Jorge Ramos Cartoons

Gayle King may need to leave CBS role if Oprah Winfrey runs for president, observers say

"CBS This Morning" co-anchor Gayle King might have to leave the program if her longtime friend and confidant Oprah Winfrey runs for president, media watchers suggested Tuesday.

King’s close relationship with Winfrey would present a potentially significant conflict of interest that could undermine public confidence in CBS’s reporting, several commentators said.

The two women have been good friends since they both worked at a Baltimore television station in their early 20s.
On Tuesday, CBS anchors Norah O'Donnell and Jeff Glor interviewed King about Winfrey’s plans on "CBS This Morning," without mentioning the close relationship between the two women.
King, who attended the Golden Globe Awards ceremony Sunday night and spent several hours with Winfrey afterward, said her friend was intrigued by the idea of a candidacy, but didn't think she was "actively considering" it.
King added that "there are people who have said they want to be her campaign manager, who want to quit their jobs and campaign for her."
GAYLE KING: 'I ABSOLUTELY DON'T THINK THAT HER POSITION HAS CHANGED'
Tim Graham, director of media analysis for the conservative watchdog Media Research Center, said King's job "is like having an Oprah press spokesperson on staff. She's helping Oprah milk the speculation for all it's worth."
If Winfrey’s candidacy becomes real, "Gayle's gotta leave," declared CNN's morning host, Chris Cuomo.
"I have the right to change my opinion," added Cuomo, whose brother -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo -- has been mentioned as a potential 2020 presidential contender. "Does she have to leave? Maybe she does. I guess they could do the coverage in a way where she never handles it. But it would raise questions with people."
CBS will address the apparent conflict of interest if it becomes a problem, CBS News President David Rhodes said.
"It's difficult to be part of the news when you cover the news and she helped people understand what was going on with the story," Rhodes said.
King's insight is useful as long as chatter about Winfrey's candidacy is a parlor game and not reality, said Al Tompkins, an instructor in broadcast journalism for the Poynter Institute.
"The relationship between King and Winfrey is well known and viewers can filter what they hear from Gayle through that filter," Tompkins said. "If Oprah did run, it would be a tougher relationship to navigate. ... Today, with so many people being so skeptical or cynical of what they see, hear and read in journalism, the cleaner we can keep the lines between journalists and politicians the better."
Mark Feldstein, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland, said CBS News would have to take King off campaign stories if Winfrey were to run. That could be awkward for the show's format; the three hosts often sit at a table and discuss stories or interview newsmakers together. (King and O'Donnell will soon be joined by John Dickerson, whom CBS named Tuesday as the replacement for Charlie Rose, who left "CBS This Morning" in November after allegations of sexual misconduct.)
"The public needs to be assured that the news they get is as objective as humanly possible," Feldstein said. "That obviously is not the case if an anchor is reporting on a close friend."

Trump deserves 'big credit' for sparking North Korea talks, South Korea's president says

President Trump deserves “big credit” for kicking off the first talks between Pyongyang and Seoul in more than two years, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday.

North Korea agreed Tuesday to send a delegation to next month’s Winter Olympics, which are set to begin next month in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The rival nations’ talks are the first sign of a possible thaw in their relationship.

Officials from North Korea meet with South Korea about the Winter Olympics.  (AP)

The talks were held for the first time since 2015 and Moon credited Trump for sparking them, according to Reuters.
“I think President Trump deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks,” Moon said at a news conference. “It could be a resulting work of the U.S.-led sanctions and pressure.”
Trump and North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un have gone tit-for-tat with threats and insults over the last year as the rogue regime bolstered its nuclear strength.
The U.S. had expressed concerns that North Korea’s willingness to talk with Seoul could drive a wedge in their relationship, but Moon downplayed that notion saying the main goal was still a denuclearized peninsula.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in answers reporters' question during his New Year news conference at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul  (AP)

“The denuclearization of the Korean peninsula the two Koreas agreed upon jointly [in the past] is our basic stance that will never be given up,” Moon said.
North Korea said it would still not discuss its nuclear weapons program with South Korea because its arsenal was only aimed at the U.S.
“North Korea’s weapons are only aimed at the United States, not our brethren, China or Russia,” said Ri Son Gwon, the head of North Korea’s five-member delegation at the talks with South Korea.
Ri added discussing North Korea’s nuclear program will only damage ties with South Korea.
A hat tip from South Korea to Trump could signal another foreign policy win for the administration that started the year with a ton of momentum after defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The Trump administration authorized a more intensive air strategy, which left the so-called “caliphate” decimated. The terror group lost 98 percent of its territory it once held, U.S. military officials said in December.
U.S. officials said fewer than 1,000 ISIS fighters remain in Iraq and Syria, down from a peak of nearly 45,000 two years ago.

'That's Deeply Disingenuous': Carlson Battles Jorge Ramos Over DREAMers, Chain Migration

Tucker Carlson debated Mexican-American journalist Jorge Ramos on the prospect of legalizing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants.
"I never thought I would be on Fox News listening to you criticize President Trump," Ramos said, referring to Carlson's opening monologue.
Ramos said Trump's eagerness to cut an immigration deal surprised him, but added that he didn't trust the president to follow through on such a liberal promise.

Thanks to all of the Republican and Democratic lawmakers for today’s very productive meeting on immigration reform. There was strong agreement to negotiate a bill that deals with border security, chain migration, lottery and DACA. https://t.co/SdqAQ3aL3z pic.twitter.com/8DYHZHspAy

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018

The Fusion TV anchor told Carlson that Americans are to blame for the amount of illegals in the country, citing the number that work as agriculture harvesters and hotel maids.

What kind of immigration reform is this? Nobody is talking about a solution for the 11M undocumented here. BTW they’re not going away. They’re here because of us and they deserve a chance to legalize their status.

— JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) January 9, 2018

"I find your premise somehow deeply disingenuous," Carlson responded. "[It's] not because of me. It's because a small number of employers wanted to pay less for labor and the Democratic Party wanted voters."
He asked Ramos why Americans should allow Democratic policies to import a new electorate and have them decide who runs their government.
Regarding "chain migration," Ramos said he prefers the term "family reunification" and asked Carlson if he enjoys spending time together with his family.
Carlson dismissed Ramos' premise, saying the argument is a backdoor way to accuse people who disagreed with him of bigotry.

A “Bill of Love”? Hard to believe that the same president @realDonaldTrump that ended DACA now wants to help 800,000 Dreamers and follow, next, with legalizing 11M.

The fact is that this goverment ended DACA, TPS, and is trying to cut legal migration. Rest is just talk.
— JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) January 9, 2018

Ramos said Trump's previous opposition to chain migration of Hispanic and Asian immigrants is code for "Make America White Again."

Judge rules against Trump administration on rescinding DACA

A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday barred the Trump administration from turning back the Obama-era DACA program, which shielded more than 700,000 people from deportation, Reuters reported.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that the program must stay intact during litigation is played out. 

Alsup ordered that until a final judgement is reached, the program must continue and those already approved for DACA protections and work permits must be allowed to renew them before they expire.

As I made very clear today, our country needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018

Dreamers who have never received DACA protections, however, will not be allowed to apply, Alsup ordered. Trump last year ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. He gave Congress until March to find a fix.
The Department of Justice said in a statement that the ruling does not change the department's position on the facts.

"DACA was implemented unilaterally after Congress declined to extend these benefits to this same group of illegal aliens. As such, it was an unlawful circumvention of Congress, and was susceptible to the same legal challenges that effectively ended DAPA," the statement read.
Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program was intended to keep the immigrant parents safe from deportation and provide them with a renewable work permit good for two years, but it was blocked by a federal judge after 26 states filed suit against the federal government and challenged the effort's legality.
Trump said he was willing to be flexible on DACA in finding an agreement as Democrats warned that the lives of hundreds of thousands of immigrants hung in the balance.
“I think my positions are going to be what the people in this room come up with,” Trump said during a Cabinet Room meeting with a bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump appeared optimistic that Congress could reach a decision on the program.
Trump ended DACA in September. Immigration advocates estimate that more than 100 people a day lose the protected status because they did not renew their permits before the deadline, The Journal reported.
Trump is using border security—including a border wall-- as a bargaining chip and Democrats want to use their sway on the spending bill to protect immigrants under DACA.  
The plaintiffs in the suit included, among others, attorneys general from California, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and the University of California
Xavier Becerra, California’s attorney general, filed a motion seeking the preliminary injunction in November, saying that the move is in violation of the U.S. Constitution and causes “irreparable” harm to DACA recipients.
Becerra said in a statement late Tuesday that the ruling is a “huge step in the right direction.”
“America is and has been home to Dreamers who courageously came forward, applied for DACA and did everything the federal government asked of them,” he said. “They followed DACA’s rules, they succeeded in school, at work and in business, and they have contributed in building a better America.”

Oprah Winfrey Cartoons. Would you really want to go down that path again?

Would you really want to go down that path again?

Would you really want to go down that path again?

Future president of America?

Stephen Miller calls CNN 'extraordinarily biased' after chaotic Jake Tapper interview, denies being escorted off set

White House policy adviser Stephen Miller, an architect of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Monday night he was not escorted from “extraordinarily biased” CNN after his fiery interview with Jake Tapper flew off the rails the day before.

“Like many things CNN says, this story has the most important virtue of all CNN stories, of being not true,” Miller told Carlson. “It’s an amusing story, but not a true one.”

Miller added, “CNN has been extraordinarily biased, extraordinarily unfair to the president, and is not giving viewers honest information.”
Carlson asked if Miller would be escorted out by security if he were an MS-13 gang member illegally in America.
Miller responded that if he were an MS-13 gang member, “they would be clamoring to get me into the voting booth.”
His interview with Tapper on “State of the Union” Sunday morning ultimately turned into a shout-fest, with the CNN star eventually cutting it off entirely.
The CNN anchor said, “I’ve wasted enough of my viewers’ time,” when the two men couldn’t come to an on-camera agreement regarding Michael Wolff’s controversial anti-Trump book.
Fox News previously reported that the conversation continued off-camera immediately after Tapper cut Miller off and the show went to commercial. Miller and Tapper argued until the commercial break was about to wrap up and the live set had to be cleared.
“I let you give like a three-minute filibuster at the very top,” Tapper said before Miller fired back, “You gave me two minutes.”
Miller said the leak of this post-interview exchange is evident of CNN’s “low journalistic standards.”
Miller appeared on Carlson’s show to further discuss Trump’s immigration policies: ending chain migration, ending the diversity lottery, and financing the border wall.
He said Trump’s immigration reform is based on that the country should be as loyal to Americans as Americans are loyal to the U.S. — citizens who obey the laws, follow the rules, pay their taxes, and show up and vote.
“Donald Trump has a very ‘radical’ idea. And that’s that when we make changes to our immigration laws, the group we should be most concerned about are hardworking, everyday Americans. The citizens who make this country run,” Miller told Carlson.
Miller said the tougher vetting procedures must happen because immigrants should only be allowed in America if they add value to the economy.
Miller told Carlson, “We can have an immigration system that 10, 20, 30, 50 years from now produces more assimilation, higher wages, more economic opportunity, and better prospects for immigrants and U.S.-born alike.”

Trump stands for national anthem at NCAA game; Alabama player heard saying 'F--- Trump'

Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough yells “F— Trump” before tonight’s title game. Future Football Hero for your Kids to Worship.

President Trump brought his fight against national anthem-kneelers to the field of the NCAA championship football game in Atlanta on Monday night, standing and singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Meanwhile, one Alabama player -- identified as running back Bo Scarbrough -- was heard yelling 'F--- Trump' before the game, Sporting News reported, showing video of the team apparently walking off the field after pregame warmups.

Trump was announced to a varied combination of cheers and jeers as he entered the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a dark suit and red tie. Waving and smiling to the crowd of thousands, Trump walked onto the field to hear the Zac Brown Band sing the anthem.
With his right hand on his heart, Trump smiled and occasionally sang along with the band.
President Trump attended the NCAA championship game in Atlanta on Monday, standing for the National Anthem prior to the start of the game.  (AP)
Both the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide stayed back in the locker room as the anthem played, which is common among college football teams. They stormed the field shortly afterwards.
But Trump left the game before rapper Kendrick Lamar started his halftime performance nearby.
Plans for the president’s visit had been met with criticism from the NAACP.
Atlanta's NAACP chapter said on its Facebook page that fans inside the stadium for the College Football Playoff title should send Trump a message by waving white towels "simulating a blizzard."
"We will not let the President’s visit go without a response. If you are lucky enough to attend the game, we encourage you to bring a white towel to wave simulating a blizzard while the president is in the packed stadium," the group said. "Trump supporters mockingly call the opposition snowflakes, but when we come together we create a mighty storm."
Trump’s appearance at the game followed a speech he gave in Nashville earlier Monday to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Convention.
"In every decision we make, we are honoring America's proud farming legacy," the president said during the event touting his administration's accomplishments. The "American dream," the president said, "is roaring back to life."

The pundits swoon over Oprah for 2020 – but running for president is brutal

She really looks presidential :-) 

'MediaBuzz' host Howard Kurtz weighs in on the mainstream media swooning over the possibility of Oprah Winfrey running for president, but why talk of running is sometimes better than actually running.

Oprah Winfrey suddenly has the best of all worlds—a flood of gushing praise about the possibility of running for president without actually having to do it.

And if she does do it, well, she’ll quickly learn that being an entertainment icon is far easier than taking positions on tough issues and dealing with a tsunami of political attacks.

What, for instance, is Oprah’s position on trade with China? Chain migration? Arming Syrian rebels? Financing infrastructure projects? It’s one thing to be a hugely successful talk show host and a pal of Barack Obama, and another to take on the world’s problems in a hyperpolarized atmosphere.
In the wake of her Golden Globes speech Sunday night, Oprah’s people were talking up the prospect. Her longtime partner Stedman Graham told the L.A. Times, “It's up to the people. She would absolutely do it."
And NBC seemed to be on board. “Nothing but respect for OUR future president,” the network tweeted in a huge embarrassment for its news division. (NBC yesterday deleted the tweet, saying it had been posted by a “third party” and was supposed to relate to a joke on the show. I think a special prosecutor needs to investigate how this shadowy third party got the Twitter nuclear codes.)
But Oprah also told Bloomberg backstage that she has no plans to run.
Winfrey was certainly sounding campaign-esque as she praised the press--which she said is “under siege”--and smoothly pivoted from the Hollywood women who have been subjected to “abuse” to half the electorate:
“They’re the women whose names we’ll never know. They are domestic workers and farmworkers. They are working in factories and they work in restaurants and they’re in academia, engineering, medicine and science. They’re part of the world of tech and in politics and business. They’re our athletes in the Olympics and they’re our soldiers in the military.”
The chattering class is chattering away.
“It's difficult to totally dismiss the idea of Winfrey 2020,” says the Washington Post.
“Oprah 2020 cannot be laughed off. This could really work,” says the Daily Beast.
“She delivered the kind of inspirational and aspirational message at the Golden Globes that Hillary Clinton had trouble hammering home in the 2016 presidential election,” said NBC’s Jonathan Allen.
Five years ago, the idea of a wealthy TV host with no political experience capturing the White House might have seemed far-fetched. Now, not so much. And wouldn’t the media love to cover a Trump-Oprah race?
Obviously, Winfrey is beloved on the left, has business experience and can spend some of her billions on assembling a crack team. She’s a woman who would have more minority support than Hillary and a zillion percent name recognition.
But I don’t think she’s going to run and face the searing scrutiny and personal attacks of a presidential campaign. Far better to have the pundits—and your fans—chewing the fat about how great it would be if you took the plunge.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m.). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz.

Spitzer reportedly accused of threatening to knife man's crotch

March 12, 2008: former Democratic New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is seen announcing his resignation.

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer allegedly threatened to stab a restaurant’s patron’s crotch for admiring his longtime archenemy-- Home Depot founder Kenneth Langone, The New York Post reported.

Jamie Antolini, who was dining with potential business partners, told the paper he was verbally ambushed by Spitzer at Avra Madison Estiatorio restaurant last week.

"I’ll get a f–king knife and stab you right in your f-----g c--k!” Antolini told the paper, recalling what he claims Spitzer said.
Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 amid revelations of being a high-priced prostitution patron, reportedly walked by Antolini’s table and heard him calling Langone an “amazing guy” and that “Ken Langone should have been president.”
The comments reportedly enraged Spitzer, prompting him to lean into the man’s face and allegedly yell, “I don’t know who the f–k you think you are! I’ll f-----g have you killed!”
Spitzer then left, but later came back to the table with more expletive threats, including threatening to knife Antolini’s private parts, the report said.
The incident reported lasted about 20 minutes, and ended when restaurant’s security escorted Spitzer from the premises, Antolini told the New York Daily News. “I never left my seat. When the video tapes come out, it will show I sat in my chair with a glass of wine in my hand.”
There were no police reports filed after the incident.
Lisa Linden, Spitzer’s spokeswoman, denied that her boss started the confrontation and said he was out celebrating his mother’s 90th birthday.
“The patron persisted in making aggressive remarks, which Mr. Spitzer initially ignored. An argument ensued, but at no time did he make any threats,” Linden said in a statement, according to the Daily News.
The incident last week occurred just days before former escort Svetlana Travis Zakharova, who accused the former governor of choking her, gave the police a recording where Spitzer is heard threatening her with death, the Post reported.
“You know what’s going to happen to you? You’re going to be f–king dead,” he allegedly says in the recording. “You’re going to die a slow painful death and your family is going to look at you and laugh because you’re a f-----g b–­h.”

Antifa Anarchist Cartoons

WikiLeaks tweet then deletes link to text of new Trump book

The website WikiLeaks on Sunday tweeted a link to the text of the new book critical of President Trump that has angered the president, his staff and his allies.

An electronic image of the text of author Michael Wolff’s book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” appeared online Sunday, two days after its release.

The post read, “New Trump book “Fire and Fury” by Michael Wolff. Full PDF.” The Daily News reported that the tweet linked to the unnumbered PDF that appeared to be the book.
Posting the text of a book without permission would violate copyright restrictions and potentially damage sales. Yet, hours after WikiLeaks tweeted the link, “Fire and Fury” remained No. 1 on Amazon’s lists of hardcover and ebook bestsellers.
The book portrays a president who doesn’t understand the weight of his office and whose own aides question his competence. Trump has called it a “Fake Book” and its author “totally discredited.” Aides have publicly rejected the book’s premise.
Trump retweeted a parody cover of the book that the Republican Party had tweeted earlier Friday, and used it as a springboard for his latest criticisms -- calling Wolff “a total loser” and saying Bannon "cried when he got fired" and has been "dumped like a dog by almost everyone" since leaving the White House in August.
The GOP's parody cover retitles the book "Liar and Phony," and surrounds a photo of Wolff with blurbs from actual reviews of his much-criticized White House exposé.
"He gets basic details wrong," a New York Times writer says about Wolff.
Wolff wrote the book over 18 months, in which he claims to have spoken with more than 200 people. He said he had access to top officials inside the Trump administration, including the president, according to an interview Thursday with the Hollywood Reporter that details the backstory to the book's publishing.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May defends Trump's mental fitness

UK Prime Minister Theresa May shot down concerns about President Trump’s mental fitness on Sunday, saying he acts in the best interests of his country.

May was forced to comment on Trump’s mental state following the release of Michal Wolff’s explosive book claiming some Trump advisers openly questioned the president’s mental capacity for the job.

Speaking with the BBC, the prime minister shot down any accusations against Trump, saying “no” to question if concerns about Trump’s mental fitness were serious.
“When I deal with President Trump what I see is somebody who is committed to ensuring that he is taking decisions in the best interests of the United States,” she added.
May also reiterated that Trump will be coming to Britain for a visit, but come up short of providing exact date and details.
There have been questions whether Trump will visit the country as a full state visit, which would include meeting the Queen, or if he will opt out for a lower-key working trip amid probable mass protests.
Trump has previously come under fire from British lawmakers after they deemed some of his statements might have violated the country’s hate speech laws – prompting country’s members of the Parliament to debate whether he should be granted a full state visit.
In November, May criticized Trump after he retweeted inflammatory videos from a British fringe far-right political group, saying it was “wrong” to have done so.
The president, tweeted in response: “Don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!”

Antifa member ordered to pay legal fees of Berkeley conservative over attempted restraining order

A middle school teacher and prominent member of an Antifa group has been ordered to pay legal fees for a failed attempt to get a permanent restraining order against the former president of the Berkeley College Republicans at the University of California, Berkeley, according to reports.

Alameda County Superior Court Commissioner Thomas Rasch ordered Yvette Felarca, the leader of By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), an Antifa, or anti-fascist, group, to pay $10,000 in attorney’s fees and $1,100 in court fees, The Berkeleyside reported Friday. Rasch said that Felarca’s legal actions against Troy Worden, the former head of the Berkeley College Republicans, were not brought in good faith.

Felarca’s attorneys dispute that characterization, according to The Berkeleyside, and have vowed to appeal the ruling.
“By ruling that Yvette Felarca did not demonstrate good faith in filing the restraining order, the court recognized the frivolous nature of Felarca’s actions,” Mark Meuser, Worden’s attorney, said after the decision, according to The Berkeleyside. “The award of attorney fees should send a strong signal that she cannot abuse the court system to silence speech.”
Meuser testified in court that actual legal expenses were around $178,600, and that he was seeking a higher reimbursement, according to The Berkeleyside.
“This verdict was based on the judge’s decision to support the political views of Troy Worden and the alt-right and that is not acceptable,” Felarca’s attorney Shanta Driver said.
Felarca got a temporary restraining order against Worden in September after alleging he was stalking and harassing her on the Berkeley campus. Worden initially was ordered to stay 100 yards away from Felarca, but that distance later was reduced to 10 yards. Felarca, according to The Berkeleyside, then applied for a permanent restraining order in October but withdrew the order the day of the hearing, making Worden the prevailing party entitled to receive lawyer and court fees.
“Felarca filed a frivolous restraining order that restricted Worden’s First and Second Amendment rights and made it difficult for him to move around the campus to attend classes,” Meuser told Fox News in November.
Worden said he and many other UC Berkeley College Republicans faced months of harassment and violence.
“I have to look behind my shoulder whenever I am on campus and especially when I am engaged in political activism,” Worden said.
“The No. 1 public university in the world and the so-called ‘birthplace of the free speech movement’ is anything but. It is the place where America’s conservative youth are daily under threat of violence, lacking the support of the university administration, police, or city,” he added. “The Free Speech Movement is dead, and the left has killed it.”

Scientologist Elisabeth Moss slammed for 'hypocritical' Golden Globes speech

This image released by NBC shows Elisabeth Moss accepting the award for best actress in a drama series for her role in "The Handmaid's Tale," at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018.  (AP)

Elisabeth Moss marked her Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a TV Drama by putting her own spin on a quote from Margaret Atwood whose novel inspired Moss' show "The Handmaid's Tale."

Moss thanked Atwood and other women "who were brave enough to speak out against intolerance and injustice" before slightly altering Atwood's words saying, "We no longer live in the blank white spaces at the edge of print. We no longer live in the gaps between the stories. We are the story in print, and we are writing the story ourselves."

The 35-year-old, who practices Scientology, was immediately called out on Twitter for her acceptance speech with many calling Moss a hypocrite for preaching for equality.
Moss has had to defend her religion in the past. The former "Mad Men" star is famously hush-hush about her association with the church, responded to a fan's question about "The Handmaid's Tale" and Scientology.
"Question though, does it make you think twice about Scientology? Gilead [the fictional country in the TV show] and Scientology both believe that all outside sources (aka news) are wrong and evil…it’s just very interesting," one fan asked Moss in August.
Moss responded at the time, "That’s actually not true at all about Scientology. Religious freedom and tolerance and understanding the truth and equal rights for every race, religion and creed are extremely important to me. The most important things to me probably. And so Gilead and 'THT' hit me on a very personal level."
The controversial church came under fire late last year when it was revealed that actor Danny Masterson, who is a Scientologist, had been accused of rape by four women and the Church of Scientology was accused of protecting Masterson.
People deeply connected with the church told Fox News members did have knowledge of Masterson's alleged behavior way before the media reports.
Several sources told us that the Church of Scientology systematically covers up misdeeds of its most prominent members — and Masterson, they say, is no exception.

Actress Bobette Riales (right) accused actor Danny Masterson (left) of raping her "repeatedly."  (Getty)

Chris Shelton, a former member of the Church of Scientology and Sea Org from 1987-2012, said the church silences members who want to take complaints to law enforcement.
“The church works to protect the church first,” he told Fox News.
DANNY MASTERSON FIRED FROM NETFLIX SERIES AMID RAPE ALLEGATIONS
He said the next most important thing to Scientologists is to protect the members of the church and its public image.
“[The Church of Scientology] considers anyone outside the church to be a ‘wog,’ which is a defamatory word describing non-members... It creates an ‘us versus them’ mentality [and tells] members that ‘wogs’ at law enforcement won’t protect them.”

Dumb Democrat Cartoons

Pres. Trump, GOP On 2018 Legislation: We Hope It Will Be A Bipartisan Year

President Donald Trump, center, accompanied by from left, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., Vice President Mike Pence, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, speaks after participating in a Congressional Republican Leadership Retreat at Camp David, Md., Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

OAN Newsroom

President Trump alongside top GOP leaders gather at Camp David in Maryland, to give a general outlook for 2018.
Many core tenants of the republican agenda were outlined on Saturday, including construction of the wall, along with reforms for infrastructure, welfare and immigration.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who expects bipartisan support moving forward, also referenced 2017 as one of the more memorable ones of his time in congress, and added the new tax reform bill will be a boost for the economy.

President Donald Trump, right, welcomes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., third from left, to the podium to speak during a news conference after participating in a Congressional Republican Leadership Retreat at Camp David, Md. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The President also mentioned DACA as a top priority for 2018.
“We also obviously went into budget so we went into DACA and how we’re going to do and we hope that we’re going to be able to work out an arrangement with the democrats,” said President Trump. “I think it’s something that they’d like to see happen. it’s something I would like to see happen”.
President Trump has repeatedly told lawmakers that he will not work out a deal for DACA, until construction for the border wall is funded.

House GOP to consider return of earmarks, Ryan wants hearings

Few words in the congressional vocabulary are as profane as “earmark.”

Capitol Hill leaders essentially scrubbed earmarks from the congressional experience a few years ago. They toppled the earmarking process like statues of Communist dictators in Eastern Europe, circa 1989.

Earmarks were dispatched to the dustbin of history.
The problem is that congressional “earmarks” epitomized what the public viewed was wrong with Washington. So the House and Senate -- along with President Barack Obama -- ditched them.
But the earmarks could soon rise from the dead.
Fox has learned that House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, R-Texas, under the direction of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., plans to conduct hearings evaluating the merits and demerits of restoring some forms of earmarks.
Republicans nearly reinstated earmarks in the fall of 2016 before Ryan singlehandedly spiked the effort.
In mid-November 2016, House GOPers huddled in the ornate House Ways and Means Committee hearing room, in the Longworth Office Building, across the street from the Capitol. They plotted new internal rules for the 115th Congress that would start in January, 2017.
GOP Reps. Tom Rooney, Florida, and John Culberson, Texas, each crafted proposals to resuscitate limited forms of earmarks. The House Republican Conference was moments away from voting on the Rooney-Culberson plans.
Then Ryan interceded.
The speaker reminded his colleagues they were just days removed from a “drain the swamp” election. It was bad optics to immediately return to the old way of doing business, though earmarking was an accepted practice under Democrats and Republicans more than a decade ago.
Ryan promised his colleagues he’d address the earmark question in the first quarter of 2017.
Well, that didn’t happen.
Last year was wild. House Republicans incinerated the first quarter trying to pass a bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare. The GOP brass finally yanked the initial plan off the floor in late March, only to pass an altered version in mid-May. But the endeavor died in the Senate.
Then it was on to tax reform. That’s to say nothing of the political vortex that churned all year on Capitol Hill. Special elections. Administration scandals. Russia. North Korea. Sexual harassment. Government funding. General pandemonium.
There are only so many hours in the day. The earmark issue never again gurgled to the surface.
Earmarks are funny topic on Capitol Hill. When Ryan claimed the speakership in October 2015, he argued that Congress should reassert legislative authorities as prescribed under Article I of the Constitution.
That includes spending power. Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution declares “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” That’s why House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., said at that time, “You’re going to see a very refreshing movement to get that power (of the purse) back to the people.”
First, let’s consider what defines an earmark:
House Rule XXI defines earmarks as “a provision or report language included primarily at the request of a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, or Senator providing, authorizing or recommending a specific amount of discretionary budget authority, credit authority, or other spending authority for a contract, loan, loan guarantee, grant, loan authority, or other expenditure with or to an entity, or targeted to a specific State, locality or Congressional district, other than through a statutory or administrative formula driven or competitive award process.”
In other words, specific money designated for a specific project at a specific place by a specific lawmaker.
But here’s where it gets tricky.
Earmarks pale in comparison when it comes to actual federal spending. Some earmarks in 2007 cost as little as tens of thousands of dollars. That’s nothing when compared to trillions spent on federal entitlements like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
The public loves to have federal money go toward projects in their home states and districts. Money for museums. Bridges. Roadways. Dams. Locks. Levies. Research centers at universities. New equipment for police departments. But you’re liable to get an earful if you ask voters if they like earmarks.
Voters turned against lawmakers and earmarks from 2005 to 2008. They didn’t like how House GOP leaders often larded up legislation with earmarks to persuade reluctant lawmakers to support bills they otherwise opposed.
So-called “good government” groups interpreted those efforts as bribes. Scandals erupted about the “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska. “Coconut Road” in Florida. There were questions about then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., buying land near his farm in Illinois -- followed by $207 million in earmarks to extend a highway close to Hastert’s land.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., lit up then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for an earmark to help construct a museum near Max Yasgur’s farm in upstate New York to commemorate Woodstock.
“I’m sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event,” McCain said.
Authorities probed influence peddling involving numerous lawmakers. Several former lawmakers were put on trial or did jail time. Democrats focused their campaign efforts on what voters interpreted as a “culture of corruption” in Washington.
But veteran members of both parties argue there is merit in limited earmarks. The 2016 plan from Culberson would allow earmarks for federal, state and local governments and would originate in subcommittees.
Crafting earmarks at the subcommittee level would grant them proper vetting by members and staff as a bill moves to the floor. Earmarks wouldn’t just appear magically at the end as an afterthought -- and perhaps an effort to coax a lawmaker to vote yes on a bill they otherwise opposed. Rooney’s 2016 effort would allow earmarks for Army Corps of Engineers projects.
It’s easy for the public to lampoon earmarks like the $500,000 National Science Foundation study on crustacean mobility. It involved putting shrimp on treadmills. The same with money for a teapot museum in North Carolina.
But here’s the conundrum in the upcoming earmark debate: what some constituents and lawmakers view as crucial is seen by others as a boondoggle.
The Constitution clearly asserts it’s up to Congress to direct federal spending. That lack of focus means unnamed federal bureaucrats at agencies decide how to spend taxpayer dollars instead of elected representatives.
Ask voters if they want invisible bureaucrats calling the shots -- or their members of Congress.
It’s unclear if lawmakers will get anywhere with earmarks this time or forge a consensus on bringing them back. The “drain the swamp” mantra still resonates. That phrase rhymes with the Democrats’ 2006 “culture of corruption” slogan. And that’s why “earmark” could remain a dirty word in Washington.

Maryland Democrat confessed to taking cash, prosecutors say

A Maryland state senator has confessed to taking cash payments in exchange for conducting official business, federal prosecutors said last week.

State Sen. Nathaniel T. Oaks, a Democrat, is scheduled to stand trial in the spring on charges of bribery and obstruction of justice. Oaks has pleaded not guilty.

Oaks’ confession was revealed in a motion that prosecutors filed against a request by Oaks to have the bribery and obstruction charges tried separately, the Baltimore Sun reported.
The next legislative session for Maryland’s general Assembly begins Wednesday. Oaks’ trial is set to begin right after the session concludes.
The Baltimore Sun reported that it was unsuccessful in reaching Oaks or his defense attorney.
Oaks is accused of accepting $15,300 from someone he believed was a “wealthy Texas businessman” but who was working for the FBI, the Sun reported, citing information from prosecutors.
Subsequently, while cooperating with authorities, Oaks reportedly coached an FBI investigation target to “Just say no” when Oaks offered the subject cash as part of the investigation, court documents said.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, also a Democrat, told the Sun last week that Oaks should his day in court before the Legislature considers whether he should leave the state Senate.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, disagreed.
“No question he should be removed from office,” Hogan told the Sun on Friday.

Trump calls Wolff's White House expose 'Fire and Fury' a 'work of fiction'

President Trump on Saturday called the recently released White House expose “Fire and Fury” a “work of fiction” and said that the purported White House interviews with him exist only in the author’s “imagination.”

The president’s comments followed the official release on Friday of Michael Wolff’s book, which questions Trump’s emotional and intellectual competence to run the Oval Office.

Excerpts from Wolff’s book, repeated often in the liberal media, say sources close to the president claim he is forgetful and doesn’t have the intellectual capacity to grasp the complex policy and politics of being president
"I went to the best colleges,” said Trump at Camp David. “I … was a great student, made billions of billions of dollars, was one of the top business people, went into television and for 10 years was a tremendous success as you've probably heard.”

Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018

He continued: “Ran for president one time and won. And then I hear this guy who doesn't know me at all, didn't interview me for three hours, his imagination. ….  I consider (the book) a work of fiction.”

....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018

In criticizing the book, Trump also slammed his former political strategist Steve Bannon, whose quotes in the book are critical of the president. 

....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018

“Just so you know, I didn't have an interview, never in the Oval Office,” Trump continued. “And I did a quick interview with (Wolff) a long time ago having to do with an article. But I don't know this man. Sloppy Steve brought him in. That's why sloppy Steve is looking for a job.”
Earlier in the day, Trump hit back at the suggestions and accusations about his intellect and emotional state by tweeting, “my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.”
“Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....” he wrote in one tweet.
Trump continued minutes later: “Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....”
Trump ended with: “....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!”
On Friday, Trump called Wolff “a total loser” when he retweeted a parody cover of the book that the Republican Party had tweeted earlier Friday.
“Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!” he wrote.
Wolff wrote the book over 18 months, in which he claims to have spoken with more than 200 people. He said he had access to top officials inside the Trump administration, including the president, according to an interview Thursday with the Hollywood Reporter that details the backstory to the book's publishing.

Bannon Cartoons