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Keeping Jussie Smollett’s criminal records under wraps is pointless since the high-profile charges against him — and their subsequent bombshell dismissal — made news all over the world, attorneys for the Chicago Tribune and other news organizations argued Thursday in court in a bid to unseal the files. “There is no way to secrete the fact of Jussie Smollett’s arrest. At this point it is widely and publicly known from here to Helsinki and back,” said Natalie Spears, a Tribune attorney. “No potential employer, let alone anyone with a pulse, does not know about Jussie Smollett’s arrest at this point.”...

Friday on MSNBC’s “Deadline,” network host Al Sharpton said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena to hand over President Donald Trump’s tax returns as part of the president’s stonewalling strategy because he “knows what’s in the documents.” Sharpton said, “He knows what’s in the documents. It may be he’s saying I lose less fighting than if they get the documents, because he knows what we all don’t know and he knows what could hurt him.” He continued, “And that’s what I think the Democrats ought to be saying is, ‘you really can’t afford for...

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) appeared on Fox News’ “Hannity” this week to discuss the origins of the Steele dossier. He said it should really be called the “Simpson” dossier. Although Christopher Steele likely contributed “stories” to the dossier, and his years of experience in British intelligence lent credence to the document, Nunes believes that Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson may actually have written the majority of it. In his book “Spygate,” journalist Dan Bongino makes the same case. He points out the striking similarities between articles Simpson and his wife, Mary Jacoby wrote for the Wall Street Journal in 2007...

A South Florida mayor has offered up a proposal to deal with the Trump administration’s plan to release hundreds of asylum seekers into two of the region’s counties: bring them to Trump hotels and ask President Donald Trump to open up his own “heart and home.” Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen said in a statement on Thursday that he had been informed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials that the agency planned to release hundreds of asylum-seeking families caught crossing into the U.S. into his county each month on a weekly basis, without any apparent plans to address their...

TUCSON, Ariz., May 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Green New Deal proponent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) now reportedly says that her Apocalypse Now prediction—that the world will end in 12 years—was a joke, taken seriously only by people with "the intelligence of a sea sponge." And President Donald Trump has called the Green New Deal a hoax. The proposal has not been withdrawn, and is endorsed by leading Democrat Presidential candidates. Schoolchildren are still being terrified about climate change destroying their future. "The Green New Deal is hardly new, and proponents are deadly serious," states its Physicians for Civil Defense president Jane...

In response to new statistics revealing the United States has hit its lowest birth rate in 32 years, Independent Women's Forum senior policy analyst Patrice Onwuka argued that rhetoric from the political left is contributing to women rethinking the decision to have children.

This election is huge. Consider. Greens leader Richard Di Natale: This is a climate change election. Labor leader Bill Shorten: This election is all about climate change. Guardian Australia editor Katherine Murphy: 2019 is the climate change election. It was indeed, and they lost. The Liberals look like being returned in a miracle come-from-behind performance, although they will have to form a minority government. In Queensland, where Labor seemed set to stop the giant Adani coal project, Labor went from picking up an expected three or four seats to losing three instead. (Adani will now almost certainly proceed. The Queensland...

Coalition has won the Australia election after Bill Shorten concedes Labor defeat. Follow all the updates and analysis, live o Live election results as they come in o Which policies have gained support in today’s vote? o The swingometer: see which electorates are swinging

Scott Morrison has defied years of opinion polls and public expectation to lead the Coalition to a shock election victory. "I have always believed in miracles," the Prime Minister declared as he claimed victory. The result is a crushing defeat for the Labor Party, which was confident it could win majority government tonight, after six years of Coalition Government and leadership instability. "It's always been for those of you watching this at home tonight, for me and for my Government, for all of my team, it's all about you," he told supporters shortly after midnight. "Tonight is not about me...

The Allied Pilots Association grabbed national headlines this week when its president released a secret audio recording, in which American Airlines pilots can be heard asking Boeing officials tough questions about the safety of the 737 MAX aircraft. But some association members are furious with the decision to release the audio by President Dan Carey, who is in the midst of a heated runoff election to keep his seat at the top of the pilots’ labor union. The comments by pilots heard in the recording, which was first published by The Dallas Morning News, seemed to contradict the official position...

The Democrats have set a fairly low bar to qualify for the first round of debates this summer, but it’s still a bar nonetheless. Not everyone is on track to meet it either. The ones in danger of not making the cut include New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, despite having gotten into the race relatively early and being the beneficiary of significant earned media. And now New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is in the race (for some reason) and is facing the same challenges. Will he be able to qualify? Even Hizzoner doesn’t seem to think so. (Politico)...

Democratic socialism is working in Venezuela. It’s working to make everyone miserable and hungry. The sign in the photo reads: “Maduro is hunger.” The NY Times reports the economic decline Venezuelans are now experiencing is unsurpassed in the past 45 years outside of countries in the midst of war:

It's a row that goes to the heart of how children should be prepared for life in modern Britain. Parents have been demonstrating for weeks outside their children's primary schools in Birmingham because they're unhappy that children are being taught that it is okay to be gay. The parents at Anderton Park Primary and Parkfield Community School say it contradicts their religious beliefs. The vast majority of pupils at the schools are Muslims. The protests have forced Parkfield to pull the lessons while they consult with parents. The headteacher at Anderton Park is adamant nothing will change despite facing daily...

Join Freepers throughout the world to pray for PRESIDENT TRUMP and VICE-PRESIDENT PENCE and for AMERICA: All Levels of Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, Health Care Systems and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. —1 John 5:14 <[> Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. Please join us in prayer for mercy and healing for our nation.

Former Vice President Joe Biden will head to Philadelphia Saturday, for the third and final phase of his presidential campaign rollout -- making his pitch to unite the country. Biden will hold his first campaign rally in Eakin’s Oval near the famous "Rocky steps" of the Philadelphia Art Museum Saturday afternoon. The rally, which was announced the same day Biden officially entered the race in April, will focus on his vision “for unifying America with respected leadership on the world stage -- and dignified leadership at home,” according to a press release from the campaign. The event is seen as...

When Buttigieg . . . broke through as a candidate during a CNN town hall in March, he . . . questioned the merits of the fixation among religious conservatives with sexuality in paragraph-length answers that his friends from his Harvard years recognized immediately as quintessential, undergraduate Pete. *** Whether he’s arguing that Democrats should take back God, morality, and freedom from Republicans or that liberals too often play on conservatives’ political turf instead of articulating their own vision and values, Buttigieg’s rhetoric as a candidate sounds nearly identical to his political musings when he was at Harvard, according to...

Bill Shorten has conceded defeat and called on Labor's supporters to respect the election result, revealing he is standing down as leader of the party in the wake of its defeat. "I know that you're all hurting. And I am too," he told supporters in Melbourne just after 11:30pm. "It is obvious that Labor will not be able to form the next government. And so, in the national interest, a short time ago I called Scott Morrison to congratulate him. "I wish Jenny and their daughters all the very best, and above all, I wish Scott Morrison good fortune and...

The U.S. Senate has confirmed a Beaumont attorney who once ran for Congress to serve as a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Beaumont, drawing praise from Texas' senators.Michael Truncale was recommended to President Donald Trump by Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn after an "extensive" review and interview process, according to a news release from Cruz's office."Michael's legal expertise and devotion to serving his fellow Texans will make him an excellent federal judge," Cornyn said in the release. "I thank my Senate colleagues for supporting his confirmation and wish...

On behalf of LGBTQ San Franciscans and all Americans, I am incredibly proud to have voted to pass H.R. 5, the Equality Act in the House of Representatives today. With this critical legislation, we are one step closer to finally, fully ending discrimination against LGBTQ Americans, and moving our nation closer to fulfilling the promise of equality, opportunity and justice for every American.

Our 'Greeneyes' has gone missing, so I have been asked to keep the Weekly Garden Thread rolling until she returns. If anyone knows her in Real Life, please post here and let us know what her situation is! That said, I will be posting once a week, and I will TRY to stick to her schedule of a Friday Night/Saturday Morning Weekly Post, but it depends upon what is going on here at MY farm. (It's Spring; it's BUSY!) The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete...