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Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana confronted Benjamin J. Cheeks, a nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, over his past writings on controversial topics during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Cheeks, currently a U.S. Magistrate Judge and criminal defense attorney, was nominated by President Joe Biden on October 23.

Kennedy questioned Cheeks about his past commentary on topics such as Black Lives Matter and the police.

During the hearing, Kennedy noted that Cheeks claimed earlier to Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois that he avoided taking positions in his writings.

“I see you’re quite a prolific writer and … you said you don’t — you don’t take a position in these articles,” Kennedy stated. Cheeks responded, “I said I tried not to take a position in most of my articles.”

Kennedy then referenced specific articles by Cheeks, including one written in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Quoting from one article, Kennedy read, “‘Needless to say I have a guarded opinion about the police. How do I teach my sons to respect them and fear them at the same time? There can be no question that police officers have some of these same internal or external biases.’” Kennedy emphasized Cheeks’ statement, “There can be no question that police officers, not some police, all police officers have some of these same internal or external biases.”

After reading the quote, Kennedy asked, “Did I read that correctly?” Cheeks confirmed he had.

Kennedy then shifted to a 2018 article in which Cheeks commented on the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy for illegal entry into the United States.

Quoting from the article, Kennedy read, “‘Technically the law was broken, but these particular defendants, poor, hungry, hard-working and not dangerous, deserve a pass from prosecution.’”

Kennedy pressed Cheeks, asking, “Saying that illegal immigration should not be criminalized is a position, is it not?” Cheeks acknowledged that it was, but added, “Everything that I wrote, I wrote while I was an advocate, not a sitting judge.”

Cheeks emphasized that his role as a sitting magistrate judge required impartiality. “I no longer advocate,” he said.

Kennedy questioned Cheeks’ ability to separate his advocacy from his judicial role. “So you’re — so — so you — you don’t tell the truth when you’re an advocate, but you do when you’re not? Is it OK to lie if you’re an advocate?” Kennedy asked. Cheeks replied that he didn’t understand the question.

“I think it’s pretty clear and I think you follow it,” Kennedy said. He concluded the exchange by stating, “You’ve taken a lot of radical positions judge, and you can’t make this cat walk backwards. Now you can’t make this cat walk backwards.”

Read  More at LifeZette

ABC’s “The View,” co-host and ABC News Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst Sunny Hostin issued a “legal note” after Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz issued a statement to the network regarding allegations against him.

During a discussion of the Cabinet picks, Hostin said: “Matt Gaetz has long denied all allegations, calling the claims ‘invented’, and saying in a statement to ABC News that this false smear, following a three-year criminal investigation, should be viewed with great skepticism.”

“The DOJ investigation was closed with no charges being brought.”

We don’t know what was better, the statement or the expression on Hostin’s face.

Watch:

Regardless of what anyone thinks about Gaetz, he is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

It’s worth noting that the FBI and DOJ spent years investigating the allegations against Gatez but never found anything.

Gaetz has long asserted there was a conspiracy against him, and that was proven correct.

In 2021, Stephen Alford was indicted for attempting to extort Gaetz’s father in a scheme related to the sex-trafficking allegations.

“A Florida developer and fraud convict was arrested Tuesday on a charge that he tried to extort $25 million from the father of Rep. Matt Gaetz in exchange for a presidential pardon that would shut down a high-profile, criminal sex-trafficking investigation into the Republican congressman.

Stephen Alford, 62, of Fort Walton Beach, was indicted on charges of wire fraud and destruction of property subject to a seizure warrant.”

The DOJ investigation has now ended, meaning any pointed claims that Gaetz did what Hostin said could be defamatory.

The “The View” legal team obviously realized their mistake and wrote a correction to be read on-air, citing a statement provided by Gaetz.

The best thing about this was that Hostin was visibly upset by having to read it.

Read More at the Daily Fetched

House Majority leader Steve Scalise joined “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” shortly after the Nov. election to discuss his projections for the upcoming 119th Congress.

“[W]e’ve got a very unique opportunity with unified government,” Scalise told Perkins. “Doesn’t happen often. … [W]e’re going to make the most of it by going and fighting for those families who are struggling. We ran on a very strong agenda of getting our economy back on track, of securing America’s border, standing up for our allies around the world, getting rid of these crazy regulations, promoting more American energy. We’re going to be focused on doing those things in the first 100 days.” (READ: Trump’s Promises To America: How To Hold Him Accountable)

“When you think about literally starting in January, the first 100 days— delivering on some really big things and getting the economy moving again, lowering costs at the grocery store, at the gas pump — I think you’re going to see this economy turn around quickly. Look, the day after the election, the stock market took off like something we hadn’t seen since 2022, because people are optimistic and excited again, because the Marxists, the communists, were defeated. This direction they were trying to take our country — we couldn’t sustain the spending, the radical policies, the open border, all the things they were doing. And now we’re going to finally have an opportunity to turn around. We’re not going to blow this opportunity,” he continued.

No Tax Increase

“One of the first things we do is make sure we don’t have a tax increase,” Scalise noted. “President Trump was very clear about this. … [W]e will all be on the same page. We don’t have the luxury of spending a few months trying to figure it out. We are going to start bullish on day one with a bold conservative agenda. Keep tax rates low … no taxes on tips and no taxes on overtime.” (READ: YouTube/Google Censors Biden’s Hateful Words Pre-Election)

“Democrats, unfortunately, walked away in 2017 from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Not a single Democrat voted to cut taxes. Of course, it turned our economy around. It was great for the American people, but the Democratic Party just doesn’t believe in giving you more of your money back. We do as Republicans. … [W]e’re going to be working with a small majority, but we’re still going to be a focused majority working with President Trump to deliver some big wins for those hard-working families who are struggling,” he added.

Trump To Clean House?

“Donald Trump’s going to clean house,” Scalise seemed to promise. “He’s going to get rid of all the dirty cops. And it needs to happen because I think people really want … a restored faith, and they deserve a restored faith in these agencies that we used to trust. With law enforcement agencies at the federal level that used to stand for law and order, that started focusing on their political enemies [instead of] keeping Americans safe — that has to change. I think that’s going to be front and center in the things President Trump does when he appoints an attorney general and other people in those positions. It’s going to be critical who he picks, because he’s going to need to bring in tough people who want to clean house.”

Read More at Million Voices

It appears leftists would rather see their fellow Americans suffer financially than allow the economy to recover under Donald Trump’s presidency. Add this to the long list of Trump derangement Syndrome symptoms.

Some deranged liberals are now stocking up on supplies in order to spend as little money as possible during Trump’s second term.

The plan to withhold cash is part of a larger effort to keep Trump’s economy stagnant. You heard that right – the people who backed a presidential campaign that blew $1.5 billion are now preaching frugality.

This really shows you who these people really are.

Leftists are literally willing to prevent families from putting food on the table in order to hurt Trump.

“Trump will not have a good economy because we don’t have to let him,” one leftist wrote on X. “I myself plan on paying my bills and saving every penny beyond that.”

Trump will not have a good economy because we don’t have to let him. I myself plan on paying my bills and saving every penny beyond that. I will not contribute to this economy in any other way.

I will buy some clothes before he takes office and make sure I have everything I need…

— Prez (@PrezLives2022) November 17, 2024

Another wrote: “I will not contribute to this economy in any other way,” adding “before he takes office and make sure I have everything I need for the next four years.”

Others are jumping on board, such as influencer “Brooklyn Dad,” who was caught taking $57,000 from a pro-Biden PAC in 2021. 

Over the next four years, I highly suggest folks tighten their belts and spend as little as possible, except for the essentials like food, utilities, rent, etc.

After riding the coattails of President Biden's AMAZING economy for his first six months in office, trump is going to…

— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) November 17, 2024

“Not buying extra shit will help sink his economy too. It won’t be hard, since everything will be 300% more expensive,” another states.

“Save that money. PASS IT ON.”

Imagine hating your country so much that you cheer for it to fail.

Y’all are wild.

— SKDoubleDub (@SKDoubleDub33) November 17, 2024

TDS sufferers will be left living in their own communist bubble while the rest of the country enjoys the new golden age under Trump.

Meanwhile, search giant Google is planning to host a social event with Democratic super PAC Priorities USA for raging liberals who declared they will “resist the Republican agenda.”

The tech giant will host a happy hour for Priorities USA, a leading Democratic super PAC, following Kamala Harris’s devastating loss to Donald Trump.

An invitation obtained by the Washington Free Beacon revealed that Priorities USA will first hold a “digital retrospective” to discuss the role of online campaigning in the 2024 election cycle.

A Google spokesman confirmed that the company will host the happy hour for Priorities USA

The spokesman stated:

“We did not participate in creating the content of the meeting. As they do for large ad buyers on both sides of the aisle, our political sales team will host some drinks after it.”

Read More at the Daily Fetched

A pro-teacher, pro-union lawmaker wants to raise the state’s 6% corporate income tax to 10% to spend billions more on public schools while slashing corporate subsidies. The proposal, which would raise the tax by 66%, aims to use the additional corporate income tax revenue to make “historic investments” in public schools. According to the bill’s author, Democrat Rep. Dylan Wegela, the extra money could give teachers an estimated $20,000-a-year raise.

Wegela’s plan would raise the corporate income tax to 10% while also doing away with “corporate handouts through the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund (SOAR) fund.” The legislation earmarks the first $1.2 billion of corporate tax revenue to the General Fund. The next $50 million would still go to the Housing Fund. Everything else would go to the School Aid Fund. Wegela wants to eliminate $500 million for SOAR and direct more than $2.4 billion to the School Aid Fund.

The proposal amounts to a 67% increase in the CIT, according to Michigan Chamber of Commerce spokesperson Sara Wurfel as reported by MIRS. Meanwhile, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a $23 billion budget bill into law this summer.

Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner

President-elect Donald Trump has filed a groundbreaking $10 billion lawsuit against several prominent media organizations, including The New York Times and CBS, alleging defamation and intentional dissemination of false information during the 2024 presidential election.

The lawsuit, revealed late Friday, has sparked intense debate across political and media circles.

According to a statement from Trump’s legal team, the lawsuit accuses the media outlets of publishing and broadcasting “knowingly false and defamatory statements” designed to harm Trump’s re-election campaign and tarnish his reputation.

The complaint further claims that these actions represented a coordinated effort to mislead voters and influence the election outcome.

The lawsuit seeks $10 billion in damages, a figure that, if awarded, would represent one of the largest defamation claims in U.S. legal history.

Trump’s legal team asserts that the media’s alleged misconduct caused irreparable harm to the President-elect’s standing and undermined the integrity of the electoral process.

The lawsuit explicitly names The New York Times and CBS as defendants, with Trump’s legal team indicating that additional media organizations could be added as the case progresses.

Sources close to Trump’s legal team suggest that internal communications, whistleblower testimonies, and other evidence have been gathered to substantiate the claims.

Legal and media experts are closely watching the case, which is expected to test the boundaries of First Amendment protections and defamation law.

Throughout his political career, Trump has maintained a contentious relationship with the press, frequently labeling critical coverage as “fake news.”

However, this lawsuit marks a significant escalation, transforming his long-standing grievances into a high-stakes legal confrontation.

Legal analysts note that defamation cases involving public figures are particularly challenging due to the high standard of proof required.

Trump’s legal team will need to demonstrate that the media outlets acted with “actual malice” by knowingly publishing false information or showing reckless disregard for the truth.

CBS just released a statement on this but they won’t release the full transcript.

I just went back and looked at the segment they previewed on October 6th. Check out the word salad about ballistic missiles they cut out of the answer before the one that they replaced… pic.twitter.com/1pKllTyP75

— MAZE (@mazemoore) October 21, 2024

Trump’s supporters have embraced the lawsuit as a necessary move to hold the media accountable.

Read More at RVM News

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scrambling to mitigate his plummeting approval in the polls by acknowledging that he made “mistakes” regarding his country’s wake mass immigration policy.

We’re making a big change to immigration in Canada. Here’s why: https://t.co/cD8QbPAQ09 pic.twitter.com/Re0CYtrMla

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 17, 2024

Trudeau claimed that large corporations and colleges exploited Canada’s temporary foreign worker (TFW) program to avoid hiring Canadian workers and charged students outrageous sums of money for degrees.

“Far too many colleges and universities used international students to raise their bottom line — because they could charge these students tens of thousands of dollars more for the same degree,” Trudeau explained. “And, then there are really bad actors who outright exploit people, who target vulnerable immigrants with promises of jobs, diplomas, and easy pathways to citizenship. Promises that would never come true.”

Trudeau added that “when the post-pandemic boom cooled and businesses no longer needed the additional labor help” the Canadian government could have “turned off the taps faster.”

As a result of Trudeau’s failure, Canadians have faced a decrease in their wages and wealth.

“Based on the average of these forecasts, while Canadians are expected to increase the value of their economy by around $2,000 per person from 2023 to 2029, Americans are expected to increase the value of theirs by nearly $7,000.

This means the gap will grow from an already… https://t.co/IUzmmBAhAv pic.twitter.com/LBs7R9c73I

— Sean Speer (@Sean_Speer) November 15, 2024

Canadians now struggle with increased housing prices, productivity, and birth rates.

An Ipsos poll found that 33 percent of Canadians approved Trudeau’s job performance, while 67 percent disapproved.

Trudeau now says he plans to cut Canada’s legal immigration by 20 percent. “Canada’s new immigration plan is straightforward,” Trudeau continued.

“Lower the number of new immigrants coming into Canada — both temporary and permanent. We’re prioritizing permanent residents with the skills we need, like healthcare workers for our hospitals and construction workers who will build more homes.”

Trudeau’s apparent 180 on pro-immigration policies came after Canadian Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre vowed to cut the flood of migrants into Canada.

Poilievre said that immigration levels in Canada should be based on employers’ needs and the number of homes being built.

Meanwhile, the leader of the People’s Party in Canada, Maxime Bernier, argued that “mass immigration” has brought “more poverty” into the country.

This clown finally recognizes he f*cked up by allowing millions of foreigners to invade our country.

He smeared those of us who raised the alarm as racists until just a few months ago.

And now we should believe him when he says he can fix what he broke?? What a joke. https://t.co/uPqkIS888I

— Maxime Bernier (@MaximeBernier) November 17, 2024

Bernier criticized Trudeau for smearing people who had “raised the alarm” on millions of foreigners coming into Canada as being racist.

“This clown finally recognized he f***ed up by allowing millions of foreigners to invade our country,” Bernier wrote on X.

“He smeared those of us who raised the alarm as racists until just a few months ago. And now we should believe him when he says he can fix what he broke?? What a joke.”

Read More at the Daily Fetched

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York deleted her preferred pronouns from her profile following President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory, and now she’s denying the decision was motivated by politics.

The popular Libs of TikTok account was the first to point out the change, posting a screenshot of her account of AOC’s account with the “she/her” designation and a later screenshot without them.

JUST IN: AOC removed her pronouns from her bio pic.twitter.com/yVDlmJ7tbO

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 14, 2024

Some interpreted Ocasio-Cortez’s removal of her pronouns to be pulling back from supporting the extremist LGBTQ+ agenda.

Riley Gaines wrote on X: “They’ll pretend they never embraced (or even celebrated) the insanity. Don’t forget who the compliant, virtue-signaling sheep were.”

They’ll pretend they never embraced (or even celebrated) the insanity.

Don’t forget who the compliant, virtue-signaling sheep were. https://t.co/k1jBdlXJ55

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) November 14, 2024

Days later, she denied the allegations in a post on social media and offered a bizarre explanation.

“The whole ‘story’ of removing pronouns after the election is fake,” AOC wrote.

“It happened a long time ago after the SCOTUS Twitter ruling meant I had to add the ‘personal acct’ disclosure. There weren’t enough chars so I had to swap the end. You can run the timeline to see for yourself,” she added.

The whole “story” of removing pronouns after the election is fake.

It happened a long time ago after the SCOTUS Twitter ruling meant I had to add the “personal acct” disclosure.

There weren’t enough chars so I had to swap the end. You can run the timeline to see for yourself.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 16, 2024

What she means is that she had to disclose that her X account with the handle “AOC” is different from her Representative account, which has the handle @RepAOC.

But this makes no sense, as the RepAOC account also doesn’t have pronouns listed, and her bio reads “This account is maintained by federal staff to share services and legislation relevant to constituents of NY-14.” This is far fewer words than the maximum allowed for a bio on X, meaning she could fit pronouns on that account.

Similarly, she could’ve continued keeping the pronouns on her personal account simply by shortening her bio. She only needs to remove seven letters from her bio to fit pronouns – and it’s not a tough bio to shorten. 

Many on the left accused Ocasio-Cortez of slowly moving away from wokeism and trying to join the party’s centrist establishment to retain her influence.

We really couldn’t blame her. In a few years, her entire X profile could be used as an historic artefact to show how deeply embedded those on the left where to an absurd ideology.

AOC likely knows this, and she’s quietly getting ahead before her political career ends up in ruins.

We’ll soon find out.

Read More at the Daily Fetched

Proposed legislation sponsored by Democratic House legislators seeks to remove the competence examination requirement to become a licensed social worker. If passed, Michigan House Bills 5184 and 5185 would amend the Public Health Code to eliminate the exam requirement for social workers at all license levels. Both bills were passed Thursday by the House Subcommittee on Behavioral Health.

Opponents say such a drastic change would place Michigan outside the standards observed by nearly every other state in the nation. Michigan officially passed the social work licensing law in 2004, becoming the 50th, and final, state to create a path to licensure. “Sacrificing standards and quality to increase quantity is not what vulnerable individuals in Michigan need or deserve,” according to the authors of Protect Public Health and Safety in Michigan: Reject The Social Work Licensure Modernization Act. “These ‘problematic barriers’ are safeguards and controls to decrease the likelihood of doing harm or re-traumatizing individuals, and to promote public health and safety.”

In order to become fully licensed, individuals with a degree in social work from an accredited university must take and pass a social work licensure exam. In Michigan, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs oversees the licensure and regulation of social workers. A critical part of the licensure process is the requirement to pass an objective, standardized exam. “Like other licensed professionals — doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers or barbers — social workers must demonstrate knowledge and skills to ensure they can deliver quality services. Anything less puts the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities at risk.”

Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner

Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign spending was much more extravagant than initially reported. New details emerged that Oprah Winfrey was paid more than double the amount for her single town hall event.

Last week it was reported that Oprah’s production company, Harpo Productions, denied being paid a $1 million fee despite records from Federal Election Commission filings.

FEC records—which we cited—show Oprah's production company Harpo was paid the money pic.twitter.com/1j49nNDRgh

— Gabe Kaminsky (@gekaminsky) November 11, 2024

Oprah herself was also confronted by a reporter about the fee paid by the Harris campaign.

“Not true,” Oprah quipped when confronted by the reporter.

“I was paid nothing, ever.”

Watch:

The Oprah denies receiving $1 million from the Harris campaign to "endorse" Kamala Harris.

Campaign finance records show that her studio, Harpo Productions, was paid $1 million by the Harris campaign.

Oprah did *NOT* look happy about the 2024 election. pic.twitter.com/gXH9Y9SSA7

— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) November 12, 2024

However, not only was Oprah paid a fee, but it’s now reported to have been doubled.

Everyone who accused Oprah of getting paid $1,000,000 to support Kamala must immediately retract, issue a correction, and apologize.

The total cost was actually $2,500,000. pic.twitter.com/fIKX02o6gs

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 17, 2024

According to the New York Times, Winfrey’s company was paid approximately $2.5 million for a single town hall event, far exceeding the $1 million figure.

Oprah defended the payment, arguing that the funds covered production costs, including “set design, lights, cameras, crew, producers and every other item necessary.”

However, his high-profile endorsements made little difference as Donald Trump took victory in a historic defeat against Harris.

As The Daily Mail reported, the campaign even allocated $900,000 for advertising space on Las Vegas’ Sphere in the final week of the election alone.

In October, the campaign also spent $2.6 million on private jet travel while touring battleground states.

The Harris campaign also spent $15,000 in food delivery services and $9,000 at premium ice cream establishments

The spending rates eventually left the Harris campaign in a $20 million debt despite having access to a $1.6 billion campaign budget.

In contrast to Harris’s costly approach, the Trump campaign used more cost-effective methods, gaining significant exposure through free podcast appearances.

Read More at The Daily Fetched