HOT Steve Bannon Could Replace Jim DeMint at the Heritage Foundation

Steve Bannon

A very interesting exchange took place this morning on  "Fox News Sunday," as rumors continue to circulate that Jim DeMint is out as the leader of the neoconservative D.C. think tank the Heritage Foundation. The organization has had an important influence on President Donald Trump policies.

Could the very odd thinking top Trump advisor Steve Bannon replace him?

It makes some sense. Reports indicate that Bannon is losing influence with Trump as the son-in-law Jared Kushner muscles in. And money bags Heritage trustee Rebekah Mercer is a Bannon supporter who dumps big bucks into the coffers of Heritage.

Here's what went down at Fox.

Jared Kushner Is Styling His Hair Like Donald Trump Now

Jake Woolf at GQ informs:

This can't be a good sign.

People don't know much about Jared Kushner other than a few basic facts. For instance, we know that he is married to Ivanka Trump, that he is Jewish, that he currently has a hilarious (and terrifying) amount of White House jobs, and that he was something of a Donald Trump fanboy even before he ever met the guy. This lead to him breaking into the real estate business himself and making high-profile "big deals," for example the purchase of the building at 666 Fifth Avenue that many have noted is currently under a tower of debt larger than the building itself. Like father, like son, amirite?

But Jared Kushner now seems to have taken this infatuation with his father-in-law to a new and somewhat bizarre physical level. He's not getting spray tans or wearing extra long red ties quite yet, but, as Twitter user @MikeSington noted, he is combing his hair in a way that only be described as Trumpian. After all, why the hell else would anyone change up what was a pretty normal hairstyle to something this odd?

Now, Trump's hair used to be the lowest hanging fruit joke about him, but at this point it's become only about his 458th worst trait. But we're pretty certain no one but Kushner has ever sat in a barber's chair and said, "Gimme the Trump, fam." Like Trump, Kushner has adopted the Donald Trump method of combing the hair forward before flipping it back, and like Trump, it just looks pretty damn weird. There's the potential that Jared is going bald and looking for ways to handle it, but this is one area he should have not turned to the President for advice. (For the record, we're not sure there is any area that Trump should be turned to for advice aside from tips on failing upwards into the presidency.)

I think we're in big trouble now. For some reason, Jared Kushner has started styling his hair like Donald Trump.😳 pic.twitter.com/mvHoPGN9ps

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) April 28, 2017

Black Bloc Member Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Police; Faces 1-6 Years in Prison

Dane Powell

Dane Powell, 31, of Tampa, Florida is the first to enter a guilty plea on felony charges brought against 212 protesters accused of rioting and vandalizing property in Washington D.C. on January. 20, the day of President Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.

He is scheduled to be sentenced July 7 for breaking windows and throwing a “brick, large rock or piece of concrete” at officers after joining a mob of masked black bloc protesters who moved en masse across 16 blocks in about 30 minutes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Metropolitan Police Department acting chief.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Powell and others threw bricks, rocks and concrete pieces at officers, knocking one unconscious and sending others to the hospital.

“Under the District of Columbia’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, Powell faces an estimated range of 12 to 36 months in prison on each of the two charges,” said the release.

-RW 

(via The Washington Times)

Trump’s Most Worrisome “Achievement” of His First 100 Days

By Eric Gomez

Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office have set U.S. foreign policy on a dangerous course. Trump’s actions and rhetoric have raised the profile of America’s military power while weakening other sources of U.S. influence. Such an approach is in line with the “peace through strength” formula Trump espouses. However, the deepening militarization of U.S. foreign policy carries a host of risks and costs that may cause more headaches than victories.

The growing role of the military in U.S. foreign policy is not a new phenomenon. Barack Obama’s presidency was hardly peaceful. This was especially true in the Middle East, where the “light footprint” approach reduced the on-the-ground U.S. military presence but made extensive use of air power to conduct foreign policy by precision strike. However, Obama also spearheaded multilateral initiatives that relied on other sources of American power and influence, such as the Iran nuclear deal and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Not all of these initiatives were successful, but they demonstrate a foreign policy approach that places value on non-military tools.

Thus far into his presidency, Trump does not seem to share Obama’s appreciation for the value of non-military tools for dealing with foreign policy problems. One of Trump’s first

Ebeling and Hornberger: How Can We Possibly Advance Toward Liberty?

Richard Ebeling's point that we can't know all the undercurrents in society is a very important observation. Along with Jacob Hornberger's comment on why it is important to stand for principle.

This is a great discussion and provides understanding on how important political trends can develop and the power of ideas.

 -RW 

Ann Coulter is a Wimp

By Gary North

Ann Coulter talks tough, but only in print. She refused to talk tough when it came time to talk.

She was invited to Berkeley. She made a lot of noise about it. Then, when push threatened to come to shove, she wimped out.

I am not impressed with the lady at all. I never have been. She has an acidic tongue, but that's not enough to impress me. You have to have the guts to back up your tongue. She does not have this. She is not a female Pat Buchanan.

I have kept my mouth shut about her for 15 years, but it's time to call a spade a spade. The woman is tough verbally, but a wimp personally.

When she backed out of her speech at Berkeley, I realized that she really does not understand politics. This was a tremendous opportunity to embarrass the far-Left crazies. I wrote about this in March. The best possible tactic that a conservative can use against the Left today is to let these crazy people act just as crazy as they are willing to act. The public is fed up. The more we can show that these people are off-the-wall whining nut cases, the better it is for the conservative movement. She has not figured this out. If you can't figure this out, you don't understand politics. You surely don't understand strategy.

This woman is no Saul Alinsky. Anyone who is not the equivalent of Alinksy should get out of the limelight on the issues of practical political action.

Read the rest here.

Milo Yiannopolos Plotting Comeback with $12 Million in Backing

By Lia Eustachewich

Conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopolos has wrangled $12 million from secret investors to launch a new media company focused on “making the lives of journalists, professors, politicians, feminists, Black Lives Matter activists, and other professional victims a living hell,” according to a new report.

The ousted Breitbart News editor’s new venture is called Milo Inc. and will center on events with other alt-right personalities, Vanity Fair reported Friday.

The mag described Milo Inc. as “corporatized trolling via live entertainment.”

“The business of Madonna became touring,” Yiannopoulos told VF, referring to the pop star’s deal with Live Nation. “I’m doing the same thing, but instead of signing up with Live Nation, I’m building one. I’m building it for libertarian and conservative comedians, writers, stand-up comics, intellectuals, you name it.”

Read the rest here.

Pope Francis Attacks Libertarianism

This is quite remarkable. Of all the political philosophies that exist, Pope Francis has singled out and attacked libertarianism.

“I cannot fail to speak of the grave risks associated with the invasion of the positions of libertarian individualism at high strata of culture and in school and university education,” the Pope said in an message sent to members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences meeting in the Vatican, reports Breitbart.

“A common characteristic of this fallacious paradigm is that it minimizes the common good, that is the idea of ‘living well’ or the ‘good life’ in the communitarian framework,” Francis said, while at the same time exalting a “selfish ideal.”

According to Breitbart, members of the Pontifical Academy are currently engaged in a workshop bearing the title “Towards a Participatory Society: New Roads to Social and Cultural Integration,” which began Friday and will run through May 2.

Francis said that libertarianism, “which is so fashionable today,” is a more radical form of the individualism that asserts that “only the individual gives value to things and to interpersonal relations and therefore only the individual decides what is good and what is evil.”

Libertarianism, he said, preaches

THEY GOT HIM: The Heritage Foundation Has Asked for Jim DeMint's Resignation

The establishment wing of the Heritage Foundation board of directors has flexed its muscles and has gained enough support to oust Jim DeMint as president of the organization, according to several news reports.

“If Heritage pushes Jim DeMint out, it was because a few board members, who are close to the Republican establishment, never wanted him to be president and have been working to push him out ever since,” said one operative who has worked with Heritage, reports Politico.

Bottom line, DeMint supported the pro-free market members of Congress who leaked from principle all day long (and probably got up in the middle of the night to leak more from principle) but this leaking apparently wasn't enough for the establishment, since DeMint dug his heels in to go after establishment leadership.

Notes Politico:

[While in the Senate,] through his Senate Conservatives Fund, DeMint funneled money to candidates including Utah's Mike Lee, Kentucky's Rand Paul, Florida's Marco Rubio and Texas' Ted Cruz, all of whom defeated establishment-backed candidates or knocked off incumbents in their races....

DeMint clashed frequently with party leaders during his time in the Senate, especially now-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Their feud over spending earmarks was legendary.

After DeMint left the Senate and took the reins of Heritage, the group’s advocacy arm, Heritage Action, was converted from a policy-driven vehicle into an aggressive political outfit that waged attacks against House and Senate leaders..../ 

---

  DeMint and his team came out against the so-called border adjustment tax, a key plank of the House GOP plan touted by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). They have been relentless in critiquing the House health care legislation, blasting the Hill for not repealing Obamacare immediately — sometimes, Capitol Hill staffers have said, to the detriment of negotiations.

DeMint is no libertarian but he is far from the worst creature in the swamp.

-RW 

Ron Paul Interviews Julian Assange

Wikileaks Founder and Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange joins the Liberty Report to discuss the latest push by the Trump Administration to bring charges against him and his organization for publishing US Government documents.

Fascinating insight into Julian's take on the current US government's attempt to go after him.

 

Tillerson Calls on U.N. to Implement Sanctions Against North Korea

Tillerson continues belligerent tone toward North Korea.

The United States continues to squeeze North Korea.

This morning, Secretary of State Tillerson called on the United Nations to implement sanctions, and also suspend or downgrade diplomatic relations with North Korea.

This is positively insane.

Why would you want the world to cut off diplomatic relations with a military threat.

The Korean kid could be talked down but there appears to be zero effort by the United States to go in that direction.

-RW 

Jared and Ivanka Will Travel With President to Israel; Could Recognize Jerusalem as Capital

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are expected to accompany President Donald Trump on his first visit to Israel next month, reports the Israeli daily Yediot Acharonot. It would be the first country that Trump would visit as president

The visit reportedly will come as part of Trump’s trip, when he is scheduled to be part of a summit of leaders of NATO nations in Brussels on May 25. The White House has told Israel the visit to its country will be held on May 22, Yediot reported, and that the president will spend one night in the country.

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be part of the delegation visiting Israel with the president.

The new U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, reportedly will arrive in Israel on May 15 and present his credentials to President Reuven Rivlin in June.

Trump’s visit could come immediately before Jerusalem Day on May 24, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the reunification of the city.

June 1 marks the expiration of the six-month waiver signed by President Barack Obama on moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Successive presidents have exercised the waiver every six months since the 1995 law mandating the move of the embassy, citing national security reasons over concerns that a move would lead to Islamist and Arab nationalist attacks on Americans and their allies in the region.

Really stirring things up in the Middle East,. Ynet reported that Trump could recognize a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel during the visit, which will come less than three weeks after he meets at the White House with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

It is not clear whether  Melania Trump will join the delegation.

-RW 

UPDATE

United Issues 'No Questions Asked' $1500 Reimbursement on Permanently Lost Luggage

The remarkable private sector (no government intervention) response by United Airlines, following the video showing a passenger forcibly removed from his seat by government police summoned by United personnel, continues.

Following in the steps of Delta it has increased incentives for voluntary rebooking up to $10,000. It has also eliminated "the red tape on permanently lost bags with a new "no-questions-asked" $1,500 reimbursement policy."

The airline also announced that it will no longer ask law enforcement to remove customers from a flight and customers will not be required to give up their seat once on board – except in matters of safety or security.

Trust free markets.

Target Liberty has obtained a letter sent by the airline to its frequent flyers, it is posted below in its entirety.

HOT Trump Tells Reuters There is a Chance of a 'Major Major Conflict with North Korea'

This is a developing story. Return to this post for updates.

UPDATE 1

EXCLUSIVE: Trump tells @Reuters there is a chance of 'major, major conflict with North Korea' in 100 days interview

— Reuters U.S. News (@ReutersUS) April 28, 2017

UPDATE 2

MORE: Trump says North Korea is his biggest global worry; would like to resolve diplomatically 'but it's very difficult' https://t.co/4r5GOKFwLq

— Reuters U.S. News (@ReutersUS) April 28, 2017

MORE: Trump tells @Reuters he credits North Korean leader Kim as 'not many 27-year-old men could go in and take over a regime' https://t.co/JOAnOitRVr

— Reuters U.S. News (@ReutersUS) April 28, 2017

UPDATE 3

Via Reuters:

 Trump lavished praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping for Chinese assistance in trying to rein in North Korea. The two leaders met in Florida earlier this month.

"I believe he is trying very hard. He certainly doesn’t want to see turmoil and death. He doesn’t want to see it. He is a good man. He is a very good man and I got to know him very well.

"With that being said, he loves China and he loves the people of China. I know he would like to be able to do something, perhaps it's possible that he can’t," Trump said.

Rand Paul to Teach at George Washington University

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, will teach a course on “dystopian visions” next fall in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences at Geroge Washington University, reports the university newspaper The GW Hatchet.

CCAS Dean Ben Vinson said the course will focus on the history of dystopian attitudes and how they relate to current events and political debates.

“When Senator Paul’s office approached us about coming to campus to teach this course, we agreed that his unique voice as a sitting senator would provide an engaging backdrop for our students,” he said in an email.

 The class is only open to CCAS students and registration is closed, according to the course schedule.

“I am thrilled to have an opportunity to join the faculty and students at the George Washington University for the upcoming fall semester,” Paul said through a University spokesman. “The George Washington University is one of our nation’s leading higher education institutions and I look forward to my time in Foggy Bottom.”

-RW 

Putin Warns North Korea Situation Has ‘Seriously Deteriorated’

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear program is deepening after the issue dominated talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Moscow, reports Bloomberg.

He and Abe believe the situation on the Korean peninsula has “seriously deteriorated,” Putin said Thursday after the Kremlin meeting. “We call on all states involved in the region’s affairs to refrain from military rhetoric and seek peaceful, constructive dialogue.”

The meeting between the two leaders took place just a day after Russia warned  that the Korean peninsula is “on the brink of war.”

-RW 

UC Berkeley Gears Up For Violent Protests This Afternoon

Following the cancellation of the Ann Coulter speech at University of California, Berkeley, far-right supporters plan to hold a rally Thursday to denounce what they claim is the attempted silencing of their conservative views, stoking fears of another violent encounter with far-left groups.

UC Police said it was preparing for violence Thursday between militant factions on both sides.

Gavin McInnes, founder of the pro-Trump “Proud Boys,” said he would fly to Berkeley to speak Thursday and was encouraging other alt-right forces to make a large appearance at the gathering, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Civic Center Park.

In a YouTube video, McInnes challenged the so-called anti-fascist groups, “… our army will be a bigger audience than most of these liberals get when they do talks.  So you f***’ed up. Once again, you have created this mythical universe of Nazis on every corner and you’ve tried to shut it down based on that lie. Well, we’re not allowing that to happen. The show must go on.”

-RW 

(via CBS San Francisco)

The Jared and Ivanka Rent Bill: $15,000 per Month in Curious Deal

According to documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal, Jared and Ivanka are paying $15,000 in rent for their Washington D.C. house, a property that was never advertised for rent.

Real estate agents told WSJ that $15,000 a month is a in line with other similar properties in the neighborhood, though one expert noted that the rent represents a “terrible investment” for billionaire landlord Andrónico Luksic, who bought the house after the November election for $5.5 million.

“That’s a terrible investment” for the owner, said Joshua Adler, who owns multiple rental properties in Washington, he said they are “getting use of a $5.5 million home for far less than it normally costs to have a home of that value.”

It is not clear how Jared and Ivanka became aware of the rental.

Luksica is a Chilean magnate whose company is embroiled in a dispute with the U.S. government over a mine potentially worth billions of dollars.

As reported in The Wall Street Journal in March, a mining firm controlled by  Luksic’s family is involved in a legal dispute with the federal government over a proposed copper and nickel mine near a Minnesota wilderness area.

The Obama administration blocked the proposed mining project in its waning days, citing environmental concerns, but the company and some Minnesota politicians have asked the Trump administration to reverse the decision.

Both the White House and  Luksic’s representatives have said there is no relationship between the house rental and the mining dispute, and have said the rental was arranged through brokers without the two parties ever meeting.

But curiously, the filings with the housing department show the tenant on the Kalorama property is Tracy Place Home LLC, which links back to the general counsel of  Kushner’s family company in New York.

The LLC was formed on Dec. 19, three days before a company controlled by Luksic even closed on the house, which is on Tracy Place, reports the Journal.

-RW 

The Trotskyite Women Behind the Violent Berkeley Area Antifa

All I am going to say is that you need to find the time watch this.

 

U.S. Commander: Hawaii Threatened by North Korea

I have no idea how sound this analysis is but the US continues to ratchet things up.

McClatchy reports:

The Pentagon needs to consider deploying new anti-ballistic missile systems and a defensive radar to Hawaii to protect against a growing threat from North Korea, the top U.S. military officer in the Pacific told Congress on Wednesday.

“Kim Jong-Un is clearly in a position to threaten Hawaii today, in my opinion,” Adm. Harry Harris, the chief of U.S. Pacific Command, told the House Armed Services Committee. “I have suggested that we consider putting interceptors in Hawaii that . . . defend (it) directly, and that we look at a defensive Hawaii radar.”

The U.S. currently has anti-missile interceptors at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and in Fort Greely, Alaska.

The goofy Korean kid should just be invited to the White House to be talked down, instead of all the threat and counter-threat stuff.

-RW  

Tom Woods Lets It Rip: The Inside Story on Catoites Tom Palmer and Brink Lindsey

Wow, do not become any enemy of liberty under the guise of being a libertarian.

With the calm demeanor of a skilled surgeon, Tom Woods will slice and dice you.

All, I can say is listen to this.

 


 -RW 

HOT Did Drudge Delete Antiwar.com at the Request of Jared Kushner?

Justin Raimondo, editorial director of Antiwar.com, tweets:

Rumor: I'm told that Matt @Drudge deleted Antiwar from @Drudge_Report link list at the request of Jared Kushner.

— Justin Raimondo (@JustinRaimondo) April 26, 2017

Ann Coulter Buckles: Will Not Deliver Berkeley Speech; Radical Left Wins

Tough talking Ann Coulter is apparently nothing more that talk---and sometimes not even that.

She just sent out this series of tweets:

I’m so sorry Berkeley canceled my speech. I’m so sorry YAF acquiesced in the cancelation. And I'm so sorry for free speech crushed by thugs.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 26, 2017

I’m so sorry Berkeley had a different story every 20 minutes, which always was: No speech.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 26, 2017

If we had continued to fight we would have won.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 26, 2017

Which means this was bullshit:

Nice day for an outdoor speech at Berkeley. https://t.co/PlbOP8YcDj

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 24, 2017

 -RW 

UPDATE

Oath Keepers Urges Ann Coulter to Carry on With Berkeley Speech. Pledges Protection. https://t.co/pqfU7PCvYt #OathKeepers pic.twitter.com/glhZLPCPIx

— Oath Keepers (@Oathkeepers) April 26, 2017

BREAKING: YAF Will Not Sponsor Ann Coulter Berkeley Event; No Protection Against Violence

Young America’s Foundation (YAF) has pulled out of Ann Coulter’s Thursday event at UC Berkeley, blaming the college for allowing left-wing extremists to terrorize conservatives on campus, reports Brietbart.

“When Young America’s Foundation confirmed Ann Coulter would speak at UC-Berkeley as part of YAF’s nationwide campus lecture program on April 27, we assumed UC Berkeley would take all steps necessary to ensure the safety of students attending the educational event,” the group declared in a blog post on Tuesday. “In the meantime we discovered that the University of California Police Department at Berkeley has an official ‘stand-down’ policy for any situation that develops on campus as long as the situation doesn’t involve the imminent loss of life, allowing the leftist thugs who have terrorized Berkeley’s campus to do so without consequence.”

“As of 4:00 p.m. today, Young America’s Foundation will not be moving forward with an event at Berkeley on April 27 due to the lack of assurances for protections from foreseeable violence from unrestrained leftist agitators,” they continued. “Berkeley should be ashamed for creating this hostile atmosphere.”

YAF added that they are still pushing forward with their lawsuit against the college, and that the group “looks forward to the day when First Amendment freedoms are enjoyed by conservative students.”

“Ms. Coulter may still choose to speak in some form on campus, but Young America’s Foundation will not jeopardize the safety of its staff or students,” they concluded. “For information on Ms. Coulter’s plans, please contact her directly.”

-RW 

VERY COOL; Private Sector Security vs. Somali Pirates

This is what private sector security looks like.

 

 -RW 

Protestors Storm The Heritage Foundation And Chant: ‘Shut It Down!’

A group of protestors stormed the Heritage Foundation, a neoconservative think tank in Washington DC., earlier today.

 The protest was the result of President Donald Trump using many Heritage policy wonks to create his federal budget proposals.

According to The Federalist, a group of approximately 200 protestors stood inside the lobby of the private organization’s headquarters for about 25 minutes. Some carried signs

The group was organized by People's Action which put out this tweet of the group inside Heritage.

Why is funding possibly going to border wall when our communities have no clean water? @realDonaldTrump @Heritage #WaterIsLife #RiseUp2017 pic.twitter.com/6h8BFtTXbr

— People's Action (@PplsAction) April 25, 2017

People’s Action held a convention featuring Bernie Sanders and Van Jones as speakers on Monday, followed by the protest on Tuesday beginning at the White House, according to their website.

The group is a lefty organization with very broad politically correct goals. From their mission statement:

People's Action is new natl org with affiliates in 30 states. We’re fighting for community over greed, justice over racism, and people & planet over big biz.

-RW 

HOT: US To Test Fire ICBM Tonight That Can Reach North Korea

And the silly but very dangerous escalation between the US and North Korea continues.

US military personnel will test fire the deadly (unarmed) Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile between 12:01 and 6:01 a.m. tonight from the north end of the Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc in California, reports the UK Daily Star.

Col John Moss, 30th Space Wing commander, will oversee the launch of the long range missile, saying:

"Team V is once again ready to work with Air Force Global Strike Command to successfully launch another Minuteman III missile.

These Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of our national nuclear force and to demonstrate our national nuclear capabilities.

We are proud of our long history in partnering with the men and women of the 576th Flight Test Squadron to execute these missions for the nation."

Col Deane Konowicz, the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron commander, said the test will send a message to enemies of the US.

He said: “The Simulated Electronic Launch of a Minuteman III ICBM is a signal to the American people, our allies, and our adversaries that our ICBM capability is safe, secure, lethal and ready.

“It highlights the ground and airborne command and control elements of an electrically-isolated ICBM, demonstrating that our deployed ICBMs will respond to critical launch commands.”

According to the Star, the test of the ICBM will warn North Korea that its nukes are “lethal and ready”.

-RW 

Germans Boo and Hiss at Ivanka

Ivanka Trump defended her father at a women's panel in Berlin early today but was booed and hissed by attendees.



-RW 

After Dinner with Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham Says US Will Stop 'the Nutjob in North Korea'

This is very concerning, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has never thought up a war he doesn't want the US to get into,  said today that President Donald Trump will not allow "the nutjob" leader of North Korea to develop missiles that could threaten the United States.

He made the comment via Twitter after having dinner last night with Trump:

Pres @realDonaldTrump is NOT going to let the nutjob in North Korea develop a missile - with a nuclear weapon on top - that can hit the US.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 25, 2017

In a Fox News interview this morning, Graham said he preferred to curb North Korean aggression through diplomacy, "using China" to stop North Korea from trying to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles. Graham said he sees military force as a "last resort."

 "[Trump] doesn't want a war any more than I do, but he's not going to let them get a missile. That's where they're headed. And China needs to up their game to stop this before it gets too late," Graham told Fox.

 Graham and the other top Senate war hawk, Sen. John McCain attended the dinner with Trump.

-RW 

The Private Property Society and the Cannibalism Problem

I see I have a bit more work to do in getting my point across with regard to the nature of a Private Property Society.

At the post, How Would Disputes Be Resolved in a Private Property Society?, Bob Roddis comments:

The purpose of private property is to protect human beings from theft and violence. If some innocents accidently parachute onto land owned by cannibals, I cannot justify allowing those people to be eaten. Further, this "you can do whatever you want on your own property to other people" paradigm seems to allow for the most ghastly tortures, punishments and violations for people who inadvertently trespass in low population primitive societies. 

Look, this is another example of

North Korea Holds Artillery Drill

The potential for this to go really bad continues to escalate.

Both sides continue to taunt each other.

North Korea holds artillery drill as tension spikes. Via @ReutersTV https://t.co/dARK0hmTmz pic.twitter.com/KNQhXomEst

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) April 25, 2017

It is entirely unclear how this will end. However, the bizarre notion, which I have seen written, that Trump will handle this correctly because he was successful in producing "The Apprentice" is, well, bizarre.

As for North Korean President Kim Jung-un, the idea that madmen like him act in a way that will not put their country and their reign at risk ignores what Saddam Hussein did in Iraq and, for that matter, what the Japanese did at Pearl Harbor.

Let's hope sanity prevails but it is not a foregone conclusion.

 -RW 

Politically Correct Ivanka Does Berlin

Ivanka Trump, who seems to carry the banner for every currently popular cockamamie politically correct fad, is in Berlin today for a conference on women.

She was invited to the conference by the statist,  German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

While in Berlin, she will attend a panel discussion as part of the W20 Summit, a women-focused effort within the Group of 20 countries. She will also take in a technical school, visit the United States embassy and go to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

In advance of the summit, Ivanka co-authored with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim an op-ed in the Financial Times.

The article called for "empowering women" in a mildly interventionist manner.

But mostly it was air. Once again supporting my view that Charles Murray would never use Ivanka as an object lesson on who falls on the right side of the bell curve,

-RW 

Big Name Koch Operative Named to Lead Rule-Cutting Task Force

Charles Kock, his man is in charge of rule-cutting

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has selected Daniel Jorjani, an adviser to various Koch brothers organizations, to lead a task force for cutting regulations at Interior.

Most significant, Interior supervises  Land and Minerals Management. Ahem, that would include oil management.

The most infamous crony Department of Interior deal came about when

Is the US Getting Ready to Attack North Korea?;Unusual Full Senate Briefing Will Be Held by White House

The Trump administration is preparing to brief all 100 senators this week on the situation in North Korea, reports MarketWatch.

The unusual full-Senate briefing is scheduled for Wednesday, according to reports, and comes after Trump criticized North Korea’s “continued belligerence” in a phone call with President Xi Jinping of China on Sunday. In a separate call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, Trump discussed “the urgent security challenge posed by North Korea,” the White House said.

Trump hasn't  disclosed his intentions, but Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that in their Sunday phone call Trump “has indicated by his words and actions that all possible options are on the table.”

Reuters reports that all 100 senators have been invited to the White House for a briefing by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford.

It should also be noted that Vice President Mike Pence is cutting his Pacific trip short and will be back in Washington on Tuesday, one day earlier than scheduled.

Pence has been traveling around the Pacific rim, including stops in South Korea and Japan.  The vice president also visited Indonesia and Australia.

On Sunday, he arrived in arrived in Pago Pago, American Samoa but will skip a scheduled trip to visit the USS Arizona memorial at the Pearl Harbor site in Hawaii.

-RW 

This is it: Trump has been completely captured by the Neocons

Paul Wolfowitz

If there are any libertarian Trump fanboys left, this should put a bullet in their head.

Crazed neocon warmonger Paul Wolfowitz is now a Trump fanboy.

Susan Glasser at Politico reports on a new podcast (my highlight):

Iraq might descend into “chaotic violence”—or worse. The broader Middle East could “go to hell” all over again.

If the United States doesn’t step up under President Donald Trump, Paul Wolfowitz warns in a new interview for The Global POLITICO, our weekly podcast on world affairs in the Trump era, it would represent an “opportunity” blown, a missed chance that would result in “lost American influence” and a win for “hostile actors.”

Wolfowitz, a hawkish Republican known as the architect of the Iraq war for his role in advocating President George W. Bush's 2003 invasion, rarely wades back into the public fray these days over the troubled Middle East, and he insists he’s well aware that the American political consensus—in both parties—is now very much against deepening involvement in the region. “I don’t think we’re up to heroic ventures in the Middle East,” he tells me.

Yet Wolfowitz has not entirely given up on the idea that the United States is essential to stability in a region that has seen very little of it. Without American involvement, for instance, he fears Iraq could splinter apart entirely. “The alternative is to let a very important, critical part of the world go to hell literally and lose American influence,” he says. “We may not like to talk about oil, but this is the engine of the world economy and if it’s dominated by the wrong people, the consequences here in the United States are very serious.”

To liberals and other critics, Wolfowitz would be the last person they want Trump to listen to. Long a lightning rod because of the havoc unleashed by the Iraq invasion, Wolfowitz has never apologized for advocating the war, although he has said—and repeated in our conversation—that it was not carried out as he would have wanted it to be. In recent days he‘s jumped right back into the public debate, nudging President Trump from the pages of the Wall Street Journal to follow up his bombing strike in neighboring Syria with more aggressive action—and, he tells me, privately emailing with Trump Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and national security advisor H.R. McMaster, both longtime contacts since his Bush days, in hopes they will pursue a U.S. strategy of stepped-up engagement in the Middle East.

The entire interview is here:
 
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-RW 

Mark Dice Suspended at Facebook

VIDEO Antifa Protester Arrested for Assaulting RebelTV DC Bureau Chief

Jack Posobiec, Washington Bureau Chief of RebelTV, was assaulted on Sunday in Washington D.C. by an Antifa protester.

Here's video of what went down.

Jack Posobiec Assaulted by Antifa Terrorist pic.twitter.com/L2UvnJ2pKq

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 23, 2017

Initial diagnosis - contusion pic.twitter.com/kTVEXF98W6

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 24, 2017

Posobiec on the right:

What I was doing before Antifa assaulted me pic.twitter.com/cabswq9gGx

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 23, 2017

This is how the antifa reported the incident:

DC Antifa leader claims "no one was punched."

I was, Lacy. And I have video. pic.twitter.com/XYww6R4rlb

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 24, 2017

Jack Posobiec Describes Assault by Antifa Terrorist pic.twitter.com/ngqxBKlUVL

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 23, 2017

Cato Vice President Attacks Ron Paul and Murray Rothbard

Cato Institute Vice President of Research Brink Lindsey went on a bizarre Trumpian-style series of tweet attacks against Ron Paul and Murray Rothbard this past week.

He tweeted about Rothbard:

French Riot Police Clash With Far Left Protesters After Election Results

Anti-fascist protesters clash with police in Paris after National Front presidential candidate Marine Le Pen made it to a second round presidential election runoff and the Socialist Party candidate, Benoit Hamon, is out of the running after gaining only 6% of the vote  in today's election in France.

#France: Police attack #Presidentielle2017 demo in #Paris #NuitDesBarricades @BlocusInfos pic.twitter.com/Mkq87XjqBp #antifa #antireport #LePen

— Pirate Party🌸Weekly (@PiratePartyHI) April 23, 2017

 -RW 

French Presidential Candidate Emmanuel Macron in Profile

Early indications are that establishment French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron will beat National Front candidate Marine Le Pen in the May 7 runoff election.

Here's what you need to know about the likely next French president:

From 2006 through 2009, Emmanuel Macron was a member of the Socialist party. In France, the two major political parties are the center-right Republican party and the center-left Socialist party; the current president of France, François Hollande, is a member of the Socialist party.

However, from 2009 to 2016, Macron did not associate himself with the Socialist party anymore, saying that he is an independent.

When he announced his bid for the presidency, Macron formed his own political movement called “En Marche!” In English, this translates as “Forward!” Macron has described this organization as being post-partisan, combining elements both of the left and the right.

Macron is hardcore pro European Union. He has even said that he wants to make some changes so that the EU can be made stronger.

 He has said that security would “not be better served by closing national borders,” and that controls on migration should not be handled on a national level.

In addition, Macron has said that France’s security policies have unfairly targeted Muslims.

“No religion is a problem in France today,” Macron said during a rally in October 2016. “If the state should be neutral, which is at the heart of secularism, we have a duty to let everybody practice their religion with dignity.”

Macron, who is a former investment banker, has said he will make France more business friendly and lower corporate taxes.

Specifically, he has promised to lower the corporate tax rate from 33 percent to 25 percent. He also wants to keep the legal work week at 35 hours but leave negotiation of real work hours to companies, according to Reuters.

In addition, low-wage earners would not receive certain welfare benefits under Macron’s proposals.

According to Reuters, Macron wants to raise defense spending to two percent of GDP, up from the current figure of 1.8 percent. Also, he wants to build 15,000 new prisons and hire 10,000 new police officers.

In addition, he recently said that there should be international military intervention if there comes to be evidence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons.

“An international intervention is needed…My preference is that there should be an intervention under the auspices of the United Nations. A military intervention,” Macron said.

Overall, he is a mainstream warmongering global statist.

-RW 

(via Heavy.com)


UPDATE

Eric Margolis writes:

Just who Macron really is remains a puzzle.  He came from an academic background, worked for the mighty Rothschild banking empire, then as an economic advisor and minister to President Holland.  At 39 years old, Macron is blandly attractive, youthful, and so far untainted by scandal except for the oddity of being married to his former schoolteacher two decades his senior.

Macron claims to be a middle way between old antagonists of left and right.  He calls for gentle reforms and revitalization of the European Union.  Women like him.  What he stands for is unclear. His deep links to the Rothschild’s make many uncomfortable.   To others, he’s too smooth and full of bromides

Ted Cruz Reports Massive Political Campaign War Chest

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is maintaining an early massive cash advantage ahead of his 2018 re-election race.

He raised more than $1.7 million among three allied groups during the first quarter of 2017, according to campaign finance reports released over the past several days. His re-election campaign now has $4.9 million cash on hand.

Cruz already has a Democratic challenger for 2018, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of El Paso. O'Rourke raised $208,000 in the first quarter, though he announced his Senate campaign on the last day of the period, March 31,

Of note, Jonathan Soros, son of Democratic mega-donor and operator George Soros. donated $2,700, the maximum amount under federal law to O'Rourke.

-RW 

(ht The El Paso Proud)

This It How It Goes Down When Soros Meets With McCain

Body language tells you everything you need to know about who's in charge pic.twitter.com/0CJXR1HpH9

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 22, 2017

Jared Kushner Mocked After Henry Kissinger Writes 'Lukewarm' Letter of Recommendation

Oh, this is good, the war criminal is going out in style.

The Independent sets the scene:

Foreign policy titan Henry Kissinger has made a dubious endorsement of Jared Kushner as a key advisor to Donald Trump. 

In less than 150 words, Dr Kissinger – who was notorious for his diplomatic manoeuvring and cunning – dedicated "lukewarm" praise to mark Mr Kushner’s addition to TIME’s 100 most influential people of 2017.

Here's Henry full comment:

Transitioning the presidency between parties is one of the most complex undertakings in American politics. The change triggers an upheaval in the intangible mechanisms by which Washington runs: an incoming President is likely to be less familiar with formal structures, and the greater that gap, the heavier the responsibility of those advisers who are asked to fill it.

This space has been traversed for nearly four months by Jared Kushner, whom I first met about 18 months ago, when he introduced himself after a foreign policy lecture I had given. We have sporadically ­exchanged views since. As part of the Trump family, Jared is familiar with the intangibles of the President. As a graduate of Harvard and NYU, he has a broad education; as a businessman, a knowledge of administration. All this should help him make a success of his daunting role flying close to the sun.

Here's The Independent again:

 Observers highlighted Dr Kissinger’s apparent reference to the Greek mythological character Icarus – who dies after his waxen wings melt as he flies too near the sun.

The letter also failed to point out anything which suggested Mr Kushner is particularly suited for the job.

“This is basically the letter of recommendation you never want an advisor to send,” said Ben Denison, a PhD student at the University of Notre Dame. Ian Bremmer, a prominent political scientist and founder of Eurasia Group, called it “faint praise”.

Journalist Katherine Krueger described the letter as “hilariously lukewarm”.

There's only one way to read this, Kissinger is warning the establishment intellectual elite that Kushner does not have the intellectual capability to be a major player in advancing their causes,

-RW 

The Block-Wenzel Debate on Donald Trump's First 100 Days

Dr. Walter Block and Robert Wenzel appeared on the Tom Woods Show to debate the first 100 days of the Donald Trump presidency. Below is the full debate.


 


Mentioned in the debate:

 Murray Rothbard on Ronald Reagan's Function in Slowing the Libertarian Movement

Ronald Reagan: An Autopsy by Murray Rothbard

Strictly Confidential: The Private Volker Fund Memos of Murray N. Rothbard 
Edited by David Gordon

Walter Block books

On Neil Gorsuch see: A Libertarian Take on Donald Trump's Supreme Court Pick

-RW 

Trump Is the New Insult on Playgrounds

The Daily Beast reports:

It’s a Trumpian take on the playground game “cops and robbers”: one student plays “Trump,” another is “Pence,” and the rest play “Mexicans” who must escape the threat of deportation by being tagged.

The students are as young as nine years old and this is the playground at a New York City elementary school in predominantly Latino East Harlem.

Once tagged, the “Mexicans” rely on their friends to free them from “detention” (a fenced-in play area) otherwise Trump and Pence win, one parent whose child participated in the game said....

 [H]s son explained that the “bad guys” in the game were Trump and Pence...

“I don’t know what their level of understanding is. I don’t know if the kids know what the exact problem is, or if they’re just repeating bits of what they hear at home, but there’s some level of understanding that Trump’s presidency is bad for the people who go to that school.”

 -RW