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healthcare | Townhall | http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2013/10/16/terrific-acorn-workers-are-back-as-obamacare-navigators-n1724674 | Terrific: Former ACORN Workers Are Back as Obamacare 'Navigators' | 2013-10-16 | healthcare | Since the implementation of Obamacare and the new development of healthcare `` navigators , '' both Democrats and Republicans have been sounding the alarm about potential fraud and identity theft that could come as a result . Obamacare `` navigators '' have been hired throughout the country to help people get enrolled in exchanges and landing a job as a navigator is easy considering passing a background check is n't necessary or required ( as a reminder , navigators have access to detailed personal information and health information ) .
The exchange , known as Covered California , recently adopted rules for a network of more than 21,000 enrollment counselors who will provide consumers with in-person assistance as part of the federal Affordable Care Act . In some cases , they will have access to personal and financial information , from ID cards to medical histories .
But the state insurance commissioner and anti-fraud groups say the exchange is falling short in ensuring that the people hired as counselors are adequately screened and monitored .
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones also said the exchange does not have a plan for investigating any complaints that might arise once the counselors start work . That means consumers who might fall prey to bogus health care products , identity theft and other abuses will have a hard time seeking justice if unscrupulous counselors get ahold of their Social Security number , bank accounts , health records or other private information , he said .
`` We can have a real disaster on our hands , '' Jones , a Democrat , said in an interview .
Growing concerns about identity theft and fraud have led the Illinois Department of Insurance to issue a public warning , just as the new health insurance exchanges enter their implementation phase .
Concern focuses on those charged with assisting Illinoisans with enrollment to the new health insurance exchanges , the so-called “ navigators . ”
So who exactly are these people ? Some are former ACORN workers .
A group formed from the ruins of ACORN is hard at work signing people up for ObamaCare , and may be collecting taxpayer cash for their work despite Congress ' efforts to cut the organization and its affiliates off from government funding , a watchdog group charged .
The United Labor Unions Council Local 100 , a New Orleans-based nonprofit , announced last month it would take part in a multi-state `` navigator '' drive to help people enroll in President Obama 's health care plan . The labor council was established by ACORN founder Wade Rathke after his larger group was broken up amid scandal in 2009 and banned from receiving taxpayer funds .
The government has given out $ 67 million in Navigator grants to help with the controversial rollout of ObamaCare . It was not clear if Local 100 got a grant of its own , but it has set up a help center with Southern United Neighborhoods , a charity founded in March 2010 with many former ACORN members , to enroll people in ObamaCare . Southern United Neighborhoods received a Navigator grant of $ 486,123 .
Let me remind you of exactly why the criminal enterprise known as ACORN was stripped of federal funding in 2009 : the organization was promoting tax evasion , underage human trafficking , underage prostitution , voter fraud and more . ACORN 's criminal activity was exposed by the late Andrew Breitbart , Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe through a series of undercover videos . To put things into perspective , think about the last time Congress defunded anything ..... they hardly ever do , but ACORN was so bad and full of corruption that defunding was pushed through in bipartisan fashion .
Republicans succeeded in drawing overwhelming support from Democrats Thursday to eliminate federal funding to a now-scandalized ACORN , the community organizing group that has come under heavy fire in the wake of damaging undercover videos that purport to show counselors giving advice on tax fraud to a `` pimp '' and `` prostitute . ''
The House voted 345-75 to strike ACORN funding from a student aid bill with two voting present .
Later , the Senate voted 85-11 to eliminate ACORN funding from an Interior Department spending bill .
Surprised former ACORN workers are helping with Obamacare ? You should n't be . President Barack Obama has a long history with the `` community organizing '' fraudster group and was heavily tied to them during his time in Chicago . | ngyTVADklgenjtvp | 2 | Obamacare | -1.2 | Healthcare | -1.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
impeachment | The Flip Side | https://www.theflipside.io/archives/pelosi-on-impeachment | Pelosi on Impeachment | impeachment | The left is divided , with some believing Pelosi is doing the politically smart thing , and others arguing that Congress has an obligation to impeach if circumstances warrant .
“ If the Democrats held 55 or 60 Senate seats , or if Republicans were n't so united behind Trump , it might be an entirely different equation . But if Trump is impeached by the House and then acquitted in the Senate ( as Bill Clinton was the last time we went through this ) , Democrats will have offered him a potent political weapon…
“ I do n't know why Pelosi did n't make those points directly… Perhaps she does n't want to be perceived as overly focused on raw political calculus and decided she had to find more persuasive moral high ground . ‘ He 's just not worth it ’ was n't exactly her finest rhetorical hour . But when it comes to the politics of impeachment , she 's right : It 's a waste of time . ”
“ In throwing cold water on the idea of impeachment , Speaker Nancy Pelosi in some ways was simply offering a cleareyed assessment of the state of politics today in the nation ’ s hyperpolarized capital : There are not enough votes to convict and remove President Trump from office…
“ And yet in declaring that impeachment therefore is ‘ just not worth it , ’ Ms. Pelosi may also be setting a far-reaching new standard with implications long after Mr. Trump leaves office . By her reasoning , accusations of conspiracy , obstruction of justice , campaign finance violations and other offenses — even if proved — do not rise to a level requiring action by the House of Representatives . ”
“ There is no need for Pelosi to declare that she ’ s not for impeachment in the present , when it would be a lot more salutary to say this is simply premature , and that in the end , the right course of action will be determined by the facts , and leave it at that…
“ Pelosi ’ s suggestion that impeachment hearings can proceed only with ‘ bipartisan ’ support is also unnecessarily self-constraining . Historian Kevin Kruse points out that majority support for President Richard M. Nixon ’ s removal didn ’ t develop until after the impeachment inquiry commenced . This can ’ t be the threshold for beginning an inquiry . ”
“ Pelosi might have meant that impeachment isn ’ t a good idea unless there is ‘ compelling and overwhelming ’ evidence that the president actually engaged in actions that would amount to an impeachable offense . If so , her position is perfectly sensible… [ but ] If Pelosi meant to say otherwise – to suggest that the House can refrain from acting unless impeachment is ‘ bipartisan ’ or not ‘ divisive ’ – she was speaking in patent defiance of the constitutional plan… the Constitution does not license members of the House of Representatives to refrain from impeachment , on the ground that it would not be ‘ bipartisan ’ and would ‘ divide the country . ’ ”
Some posit that “ the last thing that the Democratic leadership wants to do in this environment is to remove Trump and inaugurate a Mike Pence administration before the 2020 election . They want Trump wounded but alive…
“ Democratic House members have maintained the illusion of working toward impeachment with a harsh blizzard of investigations and subpoenas . However , most of these efforts focus on conduct by Trump before he became president . There is limited oversight value in some of these issues and even less potential for impeachment . Yet , the public does not understand that this is just political kabuki theatre . It actually believes an impeachment is in the making , and it is becoming impatient . ”
“ By declaring that the United States will respond with airstrikes to any attacks on American targets or assets , Mr. Trump is drawing a bright red line that Iran can not cross . And yet , Iran relies on a network of proxy actors from Yemen , Syria , Iraq and Lebanon . Must they all respect Mr. Trump ’ s red line ? There are plenty of hotheads in those proxy forces that will be incensed by the assassination , the same way young men with weapons and minimal discipline often are… Mr. Trump can ’ t keep an entire region from crossing his red line , making violent conflict all the more likely if the president holds to it… “ It is crucial that influential Republican senators like Lindsey Graham , Marco Rubio and Mitch McConnell remind Mr. Trump of his promise to keep America out of foreign quagmires and keep Mr. Trump from stumbling further into war with Iran . ” | ewR0hIVRsSN9CoNx | 1 | Impeachment | -0.5 | Nancy Pelosi | 0.1 | US House | 0 | Politics | 0 | null | null | |
fbi | Newsmax | https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/mccabe-criminal-charges/2019/09/12/id/932397/ | Ex-FBI Director Andrew McCabe Loses Appeal to Avoid Criminal Charges | 2019-09-12 | fbi | Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe , a frequent target of President Donald Trump 's wrath , faces the prospect of an indictment after his attorneys were unable to persuade senior Justice Department officials not to pursue charges that he lied to internal investigators .
Two people familiar with the matter said Thursday that the deputy attorney general declined an appeal from McCabe 's lawyers aimed at preventing a prosecution . The people were n't authorized to discuss the issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity .
Still , it was n't immediately clear when or even whether the United States Attorney 's Office in Washington , which has been leading the investigation , might announce charges .
McCabe 's attorneys have argued that he should not face charges on accusations that he lied to internal investigators about whether he had authorized a news media leak in the fall of 2016 . McCabe has denied intentionally misleading anyone .
An indictment of McCabe would refocus public attention on the chaotic months of 2016 when the FBI was entangled in presidential politics through investigations touching both main contenders — Democrat Hillary Clinton and Trump , her Republican opponent .
And while prosecutors are likely to try to keep a narrow focus on whether McCabe lied to investigators on particular dates , McCabe 's attorneys are expected to argue that the prosecution is part of a political vendetta driven by the president .
They are likely to highlight the personal enmity between the two men , with Trump criticizing McCabe even before he took office and McCabe describing the president as a `` deliberate liar . ''
McCabe 's lawyers have said any false statements made to investigators were the product of a faulty memory , and that the interviews took place during a tumultuous time for the bureau as it investigated potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign .
McCabe became acting director of the FBI after Trump fired former Director James Comey on May 9 , 2017 .
McCabe has said his 2018 firing — for what the Justice Department called `` lack of candor '' — was politically motivated .
He sued the Justice Department in August , saying officials had used the inspector general 's conclusions as a pretext to rid the FBI of leaders Trump perceived as biased against him .
The investigation followed an October 2016 story in The Wall Street Journal that described internal debates roiling the FBI and the Justice Department weeks before the presidential election about how aggressively the Clinton Foundation should be investigated .
The article recounted a particularly tense phone call between McCabe and a senior Justice Department official about the investigation .
The inspector general 's report said McCabe told internal investigators that he had not authorized anyone at the FBI to speak with the reporter , and he did not know who did .
The report said McCabe ultimately corrected that account , and confirmed that he had encouraged the conversation with the reporter to counter a narrative that he thought was false — namely , that he had been trying to stymie investigations into Clinton and the foundation .
McCabe has been a target of Trump 's attacks since news emerged in the fall of 2016 that McCabe 's wife had accepted campaign contributions from a political action committee associated with former Virginia Gov . Terry McAuliffe , a Clinton ally , during an unsuccessful run for the state Senate . | eZlOTgf1elzCs4hm | 2 | FBI | 0.1 | Andrew McCabe | 0 | Justice Department | 0 | James Comey | 0 | National Security | 0 |
world | Al Jazeera | https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/delhi-carnage-survivors-recount-horror-200228054452150.html | 'What do we do now?': Delhi carnage survivors recount horror | world | New Delhi , India - On the night of February 24 , Al-Hind Hospital , located in the narrow and crowded lanes of Mustafabad in the northeast of the Indian capital , was overwhelmed by patients .
`` At first , we thought that few people must have been injured in clashes but soon after we realised that it was like some disaster had struck the area , '' said Dr MA Anwar , the hospital director .
`` We were losing count of the injured who were trickling in one after another , '' he told ███ while taking a round of injured patients at the 15-bed hospital .
The hospital has treated more than 600 people injured in the violence triggered after Hindu nationalists attacked protest sit-ins against a discriminatory new citizenship law .
Muslims are demanding a rollback of the law that they say is against India 's secular constitution . They fear they will be relegated to second-class citizens by Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's Hindu supremacist agenda .
The death toll has risen to 42 people in the worst religious violence to have hit Delhi since 1984 , when more than 3,000 members of the Sikh community were killed by a Hindu mob following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi .
Dr Anwar says he has not slept more than five hours a day since Monday . He accused the police of inaction and blamed hate speech by ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) leader Kapil Mishra for the violence .
Mishra on Sunday warned Muslim protesters to wind down sit-ins in Jafarabad and Chandbagh areas or face the ire of his supporters . The next day , a Hindu far-right group went on a rampage , resulting in pitched street battles between the communities in parts of northeast Delhi .
Mosques , shops and houses were set on fire , forcing many people from mixed neighbourhoods to move to safer areas . Many journalists were attacked while reporting on the events .
`` He [ Mishra ] said all of this in the presence of the police . If the police had taken action against Mishra on that day itself , so many people would not have died , '' said Dr Anwar .
The doctor , assisted by his three brothers , worked through the night to ensure the injured were given necessary medical aid . He says the situation worsened the following night , Tuesday , as the number of injured increased .
`` On February 25 ... it was like nothing that I had witnessed before . Even our doctors and nursing staff started crying after looking at the injuries of the victims , '' he said , adding that most people were brought in with bullet , pellet or stab wounds .
Dr Anwar says many of the seriously injured needed to be moved to bigger hospitals but the mob had blocked the ambulances ' path .
Women in Chandbagh recounted how mobs set fire to property in their area , forcing them to flee [ Akash Bisht/███ ]
The hospital , situated a few meters away from the epicentre of the violence in Bhajanpura area , sent out distress calls as the injured poured in .
Ambulances were finally allowed through at the directive of the Delhi High Court following a petition filed by activists .
`` Even in war zones , the army creates a safe zone for the passage of ambulances but here they weren ’ t even allowing those , '' Dr Anwar told ███ .
Most people ███ spoke to in the violence-affected areas , including Hindus , blamed Mishra , the BJP leader , for disturbing the peace in the region .
`` They had been holding peaceful protest at Jafrabad since December and not one person was harmed or vehicle torched , and a day after Mishra made these statements , Delhi has turned into a war zone , '' said Daulat Kumar , an autorickshaw driver from Gokulpuri .
Meanwhile , violence-affected areas such as Karawal Nagar , Khajuri Khas , Seelampur , Maujpur , Bhajanpura , Vijay Park , Jafrabad , Chandbagh , Mustafabad , Gokulpuri and Yamuna Vihar remain tense , with people keeping to their homes amid a heavy police presence on the streets .
A Muslim shrine destroyed by the mob [ Akash Bisht/ ███ ]
The smell of burned tyres , vehicles and properties lingers in the air and people come out to talk to journalists . In one such neighbourhood in Chandbagh , more than 50 Muslim women surrounded this reporter , sharing their stories and pleas for help .
With tears rolling down her cheeks , Shahana Begum narrated how the mob set fire to their two shops in Bhajanpura , a Hindu-majority area opposite Mustafabad .
`` We were told that our shops had been set on fire . What do we do now ? We had invested everything in those shops and now we do n't know how we will feed our children , '' Begum told ███ .
Shagufta , standing near Begum , narrated how she and three other Muslim families had to flee from Gokulpuri after the mob reached their neighbourhood .
`` Our Hindu neighbours saved us otherwise they would have killed us . We have come to our parents ' house because it is safer here , '' she said . Several other women told similar stories with many of them crying out of fear .
`` We do not sleep at night . My young siblings are so scared that they hardly speak . What have we done to deserve this ? We are also Indians and were only protesting against the CAA [ Citizenship Amendment Act ] . We did not indulge in any violence and yet they killed so many of us , '' said 19-year-old Zainab Khan .
As the women told their stories , some men who had gathered said that if this is how they [ government ] want to treat Muslims , they should give us our own country .
Mohsin Ali , 22-year-old , ran a small business providing generators for marriage functions [ Akash Bisht/███ ]
Hearing this , Zainab shouted back : `` This is our country and we will live and die here . We too have sacrificed for this country and want to live in peace with the Hindus . Nothing of this sort happened here ever , why is it that after BJP came to power we are witnessing these communal tensions ? It is the BJP and the police that is responsible for this mayhem . ''
A few metres away , a Hindu woman , who did not want to be identified , was looking for her bike , which she had left behind after the violence erupted on Monday . After 20 minutes of going through piles of burned bikes , she found it .
`` What wrong did I do ? I just teach young children of all faiths . Why did this happen ? '' she asked , blaming Mishra for riling people up .
`` None of this would have happened if he didn ’ t make that speech . They had blocked the road but were peaceful for more than 70 days . They could have challenged it in court and followed legal procedure , '' she told ███ .
There was a lot of anger among the locals against the police , which they said assisted the mob in targeting Muslims and their properties . `` [ Home Minister ] Amit Shah 's police took sides , '' said Ahmed Khan of Khajuri Khas .
`` I was in Delhi when the 1984 riots happened . It was similar to what happened back then . If the police wanted , they could have stopped clashes on the first day but they had clear instructions from the top to let the rioting continue , ” Khan said .
At the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital mortuary , Mustakhim Ali is among dozens of people waiting for the body of a family member killed in the violence . He wants to perform his cousin Mohsin Ali 's last rites but the body has not been released yet .
Mohsin Ali , 22 , was from Hapur in northern Uttar Pradesh . He ran a small business providing generators for marriage parties and had come to Delhi for business on Tuesday .
Mustakhim Ali said when they found the body of his cousin , who got married himself last December , they did not recognise him .
`` He had no clothes on his body and his head and face was swollen and covered in blood . It was only after his father identified him , we were sure that our brother had died , '' said Mustakhim Ali .
`` What sort of society are we living in where people are being killed because of their religion under the watch of the police . My brother worked hard day and night to establish his business . Little did he know that he would meet his end so brutally . God will never forgive those who killed him . '' | PpQpSJ9VErNrA12g | 0 | Narendra Modi | -0.1 | India | 0 | Genocide | 0 | Muslims | 0 | World | 0 | |
gun_control_and_gun_rights | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/04/19/177975452/stubbornly-manchin-maintains-background-checks-optimism | Stubbornly, Manchin Maintains Optimism On Background Checks | 2013-04-19 | gun_control_and_gun_rights | Sen. Joe Manchin , the West Virginia Democrat who lent his name to bipartisan legislation that would have extended background checks for gun purchasers to gun shows and online sales , is n't letting go .
To Manchin , the bipartisan compromise he co-sponsored with Sen. Pat Toomey , a Pennsylvania Republican of consistent conservative credentials , fell victim to a steady stream of misinformation spread by some gun rights absolutists , including the National Rifle Association .
The NRA disputes that characterization , of course . But at a breakfast meeting Friday hosted by Third Way , a Washington group that pushes compromise solutions , Manchin said once Americans get a clearer view of the plan , Congress could face renewed pressure to pass a plan that has overwhelming support in public opinion polls .
`` When people start knowing that we have such a common-sense piece of legislation , [ the NRA 's tactics , which included claims that the measure would have led to a national gun registry and gun confiscations ] can backfire , '' Manchin said . `` Because , really , 80 to 90 percent of the people say , 'That makes sense . ' I 'm telling you , in the gun culture I come from , I can go to Oklahoma and I can go to anywhere in this country , and to the most fierce advocates of gun rights , and this will make sense if they read it . ''
Noting that his proposal is still technically `` on the floor '' — meaning that while it 's been set aside , Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has the right under Senate rules to call it back up — Manchin urged supporters to focus efforts on educating gun owners about the actual details of his plan .
But that seems like wishful thinking at best . The Senate seems ready to move on to other agenda items , including an immigration overhaul plan , that might actually garner enough bipartisan support to go somewhere .
During the lead up to Wednesday 's Senate vote , one of the NRA 's most powerful threats was to hold accountable senators who backed the measure . And especially in conservative states , the NRA and its money can sway elections . That 's not likely to change .
Manchin said the fear played on some senators and acknowledged another problem for his side : Two of the leaders most identified with tougher gun laws — President Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg — make many on the gun rights side instantly suspicious .
`` President Obama polls very bad in my state and has not done well in my state , '' said Manchin . `` But if you want to blame somebody , blame me . This is not the president 's bill . I ca n't say it any plainer than that . ... If you 're trying to put the president 's picture on it because you think you can get more no votes , that 's disingenuous . It 's not American . '' | Lz4SlwieJyiHTcck | 1 | Gun Control And Gun Rights | -0.7 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
democratic_party | Politico | http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/bernie-sanders-abortion-218123 | Sanders bows to the establishment | 2016-01-22 | democratic_party | ROCHESTER , N.H. — On Friday , Bernie Sanders finally bowed down to the establishment .
Three days after getting himself in hot water with several key liberal constituencies by dismissing Planned Parenthood , NARAL and the Human Rights Campaign as `` part of the establishment , '' Sanders gave ground on the point , releasing a statement highlighting the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and singing the praises of `` Planned Parenthood , NARAL and all Americans who have been fighting the never-ending attacks on women ’ s right to choose . ''
His remarks followed a day after his first attempt to quell the furor on the left over his initial remark , which was meant to downplay his inability to win the formal endorsements of the prominent progressive groups .
At multiple New Hampshire events on Thursday , reproductive rights never came up in Sanders ' speeches . Instead , the Vermont senator focused on family leave and his support of same-sex marriage . No questions from audience members about reproductive rights and the candidate did n't move to bring that topic into the discussion .
But on Friday , the 43rd anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision , Sanders made certain to remind the audience of his support for reproductive rights , and promised to expand funding of Planned Parenthood .
“ I am a very strong supporter of Planned Parenthood , ” the Vermont senator said at a Concord rally . “ I have a lifetime voting record of 100 % . ”
The Clinton campaign and allied abortion rights groups have vigorously fanned the flames of outrage in recent days .
`` Really Senator Sanders ? How can you say that groups like @ PPact [ Planned Parenthood Action Fund ] and @ HRC [ Human Rights Campaign ] are part of the `` establishment '' you 're taking on ? '' Clinton tweeted Wednesday .
Stephanie Schriock , the president of EMILY 's List and a former board member for pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA , published a Medium piece late Thursday declaring Clinton the `` only candidate in this race — from either party '' who 's a champion of abortion access for women . Not Sanders , Schriock wrote .
“ I was as shocked as many of my progressive friends were when Bernie Sanders dismissed Planned Parenthood as part of the establishment he ’ s fighting against — just because they endorsed Hillary . It was petty , it was counter-productive , and it was wrong , ” she wrote . “ Bernie Sanders just doesn ’ t get it . ”
For Sanders , changing the conversation was an imperative given the historic backdrop of the day – and the counter-programming he was up against . At one Hillary Clinton event Friday , she was accompanied by Ilyse Hogue , president of NARAL Pro-Choice America . On Thursday , Hogue had also taken to Medium to criticize Sanders ‘ establishment ’ remark .
“ Senator Sanders delivers remarks multiple times a day , every day , but he has yet to make the crisis facing America ’ s women and families with regard to abortion access a meaningful part of his campaign , ” Hogue wrote , noting that his health care plan did not mention women or reproductive health .
At Clinton ’ s town hall at the Rochester Opera House here Friday , while the candidate herself avoided allusions to Sanders on reproductive rights , New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen did it for her in her introduction of the former secretary of state .
`` She did not back down on women 's rights around the world and she is not going to back down on women 's rights here at home , '' Shaheen said . The senator noted other 2016 candidates could n't have handled the grilling Clinton took before the Republican-run House Benghazi Committee .
`` Not Donald Trump , not Ted Cruz , and not Bernie Sanders , '' Shaheen said .
The focus on Sanders ’ commitment to abortion rights came amid recent polling showing Sanders leading Clinton in both Iowa and New Hampshire . A new Suffolk University poll released Friday found Sanders beating Clinton 50 percent to 41 percent in New Hampshire .
Despite Sanders ’ attempts to put the issue to rest , it ’ s likely to linger in the run-up to the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses : Following the Rochester town hall , Clinton directly addressed it again Friday evening at a NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire dinner in Concord .
“ We need someone in the Oval Office who understands NARAL and Planned Parenthood are not part of the establishment , ” she said .
On Saturday , in Iowa , Clinton had another high-profile abortion rights surrogate lined up to make her case at two events : Cecile Richards , president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund . | yCm4UY0zJvwtNi61 | 0 | Democratic Party | 0.8 | Politics | -0.8 | Bernie Sanders | 0.2 | null | null | null | null |
trade | Politico | http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/gop-leaders-confirm-friday-trade-vote-118818.html?hp=t4_r | After vote set, Dems threaten to derail Obama's trade bill | 2015-06-10 | trade | Top White House officials have descended on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi ’ s office , as Congressional leaders try to chart a path forward for a package of trade bills vital to President Barack Obama .
White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough , U.S. Trade Representative Mike Froman , Labor Secretary Tom Perez and National Economic Council Director Jeff Zients are meeting with Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) just one day after she began raising objections to the procedure by which Speaker John Boehner ( R-Ohio ) plans to pass fast-track authority for Obama to negotiate a large-scale trade deal with Pacific Rim nations .
A congressional aide said the meeting was previously scheduled , but it comes at a pivotal moment . Hours after House Republican leaders announced a Friday vote on sweeping free trade legislation , Democrats and their allies are threatening to derail the package over a procedural issue that they say would force them to go on record in favor of cutting Medicare — even though the cuts are unlikely to ever actually occur .
The dispute is highly technical , but if the two sides can ’ t figure out a solution , critical Democratic votes could break against Trade Adjustment Assistance . And that would stall President Barack Obama ’ s request for fast-track authority , his top legislative priority that would allow him to complete the multi-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal .
The disagreement centers on how to pay for an aid program for workers who lose their jobs to free trade — and , specifically , whether to use Medicare savings . Pelosi and her allies oppose a Senate-passed plan to prolong a cap on Medicare spending to finance the aid package . On Tuesday night , Speaker John Boehner ( R-Ohio ) thought he had an agreement with Pelosi to drop that approach and use money from more stringent tax enforcement instead .
But Democrats raised an objection that night and the issue boiled over at the party ’ s weekly conference Wednesday .
They said under the voting procedure Republicans are planning , a vote would still be taken on the plan using Medicare funds , but it would then be overriden by a subsequent vote . That strategy would avoid directly amending the TAA bill , thus reducing the differences between the package of House trade bills and the one the Senate already passed . Trade supporters are intent on avoiding sending the trade bills back to the Senate for further action , lest even more problems arise .
But Democrats say they want no part of a vote to cap Medicare spending , even if it would be fixed by a subsequent vote .
“ Why should I be recorded as voting to take $ 700 million out of Medicare in order to get something to put it back ? ” South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn , the No . 3 House Democrat , told ███ on Wednesday .
But Republicans say Democrats seem to be looking for ways to vote no .
“ We ’ ve gone out of our way to substantively address Democrats ’ concerns with a TAA bill they support , ” said Kevin Smith , Boehner ’ s communications director . “ It would be an incredible embarrassment to the president if his party manufactures an excuse to oppose it . ”
The workers-assistance program , known as Trade Adjustment Assistance , is critical to winning Democratic support for the trade package , which can ’ t pass without at least two dozen Democratic votes . So while the dispute is narrow , it has the potential to sink the package if it isn ’ t resolved .
Boehner and Obama needs significant Democratic support to pass TAA , since many Republicans will oppose the measure . TAA and fast-track trade authority will get separate votes , but both need to pass to advance to Obama ’ s desk . Republican leaders says they simply do not know how to solve Pelosi ’ s problem .
The conflict broke out just after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy ( R-Calif. ) announced in a closed meeting with Republican lawmakers Wednesday that the trade vote would happen on Friday .
The stakes are very high for all parties involved . It ’ s a critical moment for the Republican leadership , which overwhelmingly supports giving the president Trade Promotion Authority , and for the White House , which needs that authority to complete the sweeping TPP agreement .
The expected Friday vote is likely to be extremely close and represents the climax of a multi-month whip process , led mostly by Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan ( R-Wis. ) , Rep. Pat Tiberi ( R-Ohio ) and House Rules Chairman Pete Sessions ( R-Texas ) .
Prodded by the GOP leaders , more Republicans have said in recent days they will support the bill . Partially due to an uptick of outreach from Obama , upward of 25 Democrats might back the measure .
But the disagreement between Pelosi and Boehner still presents an obstacle , and there ’ s no obvious answer at this point .
“ I ’ d prefer to directly link to TAA . I don ’ t believe we have a deal , ” said New York Rep. Joe Crowley , vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus . “ I think if they expect support , bipartisan support for TPA , we expect the TAA bill that comes to the House floor be something Democrats can support . ”
Asked about the disagreement , Boehner said , “ If people are looking for an excuse to vote no , I guess they can always find an excuse to vote no . ” | 7qlRCyZUIGnuTUV7 | 0 | Trade | 0.4 | Democratic Party | 0.4 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
immigration | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/15/politics/immigration/index.html | Obama administration to stop deporting some young illegal immigrants | 2012-06-15 | Immigration | Story highlights President Obama says the new policy is `` more fair , more efficient and more just ''
Republicans criticize the change as a political move that grants amnesty
Secretary Napolitano says the change is not amnesty or immunity
They must be successful students or have served in the military , with clean records
In an election-year policy change , the Obama administration said Friday it will stop deporting young illegal immigrants who entered the United States as children if they meet certain requirements .
The shift on the politically volatile issue of immigration policy prompted immediate praise from Latino leaders who have criticized Congress and the White House for inaction , while Republicans reacted with outrage , saying the move amounts to amnesty -- a negative buzz word among conservatives -- and usurps congressional authority .
Those who might benefit from the change expressed joy and relief , with celebratory demonstrations forming outside the White House and elsewhere .
Pedro Ramirez , a student who has campaigned for such a move , said he was `` definitely speechless , '' then added : `` It 's great news . ''
In a Rose Garden address Friday afternoon , President Barack Obama said the changes caused by his executive order will make immigration policy `` more fair , more efficient and more just . ''
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`` This is not amnesty . This is not immunity . This is not a path to citizenship . It 's not a permanent fix , '' Obama said to take on conservative criticism of the step . `` This is a temporary stopgap measure . ''
Noting children of illegal immigrants `` study in our schools , play in our neighborhoods , befriend our kids , pledge allegiance to our flag , '' Obama said , `` it makes no sense to expel talented young people who are , for all intents and purposes , Americans . ''
When a reporter interrupted Obama with a hostile question , the president admonished him and declared that the policy change is `` the right thing to do . ''
Under the new policy , people younger than 30 who came to the United States before the age of 16 , pose no criminal or security threat , and were successful students or served in the military can get a two-year deferral from deportation , Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said .
It also will allow those meeting the requirements to apply for work permits , Napolitano said , adding that participants must be in the United States now and be able to prove they have been living in the country continuously for at least five years .
The change is part of a department effort to target resources at illegal immigrants who pose a greater threat , such as criminals and those trying to enter the country now , Napolitano said , adding it was `` well within the framework of existing laws . ''
The move addresses a major concern of the Hispanic community and mimics some of the provisions of a Democratic proposal called the DREAM Act that has failed to win enough Republican support to gain congressional approval .
Obama has been criticized by Hispanic-American leaders for an overall increase in deportations of illegal aliens in recent years . Last year , U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed 396,906 illegal immigrants , the largest number in the agency 's history .
Friday 's policy change is expected to potentially affect 800,000 people , an administration official told CNN on background .
Both Obama and Napolitano called for Congress to pass the DREAM Act , which would put into law similar steps for children of illegal immigrants to continue living and working in the country .
`` I 've been dealing with immigration enforcement for 20 years and the plain fact of the matter is that the law that we 're working under does n't match the economic needs of the country today and the law enforcement needs of the country today , '' Napolitano told CNN . `` But as someone who is charged with enforcing the immigration system , we 're setting good , strong , sensible priorities , and again these young people really are not the individuals that the immigration removal process was designed to focus upon . ''
Republicans who have blocked Democratic efforts on immigration reform immediately condemned the move , with some calling it an improper maneuver to skirt congressional opposition .
Rep. Steve King of Iowa , a leading GOP foe of Democratic proposals for immigration reform , threatened to file a lawsuit asking the courts to stop Obama `` from implementing his unconstitutional and unlawful policy . ''
In a Twitter post , Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called the decision `` a classic Barack Obama move of choosing politics over leadership , '' while House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith , R-Texas , called the change a `` decision to grant amnesty to potentially millions of illegal immigrants . ''
`` Many illegal immigrants will falsely claim they came here as children and the federal government has no way to check whether their claims are true , '' Smith said in a statement . `` And once these illegal immigrants are granted deferred action , they can then apply for a work permit , which the administration routinely grants 90 % of the time . ''
Others complained the move will flood an already poor job market for young Americans with illegal immigrants .
However , Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois , who sponsored the DREAM Act , welcomed the announcement that he said `` will give these young immigrants their chance to come out of the shadows and be part of the only country they 've ever called home . ''
He rejected the GOP argument that Obama 's move was all about politics , noting `` there will be those who vote against him because of this decision , too . That 's what leadership is about . ''
Durbin also noted that Obama repeatedly called for Congress to pass immigration reform legislation , including the DREAM Act . Now that it is clear no progress would occur this Congress , the president acted , Durbin said .
Obama has used executive orders more frequently in recent months to launch initiatives he advocates that have been stymied by the deep partisan divide in Congress . A White House campaign of such steps involving economic programs was labeled `` We Ca n't Wait . ''
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida , who has been working on an alternative version of the DREAM Act , criticized Obama for taking a piecemeal approach Friday . He said in a statement that `` by once again ignoring the Constitution and going around Congress , this short-term policy will make it harder to find a balanced and responsible long-term one . ''
Rubio is considered a possible running mate for certain GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney , who rejected the DREAM Act in the heat of the Republican primary campaign but has since expressed willingness to consider whatever Rubio proposes .
Later Friday , Romney told reporters that the issue needs more substantive action than an executive order , which can be replaced by a subsequent president .
He said he agrees with Rubio 's statement that Obama 's move makes finding a long-term solution more difficult . As president , Romney said , he would seek to provide `` certainty and clarity for people who come into this country through no fault of their own by virtue of the actions of their parents . ''
Hispanics make up the fastest-growing immigrant population in the country , and the Latino vote is considered a crucial bloc for the November presidential election .
A spokeswoman for a major Latino group , the National Council of La Raza , hailed the administration 's move .
`` In light of the congressional inaction on immigration reform , this is the right step for the administration to take at this time , '' said NCLR spokeswoman Laura Vazquez .
Immigration lawyers also called the change a major step in the right direction . However , one immigration expert warned that the new policy does not guarantee the result sought by participants .
`` I worry that the announcement will be implemented more stingily than the administration would like , '' said Stephen Yale-Loehr , who teaches immigration law at Cornell Law School .
Meanwhile , some evangelical Christian leaders who recently met at the White House to discuss immigration issues also endorsed Friday 's move , along with the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops and some Jewish groups .
For Jose Luis Zelaya , who came to the United States illegally from Honduras at age 14 to find his mother , also an illegal immigrant , the new policy means that `` maybe I will be able to work without being afraid that someone may deport me . '' | d9faf593e16ff719 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
education | Christian Science Monitor | https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2019/0516/Is-free-college-really-free | Is ‘free college’ really free? | 2019-05-16 | education | It ’ s all in response to a growing sentiment that cost has put college degrees out of reach for too many students . Yet there ’ s often a big gap between free college rhetoric and the reality that boosting higher education success is a complex puzzle . Ultimately , it comes down to a certain amount of trial and error – and persistence – both for the students and the public college systems .
“ Free college ” scholarships have been proliferating in the United States . Currently , 24 states offer “ college promises , ” as they are often called , though their eligibility and scope vary widely . Some Democratic presidential contenders also champion the idea as a national solution .
But he ’ s taking out loans for room and board at SUNY Cobleskill , which averages about $ 13,000 a year . Halfway through college , Mr. Bixby doesn ’ t know exactly how much he ’ s borrowed . “ I try not to think about it too much just because I don ’ t want it to bring me down , ” he says .
Brenden Bixby chose college over working full time on the apple orchard that his dad manages in Poughkeepsie , New York . He receives the state ’ s Excelsior Scholarship and other grants to cover his tuition .
Tufayel Ahmed is leading an ordinary college life with an extraordinary price tag for tuition : $ 0 .
The first in his Bengali-immigrant family to attend college , he ’ s the beneficiary of a statewide program that will cover four years of tuition so he can earn a bachelor ’ s degree in computer science at the public City College of New York ( CCNY ) , an oasis in Upper Manhattan where the quad ’ s chunky neo-Gothic buildings remind him of castles .
The lean freshman with a thick wave of black hair atop his forehead lives at home in Queens , and he doesn ’ t anticipate needing any loans . “ That was actually one of my goals , to make sure that I ’ m able to finish college without having to have a huge debt on my shoulder , ” Mr. Ahmed says .
His father ’ s income from working at a hotel disqualifies him for federal Pell grants and the state ’ s tuition assistance program for low-income students . But in 2017 , New York state rolled out its Excelsior Scholarship with families like Mr. Ahmed ’ s in mind . It expands help from the state to much of the middle class , covering public tuition not already paid for by other grants for students with a household income under $ 125,000 . Recipients need to be state residents for a year before college , enroll as full-time undergraduates , and stay on track to finish on time .
The offer is a bold step that people often refer to with an even bolder shorthand : “ free college . ”
Ann Hermes/Staff Tufayel Ahmed poses for a portrait on campus on April 25 , 2019 , in New York . Mr. Ahmed says he doesn ’ t take his freedom from financial concerns for granted . ‘ It ’ s a huge opportunity for kids like me , ’ he says , ‘ because it gives us more time to actually do things that we love , ’ which in his case is coding .
Free college isn ’ t as simple as the hyperbolic label makes it sound . Living expenses – on or off campus – and other non-tuition costs are often higher than public tuition , and aren ’ t covered by most programs . But the catchy phrase represents a growing sentiment that cost has put college degrees out of reach for too many students – and has led to a national load of student debt topping $ 1.5 trillion , nearly the size of Russia ’ s economy .
These scholarships , also referred to as “ college promises , ” have been proliferating in recent years throughout the United States . Hundreds of programs serve a local pool of high school graduates , often with philanthropic support . Twenty-four states offer college promises , though their eligibility and scope vary widely . ( See map . )
SOURCE : College Promise Campaign , data as of May 10 , 2019 | Jacob Turcotte and Stacy Teicher Khadaroo/Staff
On the national level , free college is a prominent talking point for many Democratic presidential candidates . Earlier , President Barack Obama called for free community college , and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders , a U.S. senator from Vermont , became a magnet to youth voters in 2016 when he included four-year degrees in his free college plan .
In Congress last year , Sen. Brian Schatz , a Democrat from Hawaii , pushed the envelope even further with his Debt-Free College Act , which would cover more than just tuition for those who need aid at public colleges , through a federal-state partnership . He reintroduced it in March .
As long as Republicans control the U.S. Senate , such expensive ideas are unlikely to gain traction . But state plans already underway offer a more concrete story .
After years of post-recession cuts to higher education budgets , many states have finally turned the corner and begun reinvesting . And college promise plans are making a real difference in family balance sheets from Oklahoma to Rhode Island . They are demonstrating that a desire to shore up higher education ’ s role in promoting social mobility and the economy can transcend partisanship .
“ We ’ ve seen both Democratic and Republican [ state ] leaders embrace this issue because it is politically popular , ” says Tiffany Jones , director of higher education policy for The Education Trust in Washington , D.C. , which advocates for educational equity . Even as alternative pathways such as apprenticeships are growing , “ there ’ s no ignoring the critical importance that [ higher education ] continues to play in students ’ ability to participate in the economy . ”
Whether making college free for large swaths of the population is a good idea is still a point of debate , however . A number of conservatives argue that it won ’ t produce a high enough rate of return – and might even harm the economy by leading to higher taxes .
They also see higher education as more of a private good than a public one . “ The predominant gainers from attending college are the people who go to college themselves , ” says Richard Vedder , a senior fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland , Calif. , and author of the new book “ Restoring the Promise : Higher Education in America. ” Since college graduates tend to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars more over the course of their lifetime , “ why should not someone making those kinds of gains pay for it , just like they would pay for any other investment they make ? ” he says .
Even some Democratic presidential contenders – Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota , for instance – have come out against free public four-year colleges .
But among those who support more comprehensive free college , there ’ s also a lot to hash out about how to structure it to be fair and effective .
The Tennessee Promise , covering community college tuition and offering various other supports for students since 2015 , is often looked to as a model . The governor of Washington state is expected to sign into law next week an expanded college promise that some experts consider the most progressive in the nation .
New York made its splash in 2017 , because Excelsior was the first statewide program to cover not just community colleges , but also four-year schools for students beyond the lowest income level and regardless of high school GPA .
So far , 20,000 students have received Excelsior , with the state budgeting $ 92.4 million for the 2018-19 school year . Thanks to a combination of state and federal aid , tuition is now free for 55 percent of in-state , full-time undergraduates at State University of New York ( SUNY ) and City University of New York ( CUNY ) campuses , says Daniel Fuller , Gov . Andrew Cuomo ’ s deputy secretary for education , in a phone interview .
Yet there ’ s often a big gap between free college rhetoric and the reality that boosting higher education success is a complex puzzle . Ultimately , it comes down to a certain amount of trial and error – and persistence – both for the students and the public college systems .
A closer look at such experiments can help inform policy debates and even kitchen-table conversations about how to target higher education aid to give both students and taxpayers the biggest bang for their buck .
“ We ’ re happy to see so much energy around this big investment , ” says Ms. Jones of The Education Trust . “ We just want to make sure those investments are made in the best ways , and that means actually impacting the ability of low-income students to pay for college . ”
College promise plans are one way to give wings to students ’ educational aspirations .
By communicating in K-12 schools that tuition will be covered , they can motivate more students to complete high school , take a college-prep curriculum , and enroll . The promise in Kalamazoo , Michigan , has been around long enough to also show a boost in college completion .
But if policymakers don ’ t get the right formula for support , they may not generate the hoped-for gains .
In New York , advocates for more investment in higher education say too many people are left out of the Excelsior Scholarship , and that its requirement of full-time attendance and on-time graduation may result in the most disadvantaged students losing eligibility partway through school .
Nationwide , only about 6 out of 10 full-time students at public institutions complete a bachelor ’ s degree within six years , let alone four .
So if students heed the call to stretch themselves and dream beyond a high school diploma or associate degree , and then they trip over the strings attached , it can feel like the promise has fallen flat , too .
She ’ s the first in her family to earn an associate degree – from Queensborough Community College in New York – and it was virtually free . A special program there covered not only tuition , but also transportation and books , and helped her keep on track with strong advisement .
Ann Hermes/Staff Yerania Aguilar , a junior at Queens College , part the City University of New York system , poses for a portrait on campus in May . She ’ s the first in her family to earn an associate ’ s degree , which was virtually free . Now , at a four-year college , a misunderstanding with her schedule and credits changed her Excelsior Scholarship eligibility .
She arrived in the U.S. from Mexico at age 3 , and still lives with her sister and their single mother in Queens . By some markers , she is living the American Dream .
“ I was definitely thankful ” for free community college , “ which is maybe why it got to my head : If it could happen to me the first two years , it could happen to me the second two years . But no , it didn ’ t work like that , ” Ms. Aguilar says , sitting on a saggy couch in the basement of the student union at Queens College , where she ’ s pursuing a bachelor ’ s degree in exercise science .
Last spring , at the end of her second semester here , she found out that dropping a class in her first semester had thrown her off track . She thought she had a green light for her schedule . By her count , she was still earning 31 credits for the year , she says , and Excelsior requires 30 . But then a college official told her she hadn ’ t earned enough credits related to her major .
“ For that spring semester I had to pay back $ 639 , ” she says , the amount of her Excelsior Scholarship after other aid covered the rest . Tuition at CUNY four-year campuses , including Queens College and Mr. Ahmed ’ s CCNY , is $ 6,730 per year .
Her questions to campus officials were never satisfactorily answered , she says , but she paid it and moved forward without the scholarship . She had also lost future eligibility by declaring a minor , which would make it impossible to finish her degree on time .
She chose psychology as her minor , to prepare for graduate school on her way to becoming a pediatric physical therapist . She knew that would be a good career when she assisted Sebastian , a child diagnosed with cerebral palsy , during an assignment at her community college .
“ He said he couldn ’ t put on a sock , and then [ we found ] other ways for him to put on a sock without it being such a hassle . And at the end of the day he was able to put it on , and it just felt so heartwarming , ” she says .
She babysits and tutors , and her mother , who works in housekeeping , helps cover nearly $ 1,000 in expenses each semester . She knows that ’ s relatively cheap for college , but says that because of Excelsior , the cost was unexpected .
“ When they first introduce you to the scholarship , it sounds very easy , ... but then the contract itself is very confusing , ” she says .
Knowing what she knows now , Ms. Aguilar says , “ I would have taken a year off after community college to save up . ”
Many students struggle to line up the right courses to graduate on time , especially when campus resources are stretched thin , so Excelsior ’ s 30-credits-per-year rule is “ placing the onus on the student for a problem that ’ s really systemic , ” says Emily Skydel , issue coordinator for higher education affordability at New York Public Interest Research Group ( NYPIRG ) , which has a chapter at Queens College .
Ann Hermes/Staff Students walk in and out of the North Academic Center at the City College of New York in May . Tuition at CCNY is $ 6,730 per year .
The Monitor spoke with several CUNY Excelsior scholars who are taking extra-heavy course loads or considering summer classes to stay on track , but state scholarships can be used only in the spring and fall semesters , so they would have to pay out of pocket .
“ Funding for CUNY and SUNY has essentially been flat ” after accounting for inflation in recent years , Ms. Skydel says . “ You can ’ t just waive the cost but not invest in the system . ”
The state ’ s Higher Education Services Corp. plans to track how many students lose eligibility for Excelsior , but doesn ’ t yet have a number , Mr. Fuller says . As for students being shut out of needed classes , he says , “ we have not had that problem reported to us from either SUNY or CUNY . ... They were very clear to us that ... kids will not be denied their scholarship because they can ’ t get into a class in their major , ” he says . Students can appeal through HESC .
Several campus leaders say the 30-credit rule is a plus , bolstering a broader set of efforts to keep students on an efficient path toward graduation .
At CUNY ’ s 25 campuses , the share of full-time students earning 30 credits in their first year rose from 45 percent in 2013-14 to 55 percent in 2017-18 . The 3,300 Excelsior scholars appear to be contributing to the rise , says senior vice chancellor and chief financial officer Matthew Sapienza .
But the four-year timeline doesn ’ t take into account the relationship between the racial wealth gap and college completion , and can further disadvantage black and Hispanic students , says Alan Aja , associate professor in Puerto Rican and Latino studies at CUNY ’ s Brooklyn College .
College progress is affected not just by income , but also by whether a family has a financial safety net to lean on during hard times , he says . Nationally , while 39 percent of white students complete public four-year schools within four years , only 19 percent of blacks and 26 percent of Hispanics do , the National Center on Education Statistics reports .
“ Why not just have tuition free for all ? , ” which CUNY did for many decades before 1976 , Professor Aja says . The strings attached are like “ a form of workfare , and it ’ s something that we unfairly do to communities of color. ” That approach is like saying the person needs fixing in order to work harder , he says , but poor people are already working hard , and it ’ s the institutional inequality that needs fixing .
He ’ s also concerned about the fact that if students don ’ t work in the state after graduation for the same number of years that they receive the scholarship , it will convert into a no-interest loan that they have to pay back ( with exceptions , like military service ) .
While the fine print of free tuition looks onerous to some advocates , to other observers , it ’ s simply a fiscal and political reality , at least for now .
“ States are trying to figure out how to pay for these programs , so they ’ re adding cost-containment measures , ” says Jen Mishory , a senior fellow in the Washington , D.C. , office of The Century Foundation , which seeks to reduce inequality .
Ann Hermes/Staff Information about scholarships on display in May at the North Academic Center at the City College of New York . The school is one of many in New York State whose students are using the Excelsior Scholarship . So far , 20,000 students have received Excelsior – with the state budgeting $ 92.4 million for the 2018-19 school year .
The Education Trust favors plans like Oklahoma ’ s and Indiana ’ s . They are limited to lower-income families , but instead of just covering tuition that ’ s not paid for by other aid , their scholarships can be layered on top of other funds to cover some additional expenses – such as books or room and board – that otherwise might prove a barrier .
That ’ s important because it directs more assistance to those who need it most , Ms. Jones says . “ Universal ” plans that include middle-class families are often touted as easier sells politically , but some state programs that target low-income students have survived and thrived , even as lawmakers cut other higher education spending , she notes .
Even for students who get free tuition , room and board can add up to tens of thousands of dollars . That ’ s one reason some Democrats want to go beyond free tuition and offer ways for students to avoid debt , or even wipe out already accumulated debt – as presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts recently proposed .
Voters are receptive to these ideas . When asked if they support raising taxes on the wealthiest to make public colleges tuition-free , 55 percent said yes ; 56 percent support wiping out up to $ 50,000 in student debt for those making under $ 100,000 , according to a May Politico/Morning Consult poll .
Excelsior and other scholarships cover Brenden Bixby ’ s tuition , but he ’ s taking out loans for room and board at SUNY Cobleskill , which averages about $ 13,000 a year .
Right out of high school , Mr. Bixby could have worked full time on the apple orchard that his father manages in Poughkeepsie , New York . “ I really wanted to get a degree just to have behind me , because nowadays you can ’ t get anything without a degree , ” he says .
He chose Cobleskill in rural central New York , about two hours from home , because it offers an environmental management major – and great spots to go fly fishing .
Halfway through college , Mr. Bixby doesn ’ t know exactly how much he ’ s borrowed . “ I try not to think about it too much just because I don ’ t want it to bring me down , ” he says . “ I need to focus on getting good grades because I will come out with a better job , and that job will make it way easier to pay for over time . ”
At CCNY , Mr. Ahmed says he doesn ’ t take his freedom from financial concerns for granted . “ It ’ s a huge opportunity for kids like me , ” he says , ” because it gives us more time to actually do things that we love , ” which in his case is coding .
His older cousins had to juggle work and college to help get the extended family established in the U.S. Now he hopes his three younger siblings can take advantage of the easier path he ’ s found . But he also hopes the states and the federal government can do more to make college affordable . “ I feel like education shouldn ’ t have a huge price to it , where it ’ s like selling your life just to learn something , ” he says . “ Some people , they ’ re not able to make as much as others , but they still want to give their child the best education that they can receive . ”
He ’ s applied for a leadership and public service fellowship next year . He ’ s looking forward to the internships that will bring , and can someday envision turning his love for computer science into a project that will make a positive difference for many people . “ I always wanted to do something that will give back to the community , ” he says before heading up the wide slate-gray stairs and disappearing into the massive North Academic Center for a class on writing for engineers .
Despite the challenges she ’ s faced , Ms. Aguilar , too , is determined to use her experience to help others . She counsels students at her former community college , telling them , “ This is where I went wrong ; this is where you could go right , ” she says .
All of them want to show their parents that the sacrifices to enable them to attend college will bear fruit .
“ Sometimes it was so easy to say , ‘ Never mind , I quit . ... It ’ s fine to just do a high school degree , ’ ” Ms. Aguilar says . But then she ’ d think about her mother ’ s hopes : “ She wants something more . ” | 4gbngtDw9LrFkUUR | 1 | College Tuition | 0.1 | Education | 0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
public_health | CNN Digital | https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/27/health/zero-calorie-sweetener-heart-attack-stroke-wellness/index.html | Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds | 2023-02-28 | Public Health, Health, Healthcare, CDC, Food | CNN —A sugar replacement called erythritol — used to add bulk or sweeten stevia, monkfruit and keto reduced-sugar products — has been linked to blood clotting, stroke, heart attack and death, according to a study.“The degree of risk was not modest,” said lead study author Dr. Stanley Hazen, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.People, including many with existing risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, were twice as likely to experience a heart attack or stroke if they had the highest levels of erythritol in their blood, according to the study, published February 27 in the journal Nature Medicine.“If your blood level of erythritol was in the top 25% compared to the bottom 25%, there was about a two-fold higher risk for heart attack and stroke,” Hazen said. “It’s on par with the strongest of cardiac risk factors, like diabetes.”Additional lab and animal research presented in the paper revealed that erythritol appeared to be causing blood platelets to clot more readily. Clots can break off and travel to the heart, triggering a heart attack, or to the brain, triggering a stroke.“This certainly sounds an alarm,” said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health, a hospital in Denver, who was not involved in the research.“There appears to be a clotting risk from using erythritol,” Freeman said. “Obviously, more research is needed, but in an abundance of caution, it might make sense to limit erythritol in your diet for now.”In response to the study, the Calorie Control Council, an industry association, told CNN that “the results of this study are contrary to decades of scientific research showing reduced-calorie sweeteners like erythritol are safe, as evidenced by global regulatory permissions for their use in foods and beverages,” the council’s Robert Rankin said in an email.The results “should not be extrapolated to the general population, as the participants in the intervention were already at increased risk for cardiovascular events,” Rankin said.The European Association of Polyol Producers declined to comment, saying it had not reviewed the study.What is erythritol?Like sorbitol and xylitol, erythritol is a sugar alcohol, a carb found naturally in many fruits and vegetables. It has about 70% of the sweetness of sugar and is considered zero-calorie, according to experts.Artificially manufactured in massive quantities, erythritol has no lingering aftertaste, doesn’t spike blood sugar and has less of a laxative effect than some other sugar alcohols.“Erythritol looks like sugar, it tastes like sugar, and you can bake with it,” said Hazen, who also directs the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Microbiome and Human Health.“It’s become the sweetheart of the food industry, an extremely popular additive to keto and other low-carb products and foods marketed to people with diabetes,” he added. “Some of the diabetes-labeled foods we looked at had more erythritol than any other item by weight.”Erythritol is also the largest ingredient by weight in many “natural” stevia and monkfruit products, Hazen said. Because stevia and monkfruit are about 200 to 400 times sweeter than sugar, just a small amount is needed in any product. The bulk of the product is erythritol, which adds the sugar-like crystalline appearance and texture that consumers expect.Connection between erythritol and cardiovascular issuesThe discovery of the connection between erythritol and cardiovascular issues was purely accidental, Hazen said: “We never expected this. We weren’t even looking for it.”Hazen’s research had a simple goal: find unknown chemicals or compounds in a person’s blood that might predict the risk for a heart attack, stroke or death in the next three years. To do so, the team began analyzing 1,157 blood samples in people at risk for heart disease collected between 2004 and 2011.“We found this substance that seemed to play a big role, but we didn’t know what it was,” Hazen said. “Then we discovered it was erythritol, a sweetener.”The human body naturally creates erythritol but in low amounts that would not account for the levels they measured, he said.To confirm the findings, Hazen’s team tested another batch of blood samples from more than 2,100 people in the United States and an additional 833 samples gathered by colleagues in Europe through 2018. About three-quarters of the participants in all three populations had coronary disease or high blood pressure, and about a fifth had diabetes, Hazen said. Over half were male and in their 60s and 70s.In all three populations, researchers found that higher levels of erythritol were connected to a greater risk of heart attack, stroke or death within three years.But why? To find out, researchers did further animal and lab tests and discovered that erythritol was “provoking enhanced thrombosis,” or clotting in the blood, Hazen said.Clotting is necessary in the human body, or we would bleed to death from cuts and injuries. The same process is constantly happening internally as well.“Our blood vessels are always under pressure, and we spring leaks, and blood platelets are constantly plugging these holes all the time,” Hazen said.However, the size of the clot made by platelets depends on the size of the trigger that stimulates the cells, he said. For example, if the trigger is only 10%, then you only get 10% of a clot.“But what we’re seeing with erythritol is the platelets become super responsive: A mere 10% stimulant produces 90% to 100% of a clot formation,” Hazen said.“For people who are at risk for clotting, heart attack and stroke — like people with existing cardiac disease or people with diabetes — I think that there’s sufficient data here to say stay away from erythritol until more studies are done,” Hazen said.Oliver Jones, a professor of chemistry at RMIT University in Australia, noted that the study had revealed only a correlation, not causation.“As the authors themselves note, they found an association between erythritol and clotting risk, not definitive proof such a link exists,” Jones, who was not involved in the research, said in a statement.“Any possible (and, as yet unproven) risks of excess erythritol would also need to be balanced against the very real health risks of excess glucose consumption.”Blood tests tracked erythritol levels and clotting riskIn a final part of the study, eight healthy volunteers drank a beverage that contained 30 grams of erythritol, the amount many people in the US consume, Hazen said, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which examines American nutrition each year.Blood tests over the next three days tracked erythritol levels and clotting risk.“Thirty grams was enough to make blood levels of erythritol go up a thousandfold,” Hazen said. “It remained elevated above the threshold necessary to trigger and heighten clotting risk for the following two to three days.”Just how much is 30 grams of erythritol? The equivalent of eating a pint of keto ice cream, Hazen said.“If you look at nutrition labels on many keto ice creams, you’ll see ‘reducing sugar’ or ‘sugar alcohol,’ which are terms for erythritol. You’ll find a typical pint has somewhere between 26 and 45 grams in it,” he said.“My coauthor and I have been going to grocery stores and looking at labels,” Hazen said. “He found a ‘confectionery’ marketed to people with diabetes that had about 75 grams of erythritol.”There is no firm “accepted daily intake,” or ADI, set by the European Food Safety Authority or the US Food and Drug Administration, which considers erythritol generally recognized as safe.“Science needs to take a deeper dive into erythritol and in a hurry, because this substance is widely available right now. If it’s harmful, we should know about it,” National Jewish Health’s Freeman said.Hazen agreed: “I normally don’t get up on a pedestal and sound the alarm,” he said. “But this is something that I think we need to be looking at carefully.”Correction: A previous version of this story failed to quantify the number of people in the study with an existing risk for heart disease. | bc6e8c3517fbb713 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
sexual_misconduct | BBC News | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51389431 | Mass drug rape charges to be dropped against US surgeon and girlfriend | 2020-02-05 | California, Sexual Misconduct | Charges against a California couple accused of sexually assaulting `` hundreds '' of women will be dropped due to lack of evidence , officials said .
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer accused his predecessor of mishandling the case and using it to aid his re-election bid .
In 2018 , prosecutors said they found proof that Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley drugged and raped victims .
He accused his predecessor of misleading the public , as a review of the case found `` not a single video or photograph '' depicting assault , as Tony Rackauckas , the former district attorney , had claimed .
Mr Rackauckas , alleged the couple `` used their good looks and charm '' to lure and drug victims . He brought charges on behalf of seven unnamed women who said they were assaulted by Dr Robicheaux , 39 , and Ms Riley , 32 .
He said investigators had found `` thousands '' of videos and images on their mobile phones that showed vulnerable women `` barely responsive to the defendants ' sexual advances '' , and stated that hundreds more women could have been assaulted .
However , Mr Rackauckas admitted in a deposition last summer that he used the case to garner media attention and help his re-election effort , according to the statement from the district attorney 's office . He lost his re-election bid in November 2018 .
Mr Spitzer will open an internal investigation to review Mr Rackauckas ' handling of the case , US media report .
On Tuesday , Mr Rackauckas defended his handling of the case , saying he felt for `` the women who had the courage to come forward '' .
`` Any prosecutor should think long and hard before dismissing such a case where multiple women have independently come forward and subjected themselves to the hard process of baring their souls to the authorities , '' he told local media .
`` I just hope they 're not being sold down the river for some twisted political motive . ''
Dr Robicheaux is a well-known orthopaedic surgeon and once appeared on the cable reality TV show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male .
He and Ms Riley were arrested in September 2018 when two women accused the couple of rape and sexual assault after meeting them at a bar and a restaurant in Newport Beach , 45 miles ( 72km ) south of Los Angeles .
As more accusers came forth following media coverage , Dr Robicheaux was charged with 17 felonies , and Ms Riley with 13 , both including drug rape and assault charges . They faced a maximum of 40 and 30 years in prison respectively .
The couple had pleaded not guilty to all counts . Their lawyers said Mr Rackauckas ' statements to media `` set off a frenzy that completely destroyed the integrity '' of the case and damaged the couple 's chance at a fair trial . | 684576441d7432a5 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
race_and_racism | Daily Beast | https://www.thedailybeast.com/when-joe-biden-worried-about-welfare-mothers-driving-luxury-cars?ref=home | ‘A Racist Narrative’: Biden Warned of Welfare Moms Driving Luxury Cars | 2019-08-29 | race_and_racism | In the fall of 1988 , shortly after Congress had passed the first piece of welfare reform legislation in 50 years , Joe Biden , then a senator from Delaware , wrote a column in his local newspaper that leaned heavily on racial stereotypes in praise of the effort .
“ We are all too familiar with the stories of welfare mothers driving luxury cars and leading lifestyles that mirror the rich and famous , ” the column read . “ Whether they are exaggerated or not , these stories underlie a broad social concern that the welfare system has broken down—that it only parcels out welfare checks and does nothing to help the poor find productive jobs . ”
Biden ’ s argument , delivered in the pages of the Newark Post , was not a full embrace of the rhetoric of conservatives at the time , who warned that the indigent ( in their estimation , mainly African-Americans ) were using government assistance to supplement lavish lifestyles . But it certainly echoed it , adding to the perception that the problem wasn ’ t poverty itself but poor people abusing poverty-fighting programs .
“ The thing that strikes me about the Biden quote is him acknowledging that it might not be true but then saying that doesn ’ t matter because perception becomes reality… that people ’ s attitudes need to be listened to and respected rather than corrected , ” said Josh Levin , who wrote a book titled The Queen that traced the roots of the stereotype . Levin added that Biden ’ s line struck him as atypical of Democrats at the time .
Thirty years later , as Biden finds himself the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for the presidency , both the column and Biden ’ s broader support for welfare reform could prove politically problematic—serving as another résumé spot , along with his prior praise for segregationist senators and his opposition to busing , that raises concerns about past cultural and racial insensitivities .
“ It certainly was a racist narrative , ” Adrianne Shropshire , executive director of BlackPAC and the affiliated nonpartisan Black Progressive Action Coalition , said of Biden ’ s use of the “ welfare recipient with a luxury car ” imagery . “ That was obviously the sort of outrageous and untrue stereotype that emerged certainly during the era of Ronald Reagan , this notion of fraudulent undeserving women ... I was a kid . And I remember that being the image—an image that , as a child , I knew was inaccurate . ”
Noting that Biden had claimed in his column not to know if the stories were true , Shropshire added that it didn ’ t actually matter . “ The challenge , ” she said , “ is when you lead with that image it actually negates in some ways what comes after it . ”
For Biden ’ s campaign , the caveat in the column ’ s lead did make a difference , to the degree that it showed he remained doubtful about the welfare queen stereotype . But more important , they argued , was his broader history of opposing legislative efforts to fray the fabric of the social safety net .
“ Throughout his career in public service , Joe Biden has fought for not just working and middle-class families , but also poor and struggling families , ” said Jamal Brown , the Biden presidential campaign ’ s national press secretary . “ As he wrote in 1988 , we as a society have an obligation to help the less fortunate out of poverty through job training and educational and other opportunities . ”
“ It certainly was a racist narrative . ” — Adrianne Shropshire , executive director of BlackPAC
At the time that Biden was writing for the Newark Post , conservatives had made major political strides in arguing that the social safety net was being abused . Ronald Reagan in particular had warned of so-called welfare queens who not only were living off government handouts but living quite well . Such cases did exist . But they were often greatly exaggerated ( indeed , statistics on such fraud shows that it is rare ) or entirely misrepresented . As one 1984 Washington Post piece noted , it was a tax bill , not welfare , that was allowing “ business mothers , ” not welfare mothers , to purchase Mercedes .
Still , Democrats embraced reform , either convinced of its merits or spooked by the attacks . The legislation to which Biden was referring in his Nov. 3 , 1988 , article—which The ███ unearthed through a larger review of his columns—was The Family Support Act . It enhanced child support collection , created job opportunities and training for families on welfare , and established that single parents with a child over the age of 3 must enroll in educational activities or vocational training in order to receive full government assistance , provided that they had child care services as well .
The bill was championed by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan ( D-NY ) , a liberal stalwart , and was embraced across the political spectrum .
“ Welfare policy should be based on a simple premise : we have an obligation to help society ’ s less fortunate receive the education , training and transitional services they need to work their way out of poverty , ” Biden wrote . “ In return we expect a commitment from them to do all they can to succeed in becoming productive members of their communities . ”
But the 1988 law didn ’ t satisfy the reformers ’ itch . And when Bill Clinton campaigned for the presidency in 1992 he did so , famously , on a plan to “ end welfare as we know it . ”
It would take years for that promise to come to fruition . But when it did , Clinton found an able ally in Biden .
In the mid- ’ 90s , Biden continued to push for major reforms to the welfare system . He insisted that “ too many welfare recipients spend far too long on welfare and do far too little in exchange for their benefits. ” He argued that welfare recipients should have six months— “ period ” —to find a job in the private sector or give up their benefits . He said Congress should “ require all welfare recipients to sign a contract in which they agree to work in exchange for their benefits . ”
But he was hardly a conservative ideologue in pursuit of reform . He opposed a provision that would have prohibited additional cash assistance “ for children born to families already receiving assistance. ” And he supported an amendment that allowed states to use federal block grant money to provide non-cash assistance to children whose families had hit their welfare support limits .
In 1996 , Congress passed welfare reform far more sweeping than the version they ’ d done just eight years prior . The legislation put a five-year lifetime limit on how much assistance could be given to any family and gave states much greater latitude on how the program was administered . It created more stringent work requirements , limited the ability of legal immigrants to get assistance , and put restrictions on food stamp eligibility .
“ Compared to ’ 96 , The Family Support Act was a relatively progressive bill , ” said Elizabeth Lower-Basch , a senior policy analyst at CLASP , a national nonprofit organization that promotes policy solutions that work for low-income people . “ ’ 96 fundamentally restructured the core underlying program . ”
Democrats were sharply divided on the measure . Clinton signed it after vetoing two earlier versions but even expressed his displeasure with the eventual compromise . “ You can put wings on a pig , ” he said , “ but you don ’ t make it an eagle. ” All told , 24 Senate Democrats voted for the bill and 23 opposed it . Liberals like Sens . Russ Feingold ( D-WI ) and Tom Harkin ( D-IA ) supported it . Moynihan was among the nays , warning that the bill would put children “ to the sword . ”
The legacy of the ’ 96 bill remains disputed to this day . In the years after passage , welfare rolls plummeted as single , never-married mothers entered the workforce . How much of that was due to the improving economy overall or the law specifically is debated , though academics do credit the legislation with boosting employment and reducing poverty by non-insignificant percentage points . But those gains did not come without pain elsewhere . As Jordan Weissmann noted in Slate :
The Urban Institute ’ s Pamela Loprest and Sheila Zedlewski found that during the early post reform era , about one-third of single parents were jobless soon after leaving welfare . Those who did find work often earned no more than what they lost in benefits ; studies have concluded that anywhere from 42 to 74 percent of those who exited the program remained poor . Meanwhile , states began enrolling fewer new families in welfare . As the rolls shrank , a new generation of so-called disconnected mothers emerged : single parents who weren ’ t working , in school , or receiving welfare to support themselves or their children . According to Loprest , the number of these women rose from 800,000 in 1996 to 1.2 million in 2008 .
Biden , as recently as 2012 , defended the ’ 96 welfare reform , saying opposition to it at the time “ made no sense. ” But his spokesman Brown also noted that Biden has voted to maintain public assistance for children of immigrants and opposed efforts to cut food stamps . “ As president , ” Brown said , “ Biden will continue fighting each and every day for Americans of all socioeconomic backgrounds . ”
And even though he adopted traditional conservative rhetoric in the late ’ 80s , not everyone in Democratic politics feels it is worth dinging him on it .
“ The question remains , ” said former DNC chair Donna Brazile , “ where is he now ? ” | XwrJBpONbgjYh1WA | 0 | Joe Biden | 0.2 | Welfare | 0 | Race And Racism | 0 | 2020 Election | 0 | Elections | 0 |
republican_party | Vanity Fair | http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/03/super-tuesday-kasich-trump-sanders | Kasich’s Ohio Win Pushes G.O.P. Race Closer to Chaotic Convention | republican_party | Donald Trump expanded his commanding delegate lead Tuesday night by winning primary contests in Illinois , North Carolina and the winner-take-all state of Florida , prompting Senator Marco Rubio to suspend his campaign and bringing the Republican front-runner one step closer to securing the party ’ s nomination for president . While Trump lost the winner-take-all state of Ohio to the state ’ s governor , John Kasich , slowing his potential path to the White House , the billionaire developer remains the odds-on favorite to become the party ’ s standard-bearer in July , absent a convention-floor fight that could see G.O.P . leaders elevate Kasich or Ted Cruz in defiance of the Republican electorate .
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton also cleaned up Tuesday , shaking off her surprise loss last week to rival Bernie Sanders in Michigan by winning Ohio , Florida , Illinois and North Carolina , delivering a much-needed jolt of momentum to her campaign . Sanders gave Clinton a run for her money in each state , picking up a share of the night ’ s delegates , but remains hundreds of delegates behind in the overall count—a gap that may prove insurmountable , especially if Sanders is unable to convince Clinton ’ s hundreds of superdelegates to switch sides . ( As of 7:00 A.M. , the Missouri presidential primaries both remained too close to call , with Trump and Clinton ahead by just 0.2 percent each . )
Despite Trump and Clinton ’ s dominating performances , Tuesday ’ s results all but guarantee that both races will continue until this summer , and , in the G.O.P. ’ s case , potentially after . Sanders controls a massive campaign war chest , as well as the proven ability to continue raising huge sums of money—the Vermont senator raised more than $ 5 million in the day following his victory in Michigan—and has indicated he is willing to spend big to win , all the way until the Democratic National Convention in July . On the Republican side , the window is closing to prevent Trump from reaching the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the G.O.P . nomination , but party leaders have made no secret of their intentions to block him , no matter what . Even if Trump surpasses that threshold , establishment party figures have indicated they could change convention rules or even launch a conservative third-party challenge—a suicide mission , but one some Republicans see as a necessary corrective to the existential threat posed by Trump ’ s insurgent candidacy . Either way , Cruz and Kasich are likely to remain in the race for the long haul , ensuring a three-month slog to what is sure to be a chaotic convention in Cleveland .
In an election season defined by roiling anger toward Washington elites and economic policies that have contributing to a widening income gap , Kasich ’ s rousing victory in Ohio , and gee-whiz positivity , may be just a blip amid the wider revolt driving Donald Trump and , to a lesser extend , Bernie Sanders . Clinton has managed , with some success , to absorb that populist rage , running to the left by condemning Wall Street greed and turning against trade deals she previously supported . The Republican establishment , however , which long held together its unwieldy coalition of economic elites and working class whites by merging a pro-business platform with social conservatism , may not survive in its current form .
The astounding popularity of Trump , a nationalist with little ideology beyond his belief that he is the sole candidate capable of restoring American greatness , has exposed the lie at the heart of the party : the majority of the conservative base doesn ’ t care about small business principles . They just want someone who will keep immigrants out and tell it like it is . After all , the limited-government ideology preached by the G.O.P . may have made their lives worse . Whether or not Trump can secure the delegates he needs to lock up the Republican nomination—a feat that will require winning some 60 percent of all remaining delegates from here on out—the damage to the G.O.P . will have been done . | qz8hKWaXG89Uzcs0 | 0 | GOP Convention | -0.7 | John Kasich | 0.5 | Republican Party | -0.5 | Presidential Elections | 0.2 | Elections | 0.2 | |
terrorism | Townhall | http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2014/09/17/benghazi-back-in-the-spotlight-on-capitol-hill-with-first-select-committee-hearing-n1892911 | Benghazi Back in the Spotlight on Capitol Hill With First Select Committee Hearing | 2014-09-17 | terrorism | The 9/11/2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi , Libya is back in the spotlight today on Capitol Hill as lawmakers from the select committee prepare to hold their first public hearing .
Led by Republican South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy , members of the Committee have been working for months to interview witnesses and to gather more information about what happened the night Americans Chris Stevens , Glen Doherty , Tyrone Woods and Sean Smith were killed by terrorists .
Today Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Greg Starr , Chairman of the Independent Panel on Best Practices Mark J. Sullivan and former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection Todd Keil will testify .
“ As Chairman Gowdy has said , he is willing to risk answering the same question twice rather than risk it not be answered at all . Since all documents responsive to Congressional inquiries into the Benghazi terrorist attack have not been produced , it is fair to say that not all questions have been asked and answered , '' Gowdy Communications Director Jamal D. Ware released in a statement yesterday . “ Chairman Gowdy is leading a fair , fact-based and impartial investigation . The Committee will consider all evidence , across all jurisdictions , and produce the final , definitive accounting on behalf of Congress of what happened before , during and after the terrorist attacks on our facilities in Benghazi . ''
`` Chairman Gowdy sincerely hopes that all sides will not prejudge the outcome of the investigation—before even the Committee ’ s first hearing , which is on a topic suggested by the Democrats—and instead allow a constructive and thorough investigatory process that produces a final report on Benghazi that is beyond any doubt . Chairman Gowdy is committed to a process and result worthy of the sacrifice of the four Americans who were killed in Benghazi and worthy of the trust of our fellow citizens , ” Ware continued .
This hearing comes just days after a report was published by investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson showing senior aides to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were ordered to separate and withhold damning documents from investigators .
The hearing starts at 10 a.m. et . You can watch live here . | ivBvcGKIiJsCxanC | 2 | Benghazi | -0.7 | US House | 0.2 | Terrorism | 0 | null | null | null | null |
cybersecurity | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/16/opm-audit-federal-background-check-system-vulnerab/ | OPM audit: Federal background check system vulnerable to cyberattack | 2015-06-16 | cybersecurity | The federal agency that lost millions of Americans ’ most personal data to hackers has long been delinquent on its cybersecurity controls — including in two particularly sensitive systems that govern most of the government ’ s background checks , an inspector general will tell Congress on Tuesday .
The Office of Personnel Management doesn ’ t even keep track of all of its servers and databases on its main network , which means the agency “ can not fully defend its network ” against potential attacks , said Michael R. Esser , Office of Personnel Management assistant inspector general , in prepared testimony to be delivered to the House Oversight Committee .
In the case of the background check systems that aren ’ t updated , that “ could potentially have national security implications , ” he says .
Problems with the OPM ’ s cybersecurity protocols date back to the end of the Bush administration and had improved somewhat as of a couple of years ago when the agency began to centralize its controls . But the agency has since slipped again , the inspector general said .
Things got so bad that investigators recommended shutting down systems whose authorization hadn ’ t been kept up to date , but the agency director rejected that plan and kept them running .
“ Not only was a large volume ( 11 out of 47 systems ) of the OPM ’ s IT systems operating without a valid authorization , but several of these systems are among the most critical and sensitive applications owned by the agency , ” Mr. Esser says in his testimony .
The agency has revealed it was struck by a cyberattack that stole the personal information of millions of current and former federal workers . The extent of the loss is still being studied .
Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz vowed this weekend to get to the bottom of the attack , saying the administration had ignored repeated warnings .
“ We should have seen this coming a long time ago , ” the Utah Republican said on C-Span ’ s “ Newsmakers ” program . | eHJwKwP5yDpAKMhW | 2 | Cybersecurity | -0.1 | Technology | -0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
coronavirus | New York Times - Opinion | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/opinion/us-coronavirus-trump.html | America Is Too Broken to Fight the Coronavirus | 2020-06-22 | coronavirus | When coronavirus cases started exploding on the East Coast in March , there were devastating failures by Democratic leaders . New York ’ s governor , Andrew Cuomo , not only forced nursing homes to take back residents who ’ d been hospitalized for the coronavirus , he barred them from testing the residents to see if they were still infected .
As ProPublica reported , following Cuomo ’ s order , “ Covid-19 tore through New York state ’ s nursing facilities , killing more than 6,000 people — about 6 percent of its more than 100,000 nursing home residents. ” In Florida , which prohibited such transfers , the virus has so far killed only 1.6 percent of nursing home residents .
Given how Cuomo ’ s errors contributed to New York ’ s catastrophe , it ’ s hard to say how much credit he deserves for eventually rising to the occasion . Still , by the time New York ’ s cases got to where Arizona ’ s are now , he at least understood that the state faced calamity and imposed the lockdown that helped bring it back from the abyss .
Arizona , Florida and Texas , by contrast , aren ’ t even doing simple things like mandating mask-wearing . Worse , until last week , the governors of Arizona and Texas prevented cities from instituting their own such requirements .
So far , evidence about the role mass protests over police violence played in coronavirus spikes is mixed , but liberal support for the demonstrations solidified the conviction among many conservatives that strict social distancing rules are a hypocritical tool of social control . The paranoia and resentment that have long been part of the culture of the modern right are now directed at those warning about the ongoing dangers of the pandemic .
Across the country , public health workers have faced death threats , harassment and armed protesters at their homes . No matter how bad things get in red America , it ’ s hard to imagine where the political will to contain the virus will come from .
So while countries with competent leadership haltingly return to normal , ours will continue to be pummeled . In mid-May , when America ’ s coronavirus death toll was around 85,000 , Trump sycophant Lindsey Graham said that as long as fatalities didn ’ t go much beyond 120,000 , “ I think you can say you limited the casualties in this war . ”
By The Times ’ s count , we just hit that number . The war goes on , but Trump has already lost it . | uyfEjcgf9bQE8Hqz | 0 | Coronavirus | -0.5 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/23/politics/fact-check-iraq/index.html?hpt=po_c1 | CNN Fact Check: Romney, Obama and Iraq | 2012-10-23 | elections | Story highlights Obama opposed the war in Iraq and touted its end
His administration sought to extend a U.S. training mission there , however
Romney has criticized the failure of that effort and said troops should have stayed
Although it has been over for nearly a year now , the war in Iraq continued to be a flash point in Monday night 's debate between President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger , former Massachusetts Gov . Mitt Romney
`` You say that you 're not interested in duplicating what happened in Iraq , '' said Obama , a Democrat who opposed the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 . `` But just a few weeks ago , you said you think we should have more troops in Iraq right now . ... You said that we should still have troops in Iraq to this day . ''
But Romney , who supported the invasion , said Obama wanted to keep U.S. troops there longer -- he just could n't get the Iraqis to go along .
`` There was an effort on the part of the president to have a Status of Forces Agreement , and I concurred in that , and said that we should have some number of troops that stayed on , '' Romney said .
`` You thought it should have been 5,000 troops , '' he told Obama . `` I thought there should have been more troops , but you know what ? The answer was we got no troops through whatsoever . ''
JUST WATCHED Obama , Romney spar over troops in Iraq Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Obama , Romney spar over troops in Iraq 01:15
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Since the nearly nine-year war remains controversial back home , CNN is taking a closer look at both candidates ' claims .
The Status of Forces Agreement signed between the United States and Iraq in 2008 called for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraqi cities by 2009 and be out of the country entirely by the end of 2011 .
Obama opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq while still a state legislator in Illinois and ran for president on a platform of ending that war . But with the 2011 deadline nearing , his administration -- which took office after the agreement was signed -- tried to make arrangements with Iraq to keep between 3,000 and 5,000 Americans in the country to help train Iraqi security forces .
`` If they want the benefits of what we can provide , if they want the assistance , if they want the training , if they want the operational skills that we can provide , then I think they have to understand that they 've got to give us some protections in that process , '' Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in October 2011 .
Those talks failed when the Iraqis refused to grant legal immunity for U.S. troops , and the last U.S. convoy left Iraq in December 2011 . Obama touted that as a promise kept , saying Americans would be leaving `` with their heads held high . ''
The president also has touted that as a promise kept during his re-election campaign . But Romney has consistently criticized the Obama administration for its failure to reach a deal with the Iraqi government on keeping those troops there .
In December 2011 , with the final pullout looming , Romney told Fox News Sunday that the Obama administration was ending the American presence `` in a precipitous way , and we should have left 10,000 , 20,000 , 30,000 personnel there to help transition to the Iraqis ' own military capabilities . ''
Two weeks before Monday night 's debate , in a speech at the Virginia Military Institute , Romney said the `` costly gains '' made in Iraq were slipping away .
`` And yet , America 's ability to influence events for the better in Iraq has been undermined by the abrupt withdrawal of our entire troop presence , '' he said . `` The president tried -- and failed -- to secure a responsible and gradual drawdown that would have better secured our gains . ''
Each man 's attacks are rooted in fact . The Obama administration did attempt , unsuccessfully , to extend the presence of a scaled-back U.S. training mission in Iraq , while Romney has said Washington should have kept a considerably larger force in Baghdad . | nmZ0QlnWs1U636Zj | 0 | Presidential Elections | 0.1 | Election2012 | -0.1 | Elections | 0 | null | null | null | null |
taxes | Fox News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/09/13/swamp-politics-why-trumps-tax-cut-push-is-tricky-even-for-republicans.html | Swamp politics: Why Trump's tax-cut push is tricky, even for Republicans | 2017-09-13 | taxes | The goal would seem to be right smack in the party ’ s wheelhouse : Republicans cutting taxes .
Nearly eight months into an administration that hasn ’ t won a major victory on the Hill , there is plenty of motion but no plan .
President Trump ’ s initial goal was to achieve tax reform , and he might still be able to slash some deductions and declare victory . But reform involves a royal battle with every lobbying interest on the planet . At this point , the GOP would be thrilled to lower tax rates by Christmas and campaign on that in 2018 .
The problem—and this may sound familiar—is that Republicans in Congress are divided .
`` The White House and GOP congressional leaders agree with the goal of slashing the corporate income-tax rate and also cutting individual income taxes to benefit the middle class , '' says the Washington Post . `` But they have yet to agree about which existing tax breaks should be eliminated to pay for it all . ''
For instance , the White House would like to ax the massively popular home mortgage interest deduction , but Hill folks say it ’ s too popular to kill—and they ’ re probably right .
The challenge with big tax cuts is paying for them , at least under the assumption , long argued by conservatives , that they shouldn ’ t blow a further hole in the deficit . You can get into rosy scenarios and dynamic scoring , but you need to find some offsetting dollars somewhere .
And then there is the classic split between Republicans who want to provide more relief for those at the top of the income scale and Democrats who attack such plans as a giveaway to the rich .
Trump ’ s new friends Chuck and Nancy may not be much help here , although it ’ s easier to wheel and deal when you ’ re giving money away . The Wall Street Journal editorial page says “ if the president really wants Democratic votes on tax reform , he ’ ll have to prove first that he has 50 Republican votes to pass it in the Senate. ” Only then , says the paper , could he get Heidi Heitkamp or Joe Manchin—two moderate Democrats who were at a bipartisan dinner at the White House last night -- to provide the 51st vote . ( Of course , he actually needs 60 votes in the Senate unless they use the budget reconciliation process , which failed on ObamaCare . )
National Review Editor Rich Lowry says the “ dalliance with Schumer ” can “ only add another layer of distrust and dysfunction atop an already fraught relationship with the GOP leadership at a time when it is grappling with an enormously complex legislative task . ''
The president said over the weekend he will `` ask for a speedup '' in light of the devastation caused by Harvey and Irma . This creates visions of a grand bargain that ties together tax cuts , hurricane aid , the debt ceiling and legalizing the Dreamers program .
Of course , grand bipartisan deals play better with pundits and editorial writers than actual politicians . Just ask John Boehner and Barack Obama .
Tax cuts remain Trump ’ s best bet for a big legislative win in 2017 . But it ’ s far from a done deal . | M3h2jRF1vxpA83eW | 2 | Tax Cuts | -0.3 | Taxes | -0.3 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
federal_budget | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/11/politics/ryan-obamacare/index.html?hpt=po_c1 | Ryan takes on Obamacare ... again | 2013-03-11 | federal_budget | Story highlights House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan renews fight to repeal Obamacare
Repeal efforts may play well with GOP base if Ryan makes a 2016 presidential run
Conventional wisdom among politicos on both sides of the aisle is that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan 's continued quest to repeal Obamacare has a snowball 's chance in heck of going anywhere .
So when the former vice presidential nominee and potential 2016 presidential contender told Chris Wallace on `` Fox News Sunday '' that his plan to balance the budget in a decade included a repeal of the Affordable Care Act , the veteran news host echoed how many in Washington view the topic .
`` Well , that 's not going to happen , '' Wallace told his guest .
`` Well , we believe it should , '' Ryan responded . `` That 's the point . This is what budgeting is all about , Chris . It 's about making tough choices to fix our country 's problems . ''
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Ryan says the House GOP budget will include repealing President Barack 's Obama 's signature domestic policy achievement .
After all , Republicans have unsuccessfully tried to repeal Obamacare more than 30 times . This included a measure introduced in the very first week of the current session by Rep. Michele Bachmann , a Minnesota Republican and a former GOP presidential candidate .
The Supreme Court narrowly upheld the law last year in a politically charged decision .
And a poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation just after the November presidential election found that just 33 % of those polled support repealing Obamacare .
Even House Speaker John Boehner , R-Ohio , acknowledged after the election that the GOP mission to repeal the law would change .
`` I think the election changes that . It 's pretty clear that the president was re-elected , Obamacare is the law of the land , '' Boehner said last year in an interview with ABC News .
Boehner left room for a push to change some aspects of it , however .
`` There certainly may be parts of it that we believe -- need to be changed , '' Boehner said at the time . `` We may do that . No decisions at this point . ''
Ryan gave reporters a preview of his budget on Wednesday and is expected to release it this week . He has consistently taken aim at Obamacare in previous budget proposals and on the 2012 campaign trail .
So why , in this era of heightened partisanship and amid fledgling attempts by the president to mend relationships with Republicans would Ryan toss the equivalent of a political stink bomb into the mix ?
The answer is simple , political experts say . He said he would work for a repeal and he will be held to that by the most conservative members of the base in 2016 should he decide to run for president .
`` I do n't think it 's necessarily a surprise . It 's where he stood before the election and it 's a bargaining position , '' said John Geer , a political science professor at Vanderbilt University . `` Also , it 's a classic position to take if in 2016 if he wants to run for president . He knows it 's not very realistic to try to repeal Obamacare but it 's a good way to try and get the nomination in 2016 . ''
Ryan is also dealing with two political realities , said Nathan Gonzales , deputy editor of the Rothenberg Political Report .
`` He 's trying to appeal to several audiences , '' Gonzales said . `` There 's trying to get something done , but there 's also appealing to the party 's base . ''
Ryan 's counterpart in the other chamber , Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray , D-Washington , is expected to soon unveil a budget that will likely include an increase in taxes for wealthy Americans and businesses while cutting some spending as a way of addressing the deficit .
Some in the Republican base support the idea that nixing costs associated with Obamacare would help trim red ink .
Last year , the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation wrote that one such effort to repeal Obamacare `` would reduce direct spending by $ 890 billion and reduce revenues by $ 1 trillion between 2013 and 2022 , thus adding $ 109 billion to federal budget deficits over that period . ''
Still there are those who agree with Ryan and see Obamacare as part of the problem with the deficit .
`` Paul Ryan is suggesting , the budget committee 's suggesting what 's going to come before the House before the end of the month is yes , if you want to balance the budget within 10 years you 've got to take care of the health care expense , '' Rep. Jason Chaffetz , R-Utah , said Monday on CNN . `` And the problem with Obamacare is it 's making it more expensive . '' | WlsXHzSMdv9Tj6if | 0 | Federal Budget | 0.3 | Economy And Jobs | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
defense_and_security | New York Times (Opinion) | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/08/opinion/michael-flynn-trump-barr.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage | The Appalling Damage of Dropping the Michael Flynn Case | 2020-05-08 | Michael Flynn, Criminal Justice, Justice Department, Justice, Russia, Russia Investigation, White House, FBI, Defense And Security | Advertisement Supported by It embeds into official U.S. policy a shockingly extremist view of law enforcement as the enemy of the American people. By Neal K. Katyal and Joshua A. Geltzer The authors are law professors at Georgetown. Criminal law specialists and members of the law enforcement community are tough to really shock. But the Justice Department’s announcement that it would drop criminal charges against Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, has provoked, in addition to outrage, a sense of utter demoralization among them. They’ve never seen such a thing before. After all, Mr. Flynn twice pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. But it’s important to understand why all Americans should be not just shocked but outraged. It’s not just because Mr. Flynn won’t go to jail or offer any service toward justice. It’s because this move embeds into official U.S. policy an extremist view of law enforcement as the enemy of the American people. It’s a deception that Americans must see through — and that the federal judge overseeing Mr. Flynn’s case, Emmet Sullivan, can reject by examining the Justice Department’s rationale in open court and by allowing a future Justice Department to reconsider charges. In 2017, when he pleaded guilty, Mr. Flynn apologized to the judge for lying to investigators, saying, “I recognize that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong, and through my faith in God, I am working to set things right.” Advertisement Sure, sometimes people plead guilty to crimes they never committed, but those people usually lack resources or exposure to the legal system. That is not the case with Mr. Flynn, a retired general and former national security adviser to the president. So it seems crazy for the Justice Department to abandon criminal charges when the conviction based on them was all but signed, sealed and delivered. Justice is blind — except, it seems, when it comes to friends of President Trump like Mr. Flynn and Roger Stone. But it requires zooming out to see the real outrage. The Justice Department’s shift reflects a deeply mistaken view of American law enforcement. In this view, federal investigators and prosecutors are a deep threat to the American people. That’s the narrative about the handling of the Flynn case that began on far-right websites, then migrated to Fox News and has now — appallingly — been embraced by President Trump and his attorney general, Bill Barr. They’re all peddling the idea that Mr. Flynn was “set up” by the F.B.I. and the Justice Department. The capstone to this narrative was the Justice Department’s voluntary release last week of additional materials to Mr. Flynn’s lawyers. This was itself an unusual event: Judge Sullivan had already heard arguments from the prosecution and the defense about these issues and rejected Mr. Flynn’s claims. But suddenly, Mr. Barr’s Justice Department decided to hand over more. Even in those additional materials, there was, as they say, no there there: no smoking gun, no withheld exoneration. Advertisement That didn’t stop Mr. Flynn’s lawyers, pro-Trump media and Mr. Trump himself from expressing outrage at the documents’ contents — especially a few pages of F.B.I. notes written down before Mr. Flynn’s interview. Mr. Trump said his former adviser was “tormented” by “dirty, filthy cops at the top of the F.B.I.” But what the documents actually spoke to was the care taken by F.B.I. investigators in making sure they adopted an approach that even a Trump White House couldn’t see as “playing games” when they interviewed Mr. Flynn. The documents certainly didn’t offer exoneration: They didn’t change the fact that he’d lied or that he’d later admitted he’d lied. Yet, it gave Mr. Trump and his allies something they could claim was … enough. Enough to do what? Not just exonerate Mr. Flynn, but also — here’s the crucial part — condemn institutions: the F.B.I. and the Justice Department. And that’s just what they’ve done. Mr. Trump, Mr. Barr and those echoing them have used the Flynn case to make condemnation of federal law enforcement official U.S. government policy. Never mind that the arguments made in the Justice Department’s court filing on Thursday don’t pass the laugh test. Never mind that even Mr. Barr’s Justice Department surely doesn’t intend to apply the same principles to every other case or possibly any other case. Never mind any of that: The point, really, isn’t just to spring Mr. Flynn. It’s to impugn federal law enforcement. Here’s the tell. The Justice Department’s new position isn’t that Mr. Flynn didn’t lie — that couldn’t be its position, because he did lie, and he admitted in federal court that he lied. Instead, the new filing argues that it was wrong for the F.B.I. to interview him in the first place. Look carefully at who the villain becomes in that narrative: not Mr. Flynn for lying, but the F.B.I. for asking the questions to which he lied in response. Advertisement And there’s a second tell. If the goal was just to shield Mr. Flynn, Mr. Trump could simply have pardoned him. That would have been a regrettable abuse of the pardon power — but at least it would have left Mr. Trump owning the decision and would have spared the Justice Department of the patent, destructive corruption that its new filing represents. But that didn’t happen — because institutional destruction isn’t collateral damage for Mr. Trump. It’s the very goal. Fortunately, in our system, a prosecutor’s say-so is not enough to drop a prosecution; it requires the approval of the court. And while judges rarely interfere with such decisions, this is that rare case. Judge Sullivan, who still presides over Mr. Flynn’s case, has three important lines of inquiry available to him. First, he can examine why the highly regarded former prosecutor of Mr. Flynn withdrew from the case moments before the Justice Department’s astonishing filing. Last year, after the Supreme Court essentially held that the Trump administration had lied about the census and several Justice Department attorneys attempted to withdraw from the case, the presiding federal judge refused and began an inquiry into the attorneys’ withdrawal. A similar inquiry is appropriate here. Second, the judge can examine the department’s reasoning and inquire into whether it is legally sound, including through on-the-record hearings. And finally, the judge can reject the Justice Department’s request to drop the charges “with prejudice.” Granting the request would mean that no future Justice Department could rethink the matter and revive the charges. There’s no reason for the judge to grant that. If he doesn’t see any wrongdoing by earlier investigators and prosecutors — and he hasn’t so far — then he can allow the charges to be dropped without prejudice. That way, it’s possible that a future Justice Department could take another look. Presidents are not kings, and federal courts have a vital role to play in protecting our democracy. By carrying out these three lines of inquiry, the judge will be uncovering the truth and withholding his imprimatur from Mr. Trump’s and Mr. Barr’s appalling assault on American law enforcement. Neal K. Katyal (@neal_katyal), a former acting solicitor general of the United States and the author of “Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump,” and Joshua A. Geltzer (@jgeltzer), a former deputy legal adviser and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, are law professors at Georgetown. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. 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trade | Reason | http://reason.com/archives/2018/05/25/trumps-trade-war-with-china-is-based-on | Trump's Ignorant Trade War | 2018-05-25 | Trade, Donald Trump, Free Trade, Deficit | `` We 're putting the trade war on hold , '' Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced on Sunday . `` It 's about structural changes . It 's about lowering tariffs . China has committed to lower tariffs on many things and made structural changes to protect our technology . ''
Alas , that did n't settle the issue . Several hours later , U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer reaffirmed his belief that tariffs remained an important tool to `` protect our technology . '' Finally , on Wednesday , the president tweeted that `` Our Trade Deal with China is moving along nicely , but in the end we will probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to get done and to verify results after completion . ''
I am not sure what Trump means by `` a different structure . '' Nor am I sure what a new framework would require . And I 'm certainly not sure there 's any upside to trying to make sense of all these conflicting statements .
Did the Chinese commit to the reduction of their bilateral `` trade surplus '' with the U.S. ? Maybe . Are they committing to lowering their tariffs on American cars ? Probably . Will the Chinese agree to changes in rules on foreign investment and ownership in China ? Sounds like it . Will they stick to their commitments ? Maybe , maybe not .
Yet one thing is sure : To the extent that China reduces its tariffs on some U.S. products and , in turn , America holds back on imposing tariffs on Chinese products , American and Chinese consumers will be the true winners of these negotiations . But not in the way many people think .
Reduced American tariffs on imports from China are great for the American people . Some Chinese exporters will also gain , but the bulk of the benefits will be reaped by consumers in the U.S . The same goes for China : The gains from reducing their tariffs on American exports will accrue overwhelmingly to Chinese consumers .
Let 's suppose that the only way to truly satisfy the Trump administration 's protectionists , and hence to put a permanent end to the threat of a trade war , is for China to increase purchases of U.S. goods by an annual $ 200 billion in order to zero out the trade deficit . This is not a far-fetched assumption , since it was the ███ administration officials gave last week after the original announcement of the US-China detente .
That means they 'll probably be disappointed . The Chinese government can make all the promises it wants about lowering its tariffs on American products , thus increasing demands for US goods . But those promises do not come close to assuring a reduction of the bilateral trade deficit , despite the fact that a reduction of Chinese tariffs would certainly increase Chinese purchases of U.S. goods .
Bilateral trade imbalances are meaningless because trade is global , not bilateral . That 's why it 's called globalization .
Suppose that there are only three countries : the U.S. , China , and France . In 2018 , Americans buy $ 1 billion of steel from the Chinese ; the Chinese buy $ 1 billion of wine from France ; and the French buy $ 1 billion of lumber from America . Each country 's current account would be balanced—that is , it exports the same amount that it imports . But each country will still have a bilateral trade deficit with another country .
Now suppose that in 2019 China reduces some tariffs it has against exports from America . The Chinese then , in 2019 , buy $ 500 million of lumber from America . From where , we must ask , did China get this $ 500 million ? After all , dollars do n't fall from the sky , and Chinese people have to acquire them one way or another before they can spend them .
One possibility is that China has increased the amount of steel it sold to Americans that year to $ 1.5 billion . In that case , the Chinese would spend $ 500 million on American lumber and ( we may assume ) the remaining $ 1 billion of its export earnings , as in 2018 , on wine from France . The French , as in 2018 , spend $ 1 billion buying American lumber .
In the above hypothetical example , America 's bilateral trade deficit with China would remain in 2019 the same as it was in 2018— $ 1 billion—even though the Chinese bought more American exports .
Each country continues to have an overall current account that is technically `` balanced . '' We Americans in 2019 do export more lumber , but we also import more steel . The additional jobs created in the U.S. by the reduction of Chinese tariffs are offset by additional jobs destroyed : More Americans work in the lumber industry and fewer in the steel industry .
Things could play out many different ways if the Chinese were in fact going to buy more U.S. exports . We can find many scenarios in which America 's trade deficit with China falls on paper . Indeed , it 's even possible to describe realistic scenarios in which America 's trade deficit with China rises .
But it does n't matter . Bilateral trade deficits do n't have any economic relevance . The world is made of more than two countries , so it would be shocking , rather than normal , if each pair of countries has `` balanced '' trade . ( If you still are n't convinced , you may want to read this superb piece by Bob Higgs . ) It is also almost impossible to determine the particular factors that cause a bilateral trade deficit to change directions .
One last thought . While Trump and his protectionist acolytes spend a great deal of time talking about the trade deficit with China as evidence that some great corrective measures are needed , I wonder why he is silent about the many countries with which we have a trade surplus .
Does he think they should demand that we sell less to them in the name of their trade deficit with us ? Does he think the U.S. 's `` unfair behavior '' is the result of this trade surplus in our favor ? Or is this just more evidence that the president is making policy based on ignorance , ideology , and a refusal to reckon with facts ? | ca3637edd029baa8 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
arts_and_entertainment | Breitbart News | http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2017/04/19/report-fox-news-parting-with-bill-oreilly/ | O’Reilly Done at Fox News - Activist Left Gets Monster Scalp | 2017-04-19 | Arts And Entertainment | UPDATE: Fox News has officially cut ties with Bill O’Reilly. Through the network’s parent company 21st Century Fox, the Murdochs issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon: “After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel.”In another statement released on Wednesday, the network announced that the new primetime line-up will be Eric Bolling at 5pm; Martha MacCallum at 7pm; Tucker Carlson at O’Reilly’s old 8pm timeslot; The Five with co-hosts Kimberly Guilfoyle, Dana Perino, Bob Beckel, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watter, and Juan Williams at 9pm; and Sean Hannity will remain at 10pm.***The Murdoch family has reportedly decided to pull The O’Reilly Factor off air amid allegations of sexual harassment against prime-time host Bill O’Reilly, and will soon be officially announcing his departure, according to sources close to Gabriel Sherman in New York magazine.According to Sherman, the decision was primarily driven by Rupert Murdoch’s sons, James and Lachlan, after The New York Times reported earlier this month that $13 million has been paid out from either Fox News or O’Reilly to five women to settle their sexual harassment claims against the host in lieu of litigation, despite O’Reilly’s denying the veracity of their claims.Fox News executives are reportedly meeting on Wednesday to discuss how to contain any damage from an O’Reilly dismissal. O’Reilly, who is currently on vacation, has hosted the network’s most popular show — The O’Reilly Factor — since the network’s inception in 1996 and remains the country’s highest-rated cable news host.Sherman reports that “the board of Fox News’ parent company, 21st Century Fox, is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the matter.”Decisions are now being made as to whether O’Reilly will be allowed a final show to bid farewell to his audience. They are also discussing the terms of his release, with O’Reilly recently having signed a new long-term $20 million a year contract.Executives within the company are also discussing who will fill O’Reilly’s primetime 8 pm slot, with hosts such as Eric Bolling, Dana Perino, and Tucker Carlson currently under consideration.Over 90 companies dropped advertising on The O’Reilly Factor over the allegations, while a small group of feminist protesters gathered outside the Fox News headquarters in New York calling on the network to fire O’Reilly.Last year, Fox News’ longtime chairman Roger Ailes resigned over claims of sexual harassment against several female staff members, including former hosts Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly.You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com | 4df4cc0d6e3fad9e | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Washington Examiner | https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/michael-cohens-tape-of-trump-isnt-that-big-a-deal-yet | Michael Cohen's tape of Trump isn't that big a deal – yet | 2018-07-21 | Politics | Everyone is freaking out over a New York Times report that the FBI has secured an audio tape involving President Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, and Trump himself. But here’s the thing: This audio tape is not the disaster for Trump that some are presenting. According to the Times and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the tape records Trump and Cohen discussing payment to a woman, Karen McDougal, a model who says she had an affair with the Trump. Yet unless the recording shows that Trump authorized the payment with federal donations, there would appear to be no laws broken here. Indeed, Giuliani says that the president is recorded on the audiotape as telling Cohen to write a check to McDougal so as to ensure proper documentation for the payment. If that’s true and Giluliani’s contention that the payment to McDougal was never made is also true, then the president wouldn’t appear to have a major issue here. We won't sell or share your personal information to inform the ads you see. You may still see interest-based ads if your information is sold or shared by other companies or was sold or shared previously. Dismiss Opt out | c0e5c93918b76ef0 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
facts_and_fact_checking | NPR Online News | https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/21/860480756/scientists-warn-cdc-testing-data-could-create-misleading-picture-of-pandemic | Scientists Warn CDC Testing Data Could Create Misleading Picture Of Pandemic | 2020-05-21 | facts_and_fact_checking | Scientists Warn CDC Testing Data Could Create Misleading Picture Of Pandemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged that it is mixing the results of two different kinds of tests in the agency 's tally of testing for the coronavirus , raising concerns among some scientists that it could be creating an inaccurate picture of the state of the pandemic in the United States .
The CDC combines the results of genetic tests that spot people who are actively infected , mostly by using a process known as polymerase chain reaction , or PCR , with results from another , known as serology testing , which looks for antibodies in people 's blood . Antibody testing is used to identify people who were previously infected .
The CDC 's practice was first reported by Miami public radio station WLRN on Wednesday and was confirmed by the agency in a subsequent email to NPR .
Jennifer Nuzzo , an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , expressed concern that adding the two types of tests together could leave the impression that more testing of active cases had been conducted than was actually the case .
`` Reporting both serology and viral tests under the same category is not appropriate , as these two types of tests are very different and tell us different things , '' Nuzzo wrote in an email to NPR .
Serology tests do n't give real-time information about the number of new infections occurring . And combining the tests is problematic because it could leave governments and businesses with a false picture of the true scope of the pandemic , she says . That 's important because sufficient testing is considered crucial for keeping the epidemic under control , especially as the nation starts to relax social distancing measures , experts say .
`` Only [ PCR ] tests can tell us who is infected and should be counted as a case , '' Nuzzo wrote . `` The goal for tracking testing is to understand whether we are casting a wide enough net to identify cases and only viral tests can tell us that . ''
In addition , combining antibody testing with diagnostic testing could reduce the number of tests that appear to be producing positive results , lowering the overall `` positivity rate . '' That 's another important benchmark . The World Health Organization has recommended a positivity rate of 10 % or less as a signal of whether enough testing is taking place .
`` I suspect it will artificially lower the percent positive , '' wrote Caitlin Rivers , an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , in another email to NPR about the CDC testing data .
CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund wrote in an email to NPR that the `` majority of the data is PCR testing '' but acknowledged that the agency 's tally includes antibody testing because `` some states are including serology data '' in their testing numbers .
`` Those numbers still give us an idea of the burden of COVID-19 , '' Nordlund wrote .
She added , however : `` We hope to have the testing data broken down between PCR and serology testing in the coming weeks as well . ''
Several states have acknowledged in recent weeks that they are combining both types of testing , but at least one , Virginia , then reversed that practice after it became public .
The criticism over how testing results are being reported is the latest in a series of controversies related to testing for the new virus . Many public health experts have criticized the federal government for failing to ramp up testing quickly enough to track and control the epidemic .
The CDC obtains testing data from several sources , including state public health labs , commercial testing companies and hospitals . Officials have been working to develop standardized criteria to alleviate complaints about confusion about reporting requirements . | T5OKFHgZKiMOEUtN | 1 | Coronavirus | -0.4 | Public Health | -0.4 | CDC | -0.4 | Healthcare | -0.4 | Domestic Policy | 0 |
healthcare | Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-leaders-prepare-to-vote-friday-on-health-care-reform/2017/03/24/736f1cd6-1081-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_housevote715a%3Ahomepage/story&utm_term=.96ecde2b26ba | House leaders and President Trump press for ‘yes’ on health-care overhaul as some Republicans previously opposed start changing their minds | 2017-03-24 | Healthcare | clockThis article was published more than 7 years ago Republican leaders abruptly pulled their overhaul of the nation’s health-care system from the House floor on Friday, a dramatic defeat for President Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan that leaves a major campaign promise unfulfilled and casts doubt on the Republican Party’s ability to govern. The decision leaves President Barack Obama’s chief domestic achievement in place and raises questions about the GOP’s ability to advance other high-stakes priorities, including tax reform and infrastructure spending. Ryan (R-Wis.) remains without a signature accomplishment as speaker, and the defeat undermines Trump’s image as a skilled dealmaker willing to strike compromises to push his agenda forward. | d5b5383315ced116 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
culture | Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/03/26/charges-against-empire-actor-jussie-smollett-dropped-his-attorney-says/?utm_term=.7f110c0c80e4 | Prosecutors drop charges against Jussie Smollett, drawing strong rebuke from Chicago’s mayor and police | 2019-03-27 | Jussie Smollett, Culture | clockThis article was published more than 5 years ago Prosecutors in Cook County, Ill., dropped charges against Jussie Smollett on Tuesday, an astonishing reversal that came a month after the actor was arrested, charged with lying to police about a bigoted attack and pilloried by Chicago’s top police official on live television. Prosecutors announced their decision only 18 days after a grand jury had indicted Smollett on 16 felony counts. In dropping the charges, officials cited the actor’s history of volunteer work and the two days of community service he had performed since his arrest, as well as his agreement to forfeit his $10,000 bond to the city. | 4713ddca41a3f674 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
donald_trump | Josh Hammer | https://www.newsweek.com/has-trump-20-learned-trump-10-opinion-2016506 | Has Trump 2.0 Learned From Trump 1.0? | 2025-01-17 | Donald Trump, Inauguration, Fears, legislation, Executive Branch, Executive Powers, Federal State And Tribal Powers, Joe Biden | Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large and host, "The Josh Hammer Show" Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. It's hard to believe, but we're finally here. Four years after all the Sturm und Drang that followed Donald Trump's 2020 electoral loss to Joe Biden, the maestro of Mar-a-Lago is set to be inaugurated once more on Monday as president of the United States. And what an absolutely wild ride it has been. In the interim four years, Trump has completed nothing less than the single most remarkable comeback—political or otherwise—in American history. Trump has been prosecuted—four separate times, by three different prosecutors. He was "convicted" of a "crime"—the precise legal theory of which we actually still do not know—in a quintessential show trial in bright-blue New York City. One would-be assassin nicked his ear, coming within millimeters of murdering him on national television. A second would-be assassin was nearly able to fire a clear shot at him on his own Florida golf course. Two opposition party presidential candidates, working in tandem with an ever-supine propaganda media, tarred and feathered him as a historical threat to the Constitution—as a crypto-Nazi who, if once again given the reins of power, might really burn it all down. Yet the American people saw right through it all. Trump prevailed—and not exactly in a squeaker, either. Trump swept every single swing state, crushing Kamala Harris in the Electoral College tally and becoming the first Republican to win the national popular vote in two decades. Trump, as many have observed, earned a "mandate" from the American electorate. And now, with his sundry foes all vanquished, Trump is once again set to place his hand on the Bible and take that solemn oath of office. America has been spared four more years of a prolonged Biden/Harris-induced national nightmare. Hallelujah! But despite all the revelry in the nation's capital this Monday, it is important to be clear-eyed about the task ahead. In making history as the first man in over 130 years to earn a second nonconsecutive presidential term, Trump has been given an opportunity not merely to lead the nation he so clearly loves. He has also been given an opportunity—a four-year-long opportunity, as the case may be—to study and learn from what went wrong, or at least didn't exactly go as planned, the first time around. So: Has Trump 2.0 learned from Trump 1.0? And will this 47th presidential administration be an improvement over the (already quite good!) 45th presidential administration? Has Trump learned that he cannot squander the massive political capital that comes with winning a presidential election? Has he learned that, in the aftermath of such a tremendous victory and with a like-minded congressional majority in tow, now is the time to strike with an aggressive, full-throttle legislative agenda? More to the point: Has Trump learned to lead out of the gate on his most important and signature issue, immigration, rather than be sidetracked by such relative distractions as health care or tax cuts (as he was last time)? Has Trump finally learned to trust his own instincts over the questionable instincts of those who try to flatter him? In the aftermath of the destructive "1619 Riots" of 2020 and historically high crime in major urban corridors such as New York City and Los Angeles, has Trump finally abandoned once and for all the misguided pursuit of "criminal justice reform"—which, last time, took the form of the Kim Kardashian-peddled First Step Act jailbreak law? Will he finally prove to be the pro-"back the blue," pro-"law and order" stalwart he campaigned as back in 2016? Has Trump learned the indispensable imperative of having true loyalists in power up and down the entirety of the administrative state? Will he, unlike last time, be willing and able to fire each and every single subversive executive branch bureaucrat—no matter what any flawed regulation or erroneous court precedent says about a purported inability to do so? Will he be able to end the calamitous weaponization of the Department of Justice by any means necessary—and clean out the Augean stables at the fetid Federal Bureau of Investigation? Has Trump, especially in the aftermath of Justice Amy Coney Barrett's latest defection that permitted Trump's criminal "conviction" to proceed, learned the right lessons about how to pick Supreme Court justices who will be more like Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito—and less like Chief Justice John Roberts? Will Trump exclusively select jurists who have flawless judicial records, are genuine full-spectrum conservatives, demonstrate an eagerness to overrule bad precedent, and have a conservative spouse and attend a theologically conservative house of worship? These are just some of the questions I have about the new Trump presidency. I certainly hope the answer to each and every question is "yes." Godspeed to you, President Trump. Josh Hammer is Newsweek senior editor-at-large, host of "The Josh Hammer Show" and "America on Trial with Josh Hammer," a syndicated columnist, senior counsel for the Article III Project, a research fellow with the Edmund Burke Foundation, and author of the forthcoming book, Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West (Radius Book Group, March 2025). Subscribe here for "The Josh Hammer Report," a Newsweek newsletter, as well as Josh Hammer's Subtext text message group. X: @josh_hammer. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own. Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large and host, "The Josh Hammer Show" Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large and host, "The Josh Hammer Show" Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large and host, "The Josh Hammer Show" Newsletters in your inbox See all Company Editions: Contact Terms of Use © 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC | ef7527843482c80d | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
economy_and_jobs | Politico | http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/5-things-to-watch-obama-economy-speech-94656.html?hp=f1 | 5 things to watch in Obama?s economy speech | 2013-07-05 | economy_and_jobs | Expect the president to strike a positive tone about the rebound in house prices . | ███ Screen grab 5 things to watch in Obama 's economy speech
President Barack Obama on Wednesday delivers what the White House is billing as a major address on jobs and the economy — and Republicans are mocking as yet another “ pivot ” from a president struggling for traction .
Administration officials and Democrats close to the White House say they hope the speech will achieve three goals : reset the political conversation on a still-recovering economy , warn Republicans not to create a fresh crisis in the fall and help cement the president ’ s legacy as economic steward through turbulent and hyperpartisan times .
Whether he can accomplish any of this at Knox College in Illinois or in follow-up addresses planned through September depends on the substance of a speech Obama has previewed as “ pretty good. ” Here are ███ ’ s five things to watch .
How hard will he go after Republicans on the debt ceiling and government funding ?
One argument for why Obama is doing this speech now : He ’ s laying down an early marker as the sane voice ahead of potentially bruising fights over bills to fund the government after Oct. 1 and to raise the debt ceiling sometime in November or later .
White House officials have made clear Obama won ’ t go deep in the weeds on these issues by using Washington words like “ sequester ” or issuing sharp ultimatums to the GOP .
Every time Obama takes to the road to chide Republicans , particularly in the House , he winds up only further stoking their antipathy toward him , making final deals harder . House Speaker John Boehner this week said Obama should not “ give another speech ” but instead sit down and talk .
But the president wants to make it clear to the broader public ahead of the fall fights that the ground has shifted — and 2013 is not 2009 .
Annual deficits are half what they were four years ago and are still shrinking after spending cuts and tax hikes . So expect the president to argue that we should not shut down the government or threaten default just to make more big cuts . That ’ s what many economists are looking for , rather than any new proposals to boost growth .
“ I don ’ t think any policies he might talk about would make any big difference , ” said Nigel Gault , co-chief economist at the Parthenon Group . “ I think this is much more part of setting up the debate over fiscal policy in the fall and making sure we don ’ t have another crisis . ”
Any speech the president gives about this frustrating economy runs the risk of sounding like cheerleading a recovery that most average Americans are barely feeling .
Expect the president to strike a positive tone about the rebound in house prices and the stock market while acknowledging that for the middle class , real wages continue to stagnate and good jobs remain hard to find .
This administration has been plagued before by seeming to declare victory on the economy too soon , notably with then-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner ’ s 2010 New York Times op-ed headlined “ Welcome to the Recovery. ” That year also saw the White House launch a “ Recovery Summer ” tour that was quickly followed by a return to anemic growth . In the summer of 2011 , a debt ceiling disaster led to the first-ever credit rating downgrade in the history of the United States .
Obama will also be speaking as economic data continue to come in decidedly mixed and market analysts are predicting second-quarter growth of less than 1 percent . So how will Obama manage to take some credit for an economy that is at least growing and adding a couple hundred thousands jobs a month without alienating those still struggling ?
“ The American people have been through a very traumatic experience , ” said Bill Galston , a Brookings Institution scholar . “ They are in a very defensive crouch , and it will be very hard for the president to talk them out of it . ”
Republicans argue that all Obama can do is talk and that his speech will amount to nothing . “ I say to the president , ‘ You know what ? Actions speak louder than words , ’ ” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor ( R-Va. ) said this week . | 0z0ft2is3Fgj1BTy | 0 | Economy And Jobs | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
economy_and_jobs | Fox Online News | http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/06/02/nancy-pelosi-downplays-positive-jobs-report-strong-employment-numbers-mean-little | Pelosi Downplays Positive Jobs Report: 'Strong Employment Numbers Mean Little' | 2018-06-02 | Economy And Jobs, Jobs Report, Nancy Pelosi | Despite fears of a global trade war , U.S. unemployment numbers hit an 18-year low in May .
Businesses added 223,000 jobs in May , up from 159,000 in April , driving the unemployment rate to 3.8 percent .
For women , unemployment fell to 3.6 percent , the lowest since 1953 . For black Americans , it hit a record low of 5.9 percent .
Luntz : Pelosi Is So Unpopular , GOP Could Keep House Majority in Midterms
Pelosi Challenged on Infamous 'Crumbs ' Remark , Collusion Evidence at Town Hall
“ May ’ s jobs report shows that strong employment numbers mean little to the families hit with soaring new costs under the Republicans ’ watch , ” the House Minority Leader wrote in a statement on Friday .
Pelosi argued that Republicans ' `` cruel , cynical health care sabotage campaign '' is spiking families ’ premiums by double digits and the `` GOP tax scam '' is enriching Big Pharma executives and shareholders instead of lowering prescription drug costs for seniors and sick children .
“ Democrats know that the American people deserve A Better Deal , with Better Jobs , Better Wages and a Better Future . We are committed to creating millions of new good-paying jobs and raising wages , lowering the soaring cost of living for families and giving every American the tools to succeed in the 21st Century economy , ” Pelosi wrote . “ Democrats will never stop fighting for the hard-working middle class families who are the backbone of our nation . ”
On `` Fox & Friends , '' Stuart Varney said Pelosi 's downplaying of the positive unemployment numbers is a sign of desperation .
`` The Democrats do not have a growth plan . They do n't have one . So they have to criticize the president 's growth plan because it is working , '' Varney said .
Wallace Presses Dem Rep : 'Is Nancy Pelosi a Liability for Democrats ? '
ICE Director Fires Back at Nancy Pelosi : 'How Dare You ' Call ICE Agents 'Cowardly ' | 90ebfd1b7bb5cb60 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
criminal_justice | Christian Science Monitor | http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2015/1228/In-the-United-States-anxiety-is-up-but-crime-is-down | In the United States, anxiety is up, but crime is down | 2015-12-28 | criminal_justice | Earlier this month , when New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told fellow officers that 2015 will end up being the safest year ever in New York City history , he paused to note that it was also “ a year of great contradictions . ”
Despite the fact that the nation ’ s largest city is still experiencing historic drops in crime , Commissioner Bratton ’ s tone was somber : Four police officers had died in the line of duty since this time last year , making the latest crime statistics ring somewhat hollow in a “ terrible ” year for the NYPD .
And such is the mood across the nation , in many ways . A study at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University found that overall crime was still declining throughout the United States a bit in 2015 . Felony crime declined 1.5 percent nationwide , and dropped by roughly 2 percent in New York . But the highly visible violence of the past year – such as mass shootings in San Bernardino , Calif. ; Roseburg , Ore ; and Charleston , S.C. – as well as a slight uptick in the number of murders , has contributed to the feeling of great contradictions when it comes to crime .
Indeed , 7 in 10 Americans said they believed there was more crime in the US this year than last , according to a Gallup poll in October , up from 2014 . That ’ s despite the fact that the nation ’ s crime rates have plummeted over the past two decades . But as the polling center noted about its annual survey , “ Americans ' perceptions of crime … are not always on par with reality . ”
“ The public 's perception of media coverage certainly gives a skewed image of what 's going on with crime , ” said Matthew Freidman , an economist with the Brennan Center in New York and coauthor of the study , to NPR last week . “ What we find is that though we 've seen a nearly three-decades-long decline in crime rates , public perception does not match that . ”
The rise of social media and the 24-hour digital news cycle , as well as the high-profile nature of some of the deaths , may play into that .
For example , last December , two NYPD officers were gunned down in their patrol cars – randomly targeted by a man who said he wanted revenge for the shootings of black men . A sheriff ’ s deputy in Texas was shot at a gas station in August , and many police officers say they have felt under siege over the past year . However , there were 39 officers shot and killed so far in 2015 – a drop from 2014 , when 47 were shot and killed , according to the Officer Down Memorial Page .
At the same , concerns about the number of people shot by police or who died in custody continues to create a climate of tension throughout the country . From the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore to the shooting of a black teen and the accidental killing of a black mother and activist in Chicago over the weekend , it has been a year in which violence has drawn much of the nation ’ s attention .
It is true that many cities saw a rise in the number of murders this year . In New York , there were 339 as of Christmas Day – slightly more than last year ’ s all-time low of 333 , but still well below the 536 murders recorded in 2010 .
However , Los Angeles , Chicago , and Houston are each projected to see double-digit increases in their murder rates this year . In Baltimore , Milwaukee , and St. Louis , rates have reached levels not seen since the 1990s , studies have found .
But scholars point out that despite such spikes this year , such statistics do not yet indicate a reversal in the dramatic drop in violence in the US over the past few decades , and can be attributed to normal variations in annual numbers . The overall crime rate is still half what it was in 1990 , and nearly a quarter of what it was in 2000 .
“ The increase in the murder rate is insufficient to drive up the crime rate , and using murder as a proxy for crime overall is mistaken , ” the Brennan study notes . “ It is important to remember just how much crime has fallen in the last 25 years . ”
But tensions remain high , fueled in part by the terror attacks in San Bernardino and Paris . Some 40 percent of Americans say that they believe the terrorists are winning – more than at any time after 9/11 – according to a CNN/ORC poll released Monday .
With the rise of the Black Lives Matter protest movement calling for an end to policing policies that activists say unfairly target minorities , many continue to perceive a “ year of great contradictions. ” Since last year , some high-profile deaths of black men and some women at police hands have prompted continued clashes and a feeling of unease within the nation ’ s law enforcement systems and the communities they serve .
In Chicago , police shot and killed two black people over the holiday weekend , including a 55-year-old mother of five and antiviolence activist who was accidentally killed after officers responded to a domestic disturbance by an emotionally disturbed college student .
The shootings come just a month after the Justice Department began an investigation of the Chicago Police Department after the release of a video showing the shooting death of a black teen last year . The video led to murder charges for the white police officer who shot the teen and the resignation of the city ’ s police commissioner .
By contrast , on Monday , a grand jury in Cleveland declined to bring charges against either of the two officers involved in the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice , who was playing with an Airsoft gun in a park at the time he was shot .
In New York , like the rest of the country , many report a growing sense of anxiety about crime and policing . But in the past five years , crime continued to fall , even as police have made dramatically fewer arrests .
New York City police arrested about 333,000 people through Dec. 20 , The New York Times reported , down 13 percent from the 385,000 arrested last year . And these numbers are way down from the 423,000 arrests made in 2010 .
So despite the fact that 2015 has been in many ways a rough and contradictory year , police officials are optimistic as both overall crime and the number of arrests continue to fall .
“ This is going to be , potentially , a very significant year in terms of the history of index crime in New York City , ” Dermot Shea , deputy commissioner of operations for the NYPD , told the Times . | tWEIyRC49uLlLBRo | 1 | Crime | -0.6 | Criminal Justice | 0.5 | Justice | 0.5 | null | null | null | null |
elections | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/2016/08/06/488966647/some-bernie-sanders-supporters-finding-a-new-home-within-the-green-party | Some Bernie Sanders Supporters Finding A New Home Within The Green Party | 2016-08-06 | elections | Some Bernie Sanders Supporters Finding A New Home Within The Green Party
At the Green Party national convention in Houston , Bernie Sanders may have been mentioned more often so far than the party 's own presumptive nominee , Dr. Jill Stein .
The progressive third party has a rare opportunity to expand its reach by picking off disaffected supporters of the Vermont senator . The group had planned to have about 250 people at its quadrennial gathering , but organizers said in the past few weeks interest exploded and that now more than 500 people are expected .
An opening reception Thursday evening featured a speech from Yahne Ndgo , a vocal `` Bernie or Bust '' supporter who has now found a home in the Green Party . She said the Democratic National Committee rigged the Democratic primary in favor of Hillary Clinton .
`` Are you going to try and go inside there and reform this party that has demonstrated in every way , with every opportunity , that they really do not give a flying f * * * about one thing that you care about ? '' Ndgo said to rousing applause . `` Or are you going to open up your mind to the possibility that there is something in place , a national organization that 's already in place that actually wants to hear from and represent your needs , your interests and your leadership ? To me , it 's not a hard decision . ''
Margaret Flowers , who 's running on the Green Party line for Senate in Maryland , said the primary purpose of the weekend was to officially nominate Stein and her running mate , Ajamu Baraka , Saturday afternoon . But she acknowledged at a press conference Thursday that the gathering was also a chance for disaffected Sanders supporters to hopefully find a new home .
`` It 's an opportunity for Greens to be together and for new people to learn about the Green Party and our values , '' Flowers said . `` I think the new people will find the GNC is very different from the RNC or the DNC . We 're real people . We 're people who really care . ''
Andrea Mérida Cuéllar , one of the party 's national co-chairs , said the current election was `` unprecedented '' and that the `` shenanigans '' in Philadelphia at the Democratic National Convention had sparked new interest in their decades-old party .
`` It is ever more crucial for us as a third-party entity , for us as a Green Party , to prepare ourselves and present a home for those people who have said enough is enough , '' she said .
It is ever more crucial for us as a third-party entity , for us as a Green Party , to prepare ourselves and present a home for those people who have said enough is enough .
`` We 're very excited by this challenge , we welcome folks , like-minded who really see what has happened , the disaster of politics at the RNC and DNC . We open our arms and we 're ready to get to work and further that 'political revolution , ' if I can appropriate that phrase , '' Cuéllar continued , in a nod to Sanders ' rallying cry throughout his campaign .
Vanessa Tijerina said she was inspired by Sanders to get involved in politics . But when it became evident to her that the presidential hopeful was n't getting a fair shake in the Democratic primary , she decided to run for office herself for an open congressional seat in the Texas Rio Grande Valley . She 's had her mourning period over Sanders , but says she 's re-energized by her newly adopted party and Stein as her new candidate .
`` I stood by [ Sanders ] and I understood that on that fateful day during the DNC , that eventually we were going to find out where the movement was going to go . I had already accepted that Bernie had decided not to follow everybody else , '' Tijerina said . `` That 's the thing — we just go with the movement . The movement is not a person . I thank Bernie for opening up my eyes . Were it not for Bernie , were it not for his rhetoric for his efforts — he inspired me to run for office . ''
Suzanne Simmonds , from Houston and another former Sanders backer , said Stein had helped fill the void for her after Sanders withdrew and endorsed Clinton .
`` I miss him so much , and I 'm very thankful that Jill is able to come into the fold and take all these people that worked so hard for Bernie , to take them under her wing , and that now we have somebody else to support other than the capitalist and the fascist , '' she said .
Simmonds said she would have previously considered herself a Democrat and did vote for President Obama twice . But no one had ever inspired her to get active in a political campaign until Sanders .
Bernie 's the one that got me into this race ... I 'm going to continue this revolution without him . Thank you for igniting us , but it 's time to stand down and let us continue this .
`` I had never felt this strongly about a candidate before in my life before , I 'd never donated money before , '' she said . `` I think a lot of us are brokenhearted , but the fact that we have Jill gives a lot of us hope , that maybe we can change things . That a protest vote will count , and maybe we can get some of her candidates elected locally .
Ed Higgins led a `` DC to DNC '' march with 25 people last week — walking the 140 miles from the nation 's capital to Philadelphia over nine days to protest Clinton 's nomination .
`` I 'm always going to be Bernie . Bernie 's the one that got me into this race . What I believe is that the Democratic Party is run by corporate terrorists , '' Higgins , who considers himself a political independent , said . `` So we are supporting a Green Party because they actually are inclusive of everything that we believe in .
Higgins said he 's found the Green Party welcoming as well , and that what Sanders began , he and others are committed to finishing .
`` I 'm going to continue this revolution without him . Thank you for igniting us , but it 's time to stand down and let us continue this , '' he said . `` Bernie wanted a political revolution — we want an actual revolution . What does that mean ? It means no bullet will be fired , no bomb will be dropped , but we will take back our country because our movement is that strong . ''
Carlos Martinez of Houston started the `` Viva Bernie '' Facebook community and said his most of his 71,000 followers wanted to continue with Stein the `` revolution '' that Sanders started .
`` You 're always disappointed when you support something and it does n't go your way , especially when you have an option like Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton , who are both atrocious candidates , '' Martinez said .
Now he 'll be working online and through social media to `` mobilize the masses '' for Stein `` in a much faster , quicker , compressed way because our time is short . ''
But it 's still a tough climb for the Green Party to make in just a few months . In order to get into the debates this fall , Stein has to reach 15 percent in national polls . An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released this week showed her at 5 percent . That same survey showed that Clinton has shored up support from 86 percent of former Sanders supporters . | 9GB9Sv9Q4JBhNA2Y | 1 | Green Party | 2.8 | Jill Stein | 1.7 | Bernie Sanders | 0.8 | Presidential Elections | 0 | Elections | 0 |
politics | Guest Writer - Right | https://spectator.org/hush-money-and-impeachment/ | OPINION: Hush Money and Impeachment | politics | I have written before on the matter of President Trump and the pole dancer with the two implants . The matter is not his proudest life achievement , and what has transpired offers a potent life lesson for all . From all accounts , Mr. Trump has a very wonderful wife who regularly has stood by him publicly over the years through thick and thin , is profoundly intelligent and exceptionally accomplished both in language mastery and in corporate enterprises , has a pleasant appearance , seems to do well with her stepchildren , and has borne him one of her own , a fine young fellow . To the degree that the matter of the pole dancer with the two implants now has become an obstruction in Mr. Trump ’ s life and yet one more excuse by which cynically dishonest and hypocritical Democrats can try subverting his excellent Presidential agenda , it is a shame . Plenty of shame to go around on this one .
Let us be clear , though , on what the Left media do not report or explain . By all accounts , Donald J. Trump , notwithstanding his eccentricities and thin skin when attacked even by utter nonentities beneath his station , took a turn in his life as he got serious about running for President . He found , perhaps to his surprise , that his strongest support comes from Christians , devout Catholics , and Orthodox Jews , that his conservative policy positions and traditional legislative goals indeed resonate with the religious . He has connected with serious Christian pastors , and he has been warmly received by mainstream normative Orthodox rabbis . In time , he has come to address Liberty College , still finding his footing when quoting the Bible ( “ Two Corinthians ” versus “ Second Corinthians ” ) , has become a great defender of prayer and freedom of the pulpit , and a defender of religious freedom in general .
By all accounts , the matter surrounding the pole dancer and the implants is not comparable on any level to what Americans have had to experience with comparatively recent Presidential candidates like Gary Hart , Ted Kennedy , and John Edwards , or President Bill Clinton who actually have used Presidential runs , or their possibilities , or the ascent to such office as leverage to get playmates when the wife is not watching .
Leaving aside Clinton ’ s Arkansas-days shenanigans with Gennifer Flowers , Paula Jones , and the rape of Juanita Broaddrick , he later abused and harassed Kathleen Willey when he became President . And two other words need no elaboration , not even an inserted hyperlink to Wikipedia : “ Monica Lewinsky. ” For Gary Hart — Donna Rice . For John Edwards — Rielle Hunter nee Lisa Jo Druck and baby . For Ted Kennedy — Chappaquiddick . By contrast , from the moment he began running for Presidential office , Donald Trump has had one woman in his life , Melania . On this issue of personal character , he clearly got responsible and became serious .
Yes , there have been the tweets and the maddening verbal broadsides — insults back and forth , whether with one or another accuser from the past , a painfully shameful audio recording in a trailer , and the like . The American people weighed so much of that amply reported information when they cast their votes in November 2016 for their President . They had an alternative , Hillary Clinton , and they elected Trump . Indeed , so many more Caucasian women voted for Trump than for Hillary that her surrogates and she have spent the past two years denigrating them . As she put it : “ I ’ m talking principally about white women — they [ were ] under tremendous pressure from fathers and husbands and boyfriends . ”
Hush Money for Peccadilloes Simply Is Not a Campaign Finance Matter
The payment of “ hush money ” to shut a woman up is sordid . The very need for “ hush money ” implies a predicate sordid deed . For those among the electorate who do not know millionaires and billionaires , “ hush money ” seems foreign indeed . It costs a bunch of cash to buy someone ’ s silence . But among those who are perhaps too rich for their own good , it is part of the cost of their doing business in circles where they believe themselves above all others , invincible , invulnerable , and beyond reproach .
The New York Times reported that actress and director Asia Argento , fittingly a leading voice in the # MeToo movement , is accused of paying $ 380,000 hush money to one Jimmy Bennett , who claims she sexually assaulted him in a hotel room when he was 17 . That buys a lot of hush . The Chicago Tribune describes a Congressional Hush Money Fund to protect our paid legislators — your tax dollars at work . At least $ 17 million was spent to shut the mouths of those whose mouths politically needed to be shut . Rep. John Conyers paid hush money from a separate fund to keep his lady friends immersed in hush . CBS paid more than $ 5 million in hush money over twenty years to a woman who accused 60 Minutes producer Don Hewitt ( pronounced : You it ! ) . Charlie Sheen , the former NBC star , paid millions in hush money after engaging in more peccadilloes than , say , two and a half men . MSNBC paid hush money to protect Hardball Chris Matthews when , on an occasion separate from the time a thrill ran up his leg , he was accused . MSNBC also issued a formal reprimand . Fox News paid hush money for years to people who proffered allegations against Bill O ’ Reilly .
The payment of hush money by celebrities , sports stars , and multi-millionaires and billionaires has nothing to do with election campaign donations . It is about keeping secrets from a wife or husband who otherwise would walk out of a marriage if he or she found out . Or it aims to keep the publicity away from the children because the kinds of people who have the wherewithal to pay hush money for peccadilloes are the kinds whose scandals will hit the media circuit . Celebrities in more wholesome American times did not want the public to know they cavorted disgracefully because they feared losing their movie followings and careers . A Los Angeles Laker basketball player had to buy his wife a rare $ 4 million eight-carat purple-diamond ring after news emerged that he had cheated on her in an Edwards , Colorado hotel room ; a few years after the ring lost its glitter , she filed for divorce anyway . Donald Sterling , another Los Angeles basketball legend , gave one of his girlfriends $ 500,000 in luxury cars and a $ 1.8 million home ; when his wife found out , she sued to regain her half of it in community-property California . The Rev . Jesse Jackson ’ s Operation PUSH/Rainbow Coalition paid money to Karin Stanford after she had his baby ; payments included $ 15,000 to move and $ 21,000 for consulting services , but they rescinded another promised $ 40,000 in contracting work when the affair became known .
It is beyond absurd to suggest that any hush money paid to the pole dancer with the implants by Michael Cohen , Trump ’ s former attorney from his pre-Presidential years , was intended as a campaign expenditure . It plainly was to guard Trump ’ s innocent wife from embarrassment , protect his marriage , spare his children from seeing a sordid report in the news about a side of their Dad that they already had to know or suspect . Alas , in the heightened cynical age in which this unfolds , Democrats are primed to leverage their new House majority to search for impeachable offenses in all this . It is that absurd .
Who Will Call the Democrats Bluff and Dare Them Finally to Put Up or Hush Up on Impeachment ?
At some point , sooner or later , perhaps Trump supporters will come to root for impeachment proceedings finally to begin . Impeach 45 ? Bring it on !
Impeachments of American presidents never really are about high crimes or misdemeanors . ( U.S. Const . Art . II , § 4 . ) Rather , they are political theater . When the Republican Abraham Lincoln was murdered after emancipating African American slaves , he was succeeded by Democrat Andrew Johnson , the Southerner from eastern Tennessee whom Lincoln had named as his running mate to balance his ticket . The northern Republicans who dominated the Congress as the Civil War ended were determined to remove Johnson , and they easily had the votes in the House to impeach . They needed two-thirds in the Senate to convict , and they fell one vote short ( 35-19 ) when Edmund G. Ross of Kansas voted his conscience , as did nine other Republicans . President Johnson had fired his Secretary of War , Edwin McMasters Stanton , and subsequent legislation and United States Supreme Court jurisprudence strongly tend to uphold a President ’ s authority to remove cabinet officials and others without Congressional approval . See , e.g. , Myers v. United States , 272 U.S. 52 ( 1926 ) . A similar impeachment effort against President Clinton in December 1998 , again politically motivated and somewhat botched , generated mixed political results . His name was sullied and his reputation , like Ms. Lewinsky ’ s dress , was stained , but he emerged politically whole and a prized Democrat star for another two decades even though he never received 50 percent of the vote in either of his two Presidential races . On the other hand , the Clinton scandals may have helped elect George W. Bush President in 2000 , as Al Gore avoided having Clinton help campaign for him , and Bush was seen as more morally fit to lead the nation .
If the Democrats ever truly proceed with bills of impeachment aimed at President Trump , whether based on hush money payments that predate Mr. Trump ’ s presidency or on his pre-Presidential entrepreneurial interest in building a Trump hotel in Moscow or on his proper wielding of his executive authority to fire James Comey , a leaking political partisan who really needed to be removed from a compromised Federal Bureau of Investigation , they presumably will have the votes to send the allegations to the Senate . We know from the impeachments of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton that it does not matter a whit whether it is a high crime or misdemeanor for a President to fire a Secretary of War or to lie about his secret rendezvous with a woman about whom his wife is not supposed to know . Rather , Presidential impeachment is pure Swamp Politics , bought and paid for with our tax dollars . The United States Senate never will come even close to mustering the required two-thirds vote to convict President Trump for any actions pre-dating his election , and they probably would not dare convict for anything he has done or will do since his election either , unless it truly and unequivocally constitutes a bona fide high crime or misdemeanor .
Not one single Democrat Senator voted to convict President Clinton , and no Republican Senator will vote to convict Mr. Trump . The two Republican Senate “ Never Trumpers ” — Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Flake of Arizona — will be long gone , and any Republican Senator who would vote for conviction would follow . The more radical Democrats — Spartacus , Bernie , Pocahontas , and Company — would play politics for their bases and vote to convict . However , other Senate Democrats like Doug Jones of Alabama , who faces a brutal reelection campaign in 2020 when Mr. Trump will be heading the national Republican ticket and Roy Moore will not be the Republicans ’ Alabama Senate nominee , probably will vote with the Republicans and for Mr. Trump in the same way that Joe Manchin saw the light momentarily and broke Democrat ranks to hold his West Virginia Senate seat by voting to confirm the Hon . Brett M. Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court . In the end , suburban Caucasian swing voters will be left wondering why they gave the Democrats the House in 2018 , only to see promises about focusing on fixing health care and immigration get diverted so that the Democrats ’ increasingly radical Left base could realize their pointless and ultimately fizzled impeachment aspirations .
Perhaps the better hush money will be allocated to silencing those bombastic Democrats endlessly trying to find in every day ’ s news an excuse to threaten impeachment . In time , the inevitable House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may well be cooing behind closed doors to her sister California House Democrat , paraphrasing the title of a film about two insane women : Hush , hush , sweet Maxine . | Z557UnyqF7XUDgeL | 2 | Impeachment | -0.8 | Politics | -0.4 | null | null | null | null | null | null | |
white_house | Christian Science Monitor | http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2017/0221/How-Trump-can-end-his-intel-wars | How Trump can end his intel wars | 2017-02-21 | white_house | Lt. Gen. H.R . McMaster in some ways symbolizes the very changes that President Trump needs to make to right his tempestuous relationship with the United States intelligence community .
General McMaster , Mr. Trump ’ s pick to be national security adviser , does not hail from an intelligence background . But he has a reputation as a man who has no qualms about speaking truth to power and is seen as a facts-based thinker who is not driven by ideology nearly as much as the man he replaces , retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn .
The sense in the intelligence community , experts say , is that the president disparages the purveyors of information he doesn ’ t like . His dismissal of the 17 agencies that make up the nation ’ s intelligence community has been repeated and very public .
McMaster ’ s appointment could send a reassuring signal to the intelligence community . But going forward , much still relies on Trump himself .
He does not need to be an inside-the-Beltway wonk . At one point , President Reagan read only two daily intel briefings in a year . But Trump does need to give the impression that his team is using and valuing the intelligence that agencies provide . And he needs to stop openly disparaging them . Otherwise , the rift could widen , amplifying animosity between the president and the very people tasked with sniffing out threats to the American people .
“ If it ’ s [ Defense Secretary Gen. James ] Mattis or the national security adviser getting the intelligence and the briefs , that ’ s OK , it doesn ’ t have to be the president every day , ” says Ellen Laipson , a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington and a former vice chairwoman of the National Intelligence Council . “ But there does have to be a willingness on the part of the intelligence community ’ s No . 1 customer to receive information and digest it . ”
“ It ’ s worrisome if you trust cable news more than intelligence , or if … the president has an aversion to receiving information that doesn ’ t fit into his preconceived notions of how the world works . ”
Trump is not the first president to put the nation ’ s intelligence officers on a less-than-high pedestal .
John Kennedy was skeptical of the Central Intelligence Agency ’ s rosy assessment of prospects for what would become the Bay of Pigs fiasco .
Richard Nixon once privately quipped to James Schlesinger that CIA headquarters was 40,000 mostly Ivy Leaguers who did little more than read newspapers all day . When Schlesinger became Nixon 's CIA chief , he cut 10 percent of the staff within three months .
But Trump ’ s criticism has been far more public , beginning during his presidential campaign . The rocky relations came to a head over intelligence laying out Russia ’ s efforts to influence the elections . The Trump transition team dismissed the findings – saying that the agencies reaching this conclusion “ are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction . ”
Things got worse in the wake of Flynn ’ s pre-inauguration telephone contacts with the Russian ambassador to the US . The information was gleaned from Federal Bureau of Investigation wiretapping and led to Flynn ’ s resignation .
“ When the intelligence folks briefed the White House on Flynn , you can imagine [ the president ] was so upset the conclusion was , ‘ These folks are after us , ’ ” says Lawrence Korb , a former assistant secretary of Defense who is now a senior adviser at the Center for American Progress in Washington .
Trump ’ s response was to attack the intelligence community , claiming that it was responsible for information leaks that have beset his first month in office . When Trump received a group of his earliest congressional supporters at the White House earlier this month , the alleged intelligence community leaks were the main topic , attendees said .
A course of retribution is problematic . For one , he might be scapegoating the wrong people – history suggests that most intelligence leaks don ’ t come from the intelligence community , experts say .
“ I have a friend who likes to say , ‘ The ship of state is a curious vessel – it leaks from the top , ’ ” says Loch Johnson , a national expert in strategic intelligence at the University of Georgia in Athens . “ The information might be coming from someone in the White House , but generally speaking we know that leaks like this tend to come from high officials . ”
Moreover , distrusting intelligence sets a dangerous precedent . First , it gets the vast majority of the intelligence community wrong .
“ For all these people , including the assets overseas who are taking their lives into their own hands for this work , you can start to reconsider your purpose if the sense is that the president of the United States doesn ’ t seem to value what you ’ re doing , ” says Professor Johnson . “ It punctures the entire intelligence balloon around the world . ”
“ The emerging pattern is one of attacking the information provider because the information wasn ’ t what they [ in the White House ] wanted to hear , or because they judged it to be biased , ” says Ms. Laipson . “ The danger is that at some point you miss the opportunity to avert a crisis because things don ’ t shake out according to your notion , but along the lines of the information you dismissed . ”
Some analysts put hope in the fact that key members of Trump ’ s inner circle have jettisoned the broad and negative generalizations about the intelligence community . And before taking office , Trump spelled out several ideas for streamlining the vast intelligence bureaucracy that some experts found potentially positive .
The concern is that those efforts could be diverted into a vendetta .
In part as a result of the Flynn scandal , Trump has ordered a broad review of the nation ’ s intelligence apparatus , naming a longtime acquaintance , billionaire hedge fund founder Stephen Feinberg , to lead the review .
The periodic review of intelligence activities can be “ useful , ” says Johnson , who served on the Aspin-Brown Commission , which looked at intelligence reform in the post-cold war years .
But he questions the choice of Mr. Feinberg , someone completely on the outside of the intelligence sphere . And others say the Trump administration would be well-served by dropping the distraction of determining who leaked what and focusing instead on reform , such as the possible scaling back of the office of the director of national intelligence , which oversees the 17-agency intelligence community .
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But others worry that Trump won ’ t change how he behaves , leading the relationship to deteriorate further .
“ My concern is how the president will take it when these guys come in some day with information , maybe information he doesn ’ t want to hear , on what they see happening in Mosul or North Korea or Iran , ” says Mr. Korb . “ Does he accept it and take it into account in his decisionmaking , or is he going to say , ‘ I ’ m going by what I think , I don ’ t trust you guys anyway , you guys have been after me since I came in . ’ ” | lnBK6fAjmdic2xIN | 1 | White House | -0.7 | US Intelligence | -0.6 | Politics | 0 | null | null | null | null |
elections | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/11/horowitz-why-nice-guys-finish-last/ | OPINION: Why nice guys finish last in politics | 2014-09-11 | elections | Republicans are going to dominate the midterm elections , but it would be a foolish gamble to count on them to win the 2016 presidential contest . Why is that ? Democrats are now a party of the left ( no more John Kennedys , no more Joe Liebermans ) . That means they are driven by ideology and not the pragmatic outlook that used to be the two-party norm .
Ideology soon disconnects you from reality , which is why Democrats will lose in November — that ’ s the downswing . During the upswing , though , ideological passion provides a sense of mission and hope that can win over gullible majorities .
In 2008 , when Barack Obama promised to turn back the tides and fundamentally transform America , he took enough of the American people with him to become the 44th president of the United States . It was a baseless , deceptive , empty-headed hope that made him seem the answer to so many unfounded prayers . Mr. Obama was a lifelong anti-American radical and a world-class liar . He was not going to lead Americans into a post-racial bipartisan future as he promised . It has taken years for a majority of the American people to realize that .
Republicans will win the midterms because six years of radical policies have brought this country low — the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression ; the worst unemployment and greatest expansion of people on the dole ; an ongoing disaster to the health care system ; the destruction of America ’ s borders ; and a global power vacuum deliberately created by a leftist commander in chief , which has been filled by the greatest threat to American security since the onset of the Cold War .
Accordingly , in this election cycle the American people are fed up , and they ’ re going to turn out the party responsible . That is just this round , though , and there are two years until the next one — a lifetime , politically speaking . Mr. Obama is not an aberration , but a culmination of what has been happening to the Democratic Party during the last four decades . If Mr. Obama is prepared to lie to conceal his real agenda , so is the leadership of the Democratic Party . Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts , a longtime advocate for America ’ s retreat , has suddenly emerged as a hawk on the Islamic State , as has Hillary Clinton , who presided over America ’ s catastrophic retreat . While Mr. Obama struggles to make the two sides of his mouth look like one , both Ms. Warren and Mrs. Clinton rush to disassociate themselves from his cowardly retreats . You can expect the Democrats to reposition themselves on many other fronts as well .
Going into the 2016 election , you can count on Republicans to stay “ positive , ” to emphasize policy , and above all , not to hit the Democrats where it hurts . You can also count on Democrats to do just the opposite . Because they always do .
Mike Tyson once said , “ Everyone has a game plan until you punch them in the mouth. ” Democrats have a massive punch in the mouth for Republicans , and it ’ s always the same punch . Republicans are painted as racists , sexists , homophobes , anti-poor people , selfish and uncaring . Note that this is a moral indictment . It defames the character of Republicans like the corporate predator and dog-abuser Mitt Romney .
The only answer to an attack like this is to attack Democrats with an equally potent indictment of their moral character . For example , Democrats are actually the party of racists — supporters of the lynch mob in Ferguson , Mo . ; controllers of America ’ s inner cities ; enemies of poor black and Hispanic children trapped in the public schools they control ; and so forth . No Republican to my knowledge has ever called Democrats racists , yet the latter send their own kids to private schools while denying children who are poor , black and Hispanic the right to do so . How racist is that ? Al Sharpton is the president ’ s chief adviser on race . Republicans will never lay a glove on him for these obscenities .
I have just published a book , “ Take No Prisoners : The Battle Plan for Defeating the Left , ” using these principles . I ’ m not holding my breath that any Republicans will listen , though . They are too intent on telling positive “ stories , ” proposing workable policies and pretending that people will give them a fair hearing despite the fact that their opposition is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to portray them as racists , women haters and enemies of the poor . How difficult is it to understand this : If you are perceived by voters as racist or even just selfish and uncaring , they are not going to have the same interest in your policy advice , as Mr. Romney found out in 2012 .
Here is what Republicans need to understand to win : Politics is a street war , and there are no referees to maintain the rules — and the ones that infrequently pop up ( such as CNN ’ s Candy Crowley during one of the last presidential debates ) are there to bury you . Attack your opponents before they attack you . Attack them with a moral indictment ; if well-executed , it will win the day .
And remember that even if you fail to do this to them , they will certainly do it to you . You can count on that .
David Horowitz is the author of “ Take No Prisoners : The Battle Plan for Defeating the Left ” ( Regnery , 2014 ) . | Yjf5uCrDnuw203hC | 2 | Elections | -0.4 | Election2014 | -0.4 | Republican Party | -0.1 | Election2016 | 0 | null | null |
politics | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/politics/supreme-court-gay-rights-change/index.html | Gay rights, Obamacare and a week that changed the nation | 2015-06-26 | politics | After a momentous week , same-sex couples can now marry in all 50 states , the Confederate flag 's historic hold on the political institutions of the Deep South is fraying by the hour and Obamacare , after defying another attempt to dismantle it , is now reaffirmed as the law of the land .
And as a capstone to these seismic events , the first black president of the United States spent Friday afternoon singing `` Amazing Grace '' on live television in front of an African American congregation .
Political and social conventions on civil rights and race relations that for decades have seemed immovable are being swept away in a cascade of grass-roots change . Politicians have been left struggling to keep up .
`` Progress on this journey often comes in small increments , '' President Barack Obama said Friday , arguing that the task of each generation is to honor the Constitution 's guarantee of equal rights as the times change .
`` ( It 's ) sometimes two steps forward , one step back , compelled by the persistent effort of dedicated citizens , '' he said , describing the process of transformational political change around which he has built his political career .
`` And then sometimes there are days like this , when that slow , steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt , '' Obama said , moments after the Supreme Court delivered its historic decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide .
The pace of change is bewildering to some political figures , activists and candidates . In the case of the Confederate flag and gay rights , the shifts are happening despite politicians and not because of them : Federal and state leaders are simply being overtaken by the people on several key issues .
But the swift torrent of change no doubt has far-reaching political implications .
After speaking about the historic gay rights ruling , Obama climbed aboard Air Force One to head to South Carolina for his final duty of an emotionally draining week , the funeral of Pastor Clementa Pinckney , the most prominent of the nine people killed in Charleston massacre .
JUST WATCHED Obama sings 'Amazing Grace ' during eulogy for pastor Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Obama sings 'Amazing Grace ' during eulogy for pastor 01:44
He turned on the political theatrics again , delivering a eulogy that turned into a moving sermon on race , the experience of being black and the power of faith . Before an enthralled congregation , Obama embraced his status as the first African American president as never before , calling for action to counter discrimination . It was a fitting end to a historic week , as it showed Obama had shed his former reticence to talk about race -- and the nation may not look on its president quite the same way again .
`` We talk a lot about race ... we do n't need more talk , '' Obama said , adopting the cadences of a preacher , condemning employment discrimination and the attitude that results in someone being told `` call Johnny back for a job interview but not Jamal . ''
Then , in what will surely become one of the iconic moments of his presidency , Obama paused before hitting the first notes of the hymn `` Amazing Grace , '' with the organist providing backup and the congregation joining in -- a moment of joy amid sorrow .
Tharon Johnson , a Georgia political consultant who ran Obama 's southern campaign in 2012 , said the president , who referred to church as a place for African Americans to call `` our own '' and who used the ' N-word ' in a podcast that went viral on Monday to argue racism was not dead , was speaking to multiple audiences .
`` Today , President Obama not only spoke as the president of the United States , but he was able to articulate a healing and soothing message to the predominantly African American audience . There was no other person that could have given that eulogy . His singing of 'Amazing Grace ' was epic . ''
Kareem Crayton , a University of North Carolina law professor , said Obama 's speech was the finest of his presidency .
`` I think what we saw today was what a black man who served in the nation 's top office for six years sees when he looks out on America . You heard in the words the emotion , the sense of where we are and what we have to do , '' he said .
Even before Obama 's appearance in Charleston , the events of the last five days were likely to have far-reaching political implications .
Friday 's 5-4 Supreme Court ruling giving same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide was just the latest development that appears to boost liberals and challenge conservatives determined to preserve traditional values .
It provided an immediate test for Republican presidential candidates a day after the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act , the centerpiece of Obama 's domestic legacy , which the GOP is still vowing to overturn .
The gay rights decision seemed to trap Republican leaders between the conservative attitude on social issues that is vital to their political base and the widening acceptance of gay rights among more moderate voters that the court 's judgment seems to reflect .
`` The Supreme Court has spoken with a very divided voice on something only the Supreme Being can do -- redefine marriage , '' said 2016 Republican candidate Mike Huckabee , siding immediately with evangelicals in the conservative base .
`` I will not acquiesce to an imperial court any more than our Founders acquiesced to an imperial British monarch , '' Huckabee said . `` We must resist and reject judicial tyranny , not retreat . ''
And Florida Sen. Marco Rubio offered the first hints of a conservative fight , placing the future ideological direction of the Supreme Court -- and the likelihood that the next president will have the chance to replace several aging justices -- at the center of the 2016 campaign .
`` As we look ahead , it must be a priority of the next president to nominate judges and justices committed to applying the Constitution as written and originally understood , '' Rubio said in a statement .
And despite the forest of gay rights activists ' rainbow flags that overwhelmed the marble plaza in front of the Supreme Court Friday , there are signs this battle in the culture wars will not be abandoned just yet — especially with possible Supreme Court cases on issues like abortion looming in the near future .
Chief Justice John Roberts , in his dissent to the majority court ruling , complained that `` five lawyers '' -- namely his colleagues on the highest bench in the land -- had taken it upon themselves to redefine the institution of marriage as it had been accepted by multiple civilizations throughout history .
`` Celebrate today 's decision . Do not celebrate the Constitution , it has nothing to do with it , '' said Roberts in the waspish conclusion to his dissent .
JUST WATCHED Should Confederate history be taken down from the U.S. Capitol ? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Should Confederate history be taken down from the U.S. Capitol ? 01:25
Kerri Kupec of the Alliance Defending Freedom picked up Roberts 's contention that the court 's decision had cut off a democratic process through which people were weighing in on gay marriage in elections and state ballot initiatives .
`` I think we are heading into uncharted territory with respect towards regards religious freedom , '' Kupec told CNN , arguing that the marriage ruling called into question the right of people to view the institution in accordance with their faith .
Another example of people power outpacing politicians is unfolding in South Carolina following the massacre .
Just over a week ago , Republican political leaders were arguing that the fate of the Confederate flag , which is revered by some white supremacist groups , was a matter for the states alone . But that position quickly became unsustainable .
Similar calls came from leaders elsewhere in the South , as major corporations like Walmart announced they would stop selling Confederate Flag merchandise .
While the events of a dizzying week will have a broad impact for decades to come , they also represent an important , personal boost for Obama , who continues to defy expectations that he is a lame duck as his second term enters its twilight years .
While the administration did not bring the case that rewrote the law on gay marriage , it did side with the plantiffs -- allowing the White House to argue it is on the right side of history .
Even before Friday , Obama was celebrating a stunning week in which the Supreme Court in a 6-3 ruling rejected a second legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act and Republicans , who have often thwarted the president 's agenda , worked with him to secure fast-track authority to negotiate trade agreements , including a legacy-boosting pan-Pacific pact .
Next up is the prospect of a nuclear deal with Iran , as U.S. negotiators head to Europe to try to clinch a final agreement that would represent a striking , if partial , break with more than 30 years of visceral hostility between Washington and Tehran .
And there can be little doubt that Obama , after a presidency marred by political polarization in Washington and successive economic and foreign policy crises , views this roller coaster week as confirmation of his own belief in the power of people to defy the inertia stifling their political institutions , whether they be equal marriage campaigners seeking the basic right to wed or prayerful congregants in South Carolina offering mercy to a killer .
`` What a vindication of the belief that ordinary people can do extraordinary things , '' he said after Friday 's Supreme Court ruling , which came after years of campaigning by gay rights activists . `` What a reminder of what Bobby Kennedy once said , about how small actions can be like pebbles being thrown into a still lake , and ripples of hope cascade outwards and change the world . '' | Sit5ndvP6DvAoWzZ | 0 | Politics | -0.2 | Same-Sex Marriage | -0.1 | Supreme Court | -0.1 | Obamacare | 0 | null | null |
facts_and_fact_checking | CNN (Web News) | https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/22/politics/april-22-wednesday-coronavirus-briefing-fact-check/index.html | Trump makes false claims about governors not wanting tests, and repeats errors about Pelosi and Michelle Obama | 2020-04-22 | Facts And Fact Checking, Coronavirus Testing, Coronavirus | Washington ( CNN ) President Donald Trump made yet another false claim about coronavirus testing on Wednesday , wrongly saying at a White House briefing that the US is conducting more tests than any governor probably even wants . In fact , numerous governors , including Republicans , have said that more testing is necessary .
Trump also continued to embellish about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's February 24 visit to San Francisco 's Chinatown , inaccurately saying that she had held a Chinatown `` rally . '' He continued to insist that his travel restrictions on China were a `` ban , '' though they contained significant exemptions . And he threw in an old false claim about Michelle Obama for good measure .
Trump bragged about the level of coronavirus testing in the US and played down criticism from medical professionals that there still is n't enough testing to get a handle of the pandemic .
`` Ultimately , we 're doing more testing , I think , than probably any of the governors even want , '' Trump said , suggesting that his administration was leading the way on coronavirus testing .
Trump later said that `` not everybody believes as strongly as some people on testing . '' And suggesting that calls for more testing are some sort of partisan plot , he claimed that `` some people want ( us ) to do testing because they think it 's impossible for us to fulfill that goal . ''
Facts First : Trump is off the mark . There have been bipartisan calls from governors and medical professionals for the Trump administration to ramp up testing and give states the supplies they need to get it done . There is no evidence that calls for more tests are some sort of anti-Trump plot ; nonpartisan public health experts have said it 's critical for the government to significantly increase the level of testing as part of any plan to end social distancing and lift economic restrictions .
Even as Trump shifts his rhetoric to reopening the country , governors from both parties say they need more testing or that they 're still struggling to obtain the testing materials they need . This includes Republican governors from Ohio , Nebraska , Maryland , Massachusetts , South Dakota and Wyoming
During the same briefing on Wednesday , Surgeon General Jerome Adams , a Trump appointee who has been a strong defender of the President during the pandemic , acknowledged that `` many different groups '' have talked to the administration about testing , `` and we hear that testing is absolutely a concern . ''
It 's not clear who Trump is referring to when he says some `` not everybody believes as strongly as some people '' in testing . While skeptics certainly exist , there is a strong consensus among public health and elected officials that testing is pivotal . These views are shared by major business executives , doctors , and even some Trump appointees , including Dr. Scott Gottlieb , his former chief of the Food and Drug Administration .
During Wednesday 's press briefing , Trump repeated a false claim he 's made numerous times about the travel restrictions imposed on China due to the coronavirus .
He once again described the restrictions as a `` ban '' and claimed that `` if we did n't close our country to China , we would have been so infected like nobody 's ever seen . ''
Facts First : Trump 's comments are misleading because he did not `` close our country to China . '' On February 2 , the United States began Trump 's comments are misleading because he did not `` close our country to China . '' On February 2 , the United States began implementing travel restrictions that denied entry to foreign nationals who had visited China within 14 days of arrival in the United States . But the travel restrictions contain exemptions for US citizens who had visited China , which makes Trump 's characterization that there was a `` ban '' misleading .
As of February 2 , US citizens who had been in China 's Hubei province in the two weeks prior to their return to the United States are subject to a mandatory quarantine of up to 14 days upon their return to the US . American citizens returning from the rest of mainland China may also face up to 14 days of quarantine after undergoing health screenings at selected ports of entry .
Only foreign nationals who have visited China within the past 14 days are temporarily banned from entering the United States .
Despite publicly disagreeing with Georgia Gov . Brian Kemp 's decision to open up businesses such as barbershops and tattoo parlors , Trump reiterated his past support for the governor . He compared his efforts to get Kemp elected with those of Democrats , erroneously claiming that Michelle Obama joined her husband in campaigning for Kemp 's opponent .
`` As you know , Brian Kemp , governor of Georgia , I worked very hard for his election , he beat their superstar , he beat the superstar of their party . I think you can say I helped a lot , '' Trump said , `` Michelle Obama , Barack Obama , Oprah Winfrey they all went in , they campaigned for him very , very hard and he lost . ''
Facts First : Michelle Obama did not campaign for either of Kemp 's opponents . Kemp beat Republican Lt. Gov . Casey Cagle , a man , in the primary and Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams , a woman , in the general election .
While Trump 's comments make it unclear which of Kemp 's opponents he 's referring to specifically , he has claimed on multiple occasions that both the Obamas and Winfrey campaigned for Abrams . While Barack Obama and Winfrey did , Michelle Obama did not .
Trump again exaggerated about Pelosi 's visit to San Francisco 's Chinatown on February 24 , this time claiming Pelosi was having a `` rally in San Francisco , in Chinatown . '' | f5f1287cfac5e241 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
supreme_court | Guest Writer - Left | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/01/kavanaugh-affair-political-power-women | OPINION: The Kavanaugh affair is a referendum on the political power of women | 2018-10-01 | Brett Kavanaugh, Women, Supreme Court | The Senate judiciary committee hearing on Thursday was a bizarre set of contradictions . On the one hand , the Republican senators were superficially respectful to Christine Blasey Ford : they repeatedly asked her what she needed , hired a female prosecutor to question her , and largely refrained from the kind of denigrating slurs that allowed the media to label Anita Hill “ a little nutty and a little slutty ” 27 years ago .
On the other hand , the whole thing also felt strikingly retrograde , with a woman ’ s emotional testimony all but ignored as Republican senators deferred to the righteous indignation of a white man . It illuminated what a strange moment we ’ re now in , demonstrating how much has changed for American women , and simultaneously how little has .
It was apparently the power of these contradictions that shook Republican senator Jeff Flake , who – having announced he would vote yes on advancing Kavanaugh ’ s nomination – pivoted dramatically at the last minute , declaring that his vote was contingent on a further FBI investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh .
The day was a study in contrasts . Ford came across as deferential , nervous and deeply concerned with accuracy . Her opening statement was powerfully specific ; at one point , she talked about having put a second front door on her house , because the aftereffects of the attack had made her so nervous about being able to escape her own house . She smiled , spoke quietly , and repeatedly used humor to lighten the weight of what she was saying . “ I ’ m used to being collegial , ” she even said at one point after the senators asked if she wanted a break and she asked them if it was a “ good time ” . She never tried to score political points .
Judge Kavanaugh came across as an angry bully bent on intimidation , and entirely willing to exploit political anger . He alternated between yelling and weeping ( and , oddly , sniffing ) , at times conveying a real sense of the toll these allegations took on his family , at other times merely screaming his CV in all caps . He took a Trumpian approach , claiming the day ’ s hearing was a “ national disgrace ” caused by a “ frenzy on the left ” who “ were lying in wait and had it ready ” . He portrayed the allegations against him as politically motivated “ last-minute smears ” . His was a performance of indignant – some might say petulant – rage , shot through with the self-pity of a man who felt it was outrageous for him to be questioned in this manner .
The deferential good girl , the brazen , powerful man – the showdown was almost cinematic , but this wasn ’ t even the most striking thing about the day . Equally striking was the odd , folded tension in the Republican senators ’ self-presentation . The Republicans on the committee ( all 11 are men ) were careful to avoid the appearance of grilling Ford as they had grilled Anita Hill in 1991 , the optics of which now look terrible . ( Instead Rachel Mitchell , a prosecutor from Arizona , asked many of their questions . ) They performed a kind of stilted politeness and freely called Ford “ credible ” . Orrin Hatch went so far as to say she was an “ attractive ” and “ pleasing ” witness . ( His choice of words in itself spoke volumes about where the Republican party still is when it comes to women . )
The hearing was truly a courtesy , as Chuck Grassley put it , and nothing more .
And yet they showed little interest in actually listening to Ford ’ s grave testimony . The hearing was truly a courtesy , as Chuck Grassley put it , and nothing more . By the day ’ s end , the senators were portraying the hearing ’ s findings as a simple he-said/she-said standoff , in which a lack of corroborating evidence to support Ford ’ s testimony all but forced them to vote for Kavanaugh . In doing so , they were misrepresenting the facts – and shirking their institutional duty , as the Democrats kept pointing out : they had the option of asking the FBI to extend its background check into Kavanaugh . Yet none of the Republican senators paused to examine the cognitive dissonance of how they could both find Ford credible and decide to “ plow ” right ahead with the nomination . None acknowledged how blatantly they were dismissing the real point of the # MeToo movement : that institutions must seriously investigate allegations of sexual misconduct .
The hollowness of the proceedings put a fine point on our new political reality . On the one hand , norms have changed , and even the Republican party has realized it can ’ t score points by personally attacking those who say they are victims of sexual assault . On the other hand , the Republican party is still able to indulge in an old kind of hypocrisy : while pantomiming respect , the men on the committee pretended that Ford ’ s words hadn ’ t actually landed a lasting blow on the man they ’ d chosen to elevate to the highest judicial office . They professed to believe Ford , at least in some fashion , and yet they let Kavanaugh get the last word . Which is worse : a world in which some of those in office attack women outright , or a world in which they pay lip service to the demands of women , but do as they will anyway , giving short shrift to due process ?
The Republican party is still able to indulge in an old kind of hypocrisy .
The cracks in the right ’ s approach are showing , though . If the Kavanaugh hearings are a kind of referendum on the power of the # MeToo movement , the most telling moment actually came a day later , on Friday , when two sexual assault survivors emotionally confronted Jeff Flake in an elevator shortly after he ’ d announced he was voting to advance Kavanaugh . “ Look at me and tell me that it doesn ’ t matter what happened to me . That you will let people like that go into the highest court of the land , ” one said tearfully . Flake , looking at the floor instead of her , was visibly uncomfortable , initially unable to answer . Another woman in the elevator moved to the back and began looking at her phone . The confrontation was raw and painful , and it revealed the real power of women ’ s voices : if you can ’ t look a constituent in the eye , you know you have a problem . Shortly after , Flake called for the FBI investigation that ’ s now taking place .
The Kavanaugh affair is , as we all know , about much more than a US supreme court seat ; it is a referendum on the political power of women . And as dark as the hearing was , Friday ’ s turn of events offered a bracing a reminder : The right knows it has a woman problem . It may not want to listen to the voices on its threshold , but they are only getting louder . | 5e6521dcc0be0bbe | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
violence_in_america | Fox Online News | http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/11/30/ferguson-police-officer-darren-wilson-resigns/ | Officer Darren Wilson's resignation does little to stop protests in Ferguson | 2014-11-30 | violence_in_america | City officials in Ferguson , Mo . were due Sunday to address the resignation of Darren Wilson , the police officer who shot and killed teenager Michael Brown in a confrontation in August that fueled protests in the St. Louis suburb and around the nation .
Stephanie Karr , Ferguson city attorney , told the Associated Press that city officials planned to make a statement regarding Wilson 's resignation . Karr earlier this week said Wilson had been on paid leave pending the outcome of an internal police investigation .
Wilson 's resignation was announced Saturday by one of his attorneys , Neil Bruntrager , who said his client 's decision was effective immediately .
`` I have been told that my continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk , which is a circumstance that I can not allow , ” Wilson said in his resignation letter released late Saturday .
“ It was my hope to continue in police work , but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me . It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal , ” the letter read .
Meanwhile , Brown 's parents planned to attend services at the church where their son 's funeral was held , with the Rev . Al Sharpton scheduled to preach .
`` We were not after Wilson 's job , '' Sharpton wrote in a statement . `` We were after Michael Brown 's justice . ''
On Saturday night , more than 100 protesters gathered near police headquarters , where they were outnumbers by officers , following the news . At least one person was arrested after a brief standoff with officers , while others wearing white masks sat in a nearby street blocking traffic . Another protester burned an American flag . By midnight , only about two dozen protesters remained .
But many seemed unfazed by the resignation . Several merely shrugged their shoulders when asked what they thought , while Rick Campbell flatly said he did n't care about the resignation , noting : `` I 've been protesting out here since August . ''
A grand jury spent more than three months reviewing evidence in the case before declining in November to issue charges against Wilson . He told jurors that he feared for his life when Brown hit him and reached for his gun .
The U.S. Justice Department is still conducting a civil rights investigation into the shooting and a separate probe of police department practices .
After the shooting , Wilson spent months in hiding and made no public statements . He broke his silence after the grand jury decision , telling ABC News that he could not have done anything differently in the encounter with Brown .
Wilson said he has a clean conscience because `` I know I did my job right . '' Brown 's shooting was the first time he fired his gun on the job , he said .
Asked whether the encounter would have unfolded the same way if Brown had been white , Wilson said yes .
Away from the protests Saturday night , resident Victoria Rutherford said she believed Wilson should have not only resigned , but been convicted of a crime .
`` I 'm upset . I have a 16-year-old son . It could 've been him . I feel that he was absolutely in the wrong , '' she said .
Another resident , Reed Voorhees , said he hoped Wilson could find similar work `` someplace where he would enjoy life , and move on with his life . ''
In the days after the shooting , tense and sometimes violent protests popped up in and around Ferguson , a predominantly black community patrolled by a mostly white police force . Missouri Gov . Jay Nixon called in the National Guard to help .
Then on Monday night -- when prosecutors announced that a grand jury declined to indict Wilson -- the St. Louis suburb of 20,000 residents was ravaged by looting and violence .
At least a dozen commercial buildings were destroyed in Ferguson and neighboring Dellwood , mostly along West Florissant Avenue , not far from where Brown was killed . By Tuesday , Nixon had sent more than 2,200 National Guard members to the Ferguson area to support local law enforcement .
Demonstrations , which also have been held other U.S. cities , are expected to continue , though a sense of normalcy -- or at least a new normal -- has begun to settle on the city .
Police earlier Saturday reopened several blocks of West Florissant that had been barricaded off since Tuesday . Although most store windows were still boarded up , many have been decorated or spray-painted with messages saying the stores are open and welcoming shoppers .
Some business owners spent an unseasonably warm day Saturday tidying up , hoping customers soon would return .
Tracy Ballard , 44 , brought her 7-year-old daughter to a store on West Florissant to buy candy and soda , before a trip to the beautician up the street .
`` I feel sad for the business owners , '' Ballard said . `` It 's really sad it had to come from this . We just wanted justice . If we 'd have had justice , none of this would have happened . '' | WespnT2OGnUbAH5o | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
state_department | Guest Writer - Left | http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/12/13/why-rex-tillerson-would-be-disaster-as-secretary-state.html | OPINION: Why Rex Tillerson would be a disaster as Secretary of State | 2016-12-13 | state_department | On Tuesday morning , after a weekend of anonymously-sourced winks and nudges , President-elect Trump formally announced that he will nominate ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be the next Secretary of State .
He is a CEO , not an experienced diplomat . Moreover , he is simply too close to Russia and Vladimir Putin to be an effective or credible advocate for American interests around the world .
Tillerson has direct economic interests in Russia having cut multi-billion dollar deals with Putin himself as well as Kremlin confidant Igor Sechin , the head of Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft . When Sechin isn ’ t palling around with Tillerson , he keeps busy selling nuclear capabilities to Venezuela or negotiating oil deals with Cuba . Tillerson doesn ’ t seem to mind , and even appeared with Sechin after he had been formally sanctioned by the United States .
We can not allow the State Department to be led by a friend and ally of Vladimir Putin and continue the disastrous diplomacy of negotiation and appeasement that has handed Putin his greatest victories .
Tillerson ’ s loyalty to Russia has not gone unnoticed , and Putin personally awarded him Russia ’ s “ Order of Friendship ” in 2013 .
Since then , Putin has invaded Ukraine , murdered 298 civilians on Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 , and directed the Russian Air Force to attack aid convoys and hospitals in Syria . Yet Tillerson has remained a staunch and vocal opponent of sanctions against Russia , even as Putin ’ s body count continues to climb .
Senator John McCain has called Tillerson ’ s “ friendship award from a butcher [ … ] an issue that I think needs to be examined. ” Marco Rubio has expressed “ serious concerns about his nomination , ” since “ the next Secretary of State must be someone who views the world with moral clarity . ”
And it ’ s not as if Tillerson would be the first Putin pal in Trump ’ s cabinet .
Michael Flynn , Trump ’ s choice for National Security Advisor , has been honored by Russian state propaganda network RT , sitting at Putin ’ s right hand during the awards dinner . Just as Tillerson has opposed sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine , so too has Flynn urged that America “ move forward ” from Putin ’ s bloody interventions in Ukraine and Syria .
Together , Tillerson and Flynn are a dangerous pro-Putin combination that threatens to undermine American values , allies , and interests around the world .
Neither Tillerson nor Flynn are likely to take the urgent action needed to successfully deal with the Russians , or apply the pressure that will get Putin to back down . They will not strengthen NATO , finish the missile shield in Europe , arm Ukraine , or aggressively disrupt Putin ’ s relentless cyberwarfare and propaganda operations .
Indeed , we agree with the bipartisan group of senators calling for a full investigation of Russian hacking and election meddling .
To Rex Tillerson , we say : keep your day job . To Michael Flynn , we say : seek new employment , as your son is now doing .
There are perfectly good candidates for Secretary of State who share our worldview and would perform admirably , such as Mitt Romney and John Bolton .
We don ’ t need a National Security Advisor or a Secretary of State who believes that we just need to negotiate better with Vladimir Putin .
That ’ s the same trap that snared George W. Bush and Barack Obama , and enabled Putin ’ s decade of aggression . We need a National Security Advisor and a Secretary of State who see Russia as among the greatest , if not the greatest threat , our country faces .
We can not allow the State Department to be led by a friend and ally of Vladimir Putin and continue the disastrous diplomacy of negotiation and appeasement that has handed Putin his greatest victories .
America needs a Secretary of State who will stand up to Putin . Rex Tillerson is not the man for the job . | tS6qPBNQuUNbwNbr | 0 | Rex Tillerson | -1.1 | State Department | 0 | Politics | 0 | null | null | null | null |
education | Associated Press | https://apnews.com/025ecb79f9c394b451ee9c5f7dc6ae03 | SAT and ACT college tests canceled because of virus fears | 2020-03-16 | education | Students leave Lewis and Clark High School at the end of classes Friday , March 13 , 2020 , in Spokane , Wash. To protect against the spread of the new coronavirus , Gov . Jay Inslee has ordered all public and private schools in districts across the state closed , starting Tuesday , March 17 through April 24 . ( Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review via AP )
Students leave Lewis and Clark High School at the end of classes Friday , March 13 , 2020 , in Spokane , Wash. To protect against the spread of the new coronavirus , Gov . Jay Inslee has ordered all public and private schools in districts across the state closed , starting Tuesday , March 17 through April 24 . ( Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review via AP )
Spring dates for college admissions tests are being rescheduled or postponed amid concerns about the coronavirus , while high school seniors may be allowed to take Advanced Placement exams to earn college credit from home .
The groups that give both the ACT and SAT tests announced Monday that they ’ re putting off the next nationwide examinations . The April 4 ACT test has been rescheduled for June 13 while the May 2 SAT has been canceled .
The spring tests are typically prime dates for high school juniors planning to apply to colleges the next fall . No testing now could mean some students can ’ t take tests multiple times to try to get higher scores .
“ The class of 2021 will actually be the most affected class , ” said Sara Harberson , a former admissions dean who counsels high school students on college admission . Harberson , based in Philadelphia , said many high school juniors take the tests for the first time during this season . “ All of these students are stressed about how this impacts their college decision . ”
The SAT was administered last Saturday , but a number of sites that were scheduled to host the exam canceled plans , some leaving students in the lurch at the last minute . The College Board said it ’ s also canceling the March 28 makeup date for those who missed Saturday ’ s tests . The College Board couldn ’ t immediately say on Monday how many students took the SAT Saturday or how many sites were shuttered , said spokeswoman Jaslee Carayol .
Iowa-based ACT said all students registered for April 4 will be offered the chance to reschedule for June 13 or another future test date . The New York-based College Board said everyone registered for the May 2 SAT would receive refunds . The College Board said it would seek to provide additional testing opportunities , and said that the June 6 exam date remains scheduled , at least for now .
For most people , the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough . For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia . The vast majority of people recover from the new virus .
The situation could lead more schools to scrap requirements that students take the tests . Although application deadlines have already passed for most schools , a few with rolling admissions or who are struggling to fill their freshman class are already waiving test requirements for current seniors .
Colleges are also having to consider changing dates for seniors to accept offers of admission or make deposits said Joyce Smith , the CEO for the National Association of College Admission Counseling . Plus there are concerns over high schools being able to issue final transcripts if they don ’ t reopen this spring .
“ The situation is changing by the hour , practically , ” she said .
The association itself has canceled 38 college admission fairs set for this spring .
The College Board said it ’ s working with local schools who give the SAT and PSAT on school days . Many schools also give the ACT during regular class time , instead of on Saturday , when the exams have traditionally been given .
The College Board also administers Advanced Placement exams to high school students seeking to earn college credit . The board said it ’ s trying to develop “ streamlined AP Exam options ” that would allow student to test from home . The board promised an update on its plans by Friday .
Smith said the College Board faces particular difficulty because it gives all its tests on paper , while the ACT has developed some electronic exams .
The International Baccalaureate organization , which also gives exams aimed at certifying advanced high school proficiency , has said it ’ s not delaying its May exams .
The ███ receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education . The AP is solely responsible for all content . | ibM4yhwN5JQ0tDSl | 1 | Education | -0.4 | Coronavirus | -0.2 | Public Health | -0.1 | null | null | null | null |
middle_east | Breitbart News | http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/08/03/ransom-iran-tom-cotton-400-million/ | Sen. Tom Cotton: Obama’s $400m ‘Ransom to the Ayatollahs’ | 2016-08-03 | Iran, US Congress, Middle East | Sen. Tom Cotton ( R-AR ) called the $ 400 million airlifted to the Iranian regime in hard foreign currency in January “ ransom to the ayatollahs . ”
Details of the transaction were reported Tuesday evening by the Wall Street Journal :
Wooden pallets stacked with euros , Swiss francs and other currencies were flown into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane , according to these officials . The U.S. procured the money from the central banks of the Netherlands and Switzerland , they said . The money represented the first installment of a $ 1.7 billion settlement the Obama administration reached with Iran to resolve a decades-old dispute over a failed arms deal signed just before the 1979 fall of Iran ’ s last monarch , Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi .
Cotton and other lawmakers , including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan , have long accused the administration of paying a “ ransom ” to the regime , contravening long-standing U.S. practice since the days of Thomas Jefferson and the Barbary Wars .
“ This break with longstanding U.S. policy put a price on the head of Americans , and has led Iran to continue its illegal seizures , ” said Cotton , according to the Journal .
In a March letter to Rep. Mike Pompeo ( R-KS ) obtained by the Washington Free Beacon , the State Department defended the $ 1.7 billion deal , including $ 400 million in principal and an agreed $ 1.3 billion in interest , as a means of settling claims that Iran had brought before an international tribunal at The Hague in the midst of the negotiations over Iran ’ s nuclear program . ( That tribunal was established in 1981 as part of the original Carter administration deal to release U.S. hostages from Iran . )
The money , the State Department said , was the balance left in a Foreign Military Sales Trust Fund to resolve outstanding claims . The department argued that the deal was actually a “ good settlement for the American taxpayer ” : “ If Iran ’ s claim for the Trust Fund balance and interest had gone to decision in the Tribunal , the United States could well have faced significant exposure in the billions of dollars … We were able to secure a favorable resolution on the interest owed to Iran … “ .
However , given the timing of the settlement , which coincided both with the release of four captive Americans and the larger Iran deal , questions were immediately raised about whether the U.S. had , in fact , paid a ransom . The four Americans were traded for 7 Iranians who had been convicted in the U.S. of violating sanctions , as charges were dropped against 14 others . The flow of cash alongside that deal immediately raised suspicions .
The secretive manner in which the cash was transferred to Iran , avoiding U.S. dollars and traditional banks , in accordance with existing sanctions , has reinforced those suspicions .
Cotton was the lone member of the Senate to vote against the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act , also known as the “ Corker bill , ” which theoretically insisted on the Senate ’ s constitutional authority to review the Iran deal , but in practice made it easier for the deal to pass simply through a presidential veto of a resolution of congressional disapproval .
Ultimately , Senate Democrats filibustered a vote on the Iran deal .
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at ███ . His new book , See No Evil : 19 Hard Truths the Left Can ’ t Handle , is available from Regnery through Amazon . Follow him on Twitter at @ joelpollak . | 3f60344a1c96f48e | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
cybersecurity | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/11/fears-of-russian-cyberattacks-are-legitimate/ | OPINION: It matters who counts the votes | 2016-09-11 | cybersecurity | The statement , “ The people who cast the votes decide nothing . The people who count the votes decide everything ” is usually attributed to the late Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin . Whoever said it , that thought is probably in the mind of Russian President Vladimir Putin as November 8 approaches .
For months , the reported hacking into Democratic National Committee emails and the release of confidential DNC documents has been linked to possible Russian cyber attacks . Last week it was revealed that U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies are investigating what may be a broadly-based covert Russian cyber operation designed to discredit and possibly interfere with ballot counting in the November election .
The election processes in Arizona and Illinois have reportedly been subjected to attempted or successful cyberattacks probably performed by the Russians . The FBI has reportedly alerted all state and local officials to the possibility of cyberattacks on the voting process .
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said , “ We should carefully consider whether our election system , our election process , is critical infrastructure like the financial sector , like the power grid . ”
America ’ s states have controlled the election process since the colonial era . Having the federal government seize control of it seems almost as frightening as if the Russians did .
Mr. Putin ’ s track record proves that he doesn ’ t hesitate to interfere in other nations ’ most important functions . After the Estonians took down a Soviet war memorial in their capital city in 2007 , a Russian cyberattack , lasting about three weeks , put the Estonian government essentially out of business . In August 2008 , a Russian cyberattack took control of the Georgian government ’ s computer system including its ministries of defense and foreign affairs . Earlier this year , Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall blamed the Russians for a December 2015 cyberattack on Ukraine ’ s power grid that caused widespread blackouts .
Mr. Putin has , of course , denied any Russian responsibility for what is going on with America ’ s election system . But he did so in a perfectly Clintonian manner , saying “ At the state level , we certainly weren ’ t involved in this. ” Clearly enjoying himself , Mr. Putin didn ’ t bother to say how he distinguishes between “ state level ” and non-state Russian cyber operations .
For his part , President Obama has only given voice to his desire to not turn the internet into the Wild West , though that ’ s precisely what it is . Echoing what we ’ ve heard from presidents going back to the Cold War . Mr. Obama said , “ Our goal is not to suddenly , in the cyber arena , duplicate the cycle of escalation we saw when it comes to other arms races in the past . ”
If the Russians are widening the ongoing cyberwar and escalating it by attacking our voting process , shouldn ’ t our president be acting to deter or defeat their cyber aggression ?
Almost everything in America is run by and through computer networks . These networks — including those in our defense and intelligence communities — are subjected to thousands of attempted penetrations every day . Some succeed , some are defeated and an unknown number may succeed and leave no trace of who was responsible for them .
Intercepting emails by “ hacking ” into the systems that carry them is one thing . That sort of espionage is routine , and our government , businesses and state and local governments spend billions every year to guard against them . It is another matter entirely to not just penetrate a system to steal emails but to manipulate the computer network ’ s software to render false results .
If the Russians wanted simply to discover the results of the vote , they needn ’ t hack into any computer system . The attacks they are apparently mounting on federal and state voting processes must be intended to affect the presidential vote and many other races .
Our election system is far from perfect . The fact that the results can be manipulated is plain . What we can do about it is not .
We are beyond the stage when people mark hard paper copies of ballots in many states . We do in Virginia , but they are scanned and the results are transmitted by a computer network to the ballot counters who — if there is no hard ballot recount — rely on the results they receive .
The only answer to this problem is the one the president has already rejected . Though he has bragged that we have cyberwar capabilities beyond those of any nation , both offensive and defensive , they can ’ t be effective unless they are used .
The brainiacs involved in our cyberwar efforts have imaginations that make our nation capable of just about anything that can be done with computer software . It ’ s time to turn our cyber warriors loose to protect our election process , even if it means , in Mr. Obama ’ s terms , escalating the cyberwar with Russia and any other state or non-state group that attempts to interfere . Our cyberwarriors should be ordered to disrupt and defeat any effort to manipulate our elections even if that means they have to mount their own offensive against such an attack .
If we fail to do this , there will be a shadow over the coming election that will make the Bush-Gore “ hanging chad ” mess seem pretty tame .
We can ’ t afford a replay that could deny the next president legitimacy of office . If that happened , Mr. Putin — and all our other adversaries — could gain an advantage from which our foreign policy might not recover .
• Jed Babbin served as a deputy undersecretary of defense in the George H.W . Bush administration . He is a senior fellow of the London Center for Policy Research and the author of five books including “ In the Words of Our Enemies . ” | F34ZfrM8Enn6y6ur | 2 | Cybersecurity | -0.6 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
taxes | CNN (Web News) | http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/13/pf/taxes/fiscal-cliff-amt/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 | AMT: Biggest fiscal cliff tax headache | 2012-11-13 | Taxes | If lawmakers fail to protect the middle class from having to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax by Dec. 31 , next year 's tax filing season will be a mess for tens of millions of taxpayers .
That was the gist of a letter sent Tuesday from Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller to top tax writers in Congress as lawmakers are poised to start negotiations about the fiscal cliff .
The IRS would need to tell more than 60 million taxpayers that they may not file their 2012 tax returns or receive a refund until the IRS makes changes to its systems . That may mean taxpayers could n't file until late March , Miller said .
Income exemption levels under the `` wealth tax '' -- as the AMT is known -- were never adjusted for inflation since it was enacted decades ago . So Congress has regularly passed an AMT `` patch '' to correct for that by raising the exemption levels .
Only problem is they have failed to do so for this tax year .
As a result , roughly 28 million taxpayers will face much bigger than expected tax bills or much smaller refunds when they file their 2012 returns next year .
By contrast , if Congress gets its act together and passes a patch by Dec. 31 , only 5 million people would be subject to the AMT when they file next year .
`` The major victims of the impending expanded reach of the AMT are large families living in high-tax states , '' Joseph Minarik , a former White House chief economist , wrote in the blog Back in the Black .
That 's because such families benefit from two key tax breaks that are disallowed under the AMT : personal exemptions and itemized deductions for state and local taxes .
`` Those families do not need enormous incomes to be caught by this monster -- $ 75,000 is more than enough under the right circumstances . Think a school teacher married to a fire fighter in New York or California , '' Minarik wrote .
It 's not like there is n't bipartisan support for a patch .
Sen. Orrin Hatch , the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee , and Rep. Sander Levin , the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee , both issued statements in response to Miller 's letter , urging their colleagues to pass a patch .
But passage is being held up because of broader disagreements over how to handle the fiscal cliff as a whole . | 3c965703643c525e | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
us_senate | Fox Online News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/03/03/alabamas-moore-says-hes-broke-makes-public-plea-for-legal-funds.html | Alabama's Moore says he's broke, makes public plea for legal funds | 2018-03-03 | us_senate | Former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore says his financial resources have been “ depleted ” and is making a public plea to help fight a civil suit brought by a woman who accused him of molesting her as a teen .
“ I now face another vicious attack from lawyers in Washington D. C. , and San Francisco who have hired one of the biggest firms in Birmingham , Alabama , to bring another legal action against me and ensure that I never fight again , ” Moore posted on Facebook .
The suit is being filed by attorneys for Leigh Corfman , who has accused Moore of touching her inappropriately when she was 14 and he was in his 30s . Corfman says Moore and his campaign defamed her as he denied the allegations .
Moore was the GOP nominee in the special Senate election in conservative-leaning Alabama . He was expected to win against Democrat Doug Jones until allegations of sexual misconduct from roughly four decades earlier derailed his campaign .
Since losing the election in December 2017 , Moore reportedly has sent multiple emails to supporters seeking donations .
The link on the post Thursday indicated that Moore had raised about $ 32,000 toward a goal of $ 250,000 .
The 71-year-old Moore , a conservative firebrand , argued during the campaign that the sexual misconduct allegations from Corfman and other women were part of an effort by critics , including the liberal left , to end his Senate bid and political career .
“ Anything you give will be appreciated , ” he wrote . “ The liberal media , in association with some who want to destroy our Country do not want my influence in the 2018 elections and are doing everything they can to stop me . Gays , lesbians , and transgenders have joined forces with those who believe in abortion , sodomy , and destruction of all that we hold dear . Unless we stand together we will lose our Country . ” | MIbSK2adEP7iMUSc | 2 | US Senate | -0.3 | Roy Moore | 0.3 | Sexual Assault | -0.2 | Politics | 0 | null | null |
taxes | Politico | http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/behind-the-curtain-missed-chance-obamas-tax-problem-88788.html?hp=t1_3 | Missed chance: Obama’s tax problem | 2013-03-12 | taxes | President Obama faces huge , and probably insurmountable , obstacles to reviving a grand bargain — none higher and more difficult to overcome than his decision to increase taxes by $ 600 billion in December .
At the time , Obama claimed victory , slapping new taxes on the rich while protecting George W. Bush ’ s cuts for everyone else . In retrospect , it looks more like a missed opportunity than a political or policy triumph .
Instead , it now seems likely that $ 600 billion in tax increases is all the new revenue Obama gets . That ’ s a far cry from the $ 1.6 trillion he wants , or even the $ 1 trillion-plus many Republicans were discussing in previous grand bargain talks .
Obama thought he would be able to stare down Republicans over the sequester , and get them to double the size of his tax increase to avoid heavy defense cuts . He was wrong . Once Republicans swallowed the $ 600 billion in hikes , they made plain they were done raising taxes for this Congress . And they really are done , Republicans say .
This is the biggest reason top Democrats and Republicans alike tell us talk of a grand bargain this time around is way overhyped — though , as our colleagues Jake Sherman and Carrie Budoff Brown wrote last week , Obama ’ s recent charm offensive shows he knows he now needs a sweeping deal more than ever .
“ Nobody is even talking about a grand bargain , ” one of the Senate ’ s most influential Democratic leadership aides told us . “ It is not even on our radar right now. ” An adviser to Speaker John Boehner told us that window was slammed shut by Obama ’ s hardball tactics since the tax hike . “ He missed the chance . ”
Another reason is the rancid relationship between Obama and Republicans on the Hill . House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy ( R-Calif. ) , the third-ranking House Republican , told us about an exchange he had with Obama at Saturday night ’ s white-tie Gridiron dinner . During a break in the program , McCarthy saw an empty chair next to Obama and decided to seize the chance . Surprised Obama wasn ’ t working the room , and thinking the president really is a loner , McCarthy walked up to the head table . He found the president was reading his BlackBerry . ( Another attendee said Obama was talking to Ken Burns , the documentarian , who was showing POTUS pictures of his family on his phone . )
“ I ’ m waiting for my dinner invitation , ” the Republican joshed to Obama , referring to the president ’ s recent evening out with Republican senators . “ I listen to Paul , ” Obama replied , according to McCarthy , referring to House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan . Then , in what McCarthy took as a reference to a political charm offensive , he recalled Obama saying , “ You guys give us too much credit . We ’ re not doing all that stuff you think we are. ” As told by McCarthy , Obama then said that if Republicans are going to get entitlement reform , “ You need me. ” As McCarthy walked away , the congressman thought : “ He ’ s still a law professor . He ’ d rather lecture you and put a red mark on your paper than talk to you . ” | 9ZviVilDCPsVORaq | 0 | Taxes | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
immigration | Politico | http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/immigration-reform-republicans-house-114251.html?hp=l3_4 | House Republicans face tricky balance in Wednesday's immigration vote | 2015-01-14 | immigration | House Republicansd voted against an amendment that would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program . | AP Photo/seattlepi.com , Jordan Stead House votes to roll back Obama 's immigration actions But this version of the Homeland Security spending bill has no hope of getting through the Senate .
House Republicans mounted a furious assault on four years of President Barack Obama ’ s immigration policies Wednesday — satisfying hard-liners on the issue but prompting resistance among some moderates concerned that the party ’ s leadership has gone too far .
The GOP-led chamber voted 236-191 to pass legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security through the end of September , with measures attached that would effectively kill the administration ’ s efforts to unilaterally shield millions of undocumented immigrations from deportations . It would also thwart Obama administration enforcement policies that limited deportations of people who weren ’ t criminals or serial immigration violators .
But given the qualms of moderates in the Senate and a presidential veto threat , the all-out rollback doesn ’ t stand a chance of becoming law . So even with the legislation passing the House , Republican leadership — in both chambers — will face the complicated calculus of trying to keep DHS funded while registering the GOP ’ s broad disapproval of Obama ’ s unilateral moves on immigration .
“ We do not take this action lightly , but simply there is no alternative , ” Speaker John Boehner ( R-Ohio ) said on the floor Wednesday . “ This executive overreach is an affront to the rule of law and to the Constitution itself . ”
Potential signs of trouble began erupting Tuesday , when House Republicans began telling the leadership ’ s whip operation that they planned to vote against an amendment from Rep. Marsha Blackburn ( R-Tenn. ) that would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program . That program , which Obama announced in 2012 , has stopped some 600,000 young undocumented immigrants from being deported and allowed them to work legally .
Ultimately , 26 House Republicans voted against the measure killing DACA — mostly moderates on immigration who represent states with significant Latino populations , such as California , Florida , Nevada and New York . Some members were also irritated at the leadership ’ s courting of the hard-liners — particularly those who had mounted a failed coup against Boehner on the vote for speaker last week .
“ This is rewarding bad behavior , ” one frustrated GOP lawmaker said .
DACA was the model for an even broader executive action announced by Obama last November , in which similar protections would be offered to roughly 4 million immigrants without legal status who have been here for at least five years and have children who are U.S. citizens or green-card holders . The administration also expanded DACA itself to a much larger pool of undocumented immigrants who came to the United States illegally at a young age .
To be sure , Wednesday ’ s plan had broad support from the GOP conference . But with near-unanimous Democratic opposition , the Republican leadership had to ensure it didn ’ t lose too many of its moderate members on the immigration policies , or else the overall bill could have sunk .
“ If President Obama ’ s unilateral immigration amendments are not stopped , future presidents will continue to expand the power of the executive branch and encroach upon individual liberty , ” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte ( R-Va. ) , who helped craft the party ’ s response to Obama ’ s executive action , said on the House floor Tuesday . “ The time is now for Congress to take a stand against these abusive actions . ”
With the Obama administration ’ s veto threat and the near-certain prospect that the GOP-held Senate would not have 60 votes for it , the House Republican legislation essentially has no chance of becoming law . Still , some Democrats privately worry that the heated debate in Washington over killing Obama ’ s executive actions could scare off immigrants who could qualify for the program , which would give a three-year deportation reprieve and work permits to nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants .
House Democrats discussed their strategy at a weekly party meeting on Tuesday , and they reached a consensus that if any of the five immigration amendments slated for a vote Wednesday gets attached , they would oppose final passage on the funding bill , according to an aide .
“ These amendments are foolish and a step backwards , ” Rep. Zoe Lofgren ( D-Calif. ) said on the House floor Tuesday night . “ And not funding DHS is dumb and dangerous . ”
Democrats also took issue with other amendments that passed on Wednesday . For instance , Rep. Ron DeSantis ( R-Fla. ) and Martha Roby ( R-Ala. ) have language requiring immigration officials to treat immigrants convicted of domestic violence or sex offenses as highest priorities for deportations .
But Lofgren circulated a Dear Colleague letter Tuesday that argued the legislation was , in part , redundant — because such immigrants already are included in the administration ’ s enforcement policies — but it doesn ’ t include an existing provision that requires officials to ask if the immigrant is a domestic violence victim . That , Lofgren argued , could open up potential domestic violence victims to deportations .
The Republican plan also ramps up immigration enforcement by reviving Secure Communities — the controversial federal fingerprint-swapping program on immigrants that Obama ’ s executive actions ended and replaced — and forces state and local officials to comply with so-called ICE detainers , in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement requests local law enforcement agencies to keep an immigrant in custody , even if they would otherwise be released . | aih7SwIuVH7ZLE95 | 0 | Republican Party | -1.4 | Immigration | 0.6 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
white_house | National Review | http://www.nationalreview.com/article/452692/trump-illegal-insurance-subsidies-constitution-requires-ending-them | Trump Is Right to End Insurance Subsidies, Wrong on Restricting the Press | 2017-10-16 | white_house | The Constitution matters more than individual policies or political gain .
These days , it is hard to be a constitutionalist . Our system of government is under attack from both the left and the right .
Progressives are gnashing their teeth over President Trump ’ s executive order cutting federal subsidies to insurance companies . This , they argue , will raise the costs of insurance and perhaps facilitate the collapse of the Obamacare marketplaces . What they overlook is that the subsidies were almost certain to be struck down by the Supreme Court , and for very good reason . Under the constitutional order , it is Congress that is tasked with appropriating money , and President Obama had no right to offer the subsidies in the first place .
Some conservatives , meanwhile , are cheering over President Trump ’ s recent attacks on the press . Last week , he tweeted , “ Network news has become so partisan , distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and , if appropriate , revoked . Not fair to public ! ” Never mind that the national networks do not themselves possess broadcast licenses — instead , local affiliates do . This demonstrates profound disrespect for the First Amendment right to a free press , which Trump has never been a particularly stout advocate of . During the presidential primaries last year , after all , he talked about tightening up libel laws against journalists reporting on celebrities .
What both progressives and conservatives are doing is sacrificing a commitment to the rules of our political system for a short-term policy or for political gain . This is incredibly short-sighted . It seems as though both sides could use a refresher course on why the Constitution — and the rules of order it establishes — are so important .
Our system of government is built in part on the moral philosophy of David Hume ( 1711–1776 ) , the Scottish philosopher who profoundly influenced both James Madison and Alexander Hamilton . Hume had a rather skeptical view of man ’ s capacity for rational thinking , holding that reason is basically a slave to the passions .
This has important consequences for the development of “ political society , ” the purpose of which , Hume postulated , is the administration of justice , “ without which there can be no peace among [ men ] , nor safety , nor mutual intercourse. ” For even though all of mankind is “ sensible of the necessity of peace and order . . . . such is the frailty or perverseness of our nature ! it is impossible to keep men , faithfully and unerringly , in the paths of justice. ” Man is frequently “ seduced from his great and important , but distant interests , ” namely the peace and prosperity that comes from the proper administration of justice , “ by the allurement of present , though often very frivolous temptations . ”
The purpose of government , many Framers believed , was to deal with “ this great weakness . . . incurable in human nature. ” Madison called this task the “ great desideratum , ” or necessity , a phrase that recurs throughout his writing around the time of the 1787 Constitutional Convention . He told George Washington that “ the great desideratum , which has not yet been found for republican governments , seems to be some disinterested and dispassionate umpire in disputes between different passions and interests in the state. ” Put bluntly , this is a very difficult task , which by that point had not been accomplished in the thousands of years of Western civilization .
By Madison ’ s thinking , the great desideratum implied two particular mandates . First , government had to be organized to keep factions in society from using the powers of the state to advance their own , selfish interests , against the rights of others or the welfare of the whole . Second , government had to be organized to keep the rulers from using their authority for themselves rather than for their constituents .
Basically , the Constitution is an effort to achieve these two goals , in light of Hume ’ s pessimistic take on humankind . The Framers applied what Madison and Hamilton called “ the science of politics ” to rechannel the selfish and passionate nature of man toward the good of society , properly understood through reason and deliberation . This endeavor accounts for pretty much every feature of our government — and the heated debate surrounding the ratification of the Constitution often boiled down to whether the finished product did a good enough job of preventing natural human selfishness from undermining the general good .
This is why our Constitution separates powers among branches . It was widely understood at the time that the tasks of drafting , executing , and interpreting the law are too weighty to be held in the same hands . This is why it establishes two chambers of Congress — the legislature was widely viewed to be the most dangerous to the long-term stability of republican government . Thus , it includes the Bill of Rights , because the Anti-Federalists ( who opposed the creation of a strong , central government ) wanted written assurances that this new federal government was not going to restrict civil rights . This is why it is a national government : The Founders believed that a large , diverse republic was less likely to produce a majority faction powerful enough to enforce its selfish dictates on the rest of society .
Republican government rises or falls based upon how good its rules are .
For our purposes today , this is why the rules of government matter at least as much as public policy . Indeed , I would argue that the rules are more important than any given policy — because without good rules , it is virtually impossible to produce good policy . If we agree with Hume that man is incapable of avoiding the “ frivolous temptations ” that undermine justice , then republican government rises or falls based upon how good its rules are .
So , to the liberals who are upset about Trump ’ s executive order to end subsidies to insurance companies , I say : Get over it . President Obama should never have ordered the Treasury to provide these subsidies in the first place , given that Congress expressly declined to appropriate the money to pay for the subsidies and that only Congress can appropriate funds . Congress should have written a better law . If you want the law improved in a specific way , then do the hard work of convincing your fellow citizens to elect politicians who will do it . Don ’ t go trampling on the principle of separated powers . It is too important .
And to the conservatives who are cheering Trump ’ s suggestion of restricting the press , I say : You are playing a dangerous game . I agree that the mainstream media are biased , but I do not want the authority of the state used against media outlets . You shouldn ’ t , either . If we allow the government to pick and choose what is “ fair ” reporting and what is “ biased , ” it will not be long until the state comes after conservative media , too .
In general , I would hope that people of all political persuasions can agree that the rules of our Constitution are pretty good . They have set the broad guidelines of our politics and created a framework by which an agrarian country of just 3 million people , mostly clustered along the Atlantic seaboard , could grow into a postindustrial , continent-spanning nation of more than 300 million . The rules are not perfect — designed by naturally selfish and fallible men , how could they be ? — but they are good enough that we should change them only after careful , considered , and direct debate . We should not sacrifice them merely for the sake of some immediate policy interest or political grudge , however pressing we might feel it is . | epmohiGO3b5GyFpr | 2 | Freedom Of The Press | -0.1 | White House | -0.1 | Politics | 0.1 | null | null | null | null |
free_speech | Newsmax (News) | https://www.newsmax.com/us/disney-china-forced-labor/2023/02/06/id/1107560/ | Disney Cuts 'Simpsons' Episode for Mentioning 'Forced Labor' in China | 2023-02-07 | China, Free Speech, Censorship, Disney, Hong Kong, Arts And Entertainment | Disney's latest move in Hong Kong has sparked concern over freedom of speech and the entertainment giant's relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.As reported by the Financial Times and confirmed by Axios, Disney has removed an episode of "The Simpsons" from its streaming platform in Hong Kong that mentions "forced labor camps" in China.The episode, "One Angry Lisa," features character Marge Simpson at an exercise class with the Great Wall of China on the screen, as her instructor says: "Behold the wonders of China. Bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones."A source familiar with the matter said airing the episode would have put Disney at odds with the national security law passed by Chinese officials in 2020, which curbs basic freedoms, particularly speech. Nonetheless, Disney's relationship with the CCP appears to be improving as China has allowed more Disney productions in.Meanwhile, the U.S. and other countries have accused Beijing of genocide against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities who are held in forced labor camps in China's Xinjiang region. Last year, the United Nations reported it found "serious human rights violations" there; a claim which Beijing denies.Disney has a long history of bowing to China's censorship demands. In 2021, the company dropped an episode of "The Simpsons" that featured a joke about Tiananmen Square, and was criticized for filming its live action remake of "Mulan" in Xinjiang, where Muslim Uyghurs are being persecuted.As tensions between China and the U.S. continue to build, it remains to be seen how Disney will navigate its relationship with the CCP. | 5473eac89c1fca4a | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
abortion | CNN (Web News) | http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/01/ohio-joins-texas-in-middle-of-abortion-spotlight/ | Ohio joins Texas in middle of abortion spotlight | 2013-07-01 | Abortion, Texas, Ohio | ( CNN ) - Ohio is joining Texas as one of the latest battlegrounds in the divisive fight over abortion .
Ohio 's Republican governor , John Kasich , signed into law Sunday night the state 's budget , which includes some controversial abortion provisions .
Those measures will require ultrasounds for anyone seeking an abortion and limit abortion clinics from transferring patients to public hospitals . If they need more care after a procedure , patients will now have to seek out a private hospital . The budget will also make it more difficult for family planning groups in the Buckeye State to obtain funding for preventive care . And it puts Planned Parenthood behind clinics that do n't provide abortions , when it comes to obtaining state funding .
The provisions are part of an overall $ 62 billion budget , which includes a $ 2.7 billion tax cut and $ 1.5 billion for education . Kasich vetoed 22 line-items in the budget , but left the abortion provisions , which were passed Thursday by the Republican-controlled state legislature .
Kasich , who is up for re-election next year , did not take questions from reporters Sunday night after signing the budget .
No Democrats in the state legislature voted for the measures , and the party was quick to spotlight the governor 's move .
`` This is why Mitt Romney lost in 2012 '' was the headline from an email from Elisabeth Smith , a senior adviser and spokeswoman for the Democratic Governors Association .
`` Governor John Kasich , surrounded by a smiling group of Republican male legislators , just signed a bill in Ohio that will defund Planned Parenthood and force women seeking abortions to get medically unnecessary ultrasounds . These positions are controversial , unpopular , and well out of the mainstream in any state , let alone Ohio , '' Smith said in her email to reporters .
There was a similar message from the Democratic National Committee .
`` Kasich 's legislation is just the latest example of Republicans ' extreme agenda on women 's health- an agenda that aims to systematically prevent personal medical decisions from remaining between a woman and her doctor , '' said an email from the DNC .
Ohio is a crucial battleground state in presidential politics . It was the state that put President George W. Bush over the top in his 2004 re-election , but was won by President Barack Obama in his 2008 and 2012 election victories .
Ohio Right to Life termed the passage of the abortion measures as `` historic . ''
`` Ohio Right to Life applauds Governor Kasich and the vast pro-life majorities in the House and Senate , '' said Mike Gonidakis , the group 's president . `` It took great compassion and courage for our Governor and pro-life legislature to stand up to the abortion industry that blatantly pressured them . ''
`` The budget passed by the Ohio state legislature and signed by Governor Kasich last night reflects the pro-life priorities of Ohioans , '' agreed Marjorie Dannenfelser , President of the Susan B. Anthony List , a group `` dedicated to electing candidate and pursuing polices that will reduce and ultimately end abortion . ''
Kasich signed the abortion measures one day before the Texas state legislature was set to meet in a special session called by Gov . Rick Perry . The agenda for the special session includes a controversial measure that would prohibit most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy . The bill was sidelined last week following a filibuster by a Democratic state senator that captured national attention . | 3e21c3f39783e672 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | The Week - News | http://theweek.com/articles/606266/paul-krugman-missed-magic-unicorns-hillary-clintons-platform | Paul Krugman missed the magic unicorns in Hillary Clinton's platform | 2016-02-17 | elections | In the Democratic primary , partisans of Hillary Clinton typically frame the contest as being between an unserious radical whose proposals wo n't work and ca n't pass ( Bernie Sanders ) , and a pragmatic political trench warrior whose less-ambitious proposals are more likely to lead to improved outcomes in the long term .
There are two problems with this . First , there is little reason to think that less-ambitious proposals will be more likely to deliver the goods . Second , in many key areas , Clinton has n't actually proposed anything at all .
Exhibit A for the pro-Clinton camp is Paul Krugman , Nobel Prize-winning economist and perhaps the most influential liberal pundit in the country . In response to Sanders supporters who point to the value of far-reaching goals for political organizing and as an opening bid for future negotiations , he presents two arguments .
First , because Clinton 's proposals are realistic , they could pass if Democrats take Congress . Second , Sanders ' `` magical unicorn '' proposals are so horrible and impossible that they can only be sold with lies about what they will cost , and because the media is biased against social insurance , that will prove to be an advantage for the Republican candidate .
Let 's examine the second argument first . To start , it 's important to note that Sanders ' single-payer proposal is a lot stronger than Krugman makes out . A left-leaning think tank recently came out with an analysis of his plan showing that everyone outside of 1 percenters would end up with net positive income — meaning the increased taxation would be more than counterbalanced by zeroing out insurance premiums .
That 's probably best viewed as a best-case scenario , and other analysts are more skeptical . But one should keep in mind the policy background here . The United States has by far the worst health care system in the industrialized world . We pay vastly more per person than any other rich nation , and we have mediocre at best health outcomes to show for it . If we could jigger the politics , it should be trivially easy to greatly improve our health care system , simply by copy-pasting from elsewhere . Krugman is simply wrong that Sanders is some kind of health care crank .
That leaves the argument that Clinton 's proposals are more realistic . On health care , how , exactly ? Krugman does n't say .
That might be because she has proposed nothing whatsoever that would seriously advance the state of American health care . Honestly , head over to her issues page and check out the section on health care . There 's no plan of any kind to address ObamaCare 's rather serious underinsurance problem , let alone bring insurance to the roughly 30 million people who still do n't have it . There is some oblique acknowledgement of the problems , but no hint of what to do about it — rather reminiscent of Clinton campaign manager John Podesta 's set of bullet points about how she would defeat ISIS , the first of which was `` defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq . ''
Or take monetary policy , the single most important economic policy lever . Krugman himself has been consistently ( and correctly ) arguing that the Federal Reserve 's decision to hike interest rates last December was a serious mistake . Sanders is the only candidate from either party who agrees with him on this point . Krugman has not mentioned this , instead attacking him for supporting a bill which would increase congressional oversight of the Fed . Meanwhile , Clinton 's economy page does not even mention monetary policy at all .
If any candidate 's ideas deserve the `` magic unicorn '' epithet , I 'd say it 's the one whose proposals do n't actually exist .
As Steve Randy Waldman points out , the entire point of political campaigns is to advance moral values and set priorities . I think the wonk class does n't much like this . They would , perhaps unsurprisingly , prefer that politics proceed in a way that maximizes the importance of their hard-won knowledge . But the simple truth is that the vast majority of people do n't pay attention to 2,000-page bills , or tortuous political negotiations , or independent multiple-regression analyses of policy proposals . Instead , they vote for people who seem closest to their values , and rely on them to figure out all that incomprehensible garbage . Experienced policy people are there for when you need someone to hammer out an actual bill . An important job , but a distinctly secondary one .
Now , people can support whomever them want . But let 's not pretend like there is an open-and-shut policy case for Hillary Clinton . Her policy book is missing some very important pages . | 92LbxEaInD5IDT4g | 1 | Hillary Clinton | 0.5 | Presidential Elections | -0.3 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | New York Times - News | http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/20/us/politics/fact-checking-obama-and-romney.html | In Romney and Obama Speeches, Selective Truths | 2012-06-20 | elections | Sometimes the truth or dishonesty of an assertion depends on definitions or on when you start counting . When it comes to unemployment , for instance , Mr. Romney counts from the month when Mr. Obama took office and inherited an economy that was hemorrhaging jobs at historic rates . Mr. Obama prefers to count from 2010 , when his policies arguably had started to take effect and the job picture had begun turning around , eschewing blame for the losses at the start of his term .
But one thing is clear : While they claim distance from typical Washington politics , both men have mastered the ancient Washington art of selective storytelling .
“ Over 4 million jobs created in the last two years. ” — Mr. Obama
Nowhere is the veracity of the candidates ’ statements more central than on the economic issues at the heart of their contest . The question of job creation provides a quintessential case study . By counting from January 2009 , Mr. Romney paints the bleak portrait of a country that despite a modest recovery still has fewer jobs than it did when Mr. Obama took office . According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the country has 552,000 fewer jobs now than when the president was inaugurated .
Mr. Obama starts his count in March 2010 , after the money from his stimulus law was flowing and payrolls began growing again . And he generally cites private-sector employment , so that he can say 4.3 million jobs have been created . Counting government work forces , the job growth is actually lower , 3.8 million jobs , according to the bureau .
Is it reasonable to start counting in January 2009 ? The economy was already shedding hundreds of thousands of jobs a month , and none of Mr. Obama ’ s policies would take effect for some time . Starting the count just one month later would show a small net increase in jobs for the president ’ s tenure in office . Yet if he can not be blamed for job losses in the early months of his term , can Mr. Obama be held responsible for not replacing the lost jobs more quickly ?
Mr. Obama has “ added almost as much debt as all the prior presidents combined. ” — Mr. Romney
The total national debt now stands at $ 15.8 trillion , up from $ 10.6 trillion when Mr. Obama took office , an increase of nearly 50 percent . A commonly cited and more economically important subset , debt held by the public , has grown to $ 11 trillion from $ 6.3 trillion , a 75 percent increase — closer to Mr. Romney ’ s claim , but still $ 1.7 trillion short of matching the accumulated public debt of the first 43 presidents . Adjusted for inflation , the debt Mr. Obama incurred is smaller relative to the combined prior debt .
“ Since President Obama assumed office ... federal spending has accelerated at a pace without precedent in recent history. ” — Mr. Romney
“ Since I ’ ve been president , federal spending has risen at the lowest pace in nearly 60 years. ” — Mr. Obama
Both men may be exaggerating in their own ways — and once again it depends in part on when you start counting . The president based his claim on a column in Market Watch , which calculated that government spending during the Obama years has grown 1.4 percent annually , the lowest since President Dwight D. Eisenhower .
But that column started counting with the fiscal year that started on Oct. 1 , 2009 , more than eight months after Mr. Obama took office , on the theory that that was the first full fiscal year Mr. Obama could shape . It held Mr. Obama responsible for $ 140 billion in additional spending from those first eight months stemming largely from his stimulus spending program . The calculation also gave Mr. Obama credit for automatic spending cuts scheduled for the next fiscal year , which the president opposes and which may not actually take effect .
Using different ways to calculate spending , The Washington Post found that spending has been going up 5.2 percent a year under Mr. Obama , while The Associated Press put the figure at 3 percent , excluding 2009 . Either way , it is neither the “ lowest pace in nearly 60 years , ” as Mr. Obama claimed , nor “ at a pace without precedent in recent history , ” as Mr. Romney charged .
Going back to Eisenhower , federal spending has risen on average 7 percent a year , or 2.6 percent when adjusted for inflation . After the spending burst of 2009 , Mr. Obama , constrained by Congress and aided by repayments of bank and auto bailouts , increased spending just 0.5 percent a year over the next three fiscal years when adjusted for inflation ; only two other three-year periods since Eisenhower had lower spending growth .
Another way to judge spending is to look at what was anticipated based on the laws and policies at the time Mr. Obama took office versus what actually happened . In January 2009 , days before he was inaugurated , the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecast spending in the 2011 fiscal year , which ended last Sept. 30 , at $ 3.323 trillion . In reality , after the policies put in place by Mr. Obama and Congress , it turned out to be $ 3.603 trillion , 8.4 percent higher .
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Yet another way to look at spending is as a share of the overall economy . For years up to and through most of George W. Bush ’ s presidency , federal spending generally totaled about 20 percent or less of the nation ’ s overall economic output . In Mr. Bush ’ s final full fiscal year in office , ending Sept. 30 , 2008 , it rose to 20.8 percent .
The next fiscal year , in which Mr. Bush was president for four months and Mr. Obama for eight , it shot up to 25.2 percent , then dipped to 24.1 percent for each of the next two years , the highest levels since World War II . Of course one reason spending is a larger share of the economy is because the overall economy shrunk during the recession . But even if spending rose starkly during the economic crisis under the presidencies of both Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama , it has remained at the higher level since then under Mr. Obama .
“ The only time government employment has gone down during a recession has been under me. ” — Mr. Obama
Again , it depends on how it is counted . Looking at the five months from Mr. Obama ’ s inauguration to June 2009 , when the recession officially ended , and including state and local governments , which are not under his direct control , government employment at all levels was virtually unchanged , from 22,576,000 in January 2009 to 22,570,000 in June , according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics .
Total government employment was 21,969,000 in May 2012 , a reduction of about 600,000 jobs . But looking only at the federal work force under Mr. Obama ’ s direct control , then government employment has actually gone up . He inherited a federal work force of 2,061,700 , and it rose slightly through June 2009 to 2,109,700 ; by May of this year , it had grown further to 2,204,100 , a 7 percent increase .
Mr. Obama is not correct in saying this was the “ only time ” government shrank during a recession . During the recession from July 1981 through November 1982 , under President Ronald Reagan , and again during the recession from July 1990 through March 1991 , under the elder President George Bush , government employment shrank slightly , both over all and in the federal work force specifically . The White House said he meant the recession and the 35 months after it .
Either way , while Mr. Obama has boasted of shrinking the public work force , he has advocated policies to prevent it from shrinking by helping state and local governments avoid laying off employees . In recent days , he has lamented that continuing economic troubles result in part from a decreasing public work force .
“ We are only inches away from no longer being a free economy. ” — Mr. Romney
In attacking Mr. Obama ’ s stewardship of the economy , Mr. Romney has engaged in hyperbole at times — as with this claim . He has also contended that Mr. Obama made the recession “ worse ” and “ last longer ” and said that the president ’ s health care law would increase government spending to nearly half of the American economy .
There is plenty of debate over how effective Mr. Obama ’ s economic policies have been , especially given the painfully slow recovery , but economists do not generally claim that Mr. Obama ’ s policies worsened the recession or made it longer .
The 18-month recession officially ended in June 2009 , five months into Mr. Obama ’ s term , as measured by the National Bureau of Economic Research . And even critics who consider the president ’ s stimulus package a missed opportunity — from liberals who say it was too small to conservatives who say it was wasteful and poorly targeted — tend to acknowledge what the Congressional Budget Office has found : it did save and create jobs , lower unemployment and help the economy grow in the short term .
Despite Mr. Romney ’ s claim , the new health care law will not drive government spending up to half of the economy , unless all health care spending in the country is reclassified as government spending . Given that the new law still relies heavily on private insurance provided by employers , it is a stretch to treat all of that as if it were government expenditures .
Experts predict the new health care law will drive up health spending , as more people will be covered , but not by a huge share of the economy . The chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated that with the new law , health care spending will rise to 21 percent of the economy in 2019 . Without the new law , it estimated , it would have risen to 20.8 percent of the economy .
The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated what would happen to federal spending under a number of different situations , taking the new health care law into account . The projection showing the biggest jump found that assuming that a number of current tax cuts are extended and several budget cuts currently scheduled to take effect next year are averted , federal spending will rise to 29 percent of the economy in 2030 from 24 percent in 2011 . But that rise is attributable in large part to rising interest payments required by ballooning debt .
And the idea that the United States has almost ceased to be a free-market economy was labeled “ ridiculously false ” by PolitiFact , which cited an economic freedom index from the Heritage Foundation , a conservative research group , which ranks the United States the world ’ s 10th freest economy of 179 judged .
“ A record surplus was squandered on tax cuts for people who didn ’ t need them and weren ’ t even asking for them. ” — Mr. Obama
Mr. Obama makes it sound as if the surpluses projected at the end of President Bill Clinton ’ s tenure disappeared entirely because of Mr. Bush ’ s tax cuts . In fact , tax cuts for the wealthy were responsible for a small fraction of the disappearing surpluses .
An analysis by the Congressional Budget Office last year showed that of $ 5.6 trillion in surpluses projected over 10 years when Mr. Bush took office , $ 1.6 trillion went to the tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 , or 29 percent . The rest of the anticipated surpluses vanished because of increased spending and lower-than-expected revenues stemming from economic downturns .
Mr. Obama supports keeping the tax cuts for all but the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans , or roughly 18 percent of the total cost . Extrapolated , that means the tax cuts “ for people who didn ’ t need them ” would have accounted for just 5 percent of the disappearing surpluses . | Bd7FQw0In8a0qnaa | 0 | Presidential Elections | 0.2 | Elections | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
general_news | Fox Online News | http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/02/17/apple-to-fight-order-to-help-hack-san-bernardino-shooters-phone.html?intcmp=hpbt1 | Apple to fight order to help hack San Bernardino shooter's phone | 2016-02-17 | general_news | Apple will fight a federal magistrate 's order to help the Obama administration break into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in last December 's deadly San Bernardino terror attack .
In a statement posted on Apple 's website early Wednesday , CEO Tim Cook said the order by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym `` has implications far beyond the legal case at hand . ''
`` We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI , and we believe their intentions are good , '' Cook 's statement read in part . `` Up to this point , we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them . But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have , and something we consider too dangerous to create . They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone . ''
Cook 's statement was published hours after Pym 's first-of-its kind ruling , a significant victory for the Justice Department in a technology policy debate that pits digital privacy against national security interests .
“ Nobody can build a phone that we can not get in under unique circumstances . Why should Apple be allowed to build a phone that does that ? ” a federal agent involved in the San Bernardino terror investigation told Fox News . “ The right should not supersede our ability to keep people safe . It ’ s why we are not finding others , encryption , and , specifically in this case , we can not connect the dots . ”
The agent said the phone ’ s carrier , Verizon , wouldn ’ t be able to provide authorities with the necessary information .
“ The information we need is on that phone and can not be accessed by Verizon , ” the agent said .
FBI Director James Comey told members of Congress last week that encryption is a major problem for law enforcement who `` find a device that ca n't be opened even when a judge says there 's probable cause to open it . ''
The ruling Tuesday tied the problem to the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon . Syed Farook and his wife , Tashfeen Malik , killed 14 people in a Dec. 2 shooting at a holiday luncheon for Farook 's co-workers . The couple later died in a gun battle with police .
Federal prosecutors told the judge in Tuesday 's court proceeding — which was conducted without Apple being allowed to participate — that investigators ca n't access a work phone used by Farook because they do n't know his passcode and Apple has not cooperated . Under U.S. law , a work phone is generally the property of a person 's employer . The judge told Apple to provide an estimate of its cost to comply with her order , suggesting that the government will be expected to pay for the work .
In his statement , Cook said , `` this moment calls for public discussion , and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake . ''
Apple has provided default encryption on its iPhones since 2014 , allowing any device 's contents to be accessed only by the user who knows the phone 's passcode . Previously , the company could use an extraction tool that would physically plug into the phone and allow it to respond to search warrant requests from the government .
The ruling by Pym , a former federal prosecutor , requires Apple to supply highly specialized software the FBI can load onto the county-owned work iPhone to bypass a self-destruct feature , which erases the phone 's data after too many unsuccessful attempts to unlock it . The FBI wants to be able to try different combinations in rapid sequence until it finds the right one .
`` The FBI may use different words to describe this tool , but make no mistake , '' Cook wrote . `` Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor . And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case , there is no way to guarantee such control . ''
It was not immediately clear what investigators believe they might find on Farook 's work phone or why the information would not be available from third-party service providers , such as Google or Facebook , though investigators think the device may hold clues about whom the couple communicated with and where they may have traveled .
The couple took pains to physically destroy two personally owned cellphones , crushing them beyond the FBI 's ability to recover information from them . They also removed a hard drive from their computer ; it has not been found despite investigators diving for days for potential electronic evidence in a nearby lake .
Farook was not carrying his work iPhone during the attack . It was discovered after a subsequent search . It was not known whether Farook forgot about the iPhone or did not care whether investigators found it .
The phone was running the newest version of Apple 's iPhone operating system , which requires a passcode and can not be accessed by Apple , unlike earlier operating systems or older phone models . San Bernardino County provided Farook with an iPhone configured to erase data after 10 consecutive unsuccessful unlocking attempts . The FBI said that feature appeared to be active on Farook 's iPhone as of the last time he performed a backup .
The judge did n't spell out her rationale in her three-page order , but the ruling comes amid a similar case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York .
Investigators are still working to piece together a missing 18 minutes in Farook and Malik 's timeline from Dec. 2 . Investigators have concluded they were at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group ; Malik 's Facebook page included a note pledging allegiance to the group 's leader around the time of the attack . | SyqtmIJMvhJ0ZHmr | 2 | FBI | -0.1 | Apple | -0.1 | National Security | 0 | General News | 0 | null | null |
abortion | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/23/politics/gop-abortion-vote-2016/index.html | Abortion poses challenge for GOP in 2016 | 2015-01-23 | abortion | Washington ( CNN ) Tens of thousands of pro-life activists descended on Washington on Thursday for the annual March for Life , marking the 42nd anniversary of the Supreme Court 's Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal — by promising to end it .
By the size of the crowds and the enthusiasm of the speakers , it was impossible to tell that just the night before , Republican leaders on Capitol Hill had spiked one of social conservatives ' biggest priorities , a bill banning abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy .
The scramble over the bill behind closed doors was the latest in a series of conflicts within the caucus , and again underscored the challenge facing the GOP as they head into a presidential election year : How to expand the party 's appeal with untapped demographic groups , while still appeasing their conservative base .
That was the concern raised by Rep. Renee Ellmers , the North Carolina Republican who , along with a group of GOP women and centrists in the party , led the successful effort to get the bill pulled .
`` The first vote we take , or the second vote , or the fifth vote , should n't be on an issue where we know that millennials—social issues just are n't as important [ to them ] , '' she told National Journal last week
Ellmers and Rep. Jackie Walorski pulled their sponsorships because of concerns over a requirement that rape victims file a police report to get an exemption from the ban .
Other centrist Republicans expressed concerns on Thursday that the party should be focusing on less controversial issues with broader appeal .
`` This appeared to be messaging bill , and the message that was being sent was not a very good one , '' Republican Rep Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania said
`` I would prefer that our party spent less time focusing on these very contentious social issues , because that distracts us from broader economic messages where I think we have much greater appeal to the larger public , '' he said .
The GOP has long faced significant issues in wooing single female voters and young voters , which contributed to its unexpected loss of the White House in 2012 . After that election , an RNC post-mortem report diagnosing the party 's problems suggested the GOP `` must in fact and deed be inclusive and welcoming '' on social issues .
But as centrists in the party look to move away from the abortion issue , they 'll run up against fierce opposition from social conservatives , who were calling for revenge against Ellmers and other lawmakers who led the effort to drop the bill .
Marjorie Dannenfelser , president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List , told CNN she met with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday night and was `` shocked and surprised '' when she was told they would n't be bringing the bill to a floor for a vote .
`` No one ever brought up any of these issues . No one ever brought it up in the Senate races where we injected it in the middle of the campaign , '' she said . `` [ House Republicans ] have managed to really pull [ defeat ] out of the jaws of victory for sure . ''
House leadership has told her that the bill will eventually come up for a vote , but gave her no time line . A leadership aide said lawmakers are going to discuss how to move forward with the bill , but it 's not clear what 's next for it .
Dannenfelser said Ellmers is almost certain to face a primary challenge in 2012 .
`` My phone does not stop ringing with people asking me , what are we going to do about her next year ? I want to stay focused on getting the bill passed — but some people ... there 's no protecting some people once they 've gone past the tipping point , '' she said .
Ellmers represents a GOP-leaning district and won her last primary with less than 60 % support , so the threat of a challenge in 2016 over the abortion issue is a significant one for her .
But it 's less clear how the issue will play out for the GOP as a whole .
This time last year , the RNC passed a resolution urging Republican candidates to speak out on the abortion issue on the campaign trail , and attendees at the event , including RNC Chairman Reince Priebus , said it was a winning issue .
This time around , Priebus was elsewhere , and Republicans made little mention the abortion issue at their winter meeting .
Most of the GOP 's likely presidential contenders kept mum on the developments on Capitol Hill . Rick Santorum , who was the favorite of social conservatives during the 2012 race and is contemplating another run , was relatively subdued about leadership pulling the bill .
`` I 'm disappointed , '' he said , `` but leadership is just doing what good leadership does — which is listen to its members and try to work out a bill that is acceptable to the most within the caucus . ''
And few dozen protesters , mostly college students and older activists , gathered outside Ellmers ' office after the march to express their frustration with her move . One , Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins , called Ellmers a `` coward '' for previously supporting a similar bill , before working to block this one .
But asked whether candidates should run on the abortion issue if they hope to appeal to millennials , she demurred .
`` Obviously , there are a ton of important issues that millennials care about ... but I think they should n't shy away from it , '' she said . | j7YIYOwTlqOz5Les | 0 | Abortion | -2.5 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
violence_in_america | Townhall | https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2018/02/26/busted-incompetent-preening-broward-county-sheriff-gets-caught-in-a-lie-n2454143 | Incompetent, Preening Broward County Sheriff Gets Caught in a Lie | 2018-02-26 | violence_in_america | As the hours and days pass , it 's becoming increasingly apparent how terribly law enforcement -- and especially the Broward County Sheriff 's office -- bungled its collective handling of the Parkland massacre , from ignoring multiple red flags leading up to the horrific incident to deadly inaction during the shooting itself . We can now add 'lying after the fact ' to the list . Facing intense questions about the department 's disastrous response to explicit warning signs about the perpetrator , the Sheriff 's office released an indignant statement at nearly 10 pm on Saturday night . The media 's coverage was unfair , the memo suggested , because an inaccurate statistic was being reported for public consumption :
I 'm not sure it 's a helpful talking point to insist that county sheriffs `` only '' responded to , um , 23 prior incidents involving the killer or his family , as opposed to 39 . But that 's the line of defense Scott Israel chose to select . The 39 figure is `` simply not true , '' he asserts , instructing reporters to cease citing it . He also rejects the scandalous allegation from other law enforcement officials that multiple county sheriff officers who were on location failed to enter the building while the shooter was still actively spraying students with bullets . We know this is true of at least one officer , who has resigned ; Israel downplays the serious and credible accusation that there were three others as an 'unconfirmed claim . ' It 's extraordinary to watch this guy engage in damage control just days after he shamelessly joined , and even helped lead , the anti-NRA pile-on at CNN 's 'town hall ' event . A polarizing outside advocacy group sure comes in handy as a scapegoat for deflecting attention away from one 's own lethal failures , which directly contributed to the body count . Enter Buzzfeed , which has obtained documentation proving that Israel still is n't telling the truth :
. @ browardsheriff says it responded to 23 calls involving Cruz or his family , but records obtained by @ BuzzFeedNews show at least 45 responses : https : //t.co/JHCQ2T3tHs
And Sheriff says he wo n't resign though 4 deputies waited outside during the shooting : https : //t.co/8qrjQHazra — Tom Namako ( @ TomNamako ) February 25 , 2018
Broward County sheriff 's officials said in a statement late Saturday that they responded only to 23 calls involving suspected Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz or his family over the years , but records obtained by BuzzFeed News show at least 45 responses since 2008 . The number of calls made over the years involving Cruz or his family , according to the call records , are nearly twice the number publicly disclosed by the department . On Saturday night , the Broward County Sheriff 's Office released a statement pushing back on reports that they had been called more than the 23 incidents released by the department ... Dispatch records obtained by BuzzFeed News show that , since 2008 , there were 22 calls to send deputies to Cruz 's home that have not been publicly disclosed by the department .
The implosion of this man 's credibility is now complete . In an astonishingly glib and arrogant interview on CNN Sunday morning , in which he was grilled by Jake Tapper , Israel angrily denounced the entirely justified calls for his resignation , praising his own `` amazing '' leadership of the department . Remember , this is someone who whipped up the anti-gun crowd in that arena last week , prior to the arrival of villainous Marco Rubio and Dana Loesch . Many others , including some who have been extremely critical of the NRA , have become deeply unimpressed with the Sheriff :
Broward ’ s sheriff should resign and an independent investigator needs to be appointed by Florida ’ s governor or the Justice Department . Clearly , the gross incompetence of his office before and during the massacre contributed to the deaths of 17 children . https : //t.co/ktp8h8DX5N — Joe Scarborough ( @ JoeNBC ) February 25 , 2018
Having latched onto Israel -- a man with a title and a badge blasting the NRA for his own failures -- as an ally , some on the Left are mounting absolutely mind-boggling defenses of him and his department . One popular refrain is that the episode debunks the `` good guy with a gun '' argument because one or several armed officers did n't stop an ongoing shooting . This is bizarre . The problem is that the good guys with guns apparently did n't try to intercede when they could have . The rebuttal to this stupid point is almost insultingly obvious :
If a building was burning and the fire department showed up and just sat there as it burned to the ground , no one would have said they were `` unable '' to put out the fire . — neontaster ? ? ( @ neontaster ) February 24 , 2018
I also can not fathom why some people feel compelled to defend the cop ( or cops ) who stood outside the building while bullets were flying inside . Yes , it 's a scary situation . Yes , it 's life-threatening . But it 's the job of law enforcement to protect innocent people . Do n't want the risk ? Do n't sign up for the job . Here 's one of the anti-gun student activists making excuses for the man who could have saved his classmates ' lives , while reserving his anger at an organization that represents law-abiding gun owners :
Florida survivor defends officer who did not enter shooting scene : Who wants to go down the barrel of an AR-15 ? https : //t.co/V9gO1w15ZP pic.twitter.com/hTdBWsgXTM — The Hill ( @ thehill ) February 25 , 2018
As I 've written previously , these kids have every right to get involved in the political process and to make their voices heard . Any responses or criticisms should be leveled delicately , out of respect for the trauma they 've just endured . But I really ca n't wrap my head around being so fervently committed to blaming political opponents that you 're willing to go on television and give an undeserved pass to someone who had the opportunity -- and in fact the duty -- to intervene and save lives , yet did not . And at what point do adult journalists have some obligation to step in and even lightly challenge straight-up smears like this ?
Parkland student survivor and activist David Hogg criticizes NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch : `` She owns these congressmen . She can get them to do things . It 's just she does n't care about these children 's lives '' https : //t.co/cfOvcjtoDq https : //t.co/rOqG9HzvhF — Reliable Sources ( @ ReliableSources ) February 25 , 2018
I 'm open to debating ideas to help mitigate America 's mass shooting problem , including considering some new regulations and restrictions . But it 's maddening to watch people ignore or elide the glaring failures of the existing system that led to Parkland in their zealous , and too often fact-free , pursuit of new laws . Gun control activists and their media cheerleaders undermine their standing with ugly demonization and outright slanders against people with whom they disagree on policy . In what possible way to do such tactics increase the likelihood of meaningful conversation or compromise ? | Z52cBqbrGGvCls0C | 2 | Florida School Shooting | -0.7 | Police | -0.2 | Violence In America | 0 | null | null | null | null |
elections | ABC News | http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-insists-meddled-election-points-finger-obama/story?id=48466995 | Trump insists 'nobody really knows' who meddled in election, points the finger again at Obama | 2017-07-09 | Presidential Elections, Elections | President Trump on Thursday appeared to cast doubt again on the U.S. intelligence community 's conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election , saying before a major speech in Poland that there could have been others involved and that `` nobody really knows for sure . ''
Interested in Donald Trump ? Add Donald Trump as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Donald Trump news , video , and analysis from ███ . Add Interest
`` I think it was Russia , but I think it was probably other people and/or countries , and I see nothing wrong with that statement . Nobody really knows . Nobody really knows for sure , '' Trump said in his first press conference overseas as president .
He also again placed blame on his predecessor Barack Obama for not taking stronger action to confront Russia for interfering in the election , accusing him of not taking action because `` he thought [ Hillary ] Clinton was going to win the election . ''
`` He did nothing about it . Why did he do nothing about it ? He was told it was Russia by the CIA , as I understand it . It was well reported . He did nothing about it . They say he choked . I do n't think he choked . I think what happens is he thought Hillary Clinton was going to win the election and said , 'Let 's not do anything about it . ' Had he thought the other way , he would have done something about it , '' Trump said .
He added , `` If he thought I was going to win , he would have done plenty about it . ''
Trump has recently turned his focus to blaming Obama for not taking action to confront Russia , after months of questioning its role in the election and decrying the Russia story as `` fake news . ''
As recently as December , Trump openly entertained the concept that it could have been `` somebody sitting in a bed someplace '' who hacked Democratic National Committee computers before the election .
`` They have no idea if it 's Russia or China or somebody . It could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace . I mean , they have no idea , '' he said . | 263776f2fd29f1e6 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
abortion | Vox | https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/3/16401826/abortion-ban-pain-capable-unborn-child-protection-act | The House just passed a 20-week abortion ban. Opponents say it's “basically relying on junk science.” | 2017-10-03 | abortion | On Monday , the Senate will hold a procedural vote on a bill that would make abortion after 20 weeks illegal in every state in the country . Called the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act , it ’ s based on the idea that a fetus at 20 weeks ’ gestation can feel pain .
“ The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act will protect the voiceless , the vulnerable , and the marginalized , '' said Rep. Kevin McCarthy ( R-CA ) , the House majority leader , in a statement in September ( the House passed the bill in early October ) . `` It will protect those children who science has proven can feel pain. ” While the bill is unlikely to pass the Senate because of the 60 votes required , President Donald Trump has promised to sign the it if it passes ; during the campaign , he said such a bill “ would end painful late-term abortions nationwide . ”
In fact , the best available science shows that fetuses probably can not feel pain until well after 20 weeks . Advocates of abortion rights say 20-week bans at the state level have harmed women , forcing them to travel to another state , often at great expense , to get the care they seek . And opponents of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act fear that , even if it never passes , it will ultimately spread dangerous misinformation .
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is not based on accepted science
The bill , sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) , would ban abortions after 20 weeks nationwide , except in cases of rape , incest , or a threat to the life of the mother . A doctor who performed an abortion after 20 weeks , except in those cases , could face up to five years in prison . Women seeking abortions would not be penalized under the bill .
The text of the bill includes a section on the science of fetal pain , which states that “ there is substantial medical evidence that an unborn child is capable of experiencing pain at least by 20 weeks after fertilization , if not earlier . ”
However , the general scientific consensus is that no such evidence exists . “ There ’ s actually conclusive evidence that shows that the neurologic structures in a fetus aren ’ t completely laid down and working yet until much further along in pregnancy , we think even the third trimester , ” said Jennifer Conti , a clinical assistant professor and OB-GYN at Stanford University and a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health . Twenty weeks , she said , “ is just an arbitrary limit set in place by politicians that has no medical or scientific backing . ”
The most comprehensive look at fetal pain to date was a literature review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2005 . According to the review , the structures needed for fetuses to feel pain begin to develop between 23 and 30 weeks ’ gestation , and studies of premature babies suggest they can ’ t feel pain until 29 or 30 weeks . While this review is now 12 years old , it still holds true — “ no research since its publication has contradicted its findings , ” wrote Mark S. DeFrancesco on behalf of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2015 .
The bill makes a number of claims that contradict scientific consensus . For instance , the bill states that “ after 20 weeks , the unborn child reacts to stimuli that would be recognized as painful if applied to an adult human , for example , by recoiling. ” However , according to the group Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health ( ANSIRH ) at the University of California , San Francisco , “ limb withdrawal occurs even in full-term babies in response to non-painful tactile sensations , including light touch . Thus the appearance of limb withdrawal on ultrasound represents a reflex rather than a response to pain . ”
The bill , said Amy Friedrich-Karnik , senior federal policy adviser at the Center for Reproductive Rights , is “ basically relying on junk science . ”
This bill isn ’ t new — and we ’ ve already seen some of its effects
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act previously passed the House in 2015 , as Jessie Hellmann notes at the Hill , but failed in the Senate . Similar bans have also passed in more than a dozen states .
People seek abortions after 20 weeks for a variety of reasons . One patient who came to Conti seeking an abortion said that a clinic the previous week had told her she was 12 weeks pregnant . But the clinic turned out to be a crisis pregnancy center that had given her incorrect information — she was actually 21 weeks along . “ Essentially her care was sabotaged , ” Conti said — and under a 20-week ban , she would have been unable to get an abortion .
Patients can also be pushed to get abortions later in pregnancy by financial or logistical problems , like difficulty getting to a clinic or getting together the money for the procedure . In states with 20-week bans already in place , patients who need later abortions typically have to travel to another state , said Friedrich-Karnik . That can cause enormous financial strain , she said . But “ to imagine a ban like this nationwide and to think that no one could even have the opportunity to go to another state to get the care is frightening . ”
The bill passed the House by a vote of 237-189 . It probably will not pass the Senate , Hellmann writes , where it would need a 60-vote majority . Republicans may be using Monday ’ s vote as a way to put pressure on Democratic senators in red states , like Claire McCaskill ( D-MO ) and Heidi Heitkamp ( D-ND ) , Hellmann noted in January . Both voted against the 20-week ban in 2015 , and anti-abortion activists hope a vote against the bill this year will make the senators vulnerable in November ’ s elections .
Even if it never becomes federal law , Conti said , the bill can still cause harm . “ By even putting this issue on a national platform , ” she said , “ you ’ re misleading the American people . ”
“ You ’ re really providing false and dangerous information that is affecting millions of women , ” she added . | ooh6p0YxwM4Dfa0B | 0 | Republican Party | -1.6 | US House | -0.7 | Abortion | -0.4 | null | null | null | null |
world | CNN Digital | https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/22/middleeast/medics-pilgrimage-hajj-eyewitnesses-intl/index.html | ‘Not enough medics’ to help pilgrims with heat, Hajj witnesses tell CNN as toll mounts | 2024-06-24 | World, Saudi Arabia, Islam, Muslims, Heat Waves, Climate Change, Public Health | CNN —There were not enough medics or basic facilities to protect Hajj pilgrims from the effects of the sweltering heat in Saudi Arabia last week, two pilgrims recently returned from Hajj told CNN, as the official death toll from this year’s Hajj pilgrimage soared to almost 500.Witnesses said worshipers losing consciousness and walking past bodies covered in white cloth became a norm during the mass religious event.This years’ Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca has been held amid extreme weather conditions which saw temperatures consistently soar above average figures. The exact death toll remains unclear and is expected to rise much further, as each country has been independently announcing the deaths of their nationals.Additionally, the governments are only aware of pilgrims who have registered and traveled to Mecca as part of their country’s quota – more deaths are feared among unregistered pilgrims.Zirrar Ali, 40, who returned to London on Friday from his pilgrimage with his 70-year-old father, told CNN that authorities did not provide enough water, shade or medical support to Hajj pilgrims during the week he was there.“To me, it felt like there are too many people, there are not enough medics, so they are just waiting for the worst of the worst to happen and then they will step in,” Ali said, adding that people passing out came to be a regularity.“I couldn’t focus on my Hajj when I saw these people suffering,” he added.Ali’s comments were echoed by another witness, 44-year-old Ahmad from Indonesia, who told CNN he saw many people falling ill and even dying from the heat.A woman uses a fan to cool off a man lying on the ground during Hajj. Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images“Along the way home, I saw many pilgrims who died. Almost every few hundred meters, there was a body lying and covered with an ihrom [white fabric] cloth,” he said.“Every time there is a distribution of water from local residents or certain groups, it is immediately overrun by the pilgrims,” he added, saying that he didn’t see health workers or a single ambulance along the road.Both pilgrims lamented the poor infrastructure and organization of this year’s pilgrimage, especially for those who travelled independently, outside of licensed tour groups.Saudi Arabia requires each pilgrim to acquire one of the 1.8 million available licenses to legally access Mecca. These licenses can cost several thousand US dollars. Unlicensed pilgrims typically don’t travel in organized tour buses with air conditioning or easy access to water and food supplies.Muslim pilgrims use umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. Rafiq Maqbool/APDespite the luxuries on offer to some, all pilgrims spend the bulk of their day walking outdoors in the scorching heat.According to Ali, five hours walking every day is the minimum, but many pilgrims spent 12 hours outside per day.For him, although the long walk is a fundamental part of the Hajj experience, he believes the Saudi government should have provided more assistance.“Taking eight hours to get from A to B, that’s part of being patient and that’s considered hardship…but at no point were we told ‘if you don’t have water for ten hours, that’s considered part of Hajj’ it’s not considered to be part of Hajj, we should be giving comfort and taking care of ourselves,” he said.The daughter of an elderly Indonesian man who died during Hajj told CNN her family was “happy” he was buried in the Islamic holy city of Mecca after he had waited for years to go on the pilgrimage.Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Heru Jumartiyah said her 86-year-old father Ngatijo Wongso Sentono registered for Hajj pilgrimage in 2018 and travelled to Mecca with his 83-year-old wife and neighbors from the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.“My father was very enthusiastic about going on the Hajj. He wanted to leave immediately,” she told CNN.According to Islamic belief, to die and be buried in Mecca is considered to be a blessing, with many Muslims travelling in their old age after having saved for the pilgrimage.CNN has reached out to Saudi authorities regarding the reportedly inadequate response to this year’s heat and has yet to hear back.More than 1.8 million people took part in this year’s Hajj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, according to the Saudi General Authority for Statistics.While deaths among pilgrims are not uncommon (there were more than 200 last year), this year’s gathering is being held amid particularly high temperatures.Hajj season changes every year according to the Islamic calendar and this year it fell in June, one of the hottest months in the kingdom.It occurs two months and 10 days after Ramadan ends, during the Islamic month of Dhul-Hijjah. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and shorter than the Gregorian calendar, the timing of Hajj on the Gregorian calendar shifts slightly each year. | 4ebf6283dc6b6bd6 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Salon | http://www.salon.com/2016/03/04/trumps_arch_nemesis_strikes_back_megyn_kelly_goes_for_the_jugular_in_absolutely_bizarre_gop_debate/ | Trump’s arch-nemesis strikes back: Megyn Kelly goes for the jugular in absolutely bizarre GOP debate | 2016-03-04 | Debates, Megyn Kelly, Presidential Elections, Elections | That was how Megyn Kelly greeted Donald Trump at Thursday night 's Republican presidential debate . The Fox News anchor and the GOP frontrunner had n't encountered each other since their notorious clash way back in August of last year . ( Yes , think about how long ago that was and weep . ) Their reunion came midway through the debate . Things felt like they had somewhat recovered from the segment about Trump 's penis size—which was so surreal that it virtually obliterated the next half hour from the collective consciousness—and Kelly looked like she was ready to get into it with her former tormentor . She promptly did .
Here 's where I add the normal Kelly caveats : She can stir up a lot of nasty , racist stuff when she feels like it . But she takes her role as one of the vetters-in-chief for the Republican establishment very seriously , and she makes sure that she does her homework when she decides she 's going to go for blood . Judging from her handling of Trump , she was hungry .
If Fox News has cooled on Marco Rubio , it certainly has n't appeared to have warmed completely to Trump—or , at least , Kelly has n't . Her questioning of him started soft but she soon began to deploy the prosecutorial ruthlessness she 's become known for at the debates . In one extraordinarily lengthy section , she used a deadly video montage to point out Trump 's propensity for lying— '' What is [ your ] core ? '' she wondered aloud—and practically seized the debate away from Marco Rubio to grill Trump about his failed Trump University scam . `` Stand by ! '' she kept shouting at Rubio as he tried to get a word in . Clearly , Kelly wanted to handle Trump herself . She even posted a quote all-but-directly referring to him as a con artist , one of Rubio 's favorite recent anti-Trump lines .
Trump floundered predictably in the face of Kelly 's relentlessness , but you could practically see him telling himself to keep his calm . After the debate was over , he told Bill O'Reilly that the questions had been `` tough but fair , '' a far cry from the hissy fit he threw the last time she went after him .
If only the Fox News appetite for doggedness had extended to matters beyond Trumpland . In a fairly appalling demonstration of the network 's priorities , the moderators devoted little over a minute to the water crisis in Flint—this at a debate being held in Michigan . They also managed to ask questions about `` religious liberty '' that focused entirely on what they called `` gay marriage dissenters , '' instead of , say , persecuted Muslims . Alas , it was probably naive to suppose anything different would have happened .
Since Fox News is as much a political project as a journalistic one , we must judge whether or not it succeeded in the mission it had for the debate . The problem is , it 's completely unclear what that mission was . New York 's Gabriel Sherman reported earlier this week that , having decided Rubio ca n't cut it , the network is floundering around for a candidate to back . That indecisiveness was fully on display on Thursday . Straight after the debate , Trump , the man who Kelly had so clearly tried to take down , was being feted by Kelly 's great Fox News rival , Bill O'Reilly . Once again , he 'd managed to pull out a kind of victory . | 4062f6ce0441fa12 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
welfare | USA TODAY | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/07/23/trump-administration-food-stamp-proposal-may-remove-3-million/1803077001/ | Trump administration proposes cutting 3 million off food stamp rolls | 2019-07-23 | welfare | WASHINGTON – As many as 3.1 million recipients could lose their food stamp benefits under a proposal unveiled Tuesday .
The Trump administration said the rule was designed to eliminate `` loopholes '' and save money . But it was immediately assailed by anti-poverty advocates including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , who called the proposal an `` act of staggering callousness . ''
Under the proposed rule , the U.S. Department of Agriculture 's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would no longer provide benefits to families solely because they are enrolled in food assistance programs run by the states where they live .
Over time , some states have expanded eligibility to recipients who would not otherwise qualify for the federal program based on asset or income limitations . Because they are enrolled in the state program , they automatically qualify for SNAP benefits under federal regulations .
USDA officials said the proposed rule would `` fix a loophole '' that 's permitted households to receive assistance `` when they clearly don ’ t need it . ''
Agency officials said the proposal could save billions in taxpayer funds . Recipients who lose their benefits could reapply and qualify if they met the federal standards for assistance .
“ For too long , this loophole has been used to effectively bypass important eligibility guidelines . Too often , states have misused this flexibility without restraint , ” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement . “ The American people expect their government to be fair , efficient , and to have integrity – just as they do in their own homes , businesses , and communities . ''
No junk food : No candy . No chips . Texas bill would prevent SNAP recipients from using food stamps to buy junk food
Top cities : Food stamps are more popular in these cities than anywhere else
“ USDA ’ s plan to take away flexibility from states to allow people to save funds while working their way out of poverty and still receive SNAP is horrid in four ways , '' said Joel Berg , CEO of Hunger Free America . `` It will make working Americans hungrier . It will make it harder for families to work their way out of poverty . And it is hypocritical since Republicans are denying flexibility to states . We will fight this fiercely . ”
Rep. Ilhan Omar , D-Minn. , tweeted out a story on the proposal and warned that Trump `` does not want you to know about this . ''
Conservatives have long considered the food stamp program as an example of government waste that needs to be made more efficient .
In December , the administration proposed a rule that would tighten work requirements for SNAP recipients . It would restrict states from exempting work-eligible adults to receive food stamps if they 're not seeking employment .
Weeks ago , Congress rejected Republican-sponsored changes to SNAP as part of a $ 400 billion farm bill .
Rep. Marcia Fudge , D-Ohio , who chairs the House Agriculture Subcommittee that oversees SNAP , criticized Tuesday 's proposal as a hypocritical dictate from a party that often preaches states ' rights .
`` When it comes to putting that rhetoric into practice for SNAP , they take the opposite position , '' she said . | lYpF5fypcUHV2ytu | 1 | Hunger | -1.8 | Welfare | -0.2 | Food Stamps | -0.2 | Inequality | 0 | Economy And Jobs | 0 |
race_and_racism | NBC News (Online) | https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/goya-food-s-ceo-said-u-s-blessed-have-trump-n1233392 | Goya Foods' CEO said U.S. 'blessed' to have Trump as a leader, and calls for boycott quickly followed | 2020-07-10 | race_and_racism | Get breaking news alerts and special reports . The news and stories that matter , delivered weekday mornings .
Goya , which says it 's the nation 's largest Hispanic-owned food brand , is facing a backlash after its chief executive met with and heaped praise on President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday .
On Twitter , # BoycottGoya and # GoyaFoods were trending in the United States , and some Latinos were also using the hashtag # goyaway .
Trump reached out to Latino voters Thursday with a promised expansion of his `` Hispanic Prosperity Initiative , '' an effort said to include more taxpayer support for charter and private schools , and added tax benefits for `` Opportunity Zone '' development in urban neighborhoods .
School choice `` is a great civil rights issue and may be the great one of our times , '' the president said .
For the event , which included the signing of an executive order on the initiative , Trump hosted a group of Hispanic supporters — including politicians and business magnates — one day after he met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador , who was facing a backlash of his own .
Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue attended the event and used the occasion to announce a donation of 1 million cans of chickpeas and 1 million pounds of other food to food banks .
`` We 're all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump , who is a builder , '' Unanue said at the White House .
The Morning Rundown Get a head start on the morning 's top stories . This site is protected by recaptcha
The remark set off a wave of criticism of New Jersey-based Goya , founded in 1936 by European immigrants . Some called for consumers to consider other brands in the canned food aisle .
Goya Foods did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night .
`` Americans should think twice before buying their products , '' former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro tweeted .
. @ GoyaFoods has been a staple of so many Latino households for generations .
Now their CEO , Bob Unanue , is praising a president who villainizes and maliciously attacks Latinos for political gain . Americans should think twice before buying their products . # Goyaway https : //t.co/lZDQlK6TcU — Julián Castro ( @ JulianCastro ) July 9 , 2020
Many Latinos feel Trump has dehumanized and attacked south-of-the-border immigrants for political gain starting with the 2015 launch of his presidential campaign , when he suggested that Mexican newcomers were criminals and rapists .
`` It 's shameful and appalling that the president of Goya Foods is praising the most anti-Latino president in the history of our country , '' Latino Victory Fund CEO Nathalie Rayes said by email .
`` President Trump has disrespected and attacked the Latino community since Day 1 , '' she said . `` We call for a boycott of Goya Foods products and anyone who stands with Donald Trump and against our community . ''
The president 's family separation policy at the border and his attempt to dismantle the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program , which allows young immigrants who have been in the U.S. since they were children to stay , have not helped his popularity among Latinos .
Last year the Southern Poverty Law Center released a trove of emails from White House adviser Stephen Miller , the architect of Trump 's immigration policy , who cited and promoted white nationalist ideologies .
Youth immigrant organization United We Dream said on Twitter that it supports boycotting Goya for normalizing relations with the White House .
`` We do n't support companies who endorse and comply with a White Supremacist regime , '' it said . `` Under capitalism , know the power of the dollar in their eyes . We 're using it to make a statement . ''
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , D-N.Y. , suggested working around Goya products when creating dishes with traditional Puerto Rican seasoning .
`` Oh look , it 's the sound of me Googling 'how to make your own Adobo , ' '' she said on Twitter before posting a friend 's from-scratch recipe .
The Twitter account for the Texas-based Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services Action Fund argued that Goya 's `` canned black beans are n't even that good . It seems their opinions and politics are worse . ''
Southern California food writer Bill Esparza said on Twitter that he had made a quick `` pantry check '' to ensure that no Goya products were in his home . `` All clear , '' he said . | WRy0tmNSIgUQ1bSq | 0 | Hispanics | -0.1 | Latinos | -0.1 | Race And Racism | 0 | Inequality | 0 | Domestic Policy | 0 |
healthcare | CBS News (Online) | http://www.cbsnews.com/news/in-year-3-many-hit-with-obamacare-sticker-shock/ | In year 3, many hit with Obamacare sticker shock | 2015-11-02 | Healthcare | Watch CBS News By Jericka Duncan November 1, 2015 / 6:41 PM EST / CBS News Sign-up season started Sunday for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, now in year 3. Premiums are going up an average of 7.5 percent, but they could be much higher depending on where you live. Self-employed accountant Fred Imel of Oklahoma buys insurance for his family through the Health Insurance Marketplace. He just learned his premiums are going up from $1,100 per month, to $1,700. That means Imel could pay $20,000 next year for health insurance -- an increase of 66 percent. "The first job when I got out of school was $16,500," Imel said. "You know that's a lot of money." The Affordable Care Act requires every state to set up a marketplace for the uninsured or allow the federal government to do so. But when some insurance providers back out of that market place, as some did in Fred Imel's state, consumers pay more. Premiums vary widely -- and are actually decreasing in a few places. Indiana is down 12.6 percent, and Mississippi is down 8 percent. But in most states, premiums are rising, up 31.5 percent in Alaska and up nearly 36 percent in Oklahoma. Elisabeth Benjamin, who helps people get health care coverage, said there are many reasons for the changes. "That could be because of market consolidation, could be providers asking for more money or drug prices going up," Benjamin said. "There is this clause that if your rate increases over 10 percent you should be scrutinized by regulators." According to the Department of Health and Human Services, with tax credits, more than 7 in 10 current market place enrollees could find plans for $75 per month in premiums, or less. But Fred Imel doesn't qualify for tax credits, forcing him to shop around. © 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Copyright ©2025 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. These cookies are essential for the proper functioning of our Services. Essential cookies cannot be switched off in our systems. You can set your device to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the Service will not work. Please make sure you click on the Save Settings button at the bottom or otherwise confirm your opt-out choice. If you are in California or Colorado and have enabled the Global Privacy Control signal, we will treat this as a request to opt-out of “sales,” “sharing” and “targeted advertising” for device information. For more information about how to use the Global Privacy Control signal, please see here. For instructions on how to stop receiving marketing emails from us, please see here. | d8c307b80e303ee6 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
terrorism | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/10/when-politics-override-accountability/ | AUSBROOK: When politics override accountability | 2013-05-10 | terrorism | When the U.S. government fails to protect its citizens , we must determine why . Such failures can erode public faith in the government ’ s abilities and diminish public trust in its leaders . President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Supreme Court Justice Owen Roberts to examine the attacks on Pearl Harbor . The 9/11 Commission reviewed the attacks on the United States on Sept. 11 , 2001 . Congress produced two reports on Hurricane Katrina , and the White House produced a lessons-learned report . These reports reflect a healthy self-examination , and their public nature is intended to restore trust and promote improvement .
With respect to the Benghazi attacks , the State Department ’ s Accountability Review Board report to then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and ongoing congressional investigations looking into the Benghazi attack provide important insights into the government ’ s failures . The staggering number and scope of the findings and recommendations suggests more than an isolated security breakdown . They suggest a collapse of policy , operations and decision-making . Such a collapse , in stark contradiction to election-year claims , could explain why State Department and White House officials felt the need to falsify talking points and deceive the American people about events in Benghazi .
Now that it is beyond doubt that Susan Rice ’ s talking points were not only inaccurate but falsified , the most important remaining question is why ? What were the talking points trying to cover up ? Could it really be that senior leadership in the State Department was worried about being criticized by Congress ? State Department emails suggest as much , but only insofar as the agency ignored warnings about these attacks . Still , Congress criticizes agencies all the time . Indeed , congressional oversight , by its nature , casts a critical eye on agency activity .
The failure to heed threat warnings — warnings that emails acknowledge were known to “ senior officials ” at least in the days immediately after the attack — could have been an embarrassing management mistake , or worse , much worse . It could have been the direct result of a failure to appreciate the strategic threat from al Qaeda and its affiliates — in this case , al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb — and to align and coordinate our intelligence , military and diplomatic resources to meet this strategic threat . During the election season , that could have been perceived as a serious political problem , not just routine criticism .
Even more troubling , testimony at Wednesday ’ s hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee suggests that this was not a failure of policy , but this was policy . Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory H. Hicks told a rapt audience that military personnel available to be sent from Tripoli to Benghazi were not authorized to join the fight . State Department counterterrorism official Mark Thompson testified that the State Department ( without ever consulting him ) did not advocate to the Deputies Committee sending a Foreign Emergency Support Team that both he and the FBI thought could have been made available and had an impact .
While the Accountability Review Board recommendations are presented largely as management reforms , it seems as much an admonition to remember the obvious point that projecting American influence abroad must include the use of force to defend our missions . Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote in her board transmittal letter to Congress that “ the decimation of al Qaeda ’ s central leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan has led to growing ambitions among the terror network ’ s far-flung affiliates , including [ al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb ] . These are not new concerns . They have been a top priority of our national security team . ”
If this was a top priority , it certainly did not look like it . This one board review revealed that the administration needed to make significant improvements to meet this threat . Along with 29 recommendations from the board , here is just a sample of new actions initiated by the State Department :
Requesting that Department of Defense deploy personnel to serve on five Interagency Security Assessment Teams for high-threat posts .
Taking a “ harder look ” at the capabilities of host countries .
Partnering with the Pentagon to dispatch hundreds of Marine security guards to bolster post security .
Realigning resources in the 2013 budget request to address physical vulnerabilities .
Strengthening mutual security arrangements between the State Department and other government agencies in places where they are not co-located .
Like the responses to other government reports and recommendations for remedial action following a crisis , these actions will go some distance toward aligning our assets with our mission . That should address concerns over the government ’ s ability to protect us . How about public trust ? The election is over . The question is whether , by falsifying the talking points to cover this up during the campaign season , these remedial steps alone can restore the trust government needs to be successful .
J. Keith Ausbrook served as chief counsel for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee , special counsel to a House select committee on Hurricane Katrina , and as executive secretary for the Homeland Security Council in the administration of President George W. Bush . | aZdDJOxwyowpMNnE | 2 | Benghazi | -0.3 | Terrorism | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
us_house | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/24/house-lawmakers-grapple-with-ebola-both-home-and-a/ | House lawmakers grapple with Ebola both at home and abroad | 2014-10-24 | us_house | A House oversight hearing Friday laid bare the sheer complexity of dealing with the global Ebola epidemic , as lawmakers toggled between the desperate plight in West Africa and concern that flawed policies have put Americans ’ at risk on their own shores .
Rep. Darrell Issa , California Republican and the chamber ’ s top investigator , repeatedly questioned the Obama administration ’ s ability to track the virus and guide local officials through the fight .
A Dallas hospital turned away the Liberian man who first brought Ebola to the U.S. when he presented symptoms , only to admit him days later . He died Oct. 8 , and two nurses contracted the virus from him . The second nurse was allowed to fly on a commercial airline .
“ We need to know why there have been breakdowns and if our system for responding to such serious crisis is working properly , ” Mr. Issa said .
Even as Nina Pham , the first Dallas nurse to contract the virus , was set to be released from special care in Bethesda , Md. , reports from New York City spurred new alarm about the ease with which Ebola could crop up in pockets of the country .
Late Thursday , New York City officials confirmed that a 33-year-old doctor , Craig Spencer , had tested positive for Ebola after treating patients in West Africa . Although he was not symptomatic and likely not contagious , the doctor had been out bowling and used public transportation before he was hospitalized .
Dr. Spencer left Guinea on Oct. 14 and traveled through Brussels , Belgium , before arriving at JFK Airport last Friday , New York City officials said .
The oversight committee ’ s top Democrat , Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland , tried to shift the focus of Friday ’ s hearing to the plight abroad . At one point , he played a short video of a West African gravedigger who said he has no specialized skill , but he is a laborer who wants to do his part in the fight against Ebola
“ We need to deal with the Ebola virus as its source , in West Africa , ” said Rabih Torbay , asking for more health care personnel and financial resources . “ This is a global issue , not just a West Africa issue . ”
President Obama has dedicated upwards of 3,000 troops to the fight in West Africa .
On Friday , Michael D. Lumpkin , an assistant secretary at the Defense Department , highlighted the disarray in those countries for the committee .
“ I traveled to the region thinking we faced a health care crisis with a logistics challenge , ” Mr. Lumpkin testified . “ In reality , what I found was that we face a logistics crisis focused on a health care challenge . ”
Lawmakers worried about the challenge abroad , but repeatedly questioned whether the administration is implementing an on-the-fly approach to the disease at home .
The scramble to retrace Dr. Spencer ’ s steps in New York presented a moral dilemma for lawmakers scrutinizing U.S. efforts . The young doctor volunteered his time in West Africa , but members wondered whether he should have spent Ebola ’ s 21-day incubation period in his apartment upon his return .
“ I give the doctor tremendous credit for going over there . But I think there should be more restrictions when they come back , because , as we saw in the first few weeks of the CDC , they were wrong in certain areas , ” Rep. Peter King , New York Republican , told MSNBC early Friday . “ I don ’ t think we know yet enough about Ebola and how it may be transmitted , for instance , in a region like Africa , as opposed to a confined urban center such as New York , with the subways , with the crowded population . ”
The Department of Homeland Security is screening all passengers from Liberia , Sierra Leone or Guinea at major international airports , yet some say the process is useless if travelers do not show symptoms until they are deeply within the U.S .
“ I can tell you it ’ s not working , ” Rep. John Mica , Florida Republican , said at the oversight hearing . “ All you have to do is look at Craig Spencer . ” | 7eN04y6WMZRmzebA | 2 | Ebola | 0.5 | US House | 0.2 | Politics | 0 | null | null | null | null |
isis | Fox Online News | http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/08/26/tough-questions-obama-must-answer-before-isis-attacks-america/ | OPINION: The tough questions Obama must answer before ISIS attacks America | 2014-08-26 | isis | The Obama administration is reportedly considering air strikes in Syria against the terrorist group ISIS . The New York Times quotes “ a top national security adviser ” to the president as saying the U.S. is “ ‘ not going to be restricted by borders ’ to protect its interests… ”
What about American cities ? If ISIS attacks one or more U.S. cities , as it has threatened to do , what then ? We can ’ t bomb ourselves . How would we counter a nosedive in the stock market or the ensuing chaos and fear ?
The U.S. and Europe are vulnerable because of a false belief that we can somehow “ convert ” ideological and religious fundamentalists into pluralistic , tolerant people by exposing them to our way of life .
So we let them into our nations . They build mosques , often with funding from Saudi Arabia , which practices and teaches a radical brand of Islam known as Wahhabism , and allow them to set up Islamic schools , at least some of which teach hatred of Jews , Christians and Western values .
France has seen its Muslim population explode to more than 8 million , and growing , according to the Gatestone Institute . It is the same in other European nations . While not all of these immigrants are terrorists , no doubt terrorists immigrated along with those looking for a better life , or were radicalized after arriving . Many Muslim immigrants have lived in isolation from Western cultures and values which their faith has taught them to hate .
According to the Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project , “ the estimated share of legal Muslim immigrants entering the U.S. each year has roughly doubled , from about 5 percent of legal immigrants in 1992 to about 10 percent in 2012 . ”
While it is a diverse group with not all holding to the same ideology or hatred of the West , there are enough radicals among them to constitute a clear and present danger . Groups like the Council on American–Islamic Relations ( CAIR ) intimidate some politicians and the media with cries of “ Islamophobia ” whenever anyone warns of the radicals ’ agenda .
As the Center for Immigration Studies points out , “ Since the November 1990 assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane by an Egyptian , the immigrant Muslim community has been associated with a great number of violent incidents — all these even before the atrocities on September 11 , 2001 . In its long history of immigration , the United States has never encountered so violent-prone and radicalized a community as the Muslims who have arrived since 1965 . ”
So , if even a small number of Muslim immigrants — or American citizens who have been radicalized by imams — attack a shopping mall , killing and terrorizing shoppers , what will the president do ?
Will he treat it as a crime , “ workplace violence , ” or call it by its right name ?
Will civil libertarians have their way in opposing further surveillance of potential and actual radicals , deporting some and stripping others of their U.S. citizenship , if they travel to align themselves with ISIS fighters and try to return to the U.S. ?
These and many other questions must be answered before another attack , which our leaders repeatedly warn is coming .
Why is it coming ? Because presidents over several administrations have not done all they could to prevent it , preferring soft words to tough action .
What will the current president do when the next attack comes ? Will the public take matters into their own hands and fight back ?
Vigilantes are the last thing we need , but they could rise up , if government fails to perform its constitutional duty to protect us from enemies , foreign and domestic . | 78nrnh6l7LDqKRfD | 2 | ISIS | -0.4 | Middle East | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
terrorism | BBC News | http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29333348 | IS strikes: Not America's fight alone - Obama | 2014-09-23 | ISIS, Islamic State, Barack Obama, Terrorism | President Obama has hailed the support of Arab nations in air strikes on Islamic State ( IS ) militants , saying : `` This is not America 's fight alone . ''
He was speaking hours after the US and Arab allies launched their first air strikes against IS in Syria .
Activists say at least 70 IS militants and 50 other al-Qaeda-linked fighters were killed in the strikes .
US state department spokeswoman Jan Psaki said the US had warned Syria in advance `` not to engage US aircraft '' .
But she added that Washington had not requested permission or given advance notice of the timing of the attacks .
President Obama confirmed that Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates , Jordan , Bahrain and Qatar had taken part in or supported the strikes .
He said the US was `` proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations '' .
The Pentagon said warplanes , drones and Tomahawk cruise missiles were used in the strikes .
IS has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq , and the US has launched nearly 200 air strikes in Iraq since August .
But Monday 's strikes expanded the anti-IS campaign across the border into Syria for the first time .
The strikes targeted the group 's main headquarters in its stronghold of Raqqa , north-eastern Syria , as well as training compounds , vehicles and storage facilities in several other areas .
They were organised in three separate waves with US fighter jets carrying out the first set , and Arab nations participating in the second and third , Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant General Bill Mayville told reporters .
Later on Tuesday , US Secretary of State John Kerry said the US would not `` allow geography or borders '' to prevent action against IS militants .
`` We will hold them responsible for their grotesque atrocities , '' he said at the United Nations in New York , flanked by Iraq 's president and foreign minister .
President Obama said al-Qaeda-linked militants , known as the Khorasan Group , were also targeted with air strikes in Syria .
US officials say the group had been plotting `` imminent attacks '' against the West , and had established a safe haven west of Aleppo .
As well as informing Syria 's government of the impending strikes , the US reportedly told Iranian officials attacks were imminent , Reuters reports .
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said extremist groups in Syria `` pose an immediate threat '' but did not explicitly back the air strikes
Hassan Nasrallah , the leader of Lebanese Shia militants Hezbollah , criticised the US action , calling the US `` the mother of terrorism and the origin of terrorism ''
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said military action in Syria lacked `` legal standing '' without a UN mandate or approval from the Syrian government . Shia-majority Iran is a Syrian government ally
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters his country could increase military or logistical support . Turkey had been hesitant to join a coalition while 46 of its nationals were held hostage by IS .
The Pentagon set out three broad groups of targets arranged in an arc across northern Syria .
Those closest to the Mediterranean coast seem to have been hit largely by Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from warships - this is an area where Syrian government air defences may still have coverage .
In a briefing Lt Gen William Mayville noted that Syrian air defences were `` passive '' , as he put it , during the course of the operation .
This suggests a conscious decision by Syrian commanders who perhaps feared that active scanning by their defences might draw down air attacks upon them .
The operation was notable for involving aircraft from Jordan and from Washington 's Gulf allies . It also marked the first use in combat of one of the USAF 's most modern aircraft , the F-22 Raptor .
This , the Pentagon is stressing , is just the start of `` a sustained air campaign '' , the tempo of which , says a Pentagon spokesman , `` will be dictated by facts on the ground '' .
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , quoted by state media , said he supports any international efforts to combat `` terrorism '' in Syria .
Analysts say it is significant that countries with a Sunni majority , like Jordan and Saudi Arabia , are among those supporting US efforts against IS .
IS members are jihadists who adhere to an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and consider themselves the only true believers . | 6c0134eed963c6aa | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
donald_trump | BBC News | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61221860 | Donald Trump held in contempt in New York legal battle | 2022-04-25 | Donald Trump, New York, Letitia James, Courts, Trump Organization, Business, Banking And Finance | A US judge has held former President Donald Trump in contempt for failing to turn over files for an investigation into his business practices. Justice Arthur Engoron on Monday ordered Mr Trump pay a fine of $10,000 (£7,850) per day until he complies. New York Attorney General Letitia James had asked the court to hold Mr Trump in contempt after he missed a March deadline to present certain documents. Mr Trump's lawyer said she would appeal the ruling. "Everything that your honour and the attorney general said that we haven't done - we have done," attorney Alina Habba said in court. After a "very diligent" search, there were simply no more relevant documents to provide, she said. Ms James, a Democrat, opened a civil inquiry in 2019 into claims that - before he took office - Mr Trump, a Republican, had inflated the value of his assets to banks when seeking loans. The stakes have been raised in this year's long legal wrangle between Donald Trump and New York's dogged state attorney general. Letitia James has accused the former president of stonewalling - and now she's successfully made it that much more costly for him not to comply with her requests. $10,000 a day adds up quickly, and if that isn't enough to convince him to provide the requested materials, the judge could yet increase the fines further. That's not out of the realm of possibility given the judge's remark that - while Donald Trump takes his business seriously - so does the judge. Mr Trump and his family have denied wrongdoing, and the former president has called the inquiry a "witch hunt". In court on Monday, Ms Habba called the civil probe as a "fishing expedition". Justice Engoron said a contempt finding was warranted because of what he called "repeated failures" to hand over the requested materials. "Mr Trump... I know you take your business seriously, and I take mine seriously. I hereby hold you in civil contempt," he said, although the former president was not in the courtroom. The attorney general's office called the ruling a "major victory" in the legal battle against Mr Trump. "Today, justice prevailed," said Ms James. "For years, Donald Trump has tried to evade the law and stop our lawful investigation into him and his company's financial dealings. Today's ruling makes clear: no one is above the law." The civil case is separate to a Manhattan criminal investigation into the Trump Organization's practices. Copyright 2025 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. | b7a7ab40cc8c96e9 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
housing_and_homelessness | The Epoch Times | https://www.theepochtimes.com/homebuilder-pessimism-deepens-as-housing-recession-shows-no-signs-of-abating-nahb_4740156.html | Homebuilder Pessimism Deepens As Housing Recession Shows ‘No Signs of Abating’: NAHB | 2022-09-20 | Housing And Homelessness, Housing Market, Economy And Jobs, Inflation | New homes are seen past construction vehicles in Laurel, Maryland, on June 4, 2022.New homes are seen past construction vehicles in Laurel, Maryland, on June 4, 2022. Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty ImagesHomebuilder pessimism has deepened as confidence in the U.S. housing market continues its downward spiral amid skyrocketing mortgage rates and inflation.Home construction businesses blame rising rates for the decline in sentiment, by making housing less affordable for first-time buyers at a time when single-family home prices are at an all-time high.Supply shortages and rising costs for building materials have led also led to the increase in housing prices by increasing construction costs.Builder sentiment fell for the ninth consecutive month this September, by 3 points to 46, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index report released on Sept. 19.This is the lowest level recorded since May 2014, outside of a dip during the pandemic in 2020, and most likely the sign of a housing recession, as any number below 50 is considered negative.Homebuilders are being forced to lower their prices as the housing market recession shows “no signs of abating” said the NAHB.The rising cost of land, labor, and building materials initially made builders reluctant to lower prices, but they now have little choice if they are to stay afloat.Builder sentiment was at a high of 83 points back in January, before the Federal Reserve increased interest rates, making borrowing more expensive.“Buyer traffic is weak in many markets as more consumers remain on the sidelines due to high mortgage rates and home prices that are putting a new home purchase out of financial reach for many households,” said NAHB Chairman Jerry Konter.At least 24 percent of homebuilders also reported lowering home prices, compared to 19 percent in August, said Konter.The average 30-year fixed rate rose from around 3 percent and then began rising steadily, hitting 6 percent for a while back in June.The 30-year rate slumped to 5 percent last month before rising back up to 6 percent last week.“Builder sentiment has declined every month in 2022, and the housing recession shows no signs of abating as builders continue to grapple with elevated construction costs and an aggressive monetary policy from the Federal Reserve that helped pushed mortgage rates above 6% last week, the highest level since 2008,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz.The Fed is expected to raise interest rates again this week to combat high inflation at its next policy meeting on Sept. 20–21.The central bank is expected to raise its policy rate by 75 basis points for the third time since June.The Fed has lifted benchmark rates from near zero to its current range of 2.25 to 2.50 percent since it started its hike back in March.“In this soft market, more than half of the builders in our survey reported using incentives to bolster sales, including mortgage rate buydowns, free amenities and price reductions.”The NAHB index calculates three components to come up with its final assessment.Current sales conditions for September tumbled to 54 points, while sales expectations for the next six months fell to 46.Buyer traffic this month also dropped to 31 points. Housing starts are thought to have slipped to an annual rate of 1.445 million units last month from 1.446 million units in July, according to a Reuters survey, which predicted that permits for future home construction declined to a rate of 1.610 million units from a pace of 1.685 million units in July. The Commerce Department is expected to release a report showing that housing starts had changed little in August. The Commerce Department is expected to release a report showing that housing starts had changed little in August.A rise in rental prices has led to a boom in the construction of new multi-family apartments, which is offsetting losses from single-family home construction, said Reuters.“Expect housing data to continue to show weakness—this is by design,” said Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist at First American in a tweet . “The Fed intends to slow housing, which usually has big multiplier effect throughout the economy. It’s working.”Reuters contributed to this report. | 6683a6d0c45cc66a | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
justice | New York Times (News) | https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/11/us/politics/benczkowski-justice-department-confirmation.html | Justice Dept. Nominee Who Drew Scrutiny for Russian Bank Work Is Confirmed | 2018-07-12 | Justice Department, Justice | Trump Administration Advertisement Supported by By Katie Benner WASHINGTON — The Senate narrowly confirmed a former Justice Department official on Wednesday to lead the department’s Criminal Division and oversee the government’s career prosecutors, including those investigating President Trump. Democrats fought the nomination of the former staff member, Brian A. Benczkowski, raising questions about his qualifications. Mr. Benczkowski has never tried a case in court and was also scrutinized over private-sector work for one of Russia’s largest banks. The 51-to-48 vote was along party lines, with only Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, joining Republicans to confirm Mr. Benczkowski. His confirmation broke a logjam of pending nominations for top jobs at the Justice Department, where officials and employees complained privately and publicly that the Senate took an unusually long time to greenlight Mr. Benczkowski, who was nominated 13 months ago. Advertisement “Brian is an outstanding lawyer with a diverse public service and criminal law background spanning over 20 years,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “At a time like this — with surging violent crime and an unprecedented drug epidemic — this position is especially important.” Mr. Benczkowski, 48, has worked since 2010 as a lawyer focused on white-collar criminal defense cases at the firm Kirkland & Ellis. In that job, he helped Russia’s Alfa Bank investigate whether its computer servers had contacted the Trump Organization, a question that touched directly on suspicions about the bank that emerged in the early months of the Trump-Russia affair. Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like. Get politics and Washington news updates via Facebook, Twitter and the Morning Briefing newsletter. Advertisement Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Times. See subscription options | 03284fa69b2a66cf | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
coronavirus | Snopes | https://www.snopes.com/news/2021/11/19/fda-2076-vaccine-data/ | Does FDA Want Until 2076 To Release Vaccine Data? | 2021-11-22 | Coronavirus, FDA, Pfizer, FOIA, Media Industry, Coronavirus Vaccine | In Summary: A scheduling dispute related to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for more than than 329,000 pages of COVID-19 vaccine data led to misleading social media posts in November 2021. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a schedule to process and release 500 pages every month, arguing that this is the standard rate to process FOIA requests as "reviewing and redacting records for exempt information is a time-consuming process." The FDA would start releasing this data immediately, but the full set of pages would not be processed until 2076. The FDA argued that the amount of time required to fulfill this request is due to the broad FOIA request that involves hundreds of thousands of pages. In November 2021, a rumor started circulating on social media that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was attempting to "hide" data related to the COVID-19 vaccine and that they had requested to delay the release of pertinent information until 2076. The FDA did not request a delay in the release of its COVID-19 data until 2076. The FDA responded to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for more than 300,000 pages of data related to the licensure of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine by proposing a processing schedule that would see the release of 500 pages every month. While the FDA argues that this is a rather standard processing schedule, if adhered to it would take the FDA more than 50 years, or until 2076, to completely fulfill. This claim stems from an FOIA request filed by Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency for the data the FDA relied upon to license Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. While the government is required to respond to these requests, the amount of time it takes to fulfill these requests varies depending on the number of documents requested, the backlog at the responding agency, and the complexity of the involved documents. The U.S. Department of Justice wrote: Agencies typically process requests in the order of receipt. The time it takes to respond to a request will vary depending on the complexity of the request and any backlog of requests already pending at the agency. A simple request can be processed faster by the agency than one that is complex. Simple requests are typically more targeted and seek fewer pages of records. Complex requests typically seek a high volume of material or require additional steps to process such as the need to search for records in multiple locations. The agency’s FOIA Requester Service Center is available to assist you with any question about the status of your request and any steps you can take to receive a quicker response. On November 15, 2021, the FDA and Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency presented a joint report to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas and are now waiting for the court to decide on a schedule for the release of these documents. The Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency (plaintiff) argued that the FDA should release these documents no later than March 3, 2022. The plaintiff chose this date as it gives the FDA 108 days, the same amount of time it took the agency to review the data to license Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. The plaintiff wrote: Plaintiff seeks the records submitted to the FDA by Pfizer to license its COVID-19 vaccine (the “FOIA request”) and requests an order requiring the FDA to produce all documents responsive to its FOIA request no later than March 3, 2022. This 108-day period is the same amount of time it took the FDA to review the responsive documents for the far more intricate task of licensing Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine (the “Pfizer vaccine”). [...] It took the FDA precisely 108 days from when Pfizer started producing the records for licensure on May 7, 2021,14 to when the product was licensed on August 23, 2021. We assume, as the FDA has stated, that it conducted an intense, robust, thorough and complete review and analysis of those documents in order to assure that the Pfizer vaccine was safe and effective for licensure. The FDA now has an equally important task of making those documents available to the Plaintiff in this case and the public at large in at least the same timeframe. The plaintiff went on to argue that the release of these documents is of the utmost importance as the "ability of a majority of Americans to participate in civil society, and even exercise basic liberty rights, are now contingent on receiving this product." The ability of a majority of Americans to participate in civil society, and even exercise basic liberty rights, are now contingent on receiving this product. For example, the White House’s recent Covid-19 Action Plan and executive orders have made receipt of this product a condition of employment for more than 6 million federal workers and contractors, 22 million healthcare professionals, 84 million private sector employees, and the enlisted and reserve members of our armed forces. There are few whose livelihood, education, service, and participation in civil society are not contingent on a government requirement to receive this product. On this basis alone, basic liberty and government transparency demand that the documents and data submitted by Pfizer to license this product be made available to Plaintiff and the public forthwith, precisely as contemplated by federal regulations. The FDA argued in the joint report that the plaintiff's request involves more than 329,000 pages and that reviewing and redacting these records will be a time-consuming process. The FDA proposed a schedule to process and release 500 pages a month, a rate that they argued is consistent with FOIA request processing schedules. The FDA wrote: Reviewing and redacting records for exempt information is a time-consuming process that often requires government information specialists to review each page line-by-line. When a party requests a large amount of records, like Plaintiff did here, courts typically set a schedule whereby the processing and production of the non-exempt portions of records is made on a rolling basis. [...] FDA has assessed that there are more than 329,000 pages potentially responsive to Plaintiff’s FOIA request. [...] FDA proposes to work through the list of documents that Plaintiff requested FDA prioritize for production in order of priority and process and release the non-exempt portions of those records to Plaintiff on a rolling basis. FDA proposes to process and produce the non-exempt portions of responsive records at a rate of 500 pages per month. This rate is consistent with processing schedules entered by courts across the country in FOIA cases. The FDA also addressed the plaintiff's request to process this FOIA request in the same time the agency reviewed the data before licensing Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, calling this a "specious argument" as these two review processes are not comparable. The Court should flatly reject Plaintiff’s specious argument that because the scientists reviewing Pfizer’s Biologics License Application could do so on an expedited timeframe, the government information specialists should be able to do so in the same period of time. As should be apparent, the review conducted by FDA scientists when considering to approve a product is entirely different from the review conducted by FDA government information specialists when considering whether FDA must keep certain information confidential. Moreover, FDA’s FOIA office does not have nearly the same level of personnel or resources dedicated to process FOIA requests as FDA has marshaled to review license applications for live-saving products in the middle of a pandemic. It should also be noted that while many on social media claimed that the FDA wanted to "delay" the release of data until 2076, the agency's proposed schedule would see data start to get released almost immediately. While it would take years for the entirety of this FOIA request to be fulfilled, the FDA argued that this is due to the plaintiff's broad request: Although Plaintiff takes issue with the amount of time it will take to process 329,000 pages at a rate of 500 pages per month, such a result is due to its own broad FOIA request. Courts do not waiver from the standard 500 page per month processing rate even when a FOIA request would take years to process ... FDA has invited Plaintiff to narrow its request by specifying records it no longer wants FDA to process and release, and Plaintiff has declined to do so. If Plaintiff decides to request fewer records, then FDA will be able to complete its processing at an earlier date. While the FDA argued that processing 500 pages per month is standard for an FOIA request, government agencies have been tasked with processing documents at much faster rates when dealing with particularly significant or time-sensitive issues. In 2019, for example, U.S. District Judge Paul Englemayer ordered the U.S. Departments of State and Defense to produce 5,000 pages per month to fulfill an FOIA request related to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi: Federal agencies must produce thousands of pages monthly of records pertaining to the killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi because learning about his disappearance as quickly as possible is of “paramount importance,” a judge said Tuesday. Representatives of the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense had told U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer that producing 5,000 pages monthly makes it impossible to respond in a timely fashion to other Freedom of Information Act requests. Engelmayer ordered the agencies to get it done anyway, saying the disappearance of the Washington Post columnist and Saudi national was of “considerable public importance.” According to Reuters, this scheduling dispute will likely be settled next month: "U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman "has set a scheduling conference for December 14 in Fort Worth to consider the timeline for processing the documents." Act (FOIA), Freedom of Information. FOIA.Gov (Freedom of Information Act) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). https://www.foia.gov/faq.html. Accessed 19 Nov. 2021. Gonzales, Richard. “Federal Judge Orders Release Of Khashoggi Records By U.S. Government.” NPR, 6 Aug. 2019. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2019/08/06/748877181/federal-judge-orders-release-of-khashoggi-records-by-u-s-government. Siri, Aaron. “FDA Asks Federal Judge to Grant It Until the Year 2076 to Fully Release Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Data.” Injecting Freedom, 17 Nov. 2021, https://aaronsiri.substack.com/p/fda-asks-federal-judge-to-grant-it. “Wait What? FDA Wants 55 Years to Process FOIA Request over Vaccine Data.” Reuters, 18 Nov. 2021, https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/wait-what-fda-wants-55-years-process-foia-request-over-vaccine-data-2021-11-18/. Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes. Company Navigate Sections Account © 1995 - 2025 by Snopes Media Group Inc. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com We won't sell or share your personal information to inform the ads you see. You may still see interest-based ads if your information is sold or shared by other companies or was sold or shared previously. Dismiss Opt out | 6e9bb4bc4f3669fc | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
cybersecurity | Vox | http://www.vox.com/2014/12/19/7421535/the-real-reason-north-korea-would-hack-sony-its-not-the-interview | Here's the real reason North Korea hacked Sony. It has nothing to do with The Interview. | 2014-12-19 | cybersecurity | Evidence that North Korea was responsible for the massive Sony hack is mounting , and in many ways the country has already been convicted in the court of US public opinion . But , no matter how conclusive the evidence becomes , one thing remains widely misunderstood : why North Korea would do this .
Despite the emerging narrative that North Korea hacked Sony Pictures in revenge for insulting Kim Jong Un with The Interview , this incident is consistent with a long line of North Korean attacks and provocations that are premised on such slights — a South Korean president saying the wrong thing , for example , or the US conducting too-close military exercises . But these are understood to be excuses , and the attacks are not responses but are in fact part of a long-running North Korean strategy carefully designed to increase international tensions .
in buying north korea 's explanation , we are helping kim jong un
This is belligerence meant to deter the much stronger South Korea and US , and to draw international attention that North Korea can use to bolster domestic propaganda portraying Kim Jong Un as a fearless leader showing up the evil foreign imperialists . It is meant to foment the isolation and tension that has allowed the Kim family to hold onto rule , impossibly , for decades . It has nothing to do with Sony 's film , however offensive it may be , with the film 's portrayal of Kim , or with free speech in America . In believing North Korea 's rhetoric strongly implying a connection , we are buying into the country 's strategy and helping Kim succeed .
It 's not actually about The Interview offending Kim Jong Un
There is every reason to believe that The Interview is just an excuse , and Sony just collateral damage , in yet another random act of North Korean violence made to perpetuate the international tensions that Kim Jong Un sees as serving his larger strategic interests .
The assumption is that North Korea would want to hack Sony as revenge for The Interview , a now-cancelled comedy that was to portray the cartoonishly tasteless assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un . Both North Korean state media and the hackers themselves have gone to great lengths to express outrage over the film , and the hackers have in fact repeatedly suggested that this is what motivated them .
This conforms with American understandings of how North Korea works . We see it as an irrational , inherently aggressive country , run by lunatic hotheads , whom we can easily imagine flying off the handle at hearing about The Interview , especially the craziest of them all , leader Kim Jong Un . North Korean media 's unhinged statements have done a lot to cement that view . That 's deliberate : North Korea wants us to see them as crazy , irrational , volatile — and dangerous .
North Korea has a long , and easy to study , history of launching these seemingly random attacks or provocations . The Sony hack fits clearly into that pattern . In the past , those have been military attacks . It test-launched long-range offensive missiles , fired dangerously close to Japan , in 2005 , 2006 , and 2007 . It shelled the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong and sank a South Korean naval ship , Cheonan , both in 2010 . It set off test nuclear warheads in 2006 , 2009 , and 2013 . It has also launched offensive cyberattacks in the past , such as against US and South Korean government targets in 2009 , against South Korean banks in 2011 , and South Korean banks and TV stations in 2013 .
Every time , the attacks are accompanied by a spate of over-the-top rhetoric and threats , and the North makes every effort to portray itself as dangerously irrational , and an unpredictable threat to world peace . It is certainly dangerous , but it 's anything but irrational or unpredictable .
The effort that North Korean state media makes to convince us they 're crazy gets to the three real reasons that North Korea launches these occasional attacks .
The first reason is to appear crazy and dangerous , so as to deter North Korea 's far stronger enemies from doing anything against the country .
Kim Jong Un is n't stupid : he knows that his weak , impoverished state is much weaker than the US and South Korea and Japan , all of whom would just love to see his government collapse . North Korea can only deter those enemies by being more threatening and dangerous ; it will never be stronger , so it has to be crazier instead , always more willing to escalate . This convinces the US and other countries , even if they see through Kim 's game , that it 's just easier to stay away from North Korea than to risk provoking the country into another flamboyant attack .
The second reason that North Korea does this is to keep the Korean peninsula perpetually locked in a state of high-tension and low-boil conflict , which is essential for North Korean domestic propaganda and for keeping out would-be foreign meddlers like the United States .
The country 's breathtakingly oppressive government had kept power , even since the 1990s famine , with something called the Song'un or military-first policy . This policy tells North Koreans that the reason they are hungry and impoverished and locked in a police state is because this is all necessary to fund the military and protect from internal enemies , so as to keep the country safe from the imperialist Americans who would otherwise surely overwhelm them and do unspeakable things . But the Song'un policy requires keeping the appearance of a conflict with the US going at all times , which means occasionally North Korea has to lash out to maintain tensions .
The third reason is that Kim Jong Un believes he needs to keep the Korean peninsula in a state of perpetual tension and conflict to maintain his government 's own physical security . This keeps the US and others on the defensive and wary of doing anything against North Korea . It also frequently generates concessions for North Korea — like Sony pulling the release of The Interview , or the US sending former Presidents Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton to negotiate the release of Americans held by North Korea . Even if these concessions are only symbolic , they still serve North Korean domestic propaganda .
North Korea 's effort to fool us is working — and The Interview proves it
Like so much of North Korea 's behavior , its cyberwarfare program is another sign that , despite its popular portrayal ( including in The Interview ) as a wingnut state run by delusional madmen , the country is coldly rational and brutally strategic in its actions .
North Korea 's decision to hack Sony is being widely misconstrued as an expression of either the country 's insanity or of its outrage over The Interview . But that sort of cartoonish mischaracterization is exactly how Americans came to believe that North Korea was a bunch of buffoons who probably could n't dial up to the internet , much less launch one of the most successful cyber attacks against the US in history .
And it is a portrayal of North Korea that is far from unique to The Interview , but that the film certainly did its part to promote , playing up the Hermit Kingdom as a hilarious and bizarre little oddity of a country , run by a crazy man .
This strategy of portraying itself as crazy is remarkably effective at securing North Korea 's strategic goals . But it is also quite dangerous . By design , the risk of escalation is high , so as to make the situation just dangerous enough that foreign leaders will want to deescalate . And it puts pressure on American , South Korean , and Japanese leaders to decide how to respond — knowing that any punishment will only serve to bolster North Korean propaganda and encourage further belligerence . In this sense , the attacks are calibrated to be just severe enough to demand our attention , but not so bad as to lead to all-out war .
People will often say that North Korea launches these attacks because they 're crazy or irrational . If only it were that simple , the Kim Jong Un regime would have driven itself into extinction decades ago . | s8fl404OVgIDpOGA | 0 | North Korea | -1.3 | Technology | -0.3 | Cybersecurity | 0 | null | null | null | null |
us_house | USA TODAY | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/22/national-emergency-democrats-introduce-bill-block-trump-plan/2944058002/ | Democrats offer measure to try to stop Donald Trump's declaration of emergency at the border | 2019-02-22 | us_house | WASHINGTON – The House plans to vote Tuesday on a resolution to try to block President Donald Trump 's declaration of an emergency along the southern border , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday .
`` The president of the United States is declaring a national emergency to honor an applause line in a rally , '' Pelosi said on a conference call with reporters Friday morning .
`` Not only is he disrespecting the legislative branch and the Constitution of the United States , he is dishonoring the office in which he serves , '' said the California Democrat , who spoke from the border city of Laredo , Texas .
Trump announced the declaration last week as a means of freeing up billions to pay for his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border after Congress failed to give him the money he demanded .
Democrats have called the declaration an overreach of Trump 's power and have vowed to fight it . Their resolution , if it passed both chambers of Congress , would terminate the emergency declaration . But even if Congress approves it , the president could veto it .
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday , Trump vowed to veto the resolution “ 100 percent . ”
“ And I don ’ t think it survives a veto , ” the president predicted .
Pelosi said the resolution would come up in the House Rules Committee Monday night and then likely be brought to the floor on Tuesday .
House Democrats introduced the resolution Friday . As of Friday morning it had more than 225 co-sponsors , according to lead sponsor Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas . The bill had one GOP co-sponsor , Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan .
`` This is a historic power grab and it will require historic unity by members of Congress – Republican and Democrat , liberal and conservative – to counteract the president ’ s parasitic movement , '' Castro said .
He and Pelosi said they were trying to recruit Republicans to sign onto the bill .
The bill is expected to pass the Democratic-controlled House , but its future is uncertain in the Republican-held Senate . However , unlike most legislation , the resolution is rooted in a provision from the National Emergencies Act that would require it to be voted upon within 18 calendar days after it is introduced and then be sent to the Senate .
Normally , if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell does n't want to bring legislation from the House to the floor he can block it from getting a vote . But once this bill passes the House – which is it expected to do – the Senate will have to take it up within 18 days of receiving it .
Many Republicans have said they were uncomfortable with the president declaring a national emergency to get funding for a wall along the southern border , but it 's unclear whether they would vote for such an effort .
A copy of the one-page resolution was sent out by Pelosi late Wednesday to all members of the House , where she urged them to join in backing the move .
`` All Members take an oath of office to support and defend the Constitution , '' Pelosi said in her letter . `` The President ’ s decision to go outside the bounds of the law to try to get what he failed to achieve in the constitutional legislative process violates the Constitution and must be terminated . We have a solemn responsibility to uphold the Constitution , and defend our system of checks and balances against the President ’ s assault . ''
`` This is not about politics , it 's not about partisanship . It 's about patriotism . That 's why I wrote a letter about this resolution , Mr. Castro 's resolution , to all members 'Dear colleague ' not 'Dear Democratic colleague , ' '' Pelosi said Friday .
Trump made the emergency declaration after Congress allocated $ 1.375 billion for a barrier along the southern border , far short of the $ 5.7 billion Trump had demanded . The fight over wall funding led to a 35-day government shutdown – the longest on record .
White House officials have said the emergency declaration and other budget maneuvers would free up an additional $ 6.6 billion , which would build at least 234 miles of border wall .
Along with Congress moving to void the order , the move has also drawn a number of legal challenges in court .
Sixteen states already filed a lawsuit over Trump 's emergency declaration , arguing it exceeds the power of the president and unconstitutionally redirects federal money that Congress had set aside for other purposes .
In addition to the resolution , Pelosi Friday did not rule out committee chairmen filing lawsuits over the wall .
More:16 states sue Trump over national emergency declaration , border wall
More : National emergencies are common ; declaring one for a border wall is not | q4RzalPToYhgkAkV | 1 | US House | 1.3 | National Emergency | -1 | Border Wall | -0.8 | Politics | 0 | null | null |
elections | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/07/16/156837115/nonpartisan-agreement-most-campaign-money-is-wasted | Nonpartisan Agreement: Most Campaign Money Is Wasted | 2012-07-16 | elections | Republican and Democratic strategists tell NPR that most of the estimated $ 4 billion to be spent by the campaigns , political action committees and others on the 2012 presidential race will make no difference in the outcome .
`` Eighty percent of what we do in a campaign is wasted , '' Democratic pollster and adviser Mark Mellman tells NPR 's Morning Edition . `` The problem is we do n't know which 80 percent in advance , so we do it all . That 's exactly what these campaigns are doing . ''
Mark McKinnon , a Republican strategist who advised George W. Bush and John McCain , agreed : `` No , you do n't need that much money . It 's ridiculous . This is so much more money than has ever been spent historically . ''
McKinnon tells NPR that the amount to be spent on the 2012 race between President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney will be `` a minimum of $ 4 billion , when you add up all the PACs and special interest money that 's going to be spent on this campaign . ''
`` If you live in a swing state , you 're seeing political ads wall to wall now like you used to back in September , October in presidential campaigns past , '' says McKinnon . `` At a certain point , it just becomes completely white noise . ''
The difficult thing , Mellman says , is determining which ad buys matter , and which ones do n't .
`` Nobody can sit here today , in what would otherwise be a close race , and say that extra million , $ 5 million , $ 10 million , $ 50 million might not make the difference of a few hundred votes in Florida , a few hundred votes in Ohio or Nevada , '' says Mellman .
Both McKinnon and Mellman agree that the Romney campaign and all of the affiliated pro-Romney money could exceed the amount raised and spent by Obama and his supporters in the election . Historically , sitting presidents have a big fundraising advantage .
What they 're not so sure about : whether it will matter . | xvyzx2zPVaebnHrs | 1 | Presidential Elections | -0.4 | Elections | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
environment | USA TODAY | http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/04/04/calif-drought-water-restrictions-business-impact/25233543/ | Calif. drought challenges state's businesses | 2015-04-04 | environment | CLOSE California is entering its fourth year of drought , leading to unprecedented restrictions on water usage for the state ’ s 38 million residents . ███
SAN FRANCISCO — California 's punishing drought — which led to the first mandatory statewide water restrictions in state history last week — will bring more pain to some businesses and prosperity to others if it does n't let up soon .
Now in its fourth year , the drought has already left a swath of losers — from farmers and ski areas to golf courses and wildlife — but also a few winners , as businesses and innovators find ways to adapt to what might be the future climate of California .
`` We 're on a real collision course with a very dark reality , '' says Dave Puglia , senior vice president of the Western Growers Association in Irvine , Calif. , a grower and packer trade group .
The mix of crops that 's traditionally grown is changing . Farmers are plowing up fields where they used to grow vegetables like broccoli , carrots and tomatoes to put in nut and fruit trees , which demand less water .
`` Cotton has gone from 1.5 million acres to almost nothing . We 're cutting way back on rice . The number of dairy cows is probably going to fall by 100,000 or so , '' said Dan Sumner , a professor of agricultural economics at the University of California-Davis .
The toll on the state 's agriculture industry will get heavier and U.S. consumers outside California may feel it , too , when they notice some supermarket favorites seem less plentiful . About half of the fresh produce consumed in the U.S. and one-third of the nation 's organic produce is grown in the state 's fertile Central Valley .
Retail price spikes are unlikely because of the drought , however . Only a small portion of what shoppers pay is based on what farmers get for their crops — shipping , handling , packaging and marketing expenses are collectively bigger . Plus , food prices are often set on a global scale of supply and demand , so in a vast world marketplace , California 's drought may not be a big factor , Sumner says .
CLOSE Want to blame something for California 's drought ? According to research , one particular type of seed is partially to blame , accounting for up to one tenth of the state 's total water consumption per year .
Already , 17,000 jobs have been lost in the Central Valley , says Steve Lyle of the California Department of Food and Agriculture . California employed 348,900 people in agriculture in 2013 .
About 1 million acres are now idle due to the drought , according to the University of California-Davis .
`` The major part of one of America 's most productive farming regions could run out of all water and be unable to farm in the next number of years , '' says Puglia , the Western Growers Association executive . `` That 's what the future looks like , which is why people are so scared . ''
Researchers are still calculating this year 's potential impact . The economic hit to the state in 2015 could be $ 3 billion , compared with $ 2 billion last year , says Richard Howitt , an agriculture and resource economics expert at the University of California-Davis .
He estimates that another 20,000 jobs could be lost , including in agriculture and food production .
Wildlife will be squeezed too — not too mention the lucrative tourist dollars it pulls from sportsmen , hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts . Snowmelt runoff plays an important role for fish and other aquatic species since it 's the primary source of summertime flow for many of the West 's rivers and streams , according to Leon Szeptycki , executive director of Stanford University 's Water in the West program .
That will affect both endangered species such as the Delta smelt and also recreational fish such as salmon and steelhead
`` The lack of snowpack will mean acutely low flows for these streams , and many of them will run dry , '' he said . `` The impacts on aquatic life and ecosystems is potentially staggering . ''
Businesses ready to help consumers and businesses change their behavior — and save them money in lower water bills — should do well in California 's browner landscape .
With strict water use rules coming , anyone who wants a yard that does n't look like a dust bowl needs to redesign and replant . Lawns are out , rocks and water-sipping ground covers like sage , yarrow and iceplant are in .
`` People are coming out of the woodwork '' to get water-efficient gardens now , says Eva Knoppel , who owns Garden of Eva Landscape Design in Los Angeles .
She specializes in xeriscape garden design . Xeros means `` dry '' in Greek and xeriscaped gardens are designed to require very little water , using drought-tolerant plants .
Knoppel installs rainwater collection systems as well as crafting gray-water systems that reuse bath , shower and washing machine water to irrigate gardens .
`` Three years ago , I got maybe one call a week from people who wanted to transform their gardens . Now I 'm getting two or three calls day , '' says Knoppel .
Nurseries are stocking more hardy dry-weather plants native to California and the Mediterranean region .
Succulents like agave , aloe and hen & chickens are popular as are perennial grasses like sedge and blue oat . Manzanita and ceanothus , sometimes called California lilac , are both increasingly must-have plants for modern yards because , once established , they need little water .
Appliance sales have n't changed drastically so far because water-efficient clothes and dishwashers have been widely used for `` years now , '' reports Bob Harrison with Aztec Appliance in San Diego .
Even so , he says , he hears more people mention water efficiency in his showroom .
`` In laundry equipment in particular , that 's where we hear it , '' says Harrison , who 's been selling appliances for 30 years . `` San Diego literally is a desert that 's parked next to the ocean . We 've got to think about it . ''
Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles has effectively remade the roughs on its golf course into desert by converting them into dry patches , which use less water . | TR3ySR0ZhmeUIYgW | 1 | Environment | -0.8 | Drought | -0.8 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
healthcare | CNN (Web News) | http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/28/reid-will-allow-vote-on-democratic-backed-obamacare-changes/?hpt=po_t1 | Reid will allow vote on Democratic-backed Obamacare changes | 2014-01-28 | Healthcare, Harry Reid, Obamacare | Washington ( CNN ) – In a nod to vulnerable Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2014 , Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that he will allow the Senate to vote on some Democratic proposals to change Obamacare .
In an exclusive interview with CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash , Reid said he is meeting with Democrats who have suggestions about altering Obamacare and hopes to bring their changes to the Senate floor for a vote .
“ If there are things we can do to improve the bill , we should do it , ” Reid told Bash during an interview in his office . “ There ’ s a group of senators , 2014ers we call them , who are coming up with different proposals . I 'm meeting with them some this week and individually . ”
Reid would not specify certain changes he would make , telling Bash that while there are “ five or six really substantive proposals , ” one suggestion is to “ lump them all together . ”
“ I do n't think that would be a best way to do it , ” said the majority leader . “ I think the best way to do it would be to do them one at a time , and that 's all we 're working on now . ”
Asked if he believed Republicans would go along with Democratic-proposed changes to Obamacare , Reid said , “ Republicans vote against everything . Of course they would vote against it . ”
Since its passage in 2010 , President Barack Obama ’ s sweeping health care law has been a hot button political issue that has helped deepen the divisions between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill . The program ’ s rollout has been fraught with technical glitches and security questions , but Democrats – like Reid – contend that things are getting better .
In the Senate , some Democrats , like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia , have proposed delaying the individual mandate portion of the plan for a year .
Other Democrats , like Sens . Mark Pryor of Arkansas , Mary Landrieu of Louisiana , Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mark Begich of Alaska , have come out in favor of extending the plan ’ s open enrollment period . Not coincidentally , these four Democrats from states that Obama lost in his 2012 presidential bid have steep climbs towards re-election this November .
But not all Democrats want to change the law , according to Reid , who said he recently met with a Democratic lawmaker who wants to “ represent a group of Democratic senators ” who hope to spearhead an effort to talk up the plan and herald some of the changes the law has already made .
Republicans remain ardently opposed to the law and have pledged to make Obamacare a central part of their 2014 pitch , with almost all looking to tie any Democrat running to Obama and the law .
Reid , quite expectedly , doesn ’ t think that plan will work and said he thinks “ without any doubt ” that Democrats will maintain their majority in the Senate .
“ We have quality candidates , really good candidates . And we have candidates with such good names , Landrieu , Pryor , Hagan , Shaheen , ” Reid said , noting four vulnerable Democrats . “ We 're going to do just fine . ”
As for the balance of power in the Senate this election year , Reid said he is “ comfortable where we are ” and predicted Republicans will not win the six seats they need to take control .
But if Republicans do win back the Senate , will he remain as Senate Minority Leader ?
But in order to win , Reid said these vulnerable Democrats should buck what some political experts have said and not run away from the President , despite the fact he is unpopular in their respective states .
During the interview , the Majority Leader revealed that he will go to the White House next week to meet with the President and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado – the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee – about how to best use the President in 2014 .
`` Barack Obama is personally a very popular guy . And people love this man . They love his family , '' Reid told Bash . `` Of course , with what the Republicans have been doing , trying to denigrate him with what 's happened with the rollout of Obamacare , but things , even this week , his numbers are going up again . ''
`` So you would encourage some of your most vulnerable Senate Democratic candidates to invite President Obama to appear with them , '' Bash asked .
Administration officials say the President he will use executive powers more aggressively to bypass a gridlocked Congress , starting with an executive order raising the minimum wage for new federal contractors .
House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday said that Obama will “ run into a brick wall ” if he uses executive power to bypass Congress .
“ This idea that he 's just going to go it alone , I have to remind him we do have a constitution , ” Boehner said at an annual State of the Union day breakfast with reporters . “ And the Congress writes the laws , and the President ’ s job is to execute the laws faithfully . And if he tries to ignore this he 's going to run into a brick wall . ”
Reid said just the opposite . In the interview , the Majority Leader said that idea came from Senate Democrats , who used a White House meeting with the President a few weeks ago to encourage him to use his executive power more frequently .
Reid later referred to that White House meeting as a “ love fest ” between the President and Senate Democrats .
“ We 're going to support the President doing that because the country has been brought to a standstill by the obstruction of the Republicans , ” he said .
Among the issues Reid hopes Obama will use more executive power are raising the minimum wage , dealing with immigration issues and addressing climate change .
“ The President , I think , has some leeway to do some things administratively , ” Reid said . “ And I 'm confident that he will to help the environment , which has been denigrated as we speak . ”
When it comes to the President ’ s relationships with Democrats in Congress , it ’ s not unusual to hear Democratic senators complaining about the lack of outreach from the White House even to members of his own party– and concern that has hurt his agenda .
Reid dismissed that saying it ’ s not easy for presidents to make people happy .
“ Republicans complained about George Bush , number one , ” Reid said . “ And number two , as popular as Ronald Reagan was , people complained about him because he didn ’ t work long enough hours . He spent too much time at his California ranch.… It 's hard to make everybody happy including the party that you ’ re representing . ” | 3016389fa748e6cb | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
technology | CNET | https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-defends-decision-to-allow-politicians-to-lie-in-ads/ | Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defends decision to let politicians lie in ads | 2019-10-20 | Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook, Policy, Free Speech, Regulations, Donald Trump, Technology | Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday defended the social network 's decision not to send speech from politicians to third-party fact-checkers , a move that 's drawn scrutiny , especially from Democrats in the US .
`` I do n't think most people want to live in a world where you can only post things that tech companies judge to be 100 % true , '' Zuckerberg said during a nearly 40-minute speech at Georgetown University .
The remarks highlight the social network 's controversial approach to political speech as it tries to strike a balance between free speech and combating misinformation during elections . They could also escalate tensions between Facebook and politicians as the 2020 campaign season heats up . Democrats and civil rights groups swiftly criticized Zuckerberg 's speech , arguing that the company has n't learned from its past mistakes .
Zuckerberg said providing people a voice and including everyone are central to everything he creates , comments that come as he fends off criticism that his company wields too much power over social and political discourse . He championed the role of technology platforms , saying they had `` decentralized '' power .
`` People no longer have to rely on traditional gatekeepers , '' Zuckerberg said . `` I actually believe that the much bigger story is how much these platforms have decentralized power by putting it directly into people 's hands . ''
He also pushed back against the idea of banning political ads , arguing that this would favor incumbents and whoever the media chooses to cover . But it 's an idea the company has considered , Zuckerberg said .
Facebook has faced mounting pressure to do more to combat misinformation , hate speech and other offensive content on the world 's largest social network , which has 2.5 billion users . The company also faces allegations that it censors conservative speech . Facebook has repeatedly denied that charge .
I do n't think most people want to live in a world where you can only post things that tech companies judge to be 100 percent true . Mark Zuckerberg
Over the last month , the company 's hands-off approach to political speech has sparked more outrage . In particular , Democrats have lambasted a policy that allows politicians to post false information in ads on the social network .
Earlier this month , Facebook rejected a request from Joe Biden 's presidential campaign to pull down an ad from President Donald Trump 's re-election campaign that contained misinformation about the former vice president . In response , presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren , a US Democratic senator from Massachusetts , ran an ad containing the deliberately false claim that Zuckerberg endorsed Trump . She did it to prove a point about the social network 's policy , and the ad noted that it included misinformation .
Zuckerberg said Facebook 's policy is n't designed to benefit politicians but `` because we think people should be able to see for themselves what politicians are saying . '' In a Q & A after the speech , Zuckerberg said he does n't think that allowing politicians to lie in ads is `` pro-conservative . ''
Bill Russo , a spokesman for Biden 's presidential campaign , said in a statement that Facebook is allowing politicians to target Americans with `` disproven lies and conspiracy theories . ''
`` Zuckerberg attempted to use the Constitution as a shield for his company 's bottom line , and his choice to cloak Facebook 's policy in a feigned concern for free expression demonstrates how unprepared his company is for this unique moment in our history and how little it has learned over the past few years , '' Russo said .
Civil rights group Color of Change said Zuckerberg is `` doubling down on a business model '' that harms democracy .
`` Under the guise of protecting voice and free expression , Facebook , as in prior elections , is giving Trump and the right-wing a free pass to spread lies , hate and misinformation on the platform , '' Color of Change President Rashad Robinson said in a statement .
Zuckerberg has been talking to conservatives about their concerns regarding bias . He 's had a quiet series of dinners with aggrieved conservatives to hear their complaints . In September , he also visited Trump and lawmakers from both parties during a rare visit to Washington , DC . On Friday , Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear on Fox News for the first time .
But with the 2020 US presidential election just around the corner , lawmakers are more worried about the spread of misinformation on social media . One big concern : `` deepfake '' videos that use AI to make it appear like a person is uttering words they are n't .
`` I think figuring out which types of deepfakes are actually a threat today , versus are a theoretical future threat once the technology advances , is one of the things that we need to make sure we get right , '' Zuckerberg said in an interview with The Washington Post .
Earlier this year , Facebook faced criticism for keeping up a manipulated video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that made the Democrat seem like she was slurring her words . Facebook does n't ban misinformation but will show it lower in users ' news feeds if fact-checkers rate the information as false .
Zuckerberg 's speech touched on a wide range of topics , including calls to break up Facebook and the company 's previous efforts to enter China . Zuckerberg reiterated Facebook 's position that breaking off Instagram and WhatsApp from the company would n't solve woes around privacy and other issues . He said the social network could n't strike an agreement with China , but the silver lining is that the company has more freedom to fight for free expression .
During the speech , Zuckerberg referenced the Rev . Martin Luther King Jr. , the Vietnam War and movements such as # BlackLivesMatter and # MeToo . That did n't sit well with some civil rights activists .
King 's daughter , the Rev . Bernice King , said in a tweet that she wants Facebook to better understand the challenges her father faced from political disinformation campaigns .
`` These campaigns created an atmosphere for his assassination , '' she tweeted .
I heard # MarkZuckerberg 's ‘ free expression ’ speech , in which he referenced my father . I 'd like to help Facebook better understand the challenges # MLK faced from disinformation campaigns launched by politicians . These campaigns created an atmosphere for his assassination . pic.twitter.com/h97gvVmtSZ — Be A King ( @ BerniceKing ) October 17 , 2019
Alicia Garza , co-founder of Black Lives Matter , said Zuckerberg 's reference to the movement she helped start showed a lack of `` integrity . ''
`` If he wants to use our movement to claim support for Black communities , then Black lives have to matter more than his bottom line , '' she tweeted .
Today , Zuckerberg will try to push back against critics claiming that Facebook “ allowed ” movements like # BlackLivesMatter to spread and build power . If he wants to use our movement to claim support for Black communities , then Black lives have to matter more than his bottom line . — Alicia Garza ( @ aliciagarza ) October 17 , 2019
Meanwhile , Facebook has been trying to improve how it moderates the billions of posts that flow across its site every day . The company is forming an oversight board to weigh in on some of its toughest content decisions . The board , expected to be made up of 40 members , plans to start hearing appeal cases next year .
`` Building this institution is important to me personally because I 'm not always going to be here , '' Zuckerberg said , `` and I want to ensure the values of voice and free expression are enshrined deeply into how this company is governed . ''
Updates , 12:04 p.m. : Includes more remarks from Zuckerberg and interview with Washington Post ; 1:01 p.m. : Adds comments from Color of Change and Biden 's campaign ; 2:47 p.m. : Includes tweets from civil rights activists . | ba2d94321304783f | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
taxes | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/11/donald-trumps-tax-plan-cuts-wider-than-hillary-cli/ | Donald Trump’s tax plan cuts wider than Hillary Clinton’s | 2016-10-11 | taxes | Hillary Clinton wants to sock the very wealthy with an $ 800,000-a-year tax increase . Donald Trump says they should get a $ 1.1 million tax cut .
The poor , meanwhile , make out about the same no matter who is in the White House : a $ 100 tax cut under Mrs. Clinton and a $ 110 cut under Mr. Trump , according to an analysis released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center , which crunched the numbers and said Mr. Trump is more generous to taxpayers but does far more damage to federal revenue .
Indeed , Mr. Trump would open a $ 6 trillion gap in the federal budget over the next decade , and Mrs. Clinton would raise $ 1.4 trillion more in revenue . Almost all of that would come from those who make more than $ 3.7 million a year , the top 10th of a percent of American workers .
Mrs. Clinton tried to sweeten her plan for the poor and middle class on Tuesday , saying she would expand the child tax credit for families with children younger than 5 , doubling the maximum credit from $ 1,000 to $ 2,000 per child .
Mrs. Clinton said that is just “ a down payment ” and more relief is on the way .
“ Hardworking , middle-class families are struggling with rising costs for child care , health care , caregiving and college , ” Mrs. Clinton said . “ This new tax credit will make their lives a little bit easier and help restore fairness to our economy . ”
Adding the child credit helped improve Mrs. Clinton ’ s numbers , which show only a modest tax cut for most Americans .
Indeed , most taxpayers would get less than a couple of hundred bucks extra from the IRS under her plans . Those making $ 48,000 to $ 83,000 — the middle class — would average $ 110 extra , and those making $ 83,000 to $ 143,000 would average an extra $ 40 in 2017 .
Mr. Trump is far more generous , with those in the middle getting an additional $ 1,010 in tax relief and those making $ 83,000 to $ 143,000 receiving an extra $ 2,030 .
The biggest changes come for the wealthiest . Under Mr. Trump ’ s plan , the top 20 percent — those making more than $ 143,000 — would pay an average of $ 16,660 less . Under Mrs. Clinton , they would pay $ 6,690 more .
Those differences end up playing out in the federal budget , where Mr. Trump — absent giant spending cuts — would dramatically deepen deficits .
The Trump campaign has said his tax cuts would be deficit-neutral , which would mean those spending cuts would have to come from somewhere . The liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said the cuts would likely come from programs that help the poor because the wealthy don ’ t use those programs to the same extent .
Jacob Leibenluft , an economic adviser to Mrs. Clinton ’ s campaign , said the Trump plan amounted to “ massive giveaways to the richest Americans . ”
Stephen Miller , a senior adviser to Mr. Trump , dismissed the Tax Policy Center plan as fraudulent and said releasing it “ wasted everyone ’ s time. ” He said the Tax Policy Center — a joint operation between the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution — is biased toward Mrs. Clinton and that the study didn ’ t calculate the economic benefits of cutting taxes for the wealthy .
Mr. Trump has said that lower taxes will mean more jobs and a bigger economy , reducing the $ 6.2 trillion in revenue lost because of the rate cuts .
“ The Trump plan is revenue-neutral , massively cuts middle-class taxes and has huge child care benefits for low- and middle-income families , ” Mr. Miller said .
He also said the Tax Policy Center ignored some of the details of the Trump plan .
The center said Mr. Trump ’ s aides did not cooperate , so they had to make a number of assumptions they shared with the campaign . It said Mrs. Clinton ’ s campaign did cooperate and shared details of her proposed child tax credit even before it was announced .
Overall , Mr. Trump ’ s plan would cut the number of tax brackets and slash rates across the board . The marginal rate on the highest income bracket would drop to 33 percent . His plan cuts the corporate income tax rate to 15 percent , caps the level of deductions taxpayers can claim and eliminates the head-of-household filing status , but adds breaks for child care and increases the earned income tax credit .
Mrs. Clinton ’ s plan would impose a number of hikes on high-income households , including a 30 percent minimum tax that phases in beginning at $ 1 million . Among her many other tweaks are eliminating an Obamacare tax that would hit union members particularly hard and rules that would make it tougher to defer capital gains taxes .
Scott Greenberg , an analyst at the Tax Foundation , which is releasing its own analysis this week of the Trump and Clinton plans , said they generally match up with the Tax Policy Center ’ s analysis : The Trump plan would generally reduce taxes , with most of the gains going to well-off taxpayers , while Mrs. Clinton ’ s plan is a net tax increase , though many families would pay less .
Mr. Greenberg said Mr. Trump does deserve credit for trying to take some of the complexity out of the tax code .
“ Only one of the candidates in the race has even given lip service to the concept of tax simplicity , and that ’ s Trump , ” he said . “ Clintons ’ tax plan would unabashedly make the tax code more complicated . ”
One of the consequences of cutting deductions and eliminating the head-of-household filing status , though , is that it could “ cause many large families and single parents to face tax increases . ” | LcjPbjOKaW8k39X9 | 2 | Election2016 | -0.3 | Taxes | 0.1 | Donald Trump | -0.1 | null | null | null | null |
banking_and_finance | National Review | https://www.nationalreview.com/news/coronavirus-crisis-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-praises-crash-us-oil-market/ | AOC Praises Crash of U.S. Oil Market: ‘You Absolutely Love to See It’ | 2020-04-20 | banking_and_finance | Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announces introduction of public housing legislation as part of the Green New Deal in Washington , D.C. , November 14 , 2019 . ( Erin Scott/Reuters )
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D. , N.Y. ) tweeted “ you absolutely love to see it , ” as the U.S. oil market reached negative territory for the first time ever , potentially putting hundreds of American oil companies out of business .
“ This along with record low interest rates means it ’ s the right time for a worker-led , mass investment in green infrastructure to save our planet . * cough * , ” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted .
She deleted this tweet : pic.twitter.com/PrGYpuR3Sz — Adam Baldwin ( @ AdamBaldwin ) April 20 , 2020
She then deleted the tweet and rephrased it , saying “ it ‘ s the right time to create millions of jobs transitioning to renewable and clean energy . A key opportunity .
This snapshot is being acknowledged as a turning point in the climate movement . Fossil fuels are in long-term structural decline . This along w/ low interest rates means it ‘ s the right time to create millions of jobs transitioning to renewable and clean energy . A key opportunity . https : //t.co/UqT8DI5u2I — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( @ AOC ) April 20 , 2020
Oil prices went negative on Monday for the first time in history , dropping over 100 percent on the day to hit - $ 37.63 a barrel . While the June delivery of U.S. crude oil is currently trading above $ 20 a barrel , experts have warned the low prices could put hundreds of U.S. companies out of business .
“ $ 30 is already quite bad , but once you get to $ 20 or even $ 10 , it ’ s a complete nightmare , ” Artem Abramov , the head of shale research at Rystad Energy , told CNN Business . Rystad estimated that 533 US oil exploration and production companies will file for bankruptcy by the end of 2021 in a $ 20 oil market , while the number would double to over 1,100 in a $ 10 market .
Ocasio-Cortez , who introduced a bill to ban fracking nationwide in February , proposed the “ Green New Deal ” last year to transition the U.S. entirely to “ net-zero ” carbon emissions within ten years , a piece of legislation that fell flat among Senate Democrats after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R. , Ky. ) decided to allow a allow a vote . | 3Jv6Lr9p4JqtvtSb | 2 | Coronavirus | 0 | Economy And Jobs | 0 | Banking And Finance | 0 | Trade | 0 | World | 0 |
civil_rights | Chicago Sun-Times | https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2020/7/20/21331774/john-lewis-civil-rights-movement-jesse-jackson-equal-rights | John Lewis, a founding father of American democracy | 2020-07-20 | civil_rights | When John Lewis left us , editorials and columns paid tribute to his leadership , his courage , his moral example . The praise was well deserved . A broader context helps understand his true contribution .
John Lewis was born one of 10 children of a sharecropper in Troy , Alabama . He should be remembered now as one of the founding fathers of American democracy . When he led that famous march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma , Alabama , in 1965 , America was not yet a full democracy .
Columnists In-depth political coverage , sports analysis , entertainment reviews and cultural commentary .
Yes , a brutal civil war had been fought to end the scourge of slavery . Nearly a century later , the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board that segregation — legal apartheid — was a violation of the Constitution . Yet , in 1965 , Blacks still had no right to vote . Their efforts to register and vote were routinely suppressed , often violently throughout the South . The same was true for Latinos , for Asian Americans . Young people could serve in the military but had no right to vote .
At Selma , John Lewis walked with amazing courage into mounted police blocking the way . He was beaten badly in the police riot that followed , fearing for his very life . That scene outraged a nation . Two weeks later , Lyndon Johnson pledged that “ We shall overcome ” and introduced what became the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into Congress . That Act outlawed discrimination in the right to vote by race , color , or language minority status . After that Act , young people received the right to vote . Women ’ s rights were expanded . Full American democracy was born .
John Lewis was a true hero , but he did not act alone . As he would always teach , he found his place in the civil rights movement that had been building when he was a young child . Thurgood Marshall spearheaded the legal strategy that ended with the Brown decision in the Supreme Court . Rosa Parks sat on that bus in Montgomery , Alabama , and was arrested for ignoring white-only rules . Her courage and sacrifice drew Dr. Martin Luther King to the struggle in Montgomery . King ’ s organizing drew the attention of a young John Lewis in Troy , Alabama .
John Lewis was a leader , but he was more workhorse than show horse . Show horses preen to win the blue ribbon and the applause of the crowd . Workhorses pull the wagon — and get the job done . John Lewis with his quiet courage and his forceful moral vision pulled people with him . Elected to Congress , he put the Congress on his shoulders and tried by example and by organizing to make it better .
He never stopped . He took joy in how far we had come . There was a direct line from that horrible Bloody Sunday in Selma to the election of an African American president . Yet he knew we still have a long way to go .
No longer do we face separate and unequal public facilities . Our right to vote is clear , even if efforts to suppress it continue . But the final chapter of the civil rights movement — the effort to achieve economic justice — has been frustrated . Today economic inequality is as great as it was 60 years ago . We witness the structural racism that ends with African Americans three times more likely than whites to be infected by the pandemic and two times more likely to die . We witness the entrenched discrimination that ends in the police killing of George Floyd and many others .
That ’ s why the extraordinary , unprecedented outpouring of protests for Black lives is so important . John has left us , but millions have picked up the baton that he once carried — focused now on equal justice under the law , and on ending the structural racism that makes racial inequality a pre-existing condition . May John ’ s example — his courage , his devotion of nonviolence and to a lifetime of making “ good trouble ” — help inform that struggle as it goes forward .
The democracy of 1787 , where only white male landowners could vote , referencing Blacks as three-fifths human , without regard for working class whites and women , was very incomplete — it has no export value in the world today . But the democracy of 1965 , where Blacks can vote , white women can vote and serve on juries , Latinos and native Americans , 18 year olds , can vote on college campuses , that SELMA democracy is the envy of the world . | wsvFVdcPucy8JlTV | 0 | John Lewis | 1.7 | Civil Rights | 1.6 | US House | 0.2 | US Congress | 0.2 | Politics | 0 |
politics | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/15/politics/jeb-bush-george-w-bush-2016/index.html | Jeb Bush's challenge: Family loyalty | 2015-05-15 | politics | Tempe , Arizona ( CNN ) Jeb Bush 's rocky week is drawing to a close with a strikingly human admission : family loyalty matters to him and sometimes that makes simple answers very complicated .
As he has explored a run for president from his unique vantage point as the son and brother of former presidents , Bush 's last name -- rather than his position on immigration or the Common Core -- is proving to be his biggest challenge . Time and again , he has been caught between the political necessity to differentiate himself from President George W. Bush and what appears to be an instinct to protect him .
The challenge took on greater urgency this week after Bush found himself in the center of a controversy over his assessment of his brother 's decision to invade Iraq more than a decade ago . After stumbling for days , Bush was finally clear on Thursday during an event in Arizona : `` Knowing what we know now , ... I would not have engaged . I would have not gone into Iraq . ''
On a more personal note , he acknowledged that it was difficult for him to say that publicly , in part because he did n't want to be disloyal to his brother ; and in part because he did n't want to appear to dishonor the service of the veterans who died in Iraq .
`` I do n't go out of my way to disagree with my brother , '' Jeb Bush told reporters after his event at Four Peaks Brewery here . `` I am loyal to him . I do n't think it 's necessary to go through every place where I disagree with him . As it relates to the Iraq war , I hope I was clearer on where I stood . ''
Bush went even further in his embrace of his family late Thursday evening during his speech at the Republican National Committee gathering in Scottsdale , Arizona .
`` I know I 'm going to have to get beyond being George H.W . Bush 's son and Barbara 's son -- for which I 'm really proud . And I 'm going to get beyond being George W. 's brother for which I am extraordinarily proud as well , '' Bush said to applause Thursday night .
`` There 's a lot of interest in finding the ways that we are different and all this . Well , the simple fact is that we 're all on our own life 's journey -- my brothers and sister are different than me , '' Bush said . `` But I 'm not going to go out of my way to say that my brother did this wrong or my dad this wrong . It 's just not going to happen . I have a hard time with that . I love my family a lot .
Before going on to sketch his biography for the crowd , he added : `` I 'm going to have to show my heart , show who I am , tell my life story so people know that I 'm doing this for the right reason . ''
It was an answer many of Bush 's allies and donors wished the former Florida governor had given days ago . Instead the would-be candidate -- who has drawn tens of millions of dollars to his potential effort in large part because he was supposed to be the one who was steady and polished -- ended up in a quagmire of his own making .
Rather than showing the kind of raw political talent and instincts that made his brother shine in 2000 , the younger Bush confirmed this week what many observers have seen over the years : Jeb Bush has difficulty answering in sound bites .
Where George W. Bush labeled himself a `` uniter , not a divider , '' Jeb Bush takes more time to formulate his answers and thoughts on the issues -- a luxury that he had during a very different kind of media cycle a decade ago when he was last running for public office .
Explaining his reluctance to talk about Iraq , he said Thursday that as Florida 's governor , he had called `` over 100 family members who lost a loved one in service to our great country . '' It was not `` an easy thing to do , '' he said .
`` It 's very hard for me to say their lives were lost in vain . In fact , they were n't , '' Bush said . `` Their sacrifice is worth honoring , not depreciating . And I believe that in the bottom of my heart . ''
He dismissed his assertion earlier this week that he would n't answer `` hypothetical '' questions when he said he would not have gone into Iraq if he had known about the faulty intelligence that led to the invasion .
`` That 's not to say the world is safer because Saddam Hussein is gone . It 's significantly safer , '' he added , defending the actions of his brother . `` That 's not to say that there was a courageous effort to bring about a surge that created stability in Iraq . All of that is true , and that 's not to say that the men and women that have served in uniform and many others that went to Iraq to serve . ''
A number of Republican political operatives expressed relief after Bush 's final answer Thursday -- saying that his clarification would help him move on to the issues that he actually wants to talk about .
Steve Duprey , a New Hampshire committeeman , said it was one of the episodes on the campaign trail `` where we get a glimpse of who the person is . ''
`` It 's those moments when voters get to take the measure of a person , '' said Duprey , who was attending this week 's Republican National Committee meeting in Phoenix . `` I think people understood -- obviously he loves his father ; he loves his brother ; he 's loyal to them , but he 's his own person and I think he did a good job showing that . ''
Ron Kaufman , who advised George H. W. Bush and was wearing a `` Jeb ! '' wristwatch at the GOP gathering , argued that voters would ultimately come to see the closeness of the Bush family as an asset .
`` Presidents do n't talk to presidents enough , '' Kaufman said . `` Whether they agree or not is not the point -- they 've been there , they 've been at the decision-making point where no one else has ever been .... Not using that resource ? Shame on any future president who does n't -- particularly if he 's your brother . ''
But that did not mean that other potential rivals were willing to let the issue go .
`` I do n't know how that was a hard question , '' former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum told reporters after speaking at the convention in Scottsdale .
Santorum suggested he might be a better candidate than Bush since he had been through the process before and noted that he had answered the Iraq question `` a hundred times . ''
`` If you are not prepared for it , I think we 've seen in the past , you are not going to do very , very well , '' he said . `` This is a long process . ''
Santorum added : `` I do n't know how anyone could look at that question and not -- I mean his brother even said in his own book that he would have done something differently . ''
The biggest risk for Bush stemming from this episode could be reinforcing a sense of fatigue among voters with his family 's history in politics -- a challenge that , of course , Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton is also facing .
`` We 've had enough Bushes , '' said Ken Fipps of Johns Island , South Carolina , who listened to Bush 's speech at the state 's GOP convention earlier this month . `` We 're America . We do n't have a nobility . ''
Stuart Kimball , a limousine driver who attended Bush 's town hall in Reno , Nevada , on Wednesday , said if Bush wins the nomination , he 'll have to `` hold a clothespin over '' his nose and vote for him over Clinton .
`` Nobody loves what his brother has done , '' he added . `` I feel like I got to apologize to the American people for voting twice '' for George W. Bush .
But other Republicans were more forgiving -- noting that it is only May 2015 and that Bush has plenty of time to sharpen his skills as a candidate .
Ari Fleischer , George W. Bush 's first White House press secretary , noted that the familial comparisons were `` a well worn path '' for the Bush family .
Fleischer , for example , dealt with questions about George H.W . Bush 's legacy when he was spokesman for George W. Bush 's 2000 campaign .
The family ties `` will be of press interest for much of the campaign , '' Fleischer said , `` up until the point where Jeb -- by virtue of releasing his own policy initiatives , giving powerful speeches and taking stands that are Jeb Bush stands on contemporaneous issues -- will make it go away . '' | 3wriUIR8xBMVfo82 | 0 | Jeb Bush | 0.3 | Politics | -0.3 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
world | Deutsche Welle | https://www.dw.com/en/france-pension-protests-no-confidence-motions-after-decree/a-65027265 | France: Pension protests, no-confidence motions after decree | 2023-03-17 | World, France, Protests, Retirement, Emmanuel Macron, Social Security, Seniors, Europe, Demographics | Protesters clashed with riot police in Paris, a day after a final parliamentary vote on the pension reform plan was abandoned. Two motions of no-confidence have been filed against President Emmanuel Macron's government. Fresh protests erupted in Paris on Friday evening, a day after President Emmanuel Macron and his government passed a contentious pension reform by decree, without a vote in the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly. Several thousand demonstrators gathered in the capital's Place de la Concorde, close to the Assembly building, facing up to a line of riot police, with some chanting "Macron, Resign!" Clashes between authorities and protesters erupted later in the evening. Reuters TV broadcast images of police using tear gas to deal with the crowd disorder. Earlier Friday, traffic, garbage collection and university campuses in the city were disrupted, as unions threatened open-ended strikes in response to the pension decree. Elsewhere in the country, striking sanitation workers blocked a waste collection plant that is home to Europe's largest incinerator to underline their determination. A blockade at La Mede biorefinery in southern France prevented fuel deliveries from leaving, operator TotalEnergies said, with the potential to cause gasoline shortages. A union official said earlier that a similar blockade of Total's Normandy refinery would begin his weekend. Local media reported that four out of five high-speed TGV trains would not run this weekend, nor more than half of regional rail services. Leaders of the influential CGT union called on members to leave schools, factories, and other workplaces. The French government had decided at short notice on Thursday afternoon to bypass the National Assembly and implement President Emmanuel Macron's most important reform project without a vote. A special article in the French constitution allows for the measure. Parliament still can overrule it, but only by arranging a no-confidence vote in the government within 24 hours of the decree. The pension reform will, among other things, gradually increase the standard retirement age from 62 to 64. The government feared that the result in the lower house would be too close to predict. Macron's government argues the changes are necessary to keep one of western Europe's most generous retirement systems solvent. He tried and failed to implement similar reforms during his first term, ultimately abandoning his flagship policy amid the outbreak of COVID. Hours after the move, several thousand people gathered in central Paris and other French cities. Several cars were torched and some 310 people were arrested, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. French opposition lawmakers did file separate no-confidence motions against the government on Friday, the leader of an independent parliamentary group said. "The vote on this motion will allow us to get out on top of a deep political crisis," said the head of the so-called Liot group Bertrand Pancher, whose motion was co-signed by members of the broad left-wing NUPES coalition. The far-right National Rally (RN) filed a second motion, but that was expected to get less backing. RN lawmaker Laure Lavalette however said her party would vote for "all" no-confidence motions filed. "What counts is scuppering this unfair reform bill," she said. The National Assembly is expected to vote on the motions next Monday. But even though Macron lost his absolute majority in the lower house of parliament in last year's election, there was little chance either a motion of no-confidence would pass, unless a surprise alliance is formed by MPs from all opposition quarters, incorporating France's extreme left and extreme right — both powerful parliamentary factions. The leaders of the conservative Les Republicains party have ruled out trying to topple the government; Macron had originally hoped to rely on their support to pass the reforms. If an absolute majority of MPs vote in favor, the reform is defeated and the government must resign. Then President Emmanuel Macron could either try to appoint a new prime minister or call new elections. But if there is no absolute majority for a motion of no-confidence, the pension reform will be approved. The upper house, the Senate, had voted in favor of the reforms several times as France's government tried to barter a bill through the legislature. mm, dh/msh (AFP, dpa, Reuters) | 47a35e7eb7b0b115 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | The Nation | https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/bernie-sanders-wins-new-hampshire/ | Bernie Sanders Wins New Hampshire | 2020-02-12 | elections | Ready to fight back ? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week . You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support ███ ’ s journalism . You can read our Privacy Policy here . Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week .
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Concord , New Hampshire—Two days before New Hampshire ’ s first-in-the-nation primary , Bernie Sanders challenged a crowd of young supporters gathered at Keene State College to lift him to victory : “ Let us win here in New Hampshire , let us win the Democratic nomination , let us defeat Donald Trump , let us transform this country , let us go forward together . ”
On Tuesday , New Hampshire did its part . Now , the senator must convince voters in upcoming caucus and primary states that he will make the rest of the pieces fall into place .
The Sanders campaign must go beyond “ Bernie Beats Trump ” sloganeering and deliver a comprehensive and convincing argument that the senator is the most electable contender .
It certainly helps to have won the first primary . With 95 percent of precincts reporting , the networks declared Sanders the winner , with 26 percent of the vote . Former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg , who moved into the top tier of the competition after a tight finish with Sanders in Iowa , was in second with 24 percent . Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar surged into third place with 20 percent . It was a steep drop off to fourth place for Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren , who had 9.4 percent . Former vice president Joe Biden , who fled to the upcoming primary state of South Carolina before a “ victory party ” that wasn ’ t , finished fifth with 8.5 percent . Sanders , Buttigieg , and Klobuchar won delegates , Warren and Biden did not . MORE FROM John Nichols Trump Wants You to Ignore His Republican Challenger February 15 , 2020 The Senate Rejects Outsourcing War Powers to Trump February 14 , 2020 Climate Is on the Ballot in New Hampshire February 11 , 2020 Author page
The New Hampshire results were not so decisive as they were for Sanders when he swept the state ’ s 2016 primary . But they were still reassuring for the senator , who secured the first clear win of 2020 after a stumbling start in Iowa .
At the same time , however , New Hampshire handed Sanders a message about what matters most to primary voters in that state and beyond its borders . “ About 6 in 10 Democratic voters in exit polls in New Hampshire said they preferred a candidate who can beat President Trump , rather than one who agrees with them on the issues , ” explained a Washington Post analysis . Iowa entrance polls had that number at 61 percent .
Of the 63 percent of New Hampshire voters who said they want a candidate who can beat Trump , 28 percent backed Buttigieg , while 21 percent were Sanders voters and 20 percent were for Klobuchar . Biden and Warren each got 11 percent . Among the “ agrees with you on the issues ” crowd , Sanders was the big winner , with 39 percent , while Buttigieg was at 22 percent and no one else was above 11 percent .
But there ’ s a twist . While almost half of voters said Sanders was “ too liberal , ” overwhelming majorities of those same voters embraced the issues most closely identified with his campaign . The Post noted :
About 6 in 10 New Hampshire Democratic primary voters in preliminary exit polls said they support replacing all private health insurance with a single government plan for everyone… About two-thirds of Democratic voters in early exit polling said they support making tuition free at public colleges and universities…
If the issues that Sanders has been raising have such broad appeal , why then is he considered “ too liberal ” ? The answer has a lot to do with how he ’ s covered by media outlets that often go out of their way to portray Sanders , and to a lesser extent Warren , as “ too extreme. ” But it also has to do with the messaging that comes from the candidate and his campaign . “ Bernie Beats Trump ” can ’ t be just a motto on a button ; it has to be in his campaign ’ s DNA .
Klobuchar ’ s campaign has figured out that message , and it showed in New Hampshire . She finished the primary campaign telling crowds , “ I ’ ve won every race , every place , every time , all the way down to fourth grade. ” TV commentators relish lines like that , and the Minnesota senator is sure to enjoy plenty of good press as she heads toward contests in Nevada , South Carolina , and the 14 Super Tuesday states that vote March 3 .
It is unlikely that the media will be so friendly to Sanders . So it will fall to him to stake a claim on the “ electability ” label .
Make no mistake , he can stake that claim , as savvy Democrats have recognized . Congressional Progressive Caucus cochair Mark Pocan , a Wisconsin Democratic who did not endorse in the 2016 Democratic contest between Sanders and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton , traveled to New Hampshire this year to make stops across the state on behalf of the Vermonter . “ I ’ m here to speak for the candidate who I know can defeat Donald Trump , ” Pocan told a crowd in Hudson . Arguing that Sanders is best positioned to win battleground states such as Michigan , Pennsylvania , and his native Wisconsin , Pocan says , “ The electability discussion is very different outside Washington . You don ’ t hear people dismissing Bernie Sanders . You hear people saying , ‘ You know , this is the guy who could beat Trump . ’ ”
Another key Sanders backer , US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told a crowd of 7,000 in Durham the night before the primary , “ Let ’ s talk about November ! ” said AOC . “ In every poll , Bernie beats Trump. ” Sanders does , indeed , beat Trump in national and state polls . The Real Clear Politics average of recent national surveys has Sanders at 49.3 to 45 for Trump , and a new Quinnipiac survey has Sanders opening up a wide 51-43 lead over the president . By comparison , the RCP average has Buttigieg at 46.1 to 45.1 for Trump . Klobuchar is up 46-43.4 , while Warren leads Trump 47.8 to 45 .
After spending hundreds of millions of dollars positioning him as a November prospect , Bloomberg beats Trump 49.8-43.8 in the RCP average . Biden ’ s numbers have also been solid against Trump , although his weak finish in New Hampshire will make it hard for the former vice president to maintain them .
Clearly , Sanders can make a credible argument for himself as an electable candidate . But he will have to sharpen that message going forward .
Coming out of New Hampshire , as the senator makes stops in Super Tuesday states such as North Carolina and Texas , he will find himself going head to head with contenders who argue that Sanders—as a democratic socialist with a bold agenda for Medicare for All , making higher education free for all , and addressing the climate crisis with a plan based on Green New Deal principles—is just too radical . Klobuchar , who raised more than $ 3 million in online donations after a strong performance in last Friday ’ s debate , has been selling herself as the candidate who can reach swing voters—with the message : “ If you are tired of the extremes in our politics and the noise and the nonsense , you have a home with me . ”
Pundits love that line . But it misses something fundamental about the 2020 race . Instead of building his campaign around appeals to a dwindling universe of “ swing ” voters , Sanders is talking about building the electorate out to include new voters—many of them young , many of them from low-income and historically disenfranchised communities . In Iowa and New Hampshire , he has been successful in attracting young voters . He also had notable success mobilizing Latino voters and diverse immigrant communities in Iowa . In the upcoming Nevada caucuses and the South Carolina primary , he ’ ll have to keep proving himself .
Actor and author John Cusack , who campaigned for Sanders in New Hampshire , argues that the candidate and his supporters must now amplify the message that his ideas represent the new mainstream . “ The ‘ center ’ has moved to Bernie on policy , ” says Cusack , who notes that all the candidates are discussing ideas that were popularized by Sanders in 2016 .
This amplification doesn ’ t involve abandoning positions or principles , as presidential contenders frequently do when they gain traction . Rather , Sanders must define his campaign as a new center where Democrats , independents , and millions of new voters have a place—in much the way that Franklin Delano Roosevelt did as he crafted a sprawling “ New Deal Coalition ” that reached across what had been lines of division to welcome the great mass of Americans who wanted a new politics . | ZtgB8QVAVZNGDLvv | 0 | Elections | 0.2 | 2020 Election | 0.1 | Bernie Sanders | 0.1 | Democratic Party | 0 | Iowa | 0 |
healthcare | ABC News (Online) | http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/12/2-1-million-obamacare-sign-ups-but-progress-not-clear/ | 2.1 Million Obamacare Sign-Ups, but Progress Not Clear | 2014-01-01 | Healthcare | (Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images) On the eve of Obamacare's primetime debut, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today heralded the moment as a "new day in health care for millions of Americans." The administration says more than 2.1 million people have selected a private insurance plan through the state or federal exchanges since October - roughly half through HealthCare.gov and half through the independent websites run by 14 states plus Washington, D.C. It could not say how many of those who signed up were previously uninsured. Officials conceded that they also do not yet know how many of those people have or will pay their first premium for 2014, thereby sealing their enrollment, and they declined to provide any geographic or demographic breakdown of applicants, a critical data point in evaluating the financial viability of the new insurance system. Health and Human Services says 3.9 million people have been deemed eligible by the states for Medicaid and CHIP between October and late December, but it's unclear how many of those are new enrollments thanks to Obamacare. The total figure includes both renewals and those who would have been eligible under prior law, officials said. The White House estimates 3 million more young adults will have insurance coverage in 2014 because of a provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows them to remain on their parents' insurance plans. "The new law is transformation for our entire health care system," Sebelius told reporters on a conference call. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid says it's still scrambling to resolve thousands of cases of individuals who couldn't sign up for coverage by the Dec. 24 deadline because of either technical difficulties or an inability to find a suitable alternative to their canceled existing plans. A special hotline established on Dec. 20 to assist an estimated 50,000 Americans whose plans were canceled and who still had not enrolled in an alternative has received more than 2400 calls, said CMS spokeswoman Julie Bataille. Those with canceled plans are eligible for an exemption from the individual mandate and enrollment in special stop-gap catastrophic coverage, the agency announced this month. A separate phone line has had about 7,000 calls from people who were thwarted by technical glitches in trying to meet the first enrollment deadline, Bataille said. Analysts are working on a case by case basis to determine which callers may be eligible for special enrollment with back-dated coverage to take effect Jan. 1. "People found eligible will have coverage on Jan. 1, " she said. The Obama administration is bracing for scrutiny as those who succeeded in enrolling prepare to use their coverage for the first time. Senior White House advis4r Phil Schiliro says officials have been in close contact with their health industry counterparts to respond to an expected uptick in consumer confusion. "Usually there's not a spotlight on what they're doing; obviously over the next few days there will be," Schiliro said. "Problems that have never gotten attention before will get some attention now." "What we're stressing for folks is that if they get to a provider, if there is some confusion, to call the insurer. If the insurer is not able to resolve it, they should call our toll-free number that we've set up," he said. "If the operators have a problem resolving it at the call center, they'll go to a special case worker and those case workers will try to resolve problems as quickly as possible." | 4802b03cc3316997 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
media_industry | Los Angeles Times | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2024-11-20/what-the-comcast-cable-network-spinoff-means-for-nbc-news | What the Comcast cable network spinoff means for MSNBC and NBC News | 2024-11-21 | Media Industry, MSNBC, CNBC, Television Networks, NBC News, Business, Entertainment | When NBC launched MSNBC in 1996, the network was marketed with the slogan “It’s Time to Get Connected,” a line that acknowledged the emergence of the internet as a game-changing force in the media. Microsoft, then a minority partner in the channel, made web culture part of its programming.Now, MSNBC is being upended by the very technology it first embraced, with streaming video now accounting for nearly half of all TV viewing, according to Nielsen. The decline of pay TV has culminated in Comcast placing MSNBC — along with sister networks such as CNBC and E! — in a spinoff company that will essentially be a repository for its cable outlets.The plan, formally announced Wednesday, means MSNBC will be owned by a separate entity from its parent NBC News, ending what has at times been a tense relationship.AdvertisementNothing changes right away, however. The spinoff, valued at $7 billion, isn’t expected to be completed for about a year. And NBC News will continue to provide news-gathering services to MSNBC after the spinoff.Nonetheless, the deal raises questions about the future of liberal-slanted MSNBC, which has at times beat its more down-the-middle rival CNN in ratings for major events such as election night.NBCUniversal Group Chairman Mark Lazarus, who will oversee the new spun-off company, told MSNBC staff Wednesday that he was unsure what the arrangement would mean for the channel’s name and logo, which incorporates the recognizable multicolored NBC peacock.AdvertisementAfter all, NBC considered changing the MSNBC moniker after it bought out Microsoft’s share of the network in 2005. (Microsoft was the “MS” in MSNBC.) But the plan was rejected because the name was already part of TV news culture.Changing the name MSNBC now would require a massive promotional campaign. Its audience of habit-bound older viewers — the median age is over 70 — may be reluctant to trust a brand they don’t recognize.The spinoff could also increase pressure on talent salaries, which are under scrutiny across all TV news organizations that are facing shrinking audiences.AdvertisementIn 2021, NBCUniversal signed its star host Rachel Maddow to a massive deal paying her a reported $30 million a year. Maddow reduced her MSNBC workload to one day a week in a deal that also has her working on film, documentary and podcast projects for the parent company. How that arrangement would work under the new structure is one of the issues the new company will face.In its early years, MSNBC served as a training ground for NBC News talent. Brian Williams and Lester Holt both spent hundreds of hours handling breaking news coverage on cable before they were promoted to the anchor chair at “NBC Nightly News.” Correspondents such as Savannah Guthrie frequently appeared on the channel, honing the skills that eventually brought her to NBC’s “Today.”MSNBC also gave viewers a sense that NBC News was always on, giving it an advantage over its broadcast network competitors CBS and ABC. But it long was unable to overcome the advantage CNN had as the go-to utility for cable news.Eventually, MSNBC followed the model set by cable news ratings leader Fox News, which succeeded by adding conservative opinion to the mix. Keith Olbermann became the first prime-time star on MSNBC in 2008 by publicly taking on Bill O’Reilly, who was then the signature Fox News host.While the scuffling got attention, the push into liberal political commentary caused tensions among the more traditional-minded journalists at NBC News.“Being a maverick always ruffles some feathers, and MSNBC was always being a maverick,” said veteran TV news producer Jonathan Wald, who was a senior executive at the network.AdvertisementBut the formula worked. The network became only more popular after Donald Trump emerged as a viable Republican presidential candidate in 2015 and disrupted the accepted norms in presidential politics. Once Trump got elected, MSNBC became home base for viewers opposed to his policies and behavior.Maddow became a break-out star in prime time. The national shock of Trump created personalities out of Republicans who opposed him, such as Nicolle Wallace, the former White House communications director under George W. Bush.As MSNBC’s reputation as a destination for progressive viewers became more pronounced, its fans rejected the more neutral approach of NBC News journalists such as Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell, who also appeared on the channel.Todd’s program, “Meet the Press Daily,” was moved off MSNBC in 2022. Mitchell, a midday anchor on MSNBC for 16 years, is returning to duties as a correspondent for NBC News at the end of this year.Earlier this year, MSNBC hosts blasted NBC News management on air when it attempted to hire former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel. The unprecedented public rebuke resulted in NBC News management scrapping the deal.Meanwhile, MSNBC’s function as a 24-hour service became redundant at NBC News once the network launched NBC News Now, a free streaming news channel.AdvertisementBut Lazarus, a respected veteran inside NBCUniversal, tried to keep an optimistic tone when addressing staff, according to one attendee at the meeting at the network’s Rockefeller Center headquarters in New York. He said the new corporation will be committed to investment in the network.“I completely empathize with people who think this would be a bittersweet thing,” Lazarus said. “I think it’s exciting because very few times in life you get to have the opportunity to be part of what I’ll call a ‘well-funded startup.’” | b1899feeedc76dc5 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | CBS News | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-carolina-democratic-primary-what-to-know/ | What you need to know about the South Carolina Democratic primary | elections | On February 29 , South Carolina Democrats and voters nationwide will have their first opportunity to see how candidates perform in a state whose Democratic electorate is expected to be mostly African-American . Sixty percent of the turnout here is expected to comprise black voters .
Two months into 2020 , after three states have weighed in , Iowa , New Hampshire and Nevada , Bernie Sanders has emerged as the front-runner , winning both Nevada and New Hampshire , and garnering the greatest number of votes in Iowa ( though he came in slightly behind Pete Buttigieg in delegates ) .
The Nevada caucuses were the first test of candidate 's appeal to minority voters , given its substantial Hispanic population . Sanders was the most popular candidate among Hispanic voters , ███ entrance polls showed . In South Carolina , up to this point , Joe Biden has been leading , though his margins have been shrinking . A ███ poll released Sunday shows Biden ahead of Sanders by just 5 points , a dramatic drop from the double-digit lead he held before the voting in other states began .
The candidates will also have one more opportunity to debate each other before the primary Saturday and Super Tuesday . The debate on Tuesday in Charleston will be co-hosted by ███ and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute .
Here 's an overview of the history of the state 's primary , the campaigns and why it matters :
South Carolina officially became an early state in the Democratic primary lineup in 2008 , but the state had claimed the first-in-the-South mantle in 1980 , when the state 's Republican Party held its first presidential primary , which also happened to be the first primary contest in the South .
The state Democratic Party did n't hold its first presidential primary until 1992 . Since then , it has held primary contests in 2004 , 2008 , and 2016 . In three of those four primary contests , the winner went on to become the Democratic nominee . Before 2008 , primaries were run by the state 's political parties , but they 're now administered by the South Carolina Election Commission and county boards .
South Carolina does n't have registration by party and the state 's primaries are open , which means all registered South Carolina voters can participate in either party 's primary regardless of political affiliation . This year , the Republican Party will not hold a primary . The GOP also did n't hold primaries in 1984 or 2004 when Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush , respectively , were incumbents . As a result , Republicans can vote in the upcoming Democratic primary .
Fourteen candidates will be on the ballot , though half have withdrawn from the race . Votes cast for candidates who have ended their bids will still be counted and reported in the election results . Notably absent from the ballot is billionaire Michael Bloomberg and because the state 's primary rules do n't permit write-ins , he wo n't receive any votes in the contest .
Seven Democratic candidates will be competing for 54 of the state 's 63 delegates that will go to the National Democratic Convention . The other nine automatic delegates — also known as super delegates — are unpledged and will be a combination of the state 's Democratic members of Congress and members of the Democratic National Committee . They are only able to vote on the second round at the nominating convention if there 's no consensus after the first round .
Candidates who meet a mandatory 15 % threshold at the congressional district or statewide levels , will split the 54 delegates based on their percentage of the statewide primary vote .
The South Carolina Election Commission has implemented a new ballot-marking system — ExpressVote — in all elections since October 1 , 2019 . Voters insert a blank ballot into the system and make selections on a touchscreen . After completing , reviewing , and printing the ballot , voters cast their vote in a ballot scanner .
South Carolina does not have early voting , but it does allow absentee voting by mail or in person . As of Friday , records show that voters have returned almost two-thirds of the nearly 30,000 absentee ballots that were issued .
In the 2016 Democratic presidential primary , voter turnout was just over half of what it was in 2008 with only 12.52 % of registered voters casting their ballots . South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Trav Robertson said he hopes to see 300,000 to 500,000 votes cast .
`` You 're gon na see turnout based on the engagement of all of these field organizations that have been put on the ground by the respective campaigns , '' said Robertson . `` They 're going to drive turnout along with the fact that people are tired of Donald Trump and they want to see change .
To date , 26 % of registered voters in the state are African American but in the upcoming primary , 60 % of the state 's Democratic electorate is expected to comprise black voters . A win in South Carolina will indicate a strong showing with a more diverse electorate than the first two early states and could give the winner a bounce going into Super Tuesday , which takes place just three days after South Carolina 's primary .
Currently , more than half of the registered voters in the state are women . And among registered black voters in the state , nearly 59 % are women . For that reason , Robertson , Jr. guessed that women will have the final say . `` I think that that you 're going to see the African American women — specifically older African American women and white women will determine who the nominee is going to be in South Carolina . ''
With the exceptions of Tom Steyer and Tulsi Gabbard , each of the seven Democratic candidates competing in South Carolina spent more than three times as many days in Iowa than in South Carolina to date . Combined , the candidates have spent over 120 days in the state since launching their respective campaigns . A Winthrop University survey published Thursday — the first qualifying state poll released ahead of the South Carolina debate — shows Biden remains the front-runner , narrowly leading the Democratic pack by 5 percentage points . Among black voters , Biden holds a 13-percentage point lead over his closest contender , former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer .
Six days from primary day , ███ ' poll shows Biden 28 % support , Sanders with 23 % and Steyer with 18 % . Here 's where the candidates stand , going into Saturday 's primary election here :
For months Biden consistently held a double-digit lead in every South Carolina state poll . Even when other early state surveys showed that he may have trouble , time and again he remained the runaway favorite in South Carolina — especially among African American voters . After 4th and 5th place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire , respectively , some of his South Carolina supporters have expressed doubts about his prospects . His second-place finish in Nevada , though distant , may help ease those doubts , though .
He has some of the most prominent state endorsements including those of former South Carolina governors , more than 100 faith leaders , and a well-known grassroots group known as `` The Reckoning Crew . '' Days before the primary , some of his national surrogates , featuring the 2004 Democratic nominee and former Secretary of State John Kerry , took a second bus tour through the state .
With more than 60 paid staffers on the ground and 7 field offices throughout the state , the Biden campaign says it feels `` very good '' about Biden 's prospects .
In 2016 , Sanders lost to Hillary Clinton in every single county here , earning only 26 % of all votes cast in the state . This time around , his South Carolina team invested in the state early with a more robust operation , citing a `` new sense of urgency . '' At one point , Sanders had the largest number of paid staffers with more than 60 people on the ground — and at least 90 % of them are South Carolina natives , according to the campaign .
His campaign says it has reached out to over a million individuals through door-knocking , phone banking , and other outreach methods . Sanders announced an education plan in South Carolina that would address in part de facto segregation in American public schools , and he also unveiled criminal justice plan during one of his 11 trips to the state .
The Sanders campaign launched its first statewide television ad in South Carolina Tuesday , featuring County Councilwoman Dalhi Myers , who had formerly backed Biden . `` I switched from the Biden campaign to the Sanders campaign because I want to see the kind of lines around the building that we saw in 2008 , '' said Myers in the ad . `` I want to see people motivated to get out and vote for a candidate that they believe in . This campaign 's got the movement . We 've got the momentum . ''
Elizabeth Warren has visited South Carolina more than any other candidate ( 14 visits ) , boasts the most field offices ( 11 offices ) , and according to Kantar/CMAG data , has spent more than half a million dollars in advertising running in eight media markets throughout the state .
`` Our campaign invested early to build a staff and infrastructure that would have a presence in communities across the state , '' said Warren 's South Carolina communications director Sam Coleman . `` The radio , newspaper , and billboard advertisements are supplementing the existing work by the more than 40 organizers working in South Carolina . ''
Long before a January national poll put Tom Steyer on the map in South Carolina , he was making substantive investments in the state . ███ reported in January that the billionaire 's seemingly sudden competitive edge was due in part to his return for high-profile Democratic events throughout the cycle . To date , Steyer has spent approximately $ 19.9 million on ad spending in the state , dwarfing the next highest ad spender in the state — Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg — by more than eight times over .
Steyer has more than 100 paid staffers on the ground — more than any of the other campaigns . And while the team has been accused by some of `` buying votes '' in recent weeks , the campaign and some of Steyer 's supporters believe his appeal goes beyond money .
`` Tom has become a voice for the voiceless , '' said Steyer 's South Carolina communications director Tiffany Vaughn-Jones . `` Tom has spent a lot of time here looking voters straight in the eye and speaking about the issues that impact their communities , which continues to set him apart . ''
During his latest swing through South Carolina 's Upstate and just days after his wife moved here , Steyer suggested that his performance here would be a determining factor in the viability of his campaign .
`` If I ca n't show that people here care about me and that what I 'm saying resonates…how am I going to convince people around the country that in fact it works ? '' Steyer told reporters in Spartanburg Monday . `` Democrats are going to show up and it matters and if you ca n't resonate…if the voters ca n't relate to you then yeah that 's a huge point and I take it super seriously . ''
In the days after strong performances in Iowa and New Hampshire , Buttigieg secured his most prominent South Carolina endorsement from state Representative J.A . Moore . Moore described Buttigieg as the `` truest representation '' of the millennial generation and while he 's been able to attract the likes of young organizers like Walter Clyburn Reed — grandson of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn — the question many are asking is how the former South Bend mayor will fare with African-American voters in the state .
While Buttigieg has made a point of courting black church leaders and focusing on appealing to black voters through southern swings , he has continued to register in single digits among likely African-American Democratic voters in the state . He has spent about $ 2.2 million on ads , according to Kantar/CMAG data . And in a new ad that his team launched in South Carolina on Friday , Buttigieg named Sanders when contrasting healthcare plans .
Klobuchar has spent less time in the state than any of her competitors , under two weeks total since she launched her campaign a year ago . Klobuchar has 4 % support in ███ ' poll , about in line with other surveys that show her at up to 3 % support .
Until last week , her team had under 10 paid staffers on the ground in the state , according to her campaign . On Tuesday , a pro-Klobuchar super PAC spent more $ 600,000 on ads in the state supplementing the $ 300,000 her campaign has spent on broadcast and cable TV in the state .
`` With more than 25 staff in South Carolina , including a senior leadership team with broad political experience , Senator Klobuchar is confident she will connect with the people of South Carolina and finish with a strong momentum heading into Super Tuesday , '' South Carolina communications director Deja Knight said .
Her billboards have lined the state 's highways longer than any other candidate , but Gabbard has continued to poll between 1 % to 4 % in state polls throughout the election cycle . She has spent 17 days in the state over 8 visits since launching her campaign more than a year ago . To date , she 's spent more than half a million dollars in advertising in the state .
As was the case with the prior nominating contests , President Trump will be rallying in the state just before the primary , appearing Friday in North Charleston . In October , he also visited the historically-black Benedict College in Columbia and was given an award for signing the First Step Act , a move that sparked criticism from some of the Democratic contenders .
Outside of the presidential race , Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham is up for re-election , and so is Democratic Congressman Joe Cunningham .
Whatever the outcome of the presidential primary , South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Trav Robertson is already looking ahead to the general election and calling on the Democratic nominee to invest in the down-ballot races . `` It 's great to come in and feed like locusts during a primary , but the real work is going to begin in earnest after the 29th . ''
Polls are open February 29 , 7 a.m. to 7 p.m . ET . | WkNaIuZ2H5I2WYn9 | 0 | Presidential Elections | -0.2 | Elections | -0.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | |
politics | National Review | https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/06/the-partisan-undermining-of-coronavirus-science/ | The Partisan Undermining of Coronavirus Science | 2020-06-09 | politics | Michigan Gov . Gretchen Whitmer address the media after several dams breached , in downtown Midland , Mich. , May 20 , 2020 . ( Rebecca Cook/Reuters )
Politicians and public-health authorities reveal their hypocrisy — and reduce the chances of the public taking them seriously again .
The universal lockdown of the country following the COVID-19 outbreak raised tensions through every segment of American society . The social and economic disruptions sparked protests all over the country , most famously in Michigan , Ohio , and Wisconsin . These protests were quickly denounced by media personalities , medical experts , and politicians who claimed that the risk of spreading the virus made it foolish to gather in such ways .
Consider Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer , who said that those protests were risking the health of the people of her state , that they “ make it likelier that we are going to have to stay in a stay-at-home posture , ” and that anyone with a platform should encourage others to “ do the right thing ” and remain home . Or consider Deborah Birx , the lead doctor on President Trump ’ s coronavirus task force , who said : “ It ’ s devastatingly worrisome to me personally because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather who has a co-morbid condition and they have a serious or a very — or an unfortunate outcome , they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives . ”
Such concerns were completely reasonable . The nation had just passed the peak of the virus surge in hot spots such as New York and Michigan , and fear of further spread was legitimate . The entire scientific logic for the lockdowns , after all , was to suppress the peak of the surge of the disease , in hopes that our health-care system would have time to learn and adapt .
However , everything changed on May 25 , 2020 , when Minneapolis resident George Floyd was killed . The outrage over this cruel killing by an officer of the state inflamed the passions of the country , sparking protests , violence , and looting , in the Twin Cities and across the United States . People surged onto the streets , primarily peacefully , to display their full displeasure , fear , anguish , and sorrow .
This time , the response from national pundits and experts to the protest movement was starkly different . Dan Diamond ’ s excellent article in Politico provides a full accounting of how the medical community has responded to these protests . Jeffrey Flier , the former dean of Harvard Medical School , admitted that physicians were grappling with conflict between the science , and their emotions :
“ It makes it clear that all along there were trade-offs between details of lockdowns and social distancing and other factors that the experts previously discounted and have now decided to reconsider and rebalance. ” . . . Flier pointed out that the protesters were also engaging in behaviors , like loud singing in close proximity , which CDC has repeatedly suggested could be linked to spreading the virus . . . . “ At least for me , the sudden change in views of the danger of mass gatherings has been disorienting , and I suspect it has been for many Americans . ”
“ Disorienting ” is a very kind way to paint the shift from outright disgust and hatred that many Americans faced when they challenged the logic of the lockdowns to the ongoing celebration of the current protests . Don ’ t forget just how vitriolic the earlier outrage was : On social media , people were outright called murderers and terrorists ; numerous governors , including New York ’ s Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey ’ s Phil Murphy , literally said people would die because of those protests ; and media personalities behaved even worse , with Julia Ioffe of GQ calling the protesters selfish and demanding they stay home originally , and Soledad O ’ Brien calling Ricochet editor Bethany Mandel a “ Grandma Killer . ”
Suddenly , with the eruption of protests in the name of the murder of George Floyd , those concerns conveniently disappeared . Some former critics , such as Ioffe , have reversed their positions on mass gatherings and openly support them . Others remain silent , demonstrating their cowardice by barely mentioning the threat of the coronavirus to the public at large as thousands of people congregate in protest .
Consider , again , Governor Whitmer of Michigan . Whitmer has been very slow to reduce restrictions on the lockdowns . She and her attorney general , Dana Nessel , famously pursued a barber in the city of Owosso , Mich. , who refused to close during the pandemic ; the barber has since won his case in court . Whitmer has continued demanding strict masking and social-distancing rules for everyone in the state well into June . Yet when the BLM protests arrived in metropolitan Detroit on June 4 , Whitmer was there to greet them . She wore a mask but rejected all social-distancing regulations , marching side-by-side with protesters . Whitmer was more than happy to violate her own executive orders .
Such hypocrisy is not unusual from journalists , or even politicians . However , a much more serious ethical and professional issue arises when doctors and scientists show such blatant hypocritical bias . As scientists , we have sworn to the public that our recommendations would depend on the science and the data , and reject the whims of emotion and personal opinion .
Sadly , this has not been the case . Former head of the Centers for Disease Control Tom Frieden tweeted that he was concerned about losing the community trust by having physicians voice the risks of the virus to protesters . However , back on May 3 , he stated , without any fear , “ We ’ re not just staying home in the magical belief that the virus is going to go away . It won ’ t . Staying home gives us the opportunity to strengthen our health-care and public-health systems . ”
Did the virus change in the last month in ways that staying home now doesn ’ t weaken our system ? Frieden is now making the same arguments that lockdown opponents were making a month earlier ! In a tweet on June 2 , Frieden stated : “ The threat to Covid control from protesting outside is tiny compared to the threat to Covid control created when governments act in ways that lose community trust . People can protest peacefully AND work together to stop Covid . Violence harms public health . ”
The facts and reality are that the science and data have not substantially changed . We don ’ t have a good quantification of the risk of viral spread outdoors : the common consensus is the risk is low , but that consensus existed a month earlier as well , and no conclusive , landmark studies have emerged . Nothing about our fundamental understanding of the disease has changed , but Frieden has done a 180-degree reversal of his position regardless .
Many physicians and scientists have likewise let their partisan leanings overshadow the science . An epidemiologist on Twitter stated : “ In this moment the public health risks of not protesting to demand an end to systemic racism greatly exceed the harms of the virus. ” What absurd scientific standards were used to make that remarkable statement ?
The short answer is : none . Between 2013 and 2019 , police in the United States killed a total of 7,666 people , according to Mapping Police Violence , a research and advocacy group . That data shows that relative to their share of the general population , blacks are 2.5 times as likely as whites to be killed by police ; since 2015 , 1,252 African Americans have been shot and killed by police , using the Washington Post ’ s database . These are obviously horrific numbers , and we should stipulate that no citizen of the United States should be complacent about these obvious abuses .
But science shouldn ’ t deal with emotion or fundamentals . It deals with facts and data . And the facts are these : As of May 26 , 2020 ( the last date for which race-based data is fully available ) , the APM Research Lab documented a total of approximately 88,000 deaths as a result of COVID-19 . Of those , 21,878 were African-American . African Americans were shown to die of the coronavirus 2.4 times as often as whites , and 2.2 times as often as Hispanics and Asians . To put that into better perspective , 1 in 1850 black Americans in the entire country perished , versus 1 in 4400 white Americans . African Americans represent 13 percent of all Americans , but have suffered 25 percent of all viral deaths .
These are incredible , and tragic , numbers . And medical science can give us some clues as to the reason for the disproportionate effect . African Americans are less likely to have family physicians , are more likely to have co-morbidities that lead to high risk of complications with coronavirus , and are more likely to use mass-transit systems . Additionally , more African Americans live in multi-generational homes , with possibility of infection from their children and grandchildren . All of these factors likely made them far more susceptible to the disease than the average American . But ultimately what this shows is that the coronavirus is somewhere in the range of 200 to 300 times more deadly than all of the police in the entire country — as a conservative estimate .
To be sure , reducing this complex issue to basic numbers fails to capture the complexities of dealing with racism in our society . These are emotional issues that can not be distilled scientifically . It is perfectly reasonable for the public to deal with these issues by contemplating the larger context of society , racism , and historical connotations .
But scientists and physicians are supposed to be immune to political or emotional whims . Too many are showing themselves not to be . And the dangers extend beyond hypocrisy . Distrust between the public and the medical community makes it harder for the public to make sacrifices in the name of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic . Physicians fundamentally rely on trust ; the doctor–patient relationship is one of the fundamental philosophical cornerstones in medicine . So , too , do public-health officials , whose recommendations can be disruptive to ordinary people ’ s lives .
It took a Herculean effort to institute the lockdowns . But many experts have totally refused to speak up about the risk of these protests to cause future surges of the disease , while they were violently opposing similar , smaller protests a few weeks ago . The narrative is clear : They are willing to stand up for the science , as long as it is politically and emotionally convenient .
Not all experts have stayed silent about the risks that persist to this day . Anthony Fauci has remained consistent in warning about the likely consequences of mass gatherings . But , from the beginning , plenty of people in the public-health and medical communities have expected ordinary Americans to listen to their recommendations while failing to admit their own scientific and knowledge limitations . In a piece in April , I stated that we would need sympathy and empathy nationwide to get through this crisis . We should now add humility to the list as well . | AWqrHjrYETFtswH0 | 2 | Partisanship | -0.5 | Politics | -0.5 | Coronavirus | -0.2 | Science | -0.2 | Safety And Sanity During COVID-19 | -0.1 |
democratic_party | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/19/claire-mccaskill-bernie-sanders-one-winning-rigged/ | Claire McCaskill: Bernie Sanders is the one winning ‘rigged’ contests | 2016-05-19 | democratic_party | Sen. Claire McCaskill on Thursday slammed Sen. Bernard Sanders for complaining that the Democratic primary process is “ rigged ” against him , noting that his presidential campaign mostly wins closed caucuses contests .
“ Where Bernie Sanders has done well is caucuses — and they are closed . You can ’ t go if you ’ re working . You can ’ t absentee vote . You can ’ t mail in your ballot , ” the Missouri Democrat said on CBS ’ “ This Morning . ”
“ It is a very closed process and that ’ s the majority of the states he ’ s won , is the most closed process of all , ” said Mrs. McCaskill , who is a ally of likely Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton .
Mr. Sanders of Vermont has clashed with the Democratic Party over the primary system that he says is tilted in favor of Mrs. Clinton , who leads in the delegate hunt and is slowly closing in on the nomination .
The tensions between the two campaigns boiled over Saturday at the Nevada Democratic Convention in Las Vegas , when Mr. Sanders ’ supporters verbally assaulted party leaders and threw chairs after the majority of delegates were awarded to Mrs. Clinton .
“ I kind of agree with Bernie on this one . I think that Nevada was an aberration , ” Mrs. McCaskill said . “ I think that the millions of Bernie Sanders supporters are not people who want to resort to harassment and threats and throwing chairs . I do believe this was an outlier because I think the millions of people who support him are passionate and inspired by the message Bernie is delivering . ”
Mrs. McCaskill said that although the “ math ” showed Mr. Sanders likely will not win the nomination , she understood that he wanted to finish the process . She predicted the party would come together after the final primaries on June 7 .
The threat of likely GOP nominee Donald Trump becoming president should prod Mr. Sanders to get behind Mrs. Clinton ’ s run , Mrs. McCaskill said .
“ Bernie has to look at a potential President Trump and go uh-oh , we ’ ve got to get busy and make sure that we never let Donald Trump , the reality TV star that is reckless and risky and is an anathema to the things we believe in , we can never let him set foot in the Oval Office , ” she said . “ And I ’ m just confident Bernie will be there when the time comes . ” | WdveFT1P2mL7OdKG | 2 | Bernie Sanders | -1.1 | Democratic Party | 0.6 | Politics | -0.2 | null | null | null | null |
gun_control_and_gun_rights | Townhall | http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2015/07/13/gun-control-groups-blame-nonexistent-gun-loophole-instead-of-fbi-screw-up-on-charleston-killer-n2024703 | Gun Control Groups Lie About Non-Existent Background Check "Loophole" | 2015-07-13 | gun_control_and_gun_rights | In case you missed it last week , FBI Director James Comey admitted his agency is responsible for Charleston killer Dylann Roof getting his hands on a gun when he was ineligible to do so . Roof passed a background check during a firearm purchase , something Comey admitted should n't have happened due to a felony charge on his record prior to the purchase .
In a meeting with reporters at FBI headquarters , [ FBI Director James ] Comey said failures in the gun purchase screening system enabled Roof to acquire the weapon used in an attack that authorities have said was motivated by Roof ’ s racist views , and whose political repercussions led South Carolina to remove the Confederate flag from its statehouse grounds this week .
Roof ’ s ability to purchase the gun has been a focus for investigators since the June 17 attack . Roof had been arrested for possession of narcotics in February , a felony charge that should have surfaced on criminal databases and prevented him from buying a weapon at a gun store .
But Comey indicated that the data was not properly entered in federal criminal justice computer systems , or had been mishandled by an analyst with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System [ NICS ] .
Regardless of the admission , gun control groups are lying about a non-existent gun background check `` loophole , '' blaming the National Rifle Association and ignoring FBI responsibility for the situation .
Take for example Everytown For Gun Safety , an outfit of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg . Over the weekend Everytown sent out an email 1 ) claiming Roof did n't pass an FBI background check 2 ) claiming the NRA supported a `` loophole '' which allowed Roof to get his hands on a gun .
There 's just a few major problems : 1 ) Roof did in fact pass a background check that the FBI approved ( but should n't have by Comey 's own admission ) 2 ) the `` loophole '' Everytown cites does n't exist and therefore it 's impossible the NRA supported it .
Journalists and the Brady Campaign followed with a similar line of false accusation on the background check issue .
This is a lie . The FBI screwed up , as the story you ’ ve linked clearly says . Incompetence not “ loophole. ” https : //t.co/nogalLpq0Y — Charles C. W. Cooke ( @ charlescwcooke ) July 11 , 2015 FBI : Background check loophole responsible for enabling Charleston shooter to get a gun # gunsense http : //t.co/kl2KHmfJG5 — Brady Campaign ( @ Bradybuzz ) July 10 , 2015
Apparently `` loophole '' means something a journalist does n't like in any established system . @ AaronWorthing @ charlescwcooke — David Jack Smith ( @ davidjacksmith ) July 11 , 2015
. @ samsteinhp Government incompetence is a loophole now ? Good to know . BREAKING : Loophole gave China access to sensitive security data . — Sean Davis ( @ seanmdav ) July 10 , 2015
A data entry error is n't a loophole you miserable hack . https : //t.co/u85I2l5vmi — Matt ( @ mdrache ) July 10 , 2015
Here 's the bottom line : If there 's a `` loophole '' ( which there is n't ) gun control advocates can demand federal legislation to `` fix '' the nonexistent loophole , which is exactly what they are doing . There is no `` deadly loophole '' to close as Everytown claims , but that is n't stopping them from lying about it . An FBI screw up is n't a loophole , it 's a screw up .
Once again gun control groups have proved they do n't care about the facts , but instead their ultimate goal of gun bans based on non-existent issues . I 'll leave you with this : | LtZn4qrRFcdExYU6 | 2 | Gun Control And Gun Rights | -1.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
white_house | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/2014/09/28/352091675/after-announcing-resignation-holder-reflects-on-his-legacy | With The End In Sight, Holder Reflects On His Legacy | 2014-09-28 | white_house | With The End In Sight , Holder Reflects On His Legacy
A day after Attorney General Eric Holder announced his resignation , he made a long-planned visit to Scranton , Penn .
That 's where he won his first big trial as a young public corruption prosecutor nearly 40 years ago . And he says coming to this federal courthouse now , returning to the site of his earliest legal success , makes sense .
`` This , for me , was ... almost like completing a circle , '' he says . `` I came here as a young and inexperienced trial lawyer and I came back as the head of the agency that I had just joined back in 1978 . ''
After those early years , Holder reached nearly every goal he set for himself . He became the U.S. attorney in Washington , D.C. , and then the deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration . Finally , in February 2009 , he became the first African-American attorney general .
The job , he says , is the best he 'll ever have — one that shaped him as a lawyer and a person .
All that ran through his mind , Holder says , when he stood next to President Obama Thursday afternoon at the ceremony that announced his resignation .
`` All of that was coming together , and made yesterday very emotional , '' he says . `` It made me very concerned I was not going to be able to get through my remarks . ''
During that announcement , Holder looked down and bit his lip when Obama referenced his late father , an immigrant who raised the family in a modest home in Elmhurst , Queens .
He says his father was denied a seat in a whites-only train car while he was in military uniform .
`` He was a guy who did n't finish high school , who always put a great value on education , '' Holder says . `` He tried to hide that from us . I did n't know that , actually , until I got to college . ''
Holder talks about his mother , too . She lived long enough to see him become attorney general but grew sick and died before what Holder views as his most significant civil rights accomplishments .
He 's sorry his parents could n't be there to see him stand next to the president Thursday .
`` I was talking to my brother last night about this and I said ... ' I would give five years of my life for them to spend five minutes at that ceremony , to see what their little boys had accomplished , ' `` he says , choking up . `` That was emotional , also ... I was cognizant of the fact that she was n't there . ''
Then , the attorney general turns to the work he still wants to do before he leaves once his successor is nominated and confirmed by the Senate .
That list starts with an ongoing review of the death penalty — a practice Holder personally opposes , but one he 's authorized several times over the past five years .
President Obama asked Holder to look at capital punishment after three states botched executions earlier in the year .
But the attorney general gives the impression his review is going to talk about much more than how many drugs states should use in lethal injections .
`` You know I think we have to look at some of the empirical evidence we have and see how effective is the death penalty as a deterrent , '' he says , `` and what do we see from various states where the death penalty is used . '' That includes the impact on violent crime rates .
When asked what he most regrets , Holder immediately mentions a grim visit to a crime scene in Newtown , Conn. — the school where a gunman killed 20 children almost two years ago .
`` My regret is that coming out of the horror that we saw personally did not result in the formulation and passage of reasonable gun safety measures , '' he says .
If he stays at the Justice Department through December , Eric Holder will be the third-longest-serving attorney general in U.S. history .
`` I want to continue to be involved , talking about criminal justice issues and civil rights issues , to somehow figure out a way to bridge the gap between communities of color and law enforcement , '' Holder says . `` My government service might be over , but I do n't think my public life is . '' | CcXSj8DDWKJlibep | 1 | White House | 0.2 | Eric Holder | 0 | Politics | 0 | null | null | null | null |
energy | Reuters | https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-ethanol/trump-to-lift-ban-on-higher-ethanol-gasoline-ahead-of-november-elections-idUKKCN1MJ010 | Trump to lift ban on higher-ethanol gasoline ahead of November elections | 2018-10-09 | Energy, Environment, EPA, Donald Trump, Ethanol | NEW YORK ( ███ ) - U.S. President Donald Trump will seek to lift a federal ban on summer sales of higher-ethanol blends of gasoline on Tuesday , a senior White House official said , delivering on a move long sought by anxious Midwestern farmers ahead of the Nov. 6 elections .
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he returns from Florida , on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington , U.S. October 8 , 2018 . ███/Jonathan Ernst
The move will be coupled with restrictions on the multibillion-dollar biofuel credit trading industry sought by merchant refiners like Valero Energy Corp and PBF Energy Inc. Those rules would be aimed at retailers and oil majors accused by merchant refiners of hoarding the credits and driving up the cost of complying with biofuels blending laws .
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently prohibits summer sales of gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol , or E15 , due to smog concerns .
Because ethanol is cheaper than gasoline , the administration hopes it will bring down retail prices , which currently average $ 2.91 a gallon , more than 40 cents higher than this time a year ago , according to the American Automobile Association .
The announcement will mark the end of a months-long effort by the White House to bring rival corn and oil industries together over reforms to boost ethanol demand while alleviating compliance costs for refiners . The rival camps cut across Trump ’ s strong base of rural voters and blue-collar workers ,
The refining industry came out against the proposal , arguing they should have gotten more than trade restrictions in exchange for lifting the summer ban .
“ The president has promised to broker a deal to reform the RFS that works for all stakeholders . This isn ’ t it , ” Chet Thompson , chief executive of the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers , said in an statement .
Trump plans to hold a closed-door event with ethanol producers in Washington before a rally in Council Bluffs , Iowa , on Tuesday to highlight the change . Council Bluffs is in a moderate congressional district represented by incumbent Republican Dave Young , who is locked in a tight race .
“ Rural America needs a shot in the arm , and this is it , ” said Emily Skor , chief executive officer of Growth Energy , a biofuel trade association .
Farmers have been frustrated with weak corn and soybean prices hurt by the trade war between the United States and China ; Trump has promised the trade war with China will eventually boost the U.S. economy .
The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard requires refiners to blend increasing amounts of biofuels like ethanol into the fuel pool annually , or buy credits from competitors who do . Refining companies that buy the credits have complained about volatile prices .
The EPA will consider forcing blenders , retailers and trading houses to sell credits more quickly , the official said . The agency may only allow obligated parties like refiners to buy credits , and may require greater public disclosure as well .
Biofuel credit prices were near five-year highs last year , hitting nearly $ 1 each , but have dropped sharply to their lowest since 2013 , due mainly to the EPA ’ s expanded use of waivers freeing small refiners from their obligations .
The credits were trading at roughly 12 cents each on Tuesday morning , traders said .
About 400 million gallons of E15 are sold in the U.S. annually , a fraction of the roughly 142 billion gallons in U.S. gasoline sales last year .
The American Petroleum Institute , the largest U.S. oil trade association , opposes lifting the ban , which would hurt their market share . They say E15 gasoline ruins older cars and potentially voids warranties , and have threatened to sue , arguing the EPA lacks the legal authority to strike the ban .
The National Association of Truck Stop Owners , or NATSO , came out against the trade restrictions , arguing they are solutions in search of a problem . The retailers can benefit from trading credits and the restriction could hurt profits .
“ The RIN market as it exists today is structurally sound ; it provides the necessary price discovery and risk management vehicles for parties in the production , distribution , and blending of renewable fuels , ” said David Fialkov , head of the association . | 6e9de8844b1b7d91 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/20/politics/new-york-primary-takeaways/index.html | New York primary: 5 takeaways | 2016-04-20 | elections | ( CNN ) Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton came home to New York and both won big .
Trump used his dominating victory as an opportunity to make his case that the only way he 'll be denied the Republican nomination is if the game is rigged .
Hillary Clinton launched her presidential bid on April 12 through a video message on social media . The former first lady , senator and secretary of state is considered the front-runner among possible Democratic candidates . `` Everyday Americans need a champion , and I want to be that champion -- so you can do more than just get by -- you can get ahead . And stay ahead , '' she said in her announcement video . `` Because when families are strong , America is strong . So I 'm hitting the road to earn your vote , because it 's your time . And I hope you 'll join me on this journey . ''
Ohio Gov . John Kasich joined the Republican field July 21 as he formally announced his White House bid . `` I am here to ask you for your prayers , for your support ... because I have decided to run for president of the United States , '' Kasich told his kickoff rally at the Ohio State University .
Ohio Gov . John Kasich joined the Republican field July 21 as he formally announced his White House bid . `` I am here to ask you for your prayers , for your support ... because I have decided to run for president of the United States , '' Kasich told his kickoff rally at the Ohio State University .
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has made a name for himself in the Senate , solidifying his brand as a conservative firebrand willing to take on the GOP 's establishment . He announced he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination in a speech on March 23 . `` These are all of our stories , '' Cruz told the audience at Liberty University in Virginia . `` These are who we are as Americans . And yet for so many Americans , the promise of America seems more and more distant . ''
Businessman Donald Trump announced June 16 at his Trump Tower in New York City that he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination . This ends more than two decades of flirting with the idea of running for the White House . `` So , ladies and gentlemen , I am officially running for president of the United States , and we are going to make our country great again , '' Trump told the crowd at his announcement .
Clinton reveled in her win , which broke Bernie Sanders ' string of successes in the West and Midwest .
The victories pushed both candidates much closer to their parties ' nominations , leaving their opponents no room for error if either is to be stopped .
The Queens-born businessman put weeks of negative headlines -- from staff changes to delegate losses to abortion flip-flops -- behind him by crushing Ted Cruz and John Kasich in his home state . Exit polls also show New York Republicans believe Trump is the candidate with the best chance to defeat Clinton in the fall .
JUST WATCHED Trump wins big in New York Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump wins big in New York 01:16
On stage at Trump Tower , the Republican front-runner surrounded himself with some of his high-profile business friends to cap what he called `` an amazing week . ''
And he set up the Republican contest as one that would have to be taken from him -- unfairly .
Donald Trump , pictured with his wife Melania , gives a thumbs up following his victory in the New York Republican primary on April 19 , 2016 in New York City .
`` We do n't have much of a race anymore , based on what I 'm seeing on television , '' Trump said . `` Senator Cruz is just about mathematically eliminated . ''
Trump , facing a Cruz campaign adept at the inside baseball of delegate-counting , on Tuesday accused the Republican Party of trying to `` take the election away '' from him . He touted the delegates he would capture in New York , emphasizing he won them in a primary election where voters went to the polls -- an un-subtle dig at Cruz , who has done better in caucuses or party conventions . `` The people are n't going to stand for it . It 's a crooked system . It 's a system that 's rigged , '' Trump told the cheering crowd at Trump Tower .
The good news for Trump should n't stop . April 26 -- the next Super Tuesday — features Maryland , Pennsylvania and other northeastern states that should also be friendly to the front-runner .
It 's a sure sign that Clinton is expecting to celebrate when her campaign announces she 'll deliver a speech on the night of a big election .
It 's also a win that makes it much harder for Sanders to ever catch Clinton . In a nod to his supporters , whom Clinton would need if she wins the nomination , Clinton said at her victory party : `` To all the people who supported Senator Sanders , I believe there is much more that unites us than divides us . ''
JUST WATCHED Clinton wants to unite her party after New York win Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Clinton wants to unite her party after New York win 01:12
Her commanding victory helped Clinton build on her pledged delegate lead , and it denied Sanders a win that could have changed the dynamics of the Democratic race .
Now , Clinton needs to follow it up with more victories , instead of the speed bumps that have followed big wins in the past , such as Michigan after Super Tuesday .
Hillary Clinton walks on stage with her husband Bill Clinton after winning the New York Democratic primary on April 19 , 2016 in New York City .
New York demonstrated once again why Sanders ca n't seem to catch up . Exit polls showed Clinton performed better than usual among voters ages 30-49 ( though Sanders trounced her again with those 18-29 ) , and kept her advantages among minorities , women and older voters . Sanders , meanwhile , still outperformed Clinton with younger voters , men and whites .
Those advantages have been enough for Clinton so far -- and they do n't bode well for Sanders in states like New Jersey and California , where he 'd need to crush Clinton to have any chance of catching her in pledged delegates .
Sanders hoped he 'd win New York . In fact , as a pro-Clinton group gleefully pointed out Tuesday , he 'd said at least 27 times that he expected to win . For two weeks he 'd practically moved back to his hometown of Brooklyn .
But Sanders lost big . He congratulated Clinton for her win , but he also was quick to blame the system . New York 's primary is closed -- which means only registered Democrats can participate , limiting Sanders ' ability to turn out the many independent voters who have helped him win other states .
The closed primary , Sanders said Tuesday evening in Pennsylvania as the crowd booed New York 's laws , is `` wrong . ''
`` That has got to change in future elections , '' he said .
Sanders , though , will face the same problem next Tuesday , when Pennsylvania , Maryland , Connecticut , Delaware and Rhode Island vote . Of those five states , only Rhode Island allows independents to vote in the Democratic primary .
JUST WATCHED Sanders slams Clinton camp , DNC for joint-fundraising Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Sanders slams Clinton camp , DNC for joint-fundraising 04:21
Then there were the problems in Brooklyn -- where Clinton has headquartered her campaign , but an area Sanders targeted . There , 126,000 voters were dropped from the registration list since last fall . His supporters were active on social media Tuesday pointing to both the closed primary and the Brooklyn woes as evidence the contest was unfair .
The Sanders camp 's eagerness to dismiss New York 's results come as tensions flare between the two campaigns . Clinton 's aides are furious with Sanders ' allegations that she is violating campaign finance rules through her joint fundraising account with the Democratic National Committee -- worried it will do long-term damage to the party 's brand and play into Trump 's casting of Clinton as `` Crooked Hillary . '' Sanders , meanwhile , unloaded on Clinton over paid speeches , Wall Street contributions and trade in a speech in Pennsylvania .
Still , he has n't addressed the fundamental weakness of his campaign : an inability to win black voters , CNN political commentator Van Jones notes . He pulled out all the stops in New York , leaning on former NAACP head Ben Jealous , releasing an ad by Spike Lee that featured Harry Belafonte , Rosario Dawson and Danny Glover , and leaning on alliances with the Working Families Party and the Transit Workers Union , both with strong black ties .
If Sanders could n't improve his performance with African-Americans in New York , it 's not clear that he ever will .
Turns out bashing `` New York values '' is n't the way to make friends and influence people who vote in the New York primary .
In Philadelphia on Tuesday night , Cruz spoke before New York 's polls closed — sparing him , for the moment , the awkwardness of addressing his third-place finish and his zero delegate haul .
JUST WATCHED New Yorkers on Ted Cruz and 'New York values ' Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH New Yorkers on Ted Cruz and 'New York values ' 02:24
He did n't say anything about the contest at all , aside from noting that it 's not surprising for a candidate ( in this case , Trump ) to win his home state . He 'd already campaigned in Maryland on Monday , and is fighting for conservatives in a district-by-district bid to deny Trump delegates .
Everything Cruz did on Tuesday night -- from the location of his event to the 8:30 p.m . ET timing -- reinforced that he was n't holding his breath for a good night in New York . Aides said if he could hold Trump under 90 of the state 's 95 delegates , even that would count as an acceptable result .
Kasich 's strategy of eating just about everything in sight -- pizza with a fork at Gino 's Pizzeria , soup , a pickle and apple strudel at PJ Bernstein Deli , a massive sub at Mike 's Deli -- helped him to a distant second-place finish , but did earn him a few delegates , denying Trump a clean sweep of his home state .
JUST WATCHED Kasich eats New York pizza with a fork Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Kasich eats New York pizza with a fork 01:02
The Ohio governor is hoping the next week 's contests allow him to rack up delegates in moderate , suburban congressional districts , using that as a starting point for his argument that he 's the Republican best positioned to take on Clinton .
`` We 're going to be deadlocked '' going into the Republican National Convention , Kasich said Tuesday night in Maryland . `` Then what delegates are going to do is do something crazy -- consider who can win in the fall . ''
The Democratic contest has become increasingly heated and personal in recent days -- but even as Sanders amps up the attacks and Clinton 's campaign frets over the potential impact , the party 's primary voters do n't seem worried .
Sixty-seven percent of Democratic voters surveyed in early exit polls said the campaign between Sanders and Clinton has energized the party , while just 29 % said it has divided the party .
In the short term , the extended primary is frustrating Clinton 's camp . Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri called Sanders ' campaign `` destructive '' to the point that Sanders ' continuation in the race is `` not productive to Democrats '' and `` not productive for the country . ''
But in the long run , Democratic voters ' engagement and interest in the contest could help Clinton , who will need to consolidate Sanders ' supporters if she clinches the nomination -- and could find it easier to do that if they 're not turned off by an extended intra-party battle .
Sixty percent say the GOP campaign has divided the party , compared to 36 % who say it has energized it .
That could have something to do with the state 's leading candidate , Trump , consistently declaring the nominating process `` rigged '' against him .
The numbers show that Republicans could have the tougher challenge in bringing the party together behind its eventual nominee .
Trump 's Tuesday rout punctuated that reality . His victory made clear that no other Republican stands a chance of catching him at the polls -- even as party members fight to deny him delegates . | MLpPcqv3k36WhYba | 0 | Presidential Elections | 1.3 | New York | 0.4 | Elections | 0 | null | null | null | null |
economy_and_jobs | Fox Online News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/26/stockton-set-to-become-largest-us-city-to-declare-bankruptcy/ | Stockton set to become the largest US city to declare bankruptcy | 2012-06-26 | economy_and_jobs | Officials in Stockton said Tuesday that mediation with creditors has failed , meaning the city is set to become the largest American city ever to declare bankruptcy .
City Manager Bob Deis said officials were unable to reach a deal to restructure hundreds of millions of dollars of debt under a new state law designed to help municipalities avoid bankruptcy .
`` Unfortunately we have no comprehensive set of agreements with our creditors that would eliminate the deficit and avoid insolvency , '' Deis said at a City Council meeting . He said , however , that the city was still negotiating with some creditors and could reach deals with as many as one-third of them .
`` We think Chapter 9 protection is the only choice left . If we get any agreements , those will be honored in Chapter 9 , '' Deis said .
The Council was expected to vote later on a special bankruptcy budget to plug next year 's anticipated $ 26 million deficit .
The budget is expected to suspend debt payments , reduce payments for retiree medical benefits and increase revenue through code enforcement and parking citations , among other steps .
City lawyers could file for Chapter 9 protection in court as soon as Wednesday .
The river port city of 290,000 in Central California has seen its property taxes and other revenues decline , while expensive investments and generous retiree benefits drained city coffers .
In the past three years , officials in the city that was slammed by the collapse of the housing market dealt with $ 90 million in deficits through a series of drastic cuts .
They eliminated one-fourth of the city 's police officers , one-third of the fire staff , and 40 percent of all other employees . They also cut wages and medical benefits .
To plug next year 's anticipated $ 26 million budget shortfall , a proposed budget to be considered Tuesday night would suspend payments for debts and legal claims , reduce payments for retiree medical benefits , further cut some pay and benefits , and increase revenue through code enforcement and parking citations .
The proposed budget includes no major service reductions , Deis said earlier .
`` The whole purpose of filing Chapter 9 is to avoid an uncontrolled chaotic situation , '' he said . `` Bankruptcy provides the equivalent of a pause button . It retains services and provides structure so you do n't have a bunch of lawsuits . ''
City officials say the city has run out of options . In recent years , thousands of new homes mushroomed in Stockton , part of a suburban housing boom that attracted buyers from the San Francisco Bay area and beyond .
When the economy crashed and the construction bubble burst , Stockton was battered by foreclosures and lost income from property taxes and other fees .
Multi-year labor contracts for city workers carrying escalating costs and generous retirement plans added to the burden .
In addition , expensive city investments -- a promenade , sports arena and hotel -- failed to produce an economic boon .
The city also has high crime and unemployment rates . It has twice topped Forbes magazine 's list of `` America 's most miserable cities . ''
Under a bankruptcy filing , officials would retain power over day-to-day city operations and staffing , but a judge would take over all decisions concerning the city 's debts , said Robert Benedetti , professor of political science at the University of the Pacific in Stockton .
The judge would decide which creditors should be paid , how much and in what order . He would make allowances for expenditures needed by the city to function , and it would be up to city officials to decide how to spend that money .
`` One of the reasons a city might want to go the bankruptcy route is that they do n't want a situation where they have to pay out debts and have to close the police or fire department , '' Benedetti said . `` Filing for Chapter 9 means you 're asking the court to protect you against lawsuits from people who hold your debt . ''
Stockton 's bankruptcy would make it the largest city by population to file for Chapter 9 protection , according to Jim Spiotto , a Chicago bankruptcy lawyer who tracks such cases . He said Bridgeport , Conn. , was the largest city to file for bankruptcy , which it did in 1991 , followed by Vallejo , Calif. , which filed in 2008 .
Jefferson County in Alabama is the largest local government bankruptcy filing to date in terms of the size of its debt . It occurred in November 2011 and was followed by Orange County , Calif. , in 1994 .
If a judge approves a bankruptcy plan , money to pay creditors would come from Stockton 's general fund , which pays chiefly for public safety , including police and fire protection .
Experts say the bankruptcy filing , while protecting the city from catastrophe in the short run , should not be seen as Stockton 's panacea .
`` Bankruptcy wo n't take away Stockton 's underlying financial problems , one of which is the economy , the high unemployment rate and the high foreclosure rate , '' Benedetti said . `` It will take years for them to come out of this . ''
Stockton was the first city to test a new state mediation law , Assembly Bill 506 , which is less than 6 months old .
Under the law , municipalities considering bankruptcy must first negotiate behind closed doors with creditors for up to three months , with the goal of settling debts without filing for Chapter 9 protection .
Stockton officials have said that even with a bankruptcy , they are optimistic . They point to Vallejo , a smaller California city that filed for Chapter 9 protection in 2008 and emerged from bankruptcy last year .
`` Vallejo is leaner , smarter and they 've got the confidence of their citizenry , '' Deis said . `` I think Stockton will be doing the same . ''
Benedetti said Stockton has some things going for it : An excellent location , successful inland port and good university .
`` It has some promising economic resources , so it 's not all down and out , '' he said . | YjCuUxXEBz8PgBRW | 2 | Economy And Jobs | -0.3 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
polarization | Quartz | http://qz.com/593587/politics-arent-more-partisan-today-were-just-fighting-about-more-issues/ | Politics aren’t more partisan today–we’re just fighting about more issues | 2016-03-03 | Polarization, Political Polarization | Last night ’ s State of the Union speech was shaped by the perception that we are in a catastrophic moment of political polarization . “ It ’ s one of the few regrets of my presidency — that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better , ” president Obama admitted .
There ’ s no doubt that today ’ s Congress is characterized by deep enmity between Republicans and Democrats . However , while most commentary tends to cast partisan rancor as a problem that has increased over the last decade , analysis of Congressional voting patterns suggests otherwise . The American Political Science Association task force found that polarization has actually been increasing consistently in both the House and the Senate since the 1970s . What ’ s new is the breadth and depth of polarization over specific issues .
The scholars suggest that the root causes of the political divide can be traced back to the post-1960s realignment of the South , when both parties underwent an ideological reshuffling . The fact that this happened in the Senate as well as the House , and among politicians with both safe and competitive seats , suggests that redistricting won ’ t solve the partisan problem . The scholars ’ findings also suggest that members of Congress have structural reasons for behaving as they do . No matter how many heart-to-hearts Barack Obama and Paul Ryan have about their teenage daughters , Joe Biden has a better chance of flying to the moon than restoring legislative effectiveness through bipartisan comity .
What has changed is the number of policies that the parties are fighting over at any given time .
Take national security , formerly one of the least-polarized areas in American political life . In 2008 , Obama and then-Republican candidate John McCain listed closing the prison at Guantánamo Bay and ending torture among their policy goals .
Today , both issues are divided along purely partisan lines , as their stony reception during Obama ’ s Jan. 12 speech reminded us . Views of the president ’ s nuclear deal with Iran have also polarized sharply over the years it took to negotiate . While overall numbers on US support for Israel have stayed level , they mask a declining enthusiasm among Democrats and a firm embrace by evangelical Republicans .
The same divide extends to new issues such as the Common Core standards for K-12 education . While the Common Core was developed as a technocratic initiative with broad GOP buy-in , it ’ s now intensely opposed by Republicans and supported by Democrats . Meanwhile , support for the inherently controversial issue of the death penalty is declining overall—but exponentially faster among Democrats and independents than among Republicans .
Yet there is reason to hope for cross-party collaboration on certain issues . Obama began his speech with a ringing endorsement for criminal justice reform . Broad bipartisan support for changes to sentencing as well as other reforms has been expressed by everyone from the Koch brothers to the Center for American Progress . Even ruby-red Texas has been shifting toward bipartisan cooperation on ending mass incarceration , as my New America colleagues Steve Teles and David Dagan found in a Sep. 2015 report .
New America has studied numerous attempts to build these kinds of “ transpartisan ” coalitions to beat polarization . It ’ s a good bet that climate change will also soon attract cross-party collaboration . President Obama tweaked GOP officeholders hard on the issue last night . “ If anybody still wants to dispute the science of climate change , have at it , ” he said . “ You ’ ll be pretty lonely . ”
Obama ’ s confidence stems from polls showing that the American public has made up its mind : climate change is real . Now the partisan divide is now over how to respond to the problem .
It ’ s now clear that progress toward bipartisan collaboration over key issues demands patience , investment in trust-building between parties , and a willingness to let politicians and other ideological influencers define the issues and rally supporters in their own ways . We didn ’ t have many kumbaya moments during Obama ’ s tenure in the White House , and we ’ re unlikely to see more in future State of the Union addresses . But it is still possible for politicians to reach across the aisle and get to work . | 1a8dc5bb23c221b5 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | The Daily Caller | https://dailycaller.com/2021/05/18/house-passes-covid-19-hate-crimes-act-grace-meng-mazie-hirono/ | House Passes COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, Signature Away From Becoming Law | 2021-05-18 | US House, Race And Racism, Asian Americans, Politics | The owner of this website (dailycaller.com) has banned the autonomous system number (ASN) your IP address is in (45102) from accessing this website. Cloudflare Ray ID: 914e56540c1b173b • Your IP: Click to reveal 47.251.58.56 • Performance & security by Cloudflare | 440f9b4ac3ce9256 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
fbi | Daily Beast | https://www.thedailybeast.com/lisa-page-speaks-theres-no-fathomable-way-i-have-committed-any-crime-at-all?ref=home | Lisa Page Speaks: ‘There’s No Fathomable Way I Have Committed Any Crime at All’ | 2019-12-02 | fbi | It ’ s not often that you interview a subject who has no interest in being famous . But recently , I did just that when I sat down with Lisa Page the week before Thanksgiving in my hotel room in Washington , D.C . Page , of course , is the former FBI lawyer whose text-message exchanges with agent Peter Strzok that belittled Donald Trump and expressed fear at his possible victory became international news . They were hijacked by Trump to fuel his “ deep state ” conspiracy .
For the nearly two years since her name first made the papers , she ’ s been publicly silent ( she did have a closed-door interview with House members in July 2018 ) . I asked her why she was willing to talk now . “ Honestly , his demeaning fake orgasm was really the straw that broke the camel ’ s back , ” she says . The president called out her name as he acted out an orgasm in front of thousands of people at a Minneapolis rally on Oct. 11 .
That was the moment Page decided she had to speak up . “ I had stayed quiet for years hoping it would fade away , but instead it got worse , ” she says . “ It had been so hard not to defend myself , to let people who hate me control the narrative . I decided to take my power back . ”
She is also about to be back in the news cycle in a big way . On Dec. 9 , the Justice Department inspector general report into Trump ’ s charges that the FBI spied on his 2016 campaign will come out . Leaked press accounts indicate the report will exonerate Page of the allegation that she acted unprofessionally or showed bias against Trump .
Page , 40 , is thin and athletic . She speaks in an exceedingly confident , clear , and lawyerly way . But having been through the MAGA meat grinder has clearly worn her down , not unlike the other women I ’ ve met who ’ ve been subjected to the president ’ s abuse . She is just slightly crumbly around the edges the way the president ’ s other victims are .
“ It ’ s almost impossible to describe ” what it ’ s like , she told me . “ It ’ s like being punched in the gut . My heart drops to my stomach when I realize he has tweeted about me again . The president of the United States is calling me names to the entire world . He ’ s demeaning me and my career . It ’ s sickening . ”
“ But it ’ s also very intimidating because he ’ s still the president of the United States . And when the president accuses you of treason by name , despite the fact that I know there ’ s no fathomable way that I have committed any crime at all , let alone treason , he ’ s still somebody in a position to actually do something about that . To try to further destroy my life . It never goes away or stops , even when he ’ s not publicly attacking me . ”
“ I wish it didn ’ t , ” she said . “ I ’ m someone who ’ s always in my head anyway—so now otherwise normal interactions take on a different meaning . Like , when somebody makes eye contact with me on the Metro , I kind of wince , wondering if it ’ s because they recognize me , or are they just scanning the train like people do ? It ’ s immediately a question of friend or foe ? Or if I ’ m walking down the street or shopping and there ’ s somebody wearing Trump gear or a MAGA hat , I ’ ll walk the other way or try to put some distance between us because I ’ m not looking for conflict . Really , what I wanted most in this world is my life back . ”
Lisa Page did not aspire to fame or fortune . She was , she says , “ one of those nerdy kids who from very early on knew I wanted work for the government and make the world a better place. ” Born in the San Fernando Valley , she and her family moved to Ohio in her teens . She went to American University in Washington , D.C. , and then moved back home to central Ohio to attend law school , living with her parents so she could save money .
After graduating from law school , she was one of an elite group selected for admission in the Department of Justice Honors Program in 2006—and the only woman in her class of five entering the Criminal Division . She worked as a federal prosecutor for six years before moving across the street to the FBI ’ s office of general counsel . Soon after her arrival , the deputy general counsel over national-security law hired her for a new special-counsel-type position in 2013 .
“ I start [ in the role ] in early 2013 , and there are two big events that kind of set the trajectory for the rest of my career at the FBI : the Boston bombing in April 2013 , and Edward Snowden ’ s leaks in June of the same year , ” she told me . “ And those are both significant in their own ways , because the Boston bombing introduces me to Andy McCabe , who at the time was the head of the counterterrorism division at the FBI . Two months later , the Snowden leaks hit , which became a transformative moment for the intelligence community , setting off a series of reforms by the Obama administration with respect to the legal authorities that we rely on to collect intelligence . ”
Eventually , she was asked to lead that effort , “ which gives me a lot of exposure to senior FBI executives , as well as leaders through the IC , DOJ , and White House . ”
Page continued to rise through the ranks of the FBI and was assigned to more significant and substantive work . She became close with McCabe . Eventually she became McCabe ’ s special counsel .
By February 2016 , she was working on one of the most important investigations at the FBI—the Hillary Clinton email case . “ We knew that the case was going to get picked apart , ” she says . “ And we know there ’ s not a person on the FBI team or the DOJ team who thinks this is not the right result . There is no case to be brought here . But it ’ s very busy . It ’ s very intense . Director [ James ] Comey was very clear he wanted this completed as soon as humanly possible and outside of the political environment . So there was a real focus to get it done before the conventions that were happening that summer . And so that ’ s what we did . ”
“ But her emails ” would soon give way to an actual threat to national security , one that existed not in the fever dreams of Fox News and the Breitbart comments section , but in the real , dangerous world the FBI exists to protect us from , where things like foreign meddling in our elections takes place : strong evidence of Russian interference in the election on behalf of Trump .
“ There are two things that happen in the late summer of 2016 , ” Page says . “ The first , of course , is that the FBI gets the predication [ courtesy of loose-lipped George Papadopoulos ] , which starts the Russian investigation . We learn about the possibility that there ’ s someone on the Trump campaign coordinating with the Russian government in the release of emails , which will damage the Clinton campaign . ”
“ Predication ” sounds mild for what it really means ; in the summer of 2016 , the FBI and the intelligence community were seeing increasing signs from a variety of intelligence sources and programs ( that Page can not and will not discuss due to classification reasons ) that members of the Trump campaign were tied to a variety of Russian intelligence services , and that the Russian Federation was in the midst of trying to manipulate the 2016 United States election with a sweeping information-warfare and propaganda effort . As The New York Times reported on Nov. 22 , U.S. intel services concluded , and have told Senate Republicans , that Russia mounted a massive disinformation campaign to implicate Ukraine in 2016 meddling and hide its own role .
At the end of July 2016 , Page finds herself transitioning from one investigation , the Hillary Clinton email inquiry , to another , the Russian government disinformation probe . Trump is not under investigation , but the FBI is trying to determine if someone associated with his campaign is working with Russia .
“ We were very deliberate and conservative about who we first opened on because we recognized how sensitive a situation it was , ” Page says . “ So the prospect that we were spying on the campaign or even investigating candidate Trump himself is just false . That ’ s not what we were doing . ”
From summer 2016 to spring 2017 , Page worked for McCabe , who had become deputy director . They were very busy , but things were largely normal . And then , on May 9 , 2017 , FBI Director Comey was fired . What was that like ?
“ It was horrible , ” Page said . “ It was a devastating moment at the FBI . It was like a funeral , only worse , because at least when someone dies , you get to come together and celebrate and talk about that person . He was still alive . But he was inaccessible to us . It jolted the ranks and the investigation . It was so abrupt . He was there one day and gone the next . ”
“ Well , I mean , all of it was ! ” she replied . “ The FBI director had just been fired . Yes , it was totally within the authority of the president , but it was unprecedented and unimaginable given the circumstances . The president fired him with the knowledge that , of course , we were investigating Russian contacts with his campaign . I mean , it just gave the aura of an obstructive effort . ”
Page would have probably just been another FBI lawyer if it wasn ’ t for the extraordinarily politicized environment and a president who had a habit of attacking career government employees . Page , like many other targets of Trump ’ s wrath , felt the pressure both from the external force of his massive social media presence , but also from within the government .
“ At the end of July in 2017 , I am informed by the DOJ Inspector General 's Office that I ’ m under investigation for political text messages and honestly , I have no idea what they ’ re talking about , ” she told me . “ I have no recollection . And initially they ’ re very coy about it . They don ’ t tell me much about it . I don ’ t have the first clue what they ’ re talking about . What I do know is that my text messages will reveal that I had previously had an affair . I ’ m overwhelmed by dread and embarrassment at the prospect that OIG investigators , Andy , and my colleagues , now know or could learn about this deeply personal secret . ”
She doesn ’ t think for a minute that her texts with Peter Strzok are too political . They are largely devoted to work and to talking about family members and various articles they read . The few texts that so convulsed the Republicans involved Page asking for reassurance that Trump wouldn ’ t become president , and Strzok replying with “ No . No he ’ s not . We ’ ll stop it. ” Glenn Kessler wrote in The Washington Post that “ some of the texts reflect a deep animus toward Trump and the way he conducted himself during the 2016 campaign . ”
“ Having an opinion and sharing that opinion publicly or privately with another person is squarely within the permissible bounds of the Hatch Act . ”
She is convinced that she ’ s followed the rules . She is , after all , a lawyer and knows that she is a restricted employee under the Hatch Act and can ’ t engage in partisan political activity . “ And I know I ’ m nowhere close to that , ” she says . “ I don ’ t engage in any sort of partisan politicking at all . But having an opinion and sharing that opinion publicly or privately with another person is squarely within the permissible bounds of the Hatch Act . It ’ s in the regs . Yeah , it says it plainly . I ’ m thinking , I know I ’ m a federal employee , but I retain my First Amendment rights . So I ’ m really not all that worried about it . ”
So she hires a lawyer and meets with the IG , who interviews her a number of times . A very small number of people at the FBI know about the investigation , and it stays a secret for six months , and it remains a secret for six months , until the day after Michael Flynn pleads guilty . Then in early December 2017 , the day after Flynn ’ s plea , a report comes out about Page being under investigation for political bias—and it includes the affair . The affair was not part of IG ’ s investigation and not part of their review .
The Inspector General ’ s Office had guaranteed Page and Strzok that the affair would not be made public . But then , The Washington Post included the affair in its story . And in a slip of a second , Page goes from being an anonymous government lawyer to playing an unwilling and recurring role in Trump ’ s twisted tweetstorms .
“ So now I have to deal with the aftermath of having the most wrong thing I ’ ve ever done in my life become public , ” she says . “ And that ’ s when I become the source of the president ’ s personal mockery and insults . Because before this moment in time , there ’ s not a person outside of my small legal community who knows who I am or what I do . I ’ m a normal public servant , just a G-15 , standard-level lawyer , like every other lawyer at the Justice Department . ”
And despite how awful that felt , Page had no idea it was going to get much , much worse .
“ After this comes out , there ’ s a firestorm , of course , and now the president and the Republicans on the Hill latch on to this , and it becomes about political bias , ” she explains . “ A week or two later , Rod Rosenstein [ then the deputy attorney general ] was scheduled to testify on the Hill . And the night before his testimony , the Justice Department spokesperson , Sarah Flores , calls the beat reporters into the Justice Department . This is late at night on a weekday . Calls them in to provide a cherry-picked selection of my text messages to review and report on in advance of Rod Rosenstein going to the Hill the next morning . ”
Why does she think the administration released her text messages ?
“ You ’ d have to ask Sarah Flores , ” she says . “ I can tell you that the reporters there that night were told that they weren ’ t allowed to source them to the Justice Department , and that they weren ’ t allowed to copy or remove them , just take notes . That ’ s what I know . ”
“ Those texts were selected for their political impact . They lack a lot of context . Many of them are n't even about him or me . ”
Sarah Isgur Flores has left the administration and referred questions to the Justice Department . In 2017 , Flores said that the Justice Department inspector general approved the release of the texts to congressional committees , and that DOJ then provided those texts to reporters who cover the agency after they started to leak out . “ As we understand now , some members of the media had already received copies of the texts before that—but those disclosures were not authorized by the department , ” Flores said then .
DOJ declined to comment . As Politico noted at the time , “ The DOJ decision to release the text messages to the media and lawmakers before the IG report has drawn criticism from outside the department. ” Ben Wittes wrote on the Lawfare blog , “ Rosenstein here has , at a minimum , contributed to that circus—at the expense of his own employees . In throwing a career FBI agent and career FBI lawyer to the wolves by authorizing the release to the public of their private text messages—without any finding that they had done anything wrong—he once again sent a message to his workforce that he is not the sort of man with whom you want to share your foxhole . ”
Justice Department officials have said the texts , sent on FBI-issued devices , were subject to public disclosure . In a statement , Rosenstein noted that career Justice Department employees , not political appointees , made the decision to release them . “ They were official government records related to FBI business and there was no legal basis to withhold them , so they should be released as requested by Congress , ” he said .
Regardless , Page felt abandoned by the FBI and Justice because of the release of the messages and because the bureau issued no statement defending her and Strzok . “ So things get worse , ” she continues . “ And of course , you know , those texts were selected for their political impact . They lack a lot of context . Many of them aren ’ t even about him or me . We ’ re not given an opportunity to provide any context . In a lot of those texts we were talking about other people like our family members or articles we had sent each other . ”
“ There ’ s not really anything to do , ” she tells me . “ I go back to work . I try to keep my life together. ” But she didn ’ t stay . She left the FBI in May 2018 ( which is why she says she is now free to talk to the press—she hasn ’ t worked for the government for 18 months ) .
Could she have stayed if she had wanted to ? “ No , not for much longer . It was very inhospitable . ”
Does it feel like a trauma ? “ It is . I wouldn ’ t even call it PTSD because it ’ s not over . It ’ s ongoing . It ’ s not a historical event that is being relived . It just keeps happening . ”
And it ’ s still going on ? “ I mean , he tweeted about me four days ago , ” she told me on Nov. 18 . “ When Roger Stone got convicted , he asked , why isn ’ t Page in jail too ? Not to mention , you know , his truly reprehensible , degrading stunt at his rally , in which he used my name to simulate an orgasm . And I don ’ t ever know when the president ’ s going to attack next . And when it happens , it can still sort of upend my day . You don ’ t really get used to it . ”
She doesn ’ t use Facebook or Instagram ( and was not on Twitter until this story published ) , so she relies on a group of her close friends—the support system , along with her husband , that has helped her get through the last two years—to be her alert system .
“ I ’ ll get a text from a friend alerting me to an outrageous tweet by the president and my first question is always—is it about me ? Often the answer is yes , ” she says .
I ask her about how for about a month back when all this started , Trump called her the “ lovely ” Lisa Page . She postulates that it ’ s possible after her congressional testimony that he saw a picture of her . Which makes as much sense as anything in Trumpworld . One thing becomes quickly apparent talking to Page : What really upset her , what still devastates her , was not the end of her extremely promising career at the FBI , but instead what Trump has done to the FBI itself .
“ It ’ s crushing to see the noble Justice Department , my Justice Department , the place I grew up in , feel like it ’ s abandoned its principles of truth and independence . ”
“ It ’ s very painful to see to places like the FBI and the Department of Justice that represent so much of what is excellent about this country , not fulfilling the critical obligation that they have to speak truth to power , ” she tells me . “ The thing about the FBI that is so extraordinary is that it is made up of a group of men and women whose every instinct is to run toward the fight . It ’ s in the fiber of everybody there . It ’ s the lifeblood . So it ’ s particularly devastating to be betrayed by an organization I still care about so deeply . And it ’ s crushing to see the noble Justice Department , my Justice Department , the place I grew up in , feel like it ’ s abandoned its principles of truth and independence . ”
Page accepts that her life will never be the same , that there ’ s no “ normal life ” to return to . She ’ s still married to her husband and they have two small children . Ultimately , she was just another public servant like Fiona Hill or Marie Yovanovitch . She was dragged into the spotlight , her text messages weaponized , and her life destroyed so that the Trump administration could have a brief distraction .
The era of Trump populism always had an ugly edge , particularly toward women . Trump revels in bringing misery to his opponents and will always seek out and exploit any weakness . Page “ wasn ’ t nice to him , ” and so in his eyes she can be endlessly targeted and assaulted .
It ’ s tempting to describe this as just part of Trump ’ s deep , baked-in misogyny and sociopathy , but in Page ’ s case it ’ s worse ; it ’ s a sign of how deeply he ’ s corrupted the government to serve his will and his whims . His apologists have become part of Trump ’ s own squad of witch-hunters , hunting fantasies like “ Ukrainian interference ” while attacking the people who tried to protect us from Russian attacks .
It ’ s not just that Lisa Page may never be safe as long as Trump is president .
CORRECTION : In the original version of this article , the sentence describing the Nov. 22 report in The New York Times about intel services briefing Senate Republicans on Russia trying to implicate Ukraine in 2016 election meddling was in quotation marks . That sentence is in fact a paraphrase . | iJiCpdKpqukAvhN1 | 0 | Donald Trump | -0.8 | Politics | -0.8 | FBI | 0.7 | Peter Strzok | 0.2 | null | null |
coronavirus | The Daily Wire | https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-fauci-reveals-he-will-retire-this-year-pursue-next-chapter | Fauci Reveals He Will Retire This Year, Pursue ‘Next Chapter’ | 2022-08-22 | Anthony Fauci, CDC, Coronavirus, Federal Government, Public Health, Science | Dr. Anthony Fauci announced on Monday that he will be stepping down as the president’s top medical adviser and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in December. “I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career,” said Fauci, who has earned the ire of many Americans for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, his discussions of vaccines, lockdowns, and the origins of the pandemic, and more. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to have led the NIAID, an extraordinary institution, for so many years and through so many scientific and public health challenges,” he said. “I am very proud of our many accomplishments. I have worked with – and learned from – countless talented and dedicated people in my own laboratory, at NIAID, at NIH and beyond. To them I express my abiding respect and gratitude.” The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director said that over the past 38 years that he has spent as the director of the agency, he has advised seven U.S. presidents beginning with President Ronald Reagan on “newly emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats including HIV/AIDS, West Nile virus, the anthrax attacks, pandemic influenza, various bird influenza threats, Ebola and Zika, among others, and, of course, most recently the COVID-19 pandemic.” “I am particularly proud to have served as the Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden since the very first day of his administration,” he continued. Fauci emphasized that he is “not retiring,” promising to use his knowledge to “advance science and public health.” “After more than 50 years of government service, I plan to pursue the next phase of my career while I still have so much energy and passion for my field,” he said. “I want to use what I have learned as NIAID Director to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders as they help prepare the world to face future infectious disease threats.” “Over the coming months, I will continue to put my full effort, passion and commitment into my current responsibilities, as well as help prepare the Institute for a leadership transition,” he said. “NIH is served by some of the most talented scientists in the world, and I have no doubt that I am leaving this work in very capable hands.” President Joe Biden praised Fauci in a statement shortly after the NIAID director’s announcement, calling Fauci a “dedicated public servant, and a steady hand with wisdom and insight honed over decades at the forefront of some of our most dangerous and challenging public health crises.” “When it came time to build a team to lead our COVID-19 response – in fact, in one of my first calls as President-elect – I immediately asked Dr. Fauci to extend his service as my Chief Medical Advisor to deal with the COVID-19 crisis our nation faced,” he said. “In that role, I’ve been able to call him at any hour of the day for his advice as we’ve tackled this once-in-a-generation pandemic. His commitment to the work is unwavering, and he does it with an unparalleled spirit, energy, and scientific integrity.” “Whether you’ve met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work,” Biden said. “I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him.” This is a developing story. Please refresh the page for updates. Already have an account? Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference. Stay up-to-date on the latestnews, podcasts, and more. We won't sell or share your personal information to inform the ads you see. You may still see interest-based ads if your information is sold or shared by other companies or was sold or shared previously. Dismiss Opt out California residents may click hereto view our California Privacy Notice. To submit a request to exercise any of your privacy rights Click Here. Under certain state laws, the use of cookies that collect information for advertising and other specified purposes may be considered to be a type of selling or sharing of personal information. You may opt out of this type of sale or sharing of your personal information by clicking this toggle to the left (gray) position. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our Site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the Site. Our Site uses cookies for targeted advertising. These cookies may be set through the Site by our advertising partners, and may be used by those companies to help show you more relevant advertisements on other websites. | f5efc84a52e09c4a | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
healthcare | TheBlaze.com | https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/01/12/kentuckys-newly-approved-medicaid-work-requirements-could-set-the-tone-for-the-nation | Kentucky’s newly-approved Medicaid work requirements could set the tone for the nation | 2018-01-12 | healthcare | After receiving federal approval to make some changes to Medicaid , Kentucky will become the first state to be allowed to implement a work requirement for Medicaid recipients . Those requirements , however , face strong criticism from Democratic lawmakers and potential legal challenges down the road .
Starting in July , some able-bodied adults on Medicaid ( many of whom were added under the Obamacare expansion ) would have to work or volunteer at least 20 hours a week or be enrolled in school or job training to keep their health benefits .
This group would exclude the elderly , disabled , medically frail , pregnant women or some adults caring for children or other relatives , according to USA Today .
Kentucky Gov . Matt Bevin 's administration estimates the work requirement would impact roughly 200,000 Medicaid recipients added under the Obamacare expansion .
Bevin has previously estimated that the plan could save Kentucky more than $ 300 million in Medicaid costs over the course of five years .
The plan could result in as many as 95,000 Kentucky residents losing their Medicaid coverage .
It will give able-bodied Medicaid recipients the dignity of work , and allow them to `` rise up out of poverty , '' according to Bevin
Without the plan , the cost of Medicaid was `` not sustainable '' for the state
It 's illegal , because Medicaid is a health law that is not meant to encourage employment
Medicaid will become overly complicated and bogged down in red tape , resulting in lost or terminated coverages
People who do n't receive notification or understand the plan may lose coverage because they do n't know to apply for exemptions
Kentucky is just one of more than a dozen states that sought approval for Medicaid work requirements . Seema Verma , the nation 's top Medicaid official , said any state seeking the requirements will receive approval from the federal government , which had been denied under the Obama administration .
How things go in Kentucky over the next few years will have a significant impact on the direction other states decide to go with their Medicaid programs . | 4m30xC09tfjiByPK | 2 | Kentucky | 0.5 | Healthcare | -0.2 | Medicaid | 0 | null | null | null | null |
elections | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/2014/05/18/313618361/mcconnell-faces-challenge-from-the-right-in-tuesday-midterms | McConnell Faces Challenge From The Right In Tuesday Midterms | 2014-05-18 | elections | On Tuesday , voters in six states head to the polls for primary elections . NPR 's Charles Mahtesian gives NPR 's Lynn Neary a preview of what to expect .
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News . I 'm Lynn Neary . Primary races are picking up ahead of the midterm elections this fall . On Tuesday , voters in six states will go to the polls , making it one of the most important primary election days of the year .
Among the races to watch is a Tea Party challenge to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell . To give us a lay of the land is NPR political editor Charlie Mahtesian . Charlie , welcome to the program .
NEARY : So I guess the most closely watched primary coming up this Tuesday is the race in Kentucky , where Senator McConnell has been fighting off a challenge from the right . So tell us more about that .
MAHTESIAN : Well , of all the primary elections this year , the McConnell race is probably the most important and also the most highly anticipated because in some ways , Senator McConnell is the most powerful Republican in Washington . And so now he 's matched up against a Tea Party challenger named Matt Bevin who is a businessman and political newcomer .
McConnell represents the face of the Republican establishment in a time of serious unrest at the conservative grassroots level . And Kentucky , remember , is the state where Rand Paul made his significant victory in 2010 with Tea Party support .
NEARY : Senator McConnell has raised a lot of money , $ 20 million . Is he worried ?
MAHTESIAN : Well , he 's less worried than he was before . The most recent poll shows Senator McConnell has a fairly comfortable lead over Bevin . And I think it would be considered a pretty ground-rattling upset if Bevin was somehow able to pull this off . One of McConnell 's problems in Kentucky has been that his approval ratings are n't great .
But what 's happened is that Senator McConnell has run a very focused and a nearly flawless campaign . Bevin , on the other hand , as a political newcomer , has made some rookie mistakes . And against an astute and sharp-elbowed politician like Mitch McConnell , you really ca n't afford any errors like that .
NEARY : Kentucky is n't the only important Senate race . What else should we be keeping our eye on ?
MAHTESIAN : Well , the Georgia and the Oregon Republican primaries are the other big Senate races to follow . The Georgia primary is a big , sloppy , messy affair that features a pretty crowded Republican field and is taking place against the backdrop of lots of Republican angst about the quality of the candidate the party is going to nominate .
And that anxiety is because Democrats are all but certain to nominate Michelle Nunn , who 's the daughter of former senator Sam Nunn . And she 's widely considered to be a top-notch candidate . Now in Oregon , the primary field is a lot smaller - just two candidates there . One of them is state repetitive Jason Conger , who went from homelessness to Harvard Law School .
And the other is Dr. Monica Wehby who is a pediatric neurosurgeon . There are some conservatives who think Dr. Wehby is n't quite conservative enough , especially on abortion . But she 's captured the imagination of some in the state and also some in the national Republican establishment who think a woman candidate with her profile is exactly what they need to win in a blue state like Oregon .
NEARY : So what about House elections ? Polls are suggesting voters are in a pretty cranky mood . Should incumbents be worried ?
MAHTESIAN : Well , so far , only a handful of states have held their primaries , but not a single incumbent has lost yet . And most of them are winning pretty comfortably or they 're simply uncontested . So that tells you a little something about the environment right now .
Granted , we 're just talking about primary elections here , meaning that congressmen are only going in front of their own party voters right now . I think we 'll probably have a much clearer picture by the end of June when probably more than half of the states will have voted .
NEARY : And let 's talk a little bit about Idaho . Now there 's an election that 's getting some attention belatedly , I think , and maybe for all the wrong reasons .
MAHTESIAN : Well , there 's one reason it 's getting all this attention and that is Wednesday 's Governors ' debate . It was a doozy . Two longshot , fringe candidates were included in this debate . And basically , these were two guys letting it rip , talking about Armageddon , political correctness , discrimination against motorcycle clubs .
What 's lost here is that the top candidates for governor , incumbent Governor Butch otter and the state senator who 's challenging him , are engaged in an unusually competitive race . And that took a backseat on Wednesday .
NEARY : NPR political editor Charlie Mahtesian . So good to have you with us , Charlie . Thanks .
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm , Inc. , an NPR contractor , and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR . This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future . Accuracy and availability may vary . The authoritative record of NPR ’ s programming is the audio record . | g02aKtfeQEu5JKX7 | 1 | Republican Party | -0.4 | Lynn Neary | 0.4 | NPR | 0.4 | Tea Party | -0.4 | Mitch McConnell | -0.2 |
politics | PBS NewsHour | http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/top-10-political-stories-2014/ | The top 10 political stories of 2014 | 2014-12-16 | Politics | Ferguson , elections , polarization , health care and the GOP ’ s lawsuit were the top five .
A 9/11 report , immigration , President Obama ’ s unpopularity , taxes , and the debt round out the top 10
Top 10 political stories of the year : As we near the end of the year , we thought it would be good to look back at what got people reading when it came to stories on our web site related to politics . There were some overlapping topics , so we grouped them into categories . Here ’ s a stroll down memory lane :
1 . Ferguson : Not surprisingly , the shooting of Missouri teenager Michael Brown dominated much of the coverage and readers ’ interest . Three of the top stories were , “ What does Michael Brown ’ s official autopsy actually reveal ? ” , “ What do the newly released witness statements tell us about the Michael Brown shooting ? ” , and “ The country reacts to Ferguson decision. ” The shooting in Ferguson thrust the issue of race back into the national spotlight and put President Obama and his administration in a difficult position . The president and Attorney General Eric Holder have called for improvements in community policing , and Obama has called on Congress to allocate $ 75 million over three years for 50,000 new body cameras to be used by police . Activists still would like the president to visit Ferguson , and while he has shown sympathy for the protesters , he also urged , “ [ W ] e need to accept that this decision was the grand jury ’ s to make. ” By the way , despite everything in the massive end-of-the-year spending bill , funding for body cameras was not in there . It will have to wait until next year – if it passes at all .
2 . Midterm election : The consequential midterm election that turned Senate control and , thereby all of Congress , over to Republicans , also dominated — as expected . Our election results live blog , live elections tracker , our live coverage , featuring two of your authors , our Morning Line about turnout being the lowest in 70 years , and even a Kentucky Senate debate between Sen. Mitch McConnell and Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes , were among the top three purely political , non-Ferguson , stories on the site . It ’ s not clear exactly how McConnell , the incoming Senate Majority Leader , will run the Upper Chamber , but signs emerged in the lame duck of some of the fights — and political splits in both parties — ahead .
3 . Polarization : The moderates are dying , if not altogether gone , in Congress . And Americans continue to be fascinated — or disgusted — by which corners we all fit into . Our Political Party Identification Quiz , which is still live and you can take here , was third only to election results and Ferguson . Right up there was our recap of how liberals and conservatives are worlds apart on issues beyond politics , like with whom they socialize , how big their house should be , or whether they should live near museums .
4 . Health care : The health care law , Obamacare , or the Affordable Care Act — whatever you want to call it — continued to draw interest . There was more money spent against the law than on any other issue during the 2014 campaign . But the law ’ s future could , once again , hang in the hands of the nine Supreme Court justices next year when they take up whether federal subsidies for state exchanges are constitutional . It ’ s clear Americans are still very curious what will happen with the law , especially considering that one of the most clicked-on stories on the site was about a small change , or fix , to the law that Republicans were able to secure back in April . Just what will the new Republican-controlled Congress do about the health care law ? For clues , look no further than McConnell ’ s comments that even though he wants to repeal it “ root and branch , ” he knows the president holds a veto pen and won ’ t let that happen .
5 . U.S. House sues Obama : Anger over immigration led to House Republicans suing President Obama… over health care ? Just as the unaccompanied minors crisis was boiling over in July , House Republicans — for the first time in U.S. history — passed a resolution authorizing the chamber to sue the president of the United States . The language of the bill , though , didn ’ t have to do with immigration at all , but instead with the health law ’ s mandate to buy insurance . The lawsuit also did not get filed for several months , but is now making its way through the courts . One of the other top stories was President Obama ’ s energized response in which he mocked Republicans and dismissed their lawsuit as a “ stunt . ”
6 . What do 28 classified pages from a 9/11 report reveal : The details of 9/11 , the worst terrorist attack in this country ’ s history , continues to stoke interest . In particular , one of the most read/watched items on the site was the NewsHour segment featuring New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright , who investigated what could be revealed in 28 classified pages of a 9/11 report . What ’ s in them ? You ’ ll have to click for yourself…
7 . Immigration : The red-hot topic of immigration saw an unaccompanied minors crisis at the Southern U.S. border and even sparked a lawsuit ( OK , they say it was about health care ) and caused a conservative rebellion on the end-of-year government funding plan . But the story that stood apart was the one wrapping President Obama ’ s actual announcement of long-awaited executive action on immigration .
8 . President Obama ’ s unpopularity : The president was in a tough spot during this election year . There were a myriad of issues that were out of his control both at home and abroad . But in his sixth year , he was in a familiar position for presidents , with all-time lows in approval . It got one of us asking in June whether Americans had simply tuned out the president .
9 . Taxes : Death and taxes , they say , are the only things assured in life . And Americans want to know where they stand , which might help explain why a story from last January , “ Tax code changes will hit high income Americans hardest , ” was one of the top stories on the site for 2014 .
10 . $ 18 trillion in debt : It ’ s a huge number . But just as Congress was moving toward passing a massive $ 1 trillion spending bill to fund the government for a year , the country ’ s debt moved past $ 18 trillion ( and then dipped below again ) . There are plenty of reasons for the debt increase — and both parties are at fault in one way or another . But Americans continue to be worried about the level of debt and what it will mean for the country ’ s future . The largest driver of the debt is entitlements and health care , but those are relatively apolitical , easy-to-tackle topics , right ?
Daily Presidential Trivia : On this day in 2000 , President-elect George W. Bush nominated Colin Powell to be the first African American secretary of state . Who was the first African American to be appointed to a cabinet-level position and under which president ? Be the first to tweet us the correct answer using # PoliticsTrivia and you ’ ll get a Morning Line shout-out . Congratulations to William C Rives ( @ MrWmCR ) for guessing Monday ’ s trivia : Which two major , historical documents did Jefferson author or write portions of ? The answer was : the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom . | ee6441edbe479bc8 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
defense_and_security | NPR (Online News) | http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/11/370055472/dick-cheney-on-senate-torture-investigation-the-report-is-full-of-crap | Dick Cheney On Senate Torture Investigation: 'The Report Is Full Of Crap' | 2014-12-11 | CIA, Defense And Security | Eyder Peralta Former Vice President Dick Cheney. Cliff Owen/AP hide caption Former Vice President Dick Cheney. "The report is full of crap." That's what former Vice President Dick Cheney told Fox News in an interview about a Senate investigation that found the Central Intelligence Agency used brutal techniques to interrogate terrorism suspects and then misled lawmakers, the White House and Congress about what they were doing. Cheney was combative and unrepentant, saying both he and then-President George W. Bush knew full well the techniques being used on detainees. Bush, he said, was an "integral part of the program" and "had to approve it before we went through with it." Fox's Bret Baier pressed Cheney with specific details about some of the horrible things some prisoners were subjected to, including rectal rehydration. Cheney said what the administration approved was not tantamount to torture, but he added: --"I have no sympathy for them [the detainees]." -- "How nice do you want to be to the murderers of 3,000 Americans on 9/11?" -- "I'd do it again in a minute." -- The CIA did "a hell of a job and they deserve our gratitude." -- The end "absolutely" justified the means. It's a 13-minute interview, but it's worth your time: Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor These cookies are essential to provide you with services available through the NPR Services and to enable you to use some of their features. For example, these cookies allow NPR to remember your registration information while you are logged in. Local station customization, the NPR Shop, and other interactive features also use cookies. Without these cookies, the services that you have asked for cannot be provided, and we only use these cookies to provide you with those services. You may opt out of the sharing of your information with our sponsorship vendors for delivery of personalized sponsorship credits and marketing messages on our website or third-party sites by turning off "Share Data for Targeted Sponsorship." If you opt out, our service providers or vendors may continue to serve you non-personalized, non-"interest-based" sponsorship credits and marketing messages on our website or third-party sites, and those sponsorship credits and marketing message may come with cookies that are used to control how often you encounter those credits and messages, to prevent fraud, and to do aggregate reporting. These cookies are used to collect information about traffic to our Services and how users interact with the NPR Services. The information collected includes the number of visitors to the NPR Services, the websites that referred visitors to the NPR Services, the pages that they visited on the NPR Services, what time of day they visited the NPR Services, whether they have visited the NPR Services before, and other similar information. We use this information to help operate the NPR Services more efficiently, to gather broad demographic information and to monitor the level of activity on the NPR Services. These cookies allow our Services to remember choices you make when you use them, such as remembering your Member station preferences and remembering your account details. The purpose of these cookies is to provide you with a more personal experience and to prevent you from having to re-enter your preferences every time you visit the NPR Services. These cookies track your browsing habits or other information, such as location, to enable us to show sponsorship credits which are more likely to be of interest to you. These cookies use information about your browsing history to group you with other users who have similar interests. Based on that information, and with our permission, we and our sponsors can place cookies to enable us or our sponsors to show sponsorship credits and other messages that we think will be relevant to your interests while you are using third-party services. | 92993a4e101b8f97 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
healthcare | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/03/politics/pence-obama-health-care/index.html?hpt=po_c1 | Why is this GOP governor talking health care with Obama? | 2014-10-03 | Healthcare, Obamacare, Republican Party | Story highlights Mike Pence urged President Obama to OK Indiana 's proposal to expand health coverage
Pence says Indiana 's plan is a departure from traditional Medicaid because it includes health savings accounts
But conservatives are accusing Pence , a possible 2016 GOP presidential contender , of embracing Obamacare
As soon as Air Force One touched down in Indiana on Friday , Gov . Mike Pence met President Barack Obama on the tarmac with a plea : Expand the state 's access to government-sponsored health insurance .
The catch : Pence wants to do it with a conservative twist .
At least , that 's how he 's selling his proposal . And his political future could hinge on whether the first-term Republican can convince conservatives that he 's not just rebranding Obamacare .
Pence has spent much of his first two years in office trying to strike a bargain on one of the health care law 's core components . Indiana will expand Medicaid coverage , Pence says , but only if it 's allowed to do it through a tweaked version called the `` Healthy Indiana Plan , '' which also requires users to make small payments into health savings accounts .
He spent five minutes chatting with Obama at the Evansville airport , lobbying to have the Health and Human Services Department green-light Indiana 's request , before the president visited a factory in Princeton , Indiana .
`` The president and I talked through a number of substantive issues that have arisen in our discussions over the Healthy Indiana Plan , '' Pence said afterward , `` and I appreciated the opportunity to call the matter to his personal attention . ''
He said he also spoke last night with top Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett , and will meet Monday with HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell .
Pence 's focus on a health care expansion is at the center of his effort to evolve from a firebrand conservative congressman to an executive with a record of accomplishment ahead of a White House run that many Republicans close to him see as a question of when -- not if .
As he flirts with a 2016 bid , Pence could be the best test of whether a conservative can run nationally after expanding a government-sponsored health system . Mitt Romney faced hurdles with conservatives during his 2012 presidential bid , in part because of the health care system he put in place when he was the governor of Massachusetts .
Other governors who could seek the 2016 GOP nomination -- including New Jersey 's Chris Christie and Ohio 's John Kasich -- have accepted Obamacare 's extension of Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands of their state 's residents .
But Pence has taken an important extra step . He 's arguing that Indiana 's proposal is the solution to Medicaid 's woes . He called Indiana 's plan `` a better and more effective alternative '' to traditional Medicaid in a letter to Obama on Thursday .
The Healthy Indiana Plan 's key departure from traditional Medicaid is that users are required to contribute small amounts of their own money to personal health savings accounts . The program was developed under former Gov . Mitch Daniels and initially served about 40,000 adults under a Medicaid waiver that HHS granted before Obamacare 's existence . After Pence was elected in 2012 , he said a slightly updated version called the `` Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0 '' is the only vehicle he 'd consider for expanding coverage .
`` Since its inception , the Healthy Indiana Plan has empowered its members to take greater personal ownership over their health care decisions and become more cost-conscious consumers of health care services , '' Pence wrote to Obama on Thursday .
But some conservatives say Indiana 's changes to Medicaid are just `` window dressing . ''
`` It seems like he 's just sort of taken the moniker of health savings accounts and applied it to this brand new entitlement in hoping that this window dressing will make it conservative , '' said Jonathan Ingram , the research director for the Foundation for Government Accountability , which has set up a website -- StopPence.com -- blasting Pence 's handling of the issue .
Even Pence 's usually-reliable allies have been critical . Chase Downham , Americans for Prosperity 's Indiana state director , called it a `` troubling deviation from the solid , free-market approach Gov . Pence has taken on most other matters , '' and said he hopes Pence is firm with Obama to keep from giving `` any ground which would result in Hoosier taxpayers paying even more . ''
The criticism comes as Pence is increasingly hyped as a prospective nominee who both the GOP 's base and its business wing could find acceptable .
A 2016 run is no lock , and Pence has said he 'll make a decision about his future next year -- likely after the Indiana legislature wraps up its budget-writing session in April .
But he 's been testing the waters . Pence visited Iowa last month and will campaign in New Hampshire for Gov . Walt Havenstein on Oct. 24 . He critiqued Obama 's handling of foreign policy during a trip to Germany over the summer .
And two of his former top aides , Marc Short and Matt Lloyd , now work within the network of conservative funding giants Charles and David Koch -- a sign that Pence would have the financial backing for a national run .
Ingram said his group polled three early primary states -- Iowa , New Hampshire and South Carolina -- in August , and found that 70 percent of likely GOP primary voters said they would n't support a candidate who had expanded Medicaid .
`` The idea that a Republican governor can come in and implement Obamacare and then run for president unscathed -- it seems a little ridiculous , '' he said . | 70ac6c21bb2a6041 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
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