Mary Chastain | Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion - Part 439
Accessibility by WAH
Image 01 Image 03
Sign In or RegisterLogout

Author: Mary Chastain

Profile photo

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 February 19, 2017 11 Comments
A few weeks ago, President Donald Trump signed his executive order that halted immigration for only a few months and from only seven countries until the government could develop a better vetting process. These countries have high Islamic terrorism occurrences, so it makes sense for our national security, right? The left pounced on him, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau put on a big show countering Trump's actions. Trudeau said Canada will welcome everyone no matter their faith and blah blah blah.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 18, 2017 5 Comments
Vice President Mike Pence attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany where he told Europe that America will stand behind its NATO allies. Pence also met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to assure him that America remains committed to Ukraine and that Russia upholds the Minsk Agreement. President Donald Trump rattled some cages on the campaign trail when he stated his beliefs that NATO was obsolete, leading many to believe America will abandon the organization. Pence said that will not happen:

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 18, 2017 40 Comments
House Republicans desperately want to reform taxes, but so far the only plan they have developed has gained no leverage. That's because border adjustment makes up a majority of the plan, which few, including top retailers, want anything to do with. The border adjustment is a tariff. It adds a tax on imports, which will inevitably raise prices on consumers. Common sense economics: A business must make a profit in order to supply goods and services. It cannot do that without money. In order to make money when a tax is added or raised, the business must raise the price on its goods in order to make that profit.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 17, 2017 30 Comments
The Senate has confirmed Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA with 52 yes votes and 46 no votes. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was the only Republican to vote no. Pruitt received two Democrat yes votes: Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota and Joe Manchin from West Virginia.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 17, 2017 18 Comments
A Florida man faces federal charges because he wanted to blow up Target stores along the east coast in an attempt to lower stock prices. I am not kidding. Federal authorities have charged Mark Charles Barnett, 48, "with possession or a possession of a destructive device affecting commerce by a previously convicted felon." The man he hired to put those bombs on the shelves turned him in.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 16, 2017 2 Comments
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a trip to Germany. Tillerson said the U.S. will only "work with Russia when mutual cooperation is beneficial." He promised to put American interests first, though, if the two countries "do not see eye to eye." At the same time, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis soundly "rejected any kind of military collaboration with Russia." Russian President Vladimir Putin asked for more cooperation between the U.S. and NATO.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 16, 2017 9 Comments
Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini continues his criticism of Obamacare as more health insurance agencies quit Obamacare or decide to scale back even more. The law has caused premiums to climb while healthy individuals opt out of the program altogether. Because of this, Bertolini claims that Obamacare "is in a death spiral."

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 16, 2017 11 Comments
President Donald Trump has picked former National Labor Relations Board member Alexander Acosta for his Secretary of Labor. Trump had to choose another nominee after fast food executive Andrew Puzder withdrew on Wednesday following controversies that surrounded him, which included hiring an illegal immigrant for a housekeeper and accusations of spousal abuse.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 15, 2017 21 Comments
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has told Maine Public Radio that she will vote against Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA. She acknowledged his accomplishments, but the two of them have too many different views when it comes to the EPA:
“Specifically, I have significant concerns that Mr. Pruitt has actively opposed and sued the EPA on numerous issues that are of great importance to the state of Maine, including mercury controls for coal-fired power plants and efforts to reduce cross-state air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions,” she says. “His actions leave me with considerable doubts about whether his vision for the EPA is consistent with the agency’s critical mission to protect human health and the environment.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 15, 2017 28 Comments
Oh, Democrats. Why can't you look in the mirror and just admit your problem? The Democrats suffered a massive blow when President Donald Trump crushed Hillary Clinton in the presidential Electoral College race. But Democrats also suffered in Congress and at the state level. To fix that, the party wants to fight over the next round of redistricting and loosen the voting laws. Guess who will guide the push? Former President Barack Obama and his former Attorney General Eric Holder!

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 15, 2017 25 Comments
The Associated Press has reported that Andrew Puzder has withdrawn as Labor Secretary nominee. He has released this statement: "After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor," he said in the statement. "I am honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America's workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity. I want to thank President Trump for his nomination. I also thank my family and my many supporters - employees, businesses, friends and people who have voiced their praise and hopeful optimism for the policies and new thinking I would have brought to America as Secretary of Labor."

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 15, 2017 6 Comments
South Korea's spy chief claims that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un ordered the assassination of his half-brother. Kim Jong Nam died after two women attacked him at a Malaysian airport. From The Wall Street Journal:
“The longstanding order has been executed,” said Lee Cheol-woo, who heads the​ South Korean​legislature’s intelligence committee, which oversees the spy agency, according to an aide of his in the session with the spy chief. “It reflects Kim Jong Un’s propensity for paranoia, rather than his calculated act of removing a threat to his rule.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 15, 2017 2 Comments
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has told America's NATO allies that President Donald Trump's administration stands behind its allies. However, he also reiterated that other members must step up in costs:
"It's a fair demand that all who benefit from the best defense in the world carry their proportionate share of the necessary cost to defend freedom," Mattis said.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 14, 2017 10 Comments
Well, this is interesting. Someone killed North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un's older half-brother Kim Jong Nam in Malaysia on Monday. From South Korea's Yonhap News Agency:
Cable TV broadcaster TV Chosun reported that Kim was killed at an airport in Malaysia after being attacked by two unidentified female agents with "poisoned needles." The suspects fled the scene and Malaysian police suspected North Korea was behind the killing.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 14, 2017 7 Comments
I came across this CNN article that Labor Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder faced many hurdles before his Thursday confirmation hearing because four GOP senators decided to withhold their support. The fast food executive will face the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Thursday. These anonymous sources pointed their fingers at Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK), Sen. Susan Collins (ME), Sem Johnny Isakson (GA), and Sen. Tim Scott (SC). Reading through the article, I saw that CNN only cited Sen. Collins. So I decided to actually do some journalism and reach out to the offices for confirmation on the material provided by the sources.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 13, 2017 43 Comments
President Donald Trump's national security advisor Michael Flynn has resigned after he came under fire over his contacts with Russian officials. The resignation comes after the Justice Department announced that officials had "warned the Trump administration last month that Flynn misled administration officials regarding his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States and was potentially vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians."