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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.

Holy cow. The Associated Press has reported that former President Barack Obama's administration attempted to give Iran access to U.S. banks despite sanctions in place and lied to Congress about said plans. In 2016, a license issued by the Treasury Department gave Iran permission "to convert $5.7 billion it held at a bank in Oman from Omani rials into euros by exchanging them first into U.S. dollars."

June 5 was the most important primary night for 2018 with a handful of states hitting the polls. Most eyes stayed on California since the state has a crazy jungle primary, which means the top two candidates will land on the ballot even if they're in the same party. It looks like the important House races in California remain undecided and we won't have an answer for days, which means the GOP could still shut out Democrats in those districts. The Democrats also had a huge blow on the governor's ballot as a Republican grabbed the second spot over a former Los Angeles mayor. What about other states? Here are a few key points I put together from a crazy night.

Starbucks has been plastered across headlines recently after the company closed all its stores last week for a social justice-oriented 'diversity' training. Now Starbucks Executive Chairman Howard Shultz, the man responsible for the well-known coffeehouse, has stepped down from his post. Word is that Shultz has decided to prepare a run for political office, possibly the presidency.

Miss America contestants will no longer have to flaunt their bodies in swimsuits and formal gowns. Instead, they will have to show they know what the job of Miss America entails and wear something that makes them feel confident.

The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of the Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. From USA Today:
The verdict criticized the state's treatment of Jack Phillips' religious objections to gay marriage, ruling that a civil rights commission was biased against him. As a result, the decision did not resolve whether other opponents of same-sex marriage, such as florists and photographers, can refuse commercial wedding services to gay couples.

One would think the Democratic legislature of New Jersey would be eager to pass a tax hike on millionaires now that the state has a Democratic governor. After all, they passed the hike five times during the tenure of Republican Chris Christie even though they knew he would veto it. Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed "$1.7 billion in new taxes and other revenue to pay for public schools, public-employee pensions and other priorities." His fellow Democrats have "balked" at this idea along with a rise in sales tax.

The hits keep coming at the Broward Sheriff office after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. The Miami Herald has reported that paramedics begged the office to enter the school to save the wounded, but the captain at the scene said no:
Michael McNally, deputy chief for Coral Springs fire-rescue, asked six times for permission to send in specialized teams of police officers and paramedics, according to an incident report he filed after the Feb. 14 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that left 17 people dead.

President Donald Trump's administration failed to reach a deal with Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, which led the president to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Trump gave these three an extension when he brought up tariffs last month, but Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the administration will not renew the tariffs. Imported steel will receive a 25% tariff while aluminum will have a 10% tariff.

Outgoing Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) caused quite a stir when he said on TV that he found no evidence that the FBI spied on President Donald Trump's campaign after he received a briefing from the DOJ and FBI. Now reports have emerged that Gowdy and others at the meeting did not see any documents or subpoenas they requested.

No one is defending Roseanne Barr's tweet about Valerie Jarrett, but you cannot deny the double standard that exists in Hollywood. Bob Iger, the CEO of ABC's parent Disney, personally called Jarrett to apologize. Roseanne is now beginning to defend herself, asserting one tweet shouldn't ruin a lifetime of work:

Axios ran an article this morning about how the Democratic black women running for Congress "feel slighted by Democrats." 43 black women have decided to run for seats in the chambers, but only Lauren Underwood has received "backing of the national campaign organization." The Democrat Party praises itself for being the progressive party and often props up black causes and people. DIVERSITY! Is this a case of actions speak louder than words? Maybe the Democrats are just like the GOP and care more about winning than sex and race as they've led many to believe.