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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 November 06, 2017 6 Comments
Beloved former Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully has said that he will never watch another football game due to the player protests during the national anthem. From ESPN:
Said Scully: "During the fall and winter, I watch the NFL on Sunday, and it's not that I'm some great patriot. I was in the Navy for a year, didn't go anywhere, didn't do anything, but I have overwhelming respect and admiration for anyone who puts on a uniform and goes to war. So the only thing that I can do in my little way is to not to preach; I will never watch another NFL game."

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 06, 2017 14 Comments
Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia witnessed the arrests of 17 princes, including billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal. The arrests came after the government formed an anti-corruption committee led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman's favorite son and heir to the throne. Experts said these arrests happened as a way for King Salman to clear "any remaining obstacles to his son's ascension to the throne." However, it may have an affect on the world economy as bin Talal owns 95% of Kingdom Holding, which has stakes in Apple and Twitter.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 04, 2017 3 Comments
Earlier this week, Politico published an excerpt from former interim DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile where she said she found a document that showed a deal between failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the DNC. Brazile wrote that the agreement "specified that in exchange for raising money and investing in the DNC, Hillary would control the party’s finances, strategy, and all the money raised." NBC News has published this memo, which shows the control given to Hillary and her campaign. This includes hiring of DNC employees acceptable to the fundraising committee Hillary for America (HFA).

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 03, 2017 17 Comments
The New York City Police Department has said it is gathering evidence against Harvey Weinstein after actress Paz de la Huerta's accused him of rape. From Fox News:
The NYPD said they corroborated portions of actress Paz de la Huerta’s account, in which she alleges Weinstein raped her twice in her apartment, and are seeking more evidence in their investigation to obtain an arrest warrant.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 03, 2017 12 Comments
Despite numerous natural disasters, October added 261,000 jobs, below the expected 310,000, and unemployment is at 4.1%, which is the lowest in 17 years. From CNBC:
"Today's report, albeit a little bit mixed, is still a relatively decent number. It still points towards the positive trend that we've seen in payroll growth over the last several months and the last couple of years actually," said Tony Bedikian, head of global markets at Citizens Bank. "In general, the economy is moving along, though a little softer than many market participants anticipated."

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 03, 2017 15 Comments
Several GOP lawmakers have decided to retire at the end of this term and another one has joined the ranks: Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), who represents the 21st district, which includes San Antonio. From Texas Tribune:
"For several reasons, this seems like a good time to pass on the privilege of representing the 21st District to someone else," he wrote in an email obtained by the Tribune. "... With over a year remaining in my term, there is still much to do. There is legislation to enact, dozens of hearings to hold and hundreds of votes to cast."

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 03, 2017 25 Comments
A disabled Navy veteran has refused to receive an honor from the New Orleans Saints due to some players taking a knee during the national anthem. From NOLA.com:
Retired Navy Cmdr. John Wells, executive director of the national Military Veterans Advocacy, was named a Peoples Health Champion, an award given by the Medicare health insurance advantage organization to citizens over 65 who have made significant accomplishments after reaching "senior citizen" status.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 02, 2017 26 Comments
The House GOP decided to wait a day to release its tax reform bill to smooth out some disagreements. That plan was finally released Thursday and like the framework President Donald Trump's administration released, it reduces the number of tax brackets, eliminates deductions, and reduces the corporate tax rate. But will it be enough to persuade the House Republicans from high-taxed states to pass the bill?

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 02, 2017 44 Comments
While everyone concentrates on the White House, the Democrat Party continues to dive deeper into a civil war. Former interim DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile has taken aim at failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign. Democratic strategist Stanley Greenerg is "still fuming about Hillary Clinton," especially since Democrat candidates are still using her failed tactics.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 01, 2017 5 Comments
The CIA has released thousands of documents, videos, computer files, and pictures that U.S. forces captured during the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan in May 2011. FDD's Long War Journal (LWJ) has been pressing the agency to release these items, which have given us insight into al-Qaeda and the man responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed over 3,000 Americans. This includes bin Laden's journal and more recent images of his son Hamza bin Laden.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 01, 2017 9 Comments
Sayfullo Saipov, 29, killed eight people and injured 11 on Monday in Lower Manhattan when he plowed a rental pickup truck into a crowd of people. He screamed "Allahu Akbar!" after he exited the truck and police confronted him. An officer shot Saipov and took him into custody. They transported him to a hospital and he's recovering from surgery. Authorities found Saipov's notes near the truck, in which he declared he carried out the attack for the terrorist group the Islamic State (ISIS).

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 31, 2017 79 Comments
A man identified as Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, from Tampa, FL, drove a rental pickup truck down a bike bath and into a crowd in Lower Manhattan while shouting "Allahu Akbar!" The attack killed eight people and injured at least 11 others. The police shot and took the Saipov, an Uzbekistan native, into custody. He is recovering at a hospital.

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 31, 2017 9 Comments
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) has told The Dallas Morning News that he will retire at the end of his term:
"Today I am announcing that I will not seek reelection to the US Congress in 2018. Although service in Congress remains the greatest privilege of my life, I never intended to make it a lifetime commitment, and I have already stayed far longer than I had originally planned," Hensarling wrote to supporters today.

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 31, 2017 19 Comments
Eyes are on tax reform this week as the GOP controlled House plans to release its tax reform bill on November 1, which may include elimination of state and local tax (SALT) deductions along with changes to 401(k) retirement plans. Both have received proper outrage, especially from representatives in high-taxed states. But if the elimination of state and local taxes pass the House, the Senate GOP said they have a unified front on that issue.

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 31, 2017 9 Comments
U.S. forces have captured Mustafa al-Imam, a key militant in the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. From CBS News:
The commandos captured the man in Libya just before midnight local time on Sunday and are transporting him back to the U.S., officials told The Associated Press. The suspect is in the custody of the Department of Justice and is expected to arrive within the next two days on a military plane, according to one of the officials.
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