Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America congratulate the Seattle City Council for letting common sense prevail when they repealed a controversial employee tax. They recoil as GOP primary voters in Virginia nominate Corey Stewart for U.S. Senate and wonder what the real reason is for Mark Sanford’s defeat in South Carolina. They also worry that President Donald Trump may have declared the North Korea nuclear threat over too soon.
Summit: Chemistry vs. Hard Reality
President Trump and North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-Un were all smiles at the summit, agreed to written terms and some unwritten ones, and publicly lavished praise on one another, and veteran Cold War expert is concerned about what this meeting will mean going forward.
“It could be the triumph in personal chemistry over hard reality,” said Center for Security Policy President Frank Gaffney, who also served as a Defense Department official in the Reagan administration.
He says relying on personal chemistry with rogue dictators doesn’t have a successful track record.
“Often times it doesn’t work out very well, particularly in the case of ruthless and wholly unreliable totalitarians,” said Gaffney.
Trump and Kim agreed to four written points and two that did not make it into the formal document. They agreed to pursue new and peaceful relations with one another and for the Korean peninsula, Kim agreed “to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” although no specifics were discussed to verify he is making good on those promises. And North Korea will begin sending home the remains of Americans lost during the Korean War.
In addition, Kim will dismantle elements of his missile program and the United States will suspend joint military exercises with South Korea.
Gaffney is not impressed.
“I’m concerned about the gap between what was indicated would be coming out of this meeting and what actually has in terms of deals,” he said.
Gaffney is not all happy to see Trump scrap the military exercises or embrace the North Korean, Russian, and Chinese characterization of those exercises as “provocative.”
Gaffney says those are defensive exercises designed to respond to North Korean aggression. And he says it will be very hard to start them up again even if North Korea starts behaving badly again.
“I fear it might make it very hard to restart those exercises should the need arise – and I think it will – especially given the South Korean government’s desire to dispense with them altogether,” said Gaffney.
In addition to wanting a way to verify North Korea’s supposed commitment to dismantling its nuclear program, Gaffney says it’s hard to “un-invent” a nuclear program and put that genie back in the bottle. He also implores Trump not to make the Korean peninsula “safe for conventional war.”
“This (agreement) doesn’t solve the problem and I don’t think President Trump does either. I think he thinks that it is evidence of commitment on the part of Kim Jong-Un that has thus far not been evident,” said Gaffney.
Gaffney is very pleased that Trump neither relaxed sanctions or made any apparent promises to do so, meaning the maximum pressure campaign is still in place. However, he says Trump needs to get tougher on China over its renewed efforts to circumvent the sanctions.
Perhaps most concerning to Gaffney is Trump’s effusive praise of Kim, publicly stating it was a great honor to meet with the North Korean dictator, and stating that the man who punishes any dissent with prison or death “loves his people.”
“I consider him to be one of the world’s most horrific tyrants and it’s troubling that we find ourselves having to deal with him,” said Gaffney, noting that the issue is on Trump’s plate because the past three administrations failed to address the issue effectively.
Nonetheless, he is not a fan of Trump’s kind words.
“It is totally regrettable and undesirable in the extreme to be signaling anything other than the way he treats his people is unacceptable,” said Gaffney.
“Any nation that is so horrifically indifferent to the suffering of its own people is not one that I would trust with the safety of our,” he added.
California Bill Lets Foster Care Children Choose Transgender Treatment
By: Joshua Paladino
A bill in the California State Legislature would mandate puberty-blocking drugs and sex change operations for transgender minors in the foster care system.
Assembly Bill 2119, the Foster Care Gender Affirming Health Care and Behavioral Health Services Act, advanced to the Senate Human Services Committee on Tuesday.
The bill bans counselors, parents, foster parents, and social workers from guiding children toward identification with their biological gender. The bill states, “A licensed professional, or any other individual, shall not subject a foster child or nonminor dependent to any treatment, intervention, or conduct that seeks to change the foster child’s or nonminor dependent gender identity.”
It mandates three broad plans of treatment for transgender or gender non-conforming children, including interventions to suppress the development of internal secondary sex characteristics, interventions to align the patient’s appearance or physical body with the patient’s gender identity, and interventions to alleviate symptoms of clinically significant distress resulting from gender dysphoria.
The bill states that 12-year-old children “have established rights to privately seek and consent to outpatient mental health counseling and treatment.”
According to the bill’s sponsors, its purpose is to counteract the biased treatment that transgender and non-gender conforming children face.
The bill already succeeded in the lower chamber, passing on May 22 by a 46-22 vote.
North Korea: Glimmers of Hope, Deal Too Vague, Trump Legitimizes Kim
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America devote all three martinis to the Trump-Kim summit. They are happy that President Trump did not promise to revoke any of the North Korean sanctions and that Kim reportedly made concessions on his missile program. They also rip the deal over Trump agreeing to end joint military exercises with South Korea, while only getting a vague promise from Kim to move towards denuclearization. They also berate Trump for lavishing public praise towards Kim, calling it a great honor to meet with him and suggesting Kim loves his people.
SCOTUS & Voter Rolls, Anti-Semite Seeks Ellison Seat, NYT Suddenly Loves Mitt
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America praise the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold an Ohio law that cuts inactive voters from the rolls if they haven’t voted in the past six years or asked the state to keep them on. They also blast a self-described intersectional, Muslim feminist, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Keith Ellison’s Minnesota congressional seat, over her ugly tweet about Israel. And they unload on the New York Times for their sudden embrace of Mitt Romney.
America’s Suicide Crisis: What Can Help?
Many people are stunned this week after two hugely successful and famous Americans committed suicide, and government statistics show suicide is rising dramatically around the country. What is behind this horrific upswing and what can be done to reverse it?
Fashion legend Kate Spade took her own life, reportedly by hanging, at her New York City apartment. On Friday, famed chef and television host Anthony Bourdain was found dead, also by hanging, in a French hotel room.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that suicide is now the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. The research shows that, since 1999, suicide rates are higher in almost every state and in more than half of the states, the increase is more than 30 percent than just 19 years ago.
Dr. Michael Brown is a national radio host and author of “Saving A Sick America.” In his ministry work, Brown says he encounters desperate people on a regular basis. He says the worst thing we can do is express shock and horror at yet another suicide and then do nothing.
Brown says there are no easy answers to explain the surge in suicides, but he believes there are some critical questions to ask.
“We have to ask in what ways have we become more sick as a society. Has the breakdown in family life contributed to things? Has the isolation and loneliness in which people live contributed to things? Have we lost some of our spiritual roots that give us a sense of meaning and purpose and dignity in life as people created in the image of God?” said Brown.
Brown says making personal connections is vital in helping people see there will be brighter days ahead. He says just paying attention to how people are acting and taking the time to interact with them can do a world of good.
“Many times we’re so caught up in our own lives that we don’t stop and observe. Most people, if you take a personal interest in them, they’re willing to stop and talk,” said Brown. “If they’re going into a shell, if they don’t to be themselves, take time out of your schedule and get with them and say, ‘Are you OK? What’s going on?'” said Brown.
He says hope is another powerful tool, both when people have a reason to anticipate the next day and when they don’t.
“With hope you can endure almost anything. But when you lose hope, when the pain is too great to even think of tomorrow, that’s obviously when people are going to consider suicide,” said Brown.
For family members, Brown recommends learning what gestures of love your loved one responds to along the lines of the Christian book “The Five Languages” and then engage with them in those ways.
Brown himself was shooting up drugs as a teenager until he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. He says a relationship with God through Christ is immensely powerful in dealing with depression and other struggles that could lead to suicide.
“The one thing I know for sure is that a vibrant relationship with God through faith in Jesus through the scriptures have saved many people from depression, many people from suicide, but there are Christians who struggle with these issues as well,” said Brown.
He says the forgiveness found in Christ transforms lives.
“When you know that you’re in relationship with God and He loves you, suddenly you have this extraordinary affirmation. My life counts. Guilt can plague and destroy you. When you get rid of the guilt and now you know you’re forgiven and you don’t have to have those nightmares day and night, that’s incredible,” said Brown.
And he says the guilt and despair is replaced by something indescribably wonderful.
“Being in God’s presence when you’re in right relationship with Him brings extraordinary joy. I can’t think of anything that would be an antidote to depression, suicide, hopelessness than pure joy,” said Brown.
Country Time vs. Big Government, Media in Bed with Leakers, Suicide Crisis
After discussing the Washington Capitals ending a 26-year title drought in the nation’s capital, Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud Country Time for vowing to pay the fines and permit fees for kids hassled by the government for running lemonade stands without business licenses. They’re also disgusted as a 57-year-old married man with a high staff position for the Senate Intelligence Committee is charged with leaking classified information to two reporters, including his mistress, who was then 22-years-old. And they note this week’s high profile suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain as the suicide rate skyrockets in much of America, and they implore anyone struggling to go on to find help. Finally, they close on another somber note as they process the news that conservative columnist and commentator Charles Krauthammer has only weeks to live.
Conservatives Push ‘Better Deal for Black America’
Black Americans can escape the cycle of failed schools, rampant poverty, and government dependence if America as a whole embraces the proven values that made our nation the envy of the world, according to a new report from the conservative Project 21 Black Leadership Network.
Entitled “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America,” the report offers 57 proposals in ten different policy areas that Project 21 believes would lead to a thriving U.S. and a resurgent black community.
The proposals range from taxes to criminal justice reform to relations between police and local communities, but education is central to the goal of lifting black families to stability and prosperity.
Statistics show just 38 percent of blacks earn a four-year college degree in six years, compared to 62 percent for whites, 63 percent for Asians and almost 46 percent for Hispanics.
Project 21 Co-Chair Horace Cooper says failing schools are not preparing many black students for college.
“What you’re seeing is a disproportionate number of graduates at these places can barely read the diploma that they’re given. In 2017, six percent of black high school students who took the American College Testing exam (ACT) met the four benchmarks that were necessary for college readiness,” said Horace.
He points out only 35 percent of white students met those benchmarks, along with just under 50 percent of Asians. Cooper that is an indictment of our public schools across the board.
“In Europe and much of Asia, they are insisting that their education system deliver for their young people. In America, we’ve been much more interested in letting bureaucrats get cushy jobs and make sure that unions get the support that they need, rather than insisting we absolutely need our kids to be able to read the diploma that we hand them when we graduate,” said Cooper.
He says this is a crisis that must be addressed now.
“The main thing we’re trying to emphasize with this report is that there are certain strategies and policies that have the effect of hurting people who are working class and poor. Minorities tend to be more disproportionately poor,” said Cooper.
“Our public school systems in too many inner cities are simply failing. Black Americans are disproportionately enrolled in these failing schools,” he added.
Cooper says nothing has changed despite decades of poor results.
“Many of these cities refuse to incorporate ideas like competition, school choice, opportunities to let the faith community play a role. And they often have a very hostile attitude about even parental involvement,” said Cooper.
And, in a toxic pattern, inner city students with a poor education see few options when they become adults.
“If you are not equipped to compete in the 21st century marketplace, you are going to suffer dramatically and you may end up feeling forced to pursue non-legal means of providing for yourself,” said Cooper, who says the other common alternative is to live off government assistance programs.
Cooper says local governments need to start threatening to decrease funding unless results improve, instead of throwing good money after bad in failing schools.
He also says America must again embrace the principles that made us the envy of the world.
“It started with the building blocks, family. It started with faith, free markets, personal responsibility, limited government. These attitudes, these strategies led to America’s success and they will lead to any group’s success,” said Cooper.
He says liberal intellectuals started gutting those principles and convincing millions of people to follow a different course.
“A bunch of seemingly smart people said we don’t need those things. ‘Family? That’s so yesterday. We need Washington, D.C., bureaucrats to come in and dictate. We need massive government. Free markets can’t be trusted,'” said Cooper.
Cooper says Ronald Reagan proved twenty years later that the ethos of the 1960’s was wrong but the fight still goes on to return to the formula for American success. Cooper is confident it’s not too late.
“If we do it again with intentionality, we can do it in America and end a lot of the poverty that we see,” said Cooper.
Former FBI Bosses Under Fire, Pizza Delivery & Deportation, Sanders Snubs Son
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America react to reports that former FBI Director James Comey is described as “insubordinate” in the forthcoming inspector general’s report and former deputy director Andrew McCabe is asking for immunity before testifying to Congress about the Hillary Clinton email investigation. They also push back against the outrage surrounding the arrest of an illegal immigrant delivering pizzas to a military base, pointing out the man told a judge he would leave the country eight years ago and never did. And they’re puzzled by Sen. Bernie Sanders refusing to endorse his own son’s congressional bid when he’s been very active backing other candidates around the country.
Simple Solution to Save Medicare, Social Security
Social Security and Medicare are on the path to insolvency sooner than previously thought, and Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., is frustrated that Congress won’t act to stave off fiscal disaster when the solution seems obvious to him.
On Tuesday, the government announced that on their present courses, Medicare will become insolvent in 2026 and Social Security faces the same fate in 2034. The Medicare projection moves the insolvency date three year’s closer than the government estimated just last year.
And it’s not just the warnings of impending fiscal chaos. Brat says mandatory entitlement spending once consumed 25 percent of the budget and 75 percent was spent on defense and other domestic spending. Now, he says entitlements gobble up 75 percent of the budget and it already has some people feeling the pain, since far less money is available for other priorities.
“People are starting to feel that and states are starting to feel that and localities, because the same money is not getting down to them,” said Brat, always ready with an example of the red ink engulfing the U.S. to the tune of $21 trillion and another $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities.
“In ten years or so, they’re saying the interest payment alone on the debt will be bigger than the defense budget,” said Brat.
He’s also keeping a close eye on Wall Street.
“The bond market is the ultimate arbiter here. They will send the signal on what is too much debt. The unfunded liabilities fit into that indirectly. They put (on) pressure. You’re getting a lot of new concerns from the market itself.
“That is unfortunately what it will take. As soon as the bond market has a hiccup, then everyone’s going to get way more responsive,” said Brat.
The trillions of dollars in debt the nation faces is hard for anyone to fully comprehend, but Brat says there is a simple approach to restoring solid footing to Medicare and Social Security.
He says those programs began when the life expectancy in the U.S. was 65, so the government made money on the people who aid into the system but didn’t reach retirement age and had enough resources to provide assistance for those that lived longer.
That has changed.
“The programs still kick in at 65 but the average death age is now 83. So you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what the answer is. But that’s politically explosive to rearrange these programs and reform them so that has to be bipartisan and it has to be done within an election cycle,” said Brat.
Brat suspects the Democrats will continue to argue that tax hikes on “the rich” will shore up the systems for the long haul. Brat says that would barely make a dent.
“If I told you how much you would have to raise taxes to make these programs solvent, you wouldn’t believe it. It’s through the roof. Those aren’t politically palatable and if you put those tax increases in, you’d bring the economy to a halt. You’d have zero growth or recession immediately,” said Brat.
“The Democrats don’t like spinach. They’re more on the spending side. They’re not trying to trim and save money over the long run. They want to expand all of government,” said Brat.
Democrats strongly dispute the diagnosis for the encroaching insolvency. Many politicians on the left and some policy experts contend the $1.5 trillion Republican tax cuts are the driving force behind the revised estimates on Medicare.
Brat pushes back strongly against that analysis.
“That’s just pure politics. The tax cuts are $150 billion a year (over ten years) and if you grow at three percent they’re paid for. The left said you’ll never get three percent and we’re at three percent,” said Brat.
He says reckless spending like the Democrats forced into the recent omnibus that also boosted military spending is how we got to this point.
“What they won’t tell you is that to get nine Democrat Senate votes at the end of the budget debate, we had to plus up the budget $400 billion – the tax cuts were $150 billion – to go sign a budget,” said Brat.
Brat says Congress must get it’s act together but shows no interest in doing so.
“No. Nothing. No response. That’s what’s stunning. People have internalized the politics and realized what it would take to achieve that change,” said Brat. “We should be dealing with it right now if we’re rational and foresighted.”
He says the inaction leaves an unfair burden on upcoming generations.
“The only substantial power group that doesn’t have a lobbyist up here is the kids, and if you’re not represented, you don’t get attention,” said Brat