AT AMAZON, Fresh Deals on Top Rated Products.

Plus, Shop Top Gift Ideas.

And, Shop Amazon – Best Selling Products – Updated Every Hour.

Also, browse the Kindle Deals of the Day.

MY USA TODAY COLUMN: Fight The Power: Higher education discriminates against men, but new Title IX complaints may change that.

LIZ SHELD’S MORNING BRIEF: Omar is sorry, deal or no deal, and much, much more. “What does this even mean, that El Paso is safe IN SPITE OF walls? There are walls all over the place in the U.S., like in banks, hospitals, state houses…? Beto’s house has walls. When Beto was a congressman, there were all kinds of walls to get into the building where his office was in Washington D.C., is he kidding?”

ENDGAME: Even in barrios once devoted to Hugo Chavez, murmurs of opposition grow in Venezuela.

Before Venezuela’s economy began to crumble a few years back, generous government allocations of subsidized food and housing, cash payouts and other amenities helped build and maintain a sturdy citadel for Chavez in La Vega and other government strongholds.

On Jan. 23, however, as opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido publicly declared Maduro a “usurper” and proclaimed himself acting president, some La Vega residents descended to the streets in solidarity. A fearsome elite police squad, the Special Action Force, known as FAES, after its Spanish acronyms, violently broke up the anti-government demonstration, residents say.

But the fact that poor people here and elsewhere took to the streets in protest is seen by some as a sign of a grass-roots political shift in this long-polarized South American nation of 32 million.

“This whole barrio used to be Chavista, but not anymore,” said Karina Monterola, 44, who has lived in La Vega since she was a child. “Why? Because there is hunger, a lack of water, all kinds of shortages. … The minimum wage isn’t enough to afford to eat — much less to buy clothing, or even an ice cream for my daughter.”

Socialism is popular until the other people’s money runs out.

PLUS: Venezuelan Colonel Urges Soldiers To Help US Aid Enter, Says 90% Of Army Against Maduro.

CHANGE: Boom: Best economic optimism in 16 years, 50% ‘better off’ under Trump.

Public optimism in their personal economy has hit a 16-year high under President Trump, according to a new survey.

Some 69 percent told Gallup that they expect their personal finances to be even better next year, just shy of the record 71 percent when the internet boom was raging under former President Bill Clinton.

What’s more, the survey company said that 50 percent believe they are “better off” than just a year ago when the current economic surge was kicking in and when the White House coined the phrase “MAGAnomics.”

Gallup said that is the first time the level has reach 50 percent since 2007.

“Americans’ optimism about their personal finances has climbed to levels not seen in more than 16 years, with 69 percent now saying they expect to be financially better off ‘at this time next year,'” said Gallup.

The highlights:

69 percent expect their financial situation to improve over the next year.
Optimism about finances over the next year is almost at a record-high level.
50 percent say they are in better shape financially than a year ago.

The president has been touting the economy and stock market recently, and Republicans are urging him to continue with policies like deregulation that can continue to feed growth.

Well, stay tuned. The 2006 election of the Democratic Congress was the beginning of the end for the last recovery . . . .

STEVEN HAYWARD ON TAXES: Own the Libs, or Let the Libs Own Us? “One other thing: we should insist that Senator Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax be applied to those huge tax-free hedge funds that run a small college on the side, like Harvard and Yale. Let’s watch the professoriate scream over that.”

SORRY NOT SORRY: Dem Rep. Omar apologizes for Israel comments, calls out ‘problematic’ role of AIPAC, ‘other lobbyists.’

“Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes,” Omar wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole. We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me for my identity. This is why I unequivocally apologize.”

“At the same time,” she added, “I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC [the American Israel Public Affairs Committee], the [National Rifle Association] or the fossil fuel industry. It’s gone on too long and we must be willing to address it.”

Translation: “In the future my offensive remarks will be more selective.”

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: The Campus Rape Culture That Never Was.

The discussion of sexual violence on campus takes place within a hegemonic feminist ideology that monopolizes academic and policy discourse in Western societies. There is no alternative discourse at the present time, no non-feminist model of society to which to refer. What little criticism of feminist ideology exists rests not on a masculinist ideology, which does not exist, or an egalitarian ideology, which has virtually no support, but solely on empirical grounds, and there are few taking that stand against feminism.

Feminist professors have made “rape culture” and “toxic masculinity” central pillars of their teaching and “research.” Feminist researchers tend to be highly tendentious, their work proving the feminist truths that they began with. Feminist academics are not empirically inclined; they are not trying to discover unknown aspects of life. Rather, they engage in research to confirm and promote feminist truth. They are first and foremost advocates of females and their work aims to advance the position of females at the expense of males.

Who benefits from the campus rape hysteria? Third wave feminism faced a decline in support due to success in reaching feminist political, educational, and employment goals. Young women benefitting from access to the wider society and not feeling restricted did not see the need for feminist militancy. Faced with the loss of group solidarity, what could feminists do? The answer is as old as politics: find a threatening enemy to scare members back into the fold.

Yeah pretty much.

THE NEW REPUBLIC ON RUSSIA HYSTERIA: Maria Butina: The Spy Who Wasn’t. “The government’s case against Butina is extremely flimsy and appears to have been driven largely by a desire for publicity. In fact, federal prosecutors were forced to retract the most attention-grabbing allegation in the case—that Butina used sex to gain access and influence. That Butina’s prosecution was launched by the National Security Section of the District of Columbia federal prosecutor’s office, led by Gregg Maisel, is telling in itself: According to a source close to the Mueller investigation, the special counsel’s office had declined to pursue the case, even though it would have clearly fit under its mandate. Despite the lack of evidence against Butina, however, prosecutors—abetted by an uncritical media willing to buy into the idea of a Russian agent infiltrating conservative political circles—were intent on getting a win.
”

BREAKING: Budget deal calls for far less border wall money.

Three people familiar with Congress’ tentative border security deal tell The Associated Press that the accord would provide $1.375 billion to build 55 miles of new border barriers.

That’s well below the $5.7 billion President Donald Trump demanded to build over 200 miles of wall along the Mexican boundary. The money will be for vertical steel slats called bollards, not a solid wall.

Democrats dropped their proposal to limit the number of detained immigrants caught inside the U.S. to a daily average of 16,500. Republicans opposed that demand. There is currently no such limit.

Bargainers agreed to fund 40,520 beds to detain immigrants entering or in the U.S. illegally. That’s the same number funded last year, though the actual figure held is around 49,000.

The sources described details of the still-secret agreement only on condition of anonymity.

That doesn’t look like a very good deal for Trump, but none of this is official yet so we’ll see.

UPDATE: Increasing discussion in WH of accepting congressional deal AND moving on an executive action, which would give POTUS more wall money than choosing one or the other.

IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, Katha Pollitt makes the usual tired demand for government-paid day care.

But whatever you do, don’t ask actual women what they want: “Among married mothers with children ages 0 to 3 at home, only 17% prefer to work full time, and 34% consider staying at home as their ideal situation.”

TO BE FAIR, THEY DON’T WANT IT TO, BECAUSE ANTI-SEMITES ARE NOW A KEY PART OF THEIR COALITION: David Harsanyi: The Democrats’ Anti-Semitism Problem Isn’t Going Away.

But when you import a lot of anti-semites, someone is going to compete for their votes. The Jews who backed open immigration thought they were re-enacting their own history, when really they were fighting to admit people who hate them.

M. CATHARINE EVANS: The Virginia train wreck has set the stage for 2020.

Thanks to Virginia’s embroiled leaders, the Democrats have become not only the party of drugs, human-trafficking, open borders, MS-13, a Green New Deal, and socialism; they have now outed themselves as the Party of Infanticide, Racism, the KKK, Sexism (“F— the B—-“), and Rapists.

President Trump and the Republican Party should get a lot of mileage out of the Racist & Rapist party’s double standard. There’s little doubt among conservatives in Virginia and across the nation that if these were three Republican leaders simultaneously being accused of racism and rape, Antifa, MoveOn, Black Lives Matter, the NAACP, and #MeToo would be blocking traffic, threatening riots, and surrounding the capitol in Richmond until all three resigned.

In spite of the Democrats’ long history of getting away with everything, including murder (Ted Kennedy), the explosive and quickly moving chain of events in Virginia these past few weeks has made ignoring this political earthquake impossible for the media.

Yes, but… in recent years the media has largely taken a different tack on stories too big too ignore, but too damaging to their (D) friends:

• Coverage that’s as perfunctory as can be gotten away with

• Framed whenever possible as a (D)-said/(R)-said “controversy”

• In which “Republicans Pounce!”

• While applying no direct pressure on (D) for an investigation/resignation/etc

• And then when nothing like an investigation or resignation happens, present the story, if at all, as “old news.”

Oh, and one last thing. “Old news” is usually combined with “Republicans still obsessed with ‘old news’.”

It’s dirty work, but our media elites seem to thrive on it.

PUNCH BACK TWICE AS HARD: Why SC Rep. Nancy Mace pushed back against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and women in white. “The voices of women like me are not heard. I think that’s why it struck such a chord. . . . I mean women that feel the same way that I do, that have that same sort of streak: We aren’t going to go along to get along. We’re not going to dress like others. No one is going to tell us what to do. No one is going to tell me what to do. I am my own woman. . . . People are afraid. They are losing neighbors and friends and family for having a political position and I keep asking myself when did it not become OK to agree to disagree? In this climate that we have right now, I think it’s important to say let’s change the game.”

WHATEVER: Dem. Rep. Al Green Blames Trump for Ralph Northam Scandal, Urges Impeachment. “Va. Gov.’s refusal to resign is a symptom of Trump’s bigotry, Congressman says.”

When Republicans do something dumb, it’s because Republicans are evil. When Democrats do something dumb, it’s because Republicans are evil.

TAMARA KEEL: Weaponlights: Do They Belong on a CCW Gun?

I JUST DID IT BEFORE THE ELECTION IN 16…  Erick Erickson, former NeverTrumper, has a change of heart.

NO. NEXT:  Is Global Warming Theory Scientific?

I’VE READ BORING THINGS, STUPID THINGS AND SCARY THINGS. I’VE YET TO MEET A BOOK SO SCARY IT CAN’T BE READ OR WORDS SO CONVINCING THAT THEY PERSUADE YOU TO DO WHAT’S OBVIOUSLY WRONG AGAINST YOUR WILL: The Sins (?) of Our Fathers.

WELL… ISN’T THAT SPECIAL?  Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke Backs Democrat Ilhan Omar.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA PROFESSOR SUES STATE FOR NOT INSURING TRANSGENDER SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY: Meanwhile, there is the story of Jamie Shupe. Just last September, Shupe was being celebrated in the New York Times as a transgender woman. A few weeks ago, however, Shupe decided to resume living and identifying as a man. Fortunately for Shupe, I don’t think he’d had any surgical interventions.

Something tells me there will be more stories like Shupe’s in the coming years. Surgical interventions will make many of the stories tragic for those who later regret their inability to have children.  Those who spend years of their lives shot up with hormones not normal for their bodies may pay a price too.

UPDATE:  Note that Jamie Shupe’s decision to resume living as a man (which I believe took some courage) is evidently not considered newsworthy in the mainstream media.  That’s predictable.

BECAUSE WOMEN, LIKE CATS AND VAMPIRES DON’T DO WELL IN GROUPS?  CERTAINLY NOT IN HIERARCHICAL GROUPS. OR NOT UNLESS THEY’RE ON TOP:  Why woman-led organizations aren’t always woman-friendly.

YEAH, IF THEY DIDN’T HAVE DOUBLE STANDARDS, THEY’D HAVE NO STANDARDS AT ALL:  Minstrelsy.