Amid Facile Reports of Chaos, Prudent U.S. Strategy Emerges

An additional positive development, if it happens, would be the defection of the U.K. from the European Union, always a somewhat anti-American organization, for closer relations with the United States and Canada.

Conrad Black
                   Trump’s geopolitical strategy follows respected and successful American tradition

"Almost imperceptibly, as political discourse continues to be a discordant contest between haters and admirers of President Trump with no journalistic distinction between comment and reporting, there has been substantial progress toward an improved strategic environment for the United States and the West generally.

"Journalists in general and the American media in particular have never been especially adept at separating good causes from grand strategy. Even venerated commentators such as Walter Lippmann and Edward R. Murrow, let alone Walter Cronkite, tended not to see geopolitical questions outside their apparent moral effects.

"In the Battle of Britain, for example, it was naturally easier to explain in terms that one country that was a dictatorship and engaged in frightful acts of racial discrimination while bombing the civilian population of a democracy. Therefore, for that reason alone, most Americans identified with the victim and supported them over the author of the aggression, regardless of strategic calculation.

"But apart from Franklin D. Roosevelt, who certainly possessed the same instinct to support the underdog, it was not clear to many Americans—except a few specialists, such as the young George Kennan—that if Nazi Germany retained control of what it then occupied, (Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, most of France, most of Poland, and the Czechs), and retained it for a whole generation so that the occupied population was effectively Germanized, that entity would be more populous and as powerful as the United States. Few saw that such a greater Nazi Germany, surrounded by satellites like Vichy France, fascist Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, and sympathetic states like Franco’s Spain, would be a mortal danger to the preeminence of the United States." . . .

All of these are legitimate and prudent strategic actions of the United States. Some are original, some had been abandoned by previous administrations, and some had been ineffectively pursued. All are complicated international issues that can only gradually be resolved. But they are all in progress and all have progressed appreciably. These are facts easily lost sight of in such a febrile and over-strenuous pre-electoral campaign as this.

Today's look at Joe Biden

Former Obama Adviser: Biden ‘Serially’ Distorts Own Record  . . . "Biden claimed in a recent NPR interview that he only voted to authorize President George W. Bush to use military force because Bush promised him it was only about getting weapons inspectors into Iraq. Biden claimed that once "shock and awe" began, he came out against the war.
"NPR reported that Biden's claim was false:

But in multiple public remarks made after the invasion began in 2003, Biden openly supported the effort. Biden publicly said his vote was a mistake as early as 2005, but not immediately when the war began in 2003.

"Biden has also taken heat after the Washington Post reported a story he often tells about pinning a war medal on a Navy captain was false in almost every detail. He dismissed criticism in his interview with NPR." . . .

Colbert Asks Biden: Would You Appoint Obama to Supreme Court?  "Of course Colbert has long served as the loudest late night mouthpiece for the left."

Joe Biden Stays ahead of the Pack in Latest Democratic Polls  . . . "A survey from The Economist/YouGov, also out this Wednesday, tells a slightly less optimistic tale for Biden, showing the former vice president with just a four-point lead over Warren. Biden comes in at 26 percent, Warren at 22, and Sanders in a more distant third place with 14. Though he has consistently held the frontrunner position since entering the race in April, at this stage of the race it seems that Biden is largely being buoyed by the fact that the voters looking for an alternative are splitting their support between two progressive candidates." . . .

We have seen video of Biden trashing this economy under Trump. Then we see Biden and Obama wanting to claim credit for the great economic upswing....
Economists agree: Trump, not Obama, gets credit for economy  . . . "Trump and Obama (and their admirers) are slugging it out, both claiming that it is their policies that have led to the ongoing economic expansion, steady job growth and higher stock prices.
"Happily for President Trump, the pros agree with him. A recent survey of economists suggest it is President Trump, and not Obama, who should be taking a bow.
"The Wall Street Journal asked 68 business, financial and academic economists who was responsible for the strengthening of the economy, and most “suggested Mr. Trump’s election deserves at least some credit” for the upturn. " . . .

Tony Branco

I guess you can say anything against black Republicans. UPDATED

Silvio Canto, Jr.  Over the last few days, Debra Messing has made a fool of herself.

"First, she floated the idea of "blacklisting" people in Hollywood for supporting President Trump.  As I recall, the Left used to call that "McCarthyism"!

"And then she dug a deeper hole by taking a shot at blacks who vote Republican:

"Debra Messing regrets pushing sign calling black Trump voters mentally ill, calls out GOP 'voter suppression'

"Okay — so Debra is sorry.  Let's accept her apology.

"Of course, the real issue is why she was thinking such a thing in the first place.

"It shows that many of these "white liberals" really don't know a thing about the state of black America, from the lousy public schools that the Obamas & Clintons & Gores & Kerrys did not send their kids to crime and lousy quality of life in these inner-city districts run by Democrats.

"Can you blame blacks for looking at a second opinion?  How many times are they supposed to take their car to the same mechanic who won't fix their car?

"In other words, a black American who'd consider voting differently is a thinking man rather than stupid.  He is looking at results not ideology!

"Messing is another exhibit of just how much these people hate President Trump.  In fact, they hate him so much that they've lost their common sense.

"Yes, NBC should say something, but it probably won't!" 

Update: Candace Owens Rips Debra Messing: 'You Hold a Racist View of Black Americans'  "When Will & Grace actress Debra Messing accused the Republican Party of trying to suppress African-Americans' votes, popular conservative activist Candace Owen struck back. Republicans aren't racist, Messing is, Owens argued.

Candace Owens

"One of the most annoying characteristics of modern liberals is that they accuse everybody of racism. Even if you have never treated anyone with a different skin color badly, they say that you're still racist; you just don't know about it. Oh yes, we whites all suffer from subconscious racism. Or whatever they call it. They only exception are, of course, white liberals. Unlike all other whites, they are pure of heart and absolutely not racist.
"Debra Messing is one of those pathetic little liberals who constantly plays the racist card. Oh yes, she argues, every single person who is not outspokenly supportive of the Democratic Party must be racist. As for the Republican Party? That's simply the new KKK.

Just take a look at this ridiculous tweet from Madame Messing:" . . .

This Week from the Ministry of Disinformation; anti-Trump update

Added by TD

Taylor Day  . . . "Why the discrepancy between critics and viewers?  Well, Dave Chappelle's stand-up poked fun of all the things that the Left holds dear and believes cannot be mocked.  News outlets like Newsweek and Vice tried their best to eviscerate the comedian's performance on the grounds that Rotten Tomatoes rated it so low, never mentioning that the audience ratings were so high.  Vice even told people not to watch it for themselves in the headline "You Can Definitely Skip Dave Chappelle's New Netflix Special" and went on to call it misogynistic and transphobic, in typical Vice fashion.

The Alabama weather map

"President Trump has been accused by the liberal media this week of...attempting to minimize damages that Alabama may face as a result of being a gulf state during a hurricane.  As Hurricane Dorian was headed for Florida, the president made precautions and disclosed some with the free press, including keeping emergency services reserved for Alabama.

"The Left shot back, claiming that no weatherman ever predicted that scenario.  When President Trump presented his own evidence, CNN boldly went on air calling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's own report "doctored.' " . . .

. . . 

No, Trump did not congratulate Poland for Nazi invasion

A gross headline by The Washington Post reads, "Trump congratulates Poland as it commemorates Nazi invasion" and insinuates that the president is sending accolades to Poland for being outmuscled by the Nazis in the 1930s.  The president was asked on Sunday a few questions from the media about his canceling of the scheduled trip to Poland as Hurricane Dorian approached.

UPDATE: Here it comes; wait for it...

MSNBC: Trump’s Hurricane Map Could Lead To His Impeachment…
Who are you and what have you done with Bill Kristol?

CNN's #ClimateTownHall Does the Nation a Great Service

PJ Media

"Did you watch any of the CNN #ClimateTownHall and Democrat telethon Wednesday night? If you didn't, congratulations! You are a smart and normal human being.

"If you did, you saw a spectacle the likes of which we can only hope CNN or MSNBC repeats again very soon. Because it was an awful, terrible, no good night for the Democrats.

"Some ways in I took a break from enjoying my life to tune in and caught Sen. Amy Klobuchar opining on fossil fuels and the economy. Frankly, I'd thought she already dropped out of the race, but there she was. The RCP average has her at 0 in the polls, and she has 0 on the charisma scale and 0 knowledge of how our economy works. The Minnesota senator, who has zero path to the nomination, went all-in on the Democratic Party's belief that now is the time to destroy America's energy dominance and double down on a whole lot of bad ideas. She promoted "environmental justice," by which she meant destroying our thriving economy and kicking you, American voter, out of your job." . . .

General Mattis on Obama

Consider the lineup of Democrat candidates today; which of them do you see as standing up to America's enemies? Below are excerpts only and the full story is at the links provided.

Mattis: Obama Failed to Respond to Iran Bomb Plot on U.S. Soil Because of Nuclear Deal  "After the surprise resignation of Secretary of Defense James Mattis last December, Democrats were quick to politicize the news, and have certainly been hoping ever since that Mattis would provide them with new information they could use to attack Donald Trump. He does have a memoir coming out, Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead, but it looks like it’s Barack Obama and Joe Biden who get the bulk of the criticism.
"Prior be being Secretary of Defense under Trump, Mattis served as commander of U.S. Central Command under Obama and Biden. Mattis had predicted that Iran would continue to provoke the United States. Mattis’s warning went ignored, and when Iran committed an act of war on American soil, he was not told about it, and the United States never responded to it. 
. . .
"Mattis writes, “Had the bomb gone off, those in the restaurant and on the street would have been ripped apart, blood rushing down sewer drains. It would have been the worst attack on us since 9/11. I sensed that only Iran’s impression of America’s impotence could have led them to risk such an act within a couple of miles of the White House, Absent one fundamental mistake — the terrorists had engaged an undercover DEA agent in an attempt to smuggle the bomb — the Iranians would have pulled off this devastating attack. Had that bomb exploded, it would have changed history.” 
"In response to the plot, Mattis believed a forceful reaction was necessary. “I believed we had to respond forcefully. My military options would raise the cost for this attack beyond anything the mullahs and the Qods generals could pay.” But, Obama wasn’t interested. “We treated an act of war as a law enforcement violation, jailing the low-level courier.”
"Why didn’t Obama want a forceful response to the act of war by Iran? His secret nuclear deal."
. . . 

“In my view, we had to hold Iran to account and strike back when attacked. But there was a reason for the administration’s restraint. The administration was secretly negotiating with Iran, although I was not privy to the details at the time.”

"Those negotiations would lead to the Iran nuclear deal, signed in 2015. Mattis is critical of the agreement, which President Trump withdrew from last year. “In my military judgment, America had undertaken a poorly calculated, long-shot gamble. At the same time, the administration was lecturing our Arab friends that they had to accommodate Iran as if it were a moderate neighbor in the region and not an enemy committed to their destruction,” Mattis writes. “As long as its leaders consider Iran less a nation-state than a revolutionary cause, Iran will remain a terrorist threat potentially more dangerous than Al Qaeda or ISIS.” . . .

Irena Sendler, the Polish Oskar Schindler is credited with saving 2,500 Polish Jews from the Holocaust.

Snopes takes issue only with the Nobel Nomination  There recently was a death of a 98 year old lady named Irena.

"During WWII, Iliana, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto.

"She had an ulterior motive…

"She KNEW what the Nazi’s plans were for the Jews.

"Iliana smuggled infants out in the bottom of her tool box she carried, and she carried in the back of her truck a Burlap sack, (for larger kids).

"She also had a dog in the back, that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in, and out of the ghetto.

"The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog, and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.

"During her time and course of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.

"She was caught, and the Nazi’s broke both her legs, and arms, and beat her severely.

"Iliana kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out, and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard.

"After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it, and reunited the family.

"Most of course had been gassed.

"Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes, or adopted." . . .

Her web site: Life in a Jar: the Irena Sendler Project. More on Irena here.

The story of the jars

. . . After the war she dug up the jars and used the notes to track down the 2,500 children she placed with adoptive families and to reunite them with relatives scattered across Europe. But most lost their families during the Holocaust in Nazi death camps. The children had known her only by her code name Jolanta. But years later, after she was honored for her wartime work, her picture appeared in a newspaper. "A man, a painter, telephoned me," said Sendler, "`I remember your face,' he said. `It was you who took me out of the ghetto.' I had many calls like that!"

In 2007, she was nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. At a special session in Poland's upper house of Parliament, President Lech Kaczynski announced the unanimous resolution to honor Irena Sendler for rescuing "the most defenseless victims of the Nazi ideology: the Jewish children." He referred to her as a "great heroine who can be justly named for the Nobel Peace Prize. She deserves great respect from our whole nation."
During the ceremony Elzbieta Ficowska, who was just six months old when she was saved by Irena Sendler, read out a letter on her behalf: “Every child saved with my help is the justification of my existence on this Earth, and not a title to glory,” Irena Sendler said in the letter, “Over a half-century has passed since the hell of the Holocaust, but its spectre still hangs over the world and doesn’t allow us to forget.”

In 2007 Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was not selected.

Regarding the Nobel Prize, Snopes comments:

"Irena Sendler is often claimed to have been a candidate to receive the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, but that honor was not awarded to her. It’s not possible to state categorically that she was “nominated” for the award, since information about Nobel Prize “nominations, investigations, and opinions is kept secret for fifty years.” (Since 1974 the statutes of the Nobel Foundation have stated that “work produced by a person since deceased shall not be considered for an award,” so she presumably could not be subsequently honored.)"

However, her life timeline claims Irena was nominated for the Nobel:

• January 2007– Irena is nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 2007– Mandatory Holocaust education begins in Polish schools.
• August 2007– Lowell Milken Center opens, with Irena exhibit
• 2007– Irena does not receive the Nobel Peace Prize, but receives much acclaim.

Hat tip to Robert Hope, Sacramento.

CNN Keeps Pro-Trump Latino Off Air While Far Left Opinions From Donna Brazile, Shep Smith and Juan Williams All Over FOX News

100PercentFedUp  "The 2020 presidential election is only 14 months away, and the leftist media appears to be to ramping up their efforts to make only anti-Trump messaging available to their audiences. CNN, in particular, appears to be sending a message to guests who partake in their panel discussions—if you support President Trump, or even hint that you agree with anything he says or does…you’re no longer welcome on the low-ratings cable news network.
"Meanwhile, the new FOX News can’t seem to get enough opinions from Trump-hating hosts like Shep Smith, Neil Cavuto, Juan Williams and debate cheating queen, Donna Brazile.
"Less than two years ago, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson trashed the former interim DNC Chair Donna Brazile for giving Hillary Clinton the debate questions while she was employed by CNN. Now, Brazile is a regular host on FOX News, where she regularly spews anti-Trump on “The Five” as a guest co-host."

. . . 

People who work at CNN allegedly told Cortes that the network did not want to have him on air anymore because they could not have a Latino Trump supporter on television pushing back against the network’s attempts to paint the president as a racist.

"Three weeks ago, Cortes hosted a Prager University video where he debunked the lie that Trump was praising White Nationalists in the aftermath of the Charlottesville riots. So far, the video has already been viewed almost 3 million times." 

Surviving crew member thought phone charging station might have sparked boat fire

Roy Hauser, who designed the Conception and commissioned its construction in 1981, suggested another. He said he thought, based in part on footage he viewed of the wood-hulled boat being ravaged by fire, that the blaze started in the bunk area and spread so rapidly that the 34 people there could not get out.

LA Times  "One of the crew members aboard the dive boat Conception hadn’t been asleep long when a noise jolted him awake.
"He swung open the door of the wheelhouse — the top level of the 75-foot boat, located just above the galley — and was greeted by flames.
"As the fire raged in the predawn hours of Labor Day, the vessel’s captain made a frantic mayday call to the Coast Guard. Then he and four crew members jumped from the wheelhouse and climbed into a dinghy to get help from the Grape Escape, a fishing boat anchored nearby off Santa Cruz Island.
"Once aboard, the crew member who had been jolted awake shook as he recounted the horrific story to Grape Escape owner Shirley Hansen. His theory, Hansen said, was that the fire started in the galley, where cellphones and cameras had been plugged in to charge overnight.
" 'The impression I got was that the fire was already too big to do anything,” Hansen said in an interview Wednesday.
"The cause of the fire, which killed 34 people, is now the subject of an intensive investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal and county agencies. Investigators are trying to determine where and how it started." . . .

2014: How dangerous are phone chargers?

For example, if a product is charged on a flammable surface, that increases the chance of a fire spreading.

 Is it possible for a charger to catch fire when it is plugged into the wall but not charging anything?

The majority of electronics stay plugged in all the time. Jimmy Carter was ranting about this in the 70's. They do not cause a lot of fires spontaneously. The number isn't zero, but neither is the number of people struck by lightning.

A Calgary man found out first-hand how charging cell phones and other devices can pose a fire hazard.   . . .

• Locate your battery recharging station in a safe area, such as a tabletop clear of any other objects – never near anything flammable. Be careful not to overload any power bars or outlets.
• Whenever possible, recharge batteries while you are present in the home. Have a working smoke detector in the room where the batteries are being recharged, and make sure a fire extinguisher is nearby if needed.
• Shut off battery-powered devices, such as laptops and tablet computers, when they are not in use
• Do not leave laptops, tablets, cellphones or similar devices unattended on couches or beds, or in other areas where they may overheat and come into contact with potentially flammable materials. Ensure good air circulation around devices at all times.

10 tips to keep your phone from overheating

5 tips on how to stop your phone from overheating:

1. Avoid direct sunlight to your phone. The easiest way to prevent overheating is to keep your phone out of the sun. Your phone catches light and heat from the sun and retains it, getting hotter the longer it remains in sunlight and heat.
2. Turn off unused apps on your phone. Open, unused apps running in the background cause your phone to work harder, which in turn causes it to heat up. The solution is super simple – on an iPhone, for example, all you have to do is press your home button twice and swipe the apps away. Bonus: this will also increase your phone’s battery life.
3. Avoid turning your screen brightness up. Just the same as running background apps, turning your brightness up will force your battery to work harder and create more heat. Instead, look for an anti-glare cover for your device. This low cost solution can help you see your screen in the sun.
4. Turn your phone to airplane mode. Airplane mode allows you to continue to use basic functions on your phone, but turns off other non-essentials that can take a toll on your battery.
5. Take your case off. If your phone is overheating, your case isn’t helping. Taking the case off will allow the phone’s heat vents to do their job fully without being blocked, allowing your phone to cool down quicker.

Nadler's ship has sailed

Rich Terrell

Moment Of Sanity: The View Trashes Hollywood Actress’ Call To Put Trump Donors On An Enemies List

Matt Vespa

"For once, there was sanity on The View. And it was Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, who make up the core of the liberal wing of the ladies’ table, that were trashing Will and Grace star Debra Messing’s call to pretty much create an enemies’ list that named all the folks who donate to Donald Trump’s re-election effort. Of course, these clowns will say they don’t want violence to befall the people that they doxx, but no one is that dense. Okay—maybe in Hollywood, that’s the case—but there is not doubt that given the rise of left-wing extremism in the country that’s going underreported—cough* Antifa cough*–these folks will be harassed. And yes, there is a chance those targeted could end up being inflicted with bodily harm. Liberal America is insane.
"Goldberg and Behar were apt to point this out and to note that this is America, you can vote for Republicans without fear. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) created a firestorm in early August when he publicly disclosed the names of those who donated to Trump in his district. Some of those people had donated to him, which makes this move even more idiotic. Castro said he didn’t doxx anyone and does not wish violence or harassment to follow, but that’s exactly what happened because this is the real world, Juli—you insufferable moron. If The View gets it, so can you, congressman (via Newsbusters):
. . . 

But make no mistake, this is what the Left is going to do next year. They’re coming after us. We don’t vote with them, so we’re trash. Who cares what the Left thinks? Who cares what the liberal media thinks? If you support Trump, just don’t forget to vote on Election Day. Remind your friends, your neighbors, and your like-minded patriots to vote on Election Day. Also, don’t be queasy if attacked, fight back. And fight back with brutal fervor. 

Whoopi Goldberg Blasts Eric McCormack, Debra Messing For Hollywood Blacklist
"Neither "Will & Grace" star Debra Messing nor Eric McCormack are getting a lot of love from their Hollywood colleagues for openly promoting the blacklisting of conservatives working in the industry." . . .

Are Key Republican Leaders in D.C. Being Blackmailed?

“ . . .So now the Democrats are able to intimidate people into quitting elective office because they might be heckled at a restaurant or worse? There may be something to it. If we’re talking about people that haven’t been willing to fight for what they believe in, that could be a partial explanation." Rush Limbaugh

Trump alone stood up to this

2015; Wayne Allyn Root  "Are key Republican leaders in D.C. from the Senate, House and Supreme Court being blackmailed? Tell me you haven’t thought the exact same thing?" . . .
"Because what’s happening just isn’t normal. Please tell me how it’s possible that President Obama and his socialist cabal suffered the most massive and historic defeat in modern political history only 9 months ago- and since then they’ve gotten everything they’ve ever wanted handed to them on a silver platter. Does that make sense to you?
. . . "They are watching everything we do, everything we say, text, email, take out of our bank accounts. They know if we spit on the street. They know if we are having a fight with our spouse. They know what tax deductions we take. They know what stocks we own. Why is all that important? Because if you only use that information against the key members of one party, you control the country."

• Ask Dennis Hasert.
• Ask General David Petreus- they knew he was having an affair. Now he has a criminal record.
• Ask former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. He’s going to prison for stuff so minor, it almost makes you laugh. It’s almost as minor as taking your own money out of your own bank account.

We knew back then in 2015 that Democrats were capable of this. We saw it again when they congratulated themselves on destroying the life and family of Judge Kavanaugh and are open about continuing to persecute this good and decent man. Where will we ever find worthy and courageous people to go against the more and more radical left? (Kavanaugh-focused protests planned for next month)

Sept 4th, 2019: Why Are So Many House Republicans Retiring? From Rush Limbaugh: . . . "But yet another Republican’s retiring. Retiring! Why? Now, people will say, “Well, Rush, I’ll tell you what it is. The truth be known: There’s a bunch of Republicans that just can’t stand Trump.” That’s not what it is. That’s what they want you to think. That’s not what it is. You know what I think’s going on? I think — and don’t doubt me on that. I can’t prove this ’cause this is just a supposition. But I think based on how I have seen Democrats and their operatives act, I think — and that given that nobody, no human being is clean and pure as the wind-driven snow.

"We’ve all got something in our closets. We’ve all done something that we don’t want people to know about. I think the Democrats are finding dirt, and they’re going to these Republicans, and they’re saying, “Do you want people to know about this? We are glad to publicize this about you.” “Oh, no, no. No, no! Please don’t.” “Well, okay. Then you gotta retire.” Now, I can’t prove it, but some of this stuff — and some of it may be legitimate. I mean, people retiring after ten years, they may think it’s enough. It’s five terms.

"But it’s a lot of power to be giving up. But it just seems to be that these retirements are predominantly Republican, and it’s all happening under the radar. You hear about another retirement here, retirement there. They never add up in your mind. They’re all indiscriminate, little isolated stories — and what’s odd? Nothing’s odd about somebody retiring from Congress. But it seems there’s an exorbitant number of Republicans doing so, and I just have my suspicions about it. That’s all." . . .

. . . "But do not doubt me when I say that no human being is free of embarrassments that have accumulated over the course of his or her lifetime. I wouldn’t doubt some of these Democrats digging this stuff up… Look at the tweets that people write as teenagers that are coming back and destroying them five and six years later — which, by the way, I predicted. When I knew this was gonna happen… Remember the name Krystal Ball with a K? Some thought she was attractive. She was running for Congress, and she got elected, and some tweets came out.

"She posed nude when she 14 or 15. She was outraged. “How dare you!” I said, “What do you expect to happen? You put a picture of yourself nude on Facebook or MySpace or, you know, My Butt, whatever it is. Somebody’s gonna find that stuff.” I think some of that is going on, and it’s being used to… Dare I say the word “blackmail”? But threaten members. Now, as I say, the Republicans can do this, too, and they may be doing it in certain places. I don’t know." . . .

Rep. Bill Flores becomes 15th House Republican to announce plans to exit chamber