Thanksgiving is upon us and, three weeks after Election Day, America STILL does not know the makeup of the incoming U.S. House. Pathetic! As of Tuesday at 11:22 p.m., The Associated Press reports Republicans have won 219 seats to the Democrats’ 213. At this writing, three seats remain uncalled:  Democrat Adam Gray inched past Republican Rep. John Duarte by 182 votes in California’s 13th District, with 99% of ballots tallied. (For goodness’ sake, after 22 days, where the hell are those other votes?) Duarte led Gray by 207 votes as late as Tuesday afternoon, with 98% of ballots counted. Another 1% of votes turned up, and—Bang! Zoom!—the Democrat suddenly is on top. Here we go again. In California’s 45th District, Democrat Derek Tran is 613 votes ahead of GOP Rep. Michelle Steel. Iowa’s 1st District finds Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks edging Democrat Christina Bohannan by 800 votes. If these margins hold, the new House should include 215 Democrats, 220 Republicans—a slim three-seat GOP majority. But wait! Florida Republican Matt Gaetz just ditched his seat after abandoning his nomination for U.S. attorney general. And Republican Mike Waltz of Florida will depart Jan. 20 to become President Donald J. Trump’s national security adviser. These resignations have triggered Jan. 28 primaries and April 1 general elections. These vacancies shrink the expected Republican conference to 218 seats. It gets worse: Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is Trump’s choice for United Nations ambassador. Assuming a quick Senate confirmation, she would leave the House and commence diplomacy on Jan. 21. Remaining GOP seats: 217. Kathy “The Hack” Hochul—New York’s hapless, colorless Democrat governor—is in no rush to comfort Republicans. She likely will maximize GOP anxiety by scheduling the latest possible special election, 90 days hence: Tuesday, April 22.  If everything goes smoothly, the Republican House must govern between Inauguration Day and April Fools’ Day with 217 seats and three vacancies. If all 215 Democrats stay united, Republicans must vote unanimously, lest they drop beneath the 217 votes needed to pass anything. This will turn every decision—from adopting budgets to approving each day’s Congressional Record—into a Hitchcockian thriller. If just one Republican oversleeps, gets sick, or endures flight delays, major legislation could crash and burn. Any single Republican also could hijack the entire House until securing whatever ransom buys his or her cooperation. Republicans also could squander “safe” special elections to fill these vacancies. For a cautionary tale, recall how then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., left in 2017 to become Trump’s first attorney general. His seat, in a stalwart-Republican state, was a lock. And then hints and allegations emerged about GOP nominee Roy Moore’s unusual habit of courting females as young as 14. “I don’t remember ever dating any girl without the permission of her mother,” Moore assured Fox News host Sean Hannity. Suitably appalled voters sent liberal Democrat Doug Jones to the Senate—from Alabama! History could repeat itself in any of these normally reliable GOP seats. And yet another hazard light flashes: House Speaker Mike Johnson’s surprisingly weak leadership has earned the scorn of GOP representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. Add one vote to their Nays and Gaetz’s absence, and the Louisiana Republican could lack the votes to regain the speakership. If so, the House would drift like a ghost ship for days or even weeks until a new captain arises. Meanwhile, Trump’s “America First” legislative agenda would bob aimlessly among the waves. This tiny sliver of hope might help: Gaetz should change his mind and take back the seat that he defended on Nov. 5, 66% to 34%, over Democrat Gay Valimont. Gaetz then should chair a new Select Committee on Federal Injustice. It would detail the Justice Department’s violations of the U.S. Constitution, federal law, and its own regulations. These would include, but not be limited to, the FBI spying on Trump’s 2016 campaign, the FBI’s lies to the FISA court, the three-year Russia hoax, the Hunter Biden laptop cover-up, the FBI’s alleged inducement of Jan. 6 violence, the federal arm-twisting of Big Tech to censor and deplatform citizens, the surveillance of conservative Catholics, the designation of parents’ rights activists as domestic terrorists, and more. While Gaetz no longer will cleanse DOJ’s Augean stable internally, he could present Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi the facts, dates, and—most important—names of the perpetrators behind these abuses. Bondi should dismiss and, where appropriate, prosecute these tyrants. This Florida Republican pincer movement would reinvigorate the constitutional and civil rights that DOJ and the FBI have battered since Trump descended his golden escalator in June 2015. Thus, Gaetz could mitigate, by one seat, this entire fine mess left by Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., and the National Republican Congressional Committee, or NRCC. They should have secured a victory commensurate with Trump’s sweeping triumph and Senate Republicans’ 100% reelection of incumbents and conquest of four Democrat seats. Hudson and the NRCC failed Trump and Republicans nationwide by botching an excellent opportunity to win a robust working House majority. Trump and Senate Republicans romped. Hudson and the NRCC barely survived.  Forthcoming details of their incompetence and pettiness will expose them as this Thanksgiving’s biggest turkeys. The post GOP House Majority: Thinner Than Saran Wrap Around Leftover Turkey appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. German journalist David Bendels is in danger of ending up in prison and has already been ordered to pay a heavy fine for sharing satirical memes – including that featuring Interior Minister Nancy Faeser “holding up” a sign reading, “I hate freedom of expression.” The offending image. Faeser, who is considered by opponents as a pro-censorship official, wasted little time in proving the meme’s point: she filed a criminal complaint against Bendels, who is the editor-in-chief of the Deutschland-Kurier website. Faeser previously “distinguished” herself by attempting to shut down Compact magazine, which leans right, and is therefore an ideological “enemy” of Germany’s ruling class. Now, Bendels was accused of “defamation” because of several memes posted on X. A court agreed with Faeser and decided to fine Bendels, while if the prosecution decides to further pursue the case, he could also find himself behind bars. Bendels reacted by saying that Faeser’s move was yet another attack on the free press and free speech, that the memes were obviously just that – memes, using satire to criticize a government official. The journalist also announced he would fight back in court, and said the judges acted politically, taking the government’s side against the media. Even though one of the reactions to all this came from X owner Elon Musk, who commented, “This is crazy” – there appears to be a “method to the madness.” Namely, Deutschland-Kurier is aligned with the opposition conservative AfD party, whose rise in popularity has been accompanied by the government’s explicit or tacit pressure against its members, but also supporters. And, according to reports, the courts are not as efficient as they have been in Bendels’ case when it comes to violent attacks against AfD politicians, said to be frequent and perpetrated by assailants espousing left-wing views. One of those attacks targeted Andreas Jurca, a member of the Bavarian State Parliament from the ranks of AfD. And one of the memes Bendels was prosecuted for shows the brutally assaulted Jurca, “surrounded” by President Steinmeier, Germany’s internal spy agency chief Haldenwang, and, Faeser – the former two “wielding” baseball bats obviously photo-edited into their hands, implying their political responsibility. But Faeser decided to take this literally and sue. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post German Journalist Faces Prison Over Memes Mocking Interior Minister appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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Yesterday, it was CNN scaremongering Trump's tariffs, absurdly claiming they would raise Walmart prices by 250%. Today, it was Morning Joe's turn to trash Trump's tariffs. The show ran a segment on the tariffs featuring Hallie Jackson of NBC News. Every point Jackson made about the tariffs was negative. This is crystal-ball speculating about the future, not about current facts on the ground. This is how the networks keeps their Trump coverage 90-percent negative, month after month.  According to No-Hope Hallie's doom-and-gloom routine, the tariffs: Could "blow up" a trade agreement he negotiated in his first term. Are causing the auto industry to brace for a blow, since Chevy and Chrysler import cars and car parts from Canada and Mexico. Could cause your grocery bill to rise, since Mexico supplies more than half the fruits and vegetables imported into the US. Could cause overall inflation to rise by 1%. And Jackson offered her notion of an economics lesson: "Remember, tariffs are a tax on things other countries send here. And those other countries don't pay the tax directly. It gets passed down to companies instead—and often to you. That last warning was accompanied by a finger literally pointing at the viewer [see screencap.] Shades of the wartime recruitment poster of Uncle Sam pointing a finger and saying, "I Want You." Except in this case, it was Jackson suggesting "Donald Trump Wants You—To Pay Higher Prices!" So, Hallie, taxes on companies often wind up getting passed down to individual taxpayers. Huh! Funny, we don't remember Morning Joe making that point regarding Kamala's huge proposed increase in the corporate income tax! Jackson's spiel failed to acknowledge the tariffs' positive goals: to make US-made goods more competitive, thereby increasing jobs and economic activity in the US.  Jackson capped off the segment by interviewing the co-owners of a Washington D.C. pet store who expressed the fear that the tariffs on their items would make them unaffordable for their customers. Translation: Trump could drive us out of business! A check of the pet store's About page indicates its allegiance to liberal pieties: Sustainability. Non-GMO ingredients. Reducing their carbon "pawprint." Going green. 100 solar panels on the store's roof. Holistic supplements. We're going to go out on a limb and guess that in choosing store owners to interview, Hallie made sure they were not among the dreaded 6.6% of DC voters who supported Trump! If only President Biden had shopped there, perhaps Commander, eating locally-produced, organic, non-GMO foods, wouldn't have bitten so many Secret Service agents!

Free speech and football represent the best aspects of America: unapologetic individuality. In Canada, neither football nor free speech are particularly popular. While Canadian football remains a protected sport (there have been talks of an NFL team in Toronto for decades; good luck), it truly has one of the most bizarre sets of rules of any professional league in the world. Have you ever heard of a "rouge"? Watch this embarrassing end to a CFL game where the teams kick the ball back and forth to each other until the clock runs out. While football has a mixed origin story that involves both America and Canada, the NFL flows better, is more exciting, and involves far less kicking than the CFL. One can claim the CFL is more traditional or is charming in its rule book, but the fact remains it is just not as good as American football. Therefore, the NFL and its American football predecessors reflect exactly what makes American great: taking something good and making it better. When the Founding Fathers left the drudgery of Europe to make a new country, a new Constitution, and a new way of life, they simply made a better-functioning society, with a superior rule of law. This, of course, is best reflected by the First Amendment. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. There exists no other nation in the world where free speech is enshrined in law — not before the formation of the United States and not after. This concept may seem odd or even outrageous to the average American, but a quick news search reveals a backward set of speech laws in every nation that is a close U.S. ally. In Canada, human rights tribunals act as kangaroo courts, where a panel of unknowns determine the fate of a citizen accused of bigotry or hate. One of the most famous cases, for example, happened when Canadian comedian Mike Ward was ordered to pay $42,000 for insulting the appearance of a disabled person during a comedy show. A few years prior, a Toronto comedian was fined $22,500 by a different tribunal for insulting a lesbian at a comedy show. More recently, a woman in the United Kingdom was investigated for "inciting racial hatred" because of a post she made on X a year prior. Police called it a criminal matter, as opposed to the sometimes used "non-crime hate incident." Down under, Australian legislation seeks to make it a crime to use "vilifying" speech. This would be on top of current racism legislation that makes it a crime to "offend" or "insult" someone based on ethnicity. There are other aspects of the law that are more redeeming, but with 49% of respondents in a recent survey supporting "new measures to protect people from hate speech" in Australia, there may be more clamoring for less speech. These instances, while indeed laughable, are often frightening for people in these countries. Imagine walking down the street, fearing arrest for a conversation you might be having. This is a very real possibility in some of the most like-minded countries to the United States. This is why I am thankful for America, for free speech, and for real football. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Chicago food vendor who was carrying concealed fatally shot a male who pulled a gun on him Friday night.Chicago police told WLS-TV the shooting occurred in the South Austin neighborhood's 300 block of South Central Avenue just before 9 p.m.'Good outcome. The robber won't be turned loose on the street by the useless court system to reoffend.'The male approached the 35-year-old food vendor, and a brief struggle ensued, police told the station.Police said the male pulled out a gun, and the food vendor — who has a concealed carry license — also took out a gun, WLS reported.In an exchange of gunfire, the male who approached the food vendor suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his body, and he was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, the station said.The Cook County Medical Examiner identified the male who was killed as 34-year-old Demitrius Manning, WLS noted.The food vendor was shot in his right arm, and he was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police added to the station.Police told WLS the incident is being investigated as an attempted robbery and that there were two guns at the scene.How are people reacting?Individuals posting comments under the WLS Facebook post about the incident seem to be squarely in the food vendor's corner."Great news this time around," one commenter wrote."Thank goodness he was able to protect himself," another user noted."Good," another commenter said. "[People] are tired and starting to fight back.""We need more of this," another user declared. "Good guys and girls with guns. Only way to stop bad people with guns.""Good outcome," another commenter stated. "The robber won't be turned loose on the street by the useless court system to reoffend.""I’m so glad the food vendor is OK," another user said. "We should all buy from this hard-working person. He deserves a medal.""He better not have to go through a trial," another commenter wrote."Hell yeah love this!!!" another user exclaimed. "Stop messing with [people].""Score one for the good guy," another commenter opined.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed on X that the Washington Post is attempting to link President-elect Donald Trump's victory to a series of alleged hate crimes that took place after November 5, despite not having evidence that they are connected to Trump."I just received one of the most absurd emails EVER from the Washington Post," Leavitt said. "This 'reporter' is doing gymnastics to try and sow division and blame President Trump for something that he admits in his email has no trace to him whatsoever. This is exactly why NOBODY trusts the Fake News Media." "Jeff Bezos warned his staff before the election, and they’re still not listening to him!" she added.'Ridiculous premise or allegation followed by an "experts say" and boom, article.'The inquiry was sent by Emmanuel Felton, who is WaPo's race and ethnicity reporter. Felton was asking for comment from the Trump transition team about an incident in New Jersey two days after the election in which someone allegedly spray-painted, "I hate n***ers Sorry not sorry."Felton claimed the incident was just one among a "wave of racial incidents" that took place after Trump's victory, including alleged text messages sent to black people saying they were going to be enslaved and neo-Nazis marching in Columbus, Ohio."While none of these events can be traced directly back to Trump," Felton went on to admit, "experts say his rhetoric has been tied to an increase in hate crimes across the nation." Ben Williamson, who worked for the first Trump administration, said these types of inquiries from the mainstream media are extremely common."People would be stunned at how many of these exact type of emails come in. Ridiculous premise or allegation followed by an 'experts say' and boom, article," he explained.There has been no shortage of inflammatory rhetoric toward Trump, those nominated to his Cabinet, and his senior staff. On Wednesday, Leavitt said there were widespread threats against their lives.“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump's Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, un-American threats to their lives and those who live with them. These attacks ranged from bomb threats to 'swatting.' In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action," Leavitt said in a statement.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!