DAILY BELLWETHER 07/24/2018 TAX RELIEF BILL 2 - WILL DEMOCRATS REALIZE THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS AND SUPPORT IT?

DHS: Russian Actors Infiltrated Electric Grids, Possibly Causing Blackouts The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said state-sponsored Russian actors could have infiltrated electric utilities across the U.S., possibly causing blackouts and that the campaign might be ongoing. The Russian actors, under the shadowy groups Dragonfly or Energetic Bear, were able to break into electric networks with relative ease, The Wall Street Journal reports — although they did not confirm power outages occurred as a result of Russian tampering. “They got to the point where they could have thrown switches” and affect the flow of power, said DHS Chief of Industrial-Control-System Analysis, Jonathan Homer. The DHS warned that American utilities were vulnerable to Russian meddling since at least December of ... Read More

The Clinton State Department’s Major Security Breach Peter Strzok’s testimony about the email server scandal involving former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised headlines because of his defiant, disrespectful, and unapologetic attitude about the bias revealed in his text messages that permeated his work at the FBI. Then, there was the verbal combat between him and Republican members of the two committees holding the joint hearing, and between the Republicans and Democratic members who were running interference for Strzok and acting as his defense counsel. The news media jumped on an exchange in which Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, asked Strzok if he lied to his wife about his affair ... Read More

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Trump Skyrockets to His Highest Job Approval President Donald Trump has achieved his highest job approval rating in his sixth quarter in the White House, a whopping 41.9 percent between April and July, a new Gallup poll reveals. The survey Gallup data of 19,414 U.S. adults conducted from April 23 to July 22, also found: Trump’s sixth quarter rating of 41.9 percent was up near three points from 39.1 percent in the fifth quarter, and it slightly exceeds his first quarter 41.3 percent average as his personal best. Trump's job approval was 40 percent or higher each week during his sixth quarter. The sixth quarter included a 45 percent high during the week of his June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, matching ... Read More

NRA, Second Amendment Foundation File Suit against Seattle Gun Storage Ordinance A pair of gun-rights groups announced they filed a lawsuit against Seattle's restrictive gun-storage ordinance on Friday because they say it violates Washington state law. The National Rifle Association and Washington-based Second Amendment Foundation are working together with two Seattle residents in the suit against the city. They say the city's requirement that any guns in a person's residence must be stored in a locked container unless being carried by the owner or other authorized users violates state law. "The City of Seattle has been trying to erode state preemption almost from the moment it was passed back in 1985," Alan Gottlieb, the founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, said. ... Read More

Making Tax Cuts Permanent to Protect our Paychecks Are you ready for “Tax Cut 2.0”? Congressional leaders say they’ll bring another tax-cut package to a vote in the House within a few months. Why go back to the same issue so soon? Because most of the tax cuts enacted last year aren’t permanent. If they aren’t extended, taxes will go back up in the future. The 2017 reforms were a serious effort to fix an onerous and growth-inhibiting tax code. Thanks to the tax cuts, the typical American household will pocket an additional $1,400 this year. If Congress doubles down on tax reform this year, the benefits will keep getting bigger. ... Read More