During a broadcast segment on MSNBC Chris Matthews is discussing 2020 politics while a monitor displays the live broadcast of the Trump rally in South Carolina. Then things get really squirly, uncomfortable and weird.  Cringeworthy.
Matthews has Democrat senate candidate Jamie Harrison on satellite feed to participate in the interview and somehow confuses Senator Tim Scott on the monitor with Jamie Harrison because, well, apparently… all black guys look alike, or something.  WATCH:
[wpvideo xUau8vqF]
(more…)

In the background of the impeachment effort the House Judiciary Committee (HJC) led by Chairman Jerry Nadler was seeking: (1) Mueller grand jury material; (2) a deposition by former White House counsel Don McGahn; and less importantly (3) Trump financial and tax records.  Each of these cases were then argued in federal court, appellate courts (6e and McGahn) and the supreme court (financials/taxes).
In November 2019 activist Federal District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ruled Don McGahn must appear before Congress; however, she also ruled McGahn retained the ability to “invoke executive privilege where appropriate” during his appearance.
The White House appealed the ruling to the DC appellate court on constitutional grounds.  Today a three judge panel from the DC circuit agreed with the White House position.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump scored a major legal victory on Friday when a federal appeals court panel ruled Democrats have no right to hear testimony from former White House counsel Don McGahn.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s ruling overturned a lower court decision requiring McGahn’s testimony and told the judge presiding over the case to dismiss it outright. The ruling is a blow to House Democrats’ attempts to break the Trump administration’s intransigent stance that it can block Congress from talking to witnesses. (link)

This ruling also undermines the ridiculous “obstruction” article of impeachment because it shows the White House had a justifiable and constitutional argument to make against the House in the judicial branch.  The issue at stake was  whether the legislative branch can penetrate the constitutional firewall which exists within the separation of powers.
(more…)

Well, it might not exactly be the best endorsement for the American political aspirations of Bernie Sanders but the official communist propaganda outlet in Cuba, Granma, is heaping high praise upon Bernie “Fidel” Sanders for his support for the communist regime.

Miami Herald – Granma, the Communist Party newspaper, prominently displayed a report about Sanders and his praise of “some of the social programs implemented by the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro.”
“U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, today one of the strongest candidates for the nomination of the Democratic Party to the November presidential elections, recognized Cuba’s role in sending doctors worldwide,” Granma said. (more)

[You can read the communist praise here] Meanwhile, in directly related news, Bernie Sanders has plummeted to third place in the latest poll of Florida Democrats.  Early voting is underway and election day is March 17th.
(more…)

It’s a great time to be watching Democrat politics and the unending efforts of the national media to protect them from themselves.
The leading candidate for the Democrat party is an avowed socialist, Fidel Sanders.
Meanwhile, the strongest fall-back candidate for the party that rails against the rich; the only candidate likely to save them from Fidel; is a former republican billionaire, mini-mike Bloomberg.  The former New York City mayor Bloomberg made himself famous by railing against guns, soda, Slurpees, salt, and hot-dogs at baseball games.  You couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried.

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said she would be comfortable with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as the Democratic presidential nominee in November.
The congresswoman was asked the question as she was leaving a closed-door meeting in the House basement Wednesday morning.  She replied with one word: “Yes.” (link)

Tonight at 8:00pm ET the fifth Democrat presidential debate will take place in Charleston, South Carolina. The debate is sponsored by CBS and will broadcast on CBS networks.
The debate will include: former Vice President Joe Biden; former New York Mayor Mini-Mike Bloomberg; former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Amy Klobuchar and billionaire Tom Steyer.
There will be no opening or closing statements, but all candidates will get a closing question. Candidates will have one minute and 15 seconds to answer direct questions and 45 seconds for rebuttals.
CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell and CBS pundit Gayle King will moderate the debate; with additional questioning by “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan, chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett and “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker.

(more…)

Earlier today Dr. Nancy Messonnier, an official in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), held a conference call with media and pushed a panic narrative around the Coronvirus that ran counter to the Trump administration.
What makes the statements by Dr. Messonnier even more interesting is the fact she is the only sister of former DOJ Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Dr. Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (link) told reporters on the call:

“We are asking the American public to work with us to prepare for the expectation that this could be bad.” … “I understand this whole situation may seem overwhelming and that disruption to everyday life may be severe. But these are things that people need to start thinking about now.” (link)

The alarming message from Dr. Messonnier was quickly picked up by most major news organizations and pushed into all reporting on the issue.  The tone of the alarm is also counter to the message of the Trump administration and HHS Secretary Alex Azar, as outlined in a press conference with leadership from U.S. Health and Human Services.
(more…)

Against the backdrop of a then pending OIG FISA report, in December of 2019 buried deep in the congressional budget Continuing Resolution (CR) was a short-term extension to reauthorize the FISA “business records provision”, the “roving wiretap” provision, the “lone wolf” provision, and the more controversial bulk metadata provisions [Call Detail Records (CDR)], all parts of the Patriot Act.
As a result of the FISA CR inclusion the terminal deadline was pushed to March 15, 2020:

FISA Court judges Rosemary Collyer (declassified 2017) and James Boasberg (declassified 2019) both identified issues with the NSA bulk database collection program being exploited for unauthorized reasons.  For the past several years no corrective action taken by the intelligence community has improved the abuses outlined by the FISA court.  The sketchy programs, and abuse therein, needs more public attention.
However, there is now a confluence of events highlighting a likelihood congress and the intelligence apparatus writ large want to reauthorize the FISA surveillance and collection authorities without further sunlight and without public input. Here’s what’s going on….
(more…)

Against the latest revelations that Ms. Shelby Pierson in the office of the Director of National Intelligence, manufactured false and misleading briefing material on Russian efforts to influence the U.S. election, it is interesting to watch the mainstream media create fake news stories attempting to exploit Ms. Pierson’s falsehoods.
During a pre-taped broadcast CBS’s Margaret Brennan questions National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien about the now identified false briefing material that was never shared with the White House prior to misrepresenting the intelligence to congress.  WATCH (transcript below):

.
[Transcript] – PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: They’re trying to start a rumor. It’s disinformation. That’s the only thing they’re good at, that Putin wants to make sure I get elected. Listen to this. So, doesn’t he want to see who the Democrat’s going to be? Wouldn’t he rather have, let’s say, Bernie, wouldn’t he rather have Bernie who honeymooned in Moscow?
(more…)

The Nevada Caucuses are taking place today to select the Democrat presidential candidate. For the first time this year Nevada had early caucuses voting last week and there were a great deal of votes cast.
Caucuses begin at Noon local time, 3:00pm Eastern.  Due to early caucus voting we should start to see some results around 4:00pm to 4:30pm as precincts call-in their results.

♦ New York Times Nevada Results LINK

♦ CNN News Nevada Results Link

♦ Politico Nevada Results Link

♦ Reno Gazette Nevada Results Link

The CIA leaks narrative spin to the Washington Post. The FBI leaks their narrative spin to the New York Times; and the State Dept. primarily uses CNN for the same purposes. This media distribution model is the one constant in an ever changing universe.
Today’s Club narrative was too predictable.  Everyone who does not support the DC intel apparatchik immediately becomes a Russian asset. Now, “according to people familiar with the matter”, the Russians are trying to help Bernie Sanders:

WaPo – U.S. officials have told Sen. Bernie Sanders that Russia is attempting to help his presidential campaign as part of an effort to interfere with the Democratic contest, according to people familiar with the matter.
(more…)