Three Things You Need to Know - January 30, 2018

Andy's Ouster at the FBI

FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, otherwise known as “Andy” in the infamous “insurance policy” text messages between Struck and Page, is leaving the Bureau. Anyone saying this is no big deal is seriously fooling themselves.

McCabe’s ouster comes the same day his boss, Director Wray, reviewed the classified memo prepared by the House Intelligence Committee. Some Congressman are even saying the memo shows KGB like behavior by the FBI. Others say it shows evidence that the controversial Steele Dossier was used as an excuse by the FBI to get a FISA warrant to spy on the Trump campaign. For a refresher, the Steele Dossier was financed by the DNC and the Clinton Campaign. Fusion GPS, the firm that commissioned Steele to compile the dossier, was also working for someone else during that same timeframe… the Russian government.

As if that doesn't look bad enough, CNN reported late last night that Director Wray sent out an all-employee email yesterday evening hinting that McCabe’s dismissal had to do with an incoming Inspector General report investigating the handing of the 2016 Hillary Clinton email investigation.

And the hits just keep on coming. Was the House Intelligence Committee memo ON TOP OF the incoming Inspector General report the final hit that ultimately knocked McCabe out?

What the heck is going on at the FBI? We know McCabe’s wife received a campaign donation from a Hillary Clinton political action committee when she was running for the Virginia State Senate back in 2015. Did that payment buy his loyalty? We also know that Struck and Page were close to McCabe as revealed in their text messages. I refuse to use the words “Secret Society” here, but were these Three Amigos (McCabe, Struck and Page) the… uh… not spoken of - but definitely not secret - club… but definitely not society?

The House Intelligence Committee memo drops sometime this week. We’re about to find out if this is all just partisan hype or, as Struck says, something “ there there.”. This is feeling more and more like a Looney Tunes cartoon the further we get into this. So on that note… Stay tuned.

The 'Opportunity Zones' of the New Tax Plan

Was that Republican-backed tax plan evil or what?

At least that’s the official line from Democrats, that the plan is all about lining the pockets of companies and rich people. And how trickle-down economics is a myth invented by Republicans to make you poor and miserable. Democrats have repeated basically the same lines since Andrew Jackson. And the media helps repeat that message over and over.

Not that this tax plan was a brilliant overhaul of the system. It’s a very mediocre plan that could’ve been a lot better. But there is one part of the tax plan, which almost no one has talked about, that is designed to help some of the most economically depressed areas of the country.

This stealthy part of the tax plan is buried on page 130 of the bill. It allows states to designate certain regions within their borders as “Opportunity Zones.” These will be areas with high poverty, unemployment, and slow business growth. Businesses and venture capitalists that invest long-term in these “Opportunity Zones” could save a ton of money through avoiding capital gains taxes.

Over the last five years, the U.S. economy has grown and added jobs, but the growth has been mostly in large cities. From 2010 to 2014 – prime Obama years – more businesses closed in rural America than opened.

Investors will be allowed to create “Opportunity Funds” for the designated zones around the country to seed new businesses, expand existing businesses, or develop real estate. If investors maintain their investment for ten years, they avoid paying capital gains taxes altogether.

The chairman of President Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers said if this plan works, “We’ll look back ten years from now and say this was one of the most important parts of the tax bill, and one we didn’t talk nearly enough about.”

There are plenty of ways to be cynical about a provision like this. Maybe it’s a corporate scheme to take rural America for a ride while avoiding taxes. Or maybe it really is what it sounds like – the government actually cracking open a window of opportunity, for private business to do what it’s best at, and in the process help parts of the country that need a boost. What a concept.

The 'Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act' Fails in the Senate

At five months in the womb, babies have 10 fingers and 10 toes. They can yawn and stretch. They can also feel pain.

Despite this scientific fact, the Senate voted against the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” which would ban late-term abortions on babies at 20 weeks.

46 out of 97 Senators decided they wanted to continue the debate on the bill rather than pass it.

It’s not a perfect bill by any measure. It still allows babies conceived by rape or incest to be aborted and it draws a hard line at 20 weeks.

Does that mean a 19 week and six-day-old baby conceived by rape doesn’t feel pain?

That baby absolutely feels pain.

And even if there was some point in the womb where babies don’t feel pain, does that mean it’s ok to kill them? Just because it doesn’t hurt, is it ok to take that life? No. Period. We shouldn’t be dismembering and sucking babies up with a vacuum. Abortion is and always will be a hideous and barbaric act no matter what gestation period it occurs or how that baby came to be.

As a society, we need to reject abortion wholly and completely. But this bill was a step in the right direction.

It showed a glimmer of hope that maybe we are beginning to realize the sheer horror and murder of abortion.

I have no doubt humanity will realize what an atrocity abortion has been.

And that realization will serve as a gruesome blemish on mankind’s history.

Let’s hope we open our eyes sooner rather than later.

MORE 3 THINGS

POLL: Should Universities allow pro-Hamas protests?

Joseph Prezioso / Contributor | Getty Images

Just one day after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel, which left over 1,400 people Israelis dead, 34 different student groups from Harvard University wrote a joint statement pinning the blame of Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel. In the following days after publishing this callous statement, these students staged a walkout and rallied in support of the Palestinians. As Glenn has discussed, this is not an isolated event, and campuses across the country have hosted similar rallies where antisemitic jargon like "we don't want no Jew state" and "globalize the intifada" is freely spewed.

Should Universities allow pro-Hamas protests?

While the Universities have not officially backed any of these rallies or student groups that organized them, they haven't stopped them either, which raises the question: should they? On one hand, these are American students in American Universities, who are protected by the First Amendment. On the other hand, history tells us how dangerous antisemitism is if left unchecked; and what of the rights of Jewish students to be safe on the campuses they pay to attend? Let us know what you think in the poll below:

Should Universities allow pro-Hamas protests? 

Would you feel safe if your child attended a University that allowed pro-Hamas protests?

 Should Universities allow pro-Israel protests?

Is pro-Hamas rhetoric protected by the First Amendment?

POLL: What do YOU think Israel should do about Gaza?

SAID KHATIB / Contributor | Getty Images

Should Israel take over Gaza after defeating Hamas? This contentious historical question has resurfaced amid Israel's retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza following Hamas' terror attacks, which resulted in the greatest death of Jews since the Holocaust. Biden and the global elites have warned Israel against occupation of the Palestinian territory. When asked on 60 Minutes if he would support the Israeli occupation of Gaza, Biden said, “I think it would be a big mistake.” Today Glenn responded to Biden’s answer: “I don't think it's a mistake to occupy."

This has been a long-standing, polarizing issue that is now more relevant than ever, and we want to hear YOUR thoughts. Let us know in the poll below:

Would you support an Israeli occupation of Gaza?

Do you think the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza are justified?

Do you think a two-state solution is still possible?

Funding IRAN?! Here are the TOP 5 reasons Joe Biden should be IMPEACHED

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

On September 12th, the House announced an official impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden with allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption. Naturally, the media quickly jumped to the President’s aid claiming that “there is no evidence to support these claims” and that the whole affair is a witch hunt.

If you’ve been listening to Glenn, you know that this is simply not the case. Biden has been committing impeachment-worthy deeds before he even stepped foot into the Oval Office—there’s no shortage of evidence to justify this inquiry. Here are 5 scathing reasons why Biden should be impeached:

He was responsible for the Afghanistan withdrawal disaster.

Click here for full video

The Biden administration began with the US's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Under his watch, Biden left thousands of US citizens and allies stranded in the Taliban's hostile regime. Countless Afghan allies have been murdered by the Taliban due to the Biden administration's negligence.

He was involved with Hunter Biden's illicit foreign business dealings.

Click here for full video

There is clear evidence that Joe Biden was more than aware of his son Hunter's foreign business dealings. From suspicious money laundering through the Biden family's accounts to Joe's involvement with important business meetings within Hunter's company, there is mounting evidence to warrant an impeachment inquiry.

He lied about his involvement with Hunter's business dealings.

Click here for full video

Not only did Biden involve himself with his son's less-than-legal foreign business ventures, but he lied to the American people about it too, claiming he had NO KNOWLEDGE of what was going on.

He failed to protect the Southern border, and actively made it worse.

Click here for full video

Biden singlehandedly turned the Southern border into the worst illegal immigration crisis in US history. He reversed many policies set in place by the Trump administration, resulting in 2.3 million illegal immigrants flooding into the US under his watch, a historic high.

He sent IRAN AND HAMAS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

Click here for full video

Biden reversed the Trump-era policy that halted all funds going into Iran. The Wall Street Journal revealed the smoking-gun evidence proving that Iran trained AND funded Hamas before its gruesome terror attacks against Israel. Moreover, shortly before the attacks, the Biden administration unfroze $6 BILLION dollars of Iran's assets as a part of a prisoner swap. On top of this, Biden resumed $200 million worth of "humanitarian aid" to Gaza that Trump had ended—because the money was being used to buy weapons for Hamas.

Top 5 economic milestones that show HOW BAD Bidenomics has made the economy

SAUL LOEB / Contributor | Getty Images

From groceries to house prices, everything seems to get more expensive, and you can thank Biden for that. Glenn recently exposed the truth about 'Bidenomics' and the havoc it has wrought on the American economy. Here are five economic milestones during the Biden administration that expose the glaring track record of "Bidenomics:"

In July 2022, the inflation rate hit 9.1 percent, a 40-year record high.

In June 2022, gas hit an all time record high of $5 a gallon for the national average.

61 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck as of this September.

Interest rates reached a 15-year high at 5.25 percent and are still increasing.

Americans have $1 trillion in collective credit card debt, in part due to food/staple pieces being very high.