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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 February 10, 2017 39 Comments
Houston, TX, just hosted another Super Bowl to rave reviews, but it may be the last one for the Lone Star State if the state passes its own bathroom bill. From The Houston Chronicle:
"If a proposal that is discriminatory or inconsistent with our values were to become law (in Texas), that would certainly be a factor considered when thinking about awarding future events," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email response to a Chronicle question about the bill.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 10, 2017 11 Comments
President Donald Trump has told Chinese President Xi Jinping that he will honor the "One China" policy, which should ease tensions between the two presidents. From The Financial Times:
The White House released a statement after the FT reported the call between the two men, saying that Mr Trump had agreed “at the request of President Xi” to honour the "one China" policy. “The phone call between President Trump and President Xi was extremely cordial, and both leaders extended best wishes to the people of each other's countries. They also extended invitations to meet in their respective countries," the White House said.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 10, 2017 34 Comments
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos could not enter Jefferson Academy in Washington, D.C., on Friday due to angry protesters. From Mediaite:
“GO BACK!” one of the men can be clearly heard saying. “SHAME! SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!” the small vociferous crowd continued.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 10, 2017 8 Comments
Voting along party lines, the Senate has confirmed Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. The Democrats once again held the Senate to a 30 hour debate to change minds of the Republicans, but failed once again. This is a huge first step for Republicans in Congress who want to repeal and replace Obamacare, which Price "has been prominent in pushing alternatives" to the law.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 09, 2017 14 Comments
Yesterday, during the Senate's debate on Attorney General Jeff Sessions's confirmation, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) mentioned he wouldn't be surprised if Russia made a move to help the Taliban against us and NATO. It appears he was onto something because Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia wants to "legitimize the Taliban" in Afghanistan as a way "to undermine the United States and NATO. From The Hill:
“The Russian involvement this year has become more difficult,” Gen. John Nicholson told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “First, they have begun to publicly legitimize the Taliban. This narrative that they promote is that the Taliban are fighting Islamic State and the Afghan government is not fighting Islamic State and that therefore there could be spillover of this group into the region. This is a false narrative.” “I believe its intent is to undermine the United States and NATO,” he later added.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 09, 2017 7 Comments
On Wednesday evening, the Senate confirmed Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as the next attorney general. Alabama GOP Governor Robert Bentley handed the seat to the state's Attorney General Luther Strange. Strange's swearing in will occur on Thursday.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 08, 2017 28 Comments
The Senate has confirmed Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as the next attorney general. The Democrats attempted to persuade their colleagues with a 24 hour debate, but they lost one of their own. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted yes for Sessions. Therefore, Sessions won with 52 yes votes and 47 no votes. Sessions voted as present. The Democrats have tried to cast Sessions as a racist and an enemy of the gay community. They also don't believe he would stand up to President Donald Trump. But the Republicans, including Sen. Tim Scott (SC), have taken Sessions's side and rebuked all of those claims.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 08, 2017 30 Comments
The Republicans in the House have suggested to overhaul the tax code with a "border-adjustment" proposal, but it has caused a massive split with companies before anyone has even drafted legislation. I brought up this proposal when President Donald Trump explained that he would make Mexico pay for a border wall by placing a 20% tax on imports because it mirrors the House GOP's plan. I also mentioned how these plans will screw the consumer and businesses have started speaking out against it:
Some retailers and other big importers doubt the dollar would rise that much. They warn of tax bills that would exceed profits, forcing them to pass costs to consumers. Some are in the early stages of working on an alternative plan they can present to lawmakers, says a person familiar with those plans.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 07, 2017 23 Comments
As if we needed more proof that we do not fully own our homes or property! Virginia faced three bills to regulate Airbnb type rentals, but only one made it to the Senate floor. Yes, the Virginian government wants to regulate how YOU rent out YOUR property to someone because it's totally their business. The bill from Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment (R-james City County) made it to the floor:
“The shared economy presents a 21st century challenge to the General Assembly,” Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City County, said . “Who would’ve thought it would be like this five years ago?”

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 07, 2017 35 Comments
The Senate has confirmed Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education after Vice President Mike Pence cast his tie-breaking vote for her. DeVos became the most contested nominee for a Cabinet position for President Donald Trump. https://twitter.com/cspan/status/829021954489384960

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 06, 2017 4 Comments
New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett has announced he will skip the team's trip to the White House when President Donald Trump honors them. The Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in a thrilling Super Bowl on Sunday night:
"I haven't thought about it. I am not going to go," the New England Patriots tight end said. "I can elaborate later on in life; right now I am just trying to enjoy this ... People know how I feel about it, just follow me on Twitter."
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