Headlines

Poll shows Trump’s coronavirus approval at all-time low

Wearing masks is now the most important thing for the economy, Fed’s Kaplan says

New Christopher Steele evidence strengthens Durham prosecution

25,000 academics say U.S. citizenship is an ‘artificial distinction’

California investigating Google for possible antitrust violations

Already in economic meltdown, Lebanon endures blackouts 20 hours a day

Poll: Overwhelming majority want to keep police funding at current levels or increase it

Supreme Court, 7-2: House cannot force Trump to provide tax returns

Hannity gives Trump another chance to lay out his second-term agenda

Coronavirus live updates: Italy to extend state of emergency, Nevada rolls back reopen for bars

Report: U.S. Attorney Durham under  pressure to conclude investigation by end of summer

Ethiopia’s week of unrest shows 239 dead, 3,500 arrested

Headlines

Acosta stepping down as labor secretary

Treasury may run out of cash in early September, urges Congress to raise debt ceiling before recess

Levee danger New Orleans ... 25” of rain?

Trump signs executive order on collection of citizenship data

House Democrats unite to pass $733B defense bill

House passes 9/11 victims bill, sends it to Senate

Pentagon races to track U.S. rare earths output amid China trade dispute ...

Trump: Ocasio-Cortez should treat Pelosi with respect

Beijing  to impose sanctions on U.S. firms involved in $2.2B Taiwan arms deal

How Trump could use tariffs to fight back against France’s tax on US technology giants

Biden vows to restore world order ... Stumbles, slurs, coughs through speech ...

Watch: Crowd boos Clintons at Billy Joel concert

Headlines

Trump abandons effort to add citizenship question to census

Ocasio-Cortez finds herself on the same side as Trump regarding the Federal Reserve

Dow rallies 200 points to close above 27,000 for the first time ever

AOC backpedals: Pelosi ‘absolutely not a racist’

U.S. officials push for sanctions on China over oil purchases from Iran

Trump’s losses in drug pricing battle should be free-market wake-up call to him

Inflation tops projections ...

Report: Michelle Obama rents $23M ‘Shark House’ mansion for L.A. visit

House to vote next week on criminal contempt against Barr and Ross

Tommy Robinson jailed again ...

Radiation leak ‘100,000 times normal level’ from Russian nuclear sub wreck ...

Buttigieg: ICE raids make America ‘less safe’

Reliable Data

“Data drives out speculation.” — Ron Gruner

No ... it is RELIABLE data that drives out speculation. The recent controversy surrounding a citizenship question on the 2020 census highlights a very important issue ... are statistics being quoted that are accurate? Do we have 11 million illegal immigrants? 20 million? 30 million? Or even more? How can we make rational resource-allocation  decisions without rational data? Clearly, governments are sometimes driven by political reasons to fudge statistics to their benefit of those in power. This is the most dangerous form of  lying ... in that resources are misallocated to the detriment of all.

One of the most sacred duties of government, other than protecting its people, it to strive for accurate and apolitical statistics ... which could be argued is a integral piece of its citizen protection mandate. Those public servants who are trying to “adjust” reality for political benefit are as insidious and unpatriotic as those who would undermine our protective services and military.

And interestingly, they are often the same scoundrels.

Birthright

My daughter, like many young women, a liberal, was upset this morning because of Trump's threat to issue an executive order eliminating birthright citizenship. Now, this obviously seems a pre-midrem stunt and likely will not happen. But, as I explained to my daughter, there are lots of foreign women who fly to the U.S., have their baby, then fly home ... giving their child American citizenship ... not fair. However, it is very unlikely that Congress and/or the courts will let Trump have his way with such an executive order.

But, I have a suggestion -- Congress should pass a law or, if necessary, a Constitutional amendment, restricting birthright citizenship to only those who, if born in the U.S. of aliens, must also live here until the age of 5 and cannot have been wards of the state in the meantime.

OK?

Tattoos Next?

Some Russians in part of the Eastern Ukraine are now coercing Jews in this area to register, pay a fee and itemize all of their assets. If these Jews don’t, then they are told that they will lose their Ukrainian citizenship and even worse … see: Powerline Blog Item. Wow! We’ve all been on this ant-semitic merry-go-round before. Let me off!!