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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 March 21, 2017 6 Comments
The Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Inspector General has found that officials have not made necessary changes to the suicide hotline for veterans. From The Wall Street Journal:
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ suicide crisis hotline is understaffed, poorly supervised and sometimes leaves veterans on hold so long that they simply hang up, according to an investigation released Monday.

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 21, 2017 10 Comments
The Department of Homeland Security has banned electronics larger than a smart phone on flights from eight countries: Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Officials said the ban comes from intelligence about terrorism risks:
“We’re concerned about ongoing interest in targeting commercial aviation,” a DHS official said. The official cited terrorist attacks on airports in Brussels and Istanbul as part of a pattern or attacks that justified the ban
Some people have lashed out at President Donald Trump, thinking its another slap in the face towards Muslims. However, the United Kingdom has also adopted this same rule and Canada may follow.

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 21, 2017 15 Comments
Yesterday, we heard opening statements from the Senate Judiciary Committee and Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Today, Gorsuch will face questions from the senators in 30-minute intervals. The hearing should last 12 hours. Will Democrats soften their stance on Gorsuch? As CBS pointed out, the Democrats "stressed that Gorsuch has impeccable credentials" and everything needed to serve on the Supreme Court. They want to make sure he "will maintain his independence" when situations "are particularly divisive." The Democrats also brought a few cases Monday that they will probably address today, including the infamous Hobby Lobby case by the U.S. Court of Appeals of the 10th Circuit. Gorsuch ruled with the majority that allowed the Green family, owners of the popular craft shop, to object "covering birth control for their employees."

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 20, 2017 2 Comments
Back in 2015, the American Humanist Association (AHA) sued the Birdville School District, located near Fort Worth, TX, because school board members started their meetings with a prayer. The AHA said this violated the First Amendment "through its practicing of promoting Christian prayers." Former student Isaiah Smith brought the case to AHA and claimed "the prayers made him feel unwelcome at the public meetings and that the school board endorsed Christianity." On Monday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the "school board may open its meetings with student-led prayers without violating the U.S. Constitution." From Reuters:
Writing for the appeals court, Circuit Judge Jerry Smith said the matter involved legislative prayer, because a school board was "more like a legislature" than a classroom.

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 20, 2017 9 Comments
Authorities found two Super Bowl jerseys worn by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The lost jerseys were found with a credentialed member of the international media. From KPRC:
Houston police Chief Art Acevedo said that a tip from someone in Houston led investigators to a location in Mexico, where the jerseys were found. "You don't come to Texas and steal when the eyes of the world are upon our state," Acevedo said.

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 20, 2017 2 Comments
British Prime Minister Theresa May will activate Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start the Brexit process on March 29, which will start the two year negotiations for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. From The London Times:
Britain is keen to seek a comprehensive free-trade deal with the EU as part of the exit process. However, the European Council wants to sort out Britain’s “divorce bill” from the bloc before any future relationship is agreed. The status of EU nationals already in the UK is another issue that both sides want to deal with early on.

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 20, 2017 20 Comments
FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Mike Rogers addressed the House Intelligence Committee today about allegations of Russian interference with our presidential election and President Donald Trump's accusations that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) told Fox News on Sunday that the wiretap never happened. Top Democrat Adam Schiff expects "Comey to rebut the president's claim" at the hearing.

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 19, 2017 12 Comments
While some of the elite Hollywood types complain about President Donald Trump's victory, others have come to embrace it and let it humble them a little. I reported about how it opened actress Jennifer Garner's eyes, but it also opened designer Tom Ford's eyes:
“Oddly, it made me want to come back even more,” Ford told Women’s Wear Daily, which reported that the designer recently bought a house in Los Angeles. “We have a tremendous number of people in this country who feel disenfranchised and clearly we are not relating to or speaking to them. I am at my core American, and it made me want to come back. It didn’t make me want to run away.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 18, 2017 9 Comments
Big Bang Star Mayim Bialik has a strong response to Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour's claims that a Zionist cannot be a feminist. Sarsour's attack on Zionist feminists took place in a column in the far-left The Nation magazine, Can You Be a Zionist Feminist? Linda Sarsour Says No. Sarsour has generated much controversy because while she claims to be a progressive, she endorses Sharia law and has viciously attacked people like Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Sarsour tweeted that Ali should not even be allowed to have a vagina; that was a particularly malicious accusation given that Ali underwent female genital mutilation as a child.

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 17, 2017 17 Comments
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has warned North Korea that the U.S. will not rule out military action or tougher sanctions against the communist kingdom. From Fox News:
“We’re exchanging views,” Tillerson said, while standing a few feet within what is technically North Korean territory inside what is known as the Joint Security Area. “Nothing has been taken off the table,” he said, when asked whether he would rule out nuclearization of the peninsula, during the interview with Fox News.

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 16, 2017 30 Comments
Florida Governor Rick Scott has decided to reassign the Markeith Loyd case, the man accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and a police officer, after State Attorney Aramis Ayala decided not to seek the death penalty. An executive order handed the case to Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Brad King. The decision today caused outrage in Florida, especially from Orlando Police Chief John Mina:
“If there was any a case for the death penalty, this is the case,” Mina said. “I’ve seen the video, so I know the state attorney has seen the video of (Loyd) standing over defenseless and helpless Lt. Debra Clayton and executing her.”
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