Democrat California Assemblyman Matt Dababneh has resign after he was accused of masturbating in front of a female lobbyist at a party in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Richmond Roughriders, an indoor football team in the American Arena League, has offered former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick a spot on their roster. No word yet on whether he will take the position or not.

California Governor Jerry Brown claims that the wildfires ravaging the greater Los Angeles area are part of a “new normal” residents can expect due to man-made global warming.

California Democrat and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi continues to condemn President Trumps decision to moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Yet in October 1995, Pelosi voted for the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 , which required the move of the embassy without precondition of a negotiated settlement.

For the second time in a month and a half, Israeli Defense Forces uncovered a Hamas cross-border terror tunnel near the Gaza Strip border.

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says that any woman who has felt violated or mistreated by a man has every right to speak up, even if she is accusing President Trump.

A Chicago woman involved in a beating of a mentally disabled man that was broadcast on Facebook Live pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to probation.

The U.S. State Department is refusing to recognize “Jerusalem, Israel” as a place that actually exists on maps, documents and passports.

Two more individuals on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team have ties to Clinton and Obama. Aaron Zebley represented Justin Cooper, in the Hillary Clinton email controversy and Jeannie Rhee represented ex-Obama National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, the Clinton Foundation in a 2015 racketeering case, as well as Hillary herself.

American skiing star Lindsey Vonn has withdrawn from her Sunday events at the World Cup in Switzerland after suffering a back injury during a super-G race on Saturday.

Judge Rudolph Contreras, an Obama appointee, has recused himself for unknown reasons, from the sentencing phase of Michael Flynn. Judge Emmet Sullivan is taking over the case.

The U.S. Navy says Marquie Little, a black sailor who claimed to be the target of racial slurs written on his bed, actually staged the entire incident against himself.

Members of the Edina High School Young Conservatives Club are suing their Minnesota school district for disbanding their organization after they spoke out against a national anthem protest.

Senator Bernie Sanders is urging Democrats to wait for special counsel Mueller’s investigation to play out before starting any kind of formal impeachment process against President Trump.

Illinois prosecutors say Metropolitan Opera conductor James Levine, who claimed allegations of sexual misconduct dating back decades are “unfounded,” will not face criminal charges.

A new study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform shows Illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers $134.9 billion annually, while state and local expenditures for services provided to illegal aliens total $88.9 billion and federal expenditures $45.8 billion. Meanwhile illegal aliens contribute $19 billion in taxes.

The U.S. Navy has conducted a strike on multiple Taliban narcotics production facilities in Helmand province of Afghanistan destroying nearly $4 million in direct Taliban revenues.

And finally, let ministering Angels come to you now, giving you strength in every weak and weary place.

Democratic Congressman Ruben Kihuen of Nevada is being pressured to resign by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi following a news story recently published in BuzzFeed. Following Pelosi’s call for his resignation, Kihuen went on record, saying Pelosi knew about the sexual harassment allegations against him since 2016, before he got elected.

Kihuen’s former campaign finance director is accusing the freshman lawmaker of inappropriately touching her and pressuring her to have sex with him while on the campaign trail last year. Kihuen continues to deny the allegations and vows he will not resign.

And though saying he didn’t sexually harass the former campaign staffer, Kihuen still apologized for his behavior in a statement, which reads in part: “ I sincerely apologize for anything that I may have said or done that made her feel uncomfortable.”

In an interview with ABC News, Kihuen questioned ‘why now.’

“I do find it interesting that the DCCC, Leader [Nancy] Pelosi and Chairman Ben Ray Lujan — they knew about these allegations last year. They looked into them. They didn’t find anything, and they continued investing millions of dollars in my campaign. They went out there and campaigned for me.”

As for Pelosi, she denies knowing about the allegations and claims she only learned of the allegations.  She also says that she believes Kihuen’s accuser.

Campaign records from 2016 show the DCCC invested $3 million in Kihuen’s race. The DCCC is already draining financial support for any future campaigns including removing him from a 2018 fundraising program designed to support incumbent Democrat representatives.

Kihuen spoke out against Pelosi on the same day that Michigan Democratic Congressman John Conyers, announced  he would “retire today” amid allegations of sexual harassment by former members of his staff.  Pelosi also called on Conyers to resign over the allegations.

Talking taxes is difficult, leaving many people, including me, glassy-eyed and drooling. So I’ve done my best to breakdown how the House and Senate versions of the recent tax reform bills compare as they head to committee for reconciliation.

Currently, there are seven tax brackets with rates of 10, 15, 25, 28, 33, 35 and 39.6 percent. The House plan shrinks that number to four with rates of 12, 25, 35 and 39.6 percent. The Senate measure keeps the number of personal income tax brackets at seven, change the rates to 10, 12, 22, 24, 32, 35 and 38.5 percent.

Looking at the standard deduction, which refers to the deduction of the amount of income we’re taxed. The current rate is $6,350 for the individual and $12,700 for married couples. The House measure increases this to $12,000 and $24,000 respectively, while the Senate increases the standard deduction to $12,000 and $24,000.

Taxpayers in high-tax states – like California and New York – who itemize their deductions are able to deduct four kinds of non-businesses taxes, including state and local income, real estate, property and sales taxes. These are state and local tax (SALT) deductions  Commonly known as state and local taxes (SALT,) the House bill eliminates all deductions expect for a property tax deduction capped at $10,000. The Senate plan repeals SALT deductions when it comes to income and sales tax, yet leaves in place a provision for property tax deductions up to $10,000.

A large concern to many taxpayers is the child tax credit. The current tax code allows for taxpayers to receive up to $1,000 per child under the age of 17. The House plan  raises that to $1,600, while the Senate measure increases it to $2,000.

Another major concern is the individual mandate, which is the Obamacare requirement to purchase health care.  At present, if you don’t purchase health care but can afford to do so, you could face a fine of either 2.5 percent of the household income or a per-person fee – whichever is higher.  Unbelievably, the changes to the individual mandate were not included in the House measure. The Senate bill however eliminates the individual mandate completely.

Commonly called the ‘death tax,’ the federal estate tax is a tax on the transfer of property after someone’s death. At the moment, estates valued at more than $5.4 million in 2017 could be taxed. The House plan would double the estate tax exemption to $11 million for individuals and $22 million for couples, but would repeal it after 2023. Under the Senate plan, the exemption would double.

Then there’s something called the ‘pass-through provision’ for businesses that are sole proprietorship, joint venture, limited liability companies or an S-corporation. The ‘pass-through’ taxation format’s used by the majority of businesses where the profits are counted in the owners’ personal tax returns.

Under current law, ‘pass-through’ businesses are subject to a top rate of 43.4 percent. The House plan reduces the tax to 25 percent and creates a nine percent rate for the first $75,000 in earnings for some smaller businesses. The Senate measure, however, sets up a new deduction of 23 percent for those who qualify. The plan also makes it easier to get this deduction, but will expire after 2025.

On the opposite side from ‘small businesses,’ are the larger organizations, which are subject to a corporate tax rate of 35 percent. Under the House measure, the corporate tax rate would be lowered to 20 percent. The Senate plan would also lower the corporate tax rate to 20 percent, but with a delayed implementation of one year.

Finally, there’s the alternative minimum tax (AMT) which is a supplemental income tax levied on certain taxpayers designed to offset the benefits a high income earner could receive and ensures they pay a minimum tax. The current plan imposes the AMT on taxpayers whose ‘tentative minimum tax’ is higher than the regular tax. The House plan repeals both the individual and corporate alternative minimum tax, while the Senate’s plan leaves the AMT in place, but raises the amount of income to be exempt.

Hopefully, this helps you understand what all the ‘tax reform’ hyperbole is about.  As for me, I think I have brain-fluid leaking from my right-ear from thinking too hard.

The Obama administration weaponized the Logan Act to attack the incoming Trump administration.  By knowing its common practice for incoming administration officials to communicate their polices to their foreign counterparts, then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates used the act to link the Trump administration to Russia via his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

The Logan Act makes it a felony for unauthorized persons to negotiate with foreign governments involved in a dispute with the U.S. The Act  came into being following George Logan’s unauthorized negotiations with France in 1798, signed into law by President John Adams on January 30, 1799 and last amended in 1994.

Only two people have ever been indicted for violating its provisions. However, no one’s ever been convicted of violating the law.

It was Yates who told Congress that the Act was the reason she intervened in the Flynn case and the reason FBI agents went to the White House to interview Flynn in the Trump administration’s early days. Flynn recently pleaded guilty to one count of lying to federal investigators about conversations he had with former Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak in December, 2016.

The conversations involved sanctions placed on Russia by the Obama administration following the November election and a U.N. resolution targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Obama administration was monitoring Kislyak and recorded the calls, which were later illegally leaked to the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, former-President Obama, now a private citizen, continues to violate the Logan Act by shadowing President Trump overseas. In fact, in a recent sit-down with French President Emmanuel Macron, Obama stated of Trump, “I grant you that at the moment we have a temporary absence of American leadership on [climate change.]”

“Holy crap!,” I found myself surmizing, “How is it that I’m able to think at all?”

Earlier, I took my mind for a walk. Both it and the rest of me needed the exercise and fresh air. And while, my body obeyed every command given it, my mind chose to wander off and it got lost.

Yes, I lost my friggin’ mind!

Then after hours of looking under every rock and behind every bush, I remembered where I left it. Having washed it, I failed to put it back in my brain-vault.

But at least I had my house key.

While fueling my truck at Costco, I heard the gas pump, in a male voice, ask, “Hello, how are you?”

Startled, I answered “I’m doing good.”

Costco recently replaced all the pumps, so I figured it to be something new that came with the reconstruction. That’s when the pump inquired, “What are you up to?”

I responded, “Uhh…getting gas.”

Sounding slightly irritated the voice stated, “I need to call you back,” adding, “There’s a guy on the other side of this pump who keeps answering me.”

Simultaneously peeking around the pump at one another, we both had a really good laugh.

“Boredom has got me by the nuts,” I complain to the dogs.

They’re not very good listeners, at least not when it comes to my bitching and moaning. However, grab a bag of potato chips or clink a spoon against a dish and see the four-legged beggars come running.

That’s how a dog’s life works: food and affection and crapping in the yard. Some days, like today, I wish I had it so good, as I watch all four napping at my feet.

Then again, maybe I’m the one that has it good and I’m simply not seeing it. Maybe.

Perhaps I heard her alarm beeping. I know I hear the shower as she turns it on.

Auto-reflex – I pull my covers over my head, pretending the light from her room isn’t real. Unfortunately, it is.

I know I must get out of bed.

It’s the same activity of the morning, from day-to-day, whether I’ve slept well or not. I tell myself that I can always return to bed after she goes to work.

I never do.

Coffee time instead. I sit at my computer, hoping for ‘good news’ from the media and ‘spying’ on my friend’s world through Facebook.

All the leaves are gone.
Standing, frozen, awaiting
Heavy snow to adorn
Their naked limbs,
A delicate beauty.

Before we were old enough to go out and help around the farm, like our cousins, my brother and I would end up staying with Grandma. There was very little to do, so we quickly grew bored and that’s how we got in to trouble.

Grandma raised chickens in a large coop out back of the house. Each morning Adam and I would collect eggs for Grandma.

Mostly due to boredom and partly because of imagination, we created little games to play. One such game was ‘Fishing for Chickens.’

Now, I was old enough to know we didn’t want to do anything to harm Grandma’s chickens, so we didn’t use hooks. Instead, we threaded chicken feed directly onto the fishing-line.

Once threaded and using whatever sort of stick we could find as a pole, we’d toss the ‘bait’ out to the chickens as they wandered about the backyard. The goal was to get one to ‘take the bait’ and we’d ‘reel’ it in.

Amazingly, once a chicken took the feed, they refused to let it go. At the time, I thought chickens chewed their food, so I didn’t know they swallowed it whole.

We spent much of the early morning ‘reeling’ in chickens and then forcing them to let go of the ‘bait.’  Looking back, while we we’re having fun, I don’t think the chickens were all that happy – but unfortunately for them, they weren’t smart enough to refuse the ‘bait.’

Then shortly before noon, Adam and I set our minds on the big prize: Grandma’s rooster. Time after time, we tried to get the bird to take the ‘bait,’ but he simply ignored it.

Then Adam dropped the ‘bait’ right in front of the rooster and he snapped it up. He had to fight the rooster as he pulled the bird closer and closer to the porch from which we were ‘fishing.’

Once the bird was within arms reach, Adam seized it by the neck and I grabbed its wings. That’s when all hell broke loose.

The bird, in full-panic, used it’s talons to break free and in doing so, sliced both of us up. Finally, after a few pain-filled kicks, we both let it go.

Hearing the commotion, Grandma came outside to see what was going on. She found us, bleeding and the rooster racing in circles, dragging Adam’s ‘fishing pole’ behind it.

She ordered us into the house, where she cleaned our scratches and threatened to whip our backsides. Instead, she made us stand in the corner for a long-while as she went outside and rescued her rooster.

It proved unpopular, and so ‘Fishing for Chickens’ was one game we never again played.