Friday’s news (9/15/2017)

Hard left, Progressive setbacks

In the face of new determination by Berkeley police and recently installed university chancellor Carol Christ to restore free speech rights to campus and town, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro was able to deliver an unobstructed talk last night to a large audience on the university campus, a significant setback to the hard-left Antifas group.

College and universities that tolerated violent left-wing blockage of conservative speakers are now facing declining enrollments and budget crises.

In the face of widespread condemnation and a faculty resignation, Progressive bastion Harvard has been forced to rescind a Visiting Fellow position it bestowed on Chelsea Manning, a transgender former Army intelligence analyst court martialed for aiding the enemy.

And in another setback to the Progressive global warming agenda, the Trump administration is debating whether to throw out President Obama’s CO2 regulations or just water them down.

A bad week for Sessions

Attorney General Sessions thought he was back in good standing with President Trump when he announced that the Dreamers program “was being rescinded.” But Trump’s apparent deal with Democratic Congressional leaders Schumer and Pelosi has undercut Sessions’ most important priority — ending illegal immigration — and enraged Trump’s Bannonite supporters.

Signs of Republican life in the Senate

Four of the President’s judicial nominees have just been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Will the Committee also have done with Democratic Senator Al Franken’s blocking of one other exceptional judicial nominee?

There’s also one final Republican attempt to reform Obamacare underway. Louisiana Senator Cassidy claims it now has just short of fifty votes.

International developments

The European Union has just launched a major diplomatic effort to negotiate expanded trade treaties.

Iraq is in crisis over the Kurdish independence referendum being promoted by two of its three political parties. The U.S. and Iran are trying to get the referendum cancelled, albeit for different reasons. Iran and its Iraqi allies are threatening war on the Kurds if they declare independence or attempt to take over the contested city of Kirkuk.

Cassini eulogies

Good coverage of the scientific harvest and final days of the Cassini mission to Saturn are here, here, and here. One hundred annotated photos from the voyage are here.

Click here to go to the previous Founders Broadsheet post (“Thursday’s news (9/14/2017)”)