The Chilling Timeline of the ISIS Bride Who Wants to Return to America

Claudia Rosett

Hassan Shibly, attorney for Hoda Muthana, the Alabama 

woman who left home to join the Islamic State in Syria,

. . . "But there's another timeline that ought to matter here. Not for legal purposes, but in the broader context of how Hoda Muthana's story is now playing to the American public. What about the timeline of high-profile ISIS atrocities -- the context in which she made her choices?

"In the media coverage of this case, all that bloody record of deliberately inflicted human agony seems to have faded into some remote and misty past, summarized in maybe a sentence or two -- or symbolized on the TV news by short video clips of ISIS fighters waving black flags and shooting guns, with no obvious target. As far as I'm aware, no media outlet has so far juxtaposed an interview of Hoda Muthana with such signature ISIS footage as videos of American hostages, on their knees, about to be beheaded by ISIS; or that young Jordanian pilot burned alive in a cage.

"Instead, we're invited to focus our attention and sympathies on a young woman in a headscarf, holding her infant son or pushing him in a stroller around a refugee camp, telling her assorted media interlocutors that in joining ISIS she made a "big mistake." This past week she told ABC News that she regrets joining ISIS, and she hopes Americans will "excuse me because of how young and ignorant I was."

"Was it really nothing but youth and ignorance? Hoda was 20 when she went to Syria to join ISIS -- older than many of the victims whose sufferings ISIS was gloating over at the time. She's now 24, and only now, with ISIS stripped of its caliphate -- thanks to others, including members of the American military who risked or gave their lives to fight the terrorists she joined -- is she publicly disavowing ISIS. And though in her recent interviews she's been expressing plenty of regret about the misfortunes ISIS brought to her own life, she's said almost nothing about what ISIS did, while she urged and cheered it on, to thousands upon thousands who had no choice at all. They are not on camera in these interviews. Many of them are dead." . . .

Trump's Presidency Triggered a Wave of Fake Hate Crimes

Frank Hawkins  "Jussie Smollett’s fake hate crime blaming Trump supporters has now been exposed as a hate crime of its own. And, as it turns out, we’ve seen this movie before. Too many times. Frankly, it’s getting tiresome. And it’s high time the gullible leftist media begins to show some skepticism when these types of incidents are reported.

"Leaks and statements from the Chicago Police Department make it clear the attention-seeking leftist black actor, who happens to be gay, tried to persuade the public that he was the victim of a Trump inspired hate crime. His claim turned to farce when it was exposed that the so-called white MAGA hat wearing attackers were Nigerian born friends of his leading one wag to claim this was the first time Nigerians had fallen for an American scam.

"The pattern is clear. In an ongoing effort to discredit President Trump and white conservative males, the bizarro left loves to fabricate stories that portray themselves as victims of hate. It’s a shameful practice that borders on mental illness.

"The pattern became noticeable during Trump’s run 2016 run for the presidency. It was so bad the Daily Caller labeled 2016 as “The Year of The Hoax Hate Crime.” An example: "  . . .

Frank Hawkins is a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, Associated Press foreign correspondent, international businessman, senior newspaper company executive, founder and owner of several marketing companies, and published novelist.  He currently lives in retirement in North Carolina.

How Airhead O-C rules her staff we should fear what she would do to this nation

There will definitely be a market for a tell-all tale or two of the chaos that inevitably follow an incompetent ideologue in charge of a serious operation.Ocasio-Cortez has no concept of her ignorance. The only question I have is whether the harm she does in office will outweigh the mirth she generates for those of us watching her crash and burn.

Fear the voters who elect these politicians!

Thomas Lifson:  Ocasio-Cortez redistributes her staff’s incomes  "A young woman with no real-world experience is about to learn the hard way that her ideology is impractical.  I have to give Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez credit for sincerity in her announcement on Twitter that she plans to compress the pay scale of her staff, reallocating the budget she receives for staff, and cutting the pay at the top, while increasing the pay at the bottom. If she stays in office long enough, the consequences of implementing leftist cant will become clear to her (and us) over time, so it may be a teaching experience” (as former President Obama called it).  Stephanie Aiken of Roll Call sympathetically reports: . . .

. . . "Because Ocasio-Cortez has no real-world experience, she will not see the foreseeable consequences. For a while, she will retain senior staff at low pay because they are committed to the ideological goals they think that they share with her. They also will be benefitted by the prominence she enjoys, reaping personal visibility and attention from the media." . . .

Dem candidate in Chicago wants socialism in 'control of every facet of our lives'
"Washington Free Beacon:

In a Thursday interview with the left-wing Jacobin, Okere was asked to define democratic socialism, and he gave a remarkably expansive answer.

"Democratic socialism, to me, is about democratic control of every single facet of our life," he said.  "Government is led by the people, not by big corporations, not by multibillionaires, and working people actually have control over who we elect to be our politicians, over how elections work, and over how our government is structured.  People have the power."

Okere went on to say he believes socialism should guide a society's entire course, not just its political structures:. . . 

What sort of education system has bred this generation and their teachers? 

The Greatest Constitutional CRISIS Since the Civil War

Conrad Black  "The most immense and dangerous public scandal in American history is finally cracking open like a ripe pomegranate. The broad swath of the Trump-hating media that has participated in what has amounted to an unconstitutional attempt to overthrow the government are reduced to reporting the events and revelations of the scandal in which they have been complicit, in a po-faced ho-hum manner to impart to the misinformed public that this is as routine as stock market fluctuations or the burning of an American flag in Tehran.

"For more than two years, the United States and the world have had two competing narratives: that an elected president of the United States was a Russian agent whom the Kremlin helped elect; and its rival narrative that senior officials of the Justice Department, FBI, CIA, and other national intelligence organizations had repeatedly lied under oath, misinformed federal officials, and meddled in partisan political matters illegally and unconstitutionally and had effectively tried to influence the outcome of a presidential election, and then undo its result by falsely propagating the first narrative. It is now obvious and indisputable that the second narrative is the correct one. most immense and dangerous public scandal in American history is finally cracking open like a ripe pomegranate. The broad swath of the Trump-hating media that has participated in what has amounted to an unconstitutional attempt to overthrow the government are reduced to reporting the events and revelations of the scandal in which they have been complicit, in a po-faced ho-hum manner to impart to the misinformed public that this is as routine as stock market fluctuations or the burning of an American flag in Tehran." . . .

Still seeking the name of the guy in black who assaulted the Turning Point representative

This post will be updated as more information comes in. We'll likely post the court verdict of guilty and the short probation he'll probably get, just as the bike-lock professor did.

Heavy.com  "The altercation was recorded at two different angles. The first angle shows the incident from a bystander’s perspective." You can watch that video here.

"A second video showed the incident from Williams’ perspective. You can watch that video below:"

. . . "Williams told the website Campus Reform, “Some students nearby tabling were laughing, even one guy was smiling while I was being attacked and trying to hand me his flyer as a joke. The idea is free speech has consequences…. which include you getting assaulted if they find you promoting ideas others don’t agree with.”' . . . 
. . .
"Police said they are asking the public to help identify the suspect. “The suspect left the area before police arrived. UCPD is investigating this case and asks that anyone who has information about this matter or the pictured suspect to call 510-642-6760,” police said in the alert." . . .

Updates will follow in this post.

Clumsy Kamala: Why Kamala Harris may be her own worst enemy

"What trips up Kamala Harris is an evident desire to please her audience. She wants no enemies to her left, no identity politics left untouched. She can't run as a prosecutor—crime fighting is so 1990s—but she can run as brash, bold, and woke."   . . .

Matthew Continetti  "No Democrat running for president has had a better 2019 than Kamala Harris. The numbers tell the tale. The California senator was in the low single digits in polls conducted before her official launch on January 28. She is now in the low double digits, running third behind Joe Biden, who enjoys cosmic name recognition, and Bernie Sanders, whose devoted supporters brought him a second-place finish last time. But polls do not tell the whole story.

"Harris raised $1.5 million in the day after declaring her candidacy. That number, impressive for a senator not even a third of the way through her first term, has been bested only by Sanders, a socialist who has a venture capitalist's talent for raising money. He brought in $5.9 million in the first 24 hours of his campaign. Harris, however, has something Sanders does not.

"She is a fresh face of middle age (54 years) and of diverse background (her father is Jamaican, her mother Indian) whose chief rivals at the moment are two geriatric white men. As Democrats search for someone new to lead them against President Trump, Harris has distinguished herself from the field. Her CNN town hall drew record ratings, while Amy Klobuchar's flopped. And Harris leads the 2020 Democrats in social media interactions, according to an Axios/Newswhip study. She's had a good launch. But there's a caveat.

"David Axelrod has described presidential campaigns as MRIs for the soul. He means that a candidate is subjected to pressures strong enough to reveal his or her true character. What voters get at the end of the process is a fuller picture of the men and women they choose to inhabit the White House. In these early weeks of what is certain to be a seemingly endless and certainly vitriolic campaign, Harris has demonstrated both strengths and weaknesses." . . . 

The Difference Between Newsweek’s Reporting Of Smollett Hoax Vs. Conservative Activist Attacked On Video

Daily Caller  "Newsweek’s initial coverage of the Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax and the alleged assault that took place Tuesday on UC Berkeley’s campus drew skepticism Friday from many, though Newsweek defends its reporting as appropriately “cautious.”

"Smollett alleged that two supporters of President Donald Trump assaulted him and poured a bleach-like substance on him while shouting racist and homophobic slurs last month. He was arrested for allegedly orchestrating the entire hoax earlier this week.

Newsweek published, “‘Empire’ Actor Jussie Smollett Hospitalized For Possible Hate Crime With ‘Unknown Chemical Substance’: Report,” by Kelly Wynne, the day after the alleged attack on Jan. 29.

"The article’s lede reads: “Empire actor Jussie Smollett was hospitalized Monday in Chicago after being attacked by two men who allegedly screamed praise to President Donald Trump.”

"The way the article is written appears to confirm that the attack happened. The detail of the attackers screaming “praise to President Donald Trump,” however, was left as uncorroborated.

"Now, the Chicago Police Department believes the entire attack was self-orchestrated by Smollett, and he has been charged with submitting a false report.

"In another incident Tuesday, Hayden Williams, an employee of the nonprofit Leadership Institute, got into an altercation that ended with him being punched in the face. The tail end of the incident was caught on camera." . . .

Watch the man in black allegedly punch the conservative activist:

The alleged attacker and the alleged punch

Here’s A List Of Hoax ‘Hate Crimes’ In The Trump Era

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko Praises Trump’s Leadership Against Russia

Daily Caller

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko praised President Donald Trump’s leadership in tackling the Russian threat during a Friday interview on Fox News.

"Poroshenko seemed perturbed by Trump’s desire to get along with Putin, letting out a sigh before explaining that it is only possible to talk to the Russian leader from a position of strength. However, he also said that he is confident in the United States’ stance on Russia. (RELATED: Five Times Trump Has Slapped Down Russia)

“ 'I think that this administration do an excellent, a great job,” Poroshenko said. “This is not only sanctions, for example, presenting Javelin — this is a modern anti-tank system … this has saved a lot of life for Ukrainian soldiers.”

"Poroshenko declined to speak negatively about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who infamously presented Russia with a red reset button, and former president Barack Obama, who mocked Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for calling Russia the country’s greatest geopolitical foe. Instead, he opted to praise the current administration’s role.

“I have a feeling that U.S. administration clear[ly] understand[s] the possible danger of Putin despite of any of their statement.  And with this situation, we have in Ukraine the problem [is] that they should keep power dry.  And with this situation I’m absolutely confident that only strong U.S., the global leadership of the United States and the leadership of the President Trump can keep the world safe.” . . .

Our Infanticidal Moment

National Review Editors

Senator Patty Murray (D, Wash.) is one of several Senate Democrats

 who appear set to oppose the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors 

"Democrats are increasingly open in their support for abortion all the way through pregnancy. Legislation from Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) asks them whether they will draw a line even there.

"The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which the Senate will consider on Monday, requires doctors to provide medical care to infants born alive in the course of attempted abortions and forbids killing them. Senator Sasse brought the legislation to the floor after Virginia’s Democratic governor Ralph Northam endorsed allowing mothers and physicians to determine whether newborns should be left to die, at least in some circumstances.

"Democratic senators managed to avoid opining on Northam’s remarks, with help from reporters who chose to ignore or distort them. But Sasse’s bill forces the issue: Does increasing support among Democrats for abortion up until birth preclude them from supporting a bill that mandates medical care for newborns?
"The answer appears to be yes. When Sasse requested unanimous consent to his legislation earlier this month, he was blocked by Democratic senator Patty Murray of Washington, who claimed that there are already laws against infanticide. In the context of abortion, this is false. No federal law enacts an explicit requirement that newborns be afforded “the same degree” of care that “any other child born alive at the same gestational age” would receive, as Sasse’s bill does. Only 33 states have a law like this in place, and those laws can, of course, be removed. New York’s recent abortion expansion affirmatively repealed the state’s born-alive protections.
"Sounding eerily like Northam, opponents of the bill, including Planned Parenthood, claim that it will unduly restrict women’s health-care options. But this legislation places no restrictions on access to abortion or on the type of abortion a woman can receive. " . . .

2020 Democrat candidates are now supporting reparations for slavery

You may love President Trump or you may hate him, but right now he is all that is standing between us and these Democrats. Don't you wake up every day wondering what the left will do to us next? TD

Peter Barry Chowka  "On February 21, a New York Times feature story about proposals for the government to pay American blacks reparations for slavery has moved the issue closer to the front burner in the lead up to next year's presidential elections.  The article's title summarized the story: "2020 Democrats Embrace Race-Conscious Policies, Including Reparations."  Largely overshadowed on an incredibly busy news day was the disclosure that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), one of the early frontrunners for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, is now enthusiastically on the reparations bandwagon:

Ms. Warren also said she supported reparations for black Americans impacted by slavery — a policy that experts say could cost several trillion dollars.

. . .  "The Times noted that the pro-reparations policy has also been embraced by another prominent candidate for the 2020 nomination:

Last week, Senator Kamala Harris of California agreed with a radio host's recent suggestion that government reparations for black Americans were necessary to address the legacies of slavery and discrimination.  Ms. Harris later affirmed that support in a statement to The Times.

"The Times confirmed the existence of a plethora of additional race-based policy proposals by Democrats, attributing them to virtuous ends:" . . .

There are so very many African-Americans who have in the past been terribly mistreated by whites, especially under Jim Crow laws. I recall in my own time black guards standing unserved and uninvited outside eating places while Nazi POWs were fed during transport. There were the Tuskegee Airmen who were mocked in spite of their excellent combat record in WW2; towns I was in where black GIs disappeared because all the establishments I myself could enter had "Whites only" signs. 

If only we could undo those shamed by being asked to leave businesses and community events; those having been victimized by a legal system that stood against them and supported those white bigots who cheated them, including - I fear - members of my own family in the deep South.

It is those Americans I wish so badly that we could undo the wrong we have done them. But I cannot bear the thought of further enriching the likes of Al Sharpton, Farrakhan, and Maxine Waters along with those crowds who loot and burn cities; those who gather flash mobs to pick businesses clean and those enjoying the "knock-out game". Further, I can see that a case could be made for reparations being owed by black activists to those murdered by rioters, or had their livelihoods destroyed because of their words.

Not one dime should go to those chanting "Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon"!

I fear there may sadly be no way to compensate those who have genuinely suffered degradation in the past without all the well-intentioned reparations (whatever those might be) sucked into the hands of those hoping to enrich themselves by their demagoguery.

Electing this particular black president seemed to have been worse than nothing. 

The Tunnel Dweller.

Bernie blows his big chance to explain socialism in Venezuela

. . . "Sanders argues that the real danger in Venezuela is U.S. intervention, not starving people .  If someone has to starve so the U.S. doesn't intervene, he's obviously all in, because Trump's brandished weapon, aid, can't be allowed in if a socialist government says "no.' "

Monica Showalter  "Bernie Sanders, 77, who's been defending socialist Venezuela for years, and who'd now like to be our president, has some explaining to do.

"An MSNBC interviewer, captured on video by The Right Scoop, gave him just that opportunity, as you can see from this screen shot here:

. . . "Blowing out the private sector through price controls and currency controls, all in the name of "fairness," is a pretty good way to leave just oil as the only money game in town as an unintended (or, given that these are socialists at war with the "greedy" private sector, intended) consequence of socialism writ large.

"Socialist central planning from the state, in that government-knows-best way of Bernie Sanders and all his socialist allies, is another way to Venezuelify a nation through socialism.  In 2003, Venezuela's strongman Hugo Chávez, following his Cowen-described creation of conditions for the destruction of the private sector through the expansion of government, nevertheless still had the state oil industry as his money source to ensure his permanent power, which he justified as "la revolución."  Instead of guarding the oil like Gollum's ring, which would have required free-market business practices, he fired all the oil experts and replaced them with politically connected cronies chosen for their socialism and then spent the oil company's earnings on welfare instead of operational investment, as a normal company would do.

"That's a really good way to run out of other people's money.

"Is Bernie Sanders saying he'd never dream of doing any such things in the name of "fairness" or "ending greed" or "the people"?

"Of course not.  That's why he can't answer the question.

"What's more, Sanders's last statements are a mishmash of true and false premises, which make the rest of his response inchoate." . . .

Spare me all the pieties about Jussie Smollett

"The rush to exploit the alleged but phony hate crime was unseemly because of all the holes in the story. But blinded by hatred of Trump, and anxious to benefit themselves, people like Don Lemon of CNN and Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris sought to benefit themselves."

Thomas Lifson
"[Disclaimer: Jussie Smollett, like all defendants, is entitled to the presumption of innocence in his forthcoming trial[s].  The following analysis is based on the assumption that the evidence presented by assistant state's attorney Risa Lanier is valid and that the charges against him are true.  Registered voters in Cook County, who are members of his potential jury pool, are strongly cautioned that reading further may make them ineligible to sit in judgment at trial.]"

. . . "According to the information presented by police superintendent Eddie Johnson and prosecutor Risa Lanier, greed was one root of the hoax.  Smollett's pay per episode of Empire has been variously reported as as low as $65,000 and as high as $125,000.  Either figure puts him in the dreaded one percent at the top of the income distribution.  Progressives love to lecture us about the injustice of high incomes but always exempt their own.  Being a progressive is akin to the papal indulgences of the Middle Ages.

But there is another obvious motive: political — hatred of Donald Trump.  Drudge has been featuring a picture of him that says it all:"

. . . "While all reports of crime, including "hate crimes," deserve thorough investigation, the fact is that fake hate crime reports are epidemic — Tawana Brawley, Duke lacrosse, UVA fraternities, and many other lesser known instances.  An entire website, http://www.fakehatecrimes.org, is devoted to the epidemic, and they currently have 349 items, including Smollett.  I have repeatedly made the point that there is not enough hate to go around, because our politics and society reward people who claim to be victims." . . .