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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 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."

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 13, 2017 3 Comments
The Senate has confirmed Steven Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary for President Donald Trump's Cabinet. As expected, all Republicans voted for Mnuchin. It was expected to go down party lines, but West Virginia Democrat Senator Joe Manchin voted yes as well. The vote ended 53-47.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 13, 2017 0 Comments
Uh oh. UK Parliament Speaker John Bercow has found himself in deeper water after he revealed to students that he voted for the UK to remain in the European Union on the Brexit vote. From The Telegraph:
His fresh comments appear to breach the convention that Speakers of the House of Commons do not allow themselves to be drawn into political debate.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 13, 2017 27 Comments
New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley, a candidate for the DNC chair, told his fellow Democrats to "grow up" at a forum in Baltimore. Buckley noted that the Democrats did not concentrate on the issues that actually concern regular Americans. From The Daily Mail:
Buckley said the Democrats 'did not offer a positive message to anyone I ... am related to.' 'We did not offer a message to my neighbors, we did not offer a message to the people in Indiana or Ohio or Pennsylvania or Kentucky,' he added, pointing to the states nominee Hillary Clinton lost throughout the Rust Belt.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 13, 2017 22 Comments
So I've kept an eye on the UK parliament ever since Speaker John Bercow announced he did not want President Donald Trump to speak to parliament on his UK visit. At least 163 Members of Parliament (MPs) signed a petition to keep Trump from speaking at Westminster Hall. Well, due to the ruckus, reports have emerged that Trump's visit may occur at the end of summer when parliament is not in session. This means Trump can "avoid a formal snub."

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 12, 2017 14 Comments
No, this is not a joke. No, this has nothing to do with Halloween. The state of Illinois has actually declared October "Zombie Preparedness Month." From The Chicago Tribune:
The measure instead encourages people to learn more about natural disasters and ensure they have emergency supplies that could last up to 72 hours.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 11, 2017 24 Comments
Colorado and Washington, two states that sell marijuana legally, enjoyed hefty sales on the drug in 2016. Colorado sold more than $1.3 billion worth of marijuana and marijuana products while Washington saw $972 million during its 2016 fiscal year. The legal sales meant more tax revenue for the states, which brought in $200 million for Colorado.

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.
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