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republican_party | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/27/jeb-bush-stands-ground-immigration-common-core/ | Jeb Bush holds firm on immigration, Common Core as tea partiers lead CPAC walkout | 2015-02-27 | republican_party | Former Florida Gov . Jeb Bush followed through Friday on his promise not to pander to the party ’ s activists base , standing his ground on a couple of thorny issues that most grass-roots conservatives can ’ t stomach .
In a highly anticipated appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference , Mr. Bush did not waiver in his support for Common Core K-12 education standards and an immigration fix that legalizes the millions of people living here illegally .
“ The simple fact is there is no plan to deport 11 million people , ” Mr. Bush said . “ We should give them a path to legal status . ”
On Common Core , Mr. Bush slapped down the notion that the K-12 standards are a federal takeover . “ No , ” he said .
Mr. Bush was one of a half-dozen likely 2016 candidates to address the thousands of activists Friday that converged on the Gaylord National Resort in Convention Center just outside Washington .
Running near the front of the pack in early polls , Mr. Bush has strong backing of major donors within the GOP establishment , which has made activists doubt whether he will go to bat for them if elected president .
The anti-Bush sentiment came through in the form of a small informal protest , where Will Temple , a member of the Golden Isles Tea Party , and band of followers walked out shortly after Mr. Bush took the stage .
Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham set the tone earlier in the day , likening Mr. Bush ’ s politics to those of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton , who is seen as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination .
“ Why don ’ t we just call it quits , and Jeb and Hillary can run on the same ticket ? ” Mrs. Ingraham said . “ I am designing the bumper sticker . It could be ‘ Clush 2016 : What Difference Does It Make ? ’ ”
Later in the day , the crowd booed Mr. Bush when Fox News host Sean Hannity did an informal survey of the likely crop of GOP candidates .
Sens . Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas , along with Wisconsin Gov . Scott Walker and Ben Carson received the warmest receptions .
Mr. Bush , though , received a warm response from the audience when he took the stage later in the day and garnered applause on several occasions .
The 62-year-old said the nation must reform its tax code and reduce regulations in order to spur more economic growth . He also said the party must expand its base of support to put a Republican in The White House .
“ There are a lot of other conservatives that haven ’ t been asked , they don ’ t know that they ’ re conservative , ” Mr. Bush said . “ If we share our enthusiasm and love for our country and belief in our philosophy we will be able get get Latinos and young people and other people that you need to win . ”
On immigration , he said the nation should secure its borders and said the young illegal immigrant children that poured across the southwestern border last year should have been sent back .
He also did not back down from his support the bill that Florida Gov . Rick Scott signed into law last year that provided in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants who attend public colleges and universities . | 8PErOKlSHTbeUudr | 2 | Republican Party | 0.6 | Jeb Bush | 0 | CPAC | 0 | Politics | 0 | null | null |
education | Chicago Tribune | http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-pn-obama-congress-student-loan-rates-20130531,0,5827952.story | Obama, Congress reenact battle over student loan rates | 2013-05-31 | Education | eNewspaper Sign up for email newsletters Sign up for email newsletters eNewspaper Trending: Copyright © 2025 Chicago Tribune | 78bac047112f66af | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
gun_control_and_gun_rights | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/31/senators-have-doubts-about-universal-background-ch/ | Senators have doubts about universal background checks for gun transfers | 2013-03-31 | gun_control_and_gun_rights | Senators from both parties signaled Sunday that universal background checks could be the next gun measure to get shoved toward the legislative scrap heap or significantly watered down .
Sen. Charles E. Schumer , whose bill to expand background checks to cover virtually all gun transactions , including private sales , has cleared the Judiciary Committee , said he is nevertheless hunting for a compromise on the issue .
“ I ’ m working very hard with both Democrats and Republicans , pro-NRA and anti-NRA people , to come up with a background check bill that will be acceptable to 60 senators and be very strong and get the job done , ” the New York Democrat said on NBC ’ s “ Meet the Press. ” “ It ’ s very hard . We ’ re working hard , and I ’ m very hopeful that we can get this passed . ”
Two Republican senators who are backing legislation to clarify the definition of people adjudicated mentally ill who are not allowed to own or purchase guns appeared skeptical that Mr. Schumer ’ s measure could pass the Senate as written .
Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona called universal checks “ a bridge too far for most of us . ”
“ Well , the paperwork requirements alone would be significant , and even if there are exemptions for a father passing on a gun to his son or daughter , you ’ d still have issues with people in a private setting transferring or loaning a gun for somebody , ” Mr. Flake said later on the program .
SEE ALSO : Sen. Jeff Flake : Universal background checks ‘ a bridge too far ’
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that out of about 80,000 people who failed background checks last year , just 66 were prosecuted .
“ Why in the world would you expand that system if you ’ re not enforcing the law that exists today to include private transfers ? ” Mr. Graham said on CNN ’ s “ State of the Union. ” “ So I think that legislation is going nowhere . But I would like to have a robust debate about improving the system to make sure that people who are mentally ill do not get a gun to begin with . And there ’ s a lot we could do in a bipartisan fashion . ”
A month after 20 children and six adults were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown , Conn. , President Obama rolled out a package of gun control proposals that included bans on so-called assault weapons and high-capacity magazines as well as near-universal background checks on all gun sales .
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , Nevada Democrat , opted to leave the weapons and magazine bans out of the “ base bill ” he plans to bring to the floor after Congress ’ two-week Easter break . He said the weapons ban could not get the 60 votes needed to overcome a potential filibuster and get the entire package to the floor .
Mr. Reid did say that he would ensure senators the opportunity to introduce the bans as amendments .
“ In order to be effective , any bill that passes the Senate must include background checks , ” he said .
Bipartisan talks involving Mr. Schumer and several others reached an impasse over the issue of record keeping on gun sales , so Mr. Schumer went ahead with his own bill .
Sen. Richard Blumenthal , Connecticut Democrat and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that passed Mr. Schumer ’ s measure on a party-line vote , said Sunday on CNN ’ s “ State of the Union ” that there is “ room for compromise ” on the issue . Currently , all sales by licensed firearms dealers must go through background checks , but transactions between private individuals do not .
Lawmakers are looking for a way to extend checks to almost all transactions without creating a record-keeping system that gun rights supporters fear could turn into a gun registry .
Host Candy Crowley asked whether a gun bill could be considered a success if the proposed weapons and high-capacity magazine bans are rejected and the background check bill is watered down .
“ Any step that saves lives is a step in the right direction , ” said Mr. Blumenthal . “ And the question is not winning or losing here , but really saving lives , which the people of Newtown and the victims there and their families , I think , want to happen , not just for the sake of those victims , but also more than 3,000 people have perished since Newtown as a result of gun violence . ”
But Mark Kelly , a retired astronaut and husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords , said any bill that does not include a universal background check is “ a mistake. ” His wife was wounded in a shooting spree in Tucson , Ariz. , in January 2011 .
“ When you use words like gun control , you know , gun control doesn ’ t poll very well , but we do know that over 90 percent of Americans support a universal background check , ” Mr. Kelly said on “ Fox News Sunday. ” “ And there is incredible momentum in Congress and around the nation to get this done . ” | lO7Nj8lKFImgAsPk | 2 | Gun Control And Gun Rights | -0.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
polarization | Bucks County Courier Times | http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/opinion/guest/moving-beyond-political-polarization-advice-for-young-voters/article_efd839c9-c149-56c7-b3a1-1e107806be8a.html | Moving beyond political polarization: advice for young voters | 2015-12-30 | Polarization, Political Polarization | This past November , I voted for the first time ever . As exhilarating as it can be to participate in democracy , it is important for young voters to realize the true responsibility they have when pressing that red button for the first time .
The sad fact about the current state of American politics is that our country is deeply divided on nearly every issue . Both Democrats and Republicans are more close-minded than ever . A key challenge is that people too often gloss over the problems with their chosen candidate , rather than looking at things from a wider perspective . However , if young voters can begin to educate themselves beyond black-and-white thinking , maybe our nation�s future isn�t paralysis by polarization .
When it comes to the 2016 election , it is clear that no candidate is perfect , especially among the two Democratic front-runners , Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders . Consider Sanders� support of lax gun control policies , which is a big problem for most liberals . In 1993 , Sanders voted against the Brady bill , which required background checks for gun purchases . In 2005 , he cast a vote to shield manufacturers from lawsuits by victims of gun violence .
In the case of Clinton , we find that she has switched her positions on marriage equality , immigration , gun control , the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact , mass incarceration and the Iraq War . Some think that her recent stand on the Keystone XL pipeline could be considered a reversal , too . Critics accuse Hillary of saying and doing whatever she needs to do in order to get elected .
Even GOP candidate Donald Trump has gained a following in America despite his blatantly racist remarks . In one instance , he described Mexican immigrants as �bringing drugs , bringing crime , they�re rapists , � and more recently , he called for a �total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.�
Why does polarization exist ? Some argue that the increase in political polarization in the U.S. is associated with the increase in income inequality . It makes sense that lower-income families would want to support a set of values that will protect the community and offer them more help , whereas people with high incomes would want to protect their belongings and protect themselves from being taxed heavily . This certainly could have widened the party distinctions , but this isn�t the only source of the problem .
Another possible explanation is that humans like to follow the herd . Convergent thinking is defined as the ability to give the �right� response to questions that don�t require one to be creative . In the context of politics , this can cause citizens to think in straight lines , categorizing the current problems in the U.S. and looking at any given candidate as the �solution� to these problems .
Confirmation bias is defined as the human tendency to look for what we already believe � in other words , people will seek out information that supposedly �proves� them right , rather than looking at a given situation or scenario from all different points of view .
Even further exaggerating this phenomenon are social media sites such as Facebook , Twitter and Vine , where very polarized groups of people are encouraged to band together to scorn those who disagree with them , passing off their opinions as pointless rather than listening with open minds . We look to certain candidates because they are liberal or conservative , not because of who they are as candidates .
This sort of thinking is not the solution but , rather , the problem . When we overlook the flaws of a candidate during their campaign , we set ourselves up to be wildly disappointed once said candidate actually wins . When voters fall into the trap of black-and-white thinking , it can be easy to blindly vote for a candidate with little or no awareness of what their potential flaws would be during a presidency .
As voters , especially ones in the 18-24 age group , we should question why we support the issues that we do , and when our peers present divergent opinions , we should receive them with open minds rather than admonishing them . We need to be able to talk openly and thoughtfully about who we are voting for before we get ready to push the button .
The true political revolution doesn�t lie with Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton or even Donald Trump . The true political revolution starts with individual voters educating themselves about their beliefs .
Devin Kawailani Barricklow , a freshman at Columbia University and 2015 graduate of Pennsbury High School , is a longtime resident of Yardley . | 7f8f8bc28e3760b3 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Guest Writer - Right | https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/10/why-the-senate-will-probably-stay-red/ | OPINION: Why the Senate Will Probably Stay Red | 2018-10-12 | Midterm Elections, Elections | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill , October 6 , 2018 ( Reuters/Jonathan Ernst )
With less than a month to go until the 2018 midterm elections , the picture has come into pretty clear focus . Most independent electoral analysts give the Democrats good odds to take the House of Representatives . FiveThirtyEight , for instance , has them at better than 80 percent . On the flip side , the GOP is primed to retain the Senate , where FiveThirtyEight now sees them with roughly an 80 percent chance to win .
These estimates are backed up by solid polling data in favor of the Senate GOP . Democratic incumbent Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota , for instance , has slipped badly in the polls recently . So also has challenger Phil Bredesen in Tennessee . In Texas , the progressive enthusiasm for Democrat Beto O ’ Rourke so far has not translated into good polling numbers for him . In Missouri , Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill continues to trail narrowly against Republican challenger Josh Hawley . Meanwhile in Nevada , Republican incumbent Dean Heller — long assumed to be bound for defeat — continues to hang tough in his reelection bid , with recent polling suggesting he has a narrow lead . And Mitch McConnell ’ s super PAC has recently gone on offense in Montana , investing in a bid to oust Democrat Jon Tester , who long since has been thought to be relatively safe .
However all these races individually play out , it is too soon to say . But it is looking less and less likely that the Democrats will win in enough places to take the Senate .
A lot of pundits are guessing that this is a “ Kavanaugh effect. ” The theory is that conservative voters are outraged at the terrible treatment Brett Kavanaugh received at the hands of the media and Democrats ( but I repeat myself ) and have responded by signaling their intention to vote Republican .
This might very well be the case . And without disputing that possibility , I would suggest an alternative : The Senate map in 2018 is so favorable to Republicans that the shift toward the GOP might just be a function of the party ’ s core voters ’ “ coming home , ” which should be enough to secure a solid victory .
The historical context here is important . As we all know , Senate elections run in six-year cycles , which means that the seats up this year ( collectively known as Class 1 ) have recently been up for reelection in 2012 , 2006 , 2000 , and 1994 . The 1994 election was a good year for Republicans . The party picked up a net of nine seats , in places like Arizona , Michigan , Maine , Pennsylvania , and Tennessee .
Six years later , in 2000 , there was some payback . The Democrats netted four seats off the Republicans , claiming victories in Florida , Michigan , Minnesota , and a few other places . In 2006 things went from bad to worse for the GOP , as Republicans lost a net of six seats , with defeats in Montana , Ohio , Pennsylvania , and elsewhere . And 2012 was a cycle of lost opportunities , as Republicans failed to pick up some obvious targets and overall lost another two seats on net .
If you were keeping track in the above paragraph , you should have 9 – 4 – 6 – 2 = –3 . In other words , over the last quarter century , the Democrats have outrun the Republicans by three seats in Senate Class 1 . When we consider that , overall , the Republicans have run even or ahead of Democrats for total control of the Senate , it is clear that Class 1 has been the weakest link for the GOP ’ s Senate caucus .
This implies two crucial points . First , the seats that the GOP is defending this cycle are seats that it has typically won even when it is losing overall . In some places , such as Arizona , Tennessee , and Texas , that is due to the natural partisan tilt of the states . In Nevada , it is due to the fact that Heller is well known and a good fit for the state .
Second , the Democrats are defending seats that , to be honest , they have no real business holding in the first place . Republicans really botched their comeback effort in 2012 , which yielded needless losses for the GOP in Indiana , Missouri , Montana , and North Dakota . Luck , such as it is , has consistently been on the Democratic side with Senate Class 1 for many cycles . But this time it doesn ’ t seem to be favoring the Democrats as much . That leaves them more vulnerable than they would be with any other Senate class .
None of this is to suggest that the Kavanaugh effect is not real . It is just to serve as a reminder that Senate elections are only a dim or distorted picture of public opinion . That was by design , as the Framers of the Constitution originally gave the power of selecting senators to state legislatures . But even after the passage of the 17th Amendment , which mandated popular elections for all senators , we still see the upper chamber ’ s strange relationship to public opinion . President Donald Trump is unpopular , and his Republican party looks likely to lose a substantial number of seats in the House , which was designed to reflect public opinion . But thanks to the peculiarities of the Senate classes , the GOP may walk away from the November midterm having netted a seat or two in the upper chamber . | 067420e5bc412c55 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
world | The Nation | https://www.thenation.com/article/chile-protests-inequality/ | Why Raising the Subway Fare Sparked Chile's Biggest Crisis in Decades | 2019-10-25 | world | 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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Santiago , Chile—I woke up early on October 20 after the city ’ s first night with a curfew since 1987 . When I stepped outside , no one was in the streets , and the remains of a crude barricade and a traffic light lay piled near my apartment . A couple of blocks away , a pharmacy had been looted and the burnt husks of six buses sat in the middle of the road . When a tank with a soldier peeping out from the hatch passed in front of me , I almost cried . Ad Policy
For someone who grew up during a military dictatorship , the idea of the Army patrolling the city is terrifying and heartbreaking . That Sunday morning , as I walked through my neighborhood , I wondered : What was wrong in Chile ?
I stopped at Plaza Italia , the heart of Santiago , where every big demonstration takes place . A group of students was there , hanging a sheet with a scrawled message : Por Una Vida Digna , No Más Negocios Con Nuestras Vidas— “ For a dignified life , no more business with our lives. ” To me , that sentence summarizes the protesters ’ demands . Related Article Washington Knew Pinochet Ordered an Act of Terrorism on US Soil—but Did Nothing About It Peter Kornbluh
What sparked the unrest may sound trivial , but it speaks to the core of the anger . After the analysis of a panel of experts , the government announced in early October that the price of a subway ride was going to increase by 30 pesos ( 4 cents ) . The fare rise triggered the protest of high school students , who began jumping subway turnstiles . By October 18 , there were massive fare dodges that were treated by the government as crimes , not protests .
That day , after the subway stations closed in the middle of the afternoon , the riots started . In the evening , when the demonstrations had spread across the city , someone shared in social media a photo of President Sebastián Piñera dining in a restaurant in an expensive neighborhood . The fury increased .
Protesters burned subway stations and looted supermarkets . The government declared a constitutional state of emergency and gave control of the security to the Army . Since then , tens of thousands of citizens have gathered every day to rally against the government .
How did a small increase of the subway fare spark the biggest crisis since the return of democracy in 1990 ? Current Issue View our current issue
The keyword is inequality . “ Chile awoke ” is one of the most popular slogans of the protests , signaling that the population is finally reacting to social injustices . Social discontent is fueled by inequality and an economic system that allows private businesses to profit from and control public resources .
It was during the dictatorship that the government built many of the pillars of the current system . Under the advice of University of Chicago economist Milton Friedman and his “ Chicago boys , ” the military government privatized various public institutions , started to push public education toward a voucher system , and sucked resources out of the the health system by allowing rich people to rely on private insurance . Even the water was privatized .
These maneuvers help explain the current crisis . Despite economic growth and a decrease in poverty , a sense of unfairness persists . In 2017 , the United Nations Development Program published a report called “ Unequal . Origins , changes and challenges in Chile ’ s social divide. ” The inequality data contained in that research gets to the heart of the anger .
After Mexico , Chile is the second-most-unequal country among the 36 members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development , according to the Gini coefficeint , a commonly used measure of inequality . The gap is huge : 0.1 percent of the richest Chileans capture 19.5 percent of the country ’ s income . Despite statistics that show a decrease in inequality , polls show an increase in the percentage of Chileans who feel that the gulf between rich and poor is too wide . From 2000 to 2016 , according to UNDP data , that number jumped from 42 percent to 52 percent .
While there are subsidies to help vulnerable citizens , salaries remain low . Half of Chileans earn less than $ 550 a month , too little for expensive cities like Santiago . About that same percentage of Chileans do not earn enough to sustain a family , according to UNDP metrics .
In 1982 , the military dictatorship privatized the retirement system with the promise of better conditions for the elderly . Today , half of retired Chileans earn less than $ 193 a month , which is less than half the monthly minimum income of $ 400 .
Inequality has consequences beyond income . A UNDP poll showed that 41 percent of the people acknowledge having experienced some kind of mistreatment , mostly based on class and gender . In interviews , Chileans declared that the way you look determines the way people treat you : If you are dressed as a blue-collar worker in a shopping center , people look at you as a criminal , one man told the UNDP .
To some extent , race and class are linked because of segregation . Rich people in Chile tend to be whiter , and the poor are more likely to have indigenous roots . Because of a lack of social mobility , the ethnic wealth gap has endured through centuries .
In cities like Santiago , social segregation is dramatic . Rich and poor neighborhoods are clearly divided , and people with different backgrounds do not mix as peers .
Educational segregation is even more stark than in housing . The international Pisa test shows that kids who attend public schools perform slightly better than Mexicans , while Chilean kids in private schools perform as well as German or Finnish students , which is significantly better than the average US student .
Beyond data , the feeling among a large swath of the Chilean population is that rich people get special privileges and that private companies with high profits control their day to day life . People feel constantly abused . That is why dignity is a strong word these days .
At start of the unrest , the authorities focused on violence and vandalism , ignoring the root causes . It took President Piñera five days to announce a social agenda , which included raising the monthly minimum income to $ 480 and a 20 percent increase in the lowest pensions .
But Piñera ’ s plan does not change the underlying structures of the system . Except for a marginal tax increase for high incomes , privilege remains untouched .
As I write this piece , the statistics of recent days are dramatic : 19 deaths , 2,840 detainees , 295 people wounded with firearms .
We are starting our sixth night of curfew . Every evening , before the start of the curfew , people coordinate to open their windows and play a song by Víctor Jara , a folk singer killed during the regime of Augusto Pinochet . The song is called “ El Derecho de Vivir en Paz ” —The Right to Live in Peace . To achieve that long-term peace , we need to first address our unequal society . | kj2wwXy1sG8Aefp8 | 0 | Protests | -0.1 | Civil Unrest | -0.1 | South America | 0 | Chile | 0 | Ecuador | 0 |
elections | Vanity Fair | http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/01/huma-abedin-hillary-clinton-adviser | IS HUMA ABEDIN HILLARY CLINTON’S SECRET WEAPON OR HER NEXT BIG PROBLEM? | elections | Faced with an unending scandal about her use of a private e-mail server when she was secretary of state , Hillary Rodham Clinton decided last September to “ reset ” her presidential campaign . As Amy Chozick wrote in the New York Times , the new Hillary would display her “ humor ” and her “ heart , ” the qualities that her friends say rarely come across in public appearances .
The reset reached its zenith on October 3 when Hillary appeared on Saturday Night Live as “ Val , ” a bartender to whom Kate McKinnon , as Hillary Clinton , pours her heart out . The six-minute segment ends with “ Hillary ” and “ Val ” bonding as they sing “ Stand by Me , ” the Ben E. King classic . “ Hillary ” gets so carried away with her manic crooning that she doesn ’ t realize “ Val ” has disappeared and been replaced by cast member Cecily Strong , playing a character known as “ Huma. ” “ I was just hanging out with my best friend Val , ” Hillary says . Huma tells Hillary there is no one there . “ I think you ’ ve had one too many , Hillary , let ’ s go , ” Huma says .
Huma , as anyone who follows politics knows , is 40-year-old Huma Abedin , Hillary Clinton ’ s “ shadow , ” as Politico once described her . She began working for Hillary in 1996 , when she was a 19-year-old intern fresh from George Washington University assigned to the First Lady ’ s office . Abedin had wanted to be a journalist like her hero Christiane Amanpour and was hoping to work in the White House press office . “ Take a chance , ” her mother told her . “ Don ’ t fall in love with Plan A. ” Huma took the advice . “ Sixteen years later , I wouldn ’ t change a thing , ” she told a dinner audience in 2012 , at a Fortune conference . “ And I got to meet Christiane Amanpour . ”
Over the years Huma has served in several positions , with increasingly important-sounding titles . She has been Hillary ’ s “ body woman , ” her traveling chief of staff , a senior adviser , and a deputy chief of staff when Hillary was secretary of state . Now , based in Brooklyn , she is the vice-chair of Hillary ’ s 2016 presidential campaign . But whatever the title , the job she performs for Hillary has always been essentially the same : confessor , confidante , and constant companion . It ’ s safe to say that over the years Abedin and Hillary have spent more time together than either has with her husband .
A former adviser to Bill Clinton describes her as “ a mini Hillary. ” Wherever Hillary goes , Abedin goes . In November 2008 , when Hillary flew to Chicago to meet with President-Elect Barack Obama to discuss becoming secretary of state , she took Huma along . During Hillary ’ s grueling , nearly 11-hour congressional testimony in October about Benghazi , Abedin was there . She has been referred to as a “ second daughter ” to the Clintons . Others have described Hillary and Huma as like sisters .
Whoever wants to curry favor with Hillary has to go through Abedin , as thousands of recently released e-mails make abundantly clear . For the quotidian matters of the schedule , she speaks for Hillary , and people adept at getting access to Hillary know it . “ Everybody fights to be at the center , ” the former adviser says , “ and Huma controls a lot of that dynamic . ”
“ I ’ m not sure Hillary could walk out the door without Huma , ” Clinton adviser Mandy Grunwald told * Vogue ’ * s Rebecca Johnson eight years ago . “ She ’ s a little like Radar on * M * A * S * H. If the air-conditioning is too cold , Huma is there with the shawl . She ’ s always thinking three steps ahead of Hillary. ” It ’ s still true today . Nothing Hillary-related is too big or too small for Abedin ’ s purview . Take , for example , the secretary of state ’ s December 2009 struggle to get a faxed document : | NzTprq1QH2PgVTkN | 0 | Presidential Elections | 0 | Hillary Clinton | 0 | Elections | 0 | null | null | null | null | |
mexico | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/01/opinions/donald-trump-pena-nieto-mexico-sanchez/index.html | OPINION: Trump visits Mexico, brings home xenophobic tirade for his base | 2016-09-01 | Donald Trump, Mexico, Presidential Elections, Elections | Felix Sanchez is the chairman and co-founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts . The opinions expressed in this commentary are his .
( CNN ) The red-meat speech on immigration would come soon enough . But first ... Donald Trump flew earlier in the day Wednesday into Mexico , bringing his own version of magical realism . He landed at Los Pinos -- the Mexican White House .
Trump , the surreal aggressor , voluntarily helicoptered into enemy territory to face an unknown outcome .
Two embattled men facing abysmal approval ratings looked to each other for salvation . The Mexican President , who had nothing to lose , suddenly found himself as the unexpected power broker/mediator to the world 's most unruly potential head of state .
They were meeting about two months before the US presidential elections : a scene out of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel . Trump -- abandoned in the polls by educated whites , blacks and Latinos -- was reaching for a lifeline .
And indeed the trip brought a surprising result . With his command of the timing and optics of the event -- and his canny positioning to ensure that his comments were the last word -- this may well represent the event at which Trump became a politician .
Like him or not , Trump scored a home run with this strategic surprise trip to Mexico , a nation presently in mourning over the death of its world musical icon , Juan Gabriel . Trump , standing at the matching podiums with an American ally , elevated his presidential stature .
The visual parity between a world leader and a world leader contender emphasized Mexican and US equality—a new world order , even , with Mexico , in this instance , taking center stage .
Only a few hours later , of course , it was Trump 's 10-point xenophobic tirade , presented with Latino antagonists , like Sheriff Arpaio , in tow that took center stage , as the candidate reverted to his old self in a speech on immigration , completely unbraiding the potentially progressive message he began in Mexico City .
He had had his Los Pinos photo op and now it was back to reassuring his base . A shame .
But let 's not let that completely tarnish his foray to visit with Peña Nieto , who deserves praise .
JUST WATCHED Trump : We did discuss the wall , did n't discuss payment Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump : We did discuss the wall , did n't discuss payment 00:42
Despite the fantastical nature of the encounter , the Mexican President confronted head-on Trump 's disinformation campaign against Mexicans and Mexican-Americans . Trump 's reliance on extreme images of marauding Mexicans pillaging and looting the US has created the new American bogeyman , the new Willy Horton .
For the courage to face off with Trump , President Enrique Peña Nieto should get kudos for defending the honor of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans . It 's not like Barbra Streisand , Ben Affleck or Oprah Winfrey had come to our defense .
But what was remarkable was that it was not the Mexican President who was arriving at Trump Tower for a benediction , but the United States Republican presidential candidate who appeared to come to seek the Mexican President 's counsel .
It was not a visit to the capitals of Britain and Germany , but it is a true North American summit : a unique moment where Mexico flexed and exercised power over the possible next US President . Mexico was the only place Trump could come and attempt to achieve a crucial validation he lacks .
Mexicans , after all , still hold the key to a locked US voting demographic .
Trump did well in his Mexico trip , though he was not spiritually cleansed of his sinful , vitriolic rhetoric and immigrant fear-mongering . But he aimed his pitch at Mexican-American voters and nervous Republicans worried that he had taken his message too alt-right .
The Democratic Latino coalition has always had an Achilles heel that includes three critical Latino segments : Cuban-Americans , who do n't have an immigration issue thanks to the US dry foot , wet foot policy ; Puerto Ricans , who similarly do not have an immigration issue , because all Puerto Ricans are born US citizens ; and finally multigenerational Mexican-Americans , who for the most part do not have immigration concerns .
Not that these US Latinos do n't have empathy or support for Latino immigrants and their struggle , but it is not their top priority . Jeb Bush understood the Latino sweet spot and how these voters were ripe to support him , which is why the Clinton campaign worried more about Jeb Bush than any other GOP candidate .
But it 's hard to see how this will work for Trump , particularly if they got an earful of his call to arms against immigrants later in the evening on national television . These Latino swing voters appear to have coalesced behind Secretary Clinton , who has a long and authentic history with the Latino communities from Texas to Puerto Rico .
JUST WATCHED Trump 'using ' Pena Nieto , says former Mexican minister Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump 'using ' Pena Nieto , says former Mexican minister 06:39
What the Mexican President did today was to reframe the US -- Mexico relationship , by emphasizing how the border economy affects far more than just US Latinos , it floats the economies of major states from California to Texas . In their joint appearance , the debate shifted away , however briefly , from finger pointing to bi-national , shared governance . The exclusive focus on undocumented immigration expanded to include discussion of the illegal flow between both countries of cash , drugs and guns and how they contribute to perpetuating gangs and drug cartels .
What the Trump meeting also showed is how little we actually understand how the major cogs of the US economy work : our reliance on trading partners like Mexico , the benefits that have redounded to both nations under free trade agreements , and the importance of perfecting , but not discarding bilateral commercial agreements .
Trump may have won the optics of the day ( the first part , at least ) and he may have somewhat resuscitated his campaign , deemed by many to be on life support , but the issue is whether this moment will propel Trump all the way to the White House . | bf1230ecc54843bd | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
fda | The Daily Caller | https://dailycaller.com/2019/11/26/buttigieg-abortion-drugs-rems-women/ | Here’s Why Buttigieg Wants To Eliminate The FDA’s Warnings On Abortion Drugs | 2019-11-26 | Public Health, Abortion, Pete Buttigieg, Election 2020, Presidential Elections, FDA | South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg suggested eliminating Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) warnings on the abortion drugs misoprostol and mifepristone in a NYT survey .
The 2020 Democrat wants to make the abortion drugs available over the counter .
The FDA currently requires that abortion drugs be administered under “ the supervision of a certified healthcare provider . ”
Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg suggested eliminating Food and Drug Administration warnings on abortion drugs to make them more accessible .
The South Bend , Indiana , mayor clarified his opinions on over-the-counter abortion drugs in a survey The New York Times conducted . Buttigieg said he would make the abortion drugs misoprostol and mifepristone available over the counter .
Misoprostol and mifepristone are two medicines used in an “ abortion pill ” to “ end a pregnancy , ” according to Planned Parenthood ’ s page on “ The Abortion Pill. ” ( RELATED : Here Are Democratic Candidates Who Want To Ban Abstinence-Only Sex Ed As President )
“ Mifepristone blocks your body ’ s own progesterone , stopping the pregnancy from growing , ” Planned Parenthood says . “ Then you take the second medicine , misoprostol , either right away or up to 48 hours later . This medicine causes cramping and bleeding to empty your uterus . It ’ s kind of like having a really heavy , crampy period , and the process is very similar to an early miscarriage . ”
“ Medication abortion is known to be safe and effective and could expand abortion access , especially for those who live in remote areas , or in states where routine , private and nonjudgmental abortion care is limited , ” Buttigieg said in the survey published Monday , adding that there are a few “ major barriers ” that must be overcome before the drugs can be sold over the counter , such as legalizing self-administered abortion in some states .
The South Bend mayor suggested ignoring the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy ( REMS ) applied to one of the abortion drugs , mifepristone . REMS is an FDA drug safety program that the FDA requires “ for certain medications with serious safety concerns . ”
“ Steps we can take in the interim to improve access to abortion include expanding access to abortion via telehealth , eliminating the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy ( REMS ) warning that ignores decades of evidence indicating that these medications are safe , and expanding the types of medical professionals able to prescribe them , ” Buttigieg told the Times . ( RELATED : EXCLUSIVE : Republican Lawmakers Warn FDA Against Calls To Remove Restrictions On Abortion Drugs )
Under current FDA approved REMS , a health care provider must supervise the order , prescription , and dispensation of mifepristone . Only health care providers who meet “ certain qualifications ” may do so . The abortion drug also may “ only be dispensed in clinics , medical offices , and hospitals by or under the supervision of a certified healthcare provider , ” according to the FDA . ( RELATED : No Major Democratic Candidate Surveyed Would Consider An Anti-Abortion Running Mate )
Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion advocates have called for the removal of REMS from mifepristone , but the FDA warns that buyers “ should not buy Mifeprex over the Internet because you will bypass important safeguards designed to protect your health ( and the health of others ) . ”
Republican lawmakers , including Indiana Rep. Jim Banks , called on the FDA in September to “ mandate collecting complete , accurate information on all adverse events related to ” mifepristone after Planned Parenthood and pro-abortion officials said that restrictions on abortion drugs should be removed . The lawmakers spoke out in a letter exclusively provided to ███ News Foundation .
Banks reminded the DCNF of the recent discovery of over 2,200 fetal remains in the garage of the late South Bend abortionist Ulrich Klopfer .
“ One would hope that the uncovering of such heinous crimes in Mayor Pete ’ s former city would cause him to reconsider his far-left stance on abortion , ” Banks told the DCNF . “ Unfortunately , it hasn ’ t . ”
The GOP representative added that it is disappointing that Buttigieg “ is willing to tell mistruths to further an immoral cause . ”
“ Pete Buttigieg ’ s statement that the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy ( REMS ) warning on abortion drugs ‘ ignores decades of evidence ’ is absolutely false , ” Banks said . “ In fact current REMS do not go far enough . Since , 2000 , 24 women have died from the abortion drug mifepristone . ”
As of Dec. 31 , 2018 , there have been 24 deaths of women who were associated with the abortion drug since it was first approved in September 2000 , according to the FDA .
The FDA notes that while it has received reports of serious adverse events in cases where women took abortion-inducing drugs , “ adverse events can not with certainty be causally attributed to mifepristone because of concurrent use of other drugs , other medical or surgical treatments , co-existing medical conditions , and information gaps about patient health status and clinical management of the patient . ”
Planned Parenthood reports that “ today , more than 2.75 million U.S. women have used Mifeprex ” and that as of 2016 , Planned Parenthood has provided about a million people with the abortion drug .
The FDA and Buttigieg did not respond to the DCNF ’ s requests for comment . | 02ed9f7992a721dd | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
general_news | The Hill | http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/294570-greta-van-susteren-to-leave-fox | Greta Van Susteren to leave Fox News | 2016-09-06 | general_news | Fox News host Greta Van Susteren has abruptly left Fox News after 14 years at the network .
Brit Hume will take over as the anchor for `` On the Record '' effective Tuesday .
Fox News announced the departure of the long-time host in a statement released shortly after news broke of a settlement between the network and former anchor Gretchen Carlson , who had filed a $ 20 million lawsuit over allegations of sexual harassment from former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes .
A network spokesman told USA Today that Van Susteren 's departure had nothing to do with the settlement .
Ailes departed the network over the summer in a move that shook up the cable news landscape .
The timing of Van Susteren 's exit raised eyebrows because of the Ailes news and because it is unusual for a political anchor to leave just months before a presidential election .
In a statement , Van Susteren said that Fox `` has not felt like home to me for a few years . ''
She said she was leaving now to take advantage of a clause in her contract that allows her to leave but that would have expired .
Fox News co-presidents Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine in their own statement said they were `` grateful '' to Van Susteren for her contributions to the network .
`` As one of the best political analysts in the industry , Brit is the ideal choice to host a nightly political program while the most dynamic and captivating election in recent history unfolds , '' Abernethy and Shine said .
`` Having Brit at the helm of this show will enable FOX News to continue on track to have its highest-rated year even as the network dominates the cable news landscape . ''
She has described herself as `` a feminist '' who believes in `` equality , no special deals , just equality . ''
Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes about two months ago . Ailes resigned amid an internal investigation two weeks after Carlson filed the suit and denied the allegations .
Hume , who serves as the network 's senior political analyst , said he was `` honored '' to be asked to take over the show .
`` I am happy to take on this assignment for the balance of this extraordinary election , '' he said in a statement .
`` My FOX News colleagues have set a high standard for political coverage which I 'll do my best to uphold . ''
Here are the full statements from Fox News and Van Susteren .
STATEMENT : @ greta will depart Fox News after 14 years with network ; @ brithume named anchor of “ On the Record ” pic.twitter.com/DtzAEmWa82 — Oliver Darcy ( @ oliverdarcy ) September 6 , 2016 | V6JkvvJco6dw1w8Y | 1 | General News | -0.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
labor | Fox Online News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01/30/labor-unions-bitterly-disappointed-with-obamacare-regulations/ | Labor unions 'bitterly disappointed' with proposed ObamaCare regulations | 2014-01-30 | labor | Leaders of major labor unions are pushing back against proposed regulatory changes that could affect some union-sponsored health plans under ObamaCare , arguing the proposals do nothing to help workers suffering under the law .
In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev. , and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , the presidents of two high-profile labor unions said they are `` bitterly disappointed '' with the administrations 's proposed rules , The Hill reported .
Terry O'Sullivan , president of the Laborers ’ International Union of North America , and D. Taylor , president of Unite Here said the administration has failed to address their concerns about union plans and that ObamaCare threatens to lower the standard of living for the working class .
`` If the administration honestly thinks that these proposed rules are responsive to our concerns , they were not listening or they simply did not care , ” the letter said . `` It would be a sad irony if the signature legislative accomplishment of an administration committed to reducing income inequality cut living standards for middle income and low wage workers . ''
The two labor leaders also suggested that Labor Secretary Thomas Perez , in a recent letter to lawmakers , might have misled them to believe that the proposed changes address unions ' concerns about the Affordable Care Act , according to The Hill .
“ That letter has been construed by some to suggest that the very serious concerns of ‘ Taft-Hartley ’ multi-employer health and welfare trust funds and other non-profit self-funded plans with the ACA has been addressed , ” O'Sullivan and Taylor wrote . “ This is simply not true regardless of the secretary 's good intentions . ”
Labor unions have complained the law will drive up the costs of certain health plans that are jointly administered by unions and smaller employers . The White House has rejected a broader request that union members in those plans be eligible for federal subsidies .
Unions and many businesses groups also have been complaining about the so-called `` reinsurance fees , '' which kick in this year at $ 63 per person for everyone who has coverage . The fee drops to about $ 40 a person in 2015 and even less the following year .
In October , the Obama administration proposed a rule change that would exempt `` certain self-insured , self-administered plans '' -- those that do not use a third-party administrator for core functions -- from the requirement to pay the fees in 2015 and 2016 .
Republicans charge this is aimed at unions ' so-called Taft-Hartley plans , though union officials had downplayed the change and suggested most of their plans would not be eligible for the exemption because they also use third-parties to process claims .
Some GOP lawmakers argue the change is clearly aimed at unions , particularly after labor leaders made a high-profile push to extract some relief from ObamaCare .
“ Once we realized the ACA would not let us keep the health care we had , we spent three years presenting the administration with reasonable fixes to the ACA 's problems , '' the union leaders wrote . `` All of them were rejected and the proposed regulations offer virtually no assistance toward any of these solutions . ''
In September , the AFL-CIO approved a resolution saying that the `` highly disruptive '' implementation of ObamaCare will drive up the costs of union-sponsored health plans to the point that workers and employers are forced to abandon them .
Republican critics of the health care law have seized on the union complaints to fuel their push to repeal the law . At the same time , GOP leaders have warned the White House against carving out any special deal for unions . | yOctBEc3hkritZli | 2 | Obamacare | -1.4 | Healthcare | -0.7 | Labor | -0.6 | null | null | null | null |
polarization | New York Magazine | http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/03/dan-pfeiffer-exit-interview.html | Dan Pfeiffer’s Exit Interview: How the White House Learned to Be Liberal | 2015-03-08 | polarization | Dan Pfeiffer , who left his position as senior adviser at the White House last week after having worked with Barack Obama since his first presidential campaign , has been involved from the outset in navigating the central contradiction at the heart of Obama ’ s public persona : He ran as a figure who could overcome partisan polarization , yet he has instead presided over more of it despite accomplishing the majority of the substantive agenda he promised .
Obama and his spokespeople have spent most of their administration quietly at war with the conventional wisdom in Washington over the cause of this failure , and Pfeiffer has spent much of his time in the administration dealing with , or scolding , members of the media , mostly in off-the-record conversations . But in an interview last week , a few days before he resigned , he explained in unusually candid terms the administration ’ s thinking—and how the White House lost its illusions .
“ I think [ Obama ] believes , and I certainly believe , that while we can always do better , this is a case where structural forces are the large actor here , ” he told me . Pfeiffer cited three of them . The first is rising polarization— “ the great sorting , ” as he called it—which , over a period of decades , has driven white conservatives out of the Democratic Party and moderates out of the Republican Party , creating two ideologically homogeneous political organizations . The second is the disintegration of restrictions on campaign finance , which “ gives people even more incentive to play to the far right or to a set of special-interests donors , so that one individual can basically , especially in these House races , do a $ 1 million expenditure and completely tip the balance. ” And , finally , the news media has changed so that people select only sources that will confirm their preexisting beliefs .
All of this combined makes communication with Republicans mostly hopeless . “ There ’ s very little we can do to change the Republicans ’ political situation because they are worried about a cohort of voters who disagree with most of what the president says , ” Pfeiffer said . “ We don ’ t have the ability to communicate with them—we can ’ t even break into the tight communication circles to convince them that climate change is real . They are talking to people who agree with them , they are listening to news outlets that reinforce that point of view , and the president is probably the person with the least ability to break into that because of the partisan bias there . ”
Pfeiffer ’ s reading of the red-blue impasse isn ’ t that it ’ s a permanent catastrophe . Demographic change will eventually force Republicans to compete with Democrats for some of the same voters , reopening a national political conversation that is accessible to both parties . And Democrats will find the millennial generation in play . “ We ’ re going to have to work harder to get them registered to vote and involved , and that offers an opportunity , because while they are very progressive in some of their general leanings , they ’ re less tied to institutions and parties. ” But that will have to happen after this administration has left the scene .
The original premise of Obama ’ s first presidential campaign was that he could reason with Republicans—or else , by staking out obviously reasonable stances , force them to moderate or be exposed as extreme and unyielding . It took years for the White House to conclude that this was false , and that , in Pfeiffer ’ s words , “ what drives 90 percent of stuff is not the small tactical decisions or the personal relationships but the big , macro political incentives . ”
If you had to pinpoint the moment this worldview began to crystallize , it would probably be around the first debt-ceiling showdown , in 2011 , when Obama tried repeatedly and desperately to cut a budget deal with House Speaker John Boehner only to realize , eventually , that Boehner did not have the power to negotiate . The administration has now decided that in many cases , even adversarial bargaining fails because the Republican leadership is not capable of planning tactically . “ You have to be careful not to presume a lot of strategy for this group , ” Pfeiffer said . “ I ’ ve always believed that the fundamental , driving strategic ethos of the Republican House leadership has been , What do we do to get through the next caucus or conference without getting yelled at ? We should never assume they have a long game . We used to spend a lot of time thinking that maybe Boehner is saying this to get himself some more room . And it ’ s like , no , that ’ s not actually the case . Usually he ’ s just saying it because he just said it or it ’ s the easiest thing to solve his immediate problem . ”
This analysis puts the administration at odds with the reading of American politics that still dominates much of Washington reporting . Many political journalists imagine that the basic tension for the White House lies between Obama ’ s liberal base and appealing to Americans at the center , who will be crucial for tipping elections .
Pfeiffer believes the dynamic is , in fact , the opposite : “ The incentive structure moves from going after the diminishing middle to motivating the base. ” Ever since Republicans took control of the House four years ago , attempts to court Republicans have mostly failed while simultaneously dividing Democratic voters . Obama ’ s most politically successful maneuvers , by contrast , have all been unilateral and liberal . “ Whenever we contemplate bold progressive action , ” Pfeiffer said , “ whether that ’ s the president ’ s endorsement of marriage equality , or coming out strong on power-plant rules to reduce current pollution , on immigration , on net neutrality , you get a lot of hemming and hawing in advance about what this is going to mean : Is this going to alienate people ? Is this going to hurt the president ’ s approval ratings ? What will this mean in red states ? ” And yet this hesitation has always proved overblown : “ There ’ s never been a time when we ’ ve taken progressive action and regretted it . ”
This was deeply at odds with the lesson Bill Clinton and most of his aides ( many of whom staffed Obama ’ s administration ) had taken away from his presidency . But by the beginning of Obama ’ s second term , at least , the president seemed fully convinced . “ As we were preparing for the potential that we would lose the midterms , ” Pfeiffer told me , “ a lot of the advice we got around town was , You have to show major contrition ; heads have to roll ; you have to give some sop to the Republicans . The president ’ s view was , No , we ’ re not going to do that . We ’ re going to go out and we ’ re going to be the opposite of contrite ; we ’ re going to be aggressive in our policies and our politics . And that worked . It caused people to cheer . But that ’ s the exact opposite of the sort of advice you ’ d get in this town . ”
Though the administration has wound up embracing a very different political strategy from the one it began with , one thing has remained consistent : Obama ’ s disdain for conventional wisdom . In his introduction to America as the keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention , he criticized the pundits who “ like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states. ” Now the pundits insist that Obama would bridge the partisan divide if only he spent more time golfing with John Boehner . Those whom Obama once dismissed as cynical he now dismisses as naïve .
Which isn ’ t to say that he sees his presidency as triumphant . I asked Pfeiffer about how his boss ’ s view of politics has changed . “ He had hopes of being able to change the polarization , not just in the country , but in Washington , ” Pfeiffer told me . “ We learned very quickly that that was a lot harder than we thought . He will always say that his one biggest regret is that he ’ s been unable to deliver on that promise . ”
* This article appears in the March 9 , 2015 issue of ███ . | lNZ0TP3oiN2B8ZNY | 0 | White House | 0.6 | Barack Obama | 0.6 | Polarization | -0.1 | Political Polarization | 0 | null | null |
middle_east | Fox News Digital | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/15/obama-to-keep-5500-us-troops-in-afghanistan-beyond-2016/?intcmp=hpbt1 | Obama to keep 5,500 US troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016 | 2015-10-15 | Middle East | It seems you clicked on a bad link and stumbled upon our 404 page | 77cc217f45c297d5 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
economy_and_jobs | NBC News Digital | https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/interest-rates-going-up-2022-federal-reserve-how-much-rcna20270 | Federal Reserve greenlights rate hike cycle, borrowers brace for higher payments | 2022-03-16 | Economic Policy, Economy And Jobs, Banking And Finance, Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, Interest Rates, Debt, Inflation, Recession | The Federal Reserve announced a quarter-percentage point interest rate increase Wednesday — nearly two years to the day after the central bank slashed its benchmark federal funds rate to zero in a bid to cushion the blow of a deep recession triggered when the United States shut down in the early days of the pandemic."It's clearly time to raise interest rates," Fed chairman Jerome Powell said at a press conference following the conclusion of a two-day meeting at the central bank.The Fed said it would raise the federal funds rate to a range of 0.25- 0.50 percent, a move that is likely just the kickoff of a lengthier rate hike cycle. The CME FedWatch Tool projects a roughly 35 percent chance that the benchmark rate will be between 1.75 to 2 percent by the end of the year.Looking further ahead, there is less certainty — but the expectation is for more incremental rate increases. By the Fed’s July 2023 meeting, there is roughly a 50 percent probability it will be somewhere in a range between 2.25-2.75 percent.In relative terms, this is still a low benchmark, but experts say it could still have profound effects on the consumer spending that powers roughly 70 percent of the American economy. Credit card borrowers, homebuyers and small-business owners need to be prepared for the era of cheap money to come to an end, they say.Ted Rossman, senior credit card industry analyst for Bankrate.com, said credit card holders who revolve balances from month to month will be among the first to notice the effects of tighter monetary policy. “Rate hikes are passed through on existing debt pretty much right away, within a month or two,” he said.Despite the Fed holding rates near zero for the past two years, the current average credit card annual percentage rate or APR is already within 2 percentage points of its April 2019 record high of just under 18 percent. “They’ve been padding margins in recent years,” he said.Rossman predicted the Fed’s path to rate normalization will send those APRs even higher.“We could well be at a new record by the end of the year,” he said. “Market participants seem to be pricing in perhaps seven quarter-percentage-point hikes,” he said. “So if that happens, that could take the average credit card rate to [more than] 18 percent.”Rossman said the minimum payments don’t change very much with these rate hikes, about a dollar a month per quarter percentage point on the average credit card balance, which sits at just over $5,500, according to the credit bureau Experian.An air traveler uses a credit card to pay for items Jan. 28 at a retail shop in John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Robert Nickelsberg / Getty Images fileBut the policy shift should be a wake-up call for borrowers who are already paying dearly to service their outstanding balances. “It almost doesn’t matter if it’s 16 or 17 or 18 percent,” he said. “The big point is they’re already high.”Mortgage borrowers will also feel the squeeze. “Higher mortgage rates will make homebuying even more difficult than it already is in the current housing boom,” Steve Rick, chief economist at CUNA Mutual Group, warned in a research note. “It will keep more Americans from accumulating wealth through real estate,” he said.“The housing market is always sensitive to changes in interest rates,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors. For example, a $300,000 mortgage at a 5 percent interest rate would cost nearly $350 more per month than the same principal borrowed at a 3 percent interest rate.“These are quite sizable changes, especially for the first-time buyers,” he said. “Suddenly, they’re squeezed out of the market.”Mortgage rates, which reflect the underlying rate environment but aren’t as tightly correlated with Fed activity as credit card APRs, have already been ticking up, but so far the increases have not been large enough to rein in the ballooning cost of housing. The February Consumer Price Index released last week found that shelter costs incurred their steepest annual jump since 1991.Yun said higher mortgage costs are especially tough for minority prospective homeowners to shoulder. “Many African American homeowners are essentially first-time buyers. Hispanic buyers are in a similar situation,” he said. A large contingent of these would-be buyers lack the generational wealth or existing home equity that can help mitigate rising housing costs.A workman carries beams at a new housing site in Madison County, Miss., on March 16, 2021. Rogelio V. Solis / AP file“Generally speaking, rising rates would hurt minority households more so, given the dynamics of who are renters and who are homeowners,” Yun said.Higher interest rates also have implications for small-business owners, particularly among these same populations: groups that historically have struggled to obtain access to nonpredatory financing.Della Clark, president and CEO of The Enterprise Center, a resource organization for minority entrepreneurs, said owners already operating on shoestring budgets and buffeted by rising costs across the board have little buffer against climbing interest rates.“The majority of America’s entrepreneurs are from low-wealth communities which means … they have little cash reserves for their business,” she said. A 2019 report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found that a lack of opportunities to borrow affordably is a major culprit in what it termed the “lower profits and higher closure rates” minority-owned small-businesses experience.“This is where the racial and equity gap in capital plays a significant part in the ability of these small businesses to stay in business and to grow,” Clark said. “The cost of money — the cost of capital — is very important to them.”Rossman said consumers and small-business owners should view the next few months as a closing window of opportunity to lock in favorable terms and pay down high-interest debt before rates start climbing in earnest. Borrowers with good credit scores and financial discipline might be able to free up more money to pay down their outstanding balances by applying for a credit card with low- or no-interest promotional periods on balance transfers, he said.If the Fed does implement seven rate hikes this year, people with debts could find their dollars not stretching as far as they used to. On the average credit card balance, a fed funds rate of 1.75 percent as opposed to zero would tack an extra four months onto the payoff timeline for a borrower making only minimum payments, and add an extra $732 in interest.“It’s just a good reminder to pay down those balances,” Rossman said. | 544547e26d8a9c57 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
white_house | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/27/us/nba-team-owner-alleged-racist-remarks/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 | Obama responds to racist comments attributed to Clippers' Don Sterling | 2014-04-27 | White House, Barack Obama, Donald Sterling, NBA, Race And Racism, Politics | Story highlights Clippers players , in apparent protest , wear shirts inside out to hide logos
The players in the National Basketball Association spoke out Sunday about racist comments attributed to Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling .
The Clippers players staged a silent protest . As they warmed up for an NBA playoff game , the players removed their warmup shirts bearing team logos to reveal red T-shirts worn inside out , with the logos hidden . They finished warming up , removed the red shirts and played the game wearing their regular uniforms .
The National Basketball Players Association demanded Sterling be barred from all playoff games this season . The players also want an accounting of past accusations of racism against Sterling ; an explanation of what kind of discipline might be issued ; assurance that the league commissioner will work with the association ; and assurance the investigation will be conducted swiftly .
JUST WATCHED Magic Johnson : Sterling should step down Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Magic Johnson : Sterling should step down 01:16
JUST WATCHED NBA team owner in hot water over remarks Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH NBA team owner in hot water over remarks 02:21
And throughout the day , past stars including Michael Jordan slammed Sterling .
Sterling was n't there to see the protest or his team lose 118-97 to the Golden State Warriors . He agreed to stay away from the game because of the controversy that heightened Sunday when the website Deadspin released an additional audio recording of a conversation that purports to be Sterling talking with girlfriend V. Stiviano earlier this month .
Neither Deadspin nor TMZ , which released a similar recording Saturday , said where they got the recordings . Stiviano 's lawyer 's office said Sunday that she did n't release the recordings but that they 're legitimate .
`` This office understands that the currently released audio tape of approximately 15 minutes is a portion of approximately one ( 1 ) hour of overall audio recording of Mr. Donald T. Sterling and Ms. Stiviano , and is in fact legitimate , '' Mac E. Nehoray said in a news release . `` Ms. Stiviano did not release the tape ( s ) to any news media . ''
The 15-minute Deadspin recording purports to be Sterling talking with Stiviano about her Instagram photo feed . The photos include images of her with African-Americans , including NBA great Earvin `` Magic '' Johnson .
If authentic , the remarks seem to reflect Sterling 's embarrassment and frustration with Stiviano over her associating with African-Americans at Clippers games and for posting such pictures on her Instagram account .
Jordan , considered the league 's greatest player and now the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats , said : `` As an owner , I 'm obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views . ... As a former player , I 'm completely outraged . There is no room in the NBA -- or anywhere else -- for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr. Sterling allegedly expressed . ''
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , who was a Clippers special assistant coach in 2000 , told CNN : `` I know him . I know his voice . I am not surprised by this very much . ''
But Abdul-Jabbar said Sterling was congenial in person and said he never heard any racist words from Sterling . Still , the recording shows a `` repugnant attitude for someone to have , and for him to be an employer for so many people of color , it kind of blows your mind . ''
Johnson , speaking on an ABC pregame show Sunday , said Sterling needs to go .
`` He should n't own a team any more . And he should stand up and say , ' I do n't want to own a team any more , ' `` Johnson said .
In the latest recording , a man and woman talk about the photos , and he tells her he can not change cultural beliefs , Deadspin reported
The woman says she does n't think the man is racist but the people around him have `` poison minds . ''
JUST WATCHED Obama on NBA owner 's alleged comments Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Obama on NBA owner 's alleged comments 01:54
JUST WATCHED 'Magic ' Johnson responds to racist rant Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH 'Magic ' Johnson responds to racist rant 02:30
`` It 's the world ! You go to Israel , the blacks are just treated like dogs , '' the man says .
He says there are white Jews and black Jews , and they are treated 100 % differently .
`` It is n't a question -- we do n't evaluate what 's right and wrong , we live in a society . We live in a culture . We have to live within that culture , '' the man replies .
When the woman says she does n't share the man 's views about race , he tells her : `` Well , then , if you do n't feel -- do n't come to my games . Do n't bring black people , and do n't come . ''
The woman , who says she is of mixed race , reminds him that most of his team 's players are African-American .
`` I support them and give them food , and clothes , and cars , and houses . Who gives it to them ? Does someone else give it to them ? Do I know that I have -- Who makes the game ? Do I make the game , or do they make the game ? ''
The man disagrees with the analogy and says that what he 's talking about is not discrimination .
`` There 's no racism here . If you do n't want to be walking into a basketball game with a certain person , is that racism ? '' the man says .
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday that Sterling , who has owned the basketball franchise for nearly three decades , is now under investigation over the comments attributed to him .
Silver said that the league 's investigation will seek to determine whether the recording is authentic and to figure out the context in which these `` offensive and disturbing '' comments were made .
But he cautioned that Sterling must be afforded due process , so he would not speculate on any possible punishment , but said that the investigation will move `` extraordinarily quickly . ''
Clippers President Andy Roeser on Saturday suggested a woman -- whom he does n't mention by name -- was `` getting even '' with Sterling over a lawsuit .
Rochelle Sterling , the wife of Donald Sterling , filed a lawsuit last month against Stiviano , who she said was having an affair with her husband .
In the complaint , Rochelle Sterling accuses Stiviano of targeting extremely wealthy older men . The suit claims that Donald Sterling used the couple 's money to buy Stiviano a Ferrari , two Bentleys , and a Range Rover and that Stiviano took possession of a $ 1.8 million duplex through fraud . Sterling also gave her nearly $ 250,000 in cash , the court document says .
Stiviano countered in another court document that there was nothing wrong with Donald Sterling giving her gifts , and she never took advantage of the Clippers owner , who made much of his fortune in real estate .
Speaking about the recording , Roeser said , `` We do not know if it is legitimate or it has been altered . We do know that the woman on the tape -- who we believe released it to TMZ -- is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $ 1.8 million , who told Mr. Sterling that she would 'get even . ' ''
According to the website TMZ , Sterling reportedly made discriminatory remarks during an argument he had with Stiviano on April 9 . TMZ on Saturday posted a 10-minute recording purporting to be the argument .
The man alleged to be Sterling takes particular exception to a photo she posted to Instagram with Johnson .
`` In your lousy f * * ing Instagrams , you do n't have to have yourself with -- walking with black people , '' the man says .
`` If it 's white people , it 's OK ? '' she responds . `` If it was Larry Bird , would it make a difference ? ''
Bird , the longtime Boston Celtics star , was Johnson 's NBA rival .
`` I 've known ( Magic ) well and he should be admired . ... I 'm just saying that it 's too bad you ca n't admire him privately , '' the man on the recording says . `` Admire him , bring him here , feed him , f * * k him , but do n't put ( Magic ) on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me . And do n't bring him to my games . ''
Roeser said Sterling is upset and apologizes for sentiments attributed to him about Johnson . `` ( Sterling ) has long considered Magic a friend and has only the utmost respect and admiration for him -- both in terms of who he is and what he has achieved . ''
Sterling is `` emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with , nor does it reflect his views , beliefs or feelings , '' Roeser said .
At a news conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Sunday , Obama was asked about the comments on the recording .
`` When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance , you do n't really have to do anything , you just let them talk . That 's what happened here , '' the President said .
Obama also said Sterling 's alleged comments are an example of how `` the United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and slavery and segregation . ''
The president of the California NAACP suggested fans boycott Clippers games .
`` We also suggest that African-Americans and Latinos should honor ( Sterling 's ) request and not attend the games , '' Alice Huffman said in a statement released Saturday .
Sterling was to receive a lifetime achievement award at an event next month to mark the 100th anniversary of the Los Angeles NAACP , but the national organization tweeted Sunday that would n't happen .
The release of the recordings comes at a bad time for the Clippers , who are playing in the first round of the NBA playoffs .
`` I do n't know if I 'm surprised or not , '' Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said at the team 's practice Saturday , adding that he `` obviously '' did n't like the comments .
Rivers , who is in his first year coaching the team , told reporters that he did n't want the controversy to detract from the playoffs . He said he would be the sole person speaking on behalf of the team .
But Chris Paul , a Clippers player and president of the National Basketball Players Association , issued a statement Saturday saying `` this is a very serious issue which we will address aggressively . ''
Helping the players association will be Kevin Johnson , a former NBA player and current Sacramento , California , mayor . `` There needs to be an immediate investigation , and if the reports are true , there needs to be strong and swift action taken , '' Johnson said in a statement on the NBPA website .
Miami Heat forward LeBron James was one of several players and former players who weighed in on the controversy . James spoke to reporters before the playoff game against the Charlotte Bobcats Saturday night .
`` If the reports are true , it 's unacceptable . It 's unacceptable in our league . It does n't matter if you 're white , black , Hispanic , whatever , all across the races . It 's unacceptable , and as a commissioner in our league , they have to make a stand , and they have to be very aggressive with it . ''
`` Should this guy continue to be an owner ? '' asked Shaquille O'Neal , who also called the comments `` repugnant . ''
`` We can not have an NBA owner discriminating against the league , '' said Charles Barkley . `` We 're a black league . ''
Both discussed the issue during the Atlanta Hawks-Indiana Pacers halftime program on TNT , which like CNN is a division of Time Warner . | 766e2018dd0e7667 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
europe | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/12/25/371866778/after-522-years-spain-seeks-to-make-amends-for-expulsion-of-jews | After 522 Years, Spain Seeks To Make Amends For Expulsion Of Jew | 2014-12-25 | europe | After 522 Years , Spain Seeks To Make Amends For Expulsion Of Jews
As night fell recently over the Spanish city of Toledo , Hanukkah candles lit up empty streets outside the medieval El Transito synagogue .
Folk songs in Ladino — a blend of Spanish and Hebrew — wafted across the garden of the synagogue , which is now the Sephardic Museum .
Sefarad means Spain in Hebrew , and the term refers to Jews of Spanish descent .
But not a single employee of Toledo 's Sephardic Museum is actually Jewish .
Spanish Jews today number in the low tens of thousands — a fraction of the Jewish population in France , Germany or the United Kingdom . But Toledo 's cobblestone streets were once home to one of Europe 's largest and most vibrant Jewish communities .
`` A 13th-century poem describes Toledo 's Jewish life — with eight to 10 synagogues , and a Jewish library , '' says historian and museum director Santiago Palomera . `` Tax records show this was the most important Jewish enclave — like New York and Silicon Valley combined , in terms of contributions to medieval Spain 's culture and economy . ''
Jews prospered in medieval Spain , under Muslim and Christian rule . But that changed in 1492 , when the Catholic monarchs , King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella , expelled them .
Some 300,000 Jews — up to a quarter of the Spanish population — had to convert to Catholicism or flee Spain , or were killed in the Spanish Inquisition .
Now their descendants may become Spanish again , under a draft law approved by Spain 's government . It would grant Spanish citizenship to descendants of Jews expelled in 1492 . A recent amendment would let them keep their current citizenship too .
Spain says it wants to rectify what it calls a `` historic mistake . '' The measure still needs approval by both houses of Spain 's Parliament , and is expected to become law this spring .
`` I think it 's fair reparation on the part of the Spanish state , for the injustice that occurred in 1492 , '' says Mauricio Toledano , secretary-general of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain , which is one of the groups that will help the Spanish government evaluate passport applications from Sephardic Jews around the world .
The Spanish Constitution prohibits awarding nationality based on religion . But Toledano says applicants do n't necessarily need to be Jewish themselves .
`` The question is , were your ancestors Spanish Jews in 1492 ? '' he says . `` If the answer is 'yes , ' whether you 're Jewish , Christian , Muslim or whatever today , that has nothing to do with it . ''
Some Muslim groups have noted this offer does n't apply to them . Their ancestors were also expelled as Spain 's Catholic kings consolidated power .
Some Jewish groups have also complained about requirements that applicants pass tests on Spanish and Sephardic culture , and travel to Spain at their own expense to apply .
Many families do n't know the religion of their ancestors more than 500 years ago . But names can be a clue . Toledano traces his Jewish ancestry back to Toledo . He estimates that some 3 million people are believed to be descendants of Spain 's expelled Jews .
The Spanish government expects tens of thousands to apply for citizenship , including many from Israel — where the offer is getting lots of attention .
`` When I first heard of it , I said 'Wow , that 's a nice opportunity for me ! ' `` says Ezer Karavani , a 35-year-old computer programmer who lives in Tel Aviv .
For Karavani , the unexpected chance at a European passport seemed too good to be true . Spanish citizenship would mean he could have the option to leave Tel Aviv and work anywhere in Europe . And while the Spanish government calls this `` rectifiying a wrong , '' Karavani is n't thinking that way .
`` I do n't think that anybody owes me anything — definitely [ not ] if it happened 500 years ago , '' he says .
Spanish citizenship would also offer a potential escape from Israel 's volatile security situation and high cost of living . But leaving for these reasons is a touchy subject in Israel — particularly leaving for Europe , with its history of Jewish persecution .
In Jerusalem , Karavani 's 68-year-old cousin , Itzhak Levy , traces the family tree back to 15th-century Spain . But he has no interest in Spanish citizenship .
Levy is n't looking for a job , or a chance to live abroad . But his disinterest goes deeper than that . Levy says he does n't see modern Europe as supportive of Israel , and he thinks emigration will weaken the country .
`` It 's a way — a European way — to destroy this country , '' he says .
But Levy is nevertheless a passionate protector of Sephardic culture .
`` The first thing is to save the language , '' he says . `` In 10 years , 20 years , no one will speak Ladino [ anymore ] . ''
Levy posts online videos of Ladino speakers and singers — including his mother , who has passed away .
He sings along with her recording , the words etched in his mind since childhood .
And although Levy 's young relative , Ezer Karavani , is much more focused on the future than the past , he too keeps recordings of his grandmother singing in Ladino . He ca n't remember the lyrics but plucks along on his guitar .
He 'll practice the words , he says , before he applies for Spanish citizenship . | PvmjiHW7a0Cld8N5 | 1 | Judaism | 0.1 | Spain | 0.1 | Europe | 0 | Religion And Faith | 0 | null | null |
us_congress | Associated Press | https://apnews.com/77bcfddcdcc80a249e7def8410d630a8 | Trump signs $484 billion measure to aid employers, hospitals | 2020-04-24 | Donald Trump, US Congress, Economy And Jobs, Donald Trump, US Congress, Politics | President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House , Thursday , April 23 , 2020 , in Washington . ( AP Photo/Alex Brandon )
President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House , Thursday , April 23 , 2020 , in Washington . ( AP Photo/Alex Brandon )
WASHINGTON ( AP ) — President Donald Trump signed a $ 484 billion bill Friday to aid employers and hospitals under stress from the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 50,000 Americans and devastated broad swaths of the economy .
The bill is the latest effort by the federal government to help keep afloat businesses that have had to close or dramatically alter their operations as states try to slow the spread of the virus . Over the past five weeks , roughly 26 million people have filed for jobless aid , or about 1 in 6 U.S. workers .
Trump thanked Congress for “ answering my call ” to provide the critical assistance and said it was “ a tremendous victory. ” But easy passage of this aid installment belies a potentially bumpier path ahead for future legislation to address the crisis .
Trump said most of the funding in the bill would flow to small business through the Paycheck Protection Program , which provides money to small businesses to keep workers on their payroll .
“ Great for small businesses , great for the workers , ” Trump said .
The measure passed Congress almost unanimously Thursday as lawmakers gathered in Washington as a group for the first time since March 27 . They followed stricter social distancing rules while seeking to prove they can do their work despite the COVID-19 crisis .
Lawmakers ’ face masks and bandannas added a somber tone to their effort to aid a nation staggered by the health crisis and devastating economic costs of the pandemic .
“ Millions of people out of work , ” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. “ This is really a very , very , very sad day . We come to the floor with nearly 50,000 deaths , a huge number of people impacted , and the uncertainty of it all . ”
Anchoring the bill is the Trump administration ’ s $ 250 billion request to replenish a fund to help small- and medium-size businesses with payroll , rent and other expenses . This program provides forgivable loans so businesses can continue paying workers while forced to stay closed for social distancing and stay-at-home orders .
The legislation contains $ 100 billion demanded by Democrats for hospitals and a nationwide testing program , along with $ 60 billion for small banks and an alternative network of community development banks that focus on development in urban neighborhoods and rural areas ignored by many lenders . There ’ s also $ 60 billion for small-business loans and grants delivered through the Small Business Administration ’ s existing disaster aid program .
Passage of more coronavirus relief is likely in the weeks ahead . Supporters are already warning that the business-backed Paycheck Protection Program will exhaust the new $ 250 billion almost immediately . Launched just weeks ago , the program quickly reached its lending limit after approving nearly 1.7 million loans . That left thousands of small businesses in limbo as they sought help .
Pelosi and allies said the next measure will distribute more relief to individuals , extend more generous jobless benefits into the fall , provide another round of direct payments to most people and help those who are laid off afford health insurance through COBRA .
Democrats tried to win another round of funding for state and local governments in Thursday ’ s bill but were rebuffed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , who says he ’ s going to try pump the brakes on runaway deficit spending . McConnell says he doesn ’ t want to bail out Democratic-governed states for fiscal problems that predated the pandemic , but there ’ s plenty of demand for state fiscal relief among Republicans , too .
After the Senate passed the bill Tuesday , McConnell said Republicans would entertain no more coronavirus rescue legislation until the Senate returns to Washington in May . He promised rank-and-file Republicans greater say in the future legislation , rather than leaving it in the hands of bipartisan leaders .
Pelosi attacked McConnell for at first opposing adding any money to his original $ 250 billion package and saying cash-strapped states should be allowed to declare bankruptcy , a move that they currently can not do and that would threaten a broad range of state services . McConnell ’ s comments provoked an outcry — including from GOP governors — and he later tempered his remarks .
The four coronavirus relief bills approved so far by Congress would deliver at least $ 2.4 trillion for business relief , testing and treatment , and direct payments to individuals and the unemployed , according to the Congressional Budget Office . The deficit is virtually certain to breach $ 3 trillion this year . | 2b8443b0ef9506da | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
culture | Salon | http://www.salon.com/2013/12/26/2013_the_year_in_sexism/ | 2013: The year in sexism | 2013-12-26 | Women's Issues, Culture | Let 's not even go into the attacks on reproductive freedom or all the violence against women , or even the Aaron Sorkin characters who set your teeth on edge . Let 's just talk about the ways pop culture can chip away at the soul , the ways a jokey demonstration of a game or an imaginary Twitter fight or yet another celebrity explaining that she believes in equality but do n't call her a feminist or the sound of that song that just would n't go away can make a person realize how far we still have to go . There were truly far too many contenders to choose from this year , but these were the sexist lowlights that raised our blood pressure most .
It turned out `` Diane , '' the huffy airline passenger in the medical mask , never even existed . What Buzzfeed dubbed an `` epic '' encounter that `` won '' Thanksgiving was instead merely the `` Bachelor '' producer 's stunt to `` entertain some people '' with `` a cautionary tale . '' Gale 's `` entertaining , '' `` cautionary '' message ? You can pretend to send a strange woman a note saying , `` Eat my dick '' and be lauded as a champion of civility . Got it .
In an inadvertently revealing feature on Bleacher Report co-founder Bryan Goldberg 's attempt to `` redefine what 'women ’ s interest ' looks like , '' the New Yorker showed the world a man who 's disappointed . Disappointed , because `` Honestly , nothing would have been more helpful here than for some highly regarded feminist writers to say , 'Bryan ’ s a good person . ' '' A man who explains , `` I am a dude . I don ’ t have a lot of overlapping interests with most women my age . I ’ m really into history . I ’ m really into markets and finance . I don ’ t know a damn thing about beauty , but I don ’ t need to . '' Because those unhelpful feminists would n't be into history or finance . And the photo accompanying the whole thing ? It was of a thoughtful Goldberg sprawled on the floor and surrounded by a gaggle of female employees , tapping away on a laptop perched on a high-heeled , short-skirted woman 's lap . Who says it 's tough for women to find desk jobs ?
Goodness , where to begin ? James Taranto boo-hooing over a `` war on men '' and `` an effort to criminalize male sexuality '' in a story on military sexual assault ? Richard Cohen 's bizarre Miley Cyrus-centric complaining about `` the so-called Steubenville Rape '' ( an odd term for a crime that has so far led to two rape convictions ) ? How about CNN 's pity party for the rapists ? Maybe a Fox News guest 's assertion that women should `` thank men '' for freeing us up `` to embrace that side of yourself that isn ’ t about work '' ? We could list all the ways the media gave a platform to Dark Ages ignorance , but we 'd be here till 2015 .
What do you if you 're a `` premium '' clothing brand faced with accusations of deteriorating quality in your merchandise ? If you 're Chip Wilson , you oh so subtly suggest maybe the problem is your fat , scratchy thighs , lady – perhaps because his company 's pants only go up to size 12 anyway . In a Bloomberg interview in November , the company founder said , `` Some women ’ s bodies just actually don ’ t work for it … They don ’ t work for some women ’ s bodies . It ’ s about the rubbing through the thighs , [ and ] how much pressure is there . '' Women and their thighs protested otherwise . Wilson abruptly stepped down as company chairman a month later .
Speaking of body wars . First , she laid down the gauntlet – and got herself a whole lot of free publicity – by posing in an abs-flaunting ensemble surrounded by her three children and provocatively asking , `` What 's your excuse ? '' Then Kang ramped it up by ranting against Curvy Girl Lingerie ’ s campaign of plus-sized women posting photos of themselves in their underwear and complaining , `` We ’ re normalizing obesity in our society . '' To cap it all off , she confidently told ABC in early December , `` I said you can just tell by looking at someone if they are fit or not… . Anyone can tell this with a bare naked eye looking at a bare naked stomach . '' For her obsessive fat-shaming , Kang is proof that a woman can be just as backward and toxic as any man .
There was the New York Post 's catty Hillary Clinton cover saying , `` No wonder Bill 's afraid . '' There was the time Julia Gillard 's `` small breasts , huge thighs and big red box '' were the menu items at an Australian fundraiser . There was Wendy Davis ' depiction as an `` abortion Barbie . '' There was the outraged backlash against British MP Jo Swinson and the question of whether she `` hates women , '' because she had the audacity to stand during Prime Minister ’ s Questions , despite being seven months pregnant . In short , if it involved a woman who managed to ever be elected or appointed to an office , chances are someone had something terrible to say about it .
Remember when Adria Richards tweeted a photo of some men she said were making crude comments during a conference ? When the men were fired , Richards was threatened , harassed and canned from her job . During TechCrunch 's Disrupt conference , a pair of dudes unveiled a TitStare app and another got up and pantomimed masturbation . And at E3 , a live `` Killer Instinct '' demo featured a male player telling his female opponent , `` Just let it happen . It 'll be over soon . '' Oh , if only this juvenile , boys ' club crap really was over .
Moments after she 'd popped out her first child , Catherine , the Duchess of Cambridge , was already being lauded by CNN correspondent Victoria Arbiter , cheering , `` This is how brilliant a royal Kate is . There are women throughout British Royal Family history who have panicked over not being able to deliver a boy and here we are . Kate did it — first time . '' Yes , it 's true , biology fans – being able to have a son instead of a daughter is not a matter of sex-determining chromosomes but brilliance . And when she emerged the next day from the hospital carrying her new son in her arms , the Huffington Post announced that `` Kate Middleton Debuts Post-Baby Body One Day After Giving Birth . '' Not debuting the future king of England or anything , but her body . Her early pregnancy was marked by hyperemesis . But it was the public reaction to the birth that makes feminists want to throw up .
When 24-year-old Miss New York , Nina Davuluri , became the first Indian-American winner in the pageant 's history – notably beating blonde , tattooed , gun-loving member of the armed forces Miss Kansas -- the morons of the Internet took swift umbrage and called the new queen `` Miss 7-11 '' and said she resembled `` a gas station clerk or motel owner . '' For an extravaganza usually known strictly for its sexism , it was an innovative display of putting a woman down by being really racist too .
There 's nothing wrong with pop music getting sexy -- I too am up all night to get lucky . But Robin Thicke 's ode to a `` good girl '' with ambiguous sexual boundaries – unlike the `` bitch '' of his prior history -- combined with that video of naked models meowing and cavorting around leering , fully dressed men made for the most shudder-worthy earworm of the summer . | df48ce4b52995470 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
justice | The Guardian | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/23/paul-manafort-juror-says-one-holdout-kept-jury-from-convicting-on-all-counts | Manafort juror says 'one holdout' kept jury from convicting on all counts | 2018-08-23 | Paul Manafort, Justice | Juror Paula Duncan says 11 of 12 jury members thought former Trump campaign chief was guilty on all 18 charges
The jury in the trial of Paul Manafort would have convicted the former Trump campaign chairman on all 18 criminal charges if not for one juror who had questions about the reasonable doubt standard of guilt , a juror told Fox News on Wednesday .
“ There was one holdout , ” the juror in the trial , Paula Duncan , said in an interview . We all tried to convince her to look at the paper trail . We laid it out in front of her again and again and she still said that she had a reasonable doubt . ”
The jury on Tuesday found Manafort guilty on two counts of bank fraud , five counts of tax fraud and one charge of failing to disclose foreign bank accounts , giving special counsel Robert Mueller a victory in the first trial arising from his investigation of Russia ’ s role in the 2016 US election .
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But the jury of six men and six women could not reach a consensus on 10 other counts . Judge TS Ellis , who oversaw the three-week trial in a US federal court in Alexandria , Virginia , declared a mistrial on those 10 counts .
In the first public comments by a juror in the case , Duncan said that 11 members of the jury were in agreement that Manafort was guilty on all 18 felony charges but that they could not get the one holdout to change her mind after nearly four days of deliberations .
“ We didn ’ t want it to be hung so we tried for an extended period of time to convince her . But in the end she held out and that ’ s why we have 10 counts that did not get a verdict , ” she said .
Duncan said she was speaking out to inform the public and that she was not concerned about her safety . Ellis said that he had received threats and he has not released juror names , citing worries about their safety .
“ I thought that the public , America , needed to know how close this was and the evidence was overwhelming , ” she said .
███ view on Donald Trump : the company of crooks Read more
Duncan said she was a Trump supporter and wanted to believe that Manafort was innocent . She noted that even his critics had described him as a brilliant political consultant and that Trump had trusted him with overseeing his campaign .
“ I did not want Paul Manafort to be guilty . But he was and no one is above the law . ”
Duncan said some of the jurors had a problem accepting the testimony of Rick Gates , Manafort ’ s former right-hand man , because he was testifying as part of a plea deal and “ would have done anything that he could to preserve himself ” .
She said the jury decided to not consider Gates ’ s testimony and focus instead on the documentary evidence . Duncan had tough words for attorneys on both sides .
She said the prosecution looked bored at times and that she saw two of them napping . Manafort ’ s lawyers , on the other hand , gave short cross-examinations , rarely objected and gave off an “ easygoing ” vibe , she said .
Duncan said the deliberations were heated at times , leading some jurors to tears at one point , but that politics did not influence their decision-making .
“ I think we all went in there like we were supposed to and assumed that Mr Manafort was innocent . We did due diligence , we applied the evidence , our notes , the witnesses and we came out with guilty verdicts on the eight counts , ” she said . | dc0e1982c7889bee | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
federal_budget | Business Insider | http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-transgender-ban-border-wall-bill-2017-7 | Trump may have announced the transgender military ban to save a bill funding the border wall | 2017-07-26 | federal_budget | President Donald Trump waves as he leaves the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington , Wednesday , July 26 , 2017 , after speaking during an event with the American Legion Boys Nation and the American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation . Associated Press/Alex Brandon President Donald Trump 's sudden announcement Wednesday morning that transgender people would be barred from serving in the US military may have been part of a last-ditch effort to save a House bill that partly funds a border wall , according to a Politico report .
House Republicans were reportedly at loggerheads all week over a spending bill and could n't agree on whether to insist on a ban on Pentagon-funded gender reassignment surgeries .
The standoff threatened to tank the entire bill , which included funding for the border wall for which Trump campaigned and has been pressing , Politico reported .
While moderate Republicans believed that a ban on funding such operations would discriminate against transgender service members , some hardline conservatives had vehemently opposed the funding , arguing that it wastes taxpayer money .
`` There are several members of the conference who feel this really needs to be addressed , '' Rep. Robert Aderholt , a senior House Appropriations Committee member and Alabama Republican , told Politico . `` This is n't about the transgender issue ; it 's about the taxpayer dollars going to pay for the surgery out of the defense budget . ''
The Republicans who wanted a ban on funding the surgeries took the debate first to Defense Secretary James Mattis , who reportedly refused to budge on the issue before the Pentagon studies it further . Next , they turned to Trump , who blindsided lawmakers , the public , and reportedly even military leaders on Wednesday by tweeting out that transgender individuals would be barred from serving in the military `` in any capacity . ''
Trump 's move went far beyond the House Republicans ' initial request , which was merely to block funding for gender reassignment surgery .
`` This is like someone told the White House to light a candle on the table and the WH set the whole table on fire , '' one senior House Republican aide told Politico . The aide added that the Republicans had not expected Trump to take such sweeping action .
However , another House GOP aide told ███ that since the bill contains essential national security funding worth nearly $ 800 billion , the ban on Pentagon-funded sex reassignment surgeries would not have tanked it in the first place .
The federal government 's plans for transgender service members and recruits have already been up in the air for some time . In June , Mattis delayed an Obama administration plan to begin allowing openly transgender recruits into the military by six months .
And House Republicans had already sparred over the issue several weeks ago when Rep. Vicki Hartzler first proposed the amendment banning funding for medical treatment for transgender service members . To the surprise of many GOP lawmakers , 24 moderate Republicans joined 190 Democrats in voting down the amendment . | hjHEDsRGEKKlA1Yt | 1 | Federal Budget | -0.2 | Economy And Jobs | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
world | Newsweek | https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-power-hostage-kyiv-invasion-1762209 | Russia Holding Ukraine's Power Hostage to Freeze Them 'Into Submission' | 2022-11-25 | World, Ukraine War, Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine, Energy, Infrastructure | Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world news, and general interest news. Her coverage in the past focused on business, immigration, culture, LGBTQ issues, and international politics. Fatma joined Newsweek in 2021 from Business Insider and had previously worked at The New York Daily News and TheStreet with contributions to Newlines Magazine, Entrepreneur, Documented NY, and Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, among others. She is a graduate of Columbia University where she pursued a master's degree focusing on documentary filmmaking and long-form journalism. You can get in touch with Fatma by emailing f.khaled@newsweek.com. Languages: English, Arabic, German. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., has stated that Russia's missile attacks on the Ukrainian power grid aim to freeze the Eastern European country "into submission," while Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned that Kyiv has to put an end to the war if "they don't want to perish." Thomas-Greenfield said during a security council meeting to discuss the attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin insists on reducing Ukraine's energy facilities to "rubble" as the war rages. "Putin's motive could not be more clear and more cold-blooded. He is clearly—clearly—weaponizing winter to inflict immense suffering on the Ukrainian people. He has decided that if he can't seize Ukraine by force, he will try to freeze the country into submission," she said. Meanwhile, Lukashenko called for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and added that the country is at risk of "complete destruction." "Everything is in Ukraine's hands now. If they don't want to perish, they have to stop. They have to stop because the next thing will be the complete destruction of Ukraine. This is not what Putin said long before the operation, that it would threaten the loss of Ukrainian statehood. This will actually mean the destruction of Ukraine! They have to stop," he said during a Thursday interview with Russian news channel RBC. Russia has been launching a number of missile strikes on energy facilities throughout Ukraine, causing power outages and blackouts across the country ahead of a harsh winter. On Wednesday, Russia attacked Ukraine's power grid again, killing three people in a strike that hit a building in Kyiv, targeting energy facilities, according to authorities in the capital, VOA News reported. Power outages were reported in multiple cities including Kyiv and Moldova Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, CEO of Ukrainian energy company Ukrenegro, said on Tuesday that recent Russian strikes essentially destroyed all thermal and hydraulic power plants across Ukraine. Around 100 Russian missiles were launched toward mainly Ukrengro substations, in addition to power plants, causing various levels of damage at 15 facilities. "Almost all the hydraulic power generation and thermal power generation suffered from missile strikes," said Kudrytskyi, according to a translation posted on YouTube by the Ukraine Media Center. "There are no undamaged substations for the transportation of power in all the grid. Unfortunately, any substantial significant substations suffered five or even up to eight strikes so the level of damage is colossal." On Thursday, Russia denied any wrongdoing and accused "foreign and Ukrainian" air defense missiles of damaging Kyiv, where energy facilities were struck. "Not a single strike was made on targets within the city of Kyiv," the Russian Defense Ministry said. Any damage was "the result of the fall of missiles from foreign and Ukrainian air defense systems located in residential areas of the Ukrainian capital." Meanwhile, Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's ambassador to the UN, justified the attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, saying that "we're striking infrastructure facilities in Ukraine in response to Western weapons being pumped into the country and reckless calls for Kyiv to achieve military victory over Russia." Western and Russian diplomats discussed the Russian missile attacks on Ukraine's power grid during Wednesday's security council meeting, with Thomas-Greenfield warning about the consequences those strikes will have on Ukrainians this winter. "If he [Putin] gets his way, millions of Ukrainians will be left without power, water, and heat during these cold winter months. Even more families will be forced to flee their homes. Hospitals will be unable to treat patients. And more children and elderly people, especially the sick and those with disabilities, will die. The most vulnerable will pay the heaviest price," she said. Newsweek has reached out to the Russian foreign affairs ministry for comment. Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world news, and general interest news. Her coverage in the past focused on business, immigration, culture, LGBTQ issues, and international politics. Fatma joined Newsweek in 2021 from Business Insider and had previously worked at The New York Daily News and TheStreet with contributions to Newlines Magazine, Entrepreneur, Documented NY, and Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, among others. She is a graduate of Columbia University where she pursued a master's degree focusing on documentary filmmaking and long-form journalism. You can get in touch with Fatma by emailing f.khaled@newsweek.com. Languages: English, Arabic, German. Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world news, and general interest news. Her coverage in the past focused on business, immigration, culture, LGBTQ issues, and international politics. Fatma joined Newsweek in 2021 from Business Insider and had previously worked at The New York Daily News and TheStreet with contributions to Newlines Magazine, Entrepreneur, Documented NY, and Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, among others. She is a graduate of Columbia University where she pursued a master's degree focusing on documentary filmmaking and long-form journalism. You can get in touch with Fatma by emailing f.khaled@newsweek.com. Languages: English, Arabic, German. Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... 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environment | The Guardian | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/05/climate-crisis-11000-scientists-warn-of-untold-suffering | Climate crisis: 11,000 scientists warn of ‘untold suffering’ | 2019-11-05 | Climate Change, Disaster, Science, Environment | The world ’ s people face “ untold suffering due to the climate crisis ” unless there are major transformations to global society , according to a stark warning from more than 11,000 scientists .
“ We declare clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency , ” it states . “ To secure a sustainable future , we must change how we live . [ This ] entails major transformations in the ways our global society functions and interacts with natural ecosystems . ”
There is no time to lose , the scientists say : “ The climate crisis has arrived and is accelerating faster than most scientists expected . It is more severe than anticipated , threatening natural ecosystems and the fate of humanity . ”
The statement is published in the journal BioScience on the 40th anniversary of the first world climate conference , which was held in Geneva in 1979 . The statement was a collaboration of dozens of scientists and endorsed by further 11,000 from 153 nations . The scientists say the urgent changes needed include ending population growth , leaving fossil fuels in the ground , halting forest destruction and slashing meat eating .
Prof William Ripple , of Oregon State University and the lead author of the statement , said he was driven to initiate it by the increase in extreme weather he was seeing . A key aim of the warning is to set out a full range of “ vital sign ” indicators of the causes and effects of climate breakdown , rather than only carbon emissions and surface temperature rise .
“ A broader set of indicators should be monitored , including human population growth , meat consumption , tree-cover loss , energy consumption , fossil-fuel subsidies and annual economic losses to extreme weather events , ” said co-author Thomas Newsome , of the University of Sydney .
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dr Thomas Newsome , from the University of Sydney ’ s School of Life and Environmental Sciences .
Other “ profoundly troubling signs from human activities ” selected by the scientists include booming air passenger numbers and world GDP growth . “ The climate crisis is closely linked to excessive consumption of the wealthy lifestyle , ” they said .
As a result of these human activities , there are “ especially disturbing ” trends of increasing land and ocean temperatures , rising sea levels and extreme weather events , the scientists said : “ Despite 40 years of global climate negotiations , with few exceptions , we have have largely failed to address this predicament . Especially worrisome are potential irreversible climate tipping points . These climate chain reactions could cause significant disruptions to ecosystems , society , and economies , potentially making large areas of Earth uninhabitable . ”
“ We urge widespread use of the vital signs [ to ] allow policymakers and the public to understand the magnitude of the crisis , realign priorities and track progress , ” the scientists said .
“ You don ’ t need to be a rocket scientist to look at the graphs and know things are going wrong , ” said Newsome . “ But it is not too late. ” The scientists identify some encouraging signs , including decreasing global birth rates , increasing solar and wind power and fossil fuel divestment . Rates of forest destruction in the Amazon had also been falling until a recent increase under new president Jair Bolsonaro .
Use energy far more efficiently and apply strong carbon taxes to cut fossil fuel use
Stabilise global population – currently growing by 200,000 people a day – using ethical approaches such as longer education for girls
End the destruction of nature and restore forests and mangroves to absorb CO2
Eat mostly plants and less meat , and reduce food waste
“ The good news is that such transformative change , with social and economic justice for all , promises far greater human well-being than does business as usual , ” the scientists said . The recent surge of concern was encouraging , they added , from the global school strikes to lawsuits against polluters and some nations and businesses starting to respond .
A warning of the dangers of pollution and a looming mass extinction of wildlife on Earth , also led by Ripple , was published in 2017 . It was supported by more than 15,000 scientists and read out in parliaments from Canada to Israel . It came 25 years after the original “ World Scientists ’ Warning to Humanity ” in 1992 , which said : “ A great change in our stewardship of the Earth and the life on it is required , if vast human misery is to be avoided . ”
Ripple said scientists have a moral obligation to issue warnings of catastrophic threats : “ It is more important than ever that we speak out , based on evidence . It is time to go beyond just research and publishing , and to go directly to the citizens and policymakers . ” | e4ed811a1a0e4e08 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
economy_and_jobs | USA TODAY | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/18/government-shutdown-2019-where-things-stand-average-americans/2606221002/ | Government shutdown at one month: Where things stand for the average American | 2019-01-18 | economy_and_jobs | WASHINGTON – Tuesday marks one month date since the partial government shutdown began and each day that goes by the strain on the country increases , especially for the 800,000 federal employees who will miss their second paycheck this week .
To help pay the bills , some have resorted to part-time jobs or soliciting donations through crowdsourcing websites .
At airports across the country , passengers are facing sporadic crowding that could grow worse this week with the announcement Monday by the TSA that sickouts by security screeners had reached 10 percent , compared to 3.1 percent at the same time in 2018 . The agency acknowledged that “ many employees are reporting that they are not able to report to work due to financial limitations . ”
In addition , some national parks and monuments are either closed or in bad shape because the trash is n't being picked up and bathrooms not cleaned .
President Donald Trump 's own economists said last week that the impact of the shutdown on economic growth is twice as bad as originally projected . The Council of Economic Advisers now say that each week of the shutdown shaves 0.13 percentage points off of economic growth , mostly from the lost spending and investment by those federal employees not being paid .
Fairly soon , that could stall economic growth and begin a contraction .
Despite this grim outlook , many Americans have yet to feel much impact from the shutdown in part because the Trump administration has selectively recalled workers in various agencies to make sure that critical services continue .
Those efforts provide a pressure valve that may be relieving some public anger . But the political tension surrounding the shutdown has increased and turned it into a personal duel between Trump and Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi .
This week the GOP-controlled Senate is expected to take up legislation that contains the proposal offered by Trump on Friday , which was quickly rejected by Democrats . It includes $ 5.7 billion for the wall along the southern border but also $ 12.7 billion in disaster funding and temporary protection for people brought into the country illegally by their parents , known as Dreamers . The Democratic-controlled House , meanwhile , is expected to take its own legislation to reopen government .
Elaine Kamarck , with the Brookings Institution , said the moves by the Trump administration are a sign they are planning for the shutdown to continue for a long time .
`` They clearly want their cake and eat it too , '' said Kamarck , director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the institution who is also a member of the Democratic National Committee . `` They want to play the shutdown game but they want to have the government operating . ''
Maya MacGuineas , president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget , said efforts to mute the impact of the shutdown mask its broader meaning .
`` This is far more about the crisis of governance that we are in the midst of , '' MacGuineas said . `` Our government is crumbling . The ability of our leaders to lead the country during a really important time is called into question . ''
She acknowledges that the shutdown is causing suffering , especially for federal employees .
`` But many of the points made to illustrate the impact of a federal shutdown are quite easily dismissed . If the worst thing we have is overflowing toilets in national parks , it ’ s not exactly a national crisis . ''
Besides federal employees , those facing the greatest hardship – now and in the future – are those in need .
Every week hundreds of contracts between the Department of Housing and Urban Development and landlords renting to low-income families expire , leaving thousands in limbo . The landlords are left to either subsidize the rent with the hopes of being reimbursed when the shutdown ends or evicting people who may have nowhere else to live .
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , otherwise known as food stamps , has sent out its February payment early to the more than 40 million recipients nationwide asking that they not spend the money all at once because it may be the last they receive until the shutdown ends . Women , Infants , and Children benefits also are set to expire next month although some states say they can stretch theirs for another month or two .
Immigrants trying to renew a work permit or a driver 's license or seek asylum face longer delays because already 63,000 hearings have been canceled because of the shutdown and the backlog in immigration courts has grown to 800,000 cases .
United for U.S. – a joint effort of the United Way network , nonprofits , corporations and organized labor – has been formed to assist furloughed federal workers and others who are struggling during the shutdown .
People can find out about services in their area by calling 2-1-1 or going to 211.org .
At the State Department and the National Park Service , agency officials have come up with some funding to pay workers , at least temporarily .
The park service is dipping into entrance fees to pay for staffing at some highly visited parks , prompting criticism from advocates who say the fees normally used for park projects are being misused .
The State Department announced last week it had found a way to pay for most employees to return at the start of a new pay period next week . Bill Todd , the agency 's deputy undersecretary for management , did not say where the additional money was coming from and said that the recall would be reviewed after a week .
Sen. Bob Menendez , D-N.J. , criticized that move . `` While I believe it is critically important that our diplomacy and development professionals get paid for their service to our nation , trying to hold a government together with duct tape and bailing wire is no way to govern , '' Menendez said .
Rep. T.J. Cox , a freshman Democrat from California , proposed in his first bill , introduced last week , that the Treasury Department be required to offer no-interest loans of up to $ 6,000 to federal workers not being paid .
Some things have not changed since the shutdown began Dec. 22 after President Trump – goaded by right-wing commentators to keep his promise about building a wall to protect the southern border – rejected a bipartisan budget deal he earlier had agreed to sign because it did not include funding for the wall . That left nine federal departments without funding .
People still are flying , despite long lines at some airports , and Social Security checks are being issued . So are Medicare benefits .
And the political theatrics continue , becoming more intense and personal as the shutdown drags on .
Early on , Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the wall on the southern border `` immoral '' and Trump marched out of a White House meeting with Congressional leaders because he thought Democrats were refusing to negotiate .
Last week Pelosi told President Trump to delay his State of the Union address because security might be compromised . Trump countered by canceling Pelosi ’ s use of military aircraft for an overseas trip to meet allies and U.S. troops . Then on Friday the president further limited travel by Congress members by barring them from using government planes without prior written approval until the budget impasse is resolved .
More : Shutdown : Trump imposes new restrictions on congressional travel one day after grounding Pelosi 's plane | ZrATiN26NyqfzmNT | 1 | Government Shutdown | -0.3 | Economy And Jobs | -0.3 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
taxes | Chicago Tribune | https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/editorials/ct-editorial-internal-revenue-service-tax-day-20230414-y2c4ojk7wjbbnpahdoln6qa63e-story.html | We must invest in the IRS. It’s the only way to ensure all Americans pay the taxes they owe. | 2023-04-18 | Taxes, IRS, Federal Spending, Debt Ceiling, Politics | eNewspaper Sign up for email newsletters Subscribers are entitled to 10 gift sharing articles each month. These can be shared with friends and family who are not subscribers. Subscribe now! or Sign in to your account. Sign up for email newsletters eNewspaper Trending: Subscribers are entitled to 10 gift sharing articles each month. These can be shared with friends and family who are not subscribers. Subscribe now! or Sign in to your account. Imagine investing $80 over a decade and getting a $180 return. Pretty good deal, right? Now multiply those figures by a billion dollars and you get an idea of how much American citizens will benefit from additional federal funds being allocated to the Internal Revenue Service. The agency responsible for collecting federal taxes earlier this month revealed how it plans to spend new money from the In ... Chicago Tribune Opinion: Read the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Tribune Opinion team. Subscribers are entitled to 10 gift sharing articles each month. These can be shared with friends and family who are not subscribers. Subscribe now! or Sign in to your account. Recommended for you Copyright © 2025 Chicago Tribune Website E-edition Mobile App | 881725332e11f0f7 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | HuffPost | https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/native-american-make-america-great-again-student_us_5c455270e4b0bfa693c4d1e1 | New Video Complicates Uproar Over Incident Between Student And Native American Man | 2019-01-21 | Native Americans, Politics | Senior Reporter, HuffPost More video emerged on Sunday of the viral moment between a Native American man and a white student wearing a “Make America great again” hat, complicating an incident that has already been cast as yet another parable of the nation’s heavily divided politics and growing racial tension. More than an hour of footage shot before the encounter was uploaded on YouTube on Sunday and appeared to show a confrontation between a large group of predominantly white Catholic students and several black men who identified themselves as Hebrew Israelites. In the clip, the men can be heard shouting at anyone at the Lincoln Memorial, including other black visitors and Native Americans. The camera then turns to the students, who were in Washington for an anti-abortion rally, some of whom were wearing hats with President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan. “And you got these pompous bastards coming down here in the middle of a Native rally with their dirty ass hat on,” a man in the video says. Another person later screams at the students, “A bunch of incest babies. This is what ‘Make America great’ looks like.” The Native American elder at the center of the shorter video, Nathan Phillips, comes into view shortly thereafter — the short encounter that has become a viral moment. He is quickly surrounded by the teenagers in the clip, during which he said he felt intimidated when some began jeering and one student in particular stood staring in front of him. Late Sunday, the student at the center of the video, Nick Sandmann, released a statement through a public relations firm attempting to distance himself from allegations of racism and intimidation. Instead, the Covington Catholic High School student said he believed he was helping defuse the situation. “I never interacted with this protestor. I did not speak to him. I did not make any hand gestures or other aggressive moves,” Sandmann wrote. “To be honest, I was startled and confused as to why he had approached me. ... I said a silent prayer that the situation would not get out of hand.” Just in: Statement of Nick Sandmann, Covington Catholic High School junior, about the event at the Lincoln Memorial: pic.twitter.com/PkuMh2cVZM The incident has prompted nationwide outrage, and Sandmann said Sunday he received death threats and calls that he be expelled from school. In several interviews, Phillips clarified that he approached the students in an attempt to reduce the tension between the white students and the black men who were yelling. “I stepped in between to pray,” Phillips told The New York Times in an interview, saying he was worried that racial tensions were “coming to a boiling point.” One of the black demonstrators involved posted a video on Facebook denying that his group instigated the incident. In his post he wrote, “The Devils are trying to be sneaky.” Tensions remained high after the encounter, and the school and the Diocese of Covington in Kentucky released a statement apologizing to Phillips on Saturday. Amid the threats, Sandmann said he harbored “no ill will” for Phillips, a Vietnam-era veteran, but moved to direct some of the responsibility for the situation on Phillips. The next four years will change America forever. But HuffPost won't back down when it comes to providing free and impartial journalism. For the first time, we're offering an ad-free experience to qualifying contributors who support our fearless newsroom. We hope you'll join us. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again. We won't back down from our mission of providing free, fair news during this critical moment. But we can't do it without you. For the first time, we're offering an ad-free experience. to qualifying contributors who support our fearless journalism. We hope you'll join us. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again. We won't back down from our mission of providing free, fair news during this critical moment. But we can't do it without you. For the first time, we're offering an ad-free experience. to qualifying contributors who support our fearless journalism. We hope you'll join us. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. “I respect this person’s right to protest and engage in free speech activities, and I support his chanting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial any day of the week,” Sandmann wrote. “I believe he should re-think his tactics of invading the personal space of others, but that is his choice to make.” CORRECTION: A previous version of this article, citing The Washington Post, referred to Phillips as a Vietnam veteran. He was a U.S. Marine who did not serve in Vietnam, according to the Post. You have the right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. 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gun_control_and_gun_rights | New York Post (News) | https://nypost.com/2022/05/30/biden-goes-on-anti-gun-tirade-suggests-theres-no-rational-basis-for-9mm-pistols/ | Biden goes on anti-gun tirade, suggests there’s ‘no rational basis’ for 9mm pistols | 2022-06-01 | Gun Control And Gun Rights, Uvalde Shooting, Joe Biden, Facts And Fact Checking, 2nd Amendment | President Biden ranted against ownership of what he called “high-caliber weapons” Monday — appearing to suggest that there should be restrictions on the most popular handgun in America, the 9mm pistol, and repeating a previously debunked claim that the Second Amendment prohibits ownership of cannons. Speaking to reporters outside the White House after returning to Washington from a weekend that included a visit to the site of last week’s mass shooting in Texas, Biden recounted a visit to a trauma hospital in New York, where he said doctors had showed him X-rays of gunshot wounds caused by various firearms. “They said a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out — may be able to get it and save the life,” Biden said. “A 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body. “So the idea of these high-caliber weapons is, uh, there’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of thinking about self-protection, hunting,” the president went on. Later in his remarks, Biden appeared to rule out the possibility of taking major executive action on guns, saying: “I can’t dictate this stuff. I can do the things I’ve done and any executive action I can take, I’ll continue to take. But I can’t outlaw a weapon. I can’t, you know, change the background checks. I can’t do that.” Biden’s statements about 9mm pistols are in keeping with his rhetoric before entering the White House. At a 2019 fundraiser in Seattle, for example, then-candidate Biden asked his audience: “Why should we allow people to have military-style weapons including pistols with 9mm bullets and can hold 10 or more rounds?” According to Shooting Industry magazine, 9mm pistols accounted for 56.8% of all handguns made in the US during 2019. In all, more than 15.1 million 9mm guns were produced in this country during the 2010s. The possibility of outlawing or otherwise regulating such weapons is likely to be a non-starter among conservatives and gun rights advocates. “Remember, the Constitution, the Second Amendment, was never absolute,” Biden said. “You couldn’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed. You couldn’t go out and purchase a lot of weapons.” Biden has made that claim before, most recently when he announced new regulations to stop the spread of so-called “ghost guns,” and they have been repeatedly declared false by fact-checkers. “The Second Amendment did not place limits on individual ownership of cannons,” PolitiFact stated in April when it rated his claim false. The website pointed out the text of the Constitution: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Despite widespread public outrage over Tuesday’s massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and the racially motivated May 14 mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store, Biden said he had not yet spoken with any Republicans about potential gun control legislation, but expressed hope for a compromise. “I think things have gotten so bad that everybody is getting more rational about it,” he said. “At least, that’s my hope and prayer.” Asked whether Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) authorizing Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to work with Democrats could lead to results, Biden said, “I don’t know.” “I think Senator McConnell is a rational Republican. I think Cornyn is as well,” he added. “I think there’s a recognition in their part that they — we can’t continue like this. We can’t do this.” Without Republican support, Democrats are powerless to pass any gun legislation in the 50-50 Senate unless they manage to temporarily set aside the filibuster’s 60-vote threshold for passing most bills. Biden’s comments came less than 48 hours after Vice President Kamala Harris called for an assault weapons ban after attending a funeral for Buffalo shooting victim Ruth Whitfield, 86. “You know what an assault weapon is? You know how an assault weapon was designed?” Harris said Saturday. “It was designed for a specific purpose — to kill a lot of human beings quickly. An assault weapon is a weapon of war with no place, no place in a civil society.” Advertisement Unknown | e166c73a6686e63c | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
federal_budget | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/politics/cnn-poll-shutdown-blame/index.html?hpt=po_c1 | CNN Poll: GOP would bear the brunt of shutdown blame | 2013-09-30 | federal_budget | Story highlights CNN/ORC International poll : Six in 10 say they want budget deal to avoid shutdown
In poll , 46 % would blame congressional Republicans and 36 % would blame the president
Poll says 57 % oppose the Affordable Care Act ; 803 people participated in the two-day poll
If the federal government shuts down starting Tuesday because of a bitter partisan battle over the new health care law , more people say congressional Republicans rather than President Barack Obama would be responsible , according to a new national survey .
A CNN/ORC International poll released Monday morning , hours before funding for the government is scheduled to run out , also indicates that most Americans think Republicans in Congress are acting like spoiled children in this fiscal fight , with the public divided on whether the president is acting like a spoiled child or a responsible adult .
And six in 10 questioned in the survey say they want Congress to approve a budget agreement to avoid a government shutdown , and if it happens , most people say a shutdown would be a bad thing for the country .
The poll 's release comes one day after the GOP-dominated House of Representatives approved a spending plan to fund the government that would delay the Affordable Care Act , better known as Obamacare , for a year , and repeal its tax on medical devices .
JUST WATCHED House vote makes shutdown likely Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH House vote makes shutdown likely 02:09
JUST WATCHED Memorable moments from House debate Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Memorable moments from House debate 01:13
That measure now heads back to Senate later Monday , where the Democratic majority has said any changes to the health care law would be a deal-killer . If no deal is reached on a temporary funding measure , a government shutdown would kick in at 12:01 a.m . ET Tuesday .
According to the poll , which was conducted Friday through Sunday , 46 % say they would blame congressional Republicans for a government shutdown , with 36 % saying the president would be more responsible and 13 % pointing fingers at both the GOP in Congress and Obama .
`` The number who would hold congressional Republicans responsible has gone down by 5 points since early September , and the number who would blame Obama is up 3 points in that same time , '' said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland . `` Those changes came among most demographic groups . ''
The CNN poll is similar to a CBS News/New York Times survey released late last week that indicated 44 % blaming congressional Republicans and 35 % pointing fingers at the president . Two other polls conducted in the past week and a half , from Pew Research Center and United Technologies/National Journal , showed a much closer margin but their questions mentioned Republicans in general rather than the GOP in Congress .
While most Democrats questioned in the CNN poll would predictably blame congressional Republicans and most Republicans questioned would point fingers at the president , independents were divided on which side they would blame .
In a separate question , 49 % of all people in the poll say that Obama is acting like a responsible adult in this budget battle , with 47 % describing him as a spoiled child . While that 's nothing to brag about , it 's better than Congress .
According to the poll , 58 % say congressional Democrats are acting like spoiled children , with that number rising to 69 % for the GOP in Congress . Only one in four say congressional Republicans are acting like responsible adults .
Some 68 % say a shutdown for a few days would be a bad thing for the country , with that number rising to nearly eight in 10 for a shutdown lasting a few weeks .
Six in 10 questioned in the CNN survey say that it is more important for Congress to avoid a shutdown than to make major changes to the new health care law , with only a third saying it is more important for lawmakers to prevent major provisions in the new health care law from taking effect by cutting the funds needed to implement them .
The drive to overthrow the health care law , which was passed in 2010 when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress , is being fueled by GOP lawmakers voted into office the past two elections with the strong support of tea party activists and other grassroots conservatives .
`` A majority of Republicans think that blocking Obamacare is more important than approving a budget agreement , '' said Holland . `` So do tea party supporters , regardless of their partisan affiliation . ''
`` Who 's driving this strategy : 40 to 50 of the most conservative members of the House , and four or five of the most conservative members of the Senate , '' says CNN Chief National Correspondent John King . `` Fifty-six percent of tea party supporters say it 's a good thing to shut down the government . These are the folks those most conservative members of Congress are listening to . Those lawmakers think back home they 're on safe ground even though nationally shutting down the government is a non-starter . ''
The poll indicates that Obamacare is not popular , with 57 % saying they oppose the law , up 3 points from May , and 38 % saying they support the measure , down five points from May .
But only about four in 10 oppose it because it is too liberal , with about one in 10 saying they do n't like the law because it is not liberal enough .
If you add the 38 % who favor the law to the 11 % to oppose the law because it 's not liberal enough , you get 49 % , compared with the 39 % who say they oppose the law because it 's too liberal .
The poll was conducted for CNN by ORC International September 27-29 , with 803 adults nationwide questioned by telephone . The survey 's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points .
Where do you stand ? Add your thoughts in the comments below :
QUESTION : If the federal government shuts down , do you think that Barack Obama or the Republicans in Congress would be more responsible for that ?
QUESTION : Do you think Barack Obama has acted mostly like a responsible adult or mostly like a spoiled child during the recent debate over the federal budget ?
QUESTION : Do you think the Republicans in Congress have acted mostly like responsible adults or mostly like spoiled children during the recent debate over the federal budget ?
QUESTION : Do you think the Democrats in Congress have acted mostly like responsible adults or mostly like spoiled children during the recent debate over the federal budget ? | nWexooWGypXhLvNl | 0 | US Congress | 0 | Politics | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
great_britain | Vox | https://www.vox.com/2019/9/6/20851302/brexit-boris-johnson-parliament-elections-corbyn-explained | The week in Brexit drama, explained | 2019-09-06 | great_britain | The Brexit debate set off another wild week in British politics that started with Parliament rebelling against Prime Minister Boris Johnson , continued with Johnson trying ( and failing ) to call new elections , and ended with Johnson declaring he ’ d “ rather be dead in a ditch ” than delay Brexit .
So , you know , just another week in UK politics these days .
And that ’ s what all this drama has really been about : politics . This week ’ s hijinks had less to do with the actual substantive debate about Brexit and more to do with the political power games surrounding it .
That ’ s because the UK is more or less in the same situation it has been in for the past year : The only Brexit deal on offer is the deeply unpopular one negotiated by former Prime Minister Theresa May . Parliament has repeatedly rejected it , along with all other Brexit options . The only thing Parliament does agree on is that it wants to avoid leaving the EU without a deal .
That leaves exiting the EU without a plan on the October 31 deadline as the default option . But because Parliament doesn ’ t want a no-deal departure — or the potential economic consequences that go with it — and because Parliament can ’ t figure out what it does want in a Brexit plan , it is trying to stall for more time .
And that ’ s the only thing that ’ s really changed : there ’ s now a prime minister ( Johnson ) at 10 Downing Street who staked his political fortune on the promise of delivering Brexit , “ do or die , ” by October 31 .
That set the stage for the contentious battle between him and Parliament that played out this week .
For those of you who have better things to do than to follow the day-to-day shenanigans of British politics , here ’ s a rundown of what happened this week and how it may ( or may not ) affect the future of Brexit .
Before we get to Parliament , we have to talk about Boris Johnson . Johnson , who took over as prime minister in July , has promised he will pull the UK out of the European Union by October 31 , with or without a deal in place outlining the terms of the divorce .
The deal that currently exists is the one that former Prime Minister Theresa May negotiated with the EU . Johnson and his band of Brexiteers oppose this deal because they see it as trapping the UK in the EU , without any say over the rules — Brexit without the exit , so to speak .
They mainly object to a provision referred to as the “ Irish backstop , ” which is a plan to guarantee that no matter the future EU-UK relationship , there will be no border checks or physical infrastructure on the politically sensitive border between Northern Ireland ( part of the UK ) and Ireland ( a country that will remain part of the EU ) . The need for this has to do with the conflict in Northern Ireland , known as the Troubles , which formally ended with a 1998 peace agreement . An open border was a critical part of that truce .
The EU has said getting rid of the backstop is nonnegotiable unless the UK can come up with a legitimate and viable alternative . The UK has not come up with a legitimate and viable alternative , so the EU is not renegotiating anything . Which means the same old deal is the only deal that exists right now .
However , Johnson is arguing — to both Parliament and the British public — that he can get a better deal , if only Parliament will get out of his way . He claims that as long as the EU knows the UK is desperate to avoid a no-deal Brexit , the bloc has no incentive to budge .
But , Johnson argues , once the EU realizes the UK is deadly serious about leaving without a potential deal , the EU will finally crack and give the UK the concessions it desires .
There are a few problems with Johnson ’ s argument . First , while he ’ s correct in assessing that the EU definitely doesn ’ t want a no-deal Brexit because it will be bad for it economically , the reality is that it will still be way worse for the UK than the EU .
And while Brexiteers have embraced the idea that a no-deal exit is the “ ripping the Band-Aid right off ” approach , it isn ’ t — not really . A better analogy is that the process of Brexiting is like trying to take an egg out of an omelet : a clean separation is basically impossible . That ’ s why we ’ re hearing all those predictions of food shortages and recessions if there ’ s no deal in place : it ’ s not easy to just ghost a decades-long trading and economic partner .
The UK will almost certainly still need to reach an actual deal with the EU after the no-deal , and you might be able to guess who might have all the leverage at that point ( hint : it ’ s not the UK ) .
The rebellion : Parliament tries to block a no-deal Brexit . Boris fights back — and loses .
Members of Parliament ( MPs ) , through numerous votes , have made it clear that they don ’ t want to put the country through the stress of a no-deal Brexit . They want to leave with a deal — just not the deal that ’ s actually available .
Johnson was well-aware of Parliament ’ s anti-no-deal proclivities . So he wanted to make it as hard as possible for MPs to foil his plan to leave on October 31 at all costs .
But the way he did it was controversial . He announced that he was going to temporarily suspend — or “ prorogue ” — Parliament for five weeks , starting as soon as September 9 and lasting until October 14 . Remember , the Brexit deadline is October 31 , so Parliament would have about one week in September , and then a little more than two weeks in October .
Proroguing is not usually controversial . It ’ s used to mark the end of one parliamentary session and the start of the other , and it ’ s often a thing that happens when a new government takes over , giving it time to set a new agenda .
But Johnson suspended Parliament for five weeks , an unprecedented duration that very much looked like an attempt to limit the time Parliament had to plot against him and block a no-deal Brexit .
In response , the opposition Labour Party and other smaller opposition parties returned from their summer breaks ready to rally together to get something done as quickly as possible . And — most critically — they peeled off a handful of Conservative Party members who broke with Johnson to “ take control of the order paper . ”
What that means is that backbench MPs — those who aren ’ t part of Johnson ’ s government — get to set the agenda . Usually , it ’ s the government ( Johnson ) who get to control what gets done in Parliament . Obviously , his government isn ’ t going to put forward a plan to stop a no-deal Brexit , so these MPs had to seize power so they could do it instead .
Parliament did this successfully on Tuesday , which gave members the chance to introduce that no-deal Brexit bill and vote on it Wednesday . In response , Johnson ’ s whip expelled the 21 Conservative rebels — basically kicked them out of the party — for their disloyalty , which also happened to completely tank Johnson ’ s majority in Parliament .
But it did little to stop Parliament ’ s plan , and MPs successfully advanced the bill to stop a no-deal Brexit , dealing Johnson his second defeat as prime minister in two days . It ’ s been a pretty awful first week of work for the new prime minister .
Oh , and it somehow got worse for Johnson after that .
Okay ! So Parliament just stopped a no-deal Brexit . That ’ s great news , right ?
The actual bill — known as the Benn bill , for the Labour MP Hilary Benn who introduced it — requires the prime minister to seek an extension from the European Union if he doesn ’ t have a new deal by October 19 , or unless Parliament explicitly votes for a no-deal . The suggested extension is three months , putting the new deadline at about January 31 , 2020 .
All 27 EU leaders would have to unanimously agree to such an extension ( they might , they might not , they may set a different date , who knows ) and Parliament will also have to approve the extension that Johnson , or some other prime minister , brings back . It can ’ t stop a no-deal Brexit , but it binds the prime minister , by law , to at least go back to the EU and try to get an extension .
It ’ s not yet a law , though it ’ s expected to become one before Parliament is officially prorogued .
The problem is that Johnson says he ’ s not going to do it . He ’ s not going to ask for an extension , even if the law says he has to .
He called the delay “ pointless ” and blamed Parliament for undercutting his negotiating position . It ’ s not clear what would happen if he actually refused to follow through , but the simple answer is it would probably spark a constitutional crisis . But the UK is not quite at that point yet .
That ’ s because Johnson is trying to get around it in another way : elections . He ’ s saying , “ let ’ s take it back to the people. ” He asked Parliament for permission to call new elections , essentially giving the power back to voters to decide if they want his version of Brexit — get out , and get on with it — or Parliament ’ s continued dilly-dallying , which Johnson and his supporters claim are really just attempts to stop Brexit altogether .
Johnson asked for elections to be held on October 15 , about two weeks ahead of the Brexit deadline . But he can ’ t just get them — he needs two-thirds of Parliament ( around 434 MPs ) to go along with his plan , thanks to the Fixed-Term Parliament Act 2011 .
And here ’ s where Parliament foiled him again . It said no ( well , members mostly abstained ) , but the end result was the same : no elections . At least not yet .
Elections are going to happen — it ’ s just a matter of when . And that ’ s some tricky , tricky business for a whole lot of reasons .
Maybe the biggest one is timing : Again , Johnson wants an election on October 15 , before the Brexit deadline . This is more or less the earliest it can be ; by that same Fixed-Term Parliament Act , elections can ’ t be sooner than 25 working days after Parliament dissolves . It doesn ’ t have to dissolve immediately , and it can be longer than that , but that ’ s the soonest elections can happen through Johnson ’ s route of asking for one .
( There ’ s another way to get to elections , which is through a no-confidence vote in Johnson ; that gives Parliament 14 days to form a new government . If it can ’ t , then elections can start 25 days later . )
But Johnson wants elections as soon as possible so he can hopefully get rid of enough of those meddling MPs to be able to make Brexit happen .
Johnson ’ s also betting on the fact that the opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn — the guy most likely to challenge Johnson for the prime ministership — is unpopular right now . Like , really unpopular . More Brits said they ’ d support a no-deal Brexit over having Corbyn as prime minister in a recent poll — in other words , they ’ d rather risk a recession than have him as prime minister .
The reasons for this are complicated . Corbyn ’ s basically a socialist , and he freaks out more moderate Labour members and Conservatives who are less enthusiastic about Brexit and dislike Johnson but are positively terrified of a Corbyn government . ( He ’ s got other issues , too . ) Corbyn has retained support with the active base of his party , which is how he ’ s managed to remain in control .
Corbyn , and by default his party , also haven ’ t handled Brexit particularly well . Corbyn ’ s strategy was to muddle through , attack Conservatives where he could , stop any no-deal Brexit plans , and get to elections so he could get power and be the one to negotiate Brexit .
Corbyn is also kind of at odds with many of the more moderate voters in his party . He ’ s always been skeptical of the EU , and he ’ s pro-Brexit at heart . And while there are definitely Labour voters who agree with him on that , the core of his party opposes Brexit .
Corbyn ’ s fence-sitting created an opening for the much smaller Liberal Democrats . They ’ re staunchly anti-Brexit and want to hold a second referendum . They ’ ve surged in popularity because of this stance .
Labour and Lib Dems will likely have to fight for the same votes in any elections . They could work together , but that means a lot of compromise , which is difficult in elections where everyone wants power . But that doesn ’ t solve the problem of Corbyn himself , so even with an alliance , it ’ s still not clear they could take down the Conservatives , according to recent polling .
After the motion to hold new elections was defeated on Wednesday , Johnson mused that the reason Corbyn voted against the measure “ was that he doesn ’ t think he will win . ”
Harold Clarke , a polling expert and politics professor at the University of Texas in Dallas , agreed with Johnson ’ s assessment . “ They ’ ve got good reason to be scared , ” he told me of the Labour Party . “ They can do the math , just like I do . ”
Well , not quite . They just want to be very strategic about when they go for them . Labour has said they don ’ t want to have elections until this no-deal Brexit bill is officially law , ideally binding Johnson to seek an extension he doesn ’ t want .
But this is not a foolproof plan , either . ( For one , if Johnson does win an outright majority in new elections , he could always repeal the law . ) What many Brexit opponents want Labour to do is wait until a Johnson , without a majority in Parliament and no new Brexit plan , must ask the EU for an extension . This would postpone a dangerous crash-out and force Johnson into breaking the core promise of his premiership : that ’ d he take the UK out of the EU on October 31 , do or die .
That Johnson would be a lot less formidable to run against , and Conservatives could potentially face a serious challenge from the upstart Brexit Party , which , well , you can guess what they want .
Nobody really knows . It ’ s pretty clear that when the elections do happen ( Johnson ’ s expected to try again on Monday , Labour has indicated it won ’ t support the motion , again ) will be the closest thing to a second referendum voters are going to get — who you vote for is an expression of whether you want to leave the EU or remain .
Pro-Leave ( the EU ) and pro-Remain ( in the EU ) voters don ’ t evenly divide across traditional party lines of the Conservatives and Labour . That ’ s created some strange partnerships and elevated different parties — the new Brexit party , the Liberal Democrats — that ’ s eroded the domination , or started to change the character of , those two major parties .
And the UK is still almost evenly split between Leave and Remain supporters . Which means that even an election might not necessarily offer any more clarity on what the country should do about Brexit . But it might be the best chance .
Just one last thing : This thing about Boris ’ s brother . What ’ s the deal with that ?
Johnson ’ s brother , Jo Johnson , announced Thursday that he was resigning from Parliament and the government ( he was the universities minister ) because he was torn between family loyalty and the “ national interest . ”
It ’ s been an honour to represent Orpington for 9 years & to serve as a minister under three PMs . In recent weeks I ’ ve been torn between family loyalty and the national interest - it ’ s an unresolvable tension & time for others to take on my roles as MP & Minister . # overandout — Jo Johnson ( @ JoJohnsonUK ) September 5 , 2019
In other words , he loves his brother Boris but can ’ t support his Brexit plan .
He ’ s not the only Conservative member to defect or resign this week , but his resignation is definitely eye-catching because , siblings . It has also handed Labour and other Johnson opponents a pretty sweet attack line : Even your own brother doesn ’ t trust you to run this country .
To be fair , the Johnsons have been open-ish about their political disagreements : Johnson ’ s sister Rachel ran as an anti-Brexit candidate in the European Parliamentary elections earlier this year . But they ’ ve been careful to separate opposition to Brexit ( or at least disagreements on the issue ) from opposition to Boris .
Jo Johnson ’ s resignation has complicated that balance a bit . As if this could get even more complicated . | HLc6QLbUIUTFP187 | 0 | Brexit | 0.4 | British Parliament | -0.1 | European Union | 0.1 | Boris Johnson | 0 | Great Britain | 0 |
free_speech | Politico | http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/09/the-democrats-assault-on-free-speech-110641.html?hp=pm_2#.VA22tGRdU8g | OPINION: The Democrats’ Assault on Free Speech | 2014-09-07 | free_speech | Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is the Senate Majority Leader .
Throughout August , senators had the opportunity to travel around their states and listen to the concerns of their constituents . The American people have a lot on their minds these days — important issues they expect the Democrat-run Senate to address : things like high unemployment , threats of terrorism , rising health care costs and the ongoing crisis at the border .
Unfortunately , hardly any of those things will be on the Senate ’ s agenda when it returns Monday .
That ’ s because the Democrats who control the Senate say they ’ re more interested in repealing the free speech protections the First Amendment guarantees to all Americans . Their goal is to shut down the voices of their critics at a moment when they fear the loss of their fragile Senate majority . And to achieve it , they ’ re willing to devote roughly half of the remaining legislative days before November to this quixotic anti-speech gambit .
The proposal they want to consider would empower incumbent politicians to write the rules on who gets to speak and who doesn ’ t . And while no one likes to be criticized , the way for Senate Democrats to avoid it is to make better arguments , or even better , to come up with better ideas — not shut up their constituents .
Not surprisingly , a proposal as bad as the one Senate Democrats are pushing won ’ t even come close to garnering the votes it would need to pass . But to many Democrats , that ’ s just the point . They want this proposal to fail because they think that somehow would help them on Election Day — they think it will help drive to the polls more left-wing voters who don ’ t like having to defend their ideas .
If all this seems like an object lesson in why most Americans are so disgusted with Washington right now , that ’ s because it is . With legislative priorities like this , it ’ s no wonder a recent Quinnipiac poll found that just 14 percent of respondents say they think the government in Washington can be counted on to do what ’ s right most or all of the time .
A more sensible approach would be for the Democrats who run the Senate to take up the slew of job-creation bills the Republican-controlled House already has passed , some with overwhelming bipartisan support . But Senate Democrats prefer to spend their time on bizarre sideshows like trying to take an eraser to the First Amendment .
None of this should be surprising to even the most casual observer of the Senate these days . Earlier this year , the Democratic leadership rolled out a partisan playbook drafted by campaign staffers that spelled out just how they planned to run the Senate in the run-up to November . It was filled with partisan proposals designed specifically to fail so Democrats could campaign on the failure of that legislation , blaming Republicans for what wasn ’ t done . | sGShrpvH1aldZVtU | 0 | Democratic Party | -0.3 | Mitch McConnell | -0.1 | Free Speech | 0 | null | null | null | null |
politics | ABC News (Online) | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sen-john-mccains-family-overwhelmed-outpouring-love-support/story?id=57397325 | Sen. John McCain's death draws outpouring of condolences from across political spectrum | 2018-08-25 | US Senate, Politics | Everyone from President to Trump to former President Obama offered condolences. As condolences poured in for Sen. John McCain from his political allies and foes alike, the Arizona Republican's daughter, Meghan McCain, offered a heartfelt tribute to a father who "taught me how to live." "I was with my father at his end, as he was with me at my beginning," Meghan McCain wrote in a statement. "In the thirty-three years we shared together, he raised me, taught me, corrected me, comforted me, encouraged me, and supported me in all things. He loved me, and I loved him. "He taught me how to live. His love and his care, ever-present, always unfailing, took me from a girl to a woman -- and he showed me what it is to be a man." She said now that her dad is gone, she is motivated more than ever to spend her life living up to "his example, his expectations, and his love." "My father's passing comes with sorrow and grief for me, for my mother, for my brothers, and for my sisters," wrote Meghan McCain, a co-host on ABC's "The View." "He was a great fire who burned bright, and we lived in his light and warmth for so very long. We know that his flame lives on in each of us. The days and years to come will not be the same without my dad -- but they will be good days, filled with life and love because of the example he lived for us." She thanked admirers of her father for their prayers, well-wishes, and remembrances of the American war hero who became a straight-shooting politician and reveled in being a maverick. "My father is gone, and I miss him only as an adoring daughter can," she wrote. "But in this loss, and in this sorrow, I take comfort in this: John McCain, hero of the republic and to his little girl, wakes today to something more glorious than anything on this earth. Today the warrior entered his true and eternal life, greeted by those who have gone before him, rising to meet the Author of All Things: The dream is ended: this is the morning." Everyone from President Donald Trump, who had a rocky relationship with the longtime senator, to former President Barack Obama, his opponent in the 2008 presidential campaign, to Sarah Palin, his former running mate, were saddened by McCain's death. "My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain," President Trump tweeted. "Our hearts and prayers are with you!" First lady Melania Trump also took to Twitter to express condolences, writing, "Our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy to the McCain Family. Thank you Senator McCain for your service to the nation." First daughter Ivanka Trump, added: "Honoring the memory and legacy of Senator John McCain, an American patriot, who served our great nation with distinction. My prayers are with Senator McCain’s family and loved ones as our nation mourns his passing." Obama said he and McCain competed "at the highest level of politics." "But we shared, for all our differences, a fidelity to something higher -– the ideals for which generations of Americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched, and sacrificed," Obama said in a statement. "We saw our political battles, even, as a privilege, something noble, an opportunity to serve as stewards of those high ideals at home, and to advance them around the world. "We saw this country as a place where anything is possible –- and citizenship as our patriotic obligation to ensure it forever remains that way," the statement continued. Palin, whom McCain later said he regretted selecting as his vice presidential running mate, said the country lost "an American original." "Sen. John McCain was a maverick and a fighter, never afraid to stand for his beliefs," she said in a tweet. "John never took the easy path in life -- and through sacrifice and suffering he inspired others to serve something greater than self. "John McCain was my friend," she continued. "I will remember the good times. My family and I send prayers for Cindy and the McCain family." The 81-year-old Republican senior senator from Arizona and Vietnam War veteran revealed last summer that he had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a fast-growing, aggressive type of brain tumor. In a statement released Friday morning, the McCain family said he has "surpassed expectations for survival" in the past year, but that the "progress of the disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict." His wife Cindy McCain tweeted after his passing that her "heart is broken." "I am so lucky to have lived the adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years," she said. "He passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the place he loved best." Earlier in the day, she thanked well-wishers for their support. "The entire McCain family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from around the world. Thank you," Cindy McCain, who has been married to her husband for 38 years, wrote on Twitter Saturday morning. The entire McCain family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from around the world. Thank you. Former President George W. Bush issued a statement saying, "Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended. Some voices are so vibrant, it is hard to think of them stilled. John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order." "He was a public servant in the finest traditions of our country. And to me, he was a friend whom I'll deeply miss. Laura and I send our heartfelt sympathies to Cindy and the entire McCain family, and our thanks to God for the life of John McCain." Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush, added that McCain was "a public servant of rarest courage." "Few sacrificed more for, or contributed more to, the welfare of his fellow citizens -- and indeed freedom-loving peoples around the world," Bush Sr. wrote in a statement. "Another American maverick and warrior, General George Patton, once observed: 'We should thank God that men such as these have lived.' To that, I can only add my gratitude to John's wife Cindy, his wonderful family, and the people of Arizona who permitted this great and good man to serve with such distinction in the world's greatest deliberative body." Former President Bill Clinton described McCain as a "skilled, tough politician," who was willing to work with colleagues on both sides of the political aisle. "Senator John McCain believed that every citizen has a responsibility to make something of the freedoms given by our Constitution, and from his heroic service in the Navy to his 35 years in Congress, he lived by his creed every day," Clinton said in a statement. Clinton said his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was honored to serve with McCain in the Senate and considered him a "trusted colleague." "He frequently put partisanship aside to do what he thought was best for the country, and was never afraid to break the mold if it was the right thing to do," Clinton said. Former President Jimmy Carter called McCain "a man of honor, a true patriot in the best sense of the word." "Americans will be forever grateful for his heroic military service and for his steadfast integrity as a member of the United States Senate," Carter wrote in a statement. "Rosalynn and I extend our sincere condolences to Senator McCain's family and to the people of Arizona whom he represented so forthrightly for so many years." Former Vice President Joe Biden, who forged a close friendship with McCain, said McCain "is proof that some truths are timeless. Character. Courage. Integrity. Honor." "A life lived embodying those truths casts a long, long shadow. John McCain will cast a long shadow. His impact on America hasn't ended. Not even close," Biden said. "It will go on for many years to come." Another close friend of McCain, Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., tweeted that "America and Freedom have lost one of her greatest champions. ....And I've lost one of my dearest friends and mentor." Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would introduce a resolution to rename the Russell Senate Office Building after McCain. "As you go through life, you meet few truly great people. John McCain was one of them," Schumer wrote in a statement. "His dedication to his country and the military were unsurpassed, and maybe most of all, he was a truth teller -- never afraid to speak truth to power in an era where that has become all too rare. The Senate, the United States, and the world are lesser places without John McCain." In the hours following McCain's death, accolades continued to come from national Republican and Democratic leaders, many of them also McCain's closest friends, and celebrities: -- Sen. Jeff Flake, McCain's Republican Senate colleague from Arizona, said, "Words cannot express the sorrow I feel at John McCain’s passing. The world has lost a hero and a statesman. Cindy and the McCain family have lost a loving husband and father. I have lost a wonderful friend. -- House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., called McCain "a giant of our time, not just for the things he achieved but for who he was and what he fought for all his life." Ryan said. "John put principle before politics. He put country before self. He was one of the most courageous men of the century. He will always be listed among freedom's most gallant and faithful servants." -- Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., simply said, "The nation is in tears." Pelosi added, "Compelled by his unshakeable faith and deep love of country, he dedicated his life to defending both America and the American idea -- fighting tirelessly to ensure that our nation always remains a land of justice, freedom and hope." -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said of McCain, "In an era filled with cynicism about national unity and public service, John McCain's life shone as a bright example. He showed us that boundless patriotism and self-sacrifice are not outdated concepts or clichés, but the building blocks of an extraordinary American life." -- Former Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who McCain said was his first choice as a running mate in his 2008 presidential run, said that although McCain's death was expected, the loss still hurts. "America has lost one of the greatest patriots and public servants in our history. And I have lost a dear friend. I was lucky to know him and work with him and am comforted now by great memories of our times together and by the words he spoke to me last summer when he was recovering from the brain cancer surgery: 'I want to live as long as I can but if my life ends soon as a result of this cancer, I will have been blessed to have lived a great life. So I am going to go forward with a lot of gratitude and joy every day I can.'" -- Ellen Degeneres said she was "honored to have met" McCain. "He always stood up for what he believed was right. Sending love to his family on this very sad day for our country." ABC News' Meghan Keneally contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events | 67418bc93c454648 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
healthcare | Fox News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/01/internal-notes-indicate-only-6-people-signed-up-for-obamacare-on-first-day/ | Internal notes indicate only 6 people signed up for ObamaCare on first day | 2013-11-01 | healthcare | Notes from an Obama administration meeting about the problem-plagued ObamaCare website indicate only six people signed up for the health care law on its first day , according to documents released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee .
███ ' Ed Henry told Megyn Kelly on “ The Kelly File ” Thursday that the documents , released by committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa , are not official enrollment numbers , but say that as of the morning of Oct. 2 , “ six enrollments have occurred so far with five different issuers . ”
The notes were taken at a “ war room ” meeting of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services , which has been tasked with implementing ObamaCare .
They say that at the next meeting , which took place on the afternoon of Oct. 2 , “ approximately 100 ” people had signed up and 248 enrollments had occurred by the morning of Oct. 3 .
The Obama administration has thus far not released any official numbers on ObamaCare enrollment , saying the first numbers would be released in mid-November after the HHS collects data from a variety of different sources .
A HHS spokesman told ███ the documents “ appear to be notes , ” and do not include official enrollment statistics .
“ As the Secretary said before Congress , we are focused on providing reliable and accurate information and we do not have that at this time due to the issues with 834 forms , ” Joanne Peters said . “ We have always anticipated that the pace of enrollment will increase throughout the enrollment period . ”
Health care industry consultant Robert Laszewski told Kelly the numbers are not surprising , saying `` clearly the White House does not want insurance companies talking about what 's going here . ''
`` And given what was released tonight , the news that so very few people are signing up , you can see why , '' he continued . `` If four weeks ago the enrollment numbers were public it would look very bad . I can tell you based upon the information that I continue to get this trickle of enrollment that you 're reporting on for the first three days has really continued for the first month . ''
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee received the documents in response to its request to 11 of the contractors involved in the ObamaCare website rollout . | AWJ9uVY93xdwLRCQ | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
supreme_court | Associated Press | https://www.apnews.com/cd658b2da9da44989ab585db559e4058 | SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: Gender pronouns part of LGBT fight | 2019-08-20 | supreme_court | FILE - In this Oct. 18 , 2018 file photo , the U.S. Supreme Court is seen at near sunset in Washington . Dozens of legal briefs supporting fired funeral director Aimee Stephens at the Supreme Court use “ she ” and “ her ” to refer to the transgender woman . So does the appeals court ruling in favor of Stephens that held that workplace discrimination against transgender people is illegal under federal civil rights law . But in more than 110 pages urging the Supreme Court to reverse that decision , the Trump administration and the funeral home where Stephens worked avoid those gender pronouns . ( AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta , File )
FILE - In this Oct. 18 , 2018 file photo , the U.S. Supreme Court is seen at near sunset in Washington . Dozens of legal briefs supporting fired funeral director Aimee Stephens at the Supreme Court use “ she ” and “ her ” to refer to the transgender woman . So does the appeals court ruling in favor of Stephens that held that workplace discrimination against transgender people is illegal under federal civil rights law . But in more than 110 pages urging the Supreme Court to reverse that decision , the Trump administration and the funeral home where Stephens worked avoid those gender pronouns . ( AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta , File )
WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Dozens of legal briefs supporting fired funeral director Aimee Stephens at the Supreme Court use “ she ” and “ her ” to refer to the transgender woman .
So does the appeals court ruling in favor of Stephens that held that workplace discrimination against transgender people is illegal under federal civil rights law .
But in more than 110 pages urging the Supreme Court to reverse that decision , the Trump administration and the Michigan funeral home where Stephens worked avoid gender pronouns , repeatedly using Stephens ’ name .
Stephens ’ case is one of two major fights over LGBT rights that will be argued at the high court on Oct. 8 . The other tests whether discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation also violates the provision of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 , known as Title 7 , that prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of sex . The cases are expected to be decided by next spring , during the presidential election campaign .
Decisions about gender pronouns may seem minor , but they appear to reflect the larger issues involved in this high-stakes battle .
John Bursch , the Alliance Defending Freedom lawyer who will argue on behalf of Harris Funeral Homes , wrote , “ Out of respect for Stephens and following this Court ’ s lead in Farmer v. Brennan ... Harris tries to avoid use of pronouns and sex-specific terms when referring to Stephens. ” Farmer v. Brennan was a 1994 decision that did not use gender pronouns to describe a transsexual prison inmate who had been assaulted by other inmates .
The administration ’ s court filing arguing that Title 7 “ does not prohibit discrimination against transgender persons based on their transgender status ” offers no explanation for the absence of gender pronouns for Stephens . A Justice Department spokeswoman did not respond to an email seeking comment .
“ It ’ s sad that neither the funeral home nor the Department of Justice can bring themselves to be minimally respectful of Aimee . But the real tragedy is that our government is urging the Supreme Court to rule that firing workers because they are transgender is perfectly legal , ” said James Esseks , director of the American Civil Liberties Union ’ s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & HIV Project . The ACLU represents Stephens at the Supreme Court .
Many organizations , including The ███ , use the gender pronouns an individual prefers .
That was the case when the 6th U.S . Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Stephens ’ favor . “ We refer to Stephens using female pronouns , in accordance with the preference she has expressed , ” Judge Karen Moore wrote .
In a similar case that reached the Supreme Court just before the 2016 election , a Virginia county school board fought transgender high school student Gavin Grimm , initially identified only by his initials , over his desire to use the boys ’ bathroom . The court eventually dismissed the case when President Donald Trump was elected and withdrew Obama administration policy that favored transgender students .
“ This petition uses ‘ he , ’ ‘ him , ’ and ‘ his ’ to respect G.G. ‘ s desire to be referred to with male pronouns . That choice does not concede anything on the legal question of what G.G. ‘ s ‘ sex ’ is for purposes of Title IX and its implementing regulation , ” conservative lawyer Kyle Duncan wrote in representing the school board at the Supreme Court . Duncan has since been named by Trump to the 5th U.S . Circuit Court of Appeals .
The court ’ s long recess doesn ’ t end until October , but just as students get back to hitting the books with their return to school , Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch will be pitching them . Each has a book due out in September .
Sotomayor ’ s 32-page children ’ s book , “ Just Ask ! : Be Different , Be Brave , Be You ” will be published on Sept. 3 . It ’ s about kids with life challenges such as diabetes , which Sotomayor was diagnosed with as a child .
The book is her fourth in her 10 years on the court and , like the others , will be released in both English and Spanish .
Gorsuch ’ s book , “ A Republic , If You Can Keep It , ” comes out a week later . The 352-page book is Gorsuch ’ s reflections , speeches and essays on the Constitution . The title comes from a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin at the end of the Constitutional Convention in 1787 .
Gorsuch ’ s book is his first as a justice . He wrote “ The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia ” in 2006 .
To promote his book , Gorsuch will speak at two presidential libraries in September : the Richard Nixon Library in California and the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Texas . He ’ ll also give a book talk at the National Archives in Washington . Sotomayor , meanwhile , will be making September appearances in suburban Atlanta and Chicago . | TfsbRh2z2dA0eEUg | 1 | LGBTQ Issues | 1.8 | Supreme Court | 0.7 | Gender | 0.5 | Justice | 0.2 | null | null |
banking_and_finance | CNBC | https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/20/fed-rate-decision-september-2023-.html | Fed declines to hike, but points to rates staying higher for longer | 2023-09-20 | Banking And Finance, Economy And Jobs, Inflation, Recession, Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, Interest Rates | The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady in a decision released Wednesday, while also indicating it still expects one more hike before the end of the year and fewer cuts than previously indicated next year.That final increase, if realized, would do it for this cycle, according to projections the central bank released at the end of its two-day meeting. If the Fed goes ahead with the move, it would make a full dozen hikes since the policy tightening began in March 2022.Markets had fully priced in no move at this meeting, which kept the fed funds rate in a targeted range between 5.25%-5.5%, the highest in some 22 years. The rate fixes what banks charge each other for overnight lending but also spills over into many forms of consumer debt.While the no-hike was expected, there was considerable uncertainty over where the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee would go from here. Judging from documents released Wednesday, the bias appears toward more restrictive policy and a higher-for-longer approach to interest rates.That outlook weighed on the market, with the S&P 500 falling nearly 1% and the Nasdaq Composite off 1.5%. Stocks oscillated as Fed Chair Jerome Powell took questions during a news conference."We're in a position to proceed carefully in determining the extent of additional policy firming," Powell said.However, he added that the central bank would like to see more progress in its fight against inflation."We want to see convincing evidence really that we have reached the appropriate level, and we're seeing progress and we welcome that. But, you know, we need to see more progress before we'll be willing to reach that conclusion," he said.Projections released in the Fed's dot plot showed the likelihood of one more increase this year, then two cuts in 2024, two fewer than were indicated during the last update in June. That would put the funds rate around 5.1%. The plot allows members to indicate anonymously where they think rates are headed.Twelve participants at the meeting penciled in the additional hike, while seven opposed it. That put one more in opposition than at the June meeting. Recently confirmed Fed Governor Adriana Kugler was not a voter at the last meeting. The projection for the fed funds rate also moved higher for 2025, with the median outlook at 3.9%, compared with 3.4% previously.Over the longer term, FOMC members pointed to a funds rate of 2.9% in 2026. That's above what the Fed considers the "neutral" rate of interest that is neither stimulative nor restrictive for growth. This was the first time the committee provided a look at 2026. The long-run expected neutral rate held at 2.5%."Chair Powell and the Fed sent an unambiguously hawkish higher-for-longer message at today's FOMC meeting," wrote Citigroup economist Andrew Hollenhorst. "The Fed is projecting inflation to steadily cool, while the labor market remains historically tight. But, in our view, a sustained imbalance in the labor market is more likely to keep inflation 'stuck' above target." | 4ed40fb654b4d2cd | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
holidays | Fox Online News | http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/12/23/what-homeless-woman-taught-me-about-christmas.html?intcmp=hphz05 | What a homeless woman taught me about Christmas | 2015-12-23 | holidays | I ended up in that particular Starbucks by accident , really . I ’ m glad I did , because a homeless woman taught me a valuable lesson about Christmas .
It was a few weeks ago and I had just finished catching up with one of my good friends over breakfast on the east side of New York City . We started walking to his office building , and as we did we strolled past the Starbucks . It seemed like the perfect place to park myself for the next two hours and work before I had to go to the airport .
My friend and I parted ways , and I dodged the trendy business suits holding their red cups and started looking for a seat . There was one open . Yes , I thought . Winning .
Across from the open seat was a homeless man , mouth gaped open and a pea-sized amount of foamy saliva pooling at the corner of his lips . At any minute , gravity was going to win . He had his once-white socks pulled up over the outside of his sweatpants , and a tattered , black jacket with the hood pulled over the top of his head . He repositioned himself , and I caught a glimpse of days-old scruff that was clinging to remnants of what was likely someone else ’ s discarded meal .
I lived in New York City for six years . This type of scene isn ’ t new or abnormal for me . It ’ s life in the city . So I grabbed the seat .
I worked as the man slept . Tap , tap , tap on my keyboard . He barely flinched . People came and went . Baristas called out wrong names . Two hours later , he and I were the longest-tenured inhabitants , besides the employees behind the counter .
That ’ s when I caught a glimpse of an L.L . Bean-type man , a canvas messenger bagged draped over his shoulder .
“ Sir . Sir ! SIR ! ” He tried to wake the homeless man up , but nothing happened . He never touched him , just leaned in close . After a few unsuccessful attempts , he walked off .
Five minutes later , it happened again , but this time it was a small woman dressed in a Starbucks uniform . She approached the homeless man from the front , gently placing her hand on his knee .
“ Sir . Sir ! ” His head finally moved . “ You can ’ t be here anymore . You need to leave . ”
She walked toward the man who had tried to do the same thing earlier and they began talking about inventory and product placement as they toured the store . A regional manager of some sort , I assumed .
At this point you ’ re probably wondering why I keep talking about a homeless man when I teased a lesson from a homeless woman . Well , here ’ s where she comes in .
Behind the homeless man , a disheveled woman in a grimy flannel had sidled her way up to the counter and taken a sideways seat on a stool . A red cart loaded with her possessions stood as a sentry . As she sat there , she put one elbow on the counter and rested her head on her hand , staring up at an angle like a teenage girl daydreaming about her crush .
As the man began stirring , he reached in his pocket and pulled out a yellow iPhone . It must have been charged and operational , because he did something on it for about three minutes . I could see about five sets of eyes cast glances . That ’ s when it happened .
“ Sir . Sir. ” The homeless woman from the counter was trying to get the man ’ s attention . He reluctantly looked up . “ Would you like a cup of coffee ? ”
What ? I thought to myself . Did I just hear that right ? Did she offer to get him a coffee ?
“ Would you like a cup of coffee ? ” She asked again , a little louder but in a genuine way .
This is where I ’ m supposed to tell you that he graciously accepted ; that he said “ Merry Christmas ; ” that I learned the true spirit of the season is about giving not getting .
He gave a simple , and somewhat terse , “ No. ” She smiled , said “ OK , ” and returned to daydreaming . She had a smile on her face .
And that ’ s when I realized I was envious of her .
See , she wasn ’ t offering a gift in order to make herself feel good . Sometimes what ’ s lost in the message that Christmas is about giving and not getting is that we still project the entitlement mentality on the former . We expect a certain reaction , a certain set of warm fuzzies to tickle us all over when we give a present , and the person opening it to light up and showers up with thanks . The homeless women offered her gift , was rejected , and still smiled . She didn ’ t find her worth in giving . She found it in genuinely caring for the man , which meant she wasn ’ t crushed when he rejected it .
She ’ s the opposite of Mrs. Fidget , the motherly character in C.S . Lewis ’ classic “ The Four Loves. ” Mrs. Fidget gave to her children and husband in a manner that they despised . She did too much . She smothered them . She needed to be needed . She gave not for them , but for her .
“ The proper aim of giving is to put the recipient in the state where he no longer needs our gift , ” Lewis writes . “ The hour when we can say , ‘ They need me no longer , ’ should be our reward . ”
So when you give this Christmas season , don ’ t give with an expectation that the person receiving has to act a certain way , or that they have to meet a certain threshold of thankfulness . Don ’ t give because you ’ re looking to get something out of it . Give out of joy . Give because it ’ s the right thing to do . Give to honor the ultimate gift that the season is named after . | Qsh1aMWa9nNUEE7Y | 2 | Holidays | 0.2 | General News | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
us_constitution | Des Moines Register | https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2020/03/01/stifling-free-speech-isnt-necessary-combat-anti-semitism/4891191002/ | Stifling free speech isn't necessary to combat anti-Semitism | 2020-03-01 | Antisemitism, Iowa, US Constitution, Hate Speech, 1st Amendment, Free Speech | The language on anti-Semitism in an Iowa bill was never intended as a basis for legislation , and its adoption elsewhere has stifled free speech .
From swastika-adorned vandalism on Iowa campuses to mass shootings , anti-Semitism is a growing and deadly threat . But a bill before the Iowa House is the wrong way to combat it , and it threatens to stifle free speech .
The bill , House File 2303 , would require state entities to employ the controversial 2016 Working Definition of Antisemitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance , or IHRA , in reviewing any possible “ violation of law , rule , or policy regarding discriminatory acts. ” It echoes a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump that focused on campus anti-Semitism .
The IHRA does important work . It assists member nations in preserving historical sites and records , for example . It funds research in understudied areas , like the Nazi genocide of the Roma people and the mass murder of the disabled , and much more .
The IHRA ’ s “ working definition of antisemitism , ” however , was never intended to be legally binding . The organization developed the definition as a tool for member states to track incidents of anti-Semitism . It was to serve as an aid in data collection : nothing more , nothing less .
But don ’ t take my word for it : Ask the principal author of the definition , Kenneth Stern . Now the director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate , Stern has sharply criticized governments ’ use of the definition in legalistic frameworks .
The IHRA ’ s working definition of anti-Semitism is an inadequate basis for legislation for two reasons . First , it is vague . It begins : “ Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews , which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews. ” It leaves open the question of what those “ certain perceptions ” are .
The most concerning aspects of the definition , however , are the examples appended to help officials identify expressions of anti-Semitism . Seven of the 11 examples concern criticism of the state of Israel .
Criticism of Israel can certainly overlap with anti-Semitism , and when it does , it must be called out . Such disproportionate focus on Israel , however , creates a presumption that criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic . Those who can ’ t afford to defend against a lawsuit would sensibly avoid any speech critical of Israel — which potentially includes all support for Palestinian rights . As Stern says , “ It sets up a system in which administrators have a reason to either condemn or try to suppress pro-Palestinian speech because their job is to keep the university from being sued . ”
The focus on Israel also distracts from other expressions of anti-Semitism . The recent wave of anti-Semitic acts in this country has not come from supporters of the Palestinian cause . The acts have come from white supremacists and individuals radicalized by other , less prevalent , hate-based ideologies . Yet as Stern notes , there ’ s no equivalent definition of anti-black racism , with examples , that has the force of law . “ If you were to craft one , ” he asks , “ would you include opposition to affirmative action ? Opposing removal of Confederate statues ? ”
To penalize such opinion would clearly violate free speech . But Stern points to the most promising way to combat anti-Semitism : Take unified action against all forms of identity-based oppression .
The IHRA working definition does contain a caveat : “ Antisemitism does not include criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country. ” But that word “ similar ” is too open to interpretation . Is criticism of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories anti-Semitic ? Similar criticism isn ’ t leveled against any other country — because no other country engages in this practice .
Experience shows how easily legalistic use of the IHRA definition can lead to overreaching , defeating the very purpose of building a more just world . In Britain , which has adopted the definition , a charity event for Palestinian children was canceled out of concern that it might be seen as breaching the IHRA framework . Here at home , universities have been threatened with defunding because of scholarly events seeking a better understanding of the Middle East .
The IHRA working definition of anti-Semitism was never intended as a basis for legislation , and its adoption elsewhere has stifled free speech . The Iowa House should reject this bill .
Elizabeth Heineman is a Holocaust scholar and educator at The University of Iowa . | 51af5bf9075fd596 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
national_defense | Christian Science Monitor | https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2019/1203/Kansas-in-Middle-East-How-US-has-and-hasn-t-changed-Afghanistan?cmpid=shared-email&src=highlight | Kansas in Middle East? How US has – and hasn’t – changed Afghanistan | 2019-12-03 | national_defense | In September , President Donald Trump ended nearly a year of controversial negotiations for a U.S. military pullout with the Taliban , as the talks were on the cusp of agreement . Last week , however , he announced during his first visit to the country that talks would resume . Whatever the U.S. presence remains from here , questions persist about one of the most ambitious nation-building efforts in the post-World War II era : Just how fragile is the change to Afghan society , and what has all that American taxpayer cash left behind ?
But there are contradictions in that progress . Infrastructure projects that were supposed to open doors have been tempered by corruption and mismanagement . And the U.S. presence and money did create a sense of dependency among Afghans .
Once-unthinkable strides have been made in women ’ s rights , education for girls , and the creation of a middle class with high expectations for a civil society .
American troops remain locked in the longest war in U.S. history . Over the course of 18 years in Afghanistan , the United States has spent billions of dollars on the war and to rebuild there . The cumulative effect of the U.S. presence does not reflect the fortune spent , but it has changed the nation .
On a crisp early winter day in late 2003 , Afghan President Hamid Karzai took a pair of scissors from a tray offered by a schoolgirl – she was dressed for the ceremonial occasion in a purple velvet brocade dress with a reddish orange headscarf – and cut a ribbon to officially inaugurate the resurfaced Kabul-Kandahar highway .
On hand was then-U.S . Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad , who recalled in his speech how President George W. Bush had phoned him every other day to push for the first layer of asphalt to be laid on this flagship nation-building enterprise before winter snows set in . Even today , local Afghans call this vital 300-mile stretch of highway the “ Mr . Bush Project . ”
“ There were some problems that we pointed out , but they were ignored , because President Bush would say , ‘ Before the snow falls , the black line should be connected to Kandahar , ’ ” recalls an Afghan engineer who worked on the project for an American company . “ The black line was the first priority ; the second actually was quality , ” the engineer says , noting how U.S. politics had driven the rebuilding timeline . “ But in the next year , too many problems came out ... because of the speed . They pushed too fast . ”
AIJAZ RAHI/AP/FILE Then-President Hamid Karzai ( center , in brown robe ) inaugurates the Kabul-Kandahar highway in 2003 . The road was central to U.S. nation-building efforts but has been wracked by problems .
The highway was portrayed as the symbol of the American commitment to rebuild Afghanistan after decades of war and after U.S. forces orchestrated the ousting of the archconservative Taliban and Al Qaeda in November 2001 , following the 9/11 attacks . Mr. Bush promised the United States would succeed as nation builders . He noted the history of military conflicts in Afghanistan was “ one of initial success followed by long years of floundering and ultimate failure , ” but vowed in April 2002 that America was “ not going to repeat that mistake. ” It would instead create a nation “ free from this evil [ that ] is a better place in which to live . ”
Yet the Kabul-Kandahar highway is emblematic of how America ’ s immense ambition in Afghanistan has yielded a mixed result of victories and defeats . The cumulative effect of the U.S. presence here does not reflect the fortune spent , but it clearly has changed the nation – often for the better .
Despite the ribbon-cutting fanfare , this highway would eventually be crushed under the heavy weight of traffic it was not designed to carry . It would split with micro-cracks caused by explosions of roadside bombs and blown-up bridges and culverts . Insecurity also restricted maintenance , as it would hobble the entire U.S. effort .
Indeed , 18 years after they first arrived , U.S. troops remain locked in the longest war in American history , and the cost in blood and treasure has been high . More than 2,400 U.S. military personnel have died since 2001 . And in the first nine months of 2019 alone , the United Nations counts 2,563 Afghan civilians killed .
The Taliban insurgency now controls or has influence across more than half of Afghanistan and is advancing . Yet the price of reconstruction paid by the U.S. has now topped $ 132 billion – never mind the far higher cost of the war itself , which is at least six times greater , official figures show . By comparison , the entire Marshall Plan to rebuild 16 European countries after World War II took some $ 100 billion in today ’ s dollars .
Despite the huge investment , Afghanistan ’ s streets are not paved with gold . There is little here , in fact , that looks like Western Europe : Poverty remains endemic , corruption is chronic , and much of the money poured into rebuilding has been lost , mismanaged , or spent on dubious projects . Persistent insecurity only highlights how the authority of the U.S.-backed government is diminishing .
Yet Afghans note that other , less quantifiable metrics of progress give more reason for optimism . Their nation and society have been irreversibly transformed by the American effort here . Once-unthinkable strides have been made in women ’ s rights , education for girls , and the creation of a middle class with high expectations for a civil society .
The U.S. presence and money , to be sure , did create a sense of dependency among Afghans . It enabled not only corruption , but also the “ thinking that somebody else is going to do your job for you : The Americans are going to come , they are going to build my army , they are going to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda , they are going to fix my country , ” says Masood Karokhail , director of The Liaison Office , a Kabul-based group that facilitates peace and rebuilding .
At the same time , however , he says that efforts by the U.S. and other donors instilled an Afghan version of the American dream . Afghans now demand more political rights and to live better lives .
“ Those thousands of workshops that happened across the country on women ’ s rights , on youth , freedom ... each of those have left something in our minds , ” says Mr. Karokhail . “ For a country that had been a very traditional , closed society , suddenly it was exploding not only with cash but also information . ”
In September , President Donald Trump ended nearly a year of controversial negotiations for a U.S. military pullout with the Taliban , as the talks were on the cusp of agreement . Last week , however , he announced during his first visit to the country that talks would resume . Whatever U.S. presence remains from here , questions persist about one of the most ambitious nation-building efforts in the post-World War II era : Just how fragile is the change to Afghan society , especially in Kabul and other urban centers , and what has all that American taxpayer cash left behind ?
In 2001 , Afghanistan was certainly a different place . The country was coming out of five years of austere Taliban rule that forbade women from working outside the home , forbade schooling for girls , and even forbade photographic images of a human face . Taliban checkpoints were strewn with confiscated videotapes and music CDs .
Afghans describe their society then as a “ desert ” – hopeless and lost in time .
“ Just the level of human flourishing since the arrival of American troops – you can actually talk about an influx of resources creating babies that don ’ t die , and kids that get educated , ” says Graeme Smith , an Afghanistan analyst for the International Crisis Group , a Brussels-based think tank .
The statistics charting such upward trends are impressive . But they are tempered by “ waste , fraud and abuse ” that U.S. auditors in 2017 said had tarnished 29 % of the $ 52.7 billion in spending they examined .
“ We can ’ t rebuild it into a little America , ” John Sopko , the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction , whose office produces voluminous quarterly reports and audits for Congress , told The Hill , a U.S. political website , in June 2018 . “ I think that was one of the problems . We wanted to turn this into Kansas . ”
“ We designed and funded a lot of programs that the Afghans didn ’ t even know about until we turned it over to them , ” Mr. Sopko said . “ Basically , dollar bills were falling from the sky . ”
The contradictions of progress in Afghanistan – and a lack of it – are evident at the Ariana Kabul Private High School in north Kabul , which teaches 350 students on a shoestring budget . It offers a 50 % discount for girls , to encourage their attendance , and also takes in a number of street kids for free .
“ Most women in our community are illiterate , so if a mother is educated , it will have a direct effect , ” says Laila Dost , the school ’ s director . “ Our policy is to pave the way for poor urban boys and girls . ”
They share the same classrooms and same desks up to the sixth grade . Boys and girls are separated at higher grades . Such a mixed school was impossible under the Taliban in the late 1990s , when one teacher here organized secret classes for girls .
“ Officially it was a holy Quran course , ” recalls Homira Kohi . “ Every student carried a holy Quran in their hand , and their [ regular ] books in their backpack . If the Taliban came , they were to immediately take hold of the Quran . ”
The official Taliban curriculum “ was all about conflict , guns , and bombs , ” she says . Students recited sentences like , “ My father has a gun , and with his gun he goes on jihad. ” Ms. Kohi was excited when the Taliban fell because Afghans thought the militants would be in the country “ forever . ”
“ Every human is struggling for their desire ; we struggled so much for education , ” she says . “ Now there is a huge difference in the desire of the people . ”
But the continuing challenges of the Ariana school are evident in the deeply rutted dirt road in front of the school . A local member of Parliament lives on this street and – even though his son goes to the school – has prevented neighbors from taking up a collection to pave it . He worries that a better road will only make it easier for a suicide car bomber to attack . Ms. Dost herself has paid for gravel to be spread in front of the school when it rains and snows , because politicians “ build big buildings , but only “ think about themselves . ”
In the school ’ s basement , no lighting exists in two classrooms , the library , and a science area where a large periodic table hangs from the wall along with models of the human body – their sexual organs modestly covered with tape .
The rooms are dark because Kabul and 16 provinces , nearly half of the country , were without power in mid-September for the third time in two years . The Taliban sabotaged transmission lines bringing electricity from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan .
Power should be available from the vast $ 335 million Tarakhil Power Plant built by the U.S. to provide the capital city with energy . But the project , completed in 2010 and labeled the “ white elephant of Kabul , ” has proved unsustainable because it requires far more diesel fuel to operate than Afghanistan can afford .
DAVID GOLDMAN/AP/FILE Sayed Rasoul , an engineer , works in the power station at the Kajaki Dam in Afghanistan ’ s Helmand province . Large parts of the country are periodically without power because of disruptions caused by Taliban fighters and poor project choices made by U.S. and Afghan officials .
“ Each hour , that plant uses 40,000 liters ” of diesel , says an electrical engineer with a detailed understanding of the project , who asked not to be named . That would cost $ 35,000 or $ 40,000 per hour , and multiplied by 24 hours , “ it ’ s a huge amount , ” he says .
The Tarakhil plant , he adds , “ was better for Dubai or Saudi Arabia , not for Afghanistan . Because of that , people ask : Why didn ’ t they build three dams with this money ? ” Indeed , the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction in 2015 found that Tarakhil was severely underutilized , operated at less than 1 % capacity , and risked becoming a “ catastrophic failure . ”
The U.S. should have known about the difficulty of finding a steady supply of diesel fuel . Soon after the American arrival , another U.S. program sought to bring diesel generators to every village in the country to provide electricity . But most of them were idle within months .
If half the families in a village don ’ t have “ 10 afghanis [ 13 cents ] to buy bread , how do they pay 20 afghanis every night for fuel ? ” asks the Afghan road engineer . “ Actually , 20 afghanis is very little . But for local village people they have no work , no resources , nothing . ”
Stories abound of war profiteering . Afghan contractors and businesspeople have shipped ill-gotten gains to Dubai , United Arab Emirates , and beyond , while ordinary people scratch for bread or risk their lives on the migrant routes to Europe . But such realities mask real positive change in Afghanistan .
“ Donor countries have put blood and treasure into this country , and they have made a lot of sacrifice , ” says Abdallah al-Dardari , the country representative of the United Nations Development Program in Kabul . “ Afghanistan today is not the Afghanistan of 2001 . ”
One result , says Mr. al-Dardari , is that the country “ has done a paradigm shift on the road to democracy , ” which includes political and media freedom .
Another is the “ resilience ” of the society and its institutions . Even though illiteracy and poverty are high , he says , people are much more sophisticated about understanding the importance of development and aid .
Still , U.S. nation builders “ were very ambitious for a very long time , ” says a veteran Western official in Kabul . “ For the amount of money , they got very little . ... Their return on investment is very low , but they did achieve something . ”
On the positive side , the official notes that without the money put into rebuilding the Afghan security forces – despite high casualty rates and corruption – “ we would be worse off , and the Taliban would probably have taken over again by force . ”
U.S. and other donor funding has been instrumental , too , in helping groups such as the Afghan Midwives Association ( AMA ) . Since 2001 , it has helped expand the number of trained Afghan midwives from 467 to 15,000 . It has reduced maternal mortality from 1,600 deaths per 100,000 live births to between 800 and 1,200 deaths .
The improvement is evident in the “ stories ” quilted on 3-by-4-foot cloth , presented by midwives from each province to the AMA , as part of an annual competition . One narrative depicts a woman pregnant with triplets who experienced abnormal bleeding . But she gets the care she needs – and all survive . Two decades ago , the mother and babies would likely have perished , says Farzana Darkhani , AMA ’ s executive director .
“ Fortunately , these cases are [ today ] very easily managed by midwives , ” says Ms. Darkhani . “ Because community awareness has also been improved , they know about the danger signs and can bring mothers to health facilities to take care of them . ”
Fawzia Koofi , a former lawmaker from the province of Badakhshan , has witnessed positive change in the country as well . When her father set up a local school four decades ago , girls had no chance to attend and families were even reluctant to send boys : The fear was they would be forced to serve in the army and learn something that contradicted their values .
“ This is not something you can see because it ’ s not a building , it is not something measurable , ” says Ms. Koofi . “ But if you go to the same community now , even much more remote areas , people come and ask me to build schools for their girls . That is a transformation in the mindset of people , in society . ”
Improving the status of women extends beyond the classroom . Zan TV , or “ Women ’ s TV , ” is a channel that broadcasts shows about women ’ s issues , with the aim of empowering Afghan women . “ If there were still a Taliban regime , it ’ s clear : There would be no Zan TV , no freedom , ” says Shogofa Sediqi , chief executive officer of Zan TV . She also points out that boys forced to wear turbans during the Taliban era are now professors and advisers to the president .
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All this means that , as costly as the U.S. support of Afghanistan has been in the 18 years since the toppling of the Taliban , it has wrought significant change in a society gripped by war for decades .
“ The important things that changed are in people ’ s minds , ” says Ms. Sediqi , who notes that when she first chose to be a journalist , her uncles and other relatives were opposed . “ Those who prevented me , now they are proud of me and say , ‘ Your work is great , ’ ” she says . “ Changes start from my own family . From this , so many minds are changed . ” | 6l8p6vWvozrVxCK5 | 1 | Afghanistan | -0.2 | National Defense | 0.2 | Defense And Security | 0 | null | null | null | null |
middle_east | Associated Press Fact Check | https://apnews.com/article/israel-middle-east-israel-palestinian-conflict-health-coronavirus-pandemic-9b59e6d675531576e819b6b948eba99d | Israel’s Netanyahu ‘determined’ to continue Gaza operation | 2021-05-19 | Middle East, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Israel Hamas Violence | GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to press ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, pushing back against calls from the United States to wind down the operation that has left hundreds dead.Netanyahu’s tough comments marked the first public rift between the two close allies since the fighting began last week and could complicate international efforts to reach a cease-fire. His pushback also plunges the pair into a difficult early test of the U.S.-Israel relationship.Israel continued to pound Hamas targets in Gaza with airstrikes, while Palestinian militants bombarded Israel with rocket fire throughout the day. In another sign of potential escalation, militants in Lebanon fired a rocket barrage into northern Israel.After a visit to military headquarters, Netanyahu said he appreciated “the support of the American president,” but he said Israel would push ahead to return “calm and security” to Israeli citizens.He said he was “determined to continue this operation until its aim is met.”He spoke shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden told Netanyahu that he expected “a significant de-escalation today on the path to a cease-fire,” the White House said.Biden had previously avoided pressing Israel more directly and publicly for a cease-fire with Gaza’s Hamas militant rulers. But pressure has been building for Biden to intervene more forcefully as other diplomatic efforts gather strength.Egyptian negotiators have also been working to halt the fighting, and an Egyptian diplomat said top officials were waiting for Israel’s response to a cease-fire offer. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.Moussa Abu Marzouk, a top Hamas official, told the Lebanese station Mayadeen TV that he expected a cease-fire in a day or two.Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he would fly to the region Thursday for talks with Israelis and Palestinians.Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the foreign ministers of Slovakia and the Czech Republic would join him after being invited “to express their solidarity and support” for Israel.Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it was widening its strikes on militant targets in southern Gaza to blunt continuing rocket fire from Hamas. At least nine people were killed Wednesday in the Gaza Strip.The current round of fighting between Israel and Hamas began May 10, when the militant group fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site sacred to Jews and Muslims. Heavy-handed police tactics at the compound and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensions.Since then, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes that it says have targeted Hamas’ infrastructure, and Hamas and other militant groups embedded in residential areas have fired some 4,000 rockets at Israeli cities, with hundreds falling short and most of the rest intercepted or landing in open areas.At least 227 Palestinians have been killed, including 64 children and 38 women, with 1,620 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not break the numbers down into fighters and civilians. Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130. Some 58,000 Palestinians have fled their homes.Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a soldier, have been killed.The rockets fired by militants in Lebanon into northern Israel threatened to open up a new front in the fighting. The rocket attack, which drew Israeli artillery fire in response but did not cause any injuries, raised the possibility of dragging Israel into renewed conflict with the powerful Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to its north.No one claimed responsibility for the attack, and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war against Israel in 2006, has stayed out of the fighting for now. The rockets were widely believed to be fired by Palestinian factions based in south Lebanon.But they cannot operate without Hezbollah’s tacit consent, and the barrage appears to be carefully calibrated to send a political message that the group, which has tens of thousands of missiles, could join the battle at any time. Israel considers Hezbollah to be its most formidable threat and has threatened widespread destruction in Lebanon if war were to erupt.In Gaza, one of the Israeli airstrikes destroyed the home of an extended family.Residents surveyed the piles of bricks, concrete and other debris that had once been the home of 40 members of al-Astal family in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. They said a warning missile struck the building five minutes before the airstrike, allowing everyone to escape.Ahmed al-Astal, a university professor, described a scene of panic, with men, women and children racing out of the building.“We had just gotten down to the street, breathless, when the devastating bombardment came,” he said. “They left nothing but destruction, the children’s cries filling the street. ... This is happening, and there is no one to help us.”Another strike in nearby Deir al-Balah killed a man, his wife and their 2-year-old daughter, witnesses said. Iyad Salha, a brother of the man who was killed, said the family had just sat down for lunch when the missile hit.Among those killed Wednesday were a reporter for Hamas-run Al-Aqsa radio and two people who died when warning missiles crashed into their apartment.The Israeli military said it was striking a militant tunnel network in southern Gaza, with 52 aircraft hitting 40 underground targets.Military officials, meanwhile, said a mysterious explosion that killed eight members of a Palestinian family on the first day of the fighting was caused by a misfired rocket from Gaza. “This wasn’t an Israeli attack,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman.Since the fighting began, Gaza’s infrastructure, already weakened by a 14-year blockade, has rapidly deteriorated. Medical supplies, water and fuel for electricity are running low in the territory, on which Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after Hamas seized power in 2007.Israeli attacks have damaged at least 18 hospitals and clinics and destroyed one health facility, the World Health Organization said. Nearly half of all essential drugs have run out.Among the buildings leveled by Israeli airstrikes was one housing The Associated Press’ Gaza office and those of other media outlets.Netanyahu has alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating in the building. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that Israel had given the U.S. information about the bombing, without elaborating.The AP has called for an independent investigation. The news organization’s president, Gary Pruitt, has said the AP had no indication Hamas was present in the building.The fighting, the worst since a 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, has ignited protests around the world and inspired Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories to call a general strike Tuesday. It was a rare collective action that spanned boundaries central to decades of failed peace efforts. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state.___Krauss reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue and Zeina Karam in Beirut, Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Samy Magdy in Cairo and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report. | b8fec57e20f40be9 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Guest Writer - Left | https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/16/politics/donald-trump-disclosure-business-trump-organization/index.html | OPINION: Trump's wealth in the spotlight with new disclosure forms | 2019-05-16 | Donald Trump, Politics | Washington ( CNN ) America is about to get a tantalizing look into the hidden fortune on which Donald Trump made his name but is at the root of some of the most mysterious unresolved questions about his presidency .
The expected release of the President 's latest financial disclosure forms on Thursday will trigger a now annual controversy about Trump 's wealth , including the question of whether he is adding to it while in office .
The former real estate baron anchored his political appeal on his multi-billion dollar pile , claiming it showed he had the kind of ruthless deal maker 's instincts that insulated him from political pressure and enabled him to thumb his nose at elites .
But Trump 's largesse has also been a liability as a politician . He goes to extreme lengths to keep his financial affairs private . He wo n't release his tax returns like his predecessors and is even suing a congressional committee that is trying to muscle his business records away from his accounting firm .
Mounting questions about his money have tarnished Trump 's legend , including a recent New York Times report that suggested the supposed business genius lost more cash than any other American over a 10-year period in the 1980s and 1990s . The report said he lost more than $ 1 billion in the decade .
JUST WATCHED Cuomo uses entire segment to address Trump directly Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Cuomo uses entire segment to address Trump directly 03:28
There are also signs that Trump 's controversial presidency could be eating into his bottom line .
Earlier this year , it became clear that new development deals have slowed badly at the Trump Organization since the President was elected . The company has also shelved plans for two hotel licensing concepts . Trump 's son Eric blamed politics for the sluggish business prospects .
Trump 's refusal to fully divest himself of his business in office has prompted unwelcome questions about potential conflicts of interests involving foreign investors .
The documents to be released on Thursday are unlikely to fully light up Trump 's labyrinthine financial affairs .
But they will offer a picture of Trump 's income last year -- potentially in the hundreds of millions of dollars . In last year 's disclosure form , the President reported income of $ 450 million .
They will detail other income from assets including properties , retirement accounts , book royalties and investments .
More controversially , the forms will also likely reveal a glimpse of Trump 's liabilities .
JUST WATCHED Lemon : Trump administration trampling government norms Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Lemon : Trump administration trampling government norms 06:42
The documents are likely to revive the debate over whether the President is in effect using the symbolism of the presidency to enrich himself and his sprawling business operation .
Trump reported last year that his private Florida resort brought in revenue of $ 25 million in 2017 .
The club doubled its membership fee after he took office and critics claim his repeated visits -- offering guests a chance to rub shoulders with the President -- boost business .
Similarly , Trump 's opponents will seize on his disclosure to assess the impact of his presence on Trump International Hotel in Washington , a few blocks from the White House .
On his disclosure last year , Trump reported $ 75 million in income from the property , which has been at the center of conflict of interests concerns over the possibility that foreign governments can curry favor with the President by booking rooms .
Trump 's disclosures could also force him into revealing information about his private affairs he would rather keep secret .
Last year , he acknowledged for the first time that he repaid his former lawyer Michael Cohen more than $ 100,000 for expenses incurred during the 2016 presidential election .
The document did not explicitly state what the payments were for . But Trump 's lawyers had previously said that Trump reimbursed Cohen for the $ 130,000 hush money payment he made to porn actress Stormy Daniels .
The Office of Government Ethics confirmed on Wednesday that Trump had filed the disclosure forms .
While the documents offer some details of Trump 's financial fortunes from year to year , they do not contain details of how much tax he has paid .
They also do not reveal in depth information about the sources of his wealth or identify customers for his real estate business , a fact that concerns ethics campaigners .
The President bucked tradition by refusing to release his tax returns as a candidate and after winning the White House .
He insists that he is under audit but his opponents charge he is worried about revealing advantageous tax arrangements , an assessment of his wealth that does not match his inflated claims , or is worried about declaring incriminating sources of income .
The release of the less comprehensive financial disclosure will likely be used by the White House to rebut claims he is not meeting minimum standards of transparency .
This year 's disclosure was filed with the President locked in showdown over his taxes with a Democratic-led committee in Congress that is seeking six years of returns .
The comment escalated a confrontation with Democrats who will likely now have to go to court in an effort to force the turnover of the elusive documents . | 913fd23e40ea537f | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
media_bias | Fox News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/09/07/bias-alert-media-dismisses-military-brass-backing-trump.html | Media dismisses military brass backing Trump | 2016-09-07 | media_bias | Donald Trump likely hoped that a letter backing him and signed by 88 former generals and admirals would prompt journalists to report on his support within military leadership -- what he got , instead , were media guns using Pentagon brass for target practice .
Trump , who on Wednesday delivered a major policy speech on the state of the U.S. military , was touted in the letter as a commander in chief capable of dealing with “ enemies of this country [ who ] have been emboldened ” by weakness in Washington .
“ … we support Donald Trump and his commitment to rebuild our military , to secure our borders , to defeat our Islamic supremacist adversaries and restore law and order domestically , ” read the letter . “ We urge our fellow Americans to do the same . ”
The Washington Post immediately combed through the lengthy roster of signatories and noted that one , retired Lt. Gen. William G. “ Jerry ” Boykin , was reprimanded for disclosing classified information in a 2008 memoir , “ Never Surrender : A Soldier ’ s Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom. ” Boykin also happens to be the co-founder and former commander of the elite Delta Force , and carried out missions in Iran , North Korea , Somalia and Colombia during his storied career .
He angered Muslims around the world in 2003 when , giving a speech about his hunt for a Somali warlord , said , “ I knew that my God was a real God , and his was an idol . ”
Boykin , who had become executive vice president at the conservative Family Research Council by the time the Pentagon investigated him , has long insisted he had permission for the disclosures and has hinted that the probe was politically motivated .
The list of generals and admirals was put together by Army Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow , a Holocaust survivor , and Rear Adm. Charles Williams of the Navy .
The Daily Beast also searched the list for anyone with a black mark on his stripes . In a story headlined “ The Disgraced and Little-Known Generals Backing Donald Trump , ” the outlet reported that four were present during a massive 1991 scandal in which more than 100 Navy and Marine Corps aviation officers were alleged to have sexually assaulted 90 people at the 35th Annual Tailhook Association Symposium in Las Vegas . None of the signatories were charged , although one later served as a Navy lawyer in the case .
“ To be sure , scores of the signatories had exemplary military records and continue to work in public service , ” the Daily Beast article seemed to grudgingly acknowledge . “ There are Vietnam veterans , three four-star generals and an admiral , as well as key commanders in the U.S. war in Iraq . ”
The Washington Post even sought to drive a wedge between Trump and his military backers by noting that retired four-star Army Gen. Burwell Bell III was once a top NATO commander , and then noting that Trump has questioned NATO ’ s usefulness .
Three other four-star generals supporting Trump “ all retired more than 20 years ago , ” the Post wrote .
CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper scored a Tuesday night interview with retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling , who dismissed the names on Trump ’ s list .
`` I did n't recognize many of those names as being there in the fight with me over the last 16 years , '' Hertling said . `` There are n't a whole lot of names in the fight against Al Qaeda or several of the other forces . ''
The media was not the only party to seemingly scoff at Trump ’ s flag officer support .
“ Compare where Trump is with where both Romney and McCain were , ” Hillary Clinton , Trump ’ s opponent in the November presidential race , told ███ . “ They had between 300 and 500 . I am doing better than any Democrat . He is doing worse than recent Republicans . ”
For his part , Trump thanked the military brass for supporting him .
“ I thank each of them for their service and their confidence in me to serve as commander in chief , ” Trump said in a statement . “ Keeping our nation safe and leading our armed forces is the most important responsibility of the presidency . ” | B84uX2pYcDMwuvMb | 2 | Donald Trump | 0.2 | Election2016 | 0 | Media Bias | 0 | null | null | null | null |
world | Axios | https://www.axios.com/2022/09/15/xi-putin-meeting-samarkand | Xi and Putin hold first meeting since Ukraine invasion began | 2022-09-15 | World, Ukraine War, Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, China, Chinese Communist Party, Asia, Europe, NATO | We use cookies and similar methods to recognize visitors and remember their preferences. We may also use them to measure ad campaign effectiveness, target ads, and analyze site traffic. Depending on your location, you may opt-in or opt out of the use of these technologies. Search Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in February. Photo: Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images China's President Xi Jinping met with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit Thursday. Why it matters: Their first in-person encounter since Russian forces launched their Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine marks a show of diplomatic support for the Russian president after Ukrainian troops forced his forces to retreat from much of Ukraine's northeast, even as Putin acknowledged that Beijing may have "questions and concerns" regarding the war. What they're saying: “We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis,” Putin said in his opening remarks at the meeting, the New York Times reported. Worth noting: The Kremlin claimed in a statement ahead of Putin's trip to Samarkand that a senior official from the ruling Chinese Communist Party said during a visit to Russia last week that Beijing "understands and supports Russia," in particular "on the situation in Ukraine." The big picture: The SCO is a political, economic and security organization designed to counter U.S. influence, which Beijing and Moscow founded in 2001. Flashback: Xi and Putin last met in early February in Beijing, where they jointly announced a "no limits" partnership and the arrival of a "new era" of global politics — just weeks before Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Between the lines: Both Putin and Xi are now in more precarious situations than they were in February. The Russian economy is increasingly isolated by a tough Western-led sanctions regime, and the Russian army has recently suffered major setbacks in Ukraine after a successful counteroffensive by the Ukrainian military. Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details. Want more stories like this? Sign up for Axios Crypto Xi Jinping (L) meets Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. Photo: Sergei Karpukhin/Sputknik via Getty Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for his first visit since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. Why it matters: The three-day state visit is a major display of solidarity with Russia from its most important global partner. It comes amid warnings from Washington that Xi might back the Russian war effort more directly by providing arms — claims China has denied. Xi and Putin at Tuesday's signing ceremony. Photo: Contributor/Getty Images Chinese President Xi Jinping offered Russian President Vladimir Putin a significant show of solidarity by visiting Moscow this week, but offered no indications he's prepared to step up Chinese support for Putin's war in Ukraine. Driving the news: In a joint appearance after several hours of talks on Tuesday, Xi described China's approach to Ukraine as "unbiased" and "impartial." Putin praised the ceasefire plan Xi proposed last month but said Ukraine and the West weren't "ready" for peace talks. Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their meeting in Beijing in February last year. Photo: Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images China's leader Xi Jinping described his upcoming meeting Monday with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as a "journey of friendship, cooperation and peace" in an op-ed carried by the two countries' state media. The big picture: Xi's first Moscow summit with Putin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began comes three days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russia's leader for war crimes charges. Copyright Axios Media, 2024 | 2c4fb025565251f5 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | CNN (Web News) | http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/09/romney-says-gop-made-mistake-weighs-in-on-eastwood-health-care/ | Romney says GOP made 'mistake,' weighs in on Eastwood, health care | 2012-09-09 | Presidential Elections, Elections | ( CNN ) – Mitt Romney said congressional Republicans were wrong to accept a deal last year that could ultimately result in across-the-board spending cuts , including massive cuts to the military .
`` I thought it was a mistake on the part of the White House to propose it , '' Romney said on NBC 's `` Meet the Press . '' `` I think it was a mistake for Republicans to go along with it . ''
- Check out the CNN Electoral Map and Calculator and game out your own strategy for November .
Also known as sequestration , the cuts are set to go into effect in January if Congress fails to find a deficit-reduction plan by the end of the year .
In 2011 , congressional leaders reached a last-minute deal to raise the debt ceiling . Part of the deal included tasking a so-called super committee with finding a deficit-reduction plan that fall . As an incentive , the debt ceiling bill included the spending cuts measure , to encourage the committee to move quickly or face the self-imposed penalty of sequestration .
The 12-member , bipartisan committee , however , failed to reach a compromise in November 2011 , and now Congress has less than four months to agree on a plan that would avoid the automatic cuts .
Paul Ryan , Romney 's running mate , was among the Republicans who voted for last year 's bill , also known as the Budget Control Act .
At issue is how to pay for reducing the deficit : Democrats want to raise revenues partly by raising taxes , while Republicans prefer to chip away at the debt through other avenues , such as cutting spending and closing some tax loopholes .
Asked Sunday if he would compromise as president and risk a conservative backlash in order to reach a deal , Romney said he would stand by his principles .
`` There 's nothing wrong with the term compromise , but there is something very wrong with the term abandoning one 's principles , '' he said . `` And I 'm going to stand by my principles . And those are , I am not going to raise taxes on the American people . ''
Saying he 's `` as conservative as the Constitution , '' Romney later argued he knows `` how to work across the aisle . ''
And while the Republican nominee has repeatedly vowed to work towards a repeal of President Barack Obama 's health care reform , Romney said in the interview he favors some measures found in the law .
`` Well , I 'm not getting rid of all of health care reform . Of course there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I 'm going to put in place , '' he said .
Romney listed the provision that ensures those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage as one aspect he would include in his own health care plan , which he said would `` replace Obamacare . '' The former Massachusetts governor has taken heat for opposing the federal health care law despite the fact it was largely modeled after the 2006 law he signed in the Bay State .
On a lighter note , Romney said he laughed at Clint Eastwood 's appearance at the Republican National Convention in Tampa , Florida , where the actor performed an unusual skit , talking to an imaginary Obama in an empty chair on stage .
`` I was laughing at Clint Eastwood . Look , to have him get up and speak on my behalf was a great thrill , '' Romney said .
Some criticized the event as bizarre . Eastwood said in a newspaper interview Friday that Romney 's staff had , in fact , not approved his script in advance because he did n't think of it until a few minutes before his time slot .
`` There was a stool there , and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down , '' Eastwood said , according to the Carmel Pine Cone . `` When I saw the stool sitting there , it gave me the idea . I 'll just put the stool out there and I 'll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he did n't keep all of the promises he made to everybody . ''
Romney 's campaign argued Eastwood 's speech , unlike the other RNC speeches , could not be judged through a political lens .
`` You do n't expect to have a guy like Clint Eastwood get up and , you know , read some speech off a teleprompter like a politician , '' Romney said . `` You expect him to speak from the heart , and that 's exactly what he did . '' | 68d6f4fabe871544 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
technology | The Verge | https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/6/20948547/twitter-topics-launch-sports-gaming-entertainment-test | Twitter is rolling out Topics, a way to follow subjects automatically in the timeline | 2019-11-06 | Twitter, Big Tech, Social Media, Technology | Recently , a friend told me he wanted to spend more time using Twitter , but he didn ’ t quite know how . His primary interest is comedy , he told me , and he hoped to find a way to see comedians ’ best jokes on Twitter as they were posted . But when he followed comedians , he mostly saw a lot of self-promotion — tour dates , late-night appearances , and that sort of thing . No matter your personal interests , there are countless good and relevant tweets on Twitter . But where are they ?
Topics , a new feature from Twitter that is starting to roll out this week , represents a significant effort to answer that question . You will be able to follow more than 300 “ topics ” across sports , entertainment , and gaming , just as you are currently able to follow individual accounts . In return , you ’ ll see tweets from accounts that you don ’ t follow that have credibility on these subjects .
Twitter executives hope that Topics will make the platform more approachable for new and intermittent users and make it easier for heavier users to discover new accounts and conversations . The feature , which began testing on Android in August , is set to roll out globally on November 13th .
“ We know that the main reason that people come to Twitter is to keep up on the things that they ’ re interested in , ” said Rob Bishop who leads Topics team . “ The challenge is it ’ s really quite difficult to do that on Twitter day to day . ”
The idea of letting people follow topics in addition to ( or instead of ) individual accounts dates back to the earliest days of the company . But it took the development of machine learning tools and the hiring of a human editorial team , among other things , to make it happen .
As a journalist who spends eight or so hours a day paying at least glancing attention to the Twitter timeline , I ’ m a somewhat poor test case for the value of Topics . I follow people whose work is relevant to my own and very few others . Generally speaking , if it matters to the companies I cover , I don ’ t miss it .
“ The main reason that people come to Twitter is to keep up on the things that they ’ re interested in . ”
But I ’ m also a pro wrestling nerd who recently started an alternate account to keep up with wrestling Twitter . ( I had found that tweets about SummerSlam were underperforming on my main account . If you can imagine ! ) The minute I created my new account , I was in the same spot as my comedy-loving friend : knowing there were lots of good tweets out there for me but not at all clear on where to look .
I did the obvious things : following the big pro wrestling federations , the top stars , and a handful of wrestling journalists and podcasters . But when Twitter enabled Topics for my account , I could also just follow “ WWE. ” Suddenly , a new icon appeared as I scrolled , indicating that the tweet I was reading had come from a topic I was following .
During a recent visit to the Twitter office , Bishop walked me through how tweets in a topic like WWE get selected for the timeline . First , Twitter scans incoming tweets for keywords like “ WWE , ” “ pro wrestling , ” and so on . ( It can ’ t search for those terms in images and videos , at least not yet . ) Second , Twitter searches to see if the tweet is from someone who normally tweets about that topic as a measure of credibility . Finally , Twitter looks at engagement : how many other people who care about this topic liked , retweeted , or replied to a tweet ? The more people are interacting with the tweet , the more likely it is to make the cut .
The first and most obvious challenge here comes in picking the right tweets to include in the timeline . In my experience , Twitter ’ s algorithms tended to be a little obvious . Many of the first tweets I saw came from official WWE accounts and the accounts of their wrestlers . Some of that is fine , of course , but a lot of those high-engagement tweets are just naked self-promotion and aren ’ t particularly valuable to me . ( I already know what time the pay-per-view starts on Sunday , thank you . )
After a few days of testing , though , I started seeing more relevant tweets . I learned that WWE had renewed its morally bankrupt deal with the Saudi Arabian government , thanks to a Topics tweet inserted into my timeline from a journalist I hadn ’ t been following . Another Topics tweet came on the same subject from an ordinary wrestling fan who offered some spicy , relevant commentary . It was everything I hoped Topics would be .
The second challenge in perfecting Topics comes in balance : how many Topics tweets should Twitter show you ? Bishop told me that , as a general rule , the fewer individual accounts you follow , the more Topics tweets you are likely to see . That seems like a reasonable approach . I follow fewer than 100 people on my wrestling alt account , and many of the tweets in my timeline are just tweets that the people I follow have liked . Tweets from Topics have so far been at least as good as those , and they ’ re often better .
Still , a vocal subset of Twitter users is extremely picky about which tweets appear in their timeline . ( When other people ’ s likes started appearing in the feed , seemingly at random , my own timeline filled up with the howls of aggrieved users . ) Twitter executives hope that Topics is widely used , but I wouldn ’ t be surprised if power users decide it isn ’ t for them .
One topic you won ’ t find included in the initial batch : politics . The company tells me it ’ s sensitive to the potential unintended consequences of its algorithms offering additional amplification to tweets about sensitive subjects , and so it ’ s sticking to lighter fare to start .
Tweets about many popular subjects may now travel further than ever before
Bishop says the feature will shine for followers of big fandoms , such as major professional sports teams or the Korean boy band BTS . The group and its members represent one of the most discussed subjects on all of Twitter , he said , and yet , there are few official accounts on which to follow daily developments . ( Get well soon , Jungkook ! ) That left fans searching for fan accounts , even though Twitter has a good idea of what the top accounts are . Now , fans can just follow the BTS topic , and Twitter will surface popular tweets about the band .
If Topics succeeds , Bishop said , the average person won ’ t follow fewer individual accounts . In fact , he said , they will likely follow more . It also means that your tweets about many popular subjects may now travel further than ever before , which can be a mixed blessing , as anyone who has ever seen a tweet go viral and faced harassment as a result can testify .
So what ’ s next ? More topics , including on subjects that are popular internationally , Bishop said . The team is also working on a feature to mute topics , which could be useful for anyone who is trying to avoid spoilers for a popular television show , for example . Eventually , Bishop says , you may be able to “ narrow cast ” your tweet to followers of a particular subject , which is another ancient dream of Twitter users . ( Imagine being able to discuss the city you live in on Twitter but only with people who are following that subject . )
The team is also working on a feature to mute topics
The company also plans to eventually let you browse topics on an explore page and to view topics on a dedicated list . ( This is something that , coupled with narrow casting , could let me do all of my tweeting from a single account . )
Like some other features Twitter has released this year — the ability to search your direct messages comes to mind — Topics is a feature that feels obvious , welcome , overdue , and not quite finished . But it also feels like meaningful progress for a company that has never known what to do with the bounty of incredible tweets flowing through its servers each day .
“ As with any machine learning problem , we learn the most from putting this in customers ’ hands , and seeing what they engage with so we can build better models , ” Bishop said . “ Our goal is to get this out as quickly as possible and get people using it so we can improve our algorithms . ” | 3489b9eaacec45cc | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Axios | https://www.axios.com/2023/04/14/gop-guns-nra-convention-trump | NRA convention puts GOP's gun gamble on full display | 2023-04-15 | Politics, Donald Trump, GOP, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, NRA, 2024 Elections, 2nd Amendment | We use cookies and similar methods to recognize visitors and remember their preferences. We may also use them to measure ad campaign effectiveness, target ads, and analyze site traffic. Depending on your location, you may opt-in or opt out of the use of these technologies. Search Photo: Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images Mass shootings in Louisville and Nashville didn't keep the NRA's annual convention from attracting a pack of likely Republican presidential candidates. Why it matters: The three-day convention, which opened in Indianapolis on Friday, broadcasts the extreme staying power gun politics have with generations of Republican politicians. What's happening: Conservatives remain relatively unmovable on guns despite a wave of violence that’s terrorized schools, banks and places of worship across the country. Zoom in: Pain over both shooting rampages has crossed party lines, AP's Will Weissert writes. That hasn't stopped the convention from becoming a microcosm of 2024 GOP politics: The bottom line: Decades of advocacy for a strict interpretation of the Second Amendment — and the notion that guns are needed to protect citizens in an increasingly dangerous world — has kept the NRA at the center of GOP politics. Want more stories like this? Sign up for Axios Finish Line Former Vice President Mike Pence was greeted by boos during a speech at the NRA convention. Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images The NRA is rolling out after a noticeably smaller convention this weekend. Why it matters: The NRA sets the agenda for gun politics — advocating for freer access — and even with a smaller crowd it retained its status as a mandatory stop for ambitious Republicans. Protests in Nashville on Monday. Photo: Seth Herald/Getty Images Former President Trump will travel this week to Nashville, the epicenter of a growing youth-led backlash over the Tennessee House's expulsion of two Black Democratic state lawmakers for joining protests against gun violence. The big picture: Trump's appearance at the Republican National Committee's donor retreat Friday comes as thousands of young people are joining nationwide protests calling for gun reform and condemning inaction by GOP state lawmakers. Former President Trump spoke at the last NRA forum in Dallas in 2018. Photo: Smiley Pool/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images About 75,000 people are expected to attend the National Rifle Association's annual meeting and exhibit this week in Dallas. Why it matters: The NRA is in transition. Their longtime CEO, Wayne LaPierre, stepped down this year before top officials were set to face a civil trial over fraud and mismanagement allegations. Copyright Axios Media, 2024 | d0dee6080cd34a51 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
us_congress | Reuters | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-trump/democrats-weigh-risks-of-pushing-tax-probe-into-trumps-businesses-idUSKCN1QP14R | Democrats weigh risks of pushing tax probe into Trump's businesses | 2019-03-08 | Taxes, Donald Trump, Democratic Party, US Congress, Politics | WASHINGTON ( ███ ) - Congressional Democrats are debating whether to expand the scope of their inquiry into President Donald Trump ’ s taxes to include his business tax returns along with his personal returns , a risky step seen by some as crucial to effective oversight .
The debate has intensified , aides and lawmakers said , since last week ’ s testimony by former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen , who alleged to lawmakers that Trump altered his business asset values and slashed employee salaries to lower his taxes .
The testimony suggested that investigators in the House of Representatives will need both his personal and business returns to fully assess Trump ’ s compliance with tax laws and understand the network of businesses he owns , lawmakers said .
House Democrats have spent months laying the groundwork for an unprecedented request to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for Trump ’ s personal tax filings .
Adding Trump ’ s business returns could complicate an already legally delicate effort , aides and lawmakers said . Trump owns more than 550 companies and business entities , including the Trump Organization , his financial disclosure reports show .
“ There ’ s conflicting advice on this , ” said Representative Richard Neal , chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee and the only House lawmaker authorized by law to ask Mnuchin for Trump ’ s returns .
“ Tax policy is pretty complicated . There are times when individual returns can instruct you . Other times , you might seek a business return , ” Neal told ███ in an interview . “ It has to conform to the principle of a pretty narrow law . ”
Neal is trying to formulate his request to Mnuchin so that it can withstand a likely court fight with Trump , who has refused to release his returns , defying decades of presidential practice . Unlike predecessors , Trump has also retained extensive business interests while serving as president , raising questions about conflicts of interest .
Interest in Trump ’ s business returns is coming from at least four other House panels , including Oversight and Judiciary , according to aides and lawmakers . House Oversight wants to depose long-time Trump tax attorney Sheri Dillon , who likely has a deep understanding of Trump ’ s tax returns .
Committee officials said this week that no final decision has been made on whether to pursue the business returns in the initial request .
Cohen ’ s testimony “ opened a lot of doors for investigatory bodies , ” Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , a member of the House Oversight Committee , told ███ .
“ It ’ s about comparing his financial statements with his tax reports . What Cohen named particularly were the Trump Organization taxes , ” she said .
Democrats , who won control of the House in the November 2018 U.S. elections , say Trump ’ s personal returns would reveal whether he has complied with U.S. tax laws and any IRS audits , as well as his effective tax rate , business and investment income and charitable contributions .
But Democrats could blunder by focusing solely on Trump ’ s personal returns , if their aim is to identify conflicts of interest between his sprawling business investments and the policies he advocates from the Oval Office , tax experts say .
“ Personal returns alone fall short , ” said Steve Rosenthal , a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center , a think tank in Washington .
Success against legal resistance to disclosure by Trump would greatly depend on the ability of Democrats to demonstrate a legitimate legislative purpose for their request .
Rosenthal said including business returns would strengthen the House argument because the documents are geared strongly to legitimate oversight questions such as conflicts of interest .
But House Democrats are talking about simplify their request by targeting a limited number of Trump companies tied to investments of interest , rather than the entire business network , and possibly making further requests later .
“ It ’ s going to be a combination of both personal and business , because he goes back and forth between both . To get the full picture , I don ’ t think you can just pick one or the other , ” said Representative Gerry Connolly , an Oversight member . | 7641c6991c07c1c0 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
gun_control_and_gun_rights | CNN (Web News) | http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/05/durbin-blasts-nra-for-celebrating-gun-vote/ | Durbin blasts NRA for 'celebrating' gun vote | 2013-05-05 | gun_control_and_gun_rights | ( CNN ) – The No . 2 Democrat in the Senate criticized the National Rifle Association for cheering the defeat of a recent bipartisan gun control measure and expressed hope that the “ political sentiment ” will change in the upper chamber so the legislation can be brought up again .
“ The National Rifle Association can go to Texas and celebrate defeating that measure , but they certainly shouldn ’ t celebrate when they look at the carnage that takes place virtually every day in America because convicted felons have guns , ” Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said Sunday on CNN ’ s “ State of the Union . ”
He was referring to the organization ’ s annual meeting this weekend in Houston , where the recent gun control debate was a key theme among speeches by high-profile conservatives . Speakers praised the audience for lobbying their lawmakers to vote against gun control measures and encouraged them to keep up the fight .
`` We are in the midst of a once-in-a-generation fight for everything we care about . We have a chance to secure our freedom for a generation , or to lose it forever , '' NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said Saturday .
`` We must remain vigilant , ever resolute , and steadfastly growing and preparing for the even more critical battles that loom before us , '' he said .
One of the main provisions considered the most likely to pass would have expanded the background check system to include private sales at gun shows and online . In the April 17 vote , however , the Senate fell short of the 60 votes needed to move forward with the measure . Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shelved the overall gun control bill to allow more time for negotiations and vowed to bring it up again .
The defeat was seen as a major victory among anti-gun control advocates and among those in the gun lobby , who argued that the measure would not have done much to help prevent mass shootings like those seen in Newtown , Connecticut , and Aurora , Colorado , last year .
Durbin , the Senate ’ s majority whip , said the legislation needs five more votes in order to pass but said it can be an uphill battle in the Senate .
`` What we need to see is a change in political sentiment within the Senate . We need to pick up five more votes , and that 's quite a task , I might add , as whip in the Senate , but we can do this . I hope the American people do n't give up . I know the president has n't given up , '' Durbin told CNN 's chief political correspondent Candy Crowley .
Watch State of the Union with Candy Crowley Sundays at 9am ET . For the latest from State of the Union click here . | mhZgYTiuiTrKZqeW | 0 | NRA | -1.4 | Gun Control And Gun Rights | -0.8 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
media_bias | Salon | http://www.salon.com/2014/09/10/calm_down_america_were_as_safe_as_we_were_a_year_ago/ | Calm down, America: We’re as safe as we were a year ago | 2014-09-10 | Media Bias, Polarization, Terrorism | President Obama hasn ’ t even given his speech outlining plans for increased military action to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria , but we already have a chyron for its coverage : “ America on Edge ” is the way NBC headlined its new poll Tuesday , which found that 47 percent of Americans believe the U.S. is less safe than it was before the attacks of Sept. 11 , 2001 .
That ’ s higher than a year ago , when only 28 percent said we were less safe , and it ’ s higher still than in September 2002 , only a year after the terror attacks . Only 26 percent of those polled said the country is safer than it was before Sept. 11 , even though al-Qaida has been decimated and there have been no domestic attacks since the homegrown Boston bombing .
Over at CNN , polling tells the same story : 7 in 10 of those polled “ believe ISIS has the resources to launch an attack against the United States , ” a new poll found , while 76 percent favor “ additional airstrikes against ISIS. ” I 'm sticking here to sober , serious news organizations -- I 'm not even bothering to run down the fear-mongering over on Fox .
So the president would seem to have part of what he needs to commit the country to greater military involvement in a murky conflict : fear .
`` Americans are significantly less reluctant to use military force than they were a year ago , ” CNN polling director Keating Holland said , “ and the number who say that terrorism is the country 's most important problem has quadrupled , making it second only to the economy on the list of top problems in the public 's mind . ''
Both the CNN and NBC polls indicate that the single biggest factor behind the surge of fear is the beheadings of journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff . In the NBC poll , 94 percent said they ’ d heard news of the beheadings , which is higher than any other news event polled in the last five years . They accomplished what they were intended to : make Americans feel vulnerable , angry and ready to fight . Mission accomplished , ISIS !
This despite the fact that the beheadings changed nothing about the security situation in the U.S. , and gave us little or no new information about ISIS ’ s capacity in Iraq or Syria . As I wrote after the Sotloff tragedy , nobody came to our shores and snatched those men . Unless you 're judging American security by the safety of freelance Syria correspondents , nothing that happened to them proves that there 's any increased danger to Americans . We learned nothing new about the power or reach of ISIS , or its cruelty . The beheadings were designed to make the U.S. overreact , and to draw the country into a one-on-one war with “ the Islamic state. ” Let ’ s hope on that count they fail .
No doubt people are also concerned by reports that up to 100 Americans have joined ISIS – and presumably they ’ d have an easier time returning and causing harm in the U.S . But those reports turned out not to be true . Roughly 100 Americans have , at some point , gone to Syria to be involved in the fight there – but that count includes moderates fighting on the U.S. side . The Pentagon estimates the number allied with ISIS to be around a dozen .
Right now the president is mostly sounding cautious . But his souped-up rhetoric of “ degrading ” and “ destroying ” ISIS of late is no longer accompanied by the calm prediction that we could make ISIS a “ manageable problem. ” Nobody liked that language , the notion that ISIS might remain a problem , albeit a manageable one . Even though that ’ s often the best we can hope from life ’ s challenges : that we can make them manageable problems . That ’ s true on a personal level and it can also be true on a geopolitical one .
I find myself thinking about David Rees ’ brilliant cartoon , “ Get Your War On , ” that satirized the frenzy for safety and for revenge in the months , and then years , after the 9/11 attacks . It 's possible to make the case , as the president is expected to tonight , that the rise of ISIS , the collapse of Iraq and the unraveling of Syria represent potential threats to the long-term security of the U.S. , and may even require greater military intervention than I ’ m comfortable with .
But it should not be based on the premise that we ’ re suddenly in greater danger than we were a month , a year or a decade ago . There is no evidence , to this point , to show that we are . | 4f7bad3e87cf4022 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
terrorism | Fox News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/25/tamerlan-tsarnaev-vowed-to-die-for-islam-judge-prematurely-stopped-brother/ | Tamerlan Tsarnaev vowed to die for Islam; judge may have prematurely stopped brother's interrogation, sources say | 2013-04-25 | terrorism | The mother of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev knew as early as 2011 that her son had been radicalized and sent text messages to family in Russia suggesting he was willing to die for Islam , the FBI told lawmakers this week according to two officials with knowledge of the Capitol Hill briefing .
Tsarnaev , who was killed days after the April 15 bombing in a shootout with police , is said to have embraced radical Islam in recent years and recruited his younger brother , Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , to carry out the attack that killed three and wounded more than 180 near the finish line of the world 's most prestigious road race .
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was caught alive but wounded on Friday and charged with use of a weapon of mass destruction , for which he could get the death penalty .
The FBI filed a federal criminal complaint against the 19-year-old on Sunday , and federal District Court Judge Marianne Bowler arrived at the hospital where he is being treated to preside over his initial hearing Monday , when she read him his Miranda rights .
[ FBI officials told The Associated Press Wednesday that Tsarnaev acknowledged to investigators his role in the attacks before he was advised of his constitutional rights . He reportedly said he was only recently recruited by his brother to be part of the attack . ]
But ███ ' sources say there was confusion about Bowler 's timing , with some voicing concerns that investigators were not given enough time to question Dzhokhar under the `` public safety exception '' invoked by the Justice Department .
Two officials with knowledge of the FBI briefing on Capitol Hill said the FBI was against stopping the investigators ' questioning and was stunned that the judge , Justice Department prosecutors and public defenders showed up , feeling valuable intelligence may have been sacrificed as a result .
The FBI had been questioning Tsarnaev for 16 hours before the judge called a start to the court proceeding , officials familiar with the Capitol Hill briefing told ███ . Moreover , the FBI informed lawmakers that the suspect had been providing valuable intelligence , but stopped talking once the magistrate judge read him his rights .
But Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd disputed the claims , saying that the suspect ’ s initial appearance was scheduled following the filing of the criminal complaint in a manner “ consistent ” with procedure – and that the agents were aware .
“ The Rules of Criminal Procedure require the court to advise the defendant of his right to silence and his right to counsel during the initial appearance . The prosecutors and FBI agents in Boston were advised of the scheduled initial appearance in advance of its occurrence , ” Boyd said .
A federal law enforcement official also told ███ that the courts , not the Justice Department , made the decision on when and where to hold the hearing .
“ The ( FBI ) agents and prosecutors were notified beforehand , ” the official said , claiming those agents had already left the room when the judge came in .
The exact timeline is unclear . A transcript of the court proceeding shows Bowler asking a doctor if Tsarnaev was `` alert . ''
`` How are you feeling ? Are you able to answer some questions ? '' the doctor asks Tsarnaev , who nods .
Although Bowler advised Tsarnaev , an ethnic Chechen and U.S. citizen , of his Miranda rights , it remains to be seen whether anything he told investigators before Bowler arrived can be admitted as evidence against him -- or whether such interrogations would even be needed to convict him , given the amount of other evidence referenced in the criminal complaint signed by FBI Special Agent Daniel Genck .
Some Republican lawmakers have criticized the Obama administration for deciding against treating Tsarnaev as an enemy combatant , which would allow more time for interrogating him . The public safety exception to Miranda lasts only 48 hours . | yIW7RumptoCZp1a5 | 2 | Terrorism | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
holidays | Guest Writer - Right | https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/472282-conservatives-must-absolutely-talk-politics-at-the-thanksgiving-table | Conservatives must absolutely talk politics at the Thanksgiving table | 2019-11-27 | holidays | Each year at this time , we fall prey to an assortment of opinions from our media overlords reminding us that we best not talk politics around the Thanksgiving dinner table , or at worst , “ how to survive ” if the topic is broached . Other articles give tips us how to politely offer alternative topics , while Politico , NBC , GQ , and even Bravo have decided Trump has already ruined your holiday .
But what do progressive media outlets have against us talking about the political issues that affect our families with… our actual families ?
The answer is really quite simple . For most American kinfolk , this is the one time when they can collectively reflect on and be grateful for the values that have bonded their family for generations with their new crop of progressive prodigal sons and daughters . So of course , even Bernie Sanders is prepping his woke millennial acolytes for how to deal !
For all families , but especially conservative ones , Thanksgiving must be an opportunity to recalibrate those family members who are part of the generation who sought a return to the big coastal cities in search of work , or are currently residing in the bastion of American liberalism , the college campus . This may be your one chance to speak to them with home-field advantage , and outside of their liberal bubble .
This term — bubble — is not one that I and others have used in hyperbole ; but rather , it truly represents the closed-off mindset of American progressivism in coastal cities and on college campuses . I speak to you as a firsthand witness of this phenomena , as an outspoken conservative in the largest liberal city in America : the home of AOC ; the birthplace of Bernie ; the one which actually elected Bill de Blasio Bill de BlasioConservatives must absolutely talk politics at the Thanksgiving table Booker campaign announces six-figure ad buy to qualify for December debate De Blasio : ' I have spent literally six years undoing what Michael Bloomberg did ' MORE into office .
If your wayward relative is one of my neighbors in New York City , a place where the labor movement is now seen as too centrist and where avowed Socialists are now a “ political force , ” do you really think they ever get to hear both sides ? Of course not . On the coasts , once far-flung progressive interest groups are now directing policy , and rational thought and political balance are principles relegated to the occasional op-ed .
On campus , your relation may be in much more dire straits , having their minds shaped in the midst of the unparalleled and unmitigated rage of the American left , where “ cancel culture ” and groupthink overshadows academic debate . That ’ s a $ 41,000 bill for a degree in close-minded wokeness you ’ re paying for , mom and dad .
Fellow conservative , if you are concerned by this , and by the broader rise of the radical left , then by-God you must use this holiday for more than just gorging on Karen ’ s apple cobbler . You have your son , daughter , niece or nephew on our home turf and where they can ’ t be blinded : the family table . Make use of it !
Do not hesitate to retell the story of why you live where you live , especially if you ’ re one of millions of American families who have fled the hip high-taxed states for other parts of the country . Explain how this has bettered their lives .
Remind them about religion , and how religious institutions have been a positive force for change in our country since its inception . Perhaps they enjoyed playing for the St. Ignatius basketball team , or how mom relied on the J.C.C . afterschool program so she could work . Has their family benefitted from a religious organization ?
Let them wow you with their talk of Socialism . Then confront them with the stark reality of why it scares you . Has a family member ever experienced it firsthand , or at least seen on television the devolution and poverty of the Soviet Union and other countries over the years ?
Be open about your family ’ s past . Whether it immigrated like mine 100 years ago from the sulfur mines of Sicily to the subway tunnels of New York , or whether yours came like so many just years ago with nothing but the hope and promise of hard work , explain how your family made sacrifices and took risks .
Perhaps even recall how your household was once Democratic , and how membership in a union played a role in their success . But unmask the modern party and how they have abandoned the middle class for the fringe-left .
Talk about the law enforcement . Do they feel the same anti-police anger as many in their generation ? Do they not recall the family members who wore a badge , or the friends they grew up with who became cops ? Are those people really racists , or fascists , or whatever they tend to call them ?
Do not hesitate to bring up Trump . Sure , they may hate him , but explain why your family may be better off . Explain what more money in the family bank account does for them , personally . Explain what the booming economy and job market has done for the hometown and the neighbors they once loved . Remind them how the retirement fund looks , and how there will be more for them some day in the future .
Prepare for some hurt feelings and rolling-eyes by the time the pumpkin pie is served . But on balance , we all must realize that these opportunities to confront those in our family who form the vanguard of the American left are few and far in between . If we don ’ t want to end up eating meatless turkey at some Thanksgiving in the future , now may be the time to serve up a hot plate of reality . | S6o8G1AJWWz0e0Ex | 2 | Holidays | 0.8 | Thanksgiving | 0.8 | General News | -0.5 | null | null | null | null |
white_house | National Review | http://www.nationalreview.com/article/454942/donald-trump-policy-victories-republicans-who-deserves-credit | Who Deserves Credit for the Trump Administration’s Accomplishments? | 2017-12-27 | white_house | There ’ s little evidence that Trump has actually involved himself in the process of governing .
Contrary to what many predicted , President Trump ’ s end-of-year accomplishment list isn ’ t that skimpy .
That ’ s an analytical observation . For many , particularly liberals and Democrats , Trump ’ s first year hasn ’ t been merely bad . It ’ s a great evil , a grievous wound to the American body politic .
It hasn ’ t exactly been smooth sailing . Trump is the most unpopular first-year president in American history , for reasons far beyond mere bad press .
Still , among conservatives , the tally of “ wins ” has sparked some intramural debates . The most prominent one is how Trump skeptics and avowed Never Trumpers should respond to those wins . For writers such as the Washington Post ’ s Jennifer Rubin and The Atlantic ’ s David Frum , the only legitimate response is either to ignore these successes or denigrate them , lest people lose sight of the threat Trump poses to the country . Others , including myself , argue instead that one needn ’ t deny the merits of a policy victory simply because the president might get credit for it .
This debate skips over the larger question of whether these victories happened because of Trump or despite him .
On one level , the president always gets the credit — or blame — for anything that happens on his watch . But Trump poses a challenge to such superficial scorekeeping . No president in American history has rejected Harry Truman ’ s “ The buck stops here ” motto as vehemently or consistently as this one . He never accepts responsibility for his own mistakes , never mind those of his administration or party . When American troops die , the commander in chief blames “ the generals. ” When legislation fails , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the “ establishment ” are at fault .
Trump boosters agree . Conservative writer Roger Simon argues that all “ remaining Never Trumpers ” must apologize for being wrong about the president . He chalks up Trump ’ s “ astoundingly successful ” first year to the fact the president is a “ quick study . ”
But what evidence is there that Trump has actually learned the art of presidential management ?
Aside from the mandatory flattery required of Republican elected officials , there ’ s remarkably little testimony that Trump has involved himself in the process of governing . Tax reform was carried across the finish line by the GOP congressional leadership . Net neutrality was repealed by independent Republicans at the Federal Communications Commission .
Foreign policy is a more mixed bag . If the president deserves credit for the defeat of Islamic State , it ’ s because he let “ the generals ” do their thing . On the other hand , credit ( or blame ) for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris accord on climate change certainly goes to him .
In general , it seems to me that Trump ’ s success ( such as it is ) is less attributable to sudden mastery of the issues than to staying out of the way of rank-and-file Republican policymakers , activists , and bureaucrats .
For instance , the task of selecting judicial appointees , starting with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch , has largely been outsourced to the Federalist Society . When the president revealed his new national-security strategy last week , his speech — the usual campaign blather — had only a passing resemblance to the underlying document . The tax bill is clearly more in line with House Speaker Paul Ryan ’ s ideology than candidate Trump ’ s supposed populism . As for a counter-example : When Trump was “ hands-on ” with Obamacare repeal , he often revealed he didn ’ t even know what was in the legislation .
In 2016 , some conservatives argued that Republicans should vote as if we live in a parliamentary democracy , electing a party , not a person . Trump ’ s 3,000 political appointees would be better than Hillary Clinton ’ s . That argument had its flaws , not least that voters tend not to compartmentalize that way — which is why the GOP faces a potential bloodbath in the 2018 midterms .
But there ’ s merit to it as well . To listen to Trump ’ s cheerleaders , the biggest obstacle to conservative victories is the party establishment , when in reality it looks more like it ’ s running the show . | A92Wvqn3Zg6rW0vt | 2 | Donald Trump | -1.2 | Politics | -0.7 | White House | 0 | null | null | null | null |
asia | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/29/world/asia/airasia-missing-plane/ | Search expands for AirAsia Flight QZ8501, likely at 'bottom of the sea' | 2014-12-29 | Asia, World | ( CNN ) -- An oil slick , the sound of a distant `` ping , '' objects in the water , and now this : smoke spotted rising from an island in the Java Sea .
As ships , planes and helicopters scour the waters off Indonesia 's coast for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 , there have been several reports of possible signs of the missing plane .
So far , officials say , none of them have panned out .
On Tuesday , search teams will be checking the area where Indonesian navy helicopter crews saw the smoke , the head of search and rescue in the province of Bangka-Belitung told CNN Indonesia . But authorities do n't know whether there 's any connection to the missing jet .
Local media in Indonesia reported the smoke was seen on Long Island , one of thousands that make up the archipelago that forms Indonesia .
Searchers have been scanning the water 's surface for signs of the plane , which went missing with 162 people aboard on Sunday as it flew between the islands of Belitung and Borneo , a heavily traveled shipping channel with shallow waters .
`` Our early conjecture is that the plane is in the bottom of the sea , '' said Bambang Sulistyo , the head of Indonesia 's search-and-rescue agency . That belief is based on the plane 's flight track and last known coordinates , he said .
Several possible signs of the missing plane , including an oil slick within the search zone and the sound of a faint `` ping , '' have been discounted , according to Indonesian authorities , who are heading the search .
Indonesia Vice President Jusuf Kalla said there were `` some reports from Australia '' about possible objects found , but it was unclear whether they were from the plane .
Because there is a great deal of traffic along the water in the search area , authorities have cautioned that objects found might have nothing to do with the missing aircraft .
Rescuers say weather was probably a factor in the plane 's disappearance , and it has made finding traces of the plane more difficult .
Large waves and clouds hampered the search for the plane on Sunday and Monday .
`` It is not easy , of course ... the operation in the sea , especially in the bad weather like this , '' Kalla said .
But Kalla said his country will not give up or set a time limit for the operation .
The search area is expanding , with six zones added to the operation on Tuesday , Sulistyo told reporters .
Now , he said , teams in the air , on sea and on land are searching 13 zones over an area that stretches about 156,000 square kilometers ( 60,200 square miles ) .
AirAsia says air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at 7:24 a.m. Sunday , Singapore time ( 6:24 a.m. in Indonesia ) .
The plane , flying from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore , went missing as it flew over the Java Sea between the islands of Belitung and Borneo -- a heavily traveled shipping channel with shallow waters -- Indonesian authorities said .
Before the plane , an Airbus A320-200 , lost contact with air traffic controllers , one of the pilots asked to change course and fly at a higher altitude because of bad weather , officials said . Heavy thunderstorms were reported in the area at the time .
Air traffic control approved the pilot 's request to turn left but denied permission for the plane to climb to 38,000 feet from 32,000 feet , Djoko Murjatmodjo , an aviation official at the Indonesian Transport Ministry , told the national newspaper Kompas .
The increased altitude request was denied because there was another plane flying at that height , he said .
Djoko suggested that Flight 8501 ascended despite air traffic control denying it permission .
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said storm clouds caused the pilot to ask for a flight plan change . But he added , `` We do n't want to speculate whether weather was a factor . We really do n't know . ''
Once the aircraft is found , there will be a proper investigation , Fernandes said .
Amid the anxious wait , family members of the passengers have attended closed-door briefings with airport and airline officials at the airport in Surabaya .
Oei Endang Sulsilowati and her daughter were looking for information about her brother , his wife and their two children .
`` We do n't know what to do , '' Sulsilowati said . `` We are just waiting for news . ''
A specially chartered plane will fly relatives of passengers over the search area Wednesday , AirAsia Indonesia CEO Sunu Widjatmoko told reporters in Surabaya on Tuesday .
The chartered Airbus A320 that will take families from Surabaya over the zone has room for as many as 180 people , he said .
Some police said authorities were seeking additional materials to help identify passengers , such as photos with close-ups of teeth , DNA , or fingerprints . But police officials later told CNN they were not immediately seeking these materials .
East Java Police have set up a disaster victims identification area at the Surabaya airport .
Of the people on board the passenger jet , 155 are Indonesian , three are South Korean , one is British , one is French , one is Malaysian and one is Singaporean , the airline said .
Eighteen children , including one infant , are among the passengers , the carrier said . Seven of the people on board are crew members .
Families of AirAsia flight passengers given support through the 'nightmare '
Since the flight disappeared in Indonesian airspace , Indonesia is heading up search efforts .
More than 1,100 search and rescue personnel from Australia , Singapore , Malaysia , South Korea , Japan and New Zealand are joining the search alongside Indonesia 's teams , CNN Indonesia reported .
The missing plane is made by Airbus , a French company . And France has dispatched two investigators to Indonesia . They are due to arrive in Jakarta on Monday , France 's Foreign Ministry said .
Malaysia 's transportation minister said his country has deployed three vessels and three aircraft to assist in the search . And the Royal Australian Air Force said Monday that it was deploying a patrol plane to help .
The USS Sampson is on its way to the Java Sea to assist in the search for the missing AirAsia plane , a senior U.S. military official told CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto . The Sampson , a guided-missile destroyer based in San Diego , deployed in October to take part in `` maritime security exercises and training '' in the Pacific .
China will dispatch aircraft and ships to participate in search and rescue efforts , the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday .
AirAsia , a successful budget airline group headquartered in Malaysia , had a clean safety record until the disappearance of Flight 8501 . The missing plane is operated by the company 's Indonesian affiliate .
The loss of contact with the plane comes nearly 10 months after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 , which dropped off radar over Southeast Asia on March 8 with 239 people on board .
Searchers have yet to find any remains of Flight 370 , which officials believe went down in the southern Indian Ocean after mysteriously flying thousands of kilometers away from its planned route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing .
But some aviation experts do n't think the search for Flight 8501 will be as challenging as the hunt for MH370 .
`` We are not talking about the deep Indian Ocean here , '' CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest said . `` We are talking about congested airspace around Southeast Asia . There will be much better radar coverage . There 's certainly better air traffic control coverage . '' | 8b70bcd2ac21fa8a | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
education | Reason | https://reason.com/archives/2017/06/28/why-government-schools-fail | Why Government Schools Fail | 2017-06-28 | Public Schools, Education | `` But of all the products we make and the services we provide , there 's one that stands out as an exception , '' according to the Cato Institute 's Andrew Coulson . `` One activity in which excellence does n't spawn countless imitators or spread on a massive scale : schooling . ''
Why not ? What can be done about it ? These questions are asked and often answered by Coulson 's new PBS TV series School Inc . It 's a wonderful three hours , reaching back years to America 's first experiments in education and traveling the world to look at schools in Chile , England , Sweden , India and Korea . In Korea , top teachers make millions .
Why have n't American schools improved ? The education establishment says , `` We do n't have enough money ! '' But American schools spend more per student than other countries . Spending tripled during Coulson 's lifetime and class sizes dropped . But test scores stay flat .
`` Schools adopted all sorts of new technologies , from projectors to personal computers to 'smart ' whiteboards , '' says Coulson . `` None of these inventions improved outcomes … Educational quality has been stuck in the era of disco and leisure suits for 40 years , while the rest of the world has passed it by . ''
The main ███ for that is that most schools are controlled by government . Government is a monopoly , and monopolies resist change . Actually , most of us resist change . We do n't want to give up the way we 've always done things . Certainly , few of us want to work harder , or differently . We get set in our ways .
But when there is competition , we ca n't get away with that . If we do n't adopt better ways of doing things , we go out of business . That forces innovation .
But government-run schools never go out of business . Principals , school boards and teachers—especially union teachers—have little incentive to try anything new .
One of the documentary 's illustrations of this might be familiar because the story was also told in the movie Stand and Deliver .
In that film , actor Edward James Olmos played math teacher Jaime Escalante . Escalante taught at California 's Garfield High School . The student body was , and is , composed of some of the most `` disadvantaged '' students in America . Yet more Garfield High students passed advanced placement calculus tests than did students from Beverly Hills High .
Escalante was the ███ . He was simply a better teacher .
Coulson interviewed some of his former students , who said , `` Escalante worked as if his life depended on the success of his students . ''
The results were beyond belief … literally . His students did so well on the state calculus test that authorities accused them of cheating . They made them take the test again . The students aced the test the second time .
One student tells Coulson , `` He built a relationship with each student , knew them by name , knew their story… Students did n't want to disappoint him . ''
The movie made Escalante famous , but he did n't change . He kept teaching at Garfield , telling students that even though they were poor , `` With enough drive and hard work , the sky is the limit . ''
`` The lessons I learned from Jaime , I apply them every day , '' a former student told Coulson . `` With my children I talk about Jaime and about ganas—desire . Nothing 's for free . You have to work really hard if you want to achieve anything . ''
Stand and Deliver has a happy ending , but what happened in real life was no fairy tale .
Coulson says , `` In any other field , we might expect this combination of success , scalability , and publicity to have catapulted Escalante to the top of his profession and spread his teaching model across the country . '' That is n't what happened .
A former Garfield student who now is a teacher told Coulson , `` The problem was that Escalante 's classes were big… He was setting a precedent , giving the message to the administrator : 'If Escalante can do it , why not you ? ' ''
The union used its organizing power to get votes to oust Escalante as math department chairman . Escalante then quit .
Unfortunately , Coulson did not live to see his TV series finished . He died while completing it . School Inc. is a wonderful memorial to Andrew Coulson and inspiration to all of us . | 7d30a841080ee2f4 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
immigration | New York Times - News | http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/us/politics/political-shift-stalls-obamas-efforts-to-overhaul-immigration.html?ref=politics | Political Shift Stalls Efforts to Overhaul Immigration | 2014-09-08 | immigration | “ The truth of the matter is that the politics did shift midsummer because of that problem , ” Mr. Obama said in an interview aired Sunday on NBC ’ s “ Meet the Press , ” referring to the surge of Central Americans , including thousands of unaccompanied children , across the border .
“ I want to spend some time , even as we ’ re getting all our ducks in a row for the executive action , I also want to make sure that the public understands why we ’ re doing this , why it ’ s the right thing for the American people , why it ’ s the right thing for the American economy , ” he said .
In the meantime , Mr. Obama has earned bitter outrage from Latinos , who make up one of his party ’ s strongest political constituencies . Already angered by the president ’ s move during his first term to accelerate deportations , activists have called the delay of promised executive action a betrayal .
“ Given the string of broken promises from this president to the Latino community on immigration , there is a real question as to whether he will follow through , ” said Frank Sharry , the executive director of America ’ s Voice , an immigrant-rights group . “ There are important segments of the Latino community , particularly Latino immigrant voters , where there ’ s a sense that the Republicans hate us , and the Democrats like us , but they don ’ t fully respect us yet — and I think that will have to be overcome going forward . ”
Angela M. Kelley , vice president for immigration policy at the Center for American Progress , said Latinos — like an aggrieved girlfriend who has waited in vain for a marriage proposal — are going to expect Mr. Obama to take even more expansive executive action later this year , given the delay .
“ A guy says he ’ s going to propose , and then he decides he ’ s going to delay and not propose for a couple of months , so you go , ‘ O.K. , I want a two-carat ring now instead of a one-carat ring , ’ ” Ms. Kelley said . “ The cost is high for what he ’ s done in terms of a delay . He ’ s asking the community to pay now , and to some extent , he ’ ll have to pay later . ”
It took about one month for Mr. Obama ’ s promise to begin crumbling . By early August , the start of Congress ’ summer break , Representative Tom Cotton , Republican of Arkansas , had released an attack ad charging that Senator Mark Pryor , Democrat of Arkansas — one of his party ’ s most at-risk candidates in November ’ s midterm congressional elections — was ignoring an immigration crisis on the United States-Mexico border , where thousands of Central American migrants were streaming into the United States . | uZZF8MKckzUbqlzS | 0 | Immigration | -2.8 | Barack Obama | -0.6 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
facts_and_fact_checking | WIRED | https://www.wired.com/story/dubai-flooding-uae-cloud-seeding-climate-change/ | No, Dubai’s Floods Weren’t Caused By Cloud Seeding | 2024-04-17 | Facts And Fact Checking, Climate Change, Middle East, United Arab Emirates, Weather, Climate Controls, Misinformation, General News, World | Dubai is underwater. Heavy storms have caused flash flooding across the United Arab Emirates, leading to shocking scenes circulating on social media: Cars abandoned by the roadside, planes sloshing through flooded runways. Hundreds of flights have been canceled at Dubai’s busy international airport, and at least 18 people have died in neighboring Oman.News reports and social media posts were quick to point the blame at cloud seeding. The UAE has a long-running program for trying to squeeze more rain out of the clouds that pass over the normally arid region—it has a team of pilots who spray salt particles into passing storms to encourage more water to form. The floods were positioned as a cautionary tale by some: Here’s what happens when you mess with nature. Even Bloomberg reported that cloud seeding had worsened the flooding.The truth is more complicated. I’ve spent the past few months reporting on cloud seeding in the UAE for an upcoming WIRED feature, and while it’s true that the UAE has been running cloud seeding missions this week—it performs more than 300 a year—it’s a stretch to say that it was responsible for the floods. (In fact, as we were preparing this story for publication on Wednesday morning, the UAE’s National Center for Meteorology told CNBC it had not seeded any clouds before the storm struck on Tuesday.)TikTok content This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.There are a few reasons for this. First: Even the most optimistic assessments of cloud seeding say that it can increase rainfall by a maximum of 25 percent annually. In other words, it would have rained anyway, and if cloud seeding did have an impact, it would have been to only slightly increase the amount of precipitation that fell. The jury is still out on the effectiveness of cloud seeding in warm climates, and even if it does work, cloud seeding can’t produce rain out of thin air, it can only enhance what’s already in the sky.Secondly, seeding operations tend to take place in the east of the country, far from more populated areas like Dubai. This is largely because of restrictions on air traffic, and means it was unlikely that any seeding particles were still active by the time the storms reached Dubai. Most of the scientists I’ve spoken to say the impact of cloud seeding has a very small, localized effect and is unlikely to cause flooding in other areas. But perhaps the best evidence that cloud seeding wasn’t involved in these floods is the fact that it rained all over the region. Oman didn’t do any cloud seeding, but it was even more badly affected by flooding, with a number of casualties.It’s exciting to point the finger at a scary technology, but the real cause of the flooding is likely more banal: Dubai is comically ill-equipped to deal with rainfall. The city has expanded rapidly over the past few decades, with little attention paid to infrastructure like storm drains that could help it deal with a sudden influx of water. It’s largely concrete and glass, and there’s very little green space to soak up rainfall. The result is chaos whenever it rains—though to be fair, most cities would struggle to deal with a year’s worth of rain falling in 12 hours.However, climate change may also be playing a role. As the planet heats up, the complex weather dynamics of the region are shifting and changing in ways that may bring more violent storms. City planners around the world are trying to make their cities “spongier” to help deal with flash flooding and save more water for drier parts of the year. Instead of using cloud seeding to turn the sky into a sponge, Dubai would be better off trying to turn the city into one. | 9ad374b025996b4d | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
environment | Fox News | http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/05/20/un-climate-change-expert-reveals-bias-in-global-warming-report/ | Opinion: UN climate change expert reveals bias in global warming report | 2014-05-20 | environment | Three of the four installments of the Fifth Assessment Report ( AR5 ) of the United Nations ’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) , which claims to show the state of the global climate system under stress , are now available .
All three show things are seriously amiss – although not necessarily with the climate itself . The final installment , to be published in September will further underline the need to reform the IPCC .
The IPCC has three working groups , each producing its own report . Working Group I , focusing on climate change itself , released its findings last September . Compared to the previous report , of 2007 , it quietly revised downwards its estimate of eventual global warming .
The IPCC became less pessimistic about climate change , although its press release would not tell you so .
The report also illustrates just how outmoded the IPCC has become since it was founded in 1988 . Its reports are written over a period of three years , and finished months before publication .
When preparations started on AR5 , the world hadn ’ t warmed for 13 years . That is a bit odd , if you believe the models , but not odd enough to merit a lot of attention .
By the time the report was finished , however , it hadn ’ t warmed for 17 years . That is decidedly odd , but hard to accommodate in a near-final draft that has been through three rounds of review .
After the report was finalized , but before it was published , a number of papers appeared with hypotheses about the pause in warming . AR5 was out of date before it was released .
The IPCC model – every six years a big splash of climate analysis – is broken .
Working Group 2 , published in March , and focusing on the impacts of climate change , had a different problem . It lies at the heart of the previous IPCC controversy . The scientific literature now acknowledges that many of the more worrying impacts of climate change are in fact symptoms of social mismanagement and underdevelopment .
The first rule of climate policy should be : do no harm to economic growth . But the IPCC was asked to focus on the risks of climate change alone , and those who volunteered to be its authors eagerly obliged . There is even a groundbreaking section on emerging risks .
The first paper on an issue is always dramatic . That is the only way to get something onto the scientific agenda . Follow-up papers then pooh-pooh the initial drama . But the IPCC chose not to wait for those follow-up papers .
IPCC reports are often two to three thousand pages long , but there are two or three main findings only .
Authors who want to see their long hours of IPCC work recognized should thus present their impact as worse than the next one .
It was this inbuilt alarmism that made me step down from the team that drafted the Summary for Policy Makers of Working Group 2 . And indeed , the report was greeted by the four horsemen of the apocalypse : famine , pestilence , war , death all made headlines .
April ’ s Working Group 3 had yet another problem . Its focus , climate policy , is a hot political debate in many countries .
The Summary for Policy Makers is drafted by academics , but approved line-by-line by government representatives . Every clause that could possibly be used against a government position , either in a domestic debate or in international negotiations , was neutered or removed .
But the authors are at fault , too . A little bit of emission reduction costs little . But as targets get more stringent , costs escalate . Not so according to the IPCC : Very ambitious targets are said to be only slightly more expensive than less ambitious targets .
This surprising finding is a statistical fluke . Emission reduction is easy according to some studies , which duly explore very ambitious targets .
Emission reduction is hard according to other studies ; very ambitious targets are prohibitively expensive and results not reported .
The surprisingly low cost of meeting very stringent emission reduction targets is the result of selection bias .
Oddly , the IPCC made the same mistake in the previous report .
The final part of the AR5 report , the Synthesis , will be published in September . It will fail to offer policy makers what they need to know : a systematic comparison of the costs of climate policy to its benefits , the avoided impacts of climate change .
Compared to the most famous cost-benefit analysis of them all , the Stern Review , published in 2006 , the IPCC finds that the impacts of climate change are lower and the impacts of climate policy higher . But the IPCC will not suggest that the emission reduction targets recommended by Stern – global emissions 25 percent below 2005 levels by 2050 ; stabilize warming at 2-3˚C – are , perhaps , too stringent .
Given its flaws , should the IPCC be disbanded ? That would be pointless . Climate change is a problem of the future . Climate policy responds to forecasts of the future rather than measurements of the past .
There are large climate bureaucracies around the world , who exist by virtue of climate science . If you abolish the IPCC , the climatocracy will create a new IPCC . The IPCC should therefore be reformed .
Away with the infrequent , massive set pieces . Away with alarmism – that has been tried for 25 years , with no discernible impact on emissions . Away with activists posing as scientists . Away with the freshman mistakes .
Just good , sober , solid science . Let the chips fall where they may . | Ybwk6KlYep6HPix2 | 2 | Climate Change | -1.4 | Global Warming | -0.7 | Environment | 0 | null | null | null | null |
2024_presidential_election | David Leonhardt | https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/15/briefing/iowa-caucuses.html | Three Questions About Iowa | 2024-01-15 | 2024 Presidential Election, Donald Trump, Iowa Caucus, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Republican Party | Advertisement Newsletter What to watch for in tonight’s caucuses. By David Leonhardt So far, the 2024 presidential campaign looks to be the least competitive in decades. The incumbent president is likely to win the Democratic nomination easily, while a former president seems to be running away with the Republican nomination. Of course, this conclusion is based only on opinion polls, rather than actual voting. By tonight, however, voting will have begun, at least on the Republican side, thanks to the Iowa caucuses. Today’s newsletter offers a preview, in the form of three questions. 1. What’s the biggest story tonight? Don’t get distracted by secondary issues. The big question is whether Donald Trump wins the landslide victory that polls have forecast. If he does, it will be the clearest sign yet that he is on pace to join Richard Nixon, Franklin D. Roosevelt and only a handful of earlier politicians who won the nomination of a major party at least three-times. Recent polls have shown Trump receiving around 50 percent of the Republican vote in Iowa, with Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis both at 20 percent or below. The only other significant candidate remaining is Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been polling below 10 percent. Advertisement Even if Trump fares a little worse than polls indicate, a landslide win would suggest he is the overwhelming favorite for the nomination. Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like. David Leonhardt runs The Morning, The Times’s flagship daily newsletter. Since joining The Times in 1999, he has been an economics columnist, opinion columnist, head of the Washington bureau and founding editor of the Upshot section, among other roles. More about David Leonhardt Advertisement Subscribe now ©2025 The New York Times Company | 897e1d086c2fe035 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
economy_and_jobs | Townhall | https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bethbaumann/2019/11/13/exclusive-new-rnc-data-proves-americans-are-better-off-than-they-were-three-years-ago-n2556402 | New RNC Data Proves Americans Are Better Off Than They Were Three Years Ago | 2019-11-13 | economy_and_jobs | As Democrats continue with their impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump , one thing is increasingly clear : the Democratic Party is worried about their ability to beat Trump in 2020 . Voters go to the polls in the Iowa Caucus in less than 12 weeks and the Democratic field is still fairly packed .
The Trump campaign is focused on reminding the American people of promises the President made during the 2016 election cycle and kept once in office . He has successfully delivered on tax cuts , unemployment rates have hit a record low – especially for Hispanics and African Americans – and the Senate has successfully confirmed 99 judges ( with more slated for the remainder of the year ) .
New data from the Republican National Committee shows Americans are feeling the benefits of having President Trump in office . Voters in three key battleground states – New Hampshire , Michigan and Pennsylvania – say they are better off financially today than they were three years ago .
“ Democrats know they can not beat President Donald Trump at the ballot box in 2020 . The American people are better off today than they were three years ago , and a socialist nominee would only destroy the economic progress enjoyed by tens of millions , '' Trump Victory spokesperson Rick Gorka told ███ . `` We know the partisan impeachment witch hunt is fueled by political motives but we also know the American people believe President Donald Trump is the reason for more money in their pockets . ”
In Michigan , voters are 17 percent more likely to believe they are better off financially today than they were three years ago . That number jumps to 22 percent with voters under 35 years old . Those who reside in Macomb County , part of the Detroit metro area , are 22 percent more likely to agree that they are better off financially than they were three years ago .
Voters in New Hampshire are 33 percent more likely to believe they are better off financially than they were before the Trump administration . Working moms in the state are 31 percent more likely to feel their financial situation has improved since Trump took office . For voters in rural Coos County , it 's 34 percent more likely .
Pennsylvanians are benefitting from the Trump economy and are 20 percent more likely to agree that they are better off than they were three years ago . That number jumps with voters under 35 years old to 25 percent . Working moms in the state are 18 percent more likely to feel their financial situation has improved .
The RNC invested more than $ 350 million in data that tracks key issues in every state , which allows their data and analytics team to closely monitor electorates and the issues that are important to them .
According to Bill Skelly , CEO of Causeway Solutions , a leader in the data field , the RNC 's information is `` unmatched . ''
“ I work with RNC voter data every day and the quality and breadth of information is unmatched . The data is refreshed daily with information collected through the tireless efforts of RNC-led volunteers , activists and campaigns out there making phone calls and knocking on the doors of real voters in real time , '' Skelly told ███ . `` As a result , Republicans have an extremely valuable asset that their Democrat counterparts are rightly jealous of . ''
This data is provided to campaigns at the federal , state and local levels free of charge . The only thing the RNC asks for in return : for Republicans across the country to keep the data up-to-date when they knock on doors and phone bank .
`` Instead of paying for data , the GOP candidates and organizations use sweat equity to improve it , '' Skelly said . `` It is the secret weapon Republicans all over the county are able to deploy to win their political battles . ” | OvIhr6lu4MlHPSXT | 2 | RNC | 1.5 | Battleground States | 1.4 | Economy And Jobs | 0 | null | null | null | null |
healthcare | Townhall | http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2014/05/12/obamacare-exchanges-price-tag-49-billion-n1836861 | Obamacare Exchanges Price Tag: $4.9 Billion | 2014-05-12 | healthcare | When the federal health exchanges launched and crashed last fall through Healthcare.gov , half-a-million dollars went to waste as government officials continued to throw money at the problem . At the state level , the numbers are just as bad , if not worse . According to numbers published by POLITICO and put out by the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation , failing state exchanges have already cost taxpayers $ 454 million and in the end will cost as much as $ 4.9 billion .
Nearly half a billion dollars in federal money has been spent developing four state Obamacare exchanges that are now in shambles — and the final price tag for salvaging them may go sharply higher .
Each of the states — Massachusetts , Oregon , Nevada and Maryland — embraced Obamacare , and each underperformed . All have come under scathing criticism and now face months of uncertainty as they rush to rebuild their systems or transition to the federal exchange .
The $ 474 million spent by these four states includes the cost that officials have publicly detailed to date . It climbs further if states like Minnesota and Hawaii , which have suffered similarly dysfunctional exchanges , are added .
Their totals are just a fraction of the $ 4.698 billion that the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation calculates the federal government has approved for states since 2011 to help them determine whether to create their own exchanges and to assist in doing so .
One aspect the POLITICO piece did n't cover is how many Obamacare enrollees have come at this great cost . Lets start with Oregon , where zero people have been enrolled in the system . Forbes has more :
Indeed , all told , federal taxpayers spent $ 474 million on just four Exchanges that appear destined for the junk heap : Massachusetts , Oregon , Nevada and Maryland . If other states with similarly dysfunctional exchanges ( Minnesota and Hawaii ) are included , the total would rise by an additional $ 360 million . That ’ s $ 834 million spent in just a half dozen states that collectively enrolled 270,000 people—in excess of $ 3,000 per enrollee just to get signed up !
Looking back , it would have been much more efficient to cut the 45 million uninsured in this country a check for health insurance but instead , government bureaucrats decided to overhaul the system in the most inefficient , expensive way possible . When President Obama brags about 8 million `` enrollees , '' of whom just 65 percent have actually paid for their plans , it 's important to keep in mind just how much those enrollees cost . | mG4gH9hd2Ek7hPOK | 2 | Obamacare | -0.4 | Healthcare | -0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
nsa | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/24/world/europe/russia-snowden/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 | Edward Snowden won't be pressured to end asylum, Russia says | 2014-01-24 | nsa | Story highlights A Russian lawmaker says Russia will not push Snowden out
Snowden wants to return home , but he wants protection from prosecution
Edward Snowden may stay in Russia longer than first thought .
Snowden has said the time is n't right for him to return to the United States , where he could face criminal charges for leaking classified information . Russia gave him asylum for a year .
Now Russia says it will continue to extend asylum protections to Snowden and wo n't send him back home .
That word came Friday from Alexy Pushkov , a legislator who is head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Duma , Russia 's lower house . He spoke about Snowden at the World Economic Forum in Davos , Switzerland .
Russia 's position basically buys Snowden more time as he mulls his next move .
JUST WATCHED Edward Snowden responds to CNN Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Edward Snowden responds to CNN 01:45
JUST WATCHED A DOJ deal for Edward Snowden ? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH A DOJ deal for Edward Snowden ? 04:56
JUST WATCHED Atty Gen. Holder discusses Snowden case Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Atty Gen. Holder discusses Snowden case 01:36
Snowden has said he wants to return home but also wants whistle-blower protection . The U.S. government , meanwhile , says it will not offer clemency .
In an online chat Thursday , Snowden said that returning to the U.S. `` is the best resolution for all parties , '' but `` it 's unfortunately not possible in the face of current whistle-blower protection laws . ''
He pointed out that the U.S. government 's Whistleblower Protection Act does n't cover someone like him , a former government contractor .
`` There are so many holes in the laws , the protections they afford are so weak , and the processes for reporting they provide are so ineffective that they appear to be intended to discourage reporting of even the clearest wrongdoing , '' he wrote . `` ... My case clearly demonstrates the need for comprehensive whistle-blower protection act reform . ''
Snowden offered his remarks from Russia , where he 's been since June , having been granted a one-year asylum . Pushkov 's remarks appear to open the door to an extension of that asylum .
The U.S. government has n't stayed silent on his case , either .
On Thursday , around the time that Snowden was answering questions online , Attorney General Eric Holder said that `` if Mr. Snowden wanted to come back to the United States and enter a plea , we would engage with his lawyers . ''
The government would take the same tack with anyone willing to plead guilty , Holder said at an event at the University of Virginia 's Miller Center .
But in Snowden 's case , the attorney general insisted , `` Clemency is n't something that we ( are ) willing to consider . '' | VCAqVCCkTWioWWLE | 0 | Defense And Security | -0.3 | NSA | -0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Dick Morris | http://thehill.com/opinion/dick-morris/276881-morris-the-unstoppable-trump | Morris: The unstoppable Trump | 2016-04-19 | elections | Donald Trump Donald John TrumpTop US diplomat suggested he could 'quit ' over Ukraine dealings READ : Trump officials ' texts discussing Ukraine House Democrats release Trump officials ' text exchanges discussing Ukraine MORE ’ s rise and resilience is unique in our modern political history . He seems almost to be the default setting for the Republican primary voter .
If he screws up on television , a few supporters may leave him for a few weeks . If Ted Cruz Rafael ( Ted ) Edward CruzGOP turns furor on media amid impeachment fight Cruz , Graham send well wishes to Sanders after heart procedure Hillicon Valley : Treasury sanctions Russians over 2018 election meddling | How Facebook fought back on FTC fine | WeWork calls off IPO | Elon Musk unveils Mars rocket MORE spends millions on ads and has every endorsement in a certain state ( say , Wisconsin ) , he might beat Trump in that one state . But then The Donald snaps right back to a dominant position .
In the past two weeks , Trump has made very little news — his handlers are keeping him off news interview shows , and he hasn ’ t made any major policy pronouncements . The media has been filled with inside baseball about Colorado , North Dakota , Wyoming , Rule 40B and the second ballot . And Trump has run very little in the way of paid media .
With his overwhelming triumph in New York Tuesday and leads in all five states set to vote a week later ( Pennsylvania , Maryland , Delaware , Rhode Island and Connecticut ) , it now looks like the billionaire will get the overwhelming share of the 267 delegates to be selected over this period , putting him less than 100 votes shy of 1,000 delegates . Trump needs 1,237 to take the nomination outright .
Cruz could get off the mat and win Pennsylvania , a state where 54 of the total 71 delegates are not bound and where the senator is doing well in the delegate selection process .
Or Cruz could win Indiana ’ s 57 votes and Nebraska ’ s 36 .
If Cruz did that and parlayed his strength in the far West into wins on the Pacific Coast , he could block Trump and win on the second ballot .
But there is no denying that Trump is a force of nature , like magnetism or gravity ; his grip on the Republican primary voter is so strong . He may have a 75 percent negative rating among America ’ s women , but there is not much gender gap in his primary vote . He does about as well among Republican women as he does with Republican men .
Republicans won the election of 2004 by bringing 10 million more ( largely white ) voters out than voted in 2000 . Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaMayor Pete 's worse way to do 'Medicare for All ' Barack Obama to Michelle on 27th anniversary : 'It 's getting better all the time ' Obama clip joking that GOP will want a moat , alligators resurfaces after Trump report MORE won in 2008 by bringing out 10 million more blacks , Latinos and young people than voted in 2004 .
Mitt Romney lost , in part , because 10 million white voters stayed home in 2012 .
Trump can get them back . In the primaries , he has demonstrated a vote-getting power that is extraordinary . Without a field organization worth mentioning , he has pushed Republican turnout to a level 75 percent higher than it was in 2012 . When all is done , about 33 million people will vote in the GOP primaries , up from 19 million four years ago . There ’ s the missing 10 million ( or 14 million ) .
Can Trump ’ s ability to get his voters out and hold their support win in the face of his terrible national general election numbers ?
The real estate mogul clearly has a 10-point problem . He runs 10 points worse among women against Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonTrump asserts he has 'absolute right ' to ask other countries for help probing corruption Energy Secretary Rick Perry expected to resign next month : report Trump officials drafted statement for Ukraine leader to pledge desired probes : report MORE than Romney did against Obama . He is 10 points less favorable and 10 points more unfavorable than Clinton . And he loses to her by 10 in the RealClearPolitics average , 49 percent to 39 percent .
But , don ’ t count him out . Trump could still beat Clinton .
Who knows what the impact of the FBI investigation into Clinton ’ s State emails will be . Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersSanders after Trump calls Ocasio-Cortez a 'wack job ' : It will be ' a real pleasure defeating you ' Biden raises .2 million in third quarter , trailing Sanders and Buttigieg Five takeaways from Warren 's sweeping labor proposal MORE has waged an antiseptic campaign on the issues without having the ill grace to bring up the subject — not to mention the Benghazi report .
Trump could use his opposition to trade deals and his refusal to take super-PAC money to rally Sanders voters , who supported Bernie over the same issues .
Morris , who served as adviser to former Sen. Trent Lott ( R-Miss . ) and former President Clinton , is the author of 17 books , including his latest , “ Power Grab : Obama ’ s Dangerous Plan for a One Party Nation ” and “ Here Come the Black Helicopters. ” To get all of his and Eileen McGann ’ s columns for free by email , go to dickmorris.com . | MGNjrjSn0vUTUF3u | 2 | Presidential Elections | 0.7 | Elections | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | CBN | https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2021/january/impeachment-is-dead-on-arrival-45-republicans-vote-to-reject-trump-trial-as-unconstitutional | Impeachment Is 'Dead on Arrival': 45 Republicans Vote to Reject Trump Trial as Unconstitutional | 2021-01-27 | Impeachment, Senate GOP, Rand Paul, Donald Trump, Capitol Chaos, Politics | This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Share This article Senate Democrats voted on Tuesday to proceed with impeachment, rejecting a Republican attempt to block their Trump trial. But even though they won the vote, it's actually good news for the former president. That's because 45 senators just voted to declare the impeachment effort unconstitutional. In other words, there don't appear to be enough votes to actually impeach Trump when the trial begins the week of Feb. 8. Democrats accuse former President Trump of “incitement of insurrection”. House Democrats quickly voted without holding any hearings to impeach Trump on a single article of impeachment in the aftermath of the January 6th Capitol Hill riot, racing the clock before he could leave office. Now Senate Democrats are planning to hold a trial even though Trump is no longer president. So Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul forced his fellow senators to go on the record by trying to get the trial tossed out of the Senate as unconstitutional. A legitimate Senate impeachment vote of Trump would require the support of all Democrats plus 17 Republicans or two-thirds of the Senate. But Tuesday's vote indicates there clearly aren't 17 Republicans willing to go along with it. “If more than 34 Republicans vote against the constitutionality of the proceeding, the whole thing’s dead on arrival,” Paul said shortly before the vote. Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) said, "This is not a trial; this is political theater. You cannot remove someone from office who is already out of office. In this trial, there is no current President, no Chief Justice, and no possibility someone could be removed from office because they are not in any office. In a moment when our nation needs to unite, this trial will only create even deeper divisions." Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said the whole idea of impeaching former presidents and officials opens a big can of worms. He asked, what's next, “Could we go back and try President Obama?” Cornyn said the U.S. system has already worked and that Trump has been held accountable by the voters. “One way in our system you get punished is losing an election,” he said. There may be another alternative for those senators who still want to punish Trump. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Tim Kaine of Virginia are trying to get their fellow Senators to go along with a bipartisan resolution censuring Trump, according to Axios. MORE HERE ABOUT THE TRIAL: Chief Justice Roberts Won't Preside Over Senate Impeachment of a Former President, Even Biden Thinks It's Doomed to Fail STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FREE CBN NEWS APP Click Here Get the App with Special Alerts on Breaking News and Top Stories Share This article You are signing up to receive general newsletters from CBN. By signing up, you are consenting to our privacy policy. You can specify preference after sign-up and opt out at any time. You are signing up to receive general newsletters from CBN. By signing up, you are consenting to our privacy policy. You can specify preference after sign-up and opt out at any time. © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. By clicking “Accept All” you are giving your consent for us to set cookies.CBN Cookie Policy | a4b2b086e05cf851 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
us_congress | Politico | http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/mccarthy-moment-house-speaker-214086 | McCarthy's ascent | 2015-09-25 | us_congress | Less than a decade ago , Kevin Owen McCarthy was deep in the minority in the California state Assembly in Sacramento . He shared a house with a bunch of fellow lawmakers and cut legislative deals over card games in his kitchen .
Later this fall , the 50-year-old Bakersfield native is expected to complete what can only be described as one of the most historic climbs to power in U.S. political history . The former deli owner turned Capitol Hill aide turned lawmaker will be second in line to the presidency , behind Vice President Joe Biden . He is only 15 years removed from his first run for public office : a trustee for the Kern Community College District .
McCarthy has n't officially announced his bid for House speaker , wanting to give John Boehner ( R-Ohio ) space to celebrate his tenure . But his circle of allies moved swiftly to consolidate support for McCarthy . They are all describing McCarthy as a `` healer '' and `` unifier '' who can bring together the fractured Republican conference after the divisive infighting that plagued Boehner 's speakership .
McCarthy , who was stunned by Friday 's announcement , is not expected to formally announce his bid for speaker until Sunday at the earliest .
With a handful of Republican lawmakers from across the ideological spectrum quickly lining up to fight it out to replace him as majority leader , McCarthy has a wealth of colleagues willing to put their support behind him to become the next speaker . McCarthy 's style is to run hard like he is losing , even if he has no opponent . Already , dozens of members have swarmed the California Republican on the House floor , pledging their support for him to move up to speaker .
“ He ’ s been to every state , recruited most of the candidates . He understands what it takes on both the political side and the policy side , ” said Rep. Devin Nunes , a fellow California Republican and key McCarthy ally . “ So , he ’ s well positioned to win . ”
That 's not to say he does n't have challenges . The House Freedom Caucus lawmakers , who tirelessly dogged Boehner 's every move , will be ready to pounce on the California Republican . Democrats and the White House will look to test his resolve and his control of the House , and infighting over leadership spots could result in bitter rivalries .
Unlike Boehner , who chaired the House Education and the Workforce Committee , McCarthy has never held a full committee gavel . He is n't seen as a policy expert and has no signature legislation to his name .
He is a strong fundraiser , but he will have to significantly beef up his political operation . Boehner has brought in $ 300 million for House Republicans , spending 180 nights on the road each year . McCarthy will inherit some of that network , but will have to build a national fundraising operation to help Republicans keep the majority .
For much of McCarthy 's tenure , he 's escaped to Bakersfield almost every weekend — even if for 12 hours . With a massive police detail — and even more massive responsibilities — that would become tough .
McCarthy has seen the House as his longtime political home , but it is unclear if he ’ ll be able to bring together the fractious Republican conference . He ’ ll have to call on all of his political instincts and the relationships he has built over his short tenure to try and secure support from conservative lawmakers who have been critical of the leadership .
McCarthy has made the `` listening session '' a key part of his outreach to members , and he spends enormous amounts of time meeting with colleagues one-on-one or in small groups . Unlike majority leaders before him , McCarthy keeps his office on the first floor of the Capitol . It ’ s easier for members to access .
Unlike Boehner , whose two daughters are in their mid-30s , McCarthy has younger children , a son who is graduating from Georgetown University and a daughter back in California . He fancies himself a mix of Hollywood and Silicon Valley , regularly visiting both to raise money and listen to luminaries share their ideas . He 's often starstruck , posing for selfies with celebrities . He even asked Pope Francis for a prayer session during a moment of downtime in the Capitol this week . At times , McCarthy seems like a blue-collar guy who stumbled into politics , and has ridden the wave to Washington .
Rep. Daniel Webster ( R-Fla. ) , who served as the House speaker in Tallahassee , says he will challenge McCarthy , drawing from the support of the right flank of the House Republican Conference . But House insiders say Webster can not garner the majority of the conference .
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan , the only Republican lawmaker who could seriously challenge McCarthy , said he wouldn ’ t run for speaker , and thinks McCarthy will win the gavel .
“ I assume it 's Kevin , ” Ryan said when asked about who would be the next speaker . Boehner said McCarthy would “ make an excellent speaker . ''
Boehner and McCarthy first met when the California Republican was an aide to Bill Thomas , the legendary congressman who represented Bakersfield between 1979 and 2003 . When McCarthy made it to the state house , he was elected into leadership as a freshman .
McCarthy was elected to Congress in 2006 , and Boehner , then the majority leader , gave him a leadership role in the 2008 presidential convention . He was in charge of the Pledge to America , an election-season document that helped deliver the GOP the House majority . He served as Eric Cantor ’ s chief deputy whip and became intimately involved in the National Republican Congressional Committee , learning the House map in close detail .
Then , after Cantor 's surprise defeat in a primary election in his Virginia district last year , McCarthy ran for the Republican conference 's No . 2 post , majority leader . Conservatives supported him then , and appear to be a bit more open to him than to Boehner .
Rep. Mick Mulvaney ( R-S.C. ) , a noted Boehner critic , said McCarthy is more willing to work with rank-and-file members . Mulvaney said Boehner had antiquated views on the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches .
“ Kevin has only been here a couple years longer than I have , so I think he may have some different experiences ” than Boehner , Mulvaney said .
However , Mulvaney noted , `` No one would ever accuse McCarthy of being a hard-core conservative . That 's not a slam on Kevin . ''
`` It does n't matter to some conservatives that he 's not one of them , as long as he gives a seat at the table , '' Mulvaney added . `` His management style is much better than Boehner — much more inclusive , much more pro-active , much more involved . '' | nNRVfgWkDu6XnJ5r | 0 | John Boehner | 0.5 | US Congress | 0.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
world | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/politics/cuba-barack-obama-marco-rubio-florida-voters/index.html | Shift in Cuba politics boosts Obama, challenges Rubio | 2015-04-15 | Cuba, Marco Rubio, Barack Obama, World | Miami ( CNN ) The oppression felt by many under the Castro regime still looms large at the epicenter of Cuban America : Miami 's Little Havana neighborhood .
Cuban-born Americans at the popular Domino Park chat casually in Spanish as the domino tiles click , but most of them refuse to discuss President Barack Obama 's new policy of normalizing relations with the communist country .
This past weekend , Obama shared a historic handshake with Raul Castro at the Summit of the Americas , and on Tuesday , Obama told Congress he intended to take Cuba off the state sponsors of terrorism list , moves that would have been unthinkable just years ago .
The Cuban immigrants in Miami , though , are concerned that if they talk about Obama 's actions , their words could travel back to Havana and cause trouble for their families .
It 's a fear , said Helena Jimenez , that 's very real : `` You talk the wrong way , you 're put in jail , your family is hurt . ''
And yet Jimenez , who immigrated to the United States from Cuba when she was 8 years old , nearly 55 years ago , supports Obama 's new policy .
Speaking outside Café Versailles , the famous Cuban eatery where exiles young and old gather for café con leche , Jimenez called the U.S. embargo against Cuba a `` cane of support '' that Cuban President Raul Castro has been leaning on as an excuse for poor conditions in his country -- and now that the cane is gone , she 's hopeful he could tumble and fall .
Jimenez is emblematic of a broader shift within in the Cuban population in America , one that ultimately opened up the political space for Obama to start to change the U.S. stance toward the island nation .
But the same shift in attitudes that helped pave the way for Obama 's course change has also diluted some of the potency of what was once a clear political winner for Republicans . Fernand Amandi , a principal at Bendixen & Amandi International , which specializes in polling Cuban Americans , said what was once a reliable GOP base vote has now become more of a swing vote .
`` Going into 2016 , the Cuban American vote in Florida will arguably be even more important than ever before , because now you 're going to see both sides , Republicans and Democrats , go after them in ways we have n't seen before , '' he said .
It 's a transformation that makes Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio 's intense opposition to the Cuba opening a potential obstacle in his presidential pitch to voters who share his background , rather than the surefire crowd-pleaser it has long been .
The senator leaned heavily on the story of his immigrant parents ' exile from Cuba in his presidential announcement on Monday , and he chose Miami 's Freedom Tower , which served as a landing hub for many Cuban exiles through the latter half of the 20th century , for the launch itself .
Though the 43-year-old cast himself as a leader of the future , his focus on reasserting tough sanctions and freezing relations with Cuba is seen by many , especially younger Cuban Americans , as a policy of the past .
And that was the gist of the attack launched by the Democratic National Committee when Rubio on Tuesday condemned Obama 's call for Cuba to be removed from the state sponsors of terrorism list .
`` For a guy who just yesterday said he wanted to be a new leader and usher in a new American century , it sure sounds like Marco Rubio is clinging to an outdated foreign policy relic from the Cold War , '' said DNC spokesman Mo Elleithee .
Distance and time have transformed the Cuban American population , and in turn , its politics .
Surveys suggest younger Cubans are more open to liberalizing trade and normalizing relations with the nation . A Florida International University poll in 2014 found that majorities of Miami-area Cuban Americans supported unrestricted travel to the nation , expanded trade opportunities and , broadly , stronger ties between the two countries .
JUST WATCHED Obama asks Congress to move Cuba off terror list Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Obama asks Congress to move Cuba off terror list 00:45
Those majorities declined among older generations , and in many cases reversed to majorities opposed among respondents that left Cuba in the 1960s and '70s . But the Cuban American population is becoming younger and more likely to have been born here -- those born in Cuba declined from 68 % in 2000 to 57 % in 2013 , according to the Pew Research Center
Orlando Feliciano , a 20-year-old sophomore at Miami University , is one of those young Cubans who say it 's time for change . He described his family as split along generational lines , with his mother in favor of the move and his grandparents opposed `` because they feel like , that 's a strategy that the Cuban government is using to generate more money . ''
But Feliciano 's own view is that thawing relations is the right decision .
`` I mean , Cuba has been stuck with this government for over 50 years now , and I feel like it 's time for something to change , '' he said Monday on his way to class on the sunny campus . `` The people deserve it . ''
Carl Meacham , director of the Americas Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies , said it was difficult to `` pin down '' the Cuban American population as a voting bloc because of the diverse opinions within it .
`` They are much more split today on the way forward than they have ever been , '' he said . `` You have more Cuban Americans supporting a change to how the United States is supporting Cuba than you have in the past . ''
But it 's still a potent political issue for older Cuban Americans , which helps explain Rubio 's -- and the rest of the GOP field 's -- Cuba focus , as older voters remain a key portion of the GOP base .
An MSNBC/Telemundo/Marist poll out last week found a majority of Americans , spanning all age groups , approved of the move to reopen diplomatic ties with Cuba , but about a third of those older than 45 disapproved .
And Meacham noted that the stance on Cuba plays into the broader GOP campaign against executive overreach from the President , with Republicans portraying it as yet another example of Obama acting without congressional approval .
Part of the policy shift stems from Obama being a second-term president unconcerned with the politics of the issue -- and perhaps wanting to test his own theories of international engagement .
That 's what Jaime Suchlicki , director of the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami and an opponent of the thaw , said was behind Obama 's move .
`` He comes with a philosophy based on the idea that you make nice with your enemies and they become your friends , '' Suchlicki said . `` The President is doing this based on his own mindset , not on the reality of what is happening . ''
He warned : `` The administration takes a significant risk that by taking this unilateral action , they get nothing from Cuba . ''
Potential political backlash from the estimated 2 million Cuban Americans in the United States -- a huge portion of whom live in the key swing state of Florida , with a sizable enclave in heavily Democratic New Jersey -- has helped keep previous Democratic presidents from moving on promises to normalize relations .
JUST WATCHED Obama-Castro meeting begins new era Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Obama-Castro meeting begins new era 02:59
That was the case in the early 1990s , when President Bill Clinton ended up signing the Helms-Burton Act , which further entrenched the embargo and restricted the president 's ability to roll it back , rather than moving toward normalization .
`` [ It ] was good election-year politics in Florida , '' he admitted in his memoir , before acknowledging that `` it undermined whatever chance I might have if I won a second term to lift the embargo in return for positive changes in Cuba . ''
Meacham , who supports the policy shift , said the fact that Obama was freed from some of those concerns likely influenced the move .
`` The President is n't going to have to run for office again and was n't being overly careful with maintaining support in places like Florida , where the Cuban vote is pivotal , '' he said .
But not only do Democrats have less reason to fear a backlash on the Cuba shift , they have more Cuban voters to count on their side of the aisle .
Cuban Americans historically have been seen as a monolithic Republican voting bloc , but polling shows they have started to switch allegiances as the population has grown younger and more distant from Cuba .
June 2014 Pew survey indicated that registered voters of Cuban descent were about evenly split down party lines , with 42 % identifying as Democrats and 47 % identifying as Republicans -- down from 64 % who were registered Republican in 2002 .
Those shifts , Meacham argued , have made the Cuba issue `` one in which the train has sort of left the station . ''
And they also mean that Rubio could have even less to gain by making the Cuba embargo a major issue .
`` [ Republicans ] run the risk of losing a big chunk of support within the Cuban community '' by campaigning so aggressively against the diplomatic thaw , Amandi warned . `` It 's not the type of issue where they can count on appealing to all Cuban Americans anymore . ''
It is , however , the issue that entices 73-year-old Miguel Coppola , who came to the United States from Cuba on New Years ' Eve 1951 , to Rubio . After finishing a cafecito at the Versailles , Coppola said that `` of course '' the Florida senator will have the support of the Cuban American community .
`` He 's got the same values we have , '' he said , listing `` freedom in Cuba , freedom of speech , electing people in Cuba against dictatorships '' as examples of those values .
But for others , particularly the younger immigrants , it makes less of a difference .
Jimenez , who left Cuba in the late 1960s , said the Cuba issue is n't much of a deal-breaker . She said she 's most interested in former Florida Gov . Jeb Bush , because `` what we need in this country is a good person . ''
And anyway , she said , `` It 'll be hard to go back to the way we were , '' with an embargo against Cuba .
`` It has n't worked for more than 50 years , so why go back to that , you know ? '' she said . | ae7729bdf8d69f7f | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
impeachment | Reuters | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment-democrats/schumer-seeks-testimony-from-mulvaney-bolton-in-expected-senate-trial-of-trump-idUSKBN1YJ0FN | Schumer seeks testimony from Mulvaney, Bolton in expected Senate trial of Trump | 2019-12-16 | Chuck Schumer, Impeachment, Donald Trump, Mick Mulvaney, John Bolton, White House, Politics | WASHINGTON ( ███ ) - The senior U.S. Senate Democrat called on Sunday for the Republican-led chamber to demand testimony from four current and former White House aides in a trial expected early next year on whether to remove President Donald Trump from office .
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer urged formal legal demands for testimony from White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney , former national security adviser John Bolton , Mulvaney aide Robert Blair and budget official Michael Duffey .
Schumer made his appeal in a letter to Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , who said last week he was coordinating with the White House and has raised the prospect of a short impeachment trial in which no witnesses would be called .
Democrats in the House of Representatives , where they have a majority , also sought testimony from the four men in their inquiry into whether to impeach Trump over his effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate his Democratic political rival Joe Biden . Mulvaney , Blair and Duffey all defied subpoenas from a House committee and Bolton was not subpoenaed .
Trump is expected this week to become the third U.S. president to be impeached when the House votes on charges that he abused his power by asking Ukraine to investigate Biden , a leading contender to oppose him in next year ’ s U.S. presidential election , and obstructed Congress ’ investigation of the matter .
That would set up a trial in the Senate , which is unlikely to vote to remove the Republican president from office .
The obstruction charge against Trump is based partly on White House directives to officials not to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry .
Democrats accused the president of endangering the U.S. Constitution , jeopardizing national security and undermining the integrity of the 2020 election by asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July phone call to investigate Biden , a former U.S. vice president , as well as his son Hunter Biden .
In his letter , Schumer also asked for the Senate to subpoena a “ limited set of documents ” that he believes would shed light on Trump ’ s decision to delay the release of $ 391 million in U.S. aid to Ukraine and the president ’ s desire for Ukraine to announce investigations into the Bidens .
“ The trial must be one that not only hears all of the evidence and adjudicates the case fairly ; it must also pass the fairness test with the American people , ” Schumer wrote .
He also laid out a timetable for the expected Senate trial , suggesting that pretrial proceedings take place on Jan. 6 , and that senators and U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts , who will preside , be sworn in the next day .
Trump has made the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry a rallying cry for his supporters as he attempts to win re-election next November .
A McConnell spokesman did not address the substance of Schumer ’ s requests , but said the Senate majority leader “ has made it clear he plans to meet with Leader Schumer to discuss the contours of a trial soon . That timeline has not changed . ”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Schumer ’ s letter .
Asked on Friday whether he wanted a long or short trial , Trump was not clear about his preference .
“ I ’ ll do whatever I want . Look ... we did nothing wrong . So I ’ ll do long , or short , ” he told reporters . “ It doesn ’ t matter . ” | 542d9c3be315bacc | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
fbi | Fox Online News | https://www.foxnews.com/politics/newly-released-emails-show-fbi-scrambling-to-respond-to-clinton-lawyer-amid-weiner-laptop-review | FBI scrambled to respond to Hillary Clinton lawyer amid Weiner laptop review, newly released emails show | fbi | Newly released internal FBI emails showed the agency 's highest-ranking officials scrambling to answer to Hillary Clinton 's lawyer in the days prior to the 2016 presidential election , on the same day then-FBI Director James Comey sent a bombshell letter to Congress announcing a new review of hundreds of thousands of potentially classified emails found on former Rep. Anthony Weiner 's laptop .
The trove of documents turned over by the FBI , in response to a lawsuit by the transparency group Judicial Watch , also included discussions by former FBI lawyer Lisa Page concerning a potential quid pro quo between the State Department and the FBI -- in which the FBI would agree to effectively hide the fact that a Clinton email was classified in exchange for more legal attache positions that would benefit the FBI abroad , and allow them to send more agents to countries where the FBI 's access is ordinarily restricted .
The quid pro quo would have involved the FBI providing some other public reason for withholding the Clinton email from disclosure amid a Freedom of Information Act request , besides its classification level . There are no indications the proposed arrangement ever took place .
And , in the face of mounting criticism aimed at the FBI , the documents revealed that Comey quoted the 19th century poet Ralph Waldo Emerson by assuring his subordinates , `` To be great is to be misunderstood . ''
The FBI did not respond to Fox News ' request for comment on the released emails .
On Oct. 28 , 2016 , Comey upended the presidential campaign by informing Congress that the FBI would quickly review the Weiner laptop . The Justice Department 's internal watchdog later faulted the FBI for failing to review the Weiner laptop through much of the fall of 2016 , and suggested it was possible that now-fired FBI Agent Peter Strzok may have slow-walked the laptop analysis until other federal prosecutors pressured the FBI to review its contents .
On the afternoon of Oct. 28 , Clinton lawyer David Kendall demanded answers from the FBI -- and the agency jumped into action , the emails showed .
STRZOK DEMANDED DECLASSIFICATION , OTHER POWERS BEFORE BECOMING NO . 2 ON MUELLER TEAM
Many of the emails found on the computer were between Clinton and her senior adviser Huma Abedin , Weiner 's now-estranged wife . Despite claims by top FBI officials , including Strzok , several of those emails were determined to contain classified information .
`` I received the email below from David Kendall and I called him back , '' then-FBI General Counsel James Baker wrote to the agency 's top brass , including Comey , Page and Strzok , in an email . `` Before doing so I alerted DOJ via email that I would do that . ''
Page and Strzok eventually were revealed to be having an extramarital affair , and Strzok was terminated after a slew of text messages surfaced in which he and Page derided Trump and his supporters using their government-issued phones . Republicans , citing some of those text messages , have accused Strzok and Page of orchestrating a coordinated leak strategy aimed at harming the president .
GOHMERT UNLOADS ON 'SMIRKING ' STRZOK : 'HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU LOOK SO INNOCENT INTO YOUR WIFE 'S EYES AND LIE ? '
Although a portion of Kendall 's email was redacted , Baker continued : `` He said that our letter was 'tantalizingly ambiguous ' and made statements that were 'inchoate and highly ominous ' such that what we had done was worse than transparency because it allows people to make whatever they want out of the letter to the prejudice of Secretary Clinton . ... I told him that I could not respond to his requests at this time but that I would discuss it with others and get back to him .
`` To be great is to be misunderstood . '' — Fired FBI Director James Comey , quoting Emerson
`` I suggest that we have some kind of follow up meeting or phone call with this group either this evening or over the weekend to address this and probably other issues/questions that come up in the next 24 hours , '' Baker concluded . `` Sound reasonable ? ''
DOJ BLAMES SYSTEM-WIDE SOFTWARE FAILURE FOR MISSING STRZOK-PAGE TEXTS ; STRZOK 'S PHONE TOTALLY WIPED
In a partially redacted response , Strzok agreed to spearhead a conference call among the FBI 's top officials the next day .
On Nov. 6 -- just two days before Election Day -- Comey sent another letter to Congress stating that agents had concluded their review of `` all of the communications '' to or from Clinton while she was secretary of state that appeared on the laptop , and that the review did not change his assessment that Clinton should not be prosecuted .
In an email also sent Nov. 6 and unearthed by Judicial Watch , Strzok wrote to the FBI 's leadership : `` [ Redacted ] , Jon and I completed our review of all of the potential HRC work emails on the [ Anthony Weiner ] laptop . We found no previously unknown , potentially classified emails on the media . ”
Strzok added that a team was coming in to `` triple-check '' his methodology and conclusions .
However , at least 18 classified emails sent from Abedin 's account were found by the FBI on the Weiner laptop . And , despite Strzok 's apparent claim , FBI officials later conceded they had not manually screened all of the nearly 700,000 emails on the laptop , but instead used computer technology to prioritize which emails to screen as Election Day rapidly approached .
ON FOUR OCCASIONS , FBI INCORRECTLY ASSURED FISA COURT THAT YAHOO ARTICLE WAS INDEPENDENT REASON TO SURVEIL TRUMP AIDE
“ It is big news that , just days before the presidential election , Hillary Clinton ’ s personal lawyer pressured the top lawyer for the FBI on the infamous Weiner laptop emails , ” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement . “ These documents further underscore that the fix was in for Hillary Clinton . When will the Justice Department and FBI finally do an honest investigation of the Clinton email scandal ? ”
Separately , another email from Page , apparently sent in response to a Judicial Watch lawsuit , discussed an apparent attempt by the State Department to pressure the FBI to downgrade the classification level of a Clinton email .
`` Jason Herring will be providing you with three 302s [ witness reports ] of current and former FBI employees who were interviewed during the course of the Clinton investigation , '' Page wrote . `` These 302s are scheduled to be released to Congress in an unredacted form at the end of the week , and produced ( with redactions ) pursuant to FOIA at the beginning of next week .
Page continued : `` As you will see , they describe a discussion about potential quid pro quo arrangement between then-DAD in IOD [ deputy assistant director in International Operations Division ] and an Undersecretary at the State Department whereby IOD would get more LEGAT [ legal attaché ] positions if the FBI could change the basis of the FOIA withhold re a Clinton email from classified to something else . ''
Fox News has previously reported , citing FBI documents , that a senior State Department official proposed a quid pro quo to convince the FBI to strip the classification on an email from Clinton ’ s server – and repeatedly tried to “ influence ” the bureau ’ s decision when his offer was denied , even taking his plea up the chain of command .
In a statement at the time , the FBI acknowleged that an agency official had been in touch with the State Department about overseas positions , but denied that the conversation was tied to the classification of a Clinton email .
`` Prior to the initiation of the FBI ’ s investigation of former Secretary Clinton ’ s personal email server , the FBI was asked to review and make classification determinations on FBI emails and information which were being produced by the State Department pursuant to FOIA [ a Freedom of Information Act request ] . The FBI determined that one such email was classified at the Secret level . A senior State Department official requested the FBI re-review that email to determine whether it was in fact classified or whether it might be protected from release under a different FOIA exemption , '' the FBI said .
The statement continued : `` A now-retired FBI official , who was not part of the subsequent Clinton investigation , told the State Department official that they would look into the matter . Having been previously unsuccessful in attempts to speak with the senior State official , during the same conversation , the FBI official asked the State Department official if they would address a pending , unaddressed FBI request for space for additional FBI employees assigned abroad .
`` Following the call , the FBI official consulted with a senior FBI executive responsible for determining the classification of the material and determined the email was in fact appropriately classified at the Secret level , '' the FBI 's statement continued . `` The FBI official subsequently told the senior State official that the email was appropriately classified at the Secret level and that the FBI would not change the classification of the email . The classification of the email was not changed , and it remains classified today . Although there was never a quid pro quo , these allegations were nonetheless referred to the appropriate officials for review. ''
Through it all , the trove of documents suggested that top to bottom , FBI brass were convinced they were acting appropriately .
In response to a press release from Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley that criticized the FBI for failing to provide unclassified information on its Clinton probe in a timely and thorough manner to Congress , Comey quoted Emerson 's 1841 essay `` Self Reliance . ''
`` Outstanding . ... I should have added that I 'm proud of the way we have handled this release [ of unclassified information ] , '' Comey wrote to his subordinates , including Strzok , on Sept. 2 , 2016 . `` Thanks for the work on it . Just another reminder that Emerson was right when he said , 'To be great is to be misunderstood . ' Have a great and quiet weekend . ''
Page forwarded the email along to her colleagues , including Strzok , and added a smiley face .
Trump fired Comey in 2017 , leading to Special Counsel Robert Mueller 's investigation after Comey leaked a series of memos he recorded while speaking with Trump privately .
Comey acknowledged in closed-door testimony in December that as of July 2016 , investigators `` did n't know whether we had anything '' implicating Trump in improper Russia collusion , and that `` in fact , when I was fired as director [ in May 2017 ] , I still did n't know whether there was anything to it . '' | WpWXono2h0ActRvD | 2 | Clinton Emails | 0.2 | Anthony Weiner | -0.2 | FBI | 0.1 | Defense And Security | 0 | null | null | |
foreign_policy | Washington Times | https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/apr/26/donald-trump-announces-us-pullback-un-arms-trade-t/ | Trump announces he's 'taking our signature back' from the UN Arms Trade Treaty | 2019-04-26 | foreign_policy | INDIANAPOLIS — President Trump on Friday announced that he was pulling U.S. support from the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty , saying America wasn ’ t going to cede sovereignty to anyone .
“ I am officially announcing today that the United States will be revoking the effect of America ’ s signature from this misguided treatment , ” Mr. Trump told gun-rights activists gathered for the NRA ’ s annual meetings . “ We ’ re taking our signature back . ”
“ My administration will never ratify the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty , ” he said . “ I hope you ’ re happy . ”
The treaty is intended in part to prohibit arms transfers from going to countries with questionable human rights records , but gun-rights advocates have been wary that it could ultimately lead to a gun registry in the U.S .
President Barack Obama sent a signed treaty to the U.S. Senate during the waning days of his administration , but the Senate never acted on it .
While on stage , Mr. Trump signed what he said was a message asking the Senate to discontinue the treaty ratification process “ and to return the now-rejected treaty right back to me in the Oval Office where I will dispose of it . ”
“ By taking these actions , we are reaffirming that American liberty is sacred and that American citizens live by American laws — not the laws of foreign countries , ” he said .
The crowd cheered and applauded as he signed and displayed the document . Mr. Trump made the announcement while addressing the annual leadership forum hosted by the NRA ’ s legislative-lobbying arm .
The president said that even NRA officials didn ’ t know the announcement was coming ahead of time .
“ So they ’ re listening in this big room someplace — they ’ re saying ‘ I wonder what he ’ s going to do , ’ ” he said . “ The good thing with me — you never know . That ’ s why we ’ re making trade deals that are so good for our country . ”
Chris Cox , the executive director of the NRA ’ s legislative-lobbying arm , cheered the move after Mr. Trump ’ s address .
“ President Trump is going to tear up the United Nations gun ban treaty , ” Mr. Cox said to cheers . “ Barack Obama and John Kerry tried to force us to accept international gun control under the power of the U.N. , but Donald Trump [ just ] said , ‘ not on my watch . ’ ”
Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey , the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , immediately criticized the move .
“ Walking away from the Arms Trade Treaty is not simply an error ; it ’ s dangerous and sends a message of irresponsibility to all Americans , our international allies and our adversaries , ” he said .
A senior administration official said the president will send a letter to the U.N. “ in the coming days ” to revoke U.S. participation in the treaty .
The official said the administration has “ significant concerns ” about possible amendments to the treaty in 2020 that could further “ constrain ” the U.S .
Russia and China , which the official called “ top exporters of conventional arms , ” are not parties to the treaty . The official said the U.S. already has “ significant controls ” in place to regulate arms transfers , but Moscow and Beijing are not bound by such restrictions . | bhGaBpjLs5oVU6sz | 2 | Foreign Policy | -0.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | CBN | http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2018/april/trump-team-blasts-comey-for-sinking-into-the-gutter-with-his-revisionist-history | Trump Team Blasts Comey for Sinking Into the 'Gutter' with His 'Revisionist' History | 2018-04-16 | politics | Former FBI Director James Comey has broken his silence , and he 's not sugar coating his thoughts about the man who fired him .
In an exclusive interview with ABC News ' George Stephanopoulos Sunday night , Comey says President Trump is `` morally unfit to be president . ''
It was his first interview since he was fired by Trump almost a year ago as he promotes his new book .
`` Our president must embody respect and adhere to the values that are at the core of this country , the most important being truth . This president is not able to do that . He is morally unfit to be president , '' Comey said .
Monday morning , Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway criticized Comey for peddling a `` revisionist version of history . '' She says Comey made a choice to sink into the `` gutter '' with petty comments about the size of Trump 's hands and the length of his tie .
During the interview , Comey detailed what he considered some of the most controversial moments of his career – among them , reopening the Hillary Clinton email investigation just ahead of the 2016 presidential election .
Comey said he had no choice because that 's where the investigation led them .
`` The norm is , 'If you can avoid it , you take no action that might have an impact on an election , ' and I ca n't see a door that 's labeled , 'No action here , ' '' Comey told Stephanopoulos .
Still , he expressed disgust that the investigation could have influenced the election which Trump won in an upset that stunned Washington .
`` A whole lot of me was thinking , 'oh my G * * did , we have some role in this ? ' ``
But he says if he were given the chance to do it over , he would because he says he would n't want to be influenced by politics .
`` If I ever start considering whose political fortunes will be affected by a decision , we 're done ... We 're just another player in the , in the tribal battle , '' said Comey .
But then Comey turned away from that moral high ground , and in one of his most critical moments in the ABC interview , he compared Trump to a mob boss .
`` I 'm not trying to , by the way , suggest that President Trump is out breaking legs and ... shaking down shopkeepers . But instead , what I 'm talking about is that leadership culture , '' he said .
Ahead of the interview , Sunday night , President Trump lashed out on Twitter , calling Comey the `` worst FBI director in history . ''
Slippery James Comey , a man who always ends up badly and out of whack ( he is not smart ! ) , will go down as the WORST FBI Director in history , by far ! — Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) April 15 , 2018
Comey says the American public needs to vote Trump out of office in 2020 , saying it 's a duty they 're bound to do directly , rather than be let off the hook by impeachment . | 9asHGAw7G86V13gO | 2 | Donald Trump | -1.1 | James Comey | 0.6 | Politics | -0.1 | null | null | null | null |
civil_rights | HuffPost | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/08/west-coast-eric-garner-protests_n_6285842.html | Eric Garner Protests On West Coast Turn Unruly | 2014-12-08 | Civil Rights | HuffPost turns 20 this year, and our mission is clearer than ever: We won't back down when it comes to providing free and impartial journalism. The next four years will reshape America as we know it, but we will never bow to political pressure.For the first time, we're offering an ad-free experience to qualifying contributors who support our fearless newsroom. We hope you'll join us. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again. We won't back down from our mission of providing free, fair news during this critical moment. But we can't do it without you.For the first time, we're offering an ad-free experience to qualifying contributors who support our fearless journalism. We hope you'll join us. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again. We won't back down from our mission of providing free, fair news during this critical moment. But we can't do it without you.For the first time, we're offering an ad-free experience to qualifying contributors who support our fearless journalism. We hope you'll join us. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. Do you have info to share with HuffPost reporters? Here’s how. Do you have info to share with HuffPost reporters? Here’s how. You have the right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences. | d57862dd74c4a6f3 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
white_house | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/10/report-obama-administration-most-secretive-nixon/ | Report: Obama administration most secretive since Nixon | 2013-10-10 | white_house | The Obama White House ’ s war against leaks , and its penchant for secrecy and noted lack of transparency , are the worst “ since the Nixon administration , ” according to a major new study that relied on interviews from leading Washington reporters and news organization chiefs .
The report , released Thursday by the Committee to Project Journalists , found that reporters from many major media outlets consider the Obama administration the most closed-off in recent memory , and that there is not “ any precedent ” for its often hostile relationship toward the press .
More than 30 veteran reporters were interviewed for the piece , which was written by CPJ ’ s Leonard Downie Jr. , former executive editor of The Washington Post and now a professor at Arizona State ’ s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication .
The massive study goes into great detail in discussing the administration ’ s battle against leakers such as Edward Snowden ; its “ Insider Threat Program ” that asks government employees to monitor their colleagues ’ behavior ; and general lack of transparency , despite repeated promises from Mr. Obama that his White House would be the most open in history .
“ This is the most closed , control freak administration I ’ ve ever covered , ” wrote New York Times Washington correspondent David Sanger , one of the journalists interviewed for the report .
At least six government employees and two contractors — including Mr. Snowden — have been subjects of felony criminal prosecutions since 2009 , when Mr. Obama came to power .
Other investigations are under way , and notable instances of White House press crackdowns have included Justice Department subpoenas of reporters ’ phone logs and emails ; the inspection of Associated Press phone records ; the accusation that a Fox News reporter was an “ aider , abettor and/or conspirator ” of an indicted leak defendant .
As a result , top journalists now say “ officials are reluctant to discuss even unclassified information with them because they fear that leak investigations and government surveillance make it more difficult for reporters to protect them as sources . ”
“ I worry now about calling somebody because the contact can be found out through a check of phone records or emails , ” said veteran journalist R. Jeffrey Smith , who now works at the Center for Public Integrity , a nonprofit government accountability news group . “ It leaves a digital trail that makes it easier for the government to monitor those contacts . ”
Another reporter said there is a “ real problem ” with the way the Obama administration deals with the press . Another is quoted as saying this White House is one of “ unprecedented secrecy and unprecedented attacks on the press . ”
Press secretary Jay Carney was interviewed for the study , and he said “ the idea that people are shutting up and not leaking to reporters is belied by the facts . ”
White House national security adviser Ben Rhodes also disputed the report ’ s findings .
“ We make an effort to communicate about national security issues in on-the-record and background briefings by sanctioned sources . And we still see investigative reporting from nonsanctioned sources with lots of unclassified information and some sensitive information . ” | mPYP8HfgUkHitqa2 | 2 | White House | -0.4 | Barack Obama | -0.1 | Politics | 0 | null | null | null | null |
race_and_racism | NBC News Digital | https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-accuses-yale-discriminating-against-white-asian-american-applicants-n1236680 | DOJ accuses Yale of illegally discriminating against white and Asian American applicants | 2020-08-13 | Discrimination, Education, Asian Americans, Inequality, Yale, Civil Rights, Justice Department, Race And Racism | The Justice Department on Thursday accused Yale University of illegally discriminating against Asian American and white students in admissions, a major escalation of the administration's attacks on affirmative action.If Yale does not change its admissions policy, "the Department will be prepared to file a lawsuit," according to a letter from Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.Yale said the school was dismayed by the allegation and called the government's conclusion hasty and meritless.After receiving complaints from Asian American students, the Justice Department two years ago launched an investigation of Yale's admissions process. The investigation concluded that Asian American and white applicants are only one-tenth to one-fourth as likely to be admitted as African American applications with comparable academic records."Yale’s race discrimination imposes undue and unlawful penalties on racially-disfavored applicants, including in particular Asian American and White applicants," Dreiband said in his letter.The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly rejected efforts to stop affirmative action in college admissions, which the court has said can be justified as a way to achieve diversity in the student body. But such programs must be narrowly tailored, using race as a plus factor, its rulings have held.By contrast, the Justice Department said in its letter Thursday, Yale considers an applicant's race at several steps in the admissions process. "Yale's approach is thus a far cry" from the admissions processes upheld by the Supreme Court, the government said."There is no such thing as a nice form of race discrimination," Dreiband said in a separate statement. "All people should be treated with decency and respect and without regard to the color of their skin."Because Yale receives millions of dollars in federal funds, it is subject to a provision of civil rights law that bans discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin and other factors.The university said the Justice Department reached its conclusion before allowing Yale to provide all the data the government requested."Had the department fully received and fairly weighed this information, it would have concluded that Yale’s practices absolutely comply with decades of Supreme Court precedent," the school said.The school said in reviewing applicants, it considers several factors, "including their academic achievement, interests, demonstrated leadership, background, success in taking maximum advantage of their secondary school and community resources, and the likelihood that they will contribute to the Yale community and the world."The Justice Department joined a lawsuit against Harvard based on similar allegations. But a federal judge ruled last fall that while Harvard's admissions process may not be perfect, it was not the result of racial bias or conscious prejudice. | 644ddc896dcd037d | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
justice | HuffPost | https://www.huffpost.com/entry/derek-chauvin-guilty-george-floyd_n_60799545e4b0bc5a3a561efb | Derek Chauvin Found Guilty On All Charges In George Floyd’s Death | 2021-04-20 | Criminal Justice, George Floyd Protests, Police Brutality, George Floyd, Race And Racism, Inequality, Justice | Reporter, HuffPost Senior reporter, HuffPost Derek Chauvin has been convicted of two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, concluding a trial that drew intense national interest and amplified concerns over the disparate ways police treat Americans of color. The former Minneapolis officer, who is white, could face decades in prison. He was taken into custody following the reading of the verdict Tuesday afternoon. Sentencing will take place in about eight weeks, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill said. The 12 jurors reached their verdict after roughly 10 hours of deliberation that began Monday, finding Chauvin guilty of third-degree murder, second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin was one of three officers who pinned down Floyd, a Black Minnesotan, for 9 minutes and 29 seconds last spring as Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe while the officer knelt on his neck the entire time. Floyd’s death sparked international racial justice protests in his name. “George Floyd mattered,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said during a press conference after the verdict was announced. “He was loved by his family and his friends ... But that isn’t why he mattered. He mattered because he was a human being. And there is no way we can turn away from that reality.” Philonise Floyd, one of George Floyd’s brothers, also spoke to praise the verdict and acknowledge other victims of police brutality. “We have to always understand that we have to march. We will have to do this for life,” he said. “I’m not just fighting for George anymore. I’m fighting for everybody around this world.” Over three weeks of testimony, prosecutors argued that Chauvin’s method of restraint had hindered George Floyd’s ability to breathe as he was pressed facedown on the street outside a convenience store called Cup Foods. A small group of bystanders ― several of them minors at the time ― took the stand to explain why they were so concerned for Floyd’s safety as they witnessed him fighting to breathe underneath Chauvin. Testimony from his loved ones helped to illustrate the way Floyd’s life and struggles mirrored those faced by many Americans. Floyd, 46, had been grappling with addiction for years after initially receiving an opioid prescription for pain. He had recently lost his job due to the coronavirus pandemic, and had tested positive for the virus in early April. He was still grieving for his deceased mother. “On May 25, 2020, George Floyd died facedown on the pavement right on 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis,” prosecutor Steve Schleicher said in his closing arguments. “Nine minutes and 29 seconds. During this time, George Floyd struggled, desperate to breathe, to make enough room in his chest to breathe. But the force was too much. He was trapped.” “Facing George Floyd that day did not require one ounce of courage, and none was shown on that day,” he told the jury. “All that was required was a little compassion, and none was shown on that day ... This wasn’t policing. This was murder.” Throughout the trial, defense attorney Eric Nelson worked to sow reasonable doubt among jurors, trying to convince them that Floyd’s preexisting health conditions mattered more to the final outcome than Chauvin’s actions. The officers, Nelson suggested, were simply following police training and doing their best to make decisions under pressure while facing a possible threat from the small group of onlookers, several of whom were filming the incident on their phones. Nelson used the drugs in Floyd’s system and his documented heart disease to substantiate the argument. Anticipating the defense’s focus on Floyd’s health, prosecutors were aided by several medical experts who said Floyd died of asphyxia, a common term for a lack of oxygen. They dismissed claims that drugs or underlying health issues played major roles in his death. Dr. Martin Tobin, a top pulmonologist who works for a Chicago hospital, spent hours on the stand explaining with the help of slides, graphs and 3-D renderings how Floyd’s positioning made it difficult ― and then impossible ― for him to breathe. Jurors followed along as Tobin showed how various parts of Floyd’s anatomy were impacted, encouraging them to feel corresponding parts of their own necks. Chauvin’s position over Floyd made it so his left side was “in a vise.” “A healthy person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died as a result of what he was subjected to,” Tobin testified. Several of Chauvin’s former colleagues provided criticism of his actions, breaking the so-called “blue wall of silence.” Most notably, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testified that Chauvin “absolutely” violated the department’s use-of-force policy. Chauvin, however, chose not to testify, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on the final day of the evidentiary portion of the trial. Experts called by the defense pointed to the unpredictable nature of police work and suggested the unusually large amount of video evidence still might not have told the whole story at the scene. Police had been called to Cup Foods after a young cashier told his boss that he suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. The store had a policy that if a cashier accepted a fake bill, the amount would taken from their own wages. The cashier, Christopher Martin, 19, testified about the guilt he felt over Floyd’s death. “If I would have just not taken the bill, this could have been avoided,” Martin said in court. Several of the state’s first few witnesses similarly felt emotional over the incident. Darnella Frazier, 18, the girl who filmed the video of Floyd’s arrest that went viral in the aftermath, said Floyd appeared “terrified.” “When I look at George Floyd, I look at my dad,” Frazier testified. “I look at my brothers. I look at my cousins. I look at my uncles. Because they are all Black ... And I look at how that could have been one of them.” Frazier’s 9-year-old cousin who was with her at the time also spoke up in court. Outside the courtroom were scenes of resistance: Protesters carrying Black Lives Matter signs and flags rallied, at one point observing 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence led by the Rev. Al Sharpton ― the amount of time it was initially reported that Chauvin had knelt on top of Floyd. (The trial subsequently revealed the restraint to have lasted nearly 10 minutes.) The mood shifted toward urgency by the end of the trial, after police in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota ― a half-hour drive north of Cup Foods ― killed a Black man on April 11. Daunte Wright, 20, was shot by a veteran officer who says she mistook her firearm for a stun gun. “This has to end,” Ellison said Tuesday. “We need true justice. That’s not one case ― that is a social transformation that says nobody’s beneath the law and nobody’s above it. This verdict reminds us that we must make enduring systemic societal change.” Wright’s mother, Katie Wright, joined Floyd’s family in front of the Minneapolis courthouse to give a heart-wrenching press conference about her son. To the south, in Chicago, a police accountability group released body camera video on April 15 showing the shocking death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who had empty hands raised when an officer shot and killed him. Chauvin’s conviction will undoubtedly raise questions in police departments across the country about use-of-force policies and how officers’ actions will be evaluated. “Police departments need to be reexamining their practices,” Barbara McQuade, University of Michigan law professor and a former U.S. attorney, told HuffPost. The Chauvin case may “send a message,” she said, that police officers will “no longer get the benefit of the doubt from a jury the way maybe you did 10 or 20 years ago.” “And so you need to conform your behavior to a higher standard, because if you don’t, you will be held accountable,” McQuade said. The next four years will change America forever. But HuffPost won't back down when it comes to providing free and impartial journalism. For the first time, we're offering an ad-free experience to qualifying contributors who support our fearless newsroom. We hope you'll join us. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again. We won't back down from our mission of providing free, fair news during this critical moment. But we can't do it without you. For the first time, we're offering an ad-free experience. to qualifying contributors who support our fearless journalism. We hope you'll join us. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again. We won't back down from our mission of providing free, fair news during this critical moment. But we can't do it without you. For the first time, we're offering an ad-free experience. to qualifying contributors who support our fearless journalism. We hope you'll join us. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. Hundreds of people gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center, where the trial had unfolded in an 18th-story courtroom, to listen to the verdicts being read on Tuesday. Shouts of relief and joy erupted from the crowd when the guilty decisions were announced. Under Minnesota law, second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, third-degree murder carries a maximum of 25 years and second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum of 10 years. In this case, because the charges are for the same crime, it’s likely the years would be served concurrently, resulting in a potential maximum sentence for Chauvin of 40 years behind bars. This story has been updated throughout. You have the right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences. | c5dbf78d2abd4f08 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/29/he-is-not-welcome-here-thousands-support-pittsburgh-jewish-leaders-calling-trump-denounce-white-nationalism/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.077e619c8014 | Thousands signed a letter saying Trump was not welcome in Pittsburgh. He plans to visit anyway. | 2018-10-29 | Politics | clockThis article was published more than 6 years ago More than 35,000 people have signed an open letter to President Trump from the leaders of a Pittsburgh-based Jewish group who say the president will not be welcome in the city unless he denounces white nationalism and stops “targeting” minorities after a mass shooting Saturday at a local synagogue left 11 dead. | f1b26e97e108f128 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
supreme_court | CNBC | https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/17/scotus-lower-court-should-reexamine-same-sex-couple-wedding-cake-case.html | Supreme Court says lower court should reexamine case over same-sex couple denied wedding cake | 2019-06-17 | supreme_court | Lydia Macy , right , of Berkeley , Calif. , siding with a same-sex couple , holds a sign outside the Supreme Court where arguments were being on heard on whether a Colorado baker , who refused to make a wedding cake for the couple based on his religious beliefs , is protected by the First Amendment on December 5 , 2017 .
The Supreme Court on Monday sent back to a lower court a case involving an Oregon bakery whose owners claim the state drove them out of business after they refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple .
In an order , the top court scrapped a ruling from the Oregon Court of Appeals in favor of the same-sex couple . The bakery 's owners , who refused to make the cake due to religious beliefs , said state fines pushed them out of business .
The Supreme Court asked the appeals court to reconsider the case in light of a top court holding from last year .
In that case , the Masterpiece Cakeshop case , the court ruled 7-2 in favor of a baker who refused to serve a same-sex couple . The court said at the time that the state of Colorado was impermissibly hostile to the baker 's religious beliefs .
The court in that case did not decide on the underlying question of whether a wedding cake qualifies as the type of artistic expression that is entitled to the Constitution 's most stringent protections under the First Amendment .
By sending the case back to the lower court , the justices handed an incremental win to the owners of the bakery while avoiding hearing the divisive case in the midst of the 2020 election campaign .
The court 's term beginning in October is already expected to be significant for LGBT rights . In April , the court agreed to hear a set of cases that could settle whether federal antidiscrimination laws apply to LGBT employees . An opinion in the case is expected by June 2020 , just months before Americans go to the polls in the next presidential election .
The court has now effectively punted twice in two years on the issue of whether a bakery may refuse service to a same-sex couple .
In the Masterpiece case , Justice Anthony Kennedy , who has since retired and has been replaced by Brett Kavanaugh , emphasized the difficulty of deciding the issue . He wrote that a baker 's religious rights `` might '' be violated by antidiscrimination laws , but noted the difficulty of pinpointing the moment when a customer 's right to not be discriminated against could give way to the business owner 's own First Amendment rights .
`` A baker 's refusal to attend the wedding to ensure that the cake is cut the right way , or a refusal to put certain religious words or decorations on the cake , or even a refusal to sell a cake that has been baked for the public generally but includes certain religious words or symbols on it are just three examples of possibilities that seem all but endless , '' Kennedy wrote .
Ultimately , Kennedy predicted the issue would be addressed in `` some future controversy involving facts similar to these . '' | hSa5kyvXEG2LSCUl | 1 | Supreme Court | 0.1 | Oregon | 0 | CNBC | 0 | null | null | null | null |
elections | Politico | http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/republicans-point-fingers-who-let-trump-get-this-far-218260 | Republicans point fingers: Who let Trump get this far? | 2016-01-26 | elections | With time running out until the first primary votes are cast , establishment Republicans have begun a ferocious round of finger-pointing over who is to blame for the party ’ s failure to stop Donald Trump .
The chiding , once limited to private conversations , is now erupting in public view — with campaigns , operatives , donors , party officials and conservative intellectuals arguing over why something hasn ’ t been done to stop the man who has been leading nearly every state and national poll since August . Trump , many in the GOP ’ s upper ranks are convinced , would lead the Republican Party to an epic defeat in November , with consequences all the way down the ballot .
“ This whole thing is a disaster , ” said Curt Anderson , a former Republican National Committee political director and veteran operative . “ I think I ’ ll write a book about it . ”
Receiving much of the blame is Right to Rise , the cash-flush super PAC that broke records when it announced last year that it had raised more than $ 100 million in support of Jeb Bush . The group has directed relatively little of that sum toward attacking Trump — instead focusing its efforts on taking down Bush ’ s establishment rivals , above all Marco Rubio . To date , the group has spent about $ 5 million on TV commercials going after Trump , while dropping four times as much in negative ads against Rubio . The latest spot , which came Tuesday , hammered Rubio over his messy financial history .
Right to Rise , with its nearly limitless resources , had the best chance to wage a concerted campaign to take down the real estate mogul , many are convinced — and they blame Mike Murphy , the group ’ s chief strategist , for missing the opportunity . While Bush often personally went after Trump on the campaign trail and in debates — even calling him a “ jerk ” and then cutting an ad about it — his super PAC usually hasn ’ t .
In recent days , those once-quiet complaints have become a roar . Stephen Hayes , an influential Weekly Standard columnist , blasted Right to Rise for a strategy that effectively “ cleared the way for Trump. ” Katie Packer , who served as Mitt Romney ’ s deputy campaign manager during the 2012 election and has been trying to orchestrate an anti-Trump effort , lamented that just 10 percent of the super PAC ’ s $ 100 million “ could have had a significant impact . ”
“ Right to Rise has done more to advance the candidacy of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump than they ever did for Jeb Bush , ” said Joe Pounder , a senior Rubio adviser . “ Donald Trump doesn ’ t need a super PAC . He 's got Jeb ’ s. ” ( “ I ’ m willing to bet we ’ ve spent more than any other Republican campaign or organization has to date , ” Paul Lindsay , a Right to Rise spokesman , shot back . )
Yet others say it ’ s unfair to solely blame Bush — and that Rubio is just as culpable . Despite winning the support of an array of deep-pocketed donors , including hedge fund manager Paul Singer and tech titan Larry Ellison , Rubio has and his allies have done little to attack Trump . Of the $ 33 million that Rubio and the super PACs supporting him have spent on television ads , none of it has been against Trump . He rarely tweets about Trump , and when asked about him in interviews , Rubio tends to dodge the question .
“ He has been afraid to criticize Trump for fear of being attacked unless directly put on the spot by a reporter , ” said Tim Miller , a Bush spokesman .
Still others fault Ted Cruz , who spent months cuddling up to Trump in hopes of scooping up his supporters . Only this week , as he saw his lead slipping away in Iowa , did Cruz and several of his super PACs launch hard-hitting TV ads castigating the Manhattan billionaire as a New York liberal who couldn ’ t be trusted on hot-button social issues like abortion .
The anti-Trump barrage may be too little , too late , many Republicans fear .
“ Cruz 's crew should ’ ve done it . It was incredibly shortsighted . The longer [ Trump ] goes , the harder he is to kill , ” said Brad Todd , a veteran Republican strategist who until recently worked for a super PAC that supported Bobby Jindal ’ s presidential campaign . “ Now they are locked in a death match with a short clock , and their money is worth less than it would be when the air was clear and Trump 's fans were just flirting . ”
But it ’ s not just campaigns that are coming under fire — it ’ s also donors , many of whom were presented with the opportunity to go after Trump but didn ’ t pull the trigger . Among those pushing to launch a serious anti-Trump campaign was Alex Castellanos , a veteran GOP strategist who was a top adviser to Mitt Romney . Last year , Castellanos visited a number of top GOP donors , operatives and lobbyists in an attempt to find financial support for a proposed TV ad campaign that was to cost in the eight-figure range .
Often carrying a personal laptop into meetings , Castellanos laid out a detailed plan for a negative ad blitz against Trump , casting him as a flawed strongman . Yet those familiar with the effort say Castellanos , who spent hours venturing into New York and Washington offices , was met with disinterest from donors , who gave a variety of reasons for not wanting to open their checkbooks . Some predicted that Trump would collapse by the sheer weight of political gravity . Others said they had business interests with the front-runner , or expressed fear of retribution .
“ Some donors are wonderful , but others have been saps during this entire process , ” said Anderson . “ If you want to know how to lose elections , the first people who you should talk to are the Republican Party ’ s major donors . ”
Much frustration has been directed at the RNC , which some believe has been pushed around by the party ’ s surprise poll-leader . Last year , many cringed when RNC Chairman Reince Priebus traveled to New York City to meet with Trump when he signed a pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee . And when the RNC dropped National Review last week as a sponsor for a forthcoming debate , fans of the magazine ’ s anti-Trump special issue saw fear at work .
“ My sense is that most rational RNC members hope Trump is not our nominee but do not want to upset him in case he is the GOP nominee , ” said Al Cardenas , a former Florida Republican Party and American Conservative Union chairman who supports Bush . “ The challenge is that while the RNC and others play this strategy out , the odds improve that Trump will be the nominee without an organized opposition to his candidacy beyond his rivals in the primary . ”
An RNC spokesperson didn ’ t respond to a request for comment .
There are worries among top Republicans , too , that the RNC is abandoning its post-2012 `` autopsy , '' which urged the GOP to reach out to minority groups or risk decades in the political wilderness .
Sally Bradshaw , a longtime top Bush adviser who helped write the report , blamed a `` lack of courage in our party '' for the failure to take on Trump , as Bush has . She called Trump a “ bigot ” and said he “ couldn ’ t unite our party and bring women , Hispanics and independent voters into the fold . ”
“ We won ’ t beat Hillary Clinton with Donald Trump as the nominee , ” she added . “ It doesn ’ t take a whiz-bang political data scientist to figure that out . ''
In some instances , anger has begun boil to over . Earlier this month , during the RNC ’ s winter meeting , Holland Redfield , a party committeeman from the Virgin Islands , rose during a private breakfast to vent to Priebus about Trump . During the impromptu speech , Redfield complained of the pressures to not speak out , saying , “ We ’ re almost terrorized as members of our party . ”
In an interview , Redfield said that other RNC members had privately applauded him since his speech became public . But he predicted that , if Trump becomes the nominee , the party would face an intense battle between those who were going along with his candidacy and those who aren ’ t .
“ It will be a major internal fight , ” he said . “ I feel the party has been hijacked . ” | EtRnvp4GbWRSxwHy | 0 | Republican Party | -1.9 | Donald Trump | -1.4 | Presidential Elections | 0 | Elections | 0 | null | null |
general_news | NPR Online News | https://www.npr.org/2018/03/01/589853483/trump-says-administration-working-on-very-very-strong-policies-to-combat-opioids | Trump Says Administration Working On 'Very Very Strong' Policies To Combat Opioids | 2018-03-01 | general_news | Trump Says Administration Working On 'Very Very Strong ' Policies To Combat Opioids
The White House convened a summit on the opioid epidemic Thursday , where first lady Melania Trump said she is proud of the what the administration has already accomplished on the issue , but that `` we all know there is much work still to be done . ''
Although he had not been expected to participate , President Trump briefly joined the event .
After introducing a personal friend who lost a son to drugs , the president addressed his administration 's plans for battling the opioid epidemic . `` The administration is going to be rolling out policy over the next three weeks , and it will be very , very strong , '' Trump said . I 've also spoken with [ Attorney General ] Jeff [ Sessions ] about bringing a lawsuit against some of these opioid companies . ''
Since President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency last October , advocates and members of Congress have complained they have n't seen much action and have struggled to get information about what the administration has been doing .
White House officials insist the administration has been hard at work , and that 's what Thursday 's opioid summit was all about . It featured Cabinet members , along with Mrs. Trump and counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway .
The summit was intended to `` highlight the progress the Administration has made to combat drug demand and the opioid crisis , '' a White House official said in a statement .
In 2016 , the most recent year for which data are available , opioid-related overdoses killed more than 42,000 Americans . That 's an average of 115 deaths every day .
Last November , the president 's commission on opioids released a lengthy set of recommendations , and most remain a work in progress or unaddressed altogether .
Several advocates NPR contacted ahead of the summit said they had n't seen as much action as they had hoped , especially in the area of making quality , scientifically sound treatment options more readily available .
In recent weeks there has been some movement , with a congressional budget agreement pledging to add several billion dollars to combat the crisis and the Department of Justice announcing it would work with states that are suing drug manufacturers .
Still , the advocates said that is far short of what they had hoped when Trump declared an emergency , and they said they were interested to see what new information they could learn from the White House summit .
Panels planned for Thursday 's event included a discussion of prevention , treatment and recovery with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar , Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David Shulkin and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson . A discussion of law enforcement and drug interdiction efforts with Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Attorney General Jeff Sessions was also planned .
Also on the agenda : a question-and-answer session with Jim Carroll , the recently named acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy . President Trump has also nominated Carroll to permanently hold the position of `` drug czar . '' Trump 's first nominee was forced to withdraw . Carroll is a lawyer who has extensive government and private sector experience but has n't done any work in the public health arena .
Other administration officials were expected to attend as well as about 200 advocates and others directly connected to the opioid crisis . There were some well-known names among them , including former congresswoman Mary Bono , Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi who was a member of the president 's opioid commission , the first lady of North Dakota Kathryn Helgaas Burgum who is herself a recovering alcoholic and addiction recovery advocate , and former Fox News personality Eric Bolling whose son died of an opioid overdose .
`` It 's a problem that 's growing , '' the president also said while speaking to those at the summit Thursday . `` And drugs are a similar but different problem , '' Trump also said , `` in the sense that we have pushers and we have drug dealers that do n't — I mean , they kill hundreds and hundreds of people , and most of them do n't even go to jail . ''
`` Some countries have a very , very tough penalty — the ultimate penalty [ for drug dealers ] , '' Trump also said . `` And , by the way , they have much less of a drug problem than we do . So we 're going to have to be very strong on penalties . ''
Speaking before to NPR before the start of the event , the nation 's top doctor said he was a mission to raise awareness about the epidemic . `` We want America to understand this is a problem , '' Surgeon General Jerome Adams said in an interview that aired Thursday on Morning Edition . `` The majority of the public does not see the opioid epidemic as rising to the level of an emergency , so it 's important that we continue to say at the highest levels , this is a problem in all communities and it 's getting worse . ''
U.S . Surgeon General Jerome Adams Talks To NPR Listen · 7:13 7:13
But he added he also wants Americans to have hope . `` The administration has prioritized the issue and is implementing strategies around saving lives , lowering demand and lowering supply , '' said Adams . | 739zJIX2D6RHPHMs | 1 | General News | 0.2 | Opioids | 0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Townhall | https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2018/11/06/hmmm-gop-up-big-in-key-early-voting-states-n2535352 | Hmmm: Final Indicators From Early Voting Look...Pretty Good for Republicans, Actually | 2018-11-06 | elections | First off , if you have n't already voted , pause your perusal of this post , and go cast your ballot . It 's the most important thing you 'll do all day . Meanwhile , some of the early voting indicators we shared last week looked reasonably healthy for the Republican Party -- with all the requisite asterisks and disclaimers , which we 'll revisit in a moment , firmly in place . As of yesterday , how were the updated tallies looking ? NBC supplied some interesting data from eight key states . Have a look , then we 'll discuss :
Via NBC , here are the voting totals in some key states , as of yesterday . All the big caveats apply ... # fwiw pic.twitter.com/s7IKDcX5rv — Guy Benson ( @ guypbenson ) November 6 , 2018
As we think about this information , it 's also pretty clear that early voting has exploded across the board , compared to the last midterm cycle ( a GOP blowout ) . More than 38 million early and absentee ballots have been counted in 2018 , easily eclipsing 2014 's 22 million . Turnout is sky high :
Early voting to four days before the election : 2014 versus 2018 . ( via @ maddow ) pic.twitter.com/ibh4FDbTsN — Kyle Griffin ( @ kylegriffin1 ) November 3 , 2018
On Benson & Harf last night , Karl Rove mentioned a few positive signs for the GOP , based on early and absentee voting . For instance , he said that in Arizona , where President Trump won by over three points in 2016 , Republican voters outpaced Democratic voters in early voting by 7.2 percent . This year , the GOP 's advantage had swelled to 7.9 percent . In Florida , Democrats built a 94,000-vote lead with earlies and absentees in the presidential year ( Trump narrowly carried the state ) ; this year , it 's down to 24,000 . `` I like looking at [ that data ] because the bigger they are , like Florida or Texas , [ they ] tend to sort of presage what 's going to happen on election day , '' he said . But he also issued this word of caution : `` Here 's why you should n't put total confidence in the election numbers because we do n't know how many defections there are and there are places where there are going to be defections from the party of the chose of the primary voter . Second of all , because we have a large number of people , like in Florida , who decline to state their party or in Texas whom have never voted in a primary . ''
If you scroll through these numbers ( it 's addictive ) , TargetSmart analysts project rosy things for Republicans in Texas , Tennessee , and possibly Arizona ( drawing similar conclusions that Jim Geraghty did last week regarding Martha McSally 's potential cushion leading into election day ) . The situation in Nevada looks bleaker , and Florida Democrats have improved their competitiveness over the 2014 blowout year , although Rove 's point of comparison with 2016 still stands . On the other hand , the early data in Ohio , Michigan and West Virginia also look pretty robust for Republicans on the surface , even though lots of polling shows a number of Democratic statewide candidates in those places leading comfortably ( although one never knows where an astonishing potential upset may be brewing ) . Looks can be deceiving . Beware . Vote .
Also , once again , just because someone is a registered Republican does not mean that he or she voted for every ( or any ) Republican on the ballot . Plus , polling shows that independent or non-affiliated voters are tilting Democratic this year . And then there 's the matter of new voters , who can be difficult to properly identify in polling , and the impossible-to-discern vote 'cannibalization ' effect of early voting vs. election day voting ( i.e. , Republicans have traditionally voted on ED , but if a lot of those people have switched to EV , the GOP may not have the votes to sustain the leads they 've built ) . All of which is to say that I think it would be a mistake to extrapolate too much from the early voting data and start crowing about the prospects of another Republican stunner . For the reasons I discussed earlier , I 'd be surprised if the GOP has a good night , given the backdrop of historical winds , national mood , and Trump-era electoral outcomes . It looks more like the sort of night where the party in power does its best to salvage as many races as possible ; then again , 2016 proved that sometimes expectations can be deeply flawed . And I 'm sure Republicans would rather appear to be over-performing on early voting than the opposite .
For what it 's worth , on the Senate side , my best Republican sources say things have tightened considerably over the last two weeks . They still feel pretty confident about North Dakota flipping , and holding Tennessee and Texas . But states like Missouri and Indiana have gotten awfully close , perhaps with a tiny GOP edge . And they say Arizona , Florida and Nevada remain toss-ups , but may perhaps be blue-shaded . A few weeks back , I would have predicted that Republicans will net 1-3 Senate seats tonight . Based on my most recent conversations , my final analysis pegged the number at +0 ( 51/49 ) or +1 ( 52/48 ) . It 's not impossible to envision a -1 ( 50/50 ) scenario under which a Mississippi runoff would determine who the majority leader is next year , nor is it impossible to foresee the GOP holding one of those seats out west and winning a few midwestern tossups to make more serious gains . These fates are now entirely up to voters -- which is why , if you have n't voted yet , but are still reading this , you ned to go vote . I 'll leave you with an evergreen reminder about exit polls : | jrl68IInNIXsQEH3 | 2 | Elections | 0 | Midterm Elections | 0 | Republican Party | 0 | null | null | null | null |
politics | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/22/editorial-the-feet-have-it/ | Voting with one's feet shows folly of liberal economic policies | 2014-04-22 | politics | Once-big and powerful states are shrinking . Suffocating under the weight of liberal policies , powerhouse states have atrophied into uncompetitive and unwelcoming weaklings .
It ’ s all laid out in a report by the American Legislative Exchange Council . Co-authored by Arthur Laffer , a Reagan economic adviser , and Stephen Moore , an economist at the Heritage Foundation , the report titled “ Rich States , Poor States ” identifies key ingredients of a thriving economy : low personal and corporate income-tax rates , reasonable property- and sales-tax burdens , restraint on the number of government employees and curbs on state spending .
Conversely , big-government policy decisions such as onerous tax burdens , an elevated minimum wage and high rates of public debt have put people and businesses to flight .
New York holds the dubious distinction of imposing the nation ’ s most burdensome corporate-tax rate , which encourages businesses to relocate to friendly territory . The country ’ s highest — and most “ progressive , ” read “ liberal ” — marginal personal state income-tax rate is imposed in California . Many wealthy Californians have bolted , taking their tax dollars with them . In Illinois , where jobs are scarce and the economy is reeling , the state maintains a suffocating property tax , high levels of public debt , a steep minimum wage and exorbitant workers ’ compensation costs .
No surprise , then , New York , California and Illinois are the three states that have lost the most population over the past decade .
More than 1.5 million people fled New York over the past decade . Since 1960 , New York has lost 14 congressional seats and the influence that goes with them . Even the year-round summer weather and gorgeous mountains , forests and beaches haven ’ t been enough to persuade 1.4 million Californians to suffer the high taxes and other naive and destructive liberal policies . In Illinois , 623,467 have migrated elsewhere .
The population bleeding has serious financial consequences . New York lost an astonishing $ 68.1 billion in adjusted growth income from 1992 to 2010 , according to Internal Revenue Service data . California lost more than $ 45 billion over the same period . Things are so bad in Illinois that total nonfarm-payroll employment actually decreased by 1.6 percent between 2002 and 2012 . This means fewer productive citizens to bear the burden of the lavish public-sector pensions .
So where have New York , California and Illinois ’ residents , businesses and jobs gone ? To happier states , including Texas , Washington , Arizona , North Carolina , Georgia and Florida , all boasting reasonable tax rates and a welcoming business climate . These states are flush with successful businesses and hundreds of thousands of new residents .
The American Legislative Exchange Council finds that the states that scored among the 10 best , based on “ 15 policy areas that have proven over time to be the best determinants of economic success , ” gained 2.2 million residents over the past decade . The population of the states that scored in the bottom 10 dwindled by more than 400,000 .
Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once called the states “ the laboratories of democracy. ” The results from the great experiment are in , and there ’ s no questioning the result . It ’ s an omen for the states where liberal nostrums prevail , where people , like Elvis and common sense , have “ left the building . ” | n7iRBgEBjaTfE5iC | 2 | Politics | 0.5 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
media_bias | New York Post | https://nypost.com/2020/06/05/tom-cotton-hysteria-shows-cowardice-from-the-new-york-times/ | Tom Cotton hysteria shows cowardice from The New York Times | 2020-06-05 | media_bias | This week , The New York Times ran an op-ed by United States Sen. Tom Cotton ( R-Ark . ) urging that the military be used to quell the fires , looting and violence gripping the nation ’ s cities .
A Morning Consult poll from this week found that 58 percent of registered voters agreed with that idea . But apparently it ’ s an opinion forbidden in the Times .
Black staffers at the paper said the column made them feel unsafe . The day after it ran , the paper folded like , well , The New York Times , and apologized for it .
Once , the separation between the news and Opinion page — church and state — at the Times was held up as an exemplar of objectivity in journalism . Now , reporters are dictating what views the paper is and is not allowed to publish .
Well , opinions of conservatives . If you ’ re the member of an organization that regularly blows up civilians and keeps women in servitude , come on in !
In February , the Times ran a piece by Sirajuddin Haqqani , a leader with a little organization known as the Taliban .
Let ’ s hear from someone else and trust readers can make up their mind — how quaint .
The outraged claim they are afraid that Cotton ’ s words endanger people , but what they are really afraid of is people agreeing with him . Because the only way the words could lead to any action is if Cotton is convincing .
What becomes obvious is that the Times ’ Opinion page is no longer a marketplace of ideas , but rather a carnival barker for the far-left circus .
In frantic defense mode , the Times ’ leadership is promising to fact-check op-eds , although they have done so for years and nobody claims Cotton got any facts wrong .
What they are likely actually introducing are sensitivity-readers to protect subscribers from problematic thoughts . The newspaper might also consider therapy puppies for its hysterical staff .
The Opinion section already was pretty one-note . After this , I ’ m sure the Times ’ columns will remind me of Johnny Carson ’ s quip about Don Rickles , “ He ’ s a wonderful comedian , I love his joke . ”
Newspapers , of course , are allowed to decide what opinions they publish . There are liberal editorial boards . There are conservative editorial boards . But The New York Times can no longer haughtily pretend to be the public square of American life , to accurately represent the diversity of opinion of a nation . They are not a dispassionate paper ; they are an advocacy group .
And if reporters can dictate what opinions the Times runs , how long before they start deciding what news is worthy of publication and not based on their own political beliefs ? | oJRkTneDBhfOUcK6 | 2 | Free Speech | 0.5 | Violence In America | 0 | Media Bias | 0 | US Military | 0 | Polarization | 0 |
immigration | NBC News Digital | https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/one-god-awful-mess-biden-lays-border-crisis-trump-admin-n1265908 | Biden lays border crisis on Trump admin's refusal to cooperate | 2021-04-30 | Immigration, Border Crisis, Joe Biden | WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden blamed the Trump administration for ongoing problems at the U.S.-Mexico border, citing its failure to cooperate and share critical information during the presidential transition period.In an exclusive interview that aired Friday with "TODAY" show co-anchor Craig Melvin, Biden said his administration inherited “one god-awful mess at the border” from former President Donald Trump. He said it’s the result of “the failure to have a real transition — cooperation from the last administration, like every other administration has done.”After the November election, Biden said that he had dispatched his transition team to meet with the officials leading the major departments across the government.“The two departments that didn’t give us access to virtually anything were the immigration and the Defense Department,” said Biden, who added that his team didn’t know until he was sworn into office that Trump had fired many people from those departments and they were “understaffed considerably.”Biden declined to call the border situation a crisis. He also acknowledged that his administration has struggled to reunite the children and families who had been separated under Trump policies.“We don't know yet where those kids are,” he said. “We're trying like hell to figure out what happened. What happened to that child when he got separated? Where’d they go? Where are they?”In fact, pro-bono lawyers and Biden’s task force to reunify families have struggled to locate some of the parents who were separated, not their children. But those lawyers say many parents are in Central America and ready to be reunited once the Biden administration makes good on its promise to bring them back to the United States to be with their children.During the wide-ranging interview, conducted Thursday at the White House, Biden was also asked about comments on race made by Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, in the official Republican response to the president's first address to Congress on Wednesday. Scott, the lone Black Republican senator, said he'd experienced "the pain of discrimination," but urged viewers to "hear me clearly: America is not a racist country."Biden was asked if he disagreed."No, I don't think the American people are racist. But I think after 400 years, African Americans have been left in a position where they're so far behind the eight ball in terms of education, health, in terms of opportunity," Biden said. "I don't think America's racist, but I think the overhang from all of the Jim Crow and before that slavery have had a cost and we have to deal with it."Melvin also asked Biden if he was briefed about the search warrants executed at Rudy Giuliani’s apartment and office and found out about it when the news broke.“I give you my word, I was not,” Biden said.“I made a pledge,” Biden continued. “I would not interfere in any way — order or try to stop any investigation the Justice Department had underway. I learned about that last night when the rest of the world learned about it.”Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politicsAsked if he’s been briefed about any other investigation, Biden said, “No, and I’m not asking to be briefed — that's the Justice Department's independent judgment.”Biden said that the Trump administration “politicized the Justice Department so badly, so many of them quit, so many left.”“That's not the role of the president to say who should be prosecuted, when they should be prosecuted, who should not be prosecuted. That’s not the role of the president. The Justice Department is the people’s lawyer, not the president’s lawyer.”Biden’s remarks came a day after FBI agents executed search warrants at Giuliani's Manhattan apartment and his office to seize electronic devices. The searches signaled that prosecutors are continuing their investigation into Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who went on to become Trump's personal attorney.Biden and first lady Jill Biden, who joined the conversation toward the end, were also asked about one of their German shepherds, Major, who has had a few incidents at the White House.“He is such a sweet, lovable dog. He really is,” the first lady said.She also shared that they were adopting a female cat, and said that part of Major’s training with the Secret Service involved bringing him into a shelter with cats. | cf5fcca937ec5c24 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
economy_and_jobs | Yahoo News | https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock-market-news-live-updates-december-9-2020-231933141.html | Stock futures rise as lawmakers draw closer to stimulus agreement | 2020-12-08 | Economy And Jobs, Banking And Finance, Life During Covid-19, Coronavirus Vaccine | “One is that there’s going to be a good deal of spending, and it’s likely to be in infrastructure first before anything else, but that’s going to be a major economic stimulus for the markets,” he said. “The second factor that isn’t there yet is an intangible, and it is the evidence that President-elect Biden is using unification as his primary theme. Unification is good for psychology.”Three o ther factors could push the markets higher as well, he added.“The market is gasping and grasping for some new leadership signal. Vaccines, virus, stimulus, spending are all rather well priced into the market. People have different expectations, but they’re pretty much there as knowns in the marketplace,” George Ball, Sanders Morris Harris CEO, told Yahoo Finance on Tuesday. “I think the next move, especially if you’re a trader, is probably greed. And there’s a greed catalyst out there that I think is very influential.”Though traders are still awaiting final confirmation that another stimulus package will get done and a vaccine roll-out will go smoothly, many have begun anxiously looking for another catalyst for markets.Meanwhile, Pfizer ( PFE ) and BioNTech’s ( BNTX ) COVID-19 vaccine inched closer to approval. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released data from the companies’ clinical trials on Tuesday, which reaffirmed that the inoculation was effective within approximately 10 days of the first dose, and offered strong protection regardless of a volunteer’s age, weight or race. The FDA is set to convene its panel of outside advisers Thursday, with the group set to vote on whether or not to recommend approval of the vaccine for emergency use authorization shortly thereafter.The rhetoric knocked investor confidence in a near-term deal, which had been stoked earlier after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he offered a new $916 billion proposal to Pelosi on Tuesday. He said his plan “includes money for state and local governments and robust liability protections for businesses, schools and universities.” Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers had unveiled a stimulus outline worth about $908 billion , which diverged from Mnuchin’s plan on some key issues, including offering $300 per week in augmented unemployment benefits absent from Mnuchin’s proposal.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said on the Senate floor Wednesday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had “delayed, deflected, moved goal posts” in stimulus discussions, according to a Bloomberg report.The S&P 500 and Dow slid after hitting record highs earlier on Wednesday as stimulus discussions in Washington appeared to hit more roadblocks. Tech shares underperformed, and the Nasdaq sank.Story Continues“And the third is that people, and particularly the younger ‘do-it-yourselfers,’ the Robinhood traders, are discovering individual equities as a place of interest. Part of it is speculative, part of it is interest, and they’re a bigger and bigger factor in the market and tend to be on the bull side as opposed to the contrary.”Elsewhere, traders on Wednesday saw the first of two highly valued companies hit the public exchanges. Shares of food delivery company DoorDash began trading on the New York Stock Exchange shortly after 12:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Shares opened at $182, after the company priced its initial public offering at $102 per share – above its previously advertised range – to raise nearly $3.4 billion.Home-sharing software company Airbnb is set to price its initial public offering on Wednesday, and shares will begin trading publicly on the Nasdaq on Thursday.—4:05 p.m. ET: Stocks pull back from record highs as stimulus talks stall, Nasdaq drops 1.9%Here were the main moves in markets as of 4:05 p.m. ET:S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) : -29.43 (-0.79%) to 3,672.82Dow ( ^DJI ) : -105.07 (-0.35%) to 30,068.81Nasdaq ( ^IXIC ) : -243.82 (-1.94%) to 12,338.95Crude ( CL=F ) : +$0.02 (+0.04%) to $45.62 a barrelGold ( GC=F ) : -$32.90 (-1.75%) to $1,842.00 per ounce10-year Treasury (^TNX): +2.8 bps to yield 0.9410%—12:42 a.m. ET: DoorDash opens at $182 per share, jumping 78.4% above IPO priceShares of DoorDash opened on the New York Stock Exchange at $182 per share on Wednesday for a pop of nearly 80% above its initial public offering pricing of $102 a share.DoorDash on Tuesday had already raised $3.37 billion in its IPO for the third largest in the U.S. this year, after the IPO of billionaire investor Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Tontine Holdings, and software company Snowflake’s IPO after over-allotment options were exercised.—11:25 a.m. ET: Three major indices drop as stimulus talks appear to stallThe S&P 500 and Dow wiped out earlier gains to trade lower Wednesday before noon, with discussions in Washington hitting yet another roadblock.The Dow fell about 60 points, or 0.2%, and the S&P 500 fell by about the same margin on a percentage basis. The real estate, utilities and consumer staples sectors led the drop in the blue-chip index, while the consumer discretionary, communication services and industrials sectors held narrowly positive.Chevron, Salesforce and American Express were the laggards in the Dow, while Goldman Sachs outperformed and gained more than 1.5%.—10:30 a.m. ET: DoorDash indicated to open at $125 to $130 per shareDoorDash’s price discovery process on the New York Stock Exchange began after market open on Wednesday, as investors prepared to purchase shares of the newly public company.Based on the first indication, DoorDash shares may open between $125 and $130 per share. The bid and ask prices may still move before the opening trade occurs, however, and more indications are likely to come in. A narrowing spread typically means that the stock is getting close to starting to trade.The first indication suggested the shares would open well above the $102 per share DoorDash sold its shares for during its initial public offering Tuesday evening.—10:00 a.m. ET: Job openings in the U.S. jump to a three-month highU.S. job openings unexpectedly rose in October to a three-month high of 6.652 million, up from a revised 6.494 million in September, the Labor Department said in a new report on Wednesday. Consensus economists had been looking for job openings to decline to 6.3 million, based on Bloomberg data.Job vacancies increased most significantly in health care and social assistance industries, and in state and local government education.The number of layoffs and discharges, however, increased to 1.68 million in October from 1.44 million in September. This number was pushed higher by the loss of more temporary 2020 Census workers in the federal government.“There are more opportunities out there and companies appear to be hiring, but the help wanted signs might disappear later in the year as the coronavirus shutdowns in many states has upturned the labor market which is to say caused it to turn down again,” Chris Rupkey, chief business economist for MUFG Union Bank, said in an email Wednesday morning.—9:31 a.m. ET: S&P 500, Dow touch fresh record intraday highsHere were the main moves in markets as of 9:31 a.m. ET:S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) : +7.16 points (+0.19%) to 3,709.41Dow ( ^DJI ) : +133.6 (+0.44%) to 30,307.48Nasdaq ( ^IXIC ) : -6.1 points (-0.05%) to 12,575.14Crude ( CL=F ) : +$0.30 (+0.66%) to $45.90 a barrelGold ( GC=F ) : -$16.40 (-0.87%) to $1,858.50 per ounce10-year Treasury (^TNX): +3 bps to yield 0.943%—9:07 a.m. ET: Chewy shares edge lower despite beating 3Q sales expectations, raising full-year guidanceShares of newly public digital pet shop Chewy (CHWY) ticked lower by nearly 1% Wednesday morning even after the company Tuesday night raised its full-year sales forecast and topped third-quarter revenue expectations, as users made more purchases of pet products online during the pandemic. Still, the stock has risen more than 170% for the year to date.Third-quarter net sales grew 4.8% over the previous quarter to $1.78 billion, and beat estimates for $1.72 billion, according to Bloomberg data. Its loss per share, however, came in wider than anticipated at 8 cents, versus the 4 cents a share expected.Chewy sees full-year net sales of between $7.04 billion to $7.06 billion, up from its previous range of between $6.78 billion and $6.83 billion.—7:22 a.m. ET: Stock futures head toward a mixed openHere were the main moves in markets, as of 7:22 a.m. ET:S&P 500 futures ( ES=F ) : 3,708.25, up 6.25 points or 0.17%Dow futures ( YM=F ) : 30,244.00, up 74 points or 0.25%Nasdaq futures ( NQ=F ): 12,630.00, down 7.5 points or 0.06%Crude ( CL=F ) : +$0.20 (+0.44%) to $45.80 a barrelGold ( GC=F ) : -$13.30 (-0.71%) to $1,861.60 per ounce10-year Treasury (^TNX): +2.6 bps to yield 0.939%—6:07 p.m. ET Tuesday: Stock futures point higherHere were the main moves in markets, as of 6:07 p.m. ET Tuesday:S&P 500 futures ( ES=F ) : 3,708.25, up 6.25 points or 0.17%Dow futures ( YM=F ) : 30,211.00, up 41 points or 0.14%Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): 12,657.00, up 19.5 points or 0.15%NEW YORK, USA - NOVEMBER 30: New York Stock Exchange building is seen decorated for Christmas at the Financial District in New York City, United States on November 30, 2020. New York is ranked as one of the largest International Financial Centres ("IFC") in the world, now seen so quiet due the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Tayfun Cokun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)—Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and reddit.Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance newsFor tutorials and information on investing and trading stocks, check out Cashay | 0a9da3ce6329ea78 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Townhall | http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2015/12/20/ap-fact-check-glossedover-realities-in-democratic-debate-n2095586 | AP FACT CHECK: Glossed-over realities in Democratic debate | 2015-12-20 | Presidential Elections, Elections | Latest news stories from around the world brought to you at the top of the hour Vice President JD Vance rebukes European leaders for squelching freedom of speech and conscience. Mr Vance is meeting today with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks that many observers, particularly in Europe, hope will shed at least some light on President Trump’s initiatives to settle the war between Ukraine and Russia. Two Trump administration executive orders targeting the rights of transgender and nonbinary people are facing fresh court challenges. Reporter Bernie Bennett has more. VERBATIM: Three Democratic states sued Friday over the order to ban federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender people under 19. It’s at least the second challenge to the policy that was put forth late last month. Trump signed an executive order last month directing federally run insurance programs, including Medicaid and TRICARE for military families, to exclude coverage for such care. It also calls on the Department of Justice to pursue litigation and legislation to oppose it. Trump also signed an executive order on Wednesday intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. Bernie Bennett reporting The Southern Baptist Convention goes after Planned Parenthood VERBATIM: The country’s largest Protestant denomination wants the government to defund the country’s largest abortion business. With Roe versus Wade overturned and pro-life officials in place after the last election, the SBC is urging Christians to petition Congress to finally stop giving taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood. The giant business received 700 million federal dollars in 2024 to provide abortions and also promote the LGBT agenda. MH SRN NEWS. AM WALL STREET BUSINESS- 2-20 AM SPORTSCAST 2-20 Michael RamirezFri, Feb 14, 2025 FollowUs This site is a proud member of Salem National, a subsidiary of Salem Media Group. Other Salem National sites include: HughHewitt.com, MikeOnline.com, DennisPrager.com, MetaxasTalk.com, TheCharlieKirkShow.com JulieHartmanShow.com, | a92edfe5612f0126 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
north_korea | USA TODAY | http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/10/10/n-korea-parades-missiles-drones-anniversary-celebration/73722942/ | North Korea ready for 'war' with 'American imperialists' | 2015-10-10 | north_korea | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed Saturday that he is prepared to wage war against the United States if necessary , using as a backdrop a massive display of firepower in the form of troop columns , missile launchers , tanks and other military hardware during a choreographed parade in the capital of Pyongyang .
`` Our military force is ready to respond to any kind of war the American imperialists want , '' Kim said in his speech marking the 70th anniversary of party rule , according to the Associated Press .
The heavily rehearsed event played out in the city 's central Kim Il Sung Square , named after Kim 's grandfather and founding leader of the North Korean state . Tens of thousands of onlookers rhythmically waved pink and red artificial flowers as throngs of goose-stepping soldiers paraded and Kim , wearing his signature dark Maoist suit , saluted as he overlooked the spectacle .
Military aircraft flew in a formation overhead spelling out the hammer , brush and sickle symbol of North Korea and the number 70 . Amid the tanks , drones and armored vehicles in the parade , were what appeared to be North Korea 's first intercontinental ballistic missile , the KN-08 , carried on a 16-wheeled vehicle , according to media reports .
While North Korea has nuclear weapons , it remains unclear whether its scientists have developed a means of delivering the bombs on long-range missiles . After the show of military might , the 30-something leader delivered 25 minutes of tough-worded remarks reiterating the United States as North Korea 's chief adversary .
“ Through the line of Songun ( military-first ) politics , our Korean People ’ s Army has become the strongest revolutionary force and our country has become an impenetrable fortress and a global military power , ” he said , according to AP .
Standing beside Kim was a visiting dignitary from the isolated nation 's primary ally and trade partner , China . Liu Yunshan , a fifth-ranked member of Chinese Communist Party , arrived with a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping urging the continuation of close ties between the countries .
But Liu has also urged during his visit that North Korea resume six-party talks that are aimed at pushing Pyongyang to abandon nuclear weapons in exchange for economic assistance , according to Xinhua , the official Chinese-run news agency . The negotiations would also involve the United States .
North Korea uncharacteristically invited large numbers of foreign media and delegations to Pyongyang for the showy 70th celebration . Satellite imagery during large-scale rehearsals for the parade captured troops marching through a mock-up of the Kim Il Sung Square , according to AP . Large crowds of civilians had also been practicing their roles . | cUa6Fo6oTyHodSdc | 1 | North Korea | 0.1 | World | 0.1 | War | 0 | null | null | null | null |
sexual_misconduct | NPR Online News | https://www.npr.org/2020/02/18/806721827/boy-scouts-of-america-files-for-bankruptcy | Boy Scouts Of America Files For Bankruptcy | 2020-02-18 | sexual_misconduct | Boy Scouts Of America Files For Bankruptcy As It Faces Hundreds Of Sex-Abuse Claims
The Boy Scouts of America has filed for bankruptcy , a sign of the century-old organization 's financial instability as it faces some 300 lawsuits from men who say they were sexually abused as Scouts .
The organization says it will use the Chapter 11 process to create a trust to provide compensation to victims . Scouting programs will continue throughout .
The Boy Scouts had been exploring the possibility of bankruptcy since at least December 2018 , when the group hired a law firm for a possible Chapter 11 filing . Chapter 11 usually involves the debtor making a reorganization plan to keep its business alive and pay its creditors over time .
The filing was made in Delaware and is expected to set a new deadline for victims ' claims to be made .
The Boy Scouts also published a carefully worded open letter to victims of abuse . The letter , signed by BSA National Chair Jim Turley , reads in part :
`` I am outraged that individuals took advantage of our programs to commit these heinous acts . `` I am also outraged that there were times when volunteers and employees ignored our procedures or forgave transgressions that are unforgivable . In some cases , this led to tragic acts of abuse . While those instances were limited , they mean we did n't do enough to protect the children in our care — to protect you . `` On behalf of myself and the entire Scouting community : I am sorry . I am devastated that there were times in the past when we failed the very children we were supposed to protect . ''
The letter encourages people who were abused to come forward and file claims so they can receive compensation from the trust that will be created .
Amid high-profile sexual abuse scandals in organizations from the Catholic Church to USA Gymnastics , some states have changed their laws to allow more time for victims of sexual abuse to sue their perpetrators . That has brought a wave of new lawsuits from victims whose cases were prevented previously by statutes of limitations .
`` For years , organizations like the Boy Scouts counted on these laws protecting them , '' says Paul Mones , an attorney in Los Angeles who is representing many men who are suing the Boy Scouts . `` Now those laws are not there , and the Boy Scouts have fallen under their own weight of these abuse allegations and the potential cases that will be filed . ''
The Boy Scouts ' potential liability is large . Mones points to just one case he won in Portland , Ore. , in 2010 , where the judgment against the organization was nearly $ 20 million .
For many years , the Boy Scouts had insurance that would cover sexual abuse claims . But in recent years these carriers have been withdrawing coverage , arguing that the Boy Scouts knew about the abuse and did n't tell the insurance companies . That has left the organization with the prospect of having to fund any litigation and settlements itself .
The Boy Scouts ' most recent tax filing shows total revenue of more than $ 285 million . With significant land holdings across the U.S. , the organization 's assets in 2018 totaled $ 1.4 billion .
The national organization might hope that its bankruptcy filing will shield the assets of its local councils , similar to how Catholic dioceses were able to protect their properties and parishes from claims .
BSA was clear on this point in its statement on Tuesday : `` Local councils , which provide programming , financial , facility and administrative support to Scouting units in their communities , have not filed for bankruptcy . They are legally separate , distinct and financially independent from the national organization . ''
Local Boy Scout councils and other affiliated nonprofits separately hold $ 3.3 billion in assets , The Wall Street Journal reported last month .
At least 20 Catholic dioceses in the U.S. have filed for bankruptcy amid the wave of sex abuse lawsuits against the church . Some victims ' attorneys have complained that bankruptcy filings shift the emphasis to the diocese 's finances , rather than uncovering documents and information about what church leaders knew .
Mones says the Boy Scouts ' case could be a warning for any organization that has n't properly reckoned with reports of abuse .
`` If the largest youth organization by far in the United States can be crippled under the weight of doing nothing about their sexual abuse allegations and covering the problem up , I think it is a warning shot across the bow to all churches and youth organizations and schools that have this problem and do n't act proactively to resolve it , '' he says . | KHXgrT2DKUMlkiIb | 1 | Sexual Misconduct | -0.9 | Boy Scouts | -0.8 | Bankruptcy | 0 | null | null | null | null |
china | Associated Press | https://apnews.com/article/china-evergrande-debt-restructuring-economy-23a39bb15fdae2421480d16623f84d7d | China’s Evergrande says it is asking for US court to approve debt plan, not filing for bankruptcy | 2023-08-18 | China, Banking And Finance, Economy And Jobs, Housing And Homelessness, Housing Market | BEIJING (AP) — A giant Chinese real estate developer that is struggling to avoid defaulting on $340 billion in debt said Friday it is asking a U.S. court to approve a restructuring plan for foreign bondholders and rejected what it said were news reports that suggest it filed for bankruptcy.Evergrande Groupe’s mountain of debt prompted fears in 2021 of a possible default that might send shockwaves through the global financial system. China’s government has tried to reassure investors that its problems are contained and that lending markets will be kept functioning.The request Thursday under Chapter 15 of the U.S. bankruptcy code is “a normal step in the overseas restructuring procedure and doesn’t involve bankruptcy filings,” the company said in a statement issued in Hong Kong. It cited unspecified “media reports” and said it was clarifying the situation.The company said it negotiated a restructuring with investors in its U.S. dollar-denominated bonds under the legal systems of Hong Kong and the British Virgin islands but needs approval from a bankruptcy court in New York City because they are governed by New York state law.Evergrande ran short of cash after Beijing tightened controls in 2020 on corporate debt the ruling Communist Party worries is dangerously high. Some other developers collapsed, leaving half-finished apartment blocks standing empty.Evergrande said it had more assets than debt but had trouble turning slow-selling real estate into cash to repay creditors. | 764e305a7d5cf584 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
polarization | FiveThirtyEight | https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/americans-disapproved-of-clintons-behavior-but-not-enough-to-impeach-him/ | Why Trump’s Impeachment Might Be Different Than Clinton’s | 2019-10-22 | polarization | In the fall of 1998 , it seemed like President Clinton was in trouble . An investigation by independent counsel Kenneth Starr had uncovered an affair between the president and White House intern Monica Lewinsky . And after months of denials , Clinton finally admitted to having had “ an inappropriate relationship ” with Lewinsky , which was then recounted in graphic detail in the report Starr sent to Congress . The affair and the president ’ s attempts to hide it were quickly denounced by Republicans and Democrats alike . In a speech on the Senate floor , then-Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman said Clinton ’ s conduct was “ disgraceful ” and “ immoral. ” Just a few weeks later , the House voted to open an impeachment inquiry , with the support of 31 Democrats .
Months later , though , Clinton hadn ’ t just survived the impeachment process — he had managed to weather it with high approval ratings and the backing of his party . Despite bipartisan rumblings of displeasure with the president as the inquiry took off , public support never really coalesced behind impeachment , and the effort was ultimately perceived by many as a partisan attack by House Republicans bent on taking down a political opponent .
So as the Democrats plunge forward with their impeachment inquiry , Clinton ’ s failed impeachment looms as a cautionary tale . After all , no Republicans at this point have come out in support of an impeachment inquiry , which means Democrats will arguably have even more work to do to convince the public that the allegations against President Trump aren ’ t merely political . And although support for impeachment is on the upswing , it ’ s hard to predict if that will last — or if public opinion will just ossify along familiar partisan lines , as it did during Clinton ’ s impeachment .
It ’ s tempting to think of Trump ’ s impeachment as a sequel of sorts , but there are already signs that what ’ s happening today could unfold quite differently . For one thing , the case against Clinton hinged on the findings in Starr ’ s report . By contrast , today ’ s Democrats didn ’ t choose to orient their inquiry around findings in special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s report that examined misconduct by Trump : They are instead building a case against the president in real time , which makes it harder to predict where the public will ultimately land .
And although there ’ s still a significant risk that the investigation will be perceived as partisan , the nature of the allegations against Trump are quite different . Many Americans saw Clinton ’ s affair with Lewinsky as a “ private matter , ” but Trump pressuring Ukraine to investigate the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is much more clearly tied to his role as commander-in-chief . So it ’ s entirely possible that the public will be less forgiving this time .
By the time the House of Representatives voted to open an impeachment inquiry against Clinton in October 1998 , the allegations against the president had been in the news for months . Clinton had publicly confessed to the affair in August , and in mid-September , Starr delivered his lengthy and salacious report — which included a case for impeaching Clinton — to Congress .
At that moment , support for impeachment seemed like it might be on the upswing . A Gallup poll conducted in mid-October , just after the House voted to formally open an impeachment inquiry , found that 48 percent of the public supported the decision to hold hearings . But as the chart below shows , support for impeachment didn ’ t continue to tick upward . In mid-December , when the House voted to impeach Clinton on two counts of perjury and obstruction of justice , just about 40 percent of the public continued to think he should be impeached — and the same was true in February , when the Senate voted to acquit him .
This didn ’ t stop Republicans from raking Clinton over the coals in the lead-up to the 1998 midterm elections , though . That ’ s perhaps because there was one segment of the public that did see an uptick in support for impeachment — Republican voters . In mid-August 1998 , an ABC News poll found that only 38 percent of Republicans thought Clinton should be impeached and removed from office . But by the time the House had voted to impeach him , about two-thirds of Republicans were on board . The GOP ’ s attacks , though , didn ’ t seem to have the effect of boosting overall support for impeachment ; if anything , it just resulted in a widening partisan divide .
Clinton ’ s presidential approval ratings were also high when the scandal started to unravel , and they remained remarkably undented throughout the impeachment process . Approval of his job performance had been hovering between 60 and 70 percent through most of 1998 , and with the exception of a small dip around the time the Starr report was released in September , they stayed above 60 percent . In fact , according to ███ ’ s tracker of presidential approval , Clinton ’ s approval ratings hit 67 percent at the end of December 1998 , just after he was impeached by the House . It was among the highest job approval ratings he received at any point in his administration .
There were other signs , too , that the public didn ’ t think Clinton should be removed from office . Republicans ’ efforts to impeach Clinton appeared to be dramatically backfiring in real time — after running a slew of ads attacking Clinton in the lead-up to the midterms , they lost seats and House Speaker Newt Gingrich , who had been one of Clinton ’ s loudest critics , resigned the speakership .
That electoral loss has been woven , over the years , into a cautionary fable about the costs of impeachment without broad public support . But , of course , Clinton himself didn ’ t emerge unscathed — Americans generally disapproved of his handling of the scandal and questioned his integrity , and those sentiments may have hurt Democrats in the 2000 election . So while it ’ s difficult to evaluate whether the Republicans or the Democrats paid more of a price in the long term , the impeachment process clearly left a mark on both .
Some Democrats were unhappy with Clinton , but not enough to support impeachment
It wasn ’ t always clear that Democrats would stand by Clinton . Some distanced themselves from the president in the lead-up to the midterm elections ; others even questioned whether he should resign . The initial vote to refer Starr ’ s report to the House Judiciary Committee for further investigation passed by an overwhelming margin . And when the House voted a few weeks later to open a formal impeachment inquiry , 31 moderate Democrats were in support . “ Many Democrats were angry and frustrated that their leader had lied to them , ” said Julian Zelizer , a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University . “ That softened them to the idea of at least having an investigation . ”
But after a fairly brief period , the House was divided once again into familiar partisan camps . By the time the House voted on the articles of impeachment against Clinton just five Democrats voted to impeach the president . And when it was the Senate ’ s turn to decide whether Clinton should remain in office , only Republicans crossed the aisle , with 10 GOP senators voting to acquit Clinton on at least one of the charges .
Why did Democrats fall in line behind Clinton ? The Republicans ’ aggressive pursuit of impeachment — even in the absence of a clear public consensus — may have pushed Democrats to close ranks . “ A significant number of Democrats thought there should be some consequence for Clinton ’ s behavior , like a formal censure vote , ” said Philip Bobbitt , a professor of law at Columbia University and the coauthor of “ Impeachment : A Handbook. ” “ But when it became clear that the Republicans were just going for impeachment , they became much more defensive . ”
Clinton also did damage control of his own . After first trying to quickly move past the scandal , he delivered an extravagant apology for his conduct on the day Starr ’ s report was released , saying he had “ sinned ” and “ repented. ” That apparent contrition may have helped some Democrats rally around him , although others remained angry with him throughout the process . As late as February , Sen. Dianne Feinstein — who months earlier had said her confidence in Clinton ’ s credibility was “ shattered ” by the revelation of the affair — pushed for a bipartisan vote in the Senate to censure Clinton . But as upset as Democrats might have been with Clinton for having the affair , or for trying to conceal it , they continued to support the president , bolstered by the fact that public opinion was largely on their side .
“ By the end , very few Democrats , even if they disliked Clinton , were willing to say his behavior was worthy of impeachment , ” Zelizer said . “ And many Republicans in the Senate had the same misgivings . ”
It ’ s dangerous to draw too many parallels between what happened then and what ’ s occurring in Congress now . For one thing , the Democrats are still in the early stages of their inquiry . But experts told me that there are some lessons for today ’ s Democrats in the story of Clinton ’ s impeachment .
First , there is the risk that , like the Republicans in Clinton ’ s impeachment , the Democrats ’ investigation into Trump could be seen primarily as an attack on a political adversary . Starr ’ s investigation was seen as politically motivated , and the Republicans relied almost entirely on his findings , without trying to marshal evidence of their own . “ This was a process that was perceived as partisan and rushed , with very few hearings and no revelation more shocking than the fact that the president had lied , ” Zelizer said . And when House Republicans pressed ahead — even after it was clear from public opinion polls and the results of the 1998 midterms that much of the public just wasn ’ t convinced by their arguments — it only reinforced the perception that their true motivation was to hurt Clinton .
Some of these risks are obviously present for Democrats today . With no committed Republican support so far , it ’ s very difficult to argue that there aren ’ t partisan elements to the investigation . And as with the Clinton impeachment , Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided about the president ’ s conduct , which could make it difficult to build a true consensus around impeachment .
The Democrats ’ inquiry is different , though , in that they don ’ t have a completed investigation like Starr ’ s . Democrats had an opportunity to frame an impeachment inquiry around a completed special counsel investigation after the exhaustive findings in Mueller ’ s report became public , but only moved forward with impeachment after the Ukraine allegations presented a new scandal and an evolving set of facts to pursue . As a result , they may be able to avoid ( or at least mitigate ) the perception that they were just looking for an excuse to impeach Trump , especially as new evidence continues to emerge .
And while the allegations against Clinton were personal and moral , the conduct at issue in Trump ’ s case is much more closely linked to his power as president , which could mean the public will be less inclined to dismiss it as human error . “ With Clinton I think a lot of people looked at themselves in a mirror and said , ‘ You know , I ’ d lie about my affair too , ’ ” said Jeffrey Engel , a presidential historian at Southern Methodist University . “ Pressuring a foreign power to investigate a political adversary is a lot less relatable . ”
It ’ s too early to say whether any of these parallels will hold true . But while the risks are certainly there , the Democrats are still building their case . And they also have this history as a guide — which means they may be able to avoid some of their predecessors ’ mistakes , rather than repeating them . | QWRjU9b2WSuuQAY3 | 1 | Impeachment | -3.1768 | Polarization | -1.0534 | Bill Clinton | -0.8316 | Donald Trump | -0.34 | White House | 0 |
gun_control_and_gun_rights | Associated Press | https://apnews.com/938e786d6e2f5a27d8c63370c0fa3e2c | Shooter ‘neutralized,’ 1 sailor hurt at Texas naval station | 2020-05-21 | Gun Control And Gun Rights, Texas, Violence In America | The entrances to the Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi are closed following an active shooter threat , Thursday , May 21 , 2020 , in Corpus Christi , Texas . Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi says the shooter was `` neutralized '' and the facility is on lockdown . ( Annie Rice/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP )
The entrances to the Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi are closed following an active shooter threat , Thursday , May 21 , 2020 , in Corpus Christi , Texas . Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi says the shooter was `` neutralized '' and the facility is on lockdown . ( Annie Rice/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP )
A shooting at a Texas naval air station that wounded a sailor and left the gunman dead early Thursday was being investigated as “ terrorism-related , ” the FBI said , but divulged few details as to why .
The suspect was identified as Adam Alsahli of Corpus Christi , according to three officials familiar with the investigation who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The ███ on condition of anonymity .
At about 6:15 a.m. , the gunman tried to speed through a security gate at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi , opening fire and wounding the sailor , a member of base security , U.S. officials told the AP . But she was able to roll over and hit the switch that raised a barrier , preventing the man from getting onto the base , the officials said .
There was an initial concern that he may have an explosive device , but Navy experts swept the area and the car and found nothing . The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details about an ongoing investigation . Officials were still working to process the crime scene late into the day and had recovered some type of electronic media .
Later , federal agents were seen carrying items from inside a house that a Corpus Christi police tactical unit had surrounded and a public records search by local television station KRIS indicated was Alsahli ’ s last known address . A police spokesman would not confirm that the activity was related to the shooting at the Naval station .
The base was on lockdown for about five hours , but it was lifted shortly before noon . The main gate was reopened , though the gate where the incident occurred was still shut down .
FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Leah Greeves said at a news conference that investigators were working to determine whether a second person of interest was at large but did not elaborate . She also would not discuss a potential motive or specify what led investigators to believe the shooting was related to terrorism .
“ We have determined that the incident this morning at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is terrorism related , ” Greeves said . “ We are working diligently with our state , local and federal partners on this investigation , which is fluid and evolving . ”
The FBI ’ s field office in Houston has taken the lead on the investigation , and neither investigators nor the Navy provided details on the shooter or a possible motive . Attorney General William Barr has also been briefed , a Justice Department spokeswoman said .
The injured sailor was discharged from a hospital where she was treated for minor injuries , according to a statement from the command .
The air station is surrounded by water on three sides and is home to Naval pilot training since 1941 , according to its website . Marine Corps , Navy , U.S. Coast Guard student pilots train there . It ’ s also home to the Corpus Christi Army Depot , a depot for the Department of Defense rotary wing aircraft .
The station had a similar lockdown last December . In another incident at the base last year , a man pleaded guilty to destruction of U.S. government property and possession of a stolen firearm for ramming his truck into a barricade at the Corpus Christi station .
The shooting also comes months after a Saudi Air Force officer who was training at a Navy base in Pensacola , Florida , killed three U.S. sailors and wounded eight other people in a shooting that American officials described as an act of terrorism . The country ’ s top federal law enforcement officials said this week that the gunman in December ’ s attack , Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani , had been in touch with al-Qaida operatives about planning and tactics in the months before the shooting . Alshamrani was killed by a sheriff ’ s deputy .
According to U.S. officials , unlike Pensacola , there are no international or foreign national students at the Texas base . The military put a number of new safety procedures in place after the Pensacola shooting to restrict and better screen international students . | ddf348f9669641e3 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
media_bias | Townhall | http://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2016/12/12/president-trump-to-the-liberal-media-hands-up-stop-monopolizing-n2258432 | OPINION: President Trump To The Liberal Media: Hands Up, Stop Monopolizing | 2016-12-12 | media_bias | This festive season – made all the more festive by our Republican victory – marks the one-year anniversary of CNN ’ s Don Lemon sourly cutting my mic on air because I refused to stop pointing out Hillary ’ s all-encompassing evil . Sure , when discussing her myriad misdeeds and cover-ups and how they dwarfed the unproven accusations against Donald Trump , my description of her hubby ’ s intern depredations was a bit colorful . But I didn ’ t get cut off for being colorful . I got cut off because I refused to abide by CNN ’ s official narrative . And now President Trump will have to make a decision about whether he is going to let the same people who tried to gag me control the narrative for all of America .
AT & T and Time Warner ( the parent company of CNN ) , now want to merge because , apparently , America ’ s giant media corporations are insufficiently gigantic . AT & T has the distribution side – a vast mobile network of 130 million-plus smartphone users , a cable company , DirectTV , and more – while Time Warner has the content – CNN , HBO , Turner , DC Comics , and others . So , basically , AT & Behemoth would be like a company that owns the reservoir , the water , the pipes that carry the water , and all the pipes in your house – and that makes you sit on hold for three hours to get a plumber to maybe show up between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. , a week from next Christmas .
Think “ antitrust ” – both in the regulatory sense and in the sense that such a monstrosity deserves the precise opposite of trust from conservatives . Notice anything missing on Time Warner ’ s roster ? How about any pro-conservative outlets ? CNN ? Oh , hell no . HBO . Nope . Maybe DC Comics is neutral – perhaps Batman can be considered a closet conservative because , unlike liberals , he doesn ’ t side with the criminals .
The fact is that America doesn ’ t need another anti-conservative corporate Cthulhu spreading its tentacles through our media culture . Let ’ s look at AT & T ’ s track record . If you get DirectTV , you used to get NewsMax , the upstart conservative network that has been growing in popularity and provides coverage of our incoming POTUS that is much more even-handed than CNN ’ s pearl-clutching slander . Full disclosure : I am an occasional and , frankly , awesome , though sadly unpaid , guest on various NewsMax shows , which have never cut me off even when I am at my most colorful .
But you can ’ t get NewsMax on DirectTV anymore . Gone . Kaput . Memory-holed . Sure , it has Fox , but I guess in an election year politics probably isn ’ t a big draw . One channel is plenty . And fear not ! You can find a diversity of anti-conservative views . For example , Free Speech TV lurks near where NewsMax used to reside ; its programs take on such sane topics as “ President-Elect Donald Trump Will Criminalize Protesters Before , During , and After the Inauguration . ”
You can still get important networks like Cuppa Coffee Studios , cloo ( sic ) , and the Taylor Swift Network , dedicated to satisfying America ’ s Taylor Swift-related needs . There ’ s no NewsMax ( or fellow upstart One America News Network ) , but there is MundoMax – hey , I like heaving-bosomed , Latin telenovela hotties as much as the next gringo – probably more – yet there must be a place for alternative political viewpoints somewhere on the electro-magnetic spectrum . But with AT & T/Time Warner there is not going to be , because they don ’ t want any alternative political viewpoints on the electro-magnetic spectrum .
Maybe I ’ m paranoid . The cancellation probably had nothing to do with NewsMax ’ s conservative politics . It ’ s not like our nine iron-oriented currently-serving ex-president has been whining that someone needs to control and curate the news so people won ’ t be exposed to unapproved ideas . Crazy talk ! Nor are a bunch of hacks on CNN silencing its guests ’ unapproved views and ginning up a fake controversy over “ fake news ” that seems awfully like a campaign to silence unapproved views . Oh wait , that ’ s exactly what ’ s happening .
President-Elect Trump must stop this looming $ 85.4 billion monstrosity – during the campaign he was ready to , telling a rally in October : “ As an example of the power structure I ’ m fighting , AT & T is buying Time Warner and thus CNN , a deal we will not approve in my administration because it ’ s too much concentration of power in the hands of too few. ” Hell yeah it is – and it is a concentration of power that hates our guts and wants to shut us up .
Let ’ s have some real talk at this juncture and call out the Republican elephant in the room . It ’ s our tendency to fixate on theory regardless of the reality we face . As conservatives , we reflexively shy away from interfering in the workings of the free market , and the notion of stopping two companies from doing what they want to do feels wrong . Well , get the hell over it .
Conservatism is not a suicide pact . It is not an ideology that requires us to unilaterally disarm in the face of leftist culture warriors who gleefully hide their machinations behind the cloak of the free market when convenient , then burn down the free market once they take power . AT & T and Time Warner don ’ t want a free market . They want a monopoly , a monopoly on the production and distribution of media , and therefore a monopoly on the narrative . That the pack of leftist elitists doing this will not be an official government agency but a big business changes nothing . We ’ ll still be silenced . There is no reason why we should tolerate leftists in a corporation doing to us what we would never tolerate leftists in a government agency doing to us .
The question is one of power , power that will be used to beat us down and assure the liberal elite that we peons will never again be able to defy them by electing someone they have not approved . Whether the acronym is “ FCC ” or “ IRS ” or “ ATT/TW ” is irrelevant – we are in a fight against a progressive cabal determined to stamp its Gucci loafers on our faces forever .
Don ’ t tell me “ But … but … but … free market ! ” Thanks to liberals and GOP squishes , we don ’ t have a media free market today . We don ’ t have a system where you can just start up a conservative satellite or cable company ; besides the expense , there are steep governmental barriers to entry . A system where you can is a goal to fight for ; today , we need to play by the rules that exist , not those we want , and we need to fight on the battlefield we ’ re on , not a notional one we ’ d prefer . We are under no moral or ideological obligation to let our leftist opponents win just because today they are pretending to be capitalists instead of the liberal corporatists they are and intend on returning to openly being tomorrow .
If you want to see what happens when they achieve their goal , get my new novel – an independent book that would never see the light of day in the gatekept media world these aspiring arbiters of what can and can not be said yearn to restore .
If we let this marginalization of conservative thought continue , it ’ s not just NewsMax that ’ s gone . It ’ s every single outlet willing to call foul on the propaganda CNN and the rest of Big Lie spew , from “ Hands Up , Don ’ t Shoot ” to the climate change scam . Don ’ t think Fox is safe either ; when it ’ s the last one standing it will draw all the fire – remember how Obama targeted Fox back when it was A-OK for a president to publicly criticize a company ? Conservatives , if you never want an outsider to have a chance again at winning the presidency over the candidate of the connected and the crony capitalists , let this merger happen .
Of course , AT & T and Time Warner have hired pretty much every lobbyist in D.C. to push this abomination through . That means this is a golden opportunity for our incoming president to defeat our enemies , protect our friends , and at the same time demonstrate to desperate people who elected him that he will keep his word and that business as usual in Washington is dead . Post their lobbyist noggins on pikes along the Mall . If President-Elect Trump really intends on draining the swamp , this is the time to pull the stopper . And conservatives must demand it . | dm1rck0DInf1KvXK | 2 | Media Watch | 0.2 | Media Bias | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
ebola | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/20/health/ebola-outbreak-roundup/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 | 2 African countries freed of Ebola; monitoring period over for 43 Texans | 2014-10-20 | ebola | ( CNN ) Forty-three people who came into contact with Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan are now officially cleared after not demonstrating any symptoms during a 21-day monitoring period , Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Monday .
One more will be cleared later Monday , and four others will complete their 21-day monitoring period soon , he said .
`` Thankfully , they are all asymptomatic , and it looks like none of them will get Ebola , '' said Jenkins , who is overseeing response efforts in Dallas .
The news conflicted with information Jenkins provided to CNN on Sunday indicating that all 48 people would be cleared at midnight .
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings also provided numbers that conflicted with Jenkins ' information from Sunday . Jenkins told CNN that in addition to the 48 people whose quarantine was ending Monday , there were 75 health workers being monitored .
Rawlings said 120 people were still being monitored . It was unclear how he came up with that total .
Among those in the clear is Duncan 's fiancée , Louise Troh . Monday marks the 21st day since her last contact with Duncan , who was the first person to die of the disease in the United States .
`` We are so happy this is coming to an end , and we are so grateful that none of us has shown any sign of illness , '' Troh said in a statement Sunday . `` We have lost so much , but we have our lives and we have our faith in God , which always gives us hope . ''
Texas nurses Nina Pham and Amber Vinson , who helped care for Duncan , remain hospitalized as they battle the virus . Pham is in stable condition at a National Institutes of Health facility in Bethesda , Maryland , according to Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases . Vinson is at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta . Her family has not given permission to make her condition public .
While there are signs of hope in the United States and at least one more country in West Africa -- Nigeria was declared Ebola-free Monday , following an announcement that Senegal is now rid of the virus -- Ebola is still spreading rapidly in Guinea , Liberia and Sierra Leone , health officials report .
More than 4,500 people have died from the virus in West Africa , according to the World Health Organization , which said the region is still suffering from `` widespread and intense transmission '' because patients do n't have access to adequate health care . There 's a social crisis , too . Orphans of victims are often abandoned , their relatives terrified of taking them in .
Here 's the latest about the virus from around the world :
Ron Klain , the former chief of staff to two vice U.S. presidents who has been tapped as the Obama administration 's `` Ebola czar , '' will begin his new duties Wednesday , White House press secretary Josh Earnest said .
Klain is highly regarded at the White House as a good manager with excellent relationships both in the administration and on Capitol Hill . His supervision of the allocation of funds in the stimulus -- at the time an incredible and complicated government undertaking -- is respected in Washington . He does not have any extensive background in health care -- something many Republicans seized on -- but the job is regarded as a managerial challenge .
`` He 's strong . He 's very tough , '' said CNN political analyst David Gergen . `` It 's important in this job to be a coordinator ; you have to knock heads together . He 's tough enough to do that . ''
A former chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden and also to former Vice President Al Gore , Klain is president of Case Holdings and general counsel of Revolution , an investment group . He has clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court and headed up Gore 's effort during the 2000 Florida recount .
JUST WATCHED Is Dallas freaking out over Ebola ? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Is Dallas freaking out over Ebola ? 08:12
JUST WATCHED Relatives afraid to take in Ebola orphans Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Relatives afraid to take in Ebola orphans 02:34
Nigeria was thrust in the Ebola spotlight in July after an infected air traveler introduced the virus to Lagos . The case spurred fears that the disease would spread across the city of 21 million and throughout Africa 's most populous country .
In the end , Nigeria confirmed 19 Ebola cases , including seven deaths .
The World Health Organization said an aggressive government response and effective contact tracing helped keep the virus in check .
`` This is a spectacular success story that shows that Ebola can be contained , '' WHO said Monday .
`` Such a story can help the many other developing countries that are deeply worried by the prospect of an imported Ebola case , '' it said . `` Many wealthy countries , with outstanding health systems , may have something to learn as well . ''
Nigerian health officials reached 100 % of known contacts in Lagos and 99.8 % at the second outbreak site in Port Harcourt , WHO said .
And unlike in Guinea , Liberia and Sierra Leone -- the combined epicenter of the outbreak -- all identified contacts in Nigeria were physically monitored every day for 21 days , the agency said .
The few who tried to escape the monitoring system were tracked down and returned to finish their required monitoring period .
For WHO to declare an Ebola outbreak over , a country must pass 42 days with active surveillance in place , supported by good diagnostic capacity , and with no new cases detected , the agency said .
The 42-day period is also twice the maximum incubation period for Ebola .
A worker with the international organization Doctors Without Borders announced Monday that a staffer in Norway who contracted Ebola in West Africa and was treated in Europe is now free of the virus .
He has been discharged from care , according to Doctors Without Borders ' London office .
The organization is not releasing any more information , including the staffer 's name or plans , citing patient confidentiality .
JUST WATCHED Spanish nurse 's aide now Ebola-free Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Spanish nurse 's aide now Ebola-free 02:10
Teresa Romero Ramos , who had contracted Ebola after caring for a patient with the deadly disease , is now free of the virus , Spain 's Special Ebola Committee said Sunday .
A third test came back negative after two earlier tests showed the levels of Ebola in her system were almost nil . Romero has recovered enough to produce antibodies , virus expert Luis Enjuanes told CNN .
But she 'll stay in the hospital for days , possibly a few weeks , to recover , Enjuanes said .
An employee with the United Nations ' entity for gender equality , U.N. Women , died over the weekend from Ebola , spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday . The staffer worked for the organization in Sierra Leone , and the worker 's spouse is receiving treatment for the virus , according to Dujarric . | n3IVoIMxNk8KC4Jd | 0 | Public Health | 1.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
mexico | Townhall | http://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2017/02/02/even-the-mexican-government-is-calling-out-the-ap-for-inaccurately-reporting-call-with-trump-n2280214 | Mexican Government Calls Out AP Over Fake News (Trump Never Threatened to Invade Mexico) | 2017-02-02 | mexico | The Associated Press ’ report Wednesday stating that President Trump threatened to invade Mexico if the country doesn ’ t handle its “ bad hombres down there ” was so inaccurately reported that the Mexican government issued a statement calling out the news organization .
President Donald Trump threatened in a phone call with his Mexican counterpart to send U.S. troops to stop `` bad hombres down there '' unless the Mexican military does more to control them , according to an excerpt of a transcript of the conversation obtained by The Associated Press . The excerpt of the call did not detail who exactly Trump considered `` bad hombres , '' nor did it make clear the tone and context of the remark , made in a Friday morning phone call between the leaders . It also did not contain Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto 's response . [ … ] `` You have a bunch of bad hombres down there , '' Trump told Pena Nieto , according to the excerpt given to AP . `` You are n't doing enough to stop them . I think your military is scared . Our military is n't , so I just might send them down to take care of it . '' A person with access to the official transcript of the phone call provided only that portion of the conversation to The Associated Press . The person gave it on condition of anonymity because the administration did not make the details of the call public .
“ The assertions that you make about said conversation do not correspond to the reality of it , ” the Mexican government said in a statement .
“ The tone was constructive … and it was agreed by the presidents to continue working and that the teams will continue to meet frequently to construct an agreement that is positive forMexico and for the United States . ”
The White House seemed pleased to have someone else calling out the U.S. media for a change .
“ Reports that the President threatened to invade Mexico are false . Even the Mexican government is disputing these reports , ” a White House official said .
The AP is n't the only one to have reported fake news about the call . According to the report , Mexican website Aristegui Noticias said Trump humiliated Nieto , an allegation that “ is based on absolute falsehoods , '' Mexico ’ s foreign relations department said . | KFWzBsOfbh36qMY5 | 2 | Mexico | -0.4 | Fake News | -0.3 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
foreign_policy | Breitbart News | http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/10/27/Rand-Paul-It-s-America-s-Fault | Rand Paul: It's America's Fault | 2014-10-27 | Rand Paul, Foreign Policy, Election 2016, Presidential Elections | Clearly , for some , 2016 is just around the corner . For weeks now there is scuttlebutt about presidential candidate repeat-offender Mitt Romney running yet again , and now Rand Paul is drastically watering down his isolationist and conspiracy-laden past in the hopes of becoming a contender . The senator ’ s attempt to reinvent himself is largely superficial and points to deeper problems .
On Friday in New York , Paul gave his national security stump speech , unveiling as he did so his platform of “ conservative realism , ” and sounding in places as if he was reversing some of his key beliefs .
Like the “ curates egg , ” there were some bad parts and some positive elements to the speech . To begin with , when the politician most associated with the new version of libertarianism that favors a United States detached from the world says “ America can not disengage from the world , ” that is news , indeed– and something to be welcomed by those who agree that we can not realistically and safely disengage internationally .
But the omissions of the speech are strange and hard to fathom . No mention of Israel ; no mention of the border or immigration ; no mention of the NSA trammeling our privacy rights .
However , it is hard to disagree with the Senator that our forces were magnificent in the weeks after 9/11 as a small group of Special Operators with local assistance demolished the Taleban and routed Al Qaeda , and that afterward their success was progressively undermined by ever-increasing mission-creep .
And it is easy to agree with Paul ’ s utter contempt for the way in which , more recently , the Obama administration used force in Libya without a real strategy , let alone Congressional consent .
But then taken as a whole , the speech is neither an about-turn for the isolationist– sorry Paulites , I mean “ non-interventionist ” – politician , nor does it add up to a new plan under which the right will finally act coherently on national security issues .
On the contrary , it is confused and disingenuous . Let ’ s begin with the confusion .
In a week that saw two jihadist attacks in Canada and one in New York , one would expect a trenchant and forthright handling of the threat that has shaped our age . Instead Paul gave us this :
The world does not have an Islam problem , the world has a dignity problem , with millions of men and women across the Middle East being treated as chattel by their own governments .
Sorry ? A dignity problem ? Who denied Osama bin Laden or Major Nidal Hasan , the Fort Hood shooter , their dignity ? Perhaps the Boston bombers were denied their dignity , but not because they lived in a Middle Eastern nation where the government treated them as property . On the contrary , if their dignity was undermined it was in the form of the Massachusetts state subsidies they received without having to earn them ( something the younger Tsarnaev actually boasted about on social media ) .
So where could this newfound concern for the downtrodden of the world come from for Senator Paul ? In truth , the old Rand Paul is lurking just beneath the surface , as this line reveals : “ Many of these same governments have been chronic recipients of our aid. ” So , Islam is not to blame for jihadi terrorism . America is , because we support unjust regimes .
The fact that Paul uses this argument is not only disturbing in that it negates the responsibility of the jihadists – it ’ s their governments , and America that keeps them in power – but also because this is the fallacious reasoning behind the Obama ’ s administration ’ s counterterrorism strategy .
Senator Paul is not only channeling Chomsky with this speech , he has also reinforced the White House line that ideology is irrelevant in this war and that terrorism is understandably a result of the oppression of Muslims around the word .
Perhaps none of this should be a surprise . We are talking about a man who believes in Alex Jones ’ one-world government conspiracy theories about the Bilderberg Group and that evil masterminds want to create a unitary state out of America , Canada and Latin America . Hardly presidential material .
Sebastian Gorka PhD is the Matthew C. Horner Distinguished Chair of Military Theory , Marine Corps University , and National Security Affairs Editor for Breitbart.com . Follow him on Twitter at : @ SebGorka . | 4c5ec5c9e6ff3439 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
coronavirus | National Review | https://www.nationalreview.com/news/cdc-using-antibody-tests-to-gauge-number-of-asymptomatic-coronavirus-cases/ | CDC Using Antibody Tests to Gauge Number of Asymptomatic Coronavirus Cases | 2020-04-06 | coronavirus | Waiting to be tested for coronavirus , New York City , April 2 , 2020 ( Stefan Jeremiah/Reuters )
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun conducting antibody tests of three different groups to accurately measure the total number infected with coronavirus , including asymptomatic cases .
The surveys come after the Food and Drug Administration announced last week that it had authorized the first coronavirus serology test , which detects any antibodies produced by the immune system in response to the virus . The test is produced by Cellex Inc .
“ Based on the totality of scientific evidence available to FDA , it is reasonable to believe that your [ Cellex Inc. ’ s ] product may be effective in diagnosing COVID-19 , ” the agency wrote in its authorization . “ The known and potential benefits of your product when used for diagnosing COVID-19 , outweigh the known and potential risks of your product . ”
The CDC ’ s intention is to identify people who have recovered from infection and are to keep some level of protection from reinfection — important criteria for allowing people to go back to work . It is targeting people who weren ’ t diagnosed with coronavirus , despite living in hot spots , as well as people from other areas around the country and certain exposed groups — including health-care workers — to test the overall level of virus spread . Some epidemiologists have raised the possibility that far more people have asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 than has been recorded .
While it is unclear if those that recover from the virus will be immune , Dr. Anthony Fauci , the top U.S. infectious disease expert , expressed optimism last week that he would be “ willing to bet anything that people who recover are really protected against re-infection . ”
“ If this virus acts like every other virus that we know , once you get infected , get better , clear the virus , then you ’ ll have immunity that will protect you against re-infection , ” Fauci said . | uCOlS97Zn54M7mvy | 2 | Public Health | -0.1 | Healthcare | -0.1 | Disease | -0.1 | China | -0.1 | Coronavirus | -0.1 |
general_news | CNN (Web News) | https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/09/politics/ross-perot-dead/index.html | Ross Perot, billionaire tycoon and 2-time presidential candidate, dies at 89 | 2019-07-09 | general_news | Washington ( CNN ) Ross Perot , the billionaire tycoon who mounted two unsuccessful third-party presidential campaigns in the 1990s , died Tuesday , family spokesman James Fuller confirmed to CNN . He was 89 .
Perot died after a five-month battle with leukemia , Fuller said .
A billionaire by his mid-50s after he sold a controlling interest in the data processing business he founded to General Motors for $ 2.5 billion , Perot 's foray into presidential politics made him one of the more colorful political figures of the 1990s .
His Texas twang , populist platform -- he memorably railed against the North American Free Trade Agreement , warning of a `` giant sucking sound '' of American jobs to other countries if passed -- and frequent TV appearances brought him wide recognition , and his 1992 campaign , in which he garnered nearly 19 % of the vote and finished third behind Bill Clinton and incumbent President George H.W . Bush , remains one of the most successful third-party bids in American history .
For years , Bush blamed Perot for his defeat , saying in a 2012 HBO documentary that he believed Perot `` cost me the election . '' Election experts and scholarly research , however , has challenged that theory : The New York Times found Perot 's effect on the outcome of the election `` appears to have been minimal , '' and The Washington Post reported Clinton would have still won by a large margin if Perot had n't run .
In 1995 , Perot created the Reform Party , and the following year received 8 % of the vote in the presidential election as the party 's candidate .
Following his second and final bid for the presidency , Perot served as president and CEO of Perot Systems Corporation , which he founded in 1988 . He was the head of the company until 2000 , when he passed the title on to his son , Ross Perot Jr .
Nine years later , Dell Incorporated bought Perot Systems for $ 3.9 billion , which was a net gain of about $ 400 million for the Perot family .
Aside from his business and political careers , Perot also received national attention for his efforts during the Vietnam War to create better conditions for US prisoners of war . He traveled to Laos , where he met with ambassadors from Russia and North Vietnam , and was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Public Service by the Department of Defense in 1974 for his efforts . In 1979 , when two EDS employees were taken hostage during a revolution in Iran , he organized and paid for a successful private mission called Operation Hotfoot to rescue the men and bring them home .
`` In business and in life , Ross was a man of integrity and action . A true American patriot and a man of rare vision , principle and deep compassion , he touched the lives of countless people through his unwavering support of the military and veterans and through his charitable endeavors , '' Fuller said in a statement . `` Ross Perot will be deeply missed by all who loved him . He lived a long and honorable life . ''
Henry Ray Perot -- he later legally changed his name to Henry Ross -- was born on June 27 , 1930 , in Texarkana , Texas , where his father ran a cotton mill .
By the time he was 7 years old , Perot was an accomplished horseman and a budding businessman . His father was training him to make a profit by buying and selling bridles , Perot said .
Perot graduated from the Naval Academy in 1953 and spent four years at sea . After the Navy , Perot worked as a salesman at IBM before starting his own corporation , Electronic Data Systems , in 1962 with a $ 1,000 loan from his wife , Margot . The company grew quickly , and when the company went public in 1968 , Fortune magazine put Perot on its cover , calling him the `` fastest , richest Texan . ''
He later sold a controlling interest in EDS to General Motors , becoming a billionaire and GM 's single largest stockholder and a director . He netted approximately $ 750 million in 1986 when he resigned from the General Motors board of directors as part of a buyout agreement and sold his GM shares .
Although he had never held public office , by the early 1990s , Perot , sensing an opportunity for an outsider campaign with an anti-Washington message , was openly talking about a presidential run . Speaking to CNN 's Larry King in 1992 , he said that if he were to launch a campaign , he would run as an independent and `` get both parties ' heads straight . ''
`` I was down in Texas taking care of business , tending to my family , ( but ) this situation got so bad that I decided I better get into it , '' he later said during a presidential debate .
At one point during the summer of 1992 , Perot dropped out , stating he could n't win and that staying in the race would only create problems for the electoral process . His withdrawal came shortly after he stumbled during a speech at the NAACP , where his comments on unemployment were interpreted as patronizing and insensitive .
`` Few people in this country have been able to live the American Dream to the extent that I have , '' Perot said when he re-entered , adding , `` Neither political party has effectively addressed the issues that concern the American people . '' | UMXFB66vWtqRlvzZ | 0 | Elections | -0.1 | General News | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
national_defense | The Hill | https://thehill.com/policy/defense/477238-iran-state-media-tehran-launches-attack-on-iraq-base-housing-us-troops | Missiles hit Iraq bases housing US troops; Iran claims responsibility | 2020-01-07 | national_defense | President Trump Donald John TrumpDem lawmaker says Nunes threatened to sue him over criticism Parnas : U.S. ambassador to Ukraine removed to clear path for investigations into Bidens Five takeaways from Parnas 's Maddow interview MORE said he plans to address the country on Wednesday morning after Iran claimed responsibility for the launch of missiles at a pair of military bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops and coalition personnel , a marked escalation in the conflict between the two countries following the U.S. 's killing of a top Iranian general .
The Pentagon in a statement said Iran had `` launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against U.S. military and coalition forces in Iraq , '' adding , `` It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel at Al-Assad and Irbil . ''
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in the statement that the bases had been on high alert since the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week .
“ We are aware of the reports of attacks on US facilities in Iraq , ” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham Stephanie GrishamWhite House predicts Senate trial will last less than two weeks Federal judge blocks Trump order allowing states to refuse to settle refugees Trump accuses Democrats of a 'con job ' as impeachment managers are announced MORE said in a statement . “ The President has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team . ”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the attacks `` proportionate measures in self-defense '' in a tweet Tuesday night , adding , `` We do not seek escalation or war , but will defend ourselves against any aggression . ''
Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched .
We do not seek escalation or war , but will defend ourselves against any aggression . — Javad Zarif ( @ JZarif ) January 8 , 2020
Trump tweeted moments later to declare that `` all is well , '' adding , `` Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now . So far , so good ! ''
`` We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world , by far ! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning , '' he added .
Iraqi and U.S. officials later said that their forces suffered no casualties , according to The Associated Press .
Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiOn The Money — Presented by Wells Fargo — Trump signs first phase of US-China trade deal | Senate to vote Thursday on Canada , Mexico deal | IRS provides relief for those with discharged student loans House delivers impeachment articles to Senate Senate begins preparations for Trump trial MORE 's ( D-Calif ) team also said it had been briefed on the matter , not long after Pelosi had met in the Capitol basement with the other members of the Gang of Eight for a briefing on the decision to launch the drone strike in Baghdad last week that killed Soleimani .
`` We must ensure the safety of our servicemembers , including ending needless provocations from the Administration and demanding that Iran cease its violence , '' the Democratic leader tweeted Tuesday night . `` America & world can not afford war . ''
Pelosi had huddled earlier Tuesday with members of the Democratic Steering Committee in another part of the Capitol , where she was handed a note about the latest strike on the base in Iraq . She then left the meeting to gavel open the floor ahead of Tuesday evening 's votes and four minutes later spoke by phone with Vice President Pence , who briefed her on `` the Iranian attacks on facilities housing U.S. troops in Iraq , '' according to spokesman Drew Hammell .
A spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Charles ( Chuck ) Ellis SchumerGOP senator : 2020 candidates must recuse themselves from impeachment trial Collins questions delay on Lev Parnas documents Sanders calls for investigation into possible surveillance of Yovanovitch MORE ( N.Y. ) said the Democratic leader had also received a briefing from Pence by phone shortly after 6 p.m. on the strikes . `` Leader Schumer is closely monitoring the situation and is praying for the safety of our service members and other personnel , '' the spokesperson added .
A spokesman for Pence said he has been `` in continuous contact with the entire national security team '' on the attacks and that he completed calls to congressional leaders at Trump 's direction .
Tehran vowed it would retaliate after the Friday killing of Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad . Shortly after the killing , Iraq ’ s parliament took a nonbinding vote to expel U.S. troops , while Trump vowed that if Iran retaliated , the U.S. would target sites of cultural significance to Iran before appearing to walk back the threat Tuesday .
Trump signaled earlier Tuesday that the U.S. would respond `` strongly '' to a retaliation by Iran . “ If Iran does anything they shouldn ’ t be doing , they ’ re going to be suffering the consequences and very strongly , ” Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with the Greek prime minister .
Trump visited the base shortly after Christmas 2018 to visit U.S. troops , while Pence visited the base in November .
Saeed Jalili , who previously served as a nuclear negotiator for Tehran , tweeted an image of the Iranian flag as the report came in , an apparent reference to Trump 's tweet of an image of the American flag shortly after the killing of Soleimani . | 53Fq9slvyVXxLUoC | 1 | National Security | 0.6 | National Defense | 0.6 | Defense And Security | 0.6 | US Military | 0.5 | Iran | -0.2 |
trade | BBC News | http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42803721 | Davos 2018: 'More to come' on US trade tariffs | 2018-01-24 | Tariffs, Trade | The US has warned that there is `` more to come '' on trade tariffs .
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin - the first of the US delegation to arrive in Davos - said President Donald Trump was `` determined to deal '' with what he sees as unfair foreign competition .
His warning comes after the US imposed steep tariffs on imported washing machines and solar panels .
The tariffs , of up to 50 % , prompted an outcry from China and South Korea , the primary targets of the measure .
Mr Mnuchin said the trade actions had been prompted by `` inappropriate behaviours '' by their trading counterparts .
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross - speaking alongside Mr Mnuchin - denied the move was protectionist , saying it was simply trying to put a stop to trade violations .
`` I do n't think adhering to rules is protectionism , '' he said .
President Trump has already brushed off concerns that the new US tariffs will lead to a trade war .
But Mr Ross said the US was already in a trade war with `` parties violating the rules and trying to take advantage '' .
`` There 's been a trade war in place for quite a while . The difference is , US troops are now coming to the ramparts , '' he added .
The warning comes just a day after confirmation that an Asia-Pacific trade pact that US President Donald Trump ditched last year is expected to be signed in March .
The Trans-Pacific Partnership ( TPP ) is one of the world 's largest trade agreements , but Mr Mnuchin denied the US was no longer interested in trade deals .
`` We are fans of bilateral trading agreements - we absolutely believe in free and fair trade and anyone who wants to do trade with us on a reciprocal basis is welcome to do so , '' he said .
Mr Mnuchin and Mr Ross are the first of the US delegation to arrive at the World Economic Forum in Davos .
On Thursday , President Trump is due to arrive alongside 10 members of the US cabinet as well as senior White House staff .
It 's the largest US delegation to attend the annual gathering in the small Swiss mountain town .
Their decision to attend has surprised many , because the conference promoting globalisation and co-operation seems the very antithesis of President Trump 's `` America First '' worldview .
But Mr Mnuchin said it was important to communicate with their counterparts .
`` This is about am America First agenda , but America First does mean working with the rest of the world , '' he said . | a85c84d4550210e7 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
labor | CNN (Web News) | https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/15/opinions/good-new-jobs-us-wonderlands-manchin-gardner/index.html | How to create good new jobs in America's wonderlands | 2020-06-15 | labor | Joe Manchin is West Virginia 's senior senator and the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee . Prior to being elected to the Senate in 2010 , Sen. Manchin served as West Virginia 's governor and secretary of state . He is an avid fisher and hunter and enjoys sharing his passion for the outdoors with his family . Sen. Cory Gardner is a fifth-generation Coloradan and a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee . In 2020 , Cory was ranked the third most bipartisan senator by The Lugar Center for his work in the 116th Congress to build consensus , elevate the tenor of debate , practice civility , and advance legislation on pressing issues . The views expressed are their own . View more opinion at CNN .
( CNN ) Setting aside our natural treasures to be owned and enjoyed by the public at large was one of the most forward thinking ideas in our country 's history . Growing up in Colorado and West Virginia , our childhoods were marked with field trips and adventures in our country 's majestic public lands . Whether it was hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park or the woods of North Central West Virginia , we learned to appreciate the great American outdoors .
Now , we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect these national parks and pass them on to the next generation in even better shape . The Great American Outdoors Act -- a piece of legislation we have worked on for years with bipartisan support -- will reinvest in these outdoor spaces by allocating billions of dollars for repairs and maintenance projects that have been put off for too long . The landmark bill will simultaneously boost our conservation efforts and local economies by enhancing and protecting these natural treasures while putting Americans to work at a time when we need it most .
The Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis we face only give us more reason to invest in our national infrastructure and lands . According to the most recent data available from the Bureau of Economic Analysis , the outdoor recreation economy contributed $ 427.2 billion to our gross domestic product in 2017 , employed approximately 5.2 million Americans , and generated tax revenue for schools and local governments . Outdoor recreation communities have been hard hit throughout this pandemic as ski and white-water rafting seasons have been disrupted , while hotels have remained empty , and restaurants have closed their doors . It 's never been more important to ensure public lands and the communities that surround them have the resources and investments to help create jobs and increase economic activity .
In 1965 , Congress established the Land and Water Conservation Fund with the idea of using revenue generated from offshore energy development to fund improvements on public lands at no cost to taxpayers . The LWCF has increased access for Americans to hunt , fish , camp , and enjoy recreational activities on their public lands . It has protected and expanded access for conservation in all 50 states , the territories , and nearly every county . But despite the program 's wide bipartisan support and popularity across the country , the LWCF has only received the full funding of $ 900 million twice in its entire history . Our Great American Outdoors Act would ensure the LWCF is fully funded every year moving forward . Last year we led our colleagues in the House and Senate to permanently authorize this important program , and providing it with full funding now means more conservation projects across our country will become reality .
Our National Parks have been more popular in the last five years than they 've ever been . With an influx of visitors over the years , maintenance needs and projects have piled up . Neglecting to address these needs has resulted in a backlog of more than $ 20 billion of deferred maintenance projects on our federal public lands , according to a recent congressional study . In addition to providing full and permanent funding for the LWCF , the Great American Outdoors Act would address this backlog and fund repairs for roads , trails , visitor centers , and other infrastructure projects across our national parks , national forests , and other public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management , Fish and Wildlife Service , and Bureau of Indian Education . | Xvtm4cukSzX28GSl | 0 | Conservation | 2.4 | Environment | 2.4 | Nature | 0.8 | Bipartisanship | 0.4 | Labor | 0 |
violence_in_america | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/12/03/458277103/san-bernardino-shootings-what-we-know-one-day-after | San Bernardino Shootings: What We Know, One Day After | 2015-12-03 | violence_in_america | After a mass shooting , a police chase and a shootout , a violent day in San Bernardino , Calif. , ended in the death of two suspects , authorities say .
Syed Farook , 28 , and Tashfeen Malik , 27 , were responsible for the Wednesday morning attack that killed at least 14 people and injured 21 , according to San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan . After initial concerns that there could have been a third shooter , police are now confident there were only two .
Thursday evening , authorities released the names of the 14 victims .
The motives of the shooters remains unclear . But briefings from police reveal an hours-long timeline of events :
Syed Rizwan Farook , an environmental specialist who was born in the U.S. , had worked for the San Bernardino County health department for five years .
Tashfeen Malik , Farook 's wife , was in the U.S. on a K-1 visa and had a Pakistani passport , according to David Bowdich of the FBI 's LA office .
The couple had been married for about two years , says Hussam Ayloush of the Council on American-Islamic Relations .
They had a 6-month-old daughter , whom they left with Farook 's mother on the morning of the attack , Ayloush says .
Ayloush notes that Farook and Malik were both Muslims and their families said they showed no sign of fanaticism . He emphasizes that the attackers ' motives remain unknown .
Neither had a criminal record that police are aware of , Burguan says .
Patrick Baccari worked with Syed Rizwan Farook for two years . He told NPR 's Kelly McEvers that though Farook was quiet , he `` assumed Syed was our friend . ''
`` As I 'm pulling the paper towels from the dispenser there 's explosions , there 's bullets flying through the walls . I look at myself in the mirror and see the blood . I thought somebody booby-trapped the towels dispenser , '' Baccari said .
He and three others stayed in the restroom until officers arrived .
Farook 's brother , Syed Raheel Farook , served in the Navy from 2003 to 2007 , a Navy spokeswoman confirmed to NPR . Syed Raheel Farook completed his service as an information systems technician 3rd class , a junior enlisted sailor , and he was attached to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise . Navy records indicate that he made at least one deployment aboard the Enterprise to the Middle East .
The attack began on Wednesday morning , at an office holiday party in the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino . The center provides social services to residents with developmental disabilities , but the shooting was focused on an office party for San Bernardino County staff . Burguan at a press conference late Thursday that 75 to 80 people were in the room .
As a county employee , Farook was at the party . At some point he left in anger , Burguan says .
Both were dressed in `` tactical gear '' ( including load-bearing vests , but not ballistic or bulletproof vests ) and carrying .223-caliber assault-style rifles and semiautomatic handguns , police say .
The weapons used in the shooting were legally purchased , Burguan says : The handguns were purchased by Farook , and authorities are still investigating who purchased the rifles .
Farook and Malik entered the Inland Regional Center and fired between 65 and 75 rifle rounds , Burguan said Thursday .
A bomb — three explosive devices , linked to a remote control car and placed inside a bag — was also discovered at the shooting site , but it failed to go off , Burguan said .
At least 14 people died and 21 were wounded in the initial attack . Emergency response teams rushed to the facility . Approximately 300 officers were part of that response , Burguan said .
Lt. Mike Madden was one of the first responders on the scene . At the press conference late Thursday , he described the `` surreal '' scene . Listen here :
As the search for the suspects began , hundreds of people were evacuated from the Inland Regional Center .
Farook was wearing a ski mask at the time of the shooting , law enforcement officials tell NPR 's Dina Temple-Raston , but witnesses to the shooting still recognized him .
Based on those eyewitness accounts , police drove to nearby Redlands , to a house that had both Farook and Malik 's names on the rental agreement . ( Member station KPCC has a map of the locations involved in the attack . )
Police ca n't confirm whether Farook and Malik lived in the house .
At the house , police encountered Farook and Malik , driving a black Ford SUV . The car was a rental , the police said Thursday .
Farook and Malik drove off in the SUV , and police pursued .
The car chase ended in a shootout . Law enforcement officers fired approximately 380 rounds at the car ; the suspects fired around 76 rounds at the officers .
The suspects had over 1,400 .223-caliber rounds either on their person or in their vehicle , Buergan says , and over 200 9-mm rounds .
Hours after the attack began , the two suspects were dead . Two officers suffered injuries that are not life-threatening .
A third person was taken in custody ; police have determined he was not involved in the shooting and is not a suspect .
The FBI is leading an investigation into the attackers ' motives and planning .
An armored vehicle with a battering ram attached `` very slowly and methodically '' broke down the door of the house in Redlands on Wednesday night , a witness told the LA Times .
Police discovered a stockpile of ammunition and explosives inside the house , Burguan said Thursday , including thousands of rifle and handgun rounds and 12 pipe bombs , with the materials and tools to create more .
Investigators also removed thumb drives , cellphones and other electronic items from the house , Burguan said .
Authorities also continue to examine the site of the shooting at Inland Regional Center and the site of the shootout at the SUV .
All of the agencies involved in the investigation emphasize that they have not identified a motive for the shooting .
The FBI has tasked counterterrorism agents to the case , NPR 's Carrie Johnson reports , but has not yet determined whether the attack was in fact an act of terrorism .
Carrie also says a source tells her Farook had some electronic contact with people overseas who were on the radar of U.S. national security officials , but that investigators are still trying to work out the significance of that contact .
Whatever the motive , Burguan , the San Bernardino police chief , says there does appear to have been some form of planning involved in the attack .
`` I do n't think they just ran home , put on these types of tactical clothes , grabbed guns and came back on a spur-of-the-moment thing , '' he said Wednesday .
President Obama made a statement from the Oval Office on Thursday , noting that it `` may take some time '' for investigators to conduct interviews and sort through the evidence .
He again emphasized that the motive is not yet clear , and said investigators have not ruled out terrorism , a workplace-related shooting or a mixed-motive attack .
`` Rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this , '' he said .
San Bernardino Mayor Carey Davis said in a statement that the attack `` has shaken the core of our community . '' The county suspended all nonessential county services for Thursday and Friday .
Late Wednesday , Farook 's brother-in-law , Farhan Khan , appeared at a press conference with the Council on American-Islamic Relations ( CAIR ) for Greater LA and said he had no idea why Farook would carry out such an attack .
`` I just can not express how sad I am for what happened today , '' he said . He wished victims a speedy recovery and said he was in shock over the shooting , according to member station KPCC .
`` We unequivocally condemn the horrific act that happened today , '' Ayloush , the executive director of the LA CAIR office , said at the same conference , speaking on behalf of the local Muslim community . `` We offer our heartfelt prayers and condolences to the injured , to the families of those who have been killed . ... We stand in mourning , in sadness , for what happened . ''
President Obama , in an interview on CBS on Wednesday night , called for changes to America 's gun control laws , as he has after mass shootings at Newtown , Conn. ; Tucson , Ariz. ; Fort Hood , Texas ; Charleston , S.C. ; and Colorado Springs , Colo. , among others .
On Thursday , he reiterated his calls to make it harder for people to acquire weapons .
And in a press conference Thursday morning , U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said violence like the San Bernardino shooting `` has no place in this country . ''
`` This is not what we stand for , '' she said . `` This is not what we live for . '' | THTds4vJ5m46IGDU | 1 | San Bernardino | -0.3 | Violence In America | -0.3 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
republican_party | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/07/27/424736858/republicans-stand-against-cuba-change-despite-public-opinion-shift | Republicans Stand Against Cuba Change Despite Public Opinion Shift | 2015-07-27 | republican_party | The Cuban flag is flying over the Cuban Embassy in the United States for the first time in 54 years after the two countries restored diplomatic relations in December , but not everyone is celebrating the renewed flow of mojitos from the embassy 's Hemingway Bar .
Presidential hopefuls Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush , who both call the heavily Cuban-American Miami area home , denounced last Monday 's new step in U.S.-Cuba relations .
`` History will remember July 20 , 2015 , as Obama 's Capitulation Monday , the day two sworn enemies of the United States were able to out-maneuver President Obama to secure historic concessions , '' Rubio , who is of Cuban heritage , stated , also referencing the U.N. Security Council 's endorsement of the Iran deal , which happened last week .
`` Monday 's events at the U.N. , Washington and Havana leave no doubt that we have entered the most dangerous phase of the Obama presidency in which the president is flat out abandoning America 's vital national security interests to cozy up to the world 's most reprehensible regimes , '' Rubio said .
`` Better judgment is called for in relations far and near . Ninety miles to the south , there 's talk of a state visit by our outgoing president , '' Bush said when he announced his candidacy . `` But we do n't need a glorified tourist to go to Havana in support of a failed Cuba . We need an American president to go to Havana in solidarity with a free Cuban people , and I 'm ready to be that president . ''
Bush currently leads Rubio among Cuban-American Republicans by double digits . In a poll published July 18 of registered voters in Miami-Dade County , Bush led Rubio in Cuban-American GOP votes by 12 percentage points , 43 to 31 percent . Ted Cruz , whose father emigrated from Cuba , received 7 percent of support in the polls .
Florida , a swing state , is an important part of any presidential candidate 's electoral vote calculus , and Cuban-Americans have long been a powerful group within Florida , especially in Miami-Dade County . The Miami area is home to the largest population of Cuban heritage outside Cuba .
Bush 's relative success among Cuban-Americans in the polls with his slightly softer stance reflects a larger trend : Cuban-Americans are not as opposed to normalization as they were in the past .
Once a community known for standing in solidarity in support of the trade embargo , steering U.S. policy toward Cuba , the Cuban-Americans of Miami-Dade are showing rifts in their political views .
In a poll conducted in March , 51 percent of Cuban-Americans approved of Obama 's plan to normalize relations with Cuba ; 40 percent disapproved . Another poll , conducted in the spring of 2014 by Florida International University pollsters , found that 52 percent of Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade favored ending the U.S. embargo of Cuba .
In the 1993 version of the same Florida International University poll , 87 percent of Cuban-American respondents in Miami-Dade favored increasing international economic pressure on Cuba , and 80 percent favored having no diplomatic relations with Cuba .
The changing Cuban-American demographic may serve as a window into the group 's changing opinions . The number of Cuban-Americans born in Cuba dropped from 68 percent in 2000 to 57 percent in 2013 , according to the Pew Research Center .
The decrease in share of the Cuban-born Cuban-American population matters because of the two groups ' differing political views : In 2014 , 45 percent of those born in Cuba supported normalization , compared with 66 percent of those born in the U.S .
The emerging differences in views among the Cuban-American community may also play a role in Democrats ' increasing ability to court its members . While 70 percent of Cuban-Americans polled in Miami-Dade County were registered as Republicans in 1991 , that number had fallen to 53 percent by May 2014 . Another 25 percent in 2014 were registered as Democrats .
In the months since the Obama administration announced its policy change toward Cuba in December , nearly every GOP presidential candidate has come out with a statement denouncing normalization . Scott Walker , Ted Cruz , Lindsey Graham , Bobby Jindal and Mike Huckabee have joined Bush and Rubio in denouncing the restoration of full diplomatic ties .
Rand Paul has been the only outlier , a position that caused a scuffle with Rubio earlier this year .
`` After 50 years of conflict , why not try a new approach ? '' Paul wrote in a Dec. 19 Facebook statement . `` The United States trades and engages with other communist nations , such as China and Vietnam . Why not Cuba ? ''
Paul continued his statement to make a dig at Rubio 's strong stance against the president 's policy .
`` Seems to me , Senator Rubio is acting like an isolationist who wants to retreat to our borders and perhaps build a moat . I reject this isolationism , '' Paul wrote . `` Finally , let 's be clear that Senator Rubio does not speak for the majority of Cuban-Americans . A recent poll demonstrates that a large majority of Cuban-Americans actually support normalizing relations between our countries . ''
Rubio replied , `` He has no idea what he 's talking about , '' on Fox News ' The Kelly File .
Democratic presidential hopefuls have openly praised the president 's steps toward normalizing U.S.-Cuba relations .
`` As I have said , the best way to bring change to Cuba is to expose its people to the values , information , and material comforts of the outside world , '' Clinton said when Obama announced his plan on Dec. 17 . `` The goal of increased U.S. engagement in the days and years ahead should be to encourage real and lasting reforms for the Cuban people . And the other nations of the Americas should join us in this effort . ''
`` I applaud the president for beginning discussions to establish full diplomatic relations with Cuba , just like most of the rest of the world . This is a major step forward in ending the 55-year Cold War with Cuba , '' Sanders said in a statement .
With Cuban-Americans ' shifting opinions on normalizing relations , the Democrats ' stance might just gain them a few more votes . And the popular Republican opinion may not stand for many more election cycles . | 2uAvECKmrLbOLnR7 | 1 | Republican Party | -0.1 | Cuba | -0.1 | Politics | -0.1 | null | null | null | null |
economy_and_jobs | Newsmax (News) | http://www.newsmax.com/Finance/StreetTalk/gundlach-trump-reagan-growth/2016/05/06/id/727525/ | Gundlach: Trump Would Use Debt Like Reagan for Growth | 2016-05-07 | Federal Budget, Economy And Jobs | DoubleLine Capital’s Jeffrey Gundlach said Donald Trump, if he’s elected president, would help the U.S. economy recover by going further into debt, just as Ronald Reagan fueled growth in the 1980s.“Trump is going to win, and Trump is going to increase the deficit,” Gundlach said during a panel discussion Thursday in New York. Reagan “did it by taking three or four decades of stable nonfinancial debt-to-GDP ratio and putting it on a hockey stick higher.”Gundlach, 56, isn’t endorsing any candidate, according to Loren Fleckenstein, a DoubleLine analyst. The fund manager, who has been predicting a Trump election victory since February, noted that Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” resembles Reagan’s “Let’s Make America Great Again.”Under Reagan, the U.S. debt grew to more than $2.3 trillion at the end of 1988 from $807 billion eight years earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The total U.S. debt as of Dec. 31 was $15.1 trillion.‘Growth Scare’Markets might not react favorably to a Trump election at first, because the Republican presidential candidate has criticized international trade agreements, according to the fund manager.“First, I think you’re going to get a global growth scare, trade-based,” Gundlach said. “That could cause a market rollover which to me looks like it’s already under way.”This retreat in the S&P 500 Index could be “an excellent buying opportunity,” Gundlach added, as the debt binge “will probably stimulate growth, at least temporarily.”The S&P 500 is down about 0.6 percent since Trump’s victory Tuesday in the Indiana primary. His win prompted his two remaining Republican opponents, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, to suspend their campaigns.Oil, Gold“When I say Donald Trump’s going to win, it’s not that I’m wildly rooting for him, although I don’t dislike Donald Trump,” Gundlach said in an interview with Fox Business Network’s “Wall Street Week” set to air Friday at 8 p.m. New York time. “It’s just like, I think it’s going to happen.”On the panel discussion, Gundlach said oil prices must get to $60 a barrel to avoid a wave of high-yield debt defaults, a price he doesn’t expect to see soon. He predicted more junk-bond defaults when borrowers are forced to roll over debt in a rising interest-rate environment by 2018 or the following two years.Gundlach said he continues to be long on gold. Spot gold was trading at about $1,277 an ounce as of 6:48 p.m. Thursday in New York, up 20 percent this year. In January, Gundlach said he expected gold would climb to $1,400. | 0f6237cdd14808da | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle_east | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/21/world/meast/gaza-israel-strike/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 | Cease-fire hopes flicker amid tension over Tel Aviv bus bombing | 2012-11-21 | middle_east | CNN has multiple crews in Gaza , Israel and neighboring countries to bring you the latest accurate information on the conflict , the impact on people and the recent cease-fire . Turn to CNN TV and CNN.com for what you need to know now . Are you affected by the conflict ? Share photos and video , but stay safe .
Near the Israel-Gaza border ( CNN ) -- Hours after a cease-fire was declared Wednesday in Israel 's conflict with Gaza , it appeared to be holding , an Israeli official said .
`` We assumed it would take a while for the cease-fire to take hold , '' Israel 's ambassador to the United States , Michael Oren , told CNN . `` I understand now that it has taken hold . There has n't been fire for a while and , of course , we are not firing , so there is a cease-fire . ''
His remarks came after an Israeli military spokeswoman , Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich , told CNN that five rockets had been fired from Gaza in violation of the cease-fire . Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon , in an interview with CNN , put the number of rockets at 12 .
Wednesday 's cease-fire followed eight days of violence along Israel 's border with Gaza and nearly 150 deaths -- the vast majority of them Palestinian .
The cease-fire , announced in a joint news conference in Cairo with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr , took effect at 9 p.m. ( 2 p.m . ET ) .
Gazans took to the streets , firing guns into the air in celebration of what they considered to be a victory over Israel 's military .
The agreement calls for Israel to halt all acts of aggression on Gaza , including incursions and the targeting of people , according to Egypt 's state news agency EGYNews . It also calls for the Palestinian factions to cease all hostilities from Gaza against Israel , including the firing of rockets and attacks on the border . Border crossings were to be opened Thursday night , and the movement of people and goods across them was to be eased , it said .
The agreement came after a day of negotiations that included Clinton , Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy and Palestinian officials .
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the agreement calls for `` complete and total cessation of all hostile activity initiated in the Gaza Strip . ''
`` For us , that 's victory . That 's what we wanted , '' he said .
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of possible additional military action if the cease-fire fails to lead to long-term security . `` But at this time , the right thing for the state of Israel is to exhaust this opportunity to obtain a long-term cease fire , '' he said .
Netanyahu thanked U.S. President Barack Obama for his `` unreserved support '' of Israel 's actions .
It was the November 14 assassination by Israeli forces of Ahmed al-Ja'abari , the head of Hamas ' military wing , that ignited the fighting .
Israel launched its offensive with a stated goal of ending the rocket attacks on southern Israel from inside Gaza by degrading the ability of Palestinians to launch such attacks .
`` Their attempts backfired against them , '' said Khaled Meshaal , a Hamas political leader . `` They wanted to destroy the infrastructure of the resistance of Hamas . They claim they have done so , and they have not . They are bankrupt . ''
He cited Israel 's destruction of buildings and killings that included civilians . `` This is their accomplishment , '' he said . `` They have nothing else to show . And our rockets continued to strike them until the last minute . ''
Israel will hold Hamas responsible for any attacks from Gaza , whether conducted by that organization or any others , Regev said . He said the agreement reflects that understanding .
As he was preparing to return to New York from Tel Aviv , U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said late Wednesday his biggest concern was for the safety of civilians , `` no matter where they are . Innocent people , including children , have been killed or injured on both sides . Families on both sides were forced to cower in fear as the violence raged around them . ''
He said that more than 139 Palestinians had been killed , more than 70 of them civilians , and more than 900 were injured . In addition , some 10,000 Palestinians had lost their homes , he said , adding there was a critical need for humanitarian aid in the territory .
IDF 's Leibovich dismissed such concerns . `` There is no crisis in Gaza , '' she told CNN , adding that she had seen pictures Wednesday morning of markets filled with fresh produce . `` I understand that some things are not convenient , '' she said .
During the conflict , rocket fire killed four Israeli civilians and wounded 219 other people , most of them civilians , three of them seriously , Ban said . In addition , an Israeli soldier was killed and 16 were wounded , one critically , he said .
In all , 1,456 rockets were estimated to have been fired from Gaza into Israel , with three long-range missiles hitting the outskirts of Jerusalem , a move he called `` unprecedented . ''
Israeli forces reported strikes on more than 1,450 targets in Gaza , Ban said . They targeted , but were not limited to , attacks on rocket-launching sites , military bases , police stations and tunnels along the border with Egypt , he said .
Hundreds of other buildings were hit , Ban said , adding that he condemned `` indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza into Israel , '' but also believed that the `` excessive and disproportionate use of force that endangers civilian lives is intolerable . ''
Long-term solutions for Gaza and the Palestinians in general must be found , he said .
`` Once calm is fully restored and the violence ends , a broader cease-fire will have to address all the underlying causes of conflict , including the full opening of crossings , Palestinian reconciliation and an end to weapons smuggling . ''
Regev said the deal calls for talks to begin Thursday on easing economic restrictions on Gaza .
`` If the border is quiet , that enables us to be more forthcoming , '' he said .
Clinton , who shuttled among Israel , the West Bank and Egypt to help negotiate the deal , said the United States will continue to work with regional partners to implement and expand the agreement .
Obama spoke Wednesday morning with Morsy , thanking the Egyptian leader for his leadership in negotiating the proposal .
As recently as Wednesday afternoon , Hamas officials had been calling for more strikes against Israel , while that country 's military continued to press its campaign against what it said were suspected rocket-launching sites and `` terrorist hideouts . ''
The cease-fire talks , held in the West Bank , Israel and Cairo , continued despite a lunchtime bus attack near the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv . At least two bombs were planted on the bus , Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said . One of the bombs exploded , blowing out the windows of the bus , he said .
Rosenfeld said 24 people were wounded , three of them seriously . Aviva Shemer with Ichilov Hospital said pedestrians were among the injured .
Police said they were seeking at least one and possibly two suspects .
Hamas put its own spin on the attack in a banner on al-Aqsa , calling it `` a natural response to the massacre of the al-Dalou family and targeting of innocent Palestinian civilians . ''
Nine members of the al-Dalou family died Sunday in an Israeli airstrike , provoking outrage among Palestinians .
`` We told you # IDF that our blessed hands will reach your leaders and soldiers wherever they are , '' the al Qassam Brigades , the military wing of Hamas , said on Twitter . `` You opened the Gates of Hell on Yourselves . ''
Diplomats said they were hoping to avoid a repeat of 2008 and 2009 , when at least 1,400 people died as Israeli troops invaded Gaza after similar rocket attacks .
Analysis : Conflict shifts balance of power in the Middle East | KSRofowbZDeTFnwo | 0 | Middle East | -0.9 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
gun_control_and_gun_rights | Axios | https://www.axios.com/how-the-texas-and-vegas-shooters-got-their-guns-2507913985.html | How the Texas, Vegas and California shooters got their guns | 2017-12-15 | gun_control_and_gun_rights | The guns : Four , including two rifles and two handguns , all of which were purchased illegally .
The backdrop : Kelley was charged with assault in 2012 while serving in the Air Force . He hit and kicked his wife repeatedly and struck his baby stepson with enough force to fracture his skull . After the incident , Kelley was placed in a psychiatric facility , from which he subsequently escaped . Police tracked Kelley down soon after and took him into custody . He later served a year in a Navy prison for the assault . The Air Force failed to enter Kelley 's conviction into a federal database , so the warning signs — including his status as a felon and a man suffering from mental illness — did not crop up when Kelley purchased two guns in Texas and another two in Colorado .
The guns : Forty-seven , including 23 that Paddock brought with him into his Mandalay Bay hotel room overlooking the concert he attacked . Another 24 were recovered from Paddock 's home , and 12 of the guns he brought with him to Las Vegas were outfitted with bump stocks , which can give semi-automatic weapons automatic capabilities .
The backdrop : Authorities said 33 of Paddock 's 47 guns were purchased after 2016 , in the year leading up to the massacre in Las Vegas . He bought them in stores across Utah , Nevada , California and Texas , CNN reports . And his purchases did not set off any alarms because there is no federal limit to the number of guns an individual can own , and there is no national database which keeps a count of who owns how many or which guns . Recent polling data shows that the average number of guns per gun-owning-household has jumped to 8 from 7 in 1994 . While some states , like California , require a waiting period between gun purchases , others , like Nevada , have no such law , per CNN .
The guns : Four , including two AR-15 semi-automatic rifles and two handguns .
The backdrop : Neal was charged earlier this year after he stabbed a neighbor ; and as part of a protective order was barred from having firearms . He was able to sidestep that rule by building his own . According to ABC , the semi-automatic rifles were made by Neal , and NBC reports that they had `` multi-round magazines that [ Neal ] assembled himself '' by ordering the parts . These kits can be purchased legally . This is drawing more attention to the issue of `` ghost guns , '' which have no registration . Per CBS , the handguns were registered under another person 's name . Neal also seems to have abused an `` honor system '' by telling a judge in February he had no guns , even though his neighbors repeatedly saw him shooting . | wWSJ4Km1YUdnB81j | 1 | Shooting | -0.9 | Gun Control And Gun Rights | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
facts_and_fact_checking | AllSides | https://www.allsides.com/blog/misinformation-number-school-shootings-fueled-inconsistent-reporting | Misinformation on Number of School Shootings Fueled by Inconsistent Reporting | 2025-01-03 | Facts And Fact Checking, Gun Control And Gun Rights, Schools, Public Safety, Violence In America, School Shootings | Verify you are human by completing the action below. | f91c780d17f202b2 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
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