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There are two bombshells dropped in New York Times editor Patricia Mazzei’s Twitter feed this morning, one of which has me rethinking some things and the other of which should cause gun controllers to rethink some things. First, though, the Twitter thread in question: "Sheriff Bob Gualtieri of Pinellas County, head of Florida's state-appointed commission investigating the Parkland shooting, said today that video from inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School showed the gunman, Nikolas Cruz, had to reload his AR-15 assault rifle several times." — Patricia Mazzei (@PatriciaMazzei) August 9, 2018 The first tweet in that thread that caused my...

Former FBI agents say the text messages are not the only reason Strzok was fired (Snip) “Strzok was under oath before Congress and he made statements that appeared to be false and refused to answer some questions, but he was going to get just a slap on the wrist,” said a former supervisory special agent from OPR adjudication, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the nature of their work. “There is absolutely no wiggle room when it comes to lack of candor in the FBI…unless you’re an SES (Senior Executive Service). Strzok’s firing went well beyond texting about...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – State prosecutors' motion to detain five adults arrested after a raid in northern New Mexico earlier this month was denied by a judge on Monday. Judge Sarah Backus made the determination the suspects weren't a danger to the community following several hours of testimony and evidence being presented by prosecutors. Siraj Wahhaj, Hujrah Wahhaj, Lucas Morton, Jany Leveille and Subhannah Wahhaj each face 11 counts of child abuse, after 11 children were found living in deplorable conditions at the site. Each suspect will have a $20,000 bond and will have to wear ankle monitors. In addition, they...

Prosecutors rested their case against Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, in his fraud trial on Monday.

The White House on Sunday shot back at Omarosa Manigault Newman’s secret recording of her dismissal last year, saying it “proves” her “lack of character and integrity.” “The very idea a staff member would sneak a recording device into the White House Situation Room, shows a blatant disregard for our national security – and then to brag about it on national television further proves the lack of character and integrity of this disgruntled former White House employee,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Sunday evening.Earlier Sunday Manigault Newman revealed her secret recording of her termination by White House Chief of Staff...

The FBI has fired Agent Peter Strzok, who helped lead the bureau’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election until officials discovered he had been sending anti-Trump texts. Aitan Goelman, Strzok’s lawyer, said FBI Deputy Director David L. Bowdich ordered the firing on Friday — even though the director of the FBI office that normally handles employee discipline had decided Strzok should face only a demotion and 60-day suspension. Goelman said the move undercuts the FBI’s repeated assurances that Strzok would be afforded the normal disciplinary process. “This isn’t the normal process in any way more than name,” Goelman...

Despite numerous promises from congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama when they passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the health care law has created far more problems than it has solved. Premiums, deductibles, and health care choices have all worsened since Obamacare went into effect, and there’s no sign America’s health insurance system will improve anytime in the near future.President Trump inherited a health insurance crisis when he took office in January 2017, so he and congressional Republican leaders immediately began to work to implement their plan to replace Obamacare with a more market-centered approach to improving the...

• "We have to realize that perhaps China isn't as strong as when we at first think. China is still figuring out also how to deal with this trade situation, how to ensure the stability of its domestic economy," said Curtis Chin, an Asia fellow at the Milken Institute. • Speaking to CNBC's "Squawk Box," Chin also "totally" disagreed with the view that U.S. President Donald Trump's policies are backfiring. China's power may have been overrated and the U.S. economy is staying strong, meaning that U.S. President Donald Trump has an advantage in the trade war, according to one expert....

Washington (CNN)Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued a challenge to President Donald Trump on Monday, saying the Islamic Republic would welcome talks with the US "right now." "I don't have preconditions. If the US government is willing, let's start right now," Rouhani said during an interview that aired on state television late Monday local time, just hours before the US renewed sanctions on Iran. "If there is sincerity, Iran has always welcomed dialogue and negotiations," Rouhani said. Trump's national security adviser John Bolton, when asked about the offer by CNN's Jake Tapper, dismissed it as possible "propaganda." "Let's see what really...

Reza Pahlavi is hated & feared by the Iranian regime, because he is very popular with the Iranian people & the regime view him as a huge threat. 2 days ago, Reza Pahlavi asked Iranians via social media, to use their local soccer match to show their disdain for the regime. He specifically asked Azeris, since as a whole they were not participating as much in the ongoing protests. Here is a video posted after that request: Thousands of soccer fans in Iranian province of Azerbaijan singing in praise of Reza Pahlavi in Turkish-Azeri language.

FBI had actually paid Christopher Steele, the man who put together the infamous unverified dossier targeting President Donald Trump during the campaign, in 11 separate cash payments in 2016. This was despite being admonished in February 2016 and despite the fact that he was being paid with money from the Democrats that went through the law firm Perkins Coie to Fusion GPS to Steele for opposition research to gather against Trump... FBI was using taxpayer dollars to pay for opposition research and unverified smears on Trump. In the words of FBI official Peter Strzok, sounds like an “insurance policy.” ......

(Led by Obama ‘Occupy’ Agitator Jason Kessler) President Trump denounced all forms of racism and violence in a tweet Saturday morning, specifically mentioning the Charlottesville riots that occurred one year ago. The tweet comes ahead of a “Unite The Right” rally that is scheduled for this weekend in Washington, D.C. The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 11, 2018 “The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted...

West Virginia’s House Judiciary Committee moved to impeach the state’s entire Supreme Court this week

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump is spending his summer vacation at his golf club in New Jersey. Wait, don’t call it “vacation.” Trump, who is loath to admit to sleeping — let alone taking time off — has spent his week away mixing downtime and golf rounds with meetings and dinners, intent on projecting the image that he’s been hard at work. Ensconced at his private club, he’s surrounded by a clutch of unofficial Bedminster advisers, who have unusual levels of access to a president with the propensity for mixing business with leisure.

After days of being dressed down by the judge overseeing the Paul Manafort case, federal prosecutors sought Thursday to put their foot down -- filing a motion complaining that Judge T.S. Ellis III had unfairly admonished them in front of the jury. Ellis has memorably and repeatedly criticized Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team during the trial for the former Trump campaign chairman. On Wednesday, Ellis ripped into prosecutors for letting a witness, IRS Agent Michael Welsh, sit in the courtroom before his testimony. But in a five-page motion filed Thursday, Mueller deputy Andrew Weissmann and other attorneys on the team...

A growing trade war with the United States is causing rifts within China's Communist Party, with some critics saying that an overly nationalistic Chinese stance may have hardened the US position, according to four sources close to the government. Chinese President Xi Jinping still has a firm grip on power, but an unusual surge of criticism about economic policy and how the government has handled the trade war has revealed rare cracks in the ruling Communist Party. A backlash is being felt at the highest levels of the government, possibly hitting a close aide to Xi, his ideology chief and...

The Democratic National Committee on Friday officially served its lawsuit to WikiLeaks via Twitter, employing a rare method to serve its suit to the elusive group that has thus far been unresponsive. As CBS News first reported last month, the DNC filed a motion with a federal court in Manhattan requesting permission to serve its complaint to WikiLeaks on Twitter, a platform the DNC argued the website uses regularly. The DNC filed a lawsuit in April against the Trump campaign, Russian government and WikiLeaks, alleging a massive conspiracy to tilt the 2016 election in Donald Trump's favor. All of the...

Moscow issued a stern warning to the US on Friday against ramping up sanctions against Russia, saying the Kremlin will retaliate with economic, political and unspecified “other” measures. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s warning reflects Russian fears over the impact of new restrictions on its economy and assets, including the ruble, which has lost nearly 6 percent of its value this week on sanctions jitters, according to Reuters. In a sign of how seriously Russia is taking the threat, strongman Vladimir Putin discussed what the Kremlin called “possible new unfriendly steps by Washington” with members of his Security Council. They said...

A Massachusetts bill that recommended teaching children as young as 12 about oral and anal sex failed in the state House last week amid growing public outrage. The College Fix reports state Senate Bill 2128 passed the state Senate but died in the House last week when the legislative session ended. The bill seemed harmless enough at first. It would have required public schools to provide “comprehensive” sex education that is medically accurate and age-appropriate. This included “the benefits of abstinence and delaying sexual activity” and “the effective use of contraceptives and barrier methods.” However, Andrew Beckwith, president of the...

Think people are losing their minds over President Trump? Maybe it’s not all in your head. The American Psychological Association is holding its annual convention in San Francisco, and there are no fewer than 15 symposiums, panel discussions and paper presentations devoted to the psychological ills that practitioners believe are spreading under the president. The list of Trump-related topics at the four-day conference covers the psychic waterfront. “Metaphors and the Trump Administration: What Are Effective Responses?” “Healing Practices and Models for Undocumented Students in the Trump Era.” “Gaining Perspective: Intergroup Conflict Intervention With Trump Supporters and Opponents.” And, “#MAGA: What...