Three Things You Need to Know - January 26, 2018

January 26, 2018

WRITER

The Obama/Farrakhan Connection Confirmed

White people are a “race of devils”...“Hitler was a very good man”... Judaism is a “gutter religion.” Who said those statements? Most people, right off the bat, would probably guess David Duke. He probably HAS said very similar things in the past, but that’s not who I’m referring to. These words were spoken by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. He’s absolutely one of the most racist people in America.

If any politician or public figure were caught schmoozing with Farrakhan it would be a big deal, and Barack Obama had been accused of such during the 2008 election. Hillary Clinton even called him out over it during a debate. She said that Farrakhan’s support for Obama needed to be addressed and denounced. Obama basically denied any contact and said that he couldn’t help who supported him. So basically, the exact reasons we rightfully condemned Donald Trump for failing to denounce David Duke’s support of him, AND the exact excuse Trump gave to us.

Yesterday, TalkingPointsMemo.com published a story that featured an interesting photo. There’s Obama, flashing that million dollar smile, with Louis Farrakhan. There’s absolutely NO WAY Obama didn't know who he was taking a picture with. Farrakhan didn’t slide in at the last minute with the mother of all photobombs. Obama knew exactly what he was doing, and palling around with one of the most racist men in America apparently didn't bother him one bit.

So why have we never seen this photo? This quite possibly could have torpedoed Obama’s first run for president. The answer is the media didn’t want this to get out. The photojournalist hid the picture because it would be quote “damaging politically” if it were released. How did the media never follow up on this? Obama and Farrakhan’s contacts was one of the worst kept and dirty secrets in Washington. Despite the rumors, no one pursued this photo.

If the situations would have been reversed - if there was a picture with a white nationalist and John McCain, Mitt Romney, or Donald Trump - this would have been blasted in every newspaper and on every cable news network all over the world. I can’t find it mentioned on any major news outlet this morning. Probably because it’s a glaring reminder that they were both incompetent and also just didn’t care. Every day we’re reminded with more evidence of just how far media has fallen. If it’s not incompetence it’s blatant partisanship. Something has got to change.

Two Minutes to Midnight

We’re all doomed.

Yesterday, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – which definitely sounds like a secret society – moved the Doomsday Clock 30 seconds ahead after its annual assessment of the state of the world.

That means it is now just two minutes ‘til midnight on the Doomsday Clock. It hasn’t been two minutes to midnight since 1953.

This is not some knockoff, Casio doomsday clock. This is the official Doomsday Clock, the one you should be freaked out about.

The board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists includes 15 Nobel Prize winners, so they know their way around a doomsday clock. They’ve been setting this thing for 71 years. One of the members said at the press conference, “Today, the danger of some sort of nuclear catastrophe is greater than it was during the Cold War and most people are blissfully unaware of this danger.”

To what does the organization owe its new alarm? “The failure of President Trump and other world leaders to deal with looming threats of nuclear war and climate change.” Ten years ago, the group said climate change is “nearly as dire” as the danger of nuclear weapons. Not quite sure how that can be true, but they’re the atomic scientists.

Trump and climate change – those are the ultimate bogeymen for the Left.

Another doomsday spokesman said the risk of nuclear weapons being used undoubtedly increased last year, which is why they decided to move the clock ahead 30 seconds. But they also said the danger is worse because of humanity’s inaction on climate change.

Reading between the lines, I guess that means the world is getting hotter because of climate change, which puts people in a worse mood, which makes them more likely to launch nuclear weapons?

Okay, maybe I’m being insensitive to the doomsday crowd. Nuclear weapons are no joke. But their argument loses a lot of its punch when you try to put climate change on the same danger level as nuclear weapons.

However, credit to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – they also listed artificial intelligence among their other concerns. Not that nuclear war isn’t a serious threat, but we need a separate, larger, more urgent clock that counts us down to A.I. taking over the world. That is the doomsday clock we should be watching.

The NFL Just Committed Suicide

This year’s Super Bowl is going to be legendary.

No, not because the Philadelphia Eagles somehow managed to have a fantastic season and make the Championship game, but because I predict that it will be the last Super Bowl EVER.

The NFL is gone after this one.

Why?

Three words: Social. Justice. Committee.

The National Football League has officially established an owner-player "social justice committee" to create a "dialogue" to address issues of race relations.

The committee will "focus on education, economic development, community and police relations and the criminal justice system.”

And they’ve already started a program called “Let’s Listen Together” which will use social media to highlight NFL players working on “equality issues” off the field.

I don’t even care about football and this makes me want to throw up.

And we can all thank Colin Kaepernick for this disgusting mix of politics and sports.

I just don’t see how the NFL can survive this way. There is absolutely no justifiable reason for them to have a social justice committee. Zero.

Everyone involved in the NFL should be there to work on one thing: football. That’s it!

If players want to promote social justice outside of their day jobs, fine whatever. That’s their decision. But don’t make it something that the league has to do.

And frankly, I think the NFL already does a great job of bringing people of all backgrounds together. Football makes people of all walks of life feel connected to each other when they are rooting for their team. Every fan is equal and united when they’re on the bleachers. Just keep doing that and you’ll be a force for good in the world.

MORE 3 THINGS

VP debate recap: A Vance victory

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

This might have been the most consequential VP debate in recent memory.

For those of you who missed the debate, it was a decisive victory for J.D. Vance and the Trump-Vance team as a whole. Vance presented a calm, collected, and considerate side of the Republican party that compliments Trump and helps to make their platform more palatable. Meanwhile, Tim Walz had a lackluster, though certainly not catastrophic, night. He had a few embarrassing gaffes and came across as overly nervous, but like Vance, kept it civil.

Both VP candidates entered the stage as relative unknowns to most Americans, and by the end, both men had given an accurate representation of their characters. Here is a brief recap just in case you missed the debate:

J.D. Vance looked great

ANGELA WEISS / Contributor | Getty Images

Vance came out of the gate swinging, with a stellar opening statement that helped set the stage for the rest of the debate. He delivered a concise yet compelling recap of his life, which framed him as everything Walz claims to be: a relatable veteran from humble beginnings who earned his position through hard work and service. He then went on to deliver a clear and palatable defense of Trump's platform and mission while cooly drawing attention to the failures of the Biden-Harris administration.

Overall, J.D. Vance looked incredibly presidential. He presented himself not just as a capable vice president, but as a strong successor to Trump and as a valid replacement if anything should happen to the former president between now and the end of his hypothetical second term. Vance also successfully dispelled the notion that he is "weird" as Walz called him, and if anyone looked strange during the debate, it certainly wasnot Vance.

Tim Walz's gaffes

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

While Tim Walz certainly didn't have an awful night, he did not stack up well against Vance. Walz had a major gaffe around halfway through the debate when asked to explain the change in his position on assault weapon bans. Walz then claimed that he had befriended school shooters during his time in office. While that was clearly not the intention of what he was saying, it was embarrassing nonetheless.

Another weak moment was when the moderators asked Walz to explain a claim he had made regarding being in Hong Kong during the infamous Tiananmen Square protest in 1989, which has since been proven false. Walz gave a long-winded, rambling answer about taking students to visit China and how Trump should have joined in on those trips, before being called out by the moderator for dodging the question.

Vance fact-checked the fact-checkers

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

One of the conditions of the CBS debate was that the moderators would not fact-check the debaters live, but instead rely on after-the-matter fact-checking. But, CBS couldn't keep to its own rules. While Vance was describing the migrant crisis that has swelled during the Biden-Harris administration, one of the CBS moderators, Margaret Brennan, chimed in with a "fact check." She claimed that the Haitian migrants in Ohio have legal status, to which Vance clapped back by calling Brennan out for breaking the rules of the debate, then proceeded to correct her, explaining that they only had legal status due to overreach by the Biden-Harris administration.

Dockworker strike: Everything you need to know

Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

At midnight on September 30th, dockworkers across the East Coast went on strike, effectively cutting the country's import and export capabilities in half.

Don't go out and panic buy a pallet of toilet paper and instant ramen just yet. It's going to take some time for the full effects of the strike to be felt and hopefully, the strike will be good and over by then. But there are no guarantees, and this election cycle could get significantly more insane as we draw near to the election. And even if the strike is settled quickly, it shows growing cracks in our infrastructure and industrial capacity that needs to be addressed if America wants to maintain its global dominance.

Here is everything you need to know about the dockworker strike:

What do the dockworkers want?

Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

As with most strikes, pay is the driving factor behind this situation the country now finds itself in. The longshoremen want more pay, and with rising inflation who can blame them? After all, working the docks is hard and dangerous business, and fair compensation only seems... fair. But when you compare the wage of a dockworker, which is around $100,000 to $200,00 a year to the average income in America of $56,000, suddenly they seem significantly less sympathetic.

How much money are they asking for? For most Americans, a three percent raise is considered high, but the unions are asking up to 15 percent, depending on location. On top of that, they are asking for a 77 percent raise over the next six years. The West Coast dock workers recently made off with a 36 percent raise and were considered lucky. These increases in costs are just going to be transferred to the end consumer, and we'll likely see a jump in prices if these terms are accepted.

The other major ticket item is protection against automation. Autonomous ports are quickly becoming a reality, with major ports in China that are capable of handling vast amounts of cargo being run by a single office, not an army of dock workers. Naturally, the longshoremen are concerned that their jobs are at risk of being replaced by machines that can work harder, longer, for cheaper, and without risk of injury.

How will it affect Americans?

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Don't panic yet!

It is going to take some time for consumers to feel the effects of the strike and it is possible that a resolution could happen at any time.

Week one should be pretty much business as usual. It might be a good idea to stock up on fruit and other perishables, but there is no need to go COVID-lockdown-crazy yet.

Week two is when you'll first start feeling the pinch. Fresh fruits and veggies will become scarce, along with other imported goods like shoes, toys, and TVs. Prices will start to creep up as the shelves will start to look a little sparse. The supply of tools, lumber, and other hardware materials will also begin to dry up.

By week three, the cracks in the system will really start to show. Entire industries will begin to slow down, or even stop. Factory workers will get furloughed and sent home without pay. Stores will have to ration items, prices will be sky-high, and online orders will come to a standstill. At this point, the strike will have escalated into a full-blown crisis, and even if it was resolved immediately, it would still take weeks to restore everything to working order.

At the four-week mark, the situation will have developed into a national security crisis, and as Glenn describes, a poly-crisis. Small business will be closing their doors, entire brands will be out of stock, and everything that remains will be so expensive it is unaffordable. By this point, the holiday season will be drawing near and there will be a rush on any sort of gift or decor items left. At this point, irreparable damage to our economy will have occurred and it will be months if not years before it can be mended.

While that sounds bleak, with the election just around the corner, it seems unlikely that the Biden-Harris administration will let it get that bad. That being said, their administration has not been characterized by good decision-making and reasonable policy, so there are no guarantees.

What can be done?

The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

The big question is "Why hasn't Biden already done something?"

President Biden, who ran on the image of a blue-collar, union-worker, has been uncharacteristically absent from the issue. Despite his earlier involvement in a train strike, Biden has declared that involvement in union fights is not a presidential issue unless it getsreally bad.

So where's the line? At what point will he step in? He has to understand that an economic crisis right before the election will reflect poorly on Kamala.

Join Glenn TONIGHT for BlazeTV's exclusive VP debate coverage!

Anna Moneymaker / Staff, Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

Join Glenntonight for Vice Presidential debate coverage you do not want to miss!

Tonight is the first (and only) Vice Presidential debate, and it will be hosted by CBS News. But don't be reliant on CBS News or any other mainstream media channel for their biased coverage. Join the BlazeTV live stream tonight to get the uncensored truth alongside top-quality commentary from Glenn and the rest of the world-class panel.

Glenn is joined by Megyn Kelly, Liz Wheeler, Allie Beth Stuckey, Steve Deace, Jill Savage, Dave Landau, and more to cover the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate. Blaze Media subscribers gain access to live chat with the fantastic panel of hosts! If you subscribe today by visiting BlazeTV.com/debate you will get $40 off of your annual subscription with code DEBATE. This is the largest discount ever offered, so take advantage NOW!

See you TONIGHT at 8 PM ET for an event you do NOT want to miss it!

POLL: Can the VP debate affect the election?

DOMINIC GWINN / Contributor, Dia Dipasupil / Staff | Getty Images

The first (and likely only) Vice President debate will be held on CBS News on Tuesday, October 1st.

The debate takes place at 9 p.m. Eastern Time and will be the first time we see J.D. Vance and Tim Walz face off in person. Typically, the VP debate is little more than a formality, and rarely does it affect the election in any significant way. But this is no ordinary election. The stakes are higher than they have been in years, and Trump and Harris are still in a razor-thin race, according to the polls. Both Vance and Walz are relative newcomers to the national stage and still have room to make an impression on the American people, and with the race as tight as it is, that might make all the difference.

So what do you think? Can this VP debate make an impact on the election? Are you going to tune in? And what sort of questions and issues need to be brought up? Let us know in the poll below:

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