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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 June 26, 2017 1 Comment
British Prime Minister Theresa May has struck a deal with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to give the conservatives the slim majority it needs for May to stay in her role. The New York Times reported:
With the deal, which is reported to provide Northern Ireland with additional funding of up to $2 billion over five years, Mrs. May will be able to win a clear majority vote in Parliament on Wednesday on the legislative program her government set out last week. Without the support of the D.U.P., Mrs. May risked losing that vote of confidence, which would have opened the way for the opposition Labour Party to try to form a minority government of its own.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 26, 2017 28 Comments
The Supreme Court has decided to hear a challenge from a Colorado baker, after the state charged him with violating the state's anti-discrimination law when he declined to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. From the LA Times:
Jack Phillips, the owner of the Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo., was charged with violating the state’s anti-discrimination law, which says businesses open to the public may not deny service to customers based on their race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. The state commission held that his refusal to make the wedding cake amounted to discriminatory conduct, and the state courts upheld that decision.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 23, 2017 24 Comments
The top Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have launched an investigation into former Attorney General Loretta Lynch to find out if she interfered with the FBI's probe into Hillary's email server. Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent Lynch a letter asking for answers after news outlets reported that she told people within the campaign that the FBI's investigation would not dig too deep.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 23, 2017 12 Comments
Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb has ousted Phil Montag, a volunteer for the party's technology committee, after a recording surfaced of him saying he was glad House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot and wished he died. Scalise and four others were shot last week while practicing for the congressional baseball game. From The Omaha World-Herald:
On Thursday, Kleeb acted immediately upon hearing the recording. “This is the first I am hearing this,” Kleeb said by email Thursday morning. “As soon as I heard it, I sent it to the (party) officers and then sent an email to Phil Montag informing him I am removing him from his appointed position as Co-Chair of the Technology Committee. ... Wishing a Member of Congress or any individual dead is disgusting and has no place in our party.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 23, 2017 37 Comments
In February, California decided to ban state-funded travel to Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee after officials deemed laws in these states discriminate against the LGBT community. California has now added Texas, Alabama, South Dakota, and Kentucky to that list for the same reasons.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 22, 2017 14 Comments
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has filed a lawsuit against people who have protested outside of Choices Women's Medical Clinic in Queens for the past five years. Schneiderman has accused the defendants of "targeting patients and employees every Saturday morning, telling them 'You don’t know when you might get shot' and even calling them murderers."

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 22, 2017 9 Comments
On Wednesday, Amor Ftouhi, a Canadian originally from Tunisia, screamed Allahu Akbar after he stabbed Lt. Jeff Neville at Bishop International Airport in Flint, MI. The FBI have started investigating the attack as a terrorist act, but have not found Ftouhi involved in a wider plot.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 21, 2017 6 Comments
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson testified before the House Intelligence Committee over the Russia probe into possible interference and collusion into our presidential election. Last summer, the Democrats accused the Russians of hacking into their system after a trove of emails appeared on Wikileaks. But Johnson told the committee that the DNC didn't want DHS's help with the investigation.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 21, 2017 5 Comments
THEY DO EXIST! Yes, Congress still has Blue Dog Democrats within its walls. The group consists of only 18 members, but it could be enough to push tax reform through this year. These Democrats view themselves as ones who can help "broker a bipartisan deal." The Hill reported:
“If it’s constructive, if they’re genuinely interested in ideas and making it a bipartisan effort, then the Blue Dogs are certainly willing to participate,” said Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), a member of the group.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 21, 2017 28 Comments
The Illinois lottery may become a victim of the bankrupt state if lawmakers cannot agree and pass a budget. In a last ditch effort, the lawmakers have started a special session on Wednesday that can last for 10 days. From Fox News:
The state lotto requires a payment from the legislature each year. The current appropriation expires June 30, meaning no authority to pay prizes. In anticipation of a budget deadlock, the state already is planning to halt Powerball and Mega Millions sales.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 20, 2017 6 Comments
We at Legal Insurrection have documented the damage Obamacare has done to the insurance market, with costs skyrocketing to the point that companies have pulled out. If they cannot make a profit they cannot provide coverage. For the last few weeks, Iowa's individual health insurance market showed signs of collapse as companies pulled out one after another. The state started to panic, even asking "the federal government to let it alter parts of the Affordable Care Act in an effort to entice insurers into selling plans in the state." The small insurance company Medica has come to save Iowa after the company's officials decided to remain in the state, making it the only company in the market. But officials said it has to charge higher premiums in order to stay afloat.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 20, 2017 27 Comments
Music star Moby has decided to showcase his hatred of President Donald Trump, becoming the latest celebrity to jump on the anti-Trump bandwagon. Moby chose to depict Trump as a Nazi leader in the video for "In This Cold Place," who eventually meets his death as a Swastika/dollar sign in an explosion.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 19, 2017 21 Comments
College student Otto Warmbier, who spent 17 months imprisoned in North Korea, has died. From Fox News:
“It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home,” Fred and Cindy Warmbier wrote in a statement. “Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2:20 pm.” “It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost - future time that won't be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds. But we choose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person. You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched - Wyoming, Ohio and the University of Virginia to name just two - that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 19, 2017 23 Comments
The Supreme Court has ruled 8-0 that it is unconstitutional for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to not register offensive names under the federal trademark law's disparagement clause. The Asian-American band The Slants did not receive a trademark due to this clause, which the justices found violated free speech. From CNN:
"Holding that the registration of a trademark converts the mark into government speech would constitute a huge and dangerous extension of the government-speech doctrine, for other systems of government registration (such as copyright) could easily be characterized in the same way," Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 19, 2017 2 Comments
We at Legal Insurrection have covered the atrocities in Turkey, which include crackdowns by those whom President Recep Tayyip Erdogan deem a threat to his authority. Last July, Erdogan blamed a failed "coup" on his nemesis Fethullah Gülen. He went on a rampage and arrested anyone he considered an ally of Gülen, including numerous journalists. A year later, 17 of these journalists will stand trial on Monday.
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