Leftists Can’t-Don’t-Won’t Ever Learn

Posted on July 21, 2025 by theartfuldilettante

Leftists Can’t-Don’t-Won’t Ever Learn

Watching leftists endlessly promote the same catastrophic policies is tiresome. Some quotations come to mind:

““It isn’t so much that liberals are ignorant. It’s just that they know so many things that aren’t so.” — Ronald Reagan
“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” — Soren Kierkegaard

Since so many of the worst cities in America are run by Democrats, one would think that their voters would eventually catch on. Those who do and are able, move away. Some take their failed ideas with them and, like cancer cells, infect their new environs with the same diseased ideas that caused them to flee. The phrase, “Once bitten, twice shy eludes them, as does the old definition of insanity.

At one time, our schools taught actual history. Since Howard Zinn’s books have hit the market, we’re now seeing entire generations of Americans who can’t find China on a map, don’t know who America fought in World War II, and can’t name the three branches of our government.

Throughout history, people have gained great power by making promises to the poorly-educated and instead brought only misery and oppression. The same policies promoted by today’s Left have resulted in hundreds of millions of deaths worldwide. Some died from famine and disease, others were slaughtered by their own government.

The Soviet Union’s economy was characterized by central planning, where state-controlled production, distribution, and prices, leading to inefficiencies and shortages. Agriculture was collectivized, resulting in significant declines in agricultural productivity, contributing to famines. The Bolsheviks murdered Russian citizens on a scale never before seen.

In China, Mao initiated the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, which were aimed at rapid industrialization and ideological purity, producing instead economic disaster and widespread famine. The atrocities committed by the Red Guard are the stuff of nightmares. China’s one-child policy (1979-2015) produced an aging population and pronounced gender imbalances.

North Korea also emphasizes state control over all aspects of life. As in Russia and China, collectivized agriculture and state-run farms led to inefficiencies and food shortages. Their military is prioritized over civilian needs, diverting resources from essential services and economic development. The country’s isolation from the global economy has produced chronic scarcities and lack of technological advancement.Fidel Castro’s government likewise nationalized major industries and implemented extensive social programs, including universal healthcare and education, which strained the economy. In the 1960s, the U.S. imposed a trade embargo that limited Cuba’s access to goods and markets and also contributed to economic hardship and shortages. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba introduced limited market reforms which has allowed some private enterprise and foreign investment. Cuba’s “free” health care has been praised by some U.S. celebrities, but the everyday reality tells a different story.

Loose monetary policies, including excessive money printing contributed to the economic collapse of Argentina. Annual inflation sometimes exceeded 211% and over half the population lived in poverty despite subsidies and social programs. Large fiscal deficits accompanied by borrowing or printing money led to unsustainable debt and lack of investor confidence. Crippling regulations and interventionist policies discouraged foreign investment and stifled growth. Many citizens rely on government assistance, creating generational dependency and limited incentives for economic participation. Javier Milei’s administration is seeing some success in addressing these issues through radical economic reforms.

What have the leftists learned from these events? Nothing, apparently. The Democrat Party has been taken over by the extreme far left, which is promoting the same disastrous policies that destroyed every country in which they’ve been tried. Zaohran Mamdani, the New York City Democrat mayoral nominee, has proposed an additional 2% tax on individuals making over $1 million annually, raising concerns of potential wealth flight. He’s also suggested freezing rents, thereby discouraging new housing construction. While he hasn’t yet proposed defunding the NYPD, he is prioritizing community-based solutions (social workers?) to control crime. He wants “free” public transit, “free” childcare for children aged six weeks to five years, and state-run grocery stores.

We’ve heard the same sorts of proposals from the likes of AOC, Liz Warren, and Bernie Sanders for years. Socialist and communist policies, centralized planning and interventions into the free market have not, cannot, and will not produce robust economies. They are simply excuses for control of the population and wealth redistribution.

However, what Donald Trump and Javier Milei are doing works and the evidence is incandescently obvious. In the first month, Milei slashed spending by 30%, balanced the budget, cut half of the federal ministries, and ended fake currency controls. Result? Inflation, poverty and housing prices are dropping, the economy is growing, and investment is returning. Similarly, Donald Trump’s first six months in office are said to be the most significant since FDR.

“This is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.” — Ecclesiastes 5:9

A proper government doesn’t try to micromanage society. It simply promotes the conditions necessary for the citizens to work and flourish.

Image: Public Domain

Related Topics: Government, Leftists

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Fidel Castro’s government likewise nationalized major industries and implemented extensive social programs, including universal healthcare and education, which strained the economy. In the 1960s, the U.S. imposed a trade embargo that limited Cuba’s access to goods and markets and also contributed to economic hardship and shortages. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba introduced limited market reforms which has allowed some private enterprise and foreign investment. Cuba’s “free” health care has been praised by some U.S. celebrities, but the everyday reality tells a different story.

“This is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.” — Ecclesiastes 5:9

A proper government doesn’t try to micromanage society. It simply promotes the conditions necessary for the citizens to work and acquire wealth.

Gabbard’s ODNI bombshell: Obama central figure in Russia hoax

Posted on July 20, 2025 by theartfuldilettante

By Wendi Strauch Mahoney

On Friday, director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard released “overwhelming evidence” that former president Barack Obama and other top Cabinet and Intelligence Community (I.C.) members conspired to “subvert the will of the American people” after President Trump won the 2016 election. The newly declassified Russiagate documents show that Obama and other high-level officials allegedly did everything they could to “delegitimize President Trump’s victory” with false claims and “countless smears.”

According to Gabbard, the newly released documents further prove a conspiracy that would perpetrate a “years-long coup” against President Trump. She also stated that those involved reportedly hoped to destroy the mandate and legacy “bestowed upon him by the American people.” It may well be one of the biggest political crimes in U.S. history.

Gabbard’s release decisively obliterates the longstanding claim that Moscow swung the 2016 election for Donald Trump. It also marks the first time a senior Trump administration official has directly implicated former president Barack Obama as an active participant in the alleged conspiracy.

Gabbard’s disclosure follows two earlier Trump‑era document dumps: a May release detailing Nellie Ohr’s sworn testimony misrepresentations about Crossfire Hurricane, and an early July declassification of the December 2016 intelligence assessment on Russian interference in the 2016 contest.

The newest release includes a “Russia Hoax Memo & Timeline” and a 35-page evidentiary package entitled “Declassified Evidence of Obama Administration Conspiracy to Subvert President Trump’s 2016 Victory and Presidency.”

Together, they make three things unmistakably clear:

The Intelligence Community (I.C.) repeatedly concluded — before and after Election Day — that Russia lacked both the intent and capability to alter U.S. vote totals. A September 12, 2016, I.C. assessment found that “foreign adversaries do not have and will probably not obtain the capabilities to successfully execute widespread and undetected cyber‑attacks” on election infrastructure.
Those conclusions were suppressed or overwritten at the direction of senior Obama officials and probably Obama himself after Trump won. Talking points drafted for DNI James Clapper on December 7, 2016, stated flatly, “Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. Presidential election outcome,” yet the president’s daily brief containing those conclusions was killed hours later.

Below is an example of one of the emails provided, suggesting that the I.C. knew that Russia “was not and will not try to influence the election via cyber means.”

A hastily ordered Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), released January 6, 2017, relied in part on the since‑discredited Steele dossier and became the cornerstone of years‑long investigations and impeachment efforts — despite internal dissent warning it was “politicized intelligence.”

A Timeline of Manipulation and Deceit

Included in the timeline released by Gabbard on July 18 are the following findings:

31 Aug 2016 — DHS tells then‑DNI Clapper there is “no indication” of a Russian plan to manipulate vote counts.
2 Sept 2016 — FBI asks that a forthcoming pre‑election assessment be “softened” because bureau analysts are “uncomfortable” implying Russia intends to disrupt the election.
12 Sept 2016 — I.C. publishes the cyber‑threat ICA concluding adversaries cannot covertly overturn the vote.
7 Oct 2016 — ODNI/DHS press release blames Russia for DNC hacks but omits that FBI and NSA had “low confidence” in that attribution.
7 Dec 2016 — Draft PDB reiterates that Russia did not tamper with election infrastructure; FBI abruptly withdraws, and a senior official quashes the product.
8 Dec 2016 — I.C. officials plan to publish the PDB the next day due to “high administration interest,” knowing Russian actors “did not impact recent U.S. election results.” Hours later, the FBI withdraws, announces it will draft a dissent, and a senior PDB editor cancels the brief “based on new guidance.”
9 Dec 2016 — Obama convenes National Security Council principals — including John Brennan, Susan Rice, Loretta Lynch, and Andrew McCabe — and orders a new ICA. That same day, two “blatantly false leaks” reach The Washington Post, alleging that Russia hacked the vote and that the CIA concluded that Moscow had intervened to elect Trump.
14 Dec 2016 through late Dec 2016 — Leaks continue claiming Vladimir Putin was “personally involved.” Obama continued to push the narrative that Russia could be involved. Asks Putin to “knock it off.” An ODNI whistle‑blower who challenges the narrative is sidelined and pressured to accept the finding that Russia preferred Trump, a position he writes he “could not concur with in good conscience.”
6 Jan 2017 — The unclassified ICA is released, asserting that Putin ordered an influence campaign to help Trump — contradicting months of I.C. reporting and relying in part on the Steele dossier.

Two years later, in September 2019, while assisting with a FOIA request on the Obama‑era ICA, the same ODNI whistleblower was asked to locate records tied to the Steele dossier because, the whistleblower was told, the dossier “played a role” in that assessment. The request stunned the whistleblower, who had long been told that DNI Clapper considered the dossier unreliable, and no one on the National Intelligence Council had ever suggested that it was a credible document.

Gabbard’s press release shows that Obama administration officials knowingly “manufactured” the Steele Dossier and allegedly misrepresented Russia’s role in influencing the election. She added that the newly released assessment exposes the fact that “this was politicized intelligence that was used as a basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump’s victory.”

Because of the Russia Hoax, she notes that Trump suffered two ill-conceived congressional impeachments, and tensions were heightened with Russia. Former national security adviser to President Trump, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, had to resign and then endured years of costly litigation and reputational harm. Many others connected with the Trump administration suffered mightily because of the conspiracy.

Notably, in both her press release and her July 18 X post, Gabbard alludes to her commitment to fully investigate, prosecute, and deliver accountability “to the fullest extent of the law” to the American people and to President Trump and his family.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sorry for being a one-note orchestra, but I’m consumed with Obama’s involvement in the Russia hoax case.

Authentic Truths About Kids

Posted on July 20, 2025 by theartfuldilettante

Most important jobs require training. We have to pass a test to drive; accredited education is required for health professionals, yet there is no testing process to prepare parents for the enormous responsibility of raising moral and well-adjusted kids. To that end, I’ve assembled ten helpful points for raising a mentally healthy child.

Don’t assume they know. Kids are not born with knowledge that we adults take for granted, e.g., that they should eat healthy food, or that they must think before they act. Even so, they should be held responsible for their actions. If you don’t correct them for lying, hitting or whatever, how else will they know that these behaviors are wrong?
Keep perspective. Your child doesn’t disobey just to irritate you. Childhood is a learning process, so don’t take it personally when they test your limits. It’s an opportunity to teach them right from wrong.
Permissive vs. restrictive: Permissive parents reason with their children but don’t punish them. Restrictive parents punish their kids but won’t reason with them. Give your kids the reasons why they should act a certain way. Children are more likely to follow rules if you let them ask questions and give them reasonable answers. Use punishment only if reason fails.
Constructive feedback: Incentives are often more powerful than punishments. But don’t reward a child for doing the bare minimum, such as going to school or being minimally civil. Save the rewards for extraordinary actions such as acting on their own judgment rather than peer pressure. Positive feedback is crucial for building confidence!
You have the final say! A family is not a democracy. But always explain and discuss, not just command. If a child makes a logical point that proves you wrong, be an adult and stand corrected. This will teach your child that it’s healthy and affirming to ask questions, and that reason can create solutions.
All kids are different. A difficult child needs consistency. Resist the temptation to control everything. Instead, choose your punishments. Pick out the most important offenses and punish consistently for them. Holding your ground on one issue can often lead to success in other areas, because whatever respect for you that’s developed can generalize to other behaviors. Respect can be more effective than warm fuzzy feelings.
Don’t fall for labels! Popular disease labels such as “attention deficit disorder” or “conduct disorder” (many of which are currently being debunked) distract from the fact that your child is capable of making choices and being responsible for them. Help him make better choices, rather than blaming laziness or nastiness on some made-up illness. Even if pills, such as Ritalin, appear to improve behaviors, they don’t change the fact that kids make choices. In the end, no pill can make her do her homework — or choose her core values.
Encourage self-interest. If you tell your child to not be “selfish,” you’re implying he should not act in his own self-interest. How far does that go? He should NOT study hard in school? She should NOT treat her friends respectfully? All of these actions are in their self-interest. Explain why it’s to her benefit to respect the rights of others, etc. This is more motivating than just, “Put others before yourself.” Respect for oneself and the rights of others does not mean sacrifice of one’s privacy, property, and happiness.
Don’t discourage thinking. Don’t punish a child for what she thinks or feels. You can express disapproval, but punishing thoughts and feelings discourages independent thinking and encourages repression which can lead to psychological problems.
Promote reality! Reasonable punishment does not damage self-esteem. It demonstrates the nature of reality. Adults have to make rational choices, but a child is not born with a grasp of these principles, and won’t learn them unless he or she is taught to think logically and to accept responsibility.

Challenge kids to think critically. Withhold support when they behave irrationally. Don’t count on teachers and day-care workers to communicate these virtues. You must do the bulk of the work if your kids are to grow into healthy and happy adults.

Michael J. Hurd, Life’s a Beach

Treason Charges Against Obama—Bring Them on

Posted on July 20, 2025 by theartfuldilettante

“The issue I am raising is not a partisan issue,” CIA Director Tulsi Gabbard said in her announcement, backed up by a highly redacted, declassified report posted online. “It is one that concerns every American. The information we are releasing today clearly shows there was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government … As such, I am providing all documents to the Department of Justice to deliver the accountability that President Trump, his family, and the American people deserve.”

Does this mean treason charges against Barack Obama and all connected to him in this case? Nothing less will satisfy millions of Americans who actually still love liberty, justice and the American republic.

Until leftists are afraid, the rest of us cannot feel secure in our freedom. Obama is part of the head of the snake. Make him afraid and miserable, President Trump. You are our last chance for real justice.

When the CIA Director says a former President is guilty of treason, it’s big news. When that former President is in an orange jumpsuit or facing the penalty for treason, that’s REALLY big news.

Bring it on.

Follow Dr. Hurd on Facebook. Search under “Michael Hurd” (Charleston SC). Get up-to-the-minute postings, recommended articles and links, and engage in back-and-forth discussion with Dr. Hurd on topics of interest. Also follow Dr. Hurd on X at @MichaelJHurd1, drmichaelhurd on Instagram, @DrHurd on TruthSocial. Dr. Hurd is also now a Newsmax Insider!

Gov. Newsom Announces Plan to End Democracy in California

Posted on July 20, 2025 by theartfuldilettante

It may be time for the federal government to step in and liberate California.

There’s not much democracy in California. Between ballot harvesting, top-down control and a state so gerrymandered that 41% of the Republican voters have virtually no representation, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he’s preparing a plan to abolish what’s left of democracy in California. The goal is to reduce Republican representation from 9 seats to 4 or 3.

Now remember this is in a state where Trump won 38% of the vote, but where Republicans have only 17% of the seats, which Newsom would like to bring down to 5% or 7%.

Newsom does have a ‘democratic’ problem here. An actual democratic problem in that Proposition 11, a move backed by Schwarzenegger, liberals and various liberal ‘sorta Republicans’ (and violently opposed by Pelosi and the Dems) created a semi-independent redistricting commission. The commission doesn’t work very well, but it’s better than the alternative.

And to executive his dream map, Newsom now needs to sideline or bypass the commission which is illegal, but legality is a minor point when you control the political and judicial system. The current plan is to try and convince ‘voters’ to set aside the commission or just ignore the commission and redraw the districts anyway so that over 40% of the state is reduced to 5% representation.

At that point, what really distinguishes California from Venezuela except better beaches?

If Gov. Newsom goes ahead with his plan to politically disenfranchise half the state, it may be time for the federal government to step in and to treat California like the third world Communist dictatorship it aspires to be… and liberate it.

Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.

Democrats Repeat Their Despicable History of Encouraging Defiance of Federal Laws

Posted on July 20, 2025 by theartfuldilettante

by Hans von Spakovsky, Daily Signal

In their attempts to thwart federal enforcement of our immigration laws, politicians like Democrat state Rep. James Hawkins of Massachusetts apparently want to make it even easier for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (and their families) to be doxed, harassed, and attacked.

It’s hard to come to any other conclusion when, in the face of the open defiance and violence against these agents, Hawkins drops a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature that would force those federal agents to unmask so they can be identified by hostile mobs.

House Docket No. 4886 would apply to all “local, state, or federal law enforcement” agencies (except for SWAT officers) and make it a crime for them to “wear any mask or personal disguise while interacting with the pubic in the performance of their duties.”

Hawkins has tried to justify his interference with, and endangerment of, federal agents by claiming that “police officers never wear masks and they are dealing with much more dangerous situations. They’re dealing with gunfire, with violent people, and they don’t wear masks.” Really?! Has Hawkins not been watching and reading the news lately?

Attacks on ICE agents are up 700% over last year. While the rest of us were celebrating Independence Day, an armed group ambushed ICE agents and local police at a detention center in Alvarado, Texas, wounded an officer, and sprayed anti-ICE graffiti. On the same day, violent protesters in Portland, Oregon, hurled incendiary devices at ICE officers and tried to burn down a government building. Only three days later, a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, was shot at, and two agents and a staffer were injured.

Two days later, ICE agents in California were physically attacked and blocked from enforcing federal immigration laws. There has been massive mob violence in Los Angeles, so severe that federal troops had to be called in to restore order and protect federal agents and facilities.

Democrat politicians and organizations are supporting and encouraging this defiance and violence.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has praised these agitators as “profoundly courageous,” while her “squad” cohort Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota calls ICE agents “deranged.” Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara has celebrated the occupation of ICE buildings while Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts has vilified ICE and lauded illegal obstruction of federal law enforcement.

They sound a lot like Southern Democrats of another era, who declared that state officials and state governments had a right to nullify federal laws and resist their enforcement.

In addition to his obliviousness to this violence, Hawkins (a former teacher, no less), along with the 16 other constitutionally ignorant state legislators who signed on to sponsor his bill, are apparently unaware of the supremacy clause in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution.

The supremacy clause provides that the “laws of the United States” are “the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” In other words, neither Hawkins nor the state of Massachusetts can impose state requirements on federal law enforcement agents, nor prosecute them for supposedly committing a state crime when acting within the scope of their federal duties.

The U.S. Supreme Court threw out the prosecution, ordered the marshal’s release from jail, and held that a state cannot prosecute an official or agent of the federal government for discharging his duties as an officer of the United States. This also means that neither Hawkins nor any state government can impose requirements or restrictions on federal law enforcement officials, such as ICE agents, on how and when they carry out their duties. Period.

Hawkins might want to read the well-known 1890 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, In re Neagle, which has facts like something out of a Hollywood movie. In that case, California tried to prosecute a U.S. marshal for murder when he shot and killed a state Supreme Court justice who, upset over a judgment against his wife, was attempting to kill a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who was in California riding the circuit.

If Hawkins and his fellow Democrats go to the Boston Common, they will find the bronze sculpture of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The 54th was the gallant, all-Black Union regiment that fought in the Civil War to end slavery and the defiance of Southern state governments to the Constitution and laws of the United States.

Perhaps that sculpture will remind them that we settled the question of whether state officials like Hawkins can defy federal law in 1864. Back then, the state of Massachusetts was on the right side of this issue. Hawkins’ political party was not.

Originally published by The Washington Times

Tulsi Gabbard calls for Obama to be prosecuted over 2016 election claims

Posted on July 20, 2025 by theartfuldilettante

Trump intelligence chief accuses ex-president and others of ‘treasonous conspiracy’ for alleging Russian interference

Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, has called for Barack Obama and former senior US national security officials to be prosecuted after accusing them of a “treasonous conspiracy” intended to show that Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election win was due to Russian interference.

She said Obama and senior officials in his administration had “[laid] the groundwork for … a years-long coup” against Trump after his victory over Hillary Clinton by “manufacturing intelligence” to suggest that Russia had tried to influence the election. That included using a dossier prepared by a British intelligence analyst, Christopher Steele, that they knew to be unreliable, Gabbard claimed.

The post-election intelligence estimates contrasted with findings reached before the election, which indicated that Russia probably was not trying to interfere.

In extraordinary comments calling for prosecutions, she added: “The information we are releasing today clearly shows there was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government.

“Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people and enact what was essentially a years-long coup with the objective of trying to usurp the President from fulfilling the mandate bestowed upon him by the American people.

“No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. The American people’s faith and trust in our democratic republic and therefore the future of our nation depends on it.”

Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress, said she was passing documents supporting her case to the justice department. They included a partially redacted intelligence community assessment from the Obama administration on cyber threats to the 2016 election and a series of previously classified memos, including some from the office of James Clapper, who served as Obama’s director of national intelligence.

Clapper is one of several officials named by Gabbard as apparently implicated in the supposed conspiracy. Others include John Brennan, the former CIA director, John Kerry, the then secretary of state, Susan Rice, the national security adviser at the time, Andrew McCabe, the then deputy FBI director, who later fell foul of Trump, and Obama himself.

The attempt to return the spotlight back to the Russia investigation – long derided by Trump as a “hoax” – comes as the US president finds himself in the maelstrom of the lingering scandal over the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 while awaiting prosecution on sex-trafficking charges.

The Trump administration has come under mounting pressure from the president’s make America great again (Maga) base to release files on the case, including a supposed list of Epstein’s influential clients.

Trump, in response, has variously dismissed the existence of such files or said they were invented by Obama and members of his administration, including James Comey, the former FBI director, and Joe Biden, vice-president in the Obama administration.

Commentary accompanying a series of Obama-era memos published by Gabbard’s office uses terms characteristic of Trump and his most ardent supporters to paint an alleged conspiracy to discredit his 2016 win.

Following a meeting on 9 December 2016 of Obama’s most senior national security team, the document – entitled the Russia Hoax – says: “Deep State officials in the IC [intelligence community] beg leaking blatantly false intelligence to the Washington Post … claiming that Russia used “cyber means” to influence “the outcome of the election.

“Later that evening, another leak to the Washington Post falsely alleges that the CIA “concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened” in the election to help President Trump.”

On 6 January the following year, the document continues: “The Obama administration shares the unclassified ICA [intelligence community assessment] with the public. It falsely alleges, based in part on ‘further information’ that had ‘come to light’ since the election, that Putin directed an effort to help President Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. This ‘further information’ is later confirmed to be the Steele dossier.”

The assessment “suppressed” previous pre-election assessments that Russia lacked the intent or means to successfully hack the poll, Gabbard’s report alleges.

The Steele dossier, which contained salacious details of “kompromat” allegedly held by Russian intelligence on Trump, formed part of the basis for a lengthy investigation conducted by Robert Mueller, who was appointed as special counsel into the Russia affair. Mueller’s subsequent report concluded that Russia interfered “in sweeping and systematic fashion” in the election campaign but “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated” with the Russian government’s activities.

Gabbard’s nomination as national intelligence director was one of Trump’s most contentious. It drew criticism because of her lack of previous intelligence experience, having never even served on a congressional committee on the subject, and a track record of supportive comments about Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and repeating Kremlin talking points on the war with Ukraine.

The Guardian

Barack Obama Needs to Go to Jail

Posted on July 20, 2025 by theartfuldilettante

In one of the most explosive revelations in modern political history, newly declassified documents confirm what millions of Americans suspected all along: the Obama administration orchestrated a deliberate effort to sabotage President Donald Trump after his 2016 election victory. A new report released Friday found that Intelligence officials at the highest levels, acting under direction from the Obama administration, weaponized false information and manipulated national security agencies to undermine the will of the American people.

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard revealed new evidence confirming that the Obama administration and his national security cabinet members manufactured and politicized intelligence to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President Trump following the 2016 election. The report confirms that this wasn’t just a political game, but a direct attack on the American people in a coordinated effort to turn the will of Americans.

Despite no credible evidence, former President Barack Obama and his team worked to manipulate the Russia collusion narrative, which deliberately subverted the democratic process and the voters’ will. After President Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016, the Obama administration took it upon themselves to weaponize the intelligence community to push a false narrative designed to delegitimize and overturn Trump’s victory.

Gabbard stated that the documents she released reveal a treasonous conspiracy by top U.S. government officials in 2016, aimed at undermining the will of the American people and orchestrating a years-long coup to prevent the President from carrying out the mandate given to him by voters. The intelligence agencies under Obama were turned into political tools to deceive the public and sabotage a sitting president. As a result, the false information peddled by the Obama administration led to years of unnecessary division and chaos.

The Obama administration deliberately manipulated intelligence to push a false Russia collusion narrative, undermining the legitimacy of a fair and free election. For years, President Trump was at the end of the so-called “Russian collusion” scandal that has so far been one of the biggest political witch hunts in American history. The hoax wasted years and millions of taxpayer dollars, resulting in baseless investigations and multiple failed impeachment attempts. Not only that, it almost damaged Trump’s reputation. I say almost, because he made the biggest comeback in history.

Israel Defends The Druze – A Prophetic Reminder Of The Fate Of Damascus

Posted on July 20, 2025 by theartfuldilettante

Over the past 48hrs, the skies over Syria have lit up with fire once again. Islamic militias–radical factions with deep ties to jihadist ideology–have launched coordinated assaults on the Druze community, particularly near the Golan Heights. In response, Israel has taken swift and decisive action to defend the Druze, bombing over a hundred Syrian military and militia-linked targets. It was only last week that there was talk of a possible peace accord between Israel and Syria. It’s hard to see how that will now happen anytime soon.

The Druze, a small ethnoreligious group with a long and complex history in the Middle East, have long maintained relative peace with Israel. Many Druze serve in the Israeli Defense Forces, and their villages dot the borderlands of the Golan. For Israel, allowing radical Islamic militias to overrun Druze territory would not only be a humanitarian betrayal but also a strategic disaster. The defense of the Druze is not only a moral imperative for Israel–it’s a national security one.

But this flare-up is not happening in a vacuum. Syria’s so-called “new leadership”–which was hoped by some international observers to usher in a fresh era of diplomacy–has proven to be little more than a reshuffled collection of old actors cloaked in new robes. Though the civil war has left Syria fractured and fatigued, Islamic fundamentalists still hold influence across swaths of territory, especially where central government control is weak or absent. The promise of reform has quickly withered under the weight of warlord politics, regional interference, and extremist dogma.

This particular escalation may seem localized and containable, especially given Israel’s military might and technological advantage. Yet it serves as a chilling reminder of how volatile the region remains. While Israel’s air force may succeed in pushing back these militias today, the underlying forces–religious extremism, regional ambition, and deep historical grievances–are not so easily extinguished.

And this brings us to an ancient warning–a prophetic one–found in the pages of Scripture. In Isaiah 17:1, we read a stunning declaration: “See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.”

Think about that for a moment. Damascus is not just any city–it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. For over 5,000 years, it has survived conquest, empire, and war. Even today, despite years of civil war and devastation, Damascus remains a functioning city. And yet, Isaiah prophesied its utter and total destruction–a complete ceasing of habitation.

Critics have long dismissed this prophecy as either symbolic or already fulfilled in antiquity. But the specificity of Isaiah’s words paints a very different picture. This isn’t just a city invaded or damaged. It’s a city that ceases to exist. A “ruinous heap” that “will disappear from the face of the earth.”

And yet here we are, 2,600 years later, with Damascus still standing–but increasingly surrounded by instability, terror groups, and foreign militaries who have little regard for human life. What happens if a missile strike goes wrong? What if a chemical weapons depot is accidentally–or intentionally–ignited? What if Iran’s tentacles extend too far once again and provoke an overwhelming Israeli response?

We are not predicting the immediate fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. But we are seeing the edges of the page curl. We are watching as the world’s oldest city–so central to history, religion, and conflict–is once again drawn into a battle not just of ideologies but of destinies.

It is important for believers to recognize these flare-ups not as random chaos but as echoes of God’s Word. The God who sees the end from the beginning did not include these prophecies for curiosity’s sake. They are markers–warnings–signposts in the storm that remind us history is not aimless. It is under divine supervision.

The situation in Syria today may simmer down tomorrow. Israel may succeed in halting the militias. The Druze may find reprieve. But the pressure continues to build beneath the surface of Damascus. One day, in God’s time, the prophecy will be fulfilled. And when it is, the world will look on in awe–not merely at the destruction, but at the accuracy of a Word written millennia before.

Until then, we must watch, pray, and remain sober-minded. Because the ruins of Damascus are not just a warning to Syria–they are a reminder to the whole world that the final chapters are already written.

Prophecy News Watch Staff

The Inside Scoop on Jeffrey Epstein

Posted on July 19, 2025 by theartfuldilettante

I was Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyer. I know the facts, some of which I can’t disclose because it is privileged or subject to court-imposed sealing orders. But what I can disclose makes several important things clear:

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Epstein never created a “client list.” The FBI interviewed alleged victims who named several “clients.” These names have been redacted. They should be disclosed but the courts have ordered them sealed. I know who they are. They don’t include any current officeholders. We don’t know whether the accusations are true. The courts have also sealed negative information about some of the accusers to protect them. Neither the Justice Department nor private defense lawyers are free to disregard court sealing orders. The media can and should petition the courts for the release of all names and information so the public can draw its own conclusions.

There has also been speculation about incriminating videos taken by hidden cameras in Epstein’s guest bedrooms. There are videotapes, but they are of public areas of his Palm Beach, Fla., home. Epstein reported the theft of money and a licensed firearm from a drawer in his living room, so the police installed a video camera. I am not aware of video cameras in guest bedrooms.

Open records show an acquaintance between Epstein and Mr. Trump many years ago. That relationship ended when Mr. Trump reportedly banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, long before becoming president. I have seen nothing that would suggest anything improper or even questionable by Mr. Trump.

It is clear from the evidence that Epstein committed suicide. What isn’t clear is whether he was assisted by jail personnel. That seems likely to me, based on the evidence of allegedly broken cameras, transfer of his cellmate and the absence of guards during relevant time periods.

I have absolutely no doubt that Epstein never worked for any intelligence agency. If he had, he would surely have told me and his other lawyers, who would have used that information to get him a better deal. (He wasn’t satisfied with the so-called sweetheart deal he got, which required him to spend 1½ years in a local jail and register as a sex offender.) My sources in Israel have confirmed to me that he had no connection to Israeli intelligence. That false story—recently peddled by Tucker Carlson—probably emanated from credible allegations that Robert Maxwell (1923-91), father of Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, worked with the Mossad.

Conspiracy stories attract readers, viewers and listeners. They are also fodder for political attacks. The Epstein case has generated more than its share of such theories, and there is nothing more annoying to gossip mongers than when stubborn facts (or the absence of facts) get in the way of a juicy theory. Sorry to disappoint you, but there is really nothing much to see here, beyond what has already been disclosed.

Mr. Dershowitz is a professor emeritus at Harvard Law School and author of “The Preventive State: The Challenge of Preventing Serious Harms While Preserving Essential Liberties.”

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