Trump praises military for keeping US 'safe, strong, proud'

President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised the U.S. military for keeping America "safe, strong, proud, mighty and free" and used the Independence Day holiday to thank them for being willing to put their lives on the line in defense of the nation.
"Two hundred and 42 years ago on July 4, 1776, America's founders adopted the Declaration of independence and changed the course of human history," said Trump, addressing hundreds of military families attending a White House picnic from a balcony overlooking the South Lawn of the White House.
"But our freedom exists only because there are brave Americans willing to give their lives, to defend it and defend our great country," added Trump, who was accompanied by his wife, Melania. "America's liberty has been earned through the blood, sweat and sacrifice of American patriots."
Trump and the first lady later returned to the balcony toward the end of a nationally televised concert from the South Lawn and stayed for the annual fireworks show on the National Mall. Trump pumped both fists several times at the end of the show before he went back inside the White House.
Trump was not expected on Wednesday to interview candidates for the Supreme Court, taking a holiday respite from the intense process. He has spoken with seven candidates, according to the White House, and will announce his choice for a successor to retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday.
Before greeting guests on the lawn during the picnic, Trump praised service members and their families as "truly unbelievable people."
"Thank you for keeping America safe, strong, proud, mighty and free," he said.
The White House invited some 1,500 military families to the picnic, according to the first lady's office, with 5,500 more invited for the fireworks. Several Cabinet secretaries attended the picnic, including embattled Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.
Entertainers appearing at the 90-minute concert that was televised by the Hallmark Channel included singer-songwriter Sara Evans, pianist Lola Astanova and former "American Idol" finalists Jonny Brenns and Jax.

Trump slams OPEC on Twitter over gas prices, says cartel is 'doing little to help'

President Trump aimed pointed criticism at the OPEC oil cartel on Twitter Wednesday, saying it was "doing little to help" high gas prices in the U.S.
"If anything, they are driving prices higher as the United States defends many of their members for very little $’s," Trump claimed. "This must be a two way street. REDUCE PRICING NOW!"
Last month, OPEC's 15 member states agreed to to pump one million barrels more crude oil daily, a move that should help contain the recent rise in global energy prices. However, there has been little discernible effect on American gas prices.
According to AAA, the national average gas price Wednesday was $2.86 per gallon, the highest in four years. However, the organization said that was 11 cents cheaper than the average price this past Memorial Day.
Over the weekend, Trump said he had received assurances from King Salman of Saudi Arabia that the kingdom would increase oil production by "maybe up to 2,000,000 barrels." Saudi Arabia acknowledged the call took place, but mentioned no production targets.
The Trump administration has pushed U.S. allies to end all purchases of oil from Iran after the president pulled America out of the 2015 nuclear deal this past May. Prices also have risen with ongoing unrest in Venezuela and fighting in Libya over control of that country's oil infrastructure.
The administration has been counting on Saudi Arabia and the other OPEC members to supply enough oil to offset the lost Iranian exports and prevent oil prices from rising sharply.
On Wednesday, the price of Brent crude oil stood at $78.16 a barrel, while U.S. benchmark crude stood at $74.14 a barrel

President Trump shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House in March  (AP)

Saudi Arabia currently produces some 10 million barrels of crude oil a day. Its record is 10.72 million barrels a day. Trump's tweet offered no timeframe for the additional 2 million barrels — whether that meant per day or per month.
However, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser told journalists in India on Monday that the state oil company has spare capacity of 2 million barrels of oil a day. That was after Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said the kingdom would honor the OPEC decision to stick to a 1-million-barrel increase.
"Saudi Arabia obviously can deliver as much as the market would need, but we're going to be respectful of the 1-million-barrel cap — and at the same time be respectful of allocating some of that to countries that deliver it," al-Falih said then.
The administration has threatened close allies such as South Korea with sanctions if they don't cut off Iranian imports by early November. South Korea accounted for 14 percent of Iran's oil exports last year, according to the U.S. Energy Department.
China is the largest importer of Iranian oil with 24 percent, followed by India with 18 percent. Turkey stood at 9 percent and Italy at 7 percent.
The State Department has said it expects the "vast majority" of countries will comply with the U.S. request.

'Their Party Has No Future': Former Democrat Urges Liberals to 'Walk Away' From Democratic Party

The creator of a social media campaign urging liberals to detach themselves from the Democratic Party said that the future of the party is over.
Brandon Straka started the "#WalkAway Campaign," which shares video stories of people who decide to dissociate themselves from liberalism.
According to the movement's Facebook page, it's meant to "encourage and support those on the left to walk away from the divisive tenets."
Straka appeared on The Ingraham Angle Tuesday and said that negative rhetoric spoken by the left and intolerance it has shown has been a big reason as to why he's walked away.

Woman escorted down after scaling Statue of Liberty following anti-ICE protests

A woman was escorted down from the Statue of Liberty on Wednesday after she scaled the bottom part of the national monument in protest of U.S. immigration policy, sparking a nearly four-hour standoff with authorities.
The woman, identified as Therese Okoumou, appeared to be sitting near the feet of Lady Liberty — roughly 25 feet above the monument's observation point. She was apprehended by police Wednesday, hours after she ascended the monument on Independence Day.

At least one person is scaling the Statue of Liberty after an "Abolish ICE" protest resulted in multiple arrests.  (Danny Owens)

Video taken by news helicopters showed two New York Police Department officers, attached to tethers, climb up to the base around 6:15 p.m. — the time of the park's closing — and apprehend the woman.
The park was shut down hours before closing time and was evacuated as a precaution, a National Park Service official told Fox News.

In a tweet, activists with the group Rise and Resist said the person climbing the statue has no affiliation with the earlier protest.  (Danny Owens)

Brian Glacken, a detective with the NYPD Emergency Service Unit, said at a news conference late Wednesday that after receiving a call about the woman just after 3 p.m., officers made their way to the base of the statue, where the woman was located, and had a conversation with her.
"She was basically up there saying about the children in Texas. She just mentioned the kids in Texas," Glacken said, confirming the woman was protesting the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy.
The detective said initially the woman "wasn't friendly," but eventually they developed "a rapport with her so she would trust us."
At least 16 ESU personnel were involved in the rescue.
The woman had participated in an earlier protest Wednesday with New York-based activist group Rise and Resist, which organized the demonstration, which resulted in at least six arrests.
The group of roughly 40 demonstrators hung a banner emblazoned with a message about abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
The group initially tweeted that the climber had "no connection" to their demonstration, but group member Jay Walker later said she was involved but no one knew she planned to climb the Statue of Liberty.
"We don't know whether she had this planned before she ever got to Liberty Island or whether it was a spur-of-the-moment decision," Walker told The Associated Press. He said regardless, he felt the stunt was good publicity.
But National Park Service spokesman Jerry Willis said he "feel[s] really sorry for those visitors today" who had to leave the statue and Liberty Island or couldn't come because it was evacuated. "People have the right to speak out. I don't think they have the right to co-opt the Statue of Liberty to do it."

The woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty protested alongside New York-based activist group Rise and Resist earlier on Wednesday before scaling the national monument.  (Danny Owens)

The Statue of Liberty was gifted to the U.S. by France in 1886. It became a welcoming symbol for immigrants and refugees coming to the U.S.

July 4th Cartoons

Remember Them.

As you celebrate July Fourth, remember our often forgotten heroes. They paid a terrible price for our freedoms

God Bless America

 By Damon Friedman | Fox News

As you celebrate the Fourth of July, please remember our often forgotten heroes. They paid a terrible price for our freedoms.

Many of them have served in America’s longest war – the War on Terror that began on Sept. 11, 2001 when Islamic terrorists seized four airliners and killed almost 3,000 Americans at the World Trade Center in New York City; at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia; and in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

There is no end in sight to this war. Already, more Americans have served in it than the Vietnam War. Sadly, the war often continues inside, after the warrior returns home.
As an Air Force lieutenant colonel who spent four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, I know many of these warriors. We’d call them patriots, but they would say that they were just doing their job. They were fulfilling their oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
We’d say that’s a noble thing. They’d say they just wanted to serve because they love their country and wanted to protect their families.
Many of them came back to us as broken, shattered people incapable of enjoying the life they once knew. Their stories are full of pain and heartache. They suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), finding themselves unable to adjust to civilian life, haunted by the things they did and the things they saw.
These veterans may experience enormous grief over the loss of fellow comrades and guilt over decisions they made or actions they took. So many of them also experience a deep sense of hopelessness and loss of purpose. They feel isolated and alone, unable to reconnect to family and friends. Many of their marriages end in divorce.
Besides such clinical issues as hyper-vigilance, sleeplessness or intrusive thoughts, most of these heroes suffer from uncontrolled anger and irritability. Anger is easily triggered by a sight, a smell or a thought.
Some try to drown their pain in alcohol or take it out on others in various forms of abuse, such as domestic violence or road rage. Some, finding themselves at wits’ end, attempt to end their pain by suicide. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), some 20 veterans commit suicide every day – 10 times the number who die in combat.
The VA has implemented numerous programs to address the issues of returning service members. It has made a concerted effort to help our veterans. But much more needs to be done. The solution lies in taking a holistic approach that addresses their physical, emotional and spiritual problems. Failing to address the spiritual component is leaving a gaping hole in the treatment of our warriors.
Fortunately, a number of ministries have stepped forward to do battle for the hearts and minds of our troubled heroes. At SOF Missions, our approach is based on complete surrender to God. When a warrior comes to the place of surrender, he or she realizes the battle can’t be won alone.
The enemy, in whatever form it takes – PTSD, alcoholism or abuse – is just too strong. Some wounds, only God can heal.
Through Him, warriors experience healing and find lasting peace. He is the only one who can take the guilt, anger and bitterness away, and bring a person into a place of hope, peace and lasting rest.

Supreme Court's Janus ruling will end cash cow for liberal activists: experts

The battle over unions collecting money from non-members moved from the Supreme Court to the court of public employee’s opinion.
On the same day the court announced its ruling in the Janus case barring public sector unions from automatically collecting fees from government workers who choose not to join the union, libertarian groups were outside government buildings passing out literature.
“We’re planning an all-of-the above comprehensive educational campaign to reach those public employees and let them know about their Constitutional rights,” said Maxford Nelsen from the Freedom Foundation, a Libertarian think-tank based in Washington State.
Nelsen has been down this road before. The Freedom Foundation won a smaller but similar ruling in state court four years ago. Since then, his group has been trying to spread the word, but the unions have blocked access to personal contact information. Some of the affected state workers still have not been notified.
Greg Devereux, executive director of the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), said his members want their personal information blocked.
SUPREME COURT'S JANUS DECISION COULD HURT UNIONS' POLITICAL MIGHT IN MIDTERMS
“Freedom Foundation cares about one thing, and that’s the power of collective voice of people,” said Devereux, “They don’t like that. That’s why they’re trying to destroy us.”
According to unionstats.com, most of the fallout from the SCOTUS ruling will be in the Northeast and along the West Coast where there are no right-to-work laws. While nationally just one-third of government workers belong to unions, the penetration is much higher in blue coastal states. In New York, 71 percent of public sector employees pay union dues, followed closely by Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maine, California and Washington state.
Organized labor held rallies last week blasting the court ruling and vowing to only get stronger.
“This was one of the dumbest things they could possibly do. It will energize unions in this country and you will see a resurgence,” said Devereux.
Unions are also waging an information campaign selling members on the value of staying in the union and paying those dues and fees. Stephen Baker, who is a state health worker and belongs to WFSE, needs no convincing.
SUPREME COURT RULING IN JANUS UNION CASE SPARKS REACTIONS FROM TRUMP, OTHER LAWMAKERS
“Those people who say they have no voice, the union is the bulwark,” Baker said, “it is the foundation of democracy in this country.”
But Paul Vilja disagrees. He’s a registered nurse working at Western State Hospital and a 29-year member of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). He’s also a lifelong Republican who says the union’s political contributions do not reflect his values.
“I have a voice, and they have to win me back, and they’re welcome to win me back if they’re going to be bipartisan,” Vilja said.
Union leaders contend their political activism is all geared toward getting union workers better pay and job protections. But one party gets the lions share. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, in the 2016 election cycle, public sector unions spent $64.6 million on campaigns. Ninety percent went to Democrats.
The Freedom Foundation said that cash cow for liberal activists is now over.
“Allowing unions that ability to compel people to pay them gives them an undue influence, an inflated voice, if you will,” Nelsen said, “because you’re taking these people along for the ride that don’t support the union’s agenda.”

Judge tosses suit alleging Trump campaign conspired with Russians in hack: report

U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle

A federal judge on Tuesday tossed a lawsuit claiming that the Trump campaign and former adviser Roger Stone colluded with WikiLeaks and the Russian government to publish hacked Democratic National Committee emails during the presidential election.
U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle said in a ruling that the allegations of conspiracy were insubstantial to proceed in a court, Politico reported.
"The Trump Campaign’s efforts to elect President Trump in D.C. are not suit-related contacts for those efforts did not involve acts taken in furtherance of the conspiracies to disseminate emails that harmed plaintiffs," wrote the Clinton-appointed judge. "Campaign meetings, canvassing voters, and other regular business activities of a political campaign do not constitute activities related to the conspiracies alleged in the complaint.”
She noted that her ruling is based on the technicalities of the lawsuit and doesn’t take a position on whether the Trump campaign and its officials actually conspired with the Russians during the election.
"It bears emphasizing that this Court’s ruling is not based on a finding that there was no collusion between defendants and Russia during the 2016 presidential election," Huvelle wrote. "This is the wrong forum for plaintiffs’ lawsuit. The Court takes no position on the merits of plaintiffs’ claims."
The lawsuit was brought by two DNC donors, Roy Cockrum and Eric Schoenberg, and former DNC staffer Scott Comer, who alleged that the publication of the emails violated their privacy and that the Trump campaign and Stone engaged in an illicit activity, according to Politico.
The DNC itself wasn’t part of the suit, though it had brought a separate lawsuit back in April, accusing top Trump campaign officials, including Trump's son Donald Jr. and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner of colluding with the Russians.
Stone’s role in WikiLeaks activities raised concerns after the revelations that he reportedly exchanged messages with both WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 – a social media account that U.S. intelligence agencies believe was part of the “Russian military intelligence” effort to spread the hacked emails, The Daily Beast reported.
Despite the setback, the group that filed the lawsuit, Protect Democracy, said it will refile the case elsewhere.
"While we are disappointed in and respectfully disagree with today’s decision from the District Court to dismiss this case on the grounds that it does not belong in Washington, D.C., this case is far from over," Protect Democracy's Ian Bassin said in a statement to Politico. "It is clear that the Court recognizes that there is sufficient evidence to suggest a conspiracy between the Trump Campaign and the Kremlin, but believes this case belongs in a different court. What today’s decision indicates is that the merits of this case will proceed somewhere,” he added.

Dershowitz unloads on NY socialist Dem, Martha's Vineyard liberals

Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz said Tuesday he won’t let radicals like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders steal the spirit of the Democratic Party and doubled-down on his attack on fellow liberals who “shunned” him at Martha's Vineyard.
“I won’t let the Democrats steal my party from me. I want to regain the center,” Dershowitz told WABC Radio’s “Curtis and Cosby” show, noting that he will remain a Democrat as “as long as there’s some chance the Democratic Party can return to normalcy.”
“I want to make sure that the radical Left, the woman who got elected in the Bronx and Queens to Congress on the Democratic ticket, that they and Sanders and others don’t represent the Democratic Party,” he continued, referring to socialist Ocasio-Cortez who pulled off a shock victory last week against incumbent Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowley.
“I want a fight within the Democratic Party to restore it to the days when it was a great centrist party, when it united people rather than divided people,” he added.

"I want a fight within the Democratic Party to restore it to the days when it was a great centrist party, when it united people rather than divided people."
- Alan Dershowitz

ALAN DERSHOWITZ SLAMS MARTHA’S VINEYARD LIBERALS FOR ‘SHUNNING’ HIM OVER TRUMP DEFENSE
Dershowitz, a frequent guest on Fox News, also weighed in on the controversy surrounding his recent claims that he was ostracized at Martha’s Vineyard by his fellow liberals over his defense of constitutional rights of President Donald Trump.
“The idea that some of these people aren’t talking to me is not a punishment, it’s a great reward. I am so pleased,” he said during the interview. “It’s a red badge of courage for me that there are some people who prefer to shut down debate and not talk to me.”
“These are people who have asked me for help over the years, who have asked me for support when their kid gets busted on a marijuana charge, or on possession of alcohol, I’m the first one they call,” he added. “But as soon as I defend the rights of Donald Trump or anybody else they disagree with, I’m am a pariah.”

“These are people who have asked me for help over the years, who have asked me for support when their kid gets busted on a marijuana charge, or on possession of alcohol, I’m the first one they call."
- Alan Dershowitz on Martha's Vineyard liberals

Dershowitz wrote in The Hill that he is a liberal Democrat who voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and contributing “handsomely” to her campaign. But he said his principled defense of civil liberties that could benefit Trump was too much to swallow for his social circle.
“So they are shunning me and trying to ban me from their social life on Martha’s Vineyard,” he wrote.

Rachel Dolezal Cartoons