On Thursday, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang skewered &#8220;the Chinese government&#8221; and the NBA over the controversy regarding a tweet from Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets.
In a statement provided to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/465263-yang-rips-china-says-nba-should-stand-up-for-free-speech">The Hill</a>, Yang said:
<blockquote>The Chinese government banning NBA games because of a deleted tweet by a franchise employee is ridiculous. The main losers would be the Chinese fans who would find another way to watch the games. The NBA should feel confident in its position and stand up for the free speech rights of its employees.</blockquote>
On October 4, Morey sent out a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/backfire-nba-houston-rockets-cower-to-communist-china-get-blasted-online">tweet</a> that featured a pro-Hong Kong graphic, which read: &#8220;Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.&#8221;
Morey deleted the tweet, and issued the following <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/backfire-nba-houston-rockets-cower-to-communist-china-get-blasted-online">statement</a>:
<blockquote>I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives. I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention. My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA.</blockquote>
The controversy surrounding Morey’s initial tweet has been monumental — multiple Chinese businesses have severed ties with the Houston Rockets. The team’s merchandise in a Beijing NBA store is allegedly being replaced, reports <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-state-broadcaster-drops-two-nba-games-11570522782">The Wall Street Journal</a>. Nike has also begun pulling Rockets merchandise from their Chinese stores, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-basketball-nba-nike/houston-rockets-nike-merchandise-disappears-from-china-stores-idUSKBN1WP109">Reuters</a>.
According to <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2019/10/8/20904450/nba-china-fallout-lakers-vs-nets-broadcast-streaming-tencent">SB Nation</a>: &#8220;Tencent, a streaming service with a billion-dollar deal to bring NBA games to people in China, announced it would ‘suspend all reports/streaming’ of Rockets games.&#8221;
As The Daily Wire’s Amanda Prestigiacomo <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-nba-team-takes-microphone-away-from-cnn-reporter-asking-about-chinese-censorship">reported</a>, on Tuesday, fans at an NBA game in Philadelphia had their &#8220;Free Hong Kong&#8221; signs confiscated, and were later escorted out of the stadium. On Wednesday, &#8220;Free Hong Kong&#8221; and &#8220;Google Uyghurs&#8221; signs were also confiscated at an NBA game in Washington D.C.
Following Morey’s tweet, NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass issued a <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EGPILDbUwAA_V2Z.jpg">statement</a>, which reads:
<blockquote>We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable. While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals’ educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them. We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.</blockquote>
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also released a <a href="https://www.nba.com/article/2019/10/08/adam-silver-statement-china-nba">lengthy statement</a> in which he notes the &#8220;diversity&#8221; of &#8220;views, backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, and religions&#8221; featured in the NBA.
<blockquote>It is inevitable that people around the world – including from America and China – will have different viewpoints over different issues. It is not the role of the NBA to adjudicate those differences. However, the NBA will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say on these issues. We simply could not operate that way.</blockquote>
The statement concludes by suggesting that basketball should be &#8220;a unifying force&#8221; that fosters a focus on common interests, rather than differences.
State-run CCTV in China were not satisfied with Silver’s statement, releasing their own:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a> ups the ante on the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>. State TV CCTV to halt all broadcasts of games. Condemns Commissioner Adam Silver’s defense of <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a> statements on <a href="https://twitter.com/dmorey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dmorey</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HongKongProtest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HongKongProtest</a>. CCTV announcement below: <a href="https://t.co/GoeKUktSkA">pic.twitter.com/GoeKUktSkA</a>
— Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) <a href="https://twitter.com/onlyyoontv/status/1181470403731939328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
<blockquote>We have noticed that Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, who is participating in an event in Japan, has responded to Houston Rockets general manager Morey’s post of inappropriate Hong Kong-related remarks. We are strongly dissatisfied and we oppose Silver&#8217;s claim to support Morey’s right of free expression. We believe that any speech that challenges national sovereignty and social stability is not within the scope of freedom of speech.
To this end, CCTV Sports Channel of the Central Radio and Television Administration has decided to immediately suspend the current broadcast arrangements of the NBA pre-season (China Games) and immediately investigate all cooperation and exchanges involving the NBA.</blockquote>
During a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday, Christina Macfarlane of CNN <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/houston-rockets-shut-down-reporter-asking-players-about-nba-china-n1064761">attempted to ask</a> two Houston Rockets players if they &#8220;feel differently&#8221; about engaging in political speech in light if the NBA/China firestorm.
&#8220;The NBA has always been a league that prides itself on its players and its coaches being able to speak out openly about political and societal affairs. I just wonder after the events of this week and the fallout we&#8217;ve seen, whether you both feel differently about speaking out in that way in the future?&#8221; Macfarlane asked.
After Macfarlane’s question, a female spokesperson said the players were only taking &#8220;basketball questions.&#8221; After some back and forth about the relevance of the question, the mic was taken from Macfarlane.
Macfarlane also asked Rockets coach Mike D&#8217;Antoni if he had &#8220;a message for &#8230; [the] Chinese fans who, rightly or wrongly, may have felt let down by the NBA this week?&#8221;
D&#8217;Antoni replied that &#8220;it’s a tough situation,&#8221; and that &#8220;Adam Silver speaks for the NBA,&#8221; and because D&#8217;Antoni works for the organization, he goes &#8220;with Adam,&#8221; who he says will &#8220;do the right thing.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;You can’t answer questions like that because you’re wrong no matter what &#8230; I coach basketball. I’m not a diplomat.&#8221;
Other politicians besides Yang have entered the fray.
In an October 9 <a href="https://gallagher.house.gov/sites/gallagher.house.gov/files/NBA%20China%20Letter.pdf">letter</a>, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), stated in part:
<blockquote>It is outrageous that the Chinese Communist Party is using its economic power to suppress the speech of Americans inside the United States. It is also outrageous that the NBA has caved to Chinese government demands for contrition. We are deeply concerned that individuals associated with the league may now engage in self-censorship that is inconsistent with American and the league’s stated values – and that this incident will only encourage further intimidation of American companies and persons by the Chinese government.</blockquote>
The lawmakers admonished NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to further state that the organization will &#8220;support their right [players, staff, partners, and fans] to express their opinions no matter the economic consequences.&#8221; The letter also makes several suggestions regarding the way the NBA should handle Chinese boycotts and business relations going forward.
This is far from the end of this developing controversy, which has engulfed the NBA, been the focus of intense media coverage, and elicited reactions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers — even including a presidential candidate.

Andrew Yang.

Andrew Yang Skewers China Over ‘Ridiculous’ Reaction To ‘Deleted Tweet’ From NBA General Manager

Andrew Yang

Censorship

China

Communism

With the Democrats&#8217; impeachment inquiry picking up steam and the White House digging in, people&#8217;s outlook on the 2020 election is beginning to shift — at least it is in the gambling world.
Though he remains the favorite to win, again, oddsmakers show Trump&#8217;s chances slipping with the impeachment effort escalating. On the other side of the aisle, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is enjoying some significant positive movement, while former Vice President Joe Biden — who&#8217;s quickly becoming the former frontrunner — saw his chances drop sharply, and Sen. Bernie Sanders&#8217; odds plummeted post-heart attack.
According to odds and sports betting line site <a href="https://www.oddsshark.com/other/2020-usa-presidential-odds-futures">OddsShark</a> as of Tuesday, Trump’s odds dropped somewhat — from +110 to +125 — since the Democrats first announced their impeachment inquiry on Sept. 25. After falling from +110 to +120 the first week the inquiry was announced, Trump&#8217;s odds remained the same the following week before dropping to +125 this week as the impeachment battle ratcheted up on both sides.
Warren, meanwhile, is gaining momentum, her odds improving from +425 on Sept. 11 to +250 as of Oct. 8.
Biden, who was a little behind Warren on Sept. 11 at +500 is now sitting at +700.
The most dramatic movement was experienced by Sanders, who crashed from +900 on Sept. 11 to +2000 on Oct. 8.
Sanders&#8217; plummet has moved entrepreneur Andrew Yang to third most likely to win among the Democrats at +1500.
OddsShark notes in its summary of the numbers that after &#8220;holding steady at +4000 to win the 2020 election, Hillary Clinton is off the board this week.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/politics/us-presidential-election-odds/">Sports Betting Dime</a> (SBD) presents similar numbers. The betting line site gives Trump slightly better odds: +110, which the site notes are &#8220;990 points better than his next closest competitor.&#8221; As of Oct. 10, Warren moved up to +230 from the previous week, similar to OddsShark&#8217;s listing.  Biden is likewise way down at +700, Yang is again in a distant third at +1500, and Sanders&#8217; odds are at a grim +2000. Though OddsShark shows Clinton officially off the board, SBD still gives her +2500 odds.
The shifting outlook on the 2020 election has been significantly impacted by the Democrats&#8217; impeachment campaign. Recent polling shows momentum in favor of impeaching the president. A <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/columns/fox-news-poll">Fox News Poll</a> released this week shows a dramatic increase in those saying they believe Trump should be impeached.
&#8220;A new high of 51 percent wants Trump impeached and removed from office, another 4 percent want him impeached but not removed, and 40 percent oppose impeachment altogether,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-record-support-for-trump-impeachment">Fox News</a> reported Thursday. &#8220;In July, 42 percent favored impeachment and removal, while 5 percent said impeach but don’t remove him, and 45 percent opposed impeachment.&#8221;
The survey found an increase in support for impeachment among all demographics since July: &#8220;up 11 points among Democrats, 5 points among Republicans and 3 among independents. Support also went up among some of Trump’s key constituencies, including white evangelical Christians (+5 points), white men without a college degree (+8), and rural whites (+10).&#8221;
Fox also breaks down the vote according to some key &#8220;swing counties,&#8221; and found that support for impeachment was up 10% from 42 to 52%.
Not all of those calling for his impeachment cite the Ukraine call as the reason: While 85% of Democrats are in favor of impeaching him, only 76% say the Ukraine call is impeachable.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/knowles-an-impeachment-in-search-of-a-crime">KNOWLES: An Impeachment In Search Of A Crime</a>
&nbsp;

President Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Minneapolis

What Are The Chances Trump Wins? Here’s What Oddsmakers Think.

Bernie Sanders

Donald Trump

Elizabeth Warren

Joe Biden

Oh the hypocrisy.
Democrats running for the 2020 presidential nomination have been moaning and whining about meat-eaters, who they claim are somehow destroying the environment with their diets. You see, farting cows add methane to the atmosphere and that&#8217;s causing global warming, they say.
&#8220;Listen, we’ve got to address factory farming,&#8221; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in February. &#8220;Maybe we shouldn’t be eating a hamburger for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Like, let’s keep it real,” said the 29-year-old former bartender, who Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez has called &#8220;the future of the party.&#8221;
But that didn&#8217;t stop 17 of the 19 remaining candidates from descending on Iowa on Saturday to participate in the Polk County Steak Fry.
&#8220;Organizers grilled 10,500 steaks for attendees on Saturday, along with 1,000 vegan burgers. There is only one vegan candidate in the presidential race: Senator Cory Booker,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iowa-steak-fry-live-stream-presidential-candidates-today-2019-09-21/">CBS News</a> reported.
Many of the White House hopefuls donned aprons and grabbed spatulas to flip steaks at the grills.
Somehow, a photographer — apparently inside the grill — snapped a bunch of photos.
[[{&#8220;fid&#8221;:&#8221;51222&#8243;,&#8221;view_mode&#8221;:&#8221;default&#8221;,&#8221;fields&#8221;:{&#8220;format&#8221;:&#8221;default&#8221;,&#8221;field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:false,&#8221;field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:&#8221;Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images&#8221;},&#8221;type&#8221;:&#8221;media&#8221;,&#8221;field_deltas&#8221;:{&#8220;1&#8221;:{&#8220;format&#8221;:&#8221;default&#8221;,&#8221;field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:false,&#8221;field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:&#8221;Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images&#8221;}},&#8221;attributes&#8221;:{&#8220;title&#8221;:&#8221;Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images&#8221;,&#8221;class&#8221;:&#8221;media-element file-default&#8221;,&#8221;data-delta&#8221;:&#8221;1&#8243;}}]]
[[{&#8220;fid&#8221;:&#8221;51223&#8243;,&#8221;view_mode&#8221;:&#8221;default&#8221;,&#8221;fields&#8221;:{&#8220;format&#8221;:&#8221;default&#8221;,&#8221;field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:false,&#8221;field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:&#8221;Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images&#8221;},&#8221;type&#8221;:&#8221;media&#8221;,&#8221;field_deltas&#8221;:{&#8220;2&#8221;:{&#8220;format&#8221;:&#8221;default&#8221;,&#8221;field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:false,&#8221;field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:&#8221;Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images&#8221;}},&#8221;attributes&#8221;:{&#8220;title&#8221;:&#8221;Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images&#8221;,&#8221;class&#8221;:&#8221;media-element file-default&#8221;,&#8221;data-delta&#8221;:&#8221;2&#8243;}}]]
[[{&#8220;fid&#8221;:&#8221;51224&#8243;,&#8221;view_mode&#8221;:&#8221;default&#8221;,&#8221;fields&#8221;:{&#8220;format&#8221;:&#8221;default&#8221;,&#8221;field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:false,&#8221;field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:&#8221;Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty Images&#8221;},&#8221;type&#8221;:&#8221;media&#8221;,&#8221;field_deltas&#8221;:{&#8220;3&#8221;:{&#8220;format&#8221;:&#8221;default&#8221;,&#8221;field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:false,&#8221;field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]&#8221;:&#8221;Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty Images&#8221;}},&#8221;attributes&#8221;:{&#8220;title&#8221;:&#8221;Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty Images&#8221;,&#8221;class&#8221;:&#8221;media-element file-default&#8221;,&#8221;data-delta&#8221;:&#8221;3&#8243;}}]]
The candidates were also super-excited to be there, dancing with attendees.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> enters the Steak Fry in Des Moines <a href="https://t.co/I4NmoVJXDz">pic.twitter.com/I4NmoVJXDz</a>
— Annie Grayer (@AnnieGrayerCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnieGrayerCNN/status/1175454567955386368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I asked Senator Amy Klobuchar how her beer is at today’s Polk County Steak Fry— she flipped a campaign stump line, telling me, like her presidency, it’s “all beer, no foam.” <a href="https://t.co/IdXuudXjOs">pic.twitter.com/IdXuudXjOs</a>
— DJ Judd (@DJJudd) <a href="https://twitter.com/DJJudd/status/1175453461862895616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Brought our own flavor to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SteakFry?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SteakFry</a>. <a href="https://t.co/pYTE44QM4W">pic.twitter.com/pYTE44QM4W</a>
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1175453700191674369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Even tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang got in on the act, despite his stance on meat.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">That steak made me angry. <a href="https://t.co/4c6d87XSzx">pic.twitter.com/4c6d87XSzx</a>
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewYang/status/1175501003690524679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Yang is not a meat-lover. During a climate change forum hosted by MSNBC on Thursday, Yang was asked by an audience member about what &#8220;policy adjustments&#8221; he’d make to “curb expansion and reduce the environmental impact of the cattle industry” in order to “reduce demand.”
&#8220;Cattle is very energy-consuming and energy-expensive. And if you project forward on what we would need to do to reduce emissions, you would want to modify Americans&#8217; diets over time,&#8221; Yang said.
&#8220;Now, some of that is happening naturally through education. I do think it’s difficult to regulate diets. So what you would want to do again is you’d want those cattle producers to have to internalize the cost of emissions. Because if your cattle ends up polluting a lot, which they do, just naturally — we don’t hate them for it. I mean, they&#8217;re just big animals. Don’t hate the cattle, hate the — whatever.
&#8220;So then, what that would naturally do, and some people are going to hate this, but it would probably make those products more expensive. And that is appropriate because there’s a cost to producing food in that way. And so if you were to make it more expensive, then you would end up changing consumption patterns over time.&#8221;
Several other Democratic presidential contenders have been taking aim at meat. In another climate change forum earlier this month, several said laws need to be changed.
Sen. Kamala Harris of California was asked if she supports changing “dietary guidelines to reduce the consumption of red meat in light of the impact of climate change.”
“The answer is yes,&#8221; she said. “The balance that we have to strike here, frankly, is about what government can and should do around creating incentives and then banning certain behaviors,” she said.
But Harris also said: &#8220;To be very honest with you, I love cheeseburgers from time to time. I just do.&#8221;

Joe Biden at the Iowa Steak Fr

HYPOCRISY: Meat-Hating Democrats Descend On Iowa Steak Fry, Grill Up 10,000 Steaks

Iowa

Kamala Harris

Apparently, &#8220;Saturday Night Live&#8221; (SNL) hired comedian Shane Gillis in order to rebut charges of liberal bias. Of course, that was before SNL fired him for making racist statements about Asian people on a podcast nearly one year ago.
According to a report in <a href="https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/snl-conservative-shane-gillis-hire-1203339723/">Variety</a>, sources with NBC say that Gillis was hired to appeal to conservative viewers and help confront charges of anti-conservative bias.
&#8220;According to sources, the long-running NBC comedy show and series mastermind Lorne Michaels were actively looking to cast a comedian for its new season who would appeal to more conservative viewers,&#8221; reports Variety. &#8220;This was meant to counteract the appearance of a liberal bias on the show, given that it has seen a major resurgence in popularity in recent years with Alec Baldwin regularly portraying President Donald Trump while other cast members and guest stars have played members of his administration and those in his orbit.&#8221;
Sources claim that the Gillis fiasco will likely lead to a more extensive vetting process and actually presents a challenge to SNL in the near future. Previously, all &#8220;SNL&#8221; had to vet in a prospectively hired comedian&#8217;s past were statements, stand-up routines, and videos. Now, in the age of the internet, comedians regularly host podcasts and visit podcasts as guests, which means the show will need to do more digging before making a cast member official. Variety provided a rundown of the many racist, homophobic, and misogynistic statements he made in the past:
<blockquote>In a separate podcast, &#8220;Ep 144 — A.I. is Racist,&#8221; Gillis and McCusker make fun of Asian accents about 22 minutes and 20 seconds in, referring to the video game &#8220;Clash of Clans&#8221; as &#8220;Crash of Crans&#8221; in a mock Chinese accent.
A little more than 21 minutes into &#8220;Ep 146 — Live from Shane’s Parent’s Basement,&#8221; while talking about the Battle of Gettysburg, Gillis refers to soldiers yelling as &#8220;so gay.&#8221; About 29 minutes into the podcast, Gillis uses the word &#8220;retard,&#8221; and &#8220;f-ggot,&#8221; and shortly afterward he and McCusker joke about &#8220;hot Southern boys&#8221; being raped during the Civil War, comparing it to &#8220;having gay sex in jail.&#8221;
Gillis, in describing women who disguised themselves as men to fight in the war, refers to them as &#8220;flat chested f***ing b****[es].” He issued a statement last Thursday addressing the situation, writing in part, &#8220;My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks.&#8221;</blockquote>
While Gillis apologized and pledged to do better, &#8220;SNL&#8221; still fired him, causing a split in the comedy community — some of whom feel that his departure is yet another example of cancel culture.
&#8220;As a former SNL cast member, I am sorry that you had the misfortune of being a cast member during this era of cultural unforgiveness where comedic misfires are subject to the intolerable inquisition of those who never risked bombing on stage themselves,&#8221; said comedian <a href="https://uproxx.com/tv/rob-schneider-norm-macdonald-shane-gillis/">Rob Schneider</a>.
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang also expressed forgiveness toward Gillis and stated that he did not want Gillis to be fired from SNL.

Shane Gillis

REPORT: ‘SNL’ Hired Shane Gillis To Address Liberal Bias

Hollywood

Political Correctness

Saturday Night Live

Democratic presidential candidate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/48858/where-does-andrew-yang-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">Andrew Yang</a> added to the far-left policies that Democrats seek to impose as part of their party&#8217;s climate change agenda. Yang&#8217;s climate plan includes targeting cattle and getting society to a point where people do not own their own cars.
&#8220;So you have this ability to envision the future, right? With your proposals on universal basic income, you&#8217;ve played the whole chess game out and you see what it looks like on the other end,&#8221; MSNBC&#8217;s Ali Velshi told Yang during MSNBC&#8217;s climate change town hall event. &#8220;Play the chess game out on climate change, the positive incentives &#8230; weaning off of fossil fuels and eliminating them possibly.&#8221;
&#8220;What does the world look like to you?&#8221; Velshi asked. &#8220;What does the world look like to you in 2050? What physically do you think we will do differently than we do today that will result in us fighting climate change?&#8221;
&#8220;We might not own our own cars,&#8221; Yang responded. &#8220;Our current car ownership and usage model is really inefficient and bad for the environment.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Andrew Yang: “clear” goal of climate plan is to make it so we don’t “own our own cars.” <a href="https://t.co/XbCT80yYgU">pic.twitter.com/XbCT80yYgU</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1174726253850628098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
During another wild moment during the town hall, Yang acknowledged that Democrats are indeed targeting cattle.
&#8220;Cattle is very energy-consuming and energy-expensive,&#8221; Yang said, adding that he wants to &#8220;modify Americans&#8217; diets&#8221; by taxing ranchers that raise cattle, which will drive up the cost of beef so that people can&#8217;t afford to buy beef anymore.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Is this going to be Andrew Yang&#8217;s pitch to Iowans at the Polk County steak fry this weekend?
Andrew Yang: government needs to target cattle, &#8220;modify Americans&#8217; diets&#8221; to eat less meat<a href="https://t.co/GbjtBMfIW6">pic.twitter.com/GbjtBMfIW6</a>
— Mike Joyce (@mjoyce317) <a href="https://twitter.com/mjoyce317/status/1174730576538025985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Yang&#8217;s admissions of what the Democrats&#8217; extreme climate policy proposals entail mirrors exactly what socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s (D-NY) $93 trillion &#8220;Green New Deal&#8221; states.
Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/43194/aocs-green-new-deal-proposal-one-stupidest-ben-shapiro">wrote</a> the following about Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s Green New Deal after it was released:
<blockquote>How bad is the Green New Deal paper? Putting aside the fact that, as written, it would receive a C+ in any high school English class, it essentially articulates a magical world in which the skies rain chocolate, the world is powered by unicorn farts, and AOC dances through the gumdrop meadows to Lisztomania. The proposal calls for the United States to be free of carbon emissions within 10 years without the use of nuclear power. It calls for every building in the United States to be replaced or retrofitted in green fashion. It calls for universal healthcare, free college education, the replacement of airplanes with high-speed trains, charging stations &#8220;everywhere&#8221; (this is the sort of exactness the proposal contains), replacement of &#8220;every combustion-engine vehicle,&#8221; government-provided jobs, family and medical leave, vacations, retirement security, and the abolition of &#8220;farting cows.&#8221; It also calls for total &#8220;economic security&#8221; for anyone &#8220;unable or unwilling to work.&#8221;</blockquote>
Yang, who is quickly revealing himself to be one of the most radical and fringe Democrat presidential candidates, said at CNN&#8217;s climate change town hall event that the &#8220;only issue&#8221; that he had with the Green New Deal is that it &#8220;would do away with commercial air travel and a lot of other things in a particular timeframe, that if we had a little more time we can head in the same direction and achieve most of the same values.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Andrew Yang says “I love” the $93 TRILLION Green New Deal and he backs eliminating commercial air travel.<a href="https://t.co/tJ6RmEnFtd">pic.twitter.com/tJ6RmEnFtd</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1169381505698848768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>

Presidential Candidates Attend New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention

Democrat Andrew Yang: Climate Plan Will Prevent People From Owning Cars, Targets Cattle

2020 Election

Climate Change

Democratic Party

Global Warming

Green New Deal

Leftism

Progressivism

On Monday, NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Saturday Night Live&#8221; caved to pressure and fired comedian Shane Gillis over past offensive jokes.
&#8220;After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining &#8216;SNL,'&#8221; a statement from a &#8220;SNL&#8221; spokesperson read, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/16/entertainment/snl-shane-gillis/index.html">CNN</a>. &#8220;We want &#8216;SNL&#8217; to have a variety of voices and points of view within the show, and we hired Shane on the strength of his talent as comedian and his impressive audition for &#8216;SNL.'&#8221;
The production team was &#8220;not aware of [Gillis&#8217;] prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days,&#8221; the spokesperson said.
As previously covered by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51782/new-snl-hire-cancel-culture-crosshairs-over-past-amanda-prestigiacomo">The Daily Wire</a>, journalists dug up commentary made by Gillis on a podcast called &#8220;<a href="https://mattandshanessecret.libsyn.com/">Matthew and Shane&#8217;s Secret Podcast</a>&#8221; — his project with fellow comedian Matt McCusker, wherein Gillis used a stereotypical mocking Asian voice and made fun of Democratic candidate and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, referring to him as a &#8220;Jew chink.&#8221; In another episode, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/13/arts/shane-gillis-snl-racial-slur.html">The New York Times</a>, Gillis &#8220;used homophobic slurs to describe Judd Apatow, the comedy filmmaker and producer, and the comedian Chris Gethard.&#8221;
&#8220;The language he used is offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable. We are sorry that we did not see these clips earlier, and that our vetting process was not up to our standard,&#8221; the &#8220;SNL&#8221; statement said.
Gillis posted a response to the news of his ouster on social media, noting that it &#8220;feels ridiculous for comedians to be making serious public statements.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m a comedian who was funny enough to get &#8216;SNL.&#8217; That can&#8217;t be taken away,&#8221; wrote Gillis. &#8220;Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself at &#8216;SNL,&#8217; but I understand it would be too much of a distraction. I respect the decision they made. I’m honestly grateful for the opportunity.&#8221;
&#8220;I was always a [&#8216;Mad TV&#8217;] guy anyway,&#8221; Gillis joked.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/vN0htGMBVg">pic.twitter.com/vN0htGMBVg</a>
— Shane Gillis (@Shanemgillis) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shanemgillis/status/1173690932832505856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Earlier in the week, Gillis addressed the controversy at New York City comedy club &#8220;The Stand,&#8221; according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/13/arts/shane-gillis-snl-racial-slur.html">Times</a>. The comic told the crowd he was &#8220;playing a character on the podcast and that he did not himself think of Chinese people that way,&#8221; the outlet reported. In a statement posted the following day, the stand-up said his edgy comedy sometimes &#8220;misses the mark&#8221; and offered an apology to &#8220;anyone who&#8217;s actually offended.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss,&#8221; Gillis said on Friday. &#8220;If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you&#8217;re going to find a lot of bad misses. I&#8217;m happy to apologize to anyone who&#8217;s actually offended by anything I&#8217;ve said.&#8221;
&#8220;My intention is never to hurt anyone, but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks,&#8221; he added.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/fw7QJHLFdi">pic.twitter.com/fw7QJHLFdi</a>
— Shane Gillis (@Shanemgillis) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shanemgillis/status/1172340437752807424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Though the overwhelming response from the media was to so-call &#8220;cancel&#8221; Gillis, presidential contender Andrew Yang, who was called a &#8220;Jew Chink&#8221; by the comic during a bit, rebuffed calls for the comic to be fired.
&#8220;Shane — I prefer comedy that makes people think and doesn&#8217;t take cheap shots. But I&#8217;m happy to sit down and talk with you, if you&#8217;d like,&#8221; Mr. Yang posted on Saturday, adding, &#8220;For the record, I do not think he should lose his job. We would benefit from being more forgiving rather than punitive. We are all human.&#8221;
In follow-up tweets, the Democrat posted: &#8220;I took the time to watch and listen to Shane&#8217;s work. He does not strike me as malignant or evil. He strikes me as a still-forming comedian from central Pennsylvania who made some terrible and insensitive jokes and comments,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think we have, as a society, become excessively punitive and vindictive concerning people&#8217;s statements and expressions we disagree with or find offensive. I don&#8217;t think people should be losing jobs unless it&#8217;s truly beyond the pale and egregious.&#8221;
It appears Gillis agreed to a sit-down chat with Yang about the comedy in question.
&#8220;Shane Gillis reached out. Looks like we will be sitting down together soon,&#8221; posted Yang on Monday, soon after it was announced that Gillis had been fired.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51858/former-snl-star-norm-macdonald-reacts-firing-shane-amanda-prestigiacomo">Former ‘SNL’ Star Norm MacDonald Reacts To Firing Of Shane Gillis: ‘This Means WAR’</a>

CANCELED: Shane Gillis Fired From ‘SNL’ Over Past Offensive Jokes. Here’s His Response.

Race

On Thursday, while businessman Andrew Yang spoke about health care during the Democratic presidential debate, he made a brief joke about his Asian heritage (emphasis added):
<blockquote>We know we&#8217;re on the same team. We all have a better vision for health care than our current president, and I believe we&#8217;re talking about this the wrong way. As someone who has run a business, I know that our current health care system makes it harder to hire people, makes it harder to give them benefits and treat them as full-time employees – you instead pretend they&#8217;re contractors. It’s harder to change jobs; it&#8217;s certainly harder to start a business. The pitch we have to make [to] the American people is, we will get the health care weight off of your backs and then unleash the hopes and dreams of the American people.
I am Asian, so I know a lot of doctors, and they tell me that they spend a lot of time on paperwork, avoiding being sued, and navigating the insurance bureaucracy. We have to change the incentives, so instead of revenue and activity, people are focused on our health in the health care system, and the Cleveland Clinic, where they&#8217;re paid not based upon how many procedures they prescribe, shocker, they prescribe fewer procedures and patient health stays the same or improves. That is the pitch to the American people.</blockquote>
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LgetlYiMyuI?start=8" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
The crowd cheered and applauded Yang&#8217;s pitch, but some on social media expressed frustration over the candidate’s joke:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Yang literally said that he knows doctors because he’s Asian. This totally unsophisticated and stereotypical statement ignores the fact that many Asians are not ethnically or economically privileged enough to “know a lot of doctors.”
— Reappropriate (@reappropriate) <a href="https://twitter.com/reappropriate/status/1172333774425583618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>Uhm, could we please stop reinforcing the model minority myth on a national debate stage? Not only does it flatten away the diversity of AsAm experiences into a joke, but it is also rooted in anti-blackness &#8230; Yang literally said that he knows doctors because he’s Asian. This totally unsophisticated and stereotypical statement ignores the fact that many Asians are not ethnically or economically privileged enough to &#8220;know a lot of doctors.&#8221;</blockquote>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I am an Asian American, I don&#8217;t know more doctors than anyone else. I am really sick of Andrew Yang and how he continuously hurts the AAPI community by using stereotypes that have harmed our community for centuries. It&#8217;s not cute. It&#8217;s not okay. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebates?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemDebates</a> <a href="https://t.co/DZyE4wiu30">https://t.co/DZyE4wiu30</a>
— Roll with Mia (@SeeMiaRoll) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeeMiaRoll/status/1172339679519072257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>I am an Asian American, I don&#8217;t know more doctors than anyone else. I am really sick of Andrew Yang and how he continuously hurts the AAPI community by using stereotypes that have harmed our community for centuries. It&#8217;s not cute. It&#8217;s not okay. #DemDebates</blockquote>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Andrew Yang making a joke buying into the stereotype on Asians being doctors is a good segway into talking about 1) the dangers of perpetuating the model minority myth and 2) talking about the racial disparities in medical school admissions. Just saying.
— Deepa Shivaram (@deepa_shivaram) <a href="https://twitter.com/deepa_shivaram/status/1172309432367120392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>Andrew Yang making a joke buying into the stereotype on Asians being doctors is a good [segue] into talking about 1) the dangers of perpetuating the model minority myth and 2) talking about the racial disparities in medical school admissions. Just saying.</blockquote>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Andrew Yang is a disgrace. Biden, Buttigieg &amp; Klobuchar ganged up on Julian Castro with all the Caucasian energy they could muster and this man steps in to say he knows a lot of doctors coz he’s Asian. Pathetic. You hate to see it.
— salt, fat, acid, yeet (@hermit_hwarang) <a href="https://twitter.com/hermit_hwarang/status/1172312379448647681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>Andrew Yang is a disgrace. Biden, Buttigieg &amp; Klobuchar ganged up on Julian Castro with all the Caucasian energy they could muster and this man steps in to say he knows a lot of doctors coz he’s Asian. Pathetic. You hate to see it.</blockquote>
Other users found the joke funny, including Melissa Chen, the managing director of Ideas Beyond Borders, who wrote:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“I am Asian and I know a lot of doctors” says <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewYang?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndrewYang</a>.
Lousy Asian! You’re supposed to BE the doctor. Not know them.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemDebate</a>
— Melissa Chen (@MsMelChen) <a href="https://twitter.com/MsMelChen/status/1172309074743947267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>&#8220;I am Asian and I know a lot of doctors&#8221; says @AndrewYang. Lousy Asian! You’re supposed to BE the doctor. Not know them. #DemDebate</blockquote>
The Asian-as-doctor stereotype is fairly pervasive in American culture. Jokes regarding Asian heritage and high achievement have made their way into TV shows and movies, including shows as popular and widely-known as &#8220;Family Guy.&#8221;
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hVODv8A5-EM" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>​</div>
There is a grain of truth embedded within the joke.
According to <a href="https://datausa.io/profile/soc/physicians-surgeons#demographics">DataUSA</a>, which gathered information from the United States Census Bureau and the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (ACS-PUMS), although Asians constituted only 6% of the general population in 2017, they represented 21.1% of physicians and surgeons in the United States.
On the other hand, while caucasians constituted approximately 73.6% of the general population, and African Americans 12%, they represented 69.8% and 5.82% of physicians and surgeons in the United States, respectively.
<div class="embed"><iframe width="720px" height="480px" frameborder="0"></iframe>​</div>
<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2017/12/04/medical-schools-have-become-more-diverse-primarily-because-asian">Inside Higher Ed</a> backs up this information, noting that in 2016, 21.3% of medical school matriculants were Asian, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Yang.jpeg

Dem Candidate Andrew Yang Makes Asian Joke; Gets Blasted On Twitter

Education

On Friday morning, Daily Wire Editor-In-Chief Ben Shapiro issued a series of succinct tweets saving Americans the time of reviewing what the roster of Democratic candidates blathered about at the Democratic presidential debate on Thursday night.
Shapiro started with the candidates&#8217; positions on health care, writing, &#8220;Summary of last night&#8217;s debate, from a policy perspective: 1. Health care: We&#8217;re going to take away your private insurance and raise middle class taxes to do it. Or, alternatively, we&#8217;re just going to do that gradually.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Summary of last night&#8217;s debate, from a policy perspective:
1. Health care: We&#8217;re going to take away your private insurance and raise middle class taxes to do it. Or, alternatively, we&#8217;re just going to do that gradually.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1172523698135257088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
He segued to education: &#8220;Education: We&#8217;re going to throw money at our favorite supporters in the teachers&#8217; unions. Also, record players.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">2. Education: We&#8217;re going to throw money at our favorite supporters in the teachers&#8217; unions. Also, record players.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1172524390019256320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Then, racism: &#8220;Racism: Beto: America is garbage. Harris: So is Trump. Buttigieg: Also, you&#8217;re garbage.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">3. Racism: Beto: America is garbage. Harris: So is Trump. Buttigieg: Also, you&#8217;re garbage.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1172524391214616576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
A brief explanation of the Democrats position on gun control: &#8220;Gun Control: We&#8217;re here to take your guns.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">4. Gun Control: We&#8217;re here to take your guns.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1172524392229687296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
How Democrats feel about immigration: &#8220;Immigration: Open borders for all! Except Biden.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">5. Immigration: Open borders for all! Except Biden.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1172524395727749121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
An example of Democrats shockingly agreeing with Trump, albeit tacitly: &#8220;China: Trump is basically right, but we can&#8217;t say so.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">6. China: Trump is basically right, but we can&#8217;t say so.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1172524396621123584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Other foreign policy: &#8220;Afghanistan: Let&#8217;s pull out all troops from Afghanistan without any plan. Also, DIPLOMACY!&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">7. Afghanistan: Let&#8217;s pull out all troops from Afghanistan without any plan. Also, DIPLOMACY!
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1172524397644484609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
The Democrats&#8217; favorite issue: &#8220;Climate Change: We&#8217;re all going to die. So give us your money.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">8. Climate Change: We&#8217;re all going to die. So give us your money.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1172524398772752385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
And finally, a unique proposal from one candidate: &#8220;Yang: Let&#8217;s just skip all this s***. Here&#8217;s some free money.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">9. Yang: Let&#8217;s just skip all this s***. Here&#8217;s some free money.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1172524399620050944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
To substantiate the above:
1. Health care: When moderator George Stephanopoulos asked Sen. Elizabeth Warren bluntly, &#8220;Will middle-class taxes go up? Will private insurance be eliminated?&#8221;, Warren evaded the questions. When Sen. Bernie Sanders would not answer whether taxes would be raised by his health care plan, former vice-president Joe Biden leaped in and said, &#8220;If you notice, he hasn&#8217;t answered the question. This is about candor, honesty, big ideas. Let&#8217;s have a big idea. The tax of 2 percent that the senator is talking about, that raises about $3 billion. Guess what? That leaves you $28 billion short … the middle class person, someone making 60 grand with three kids, they’re going to end up paying $5,000 more. They’re going to end up paying 4 percent more on their income tax. That’s a reality.&#8221;
2. Education: Warren: &#8220;I have proposed a two-cent wealth tax on the top one-tenth of one percent in this country. That would give us enough money to start with our babies by providing universal child care for every baby age zero to five, universal pre-K for every three-year-old and four-year-old in this country&#8230;&#8221; Biden: &#8220;I propose that what we take is those very poor schools, the Title I schools, triple the amount of money we spend from 15 to $45 billion a year. Give every single teacher a raise, the equal raise to getting out — the $60,000 level … Play the radio, make sure the television — excuse me, make sure you have the record player on at night, the — the — make sure that kids hear words.&#8221;
3. Racism + Trump + garbage: O’Rourke: &#8221; … when we finally confront the racism that exists in America, when we’re defined not by our fears, but instead by our aspirations and our ambitions …&#8221; Sen. Kamala Harris: &#8220;So, President Trump, you’ve spent the last two-and-a-half years full time trying to sow hate and division among us, and that is why we’ve gotten nothing done. You have used hate, intimidation, fear, and over 12,000 lies as a way to distract from your failed policies and your broken promises.&#8221; Buttigieg: &#8220;… systemic racism preceded this president, and even when we defeat him, it will be with us.&#8221;
4. Gun control: see <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51718/beto-says-hell-yes-were-going-take-americans-guns-james-barrett">here</a>.
5. Immigration: As <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/policy-2020/immigration/?noredirect=on">The Washington Post</a> has noted, Sen. Cory Booker, Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Harris, Sanders, Warren, and Andrew Yang &#8220;have pushed for a repeal of <a href="https://www.justice.gov/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1911-8-usc-1325-unlawful-entry-failure-depart-fleeing-immigration">the criminal statute</a> for entering the country without permission.” Biden differs.
6. China: Yang admitted regarding Trump’s tariffs on China, &#8220;I would not repeal the tariffs on day one…&#8221; Buttigieg: &#8220;I would have a strategy that would include the tariffs as leverage, but it&#8217;s not about the tariffs.&#8221;
7. Afghanistan: Warren: &#8220;We need to bring our troops home … It means expanding our diplomatic efforts …&#8221; Biden: &#8220;We don&#8217;t need those troops there. I would bring them home.” Sanders: “I think that what we have got to do is bring this world together — bring it together on climate change, bring it together in fighting against terrorism.&#8221;
8. Climate Change: Sanders: &#8220;But what I would support, absolutely, is passing major legislation, the gun legislation the people here are talking about, Medicare-for-all, climate change legislation that saves the planet.&#8221; O’Rourke: &#8220;We will follow through, regardless of the political consequences or who it offends, because this is the very future of our planet and our ability for our children and grandchildren to be able to survive on it. We will make sure that we get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than the year 2050. That we are halfway there by 2030. That we mobilize $5 trillion over the next 10 years to do that.&#8221;
9. Yang: &#8220;I&#8217;m going to do something unprecedented tonight. My campaign will now give a freedom dividend of $1,000 a month for an entire year to 10 American families, someone watching this at home right now.&#8221;

Dem debate

Saving Americans Their Time: Shapiro Sums Up Democratic Debate In 9 Tweets

Ben Shapiro

Beto O'Rourke

Julian Castro

Pete Buttigieg

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang proposed extreme ideas during CNN&#8217;s climate change town hall on Wednesday night on issues ranging from people&#8217;s diets to transportation.
&#8220;I propose a Constitutional amendment that makes it a responsibility of the United States government to safeguard and protect our environment for future generations,&#8221; Yang said during the event.
Yang praised socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s $93 trillion Green New Deal and suggested that he supports even the most extreme portions of it, including banning air travel.
Yang said that the &#8220;only issue&#8221; that he has with the radical plan is that it &#8220;would do away with commercial air travel and a lot of other things in a particular timeframe, that if we had a little more time we can head in the same direction and achieve most of the same values.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Andrew Yang says “I love” the $93 TRILLION Green New Deal and he backs eliminating commercial air travel.<a href="https://t.co/tJ6RmEnFtd">pic.twitter.com/tJ6RmEnFtd</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1169381505698848768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
CNN&#8217;s Wolf Blitzer repeatedly pressed Yang on whether people will be forced to drive electric cars, to which Yang refused to answer as he went on to suggest that there needs to be a &#8220;buy-back&#8221; program for vehicles that use combustible engines.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Andrew Yang is not a serious person. Andrew Yang is in fact a moron who thinks the government has an infinite amount of money. Under his presidency the government would buy back everyone’s car to force them to drive electric vehicles. Among other things. <a href="https://t.co/ifVM6Jpw7Z">pic.twitter.com/ifVM6Jpw7Z</a>
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1169586731898687489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
During another part of the town hall, Yang said that he wants the government to &#8220;shape our system&#8221; to discourage people from eating meat, saying: &#8220;The U.N. just released a study that said we&#8217;re going to be okay if the vast majority of the world goes vegetarian immediately.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Yang wants gov’t to “shape our system” to discourage meat consumption<a href="https://t.co/sZQsIHfWEI">https://t.co/sZQsIHfWEI</a> <a href="https://t.co/CKC2P8ksCb">pic.twitter.com/CKC2P8ksCb</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1169375242181140481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
&#8220;None of this is speculative anymore. We need to wake up and let you know that you&#8217;re not on your own,&#8221; Yang said. &#8220;This is not a you problem, this is an us problem. What do sophisticated, advanced societies do? We solve the problems on the ground.&#8221;
In July, Yang said during CNN&#8217;s Democratic presidential debate that people should be evacuated to higher ground as soon as possible because of climate change.
&#8220;We need to do everything we can to start moving the climate in the right direction, but we also need to start moving our people to higher ground,&#8221; Yang said. &#8220;And the best way to do that is to put economic resources into your hands so you can protect yourself and your families.&#8221;

andrew_yang

Yang Goes Extreme: Suggests Car Buy-Back, ‘Shaping’ People’s Diets, Backs Eliminating Air Travel

Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang suggested on Monday that the news media should consider a moratorium on disclosing the identities of mass shooters so as not to give them notoriety for their heinous acts.
&#8220;I know it would be difficult to implement and is contrary to human nature – but I think we ought to explore not publicizing the identities or motivations of mass shooters,&#8221; Yang wrote on Twitter. &#8220;[It] would discourage those seeking notoriety or to spread twisted beliefs.&#8221;
Yang&#8217;s remarks come in the wake of a mass shooting outside of Odessa, Texas that left seven people dead and injured nearly two dozen others. The murders were carried out after a gunman opened fire on random bystanders following a routine traffic stop.
In a rare move, Odessa&#8217;s Police Chief Michael Gerke also declined to publicly divulge the identity of the shooter during a press conference on the deadly event.
&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to give him any notoriety for what he did,&#8221; Gerke told reporters on Sunday. The police department later revealed the alleged gunman&#8217;s name and age on its social media account.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) expressed his support for Yang&#8217;s proposal, noting that the focus should be on honoring those whose lives were lost and the heroism of law enforcement officers, rather than the attention-seeking murderers.
&#8220;I agree. Of course, law enforcement must investigate. But public officials [and] media (to the extent possible) should NEVER SAY THEIR NAME,&#8221; Cruz replied to Yang. &#8220;These murderers crave notoriety, but they deserve to be forgotten.&#8221;
&#8220;Instead, we should celebrate the victims, the first responders [and] the heroes,&#8221; the senator added.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I agree. Of course, law enforcement must investigate. But public officials &amp; media (to the extent possible) should NEVER SAY THEIR NAME. These murderers crave notoriety, but they deserve to be forgotten. Instead, we should celebrate the victims, the first responders &amp; the heroes. <a href="https://t.co/LjSUBvKJ8D">https://t.co/LjSUBvKJ8D</a>
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1168868497495138306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Accordingly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-statement-regarding-shootings-in-el-paso-and-dayton">issued a statement</a> in early August following back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, which sounded the alarm on the likelihood that heavily publicized killings could inspire copycats.
&#8220;The FBI remains concerned that U.S.-based domestic violent extremists could be come inspired by these and previous high-profile attacks to engage in similar acts of violence,&#8221; the law enforcement agency wrote in a press release.
After a steady stream of mass shootings over the past few years, many have questioned whether the media has been inadvertently contributing to these attacks through its coverage.
For years, advocates of the &#8220;no notoriety&#8221; movement have been encouraging media outlets to change how they cover mass violence contending that perpetrators often model their own crimes on other high-profile attacks in a desire for recognition.
A <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0117259">2015 study on mass shootings</a> in America found evidence that backed up the theory of the &#8220;contagion effect,&#8221; which states that national media coverage does result in the increased frequency of horrific mass murders.
The calls to prevent murderers from gaining nationwide attention stems back as far as the 1999 shooting and bomb attack at Columbine High School outside of Denver. The gunmen became household names and even in death continue to be cited as motivation for a host of more recent shooting sprees.
While the FBI appears hesitant to refer to these individuals by name for fear of inspiring copycat killers, many in the legacy media continue to identify the names and motivations of these crimes.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51303/alyssa-milano-responds-ted-cruz-bullsh-challenge-james-barrett">Alyssa Milano Responds To Ted Cruz With ‘Bullsh**’ Challenge; He Accepts</a>

Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz Backs 2020 Democrat’s Call To Not Name Mass Shooters

On Saturday, Democratic presidential candidates pounced on the shooting in Texas that killed five and wounded several others as they looked to boost their campaigns.
The candidates, most of whom <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/47464/heres-where-2020-democrat-presidential-candidates-ryan-saavedra">support</a> abortion up until the moment of birth, immediately seized on the tragedy and looked to score political points.
Beto O&#8217;Rourke, desperately seeking attention, used profanity in a tweet, writing: &#8220;We don&#8217;t know how many have been killed. We don&#8217;t know the motivation. But here&#8217;s what we do know: This is f***** up.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">We don&#8217;t know how many have been killed. We don&#8217;t know the motivation. But here&#8217;s what we do know: This is fucked up. <a href="https://t.co/NRvyPfUjiM">pic.twitter.com/NRvyPfUjiM</a>
— Beto O&#8217;Rourke (@BetoORourke) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1167954084122353664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
O&#8217;Rourke also <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1167867903820980224">called</a> for confiscating semi-automatic firearms from law-abiding Americans.
Joe Biden tweeted: &#8220;I’m heartbroken, sickened, &amp; angry. Weeks after the horror in El Paso, another community in Texas has been terrorized by gun violence. Enough. We must end this epidemic. @DrBiden &amp; I send our thoughts to those affected &amp; thank our law enforcement who responded at great risk.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I’m heartbroken, sickened, &amp; angry. Weeks after the horror in El Paso, another community in Texas has been terrorized by gun violence. Enough. We must end this epidemic.<a href="https://twitter.com/DrBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrBiden</a> &amp; I send our thoughts to those affected &amp; thank our law enforcement who responded at great risk.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1167965983127945217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Elizabeth Warren tweeted: &#8220;I&#8217;m heartsick for the victims of this latest mass shooting in Odessa and Midland. We shouldn&#8217;t have to live with this near daily fear and horror. We&#8217;ve already lost far too many to gun violence—Congress must act now.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I&#8217;m heartsick for the victims of this latest mass shooting in Odessa and Midland. We shouldn&#8217;t have to live with this near daily fear and horror. We&#8217;ve already lost far too many to gun violence—Congress must act now. <a href="https://t.co/Hgdb7h6kpI">https://t.co/Hgdb7h6kpI</a>
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) <a href="https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1167938741564071936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Kamala Harris tweeted: &#8220;Keeping the Midland and Odessa community and the victims in my thoughts and prayers. Grateful to first responders who ran into harm&#8217;s way. I’m sick of this. America is sick of this. We need to act.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet"></div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Keeping the Midland and Odessa community and the victims in my thoughts and prayers. Grateful to first responders who ran into harm&#8217;s way.
I’m sick of this. America is sick of this.
We need to act.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1167940797703938052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Andrew Yang tweeted: &#8220;The Odessa shooting is horrific – people shot randomly in a shopping center for no reason. My heart goes out to the families of the dead and wounded, including our brave law enforcement officers. We must do all we can to curb the scourge of gun violence in this country.&#8221;
&#8220;We are the only country that struggles with gun violence at this level,&#8221; Yang added. &#8220;Other countries respond to tragedy. We must as well. Our people deserve better than to live in fear and be struck down at random. We are better than this. We will do better for our kids.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are the only country that struggles with gun violence at this level. Other countries respond to tragedy. We must as well. Our people deserve better than to live in fear and be struck down at random. We are better than this. We will do better for our kids.
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewYang/status/1167944491988176896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
John Delaney tweeted: &#8220;Another tragic mass shooting. We have to take action. Universal background checks, banning assault weapons, red flag laws and more. People deserve to be safe driving down the highway, going to church, going to school, everywhere.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Another tragic mass shooting. We have to take action. Universal background checks, banning assault weapons, red flag laws and more. People deserve to be safe driving down the highway, going to church, going to school, everywhere.
— John Delaney (@JohnDelaney) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1167967078923427841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Cory Booker tweeted: &#8220;A 17-month-old baby. It’s perverse that we live in a society where this is allowed to happen. My heart goes out to all those affected by today’s mass shootings in Odessa and Midland, Texas.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A 17-month-old baby.
It’s perverse that we live in a society where this is allowed to happen. My heart goes out to all those affected by today’s mass shootings in Odessa and Midland, Texas. <a href="https://t.co/HgEnreuhSK">https://t.co/HgEnreuhSK</a>
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoryBooker/status/1167959133326151686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>

Democrats Pounce On Odessa Shooting To Boost Their Political Campaigns

Cory Booker

Shooting

On Wednesday afternoon, Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced that she has dropped out of the 2020 presidential race.
&#8220;Today, I am ending my campaign for president,&#8221; Gillibrand said in an announcement posted on Twitter and first reported by The New York Times. &#8220;I am so proud of this team and all we&#8217;ve accomplished. But I think it&#8217;s important to know how you can best serve. To our supporters: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Now, let&#8217;s go beat Donald Trump and win back the Senate.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Today, I am ending my campaign for president.
I am so proud of this team and all we&#8217;ve accomplished. But I think it’s important to know how you can best serve.
To our supporters: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Now, let&#8217;s go beat Donald Trump and win back the Senate. <a href="https://t.co/xM5NGfgFGT">pic.twitter.com/xM5NGfgFGT</a>
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenGillibrand/status/1166826680134057984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
&#8220;I wanted you to hear it from me first, that after more than eight incredible months, I’m ending my presidential campaign,&#8221; the senator says in the video announcement. &#8220;I know this isn’t the result we wanted. We wanted to win this race. But it’s important to know when it’s not your time, and to know how to best serve your community and country. I believe I can best serve by helping to unite us to beat Donald Trump in 2020.&#8221;
Gillibrand&#8217;s decision to drop out of the race comes amid a series of polls showing her trailing far behind the front-runners, failing to earn above 1% of the Democratic vote in many recent <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/democratic_nomination_polls/">primary surveys</a>.
A <a href="https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=3638">Quinnipiac</a> national poll released Wednesday shows former Vice President Joe Biden as the clear front-runner, earning 32% of the Democratic and Democratic-leaning independent vote; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren took 19% of the vote, while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders came in third with 15% of the vote. Sen. Kamala Harris was forth with 7%, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg fifth with 5%, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang sixth with 3%. No other candidate, including Gillibrand, earned more than 1%.
A <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/08/28/2020-biden-leads-democrats-voters-dread-election/2120726001/">USA Today/Suffolk poll</a> published Wednesday likewise found Gillibrand failing to earn even 1% of the Democratic vote. Similar to the Quinnipiac poll, Biden topped the poll with 32% of the vote, Warren was in second with 14%, and Sanders was third, earning 12%. Buttigieg and Harris were tied for fourth at 6%.
An <a href="https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/b17i8aeg5p/econTabReport.pdf">Economist/YouGov poll</a> released Wednesday gave Gillibrand just 1%. Like most of the other polls, YouGov found Biden in the lead, but a less sizable one, with 24%; Warren was again second with 20%, and Sanders came in third at 14%. Harris and Buttigieg were again fourth and fifth, with 8% and 5% respectively.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51153/pollster-dont-pay-too-much-attention-our-big-eric-quintanar">Pollster: Don’t Pay Too Much Attention To Our Big Democratic Primary Poll</a>

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Joins Washington Post Live For Candidate Series

Kirsten Gillibrand Drops Out Of 2020 Race

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang revealed on Friday that his all-time favorite American president is former President Theodore Roosevelt, a noted Republican statesman.
“I’m a big Teddy Roosevelt fan because he seemed very bipartisan and solutions-oriented,” Yang said during an interview with <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/458609-surprise-andrew-yangs-favorite-president-is-a-republican">The Hill</a>. “Breaking news, Andrew Yang is a Roosevelt [fan].”
The beloved 26th president and known conservationist has been frequently ranked as one of the five best presidents in United States history. His face appears alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
However, Yang has a more personal admiration for the former commander in chief.
“I’m actually his great-granddaughter’s godfather,” Yang told The Hill. “So, I feel, like, an affinity in that way.”
Yang is not the only prominent Democratic politician to nod at Roosevelt. In 2011, former President Barack Obama attacked GOP policies in a speech invoking the late Republican president.
Years later he tried to compare his presidency to that of the aptly-named “Great Conservationist.” After using the 1906 Antiquities Act to quadruple the size of a national marine monument off the coast of Hawaii, the progressive president touted the massive federal land grab as an undertaking even larger than what Roosevelt was able to accomplish, reported <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/obama-compares-record-protecting-lands-roosevelt">Roll Call.</a>
“I have to say that Teddy Roosevelt gets the credit for starting the national parks system,” Obama said in 2016. “But when you include a big chunk of the Pacific Ocean, we have now actually done more acreage than any other president.”
Yang is also not the only 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful to look up a top member of the Republican Party.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/50458/kamala-harris-names-her-four-all-time-favorite-molly-prince">revealed only weeks earlier</a> that former President Abraham Lincoln is her all-time favorite president and one of her favorite politicians behind former Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-NY), who was the first black woman elected to the United States Congress.
Lincoln was notably the country’s first Republican president.
Yang was one of the first Democratic contenders to announce that he was officially launching a bid for the party’s nomination to the presidency. His presidential campaign kicked off in November 2017, nearly three years prior to the election.
The 44-year-old entrepreneur was initially viewed as a long-shot candidate, however, he has begun to establish a devoted following and is currently polling as a top-10 candidate in the crowded Democratic primary field.
Yang’s campaign focuses around implementing his self-declared Freedom Dividend program, which is a universal basic income of $1,000 per month for every American over the age of 18. Individuals would receive an annual check of $12,000 to use as they see fit.
The idea behind the Freedom Dividend is that United States citizens would earn additional money as a way to guarantee that all Americans benefit from the technology that replaces workers.
Yang announced earlier in August that he has qualified for the upcoming Democratic primary debate, which will further boost his campaign.

Presidential Candidates Attend Gun Safety Forum In Des Moines

Andrew Yang Reveals His All-Time Favorite President. It’s A Republican.

In a new video produced by conservative group TPUSA, several Democratic presidential candidates are asked at the Iowa State Fair if they will denounce the violence-embracing radical leftist group Antifa, which Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (TX) and Bill Cassady (LA) want to be officially labeled a &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/49659/cruz-cassidy-introduce-resolution-take-action-ryan-saavedra">domestic terrorist organization</a>.&#8221; Most of the candidates refuse to specifically denounce Antifa, either stating that they&#8217;ve never heard of the group that has repeatedly been in the headlines over the last two years, ignoring the question, or insisting on staying general in their responses.
The man-on-the-street video, hosted by TPUSA&#8217;s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/graylauryn/?hl=en">Lauryn Gray</a> along with other TPUSA activists, attempts to get some straight answers from the glad-handing candidates, who frequently appear annoyed by the question. TPUSA manages to talk with several Democratic candidates, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Gov. Jay Inslee (WA), front-runner former Vice President Joe Biden, NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio, Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT), businessman Andrew Yang, former HUD Sec. Julian Castro, Sen. Cory Booker (NJ), Rep. John Delaney (NJ), Gov. Steve Bullock (MT), Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and Marianne Williamson.
While TPUSA is generous in giving some of the candidates a checkmark for vaguely condemning Antifa, the reality is most of them are unwilling to expressly condemn the group, sticking only to generalizations about disavowing all violence and hate. Of those interviewed, Gabbard and Yang are the most emphatic in their denunciation of the group, while most of the other candidates resort to various deflections or generalizations.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Far-Left ANTIFA is a domestic terror group.
They beat journalists, fight cops and destroy cities.
They want full communism and terrorize innocent Americans to try and get it.
So will America’s leading Democrats denounce ANTIFA?
We asked. This is scary. <a href="https://t.co/aYO6sWEB2j">pic.twitter.com/aYO6sWEB2j</a>
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1163116409376784386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Gillibrand claims that she doesn&#8217;t even know who the infamous group is. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know who Antifa is,&#8221; she says when asked if she&#8217;ll condemn them.
Inslee states, &#8220;I condemn violence of anyone against this community,&#8221; which he says has been &#8220;totally victimized in so many ways.&#8221; It&#8217;s unclear which &#8220;community&#8221; he is referencing. The governor then adds, &#8220;I don&#8217;t know exactly this organization you&#8217;re referring to, but if it&#8217;s the one I&#8217;m thinking of, then yes.&#8221; TPUSA gives Inslee the benefit of the doubt by putting him in the &#8220;Condemns Antifa&#8221; category.
Asked if he will denounce &#8220;the hate group Antifa,&#8221; Biden says, &#8220;Yes. The answer is I denounce all hate groups.&#8221;
Though he clearly hears the question about denouncing Antifa, De Blasio ignores the interviewer managing to maintain what appears like a slightly uncomfortable smile on his face as he strides on.
Like De Blasio, Sanders appears to be too busy walking wherever he&#8217;s walking to have time to respond.
Yang, who has supported Andy Ngo, who was violently assaulted by Antifa, is much more talkative and emphatically denounces all &#8220;violent extremism.&#8221;
Castro laughs when asked if he is willing to denounce Antifa but refuses to answer, saying only, &#8220;Thanks a lot for the question.&#8221;
Delaney says if Antifa resorts to violence, then he denounces it.
Bullock agrees that &#8220;we&#8217;re better&#8221; than &#8220;any group that spread seeds of discontent,&#8221; but ultimately fails to condemn Antifa, instead trying to blame Trump for &#8220;not standing up,&#8221; though to what he doesn&#8217;t explain.
Gabbard responds by pointing out that she&#8217;s already denounced Antifa.
Williamson responds by stating she&#8217;s &#8220;not denouncing anybody.&#8221;
In the resolution they presented to the Senate in July, Cruz and Cassidy lay out some of the violence the group has enacted over the last couple of years. Below is the full text of the <a href="https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cassidy-cruz-antifa-is-a-domestic-terrorist-organization">resolution</a>:
<blockquote>Title: Calling for the designation of Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
Whereas members of Antifa, because they believe that free speech is equivalent to violence, have used threats of violence in the pursuit of suppressing opposing political ideologies;
Whereas Antifa represents opposition to the democratic ideals of peaceful assembly and free speech for all;
Whereas members of Antifa have physically assaulted journalists and other individuals during protests and riots in Berkeley, California;
Whereas in February of 2018, journalist Andy Ngo was intimidated and threatened with violence by protestors affiliated with Antifa;
Whereas on June 29, 2019, while covering demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, journalist Andy Ngo was physically attacked by protestors affiliated with Antifa;
Whereas employees of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (referred to in this preamble as “ICE”) were subjected to doxxing and violent threats after their social media profiles, phone numbers, and home addresses were posted on the Internet by left wing activists;
Whereas according to the Wall Street Journal, an ICE officer was followed by left wing activists and “confronted when he went to pick up his daughter from summer camp”, and another “had his name and photo plastered on flyers outside his home accusing him of being part of the ‘Gestapo’”;
Whereas the ICE office in southwest Portland, Oregon, was shut down for days due to threats and occupation by Antifa members;
Whereas Rose City Antifa, an Antifa group founded in 2007 in Portland, Oregon, explicitly rejects the authority of law enforcement officers in the United States, and Federal, State, and local governments, to protect free speech and stop acts of violence;
Whereas Rose City Antifa rejects the civil treatment of individuals the group labels as fascists, stating: “We can’t just argue against them; we have to prevent them from organizing by any means necessary.”; and
Whereas there is no place for violence in the discourse between people in the United States, or in any civil society, because the United States is a place where there is a diversity of ideas and opinions: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) calls for the groups and organizations across the country who act under the banner of Antifa to be designated as domestic terrorist organizations;
(2) unequivocally condemns the violent actions of Antifa groups as unacceptable acts for anyone in the United States;
(3) expresses the need for the peaceful communication of varied ideas in the United States;
(4) urges any group or organizations in the United States to voice its opinions without using violence or threatening the health, safety, or well-being of any other persons, groups, or law enforcement officers in the United States; and
(5) calls upon the Federal Government to redouble its efforts, using all available and appropriate tools, to combat the spread of all forms of domestic terrorism, including White supremacist terrorism.</blockquote>

Antifa

WATCH: Democratic Presidential Candidates Asked If They’ll Denounce Antifa

Bill de Blasio

Marianne Williamson

Tulsi Gabbard

On Friday, businessman and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang gave a speech in Concord, New Hampshire. During the speech, Yang stated that if elected president, he would &#8220;pardon everyone who is in jail for nonviolent marijuana-related offenses.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/andrew-yang-vows-to-mass-pardon-all-people-in-prison-for-nonviolent-marijuana-offenses">Fox News</a> reports that Yang also said: &#8220;Americans now recognize just how broken our mass incarceration system is and how much progress we need to make.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet"></div>
On Yang&#8217;s official <a href="https://www.yang2020.com/policies/legalization-of-marijuana/">website</a>, he makes his policy ideas on the legalization of marijuana abundantly clear:
<blockquote>Marijuana is still considered a controlled substance by federal law. Thousands are in jail for marijuana-related offenses, particularly people of color. Yet marijuana is now legal for adult use in 11 states and the District of Columbia, and 33 states have legalized medical marijuana in some form.
We need to resolve the ambiguity and legalize marijuana at the federal level. This would improve safety, social equity, and generate tens of billions of dollars in new revenue based on legal cannabis businesses.</blockquote>
His website further states:
<blockquote>As president, I will &#8230; Support the full legalization of marijuana at the federal level and remove it from the controlled substances list &#8230; Expunge the federal convictions of all marijuana-related use or possession offenses &#8230; Identify non-violent drug offenders for probation and potential early release.</blockquote>
Friday isn&#8217;t the first time Yang has spoken about such a proposal. In April, he stated at the National Action Network (NAN) conference that he plans to legalize marijuana, issue a pardon on April 20, 2021 to those in jail for nonviolent drug-based offenses (4/20 being a reference to weed culture), and give the newly freed individuals a &#8220;high-five &#8230; on the way out of jail.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewYang?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndrewYang</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NANconv2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NANconv2019</a>: &#8220;I would legalize marijuana and then I would pardon everyone who&#8217;s in jail for a nonviolent drug-related offense. I would pardon them on April 20, 2021 and I would high-five them on the way out of jail.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/wqELzL9TwO">pic.twitter.com/wqELzL9TwO</a>
— The Hill (@thehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1113507708093718529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
While Andrew Yang has been struggling to connect with a larger audience, currently sitting at just 1.5% according to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html">RealClearPolitics</a> average of polls, he has an enthusiastic cult following. He was also the ninth candidate to qualify for the next set of Democratic debates in September by reaching the 130,000 unique donor requirement, as well as reaching &#8220;2% or more [support] in at least four separate polls released between June 28 and August 28 and conducted by approved pollsters,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/08/politics/andrew-yang-democratic-debate/index.html">CNN</a>.
Since the legalization of sales of recreational marijuana in Colorado, which began in 2014, the <a href="https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/revenue/colorado-marijuana-tax-data">taxes and fees</a> collected by the state have risen each year. As of July 2019, the state has collected approximately $1.069 billion in taxes and fees on the sale and distribution of marijuana.
According to the <a href="https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2019.html">Prison Policy Initiative</a> (PPI), &#8220;451,000 [people] are incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses on any given day,&#8221; approximately 198,000 of whom are in state prisons, 81,000 under the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and 118,000 not convicted in local jails.
The organization notes that in total, there are &#8220;2.3 million people in 1,719 state prisons, 109 federal prisons, 1,772 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,163 local jails, and 80 Indian Country jails as well as in military prisons, immigration detention facilities, civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and prisons in the U.S.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reached out to Yang’s team for further comment regarding his position on drug legalization and low-level drug offenders, but as of publication, we have not received a reply.

Dem Candidate Yang: ‘Pardon Everyone Who Is In Jail For Nonviolent Marijuana-Related Offenses’

Crime

Drugs

Marijuana

A former top staffer on Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang&#8217;s campaign formally announced that he is officially launching a bid to unseat House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY).
Jonathan Herzog, who served as Yang&#8217;s 2020 Iowa campaign coordinator, released a video on Monday in which he revealed that he is running to represent New York&#8217;s 10th Congressional District as a way to assist in the passage of the same universal basic income platform for which his former employer is advocating in his presidential race.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going through the greatest economic and technological shift in our history,&#8221; Herzog said. &#8220;We need to pass 21st century solutions to these 21st century problems now.&#8221;
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YN2z2tt5jxo" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
&#8220;As your representative, my first priority will be to pass the Freedom Dividend, a universal basic income of $1,000 per month for every New Yorker and every American adult,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;[It would be] primarily paid for by the companies benefiting most from automation.&#8221;
The Freedom Dividend is a concept promoted by Yang in which every American over the age of 18 would receive an annual check of $12,000 to use as they see fit. The idea is that individuals would earn additional money as a way to guarantee that all Americans benefit from the technology that replaces workers.
Yang, a New York native, commended Herzog on his entrance into the congressional race.
&#8220;Congratulations Jonathan,&#8221; Yang tweeted. &#8220;Way to bring #HumanityFirst to NYC!&#8221;
Herzog will be challenging Nadler for the Manhattan-based congressional seat that he has held since he was first elected in 1992. However, Herzog stated that he is not running for the primary purpose of unseating the high-ranking Democrat, but solely as a way to advance his universal basic income proposal.
&#8220;Last year, I moved to Iowa to help build a grassroots presidential campaign,&#8221; Herzog said in the campaign video. &#8220;As the campaign took off, the question came up over and over and over again — how are we going to get this agenda through Congress?&#8221;
&#8220;This is my answer,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;So, join the movement and let&#8217;s fix this system together.&#8221;
Nadler is a &#8220;patriot and a great public servant,&#8221; Herzog further told <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/457236-former-yang-staffer-launches-primary-challenge-to-nadler">The Hill</a>.
The New York congressman is already facing a serious challenge from Lindsey Boylan, a former state economic development official and aide to Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo. Boylan revealed in July that her campaign raised more than $250,000 in the second quarter and outperformed fundraising expectations, according to the <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-nadler-boylan-primary-challenger-woman-contender-liberal-manhattan-20190709-kmri6zj465dnxb4443miazqqoa-story.html">New York Daily News</a>.
&#8220;Congressman Nadler is going to have to contend with a race,&#8221; Boylan said in July. &#8220;We are in it to win and we are putting together the building blocks to mount a very serious campaign.&#8221;
Amanda Frankel, a former Wall Street investment analyst also announced that she would be seeking the Democratic nomination to the district. The 2020 election could serve as the first legitimate threat to Nadler&#8217;s seat in decades.

Mueller Testifies On Investigation Into Election Interference Before House Committees

WATCH: Andrew Yang’s Former Aide Launches Bid To Unseat Top Dem Jerry Nadler

Jerrold Nadler

On Wednesday, businessman and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang released his plan to combat gun violence in the United States. At the top of the <a href="https://www.yang2020.com/blog/combating-violence-hate/">document</a>, the following statement is made:
<blockquote>Gun violence is a scourge in this country. &#8230; After the tragedies in El Paso and Dayton, there have been 255 mass shootings in 2019 – more than days have passed in the year. Our children are twice as likely to die from gun violence than cancer.</blockquote>
Despite his assertion that there have been 255 mass shootings in 2019, Yang never mentions the source from which he gathered his information. However, if one follows the numbers, it appears that Yang used the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) as his authority.
The Gun Violence Archive website <a href="https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/methodology​">explains</a> its methodology regarding mass shooting data as such:
<blockquote>GVA uses a purely statistical threshold to define mass shooting based ONLY on the numeric value of 4 or more shot or killed, not including the shooter. GVA does not parse the definition to remove any subcategory of shooting. To that end we don’t exclude, set apart, caveat, or differentiate victims based upon the circumstances in which they were shot. GVA believes that equal importance is given to the counting of those injured as well as killed in a mass shooting incident.</blockquote>
While the Gun Violence Archive uses one set of criteria to define a mass shooting, other organizations use different criteria that can substantially alter perceptions regarding how common mass shootings are.
For example, Mother Jones, which has one of the most comprehensive data sets pertaining to mass shootings, <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQBEbQoWMn_P81DuwmlQC0_jr2sJDzkkC0mvF6WLcM53ZYXi8RMfUlunvP1B5W0jRrJvH-wc-WGjDB1/pub?gid=0&amp;single=true&amp;output=csv">defines</a> the act as &#8220;an incident where four or more people are shot in a single shooting spree. This may include the gunman himself, or police shootings of civilians around the gunman.&#8221; Using this definition, there have been seven mass shootings in 2019.
In a 2015 <a href="https://www.hsdl.org/?view&amp;did=787620">report</a> on mass shootings published by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), William J. Krouse and Daniel J. Richardson use the FBI definition for &#8220;mass murder&#8221; as a template for &#8220;mass shooting.&#8221;
<blockquote>According to the FBI, the term &#8220;mass murder&#8221; has been defined generally as a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered, within one event, and in one or more locations in close geographical proximity. Based on this definition, for the purposes of this report, &#8220;mass shooting&#8221; is defined as a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered with firearms, within one event, and in one or more locations in close proximity.
Similarly, a &#8220;mass public shooting&#8221; is defined to mean a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered with firearms, within one event, in at least one or more public locations, such as, a workplace, school, restaurant, house of worship, neighborhood, or other public setting.</blockquote>
There is no formal definition of &#8220;mass shooting.&#8221; However, in the minds of many Americans, a &#8220;mass shooting&#8221; is an incident in which one or more active shooters open fire in a school, church, or public space with the express and singular intent of killing as many innocent people as possible.
This unconsciously understood &#8220;definition,&#8221; which lines up closely with the Mother Jones data set, as well as mainstream media coverage, often conjures images of shootings with high fatality rates such as Sandy Hook, Aurora, Parkland, Orlando, or El Paso (to name just a few), which can lead to confusion when someone uses a different definition without offering clarification.
Andrew Yang might not even realize that this confusion exists, and may simply be using the data from GVA because it appears comprehensive. However, the connotations of his statement regarding the alleged &#8220;255 mass shootings in 2019&#8221; might frighten people unnecessarily, and lead to their being misinformed on a critical issue facing the United States.

Misleading Claim From Dem Candidate Andrew Yang: ‘There Have Been 255 Mass Shootings In 2019’

Gun Control

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang echoed many of his primary challengers on Friday by contending that President Donald Trump is a white supremacist.
“To me, you should judge an individual by their actions and words,” Yang replied to CNN’s John Berman when asked why it’s important to directly refer to Trump as a white supremacist.
“So, in this case, it’s very clear the president’s actions and words have conveyed a very strong sense to many, many Americans that he has white supremacist beliefs,” he continued. “That’s the only standard we can go by.”
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Andrew Yang: “The President’s actions and words have conveyed a very strong sense to many, many Americans that he has white supremacist beliefs” <a href="https://t.co/HXPDMvRQaI">pic.twitter.com/HXPDMvRQaI</a>
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1159808722304196608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Yang reiterated his response after Berman asked him directly if he believes that the president is a white supremacist.
“I mean, again, if someone acts and speaks in a certain way, then you have no choice but to say that’s what he is,” Yang answered.
Yang’s remarks come after a host of other Democratic presidential candidates made similar statements in the wake of two back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
Just hours after the first shooting spree in El Paso, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) appeared on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/50219/watch-beto-orourke-swiftly-makes-rounds-blaming-molly-prince">multiple news programs</a> to accuse Trump of being a racist who incited the mass murders.
“He is [a white supremacist],” O’Rourke said later on Wednesday. “He’s also made that very clear. He’s dehumanized or sought to dehumanize those who do not look like or pray like the majority here in this country.”
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BetoORourke</a> just told me he thinks <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> is a white supremacist. <a href="https://t.co/8PqvycBDWh">pic.twitter.com/8PqvycBDWh</a>
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacobsoboroff/status/1159221564891652096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
O’Rourke, however, has made multiple comparisons between the president and Nazis. In late July, he likened Trump’s campaign rally to a “<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/07/23/2020-meghan-mccain-takes-beto-orourke-over-nazi-comment/1810427001/">Nuremberg rally</a>” and, weeks later, he argued that Trump&#8217;s rhetoric is similar to someone in Nazi Germany’s Third Reich.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) also said that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/us/politics/beto-elizabeth-warren-trump-white-supremacist.html">she believes Trump is a white supremacist</a> and has supported the racist movement as a way to divide the country.
“He has given aid and comfort to white supremacists,” Warren told The New York Times on Thursday. “He’s done the wink and a nod. He has talked about white supremacists as fine people. He’s done everything he can to stir up racial conflict and hatred in this country.”
Another outspoken critic of the president, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), also agreed with Warren and O’Rourke. Sanders told CNN on Sunday that he believes Trump is either “a white supremacist or a white nationalist.” However, a senior campaign official reportedly followed up and confirmed that Sanders believes Trump is both.
The self-proclaimed democratic socialist has long accused the president of espousing racist views.
“We must be honest and straightforward and say that we have a president who is a racist, a president who is a sexist, a president who is a homophobe, a president who is a xenophobe, and a president who is a religious bigot,” Sanders <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2018/11/15/bernie-sanders-trump-racist-sexist-bigot/">said in November</a> while addressing Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network conference. “It gives me no joy to tell you that, but that is the simple truth and we’ve got to confront the truth.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden argued that Trump &#8220;fanned the flames of white supremacy&#8221; and that he is &#8220;openly racist.&#8221;
&#8220;The sad thing about this is it&#8217;s no longer really a debatable point. There is just a long list of statements and tweets and behaviors from this president that make it very clear that he possesses hate and that he is divisive and that he is a racist,&#8221; Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1159601934602506240?s=20">said on the issue</a>. She further noted that he is &#8220;someone who empowers white supremacists and who condones their behavior.&#8221;
Trump, however, has repeatedly denounced the hate-filled ideologies. Following the deadly mass shootings, he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/50246/watch-trump-urges-nation-condemn-white-supremacy-molly-prince">addressed the nation</a>, calling for all Americans to join him in doing so.
&#8220;In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy,&#8221; Trump said from the White House. &#8220;These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America. Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart, and devours the soul.&#8221;

WATCH: Andrew Yang Joins 2020 Democrats In Calling Trump A White Supremacist

Dayton Shooting

El Paso Shooting

White Supremacy

FoxNews.com featured two entirely different takes the morning after the second CNN presidential debate. Two highly respected pundits, one Democrat and one Republican, came away with amazingly differing conclusions, based not on the party lines but on professional debate analysis.
Democratic pollster Doug Schoen declared a winner: &#8220;Former Vice President Joe Biden dominated the debate stage and weathered the attacks of nine opponents for the Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday night, emerging the clear winner and standing by his promise to not be &#8216;overly polite.'&#8221;
Trump supporter Liz Peek saw a loser: &#8220;What a sorry spectacle it was. Poor Biden, tripping over his garbled defense of his 1994 crime bill support, his vote in favor of the Iraq war, his op-ed opposing tax breaks for childcare, and so much more. Biden was attacked by nearly every rival, each one hoping that the next day&#8217;s headlines would show that he or she had successfully skewered the former vice president.&#8221;
Schoen: &#8220;The former vice president delivered his message compellingly and convincingly. Even during his less strong moments, Biden remained the focal point of the conversation, speaking for over 21 minutes — more than any other candidate on stage.&#8221;
Peek: &#8220;The other candidates didn&#8217;t need to beat up on Biden to make him look weak; he did it to himself.
&#8220;Several times Biden abruptly stopped speaking, presumably in deference to the debate moderators, but more obviously because he was worried he couldn&#8217;t successfully complete his thoughts. He frequently fumbled facts, not the least at the end when he projected the dire consequences of &#8216;eight more years of Trump.&#8217; Someone needs to remind Biden that President Trump cannot serve eight more years.&#8221;
Schoen: &#8220;Ultimately, the strength of Biden&#8217;s performance made it clear that he is prepared to combine the policy knowledge and experience necessary to take on President Trump and potentially win in November 2020. He clearly remains the candidate who will be tough to beat for the Democratic presidential nomination.&#8221;
Peek: &#8220;Biden also came armed with facts and history with which to take on his rivals &#8230; Biden landed only glancing blows, his delivery rumpled.&#8221;
Schoen&#8217;s big star among the also-rans? &#8220;Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii scored points against Harris while addressing criminal justice reform and race,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;Gabbard took aim at the racial implications of Harris&#8217; tough-on-crime record as a California attorney general, leaving Harris without a rebuttal on an issue that the senator commanded during the last debate.&#8221;
Peek found someone else: &#8220;Businessman Andrew Yang, who astonishingly has earned an average 1.8 percent in the polls &#8230; stuck to selling his plan to give every adult American $1,000 per month. &#8230; Yang offered up one of the few clever lines of the night, proclaiming himself &#8216;the opposite of Donald Trump, an Asian who loves math.'&#8221;
Schoen&#8217;s view of that? &#8220;Yang did not have a resounding debate moment.&#8221;
What&#8217;s the point here? Reporters will likewise have differing takes on that debate — any debate. Who won, who lost. Who scored, who missed. Who is in and who is out. Their prose may not be as edgy as an editorial, but the thrust is the same, and it goes to show everyone observing politics has a bias.
L. Brent Bozell III is the president of the Media Research Center. Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org. To find out more about Brent Bozell III and Tim Graham, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

BOZELL &#038; GRAHAM: 1 Debate, Entirely Opposite Takes

The hashtag #LetYangSpeak started <a href="http://www.apple.com">trending</a> on Twitter Friday morning after Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang claimed in a post-debate video that his microphone was not operating properly during Thursday night’s Democratic primary debate.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">If it was <a href="https://twitter.com/MSNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MSNBC</a>’s goal to sabotage Yang’s campaign by cutting the mic tonight, they totally fucked up. This is now our fuel. Get it trending. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetYangSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetYangSpeak</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetYangSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetYangSpeak</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetYangSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetYangSpeak</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetYangSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetYangSpeak</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetYangSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetYangSpeak</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetYangSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetYangSpeak</a>
— Andrew Yang Stan Account (@gang4610) <a href="https://twitter.com/gang4610/status/1144508631531974657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
When Yang was told by supporters that he should have talked more during the debate, the entrepreneur claimed his mic was likely being turned off and on by production, noting that he tried to offer his take during a few topics but his “mic was off.”
“There were also a few times, FYI, where I just started talking, to be like, ‘hey, I wanna add something there,’ and my mic was not on,” he said, adding, “I was talking and nothing was happening, and I was like, ah, f***.”
“You should jump in—” a supporter shouted.
“I agree, and again, there were times when I was like, I wanna make a contribution on Climate Change, or education, or other things and my mic didn’t work — your mic is actually not on,” Yang claimed. “So I would just start talking, and then like the moderators were just like, ignore him, it doesn’t matter.&#8221;
“So the moderators have a fair amount of power and authority,” he continued, “including someone in production turning on a mic or not. “
“I agree with you that like I should be interjecting and making more contributions, and I’ll certainly look to do that in the next debate, but there were at least a few times where I tried to do that tonight, where I quite literally felt someone sort of mechanically restrict[ed me],” he added.
WATCH:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Here is the full clip of Yang explaining the mic situation at the debate. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetYangSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetYangSpeak</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Yang2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Yang2020</a> <a href="https://t.co/WnbBtAESoR">pic.twitter.com/WnbBtAESoR</a>
— PJ McCartney (@pjmccartney) <a href="https://twitter.com/pjmccartney/status/1144583858433609729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet"></div>
Yang also addressed the supposed issue via Twitter, writing in a “reflection&#8221; post-debate: &#8220;I feel bad for those who tuned in to see and support me that I didn’t get more airtime. Will do better (my mic being off unless called on didn’t help) and glad to have another opportunity in July (and afterwards)!&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Second, I feel bad for those who tuned in to see and support me that I didn’t get more airtime. Will do better (my mic being off unless called on didn’t help) and glad to have another opportunity in July (and afterwards)!
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewYang/status/1144551813582135296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
One Yang supporter on Twitter posted a video allegedly evidencing “proof” that Yang was “muted.” In the clip, it appears the candidate is trying to jump in on an answer from Sen Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
WATCH:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">PROOF <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewYang?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndrewYang</a>&#8216;s Microphone Was Muted at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemDebate2</a> &#8211; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetYangSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetYangSpeak</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Yang2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Yang2020</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YangGang?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YangGang</a> <a href="https://t.co/H9NSbHWpsA">pic.twitter.com/H9NSbHWpsA</a>
— Massachusetts for Yang 2020 (@Yang2020Mass) <a href="https://twitter.com/Yang2020Mass/status/1144522463474278400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Yang, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, has been an outsider from the jump, gaining traction from folks across the political spectrum, including young, disaffected Trump supporters. The candidate’s signature policy, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/48858/where-does-andrew-yang-stand-issues-heres-josh-hammer">reported</a> by The Daily Wire’s Josh Hammer on Thursday, “is a universal basic income proposal — which Yang calls a ‘Freedom Dividend’ — whereby every American receives $1,000 a month.”
Yang is currently polling at 0-3% support, and his minimal speaking on Thursday night can’t stand to help him, rigged mic or not.
Yang recently sat down and spoke with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-DHuRTvzMFw" width="728" height="410" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>

Menu