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Tonight s debate questioning will start off with a question to Hillary Clinton about a videotape of Donald Trump speaking about women Oy vey!Is this election REALLY going to come down to this? Unreal!The first set of questions at Sunday night s presidential debate will be about Donald Trump s vulgar comments on a newly published 2005 videotape, and the fallout from it.And Hillary Clinton will get the first question.Moderators Anderson Cooper of CNN and Martha Raddatz of ABC have adjusted their plan for the debate in light of the Trump tape, sources told CNNMoney.While everything is subject to change until air time, an ABC source said perhaps confirming the obvious that Trump and Clinton will both be prompted to address the matter.A coin toss by the Commission on Presidential Debates determined that Clinton will speak first.Read more: Breitbart

Poor little Al if he s not race baiting, he s hanging out with our President at the White House just waiting for the next white on black injustice. Heck if we didn t know better, we d almost think he enjoys being in front of the camera holding up the grieving parents but that would be so so insincere Stay away, Rev. Al. We don t want another Ferguson type of circus here, a source close to the Scott family told The Daily News.That was the message from the family of South Carolina police shooting victim Walter Scott to the civil rights activist Thursday two days before the funeral for the slain father of four.That was a reference to the Missouri town that was rocked by violent demonstrations last year after black teen Michael Brown was killed by a white cop.Sharpton gave a rousing speech at the 18-year-old s funeral, which was attended by thousands.Scott family attorney Chris Stewart said they appreciate Sharpton s support but the funeral is only going to be close family members. Via: NY Daily News

The Hodges & Hagmann Hour- America’s Last Chance to Survive Doug Hagmann The recent show in which Doug Hagmann and myself discussed all election scenarios was one of the liveliest hours in the history of The Common Sense Show. The topic centered around the Constitutional crisis that Clinton is creating by refusing to withdraw from the race. Who will ultimately decide the race. Will it be George Soros’ voting machines? Will it be Obama? Will it be the Supreme Court? Most importantly, we discussed the real possibility of martial law and war. Please note, there was insider testimony from a Postal worker from the Phoenix area who discusses ballot stuffing in Arizona. The details are included in the following video.

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) will likely seek to invoke the United States’ protections of free speech as one of its key legal arguments in trying to block an order to help unlock the encrypted iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters, lawyers with expertise in the subject said this week. The company on Thursday was granted three additional days by the court to file a response to the order. Apple will now have until Feb. 26 to send a reply, a person familiar with matter told Reuters. The tech giant and the Obama administration are on track for a major collision over computer security and encryption after a federal magistrate judge in Los Angeles handed down an order on Tuesday requiring Apple to provide specific software and technical assistance to investigators. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook called the request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation unprecedented. Other tech giants such as Facebook Inc (FB.O), Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) and Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google have rallied to support Apple. Apple has retained two prominent, free-speech lawyers to do battle with the government, according to court papers: Theodore Olson, who won the political-speech case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in 2010, and Theodore Boutrous, who frequently represents media organizations. Government lawyers from the U.S. Justice Department have defended their request in court papers by citing various authorities, such as a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld an order compelling a telephone company to provide assistance with setting up a device to record telephone numbers. The high court said then that the All Writs Act, a law from 1789, authorized the order, and the scope of that ruling is expected to be a main target of Apple when it files a response in court by early next week. But Apple will likely also broaden its challenge to include the First Amendment’s guarantee of speech rights, according to lawyers who are not involved in the dispute but who are following it. Compared with other countries, the United States has a strong guarantee of speech rights even for corporations, and at least one court has ruled that computer code is a form of speech, although that ruling was later voided. Apple could argue that being required to create and provide specific computer code amounts to unlawful compelled speech, said Riana Pfefferkorn, a cryptography fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Internet and Society. The order against Apple is novel because it compels the company to create a new forensic tool to use, not just turn over information in Apple’s possession, Pfefferkorn said. “I think there is a significant First Amendment concern,” she said. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles declined to comment on the possible free-speech questions on Thursday. A speech-rights argument from Apple, though, could be met with skepticism by the courts because computer code has become ubiquitous and underpins much of the U.S. economy. “That is an argument of enormous breadth,” said Stuart Benjamin, a Duke University law professor who writes about the First Amendment. He said Apple would need to show that the computer code conveyed a “substantive message.” In a case brought by a mathematician against U.S. export controls, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, found in 1999 that the source code behind encryption software is protected speech. The opinion was later withdrawn so the full court could rehear the case, but that rehearing was canceled and the appeal declared moot after the government revised its export controls. The FBI and prosecutors are seeking Apple’s assistance to read the data on an iPhone 5C that had been used by Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, carried out the San Bernardino shootings that killed 14 people and wounded 22 others at a holiday party. U.S. prosecutors were smart to pick the mass shooting as a test case for an encryption fight with tech companies, said Michael Froomkin, a University of Miami law professor. That is because the shooting had a large emotional impact while also demonstrating the danger posed by armed militants, he said. In addition, the iPhone in dispute was owned not by Farook but by his employer, a local government, which has consented to the search of the iPhone. The federal magistrate who issued the order, Sheri Pym, is also a former federal prosecutor. “This is one of the worst set of facts possible for Apple. That’s why the government picked this case,” Froomkin said. Froomkin added, though, that the fight was enormously important for the company because of the possibility that a new forensic tool could be easily used on other phones and the damage that could be done to Apple’s global brand if it cannot withstand government demands on privacy. “All these demands make their phones less attractive to users,” he said.

Donald Trump once again found himself the lightning rod of the Republican presidential race Wednesday, as he tangled with a debate stage full of rivals trying to position themselves as the best alternative to the GOP front-runner. The second Republican primary debate veered into serious policy territory – covering everything from Iran to Russia to Planned Parenthood to immigration. But, at times to the visible frustration of candidates trying to stick to those issues, few segments passed without a sparring session between Trump and one of his opponents. Almost every time, Trump hit back – and it was unclear whether any candidate would be able to dent his front-runner status. The candidate perhaps most eager to knock the billionaire businessman down a peg was former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who lost his lead to Trump over the summer. Repeatedly, Bush challenged Trump on his record and past comments. He told Trump to apologize to his wife for suggesting her being from Mexico makes Bush more sympathetic to Mexicans – Trump refused. He accused Trump of once giving him money as he sought casino gambling, unsuccessfully, in Florida. Trump denied it, and when Bush criticized Trump for bragging about demanding Hillary Clinton attend his wedding, Trump teased him, saying: “More energy tonight, I like that.” (Bush answered back at the end of the debate – asked what his Secret Service codename would be, Bush said, “Very High Energy, Donald,” and the two shared a high-five.) “It was such a disaster those last few months that Abraham Lincoln couldn’t have been elected,” Trump said. Bush responded that his brother “kept us safe.” Trump answered, “You feel safe right now?” Some of the most heated exchanges at the CNN debate also came between Trump and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, both business leaders. After Trump called her former company a “disaster,” she cited his repeated bankruptcy filings and questioned why America should trust him to manage its finances. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie interjected and said middle-class Americans “could care less about your careers.” He told the two to “stop this childish back and forth.” Fiorina also got her chance at the debate to respond to Trump’s controversial jab at her, where in a magazine article he said: “Look at that face – would anyone vote for that?” Asked to respond, she said, “I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.” Fiorina received loud applause for the line, and Trump added, “I think she’s got a beautiful face, and I think she’s a beautiful woman.” Despite all the attention on Trump, his dominant lead in the polls means his rivals may be battling at this stage for runner-up, for now. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson currently holds that status after vaulting into second place in the polls – yet was able to avoid the fray for most of Wednesday’s debate. He took one light-hearted jab at Trump, after Trump discussed his views on vaccines and said there are cases of children getting sick – and having autism – after getting them. Asked about Trump’s medical opinion, Carson said, “He’s an okay doctor” – in reference to a comment Trump recently made about him. Carson went on to say there’s no documented association between autism and vaccines, but doctors are probably giving too many vaccines in a short period of time. After the exchange about George W. Bush, Carson also noted that he did not want Bush to “go to war” in Iraq. He added that radical jihadists now are an “existential threat to our nation” and leaders can’t “put our heads in the sand.” Aside from the sparring with Trump, the candidates did have a chance to stake out their positions on a range of policy issues. Fiorina, in an impassioned moment in the debate, appealed to Congress to defund Planned Parenthood following videos exposing organ harvesting from aborted fetuses. “This is about the character of our nation. And if we will not stand up and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on us,” she said. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee slammed a federal judge for temporarily jailing Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, saying the U.S. has made religious “accommodations” for Guantanamo detainees and the Fort Hood shooter, but Davis is facing a “criminalization of her faith.” And Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said of the agreement with Tehran, “I will rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal.” Ohio Gov. John Kasich urged against going that far. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also focused on foreign policy, warning about China’s military build-up, and “gangsters in Moscow” meddling on the world stage. On this, Rubio challenged Trump’s global affairs knowledge. Trump vowed, “I will know more about the problems of this world” as president. And he criticized Rubio for missing votes. Trump’s fitness to be commander-in-chief was a common theme for his rivals. Fiorina said, when asked if she’s comfortable with Trump controlling America’s nuclear weapons: “I think Mr. Trump is a wonderful entertainer.” She said “judgment” and “temperament” will be revealed “over time and under pressure” in the race. Trump answered: “I may be an entertainer. … but I will tell you this. What I am far and away greater than an entertainer is a businessman.” Trump also went after Sen. Rand Paul, saying he shouldn’t even be on the stage. “There’s a sophomoric quality that is entertaining about Mr. Trump,” Paul answered, but he added he’s concerned about him being in charge of nuclear weapons. Paul chastised Trump for his “visceral response,” including attacking people on their appearance which he likened to “junior high.” Trump said he never did that to Paul, quipping: “Believe me there’s plenty of subject matter right there.” Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker also zinged Trump, saying: “We don’t need an apprentice in the White House. We have one right now.” Walker and Bush have both seen their polling numbers drop in recent weeks as Trump, and now Carson, have risen. Walker is trying to refocus his campaign on his record as governor, and record battling labor unions; the latter issue did not surface much during Wednesday’s debate, though. In his closing remarks, Walked vowed that as a leader, “I won’t back down any day, any way, anyhow.” An unexpected clash also broke out at the end, when Paul made a veiled reference to Bush having smoked marijuana years ago as Paul challenged federal marijuana policy. Bush acknowledged Paul was talking about him and said: “40 years ago, I smoked marijuana, and I admit it.” Paul then claimed people with “privilege” don’t go to jail for marijuana, but others do. The main stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., Wednesday night featured the 11 top-polling candidates. It followed an earlier undercard debate of four lower-polling candidates. Fiorina, while rising in the polls, is still averaging just over 3 percent nationally, according to RealClearPolitics. Bush, once the front-runner, is at about 8 percent. Walker is down to 3 percent. Cruz and Rubio remain in the middle of the pack, trailing slightly behind Bush. But with Carson and Trump attracting the support of roughly half of primary voters, the other 14 candidates are fighting for relative scraps. Trump’s national lead now tops 30 percent. At the earlier undercard debate, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tangled often with his GOP rivals, positioning himself as an experienced, practical lawmaker not beholden to conservative activist causes. He focused squarely on the need to defeat radical Islamic terrorists, while Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal focused at that debate on religious freedom issues.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the left telling their viewers and fans how Donald Trump will never win the presidency.Now watch the same media and Hollywood freaks meltdown over Trump s win that they said would never happen. It s hard to imagine how much hate these poor liberals have in their hearts.So, just how much has President Trump accomplished since he won the election on November 8, 2016?Vice President Mike Pence offers a list of President Trump s accomplishments since he won the election, only one year ago today:Thanks to the president s leadership, the American economy is roaring. Businesses have created nearly 1.5 million new jobs. Manufacturers haven t been this confident in 20 years. The stock market is setting records, creating nearly $5 trillion in wealth for the pension, retirement and savings of the American people. And after eight years of lackluster growth, the economy has already expanded by at least 3% for two quarters in a row.The U.S. economy is making a comeback because President Trump has taken decisive action to spur a new era of opportunity, prosperity and growth.We ve unleashed American energy, approved the Keystone and Dakota pipelines, and under President Trump, the war on coal is over.We re appointing originalists to the federal courts, to uphold the Constitution and all our God-given liberties. And President Trump put Justice Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court.President Trump has also taken decisive action to ensure the safety and security of the American people, at home and abroad. He has stood without apology with the men and women of law enforcement. We re securing our borders, enforcing our laws and taking the gang members, drug dealers and violent criminals off our streets.The president is putting our veterans first. He signed bills to restore accountability to the Department of Veterans Affairs and give veterans access to the world-class care they deserve.We re rebuilding our military. President Trump has already signed the largest increase in defense spending in nearly 10 years, and we are working with Congress to pass one of the largest investments in the national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan.With renewed American strength, the president is achieving real results on the international stage.Our NATO allies are contributing more to our common defense. ISIS is on the run, and its caliphate is crumbling. This president reaffirmed the credibility of American power when he enforced a red line against chemical weapons in Syria. He put Iran on notice and made it clear that we cannot certify the Iran nuclear deal. And our administration has brought unprecedented economic and diplomatic pressure to bear on North Korea.It has been a year of accomplishments, and we re just getting started. Before this year is out, we ll pass historic tax cuts for the American people. And with President Trump s leadership, I know: We will Make America Great Again.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has long questioned President Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship, on Friday said he believes the president was born in the United States. “President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period,” Trump said at a campaign event.

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - A Maryland state senator backing law enforcement reform won a narrow victory on Tuesday in the Democratic nominating contest for the mayor of Baltimore, as the city recovers a year after rioting sparked by a black man’s death in police custody. The primary election in the mostly African-American city of 620,000 people comes as Baltimore residents confront rising violent crime and unrest sparked by the death of Freddie Gray in April, 2015. The incident stoked a simmering U.S. debate on treatment of minorities by law enforcement officers and prompted the current mayor to decline to seek re-election. While the Republican Party and other parties also held primaries, the Democratic race’s winner almost certainly will win November’s general election because Democrats outnumber Republicans 10 to one in Baltimore, about 40 miles (60 km) northeast of Washington. In the Democratic contest, state Senator Catherine Pugh, the chamber’s majority leader edged out former Mayor Sheila Dixon, 37 percent to 34 percent. Dixon was forced from office in 2010 for allegedly misappropriating gift cards for low-income families. Pugh defeated a field of 13 Democrats vying for the nomination, including DeRay Mckesson, a nationally known activist with the Black Lives Matter movement that sprang up after police killings of minorities in U.S. cities. Mckesson logged 12 percent of the vote. Pugh, Dixon, Mckesson and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake are African-Americans. Pugh, who co-chaired a legislative working group on law enforcement reform, has called for greater accountability for Baltimore police and the use of mobile units to help residents find jobs. Voters said they hoped the election would bring positive change to the port city. At 7.1 percent, Baltimore’s jobless rate is above the national average, and the city has been hit by a surge in murders. “I think it’s a very important election. It’s time for change,” retiree Diane McCants, 67, said at a polling place in West Baltimore. Tyrone Forney, a 52-year-old voter in northeast Baltimore, said the mayor’s race was critical. “We need new faces, new ideas,” he said. The onetime steelmaking city exploded into world headlines a year ago after Gray, 25, died from a broken neck suffered in police custody. His death sparked protests and a day of rioting. Six police officers - three black and three white - have been charged in Gray’s death. Rawlings-Blake, the mayor since 2010, came under fire for her handling of the crisis. She said in September that she would not seek re-election.

The humorist and social commentator says her ideal literary dinner party is one that nobody is invited to: “My idea of a great literary dinner party is Fran, eating alone, reading a book. ” What books are on your night stand now? There are no books on my night stand, because I’m a lifelong insomniac, so eight or nine years ago, I thought: “Don’t read in bed. It’s too stimulating. Watch TV instead. It’s boring. ” And it’s true. TV is boring, but apparently not boring enough to make me fall asleep. So now instead of being overstimulated and awake, I’m bored and awake. What has your postelection reading looked like? My postelection reading has looked pretty much like tea leaves, with just exactly the success you might imagine. I’ve definitely noticed since the election that even though generally I have a lifelong preference for reading fiction, I have less interest in it now. Except for rereading, which I’ve been doing a lot. Especially John O’Hara. I suppose this is my way of comforting myself. What’s the last great book you read? This really kind of stumped me. Unlike almost everyone else I can think of, when I say great, I mean great. Not just great this year or not just extremely good. I know you’re not supposed to have this kind of hierarchy of books. But I do. So I’m trying to think of the last really great book I read. And all I can come up with is something I reread, which was “Memoirs of Hadrian,” by Marguerite Yourcenar, which is actually great, and by great, I mean forever. What’s the best classic novel you recently read for the first time? “Little Dorrit. ” I never was a Dickens fanatic. Except for “Martin Chuzzlewit,” which I loved. But I was looking for something to read and I asked Deborah Eisenberg and she said, “Have you ever read ‘Little Dorrit’?” Which I had not, and I was so startled — since she rarely recommends a book that wasn’t written by a dead Hungarian — that I immediately read it, and I loved it. What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of? This is a question that I really find odd. How do I know what no one else has heard of? I can name books that I think are fairly obscure. I could say Henry Green. But now, as of last summer, everyone is reading Henry Green. There is a writer named Wyndham Lewis, whom you’re supposed to hate, but I don’t. He wrote a book called, “The Apes of God,” which is a book I particularly like and am interested in. I suppose other people like it and have heard of it, but I assume it is obscure enough for this answer. Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most? This is something I usually avoid answering, because you always leave someone out. But I wrote up a list. Toni Morrison, Deborah Eisenberg, Lynne Tillman, Wallace Shawn, Junot Díaz, Ben Katchor and Cynthia Ozick. Who is shockingly smart. Whose opinion on books do you most trust? Mine. When do you read? Pretty much all the time. Especially if I’m supposed to be doing something else. I was very frequently punished for reading as a child because I was reading when I was supposed to be doing homework. I got in trouble in school for reading, I got in trouble at home for reading. My mother would actually bang on my door and say, “I know you’re reading in there!” In my adult life, I’ve gotten in trouble for reading because I’m not writing when I’m reading. So it’s really rare that reading is unaccompanied by guilt for me. But I’ve learned to live with it. I feel guilty pretty much all the time. The only time I read without feeling guilty is on a plane, because what else could I possibly be doing? What moves you most in a work of literature? I think it might be the word “move” that kind of perplexes me, because that’s a word connected with emotion. I don’t really seek out emotion when reading. The feeling that’s most important to me when reading is that I’m absorbed. I just want to be taken away. I really like being dazzled. That would be nice. The thing I care least about in reading is the story. I just don’t care that much about stories. That may have to do with being older. Tell me a story I don’t know. But really, I read in order not to be in life. Reading is better than life. Without reading, you’re stuck with life. Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid? In my lifetime, I’ve read one zillion mysteries. This is not because I care about who did it. I don’t care. And I almost never figure it out. I don’t have that kind of mind at all. I don’t care who did it. I have reread mysteries numerous times and I don’t even remember who did it. I’ve read all the Agatha Christies. I’ve read all the Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout. He wrote many of them, but not enough for Fran. I’m always hoping to find one I’ve never read. It’s the same as the New Yorker’s dream of finding an extra room in your apartment that you didn’t know was there. One thing I like about mysteries is that they end. Which is true of so little else. I have avoided science fiction my entire life, or any kind of fantasy. When the Harry Potter books came out, I bought the first one because everyone said how great it was. But I didn’t like it. And I realized I would not have liked it as a child either. I’m not saying I don’t love her, because she did a great thing. To see children lined up outside bookstores — that was fantastic. But those kinds of books. . ’u2008. ’u2008. It’s like adventures or people who climb mountains or jump out of airplanes I find real life challenging enough. How do you like to read? Paper or electronic? One book at a time or several simultaneously? Obviously, paper. I mean, actually, on his show once, Jimmy Fallon gave me a Kindle. He actually gave it to me as a present. I said: “I know you gave me this because I don’t have one. You know what else I don’t have? A Bentley. ” I don’t think they’re horrible. I don’t object to them. I’m just not interested in them. People are always showing me this stuff like I’m from outer space and I’ve never heard of it. I have really bad eyesight, so they always tell me you can make the type bigger. I suppose that would be a good thing for me, but I don’t care. I’d rather squint. I see people using them on the subway. It seems to me that the majority of people you see reading on these things are in their 40s. I see fewer kids reading on them, and by kids I mean people in their 20s. These are the people I see most frequently reading actual books, which I find very encouraging. How do you organize your books? My books are organized first by category. Fiction, letters, essays. Those kinds of categories. And then there are many subdivisions. Then within categories, they’re alphabetized. I always have arguments with the guy who helps me organize my books, because I have a biography section. He says: “You can’t have a biography section. You have to have them arranged by writer. For instance, Henry James’s fiction, then the letters, the biographies, etc. ” And I say: “I know. That’s the right way to do it. But that would take up too much space. ” All the apartments I buy or rent are for my books, not for myself. I don’t need the space. I’m . I have a whole bookcase that this guy calls “your crazy books. ” The crazy book category. Those books are not alphabetized. I also have a large reference library. I have numerous encyclopedias I have many, many dictionaries. I actually bought myself the Encyclopaedia Britannica in 1978. I always wanted it, and when I wrote my first book and had some money, I bought it. I didn’t have it growing up I had the World Book, because it was less expensive. The Encyclopaedia Britannica was so hard to buy, I can’t tell you. I had to make one million phone calls. Because it was generally sold on an installment plan. They didn’t know how to send these books to someone who is just going to send a check. Nobody uses these books anymore, but I do. When the second edition of the O. E. D. came out, there was nothing I wanted more. It was like $10, 000. I had a friend who owned a bookstore, and I begged her to let me buy it at cost, and she did. It was still several thousand dollars, but I’m delighted to own it, even though I think it’s now free on the internet. You’re in the process of moving your personal library. What’s that been like? Believe me, I’m not in the process of it yet. Because it’s so awful, I keep putting it off. But I just did it a year and a half ago. They come and pack the books. That takes three days. But two times before that, it took two months to organize them first. I have many bookcases. They have glass doors. They are mostly . The books all go in certain places in my apartment. I like to have fiction in the living room, reference books in the writing room. I have 10, 000 books. I know this because I move them. When I move, I go through them and take some out. Many books come to this house unbidden. And unbidden books, I don’t want to keep them. Once the books are all rearranged, I can put my hand on any book. I know where they all are. What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves? I don’t know. Maybe my small library of soap carving books, because most people don’t have them. People are surprised at the fairly large number of cookbooks I have, because I don’t cook. I hate cooking, and I never cook. But I like to eat, and I like to read about food. The very first book in my library was a book my mother bought me at a house sale in the late 1950s called “Six Little Cooks. ” She bought it for a quarter. I couldn’t believe that I was allowed to have such a beautiful thing. This was my first book that I thought of as very valuable. It’s a story about a woman who goes to visit her niece and her friends and decides to spend the summer teaching them how to cook. It’s signed by the author and all the girls. Maybe because of this book, and maybe because they used to be so cheap (they no longer are) I have quite a few cookbooks. What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift? I don’t know. I’ve received some really wonderful books as gifts. I have some first editions of Dawn Powell, whom I love. I would never buy these books. I buy books to read. It adds about 80 zillion dollars to the price of a book to have a signed or first edition. I have some first edition Thurbers. I’m thrilled to have them, believe me. I got a first edition Thurber for my birthday this year, and that was the last book to make me laugh out loud when I reread it. I got kicked out of class in third grade reading Thurber. I couldn’t contain myself. I could not stop laughing. But not all funny writers are necessarily funny in that way. Oscar Wilde is probably the wittiest writer in English, but he doesn’t make me laugh out loud. There was a writer named Peter De Vries who did make me laugh out loud, so hard that when I was reading one of his books when I was in the hospital as a teenager, the nurse took it away from me because she thought I was going to break my stitches. Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine? Your favorite antihero or villain? I don’t really have these kinds of favorites. I probably had them as a child. I associate having favorite things with being a child. I’m not youthful enough to have these kinds of favorites. What kind of reader were you as a child? Which childhood books and authors stick with you most? I was a constant reader. Just like I am now. I was constantly reading. I read under the covers with a flashlight. I loved “The Secret Garden. ” The ones every girl my age read. I also have a lot of my mother’s books. Mostly I went to the library as a child. “Heidi,” Nancy Drew. I would say mostly conventional kinds of books. You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite? None. I would never do it. My idea of a great literary dinner party is Fran, eating alone, reading a book. That’s my idea of a literary dinner party. When I eat alone, I spend a lot of time, before I sit down to my meager meal, choosing what to read. And I’m a lot better choosing a book than preparing a meal. And I never eat anything without reading. Ever. If I’m eating an apple, I have to get a book. Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing? I wouldn’t say disappointing or not good, but I will say that I have never enjoyed reading William Faulkner. I am not saying he’s not a great writer. I will just say that I prefer not to read him. I don’t enjoy reading him. I did not acquire the ability to not finish a book until I was 50 years old, which probably has to do with scarcity as a child: You have a book — finish it! But I’ve made a number of decisions since then. If you don’t like a book, stop reading it. If you don’t like a movie, walk out. Life is not a jail sentence. When I used to be able to go into bookstores all the time, when there were lots of bookstores, I could read a few sentences and put it down. Now I hear about a book and get someone to order it on the internet, and when the book arrives I find I don’t like it. I only read for pleasure. I don’t have to finish a book. Sometimes, I don’t realize how little I care about a book. Sometimes, I start reading a book and then realize I forgot I was reading it. And it disappears under a pile of books. Whom would you want to write your bio? I would say Carolyn Keene. Because then at least I know they would find the culprit. If I’d known Carolyn Keene was not a person as a child, I would have been crushed. All women my age loved Nancy Drew books. In the ’80s, they had this Nancy Drew party to celebrate some new editions, and every single woman writer in New York was there, dying to talk about Nancy Drew. There weren’t many books about girls, let’s face it. It was pretty uncommon. What do you plan to read next? I don’t plan my reading. I really don’t. I’m always surprised. I can’t believe that people keep these lists of the books they read. People are so organized! This is a cast of mind so different from mine. I do have piles of books that I haven’t read yet. When I finish a book, I go through that pile. I recently noticed a book that hadn’t been read through two moves. I’ll give it to someone. It’s a good book. It’s just not for Fran. If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be? It would depend on who’s reading it to him.

While the United States and a few European countries seem to be taking a major right-hand political turn, Pope Francis made a stunning announcement in an apostolic letter on Monday that is setting conservatives on fire. While he s far short of allowing full reproductive rights among Catholics, he s decreed that women who ve had abortions don t have to go to Hell.In the letter, Pope Francis granted a special dispensation to priests and bishops that would allow them to absolve the sins of abortion.While this dispensation might have thousands, if not more, Catholic women breathing sighs of relief, the church isn t inviting abortion. In fact, the Pope specifically wrote, I wish to restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life. However, in perhaps the Church s first acknowledgement that women are people and not just birthing vessels, Pope Francis also said: In the same way, however, I can and must state that there is no sin that God s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father. The letter continues: May every priest, therefore, be a guide, support and comfort to penitents on this journey of special reconciliation. I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion. This move is incremental. In 1983, Pope John Paul allowed bishops to lift excommunications to women who ve had abortions. Some bishops allowed priests to do the same, but this will be the first time that women around the world will be able to approach their priests, hoping they ll be granted forgiveness, with an actual chance of getting it.Still, conservatives want none of it:@FoxNews There has always been forgiveness it doesn t make the Sin of killing ones own Child less Atrocious They she be shunned from Society GodBlessAmerica ?? (@brianknewhouse) November 21, 2016@tmchand @FoxNews If you followed His Sacred Heart you would know better May his Spirit give you Understanding and Wisdom ?? pic.twitter.com/39RS3um2OJ GodBlessAmerica ?? (@brianknewhouse) November 21, 2016@FoxNews absolvement of murder. oh christianity, how far you have fallen. thevortexFxT (@thevortexFxT) November 21, 2016@DRUDGE_REPORT And people thought we were kidding when we said this pope is not a catholic but a communist in sheeps clothing. Brad (@Brad_D80) November 21, 2016@DRUDGE_REPORT #Eugenics AND the New World Order has more power over this so called Pope than God? Only God can forgive! PrepperAgenda (@PrepperAgenda) November 21, 2016@DRUDGE_REPORT This shit head is worse than a Borgia Pope. Comrade Strontium (@Mr_Strontium) November 21, 2016@DRUDGE_REPORT Oh you killed a baby? That s OK say 10 Hail Marys rub these beads and You ll be just fine @Pontifex Bobby Lee (@BobbyLeeTN) November 21, 2016@DRUDGE_REPORT Once again an activist Pope trying to undermine the Catholic Church with Progressive Liberal Socialist ideas. He is wrong! Hosscart (@rjnuff) November 21, 2016Even with this declaration, the Catholic Church is still in another century when it comes to a woman s right to choose, but, as conservatives reactions are showing, this declaration puts the church miles ahead of the American Republican party.Featured image via Franco Origlia/Getty Images

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton has opened up a double-digit lead over Republican rival Donald Trump, regaining ground after the New York billionaire briefly tied her last month, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday. The shift in support comes as Clinton steps up her attacks on the real estate mogul’s policy positions, and as Trump fends off criticisms of his eponymous university and the pace at which he doled out money that he raised for U.S. veterans. Some 46 percent of likely voters said they supported Clinton, while 35 percent said they supported Trump, and another 19 percent said they would not support either, according to the survey of 1,421 people conducted between May 30 and June 3. Trump had briefly tied Clinton in support among likely U.S. voters in mid-May, raising expectations for a tight race between the two likely contenders in November's presidential election. Trump has all but sealed the Republican nod after a string of big wins in state nominating contests forced his party rivals to drop out, while Clinton is still fending off a long-shot bid for the Democratic spot on the ballot by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Clinton is hoping to seal the nomination next week, when a slew of big states including New Jersey and California will hold primaries, allowing her to consolidate her party’s support ahead of a general election matchup against Trump. Clinton’s polling surge comes as Trump is been harangued by criticisms over his Trump University, the target of a trio of lawsuits that claim it misled thousands of people who paid up to $35,000 for seminars to learn about Trump’s investment strategies. Trump has defended the school and said he will relaunch it once the litigation ends. Trump this week also outlined the recipients of millions of dollars in donations he raised at an event in January for veterans’ groups, in a bid to end speculation that he had not yet handed over all of the money. On Thursday, Clinton used a foreign policy speech in California to paint Trump’s policy platform as “dangerously incoherent” and cast her Republican rival as both a frightening and laughable figure. Trump responded by saying she lied about his positions and by ripping her record as secretary of state, which he says was marred her handling of government emails and the death of a U.S. ambassador in Libya.

21st Century Wire says Regardless of what one thinks of Donald Trump, it must be tempting for most people to admit that it is refreshing to see a US President admit that the US isn t as innocent as some pundits and consumers of mainstream news might think.In an interview aired before the Super Bowl, FOX News host Bill O Reilly challenged President Trump s comments about working with Russia in the fight against ISIS. In doing so O Reilly called Putin a killer. Trump shrugged off the comment by saying, There are a lot of killers. We ve got a lot of killers. What, do you think our country is so innocent? RT reports further on the interview below RTSeemingly surprised, O Reilly goes on to ask him why. He is the leader of his country. I say it s better to get along with Russia than not, and if Russia helps us in the fight against ISIS which is a major fight and the Islamic terrorism all over the world, that s a good thing, Trump answered. Will I get along with him? I have no idea. O Reilly then challenged Trump, calling the Russian president a killer. Trump shrugged the comment off, saying: There are a lot of killers. We ve got a lot of killers. What, do you think our country is so innocent? It is not the first time that Trump has made such comments when journalists question his stance regarding the Russian leader.At the end of 2015, the host of MSNBC s Morning Joe told Trump that Putin kills journalists, to which the unfazed then-presidential candidate replied, I think that our country does plenty of killing, too, Joe. I ve always felt fine about Putin. He s a strong leader. He s a powerful leader, Trump added.At the end of January, Putin and Trump held their first official phone call, which, according to the Kremlin, was good and constructive. Over the past years, the lack of mutual respect became the main reason for the deterioration of relations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added.Another important thing is that Washington is prepared for dialogue, the spokesman concluded. This is what President Putin called for rather consistently but where unfortunately he did not see reciprocity over the past years, Peskov said.Earlier in January, however, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the first meeting between Putin and Trump may happen in months to come, not in a matter of weeks. Peskov also said, it is maybe the biggest mistake on the part of Western analysts to think that Trump is our man. He is an American man. Former Deputy Speaker of the Belgian Parliament Lode Vanoost told RT that it is way too early to be overly optimistic about Trump. To me, he remains as unpredictable and unreliable as he was before. We didn t see the full interview yet, and the follow-up questions that came after this very astonishing remark. Basically, what Trump is doing is he is applying the same moral principles to the US as he applies to other countries. That is indeed without precedent in US political culture. Also, he expressed concern over forces that could interfere with Trump s mending ties with Russia Continue this report at RTREAD MORE TRUMP NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Trump FilesSUPPORT OUR WORK BY SUBSCRIBING & BECOMING A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV

Sometimes all you can do is surrender to Twitter.Florida Sen. Marco Rubio probably started out his day Tuesday thinking about paid family leave, child care tax credits and other deep issues. But when Twitter went wild over an awkward photo of him leaning in for a hug with Ivanka Trump when she arrived for a Capitol Hill meeting, Rubio was smart enough to play along.The photo, taken by an Associated Press congressional reporter with an iPhone, appears to show Trump declining to hug Rubio back as the two greet one another just outside the Capitol.Twitter users dissected the seemingly awkward moment endlessly. They compared Rubio to Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons when he doesn t get a Valentine s Day card, and to Dr. Evil from Austin Powers asking his son for a hug. NYPMarco Rubio responded to critics on Twitter by mocking the awkward hug in a series of hilarious tweets. Enjoy!Just left Intel comm & informed meeting 2day with @IvankaTrump blowing up twitter over alleged failed hug! Investigating. Will respond soon Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 20, 2017We believe we have our own unclassified photographic evidence that will shed greater details on this incident. Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 20, 2017We are also attempting to acquire multi-angle video which we believe will provide greater insight into this important matter. Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 20, 2017If you were filming at the Senate carriage entrance today between 11:20-11:25 am we are seeking your assistance with an active investigation Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 20, 2017Based on review of evidence & my own recollection, have concluded no hug was even attempted & press covfefe of alleged failed hug is false Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 20, 2017BREAKING NEWS: Additional photo from moments right after today's alleged failed hug provide new details to this developing story. pic.twitter.com/TFyhB2cQuM Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 20, 2017New photo emerges providing more insight into alleged failed hug. (Faces blurred for security purposes) pic.twitter.com/GzSLe3JD3I Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 20, 2017Even Ivanka joined in on the fun on Twitter telling followers that Marco is an excellent hugger and that the story that he s an awkward hugger that was making the rounds on social media was Fake news! Fake news! Marco is an excellent hugger https://t.co/Dk7XXRQlX8 Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 20, 2017Ivanka took it a step further with her next tweet where she used phrases like anonymous sources and talked about the planned and alleged hug to which she had no comment . Ivanka was clearly taking a swipe at the media who regularly uses words like anonymous sources and alleged in their fake news hit pieces on her father.Anonymous sources say @marcorubio planned the alleged failed hug. I have no comment (but I would have hugged him anyway! ) https://t.co/TChrqWsL4D Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 20, 2017

ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - An ban on international flights to Iraqi Kurdistan, imposed by Iraq s central government in retaliation for the region s vote for independence, went into effect at 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Friday, Iraqi state TV said. Baghdad had given the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) until 6:00 p.m. to hand over control of its international airports in Erbil and Sulaimaniya to avoid the ban. The KRG said it would not comply. The last international flight from Erbil, the seat of the KRG, took off at about 5:00 pm (1400 GMT), an airport official said. The Zagrosjet flight was heading to Istanbul. Only passengers traveling domestically were still trickling into Erbil airport after 4 p.m. as the flight ban does not affect flights between Iraq and the Kurdish region. One of the last planes to arrive on Friday before the international flight ban took effect came from Turkey, carrying the bodies of Kurdish migrants who drowned last week off Turkey s Black Sea coast while trying to reach Europe. Dozens of men and women dressed in black showed up to receive the bodies of their relatives. Hassan Mohammad, from Rania province near Sulaimaniya, came for his 19-year-old nephew, Alan Ahmed. He wanted to get to Europe to have a better life, Mohammad said, adding that despite the flight ban the Iraqi federal government had helped to repatriate his nephew s body. A group of about 200 young people gathered nearby with Kurdish flags and colorful balloons which read Yes for Kurdistan in both English and Arabic. Rally organizers said they had come to show support for Kurdistan in the face of Iraq s measures. A small group of travelers complained that they had not been notified early enough of the cancellation of a Pegasus flight to Ankara that had been due to take off 10 minutes before the ban took effect. I called the airline office in Ankara, and they swore that the flight was taking off, said Salma, who had planned to travel to the Turkish capital with her three sisters and three children. Now what are we supposed to do? The family were given the option of flying to Ankara from Baghdad on Saturday, but it would cost $1,000 per ticket which Salma, who declined to give her last name, said the family could not afford. I guess this is independence, she said.

Republicans have rallied behind Donald Trump in recent weeks, as the businessman and reality-TV star cleared an all but assured path to the party’s presidential nomination. Trump has narrowed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s lead to 3 percentage points, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The margin of error for the poll is plus-minus 3.1 percentage points. Clinton leads trump 46 percent to 43 percent, marking a significantly smaller margin between the two likely nominees and the first time Clinton has not led Trump by double digits since December. In April, Clinton led Trump by 11 percentage points, 50 percent to 39 percent, according to a NBC News/WSJ poll. Insofar as individual polls mean anything, the swell of support for Trump could suggest that Republican voters are accepting their presumptive nominee after his win in the Indiana primary earlier this month, and after Senator Ted Cruz, Trump’s final primary opponent, dropped out. The poll comes out amid new bitterness in the Democratic primary battle. NBC points out just 66 percent of Democratic voters who prefer Sanders will support Clinton in a matchup against Trump, underscoring the challenge she faces in winning over necessary votes in the general election. According to the poll, Clinton and Trump have one thing in common: both are currently the two most unpopular likely presidential nominees, with 54 percent of registered voters who have a negative opinion of Clinton and 58 percent having a negative opinion of Trump. If nominated at such rates, they would also be the most unpopular candidates since the poll began in 1984.

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HUGE Air Drill, Over 130 Command Centers in Russia, CIS on Alert In addition, over 100 aircraft have been scrambled as part of the drill Originally appeared at RT Over 100 fighter jets, long-range bombers and combat helicopters have been scrambled at their bases across Russia and six post-Soviet states as the allies prepare to test their integrated air defense system in a massive military exercise. More than 130 command and control centers have been put on alert in Russia and six former Soviet republics – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. All the countries contribute to the integrated air defense system overseen by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – an alliance of former Soviet republics that emerged after the collapse of the USSR. The large-scale military exercise is to train high-readiness forces in dealing with “airspace violations, including by hijacked aircraft” as well as “assisting crews of aircraft in distress,” the ministry added. Some 100 aircraft, including Su-27, MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets, Su-24 and Su-34 bombers, as well as Su-25 ground attack jets and combat helicopters provided by the allies, are expected to take part in the drill. Troops from electronic warfare and surface-to-air missile units are also participating. The exercise started at 8am Moscow time with Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 aircraft given the roles of aggressor. The planes, simulating an adversary force, were spotted over Eastern European and Central Asian airspaces, the Russian military said. All units are being coordinated from a Russian Air Force command center located outside Moscow. The joint CIS air defense system, established in 1995, currently focuses on protecting the ex-Soviet countries’ airspace as well as providing air or missile strike early warnings and coordinated responses. Russia contributes the bulk of the system’s early warning and air defense capacities, with short- and long-range radar stations monitoring the area. Notably, the system does not have a single commander. It is collectively controlled by the chiefs of the air defense forces of the member states themselves. Bilateral air defense systems between Russia and its neighbors have also been established in recent years. Last December, an air defense agreement between Russia and Armenia was signed by the two countries’ defense ministers, Sergey Shoigu and Seyran Oganyan, respectively. In 2013 Moscow signed a separate treaty on a joint regional air defense system with Kazakhstan. Russian and Belarusian anti-aircraft missile forces have already been unified into an integrated system designed to contain any security threats in the European theater. Did you enjoy this article? - Consider helping us! Russia Insider depends on your donations: the more you give, the more we can do. $1 $10 Other amount If you wish you make a tax-deductible contribution of $1,000 or more, please visit our Support page for instructions Click here for our commenting guidelines On fire

Who needs family when you have a neighborhood mentor who can teach you the value of racism, communism and hate for America?In his 1995 book, Dreams from My Father, Barack Obama never discussed the identity of the mysterious Frank who had given him important advice on growing up black in what was described as a white racist world. We learned in 2008 that Frank was Frank Marshall Davis, a member of the Communist Party who was the subject of a 600-page FBI file. Still, the major media never asked Obama about this important relationship during his growing up years in Hawaii.Now, in an extraordinary development, video of Obama explicitly and openly identifying Frank as Frank Marshall Davis has suddenly surfaced on the Internet. The footage is said to have been recorded on September 20, 1995, with the program originally airing on Channel 37 Cambridge Municipal Television as an episode of the show, The Author Series. It s not clear how many saw this program when it aired. For some reason, this From the Vault Barack Obama presentation was just recently posted on YouTube. In the video, Obama is introduced as a Harvard Law School student and President of the Harvard Law Review. He discusses Frank as Frank Marshall Davis at about 8:37 in the video.In his remarks, Obama never identifies Davis as a communist or even a leftist. But the remarks do reflect the significant influence that Davis had over his young life as he was growing up in Hawaii. Obama talks about how Davis schools him on the subject of race relations. The term implies a teacher-student relationship the two of them had, confirming what we had reported back in 2008, that Davis had functioned as Obama s mentor. It s important to understand what Obama is saying here. Getting ready to read directly from his book, Dreams from My Father, Obama talks about the passages ending with me having a conversation with a close friend of my maternal grandfather, a close friend of gramps, a black man from Kansas, named Frank, actually at the time a fairly well-known poet named Frank Marshall Davis, who had moved to Hawaii and lived there, and so I have a discussion with him about the kinds of frustrations I m having, and he sorts of schools me that I should get used to these frustrations Davis was indeed a black poet. His works included attacks on Christianity. One Davis poem referred to Christ irreverently as a nigger. Davis was himself an atheist.However, Davis was better known as a communist propagandist whose work for the Communist Party in Hawaii earned him surveillance by the FBI and placement on its security index. Davis was also a pornographer who engaged in bizarre sexual practices, even pedophilia.Needless to say, Obama s willingness to identify Frank as Davis before this audience raises questions as to why Frank wasn t identified by his full name Frank Marshall Davis in the book itself. Obama made references to Frank 22 times throughout his book. Paul Kengor notes that Obama s audio version of Dreams from My Father omitted every reference to Frank that was in the book. Those omissions were clearly designed to keep people from asking questions about Frank, since Obama was considering a run for the presidency.Today, in 2015, discovering film of Obama identifying Frank as Davis is confirmation of the obvious. It doesn t make a lot of difference politically, since Obama is serving out his second term. But it could have made a difference seven years ago, in 2008, when we identified Frank as Davis, during Obama s campaign for his first term in office.The clip of Obama talking about Davis during his 1995 Cambridge presentation is important for other reasons, however.By his own admission, Obama was preoccupied with his own feelings and thoughts about race relations. He saw himself as an angry young man whose father was absent from his life. He said he was without father figures around who might guide and steer my anger. That s significant because it s clear, from the passages he reads, that Davis became that father figure. Davis was indeed picked by his white grandfather to be a role model or father figure for the young Barack Obama.In the passages he read back in 1995, Obama discussed inviting some white friends to a black party and seeing them squirm. They re trying to tap their foot to the beat and being extraordinarily friendly, he said. They are trying to fit in but they are uncomfortable and they tell Obama they want to leave. Obama concluded, What I have had to put up with every day of my life is something that they find so objectionable that they can t even put up with a day. This is like a revelation to Obama about the world of white racism. All of this he says triggers something in his head and he comprehends a new map of the world. He gets a sense of the anger and betrayal in society and even in his own family, where he is being raised by his white grandfather, Gramps, and white grandmother, Toot. This leads him to seek advice from Frank. Frank Marshall Davis then sort of schools me that I should get used to these frustrations, Obama says.The passages that he reads from the book before the Cambridge audience include a discussion of when his own white grandmother was accosted by a black panhandler. Davis told Obama that his grandmother was right to be scared and that She understands that black people have reason to hate. In other words, Davis did not encourage Obama to pursue racial harmony or reconciliation. He told Obama that blacks have a reason, or right, to hate.Via:AIM.comh/t Weasel Zippers

This is so over the top it s not funny. I m a huge advocate of parents being there for the kids but a felony charge? Held overnight in jail? Does anyone out there have anything new to add to this or is it a case of our ever overreaching government getting into our business?If this doesn t convince lawmakers that they had better start revising the child neglect laws and convince politicians that supporting Free-Range legislation would be a great, vote-getting platform I m not sure what will. I got this letter a week ago and was waiting for the mom s permission to run it. Got it. Boldface mine:My children are not free range children. The younger one has always had a baby sitter. The older one who just turned 11 a couple of weeks ago always had a baby sitter as well. This school year that changed. The eleven year old comes home and is met by his dad who lets him in the house. In the event dad isn t here on time, his instructions are to wait in the backyard until I come home about 20 minutes later.On this particular day, a little more than a month ago, both dad and I were both running late due bad traffic and rain. We were about and hour and a half late. When we arrived the police had been anonymously called and we were arrested for child neglect.We still do not have our children, we are fighting for our own freedom and due to the nature of my employment I am no longer employed. My son was in his own yard playing basketball, not in the street or at the park. The authorities claim he had no access to water or shelter. We have an open shed in the back yard and 2 working sinks and 2 hoses. They said he had no food. He ate his snacks already. He had no bathroom, but the responding officer found our yard good enough to relieve himself in while our son sat in a police car alone. In his own yard, in a state, Florida, that has no minimum age for children to be alone. If you have any advice for what I should do I will accept it.The advice I gave was to contact The National Association of Parents, which fights for the rights of parents (including the Meitivs) to raise their kids without government interference, except in cases of clear and convincing evidence of actual or imminent harm. That threshhold is a far cry from whatever horrors are visited upon tweens playing basketball while waiting for their parents to get home. (To support the Association of Parents with a donation, go here.)Then on Friday, the mom wrote back:I just wanted to give you an update. Our sons were returned to us on Tuesday/Wednesday in the children s court/DCF with adjudication withheld. However the criminal prosecutor is not dropping the charges as of today. We have to appear in the criminal court on June 11th to put in our plea. I would love to speak to someone however due to my job (which is still on the line) I don t know if it will make it better or worse. I am a state and county employee with the school system and I was made to sign a paper stating I would not speak with teachers parents or students regarding the matter.That being said, it is possible this mom will never talk publicly about this case. Even so, WE should talk about it. It is time to rein in the power of the state to turn parents into criminals simply because they are imperfect.Perfection is impossible in this world, and if the government is allowed to hound a family whose plans got mildly screwed up, it can hound every single one of us.Via: Free Range Kids

Despite massive boycott threats by consumers, at least 3 major sponsors of the NFL have come out in support of players disrespecting our flag and our veterans. NFL players have joined the now unemployed 49 ers QB Colin Kaepernick to take a knee on the field during our national anthem as a way to show support for the Black Lives Matter anti-cop movement. The protest exploded over the weekend when President Trump spoke out against the disrespect NFL players are showing for our flag, turning the protest into an anti-Trump protest for players who many believe are still angry that Trump won the election, defeating the seriously flawed Democrat candidate, Hillary Clinton.Ford Motor Co., Armour Inc., and Anheuser-Busch InBev SA issued statements that affirmed NFL players rights to kneel during the pre-game national anthem, while also sounding patriotic notes and affirming their support for the flag.Ford Motor Co, one of the biggest sponsors of the NFL just revealed that they are supporting the national anthem protests. We respect individuals rights to express their views, even if they are not ones we share, Ford stated. That s part of what makes America great. Ford Motor Co chairman Martha Firestone Ford took her support for the players anti-cop, Black Lives Matter and anti-President Trump protests one step further when she joined her players on the field and linked arms with her daughters. The tangled responses are the latest version of the challenges faced by corporations in a world in which the president makes public demands and denouncements of companies via Twitter. General Motors Co., Campbell Soup Co., ESPN parent Walt Disney Co. and Uber Technologies Inc. have all faced calls for boycotts related to their perceived support of or distance from the White House. BloombergAmericans are not as easily fooled by the actions of these disrespectful athletes and the team owners, as they work together with the media in an attempt to weaken and discredit our President for having the audacity to stand up for America, our flag and for the honor of every brave man and woman who have sacrificed their lives for our great nation.One of the great things about America is that consumers can decide not to purchase merchandise or goods from companies who continue to advertise with the NFL.

Unable to spew her lies and excuses on CNN, Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News instead on Sunday to defend her Bowling Green massacre remarks and lash out at her critics.During an interview with Chris Matthews on MSNBC last week, Conway referenced an investigation that occurred during the Obama Administration in order to Donald Trump s unconstitutional Muslim ban that he signed over a week ago and caused worldwide chaos ever since.Conway claimed that President Obama banned immigration from Iraq for six months after two Iraqi immigrants were caught plotting a terrorist attack and were arrested in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I bet it s brand new information to people that President Obama had a 6-month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized and they were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre. It didn t get covered. Donald Trump used the same claim to defend his ban.However, Politifact pointed out that Trump s claim that his ban is the same is a lie.Trump said, My policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months. The Obama administration in 2011 delayed processing Iraqi refugees for six months following evidence of a failed plot by two Iraqi refugees.Trump s executive order temporarily bars travel to the United States for all citizens from seven countries, and it is not in direct response to actions from citizens of those countries.Furthermore, Iraqi refugees were nonetheless admitted to the United States during the 2011 suspension while Trump has put an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees.We rate Trump s claim Mostly False.So Conway just got busted for lying. And she proceeded to lie more during her interview on Fox. They re masterminds, I had said that before, Conway said. I should have said plot or I should have just called them terrorists. I clarified immediately. I should have said terrorists and not massacre. I m sure it will live on for a week. First of all, switching words would make Conway s statement to Chris Matthews make even less sense. They were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green terrorists, is how it would read.Second, Conway did not immediately correct her own claim. She waited 13 hours and by the time she corrected herself, her comments were all over the news. She literally made up a fake terrorist attack to justify Trump s travel ban.Conway called her critics haters and complained that she only misspoke by one word. I misspoke one word. The corrections in the newspapers that are attacking me are three paragraphs long every day. Seriously. And Trump supporters think liberals are snowflakes. Kellyanne Conway s skin is just as thin as Trump s.Featured image via Yana Paskova/Getty Images

It s a pretty safe bet that the press isn t able to reveal any bad blood between Donald and his second wife or we wouldn t even have to ask, Whatever happened to Trump s second wife?

Email This kid just seriously hit the jackpot. Fifteen-year-old Taylor Hutton has known that he’s gay for as long as he can remember, and over the past few months he’s been working up the courage to finally tell his friends and family the truth. Taylor even planned to film some of those moments and post them on YouTube, in hopes that they might help other kids going through a similar experience. But just when this teen was ready to stop hiding who he really is, something incredible happened: Donald Trump and Mike Pence were elected into the White House, and Taylor just got another four years to plan his viral coming-out video! Um, luckiest teen ever? Up until now, Taylor figured he’d just prop his iPhone up to record the moment he came out to his parents, but after watching the presidential election results come in last night, Taylor knew that he needed to scrap that plan immediately. This lucky teen now has until at least 2020 before he can safely come out of the closet, and that’s more than enough time to come up with the sort of next-level viral video idea that could seriously break the internet! Instead of releasing some half-baked, hastily edited video on his YouTube channel this spring, Taylor will now get to spend at least the next four years of a Trump/Pence administration dreaming up the most heartwarming and totally shareable coming-out video imaginable. And depending on how the next election goes, this kid just might get the chance to keep brainstorming camera angles and staging options in his head until he’s well into his mid-20s or older. So awesome! With cameras only getting better and better, it’s possible that four years from now we’ll even get to witness Taylor finally arrive at some sort of peace with himself in stunning, crystal-clear 8K resolution. Best of luck to you over the next four years, Taylor! We can’t wait for you to release that coming-out video as soon as doing so doesn’t put you under immediate danger from your own government. With all that extra time to plan it out, it’s going to be so great!

Donald Trump has been described by many as sounding like a comic book villain come to life, and now veteran Star Wars icon Mark Hamill just proved it to the entire world.Writer Matt Oswalt (brother of comedian Patton Oswalt) pointed out on Twitter that Trump s weird-sounding New Year s tweet message sounded just like something The Joker would say right before releasing a swarm of killer bees into Gotham. this sounds like something the Joker would say right before releasing a swarm of killer bees into Gotham https://t.co/SyKsCHvyuh Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) December 31, 2016Well on the internet, you truly never know who is listening at any given moment. After playing Luke Skywalker (of course) in the original Star Wars trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi), Mark Hamill has for years led a double life as the Joker. He has appeared in several Batman and DC Comics animated TV shows, movies, and video games voicing the deranged serial killer clown.And now he is using his voiceover magic for something truly useful, mocking Trump.After Oswalt s message, Hamill posted a tweet with an audio clip attached of him reading Trump as if he were the Joker:The Trumpster quote #1#ANewJeersToast https://t.co/qZQEGU18r6 Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) January 8, 2017The hilarious tweet went viral right away, and it scarily shows how much of a matchup there is between the Clown Prince of Crime and the Clownish Politician. Hamill labeled his audio clip as quote #1 so there will obviously be some clamor for a followup, perhaps even an animated Trump/Joker matchup of some sort?Oswalt also suggested what sounds like a multi-million dollar idea: BILLION DOLLAR IDEA: an App that you can feed every Trump tweet into that plays it back in @HamillHimself Joker voice. You re welcome. It s sad that America will have to suffer for at least four years under a leader who clearly would be right at home inside a comic book, but he is already showing us that he will be a boon to comedians and other creatives, to allow us to deal with the havoc he wreaks. Save us, Batman.Featured image via YouTube/Flickr

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of Democrats in Congress urged the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission in a letter this week to conduct a more in-depth review of online retailer Amazon.com Inc’s plan to buy grocer Whole Foods Market Inc. The lawmakers asked that the review include consideration of what effect the $13.7 billion deal could have on access to healthy foods in so-called food deserts where residents may have limited access to fresh groceries. “While we do not oppose the merger at this time, we are concerned about what this merger could mean for African-American communities across the country already suffering from a lack of affordable healthy food choices from grocers,” the letter said on Thursday. The letter was signed by U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge and 11 other Democrats, including Senator Cory Booker. Amazon and Whole Foods hope to expand access to fresh food, said Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice president of policy, in a letter to Fudge, also on Thursday. “We agree with you that access to food is an important issue for the country, and we share your goal of improving that access,” Huseman said in the letter. Amazon has lobbied to be able to accept food stamps online and is participating in a pilot program. “We deliver low-cost, healthy food to zip codes across the country that before Amazon had limited access to a large selection of high quality foods,” Huseman wrote to Fudge. Fudge’s letter was made public by the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW), which represents many of the unionized grocery workers in the United States. Fudge’s office confirmed she had sent the letter. Amazon’s plan announced in June to buy premium grocer Whole Foods roiled the grocery industry and sparked worries the deal could raise prices, reduce the quality of products and hurt employment. Still, most antitrust experts expect the Federal Trade Commission to approve the planned merger. The letter asking for more scrutiny was praised by the UFCW union. “Political concerns about Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods are growing for good reason,” UFCW President Marc Perrone said on Friday. “Amazon’s monopolistic desire to control the retail market and replace good jobs with automation is not only a direct threat to the hard-working men and women at Whole Foods, it’s also a direct threat to our economy and consumers.” Amazon has sought to dispute that it would monopolize the grocery industry. Wal-Mart Stores Inc currently controls the largest market share. “We also do not plan job reductions as part of the acquisition, which if approved would result in a company with a combined less than 3 percent of national grocery sales,” Huseman wrote.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are pushing to hold Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray in contempt of Congress for refusing to respond sufficiently to congressional subpoenas. A report released on Friday by Republican staff of the House Financial Services Committee argued there was “ample evidence” to hold Cordray in contempt because of his alleged failure to fully comply with subpoena requests. Republicans on the panel have been fiercely critical of the CFPB’s regulatory work. The report marked the most direct threat yet to pursue legal action against Cordray, who was appointed by Democratic former President Barack Obama after the agency was created under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law. The subpoenas sought records tied to the CFPB’s successful efforts to ban mandatory arbitration clauses from financial contracts, including communications between CFPB staff and meetings with outside groups. The ban, hailed by consumer advocates, was finalized in July but Republicans in Congress are working to overturn it. Republicans demanded the documents as part of a probe into rulemaking, and whether the rules regarding mandatory arbitration clauses were written in a proper fashion. Mandatory arbitration clauses require consumers to resolve any disputes through arbitration instead of joining together in class-action lawsuits. Republican staff on the House banking panel had suggested in June that Cordray could face contempt charges for insufficient responses to congressional queries, but Friday’s report took the conflict to new heights. A committee spokesman, Jeff Emerson, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the panel would actually seek contempt charges. In response to the report, CFPB spokeswoman Jen Howard said the agency had already produced “thousands of pages” in response to the requests and was endeavoring to do more. “We will continue our efforts to understand how we can respond to the committee in a satisfactory manner,” she said in a statement to Reuters. In the past, Cordray has criticized similar panel subpoenas as overly broad and confusing. Representative Jeb Hensarling, who chairs the committee, has been one of Cordray’s outspoken critics, and demanded in the past that Republican President Donald Trump fire him as director. Democrats have rallied behind Cordray and the agency since its creation. “The Republican attacks on Director Cordray and the Consumer Bureau are entirely baseless, and there are no grounds at all for them to hold the Director in contempt,” Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on Hensarling’s panel, said in a statement to Reuters.

Labor Day is the one day every year when we come together as a nation to celebrate the achievements of the American worker and the history of the labor movement in this country. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will join President Obama (who spent the weekend meeting with G20 leaders issued a Labor Day message on September 1) as well as a variety of politicians and public officials from across the country, in commemorating the day. You can bet that their lofty rhetoric will be accompanied by a promise to restore the nation to its manufacturing heyday. At the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, for instance, Clinton promised to push policies that will help foster a “manufacturing renaissance.”  Not to be outdone, Donald Trump has long said he will be “the greatest job-producing president in American history.” What neither Clinton, Trump, Obama, or any other public official is likely to do on Labor Day, however, is to level with the American worker. None of them are likely to confess the hard truth: the jobs they keep talking about bringing back to the United States are not coming back. None of them are likely to have the guts and foresight to tell the public that instead of making empty promises they will focus their energy on helping the American worker prepare for a time, in the next decade or so, in which many of the tasks they perform at their current job are increasingly automated. None of them are likely to acknowledge what is the reality: that we need to prepare collectively for “new” types of work and learn to co-exist in an economy alongside artificial intelligence and robotics. How do we know these jobs are not returning? Consider the following evidence. First, over the last several years, a small but growing number of companies have reopened factories in the United States. Unfortunately, jobs have not returned with them because many of these plants are increasingly automated. Second, since 2009, manufacturing output has increased more than twenty percent, but that hasn’t resulted in an equivalent increase in the number of jobs, i.e., manufacturing employment has grown just five percent in the same period. Third, manufacturing output is higher than it has been for decades – it is up $2.2 trillion in 2015 from $1.7 trillion in 2009. Despite this, employment in the sector is lower than it has been since the mid-twentieth century and total employment has decreased by a third since 1970. Automation is not the sole reason for this, but it is seen by most experts as an increasingly important factor. In 2014 almost half of the leading economists and other experts interviewed for a PEW research study said that they “envision a future in which robots and digital agents have displaced significant numbers of both blue- and white-collar workers—with many expressing concern that this will lead to vast increases in income inequality, masses of people who are effectively unemployable, and breakdowns in the social order.” There is no question that a portion of the jobs many of us perform today will be lost to robotics, automation, and the rise of artificial intelligence in the next few decades. A recent study by AppliedTechonomics, for instance, found that we currently have the technological capacity to automate 52 percent of the activities performed by workers in the manufacturing sectors. Moreover, the study found that manufacturing is the second most automatable sector in the global economy, just behind the services industry. Given this reality it is bordering on malpractice that our current candidates and public officials have not done more to help prepare us all for a future in which accelerated technological change has a major impact on our labor force. There are many steps we can take to confront that reality -- from better education and training for impacted workers, to more controversial proposals like offering incentives to corporations to encourage them not to automate at such a fast past or even providing a guaranteed minimum income to everyone in our country. There is much that can and should be done to prepare all of us for the future, beginning with an honest discussion about the changes workers are going to face – prepared or not – in the coming years. Labor Day 2016 is not too late to begin having this discussion. Our current crop of candidates, as well as our elected leaders, have a responsibility to all Americans to get the conversation started. Saquib Hyat-Khan is Founder and Chief Executive at AppliedTechonomics. Jeanne Zaino, Ph.D. is professor of Political Science and International Studies at Iona College and Senior Advisor at AppliedTechonomics, Public Sector. Follow her on Twitter @JeanneZaino.

MADRID (Reuters) - Peruvian Nobel prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa said on Tuesday that Donald Trump was a “clown” and a “racist” who would doom the Republican party to defeat if it chose him as its candidate for November’s U.S. presidential election. “He is a danger to the United States,” said Vargas Llosa, who himself ran as a center-right candidate for the Peruvian presidency in 1990. “It is a country that is too important for the rest of the world to have in the White House a clown, a demagogue and a racist like Mr Trump,” he told a news conference in Madrid to launch his new novel, “Cinco esquinas” (“Five Corners”). Trump, the frontrunner in the Republican primaries, has said he wants to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and deport 11 million illegal immigrants. He also suggested, at his campaign launch last June, that Mexican immigrants were rapists and drug dealers. Vargas Llosa said Trump’s “seemingly unstoppable” campaign would guarantee another term for the Democratic party. “Hillary Clinton surely will win a massive victory if the Republican candidate is Donald Trump,” he said. Vargas Llosa, 79, won the Nobel Literature Prize in 2010 and now lives mainly in Madrid. He is known for books such as “The Time of the Hero” that explore Latin America’s structures of political power. (This version of the story corrects translation in headline and first and third paragraphs to “racist” from “fascist”) (Reporting by Angus Berwick; Editing by Sonya Dowsett and Kevin Liffey) This article was funded in part by SAP. It was independently created by the Reuters editorial staff. SAP had no editorial involvement in its creation or production.