, has commissioned 18,000 recyclable cardboard bed frames to be used for visiting athletes. 
Apparently, the bedframes can withstand up to 440 lbs and are “stronger than wooden beds,” according to Takashi Kitajim, the general manager of the Athletes Village, reports the <a href="https://apnews.com/226b432362e6056d0d0807afa76f9433?utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow">Associated Press</a>. 
“Of course, wood and cardboard would each break if you jumped on them,” clarifies Kitajim, who cautioned athletes against jumping on the bed in any potential gold-medal celebrations. 
But Andrew Bogut, a basketball player for the Australian national team, took to Twitter with concerns about athletes being able to celebrate in other ways. “Great gesture,” says Bogut, “until the athletes finish their said events and the 100o’s of condoms handed out all over the village are put to use,” referring to the tradition of distributing condoms to athletes to prevent the spread of STDs. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Great gesture&#8230;until the athletes finish their said events and the 1000’s  of condoms handed out all over the village are put to use&#8230;&#8230;..🙉🙈 <a href="https://t.co/4wzaoDHL34">https://t.co/4wzaoDHL34</a>
— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewbogut/status/1215224772239314944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
According to the French media agency <a href="https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/cardboard-beds-wont-fold-under-olympic-pressure-says-manufacturer-doc-1nl39f6">AFP</a>, Airweave, the maker of the bed frame has confirmed that the beds have been built to withstand late-night shenanigans, so long as athletes limit the festivities to only two people. 
“We&#8217;ve conducted experiments, like dropping weights on top of the beds,&#8221; said a spokesperson for Airweave, according to AFP. &#8220;As long as they stick to just two people in the bed, they should be strong enough to support the load.&#8221;
According to <a href="https://time.com/5137272/condoms-at-olympics/">Time magazine</a>, the Olympics first began offering condoms at the 1988 games in Seoul, South Korea, during the AIDS epidemic. 
“The distribution of condoms continued from there, as tens of thousands of free condoms grew to a height of 450,000 condoms at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. At Sochi in 2014, 100,000 condoms were given out,” according to Time magazine. 
The number of condoms per athlete peaked at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, where 2,925 athletes received over 110,00 condoms, reports the news agency. This roughly equated to each athlete receiving, on average, a little more than two condoms per day of the games. 
According to the 2010 <a href="https://vancouver.ca/police/assets/pdf/reports-policies/report-human-trafficking-2010-games.pdf">report</a> “Human Trafficking, Sex Work Safety and the 2010 Games,” the Olympic Association was forced to ban outdoor sex following the 1988 Olympic games because too many of the free condoms were found on the roofs of athletic housing units. 
In preparation for the Tokyo games, activists have been working since last year to educate people about the prevalence of human trafficking that happens during high profile events. 
“It does exist here [in Japan], it is just that it is not talked about,” said Sarah de Carvalho, founder of the activist group It’s A Penalty, according to <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/06/23/national/social-issues/olympics-way-activist-groupnext-campaign-target-human-trafficking-tokyo/#.XhkXV5NKhAY">Japan Times</a>. “If you educate people who are attending the event about the signs to look out for, and that’s labor as well as sexual exploitation, it is happening everywhere. But unless we talk about it we think it is not happening.”
The news agency reports that the group has “facilitated the rescue of more than 16,800 victims by partnering with police, airlines, sporting bodies and nongovernment organizations during sporting events, including soccer’s 2014 World Cup, 2016 Rio Olympics, and 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.”
The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo begin July 24.

2020 Olympics General Views

‘Stick To Just Two People’: Tokyo 2020 Olympics Bedmaker Cautions Athletes Against Threesomes

Olympics

Tokyo

The big narrative following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle&#8217;s split from the Royal Family is that Britain&#8217;s racism played a role in their decision.
Over at <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/10/entertainment/meghan-markle-blame-all-sides-race-trnd/index.html">CNN</a>, Lisa Respers France argued that Britons have been sending a message to Meghan Markle since the day she announced her engagement to Harry: &#8220;You aren&#8217;t one of us, and you aren&#8217;t welcome.&#8221;
&#8220;Meghan, a biracial, divorced American actress, was far from what many envisioned as a fairy-tale match for a beloved member of the British royal family,&#8221; wrote Respers France. &#8220;While many in the UK welcomed her, the British tabloid media and a large swath of the Twitterverse were not kind. It became so bad that Kensington Palace <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/uk-prince-harry-meghan-markle/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">released a statement scolding the press about its treatment of her.&#8221;</a>
Now that Meghan Markle has announced her exit, Respers France claimed that Britons have changed their questions about her from &#8220;Why are you here?&#8221; to &#8220;Where do you think you&#8217;re going.&#8221; Kehinde Andrews, an associate professor of sociology at Birmingham City University, said that Markle&#8217;s exit was partially inevitable.
&#8220;It was never going to end well,&#8221; said Andrews. &#8220;The British royal family is one of the premiere symbols of whiteness in the world. She was never going to be fully accepted.&#8221;
Likewise, Nsenga Burton, a professor at Emory University in Atlanta, said that criticism of Meghan Markle&#8217;s exit &#8212; which has now taken on a life of its own under the hashtag #Megxit &#8212; &#8220;reinforces the stereotype of black women being destructive, divisive, and unsatisfied.&#8221;
&#8220;People are cool with black women as long as we go along to get along,&#8221; she said. &#8220;As soon as we start standing up for ourselves and saying, &#8216;This is not working for me,&#8217; we become the problem.&#8221;
Natasha Eubanks, founder and editor of <a href="https://theybf.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TheYBF.com,</a> echoed Burton&#8217;s sentiment, going further to argue that haters of Markle&#8217;s desire for &#8220;self-sovereignty&#8221; show tinges of sexism. &#8220;Having the audacity – because that&#8217;s what it is – to exhibit self-sovereignty has always been a privilege reserved for men, especially white men,&#8221; she told CNN. &#8220;Yet here is Meghan exhibiting this &#8216;audacity&#8217; and it&#8217;s being &#8230; pushed forward by a white man who happens to be her husband.&#8221;
The sight of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle splitting off especially &#8220;triggers people,&#8221; according to Eubank, because it places &#8220;a white Prince of royal blood and a black American woman commoner&#8221; on equal footing.
&#8220;That sight doesn&#8217;t sit well with everyone due to how they&#8217;ve been conditioned to view women and people of color, whether they realize it or not,&#8221; she asserted.
In response to the arguments, &#8220;Good Morning Britain&#8221; co-host Piers Morgan, who previously hosted &#8220;Piers Morgan Live&#8221; on CNN, roasted his former employer for using the British Royal Family drama for an escapade of &#8220;race-baiting,&#8221; arguing that Meghan Markle invited most of the bad press she received.
&#8220;Disgraceful race-baiting by ⁦@CNN &#8211; this is such a lie,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/piers-morgan-cnn-meghan-markle">Morgan said on Twitter</a>.  &#8220;Meghan’s had a LOT of very good press &amp; some bad press when she has (mostly) deserved it. But I haven’t seen anything racist published or broadcast about her in the British media. It’s a lie.&#8221;
Piers Morgan then shared images of British tabloids fawning over Meghan Markle since the beginning. &#8220;&#8216;Nasty racist British press had it in for Meghan from the start,'&#8221; Morgan quipped.
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&#39;Nasty racist British press had it in for Meghan from the start.&#39; <a href="https://t.co/vdKfOC5BTh">pic.twitter.com/vdKfOC5BTh</a>
&mdash; Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) <a href="https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/1215713855889907715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Canada House

CNN: Racism To Blame For Meghan Markle Split

England

Meghan Markle

Prince Harry

Racism

The minds behind the Fox series “Party of Five” didn’t want to revive the show for the usual reasons.
Nostalgia sells, of course, and new versions of “Will &amp; Grace,” “Veronica Mars,” and “Roseanne” scored (again) with audiences. Amy Lippman, who created the ’90s hit “Party of Five” with Chris Keyser, told the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tvs-top-5-2020-preview-inside-freeforms-party-five-update-1264228">TV’s Top 5 Podcast</a> that she needed a better reason to bring the story back to primetime TV.
The nation’s immigration crisis, and a hearty case of Trump Derangement, gave her team all the rocket fuel required.
“Party of Five,” debuting Jan. 8 on Freeform, doesn’t feature five children whose parents die in a car crash as in the original version. This family’s children are separated from their illegal immigrant parents when ICE agents deport them back to Mexico.
Lippman broke down the show’s creative process, vowing that the series wouldn’t be as political as it sounds. Her own words clashed with that description throughout the interview.
She said the genesis of the project began before President Trump’s shocking 2016 election day victory. In the early stages, the story morphed from the car accident leaving the kids without parents to an immigration-based drama.
That gave the reboot a fresh coat of creative paint. Still, she worried the show wouldn’t get on-air quickly enough to mirror reality.
“We kept saying, ‘lets get going on it because the situation may resolve itself in some way that means we’re sort of writing after the fact, we’re behind on it.’ And we wanted to be relevant,” Lippman says.
“I don’t think any of us anticipated we would find ourselves debuting the show right in the middle of this crisis,” she says of the current immigration battle.
Lippman concedes the show has a strong viewpoint on illegal immigration, but reveals the president won’t be part of the conversation, at least not directly.
That, she confirms, was by design.
“We don’t mention the president or the administration throughout the [first] season,” she says, a measure taken as an ideological olive branch. “We’d like to reach everyone with the show because we think it has something to say regardless of where you are on the political spectrum.”
“Obviously we’re on the side of families, and families staying together seems very important to us,” she says. Does that imply Americans who support border enforcement are anti-family?
Lippman also described the diversity of her writer’s room, including one colleague who made a dramatic change following Trump’s victory.
“After the election, one of the writers in our room went out and became a dual citizen of the country that her parents were born in,” Lippman explains.
“I said, ‘why?’ I don’t understand. You’re an American. You have a passport. You’re not even a naturalized citizen. You were born in this country. Why would you do that?”
“She said, ‘I don’t feel safe.&#8217;”
Lippman continues the writer’s thoughts on the dual citizenship decision.
“I feel like even though I’m completely here legitimately, in this climate it feels like it could all go away. Maybe people would begin to investigate how did my parents come over, or my grandparents? And that that could all unravel for me,” Lippman recalls.
“And that feeling of insecurity, and a feeling that prejudice and bias against you, is not my experience,” Lippman says. “I couldn’t have done the show this season without being surrounded by people who had that perspective.”
Early “Party of Five” reviews strain to describe the show as <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/party-of-five-freeform-reboot-review.html">apolitical</a>. That’s the line peddled by the liberal site <a class="vglnk" href="http://vulture.com/" rel="nofollow">Vulture.com</a>.
Until it doesn’t.
<blockquote>Make no mistake: All of this is political. But Party of Five humanizes the political and makes the audience see the deeply personal impact that the decisions made by the administration have on the lives of young people who are trying their best to do the right thing every day.</blockquote>
The Washington Post<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/a-new-party-of-five-capably-tells-the-story-of-a-family-facing-the-immigration-crackdown/2020/01/06/ff08f58a-2e58-11ea-bcb3-ac6482c4a92f_story.html"> quotes lines from the first few episodes</a> as preachy as a <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/michael-moore-lying-attacks-life/">Michael Moore</a> screed. Here’s what an ICE official says to the parents as they round them up for deportation.
“You think the rules don’t apply to you? Things have changed, Mr. Acosta. I need to see your papers,” the man “growls.”
Naturally, this critic frames the story as a welcome plea for open borders.
The show gives “American viewers a solid, up close experience of how easily U.S. immigration policy (and its blunt enforcement) can tear apart a good, law-abiding family.”
They broke the law by entering the country illegally, a point the critic clearly ignores.
The WaPo critic also contends the show isn’t “overly political” … and then quotes the family saying the immigration officials “don’t care who we are.”
Nothing political or incendiary there. Never mind that these officials are just doing their jobs and enforcing the law.
Lippman’s podcast interview eventually gives away the game.
She admits to wanting the show’s audience to care so deeply for the family in question that they reconsider their views on immigration
“If you embrace the family, maybe that’s a path to understanding the political situation from a different perspective,” she says.
A version of this article is also published on <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/party-of-five-reboot-trump-derangement/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

Donald Trump

‘Party Of Five’ Relaunch Fueled By Trump Derangement Syndrome

Hollywood

On Friday evening, Ricky Gervais responded to critics upset over the comedian &#8220;accepting&#8221; Christian and conservative followers since his blistering Golden Globes monologue against Hollywood.
&#8220;I’ve noticed a couple of tweets criticising me for &#8216;accepting&#8217; new followers who are the &#8216;opposite&#8217; of me,&#8221; Gervais posted via Twitter. &#8220;Christian, conservative, pro life, pro gun, reactionaries. Of course I accept them.&#8221;
&#8220;To err is human, to forgive divine. It’s what Jesus would do. Dog Bless all my followers,&#8221; the open atheist added.
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I’ve noticed a couple of tweets criticising me for “accepting” new followers who are the “opposite” of me. Christian, conservative, pro life, pro gun, reactionaries. Of course I accept them. To err is human, to forgive divine. It’s what Jesus would do. Dog Bless all my followers. <a href="https://t.co/25iufHbQjs">pic.twitter.com/25iufHbQjs</a>
&mdash; Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) <a href="https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1215766961424076800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;If you don’t believe in free speech for people who you disagree with, and even hate for what they stand for, then you don’t believe in free speech,&#8221; he added in a subsequent tweet.
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If you don’t believe in free speech for people who you disagree with, and even hate for what they stand for, then you don’t believe in free speech.
&mdash; Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) <a href="https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1215781682491600908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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On Sunday night, Gervais told liberal elites in Hollywood to can their sanctimonious sermons and “f*** off&#8221; during his opening monologue at the Globes.
“So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything,” the “After Life” actor and creator told the audience. “You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.”
“So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent, and your God, and f*** off,” he continued, “Okay? It’s already three hours long. Right, let’s do the first award.”
In another portion of Gervais’ fiery monologue, the actor took a shot at Apple:
<blockquote>Apple roared into the TV game with “The Morning Show,” a superb drama about the importance of dignity and doing the right thing, made by a company that runs sweatshops in China. Well, you say you’re woke, but the companies you work for – I mean, unbelievable. Apple, Amazon, Disney. If ISIS started a streaming service, you’d call your agent, wouldn’t you?</blockquote>
The hit on Hollywood was cheered by conservatives, who&#8217;ve routinely highlighted celebrity hypocrisy and moral preening.
Gervais explained why he took on Hollywood liberals on Wednesday, underscoring their need to wear their liberalism &#8220;like a medal.&#8221;
“I didn’t roast Hollywood for being a bunch of liberals,” he explained via social media. “I myself am a liberal. Nothing wrong with that.”
“I roasted them for wearing their liberalism like a medal,” the actor continued. “I’m such a snowflake, liberal, I can’t even really hate them for it. But my job is to take the piss. I did that.”
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I didn&#39;t roast Hollywood for being a bunch of liberals. I myself am a liberal. Nothing wrong with that. I roasted them for wearing their liberalism like a medal. I&#39;m such a snowflake, liberal, I can&#39;t even really hate them for it. But my job is to take the piss. I did that. 😇 <a href="https://t.co/bYwqxiyeKu">pic.twitter.com/bYwqxiyeKu</a>
&mdash; Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) <a href="https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1215043466738176000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Gervais, an open and proud liberal, has frequently been criticized by the Left for failing to abide by their politically correct rules. In December, for example, the comedian mocked transgender activist Jessica Yaniv, a male-to-female transgender, for trying to force women to wax his genitals and gynecologists to check his genitals.
“It’s disgusting that a qualified gynaecologist can refuse to check a lady’s c*** for ovarian cancer,” Gervais tweeted. “What if her bollocks are pregnant? She could lose the baby. I’m outraged.”
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It&#39;s disgusting that a qualified gynaecologist can refuse to check a lady&#39;s cock for ovarian cancer. What if her bollocks are pregnant? She could lose the baby. I&#39;m outraged. <a href="https://t.co/iNNcUS8Uak">https://t.co/iNNcUS8Uak</a>
&mdash; Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) <a href="https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1201952293014376450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Addressing the offended earlier this week, Gervais offered a list of reminders about humor:
<ol>
<li>Simply pointing out whether someone is left or right wing isn’t winning the argument.</li>
<li>If a joke is good enough, it can be enjoyed by anyone.</li>
<li>It’s not all about you.</li>
<li>Just because you’re offended, doesn’t mean you’re right.</li>
</ol>
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1. Simply pointing out whether someone is left or right wing isn&#39;t winning the argument. 2. If a joke is good enough, it can be enjoyed by anyone. 3. It&#39;s not all about you. 4. Just because you&#39;re offended, doesn&#39;t mean you&#39;re right.
&mdash; Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) <a href="https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1214846542210904065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais Responds To Critics Upset Over Him &#8216;Accepting&#8217; Conservatives 

On Monday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) promoted an <a href="https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2020/01/06/u-s-media-outlets-fail-to-disclose-u-s-government-ties-of-iranian-journalist-echoing-trump-talking-points/">article</a> attempting to smear famed journalist Masih Alinejad, an outspoken opponent of the theocratic and despotic Iranian regime. That prompted a withering ten-tweet blast from Alinejad, who pointed out Omar’s silence while others were suffering at the hands of the Iranian regime.
Omar tweeted:
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🤔 <a href="https://t.co/BCdcIUEQMi">https://t.co/BCdcIUEQMi</a>
&mdash; Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1214356011479425024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Iranian writers and actors slammed Omar: Iranian-Canadian writer/editor Maryam Nayeb Yazdi tweeted, “Masih Alinejad is receiving death threats. Rape threats. Her brother&#8217;s being held hostage by the IRGC. Is it suspicious to work for VOA? Negar Mortazavi (the Rania Khalek for Iran) who you support worked for VOA. How could you ever explain this tweet, Ilhan? My heart&#8217;s crying.”
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Masih Alinejad is receiving death threats. Rape threats. Her brother&#39;s being held hostage by the IRGC. 
Is it suspicious to work for VOA? Negar Mortazavi (the Rania Khalek for Iran) who you support worked for VOA. 
How could you ever explain this tweet, Ilhan? My heart&#39;s crying <a href="https://t.co/jfgjW4zici">pic.twitter.com/jfgjW4zici</a>
&mdash; Maryam Nayeb Yazdi (@maryamnayebyazd) <a href="https://twitter.com/maryamnayebyazd/status/1214392778597240834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Actress Nazanin Boniadiechoed, “This piece is a defamatory hit job against @AlinejadMasih, a journalist who is already facing death and rape threats and whose brother has been taken hostage by the IRI to silence her. Why is a member of the U.S. Congress — a female member at that — endorsing it?”
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This piece is a defamatory hit job against <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlinejadMasih</a>, a journalist who is already facing death and rape threats and whose brother has been taken hostage by the IRI to silence her. Why is a member of U.S. Congress — a female member at that — endorsing it?
&mdash; Nazanin Boniadi (@NazaninBoniadi) <a href="https://twitter.com/NazaninBoniadi/status/1214505637486292992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
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But the most powerful rejoinder came from Alinejad herself, who wrote:
<blockquote>Earlier this week, Rep Ilhan Omar shared a defamatory article about me on social media by a Koch-Brothers funded “think tank” co-founded by a known sympathizer of the Iranian regime.
Here&#8217;s my response to <a href="https://twitter.com/IlhanMN" data-mentioned-user-id="783792992" data-scribe="element:mention">@IlhanMN</a>
Ilhan Omar, when my innocent brother was recently taken hostage by the regime, solely due to my advocacy of civil rights for Iran, I reached out to you, expecting solidarity from you. However, you were silent. You gave no reaction.When women like Saba Kordafshari, Yasaman Aryani, Monireh Arabshahi and Mojgan Keshavarz were arrested for protesting against compulsory hijab in Iran and were sentenced to a total of 95 years in prison, you were silent.
When my 70-year-old mother was interrogated for my activities by the Revolutionary Guards, I asked for your help, but you were silent yet again.
You&#8217;re silent even now as 176 people have been killed onboard a Ukraine Airlines plane under suspicious circumstances in Iran. After months of silence, you instead chose to amplify a smear campaign against me, a fellow woman of color. Your only comments to all these human rights abuses is to repeat Islamic Republic propaganda against me.
As a journalist, I am an independent contractor for a number of media outlets, including the Persian-language service of Voice of America, which was created to counter the propaganda of authoritarian adversaries like the Soviet Union. This was evident to all who know my work, including millions of voiceless Iranians. Is this what you’re bullying me for?
By bullying a freelance journalist like me, you are empowering the Revolutionary Guards to put more pressure on my family. Those of us who hail from countries ruled by tyrants are capable of denouncing both the cruel policies of Trump &amp; dictators in our native lands. I&#8217;ve openly condemned Trump’s travel ban—which separated me from my son in the UK—and his threats of attacking cultural sites in Iran.
I’ve also condemned the Islamic Republic&#8217;s ban on Iranian dissidents that prevented people like me from going home. I have loudly protested a potential war against Iran years before you entered the Congress.
Yet, when I divulge the repression of the Islamic Republic, attacks against me proliferate by the regime &amp; their supporters in the West. I&#8217;d have never imagined that one day a member of Congress, a fellow woman of colour, would join with my oppressors in trying to defame me.</blockquote>
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MPORTANT THREAD ⬇️⬇️⬇️
1-Earlier this week, Rep Ilhan Omar shared a defamatory article about me on social media by a Koch-Brothers funded “think tank” co-founded by a known sympathizer of the Iranian regime. 
Here&#39;s my response to <a href="https://twitter.com/IlhanMN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IlhanMN</a> <a href="https://t.co/t7iiEgJvAx">pic.twitter.com/t7iiEgJvAx</a>
&mdash; Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1215672479022223360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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2-Ilhan Omar, when my innocent brother was recently taken hostage by the regime, solely due to my advocacy of civil rights for Iran, I reached out to you, expecting solidarity from you. However, you were silent. You gave no reaction.
&mdash; Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1215672611386134530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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3- When women like Saba Kordafshari, Yasaman Aryani, Monireh Arabshahi and Mojgan Keshavarz were arrested for protesting against compulsory hijab in Iran and were sentenced to a total of 95 years in prison, you were silent.
&mdash; Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1215672723789221888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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4-When my 70-year-old mother was interrogated for my activities by the Revolutionary Guards, I asked for your help, but you were silent yet again. 
You&#39;re silent even now as 176 people have been killed onboard a Ukraine Airlines plane under suspicious circumstances in Iran.
&mdash; Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1215673109082247168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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5- After months of silence, you instead chose to amplify a smear campaign against me, a fellow woman of color. Your only comments to all these human rights abuses is to repeat Islamic Republic propaganda against me.
&mdash; Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1215673223024693253?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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6- As a journalist, I am an independent contractor for a number of media outlets, including the Persian-language service of Voice of America, which was created to counter the propaganda of authoritarian adversaries like the Soviet Union.
&mdash; Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1215673323532800001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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7-This was evident to all who know my work, including millions of voiceless Iranians. Is this what you’re bullying me for? 
By bullying a freelance journalist like me, you are empowering the Revolutionary Guards to put more pressure on my family.
&mdash; Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1215673432156909569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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8-Those of us who hail from countries ruled by tyrants are capable of denouncing both the cruel policies of Trump &amp; dictators in our native lands. I&#39;ve openly condemned Trump’s travel ban—which separated me from my son in the UK—and his threats of attacking cultural sites in Iran
&mdash; Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1215673584154284032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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9- I’ve also condemned the Islamic Republic&#39;s ban on Iranian dissidents that prevented people like me from going home. I have loudly protested a potential war against Iran years before you entered the Congress.
&mdash; Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1215673730791354369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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10-Yet, when I divulge the repression of the Islamic Republic, attacks against me proliferate by the regime &amp; their supporters in the West. I&#39;d have never imagined that one day a member of Congress, a fellow woman of colour, would join with my oppressors in trying to defame me
&mdash; Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1215673860609204226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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H/T <a href="https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2020/01/10/iranian-journalist-activist-and-outspoken-critic-of-iranian-regime-masih-alinejad-shreds-ilhan-omar-in-brutal-thread-for-trying-to-defame-her/">Twitchy</a>

Tina Brown&#8217;s 7th Annual Women In The World Summit &#8211; Day 1

Ilhan Omar Promotes Smear Of Famed Anti-Iranian Regime Journalist. Journalist Issues Stunning Response.

Ilhan Omar

Iran

A lawyer for infamous #MeToo perpetrator Harvey Weinstein was promptly shut down on Friday after requesting that Judge James Burke alter the jury selection process to ensure that it is “fair,” according to <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/01/harvey-weinstein-rape-trial-media-shut-out-jury-selection-motion-1202826722/">Deadline</a>. 
“Most people do not speak in front of the international media,” Arthur Aidala, an attorney for Weinstein, told Burke, according to <a href="https://variety.com/2020/film/news/harvey-weinstein-rape-trial-jury-selection-media-1203463038/">Variety</a>. “That’s not a normal case. I don’t think there is any other case in this building where a juror is going to say something and it’s going to be [covered by the media].” 
Aidala presented individual jury selection as a solution to the problem, to which Burke promptly responded “denied,” reports the news agency. After Aidala protested that Burke hadn’t even read his motion, which is 14 pages long, the judge remarked that he would read the letter but quipped that he is “generally familiar with this area of the law.”
According to the news agency, the media were “strictly told not to take any photographs of the potential jurors as they were whisked into the courtroom past reporters in the hallway.”
A copy of the motion obtained by <a href="https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/jury-sequest-motion-jan-10-2020-wm.pdf">Deadline</a> reveals that Aidala also requested to remove 32 potential jurors from the trial because they were in the room when another prospective juror told the court: “I have a close friend who had an encounter with the defendant in his hotel room, and I do not think I can be a fair juror in this case.”
In another legal maneuver, Damon Cheronis, another defense attorney for Weinstein, asked to have those jurors who heard a protest going on outside disqualified, saying that “it’s this type of atmosphere that makes it impossible for Mr. Weinstein to get a fair trial,” reports the <a href="https://apnews.com/f2c3963cf21b1d5bc7b32160e5b2b342">Associated Press</a>. 
“You’re probably not aware of this, but people chant and protest outside this courthouse all the time,” retorted Burke, according to the news agency. 
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weinstein-request-for-new-judge-denied-medical-emergency-interrupts-proceedings">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, jury deliberations began on Tuesday for the trial of former film producer and longtime Democratic Party mega-donor Harvey Weinstein. Throughout the week, the court has been sifting through hundreds of potential New Yorkers to find jurors who can judge the case solely on the merits of the evidence presented in court. 
Weinstein stands accused of forcing a woman to let him perform oral sex on her in 2006 and raping another woman, who has not been named, at a hotel in 2013. Due to a predatory sexual assault charge, Weinstein faces up to life in prison. 
Donna Rotunno, a lead attorney for Weinstein, has claimed that the charges against her client “don’t rise to the level of rape.”
The disgraced film producer has also been charged with sexual assault in Los Angeles for two instances dating to 2013. 
In a press conference on Monday, Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey said that prosecutors were requesting Weinstein’s bail be set at $5 million but acknowledged that he would not appear in court until his Manhattan trial had concluded. If convicted there, Weinstein faces upward of 28 years in state prison.

Harvey Weinstein Trial Continues In New York

‘Denied’: Judge Promptly Shuts Down Latest Request From Weinstein&#8217;s Legal Team

Harvey Weinstein

Judiciary

Lawsuit

MeToo

Sexual Abuse

Sexual Assault

Sexual Harassment

Recently, documentary filmmaker and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ami-horowitz-talks-about-his-attempt-reach-65000-frank-camp">tongue-in-cheek</a> former 2020 Democratic Party presidential candidate Ami Horowitz <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvw4_boUOi0">hit the ground running</a> in Brooklyn to highlight the increasingly unavoidable anti-Semitism epidemic currently plaguing New York City. Horowitz published a video last Sunday entitled, &#8220;Anti-Semitism Grows in Brooklyn.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe title="Anti-Semitism Grows in Brooklyn" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kvw4_boUOi0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In the video, Horowitz approaches various Brooklyn denizens and asks them whether they believe New York City has an anti-Semitism problem.
&#8220;Video journalist Ami Horowitz recently spent two hours on the streets of Brooklyn asking black men and women why Jews are being attacked in New York,&#8221; the Jewish Press <a href="https://www.jewishpress.com/multimedia/video-picks/ami-on-the-loose-antisemitism-grows-in-brooklyn/2020/01/06/">reported</a>. &#8220;We believe the video important for several reasons and therefore are sharing the transcript of it below &#8230; .&#8221;
Because The Daily Wire agrees with the Jewish Press as to the importance of this brief documentary film, The Daily Wire is also sharing a nearly full transcript of the interview portions of Horowitz&#8217;s video. <a href="https://www.jewishpress.com/multimedia/video-picks/ami-on-the-loose-antisemitism-grows-in-brooklyn/2020/01/06/">Hat tip to the Jewish Press</a>:
<blockquote>Horowitz: What’s going on? What do you think is going on here?
Respondent #1: Know what I think is going on? Because it seems like — I’m not being a racist or anti-Semitic — but it seem like the Jewish people own all the buildings out here, and they own everything, and they’re not sharing nothing.
Respondent #2: They own everything down here. They comin’ over here and they takin’ over, but they’re not bringing it back to us. See, they kickin’ us out.
Respondent #1: And I don’t want to go back to World War II with Hitler and all of that, but it seem like they own all the property, and we don’t, they don’t even try to help us.
Respondent #3: We’re not sayin’ that it’s right, but they tryin’ to take over our buildings, and so they tryin’ to make everything more expensive for us.
Respondent #4: The Jewish is known to be rich for Brooklyn. So, you know, of course &#8230;
Horowitz: So is that a reason why you think the attacks are happening?
Respondent #4: That is why the attacks are happening.
Respondent #1: The “haves” and “have-nots.”
Respondent #5: That doesn’t mean that’s the majority thought over here. … Not everybody in this neighborhood has a problem with Jews. I really think you’re insulting African-Americans by being in this neighborhood and asking that question.
Respondent #6: The blacks are doing this to the Jews just to get by. It’s not right. It’s not right.
Respondent #7: I taught my children love. Love conquers all. … They controllin’ all the jobs, economic growth in the community.
Respondent #3: [They’re] comin’ from their country into our country and they tryin’ to change up our country to how they live.
Respondent #8: They’re gonna get money from here, and they’re gonna send it home to their country.
Horowitz: Which, which country? Not …
Respondent #8: Not in the United States.
Horowitz: That’s not their country.
Respondent #8: No.
Horowitz: So do you think the Jews here are not really American?
Respondent #8: They not.
Horowitz: So black people would have reason to attack Jews?
Respondent #9: I wouldn’t say they have reason to, but it is understandable ‘cause everybody takin’ from us.</blockquote>
New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz penned a <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/12/29/how-liberals-are-allowing-anti-semitism-to-flourish/">potent recent piece</a> about how the leftist governments of New York City and New York state are allowing anti-Semitism to fester there.
&#8220;I used to write about Europeans and their apathetic attitudes ­toward the Jew-hatred around them,&#8221; Markowicz wrote. &#8220;Synagogues torched, Jews beaten — just another day on the Continent. But now the demon is here, in America. Worse, it’s stalking Jews with increasing regularity in New York City, my city, home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel.&#8221;
&#8220;In 2020, I don’t want to read ­another column like this one,&#8221; Markowicz continued. &#8220;All Jews want is to live our lives in safety. To ensure that, [New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio] will have to stop using the violence against us to fight his invisible political foes. De Blasio’s ideology has led to apathy, which, in turn, has resulted in injured Jews in our city.&#8221;
In a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-an-armed-and-trained-jew-is-the-best-kind-of-jew">Daily Wire op-ed</a> following the recent horrific machete attack in Monsey, New York, I called for American Jews to train and arm themselves en masse:
<blockquote>It is wholly appropriate for us to demand concrete action, and not mere grandstanding, from <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/12/29/how-liberals-are-allowing-anti-semitism-to-flourish/">those politicians</a> who have allowed this despicable resurgence of the world’s oldest bigotry to fester under their watch. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio should both be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for their tepid responses, to-date, for what is rapidly metastasizing into a full-blown epidemic.
But ultimately, the imperative is on each individual Jew to be the guardian of his/her own security. Why on Earth would Jews, the most systemically persecuted group of humans to have ever lived, delegate responsibility for their own lives to third-party actors?</blockquote>

Orthodox Jews NYPD Brooklyn

WATCH: Ami Horowitz Hits The Ground In Brooklyn To Highlight NYC’s Shocking Anti-Semitism

Ami Horowitz

Andrew Cuomo

Anti-Semitism

Bill de Blasio

Judaism

New York City

The New York Times reports that Iran has admitted to shooting down a Ukrainian 737 this week that killed 176 people, and claimed that the plane was accidentally shot down when it turned toward an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military base.
The plane was shot down on Tuesday after Iran fired numerous missiles targeting U.S. forces in Iraq in retaliation for the U.S. military killing IRGC-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was responsible for murdering hundreds of U.S. soldiers.
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BREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IRAN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IRAN</a> admits shooting down the Ukrainian Airplane says human error, accidental, the plane turned toward an IRGC military base.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IranPlaneCrash?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IranPlaneCrash</a>
&mdash; Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) <a href="https://twitter.com/farnazfassihi/status/1215841813644431361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Crash site of a Ukrainian airliner that burst into flames

BREAKING: Iran Admits It Shot Down Passenger Plane Killing 176 People

Ukraine

The Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said al Said, died on Friday at the age of 79 after a recent battle with health problems, according to Oman state media.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/world/middleeast/sultan-qaboos-quiet-peacemaker-who-built-oman-dies-at-79.html">reported</a> that Qaboos had championed an independent and non-alignment foreign policy agenda, which &#8220;gave Oman a role akin to a Middle Eastern Switzerland, where foes battling each other elsewhere could meet for quiet talks.&#8221;
&#8220;He became a rare leader who maintained ties with a wide range of powers that hated one another, including Iran, Israel, the United States, Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels in Yemen,&#8221; The Times reported. &#8220;A few years [after 2011], he brought the two foes together again by hosting covert talks between Iran and the Obama administration that paved the way for an international agreement over Iran’s nuclear program.&#8221;
Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oman-sultan/omans-sultan-qaboos-dies-state-media-idUSKBN1ZA00J">reported</a> that a &#8220;1996 statute says the ruling family will choose a successor within three days of the throne becoming vacant&#8221; and that if the ruling family fails then &#8220;council of military and security officials, supreme court chiefs and heads of the two consultative assemblies will put in power the person whose name has been secretly written by the sultan in a sealed letter.&#8221;
Journalist Yashar Ali noted the significance of Qaboos&#8217; death, writing on Twitter, &#8220;One week after the death of Qasem Suleimani&#8230;this is a significant event. Both Iranian and American leaders will be at his funeral. This is a major event because Oman has been an island (not literally) of tranquility in the Middle-East and the Sultan was one of the few people who could mediate between the US and Iran.&#8221;
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2. This is a major event because Oman has been an island (not literally) of tranquility in the Middle-East and the Sultan was one of the few people who could mediate between the US and Iran. 
The Sultan has no apparent heir&#8230;a council will likely decide who his heir is
&mdash; Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1215792270194040832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The reason this is a bigger deal now is tensions are at an all time high with the US and Iran,&#8221; Ali added. &#8220;If he had died a year ago, it would have been a major moment (he&#8217;s been in power for 50 years), but not as significant as this.&#8221;
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5. The reason this is a bigger deal now is tensions are at an all time high with the US and Iran. If he had died a year ago, it would have been a major moment (he&#39;s been in power for 50 years), but not as significant as this.
&mdash; Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1215796247119851520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The news comes as the United States and Iran were on the brink of an all out war this week when Iran launched missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq in retaliation for President Donald Trump authorizing a drone strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.
&#8220;Omani leaders assert that engagement with Iran better mitigates the potential threat from that country than confrontation—a stance that has positioned Oman as a mediator in regional conflicts in which Iran or its proxies are involved,&#8221; the Congressional Research Service reported. &#8220;Omani leaders have not expressed concerns about potential Iranian meddling in Oman’s affairs, in part because Oman’s citizens are not generally receptive to either Sunni or Shiite Islamist extremist appeals.&#8221;
On the subject of U.S-Iranian relations, the Congressional Research Service noted that Oman has been a beneficial partner to the United States in talking to Iran.
&#8220;U.S. officials began secretly meeting with Iranian officials in early 2013—before the June 2013 election of Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s president—to explore the possibility of a nuclear deal,&#8221; the Congressional Research Service wrote. &#8220;After Sultan Qaboos’s August 25-27, 2013, visit to Iran, an interim nuclear agreement was agreed between Iran and the “P5+1” (United States, UK, France, Russia, China, plus Germany) in November 2013.&#8221;
&#8220;Oman also has been an intermediary through which the United States and Iran have exchanged captives,&#8221; the Congressional Research Service added. &#8220;Oman brokered a U.S. hand-over of Iranians captured during U.S.-Iran skirmishes in the Persian Gulf in 1987-1988. In 2007, Oman helped broker Iran’s release of 15 sailors from close U.S. ally the United Kingdom, who Iran had captured in the Shatt al Arab waterway. U.S. State Department officials publicly confirmed that Oman helped broker the 2010-2011 releases from Iran of three U.S. hikers (Sara Shourd, Josh Fattal, and Shane Bauer), in part by paying their $500,000 per person bail to Iran.&#8221;
The Congressional Research Service noted that the Trump administration reached out to Oman last year and sought the nation&#8217;s help for de-escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

Sultan Of Oman Qaboos Bin Said Presides The Military Parade At The Al Fateh Stadium For The National Day 35Th Anniversary. On November 18Th, 2005. In Mascate (City), Oman

BREAKING: Key Middle East Leader Dies, Could Cause More Conflict Between U.S., Iran

Oman

Qaboos bin Said al Said

The cosmic goddess that is Marianne Williamson, the former &#8220;Oprah&#8221; staple who pledged to defeat President Donald Trump on the battlefield of love, has now officially dropped her bid for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination after several no-shows at the debates.
In an <a href="https://www.marianne2020.com/">announcement</a> on her website Friday, Williams said that she hoped her candidacy would lead the country in a new direction — a dream that she will have to rest aside due to lack of support.
&#8220;I ran for president to help forge another direction for our country,&#8221; her announcement stated. &#8220;I wanted to discuss things I felt needed to be discussed that otherwise were not. I feel that we have done that.&#8221;
&#8220;I stayed in the race to take advantage of every possible opportunity to share our message,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;With caucuses and primaries now about to begin, however, we will not be able to garner enough votes in the election to elevate our conversation any more than it is now. The primaries might be tightly contested among the top contenders, and I don’t want to get in the way of a progressive candidate winning any of them.&#8221;
Marianne Williamson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-donate-money-keep-marianne-williamson-paul-bois">made a huge splash</a> at the first Democratic Party presidential debate, in which she vowed to harness the “power of love” to defeat Trump’s harnessing of the power of hate:
<blockquote>I’m sorry we haven’t talked more tonight about how we’re going to beat Donald Trump. I have an idea about Donald Trump: Donald Trump is not going to be beaten just by insider politics talk. He’s not going to be beaten just by somebody who has plans. He’s going to be beaten by somebody who has an idea what the man has done. This man has reached into the psyche of the American people and he has harnessed fear for political purposes.
So, Mr. President — if you’re listening — I want you to hear me please: You have harnessed fear for political purposes and only love can cast that out. So I, sir, I have a feeling you know what you’re doing. I’m going to harness love for political purposes. I will meet you on that field, and sir, love will win.</blockquote>
Williamson also lit up the internet with scores of memes during the first debate when she promised that her first move as president would be to call the Prime Minister of New Zealand as a challenge.
&#8220;My first call is to the prime minister of New Zealand, who said her goal was to make New Zealand the place where it’s the best place in the world for a child to grow up. And I will tell her, &#8216;Girlfriend, you are so on.&#8217; Because the United States of America is going to be the best place in the world for a child to grow up,&#8221; she said to thunderous applause.
Though much of the mainstream dismissed her as a fringe candidate, some Democrats argued she may be the perfect embodiment of a left-wing Trump: An ultra-feminine, media-savvy outsider who appeals to the wellness mom voter bloc. Tessa Stuart of <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/marianne-williamson-is-the-cosmic-sorceress-we-need-now-853058/">Rolling Stone</a> described her as the &#8220;cosmic sorceress we need now.&#8221;
Williamson&#8217;s charisma became such an entertaining sensation that some <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-donate-money-keep-marianne-williamson-paul-bois">Republicans even began donating</a> to her campaign just to see her on the debate stage, which unfortunately did not persist. Her political ambitions will now live on only in our memories.

Marianne Williamson

Wellness Queen Marianne Williamson Officially Drops Out Of 2020 Race. She Will Be Sorely Missed.

2020 Election

Democratic Party

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is selling a candle that smells like her vagina at $75 a pop for her lifestyle and wellness company Goop. The name of the candle is none other than, you guessed it, &#8220;This Smells Like My Vagina.&#8221;
Paltrow first came across a scent that she said reminded her of the smell of her own vagina, she claims. The scent was then finalized for the &#8220;This Smells Like My Vagina&#8221; candle, which reportedly sold out within hours of its test run.
&#8220;This candle started as a joke between perfumer Douglas Little and GP — the two were working on a fragrance, and she blurted out, &#8216;Uhhh &#8230; this smells like a vagina,'&#8221; <a href="https://shop.goop.com/shop/products/this-smells-like-my-vagina-candle?country=USA&amp;variant_id=74552&amp;nrtv_cid=2b30193b5bd053776f65ccc2f130d7d4ae0300008af063f3cf6663cddb6efca2&amp;utm_source=narrativ&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=nymag&amp;clickid=Sh5WiPzSNxyOTv1wUx0Mo38WUknR7dVwE31sX80&amp;irgwc=1&amp;utm_campaign=376373_Goop%20Shop%20Ad&amp;utm_source=impactradius&amp;utm_medium=affiliate">Goop</a> outlined.
The smell then &#8220;evolved into a funny, gorgeous, sexy, and beautifully unexpected scent,&#8221; according to the company.
&#8220;That turned out to be perfect as a candle — we did a test run &#8230; and it sold out within hours,&#8221; Goop bragged. &#8220;It’s a blend of geranium, citrusy bergamot, and cedar absolutes juxtaposed with Damask rose and ambrette seed that puts us in mind of fantasy, seduction, and a sophisticated warmth.&#8221;
Goop, clearly, is not a traditional brand. In 2018, for example, the wellness company settled a six-figure lawsuit surrounding their &#8220;vagina eggs,&#8221; which were promoted to help regulate females&#8217; hormones and negate menstrual cramps.
&#8220;It turns out, contrary to Goop’s advice, shoving a large egg made out of a porous mineral into the recesses of your lady-regions may not be the best treatment for conditions like endometriosis,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gwyneth-paltrows-goop-brand-settles-six-figure-emily-zanotti">The Daily Wire</a> reported. &#8220;Apparently, Goop knew — or, according to a complaint filed by the California consumer protection office, Goop should have known before they marketed this product, as well as a &#8216;flower essence&#8217; they claimed treated depression, to consumers on their website.&#8221;
“The health and money of Santa Clara County residents should never be put at risk by misleading advertising,” the attorney for the California consumer protection office said in a statement. “We will vigilantly protect consumers against companies that promise health benefits without the support of good science … or any science.”
Paltrow again made headlines for her &#8220;progressive&#8221; ways last month, this time for gifting herself a vibrator for Christmas.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-gwyneth-paltrow-gives-herself-a-vibrator-in-goop-christmas-ad">The Daily Wire</a> reported on the ad:
<blockquote>After Gwyneth shakes herself up a couple of Martinis, the narrator says “someone’s double-fisting” as she struts through the kitchen with her libations.
“The holidays are work, so don’t be afraid to ask for help with lighting, and food, and style, and hair, and hair, and hair,” the narrator cheekily continues. “Find your favorite look, or eleven of them. Look fabulous in each one, and get super high… In your heels, of course.”
The ad then takes a salacious turn by reminding people to treat themselves to a little self-service, but only after doing “something for others.”
“Do something for others but don’t forget about No. 1,” the narrator says as Paltrow pulls a vibrator from a Christmas stocking and keeps it for herself. “Yes, that is a vibrator.”
The ad finishes with the narrator wishing everyone a “happy holidays from G. Label.” </blockquote>

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gywneth Paltrow Is Selling A Candle That Smells Like Her Vagina

Feminism

The U.S. military launched a secret operation to kill a second high-ranking Iranian terrorist last week on the same day that President Donald Trump authorized a drone strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Forces (IRGC-QF) Commander Qassem Soleimani.
&#8220;The disclosure of a second mission indicated that the Trump administration was attempting to target a larger set of Iranian military and paramilitary leaders than was previously known,&#8221; The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/world/middleeast/trump-iran-yemen.html">reported</a>. &#8220;The unsuccessful airstrike in Yemen was aimed at Abdul Reza Shahlai, an official with Iran’s Quds Force, a potent paramilitary organization. He was known as a key financier for Iran’s proxy wars.&#8221;
The Washington Post reported that U.S. officials said that details of the mission remain &#8220;highly classified&#8221; and suggested that Shahlai could be re-targeted again in the future.
&#8220;Another senior official said the two strikes were authorized around the same time and that the United States did not disclose the Shahlai mission because it did not go according to plan,&#8221; The Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/on-the-day-us-forces-killed-soleimani-they-launched-another-secret-operation-targeting-a-senior-iranian-official-in-yemen/2020/01/10/60f86dbc-3245-11ea-898f-eb846b7e9feb_story.html">reported</a>. &#8220;The official said Shahlai may be targeted in the future, though both countries have signaled an interest in de-escalating the crisis.&#8221;
One top U.S. official told The Post, “If we had killed him, we’d be bragging about it that same night.”
The U.S. State Department announced a $15 million reward last month for information leading to Shahlai and the disruption of the IRGC&#8217;s financial networks.
Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative on Iran, <a href="https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2019/dec/05/state-department-protest-crackdown-intervention-yemen">said</a> last month that &#8220;Shahlai has a long history of attacks Americans and our allies globally.&#8221;
&#8220;He planned multiple assassinations of coalition forces in Iraq, provided weapons and explosives to violent Shia extremist groups, and planned the January 20th, 2007 attack in Karbala that killed five American soldiers and wounded three others,&#8221; Hook continued. &#8220;In 2011, Shahlai funded and directed a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir.  This would have been carried out in a restaurant in Georgetown. Shahlai also aimed to carry out follow-on attacks in the United States and elsewhere. Had this scheme succeeded, as many as 200 innocent civilians in the United States could have been killed.&#8221;
&#8220;Given Shahlai’s track record of terrorism and destabilization in Iraq, we remain gravely concerned by his presence in Yemen and potential role in providing advanced weaponry of the kind that we have interdicted to the Houthis,&#8221; Hook continued. &#8220;Iranian UAVs, missiles, and explosive boats have been used by the Houthis to threaten key civilian and economic interests and otherwise wreak havoc in the region. This designation, together with the recent interdiction in Yemen, underscores our commitment to deny Iran the means to run an expansionist foreign policy.&#8221;
Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-pompeo-release-details-on-terror-attack-soleimani-planned">revealed</a> on Friday details of the terrorist attack that Qassem Soleimani was planning on U.S. interests in the region that led to the president&#8217;s decision to eliminate him.
In an interview on Fox News, Trump said, “I can reveal that I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies.”
During a press conference, Pompeo said that the attack was targeted “American facilities, including American embassies, military bases. American facilities throughout the region.”

F-35

U.S. Launched Secret Operation To Kill Second Top Iranian Terrorist On Same Day As Soleimani

Foreign Policy

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Qassem Soleimani

Yemen

On Thursday, vocal Trump supporter Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) joined Democrats in voting for the Democrat-sponsored War Powers Resolution, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-the-war-powers-resolution-is-and-always-has-been-unconstitutional">seeks to limit</a> President Donald Trump&#8217;s authority to take prolonged military action against Iran without congressional approval.
As noted by <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/pelosi-says-house-send-clear-war-powers-statement-trump-thursday-n1113006">NBC News</a>, the resolution &#8220;directs the president to terminate the use of U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities against Iran unless Congress has declared war or enacted a specific authorization or unless military action is necessary to defend against an imminent attack.&#8221;
The president and many Republicans have voiced their opposition to the measure.
&#8220;The president has the right and duty to protect this nation and our citizens from terrorism. That&#8217;s what he continues to do, and the world is safer for it,&#8221; a statement read from White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley. &#8220;This House resolution tries to undermine the ability of the U.S. Armed Forces to prevent terrorist activity by Iran and its proxies, and attempts to hinder the president&#8217;s authority to protect America and our interests in the region from the continued threats.&#8221;
Speaking on the House floor, Gaetz explained his support for the resolution.
&#8220;This resolution offers no criticism of the president — no critique. It doesn&#8217;t criticize the president&#8217;s attack on Soleimani. Matter of fact, this resolution doesn&#8217;t even say Soleimani&#8217;s name it,&#8221; the Republican said, according to <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/watch-gop-rep-matt-gaetz-explains-why-he-voted-for-war-powers-resolution?utm_content=buffereeb13&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=tw-theblaze">TheBlaze</a>.
&#8220;I represent more troops than any other member of this body. I buried one of them earlier today at Arlington,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;If our servicemembers have the courage to fight and die in these wars, Congress ought to have the courage to vote for or against them.&#8221;
During a Fox News appearance on Thursday, Gaetz said the resolution &#8220;did say that if any president wants to drag our nation into another forever Middle East war, that they require the approval of the United States Congress. That&#8217;s something that I deeply believe, and I think it&#8217;s something the president deeply believes.&#8221;
Before the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) went after the president for killing terrorist and Iranian terrorist general Qassem Soleimani last week.
&#8220;Last week, in our view, the administration conducted a provocative disproportionate airstrike against Iran which endangered Americans, and did so without consulting Congress,&#8221; Pelosi said.
&#8220;Asked whether the Trump administration misled the public in justifying the airstrike, Pelosi said that while she can&#8217;t share the classified information that she has been briefed on, &#8216;I do not believe in terms of what is in the public domain that they have made the country safer by what they did,'&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/pelosi-says-house-send-clear-war-powers-statement-trump-thursday-n1113006">NBC News</a> detailed.
Republicans argue that the resolution is non-binding.
&#8220;The bill is what&#8217;s known as a &#8216;concurrent resolution,&#8217; meaning it requires only the approval of both chambers of Congress and does not go to the president for his signature. Republicans argue this makes the bill non-binding and largely symbolic,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/war-powers-resolution-house-votes-to-limit-trumps-ability-act-against-iran/">CBS News</a> outlined.
Two other Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie (KY) and Francis Rooney (FL), also voted in favor of the resolution.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I represent more troops than any other member of this body. I buried one of them earlier today at Arlington. 
If our servicemembers have the courage to fight and die in these wars, Congress ought to have the courage to vote for or against them. 
I’m voting for this resolution. <a href="https://t.co/cSCBG7CmIm">pic.twitter.com/cSCBG7CmIm</a>
&mdash; Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1215398328944545797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mike-lee-details-why-he-was-upset-with-intel-briefing-new-resolution-with-democrat">Mike Lee Details Why He Was Upset With Intel Briefing; New Resolution With Democrat</a>

Rep. Matt Gaetz

Pro-Trump Rep. Matt Gaetz Joins Dems On War Powers Resolution. Here&#8217;s His Explanation.

Matt Gaetz

Middle East

U.S. House of Representatives

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-michael-bloomberg-would-have-no-chance-at-the-democratic-presidential-nomination">probably has no shot</a> at winning the Democratic Party presidential nomination, but he still plans to drop a whopping $10 million on a 60-second Super Bowl campaign ad to compete with a similar ad from President Donald Trump.
&#8220;It&#8217;s the battle of the billionaires,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/bloomberg-campaign-buys-10-million-super-bowl-ad-target-trump-n1111881">reported</a> NBC News this week. &#8220;The campaigns of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and President Donald Trump each plan to spend $10 million for advertisements during the telecast of next month&#8217;s Super Bowl.&#8221;
Airing this year on February 2, over 100 million people are expected to watch the Super Bowl, granting Bloomberg and Trump the largest possible television audience for a campaign ad. The Bloomberg team opted to go for a 60-second spot in order to out-compete the Trump team&#8217;s rumored 30-second slot.
&#8220;Mike is taking the fight to Trump,&#8221; a spokesperson for Bloomberg told NBC News.
However, upon hearing of Bloomberg&#8217;s plan, the Trump campaign then opted to double down for a 60-second spot, which means that Super Bowl Sunday may prove to yield the most amount of money spent on political campaign ads in a single day.
&#8220;We moved early and got prime ad position early in the game,&#8221; said a spokesperson with the Trump team.
“The president’s decision to stay aggressive and keep the campaign open after his first election gave us a huge head start on his re-election,&#8221; Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said. &#8220;The president has built an awesome, high-performance, omnichannel machine, and it&#8217;s time to give it some gas.&#8221;
So, will Bloomberg&#8217;s gamble pay off? Possibly. According to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bloomberg-rising-in-national-polls-as-campaign-plows-millions-into-unprecedented-ad-blitz">Fox News</a>, the former New York mayor has been steadily rising in the polls as he ups his campaign staff. A solid ad during the Super Bowl might be what pushes him over the edge to become a serious Democratic Party presidential primary contender.
<blockquote>
Six weeks after he announced his candidacy for president, the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/michael-bloomberg">former New York City mayor</a> and multibillionaire business and media mogul has assembled a campaign juggernaut that now numbers 800 staffers.
Bloomberg’s also spent an eye-watering $166 million to run TV commercials on behalf of his <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/2020-presidential-election">2020 White House bid</a> — according to the ad tracking firm Advertising Analytics. That includes $36 million just to air ads the first week of the new year.
And he’s seen his national poll numbers edge up since jumping in. The candidate stands at 5.6 percent support in the latest RealClearPolitics average of the most recent public opinion surveys — up from 4 percent a month ago. This puts him in fifth position, just behind the top tier of Democratic nomination candidates.
Bloomberg’s team confirmed to Fox News that they now have 300 staffers at the national campaign headquarters in New York City, as well as 500 in 30 states across the country — including 14 states that vote on Super Tuesday. The March 3 contests mark the largest single day of voting this primary cycle and are key to Bloomberg&#8217;s strategy as he largely bypasses the first four states on the calendar.</blockquote>
So far, Michael Bloomberg has received just one celebrity endorsement: TV&#8217;s Judge Judy, who believes that he could be the man to unite the country. Pop singer Katy Perry has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/is-katy-perry-poised-to-endorse-michael-bloomberg">also reportedly</a> been in discussions on whether or not to publicly endorse him.

US-ELECTIONS-BLOOMBERG

Trump, Bloomberg Drop $10 Million On Dueling Super Bowl Campaign Ads

Michael Bloomberg

Super Bowl

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed new disturbing details about the terrorist attack that Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani had planned against the United States that ultimately led to Trump authorizing a drone strike that killed Soleimani.
In an interview on Fox News, Trump said, “I can reveal that I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies.”
During a White House press briefing on Friday, Pompeo said, &#8220;We had specific information on an imminent threat, and those threats included attacks on U.S. embassies. Period. Full stop.&#8221;
Pompeo said the only thing that U.S. officials did not know was the exact minute or day that Soleimani was going to launch the attack but that &#8220;it was very clear&#8221; that &#8220;Qassem Soleimani himself was plotting a broad, large-scale attack against American interests. And those attacks were imminent.&#8221;
When asked about what targets Soleimani had designated, Pompeo said, &#8220;American facilities, including American embassies, military bases. American facilities throughout the region.&#8221;
The U.S. State Department released the following fact sheet on Soleimani last week:
<ul>
<li>
<blockquote>Since 1998, Qassem Soleimani commanded Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the terror arm of the Iranian regime. The IRGC-QF is tasked with planning and executing terror and military operations outside Iran’s borders. Under Soleimani’s command, the IRGC-QF has fueled destabilizing sectarian conflicts throughout the Middle East for decades.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>The IRGC-QF continues to wage an illegal campaign of terrorism, assassinations, and violence. At Soleimani’s direction and with his oversight and guidance, the IRGC-QF has planned and conducted terrorist attacks across six continents and inside the United States.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>The United States designated IRGC-QF a Foreign Terrorist Organization for its activities, and the United States designated Soleimani as a Specially-Designated Global Terrorist.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>As the leader of the IRGC-QF, Qassem Soleimani was directly responsible for arming, funding, and training proxy groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Operations carried out by these proxy groups have led to the death and suffering of tens of thousands, including many hundreds of Americans. These proxies routinely target and kill civilians, intensify sectarian conflicts, and prolong the suffering of innocent men, women, and children.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Soleimani personally directed and provided arms to militias in Iraq for more than a decade. These militias undermine the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, threaten the legitimacy of Iraq’s security forces, and target American citizens and forces. With Soleimani’s support and lethal assistance, proxies of the IRGC-QF targeted and killed over 600 Americans between 2003 and 2011.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>We can confirm that in the past several days, General Soleimani had been traveling in the Middle East coordinating further imminent large-scale attacks against U.S. diplomats and service members. These threats were highly credible and the intelligence is sound. General Soleimani’s travel also violated the ban imposed by the United Nations Security Council.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Recent orders given by General Soleimani dramatically escalated Iran’s campaign of violence and terrorism against Americans and American interests in the Middle East. He orchestrated a series of attacks against American forces in Iraq in the past several months, culminating in the rocket attack on December 27, 2019, which resulted in the death of an American citizen, wounded four American service members, and threatened the lives of many more American personnel. General Soleimani also ordered the assault on the American Embassy in Baghdad. General Soleimani continued to command Iranian supported proxies in Iraq, which posed an escalating threat to the lives of Americans.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>For his actions, Soleimani had been designated and sanctioned by the United Nations, European Union, and United States and is banned from international travel by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. In defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions, however, Soleimani continued to travel to Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon directing and coordinating lethal actions that pose a threat to regional peace and security.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Some key international and United States designations of Soleimani include:</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>
<blockquote>Designated a Tier I terrorist as part of the Department of State designation of the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2019.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Designated under U.S. Executive Order 13224 as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2011.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Designated under U.S. EO 13572 for human rights abuses in 2011.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Designated under U.S. EO 13882 for providing material support to terrorists in 2007.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Sanctioned by the United Nations under UNSCR 1747 for involvement in Iran’s nuclear program in 2007.</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Designated by the European Union in EU 442/2011 for support to the Syrian regime in 2011.</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
This is a breaking news story, refresh the page for updates.

Trump Pompeo

Trump, Pompeo Release Details On Terror Attack Soleimani Planned

Mike Pompeo

Following President Donald Trump’s decisive, defensive strike on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-the-just-and-proper-strike-of-mastermind-iranian-jihadist-qassem-soleimani">arch-terrorist</a> Qassem Soleimani of Iran&#8217;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (QF), Democrats immediately claimed that the U.S. was on the warpath with Iran.
They didn’t ask for the president’s justification in taking out a man who was responsible for the murder of over 600 U.S. service members in Iraq via roadside IEDs; instead, they immediately labeled the strike “disproportionate” and an “act of war.” They claimed the Trump administration was actively attempting to start a war with Iran, and in taking out the head of the QF (a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization), the administration had done just that.
However, Democrats&#8217; certainty was quickly dashed when the Iranian “retaliation” proved to be symbolic and merely face-saving. There was no aggressive response that would indicate the start of war. Instead, the Iranians effectively bombed the sand, targeting bases in Iraq that had been given prior warning of the strike.
Iran’s response proved not that the mullahs wanted to escalate, but that they understood the cost of a potential full-scale war with the United States. Their feckless strike made it clear that <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/296604/iran-and-america-are-suddenly-both-naked">Trump’s message was heard and received</a>: You do not mess with the United States. Trump reiterated this message in his address to the nation following the Iranian airstrikes, saying, “we have sent a strong message to terrorists, if you value your own life, you will not threaten the lives of our people.”
The truth is that Trump wasn’t trying to start a war with Iran; he was trying to keep us out of a war with Iran while <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/03/trumps-strike-on-soleimani-is-about-america-first-not-reckless-interventionism/">nonetheless asserting American deterrence</a>. Democrats fail to see this because they are seemingly incapable of admitting Trump ever does anything right.
The Obama-Biden doctrine of foreign policy, appeasing our enemies at all costs — and if that doesn’t’ work, also send them pallets of cash — is what got us into the situation into the first place. The Obama administration would set “red lines,” and then regularly allow our enemies to cross those lines without any form of retaliation. And this wasn’t a one-time thing; repeated aggression would go virtually unchecked, other than perhaps a stern finger-wagging speech and a “promise” for retaliation in the future.
Real “red lines” only work if your enemy knows that if they cross that line, there is a high likelihood of retaliation. The Iranians hadn’t seen a real red line in so long that they were shocked when they were actually held to one.
Iran would be aggressive. Obama would allow it. Iran would be aggressive again. Obama would send them pallets of cash. Iran was aggressive under Trump, but Trump eventually drew his own red line. Iran was plotting future aggression that would cross that line. Trump saw a clear and present danger to U.S. troops and personnel, so he launched a decisive, defensive strike.
It’s a lot simpler than what many on the Left would lead you to believe.
President Trump’s red line is clear: You do not lay a hand on Americans. Period.
His willingness to hold to the red lines he sets, coupled with a multitude of comments emphasizing the U.S. doesn’t seek war, is how Trump kept the United States out of a war with Iran. Because sometimes, the enemy doesn’t respect you until you give them a reason to do so. President Trump gave the mullahs just such a reason.
&nbsp;
Ryan Fournier is founder and co-chairman of <a href="https://www.tpaction.com">Turning Point Action</a>.

Trump press conference Iran

FOURNIER: How President Trump Kept Us Out Of A War With Iran

Trump Administration

It’s one of those stories we’re told must be true since so many women wouldn’t lie about something like this.
A whopping thirteen women accused former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw of rape or sexual assault. Holtzclaw was sentenced to 263 years in prison back in 2016. He has appealed his conviction and failed but is now petitioning the Supreme Court to take up his case, citing faulty DNA evidence.
Holtzclaw’s brief, obtained by The Daily Wire, states that the faulty DNA evidence led to his conviction, which must be overturned.
“DNA evidence played a central role in this sexual assault case, in the form of a “match” between DNA from a complaining witness and the major contributor in DNA mixtures found on the fly of Petitioner’s pants,” the brief says. “This evidence was conveyed to the jury by state forensic analyst Elaine Taylor. However, concerns over Taylor’s personnel record arose while direct appeal was pending, and the state appellate court remanded to the district court which held a remarkable two-day hearing in camera and ex parte on the matter. Although defense counsel were excluded from this hearing, the transcript and exhibits were made available to defense counsel, but not to the defense expert DNA witness. The prosecutor at trial misrepresented the DNA evidence during closing arguments.”
Taylor&#8217;s involvement is even more problematic, as she is the mother-in-law of the lead detective in the case Rocky Gregory. She also admitted in <a href="https://twitter.com/ZellnerLaw/status/1086086013284503553">a deposition</a> by attorney Kathleen Zellner&#8217;s office that she had witnessed boxes of evidence from sex crimes getting burned and shoved &#8220;in a big old hole&#8221; by the Oklahoma City river. Taylor also worked with Joyce Gilchrist, whose falsified forensic evidence led to multiple wrongful convictions and multimillion dollar settlements and exonerations. In at least one case, Gilchrist claimed carpet fibers were actually pubic hair to get someone convicted.
Holtzclaw was initially accused of alleged forcible oral sodomy and the procurement of lewd exhibition by one woman. That accusation quickly grew to thirteen different women making 36 counts of wildly different allegations – including first-degree burglary, stalking, and rape. Holtzclaw wrote in his brief that the court was prejudiced by the number of accusers, who he alleged created a “self-corroborating cascade of testimony which reinforced its own credibility through volume.&#8221;
The first woman made her accusation against Holtzclaw in 2014, claiming he assaulted her during a traffic stop. Holtzclaw had pulled over the first woman, identified in the brief as J.L. because she was swerving. Holtzclaw determined she was not intoxicated and let her go. Hours later, J.L. and members of her family reported to law enforcement that Holtzclaw sexually assaulted her during this traffic stop. After J.L. made her allegation, a detective working a similar case against an unknown police officer started to zero in on Holtzclaw as a suspect in that case as well.
Holtzclaw was found guilty of what J.L. claimed, even though a sexual assault kit came back negative and she claimed her assailant was a short man with blond hair. Holtzclaw is 6’1: and has black hair. Another of the women claimed the man who assaulted her was a short black police officer. Holtzclaw is Japanese-American with light skin. This same accuser claimed the rape took five to 10 minutes, yet GPS data from Holtzclaw’s patrol car showed the vehicle was only motionless for less than three minutes, according to <a href="https://www.uncufftheinnocent.org/daniel-holtzclaw">an explanation</a> of the case on Uncuff The Innocent.
Most of the women who came forward after were criminals themselves who received plea deals in exchange for their testimony. Discrepancies were plentiful in the women’s allegations, such as one teenager who had a history of physical violence (including on the day she alleged Holtzclaw sexually assaulted her). The teen’s mother also told a detective her daughter called Holtzclaw a “hot cop” the night of the alleged assault. Months later, the teen would claim Holtzclaw raped her. The mother made numerous denials during her testimony and was presented with audio and written evidence of what she had claimed previously.
Another of Holtzclaw’s accusers showed up “obviously intoxicated” to testify but denied taking anything other than her prescription medication. She was drug tested and found to have PCP in her system, but was still allowed to testify. Another accuser had a history of lying to police and was determined to have been high on crack the night she was stopped by Holtzclaw. Again, DNA evidence of her claims came back negative.
Despite all these issues – and more – Holtzclaw was found guilty. He appealed his case to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals but was rejected.
The DNA of one of the alleged victims was found on the fly of Holtzclaw’s work pants, but as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/she-accused-cop-sexual-battery-heres-how-her-story-ashe-schow">has written previously</a>, this is not conclusive evidence of sexual assault, as touch DNA can be transferred in numerous ways. Holtzclaw could easily have picked up the woman’s DNA from her driver’s license during the traffic stop and later adjusted his pants getting out of the patrol car or zipping up his fly after using the restroom.
The saving grace for Holtzclaw has been his sister, Jenny, who told The Daily Wire that Daniel&#8217;s case isn&#8217;t just important for the former Oklahoma cop, but to wrongfully accused victims everywhere.
&#8220;All of this matters to Oklahoma and the entire country because scientifically invalid testimony by government experts at corrupted crime labs is being used by prosecutors to mislead juries and put innocent people in prison. The Supreme Court is considering a cert petition in Death Row inmate Rodney Reed&#8217;s case that raises similar issues,&#8221; she said in an email. &#8220;Even worse, such flawed DNA evidence was used in Daniel&#8217;s case to bolster multiple false accusations all together as part of a nightmare pile-on. That bandwagon tactic will be exploited more and more if informed judges don&#8217;t put a stop to it.&#8221;
News9 <a href="https://www.news9.com/story/41532390/former-okc-police-officer-daniel-holtzclaw-files-appeal-with-scotus">reported</a> that Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater told the outlet that Daniel&#8217;s defense team continues &#8220;to make arguments rejected by other appellate courts, we expect the same decision from the Supreme Court.&#8221;
The deadline for the Supreme Court to respond is February 5.

Daniel Holtzclaw

Former Cop Who Appears To Have Been Wrongly Convicted Of Rape Files Appeal With Supreme Court

false accusations

Oklahoma

Police

While speaking at a climate change rally on Friday, award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix targeted the meat and dairy industries for being &#8220;the third leading cause of climate change.&#8221;
Standing alongside controversial activist and actress Jane Fonda, who organized the event, Phoenix took to the mic to blast the industries while nonetheless admitting his role in an expanding carbon footprint. For example, Phoenix had to fly a plane to the rally, something the actor suggested was out of his control.
&#8220;Something, I think, isn&#8217;t often times talked about in the environmental movement, or the conversation about climate change, is that the meat and dairy industry is the third leading cause of climate change,&#8221; started the &#8220;Joker&#8221; actor, fresh off his Golden Globes win.
&#8220;And, um, I think sometimes we think, what can we do in this fight against climate change, and there&#8217;s something that you can do today, right now, and tomorrow by making a choice what you consume,&#8221; he continued.
&#8220;I struggle so much with what I can do at times,&#8221; Phoenix added. &#8220;There are things that I can&#8217;t avoid — I flew a plane out here today, or last night, rather. But one thing that I can do is change my eating habits.&#8221;
&#8220;So I just wanna urge all of you to join me in that,&#8221; closed the actor.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Joaquin Phoenix: &quot;I struggle so much with what I can do [to combat climate change] at times. There are things that I can&#39;t avoid &#8212; I flew a plane out here today, or last night rather. But one thing that I can do is change my eating habits.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/RaZILYq0La">pic.twitter.com/RaZILYq0La</a>
&mdash; The Hill (@thehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1215685904687300609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
During his Golden Globes award acceptance speech on Sunday, Phoenix also zeroed in on climate change, taking a jab at Hollywood for its collective hypocrisy on the issue.
“It’s really nice that so many people come up and sent their well wishes, but we have to do more than that, right?” Phoenix said, referring to the fires in Australia. “I have not always been a virtuous man. I’m learning so much — so many of you in this room have given me multiple opportunities to get it right.”
As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/update-dozens-more-arrested-in-australia-for-deliberately-setting-wildfires">The Daily Wire</a> earlier this week, dozens of alleged arsonists have been arrested in connection to the raging fires in Australia, reportedly setting at least 100 fires.
“It’s great to vote but sometimes we have to take that responsibility on ourselves and make changes and sacrifices in our own lives,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I hope that we can do that — we don’t have to take private jets to Palm Springs sometimes or back, please.&#8221;
“I’ll try to do better and I hope you will too,&#8221; he added.
Earlier in the speech, as noted by <a href="https://variety.com/2020/film/news/joaquin-phoenix-golden-globes-speech-joker-1203456066/">Variety</a>, Phoenix &#8220;lauded the Globes for switching to a vegan meal for the ceremony, thanking the Hollywood Foreign Press for &#8216;recognizing and acknowledging the link between animal agriculture and climate change. It’s a very bold move, making tonight plant-based.'&#8221;
Phoenix&#8217;s stand against meat and dairy has long been a cause of <a href="https://www.peta.org/living/food/10-things-wish-everyone-knew-meat-dairy-industries/">PETA</a>. &#8220;If you’re concerned about the creepy marketing, environmental damage, health risks, economic problems, or ethical issues that plague the meat industry, you can take action immediately,&#8221; the extreme animal activist group says on its website. &#8220;Make a choice to buy less meat (including fish) and fewer eggs and dairy products — or better yet, give them up completely. It’s one of the most powerful things that you can do.&#8221;

Joaquin Phoenix

WATCH: Joaquin Phoenix Targets Meat, Dairy Farmers At Climate Rally, Admits He Just Got Off Plane

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