On Wednesday, the legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) sent a <a href="http://www.adfmedia.org/files/VictoryBaptistChurchLetter.pdf">letter</a> to Dedham, Massachusetts, town officials urging them to rescind a <a href="http://www.adfmedia.org/files/VictoryBaptistChurchCeaseDesistOrder.pdf">cease-and-desist order</a> barring Victory Baptist Church from convening meetings even if they have 10 or fewer people. According to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s COVID-19 emergency order, that size meeting is permissible, ADF noted.
The cease-and-desist order was sent to the church on May 6 after the church had announced starting on May 10 it would hold services with groups that small.  The town sent the order on May 6 to Victory Baptist Church after the church announced on its website that it planned to start holding services of no more than 10 people each on May 10. The cease-and-desist order stated:
<blockquote>Whereas, Victory Baptist Church is not a business providing essential services pursuant to Exhibit A of COVID-19 Order No. 13; and whereas on May 6, 2020 was observed advertising for services to be held on May 10, 2020 in violation of COVID-19 Order No. 13. Whereby, you are hereby ordered to immediately cease and desist from operating Victory Baptist Church until such time as the government rescinds COVID-19 Order No. 13.</blockquote>
ADF <a href="http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/10988">reported</a> that the church said if more than 10 people decided to attend a service, the church would add services so all of them would hold 10 or fewer people.
ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker commented, “The government can certainly concern itself with public health and safety, but it can’t target churches for special punishments that it doesn’t dole out to anyone else. It makes no sense for the town of Dedham to demand that this church refrain from meeting with 10 or fewer people when the governor’s executive order explicitly allows that gathering size. The only apparent explanation is that the town wants to harass this church.”
The church said it would require attendees to provide advance notice by text or online sign-up to attend “one of our social-distanced services,” limit the services to an hour at most, and create a one-hour period between services to perform a “deep sanitization” of the church after each service and at the conclusion of the final service. Other measures:  taking each congregant’s temperature at the door with an infrared, non-contact thermometer and prohibiting anyone with a temperature of 99 degrees or above from entering the church, issuing and requiring congregants to wear latex- and powder-free gloves and a mask, spacing each chair eight feet apart, and providing no childcare.
ADF stated, “Victory Baptist did not host services last Sunday, but it plans to do so this coming Sunday, May 17, 2020, pursuant to the plans expressed in its previous announcement. And it should be permitted to do so without fear of disruption. For these reasons, we demand that the Board and Town of Dedham rescind the Order by 12:00 p.m. on May 14, 2020, and refrain from further harassment of this church.”
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Massachusetts Church Ordered To Stop Holding Services. ADF Fires Back.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

church

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) released on Tuesday its guidance to the state&#8217;s doctors and hospital staff on how to determine who gets crucial coronavirus care should the system be overwhelmed by cases. The state&#8217;s guidance details how to determine a &#8220;priority score&#8221; for each patient based on both the individual&#8217;s likelihood of recovering and potential length of life.
In its &#8220;<a href="https://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2020/04/CSC_April-7_2020.pdf">Crisis Standards of Care</a>&#8221; for the COVID-19 pandemic issued Tuesday, Massachusetts&#8217; DPH attempts to address potential questions that may arise on account of the virus, including if the system is overwhelmed due to an influx of cases, potentially requiring some degree of rationing of care and equipment. In such a situation, the state&#8217;s health officials say medical professionals should attempt to preserve the most life possible, taking into account how likely patients will recover and how long those patients are likely to live if they do.
The guidelines present the concept of a &#8220;priority score&#8221; for patients to help determine who to give critical care, including ICU beds and potentially life-saving medical equipment like ventilators, should it need to be rationed.
&#8220;The guidance, which is not mandatory, asks hospitals to assign patients a score that gives preference to healthier patients who have a greater chance of surviving their illness, and living longer overall,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/07/metro/massachusetts-officials-release-plan-ration-ventilators-icu-beds-if-need-arises/?et_rid=654126300&amp;s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter">Boston Globe</a> explains. &#8220;It gives additional preference to medical personnel who are vital to treating others, and to women further along in pregnancy. In the event of tie scores, younger patients are given priority.&#8221;
The guidelines specifically state that medical professionals should not consider several factors, among them: &#8220;race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, ability to pay, socioeconomic status, perceived social worth, perceived quality of life, immigration status, incarceration status, homelessness or past or future use of resources.&#8221;
What should play into decisions should care need to be rationed is survival likelihood as well as longevity:
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<blockquote>[T]he allocation framework operationalizes the broad public health goal by giving priority to patients who are most likely to survive to hospital discharge and beyond with appropriate treatment with critical care resources. The allocation framework described in this document differs in two important ways from other allocation frameworks. First, it does not categorically exclude any patients who, in usual circumstances, would be eligible for critical care resources. All patients are treated as eligible to receive critical care resources and receive a priority assignment based on illness severity. Second, the allocation framework goes beyond attempting to maximize the number of patients who survive to hospital discharge, because this is a narrow conception of maximizing benefit to the population. Instead, the allocation framework also attempts to maximize the number of life-years saved.</blockquote>
The guidelines provide less specific scoring criteria for patients under 18, stating that &#8220;scoring systems that are meaningful for adult critical care patients do not apply to pediatric patients or newborns,&#8221; and recommending that &#8220;experienced pediatric intensivists and neonatologists serving as Triage Officers should exercise clinical judgment in assigning priority scores for children.&#8221; But the guidelines get very specific with officials&#8217; recommended &#8220;priority scoring&#8221; approach for adult patients (18 and over). Below is an excerpt from the section:
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<blockquote>Priority Scoring for Adult Patients (18 and over)
This allocation framework is based on two considerations: 1) saving the most lives; and 2) saving the most life-years. Patients who are more likely to survive with intensive care are prioritized over patients who are less likely to survive with intensive care. Patients who do not have serious comorbid illness are given priority over those who have illnesses that limit their life expectancy. As summarized in Table 1, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is used to characterize patients’ prognosis for hospital survival. The presence of significant life-limiting comorbid conditions is used to characterize patients’ longer-term prognosis.
Points are assigned for SOFA score category (1-4 points) and the presence of comorbid conditions (2 points for major life-limiting comorbidities, 4 points for severely life-limiting comorbidities (Table 2)). These points are then added together to produce a total priority score, which ranges from 1 to 8. Lower scores indicate higher likelihood to benefit from critical care; priority will be given to those with lower scores.
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SOFA = Sequential Organ Failure Assessment 
*Persons with the lowest cumulative score will be given the highest priority to receive critical care services.
Regarding the use of the SOFA score as a marker of prognosis for short-term survival, there are several objective scoring systems used to assess severity of critical illness and likelihood of survival, but each has limitations and all should be applied in the context of clinical judgment.
Other scoring considerations: 
1. Pregnancy: Pregnant patients will be assigned a priority score based on the same framework used for non-pregnant patients. If a pregnant patient is at or beyond the usual standards for fetal viability, the patient will be given a two-point reduction, giving her a higher priority score.
2. Limited data: If laboratory values or other elements needed for the priority score are not available prior to the need for a time sensitive decision by the Triage Officer, the Triage Officer will do his/her best to approximate a priority score
3. Individuals who perform tasks that are vital to the public health response, including all those whose work directly to support the provision of care to others, should be given heightened priority. This category should be broadly construed to include those individuals who play a critical role in the chain of treating patients and maintaining societal order.
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<a href="https://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2020/04/CSC_April-7_2020.pdf">Read the full document here</a>.

Emergency Room

Massachusetts Issues Guidelines For Who Gets Crucial Coronavirus Care

Coronavirus

As cold as it gets in Massachusetts during the winter, car owners are going to have to resist the urge to warm up their cars before driving – or else they will be fined by the state.
Mass Live <a href="https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/11/idling-your-car-in-massachusetts-for-too-long-this-winter-to-warm-it-up-could-land-you-a-500-fine.html">reported</a> Thursday that Massachusetts law Chapter 90 Sec. 16A states: “No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit the unnecessary operation of the engine of a motor vehicle while said vehicle is stopped for a foreseeable period of time in excess of five minutes.”
This means that idling one’s car for more than five minutes “could result in a $100 fine for the first offense, and up to $500 for each subsequent offense,” the outlet reported.
In a statement, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection said, “The goal of the Massachusetts Anti-Idling Law is to improve air quality by reducing unnecessary air pollution from idling vehicles.”
There are several exceptions for the fine, including idling the car to defrost a windshield. The law also <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter90/Section16A">does not apply</a> to:
<blockquote>(a) vehicles being serviced, provided that operation of the engine is essential to the proper repair thereof, or
(b) vehicles engaged in the delivery or acceptance of goods, wares, or merchandise for which engine assisted power is necessary and substitute alternate means cannot be made available, or
(c) vehicles engaged in an operation for which the engine power is necessary for an associate power need other than movement and substitute alternate power means cannot be made available provided that such operation does not cause or contribute to a condition of air pollution.</blockquote>
An <a href="https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/02/20/idling-faq.pdf">explainer</a> issued by the state government in 2018 went into a little more detail about the exemptions. For example, using the engine to power additional devices, such as a wheelchair lift or the lift on the back of a truck, is exempted. That explainer also claims that idling vehicles can warm up within five minutes and that cars warm faster when driven. Still, the government says five minutes “should be the maximum amount of time unless weather conditions are extreme,” but it doesn’t define “extreme.”
The explainer also said that stopping and starting a car to avoid the idling limit does not cause more pollution and that starters don&#8217;t wear out faster with this method.
The law has been in effect for years, but thankfully, <a href="https://patch.com/massachusetts/southend/anti-idling-laws-rarely-enforced-in-boston-1c19588f">according to Patch</a>, it doesn’t appear to be enforced all that often – at least not in Boston. Patch was actually criticizing the government for not being more proactive in fining citizens, but the article still gives the impression that the anti-idling law is rarely enforced.
For good reason – it is difficult to tell how long a car has been idling unless someone has been watching it. This would require police to sit around watching running vehicles instead of dealing with actual crime. Of course, Massachusetts has an answer for that: Residents can call to tattle on their neighbors who leave their cars running too long.
<a href="https://www.redstate.com/kiradavis/2019/11/15/massachusetts-winter-can-fined-warming-vehicle/">H/t Kira Davis</a>

Vehicles On Street During Snowfall

Heating Up Your Car This Winter Could Get You Fined In Massachusetts

Former Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA) has announced Thursday morning that he will be making a last-minute entrance in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary, according to a <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=IJCY7qN48hU&amp;feature=emb_title">campaign video</a>. 
In an interview, Patrick told <a href="https://www.cbs.com/shows/cbs_this_morning/video/GKpZmhceHtpUlS4KpUBjr56hId7LfEmc/deval-patrick-on-why-he-can-break-through-crowded-2020-field/">CBS This Morning</a> that he wants to “reach for the best of America. Not just the best of our party, not just the best of our supporters, but the best of America, and that’s going to come from a whole lot of people who have checked out and have felt, I think rightly, left out and left back. What we want to do is bring them back in.”
Patrick’s message contrasts sharply with that of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has made a bevy of far-left promises, including that she can deliver a $52 trillion “Medicare For All” plan without raising middle class taxes, as reported by the <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/warren-reveals-52-trillion-medicare-for-all-plan-claims-no-middle-tax-increase-necessary/">National Review</a>. 
Patrick does not support “Medicare For All,” but he told CBS he would be open to having Medicare available as a public option. The stance appears similar to that of Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who has proposed “medicare for all who want it.”
Another point of distinction between Patrick and Warren is his lack of enthusiasm for Warren’s proposed wealth tax. Although he believes that “taxes should go up on the most prosperous and the most fortunate” and having a “wealth tax makes a lot of sense directionally,” Patrick contends that a more simple tax system, without “most of the deductions,” remains a better approach. 
In an apparent effort to distance himself from Warren’s demonization of billionaires, Patrick also told CBS that he doesn’t believe “wealth is a problem,” and that “we want to encourage people to aspire, just like I have, to lift themselves and their families out of poverty and move into the middle class and beyond.”
Over the last 24 hours, Warren has only doubled down on her attack on the wealthy, releasing a campaign mug that bears the slogan “Billionaire Tears.” But by selling the novelty mug using the e-commerce platform Shopify, Warren is supporting Tobi Lutke, the billionaire founder of Shopify who made it possible for her campaign to easily sell the mug in the first place. 
After serving as the Massachusetts governor, Patrick joined Bain Capital, an investment firm founded by Mitt Romney, where he led a “social impact investing” group called Bain Double Impact, according to <a href="https://www.axios.com/deval-patrick-bain-capital-2020-presidential-election-ddbfa663-dc9a-44bd-a4fd-1d4634f5792d.html">Axios</a>. Patrick resigned from Bain Capital amid his decision to run for president, reports the news agency.
Patrick faces a clear uphill battle, as the November Democratic presidential primary debate is just around the corner and the deadline to qualify has already passed. In order to make the cut for the next debate in December, Patrick will need 4% support in four national or early-state polls — or 6% in two early-state polls — in addition to reaching 200,000 unique donors. 
Regardless, Patrick told CBS News that he is running because “there is an opportunity, right now, for big ideas, as big as the challenges we face, and in the crafting and development of those ideas, to bring us together.”

Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick Files Paperwork To Run For President In 2020

Deval Patrick, Former Massachusetts Governor, Announces Last-Minute Presidential Run

2020 Election

Democratic Party

An 84-year-old veteran of the Korean war who also served as a police officer for decades was relieved of his job as a crossing guard and had his guns seized after criticizing a school resource officer (SRO) for allegedly leaving his post during school hours.
Stephen Nichols, who worked as a crossing guard in Tisbury, Massachusetts, was eating at Linda Jean’s restaurant in Oak Bluff and speaking with another patron when a waitress reportedly overheard part of their conversation. As the <a href="https://www.mvtimes.com/2019/10/11/crossing-guard-relieved-duty-guns-seized/">MV Times</a> reported, Nichols said he was discussing the SRO’s alleged visits to Xtra Mart to get coffee when children came to school in the morning. Nichols said that he told his friend that someone could “shoot up the school” as the SRO was “leaving his post.”
Nichols, who was a Morse Code specialist for the U.S. Army, told the MV Times, “When I was in the U.S. Army, and it wasn’t just me, it’s anybody who’s in the U.S. service, if you are on guard duty for eight hours, you didn’t leave that position. … And I’m just so accustomed to that, that when I see someone who’s supposed to be protecting kids … leave the school unguarded — if you’re on guard duty, you stay there.”
The waitress reported Nichols to the police two days later, prompting Police Chief Mark Saloio and another police officer to relieve Nichols from working as a crossing guard while he was at the job , then going to Nichols’ home and confiscating his firearms license and guns, as the MV Times reported.
Nichols, who said he has been licensed for firearms for over 60 years, told the MV Times that Saloio “told me to hand [the firearm license] over so I took it out of my wallet and handed it to him,” adding that no paperwork was given to him regarding the stripping of his firearms.
Linda Jean’s owner Marc Hanover, who said he’s known Nichols for decades, called the events “absolutely outrageous,” adding that his waitress “overreacted.” Hanover also spoke with Andy Marcus, who was the person Nichols had conversed with, and said Marcus “assured me there was never a threat made.” Marcus called the affair “absurd,” adding that Nichols never threatened the school and that no other employee at the restaurant thought Nichols was threatening the school. Noting that Nichols was a veteran police officer and constable, he concluded, “He loves kids. It’s almost like of all the people … ”
Nichols, a widower for two years who has 11 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren, concluded, “I would never, ever, ever, harm a child … I just need something to do to get out of the house and I love the kids.
Saloio met with Nichols on Columbus Day to offer his job as a crossing guard back to him. <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20191021/veteran-criticizes-police-practices-gets-guns-and-firearm-license-seized-by-chief-of-police">NRAILA</a> reported that an attorney who represents Nichols told the MV Times that Nichols intended to file an appeal to secure the return of his firearms.  NRAILA continued, &#8220;Meanwhile, Nichols was informed that his grandson, who manages a Worcester gun shop, is ‘going to be allowed to come down and take the weapons and sell them for me.’ As it stands, Nichols has yet to receive his license or firearms back.”
NRAILA added, “Because there was no proven justification for depriving Nichols of his legally owned firearms, commentators are citing the situation as a cautionary tale against ‘red flag’ firearm seizure laws.”
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Oak Bluffs Harbor

Elderly Vet Has Guns Seized After Criticizing School Resource Officer For Allegedly Leaving His Post

Guns

Veterans

Massachusetts lawmakers considered a state bill on Tuesday that would punish people for calling others a “bitch.”
State Rep. Daniel Hunt, a Democrat representing the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, introduced the bill in May on behalf of a constituent, something only the Bay State allows. The <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H3719/BillHistory">full text</a> of the bill reads as follows:
<blockquote>A person who uses the word “bitch” directed at another person to accost, annoy, degrade or demean the other person shall be considered to be a disorderly person in violation of this section, and shall be subject to the penalties provided in subsections (a) and (b). A violation of this subsection may be reported by the person to whom the offensive language was directed at or by any witness to such incident.</blockquote>
The subsections mentioned in the bill include possible punishments for the offense. Should the bill become a law, anyone in Massachusetts who calls someone else a “bitch” in anger could be subject to a fine of up to $200 or up to six months in jail.
Hunt <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/10/22/mass-bill-for-hearing-today-would-make-saying-word-fineable-offense/dqoucgmbWDSrprKc0JHyXJ/story.html">told The Boston Globe</a> that he filed the bill on behalf of a constituent, but forgot to check the box indicating that was the case, leading some to believe that it was he who wanted to criminalize the word.
“[The constituent] e-mailed me, and it was right around filing deadline,” Hunt told the Globe. “We’ll file it to get it in the process.”
Hunt also said he was roundly mocked for the bill by the State’s Republican Party in tweets and by people from across the country.
“I got at least 50 phone calls today calling me a ‘bitch’ or the ‘C’ word, and I’ve also gotten probably 50 e-mails,” he told the outlet.
The Globe asked if the emails and phone calls bothered Hunt, and he said it was “their right to express themselves to an elected official.”
The bill, however, would remove the right to express oneself to other citizens.
The bill, according to the Globe, was one of nearly 70 relating to criminal justice that was discussed by the Joint Judiciary Committee during a hearing. Other bills included changes in law regarding victims’ rights, juvenile offenders, and witness testimony. Hunt’s bill appears to be the only one suggesting an entirely new criminal act.
The bill is also “clearly unconstitutional,” according to Boston College law professor Kent Greenfield. He told the Globe that the “Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled in a bunch of cases that very offensive, very hurtful speech is nevertheless protected.”
Because the word “bitch,” has certain gender connotations, the bill also appears discriminatory, as cruel words usually reserved for men were not included. Of course, that would mean opening the door to criminalizing so many additional forms of speech, which is obviously wrong.
Arline Isaacson, co-chairwoman of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, told The Boston Herald that she opposed the bill.
“While I detest the use of the B-word and the N-word and the word fag, etc., I love the Constitution more and question the constitutionality of bills like this,” she said. “The concern is specifically about the right to free speech, including speech that I hate.”

Golden Retriever

Massachusetts Bill Would Make Calling Someone A ‘B—’ A Criminal Offense, Including Jail Time

Free Speech

Incumbent Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) challenged his Democratic primary opponents on Monday to participate in a climate change debate in lieu of the Democratic National Committee’s decision to forgo holding a climate change-specific debate for the presidential candidates.
&#8220;I was very disappointed at the Democratic National Committee&#8217;s refusal to hold a debate on climate change for our presidential candidates,&#8221; Markey said in a campaign video. &#8220;In Massachusetts, we should do better than that.&#8221;
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The Massachusetts senator called out three of his declared primary challengers — Brookline lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan, New Bedford businessman Steve Pemberton, and newly declared candidate Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) — to debate him on the issue &#8220;very soon.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m asking environmental groups in Massachusetts, who have shown the greatest commitment to fighting climate change, to sponsor this debate and to establish a format that will provide the best opportunity for voters to hear from all of the candidates,&#8221; Markey said. &#8220;For the next generation, we can&#8217;t wait, so we’re suggesting a debate the week of November 11, following Veterans Day and the municipal elections.&#8221;
Markey was first elected to Congress in 1976 and subsequently won his Senate seat during a special election in 2013. He is perhaps best known for co-authoring the &#8220;Green New Deal&#8221; in 2019, along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
While Democrats have largely rallied in support of the Green New Deal, it has proven to be a wedge issue among voters due to its radical policy prescriptions. With a goal of moving toward net zero emissions over a 10-year period, the proposal calls to &#8220;totally overhaul transportation by massively expanding electric vehicle manufacturing, build charging stations everywhere, [and] build out high-speed rail at scale where air travel stops becoming necessary,&#8221; according to the now-deleted section of Ocasio-Cortez’s website.
The expansive climate and economic justice package notably failed to receive even a single vote in the Senate when it was brought to the floor. Ocasio-Cortez, however, endorsed Market’s re-election to his seat in 2020, referring to him as one of the Senate&#8217;s &#8220;strongest progressives.&#8221;
Markey&#8217;s challenge comes only two days after Kennedy officially launched his bid to unseat the 73-year-old senator. The race could be the toughest that Markey has faced thus far in his political career. Leaked polling from Kennedy&#8217;s campaign revealed that the 38-year-old congressman already has an edge over Markey — a sentiment with which many political analysts also seem to agree.
Kennedy is a member of the famed political dynasty — he is the grandson of the late U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-MA). To date, no one in his family has lost an election in the Bay State.
Markey and Kennedy are largely aligned ideologically and the primary race has been portrayed as a referendum on age and personality over substance.
&#8220;I thank all of my opponents in advance, and all of the people of Massachusetts who show me every day how committed they are to fighting the climate crisis,&#8221; Markey said. &#8220;Together, we can save our planet.&#8221;

Ed Market

WATCH: Dem Lawmaker Throws Down The Gauntlet And Challenges Senate Opponents To A Climate Change Debate

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Climate Change

Ed Markey

Global Warming

Green New Deal

Joe Kennedy

Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) announced on Saturday that he is officially launching a bid to unseat Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) when the Massachusetts senator is up for re-election in 2020.
&#8220;Big news: I&#8217;m running for U.S. Senate,&#8221; Kennedy wrote on Twitter. &#8220;This isn&#8217;t a time for waiting, for sitting on the sidelines, or for playing by rules that don’t work anymore. This is the fight of our lives, the fight of my generation – and I&#8217;m all in.&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Big news: I&#8217;m running for US Senate. This isn&#8217;t a time for waiting, for sitting on the sidelines, or for playing by rules that don&#8217;t work anymore. This is the fight of our lives, the fight of my generation — and I&#8217;m all in. I hope you&#8217;ll join me at <a href="https://t.co/7zwvI9aujq">https://t.co/7zwvI9aujq</a> <a href="https://t.co/WVkNLwCJbg">pic.twitter.com/WVkNLwCJbg</a>
— Joe Kennedy (@joekennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/joekennedy/status/1175389273270489093?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Kennedy&#8217;s formal announcement, however, came earlier in the day while giving a speech in the basement of the East Boston Social Center.
&#8220;We have a Senate that instead of trying to harness the opportunity and potential of every person in this country, they&#8217;re trying to pull us back,&#8221; Kennedy said to the crowd. &#8220;I&#8217;m running for the United States Senate to tear that down, to fight back.&#8221;
The announcement comes only weeks after the Massachusetts congressman confirmed on his social media account that he was, in fact, mulling over a Senate run.
At the time, he stated that he had not decisively made up his mind and was still discussing the possibility with his family. Even prior to the social media post, however, Kennedy had already filed the necessary paperwork to launch a Senate campaign, according to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/08/26/kennedy/iP30YCohMaWMrB5muPH1LI/story.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&amp;stream=top">The Boston Globe</a>. Furthermore, he had also submitted a statement of candidacy and even created a campaign fundraising committee for a statewide race.
Kennedy is a member of the famed Kennedy dynasty – he is the grandson of the late U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-MA). To date, No one in his political dynasty family has lost an election in the state.
While addressing the room of supporters, reporters, and his family, Kennedy gave an impassioned speech where he demanded change that goes beyond simple attacks on President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. He notably abstained from mentioning Markey during his speech.
Kennedy and Markey are largely aligned ideologically and a primary race had been seen as referendum on age and personality over substance. Kennedy brushed off the perception though, and told reporters on Saturday that there are other issues that he would be addressing in the race.
Markey was first elected to Congress in 1976; then won his Senate seat during a special election in 2013. He is most well-known for sponsoring the Green New Deal with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in 2019. The expansive climate and economic justice package notably failed to receive a single vote in the Senate when it was brought to the floor.
Ocasio-Cortez, however, endorsed Markey&#8217;s re-election to the seat in 2020, referring to him as one of the Senate’s &#8220;strongest progressives.&#8221;
&#8220;Ed looks forward to spending the next 14 months campaigning hard every day to show the people of the Commonwealth why he&#8217;s the right choice,&#8221; John Walsh, Markey&#8217;s senior campaign advisor, said in a statement regarding Kennedy&#8217;s announcement.

Joe Kennedy Officially Launches A Bid For Senate

Jasiel Correia, the 27-year-old Democrat mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, was arrested Friday on charges of fraud, extortion, bribery, and filing false tax returns.
The FBI&#8217;s Boston office and the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts each tweeted the news.
&#8220;Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia was arrested this morning by <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIBoston">@FBIBoston</a> IRS-CI &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/HUDOIG">@HUDOIG</a> special agents at his home. He&#8217;s accused of conspiring to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from marijuana companies,&#8221; the FBI tweeted.
The Bureau followed up by <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIBoston/status/1169963942455795717">tweeting</a> that Correia&#8217;s former chief of staff, Genoveva Andrade, was also arrested &#8220;on extortion and bribery charges.&#8221;
The U.S. attorney <a href="https://twitter.com/DMAnews1/status/1169963767372890114">added</a> that three others aside from Correia and Andrade were also charged.
&#8220;When it comes to public corruption in Mass., this office is the primary deterrent. I take that seriously, and we will continue to aggressively pursue corruption in local, city and state governments,&#8221; said U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.
&#8220;Despite Mayor Correia&#8217;s public assurances to the City of Fall River, based on today&#8217;s indictment, he has essentially run <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6385496-Jasiel-Correia-Superceeding.html">that town as a pay-to-play institution,&#8221; Lelling added.</a>
<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6385496-Jasiel-Correia-Superceeding.html">Correia, according to court</a> documents, tried to develop an app, SnoOwl, that would &#8220;connect local businesses with their target consumer market.&#8221; He began looking for investors and claimed he previously had sold a successful app and that he would not take compensation from their investments. Instead, Correia used 64% of the funds raised ($231,447) to fund his political ambitions and lavish lifestyle. Correia used investor funds to purchase a Mercedes, jewelry, and designer clothes; to pay off his debt, and to travel with his then-girlfriend to luxury hotels and casinos.
Correia also filed false tax returns, failing to report the money he diverted from SnoOwl. When he learned he and SnoOwl were being investigated by the federal government, he filed false amended tax returns.
This mostly took place before Correia ran for mayor in 2015. When he was elected, he ignored SnoOwl&#8217;s investors and began using the mayor&#8217;s office to extort money in exchange for political favors. From the indictment:
<blockquote>
Within months of becoming mayor in January 2016, CORREIA began monetizing his official position to fund his lavish lifestyle and mounting legal bills. As set forth below, CORREIA used his office to: (i) extort at least four marijuana vendors for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe payments; (ii) extort a building owner for cash and a Rolex watch in exchange for, among other things, the approval of, and payment for, permits and excavating work to activate the water supply to a commercial building; and (iii) corruptly demand that his chief of staff give him half of her salary and almost all of a $10,000 &#8220;snow stipend,&#8221; in return for appointing her and allowing her to keep her city job.
</blockquote>
This isn&#8217;t even the first time Correia&#8217;s been in trouble since becoming mayor. In March, he was re-elected on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/13/us/jasiel-correia-mayor-fall-river.html">the same ballot</a> in which they voted him out. Correia had initially been charged in 2018 &#8220;with 13 criminal counts of wire fraud and filing false tax returns,&#8221; The New York Times reported.
&#8220;On Tuesday, 7,829 residents voted to recall Mr. Correia, and 4,911 voted to keep him in office, according to the city&#8217;s Election Commission. But on the same ballot, voters were asked to choose among five people for the mayor&#8217;s job. Mr. Correia&#8217;s name was included. There, he won a plurality, with about 35 percent of voters voting for Mr. Correia,&#8221; the outlet reported.

Massachusetts Mayor Arrested For Alleged Extortion Of Marijuana Companies

Crime

Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) revealed on Monday that he is mulling over a bid to unseat Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) when the Massachusetts senator is up for reelection in 2020.
&#8220;Over the past few weeks I&#8217;ve begun to consider a run for the U.S. Senate,&#8221; Kennedy wrote in a Facebook post. &#8220;This isn&#8217;t a decision I&#8217;m approaching lightly and – to be completely candid – I wasn&#8217;t expecting to share my thoughts to soon.&#8221;
The 38-year-old congressman stated that he has not decisively made up his mind on whether or not to run for the higher office, but has been discussing the possibility with his family. Kennedy is a member of the famed Kennedy dynasty — he is the grandson of the late U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-MA).
&#8220;I&#8217;m happy to put this on the table for you now. I haven&#8217;t reached a decision yet – that&#8217;s the truth,&#8221; Kennedy said. &#8220;I&#8217;m thinking about what I have to offer Massachusetts, what is the most important in this political moment, and what kind of party Democrats need to be building for the future.&#8221;
However, Kennedy has already filed the necessary paperwork to launch a Senate campaign, according to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/08/26/kennedy/iP30YCohMaWMrB5muPH1LI/story.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&amp;stream=top">The Boston Globe</a>. In addition to submitting a statement of candidacy, he has also created a campaign fundraising committee for a statewide race.
&#8220;I hear the folks who say I should wait my turn, but with due respect – I&#8217;m not sure this is a moment for waiting. Our system has been letting down a lot of people for a long time, and we can&#8217;t fix it if we don’t challenge it,&#8221; Kennedy said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve got some ideas on how to do that.&#8221;
&#8220;And I don&#8217;t think our democratic process promises anyone a turn,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;What it does promise is the chance for anyone to earn it – if we think we have something to offer and are willing to put ourselves and our ideas out there.&#8221;
Kennedy and Markey, however, are largely aligned ideologically and a primary race would seemingly be a referendum on age and personality over substance.
Markey, who first was elected to Congress in 1976, then won his Senate seat during a special election in 2013, stated that he will be running to retain his seat regardless of who his primary challenger ends up being.
&#8220;I am running for reelection,&#8221; Markey said. &#8220;And I am going to criss-cross this state and give it everything I got.&#8221;
He further noted that he is running on a platform that Massachusetts voters care most about, such as climate change, gun control, and opposing President Donald Trump.
&#8220;I&#8217;m fighting to protect people who are being punished by Donald Trump just because of the color of their skin,&#8221; Markey told reporters while in Boston. &#8220;I&#8217;m fighting to ensure that we have a Green New Deal that we put on the books. I&#8217;m fighting to have the strongest possible gun safety laws be instituted in our country to stop the carnage on the streets of our nation.&#8221;
&#8220;The Trump administration is trying to make America great again by making America hate again,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I have been fighting him since the day he was sworn in, and I am going to continued to fight for the people who are most vulnerable in our country every single day.&#8221;

Arlington National Cemetery Hosts Remembrance Honoring the Life &amp; Legacy of Robert F. Kennedy

Joe Kennedy Breaks Silence On Potential Senate Run

Donald Trump

A rare disease typically associated with horses has so far infected four people in Massachusetts this month, one of whom has died.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is spread by mosquitos and can affect horses, humans, and birds. While the disease has “equine” in the name, birds are actually the most likely to contract the disease from a particular classification of mosquito. A different species of mosquito, however, is able to transmit the disease from birds to humans and several other mammal species. Horses do not appear able to spread the disease to humans, as their blood would not contain enough of the virus to infect mosquitos, which could then infect humans.
The first Massachusetts case of EEE in six years was discovered earlier this month, <a href="https://www.wcvb.com/article/massachusetts-has-first-human-eee-case-in-6-years-state-health-officials-say-9-communities-at-critical-risk/28666278">according to WCVB5</a>. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) issued a warning to nine southeastern Massachusetts communities about their risk of contracting the virus.
“Today’s news is evidence of the significant risk from EEE and we are asking residents to take this risk very seriously,” Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD said in a statement to the outlet. “We will continue to monitor this situation and the impacted communities.”
The first case was reported in a male patient over 60, but the disease is not limited to the elderly or infirm. The second case was discovered in a patient between the ages of 19 and 30, WCVB5 reported. The third case also involved a man over 60, while the fourth case affected a woman over the age of 50.
The woman, Laurie Sylvia, died due to the illness. Sylvia’s husband was Robert Sylvia Jr., president of the Teamsters Local 59 union. The union <a href="https://www.facebook.com/teamsterslocal59/photos/a.923357174489477/1254035108088347/?type=3&amp;theater">wrote on Facebook</a> that it appeared Laurie would not recover after contracting EEE.
“It pains us to inform you that Laurie Sylvia, the wife of Teamsters Local 59 President Robert Sylvia, Jr has been stricken with the EEE Virus,” the union wrote. “For the last several days we were hopeful that with the best possible care from the Doctors and Staff at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, she would be able to recover. We have just learned that this will not be the case. Laurie’s condition has deteriorated and regrettably the Family is now preparing for the worst. Please keep Laurie, Bob and the rest of the family in your thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time.”
On Sunday, two of Laurie’s family members confirmed to the media that she had died. Her daughter, Jen, announced her death on Facebook.
“Today, I had to say goodbye to my best friend. My mum was my favorite person in the world,&#8221; Jen wrote. &#8220;She brought light and joy to everyone she came across.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know where to go from here,&#8221; she added. &#8220;I just don&#8217;t understand how such a beautiful person could be taken from me so soon.&#8221;
The MDPH identified 37 communities in the Bay State as being high to critical risk for EEE. This week, the state will start spraying for mosquitos to try and quash the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/easternequineencephalitis/tech/symptoms.html">states</a> that there is no vaccine against EEE and that about “a third of all people with EEE die from the disease.” Those who do recover are often “left with disabling and progressive mental and physical sequelae, which can range from minimal brain dysfunction to severe intellectual impairment, personality disorders, seizures, paralysis, and cranial nerve dysfunction.”

Aedes aegypti biting human skin

4 People In Massachusetts Have Contracted Eastern Equine Encephalitis, One Has Died

Health

Lately, 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has been staking out a position as a defender of the American Muslim community against the alleged white nationalism of Donald Trump. Along with fellow candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Warren was outspoken in support of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) when President Trump attacked Omar earlier this year. Warren has also vocally opposed the so-called “Muslim Ban,” a major priority for Muslim activist groups.
Unfortunately, in the process, Warren has become close to several organizations that promote political Islamism — an imperialist ideology demanding that Muslims seek political supremacy as a religious imperative. Some of these organizations are connected to actual terror organizations or are otherwise supportive of them.
For example, in December 2016, Sen. Warren was a featured speaker at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC) — the infamous “Roxbury Mosque” — at the <a href="https://counterjihad.com/terror-experts-concerned-sen-warren-aide-radical-mosque">urging</a> of one of her staffers who attended the mosque. This mosque has deep connections to <a href="https://www.peaceandtolerance.org/2016/12/10/faith-leaders-urge-sen-elizabeth-warren-and-boston-mayor-martin-walsh-not-to-legitimize-jihadist-mosque-interfaith-gambit/">terrorism</a>: The Islamic Society of Boston was founded by convicted terror financier Abdurahman Alamoudi, the Roxbury Mosque itself had Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi as a trustee, and several attendees later joined al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Furthermore, at the time ISBCC was under the direct control of the Boston chapter of the Muslim-American Society (MAS), the <a href="http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/85.pdf">American arm</a> of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In her drive to oppose Trump and support an embattled minority, Sen. Warren is actually lending her credibility to radical groups that do not reflect the American Muslim mainstream. This could simply reflect a commitment by Warren to civil rights and equal treatment for all Americans, coupled with a lack of care over with whom she ought to associate.
But it could also be part of a disturbing new trend, in which a former <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-does-elizabeth-warren-have-a-plan-for-israel-1.7409088">supporter</a> of Israel is ostentatiously embracing political Islamism to slyly court the <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/progressive-anti-semitism-multicultural-left-new-york-times/">increasingly anti-Semitic</a> radical wing of the progressive movement. By supporting Islamists, Sen. Warren might be signaling that she’s now on board with the hard-left argument of “intersectionality” — that all so-called “marginalized” groups need to be uncritically supported against their supposed oppressors, including the United States itself.
The warning signs have been piling up. Starting with President Trump’s election in 2016, Warren also began associating with Islamist groups in order to criticize Trump’s “Muslim ban.” In January 2017, Warren was one of the featured speakers at a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational/photos/a.92140837694/10154480568662695/?type=1&amp;theater">protest</a> against the misnamed “Muslim ban” held by the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization presenting itself as a civil rights champion of Muslims that actually was <a href="https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/1059.pdf">founded</a> by the covert Palestine Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood. The FBI <a href="https://www.investigativeproject.org/1029/fbi-explains-its-cair-cut-off">severed ties</a> with CAIR in 2009, after evidence of its close ties to the terror organization Hamas was presented during the infamous Holy Land Foundation terror-financing trial.
CAIR also <a href="https://www.cair.com/cair_says_maryland_governor_s_anti_bds_order_violates_first_14th_amendments">works</a> <a href="https://ca.cair.com/losangeles/news/cair-ca-calls-on-uc-board-of-regents-to-retract-anti-bds-anti-free-speech-statement/">constantly</a> to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational/posts/bdsmovement-cair-anti-bds-bills-expected-to-feature-prominently-at-aipacon-frida/10155579678417695/">support</a> the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) campaign against Israel. BDS was initially funded and propelled in the United States by the Islamist group <a href="https://www.ampalestine.org/what-bds-0">American Muslims for Palestine</a>, a <a href="https://www.investigativeproject.org/7884/revised-complaint-bolsters-amp-ties-to-old-hamas">front group</a> for Hamas, and it has the <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/the-bds-movement-is-a-cleverly-disguised-campaign-to-destroy-israel/">professed aim</a> of destroying Israel entirely and ethnically cleansing its Jews from the region.
In June 2018, Warren <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/we-will-not-obey-hundreds-of-women-rally-in-dc-to-protest-zero-tolerance-immigration-policy/2018/06/28/d1aca604-7a4a-11e8-aeee-4d04c8ac6158_story.html">participated</a> in the “Women Disobey” march against the family separation policies carried out at the Mexican border. One of the main <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/news/393302-womens-march-organizers-plan-protest-against-family-separation">organizers</a> was Linda Sarsour, a noted <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/01/opinion/womens-march-progressives-hate.html">Islamist radical</a> who is the executive director of MPower Change — a group that regularly claims the United States is corrupted by <a href="https://twitter.com/MPower_Change/status/1138580194342592512">white supremacy</a> and even calls for the <a href="https://twitter.com/MPower_Change/status/1131231289699315712">abolition</a> of ICE and the entire <a href="https://twitter.com/MPower_Change/status/1125883211970531328">prison system</a> alike!
Unsurprisingly, observers have noted a recent shift in Warren’s tone towards Israel — from her previous support to sharp criticism. As late as 2014, Warren <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/fr/news/elizabeth-warren-2020-where-does-progressive-senator-stand-palestine-976905873">stated</a> that “America has a very special relationship with Israel” and defended increased military funding; but more recently, Warren attacked Trump’s move of the American embassy to Jerusalem, condemned new “settlement” activity, and called for expanded U.S. aid to Gaza. Some former supporters grew <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-does-elizabeth-warren-have-a-plan-for-israel-1.7409088">concerned</a> that Warren was no longer “doing her homework” and was trying to position herself for the 2020 presidential campaign at Israel’s expense.
Then in March 2019, Warren refused to attend the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC’s national conference and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/27/did-eight-democratic-candidates-boycott-aipac-conference/?utm_term=.c25309633c7e">gave no explanation</a>, despite having attended in the past. This followed a joint <a href="https://thetempest.co/2019/03/25/news/democrats-boycott-aipac/#content">pressure campaign</a> by MoveOn.org and Sarsour’s organization MPower Change.
After the massacre of Muslim worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand, Warren <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1107627965418868736">stated</a> that “in the same way that [Islamic State] and al-Qaeda terrorism pose a threat to the United States, so does the rise of white nationalism.” The comparison is <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-03-21/white-nationalism-is-not-a-terrorist-threat-like-islamic-state">overheated</a>; while white supremacist terrorism is more dangerous now than in recent years and needs to be dealt with, modern white supremacists have never marshaled standing armies with thousands of personnel, nor have they managed to control territory or form their own state as did Islamic State.
So why compare the two? Here, Warren was echoing a line pushed in unison by hard-left activist groups and Islamist organizations such as CAIR and Emgage; CAIR-Oklahoma director Adam Soltani went so far as to <a href="https://twitter.com/CAIRNational/status/1128662057723863043">say</a> that “white supremacy is the root of Islamophobia,” and Emgage has made white supremacy a <a href="https://twitter.com/Emgageaction_/status/1125091707262001154">recurring</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EmgageAction/status/1135637277487407104">theme</a> in its messaging.
In June, the Warren campaign hired a new Director for Progressive Partnerships, an activist named <a href="https://twitter.com/maxberger/status/1142208194606968834">Max Berger</a>. Berger has a long history of <a href="https://freebeacon.com/politics/warren-staffer-draws-criticism-for-anti-israel-tweet/">incendiary claims against Israel</a> and claims in <a href="https://www.jns.org/opinion/zoa-urges-warren-to-fire-hamas-loving-israel-hating-ifnotnow-co-founder-max-berger/">support of domestic Islamists</a> like Omar Suleiman — claims which were so virulent that Berger recently cleared his entire Twitter history to conceal them.
Finally, on June 24th, Warren was one of only two presidential candidates (the other being third-tier candidate Jay Inslee) to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/muslimcaucus/videos/518338828905378/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARB_ESNTRN9AH2Obl9etyBfuk57ydLE5f2wRaZblH2SZay3TYMzGUvjSt2SicEUfPojcxtD2ju4iBlHCZ0QPwmF-l1qjc3EqZMwNNScq7_0ZEZA8m5NJlh1Ula6KeN3njoveIrUMaQipm8UI3VKUA3xAAJbTQh2tgrhgkd0xpS77Ult9dRaZkHxkyI4T1_pycMXJ9tBkaWEXoirrwx7cjed4wWGCWQ7bXaS2FSFt-mvY1DpfYGXtAPPEGI27adOnjBMfK8k8dpRuSrWAdFC7mAzYQuhIFT2Cl4Hijl2Pz9VK2TCYXtkoizJvaUuVIXbfp0nwBF3sLVGLerA7IOxA5IRmh1JuqXF6-ETD9Q&amp;__tn__=-R">address</a> the <a href="https://www.muslimcaucuscollective.org/agenda">Muslim Collective for Equitable Democracy 2019</a>, a conference of Islamist politicians, candidates, and activists that featured some of the most harmful Islamist voices in the United States, such as CAIR founder Nihad Awad.
Supporting the American Muslim community against the Trump administration has become sound progressive politics. But associating herself with Islamists like CAIR and Linda Sarsour indicates that Warren may be going far beyond simple political gestures — she is now actually internalizing the Islamist narrative. That is a mistake. The goal of the Islamist movement is nothing less than the <a href="https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/22032/popular-us-imam-constitution-inferior-to-sharia">delegitimization</a> of the American constitutional order and the seizure of political power. The American Muslim community is incredibly diverse and has more voices than just the Islamists; if Warren wants to support the Muslim community, associating with the Islamists is the last thing she should do.
Dr. Oren Litwin is the associate director of <a href="https://www.meforum.org/59041/middle-east-forum-launches-islamism-in-politics-project">Islamism in Politics</a>, a project of the <a href="https://www.meforum.org">Middle East Forum</a>.

LITWIN: Elizabeth Warren Must Stop Associating With Islamist Radicals

Al Qaeda

Boston

CAIR

Elizabeth Warren

Hamas

Islam

Israel

Over the course of her tenure in Washington, Democratic presidential contender Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has adapted her position on Israel to cater to her most energetic base of support — the far Left. What once began as at least a <a href="https://www.jns.org/glimpse-at-elizabeth-warrens-record-on-israel-as-senator-inches-towards-presidential-run/">rhetorically</a> pro-Israel position has transitioned into full-fledged Israel-hatred.
The Warren campaign has <a href="https://www.israellycool.com/2019/07/08/us-presidential-candidate-elizabeth-warren-has-got-a-problem-hes-called-max-berger/">hired</a> anti-Israel extremist Max Berger, who is a co-founder of IfNotNow, a group that <a href="https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/if-not-now/">supports</a> the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks the eventual elimination of the Jewish state. Additionally, Berger has come under fire for expressing sympathy for the militant Palestinian terror group Hamas, as Adam Kredo of The Washington Free Beacon <a href="https://freebeacon.com/politics/warren-staffer-draws-criticism-for-anti-israel-tweet/">reports</a>.
&#8220;Anyone who wants to be friendly with Hamas has no business being in a presidential campaign,&#8221; Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center told the Free Beacon. &#8220;It&#8217;s very straightforward.&#8221;
Rabbi Cooper added: &#8220;If that&#8217;s the message that Elizabeth Warren wants to send to Jewish progressives and the rest of the American Jewish community, that the person she put in charge of outreach wants to be friends with Hamas, no way,&#8221; Cooper said, adding that he finds it hard to believe Warren would be comfortable knowing one of her staffers has engaged in such rhetoric. &#8220;She&#8217;s going to have to deal with this right now.&#8221;
In a Monday campaign town hall, Sen. Warren <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/warren-says-shell-push-to-end-israels-occupation">told activists</a> from IfNotNow and a staffer for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that she would commit to pressuring Israel to end its supposed “occupation” of the Palestinians.
And in addition to the Berger hiring, it’s worth noting that Sen. Warren has <a href="https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/elizabeth-warren-president-pac-money-treasurer/">long been supported</a> by Democrat mega-donor Paul Egerman, who is currently serving as her campaign treasurer. Egerman is an <a href="https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/elizabeth-warren-president-pac-money-treasurer/">advisory council member</a> to the anti-Israel group J Street, which was created to service former President Barack Obama’s anti-Israel agenda.
Sen. Warren appears to be committed to going to extreme lengths to demonize Israel and its supporters. This week, she pledged to use the powers of her office to launch an “investigation” into the supposed foreign influence of Jewish GOP donor Elliot Broidy, who, coincidentally or not, happens to be a major supporter of the state of Israel.
“Warren is now making a campaign issue of an investigation that she demanded of a political opponent who has yet to be charged with a crime, much less convicted,” RedState’s Streiff <a href="https://www.redstate.com/streiff/2019/07/09/elizabeth-warren-targeted-trump-backer-investigation-using-campaign-issue/">wrote</a> Tuesday in response to the new Warren campaign pledge. “Regardless of the merits of the case, campaigning on using your personal clout to strong arm the Justice Department into investigating someone who is a political opponent is something that just isn’t done in American politics,” the piece continued.
Sen. Warren’s abandonment of our most vital Middle East ally began gradually, in 2015, when she and fellow Democrats <a href="https://www.jns.org/glimpse-at-elizabeth-warrens-record-on-israel-as-senator-inches-towards-presidential-run/">boycotted</a> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress.
In 2017, she <a href="https://www.jns.org/glimpse-at-elizabeth-warrens-record-on-israel-as-senator-inches-towards-presidential-run/">slammed</a> the Trump administration for publicly recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A few months later, Warren targeted the Israeli military for its response to Gaza rioters.
Then, in 2018, Warren <a href="https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-leads-call-to-address-humanitarian-crisis-in-gaza">signed</a> onto a letter (along with fellow anti-Israel presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders) calling on the secretary of state to do more to address the several crises in the Gaza Strip. The letter makes no mention of Hamas, the terrorist group that rules Gaza.
Today, in 2019, you can find Warren drafting and co-sponsoring resolutions <a href="https://www.merkley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/DAV19945.pdf">blasting</a> Israeli government security policies. In February, she engaged in a total character assassination of the Israeli prime minister, <a href="https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1101242554748682241">claiming</a> that Mr. Netanyahu is a criminal who is “embracing right-wing extremism” and “manipulating a free press.”
Of course, Sen. Warren is just one of many 2020 Democrats who have completely abandoned our most vital Middle East ally to accommodate the loud, leftist, pro-Palestinian extremists that make up part of the Democratic base.
Jordan Schachtel is a foreign policy analyst and investigative reporter.

SCHACHTEL: Elizabeth Warren Completes Her Total Abandonment Of Israel

Anti-Semitism

Judaism

Leftism

On Friday, two female Massachusetts doctors, one a pediatrician and the other an obstetrician/gynecologist, testified at a hearing of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary concerning Massachusetts&#8217; ROE Act, which would remove protections for newborns who survive abortions. <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/SD109">Bill S.1209</a> elides <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVI/Chapter112/Section12P">Section 12P</a> from the Massachusetts general law; Section 12P states:
<blockquote>
If an abortion is performed pursuant to section twelve M, the physician performing the abortion shall take all reasonable steps, both during and subsequent to the abortion, in keeping with good medical practice, consistent with the procedure being used, to preserve the life and health of the aborted child. Such steps shall include the presence of life-supporting equipment, as defined by the department of public health, in the room where the abortion is to be performed.
</blockquote>
The pediatrician, Dr. Carole Allen, who is retired but serves as vice president for the Massachusetts Medical Society, supports Bill S. 1209 although according to Live Action, she claimed she was &#8220;not familiar with that particular section.&#8221; Dr. Luu Ireland, an obstetrician-gynecologist at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester and board member of the Massachusetts section of the <a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/american-college-obstetricians-gynecologists-pro-abortion/">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists</a>, stated, &#8221;So this part that is taken out is not preventing life-saving treatment from being done to a newborn. What this does is it allows the next steps in medical care to be made between a physician and the patient that they&#8217;re taking care of.&#8221;
As <a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/massachusetts-roe-act-bill-infanticide/">Live Action</a> pointed out, &#8220;Since a newborn who just survived an abortion can&#8217;t speak for herself, the patient Ireland is speaking of must be the mother of the child, which means Ireland does not consider the baby who was just delivered to be a patient of the abortionist.&#8221;
After Ireland claimed, &#8220;What this does is it allows the next steps in medical care to be made between a physician and the patient that they&#8217;re taking care of,&#8221; State Rep. Sheila Harrington immediately queried, &#8220;Where does it say that?&#8221;
Ireland ignored her and continued, &#8220;So if they determine that life-saving medical treatment is needed, they have the full capacity to do that. But if it is a newborn that has a lethal fetal anomaly, they also have the option of providing comfort care or palliative care.&#8221;
Harrington pressed, &#8220;Where does it say that?&#8221;
Ireland admitted, &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t.&#8221;
Harrington repeated, &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t.&#8221;
Ireland said, &#8220;It&#8217;s taking out the section so that physicians have the ability to use their medical expertise and ethical obligations, provide the appropriate treatment .&#8221;
Harrington countered, &#8220;But it doesn&#8217;t say that in the Roe Act.&#8221;
Ireland admitted, &#8220;No.&#8221;
At one point, Ireland also stated, &#8220;The goal is to take out language that ties the hands of physicians and makes medical decisions for the physician.&#8221;
Live Action noted, &#8220;During the hearing, Rep. Harrington summed up the testimony from Ireland that she was hearing. &#8216;So you&#8217;re saying that if the baby is born alive, you don&#8217;t want to be forced into doing what you could to keep it alive.&#8217; Ireland responded, &#8216;So first of all, I&#8217;ve never actually been in that situation. I don&#8217;t think that that actually happens in medical care.&#8217; As the audience in the room groaned in disapproval, Harrington responded. &#8216;Oh, I think it happens. I think it happens.&#8217;&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
SICK. <a href="https://twitter.com/GovernorVA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovernorVA</a> Northam must be so proud.
Dr. Carole Allen defends a Massachusetts bill that would remove restrictions on INFANTICIDE.
She&#8217;s a pediatrician just like Gov. Northam.
Welcome to 2019, when kids&#8217; doctors publicly support killing born kids. <a href="https://t.co/O6mxUTEofS">pic.twitter.com/O6mxUTEofS</a>
&#8212; Susan B. Anthony List (@SBAList) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBAList/status/1142149576016715778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>

WATCH: Female Pediatrician And Ob-Gyn Both Defend MA Law Removing Protections For Newborns Surviving Abortions

Abortion

On Thursday, a federal judge blocked ICE agents from arresting illegal immigrants in Massachusetts if the immigrants are inside the courthouse, entering it or exiting it. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, stated in her preliminary injunction that the court &#8220;ORDERS that Defendants&#8221; ICE and the acting Director Matthew T. Albence and ICE&#8217;s Todd M. Lyons in Boston along with the federal Department of Homeland Security stop any &#8216;civil immigration actions inside courthouses,&#8217;&#8221; according to the <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/06/20/ice-agents-banned-from-making-arrests-at-massachusetts-courts/">Boston Herald</a>.
Near the end of April, Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/04/29/das-rachael-rollins-marian-ryan-to-sue-ice/">announced</a> they were filing a lawsuit targeting ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, Homeland Security&#8217;s Acting Secretary, Albence, and Todd M. Lyons, the Acting Field Office Director for ICE&#8217;s Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Rollins boasted &#8220;it would be my honor&#8221; to face arrest from federal agents for her opposition to ICE. She attacked ICE for arresting illegal immigrants near or in courthouses, saying, &#8220;That is an assault on our justice system. Not one person in our Commonwealth is safer because of that practice. ICE&#8217;s policy is undermining the work of the justice system as a whole. Prosecutors are forced to abandon cases because many victims and witnesses are deterred from appearing in court. The policy also makes it more difficult to obtain defendants appearance in court.&#8221;
As The Boston Herald reported, <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/04/30/ice-arrests-2-illegal-immigrant-gang-members-in-suffolk-county-courts/">on the same day</a> Rollins and Ryan announced their lawsuit, ICE arrested two illegal immigrants in two Suffolk, Massachusetts, courthouses, one linked to MS-13 and other to the 18th Street gang.
Shortly after that, in May, President Trump <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/05/01/president-trump-slams-das-who-seek-to-keep-ice-out-of-courtrooms/">spoke</a> of Rollins and Ryan, saying, &#8220;These are people that probably don&#8217;t mind crime; they don&#8217;t mind what&#8217;s going on. You look at MS-13, they say in the world there&#8217;s nothing more evil. These are some very, very bad people. To try and protect them, I don&#8217;t think so &#8230; They are protecting people that in many cases, and certainly not in all cases, but in many cases are very dangerous people and you say why? What are they doing this for? What&#8217;s the game?&#8221;
The lawsuit from Rollins and Ryan stated:
<blockquote>
For the last two years, officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (&#8220;ICE&#8221;) have patrolled Massachusetts state courthouses&#8212;including courtrooms, hallways, clerk&#8217;s offices, parking lots and front steps&#8212; following, arresting, and detaining those they believe violated federal civil, not criminal, law. In the face of widespread opposition to this practice, ICE has not only refused to stop it, but has issued a formal Directive authorizing such civil courthouse arrests. 
ICE&#8217;s Directive, and its widespread practice of conducting civil arrests in state courthouses, are unprecedented in American history. Indeed, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court have long recognized a privilege against civil arrests for those attending court on official business&#8212;a privilege that traces its roots back to English common law, and rests on the common-sense principle that the judicial system cannot function if parties and witnesses fear that their appearance in court will be used as a trap.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7164479/Judge-halts-immigration-arrests-Massachusetts-courts.html">The Daily Mail</a> noted, &#8220;Under Talwani&#8217;s ruling, immigration authorities can still arrest people on civil immigration violations if the person is already in state or federal custody, like when a defendant is brought from a jail to a court hearing. It also doesn&#8217;t prevent ICE from making criminal arrests.&#8221;

Obama-Appointed Judge Blocks ICE Arresting Illegal Immigrants At Courthouses

Barack Obama

Illegal Immigration

It seems even a CNN town hall couldn&#8217;t save Sen. Elizabeth Warren&#8217;s (D-MA) presidential campaign.
The Massachusetts senator got the worst news of her fledgling bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination this week when a poll of her own home state showed her a distant third behind both Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and former Vice President Joe Biden, who hasn&#8217;t even officially declared his intent to run.
<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/437770-warren-places-third-in-2020-poll-of-massachusetts">The Hill reports</a> that &#8220;in a poll of likely Democratic primary voters in the state, 14 percent picked Warren as their preferred Democratic nominee for president.&#8221; That&#8217;s more than ten points behind leader Sanders, who commanded 26% of support, and just shy of ten points behind Biden, who came in at 23%
But it may not be how far Warren is behind the leaders, but how little she is ahead of the next best vote-getter, South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has 11% support in Massachusetts &#8212; the only other candidate to clear 10%, and a virtual unknown outside of the state of Indiana.
&#8220;This is a concern for Warren who at this time does not have a firewall in her home state, and her rival Sanders has a strong base in the Bay State,&#8221; the director of Emerson polling, who conducted the test, told the Washington, D.C.-based outlet.
That&#8217;s no joke. Warren is already behind Biden and Sanders in polls of early primary states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, and hasn&#8217;t cleared 10% in any national poll since announcing her candidacy way back in early January. Emerson also conducted polls in slightly later primary states, like Nevada and Pennsylvania, and found similar results &#8212; including that Warren is running just ahead of Buttigieg, who came on the scene only a little more than week ago.
It&#8217;s not for lack of trying. Warren has worked hard to place herself among the most progressive in the field, calling for everything from reparations to jailing Wall Street bankers. The <a href="https://freebeacon.com/politics/warren-a-distant-third-in-2020-poll-of-massachusetts-democrats/">Washington Free Beacon</a> points out that she&#8217;s even made a few changes to her platform under the radar.
&#8220;Warren has proposed a series of splashy, progressive ideas, such as breaking up the major tech companies, installing an &#8216;ultra-millionaires&#8217; tax to fund universal child care, and getting rid of the Electoral College,&#8221; WFB reports. &#8220;She has also gotten onboard or expressed passing interest in such liberal wishes as reparations and packing the Supreme Court.&#8221;
But at the same time, she&#8217;s made some very serious mistakes, including taking a genealogy test that searched her DNA for signs that she really and truly is Native American. And while she can probably slough off bad polling numbers in states where she hasn&#8217;t held many events or visited frequently, it&#8217;s very hard to simply ignore a poll that places you a distant third in a state that&#8217;s elected you to the Senate at least twice.
Few candidates are expected to drop out of the race until at least the first debate, set for sometime in late May or early June. But Warren shows signs that her operation may not make it even that far. Since announcing her campaign, she&#8217;s lost her finance director over issues with fundraising and hasn&#8217;t picked up much money since the first week of her official candidacy.

Warren Done? Massachusetts Senator Isn’t Leading In The Polls, Even In Her Home State

A pro-life activist in Massachusetts was punched in the face while he was demonstrating outside an abortion clinic on Thursday, according to police.
At around 9:30 a.m., officers were called to Women&#8217;s Health Services in Brookline after a male pro-life protester was physically assaulted by a female outside the clinic.
&#8220;Police were dispatched to Women&#8217;s Health Services on Harvard Street for a disturbance. A woman believed a man, who was standing out front of the address, was videotaping her. The two exchanged words, the woman struck the man in the face then left the area,&#8221; <a href="http://blog.brooklinepolice.com/2019/03/thursday-march-14th.html">reports</a> Brookline Police News.
&#8220;Police were able to identify the woman and summoned her to court for assault and battery,&#8221; the report added.
&#8220;Patch.com described the alleged perpetrator as a young, female patient and the victim as a pro-life male protester,&#8221; <a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2019/03/18/abortion-activist-punches-pro-lifer-in-the-face-while-he-protests-outside-abortion-clinic/#.XI_9QnimFWg.twitter">highlighted</a> LifeNews. &#8220;Several witnesses told Patch that they also saw the incident. Sonia Powell said she saw several men protesting outside the abortion facility Thursday, and one leaned forward to speak to the young woman when she walked out of the door. Powell said the young woman began yelling and then punched the man in the face.&#8221;
According to Women&#8217;s Health Services&#8217; <a href="https://womenshealthservice.com">website</a>, the clinic offers secondtrimester abortions, &#8220;performed between 14 and 23 weeks gestation using the dilation and evacuation (D&amp;E) procedure.&#8221;
As described by former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino in a Live Action video, D&amp;E abortions includes gruesome child-dismemberment. The Daily Wire reported:
<blockquote>
<a href="http://www.abortionprocedures.com/">AbortionProcedures.com</a> explains, as does the video, that after the amniotic fluid is removed from the patient, &#8220;the abortionist uses a sopher clamp&#8212;a grasping instrument with rows of sharp &#8216;teeth&#8217;&#8212;to grasp and pull the baby&#8217;s arms and legs, tearing the limbs from the child&#8217;s body. The abortionist continues to grasp intestines, spine, heart, lungs, and any other limbs or body parts. The most difficult part of the procedure is usually finding, grasping and crushing the baby&#8217;s head. After removing pieces of the child&#8217;s skull, the abortionist uses a curette to scrape the uterus and remove the placenta and any remaining parts of the baby.&#8221;
Disturbingly, the abortionists then reassemble the baby limb by limb to make sure that &#8220;all the pieces&#8221; of the baby have been removed.
</blockquote>
In late September, Marie-Claire Bissonnette, a woman from the youth branch of Canada&#8217;s pro-life group Campaign Life Coalition, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/36652/watch-male-feminist-roundhouse-kicks-pro-life-amanda-prestigiacomo">kicked in the face</a> by a Toronto-area male feminist identified as Jordan Hunt during a demonstration &#8212; which was captured on video.
&#8220;Someone call the cops! Do not touch me!&#8221; Bissonnette can be heard yelling in the video after the assault.
WATCH:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
SICK: Just now a pro-abortion advocate roundhouse kicked a young pro-life woman from <a href="https://twitter.com/clcyouthprolife?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@clcyouthprolife</a> in Toronto
He has not yet been found, RT!! <a href="https://t.co/k1XlXBCVRP">pic.twitter.com/k1XlXBCVRP</a>
&#8212; Devin Sena (@DevinSenaUI) <a href="https://twitter.com/DevinSenaUI/status/1047478113544888321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
LifeNews compiled a list of just some of the recent incidents wherein pro-lifers have been physically assaulted or harassed for their beliefs:
<blockquote>
Connecticut &#8211; Pro-Life Students&#8217; Display Vandalized at University of Connecticut
Minnesota &#8211; Campus Republican Club Catches Students on Video Tearing Down Pro-Life Fliers (The College Fix)
Australia &#8211; Video: Pro-Abortion Students Vandalize Pro-Life Campus Display
England &#8211; Police Investigate Violent Attacks on Pro-Life People at Prayer Vigils
Ohio &#8211; Abortion Activists Harass Pro-Life Rape Survivor, Police Called
California &#8211; Abortion Activists Destroy, Steal UCLA Pro-Life Club Signs (Live Action)
Virginia &#8211; Pregnancy Center Vandalized, &#8216;Jesus Hates This S&#8212;&#8216; Spraypainted on Wall
Washington, D.C. &#8211; Abortion Activists Smash Pro-Life Sign, Hit Boy and His Dad With a Stick
Texas &#8211; Pro-Life Advocate Brutally Assaulted for Telling Man &#8220;Jesus Loves You&#8221;
</blockquote>

Pro-Life Demonstrator Punched In The Face

Violence

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has been working with a local Native American tribe in Massachusetts to push through authorization for a new casino on federal land &#8212; a casino that local Massachusetts residents, and the federal government, have repeatedly said they don&#8217;t want.
But the bill to build the casino died in the senate late last year, and now, it seems, some of Warren&#8217;s fellow Democrats may be to blame.
<a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jan/10/rhode-island-senate-democrats-threatened-block-sen/">The Washington Times</a> reports that the bill, which would have allowed the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe to build a &#8220;$1 billion resort in Taunton, Massachusetts,&#8221; never made it to the senate floor, thanks to the efforts of the two Democratic senators from Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, who pleaded with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to let the bill die in committee.
The bill reappeared in the House last week, this time sponsored by Reps. William Keating and Joe Kennedy III, both Massachusetts Democrats.
The bill overrides a federal court&#8217;s decision not to award the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe around 300 acres to build the billion-dollar tribal casino, based on rules granting tribal land only to those tribes recognized in an early-20th century federal agreement. The Mashpee Wampanoag received federal recognition, the Times reports, in 2007.
&#8220;As a result, federally recognized tribes in Rhode Island would argue that they hold the same standing as the Massachusetts tribe and request that similar legislation be introduced on their behalf,&#8221; the two Rhode Island senators wrote. &#8220;As you know, we have long opposed doing so due to potential conflicts with the 1978 Rhode Island Indian Claims Settlement Act, which ensures that settlement lands remain subject to Rhode Island state law.&#8221;
Warren adopted the Mashpee Wampanoag cause in 2018, likely in anticipation of her presidential run &#8212; and in anticipation of the heat she could receive from Native American tribes concerned that she was appropriating Native American ancestry without any concrete genealogical evidence.
Although she was not an original co-sponsor of the tribe&#8217;s Senate bill, Warren made a clear point of speaking out on behalf of the tribe&#8217;s interests, at one point even &#8220;unloading&#8221; on the Trump administration over the tribal casino, The <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/sep/10/elizabeth-warren-unloads-on-trump-administration-o/">Washington Times also reports</a>, accusing the administration of perpetrating &#8220;injustice.&#8221;
&#8220;The decision by the Trump administration to move forward with denying the Mashpee Wampanoag a right to their ancestral homeland and to keep their reservation is an injustice,&#8221; she said in a statement in September.
Warren has even championed the tribe&#8217;s rights over her constituents&#8217; needs. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/warren-backing-tribes-luxury-casino-plan-over-cash-strapped-towns-rival-bid">Fox News reports</a> that local residents of Brockton, Massachusetts, near where the tribe wants to build its billion dollar property, have their own casino and fear that a competing resort would deprive the already economically stressed town of more jobs and more money &#8212; a situation they simply can&#8217;t afford and wish the Massachusetts Democrat, who claims to be a champion of the working man, would notice and acknowledge.
&#8220;Year after year we&#8217;re running multimillion-dollar deficits in our budget. We&#8217;ve laid off schoolteachers for three years in a row. We desperately need the revenue,&#8221; the town&#8217;s mayor told Fox.
To top it off, the casino has some shady connections. It&#8217;s backed by Malaysia&#8217;s Genting Group, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/issues/elizabeth-warrens-indian-casino-bill-bail-malaysian-gambling-giant/">The Washington Free Beacon reports</a>, which is using the Massachusetts project to bail out other failed casino projects abroad, and is allegedly connected to a massive government graft scheme in Malaysia as well as to notorious former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2018/05/31/elizabeth-warren-takes-gamble-on-wampanoag-casino/">according to The Boston Globe</a>.

Democrats SHUT DOWN Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Attempt To Court Native American Voters With Casino Bill

Native Americans

Is playing the flute similar to playing the oboe? A Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) flutist believes so &#8211; at least as far as pay is concerned.
Daily Wire Senior Editor Ashe Schow appeared on Martha MacCallum&#8217;s Fox News program, &#8220;The Story,&#8221; Monday night to discuss <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/39313/woman-sues-orchestra-pay-discrimination-theres-ashe-schow">the legal battle</a> happening over Massachusetts&#8217; new equal pay law, which flutist Elizabeth Rowe says requires the BSO to pay her at least as much as the orchestra&#8217;s prize oboist, John Ferrillo. MacCallum asked if Rowe had a case, to which Schow responded:
<blockquote>
I don&#8217;t believe she has an argument. This is not a case of unequal pay for equal work. These are two very different instruments, the oboe &#8212; trying to find a principal oboist is a much more difficult process than finding a flutist. The Boston Symphony Orchestra pointed out that it&#8217;s a much more difficult process. John Ferrillo was lured away from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and promised to be paid twice as much as the rank-and-file members while Rowe went through the blind audition process.
</blockquote>
MacCallum then asked if there were other examples within the orchestra of men and women receiving different pay, which of course there were, Schow said:
<blockquote>
Absolutely. So, Ferrillo might be the highest paid principal in this orchestra, and there are four other principals &#8211;all men &#8211; who are paid more than Elizabeth Rowe and there are nine other principals including one woman, a harpist, who is paid less than Rowe. So, unless she&#8217;s trying to say that all principals should be [paid] the same, or that other instruments should be paid equally&#8230; If she&#8217;s trying to say the oboe and the flute are the same then should the clarinet player be paid the same, should the bassoonist? These are big questions.
</blockquote>
MacCallum brought up a study that showed the average male orchestra member earns $254,000 a year while the average female member earns $202,000. As with all &#8220;wage&#8221; disputes, Schow noted that a variety of factors could be at play:
<blockquote>
The Washington Post put one together and they found that 18% of the top earners in various symphonies are women. So, only 18%. What isn&#8217;t looked at is what instruments are making the most money. Perhaps women are flocking to the same instruments while men are taking over all of the others so that there is a huge pool of women vying for a small number of positions versus men who are applying for multiple instruments. This might be a supply and demand situation rather than a gender situation.
</blockquote>
MacCallum then asked how this orchestra pay dispute fit into the larger issue of men and women earning different amounts in the broader workplace, to which Schow responded:
<blockquote>
There are still situations, there&#8217;s still different factors that are going into why Elizabeth Rowe is paid less than John Ferrillo, and it has connotations outside of just the orchestra, in the main business world. Women make choices, in this case, deciding to play an instrument that a lot of other people also play versus Ferrillo choosing to play an instrument that not as many people play. We see that in the business world, where men go into more difficult, more dangerous, higher-paying jobs where women tend to do what they like which gravitates towards jobs that don&#8217;t need as much education and don&#8217;t command as high a salary.
</blockquote>
MacCallum acknowledged that many women still feel that they are being paid less than a man, and asked if this meant there was no disparity based on gender. Schow said the examples are few and far between:
<blockquote>
Absolutely not, but most of those disparities do come from factors such as hours worked, such as the jobs that you go into, such as taking time off to raise a child, or taking time out of the workforce to care for a child. These are all factors. But sometimes, sometimes, yes, a man and a woman may be paid unequally and it is unfair, but those are rare instances and very difficult to find in an actual case.
</blockquote>
You can watch the full clip below:
<div class="embed video fluid-video">
Watch the latest video at <a data-scayt-word="href" data-wsc-lang="en_US">href=&#8221;https://www.foxnews.com&#8221;&gt;foxnews.com</a>
</div>

Schow On Orchestra Wage Dispute: ‘This Is Not A Case Of Unequal Pay For Equal Work’

Fox News

Gender Wage Gap

Martha MacCallum

Music

A Massachusetts all-women&#8217;s college found out the hard way that any attempt to include anything relating to gender or sex will be met with scorn in today&#8217;s society.
Mount Holyoke College (MHC) officials tried to commission a new logo for the school that included the initials MHC sideways, so that the &#8220;H&#8221; and the &#8220;C&#8221; formed the female gender symbol &#8211; known as the Venus symbol.
This angered students and alumni who don&#8217;t identify as women, and the school was forced to apologize and <a href="https://www.mtholyoke.edu/communications/logo-proposal-community-response">withdraw the logo design</a>:
<blockquote>
This past Thursday, we had the occasion to solicit feedback on the design firm&#8217;s identity work from a group of students. We listened to feedback regarding the use of the Venus symbol as an option for the brand identity and logo, as proposed by the consultants. It is now evident to us that this symbol has a long history of exclusion connected to movements that, while trailblazing for some groups, represents the erasure of others.
We have thus determined that the College cannot move forward with a word mark that references this symbol as we rethink how we will distinguish Mount Holyoke College. While it is always disappointing to realize that our creative work has not achieved its goals, it is deeply upsetting to realize that the work is seen as offensive and damaging.
</blockquote>
Charles L. Greene II, Vice President of the Office of Communications and Marketing wrote the lengthy statement apologizing for the symbol, which apparently is not &#8220;trans-inclusive.&#8221;
The Daily Hampshire Gazette <a href="https://www.gazettenet.com/Mount-Holyoke-College-backtracks-on-newly-proposed-logo-22230361">reported</a> that the Venus symbol is offensive to those who identify as transgender or nonbinary and quoted alumni Tessa Ann Schwarz, who took her dismay to Twitter.
&#8220;Speaking as one of those trans alums, you all will not be getting my money until this is changed, and I am not alone,&#8221; Schwarz tweeted.
MHC spokeswoman Keely Savoie told the Gazette that the school would scrap the proposed logo and try again with a new design in January.
&#8220;This decision to pursue a new look and feel grew out of a comprehensive, institutional planning process,&#8221; Savoie told the Gazette. &#8220;Developing a new logo was part of our comprehensive approach to update and strengthen the reputation of the institution as a modern, global, innovative force in education.&#8221;
MHC was originally a women-only college, but <a href="https://www.mtholyoke.edu/media/convocation-talk-stresses-diversity-inclusion-and-human-rights?utm_source=Fire+Engine+RED&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=MHC+Today+SEPTEMBER+2014">established a policy in 2014</a> that allowed the school to formally admit trans women (biological men who identify as women).
&#8220;We recognize that what it means to be a woman is not static,&#8221; MHC President Lynn Pasquerella said at the time. &#8220;Just as early feminists argued that reducing women to their biological functions was a foundation of women&#8217;s oppression, we acknowledge that gender identity is not reducible to the body.&#8221;
A year later, trans activists succeeded in shutting down a performance of the &#8220;Vagina Monologues&#8221; because it was not trans-inclusive. Eve Ensler, the creator of the Monologues, <a href="http://time.com/author/eve-ensler/">penned a response</a> saying she was &#8220;surprised&#8221; by MHC&#8217;s response to her work, and insisted it was not exclusive and noted that an all-trans rendition was performed in 2004.
&#8220;The Vagina Monologues never intended to be a play about what it means to be a woman. It is and always has been a play about what it means to have a vagina. In the play, I never defined a woman as a person with a vagina,&#8221; she wrote.
Earlier this year, MHC issued a guide to professors at the school asking them to <a href="%22The%20Vagina%20Monologues%20never%20intended%20to%20be%20a%20play%20about%20what%20it%20means%20to%20be%20a%20woman.%20It%20is%20and%20always%20has%20been%20a%20play%20about%20what%20it%20means%20to%20have%20a%20vagina.%20In%20the%20play,%20I%20never%20defined%20a%20woman%20as%20a%20person%20with%20a%20vagina.%22">stop calling students</a> &#8220;women&#8221; or referring to &#8220;the two genders.&#8221;
MHC did not respond to a Daily Wire inquiry.

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Massachusetts Church Ordered To Stop Holding Services. ADF Fires Back.

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