crosstalk: May 12, 2017

​In light of the upcoming Mother's Day special edition of Crosstalk, Jim moved up the weekly edition of the 'round-up'. Stories included:

--President Trump accepts the recommendation of both Deputy General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions while also removing FBI Director James Comey.
--President Trump says the FBI is one of our nation's most cherished and respected institutions and today he talked about a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement.
--Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy said he's among those who think that what President Trump has done is a terrific step.
--Former Director Comey said to have addressed the issues of alleged police racism, police brutality, excessive use of force and other topics popular with his former bosses, yet millions are still at potential risk of Islamic terrorism according to former police counter-terrorism unit commander Neil Knudsen.
--President Trump defended his decision to fire James Comey saying he wasn't doing a good job.
--President Trump used Twitter to fire back at Democrats who disagreed with his decision to fire Comey while also arguing that Democrats have been among Comey's harshest critics.
--Judicial Watch issues statement agreeing with President Trump's firing of James Comey.
--Senator Marco Rubio asked acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe if Comey's dismissal in any way impeded any of the work involving any project at the FBI. McCabe said, 'No.'
--McCabe acknowledged for the first time in public testimony that some agents were angry with the 2016 decision not to prosecute Hillary Clinton while also defending ousted Director James Comey's overall standing at the bureau.
--President Trump signed an executive order to launch a commission to review alleged voter fraud.
--Silicon Valley said to be the center of anti-Trump resistance.
--Senate confirms President Trump's pick to lead the Air Force.
--President Trump will begin to leave his mark on the lower courts of the federal judiciary with 10 nominees that were named Monday.
--Some anti-Trump protestors shown to be paid by employers to show up at rallies.
--The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to strike down President Trump's order easing enforcement of an IRS rule limiting the political activity of religious organizations.
--Former Vice President Al Gore has personally asked President Trump not to withdraw the U.S. from a U.N. agreement aimed at limiting global warming.
--President Trump is delaying a decision whether to withdraw from the landmark international climate deal struck in Paris under the Obama administration.
--The Competitive Enterprise Institute and other prominent conservative groups have urged President Trump to pull out from the Paris treaty.
--The temporary head of the FBI is being investigated for his role in the bureau's Hillary Clinton e-mail probe.
--The EPA administrator says he's not a believer in catastrophic, man-made global warming.
--Aetna pulling out of the Obamacare marketplace in 2018.
--North Korea expert warns that they may be secretly assembling the capability to take out significant parts of the U.S. homeland via an electromagnetic pulse attack.
--North Korea said to have artificial islands that may contain military installations.
--Iran test fired a high speed torpedo on Sunday.
--Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the state's sanctuary city bill into law.
--The Texas attorney general has already filed suit against the local jurisdictions that have been accused of not cooperating with federal immigration agents.
--The ACLU issues a travel alert on the heals of the Texas signing.
--The new Texas law could have other states taking a similar approach.
--U.S. Customs and Border Patrol sees a drop in apprehension rate along the U.S./Mexico border.
--Mexico is the second most deadly conflict zone in the world behind Syria.
--Lawmakers in the Texas House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill approving the establishment of a bullion depository, preparing the state's bypass of the Federal Reserve's exclusive control of currency.
--Satan worshipers get the 'green light' from local officials to install a monument honoring military men and women in a Minnesota park.
--Clemson University students recently performed a live blood-letting and lamb sacrifice ceremony. It involved the burning of Bibles to commemorate a new chapel on campus.
--Clemson University had a proposal to institute mandatory LGBTQ ally training for faculty and staff.
--A new undercover investigation exposed how easy it is to abort a healthy, late term unborn baby in New Mexico.
--Utah Democrats hope to make animal rights a top priority in their party platform by 2017.
--Bill Nye 'The Science Guy' says extra children are a burden to the environment of the earth and that governments should consider penalizing parents who decide to raise large families.
--Bill Nye changes his tune regarding LGBT adherents from what he believed in 1996. He's now claiming that gender is a spectrum and not merely a matter of male or female.
--The Council on American/Islamic Relations (CAIR) starts new chapters in Kentucky, Colorado and Austin, Texas.
--Adidas to sponsor the 'Out Games' for LGBT adherents/supporters.
--Target stores now admitting they felt the effects of the boycott over their transgender bathroom policy.
--Numerous members of Congress signed a letter urging Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to reverse the long-standing U.S. policy of not allowing Americans to list Jerusalem as part of Israel on the birthplace section on passports.
--A bill declaring Israel as the national home of the Jewish people passed its first hurdle in the Knesset on Sunday.
--President Trump's appointment of a national pro-life leader to serve as the top communicator at the Department of Health and Human Services is being considered great news for the pro-life cause.