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Today was Day Two in confirmation hearings for Trump Supreme Court Justice nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch. Senators on the Judiciary Committee took turns spending thirty minutes grilling Gorsuch. When it was Sen. Durbin's (D-IL) turn to bat, he flamed out. Gloriously. "Do you believe that there are ever situations where the cost of maternity leave to an employer can justify an employer asking only female applicants and not male applicants about family plans?" Sen. Durbin asked. To which Gorsuch sternly replied, "those are not my words and I would never had said them."

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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.

While the Trump Administration pours cold water on global warming alarmist policies, eco-activists are questing for a scary new pollutant. The bad news: They found one. The good news: The major contributor of plastic microfibers, the pollutant being studied by researchers, are clothing items most enjoyed by environmental justice warriors.
Plastic fibers from yoga pants and fleece jackets may be polluting the oceans and finding their way into fish, oysters, and other wildlife, researchers say. Clothes made from nylon, polyester and other synthetic materials shed microscopic plastic fibers every time they're washed. The 'microfibers' are then flushed into the waterways and eventually make their way into the sea.

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.

Omar Barghouti is considered one of the co-founders of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Barghouti is a Qatari-born Palestinian who lives in Israel because he married an Arab Israeli woman. He also is a Class A propagandist and hypocrite. He demands that others boycott Israeli universities, for example, but also attended Tel Aviv University. Barghouti uses his presence in Israel to preach for the destruction of Israel, as we wrote in BDS Co-founder Omar Barghouti: “the right of our people to the 1948 lands is in danger”:

As the rest of the Morning Joe panel remained in three-alarm, apocalyptic mode this morning, there was one lonely voice bringing some balance to the discussion. MSNBC analyst Mark Halperin said it was "completely improper" of FBI Director James Comey to have revealed the existence of an ongoing investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Rejecting Mika Brzezinski's suggestion that Comey was "compelled" to make the revelation, Halperin added that Comey "says the standard is, if the public is interested in something, I'll reveal an ongoing probe. I've never heard of this standard. I think it's a dangerous one to set."

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."

Democrats are still feeling the sting of defeat over the presidential election and many of them are hopeful for some form of victory in the 2018 midterms. They're going to face a tougher opponent than the Republicans however, and it's coming from inside their own party. The Progressive movement, which makes up a significant portion of the party's base, wants candidates who reflect their values and that doesn't bode well for victory. Alex Seitz-Wald writes at NBC News:
Democrats Beware: Sanders ‘Movement’ Turns to Midterms With Democrats facing tough prospects in the midterm elections, will they also have to worry about primary challenges from their left flank?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's challenger, Social Democratic Party's (SPD) candidate Martin Schulz kicked off his election campaign by bashing U.S. President Donald Trump. Schulz denounced, what he called, U.S. President's "misogynistic, anti-democratic and racist" rhetoric. These latest comments follow SPD candidate's earlier remarks in January when he called President Trump "un-American". Schulz was speaking at the SPD party convention on Sunday that unanimously confirmed him as party's Chancellor candidate. Long-time E.U. insider Schulz is running on the slogan "Make Europe[-an Union] Great Again". He served from 2012 to 2017 as the President of E.U. Parliament.

We reported last week on the unsealing of a criminal complaint against Ahlam al-Tamimi, the mastermind of the 2001 Sbarro Pizzeria suicide bombing in Jerusalem, U.S. to seek extradition of Ahlam Tamimi, the Savage of Sbarro Pizzeria bombing. The Sbarro bombing killed fifteen people, including two American citizens. Ahlam’s only regret, expressed multiple times in interviews (see prior posts) is that she did not kill more people. As we have pointed out in prior posts, Ahlam is a ghoul who took pleasure in killing children, and became joyful when a reporter informed her that more children had been killed than she originally thought.

Rasmea Odeh, a military member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was convicted in 1970 in Israel for the 1969 bombing of the SuperSol supermarket that killed two Hebrew University students, Edward Joffe and Leon Kanner. Rasmea also was convicted of the attempted bombing of the British consulate. Rasmea faces a re-trial in May 2017 on immigration fraud charges, based on her failing to disclose her convictions and imprisonment for the bombings, and her involvement with a terrorist group. Despite the overwhelming evidence of Rasmea's involvement in the supermarket bombing, including video statements for pro-Palestinian documentary films by Rasmea's two co-conspirators, Jewish Voice for Peace has been one of Rasmea's strongest supporters.

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.

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.

It's been almost two years since Sen. Bob Menendez was indicted by a grand jury and charged with fourteen felony counts of criminal corruption. The Democratic Senator from New Jersey was investigated by Eric Holder's Department of Justice and accused of using his federal office to help wealthy dentist and long-time friend and campaign donor, Dr. Salomon Melgen by attempting to sway policy that would be favorable to Melgen's business.

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.

Well-loved educational children's show Sesame Street will soon introduce a new character. Julia will join the Sesame Street crew as the show's first autistic muppet. While the distinction is noteworthy and needed, the show's writers hope Julia will be a seamless part of the cast. "I would love her to be not Julia, the kid on "Sesame Street" who has autism, I would like her to just be Julia," said Christine Ferraro.

Confirmation hearings for Trump Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch begin today. We'll be covering those hearings live. Refresh often for the latest. Gorsuch has spent his post-nomination time rigorously preparing for the hearings. Senate Majority Leader McConnell has promised a confirmation vote before the Senate breaks for Easter recess on April 8.