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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.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 15, 2016 5 Comments
French police and prosecutors have opened an investigation into new threats French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo over images of naked Muslims they published. The threats come over a year two gunmen slaughtered eleven people at Charlie Hebdo over "offensive" images of Mohammad. They also killed a security guard outside of the building.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 15, 2016 25 Comments
A gunman killed Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and his friend Thara Uddin, 64, near the Furquan Jame Masjid mosque in Queens on Saturday. The man shot the men point blank in the back of the head. *UPDATE 10:06PM* New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told reporters the police believe the man they detained committed the crime. NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton added:
"Detectives were able to develop a strong lead into a suspect very early on based on an unrelated incident that occurred in Brooklyn, approximately 10 minutes after the shooting, three miles away," Bratton said.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 15, 2016 16 Comments
The Sunday Times has reported that Brexit may not happen until the end of 2019, a full year after the government hoped it would occur. These sources said Prime Minister Theresa May's "new Brexit and international trade departments will not be ready." The French and German elections may have a hand in the delay as well.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 15, 2016 9 Comments
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) found itself in hot water after they denied that people robbed U.S. swimmers Ryan Lochte and three others because the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) verified their stories. https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/764867923378835456

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 13, 2016 8 Comments
Anti-Israel Egyptian judo fighter Islam el-Shehaby received backlash on Friday when he didn't shake the hand or bow to his Israeli opponent Or Sasson, who defeated him on Friday. In response, the Egyptian Olympic Committee announced they will open an investigation into his actions. Judo Israeli Egyptian refuses to shake hand El-Shehaby received pressure from Muslims not to fight against the Israeli, but the EOC threatened to strip him of his citizenship if he withdrew. He immediately retired after the loss.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 12, 2016 8 Comments
The Colombian and Venezuelan governments have agreed to partially open their border as Venezuelans need food and basic goods for survival. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro closed the border last year to prevent smuggling, but with his people literally starving to death due to his socialist policies, he had to change course.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 12, 2016 23 Comments
According to The Daily Caller and CNN, the FBI and several U.S. Attorney offices have opened an investigation into the Clinton Foundation even though the Department of Justice objected to one. The officials met several months ago about the possibility of a case:
At the time, three field offices were in agreement an investigation should be launched after the FBI received notification from a bank of suspicious activity from a foreigner who had donated to the Clinton Foundation, according to the official.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 12, 2016 14 Comments
Texas and 12 other states have asked a federal judge to delay Obama's demand that all public schools allow transgender children use whichever bathroom they want:
"We will not yield to blackmail from the president of the United States," Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at the time. "This goes against the values of so many people," he added. "This has everything to do with keeping the federal government out of local issues."

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 12, 2016 12 Comments
The assassination of five Dallas cops last July left Dallas, TX, and the whole nation in shock. NFL team Dallas Cowboys wanted to honor the fallen cops with an Arm-In-Arm decal on their helmets, but the league said the team must remove the decals once preseason starts. https://twitter.com/spotcowboys/status/763930522963746816

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 12, 2016 24 Comments
Israel has faced discrimination at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby refused to boycott his match against Israeli judoja Or Sasson. One of the fears of anti-Israel social media, which demanded a boycott, was that El Shehaby would lose, and thereby not only normalize Israel's participation but humiliate the Muslim world. El Shehaby lost. Egypt Israel Judoka Perhaps fearing the internet reaction, Shehaby refused to shake Sasson's hand afterwards.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 12, 2016 3 Comments
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stopped a massive suicide attack on Thursday with help from the FBI. ISIS supporter Aaron Driver, 24, died during a confrontation with the police in a small Ontario town:
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commander Jennifer Strachan said Driver was intercepted by police as he entered a taxi with a backpack and said Driver detonated an explosive device, injuring himself and the taxi driver, before police shot at him. It was unclear whether Driver died as a result of the shrapnel or a police bullet.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 11, 2016 20 Comments
Newspapers continue to drop paywalls as more people aren't willing to pay for a digital subscription, especially since so many others other free content. The AFP reports:
Newspapers in the English-speaking world ended paywalls some 69 times through May 2015, including 41 temporary and 28 permanent drops, according to a study by University of Southern California researchers.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 11, 2016 15 Comments
Italian Member of Parliament Elvira Savino wants the government to jail parents who feed their children a vegan diet. She claims she has nothing against the vegan diet, which requires absolutely NO animal products:
"I just find it absurd that some parents are allowed to impose their will on children in an almost fanatical, religious way, often without proper scientific knowledge or medical consultation," she said.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 10, 2016 42 Comments
A federal judge has weakened the Texas voter ID law while the U.S. Court of Appeals suspended a ruling that eliminated parts of Wisconsin's law. Activists have gone after voter laws recently as the presidential election nears. They insist the poor and minority voters somehow cannot obtain an ID.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 10, 2016 36 Comments
The American Bar Association (ABA) has amended their ethics code that bans lawyers from using sexist remarks towards women after female lawyers have complained of others calling them "honey" or "darling." The new rule says:
"It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is harassment or discrimination" on the basis of race, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and other factors, the new guidance reads. "Harassment includes sexual harassment and derogatory or demeaning verbal or physical conduct."

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 10, 2016 6 Comments
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has proposed a ban on burqas due to the numerous terrorist attacks along with pushing officials "to speed up deportations of rejected asylum applicants and loosen privacy protections." The proposal also states that doctors "would have to inform the authorities if they become suspicious that a patient was planning to harm other people."

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 10, 2016 12 Comments
The latest batch of Hillary Clinton emails show that right after she became Secretary of State, top donors asked the State Department for favors for unidentified associates. In April 2009, Clinton Foundation official Doug Band sent an email to Clinton's top aides Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin about a favor. He reminded them it is important to take care of [Redacted]." Officials blacked out the name, but Abedin said "Personel has been sending him options." This is not the only one, though.
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