Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
November 17, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Trump sought options for attacking Iran . . . President Trump asked senior advisers in an Oval Office meeting on Thursday whether he had options to take action against Iran’s main nuclear site in the coming weeks. The meeting occurred a day after international inspectors reported a significant increase in the country’s stockpile of nuclear material, four current and former U.S. officials said on Monday. A range of senior advisers dissuaded the
president from moving ahead with a military strike. The advisers — including Vice President Mike Pence; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Christopher C. Miller, the acting defense secretary; and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — warned that a strike against Iran’s facilities could easily escalate into a broader conflict in the last weeks of Mr. Trump’s presidency. Mr. Trump might still be looking at ways to strike Iranian assets and allies, including militias in
Iraq, officials said. A smaller group of national security aides had met late Wednesday to discuss Iran, the day before the meeting with the president. New York Times
Nearly 40% plan to have more than 10 people at Thanksgiving . . . Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 38 percent are planning a holiday dinner with 10 or more people — and 27 percent don’t plan on practicing social distancing during their celebration, according to the national survey by the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The survey also found that 33 percent percent of respondents said they aren’t likely to ask their guests to wear masks, and 20 percent would not turn away guests who
have virus symptoms. The majority of respondents said they would only break bread and slice turkey with people in their household, and nearly three quarters plan on practicing social distance. New York Post
Diverse governors move to restrict gatherings . . . Several U.S. governors, from the coastal states of New Jersey and California to the heartland of Iowa and Ohio, acted on Monday to restrict gatherings and boost face-coverings in confronting a coronavirus surge they warned is out of control. Each of the four governors, representing both ends of America’s political divide and a mix of urban and rural regions, cited health data showing the pandemic
reaching its most perilous point yet in the United States, threatening to overwhelm hospitals and claim thousands more lives in the weeks ahead. Reuters
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The myth of "violence by both sides . . . One of the most hypocritical and fatuous phenomena of the past several months has been this equivalence struck by the mainstream media between the threat of left-wing and right-wing violence. Despite nightly demonstrations of leftists looting and destroying public
property while even setting up their own “country” inside Seattle, the refrain has been about the equivalent or greater danger from the right. Violent protest would occur if Joe Biden was elected president, and President Trump would stage a coup! As it appears Biden has won, there is no sign of a Trump coup. He is lodging lawsuits, like the Democrats would have certainly done of Biden lost, and preparing to accept the vote of the Electoral College. Meantime, the left is fomenting
violence — after its candidate won! The right is peacefully protesting, and no more. White House Dossier
Today's Trump Schedule
Trump freezes out the 2024 GOP field . . . Kevin Cramer called Donald Trump last week to convey his support for the president’s efforts to contest the election results when Trump dropped a casual aside that snapped the North Dakota senator to attention. “If this doesn’t work out, I’ll just run again in four
years,” Trump said. Cramer could only chuckle at the president musing about the next presidential race while he’s still in office. But to the lineup of Republican hopefuls with their eyes on becoming the GOP’s post-Trump standard bearer, the president’s remark was no laughing matter. While Trump’s loss was supposed to trigger a Republican Party reset, his flirtation with a 2024 bid ensures he’ll remain the dominant force in the party and cast a shadow over anyone looking to succeed
him. Politico
Trump election lawsuits fizzling . . . The Trump campaign and its allies on Monday remained engaged in numerous election-related lawsuits more than a week after former Vice President Joe Biden was projected to win the race, even as the scattershot legal effort has fallen far short of its goal of
changing the election result. To date, the litigation has produced very little for the Trump campaign in terms of court wins, and it has unearthed no credible evidence that systematic fraud or ballot tampering tainted the election, as President Trump continues to baselessly claim. The Hill
Top Republicans start to acknowledge that Biden will be president . . . Congressional Republicans and even a high-ranking White House official have, in recent days, referred to the upcoming change in administration. National security adviser Robert O’Brien promised a “professional transition” of power,
saying it looks like Biden has won the election. Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, acknowledged Biden’s victory. The Hill
Georgia recount unearths 2,600 uncounted ballots . . . More than 2,600 ballots in Georgia’s Floyd County that have not been tallied were recently found during a recount in the state for the 2020 presidential election, according to reports. Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
blamed the problem on Floyd County election officials failing to upload votes from a memory card in a ballot-scanning machine. Fox News
Biden cannot bring himself to condemn violence against Trump supporters . . . This is what’s known as a “cop-out.” Joe Biden refuses to condemn what happened Saturday, when leftist mobs attacked peaceful Trump supporters. Instead, he condemns “all violence.” Imagine if they asked him for comment on Harvey
Weinstein and he said, “I condemn all abusive acts toward women.” Nope. He would say, “I condemn Harvey Weinstein, an awful human being. This is just more evidence the “moderate” Democrats like Biden are in the grip of the extreme left. According to Fox News: President-elect Joe Biden denounced “all acts of violence” in a statement to Fox News after attacks on President Trump’s supporters at the so-called Million MAGA March in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. White House Dossier
Divided Democrats agree on one thing: Raise taxes . . . Competing factions within the Democratic Party agree on one thing: Joseph R. Biden must raise taxes when he is in the White House.
Despite competing visions of how to accomplish a liberal agenda, the political left sees eye to eye on making a top priority of increasing revenue and reversing President Trump’s tax cuts. Americans for Tax Fairness, a coalition with more than 420 national and state-based members, is gearing up for Mr. Biden to overhaul tax policy and follow through on
other campaign promises. Washington Times
And no, it's not just going to be the rich. Once the wealthy have relocated their money to the Caribbean, the Democrats will be after the middle class to pay up, even if they hide the taxes in "fees" or whatever.
Christiane Amanpour apologizes for Trump Nazi comparison . . . CNN’s chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has issued an apology following outrage from Israel after she compared the Trump administration to the Nazi’s Kristallnacht attack on Jewish people. She said Kristallnacht 'was the Nazis' warning shot across the bow of our human civilization that led to genocide and, in that tower of burning books, it led to an
attack on fact, knowledge, history and proof.' 'After four years of a modern-day assault on those same values by Donald Trump, the Biden-Harris team pledges a return to normal,' she added. Daily Mail
Ilhan Omar cuts ties with husband's firm after $3M in campaign payments . . . Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota announced Sunday that she had severed financial ties with her husband’s consulting firm after her campaign had divvied out nearly $3 million to the company. Omar’s campaign was the largest known client of Tim Mynett’s firm, E Street Group, having paid the firm $2.78 million since July 2019, Federal Election Commission (FEC)
records show. Daily Mail
How is this not self-dealing? Where's the outrage? Imagine if Trump was paying $3 million to Don Jr. for his work?
Joe, Kamala? Are you going to condemn these remarks? Probably no more than you condemned the rioters who attacked Trump supporters Saturday.
GOP lawmakers seek to impeach Michigan Gov. Whitmer . . . Michigan state Rep. Matt Maddock (R) said on Sunday that he and a “growing list of Michigan Legislators” will work to impeach Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). "Today, myself and a growing list of Michigan Legislators have decided that @GovWhitmer has crossed the line and will be calling for #ImpeachWhitmer hearings," Maddock tweeted. "The list of violations is long and the
call is overdue." This announcement comes a day after Michigan health officials announced new, targeted restrictions set to begin on Wednesday that affect bars, restaurants and schools. The Hill
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Trump draws up plans to withdraw troops from Iraq, Afghanistan . . . President Trump is expected to order the Pentagon to withdraw more forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, furthering his promise to end U.S. involvement in world conflicts and defying many Republicans who believe a
precipitous withdrawal would amount to a strategic stumble. The orders, which could come by Tuesday, would call for the U.S. military to draw down the number of troops in both countries to roughly 2,500 each by Jan. 15, five days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. There are currently about 5,000 troops in Afghanistan and more than 3,000 in Iraq. Wall Street Journal
McConnell compares Afghanistan withdrawal to Vietnam . . . Mitch McConnell publicly challenged the Trump administration's intent to reportedly remove troops from Afghanistan and Iraq - dwindling numbers to just 2,500 in each country.'The consequences of a premature American
exit would likely be even worse than President Obama's withdrawal from Iraq back in 2011, which fueled the rise of ISIS and a new round of global terrorism,' McConnell argued from the Senate floor. 'It would be reminiscent of the humiliating American departure from Saigon in 1975. We'd be abandoning our partners in Afghanistan.' Daily Mail
White House prepares for final crackdown on China . . . The White House aims to enact a new crackdown on Beijing for its human-rights abuses and threats to national security during the final 10 weeks of President Donald Trump’s term. Trump administration officials plan to roll out
a series of new sanctions on China that will target the regime's oppressive domestic policies and belligerence toward the United States. Washington Free Beacon
Kissinger warns of World War I repeat . . . Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said the incoming Biden administration should move quickly to restore lines of communication with China that frayed during the Trump years or risk a crisis that could escalate into military
conflict. “Unless there is some basis for some cooperative action, the world will slide into a catastrophe comparable to World War I,” Kissinger said. He said military technologies available today would make such a crisis “even more difficult to control” than those of earlier eras. Bloomberg
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Category Four storm hits Nicaragua . . . A powerful hurricane has brought torrential rains and strong winds to Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, two weeks after another devastating storm hit.
Iota made landfall as a category four storm near the town of Puerto Cabezas, where patients had to be evacuated from a makeshift hospital after its roof was ripped off. Residents are in shelters, and there are fears of food shortages. Iota struck Nicaragua on Monday evening with sustained winds of nearly 155mph (250km/h), the NHC said. It strengthened at sea to a category five storm but it weakened as it made landfall. BBC
Cue the unappreciated massive US aid.
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Elon Musk to pass Mark Zuckerberg as world's third richest . . . Elon Musk is poised to become the third-richest person in the world, passing up Mark Zuckerberg, after his electric car company Tesla was selected to join the S&P 500. The news led Musk’s net worth to swell by more than $15billion in extended trading, lifting his fortune to $117.5billion. Daily Mail
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Jews top target of hate crimes . . . American Jews were the religious group most targeted by hate crimes in 2019, the FBI reported Monday, facing more than 60 percent of anti-religious bias incidents.
The number of anti-Semitic hate-crime incidents rose 14 percent in 2019, data from the bureau's annual hate-crime statistical report show, with police departments reporting 953
events and 1,032 victims. That is 82 more incidents than in 2018, continuing a rising trend over the past half decade. Washington Free Beacon
Support for gun control drops as sales skyrocket . . . A new poll indicates support for stricter gun control laws fell significantly as Americans flocked to gun stores at a record pace in 2020. Support for stricter gun laws fell by 7 percentage points from 2019, according to
a poll released by Gallup on Monday. The drop comes as gun sales soar; 2020 has already set an all-time buying record with about 40 percent of sales going to first-time owners, according to industry estimates. Washington Free Beacon
Legal ownership of a gun is the best antidote to gun control. Once you won one for the first time, you understand.
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Deer seeks education . . . A pair of teachers at an Indiana middle school received a fright when a deer came crashing through a window into their classroom. Fort Wayne Community Schools said two teachers were inside the classroom at Blackhawk Middle School in Fort Wayne when the deer came crashing in through the upper section of a window. No students were present at the time. Police and Animal Care and Control
personnel arrived on the scene and broke the bottom part of the window to allow the deer to make its escape and run off. UPI
I think we can assume from it entering a middle school that the deer has already completed elementary school. But with the way students are taught these days, what does that even mean?
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Keith
Keith Koffler
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