Dec 29th: If you think Trump cancelled his holiday plans for show, think again. Here’s what he’s been up to today.

BPR

"Whereas congressional Democrats have been frittering away their holiday time vacationing in luxury, President Donald Trump has remained at the White House, where he steadfastly continues to work day in and day out to push ahead with his agenda for America.

"The clearest evidence of this, besides for the media reports about his cancelled Christmas vacation and cancelled New Year’s party at Mar-a-Lago, are the president’s own tweets.

"Take three of the tweets the president posted Saturday morning.

"In one tweet he announced that he’d just completed a productive call with Chinese President Xi Jinping about a deal that he wrote will be “very comprehensive, covering all subjects.”

Just had a long and very good call with President Xi of China. Deal is moving along very well. If made, it will be very comprehensive, covering all subjects, areas and points of dispute. Big progress being made! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2018

 "Earlier this year Trump launched a tariff trade war with China, which he’s long maintained has been “ripping America off” via high tariffs and intellectual property theft.

"Then around the start of this month, Trump and Jinping agreed to a 90-day truce. The president’s Sunday text message suggests a permanent end to the trade war could be imminent.
"In another tweet posted Sunday morning, the president reminded congressional Democrats that he’s ready and willing to negotiate with them on border security.
"Look:

I am in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come on over and make a deal on Border Security. From what I hear, they are spending so much time on Presidential Harassment that they have little time left for things like stopping crime and our military! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2018

Dave Barry column: 2018: Year in Review

Richmond.com

Here are random bits and pieces just to whet your appetite:
. . . "So we’re very glad that 2018 is finally over. Once again we’re on the cusp of a new year, another chance for change. And once again, we find ourselves feeling stirrings of hope — hope that the coming year really will be better. Why do we feel this way? Why, despite all our past disappointments, do we believe things really can improve? Because we are morons, apparently. So let’s not get too excited about 2019. Our emotional state should be hopelessness leavened with despair, as we can see when we look back at the grotesque boof-a-palooza that was 2018, starting with ..."
. . . "In sports, the 2018 Winter Olympic games get underway in PyeongChang, South Korea, with a historic opening ceremony highlighted by the release of 25 doves, which are immediately shot down and consumed by the North Korean men’s biathlon team." . . .
. . . "This issue dominates the news cycle, especially on CNN, which puts Ms. Daniels’ extremely outgoing lawyer, Michael Avenatti, on Full Rotation, which means he is featured on every CNN news program and also handles weather and sports updates." . . .
. . . " North Korea releases three American prisoners, only to be dashed when North Korea refuses to accept, in exchange, Stormy Daniels. " . . .

. . . In sports, France defeats Croatia to win the World Cup. Jubilant Eagles fans, with nothing left in Philadelphia to destroy, lay waste to Delaware.  . . .

. . . "The Manafort/Cohen story gets massive coverage on CNN and MSNBC, with hordes of joyful panelists celebrating the now-inevitable impeachment of Trump by dancing around the studio singing “Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead.' ” . . .
. . . "For their part, the Democrats appeal to voters with a three-pronged message:

Prong One: The Democrats are the party of fairness, diversity, and inclusion.
Prong Two: Anybody who disagrees with the Democrats about anything is Hitler.
Prong Three: But more racist.

" . . .Meanwhile, the ongoing saga that is The Jim Acosta Story, Starring Jim Acosta as Jim Acosta, takes a thrilling turn when Jim gets into a dramatic struggle with a White House intern over a microphone." . . .
. . . " two turkeys — named Peas and Carrots — are summoned to the White House, where the president, in keeping with a lighthearted Washington tradition, appoints them to high-level posts in the Justice Department. Two days later he fires Peas over what insiders describe as “policy differences.” Within minutes Peas is hired as a political analyst by MSNBC." . . .

Finally: ". . . All this happens as congressional Democrats prepare to take control of the House of Representatives, where they plan to implement an ambitious agenda focused on the No. 1 concern of the American people, which of course is ...

"The 2016 elections!"

"Waters of the United States": Heritage Expert Praises New Water Rule

Today, a new rule was proposed which would effectively erase the Obama-era Waters of the United States. 

Heritage  Washington—Today, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Corps of Engineers proposed a new rule which would help clarify what waters are regulated under 
The Clean Water Act. Heritage senior research fellow, Daren Bakst released the following response:  

“The EPA and Corps should be commended for proposing a rule that respects the rule of law and recognizes the important role states play in protecting our nation’s waters.  While the federal role in protecting water is important, the Clean Water Act was never envisioned as a tool for the federal government to effectively regulate almost every water.  In fact, the Clean Water Act itself makes it expressly clear that states are supposed to play a leading role in water regulation, not the federal government. 

“Congress recognized that cooperative federalism was the best approach to protect the environment.  Our nation’s waters will be protected best when those closest to the environmental challenges identify the solutions, not when federal bureaucrats impose a one-size-fits all solution.

“There is of course still a lot to review regarding this proposed rule, and changes may be needed.  However, the proposed rule is a good start.  Today is a great day for the environment, the rule of law, and property owners across the country.”

About Waters of the United States

Again, what will liberals do to us next? This:
. . . "Eager to take advantage of a murky situation and beef up EPA’s enforcement authority, the Obama administration in 2015 proposed “clarifying” the issue by greatly expanding EPA’s jurisdiction to include ditches, ponds, groundwater, and even “ephemeral” waters (those that form only after rainfall). The rule would have forced farmers, ranchers, and other landowners to obtain permits from EPA if they wanted to make any modifications to their property. A host or organizations sued EPA, and a federal judge ordered a stay on the rule in 24 states." . . .
"What is and What is not Subject to Federal Regulation"

“Our proposal would replace the Obama EPA’s 2015 definition with one that respects the limits of the Clean Water Act and provides states and landowners the certainty they need to manage their natural resources and grow local economies,” said Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler in a statement. “For the first time, we are defining the difference between federally protected waterways and state protected waterways.

"Under the Trump proposal, the federal government, for the first time, has divided navigable waters into six categories:

• traditional navigable waters (rivers, bays, the Great Lakes, etc.);
• waterways connected to navigable waters, including tributaries;
• certain navigable ditches used for commercial shipping, such as the Erie Canal;
• lakes and ponds that contribute to navigable waterways;
• impoundments of jurisdictional waterways; and
• wetlands adjacent to navigable waterways through “direct subsurface connection.”

Nancy Pelosi spends government shutdown relaxing in luxury Hawaii resort

Convention Of States  . . . "Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi is spending the government shutdown at a luxury resort in Hawaii, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

"Pelosi, who has put blame squarely on President Donald Trump for the current government shutdown, was spotted Thursday vacationing in Hawaii at the Fairmont Orchid resort, where room accommodations range from $899-a-night for a standard room to $4,899-a-night for the presidential suite.

"The resort, on Hawaii's Big Island, features a golf course, six restaurants, and a 10,000-square-foot oceanfront pool. It also features a "Spa Without Walls," where the 110-minute Ali'i Royal Experience is available for $369 and a 50-minute couples massage runs $549, according to the spa menu. While at the spa, guests can snack on a gluten-free grilled prawn summer roll for $19." . . .

World’s First Lesbian Bishop Calls for Church to Remove Crosses, to Install Muslim Prayer Space

Breitbart

"The Bishop of Stockholm has proposed a church in her diocese remove all signs of the cross and put down markings showing the direction to Mecca for the benefit of Muslim worshippers.

"Eva Brunne, who was made the world’s first openly lesbian bishop by the church of Sweden in 2009, and has a young son with her wife and fellow lesbian priest Gunilla Linden, made the suggestion to make those of other faiths more welcome.

"The church targeted is the Seamen’s mission church in Stockholm’s eastern dockyards. The Bishop held a meeting there this year and challenged the priest to explain what he’d do if a ship’s crew came into port who weren’t Christian but wanted to pray.

"Calling Muslim guests to the church “angels“, the Bishop later took to her official blog to explain that removing Christian symbols from the church and preparing the building for Muslim prayer doesn’t make a priest any less a defender of the faith. Rather, to do any less would make one “stingy towards people of other faiths”.

"The bishop insisted this wasn’t an issue, after all airports and hospitals already had multi-faith prayer rooms, and converting the dockyard church would only bring it up to speed. Regardless, the announcement has aroused protest.

"Father Patrik Pettersson, one of the priests in her diocese and active in the same parish as the Seaman’s mission church has hit back in a blog of his own, complaining there is no way you could equate a consecrated church with a prayer room, remarking “I should have thought a bishop would be able to tell the difference”."  . . .

A comment on this bishop in Wikipedia was: "In September 2015 Brunne proposed the removal of symbols of Christianity, including crosses, from the Seamen's Church in Stockholm Harbor, to open the church to worshipping sailors of all beliefs, and to mark the direction of Mecca as a service to Muslim visitors.^{[12][13][14] [15]} As the Seamen's Church is an independent foundation and, while in Stockholm, not part of Brunne's Diocese of Stockholm, Kicki Wetterberg, the head of the Seamen's Church, rejected the suggestion in an interview with Dagen, stating that she had "no problem with Muslim or Hindu sailor"s worshipping in the church, but the church will keep its crosses, being a Christian church".

Here are some more of her teachings: There is the issue of...wait for it...pronouns.

. . . "Only a week ago, lesbian bishop, Eva Brunne of the Stockholm Church of Sweden, proclaimed our Holy Bible flawed and actually issued a “handbook” to her congregation that has corrected the mistakes of the bestselling book of all time.
"What were the mistakes, according to this heretic?  And, yes, I use the word “heretic” correctly and with forethought.  The mistakes, according to the homosexual woman, are that the pronouns used in the Bible are not “gender inclusive.”  That is not a joke or an exaggeration.  Brunne has proclaimed that the men and women who participated in the most inspiring work of mankind were insensitive and, more importantly, wrong in their inspiration.
"No longer would she or her followers be using the words, Lord, Father, He, Him, or His when referring to God or Jesus.  The Holy Trinity, as well, will not be referred to as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, because Brunne says so.  And apparently, her word is law in Sweden." . . .

Bre Payton's death and the increase of swine flu

Conservative journalist Bre Payton's shock H1N1 death shows just how little the local press is reporting
. . . "Then I headed off to the County Health and Human Services Agency, where, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, her death is being investigated.

"What I found there was shocking - take a look at this Dec. 22 Influenza Watch chart: Flu cases have spiked up significantly in the past two weeks. Swine flu, which is relatively rare, now accounts for 14.3% of all flu cases. We can also see from the various charts shown that there was a bad outbreak last year and this year seems to be on track to echo to a lesser extent that same dangerous pattern" . . .

. . . "More searching shows that swine flu has been in this area in the past. A decade ago, H1N1 shut down my old high school as a public safety measure. I had my flu shot. But what I can't ascertain from news reports is whether that strain of the flu is included in this year's shot. I only found an old report saying that after the 2009 outbreak, H1N1 was included in the following year's serum. Not seeing any news on that, either.

"What does this tell us? That a big story has been going on and none of the local presses are spotting it. Seriously, I looked. That's a public health issue that affects everyone, and nobody has been reporting it. Not the local TV stations, not the San Diego Union-Tribune, not the local alternative presses. This is a different sort of media dereliction of duty compared to the typical political bias, and makes me wonder if it's the result of so many layoffs in the news industry that expertise on public health has gone by the wayside.

"Either way, the press has fallen down on the job by not warning of the potential for danger in San Diego over this deadly illness." . . .

Boy who died in U.S. custody tested positive for influenza; cause of death still under investigation

Related; Bre Payton articles

Democrats: A plague on the nation

The Democrats hate Trump so much that they want the economy to crash.  They are hoping for recession. 

Patricia McCarthy  "How as Americans do we explain the intransigence of the left when it comes to national security?  'Tis a mystery.  These people, these Democrats in Congress,

are among the most privileged persons on the planet.  They have enjoyed, more than most, the blessings bequeathed by the Founders, the authors of the Constitution.  Yet they are determined, like Obama, to transform us into something this nation was never meant to be: a land without borders.  While all of them are on record supporting a border wall in the past, now that Donald Trump is president, they all oppose it with every fiber of their being.  They know that it will work, and they cannot abide Trump having a win.  These people – Schumer, Pelosi, Gutiérrez, etc. – are truly venal.  Governor Brown has effectively destroyed California, now benighted by rampant homelessness and the crime that accompanies a population of illiterate, drug-addicted, gang-affiliated, criminally inclined persons adrift on our streets.  And now another young officer has been killed by an illegal alien thanks to the left's obsession with protecting the throngs of migrants crossing the border into the U.S. 
. . . 

"The young policeman who died in California Christmas night will and should be a wake-up call for the Democrats.  They are 100% responsible for the presence of such criminals, protected by ridiculous sanctuary policies in our cities.  The media and the Democrats are in an uproar over the two migrant children who died at the hands of irresponsible parents who used them as a ticket to ride, yet they have nothing to say about the murder of the young policeman in Newman, Calif.  He is, to them, a casualty of politics, of their grand design to obliterate conservatives from the public realm forever.  They do not care about him, his widow, or his infant son.  They were happy to contribute to the odious Christine Blasey Ford's GoFundMe page, but not one of them will contribute to a GoFundMe page for Ronil Singh's family.  He is law enforcement, so they feel nothing. 

"The Democratic Party of today is an abomination." . . .

Calif. Sheriff Praises Slain Cop as 'Shining Example of What Immigration in America Should Be'

Jerry Brown Grants Pardons to Immigrants Facing Deportation Due to Criminal History  . . . "Brown is able to grant more requests for pardons and clemency until he leaves office Jan. 7." . . .

Politics and Bigotry: No Catholics Need Apply? "The amazing Mazie at it again."

The American Spectator

"Those of you waiting for things to become a little more statesmanlike, or even coherent, in “the world’s greatest deliberative body” can put your feet up and relax. It’s going to be a while longer. Maybe a lot longer.

"Two of the Senate Democrats’ main picadors in the unsuccessful attempted knee-capping of now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh are at it again. This month California’s Kamala Harris and Hawaii’s Mazie Hirano landed on Omaha lawyer Brian Buescher, nominated by President Trump to serve on the Nebraska U.S. District court, for, of all things, his membership in the Knights of Columbus.

"That’s right, the Knights of Columbus, a venerable Catholic fraternal, service, and charitable organization that has been committing good works, including helping the sick and needy, since before Harris’s and Hirano’s grandparents were born. The Knights also support traditional Catholic values and social policy. And this is the rub, according to Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"Harris questioned whether membership in this retrograde (according to secularists) organization would impede Buescher’s ability to hear cases before the federal court fairly and impartially. She asked Buescher if he agreed with Supreme Knight (the K of C chief executive) Carl A. Anderson’s statement that abortion is “the killing of the innocent on a massive scale.” Buescher replied he wasn’t responsible for the Knight’s statements and policies and that as a judge he would be guided by law and precedent in all areas.

"In written questions sent to Buescher by the committee, Hirano harrumphed, “The Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions.” (Note how Democrat questions sound more like accusations.)

"Considering the source, that’s a real knee-slapper. We all remember the amazing Mazie. She’s the one who during the attempted Kavanaugh takedown suggested that all men are swine and should just “shut up and step up.” (As Ring Lardner would have phrased it, “Shut up, she explained.”) This sexist non-sequitur, and downright extreme position, was Mazie’s contribution to the question of whether Kavanaugh, a man with a spotless adult life, had sexually assaulted a 15-year-old at a party long ago at an undetermined place, during an undetermined year, and under vague circumstances that no one but the accuser remembers." . . .

While on the subject of Democrat bigotry: Anti-Semites on the (Women’s) March

. . . "But although the organizers are branding the march with the hashtag #WomensWave, a nod to the success of Democratic women who ran and won in the midterm elections, it is the Women’s March brand that has recently suffered a mortal blow. As a deeply reported and damning investigation by Tablet revealed, the leadership of the organization has spent the past two years avoiding tough questions about its finances and purging people who depart from its radical orthodoxy—all while cozying up to hatemongers like Louis Farrakhan. " . . .

Queen Offers to Restore British Rule Over United States (Satire or CNN?)

New Yorker

"This two-hundred-and-forty-year experiment in self-rule began with the best of intentions, but I think we can all agree that it didn't end well," she said.

"LONDON (The Borowitz Report)—In an unexpected televised address on Saturday, Queen Elizabeth II offered to restore British rule over the United States of America.

"Addressing the American people from her office in Buckingham Palace, the Queen said that she was making the offer “in recognition of the desperate situation you now find yourselves in.”

" 'This two-hundred-and-forty-year experiment in self-rule began with the best of intentions, but I think we can all agree that it didn't end well," she said.

"The Queen urged Americans to write in her name on Election Day, after which the transition to British rule could begin “with a minimum of bother.”

"Elizabeth acknowledged that, in the wake of Brexit, Americans might justifiably be alarmed about being governed by the British parliamentary system, but she reassured them, “ 'Parliament would play no role in this deal. This would be an old-school monarchy. Just me, and then, assuming you’d rather not have Charles, we could go straight to William and those children of his who have mesmerized you so.”

"Using the closing moments of her speech to tout her credentials, the Queen made it clear that she has never used e-mail and has only had sex with one person "very occasionally.' "

Andy Borowitz is the New York Times best-selling author of “The 50 Funniest American Writers,” and a comedian who has written for The New Yorker since 1998. He writes the Borowitz Report, a satirical column on the news, for newyorker.com
Hat tip to Rick McGinty at Mark Levin's Fan Club of Intelligent, Thinking Women (and Men)

The Constant Spin Zone/ How one publication reported Trump’s trip to see troops in Iraq.

For openers, Melania's boots were scorned. Too bad they weren't worn by Michelle Obama.

Ruthfully Yours  Original post here.  "President Trump and his wife Melania made a surprise visit to American soldiers in Iraq on Wednesday, and you would think that would be a straightforward event to write up. Report how and when he arrived, whom he visited, and what he and some of the soldiers said. These holiday trips have become a ritual for all Presidents, and the troops appreciate the Commander in Chief’s display of support.

'Yet here are the first two paragraphs of the news dispatch on the Trump visit that the Washington Post published on its website Wednesday afternoon, Washington time:

“ 'President Trump touched down Wednesday in Iraq in his first visit to a conflict zone as commander in chief, a week after announcing a victory over the Islamic State that his own Pentagon and State Department days earlier said remained incomplete.

“ 'The president’s visit to Al Asad Air Base west of Baghdad, which was shrouded in secrecy, follows months of public pressure for him to spend time with troops deployed to conflicts in the Middle East and punctuates the biggest week of turmoil the Pentagon has faced during his presidency.”

"We’ll admit we stopped reading there, so perhaps there was actual news later in the story. But can anyone reading those opening two sentences wonder why millions of Americans believe Donald Trump when he tells them that he can’t get a fair shake from the press?

"These reporters can’t even begin a news account of a presidential visit to a military base without working in a compilation of Mr. Trump’s controversies, contradictions, and failings.

"The point isn’t to feel sorry for Mr. Trump, whose rhetorical attacks on the press have often been contemptible. The point is that such gratuitously negative reporting undermines the credibility of the press without Mr. Trump having to say a word."

‘Deeper kind of hatred’: Geraldo Rivera pulls ZERO punches when calling CNN out for attacking troops over MAGA swag

CNN: Certainly Not News

Hoax and Change  "Geraldo Rivera seems to have taken issue with the way in which CNN is covering the troops asking Trump and Melania to sign some MAGA swag.

"And we can hardly blame him.

"He gets it … CNN is reporting like they have a personal grudge here, not like it’s a real story.

Rules are rules but my friends at #CNN & co. whining about GI’s-in contravention of some obscure regulation-asking @realDonaldTrump & @FLOTUS to sign their #maga hats seems particularly petty. It has a slimy coating that indicates deeper hatred.

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) December 28, 2018

" ‘It has a slimy coating that indicates a deeper hatred.’

"Nailed it.

"Imagine being so thin-skinned and petty that you’d dedicate an entire news cycle to hoping troops serving overseas at CHRISTMAS are disciplined for asking the president and first lady to sign MAGA hats.

"It’s ridiculous.

"It’s embarrassing.

"It’s CNN.

Of course it's petty. It's CNN.

— Agatha Gregson (@gregson_agatha) December 28, 2018 

Can’t tell you the last time I watched @CNN #certainlynotnews

— karalot73 (@karalot73) December 28, 2018

"Certainly not news.

"Awesome.

Good call, despite the CNN hatred of the all things Trump, you spoke a fair point. Clear as day CNN is done as a news organization. Now just a Democrat platform for all things negative towards republican leadership. It’s a sad organization now

— Gregg williams (@gw92008) December 28, 2018  . . .

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit’s Un-kosher Exploitation of Politically-charged Headlines

American Thinker   "NBC’s Law and Order: Special Victims Unit wasted no time this TV season in spinning a yarn (November 8, 2018) that exploited the headlines about a candidate for the Supreme Court being accused of committing rape during high school days. And for some reason, writers Richard Sweren and Ryan Causey wanted to give their sordid tale a “Jewish” angle.

. . . 

"I suppose that one could argue that this episode was “inspired” not only by headlines about alleged high school cruelties of a future Catholic officer of the court, but also by headlines about Jewish media moguls and anchors who abused their power by exploiting actresses and other female employees. And the writers certainly have the prerogative to choose characters of any ethnic or religious background (in this case, Jewish) to be the bad apple or the bad influence. Still, I can’t help thinking that this exploitation of headlines, on both counts, was, in the end, all for the sake of having a one-liner with the word, “kosher” in it." . . .

We still watch reruns of "Law & Order", but I avoid seeing anything later than 2000. There are so many instances where they attack any positions not left-wing. One case in point was the reason for this post in the Tunnel Wall. TD

"Law & Order": another TV show that sucker-punches half the American population

"We began watching a 2009 episode of "Law and Order" titled "Fed" last night and I had to shut it off at the start. We saw people like ourselves - TEA par-tiers, portrayed as rifle-toting, hateful bigots. Only Hollywood is capable of inspiring dislike and outrage by the simple means of the skillful acting of those who portray people like you and me as despicable and violent. They give us the same treatment they give to pharmaceutical  and insurance companies.

I just surfed past "Law and Order, SVU" last evening and heard only the words "conservative bigot" spoken by Richard Belzer in the role of Munch. So I searched the words "conservative bigot law and order". Links included here are some of what came up.
"Law [and] Order: Conservative Victims Unit  "This isn't the first time Law [and] Order writers have fantasized about murdering outspoken conservatives.  Last October, The View's Elisabeth Hasselbeck was left shaken when an episode of Law [and] Order: SVU featured a character that was raped twice and then murdered by a serial killer.  The victim's name was Elizabeth Hassenbeck."

"Rush Limbaugh Called a Drug Addict in NBC's New Legal Drama 'Harry's Law' "As the show's star Kathy Bates argued for the legalization of drugs while her client was being cross-examined by a totally hapless district attorney, she claimed the idea was first raised by Republicans, "When the party had thinkers, before it was hijacked by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, a drug addict himself" "

Ann Coulter, NBC’s fun idea of a rape victim
"One of NBC’s latest “Law & Order: SVU” episodes showed a horric rape scene of a conservative pundit who coincidentally happened to look like Ann Coulter, who coincidentally happened to talk about “liberal snowakes” in a speech, who coincidentally happened to talk about deporting so-called “Dreamers.”