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Opinion

Hillary-Clinton-Benghazi-hearing

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton listens to a question as she testifies before the House Select Committee on Benghazi, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 22, 2015. Reuters

The self-inflicted wounds of Hillary Rodham Clinton just keep manifesting themselves. She has two serious issues that have arisen in the past week; one is political and the other is legal. Both have deception at their root.

Her political problem is one of credibility. We know from her emails that she informed her daughter Chelsea and the then-prime minister of Egypt within 12 hours of the murder of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, that he had been killed in Benghazi by al-Qaida. We know from the public record that the Obama administration’s narrative blamed the killings of the ambassador and his guards on an anonymous crowd’s spontaneous reaction to an anti-Muhammad video.

Over this past weekend we learned that her own embassy staff in Tripoli told her senior staff in Washington the day after the killings that the video was not an issue, and very few Libyans had seen it. We also know from her emails that the CIA informed her within 24 hours of the ambassador’s murder that it had been planned by al-Qaida 12 days before the actual killings.

Nevertheless, she persisted in blaming the video. When she received the bodies of Ambassador Stevens and his three bodyguards at Andrews Air Force base three days after their murders, she told the media and the families of the deceased assembled there that the four Americans had been killed by a spontaneous mob reacting to a cheap 15-minute anti-Muhammad video.

Clinton’s sordid behavior throughout this unhappy affair reveals a cavalier attitude about the truth and a ready willingness to deceive the public for short-term political gain. This might not harm her political aspirations with her base in the Democratic Party; but it will be a serious political problem for her with independent voters, without whose support she simply cannot be elected.

Yet, her name might not appear on any ballot in 2016.

That’s because, each time she addresses these issues — her involvement in Benghazi and her emails — her legal problems get worse. We already know that the FBI has been investigating her for espionage (the failure to secure state secrets), destruction of government property and obstruction of justice (wiping her computer server clean of governmental emails that were and are the property of the federal government), and perjury (lying to a federal judge about whether she returned all governmental emails to the State Department).

Now, she has added new potential perjury and misleading Congress issues because of her deceptive testimony to the House Benghazi committee. In 2011, when President Obama persuaded NATO to enact and enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, he sent American intelligence agents on the ground. Since they were not military and were not shooting at Libyan government forces, he could plausibly argue that he had not put “boots” on the ground. Clinton, however, decided that she could accelerate the departure of the Libyan strongman, Col. Moammar Gadhafi, by arming some of the Libyan rebel groups that were attempting to oppose him and thus helping them to shoot at government forces.

So, in violation of federal law and the U.N. arms embargo on Libya she authorized the shipment of American arms to Qatar, knowing they’d be passed off to Libyan rebels, some of whom were al-Qaida, a few of whom killed Ambassador Stevens using American-made weapons. When asked about this, she said she knew nothing of it. The emails underlying this are in the public domain. Clinton not only knew of the arms-to-Libyan-rebels deal, she authored and authorized it. She lied about this under oath.

After surveying the damage done to his regime and his family by NATO bombings, Col. Kaddafi made known his wish to negotiate a peaceful departure from Libya. When his wish was presented to Clinton, a source in the room with Clinton has revealed that she silently made the “off with his head” hand motion by moving her hand quickly across her neck. She could do that because she knew the rebels were well equipped with American arms with which to kill him. She didn’t care that many of the rebels were al-Qaida or that arming them was a felony. She lied about this under oath.

My Fox News colleagues Catherine Herridge and Pamela Browne have scrutinized Clinton’s testimony with respect to her friend and adviser Sidney Blumenthal. Recall that President Obama vetoed Clinton’s wish to hire him as her State Department senior adviser. So she had the Clinton Foundation pay him a greater salary than the State Department would have, and he became her silent de facto advisor.

They emailed each other hundreds of times during her tenure. He provided intelligence to her, which he obtained from a security company on the ground in Libya in which he had a financial interest. He advised her on how to present herself to the media. He even advocated the parameters of the Libyan no-fly zone and she acted upon his recommendations. Yet she told the committee he was “just a friend.” She was highly deceptive and criminally misleading about this under oath.

It is difficult to believe that the federal prosecutors and FBI agents investigating Clinton will not recommend that she be indicted. Inexplicably, she seems to have forgotten that they were monitoring what she said under oath to the Benghazi committee. By lying under oath, and by misleading Congress, she gave that team additional areas to investigate and on which to recommend indictments.

When those recommendations are made known, no ballot will bear her name.

Judge Nap: The self-inflicted wounds of Hillary

Video

[brid video=”19309″ player=”1929″ title=”Cruz It’s Wrong When Republicans Get in Bed with Obama Reid to Bankrupt Our Kids”]

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a 2016 GOP hopeful, said during an interview with Bill Hemmer Wednesday that it is wrong when Republicans in Congress “get in bed with Obama and Reid to bankrupt our kids.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told Bill Hemmer

Economy

US-Trade-Deficit-Reuters

Stacked shipping containers in U.S. trade port. (Photo: Reuters)

The Commerce Department said on Wednesday the U.S. trade deficit narrowed by 15% to $40.8 billion in September, its lowest level in seven months. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the trade gap shrinking to $41.1 billion in September.

The report shows much of the widening deficit posted in August was reversed, though the prior month’s numbers were revised slightly down to $48 billion from the previously reported $48.3 billion. When adjusted for inflation, the deficit fell to $57.2 billion in September from $63.0 billion in the prior month. Trade had virtually no impact on gross domestic product (GDP) for the third quarter, which clocked in at just 1.5%. The steep decline in economic growth from the second quarter, which came in at 3.9%, was fueled in large part by a slow pace of inventory accumulation scaling back from energy firms.

Exports in September rose 1.6% to $187.9 billion and exports of services hit a record high. There were also increases in exports of capital goods, while exports of industrial supplies and materials fell to their lowest since October 2010. Imports of industrial supplies and materials also fell to their lowest level since August 2009, as petroleum imports saw their lowest since May 2004 largely fueled by an increased domestic energy production and lower oil prices.

The price of petroleum averaged $42.72 per barrel in September, down from $49.33 in August and $92.52 in September 2014.

However, imports from China hit a record high in September, pushing the politically sensitive U.S.-China trade deficit to an all-time high of $36.3 billion. That was up 3.8% from August. The news will certainly be echoed by GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, who has harshly criticized politicians on both sides of the aisle for “losing” to China by negotiating imbalanced trade deals and allowing currency manipulation.

The Commerce Department said on Wednesday the

Economy

jobs-san-francisco-unemployment

A discouraged worker sits in an unemployment office in San Francisco. (Photo: Reuters)

The ADP National Employment Report released Wednesday showed U.S. private employers added 182,000 jobs in October, while job creation last month was revised down. The report came in slightly above Wall Street’s expectations, as economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast a gain of 180,000 jobs.

“Firm size contributions to October employment gains returned to the same pattern we had been seeing for some time prior to September as small businesses rebounded to account for almost half the jobs added,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, VP and head of the ADP Research Institute. “Large companies continue to be negatively impacted by trends such as low oil prices and the strong dollar driving weaker exports. On the other hand, small businesses can benefit from these same trends.”

Meanwhile, private payroll gains in September were revised down to 190,000 from an originally reported 200,000 increase. The report is jointly developed with Moody’s Analytics.

“Job growth as measured by the ADP Research Institute is not slowing meaningfully in contrast with the recent slowdown in the government’s data,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics. “The economy is creating close to 200,000 jobs per month. Job gains are broad based with energy and manufacturing alone subtracting from the top line. Small businesses, in particular, are contributing to the labor market’s solid performance.”

The ADP figures come ahead of the U.S. Labor Department’s more comprehensive non-farm payrolls report on Friday, which includes both public and private-sector employment.

Economists polled by Reuters are looking for total U.S. employment to have grown by 180,000 jobs in October, compared to the 142,000 created in September. The unemployment rate is forecast to remain at 5.1 percent.

The ADP National Employment Report on Wednesday

Economy

service-sector-cubicle-reuters

(Photo: Reuters)

The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index (NMI) rose to 59.1 in October from 56.9 in September, beating economists’ expectations. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had forecast the ISM Non-Manufacturing Report on Business index to decline to 56.8.

INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE

The 14 non-manufacturing industries reporting growth in October — listed in order — are: Transportation & Warehousing; Health Care & Social Assistance; Professional, Scientific & Technical Services; Utilities; Retail Trade; Construction; Management of Companies & Support Services; Information; Finance & Insurance; Other Services; Arts, Entertainment & Recreation; Public Administration; Wholesale Trade; and Accommodation & Food Services. The only industry reporting contraction in October is Mining.

The report said survey respondents “remain mostly positive about business conditions and the overall economy,” but the historically lower-paying service sector outpacing manufacturing and other higher-paying sectors has become a concerning trend.

The NMI is a barometer for the nation’s restaurants, builders, bankers and other service providers. While many are lopsided toward lower wages, consumer spending is the primary driver of the economic expansion in the U.S. and a full two-thirds of those outlays are on the service sector.

ISM® NON-MANUFACTURING SURVEY RESULTS AT A GLANCE
COMPARISON OF ISM® NON-MANUFACTURING AND ISM® MANUFACTURING SURVEYS*
OCTOBER 2015
Non-Manufacturing Manufacturing
Index Series
Index
Oct		 Series
Index
Sep		 Percent
Point
Change		 Direction Rate
of
Change		 Trend**
(Months)		 Series
Index
Oct		 Series
Index
Sep		 Percent
Point
Change
NMI®/PMI® 59.1 56.9 +2.2 Growing Faster 69 50.1 50.2 -0.1
Business Activity/Production 63.0 60.2 +2.8 Growing Faster 75 52.9 51.8 +1.1
New Orders 62.0 56.7 +5.3 Growing Faster 75 52.9 50.1 +2.8
Employment 59.2 58.3 +0.9 Growing Faster 20 47.6 50.5 -2.9
Supplier Deliveries 52.0 52.5 -0.5 Slowing Slower 5 50.4 50.2 +0.2
Inventories 52.5 51.0 +1.5 Growing Faster 7 46.5 48.5 -2.0
Prices 49.1 48.4 +0.7 Decreasing Slower 2 39.0 38.0 +1.0
Backlog of Orders 54.5 54.5 0.0 Growing Same 5 42.5 41.5 +1.0
New Export Orders 54.5 52.5 +2.0 Growing Faster 6 47.5 46.5 +1.0
Imports 54.5 53.0 +1.5 Growing Faster 4 47.0 50.5 -3.5
Inventory Sentiment 63.0 65.0 -2.0 Too High Slower 221 N/A N/A N/A
Customers’ Inventories N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 51.0 54.5 -3.5
Overall Economy Growing Faster 75
Non-Manufacturing Sector Growing Faster 69

* Non-Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® data is seasonally adjusted for Business Activity, New Orders, Prices and Employment Indexes. Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® data is seasonally adjusted for New Orders, Production, Employment and Supplier Deliveries.

** Number of months moving in current direction.

The Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing index

Opinion

Republican Presidential Candidates Hold Third Debate In Colorado

BOULDER, CO – OCTOBER 28: Presidential candidates Ohio Governor John Kasich (L-R), Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz (R-TX), New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) take the stage at the CNBC Republican Presidential Debate at University of Colorados Coors Events Center October 28, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. Fourteen Republican presidential candidates are participating in the third set of Republican presidential debates. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

We love to complain about elites, people who seem to have a special advantage, privileges in life. I get annoyed by the Kardashians and other spoiled rich kids. They didn’t work for their wealth. They don’t contribute.

Still, those elites are mostly harmless.

But there’s one group of truly dangerous elites: politicians. Spoiled party kids may have stupid ideas, but they can’t impose them on the rest of us. Politicians can, and do. It’s an important distinction to remember.

In Thomas Sowell’s book The Vision of the Anointed (which should have been titled “Conceit of the Self-Anointed”, Sowell points out that politicians use “the word ‘ask’ — as in ‘We are just asking everyone to pay their fair share.’ But of course governments do not ask, they tell. The IRS does not ‘ask’ for contributions.”

A rare presidential candidate who understands the importance of that difference is Sen. Rand Paul, who will appear on my TV show Friday. Paul points out that free markets get people to create things without force, and markets are much more efficient than governments.

“The Soviet Union was brought down because they couldn’t determine one simple thing — the price of bread,” says Paul. “They had all these planners, but nobody can determine the price of bread. Only the market can.”

Sadly, Paul hasn’t inspired voters with that message, while his fellow senator, self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders, draws huge, cheering crowds. Front-runner Hillary Clinton doesn’t call herself a socialist — but she often acts like one.

“There’s an irony here,” says Paul, “because many of these people say, I’m pro-choice. No — they’re very anti-choice when it comes to market decisions. Producing stuff, buying stuff, selling stuff — you’re not allowed to do it. They’re the anti-choice party. That’s what socialism is.”

People defend government spending out of concern for the poor, but what we get from government often has little to do with helping those at the bottom. “We just discovered,” says Paul, “that they spent $800,000 developing a televised cricket league for Afghanistan … and they spent $150,000 for yoga classes for federal employees.”

This habit of taking money and power from citizens all over America and letting Washington elites decide how to use it doesn’t exist just among Democrats. Paul sees it among Republican supporters of Donald Trump, too. Their attitude, says Paul, is “nobody quite knows exactly what economic system that celebrity is for, but trust him because he’s smart and all-powerful — give him more power and he’ll fix everything.”

By contrast, Paul says, “I’m not running to run the economy or the country.”

I worry that, to most people, that sounds like a politician not “doing his job.” People do seem eager to vote for a politician who will “lead,” and “take charge.”
But I don’t want to be led. I’m not a child. I don’t need elites in Washington, D.C., to boss me around and then tax me for it.

I wish voters would read Matt Ridley’s new book, The Evolution of Everything. He points out that when it comes to the innovations that make the most difference in our lives — medicine, smartphones, search engines, even language — it’s not the elite planners who bring progress.

“It comes from the bottom up,” says Ridley. “What happens in technology or morality or culture or any other aspect of human life is that ordinary people interacting with each other is the source of most innovation, most change in the world.”

These good things happen in a decentralized, unplanned way all around us — and it’s been that way since humans first evolved.

Ridley says, “We give far too much credit to the people who are in charge, the people who seem to be on top of things and running things. They’re just taking the credit.”

Politicians should admit that more often. But that would require them to be humble. Loudly pretending to be in charge is their specialty.

We love to complain about elites, people

Politics

Ohio-Issue-3

Michael McGovern, a representative from ResponsibleOhio, a pro-marijuana legalization group, wears a sticker during a promotional tour stop at Miami University, Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, in Oxford, Ohio. A ballot proposal before Ohio voters this fall would be the first in the Midwest to take marijuana use and sales from illegal to legal for both personal and medical use in a single vote. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Ohio voters on Tuesday rejected, a ballot proposal to legalize marijuana for both recreational and medical use that was opposed by Gov. John Kasich. Issue 3 would’ve allowed adults 21 and older to use, purchase or grow certain amounts of marijuana, though a preconceived monopoly was set in place and stood to makes billions.

“We spend all our time trying to tell kids to stay off drugs, and to legalize this drug sends such a mixed message,” said Ohio Gov. Kasich, a Republican presidential candidate and one of the initiative’s biggest critics. “We can’t afford mixed messages to our kids. So I’m totally opposed to this.”

While the polls showed a tight race going into Election Day, the actual voting results weren’t even close. With 99% of precincts reporting, the initiative was defeated by a 64% to 34% margin. “State Issue 3 Grants a monopoly for the commercial production and sale of marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes,” the ballot read in a question that was preceded by a anti-monopoly amendment, which “protects the initiative process from being used for personal economic benefit.”

Issue 2 passed by a 52% to 48% margin. The Buckeye State was the first in the nation to ever consider legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use at the same time. The pro-legalization ResponsibleOhio campaign, which benefitted from the voices of celebrities including Nick Lachey, spent at least $12 million on ads. Lachey, however, had a considerable stake in the would-be monopoly.

Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, along with the District of Columbia, have legalized recreational marijuana. A recent study has shown the number of driving while intoxication arrests due to marijuana have increased by over 40%.

Ohio voters on Tuesday rejected Issue 3,

Politics

San-Francisco Sheriff-Ross-Mirkarimi

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi answers questions during an interview in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2015. (Photo: AP/Eric Risberg)

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi handily lost his bid for reelection Tuesday following months of criticism surrounding the city’s sanctuary city policy. Mirkarimi refused to honor an Immigration and Customs Enforcement retainer and allowed Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, the 45-year-old illegal alien who had an extensive criminal history and was deported at least 5 times prior, to walk free.

Sanchez is currently being charged with murder by city officials for the murder of 32-year-old Kate Steinle. With Sanchez admitting he chose the Bay area because he knew it was a sanctuary city, there has been national outrage in response to Ms. Steinle’s murder, with many claiming sanctuary cities across the nation are being besieged by violent crime committed by illegal immigrants.

Indeed, as PPD previously reported, violent crime in the Bay area has exploded since the deeply unpopular policy has been ramped up.

In 2013, the city announced it would disobey federal law, and passed an ordinance that required San Francisco law enforcement to ignore most U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers. The release–NO IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT DETAINERS–reads as follows:

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi announces that effective immediately; The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department will no longer honor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers unless they are supported by judicial determination of probable cause or with a warrant of arrest. As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Ross Mirkarimi advocated for separation of the local criminal justice system from the immigration enforcement system. As Sheriff, he strategically advanced department policy to reflect this belief.

These detainers, which the city began to ignore just months before the rates began to decrease, required San Francisco authorities to hold detained illegal alien criminals until federal authorities could determine whether to take them into custody. As a result, and by the department’s own admission, the policy reduced the number of individuals released to ICE authorities by 62 percent.

But Mirakimi’s problems didn’t begin or end with Ms. Steinle’s death. The Sheriff’s Department had been plagued by other high-profile scandals and controversies, including his driver’s license recently being suspended for a brief time after failing to properly report a minor accident while driving a department-issued car. He also flunked a marksmanship test, reenforcing criticisms levels against him that he isn’t a lawman but rather a bureaucrat.

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi handily lost his

Politics

Houston-Equal-Rights-Ordinance

Nov. 3, 2015: Campaign for Houston supporters check election results at a watch party in Houston. (Photo: AP/Pat Sullivan)

HOUSTON, Texas — Voters rejected an ordinance by a 2-1 margin that would have allowed the free use of public bathrooms by transgender men and women. Supporters argued it would have established nondiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people in Houston failed to win approval from voters on Tuesday.

The vote on the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance ended nearly 18-month battle of rallies and legal fights that saw accusations of both religious intolerance and demonization of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Businesses that serve the public, which includes essentially all private employers, housing and city contracting, are all subject to the law would’ve faced up to $5,000 in fines for violations.

Opponents of the ordinance, including a coalition of conservative mega church pastors in the most liberal city in the state, said it infringed on their religious beliefs and natural law. Campaigning against the the ordinance focused on the provision related to the use of public bathrooms by transgender men and women, which they argued would open the door for sexual predators to go into women’s restrooms.

Democratic Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who is gay and has tried in the past to impose changes unilaterally, called this “bathroom ordinance” strategy a scare tactic. The ordinance was initially approved by the Houston City Council in May 2014 in spite of the overwhelming public backlash, but a lawsuit to have residents vote on the measure eventually made it to the Texas Supreme Court, which in July ordered the city to either repeal the ordinance or put it on the ballot.

Tuesday’s referendum drew attention from around the nation and was even endorsed last week from the White House, high-tech giant Apple and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The ordinance also had received support from progressive social justice members of Houston’s religious community, which is a minority.

Campaign for Houston, which fought the ordinance, said opponents included a diverse group of individuals, such as pastors from all denominations and local and state elected officials.

On Monday, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had tweeted his support for opponents, saying, “HOUSTON: Vote Texas values, not @HillaryClinton values. Vote NO on City of Houston Proposition 1. No men in women’s bathrooms.”

The issue fails as the Obama administration ordered the Justice Department to threaten an Illinois school district that refused to allow a teenage boy, which is physically still a boy, from showing and changing out in the open in the girls locker room. The White House is threatening to have the Department of Education withhold funding from the school district, which is overwhelmingly opposed to offering full access. The district has made several accommodations, but the boy and the ACLU are not satisfied.

HOUSTON, Texas -- Voters rejected the Houston

Politics

Bevin-Comer-GOP-Governor-Kentucky

May 19, 2015: These photos show Kentucky Republican gubernatorial candidates James Comer, left, and Matt Bevin, right. (Photos: AP)

Republican Matt Bevin defeated Democrat Jack Conway in the Kentucky governor race, becoming only the second GOP governor in the state in four decades. Bevin, a businessman and Tea Party favorite, was the clear favorite on the PPD Election Projection Model, despite recent polls showing otherwise. Jenean Hampton, Bevin’s running mate and retired Air Force officer who moved to Kentucky from Detroit, will become the first black person to ever hold statewide office in Kentucky.

Conway conceded the race shortly before 9 p.m. at the Frankfort Convention Center, telling the quiet crowd it was not the result he had hoped for, “but it is the result we respect.” He said he called Bevin and wished him well.

“It was a cordial phone call. I told him I remain positive about moving this state forward, and if he ever needed any assistance, this Democrat was at his disposal,” Conway said.

With 119 precincts out of 120 reporting, Bevin handily led Conway with 52.55% to 43.79%. Democrats, as was the case with the “competitive” Senate race in 2014, overestimated their deficit in the red state. In fact, the only thing “blue” about the Bluegrass State is its nickname. The Partisan Voting Index is now R+14, up from R+10 in 2010 when now-Sen. Rand Paul significantly outperformed expectations in the 5th Congressional District.

And here is the crux of the problem for Democrats. Traditional Democratic voters in Kentucky have been steadily trending Republican on the national level. The 5th Congressional District, a once-competitive region of the state due in large part to the heavily unionized and historically Democratic coal mining constituency, is naturally bailing on the national Democratic Party. Since the era of Obama began in 2008, the 5th District has been bleeding once-loyal Democratic voters.

While the “War on Coal” may be a sound bite for most media outlets, it’s real life for Kentucky coal miners. Coupled with social and other economic issues, the old saying “All politics is local” is becoming less-and-less a factor in polarized America.

Now, Republican efforts will refocus on the state House elections in 2016, where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kty., has vowed to use his large fundraising rolodex to help the party take over the only remaining Southern state legislative body controlled by Democrats.

The PPD Election Projection Model predicts those efforts are likely to be successful.

Republican Matt Bevin defeated Democrat Jack Conway

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