California bans state travel to Texas, 3 other states over anti-LGBT laws

But that's good for Texas because Texans are tire of Californians bringing their crappy ways to Texas.

California's attorney general blocked state-funded travel to Texas and three other states on Thursday in response to what he considers anti-LGBT rights laws enacted this year.
Democratic Attorney General Xavier Becerra added Texas, Alabama, South Dakota and Kentucky to the list of places where state employee travel is restricted. Lawmakers passed legislation last year banning non-essential travel to states with laws that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee are already on the list.
California taxpayers' money "will not be used to let people travel to states who chose to discriminate," Becerra said.
It's unclear what practical effect California's travel ban will have. The state law contains exemptions for some trips, such as travel needed to enforce California law and to honor contracts made before 2017. Travel to conferences or out-of-state trainings are examples of trips that could be blocked. Becerra's office couldn't provide information about how often state employees have visited the newly banned states.
Texas was added to the list because of a law that lets child welfare organizations deny services and adoptions to families because of "sincerely held religious beliefs" that Becerra's office says would allow LGBT discrimination. Similar laws were enacted in Alabama and South Dakota. Kentucky's new law could allow LGBT discrimination in schools, according to Becerra's office.
"California may be able to stop their state employees, but they can't stop all the businesses that are fleeing over taxation and regulation and relocating to Texas," said John Wittman, a spokesman for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican.
Fresno State, a public California university, is scheduled to play football against the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa this fall. A request for a legal opinion on whether public university sports' travel is exempt from the ban has been filed with Becerra's office, but no ruling has been issued.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey's press office did not have an immediate comment.

Tom Price: ObamaCare replacement 'has to be done'

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told Fox News Thursday night that repealing and replacing ObamaCare "has to be done."
"We’ve got prices going up, we’ve got deductibles going up, premiums going up," said Price, a former Republican congressman. "We’ve got people who have an insurance card but they don’t have any care because they can’t afford the deductible. So, where we are right now is in a terrible place in the individual and small group market. That’s what we’re trying to fix."
Price spoke to Fox News' "Hannity" hours after Senate Republicans released a draft of their bill to undo former President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation.
"We’ll make certain that every single American has the opportunity to purchase the kind of coverage that they want," Price vowed. "The American people are going to be appreciative of the fact that they’re going to be the ones in charge, not Washington D.C."
The Senate bill was criticized by four Republican senators who said they would not vote for it in its current form: Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.
"Is it everything that everybody wants? Absolutely not," Price said. "But we’ve got 52 senators and we’re working to try to make certain that it is able to pass the Senate and then have the House support it."

Poll: Hillary Clinton as Unpopular Today as She Was Last Year

A new Gallup poll reveals former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is still as unpopular now as she was around this same time last year.
For the past 25 years, losing presidential candidates typically see at least a four-percent increase in approval ratings, but that’s not the case for Clinton.
Data from a survey released Wednesday shows the former Secretary of State’s popularity has remained in the low 40’s.
The poll also reveals nearly 60-percent of Americans view her as unfavorable.
Clinton kept a low profile after losing the election, but has recently reemerged.

Pres. Trump Says Border Wall Could Pay for Itself if Solar

President Trump says his border wall will pay for itself if it’s solar powered.
He made this announcement during a campaign-style rally in Iowa on Wednesday.
He also said that if it had solar panels Mexico would get to pay less, however; even with a lower price tag Mexico has long said it will not pay for the wall.
The president floated the idea of covering it with solar panels earlier this month in a meeting with congressional leaders.
Congress has yet to give any money toward the administration’s plans for the U.S.-Mexico border.

Anti-American Cartoons

Professor's profane, anti-white messages cause campus controversy

Trinity College Professor Johnny Eric Williams

A Connecticut college is facing national outrage after a professor posted a series of Facebook messages attacking white people – along with a link to an essay that suggested first responders to last week’s congressional shootings should’ve let the lawmakers “f***ing” die.
Trinity College Professor Johnny Eric Williams also reportedly shared an essay posted on Medium that included a photograph of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, titled, “Let Them F***ing Die.”
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The anonymous essayist opined that the Capitol police officers should’ve let Rep. Scalise and other  Republican lawmakers die in last week’s ball park attack.
“Saving the life of those that would kill you is the opposite of virtuous,” the essayist wrote. “Let. Them. F***ing. Die. And smile a bit when you do. For you have done the universe a great service.”
The professor’s incredibly offensive Facebook postings and hashtags were originally reported by Campus Reform.
“I’m fed the f**k up with self identified ‘white’s’ daily violence directed at immigrants, Muslim, and sexually and racially oppressed people. The time is now to confront these inhuman a**holes and end this now,” the professor wrote.
Ironically, Professor Williams teaches about race and racism.
Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney said in a prepared statement that she does not “condone hate speech or calls to incite violence.”
“I told Professor Williams that in my opinion his use of the hashtag was reprehensible and, at the very least, in poor judgment,” the president said. “No matter its intent, it goes against our fundamental values as an institution, and I believe its effect is to close minds rather than open them.”
Instead of me trying to interpret the essay written on Medium – I’m going to let the college president describe that smoldering piece of garbage disguised as thoughtful prose.
“The Medium piece went on to explore broader issues concerning race and the relationship between ‘victims of bigotry’ and ‘bigots,’” Berger-Sweeney said. “The piece culminated with a call to show indifference to the lives of bigots. That call was reprehensible, and any such suggestion is abhorrent and wholly contrary to Trinity’s values.”
Williams told the Hartford Courant that Campus Reform twisted his words and he denied endorsing the essay. He also said the postings were not meant to be made public.
So what did the professor mean when he wrote, “It is past time for the racially oppressed to do what people who believe themselves to be ‘white’ will not do, put an end to the vectors of their destructive mythology of whiteness and their white supremacy system. #LetThemF***ingDie”?
He told the newspaper his point was that people should “confront these people who are racists.”
“This is about free speech as well as academic freedom,” he said. “From my perspective, I’m considering whether I should file a defamation against these guys.”
The college has been inundated with so many threats they had to shut down the campus Wednesday – out of an abundance of caution.
“This incident has caused distress on our campus and beyond; threats of violence have been directed to Professor Williams and to our campus community, neither of which is an acceptable response,” Berger-Sweeney said.
President Berger-Sweeny is absolutely correct. Violence is never an acceptable response. And neither is letting someone be massacred just because of their skin color.
Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary. His latest book is “The Deplorables’ Guide to Making America Great Again.” Follow him on Twitter @ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook.

Trump in Iowa: President calls for barring immigrants from welfare for five years

President Trump announced Wednesday night that he will soon ask Congress to pass legislation banning immigrants from accessing public assistance within five years of entering the U.S.
“The time has come for new immigration rules that say ... those seeking immigration into our country must be able to support themselves financially and should not use welfare for a period of at least five years," Trump told a campaign-style rally in Grand Rapids, Iowa.
Trump's proposal would build on the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which allows federal authorities to deport immigrants who become public dependents within five years of their arrival. Many of that law’s provisions were rolled back during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, but Trump's proposal would make more categories of federal benefits off-limits to immigrants.
Currently,states typically have the authority to determine eligibility for local public assistance programs.
Foreigners with non-immigrant visas and those who don't have legal status are generally prohibited from those benefits altogether.
Trump's proposal would also prevent the admission of people who are likely to become so-called "public charges" within five years of their arrival. The concept of "public charge" has been part of U.S. immigration law for over a century. It allows the government to bar entry to individuals who are likely to seek public assistance. Trump is expected to propose toughening up the rules regarding “public charge” and ensuring that they are enforced.
The administration circulated a draft executive order to make Trump's proposed changes earlier this year. However, Trump's remarks Wednesday indicated that he wants Congress to codify his plan into law.
In requesting these changes, the White House will cite a 2015 report from the Center for Immigration Studies that found 51 percent of households headed by an immigrant are using some form of public assistance, compared to 30 percent among non-immigrant families. That report has been disputed by critics who say it does not take into account the nuances of many immigrant families.

Calif. Govornor, State Lawmakers Get 3% Pay Raise

FILE – In this May 31, 2017 file photo, California Gov. Jerry Brown speaks during an interview in Sacramento, Calif. Brown and Democratic legislative leaders said Tuesday, June 13, 2017, that they have reached a deal on the state budget for the next fiscal year and that the budget will keep California on a sound fiscal path. (AP Photo/Rich Pedronce Sign in lli, file)

As it gets increasingly more expensive to live in California, top lawmakers in the golden state are not feeling the pressure — they’re getting a raise instead.
Governor Jerry Brown along with a handful of other state legislators and elected officials received a three-percent pay increase on Monday.
Brown’s salary will go up to more than $195,000, making him the highest paid governor in the country.
The other legislators will also be making more than $100,000, and they will get a $183 per day tax-free credit to pay for expenses every day they are in session in Sacramento.