NEWS AND OPINION:
Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina was the most succinct of any critic who was shocked and dismayed by the second Planned Parenthood video that referenced potential harvesting and selling of aborted fetal tissue for profit. “It doesn’t matter whether you think you’re pro-choice or pro-life. Every woman, every man has to look at these videos and think, what has gone wrong in our nation?” asked Ms. Fiorina in her own video reply, produced just as she embarked on a 12-city tour of Iowa beginning Wednesday. Ms. Fiorina had much company.
“What has our nation come to that we allow the brutality of abortion upon our children, and then sell their broken bodies for profit, all the while, funding the perpetrator? While millions of Americans, on both sides of the political aisle, are expressing their horror at Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of preborn children’s bodies — their tiny lungs, hearts and livers — our taxpayer dollars continue to flow into the organization at the rate of over $500 million per year,” says Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group Live Action.
“Human rights are bipartisan — where is the outcry from presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and others over sale of the parts of children? Silence in the face of such atrocity is complicity,” she adds.
“Pro-life activists are, of course, furious about the Planned Parenthood videos. But so should the pro-choice women who for years have taken the organization at their word that they are only concerned about ’women’s health.’ But the reality is that the health, comfort, and dignity of women take the backseat when there’s money to be gained,” writes Alex Griswold, a Mediaite analyst.
“The new video of Planned Parenthood workers discussing the sale of fetal body parts is truly disgusting. Hillary Clinton must break her silence and condemn these barbaric acts committed by one of her major donors,” says Republican National Committee national press secretary Allison Moore.
TWEETING PAST IRAN
SEE ALSO: Second Planned Parenthood video shows price haggling over ‘baby parts’
John R. Bolton calls the recent U.S./Iran nuclear accord a “historic mistake” and has already launched a public petition to put a stop to it. Multiple polls from the Pew Research Center and other sources reveal most Americans are undecided or leery about the agreement and have either no confidence or very little confidence that Iran’s leaders will uphold their side of the deal. Secretary of State John F. Kerry found himself in a trying situation following anti-American remarks by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the jubilation over the deal was over.
“If it is the policy, it’s very disturbing, it’s very troubling, and we’ll have to wait and see,” Mr. Kerry told Al Arabiya News on Tuesday.
But the White House hopes to tweet its way out of such a publicity pickle. Launched Tuesday it’s @TheIranDeal — yes, the Iran agreement now has its own Twitter account bearing the advice, “Tweet us your questions, and we’ll set the record straight.”
Yes, well. Of course there’s already a parody Twitter account named @TheIranBomb that advises fans that it too will set the record straight.
“Folks, forget tweeting at the WH. Aim your arguments at the Dem senators we need. Focus. Tweet and call them. Not WH propaganda,” tweeted Amanda Carpenter, a former adviser to Sen. Ted Cruz and Jim Demint, in her reply to the White House proposal.
SAVAGE FURY
“My last big non-fiction book is going to be called ’Government Zero’ It’s coming out in October, but I wish it were out now, because the subtitle says it all: ’The inside story of the progressive/Islamic takeover.’ I feel I have to ring the alarm about how both groups are working towards similar ends to destroy Western civilization,” talk radio host Michael Savage told his 7 million listeners on Monday night.
“I have a feeling this book will be sold out before it’s even released. The same thing will happen this time as happened to me with my last book and with Ted Cruz’s book: The progressives at the New York Times won’t list my book as a bestseller. There is a war against the truth. There is a war against conservatives. There is a war against our survival. I am the true Paul Revere of our time,” Mr. Savage advised.
ON THE RADAR
Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner and Bob Goodlatte will be there. So will Democrats Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. Bobby Scott. The lawmakers are among the many to attend The Bipartisan Summit on Fair Justice on Wednesday, staged on a rooftop terrace a block from the U.S. Capitol. All have their own reasons for being there, all will weigh in on “solutions and actions needed to reform the United States criminal justice system,” organizers say. This is indeed a bipartisan gathering.
Also among the attendees: Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, Roy Austin, director of the White House Office of urban affairs, justice and opportunity; Ken Blackwell, senior fellow for family empowerment, Family Research Council; Todd Cox, senior fellow, Center for American Progress; Tim Head, executive director, Faith & Freedom Coalition; Van Jones, president and co-founder, #cut50; Marc A. Levin, policy director for Right on Crime; Matt Kibbe, president and founder, FreedomWorks; and Mark Holden, senior vice president and general counsel, Koch Industries, Inc.
The event will be live streamed at 9:30 a.m. ET here: CoalitionForPublicSafety.org
NEWS FROM ELSEWHERE
“The dilapidated cottage which was featured in ’The Quiet Man’ was officially placed under state protection yesterday. Members of Galway County Council unanimously agreed to add White O’Morn cottage, in Maam in Connemara, to its list of protected structures. Earlier this year council members voted to grant protected status to the remote dwelling, which has fallen into wrack and ruin since it featured in the 1952 John Ford-directed movie, which starred John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. And yesterday the final step was taken to formally protect the structure, with unanimous agreement from all 39 council members present.”
— from an account Tuesday by Irish Central correspondent Nick Bramhill, who notes that “A-list celebrities” Liam Neeson, Michael Flatley and Maureen O’Hara herself had supported the efforts.
POLL DU JOUR
• 73 percent of Americans favor re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba; 56 percent of Republicans, 75 percent of independents, 83 percent of Democrats, 52 percent of conservative Republicans and 90 percent of liberal Democrats agree.
• 72 percent overall favor ending the trade embargo on Cuba; 59 percent of Republicans, 72 percent of independents, 82 percent of Democrats, 55 percent of conservative Republicans and 88 percent of liberal Democrats agree.
• 49 percent overall predict that politics in Cuba will stay about the same; 56 percent of Republicans, 50 percent of independents, 43 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of conservative Republicans and 37 percent of liberal Democrats agree.
• 43 percent overall say they will be “more Democratic”; 33 percent of Republicans, 42 percent of independents, 51 percent of Democrats, 29 percent of conservative Republicans and 58 percent of liberal Democrats agree.
• 3 percent overall say politics will be “less Democratic”; 6 percent of Republicans, 3 percent of independents, 2 percent of Democrats, 6 percent of conservative Republicans and 0 percent of liberal Democrats agree.
Source: A Pew Research Center poll of 2,002 U.S. adults conducted July 14-20.
• Dismal sighs, knowing admonitions to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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