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Sunday, April 6, 2025

Angry Mob Topples UNC Confederate Monument ‘Silent Sam’

‘Self-proclaimed communists and anarchists were given free reign by a willfully helpless police force to complete their destruction…’

(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) In a scene reminiscent of the liberation of Saddam Hussein’s Baghdad or the execution of Moamar Gaddafi in Libya (GRAPHIC IMAGE WARNING), mob rule took over the University of North Carolina’s Chapel Hill campus Monday to topple the oppressive presence of “Silent Sam.”

An estimated 250 people converged on UNC’s upper quad to tear down the Confederate monument around 9:15 p.m. after extensive protesting and rioting in the streets.

“Many of the wounds of racial injustice that still exist in our state and country were created by violent mobs and I can say with certainty that violent mobs won’t heal those wounds,” said state Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, a Republican.

“Only a civil society that adheres to the rule of law can heal these wounds and politicians – from the Governor down to the local District Attorney – must start that process by ending the deceitful mischaracterization of violent riots as ‘rallies’ and reestablishing the rule of law in each of our state’s cities and counties.”

The bronze statue of a Southern soldier was erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy in 1913 to commemorate the school’s alumni who had served during the Civil War.

The “silent” part of the name reportedly came from the fact that no cartridge was included on the soldier’s belt.

Although the “silent sentinel” figure initially was a symbol of nonviolence and reconciliation, embraced by movements such as the suffragetes of the early 20th century, Sam’s continuing presence had become a point of contention in recent years, as efforts to tear down Confederate monuments in places like Charlottesville, Virginia helped spur extremism on both sides.

Protests of Silent Sam followed last year’s violent clashes in Charlottesville, followed by threats of a lawsuit.

By law, though, only the North Carolina Historical Commission had the authority to remove the statue, and not the university.

In nearby Durham last August, protesters similarly took down a Confederate statue outside the old county courthouse.

Several of those responsible for the Durham protest were charged with crimes including felony counts of inciting a riot and destruction of property over $1,500.

The district attorney prosecuting the case later dropped the charges after a judge acquitted one defendant.

Raleigh’s News & Observer reported the protest on Monday – the day before classes were set to commence – began as a rally in solidarity with a UNC graduate student who faced charges for vandalizing the statue with red ink and blood in April.

However, footage of the event appeared to show a premeditated and coordinated effort, which included covering the statue with gray banners supported by bamboo poles prior to removal.

After the toppling, one demonstrator placed a black hat on the statue with the words “Do it like Durham” as others stomped on the figure.

Some of those present wore Carolina blue bandanas over their faces with the words “Sam must fall.”

As one large group of protesters drew the attention of police who were guarding the statue, including throwing smoke bombs and engaging aggressively with onlookers, a smaller group remained at the statue.

A tweet from UNC Chancellor Carol Folt, while acknowledging the frustration within the community, condemned the act as “unlawful and dangerous”:

The North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans also responded with a statement, expressing their “disgust and outrage regarding the celebration of anarchy that the world witnessed in Chapel Hill.”

The SCV said news footage confirmed that the same defendants responsible for the toppling of the Durham statue “were once again at the forefront.”

It faulted police for inaction, despite ongoing requests for protection. “This same group of self-proclaimed communists and anarchists were given free reign by a willfully helpless police force to complete their destruction.”

The Workers World Party, a pro-Marxist organization that had ties with the Durham protest, issued posts on its social media accounts celebrating the statue’s toppling but did not claim any involvement with the act.

Blue States Fight Trump EPA, Want to Keep Taxpayer-Funded Science a Secret from Public

‘The era of secret science at EPA is coming to an end…’

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler
EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler (center) /PHOTO: EPA.gov

(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) American taxpayers fund scientific research (much of it advocacy disguised as research) to the tune of billions of dollars a year, but now several states and local governments want to keep how that science is conducted a secret — and may sue the Trump administration to do so.

Ask any introductory science student what the most fundamental tenets of research are and you will hear words like replicability and verifiability.

It stands to reason, then, that when the Environmental Protection Agency in April proposed its “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science” rule, it would be universally lauded and embraced by the scientific community.

The proposed rule would stipulate that any science used in establishing agency policy be publicly available, noting that the approach was consistent with that of leading scientific journals and compliant with government demands.

In signing the rule, former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a press release, “The era of secret science at EPA is coming to an end. The ability to test, authenticate, and reproduce scientific findings is vital for the integrity of rulemaking process. Americans deserve to assess the legitimacy of the science underpinning EPA decisions that may impact their lives.”

However, a group of 23 state attorneys general and city attorneys is opposing the plan, calling it an effort to ‘censor’ science.

The group issued a 33-page encyclical to acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler last week, outlining their dissent. They threatened to press forward with a lawsuit if Wheeler does not amend the rule.

One of the opponents, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, complained in his own release that requiring full public transparency would exclude many peer-reviewed scientific studies, such as health studies, that are bound by confidentiality protections.

The policy, he said, is “arbitrary and capricious, violates controlling federal law, and contains clear errors in reasoning.”

Many current EPA regulations, such as clean air and water acts, rely on such confidential data, Stein asserted.

“By compromising EPA’s ability to use the latest, best available, and generally-accepted science, the proposed rule would violate the very federal laws that EPA is required to uphold,” he said.

The issue of transparency has been one of particular concern related to climate-change scholarship.

Organizations studying the correlation between man-made carbon emissions and global warming, such as Great Britain’s University of East Anglia, were notably exposed in 2009 to be cherry-picking data that supported their hypotheses when a hacker released more than a thousand emails among climate researchers.

Climate Scientist Says Global Warming ‘Worsened’ Hurricane Harvey
Michael Mann/IMAGE: YouTube

In 2014, a leading voice among climatologists, Penn State professor Michael E. Mann, successfully staved off efforts to have his prior research from the University of Virginia be subjected to the state’s Freedom of Information laws.

Although Mann previously had been implicated in the 2009 Climategate scandal, the National Science Foundation’s inspector general cleared him of misconduct, and Virginia’s Supreme Court awarded him $250 in damages from those pushing him to release his data.

Some politicians, such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, have raised questions about NSF’s own advocacy efforts, including the approval of nearly $4 million to promote ‘climate education’ for television meteorologists with the hopes of generating more positive coverage.

Meanwhile, climatologists like Mann, political figures like former Vice President Al Gore and sympathetic journalists, such as Associated Press reporter Seth Borenstein, continue to ascribe everything from heat waves to cold snaps, hurricanes and forest fires, to man-made variations in temperature.

Liberals Lose Grip over Trump’s Aretha Franklin Tribute

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‘Trump can evidently find no greater achievement than working for him, in service of his goals…’

Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin/PHOTO: joe ortuzar (CC) via Flickr

(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) Leave it to the deranged press to turn the life of a musical pioneer into a story about Trump.

While many eulogized singer Aretha Franklin, who died on Thursday at age 76, the condolences that President Donald Trump paid Franklin prior to a cabinet meeting threatened by Friday to eclipse any coverage of the Queen of Soul’s actual life.

In context, Trump’s offhanded remark “she worked for me on numerous occasions” seemed to support his anteceding statement that he knew Franklin “well” on a professional level.

Trump continued by saying, “She’s brought joy to millions of lives, and her extraordinary legacy will thrive and inspire many generations to come.”

Yet, to the liberal dog-whistle mindset, the idea of Franklin working for Trump under any circumstances was intolerable.

“Trump can evidently find no greater achievement than working for him, in service of his goals,” wrote Vann Newkirk in The Atlantic.

Naturally, even that was not enough.

Newkirk also felt compelled to place Franklin on a continuum of black women affronted by Trump that included Omarosa Manigault Newman, Maxine Waters, and other media and political opponents who have engaged in personal rivalries with the president.

“[B]lack women elicit the most bellicose and vulgar insults from him when they cross the line from associate to adversary,” Newkirk wrote.

Conveniently, Newkirk neglected to mention that the same holds true of anyone, regardless of race or gender. To arbitrarily lump the distinguished Franklin in with Trump’s adversaries, thus, is to reduce her accomplishments to a demographic and lower the bar on all that she achieved.

However, the media couldn’t stop there. Once the race-baiting reflex had run its course, there was the obligatory ‘fact-checking.’

In an article titled “Aretha Franklin ‘worked for me,’ claims Trump. Did she?” Washington Post writer Isaac Stanley-Becker detailed the various casino openings that Franklin attended with Trump while steadfastly asserting her left-wing bona fides.

Meanwhile, The Daily Beast, citing anonymous sources, pointedly insisted that “Though she largely refrained from publicly criticizing Trump … she was repelled by the Republican standard bearer.”

Apart from her powerful vocals, one thing that made Franklin’s music stand out was her delivery. She mastered the concept of reading between the lines—that sometimes it is the notes and syncopation left un-played that matter as much as the ones you play.

Likewise, her class stemmed from the fact that she could leave certain things unspoken and let her actions and music do the talking.

While in life, Franklin sought to transcend petty political squabbling, the “chain of fools” on the Left now will ensure that her legacy remains shackled by it.

 

Another Renegade Court: Judge Wants to Spring Saudi Illegal from Jail

‘Will not stand by and let local jurisdictions face unwarranted judicial activism…’

Groups Create 'Spotter System' to Help Illegals Avoid ICE
PHOTO: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) As the Trump administration continues its court battle over sanctuary cities, illegal-immigration advocates are testing another strategy: suing those who cooperate with immigration enforcement.

The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County currently is embroiled in legal wranglings with Abdullah Abriq, a Saudi national who studied at Tennessee State University before overstaying his student visa.

Abriq was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which temporarily housed him in the county jail before resuming custody.

A group of activist immigration lawyers in Nashville subsequently filed a class-action suit on behalf of Abriq and others like him, alleging that local detention violated the immigrants’ Fourth Amendment rights against illegal search and seizure.

The suit claims Nashville officials, with nothing more than an Order to Detain from ICE, lacked the probable cause or criminal charges needed to hold Abriq.

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee has sided with Abriq, saying a formal agreement between ICE and the county would be needed in order to deputize local officers as immigration agents.

However, the Immigration Reform Law Institute hopes a recent ‘friend of the court’ filing will reverse that.

IRLI said in a press release that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is higher hierarchically but not directly above the Nashville district court, has ruled that no such prior agreement is necessary.

“IRLI will not stand by and let local jurisdictions face unwarranted judicial activism because they choose to comply with federal law by cooperating with ICE,” Dale L. Wilcox, IRLI executive director and general counsel, said in the press release.

While courts have ruled that even illegal immigrants may be afforded certain constitutional rights, such as free speech and due process, the question of probable cause further complicates the issue since crossing the border illegally is itself a federal crime.

“The idea that probable cause of criminal activity is necessary when detaining an alien is a complete legal fallacy that open borders groups have passed off as the rule of law,” Wilcox said. “It is IRLI’s job to remind the court of what the law is, not what activist lawyers wish it was.”

Hillary Encourages Middle Schooler to Kneel for Pledge of Allegiance

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‘My current belief is that, like, legally this is not in her rights as a teacher to speak to a student like this…’

(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) In her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton often touted herself as a role model for young women.

Now, it seems, the embittered also-ran is still inspiring girls to follow her example … by breaking the law.

On Wednesday, Clinton tweeted out her support for Mariana Taylor, an 11-year-old Baltimore student who was reprimanded by her teacher in February for kneeling during the Pledge of Allegiance.

Taylor testified before her schoolboard, “My current belief is that, like, legally this is not in her rights as a teacher to speak to a student like this.”

Although her cause garnered the support of organizations like the ACLU, unfortunately, Taylor’s interpretation of the law has no statutory basis.

According to §7–105 (c)(3) of the Maryland Code for Education, all students and teachers are required to stand and salute the flag during the Pledge.

While subsection (d) of the same statute provides that students or teachers wishing to be excused from the requirement may do so, subsection (f) notes that “Any individual who commits an act of disrespect, either by word or action, is in violation of the intent of this section.”

Mariana’s mother told CBS News that after the girl became upset she was allowed to leave the classroom, as permitted in the statute.

In her school board testimony, Taylor makes reference to Tinker v. Des Moines, a 1969 landmark Supreme Court case that upheld students’ right to wear arm bands protesting the Vietnam War.

However, the case was later superseded by 1988’s Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, which established a standard preventing students from expression that would result in disruption of the learning environment.

“I feel that my confrontation was more disruptive than kneeling itself,” Taylor said.

But while the burden of proof may be on the school system to provide a rationale for its censorship, it may be up to Taylor to explain what, exactly, she was protesting to begin with.

NFL Won't Sign Anthem Protester; Says He'll Kneel No More
Eric Reid & Colin Kaepernick/IMAGE: YouTube

The issue of kneeling during the National Anthem, initiated by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, drew to fever pitch last season after President Donald Trump entered the debate.

Following informal boycotts and loss of revenue, along with the political pressure, the NFL agreed in May to end the practice on the field and to fine non-compliant players.

However, protests from the players’ union caused the league to suspend the ban in July.

Some players have continued the practice during the current preseason, although Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott notably weighed in on his objection to kneeling.

The controversy also has spilled over into other public spheres, including local government, where city councilors in some municipalities began kneeling for the Pledge.

In Atlanta, a charter school announced recently that it would no longer participate in the Pledge but reversed the decision following backlash. Georgia Code requires that each student “be afforded the opportunity to recite the Pledge” every school day.

Newspaper Editorial Boards Conspire to Prove Trump’s Point

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‘To the average American, seeing an editorial in their local paper trashing Trump is called “A day that ends in y…”‘

(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) An estimated 350 newspapers gave new meaning to the term ‘echo chamber’ on Thursday with a coordinated editorial-page attack on President Donald Trump that was spearheaded by The Boston Globe.

Using the hashtag #FreePress on Twitter, the effort ostensibly was aimed at Trump’s characterization of the press as an “enemy of the people.”

However, while the participating media outlets commended themselves for their bravery, onlookers wondered if the exercise in groupthink didn’t prove precisely the point they were arguing against.

Politico’s Jack Shafer noted, “[T]his Globe-sponsored coordinated editorial response is sure to backfire: It will provide Trump with circumstantial evidence of the existence of a national press cabal that has been convened solely to oppose him.”

CBS News’ Michael Graham also observed the redundancy of the effort: “[T]o the average American, seeing an editorial in their local paper trashing Trump is called ‘A day that ends in y.’”

In his Twitter response to the editorial campaign, Trump doubled down by calling left-wing media “the opposition party” while taking a jab specifically at The Globe‘s foundering finances.

In 2013, The New York Times sold The Globe to Boston Red Sox owner John W. Henry for $70 million, losing more than a billion dollars on the investment it had purchased in 1993.

However, Trump’s use of the $1 figure (sure to roil and excite so-called fact-checkers) was more than figurative speech.

In 2010, The Washington Post sold the once vaunted Newsweek to stereo mogul Sidney Harman for $1.

Although the magazine survived, it since has been plagued by legal troubles, internal discord and criticisms over its increasingly shoddy journalistic practices.

Another left-leaning newsmagazine, Time, sold last November to The Meredith Corporation, a publishing entity backed in part by conservative billionaire philanthropists Charles and David Koch.

Thursday’s #FreePress campaign was not the first time The Globe’s editorial board has gone to such extraordinary lengths to breach journalistic protocol in service of their anti-Trump agenda.

In April 2016, seven months before the presidential election, they published on their front page a fake edition imagining a hypothetical scenario in which Trump were president.

Sanders Breaks Ranks with Dems, Offers Full-Throated Pelosi Endorsement

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‘I guess their demon now is Nancy Pelosi…’

(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) Embattled on nearly all sides, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) still has one prominent ally in Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

On Wednesday, Sanders, the spokesman of the Left’s socialist wing, came to the defense of the former Speaker during a visit to “CBS This Morning.”

“Nancy has done a good job. Let me say what she may not say—it’s also the fact that she’s a woman,” Sanders said.

Ironically, one of the many reasons cited for Hillary Clinton’s struggles in the 2016 election was tepid support among misogynist “Bernie Bros” due to Clinton’s gender.

Sanders did not miss the opportunity to take the GOP to task for its ‘demonization’ of Pelosi.

“The Republican party is bankrupt intellectually,” he said. “They are not gonna campaign on their views … so they have to come up with some demon. I guess their demon now is Nancy Pelosi.”

However, Sanders offered no speculation as to the source of Pelosi’s waning support among Democrats, including his anointed protégé, Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez.

The 28-year-old congressional candidate from New York hedged last week when asked if Pelosi was the leader of the Democratic party.

Sanders and Ocasio–Cortez both have struggled gauging the pulse of the party thus far in the primary season, with many of their endorsements falling short of the nomination.

“What is happening is there is a whole lot of energy,” Sanders explained. “And I think what you’re seeing all across this country is not only progressives winning—and losing occasionally—but what you are seeing is people running for office for the first time.”

In Sanders’ home state of Vermont, incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott will face Democrat Christine Hallquist, who on Tuesday became the first transgender gubernatorial candidate nominated by a major party.

Hallquist’s primary competition included a motley array of contenders, among them: 14-year-old Ethan Sonneborn.

Although he won the Democratic primary for the senate, Sanders declined, choosing instead to run as an independent.

Son of Conservative Va. Rep. Goodlatte Wants to Flip Dad’s Seat Blue

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I’m deeply embarrassed that Peter Strzok’s career was ruined by my father’s political grandstanding…’

Son of Virginia Rep. Goodlatte Tries to Flip Dad's Seat Blue 1
Bobby Goodlatte/LinkedIn

(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) The son of retiring House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte has his sight set on flipping his father’s seat from red to blue in northwest Virginia’s Sixth District.

Bobby Goodlatte issued a series of tweets earlier in the week repudiating his father’s role in the firing of senior FBI official Peter Strzok and announcing that he had given the maximum amount to the Democratic candidate vying for his father’s open seat.

“I’m deeply embarrassed that Peter Strzok’s career was ruined by my father’s political grandstanding. That committee hearing was a low point for Congress,” he posted on Twitter.

The younger Goodlatte also weighed in on the Twitter battle between President Donald Trump and Omarosa Manigault-Newman, the former “Apprentice” contestant turned White House staffer.

“Our President just called a woman a dog. It seems like every day he further lowers the dignity of our highest office,” he said, followed by a frowning emoji.

According to the junior Goodlatte’s LinkedIn page, he graduated in 2008 from Duke University with a computer science degree and spent four years as a product designer at Facebook.

He later attempted to launch a startup app called Openvote, which invited users to declare their position on political issues.

He currently considers himself a professional ‘angel investor’ based in San Francisco.

Bobby Goodlatte’s Twitter footprint includes nearly 10,000 posts dating back to February 2017 and a growing follower count around 50,000.

While his tweets have consistently attacked the president and espoused liberal positions, a cursory examination revealed no other postings directly critical of his father.

Although the senior Goodlatte has held his seat for 25 years in the historically conservative district (which includes the cities of Roanoke, Lynchburg and Harrisonburg, and much of the Shenandoah Valley), Democrats in their mission to reclaim the House of Representatives have seen Virginia as especially vulnerable due to demographic changes.

Republicans in the commonwealth saw substantial losses in 2017 state-level elections, which nearly cost them the state House of Delegates and included the election of the first openly transgender state representative, who unseated an incumbent Republican in a nearby district.

According to election handicapper Scott Rasmussen, Republican Del. Ben Cline remains the strong favorite in the contest against Democratic challenger Jennifer Lewis.

Father Charged with Murdering Restroom Peeper

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‘They needed to take care of the situation or he would do it himself…’

Leon Armstrong, Melvin Harris
Leon Armstrong (left) died after allegedly being beaten by Melvin Armstrong in Arizona. He believed Armstrong had attempted to enter a convenience store restroom stall his daughter was using. IMAGES: Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office via Twitter

(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) An Arizona father who allegedly beat to death a man accused of trying to enter his daughter’s bathroom stall now faces second-degree murder charges.

Melvin Harris was arrested on Aug. 4 for murdering Leon Armstrong with “extreme indifference” according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office inmate records. He is scheduled for arraignment in Phoenix’s Superior Court on Friday, Aug. 17.

According to local news reports, Harris was picking up his 16-year-old daughter at a QuikTrip convenience store around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 2 when Armstrong, 26, approached him in the parking lot asking for money.

Armstrong went into the store with the change he received. When Harris’ daughter and her friends exited the store, they informed him that the man had tried to enter the locked stall in the women’s restroom.

The girls also told a security guard, who escorted Armstrong out of the store. Harris reportedly told the guard they needed to take care of the situation or he would do it himself.

After an exchange with the security guard, Harris followed Armstrong to a gravel area and proceeded to punch him to the ground. He then kicked and stomped on the injured man and drove off.

Armstrong suffered a broken nose and brain swelling. He died in the hospital on Aug. 7.

 

 

Colorado Officials Continue to Harass Masterpiece Cakeshop

‘The state’s continuing efforts to target Phillips do not just violate the Constitution; they cross the line into bad faith…’

After SCOTUS Ruling, Colorado Officials Continue to Harass Masterpiece Cakeshop
Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips/PHOTO: Alliance Defending Freedom

(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) Two months since the Supreme Court upheld Masterpiece Cakeshop’s religious liberty as law of the land, Colorado officials continue to harass Christian cakemaker Jack Phillips, his attorneys say.

On Tuesday, the Alliance Defending Freedom filed a federal lawsuit against Colorado’s governor, attorney general and members of its Civil Rights Commission, saying that a new anti-discrimination complaint filed against him once again violated his rights.

The new suit, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Elenis, says that on the same day that the Supreme Court agreed to take up the first Masterpiece case, pertaining to a gay wedding, Denver lawyer Autumn Scardina approached Jack’s wife, Debi Phillips, requesting that she make a cake pink on the inside and blue on the outside, symbolizing a gender transition.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission found the cakeshop in violation again when they refused to make the transgender cake.

The new lawsuit also states that Masterpiece has received other specious cake requests since their case came to prominence, including ones celebrating Satan, depicting sexually explicit material and promoting marijuana use.

Many, Jack Phillips believes, come from the same lawyer.

“It is now clear that Colorado will not rest until Phillips either closes Masterpiece Cakeshop or agrees to violate his religious beliefs,” it says. “The state’s continuing efforts to target Phillips do not just violate the Constitution; they cross the line into bad faith.”

The original Masterpiece decision held that Colorado officials acted with “clear and impermissible hostility” in targeting and harassing Phillips despite having allowed similar businesses to exercise their religious convictions.

“The arbitrary basis on which the state is applying its law makes clear that its officials are targeting Jack,” said ADF Senior Counsel Jim Campbell in a press release.

In issuing the case-specific decision against Colorado, the court avoided a broader ruling as to whether a business can, in principle, decline to serve customers based on protected factors like sexual orientation that may conflict with religious views.