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Author: Mary Chastain

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Mary Chastain

Mary is the resident libertarian. She covers stories in every vertical, but her favorite thing to do is take on the media. She saw its bias against the right when she was a socialist.

Mary loves the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Blackhawks, tennis, cats, Oxford comma, Diet Coke, and needlework.

President Donald Trump's administration has finally waived the Jones Act, which will allow foreign ships to bring aid to hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico. The Jones Act has been enforced since its inception in 1920. It states that any goods transported by water into U.S. ports must come in on ships made in the U.S., owned by U.S. citizens, have American crews.

WELCOME TO 2017, SAUDI ARABIA!!! King Salman issued a royal decree to finally allow women to drive in the kingdom. You hear that feminists? Females couldn't drive in Saudi Arabia.

Obamacare repeal. Tax reform. Obamacare repeal. Now back top tax reform! President Donald Trump's administration and the GOP in Congress have released a framework for possible tax reform. The framework somewhat mirrors what Trump released in April: slashed corporate tax rate and three tax brackets. The Republicans hope this plan will finally give them a victory after too many failures to repeal Obamacare.

The GOP received two shocks on Tuesday when Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) decided not to run for re-election in 2018 and Judge Roy Moore defeated incumbent Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) in the Republican primary. But how YUGE is Corker's retirement? Probably not much in the long run. Plus, it looks like the GOP could actually pick up more seats in 2018 since 10 Democrats up for reelection come from states that President Donald Trump won in November.

Another earthquake has hit the sports world after reports emerged that the FBI has arrested 10 NCAA basketball officials, including four assistant coaches, along with executives at Adidas on charges of fraud and corruption. From ESPN:
"The picture painted by the charges brought today is not a pretty one,'' Joon H. Kim, the acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at a Tuesday news conference. "Coaches at some of the nation's top programs soliciting and accepting cash bribes. Managers and financial advisers circling blue-chip prospects like coyotes. And employees of one of the world's largest sportswear companies secretly funneling cash to the families of high school recruits."

So it looks like the left has embraced the idea of using #TakeAKnee to show its opposition to President Donald Trump and his administration without taking into account the perception it gives. Georgetown Law School faculty and students decided to protest a free speech event by Attorney General Jeff Sessions by taking a knee. Yes, Sessions's speech was about how free speech has eroded on campuses and that the Department of Justice plans to provide protections for speakers.

We all know that besides healthcare, tax reform is one of the bigger ideas on President Donald Trump's agenda. His administration has been screaming tax cuts while the left cries over lost "revenue." But instead of cutting spending like any sane person would do when caught in a tight budget, the lawmakers have been looking for ways to make up the lost money. Targeting a person's 401(k) has been floated around. A possible change includes taxing the earnings before a person places the money into the retirement fund. This has some worried because it could change your tax bracket once you retire and encourage people not to save as much as they usually do.

If you work in the government, DO NOT USE YOUR PRIVATE EMAIL ACCOUNT TO CONDUCT ANY BUSINESS. Why is this so hard to grasp?! After spending years of griping at failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for using a private email server and account for business as secretary of state, we have now learned that President Donald Trump's senior advisor (and son-in-law) Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have used a private email account to conduct official White House business.

Welp, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) tried to change their Obamacare "repeal and replace" bill to appease those senators that opposed it...but it did not work. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has come out and officially declared she would vote no on both versions of the bill.

Sens. Billy Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) hope to pass their Obamacare "repeal and replace" bill by the end of the month, but have encountered opposition from a few in their own party. Sens. John McCain (AZ) and Rand Paul (KY) have already said no while Sens. Susan Collins (ME) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) remain on the fence. Even Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has said "that he's not yet on board with the legislation." This has led to a few changes to the bill, which includes boosts for Arizona, Alaska, Kentucky, and Maine as a way to entice these senators to vote yes.

Disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner has received a 21 month prison sentence for sexting with a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. He also has to register as a sex offender. His numerous sexting scandals have ruined his career and his marriage to Huma Abedin, failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's long time aide.

Eyes turned to the NFL on Sunday to see which players would take a knee during the anthem after President Donald Trump called those who kneel a son of bitch and asked the audience if they wouldn't like to see the NFL fire them. He reiterated this thoughts on Twitter with his catchphrase YOU'RE FIRED. Well, some NFL players chose to kneel while others locked arms together. A few teams chose to stay in the locker room, like the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, one player on the Steelers decided to stand for the anthem...a veteran who served three tours in Afghanistan.

Next Tuesday, the citizens of Alabama head to polls to vote in the special election for senator between incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, who took over after Jeff Sessions became attorney general, and former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. President Donald Trump attended a rally in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday to show his support of Strange. Will this be enough for Strange? After all, polls are too close to call.