Podcasts about under obama

[EP 25-115] Democrats and other Leftists need to silence us. And that why Biden-era censorship initiatives involved 90 agencies, This is the evolution of what began years ago, when government decided it was more important than the people. Under Obama and Biden we had a rogue government who would go to whatever levels it needed to stop dissenters.This is why I am 100% certain that the Democratic Party tried to kill Donald Trump. And what these people are capable of can be ascertained in this clip from the recent release of the JFK files.Jealousy, blackmailing, murder, and so on. All for the sake of power. This is how government works. Understand that to rise to the highest office anywhere in the world, you must be RUTHLESS or a zealot. Zealots are VERY rare. Trump is a zealot, who is all about MAGA.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kevin-jackson-show--2896352/support.

CU KEEPS HIRING DEMOCRAT REJECTS And they keep getting really, really plush jobs. The latest is Andrew Maycock. From Completecolorado.com:Mayock, is the former chief sustainability officer under President Joe Biden. He led Biden's agenda on sustainability efforts.Biden was not his first role under U.S. presidents, having also served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations.Under Obama he served as Deputy Director for Management and Associate Director for General Government Programs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).Under Clinton he worked at the White House and the U.S. Treasury Department. He also served on the steering committee of the Climate 21 Project.It is the second time in two years that a newly created position at CU has been filled by an outgoing Democrat loyalist. The two positions combined amount for more than $750,000 a year in salary and benefits. (emphasis mine)Weird, huh? That TWO new positions just HAPPENED to be created JUST IN TIME for a Democrat loyalist to get the job. WEIRD. I've Sherrie Peif on today at talk about it.

Kan politikerne og medienes voldsomme hat mot Trump skyldes at de er like korrupte som Demokratene og apparatet de har bygd opp? Spørsmålet fortjener overveielse.Bård Vegar Solhjell går av som sjef for Norad for å bli sjef for Fornybar Norge.I USA har USAID vært selve krumtappen i det korrupte systemet. Rundt 50 milliarder dollar har vært sluset til tusenvis av NGO'er. Slik har byråkratiet og Demokratene beholdt makten. Det har vært deres penger og de hadde aldri drømt om å bli kontrollert.Men det har Elon Musk gjort. Med sine smarte unge har han gravd seg frem til selskaper som har melket staten for penger. Det grønne skiftet heter the green scam, - den grønne svindelen.Under Obama var det Biden som ble utnevnt til han som skulle rydde opp og slanke byråkratiet. Snakk om bukken og havresekken.Ingen hadde nok sett for seg at en Elon Musk var mulig. Venstresiden fantaserer om å drepe ham og lemleste liket. Musk tar truslene på alvor. Han har like stor sikkerhetspoåtefølje som presidenten.Musk truer mektige interesser. Hele den Demokratiske maskinen er bygget rundt denne svindelen med statlige penger.Hvor mye av makten i Norge er bygget rundt et tilsvarende system?

Hosts: RA George (Blockchain DXB) Markose Chentittha (Oort Foundation + Society X) Episode Overview:Join us for this week's Unfiltered Chat, where we dive into the most pressing topics in crypto, blockchain, and AI. This episode features a detailed discussion on CPI numbers, inflation, crypto market updates, regulatory insights, and groundbreaking industry developments. 1. CPI Numbers & Inflation Inflation increased to 2.9%, slightly higher than the expected 2.8%. Consumer prices show upward momentum, triggering discussions on potential Fed interest rate reductions. Analogy: The economy, like a weak patient, may need another dose of medicine (interest rate cuts). Will this happen on January 29 or in February? 2. Gary Gensler's Exit Interview Advocated for Bitcoin as fundamentally strong, contrasting with sentiment-driven "shitcoins." Acknowledged broader SEC responsibilities like ESG, climate change, and DEI policies. Discussed the SEC's partial win in the Coinbase lawsuit and the lack of clear crypto regulations. 3. Ripple & SEC: The Trump and Obama Years Former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton sued Ripple, labeling XRP a security. Under Obama, the CFTC classified Bitcoin as a commodity in 2015. Should the CFTC take charge of crypto regulation? 4. Tether's Relocation to El Salvador Tether aligns with El Salvador's Bitcoin-centric economy for innovation and operational flexibility. Is launching a UAE Dirham-backed stablecoin a good idea for expats? We explore its potential impact on expat communities from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. 5. BlackRock Insights Bitcoin adoption is faster than mobile phones and the internet, achieving 300 million users in just 12 years. Blockchain DXB's take: Compare Bitcoin adoption with rapid-growth metrics like ChatGPT, Threads, and TikTok for a balanced perspective. 6. Crypto Market Update DApps volume analysis from DappRadar shows mixed results. Raydium numbers are puzzling. Stablecoin volumes surged before CPI numbers, signaling increased crypto activity without selling pressure. Key Advice: Track stablecoin volumes and 24-hour trading volumes to gauge market trends. 7. Updates from Markose & RA George Markose: Oort Foundation's upcoming Twitter Spaces and developments. RA George: Relai and DAMAC Group interviews on AI, tokenization, and more. Inflation Data: BLS CPI Numbers Gary Gensler's Exit Interview: CNBC Video BlackRock Market Insights: Insights Publication DApp Statistics: DappRadar Rankings Podcast Closing NotesWe appreciate our listeners for tuning into this week's Unfiltered Chat. Don't forget to follow Blockchain DXB and Society X for more updates on crypto, blockchain, and AI! To support this channel: https://www.patreon.com/BlockchainDXB ⚡ Buy me Coffee ☕ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/info36/w/6987⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⚡ Advanced Media ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amt.tv/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⚡⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spartan Race Trifecta⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in Dubai https://race.spartan.com/en/race/detail/8646/overview For 20% Discount use code: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠George20⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⚡ The Race Space Podcast

Under Obama and Biden, the banking sector has been weaponized against industries American leftists don't like. The Obama administration acted as if its regulatory targets did not deserve due process, and the program ravaged far and wide. Original Article: Biden and Forgotten Federal Financial Tyranny

Under Obama and Biden, the banking sector has been weaponized against industries American leftists don't like. The Obama administration acted as if its regulatory targets did not deserve due process, and the program ravaged far and wide. Original Article: Biden and Forgotten Federal Financial Tyranny

Under Obama and Biden, the banking sector has been weaponized against industries American leftists don't like. The Obama administration acted as if its regulatory targets did not deserve due process, and the program ravaged far and wide. Original Article: Biden and Forgotten Federal Financial Tyranny

Under Obama and Biden, the banking sector has been weaponized against industries American leftists don't like. The Obama administration acted as if its regulatory targets did not deserve due process, and the program ravaged far and wide. Original Article: Biden and Forgotten Federal Financial Tyranny

Under Obama and Biden, the banking sector has been weaponized against industries American leftists don't like. The Obama administration acted as if its regulatory targets did not deserve due process, and the program ravaged far and wide. Narrated by Millian Quinteros.

Under Obama and Biden, the banking sector has been weaponized against industries American leftists don't like. The Obama administration acted as if its regulatory targets did not deserve due process, and the program ravaged far and wide. Original Article: Biden and Forgotten Federal Financial Tyranny

Welcome back Kyber Squadron! This week, Des and Andrés are back on board to talk about the troubling pattern of Republicans taking cases to judges who are only too happy to give them the ruling they're looking for. This isn't a coincidence, and a handful of judges are dictating what the entire country must do from the bench. Come for the Judge talk, stay for Florida's version of the Rosa Parks story. Follow us: Twitter: @SithtyMinutes @AAA_Photog @BimboKatan  Instagram: @PaulaBear92 @RBW3000 @General_Leia_The_Pup   Show Notes: Regan-Iran That Gay Jedi - Star Wars is a DRAG Disney's "Real" Lightsaber Lightsaber Video McConnell's Dream to Reshape the Judiciary "The Nuclear Option" Meanwhile, Under Obama... Matt Kacsmaryk - The Sith Eternal's Favorite Judge Federal Judge curtails LGBTQ+ Protections Bostock v Clayton County Federal Judge - Wikipedia ABA Ratings During Trump Administration Rock Lititz Comstock Laws Don't Like a Judge? Recall Them! DeSantis' Civil Rights Movement Nazi Homeschooling in America  

Ladies & Gentlemen, Boys & Girls, citizens of all ages, I'm Peter Serefine, and this is today's Liberty Minute. Resident Biden has renewed his quest to ban "ghost guns" which are simply guns without serial numbers. Biden also nominated a new head to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. I cannot reconcile the second amendment's "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" with the existence of the ATF. For about 130 years, the second amendment was the only federal firearms law. Now we have an ATF with over 5,000 employees. Under Obama, the ATF said they couldn't regulate bump stocks because they were accessories; then under Trump, they changed the definition of a bump stock so they could ban them. Silencers, suppressors, bump stocks, accessory rails, and large-capacity magazines are all accessories that the ATF attempts to regulate, or I should say, infringe upon. Find more of my opinions at Liberty-Lighthouse.com Until tomorrow, si vis Pacem, Para Bellum. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/libertylighthouse/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/libertylighthouse/support

Natural mineral may help reverse memory loss University of Queensland (Australia), February 7, 2022 Selenium—a mineral found in many foods—could reverse the cognitive impact of stroke and boost learning and memory in aging brains, according to University of Queensland research. Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) lead researcher Dr. Tara Walker said studies on the impact of exercise on the aging brain found levels of a protein key to transporting selenium in the blood were elevated by physical activity. The research team investigated whether dietary selenium supplements could replicate the effects of exercise. (NEXT) Poor sleep can triple risk for heart disease University of South Florida, February 7, 2022 Individual aspects of poor sleep can be detrimental to heart health. But if you combine them, the risk of heart disease can increase by as much as 141 percent. That's the finding of a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The University of South Florida-led study reviewed sleep data of 6,820 U.S. adults with an average age of 53 who self-reported their sleep characteristics and heart diseasehistory. Among the participants, 633 also wore a research device (actigraphy) around their wrist that captured sleep activity. (NEXT) Curcumin-pepper combination shows antioxidant benefits for diabetics: RCT Baqiyatallah, Shiraz and Mashhad universities (Iran), February 7, 2022 Curcumin and Piperine may reduce oxidative stress in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes, according to results of a randomized controlled trial. Clinical data published in the PubMed-listed journal Inflammopharmacology shows for the first time that the curcuminoid–piperine combination supplement may impact measures of oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes.Results showed that the curcuminoid-piperine combination resulted in an 21.9% reduction in MDA levels, compared to baseline levels, while no statistically significant changes were observed in the placebo group. In addition, the curcuminoid-piperine combination increased SOD and TAC levels by 11.6% and 21.1%, respectively, compared to baseline. On the other hand, these decreased by 12.6% and 17%, respectively in the placebo group, compared to placebo.  (VIDEOS) Here is Glen Greenwald talking with Howard Kurtz Trudeau's Brother Kyle Kemper takes Firm Stance against the Vaccine Mandate and “The Great Reset” (OTHER NEWS) Colossal Financial Pyramid: BlackRock and The WEF “Great Reset” F. William Engdahl – Global Research, June 20, 2021 A virtually unregulated investment firm today exercises more political and financial influence than the Federal Reserve and most governments on this planet. The firm, BlackRock Inc., the world's largest asset manager, invests a staggering $9 trillion in client funds worldwide, a sum more than double the annual GDP of the Federal Republic of Germany. This colossus sits atop the pyramid of world corporate ownership, including in China most recently. Since 1988 the company has put itself in a position to de facto control the Federal Reserve, most Wall Street mega-banks, including Goldman Sachs, the Davos World Economic Forum Great Reset, the Biden Administration and, if left unchecked, the economic future of our world. BlackRock is the epitome of what Mussolini called Corporatism, where an unelected corporate elite dictates top down to the population. How the world's largest “shadow bank” exercises this enormous power over the world ought to concern us. BlackRock since Larry Fink founded it in 1988 has managed to assemble unique financial software and assets that no other entity has. BlackRock's Aladdin risk-management system, a software tool that can track and analyze trading, monitors more than $18 trillion in assets for 200 financial firms including the Federal Reserve and European central banks. He who “monitors” also knows, we can imagine. BlackRock has been called a financial “Swiss Army Knife — institutional investor, money manager, private equity firm, and global government partner rolled into one.” Yet mainstream media treats the company as just another Wall Street financial firm. There is a seamless interface that ties the UN Agenda 2030 with the Davos World Economic Forum Great Reset and the nascent economic policies of the Biden Administration. That interface is BlackRock. Team Biden and BlackRock By now it should be clear to anyone who bothers to look, that the person who claims to be US President, 78-year old Joe Biden, is not making any decisions. He even has difficulty reading a teleprompter or answering prepared questions from friendly media without confusing Syria and Libya or even whether he is President. He is being micromanaged by a group of handlers to maintain a scripted “image” of a President while policy is made behind the scenes by others. It eerily reminds of the 1979 Peter Sellers film character, Chauncey Gardiner, in Being There. What is less public are the key policy persons running economic policy for Biden Inc. They are simply said, BlackRock. Much as Goldman Sachs ran economic policy under Obama and also Trump, today BlackRock is filling that key role. The deal apparently was sealed in January, 2019 when Joe Biden, then-candidate and long-shot chance to defeat Trump, went to meet with Larry Fink in New York, who reportedly told “working class Joe,” that, “I'm here to help.” Now as President in one of his first appointees, Biden named Brian Deese to be the Director of the National Economic Council, the President's main adviser for economic policy. One of the early Presidential Executive Orders dealt with economics and climate policy. That's not surprising, as Deese came from Fink's BlackRock where he was Global Head of Sustainable Investing. Before joining BlackRock, Deese held senior economic posts under Obama, including replacing John Podesta as Senior Adviser to the President where he worked alongside Valerie Jarrett. Under Obama, Deese played a key role in negotiating the Global Warming Paris Accords. In the key policy post as Deputy Treasury Secretary under Secretary Janet Yellen, we find Nigerian-born Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo. Adeyemo also comes from BlackRock where from 2017 to 2019 he was a senior adviser and Chief of Staff to BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, after leaving the Obama Administration. His personal ties to Obama are strong, as Obama named him the first President of the Obama Foundation in 2019. And a third senior BlackRock person running economic policy in the Administration now is also unusual in several respects. Michael Pyle is the Senior Economic Adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris. He came to Washington from the position as the Global Chief Investment Strategist at BlackRock where he oversaw the strategy for investing some $9 trillion of funds. Before joining BlackRock at the highest level, he had also been in the Obama Administration as a senior adviser to the Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, and in 2015 became an adviser to the Hillary Clinton presidential bid. The fact that three of the most influential economic appointees of the Biden Administration come from BlackRock, and before that all from the Obama Administration, is noteworthy. There is a definite pattern and suggests that the role of BlackRock in Washington is far larger than we are being told. What is BlackRock? Never before has a financial company with so much influence over world markets been so hidden from public scrutiny. That's no accident. As it is technically not a bank making bank loans or taking deposits, it evades the regulation oversight from the Federal Reserve even though it does what most mega banks like HSBC or JP MorganChase do—buy, sell securities for profit. When there was a Congressional push to include asset managers such as BlackRock and Vanguard Funds under the post-2008 Dodd-Frank law as “systemically important financial institutions” or SIFIs, a huge lobbying push from BlackRock ended the threat. BlackRock is essentially a law onto itself. And indeed it is “systemically important” as no other, with possible exception of Vanguard, which is said to also be a major shareholder in BlackRock. BlackRock founder and CEO Larry Fink is clearly interested in buying influence globally. He made former German CDU MP Friederich Merz head of BlackRock Germany when it looked as if he might succeed Chancellor Merkel, and former British Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne as “political consultant.” Fink named former Hillary Clinton Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills to the BlackRock board when it seemed certain Hillary would soon be in the White House. He has named former central bankers to his board and gone on to secure lucrative contracts with their former institutions. Stanley Fisher, former head of the Bank of Israel and also later Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve is now Senior Adviser at BlackRock. Philipp Hildebrand, former Swiss National Bank president, is vice chairman at BlackRock, where he oversees the BlackRock Investment Institute. Jean Boivin, the former deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, is the global head of research at BlackRock's investment institute. BlackRock and the Fed It was this ex-central bank team at BlackRock that developed an “emergency” bailout plan for Fed chairman Powell in March 2019 as financial markets appeared on the brink of another 2008 “Lehman crisis” meltdown. As “thank you,” the Fed chairman Jerome Powell named BlackRock in a no-bid role to manage all of the Fed's corporate bond purchase programs, including bonds where BlackRock itself invests. Conflict of interest? A group of some 30 NGOs wrote to Fed Chairman Powell, “By giving BlackRock full control of this debt buyout program, the Fed… makes BlackRock even more systemically important to the financial system. Yet BlackRock is not subject to the regulatory scrutiny of even smaller systemically important financial institutions.” In a detailed report in 2019, a Washington non-profit research group, Campaign for Accountability, noted that, “BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, implemented a strategy of lobbying, campaign contributions, and revolving door hires to fight off government regulation and establish itself as one of the most powerful financial companies in the world.” The New York Fed hired BlackRock in March 2019 to manage its commercial mortgage-backed securities program and its $750 billion primary and secondary purchases of corporate bonds and ETFs in no-bid contracts. US financial journalists Pam and Russ Martens in critiquing that murky 2019 Fed bailout of Wall Street remarked, “for the first time in history, the Fed has hired BlackRock to “go direct” and buy up $750 billion in both primary and secondary corporate bonds and bond ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), a product of which BlackRock is one of the largest purveyors in the world.” They went on, “Adding further outrage, the BlackRock-run program will get $75 billion of the $454 billion in taxpayers' money to eat the losses on its corporate bond purchases, which will include its own ETFs, which the Fed is allowing it to buy…” Fed head Jerome Powell and Larry Fink know each other well, apparently. Even after Powell gave BlackRock the hugely lucrative no-bid “go direct” deal, Powell continued to have the same BlackRock manage an estimated $25 million of Powell's private securities investments. Public records show that in this time Powell held direct confidential phone calls with BlackRock CEO Fink. According to required financial disclosure, BlackRock managed to double the value of Powell's investments from the year before! No conflict of interest, or? A Very BlackRock in Mexico BlackRock's murky history in Mexico shows that conflicts of interest and influence-building with leading government agencies is not restricted to just the USA. PRI Presidential candidate Peña Nieto went to Wall Street during his campaign in November 2011. There he met Larry Fink. What followed the Nieto victory in 2012 was a tight relationship between Fink and Nieto that was riddled with conflict of interest, cronyism and corruption. Most likely to be certain BlackRock was on the winning side in the corrupt new Nieto regime, Fink named 52-year-old Marcos Antonio Slim Domit, billionaire son of Mexico's wealthiest and arguably most corrupt man, Carlos Slim, to BlackRock's Board. Marcos Antonio, along with his brother Carlos Slim Domit, run the father's huge business empire today. Carlos Slim Domit, the eldest son, was Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum Latin America in 2015, and currently serves as chairman of the board of America Movil where BlackRock is a major investor. Small cozy world. The father, Carlos Slim, at the time named by Forbes as World's Richest Person, built an empire based around his sweetheart acquisition of Telemex (later America Movil). Then President, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, in effect gifted the telecom empire to Slim in 1989. Salinas later fled Mexico on charges of stealing more than $10 billion from state coffers. As with much in Mexico since the 1980s drug money apparently played a huge role with the elder Carlos Slim, father of BlackRock director Marcos Slim. In 2015 WikiLeaks released company internal emails from the private intelligence corporation, Stratfor. Stratfor writes in an April 2011 email, the time BlackRock is establishing its Mexico plans, that a US DEA Special Agent, William F. Dionne confirmed Carlos Slim's ties to the Mexican drug cartels. Stratfor asks Dionne, “Billy, is the MX (Mexican) billionaire Carlos Slim linked to the narcos?” Dionne replies, “Regarding your question, the MX telecommunication billionaire is.” In a country where 44% of the population lives in poverty you don't become the world's richest man in just two decades selling Girl Scout cookies. Fink and Mexican PPP With Marcos Slim on his BlackRock board and new president Enrique Peña Nieto, Larry Fink's Mexican partner in Nieto Peña's $590 billion PublicPrivatePartnership (PPP) alliance, BlackRock, was ready to reap the harvest. To fine-tune his new Mexican operations, Fink named former Mexican Undersecretary of Finance Gerardo Rodriguez Regordosa to direct BlackRock Emerging Market Strategy in 2013. Then in 2016 Peña Nieto appointed Isaac Volin, then head of BlackRock Mexico to be No. 2 at PEMEX where he presided over corruption, scandals and the largest loss in PEMEX history, $38 billion. Peña Nieto had opened the huge oil state monopoly, PEMEX, to private investors for the first time since nationalization in the 1930s. The first to benefit was Fink's BlackRock. Within seven months, BlackRock had secured $1 billion in PEMEX energy projects, many as the only bidder. During the tenure of Peña Nieto, one of the most controversial and least popular presidents, BlackRock prospered by the cozy ties. It soon was engaged in highly profitable (and corrupt) infrastructure projects under Peña Nieto including not only oil and gas pipelines and wells but also including toll roads, hospitals, gas pipelines and even prisons. Notably, BlackRock's Mexican “friend” Peña Nieto was also “friends” not only with Carlos Slim but with the head of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, “El Chapo” Guzman. In court testimony in 2019 in New York Alex Cifuentes, a Colombian drug lord who has described himself as El Chapo's “right-hand man,” testified that just after his election in 2012, Peña Nieto had requested $250 million from the Sinaloa Cartel before settling on $100 million. We can only guess what for. Larry Fink and WEF Great Reset In 2019 Larry Fink joined the Board of the Davos World Economic Forum, the Swiss-based organization that for some 40 years has advanced economic globalization. Fink, who is close to the WEF's technocrat head, Klaus Schwab, of Great Reset notoriety, now stands positioned to use the huge weight of BlackRock to create what is potentially, if it doesn't collapse before, the world's largest Ponzi scam, ESG corporate investing. Fink with $9 trillion to leverage is pushing the greatest shift of capital in history into a scam known as ESG Investing. The UN “sustainable economy” agenda is being realized quietly by the very same global banks which have created the financial crises in 2008. This time they are preparing the Klaus Schwab WEF Great Reset by steering hundreds of billions and soon trillions in investment to their hand-picked “woke” companies, and away from the “not woke” such as oil and gas companies or coal. BlackRock since 2018 has been in the forefront to create a new investment infrastructure that picks “winners” or “losers” for investment according to how serious that company is about ESG—Environment, Social values and Governance. For example a company gets positive ratings for the seriousness of its hiring gender diverse management and employees, or takes measures to eliminate their carbon “footprint” by making their energy sources green or sustainable to use the UN term. How corporations contribute to a global sustainable governance is the most vague of the ESG, and could include anything from corporate donations to Black Lives Matter to supporting UN agencies such as WHO. Oil companies like ExxonMobil or coal companies no matter how clear are doomed as Fink and friends now promote their financial Great Reset or Green New Deal. This is why he cut a deal with the Biden presidency in 2019. Follow the money. And we can expect that the New York Times will cheer BlackRock on as it destroys the world financial structures. Since 2017 BlackRock has been the paper's largest shareholder. Carlos Slim was second largest. Even Carl Icahn, a ruthless Wall Street asset stripper, once called BlackRock, “an extremely dangerous company… I used to say, you know, the mafia has a better code of ethics than you guys.” (NEXT) Can Joe Rogan Save Free Speech? Jonathan Turley, February 3, 2022 Below is my column on the campaign to cancel Joe Rogan and his podcast. Various celebrities and artists have joined the movement for censoring Joe Rogan, including Mary Trump. The White House has called for even greater action from Spotify to limit or remove content. We have also heard the same false narrative that, since the First Amendment only covers government action, this is not by definition a free speech issue. The argument is entirely divorced from any understanding of free speech. As we have previously discussed, the First Amendment is not the full or exclusive embodiment of free speech. It addresses just one of the dangers to free speech posed by government regulation. Many of us view free speech as a human right. Corporate censorship of social media clearly impacts free speech, and replacing Big Brother with a cadre of Little Brothers actually allows for far greater control of free expression. When it comes to media, information or social media platforms, corporate censorship can have a devastating impact on free speech. For Spotify, the choice between Rogan's 11 million listeners or an aging rocker was economically clear, even with other artists threatening to pull their music from the platform. The music side of Spotify is reportedly not making much revenue, but Rogan and podcasts are a cash machine. Spotify now has 365 million subscribers and its advertising revenues have doubled with the help of the podcast market. Revenue from podcasts is up a staggering 627 percent on Spotify. However, even if the company was not motivated by its better angels, that may actually be better news for free speech. The free-fall of free speech has largely been due to greed. Companies see no profit in defending dissenting viewpoints. Now, for the first time, the economics may have actually worked against censorship and for free speech. At least in this instance, to paraphrase “Wall Street's” Gordon Gekko, “Greed is good” for free speech. The famous economist Arthur Cecil Pigou once explained that corporations are not “social” but market creatures moved by profits, not principles. No matter how “woke” many companies may appear, there is an economic calculation behind corporate action. Most companies yield to demands because it is wealth-maximizing. There was a calculation that woke statements or censorship policies would protect a company from protests while opposing customers would still want its product. That calculation has been a disaster for free speech. The First Amendment only addresses the primary threat that existed in the 18th century against free speech: the government. It does not limit private companies, which have free speech rights like individuals. Activists and politicians used that blind spot to do indirectly what they could not do directly in censoring opposing viewpoints. Democratic leaders, including President Biden, have encouraged companies to expand what they euphemistically call “content modification” to block dissenting views on vaccines, election integrity, global warming, gender identity and a range of other issues. As a result, social media companies and other corporations now regulate speech in the United States to a degree that an actual state media would struggle to replicate. Faced with a growing cancel culture, companies are scrubbing their platforms of dissenting viewpoints and converting forums into echo chambers. Rogan's popularity is precisely due to the fact that he is uncensored in what he says. As many networks and newspapers have become more of an echo chamber, viewers and readers have fled en masse. Trust in the media has fallen to just 46 percent and as low as 40 percent in recent polling. While Young reportedly relies on Spotify for 60 percent of his royalty income, Spotify does not rely on Young or other rock stars for its primary profits. It is the reverse of market conditions from just a couple years ago. While Rogan has promised to be more careful in how information is presented on his show (and Spotify will add “advisories” on podcasts), his podcast survived the celebrity onslaught. As various investors seek to create free speech alternatives to Twitter and YouTube, there may be an emerging market for free speech products. This does not mean that Joe Rogan is the new Thomas Paine or that this small skirmish is a turning point in the war over free speech. Indeed, the campaign continues against Spotify. However, with the explosion of corporate censorship, free speech advocates have begun to look at figures like Rogan as “super survivors,” people who seem to have natural immunities protecting them from an otherwise lethal threat. If we can replicate those economic antibodies, we just might be able to develop a protection against censorship and the cancel culture.

Daily News Brief for Wednesday, January 5th 2022 Happy New Year! It is good to be back in the studio, after a busy Christmas break. During our time off, we actually were in the studio several times working on our 2022 show production, and every year we hope to continue to bring you better and better content along with a better show experience. We hope our shows bless you, and as they do, we ask that you share them, pass them along, and join our club or become a corporate sponsor to support our efforts. We are fighting legacy media that is just about hell-bent on destroying anything that resembles Christian culture and influence, so please support us as we fight, laugh and feast in 2022.   Before I bring you Senator Rand Paul's New Year Resolution, Pastor Wilson's reasons for the 2020 rigged elections, and more, I want to you make you aware of CrossPolitic's New Saint Andrews Scholarship for women! Last year we released our first scholarship for men, and as promised, we now bring you our scholarship for freshmen women: God has blessed CrossPolitic enormously, particularly through our club members, and we have committed ourselves to blessing others. We want to give back some of what we've been given. Fight Laugh Feast New St. Andrews College Women's Scholarship: Beginning Fall 2022 In the interest of promoting a hard-hitting, thoroughly biblical education for life, CrossPolitic Studios is very excited to present: The Fight Laugh Feast “Beastmode Homemaker” Scholarship for qualified first year female students who have been accepted to New St. Andrews College. This scholarship will fund almost half a young woman's annual tuition for four years. Because CrossPolitic wants to encourage young women to prepare themselves to take dominion and be fruitful through beastmode homemaking this scholarship is specifically offered to qualified young women.  How to be considered for the Fight Laugh Feast “Beastmode Homemaker” Scholarship: 1. Apply to New St. Andrews College and receive official notification that you have been accepted.  2. Write a short essay (~1000) words explaining why you are the woman to receive this scholarship. This essay should be thoughtful, good humored, feminine, and well-written. The essay should include reasons how you believe a New St. Andrews College education will equip you to live for Jesus and defy the enemies of God. The essay should be sent to %%%% Address, Moscow, Idaho. All applications for the Fight Laugh Feast Scholarship must be received by February 1. 3. The CrossPolitic wives (Annie, Sharron, and Jenny) will review all applications and if there is a worthy applicant, we will schedule an interview with up to the top three candidates, and the CrossPolitic Guys will announce the winner of the scholarship on a CrossPolitic Show with great fanfare sometime by April 1st of the year prior to the student's entrance to the college.  4. The scholarship is for full-time, matriculating first year females (as defined by God and old-fashioned biology) at New St. Andrews College (because they know biology better than the Supreme Court) and automatically renews for up to four years. The scholarship is contingent on remaining such a student in good standing (academically, morally), and living like a faithful Christian in our community. The scholarship may be revoked at any time by the CrossPolitic gods, should a young woman prove to be unworthy of this honor.  How are your New Year's Resolutions going? Have you joined our club as part of your New Year Resolutions? Well Senator Rand Paul is making some pretty easy new year resolutions, by quitting big tech. In his oped in the Washington titled:  My New Year's resolution: I'm quitting YouTube He says he wants to get rid of toxic relationships: “I have come to the realization that my relationship with YouTube is dysfunctional. Sure, I can get millions of views. But why should I allow anonymous “fact-checkers” to censor my fully sourced, fact-based content? They don't want to challenge or debate me with opposing views, they just want my silence.” He goes on to say: “Many in Congress, on the Left and the Right, want to break up or regulate Big Tech, but few of these loud voices have actually stepped up and quit using Big Tech. So today, I announce that I will begin an exodus from Big Tech. I will no longer post videos on YouTube unless it is to criticize them or announce that viewers can see my content on rumble.com. Why begin with YouTube? Because they're the worst censors. Any time I state that cloth masks do not stop the virus from spreading, as in this Denmark study, Florida school comparison, and Vietnamese study, YouTube deletes the video. I always cite studies and scientific sources such as those listed here, but instead of allowing free and open debate with others who might argue flaws in those studies or cite opposing ones, YouTube simply silences me.” In his followup press release, Senator Paul says: “As a libertarian leaning Senator, I think private companies have the right to ban me if they want to, however, those of us who believe that truth comes from disputation and that the marketplace of ideas is a prerequisite for innovation should shun the close-minded censors and take our ideas elsewhere, which is exactly what I'm doing.” Over the last year, YouTube has continued to wage its dangerous, anti-progress of science war against free speech, choosing to act in lockstep with government and ban videos posted by Dr. Paul that dared to contradict the government's position. These videos included conversations with journalists where he discussed the efficacy of masks, particularly cloth masks, and a video explaining the science behind why cloth masks don't work.” I am glad to see public figures, like Senator Rand Paul and Joe Rogan, take a stand against big tech. I think over the years, social media will be come more and more decentralized as more and more alternative options pop-up, and we hope, through the Fight Laugh Feast Network, that we can build massive community of like-minded Christians we can lock arms with, encourage each other, and build Christian communities throughout the US. As Elon Musk said “twitter is not real”, and there is a funny truth he is getting there, and so what we want to see is real Christian communities popup that are antifragile, they love Jesus, and know how to Fight Laugh and Feast like Christians.  Pastor Doug Wilson recently wrote a blog post titled: “An Election With More Rigging Than a Five-Masted Clipper Ship”, and while you should read the whole post (linked to in your notes in our app), here is a meaty snippet that I don't want you to miss about the Trump presidency and the 2020 rigged election: “This whole sorry business started with the presidential campaign in 2016, and the surprise election of Trump. Under Obama, our national intelligence community targeted and illegally spied on the Trump campaign. Rigged. No one who did that is currently in jail. Rigged. Bogus opposition research sponsored by the Clinton campaign was picked up by the FBI, knowing it to be bogus, and yet it was used to hamstring the Trump administration for years. Rigged. Hillary cooked up the Russian collusion story and the media bought it big time. Rigged. Hillary claimed that the election was stolen from her without accusations that she was undermining democratic norms, and yet Trump is accused when he said the same thing. Rigged. And what Hillary said was false and what Trump said was true, and these are strange words. Rigged. After the 2016 election, the titans of Big Tech vowed to do everything in their power to prevent the same thing from happening in 2020, and they were good on their word. Rigged. Canceling accounts, banning ads, banning stories, and shadow banning through algorithms. Rigged. Millions of dollars (“Zuck bucks”) were poured into efforts to change election laws and procedures all over the country, without an opportunity to institute safeguards for the new systems. Rigged. Third party partisan groups were given oversight of election processes. Rigged. Deadly riots happened all over the country, with promises of many more if Trump won again. Rigged. The COVID panic provided the perfect opportunity to alter standard procedures for the sake of “safety,” including how close to the counting poll watchers could get. Rigged. Because of this deadly virus we had to have new procedures (like mail-in voting) right away. Rigged. Lawsuits brought to challenge common sense things like signature verification. Rigged. Courts refusing to hear the inevitable complaints on the merits, preferring to dodge responsibility by appealing to “process” or “standing.” Rigged. This craven rejection of responsibility went up to and included SCOTUS. Rigged. Illegal changes made to voting deadlines by secretaries of state, instead of legally by the state legislatures. Rigged.” Dime Payments: Dime Payments is a Christian owned processing payment business. Every business needs a payment process system, so please go to https://dimepayments.com/flf and sign your business up. Working with them supports us. They wont cancel you, like Stripe canceled President Trump. They wont cancel you, like Mailchimp canceled the Babylon Bee. Check them out. At least have a phone call and tell them that CrossPolitic sent you. Go to https://dimepayments.com/flf.  Remember our interview with Jeff Drubin and Davis Younts, JAG lawyer, that we did several months ago regarding Navy Seals dealing with the forced vax mandates? Well, according to Fox News:  “Judge Reed O'Connor, the U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Texas, issued the stay in response to a lawsuit filed by First Liberty Institute in November on behalf of 35 active-duty SEALs and three reservists seeking a religious exemption”.  Judge O'Connor, from Texas, did I mention that, said in his ruling: “"The Navy service members in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect. The COVID-19 pandemic provides the government no license to abrogate those freedoms. There is no COVID-19 exception to the First Amendment. There is no military exclusion from our Constitution." General Council for First Liberty Institute Mike Berry, who is re  "Forcing a service member to choose between their faith and serving their country is abhorrent to the Constitution and America's values…Punishing SEALs for simply asking for a religious accommodation is purely vindictive and punitive. We're pleased that the court has acted to protect our brave warriors before more damage is done to our national security." Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, when asked about the stay said: "We are aware of the injunction and are reviewing it.” The forced vax cases are from over, so be in prayer for what is going on. In a lot of ways, this is not only an attack on our nation's constitution, but the courts do not shutdown Biden's mandates, it will open up the door for all sorts of government shenanigans. You think forced vaccinations are bad, just wait for the forced sterilization of faithful Christians because your kids are a threat to demos, I mean democracy.  U.S. reports over 1 million new daily Covid cases as omicron surges According to CNBC, are they a legit news service, well nevermind they are mostly quoting John Hopkins, so I will proceed. A new COVID record. Over one million new daily COVID cases! CNBC says: “A total of 1,082,549 new coronavirus cases were reported Monday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as the highly infectious omicron variant continues to spread throughout the country. The new daily tally brings the total number of cases confirmed in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic to 56,189,547. In total, the virus has caused at least 827,748 deaths across the country.” Can we talk about “with” or “from” yet. How about the efficacy of the vaccine? Or that masks dont work? We will infact, but you have to tune into our Mid-week Fix tonight at 7pm PAC. Yes we are back, and can't wait to bring you our new year of shows, live events, conference, and more to you in 2022. We have lots of plans, but we only want God to build our house, unless we labor in vain.  Closing This is Gabriel Rench with Crosspolitic News. Support Rowdy Christian media by joining our club at fightlaughfeast.com, downloading our App, and head to our annual Fight Laugh Feast Events. With your partnership, together we will fight outdated and compromised media, engage news and politics with the gospel, and replace lies and darkness with truth and light. Go to fightlaughfeast.com to take all these actions. Have a great day. Lord bless 

Daily News Brief for Wednesday, January 5th 2022 Happy New Year! It is good to be back in the studio, after a busy Christmas break. During our time off, we actually were in the studio several times working on our 2022 show production, and every year we hope to continue to bring you better and better content along with a better show experience. We hope our shows bless you, and as they do, we ask that you share them, pass them along, and join our club or become a corporate sponsor to support our efforts. We are fighting legacy media that is just about hell-bent on destroying anything that resembles Christian culture and influence, so please support us as we fight, laugh and feast in 2022.   Before I bring you Senator Rand Paul's New Year Resolution, Pastor Wilson's reasons for the 2020 rigged elections, and more, I want to you make you aware of CrossPolitic's New Saint Andrews Scholarship for women! Last year we released our first scholarship for men, and as promised, we now bring you our scholarship for freshmen women: God has blessed CrossPolitic enormously, particularly through our club members, and we have committed ourselves to blessing others. We want to give back some of what we've been given. Fight Laugh Feast New St. Andrews College Women's Scholarship: Beginning Fall 2022 In the interest of promoting a hard-hitting, thoroughly biblical education for life, CrossPolitic Studios is very excited to present: The Fight Laugh Feast “Beastmode Homemaker” Scholarship for qualified first year female students who have been accepted to New St. Andrews College. This scholarship will fund almost half a young woman's annual tuition for four years. Because CrossPolitic wants to encourage young women to prepare themselves to take dominion and be fruitful through beastmode homemaking this scholarship is specifically offered to qualified young women. How to be considered for the Fight Laugh Feast “Beastmode Homemaker” Scholarship: 1. Apply to New St. Andrews College and receive official notification that you have been accepted. 2. Write a short essay (~1000) words explaining why you are the woman to receive this scholarship. This essay should be thoughtful, good humored, feminine, and well-written. The essay should include reasons how you believe a New St. Andrews College education will equip you to live for Jesus and defy the enemies of God. The essay should be sent to %%%% Address, Moscow, Idaho. All applications for the Fight Laugh Feast Scholarship must be received by February 1. 3. The CrossPolitic wives (Annie, Sharron, and Jenny) will review all applications and if there is a worthy applicant, we will schedule an interview with up to the top three candidates, and the CrossPolitic Guys will announce the winner of the scholarship on a CrossPolitic Show with great fanfare sometime by April 1st of the year prior to the student's entrance to the college. 4. The scholarship is for full-time, matriculating first year females (as defined by God and old-fashioned biology) at New St. Andrews College (because they know biology better than the Supreme Court) and automatically renews for up to four years. The scholarship is contingent on remaining such a student in good standing (academically, morally), and living like a faithful Christian in our community. The scholarship may be revoked at any time by the CrossPolitic gods, should a young woman prove to be unworthy of this honor. How are your New Year's Resolutions going? Have you joined our club as part of your New Year Resolutions? Well Senator Rand Paul is making some pretty easy new year resolutions, by quitting big tech. In his oped in the Washington titled: My New Year's resolution: I'm quitting YouTube He says he wants to get rid of toxic relationships: “I have come to the realization that my relationship with YouTube is dysfunctional. Sure, I can get millions of views. But why should I allow anonymous “fact-checkers” to censor my fully sourced, fact-based content? They don't want to challenge or debate me with opposing views, they just want my silence.” He goes on to say: “Many in Congress, on the Left and the Right, want to break up or regulate Big Tech, but few of these loud voices have actually stepped up and quit using Big Tech. So today, I announce that I will begin an exodus from Big Tech. I will no longer post videos on YouTube unless it is to criticize them or announce that viewers can see my content on rumble.com. Why begin with YouTube? Because they're the worst censors. Any time I state that cloth masks do not stop the virus from spreading, as in this Denmark study, Florida school comparison, and Vietnamese study, YouTube deletes the video. I always cite studies and scientific sources such as those listed here, but instead of allowing free and open debate with others who might argue flaws in those studies or cite opposing ones, YouTube simply silences me.” In his followup press release, Senator Paul says: “As a libertarian leaning Senator, I think private companies have the right to ban me if they want to, however, those of us who believe that truth comes from disputation and that the marketplace of ideas is a prerequisite for innovation should shun the close-minded censors and take our ideas elsewhere, which is exactly what I'm doing.” Over the last year, YouTube has continued to wage its dangerous, anti-progress of science war against free speech, choosing to act in lockstep with government and ban videos posted by Dr. Paul that dared to contradict the government's position. These videos included conversations with journalists where he discussed the efficacy of masks, particularly cloth masks, and a video explaining the science behind why cloth masks don't work.” I am glad to see public figures, like Senator Rand Paul and Joe Rogan, take a stand against big tech. I think over the years, social media will be come more and more decentralized as more and more alternative options pop-up, and we hope, through the Fight Laugh Feast Network, that we can build massive community of like-minded Christians we can lock arms with, encourage each other, and build Christian communities throughout the US. As Elon Musk said “twitter is not real”, and there is a funny truth he is getting there, and so what we want to see is real Christian communities popup that are antifragile, they love Jesus, and know how to Fight Laugh and Feast like Christians. Pastor Doug Wilson recently wrote a blog post titled: “An Election With More Rigging Than a Five-Masted Clipper Ship”, and while you should read the whole post (linked to in your notes in our app), here is a meaty snippet that I don't want you to miss about the Trump presidency and the 2020 rigged election: “This whole sorry business started with the presidential campaign in 2016, and the surprise election of Trump. Under Obama, our national intelligence community targeted and illegally spied on the Trump campaign. Rigged. No one who did that is currently in jail. Rigged. Bogus opposition research sponsored by the Clinton campaign was picked up by the FBI, knowing it to be bogus, and yet it was used to hamstring the Trump administration for years. Rigged. Hillary cooked up the Russian collusion story and the media bought it big time. Rigged. Hillary claimed that the election was stolen from her without accusations that she was undermining democratic norms, and yet Trump is accused when he said the same thing. Rigged. And what Hillary said was false and what Trump said was true, and these are strange words. Rigged. After the 2016 election, the titans of Big Tech vowed to do everything in their power to prevent the same thing from happening in 2020, and they were good on their word. Rigged. Canceling accounts, banning ads, banning stories, and shadow banning through algorithms. Rigged. Millions of dollars (“Zuck bucks”) were poured into efforts to change election laws and procedures all over the country, without an opportunity to institute safeguards for the new systems. Rigged. Third party partisan groups were given oversight of election processes. Rigged. Deadly riots happened all over the country, with promises of many more if Trump won again. Rigged. The COVID panic provided the perfect opportunity to alter standard procedures for the sake of “safety,” including how close to the counting poll watchers could get. Rigged. Because of this deadly virus we had to have new procedures (like mail-in voting) right away. Rigged. Lawsuits brought to challenge common sense things like signature verification. Rigged. Courts refusing to hear the inevitable complaints on the merits, preferring to dodge responsibility by appealing to “process” or “standing.” Rigged. This craven rejection of responsibility went up to and included SCOTUS. Rigged. Illegal changes made to voting deadlines by secretaries of state, instead of legally by the state legislatures. Rigged.” Dime Payments: Dime Payments is a Christian owned processing payment business. Every business needs a payment process system, so please go to https://dimepayments.com/flf and sign your business up. Working with them supports us. They wont cancel you, like Stripe canceled President Trump. They wont cancel you, like Mailchimp canceled the Babylon Bee. Check them out. At least have a phone call and tell them that CrossPolitic sent you. Go to https://dimepayments.com/flf. Remember our interview with Jeff Drubin and Davis Younts, JAG lawyer, that we did several months ago regarding Navy Seals dealing with the forced vax mandates? Well, according to Fox News: “Judge Reed O'Connor, the U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Texas, issued the stay in response to a lawsuit filed by First Liberty Institute in November on behalf of 35 active-duty SEALs and three reservists seeking a religious exemption”. Judge O'Connor, from Texas, did I mention that, said in his ruling: “"The Navy service members in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect. The COVID-19 pandemic provides the government no license to abrogate those freedoms. There is no COVID-19 exception to the First Amendment. There is no military exclusion from our Constitution." General Council for First Liberty Institute Mike Berry, who is re "Forcing a service member to choose between their faith and serving their country is abhorrent to the Constitution and America's values…Punishing SEALs for simply asking for a religious accommodation is purely vindictive and punitive. We're pleased that the court has acted to protect our brave warriors before more damage is done to our national security." Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, when asked about the stay said: "We are aware of the injunction and are reviewing it.” The forced vax cases are from over, so be in prayer for what is going on. In a lot of ways, this is not only an attack on our nation's constitution, but the courts do not shutdown Biden's mandates, it will open up the door for all sorts of government shenanigans. You think forced vaccinations are bad, just wait for the forced sterilization of faithful Christians because your kids are a threat to demos, I mean democracy. U.S. reports over 1 million new daily Covid cases as omicron surges According to CNBC, are they a legit news service, well nevermind they are mostly quoting John Hopkins, so I will proceed. A new COVID record. Over one million new daily COVID cases! CNBC says: “A total of 1,082,549 new coronavirus cases were reported Monday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as the highly infectious omicron variant continues to spread throughout the country. The new daily tally brings the total number of cases confirmed in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic to 56,189,547. In total, the virus has caused at least 827,748 deaths across the country.” Can we talk about “with” or “from” yet. How about the efficacy of the vaccine? Or that masks dont work? We will infact, but you have to tune into our Mid-week Fix tonight at 7pm PAC. Yes we are back, and can't wait to bring you our new year of shows, live events, conference, and more to you in 2022. We have lots of plans, but we only want God to build our house, unless we labor in vain. Closing This is Gabriel Rench with Crosspolitic News. Support Rowdy Christian media by joining our club at fightlaughfeast.com, downloading our App, and head to our annual Fight Laugh Feast Events. With your partnership, together we will fight outdated and compromised media, engage news and politics with the gospel, and replace lies and darkness with truth and light. Go to fightlaughfeast.com to take all these actions. Have a great day. Lord bless

To start the new week, we have a lot to get through, including the COVID vaccine deployment, the Electoral College vote, the protests in DC this weekend (thanks to the Seditious 126), and the Russians hacking major government departments and agencies.----more----Find Quick News Daily on other podcast platforms: https://rebrand.ly/QuickNewsSources:COVID-19 vaccines head to California; Western states' medical experts confirm safety US coronavirus: CDC officially allows vaccine to be administered as shipments begin White House staff members will be among the first to be vaccinated. Electoral college vote may be knockout blow to Trump's ploy to subvert election | US elections 2020 | The Guardian  https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1337815329158950913?s=20 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/historic-black-churches-attacked-during-pro-trump-rallies-saturday/2020/12/13/d897bfb0-3d54-11eb-8bc0-ae155bee4aff_story.html?itid=pr_hybrid_experimentrandom_with_top_mostshared_2_na-ans_2 Russian government spies are behind a broad hacking campaign that has breached U.S. agencies and a top cyber firmMichigan House punishes GOP Rep. Gary Eisen for hinting at Electoral College disruptionLive: Here Are the Electoral College Results, By State    (Mostly Accurate) Transcript:OPEN Today is December 14th, welcome to another Monday edition of Quick News Daily. I’d say it’s a pretty exciting and historic day in US history: the COVID vaccine is being distributed as we speak; maybe some of you listening have already been lucky enough to have gotten it. I’d say you’re both brave for trusting this, as well as lucky to be one step closer to beating this virus. We’ll talk more about that in just a bit, as well as the Electoral College, as well as the protests from this weekend. It’s some important stuff, so let’s get caught up right away.  COVID VACCINES We’ll start right there with the deployment of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine to all 50 states. The first shipments of the vaccine left Portage, Michigan early Sunday. States will get vaccines based on their adult population, and more shipments are coming later this week. About 189,000 vials of vaccine departed the plant and are expected to arrive in all 50 states Monday. 400 boxes packed with about 390,000 vials will ship on Monday, meaning they’ll arrive Tuesday. There are five doses of vaccine per vial, according to Pfizer, so doing the rough math, that adds up to 2,895,000 doses that have gone out on Sunday and Monday.  The vaccine is heading to sites across the country (mainly hospitals) that can store it at the 94 degrees below zero that it requires, which is colder than Antarctica. Pfizer is using containers with dry ice and GPS-enabled sensors to ensure each shipment stays cold enough to be useful.  As for where we’re heading with this and what it could mean, the head of US coronavirus vaccine efforts told Fox News Sunday that "all in all, we hope to have immunized 100 million people" by the end of the first quarter of 2021.  Honestly, the sooner the better, because we are breaking records across the country right now. The Public Health Director for Los Angeles County summed up what we’re seeing right now by saying "the issue right now is what we call the Thanksgiving surge. We had a surge, and now we have a surge on top of a surge, and it's really hard for us to calculate exactly what we're going to see in the next week or two." She’s specifically talking about Christmas and people traveling for the holidays, which could be a real problem because there’s always a 2-3 week period in between the superspreader events and the surge at hospitals.  In the country's 10 largest cities, the number of hospital patients who had the virus ranged from about 9% in New York to 23% in Chicago. In El Paso, Texas, more than 50% of patients in city hospitals had COVID between November 27 and December 3, which was nearly double the national average for that period. HYPOCRISY Yes, we’re all starting to get used to that sound by now, and it means we’re going to be talking about the soon-to-be former president, Donald Trump. I want to talk a little bit about the hypocrisy of his administration, and Republicans in general.  The New York Times is reporting that White House staff members who work in close quarters with Trump have been told that they’re scheduled to receive the COVID vaccine soon, you know, when the vaccine is in short supply and only being distributed to high-risk health care workers. Yes, the people who made the decision to let us all die to try and save Trump’s political career are going to be the first ones who are saved.  The goal of distributing the vaccine inside the West Wing is to prevent additional government officials from falling ill. Well here’s a crazy idea: wear masks! Social distance! Do everything we’ve been forced to do for 9 months because of their idiotic decisions.  The Times goes on to say that “while many Trump officials said they were eager to receive the vaccine and would take it if it were offered, others said they were concerned it would send the wrong message by making it appear as if Trump staff members were hopping the line to protect a president who has already recovered from the virus and bragged that he is now “immune.”’ Honestly, I’m hoping that there aren’t many people left to be vaccinated since The White House has already gone through multiple waves on its own. First it was Trump, his family, Kayleigh McEnany, and some others in mid-October. A few weeks later, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, and a handful of other Pence staff members and advisers got sick. By the way, you’re trying to tell me Pence never got it when literally everyone around him was getting it? They just didn’t want to look completely incompetent by saying that both the president and vice president got coronavirus. Then, a third wave hit the West Wing after Trump's election night party at the White House. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Ben Carson were the notable ones from that round of the virus. This is just great. I mean, Trump really is the president of the forgotten man in the Midwest. You just know there’s some overweight white dude in Nowhere-town, Kansas who’s fist-pumping, hooting, and hollering at this news. My guy, how many times does Trump have to get preferential treatment before you realize he doesn’t give a damn about you? He does not care if you live or die. RUSSIAN HACKING Getting back to some serious news, it was announced over the weekend that Russian government hackers breached the Treasury and Commerce Departments, as well as other U.S. government agencies, during a global espionage campaign that stretches back months, according to reporting from the Washington Post. They say officials were scrambling over the weekend to see how far the Russians got into the systems, and to implement effective countermeasures, but the initial signs suggested the breach was long-running and significant. In some cases, email systems were breached (but her emails…).  Some of these attacks were performed by the same group that hacked the State Dept. and White House email servers during the Obama Administration. All of the organizations were breached through the update server of a network management system called SolarWinds. The SolarWinds company said in a statement that monitoring products it released in March and June of this year may have been tampered with in a “highly-sophisticated, targeted . . . attack.” The scale of the Russian espionage operation is looking pretty large at the moment. My favorite quote was just this one unnamed source who said “this is looking very, very bad.” You don’t say?  SolarWinds is used by more than 300,000 organizations across the world. They include all five branches of the U.S. military, the Pentagon, State Department, Justice Department, NASA, the Executive Office of the President and the National Security Agency, the world’s top electronic spy agency, according to the firm’s website, so that’s good news…  Russia also compromised a leading cybersecurity firm, FireEye, which came out last week and reported it was breached.  It’s not clear yet what info the Russians got to, but FireEye disclosed it has lost hacking tools that the company uses to test clients’ computer defenses. So far there is no sign that the hack was for purposes of leaking information, or for disruption of critical infrastructure, such as electric grids (that actually is good news). The SolarWinds tool monitors a client’s network for performance, identifying problems like failing switches. It has extremely deep “administrative” access to a network’s core functions, which means that gaining access to the SolarWinds tool would allow the Russians to freely play around in the victim's computer systems. The hacking group “APT29” compromised the SolarWinds server that sends updates, meaning that when a client of SolarWinds checked in to update their software, the Russians could latch onto that request and “ride it back into” that company’s computer system. The best way I can describe it is like this: picture it’s 1985, and you’re driving your pickup truck through Hill Valley, California. You’re just driving through downtown, minding your own business when you check your mirror and see Michael J. Fox on his skateboard, hanging on the back of your pickup truck, catching a free ride! I’ll tell you what: I can never pass up a good Back to the Future reference.  I’m not really sure how much more we’ll hear about this for now. I think it could be a while since the hacking is a national security issue. Not to mention that the government probably doesn’t want people to start panicking. ELECTORAL COLLEGE Uh oh, there’s that transition again! It’s actually extra-appropriate for this story though, because today, electors are gathering in state capitols all across the country to place their votes for the presidential election. Who knows, by the time this comes out, Joe Biden might already be the winner of the Electoral College! As of the time of this recording, Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Georgia have all voted for Biden, and those are the states that Trump has been trying his hardest to overturn. What that really means is...Joe Biden has won the presidency for like the 100th time in the past two months.  I am excited to finally just get this over with, and I’m also super excited for the history being made by our future Madame Vice President. However, I am also worried that this will drive Trump even crazier, if that’s possible. On Sunday morning he was still tweeting in all caps that this was the “most corrupt election in US history!” He also did an interview with Fox & Friends that aired on Sunday, where he said that he’s going to keep fighting no matter what. Side note: the Fox News interviewer, Brian Kilmeade, of course did not push back. I mean, I knew he was always going to be a suck up, but come on man, have some dignity for one second.   There was also news made on Friday when the US supreme court voted not to hear a lawsuit led by Texas to block Biden’s victory in four other states (not even in Texas, which makes sense *extreme sarcasm*). In a different case, a Wisconsin supreme court judge decried Trump’s lawsuit aiming to nullify the votes of 200,000 Americans, saying it “smacked of racism”. Man, there it is again: someone saying something “smacks” of something. That’s just the weirdest phrase to me.  Either way, even when the vote is over today, most Republicans are still going to try and live with their heads in the sand, as evidenced by a recent Quinnipiac University poll that found that 77% of Republicans believe that there was widespread voter fraud in the election. I’m not exactly sure, but I’d wager a bet that if you asked this same group if the moon was made of cheese, about 80% would say yes.  But honestly, that’s what worries me most about next time: that this many people believe in something that’s as real as Harry Potter. Maybe it’s time to start shopping around for houses in Canada.  PROTESTS Ouch. It’s an unlucky day today when we have to hear that music 3 times, but alas, here we are. Speaking of those idiots who believe the election was rigged, there were “Stop the Steal” protests in Washington, DC this weekend. Considering that the Proud Boys showed up, it went about exactly how you would expect.  By the end of Saturday, DC Police said that there had been 33 people arrested, as well as 4 people who got stabbed. The arrests went something like this: six people were arrested for assault on police officers, 10 were arrested for simple assault, four for riotous acts, two for crossing a police line and one for possession of a prohibited weapon -- a Taser. Oh, also, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.  Eight police officers were hurt while they were trying to stop the violence. And maybe it’s just me, but isn’t it kind of strange how it’s all about “backing the blue” until the blue actually tries to enforce the law and you don’t like it? Weird how that happens.  A man named Philip Johnson was arrested in the incident and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. He was “allegedly” in a knife fight, which was caught on video, that shows a black man being surrounded and beaten by a crowd of Proud Boys. Stand back and stand by, am I right?The group chased the man — again, alleged to be Johnson — who pulls out a blade to fend off the crowd. A separate video shows a man with a stab wound to the stomach. Several historic black churches were also vandalized, but of course, there’s nothing about that on Fox News. I mean, can you imagine how unbearable they’d be if a bunch of Black Lives Matter protesters vandalized just one church?  The hypocrisy is maddening. This article from CNN says that there are videos circulating on social media that show small fights, but that the large gatherings were mostly peaceful, which I am not buying. It seems like the media is already trying to normalize this. I’m sorry, the only violence I remember happening during the George Floyd protests was when police started beating the crap out of protesters because it was 8pm and past curfew. The only violence is coming from the right, like when a 17-year-old crossed state lines to “defend a business”, except defending a business is actually just code for murdering 2 people who were protesting for equal rights, or guy who had to fend off a mob with a knife, and he’s the one getting arrested! The violence is coming from the right; they’re purposely trying to start it, because it’s exactly what they want. Maybe the protesters in Portland were the worst when they were throwing fireworks at the cops protecting the federal building there, but I’d still argue that was a response to the unmarked agents who were kidnapping people off the street under the orders of Bill Barr and Donald Trump.  This is the direct result of Trump not conceding, and more importantly, the Republicans who are letting Trump keep going on with these fantasies of fraud. I’m going to start referring to these Republicans as the “Seditious 126”, which is something that started on Twitter. The Seditious 126 are the 126 Republican members of the House (actual United States congressmen and women) who signed onto that Texas lawsuit that tried to throw out the votes of everyone in those 4 swing states. I’m going to get into that more later in the week, but they must be held lawfully accountable for their actions.  Just to end this segment on something of a light-hearted note, disgraced former General Mike Flynn was leading a rally during these protests, and his sister tried leading a horrible rendition of America the Beautiful, because nothing is more American than protesting to throw out votes. Anyways, listen to how this went… I’m sorry, what was that? “Land where I sail”? It’s literally the second line of the song, and she still messed it up that badly. Also, who thinks of sailing like that? Is she The Captain from How I Met Your Mother? BIDEN NOMINATIONS CONTINUE One last quick story here: Joe Biden made some more appointments and nominations at the end of last week, which I missed. He named Susan Rice as his domestic policy adviser and Denis McDonough to serve as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Rice served as the national security adviser and ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama. In a smart move on Biden’s part, the domestic policy adviser is not a Senate-confirmed position, meaning she won’t have to go through a confirmation battle where the Republicans can just rant and rave about Benghazi again, like they actually care.  McDonough served as White House chief of staff for Obama’s second term. He will need to be confirmed by the Senate next year  since VA Secretary is a Cabinet position. Under Obama, McDonough also served as deputy national security adviser and chief of staff of the National Security Council, so they’re both certainly qualified for their roles.  END I don’t think I have any news on my end here, but it is Monday, meaning it’s time to thank our contributors. Thank you to our producer, Kathy, and our executive producer, Gwen!

Now his fourth historic peace agreement Trump is proving to be one of the greatest presidents on foreign policy in recent history.Under Obama and Joe Biden we got 8 years of unbroken war. In fact the Obama/Biden administration got us entangled in more war.Trump is on track to bring peace to the middle east and must be allowed to continue his efforts. Te normalization of relations between these countries is one of the most inspiring and hopeful things we have seen in decades.Under Democrats and Biden we risk more foreign entanglements and conflict.Support the show (http://timcast.com/donate)

In less than 90 days, our country's citizens will be charged with electing the next leader of the free world. On one side, we have a touted leader of business who, from the onset of his presidency, has erupted our nation into an unforeseen global enterprise. Our country's 45th president has defied the traditional political arenas and stuck his finger into the chests of those who wish to establish socialism among these United States.  On the other side, we have a basement-dwelling Joe Biden, too scared to crawl out from the confines of his Democratic dungeon. Too afraid to accept the challenge to lead in a time of crisis; and too busy riding the coattails of former President Obama to understand that the role of government is small, like his understanding of time, place, and race.  I want to jump right on in on Joe Biden, folks. In case you missed it, earlier this week, during an interview with National Public Radio, the Democratic frontrunner attempted to draw distinctions between Black and Hispanic populations in the U.S. "Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things."  What the heck did he say? Honestly, we all by now have seen some quality gaffes - heck, Bidenese language has been around for decades. But folks, yet again, we have a career politician, a former 8-year Vice President, and the DNC pick for Pres yet again, showing his true colors and sentiments against the black race in America.  And yet again, Biden gets a pass. On Friday morning, MSNBC, CNN, and other cesspools of anti-conservative collaboratives extended yet another pass to ole' Joe. Of course, anytime Joe gets off the teleprompter, there is absolutely nothing he will not say. No limits! But honestly, getting Biden off-script is a lot like getting someone drunk - call it inhibitions? - call it honesty? Call it whatever you want. But if you want to know how someone feels, get them drunk. If you want to know how Biden truly thinks about black people? - just ask him without a prepared speech.  Biden's vision for blacks in this country is insuring that they drop a vote in the ballot box for him - there is no compassion, there is no empathy - just a Biden-bubbled mark on a ballot, folks. It would appear that some black political leaders around the country have noticed Biden's comments and issued concerns, particularly among young black voters.  Younger black activists and elected officials say this week's Biden blooper could make it harder for him to get "their votes." It would appear that Biden has wooed the older African-Americans. After all, it was the old Black establishment in S.C. that helped Biden score his first victory in the 2020 Democratic primaries, which helped propel him into the nomination.  Kristin Thomas of Equal Ground, an Orlando-based group, working to boost turnout among Black voters across Florida, said she hears concern from people in her community and voters across the state.  Thomas said in an interview: "What I'm seeing and what I'm hearing among young black voters is that Biden was not their first choice, so folks are not excited to vote for him this November, every gaffe makes it harder for Biden to generate that excitement. I want to shift gears for a moment and speak on some other Biden bloopers. Earlier this week, as I sipped my coffee and enjoyed my breakfast, I saw Biden's latest political ad. Some of you may have seen it, but the newest phrase and slogan coming from his camp is "Build Back Better."  Of course, Biden and the Democrats are attempting to stand before the country and attack Trump on the economy and its current state as a direct result of the coronavirus that has decimated economies and markets across the globe.  In this new ad, Biden is leeching onto Trump's tried and true stance on "America First." Biden's claimed new economic policy centers around remaking "American manufacturing and innovation so that the future is made in America by all of America's workers," you know, the ones that he left deprived and in a state of utter destitution during his 8-years as Vice President.  Biden claims his "Buy American" plan includes an injection of $400 billion in procurement investment to "power new demand for American products, materials, and services" and $300 billion in research and development, including for electrical vehicle technologies and artificial intelligence, to boost "high-value manufacturing" jobs in the country. Since WWII, the campaign calls the plan the "largest mobilization of public investments in procurement, infrastructure, and R & D." Under Barack Obama, Joe Biden is solely to blame for this mess that our nation's economy is facing under the coronavirus. Don't get me wrong; Trump has done a fantastic job during his short tenure as President.  Under Obama, the North American Free Trade Agreement and allowing China to enter the World Trade Organization destroyed manufacturing jobs here in the U.S. Somewhere between 800,000 and 1-million jobs was almost immediately lost. Now, we see the damage caused by the Obama-Biden policies.  Manufacturing was outsourced to countries like Mexico, India, and China - but more, pharmaceutical companies and medical equipment companies turned to counties that force them into death as a result of taxation. These companies folks were directly responsible for producing PPE, ventilators, and other COVID-19-related materials to help combat the spread of the virus.  Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer want to stand before the American people and blame Trump - no, no, no, ladies and gentlemen, it was Obama and Biden who oversaw the mass exodus of American manufacturing and the loss of jobs in the U.S. It wasn't Trump.  If you don't think the liberal-establishment doesn't have their fangs in ole Joe - think again! On Wednesday of this week, Biden's "unity task forces" with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont released a 110-page policy wish list of recommendations for the former vice president. Biden is a dote of the Democratic Party - he has been and will continue to be. The party needed a moderate to keep from isolating the party - but, the DNC knows that without the far-left and their droves of "would-be young voters," Biden doesn't stand a chance. Ole' Boschevic Bernie killed Biden leading up to S.C. - only for him to be turned on by the DNC because he looked like an anti-conservative on national television.  Biden is not the first choice of the party, and he should be considered the last pick of black voters in America. Nonetheless, Biden is the only option ahead of November for Democrats in 2020 - but he stands no chance in running this country, heck, he has helped run our nation into the ground for the last 50-years. But make no mistake, Biden is hiding out in the basement under the direct orders of top-Democrats - keeping him out-of-site, keeping him bottled-up, and keeping him away from a live-mic when away from prepared speeches and teleprompters.  Biden's political career and 8-years as VP were a joke. His legitimacy as the leader of the free world is even more laughable. But what is not, is the intention, behind-the-scenes attempt to dismantle our nation's democracy at the hands of liberal-Democrats. As conservatives and independents, we must see the writing on the wall. Democrats, with Joe Biden atop of the ballot, wish to return our nation to desperation - and total dependence on government. We cannot; the Democrats must not dupe us again. Music courtesy of Greg Shields Music http://www.reverbnation.com/GregShields

PODCAST SUMMARY HOUR 1: Appeals court rules in favor of Flynn case dismissal, but that doesn't mean Judge Sullivan will obey. What Sullivan might do to delay the Flynn dismissal past November. New handwritten note from Strzok proves Flynn was set up, in Oval Office meeting, Biden mentioned using Logan Act to go after Flynn, Obama instructed Comey and Yates to use "right people" to go after Flynn. Barr outraged by biggest political scandal of our time. Trump can't run for reelection on same theme as 2016. Biden's role in the Flynn setup. Sullivan ruling in Ted Stevens case makes his behavior in Flynn case puzzling. Washington establishment fears Michael Flynn. Sidney Powell saved Michael Flynn. Andy McCarthy says don't gloat over the Flynn ruling. Rush had same advice to GOP when they won the 2002 midterms, but now thinks it was the wrong advice. Democrats always gloat, they shout from the rooftops and so should we. WSJ: COVID fatalities are still lower per capita in the states that opened. PODCAST SUMMARY HOUR 2: Tulsa rally got Rush thinking about what Trump's 2020 theme should be: Preserve the American Way of Life. Michael Goodwin column on how Trump can recover. Thomas Klingenstein column on preserving the American way of life. Multiculturalism destroyed respect for American way of life, assimilation to the American culture stopped, concept of American Exceptionalism has been undermined by the left for generations. The New York Times 1619 Project. Audio of angry white Millennial woman yelling at black police officers at BLM protest. Gloria Steinem proud that women are behind BLM. The American way of life is unique and worth preserving. Lt. General Flynn calls the show, reacts to ruling, thanks Rush and EIB audience. PODCAST SUMMARY HOUR 3: Black Lives Matter was founded by angry black lesbians. Jim Jordan defends Barr at hearing, focuses on Obama/Biden spying. Barr is sickened by coup against Trump. Oregon county tells black people they're exempted from mask rules. Defund the police. Companies leaving blue states in wake of coronavirus shutdowns, violence. Maude Behar and her husband drive around looking for people not wearing masks. ESPN's Black Lives Matter-themed ESPY Awards bomb with record-low rating. How will this moment of radical Marxism end? CNN interviews CHOP leader as if he's a head of state. Obama did nothing to contribute to the Trump economy. Under Obama we were dependent on foreign oil; Trump turned that around. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop TODAY'S HEADLINES: In Atlanta, a police officer shot and killed Rayshard Brooks, who fell asleep in his car in a Wendy’s drive-through on Friday night, touching off another round of furious protests across the city, despite some promising steps to reform around the country. Meanwhile, coronavirus cases are on the rise in 22 states, as the disease’s first wave never really ended in many states. And lastly, amidst national unrest, the Trump administration continued its assault on vulnerable Americans, scrapping Obama-era nondiscrimination protections for Trans and nonbinary people, non-English speakers, and people seeking abortions. THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW: Another Death in Atlanta As nationwide protests continue, this weekend brought yet another tragedy in Atlanta. On Friday night, Atlanta police officers shot and killed Rayshard Brooks after an extended interaction in a Wendy’s parking lot. Brooks’ death was caught on video both by bystanders and by the officers’ body cameras. Brooks was detained by officers after falling asleep in his car; he said he was within walking distance of his sisters’ house and could just go home. When they attempted to arrest him, he struggled, eventually taking one of the officers’ Tasers and running away on foot. Officer Garrett Rolfe pursued him and shot him three times in the back. Rolfe was fired on Sunday. Shortly after the shooting, Atlanta’s police chief, Erika Shields, resigned. The other officer involved, Devin Brosnan, has been placed on administrative leave. It’s hard to know what to say at this point. There have been nationwide protests against police brutality for two and a half weeks, but Black Americans are still dying in the street. The highly charged political climate is having other potential fallout as well. In California, two black men have been found hanging from trees in the past 10 days within 50 miles of one another. The cops ruled both to be suicides, but both families have doubts, and are urging the authorities to make a full investigation. What all this is showing is that we have a very long road to changing the system. Still, there are some baby-steps of progress already: in San Francisco, for instance, Mayor London Breed announced that police officers will be replaced with trained social workers for non-criminal emergency calls. This is one part of the big change many advocates say needs to happen before everyone in our country is free: stop sending people with a gun to address situations that don’t call for violence. We can only hope that more cities follow suit. Coronavirus Comeback Meanwhile, the country’s other crisis is starting to get worse. The CDC reports that the coronavirus death toll could be as high as 140,000 by July 4, according to the New York Times. The rate of infection is rising in 22 states, staying level in 8, and decreasing in the rest. CDC officials say the spikes is caused by states opening up too early in many cases. While the news cycle has shifted to cover the vital protest movement sweeping the streets, the coronavirus is still ripping through many communities. In New York City, where things were looking up, Governor Cuomo is now threatening to slow the next phase of his re-opening plan if people aren’t careful about masks and social distancing. What’s interesting is CDC experts say the risk of spreading the disease is less at an outdoor protest where most attendees are masked, than at, say, an indoor Trump rally where no one is required to have a mask. And sure enough: Trump is making everyone who shows up to his June 19 rally sign a waiver that says they won’t sue if they get the disease. All of these signs point to the disease continuing to disrupt us on a major scale for months on end. Trump Tears Up LGBTQ Protections It’s a familiar refrain at this point: while massive changes are happening to the rest of society, the Trump administration is trying to slip more unjust policies under everyone’s radar. This week, it’s a new rules package that overturns Obama-era anti-discrimination protections. Trump’s new rules eliminate language that protected transgender people from being discriminated against in healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Under Obama, the language specified that it was illegal to discriminate against people on the basis of their sex, which was ruled to be all encompassing across the sex and gender spectrum. But Trump is trying to change the rule to make “sex” in that context only mean men and women. ACLU deputy legal director Louise Melling was furious, saying quote: "This is deadly and all of us should be outraged. This is beyond heartless." Endquote. The end result of this rule change is that it could make it more difficult for transgender people to access health care -- they could be turned away or denied a procedure, like a transgender man being denied or charged more for ovarian cancer treatments. Trans people are already vulnerable to this kind of lack of access, and of course Trump is making it worse -- it’s our job to make sure he doesn’t get away with it. AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES: e New York Times endorsed Jamal Bowman, the middle school principal challenging entrenched dinosaur Eliott Engle for the Democratic nomination in New York’s 16th Congressional district. The Times’ endorsement is the latest high profile win for the progressive Bowman, who has also picked up the support of Bernie Sanders, AOC, and NYC public advocate Jumaane Williams. Senate candidate Kris Kobach, a former Kansas Secretary of State known for his staunch opposition to any gun control laws, had four firearms stolen from his vehicle over the weekend. To be fair, with things as they are in Kansas, he should have no problem replacing them. Denver Riggleman, a freshman Representative from Virginia, appears to have lost his seat in the primary election to Bob Good a strict “biblical conservative,” who blasted Riggleman over officiating a same-sex marriage. The upset may be a boon to Democrats, however, as Good neglected to correctly file the paperwork to appear on the November general election ballot. He may still get on it, but it’s clear the bible-basher isn’t running the tightest ship in the game. And to close us out this morning, Trump’s strange appearance at the West Point Graduation ceremony has raised some questions about his health. Trump appeared to struggle to drink water during the speech, and slowly tottered down a very short ramp off the stage. That’s all for the Majority Report’s AM Quickie today. Stay tuned for the full show with Sam this afternoon. June 15, 2020 - AM Quickie HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner WRITER - Jack Crosbie PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

  Jesus warned and commanded the churches in Revelation 2 and 3. He praised their strengths but held nothing back when telling them to wake up and repent. “Wake up then, and strengthen what remains that was about to die, because I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Therefore, remember what you received and heard, and obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come against you” (Revelation 3:2-3 NET). To wake up means that you get strength in the Lord, that you remember what you received and heard through His Word, you obey it or act on it, and REPENT if your actions are contrary to God and His Word. That is the Wake-Up call. Jesus warned us that if a church doesn’t wake up that He will come as a thief in the night. They won’t know what hit them. It won’t be pretty. I didn’t say that first, Jesus did! America! It’s Time to Wake Up! Church! It’s Time to Wake Up! “All those I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest (zealous) and repent.” (Revelation 3:19 NET) The reason Jesus rebuked and disciplined these churches (Christians) in Revelation chapters two and three was because some were practicing evil things. “All those I love” will get rebuked and disciplined when necessary. Do you mean to tell me that LOVE will rebuke and discipline at times? Jesus loved believers so much that He exposed their sins for all the world to see through rebuke, discipline, and by commanding them to repent. Repentance was not a suggestion then, and it is not a suggestion now. Love includes discipline, rebuke, and repentance. Get that straight in your thinking. The message of “Jesus loves you” has been watered down so much that if Jesus rebuked or disciplined most folks, they would think it was verbal abuse and completely devoid of love. Here is a message you will not hear often from pulpits in America: “Jesus loves you so much that He will rebuke, discipline, and command you to repent?” (My very good paraphrase of Revelation 3:19.) How much of that do you hear or read on social media or on church websites? How many times have you heard that from the pulpits of the land? If Jesus rebukes and disciplines all those He loves, what is happening with all those that have not heard a rebuke and have not been disciplined by Him through their loving pastors or other loving spiritual people? They are missing out on a very real aspect of the love of Jesus Christ for His church. This message of repentance is extremely important in the love of Christ. Pastors, ministers, and preachers should love their flock by giving them warnings, and even rebuking them when necessary. Why should we be diligent to rebuke when necessary, to discipline, and lead people to repentance? Let me say it in the words of the apostle who wrote Hebrews (whom I believe was Paul): And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate (KJV and others translated “illegitimate” as “bastards”) and not sons. (Hebrews 12:5-8 New King James Version NKJV) Isn’t that sweet that most modern translations soften the blow by translating “illegitimate” instead of using the harsher word “bastards”? The meaning is the same, but nobody takes kindly to being called a bastard! Illegitimate children were traditionally called bastards, and in the Hebrew language they were called “mamzer”. If somebody called you a mamzer, they were probably looking for a fight! It was an insult to be called a mamzer – bastard just like it is today. The use of bastards in our text was meant to shock the reader, and certainly not sugarcoat anything. What did the verses above say? If we are not partakers of the Lord’s correction and discipline as children (chastening being the older English word), rebuke, and even scourging (serious spanking that starts in the spirit and only continues to be physical after people consistently refuse to repent), then we would be BASTARDS. Many churches preach sweet stuff that’s like cotton candy fluff. It’s all puffy marshmallow Christianity. No preaching and teaching are done of the solid meat or food of the Word meant to produce growth. (See Hebrews 5:12-14 in the AMP.) Even the milk of the Word produces some growth, but those churches concentrate on mush that is not fit for spiritual or human consumption! (1 Peter 2:1, 2) If fluffy cotton candy was all you ate in the natural world, you would get very sick and eventually drop dead. Could you imagine what is happening spiritually in some churches that only preach cotton candy and marshmallow Christianity? They are developing bastard children, and not real sons and daughters received by the Father. Is that something I came up with, or did Paul teach that in his epistles? We saw it in Hebrews, but where else do we see that expressed?  Do not be unequally bound together with unbelievers [do not make mismatched alliances with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial (Satan)? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said: “I WILL DWELL AMONG THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “So COME OUT FROM AMONG UNBELIEVERS AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord, “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will graciously receive you and welcome you [with favor], And I will be a Father to you, And you will be My sons and daughters,” Says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Amplified Bible- AMP) That entire portion of Scripture speaks to what I am writing to you about. God is interested in developing believers into sons and daughters of God that will take a stand against being bound to an alliance with unbelievers, partnering with lawlessness, fellowshipping with darkness, and agreeing with Satan! He is actively looking for believers that reject unbelieving ways and all idols! God is looking for those that will live separated from the junk of the world and refuse to touch the unclean trash heap of the world, the flesh, and the devil! Do not love the world [of sin that opposes God and His precepts], nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world. The world is passing away, and with it its lusts [the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17 AMP) The Father is looking to receive graciously into power and anointing sons and daughters and not bastard children that want to do whatever the world does and whatever the devil wants, but that will only seek to do the will of the Father. The above is why Hebrews goes on to teach that discipline, rebuke, and even some serious spanking are completely necessary for spiritual growth into sons and daughters of God that want to be used by Him to shake their world. Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we submitted and respected them [for training us]; shall we not much more willingly submit to the Father of spirits, and live [by learning from His discipline]? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for only a short time as seemed best to them; but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God’s will and purpose]. (Hebrew 12:9-11 Amplified) Others preach the Word concerning salvation, blessing, healing, deliverance, or some variation of it, without bringing correction and rebuke when necessary. That is not right and missing a very important part of ministry to the people. Part of ministering and preaching God’s word is discipline and rebuke (2 Timothy 4:2). Some say they are preaching only “encouraging” or messages of “hope” to their congregations. Somebody said to me once to preach "heaven" to the people. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that is not enough. “Hope” preaching without this necessary element of discipline, spiritual spanking, warnings, and repentance is deficient and needs an “iron” supplement in the Spirit, because it is an anemic message. Jesus will rebuke and discipline you because He loves you, therefore, be zealous and repent! (Revelation 3:19) That is tough love, but it is necessary. God help us learn that sometimes the love of Christ will demand rebuke, correction, spanking (that could get very physical when there is a refusal to repent), and heart-felt repentance that is demonstrated in real actions that are accord with repentance! (See Acts 26:20 AMP.) What should be our response? Say it and believe it, “Jesus loves me, so I receive His rebuke and discipline.” The rejection of that makes a person a real dumb-dumb. I am being nice about it. Proverbs cuts through the chase. Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof (1) is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1 NET) Jesus loves me, this I know, so I love discipline and true knowledge because I do not want to be like those that hate reproof and get stuck on stupid! As my Puerto Rico born, but staunchly American dad used to say about right here in old KJV English, “How readest thou?” Wait a minute. What is “knowledge” according to the Scripture? Is “knowledge” profound revelation, revelation knowledge, penetrating insight, or deep understanding? Though those may be a part of it, knowledge refers to knowing God AND serving Him. Those that have knowledge of God forsake idolatry, immorality, and all that violates God’s moral commandments. Read the first six chapters of Proverbs to see that clearly taught. The Hebrew language always understood “knowledge of God”, not as revelation or understanding alone, but as living for Him according to His Word-commandments. In other words, you know Him when you obey Him. Those that disobey Him and follow the world’s ways and practices don’t know Him, even though they call themselves Christians. The Apostle John taught that truth. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:3-6 NKJV) THAT should be clear enough! In these podcasts, we focus on national repentance, but there are truths here applicable to our personal lives. National repentance will not happen without individual repentance. Though the USA is seeing better days under Trump than under the perverted and ungodly-to-the-max Obama administration, there is a long way to go. Under Obama, we saw the exaltation of homosexuality (LGBT and all its demonic offspring like same-sex marriage), the continued and increasing murder of unborn children (abortion), the embracing of false religion (Islam), and the condemnation and demonization of Christianity and Christians. We see in America a great divide between believers and unbelievers, and a strong distinction appearing and solidifying between the world and its sinful ways and those that love God, His Word, and His son Jesus. This divided kingdom business is a recipe for disaster (Matthew 12:25), but one that that can be mitigated, and even turned around through individual repentance and a call to national repentance. (Remember what we saw in the previous articles and podcasts according to 2 Chronicles 7:13, 14, Jeremiah 18:7-12, and Nineveh in Jonah 3.) These are crucial to America’s survival, so our country can once again becomes ONE NATION UNDER GOD, and it begins to truly thrive.  What are we up against? The mainstream media has become a vehicle for heathenism. They have become proponents of all that is contrary to God and His Word. They target Christianity and Christians and attempt to make them look foolish and bigoted. Sadly, on many fronts they have succeeded in their endeavor to make Christianity looks like something to be despised and rejected. They are the main false prophets of our day just like Jeremiah faced in his day. Make no mistake about it, they are on their way to their own destruction. They are like the false prophets that Jeremiah prophesied about that would be dead before long. Their fake news outlets are falling apart even now.  Social media sites have followed the MSM example and are doing everything they can do to stop the spread of Christian thought, morality, and teaching. They have wholeheartedly embraced demon-inspired people and activities that are morally reprehensible. They are in line with the false prophets. Additionally, there are the horrifyingly false prophetic voices coming from most Hollywood actors and actresses, acclaimed singers, and other foolish people in entertainment and sports that are trying to tell the world how to live according to their ungodliness. Well, if you want to go to a devil’s hell, then follow their advice and live according to their perverted ways. If you want to go to Heaven, then receive God’s gift in Jesus and live for the Lord EVERY day! (John 3:16)  So, what do we do as Christians? Do we bow down to the world, the devil, and to his false prophets? Do we cower and surrender? NO way! We continue teaching, preaching, and ministering under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. People’s eternal destinies depend on our never giving up. We don’t quit, and we don’t compromise the Word. We don’t water down the gospel of repentance and forgiveness. We preach and declare uncompromisingly as Jesus did, “Repent and believe the gospel”, and “repent or perish!” That is the true wake-up call of Jesus to the churches today. Wake up church! Wake up America! Get more in Part 4 podcast about repentance. Be mightily and overwhelmingly blessed! _______________ NOTES: (1) Brown, Driver, Briggs: correction, rebuke, chiding, chastisement, etc. See Strong’s H8433b for definition of this word “reproof.”

On Friday’s Mark Levin show, most of us can’t remember when the unemployment rate was 3.6%, which is considered full employment. The media should be celebrating that capitalism works, tax cuts work, deregulation works. This is the exact opposite of what Democrats are saying works. President Trump’s economic policies are fantastic even with no Democrat support and under vicious attack by the media and Democrats pushing impeachment and investigations. Also, Trump is constantly accused of abusing his power. Did he abuse his power like Barack Obama, Lyndon Johnson or FDR? No, Trump hasn’t done anything like they have. Not even close. Trump has been one of the most transparent Presidents in history. Later, China is our enemy. The Pentagon says that the Chinese military is growing fast enough and could challenge U.S. military superiority. Under Obama they undermined our military and Trump is trying to reverse course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Friday’s Mark Levin show, most of us can’t remember when the unemployment rate was 3.6%, which is considered full employment. The media should be celebrating that capitalism works, tax cuts work, deregulation works. This is the exact opposite of what Democrats are saying works. President Trump’s economic policies are fantastic even with no Democrat support and under vicious attack by the media and Democrats pushing impeachment and investigations. Also, Trump is constantly accused of abusing his power. Did he abuse his power like Barack Obama, Lyndon Johnson or FDR? No, Trump hasn’t done anything like they have. Not even close. Trump has been one of the most transparent Presidents in history. Later, China is our enemy. The Pentagon says that the Chinese military is growing fast enough and could challenge U.S. military superiority. Under Obama they undermined our military and Trump is trying to reverse course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The expression "The Big Divide" has been in the American politics since the creation of the Republic. But its meaning has changed throughout history. Under Obama, it means more or less that most Whites in the Republican Party resented the idea of a Black president to begin with let alone a Black Democrat President. Today, the expression means war, war between those who support Trump and everyone else (Democrats, Independents & even Republicans who do not approve of Trump). Where do we from here? For more info on this topic (and others) visit the People Branch website. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fourthbranch/support

PELOSI AND THE CBC   Different polls have shown an unmistakable trend.  Black voters are beginning to show signs of leaving the Democrat Party. During the 2016 campaign, the Quinnipiac Poll showed Trump with just 1% of black voters supporting him.  It was well within the margin of error, so according to Quinnipiac, Trump's support could actually have been zero. Since becoming President, however, Trump's approval among blacks has steadily increased across several different polling organizations.  Recently, the NAACP funded a poll and found 29% of blacks approving of Trump's job performance.  Other polls since then have shown Trump's approval among blacks at 36-38%.  It's been a very long time since a Republican had approval numbers like that among blacks. What could account for this turnaround?  Especially since the media and Democrats have spared Trump little and have accused him of being a racist over and over.  These are tangible reasons why Trump's approval is going up among black voters. THE DECLINE OF BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT When Barack Obama entered office in January 2009, black unemployment stood at 12.7%.  By the time he left office in January 2017, it had fallen to 7.8%.  A 63% decline over 8 years. By October 2018, Trump further reduced black unemployment to 6.2%, an historic low.  Under Obama, the black unemployment rate increased until it peaked in 2011 at 16.5%.  The decline did not get into single digits until 2015, falling to a 7 year low.  Over Trump's first 22 months in office, the black unemployment rate fell 20% from 7.8% to 6.2%. Trump managed to accelerate the reduction in the unemployment rate.  How was this possible?  There are several possible answers, but the most likely one is that Trump's election slowed the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States. Illegal immigrants are generally low on skills and education.  When they enter the US looking for employment, they compete with Americans who are also low on skills and education.  The population of unemployed in the US is disproportionately low skilled and low education.  Furthermore, that population is also disproportionately black.  In other words, fewer illegal immigrants competing for jobs meant more opportunities for employment for the unemployed American citizens who were disproportionately black.  Among other factors, this could account for Trump's popularity increase in the black community. While Democrats strenuously deny Trump has any foothold in the black community, their actions reveal how they really think. The Democrats have been playing the race card and a racial agenda very hard under Trump.  It is possibly an indication that they suspect a deterioration in black support and are resorting to their old playbook: playing on fears of the re-emergence of openly hostile white racists.  Democrats do this while pretending two full generations of Americans never grew up in the post Civil Rights era.  They dismiss the impact of their own monumental achievements as having had a negligible impact on the disposition of white people all across America regarding race.  They pretend that left to their own devices, white people in America would reinstate the same racist preferences that were overturned more than half a century ago.  Preferences overturned by the grandparents and great grandparents of those Americans who grew up after the Civil Rights Act was passed into law and only know an America marked by integration and racial reconciliation.  Resorting to the race card in our current day is intended to terrorize black voters away from Republicans as if they are Klansmen without the hoods. When the Democrats play the race card as they are with Trump despite the fact that blacks are doing better under his policies, it is a hint that they believe those polls showing blacks warming up to his presidency. If the Democrat Party were to lose 20-30% of the black vote to Republicans, it would spell catastrophe on a national scale for them at the ballot box.  It would open up districts with heavy black populations all over the country to races that are competitive between Republicans and Democrats, where they aren't today. This is a doomsday scenario for Democrats and it can explain, at least in part, why they are so bullish about illegal immigration:  they realize it will become increasingly difficult to hold on to the black vote and want to import a new underclass that will vote for them. But improving job approval numbers for Trump among blacks doesn't mean it will translate into votes for Trump or other Republicans.  A transformation of the black vote from a solid Democrat block into something more diversified may be underway, but a lot more needs to happen in order for that transformation to be confirmed. It can all be summed up this way: "Something's happening here.  What it is, ain't exactly clear." Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

That was what Jesus said! “And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God” (Luke 13:3, 5-New Living Translation). Ignorance of the godly message that Jesus proclaimed will tell you that He preached a message of love and acceptance of people’s crazy and devilish ways. You see it in all the politically correct garbage of the world that tells you must all accept each other’s goofy ways and sinful lifestyles. Not according to Jesus!  No, Jesus did not preach and teach that we had to accept adulterous, fornicating, lying, cheating, stealing, homosexual, transvestite, and lesbian lifestyles. Jesus did not teach “coexistence” with idolatrous and perverse religions and ideologies.  His message was one of repentance, turning from devilish lifestyles, and serving and loving God. Not ONE verse in the Gospels ever insinuates acceptance of sin and darkness, but a rejection of sin and evil ways. The words of Jesus are filled with living a Holy lifestyle in obedience to God, His Word, and commandments.  Do you want to read what Jesus preached and taught everywhere? Here was a huge part of it.  He (Jesus) said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!”(Mark 1:15 New English Translation) To repent is to turn away from your sins, change from the sinful way you think and act, stop your wrong ways, change your heart and lives and be against sin and for God, and even to turn to God from your sins. Those are all definitions given in other New Testament translations. The Amplified Bible tells us that to repent means to “change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life.” In these podcasts, we focus on national repentance, but there are truths here applicable to our personal lives. National repentance will not happen without individual repentance. Though the USA is seeing slightly better days than under the ungodly Obama administration, there is a long way to go. Under Obama, we saw the exaltation of homosexuality (LGBT and all its demonic offspring), the continued and increasing murder of unborn children (abortion), the embracing of false religion (Islam), and the condemnation and demonization of Christianity and Christians. We actually see in America a great divide between believers and unbelievers, and a strong distinction appearing and solidifying between the world and its sinful ways and those that love God, His Word, and His son Jesus.  The mainstream media has become increasingly inclined towards heathenism and have become proponents of all that is contrary to God and His Word. They have targeted Christianity and Christians and attempted to make them look foolish and bigoted. Sadly, on many fronts they have succeeded in their endeavor to make Christianity look like something to be despised and rejected. Social media sites have followed their example and are doing everything they can do to stop the spread of Christian thought and teaching. They have wholeheartedly embraced demon inspired people and activities that are morally reprehensible. So, what do we do as Christians? Do we bow down to the world and the devil? Do we cower and surrender? NO way! We continue teaching, preaching, and ministering under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. People’s eternal destinies depend on our never giving up. We don’t quit, and we don’t compromise the Word. We don’t water down the gospel of repentance and forgiveness. We preach and declare uncompromisingly as Jesus did, “Repent and believe the gospel”, and “repent or perish!”     Be blessed with the podcast!          

A new civil rights era seemed to be rising in the last few years before the 2016 election. Under Obama, Black Lives Matter became an international activist movement and the shooting of young black men by police officers became a cause for outrage. Then Donald Trump became president and the national focus changed from forgotten black Americans to forgotten white Americans. Can we address the problems of both at the same time? Fordham University professor Christina Greer, author of Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream, sits down with host Brian Lehrer to take your calls. Then Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps, is back to talk about our mission to get you out of your political bubble. We’re asking you to volunteer to have a conversation with a stranger who is your political opposite. StoryCorps will record the conversation and you could come back on Indivisible to talk about the experience live on the radio. Here’s how to take part: email listen@StoryCorps.org with the subject line “Indivisible Interview” and describe who you think is your political opposite. StoryCorps will try to match you up, and facilitate a conversation. Modeling the process are two Indivisible hosts—Charlie Sykes and Kai Wright— who talked with StoryCorps about their ideological differences. They join Brian Lehrer to reflect on the conversation. Here are some Tweets from this episode: Indivisible Week 12: The Future Of Race In Trump's America

An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States. Over the past month, the Trump Administration has unveiled plans to arrest and deport large numbers of them. Under Obama, close to 3 million immigrants were deported. Trump is trying to do it faster. And with fewer restrictions. Undocumented immigrants have long been an easy political target, especially those who’ve committed crimes. But, like everything, the individual stories are always more complicated. In 1999, we met Jose William Huezo Soriano – everybody called him Weasel. Weasel was born in El Salvador and grew up in Los Angeles. He had a pretty typical American childhood. But as a teenager he joined a gang, and started getting in trouble with the police. Then Weasel got deported back to El Salvador. He was 26 years old, and he hadn’t been there since he was 5. He had no memories of the country. No close family there. And he’d forgotten most of his Spanish. Soon after he got deported, we gave Weasel a tape recorder to document his first year back in El Salvador.  

This week on Eating Matters, hosts Jenna Liut and Taylor Lanzet get the chance to sit down and talk with Sam Kass. Under Obama's presidency, Kass helped First Lady Michelle Obama create her famous vegetable garden at the White House. He also helped promote the administration's healthy eating initiatives, and of course whipped up meals for the POTUS and his family.

Introduction You're in for a treat today.  I have lactation expert and superb pediatric nurse practitioner, Anne Gessner PNP, returning to talk about what is new in the world of breast-feeding babies. Welcome Anne. Thank you for returning to Portable Practical Pediatrics. ... chatter...  I am so happy you are back to enlighten me, and my listeners, on what is new with regards to breastfeeding. So, let's get right into the first question. Music Introduction Questions Question 1. Under Obama care, Insurance companies are now required to supply a breast pump to all new mothers. Are there limits to the cost or other limitations? How about when moms have a second baby, do they get another pump? Are people taking advantage of this new law in your experience? Question 2. I have heard that the World Health Organization now says ok to use another mom's breast milk. Is this true and are there precautions that families need to take when deciding to do this? Question 3. How about buying breast milk on the internet--is this a good idea? Question 4. Has anything changed with storage recommendations for breast milk?  Is the rule of 5's still relevant in 2016? Question 5. Finally Anne, is there any new information about the safety of antidepressants that many moms need to take during pregnancy during the time of their breastfeeding? Thank you Anne, for answering my questions about breast milk and breastfeeding. I always learn so much from talking to you. For more information on the topics that Ms. Gessner covered today, check out the links in my Smo Notes that are in my post at www.docsmo.com. This is your host, Dr. Paul Smolen, hoping that your baby doesn't dare miss, the joys of breastfeeding bliss.  Until next time. Outro with music Smo Notes: Q1. Rules under Obamacare for families to get a breast pump-HHS http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts-and-features/fact-sheets/breast-pumps-and-insurance-coverage-what-you-need-to-know/ Q3. Dangers of buying breastmilk on the internet. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3056026/ Q5. Maternal supplementation with high doses of Vitamin D to prevent rickets in newborns http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/09/22/peds.2015-1669.abstract Q7.Safety of antidepressants during nursing http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3267169/ Q7.Maternal depression and anxiety more detrimental to baby than SSRI's  

Obama Continues to Wreak Havoc on Gun Rights On January 4, the President of the United States declared war on gun owners. His lawless, anti-gun power-grab potentially threatens every gun owner in the country.  It represents one of the boldest executive actions against gun owners in history. First, there’s his efforts to turn collectors and hobbyists into “gun dealers.” This would take us back to the “bad old days” in which the ATF tried to imprison collectors who sold only a couple of firearms. Under Obama’s new amorphous standards, even the sale of a single gun could land you in prison. On one hand, Obama wants to turn collectors and hobbyists into “gun dealers.”  On the other hand, under Clinton-era policies, he won’t give licenses to collectors and hobbyists without “bricks-and-mortar” storefronts. So the liar-in-chief is trying to set a trap in which collecting firearms is effectively outlawed. Second, there's Obama’s 200 new ATF agents proposed, not to arrest the violent drug dealers he wants to release on the streets, but rather to feed more 4473’s into Obama’s burgeoning national gun registry. Then there are the efforts to: * Use taxpayer dollars to develop “smart gun” technology, which would ultimately be required; * Slap gun loss reporting requirements on the gun industry that could easily entrap large dealers; and * Impose new rules to strip 4.2 million seniors of their gun collections. Obama has declared war on gun owners.  It’s now time to strike back. Here’s How We Can Hit Obama Where it Hurts! President Obama is looking for a “legacy” piece of legislation to help salvage his flailing presidency. During his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, he expressed his desire to “work together this year on bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform ....” The “reform” bill he wants is the sentencing bill that has a lot of Republican support in the Congress (H.R. 4321/S. 2123). In fact, the Republican Judiciary Committee Chairman in each chamber -- Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte -- are leading the charge on this legislation. But truly constitutional conservatives like Ted Cruz of Texas and Jeff Sessions of Alabama have opposed this legislation -- and even voted against the bill in the Judiciary Committee. These pro-gun Senators oppose the sentencing reform for good reason. This legislation would increase prison sentences for gun owners, at the same time as it lets tens of thousands of drug dealers loose on the streets. And it could come up in the Senate in a few weeks. Which leads us to an obvious conclusion:  If Mitch McConnell brings up the anti-gun sentencing bill, senators MUST amend it to repeal Obama’s anti-gun “executive actions.” It’s bad enough that Republicans are pushing this anti-gun bill, while seeking our votes. But to pass Obama's anti-gun “legacy” sentencing bill, while doing NOTHING about the unconstitutional anti-gun executive actions which Republicans claim to oppose would tell us, once and for all, that the GOP is as contemptuous of the Second Amendment as the Democrats are. So please contact Senator Ted Cruz.  Thank him for opposing the anti-gun sentencing bill.  And urge him to offer amendments to defund every element of Obama’s illegal “executive action” if Majority Leader Mitch McConnell forces the bill to the floor. And contact Senator Mitch McConnell.  Tell him that you are opposed to moving the anti-gun “Obama legacy” sentencing bill at the same time Obama is spitting on the Constitution through his unlawful “executive actions.” Please take action today!  At the very least, this anti-gun bill needs to go to the floor with amendments outlawing every part of Obama's anti-gun executive action.

Founder of La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley and President of Sol2Economics, Eric Leenson discusses economic change in CUBA.TRANSCRIPTSpeaker 1:Method to the madness is next. You're listening to method to the madness. I Biweekly Public Affairs show on k a l x Berkeley Celebrating Bay area innovators. Speaker 2:Okay, Speaker 1:[00:00:30] I'm Lisa Kiefer and today I'm interviewing Eric Linson precedent of soul economics. So economics is affirmed that builds strong links among the socially responsible enterprises throughout the Americas. Eric has been involved in socially responsible investing in business for over 25 years. Speaker 3:Welcome to the program, Eric. Oh, it's [00:01:00] a pleasure to be here. You are involved with Cuba Speaker 1:and economic relations there, but you also are president of a company called soul economics, right? I want to talk a lot about Cuba, but tell us what you're doing right now as president of solely economics. Speaker 4:Basically sole economics. It's all about enterprise solutions and solidarity. So the soul is really solution and solidarity in the Americas. It's an effort to link up initiatives around socially responsible enterprise in the U S [00:01:30] and Latin America. So right now my primary project is in Cuba, but I also am working a bit in Central American, Brazil, and other places as well. Speaker 1:Okay. So what are you doing in Cuba with Obama's announcement in December? It feels like the flood gates should be open. What are you doing and what are your concerns about? Speaker 4:We actually started working in Cuba six years ago, so we had a sense that at some point there would be an opening in Cuba in both directions. One, we thought the U s would be looking at changing relations, [00:02:00] and of course that took a lot longer than we expected. And why did you think that? Because it's just so obvious that the u s needs to do that. I mean, the pressure from Latin America has been mounting over long period of time. The policy was totally outdated. It was a failure. I really thought that once Bush was out of office, things would begin changing fairly quickly, and Obama did make some changes that have really helped move things along. But it's taken quite a while to get to the point where, Speaker 1:and even now, a congress has to approve it, releasing the Embargo Act, [00:02:30] right? Yeah. Well, there's a lot of things that need to be done. Right? Right. Speaker 4:Basically what our work has consisted of is I have helped put together a coalition called socially responsible enterprise and local development in Cuba. And the idea of this coalition is to take the best practices of socially responsible enterprise that exists, particularly in the western hemisphere, to Cuba's kind of a menu of what's possible if one believes, and I, I did think this six years ago, that the Cubans would [00:03:00] need to make some adjustments to their economy. And sure enough that part came true pretty soon because four years ago, basically the Cubans announced to the world that their economy wasn't working properly and they would update it in various ways, keeping socialism of course, but at the same time bringing in a certain number of market type, uh, reforms that would allow for more innovation. So essentially our time and then the Cuba side was very good because what we've done over these years is taken about 50 experts, mostly [00:03:30] from Latin America, pretty much entirely from Latin America, but also from Europe and Canada to a lesser extent from the u s to Cuba for conferences to talk about subjects they'd never really talked about before that cover the range from corporate social responsibility to different types of cooperatives. Speaker 4:The idea was to give the Cubans kind of a menu of things that are happening in other places because they've been kind of cut off and let them choose. I mean, if they're going to be redesigning their economy, why not try to take advantage of mistakes and lessons learned [00:04:00] other places. Speaker 1:I'm sure one of the things you talk about is retaining the good things about Cuba. Capitalism can be a freight train when it arrives and how are you teaching them? Or at least talking about keeping the things that are good about Cuba. You know, they have pretty good at health, right? Medicine. And you know, I know there's a couple of things that I've seen some documentaries that they're pretty strong. Speaker 4:Well they're extremely strong in healthcare medicine and I would say in many ways a developing senses of community and participation. We had a [00:04:30] sort of sum up the work of the project along the lines you're talking about. I would say what we're asking constantly are two questions. One is very similar to what you said. How can Cuba maintain the achievement of the revolution while significantly improving their economy? That's like a new paradigm. Right? And the other question along the same lines is how can they skip 20th century capitalism move right into 21st century sustenance Speaker 1:cause they don't even have internet, right? Speaker 4:Very Limited, very limited internet. So basically, I mean I, what [00:05:00] I find also very interesting about this whole project is that if you look around the world today, I think everyone recognizes that our economies are broken. I mean certainly in the capitalist world we see now for quite a while and it really came home to roost with the 2008 financial crisis. I think if you talk to young people anywhere in the world today, in the capitalist world, the future doesn't look necessarily so great. This economy isn't working. So what's really interesting is I think the Cubans have come to the same conclusion that their economy really isn't working. They've said that publicly many [00:05:30] times. Interestingly, they phrased it in a way, typically many things that go wrong, Cuba are blamed on the u s blockade. Now. There's no doubt that blockade is incredibly strong. Each time at the embargo, the embargo, the Cubans called blockade, oh, sorry, the embargo, there's no doubt that is, it is incredibly intense and it really hurts the Cuban economy. Speaker 4:But the Cubans are now in a mode where they recognizing that they've made mistakes as well. So this comes to light in the idea there needs to be some adjustment in economy. Now [00:06:00] what that means is they are not giving up the notion that Cuba will remain a socialist country. The idea is that strategic economic services and industries will stay in state hands. They will not be privatized. Like for instance, for instance, anything to do with education, healthcare, power generation, large, large producers, utilities will stay in state, public hands, all those sorts of things, but that there's a huge realm within the economy that really can be privatized [00:06:30] and let's say if before Cuba was 95% the employees were state workers. Their goal over the next few years is reduced that to about half and half so that half of the economy would become private. Is there any model in the world that is doing something like that now? Speaker 4:Not quite like that. I mean, you know, keep in mind that Cuba is one of the few holdouts of the old socialist world. There aren't too many socialist countries and when eastern Europe and Russia, Soviet Union fell apart, [00:07:00] they were basically bought lock, stock and barrel by the local capitalists or by international capitalists. Cubans are very sensitive to that, where you could make a comparison perhaps, and this is something that Cubans do look at a lot would be China and Vietnam because in China, in Vietnam, while you have a communist system and the state still controls much of the industry, there is a huge private sector and this is one of the debates raging in in Cuba of course, is if they're going to adopt new ways of doing things, who are they looking [00:07:30] to? It's a complex discussion, but very fascinating. First of all, China is deeply embedded economically throughout Latin America. Speaker 4:Many of the countries that were, you know, typically u s client states economically now have more trade with China than they do with us, including countries like Brazil, Peru, and across the board. Quite a few of them, number one. Number two, there's another thing that needs to be dispelled that most Americans don't understand, which is about [00:08:00] the embargo. Really, the United States policy was to isolate Cuba. The United States wound up only isolating itself because everyone else in the world is in Cuba. It's true. The Chinese are making significant investments, but the Europeans are there. This larger South American countries are there, Russia's there. It's the u s that's high still. Why do they need us? Do they need us? Well, there, there are a couple of factors here. Look at the geography. The U S is so close. I mean, it's 90 miles away. It's a logical market and a [00:08:30] logical trading partner. Speaker 4:I mean, it would reduce costs significantly if Cuba had access to u s market and vice versa. Number two, and right now, from a strategic point of view, it's actually probably more important is because the United States has Cuba on the list of terrorist countries. It has incredibly chilling effect on other countries and institutions willingness to deal with Cuba financially. So where are the United States has been successful with the blockade? The embargo is in financial transactions [00:09:00] over the last couple of years, and this is sort of ironic. Under Obama, the financial embargo has strengthened considerably, and over the last few years, several banks in Europe have been fined hundreds of millions of dollars for having transactions, normal transactions with Cuba. Yeah, it's, it's remarkable. And the reason it's gotten tightened is because there've been so much emphasis on the whole issue of anti-terrorism. So Cuba is maintain laughably and artificially on the terrorist list [00:09:30] just to hurt, you know, harass them. Speaker 4:It's got nothing to do with terrorism because Cuba doesn't threaten anyone. In fact, Cuba's been involved, you know, significantly in the whole peace process going on in Columbia, which everyone would love to see results in, in a truce between the government and the guerrilla movements. And haven't they been helping us with the drug trade in Mexico and the drug cartels? And hasn't there been some cooperative? There's been cooperation on a few fronts. You know, the whole question of us politics towards Cuba, it's got nothing to do with foreign policy. It's all about [00:10:00] us domestic politics and a few Cuban American politicians that just have a, have had a stranglehold over the, over US foreign policy. But getting back to, okay, how could Cuba try to benefit from encouraging certain elements of capitalism, uh, while maintaining socialism? One other thing that needs to be said and I don't want to really underestimating the Cuban economy is a really bad shape. Speaker 4:I mean it's really questionable my mind, how long it can go on in the condition it's in. [00:10:30] And one other thing that's become very interesting, I think symbolic is the fact that you have more and more immigration, legal immigration from Cuba to other places because young people don't see opportunities. Some of the best and brightest people who believe me, they're not against the system. They're all in favor of a socialistic system, but they don't see it performing in a way that we'll assign them to stay. Right to start. Cause there's not really an entrepreneurial, no, no. Cuba's very advanced in certain areas [00:11:00] such as biotechnology. They're actually big exporters of biotech products around the world. But you know, the number of positions are limited and because of the embargo and other factors, you know, if you're a professional, your resources are going to be very limited in terms of what you can do. Speaker 4:So it's, it is very important that the Cubans improve their economy and several of the measures are taken to do that or one that are opening up the idea that there can be a lot more private enterprise, you know, allow people to develop their skills. I mean right now [00:11:30] it's still kind of, it's in its emerging stages and about 500,000 people know in Cuba are self employed or have small businesses. Unfortunately the government is very tightly regulating with those businesses can be and for the most part they tend to be service businesses. And how are they approaching these people money to start businesses or are they, there are loans available, but the reality is most people that start businesses in Cuba are doing it based on having connections in the exterior family [00:12:00] members who send them capital. So there's huge flows of money going from say Miami to Havana to establish small businesses. Speaker 4:So that's, that's one area. The other area that's important is the government is really looking towards the development of cooperatives as a really key part of the economy in terms of furthering private enterprise because cooperatives are private. But at the same time, you have any cooperative serve? Well, it's interesting. Cuba [00:12:30] has a long history of agricultural cooperatives. Ever since the time of the revolution, Cuba has fostered the cooperative movement. Now people don't realize this, but about 30% of land in Cuba is still privately owned. I mean, one of the promises of the revolution was to give land to the peasants. They actually did that. And that land, the private nature, Atlanta's remain sacrosanct over time. Uh, so there's a long experience with cooperatives in agricultural sector with mixed results. There's never been a policy of cooperatives [00:13:00] in the urban sector. So for example, before every business, restaurants, beauty parlors, taxi drivers, little bus companies, all state owned and regulated. Speaker 4:Now these are becoming cooperatives and it's giving people that are members much more incentive to produce. They can earn better. And from the Cuban perspective, it's desirable because it's a more socialistic type of enterprise. What the Cubans are very, very clear about, and I have to admit, coming [00:13:30] from the u s it's almost hard to understand sometimes how totally obsessed they are about trying to not have disparities in income. So they really work hard to try to have income, you know, different levels of income equality and this is creating this new opening is creating a big problem because it is creating inequality gaps, especially against people who don't have relatives in exterior. And guess what, if you're black, if you're, you know, living in the countryside as opposed to city [00:14:00] a, if you're probably a single woman, you probably don't have the same connections that other people do. Speaker 4:So this is exacerbating we experience in the West are appearing there. Is that, yeah, I mean so lesser extent because there is a strong commitment to a social safety net. It's not the same. It's not like people got get left behind in the same way at all. But there's the potential for that and the government is very conscious of it. Is this going to happen quickly? Do you think this is happening slowly? It's going to be slow. It's going to be slow. I mean, I think [00:14:30] a lot of people would say it's going to slowly because in a way there is a race against time to make the economic improvement. And the other piece I, I forgot to mention, it's very important is while all this is very central to improving the economy and building more democracy within the economy, Cuba's not going to be successful if they can't reform their state industries. Speaker 4:No words of the big companies are staying state owned or and they're now bringing in more foreign investment on the state on companies. They are making [00:15:00] some really important reforms about the centralizing them. Whereas before everything was planned in a ministry in Havana, they're giving a lot more control [inaudible] decentralizing to those companies but also to the local governments and there they're hoping that the local governments miss admissible. Governments will work closely with the economic groups to really look out for the welfare, more of local communities. But this is in theory. I mean this is something that's just being rolled out. Now [00:15:30] the other element of course is the Cuba needs a lot more foreign investment and you know, it's going to be very interesting to see. Are we able to now? Well you think that will happen? That's the embargo act. Yeah. I mean, in other words, if you look at the reality of the u s situation, let's be real clear what's happened is President Obama under executive authority, it's pretty much going about as far as he can without having to get things approved by Congress. Speaker 4:Although with the Republican Congress, [00:16:00] they're looking for ways to sneak in ways to control control, things like approving budgets like the Senate has to approve an ambassador, that sort of thing. But essentially what's happened is there's been a normalization of diplomatic relations, which means that there can be upgrades from the current relationship. There's going to be embassies, you know, in the respective countries. President has also said he is going to make significant adjustments in trade and commerce relations. There are things that [00:16:30] he can do under presidential authority. So for example, a number of years ago, even after the embargo went into effect, the, uh, the strengthening of the embargo in the 90s, there was legislation passed by Congress, which allows the president to authorize the sale of US goods to Cuba in the areas of food and medicines. At one point, the United States was selling $700 million worth of food to Cuba a year. Speaker 4:That amount has fallen off, not because the Cubans are interested [00:17:00] in buying. It's because under the embargo, it's interesting they can sell food, but they can't offer credit. So one of the things that they're looking at now would be to make credit more accessible. It's estimated that the Cubans would probably be buying $2 billion a year of goods from United States. So in other words, creating a situation where they can be in greater debt. To us, when you talking about trade debt, you're talking about generally short term debt. It's not going to be necessarily longterm. The other thing that's happening is that the Obama saying he's, [00:17:30] he's going to allow us banks to begin relationships with Cuban banks, which right now doesn't happen. That he would expand the nature of a people to people travel to Cuba so that people, many more people could go to Cuba more easily and they could actually use their credit cards when they're cubed. Speaker 4:What you can't do today. And really importantly is one of the announcements was that the US would re-examine whether or not Cuba should be on the terrorist list. That would be, [00:18:00] and that would be really important and I would be willing to bet almost anything that's a formality. They're going to take Cuba off the terrorist list. They just didn't want to do it all in one fell swoop. They want to make it look like they're really making an effort. But you know it's, it's almost funny when the u s does report they have to, the person has to sign off I think every six months on countries if they should remain in the cherish list or not. When you read the report, this presented the president, there's nothing to even suggest that Cuba is a terrorist country and yet you have countries like North Korea, which isn't on [00:18:30] the chairs. Speaker 4:Are you involved in any of Obama's consultations about Cuba? Indirectly. I mean we have developed a number of resources around different things. We have very good contacts in Cuba with different sectors that are promoting these things. And Yeah, we have informal contacts with the State Department and other places. You've got quite a background in the Americas both for you know, social enterprise movements and various things. You also were a co founder of La Pena Cultural Center [00:19:00] here in Berkeley. Right. I want to talk about your background and how did you get so involved in the Americas and Latin America specifically? We know, it's funny. When I was um, I grew up in the east coast and when I was 15, I went on this trip organized by Minister with about 30 other teams to Mexico and I just fell in love with it and somehow I got interested. I started, I was studying Spanish and then when I was in university I studied international affairs and Latin America. Speaker 4:I got a Fulbright scholarship [00:19:30] and arrived in, in Chile one week before a young day was elected president. So my wife is from Argentina, so it's a pretty deep relationship. And how did you end up in the bay area then? Basically, I came out here on kind of a lark and just said, you know what, this is great. Okay, here, I think I'll stay in the bay area. So I've been, I've been in the Berkeley area since late 71. You were CEO of progressive asset management. Let's talk about that a little bit because it was a first at the time, 25 some years ago, right? Well, when we started progressive asset management, it was the first full [00:20:00] service brokerage firms specialize in socially responsible investing. And to be fair, I mean there were a group of us who started, it was a group of about eight or 10 people and basically if you remember me, remember Peter can meho. Speaker 4:He was instrumental and he was the first CEO of John Harrington and other person. And I was there from the beginning and uh, as an officer and as, as an investment advisor. And I became CEO later on and I was CEO for a number of years, but not as the founding CEO. But it was, I think was an important experience and one which allowed me also [00:20:30] to really see the role that business and finance can play in trying to advance progressive social ideas, social ideas. Tell me about La Pena because you know, that's kind of an institution here in Berkeley. How did that get started and why? Well, essentially, as I mentioned, I was in Chile during the yen, the government, I was there for about the first year and a half, and then when I got back here and came out to the bay area, you know, it was obvious that the United States was intervening in Chile, even before the coup. Speaker 4:They had a [00:21:00] economic blockade going against Chilean. They were obviously supporting the military and others. So a group of US began organizing around that issue. Penn years or popular throughout Latin America. Well, especially in the southern cone, Chile, Argentina, and traditionally they were gatherings at the time of harvest to celebrate the harvest and to socialize, etc. What happened was in, in Chile in the 1960s there was a new type of Pena created in urban areas, which [00:21:30] essentially Avital at the potter was one of the founders of this, of this movement, brought the new song with it. So in other words, it became politicized in which it became places that were talking about struggle, talking about the need to make significant political change. Now in Chile, one of the leading proponents of that really love beloved person who was part of the Pena [inaudible] was a folk singer named Victor Hotter, who has became internationally famous. Speaker 4:He was killed by [00:22:00] the junta at the time of the coup. Just coincidentally, I got to meet him and we became friends. So I did know him during my time and chill. I would go to his house for dinner and that sort of thing. And we were in communication before the coke. So at the time of the coup, of course, all of our work escalated. As you know, the dreadful events became clear. So we really started organizing our work here in the bay area, pretty much through Chile. Solidarity work through a group called non-intervention in Chile, of which I was the first coordinator, [00:22:30] but we decided that if we could open a place like opinion that could provide cultural entertainment, political discussion, food and drink, that would be a great way of trying to educate people about the struggle really not only in Chile but worldwide about what imperialism was all about. Speaker 4:So as kind of our response, some of you may remember that the coup and Chili took place on September 11th minutes, a deadly day apparently. So we organize, we incorporated [00:23:00] La Pena on September 11th, 1974 the year after the coup as a sort of symbol of our resistance against it. And at that time there were very future land in this area that were involved. Over the next couple of years there began to come a small stream of Chilean refugees who had been ex political prisoners, tortured, et cetera. That became kind of a social base also of La Pena. Fortunately, we were able to provide work for a number of them. And you know, it really consolidated a relationship [00:23:30] between the bay area and the Chilean community, which is something, of course we're all very proud of and continues to this day. So if I was going to ask you what your involvement is today? Well, no. Speaker 4:Right now I'm actually the treasurer. I've come and gone at at different times. We're in a moment where we're celebrating our 40th anniversary. What are they seeking to accomplish now? We've just gone through, I would say a a a needed generational transformation that up until the last couple of years, you know, most of us, most of the people involved were, you know, [00:24:00] people who'd grown up in the sixties or seventies right now we have a wonderful new executive director, Kristen [inaudible], and a young staff, probably the average age is in their low thirties so we're sort of in the process of redefining what's relevant today, 40 years later now there's a strong, strong tradition around Latin America and that will continue. There's a great deal of interest. Still a lot going. Oh yeah, no, there's all, there's always things going on. You. Latin America will always remain a focus, but we've got to look at [00:24:30] what are, what are the crucial issues of the day. Speaker 4:Not only that, but for those of you in Berkeley who have been around La Pena for a while, I think you'll recognize that La Pena has always been open to oppress people in its history. You know, people don't, don't know this, but even before we opened, when we first opened back in 75 a couple of the groups that use La Penny very regularly where one was the, I'm getting these students in United States who were studying here. You know, this is before the war ended in Vietnam. It ended, [00:25:00] you know, in in 75 sanctuary for a, yeah, it was the place where their reign students, men who were fighting against the Shah of Iran. It became really important. Obviously all those years and the struggle is Chile, but also during the wars, the civil wars in Central America, revolutionary wars and Bla Penny was a real center of activity. It has been a place that I think a lot of people have always felt comfortable. Speaker 4:Um, gays and lesbians have always felt like Pena was open to them. Uh, members of the black community [00:25:30] have felt that way. It's Kinda been a space that I hope has really promoted this idea that we're all here together living and struggling for a better world. So I think each generation has to take on what are the struggles of this time. If I have one message that I'd like to shoot out there, I think it's the following and that is kind of what I was saying before, that we're all looking for alternative economies that can work and that can provide good standards for human beings that [00:26:00] aren't just all about profit for large corporations. Right? This is being approached in different ways in different places. Cuba's particularly interesting because Cuba's coming at it from a socialist point of view, whereas the rest of us are coming at it from a capitalist point of view. Speaker 4:But there's actually a number of things that we share in common. I think it's really important that we hear in the states. Take a better look at what's going on at other places around the world because we tend to be little provincial here and and sort of us centric [00:26:30] where we think everything is happening here. And in reality there is much more going on in other places and trying to do some of these things that is happening here. From my perspective, Latin America has really been a leader in this. If you look at what's going on in countries like Ecuador, Brazil, we'll Livia some of the experiments going on in Venezuela. It's kind of interesting, but it's not only in those countries you have it in Europe. I mean when you have severe economic crisis, [00:27:00] it kind of brings out new inventions and new ideas. Speaker 4:So innovation. So you see it a lot in Spain, in France and in Europe. There is a world movement. It's called, I mean there's different names for it, but it's called social and solidarity economy. And we have some of it here. I've been amazed. One of the countries is leading the charge right now is South Korea. There's really a vibrant alternative economy movement in South Korea. But the point I want to make is I think we need to be more engaged with them. Another, another thing that I learned [00:27:30] on this voyage is Canada, for example, not all of Canada, Quebec, they haven't thriving social and solidarity economy. Something like 10 to 15% of the economy is made up of, we would call kind of alternatives that are much more sensitive towards the needs of people. So I think it's really important for us to get engaged in that participation of a social enterprise and social enterprise. Yeah, that's part of what I'm trying to do in, in, in the work I'm doing. Speaker 1:Well. Speaking of engagement, how would a listener who is interested in what you're doing get ahold of you [00:28:00] and do you have a website? Right. Speaker 4:Well, I think the best way is to look at my website and that's www, sol, s o l economics.com there's lots of information about Cuba. I mean, the biggest focus is on the work with Cuba, but I also try to promote other ideas about understanding what's going on internationally. So you can actually learn a lot about some of the other movements that are happening internationally. Uh, interestingly, one organization is becoming a stronger, stronger [00:28:30] proponent of social solidarity economy is United Nations and they're doing some really interesting things. That's great. So Eric, when are you going to Cuba next? For the next month or so? I tend to go three or four times a year. Yeah. And I certainly encourage people to go to Cuba to see it, to get a feel for it because it is really, I mean every place is unique, but Cuba is really unique in a sense. It's so different from other places and there's still such a sense of community one and the other hand historically so [00:29:00] fascinating because you still are back in the sort of 50s and 60s. Speaker 1:It's a time capsule time capsule. Okay. Well Eric, thank you for being on a program. Great. Well thank you. Speaker 2:Right. Speaker 1:You've been listening to method to the madness, [00:29:30] a biweekly public affairs show on k a l x Berkeley Celebrating Bay area innovators. If you have questions or comments about this show, go to the calyx and find method to the madness. Drop us an email. Tune in again in two weeks. At the same time, have a great weekend. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Under Obama we have Constitutional betrayal, Academia is trying to poison the minds of our young people against guns,The listeners bring it, Women and Guns with Lisa Marie Judy from New Mexico with 61 ladies present to learn the way of the gun.

Christopher Tienken and Donald Orlich are authors of the provocative new book, The School Reform Landscape: Fraud, Myth, and Lies (Rowman and Littlefield 2013). Dr. Tienken is an assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University, and is also currently the editor of the American Association of School Administrators Journal of Scholarship and Practice and the Kappa Delta Pi Record. Dr. Orlich is professor emeritus of education and science instruction at Washington State University, Pullman. Their new book is an unabashed critique of nearly five decades of school reform and the questionable assertions and arguments made by many advocates for standardization, nationalization, and corporatization of public schools. They refer to the famed “Sputnik” moment of the 1950s as a manufactured crisis that Bon Jovi might call a “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. They call A Nation at Risk, the landmark study of educational performance in US schools, “an intellectually vapid and data challenged piece of propaganda” and the current federal law, No Child Left Behind, “Stalinist-inspired”. Deep down, this book is a critique of the neoliberal theory of government applied to education. Tienken and Orlich argue that standardization, testing, and charter schools have been foisted upon local school in deference to neoliberalism, rather than in service of students. They suggest that better policies can better improve education. A few highlights from the podcast interview. On Sputnik and Bon Jovi: “Bon Jovi and Sambora have a song off the album, These Days, and the song is called These Days, and in that song they use phrase “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. And I heard that phrase and it struck me: yes, that really sums up Sputnik in one phrase, Sputnik is the really the genesis of the school bashing and the current school reform movement. Everyone refers to it as if it was a meaningful event in terms of school reform.” On A Nation at Risk: “When you read A Nation at Risk, we challenge anyone to go ahead and find the actual data to support the claims and conclusions they draw.” On federal education policy: “Under Obama and the Republicans in terms of the Common Core State Standards and new national testing initiatives, so really for the first time in this country's history, curriculum is being determined by a small group of elites far away from your kids' and my kids' schools. That is problematic culturally but also educationally.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Tienken and Donald Orlich are authors of the provocative new book, The School Reform Landscape: Fraud, Myth, and Lies (Rowman and Littlefield 2013). Dr. Tienken is an assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University, and is also currently the editor of the American Association of School Administrators Journal of Scholarship and Practice and the Kappa Delta Pi Record. Dr. Orlich is professor emeritus of education and science instruction at Washington State University, Pullman. Their new book is an unabashed critique of nearly five decades of school reform and the questionable assertions and arguments made by many advocates for standardization, nationalization, and corporatization of public schools. They refer to the famed “Sputnik” moment of the 1950s as a manufactured crisis that Bon Jovi might call a “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. They call A Nation at Risk, the landmark study of educational performance in US schools, “an intellectually vapid and data challenged piece of propaganda” and the current federal law, No Child Left Behind, “Stalinist-inspired”. Deep down, this book is a critique of the neoliberal theory of government applied to education. Tienken and Orlich argue that standardization, testing, and charter schools have been foisted upon local school in deference to neoliberalism, rather than in service of students. They suggest that better policies can better improve education. A few highlights from the podcast interview. On Sputnik and Bon Jovi: “Bon Jovi and Sambora have a song off the album, These Days, and the song is called These Days, and in that song they use phrase “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. And I heard that phrase and it struck me: yes, that really sums up Sputnik in one phrase, Sputnik is the really the genesis of the school bashing and the current school reform movement. Everyone refers to it as if it was a meaningful event in terms of school reform.” On A Nation at Risk: “When you read A Nation at Risk, we challenge anyone to go ahead and find the actual data to support the claims and conclusions they draw.” On federal education policy: “Under Obama and the Republicans in terms of the Common Core State Standards and new national testing initiatives, so really for the first time in this country’s history, curriculum is being determined by a small group of elites far away from your kids’ and my kids’ schools. That is problematic culturally but also educationally.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Tienken and Donald Orlich are authors of the provocative new book, The School Reform Landscape: Fraud, Myth, and Lies (Rowman and Littlefield 2013). Dr. Tienken is an assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University, and is also currently the editor of the American Association of School Administrators Journal of Scholarship and Practice and the Kappa Delta Pi Record. Dr. Orlich is professor emeritus of education and science instruction at Washington State University, Pullman. Their new book is an unabashed critique of nearly five decades of school reform and the questionable assertions and arguments made by many advocates for standardization, nationalization, and corporatization of public schools. They refer to the famed “Sputnik” moment of the 1950s as a manufactured crisis that Bon Jovi might call a “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. They call A Nation at Risk, the landmark study of educational performance in US schools, “an intellectually vapid and data challenged piece of propaganda” and the current federal law, No Child Left Behind, “Stalinist-inspired”. Deep down, this book is a critique of the neoliberal theory of government applied to education. Tienken and Orlich argue that standardization, testing, and charter schools have been foisted upon local school in deference to neoliberalism, rather than in service of students. They suggest that better policies can better improve education. A few highlights from the podcast interview. On Sputnik and Bon Jovi: “Bon Jovi and Sambora have a song off the album, These Days, and the song is called These Days, and in that song they use phrase “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. And I heard that phrase and it struck me: yes, that really sums up Sputnik in one phrase, Sputnik is the really the genesis of the school bashing and the current school reform movement. Everyone refers to it as if it was a meaningful event in terms of school reform.” On A Nation at Risk: “When you read A Nation at Risk, we challenge anyone to go ahead and find the actual data to support the claims and conclusions they draw.” On federal education policy: “Under Obama and the Republicans in terms of the Common Core State Standards and new national testing initiatives, so really for the first time in this country’s history, curriculum is being determined by a small group of elites far away from your kids’ and my kids’ schools. That is problematic culturally but also educationally.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Tienken and Donald Orlich are authors of the provocative new book, The School Reform Landscape: Fraud, Myth, and Lies (Rowman and Littlefield 2013). Dr. Tienken is an assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University, and is also currently the editor of the American Association of School Administrators Journal of Scholarship and Practice and the Kappa Delta Pi Record. Dr. Orlich is professor emeritus of education and science instruction at Washington State University, Pullman. Their new book is an unabashed critique of nearly five decades of school reform and the questionable assertions and arguments made by many advocates for standardization, nationalization, and corporatization of public schools. They refer to the famed “Sputnik” moment of the 1950s as a manufactured crisis that Bon Jovi might call a “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. They call A Nation at Risk, the landmark study of educational performance in US schools, “an intellectually vapid and data challenged piece of propaganda” and the current federal law, No Child Left Behind, “Stalinist-inspired”. Deep down, this book is a critique of the neoliberal theory of government applied to education. Tienken and Orlich argue that standardization, testing, and charter schools have been foisted upon local school in deference to neoliberalism, rather than in service of students. They suggest that better policies can better improve education. A few highlights from the podcast interview. On Sputnik and Bon Jovi: “Bon Jovi and Sambora have a song off the album, These Days, and the song is called These Days, and in that song they use phrase “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. And I heard that phrase and it struck me: yes, that really sums up Sputnik in one phrase, Sputnik is the really the genesis of the school bashing and the current school reform movement. Everyone refers to it as if it was a meaningful event in terms of school reform.” On A Nation at Risk: “When you read A Nation at Risk, we challenge anyone to go ahead and find the actual data to support the claims and conclusions they draw.” On federal education policy: “Under Obama and the Republicans in terms of the Common Core State Standards and new national testing initiatives, so really for the first time in this country’s history, curriculum is being determined by a small group of elites far away from your kids’ and my kids’ schools. That is problematic culturally but also educationally.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Tienken and Donald Orlich are authors of the provocative new book, The School Reform Landscape: Fraud, Myth, and Lies (Rowman and Littlefield 2013). Dr. Tienken is an assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University, and is also currently the editor of the American Association of School Administrators Journal of Scholarship and Practice and the Kappa Delta Pi Record. Dr. Orlich is professor emeritus of education and science instruction at Washington State University, Pullman. Their new book is an unabashed critique of nearly five decades of school reform and the questionable assertions and arguments made by many advocates for standardization, nationalization, and corporatization of public schools. They refer to the famed “Sputnik” moment of the 1950s as a manufactured crisis that Bon Jovi might call a “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. They call A Nation at Risk, the landmark study of educational performance in US schools, “an intellectually vapid and data challenged piece of propaganda” and the current federal law, No Child Left Behind, “Stalinist-inspired”. Deep down, this book is a critique of the neoliberal theory of government applied to education. Tienken and Orlich argue that standardization, testing, and charter schools have been foisted upon local school in deference to neoliberalism, rather than in service of students. They suggest that better policies can better improve education. A few highlights from the podcast interview. On Sputnik and Bon Jovi: “Bon Jovi and Sambora have a song off the album, These Days, and the song is called These Days, and in that song they use phrase “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. And I heard that phrase and it struck me: yes, that really sums up Sputnik in one phrase, Sputnik is the really the genesis of the school bashing and the current school reform movement. Everyone refers to it as if it was a meaningful event in terms of school reform.” On A Nation at Risk: “When you read A Nation at Risk, we challenge anyone to go ahead and find the actual data to support the claims and conclusions they draw.” On federal education policy: “Under Obama and the Republicans in terms of the Common Core State Standards and new national testing initiatives, so really for the first time in this country’s history, curriculum is being determined by a small group of elites far away from your kids’ and my kids’ schools. That is problematic culturally but also educationally.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Tienken and Donald Orlich are authors of the provocative new book, The School Reform Landscape: Fraud, Myth, and Lies (Rowman and Littlefield 2013). Dr. Tienken is an assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University, and is also currently the editor of the American Association of School Administrators Journal of Scholarship and Practice and the Kappa Delta Pi Record. Dr. Orlich is professor emeritus of education and science instruction at Washington State University, Pullman. Their new book is an unabashed critique of nearly five decades of school reform and the questionable assertions and arguments made by many advocates for standardization, nationalization, and corporatization of public schools. They refer to the famed “Sputnik” moment of the 1950s as a manufactured crisis that Bon Jovi might call a “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. They call A Nation at Risk, the landmark study of educational performance in US schools, “an intellectually vapid and data challenged piece of propaganda” and the current federal law, No Child Left Behind, “Stalinist-inspired”. Deep down, this book is a critique of the neoliberal theory of government applied to education. Tienken and Orlich argue that standardization, testing, and charter schools have been foisted upon local school in deference to neoliberalism, rather than in service of students. They suggest that better policies can better improve education. A few highlights from the podcast interview. On Sputnik and Bon Jovi: “Bon Jovi and Sambora have a song off the album, These Days, and the song is called These Days, and in that song they use phrase “vagabond king wearing a Styrofoam crown”. And I heard that phrase and it struck me: yes, that really sums up Sputnik in one phrase, Sputnik is the really the genesis of the school bashing and the current school reform movement. Everyone refers to it as if it was a meaningful event in terms of school reform.” On A Nation at Risk: “When you read A Nation at Risk, we challenge anyone to go ahead and find the actual data to support the claims and conclusions they draw.” On federal education policy: “Under Obama and the Republicans in terms of the Common Core State Standards and new national testing initiatives, so really for the first time in this country’s history, curriculum is being determined by a small group of elites far away from your kids’ and my kids’ schools. That is problematic culturally but also educationally.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

--{ Don't Deny Me Intelligent Enquiry: "Now is the Winter of Our Discontent, High Prices, Inflation, Disenchantment, Academia says it's "The Age of Transition" And All Power Shows Stern Disposition, Obedience to Authority has become Mandatory, Questioning it May Cause Your Fatality, Standardized Education, Standardized Data, Eliminates Enquiry Sooner or Later, Because Authorized Answers are There to See, So I won't Disagree, Nor You with Me, New Reality Tenets are Chiseled in Stone, If You're Not a Parrot, Then I'm Not Alone" © Alan Watt }-- World Revolution - Communism - Indoctrination into the New Society - Unique History of the US - Factory Towns - Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and Freedom of Speech - British Commonwealth System - 1960s and the Vietnam War - Project for the New American Century - Gold in Mali - West Point "Combating Terrorism Center" - Far-Right and Far-Left Movements - "Supremacist" Groups and Intelligence Agencies - "New World Order" - Countries Run by Central Banks - Neo-Conservative Movement - States Pulling Rug from Under Obama's Gun Plan - Surveillance State - Anti-Terrorism Laws - Students "Suspected" of Extremism - Panic over Bogus Weather Reports - Destruction of All That Was to Bring in the New. (See http://www.cuttingthroughthematrix.com for article links.) *Title/Poem and Dialogue Copyrighted Alan Watt - Jan. 18, 2013 (Exempting Music, Literary Quotes, and Callers' Comments)

Sjelden har samarbeidet i den amerikanske Kongressen vært så vanskelig. Amerikansk politikk er ekstremt polarisert. Folket velger mellom et esel og en elefant som ikke klarer å dra lasset sammen. Obamas politikk settes på prøve. For fire år siden vant han valget med løfter om samarbeid på tvers av partilinjene. I hans første periode har han utkjempet harde slag om helse, finansielle redningspakker og gjeldstaket. Republikanerne lar seg ikke rikke. Denne mangelen på vilje til kompromiss kjennetegner dagens amerikanske politikk. Obama fikk amerikanerne til å tro på «change», men forandringen har latt vente på seg. Perioden under Bush splittet USA. Under Obama har polariseringen økt ytterligere. Uinnfridde valgløfter og desillusjonerte velgere kan nå lede til Obamas fall. Polariseringen av politikken gjør det umulig å bli enige om en retning fremover, i en tid der USA er preget av økonomisk krise, høy arbeidsledighet og en stigende statsgjeld. USA-ekspert Ole Moen møter Alf Thom