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I stand in awe of people like Lucy Cooke, who are more knowledgeable about international affairs than lifelong diplomats and our intelligence agencies. (9-10)

As for me:

First, I would rather admit ignorance of a topic rather than spew-out ridiculous conspiracy theories.

Unlike many conservatives, I do not claim to know more than the REAL experts.

Second, IMHO, 911 probably might not have occurred had the Republican legislators attended to the nations security rather than wasting years hounding the Clintons for no apparent reason.

Put another way, had the Republicans been more intent on protecting the nation rather than being preoccupied with Bill and Monica (Wag the dog and all that.) The odds are that 911 and the Afghan and Iraqi wars would not have happened.

Third, unlike the French, British, and others in previous wars, the Ukrainians are not asking us to fight for them. They say, give us the weapons, and WE will take care of these a.

Fourth, no one in their right mind wants forever war other than possibly the military-industrial complex and the politicians who support it, including many Republicans.

Finally, anyone in America who believes or agrees with anything Trump says or who sides with Putin is detached from reality and should not be taken seriously.

Jorge Smirnoff, Chico

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Letter: Republicans were distracted by Bill and Monica - Chico Enterprise-Record

Should they take control of the House in November, Republicans plan to launch a congressional investigation of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff the nation's highest-ranking military officer. Sources told NBC News that Republicans would plan to grill Gen. Mark Milley over criticism that the military has become too woke during his tenure, among other things.

Its a clear sign that the increasingly MAGA-infused GOP is keen on waging a war against Milley and painting him as a villain for inappropriately politicizing the military. But the irony of this enterprise is that Milleys most overtly political behavior has been a response to former President Donald Trumps instability, authoritarianism and attempts to politicize the military. When his hand was forced, he appropriately chose the track of defending the nation against anti-democratic extremism instead of being deferential to it.

All of it is part of a broader program to try to force the military to yield to MAGA politics.

In addition to the woke allegation, any Republican investigation would presumably try to publicly hammer Milley over the many reports of his comments and alleged behind-the-scenes maneuvering to prevent Trump from doing something extreme before he left office. All of it is part of a broader program to try to force the military to yield to MAGA politics.

Milleys supposed wokeness agenda is an absurd point of criticism for many reasons. The MAGA right was furious when Milley defended the concept of using critical race theory during a defense budget hearing last year.

One must ask: Why was Milley even being asked about critical race theory in the first place? It was because Republicans bizarrely insisted on asking him why the academic framework of critical race theory which studies how racism is embedded in American institutions was included in curricula at the U.S. Military Academy. Milley emphatically defended its inclusion on the basis that the U.S. Military Academy is a university and said that its important for those of us in uniform to be open-minded and be widely read.

The key point to remember here is that a right-wing activist openly admitted to inventing a crisis around critical race theory a mode of academic thought that dates back to the 80s in order to advance the MAGA agenda. It was not controversial, or even known to exist by most people, until it got tossed into the Trumpian white nationalist propaganda machine. And the only reason it was brought up in a defense budget hearing was to try to advance that propagandistic mission and undermine Milleys reputation, since he was considered a part of the anti-Trump resistance in Washington.

But instead of choosing to back off the challenge, Milley decided to stand up against it. He didnt want to concede to the MAGA movements attempts to politicize routine academic affairs, or to concede the white nationalist talking point that studying racism was somehow a form of racism itself.

The other major GOP line of inquiry would likely be Milleys reported comments and actions that sought to act as a check on Trumps power. This is a more complex issue, because the precedent of the military bucking civilian control in ways that diverge from norms and rules is something worthy of public scrutiny and could indeed set a dangerous precedent.

First, lets be clear: the MAGA hype about Milley being treasonous in his behavior is unconvincing and based on pure exaggeration. Risa Brooks, a political scientist at Marquette University, told me that Milleys big personality and fiery quotes Milley told aides that he believed Trump spread "the gospel of the Fhrer" in his attempts to overturn the election tend to distract from the reality that theres no evidence that any of his actions actually transgressed civil-military norms. We dont know of anything at this point in time that he did that constituted a clear obstruction of civilian control, Brooks told me.

For example, reports that Milley spoke to his Chinese counterpart twice in the final months of Trump's presidency to assure Beijing that the U.S. was stable and that Trump was not going to attack China generated controversy. But his actions were taken through the standard channels, coordinated with the secretary of defense, and in line with Trumps policy vision (Trump did not want to attack China). The reason Milley spoke to his counterpart was because of intelligence indicating that the Chinese were concerned by Trumps unpredictability as his presidency came to an end. Trump, unsurprisingly, still decided to say Milley should be tried for treason over it.

Still, it cannot be denied that Milley did engage in some more overtly political behavior with some of his remarks to colleagues about Trump. And even if there isnt evidence he violated protocols, he clearly tried to signal that he was an ally in favor of democracy through his reported participation in land the plane phone calls with officials in the Trump administration that sought to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.

Again, it must be asked: Why did Milley feel compelled to do this? The answer: Trumps assault on the democratic process, whether through disinformation, or obstructing a certification of Bidens presidential victory, or calling for the military to violently repress protests. There is no evidence that Milley was actively seeking to make the military a part of the political process until he felt it might be necessary to protect the rule of law and the legitimacy of the most basic tenets of democracy. This was unquestionably better than the alternative of a blind obedience to presidential power without regard for laws, truth and bedrock democratic principles.

Given what we know about how top military officers and defense officials tend to think about Trump, any Republican investigation against Milley will likely only make them even more vigilant about the specter of tyranny and the role of the military in guarding against it.

Zeeshan Aleem is a writer and editor for MSNBC Daily. Previously, he worked at Vox, HuffPost and Politico, and he has also been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Nation and elsewhere.

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The irony of Mark Milley being investigated by Republicans - MSNBC

At a rally earlier this month, former President Donald Trump seemed to relish describing the grisly details of murders in Philadelphia. The city has become a killing field, he told thousands of supporters.

At the same event in northeast Pennsylvania, Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz pointed to Phillys homicide rate and emphasized his endorsement from the Fraternal Order of Police, the main police union.

I know and believe we can have safe city streets, he said.

Two months before Pennsylvanias crucial elections, crime has taken up a central role in Republicans campaigns.

READ MORE: John Fetterman agrees to TV debate in Harrisburg with closed captioning. Mehmet Oz says hes in, pending three requests.

Thats especially true in the U.S. Senate race, where the GOP believes the issue has finally put Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on the defensive, and helped narrow what was once a wide lead for the Democratic nominee.

Securitys always an important issue, and John Fettermans terrible on it, said Peter Towey, a Republican strategist who has long worked on Pennsylvania races, including the 2016 Senate campaign. Its not like worries about crime stop when you get on the Schuylkill Expressway. ... People work in the city, they want to go to the city, they want to go to dinner.

From mid-August through this week, the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), has spent more than $10 million on four TV ads in Pennsylvania hammering Fetterman on crime.

GOP operatives say its working: Fetterman has run three ads of his own rebutting their spots and emphasizing his work to fight crime as mayor of Braddock.

READ MORE: Two new polls show an edge for John Fetterman in Pa.s Senate race, and Mehmet Ozs support looking unenthusiastic

Pennsylvania Republicans, of course, have a long history of running against crime, and against crime in Philadelphia, specifically.

But Republicans say the issue is especially potent given the citys record number of homicides last year, soaring shootings, and Fettermans stances on clemency and criminal justice reform.

John Fettermans record on crime speaks for itself, literally its the candidate in his own words describing how he wants to let criminals out of prison, said Jack Pandol, a spokesperson for the Senate Leadership Fund.

As the head of the states Board of Pardons, Fetterman publicly and strongly pressed for mercy for people who had served long sentences and demonstrated they had been rehabilitated, including advocating for the release of some convicted murderers. He said he agreed with a corrections officials analysis that one-third of prisoners could be released without harming public safety, though his campaign says he didnt advocate for implementing that step, just agreed with the statement.

READ MORE: John Fetterman ran the Board of Pardons like an activist and at times a bully

And while he now focuses on legalizing marijuana, in 2015 he said in an interview with the Nation that he supported decriminalizing drugs across the board.

The Fetterman campaign did not respond to two attempts to clarify whether thats still his position.

At times, the GOP has distorted and exaggerated his stances. Oz, for example, has said Fetterman wants to legalize all drugs, a step beyond decriminalization. Other Republicans have falsely said he wants to end life sentences for murders.

Fettermans campaign says the GOP is fear-mongering over an issue of compassion and fairness. Theres little evidence that granting clemency affects public safety.

And Fettermans camp points to his 13 years as mayor of a small town, overseeing the police department, including a five-year stretch, from 2008 to 2013, when Braddock had no homicides. The city of about 2,000, however, had few murders before he became mayor, typically three or fewer per year in the five years before he took office.

READ MORE: Women are the reason we can win, John Fetterman says at packed abortion-rights rally in Montco

The reality is that John knows how to stop crime, because hes actually done it, said Fetterman spokesperson Joe Calvello. Oz has no record. ... John has worked hand-in-hand with the police, and knows the challenges our police force faces and how to support them. John fought to ensure the police had the funding they needed, and he helped bring the town grants for surveillance cameras.

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia Democrat who supports Fetterman, said Republicans are using a real problem as a political weapon, but they dont actually care about crime in Philadelphia.

These are people who through their actions and through their deeds have made it clear that theyre willing to talk about crime in this way that sensationalizes it, but not in a way that reveals a true compassion for people who are hurting, Kenyatta said.

He pointed to proposals for tougher gun laws, to fight gun trafficking, and for community investments, saying all would reduce violence, and are opposed by Republicans.

Neither candidate has said much about what specifically he would do as a U.S. senator to fight crime.

Asked about Ozs plans, a campaign spokesperson said he will ensure that our police officers have the resources they need to protect the commonwealth, that our brave first responders are respected and properly trained, and that our streets and neighborhoods are safe for everyone to enjoy.

She didnt offer more details.

On guns, Oz during the GOP primary wrote that he would oppose red-flag laws and universal background checks. His campaign didnt answer this week when asked twice if he would have supported the bipartisan gun bill President Joe Biden signed in June, which included incentives for state-level red-flag laws after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Calvello said if elected to Senate, Fetterman will never support defunding the police, and will fight to increase federal funding and grants for police forces. He said Fetterman also supports a criminal justice reform bill named for George Floyd that passed the U.S. House but not the Senate.

READ MORE: Dr. Oz wears pants: Republicans rally to support Mehmet Oz in Bucks County

Dangerously liberal on crime, goes the tagline in one Senate Leadership Fund ad.

It follows a clip of Fetterman emphasizing his work to help release prisoners through the Board of Pardons, pushing for clemency for people who he argues have served extensive sentences.

Fetterman has also called for ending mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder, a charge often filed against people accused of being an accomplice to murder acting as a lookout, for example, or a getaway driver. Pennsylvania has among the highest populations of people serving life without parole for second-degree murder.

The GOP has emphasized instances in which Fetterman approvingly quoted, and said he agreed with, a state official who said Pennsylvanias prison population could drop by one-third without any increased danger to public safety.

He said something remarkable that I agree with, Fetterman said at one 2020 event, before repeating the analysis, one of several examples of him making similar statements.

The official, former Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel, was first appointed by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett and reappointed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

Under Fetterman the Board of Pardons commuted 46 life sentences, compared with just six in Wolfs first term and none under Corbett.

For a commutation, the five-member board must vote unanimously and the governor must sign off.

Oz has singled out convicted murderers who were released. He sends weekly Inmates for Fetterman emails with grim details of their offenses.

Fetterman has long portrayed his push to release more inmates as an act of compassion.

You have an opportunity to decide what direction we take in our society, he told supporters in April as he sought the Democratic Senate nomination. Should you pay for the rest of your life for a mistake that you made if you were addicted or you were young, or you were in poverty?

The boards work has long been politically fraught, even though recidivism among former lifers is extremely low.

In one notable case, Fetterman called Oz sad and desperate for attacking his decision to hire Lee and Dennis Horton, Philadelphia brothers who served 27 years after picking up a man who, unbeknownst to them, they said, had committed a murder. Their convictions had come under heavy criticism.

Its time for Dr. Oz to answer if he believes that the wrongfully convicted should die in prison, Calvello said. He added, Dr. Oz lives in a mansion on a hill. What does he know about confronting crime?

Staff writer Dylan Purcell contributed to this article.

A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the number of homicides in Braddock in 2005. While state and federal records list zero, there were three homicides that year, according to local news reports.

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John Fetterman and crime: Why Republicans think it has him on defensive - The Philadelphia Inquirer

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EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans are launching an investigation into the Department of Education for allegedly allowing COVID-19 relief funds to pay for "racially biased" and other far-left programs in public schools.

House Committee on Oversight and Reform ranking member James Comer, R-Ky., and Education and Labor Committee ranking member Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., led a series of letters signed by 30 GOP lawmakers and sent Wednesday afternoon to Education Department Secretary Miguel Cardona and others.

"Republicans are investigating the use of COVID-19 relief dollars appropriated for virus mitigation and the safe reopening of schools," the lawmakers said in their letter. "Based on recent reports, the Department of Education is allowing Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and related COVID relief funds to pay for racially biased and other progressive leftist programs."

They state that Congress allotted $13.2 billion in the CARES Act and $54.3 billion in the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, which were intended to enable schools to reopen safely after the pandemic and assess learning loss.

COTTON PRESSES CARDONA ON TEACHERS UNION LETTER URGING SOCIAL MEDIA TO STIFLE OPPOSITION TO CRT

Miguel Cardona speaks after his nomination for education secretary on Dec. 23, 2020, in Wilmington, Delaware. (Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

An additional $122 billion was provided under the American Rescue Plan, President Biden's signature legislation, for school reopening and to "address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Nation's students."

However, Republican lawmakers say that instead of using ESSER funds to address learning loss, some states, including California, New York and Illinois, are using those funds to "push progressive left causes."

The congressmen cite how California allegedly used ESSER funds for "LGBTQ+ cultural competency" trainings, New York used $9 billion to fund "equity warriors" development, and Illinois used over $5 billion to make "equity driven investments."

Residents of Loudoun County, Virginia, have helped make critical race theory part of the national conversation in 2021. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)

The lawmakers also accuse at least 10 other states of having plans that include a "proposal to use the ESSER funds to implement racially biased curriculum and programs based on Critical Race Theory."

One Republican committee aide told Fox News Digital that despite there being no meaningful guardrails in the legislation, the use of the funds for equity and diversityfalls outside of the law's intended purpose, which was to reopen schools and make up for lost learning.

The COVID relief legislation does include a final catchall provision allowing spending on "other activities necessary to maintain the operation of a continuity of services in local education agencies," which do not mention any certain trainings or curriculum.

Republicans are demanding all documents and communications related to the use of ESSER funds being used toward critical race theory, diversity, equity and inclusion and other racially biased trainings or programs, according to the letter.

President Joe Biden speaks on the cancer moonshot initiative at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

The letters were sent to Cardona, Education Department Inspector General Sandra Bruce, New York State Department of Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, Illinois State Board of Education Superintendent Carmen Ayala, and California Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction and Director of Education Tony Thurmond.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education called the investigation a "partisan political attack."

"This is an absurd partisan political attack. COVID relief dollars were used to safely re-open schools and are currently being used to provide necessary academic and mental health supports and address equity issues to help students and families most impacted by the pandemic," said the spokesperson.

"The Department of Education has encouraged states to use ESSER funds for these purposes, and states and schools have done so all across the country, including in these members districts, despite the fact they voted against these critical school re-opening and recovery funds."

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Maria Clayton, director of the communications division for the California Department of Education called the investigation "factually inaccurate" and said the agency will be clarifying the use of the funds with the members of Congress on the letter.

"It is factually inaccurate that federal funds were used for that purpose. No federal ESSER dollars were spent in that way," she told Fox News Digital.

"I understand that these types of documents can be long and dense, but it is important not to misread or misconstrue this information or to perpetuate misinterpretations," Clayton continued. "What California has done is to spend federal COVID-19 recovery funds on mitigation measures and ways to help students recover from the pandemic. We have spent this money to mitigate learning loss-- with tutoring, after school and summer programming-- on mental health counselors and wellness programs for students and on ways to keep students connected with tablets and Wi-Fi hot spots."

The New York State Department of Education did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

The Illinois Department of Education confirmed that it used COVID-19 relief money for "equity" initiatives and that it is "troubling" that the Republicans are criticizing their action.

"Yes, equity drives all of our investments, especially our investments of federal pandemic relief funds into high-impact tutoring, closing the digital divide, summer and afterschool programs, and mental health community partnerships," responded Jackie Matthews, executive director of communications for the Illinois State Board of Education.

"Equity means providing all schools with the funding and supports they need for all students to meet high expectations -- which is a strange and troubling thing to see anyone criticize," she continued."

Cardona has previously denied that critical race theory is being taught in K-12 schools.

Kelly Laco is a politics editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Kelly.Laco@Fox.com and on Twitter: @kelly_laco.

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House Republicans investigate Education Dept for allegedly using COVID relief to fund critical race theory - Fox News

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Endorsed Republicans Sala, Fafard and Iannitelli move on to November - Valley Breeze