Inaugural Hearings
Link to Quote: Twitter execs likely in the hot seat during House’s ‘Twitter Files’ hearing post-Elon Musk leak | The Hill
This past week began hearings for the new congressional committees. O n Wednesday the House Oversight & Accountability Committee grilled 4 witnesses (former Twitter employees) over Twitter's censorship of the Hunter Biden Laptop. Some of Twitter's former officials admitted that it was "wrong" and a "mistake" to temporarily block access to the story just weeks before the 2020 Election. The following day a hearing was held on the nation's critical minerals crisis and our dependence on foreign adversaries.
Committee Chairman James Comer
Of the 4 witnesses who testified, it was the testimony of the only witness that the democrats called which proved to be most damning. We can only assume the democrats had placed her there to turn the tables on Republicans. You see, she had a surprise bombshell that it was Trump who wanted a disgusting tweet removed. Democrats must have loved when that language was put into the record. However she didn't stop with that. It's always the problem with using extremists that they end up contriburing their ideology and thus the dirty deeds they employed in the pursuit of those goals. Former Twitter executive Anika Collier Navaroli explained that she employed a “nuanced” standard on censorship. Rep. Melanie Ann Stansbury (D., NM) later asked her about that "nuanced" standard. Navaroli responded that she felt that there should have been much more censorship. She said that she fought with the company to remove more material that she and her staff considered “dog whistles” and “coded” messaging for removal. The ranking member Jamie Raskin agreed with the need for more censorship. The democrats thus exposed themselves for what they are: authoritarians who want to abolish free speech. Score a big win for the Oversight & Accountability Committee.
On Thursday the House's new subcommittee dedicated to probing the weaponization of the federal government held its first hearing. The subcommittee will be looking at a wide range of activity including the DOJ's intimidation of parents, the FBI search of former President Trump's home, how the FBI collects information on private citizens, government inspired censorship and various ongoing investigations. The subcommittee will hold many more public hearings in the future. A final report will be provided to the House by Jan. 2, 2025.
Top Gun and Subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan
Also on Thursday, there were closed classified briefing sessions for Committees in both houses of congress to look into how a Chinese spy balloon drifted into American air space and drifted across the entire continental US. In the private sessions military officials told a slightly different story that they told the American media after the balloon was first discovered over Montana by American civilians.
At 9:30 AM on Thursday the budget Committee held a business meeting to begin considering an oversight plan for the next budget. Another promise to be kept that budget discussions shall be transparent and conducted in a timely manner. It may have taken the House Republicans a little while to select a speaker, but thus far, they are keeping their promises.
The Week:
House unanimously condemns China’s spy balloon: "A usually divided House came together Thursday to slam the Chinese government for sending a spy balloon to fly over much of the continental U.S. this month. Five days after the military shot down the surveillance device, lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution condemning the foreign nation that called the incident “a brazen violation of (American) sovereignty.” State Department officials said Thursday the balloon, which was shot down off the South Carolina coast, was fashioned with equipment that was "clearly for intelligence surveillance.” “An event like this… must not happen again. And it cannot go unanswered,” Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, of Texas, who is chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during Thursday’s floor debate.
Resolution to expel George Santos introduced; Comer demands docs from Biden's son, brother: updates (msn.com)
State of the Union: The president used his 2023 State of the Union message to try and paint a rosy picture of the problems facing the nation. He lied about many things including using the age-old charge of Republicans trying to cut Social Security. At other times he sounded like Donald Trump as he talked about the forgotten man, the loss of manufacturing and a much poorer middle class. The only Republican who offered up a plan to sunset all spending (and the man Biden is accusing of trying to cut SS) Rick Scott has challenged Biden to a debate over it. Biden has yet to respond.
District Defiance: "The Republican-led House has launched the first salvo in what could be a long-running feud with the District of Columbia over self-government in the nation’s capital. In back-to-back votes, the House voted Thursday to overturn a sweeping rewrite of the criminal code passed by the City Council last year and a new law that would grant noncitizens the right to vote in local elections. Congressional oversight of the district is written into the Constitution. And while it has been more than three decades since Congress outright nullified a D.C. law, Congress has frequently used alternative methods such as budget riders to alter laws on issues ranging from abortion funding to marijuana legalization."
House votes to overturn D.C. voting rights, crime laws (nbcnews.com)
Fetterman Hospitalized: "WASHINGTON (AP) - Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman , who had a stroke during his campaign last year, remained hospitalized and undergoing tests after feeling lightheaded, with tests so far negative for another stroke or seizure, his office said Thursday evening."
Tests rule out stroke as Sen. John Fetterman remains hospitalized after feeling lightheaded (msn.com)
Russia threatens retaliation: "MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday there will be consequences for the United States after a blog by a U.S. investigative journalist had alleged the U.S. was behind the explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream gas pipelines."
Russia says there will be consequences for U.S. after Nord Stream blasts report (msn.com)
What Have We Learned:
Right now, we have to ask ourselves: What does China have to do before we have an actual conflict with them? This is the nation that US policy makers once thought could be civilized by allowing them into the World Trade Organization and letting them see how well they could do in a world willing to interact with them. The idea that once their lot improved, their behavior would improve. In all of the time since we began relations with China it has been anything but that. First was the CCP's undercutting of the nations they traded with via the use of slave/cheap labor. That ushered in the era of Globalization which cost America it's Manufacuring sector and hollowed out our working class. Then they did everything under the sun to steal American technology. From there they went after America's critical resources. We have recently learned of how dependent we are on China for so many things like medicine and the Cobalt we will need for the energy transition that our leader is forcing down the nation's throat.
Do I have to go into their handling of the pandemic? How about the Fentanyl that is flowing from China through our southern border? Think how many American lives have been lost over those two curses since 2020? The latest outrage came this past week when the CCP boldly guided a huge spy balloon across the continental US. The US president in another clear dereliction of duty decided to have it shot down only after American citizens in Montana spotted the balloon and the fact could no longer be hidden from the public. After the balloon was finally shot down, Biden's Secretary of Defense tried to call his opposite number in the CCP. His call was refused.
Cartoon of the Week:
Honorable Mention:
Nicole Parker
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It was Kamala Harris who had the worst week of any democrat:
"It's funny when The New York Times comes under fire among liberals for saying something critical about Vice President Kamala Harris. A front-page story on Feb. 6 was headlined "Frustrated Harris Struggles to Define Her Role." This somehow required three reporters -- Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Katie Rogers and Peter Baker.
The passage that spurred all the fits came inside the paper, of course, on page A-13. It wasn't hostile fire from Republicans. It was internal: "(T)he painful reality for Ms. Harris is that in private conversations over the past few months, dozens of Democrats in the White House , on Capitol Hill and around the nation -- including some who helped put her on the party's 2020 ticket -- said she had not risen to the challenge of proving herself as a future leader of the party, much less the country."
Kamala, it was fun.
"On Thursday, Fox News reported that a second Republican council member from New Jersey was assassinated in a little over a week. The first was councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour from Sayreville, New Jersey who was brutally shot and killed outside her townhome on February 1. Over a week later, Republican Milord councilman Russell Heller was killed outside his workplace. For all the leftist media’s crowing about “attacks on democracy,” you would think the three evening networks newscasts would be all over this story. Unfortunately, all three ignored the story during their Thursday broadcasts."
Not sure if this was political as the victim was the owner, if memory serves, of the company where the killer worked. To be fair, there has to be an underlying reason beyond politics on this one.
It is a mystery, although this one seems solved. What a coincidence though.
Very much so. Hard to know at this point the killer's motivation as he also offed himself.
This is one of those cases in which some don't want to know nor do the care to reveal his motivation.
It's not hard to understand given the national media's malpractice.
His motivation may never be known.
Exactly.........
thoughts and prayers...
You mean the old death wishing?
is it even possible to death wish somebody when they're already dead? the comment is still there.
Is that what you are thinking about?
the comment is still there.
It was never flagged.
shocking, try now...
They didn't, a quick Google search will show that many news organizations carried this story on the very same day that FOX did including the 3 that 'newsbusters' has perpetual issues with.
You appear to have been sucked into the clickbait headline:
Networks Yawn at ANOTHER GOP Councilmember Killed in New Jersey
No, I think it was you who got suckered.
No comment on the article or the major issues of the week, but you spent your time trying to contradict how much coverage "newsbusters" claimed this got?
Let me check the hook. Oh ya newsbusters! I'll have to stock up in the AM.
You posted the link, not I. Sorry if I broke some NT rule about responding to its pissing into the wind content.
I'm sure you'll do it again.
Thanks again.
We know who the suckers are here. LOL
I don't know about the big 3, but I did read an article online about. Since it wasn't Fox, OAN, or the Examiner it must have been what YOU would call a leftist media source. It did mention LEOs found the killer a few miles away in his car dead from self inflicted gunshot to the head. So... Your bullshit about "attacks on democracy" are just that. Bullshit.
Glad to hear it. What do you make of it?
All they have.
Yup, that convinces me! / S
Deflection.
"This is the list of 162 Democrats who voted to allow illegal aliens to vote in elections in Washington DC."
It's pathetic that only 42 Democrats voted to do the right thing.
The votes lately have been very revealing. I'm still fond of the one that had all of 22 Jewish American democrats voting to keep Ilhan Omar on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Proof you can't fix stupid.
Stupid in this case would mean placing liberalism over self preservation.
Jewish Americans are stupid? I believe you have outdone Ilhan Omar ... 'well done'!
In the context of what they voted for, yes. As were anyone else that voted to keep her on. Just seems these 22 voted against their own interests.
Voting to endorse an ant-Semite is, in fact, FUCKING STUPID regardless of your religious belief. Seems something that is common among those with a "D" after their name and those that support them.
For all intents and purposes, it seems you are supporting these 22 idiots.
So it is your opinion that all decisions by the Israeli administration are to be supported no matter what and if not you are an anti-semite? Careful, you are digging a hole.
But then, dogging Biden is Anti-American!
Meh, give them a break ... as one of their sages put it, "truth isn't truth".
You are right. It is just galling how the gop plays gotcha regarding Israel. The only reason Israel is so important to evangelical rightwingers is because all the Jews must either submit, convert or die in their nightmare apocalyptic endtime prophesies!
I stated my opinion in 4.1.6. Don't know why that is so hard for you to understand.
Yeah, what will that and two bits get ya?
... and your opinion is the final word ... such hubris would put Narcissus to shame.
You ask for my opinion. I gave it to you (before you ask). How you handle it is up to you. I could care less.
I think you dug one. That talk about the Benjamins wasn't a simple disagreement with Israeli Policy.
I think you have some explaining to do.
Deflection.
Btw Congrats to Peter Doocy
And for the baby too...........LOL
More partisan media "facts"?
30 years ago the internet was in it's infancy.
Now if you want to watch any SOTU from the past 20 plus years
you just google it from you tube to your phone, laptop or smart TV
When you want to watch it.
All of these live speeches will get less and less notice.
Good point. The internet was in its infancy last year when ratings were 29% higher.
Clintons first Adress to Congress in 1992 had 66 million viewers.
Bush's 2003 SOTU had the record at 62 million
and the trend has dipped lower and lower.
The graph that was linked is difficult to see because the link is actually an advertisement to pay for Statista but I am sure you can google it and see for yourself.
The SOTU was also available on WH.gov/sotu and certain streaming services not included in Statista's numbers.
None the less the audience will probably continue to decline over time.
He also doesn't seem to realize that this STOU was actually an increase over Biden's last:
" The 2022 speech was a notable increase from Biden's first address to Congress in 2021, which also drew roughly 23 million viewers. "
The poblem lies with Biden. Not many people are attracted to an old man mumbling. It leads to the conclusion that Trump lost in 2020 rather that Biden winning.
"Hunter Biden attorney rejects House Oversight request for records"
Subpoena time.
And as the Jan 6th Committee taught us, those subpoena's can be backed up with prosecutions & jail time!
I see how Pence is defying his subpoena
What does he have to hide?
You have HBDS
Breaking: Whistleblower reveals FBI tried to open criminal cases on 140 people just for taking bus to J6 rally
Hell of an article. A retired "whistleblower"(/s) testified that basically all avenues of investigation were attempted to be pursued and the FBI field office supervisors shot down some of the requests, correctly, as they should have.
Really?
That's his indictment ?
Just another misleading clickbait headline from [notthenews]
You see no wrongdoing there?
I find that disturbing.
It's called prosecutorial discretion. It happens in every municipality, County, State and Federal court system every day.
Predictable.
The word is malfeasance
Zero tolerance?
Like North Korea or Russia?
Or the post election behavior of one Donald J Trump
or the fact that he hasn't been charged yet?
Who hasn't been charged yet?
You could Google it or the # for a Sonic.
Trump has not been charged for being the lead conspirator of January 6th...
And Ted Cruz's father has not been charged for the JFK assassination.
Because he wasn't....................
Since the mindless sheep bleat constantly about all the evidence against him, the only conclusion is Garland is incompetent or a coward. Mitch McConnel saved America from this idiot serving on the Supreme Court.
Indeed, he was the lead inciter since he lost bigly.
Ya! He was.
I guess you neglected to read this................
Pays to read all commentary prior to commenting. So if "Ya! He was." is he under house arrest cuz it sure seems as though he is "free to move about the country" thank you Southwest Airlines Wishful thinking is not now, nor ever has been, reality.
It doesn't matter what I read or didn't, #45, the former 'president' is guilty of being the lead inciter/conspirator in chief on 1/6.
The truth isn't wishful thinking.
And conversely, your wishful thinking isn't truth. Perhaps you can share his indictment and arrest record............Oh and since you say "the former 'president' is guilty", when and where we he be serving his sentence. Do you also have the makeup of the jury? I'd like to see that and nowhere can it be found........well except for you and yours and the self anointed court of popular opinion.
The truth isn't wishful thinking no matter how many times you deny it.
Nice to see you have your edit ability back...............yay
Just have to have the last word don't you?
What would you know about that anyway?
You broadcasted it here when you lost it.
So it's true that you hang on my every word.
Thanks for admitting it.
Don't flatter yourself. I've seen your picture. Dream on.........................
I was quite surprised to read this this morning:
LINK ->
66 years ago - obviously China is WAY behind the USA when it comes to espionage.
Correction: China WAS way behind the USA when it comes to espionage!
Come on Vic, everyone knows that the USA is "exceptional" and so much more advanced than China that its prowess at spying HAS to be superior. But taking into consideration the recent news, would "What's good for the goose is good for the gander" be applicable here?
Oh no, Barack Obama disagreed with that!
But taking into consideration the recent news, would "What's good for the goose is good for the gander" be applicable here?
Never!
You see, I agree with Benjamin Netanyahu. You don't allow people to obtain nuclear weapons and then try to contain them. In 1945 we alone had the bomb. We never should have allowed the Soviet Union or Communist China to have it. I'm sure Truman felt the country was war weary and thus he left the problem for future generations. We have now not just permitted, but contributed to China to becoming an equal power. We have spied on China and Russia, but we should never allow them the same luxury.
Correction: We spy on China and Russia,,,,
Oh, so you ARE exceptional.
Please, how can you consider an errant weather ballon spying? I’m sure that China was going to share its information obtained on the weather like its information on the origin of COVID. I’m sure that they gave us a heads up as the ballon approached the US like they gave us a heads up on COVID.
It’s only coincidental that the ballon was flying above the altitudes which civilian aircraft operate but below the region the U.S. considers orbital space where we have a detection gap.
It’s disgusting how quick we are to judge the CCP to purposefully violate the sovereign airspace of dozens of countries and scour the globe with a fleet of surveillance balloons when they are such a benevolent county.
Lol, Benji now has about 80 nukes, I guess he speaks from decades of experience spying on the US and GB and stealing from them.
That comment reeks of a wishful arrogance and a denial of reality.
Well said.
Please give my best to Lloyd J. Austin III and everyone over at DOD.
That comment exemplifies US world standing. As Ceasar might have said "Rome is the light!" We are in a very dangerous world with nuclear weapons in the hands of Communist/rogue regimes. There is nothing to be "fair" about. You more the most should understand that concept.
Will do if I see him. The only SecDef's that were easy to run into were Gates and Mattis. I would see them, without security at the barbershop, post office and bank.
I'm so impressed!!
lol
I was the Queen of Sheba in a former life.
You are easily impressed.
Where was Sheba, did they really have a Queen? Do you really believe that OT nonsense?
(With apologies to Cole Porter)
Birds do it, bees do it
CIA people do it
Let's do it, let's go and spy.
In Spain, the best upper sets do it
Russian KGB will do it
Let's do it, let's go and spy.
Israel's Mossad, they say, does it
Even the Japanese do it
Let's do it, let's go and spy.
The Dutch in old Amsterdam do it
Not to mention Cameroon
Folks in China do it - using a balloon,
Some Frenchmen without means, do it
People say in England even Brits do it
Let's do it, let's go and spy.
etc.
BREAKING: Nikki Haley announces 2024 GOP presidential campaign
Can she break "the glass ceiling?"
No...
Perhaps she'd look better as a DeSantis VP candidate?
I could live with that too! She could take a page out of Kamala's playbook and if you can't advance all the way in the primaries, become DeSantis' "she checked two very important boxes". Also, she was a governor much like Pence. Great combo..
I think so. After a few months of Trump pounding away at her maybe she'll be ready to sit behind Ron come June.
Pounding away at her? LOL. Does Nikky have her knee pads ready?
Worked for Kamala..............and it's Nikki....................
So Nikky does have her kneepads ready and has been putting them to use already.
Thanks for the confirmation.
I confirmed nothing. Your wishful thinking did......................
You can demean a woman of color as well or better than Hillary's deplorables.
Aren't all women allowed to demean other women regardless of race?
Just asking for a friend/s
Obviously she’s allowed, I guess the notion of sisters unity is just empty rhetoric.
Thanks again!
Again, truth isn't wishful thinking along with your need to have the last word.
You demean me every chance you get.
FUCK OFF
Says one of Hillary's deplorables.
Perhaps but I never voted for Trump.
I don't know if I should vote that up?
Let's hope so.
Listened to it this morning. Best line was saved for last......................
Great line!
Oh what a bad ass bitch she is! Not.
Last poll I looked she was polling at the bottom so it isn't likely. Trump is still polling at the top.
Perhaps a moderate female isn't what people are looking for?
The political narrative is still being run by populists - Trump, DeSantis etc on the right - AOC, Fetterman etc on the left. I don't expect this to change in the short term.
Sarah Sanders had it right. There is only the normal vs the crazy left.
“Perhaps a moderate female isn't what people are looking for?”
Male or female, moderates are somehow poison in today’s political landscape.
The lunatic fringes rule the day, leaving the majority of us voiceless, shaking our heads, and hoping to just get by until reason, rationality, and respect for our institutions return.
Biden partly got elected by pretending to be a moderate. Bernie Sanders may have lost the nomination but clearly he won the war. Sanders, his supporters and the far left are very content with what Biden did in his first 2 years. As we get closer to the next election we may again get a glimpse of Biden "the moderate."
You're so partisan you can't see the crazy in your own back yard?
Yup, crazy me...I just want safe streets, secure borders, a robust economy, equal justice, free speech and schools that teach reading, writing, math, science and history devoid of Marxist ideology. /S
You make it very clear every day with your propaganda postings, [removed] Nothing you've ever said or posted makes anyone think you would support a true moderate.
Not an attack, an observation. I'm only saying no body here is fooled with platitudes.
hmmm... speaking of personal attacks... HA! Do you have a point or are you the appointed?
So basically complaining about personal attacks while engaging in them....ok.....
...
So you're saying Vic doesn't support far right populism here with his posts and articles?
I'm sure some of your buddies have extras.
Still attacking.
Just can't stop...
Again it's not an accusation. I could go back and comb through all his articles and posts and present it here for you, but I've done such things for you before and nothing has changed so why bother? You can wrap this moral indignation around you like a warm blanket if it helps you sleep at night.
Well that's nice of you. Maybe one of those liberals will create some more art championing diversity so right wing populists will have another thing to bitch about.
I find it humorous he seems to trigger a certain segment of the population, but other than that I have no opinion of his art. I'm partial to the Italian Renaissance myself.
It's rapidly improving as opposed to Jon Macnaughton's copious plagiarisms.
She's trailing Pence by 3%
but they are both in single digits so far.
DOTW personally attacks me every day.
You must have a very broad definition of attack.
Is anyone aware that there has been an ecological disaster out in Ohio?
Where is Biden, Buttigieg or the federal government?
I'm well aware of it as are the feds even though they are currently prosecuting crooked republicans in Ohio.
Here is some advice: Whenever you use the large print it actually diminishes your point.
Now: Why doesn't Biden care about the people of Ohio?
It's been all over the liberal news.
Do the people of Ohio think Biden doesn't care or that Buttigieg isn't paying attention to what's going on? I do know from those same liberal news agencies the NTSB and the EPA are onsite and investigating. I'm sure they are providing the proper notifications to those that need it.
Your advice, as usual, is useless. The large print is a copy and paste from the article. DUH
Can you post a link that states that Biden has said he doesn't care about the people of Ohio? or is that an assumption on your part and you do know what they say about assumptions?
I'm sure they do.
I don't need a link to the obvious.
Yes, you do when you're making obviously outrageous claims that nobody believes!
You mean like Trump colluding with Russia or Republicans wanting to cut Social Security?
I have an even better question for you: Why aren't the radical environmentalists concerned about East Palestine Ohio?
Let me know if you or Kavika have a link for that.
Again with the wildass unfounded crap?
It isn't the only thing on his plate but there is zero reason to say Biden doesn't care!
Don't expect anything else since that is all he has.
Channelling? Weird.........................
No, that would be your MO.
Rubber/Glue? LOL
So, no proof? Just your partisan populist feelings.
Corruption/republicans what else is new?
On top of projection, deflection, denial and having the last word Kav.
Remember, I'm not the topic!
"Happy Valentine’s Day."
and a big smoochie for you !
"A pair of Dutch F-35 fighter jets have intercepted a formation of Russian military planes that were flying near Polish airspace, defense officials have revealed.
The incident happened Monday as "The then-unknown aircraft approached the Polish NATO area of responsibility from Kaliningrad," a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea, Reuters quoted the Netherlands defense ministry as saying.
"After identification, it turned out to be three aircraft: a Russian IL-20M Coot-A that was escorted by two Su-27 Flankers," Netherlands officials reportedly added. "The Dutch F-35s escorted the formation from a distance and handed over the escort to NATO partners."