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American soap operas are not popular these days. And yet, the Senate trial to remove President Donald Trump from office is currently garnering fewer viewers than the soaps. The conservative online magazine The Federalist consulted Nielsen ratings and used them to argue: “More people would rather watch the predictable, fake melodrama offered by soap operas than the predictable, fake melodrama currently being peddled by the Democrats.” Just over 4 million people, in a country of 320 million-plus, tuned in for the opening arguments on the three big networks last week. That’s well less than the 11 million people who regularly...

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One of the most revealing things about the leftist mindset is the usual leftist's lack of self-awareness about his own intolerance, hatefulness and inclusiveness -- unless you distort all those terms to whitewash the reality. I will never forget reading (and writing about) the unfortunate experience of Professor Janice Price, an education instructor at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. The school suspended Price and cut her salary for subjecting her students to a "hostile environment." Her sin was placing issues of Teachers in Focus magazine on the table in the back of her classroom that contained articles written from a...

Wait.. is he mocking Nancy?

TGIFF! Its Fiddle Friday and we have Roy Russell playing Dance Around Molly (1978). THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

Bert and Ernie may not be a same-sex couple, but the long-running children’s franchise Sesame Street is about to get an infusion of LGBT “vibes” with an upcoming guest appearance by actor and LGBT activist Billy Porter. Porter, best known as Pray Tell in the FX’s LGBT ballroom drama Pose and for wearing extravagant dresses, will appear during the 51st season of the beloved children’s show, according to Sesame Street’s official Facebook page. “Billy Porter bringing those fierce vibes to Sesame Street,” the post declares, accompanied by photos of Porter on the classic set, wearing a tuxedo gown. Comments on the post were largely positive, though some readers expressed concern....

A Michigan family removed from an American Airlines flight in Miami when staff claimed they had body odour are suing the airline. Yehuda Yosef Adler, his wife Jennie and their young daughter were removed from the flight to Detroit last January. They claim staff made comments about their Orthodox Jewish faith. American Airlines said the decision to remove the family was not based on religion. They claim customers complained about Mr Adler's odour. The lawsuit, filed in Texas, cites defamation, emotional distress and discrimination relating to religion. Mr Adler claims his family had been sitting on the plane for no...

Ryan Chapman of Indianola actually voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, but he was at the Trump rally in a MAGA hat. Last time, he thought both nominees were "toxic” but decided to give Clinton a chance because of her experience. “Then my mind was changed by how they attack [Trump] and how they belittle him in every decision he does. I have not seen this much smear in a president ever...I’ve never seen so much hatred towards a president.” Chapman also praised Trump’s handling of the economy.

The archbishops of Canterbury and York have apologised for a Church of England statement that said only married heterosexual couples should have sex. Justin Welby and John Sentamu have said they and the church "acknowledge" last week's statement "jeopardised trust" - adding that they are "very sorry and recognise the division and hurt this caused". Mr Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, and Mr Sentamu, the archbishop of York, added: "At our meeting of the College of Bishops of the Church of England this week we continued our commitment to the Living in Love and Faith project which is about questions...

DES MOINES, Iowa - U.S. President Donald Trump campaigned on Thursday in Iowa - the state that kicks off the presidential nominating race next week - basking in the support of his base while the U.S. Senate trial considering his impeachment continued in Washington. Reviving some of the most polarizing speech lines from his 2016 campaign and mocking his potential Democratic opponents, Trump regaled the crowd with a series of campaign promises, including revamping the U.S. healthcare system and continuing to build a wall along the country’s southern border with Mexico. Trump repeated his criticism of his potential Democratic opponents,...

Tensions within House Democrats’ impeachment team appeared to boil over onto the Senate floor Thursday night as Rep. Jerrold Nadler ran to the lectern to deliver the final answer of the night, pushing by Rep. Adam Schiff, who’s been the party’s point man for the Senate trial. Mr. Schiff stood to answer, but Mr. Nadler was already in place, and unloaded on senators and the president’s defense team, calling their arguments “nonsense” and “absurd.” “This is a trial,” he said. “As any 10-year-old knows, we should have witnesses.” The move to displace Mr. Schiff set Twitter afire, and drew the...

SHANGHAI/BEIJING - The United States warned Americans not to travel to China as the death toll from a new virus reached 213 on Friday and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency, and Britain confirmed its first two cases. “Do not travel to China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan,” the U.S. State Department said in a new travel advisory on its website, raising the warning for China to the same level as Afghanistan and Iraq.

My updated Windows 10 PC using Google Chrome version 79 won't play news videos from Fox News website. No support found searching the net. Any ideas?

LOS ANGELES - According to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, through the use of DNA and fingerprints, has identified all nine of the victims who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday involving Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, announced on Wednesday evening. The department released the IDs of four crash victims. They included: John Altobelli, DOB: 5/8/63 Kobe Bryant, DOB: 8/23/78 Sarah Chester, DOB: 6/29/74 Ara Zobayan, DOB: 1/2/70 The IDs of the three men and one woman were determined through fingerprints. Following round-the-clock testing and analysis of DNA, the department officially identified the five other...

After four years of negotiations, American Airlines has reached a tentative contract agreement with the unions representing its mechanics and fleet service workers. The tentative deal, valued by unions at $4.2 billion, includes five separate agreements covering mechanics, fleet service and related groups including maintenance trainers. It requires ratification by union members

Florida cities and counties wouldn't be able to ban sunscreens containing ingredients that some researchers say harm coral reefs, under a bill passed by the state Senate on Wednesday. The Senate voted 25-14 in favor of the bill after no discussion or debate. If it becomes law, a Key West ordinance to ban the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone or octinoxate would be nullified. The Key West ban is set to go into effect next year. Research has shown the chemicals can cause coral bleaching, and the reefs around Key West attract divers, snorkelers and fishing enthusiasts. But Republican Sen....

The United States will become a net oil and oil product exporter this year thanks to continued growth in production combined with slacker domestic demand, the Energy Information Administration said in its 2020 Annual Energy Outlook. Oil production, the EIA said, will continue growing until at least 2025, reaching 14 million bpd in just two years, after which it would plateau and stay flat until about 2045. This, however, depends on the developing shale oil deposits with little history of production, the EIA noted, meaning there scant background information about production rates and how long they can be sustained. One...

January 31 2020 Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest Reading 1 2 Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17 At the turn of the year, when kings go out on campaign, David sent out Joab along with his officers and the army of Israel, and they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. David, however, remained in Jerusalem. One evening David rose from his siesta and strolled about on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful. David had inquiries made about the woman and was told, “She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, and...

Georgia has executed Donnie Lance, reporting the time of death as 9:05 p.m. Wednesday. The U.S. Supreme Court denied Lance’s appeals Wednesday evening, clearing the way for his execution. The high court, in two separate orders, declined to hear Lance’s requests that it halt his execution on grounds of alleged prosecution misconduct and lower-court rulings that denied his request for DNA testing. Content Continues Below The orders were published at least one hour after Lance was to be executed at 7 p.m. Lance was put to death by lethal injection for the 1997 murders of his ex-wife and her boyfriend...

Najay Marcellos Jackson, 19, was arrested on a premeditated murder charge in the Wednesday morning shootingA Florida man who killed another man who he thought had placed a "voodoo curse" on him texted the victim that he would die that day, Miramar Police said. Najay Marcellos Jackson, 19, was arrested on a premeditated murder charge in the Wednesday morning shooting that happened in the 8900 block of Southwest 19th Street, an arrest report said. According to the report, a witness told police they heard several gunshots and saw a man walking to a bicycle as he tucked an object into...