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Democrats Circle the Wagons

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Friday saw the first White House press briefing after President Biden’s embarrassing and disastrous press conference to address his mental acuity following a special counsel report that questioned it. While some questions posed a challenge for White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and White House Counsel Office Spokesman Ian Sams‚ others were more interested in how the White House was going to rehabilitate the public’s perception of Biden; one even tried to give them an easy out to explain away his cognitive decline. After a few questions about the report Re. the classified documents in Biden’s garage‚ NBC senior White House correspondent and White House Correspondents Association president Kelly O’Donnell asked the first question about Biden’s brain. O’Donnell’s primary concern was how the White House was planning to undo the public’s perception that he wasn’t mentally fit for office‚ which many polls showed (Click “expand”): O’DONNELL: On the many issues related to memory‚ they certainly seem to prompt an angry response from the President and from his advocates. Is there anything being done to address that issue in an ongoing way? Obviously‚ counsel wrote to ask for some of those things to be removed. It is potential that Robert Hur could be called before Congress to testify in public. Are there any steps that the administration would take addressing that specific issue? Is it in relation to overall medical physicians report of the President or other things to demonstrate what is the issue with memory and is it a factor that deals with his capacity to serve? SAMS: Well‚ I have a lot of issues with the contents of that question. Karine answered a lot about the President’s transparency and his medical records and his physical and things of that nature. And I leave that to Karine to handle. National Public Radio’s Tamara Keith had similar concerns she wanted to be reassured of. “How concerned is the President and the team here that the‚ quote‚ ‘gratuitous’ comments are going to damage him‚ damage public perception of him?” she asked Sams. “I think the public is smart. They can see what's going on‚” he responded.     Keith was so set on trying to help the White House that she didn’t seem to appreciate even innocuous questions; showing open disdain for questions that got close to the controversy. The Washington Post’s Tyler Pager asked this fair question looking for more context for how Biden’s son Beau came up as a topic of conversation during the interview: Just one quick follow-up. The President was animated last night. Rejecting the idea that he did not remember when his son died. Can you provide a little bit more context about – was he directly asked in the interview by the special counsel for the dates; was it a part of a broader conversation? I just need some additional context to understand what is in that report‚ might be helpful. As Pager was asking his question‚ Keith was sitting right next to him and could be seen making faces and shaking her head at him (check out the included video). ABC’s Selina Wang tried to give Sams an easy out to explain why the President had “memory lapses” in the interview. She tried to hand him the excuse that he was mentally distracted by the events of October 7‚ but Sams was either oblivious to the aid or too proud to accept it: WANG: And you had just mentioned how these interviews happened shortly after the October 7th attacks. The President mentioned it last night. Mentioning that‚ does that mean that possible memory lapses happened because he was so distracted by what was happening overseas? Or do you dispute that you had any memory issues during those hours of interviews? SAMS: I dispute that the characterizations about his memory that were in the report are accurate because they're not. Surprisingly‚ one of the fastballs came from CBS correspondent Weijia Jiang‚ who drew attention to the White House’s hypocritical praise for the non-indictment outcome vs. the rejection of the findings critical of the President’s mental acuity (Click “expand”): JIANG: So‚ you are discrediting some of the findings in the report. You are discrediting some of the observations of President Biden. So why should the American public accept the conclusion that charges were not warranted? SAMS: I'm not sure I understand exactly what you're asking. JIANG: I’m saying‚ you are claiming much of the report is inaccurate. So‚ why are you so confident that the conclusion is correct? SAMS [interrupting]: The conclusion’s been obvious from the very beginning. It was a long‚ intensive‚ sort of meandering investigation that came to the conclusion that‚ in February of last year‚ everybody knew that this wasn’t intentional. That this was an accident. Doocy Time came late in the briefing as a seemingly exhausted Jean-Pierre called on Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy last. He immediately struck a nerve with this zinger: “If the special counsel says President Biden has got significant limitations on his memory‚ then who is helping him run the country?” “The president runs the country. The commander-in-chief runs the country‚” she shot back in a noticeably annoyed tone. Jean-Pierre also didn’t appreciate his questions about the nuclear codes‚ his constant public blunderings‚ and if they were accusing the special counsel of lying about the president in the report (Click “expand”): DOOCY: How can he be trusted with nuclear codes if – I get that you’re saying nobody that nobody in the building would say that he’s got an issue with his memory‚ but just the little part of what we get to see‚ he has made mistake after mistake after mistake on camera‚ this week. JEAN-PIERRE: So‚ I’m going to be very clear here. [Long pause] Reality is‚ that report – that part of the report does not live in reality. It just doesn't. DOOCY: So‚ the special counsel is lying about the President’s memory? JEAN-PIERRE: It was gratuitous. You heard from Ian Sams‚ my colleague. It is unacceptable. And it does not live in reality. That is just the facts. The relevant portions of the transcript are below. Click "expand" to read: CSPAN - White House Press Briefing February 9‚ 2024 2:02:14 p.m. (…) KELLY O’DONNELL: On the many issues related to memory‚ they certainly seem to prompt an angry response for the President and from his advocates. Is there anything being done to address that issue in an ongoing way? Obviously‚ counsel wrote to ask for some of those things to be removed. It is potential that Robert Hur could be called before Congress to testify in public. Are there any steps that the administration would take addressing that specific issue? Is it in relation to overall medical physicians report of the President or other things to demonstrate what is the issue with memory and is it a factor that deals with his capacity to serve? IAN SAMS: Well‚ I have a lot of issues with the contents of that question. Karine answered a lot about the President’s transparency and his medical records and his physical and things of that nature. And I leave that to Karine to handle. (…) 2:03:55 p.m. Eastern WEIJIA JIANG: So‚ you are discrediting some of the findings in the report. You are discrediting some of the observations of President Biden. So why should the American public accept the conclusion that charges were not warranted? SAMS: I'm not sure I understand exactly what you're asking. JIANG: I’m saying‚ you are claiming much of the report is inaccurate. So‚ why are you so confident that the conclusion is correct? SAMS [interrupting]: The conclusion’s been obvious from the very beginning. It was a long‚ intensive‚ sort of meandering investigation that came to the conclusion that‚ in February of last year‚ everybody knew that this wasn’t intentional. That this was an accident. (…) 2:06:34 p.m. Eastern TAMARA KEITH: How concerned is the President and the team here that the‚ quote‚ “gratuitous” comments are going to damage him‚ damage public perception of him? SAMS: I think the public is smart. They can see what's going on. (…) 2:09:17 p.m. Eastern TYLER PAGER: Just one quick follow-up. The President was animated last night. Rejecting the idea that he did not remember when his son died. Can you provide a little bit more context about – was he directly asked in the interview by the special counsel for the dates‚ was a part of a broader conversation? I just need some additional context to understand what is in that report‚ might be helpful. (…) 2:10:53 p.m. Eastern SELINA WANG: And you had just mentioned how these interviews happened shortly after the October 7th attacks. The President mentioned it last night. Mentioning that‚ does that mean that possible memory lapses happened because he was so distracted by what was happening overseas? Or do you dispute that you had any memory issues during those hours of interviews? SAMS: I dispute that the characterizations about his memory that were in the report are accurate because they're not. (…) 2:49:00 p.m. Eastern PETER DOOCY: Thank you‚ Karine. If the special counsel says President Biden has got significant limitations on his memory‚ then who is helping him run the country? KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: The president runs the country. The commander-in-chief runs the country. DOOCY: How can he be trusted with nuclear codes if – I get that you’re saying nobody that nobody in the building would say that he’s got an issue with his memory‚ but just the little part of what we get to see‚ he has made mistake after mistake after mistake on camera‚ this week. JEAN-PIERRE: So‚ I’m going to be very clear here. [Long pause] Reality is‚ that report – that part of the report does not live in reality. It just doesn't. DOOCY: So‚ the special counsel is lying about the President’s memory? JEAN-PIERRE: It was gratuitous. You heard from Ian Sams‚ my colleague. It is unacceptable. And it does not live in reality. That is just the facts. (…)

A Democratic Pennsylvania state representative was caught on video ranting and threatening employees of a bar. Rep. Kevin Boyle of Philadelphia used expletives in the video and threatened to shut down the Gaul &; Co. Malt House‚ a bar in Rockledge‚ while employees yelled at him to leave. He appeared to be inebriated in the video. WCAU-TV says that a law enforcement source confirmed to them that the man was Boyle. Boyle referred to the people at the bar as "morons" and "idiots‚" and at one point‚ accused them of being "actors." The 44-year-old then asked if they are military members and threatened to prevent their promotions. “Do you not think I’m going to prevent your promotion in the United States military?” he asked. “Listen‚ you just drank a little bit too much‚ just go home‚" said a woman on the video. Later in the video‚ he started yelling that he is going to close the bar. "This bar is done! Do you know who the f*** I am?" he yelled. "This bar is done tomorrow! "Do you know who the f*** I am?" he repeated. "I know!" said the woman. An unedited version of the video was circulated on social media and lasts about three minutes. It is unclear what led to the disagreement‚ and Boyle has not yet commented on the video. A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania House Democratic Leaders released a statement about the incident and said that Boyle was seeking help. “We are aware of a video circulating on social media. It is very troubling. Rep. Boyle has been open about his personal challenges‚” read the statement. “We are encouraged that our colleague and dear friend is seeking help‚" it continued. "Our commitment to delivering mental health services does not stop at the Capitol Steps. One of the main reasons we advocate so strongly for mental health access is the reality that challenges can and do happen to anyone‚ and seeking treatment should be encouraged‚ not stigmatized.”The video may have a significant impact on which party controls the House‚ which is currently controlled by Democrats by only one seat‚ according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Here's the video of the rant: Video appears to show State. Rep. Kevin Boyle ranting inside bar www.youtube.com Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Ozzy Osbourne blasted Kanye West for allegedly sampling his classic song after the iconic rocker refused to give him permission to us it. Osbourne made his accusation on social media against West‚ who has legally changed his name to Ye‚ on Friday. The all-caps tweet claims that West asked for permission to use a sample from "War Pigs‚" one of Osbourne's greatest hits from his time with Black Sabbath. Osbourne said that he refused because West was an "antisemite" and has caused "untold heartache" to many people. Image Source: Ozzy Osbourne X screenshot "HE WENT AHEAD AND USED THE SAMPLE ANYWAY AT HIS ALBUM LISTENING PARTY LAST NIGHT. I WANT NO ASSOCIATION WITH THIS MAN!" he wrote. The sample apparently was used in a song included in West's newest album entitled "Vultures." On Thursday‚ West held a listening party for the album at the United Center arena in Chicago‚ Illinois. A streaming video of the performance was abruptly ended after West sang‚ "And I’m still crazy‚ bipolar‚ anti-Semite. And I’m still the king.” The New York Post reported that another song included the lyric: “How am I antisemitic? I just f***ed a Jewish b****.”West has also been accused of anti-Semitism in past comments he made about Jewish people. Some online accused Osbourne of hypocrisy after pointing out that he and his wife Sharon Osbourne had dressed up as Kanye West and his wife for Halloween. "War Pigs" was released in 1970 on the second album from Black Sabbath. Rolling Stone has ranked it fifth among the 100 greatest heavy metal songs. The controversial rapper most recently made headlines when he wore a shirt with the text "White Lives Matter" on it and enraged many on the left. Here's more about West's new album: Kanye West hosts ‘Vultures’ listening party at United Center www.youtube.com Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A school superintendent was reportedly caught on video ripping down campaign signs for a law related to school governance‚ and she was placed on paid leave pending an investigation. Superintendent Laurynn Evans of the North Kitsap School District allegedly stole signs related to a school bond measure that will be determined in a special election on Tuesday. Property owners said that someone had ripped down the campaign signs so often that they set up video cameras in order to catch the culprit. They were able to obtain footage of the vandal‚ who appeared to be a woman. Police said that they identified Evans as the suspect after they traced the license plate of a truck involved in the incident. The property owners said they had placed grease on the signs to deter the vandalism‚ and police said they found grease on Evans' truck and on gloves and a towel that were found in a dumpster near the truck. Evans told Kitsap County sheriff's deputies when she was questioned that it was not her on the video and that she was being framed by opponents of the bond measure. The 20-year bond measure would raise $242 million to help pay for expanding and modernizing school buildings and facilities. It would also raise taxes for residents.Some parents attended the school district board meeting after her arrest and demanded that she be removed from her office. "Are you rewarding her to leave with pay? It's our money. We're asking for her to leave with no pay during the investigation and also to demand to resign‚" said one parent. "We don't want the superintendent even here in school."“I felt it was an injustice to the children. You promote not stealing‚ be truthful‚ be honest‚ really have commitment and loyalty‚ things like that. Seeing a top leader like that doing those things‚ how can you tell children to do the right thing and I can do the wrong thing?” asked Adam Toler‚ a parent of three children in the district. The board voted to put Evans on paid leave. She did not attend the meeting‚ and all members voted to place her on leave except for one member who abstained from voting. Charges have not yet been filed against Evans‚ but the Kitsap County prosecutor's office is investigating whether to file charges. Here's the video of the bizarre incident: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Texas police say that children reported horrible torture by their mother after she engaged in an hours-long standoff with a SWAT team. Police were trying to serve an arrest warrant at the woman's home in Allen on Monday‚ but the woman held them off for two hours before finally being arrested. Video showed the SWAT team with an armored vehicle outside the home on Tanglewood Drive after 36-year-old Lul Top barricaded herself in the attic of the home. A neighbor caught video of the woman being led away in handcuffs after the standoff ended. An arrest warrant said that Top was being investigated for a report of an assault against her husband but that police expanded their investigation when they interviewed children and heard their accounts of torture. They were called to the home on Jan. 8 after the woman allegedly beat her husband with a stick. The children reportedly told police that Top had threatened to kill them repeatedly and even tried to put a 3-year-old in a heated oven. The affidavit said that the children said the mother would drink alcohol and then grow angry with them when she couldn't find more alcohol. The report said that children were asked about "scars resembling knife cuts" on their bodies‚ and they said that Top had "used a knife on them to make those marks." She also allegedly threatened to cut off their fingers and hands with a cleaver. One boy said that that she put a knife to his tongue and also forced him to drink alcohol but that he spit it out. Child Protective Services removed the children from the home after the allegations were made to police. Top is charged with six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was booked into the Colin County Jail. A neighbor named William Whitney told KDFW-TV that Top had come over to his home and asked if she could borrow his wi-fi internet service. "Always weird stuff over there. The police were always there‚" said Whitney. "Seeing the kids playing out in the back by themselves‚ no supervision. And to know that was actually happening‚ it’s sad. It’s really sad."Here's a news video about the incident: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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