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It has been said that the very moment a man finds himself, he finds God. This captures the story of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, a man of deep faith whose youthful struggles with racism caused that faith to be shaken but who later returned to it, more deeply and more resolutely because of his great character and refusal to settle for anything but truth. The new film "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words" will be released in theaters nationwide Jan. 31, exquisitely timed with Black History Month. But this is also a time of great tensions...

An 8-year-old has been denied admittance by several schools because of his hair — and now his mother is fighting for a policy change. Bonnie Miller of the U.K. has been on the lookout for schools her son Farouk James could attend in the future, and two won't allow him in because of his long, natural hair. One of those schools was The London Oratory School — the same school her older son, who is now 23, attended. "I knew about their bad hair policies," Miller told CBS News. The mother said she went through a similar situation with her...

Dissatisfaction with democracy within developed countries is at its highest level in almost 25 years, according to University of Cambridge researchers. Academics have analysed what they say is the biggest global dataset on attitudes towards democracy, based on four million people in 3,500 surveys. The UK and the United States had particularly high levels of discontent. "Across the globe, democracy is in a state of malaise," report author Roberto Foa said. The study, from the University of Cambridge's Centre for the Future of Democracy, has tracked views on democracy since 1995 - with the figures for 2019 showing the proportion...

For most of the past century, the United States was the pre-eminent nation in science and technology. The evidence for that is beyond dispute: Since 1901, American researchers have won more Nobel prizes in medicine, chemistry, and physics than any other nation. Given our history of discovery, innovation, and success, it is not surprising that across the political landscape Americans consider the funding of scientific research to be both a source of pride and a worthy investment. Nevertheless, in his 1961 farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned that the pursuit of government grants would have a corrupting influence on...

Dangerous menaces are spreading from mainland China to the United States. Surgical masks and Big Pharma vaccines, however, won't protect this nation from its infiltration. The problem doesn't lie with bats. It lies with America's batty pursuit of globalization at all costs. Chinese Communist Party agents are using our suicidal pathologies -- blind worship of "diversity," naive exaltation of "cultural exchange" programs, and reckless surrender of our education system -- against us for economic espionage, intellectual property theft and world dominance. While Beltway blowhards rail against foreign interference in our elections, Beijing's hijacking of our classrooms ensues with hardly a...

Apple Inc. shares ticked higher in aftermarket trading after the company posted record quarterly results for its holiday quarter Tuesday afternoon while easily topping expectations. The star of the quarter was the iPhone, as revenue for the category exceeded the FactSet consensus by more than $4 billion. Apple AAPL, +1.75% also saw strong performance once again from its wearables, home and accessories category, with revenue up 37% to $10.01 billion, another beat relative to the consensus view.

U.S President Donald Trump and Israeli President Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a joint address at the White House Tuesday afternoon. The President revealed details of his long-awaited 'Deal of the Century' for Middle East peace. As part of his plan, President Trump declared that Jerusalem would remain the "undivided capital" of Israel. However, he later stated that the Palestinian Arabs would have a capital in eastern Jerusalem. Inside the plan itself, which was released Tuesday, President Trump calls for most of the city to remain unified under Israeli sovereignty, while turning Arab neighborhoods outside of the security barrier into "Al Quds",...

Caballeiro is believed to be driving a white 2001 Chevrolet Express van with a decal that reads “Nesty School Services.” The back left door has a decal that reads “Caution: Transporting Children.” Caballeiro is believed to be driving a white 2001 Chevrolet Express van with a decal that reads “Nesty School Services.” The back left door has a decal that reads “Caution: Transporting Children.” Miami-Dade police said investigators have not called Caballeiro a suspect in the slayings. Police have not said how the women died or if they were related to the baby. Anyone who sees the van is asked...

BEIJING -- Countries began evacuating their citizens Wednesday from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS. The number of confirmed cases jumped to 5,974, surpassing the 5,327 in mainland China during the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003. The death toll rose to 132, which is still lower than the 348 people who were killed in China by SARS. Scientists say there are still many critical questions to be answered about the new virus, including just how transmissible and severe it is. A Japanese flight...

He got a bigger audience from this than he ever gets on his low-rated show. – CNN’s dimwitted, haughty night-time host Don Lemon made actual news over the past two days when he played host to another in a long line of segments ridiculing the average, hard-working Americans who make up the preponderance of President Donald Trump’s support base. In case you’ve managed to miss it to this point, here’s a clip of the segment in question, which apparently took place on Saturday: Col. Rob Maness ret. ✔ @RobManess Will @donlemon have some of us @realDonaldTrump supporters on his show?...

Just days before the 2008 Democratic presidential caucuses in Iowa, Hillary Clinton led Barack Obama by four points in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. Obama took the lead, by a few tenths of one percentage point, literally 24 hours before the caucuses. And then he won by nearly eight points. In retrospect, things were moving very fast in Iowa in those final days before the voting. And now, we are again days away from the Iowa Democratic caucuses. Things might be moving in ways we don't know. Four candidates have held the lead at various times in the Iowa race....

Sad news for salad fans who enjoy the peppery bite of arugula over other lettuces: there's a national shortage. The shortfall is due to the "unexpectedly cold and wet winter weather facing growers throughout the Southwest," according to the New Food Economy. Those harsh conditions "paved the way for the spread of a fungal disease called downy mildew," which has made it difficult to produce healthy crops, the article further explained. The shortage has already been felt by shoppers, purveyors and and diners across the country. In New York, the fast casual Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava posted signs Monday saying...

The Iowa Caucus, the real start of the 2020 presidential primaries, is next week. Who's favored to win? Sadly, as I write this, the smart money says it's the candidate who's promised Americans the most "free" stuff. Six months ago, my staff and I tallied the candidates' promises. All wanted to give away trillions -- or more accurately, wanted government to tax you and spend your money on the candidates' schemes. At that point, Senator Kamala Harris led. Fortunately, her promises did not bring her sustained support, and she dropped out. Unfortunately, now the other candidates are making even more...

Our tune today is Ashes of Love by Johnnie & Jack (1951). THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

3D Printed Gun Hysteria Individuals have been making their own firearms for the entire history of the United States and before. Homemade guns are not as popular as factory-made guns, because factory-made guns are easily and cheaply available in the United States. The Second Amendment has guaranteed that right.It is a part of the right to keep and bear arms to be able to procure arms. A basic and fundamental way to procure arms is to make your own. Most home manufacture of firearms is for hobby or experimental purposes, although considerable homemade guns are produced in localities with extreme...

Shortly before Tuesday's trial session got underway, Sen. Mitt Romney (R., Utah) got busted by the Senate floor staff for bringing a bottle of chocolate milk into the chamber. Mr. Romney retreated to the Republican cloakroom after the staff member appeared gently to chide him. Politico has identified chocolate milk as Mr. Romney's vice. The brand he brought to the Senate floor on Tuesday was from Mr. Romney's alma mater, Brigham Young University, according to an aide.

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Hong Kong (CNN)The number of confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus has overtaken the 2003 SARS outbreak inside of mainland China, as multiple countries evacuated their citizens from the city at the heart of the outbreak.As of Wednesday, there were 5,974 confirmed cases of the virus in mainland China, including 132 deaths, according to China's National Health Commission (NHC). The number of cases grew by almost 1,500 from Tuesday, a more than 30% increase. The figures do not include Hong Kong and Macau, both of which have reported a small number of cases. There have been more than 80 cases...

Every year, between five and 10 movies compete for the Oscars’ Best Picture trophy. It’s the most prestigious award that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences gives out every year, announced right at the end of the ceremony. And there aren’t any set rules about what constitutes a “best” picture. It’s the movie — for better or worse, depending on the year — that Hollywood designates as its standard bearer for the current moment. But it obviously struck a massive nerve with audiences as well as with the industry, which has heaped praise on it beginning with the...

This week, the world marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Allied forces during World War II. Politicians of all stripes dutifully tweeted, "#NeverAgain." Meanwhile, many of those same politicians continued to forward the worst sort of anti-Semitism, blithely ignoring the fact that anti-Semitism isn't a relic of the past but a thriving part of the present. Take, for example, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. Omar has, in the past two years alone, sponsored an anti-Semitic resolution that likened boycotts of Israel to boycotts of Nazi Germany; rejected a Democratic-sponsored resolution backing a two-state solution in order to...