<p>Supporters of President Donald Trump carried a World War II veteran to his seat at a rally for the president on Wednesday evening in Phoenix, Arizona, which quickly caught the attention of the president.</p>
<p>Fox 10 news anchor Kari Lake tweeted out the video and wrote: &#8220;This happened at the @realDonaldTrump rally in Phoenix. Lots of teamwork here. These men carrying a World War II veteran to his seat. Got to admit I got a lump in my throat.&#8221;</p>
<p>WATCH:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This happened at the <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> rally in Phoenix. Lots of teamwork here. These men carrying a World War II veteran to his seat. Got to admit I got a lump in my throat <a href="https://t.co/E8vV8gthQn">pic.twitter.com/E8vV8gthQn</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Kari Lake (@KariLakeFox10) <a href="https://twitter.com/KariLakeFox10/status/1230260022652784641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Trump responded to the video on Twitter, writing, &#8220;I AM ON MY WAY, SEE YOU SOON!&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I AM ON MY WAY, SEE YOU SOON! <a href="https://t.co/EgUBqPNlYh">https://t.co/EgUBqPNlYh</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1230285216217886720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Donald Trump Jr. later recognized the moment while speaking to the crowd.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DonaldJTrumpJr</a> talks about the two gentlemen that carried the World War II Veteran to his seat at the Trump Rally.</p>
<p>WOW 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/8CvAzIA2Px">pic.twitter.com/8CvAzIA2Px</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Benny (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1230307204982542336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Trump Jr. tweeted about it as well, writing, &#8220;This is the America I know, this is what Trump supporters are all about and what they stand for, this is what I see at every one of @realDonaldTrump ’s rally’s. If you haven’t been I suggest you go and see for yourself.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is the America I know, this is what Trump supporters are all about and what they stand for, this is what I see at every one of <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>’s rally’s. </p>
<p>If you haven’t been I suggest you go and see for yourself. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/qyZsnML9bu">https://t.co/qyZsnML9bu</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1230295733422571521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&#8220;Hundreds of supporters President Donald Trump began lining up outside the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum ahead of the &#8216;Keep America Great&#8217; rally, with some seeking refuge from the sun under umbrellas. Residents from across the state traveled to Phoenix to catch a glimpse of the president,&#8221; USA Today <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/02/19/trump-arizona-president-rally-grand-canyon-state/4713981002/">reported</a>. &#8220;Wednesday’s rally marks Trump’s 10th visit to Arizona as a candidate or president. But he’ll likely receive a warmer welcome than in previous visits with a friendlier GOP landscape including Arizona Republicans Sen. Martha McSally, Rep. Paul Gosar, Rep. David Schweikert and Rep. Debbie Lesko.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m outside the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum ahead of tonight’s Trump rally. A volunteer estimates 11,000+ people lining up to get in so far. <a href="https://twitter.com/azcentral?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@azcentral</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrumpInAZ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TrumpInAZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/3aNYqYtqNH">pic.twitter.com/3aNYqYtqNH</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Grace Palmieri 🌵 (@grace_palmieri) <a href="https://twitter.com/grace_palmieri/status/1230228147120959488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>


President Trump Holds Rally In New Hampshire Day Before State&#8217;s Primary

WATCH: Trump Supporters Carry World War II Veteran To His Seat At Rally

Donald Trump

Veterans

World War II

<p>Oklahoma, a state that sits in the unique crosshairs of the South, Midwest, and Southwest regions of the nation, is one of the most reliably Republican states in the country. In 2016, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in every single county in the Sooner State, ultimately accumulating a whopping 36+% total statewide margin of victory. In fact, no Democratic presidential candidate has won a <em>single county</em> in Oklahoma since Al Gore (who still lost the state to George W. Bush by a 21+% margin) in 2000.</p>
<p>Now, seeking to both capitalize upon President Trump&#8217;s overwhelming popularity in Oklahoma and raise money for veteran organizations, Republican state legislators in the Oklahoma Senate are proposing the introduction of a new &#8220;MAGA&#8221; specialty license plate.</p>
<p>&#8220;<span data-reader-unique-id="2">Two Republican state senators in Oklahoma </span><span data-reader-unique-id="4">proposed a bill </span><span data-reader-unique-id="5">that would create specialty license plates that showcase the president’s campaign slogans, a move that could violate federal campaign finance laws,&#8221; The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/478943-oklahoma-senators-propose-new-maga-specialty-license-plates">reports</a>. &#8220;Sens. Nathan Dahm (R) and Marty Quinn (R) penned the legislation, which would make state license plates that say &#8216;Make America Great Again&#8217; (MAGA) and &#8216;Keep America Great&#8217; available for purchase.&#8221;</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Proceeds from the &#8216;MAGA&#8217; and &#8216;Keep America Great&#8217; license plates won’t go directly to the president’s reelection bid, but instead they’ll be split between two veterans groups: The Warriors for Freedom Foundation and the Folds of Honor Foundation,&#8221; the outlet continues.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s more, the <a href="https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/government-and-politics/state-senators-propose-maga-license-plate-options-for-oklahomans/article_9115e015-7e7c-58a1-8f69-56891f0d5424.html">text of the bill</a> expressly contemplates the president&#8217;s involvement in the license plate design process: &#8220;The license plates shall be designed in consultation with the corporation or entity designated by Donald J. Trump for such purposes.&#8221; And as the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/01/18/oklahoma-lawmakers-propose-maga-license-plates-to-raise-money-for-veteran-groups/">notes</a>, the proposal &#8220;authorizes the Oklahoma Tax Commission to issue the plates &#8216;to any person wishing to demonstrate support for the proclamation made by Donald J. Trump.'&#8221;</p>
<p>As far as cost, the Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/oklahoma-lawmakers-propose-maga-and-keep-america-great-license-plates-to-support-veterans">reports</a> that &#8220;[m]otorists would be charged a fee of $35 per year, and $20 of that fee will be donated to two local veterans groups.&#8221;</p>
<p>In a &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; appearance this morning, Sen. Dahm <a href="https://video.foxnews.com/v/6124908061001#sp=show-clips">explained</a> that he chose The Warriors for Freedom Foundation and the Folds of Honor Foundation as the bill&#8217;s two specified veterans groups of choice because they are two groups to which Trump has donated directly in the past.</p>
<p>The overtly partisan nature of the &#8220;MAGA&#8221; license plate will all but assuredly raise the eyes of federal election officials, however. &#8220;These are political slogans,&#8221; Columbia Law School professor Richard Briffault told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/18/okla-senators-want-maga-license-plates-which-might-violate-federal-campaign-finance-rules/">The Washington Post</a>. “This has the look and feel of using state resources to support a political candidate, which seems improper &#8230; and possibly illegal.&#8221;</p>
<p>The bill would, of course, require the approval of both houses of the Oklahoma legislature and the ultimate signature of the governor before its enactment into law.</p>
<p>As also noted by The Hill, the same two Republican state senators who introduced the license plate proposal have also proposed a piece of legislation that would rename an Oklahoma portion of historic Route 66 as the &#8220;President Donald J. Trump highway.&#8221; As noted by the Oklahoma Senate&#8217;s <a href="http://www.oksenate.gov/news/press_releases/press_releases_2019/pr20191105a.htm">official website</a>, Sen. Quinn said of the bill: &#8220;Oklahoma is in the heart of America. Its conservative values of freedom, liberty and limited government are what our country was built on and has made America a strong nation and President Trump continues to fight for these values.&#8221;</p>


State Flag flies over Oklahoma State Capitol, Oklahoma City OK

Oklahoma State Senators Propose ‘MAGA’ License Plate

Oklahoma

<p>Earlier this week, a clip of Medal of Honor recipient retired Staff Sgt. David G. Bellavia <a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/video/693124/medal-honor-recipient-joins-pentagons-hall-heroes?fbclid=IwAR0LgjVXgkUNekPvmpXtlLFOdCLQY2GINC2JQFiU1HtDTHmkwi9fdLJMSyw">speaking</a> in June about our nation&#8217;s enemies and American strength went viral in light of the current heightened tensions with Iran.</p>
<p>As he was inducted into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes in June, Bellavia warned that &#8220;threats against the U.S. such as North Korea, Iran, and al Qaeda aren’t going anywhere, and cautioned against starting a war again the U.S. if they don’t want someone else to raise their children,&#8221; <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/06/27/watch-medal-of-honor-recipient-david-bellavia-talk-about-the-threats-america-still-faces/">Military Times</a> reported at the time.</p>
<p>&#8220;The threats to our nation, they don&#8217;t sleep,&#8221; said Bellavia. &#8220;They&#8217;re watching our every move: Iran, Russia, China, North Korea, ISIS, al Qaeda — they may be watching this right now.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Our military should not be mistaken for a cable news gabfest show,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;We don&#8217;t care what you look, we don&#8217;t care who you voted for, who you worship, what you worship, who you love. It doesn&#8217;t matter if your dad left you millions when he died or if you knew who your father was. We have been honed into a machine of lethal moving parts you would be wise to avoid if you knew what&#8217;s good for you.&#8221;</p>
<p>“We will not be intimidated,&#8221; Bellavia warned. &#8220;We will not back down. We’ve seen war.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We don’t want war, but if you want a war with the United States of America, there is one thing I can promise you, so help me God: Someone else will raise your sons and daughters,&#8221; the Medal of Honor receipted concluded.</p>
<p>The clip, only a portion of Mr. Bellavia&#8217;s remarks, was posted online Monday and has since racked up well over 4.5 million views.</p>
<p class="o-articleBody__text a-body1 element element-paragraph">Bellavia is one of seven Operation Iraqi Freedom Medals of Honor recipient — the first of whom is still alive.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was his actions during Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah that earned him the nomination,&#8221; <a href="https://time.com/5614183/david-bellavia-medal-of-honor-iraq-war/">TIME</a> magazine said of Bellavia. &#8220;He and his squad were dispatched to search a block of 12 houses where multiple insurgents were reportedly hiding. The squad found nothing in the first nine houses but once they got to the 10th, they were ambushed. Two insurgents armed with machine guns were waiting for them.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;As some of his men suffered injuries, Bellavia provided suppressing fire, forcing the enemies to take cover. This allowed the soldiers to make their way out of the building,&#8221; the magazine continued, adding: &#8220;After calling in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle to provide suppressing fire, Bellavia decided to go back in the building, where throughout the house, killed four insurgents and wounded a fifth. One of them was in hand-to-hand combat.&#8221;</p>
<p>Trump praised Bellavia for his &#8220;extraordinary courage&#8221; during the ceremony.</p>
<p>“David today we honor your extraordinary courage, we salute your selfless service and we thank you for carrying on the legacy of American valor that has always made our blessed nation the strongest and mightiest anywhere in the world,” Trump said.</p>
<p>“David often tells young people that Americans don’t want to fight but if someone picks a fight with us we will always win because we don’t fight for awards and recognition,” the president added. “We fight for love of our country, our homeland, our family and our unit and that’s stronger than anything the enemy has.”</p>
<p>On Tuesday, Bellavia discussed the ongoing situation with Iran on radio station WBEN.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Iraq War Veteran pointed to the lack of immediate response from Iran as a sign that they understand the power of the US Military, and how it compares to their own situation,&#8221; <a href="https://wben.radio.com/articles/bellavia-military-strike-on-iran-wont-hurt-recruitment">WBEN</a> outlined.</p>
<p>&#8220;People realize that at any moment men and women can be called to do their job in the military, and I think we take that for granted,&#8221; Bellavia said on the radio show. &#8220;They&#8217;re so good at it, that no one really wants to mess with us. There&#8217;s a lot of people that might talk a big game and other countries can make threats, but when the rubber hits the road the United States warrior is going to be okay and their training and the way that they present themselves is a deterrent to attacking our interests and our citizens.&#8221;</p>
<p>WATCH:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;We will not be intimidated. We will not back down. We’ve seen war. We don’t want war, but if you want a war with the United States of America, there is one thing I can promise you, so help me God: someone else will raise your sons and daughters.&quot; &#8211; Staff Sgt. David G. Bellavia <a href="https://t.co/2liRsjxrGd">pic.twitter.com/2liRsjxrGd</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Wojciech Pawelczyk 🇵🇱🇺🇸 (@PolishPatriotTM) <a href="https://twitter.com/PolishPatriotTM/status/1214336126535831555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>View Mr. Bellavia&#8217;s full remarks, below:</p>
<p><iframe title="Pentagon Hall of Heroes: Staff Sgt. David G. Bellavia&#039;s Speech" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LRXrEiBeOXo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>


David Bellavia

WATCH: Medal Of Honor Recipient Speech Goes Viral As Tensions With Iran Escalate

Al Qaeda

Foreign Policy

Medal of Honor

Middle East

Radical Islamic Terror

<p>On Friday, actor Chris Pratt announced a <a href="https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/thetomorrowwar?pc=fb_organic_tomorrowwar&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=bcgfm_tomorrowwar">new contest</a> meant to benefit an important charity called the <a href="https://braintreatmentfoundation.com">Brain Treatment Foundation</a>, which focuses on veterans.</p>
<p>Pratt, who has been routinely <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tv-guide-warns-readers-about-chris-pratts-james-barrett">hit</a> by left-wing media outlets for his outspoken <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-chris-pratt-gives-powerful-acceptance-speech-amanda-prestigiacomo">Christian</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-chris-pratt-reads-lukes-gospel-disneylands-paul-bois">faith</a> and seemingly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tv-guide-warns-readers-about-chris-pratts-james-barrett">conservative values</a>, is an avid supporter of those who&#8217;ve served in the armed forces.</p>
<p>In his latest effort to support veterans, Pratt asks folks to chip in $10 for a chance to hang out with the actor on the set of the Pratt-starring film, &#8220;The Tomorrow War.&#8221; All proceeds from the <a href="https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/thetomorrowwar?pc=fb_organic_tomorrowwar&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=bcgfm_tomorrowwar">contest</a> will be directed to the veteran-focused Brain Treatment Foundation, which provides &#8220;support for brain health initiatives relating to treatment, rehabilitation, research and public education.&#8221;</p>
<p>The organization&#8217;s mission &#8220;is to improve quality of life by providing multi-faceted programs that promote healing for the veteran, ultimately creating a positive impact that reaches beyond each individual to their family and surrounding community.&#8221;</p>
<p>“You and a friend get flown to Atlanta, put up in hotel, super fancy, it will be awesome,&#8221; Pratt announced, in a video posted to his Instagram account. &#8220;We’ll be best fiends, we’ll be texting each other, sending each other pics, and you can make all your others friends jealous.&#8221;</p>
<p>“We’re gonna raise a bunch of money for this great foundation called the Brain Treatment Foundation,&#8221; he continued, adding, &#8220;On top of that, me, Skydance, and Paramount, are gonna be kicking in some cash, as well. We’re gonna raise them <i>a bunch </i>of money, so join in!”</p>
<p>To enter, Pratt asked folks to <a href="https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/thetomorrowwar?pc=fb_organic_tomorrowwar&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=bcgfm_tomorrowwar">click this link</a>, which he posted in his Instagram bio.</p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5LIUa8p0hB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">So excited to finally announce our new contest! Click the link in my bio for your opportunity to come visit me on the set of @thetomorrowwar $10 is all it takes for a chance to become my new best friend on set in Atlanta. We cover everything! Flights, hotel, food! JUST IMAGINE!! You and a couple friends get flown to come meet me, yell action, heck we may even out you in the movie!!! (handful of restrictions apply-check rules by clicking the link in my bio!) All proceeds benefiting an extraordinary organization. @braintreatmentfoundation Heck yeah! Love you! I’ll be seeing somebody soon!</a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prattprattpratt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> chris pratt</a> (@prattprattpratt) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2019-11-22T16:14:24+00:00">Nov 22, 2019 at 8:14am PST</time></p>
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<p>In a statement to The Daily Wire, Brain Treatment Foundation&#8217;s Kara Williams heaped praise on the &#8220;Guardians of the Galaxy&#8221; star for his authentic dedication to veterans.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are proud that Chris has selected us as a beneficiary, not because of his celebrity status, but because he is genuine in his consistent support of the men and women who honorably protect our country and write a blank check for our freedom, up to and including the cost of their life,&#8221; Williams said. &#8220;Chris does this regardless of popularity or political environment and we are proud of what he represents and who he is as a man.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;There aren’t words to express how blessed and grateful we feel to be given the opportunity to raise awareness for traumatic brain injury [TBI],&#8221; the organization&#8217;s statement continued. &#8220;TBI is nothing less than cruel in the silent way it slowly robs combat veterans of their quality of life. It’s truly devastating to those who incur this injury and their families, affecting their ability to function in everyday activities of life. Funds raised from this contest will provide brain health treatments for combat veterans that aren’t otherwise available to them.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;May God continue to bless this amazing country!&#8221; added Williams.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, Mr. Pratt honored his veteran older brother, Cully, in honor of Veterans Day. In the heartfelt post, Pratt encouraged others to “&#8217;look at our veterans for who they are, actual people, with siblings and parents, with children and funny pasts&#8217; and, in doing so, &#8216;approach our relationships to them with compassion and understanding,'&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-pratt-posts-terrific-tribute-to-his-veteran-brother">The Daily Wire</a> noted.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-pratt-posts-terrific-tribute-to-his-veteran-brother">Chris Pratt Posts Terrific Tribute To His Veteran Brother</a></p>


Chris Pratt

AMERICA’S ACTOR: Chris Pratt Hosts Contest To Support Veterans Charity

Charity

<p>Football star J.J. Watt is already well known for his charity, having raised and given tens of millions to hurricane victims in his adopted home town of Houston, Texas, but he&#8217;s now extending his commitment to helping others to the veteran community, pledging to use the proceeds from his new Valor 2 shoe line to fund Honor Flight.</p>
<p>Honor Flight&#8217;s mission is to &#8220;transport America’s veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to honoring those who have served and sacrificed for our country,&#8221; according to their website. Honor Flight is best known for honoring World War II veterans &#8212; a mission that grows in urgency every day as the generation that fought in World War II slowly passes away &#8212; but they&#8217;ve now expanded to help veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars.</p>
<p>Their drive is simply &#8220;to show our nation’s veterans the appreciation and honor they deserve,&#8221; they say, and they provide the trips for veterans free of charge.</p>
<p>Watt&#8217;s Reebok shoe line, the Valor 2, is designed to honor his grandfather, a Korean War vet, according to <a href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/military-culture/jj-watt-honor-flight-shoes?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1">We Are The Mighty</a>, and Watt designed the shoe in his honor.  &#8220;The proceeds that would normally go to Watt for his work on the shoe will instead go to the Honor Flight Network, along with an additional $25,000 kicker from Reebok.&#8221;</p>
<p>Watt announced the partnership with Honor Flight in a video posted to social media.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">JJ III Valor Edition</p>
<p>Inspired by Grandpa Watt</p>
<p>All of my proceeds go to the Honor Flight which takes war veterans on a trip to D.C. to visit the monuments and brings them back home to a proper Welcome Home. </p>
<p>Available tonight at midnight.<a href="https://t.co/FfXs88iNQQ">https://t.co/FfXs88iNQQ</a></p>
<p>Thank you 🙏🏼🙏🏼 <a href="https://t.co/YAAjinRTod">pic.twitter.com/YAAjinRTod</a></p>
<p>&mdash; JJ Watt (@JJWatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1193715040831991808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The Valor 2 shoe retails for around $100 and &#8220;features the Korean War stripe on the back along with [Watt&#8217;s grandfather&#8217;s] name tape and unit, right up to the division level.&#8221;</p>
<p>This is the second partnership Watt has inked with a veteran&#8217;s organization. Sales of the &#8220;Valor&#8221; shoe &#8212; the 2018 edition from Watt&#8217;s line &#8212; benefitted the Navy SEAL Foundation.</p>
<p>Charity seems to be a mission for Watt, who isn&#8217;t playing football at the moment, thanks to a season-ending injury he sustained during the Houston Texans-Oakland Raiders game back in late October. Watt is believed to have a torn pectoral muscle, and announced an abrupt end to his 2018-2019 run on Twitter.</p>
<p>&#8220;This game can be beautiful and it can also be brutal,&#8221; Watt said. &#8220;Absolutely gutted that I won’t be able to finish the season with my guys and give the fans what they deserve. I truly love this game and can’t stand letting you guys down. Thank you for all of the thoughts &amp; well-wishes.&#8221;</p>
<p>Instead, Watt has been busy connecting with fans, even publishing his personal phone number on Twitter and encouraging fans to contact him through text message,<a href="https://www.chron.com/sports/texans/article/J-J-Watt-gives-Twitter-his-phone-number-asks-14847827.php"> according to the Houston Chronicle</a>.</p>
<p>In 2017, Watt raised more than $40 million to help residents of Houston rebuild following Hurricane Harvey. Conscious that he was using other people&#8217;s money alongside his own, Watt gave an update on the Hurricane Harvey fund back in August, telling <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/08/29/texans-jj-watt-hurricane-harvey-funds-homes-built-meals-houston">Sports Illustrated</a> that the money &#8220;helped rebuild more than 1,183 homes in the Houston area. More than 971 childcare centers and after school programs have also been rebuilt and recovered with the money, which have helped more than 108,000 kids, and over 239 million meals have been distributed to victims of the hurricane.&#8221;</p>
<p>Watt won the NFL&#8217;s coveted Walter Payton &#8220;Man of the Year&#8221; award for his generosity but lost out on the Muhammad Ali &#8220;Sports Humanitarian&#8221; award. That trophy was presented to anti-racism demonstrator, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.</p>


JJ Watt

Hero: NFL Star JJ Watt Will Use Profits From His Reebok Shoe Line To Fund Honor Flight

<p><em><strong>The following is satirical.</strong></em></p>
<p>It was a wonderful Veterans Day at colleges around the country. Students gathered around the Veterans Tree singing old Veterans Carols like “I Hope I Don’t Get Killed Defending the Rights of People Who Don’t Even Appreciate those Rights, Fa la la la la.”</p>
<p>College students were taught special Veterans Day lessons. For instance, some young people were startled to learn there were other ways to be a hero than screaming at someone on Twitter — although some of those other ways sounded kind of dangerous, so maybe it’s best to keep your heroism confined to Social Media for now.</p>
<p>After all, what’s the point of getting wounded over things like the First Amendment when free speech just lets you say upsetting stuff? And why on earth would you risk getting killed over freedom of religion when God is so mean to gay people? And, of course, getting shot over the right to bear arms is crazy since, once guns are banned, no one will have to get shot at all.</p>
<p>College students were also surprised to learn about such Veterans Day subjects as World War II, where race-obsessed, anti-Jewish, big government supporters who called themselves National Socialists somehow turned out to be the bad guys. How weird is that? Today, anyone who isn’t a race-obsessed anti-Jewish big government national socialist is worse than Hitler.</p>
<p>But then World War II was in the old days when Hitler wasn’t Donald Trump but instead was Hitler, and you couldn’t even call him Hitler on TV because he would kill you because he was Hitler instead of Donald Trump, which is just plain confusing.</p>
<p>Although sometimes, it’s true, soldiers do bad things like shooting &#8220;austere religious scholars,&#8221; mostly college students enjoyed Veterans Day because they got a holiday from gender studies class and could stay in their dorm rooms watching porn instead and wishing they could ask someone on a date without getting expelled. And isn’t that the American life our veterans fought so hard to preserve?</p>
<p><strong>Related: </strong><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/58280"><strong>Washington Post Changes Headline About Terrorist Leader’s Death, Calling Him An ‘Austere Religious Scholar’</strong></a></p>


U.S. Flag F-35 Fighter

College Students Learn How Veterans Fought For Dumb Stuff Like Rights [Satire]

Education

Satire

<p>Brit Hume doesn&#8217;t mince words.</p>
<p>The former anchor of the Fox News nightly show &#8220;Special Report&#8221; weighs in daily on the goings on in Washington, consistently hitting the nail on the head. He did so again on Monday when he ripped the University of Virginia for canceling its 21-gun salute tradition held each Veterans Day.</p>
<p>“As an alumnus, I am embarrassed. What pantywaists,” Hume wrote on Twitter.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">As an alumnus, I am embarrassed. What pantywaists. <a href="https://t.co/9vMYRUzlUS">https://t.co/9vMYRUzlUS</a></p>
<p>— Brit Hume (@brithume) November 11, 2019</p></blockquote>
<p>For the last decade, UVA — designed by Thomas Jefferson — has held a 24-hour ceremony by ROTC cadets, which concluded with a 21-gun salute. The salute is the highest gun salute the U.S. military can perform, usually for heads of state or on special occasions. The number decreases in other salutes, depending on the rank of the recipient.</p>
<p>The decision was made by the Provost&#8217;s office and the colonel of UVA&#8217;s ROTC program for several reasons.</p>
<p>&#8220;One is that it would be disruptive to classes and two unfortunately with gun violence in the U.S., there was some concern that we would cause a panic if someone heard gunshots on grounds,&#8221; said UVA President Jim Ryan.</p>
<p>Ryan said the salute &#8220;is not a required, or even typical, part of Veteran’s Day ceremonies — as opposed to Memorial Day ceremonies, which are specifically dedicated to those who have lost their lives in service to our country.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Given that the plans are already in place for this year, we will follow the event organizers’ recommendation to proceed without the 21-gun salute in our Veterans Day Ceremony. Following this year’s ceremony, however, we will work with our ROTC officers and cadets to take a closer look at options for our Veterans Day events, including those that would enable us to re-introduce the 21-gun salute to the program,&#8221; Ryan said.</p>
<p>Other alumni were also unhappy with the school&#8217;s decision.</p>
<p>&#8220;As a mom of a current 4th year, I’m embarrassed by their decision. So they are telling us that very smart college kids would be upset by an announced, pre-planned 21 gun salute? On Veterans day. Ridiculous,&#8221; one Twitter user wrote.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">As a mom of a current 4th year, I’m embarasssd by their decision. So they are telling us that very smart college kids would be upset by an announced, pre-planned 21 gun salute? On Veterans day. Ridiculous.</p>
<p>— Rebecca (@Rebecca47630789) November 11, 2019</p></blockquote>
<p>Wrote another: &#8220;How &#8216;we&#8217; reached the decision? The buck stops with you. Score one for the snowflakes.&#8221;</p>
<p>Another wrote: &#8220;As a @UVA #UVA student veteran, thank you for marginalizing my community. That is a direct, unmitigated slap in the face to those of us who have served, and especially to those of us who have served and lost. I am deeply sorry that you decided to make this incorrect decision.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">How “we” reached the decision? The buck stops with you. Score one for the snowflakes.</p>
<p>— Dwight Carlisle (@DwightCarlisle1) November 10, 2019</p></blockquote>
<p>&#8220;I am very disillusioned, very upset, and very surprised that they would make such a decision,&#8221; Jay Levine, who went through the ROTC program, told local station <a href="https://www.nbc29.com/story/41290220/uva-faces-backlash-for-removal-of-21gun-salute-from-veterans-day-ceremony">NBC-29</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Freedom isn&#8217;t free,&#8221; Levine said. &#8220;There&#8217;s a cost and that cost is born by the veterans and the families of those veterans.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.dailyprogress.com/opinion/opinion-editorial-uva-should-accommodate--gun-salute/article_5773c34f-028b-5d89-82c6-46c4a3277061.html">The Daily Progress</a>, a newspaper in Charlottesville where UVA is located, printed several letters blasting the school&#8217;s decision.</p>
<p>The decision, one letter-writer wrote, sent &#8220;an unfortunate message about students: That they are too fragile, too delicate, too distractible to deal with the ‘interruption’ of the salute. That they are too insular, too wrapped up in their own worlds to comprehend and accept this longstanding practice. That they must be protected from the reality that exists outside academia.&#8221;</p>
<div class="subscriber-only">
<blockquote><p>The reality is that this nation has a long and respected tradition of honoring veterans in public displays, including the 21-gun salute, the highest of honors.</p></blockquote>
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<div class="subscriber-only">
<blockquote><p>The reality is that UVa is out of step with many in this community, which it aspires to lead, by its decision to downplay the Veterans Day program.</p></blockquote>
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University of Virginia Rotunda

‘PANTYWAISTS’: Brit Hume Blasts Alma Mater UVA For Ending Veterans Day 21-Gun Salute

Brit Hume

University of Virginia

<p>In honor of Veterans Day, Chris Pratt, beloved by middle America as one of the few big names in Hollywood willing to defend traditional values and openly discuss his faith, posted a statement on Instagram on Monday expressing his admiration for his veteran older brother, Cully, and urging his followers to &#8220;look at our veterans for who they are, actual people, with siblings and parents, with children and funny pasts&#8221; and, in doing so, &#8220;approach our relationships to them with compassion and understanding.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;This is my older brother Cully. #happyveteransday,&#8221; Pratt declared on Instagram Monday in a post that includes a picture of his brother in uniform.</p>
<p>&#8220;I always wanted to be exactly like him. We were the same size despite our three year difference in age so as a kid I would wear the same clothes he wore, literally the day after he wore them — picking them up off the floor in his room. What can I say? He knew how to match and I liked the smell,&#8221; continues Pratt, famous for his self-deprecating humor. &#8220;One day his friends started to notice and he kindly urged me to wear my own clothes.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He is a good big brother,&#8221; writes the &#8220;Jurassic Word&#8221; and &#8220;Guardians of the Galaxy&#8221; star. &#8220;He’s always led with love. Growing up we wrestled for hours every day and smashed every bit of furniture in the house but never actually fought. He taught me everything. He put up with me and my incessant hyperactivity and forced his friends to do the same.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I say all this to point out that he’s a real person,&#8221; Pratt explains. &#8220;And the more we can look at our veterans for who they are, actual people, with siblings and parents, with children and funny pasts- the more we can approach our relationships to them with compassion and understanding.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;My brother didn’t join the Army because he wanted to be Rambo,&#8221; he continues. &#8220;He joined because it was an opportunity for a hard-nosed kid who couldn’t afford college, somebody who wanted to get the hell out of his small town and probably wanted his own clothes.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We have the greatest armed forces the world has ever seen,&#8221; Pratt stresses. &#8220;It’s made up of real people who joined for myriad reasons. Brave men and women who sacrifice a whole hell of a lot. Today is their day. So celebrate a veteran today.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Today I celebrate Cully, as well as my cousin Curtis, Uncle Steve, Uncle Skip, second Cousins, Joey, Ryan and Alex, besties Jared and Jeffrey, all those I’ve fished for hunted with, those who’ve blessed me with their challenge coins as I’ve encountered them on press junkets and in my travels, the many in the film industry working both in front of and behind the cameras,&#8221; Pratt concludes. &#8220;To those currently serving and those out thanks for your service. We appreciate you!&#8221;</p>
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<p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4ueswlJoLc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">This is my older brother Cully. #happyveteransday I always wanted to be exactly like him. We were the same size despite our three year difference in age so as a kid I would wear the same clothes he wore, literally the day after he wore them- picking them up off the floor in his room. 🤷🏼‍♂️ What can I say? He knew how to match and I liked the smell. One day his friends started to notice and he kindly urged me to wear my own clothes. He is a good big brother. He’s always led with love. Growing up we wrestled for hours every day and smashed every bit of furniture in the house but never actually fought. He taught me everything. He put up with me and my incessant hyperactivity and forced his friends to do the same. I say all this to point out that he’s a real person. And the more we can look at our veterans for who they are, actual people, with siblings and parents, with children and funny pasts- the more we can approach our relationships to them with compassion and understanding. My brother didn’t join the army because he wanted to be Rambo. He joined because it was an opportunity for a hard nosed kid who couldn’t afford college, somebody who wanted to get the hell out of his small town and probably wanted his own clothes. We have the greatest armed forces the world has ever seen. It’s made up of real people who joined for myriad reasons. Brave men and women who sacrifice a whole hell of a lot. Today is their day. So celebrate a veteran today. Today I celebrate Cully, as well as my cousin Curtis, Uncle Steve, Uncle Skip, second Cousins, Joey, Ryan and Alex, besties Jared and Jeffrey, all those I’ve fished for hunted with, those who’ve blessed me with their challenge coins as I’ve encountered them on press junkets and in my travels, the many in the film industry working both in front of and behind the cameras. To those currently serving and those out thanks for your service. We appreciate you! 🙏♥️🇺🇸</a></p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" href="https://www.instagram.com/prattprattpratt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> chris pratt</a> (@prattprattpratt) on <time style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" datetime="2019-11-11T13:07:38+00:00">Nov 11, 2019 at 5:07am PST</time></p>
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<p><script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p>
<p>Pratt also linked to his Instagram post on Twitter:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is my older brother Cully. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/happyveteransday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#happyveteransday</a> I always wanted to be exactly like him. We were the same size despite our three year difference in age so as a kid I would wear the same clothes he wore, literally… <a href="https://t.co/5WSJnRkZEA">https://t.co/5WSJnRkZEA</a></p>
<p>— chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) <a href="https://twitter.com/prattprattpratt/status/1193877964024360960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Response online to Pratt&#8217;s tribute to his brother has been overwhelmingly positive, many thanking him for taking a moment to honor the service and sacrifice of our veterans.</p>
<p>&#8220;Let’s hope people listen to what you just said sir,&#8221; wrote one fan. &#8220;We all need to respect, love and be eternally grateful for every single man or woman who has ever served our countries. No matter what political party you belong to. We all owe respect, and gratitude for these selfless people.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Beautifully stated about being real people,&#8221; wrote another. &#8220;My spouse is a police sergeant, and it saddens me how people forget they are humans with lives. Blessings to all the veterans.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Love it Chris!&#8221; exclaimed another. &#8220;Amazing tribute!&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tv-guide-warns-readers-about-chris-pratts-james-barrett">TV Guide Warns Readers About Chris Pratt’s ‘Problematic’ Offscreen Life</a></strong></p>


Chris Pratt Posts Terrific Tribute To His Veteran Brother

Hollywood

Military

<p>On Monday, the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson, will celebrate Veterans Day, but unlike the last ten years, will not hold the 21-gun salute portion of its ceremony.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.whsv.com/content/news/UVA-faces-backlash-for-removal-of-21-gun-salute-from-Veterans-Day-ceremony-564675281.html">WHSV</a> reported that the ceremony “marks the conclusion of a 24-hour vigil by ROTC cadets and has included the 21-gun salute for more than a decade,” adding, “The Provost&#8217;s office, in conjunction with the colonel of UVA&#8217;s ROTC program, made the decision.</p>
<p>As Jennifer Kabbany notes at <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/citing-gun-violence-uva-cancels-21-gun-salute-portion-of-veterans-day-ceremony/">The College Fix</a>, on Saturday, university President James Ryan issued a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/presjimryan/posts/3044536965576032?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDPpwNGDfket1yRbXGGGGoePkVXmqHWSGEgH_b1BMX2e5xy2xvXG3OXLEZ-YJR883591Tfmvv6t-wr9g1SWRswjevZqB1w611Q1srgptlD6XLvKmRz3x2Zvt4Ej9xPG-Ilh0GSqQMGWDHCgsWYRH5KS8Vlmg2Vn_2M44_UKBnYSp">statement on Facebook</a> explaining the decision. Ryan wrote in part:</p>
<blockquote><p>As the son of a father who served in the Navy during the Korean War, I share views of the importance of honoring the men and women who have served in our armed forces. I fully support and am honored that UVA hosts a 24-hour vigil and Veterans Day ceremony put on by our ROTC programs each year.</p>
<p>Related to this year’s ceremony, the Provost’s Office and Col. Michael Hough, commanding officer of UVA’s Air Force ROTC detachment, worked closely together in making the decision to eliminate the 21-gun salute for two reasons: first, to minimize disruptions to classes, given that this event is located at the juncture of four primary academic buildings and is held at a time that classes are in session; and second, recognizing concerns related to firing weapons on the Grounds in light of gun violence that has happened across our nation, especially on school and university campuses.</p></blockquote>
<p>Ryan noted that the salute “is not a required, or even typical, part of Veteran’s Day ceremonies — as opposed to Memorial Day ceremonies, which are specifically dedicated to those who have lost their lives in service to our country.” He concluded, “Given that the plans are already in place for this year, we will follow the event organizers’ recommendation to proceed without the 21-gun salute in our Veterans Day Ceremony. Following this year’s ceremony, however, we will work with our ROTC officers and cadets to take a closer look at options for our Veterans Day events, including those that would enable us to re-introduce the 21-gun salute to the program.”</p>
<p>Kabbany pointed out that several letters were printed in <em>The Daily Progress </em>that criticized the university leaving out the 21-gun salute, including one pointing out that in the university’s rotunda, plaques exist honoring hundreds of alumni who were veterans and killed in wars America fought.</p>
<p>Another, longer missive stated that canceling the salute sent “an unfortunate message about students: That they are too fragile, too delicate, too distractible to deal with the ‘interruption’ of the salute. That they are too insular, too wrapped up in their own worlds to comprehend and accept this longstanding practice. That they must be protected from the reality that exists outside academia.”</p>
<p>A third critic echoed, “How ‘we’ reached the decision? The buck stops with you. Score one for the snowflakes.”</p>
<p>In 2017, plaques honoring University of Virginia students who fought for the Confederacy were  <a href="https://wina.com/news/064460-plaques-that-honor-confederate-veterans-removed-from-rotunda/">removed</a> from the Rotunda.  AS <a href="https://uvamagazine.org/articles/turning_point">UVA Magazine</a> noted, a resolution from the Board of Visitors to take down the plaques asserted that none of the more than 50 students or alumni who veterans of the Union Army or Navy had been recognized on the grounds for their service. The resolution pointed out that plaques on the façade of the Rotunda honored students or alumni who died in wars from World War I through the Iraq War.</p>


UVA Cancels 21-Gun Salute Honoring Vets On Veterans Day

<p>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.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 … ”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Oak Bluffs Harbor

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

Guns

Massachusetts

<p>President Donald Trump revealed on Wednesday that the hardest part of his job is having to write letters to the parents of soldiers that have been killed and having to see the pain and suffering from the parents as they see their child returned to the United States in a coffin draped in a U.S. flag.</p>
<p>Trump&#8217;s remarks inside the White House come as the U.S. decided to pull its forces back from an area in Syria, which has allowed Turkish forces to invade the area where they are reportedly attacking the Kurds.</p>
<p>&#8220;The hardest thing I have to do, by far, much harder than the witch hunt, is signing letters to parents of soldiers that have been killed,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;And it&#8217;s not only that &#8212; in areas where there&#8217;s not a lot of upside, if there&#8217;s any upside at all, and in many cases, it&#8217;s only downside.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The hardest thing I have to do is signing those letters. That’s the hardest thing I have to do. And each letter is different,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;We make each letter different. And last week, I signed five of them for Afghanistan; one in Iraq; one in Syria, from two weeks ago. And sometimes I call the parents. Sometimes I see the parents. I go to Dover, when I can, but it&#8217;s &#8212; it&#8217;s so devastating for the parents that &#8212; you know. It&#8217;s so devastating when they bring that boy or young woman out of the back of those big, powerful planes in a coffin, and the parents are there.&#8221;</p>
<p>Trump has been widely criticized by both Republicans and Democrats for his decision to pull forces out of the area, with many stating that the U.S. was &#8220;abandoning&#8221; its Kurdish allies.</p>
<p>WATCH:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The hardest thing I have to do as President&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/6bzwh78I00">pic.twitter.com/6bzwh78I00</a></p>
<p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1182075837962690560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><em><strong>Partial transcript of Trump&#8217;s remarks:</strong></em></p>
<p>But it was time to bring our soldiers back home. So I see &#8212; and I will tell you: The hardest thing I have to do, by far, much harder than the witch hunt, is signing letters to parents of soldiers that have been killed. And it&#8217;s not only that &#8212; in areas where there&#8217;s not a lot of upside, if there&#8217;s any upside at all, and in many cases, it&#8217;s only downside.</p>
<p>And especially when that solider was killed in a Blue-on-Green attack. You know what that is, right? That’s where a solider being trained or whatever turns his gun on an American solider. &#8220;Here, son. Take your gun. You know how to use it.&#8221; And he takes the gun and he turns it. And he shoots one &#8212; we have many of them in Afghanistan &#8212; in particular, in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>The hardest thing I have to do is signing those letters. That’s the hardest thing I have to do. And each letter is different. We make each letter different. And last week, I signed five of them for Afghanistan; one in Iraq; one in Syria, from two weeks ago. And sometimes I call the parents. Sometimes I see the parents. I go to Dover, when I can, but it&#8217;s &#8212; it&#8217;s so devastating for the parents that &#8212; you know. It&#8217;s so devastating when they bring that boy or young woman out of the back of those big, powerful planes in a coffin, and the parents are there.</p>
<p>You know, we have people that do that. That’s what they do. They &#8212; they work that. They accommodate everybody. That’s what they do. They an incredible job. And they said &#8212; I said, &#8220;The parents seemed to be okay.&#8221; I&#8217;ll get there early. &#8220;The parents seemed to be okay.&#8221; &#8220;Well, actually, sir, they aren’t.&#8221; &#8220;No, no. The way they’re talking. They&#8217;re really okay, aren’t they?&#8221; &#8220;Sir, you never know until the back of that massive cargo plane opens up.&#8221; And they walk down holding a coffin with four or five great soldiers on each side of it, representing our various forces. That you never know.</p>
<p>And then I see it. And I see people that were smiling, &#8220;Oh, Mr. President, thank you for being here. Thank you for being here.&#8221; And I think they&#8217;re doing great. And then, twenty minutes later, we&#8217;ll be outside when that big plane pulls up and that door comes down, and they are walking the coffin with their boy inside this coffin with an American flag over the top. And they&#8217;re walking that coffin down this ramp. And I&#8217;ve seen people that I thought were really incredible the way they were ta- &#8212; I didn’t even understand how they could take it so well &#8212; scream, like I&#8217;ve never seen anything before. Sometimes they&#8217;ll run to the coffin. They&#8217;ll break through military barriers. They&#8217;ll run to the coffin and jump on top of the coffin. Crying mothers and wives. Crying desperately.</p>
<p>And this is on these endless wars that just never stop. And there&#8217;s a time and there&#8217;s a place, but it&#8217;s time to stop.</p>
<p>And just to finish, last Friday, I went to Walter Reed. And I gave out five Purple Hearts to incredible young men &#8212; in this case, all men. And they took a beating. Beautiful people. They took a beating. One couldn’t be there because the beating was so great that he was at a totally different part of the world. He lost a leg. He lost an arm. Ryan. He had tremendous damage, beyond even what these young folks went through.</p>
<p>But I&#8217;ll tell you what: For me, it&#8217;s very hard when I see that. It&#8217;s very hard. It&#8217;s easy to talk tough. You know, tough guys. All of these tough guys. &#8220;Let&#8217;s keep fighting. Let&#8217;s keep fighting.&#8221; If they had to go to Walter Reed &#8212; where they do unbelievable work. I have to tell you, these doctors are unbelievable. You know, it&#8217;s easy to say, &#8220;Oh, they&#8217;re not the…&#8221; They&#8217;re the best in the world. I&#8217;ve never seen anything like it.</p>
<p>One young man, last week, had his nose rebuilt. And they said it was in a thousand pieces. And, I said, &#8220;So where were you hurt?&#8221; He said, &#8220;My face, sir, was almost obliterated.&#8221; I said, &#8220;You have a better face than I do.&#8221; (Laughter.) And he said, &#8220;Sir, I had a doctor who was unbelievable, and they put it together.&#8221; They said &#8212; he said “a thousand fragments.” Now, I don’t if that’s even possible. But a thousand fragments. And they put it together.</p>
<p>And his father, who was crying, came up to me and said, &#8220;You&#8217;re not going to believe this, but my son didn’t have a great-looking nose and now his nose is better.&#8221; (Laughter.) Okay? It&#8217;s an amazing thing.</p>
<p>But when you see these &#8212; and the Purple Hearts &#8212; you see this kind of thing &#8212; and I see a lot of it at Walter Reed. And, again, the job those doctors and the people do at Walter Reed, it&#8217;s something to be commended.</p>
<p>Thank you all very much. Thank you.</p>


President Donald J. Trump

WATCH: Trump Reveals What The Hardest Part Of His Job Is During Emotional Speech

Syria

<p>On Thursday, combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) was confronted by two veterans from progressive anti-Trump activist group Common Defense.</p>
<p>Taping the interaction, the two men, identified by <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/gop-rep-dan-crenshaw-tries-hide-elevator-while-confronted-combat-veterans-over-his-support-1460313">Newsweek</a> as U.S. Army veterans Jason Hurd and Purple Heart recipient Alan Pitts, questioned Crenshaw’s &#8220;courage&#8221; for supporting President Donald Trump. The men told the Republican that there have been numerous &#8220;impeachable&#8221; offenses and &#8220;crimes&#8221; committed by the president that Crenshaw is ignoring.</p>
<p>&#8220;How can you let a criminal like Donald Trump run roughshod over our democracy and shred everything that you and I fought for?&#8221; one of the Common Defense activists asked the congressman. &#8220;Like c’mon, man. How can you just sit there idly by and not do your duty? We need your leadership right now. You cannot be complicit in this man&#8217;s crimes. It is immoral.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I know you&#8217;re here to make a video,&#8221; Rep. Crenshaw told him, before being interrupted.</p>
<p>&#8220;You are not stepping up to the plate,&#8221; the man tells Crenshaw, adding, &#8220;How are you gonna let [Trump] just cozy up to dictators?&#8221; Raising his voice, the man shouts at Crenshaw, &#8220;How are you gonna just let him lock kids in cages? Like, c&#8217;mon, dude!&#8221;</p>
<p>Crenshaw looks at the man and tells him he needs to &#8220;calm down.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Are you kidding me?&#8221; the activist shouts back.</p>
<p>Crenshaw sternly and calmly replies, &#8220;No.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You need to get your courage back!&#8221; he tells Crenshaw.</p>
<p>&#8220;Courage? You want to talk to me about courage?&#8221; the congressman responds.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes, we are talking to you about courage,&#8221; the men tell Crenshaw, noting that they are fellow combat veterans.</p>
<p>Crenshaw admonishes the men for &#8220;yelling and screaming&#8221; instead of discussing the issues before heading for a private elevator at the Cannon House Office Building.</p>
<p>&#8220;Read the Mueller report!&#8221; the activist tells Crenshaw, entering the elevator. &#8220;There are ten impeachable obstruction offenses,&#8221; he claims.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a member-only elevator,&#8221; Crenshaw tells him. &#8220;You got to make your video. You didn&#8217;t come here to have a conversation. … As veterans, we should be smarter about how we talk about things.&#8221;</p>
<p>The doors momentarily close with one of the veterans joining Crenshaw. &#8220;Now that we don&#8217;t have video anymore —,” the rep can be heard saying before the doors are fully opened up by the man with the video camera. &#8220;I thought we were gonna have a real conservation for a second.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re gonna let a criminal get away with our democracy,&#8221; the Common Defense activist shouts. &#8220;He is a criminal.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You are repeating things; it&#8217;s not a conversation,&#8221; Crenshaw responds.</p>
<p>The Republican then gets out of the elevator and walks away from the men, being told he&#8217;s not doing his &#8220;duty.&#8221; The last moment on video is Mr. Crenshaw telling the men to &#8220;keep walking.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to Common Defense&#8217;s website, one of the group&#8217;s active campaigns centers around <a href="https://commondefense.us/campaigns/">impeaching President Trump</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;When the Commander in Chief himself has put our democracy at risk and committed numerous crimes, we cannot afford to take half-measures. As veterans, the oath we swore to uphold the Constitution leads us to one conclusion: Donald Trump must be impeached,&#8221; the site reads. As noted by Newsweek, the organization was &#8220;founded in 2016 by &#8216;veterans who oppose Trump&#8217;s corrupt agenda of hate.'&#8221;</p>
<p>Crenshaw lost his eye during his third deployment from an improvised explosive device (IED) blast.</p>
<p>&#8220;Dan was hit by an IED blast during a mission in Helmand province, Afghanistan,&#8221; the Republican&#8217;s <a href="https://crenshawforcongress.com/about/">campaign website</a> explains. &#8220;He was evacuated and awoke from his medically induced coma learning that his right eye had been destroyed in the blast and his left eye was still present, but badly damaged. Dan was completely blind and the doctors did not believe he would ever see again. Tara stood by him every day and night, keeping faith and praying he would see again. After several difficult surgeries, he eventually regained sight in his left eye, a miracle according to the head surgeon.&#8221;</p>
<p>The freshman congressman served two more deployments following the serious injury and has received recognitions including two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.</p>
<p>WATCH:</p>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>GOP Rep <a href="https://twitter.com/DanCrenshawTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanCrenshawTX</a> hid in an elevator today when combat vets confronted him about his support for Donald Trump.</p>
<p>We’re standing up for our democracy and holding Trump&#8217;s cronies accountable. Join us: <a href="https://t.co/1pTmoYMH1d">https://t.co/1pTmoYMH1d</a> <a href="https://t.co/5VKiPN8mpa">pic.twitter.com/5VKiPN8mpa</a></p>
<p>— Common Defense (@commondefense) <a href="https://twitter.com/commondefense/status/1174836424631300098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
</div>


Dan Crenshaw

WATCH: Combat Vet Dan Crenshaw Accused Of Lacking ‘Courage’ By Anti-Trump Veterans, Smacks Them

<p>Gary Sinise, the actor famous for portraying Lieutenant Dan in the movie &#8220;Forrest Gump,&#8221; is celebrating 25 years advocating for the non-profit organization Disabled American Veterans (DAV) this week.</p>
<p>Sinise began advocating on behalf of veterans after receiving an award from DAV commending him for his performance as Lieutenant Dan, a wheelchair bound veteran who struggles with alcoholism and mental illness after coming home from Vietnam, according to a press release by the <a href="https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/blog/2019-08-21-gary-sinise-and-disabled-american-veterans-dav-celebrate-25-years-of/">Gary Sinise Foundation</a>.</p>
<p>“Your superb performance brought awareness of the lifelong sacrifice of disabled veterans back into public consciousness in a remarkable positive way,” read the award.</p>
<p>The press release also notes that since receiving the award, Sinise has supported the DAV in a variety of capacities, including as the spokesperson when the organization was advocating to construct the Americans Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in the nation’s capital. “The memorial honors veterans of the armed forces of the United States who were permanently disabled during the course of their national service,” the release continues.</p>
<p>Dennis Joyner, a former national commander for DAV, speaks highly of Sinise, saying, “I don’t know of any other actor or actress that played a role and then adopted it as part of their personal life,” says Joyner in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=44&amp;v=mnFOskzcjio">video</a> released by the Gary Sinise Foundation. “Twenty-five years later, and he’s still at it.”</p>
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mnFOskzcjio" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
<p>In 2003, as part of his calling to help veterans, Sinise started a rock cover band called the “Lt. Dan Band.” Through performances on military bases around the globe, Sinise hopes to let veterans and active-duty military members know that “there are people out there who are aware of, and who understand the importance of keeping our military families strong in difficult times,” according to an open-letter on the band’s website.</p>
<p>At a performance featured in a Gary Sinise Foundation promotion video, Sinise says, “It was an honor to play Lt. Dan, I guess it was in some ways — you know when Lt. Dan talks about his destiny, I kinda feel like there was something at play there, that I would get to play that part.”</p>
<p>Serving veterans at more than 100 offices across the country, DAV has helped over 11 million veterans with filing claims benefits, according to DAV’s 2017 <a href="https://www.dav.org/wp-content/uploads/2017_Annual_Report.pdf">annual report</a>. More recently, DAV has started sending mobile service offices (MSO) to help veterans who are attending college understand how to file benefits claims, and has hosted virtual career fairs to help veterans pursue new careers.</p>


CBS&#8217; 7th Annual Mid-Season Bash

Actor Gary Sinise Celebrates 25 Years Of Veterans Advocacy

Mental Illness

<p><em>UPDATE: Co-founder of Brain Treatment Foundation Kara Williams told The Daily Wire via email that the shirt Pratt was photographed wearing does not belong to the organization, but to veteran-owned clothing company <a href="http://forged.com/?fbclid=IwAR2Dla-nyQEgWQa56jB5zuaEt8_M6IDj9Mt4rlxkOvpYrbl5KkFGR2XwYtI">Forged</a>. &#8220;The shirt he has on in that picture is NOT our shirt. It is a Forged shirt. We were simply showing one of our shirts that uses the same inspiration from the Gadsden flag to represent our veteran program and demonstrate support for general patriotism that the flag represents,&#8221; she said. </em></p>
<p><em>Brain Treatment Foundation addressed any confusion and their dedication to veterans in a lengthy Facebook post on Friday morning:</em></p>
<blockquote><p><em>We would like to address any confusion regarding the T-shirt Chris is wearing in the photo we posted regarding the Gadsden Flag. We are happy that this brought attention to brain injuries, a serious health issue that plagues many of America’s veterans. However, we will delay the sale of any of our BTF T-shirts benefiting our mission in order to make sure the facts are well circulated and people have a clear understanding that the exact shirt Chris was wearing in the circulated photo can be purchased at Forged Clothing, as they were the official creator of the shirt.</em></p>
<p><em>Forged is a for-profit veteran owned clothing company, a company we have no affiliation with, past or presently. The back of their T-shirt says nothing about brain health and we regret that it was interpreted that way by media outlets or the public.</em></p>
<p><em>The T-shirt on the left, is a Brain Treatment Foundation T-shirt created several years ago representing our veteran program. For the past several years, we have used the Gadsden Flag as inspiration to create images for T-shirts that are worn by our veterans and supporters of our veteran program, the most recent T-shirt being artwork nodding the Gadsden Flag that was sold at our 2018 &amp; 2019 fundraising event, Boot Shoot.</em></p>
<p><em>Chris has supported BTF since 2015. The image we posted on July 16th with two images was not meant to sell T-shirts, or promote visibility through Chris, but to speak truth about what the flag represents and demonstrate solidarity in defending the true meaning of the flag and the patriotic intent. We wanted to let people know that we work with hundreds of veterans and they are all proud to wear that shirt, in an attempt to support Chris and demonstrate an example of what we believe the flag to represent, respect for the sacrifices of those who defend our country, not a race/ethnic issue. Our intention was to show support for one of the few celebrities that so openly support the sacrifices that the members of our military choose to make for our freedom, regardless of the political atmosphere.</em></p>
<p><em>We sincerely apologize to Forged for not recognizing them as the creator of the shirt Chris was wearing in the photo, which was used in the article that disparaged the motives of wearing that T-shirt. The exact T-shirt Chris was wearing in that photo can be purchased at Forged.com and we will truly regret that our lack of acknowledgement led media outlets to interpret the shirt as our own and not give the deserved credit and attention to Forged or divert T-shirt sales from their company.</em></p></blockquote>
<div class="embed"><iframe width="500" height="268" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>
<p>Original post below:</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/49563/chris-pratt-criticized-wearing-white-supremacist-t-amanda-prestigiacomo">reported</a> by The Daily Wire on Tuesday, Marvel star Chris Pratt was outrageously criticized by some on the Left as a &#8220;white supremacist&#8221; for wearing a pro-America t-shirt. The shirt Pratt was photographed in, as seen below, is basically a version of the Revolution-era Gadsden flag and has <em>no ties to race</em>, making the attacks absurd.</p>
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<p>— hunter harris (@hunteryharris) <a href="https://twitter.com/hunteryharris/status/1150866021147906055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>But it gets worse. The T-shirt is apparently from a pro-veteran nonprofit called the Brain Treatment Foundation, an organization Pratt has publicly supported in the past.</p>
<p>On Facebook, Brain Treatment Foundation posted a photo of Pratt in the T-shirt and said that they were “honored” by the support.</p>
<p>“We are honored to work with the silent warriors who sacrifice greatly so that others may live free, who defend our freedom, who live with honor and by the word of God. These warriors hunt evil to protect our peace, while those who disparage their sacrifices and our nation from behind a computer screen, pretend it doesn’t exist,” the organization said. “We are proud of the American flag and all symbols that represent the freedom brave men and women have shed blood for since the inception of our great country.”</p>
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<p>Nicole Fisher, who is on the board of the nonprofit, similarly posted to Twitter: “We are honored to work with the silent warriors who sacrifice greatly so that others may live. [Brain Treatment Foundation] is there for any #veteran suffering the consequences of war. And we’re honored Chris supports [Brain Treatment Foundation]. #SupportChrisPratt.”</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p>We are honored to work with the silent warriors who sacrifice greatly so that others may live.<a href="https://twitter.com/Brain_Treatment?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Brain_Treatment</a> Foundation is there for any <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/veteran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#veteran</a> suffering the consequences of war.</p>
<p>And we’re honored Chris supports <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BTF?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BTF</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SupportChrisPratt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SupportChrisPratt</a> <a href="https://t.co/Mksa5PmxmK">pic.twitter.com/Mksa5PmxmK</a></p>
<p>— Nicole Fisher (@nic_fisher) <a href="https://twitter.com/nic_fisher/status/1151497579714273281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>In another tweet, Fisher suggested her organization was receiving hate mail over the controversy.</p>
<p>“Woke up to &gt; 5,000 notes today informing me I’m a white supremacist,” she wrote. “How’s your day going so far?”</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p>Woke up to &gt; 5,000 notes today informing me I’m a white supremacist.</p>
<p>How’s your day going so far?</p>
<p>— Nicole Fisher (@nic_fisher) <a href="https://twitter.com/nic_fisher/status/1151481204568408065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>“It’s a shame that this situation occurred and a lot of misinformation was spread by people we don’t know, but it’s an opportunity for people to learn about veterans mental health and ways we can support those who fight for this country when they come home from war,” Fisher told The Daily Wire in a statement.</p>
<p>“We don’t advertise because we prefer to stay behind the scenes. But we have some of the T-shirt’s and hats that Chris has worn in Instagram pictures since 2016,” Fisher added, noting that the organization might sell the apparel “to raise money for veterans.”</p>
<p>According to Brain Treatment Foundation&#8217;s <a href="https://braintreatmentfoundation.com">website</a>, the organization “is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support for brain health initiatives relating to treatment, rehabilitation, research and public education. The organization seeks to transform the lives of individuals suffering from the effects of a Traumatic Brain Injury or Concussion, children with mild to severe cognitive or neurological disorders, the elderly population dealing with physical and cognitive function decline and members of the military diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress or a Traumatic Brain Injury.”</p>
<p>“The goal of Brain Treatment Foundation is to partner with treatment providers and other organizations to restore hope and provide support for people suffering from brain related health issues and their families,” the site adds. “Through treatment, rehabilitation, research, and public education, Brain Treatment Foundation seeks to become an active agent of change in the world of brain health.”</p>
<p>In January, Brain Treatment Foundation thanked Mr. Pratt via Instagram for his support.</p>
<p>“Thank you [Chris Pratt] for sporting your [Brain Treatment Foundation]. We love your new [Chevrolet] &amp; hope the move went well!! Thank you for all of your continued support. We so lucky to have you in the #[Brain Treatment Foundation] family!!!”</p>
<p>In the video, Pratt is wearing a hat from the nonprofit.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs_ODLKHDLG/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Thank you @prattprattpratt for sporting your @braintreatmentfoundation . We love your new @chevrolet &amp; hope the move went well!! Thank you for all of your continued support. We so lucky to have you in the #BTF family!!! #veteran #health #sports #brainhealth #chrispratt #family #chevytrucks #moving</a></p>
<p>A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/braintreatmentfoundation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Brain Treatment Foundation</a> (@braintreatmentfoundation) on Jan 23, 2019 at 10:55am PST</p>
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<p>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/49563/chris-pratt-criticized-wearing-white-supremacist-t-amanda-prestigiacomo">Chris Pratt Criticized For Wearing &#8216;White Supremacist&#8217; T-Shirt. It&#8217;s Not. Not Even Close.</a></p>


Chris Pratt Criticized For Pro-America T-Shirt. New Info Makes The Attack WAY Worse.

<p>A new poll shows that a strong majority of U.S. veterans approve of how President Trump is handling the military, and even more veterans want President Trump to send troops to the U.S-Mexico border.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/07/10/trump-draws-stronger-support-from-veterans-than-from-the-public-on-leadership-of-u-s-military/">Pew Research Center poll</a> found that 57% of veterans surveyed approve of Trump’s performance as Commander in Chief of the U.S. military, while 58% want Trump to send the troops to the southern border. A giant schism was revealed between veterans who are Republicans (59%) and those who were Democrats (39%). 92% of Republican veterans approved of Trump as Commander in Chief; a paltry 6% of Democrats felt the same way.</p>
<p>Additionally, 89% of Republican veterans approved of sending the troops; only 12% of Democratic veterans agreed. A majority of veterans (53%) also approved of Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. Again, there was a partisan divide; 82% of Republican veterans approved; only 11% of Democratic veterans agreed.</p>
<p>Pew noted, “Fully 78% of Republican veterans say Trump respects the country’s veterans a great deal, compared with just 4% of Democratic veterans who say this. Instead, a majority of Democratic veterans say the president doesn’t respect veterans much (43%) or at all (43%).”</p>
<p>Another salient difference: 95% of Republican veterans thought military spending should either be increased or stay the same; only 63% of Democrat veterans agreed.</p>
<p>In April, one day after acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said he “would expect us to do more” on the southern border, considering “how much the situation there has deteriorated,” President Trump said, &#8220;I’m going to have to call up more military … Our military, don’t forget, can’t act like a military would act. Because if they got a little rough, everybody would go crazy … They have all these horrible laws that the Democrats won&#8217;t change.” <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/04/10/trump-again-looks-to-boost-troop-deployments-at-us-southern-border/">Military Times</a> noted, “About 5,000 military personnel are currently deployed to the border mission. Of those, about 3,000 are active-duty troops and 2,100 are National Guard members. The number has fluctuated by several hundred individuals over the last six months.”</p>
<p>Later in April, the Pentagon acknowledged it was sending over 300 more troops to the southern border, as <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/pentagon-approves-more-troops-for-southern-border-11556580425">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported:</p>
<blockquote><p>The Pentagon has approved a request from the Department of Homeland Security for 320 additional U.S. troops at the southern border, and has approved expanded authorities that allow them to come into direct contact with migrants and asylum seekers, defense officials said. Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, who signed the order Monday to send lawyers, cooks and drivers, also agreed to provide the waivers on troops’ interactions with migrants and asylum seekers.</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="https://thehill.com/latino/452054-dhs-asks-for-1000-more-national-guard-troops-at-southern-border">The Hill</a> reported on Monday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had asked for 1,000 additional Texas National Guard troops &#8220;to provide supplemental holding and port of entry enforcement support&#8221; to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the state.</p>
<p>Maj. Chris Mitchell, a Pentagon spokesperson, said, &#8220;Supplemental holding support is requested for CBP holding facilities located at Donna and Tornillo, Texas. These holding facilities house single adult migrants who have illegally entered the United States, been processed by CBP, and are awaiting transfer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities. These holding facilities will be owned, operated, and managed by CBP.&#8221;</p>


Poll: Majority Of Veterans Want Trump To Send Troops To Southern Border

Mexico

Southern Border

<p>On Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr., infuriated, tweeted that Instagram deleted a photo posted by a Iraq War veteran and apparent Trump supporter that showed him together with Trump Jr. at an NRA event. Trump Jr. wrote, &#8220;If <a href="https://twitter.com/instagram">@instagram</a> can censor this great American hero for simply posting a picture with me, who won&#8217;t they censor? The bias has to stop. It&#8217;s gone too far.&#8221;</p>
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<p>If <a href="https://twitter.com/instagram?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@instagram</a> can censor this great American hero for simply posting a picture with me, who won&#8217;t they censor? The bias has to stop. It&#8217;s gone too far. <a href="https://t.co/sX6oAkO5I6">https://t.co/sX6oAkO5I6</a></p>
<p>&#8212; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1123200525489582086?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Trump Jr. posted the photo on his own Instagram account, and <a href="v">expounded more fully</a> on the situation:</p>
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<p>INSTAGRAM IS AT IT AGAIN WITH THEIR BIAS DELETING POSTS. Time time the deleted my friend <a href="https://www.instagram.com/crispy11b/">@crispy11b</a>&#8217;s post that was simply a post of him and I catching up at the NRA show. There was nothing harsh or political in there and as usual it magically somehow &#8220;violated <a href="https://www.instagram.com/Instagram/">@Instagram</a>standards&#8221;, presumably because I&#8217;m in it and that&#8217;s too much for the social media gods in California. Omar aka Crispy is a vet severely wounded in conflict who has undergone I believe over 100 surgeries to fix the damage done. He&#8217;s been a vocal supporter of other wounded vets and an inspiration to so many because despite everything he manages to live his life to the fullest. His adventures often documented right here are amazing and I&#8217;ve never once seen anything but an incredible attitude towards life despite the obvious difficulties. This man is amazing and he should not be censored, in fact we would be better off as a nation with many more with his attitude, demeanor, and patriotism. I suggest you give him a follow. The bullshit has to stop. If Instagram can censor a hero like this who the hell won&#8217;t they suppress??? <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/america/">#america</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/hero/">#hero</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/censorship/">#censorship</a></p>
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<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw4Q9X8FYaY/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">INSTAGRAM IS AT IT AGAIN WITH THEIR BIAS DELETING POSTS. Time time the deleted my friend @crispy11b&#8217;s post that was simply a post of him and I catching up at the NRA show. There was nothing harsh or political in there and as usual it magically somehow &#8220;violated @Instagram standards&#8221;, presumably because I&#8217;m in it and that&#8217;s too much for the social media gods in California. Omar aka Crispy is a vet severely wounded in conflict who has undergone I believe over 100 surgeries to fix the damage done. He&#8217;s been a vocal supporter of other wounded vets and an inspiration to so many because despite everything he manages to live his life to the fullest. His adventures often documented right here are amazing and I&#8217;ve never once seen anything but an incredible attitude towards life despite the obvious difficulties. This man is amazing and he should not be censored, in fact we would be better off as a nation with many more with his attitude, demeanor, and patriotism. I suggest you give him a follow. The bullshit has to stop. If Instagram can censor a hero like this who the hell won&#8217;t they suppress??? #america #hero #censorship</a></p>
<p>A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/donaldjtrumpjr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Donald Trump Jr.</a> (@donaldjtrumpjr) on Apr 30, 2019 at 5:08am PDT</p>
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<p>Beneath Trump Jr.&#8217;s post, Omar &#8220;Crispy&#8221; Avila, a retired Army sergeant, Purple Heart recipient, Combat Infantry Badge Recipient, and Paralympic record holder, added, &#8220;Can&#8217;t stop, won&#8217;t stop. # make instagram great again. Thank you.&#8221;</p>
<p>On Instagram, Avila <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw4Q9X8FYaY/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&amp;igshid=6u3qgqnqackd">posted,</a> &#8220;I honestly don&#8217;t know why this picture was taken down by Instagram &#8230; Not sure what guidelines it violates. But here we go again &#8230; thank you @donaldtrumpjr for always taking time out your busy schedule to say hello #maga#trump2020#trump.&#8221;</p>
<p>While serving in Iraq in 2007, Avila was in Iraq when his vehicle was struck with a 200 lb. IED resulting in burns over 75% of his body and his right leg had to be amputated below the knee. Avila later became the world record-holder for the bench and deadlift in the Paralympics category.</p>
<p>Avila <a href="https://podtail.com/podcast/kill-the-quit-podcast/no-031-omar-crispy-avila-purple-heart-recipient/">recalled</a> that while he was in Iraq he learned not to trust anyone, saying, &#8220;there was a time when we were there and these Iraqis were putting bombs and were sending them. For the most part, we did try to win the hearts and minds of people; we came in with food &#8230; giving the kids school supplies, everything that we could help out like we always try to do, but we started hearing around our sector that these kids were coming up to the American troops and acting like they were going to get something from us and then all of a sudden they were blowing up. What would happen is that the insurgents were putting bombs on these kids, make them walk out there and then they would detonate them from a house.&#8221;</p>
<p>Speaking of his work with children who have been burned, Avila said, &#8220;I found my calling, I need to share my message with everybody that&#8217;s been burned, and especially kids because my incident happened when I was 21 years old. I lived the American dream, I guess you could say, because I played sports, I had great things I wanted to do and accomplish; I was injured as an adult so I was okay with it and I was able to cope with it but these kids have to grow up that way and I hate to say it but we have some kids out there that are just mean, they&#8217;re bullies, and they&#8217;re going to take it out on them just because they&#8217;re different, so I kind of want to be there for them as a mentor, as somebody they can call when they really don&#8217;t want to open up to their parents.&#8221;</p></p>


Donald Trump Jr.: Instagram Deleted This Vet’s Photo Because I Was In It

Donald Trump Jr.

Instagram

<p>As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46285/ilhan-omar-blamed-american-military-alleged-crimes-josh-hammer">reported</a> last week, John Rossomando of the Investigative Project on Terrorism recently <a href="https://www.investigativeproject.org/7894/ilhan-omar-slammed-us-soldiers-involved-in-black#.XL3YCMYIWgI.twitter">exhumed</a> a rather disturbing 2017 tweet from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/44224/hammer-yes-we-have-keep-calling-out-ilhan-omars-josh-hammer">serial anti-Semitic</a> conspiracy peddler Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN):</p>
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<p>In 2017, around the time she was meeting at the United Nations with infamous Islamist strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, then-obscure Minnesota state representative Omar tweeted, in reference to the infamous 1993 U.S. military operation against a Somali warlord&#8217;s militia, and during which 19 U.S. military heroes paid the ultimate price: &#8220;In his selective memory, [Ron Harris] forgets to also mention the thousands of Somalis killed by the American forces that day! #NotTodaySatan.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Black Hawk Down,&#8221; or the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, was a famously brutal military operation involving U.S. Joint Special Operations. American soldiers displayed tremendous valor and heroism during the raid, which was eventually depicted in the eponymous Hollywood film.</p>
<p>But perhaps Rep. Omar might be conflicted, in assessing Black Hawk Down in retrospect. One is forced to wonder whether Omar considers the U.S. military to be comprised of war criminals, rather than upstanding heroes.</p>
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<p>Many conservatives panned Omar for her moral relativism and conflation of the ethics of the U.S. military &#8212; which was engaged in a limited humanitarian operation that perhaps saved tens, or even hundreds of thousands of Somali lives &#8212; with the ethics of the opposing Somali warlord&#8217;s militia. &#8220;She watches Black Hawk Down and roots for the other side,&#8221; tweeted Arthur Schwartz.</p>
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<p>She watches Black Hawk Down and roots for the other side. <a href="https://t.co/cFO5dwEHPM">https://t.co/cFO5dwEHPM</a></p>
<p>&#8212; Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArthurSchwartz/status/1120339412129406983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>In total, 19 U.S. military members paid the ultimate price during the Battle of Mogadishu.</p>
<p>Now, as Nate Madden <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/black-hawk-mission-veterans-hit-back-ilhan-omars-criticisms">reports</a> for Conservative Review, veterans of &#8220;Black Hawk Down&#8221; are hitting back on Omar&#8217;s brazen tweet:</p>
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<p>&#8220;In helping her tribe, we had to eliminate those who were bad,&#8221; former U.S. Delta Force operator Kyle Lamb told the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/black-hawk-down-veterans-blast-ilhan-omar-for-smearing-us-troops-who-died-to-help-her-people">Washington Examiner</a> in response to Omar&#8217;s criticisms. &#8220;She should be thankful we were there to help her people.&#8221; &#8230;</p>
<p>&#8220;I really am offended, truly offended, by her comment and her thought that thousands were killed by us,&#8221; retired Army Ranger Colonel Danny McKnight told the outlet. &#8220;Not true. Not true at all.&#8221; &#8230;</p>
<p>&#8220;We had six fights before we ever got to number seven, which is the one known as &#8216;Black Hawk Down,'&#8221; [McKnight] said. &#8220;I think [Omar&#8217;s] idea was that there was really one that just took place.&#8221;</p>
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<p>This is hardly the first time that Omar&#8217;s reckless comments have elicited intensive pushback from those directly affected. As <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2019/04/17/9-11-firefighter-ilhan-omar-some-people-comments/">The Daily Caller</a> and The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46156/wow-father-911-firefighter-killed-fateful-day-now-josh-hammer">reported</a> two weeks ago, the father of a FDNY firefighter killed during the 9/11 jihadist attacks recently took it upon himself to vituperatively condemn Omar&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/45788/ilhan-omar-trivializes-911-terrorist-attacks-some-ryan-saavedra">recent comment</a> that the worst terrorist attack in American history simply amounted to &#8220;some people&#8221; who did &#8220;something&#8221;:</p>
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<p>&#8220;My son Jimmy was murdered by Islamic terrorists. Three thousand people were murdered that day. And Rep. Ilhan Omar said some people did something. That&#8217;s ridiculous. It&#8217;s outrageous. It&#8217;s a disgrace. She&#8217;s in the Congress of the United States,&#8221; Riches said at the New York State Republican Party dinner at the Grand Hyatt. &#8220;My son and those 3000 people died a terrible death.&#8221;</p>
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Black Hawk Down Veterans Push Back On Ilhan Omar’s Moral Relativism

Ilhan Omar

Somalia

<p>During a town hall event in New York City last week, democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46293/ocasio-cortez-praises-broken-va-healthcare-system-ryan-saavedra">claimed</a> that the Department of Veterans Affairs &#8220;provides the highest quality care to our veterans&#8221; and slammed those who want to &#8220;optimize&#8221; the VA, saying, &#8220;If it ain&#8217;t broke, don&#8217;t fix it.&#8221; Meghan McCain, daughter of late-Sen. John McCain and co-host of &#8220;The View,&#8221; responded by pointing to the veterans who have &#8220;literally died&#8221; waiting to get treatment from the scandal-ridden VA.</p>
<p>&#8220;The idea that this thing that isn&#8217;t broken, this thing that provides the highest quality care to our veterans somehow needs to be fixed, optimized, tinkered with until you don&#8217;t even recognize it anymore,&#8221; Ocasio-Cortez said in comments reported by The Washington Free Beacon. &#8220;Here&#8217;s the thing, they are trying to fix it, but who are they trying to fix it for is the question we&#8217;ve got to ask. They&#8217;re trying to fix the VA for pharmaceutical companies, they&#8217;re trying to fix the VA for insurance corporations, and ultimately they&#8217;re trying to fix the VA for a for-profit healthcare industry that does not put people or veterans first.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We have a responsibility to protect it, because if it is any community that deserves Cadillac first-class healthcare in the United States of America it is our military service members,&#8221; the congresswoman declared.</p>
<p>The Daily Wire&#8217;s Ryan Saavedra tweeted out a clip of the comments, writing, &#8220;Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) claims that the VA provides the &#8216;highest quality of [health]care&#8217; to veterans, says: &#8216;If it ain&#8217;t broke, don&#8217;t fix it.'&#8221;</p>
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<p>Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) claims that the VA provides the &#8220;highest quality of [health]care&#8221; to veterans, says: &#8220;If it ain&#8217;t broke, don&#8217;t fix it&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/bYFEprdYRS">pic.twitter.com/bYFEprdYRS</a></p>
<p>&#8212; Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1120405095521443842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>In response, McCain, whose father was a strong advocate for veterans, wrote, &#8220;Veterans have literally died waiting to get health care treatment from the VA&#8230;.died!&#8221;</p>
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<p>Veterans have literally died waiting to get health care treatment from the VA&#8230;.died! <a href="https://t.co/SRTvpfAqQt">https://t.co/SRTvpfAqQt</a></p>
<p>&#8212; Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) <a href="https://twitter.com/MeghanMcCain/status/1120431212789731328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>As Saavedra points out in his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46293/ocasio-cortez-praises-broken-va-healthcare-system-ryan-saavedra">report</a> on Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s comments, the VA healthcare system has come under scrutiny over the past few years amid a series of reports about ultimately deadly &#8220;secret waiting lists,&#8221; cover-ups, and other alarming administrative failures. In 2014, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2014/04/23/health/veterans-dying-health-care-delays/index.html">CNN</a> reported that &#8220;at least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret waiting list.&#8221; Around 1,700 veterans were waiting an average of 115 days to see a doctor at the facility. </p>
<p>The fatal Phoenix mismanagement was not an isolated incident. &#8220;Sadly, the situation was not limited to the Phoenix facility: there was gross mismanagement of a gastroenterology program in South Carolina, and a Legionnaires&#8217; disease outbreak in Pittsburgh that killed six vets,&#8221; <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/374542-the-real-va-scandal-no-will-to-help-veterans">The Hill</a> reports. &#8220;The VA&#8217;s culture, investigators discovered, was rife with false record-keeping. President Obama&#8217;s secretary of Veterans Affairs, Gen. Eric Shinseki, resigned and his replacement, former Procter &amp; Gamble CEO Robert McDonald, quickly implemented management reforms modeled on private-sector practices.&#8221;</p>
<p>In an op-ed for <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertpearl/2018/05/08/veterans-affairs/#486fe6252d15">Forbes</a> last year, Dr. Robert Pearl, who did his residency training at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Palo Alto, explains that &#8220;lengthy wait times for treatment have become the norm inside many of the nation&#8217;s 1,243 VA facilities, particularly those located in rural areas.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46299/ocasio-cortez-silent-sri-lanka-after-politicizing-ryan-saavedra">Ocasio-Cortez Silent On Sri Lanka After Politicizing New Zealand Terror Attacks</a></strong></p></p>


Meghan McCain Slams Ocasio-Cortez’s VA Comments

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Meghan McCain

Veterans Affairs (VA)

<p>On Thursday, Attorney General William Barr released the redacted final report by Robert Mueller. In a press conference announcing its findings, Barr said, &#8220;As you will see, the Special Counsel&#8217;s report states that his &#8216;investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.'&#8221; Barr also addressed Mueller&#8217;s second major line of inquiry, obstruction of justice, stating that, after careful review and in consultation with the Office of Legal Counsel and Department of Jusice lawyers, &#8220;I concluded that the evidence developed by the Special Counsel is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.&#8221;</p>
<p>During an event at the White House Thursday for the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride, Trump took a moment to celebrate the big news, which he summarized as &#8220;no collusion, no obstruction.&#8221;</p>
<p>After drawing attention to some of the distinguish guests, including a couple of congressmen, Trump said, &#8220;They&#8217;re having a good day &#8212; I&#8217;m having a good day, too,&#8221; a comment that drew a few laughs. &#8220;It was called &#8216;No collusion, no obstruction.'&#8221;</p>
<p>The room broke into cheers and applause, some of the wounded warriors joining in. After the room quieted down, Trump added, &#8220;There never was, by the way, and there never will be.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And we do have to get to the bottom of these things,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;I say this in front of my friends, wounded warriors &#8212; and I just call them &#8216;warriors&#8217; because we just shook hands, and they look great, they look so good, so beautiful. But I say it in front of my friends: This should never happen to another president again, this hoax. This should never happen to another president again.&#8221;</p>
<p>Trump&#8217;s full remarks below (&#8220;collusion&#8221; comments begin at around the 1:08:55 mark, via <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/04/18/trump_im_having_a_good_day_--_its_called_no_collusion_no_obstruction.html">RCP</a>)</p>
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<div class="embed tweet"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AvcLxiQcOpc" width="853"></iframe></div>
<p>After two years, nearly 3,000 subpoenas, and 500 search warrants and witness interviews, the special counsel &#8220;found no evidence that any Americans &#8211; including anyone associated with the Trump campaign &#8211; conspired or coordinated with the Russian government or the IRA in carrying out this illegal scheme,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46130/trump-cleared-no-collusion-no-obstruction-no-ryan-saavedra">Barr told the press</a> Thursday. &#8220;Indeed, as the report states, &#8216;The investigation did not identify evidence that any U.S. persons knowingly or intentionally coordinated with the IRA&#8217;s interference operation.'&#8221;</p>
<p>Barr also stressed that no member of the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it &#8220;conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its hacking operations.&#8221;</p>
<p>The attorney general&#8217;s comments on obstruction have garnered the most scrutiny. Barr said that after he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein consulted with various legal officials, they determined that Mueller&#8217;s findings were &#8220;not sufficient&#8221; to merit any actionable obstruction of justice offenses.</p>
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<p>&#8220;After carefully reviewing the facts and legal theories outlined in the report, and in consultation with the Office of Legal Counsel and other Department lawyers, the Deputy Attorney General and I concluded that the evidence developed by the Special Counsel is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense,&#8221; Barr said.</p>
<p>Barr noted that he took into account when considering Trump&#8217;s actions the &#8220;context&#8221; of the situation, namely that the president faced &#8220;an unprecedented situation&#8221;: &#8220;As he entered into office, and sought to perform his responsibilities as President, federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinizing his conduct before and after taking office, and the conduct of some of his associates. At the same time, there was relentless speculation in the news media about the President&#8217;s personal culpability. Yet, as he said from the beginning, there was in fact no collusion. And as the Special Counsel&#8217;s report acknowledges, there is substantial evidence to show that the President was frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fueled by illegal leaks.&#8221;</p>
<p>Barr went on to say that the White House &#8220;fully cooperated with the Special Counsel&#8217;s investigation, providing unfettered access to campaign and White House documents, directing senior aides to testify freely, and asserting no privilege claims,&#8221; and &#8220;took no act that in fact deprived the Special Counsel of the documents and witnesses necessary to complete his investigation.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Apart from whether the acts were obstructive, this evidence of non-corrupt motives weighs heavily against any allegation that the President had a corrupt intent to obstruct the investigation,&#8221; said the attorney general.</p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46163/8-things-you-need-know-about-mueller-report-ben-shapiro">SHAPIRO: The 8 Things You Need To Know About The Mueller Report</a></strong></p>


Trump At Wounded Warriors Event Declares ‘No Collusion, No Obstruction’; WATCH How Crowd Responds

Robert Mueller

Russia

<p>Eighth grader Tyler Carlin needed an idea for a history project. He chose to create a replica of the battlefield cross, which is used on the battlefield or at camp to mark the death of a fallen soldier.</p>
<p>Carlin <a href="https://insider.foxnews.com/2019/03/21/ohio-student-suspended-making-replica-battlefield-cross-history-project">told Fox News</a> that his teacher knew he would be making the replica and said it would be alright. But when Carlin showed up to his Ohio school with his project &#8212; made from a helmet, boots and a Nerf dart gun &#8212; it was promptly taken away. He also said he was given a 3-day in-school suspension.</p>
<p>&#8220;I just sat in a room all day. An administrator thought it was stupid that I got this, so she brought me a doughnut and played cards with me,&#8221; he said on &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends.&#8221; His attorney, Travis Faber, is demanding the school expunge the &#8220;ridiculous&#8221; suspension from the middle school student&#8217;s record and had asked the school to delay Carlin&#8217;s suspension &#8212; to no avail.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are greatly concerned about the message the actions of the Celina School District will send to our community&#8217;s youth,&#8221; <a href="http://www.wtol.com/2019/03/20/veteran-is-prevented-speaking-celina-board-education-meeting/">Faber told WTOL</a>. &#8220;He [Tyler] should be thanked for his hard work and dedication to our veterans and to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.&#8221;</p>
<p>Further, Faber told the media outlet that an Army staff sergeant was barred from speaking on Carlin&#8217;s behalf during a school board meeting.</p>
<p>The veteran, Janice Holdheide, attended Celina City School board of education meeting Monday night, but was prevented from speaking up for the 13-year-old, according to WTOL. Holdheide had heard about Carlin&#8217;s situation and wanted to stand up for the student who had attempted to honor fallen soldiers. But when she started to speak, WTOL reported, &#8220;the board interrupted her and said they would not hear what she had to say.&#8221;</p>
<p>Holdheide then took to Facebook to publish her prepared remarks.</p>
<p>&#8220;I fought for this great country, and I fought for this young man to exercise his First Amendment right. I have buried friends and comrades and survived the horrors of war only to come home and find such a disrespectful action taken by this school system in my hometown,&#8221; she wrote.</p>
<p>School board president Carl Huber told WTOL that he could not discuss student disciplinary actions without a parent or guardian&#8217;s permission and said in a statement published by the news outlet that he had informed Holdheide that the &#8220;board is not allowed to publicly discuss this matter,&#8221; when she was interrupted.</p>
<p>Huber also told the outlet that he had asked Carlin&#8217;s family to authorize him &#8220;to make a truthful and accurate statement about the situation.&#8221;</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the leader of Veterans Forever Inc. announced the group had created shirts to support Carlin, <a href="https://www.whio.com/news/local/celina-city-schools-suspend-student-for-fallen-soldier-art-project/ZCSIJsbfI6OE6muBfkce3M/">according to WHIOTV7</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;I just wanted this poor innocent kid to understand that his beliefs was correct that you should always stick up for a veteran and it&#8217;s a sad situation that Tyler&#8217;s now in trouble for trying to do the right thing for a veteran,&#8221; Craig Obringer, a spokesman for the group, told the media outlet.</p>
<p>The outlet reported that proceeds would go into a fund that provides flags and flag poles for veterans.</p>


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