Greg Corombos of Radio America and Elaina Newport of The Capitol Steps laugh at the unending media coverage of Presidents Trump and Putin meeting in Germany Friday. They banter about other recent media upheavals and viral photos mocking politicians. To wrap up, they enjoy listening to a tweaked version of “Puttin on the Ritz” sung by the Capitol Steps’ outstanding performers.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud President Trump’s strong defense of the value of Western civilization in his speech in Poland Wednesday. They also express disappointment in comments made by Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey conceding Republicans failed to prepare a healthcare repeal and replace bill because they didn’t believe Trump would win the election. Finally, they decry New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for protesting President Trump in Germany in the midst of ongoing crises in his city.
President Trump hailed Poland as a great success of western civilization, on Friday, holding up the eastern European ally as a model of how a commitment to faith and freedom can overcome great challenges and oppression.
In the speech, Trump urged other western nations to follow in Poland’s footsteps and embrace the heritage that made the West great.
“Through four decades of communist rule, Poland and the other captive nations of Europe endured a brutal campaign to demolish freedom, your faith, your laws, your history, your identity — indeed the very essence of your culture and your humanity. Yet, through it all, you never lost that spirit. Your oppressors tried to break you, but Poland could not be broken,” said Trump.
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation Chairman Lee Edwards says steering the West back to a position of championing its values was hugely important.
“The United States are Poland are coming together and sending a very clear signal to the rest of Europe. ‘Let’s remember where we came from, what has made us great and powerful, making the West an invaluable part of history over the last 1,000 years. Let’s not cast that all aside and get caught up in bureaucracy,'” said Edwards, who is also a scholar in conservative thought at the Heritage Foundation.
He says Poland’s remarkable resilience against the scourges of fascism and communism – among many other challenges over the centuries – is a testament to it’s fidelity to western values.
“Poland proves it is possible to be a people of faith and a people of independence and to do well economically,” said Edwards.
Trump noted that western civilization is under siege from within and without, starting with radical Islam.
We are confronted by another oppressive ideology — one that seeks to export terrorism and extremism all around the globe. America and Europe have suffered one terror attack after another. We’re going to get it to stop,” said Trump. “We are fighting hard against radical Islamic terrorism, and we will prevail. We cannot accept those who reject our values and who use hatred to justify violence against the innocent.”
Edwards says it’s an ideological battle the Polish people know well.
“Just as we were able to defeat communism, so too can we defeat radical Islam if we come together, if we pull together, if we work together, if we are united by a common faith and a common commitment to democracy and to liberal ideas – to those basic ideas of free speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion,” said Edwards.
Trump also noted the crushing growth of government.
“[O]n both sides of the Atlantic, our citizens are confronted by yet another danger — one firmly within our control. This danger is invisible to some but familiar to the Poles: the steady creep of government bureaucracy that drains the vitality and wealth of the people. The West became great not because of paperwork and regulations but because people were allowed to chase their dreams and pursue their destinies,” said Trump.
And he extolled the value of faith and family in the rise of the West and as a vital key to its future.
“We can have the largest economies and the most lethal weapons anywhere on Earth, but if we do not have strong families and strong values, then we will be weak and we will not survive,” said Trump.
Edwards says the message was perfectly clear and critical for Europe to hear at a time when cultures are changing and faith plays a smaller and smaller role in society.
“What Mr. Trump was trying to do was say, ‘Look, let’s go back to the tried and to the true, to those values which did bring us together, did unite us, made us a strong continent and a strong West,” said Edwards.
Catholic cardinal Joachim Meisner of Germany died yesterday while on vacation. According to the National Catholic Register, the cause of death is currently unknown, but Meisner passed on peacefully in his sleep. The influential man was made a cardinal by Pope Saint John Paul the Second, and presided over Germany’s largest diocese for 25 years. The Cardinal was outspoken on many issues and a strong advocate for life. Meisner is also known for signing the “dubia,” a series of five questions concerning Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation “The Joy of Love”, asking for clarity on parts of the document. Many are calling Meisner’s death the “end of an era” because of his strong stance on moral issues and close relationships with the previous two popes. ~ Sarah Schutte
Food stamp rolls are dropping as some states begin instituting work programs. According to Fox News, states such as Maine, Kansas, and Georgia are seeing a significant drop in welfare users as they require adults to seek jobs or work training in exchange for staying in the food stamp programs. A 19-96 welfare reform bill instituted work requirements, but the Obama administration waived those rules, a move resulting in a rapid growth of welfare dependents. In 20-14, Maine governor Paul Le Paige required all able-bodied adults to find work or perform community service, a ruling resulting in a 14 point 5 percent decline in food stamp participation across the state. This model is being used by lawmakers in Ohio and Utah. Their bill calls for welfare use time limits. ~ Sarah Schutte
Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote an article for a German newspaper that indirectly attacked the Trump’s policy on trade. The article condemned the use of “doomed” policies, such as economic sanctions and trade protectionism, that have been championed by the Trump administration. — Jenna Suchyta
Protests in Germany over the G20 Summit on Friday became violent as police clashed with hooded anti-capitalist protesters. The protesters threw bottles and rocks at police vehicles. — Jenna Suchyta
The successful North Korean test of an intercontinental ballistic missile proves the U.S. must be ready to do whatever it takes – even readiness to use nuclear weapons – to prevent Kim Jong-Un from launching a nuclear attack on our nation or one of our allies in the region, according to retired U.S. Air Force Lt. General Tom McInerney.
Gen. McInerney spent 35 years in uniform upon graduation from the United States Military Academy. He rose to vice commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and served as vice chief of staff, the number three position in the Air Force.
He says North Korea’s successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, on Monday raises the stakes in this standoff to a whole new level.
“He is a man who is unstable enough that if he ever got a nuclear ICBM that could reach the United States, that we must fully respect that and understand it. It is unacceptable to us as Americans that we could have North Korea being able to put U.S. cities at risk,” said McInerney.
McInerney is advocating a multi-pronged approach to confronting North Korea that he hopes won’t require military force. However, he says our current posture is untenable and says we cannot rely on our existing missile defense technology to protect us.
“We are at risk,” said McInerney. “That’s all I can say. We are at risk.”
McInerney urges the Trump administration to start with an aggressive diplomatic and economic campaign to force Kim Jong-un into line.
“Number one, increase the diplomatic pressure on China and Russia by the global community, starting this Friday during President Trump’s visit to Germany,” said McInerney. “Next, we’ve got to increase the economic sanctions on China and Russia and other countries that are doing business with North Korea, and I mean very tough sanctions,” said McInerney.
He also wants to see the creation of a NATO-like organization in the Pacific, whereby the U.S. could partner with the likes of South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the Philippines in putting pressure on Pyongyang.
The general says North Korea’s increased belligerence is due in part to President Obama’s lack of action with respect to missile defense, sanctions, or tough diplomacy.
“Clearly, the Obama administration was not interested in pursuing an aggressive missile defense capability, as he was not interested in getting the North Koreans to slow their program down. So we have not had much help in this dangerous area for the last eight years,” said McInerney.
McInerney is confident that aggressive sanctions can succeed against North Korea and China, which helped to facilitate Monday’s ICBM launch. But he says leadership also requires a significant buildup in the event peaceful efforts fail.
He foresees the need for a multi-faceted buildup.
“First, we’ve got to build up the forces in [the western Pacific] to include more air power, to include our latest aircraft – the F-22’s, F-35’s, B-2 stealth aircraft,” said McInerney, who also wants to see accelerated production of massive munitions like the Mother of All Bombs, or MOAB, and the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, and cruise missiles.
“We need to build up the Marine amphibious forces in the western Pacific out around Okinawa. We need to build up some of the ground forces,” he added, noting that South Korea’s competent ground troops would minimize the need for U.S. troops on the peninsula.
McInerney is also pleading with South Korea to allow the implementation of the THAAD missile defense program to proceed. Currently, the South Korean government is holding up the effort while waiting for an environmental review.
“And we’ve got to build up our Naval forces to include at least two carriers. I believe we need three, as well as both missile defense forces…as well as cruise missile capabilities,” said McInerney.
But he goes a step farther in urging the military to be ready for the nuclear option, including the staging of personnel in Japan and South Korea and readying nuke-carrying bombers in Guam. He also urges the U.S. to allow allies in the region of have access to nukes.
McInerney says the U.S. knows exactly where all the critical military sites are in North Korea and just one B-2 bomber run with conventional weapons could have a devastating impact.
“One B-2 can drop 80 500-pound bombs with GPS guidance and take out 80 of those artillery sites right away. A MOAB could knock out 50 artillery sites at once perhaps,” said McInerney.
Again, McInerney believes military action can be avoided but he says being ready for a fight is prudent.
“They need to know we mean business and if we have to, we will use the full conventional and nuclear retaliatory capabilities of the United States against this threat,” said McInerney.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America discuss rapidly dropping rates in illegal immigration across the southern border. They also reproach Illinois state representatives – especially Republicans – for agreeing to tax hikes instead of dealing with major fiscal problems. And they question CNN’s decision to intimidate an anonymous Reddit user over the controversial GIF President Trump re-tweeted on Sunday. To finish off the day, they criticize the History Channel for concluding what happened to Amelia Earhart based largely on one photograph.
