When Newsweek Ripped off The Onion: An Insider’s Account of Newsweek’s Decline

Legal Insurrection 

"Choosing outrageousness over fact has consequences"

"We’ve cataloged the bizarre implosion of the once great Newsweek.

"Just a few years ago, Newsweek ceased printing but was resurrected when a religious cult leader purchased the publication. Since then, Newsweek has suffered embarrassment after embarrassment, publishing a steady stream of fake news, conspiracies, and inaccurate information.

"An office visit from the Manhattan DAs office, as well as allegations of ad fraud, were the icing on the cake. Or should have been.

"Earlier this week, Newsweek suddenly fired a handful of high-ranking executives as well as a reporter, leaving the remaining staff shaken.

"The firings were the last straw for Matthew Cooper who resigned and shared his thoughts on the struggling publication at Politico Thursday:

It was 3 a.m. on Saturday, and I was seething. Staring at my phone, I saw that my company, Newsweek Media Group, had put out yet another story that would require a correction if not a retraction. This time it was a story ripped from The Onion. We were treating the fake news as if it were real. OFFS, I tapped under a friend’s Facebook post after seeing it, short for Oh, For Fuck’s Sake. The headline in our sister publication, the International Business Times: “Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Set Up Wedding Registry at London’s Target.” Despite the late hour, I dropped a note to an editor who took the story down off the website. You can see the link on Google, but if you click, you’ll get “Error 404. PAGE NOT FOUND.” There’s no correction, which is what a normal news company might post.

It would be funny if there hadn’t been so many insane errors in recent months.

Atheists Complain About Gospel Songs at MLK Day Event

Todd Starnes  "The good people of Hobbs, New Mexico are under siege from a Wisconsin-based group of atheists, agnostics and free-thinkers who are angry that gospel songs were performed during a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day program.
    “It is laudable that the city is celebrating Dr. King and promoting unity within the community,” Freedom From Religion Foundation legal fellow Christopher Line wrote in a letter to city leaders. “However, including gospel music and religious messages in the celebration is inappropriate.”
     "The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a Wisconsin-based group of atheists, agnostics and free-thinkers who I contend are on a mission to eradicate Christianity from the public square.
     "On Jan. 15 the city hosted a MLK Day march and program at Booker T. Washington Elementary School. The program was advertised as “an opportunity to display hope and faith.”
     "FFRF said they were contacted by a “concerned resident” who discovered the celebration included “religious music performed by a gospel choir and numerous speakers that made reference to God and Jesus.”
     “ 'Officials are not permitted to lend credibility or prestige to religion by including religious messages in city events,” Line wrote in the letter to city leaders. “We urge you to cease including religious music and messages in official Hobbs events.”
     "The Freedom From Religion Foundation is apparently unaware that Dr. King was not just a Civil Rights leader – but he was also a renowned Baptist minister – a preacher of the Gospel.
     "It’s beyond ludicrous that anyone would take issue with religious overtones and gospel songs performed during a ceremony honoring a former Christian minister.
     “ 'This letter is a gross, intolerant display of anti-religious bigotry over the celebration of a man who dedicated his life to fighting injustice,” First Liberty Institute attorney Michael Berry told the Todd Starnes Radio Show.
     "First Liberty Institute, one of the nation’s most prominent religious liberty law firms, accused the atheists of being intolerant.
     “ 'No court has ever declared a ceremony observing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day unconstitutional because it featured a gospel choir and religious language similar to those of the civil rights leaders,” Berry said." . . .

Last iconic 'immigrant crossing sign' disappears

Kate Morrissey  

"While politicians are embroiled in a polarized national debate over immigration, an iconic road sign cautioning drivers near the San Diego border to watch for migrants running across the highway has quietly disappeared.

"The “immigrant crossing” signs have become obsolete, said Cathryne Bruce-Johnson, a spokeswoman for Caltrans. The transportation department stopped replacing the signs years ago because it constructed fences along medians to deter people from running across highways.

"The last sign, which stood on the side of Interstate 5 near the San Ysidro border crossing, vanished in September.

“ 'It’s gone,” Bruce-Johnson said. “Caltrans crews did not remove it, so it’s assumed stolen.”

"Signs are more often damaged or vandalized than stolen, according to Bruce-Johnson, but when they are taken, there isn’t much Caltrans can do to get them back.

"California Highway Patrol sergeant Dan Kyle said that officers who worked during the years before the fences were added recalled responding weekly to several fatal collisions between cars and unauthorized immigrants on the highway in San Ysidro.

"Fewer people have tried to sneak between ports of entry into the U.S. for most of the last two decades, further decreasing need for “immigrant crossing” signs." . . .

US Olympic Athlete Boycotts Opening Ceremony Over ‘Racist’ Coin Toss — Instantly Regrets It

Davis

Breaking News  . . . [Shani] "Davis wasn’t happy that he wasn’t chosen to carry the flag during the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
"He apparently lost a coin toss with another athlete.

"But rather than accepting the perfectly fair toss, Davis then pulled out his race card, claiming the real reason he wasn’t chosen was because he’s black.

From Pop Culture:Team USA speedskater Shani Davis opted out of the 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea after losing the coin toss for flag bearer.

A day earlier, Davis vented his frustration over a coin flip ruining his opportunity to carry the American flag during the Parade of Nations event. He took to Twitter to blast Team USA’s tie-breaker rule.

I am an American and when I won the 1000m in 2010 I became the first American to 2-peat in that event. @TeamUSA dishonorably tossed a coin to decide its 2018 flag bearer. No problem. I can wait until 2022. #BlackHistoryMonth2018 #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/dsmTtNkhJs

Hamlin

Well immediately after throwing his little tantrum, the backlash came pouring in and Davis quickly realized he made a big mistake.

After feeling the wrath of the nation, Davis made his tweets private in an attempt to diffuse his situation.

"Basically, Davis was doing his best Kaepernick impression. Something happened that Davis didn’t like so he packed up his toys and went home.

From ABC News:

Luge veteran and four-time Olympian Erin Hamlin led Team USA into Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium as the flag bearer today, marking the start of her final Olympic Games amid some initial backlash.

Luge veteran and four-time Olympian Erin Hamlin led Team USA into Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium as the flag bearer today, marking the start of her final Olympic Games amid some initial backlash.

Hamlin, the first U.S. athlete to win an Olympic medal in singles luge, will not let that controversy mar the once-in-a-lifetime honor, she told ABC.

“I had nothing to do with the process,” Hamlin said before the opening ceremony. “I actually didn’t know any of the details, so I’m really not even paying too much attention to it.

"It was pretty gross of Davis to try and make this about race. Sadly, that seems to be par for the course these days. We are all Americans and that’s really the message that the Olympics is all about. Our differences don’t matter when we are all wearing that uniform.  However, Davis was unable to control his temper and injected race into the situation. That’s really unfortunate. We are better than that."

Sources: Chief of Staff John Kelly expressed to President Trump willingness to resign

ABC News "President Donald Trump, furious over the handling of domestic abuse allegations involving one of his closest aides, has spoken to confidantes about the possibility of replacing *embattled Chief of Staff John Kelly, sources close to the president tell ABC News." . . .

"Kelly has made clear to the president in the last 24 hours that he's willing to resign in light of the president's dissatisfaction over the West Wing's handling of the allegations against former Staff Secretary Rob Porter, according to sources who have spoken with Trump and Kelly." . . .

"While Kelly’s fate is in question, sources familiar with the matter said they did not believe his departure is imminent. Kelly was seen working in the West Wing on Friday, leading his daily senior staff meeting and joining Trump in the Oval Office during an afternoon photo op.

"General Kelly has not offered his resignation to the President," White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement. When asked if Kelly has expressed interest in offering his resignation, Gidley said "Not to my knowledge, no."

"Several Trump confidantes reached by ABC News said the president is considering multiple names as possible Kelly replacements, among those, top economic adviser Gary Cohn, Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney and Rep. Mark Meadows.
* Those words could mean anything. If faced with Kelly resigning, the President must consider who would replace him. To discuss it is not to desire firing him. TD

The First Female Navy SEAL Candidate And The Offensive Truth Of Nature

By Susan Wright at RedState

"According to the Navy, there were no special allowances made for the females. They were required to undergo the same physical challenges as their male counterparts, which makes sense, since the challenges in combat they would face would be the same."

. . .  If you want to compete in a role more suited to men, due to the biological certainties of bigger size, more musculature, then you have to prove you can keep up. Your teammates’ lives may be on the line one day, and war does not take a day off for bloating and irritability.

"The other female to enter was working towards becoming a special warfare combatant crewman. There’s no word on her progress yet, and if she makes it, good for her. If not, nobody should be surprised.

"I’m not opposed to women serving in the military. There are so many roles that women can fill, and do so exceedingly well. Combat is not that role. Women are wired differently. They have different needs and biological functions that would make prolonged combat roles untenable. And no, our troops’ lives should not be risked to prove a point about diversity.

"Kudos to both ladies for giving it a shot. It’s never a bad thing to face reality about our limitations." . . .

Train like a Navy SEAL

SEAL training: What Hell Week Taught Me about Pushing through Sleep Deprivation

The swamp things take aim at General Kelly. Trying to dismantle the Trump Administratiom?

The left must be resisted in this matter with General Kelly, but if the affair vis-a-vis Porter is true as it appears, then Porter must suffer consequences. TD

The swamp things take aim at General Kelly  "A minor personnel matter among the White House staff, and just like that, the swamp press is all over it with headlines like "Memo: Knives come out for Kelly," as The Hill reported, in what's that Beltway organ's top-read story.

General Kelly

"Seems one of President Trump's top aides, Rob Porter, turns out to have some kind of history of wife-beating, according to two angry ex-wives.

"In the past, just having two ex-wives would probably signal a problem, but we all knew what we were doing when we elected President Trump.  Sometimes, the personal picture is irrelevant.

"Apparently, Porter did a good job of getting information to President Trump and helping craft his dyno State of the Union address (to use an old Southern California surfer term).

"That was enough to make him a target, and amazingly, the left wants Trump's top lieutenant, Gen. John Kelly, to go down with him, too.  According to the same piece in The Hill:" . . .

"Porter had some personal problems, Kelly doesn't.  Can anyone say this move to oust Kelly along with Porter isn't about trying to weaken, chaotify, and ultimately take down President Trump?
The hypocrisy here is palpable."

. . .

The Memo: Knives come out for Kelly  "Sources close to the White House say chief of staff John Kelly has suffered a serious blow to his standing from the bungled resignation of staff secretary Rob Porter, who has been accused of domestic abuse. (See also: Porter denies the allegations)

"Kelly’s most vehement critics even suggest the episode could herald his demise within the administration. " . . .

"But Shah had a thankless task in trying to defend a White House, and a chief of staff, that had expressed total confidence in Porter amid allegations of domestic abuse by two ex-wives — only to cut him loose within hours. "

. . .

John Kelly And White House Counsel Knew For Months Of Aide’s Abusive Past (So Why Didn’t They Act?)  . . . "Some reports now are that White House communications director Hope Hicks crafted the initial White House response.

"Hicks and Porter are dating now, according to sources (and those pics of the two making out in the back of a cab), so it’s going to take Porter doing to her what he did to two wives and at least one girlfriend before she gets the message.

"Again, somebody go check on Hope Hicks. This is the second hateful, obnoxious member of the Trump team she’s been romantically linked to.

"Porter’s second wife, Jennie Willoughby appeared on CNN on Thursday evening with Anderson Cooper, and predicted that if Porter has not abused Hicks yet, he will, as he has done nothing to resolve his anger issues.

"Kelly was forced to issue a second statement on Wednesday evening, in light of the growing controversy:" . . .

Adam Schiff on the case (updated, because the new posts were too good not to place here)

"Goodman notes that Schiff’s office said Schiff suspected the call was “bogus” from the beginning and reported it to authorities afterward. But in a recording of the eight minute conversation, Goodman adds, Schiff appeared to take the call seriously and emails from the Democrat’s staff to the fake politician afterwards said he had found it “productive.' ”

Rich Terrell

Power Line  "The Daily Mail’s Alana Goodman reports on one piece of the investigative work ranking House Intelligence Committee member Adam Schiff has performed in search of the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia and posts the companion audio below. This is great stuff. I can’t wait for the customary press conference." . . .

. . . “There were pictures of naked Trump,” one of the pranksters told Schiff, explaining that they were obtained by Putin’s goddaughter."Schiff asks: “And the materials you can provide to the committee and to the FBI, would they corroborate this allegation? … So you have recordings… where they’re discussing the compromising material?”“Obviously we would welcome the chance to get copies of those recordings,” Schiff tells them. “So we will try to work with the FBI to try to figure out how we can take copies of those… I’ll be in touch with the FBI about this, and we’ll make arrangements with your staff. I think it would be best to provide these materials to both our committee and the FBI. We’ll make arrangements between my staff and yours on how to facilitate that.” . . .

More...

Update:  Adam Schiff Fooled by Russian Pranksters Claiming Putin Had Nude Photos of Trump  . . . "Another important thing that this story makes clear is that foreigners can apparently get direct access to the upper echelons of the Democratic Party power structure and influence their investigations disturbingly easily. If Democrats can’t even do a basic Google search to see who the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament actually is before clearing an imposter to speak to a top-level House member with access to classified information, then how can we trust them to competently investigate anything of significance?"

Update: "This is just too ironic… in fact, it’s hilarious."

"This was first dug up by The Atlantic, but they didn’t disclose how Schiff’s staff member went about pursuing the information after the call. Schiff’s office said the congressman suspected the call was ‘bogus’ from the beginning and reported it to authorities afterward. Really? Because it sure doesn’t look that way. "

So who is Rheanne Wirkkala?

Rheanne Wirkkala

Policy Director, Minority*, U.S. House of Representatives, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Washington, District Of Columbia

Government Administration

Current	U.S. House of Representatives
Education	Yale University

*Minority = Democrats = Adam Schiff

"Guess Where That $1.7 Billion Obama Gave The Iranians? You Guessed It, Right To Terrorists"

Weasel Zippers

Washington Times  "The U.S. government has traced some of the $1.7 billion released to Iran by the Obama administration to Iranian-backed terrorists in the two years since the cash was transferred.

"According to knowledgeable sources, Iran has used the funds to pay its main proxy, the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah, along with the Quds Force, Iran’s main foreign intelligence and covert action arm and element of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

"The U.S. money supplied to Iran as part of an arms settlement dating back to the 1970s also has been traced to Iran’s backing of Houthi rebels seeking to take power in Yemen. Iran has been supporting the Yemen rebels as part of a bid to encircle and eventually take control of Saudi Arabia.

"The intelligence tracing the American funds to Iranian-backed terrorists is likely to further fuel President Trump’s effort to undo the Iran nuclear deal, the Obama administration’s main foreign policy initiative codified in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the Iran nuclear deal is called.

"Despite promises to reject the deal during the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump announced in January the U.S. would not pull out of the Iran nuclear accord for now. But the president criticized the transfer of money to Tehran and signaled that Washington is going after Iran’s funding of terrorism." . . .

After #BLM Olympic Skater Shani Davis Attacks ‘White’ US Teammate, He Gets Brutal Karma

An unerasable legacy of Barack Obama. 

Rebecca Diserio  "United States speedskater Shani Davis seems to have heavy “Black Lives Matter” delusions. Davis is making negative headlines for Team USA after he decided to viciously attack his fellow teammate, US luge bronze medalist Erin Hamlin. What’s his beef with Hamlin? She’s white, and she’s just been given an honor he says is pure racism at work. Well, now he is looking like a fool as he got a dose of well-deserved, brutal karma."

"It was a feel-good story for a few hours: luge veteran Erin Hamlin got the chance to enter her last Olympics carrying the US flag into the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Games, winning that distinction after a vote by some of her fellow athletes. But, then, US speedskater Shani Davis had to ruin it for everyone, pulling the race card.

. . . "With that, the entire process was called into controversy. In a tweet posted to Davis’ account, he said the process by which Hamlin won was executed “dishonorably,” and included a reference to Black History Month, raising the question of whether the speedskater was suggesting Hamlin got the nod due to pure racism.

. . . 

"But, there’s one part of this controversy that is going to make you really understand just how delusional and racist Davis really is, and it has to do with how Erin Hamlin was picked in the first place.

.  .  . "When a decision couldn’t be made, a coin was tossed and Hamlin was awarded the honor,” reports Yahoo News.

"So, Shani Davis is implying that the coin toss was racist. Wow. Most Americans are shaking their heads as they contemplate how sick the entire Black Lives Matter movement has made our country." . . . 

. . . "Shani Davis is what happens when we live under a race-baiting president like Barack Obama who basically said Trayvon Martin could have been his son and judges cops as guilty before any trial occurs, like in Ferguson, Missouri. Well, thank God for that coin toss. Now, patriotic Americans can be proud as Erin Hamlin holds Old Glory high at the opening ceremonies in South Korea."

Guess what we'll be seeing at the Olympics. TD

Take the 'Racist Xenophobe' Quiz: Who Said This About Illegal Immigration?

Larry Elder

"Which alleged "racist xenophobe" made these statements about illegal immigration?
"Those who enter the country illegally and those who employ them disrespect the rule of law, and they are showing disregard for those who are following the law. We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented (and) unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently and lawfully to become immigrants in this country."

A) Adolf Hitler
B) Donald Trump
C) Barack Obama

"Answer: Then-Sen. Obama, news conference, 2005

"Our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens."

A) Joseph Stalin
B) Donald Trump
C) Bill Clinton

"Answer: President Clinton, State of the Union address, 1995

"If making it easy to be an illegal alien isn't enough, how about offering an award to be an illegal immigrant. No sane country would do that, right? Guess again."
. . . 
Full article here.

"Not long ago, both Democrats and Republicans advocated safe, secure borders and an immigration policy of admitting immigrants who benefit, not burden, Americans. Que paso?"

Carter Page: Agent 000

Ann Coulter  "If you’ve been watching MSNBC and, consequently, have no idea what was in the CONTROVERSIAL! DISPUTED! AMATEURISH! memo released by the House Intelligence Committee (the “Nunes memo”), here is a brief summary:

"The Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee paid a Trump-hating British private eye, Christopher Steele, to produce a “dossier” on Trump, relying on Russian sources.

"The Department of Justice used the unverified dossier to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant against Carter Page, an alleged “foreign policy adviser” to Donald Trump and the last frayed thread of the Russian collusion story. The FISA court was not told who had paid Steele to create the “salacious and unverified” dossier – in the words of the showboating former FBI Director James Comey – much less about Steele’s personal hatred of Trump.

"After 18 months of steely-eyed investigation, the only parts of the dossier that have been “confirmed” are bland factual statements – Moscow is a city in Russia – while the untrue parts are anything having to do with Trump or his associates.

"As New York Times national security reporter Matthew Rosenberg explained to MSNBC’s easily excited Chris Hayes last March:

“Both journalists and others who had copies of it for a long time have not been able to report much of it out. We’ve heard that, you know, the FBI and the Intelligence Community believe about 30 percent of it may be accurate, but most of that 30 percent, if not all, has been non-Trump stuff.”

"Four points:" . . .

Read more...