The Net Grows Tighter: Barr Now Working With CIA, FBI, National Intelligence To Investigate Alleged Surveillance Of Trump Campaign

Daily Wire  "In what could be really bad news for Democrats, according to CNN’s Laura Jarrett, Attorney General William Barr is now drawing the net tighter around those people who may have targeted Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign; he’s working with the CIA, National Intelligence and the FBI to investigate surveillance issues related to the Trump campaign." . . .
An excerpt from Sen. Graham's statement:

. . . We're going to, in a bipartisan way, I hope deal with Russia, but when the Mueller report is put to bed, and it soon will be, this committee is going to look long and hard at how this all started. We're going to look at the FISA warrant process. Did Russia provide Christopher Steele the information about Trump that turned out to be garbage that was used to get a warrant on an American citizen, and if so, how did the system fail? Was there a real effort between Papadopoulos and anybody in Russia to use the Clinton emails stolen by--stole by the Russians, or was that thought planted in his mind? I don't know, but we're going to look. And I can tell you this. If you change the names, you all would want to look, too. Everything I just said, just substitute Clinton for Trump and see what all these people with cameras would be saying out here about this.

Does the Left ever defend America from those who hate it?

Does the Left ever defend America from those who hate it?  Does the Left ever condemn the fifty-year feminist jihad against men and boys, which has savaged and destroyed so many tens of millions of lives?  Does the Left champion the vital values of Christianity from those who mock and sneer at it?  Does the Left censure the growing global pox of anti-Semitism? 

Tony Branco

Bruce Walker on "The Left's love of hate".

. . . No, the Left simply tries to caricature anyone and anything that opposes it politically and philosophically as "hate."  Nothing the Left says or does can ever be "hate" even when it manifestly is hate.  So when Obama in the salons of the wealthy refers to those who he wishes to govern as people "bitterly clinging to their guns and religion" or when Hillary calls the hardworking people of Flyover Country "deplorable," that is never seen as hate. 

"Leftists view "hate" as leftists view everything: it must be something "collective" or "social."  So certain people, simply by belonging to a particular race or sex or faith or class, are either official victims or official victimizers, and anyone who challenges that gross lumping together of individuals is targeted by the Left as someone motivated by "hate."

"All collective or social judgments of individuals are wrong.  That talisman that seems at times to mesmerize even otherwise sensible people, "social justice," is among the greatest evils of all.  Nazis, Stalinists, fascists, and every other totalitarian monster of the Left genuflected reverently at the altar of social justice.

"All justice is individual justice, or it is simply injustice.  All responsibility is personal, or it is instead irresponsibility.  Conservatives and other normal people grasp this fact and generally behave accordingly.  We are not conscript masses in some vast rhetorical war, but rather people with minds and hearts and consciences." . . .    

What are the odds that the Durham investigation is for real and will bring the bad actors to justice?

America's adversaries root fervently for these aforementioned "bad actors".

Thomas Lifson  "Following the disclosure that US Attorney John Durham has been tasked with investigating and prosecuting potential crimes in the origin of the Russia Hoax, we learned some very encouraging facts that suggest the Russia Hoax will be fully aired and miscreants brought to justice. Like Howie Carr, who had a front-row seat when John Durham went after corruption in the FBI Boston office, I am “cautiously optimistic”  (Howie’s term) that Durham and his boss AG Barr want to get to the bottom of the hoax and put those who may have committed crimes in prison.

"In Boston, Durham faced a gigantic scandal that was very damaging to the FBI and did not blink. He got John Connelly, Whitey Bulger’s protector, sentenced to 40 years in prison. This does not sound like a prosecutor who can be persuaded to lay off getting to the truth in order to protect the reputations of important people and institutions.

"But we must concede that there are plenty of reasons to worry that the biggest political scandal in American history – the political weaponization of both the federal intelligence and law enforcement communities to spy on political opponents of the sitting president and remove a duly elected president from office – would be swept under the rug. Even a sober-minded man of integrity like William Barr might be persuaded that the harm to public trust in our system would be too profound and that our allies and foes overseas might see us as so weakened that they would take actions inimical to our interests.

"Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh provided a fascinating insight into the level of distrust the conservative base has in the ability of our institutions and their leaders to right themselves. After reviewing what Durham could accomplish, he came back after a commercial break and said:" . . .

U.S. Women's Soccer Co-Captain: ‘I’ll Probably Never Sing The National Anthem Again’

Daily Wire

"The co-captain of the United States Women’s national soccer team, Megan Rapinoe, told Yahoo Sports, "I'll probably never put my hand over my heart. I’ll probably never sing the national anthem again,” boasting that she is "a walking protest when it comes to the Trump administration,” because of "everything I stand for.” She added, “I feel like it's kind of defiance in and of itself to just be who I am and wear the jersey, and represent it. Because I'm as talented as I am, I get to be here, you don't get to tell me if I can be here or not. So it's kind of a good ‘F you' to any sort of inequality or bad sentiments that the [Trump] administration might have towards people who don't look exactly like him. Which, God help us if we all looked like him. Scary. Really scary. Ahh, disturbing.' " . . .

Romney casts lone GOP vote against Trump judicial pick because of a ‘disparaging’ comment about Obama

Conservative Review 

 "On Tuesday, the Senate voted to confirm Michael J. Truncale of Texas as the United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas by a vote of 49-46. 

"The vote was mostly along party lines in the upper chamber, with Sens. Cassidy, R-La., Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Hirono, D-Hawaii, Kennedy, R-La., Rounds, R-S.D., not voting; there was, however, one party defection, as Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, voted with Democrats against the nominee. 

"For Romney, it wasn’t a matter of jurisprudence or legal qualifications, but remarks made about former Democratic President Obama Truncale made in 2011, calling him an “un-American imposter.” 

"In a written response to questions from Senate Judiciary Committee Member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Truncale said that the comments were some of many made while in previous “capacities as a candidate for the United States Congress or as a political commentator” and that such opinions would be inappropriate for a judge to express.

"Back in 2011, Truncale threw his hat into the political ring and ran for Congress in a crowded field to replace the outgoing congressman and then-Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. 

“ 'I will note that it is possible, however,” Truncale later added in his response to Feinstein, “that I was merely expressing frustration by what I perceived as a lack of overt patriotism on behalf of President Obama.” 

"However, that explanation just didn’t cut it for Romney, who told Politico after the vote that he voted against Truncale in defense of Obama, citing his own 2012 presidential run against the Chicago Democrat. 

“ 'He made particularly disparaging comments about President Obama. And as the Republican nominee for president, I just couldn’t subscribe to that in a federal judge,” Romney told the outlet. “This was not a matter of qualifications or politics; this was something specifically to that issue as a former nominee of our party.' ” 

Ocasio-Cortez Horrified [When A] Woman At Nail Salon Offered To Get Rid Of Her Mustache…

Was there ever a time in the life of Winston Churchill, Lady Margaret Thatcher or Franklin D. Roosevelt when they would have thought of saying things like this? Did their thoughts ever go into these sort of things? TD

Weasel Zippers

Some of the things Lady Thatcher contemplated: 

I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but it will get you pretty near.

There is no such thing as society: there are individual men and women, and there are families.

One of the things being in politics has taught me is that men are not a reasoned or reasonable sex.

I owe nothing to Women's Lib.

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.

I don't mind how much my ministers talk -- as long as they do what I say.

I am extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end.

Of course, it is the same old story. Truth usually is the same old story.

In contrast with Lady Thatcher, AOC took part in this stimulating conversation with a talk show host.

Sorely missed by talk show hosts and dictators

Tony Branco

Be sure to put that Milano Sex Strike on your calendar.

A Sex Strike to Nowhere

It’s always amusing to get a lecture about the interests of women from representatives of Hollywood.

"Lysistrata, the character from the Aristophanes play of the same name, declared a sex strike to try to stop a devastating war in ancient Greece.

"Alyssa Milano, the actress and political activist, declared a sex strike to try to stop Georgia from protecting unborn children in the womb.

"The state just passed and signed into law a so-called heartbeat bill to outlaw abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detectable. This led Milano to conclude that women can’t risk pregnancy until further notice, and that they must stop having sex, at least stop having sex with “cis men.”

Getting some cheap publicity at the expense of
A good man and his family reputation.

"It’s apparently never occurred to Milano that women, not just cis men, support pro-life legislation, and that unborn babies are both boys and girls. In her fictional cause, Lysistrata had mercy and humanity on her side. Milano has neither, although her lack of seriousness makes her a perfect spokesperson for the backlash against the Georgia bill. 

"It is one of a spate of heartbeat bills around the nation that are sure to get enjoined in the courts, but have highlighted the hysterical opposition to the idea that a tiny human being with a heartbeat should be afforded protection under the law. " . . .

Liberal Sex Strike Fails To Score  . . . "They have to play to the no-limits edge to get the nomination, but Trump is going to slam them with it in the general. And the liberal game plan – deny that anyone would ever have a late-term abortion while demanding that anyone can have a late term abortion because it’s the mostest importantest right ever was – just will not fly." . . .

I'm reminded of an episode of "The Mentalist" where the hero, talking with an ex-boss fishing on a pier, lectures him about killing fish for his personal enjoyment. TD

Publicity is where you find it: Alyssa Milano Has A New Crusade: Boycott Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Nuggets

Obama’s Defense Secretary questions Biden’s ‘intellectual acuity’: He’s been wrong for past 40 years

BPR

"Former Vice President Joe Biden’s “intellectual acuity” in potentially leading the nation seemed a cause of concern for a former Obama administration official.
"Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did not exactly give the 2020 Democratic contender a glowing reference as he simply said he “didn’t know” if Biden would make an effective commander-in-chief, telling CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on “Face The Nation” that he stood by his view that Biden has “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue” in the last 40 years.
"Brennan read from Gates’ comments on Biden in his 2015 memoir:

Joe Biden is impossible not to like. He is a man of integrity, incapable of hiding what he really thinks and one of those rare people you know you can turn to for help in a personal crisis. Still, I think he’s been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.

"After reminding the highly respected former Defense Secretary of his own words, the CBS News moderator and senior foreign affairs correspondent asked if he thought Biden would make a good president.
“ 'I don’t know. I think I stand by that statement,” Gates said.
“ 'He and I agreed on some key issues in the Obama administration. We agreed on, to oppose- we both opposed the intervention in Libya. We both opposed the way that President Mubarak was handled- the situation in Egypt. We disagreed significantly on Afghanistan and some other issues,” Gates explained." . . .

With all Trump has coming up, how would Joe handle all this?

A self-proclaimed world-class dealmaker, a perhaps overconfident Trump is confronting not one, not two, but a half-dozen serious foreign policy problems simultaneously. None of these escalating challenges, save perhaps Venezuela, are new. And solving them has stumped all other recent presidents.

Comrade de Blasio gets a rude reception from 'the people'

DML

Monica Showalter  "Hoping to make a big splash ahead of his hankered-after run for the presidency, things didn't go quite the way New York's socialist mayor thought they would go as he staged a green new deal press conference in the lobby of New York's Trump Tower.

"According to the Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio staged a chaotic news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower on Monday in which he touted a city anti-pollution law, was heckled by President Donald Trump's supporters and said he will announce this week whether he's running for president.

Speaking at a podium steps from the spot where Trump announced his own run in 2015, the Democrat said he had come to warn the president that Trump Organization buildings could face a combined $2.1 million in annual fines by 2030 if they don't comply with a new law requiring skyscraper owners to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

"Problem is, he not only got booed, he got trolled - big time - with camera visuals that showed Trumpsters riding up and down on the escalators behind him, bearing signs calling de Blasio New York's worst-ever mayor . . . 

"Seems the working class masses De Blasio purports to represent had other ideas. No[t] only did De Blasio get booed, he actually got trolled. Look:" . . .

. . . 

"There they are, riding up and down the escalator behind him and his pre-printed Green New Deal placards, with hand printed grassroots signs calling him 'Worst Mayor Ever' and 'Trump 2020' signs, up and down, up and down.

"That's some hella street theater. That's 'seizing the narrative' as Ben Rhodes would say.

"And it couldn't happen to a nicer socialist commissar, a man who has made life for New Yorkers utterly miserable as he caters to socialism's favorite special interests at the expense of the metropolis." . . .

Dictator-loving Code Pink gets kicked out of the Venezuelan embassy in DC

So much for socialism representing 'the people.' These leftists represent the dictator and only the dictator and the Venezuelans in their millions are not fooled. Maduro has said nothing since the booting of the leftists, but it should give him a whiff of what his own exit is going to be like if he doesn't get out now.

 Venezuelans throw a street party to watch Code Pink get booted from the Vz embassy  "For weeks, radical leftwing activist group Code Pink has been occupying the otherwise empty Venezuelan embassy in a tony part of Washington to support the socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro. With no lights, electricity or presumably bathroom services, it's safe to say they're stinking up the joint. Just look at what they've turned the place into from the outside, based on this tweet by the approving Maduro - can you say 'pigpen'?"

I send solidarity greeting, full of deep admiration and gratitude to the Protection Collective of our Embassy in Washington, who with brave have faced the aggressions of a sick right and a criminal empire. That's the worthy people of U.S. #Love4EPC pic.twitter.com/g0E1pk73UN— Nicolás Maduro (@maduro_en) May 10, 2019

. . . "Last night, the cops came to kick them out. Apparently, there are four holdouts, but they aren't going to last long after they get hungry and will eventually be dislodged, too.

"What was noteworthy about it was the response from the Venezuelans on the outside as the cops came in to do their work. The embassy of course, is supposed to be for them.

"What did they do? The Venezulean(sp) thing - cheering and throwing a party - as the rabid leftists were given the boot. Here's some of the Twitter evidence that I found. The quickie translations are from Microsoft Translate with a couple of clarifications in brackets from me:" . . .

That would be this Venezuela, I believe, that Code Pink celebrates:

Code Pink Shredded For Seizing DC Venezuelan Embassy And Defending Socialist Dictator Maduro  "Communist Code Pink took it upon themselves to seize the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC but they got a surprise… outraged Venezuelans ripped them for supporting the socialist dictator Maduro – the butcher of Venezuela. Code Pink is an anti-war group that never met a communist regime they did not adore. They claim they are defending the embassy from a “hostile takeover” as the U.S. State Department labels them “trespassers” and calls on them to leave."

Why Aren't Democratic Presidential Candidates Criticizing Trump's Foreign Policy?

Left-wing Vox wants to correct that

And while there are certainly major caveats to all of those “successes” — and some serious foreign policy challenges, like the trade war with China, conspicuously left off the list — on paper at least, it’s a pretty strong record for Trump’s first term in office. Which means that Democratic candidates looking to unseat Trump in 2020 will face a stiff challenge crafting a compelling counternarrative.

Then there is Bernie's way:

Reason

Perhaps the biggest compliment to Trump's foreign policy is his political opponents largely want to make the 2020 election about domestic issues.

"Where's the Democratic critique of President Trump's foreign policy?

"You'd think that with more than 20 Democrats running for President, at least one of them would try to differentiate herself, or himself, from the rest of the field by focusing on the president's role in diplomacy and national security.

"It's still early in the campaign. But none of the major Democratic candidates has made foreign policy a focus. Instead the politicians are out there talking mostly about climate change, health care, income inequality, student loan forgiveness, national service, drug rehabilitation, racism—anything, it seems, except for geopolitics or grand strategy.

"Part of the reason is that the foreign policy threats seem distant. The Soviet Union is gone and the Cold War is over. The 18 year-olds who will be voting for the first time in the 2020 presidential election were not even alive during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

"When it comes to handling China, the Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.), has been cheering the president on. "Hang tough on China, President @realDonaldTrump. Don't back down. Strength is the only way to win with China," Schumer tweeted Sunday.

"Trump hasn't started any wars, so the Democrats can't really fault him for that. It's not a Vietnam or Iraq War type situation where headlines of U.S. combat deaths dominate politics.

"Democrats might be critical of Trump's handling of North Korea, but previous Democratic administrations have also tried to negotiate nuclear issues with Pyongyang." . . .

A real improvement over the media's hero, the darling of talk shows, the cover photo of Cosmo and his world leadership: