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world | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/middleeast/trump-jerusalem-explainer-intl/index.html | Why declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is so controversial | 2017-12-05 | Jerusalem, World | Jerusalem ( CNN ) US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel 's capital on Wednesday and announced plans to relocate the US embassy there , upending seven decades of US foreign policy in a move expected to inflame tensions in the region and unsettle the prospects for peace .
Trump also signed a waiver officially delaying the move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for six months , a National Security Council official said . But the State Department 's security arm is planning for potentially violent protests at US embassies and consulates .
CNN 's Oren Liebermann , who is based in Jerusalem , walks us through what 's at stake .
Why is declaring Jerusalem the capital such a big deal ?
The final status of Jerusalem has always been one of the most difficult and sensitive questions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict . For years , US policy has been to avoid declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel in the absence of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal , as the Palestinians also claim Jerusalem as their capital . It was argued that a unilateral decision would break with international consensus and prejudge an issue that was supposed to be left to negotiations .
Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital has also moved the United States a big step closer to relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem , which would be seen as cementing Israeli sovereignty over the city .
In theory , moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem could be simple . There is already a US consulate in Jerusalem -- but the US has decided against simply switching the names on the doors , upgrading the consulate to an embassy in Jerusalem and declaring the Tel Aviv location a consulate .
Instead , Trump directed the State Department `` to begin preparations to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem . '' His directive , Trump said , would allow the State Department to begin hiring architects and building contractors to build an embassy that would be `` a magnificent tribute to peace . ''
But the challenges are not simply logistic . Moving the embassy risks setting off diplomatic crises with Arab states that could include widespread protests outside US diplomatic offices in those and other countries . There was widespread condemnation from the Arab world after Trump 's decision was announced .
The United Nations partition plan drawn up in 1947 envisaged Jerusalem as a separate `` international city . '' But the war that followed Israel 's declaration of independence one year later left the city divided . When fighting ended in 1949 , the armistice border -- often called the Green Line because it was drawn in green ink -- saw Israel in control of the western half , and Jordan in control of the eastern half , which included the famous Old City .
During the 1967 Six-Day War , Israel occupied East Jerusalem . Since then , all of the city has been under Israel 's authority . The city marks `` Jerusalem Day '' in late May or early June . But Palestinians , and many in the international community , continue to see East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state .
Roughly 850,000 people live in Jerusalem -- 37 % are Arab and 61 % are Jewish , according to the independent think tank Jerusalem Institute . The Jewish population includes around 200,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews , with the rest split generally between religious Zionist and secular Jews . Of the city 's Arab population , 96 % is Muslim ; the other 4 % is Christian .
The vast majority of the Palestinian population lives in East Jerusalem . Although there are some mixed neighborhoods in Jerusalem where both Israelis and Arabs live , most of the neighborhoods are split .
Yes . Before 1980 a number of countries did , including the Netherlands and Costa Rica . But in July of that year , Israel passed a law that declared Jerusalem the united capital of Israel . The United Nations Security Council responded with a resolution condemning Israel 's annexation of East Jerusalem and declared it a violation of international law .
Correct . In 2006 , Costa Rica and El Salvador were the last to move their embassies out of Jerusalem , joining the rest of the world in locating their embassies in Tel Aviv .
Some countries do maintain consulates in Jerusalem , including the United States , which has one in the western part of the city . Other countries -- such as Britain and France , for instance -- have a consulate in the eastern part of the city , which serve as their countries ' main representation in the Palestinian territories .
The US has never had its embassy in Jerusalem . It has always been in Tel Aviv , with the Ambassador 's residence in Herzliya Pituach , about 30 minutes north .
Wait a minute , it gets more complicated . In 1989 , Israel began leasing to the US a plot of land in Jerusalem for a new embassy . The 99-year lease cost $ 1 per year . To this day , the plot has not been developed , and it remains an empty field .
In 1995 , the US Congress passed a law requiring America to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem . Proponents said the US should respect Israel 's choice of Jerusalem as its capital , and recognize it as such .
Every President since 1995 -- Presidents Clinton , Bush and Obama -- has declined to move the embassy , citing national security interests . Every six months , the President has used the presidential waiver to circumvent the embassy move .
The Israeli government has lauded Trump 's pledge to follow through with the embassy move . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for making the decision and called the move an `` important step towards peace , for there is no peace that does n't include Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel . ''
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat , one of the most outspoken advocates of the move , told CNN that Trump 's decision was `` the right thing to do , and here in Jerusalem and Israel we applaud the President . ''
Netanyahu said he hoped other countries will follow the US lead and relocate their envoys .
Palestinian leaders are adamant that an embassy move to Jerusalem would be a violation of international law , and a huge setback to peace hopes .
President Mahmoud Abbas has turned to other world leaders , including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Jordan 's King Abdullah , to help pressure Trump to change his mind . The Palestine Liberation Organization has suggested it would consider revoking its recognition of Israel , and canceling all agreements between Israelis and Palestinians , should the move take place .
In the aftermath of the announcement , Abbas said it would stoke extremism in the region . Hanan Ashrawi , an executive committee member of the Palestine Liberation Organization , said it meant the `` death knell of any peace process . ''
More immediately , there are fears it could set off a wave of unrest -- perhaps even street protests and violence -- in the Palestinian territories and across the Arab world . | 8d91e2390a7cd63c | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Salon | http://www.salon.com/2016/06/20/trumps_starting_to_panic_corey_lewandowsi_fired_as_campaign_manager_amid_huge_staff_shakeup/ | Panic Time in Trump Tower | 2016-06-20 | Donald Trump, Presidential Elections, Elections | Even as Donald Trump remains personally impervious to growing panic about a clear lack of any general election strategy , his campaign staff and close advisers have apparently had enough -- pushing for sudden and sweeping major changes .
With the average of polls showing rival Hillary Clinton ahead six percentage points less than a month before the GOP convention in Cleveland , embattled Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has been fired .
β The Donald J. Trump Campaign for President , which has set a historic record in the Republican Primary having received almost 14 million votes , has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign , β the campaign spokeswoman , Hope Hicks , said in a statement , according to the New York Times . β The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future . β
According to NBC News , Trump called Lewandowski this morning to inform him of his firing after an emergency meeting with family members and top advisers to right the ship , and to plot a more serious campaign strategy .
The announcement comes hours after an explosive GQ profile of Hicks revealed disturbing incidents of alleged abuse directed at the 27-year-old national press secretary from Lewandowski .
β You made a big f * * * ing mistake ; you β re f * * * ing dead to me , β Lewandowski allegedly told Hicks after she expressed interest in leaving the campaign recently , bringing her to tears , according to former Trump operative Sam Nunberg .
While Lewandowski denied GQ 's reporting , the hotheaded campaign manager , of course , first grabbed the spotlight away from his boss when he was arrested for yanking a female Breitbart writer , an act he denied happened but was caught on camera . While the charges were eventually dropped , Trump remained loyal and committed to Lewandowski even as reports emerged that Lewandowski had a history of making abusive , sexist , and sexual remarks to his female coworkers .
According to reaction from at least one `` senior adviser '' to the Trump campaign , Lewandowski 's ouster was welcome news : | 9ad5e7f492dd4572 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Daily Beast | https://www.thedailybeast.com/cohen-hired-it-firm-to-rig-online-polls-for-trump-says-report | Michael Cohen: I Rigged Online Polls for Trump | 2019-01-17 | elections | Michael Cohen hired an IT firm to rig online polls in favor of Donald Trump ahead of the 2016 election and instructed the company to create the @ WomenForCohen Twitter account to laud how sexually attractive he is , The Wall Street Journal reports .
Trump β s then-attorneyβwho has since spectacularly fallen out with the presidentβpromised to pay $ 50,000 to the small tech firm run by a Liberty University staffer to help distort online polls on CNBC and the Drudge Report .
Cohen has confirmed the bombshell report to CNN , and claimed it was carried out β at the direction and for the sole benefit of Donald J. Trump . β
The IT firm doesn β t appear to have been particularly good at the task . Cohen reportedly asked for its help in a January 2014 β s CNBC poll to name the country β s top business leaders . RedFinch Solutions founder John Gauger reportedly wrote a computer script to repeatedly vote for Trumpβbut was still unable to get him into the top 100 candidates .
Gauger is chief information officer at Virginia β s Liberty University , the evangelical Christian college run by Jerry Fallwell Jr. , a close Trump supporter . Cohen reportedly helped arrange Falwell Jr. β s endorsement of Trump in January 2016 .
Cohen , who has been sentenced to three years in prison for lying to Congress and campaign-finance violations , returned to Gauger a year later , in February 2015 , according to the Journal report . Cohen asked for help in a Drudge Report poll of potential Republican candidatesβhe only managed fifth place , with about 24,000 votes .
Some of the work appeared to be more for Cohen β s benefit than Trump β s . It β s claimed that Cohen tasked Gauger with creating the @ WomenForCohen Twitter account in May 2016 , which heralded Cohen as a β sex symbol β and promoted his media appearances during the campaign .
Gauger disclosed the work to the Journal after he received much less money for his efforts than he expected . Gauger said he believed he was due $ 50,000 for itβalongside a promise of lucrative work with the president-electβbut Cohen reportedly handed him β a blue Walmart bag containing between $ 12,000 and $ 13,000 in cash and , randomly , a boxing glove that Mr. Cohen said had been worn by a Brazilian mixed-martial-arts fighter . β
Cohen denied that claim to the Journalβhis only comment on the allegations was to say that all payments given to Gauger β were by check. β But he later confirmed the other allegations to CNN , saying : β What I did was at the direction of and for the sole benefit of Donald J. Trump . I truly regret my blind loyalty to a man who doesn β t deserve it . β
Gauger β s disclosure casts a great deal of suspicion on a $ 50,000 reimbursement Cohen received from Trump and his company for the work by RedFinch , which is detailed in a government document . Rudy Giuliani , a lawyer for Trump , said Cohen being reimbursed more money than he paid RedFinch would prove he was a thief . β If one thing has been established , it β s that Michael Cohen is completely untrustworthy , β Giuliani told the Journal .
The $ 50,000 payment was mentioned by federal prosecutors when they charged Cohen in August with eight felonies , including campaign-finance violations . Cohen said the payment was a reimbursement for β tech services β aimed to help the campaign .
According to the Journal , Gauger last spoke with Cohen in April 2018 , shortly after the lawyer was raided by federal agents . Cohen reportedly told him the investigation was about taxes . β It β s not a big deal , β Cohen said , according to Gauger . | VkvlXi6UljJQhn6U | 0 | Presidential Elections | -0.7 | Elections | -0.7 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
national_security | Washington Times | https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/apr/12/donald-trump-make-decision-syria-attack-fairly-soo/ | Trump meets with national security team as Britain joins U.S., France in planning Syria strike | 2018-04-12 | national_security | President Trump huddled with his national security team Thursday amid mounting speculation of a military attack in response to Syria β s suspected use of chemical weapons , while Britain β s Cabinet gave the green light to join the U.S. and France in planning a strike .
Top officials in Russia , along with Iran a prime backer of the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad , voiced fears of a wider conflict between the West and Moscow .
Despite Twitter posts this week from Mr. Trump suggesting a missile strike was imminent , the White House said late Thursday that Mr. Trump and his advisers had not made a final decision on an attack . Defense Secretary James Mattis has said U.S. intelligence officials were still assessing Saturday β s suspected chemical attack , and Mr. Trump was consulting with British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday night .
β We are continuing to assess intelligence and are engaged in conversations with our partners and allies , β said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders .
A team of international chemical weapons inspectors from The Hague was headed to the site near the Syrian capital of Damascus on Thursday to try to determine whether a chemical weapons attack had occurred and who was responsible . Washington and Moscow have already clashed over who should make the ultimate call on what happened in the incident .
Syria presents a major dilemma for Mr. Trump , who just weeks ago was pressing his foreign policy team for a plan to withdraw the estimated 2,000 U.S. troops in the country who had been deployed to support the fight against Islamic State . Lawmakers at Secretary of State-nominee Mike Pompeo β s Senate confirmation hearing pressed the former CIA director over the long-term White House strategy for dealing with the Syria crisis , while House Democrats pressed Mr. Mattis about what any imminent military strike might accomplish .
β Until we have a more long-term strategy , until we have some idea where we β re going in Syria and the Middle East , it seems unwise , to me , to start launching missiles , β said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington , the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee . β We need to know where that β s going , what the purpose of it is before we take that act . β
The U.S. is also under pressure to achieve more with this strike than with the 59 cruise missiles Mr. Trump launched last year after a reported chemical weapons attack by Syrian forces , which apparently did not deter Mr. Assad for long .
A spokesman for the prime minister said the British Cabinet agreed that it was β highly likely β that Damascus was responsible for last weekend β s attack , which killed up to 75 people in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma .
The British Cabinet said β it was vital that the use of chemical weapons did not go unchallenged β and that Britain and its allies must deter the further use of chemical weapons by Mr. Assad β s forces .
Mr. Macron went further , saying France had β proof that chemical weapons were used , at least chlorine , β but added that his country was wary of being dragged into a U.S.-Russia proxy war in Syria .
Russia β s ambassador to the United Nations , Vassily Nebenzia , urged U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to hold an emergency open meeting to address the crisis . He also highlighted the need for inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to have the time and resources to determine what happened in Douma .
β The immediate priority is to avert the danger of war , β Mr. Nebenzia said .
There were signs of a global effort to head off a direct confrontation between Russia and the West . The Kremlin said a crisis communications link with the United States , created to avoid an accidental clash over Syria , was in use .
Mr. Assad said Thursday that Western countries were lashing out after they lost their β bet β on opposition forces in the eastern Ghouta suburbs of the capital . Russia , whose military is backing Mr. Assad , has said Syrian forces have taken full control of Douma since the attack .
With the relocation of rebel forces in the aftermath of the Douma attack , the government controls virtually all of the area around the capital and most of Syria β s major cities .
Moscow is estimated to have dozens of aircraft at its Hmeimim air base in Syria , including fighters and bombers , as well as 10 to 15 warships and support vessels in the Mediterranean .
The Syrian government and Russian forces in Syria possess truck-mounted surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapons systems .
Russia , Syria and Iran have said reports of the Douma attack were fabricated by rebels and rescue workers and that the United States wants to use the incident as a pretext to attack the Syrian government .
Whether or not Mr. Trump was hinting at potential military action , he made a point to refer to his $ 700 billion military buildup during a Rose Garden event on tax cuts Thursday afternoon .
β We β re going to have the strongest military that we β ve ever had , β Mr. Trump said . β And can you think of a better time to have it ? Right ? This is when we need it . β
Earlier Thursday , Mr. Trump told reporters that he would make a decision β fairly soon β on the U.S. response .
β We β re looking very seriously at that situation , β Mr. Trump said . β It β s too bad the world puts us in a position like that . β
On Wednesday , Mr. Trump warned Syria and Russia that missiles β will be coming. β He moderated that warning Thursday , tweeting , β Could be very soon or not so soon at all ! β
According the World Health Organization , the harrowing attack in Douma killed about 70 people sheltering in basements , with 43 showing signs of exposure to β highly toxic chemicals . β
Two U.S. officials familiar with an ongoing investigation of samples from Douma and the symptoms of victims said initial indications that a mix of weaponized chlorine gas and sarin were used in the attack appear to be correct . But U.S. intelligence agencies have not completed their assessment or reached a final conclusion , the officials said .
Russia said it deployed military police in Douma on Thursday after government forces took control .
β They are the guarantors of law and order in the town , β RIA news agency quoted Russia β s defense ministry as saying .
While the Netherlands-based OPCW said in a statement on Thursday that a special fact-finding mission is on its way and will start investigating Saturday , mistrust and lies among the warring parties spilled over as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned Mr. Assad and Syria β s β supporters Iran and Russia β to allow international observers and medical assistance into area around the suspected chemical attack .
Speaking in New York on Thursday , Syria β s ambassador to the United Nations countered that his country will facilitate a visit by international chemical weapons inspectors at β any point they want . β
Bashar Ja β afari said visas for the OPCW inspection team were already being provided and that any delay or β disruption of their visit β would be a result of β political pressure β from Western countries , which Syria accuses of politicizing the issue .
β’ Dan Boylan contributed to this article , which is based in part on wire service reports . | 628JCYlHPA13XihP | 2 | Syria | -1.7 | Donald Trump | 0.2 | National Security Council | 0.1 | National Security | 0 | Defense And Security | 0 |
media_bias | The Week - Opinion | https://theweek.com/articles/920388/real-google-scandal | The real Google scandal | 2020-06-17 | media_bias | On Tuesday afternoon , NBC News reported that Google had `` banned '' two `` far-right '' online publications , Zero Hedge and The Federalist , from its advertising platform because both had published articles in violation of its terms of service . According to report , these actions had been taken by Google at the behest of NBC 's own so-called `` Verification Unit , '' after reporters showed them a listicle from what is allegedly a British think tank .
The response to this news in right-wing circles was predictable . Which is why no one was remotely surprised when , within the space of a few hours , Google announced that it had all been an enormous misunderstanding , that The Federalist would be given three days to clean up its act , that the recent sanctions , only threatened rather than imposed , had nothing to do with the content of any actual article that had appeared on the site but rather with the fact that it maintained an open comments platform . Meanwhile , NBC also claimed that , despite its own reporters β gleeful cheerleading on behalf of their β collaboration β with foreign research outfits , there had been no such collaboration at all , that Google had misrepresented its own actions to them , that contrary to previous reports ( its own ) , Google would not ban a website for something it had been accused of doing in material brought to Google β s attention by , well , NBC . Got it ?
How refreshing it is to have a story about the cynicism and incompetence of government and media alike that has nothing to do with either the pandemic or impeachment . Thousands of words will soon be written about the devolution of journalism at legacy media outlets into mindless activism β what is this `` Verification Unit '' anyway , and why does it appear to be subject to minimal oversight from the rest of NBC News ? β and the no-doubt imminent online silencing of anyone slightly to the right of Joy Ann Reid . By late Tuesday evening , Ted Cruz had already published a letter to the chairman of Google 's parent corporation accusing the company of `` censorship '' and actions `` antithetical to American values . ''
Unfortunately the real significance of this affair is very likely to be lost . A far more serious problem than the childishness of 20-something journalists or `` media bias '' in general is the brute fact of Google 's power , not its potential or even apparent deployment against a particular website .
No institution in the history of the world β not the Church at the height of the Middle Ages , not the great totalitarian regimes of the 20th century , certainly not our own federal government β has ever had so much concentrated authority over the exchange of information . This unprecedented empire was not , comparatively speaking , the result of many long decades of patient accumulation . ( I and millions of others can distinctly remember when Google was a humble online search platform , comparable to Lycos or Ask Jeeves of blessed memory . ) It acquired its power , historically speaking , overnight . And it did so not because anyone in particular β perhaps not even the principals at Google themselves β wished for this to be the case but simply because the relevant authorities in this country abnegated their responsibility in the name of abstract principles about freedom of speech and corporate autonomy ( and a relaxed attitude toward the enforcement of existing antitrust law ) .
The time for that attitude has passed . Google is not a `` monopoly '' any more than al Qaeda is an `` activist group . '' It is not even a corporation , at least not in the sense that the word has acquired in the last century . It does not exist simply in order to provide financial benefit to its shareholders ( though it certainly does ) . To find any non-state entity even remotely comparable to Google 's scope , ambition , and unrivaled mastery over its dominion , which is to say , over virtually the entire world with the exception of China , one would have to look back to the Honourable East India Company and the other joint-stock behemoths that once privatized imperialism .
To say that Google is the world 's largest and most powerful de facto publisher β the largest ever , in fact β would be true . It would also be a massive understatement . Google is also the world 's largest courier service , its largest shopping center ( even Amazon is often accessed via Google 's browser ) , its largest library , its largest cinema , and its largest water cooler . Even these facile analogies fail to do justice to the role that a company roughly as old as the first Star Wars prequel plays in all of our lives . The fact that the increasingly shaky business of online advertising , upon which many publications depend for revenue , technically falls under its control is of comparatively little importance . All of this could have been prevented .
But the question is what can be done now . It seems obvious that no private actor accountable primarily to its shareholders can be trusted with anything even approaching Google 's power . It can not in any meaningful sense be regulated . It can either be broken up , turning its advertising business , its search engine , its Chrome browser , its YouTube video platform , and its Gmail service into distinct entities , or else nationalized ( imagine the Google homepage but it 's the Library of Congress website ) . Doing either will require us to abandon virtually everything we have told ourselves about how the state should treat tech companies and , indeed , large companies in general . It would mean a return to the post-war consensus on the mixed economy , under which monopolies , if they involve public goods and are allowed to exist at all , must be de facto organs of the state . More important still , it will mean looking past the short-term interests of various factions in American public life β can one seriously imagine Cruz 's letter being written on behalf of Jezebel or Deadspin ? β toward real threats to the common good .
Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox ? Sign up for The Week 's `` Today 's best articles '' newsletter here . | C0dzi857KHJ2iNOO | 0 | Media Industry | -0.5 | Technology | 0.3 | Google | 0.3 | Polarization | 0 | Media Bias | 0 |
environment | MarketWatch | https://www.marketwatch.com/story/climate-change-will-break-the-housing-market-says-david-burt-who-predicted-the-2008-financial-crisis-2019-11-01?mod=home-page | Climate change will break the housing market, says David Burt, who predicted the 2008 financial crisis | 2019-11-01 | environment | Risk to the housing market from underestimated climate change echoes lessons from the 2008 subprime-mortgage debacle β as does the chance to capitalize on these miscalculations .
That β s the view of David Burt , whose old firm and its timely escape from the financial crisis just over a decade ago featured in Michael Lewis β s book β The Big Short . β
Burt makes a climate change and subprime lending connection in a recent interview with Vice :
β There β s a lot of parallels , it β s a big real estate mispricing issue . At its core that presents a lot of the same risks . A lot of real estate is massively overpriced and there β s a lot of risk associated with that and the big risk is another foreclosure crisis . Now , it β s a very different dynamic that β s creating the mispricing , but actually magnitude-wise it looks pretty similar , maybe even bigger. β David Burt
The first serious market ripples from industry nonchalance , Burt says , could materialize as early as next year .
Burt was a consultant at Cornwall Capital , the firm that made about $ 80 million when it shorted the subprime mortgage market whose eventual implosion left the housing market in a shambles and lured well-positioned investors to pick through the bones . Cornwall was profiled in the Lewis narrative and one of Burt β s colleagues was played by Brad Pitt in the movie adaptation .
As Vice reports , just as Burt did before the last crash , he has left his big-time investing job , this time splitting with the $ 1 trillion Wellington Management . Burt now heads an investment firm that believes it can profit from the lack of attention being paid to the risk of climate change in a property industry that β s building , buying , selling and lending ( cheaply ) without taking into account rising sea levels and inland flood risks .
The problem , other climate-change experts allege , starts with government flood maps that under-report risk and continues through the complex multilayer housing , lending and insurance market where risks are diluted , or at least , mispriced .
Between $ 60 billion to $ 100 billion worth of mortgages for U.S. coastal homes are issued each year . Some 311,000 existing coastal homes will be repeatedly flooded , or lost altogether , within the next 30 years , according to sea-level calculations that the Union of Concerned Scientists publishes . That means the often high-population states of California , Texas , Florida , Maryland , New Jersey and New York are vulnerable , as are retirement destinations including the Carolinas .
Read : The number of people at risk from climate-triggered floods has tripled β here β s the surprising reason why
The number and total value of flood insurance policies has been declining since 2006 , meaning that households that purchased a property in coastal areas especially may be at increased risk of defaulting on their mortgages , a recent academic paper says .
In 2016 , Freddie Mac β s thenβchief economist Sean Becketti wrote that β the economic losses and social disruption [ of rising seas on coastal housing ] may happen gradually , but they are likely to be greater in total than those experienced in the housing crisis and Great Recession . β
Burt sees opportunity but says he also wants to sound the alarm .
β I love the environment and nature and much of my joy in life comes from going for walks in the woods or on the beach with my family , β he told Vice . β We have no idea how bad things really could get , there β s far bigger risks associated with climate change than depreciating home values and some of them are just really , really scary . β
Read : As the California wildfires rage on , what you need to know about disaster insurance | ygOtMcNoEK1wi3yc | 2 | Climate Change | 0.2 | Environment | 0.2 | Housing Market | 0.1 | null | null | null | null |
violence_in_america | Yahoo! News | https://www.yahoo.com/news/1-chicagos-bloodiest-years-ends-764-homicides-165724519.html | 1 of Chicago's bloodiest years ends with 762 homicides | 2017-01-02 | Chicago, Violence In America | CHICAGO ( AP ) β One of the most violent years in Chicago history ended with a sobering tally : 762 homicides , the most in two decades in the city and more than New York and Los Angeles combined .
The nation 's third largest city also saw 1,100 more shooting incidents last year than it did in 2015 , according to data released Sunday by the Chicago Police Department . The statistics underline a story of bloodshed that has put Chicago at the center of a national dialogue about gun violence .
The numbers are staggering , even for those who followed the steady news accounts of weekends ending with dozens of shootings and monthly death tolls that had n't been seen in years . The increase in homicides compared to 2015 , when 485 were reported , is the largest spike in 60 years .
Police and city officials have lamented the flood of illegal guns into the city , and the crime statistics appeared to support their claims : Police recovered 8,300 illegal guns in 2016 , a 20 percent increase from the previous year .
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said during a news conference Sunday that Chicago is among many U.S. cities that have seen a spike in violence , including in attacks on police . He said anger at police , including in the wake of video released that showed a white Chicago officer shooting a black teenager 16 times , has left criminals `` emboldened '' to violent crimes .
He also said it 's becoming clearer to criminals that they have little to fear from the criminal justice system .
`` In Chicago , we just do n't have a deterrent to pick up a gun , '' he said . `` Any time a guy stealing a loaf of bread spends more time pre-trial in jail than a gun offender , something is wrong . ''
Johnson , who has for months complained about Illinois ' lax gun laws , said he thinks more and more gang members are arming themselves because the price for being caught is small compared to other large cities . He said gang members he has spoken to consider the court system `` a joke . ''
The bulk of the deaths and shooting incidents , which jumped from 2,426 in 2015 to 3,550 last year , occurred in only five of the city 's 22 police districts on the city 's South and West sides , all poor and predominantly black areas where gangs are most active .
Police said the shootings in those areas generally were n't random , with more than 80 percent of the victims having previously been identified by police as more susceptible because of their gang ties or past arrests .
The city has scrambled to address the violence . Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced last year that 1,000 officers would be added to the police department . At the same time , police officials have been trying to figure out why homicides and shootings β which began climbing the year before β suddenly surged .
On Sunday , Johnson said he hoped several initiatives β including more street cameras in some of the city 's most dangerous neighborhoods , and the expansion of gunshot-detection systems β would lead to more arrests and drive down the violent crime rate .
Johnson has said several factors have contributed to the increased violence . He noted 2016 was the first full year since the city was forced in November 2015 to release video of the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald , the black 17-year-old boy who was shot 16 times by a white police officer .
The video cost former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy his job , sparked major protests around the city , and led to federal and state investigations of the police department .
It also left Johnson with the task of trying to restore public trust in what appeared to be a weakened police force , a perception that was only buttressed by a dramatic drop in the number of arrests in 2016 .
The police department has cited several factors for the declining numbers , including a concerted effort not to make minor drug arrests and focus on gun violence . Johnson pointed to gun arrests and gun seizures as evidence that his officers are aggressively fighting crime .
But critics said they have no doubt that officers have become far more reluctant to do their jobs since the McDonald video was released and the officer who killed the teen was charged with murder .
`` It 's almost like a pull back so they ( gangs ) can kill each other sort of thing , '' said the Rev . Marshall Hatch , a prominent minister in one of Chicago 's most dangerous neighborhoods on the West Side .
Johnson acknowledged in a recent interview with The Associated Press that officers have become more cautious β in part out of fear of becoming the next `` viral video . '' He also said a state law that took effect last January requiring officers to fill out lengthy contact cards when they stop someone has resulted in fewer stops , because the cards require more paperwork for officers and the cards are `` scrutinized '' by federal judges .
`` Criminals watch TV , pay attention to the media , '' he said . `` They see an opportunity to commit nefarious activity . '' | e571e55240df7cfc | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
fbi | Fox Online News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/07/08/house-gop-calls-grow-for-fbi-perjury-probe-into-clinton-statements.html | House GOP calls grow for FBI perjury probe into Clinton statements | 2016-07-08 | fbi | FBI Director James Comey is facing growing Republican calls to launch a perjury probe into whether Hillary Clinton lied under oath about her email use when she testified last year before the House Benghazi committee β even as the Justice Department closes the case on the former secretary of state β s private server .
House Overnight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz first urged such a probe during Thursday β s hearing with Comey before his committee . He wants the agency to investigate whether Clinton lied when she told lawmakers β there was nothing marked classified on my emails β β a claim Comey repeatedly contradicted this week .
Comey told Chaffetz a referral from Congress would be needed for an investigation .
β You β ll have one in the next few hours , β Chaffetz said .
When FoxNews.com contacted Chaffetz β s office on Friday , a referral had not yet been sent .
But Chaffetz is vowing to kick-start the process , and his Republican colleagues are voicing support .
Rep. Jim Jordan , R-Ohio , told Fox News a day earlier that Clinton β made statements that [ were ] directly contradicted by what Mr. Comey β s investigation covered . β
β There are a number of things that she said that are just false based on the investigation Mr. Comey conducted relative to her testimony under oath to us last October , β Jordan said , adding he thinks it would be β appropriate β to look into perjury claims but the decision is ultimately up to Chaffetz and Rep. Trey Gowdy , who chairs the Benghazi committee .
It was during an exchange with Gowdy that Comey on Thursday countered several statements Clinton had made , both in public and before the Benghazi committee .
Notably , he said her statement that nothing she sent or received was marked classified was not true . To the contrary , Comey confirmed the FBI 's investigation found at least three emails with classified markings on Clinton 's server .
The State Department says human error was responsible for those markings . In a statement after Thursday β s hearing , Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon claimed Comey β s testimony β clearly knocked down a number of false Republican talking points and reconciled apparent contradictions between his previous remarks and Hillary Clinton 's public statements . β
Yet the stepped-up calls to dig deeper into Clinton β s statements signal the investigations concerning Clinton β s conduct in office are not over β even as lawmakers on Friday approved a final report on the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi , Libya .
The two-year inquiry , among many other details , had revealed she used a private email server for government business , setting off intense scrutiny that continues to dog Clinton 's presidential campaign . The 7-4 vote to approve the 800-page report was split along party lines , reflecting partisanship that emerged after the panel 's creation in May 2014 and escalated in this election year . Democrats have submitted their own report on the attacks , which killed four Americans , including U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens .
Gowdy , R-S.C. , echoing Chaffetz , also said lawmakers may seek a federal investigation into whether Clinton lied to the committee in testimony last year .
`` Our committee has an obligation '' to report any untruthful testimony to the FBI , Gowdy said .
Asked if he was referring to Clinton , Gowdy said , `` She 's one of 100 witnesses . ''
Under oath , Clinton testified last October that she never sent or received emails marked as classified when she served as secretary of state . She also said she only used one mobile device for emails and turned over all of her work-related emails to the State Department , claims Comey also contradicted on Thursday .
Separately , the State Department is reopening its internal investigation of possible mishandling of classified information by Clinton and top aides . The internal review was suspended in April to avoid interfering with the FBI inquiry .
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi dismissed the latest GOP move as purely political .
`` So let 's get this straight : This is going to be an investigation of the decision that is an investigation of the emails that was part of the investigation of Benghazi , '' she told reporters .
Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland , the senior Democrat on both the Benghazi and Oversight panels , said an FBI referral was `` unwarranted , '' since Comey said only three emails out of more than 30,000 sent or received by Clinton contained classified markings .
Comey said Thursday that his team found no evidence that Clinton lied under oath to the FBI or broke the law by discussing classified information in an unclassified setting .
Under an onslaught of Republican criticism , Comey vigorously defended the government 's decision and rejected GOP accusations that the presidential candidate was given special treatment .
To criminally charge Clinton based on the facts his agency 's yearlong probe had found would have been unwarranted and mere `` celebrity-hunting , '' Comey said . | di5NyEMsyqqFRXOJ | 2 | Republican Party | -1.7 | Hillary Clinton | -0.1 | FBI | 0 | Defense And Security | 0 | 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 | ( 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 . '' | eXVaJePEc751rHD8 | 0 | Asia | 0 | World | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
world | Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/deadly-paris-shooting-could-influence-voters-on-eve-of-key-french-election/2017/04/21/6f5589a8-2618-11e7-928e-3624539060e8_story.html?utm_term=.9333deef990b | Trump predicts deadly Paris shooting to have βbig effectβ on key French election | 2017-04-21 | Europe, World | clockThis article was published more than 7 years ago PARIS β French authorities on Friday identified a small-time criminal, apparently inspired by the Islamic State, as the perpetrator of a deadly attack on police officers in a shooting that set France on edge and darkened the final day of campaigning in the country's pivotal presidential election. | e21872d5455ebeec | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
foreign_policy | Guest Writer - Right | http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/09/11/wake-up-america-our-country-is-upside-down.html | OPINION: Wake up, America. Our country is upside down | 2015-09-11 | Iran Nuclear Deal, Foreign Policy | Folks , I work hard to be the common sense voice for YOU in a growingly crazy America .
We are taking in thousands of refugees from Muslim countries without any idea who they are or what their motives are .
This is bigger than Obama β s legacy . This is bigger than Democrats circling the wagons around their ideology . America will be hit with Iranian financed terror if we don β t stop this dealβ¦ now .
Caitlyn Jenner is considered a hero , yet , the cops who risk their lives for us are being gunned down in the streets .
But there β s one issue I have to highlight here in wake up America because it threatens our very republic .
It β s the Iran nuclear deal .. and it β s a deadly mistake we are making .
This is no right wing . Left wing manufactured fight . This is for real folks -- lives will be lost if we lift Iranian sanctions . Period .
Handing over an initial $ 100 billion to the regime that sponsors terror around the world is insane !
Then allowing them to sell another $ 100 billion per year in oil is equally insane .
That as they telegraph their hatred for us makes zero sense . Zero !
They lie . They cheat . They finance Hezbollah , Hamas and factions of Al Qaeda . And they finance these hate groups with the goal of killing Americans .
What genius decided giving people who despise us more money to kill us was a good idea ?
This is bigger than Obama β s legacy . This is bigger than Democrats circling the wagons around their ideology .
America will be hit with Iranian financed terror if we don β t stop this dealβ¦ now .
It 's common sense folks . It β s lacking in D.C. and this time around it will cost us American lives .
And by the way , did we learn nothing when terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and Pennsylvania -- killing 3,000 innocent Americans exactly 14 years ago today ? | ad9b5f234030801f | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Reuters | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-virginia-politics/virginia-governors-future-in-limbo-amid-outcry-over-racist-photo-idUSKCN1PU13D | Virginia governor's future in limbo amid outcry over racist photo | 2019-02-06 | politics | RICHMOND , Va. ( βββ ) - Embattled Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on Tuesday resisted calls to step down over a racist photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page , with the state β s main Democratic Latino organization joining the chorus urging his resignation .
The first-term Democrat came under fire on Friday when a conservative media website released the photo , showing one person in blackface standing beside a masked person in the white robes of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan .
Northam , who has avoided the public since Saturday , has faced nearly universal calls to step down from within his own party in Virginia - seen as a key swing state for the 2020 presidential election - as well as from at least five Democratic presidential candidates .
Monique Alcala , the president of the Virginia Democratic Latino Caucus , became the latest to urge Northam to quit . In a telephone interview she said she believed Northam β s political record showed he was not racist but that he should resign because he had lost the moral authority to lead .
β On matters of equity and justice you really have to have trust with the community , and this has really violated that trust , β she said .
Northam , 59 , who is white , initially apologized on Friday and said he was one of the two people in the photo . He changed his story a day later , saying he did not appear in the picture but had dressed in blackface at a dance competition that year to portray pop star Michael Jackson .
The origins of blackface date to 19th-century β minstrel β shows in which white performers covered their faces in black grease paint to caricature slaves .
Northam , who took office a year ago , has vowed to finish his four-year term . Without public fanfare on Tuesday , he quietly signed legislation to provide $ 750 million in cash incentives to Amazon.com Inc in return for the online giant β s promise to create 38,000 new jobs in Virginia .
Northam has otherwise huddled with advisers and cabinet officers while his political heir apparent , Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax , 39 , confronted a potential scandal of his own .
Fairfax on Monday denied a sexual assault allegation that was reported against him on the same website that first disclosed the Northam yearbook photo .
The Big League Politics site posted a private Facebook message on Sunday purportedly obtained from the accuser with her permission by a friend suggesting that Fairfax had assaulted her during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston . While the Facebook post did not explicitly name Fairfax , the website β s story linked him to the allegation .
Fairfax on Monday acknowledged having had a consensual encounter with the woman in 2004 but said the story of an assault was β totally fabricated . β
At least two media outlets , including the Washington Post , said a woman had approached them more than a year ago with the same allegation , but that they had been unable to substantiate her account .
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam , accompanied by his wife Pamela Northam announces he will not resign during a news conference in Richmond , Virginia , U.S. February 2 , 2019 . Picture taken February 2 , 2019 . βββ/ Jay Paul
Fairfax has been non-committal on Northam β s future , saying it was up to the governor to decide his next move but that he would be ready to step up if needed .
Should Northam resign , Fairfax would succeed him to become the second African-American governor in the history of Virginia , where his great-great-great grandfather was a slave . The first was Douglas Wilder , a Democrat elected in 1989 .
If Fairfax were also to step aside , state Attorney General Mark Herring , a Democrat , is next in line to become governor . Herring , who has declared his intention to run for the state β s top elected office in the next gubernatorial race in 2021 , called on Saturday for Northam to resign and pledged his β complete support β for Fairfax . | teELUakQYwITrNPt | 1 | Politics | -1.5 | Ralph Northam | -0.3 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
free_speech | Breitbart News | https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2020/07/27/facebook-censors-viral-video-of-doctors-capitol-hill-coronavirus-press-conference/ | Facebook, Google/YouTube, Twitter Censor Viral Video of Doctorsβ Capitol Hill Coronavirus Press Conference | 2020-07-28 | Free Speech, Censorship, Media Bias, Social Media, Twitter, Media Industry | Facebook has removed a video posted by Breitbart News earlier today, which was the top-performing Facebook post in the world Monday afternoon, of a press conference in D.C. held by the group Americaβs Frontline Doctors and organized and sponsored by the Tea Party Patriots. The press conference featured Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and frontline doctors sharing their views and opinions on coronavirus and the medical response to the pandemic. YouTube (which is owned by Google) and Twitter subsequently removed footage of the press conference as well.The video accumulated over 17 million views during the eight hours it was hosted on Facebook, with over 185,000 concurrent viewers.The livestream had accumulated over 17 million views by the time of its censorship by Facebook.In terms of viral velocity, the post was beating content from many other prominent accounts on Facebook today, including Hillary Clinton, Rev. Franklin Graham, and Kim Kardashian.Over 185,000 viewers were concurrently watching the stream when it aired live Monday afternoon.The event, hosted by the organization Americaβs Frontline Doctors, a group founded by Dr. Simone Gold, a board-certified physician and attorney, and made up of medical doctors, came together to address what the group calls a βmassive disinformation campaignβ about the coronavirus. Norman also spoke at the event.βIf Americans continue to let so-called experts and media personalities make their decisions, the great American experiment of a Constitutional Republic with Representative Democracy, will cease,β reads the eventβs information page.The event was organized and sponsored by the Tea Party Patriots.βWeβve removed this video for sharing false information about cures and treatments for COVID-19,β a Facebook company spokesman, Andy Stone, told Breitbart News. The company did not specify what portion of the video it ruled to be βfalse information,β who it consulted to make that ruling, and on what basis it was made.Stone replied to New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose on Twitter regarding the video:Stone then added that the platform would direct users who had interacted with the post to information on βmyths debunked by the WHO.βFacebookβs decision to censor the livestream was quickly followed by YouTube, the Google-owned video-sharing platform. The video had over 80,000 views on YouTube prior to its removal.Following Facebook and YouTubeβs removal of the video, Twitter followed suit, removing Breitbart Newsβs Periscope livestream of the press conference. Jack Dorseyβs platform also then limited the Breitbart News official account, indicating that tweets containing links to multiple stories about the press conference violate the platformβs COVID-19 policies.Are you an insider at Google, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, or any other tech company who wants to confidentially reveal wrongdoing or political bias at your company? Reach out to Allum Bokhari at his secure email address allumbokhari@protonmail.com.Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. His book #DELETED: Big Techβs Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election is out in September. | b8a9661421b34542 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
gun_control_and_gun_rights | ABC News | http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/boston-marathon-bombings-gun-control-push-continues/story?id=18969347#.UW2vxMrC2W8 | Gun-Control Push Continues After Boston Bombings | 2013-04-16 | Gun Control And Gun Rights | While the Boston Marathon bombings have put politics on hold for now in Washington , there 's no break for gun control legislation as supporters and families of victims from the worst mass shootings in recent history descend on Capitol Hill to make their case .
Lawmakers today honored Gabe Zimmerman , an aide to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords killed in the 2011 attack outside a supermarket in Tucson , Ariz .
This morning , a coalition of families of victims and survivors from the shootings in Newtown , Conn. ; Tucson , Ariz. ; and Virginia Tech arrived and observed a 32-second moment of silence at 9:38 a.m. , timed to the moment the shooting erupted on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg , Va. , six years ago .
The 32 seconds matched the number of people killed in that shooting .
Read more : Mother of Sandy Hook Victim Delivers White House Weekly Address
`` To see such violence continually occurring in this country and no action being taken on the federal level is frankly irresponsible and unacceptable , '' said Colin Goddard , who survived four gunshot wounds in the Virginia Tech attack and now lobbies with the Brady Campaign to Stop Gun Violence .
`` The survivors of all these tragedies and all of the gun violence that happens in our schools , in our homes , in our neighborhoods , in our towns and in our communities continues unabated , '' said Lori Haas , whose daughter also survived the Virginia Tech shooting .
The moment of silence dovetailed with a name reading of victims of gun violence since the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown , Conn. A group that has met with members of Congress to lobby for reform of laws surrounding gun ownership read names continually for more than 32 hours last Wednesday outside the Capitol . It resumed the reading Monday as the Senate returned from recess and again today . The group said it would continue the readings until lawmakers voted on gun-control legislation .
The families and survivors were joined by former Virginia Gov . Tim Kaine , who was in office at the time of the Virginia Tech shooting .
Read more : Background Checks for Gun Buyers Win More Backing
The Senate has cleared a gun-control bill for a vote , but even with the compromise reached on background checks last week between Sens . Joe Manchin , D-W.Va. , and Pat Toomey , R-Pa. , new gun-control measures face uncertain prospects in both the House and Senate .
The Senate bill is expected to include stiffer penalties for `` straw purchasers , '' an extension of background checks to include guns bought at gun shows and online , and a new requirement that all states enter criminal and mental-health records into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System , the national background-check database maintained by the FBI to screen gun buyers .
Senate Democrats , meanwhile , released a YouTube video revisiting the Virginia Tech shooting as part of the push for expanded background checks .
Capt . Mark Kelly , Giffords ' husband , was in Washington , D.C. , today to continue his meetings with lawmakers , to drum up support for the Senate 's gun-control bill and to attend the dedication of a commemorative plaque and room in the Capitol Visitors Center for Zimmerman , Giffords ' aide who was killed when Jared Loughner opened fire on Giffords and her constituents in a Tucson supermarket parking lot .
Watch more : Boston Reporter : Bombs Deliberately Planted for High Casualties
Gun control measures still stand a chance of passing , Kelly told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast this morning . Personal lobbying from gun-violence victims , he said , would be key .
`` When you meet face to face with somebody who recently lost their 6- or 7-year-old child in a classroom from a man who unloaded 150 rounds in about five minutes , it 's difficult to look that person in the face and say , 'Yeah , we 're not going to do anything about that , ' '' Kelly said .
`` The same goes for what happened to Gabby , '' Kelly continued . `` Six of her constituents were murdered , 12 were injured , she was nearly assassinated two and a half years ago at a grocery store doing her job , and what did Congress do ? What 'd they do ? They did n't do anything . ''
Next on Kelly 's list was Sen. Jeff Flake , R-Ariz. , who served with Giffords as a member of their state 's House delegation . Flake announced last night on his Facebook page that he would oppose the Manchin-Toomey compromise to expand background checks .
`` He is a friend of Gabby 's . I do n't think this is over with him , '' Kelly told reporters at this morning 's breakfast . `` When I explain to him in person why his concerns with this bill are unfounded , I think we can get him to come around . ''
If Flake votes against the bill , Kelly said his group , Americans for Responsible Solutions , would consider funding an opponent when Flake runs for re-election in 2018 .
`` Friendship is one thing , '' Kelly said . `` Saving people 's lives , especially first-graders ' , is another . '' | f023e66c6ea5afb2 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Newsmax (News) | http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/Florida-Early-Voting-Millions/2016/11/04/id/757098/ | Florida Early Voting Nears 5.3 Million | 2016-11-05 | Presidential Elections, Elections | Florida's early turnout could be good news to both Democrats and Republicans, as almost 5.3 million cast their ballots before Election Day.According to CBS News, 41 percent of active registered voters in the state have submitted their ballots, just under 5.3 million so far, up from 4.8 million in 2012.So far less than 2,000 votes separate the two major parties, while almost 1 million unaffiliated voters have cast a ballot as well.As of 5 a.m. this morning, 4.9 million votes had been cast according to Politico."The Republican Party of Florida is very pleased with the numbers we are seeing so far," state party chairman Blaise Ingoglia told The Tampa Bay Times in an email late Thursday."While we expect to continue to have the lead, the reality is, all we have to do is keep it close going into Election Day."Four years ago, Democrats held a slim margin over Republicans, 101,000 votes of 3.2 million. President Barack Obama won the state by less than 1 percent.Obama's 2008 Florida campaign director Steve Schale told Obama recently that Clinton would win the state based on early voting, the state's voter diversity, and the high number of women voters."I told him, 'It's not like she's going to win by a ton, but it's trending in a place where she wins,'" he told the Times. Schale predicts Clinton will beat Donald Trump by only 1 or 2 percentage points, and added that Democrats trailing Republicans in total votes cast so far can be an advantage: "I don't mind being down. Being down is a huge motivator." | 8a5798684689df6b | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
religion_and_faith | Salon | http://www.salon.com/2015/09/11/kim_davis_is_the_new_face_of_the_religious_right_angry_marginalized_and_increasingly_desperate_partner/ | Kim Davis is the new face of the religious right: Angry, marginalized and increasingly desperate | 2015-09-11 | Religious Freedom, Religion And Faith | The saga of Kim Davis , the Kentucky county clerk who went to jail for a weekend rather than sign off on same-sex marriage certificates , might seem like it β s a last gasp for the anti-gay right ; an attempt to eke out some kind of victory after having lost their two-decade fight against same-sex marriage . Unable to stop same-sex couples from marrying , Davis , along with a handful of anti-gay florists and bakers , strives instead to just make getting the license an embarrassing hassle . It β s childish sore loser behavior , the equivalent of a baseball player pouting in the dugout and refusing to shake hands with his opponent because he didn β t win the game .
Because of this , liberals can be forgiven for laughing and moving on , not particularly worried about Davis , whose temper tantrum isn β t even preventing the licenses from being issued any longer , as the judge authorized her deputies to hand them out . Unfortunately , though , Davis β s behavior isn β t just a bratty tantrum . This whole incident is also a sign of a troubling development in the religious right : As their cultural power declines in the face of growing diversity and liberalism , religious conservatives are embracing scary levels of radicalism . They don β t have the numbers anymore , so they are turning to scarier and more radical demands to seize power in any way that they can .
No doubt Davis is a comical figure whose self-righteousness is only equaled by her ignorance both of the text of the Bible she clings to and what it means to have a job as a government employee . But she β s being used by her legal team and other religious right leaders to spread the idea that religious conservatives are entitled to ignore -- or even overthrow -- democracy and seize power just because they feel like it .
Some supporters , like Ryan Anderson of the New York Times , are claiming that Davis wants an β accommodation β for her religious beliefs . This is , to put it bluntly , a lie . Davis was offered just such an accommodation and told that she doesn β t have to personally issue the licenses so long as her deputies were allowed to do so . She declined that compromise , insisting that she be able to actually prevent same-sex couples from getting licenses in her county altogether .
What Davis is asking for is not an accommodation at all , but for the right to declare , by fiat , that Rowan County , Kentucky , is a mini-theocracy not beholden to the laws of the land , but by the whims of Kim Davis . Her legal team wants you to see her as a sweet but faithful woman , but in fact she β s trying to pull a coup here , claiming that β God β s authority β -- read Kim Davis β s authority -- trumps our entire democratic system .
It β s not just her , either . Rena Lindevaldsen , who works for the Liberty Counsel , which is handling Davis β s case , has taken to boldly arguing that Christians have the right to overthrow the democratically elected government and simply impose their will by fiat . β Whether it 's zoning or taxes or marriage or abortion , in those issues , government does n't have authority to say that these things are appropriate because they 're contrary to Scripture , β Lindevaldsen recently argued in front of Liberty University . Which is to say that even though the government has declared abortion legal , if you decide you don β t want your neighbors getting abortions , you should be able to declare yourself a God-appointed authority and simply shut it down . If you don β t want to pay taxes , declare yourself a β sovereign citizen . β
Mike Huckabee has been at the frontlines of pushing the claim that Christian conservatives simply have the right to ignore or overturn democracy to impose their will , and not just because he β s been running around Kentucky , trying to get himself on camera as much as possible in support of Davis β s attempt to ban gay marriage by fiat . He β s also been using the campaign trail to argue that the president should be able to simply end rule of law and start ruling like a dictator .
He doesn β t just the word dictator , of course , but make no mistake , Huckabee has repeatedly and shamelessly promised that if he is elected president , he will start declaring his beliefs to be the law of the land without the cooperation of Congress . In a Google hangout , he laid out the scheme : Declare as president that there are β constitutional rights of the unborn β and simply ban abortion by fiat . He claimed a similar authority during the Republican debate , a moment that got startlingly little play even though it was literally a candidate for president arguing that he would make himself a dictator .
Despite his regular references to the constitution when making these proclamations , Huckabee β s scheme would mean voiding out the constitution , as well , and not just because , despite his claims to the contrary , there is not a single word in it that gives citizenship status to embryos . It β s also because his scheme would mean ending the balance of powers , concentrating all the power of the legislature and the courts into the hands of the president .
And once you believe that your interpretation of what God wants trumps rule of law , not just for yourself but for your neighbors , then it follows very quickly that you are entitled to use force and even violence to get your way .
Some religious right leaders are , in fact , making noises that sound very much like justifying the use of violent force in order to overturn the social progress brought upon the U.S. from the democratic system . β No one should want it and no one , myself included , does want it , β conservative pundit Erick Erickson argued in an op-ed about the Davis case . β But how much longer until we have another civil war ? β You can be forgiven for being skeptical of his claim not to want this , of course . On the contrary , it reads very much like a threat : Either give up the gains made under the democratic system or face violent overthrow by religious fanatics .
Huckabee plays the same game of fantasizing about violent struggle to overturn democracy while pretending to abhor violence . In his Google hangout , he said that he expected that banning abortion by fiat would likely result in β extraordinary pushback , and goodness , perhaps riots in the streets. β He β s not wrong that simply dissolving rule of law and declaring yourself the sole authority would likely result in people resisting , but he shrugged this off as merely the price of doing business .
To be clear , all these fantasies of governmental overthrow to stop gay couples from marrying will likely remain fantasies . The religious right is aging and losing numbers quickly . This is why they β re getting increasingly fanatical in their rhetoric , of course , but it also makes it hard to imagine they could really get it together to act out their fantasies of seizing power by force .
Still , this isn β t just talk . The Republicans are still beholden to the religious right in many ways . The fact that so many Republican candidates were afraid to defend the rule of law and denounce Davis for her actions is a troubling symptom of this . The Christian right may not be up to armed revolution , but they are increasingly demanding that Republicans turn their backs on the basic rules of democracy to cater to a theocratic minority . That Republicans are listening is a danger to us all . | 8b04c28aaaf71093 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
fbi | Townhall | https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2018/04/10/this-is-war-how-big-of-a-deal-is-the-fbi-raid-of-trumps-lawyers-home-and-office-n2469320 | 'This is War:' How Big of a Deal Are the FBI Raids Targeting Trump's Longtime Personal Lawyer? | 2018-04-10 | fbi | Last week , I explained why Robert Mueller 's alleged assurances to President Trump 's legal team that Trump is not a target of a criminal investigation was a fairly important development . I argued that it was n't sufficiently significant to serve as the basis for any claim that Trump is in the clear , as `` subjects '' can turn into `` targets '' rather quickly ; it was , however , significant enough to perhaps suggest that the Special Counsel probe was winding down and may not produce any blockbusters . Then came Monday 's bombshell events , which Katie wrote about here . On its face , the FBI simultaneously raiding the home and office and hotel room of Trump 's longtime close confidante and personal attorney seemed like a pretty big deal . How does one spin this as anything other than a major escalation ?
NEW : At the direction of the Manhattan U.S. Attorney 's office , federal agents executed search warrants on longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen on at least THREE locations : office , home AND hotel room https : //t.co/IPwBGV2BLh β erica orden ( @ eorden ) April 9 , 2018
Federal agents on Monday searched the office , home and Manhattan hotel room of President Donald Trump β s longtime lawyer , Michael Cohen , seizing communications between the lawyer and his clients that cover topics including payments to the former porn actress known as Stormy Daniels , according to a person familiar with the matter . The searches were executed at the direction of the Manhattan U.S. attorney β s office , which has opened an investigation that is being coordinated with the office of special counsel Robert Mueller , this person said ... Mr. Mueller β s team has for months asked witnesses about Mr. Cohen β s role during the campaign , according to people familiar with the matter . Their questions have focused on a number of episodes , including his efforts in the early months of Mr. Trump β s presidential campaign to have a Trump Tower built in Moscow .
Once the legal experts started weighing in , the gravity of this development quickly came into clearer focus : This was n't a marginally big deal , it was a very big deal . A former Assistant US Attorney with a large online following penned an indispensable post laying out the reasons why . In short , the political implications of these coordinated raids could not have been lost on anybody in the chain of command who signed off on them -- including DOJ brass and a federal judge -- yet a 'probable cause ' consensus emerged nonetheless , leading to Monday 's FBI operation ( emphasis original ) :
That 's just an excerpt from a longer piece , the link to which crashed intermittently yesterday afternoon and evening due to overwhelming interest and heavy traffic . Read the whole thing . Conservative legal writer Gabriel Malor also underscored the importance of the third bullet point in that passage . It 's really hard for authorities to get permission to seize privileged communications between a lawyer and his a client ( effectively treating the lawyer as part of a criminal conspiracy ) , and doing so requires a complex process of an independent committee vetting those communications for the purposes of the investigation . This situation is very much an exception to standard attorney-client privilege rules , and such exceptions are not granted lightly ( content warning , thanks to Malor 's colorful language ) :
Reminder : FBI would have had to convince a judge that an exception applies to get the warrant . β Gabriel Malor ( @ gabrielmalor ) April 9 , 2018
Allahpundit is also surely correct when he reasons that this can not just be about Stormy Daniels , her payoff , and a potential campaign finance violation . Mueller is very likely trying to flip Cohen , who knows a lot about his client 's dirty laundry -- perhaps more so than anyone in the world , including the client himself . The Special Counsel probably is n't too interested in porn stars , hush money , and FEC infractions . He is , however , reportedly keenly interested in Cohen 's work on behalf of Trump business interests in eastern Europe . The Wall Street Journal article highlighted above mentioned that angle , and this recent story from McClatchy delves deeper into the same subject . Meanwhile , former Bush White House spokesman Ari Fleischer , who 's read all of the legal eagles ' takes , wonders aloud if the feds had a warrant to monitor Cohen 's phone calls , too . Hmmm . As for the political side of this story , I think Trump-loathing conservative commentator Bill Kristol 's analysis on CNN yesterday afternoon sounds correct :
`` This is war . '' @ BillKristol thinks the FBI raiding Trump attorney Michael Cohen 's office `` shows that we are very close to the end game '' regarding special counsel Robert Mueller 's investigation https : //t.co/UiA4ob7HPZ pic.twitter.com/pNNNdagQ98 β The Lead CNN ( @ TheLeadCNN ) April 9 , 2018
The president 's reaction to this will almost assuredly be one of volcanic anger ( confirmed and confirmed ) , perhaps fueling his temptation to fire Mueller to an extent that we have n't previously seen -- including when he was allegedly maneuvering to do just that last summer . Mueller has a fairly broad charge in his investigation , so he 's got the authority to explore virtually any rabbit hole he sees fit . But he 's also a seasoned and professional operator , so he knows full well that straying too far from the central purpose of the probe ( Russia 's involvement in the 2016 election ) would be politically fraught and deeply controversial . He also knew Monday 's moves would trigger an explosive response and a massive firestorm . Would he have taken those major risks in pursuit of an off-topic fishing expedition ? Perhaps , in which case he 's putting his reputation and integrity in grave peril . But what should trouble Trump allies more than anything today is the likelihood that Mueller has some very specific and compelling reasons for helping to orchestrate the FBI 's moves against Cohen . This detail from Bloomberg strongly suggests that he does :
`` Mueller brought info re : Cohen to Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein , who decided that the matter should be handled by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York rather than by Mueller β s team , according to a person familiar with the matter '' https : //t.co/BMlxA3Pdev β Brad Thor ( @ BradThor ) April 9 , 2018
Mueller brought what he had on Cohen to Rod Rosenstein , the highest-ranking DOJ official on this particular totem pole , because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself . Rosenstein , a Trump appointee , made the relevant jurisdictional determinations that led to federal agents dramatically swarming into Michael Cohen 's life . If Kristol is right , and Mueller 's endgame is drawing near ( keep in mind that he must have had some of this in the works when he told White House lawyers that Trump himself was n't a target of his work ) , it may not be too long until we have a better idea of just how big of a deal yesterday 's news was . There 's no way to pretend that a combination of Mueller and the feds coming hard after Trump 's lawyer is anything but worrisome news for Trumpworld . But it still may not indicate that the president himself is in any legal jeopardy . Regardless , it looks like the administration 's crisis communications strategy in response to the Cohen news will be ... haphazard at best : | aF0RbdQCppQFNj8r | 2 | FBI | -0.3 | Donald Trump | -0.2 | Michael Cohen | 0.1 | Defense And Security | 0 | null | null |
white_house | New York Times - News | http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/us/braced-for-a-shift-in-congress-obama-is-setting-a-new-agenda.html?ref=politics | Braced for a Shift in Congress, Obama Is Setting a New Agenda | 2014-11-02 | white_house | A commonly cited model is President Ronald Reagan β s decision to enlist former Senator Howard Baker and a team including Kenneth Duberstein . β I just think you β ve got to take that risk and go outside your comfort zone of recycled Obama staff people , β the former Obama official said .
Some turnover is likely . John D. Podesta , the president β s counselor , has resisted requests to stay and is likely to leave after the State of the Union address to head Hillary Rodham Clinton β s presidential campaign . Longtime Obama aides exhausted after eight years of campaigning and governing , including confidants like Dan Pfeiffer and Benjamin J. Rhodes , have thought about whether to move on .
As the president β s advisers map out the next two years , they have focused on three broad categories : agenda items he can advance without Congress , legislation that might emerge from a newfound spirit of compromise with Republicans , and issues that Mr. Obama can promote even without hope of passage as a way to frame the party β s core beliefs heading into 2016 .
Beyond immigration , aides said , Mr. Obama is determined to use his power to push for more environmental rules to curb climate change , and they said new Democratic governors could give the president a chance to expand the reach of his health care program in states where Republican governors had resisted . But Mr. Obama has to weigh the consequences of provoking Republicans by using his power to bypass them if he wants to find compromises , too .
β The world is going to look one of several ways on Wednesday morning , β said a senior White House official , who described strategy on the condition of anonymity . β The challenge to date has been the Republican unwillingness to compromise . Will that change after Tuesday β s elections ? It β s too early to say . No one is naΓ―vely thinking that the dynamics are going to change easily . β
David Axelrod , a former adviser to Mr. Obama , said the president should make a fresh effort to work with the new Congress despite deep frustrations that led him to bypass legislators this year . β I really think he has to feel out what there β s a willingness to do , β he said . β What he can β t do and won β t do is put his feet up on the desk and cross days off the calendar . β | ssNEJ1bamzRSkDYJ | 0 | White House | 0 | Congress | 0 | Barack Obama | 0 | Politics | 0 | null | null |
trade | Politico | http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/senate-vote-trans-pacific-partnership-free-trade-pact-119302.html?hp=t1_r | Margin for error on decisive trade vote: 2 | 2015-06-22 | trade | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can afford to lose only three of the 14 pro-trade Democrats . Margin for error on decisive trade vote : 2 But backers believe they still have the upper hand ahead of Tuesday morning vote .
Trade proponents appear to have the momentum heading into Tuesday β s decisive Senate vote on President Barack Obama β s bid for expanded powers to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact . But the suspense rose Tuesday morning when Sen. Ted Cruz announced he is switching his vote against the trade legislation , giving backers an even smaller margin for error on what β s already expected to be a very close vote .
As of Monday evening , pro-trade Democrats were keeping their positions tightly held , but sources in both parties said the trade measure is likely to win the 60 votes needed to clear a filibuster by liberals . That would put the bill on course for Obama β s desk , after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner devised a complex procedural scheme to sidestep Democratic opposition in the House .
The Cruz switch means McConnell ( R-Ky. ) can now afford to lose only two of the 14 pro-trade Democrats who last month backed a package granting Obama β fast-track β trade authority and a companion measure to help workers who lose their jobs to free trade .
β TPA has become enmeshed in corrupt Washington backroom deal-making , along with serious concerns that it would open up the potential for sweeping changes in our laws that trade agreements typically do not include , β Cruz wrote in a column posted Tuesday on the conservative site Breitbart .
The Senate on Tuesday is voting only on so-called Trade Promotion Authority , not the workers aid program known as Trade Adjustment Assistance . That has some Democrats nervous about whether a separate effort to approve worker assistance will succeed , given that Republicans strongly oppose the program .
Organized by Sen. Maria Cantwell ( D-Wash. ) , who is threatening to vote no , a group of pro-trade Democrats huddled for a strategy session in the Capitol on Monday evening . Most emerged tight-lipped , but several Democrats said that the vote is likely to succeed on Tuesday morning .
β It β s probably going to get over the hump , β said Sen. Tim Kaine ( D-Va. ) .
Still , inside the private session , several senators raised the possibility that they might want something in return for their support . Some said they would press for a vote on the Export-Import Bank , which will expire at the end of the month unless Congress takes action .
A key Democratic architect of the trade legislation said he has work to do overnight to convince his colleagues to stay on board .
β I β ve got a lot to do tonight . I β ve been listening to my colleagues and I always get a lot out of it , β said Sen. Ron Wyden ( D-Ore. ) , who plans to vote yes on Tuesday . β There are number of areas that struck me as reasonable that they want to have pursued . β
McConnell is seeking to placate Democrats by locking in a vote on the worker-assistance bill to immediately follow the fast-track bill , tying TAA to a proposal intended to boost the economies of African nations . That goes beyond a verbal commitment that many Democrats said is not enough for them and assures that both pieces of legislation can clear the Senate if Democrats stand behind them .
So far , only a handful of Democrats have said explicitly that they will back the fast-track bill without the worker protections being directly attached : Sens . Bill Nelson of Florida , Dianne Feinstein of California , Wyden and Tom Carper of Delaware . Kaine is also leaning in favor . That β s an uptick from last week , when only Carper and Nelson were publicly committed to voting β yes . β
A spokeswoman for another pro-trade Democrat , Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland , would say only that Cardin preferred that the fast-track legislation and worker aid be tied together . Sen. Claire McCaskill ( D-Mo . ) said four times on Monday evening : β I β m not going to talk about it. β And pro-trade Sen. Jeanne Shaheen ( D-N.H. ) said until she is satisfied that all pieces of the trade package will pass , β I β m a β no β vote . β
β It β s the same issue . We want reassurance that TAA β¦ as well as the enforcement packages are gon na go as they were passed out of the Senate originally , β Shaheen said .
And then there β s Cantwell , who said in an interview last week that she would vote no on the package as currently constructed without stronger commitments from GOP leaders on TAA β s future . She declined to say what her position on was on Monday night , but a colleague described her as β very upset β with McConnell for not holding a binding vote on the Export-Import Bank before it expires at the end of the month . McConnell held a mostly symbolic vote on renewing the bank after he pledged to give it a vote during the Senate β s last go-round on trade .
β McConnell made a commitment also on another issue , Export-Import Bank , to Maria Cantwell , and did not keep it . But I can not imagine McConnell would go back on a commitment on TAA that he made to the president , β Nelson said . β She is very upset , still . And I don β t blame her . β
On Monday afternoon , McConnell made a personal pledge to shepherd the worker aid bill through the Senate . And despite the uncertainty , Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch ( R-Utah ) vowed Monday that he was β absolutely confident β that Republicans will help pass the worker-assistance program and follow through on their promise .
β There β s no question in my mind we β ll pass TAA , β Hatch said . β We β ve got to do that . We know that , even though we don β t like TAA . We know that β s the price of getting TPA through . β
McConnell β s chief vote counter , Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas , said he is β optimistic β that Congress can finish work on fast track this week .
β We did it before and as long as everybody votes the way they did last time , we β ll do it again , β Cornyn said in an interview Monday .
Pro-trade Democrats , clearly in the minority of their party on trade , have mostly dodged the issue publicly , seeking to avoid the tension between the business and liberal wings of the Democratic coalition . Labor and liberal groups are pressing the undeclared Democrats to rebuff the latest deal , arguing it β s worse than the package they voted for earlier . A coalition of dozens of trade opponents , including the Communications Workers of America , wrote senators on Monday , calling the trade legislation β destructive policy . β
Actor Mark Ruffalo joined the fray , too , saying Monday that the 12-nation trade deal would put β corporate profits above our climate , clean air and water protections. β And liberal senators such as Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) are privately lobbying their colleagues to vote β no . β
β I hope my colleagues vote against the legislation . I think the evidence is quite overwhelming that our past trade agreements have been a disaster for the American worker , β said Sanders , who is seeking the 2016 Democratic nomination for president .
Asked whether his side can win , Sanders was noncommittal : β We β re doing our best . I can β t predict . I β m not too good at that . β
Senate Democrats derailed the trade package in May as they sought to force votes on a customs-enforcement bill . A day later it was revived , winning passage before running into a roadblock in the House that required McConnell and Boehner to separate the key bills . TPA passed the House last week and could be sent to Obama for his signature as early as Wednesday if pro-trade Democrats remain on board .
Republican leaders said it made no sense for Senate Democrats to bring down TPA again , β unless they just want to cut the president off at the knees like Nancy Pelosi did , β Cornyn said . β That would be the only reason I could think of . β
If the Senate passes TPA , it will move swiftly to approve the worker β s-assistance bill as well as renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act and clear a new provision to help the domestic steel industry compete with overseas rivals . That latter provision is aimed at senators from the Rust Belt such as Republican Rob Portman of Ohio .
McConnell gave further assurances Monday to wavering Democrats , declaring that he wants to go to a conference committee with the House to resolve differing customs enforcement bills that have cleared both chambers .
Though the TPA vote is difficult for Democrats because of opposition from the party β s liberal wing , the drama surrounding trade assistance will shift to Republicans later this week . The GOP historically has opposed the TAA program , which means that GOP leaders may have to help muscle through the trade assistance package later this week if it is difficult to get 14 Republicans on board with the chamber β s 46 Democrats .
Uncertainty also hangs over the House , where Democrats voted against TAA two weeks ago in an effort to sink the entire trade package . Republicans are banking on them not doing so again , because fast-track will have already passed both chambers separately . But there is no guarantee . | X3RcQeZQoI4jnIwH | 0 | Trade | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
us_senate | The Flip Side | https://www.theflipside.io/archives/attorney-general-william-barr-testifies | Attorney General William Barr Testifies | us_senate | Some suggest that Congress β remove Trump from office , so that he can not abuse incumbency to subvert the electoral process , but let the American people make the judgment on whether or not he gets a second termβ¦ Removing Trump from office for the remainder of his term would disable him from abusing presidential power again and protect the integrity of the electoral process from inappropriate interference . At the same time , letting him run for a second term would permit the American electorate to decide whether Trump , despite his attempt to subvert the system , should have another chanceβ¦ Decoupling removal from disqualification lowers the stakes and changes the constitutional calculus . As long as Trump can run again , Republicans can not hide behind a claim that they are [ the ] ones protecting voter choice by opposing impeachment. β Edward B. Foley , Politico
Regarding the larger question of the attorney general β s powers over special counsel investigations , some note that β the special counsel regulations [ were ] produced in 1999 by Janet Reno β s Department of Justice under Bill Clinton β s administrationβ¦ For the drafters of the special counsel regulations then , the goal was to create a mechanism that would still allow investigation of the president , but would prevent future Starrs from going on what the Clinton administration perceived as witch hunts against future presidents . Putting the special counsel under the supervision of the attorney general was the centerpiece of the strategyβ¦ β Somehow , in the course of building up trust in Mueller over the last two years , many Democrats conveniently forgot that the regulations drafted by Democrats would allow the attorney general to minimize or even subvert Mueller β s findingsβ¦ Blame the regulations for Barr β s distortions β and fix them . Rest assured , there will be a next time. β Noah Feldman , Bloomberg
β There was a tortured exchange about the fact that , as Mueller details , Trump instructed then-White House Counsel Donald McGahn to have Mueller fired , and then when that was reported in the press , instructed McGahn to deny it publicly . The report even describes Trump insisting to McGahn that because he had not used the word β fire , β that meant he didn β t really tell McGahn to have Mueller fired , and that meant McGahn could publicly insist that Trump never told him to have Mueller fired . McGahn , perhaps realizing how absurd that was , refusedβ¦ As Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse ( D-R.I. ) later said about a separate matter , β That β s some masterful hairsplitting. β β Paul Waldman , Washington Post
β Barr 's Senate testimony on Wednesday was a master class in obfuscation , backtracking and blame-shiftingβ¦ When asked how a political campaign should react if approached by a foreign national offering dirt , Barr did n't give the only correct and sensible answer -- β run and call the FBI β -- but instead twisted himself in a pretzel , saying the person should first try to ascertain if the foreigner is an intel agent . And Barr pretended not to understand what basic words such as β receptive β and β suggest β mean , when Democrats had the nerve to use such β technical β terms. β Elie Honig , CNN
β For an institutionalist like Mr. Mueller , who never once spoke up to defend himself or his work from relentless attacks from the president and his Republican allies , the letter is an unusual ( and welcome ) breach of protocolβ¦ The regulations governing Mr. Mueller β s work call for a β confidential β report to the attorney general at the conclusion of the inquiry , which the attorney general may then release if he determined it β would be in the public interest. β That Mr. Mueller quoted from this regulatory language in his letter to Mr. Barr shows that he cares about rules , perhaps to a fault . But it also shows that Mr. Mueller sensed the urgency of his conclusions β and that he couldn β t sit idly by as the chief legal officer of the United States actively undermined them. β Editorial Board , New York Times
β The Barr memo was worded and released in such a way that implied Mueller had given Trump a pass on obstruction , a point which was picked up in news coverage of Barr β s description . When the Mueller report itself became public this month however , it became clear that Mueller had compiled a substantial obstruction case , leaving it to Congress to decide whether to pursue it . Barr β s release of the report β s findingsβ¦ went to great lengths to set a narrative that Trump was in the clear and give it time to congeal well before there was any information available to refute Trump β s barrage of self-exculpatory tweets. β Elliot Hannon , Slate
β Barr said on Wednesday that he felt releasing parts of the report piecemeal would simply confuse the public . But that same critique could be leveled even more powerfully at his own , misleading-by-omission summaryβ¦ Even if no specific sentence in the letter was wrong , it misleadingly downplayed the gravity and scope of the report , and misrepresented the thinking behind Mueller β s decision not to bring obstruction chargesβ¦ as a side-by-side comparison of Barr β s and Mueller β s words shows , the attorney general selectively quoted from the report , and took many of those quotations out of context . The result was , as Mueller noted , that the public was misled about the contents of the report. β David A. Graham , The Atlantic
The right defends Barr , arguing that concerns over his memo are irrelevant now that the entire report has been released , and that his previous statements were not false .
The right defends Barr , arguing that concerns over his memo are irrelevant now that the entire report has been released , and that his previous statements were not false .
β Mueller is a prosecutor employed by the Department of Justice to investigate actual and potential criminal activity and not an investigator employed by Congress to consider the case for impeachment . It was entirely fair for Barr to focus on the top-line legal conclusions in his initial statementβ¦ [ in any case ] within days , Barr released the entire report , with minimal material redactions . The American people have the opportunity to read every word , and so do members of Congress who may seek impeachment . β
β What are Democrats so upset about ? Is it that they lost a precious 25 days β from March 24 to April 18 β to spin Mueller β s findings to their liking ? β¦ [ Since Trump won the 2016 election , the narrative ] that he might be a Russian asset or may have conspired with Russia has been a near article of faith for the resistance . If Democrats can chastise Barr for spinning Mueller β s report for 24 days , then why can β t Republicans ask why Mueller didn β t end all the speculationabout a Trump-Russia conspiracy as soon as he found out it wasn β t true ? β
β The Democrats β perjury/contempt/impeachment slander against Barr is based on the fact that , in prior congressional testimony , Barr was asked whether Mueller agreed with Barr β s conclusions about the report , including that there was insufficient evidence to charge obstruction . Barr replied that he did not know whether Mueller agreed . Democrats now contend that Barr must have known Mueller disagreed because he had Mueller β s letter . But Mueller β s letter doesn β t say he disagreed with Barr β s conclusionβ¦ Mueller β s complaint is that Barr β did not fully capture the context β of Mueller β s magnum opus β the β nature and substance β of the reportβ¦
β Parsed carefully ( which you have to do with the special counsel β s Jesuitical work ) , Mueller is precisely not saying that Barr misrepresented his key findings . He is saying that he and the Clinton/Obama minions he recruited to staff the case wrote the report with a certain mood music in mind . To their chagrin , Barr gave us just the no-crime bottom line . β
β Read the supposedly damning exchange with Sen Chris Van Hollen.Barr is never asked whether Mueller is unhappy with his letter , just whether he β s unhappy with his conclusions , meaning his decision not to charge the president with obstructionβ¦ There β s another exchange with Rep . Charlie Crist that people are also focusing on . Barr is asked about anonymous officials from the Mueller probe telling the press they are unhappy with his summary letter . Barr , correctly , says he doesn β t know their discontents ( he presumably didn β t talk to any of them about this , and wouldn β t know anyway since they were anonymous ) . β
Moreover , β Mr . Barr told the Senate Wednesday that he offered Mr. Mueller the chance to review his four-page letter before sending it to Congress , but the special counsel declined . Mr. Mueller worked for Mr. Barr , and that was the proper time to offer suggestions or disagree . Instead , Mr. Mueller ducked that responsibility and then griped in an ex-post-facto letter that was conveniently leaked on the eve of Mr. Barr β s testimonyβ¦
β Democrats and the media are turning the AG into a villain for doing his duty and making the hard decisions that special counsel Robert Mueller abdicatedβ¦ This trashing of Bill Barr shows how frustrated and angry Democrats continue to be that the special counsel came up empty in his Russia collusion probe . He was supposed to be their fast-track to impeachment . Now they β re left trying to gin up an obstruction tale , but the probe wasn β t obstructed and there was no underlying crime . So they β re shouting and pounding the table against Bill Barr for acting like a real Attorney General . β
β Ultimately , both Attorney General Barr and Special Counsel Mueller have done the nation a service not just by clearing the President of collusion , but by returning the question of obstruction to Congress , where it belongsβ¦ Impeachment must be the only solution to Trump β s challenge to the constitutional order . The Constitution did not envision that the criminal justice system would address abuses of presidential powerβ¦ The Constitution makes Congress alone accountable for removing a President who abuses his office . β
Others note , β I β d hate to be a Democratic member of Congress trying to convince Joe Sixpack that this is a whole new ballgame . The transcript shows Trump being Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky trying to ingratiate himself with the big dog by , for instance , mentioning that he stays at Trump hotels . Trump β s conversation is typically scattershot , wandering all over the field , leaving a reasonable listener puzzled about what the takeaways are supposed to beβ¦ β β I think Joe Sixpack β s response is going to be a hearty shrug . After all that has emerged about Trump so far , his approval rating is closely tracking Obama β s approval at the same point in his presidency . To get Mr. Sixpack β s attention you are going to have to do better than this . β | Dqn036t7sM1i9uTS | 1 | US Senate | 0.3 | Politics | 0.2 | William Barr | -0.2 | Mueller Report | -0.2 | null | null | |
violence_in_america | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/29/freddie-gray-was-intentionally-trying-injure-himse/ | Freddie Gray was intentionally trying to injure himself, witness says | 2015-04-29 | violence_in_america | A fellow prisoner said Freddie Gray was banging against the walls of the Baltimore Police van that was transporting him and was deliberately seeking to hurt himself , The Washington Post reported .
Meanwhile on Wednesday night , a relative of one of the six officers who β ve been suspended in the case told CNN that she feared a railroading of the police to make a political point .
According to a police document obtained by The Post , the fellow prisoner couldn β t see Gray because of a metal partition .
But he could listen and he told police he heard Gray β banging against the walls β and could tell that he β was intentionally trying to injure himself . β
It isn β t clear how much other evidence backs up the prisoner β s account of the 30-minute van ride . The document was written by a Baltimore police investigator .
The possibility that Gray β s death could be the result of self-harm would be politically incendiary after more than a week of disturbances and a citywide curfew .
As a result , the police officer β s relative said she was suspicious of Baltimore β s political leadership .
β If they come out and tell the whole story , β she said of Baltimore β s politicians , β what do they do about the stuff that β had happened since Gray β s death .
β There β s been a riot , there β s a curfew β and it can not all be for naught , she told CNN on condition of appearing on-camera with her face blurred .
She called the case a possible example of β when something bad happens and nobody stands behind you , including the city you served . β
The Post only obtained the currently-sealed document β related to a search warrant in the case β on condition that the second prisoner not be named . He is currently in jail and fears retaliation , the Post reported .
Gray had been arrested 18 times and had two drug-related charges pending against him when he died . He had been convicted several times , with his longest sentence being a two-year jail stint .
On the day of his death , he saw cops patrolling a neighborhood known as a drug market and his lengthy rap sheet meant he was well-known to the cops who pursued him .
Gray was found unconscious in the van and died of spinal injuries a week later .
Since the April 19 death , the Gray case has become the latest national symbol for the issue of police misconduct and minority suspicions of police .
Marchers have repeatedly demanded β justice for Freddie , β calling the police killers and worse . Numerous community leaders have demanded indictments of the six officers who have been suspended in the case . | sxBQgZEasEtm80O2 | 2 | Baltimore Riots | -0.3 | Civil Rights | 0 | Violence In America | 0 | null | null | null | null |
middle_east | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/16/world/africa/algeria-attack/index.html?hpt=po_c2 | Islamists take foreign hostages in attack on Algerian oil field | 2013-01-16 | middle_east | Story highlights British national is dead , a spokesperson for Britain 's Foreign Office says
Americans are among the hostages , the U.S. State Department says
The In Amenas gas field is run jointly by BP , Statoil and Algeria 's Sonatrac
Islamists attacked a gas field in eastern Algeria , killing two people and seizing hostages , including Westerners , Algeria 's interior minister said Wednesday .
The incident may be linked to France 's military support for the government of nearby Mali , according to reports from the region .
The Westerners , accompanied by Algerian security forces , were en route to In Amenas Airport when they were attacked early in the morning by a group of no more than 20 people , the official , Diho Weld Qabliyeh , told Algerian state television . The security forces returned fire , and the attackers withdrew to the base of the petroleum operation , some 3 kilometers away , he said .
Upon arrival at the base , he continued , the attackers `` took in a number of Westerners and Algerians -- some people told us they were nine , some people told us 12 . ''
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Americans were among the hostages .
An Algerian and a Westerner were killed in the attack , and two other Westerners , two of the security forces and two guards from the base were wounded , Qabliyeh said .
A spokesperson for Britain 's Foreign Office , citing the Algerian government , said a British national was among the dead .
JUST WATCHED Rep. Royce : Use force to free hostages Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rep. Royce : Use force to free hostages 01:39
British Foreign Minister William Hague , speaking in Sydney , Australia , said the captives included `` a number of British nationals . ''
Hague said the Foreign Office had sent a `` rapid deployment team '' to Algiers to beef up staffing at the embassy .
Algerian military forces were surrounding the building holding the hostage-takers and the hostages , Qabliyeh said .
Late Wednesday , the hostage-takers released the Algerians they had been holding but continued holding the Westerners , Algerian state television reported .
The group has issued demands , but they elicited no response , Qabliyeh said . `` The authorities do not negotiate , no negotiations ; we have received their demands , but we did n't respond to them , '' he added .
A Mauritanian news agency , Al Akhbar , said the attackers demanded in a news release an end to `` brutal aggression on our people in Mali . ''
It cited `` blatant intervention of the French crusader forces in Mali '' and accused the world of having left Syria 's people `` groaning under the pressure of the butcher '' President Bashar al-Assad .
The news release said they chose to carry out the operation in Algeria because the country 's president , Abdelaziz Bouteflika , had allowed French military forces to cross Algerian air space in attacking Mali .
A U.S. official was skeptical . `` The level of planning suggests that this was in train before the French overflights ever took place , '' the official said . That view was echoed by another U.S. official , who told CNN 's Erin Burnett that , `` as of now , the attack appeared organized , '' not put together quickly or opportunistic .
The official said it was likely that the attackers had cited Algeria 's opening of its air space to French fighters as the reason for the attack to protect their operational methods and make the attack appear spontaneous .
The news release put the number of hostages at `` more than 40 , '' including seven Americans , two French , two British and a number of other Europeans .
An Islamist group claiming responsibility for the attack told the Mauritanian News Agency and Sahara Media that 41 `` Westerners including seven Americans , ( as well as ) French , British and Japanese citizens have been taken hostage . ''
But the real number of U.S. hostages could be as few as three , two U.S. officials said Wednesday .
The Algerian Press Service , citing a source from the provincial administration of Illizi , reported that `` a little more than 20 foreign nationals are held hostage . ''
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta , in Europe meeting with NATO allies , called the incident `` a terrorist attack . ''
Nine or 10 Americans were working at the site , and U.S. officials were trying to determine who had been abducted , a State Department official told CNN .
The source said the abductors were demanding that members of their group being held prisoner be released and sent to northern Mali . The official was not clear about where the prisoners were .
`` The first priority is to gain understanding of what is happening , '' a senior U.S. official with direct knowledge of the matter said . `` We are working on ways to improve that now . ''
The official added that a Special Operations team -- the Commanders In-extremis Force -- `` is on a very short string . ''
He said that `` another important piece will be for Libya to really lock down the nearby border on their side , '' so personnel and weapons can not get through .
A U.S. official said the capability existed `` to see the area '' around the facility and that the ability to monitor the situation will `` improve soon . ''
The CIF unit is prepared to move within four hours of being ordered to do so , a U.S. defense official told CNN . The official said that , before the hostage incident , the unit had been headed to Senegal , where it was to be on standby for missions in Mali , but that it may now move elsewhere .
A second U.S. official said that any operation would take time to unfold . `` This is not the type of mission that you plan and execute overnight , it 's just not , '' the official said . `` We do n't know specifically how many militants or hostages there are . But with so little information , if you 're talking dozens of militants and up to 40 hostages , I do n't see how you go in without killing half the hostages . ''
The second official said that Marine Corps ' Fleet Antiterrorism Security Teams would be deployed only to augment security at any nearby embassies . None is under threat . They would not be deployed for field operations in any rescue attempt , the official said .
The Pentagon 's Africa Command is taking the military lead on the matter , and the State Department and FBI are the lead agencies in contact with the Algerian government , a Defense official said .
The official said commanders have assets `` not too far away , '' including aircraft from the Air Force 's base in Aviano , Italy , and a Marine Corps FAST team in Sigonella , Italy .
Any action would need to be approved by Algeria , `` which is more than just a formality , '' the official said .
A spokesman for the group -- whose name means `` those who sign with blood '' -- said that jihadists controlled the plant .
Saying that the operation was an act of revenge against Algeria , the spokesman said 400 Algerian soldiers were on the site `` who have not been targeted by jihadists . ''
A spokesman for the Norwegian Prime Minister 's office told CNN that `` 13 Norwegians , all employees of Statoil , are involved in the incident at Amenas gas field in Algeria . ''
The UK Foreign Office said British nationals were caught up in the incident .
Ireland 's foreign minister said there were reports that an Irish citizen was involved ; the office of the French president refused comment on reports that French citizens were among the hostages .
Oil giant BP , which operates the In Amenas field in a joint venture with Sonatrac , the Algerian national oil company , and Norway 's Statoil , said it was attacked by `` unidentified armed people '' who were occupying the site .
Statoil Executive Vice President Lars Christian Bacher said 17 of its employees -- 13 of them Norwegian -- were in or around the facility at the time of the attack . `` We have received information that five of the 17 are brought to safety in a military camp in the area , '' he said in a statement .
Four are Norwegian and one is a Canadian resident ; two people were injured and have received medical treatment , he said .
The gas field lies about 60 kilometers west of the Libyan border and some 1,300 kilometers from the capital , Algiers , BP said .
The attack comes four days after Libyan , Algerian and Tunisian prime ministers reached security agreements during a summit in Libya , where they agreed to work together against terrorist threats .
In a statement , Rep. Ed Royce , R-California , called the attack `` the latest demonstration of a large and growing radical movement across North Africa '' and said the French `` have acted appropriately '' in intervening in Mali .
`` Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its offshoots have been conducting regular kidnappings for years -- financing much of its operations through ransoms , earning millions , '' the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said .
`` The network has planted deep roots in Europe . In recent years , cells have been broken up by authorities in France , Germany , Italy , Spain and Switzerland . In Mali , its brethren are imposing the strictest interpretation of Islamic law -- banning music and chopping off limbs . Large amounts of weapons are flowing into the region . '' | BHswZo7iccSDkcRP | 0 | Middle East | -1.8 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
national_defense | NPR Online News | https://www.npr.org/2019/03/08/701572155/u-s-air-force-secretary-heather-wilson-plans-to-resign | U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson Plans To Resign | 2019-03-08 | national_defense | U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said in a letter to President Trump that she plans to resign from her post effective in late May .
Wilson has been named as the sole finalist to be the next president of the University of Texas at El Paso , a position that the system 's regents will vote on after a state-required waiting period of 21 days . She said she will resign after getting the job .
`` It has been a privilege to serve alongside our Airmen over the past two years and I am proud of the progress that we have made restoring our nation 's defense , '' she wrote . `` We have improved the readiness of the force ; we have cut years out of acquisition schedules and gotten better prices through competition ; we have repealed hundreds of superfluous regulations ; and we have strengthened our ability to deter and dominate in space . ''
It is space β in particular Trump 's desire to a create a space force β that Pentagon sources say produced tensions between Wilson and the White House , who saw her as delaying the process . At the same time , Wilson was seen at one point as a contender to fill the role of secretary of defense . Patrick Shanahan , now the acting secretary of defense , has been more openly supportive of the idea of a space force .
In a memo last September , Wilson said creating a space force would cost about $ 13 billion over five years . `` The costs here are additive costs , '' she told Defense News . `` To stand up a department that 's responsible for recruiting and training and planning and programming and budgeting and all of the leadership requirements that a department has , it 's a major undertaking . It 's a bold idea . ''
Last month , the administration said the space force would be under the umbrella of the Air Force , at least temporarily . That was a shift from the `` separate but equal '' branch that Trump had initially proposed .
Wilson inherited an Air Force involved in numerous major airstrike campaigns . `` On many occasions , Wilson sounded the alarm about an overstretched Air Force β especially after years of sequestration-driven cuts β and worried that airmen were being asked to do much , '' Air Force Times reported . `` In a November 2017 press conference , Wilson and [ Chief of Staff Gen. ] Goldfein worried that repeated deployments were going to burn out airmen and could even break the force . ''
Wilson , who graduated from the Air Force Academy and was an Air Force officer during the Cold War , had been leading the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology when she was tapped for this position .
She 's a Republican and represented New Mexico in Congress from 1998 to 2009 . She ran twice for Senate , in 2008 and 2012 , and lost both times .
The University of Texas board of regents said in a statement that they unanimously voted in favor of Wilson on Friday .
`` Dr. Wilson 's broad experience in the highest levels of university leadership , and state and national governmentβ whether securing federal grant awards , advising our nation 's most important national research laboratories , raising philanthropic dollars or running large , dynamic organizations β will help ensure that UTEP continues its remarkable trajectory as a nationally recognized public research institution , '' Regents ' chairman Kevin Eltife said . | W2d2e87IRixRjwrV | 1 | Air Force | 1.2 | National Defense | 0.7 | Defense And Security | 0 | null | null | null | null |
social_security | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/20/tammy-bruce-politicians-should-sacrifice-save-soci/ | OPINION: Politicians should sacrifice to save Social Security | 2015-04-20 | social_security | When politicians insist on β reforming β some program they mismanaged and destroyed , they always turn to the average American and begin explaining the β sacrifice β we have to make in order to save it .
It never occurs to these people , the oh-so clubby , incredibly wealthy political elite , that they should be the first cadre to sacrifice financially for the β greater good β they keep telling us about .
Case in point : Social Security was back in the news last week when New Jersey Gov . ( and possible 2016 GOP presidential candidate ) Chris Christie bloviated about his commitment to telling people β hard truths β and then announced his ideas to β reform β Social Security .
Mr. Christie β s proposal involves raising the retirement age from 67 to 69 years of age , and establishing means-testing , which would limit benefits for retirees with an income of more than $ 80,000 a year and eliminate them entirely for anyone who makes over $ 200,000 a year .
The idea of a means test in itself implies that the government , and its caregiver politicians , can divine how much money every individual needs to live their lives . Or , even more dangerously , it would set the precedent that government will decide how much money you β need . β
Social Security needs reforming because , as USA Today reports , trustees in charge of the Social Security Trust Fund say it will run dry in 2033 . There is something that needs to be fixed : It β s a federal regime that is addicted to spending and fixated on reducing the average American to mere money generators for the federal machine .
The American people were sold on the lie that there β s a β Social Security Trust Fund β collecting the taxes paid for retirement benefits . Now we β re told we receive payments from a younger set of workers , paying as we go . Much like a classic pyramid scheme , you pay in and the feds use your taxes to pay someone else who got dragged into the scheme earlier than you . And now they sanctimoniously tell you how much you have to give up to keep the plot going .
The fact of the matter is each of us leads a different life . After the financial collapse of 2007-08 , brought to us by the same political bozos who are always trying to fix their financial disasters on our backs , Americans lost almost everything . We lost our homes . Mortgages were underwater . Retirement accounts were gone . Lives built for decades came crashing to a halt , with families and individuals losing most , if not everything , they had worked for all their lives .
And now politicians are declaring how much money is enough for you to make before they decide to take away Social Security benefits ? Not under our watch .
Wealth is relative , and none of us should enable the government to declare what it is that anyone needs , or doesn β t need , financially or otherwise . It β s that simple .
Fomenting a little perceived economic class warfare has always been the friend of tyrannical regimes . After all , it keeps you distracted from noticing there is another answer to solving a national financial problem : holding those responsible for it accountable .
If we are going to start means-testing to save Social Security from ruin , let β s start by having politicians and bureaucrats be the first to sacrifice . Let β s implement means-testing for the managers of the monster in Washington , and if they don β t fall under arbitrary level of income , then their pensions should be sent into an actual fund to save Social Security .
Politico reports former IRS official Lois Lerner , now infamous for taking the 5th Amendment in front of Congress , is receiving a $ 100,000 annual pension from the government . Shouldn β t we means-test Ms. Lerner ? All the senators we fired last year during the midterms are taking home healthy pensions as well . Kay Hagan , as an example , defeated in the midterm , will receive more than $ 1,000 every month for the rest of her life simply for serving one term in the U.S. Senate . Does she β need β that ? We should find out , no ?
McClatchy D.C. reports Democratic Rep. George Miller of California will be eligible for an annual pension of $ 125,500 . Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia will retire after 20 years , qualifying for a yearly pension of $ 53,000 .
The president of the United States receives a pension equal to the salary of Cabinet officials , which is currently $ 191,000 a year . Presidents these days leave the office wealthier than when they entered , and in β retirement β they make millions in the private sector . When Mr. Obama leaves office he will receive $ 191,000 every year for the rest of his life , after spending eight years destroying the nation financially .
And people wonder why we look funny at politicians who keep telling us we have to sacrifice for the greater good .
In the meantime , The βββ reported last week the Obama β administration has granted about 541,000 Social Security numbers to illegal immigrants under President Obama β s original 2012 deportation amnesty for Dreamers , officials told Congress in a letter made public β¦ . β
Yes , a brand-new level on the Social Security pyramid scheme is being ushered in . All so the feds can pretend big government and massive redistribution of wealth works just fine . Bernie Madoff would be proud .
β’ Tammy Bruce is a radio talk show host , author and Fox News contributor . | pDpudlGopXpjnaCN | 2 | Social Security | 0.2 | Economy And Jobs | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
gun_control_and_gun_rights | Salon | http://www.salon.com/2014/06/03/gun_nuts_aim_at_each_other_inside_nras_fight_with_open_carry_lunatics/ | Gun nuts aim at each other! Inside NRA?s fight with open-carry lunatics | 2014-06-03 | Gun Control And Gun Rights | There is no better manifestation of American gun culture gone off the deep end than when greater-than-zero people believe there 's nothing strange about openly wearing a semiautomatic rifle on a sling into a fast-food burrito line . It is strange . It 's downright weird and scary . Only the people who are n't scared by such a scene are the weird ones .
Even the National Rifle Association admits this . Those very descriptors -- `` strange , '' `` scary , '' `` downright weird '' -- are their very words , from a statement released last Friday .
Yet while unlicensed open carry of long guns is also typically legal in most places , it is a rare sight to see someone sidle up next to you in line for lunch with a 7.62 rifle slung across his chest , much less a whole gaggle of folks descending on the same public venue with similar arms . Let 's not mince words , not only is it rare , it 's downright weird and certainly not a practical way to go normally about your business while being prepared to defend yourself . To those who are not acquainted with the dubious practice of using public displays of firearms as a means to draw attention to oneself or one 's cause , it can be downright scary . It makes folks who might normally be perfectly open-minded about firearms feel uncomfortable and question the motives of pro-gun advocates .
What 's amusing , and revealing , about this lengthy , rambling statement is how it couches the sort of mockery you see above with lip service and sweet cooings to the pro-gun community and activists aligned with Open Carry Texas . The statement says `` we love AR-15s and AKs as much as anybody '' and praises Texas as `` second to none for its robust gun culture , '' an `` independent-minded and liberty-loving place . '' To wander into Chipotle with assault rifles is `` out of character for the big-hearted residents of Texas . Using guns merely to draw attention to yourself in public not only defies common sense , it shows a lack of consideration and manners . That 's not the Texas way . And that 's certainly not the NRA way . '' In sum , the National Rifle Association * LOVES * Texas , and guns , and does n't support any bans on the open carry of anything , or restrictions on any guns sold anywhere , but just wants these GLORIOUS HEROIC Texas activists to stop being counterproductive IDIOTS .
But it appears that the NRA still did n't manage to include quite enough compliments to the freedom-loving patriots who comprise Open Carry Texas . OCT released a statement of its own yesterday condemning the NRA as puppets of the liberal media and the nefarious Michael Bloomberg . Even worse was the sin of restating what OCT and fellow activist groups had already said ? How dare the liberal gun-grabbers at the NRA second their recommendation !
It is unfortunate that an organization that claims to be dedicated to the preservation of gun rights would attack another organization fighting so hard for those rights in Texas . The fact is that the NRA has n't been able to get open carry passed in Texas since the right was first taken away from us when Jim Crow laws were passed in the 1860s , making us one of only 5 states where it is still illegal . The NRA has refused to learn for themselves how Open Carry Texas ( OCT ) conducts itself other than what the liberal media and Bloomberg funded gun control extremists have falsely portrayed . The real ignorance in their statement is that it was completely unnecessary . OCT - along with Come And Take It Texas , Texas Carry and Gun Rights Across America - has already changed its methods and the whole world is aware of that . The more the NRA continues to divide its members by attacking some aspects of gun rights instead of supporting all gun rights , the more support it will lose . Already , OCT members are posting pictures of themselves cutting up their life membership cards . If they do not retract their disgusting and disrespectful comments , OCT will have no choice but to withdraw its full support of the NRA and establish relationships with other gun rights organizations that fight for ALL gun rights , instead of just paying them lip service the way the NRA appears to be doing . The NRA should have instead released a statement to the effect that it applauds our groups for coming together and finding new methods to promote safe and responsible open carry .
Indeed , OCT had already told its ranks to quit with the whole casually-wearing-assault-rifles-in-Chipotle thing . ( Not because there 's anything wrong with that , per se , but because it gives ammunition to the liberal enemy or whatever . ) Instead of welcoming the NRA 's support on this end , however , it felt that the statement was unfairly punching down . And so this devolves into a gun-night turf war . The OCT 's statement on Facebook is accompanied by an image of a cut-up NRA membership card .
They can fight over members all they want . ( And you , reader , are free to enjoy watching that spectacle . ) But both groups face the same basic problem : they 're trying to manage a culture , again , in which a not-insignificant number of people think it 's OK , or even politically useful , to openly carry `` long arms , '' as a group , into the local burrito chain restaurant . How are you supposed to maintain order and plot tactics in an organized fashion among these sort of people ? Because they seem like the sort of people who do n't want to follow orders from anyone . | 9e091ddf203b79ce | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
education | Associated Press | https://apnews.com/article/health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-75626804dd993775d292a6b450e13d01 | State mask bans face federal civil rights inquiries | 2021-08-30 | Education, Safety And Sanity During COVID-19 | The Education Department on Monday opened civil rights investigations into five Republican-led states that have banned or limited mask requirements in schools, saying the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions.The departmentβs Office for Civil Rights announced the investigations in letters to education chiefs in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah. Those states have issued varying prohibitions on mask requirements, which the office says could prevent some students from safely attending school.Education Secretary Miguel Cardona accused the states of βputting politics over the health and education of the students they took an oath to serve.ββThe department will fight to protect every studentβs right to access in-person learning safely,β Cardona said in a statement.It marks a sharp escalation in the Biden administrationβs battle with Republican states that say mask-wearing should be a personal choice. President Joe Biden last week asked Cardona to explore possible legal action, prompting the department to examine whether the policies could amount to civil rights violations.The states under investigation have adopted a range of policies that outlaw or curb mask mandates. A state law in Iowa forbids school boards from mandating mask wearing. In Tennessee, school mask mandates are permitted, but a recent executive order from Gov. Bill Lee allows families to opt out of them.Those policies conflict with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends universal mask wearing for students and teachers in the classroom. The CDC issued the guidance in light of the rapid spread of the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19.In announcing the investigations, the department said it will examine whether the policies violate a federal law protecting students with disabilities. Under that law, students with disabilities must be given access to a βfree appropriate public educationβ alongside their peers without disabilities.But states that outlaw mask mandates could be preventing schools from taking necessary steps to protect students with disabilities or medical conditions, the department said.In its letters, the department said itβs concerned that the states βmay be preventing schools from making individualized assessments about mask use so that students with disabilities can attend school and participate in school activities in person.βEducation Department investigations often end with voluntary agreements that remedy alleged violations. But if the agency concludes that states violated civil rights laws, it could issue sanctions as severe as a loss of federal education funding.The inquiries were launched at the departmentβs discretion and not in response to complaints from parents. But Cardona said he has heard from families who are concerned that state mask policies could put their children at risk.Some Republicans quickly denounced the investigations. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said individuals should be trusted to make the best decisions for themselves.βIowa was able to reopen schools safely and responsibly over a year ago. President Biden and his team know this, yet theyβve decided to pick a political fight with a handful of governors to distract from his own failures,β Reynolds said in a statement.A spokesperson for Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said that, βuntil every American citizen is safely out of Afghanistan, President Biden shouldnβt spend a single second harassing states like Oklahoma for protecting parentsβ rights to make health decisions for their kids.βBut Oklahomaβs education chief, who has said mask mandates should be an option, appeared to share the Education Departmentβs concerns. In a statement, State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said the state βis preventing schools from fulfilling their legal duty to protect and provide all students the opportunity to learn more safely in-person.βIn South Carolina, the stateβs top education official has similarly clashed with the governor over mask policies. A statement from the state education agency said Superintendent Molly Spearman has βrepeatedly imploredβ lawmakers to reconsider their ban on mask mandates.South Carolina education officials said they are sensitive to the lawβs effect on vulnerable students, and are βacutely aware of the difficult decisions many families are facing concerning a return to in-person instruction.βSome other states previously outlawed mask mandates, but the policies were overturned by courts or are not being enforced, including in Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Arizona. The Education Department has not opened investigations in those states but said it is watching closely and is prepared to take action.Masks have emerged as a major source of contention as the nationβs schools start a new school year during a surge in COVID-19 cases. Although most states let schools decide their own policies, some have taken firm stances for or against mandates.States including California, New York and Louisiana have issued statewide mask requirements inside schools, while Texas, Florida and others moved to prevent schools from requiring masks.In Florida, which had taken one of the toughest stances against mask mandates, a judge ruled Friday that schools are legally allowed to require masks. The judge overturned an order from Gov. Ron DeSantis that had barred such mandates, ruling that it was unconstitutional and cannot be enforced.Other states opposing mask mandates face similar legal challenges. In South Carolina, the American Civil Liberties Union last week filed a federal lawsuit over the stateβs policy forbidding mask mandates. The suit, filed on behalf of parents and disability rights groups, argues that the ban excludes vulnerable students from public schools.In Iowa, a mother of twin boys recently sued the state over its ban on school mask requirements. In her suit, Frances Parr said her children were set to start first grade this year, but she is now teaching them at home over fears about their safety.In the Des Moines school district, which has opposed the stateβs policy against mask mandates, officials were encouraged by the support from the federal government. The district is encouraging mask-wearing but is forbidden from requiring it.βIf our state government doesnβt change its position as the pandemic continues then hopefully the federal government will find a legal path that allows us to do more to keep our students and staff safe,β district spokesperson Phil Roeder said in a statement.___Associated Press writers Scott McFetridge and Ken Miller contributed to this story | 09f09bd09b1a5cfc | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
environment | Fox News | http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/08/last-year-left-heat-records-and-americans-deep-fried-temperatures-soared-off/ | Last year left heat records and Americans deep-fried; temperatures soared off the charts | 2013-01-08 | environment | A brutal combination of a widespread drought and a mostly absent winter pushed the average annual U.S. temperature last year up to 55.32 degrees Fahrenheit , the government announced Tuesday . That 's a full degree warmer than the old record set in 1998 .
Breaking temperature records by an entire degree is unprecedented , scientists say . Normally , records are broken by a tenth of a degree or so .
The National Climatic Data Center 's figures for the entire world wo n't come out until next week , but through the first 11 months of 2012 , the world was on pace to have its eighth warmest year on record .
Scientists say the U.S. heat is part global warming in action and natural weather variations . The drought that struck almost two-thirds of the nation and a La Nina weather event helped push temperatures higher , along with climate change from man-made greenhouse gas emissions , said Katharine Hayhoe , director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University . She said temperature increases are happening faster than scientists predicted .
`` These records do not occur like this in an unchanging climate , '' said Kevin Trenberth , head of climate analysis at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder , Colo. `` And they are costing many billions of dollars . ''
Last year was 3.2 degrees warmer than the average for the entire 20th century . Last July was the also the hottest month on record .
Nineteen states set yearly heat records in 2012 . Alaska , however , was cooler than average .
U.S. temperature records go back to 1895 and the yearly average is based on reports from more than 1,200 weather stations across the Lower 48 states .
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , the U.S. last year also had the second most weather extremes on record , behind 1998 . There were 11 different disasters that caused more than $ 1 billion in damage , including Superstorm Sandy and the drought , NOAA said .
The drought was the worst since the 1950s and slightly behind the dust bowl of the 1930s , meteorologists said . During a drought , the ground is so dry that there 's not enough moisture in the soil to evaporate into the atmosphere to cause rainfall . And that means hotter , drier air .
The last time the country had a record cold month was December 1983 .
`` A picture is emerging of a world with more extreme heat , '' said Andrew Dessler , a Texas A & M University climate scientist . `` Not every year will be hot , but when heat waves do occur , the heat will be more extreme . People need to begin to prepare for that future . '' | CHjJpg1dHPi12Nzh | 2 | Climate Change | -0.2 | Environment | 0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle_east | Daily Mail | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7546419/Trump-defends-Syria-pullout-Graham-says-ISIS-defeat-Trumps-biggest-lie.html | Syrian regime claims Turkey is ALREADY striking Kurdish targets as U.S. troops withdraw, Republican fury at 'betrayal' grows, and Donald Trump claims he has told Turkish leader: 'Any of our people get hurt - big trouble' | 2019-10-07 | middle_east | The regime of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad claimed Monday through state-run media that Turkey began launching aerial attacks across the border , as American troops are obeying President Donald Trump 's order to withdraw to the United States .
Trump defended his decision as unconfirmed reports of airstrikes blanketed Twitter , largely traceable back to unverified amateur video . Syrian government-run SANA TV called it 'Turkish aggression ' targeting the 'north-eastern countryside ' of Syria where some Kurdish forces are based .
Claims of airstrikes are likely to ramp up military tensions and benefit both Syria and Russia , which aim to be viewed as targets rather than aggressors . Turkey reportedly denied launching any aerial attacks near its border with Syria .
They will also inflame tensions between Trump and Republicans with a swathe of senior party figures including Mitch McConnell , Nikki Haley and Lindsey Graham breaking with the president for pulling U.S. troops out - with Mitt Romney calling it a 'betrayal . '
President Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that he had told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erogdan β presumably during a Sunday phone call β that there would be consequences if harm comes to the dozens of remaining American servicemen and women there .
He warned Erdogan : ' I do n't want anything bad to happen to our people ' during the troop withdrawal , and promised 'big trouble ' if casualties result .
Trump mainly washed his hands of the Syrian military quagmire , saying any resurgence of the ISIS terror army would no longer be America 's immediate concern .
Countries in what he said is 'not a friendly neighborhood ' will have to make do without the United States , Trump said after signing a trade agreement at the White House .
'Iran is an example . Hates ISIS , and ISIS hates Iran . Iraq , you know all about that . Turkey . Syria , ' he rattled off .
'Let them take care of it . Let them take care of it . We want to bring our troops back home . '
Donald Trump , pictured during a trade agreement signing in the Roosevelt Room of the White House , issued a stern defense on Monday of his decision to withdraw American forces from parts of northern Syria , a move that will make way for a Turkish invasion in the region and likely doom the Kurdish fighters who the U.S. has been aiding for years
Unconfirmed reports of Turkish airstrikes against Syrian border positions swirled online Monday but Turkey reportedly denied it was behind them and the footage has not been authenticated
Turkish armored vehicles carrying commandos moved toward the Syrian border on Monday after the U.S. announced it would no longer have a presence there
The area inhabited by Kurdish people straddles Turkey , Iraq , Syria , Iran and Armenia , and the area currently controlled by the Kurds crosses over Iraq and Syria . Turkey fears an independent Kurdish state would threaten its security
Trump said the explosive disassembly of the ISIS caliphate had left tens of thousands of people in custody including both soldiers and civilians , 'and we ca n't release them . '
' I told president Erdogan , 'It 's going to be your responsibility , ' he said of Turkey 's leader .
Across the Potomac , the Pentagon was gearing up for a potential blame game .
'The Department of Defense made clear to Turkey β as did the President β that we do not endorse a Turkish operation in Northern Syria , ' spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement . 'The U.S. Armed Forces will not support , or be involved in any such operation . '
Meanwhile Republican allies of the president lined up to express their outrage at the the result for Syria 's Kurdish minority who will soon find themselves trapped in a geographic squeeze without America 's continued backing .
'The Department of Defense made clear to Turkey β as did the President β that we do not endorse a Turkish operation in Northern Syria . The U.S. Armed Forces will not support , or be involved in any such operation Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman
'Now really , who is responsible ? It 's really Russia . It 's Turkey . It 's Iran . It 's Iraq . And it 's Syria . And anybody else in the neighborhood , ok ? We call it a neighborhood . It 's not a friendly neighborhood . 'But these countries should do it . '
Trump did n't foreclose the idea of bringing U.S. troops back into northern Syria , but warned that 'we 're 7000 miles away . '
'These ISIS people , whatever you want to call them β these people are right there , ' he said of nearby nations . And any Islamist resurgence would be 'right there , they 're touching many of those countries that I just named . '
Trump took incoming from his allies in Congress , including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called his pullout a 'retreat ' that 'would increase the risk that ISIS and other terrorist groups regroup . '
Trump 's Republican allies , one after another , condemned his decision . Some focused on potential harm to American interests in the Middle East . Others warned that the troop pullout could doom hundreds of thousands of Kurds to a Turkish genocide .
The president responded by warning the Turks not to test his 'great and unmatched wisdom ' and threatening to 'destroy ' the country 's economy if they did anything 'off limits ' β an apparent reference to the possibility of Turkey invading Kurdish territory in Syria .
Within hours Turkey was reportedly denying unverified video on Twitter suggesting that it may have launched airstrikes on the Syrian border .
McConnell was unmoved by Trump 's online justifications , saying senators still see a threat in Syria from the ISIS terror army and other sources of jihadist resurgence .
The President of the United States is in danger of losing the mandate of Heaven if he permits this to happen TV evangelist Pat Robertson
And ' [ a ] s we learned the hard way during the Obama Administration , ' McConnell added , 'American interests are best served by American leadership , not by retreat or withdrawal . '
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham , one of Trump 's closest friends in Congress , also blasted him in a tweet , calling the move ' a stain on America 's honor ' and ' a disaster in the making . '
'The biggest lie being told by the administration [ is ] that ISIS is defeated , ' Graham said on 'Fox & Friends , ' adding : 'The caliphate is destroyed but there are thousands of fighters over there . And no , the caliphate would not have been destroyed without the Kurds . '
'To say to the American people that ISIS has been destroyed in Syria is not true , ' he insisted .
Kurdish forces in Syria currently hold more than 10,000 ISIS fighters prisoner , and the move risks a resurgence of ISIS , Trump 's former envoy for the fight against the Islamist army , Brett McGurk , tweeted .
McConnell added his disapproval to that of Nikki Haley , Marco Rubio and a growing list of other presidential confidants . Even televangelist Pat Robertson , a longtime conservative voice among Bible-belt Christians , issued a televised slap .
Trump , he said , 'is now allowing the Christians and the Kurds to be massacred by the Turks . '
'The President of the United States is in danger of losing the mandate of Heaven if he permits this to happen , ' Robertson added
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( pictured Monday ) broke with the president on the Syria drawdown , calling it a 'retreat ' of the sort that Barack Obama showed was unwise . Lindsey Graham , one of Trump 's closest allies in Congress , blasted him : 'The biggest lie being told by the administration [ is ] that ISIS is defeated
The president insisted in social media posts that Turkey must take responsibility for ISIS captives that the U.S. has been holding , and warked that he could crush Turkey 's economy if the nation did 'anything that I , in my great and unmatched wisdom , consider to be off limits '
An American soldier sits atop an armored vehicle during a demonstration by Syrian Kurds against Turkish threats next to a base for the US-led international coalition on the outskirts of Ras al-Ain town in Syria 's Hasakeh province on Sunday , before U.S. forces started pulling back from Turkish border areas
A photograph taken on October 7 , 2019 shows a military base from which US forces pulled out in the town of Tel Arqam in Syria 's Hasakeh province near the Turkish border on October 6
Graham quickly challenged Trump 's great and unmatched wisdom , ' taunting him about being 'unwise ' by leaving the Kurds to die and letting ISIS get off the mat
Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley , a Trump appointee in that job , said that 'leaving [ Kurds ] to die is a big mistake '
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz , a former Trump election rival who hsa since warmed to the president , joined the pile-on with his own criticism on Monday
The president 's announcement sent shockwaves through the U.S. government , with officials telling Fox News that top officials at the Defense Department were 'completely blindsided ' and 'shocked ' by the order .
Trump reportedly said nothing to Turkey 's President Tayyip Erdogan about a planned withdrawal during a phone call between the two leaders on Sunday .
Photographs on Sunday of a U.S. military base in the Syrian border village of Tel Arqam showed a virtual ghost town , with American troops bugged out and clearing the way for Turks to invade .
By morning 's end he was mounting a full-throated defense on Twitter , saying his decision would disadvantage Russia and China , and emphasizing that he could order troops to return on short notice .
But Trump 's sudden decision to wash his hands of the troubled region left his political compatriots anxious .
'The Kurds were instrumental in our successful fight against ISIS in Syria . Leaving them to die is a big mistake , ' former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley tweeted .
Mitch McConnell 's statement on Trump 's Syria troop withdrawal 'In January , a supermajority of the U.S. Senate voted for an amendment that expressed bipartisan concern about the continuing threat posed by ISIS and Al Qaeda in Syria , appreciation of the long-term American security interests in Syria and the region , and support for a continued military presence in northeastern Syria . 'The conditions that produced that bipartisan vote still exist today . While the physical caliphate has been removed , ISIS and al Qaeda remain dangerous forces in Syria and the ongoing Syrian civil war poses significant security and humanitarian risks . ' A precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria would only benefit Russia , Iran , and the Assad regime . And it would increase the risk that ISIS and other terrorist groups regroup . ' I urge the President to exercise American leadership to keep together our multinational coalition to defeat ISIS and prevent significant conflict between our NATO ally Turkey and our local Syrian counterterrorism partners . Major new conflict between Turkey and our partners in Syria would seriously risk damaging Turkey β s ties to the United States and causing greater isolation for Turkey on the world stage . 'As we learned the hard way during the Obama Administration , American interests are best served by American leadership , not by retreat or withdrawal . '
'If reports about US retreat in # Syria are accurate , ' Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said in a tweet , 'the Trump administration has made a grave mistake that will have implications far beyond Syria . '
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on 'Fox & Friends ' that ' I want to make sure we keep our word for those who fight with us and help us , ' adding that , 'If you make a commitment and somebody is fighting with you . America should keep their word . '
One of the show β s hosts , Brian Kilmeade , asked McCarthy to try to intervene and 'call the president before it β s too late . '
Even Texas Sen. Ted Cruz took a shot at Trump on Twitter for leaving the Kurds in the lurch .
'Our enemies and rivals ( Iran , Russia , etc . ) don β t abandon their allies ; if we want allies to stand with America in the future , we shouldn β t either . Honorable nations stand by their friends , ' Cruz tweeted .
'It would also be DISGRACEFUL if we sat idly by while Turkey slaughters the Kurds , as public reports suggest that Turkish leader Erdogan explicitly told President Trump he intends to do . '
Hillary Clinton , the former secretary of state and failed 2016 presidential candidate , blasted Trump .
'Let us be clear : The president has sided with authoritarian leaders of Turkey and Russia over our loyal allies and America β s own interests , ' Clinton tweeted . 'His decision is a sickening betrayal both of the Kurds and his oath of office . '
Her own State Department , however , tweeted on her behalf in 2012 that President Tayyip Erdogan and # Turkey were 'strong stalwarts on behalf of the Syrian people . '
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney , who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2012 , aso said leaving the Kurds to twist in the wind would be a 'betrayal . '
Trump issued stern defense after stern defense of his decision on Monday , a move that will make way for a Turkish invasion in the region and endanger the Kurdish fighters who the U.S. has been aiding for years .
Erdogan announced the launch of his long-planned offensive on Monday . Trump dug in his heels after announcing the troop withdrawal .
' [ I ] f Turkey does anything that I , in my great and unmatched wisdom , consider to be off limits , I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey ( I β ve done before ! ) , ' he boasted .
'They must , with Europe and others , watch over the captured ISIS fighters and families . The U.S. has done far more than anyone could have ever expected , including the capture of 100 % of the ISIS Caliphate . It is time now for others in the region , some of great wealth , to protect their own territory . THE USA IS GREAT ! '
Trump had tweeted earlier that ' I was elected on getting out of these ridiculous endless wars , where our great Military functions as a policing operation to the benefit of people who don β t even like the USA . '
'The two most unhappy countries at this move are Russia & China , because they love seeing us bogged down , watching over a quagmire , & spending big dollars to do so . When I took over , our Military was totally depleted . Now it is stronger than ever before . The endless and ridiculous wars are ENDING ! We will be focused on the big picture , knowing we can always go back & BLAST ! '
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters gathered near the Syrian-Turkish border north of Aleppo on Monday as U.S. forces in northern Syria started pulling back from areas along the Turkish border ahead of a feared military invasion that Kurdish forces say would spark a jihadist resurgence
Sen. Marco Rubio , a Florida Republican , tweeted that Trump 's move could trigger a broader Middle East war
Sen. Graham tweeted that the president 's move 'will be a stain on America 's honor ' and 'is a disaster in the making '
President Trump played defense on Monday , pushing back against his critics by saying China and Russia will be unhappy with the result and emphasizing that the U.S. military can return to Syria at any time
Trump had in the early morning justified his decision in a five-part 247-word tweetstorm , framing it as part of a larger policy of pulling U.S. troops out of 'ridiculous Endless Wars ' and insisting that the ISIS caliphate is now '100 % ' defeated .
'WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT , AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN , the U.S. president wrote in allcaps .
He fumed at European allies ' refusal to accept the repatriation of their citizens who U.S. forces have captured as fighters for the ISIS terror army .
And he appeared unmoved by international concerns that a power vacuum will favor an ISIS resurgence and a Kurdish slaughter .
The move also left United Nations and European leaders aghast over fears of ethnic cleansing .
The UN warned Turkey not to allow a civilian massacre on the scale of the Bosnian war after the U.S. announced it would step aside and allow Erogdan to move his troops across the Syrian border .
Fears of chaos in refugee camps and Kurdish-controlled prisons followed .
Bosnian Serb troops slaughtered 8,000 Muslim men and boys in 1995 at Srebrenica during the Bosnian civil war .
Graham blasted Trump on Monday . 'The biggest lie being told by the administration [ is ] that ISIS is defeated , ' Graham said on 'Fox & Friends . '
Trump made his case for bugging out of Syria in a series of tweets that appeared to please no one on Monday morning
UN officials said they were 'preparing for the worst , ' where it was feared any new offensive from Ankara would lead to high civilian casualties and lead to mass displacement .
The move marks a major shift in U.S. policy , and effectively abandons the Kurds , who were Washington 's main ally in the years-old battle against ISIS .
Trump later defended his administration 's decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria , saying 'the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out . '
He said it was too costly to keep supporting U.S.-allied Kurdish-led forces in the region fighting the Islamic State .
'The Kurds fought with us , but were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so . They have been fighting Turkey for decades , ' Trump said in a series of tweets . Turkey , Europe , Syria , Iran , Iraq , Russia and the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out . '
Civilians must be spared in any Turkish military operation in northeast Syria , where the United Nations hopes that mass displacement and Srebrenica-like killings can be prevented , a senior UN aid official said .
It was feared the departure of the U.S. from the volatile border region could leave Turkey free to crush the Kurds , who hoped to forge their own state in the aftermath of the defeat of ISIS .
U.S. soldiers previously worked closely with Kurdish forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF ) , led by the YPG militia , in the battle to destroy Islamic State 's caliphate .
An abandoned checkpoint was seen in Tel Abyad in northern Syria as U.S. troops evacuated the border town on Monday
The White House released a statement Sunday , saying President Trump spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erogdan by telephone to discuss the plans for Turkey to invade Northern Syria ( both leaders pictured in June 2019 )
But Turkey considers the YPG to be a terrorist group and has long threatened to launch an assault on the Kurds as Ankara sees the group 's growing power along its border as a threat to its security .
The U.S. has already warned Kurdish fighters that they will not defend them from any Turkish attack , an unnamed American official has claimed .
Russian said Syria 's territorial integrity must be preserved , Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated hours after the announcement .
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF ) said they had been 'stabbed in the back ' by a surprise U.S. statement that U.S. forces would not be involved in a Turkish operation in northern Syria , the SDF said .
Turkey said it will not permit ISIS to return , amid fears its threatened offensive against a Kurdish militia in Syria could bolster the jihadists , a presidential spokesman said .
Speaking after a phone call with President Trump , Erdogan said that the operation could begin at any moment as Russia warned Syria 's territorial integrity must be preserved .
Following the announcement of Washington 's abrupt decision to stand aside , the UN has said it is 'preparing for the worst ' in the region , fearing an assault could send civilians fleeing .
Kurdish forces warned a Turkish invasion threatened to destabilise the area , causing chaos in SDF-controlled prisons and refugee camps packed with battle-hardened jihadists , meaning ISIS terror cells could reform if a 'security vacuum ' formed .
The pull-back of troops comes hours after the White House announced Ankara would soon move forward with its objective to create a 'safe zone ' in northern Syria and that U.S. soldiers will not support or be involved in it .
But there are fears a Turkish advance in to the volatile region will reverse years of work done to drive extremists out and allow ISIS to regroup .
The US-backed SDF that controls much of the northeast region along Turkey 's border , added it 'will not hesitate for a single moment ' to defend itself from an expected Turkish invasion and threatened 'all-out war on the entire border ' .
A U.S. official said American forces had evacuated two observation posts at Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ayn in northeast Syria , along the Turkish border . Other U.S. forces in the region were still in position for now , the official added .
Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria confirmed that U.S. forces had withdrawn from areas at the border with Turkey where a threatened Turkish offensive would hurt its war against ISIS and roll back five years of security achievements .
US military vehicles were seen driving northwards in northern Syria , ahead of an anticipated Turkish invasion of the region that the Kurds say will overturn five years of achievements in the battle against ISIS
A video posted by a Kurdish news agency showed a convoy of American armored vehicles apparently heading away from the border area of Tal Abyad .
Pictures also showed abandoned checkpoints in Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ayn after U.S. troops evacuated the border towns .
Erdogan spoke hours after the White House said U.S. forces in northeastern Syria will move aside and clear the way for an expected Turkish assault - essentially abandoning Kurdish fighters who fought alongside American forces in the years-long battle to defeat ISIS .
In a major shift in U.S. policy , the White House released a statement late on Sunday , saying President Trump spoke with Erogdan by telephone to discuss the plans and the U.S. will remove all of its forces from the 'immediate area ' .
The U.S. informed the commander of the Kurdish-led SDF forces in Syria on Monday morning that U.S. forces will not defend them from Turkish attacks anywhere , according to a source .
'Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operating into Northern Syria , ' the U.S. statement reads .
'The Unites States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation , and United States forces , having defeated the ISIS territorial `` Caliphate , '' will no longer be in the immediate area . '
The White House also confirmed that Turkey plans to take into custody all ISIS fighters captured over the past two years that European powers have refused to take in .
'The United States Government has pressed France , Germany , and other European nations , from which many captured ISIS fighters came , to take them back , but they did not want them and refused . '
'The United States will not hold them for what could be many years and great cost to the United States taxpayer . Turkey will now be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area capture over the past two years in the wake of the defeat of the territorial `` Caliphate '' by the United States . '
KURDS IN THE CROSSHAIRS AS SYRIAN CIVIL WAR AND TURKEY 'S INTERNAL STRIFE COLLIDE The move to pull U.S. troops out of Syria throws one of Middle East 's minority ethnic groups into the center of world attention . The Kurds have become a key U.S. ally since the 1991 Gulf War and in Syria have been key to the fight against ISIS . But they are also a group locked in domestic strife in Turkey , where they are the country 's largest single minority . Kurds have recorded in Middle Eastern history for as much as 5,000 years , although it was only by the early Muslim period - 800AD - that a defined ethnic group emerged , made up of Iranian tribes with a language related to Persian and kingdoms in modern day Iran , Iraq , Syria , Turkey , Armenia and further afield , including what is now Israel , Egypt , Saudi Arabia and Yemen and North Africa as far west as Tunisia . But as the Ottoman Empire progressively fell apart , its ethnic groups began to coalesce to demand their own nation-states , among them the Kurds whose first nationalist movement emerged in the 1880s in the form of an uprising in Van , now in Turkey . Concentrated geographically in what is now northern Iraq , far northern Syria , western Iran and most of all in eastern Turkey , calls emerged for a Kurdistan as the western powers - the UK , France and the U.S. - redrew the Middle East 's boundaries from 1918 but no united Kurdistan featured in the final map . Instead Turkey was set up with a substantial Kurdish minority in its east , and Iraq in its north , with Syria having a smaller one . In Turkey there were running rebellions and attempts to set up smaller Kurdistans - and by 1980 , the ethnic rift had become toxic , with the Kurdish language banned , and in response the Kurdistan Workers ' Party , the PKK , became a violent rebel group . Syrian Kurds gather around a U.S. armoured vehicle during a demonstration against Turkish threats next to a US-led international coalition base on the outskirts of Ras al-Ain town in Syria 's Hasakeh province near the Turkish Since then it has been a running sore in Turkish life , with a cycle of violence and repression in Kurdish areas . In Iraq , the Kurds became the sworn enemy of Saddam Hussein , because they were seen as disloyal to his regime . They were gassed in the 1980s and in 1991 , when the Gulf War ended with Saddam still in power , he started a vicious repression which caused a huge refugee crisis . After the Iraq War in 2003 , Iraqi Kurdistan became largely self-governing - and when Syria exploded into a civil war , a template for its Kurdish minority . The small Kurdish section of Syria has since 2014 become essentially self-governing , with backing from the U.S . But in Turkey , that has enraged the Edrogan government , who see a self-governing Syrian Kurdistan 's existence as helping the PKK at the least , and possibly even being a front for the group . The U.S. presence which at first backed up Kurdish groups fighting ISIS then turned to keeping the peace between those groups and Turkish forces on the border , and Turkish backed forces in the north-west of Syria . Now the Kurds in Syria face the possibility that they too will become part of the Kurds ' tragic history of repression .
Ankara said its planned 'safe zone ' in northern Syria could allow up to two million Syrian refugees to return .
The safe zone 'will serve two purposes : secure Turkey 's borders by eliminating terrorist elements and allow refugees to return to their homes , ' Kalin said .
He said Turkey had 'no interest in occupation or changing demographics . '
There are over 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey , the highest number in the world , which has become an increasing source of tension in the country .
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , a UK-based organisation that reports on the war , said U.S. forces had withdrawn from an area between the towns of Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ayn .
The SDF , led by the Kurdish YPG militia , said the Turkish invasion 'will have a great negative impact ' on the war against ISIS .
It said in a statement : 'Despite our efforts to avoid any military escalation with Turkey and the flexibility we have shown to move forward in establishing a mechanism for the security of the borders ... the American forces did not fulfill their commitments and withdrew their forces from the border areas with Turkey .
'Turkey is now preparing for an invasion operation of northern and eastern Syria , ' added the SDF , which with U.S. backing in recent years defeated Islamic State , across much of northern and eastern Syria .
The Turkish military operation 'will have a great negative impact on our war against the Daesh organisation and will destroy everything that has been achieved with regards to stability during the last years , ' it added .
In a statement the SDF said : 'The American forces did not abide by their commitments and withdrew their forces along the border with Turkey .
Asked about the White House comments , Erdogan said that both Turkey and the U.S. were working separately to see 'what steps can be taken ' so that foreign fighters in prison can be repatriated .
More than 1,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed in northeastern Syria but will no longer be present during the invasions .
The U.S. soldiers work closely with the Kurdish YPG , which leads the Syrian Democratic Forces in the regions .
Turkey is highly likely to wait until U.S. soldiers have withdrawn from northern Syria before launching an offensive , a senior Turkish official said .
He added that the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the planned area of operations could take one week and that Ankara was highly likely to wait for this in order to avoid 'any accident ' . | AlDPo9XqWiezc0om | 2 | Science | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
immigration | The Hill | http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/354481-trump-sends-congress-hardline-immigration-plan | Trump demands border wall funds for Dreamer proposal | 2017-10-08 | immigration | The White House on Sunday said it would seek more funds from Congress to finance building a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border , as well as the resources to hire thousands more immigration officers .
The Trump administration 's new `` immigration principles and policies '' call for a crackdown on border security , more resources to catch individuals residing in the country illegally and a merit-based system that limits chain migration to spouses and children .
The new demands would have to be met for President Trump to agree to legislation that would protect from deportation young immigrants who entered the country illegally as children . These recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program , often called `` Dreamers , '' have been the focal point of recent talks between Trump and Democratic leaders of Congress .
`` These findings outline reforms that must be included as part of any legislation addressing the status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) recipients , '' Trump said in a statement following the announcement of the proposal on Sunday . `` Without these reforms , illegal immigration and chain migration , which severely and unfairly burden American workers and taxpayers , will continue without end . ''
Trump announced the winding down of the DACA program last month but has expressed interest in a legislative fix .
The tough demands on enforcement may make it harder for the two sides to reach a deal , however , as Democrats were quick to criticize the White House announcement on Sunday .
The White House said in order to properly protect the nation 's borders , Congress must approve of the construction of a border wall to deter human and drug trafficking .
`` Success of border walls are undeniable from the perspective of their operators , '' U.S. Customs and Border Protection acting Deputy Commissioner Ronald Vitiello said Sunday .
The plan also takes a hard-line stance against unaccompanied minors who enter the country , advocating for the removal of the legal limitations , or what it calls β loopholes , β currently in place that prevent β unaccompanied alien children β from being deported from the U.S .
`` These loopholes in current law create a dramatic pull factor for additional illegal immigration and in recent years , there has been a significant increase in the apprehensions of [ unaccompanied alien children ] at our southern border . Therefore , the Administration proposes amending current law to ensure the expeditious return of UACs and family units , '' a press release stated .
Trump is also calling on Congress to reduce funding for so-called sanctuary cities that do not cooperate with federal authorities in enforcing immigration law . The proposal calls on Congress to cut funding from certain grants and agreements to punish the `` states and localities that refuse to cooperate with Federal authorities . ''
Additionally , the administration is advocating for a `` refugee ceiling '' that caps how many are let into the country to an unspecified `` appropriate level . ''
`` The refugee ceiling needs to be realigned with American priorities , '' the press release continued , pointing to the nation 's historically high average of resettling refugees compared to `` the rest of the world combined . ''
The plan suggests measures that allow for a swift deportation process once Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) or other authorities detect and catch those residing in the country illegally .
Administration officials also emphasized the need to change the immigration system from family-based to merit-based , a proposal made by Sens . Tom Cotton Thomas ( Tom ) Bryant CottonZuckerberg woos Washington critics during visit Zuckerberg to meet with lawmakers to discuss 'future internet regulation ' 2020 Democrats raise alarm about China 's intellectual property theft MORE ( R-Ark . ) and David Perdue ( R-Ga. ) in August .
That idea was panned by Democrats and many Republicans , because it also mandated a drastic cut in total immigration numbers .
The new demands represent a shift for the administration in that officials previously had signaled a willingness to not demand money for the wall , but money for border security instead . Now the administration is insisting on money for the wall .
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said the new principles aim to `` enforce our immigration laws , secure our border , and protect American communities across this country . ''
`` [ Department of Homeland Security ] frontline personnel identified many of the principles outlined today , including closing loopholes in our ability to enforce immigration laws and eliminating the magnets for illegal immigration , '' Duke said in a statement Sunday night , adding that she looks `` forward to working with Congress '' on the legislation and possible reforms .
Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson ( Jeff ) Beauregard SessionsLewandowski says he 's open to role defending Trump against impeachment Trump reignites court fight with Ninth Circuit pick Democrats press Nadler to hold Lewandowski in contempt MORE strongly praised Trump 's proposed measure , saying it will `` restore the rule of law to our immigration system , prioritize America 's safety and security , and end the lawlessness . ''
`` This plan will work . If followed it will produce an immigration system with integrity and one in which we can take pride . Perhaps the best result will be that unlawful attempts to enter will continue their dramatic decline , '' Sessions said in a statement .
Trump 's legislative director , Marc Short , stressed that DACA recipients are full-grown adults who are at a working age .
The White House sent a letter with the president 's immigration wish list to congressional leadership including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison ( Mitch ) Mitchell McConnellOvernight Defense : Dems subpoena Giuliani for Ukraine docs | DOJ says Trump contacted foreign countries over Russia inquiry | Top Armed Services Republican Thornberry to retire | Milley sworn in as top general βββ 's 12:30 Report : Trump steps up attacks on whistleblower , Schiff US sanctions Russian individuals for interference in 2018 elections MORE ( R-Ky. ) , Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Charles ( Chuck ) Ellis SchumerSchumer : Trump 's reported Russian meddling remarks among 'most disturbing things ' yet Senate Democrats say top NRA officials knew about Kremlin ties Office of Director of National Intelligence not planning to release whistleblower complaint MORE ( D-N.Y. ) , House Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanDemocrats hit Scalia over LGBTQ rights Three-way clash set to dominate Democratic debate Krystal Ball touts Sanders odds in Texas MORE ( R-Wis. ) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) as well as committee chairmen .
Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan called on Congress to address public safety threats affecting the U.S. and to honor the president 's request for funds to hire additional ICE officers .
The administration said many agencies weighed in to give policy recommendations in order to improve the immigration system including the Department of Justice , Department of Homeland Security , ICE , and U.S. Customs and Border Control . | R1GJ7nSVPiRp449z | 1 | White House | 0.3 | DACA | 0.1 | Immigration | -0.1 | null | null | null | null |
immigration | CNN (Web News) | http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/12/rubio-lays-out-proposal-to-modernize-immigration/?hpt=po_c2 | Rubio lays out proposal to 'modernize' immigration | 2013-01-12 | Immigration | ( CNN ) - Sen. Marco Rubio , R-Florida , is laying out elements of his proposal to reform the immigration system , which he pitches as much-needed modernization for the outdated system .
Rubio , who was elected in 2010 to his first U.S. Senate term , told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Saturday that his plan would include a permanent residency provision and a route to citizenship for those undocumented immigrants currently in the United States , but he stressed that the plan was β not blanket amnesty or a special pathway to citizenship . β
The crux of his plan is to meet the country β s economic needs , including expanding the skilled workforce and supporting agriculture , which has relied on undocumented immigrants .
β I do n't think that in the 21st century we can continue to have an immigration system where only 6.5 % of people who come here , come here based on labor and skill , β he said in the interview . β We have to move toward merit and skill-based immigration . ''
Rubio has previously spoken out in favor of immigration reform and said last summer he was drafting a GOP alternative to the DREAM Act proposals , which would provide some form of legal status to young people who were brought into the U.S. illegally but who seek higher education or military service .
He put his plans on hold in June as President Barack Obama announced he would suspend deportations on many of these young adults . Critics dismissed it as a political move in an election year .
In a December interview on NBC , Obama said he would work on immigration in the first year of his second term .
β I 've said that fixing our broken immigration system is a top priority . I will introduce legislation in the first year to get that done , β he said . β We can do it in a comprehensive way that the American people support . That 's something we should get done . β
Rubio β s proposal comes ahead of specifics from the president , whom he says has β not done a thing β on the issue . Perhaps , he said , Obama would work with him on this issue because β maybe he 's interested in his legacy . β
He supports increasing the caps for immigrants in both skilled and labor roles and allowing undocumented immigrants to β earn β a form of legal status . He also supports an e-verify database system which employers would be required to use to determine whether a potential hire is legally employable .
`` Here 's how I envision it , '' he told the Journal . `` They would have to come forward . They would have to undergo a background check . β¦ They would have to pay a fine , pay back taxes , maybe even do community service . They would have to prove they 've been here for an extended period of time . They understand some English and are assimilated . Then most of them would get legal status and be allowed to stay in this country . ''
The system would not only crack down on illegal immigration , but he says it would also benefit undocumented workers . `` When someone is [ undocumented ] they 're vulnerable to being exploited . ''
Besides being a solution to the immigration issue , Rubio says it is politically beneficial to his party . Obama won an overwhelming percentage of Latino and other minority voters .
`` The immigration issue is a gateway issue for Hispanics , no doubt about it , β he said . β No matter what your stance is on a number of other issues , if people somehow come to believe that you do n't like them or want them here , it 's difficult to get them to listen to anything else . '' | 19cc192371695c6c | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
state_department | Media Research Center | http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2016/05/31/bozell-graham-column-hillarys-self-inflicted-e-mail-mess | Bozell & Graham Column: Hillary's 'Self-Inflicted' E-Mail Mess | 2016-05-31 | state_department | Dana Milbank and Ruth Marcus are both Yale-educated reporters-turned-columnists at The Washington Post . They view the world through the same lens . This sometimes means they can write pretty much the same column . It also means they both have a huge blind spot when it comes to sympathizing with Hillary Clinton .
Last Sunday , both columnists wrote about the damaging report from the State Department β s Inspector General , which concluded that putting her State Department email on a private server was authorized by no one but the self-appointed queen herself . Even the network newscasts , so normally supportive of the presumptive Democratic nominee , subtly implied Mrs. Clinton β s self-defenses had been exposed as lies . But these two columnists concluded she was only guilty of a self-inflicted wound on her campaign .
Milbank β s column was headlined β Hunkered Hillary made things worse. β The pull quote from the Marcus column was β The greatest irony may be that the Clintonian urge for privacy produces the opposite of what she needs . β
Here β s the blind spot : Both think she doesn β t match Trump β s nickname β Crooked Hillary. β She β s just too scared of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy and overreaches . Her β instinctive caution β got the best of her .
Marcus protested this was just a dumb mistake , and a β massive failure of staff β that no one talked Hillary out of a private server . Milbank β s whole column can be boiled down to this rebuttal of Trump β s nickname : β This isn β t quite true : Though investigations into her activities have occupied much of the past 25 years , her accusers , on Whitewater to Benghazi , never really get the goods . β
These columnists speak negatively of Clinton β s β accusers , β the ones responsible for giving Hillary β scar tissue β with their β politically motivated attacks and endless investigations , β as Republican partisans . The silent omission in all of that is that neither of these journalists think it β s the job of the media to investigate and β get the goods β β to make her more transparent or accountable as a public servant .
The media are only assigned to call Republicans to account .
These journalists insist the Clintons should cooperate with investigators , but refuse to admit that more often than not , the β protective crouch β works for the Clintons . Their relentless lying and hiding/destroying evidence seems damaging when it β s fresh in the news , for a few hours .... and then the media go back to papering it over .
Take the Clinton Foundation . Imagine a Republican administration where a former president β s wife became Secretary of State , while he accepted huge donations from foreign countries seeking preferential treatment in Washington , DC . Would anyone ever think that would be permitted ?
But the liberal media just laid down on the job as the Clintons made a wink-wink arrangement with Obama that the Clinton Foundation would stop taking new foreign donations .... except from those countries that had previously donated to the foundation .... as long as they did n't increase their contributions . And why not look the other way ? The press has allowed the Obama administration to police itself since the start .
Even now , after reporters exposed how the Clinton Foundation broke these rules β as if the Clintons would follow rules β the networks offered just 27 minutes in all of 2015 to the massive conflicts of interest . This , from the people who offered 88 minutes of Chris Christie β s β Bridgegate β in two days . And in case you β re wondering how many minutes the networks have spent this year on the Clinton Foundation : Less than five minutes .
So why shouldn β t the Clintons continue lying and hiding evidence ? It β s not like the media want to violate their precious β urge for privacy. β After all , she β s only running for president . | vbsa3OrwxfKnaN8j | 2 | Politics | -0.8 | Entertainment | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/20/politics/2016-elections-republican-field-poll/index.html | As campaigns launch, CNN/ORC poll finds GOP field stays tight | 2015-04-20 | elections | Washington ( CNN ) With the ranks of declared 2016 presidential candidates growing , a new CNN/ORC poll finds the contests for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations solidifying around two key points : Hillary Clinton dominates everyone on the Democratic side , while no one has broken out of the pack on the Republican side .
The recent formal entries into the Republican race by Marco Rubio , Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have stirred up the GOP field somewhat , but still , no clear leader has emerged . The new poll finds Jeb Bush has held on to the top spot among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents , but Bush 's edge is slight and there are multiple contenders for the nomination who could overtake him with just a small increase in support at the same time that some previously strong contenders have faded .
Overall , 17 % of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents back Bush for the GOP nomination , while 12 % support Wisconsin Gov . Scott Walker . Paul and Rubio stand at 11 % each , with former Arkansas Gov . Mike Huckabee at 9 % and Cruz at 7 % . Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson and New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie , both of whom placed second in CNN/ORC polls as recently as last fall , are now well behind the leader at 4 % each .
Bush 's edge in the nomination contest extends across several attributes viewed as key to winning the presidency . He is most often named as the candidate with the right experience to be president ( 27 % ) , as the one with the best chance of beating the Democratic nominee in the general election next November ( 26 % ) and as the strongest leader in the large field of GOP contenders ( 21 % ) . He is also more often seen as the candidate with the clearest vision for the country 's future ( 19 % ) , who cares the most about people like you ( 18 % ) , and who most closely shares your values ( 19 % ) .
On one metric , however , Bush has an emerging challenger . While 18 % see Bush as the candidate who best represents the future of the Republican Party , the same share say fellow Floridian Rubio is the best representation of the GOP 's future . Paul , at 10 % , is the only other candidate in double digits on this question . | IhWfoRN27HD2fWlJ | 0 | Presidential Elections | 0.8 | Elections | 0.2 | Republican Party | 0 | null | null | null | null |
us_congress | Al Jazeera | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/turkey-rejects-resolution-armenian-genocide-191030054815944.html | 'Shameful': Turkey rejects US resolution on 'Armenian genocide' | us_congress | Turkey rejected the US House of Representatives ' official recognition of the `` Armenian genocide '' a century ago , warning it risks harming ties `` at an extremely fragile time '' for international and regional security .
In a landmark move on Tuesday , the House approved a resolution calling the early 20th-century killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks `` genocide '' . The chamber voted 405 to 11 in support of the measure .
`` The resolution which has apparently been drafted and issued for domestic consumption is devoid of any historical or legal basis , '' Turkey 's foreign ministry said in a statement after the vote .
`` The resolution itself is also not legally binding , '' the statement said .
`` As a meaningless political step , its sole addressees are the Armenian lobby and anti Turkey groups ... The debate on the events that occurred in 1915 belongs to the realm of history , not politics . ''
On Wednesday morning , Turkey summoned the US ambassador to the country over the resolution .
US politicians delivered a two-punch rebuke to Turkey on its national day , with the genocide measure passing alongside a bill that imposes sanctions over Ankara 's assault on Kurdish-controlled territory in northeastern Syria , which was made possible by the withdrawal of American troops .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was honoured to join her colleagues `` in solemn remembrance of one of the great atrocities of the 20th century : the systematic murder of more than 1.5 million Armenian men , women and children by the Ottoman Empire '' .
Previous efforts to pass similar legislation failed because of Turkish diplomatic opposition .
Although Turkey accepts that many Armenians died in ethnic fighting and deportations between 1915-17 during World War I , it has rejected the label of genocide .
Turkey says both Armenians and Turks died as a result of World War I , but contests the figures , putting the death toll in the hundreds of thousands .
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu condemned Tuesday 's vote , saying it was `` null and void '' .
`` Those whose projects were frustrated turn to antiquated resolutions . Circles believing that they will take revenge this way are mistaken . This shameful decision of those exploiting history in politics is null & void for our Government and people , '' Cavusoglu tweeted .
w/ # OperationPeaceSpring . Those whose projects were frustrated turn to antiquated resolutions.Circles believing that they will take revenge this way are mistaken.This shameful decision of those exploiting history in politics is null & void for our Government & people . β MevlΓΌt ΓavuΕoΔlu ( @ MevlutCavusoglu ) October 29 , 2019
In 2017 , newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump criticised the killings as `` one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century '' , but in keeping with long-standing US practice , he stopped short of using the word genocide .
Before being elected in 2008 , Trump 's predecessor Barack Obama had pledged to recognise the `` genocide '' , but ultimately did not do so during his two terms in office .
Armenia 's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hailed the House move , tweeting it was a `` bold step towards serving truth and historical # justice that also offers comfort to millions of descendants of the Armenian Genocide survivors '' .
The House also passed a bipartisan measure that imposes sanctions on senior Turkish officials involved in the decision to launch the country 's military campaign in Syria , and a Turkish bank with ties to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan .
It also requires the Trump administration to penalise Turkey 's procurement of a Russian-made missile-defence system known as the S-400 .
A similar sanctions bill was introduced in the US Senate , but no vote has been taken . | aKPQqtVcVrF6GuS6 | 0 | Turkey | -0.5 | Armenian Genocide | -0.1 | US Congress | -0.1 | Recep Tayyip Erdogan | -0.1 | World | 0 | |
coronavirus | CNN (Web News) | https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/health/us-coronavirus-wednesday/index.html | All states are partially reopen leaving Americans to weigh the risk of venturing out again | 2020-05-20 | coronavirus | ( CNN ) At Archie Moore 's Bar and Restaurant in Milford , Connecticut , it was a beautiful Wednesday , and the patio was a full as it could be .
Tables at the restaurant were 6 feet apart . There were single-use paper menus . Arrows told patrons which way to go in . Everyone needed a mask -- and if you did n't have one , the restaurant would give you one .
These are the new rules , put in place by Connecticut officials as the state joined others across the US in beginning its gradual reopening .
People still are n't allowed to dine inside , but this first little freedom made some locals happy .
One man told CNN he felt this was long overdue .
`` I understand the caution and everybody wants to be safe but sometimes some things are being taken to the extreme , '' he told CNN 's Brynn Gingras . `` And they just have to understand people ( who are ) trapped inside , they ca n't take it anymore . They 've got to get back out . ''
Now , as states start to roll back restrictions put in place during stay-at-home orders , the question remains : When will people feel safe to go out , and what are the risks ?
With only a handful of states showing significant improvement in infection rates , some experts caution it could be too soon .
As of Wednesday afternoon , at least 18 states had registered an upward trend in average daily cases -- a rise of at least 10 % -- over the previous seven days , according to an analysis of Johns Hopkins University data .
Only 17 states ' average daily cases dropped more than 10 % , while the rest were level or near level , the data showed .
More than 1.55 million people in the United States have tested positive for the virus and at least 93,406 have died , according to Johns Hopkins University .
`` The only thing that was keeping this very contagious virus in check was each of us keeping that physical distance , '' former Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said Tuesday . `` If we 're going to let people go to work and reopen , we are going to be introducing risk of some kind . The key is what are the steps we can take to reduce that risk as much as possible ? ''
States have moved at different paces as governors balance reopening their economies with keeping residents safe . Some states , including Georgia and Texas , rolled out aggressive reopening plans , while others have taken a more measured approach .
Alaska 's and Iowa 's governors said their states are ready to reopen most businesses Friday .
In Alaska , that means all businesses , houses of worship , libraries , museums and sporting activities can resume at 8 a.m. , Gov . Mike Dunleavy 's office said . Alaska has the fewest cases of all 50 states , has reported only single-digit new cases since mid-April and boasted no new cases Monday .
Alaskans are still encouraged to take precautions , such as distancing and wearing masks in crowds , and visitation will remain limited to prisons and senior centers , the governor 's office said .
Iowa Gov . Kim Reynolds intends to allow movie theaters , zoos , aquariums , museums and wedding venues reopen Friday , she said . Swimming pools will be allowed to open for laps and lessons as well . Bars can reopen May 28 , and school-sponsored activities , such as sports , can resume June 1 , she said .
Iowa tallied 212 new cases Tuesday , marking its third straight day of declining Covid-19 positives , according to state data . Its total cases have been on the decline for a week , the data shows .
Indiana , too , plans to move ahead with opening a large swath of its economy Friday , but with numerous restrictions , including : limiting social gatherings to 100 people , limiting dining rooms to 50 % capacity and stores to 75 % capacity , and omitting contact games , such as football and lacrosse , from the list of sports allowed to resume .
`` We 're still telling you to be overly cautious about surrounding yourself in an environment that could put you at risk , '' Gov . Eric Holcomb said .
New York , California and Pennsylvania are among states that are allowing locales reporting declines in new cases to reopen as other areas remain closed .
Many cities also remain under stay-at-home orders . In Baltimore , gatherings of more than 10 people are still prohibited and retail stores remain closed
In New York City , officials report some positive indicators , though the number of people admitted to hospitals with suspected cases of Covid-19 ticked up slightly Monday , from 57 in a day to 63 .
`` It 's a good day . We want to have great days , though , '' Mayor Bill de Blasio said , also sharing the positive news that the city had enough personal protection equipment to last through May and will begin working on building a surplus of PPE and ventilators .
Last month , the White House issued guidance to help states plan for reopening , but the measures were not mandatory and governors were left to make their own decisions .
Experts have warned that lifting restrictions prematurely may mean thousands more Americans will die in a second spike in cases .
The responsibility lies with individuals to adhere to guidelines , practice safe social distancing and adopt habits to keep themselves and loved ones safe .
Almost two-thirds of a record number of new case reports in the past 24 hours came from just four countries , including the United States , the World Health Organization said Wednesday .
Tedros Adhanom-Ghebreyesus , director-general of the WHO , said there were 106,000 cases reported in 24 hours , the most in one day since the pandemic began last year .
`` We still have a long way to go in this pandemic , '' Tedros said .
Brazil , India , Russia , and the United States had two-thirds of the new cases reported , WHO infectious disease epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove wrote in an email to CNN .
According to the US Census Bureau , the four are among the 10 top most populous countries in the world -- Brazil , No . 7 ; India , No . 2 ; Russia , No . 9 and US , No . 3 .
Because there are delays in reporting , the number does not mean 106,000 people were infected , tested or counted in the past 24 hours , but that the results were compiled by the WHO in that time . | OGNbd89Mq8vUGmUE | 0 | Public Health | 0.3 | Coronavirus | 0.3 | Role Of Government | 0 | null | null | null | null |
white_house | BBC News | http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43020821 | Donald Trump: Lives are being 'destroyed' by allegations | 2018-02-11 | White House, Sexual Harassment, Politics | President Donald Trump says lives are being `` destroyed by mere allegation '' after two White House aides quit amid accusations of domestic abuse .
`` There is no recovery for someone falsely accused , '' Mr Trump tweeted .
This week saw the departure of White House speechwriter David Sorensen and staff secretary Rob Porter .
The White House has been criticised for its handling of the allegations and Mr Trump 's comments quickly drew scorn .
His remarks also come amid a worldwide debate over sexual harassment and the abuse of power .
In his tweet , Mr Trump did not mention either man , but warned allegations could result in a person 's `` life and career gone '' .
Among those to react with anger was Democratic Senator Patty Murray , who responded by saying that women 's lives were affected every day by sexual violence and harassment .
`` I 'm going to keep standing with them , and trusting them , even if the president wo n't , '' she said .
Democratic Congresswoman Jackie Speier tweeted that Mr Trump 's comments were `` offensive '' .
Some commentators objected to his reference to due process , for example pointing to his promotion of a conspiracy theory about former President Barack Obama 's nationality .
Mr Sorensen has been accused by his former wife of being violent and emotionally abusive , while Mr Porter faces allegations of domestic abuse involving two ex-wives .
Mr Trump , who paid tribute to Mr Porter on Friday during a press conference in which he told people to `` remember that he said that he 's innocent '' , has himself been accused of sexual misconduct , something he has strongly denied .
The president has also supported others who have faced abuse allegations , including Alabama Republican Roy Moore , who ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate .
Sexual misconduct claims have hit a growing list of influential men around the world after a flurry of allegations were made against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein .
The # MeToo hashtag also went viral last year as more and more women shared their harassment experiences online . | 8a1ebb7a62205bc4 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/2016/04/07/473428472/bill-clinton-gets-into-heated-exchange-with-black-lives-matter-protester | Bill Clinton Gets Into Heated Exchange With Black Lives Matter Protester | 2016-04-07 | elections | Bill Clinton Gets Into Heated Exchange With Black Lives Matter Protester
. @ BillClinton to protesters : You 're `` defending the people who kill the lives you say matter '' https : //t.co/3900s5sWFP https : //t.co/SQtQnx8w7n β ABC News Politics ( @ ABCPolitics ) April 7 , 2016
This post has been updated at 10 a.m . ET , April 8
In a prolonged exchange Thursday afternoon , former President Bill Clinton forcefully defended his 1994 crime bill to Black Lives Matter protesters in the crowd at a Hillary Clinton campaign event .
He said the bill lowered the country 's crime rate , which benefited African-Americans , achieved bipartisan support , and diversified the police force . He then addressed a protester 's sign , saying :
`` I do n't know how you would characterize the gang leaders who got 13-year-old kids hopped up on crack and sent them out onto the street to murder other African-American children , '' Clinton said , addressing a protester who appeared to interrupt him repeatedly . `` Maybe you thought they were good citizens .... You are defending the people who kill the lives you say matter . Tell the truth . You are defending the people who cause young people to go out and take guns . ''
The Clintons have faced criticism from BLM activists and younger black voters for months now over that bill , which they say put an unfairly high number of black Americans in prison for nonviolent offenses .
After a protester interrupted him repeatedly , Bill Clinton began to take on that critique directly , making the claim that his crime bill was being given a bad rap .
`` Here 's what happened , '' Clinton said . `` Let 's just tell the whole story . ''
`` I had an assault weapons ban in it [ the crime bill ] . I had money for inner-city kids , for out of school activities . We had 110,000 police officers so we could keep people on the street , not in these military vehicles , and the police would look like the people they were policing . We did all that . And [ Joe ] Biden [ then senator and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee ] said , you ca n't pass this bill , the Republicans will kill it , if you do n't put more sentencing in it . ''
`` I talked to a lot of African-American groups , '' Clinton continued . `` They thought black lives matter . They said take this bill , because our kids are being shot in the street by gangs . We have 13-year-old kids planning their own funerals . ''
Throughout the spirited defense of his policy , Clinton continued to be interrupted , and he repeatedly seemed to single out one protester .
`` She does n't wan na hear any of that , '' Clinton said to the protester . `` You know what else she does n't want to hear ? Because of that bill , we have a 25-year low in crime , a 33-year low in murder rate . And because of that and the background check law , we had a 46-year low in the deaths of people by gun violence , and who do you think those lives were ? That mattered ? Whose lives were saved that mattered ? ''
For several minutes , the discussion of the crime bill , Clinton 's exchange with the protester and the crowd 's attempts to yell and chant over her were missing one thing : any mention of Hillary Clinton , the one Clinton running for president this election cycle .
Bill Clinton did finally address her . `` Hillary did n't vote for that bill , because she was n't in the Senate , '' Clinton said . `` She was spending her time trying to get health care for poor kids [ referencing her advocacy for the Children 's Health Insurance Program ] . Who were they ? And their lives mattered . And her opponent [ Bernie Sanders ] did vote for it . But I do n't blame him either ... There were enough Republicans in the Senate to kill this bill , and nobody wanted it to die . That 's what happened . ''
`` But she [ Hillary Clinton ] was the first candidate , the first one to say let 's get these people who did nonviolent offenses out of prison , '' Clinton continued . `` And guess what ? A lot of Republicans agreed . They know they made a mistake . ''
Clinton went on to further defend his administration , referencing the financial crisis : `` It reminds me of when the Republicans try to blame me for the financial meltdown . ''
He turned back to his wife and said : `` This election is about the future . They 're trying to blame her for something she did n't do . So I 'll tell you another story about a place where Black Lives Matter ? Africa . '' The former president went on to speak of his wife 's work fighting AIDS in Africa while secretary of state .
Late Thursday night , NPR spoke with Philadelphia resident Erica Mines , one of the protesters at the Bill Clinton event .
`` I 'm not mad at Bill Clinton , '' Mines said . `` I 'm not mad at him as a person , he 's a human being . But his politics are very wrong . ''
She said of her actions yesterday , `` I do n't necessarily like the term protest , because that 's not what we planned to do , '' Mines said . `` We did plan to express ourselves freely . ''
Mines said after Hillary Clinton supporters in the crowd began interacting with her the situation became tense and words were exchanged , leading to the escalation captured on camera .
Mines said in the moment she was not focused on Clinton 's responses to her , but after the event she read up on exactly what he said . Still , Mines says her mind was not changed . `` I still feel the same way about Bill Clinton ... He completely beat around the bush . '' She continued , `` Whatever policies and platform that she 's [ Hillary Clinton ] running on now , [ Bill ] Clinton is definitely a part of that . ''
`` Bill Clinton is a politician , '' Mines continued . `` He did his job , which was to counteract anyone who wants to talk to him or point out the truth about exactly what he did to affect our community . '' | Q5pR2IdhxQUClNOQ | 1 | Black Lives Matter | -0.2 | Bill Clinton | -0.1 | Presidential Elections | 0 | Elections | 0 | null | null |
politics | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/31/politics/message-control/index.html | Changing the subject: GOP resists White House effort to control message | 2013-05-31 | politics | Story highlights In midst of controversies , Obama pushes Congress on student loans
When President Barack Obama headed to the Jersey Shore this week to tout the recovery effort from Superstorm Sandy , congressional Republicans sought to keep the nation 's focus on Washington .
On the same day Obama played `` Touchdown Fever '' with New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie on the Point Pleasant boardwalk and urged Americans to come spend money in the devastated region , House GOP committee leaders ensured that a series of controversies dominating the start of the president 's second term remained in the headlines .
Obama quoted from the Tom Waits song `` Jersey Girl '' popularized by local hero Bruce Springsteen , while GOP officials announced subpoenas of State Department records involving last year 's deadly Benghazi terrorist attack , questioned if Attorney General Eric Holder lied to Congress about cracking down on journalists and announced another congressional hearing on IRS targeting of conservative groups .
And on Friday , Obama stood in the Rose Garden to push Congress to extend student loan rates that are set to double on July 1 if the White House and Republicans ca n't strike a deal .
It 's all part of a high-stakes showdown over political messaging , with the White House trying to shift the focus from the controversies that Republicans seek to emphasize in their efforts to retain their House majority and perhaps win control of the Senate in next year 's congressional elections .
`` Voters react against what they perceive to be excess and overkill , '' said Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway , who noted that recent polls show the public believes one of the current controversies -- the IRS targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status -- amounted to government overreach .
`` Any political party that overreaches usually gets slapped back by the public , '' she added , referring to losses suffered by parties in power in mid-term elections in 1994 , 2006 and 2010 .
The GOP narrative depicts a government gone wild , with party leaders and strategists accusing the Obama administration of routinely abusing its powers . To bolster their argument , they lump the three controversies together in an effort to create a sweeping example of leaders avoiding accountability and responsibility .
`` Benghazi . The IRS . AP phone records . The failures for which Barack Obama will be remembered are not just those of one man or one administration , '' Republican strategist Alex Castellanos , a CNN contributor , recently wrote in an opinion piece . `` They are the failures of an old idea -- that big , old , dumb , top-down , factory style government can manage the complexities of modern times . ''
Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin , the 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee , complained of `` an arrogant abuse of power '' by the president .
`` Now in his second term , now that he 's implementing his agenda , we are seeing big government in practice , '' the House Budget Committee chairman said Wednesday on Fox .
Asked if the controversies would bring Republican victories in next year 's congressional elections to take control of the Senate while retaining their majority in the House , Ryan said it was `` just way too premature to make a comment like that . ''
For his part , Obama seemed to acknowledge his political troubles at a fundraiser on Wednesday night in Chicago , telling supporters that `` sometimes we take a bad turn , sometimes we make mistakes . ''
At the same time , the president complained of `` obstructionism for the sake of obstructionism '' by political foes who appeared interested `` only in scoring political points or placating a base , as opposed to trying to advance the interests of the American people . ''
JUST WATCHED Gov . Christie schools Obama in football Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Gov . Christie schools Obama in football 01:30
`` We 've got to figure out a way to work around that , '' he continued , declaring that the solution would be for Democrats to regain majority control in the House next year .
Obama 's schedule this week demonstrated how the White House took a `` business as usual '' approach that emphasized low-risk issues for the president , such as Tuesday 's visit to New Jersey for a bipartisan review of recovery efforts with Christie , a leading Republican .
The joint appearance benefited both men by portraying them as reasonable leaders able to work with political foes on major issues such as responding to a crisis like last year 's storm .
Other events on the president 's agenda included two Chicago fundraisers and remarks at an Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration at the White House , all following last week 's major speech on security issues including U.S. drone policy and closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility that houses terror suspects .
Despite the White House efforts to shift the focus from the Washington controversies , Wednesday 's briefing with reporters by chief spokesman Jay Carney showed the difficulty .
While the first questions were about other matters -- a reported drone strike , the Syrian civil war and cyber-security issues with China -- CNN 's Jim Acosta then asked about GOP accusations that Holder may have lied to Congress about the secret subpoenas and search warrants obtained by the Justice Department in recent years for information from journalists involved in reporting classified information .
Reporters from NBC , CBS and Fox quickly followed up on the same topic , forcing Carney to defend Holder and reiterate Obama 's confidence in him .
On Thursday , White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters aboard Air Force One from Chicago that Obama would later attend his annual hurricane season briefing . He then faced more questions about Holder , with Earnest expressing Obama 's confidence that the controversies would not affect the attorney general 's ability to do his job .
Republicans have taken particular aim at Holder , an old nemesis from his days in the Clinton administration who has been a political lightning rod in the Obama administration .
He was cited for contempt of Congress by House Republicans last year in a dispute over documents related to the botched `` Fast and Furious '' gun-walking operation . Holder rejected the vote boycotted by most House Democrats as political theater .
Critics now seek to link him to two cases stemming from Justice Department investigations of classified leaks -- one involving secret subpoenas last year of phone records of Associated Press journalists , and the other about subpoenas and search warrants obtained in secret three years ago for phone records , e-mails and security badge details of Fox correspondent James Rosen .
Some Republicans attempt to group the classified leaks cases with the other controversies -- IRS targeting of conservative groups and erroneous talking points from the administration four days after the terrorist attack in Benghazi , Libya , last September that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans .
`` I think it is time for Mr. Holder to step aside , '' Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis of Florida told Fox News on Wednesday . `` We need a new attorney general , especially with all of these matters that are now going to need investigation from the IRS to the DOJ treatment of reporters . I just do n't think he is in a position where he can do that in a way that the American people expect . ''
Obama and Democrats joined Republicans in condemning the IRS targeting , which is under investigation by congressional committees as well as Holder 's Department of Justice .
The classified leaks investigations also raised concern among Democrats including Obama , who ordered Holder to conduct a review of how the government investigates such cases .
However , Democratic strategist Stephanie Cutter , a CNN political contributor , described Republican calls for Holder to resign as overkill , noting that GOP legislators had demanded an investigation into classified leaks in the first place .
`` I think that if the president took action every time a House Republican criticized a member of his Cabinet , we 'd have a pretty empty government , '' Cutter said when asked if Holder was proving a liability to Obama . `` ... For average Americans , they 're not really paying attention to this and they 're wondering , you know , why should n't the Department of Justice investigate , you know , intelligence leaks about some of our most pressing national security issues ? ''
A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday appeared to back up some of Cutter 's assertion .
According to the survey , 44 % of registered voters r esponded that the IRS probe of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status was the most important of the controversies facing the Obama administration , while 24 % said the handling of the Benghazi attack was the biggest concern . Only 15 % called the Justice Department 's seizure of journalists ' phone records as the most important .
By contrast , 73 % of respondents said the economy was a higher priority than the three controversies , according to the survey . However , it also showed that more than three-quarters of respondents wanted a special prosecutor -- rather than Holder -- to investigate the IRS targeting .
To liberal political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson , Republicans have attacked Holder as part of a broader strategy to tarnish the administration .
`` Typing Holder as the font of secrecy , manipulation and wrongdoing in the Obama administration will be played and replayed in the run-up to the 2014 elections , '' Hutchinson wrote Thursday on his website . `` The aim will be to paint Holder as an incompetent , conniving political hack who supposedly typifies the poor and untrustworthy judgment of Obama in picking his political appointees . ''
Conway , the GOP pollster , argued that the controversies all started with problematic acts by the administration .
`` It 's an advantage to the party out of power if the party in power is seen to be obfuscating or hiding the truth , '' she said , noting that `` these are not investigations that began in ( Republican House Speaker ) John Boehner 's office . ''
Jonathan Turley , a George Washington University constitutional lawyer , noted that most recent presidents faced accusations if not outright evidence of scandal in their second terms .
In the Obama administration , Turley said , Holder serves the role of `` sin-eater , '' or `` people that would take your sins away for a price . ''
`` Holder is the ultimate sin-eater in the beltway , '' Turley argued on CNN . `` He protects the president and he has an important use in that sense . '' | 7xB1Owr5wA1nzeVD | 0 | Politics | -0.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | USA TODAY | http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/01/31/cruz-thrilled-despite-drop-iowa-poll/79602028/ | Cruz 'thrilled' despite drop in Iowa Poll | 2016-01-31 | elections | SIOUX CITY , Iowa β Texas Republican Ted Cruz on Saturday brushed off the most recent poll results showing him behind businessman Donald Trump in Iowa by 5 points .
`` If you had told me a year ago that two days out from the Iowa caucuses we would be neck and neck , effectively tied for first place in the state of Iowa , I would have been thrilled , '' Cruz told reporters .
The latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll , released hours before Cruz held a rally here , showed Trump retaking his lead in Iowa . Cruz previously held the poll 's top spot .
The latest Iowa Poll showed Trump at 28 % support among likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers and Cruz at 23 % .
Even so , Cruz considers himself in a `` dead heat '' with Trump for the top spot . Cruz pointed to an increase in attacks against him as proof that he still has strong political standing in Iowa .
`` Everyone in the field is running millions of dollars in attack ads . We saw it in the last debate where everyone lined up to toss their attacks . That β s fine . That goes with the territory , '' Cruz said . `` I β ll tell you I β d be a lot more worried right now if nobody was attacking me . Then that would be concerning : What do they know that we don β t ? ''
The U.S. senator and presidential hopeful was ending a five-stop day . Cruz had set the rally here as the location for a one-on-one debate he challenged Trump to earlier in the week . Trump did not show up .
Throughout the day , Cruz gave a version of his usual stump speech , laying out his agenda for what he 'll do if he makes it to the White House . It includes repealing Obamacare and Common Core , opening an investigation into Planned Parenthood , instituting a flat tax , and eliminating the IRS and a slate of other federal agencies .
Linda Imsland , of Hubbard , said she supports Cruz , during his stop in her town 25 miles north of Ames .
`` He believes with all his heart that the Constitution needs to be upheld , '' she said .
`` I believe he β s a very patriotic man . I believe that he cares about the country , and I think it scares him to death to see where we β re headed , and it does me , too . ''
Cruz has been making his final pitches throughout Iowa while counting down the hours to caucus night .
β This is now your time . This is the men and women of Iowa , the time to look candidates in the eyes and make the judgment : Who do I trust ? Who do I know is going to defend the Constitution , is going to repeal Obamacare , is going to stop amnesty , is going to kill the terrorists and keep this country safe ? β Cruz said . | PsVqESg66Gr384eS | 1 | Presidential Elections | 0.4 | Elections | 0.4 | Ted Cruz | 0.2 | null | null | null | null |
politics | Breitbart News | http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/08/25/gary-cohn-criticizes-donald-trumps-response-charlottesville/ | Gary Cohn Criticizes Donald Trumpβs Response to Charlottesville Protests | 2017-08-25 | White House, Politics | White House economic adviser Gary Cohn challenged Donald Trumpβs response to Charlottesville, insisting that the president had to do a better job condemning white supremacists.βI believe this administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities,β Cohn said in an interview with the Financial Times.Cohn aligned his views with the establishment media, asserting that the violent Antifa counter-protesters were βstanding up for equality and freedomβ while the protesters defending Robert E. Leeβs statue were all white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the KKK.βCitizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK,β he said.Cohn defended his decision to stay in his job, despite pressure from his friends and colleagues to resign in protest.βI feel a duty to fulfill my commitment to work on behalf of the American people,β he said. βBut I also feel compelled to voice my distress over the events of the last two weeks.βCohn insisted that by staying in his job in the White House, he was fighting white supremacists.βAs a Jewish American, I will not allow neo-Nazis ranting βJews will not replace usβ to cause this Jew to leave his job,β he said.Cohn βseriously considered resigning,β according to the New York Times, in response to Trumpβs Charlottesville comments and drafted a letter of resignation. βSources close toβ Cohn floated quotes on background to the media noting that he was βdisgusted and deeply upsetβ with the president. | a0110f7241e2e995 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Fox News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/22/michelle-obama-hits-trail-for-endangered-dems-while-husband-stays-home/ | Michelle Obama hits trail for endangered Dems, while husband stays home | 2014-09-22 | elections | Democratic candidates finally have found an Obama they 're not afraid to be seen with .
While President Obama dutifully avoids battleground races this midterm season , first lady Michelle Obama is tiptoeing into the fray in a bid to drum up votes for party allies in tight contests .
The president 's better half stumped for the first time in a 2014 race earlier this month , hitting the trail for Georgia Senate Democratic candidate Michelle Nunn . And she 's expected to travel to Iowa soon in support of Senate candidate Rep. Bruce Braley .
The logic behind dispatching the first lady is n't hard to grasp . While the president 's approval ratings are hovering around 40 percent , rendering him political Kryptonite to Democrats in tough races , Michelle Obama 's are considerably higher -- 62 percent , according to a summertime Pew Research Center survey .
`` They are looking for an A-lister they can find except for President Obama , '' said Amos Snead , former spokesman for former-House GOP Whip Roy Blunt ( now a senator ) . He added : `` I think it 's telling that of the two , six years into a presidency , the first lady is the only one who can go out there with them . ''
David Yepsen , director of the Southern Illinois Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and former chief political reporter for the Des Moines Register , said he sees `` no downside '' to sending Michelle Obama to help with turnout in close Senate races .
He said the goal is to fire up voters , and turn out those who normally do not show up in non-presidential elections .
During Michelle Obama 's visit for Nunn , she largely avoided controversial topics like foreign affairs . She focused instead on the importance of voting and the effects a Republican sweep at the polls could have on the remaining two years of the Obama administration .
In Iowa , where Democratic nominee Braley is in almost a dead heat with Republican state Sen. Joni Ernst , the first lady 's visit could help rev up a race which has no clear frontrunner . Braley also came under fire back in June for an ad against Ernst that critics called sexist -- Michelle Obama could help shore up his numbers among female voters .
The first lady 's planned visit to Iowa in October has been confirmed by the White House and Braley campaign , though few other details have emerged .
Yepsen said the first lady 's late-in-the-race appearances come at `` the right time , '' for a `` greater impact . '' He says if the Democrats had tried to tout her a few months ago , the hype would have been lost by election time . Her timing now falls when parties are pushing voter registration and early voting . `` It 's a good time ... these are less motivated voters , they have n't been paying attention earlier , '' he said .
However , Republican strategist Tim Albrecht , former communications director for Iowa Gov . Terry Branstad and current director of Redwave Digital in Des Moines , believes the first lady wo n't have the impact Democrats are hoping for , calling it a `` pipe dream . ''
`` Democrats are praying Michelle Obama is going to try to rev up some of their base that was n't going to turn out . It 's just not going to happen , '' he said . `` If they were n't motivated to turn out at this point , and less than a month before the election when she gets here , they were n't ever going to turn out anyway . ''
He said an appearance by the president would be an `` anchor '' to any Democrat 's campaign , and the first lady 's appearance in Iowa is little more than an attempt to get much-needed positive press for Braley .
Jehmu Greene , βββ contributor and past president of the Women 's Media Center and Rock the Vote , said she 's not surprised that Democrats are using the first lady instead of the president to rally support .
`` Michelle has some of the highest [ approval ratings ] and will absolutely help these candidates accomplish what they 're trying to do in last few weeks before election , '' said Greene . `` The bottom line is with where we are in the world and what is on the president 's plate , I certainly want him behind his desk in the Oval Office . ''
Greene said she hopes Michelle Obama 's `` rock star '' status can `` connect , rally , inform , and inspire '' voters . `` Democrats have more voters on their side , the problem is in midterm elections , our voters do n't turn out , '' she said .
Braley told FoxNews.com in June that he would welcome the president to Iowa . However , Obama has n't yet hit the campaign trail in Iowa or other states with close Senate races .
Republicans need to pick up six seats in November to flip control of the U.S. Senate , and many are invoking Obama to try and drag down their opponents .
Yepsen said Mrs. Obama has been able to keep her poll numbers steady because `` she 's stayed above the fray . '' Unlike former first lady Hillary Clinton who dealt more in `` policy fights , '' and `` made some enemies , '' Michelle Obama pushes causes like childhood obesity , which finds few critics aside from those who complain about changes in school lunches .
`` President Obama 's in the typical six-year slump , but [ Michelle 's ] numbers have stayed pretty good . She 's respected . She 's admired , and she 's a role model . I think it can do a lot of good with excitement and buzz . I think it 'll do a lot of good for Braley , '' Yepsen said . | HDxPU4FOKQp1RmkP | 2 | Michelle Obama | -0.2 | Midterm Elections | 0 | Elections | 0 | null | null | null | null |
elections | Christian Science Monitor | http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2016/0711/Why-Gingrich-could-be-the-ideal-running-mate-for-Trump | Why Gingrich could be the ideal running mate for Trump | 2016-07-11 | elections | Vice President Newt Gingrich . It has a certain ring to it , especially if you are Mr. Gingrich . And clearly , the former speaker of the House would love to be Donald Trump β s running mate .
Gingrich has acknowledged that he β s being vetted for the job , and is widely seen as a top prospect . Mr. Trump is expected to announce his choice this week , ahead of the Republican National Convention , which opens July 18 .
Would it be a mistake for Trump to put someone as controversial as Gingrich at his side ? The rap sheet on Gingrich is a mile long : As speaker in the 1990s , he presided over two unpopular shutdowns of the federal government . In 1995 , at a Monitor breakfast , Gingrich showed a lack of discipline when he whined about being seated in the back of Air Force One on a flight to Israel , inspiring the famous β Cry Baby β cartoon .
In 1997 , the House reprimanded Gingrich on ethics charges and fined him $ 300,000 . Then GOP colleagues launched an unsuccessful coup to force him out of the speakership . By late 1998 , he had resigned from Congress altogether .
Then there β s Gingrich β s messy personal life , including three marriages , just like Trump . As a presidential candidate in 2012 , Gingrich won two GOP primaries but he was widely disliked by the general public , and his campaign ran aground .
So why are we arguing that Gingrich might just be the perfect running mate for Trump ? Start with the fact that he meets Trump β s rΓ©sumΓ© requirement : someone with Washington political experience , someone who β could truly be good with respect to dealing with the Senate , dealing with Congress , getting legislation passed , β the billionaire said in May .
But didn β t Gingrich mishandle his time as speaker ? In important ways yes , but he also got some things done . He and President Clinton reached a deal that resulted in four straight balanced budgets . They also cut capital gains taxes and reformed welfare . So in Gingrich , Trump would get deep knowledge of how Washington works , and the lessons an older , wiser Gingrich learned from past mistakes .
But wouldn β t putting a controversial running mate next to a controversial presidential nominee make for , well , too much controversy ? Maybe . But the public is clamoring for change . Gingrich was all about change when he led the Republican Revolution of 1994 with his 10-point platform , the Contract with America β ushering in a GOP majority in the House for the first time in 40 years . More than 20 years later , Gingrich is still , in a way , an outsider , despite his insider experience .
None of the above , however , gets to why Gingrich might be Trump β s most effective running mate , which is this : He is great at capturing media attention , and could use that to go after Hillary Clinton relentlessly .
β With an untethered attack animal such as former Speaker Gingrich on his ticket , Trump can set down his Twitter account and start behaving presidential , β says John Gizzi , chief political columnist at Newsmax .
Or Trump and Gingrich could double-team Mrs. Clinton , reinforcing the message of β lying crooked Hillary . β
β They can sing from the same hymn book , β says Republican strategist Ford O β Connell .
As Trump considers whom to pick β Indiana β s low-key governor and former House member , Mike Pence , is another reported finalist β personal rapport also looms large . Trump is a β relationship guy , β says Mr. O β Connell .
Trump and Gingrich have a bond formed in part at the Trump National Golf Club in northern Virginia , which is near Gingrich β s home . Gingrich and his wife are members , and when Trump was visiting the club , they would socialize .
Last week , the outlines of a potential Trump-Gingrich ticket began to take shape , when the two campaigned together in Cincinnati .
`` Newt has been my friend for a long time , β Trump said . β And I 'm not saying anything , and I 'm not telling even Newt anything , but I can tell you , in one form or another , Newt Gingrich is going to be involved with our government . That I can tell you . ''
If he selects Gingrich to be his running mate , Trump added , β nobody β s going to beat him in those debates . β
Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox . By signing up , you agree to our Privacy Policy
Ultimately , running mates don β t matter to presidential nominees β chances - except when they do . Lyndon Johnson helped John F. Kennedy win Texas in 1960 . Sarah Palin was a drag on John McCain β s campaign in 2008 . With the political novice Trump at the top of the ticket , putting someone at his side with policy and governing experience seems a must .
But beyond that , Trump β s candidacy will rise or fall based on Trump , and nobody else . His larger-than-life persona will not be eclipsed by anyone , even a big personality like Gingrich . | Oo6ZcfAWF0Sm5LXI | 1 | Donald Trump | 0.3 | Newt Gingrich | 0.3 | Presidential Elections | 0 | Elections | 0 | null | null |
elections | Breitbart News | http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2015/08/29/with-joy-in-my-heart-jeb-refutes-trump-low-energy-taunt/ | βWith Joy in My Heart': Jeb Refutes Trump's 'Low Energy' Taunt | 2015-08-29 | Presidential Elections, Jeb Bush, Donald Trump, Elections | Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush on Saturday rebutted Donald Trump β s relentless mocking of him as a β low-energy β candidate , telling congregants of a Westhampton Beach synagogue of 16-hour campaign days crisscrossing the country .
β If you β ve been following the campaign , there β s a candidate that says that some candidates are idiots and some candidates are this and some candidates are that , β Bush said at the Hampton Synagogue . β I β ve been apparently the candidate that has low energy . So I β ll just give you a little taste of the low-energy candidate β s life this week . β
Bush recited a long list of cities he β s visited in the past six days , boasted of a β physical therapy workout β Friday with former Navy SEALs and said he would be jetting to North Carolina after his speech .
β The low-energy candidate this week has only been six days , 16 hours a day , campaigning with joy in my heart , β the former Florida governor said .
Trump , the billionaire New York developer leading the crowded GOP field in the recent polls , has been ridiculing Bush as too low-key .
β I don β t see how he β s electable , β Trump said in New Hampshire on Aug. 19 . β Jeb Bush is a low-energy person . For him to get things done is hard . β
Bush , alluding to divisive rhetoric in the race for the White House , promised β to go campaign in every nook and cranny of this country with a hopeful , optimistic message . I β m not going to campaign to try to demonize my opponents . I β m not going to campaign in a way that tears this country apart even further . β
The synagogue audience included Rep. Lee Zeldin ( R-Shirley ) , who hasn β t endorsed a presidential candidate . In an interview afterward , Zeldin said Bush looked more fired up .
β I personally saw more passion from him today than I ever have in the past , β Zeldin said . He contrasted Bush β s speech Saturday to his Aug. 6 appearance on Fox News , when β there were opportunities in the first debate for him and other candidates to shine more brightly by having a little more energy and more passion . β
In his speech , Bush also attacked the Obama administration β s nuclear deal with Iran as undermining the security of both the United States and Israel . Israel β s government strongly opposes the pact . American Jewish opinion is divided .
β An unverifiable agreement that creates uncertainty β and probably over the long haul will create nuclear proliferation in the region β is not the right way to go , β Bush told the crowd of hundreds who spilled from inside the synagogue onto two patios .
Bush lamented that while the Obama administration had improved relations with Iran , it had β ruptured β U.S. ties with Israel . He vowed to take a tougher line on U.S. adversaries .
β We will make sure that our enemies fear us a little bit , β Bush said to loud applause .
Linda Pearlman , 65 , of Patchogue , said after the speech that she is a registered Democrat but is so worried about the Iran deal that she will vote against any candidate who backs it . Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton supports the agreement .
β Iran is a country that can not be trusted , but we β re accepting their word , and that β s not enough , β Pearlman said .
Bruce Forman , 66 , of East Quogue , said he liked Bush β s vow for stronger U.S. leadership in the world .
β That β s how our respect in the world will come back . The current president has tarnished our respect , β Forman said .
Bush was the third Republican presidential hopeful to speak to the modern Orthodox congregation this month . Sens . Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina appeared on Aug. 15 . Former Arkansas Gov . Mike Huckabee is scheduled for Sept. 4 . | 9f158bb51dc6a697 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Politico | http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/new-hampshire-takeaways-off-message-219061 | 5 takeaways from New Hampshire | 2016-02-10 | elections | BEDFORD , N.H. β If there was any doubt that voters in both parties are in an ornery , establishment-flaying frame of mind ( oh , and there wasn β t ) Tuesday β s first-in-the-nation primary demolished the last illusion that 2016 would revert to anything approaching a normal election cycle .
Hillary Clinton was supposed to vaporize silly , old Bernie Sanders , but the once and perhaps future inevitable Democratic nominee turned out to be far more out of step with her party β s youthful and progressive core than she was in 2008 . And that was the year when reporters would count the number of walkers and oxygen tanks in the front rows of her Iowa rallies .
You want clarity ? You want a gut punch to the party β s chosen one ? Boom . By midnight , Sanders was on pace to wallop Clinton by more than 20 points . His top political strategist Tad Devine told βββ his win β was , we believe , the biggest margin of victory in a contested Democratic primary in history . '' And Donald Trump , a loser in Iowa , prevailed by 18 points over a fragmented field likely to shed some of its also-rans β we β re talking about you , Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina , by Wednesday .
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday β s political tectonic plate shift .
1 . Hillary is in real trouble . Will she panic ? The Clinton team , hunkered down in a grubby Manchester Radisson saturated in booze and overrun by ill-kempt `` Morning Joe '' groupies , knew it was going to be a terrible , not-good night by mid-afternoon : The exit polls showed big turnout among young voters and , ominously for her , liberals who think Barack Obama isn β t liberal enough . It was a complete and humbling defeat : Sanders beat Clinton among all demographic groups β including all women , a remarkable rebuke eight years after she β found her voice β by tearing up at a New Hampshire diner .
Clinton prides herself on hanging tough through adversity , and she β s got her share now . How does she react ? If history is any guide , she β ll freak out at first , then grudgingly make adjustments . But what adjustments can she make when many progressives think she β s so day-before-yesterday .
On Monday , my colleague Annie Karni and I reported that Bill and Hillary Clinton were pressuring campaign manager Robby Mook to enact strategic , β messaging β and staffing shifts that would take place if Sanders trounced the former secretary . Duh , that β s done .
Forget staff . The problem is β as I 've written over and over again β with the candidate herself : She β s a less limber , more tone-deaf politician than she was in 2008 ( after years of being kept sharp by the New York tabloids ) and she has blown past staff suggestions that she simplify her message to match Sanders β pound-one-nail , anti-Wall Street mantra .
There β s still a lot of generic confidence among her backers that ultimately she will prevail β and the campaign pointed out how far ahead she remains in South Carolina and the big , diverse March primary states where she remains overwhelmingly popular with black and Hispanic voters ; But there are now specific anxieties about how she will put away a 74-year-old socialist regarded as the perfect patsy . At the top of the list is money . Clinton has done pretty well so far , but her online fundraising has lagged badly behind Sanders and there are fears that he will mine Granite State dominance into digital gold . β We have no message , β a Clinton ally involved in big-donor fundraising told me Tuesday night . β The big concern now is Bernie β s ability to raise millions off of this win . β
Oy , such a mess . Sanders may not have what it takes , and he may be too far left to ever occupy the Oval Office , but he β s taken a hammer to Clinton β s dreams of inevitability and a sickle to her oft-stated desire to avoid repeating the mistakes of β 08 .
2 . Yooge-ness . He promised it would be the biggest , most fantastic and luxurious victory in the history of the New Hampshire primary , and damn if the Donald didn β t deliver . With nearly 35 percent of the vote β more than doubling a suddenly viable John Kasich β he delivered the over-the-top win denied him in less-hospitable Iowa .
And he did so because of his most controversial ideas , including his temporary ban on Muslim immigration β not despite them β with almost half of New Hampshire exit-poll respondents saying they supported a position many of his fellow candidates have decried as xenophobic . The March state map is slightly more problematic for Trump , who is still locked in what looks like a long-term , mano-a-mano with third-place finisher Ted Cruz . But South Carolina , with its defiant and conservative GOP base , seems poised to deliver another big win for the developer-turned-realitystar , and he β s certainly regained the momentum he lost wandering among the cornstalks .
That said , he β s vulnerable to the inevitable consolidation of his opposition , especially candidates in the party β s overcrowded center-right lane ; Add up support for John Kasich , a resurgent Jeb Bush ( who re-acquired use of his β ! β with a solid if not spectacular fourth-place finish that should keep him going in the near term ) , Christie , Fiorina and Marco Rubio β and you come up with more than 50 percent of the Republican electorate . Some of those voters would flock to him , but many have already rejected his circus-ring routine , if Trump β s high negatives are to be believed .
3 . Brace yourself , Bernie . It β s impossible to overstate the personal disappointment experienced by Clinton β s loyal cadre of friends , aides and supporters on Tuesday night . Here was 2008 in reverse , and not necessarily in a good way : She avoided a repeat of her cataclysmic loss in Iowa β barely β but saw that year 's transformational victory , and with it her tearful political redemption narrative desecrated . When I emailed one longtime Hillaryland stalwart to comment on the loss , she sent this reply : β I β m sad . What do you want me to tell you ? β
But sorrow is nothing but a halfway house to rage-fueled counterattack in presidential politics , and two top Sanders aides told me they expect that the golden , heroic , insurgent period of the 2016 campaign ended at precisely 8:00 p.m. Eastern time , when The Associated Press called the primary for the Vermont socialist . β We expect things to get much harder for us , β said one Sanders operative .
It β s hard to find a silver lining in a dumpster fire , but aides with both campaigns say nothing could plant the seeds of failure like Sanders β success . When I suggested to Devine that his boss would now face a β front-runner β s scrutiny , β he guffawed : β Come on , we β re a front-runner ? β Maybe not , but now that he β s won something β and big β he β ll have to play by Clinton , not Che Guevera rules . The media and voters will now be focused on the very argument both Clintons ( with an assist from President Barack Obama ) have made so unconvincingly β that Sanders must be vetted for the right to clutch the nuclear football , not just cheered for tackling the party β s presumptive nominee .
β This doesn β t change everything , but it does change a whole hell of a lot , β says longtime Clinton adviser James Carville . β Bernie was different , he was the fun guy , he β s going to get the full treatment now . β¦ Life is going to be different for him tomorrow , Wednesday is the start of something new for Bernie Sanders . β
4 . Marco Rubio isn β t the droid you β ve been looking for . A week ago , the 44-year-old Florida senator had the look of an eventual winner , sneaking up on Donald Trump to grab third place in Iowa β and earning a sudden burst of media attention that drew 22 cameras , a dozen Korean journalists , Nate Silver , Chris Matthews and 100 odds-and-sods print reporters to a quotidian suburban Manchester rally on Sunday .
But it was Saturday β s debate performance where Rubio suffered what seemed like a circuitry malfunction β repeating the same innocuous dig at Obama four times β earning the ridicule of Chris Christie and one of the quickest sticking nicknames in recent campaigns β β The Robot. β Full disclosure : I didn β t think it was a big deal , but it weirded people out big-time , and unleashed a torrent of latent hostility at the bit-too-perfect candidate the likes this campaign hasn β t seen .
The whole episode seemed to demoralize Rubio , and his mood wasn β t helped by the fact that veteran union official Eddie Vale stalked him in a kitschy β Day the Earth Stood Still β robot costume consisting of a cardboard box and repurposed salad colander . Unfair as it was , the sight of Vale sprinting toward a frozen-smile Rubio and his press contingent at a high school here on Tuesday ( clutching his colander with both hands so it wouldn β t fall off ) somewhat undercut Rubio β s core message as steely , ready-from-Day-One commander in chief . Such is politics . In the end , he finished in fifth place . Rubio 's Big Mo is now micro mo .
5 . John Kasich got 16 percent ! No candidate was a more natural fit for the cranky , look-me-in-the-eye , middle-road maple-sap Republicans here than the Ohio governor . He seemed like a native , holding over 100 town halls , and was so relaxed about the whole thing he took time off the trail during a Friday mini blizzard to pelt reporters with snowballs .
The question now : Is he a one-state pony ? He β s likely to be a cellar dweller in South Carolina and several upcoming states , but if his big second-place finish translates into a string of decent fundraising days , he might stick around for the good stuff : the March 8 Michigan primary and the winner-take-all contest in his home state a week later . | lcrSfyl3oYmYe0ux | 0 | 2024 Presidential Election | 0.5 | Donald Trump | 0.5 | Nikki Haley | 0.5 | Republican Party | 0.5 | Joe Biden | 0.1 |
elections | Guest Writer - Right | http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/11/10/anti-trump-protests-left-freaks-out-with-hysterics-temper-tantrums-after-fair-election.html | OPINION: Anti-Trump protests: Left freaks out with hysterics, temper tantrums after a fair election | 2016-11-10 | Protests, Presidential Elections, Elections | For eight years the left has refused to hold itself accountable . Having once declared dissent patriotic , dissent for the last eight years has been homophobic , bigoted , and racist . Conservatives and people of faith have been hounded from their jobs , silenced , and punished for refusing to go along with the left β s agenda . The left demanded cultural homogeneity and is outraged that Americans refuse to go along with their anti-Christian secular agenda .
On Tuesday , Americans had enough and decided to seek fundamental change .
Today , the left is protesting in the streets because of American democratic action . The left accuses Donald Trump of totalitarianism , but it is the left refusing to accept a democratic act . The left blasted Trump for suggesting the election was rigged . But they are okay with protesting a fair election and declaring it illegitimate because they hate the outcome .
GREGG JARRETT : WILL TRUMP FULFILL HIS VOW TO PURSUE A CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST HILLARY ?
A week ago the Democratic Party insisted that everyone accept the legitimacy of the election . What we are seeing today is that much of the left think that , like so many other things , it is a one way street .
For eight years I have watched parts of the right descend to madness as they presumed the worst about their opponents . Parts of the right had become convinced that the Clintons kill people and Barack Obama would refuse to vacate the White House . During all this , the left became convinced , by their own rhetorical overreach , that conservatives want to put black people back on plantations , castrate gays , and forcibly impregnate women .
Wednesday night , their chickens came home to roost . Professional leftwing activists who have no skill other than agitation have trained a large group of people to do nothing but protest . Instead of trying to unite the country , they have flown into hysterics and temper tantrums .
A week ago the Democratic Party insisted that everyone accept the legitimacy of the election . What we are seeing today is that much of the left think that , like so many other things , it is a one way street .
This is what happens when you presume the worst about your neighbor . The left may love humanity as a concept , but they are prone to think the absolute worst of their neighbors and that contempt for those who see things differently is on full display in the streets of America . | 8943a016663d9156 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
foreign_policy | Victor Hanson | https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/07/trump-foreign-policy-demands-reciprocity-keeping-commitments/ | OPINION: Reciprocity Is the Method to Trumpβs Madness | 2018-07-12 | foreign_policy | President Trump takes his seat at the North Atlantic Council in Brussels , Belgium , July 11 , 2018 . ( Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool via Reuters )
The president sends a signal : Treat us the way we treat you , and keep your commitments .
Critics of Donald Trump claim that there β s no rhyme or reason to his foreign policy . But if there is a consistency , it might be called reciprocity .
Trump tries to force other countries to treat the U.S. as the U.S. treats them . In β don β t tread on me β style , he also warns enemies that any aggressive act will be replied to in kind .
The underlying principle of Trump commercial reciprocity is that the United States is no longer powerful or wealthy enough to alone underwrite the security of the West . It can no longer assume sole enforcement of the rules and protocols of the post-war global order .
This year there have been none of the usual Iranian provocations β frequent during the Obama administration β of harassing American ships in the Persian Gulf . Apparently , the Iranians now realize that anything they do to an American ship will be replied to with overwhelming force .
Ditto North Korea . After lots of threats from Kim Jong-un about using his new ballistic missiles against the United States , Trump warned that he would use America β s far greater arsenal to eliminate North Korea β s arsenal for good .
Trump is said to be undermining NATO by questioning its usefulness some 69 years after its founding . Yet this is not 1948 , and Germany is no longer down . The United States is always in . And Russia is hardly out but is instead cutting energy deals with the Europeans .
More significantly , most NATO countries have failed to keep their promises to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense .
Yet the vast majority of the 29 alliance members are far closer than the U.S. to the dangers of Middle East terrorism and supposed Russian bullying .
Why does Germany by design run up a $ 65 billion annual trade surplus with the United States ? Why does such a wealthy country spend only 1.2 percent of its GDP on defense ? And if Germany has entered into energy agreements with a supposedly dangerous Vladimir Putin , why does it still need to have its security subsidized by the American military ?
Canada never honored its NATO security commitment . It spends only 1 percent of its GDP on defense , rightly assuming that the U.S. will continue to underwrite its security .
Trump approaches NAFTA in the same reductionist way . The 24-year-old treaty was supposed to stabilize , if not equalize , all trade , immigration , and commerce between the three supposed North American allies .
It never quite happened that way . Unequal tariffs remained . Both Canada and Mexico have substantial trade surpluses with the U.S . In Mexico β s case , it enjoys a $ 71 billion surplus , the largest of U.S. trading partners with the exception of China .
Canada never honored its NATO security commitment . It spends only 1 percent of its GDP on defense , rightly assuming that the U.S. will continue to underwrite its security .
During the lifetime of NAFTA , Mexico has encouraged millions of its citizens to enter the U.S. illegally . Mexico β s selfish immigration policy is designed to avoid internal reform , to earn some $ 30 billion in annual expatriate remittances , and to influence U.S. politics .
Yet after more than two decades of NAFTA , Mexico is more unstable than ever . Cartels run entire states . Murders are at a record high . Entire towns in southern Mexico have been denuded of their young males , who crossed the U.S. border illegally .
The U.S. runs a huge trade deficit with China . The red ink is predicated on Chinese dumping , patent and copyright infringement , and outright cheating . Beijing illegally occupies neutral islands in the South China Sea , militarizes them , and bullies its neighbors .
All of the above has become the β normal β globalized world .
If China , Europe , and other U.S. trading partners had simply followed global trading rules , there would have been no Trump pushback β and probably no Trump presidency at all .
But in 2016 , red-state America rebelled at the asymmetry . The other half of the country demonized the red-staters as protectionists , nativists , isolationists , populists , and nationalists .
However , if China , Europe , and other U.S. trading partners had simply followed global trading rules , there would have been no Trump pushback β and probably no Trump presidency at all .
Had NATO members and NAFTA partners just kept their commitments , and had Mexico not encouraged millions of its citizens to crash the U.S. border , there would now be little tension between allies .
Instead , what had become abnormal was branded the new normal of the post-war world .
Again , a rich and powerful U.S. was supposed to subsidize world trade , take in more immigrants than all the nations of the world combined , protect the West , and ensure safe global communications , travel , and commerce .
After 70 years , the effort had hollowed out the interior of America , creating two separate nations of coastal winners and heartland losers .
Trump β s entire foreign policy can be summed up as a demand for symmetry from all partners and allies , and tit-for-tat replies to would-be enemies .
Did Trump have to be so loud and often crude in his effort to bully America back to reciprocity ?
But it seems impossible to imagine that globalist John McCain , internationalist Barack Obama , or gentlemanly Mitt Romney would ever have called Europe , NATO , Mexico , and Canada to account , or warned Iran or North Korea that tit would be met by tat . | 9Xr85Psm9d5mevWk | 2 | Donald Trump | 0.6 | Foreign Policy | 0.4 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Newsmax (News) | https://www.newsmax.com/politics/impeachment-democrats-house-speaker/2019/04/22/id/912812/ | House Dem Leaders Try to Tone Down Impeachment Talk | 2019-04-23 | Impeachment, Donald Trump, US House, Politics | House Democratic leaders are urging their colleagues to tone down the impeachment rhetoric as it relates to President Donald Trump.During a Monday evening conference call, high-ranking party leaders tried to squash talk of pursuing impeachment at this time.According to The Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others expressed their concern over jumping on the impeachment bandwagon without concrete evidence Trump might have committed an impeachable offense."We need to hear from [Attorney General William] Barr and [special counsel Robert] Mueller β and we need to see the unredacted report and the documents [that] go with it," House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said. "We cannot allow this president to continue going down this course."Other lawmakers said it is time to pursue impeachment."I think we have great evidence that the president has blatantly violated so many laws. It's just ridiculous," Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., said, The Hill reported. "I think we have enough" to start the impeachment process.According to CNN's Manu Raju, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said she is still in favor of impeaching Trump but she is not actively trying to recruit other members to join her effort.Mueller recently completed his investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He did not find evidence Trump conspired with the Russians to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton, but he was unable to determine whether Trump obstructed justice.Since a redacted version of the report was released last week, Democrats are pointing to evidence that shows Trump may have tried to interfere with Mueller's probe. | 8478854dccd420a6 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
general_news | Christian Science Monitor | https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2013/0525/As-Memorial-Day-arrives-Americans-plan-chill-vacations | As Memorial Day arrives, Americans plan 'chill' vacations | 2013-05-25 | Holidays, General News | A deeper view that unites instead of divides, connecting why the story matters to you. Behind the news are values that drive people and nations. Explore them here. Today, you might say, is the first day of the rest of my Monitor career. Included in todayβs newsletter is my first article in my new post: the significance of this weekβs German elections.It has been almost exactly 16 years since I was a writer, and I confess I was pretty much blown away by the experience of returning. The power of journalism to help us connect, see more clearly, and understand more deeply is, frankly, transformative. Reporting from Berlin these past few days has been a wonderful reminder of what journalism can do β and how rewarding it can be. Discover the values that drive the story. The Christian Science Monitor's coverage of the war between Hamas and Israel, and related articles. A deeper view that unites instead of divides, connecting why the story matters to you. We want to bridge divides to reach everyone. Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. More people are untethering from their electronic devices and frenetic lifestyles to take vacations this summer that revel in the pursuit of doing ... nothing. May 25, 2013, 11:56 a.m. ET | Los Angeles Michael Ray Smith and his wife, Barbara Jean, are exceedingly pleased about what they are not going to do on their coming vacation: travel or sightsee; visit museums; go to plays, movies, or amusement parks; window-shop; gamble. The list goes on: They will not visit family or friends, play cards, hike, water-ski, sky-dive, or go bungee jumping. Instead, the college professor and his wife, an elementary school teacher, have chosen to fill their daily activity schedule for four weeks straight with just two agenda items: (1) diddly, and (2) squat. "We do read, but the main event is to do absolutely nothing," says Mr. Smith, a communication studies professor at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. "Our goal is to recharge, reboot, disconnect, mentally let go." He says they still have to water the plants and cut the grass, "but mostly we practice the fine art of porch- or gazebo-sitting." The North Carolina couple has a 20-by-30-foot wooden deck facing a stand of trees that blocks sight of the neighboring house. They have an electric fan to foil mosquitoes, and several sofas and deck chairs arranged for relaxation β and nothing else. This will be their third year in a row in which they have spent a month exploring the virtues of idleness over activity. "I think this is what everyone needs, especially educators," says Smith. "Time off is not just time off, but time to recharge." The Smiths represent a growing trend in America. Evidence is mounting that as people eye the beckoning barn door signaling "summer" β Memorial Day weekend β most don't seem able to disconnect from the workplace like they did in the old days. The word "vacation" originates from the Latin "vacatio," meaning freedom from occupation. Yet, despite all the wistfulness that term might evoke β for Arcadian days of youth frolicking at beaches, lakes, or mountain cabins β more and more people can't free themselves from their laptops or daily lives that have become as frenetic as a food processor. Here is some of the mounting evidence from a 2012 survey from Fierce, Inc., a Seattle-based leadership development and training firm, that queried more than 1,000 executives and employees in multiple fields about their vacations: β’ 58 percent said they received no stress relief from their time off. β’ 27.3 percent of employees, in fact, felt more stressed after vacations. β’ 41.6 percent of workers checked in with the office at least every other day. β’ Only 8.9 percent of respondents achieved what they considered a state of complete relaxation while on vacation. If all this lack of letting go smacks of hired consultants defining a problem so they can sell you a solution (more on this later), consider the growing lexicon being born before our eyes. In just the past few years, several terms have popped up and become commonplace to describe an America that is too plugged-in and overactive, including "nomophobia" (fear of being out of mobile phone contact), "attention fragmentation disorder" (focus flitting incessantly from one medium to the next), and "FOMO" (fear of missing out on any social media missive, from an iguana video to a recipe for lutefisk). The solution to these problems, of course, has its own vocabulary: "techno-fasting," "braincation," "digital detox." There are also new definitions of "roughing it" (leave your cellphone charger at home) and "back to basics" (cancel your cellphone plan altogether). Vacations are no longer about just getting away for a few days, or even weeks, but rather figuring out how to pursue nothing during your time off. Take that cooking course you've been putting off for years? No. Hammock time? Yes. Bike through Patagonia? No. Meditation retreat? Yes. Pound the pavement of Boston's Freedom Trail? No. Feet up on Aunt Mina's creaky wooden porch in Akron, Ohio? Yes. "In short," says Janet Sternberg, an assistant professor at Fordham University in New York who studies societal responses to stress, "unplugging has become fashionable, and unplugging can be an important step on the path to doing nothing." Somebody call Jean-Paul Sartre and ask him to crack off a tome on the existential goal of "no goal." Actually, check that. People are already writing that treatise. According to Dr. Sternberg, Douglas Rushkoff, a social critic, and Tiffany Shlain, a digital-media expert, have suggested that people set aside "technology sabbaths" β periods of time, each week, in which families disconnect from technology and focus on alternative activities. Sternberg also points to Susan Maushart's 2011 book, "The Winter of Our Disconnect: How Three Totally Wired Teenagers (and a Mother Who Slept with Her iPhone) Pulled the Plug on Their Technology and Lived to Tell the Tale," which describes a six-month experiment at untethering her family from their media habits. Relevant as well, says Sternberg, is writer Richard Louv, whose 2005 bestseller about saving the Digital Generation from "nature deficit disorder" β by introducing them to that quaint thing called the woods β was followed up with another book: "The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age." "[T]he future will belong to the nature-smart β those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of nature, and who balance the virtual with the real," writes Louv. "The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need." * * * RenΓ©e Peterson Trudeau and her husband, John, had been looking forward to a wedding anniversary trip to New Orleans for more than a year. The couple from Austin, Texas, had plans to feast on decadent food and late-night beignets, soak up cultural sites, and ply the world-famous jazz haunts of the French Quarter. But when the trip was just three weeks away, both saw spikes in their workloads, so they mutually agreed to dramatically shift course. "We both frankly confided to each other that although we had been looking forward to this romantic getaway for a long time, upon reflection, what we really needed more than the rich food and stimulation was to keep things simple, rest, relax, and immerse ourselves in nature," says Ms. Trudeau, a life coach and author. They booked a remote cabin in an old-growth forest in Big Sur, Calif., where they hiked, explored the coast, and took naps. They came home refreshed, rested, and happy. "This change of plan taught us that sometimes when we do less, we experience more," says Trudeau. "Being more intentional and designing a vacation that allowed us lots of time to rest and soak in natural wonders was exactly what we needed." George Simpson will be relaxing by overlooking a body of water early this summer, too β just from a different vantage point. Mr. Simpson, who owns a public relations business in Connecticut, will be going with his family on a Mediterranean cruise from Athens to Istanbul, Turkey, in June. They want to get away from friends, neighbors, the office, teachers, employers. The only iron-clad rule for the trip: no electronic connectivity to the rest of the world. No video games, computers, cellphones, or anything with the prefix "i" (iPhone, iPad, iPod). His children were initially iRate. "What you notice when you unplug is how utterly pervasive media is around you," says Simpson, who purposely left his BlackBerry at home when taking his kids on a spring break vacation in 2011. "On the beach, at the pools, in the restaurants, folks all around us were plugged into an electronic this or that. Suddenly, even the muzak at every venue, including the weight room and the spa, was annoying." Since that outing, he has forbidden his kids β now ages 16, 18, and 22 β from texting at the dinner table, or even having a cellphone or computer in their rooms at night. One reason it's so hard to unplug and relax is because of the blurring lines between work and play. Sternberg notes that "we use the same devices for work that we also use for entertainment, making it more difficult than ever before to separate the professional from the personal." Stephanie Nash has a way to get around that conundrum: a complete cocoon of quietude. The actress and meditation teacher plans to camp on a hill this summer overlooking the Pacific. She will have no electronic β or human β companions. "My goal is to not see or talk to another human being the entire time and to otherwise do nothing," says Ms. Nash, who has lived elbow-to-elbow with people for the past 35 years in either New York or Los Angeles. "My careers all involve frequent, intense, and intimate contact with other people, and I used to call this trip my 'people fast.' We go without food to cleanse our system. Well, I go without people to cleanse mine." * * * Not surprisingly, as more people become interested in disconnecting from technology and the omnitasking of everyday life, more businesses are catering to those impulses. Marriott, the big hotel chain, is offering what it calls technology-free "braincation" zones at eight luxury resorts in the Caribbean and Mexi-co. Inside these designated areas, signs politely ask people to refrain from using cellphones and other electronic devices, and encourage guests to unplug and unwind. For those who might become dyspeptic from such deprivation, the resorts often stock the marked-off areas with books, magazines, and board games. Marriott decided to set up the zones after surveying travelers about technology use. They noticed the ubiquity of electronic devices, at the beach and in hotel lobbies, and wanted to know, as Terence Gallagher, executive vice president of Lou Hammond & Associates, which represents Marriott, puts it, the "role technology was playing in adding to consumers' stress." Apparently, quite a bit. Eighty-five percent of respondents reported being annoyed by someone speaking loudly on a phone, and 50 percent acknowledged checking their e-mails and voice mails multiple times a day. Perhaps most telling, 31 percent said they had been tempted to throw their mobile device into the ocean. Marriott decided to set up the equivalent of no-smoking zones for the Twitter era rather than end up with an underwater iPhone reef. Other resorts are taking the cold-turkey concept even further. At Little Palm Island, a 5-1/2-acre retreat in the Florida Keys, vacationers can swim, dive, snorkel, sail, and enjoy massages. The tropical bungalows have no phones or TVs, and Wi-Fi is limited to a specified "great room" unless otherwise requested. Signs posted all over the island remind guests to refrain from using mobile devices anywhere β including the beach. A pool attendant once received a standing ovation for asking someone breaking the cellphone rule to take the conversation to his room. Destinations are trying to attract the "let's decompress" crowd with more primal pursuits, too. A whole network of farms has sprung up across the country offering vacationers the chance to leave the hubbub of urban life and mingle with pigs, poultry, and Holsteins. "Awake to the crow of the rooster and a homemade breakfast like grandma used to make," says one website (Pafarmstay.com) promoting agricultural bed-and-breakfasts across Pennsylvania. "Enjoy the antics of our barnyard animals. Take the time to enjoy life and relax with a farm stay!" Another network, Feather Down Farms, pitches "haycations" for families who can participate in the chores on a working farm or just watch how it's all done. Guests stay in European-style tents that are anything but the canvas Boy Scout kind. They have wood stoves, plank floors, bunks, and working toilets β all softly lit by oil lamps. It's part of an experience that, according to the Feather Down website, is far away from "mass and plastic fun." * * * Americans have good reason for wanting to take a respite from the demands and tweets of daily existence. A growing body of research shows that relaxing vacations can help people be less intense at home and more productive on the job. Just taking a vacation, period, seems to help. Americans are notorious workaholics: A 2012 survey by Harris Interactive found that Americans were expected to leave an average of 9.2 days of vacation unused β a 48 percent increase from just the year before. Another poll, by workplace consultant Right Management, part of the ManpowerGroup, found that one-third of employees have lunch at their desk each day, and another one-third take no lunch at all, or only occasionally. All this is leading to a growing group of theorists arguing that the best way to be healthier, happier, and more productive is to spend more time doing less. Sleep alone can make a difference, which is something many people say they do while on do-nothing vacations. A recent Harvard Medical School study estimated that sleep deprivation is costing US businesses $63.2 billion a year in lost productivity. Regular time off can boost focus and creativity, too. One study conducted for Air New Zealand by former NASA scientists found that vacationers experienced an 82 percent increase in job-performance after their time away from work. Some companies, as a result, are tracking workers who are not taking enough vacation days, reminding them that a week of idleness can be as important as what's in their in-box. A small but growing number of firms are also allowing unlimited paid vacations. Instead of a fixed-vacation plan β say, three weeks a year β workers can take time off when they want it. It's one way to attract new employees β particularly in Silicon Valley, where much of the experimentation is going on β but it's also seen as a tool to prevent turnover and burnout. Firms adopting the policy have reported little abuse of the concept so far: Employees usually give plenty of notice before they take off and don't take an inordinate amount of vacation time. Still, not everyone believes people need to unplug to be better human beings and that doing nothing on vacation is a particularly high-minded idea. They argue that people are perfectly in control of their habits and choices. Paul Levinson, a communications and media studies professor at Fordham University, for one, says going "phoneless or Internet-less is one of the worst ideas to come along in years." "Communication scholars have known for decades that people thrive when in contact with the information they need," says Mr. Levinson, author of "New New Media," in an e-mail interview. "Indeed, Arthur C. Clarke pointed out decades ago that we can survive longer without food and water than we can cut off from essential information." Critics of the disconnect theory believe that living like a Luddite for a few weeks, or sitting passively in a recliner, is more mindless than recuperative. "We're perfectly capable of not using [technology] to check in online if we prefer to do something else," says Levinson. "But by having it in reach, it's available whenever we need information β whether the location of a good restaurant, the start time of a movie, or just to send a message to people in our family that we're thinking of them." Sensing money in this logic, some resorts are working in the opposite direction β going out of their way to chase the hyperconnected crowd. Many of these efforts are aimed at people in their 20s and 30s who seem to be deeply preoccupied with gadgetry and social media. To feed the high obsession, hotels have created lounge areas with techno furniture, chai lattes, designer cocktails, and lots of electrical outlets to provide Millennials with a venue for their isolated togetherness. "They can be having fun in a crowd while being on the cloud," says Chris Klauda, a vice president of D.K.Shifflet & Associates Ltd., a travel research firm in McLean, Va. Fine. Just don't tell that to Mark and Lori Russo. The couple from Odenton, Md., doesn't care about clouds or computers or even hotels, for that matter. When they are on vacation, they are on vacation. A few years ago, they discovered "The Three Chimneys," a B&B on the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland, and they go back regularly. "We love getting up in the morning and not being sure what day it is or what time it is, and not having a desire to even check," says Mr. Russo, who runs a golf school in the United States. He says they have "done the tourist thing and seen the country, but for us, we need this time to reconnect with each other and to recharge our batteries." The couple's favorite activity is to sit in their room and ruminate on the rocky outcrops of Dunvegan Castle, the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland (800 years). No cell service exists in the area. There's only books, scenery, and what Ms. Russo, a public relations executive, calls "great conversation." "We wouldn't have it any other way," she says. Deepen your worldview with Monitor Highlights. Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. Barbara O'Connor would concur. Retired after 42 years as a communications/media professor, Ms. O'Connor goes out of her way to disconnect from her life with students and other incessant demands. Her new ritual is to disappear several times a year, often to the mud and hot-spring spas of Napa Valley, about an hour from her home in Sacramento, where she remains a professor emeritus at California State University. Her only requirement: that none of the spas have an Internet connection. "Being quiet for an extended period helps me think more deeply...," says O'Connor. Already a subscriber? Login Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in. We believe news can and should expand a sense of identity and possibility beyond narrow conventional expectations. Our work isn't possible without your support. Already a subscriber? Login Dear Reader, About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review β under the charming heading of βdo things that donβt interest youβ: βMany things that end upβ being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, βhave come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things βboringβ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.β If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. Weβre seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. Weβre the bran muffin of journalism. But you know what? We change lives. And Iβm going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in. The Monitor is a peculiar little publication thatβs hard for the world to figure out. Weβre run by a church, but weβre not only for church members and weβre not about converting people. Weβre known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaperβs founding in 1908. We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. Weβre about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, βYou are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.β If youβre looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. Youβll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com. Subscribe to insightful journalism Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. Follow us: Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and weβve always been transparent about that. The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, weβve aimed βto injure no man, but to bless all mankind,β as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it. Here, youβll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences β a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope. Loading... Link copied. 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elections | New York Times - News | http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/28/us/politics/donald-trump-republican-voters.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&gwh=C487FF7327ABDC02D5B5A55ECE1DD10E&gwt=pay | How the GOP Elite Lost t Its Voters to Donald Trump | 2016-03-28 | elections | β They have to come to terms with what they created , β said Laura Ingraham , a conservative activist and talk-radio host . β They β ll talk about everything except the fact that their policies are unpopular . β
The distance was magnified by the Supreme Court β s 2010 decision in the Citizens United case , which gave wealthy donors rising weight in Republican circles , even amid signs that the party β s downscale voters were demanding more of a voice .
Most of these voters had long since given up on an increasingly liberal and cosmopolitan Democratic Party . In Mr. Trump , they found a tribune : a blue-collar billionaire who stood in the lobby of a Manhattan skyscraper bearing his name and pledged to expand Social Security , refuse the money of big donors , sock it to Chinese central bankers and relieve Americans of unfair competition from foreign workers .
The Democratic Party is also reckoning this year with a populist insurgency , driven in part by economic pain and growing anger against Washington and Wall Street . But while Senator Bernie Sanders trails Hillary Clinton in delegates , Mr. Trump β s unlikely campaign has become a seemingly unstoppable force , one that Republican lawmakers , donors and activists are only now fully confronting .
β The Republican Party is being dramatically transformed , β said Foster Friess , a Wyoming investor and philanthropist who is among the party β s most significant donors . Republicans and Democrats alike , Mr. Friess said , had neglected β the people who truly make our country work β the truck drivers , farmers , welders , hospitality workers . β
Six years ago , as the 2010 elections neared , everything seemed to be falling into place .
Republicans celebrated an impending repudiation of President Obama in congressional races , in which they would eventually pick up 63 seats . On the ninth floor of the storied Beresford apartment building on Central Park West , guests clinked glasses at a fund-raiser for Republican Senate candidates hosted by Paul Singer , the billionaire investor .
A self-described Goldwater conservative and proponent of an immigration overhaul deal , Mr. Singer had publicly lamented β indiscriminate attacks by political leaders against anything that moves in the world of finance. β In 2010 , Mr. Singer tripled his campaign giving , doling out almost $ 3 million in contributions to Republicans . | QEC2Eb4DoOsJoIfv | 0 | Donald Trump | 0.8 | Republican Party | -0.3 | Presidential Elections | 0 | Elections | 0 | null | null |
violence_in_america | CBS News | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amber-guyger-trial-botham-jeans-mother-reacts-to-sentencing-and-emotional-hug/ | Mother of man slain by cop says son's hug should not be "misconstrued" as "complete forgiveness" | violence_in_america | The murder trial of a former Dallas cop who shot and killed her unarmed neighbor in his home last year ended in a dramatic gesture of forgiveness . The brother of the victim , Botham Jean , hugged former police officer Amber Guyger -- a gesture that brought even the judge to tears .
In an interview with βββ ' Omar Villafranca , the victim 's mother , Allison Jean , said she was surprised by the moment her 18-year-old son Brandt offered forgiveness to his brother 's killer .
`` What he did today , was remarkable , and he did it all on his own , '' she said . `` What Brandt did was to cleanse his heart towards Amber β¦ I do not want it to be misconstrued as a complete forgiveness of everybody . ''
She said there is plenty of blame to go around for the murder of her son Botham , not just with Guyger . In her eyes , multiple Texas agencies share the responsibility .
Jean family attorney Daryl Washington says Brandt showed Guyger the compassion Botham would have given .
`` If Amber Guyger had of just spoke to Botham when she walked in the apartment , Botham would have been the type of guy to say , let me get you a bowl , join me , have some ice cream , '' Washington said .
Botham Jean 's brother forgives and hugs Amber Guyger , the former officer convicted in Jean 's death . CBS Dallas/Fort Worth
Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison for murdering Jean , though she could have received up to 99 years . She will be eligible for parole after five years . People angry over what they describe as a lenient sentence took to the streets to protest overnight . Allison Jean said that a murder conviction `` is justice '' but that `` there is a lot that has to be done by the Dallas Police Department , by the Texas Rangers , by the city of Dallas . ''
Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall said she is launching an internal investigation into issues revealed during the trial β including allegations of tampering with evidence and protecting Guyger .
`` I acknowledge that there are things that we need to change . There are areas of concern that we need to address , '' Hall said .
When βββ spoke to Allison Jean before the trial , she said she 's not ready for forgiveness . Now , she said , she 's `` getting closer to it . ''
There was another usual moment in court . Judge Tammy Kemp hugged the Jean family then also walked over and hugged Guyger and gave her a bible to take with her to prison .
The Jean family attorney says they would like to see legislation passed in Botham 's name to give police officers additional training . They say if Guyger reacted differently , he might be alive today .
But this is n't the end for Amber Guyger either . Her attorneys are considering filing an appeal . | WTvatPGq3hP2nqlw | 0 | Botham Jean | -0.2 | Violence In America | -0.2 | Police Brutality | -0.1 | Dallas | 0 | null | null | |
white_house | New York Times - News | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/us/politics/coronavirus-trump-economy.html | Torn Over Reopening Economy, Trump Says He Faces βBiggest Decision Iβve Ever Had to Makeβ | 2020-04-10 | white_house | At his briefing on Friday , Mr. Trump said he was not aware of the government β s own latest forecasts , but aides said he had interpreted the decreasing death projection to mean that his health advisers may have been overly pessimistic .
The president cited the 60,000 estimated death toll as evidence of progress . β I think we β ll be substantially under that number , β he said of the earlier 100,000 forecast . β Hard to believe that if you have 60,000 , you can never be happy , but that β s a lot fewer than we were originally told . β
But his public health advisers took a more cautious approach . β As encouraging as they are , we have not reached the peak , β Dr. Deborah L. Birx , the White House pandemic coordinator , said of the latest figures . She noted that without universal testing , experts were seeing only the most serious cases . β Is this the tip of the iceberg , or is this half the iceberg or three-quarters of the iceberg that we β ve seen to date ? β she said .
Five administration officials said it was highly unlikely that Mr. Trump would extend the guidelines beyond April 30 , adding that he would be more likely to find a way to announce some lifting of quarantine measures , even if it might not be a full flip-the-lightswitch reopening of the country .
Mr. Trump has been having conversations , both formally and informally , in recent weeks with business leaders like Michael Corbat , the chief executive of Citigroup , and Brian Moynihan , the chief executive of Bank of America , about how to support the economy and when it might be able to reopen .
Many of those discussions have been facilitated by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin , who has fielded calls from executives like Stephen A. Schwarzman , the chief executive of Blackstone , looking for a road map to when a semblance of normalcy could return , although some people close to the discussions said that Mr. Schwarzman and Steven Roth , a real estate investor close to Mr. Trump , have not been aggressive as others .
Other business executives have gone through Jared Kushner , the president β s son-in-law and senior adviser . Paul Tudor Jones made an impassioned push to reopen the economy on a conference call organized by Mr. Kushner several weeks ago , these people said , and the investor Nelson Peltz was said to be influential in Mr. Trump β s since-aborted plan to begin reopening by Easter . | Xomt8cjz9Hfor4Q4 | 0 | Donald Trump | 0.2 | White House | 0.2 | Politics | 0.2 | Coronavirus | 0.1 | Pandemic | 0.1 |
world | Fox Online News | http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/04/13/mother-all-bombs-moab-has-been-dropped-on-afghanistan-heres-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean.html | The 'Mother of All Bombs' (MOAB) has been dropped on Afghanistan. Here's what it does (and doesn't) mean | 2017-04-13 | world | On April 13 , at 7:32 pm local time , U.S . Forces in Afghanistan struck an ISIS tunnel complex in Nangahar Province . What made this strike more newsworthy than most was its use of a GBU-43 bomb .
The Massive Ordnance Air Burst Bomb ( MOAB ) , known more colloquially as the β mother of all bombs β is the most powerful conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal .
The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan , General John Nicholson noted that β this is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K β ( the Afghan branch of ISIS ) .
The MOAB was developed in 2002 , but had never been used in combat . Thus , the strike in Nangahar Province will inevitably spark speculation about what it all means . Does this represent an escalation of the Afghan war effort ? Is it another , extremely loud signal of seriousness from the Trump administration ? Was it a response to the death of Staff Sergeant Mark De Alencar , a Special Forces soldier who was killed April 8 in the same province ?
Most likely the MOAB was used for a simple reason : it was the right bomb for the right target .
Most likely , however , the MOAB was used for a far simpler reason : it was the right bomb for the right target .
Despite some reports to the contrary , the destructive force of the MOAB is nowhere near that of a nuclear weapon . The MOAB has the force of 11 tons of TNT . For comparison , the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 had the force of 15 thousand tons of TNT .
The MOAB is designed to destroy surface targets in a contained environment such as a valley or a cave system . It does not have the capability to penetrate deeply into terrain and destroy a deeply buried target . It is , however , imminently well-suited to collapsing cave openings and killing combatants within the local area .
Now , consider Thursday β s target . Nangahar Province is a deeply mountainous area , making normal military operations difficult . In 2001 , Usama bin Laden was believed to have taken refuge in caves in the Tora Bora region of the province . Back then , the U.S. used large BLU-82 15,000 lb . bombs , known as β daisy cutters β in an attempt to seal and deny the use of caves to bin Laden and his followers . The MOAB was not available then .
The MOAB contains a few thousand pounds more explosive than the BLU-82 daisy cutter . It also incorporates improvements in delivery , making it more precise than the daisy cutter .
Given the difficulty of military movement in the province , the MOAB is an excellent choice for reducing enemy infrastructure and forces in the area . For those reasons , the use of the MOAB probably represents neither an escalation nor a change in strategy or tactics by the Trump administration . It β s just the appropriate matching of ordnance to target .
Some will try to link the use of the MOAB to the death of Staff Sergeant De Alencar . That link does not align with U.S. past operational methods . U.S. forces do not operate on principles of retaliation or response . Rather , they apply military force to achieve specific outcomes based on the theater strategy . In this case , U.S. forces in Afghanistan have set the goal to destroy ISIS-K in Afghanistan .
Standing rules of engagement govern how U.S. forces employ deadly force to achieve effects and minimize civilian casualties . Even though the bomb was bigger than normal , the commanders involved in this operation are bound by those same rules . As Gen. Nicholson emphasized : β U.S . Forces took every precaution to avoid civilian casualties . β
It β s reassuring to note that Gen. Nicholson and the U.S. forces in Afghanistan appear to have been given the liberty to prosecute the war in the manner they think most effective , while at the same time , adhering to the standing rules of engagement . | fTIIVhaNSSWfW7uU | 2 | Bombing | -0.2 | Afghanistan | 0 | ISIS | 0 | World | 0 | null | null |
immigration | The Guardian | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/11/us-immigration-detainees-criminal-background | Half of immigrants held in US 'priority' program have no criminal conviction | 2016-08-11 | Immigration | Many of the so-called β holds β in the Priority Enforcement Program intended to expedite deportation of β criminal aliens β have past arrests but no convictions
A program intended to prioritize the deportation of immigrants who officials call β the worst of the worst β is missing its target , according to a new report .
An analysis of requests by federal officials for local jails to keep immigrants suspected of violating US immigration law in custody found half of the so-called β holds β were placed on people who had been arrested but actually had no criminal conviction .
Some had been picked up during traffic violations , or had their charges dropped . But their arrest triggered a process that ended with their federal immigration detention , and in many cases led to deportation proceedings .
US and Mexico 's mass deportations have fueled humanitarian crisis , report says Read more
Just one quarter had committed the most serious types of offenses , such as murder or sexual assault , according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse , which is based at Syracuse University and obtained the records through an open records request . The most common conviction was for drunk driving , followed by miscellaneous assaults and simple traffic offenses .
This comes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) claims it has narrowed the criteria it used under a started in 2008 called Secure Communities that contributed to a record number of deportations under Barack Obama . Under the program , federal officials ask local jails to hold undocumented immigrants they arrest in custody so that they can be transferred to federal immigration detention centers .
In November 2014 , Homeland Security director Jeh Johnson said a new program called the Priority Enforcement Program ( PEP ) would focus on β criminal aliens β convicted of felonies or several misdemeanor offenses . In fact , the most recent data shows ICE now targets people with no criminal record at a slightly higher rate than before .
ICE said it could not comment on an analysis performed by an external organization . But spokeswoman Sarah Rodriquez said the agency β continues to make significant strides β¦ through PEP to ensure a common-sense approach that focuses enforcement resources on convicted criminals and individuals who threaten public safety and national security β .
The agency says it also tries to consider β important community policing needs β . But here too , it may be be falling short .
β The policies they are implementing are not keeping anyone secure , β said Maria Sotomayor , an undocumented immigrant who lives in Philadelphia , and who met with Johnson in May when he tried unsuccessfully to convince the city to implement the PEP program , which would have ended its β sanctuary city β policy that keeps ICE and police separate .
β I told him that because of these detainers , an immigrant who is a victim of a crime will think many times before calling the police to make a report because we could get picked up too , β recalled Sotomayor .
Before PEP was officially implemented last year , at least 377 local law enforcement agencies were refusing to honor some or all requests to hold immigrants in detention from ICE . The agency says 17 of the 25 jurisdictions with the highest number of declined detainers are now participating in the program .
Unauthorized immigration in the US About 11.3 million people live in the US without legal papers , down from a peak of about 12.2 million in 2007 . Net unauthorized immigration has been roughly even since 2010 . According to 2012 figures , there are about 8 million unauthorized migrants either working or looking for work , or 5.1 % of the labor force .
Since 2009 , more Mexicans have been leaving the US than entering , likely due to a slow economic recovery since the recession and stricter border enforcement . Barack Obama has deported more than 2.5 million people , more than any other president . His executive orders protect at least 1.2 million people from deportations .
Meanwhile , immigration advocates have sued to obtain more details how the PEP program actually differs from its predecessor .
β We suspect this PEP program was just a name change , β said Jessica Bansel , legal director of the National Day Laborers Organizing Network .
For example , while ICE can now ask local jails to simply inform them when an immigrant is in custody , not to detain them , Bansel noted the agency also has two new detainer forms that are specifically designed to request custody of a person who recently entered the country illegally , but has not been convicted of a crime and is not a security risk .
β This sort of makes the whole thing a joke , β said Bansel . | 683981772775a891 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
civil_rights | RealClearPolitics | https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2020/04/22/heres_polyamory_multi-partner_sexual-rights_crusade_on_the_horizon_122979.html | Here's 'Polyamory': Multi-Partner Sexual-Rights Crusade on the Horizon | 2020-04-22 | Civil Rights, Culture, Family And Marriage | It was only a few months ago that someone last treated Cassie Johns like a freak .
During a doctor β s office visit in February , she was asked to list her emergency contacts . Johns , a preschool teacher in Seattle , wrote down two people -- Chris and Joan -- and identified both as her β partners. β They are two of the four romantic interests Johns has been involved with for many years .
β β Oh , that β s so dirty , β β Johns recalled the receptionist saying . β And the receptionist literally stepped back from me , in a doctor β s office . β
Johns , 58 , is a polyamorist . She follows a non-monogamous lifestyle in which multiple partners give each other consent to date and have sex with others . Johns β s longest polyamorous relationship has lasted 36 years , twice as long as her former marriage to a polyamorous man . She talks openly about her partners to her preschool students and others .
β I have lost jobs , I β ve lost an apartment , I β ve lost a car loan , β because of her lifestyle , Johns said . β I β ve lost friendly relations with neighbors . β
Despite the acceptance of campus hook-up culture and Tinder-arranged trysts , more intentional forms of consensual non-monogamy β which can include polygamy , polyamory , open marriages , group marriages , swinging and β relationship anarchy β β are highly stigmatized . Such behavior is widely considered to be abusive , immoral , or emotionally stunted . People in such relationships not only face rudeness and public shaming , they also lack legal protections against discrimination in employment , housing and child custody disputes .
Polyamorists distinguish their lifestyle from cheating and adultery because , they say , it hinges on the consent of all parties , and can involve unmarried people . Activists say such behavior is more common than many people presume . Some studies suggest that as many as a fifth of Americans have engaged in consensual non-monogamy at some point in their lives . The studies show that at any given time , an estimated 4 % to 5 % of the population is in a consensually non-monogamous relationship .
Katie Hill in a pro-equality appearance in California -- before her fledgling congressional career was brought up short by allegations of being involved in a β throuple β including a staffer .
While the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing are expected to put a temporary damper on polyamory , those numbers could rise if the social disincentives were removed β in part because some adulterers and cheaters could become consensual non-monogamists .
Activists are moving to dismantle the legal and social barriers , and say their goals are beginning to take shape .
They are laying the groundwork to have their cause become the next domino to fall in a long line of civil rights victories secured by trans people , gays , lesbians , women and blacks . Not too long ago , those marginalized groups were also viewed as unnatural , depraved or inferior , until negative judgments became socially unacceptable and often illegal .
The aspirations of non-monogamists don β t sound like such a moonshot in an increasingly tolerant society where a transgender man can menstruate and experience childbirth , and Pete Buttigieg , a gay man married to another man , can make a serious run for U.S. president .
As the topic breaks into the mainstream , some churches are beginning to grapple with the issue , and polyamorous students are forming university clubs and organizing events . Last fall polyamory got attention , some of it sympathetic , when California Rep. Katie Hill , was forced to resign over allegations she was having an affair with a campaign staffer in a β throuple β with her then-husband . A recent TV episode of β House Hunters '' featured three adults searching for a home to build their polyamorous nest , and Hollywood celebrities are opening up about their polyamorous lifestyles as well .
Lifestyle personality Aubrey Marcus says he has been in an open relationship with his fiance Whitney Miller since 2013 . He gives advice on ethical non-monogamy on his website .
β There is plenty of evidence that consensual non-monogamy is an emerging civil rights movement , β said Heath Schechinger , a counseling psychologist at the University of California , Berkeley , and co-chair of the Consensual Non-Monogamy Task Force , recently created within the American Psychological Association . β I 've heard from a number of people advocating for relationship structure diversity over the past 20 years who are elated about this issue finally gaining traction . β
Activists are already working with elected officials in more than a dozen local governments , especially in California , to expand local anti-discrimination ordinances to include a new protected class , β relationship structure , β said Berkeley psychologist and poly activist Dave Doleshal .
Most efforts are at the informal stage but the city of Berkeley did consider a formal proposal to extend protections in housing , employment , business practices , city facilities or education to swingers , polyamorists and other non-monogamists . The proposal stalled last year amid concerns that it would have required employers to provide health insurance to numerous sexual and romantic partners outside of marriage .
Pro-polyamory marchers in San Francisco in 2004 . Especially in California , there are moves afoot to expand local anti-discrimination ordinances to include a new protected class : β relationship structure . β
Undaunted by that setback , advocates continue to generate a body of ideas and theories that normalize non-monogamy as a form of positive sexuality -- and possibly an identity -- following a script followed by other marginalized groups . Their efforts have led to reassessments of non-monogamy in the psychological and legal fields , contending the relationships are emotionally healthy and ethical , and thus forging a social movement with a shared identity , shared vocabulary , shared history and a shared desire for full recognition .
Over the past two decades , nearly 600 academic papers have been written on the subject of non-monogamy , according to one count , including an assessment of the benefits to children in polyamorous families . Such research creates a body of scholarship to counteract ingrained social attitudes that poly advocates call prejudices and misconceptions . At the same time , the field has spawned more than 50 books , mostly written by women , said Kenneth Haslam , 85 , a retired anesthesiologist and polyamorist in Durham , N.C. , who helped create the polyamory history archive at the Kinsey Institute in Bloomington , Ind .
Brian Watson , author of β Annals of Pornographie : How Porn Became β Bad β β ( 2016 ) , is co-authoring a book on non-monogamy throughout history . He said it will feature 50 to 100 prominent figures , such as Victor Hugo and Virginia Woolf , and is deliberately modeled on earlier works about famous gay people .
Just as women β s rights grew from feminist legal theory and LGBTQ rights from queer theory , non-monogamy is also developing its own historiography , scholarship and theoretical frameworks .
The polyamory flag . Advocates are laying the groundwork to have their cause become the next domino to fall in a long line of civil rights victories secured by trans people , gays , lesbians , women and blacks .
Still , it 's not easy to pinpoint a polyamorist profile . They are less likely to identify as heterosexual or to conform to gender norms , but academic studies and anecdotal evidence do n't tell a single story . While some non-monogamists consider themselves neo-pagans , anarchists or socialists , others are libertarians or outwardly conventional suburbanites . Some studies say the lifestyle attracts more men , others say more women ; some say it appeals to affluent whites , others say a polyamorist 's average annual income is under $ 40,000 .
In the legal arena , sympathetic scholars are arguing for the extension of legal reforms adopted in family law in recent decades in response to the continued erosion of the nuclear family , which is no longer America β s dominant family structure .
At least a dozen states now recognize or allow for the possibility of a child having more than two parents , an accommodation for surrogate parents , grandparents , stepparents and other nontraditional families , according to a February legal article by Edward Stein , a professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York .
These expansions of the legal concept of family are potential pathways for non-monogamous families to win legal rights of their own , Stein said . Another potential legal opening could be the existing precedents in domestic partnerships and civil unions that were set up locally for gays and lesbians before same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide in 2015 . In both cases , legal victories for one group could be extended to another group , a common way that legal developments happen , he said .
The first steps would likely have to be decriminalizing of adultery in the 38 states that don β t distinguish between consensual and non-consensual non-monogamy . The prohibition of adultery is comparable to anti-sodomy laws whose repeal by the Supreme Court in 2003 cleared an obstacle for recognizing gay marriage , Stein said .
The 1961 science fiction classic often cited as an inspiration by non-monogamists .
β I think what we will see is a lot of chipping away at the edges of some of the restrictions we put on what a family is and what a family does , β said Janet W. Hardy , who has written on polyamory for more than 20 years . β When the legal challenge comes β and it will β I don β t think it will be from people who identify themselves as poly . I think it will come from blended families and some of the other ways that we are reforming around the idea of family that are legally challenging . β
One such example was a recent effort by Hartford , Conn. , authorities to evict eight adults and three children living as a single family in a 6,000-square-foot mansion .
The combined family was not polyamorous , said their lawyer , Peter Goselin , but shared financial , domestic and child-rearing responsibilities . In 2014 the city alleged a violation of its zoning rules for single-family homes , but after two years of litigation , the city dropped its case .
The joint owners and residents of the home claimed a constitutional right to define a family . The octet β s lawsuit against the city includes a brief history of communal family living , from Iroquois longhouses , which housed up to 20 family units , to the communes , cooperatives and collective households of the 19th and 20th centuries .
β They saw the implications of it , β Goselin said . β Privately they said to me we know this would be encouraging to a lot of people who are in polyamorous relationships . β
Advocates say that the warnings against the perils of non-monogamy echo the now-debunked concerns about same-sex marriage .
β All of the well-known objections made against multi-person intimate relationships can be made against same- or opposite-sex monogamy as well , resulting in an indefensible double standard , β Ronald C. Den Otter , a political science professor at California Polytechnic Institute wrote in a 2015 article in the Emory Law Review . β Sadly , many two-person intimate relationships are dysfunctional , and a closer , more brutally honest look at them should not inspire confidence in their superiority . β
Once changes get under way , things can move quickly . The rise of the modern gay rights movement in the mid-20th century led to a decision by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973 to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders ( gender dysphoria was de-pathologized in 2012 ) . Those medical reversals are seen as analogous to the American Psychological Association β s creation last year of its Consensual Non-Monogamy Task Force , formed to destigmatize such relationships and explore changes in public policy .
Schechinger , the task force co-chair , said it β s much easier to stereotype and hate a marginalized group when people in the normative majority operate by stereotypes and misinformation .
β That β s part of what the task force is seeking to accomplish β to gather empirical data , promote accurate information about CNM relationships , and ask if these relationships are causing harm or are not , β he said . β And what are the implications on society for promoting a one-size-fits-all model versus promoting people being in touch with what β s the good fit for them . β
As with the debates over human nature during the gay rights struggle , non-monogamy advocates are also raising the possibility that desiring multiple sexual partners is less a lifestyle choice and more of a sexual orientation . But there can be little doubt that non-monogamy , the norm in the animal kingdom , is natural , and that monogamy is a cultural ideal that developed in humans .
But the yen for sexual variety and adventure competes with an equally insistent bugbear : jealousy . And some believe that β green-eyed monster of jealousy β is the more powerful force , making it unlikely that most people could tolerate consensual non-monogamy for their partners and accept it is a social norm .
Kay Hymowitz : β Normalizing consensual non-monogamy will become yet another way to β privilege β male desire . β
β In the long run there β s going to be some resistance because it β s threatening to everybody else , because they recognize the desire for multiple partners is something they have , too , β said David Barash , a zoologist and a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle , and author of β The Myth of Monogamy : Fidelity and Infidelity in Animals and People β ( 2001 ) . β They recognize it touches something within themselves that they β d rather keep hidden . And something in their partner that they don β t want to acknowledge , either . β
Kay Hymowitz , a scholar at the conservative Manhattan Institute , is also skeptical . Her concern is the unintended harmful consequences of disrupting long-established social norms developed to ensure that men commit to rearing their own children , and that powerful , wealthy men don β t hoard women and create a deficit of available options for other males . β Normalizing consensual non-monogamy will become yet another way to β privilege β male desire , β she said . β I know , I know : There are women who believe strongly in consensual non-monogamy [ and who ] may truly be happier in those relationships than they would be in vanilla relationships . Good for them . But they are a small minority . β
Hymowitz said that the individual rights of polyamorists , swingers and commune members have to be weighed against the greater social interest , and that case has yet to be made .
β You β re creating one more arrangement that will be less stable for children and less permanent , β she said . We have enough problems as it is keeping couples together . β
Nonetheless , longer life expectancies , greater personal freedoms for women , dating apps and the internet are transforming sexual expectations and sexual opportunities , said Elisabeth β Eli β Sheff , CEO of Sheff Consulting in Chattanooga , Tenn. , which specializes in sex and gender minorities , and provides expert witness services and relationship coaching . She β s also the author of the 2014 book , β The Polyamorists Next Door : Inside Multiple-Partner Relationships and Families , β based on a longitudinal study of more than 500 polyamorists .
β We don β t live in a monogamous society . We live in a society in which people pretend monogamy is the norm , β said Johns , the Seattle polyamorist who offered the poly mantra that it β s possible to romantically love more than one friend just as it β s possible to love more than one child .
Non-monogamy has a long history , more ancient than King David β s multiple wives and concubines in the Old Testament . Today β s non-monogamists often cite as their inspiration novelist Robert Heinlein β s treatment of the subject in his 1961 sci-fi classic β Stranger in a Strange Land. β Gay men are sometimes hailed as trend setters because they are accustomed to flexible β monogamish β marital arrangements that allow for outside dalliances .
The Bible includes numerous instances of non-monogamy , including King Solomon , depicted in his old age being led astray into idolatry by his wives .
One of the primary texts associated with the contemporary movement is Janet W. Hardy and Dossie Easton β s 1997 β The Ethical Slut β which lays out the best practices for what advocates hold up as consensual , ethical and responsible non-monogamy .
β I don β t think it has ever had the groundswell that it has now , β said Hardy , who now is running into polyamorous adults brought up by polyamorous parents . β A lot of us are second-generation now . β
Poly activists point to many parallels between earlier movements that were born underground and operated under the radar : secret clubs , insider argot , referral networks for poly-friendly therapists , doctors and lawyers . The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom 's Kink and Poly Aware Professionals referral list includes about 300 lawyers , said Susan Wright , the Baltimore-based organization 's executive director .
The world of polyamory overlaps with the subculture of kink and BDSM , which refers to the erotic practices of bondage , domination , submission and sadomasochism . As a sign of the movement β s maturation , some now embrace the kind of middle-class respectability that made gay marriage palatable to mainstream society .
`` We β re a very boring and respectable couple ! '' polyamorist Carrie Ichikawa Jenkins beamed to The Chronicle of Higher Education in 2017 . Jenkins , a University of British Columbia philosophy professor , has a husband and a boyfriend , both of whom teach at UBC . The Chronicle article paints a portrait of the polyamorous triad in domestic hues befitting Norman Rockwell : β On the wall hang sepia-toned photographs of someone β s relatives . On the front porch are a swing and a coffee table with an ashtray on it . β
`` Love Outside the Box '' symbol on the polyamory Wikipedia page
The civil rights concerns of the non-monogamous and other minorities are dissimilar in some ways . Unlike earlier civil rights movements , non-monogamy has the potential of affecting a majority of the population , since membership in the group is theoretically open to everyone .
β In a way , poly is a deeper threat to the dominant culture than gay culture , β said Geoffrey Miller , a polyamorist in an open marriage and a psychology professor at the University of New Mexico .
Miller , a member of the APA task force , compares the state of non-monogamy movement to gay rights in 1966 , in the calm before the storm of the Stonewall Riots , the 1969 protests that launched the modern gay rights movement . The closeted movement had about 50 organizations in the late 1960s but exploded to 1,000 by the mid-1970s , said John D β Emilio , a retired professor at the University of Illinois , Chicago , who taught on the history of sexuality and the LGBTQ movement , and is co-author of β Intimate Matters : A History of Sexuality in America β ( 1988 ) .
Conservatives had long warned that redefining marriage to allow same-sex unions would throw open the door to allowing any kind of marriage , from polygamy to incest . Those arguments reached a crescendo when gay marriage was winding its way through the legal system , en route to the 2015 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage . In that 5-4 decision , Chief Justice John Roberts wrote a dissenting opinion warning of what was to come .
β It is striking how much of the majority β s reasoning would apply with equal force to the claim of a fundamental right to plural marriage , β Roberts wrote . β Why would there be any less dignity in the bond between three people who , in exercising their autonomy , seek to make the profound choice to marry ? β
Robert P. George , law professor : `` We have quickly gone from , β It will never happen , β to β You β re a bigot for thinking there is anything wrong with it . β β
Princeton professor of jurisprudence Robert George was among those who warned of the slippery slope . In a 2015 article , he predicted that the civil rights challenges were inevitable , but initially judges would β swat away on procedural grounds the first few constitutional challenges to marriage laws. β Gradually the legal objections will give way to the force of logical consistency .
He told RealClearInvestigations in an email that this process is often characterized by indignant dismissal of the logical implications , followed by total capitulation .
β Of course , advocates of revising the law denounced us not only as β bigots β but as β scare-mongers , β β George said . β There was , they insisted , no β slippery slope β from same-sex marriage to polyamory . The two concepts had nothing to do with each other .
β I could see that this was nonsense β often disingenuous nonsense , β George said . β So I am not in the least surprised to see what is happening now . We have quickly gone from , β It will never happen , β to β You β re a bigot for thinking there is anything wrong with it . β β | 860e38ca23bbaa07 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
immigration | The Daily Caller | https://dailycaller.com/2022/07/28/muriel-bowser-migrants-busing-texas-arizona-national-guard/ | DC Mayor Requests National Guard Deploy To Address The Border Crisis Coming To The Nationβs Capital | 2022-07-28 | Immigration, Washington DC, Texas, Arizona, National Guard, Lloyd Austin, White House, Greg Abbott | The owner of this website (dailycaller.com) has banned the autonomous system number (ASN) your IP address is in (45102) from accessing this website. Cloudflare Ray ID: 914d37bb8f91642e β’ Your IP: Click to reveal 47.251.50.254 β’ Performance & security by Cloudflare | 8d10722b7a356436 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
world | BBC News | http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-39431070 | Brexit: The UK's letter triggering Article 50 | 2017-03-29 | Great Britain, World | Here is the full text of Theresa May's letter to European Council president Donald Tusk, beginning the start of Brexit negotiations. Dear President Tusk On 23 June last year, the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. As I have said before, that decision was no rejection of the values we share as fellow Europeans. Nor was it an attempt to do harm to the European Union or any of the remaining member states. On the contrary, the United Kingdom wants the European Union to succeed and prosper. Instead, the referendum was a vote to restore, as we see it, our national self-determination. We are leaving the European Union, but we are not leaving Europe - and we want to remain committed partners and allies to our friends across the continent. Earlier this month, the United Kingdom Parliament confirmed the result of the referendum by voting with clear and convincing majorities in both of its Houses for the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. The Bill was passed by Parliament on 13 March and it received Royal Assent from Her Majesty The Queen and became an Act of Parliament on 16 March. Today, therefore, I am writing to give effect to the democratic decision of the people of the United Kingdom. I hereby notify the European Council in accordance with Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union of the United Kingdom's intention to withdraw from the European Union. In addition, in accordance with the same Article 50(2) as applied by Article 106a of the Treaty Establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, I hereby notify the European Council of the United Kingdom's intention to withdraw from the European Atomic Energy Community. References in this letter to the European Union should therefore be taken to include a reference to the European Atomic Energy Community. See the letter as published by Downing Street (PDF), external This letter sets out the approach of Her Majesty's Government to the discussions we will have about the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union and about the deep and special partnership we hope to enjoy - as your closest friend and neighbour - with the European Union once we leave. We believe that these objectives are in the interests not only of the United Kingdom but of the European Union and the wider world too. It is in the best interests of both the United Kingdom and the European Union that we should use the forthcoming process to deliver these objectives in a fair and orderly manner, and with as little disruption as possible on each side. We want to make sure that Europe remains strong and prosperous and is capable of projecting its values, leading in the world, and defending itself from security threats. We want the United Kingdom, through a new deep and special partnership with a strong European Union, to play its full part in achieving these goals. We therefore believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the European Union. The Government wants to approach our discussions with ambition, giving citizens and businesses in the United Kingdom and the European Union - and indeed from third countries around the world - as much certainty as possible, as early as possible. I would like to propose some principles that may help to shape our coming discussions, but before I do so, I should update you on the process we will be undertaking at home, in the United Kingdom. As I have announced already, the Government will bring forward legislation that will repeal the Act of Parliament - the European Communities Act 1972 - that gives effect to EU law in our country. This legislation will, wherever practical and appropriate, in effect convert the body of existing European Union law (the "acquis") into UK law. This means there will be certainty for UK citizens and for anybody from the European Union who does business in the United Kingdom. The Government will consult on how we design and implement this legislation, and we will publish a White Paper tomorrow. We also intend to bring forward several other pieces of legislation that address specific issues relating to our departure from the European Union, also with a view to ensuring continuity and certainty, in particular for businesses. We will of course continue to fulfil our responsibilities as a member state while we remain a member of the European Union, and the legislation we propose will not come into effect until we leave. From the start and throughout the discussions, we will negotiate as one United Kingdom, taking due account of the specific interests of every nation and region of the UK as we do so. When it comes to the return of powers back to the United Kingdom, we will consult fully on which powers should reside in Westminster and which should be devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But it is the expectation of the Government that the outcome of this process will be a significant increase in the decision-making power of each devolved administration. The United Kingdom wants to agree with the European Union a deep and special partnership that takes in both economic and security cooperation. To achieve this, we believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the EU. If, however, we leave the European Union without an agreement the default position is that we would have to trade on World Trade Organisation terms. In security terms a failure to reach agreement would mean our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened. In this kind of scenario, both the United Kingdom and the European Union would of course cope with the change, but it is not the outcome that either side should seek. We must therefore work hard to avoid that outcome. It is for these reasons that we want to be able to agree a deep and special partnership, taking in both economic and security cooperation, but it is also because we want to play our part in making sure that Europe remains strong and prosperous and able to lead in the world, projecting its values and defending itself from security threats. And we want the United Kingdom to play its full part in realising that vision for our continent. Looking ahead to the discussions which we will soon begin, I would like to suggest some principles that we might agree to help make sure that the process is as smooth and successful as possible. i. We should engage with one another constructively and respectfully, in a spirit of sincere cooperation. Since I became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom I have listened carefully to you, to my fellow EU Heads of Government and the Presidents of the European Commission and Parliament. That is why the United Kingdom does not seek membership of the single market: we understand and respect your position that the four freedoms of the single market are indivisible and there can be no "cherry picking". We also understand that there will be consequences for the UK of leaving the EU: we know that we will lose influence over the rules that affect the European economy. We also know that UK companies will, as they trade within the EU, have to align with rules agreed by institutions of which we are no longer a part - just as UK companies do in other overseas markets. ii. We should always put our citizens first. There is obvious complexity in the discussions we are about to undertake, but we should remember that at the heart of our talks are the interests of all our citizens. There are, for example, many citizens of the remaining member states living in the United Kingdom, and UK citizens living elsewhere in the European Union, and we should aim to strike an early agreement about their rights. iii. We should work towards securing a comprehensive agreement. We want to agree a deep and special partnership between the UK and the EU, taking in both economic and security cooperation. We will need to discuss how we determine a fair settlement of the UK's rights and obligations as a departing member state, in accordance with the law and in the spirit of the United Kingdom's continuing partnership with the EU. But we believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the EU. iv. We should work together to minimise disruption and give as much certainty as possible. Investors, businesses and citizens in both the UK and across the remaining 27 member states - and those from third countries around the world - want to be able to plan. In order to avoid any cliff-edge as we move from our current relationship to our future partnership, people and businesses in both the UK and the EU would benefit from implementation periods to adjust in a smooth and orderly way to new arrangements. It would help both sides to minimise unnecessary disruption if we agree this principle early in the process. v. In particular, we must pay attention to the UK's unique relationship with the Republic of Ireland and the importance of the peace process in Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is the only EU member state with a land border with the United Kingdom. We want to avoid a return to a hard border between our two countries, to be able to maintain the Common Travel Area between us, and to make sure that the UK's withdrawal from the EU does not harm the Republic of Ireland. We also have an important responsibility to make sure that nothing is done to jeopardise the peace process in Northern Ireland, and to continue to uphold the Belfast Agreement. vi. We should begin technical talks on detailed policy areas as soon as possible, but we should prioritise the biggest challenges. Agreeing a high-level approach to the issues arising from our withdrawal will of course be an early priority. But we also propose a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union. This should be of greater scope and ambition than any such agreement before it so that it covers sectors crucial to our linked economies such as financial services and network industries. This will require detailed technical talks, but as the UK is an existing EU member state, both sides have regulatory frameworks and standards that already match. We should therefore prioritise how we manage the evolution of our regulatory frameworks to maintain a fair and open trading environment, and how we resolve disputes. On the scope of the partnership between us - on both economic and security matters - my officials will put forward detailed proposals for deep, broad and dynamic cooperation. vii. We should continue to work together to advance and protect our shared European values. Perhaps now more than ever, the world needs the liberal, democratic values of Europe. We want to play our part to ensure that Europe remains strong and prosperous and able to lead in the world, projecting its values and defending itself from security threats. As I have said, the Government of the United Kingdom wants to agree a deep and special partnership between the UK and the EU, taking in both economic and security cooperation. At a time when the growth of global trade is slowing and there are signs that protectionist instincts are on the rise in many parts of the world, Europe has a responsibility to stand up for free trade in the interest of all our citizens. Likewise, Europe's security is more fragile today than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Weakening our cooperation for the prosperity and protection of our citizens would be a costly mistake. The United Kingdom's objectives for our future partnership remain those set out in my Lancaster House speech of 17 January and the subsequent White Paper published on 2 February. We recognise that it will be a challenge to reach such a comprehensive agreement within the two-year period set out for withdrawal discussions in the Treaty. But we believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the EU. We start from a unique position in these discussions - close regulatory alignment, trust in one another's institutions, and a spirit of cooperation stretching back decades. It is for these reasons, and because the future partnership between the UK and the EU is of such importance to both sides, that I am sure it can be agreed in the time period set out by the Treaty. The task before us is momentous but it should not be beyond us. After all, the institutions and the leaders of the European Union have succeeded in bringing together a continent blighted by war into a union of peaceful nations, and supported the transition of dictatorships to democracy. Together, I know we are capable of reaching an agreement about the UK's rights and obligations as a departing member state, while establishing a deep and special partnership that contributes towards the prosperity, security and global power of our continent. Yours sincerely Theresa May As it happened: May triggers Brexit 'No turning back' on Brexit - May What is Article 50? What happens now that a deal's been done? Seven decades of UK in Europe. Video, 00:02:19Seven decades of UK in Europe Prime Minister's Commons statement on triggering Article 50 - GOV.UK Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row Trump envoy calls Zelensky a 'courageous leader' after days of criticism from White House We cannot mourn until Shiri Bibas is returned, family says Shock over Bibas body mix-up is latest hurdle in fragile ceasefire Weekly quiz: What did the kayaker feel on his face when swallowed by a whale? Do US super-carriers make sense any more? The BBC goes on board one What will Amazon do with James Bond? Zizians: What we know about the 'cult' linked to six deaths BBC undercover filming exposes Indian pharma firm fuelling opioid crisis Katya Adler: Far right looks for breakthrough in Germany's election How safe is it to fly in bad weather? Off air with Laura K: Get Laura Kuenssberg's expert insight emailed directly to you Kelly Lee Owens joins Nick to discuss the week in music From the return of Madonna to the rising popularity of electronic music, Kelly and Nick share the latest news Witness the nature of wild Scandinavia The Scandinavian coast is a place of haunting beauty and dangerous extremes Heathers: The making of a cult classic Heathers flopped at the cinema, but became a word-of-mouth hit over the next decade Fresh faces but the same glossy drama Get behind the filter at Scotlandβs biggest influencer agency Copyright Β© 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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justice | Newsweek | https://www.newsweek.com/mike-pence-jan-6-testimony-could-finally-disclose-secret-service-answers-1724941 | Mike Pence Jan. 6 Testimony Could Finally Disclose Secret Service Answers | 2022-07-16 | Adam Kinzinger, Capitol Chaos, Donald Trump, January 6 Committee, Justice, Mike Pence, Politics, White House | Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has covered the Biden administration, election polling and the U.S. Supreme Court. Darragh joined Newsweek in 2020 from PoliticusUSA and had previously worked at The Contemptor. He attended the University of Limerick, Ireland and ELTE, Hungary. Languages: English, German. You can get in touch with Darragh by emailing d.roche@newsweek.com. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The House Select Committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021 may soon seek testimony from former Vice President Mike Pence, according to Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger. Pence's potential testimony could shed light on issues surrounding the former vice president's interaction with the Secret Service during the Capitol riot and in particular suggestions that Pence believed there was a coup attempt. Kinzinger, one of two Republicans sitting on the committee, told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that the select committee is considering asking Pence to appear before them for an interview. As a major figure in former President Donald Trump's administration, Pence could provide key answers on a number of questions concerning January 6 and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Pence was present at the U.S. Capitol when the riot began and he may be able to answer lingering questions about the role his Secret Service detail played on the day. During the riot, Pence refused to get into an armored limousine manned by Secret Service agents and he has so far offered no explanation about that decision. In April, Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who sits on the select committee, suggested that Pence had refused to get into the vehicle because he felt it was part of an attempted coup. "He knew exactly what this inside coup they had planned for was going to do," Raskin said. "It was a coup directed by the president against the vice president and against the Congress." Some have theorized that the intention of Pence's Secret Service detail was to drive the then vice president away from the Capitol in order to prevent him from carrying out his role in certifying the 2020 Electoral College votes. This theory has not been proven but it is highly likely Pence will be asked about his interactions with the Secret Service if he appears before the committee. Pence's former chief of staff, Marc Short, and chief legal counsel, Greg Jacob, have already appeared before the committee. Trump had publicly pressured Pence to intervene on January 6 and prevent the certification of Electoral College votes in order to kick the election back to the states in the hope that then president's defeat could be reversed. Pence refused to do so and following the riot, he fulfilled his largely ceremonial constitutional role by overseeing the certification of slates of electors. While Pence has distanced himself from Trump and his false claims about the 2020 election, he has not spoken publicly about efforts to overturn the election or how he was treated by Trump in the closing days of the administration. If Pence appears, the committee is likely to grill him on a wide variety of matters, including claims from a former White House aide that Trump approved of those chanting "Hang Mike Pence" on January 6. Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has covered the Biden administration, election polling and the U.S. Supreme Court. Darragh joined Newsweek in 2020 from PoliticusUSA and had previously worked at The Contemptor. He attended the University of Limerick, Ireland and ELTE, Hungary. Languages: English, German. You can get in touch with Darragh by emailing d.roche@newsweek.com. Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has covered the Biden administration, election polling and the U.S. Supreme Court. Darragh joined Newsweek in 2020 from PoliticusUSA and had previously worked at The Contemptor. He attended the University of Limerick, Ireland and ELTE, Hungary. Languages: English, German. You can get in touch with Darragh by emailing d.roche@newsweek.com. Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more Newsletters in your inbox See all Company Editions: Contact Terms of Use Β© 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC | e485d14dc103bef4 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
great_britain | BBC News | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48937120 | Sir Kim Darroch: UK ambassador to US resigns in Trump leaks row | 2019-07-10 | Great Britain, World | Sir Kim Darroch has resigned as UK ambassador to the US , as a row over leaked emails critical of President Trump 's administration escalates .
Theresa May said Sir Kim 's departure was `` a matter of deep regret '' after the ambassador said it was `` impossible '' for him to continue .
Tory leadership candidate Boris Johnson has faced strong criticism for failing to fully support him .
President Trump said on Monday that the US would not deal with Sir Kim .
The US president had branded him `` a very stupid guy '' after confidential emails emerged where the ambassador had called his administration `` clumsy and inept '' .
In a letter to the Foreign Office , Sir Kim said he wanted to end speculation about his position : `` The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like . ''
His resignation has prompted widespread support for Sir Kim as well as criticism of Tory frontrunner Boris Johnson .
According to some Whitehall sources , Sir Kim decided to resign after Mr Johnson refused to support him during the Tory leadership debate on Tuesday night , said BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale .
Mr Johnson was asked repeatedly by fellow leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt whether he would keep Sir Kim in post if he became prime minister , but refused to answer .
It is understood Mr Johnson spoke to Sir Kim on the phone on Wednesday afternoon .
Sources close to Mr Johnson said that he praised Sir Kim 's dedication and hard work and claimed the conversation was warm and cordial .
Following Sir Kim 's resignation , Mr Johnson said he was `` a superb diplomat '' and whoever was responsible for the leak `` has done a grave disservice to our civil servants '' .
Asked why he was not more supportive of Sir Kim , he said it was `` wrong to drag civil servants into the political arena '' .
Europe Minister Sir Alan Duncan - who backs Mr Hunt in the leadership contest - said it was `` contemptible negligence '' of Mr Johnson not to support Sir Kim .
`` He 's basically thrown this fantastic diplomat under a bus to serve his own personal interests , '' he said .
However , Sir Michael Fallon - a supporter of Mr Johnson - told BBC Newsnight Sir Kim 's position became untenable `` long before the debate on Tuesday night '' and he understands the ambassador did not watch it .
The backlash against Mr Johnson was `` a shabby attempt to politicise '' the affair and the leadership contender had `` made it clear he supports all our diplomats '' , he said .
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mr Johnson wanted a `` sweetheart trade deal '' with the US and his lack of support for Sir Kim `` shows he wo n't stand up to Donald Trump '' .
Tory MP and chairman of the Commons ' foreign affairs committee Tom Tugendhat said in a tweet : `` Leaders stand up for their men . They encourage them to try and defend them when they fail . ''
Fellow Tory leadership candidate and Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt told the BBC Sir Kim was `` doing his job '' and his resignation was `` a black day for British diplomacy '' .
Mrs May said Sir Kim had had the full backing of the cabinet and he was owed an `` enormous debt of gratitude '' for his `` lifetime of service '' to the UK .
Public servants should be able to give `` full and frank advice '' , she added .
So was it Boris Johnson what done it ? Was the failure of the former foreign secretary to defend Sir Kim in last night 's Tory leadership debate the crucial factor in the ambassador 's decision to resign ?
Without Sir Kim speaking publicly on the subject , we are reliant on others to speak for him .
And certainly , according to well-placed sources in Whitehall , Mr Johnson 's decision to avoid criticising President Trump and his lack of support for Sir Kim was said to be the straw that broke the camel 's back .
If you are an embattled diplomat under fire from your host country , you need cover from London . And if that is lacking from the man tipped to be your next boss , you realise the writing is on the wall .
Certainly , there is genuine anger across Westminster and Whitehall at Mr Johnson 's refusal six times last night to come to the aid of our man in Washington .
Mr Johnson 's supporters have offered varying counter theories . Some have accused Mr Hunt 's supporters of politicising the resignation .
Others have insisted that the decision had been made before the debate , once Mr Trump declared he would no longer deal with Sir Kim .
Realising they were on the receiving end of potentially damaging criticism , Mr Johnson 's aides also let it be known that he called Sir Kim this afternoon and praised his dedication and hard work .
The problem is that few in Westminster were giving much credence to these defences .
In the House of Commons , Theresa May pointedly urged MPs to `` reflect on the importance of defending our values and principles , particularly when they are under pressure '' .
It was not hard to decipher what she was talking about .
Head of the diplomatic service Sir Simon McDonald said it was the first time in his career that a head of state had refused to work with a British ambassador .
He described the leak as `` malicious '' and told Sir Kim : `` You are the best of us . ''
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham - a supporter of President Trump - said Sir Kim had done `` an outstanding job '' as ambassador and his resignation was `` a chilling moment '' .
`` Ambassadors need to be able to talk to their governments without fear of being compromised , '' he said .
In a letter to Sir Kim , Cabinet Secretary and civil service head Sir Mark Sedwill said that while he understood his reasons for resigning it was `` a matter of enormous regret that you were put in this position after a shocking betrayal of trust '' .
Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said he was `` enraged '' by the situation and morale in the senior ranks of the civil service had taken `` a very heavy blow '' .
Former head of the civil service Lord O'Donnell told the BBC Sir Kim 's successor could be chosen within two weeks - while Mrs May is still prime minister .
President Trump could well wake up this morning thinking he has the power to veto who the UK has as its ambassador .
It was n't his more colourful remarks on Twitter that really ended Sir Kim 's time , but Mr Trump 's public announcement that he would no longer work with him .
The effects of that were felt immediately . There was a banquet that Sir Kim was immediately dis-invited from . Next , he could n't attend an event with minister Liam Fox .
It was clear he was being frozen out and for an ambassador access is everything . Without it , it 's impossible to do the job .
More broadly , it 's like this ... There 's never been parity in the special relationship between the UK and US - it 's never been a relationship of equals but right now it seems particularly lopsided .
The US knows that Britain is fairly isolated right now internationally and needs the US more than ever . Donald Trump has wielded that power mercilessly in this row .
In the emails leaked to the Mail on Sunday , Sir Kim said : `` We do n't really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal ; less dysfunctional ; less unpredictable ; less faction-riven ; less diplomatically clumsy and inept . ''
The emails , dating from 2017 , said rumours of `` infighting and chaos '' in the White House were mostly true .
The government has opened an internal inquiry into the publication of the memos and police have been urged to open a criminal investigation .
Downing Street confirmed there had been some `` initial discussions '' with police regarding the leak and if there was concern about criminal activity they would become involved `` more formally '' .
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said it was `` deeply worrying '' diplomatic cables had ended up in the public domain . | fd69ae0ff58d159e | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | BBC News | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-48591001 | Hong Kong extradition: Police fire rubber bullets at protesters | politics | Police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas in Hong Kong at demonstrators amid anger at a new bill to allow extradition to mainland China .
Protesters blocked key roads around government buildings and threw bricks and projectiles at police .
They are concerned the new laws could target political opponents of Beijing , and fear human rights abuses in China 's legal system .
Hong Kong 's Chief Executive Carrie Lam condemned the `` organised riots '' .
`` The rioting actions that damage peaceful society , ignoring law and discipline is unacceptable for any civilised societies , '' she said in a video statement .
Officials say 72 people aged between 15 and 66 have been injured so far , with two men in a critical condition .
The government is still backing the bill and it is expected to pass its final vote on 20 June .
It has promised legally binding human rights safeguards and other measures it says should alleviate concerns .
But Hong Kong 's Legislative Council ( LegCo ) has now delayed its second reading .
The rallies against the extradition bill are the biggest since the territory was handed back to China by the British in 1997 .
Protests had been largely peaceful ahead of the scheduled debate of the bill - but on Wednesday they escalated as activists tried to storm government buildings .
One young protester wearing a black mask and gloves told news agency AFP that they would not leave until `` they scrap the law '' .
Rights groups including Amnesty have accused police of using excessive force , but Police Commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung said police had had `` no choice '' .
As night fell , protesters remained in some streets behind makeshift barricades .
Meanwhile a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman has described reports that security forces from the mainland could be sent to Hong Kong as `` fake news '' .
Geng Shuang said such reports were `` rumours to fool people so as to create panic '' .
Police said they were also investigating death threats made against Ms Lam .
In a tearful interview with local TV , Ms Lam dismissed accusations that she had `` sold out '' Hong Kong .
`` I have grown up here with all the Hong Kong people , '' she said . `` My love for this place has led me to make many personal sacrifices . ''
There has been very limited media coverage of events in Hong Kong on the mainland . Search results are either blank or toe the Beijing line .
`` This kind of violent demonstration is not supposed to happen in Hong Kong , a developed society , '' said Global Times Editor Hu Xijin on Twitter , which is blocked in China
`` I do n't think Westerners that encourage protests in Hong Kong want the best for the city . They would rather see disturbance there . ''
However Chinese citizens are not completely unaware of what is happening across the border .
Some mainlanders were seen protesting in Hong Kong over the weekend , and others have shown their solidarity on the Wechat social media platform .
`` Although this is Hong Kongers ' fight , the love for freedom and dignity is universal , '' wrote one user . `` I salute their struggle and effort . I just hope that we are not going to see a bloody crackdown . ''
It allows for extradition requests from authorities in mainland China , Taiwan and Macau for suspects accused of serious criminal wrongdoing such as murder and rape . The requests would then be decided on a case-by-case basis .
The move came after a 19-year-old Hong Kong man allegedly murdered his 20-year-old pregnant girlfriend while they were holidaying in Taiwan together in February last year .
The man fled to Hong Kong and could not be extradited to Taiwan because the two do not have an extradition treaty .
Hong Kong officials have said courts in the territory will have the final say over whether to grant extradition requests , and suspects accused of political and religious crimes will not be extradited .
The government has also promised to only hand over fugitives for offences carrying a maximum sentence of at least seven years .
Hong Kong has entered into extradition agreements with 20 countries , including the UK and the US .
China has expressed `` firm support '' for the bill but many Western nations have criticised it .
A wide range of groups have spoken out against extradition to China , and hundreds of petitions are in circulation .
More than 100 businesses have said they will shut to allow their staff to protest and nearly 4,000 teachers said they would strike .
Powerful business lobbies say they fear the plans will damage Hong Kong 's competitiveness as a base of operations .
On Sunday organisers said more than a million people took to the streets demanding the government abandon the amendments , though police estimated turnout was 240,000 at its peak .
In 2014 tens of thousands protested against restrictions on who they could vote for as chief executive .
Despite being mostly peaceful , the protests failed to achieve any concessions . Some of the organisers have since been jailed on public nuisance charges .
Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841 until sovereignty was returned to China in 1997 .
Under the `` one country , two systems '' principle , Hong Kong has kept its judicial independence , its own legislature , its economic system and the Hong Kong dollar .
Its residents were also granted protection of certain human rights and freedoms , including freedom of speech and assembly .
Beijing retains control of foreign and defence affairs , and visas or permits are required for travel between Hong Kong and the mainland . | RW1bIQOsgO3XHonD | 1 | Hong Kong | -0.4 | Protests | 0.2 | Politics | 0 | null | null | null | null | |
russia | Associated Press | https://apnews.com/article/white-house-wall-street-journal-evan-gershkovich-5b754bf516ad5964b7453619733583d2 | Biden adviser says US is pressing for the release of reporter who has spent 100 days in Russian jail | 2023-07-07 | Russia, Evan Gershkovich, Ukraine War, World, Europe, Foreign Affairs, Espionage | WASHINGTON (AP) β White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday said the U.S. has been in contact with Russian officials to press for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich as Friday marked the 100th day of the journalist being detained by the Russian government.Sullivan said he also spoke with Gershkovichβs family representatives and Wall Street Journal officials on Friday about the status of the case and the administrationβs efforts to win the reporterβs release.The Kremlin earlier this week suggested that it was open to a possible prisoner exchange that could involve Gershkovich, but it underscored that such talks must be held out of the public eye.βI do not want to give false hope,β Sullivan told reporters. βWhat the Kremlin said earlier this week is correct. There have been discussions. But those discussions have not produced a clear pathway to a resolution, and so I cannot stand here today and tell you that we have a clear answer to how we are going to get Evan home.βThe U.S. ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, on Monday was allowed to visit Gershkovich for the first time since April.Gershkovich was arrested on espionage charges in the city of Yekaterinburg while on a reporting trip. He is being held at Moscowβs Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions. A Moscow court last week upheld a ruling to keep him in custody until Aug. 30.Gershkovich and his employer deny the allegations, and the U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained. His arrest rattled journalists in Russia. Authorities there have not provided any evidence to support the espionage charges.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the U.S. stance that the detention of Gershkovich was baseless. She reiterated the administrationβs call for the immediate release of Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a Marine Corps veteran who has been detained in Russia on espionage charges for four years.βOur message to Evan and Paul is this: Keep the faith. We wonβt stop until you are home,β Jean-Pierre said. | 72938086744c907c | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle_east | Christian Science Monitor | http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2014/0821/Why-US-Special-Forces-failed-to-rescue-James-Foley | Why US Special Forces failed to rescue James Foley | 2014-08-21 | middle_east | The failed attempt to rescue journalist James Foley before he was killed by Islamic State militants β and the ongoing efforts to track down other American hostages before it β s too late β illustrate a glaring shortcoming in US military capabilities : that good US military intelligence on these militant groups is in short supply .
Although the Pentagon greenlighted the deployment of Special Operations Forces ( SOF ) to Syria β along with the US military β s most high-tech air and ground components β the mission did not result in a rescue .
β Unfortunately , the mission was not successful , because the hostages were not present at the targeted location , β Rear Adm. John Kirby , Pentagon press secretary , said in a statement Wednesday evening .
Even so , defense officials sought to put a positive spin on the mission . β This operation , by the way , was a flawless operation , β Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a briefing with reporters Thursday afternoon . β But the hostages were not there . β
The Pentagon β s unusual confirmation of a failed Special Forces mission β made at the behest of the White House β was in large part an effort to reassure the American public that the United States has not sat idly by during the meteoric rise of the Islamic State ( IS ) .
But the news drove home the point , too , that US intelligence officials still know relatively little about the workings of IS .
Pentagon officials bristled at this implication , however . β Was this a failure of intelligence ? No , β Secretary Hagel insisted . β The fact is that intelligence does not come wrapped in a package with a bow . It is a mosaic of many pictures , many factors . β
The problem , he added in a favorite Pentagon maxim , is that β the enemy always has a say in everything . β
True , hostage rescue operations using Special Forces are β extraordinarily complicated β under any circumstances , says Rick β Ozzie β Nelson , a nonresident fellow in the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies .
That β s in large part because β high-value hostages are high-value assets to our adversaries , and they β re going to do what they can to preserve that asset , so they are going to be kept in highly protected , inaccessible places , β he says .
This is further complicated by the fact that as Al Qaeda leadership has been fragmented through US military strikes , the jihadist movement has become more diffuse as well , with β increasing numbers of groups and jihadist fighters , β says Paul Scharre , a fellow at the Center for a New American Security who previously served as a specialist on intelligence , surveillance , and reconnaissance programs at the Pentagon .
Mr. Foley , for example , may have been traded and bartered by different insurgent groups before ending up in IS hands , which in turn complicates the intelligence picture .
β Hostages may be traded for weapons , for territory . Government forces could give a hostage to a rebel group in exchange for leaving them alone in certain areas , β says Mr. Nelson , whose last military assignment before retiring from the Navy was with the Joint Special Operations Command .
Even when the intelligence picture is clearer , β one of the things people may not be aware of is that in Iraq and Afghanistan , when SOF would go on raids and go after terrorist networks , a huge number of those raids ended up in the person you β re looking for not being there , β Mr. Scharre says .
But even failed missions can be of intelligence value , analysts note .
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β If the hostage had spent time at the site , you might have access to people who had been holding him at one time , β Nelson says . Then it might be possible to pick up information about β everything from when was the last time the hostages ate to their health , to what rank or role do you have in this terrorist organization , to what are your next set of battle plans ? β he adds . β You rarely walk away with nothing . β
Even the grisly video of the execution itself is being scrubbed now by intelligence analysts , Nelson notes . β We now dust for electronic prints the way we used to dust for fingerprints . Every piece of intelligence is a piece of intelligence we can use , β he says . β Who was standing next to Foley in the video ? Where did it happen ? These are electronic clues . β | 1ggAsHUavAtMRAsE | 1 | Iraq | -0.1 | Middle East | -0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
public_health | Helaine Olen | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/11/make-daylight-saving-time-permanent/ | Spring ahead β and stay there. Letβs make daylight saving time permanent. | 2022-03-15 | Public Health, Daylight Savings Time | clockThis article was published more than 2 years ago Itβs time, as they say on Twitter, to #locktheclock. We need to put an end to the century of back-and-forth. After we spring forward this weekend, we should make daylight saving time permanent. On Sunday, people in most areas of the country will set their clocks ahead one hour, making it so that darkness falls later in the day. (Clocks will revert, or βfall back,β on Nov. 6 β a federally enforced seasonal shift.) But making daylight saving time permanent would, almost certainly, give the people what they want β whether they say so or not. | a9876cf6916cbe6d | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
supreme_court | Reason | https://reason.com/2020/02/26/supreme-court-weighs-free-speech-and-the-right-to-encourage-illegal-immigration/ | Supreme Court Weighs Free Speech and the Right to Encourage Illegal Immigration | 2020-02-26 | Supreme Court, Unauthorized Immigration, Immigration, 1st Amendment, US Constitution, Free Speech | Federal law imposes criminal penalties on any person who `` encourages or induces an alien to come to , enter , or reside in the United States , knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to , entry , or residence is or will be in violation of law . '' On Tuesday , the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that asked whether that federal law should be struck down for restricting speech that is protected by the First Amendment .
The case is United States v. Sineneng-Smith . Evelyn Sineneng-Smith , the operator of an immigration consulting firm in San Jose , California , was convicted in 2010 on several counts of illegal `` encouragement . '' Her lawyer , Mark Fleming , told the justices that the federal law itself should be wiped from the books .
`` This is a statute that uses very broad words . It uses them in the context in which all they can do is ban free speech , '' Fleming argued . `` The result is that vast amounts of truthful and accurate and heartfelt speech that 's in no way related and much less integral to any actual crime is subject to five years in federal prison . I would submit that the First Amendment is wisely designed to protect us from just this kind of law . ''
Several justices seemed potentially open to the merits of that argument .
`` What about a charity ? '' Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked Deputy Solicitor General Eric Feigin . `` A charity provides food to someone who 's in the country unlawfullyβ¦it 's designed to provide food for people who ca n't get it elsewhere and they know that the people taking advantage of that are here unlawfully ? ''
Feigin conceded that such a charity might find itself on the receiving end of unwanted federal attention . `` To the extent that a charity were doing something that violated the plain terms of the statute , '' Feigin answered , `` that amounted to givingβeffectively giving money to people toβor something that is the equivalent of money to people with the purpose that those people reside in the United States unlawfully , that might violate the statute . ''
Justice Sonia Sotomayor made a point similar to Kavanaugh 's . `` I read 'encourage or induce an alien to come , enter , or reside in the U.S. , knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to , entry , or residence is or will be in violation of law , ' '' Sotomayor told the deputy solicitor general , and it `` seems to me '' that all sorts of constitutionally protected speech and activity would be in trouble . `` The hospital that 's treatingβ¦an illegally present child with a disease , the church who provides worship to illegal aliens , '' both of these real-world examples , Sotomayor pointed out , `` would be a violation of the statute . ''
Justice Neil Gorsuch raised another First Amendment concern with the government lawyer . `` What do we do about the fact that most applications , maybe not all , but most applications here of the underlying conduct would be civilly punished ? '' Gorsuch asked . `` And here you wish to criminally punish the speech . ''
In other words , while it is merely a civil offense to be unlawfully present in the United States , the federal law at issue makes it a criminal offense to encourage or induce such unlawful presence . `` I could be reckless in my speech in encouraging somebody [ to remain in the country illegally ] and wind up a federal criminal even though the underlying violation is merely civil . Isβis that the gist of the government 's position here ? '' Gorsuch demanded . `` Normally , in the criminal law , '' Gorsuch observed , we `` do n't allow punishment for speech greater than the underlying conduct itself . That would seem to be a basic First Amendment value . ''
A decision in United States v. Sineneng-Smith is expected by June . | 014c4a7a59a32520 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
media_bias | New York Post | http://nypost.com/2017/08/01/trumps-daughter-in-law-launches-real-news-videos-to-praise-president/ | Trumpβs daughter-in-law launches βreal newsβ videos to praise president | 2017-08-01 | media_bias | WASHINGTON β President Trump has tapped his daughter-in-law to combat β fake news β and broadcast only positive stories coming out of the White House .
Lara Trump , a former TV producer at β Inside Edition , β launched the first online broadcast Sunday and talked about the glowing week Trump had from donating his salary to education programs to a booming stock market .
β I β m Lara Trump and that is the real news , β she said at the end of a two-minute video posted on Trump β s Facebook page .
It appears the Trump news channel is produced by his reelection campaign as Lara Trump is speaking against the backdrop of his campaign website β DonaldJTrump.com .
Lara Trump , pregnant and married to middle son Eric , expressed frustration that more of the president β s accomplishments didn β t get into the spotlight .
β I bet you haven β t heard about all the accomplishments the president had this week because there is so much fake news out there , β Lara Trump said .
Obamacare repeal failed , the new communications director went on a nasty tirade and was later dumped and Trump ousted his chief of staff .
Lara Trump is not a government employee . Her husband , Eric , runs the Trump Organization with Trump β s eldest son Donald Jr . The family have routinely relied on their vast social media followings to paint a rosy picture of the White House and the family β s successes .
Mayor de Blasio also tried to sidestep the traditional media by releasing a highly-produced musical video about all his 2016 accomplishments . But he came under harsh criticism for using his taxpayer-funded staff and Broadway performers to literally sing his praises about affordable housing and filling potholes .
β It β s not an ad . You can say it all day long . It β s not an ad , β de Blasio said to criticism he β s using taxpayer dollars for his reelection campaign .
There is no word yet on how often Lara Trump will produce β real news β segments . | gtEuFDc6H8kxjHmp | 2 | Media Bias | 0.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Euronews | https://www.euronews.com/2025/01/27/european-leaders-criticise-musk-for-telling-germans-to-move-beyond-the-past | European leaders criticise Musk for telling Germans to move 'beyond the past' | 2025-01-28 | Politics, Elon Musk, Germany, European Union, Europe, Migrants | We and our partners process data for the following purposesMeasure audience, Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development , Precise geolocation data, and identification through device scanning, Storage and access to geolocation information for targeted advertising purposes, Storage and access to geolocation information to carry out marketing studies, Store and/or access information on a device Radio Schuman This is Radio Schuman, your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news, insights, and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond. No Comment No agenda, no argument, no bias, No Comment. Get the story without commentary. My Wildest Prediction Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries The Big Question Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives. With explanations, engaging Q&As, and lively conversations, the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society. Water Matters Europe's water is under increasing pressure. Pollution, droughts, floods are taking their toll on our drinking water, lakes, rivers and coastlines. Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters, how our wastewater can be better managed, and to discover some of the best water solutions. Video reports, an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters, from Euronews. Climate Now We give you the latest climate facts from the worldβs leading source, analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing. We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt. Radio Schuman This is Radio Schuman, your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news, insights, and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond. No Comment No agenda, no argument, no bias, No Comment. Get the story without commentary. My Wildest Prediction Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries The Big Question Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives. With explanations, engaging Q&As, and lively conversations, the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society. Water Matters Europe's water is under increasing pressure. Pollution, droughts, floods are taking their toll on our drinking water, lakes, rivers and coastlines. Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters, how our wastewater can be better managed, and to discover some of the best water solutions. Video reports, an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters, from Euronews. Climate Now We give you the latest climate facts from the worldβs leading source, analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing. We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt. Despite his misdemeanours, Fu Zai was honoured for his exceptional service in 2024 as an explosives-detection dog and received a Lunar New Year gift package, including gourmet pet treats. Chinaβs first-ever corgi police dog, Fu Zai, has become an internet sensation for both his achievements and his recent run of trouble at work. The small but determined canine officer lost his year-end bonus for sleeping on the job and urinating in his food bowl, sparking widespread amusement and sympathy on Chinese social media. According to domestic media, corgi joined the Weifang Public Security Bureau in Shandong province as a reserve explosives detection dog in January 2024, when he was just four months old. Despite his diminutive size, the now 18-month-old Fu Zai quickly stood out for his exceptional talent in detecting explosives, winning over his trainers and the public alike. By October, Fu Zai, meaning "Lucky Boy," graduated to become a fully qualified police dog. The story of Fu Zaiβs journey has been shared widely on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, through a dedicated account run by the Weifang Public Security Bureau. The account, "Corgi Police Dog Fu Zai and Its Comrades," has over 384,000 followers and regularly provides updates on Fu Zai and his fellow police dogs' daily training and activities. In a video posted on 19 January, officers praised Fu Zai for his exceptional contributions throughout 2024, which included completing several security tasks and raising the profile of police dogs in Weifang. For his efforts, he was awarded a red flower, treats, and toys during an end-of-year performance review. However, the celebratory moment took a humorous turn when a police officer revealed Fu Zaiβs recent misbehaviour, which included falling asleep on duty and urinating in his food bowl. As a playful punishment, his treats and toys were confiscated on camera, leaving only the red flower as a reminder of his achievements. βHope you make more persistent efforts in the future,β the officer quipped in the video, which has since garnered over 10,000 likes and hundreds of comments. Followers were quick to jump to Fu Zaiβs defence, with one commenter joking, βPoor Fu Zai worked hard all year, only to lose its year-end bonus. I can relate so much.β Another said, βHe peed in his own bowl, not in the bowl of its boss ... return his bonus immediately." Amid the wave of online sympathy, the police reassured the public in a follow-up video posted last Wednesday that Fu Zai had not been left empty-pawed. To celebrate the Lunar New Year, the corgi was given a lavish gift package including Pacific herring, pumpkin soup, dumplings, rabbit meatballs, and even a pet-friendly version of the dish Buddha's Temptation or Fotiaoqiang, a Chinese delicacy. On Saturday, Fu Zai was honoured with the Annual Award of Defying Fate in a special video. βWe hope Fu Zai and fellow pet officers can grow in good health, and at the same time, we hope everyone can be kind to (animals), because the world does not belong to us only, but also to them,β an officer said. βLastly, we hope Fu Zai will be able to grow taller,β he added. The tech billionaire made the controversial comment at an AfD rally, two days before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Top European politicians are among those who have criticised Elon Musk for telling Germans to let go of "the guilt of the past" during an Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaign rally over the weekend. The South Africa-born billionaire made the contentious remark during a virtual speech at an event attended by thousands of AfD supporters in the east German city of Halle on Saturday. Musk has previously said that only the far-right AfD, a party which says that Germans should no longer apologise for the country's Nazi past, can "save Germany" in next month's elections. "To be honest, the focus is too much on the guilt of the past and we have to leave that behind us," the world's richest man said at the campaign rally. "Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great grandparents," Musk added, seemingly referring to Germany's Nazi history. The owner of X also urged Germans to be proud of "German values" and not "lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything." The entrepreneur's comments came shortly after he appeared to mimica Nazi salute during a speech at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was quick to respond to his latest comments, writing on X that Musk's words sounded "all too familiar and ominous". "Especially only hours before the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz," he said. Tusk is overseeing commemorations on Monday for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp in Poland where at least 1.1 million people were murdered. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz took to X to say he agreed with his Polish counterpart's appraisal of Musk's words. Musk also drew criticism from Dani Dayan, the chairman of Yad Vashem, Israelβs memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. "Contrary to Elon Muskβs advice, the remembrance and acknowledgment of the dark past of the country and its people should be central in shaping the German society," Dayan said. βFailing to do so is an insult to the victims of Nazism and a clear danger to the democratic future of Germany,β he added. Steffen Seibert, Germany's ambassador to Israel, said that Musk "doesn't seem to know" much about Germany's history. "Nobody makes children feel guilty for Nazi crimes. We want them to grow up informed and responsible and to apply the lessons of Germany's past." Musk has thrown his support behind the AfD ahead of the country's federal elections on 23 February. During his speech on Saturday, Musk said he was "very excited" for the party. "I think you're really the best hope for Germany ... fight for a great future for Germany," he told AfD supporters to great applause. The AfD are currently polling in second place with 19% of the projected vote, while the Christian Democratic Union are in first place with 28%. The CDU's leader, Friedrich Merz, has repeatedly ruled out joining a coalition with the AfD, whose members have been fined for using Nazi slogans. Last week, however, Merz signalled that he would be open to gaining the AfD's support in pushing through tougher migration policies. Other parties have denounced the suggestion, as the far-right party is typically shunned by Germany's political establishment. The arrests came after more than one million pornographic photos and videos were uncovered. An investigation in eastern France has led to the arrests of 37 people on suspicion of downloading and distributing child pornography. More than one million photos and videos of child pornography were discovered by police as part of the case, according to a statement issued by the gendarmerie in the French region of Bourgogne-Franche-ComtΓ©. Since November, 270 gendarmes β who operate under the authority of the French armed forces, mainly in rural areas and small towns β have been working on the investigation. Among them, 36 of the investigators specialised in tracking cybercrime. Authorities seized a total of 60 computers, 290 hard drives, 27 mobile phones, eight tablets and four cameras. Weapons and drugs were also found at four locations. A similar operation took place in the same region in March 2023, with 17 people detained for allegedly downloading and distributing child pornography. France tightened its pornography laws last May. The new law stipulates that online platforms have 24 hours to remove child pornography after a police report. If they breach the requirement, platform-owners face up to one year in prison and a β¬250,000 fine, which rises if the offence is repeated. Under the legislation, websites and video-sharing platforms must also introduce an age verification system to ensure that pornographic content cannot be accessed by minors. Since 2022, there has been political deadlock in Europe over the Child Sexual Abuse Material regulation, which would allow digital platforms to scan users' encrypted exchanges. While those in favour of the law argue it would lead to the detection of child sexual abuse material, a minority of EU countries see it as a dangerous affront to online privacy. This comes as the Internet Watch Foundation, a UK-based charity, warned of rapid rise in images and videos of sexual assaults on children generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Chinaβs first corgi police dog loses bonus over 'workplace misconduct' French police detain 37 people in online child pornography investigation | a38ebe5834afa0f6 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | CBN | http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2018/august/should-he-stay-of-should-he-go-the-gop-riff-over-attorney-general-sessions | Should He Stay of Should He Go? The GOP Riff Over Attorney General Sessions | 2018-08-27 | politics | WASHINGTON β A potential rift is growing within the GOP over the future of Attorney General Jeff Sessions .
`` The president is entitled to an attorney general he has faith in , somebody that 's qualified for the job , '' Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) told reporters .
While Graham may back the president 's frustration , others are stressing caution .
`` The idea that Jeff Sessions might be fired because he 's not a political hack is a very , very bad idea , '' warned Sen. Ben Sasse ( R-NE ) .
`` There may be a few isolated voices saying that the president ought to fire him now ; I can tell you as a body , we 're saying please do n't , '' echoed Sen. Jeff Flake ( R-AZ ) during an interview with NBC 's `` Meet the Press . ''
In a recent interview with Fox News , President Donald Trump hammered Sessions over his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation .
`` Jeff Sessions never took control of the Justice Department . It 's sort of an incredible thing , '' he said .
`` He took the job and then he said , ' I 'm going to recuse myself . ' I said , 'What kind of a man is this ? '' Trump questioned .
In a rare move , Sessions responded to the president 's jabs , saying , `` The actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations . ''
This comes after former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws . He also accused the president of ordering him to do so . Cohen was caught during special counsel Robert Mueller 's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials .
Democrats are n't talking impeachment yet , but should they take the House in November they 'll begin their own investigations .
`` We should be investigating all of those things β the interference of the Russians in our investigations , what we can do to make sure that ca n't happen again , who in the United States aided and abetted that , '' said Rep. Jerry Nadler ( D-NY ) .
According to a report from Axios ' Jonathan Swan , Republicans are gearing up for a wide range of investigations , even circulating a spreadsheet with a list of possible inquiries including the president 's tax returns and The White House staff 's use of personal email .
Legal scholar Alan Dershowitz says the case for impeachment simply is n't there .
`` I fully understand why so many people want , hope that President Trump has committed crimes and impeachable offenses , but the evidence is n't there , '' he told ABC 's `` This Week . ''
And more legal news surrounding the President , Trump 's CFO Allen Weisselberg and National Inquirer publisher David Pecker , were also given immunity to testify to Southern District of New York 's case surrounding Michael Cohen .
Still , the president 's supporters point out none of it has anything to do with Russia collusion . | oAMZxlf4HxoUXGDP | 2 | Donald Trump | -0.8 | GOP | -0.5 | Jeff Sessions | 0 | Politics | 0 | null | null |
us_senate | Guest Writer - Right | https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/03/trump-border-emergency-declaration-republicans-should-vote-disapprove/ | OPINION: Disapprove | 2019-03-13 | us_senate | President Trump declares a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border while speaking about border security at the White House , February 15 , 2019 . ( Jim Young/Reuters )
It β s not going to be easy for Senate Republicans to vote to disapprove of President Trump β s declaration of emergency at the border . They should do it , nonetheless , on principle and out of institutional self-respect .
At the conclusion of the showdown over funding for his border wall , Trump announced that , on top of the $ 1.3 billion Congress appropriated , he would tap roughly $ 3 billion from other sources and declare an emergency to get access to another $ 3.6 billion in military construction funds .
The spending is sequenced so the national-emergency funds come last , and they may never need to come into play if Trump gets Congress to cough up more funding in the next appropriations cycle . He is , very ambitiously , asking for $ 8.6 billion , which he β ll never get , but even a number far short of that would be meaningful .
The problem with the emergency declaration is that , even if it β s technically legal ( a matter of debate that will go up to the Supreme Court ) , it is clearly pretextual and a way to do an end run around the congressional spending power . The president himself in his press conference announcing the emergency said that he didn β t have to do it , but that he wanted to build new fencing more quickly than he could without the declaration .
If anyone shouldn β t be okay with this , it β s Congress . Under the National Emergencies Act , it can vote to disapprove of an emergency declaration by a president , who can , in turn , veto the disapproval ( which Trump will do ) . A resolution of disapproval already passed the House , and seems likely to pass the Senate , the only question being how many Republicans will defy the president and vote for it .
They are in an awkward position . Almost all of them support the president β s policy goal at the border , they just can β t support the means he β s using to get there . This is difficult to explain when the partisan divide is so stark and when Trump is portraying the resolution as an up-or-down vote on the wall .
Mike Lee has tried to broker a deal to approve of the current declaration in exchange for changing the National Emergencies Act to require the affirmative approval of Congress for future emergency declarations . This would be a welcome change , although the White House hasn β t gotten on board .
One reason that Congress has ceded so much power to the executive branch and the courts over the decades is that it β s so often unwilling to take political responsibility and to protect its own prerogatives . Congressional Democrats didn β t utter a peep of disapproval when President Obama rewrote immigration law on his own , with not even a whisper of statutory warrant .
A vote to disapprove of Trump β s emergency declaration obviously won β t reverse this long-term trend . It will show , though , that at least a fraction of one of the political parties is willing to stand up for how our constitutional system is supposed to work β even when the underlying political objective is a worthy one , even when it means crossing a president of their own party , even when it is politically inconvenient . | 13DOWYvLcFBFRzeC | 2 | Senate GOP | -0.1 | National Emergency | 0 | US Senate | 0 | Politics | 0 | null | null |
elections | Christian Science Monitor | http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2016/0714/Why-presidential-candidates-faith-matters-less-and-less-to-voters | Why presidential candidates' faith matters less and less to voters | 2016-07-14 | elections | Though religion still creates clear fault lines among American voters , the importance of a candidate β s own religiousness is declining rapidly .
Two-thirds of Evangelicals are planning to vote for Donald Trump , and two-thirds of religiously unaffiliated β nones β are saying they will support Hillary Clinton , according to a Pew Research Center study released Wednesday .
But the share of Americans who want a president with strong religious beliefs is down 10 percentage points β to 62 percent β from 2008 . And the trend is apparent on both sides : the percentage of Republicans who say it is important for a president to be religious is down eight points since 2008 . For Democrats , it β s down 13 points .
Yet , for each side , the reasons for the decline differ . On the Republican side , Evangelicals are willing to embrace less-religious candidates in order to maintain political clout , while the growing β nones β of the Democratic Party have shifted to emphasize secular morality over traditional religion .
β For two election cycles now we β ve seen a steady decline in the number of Americans who care if the president has strong beliefs , β says Greg Smith , co-author of the study . β Maybe the attitudes of some religious groups are changing , but more so the religious composition of the entire country is changing . β
Evangelicals have long faced the conundrum of choosing a purist candidate versus choosing a candidate who has broader appeal . Mr. Trump is an example of that β though for some Evangelicals , he represents a particularly big compromise , given his lack of religiosity and playboy lifestyle .
β Evangelicals know that Trump is not the Ted Cruz candidate , β says Chad Seales , a professor of religion at the University of Texas , Austin , and an expert on Southern Evangelicals . β He is not the religious right candidate of the 1990s , but they are making all kinds of concessions to agree with him and reframe him in their world . Trump is the cultural option . There is no doctrine option left . β
Last month , evangelical leader James Dobson called Trump β a baby Christian β and fellow religious leader Ralph Reed said β we accept him for who he is now β because he has showed a commitment to Christian ways .
β He may not be against abortion for evangelical purposes , but we β ll take the end result even it it β s not by the same means , β says Laurie Maffly-Kipp of Washington University β s John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics . β When push comes to shove , there has never been a Republican front-runner who has been a pure Evangelical . I think they have compromised before . β
Mitt Romney , a devout Mormon and 2012 Republican presidential nominee , is the latest example of how Evangelicals compromised , embracing a Mormon and a former blue-state governor , note numerous experts .
More recently , the senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas , Robert Jeffress , focused on secular β not theological β similarities in his endorsement of Donald Trump .
β It was never seamless , but the reason it was so successful was that it was able to push the numbers of the Republican Party over the majority β its voting bloc was powerful and cohesive enough , β adds Professor Seales .
But now , he adds , Evangelicals are willing merely to back the political positions , even if there is concern about a lack of religious conviction behind them β as in Trump β s case .
On the other side , the rise of the β nones β appears to be beginning to have an effect . In 2012 , 25 percent of Americans claimed no religious preference . In the late 1980s , the number was 7 percent .
That could be at least partly a reaction to the intense fusing of theological doctrine and politics among religious conservatives , suggests Michael Hout , a sociologist at New York University .
β Many β new nones β were people raised Baptist or Catholic but not active , β he says . β As those churches became more overtly political over issues like abortion , inactive liberals who used to identify , quit doing so . β
But experts say Democrats are also increasingly viewing morality outside of religiousness .
β Nones β were among Bernie Sanders 's strongest supporters in the primary , notes Mr. Smith of Pew . They were drawn to his vision of a society that takes better care of all β from free college to healthcare to a higher minimum wage .
Moreover , they saw him as a plain speaker whom they could trust . For that reason , they are slow to warm to Clinton β s campaign , with the allegations of email misuse and her connections to Wall Street .
β This is a sign of nervousness about her moral character β which is important because there is a kind of linkage between moral values and leadership , β says Mark Valeri , a professor of religion and politics at the Danforth Center at Washington University .
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The result is a curious situation in which Democrats appear to be more worried about the morality of their candidate than Republicans are .
β On the right , Republican , pro-Trump side there is less attention to the personal morality of the leader , β says Professor Valeri . β But because on the progressive side they do reach for high moral reform , there is a desire that Clinton be able to present herself well motivated morally . That β s why the emails , the testimony , the charges , are sticking so hard . β | LRRrN7xRu7FWxxXE | 1 | Religion And Faith | -0.5 | Presidential Elections | 0.2 | Elections | 0.1 | null | null | null | null |
terrorism | Christian Science Monitor | http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2013/0429/Site-of-assassination-attempt-on-Syrian-prime-minister-sends-warning-to-regime | Site of assassination attempt on Syrian prime minister sends warning to regime | 2013-04-29 | terrorism | β’ A daily summary of global reports on security issues .
The Syrian prime minister survived a bomb attack on his convoy this morning in a wealthy neighborhood of Damascus , though his bodyguard was killed and several others were injured in the blast .
The attack in the `` upscale '' neighborhood highlights the increasing vulnerability of the Assad regime , as it is home to many government officials and several embassies β including the Swiss embassy , located only 100 yards from the blast , according to The Associated Press .
According to Syrian state television , Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi was unharmed in the blast , which occurred as he was traveling through the western Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh . A Syrian official told AP that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device planted beneath a parked car that detonated as Mr. Halqi 's convoy passed .
The state-run Al-Ikhbariya station said al-Halqi went into a regular weekly meeting with an economic committee straight after the bombing and showed him sitting around a table in a room with several other officials . The TV said it was showing the video as a proof that al-Halqi was not hurt . But the prime minister 's comments after the meeting did not refer to Monday 's blast and he was not asked about it by reporters , leaving doubts as to whether the footage was filmed before or after the bombing .
The state-aired footage showed heavily damaged cars and debris in the area of the blast as firefighters fought to extinguish a large blaze caused by the explosion .
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast , but BBC News notes that similar bombings have been linked to Jabhat al-Nusra , a jihadist rebel group affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq .
Halqi , a Sunni , was appointed last August after his predecessor , Riyad Hijab , defected from the government after serving for only two months . Reuters noted that President Bashar al-Assad and his father , both of whom are Alawites , a minority Shiite-related sect , have consistently appointed members of Syria 's majority Sunni community to the premiership , but the position is largely powerless . The presidency and most of Mr. Assad 's security positions are held by Alawites .
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Meanwhile , rebels continued an assault launched Sunday in northern Syria to seize three military air bases and choke off the Assad regime 's air power . Lebanon 's Daily Star writes that , according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , rebels breached the Kweiras air base in Aleppo Province and the Abu Zuhour air base in Idlib Province on Saturday , and have been fighting government forces for control .
β The rebels have broken into the [ Abu Zuhour ] airport but they are still on the periphery and are engaged in violent clashes with soldiers , β Observatory director Rami Abdel-Rahman told AFP . β It β s an important military airport because it β s still functional . β
The rebels also invaded a helicopter base near the Turkish border yesterday , the Daily Star adds . The Islamist al-Burraq Brigades said that several rebel factions are attacking the base to capture it .
Aerial bombardments by the Syrian Air Force have been responsible for some 45,000 fatalities during the Syrian civil war , the Monitor reported at the start of this year . Rebels consider the regime 's air power its `` main threat '' because they can do little to stop attacks by helicopters and jets , even in territory they hold on the ground . | UYQnsXfdKWA5wKG1 | 1 | Terrorism | -0.2 | Syria | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
healthcare | CNN (Web News) | http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/23/jarrett-to-nabj-white-house-bracing-for-health-care-decision/ | Jarrett to NABJ: White House bracing for health care decision | 2012-06-23 | Healthcare | New Orleans ( CNN ) - As the Supreme Court prepares to make a historic ruling on the fate of President Barack Obama 's health care law , his top adviser shifted attention on the rest of the White House 's legislative agenda rather than the potential dismantling of its signature piece of legislation .
Valerie Jarrett , Obama 's senior adviser and close family friend , told a group of black journalists Saturday that the administration is prepared for the court 's decision β which could come as early as Monday β then went on to attack Republicans in Congress for what she called a strategy of `` no . ''
- Check out the CNN Electoral Map and Calculator and game out your own strategy for November .
`` The Affordable Care Act is a very important piece of legislation that we spent a great deal of time crafting , '' Jarrett told CNN , but , pointing to legislation on fair pay for women , tax cuts for working families and college tax breaks , added , `` he had a lot more going on than the Affordable Care Act . ''
Still , she admitted that the administration was out-maneuvered by Republicans in the months following the law 's passage , as the other side turned up the drumbeat to repeal what they called `` Obamacare . ''
`` The opponents of it out-organized β in terms of the 'death panels ' - and distorted what we were doing early on . ''
She then lashed out at what she called the `` obstructionist '' GOP members in Congress .
`` It 's been very disappointing that the Republicans in Congress put politics ahead of the economy , '' she said . `` Their strategy has been to say 'no , ' even to the detriment of the American people . ''
She added : `` I think , given how obstructionist the Republicans in Congress were , the president accomplished an enormous amount . ''
Jarrett , in New Orleans to address the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists , spoke for about an hour on a wide range of issues , from health care and immigration to gay marriage and the state of political discourse in the country . Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney , campaign advisers and GOP representatives were also invited to speak at the event , but declined repeated requests , according to event organizers .
Jarrett reflected on her lowest personal moment working at the White House .
`` The lowest low I can tell you was the debt-ceiling debacle ( of 2011 ) . It was the time that really crystallized to me that the Republicans were willing to just run the car right off the cliff . ''
On the president 's recent announcement of his support for gay marriage , Jarrett pushed back against criticism that the timing of the decision was less about the issue and more about pure politics .
`` He made the decision when he was comfortable making the decision . It was a very personal decision . He could n't accelerate that process any faster than he did . This was not something he was doing for politically opportunistic reasons , '' she said .
On Obama 's clearly frustrated reaction to being interrupted by a conservative reporter during his White House remarks on immigration , Jarret said , `` He 's human . ''
`` Does he get frustrated from time to time ? Of course he does . He 's human . Does he let that frustration linger ? He ca n't afford to . He 's president of the United States . He 's got to get back to work . ''
On the current level of political discourse in the country , she pointed to the conversations happening on the internet .
`` There is a coarseness to the dialogue , generally , '' she said . `` Look no further than the comments section online to see how coarse our dialogue is getting towards one another . ''
Jarrett , who is widely seen as Obama 's closest adviser and who has known the first couple for more than 20 years β she was even the first to 'vet ' Obama when he and Michelle first started dating β said she has no desire to run for elected office , even though she considered a Senate seat after Obama 's election in 2008 .
`` I do n't have that appetite , I really do n't , '' she said . `` It does n't get any better than what I 'm doing now . Being in the White House is just the most extraordinary experience of my life . It 's a good note to end my public service . '' | 6a383076bd9834bb | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Breitbart News | http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/10/10/art-comeback-donald-trumps-debate-win-propels-him-white-house/ | The Art of the Comeback: Donald Trumpβs Debate Win Propels Him Toward White House | 2016-10-10 | Debates, Presidential Elections, Elections | ST. LOUIS , Missouri β It wouldn β t be Trumpian if there weren β t any fireworks .
Donald Trump , the 2016 GOP presidential nominee , crushed his Democratic opponent Hillary Rodham Clinton in Sunday evening β s debate at Washington University in St. Louisβpropelling him closer to the White House and past , perhaps , the roughest stretch of his campaign yet .
β It was an absolute home run for Mr. Trump , β Jason Miller , Trump β s senior communications adviser , told βββ in the spin room after the debate . β This was a game-changing victory . You know what ? The underdog is back . β
Several key exchanges in the debate proved Trump to be the better candidate on Sunday night , the most important of which was when Trump forced out on his own with no help from moderators CNN β s Anderson Cooper and ABC News β Martha Raddatz : when Trump said he would appoint a special and independent prosecutor to investigate the Clinton email scandal .
Trump held his own through six straight questions with which Raddatz and others peppered him , opening the debate about the recently surfaced video of him using lewd language with former President George H.W . Bush β s nephew Billy Bus ; then when Hillary Clinton brought up the birther questions againβtrying to force that into the conversationβTrump trapped her .
β He [ Trump ] owes the president an apology , he owes our country an apology , and he needs to take responsibility for his actions and his words , β Clinton said , regarding the birther issue .
After detailing how it is actually Hillary Clinton who owes President Obama an apology because she started the birther narrativeβit β s been proven that Clinton ally Sidney Blumenthal pushed the story back in the 2008 campaign , as did at least two people on Clinton β s campaignβTrump shifted the conversation to questions about her emails .
β But when you talk about apology , I think the one that you should really be apologizing for and the thing that you should be apologizing for are the 33,000 e-mails that you deleted , and that you acid washed , and then the two boxes of e-mails and other things last week that were taken from an office and are now missing , β Trump said , before dropping the mega-bomb : a special prosecutor to independently investigate Clinton .
β And I β ll tell you what . I didn β t think I β d say this , but I β m going to say it , and I hate to say it . But if I win , I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation because there has never been so many lies , so much deception . There has never been anything like it , and we β re going to have a special prosecutor , β Trump said , adding :
When I speak , I go out and speak , the people of this country are furious . In my opinion , the people that have been long-term workers at the FBI are furious . There has never been anything like this , where emails β and you get a subpoena , you get a subpoena , and after getting the subpoena , you delete 33,000 emails , and then you acid wash them or bleach them , as you would say , very expensive process . So we β re going to get a special prosecutor , and we β re going to look into it because you know what ? People have been β their lives have been β destroyed for doing one-fifth of what you β ve done . And it β s a disgrace . And honestly , you ought to be ashamed of yourself .
After Clinton accused Trump of β lies β without detailing any , and as Raddatz attempted to intervene to save her , she begged the so-called β fact checkers β for help .
β It β s just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country , β she added .
In response , Trump fired back his most aggressive and bold comeback all year : β Because you β d be in jail . β
Another key moment came when Raddatz tried to press Trump on his plan to temporarily halt Islamic migration into America from nations with terrorism problems . Hillary Clinton , in her previous answerβin a response to an Islamophobia question from an audience memberβhad attacked Trump over the Khan Gold Star family controversy again . Trump , in his reply to Raddatz β s question , flipped the whole thing back on Clintonβwho , unlike Trump , supported the war in Iraq .
β First of all , Captain Khan is an American hero , and if I were president at that time , he would be alive today because , unlike her , who voted for the war without knowing what she was doing , I would not have had our people in Iraq . Iraq was a disaster , β Trump said . β So he would have been alive today . β
β The Muslim ban is something that in some form has morphed into an extreme vetting from certain areas of the world , β Trump continued . β Hillary Clinton wants to allow hundreds of thousandsβ¦ β
β And why did it morph into that ? No , did you β no , answer the question . Do you still believeβ¦ β Raddatz asked over Trump β s talking .
β Why don β t you interrupt her ? You interrupt me all the time , β Trump asked Raddatz , speaking directly at the moderator .
The moderators interrupted Trump 26 timesβand Clinton only 12 timesβa clear and implicit bias by the legacy media anchors .
β Would you please explain whether or not the Muslim ban still stands ? β Raddatz interjected again .
We are going to areas like Syria where they β re coming in by the tens of thousands because of Barack Obama . And Hillary Clinton wants to allow a 550 percent increase over Obama . People are coming into our country like we have no idea who they are , where they are from , what their feelings about our country is , and she wants 550 percent more . This is going to be the great Trojan horse of all time . We have enough problems in this country . I believe in building safe zones . I believe in having other people pay for them , as an example , the Gulf states , who are not carrying their weight , but they have nothing but money , and take care of people . But I don β t want to have , with all the problems this country has and all of the problems that you see going on , hundreds of thousands of people coming in from Syria when we know nothing about them . We know nothing about their values , and we know nothing about their love for our country .
There were many other moments throughout the debateβfrom exchanges on Obamacare to more about refugees to dealing with Russia and Syria and even campaign financeβand Trump defeated Clinton on all of them . After the moderators could not stump Trump in the opening , and he steamrolled ahead in the early momentum , she could not catch a break all night .
Trump β s debate victoryβwhich comes after a rough first debate with Clinton back on September 26 , an eternity ago in this race , and Indiana Gov . Mike Pence β s win last Tuesday in Virginia in the vice presidential debate against Sen. Tim Kaine ( D-VA ) βputs perhaps the roughest stretch of his campaign behind him . A videotape of him making lewd remarks about women surfaced on Friday , and jittery establishment Republicans showed initial signs of a full-scale collapse of support for him . That was followed by an apology video late Friday night from Trump , a WikiLeaks document dump of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta β s personal emails , a rough-and-tumble , but effective , showing from several women who have accused Bill Clinton of allegedly raping or sexually assaulting them , and now this debate performance . With each of those developments and more , Trump seems to have put that stage of the campaign behind him and returned to the offensive positionβriding high into political battleβmoving into the final month of the campaign .
The videotape threatened to derail Trump β s campaign , as it prompted several senior Republicans to call on him to withdraw and hand the nomination away to his running mate or someone else . Trump has doubled down and refuses to quit on his supportersβand , sure enough , the tape found its way to center stage at the debate β s opening . Trump was pressed on it a whopping six times before he finallyβas he hinted he would before the debate when tweeting out video interviews that Bill Clinton β s accusers did with βββ , then appearing with them at an event here in Missouriβlit into Hillary Clinton for enabling Bill Clinton β s behavior .
But not only did Trump survive ; he thrived . In the chaotic environmentβas he described it as β one on three , β with the moderators working to help Clinton far more than to help himβTrump found his groove again and soared to a much-needed debate victory . The win not only stops the bleeding from a rough patch of the campaign , but propels him forward into the week like a cannonball onto the homestretch , with one final debate to go in Las Vegas a week from Wednesday .
Miller , Trump β s senior communications adviser , noted that Trump does his best with his back against the wall .
β I think Donald Trump loves being the underdog , and this was fantastic , β Miller told βββ . β I think what we saw tonight is a presidential leader in Donald Trump , who stepped up , is ready to lead , and that he β s not going to back down to anybody . Hillary Clinton was rattledβcompletely rattledβthe entire evening . She couldn β t answer on crazy Obamacare . She couldn β t answer on taxes . She couldn β t answer on the emails . You could see everything , from her face was rattled to her inability to give clear answers to the voters who were there . I think if you β re at home and you β re watching , and you think about that person who is out there and what it would look like if she were across the table from a foreign leader , I β d be nervous that she wouldn β t be able to stand up and defend this country . I think one candidate came across as very presidential tonight and that was Donald Trump . β | ee1c93fd5e482d56 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
nuclear_weapons | BBC News | http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41452173 | Iran nuclear deal: Tehran expects US to ditch agreement, says FM | nuclear_weapons | Iran 's foreign minister has said he assumes that the US will abandon the international deal restricting his country 's nuclear activities .
But Mohammad Javad Zarif said he hoped Europe would keep the agreement alive .
US President Donald Trump - a stern critic of the deal - will announce next month whether he believes Iran has adhered to its terms .
If he says it has failed to do so , US Congress will begin the process of reimposing sanctions on Iran .
Mr Trump said the agreement was an `` embarrassment '' in a speech to the United Nations this month .
France , Germany and the UK - which along with Russia and China signed the deal - have recently defended it .
In an interview with two British newspapers , Mr Zarif said that if the deal collapsed , Iran would no longer have to follow its limitations on uranium enrichment , centrifuge numbers and the production of plutonium . But he insisted Iran would only use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes .
`` You either live by it [ the deal ] or you set it aside , '' Mr Zarif told the Financial Times and the Guardian . `` You can not be half pregnant . ''
`` My assumption and guess is that he [ Trump ] will not certify and then will allow Congress to take the decision , '' Mr Zarif said during the interview at the Iranian UN mission 's residence in New York .
`` The deal allowed Iran to continue its research and development . So we have improved our technological base . If we decide to walk away from the deal we would be walking away with better technology . ''
He said of Mr Trump : `` I think he has made a policy of being unpredictable , and now he 's turning that into being unreliable as well . He has violated the letter , spirit , everything of the deal . ''
Mr Zarif said Iran 's options `` will depend on how the rest of the international community deal with the United States '' . `` If Europe and Japan and Russia and China decided to go along with the US , then I think that will be the end of the deal , '' he said . `` Europe should lead . `` European Union officials have said they could act to legally protect European investors in Iran if the US reimposes sanctions .
But , in line with the US , they have also criticised Iran over its non-nuclear activities in the region . | 2z8Vu637ayfDOass | 1 | Nuclear Weapons | 0 | Iran | 0 | Foreign Policy | 0 | Defense And Security | 0 | null | null | |
middle_east | Politico | http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83966.html?hp=t1 | David Petraeus arrives on Hill to testify | 2012-11-16 | middle_east | Petraeus showed up on Capitol Hill with little fanfare Friday . Petraeus : CIA believed Benghazi was terrorism
Former CIA Director David Petraeus testified Friday that the CIA believes the Benghazi attacks were conducted by terrorists , not a spontaneous demonstration , according to lawmakers who provided accounts of the closed hearing before Congress .
Appearing on Capitol Hill for the first time since the scandal that ended his career at the intelligence agency , Petraeus tried to explain the discrepancy in Obama administration officials β initial public statements about the cause of the attacks .
β Now , he clearly believes that it did not arise out of a demonstration , β said Rep. Peter King ( R-N.Y. ) β It was not spontaneous , and [ there was ] clear terrorist involvement . β
Petraeus discussed early on his affair with Paula Broadwell , according to lawmakers . He said the controversy over what happened in Benghazi is a matter completely separate from the dalliance that caused him to resign . He also said he regretted the circumstances of his resignation , according to lawmakers .
β We made clear at the start that that would not be the focus of his questioning , β said King . β I would say 10 seconds into it , that was off to the side . β
King also said the original talking points put out by the CIA to explain the attack differed from the final version of the story .
β The original talking points were much more specific about Al Qaeda involvement , β King said , later adding that Petraeus didn β t know why the references to Al Qaeda were removed from the final version .
Rep. Jim Langevin ( D-R.I. ) said the confusion over terrorist attacks vs. demonstrations at Benghazi might be chalked up to the difference between classified and unclassified talking points .
β There may have been confusion with the unclassified talking points . β¦ Perhaps there β s greater clarity in the classified talking points , β Langevin told reporters . β There were perhaps some subtleties that were used that may have been understood by some to mean one thing , where others may have had a different understanding of words β for example , β extremist β versus β terrorist . β β
Petraeus told lawmakers the CIA believed it to be a terrorist attack from the beginning , King said .
β I told him in my questions that I had a very different recollection of that , β said King , the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and a member of the Intelligence Committee . β The clear impression was given was that the overwhelming amount of evidence was that it rose out of a spontaneous demonstration and it was not a terrorist attack . β
That account differed from that of Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger ( D-Md . ) , who said Petraeus β reinforced β the belief among CIA officials in the 24 hours after the attack that it was the result of the demonstration .
β He clarified that after more information came in , that it was not a protest , β Ruppersberger told reporters .
Rep. Adam Schiff ( D-Calif. ) , another Intellligence Committee member who heard from Petraeus , backed up Ruppersberger β s view of Petraeus β s testimony .
β It was clear that initially that he thought that this was spontaneous , that extremist groups or indivduals may have capitalized on this situation to attack the temporary facility , β Schiff said in a phone interview with βββ . | Q5biHys9zA1yxnmE | 0 | Middle East | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
media_bias | Mediaite | https://www.mediaite.com/print/the-washington-post-cant-seem-to-decide-why-it-suspended-felicia-sonmez/ | The Washington Post Canβt Seem to Decide Why It Suspended Felicia Sonmez | 2020-01-27 | Washington Post, Kobe Bryant, Journalism, Social Media, Media Industry | The Washington Post suspended national political reporter Felicia Sonmez yesterday forβ¦ well , it isn β t entirely clear what the reason was .
On Sunday , Sonmez tweeted out a link to a 2016 Daily Beast article that gives a detailed account of the time Kobe Bryant , who died that morning in a helicopter crash , was credibly accused of raping a 19-year-old in a Colorado hotel . Sonmez was one of many people β journalists included β who shared the piece on social media , though the level of vitriol she received was particularly intense as she was pilloried for being insensitive in light of Bryant β s death .
β Well , THAT was eye-opening , β Sonmez wrote in a now-deleted string of tweets after her initial post of the link had been ratioed . β To the 10,000 people ( literally ) who have commented and emailed me with abuse and death threats , please take a moment and read the story β which was written 3+ years ago , and not by me . Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality even if that public figure is beloved and that totality is unsettling . β
In addition , Sonmez , who herself has alleged to have been sexually assaulted in 2017 , posted a screenshot of her email inbox , which showed a message from one reader who told her to go fuck herself while calling her β a piece of fucking shit β and a β cunt . β
Sonmez , who had simply linked to a well-reported and entirely accurate story , was right to defend herself . And one would expect that the paper she works for would come to her defense as well .
Instead , the Post demanded that Sonmez delete her tweets and placed her on β administrative leave , β according to Erik Wemple , the Post β s media critic , who interviewed Sonmez and determined that the paper β s suspension was β misguided . β
β What did Sonmez do to deserve this brushback ? β Wemple asked . β She tweeted out a very good story from the Daily Beast . β
The Post gave a different reason . β National political reporter Felicia Sonmez was placed on administrative leave while The Post reviews whether tweets about the death of Kobe Bryant violated The Post newsroom β s social media policy , β managing editor Tracy Grant said in an ambiguous statement that raises more questions than it answers . β The tweets displayed poor judgment that undermined the work of her colleagues . β
There is nothing in the Post β s social media policy that would suggest any violation on Sonmez β s part . Mediate asked the Post for a link to its social media guidelines , and was directed to a page from 2016 listing the Post β s β policies and standards , β which includes a social media breakout with three vaguely worded paragraphs that would seem to have no bearing on Sonmez β s apparent indiscretion .
β Post journalists must refrain from writing , tweeting or posting anything β including photographs or video β that could objectively be perceived as reflecting political , racial , sexist , religious or other bias or favoritism , β one paragraph reads .
It doesn β t seem as if Sonmez is guilty of any of those things .
The journalist Matthew Keys , citing an unnamed source , reported on Sunday that Sonmez had been suspended because the screenshot she tweeted out revealed the full names of those who had written her , but Sonmez told Wemple she hadn β t heard that explanation from the Post . In fact , it was Sonmez who was doxxed . On Sunday , she said in her interview with Wemple , her address was posted online , and she checked into a hotel out of fear for her safety .
It also isn β t clear how Sonmez β s tweets β undermined the work of her colleagues , β as Grant put it . The Post has published a slew of stories on Bryant β s death over the past day or so β many of which mention the Colorado case β and in no way do Sonmez β s social media posts appear to have interfered with that coverage .
βββ asked Grant to elaborate on why the Post had suspended Sonmez . We received a response from the paper β s communications manager , Molly Gannon . β We do not have anything additional to share , β she said in an email .
One thing is clear . By suspending Sonmez , the Post made itself the focal point of a distracting newsroom drama that it could easily have avoided had it had treated one of its employees with a little more respect . | 1d1a72e929a315e7 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
russia | MSNBC | https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/russia-maga-influencers-pool-rubin-johnson-indictment-rcna169733 | MAGA influencers can only blame themselves for Russian propaganda scandal | 2024-09-08 | Russia, Justice Department, Propaganda, 2024 Presidential Election, Foreign Agents Registration Act, Foreign Agents, Media Industry | Prominent right-wing influencers Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson and Tim Pool have huge followings on YouTube and a fondness for the Trumpist talking point that allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election on the former presidentβs behalf are a βhoax.β Thatβs not all they have in common: They also reportedly enjoyed lucrative deals with a content creation company that was a front for Russian propagandists.The Justice Department indicted two employees of the Russian propaganda outlet RT on Wednesday, charging them with laundering almost $10 million through foreign shell companies and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The DOJ alleges this was done βto covertly fund and directβ a media company that produced videos whose content and subject matter were βoften consistent with the Government of Russiaβs interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition to core Government of Russia interests.βThe Tenet Media saga demonstrates once again that Russian election interference is not, as these commentators and their allies have insisted, a βhoax.βThe companyβs description matches that of Tenet Media, a Tennessee-based firm co-founded by Lauren Chen, a creator for Blaze TV (which fired Chen on Thursday) and a contributor to Charlie Kirkβs Turning Point USA. Tenet Media publishes content by Rubin, Johnson, Pool and other less-prominent influencers. According to the indictment, the production companies of three unnamed commentators were paid $8.7 million through the scheme.The indictment states two of the commentators were deceived about the source of the funding; the trio all described themselves as unwitting βvictimsβ of the operation in separate statements on social media. But the Tenet Media saga demonstrates once again that Russian election interference is not, as these commentators and their allies have insisted, a βhoax.β It is a fact, a deliberate and ongoing operation by the Kremlin to sway U.S. politics. And the Trumpist rightβs yearslong quest to rebut that reality have ended up ensuring that their entire information ecosystem is honeycombed with Russian propaganda.Special counsel Robert Muellerβs 2019 final report conclusively documented the Russian governmentβs systematic effort to influence the 2016 presidential election in order to help Trump and the many ways Trumpβs associates participated in that endeavor. This was an inconvenient finding for Trump and his political and media allies, who had spent years fabricating a complex alternate reality in which claims of Russian election interference or corrupt ties between Russia and Trump and his associates were βdeep stateβ lies. They responded by falsely claiming Muellerβs report had found βno collusionβ between Trump and Russia, and used that lie to brand the entirety of the probe as a βhoax.βThat inability to forthrightly reject Russian efforts to aid their partyβs standard bearer set the stage for Russian propaganda efforts receiving saturation coverage in the right-wing ecosystem.No one on the right has done more to push pro-Russia talking points than former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, a longtime defender of Russian president Vladimir Putin and opponent of U.S. support for Ukraine. Russian propaganda channels sought to gin up Western support for its 2022 invasion by highlighting Carlsonβs nightly screeds against U.S. aid to Ukraine, and in turn served as a source for Carlsonβs program. A Russian state TV host even suggested on-air that Carlson take a job at his network after Fox dropped him the following year.Carlson didnβt go that far β but he did take a jaunt to Moscow the following year for a largely friendly interview with Putin. Carlsonβs visit received fawning coverage from Russian propaganda channels; the host in turn produced a pathetic video in which he claimed his visit to a local grocery store had βradicalize[d]β him against Americaβs political leaders. (Carlsonβs Moscow market video was so unsubtle that when one of the indicted RT employees suggested posting it on Tenetβs Instagram channel, a Tenet producer initially recoiled, fearing that the video βfeels like overt shilling.β)The revelation that some of their own got pulled into a Russian intelligence operation isnβt leading to self-reflection on the MAGA right.But Russia-friendly narratives about the countryβs invasion of Ukraine ultimately spread far beyond Carlson. It became widely accepted orthodoxy on the MAGA right that sending military aid to Ukraine is a waste of money, that the United States is responsible for Russiaβs invasion, and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the real villain of the conflict. As Pool put it, βUkraine is the enemy of this country!β All of this brings Putin closer to one of his top objectives, the end of U.S. support for Ukraine.Russian interests and Kremlin-connected sources also fueled the rightβs obsession with Hunter Bidenβs business interests and the absurd related allegation that Joe Biden accepted a bribe from a Ukrainian oligarch β both of which right-wing media and politicians treated as major stories, with House Republicans making it the heart of their impeachment case against the president..While the U.S. right has been peddling Russian talking points for years, commentators unwittingly receiving payments from that country does seem to be a new development. But the revelation that some of their own got pulled into a Russian intelligence operation isnβt leading to self-reflection on the MAGA right. Thereβs a palpable lack of concern about the notion that Russian propagandists want to encourage the divisive rhetoric prevalent on the pro-Trump right because they feel it weakens the United States and bolsters Russian interests.Instead, as they did with revelations of Russian interference in 2016 and the dissolution of their impeachment case earlier this year, theyβve moved directly to grievance and conspiracy theories.In the hours after the indictment dropped Wednesday, Fox hosts and chyrons claimed that the Justice Department is engaged in βdirty tricksβ intended to help Vice President Kamala Harrisβ 2024 campaign, and may be βlaying the ground for more censorship.β Other right-wing commentators suggested that the indictment may be βa βpsyop within a psyopβ or perhaps linked to βTrump say[ing] he is going to declass the Epstein client list.βFor Charlie Kirk, the close Trump associate and streamer who had Tenet Media co-founder Lauren Chen as a TPUSA contributor, the big takeaway was that βthe regime is ramping up its fear campaign ahead of November.βAll of this ensures that the right-wing information space will remain a rich breeding ground for Russian propaganda as Moscow tries to return Trump to the White House.CORRECTION (Sept. 11, 2024, 9:30 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article mischaracterized Glenn Beckβs relationship with Blaze TV. He founded TheBlaze, which merged with CRTV to form Blaze TV, but is he not an owner of the new entity. | 750c6668b60e9daf | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
foreign_policy | Reuters | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-tillerson-europe/u-s-allies-fret-as-guillotine-hangs-over-tillerson-idUSKBN1DX0GU | U.S. allies fret as 'guillotine' hangs over Tillerson | 2017-12-03 | State Department, Rex Tillerson, Foreign Policy, Politics | BRUSSELS/BERLIN ( βββ ) - On the eve of his trip to Europe , Rex Tillerson gave a speech last week that European allies had waited months to hear : an β ironclad β promise of U.S. support to its oldest allies .
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson participates in a panel discussion after his remarks on U.S.-European Relations at the Wilson Center in Washington , U.S. , November 28 , 2017 . βββ/Yuri Gripas
The relief in European capitals lasted barely a day as reports surfaced of a White House plan to oust the U.S. secretary of state , plunging America β s friends back into confusion over President Donald Trump β s foreign policy .
The uncertainty is particularly acute given Washington β s leading role in crises in North Korea and Syria .
β Just as Tillerson comes to Brussels to give a public statement of support that the EU and NATO have wanted all along , it seems he has no mandate , that the guillotine is hanging over his head , β said an EU official involved in diplomacy with White House officials .
β It leaves Europe just as doubtful as before about Trump . β
U.S. officials said on Thursday the White House had a plan for CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Tillerson but Trump said on Friday he was not leaving and the secretary of state said on Saturday the reports were untrue .
European leaders yearn for stability in U.S. foreign policy . They are troubled by Trump β s β America first β rhetoric and inconsistent statements on NATO and the European Union .
In addition , Trump β s decision to pull out of the Paris climate change accord and his decision not to certify Iran β s compliance with a nuclear deal undermine European priorities .
β The chaos in the administration doesn β t help in the current geopolitical climate , β said a senior French diplomat .
Early last week , Tillerson , a former Exxon Mobil chief executive , delivered a long address in support of Europe in Washington more akin to traditional U.S. policy .
β The United States remains committed to our enduring relationship with Europe . Our security commitments to European allies are ironclad , β he told a think tank .
He said he would convey that message to the European Union and NATO . He is set to visit Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday , the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna on Thursday and Paris on Friday .
The question is whether European officials believe him , given tensions during his April visit to Europe , when βββ reported Tillerson initially planned to skip a NATO meeting in Brussels and then only attended under pressure from allies .
β If there were expectations that Tillerson might evolve into a counterweight to Trump , someone who could pass on messages from partners and exert moderating influence over American foreign policy β those expectations have been disappointed , β said Niels Annen , foreign policy spokesman for Germany β s Social Democrats in parliament .
β On his watch , the State Department has become a non-actor . β
Despite Tillerson β s pledge to reform the U.S. foreign service , European governments take a dim view of how he has sought to cut costs at the State Department , with top diplomatic posts unfilled almost a year into the administration .
The French have gone around Tillerson to develop contacts with U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis , White House National Security Adviser H.R . McMaster and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly , while the EU β s top diplomat Federica Mogherini has gone directly to Vice President Mike Pence .
Berlin has focused on Capitol Hill , as well as Kelly , McMaster and Mattis .
Yet it is unclear if that access translates into a direct impact on Trump β s foreign policy , diplomats said .
There is hope that if Pompeo is appointed he could rejuvenate the State Department after Tillerson , who is seen as ineffective , diplomats said . Pompeo is an unknown quantity in Europe but is viewed as closer to Trump .
β We may be looking at a larger dose of Trump at the State Department , β if Pompeo did get the job , said Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff , head of the German Marshall Fund β s Berlin office .
One European diplomat said Tillerson was in a difficult position from the outset because the Trump administration was hostile to Iran and brought in a team of generals who took a hard line , β so it never left Tillerson much room . β
In addition , Trump β s son-in-law Jared Kushner has taken a leading role in formulating policy on Middle East peace .
But Europeans see Trump as a blizzard of conflicting signals . At a NATO summit in Brussels in May , the president publicly admonished European leaders for their low defense spending and threatened to reduce support , only to announce a jump in U.S. military spending in Europe months later .
European diplomats see Tillerson and Mattis as instrumental in talking Trump out of making any rash decisions over North Korea and its nuclear program , given administration comments about β utterly destroying β the country . | 5fef4e1ab876cd35 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
lgbt_rights | Townhall | http://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2016/03/19/religious-freedom-bill-passes-in-georgia-but-may-face-governors-veto-n2135825 | Religious Freedom Bill Passes in Georgia, But May Face Governor's Veto | 2016-03-19 | lgbt_rights | The Religious Liberty Bill does not have a controversial name , but its contents have caused much debate between proponents of religious freedom and same-sex marriage supporters . Similar to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that caused a stir in Indiana last year and even put a local pizza maker in the news as she and her dad fought to keep their restaurant 's doors open , House Bill 757 is front and center in Georgia .
House Bill 757 , which passed the Georgia legislature Wednesday night , would allow pastors to refuse to marry same-sex couples , permit churches , religious schools to refuse to host events for anyone who doesn β t share their beliefs and allow faith-based employers to deny hiring someone for the same reason .
Opponents of the bill argue it is discriminatory against homosexuals .
β The decision by the legislature today was to make an egregious and discriminatory bill even worse , β the Human Rights Campaign , which represents the lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transgender community , said in a statement . β It β s appalling that anti-equality extremists in the legislature are trying to ignore the will of the people of Georgia , β it said .
The bill has given Georgia Gov . Nathan Deal a lot to think about . While the Republican governor believes in the right to religious freedom , he is uncomfortable with the thought of local businesses denying service to customers because of their sexuality .
The Atlanta Journal Constitution describes the governor β s β long and complicated β relationship with the bill .
Deal insists his discomfort with the legislation is rooted in biblical principles .
In remarkably stark terms , the governor said he would reject any measure that β allows discrimination in our state in order to protect people of faith. β Rooting his critique in biblical terms , he urged fellow Republicans to take a deep breath and β recognize that the world is changing around us. β β We do not have a belief in my way of looking at religion that says we have to discriminate against anybody , β he said . β If you were to apply those standards to the teaching of Jesus , I don β t think they fit . β
Luckily for Deal , he β ll have until May 3 to make the decision . | oSFhkpPiGsy2K85n | 2 | LGBTQ Issues | -0.4 | Same-Sex Marriage | -0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Washington Times | https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/may/18/kevin-mccarthy-house-gop-leader-opposes-new-probe-/ | House GOP leader McCarthy opposes new probe into Jan. 6 Capitol attack | 2021-05-18 | US House, Kevin McCarthy, Capitol Chaos, Politics | The top House Republican said Tuesday he wonβt support the creation of a commission to investigate the pro-Trump mobβs attack on the Capitol in January, blaming Democrats for dithering and politicking and saying he didnβt want to hurt ongoing criminal cases. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California announced his opposition as the House Rules Committee advanced the bill that would create the commission as well as a $1.9 billion emergency spending bill that would pay for enhancing security on Capitol Hill. Mr. McCarthyβs opposition undercuts some in his own party, including Rep. John Katko, the top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee who had struck an agreement on the commission. He won concessions from Democrats, including making the panel evenly bipartisan. But Mr. McCarthy offered a plethora of reasons Tuesday for why that isnβt enough. He said other investigations are ongoing, money has already been allocated for reviews of Capitol security, and the Justice Department has made 445 arrests and is prosecuting those cases. βUnfortunately, the legislation being considered in the House this week is drafted in such a way that could interfere with and ultimately undermine these ongoing prosecutorial efforts β just one byproduct of a process that circumvents committee markup and is expected to come to the House Floor under a closed rule,β he said. SEE ALSO: Bills aimed at fixing Capitol security after Jan. 6 attack advance in the House He also complained that Democrats have not done enough about the violence that scorched cities last summer. Analysts, though, say Mr. McCarthy is worried about angering the hefty Trump faction within his GOP troops. Both security measures passed on 9-4 party-line votes, with all four Republicans on the panel opposing them. The measures now head to a full House vote as early as Wednesday. GOP opposition to the bills could create big obstacles for the Democrats, who narrowly control both chambers. If Democrats canβt muster enough support among Republicans, the security bill likely would have to be renegotiated in the Senate before it could be sent to President Bidenβs desk for approval. House Republicans criticized several portions of the $1.9 billion spending package. They objected to the creation of a quick reaction force that would be under the control of the D.C. National Guard instead of Congress and some of the security costs. They also blasted Democrats for moving forward without Republican support and an agreement on the cost of security needs. βIt is truly unfortunate that in a matter of this gravity the Democrats were not interested in an agreement,β said Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the House Rules Committee. Democrats, however, insisted that the Republican proposal of a $2.4 billion bill that would have allocated half its funds to the Department of Defenseβs COVID-19 response efforts was not made in good faith. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut Democrat, said the GOP plan βwas not a serious proposal in terms of looking at what we need to move forward on, in terms of security at the Capitol.β The measure to create a bipartisan commission also was received with criticism, with Republicans β following Mr. McCarthyβs lead β demanding that the panelβs scope be expanded to other instances of violence. Mr. Cole requested that the commission look more broadly at other political violence, including last summerβs social justice protests and the 2017 shooting of Republican lawmakers during a practice for the congressional baseball game. Rep. Jim McGovern, Massachusetts Democrat and committee chairman, insisted that the commission wouldnβt βengage in a partisan fishing expedition.β The bill would establish a 10-member bipartisan commission to investigate the causes of the attack and the security failures that may have caused the information to be missed. It would be modeled after the investigative panel that reviewed the causes of the Sept. 11, 2011, terrorist attacks. β’ Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com. β’ Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com. Copyright Β© 2025 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission. SEE MORE VIDEOS DOJβs bribery of New York City Mayor Eric Adams Carville says Trump playing 4D chess while Democrats still looking for board Border czar Homanβs attack on the pope reveals deeper truths about moral certainty | e43d4a44dfe115f2 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
fbi | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/07/531868762/christopher-wray-is-trumps-nominee-to-be-the-new-fbi-director | Christopher Wray Is Trump's Nominee To Be The New FBI Director | 2017-06-07 | fbi | Christopher Wray Is Trump 's Nominee To Be The New FBI Director
President Trump says he has chosen Christopher Wray , a former Justice Department official during President George W. Bush 's administration , to head the FBI . Wray now works on white collar crime at an international law firm .
The president named his pick via Twitter , writing Wednesday morning , `` I will be nominating Christopher A. Wray , a man of impeccable credentials , to be the new Director of the FBI . Details to follow . ''
The announcement comes one day before ousted FBI Director James Comey is scheduled to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee , which has been investigating Russia 's meddling in the 2016 U.S. election . Trump fired Comey in May and has been interviewing candidates to succeed him .
Among Wray 's credentials is a stint as the assistant attorney general leading the Justice Department 's criminal division , from 2003 to 2005 . In that post , he worked under attorneys general John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales β as well as under Comey , who was then the deputy attorney general .
Wray has been in private practice since then , working on white-collar crime and regulatory cases as a partner in the Washington , D.C. , and Atlanta offices of the King & Spalding .
He has recently been involved in representing New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie in the `` Bridgegate '' case over politically motivated lane closures on the George Washington Bridge .
The Asbury Park Press reports that Christie and Wray previously worked together during the Bush administration , when Christie was a U.S. attorney and Wray was a deputy attorney general .
`` I have the utmost confidence in Chris , '' Christie told the Press last week . `` He 's an outstanding lawyer . He has absolute integrity and honesty , and I think that the president certainly would not be making a mistake if he asked Chris Wray to be FBI director . ''
Attorney General Jeff Sessions praised the choice , saying , `` Chris Wray is an extraordinary person , possessing all the gifts necessary to be a great director of the FBI . ''
Stating that Wray has `` a brilliant legal mind , '' Sessions added , `` We are fortunate that he is willing to make this personal commitment to serve his country at this important time . ''
The American Civil Liberties Union was less enthusiastic , issuing a statement saying that Wray 's history , which includes work by his firm on behalf of the Trump family , `` makes us question his ability to lead the FBI with the independence , even-handed judgment , and commitment to the rule of law that the agency deserves . ''
The FBI Agents Association , which includes thousands of current and retired agents , says its board `` looks forward to meeting with Mr . Wray . ''
According to Wray 's law firm bio , he `` has substantial federal appellate experience , including successful oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Eleventh Circuit sitting en banc and before the U.S. Supreme Court . ''
In awarding Wray 's law firm a `` White Collar Group of the Year '' award in February , legal website Law360 noted several high-profile cases the group won in 2016 . They range from defending Huntington Ingalls Industries in a $ 2.5 billion false claims case over Hurricane Katrina funding to having claims dismissed against auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers over a corruption probe against Brazil 's Petrobras .
As the leader of King & Spalding 's special matters and government investigations unit , Wray was featured in a story about the award . Discussing the group 's approach , Wray told Law360 , `` It 's kind of a 'keep calm and tackle hard ' philosophy . ''
Wray said , `` We 're more known for calmly and quietly diffusing a crisis or making matters go quietly away and keeping things in the middle of the road . ''
Early in his career , Wray spent nearly a decade at the Justice Department , focusing on corporate fraud in addition to trade sanctions , money laundering and other areas of the law .
`` He served on the president 's Corporate Fraud Task Force and oversaw the Enron Task Force and other major fraud investigations , both around the country and internationally , '' Wray 's biography at King & Spalding states .
From 1997 to 2001 , Wray was an assistant U.S. attorney in northern Georgia . In May 2001 , he rose to become an associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice .
Wray graduated from Yale University in 1989 and also attended law school there , serving as an executive editor of the Yale Law Journal and earning his law degree in 1992 . | nkmgIhfF0TSjsMGX | 1 | Christopher Wray | 0.1 | FBI | 0 | Defense And Security | 0 | null | null | null | null |
us_senate | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/15/politics/iowa-still-a-dead-heat/index.html?hpt=po_c2 | Poll: Iowa Senate race still too close to call | 2014-10-15 | us_senate | Story highlights The latest poll in the Iowa Senate race shows the contest is still a dead heat .
Braley is gaining with independents and women , while Ernst leads with men .
About 10 percent of likely voters said they could still change their mind .
Ernst could benefits from Republican Governor Terry Branstad 's 15-point lead .
The race opposing Republican Joni Ernst and Democrat Bruce Braley is still locked in a dead heat according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday . Ernst just barely edges out her Democratic rival by two points 45-43 , a lead that keeps her within the poll 's margin of error .
The contest could tilt the balance of power in Washington in a year when Republicans are favored to take back the Senate .
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The results from the survey of 967 likely voters in Iowa echoes the two other nonpartisan polls in this month which also showed Ernst with a razor-thin one- to two-point edge .
Now , the two candidates will fight for undecided voters and the 10 percent of likely voters who said they could still change their mind before Nov. 4 .
And while the overall numbers do n't appear to be shifting , Braley 's camp can look to the pulse of Independents for a campaign pick-me-up less than three weeks away from Election Day .
The poll revealed a big swing in independent support , with Braley converting a seven-point deficit in Quinnipiac 's September poll into a five-point lead among the key voter bloc . Braley now leads with independents 48 % to Ernst 's 43 % .
Braley also continued to pick up support among women , who favor him over his female GOP foe by a 13-point margin .
Ernst , meanwhile , kept her lead among men at a 56 % to Braley 's 39 % .
`` Voters are choosing partisanship over gender when it comes to making their ballot choice , '' Quinnipiac University Polling Director Peter Brown said in a release .
Ernst will look to pick up on the benefits of votes voting for the same party down the ballot as Republican Gov . Terry Branstad is expected to slide cleanly through the polls .
Branstad has a 15-point lead according to the Quinnipiac poll . | Cs29KwhGnhUxehim | 0 | Iowa | 0.2 | Senate | 0 | US Senate | 0 | Politics | 0 | null | null |
middle_east | Politico | http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/syria-scenarios-96013.html?hp=t1 | Syria's best case, Syria's worst case | 2013-08-29 | middle_east | Worst case : Syria β s deadly war continues unabated , and the conflict spreads . | REUTERS Best and worst cases in Syria
President Barack Obama hasn β t even ordered an attack on Syria to punish it for using chemical weapons , but Washington is already asking : What next ?
Best case : The Navy β s Tomahawk cruise missiles prevent Syrian President Bashar Assad from launching another chemical attack and hasten the end to a civil war that has taken an estimated 100,000 lives .
Worst case : Syria β s deadly war continues unabated , the conflict spreads into the broader Middle East and the U.S. suffers a deep embarrassment in the eyes of a world watching closely to see how it responds to the use of weapons of mass destruction .
The gap between those two extremes β and many foreign policy and military observers acknowledge that much more could go wrong than right with what now seems to be an all-but-certain military response β underlines the stakes for Obama and for U.S. security and standing worldwide .
β This is about a lot more than Syria , β said Richard Haass , president of the Council on Foreign Relations .
β Any strike should also be sufficiently large so that it would underscore the message that chemical weapons as a weapon of mass destruction simply can not be used with impunity , β he said . β That these can no way enter into the space of normal weaponry . The audience here is not simply the Syrian government to get them to recalculate in the future , but it β s any would-be user of chemical , biological or nuclear materials to underscore the fact that any potential use of these would bring tremendous pain upon the party responsible . β
And that , as Haass points out , is the most hopeful outcome of U.S. action β that Assad and regimes across the world see that Washington and its allies will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons and decide that the pain inflicted is not worth enduring in the future .
In a best-case scenario for Anthony Cordesman , a military strategist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies , the U.S. would hit targets that are of high value to Assad and his forces β like sensitive command and control and intelligence centers .
These attacks could exert enough pressure for Assad not to use chemical weapons again . They could also do enough damage to the Syrian military to reverse its momentum and help lay the groundwork for much broader support of moderate opposition forces , Cordesman said .
In a worst-case scenario , a U.S. military strike would not cause much damage to Assad , thereby emboldening him and sending an unconvincing picture of U.S. strength to the world , Cordesman said .
β The messaging goes beyond arms control and Syria , β he added .
Barry Pavel , a former national security official in the George W. Bush and Obama administrations , argued the U.S. must hit Assad with a truly punishing wave of attacks that makes clear how repugnant the world views the use of weapons of mass destruction .
Beyond that , however , there is little in terms of tactical advantage or affecting the status of the current Syrian civil war on the ground that air strikes or missile attacks can produce . In theory , Assad could emerge from his bunker , survey a broken war machine and agree to leave power as the White House for months has said he must do . But White House press secretary Jay Carney made clear this week that the U.S. would not target Assad himself . Washington does not want a headless Syrian government to suddenly fall apart and leave a power vacuum that Islamic extremists might rush to fill . | hJFpcCxPlCiKWCcX | 0 | Syria | -1.7 | Middle East | -0.4 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
abortion | Reuters | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-abortion-alabama/aclu-planned-parenthood-sue-over-alabama-abortion-ban-idUSKCN1SU1OE | ACLU, Planned Parenthood sue over Alabama abortion ban | 2019-05-25 | Abortion, ACLU, Alabama | ( βββ ) - The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging a law enacted by Alabama last week that bans nearly all abortions and makes performing the procedure a felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison .
The lawsuit is one of several the groups have filed or are preparing to file against states that recently passed strict anti-abortion measures in an effort to prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade , the 1973 landmark case that guarantees a woman β s constitutional right to abortion .
On Friday , Missouri Governor Mike Parson , a Republican , signed a bill into law that bans abortion beginning in the eighth week of pregnancy . In Mississippi , a federal judge blocked a law that would ban abortions once an embryonic heartbeat is detected , which can occur at six weeks after conception .
β This dangerous , immoral , and unconstitutional ban threatens people β s lives and well-being and we are suing to protect our patients β rights , β Leana Wen , president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America , a women β s healthcare and abortion provider , said in a statement .
The ACLU β s Alabama chapter and Planned Parenthood of America filed their complaint in federal court in Alabama on behalf of the Southern state β s three abortion clinics and Planned Parenthood Southeast .
Anti-abortion advocates expected legal challenges to Alabama β s new law , which will be the most restrictive in the nation when it takes effect in November , and say they welcome the chance to have a court test their conviction that a fetus β right to life is paramount .
Mississippi joined Georgia , Kentucky and Ohio earlier this year in outlawing abortion after a doctor can detect an embryonic heartbeat .
In granting the preliminary injunction on Friday , U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves wrote that the Mississippi law , which was scheduled to take effect on July 1 , would prevent a woman β s free choice β which is central to personal dignity and autonomy . β
The measure was challenged in court on behalf of the Jackson Women β s Health Organization , the state β s lone abortion facility .
The ACLU and Planned Parenthood obtained an injunction from a judge in March blocking Kentucky β s abortion ban . The two organizations have filed lawsuits in Ohio and are preparing a legal fight in Georgia , they said in a statement on Friday .
The wave of anti-abortion legislation reflects a boost of confidence among anti-abortion advocates after Republican President Donald Trump nominated two conservative judges , Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh , to the Supreme Court , tilting the court β s political balance to the right . | 46ead84aa7bafc60 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Reuters | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-sanders/bidens-comeback-leaves-sanders-little-time-to-expand-appeal-idUSKBN20S18P | Biden's comeback leaves Sanders little time to expand appeal | 2020-03-06 | Presidential Elections, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elections | WASHINGTON ( βββ ) - After losing the momentum in the Democratic presidential race , Bernie Sanders has work to do - and little time to do it - to build the β multiracial , multigenerational movement β he says will propel him to victory over Republican President Donald Trump in November .
In an unexpectedly strong night for Joe Biden , the former vice president won 10 of the 14 states up for grabs on Super Tuesday , confirming suspicions that Sanders was struggling to expand his base , particularly among older voters and African Americans .
Sanders β supporters said on Wednesday the disappointing results were no cause for panic but showed that the democratic socialist senator from Vermont still needed to prove he could broaden his base enough to capture the Democratic nomination .
Sanders was strongest on Tuesday among young and Latino voters , according to exit poll data , and scored a major victory winning California , the state with the most delegates .
But a far wider coalition fueled Biden β s victories , with some of his biggest support coming from African Americans - a key Democratic voting bloc - and white voters over 60 - a group that regularly turns out in large numbers .
In Texas , where Biden narrowly beat Sanders , Biden won among black voters by 60 % to 17 % , according to exit polls .
β I won β t absolve the Bernie campaign of not doing the deeper work around the black community , β said Natalia Salgado , national political director at the Center for Popular Democracy Action , which endorsed Sanders in December . β I think if the Bernie camp wasn β t paying attention before last night , they β re paying attention now . β
Larry Cohen , chairman of Our Revolution , a progressive group founded by Sanders but which operates independently from the campaign , said time was short to stage a turnaround . A majority of delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination will have been awarded after primaries next Tuesday and on March 17 .
Biden led Sanders in the delegate count by 526-463 on Thursday afternoon , with final results from California still outstanding .
β With this time frame , the key is to stay positive about the kind of nation that we can have and to really continue to screw down on turnout , β Cohen said . β The turnout of younger voters wasn β t as good as it could have been . β
Kyle Kondik , an elections analyst at the University of Virginia , said with Biden looking strong in upcoming contests in Florida and Georgia , Sanders would need to exceed expectations in the Midwest to β regenerate β his campaign .
β Ten days ago , Biden needed to change the race , and now Sanders needs to do the same , β Kondik said .
A βββ/Ipsos poll of registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents taken on March 4-5 , after the Super Tuesday results , found 55 % would support Biden in a two-man race over 45 % for Sanders .
Sanders said he had not had time to analyze all the results but pointed to his success among people of color in California , including Latinos and Asian Americans , as well as African Americans . Exit polling showed Sanders won among all non-white voters in the state .
β We β re going to do better with the African-American community and we continue to try to do that , β Sanders told reporters on Wednesday in Vermont , without offering specifics .
Sanders β campaign sees Michigan , which votes on Tuesday , as the next major battleground , and launched TV ads there attacking Biden β s support of trade deals that Sanders says sent jobs in the industrial Midwest overseas .
Sanders canceled a speech in Mississippi planned for Friday to schedule more events in Michigan , an aide said .
A lingering question was whether Senator Elizabeth Warren , who ended her campaign on Thursday , would throw her support behind her fellow liberal . Warren was not expected immediately to make a formal endorsement , but Sanders said he spoke to her by phone on Tuesday .
Progressive groups said they hoped Sanders and Warren would find a way to work together . But such a partnership is no slam dunk after a tough race between the liberal allies and will not guarantee a rush of new supporters for Sanders .
β It β s not a fait accompli that all of her support goes to Bernie Sanders , β said Neil Sroka , communications director for Democracy for America , a political action committee that endorsed Sanders on Monday . β If Senator Warren departs in the race , I also think Bernie Sanders is going to have to earn her endorsement . β | 2d893d62e07852de | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
china | Fox Business | https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/chinas-population-shrinks-for-the-first-time-in-decades | China's population shrinks for first time in decades | 2023-01-17 | China, Population, World | Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com The People's Republic of China has recorded a decline in its population for the first time in decades. The Chinese government recorded more deaths than births in 2022, the first instance of population decline in the country since 1961. DESANTIS WARNS OVER CHINA REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS: βGOBBLING UP LANDβ NOT IN FLORIDA'S BEST INTEREST The Asian country ended last year with 850,000 fewer people than the previous year's end, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. People sit on benches near a playground in Hong Kong, China, on Dec. 29, 2022. (Lam Yik/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images) The statistic only covers population changes in the mainland and does not account for island territories such as Hong Kong and Macao. TREASURY SECRETARY YELLEN WILL MEET WITH CHINA'S VICE PREMIER LIU HE China saw approximately 9.56 million births in 2022, with approximately 10.41 million deaths. A nurse helps a newborn bathe in Huaian Maternal and Child Health Hospital, East China's Jiangsu province, Jan 13, 2023. (CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images / Getty Images) In 2021, the country had recorded 10.62 million births with 10.14 million deaths. US AND TAIWAN HOLD TRADE TALKS IN A MOVE BLASTED BY CHINA A wide variety of factors have contributed to the problem, including the cost of child care in major urban areas and an overall gender imbalance. Until 2016, the Chinese Communist Party enforced a one-child policy meant to limit the once-booming population. This previous restriction on couples' number of offspring β combined with a cultural preference for male children β has led to a noticeable gap between the genders. Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen on a giant screen in the commercial district of Hangzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang province, Oct 23, 2022. (Chinatopix via AP / AP Newsroom) GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE Men in China outnumber their female counterparts 722.06 million to 689.69 million, the National Bureau of Statistics reported. Get a brief on the top business stories of the week, plus CEO interviews, market updates, tech and money news that matters to you. We've added you to our mailing list. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. | 114c12f80b8a1bdf | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
general_news | International Business Times | https://www.ibtimes.com/presidents-day-2022-inspirational-quotes-biden-trump-obama-others-3407427 | Presidents Day 2022: Inspirational Quotes By Biden, Trump, Obama And Others | 2022-02-21 | Holidays, History, Presidents Day, General News | Presidents Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday in February to honor the past and present U.S. presidents. Although the day was initially established to commemorate the birth of George Washington, who was born Feb. 22, 1732, it is now recognized as a time to celebrate all presidents and the contributions they have made to the country. Here are some inspirational quotes, courtesy Brainy Quote, from notable American presidents: 1. βFailure at some point in your life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.β β Joe Biden 2. βWithout passion you don't have energy, without energy you have nothing.β β Donald Trump 3. βChange will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.β β Barack Obama 4. "A leadership is someone who brings people together." β George W. Bush 5. βIf your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.β β John Quincy Adams 6. βI hold, that in contemplation of universal law, and of the Constitution, the Union of these States is perpetual. Perpetuity is implied, if not expressed, in the fundamental law of all national governments.β β Abraham Lincoln 7. βLive simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.β β Ronald Reagan 8. βThe test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.β β James Buchanan 9. "While men inhabiting different parts of this vast continent cannot be expected to hold the same opinions, they can unite in a common objective and sustain common principles." β Franklin Pierce 10. βBe fit for more than the thing you are now doing. Let everyone know that you have a reserve in yourself; that you have more power than you are now using. If you are not too large for the place you occupy, you are too small for it.β β Chester A. Arthur Β© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved. | a28934ca69e829c3 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
trade | New York Post (News) | http://nypost.com/2017/02/01/trump-blasted-australian-prime-minister-during-worst-call-by-far/ | Trump blasted Australian prime minister during βworst call by farβ | 2017-02-02 | Trade | President Trump reportedly blasted the Australian prime minister during a phone call between the leaders of the two longtime allies. Trump told Australian leader Malcolm Turnbull that the conversation was βthe worst call by farβ among talks with various world leaders that day and he ended the scheduled hour-long conversation after just 25 minutes, according to the Washington Post. Trump was reportedly incensed that the prime minister expected him to abide by an Obama administration agreement to take in 1,250 refugees from Australia. βThis is the worst deal ever,β Trump told Turnbull in the call, adding that the country was trying to send the βnext Boston bombersβ into the US. Trump was βyellingβ at Turnbull during the call, according to SKY News in Australia, and the US president hung up on him. Trump continued to rail against the refugee deal in a tweet Wednesday night. βDo you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!β Trump tweeted. The deal, however, includes refugees and not βillegal immigrants,β as Trump claimed. Turnbull had been supportive of Trump in statements since the election. That could change after the combative call. The official White House statement described the call in more vague terms, claiming the conversation βemphasized enduring strengthβ between the two countries. The refugees in the agreement have fled Iraq, Iran, Sudan and Somalia. They have been living in facilities on islands off Australia. Unknown | 474215e69253e3fd | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
immigration | International Business Times | http://www.ibtimes.com/immigration-reform-2013-just-waiting-takeoff-say-advocates-1407214 | US Immigration Reform Is Just Waiting For Takeoff, Advocates Say | 2013-09-17 | immigration | House Republicans will find a solution for legalizing the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. , but it won β t be a straightforward path to citizenship and it won β t bar these people from achieving legalization through existing channels , a leading Republican advocate of immigration reform said .
β It β s a path to legal status that makes no mention of citizenship , β says Tamar Jacoby , president and CEO of ImmigrationWorks USA , a national federation of small-business owners with a mission to advance better immigration law . β It doesn β t bar citizenship , but this is the key point , it doesn β t create a new or direct or special path for people who broke the law . So , a path to citizenship , but not a special path for them . β
Jacoby was a part of a panel hosted by the progressive think tank New Democrat Network on Tuesday . The only problem then , she says , is whether Democrats will accept such a compromise . After all , Jacoby sees that as the way forward since there β s no optimism the House will put the Senate-passed bill for a floor vote , and the prospect of a comprehensive immigration reform bill itself is just as unlikely .
Even given all that , Jacoby says immigration reform is not dead .
β The conventional wisdom out there [ is ] that this is dead , β she says . β I think it is undue alarmism . ... No one in the House has decided not to do this . What β s happened is the climate and context has changed . β
Overhauling what lawmakers describe as a broken immigration system has gone from a high priority earlier in the year to a maybe as lawmakers find themselves brushing up against fiscal deadlines that , left unchecked , could cause a government shutdown and possibly trigger a default by the U.S. on its debt .
Republicans have often been criticized as the hurdle to overcome in order to push reform forward . However , GOP leaders have come out either batting for the pro-reform team , like Rep. Paul Ryan , R-Wis. , or acknowledging that finding the appropriate legal status for the undocumented needs to be a priority , like Rep. Bob Goodlatte , R-Va .
The problem is they don β t know what a bill doing these things would look like .
But for Frank Sharry , executive director of the nonprofit America β s Voice , the argument has already been won . His nonprofit is advocating for a path to citizenship for the undocumented .
β If House Republicans come forward with a commonsense approach to deal with the 11 million , I think we can get across the finish line this year , β Sharry said .
Sharry said he is less troubled about how the House gets to a negotiation with the Senate than what they bring to the mix . He believes there β s a way to deal with immigration reform in a step-by-step process so long as there is a β comprehensive solution . β
β We β re not interested in the blame game , β he said . β We β re interested in results . β | qJuHzWZNaVEeKav3 | 1 | Immigration | 1.4 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
labor | Fox Online News | https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/what-is-international-workers-day | What is International Workersβ Day? | labor | May Day , or May 1 , is also known as International Workers Day on which laborers and the labor movement around the world are celebrated .
Despite the global recognition of the holiday , the celebration began after peaceful protests became violent in the United States , where it has less meaning today .
During the 1880s , working conditions were dangerous , but workers were paid little , so industrial workers β strikes were becoming more and more common , according to History.com .
On May 1 , 1886 , more than 300,000 workers in the United States . walked out of their jobs in protest for an eight-hour workday .
CORONAVIRUS UNEMPLOYMENT RATES INCREASED THE MOST IN THESE U.S. CITIES
In Chicago , things got heated on May 3 , when police and protestors clashed at the McCormick Reaper Works , the channel reported .
The next day , workers demonstrated at Chicago β s Haymarket Square to protest the previous day β s events , when someone threw a bomb at police , according to History.com , the History channel 's website .
At least eight people died and another eight people were convicted β despite a lack of evidence against them , β according to History .
The event became known as the β Haymarket Incident β or the β Haymarket Affair . β
In 1889 , The International Socialist Conference in Paris , which was made up of socialist and Marxist parties , chose to mark the Haymarket Incident by creating International Workers Day , according to Time magazine .
International Workers Day is an official holiday in 66 countries but is mostly unrecognized in the United States , according to History.com .
That β s because President Grover Cleveland moved Labor Day to the first Monday in September , to cut ties β with the international worker β s celebration for fear that it would build support for communism and other radical causes , β according to History .
Before it became associated with workers β rights , May 1 , or May Day , was associated with springtime celebrations , according to History.com .
One May Day tradition was when people danced around a maypole . The origins of the maypole dance are unknown , but it is believed to have come from medieval times , according to the history website .
Another May Day tradition involved taking baskets of flowers and treats and hanging them on the doors of friends and family , according to History.com . | O9c1Ii6y5aAwr7Gz | 2 | May Day | 1 | International Workers Day | 1 | Labor | 0.2 | Workers' Rights | 0.2 | Strikes | 0 | |
republican_party | Fox Online News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/08/25/trump-taunts-hill-republicans-claims-handful-dems-control-senate.html | Trump taunts Hill Republicans, claims handful of Dems 'control the Senate' | 2017-08-25 | republican_party | President Trump upped the pressure again on Senate Republicans to change the chamber 's rules to help his agenda , suggesting Friday that GOP lawmakers are letting a handful of Democrats `` control the Senate . ''
β If Senate Republicans don β t get rid of the Filibuster Rule and go to a 51 % majority , few bills will be passed . 8 Dems control the Senate ! β Trump tweeted .
The president repeatedly has pressed Senate GOP leaders to change the rules so controversial legislation can pass with a simple majority , as opposed to 60 votes .
The president β s tweet comes amid a feud with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell . The tension began when McConnell criticized the president for having β excessive expectations β about the legislative process , after Congress failed to deliver the votes on a plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare ahead of their August recess . Trump said he was β very disappointed in Mitch , β and reportedly had a β profane shouting match β over the phone on August 9 .
Both the White House and McConnell have publicly attempted to ease the tensions to portray unity between the GOP leader and the president .
TRUMP SLAMS MCCONNELL , RYAN , CLAPPER , THE 'FAKE NEWS ' IN SERIES OF TWEETS
McConnell is likely reluctant to pursue a change in the filibuster rules for legislation , mindful that the move could hurt his own party whenever Democrats are in control . Further , it 's unclear whether the rule change would help Trump pass health care legislation , as the last bill to fail was not subject to the 60-vote standard .
Minutes after his first tweet of the day , the president also went on to praise his new chief of staff , former Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly , who took his post in the White House last month amid a White House staff shake-up . Trump slammed the β Fake News β for not portraying the β spirit β in the White House accurately .
β General John Kelly is doing a fantastic job as Chief of Staff . There is tremendous spirit and talent in the W.H . Don β t believe the Fake News , β Trump tweeted .
The president tweeted again , moments later , touting his administration β s accomplishments in its first seven months in office .
β Few , if any , Administrations have done more in just 7 months than the Trump A . Bills passed , regulations killed , border , military , ISIS , SC ! , β Trump said .
The president 's tweet comes days after he unveiled his administration 's new Afghanistan strategy . The White House will also send guidelines to the Pentagon regarding the president 's policy to reinstate the ban on transgenders in the military , directing Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to enact the ban within six months .
In terms of regulations , according to an analysis by American Action Forum reviewing the president 's first six months in office , a total of 27 regulations have been withdrawn so far this year , which is slightly lower than the 41 rules that were approved .
LESS IS MORE ? TRUMP SLOWS FEDERAL REGS TO A CRAWL IN FIRST SIX MONTHS
The president also met with Border Patrol officials in Arizona this week and has warned Congress that he could let the federal government shut down if they do not approve funding for one of his key campaign promises -- the border wall .
Nevertheless , the administration has yet to see a major legislative win . | 2xD50e5OF0ZC9CYJ | 2 | Republican Party | -0.2 | Donald Trump | 0.1 | Politics | -0.1 | null | null | null | null |
coronavirus | New York Times - News | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/us/seattle-washington-state-coronavirus-transmission-rate.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage&utm_source=The%20Goodnewsletter&utm_campaign=7236be9a28-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_01_28_05_35_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b0e357ccff-7236be9a28-105256783&goal=0_b0e357ccff-7236be9a28-105256783&mc_cid=7236be9a28&mc_eid=feabb665fe | Coronavirus Slowdown in Seattle Suggests Restrictions Are Working | 2020-03-29 | coronavirus | With so many states now deep in crisis , the signs of provisional success in the Seattle area offer a lesson for other cities and regions that are just beginning to see the onset of the coronavirus : Early and aggressive action to contain the spread may help lower the trajectory of a virus that could otherwise overwhelm health systems .
Officials in Washington State first began to plead with people to keep their distance from one another at the end of February , after discovering that the virus had infected people in the Seattle area with no known exposure or history of foreign travel , followed by an outbreak at a suburban nursing home now linked to dozens of deaths .
Within a week , the county was asking organizations to consider postponing large events and for people to work from home if possible . People over 60 were encouraged to remain indoors . Some of the region β s major employers , including the headquarters campuses of Amazon and Microsoft , responded by encouraging workers to work from home , quieting workplace hubs that would otherwise be bustling during commutes and lunchtime .
The demographics of those workplaces , with tens of thousands of tech workers who were able to telecommute , may have given the region an early edge in keeping people separated . Perhaps the city β s social norms helped , too , as local residents have long had a reputation for keeping to themselves or within circles of longtime friends β a phenomenon often explained to newcomers as the Seattle Freeze .
Ms. Durkan said the region also benefited from a robust network of researchers who were able to do early modeling to assess the reach of the virus in the community . Without that , she said , policymakers may not have taken the drastic steps to shut down the city as quickly as they did .
The region has also benefited from more widespread testing than most states , helping feed data to the researchers β models and give a sense of how much infection might be missed .
After scientists found evidence that the virus had been circulating weeks before some of the earliest cases were identified , researchers from local groups , led by the Institute for Disease Modeling , began looking at what it would take to slow the progress of the virus . On March 10 , they developed projections showing that significant changes in human-to-human contact would be needed to avert hundreds more deaths by April 8 . | 8b9qIlzC2VImQKWh | 0 | Coronavirus | 0.4 | Seattle | 0.4 | Social Distancing | 0.3 | Public Health | 0 | Healthcare | 0 |
defense_and_security | Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-own-words-add-fuel-to-questions-about-the-legality-of-firing-comey/2017/05/12/ccb4367e-3731-11e7-b412-62beef8121f7_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_obstruct-705pm%3Ahomepage/story&utm_term=.e64a783d8896 | Trumpβs own words add fuel to questions about the legality of firing Comey | 2017-05-13 | FBI, Defense And Security | clockThis article was published more than 7 years ago With his own words over the past two days, President Trump has vastly escalated the stakes and potential consequences of his decision to fire James B. Comey as FBI director, provoking questions about whether his motivations and tactics may have run afoul of the law. The president also suggested via Twitter that he may have βtapesβ of private conversations with Comey, evoking echoes of Watergate and demands by Democrats that he produce what could be critical evidence. | 14a86cd59bb3b0b1 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Washington Examiner | https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/seventeen-republican-congressmen-and-justin-amash-vote-against-house-resolution-condemning-qanon | Seventeen Republican congressmen and Justin Amash vote against House resolution condemning QAnon | 2020-10-02 | US House, QAnon, Free Speech, Politics | The House passed a resolution condemning the conspiracy theory movement known as QAnon, but 17 Republicans and Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, a libertarian, voted against it. H.R. 1154 passed on Friday 371-18, with one person voting present. QAnon is a right-wing conspiracy group that believes, among other things, that a group of powerful politicians is involved in a child sex-trafficking ring. Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia was one of those who voted nay but later explained on Twitter that he did so unintentionally and instead meant to vote yea. In addition to the 17, 33 Republican members of Congress abstained. Not all of those who voted no have publicly explained why. βThe resolution threatens protected speech (absurd as that speech may be), and its prescriptions for addressing QAnon arenβt appropriate for what we know about them & may make things worse. We won't sell or share your personal information to inform the ads you see. You may still see interest-based ads if your information is sold or shared by other companies or was sold or shared previously. Dismiss Opt out | 1f9acec4cad1e01e | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
treasury | Christian Science Monitor | http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2013/0603/IRS-commissioner-Primary-mission-is-regaining-public-trust-video?nav=89-csm_category-secBlogs | IRS commissioner: 'Primary mission' is regaining public trust (+video) | 2013-06-03 | treasury | Newly appointed Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) Commissioner Daniel Werfel said the agency has lost the public β s trust because of a β fundamental failure β by IRS management that included allowing the political targeting of conservative groups .
In his first appearance before a Congressional committee Monday , Mr. Werfel said his `` primary mission is to restore β trust in the tax collection agency . Werfel , who has been in office 12 days , said he had ordered a review of a β broad spectrum of IRS operations β and had installed new leadership β at several critical levels β of the IRS . He pledged to β permanently fix β the problems he found and to be β open and transparent with the American people . β
The meeting of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee was the fourth hearing since the IRS Inspector General released a report in May . The document revealed that during the 2010 and 2012 elections groups with conservative sounding names that applied for tax exempt status were singled out for extended questioning by an IRS office in Cincinnati . At Monday β s hearing , Werfel called the conduct β inappropriate and unacceptable . β
The hearing began with members of Congress from both parties railing against IRS misconduct . Rep. Hal Rogers ( R ) of Kentucky , chairman of the full appropriations committee , said the IRS β has committed grave violations of the public trust β and that β we will not tolerate another political enemies list . β
Ander Crenshaw ( R ) of Florida , the subcommittee chair , criticized what he called β newly discovered incredible waste β in IRS spending on employee conferences and videos . The Inspector General β s office is scheduled to release a report on the conferences on Tuesday that the Associated Press says will show the IRS spent $ 50 million to hold 220 employee conferences between 2010 and 2012 .
Among the embarrassing evidence : a video showing IRS employees dancing to the rhythm and blues song β Cupid Shuffle β at a 2010 conference . Rep. Rita Lowey ( D ) of New York , the ranking Democrat on the full Appropriations Committee , said reports of the spending on employee conferences left her β simply wondering what the IRS was thinking . β
The IRS scandals come at an especially sensitive time for the agency since it will play a key role in implementing the Affordable Care Act , President Obama β s signature legislative achievement . The Obama administration is seeking a 9 percent increase in IRS funding for the federal budget year that starts in October . Representative Crenshaw said Congress would have to β think very carefully about how much money to provide the IRS . β
At Monday β s hearing , Commissioner Werfel said β the solution here is not more money. β He said β the right starting point is β finding the β optimal footprint β for agency operations and only then turning to the question of agency funding .
The political impact of the controversy has been on display . On CNN β s β State of the Union β Sunday , Rep. Darrell Issa ( R ) of California said interviews with workers in the Cincinnati IRS office show the targeting of conservative groups was `` a problem that was coordinated in all likelihood right out of Washington headquarters β and we 're getting to proving it . ''
Representative Lowey asked IRS Inspector General J. Russell George whether there was evidence that the targeting of conservative groups was ordered by the White House . β Within the White House , no , β Mr. George replied .
Congressional scrutiny of the agency will continue . The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday featuring representatives from conservative groups that were targeted by the IRS . As ABC News β β The Note β reports , some of those groups filed a joint lawsuit against the agency last week .
Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox . By signing up , you agree to our Privacy Policy
Later in the week , the Inspector General will appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to discuss his audit of IRS spending on employee gatherings .
Material from the Associated Press was used in compiling this report . | 1ocMBOqWiTIr3pj3 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
coronavirus | The Epoch Times | https://www.theepochtimes.com/covid-19-survivors-have-broad-longer-term-immunity_3928732.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=allsides | COVID-19 Survivors Have Broad, Longer-Term Immunity | 2021-08-12 | Coronavirus, Coronavirus Vaccine, Vaccine Mandates, Herd Immunity, Delta Variant | People who have recovered from COVID-19 retain broad and effective longer-term immunity to the disease, according to a new study. Findings of the study, which is the most comprehensive of its kind so far, have implications for expanding understanding about human immune memory as well as future vaccine development for coronaviruses. The findings are reassuring, especially given early reports during the pandemic that protective neutralizing antibodies didnβt last in COVID-19 patients, said Rafi Ahmed, director of the Emory University Vaccine Center and a lead author of the paper. βThe study serves as a framework to define and predict long-lived immunity to SARS-CoV-2 after natural infection. We also saw indications in this phase that natural immunity could continue to persist,β Ahmed said. The research team will continue to evaluate this cohort over the next few years. In following the patients for months, researchers got a more nuanced view of how the immune system responds to COVID-19 infection. The picture that emerges indicates that the bodyβs defense shield not only produces an array of neutralizing antibodies but activates certain T and B cells to establish immune memory, offering more sustained defenses against reinfection. βWe saw that antibody responses, especially IgG antibodies, were not only durable in the vast majority of patients but decayed at a slower rate than previously estimated, which suggests that patients are generating longer-lived plasma cells that can neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.β βVaccines that target other parts of the virus rather than just the spike protein may be more helpful in containing infection as SARS-CoV-2 variants overtake the prevailing strains,β Ahmed said. βThis could pave the way for us to design vaccines that address multiple coronaviruses.β βWe can build on these results to define the progression to long-lived immunity against the new coronavirus, which can guide rational responses when future outbreaks occur,β Ahmed said. The National Institutes of Health funded the work, which is a collaboration between Emory University and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. A special invitation from our Editor-in-Chief, Jasper Fakkert In today's world, finding a reliable source of news is more challenging than ever. The Epoch Times stands as a beacon of truth. Please support us in our work so that we can continue to bring you the news each and every day. Subscribe now to stay informed. Under the CPRA, 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 personalized ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link.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. | 937486a8fc644951 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
supreme_court | New York Times - News | http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/02/us/politics/supreme-court-faces-volatile-even-if-not-blockbuster-docket.html | Supreme Court Faces Volatile, Even if Not Blockbuster, Docket | 2016-10-02 | supreme_court | Race figures in many of the new term β s most important cases , including two to be heard in October , and that seems to be part of a new trend . β The court hasn β t had a lot of cases recently dealing with race in the criminal justice system , β said Jeffrey L. Fisher , a law professor at Stanford .
In June , a dissent from Justice Sonia Sotomayor brought a new perspective to the issue . Citing James Baldwin β s β The Fire Next Time β and Ta-Nehisi Coates β s β Between the World and Me , β she insisted that the brutal history and contemporary reality of racism in the United States must play a role in the court β s analysis .
That dissent may prove influential , said Justin Driver , a law professor at the University of Chicago . β One item to keep an eye on this term , β he said , β is the extent to which the Black Lives Matters movement makes its presence felt on the court β s docket . β
On Wednesday , the court will hear arguments in Buck v. Davis , No . 15-8049 . It arose from an extraordinary assertion by an expert witness in the death penalty trial of Duane Buck , who was convicted of the 1995 murders of a former girlfriend and one of her friends while her young children watched . The expert , presented by the defense , said that black men are more likely to present a risk of future danger .
The justices will decide whether Mr. Buck , who is black , may challenge his death sentence based on the ineffectiveness of the trial lawyer who presented that testimony .
β The Buck case raises questions that could not be more relevant to ongoing conversations sparked by police shootings about implicit bias and stereotyping of African-American men as violent and dangerous , β Ms. Wydra said . β The Roberts court , and particularly the chief justice himself , has often been reluctant to acknowledge the reality of systemic racism in this country , but the egregious facts of the Buck case make it impossible to avoid . β
On Oct. 11 , the court will consider another biased statement , this one ascribed to a juror during deliberations in a sexual assault trial . β I think he did it because he β s Mexican , and Mexican men take whatever they want , β the juror said of the defendant , according to a sworn statement from a second juror . | mbK0gg2QrRxZhUUK | 0 | Supreme Court | -1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
white_house | The Hill | http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/370577-six-months-in-kelly-emerges-as-policy-force | Six months in, Kelly emerges as policy force | 2018-01-25 | white_house | When John Kelly John Francis KellyMORE was brought in six months ago to be President Trump Donald John TrumpGOP senators balk at lengthy impeachment trial Warren goes local in race to build 2020 movement 2020 Democrats make play for veterans ' votes MORE β s second chief of staff , his mission was clear : bring order to a White House plagued by infighting and leaks .
The four-star Marine general quickly established a new way of doing business in the West Wing , positioning himself as the chief gatekeeper to Trump .
But in the ensuing months , Kelly β s influence has grown beyond deciding who gets access to the president . Lawmakers say he β s also a force behind the scenes , pushing Trump to stick to his campaign vows β particularly on immigration , his signature campaign issue .
Democrats in Congress increasingly see Kelly as working to steer Trump away from an agreement that would protect undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children , the very issue that precipitated the three-day government shutdown .
β I would call this the Kelly shutdown , β Rep. Mark Takano Mark Allan TakanoHillicon Valley : Google buying Fitbit for .1B | US launches national security review of TikTok | Twitter shakes up fight over political ads | Dems push committee on 'revenge porn ' law Progressives urge end to mass phone data collection program Overnight Defense β Presented by Huntington Ingalls Industries β Impeachment inquiry overshadows Trump at UN | Veterans push VA to follow through on reforms | Iranian leader open to changes in nuke deal MORE ( D-Calif. ) said . β He β s a pretty disciplined gatekeeper . I would say he had a big hand , and I believe that Kelly β s leaning fully to the right and is the enforcer on this issue . β
Before becoming chief of staff , Kelly was Trump β s secretary of Homeland Security , where he worked to ramp up immigration enforcement and put in place the controversial travel ban β and he 's brought that mindset with him into the White House .
As Trump weighed striking a deal with Democrats on immigration last week , Kelly pushed his boss to demand more concessions .
He told the president a deal offered by a group of Senate negotiators would not be good for his agenda and should be rejected . Shortly thereafter , Trump grew confrontational in a private meeting with lawmakers where he referred to some places sending immigrants to the United States as β shithole countries . β
The influence of staffers like Kelly on Trump β s immigration stance have angered Democrats and some Republicans , who say it β s made it harder to get deal on immigration .
β Their staff has been unreliable to work with on this issue , β Sen. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamGOP senators balk at lengthy impeachment trial Graham : Senate trial 'must expose the whistleblower ' Graham says Schiff should be a witness in Trump impeachment trial MORE ( R-S.C. ) , who pushed back at Trump β s β shithole β remarks during the White House meeting , told reporters on Capitol Hill . β We need a reliable partner . ''
Graham said White House policy adviser and vocal immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller was more to blame than Kelly , whom he called β a wonderful man. β Still , he acknowledged that Kelly , like other members of Trump β s team , has a β tough position β on the issue .
The shutdown fight also underlined the internal dangers facing Kelly , who risks falling out of favor with the president β much like former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon β if he is portrayed in the press as a puppet master pulling Trump β s strings .
Kelly angered Trump by telling Democrats during immigration talks on Capitol Hill that the president β s campaign promises were β uninformed β and by publicly saying that Trump β s position on the wall on the Mexican border had β evolved . β
Trump rebuked Kelly the next day on Twitter without mentioning him by name .
People close to the White House were divided on how much Kelly β s standing was damaged by his dust-up with Trump .
One former Trump transition adviser described the president β s anger level as β maybe a half-Sessions , β referring to Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson ( Jeff ) Beauregard SessionsSanford : 'It carries real weight ' to speak against Trump 'while in office ' Medill dean 'deeply troubled by the vicious bullying and badgering ' of student journalists Trump has considered firing official who reported whistleblower complaint to Congress : report MORE , who has been stuck in Trump β s doghouse since recusing himself from the Justice Department 's investigation into Russian election meddling .
Trump was β annoyed and angry β and β felt it was an unforced error but also felt it wasn β t going to jeopardize their relationship , β the former adviser said .
Multiple White House officials also knocked down a Vanity Fair report that said Trump is actively discussing replacements for Kelly , with the help of his elder daughter and senior adviser , Ivanka Trump Ivana ( Ivanka ) Marie TrumpOn The Money : Appeals court clears way for Congress to seek Trump financial records | Fed chief urges Congress to boost US workforce | Federal deficit hits 4 billion in one month | China talks hit snag over agricultural purchases Trump falsely claims Ivanka 'created 14 million jobs ' Overnight Defense : Families sue over safety hazards at Army base | Lawmakers , NBA 's Enes Kanter speak out ahead of ErdoΔan visit | Washington braces for public impeachment hearings MORE .
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she would not use the publication β for much other than a coaster , β adding that Kelly and President Trump β have a great relationship . β
Few hold the position of White House chief of staff for long , given the long hours and stress it involves . While President Obama β s last chief of staff served four years in the position , his previous four chiefs served about a year each .
A former administration official claimed the Vanity Fair report had a ring of truth , saying that Trump and others have grown frustrated with Kelly β s image as a β nanny β who is seeking too much control .
β He is not going to be gone tomorrow , or next week , or next month . It 's more like a slow burn toward an eventual demise , β the former administration official said .
While Trump became frustrated with how Kelly β s remarks were portrayed in the media , Trump and Kelly spoke about the situation later and cleared up any disagreement , a source familiar with the situation said .
On Tuesday , the first day the government reopened , the president gave a vote of confidence to Kelly on Twitter .
Trump repeated his message Wednesday during an impromptu question-and-answer session with reporters in the West Wing .
β He β s doing great . He β s doing great , β Trump said of Kelly as the chief of staff stood nearby . β Fake news yesterday , or two days ago . We put out a tweet praising somebody , but only when they get a false story . β
Trump appeared to be referring to the Vanity Fair piece .
The president made his unexpected appearance during an immigration briefing with a senior administration official . Trump outlined his immigration plan , which pre-empted remarks from the official and ensured he β and not his staff β delivered his message .
While Kelly has his detractors , he has also brought stability to the White House and is widely respected , even by those frustrated that some of their access to the president is more limited .
Virtually everyone in Trump World agrees Kelly continues to garner more respect than nearly anyone on Trump β s staff .
β There β s not the same level of anxiety under Kelly than there was under [ former chief of staff Reince ] Priebus , β said the transition aide .
β There was a sense among the president β s supporters that Priebus was steering the ship in the wrong direction . You don β t get that same feeling with Kelly . There β s criticism he is too rigid and too strict , but it β s not chaotic and disorganized . β
And while Kelly has strong views on immigration , his defenders dispute the notion he is pulling the president to the right , saying Trump β s immigration views have been consistent since the campaign .
β The president is not as familiar with D.C. and the history of the immigration battle , and I think chief of staff Kelly helps add texture to the immigration debate , β the transition adviser said .
Kelly β s efforts to help Trump stake out a hard line on immigration is surprising to some .
Jeh Johnson , Obama 's final Homeland Security secretary , had a good relationship with Kelly when the general helmed U.S. Southern Command and did not think he held the kinds of views on immigration he has shown , according to a former Obama administration official .
Kelly β s role in talks over the next month is expected to be paramount as the White House and Congress seek a new government-funding deal by a Feb. 8 deadline , and to write legislation to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for young immigrants that will begin to wind down on March 5 .
The top aide will forgo traveling with Trump to the World Economic Forum in Davos , Switzerland , to remain in Washington to work on an immigration β framework β the White House will release Monday .
Sen. Dick Durbin Richard ( Dick ) Joseph DurbinPentagon watchdog declines to investigate hold on Ukraine aid Schumer blocks drug pricing measure during Senate fight , seeking larger action Five things to watch at Supreme Court 's DACA hearings MORE ( D-Ill. ) , who co-authored a bipartisan immigration bill with Graham that was shot down by the White House , said he expects Kelly to play a constructive role in the talks .
β He can be [ a positive force ] and I hope he will in the future , β he said this week . | ekC0tEppydq3cNDA | 1 | John Kelly | 0.6 | White House | 0.1 | Politics | 0 | null | null | null | null |
environment | Wall Street Journal - News | http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303901504577462460532220058.html | BP Starts Galapagos Oil, Gas Project in Gulf | environment | HOUSTONβ BP BP -0.58 % PLC said Tuesday that it began the start-up process of Galapagos , one of its major oil-and-gas projects in the deep-water U.S. Gulf of Mexico .
The development , which ties three new deep-water fields to the already-producing Na Kika platform , will reach a peak production rate of 60,000 barrels of oil per day , the London-based company said .
Galapagos is BP 's first major project start-up in the Gulf since 2009 , the year before the deadly Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill .
The Na Kika facility , which can handle up to 130,000 barrels per day of crude , has been modified to process the production from the three fields , one of which is operated by BP and two by Noble Energy Inc. NBL -0.02 % Start-up work began June 3 and is expected to conclude within four to six weeks , with three wells being brought online one at a time . Another well will be drilled and completed in 2013 .
BP , whose overall interest in the three Galapagos fields amounts to 56 % , expects to see its share of the fields ' production initially average 15,000 barrels of oil per day in the near term , with longer-term net production of 26,000 barrels of oil per day . BP 's partners in the development are Noble , Red Willow Production Co. and Houston Energy Inc .
The news comes as companies flock back to the U.S. Gulf after the lull that resulted from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 . The massive spill , which followed a deadly blast aboard a Transocean Ltd. rig drilling for BP , resulted in an overhaul of offshore-drilling regulations and a moratorium on deep-water drilling . But since work resumed in earnest starting last year , higher output from the area helped raise average U.S. oil production in the first quarter to its highest level in 14 years , topping six million barrels of oil a day , according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration .
One of the three initial wells in the Galapagos project , at the Santiago field , was the first deep-water well drilled in the Gulf by any oil company after the moratorium was lifted last year . The other fields are dubbed Isabela and Santa Cruz .
Galapagos is one of six major milestone oil-and-gas projects BP plans to start this year . The others are located in Angola , the North Sea and Norway .
BP said it plans to invest at least $ 4 billion a year on oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico over the next 10 years . The company , which still faces billions of dollars in fines for its part in the Deepwater Horizon spill , has said it will concentrate on investing in profitable oil production from basins in the U.S. , Angola and Brazil . | tu7zsf4zpKxl8zSZ | 1 | Environment | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | |
elections | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/21/opinions/zelizer-candidates-losing/index.html | OPINION: Why are these candidates losing the GOP race so far? | 2015-12-21 | elections | ( CNN ) While Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are going into the 2016 Republican caucuses and primaries thoroughly enjoying their strong standing in the national polls and unrivaled media attention , with Marco Rubio hoping he can emerge as the new consensus candidate , others are in a fight to survive the full round of the coming year 's primaries .
A poor performance in February 's voting -- the Iowa and Nevada caucuses and the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries -- could force out some of the weaker candidates .
Often the story about the losers in campaigns tells us a lot about the dynamics of a contest and the reasons that other candidates are succeeding at a particular moment .
So it is worth asking -- what has happened to these candidates ? Why are they in political trouble ? What is going wrong ?
Jeb Bush : The onetime front-runner is anything but that . The former Florida governor has suffered one of the most dramatic falls from grace that we have seen in some time . When the campaign started , he was widely believed to be a candidate who would be almost impossible to defeat , someone with all the money and endorsements necessary to cruise to victory .
But the situation has turned out very differently . His biggest failing has turned out to be his inability to connect on the campaign trail and in media appearances . He has languished in front of crowds , having trouble articulating his reason for wanting to be in the race and performing with the kind of energy level ( famously lampooned by Trump ) that leaves many crowds eagerly waiting for the next candidate to take the stage .
JUST WATCHED Jeb Bush : Donald Trump is a jerk Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Jeb Bush : Donald Trump is a jerk 00:58
In last week 's debate , he scored points with some one-liners aimed at Trump -- `` You ca n't insult your way to the presidency '' -- and could gain from being a candidate willing to take on the bombastic front-runner . But will he see a lasting gain in the polls ?
Bush seems to be someone who is running at the exact wrong time . He continues to struggle with the controversy over his brother 's decision to go to war in Iraq . He boasts of experience at a moment GOP primary voters want to tear down the establishment . That anger has undercut many of the benefits that his experience in government could have brought Bush in another year .
Rand Paul : Many observers once thought that Rand Paul could be the most exciting candidate in the room . He was young , he espoused a kind of libertarian philosophy ( though libertarians argued it was anything but pure ) that was exciting to many younger Republicans , and he had eclectic views on issues like criminal justice that made it difficult to easily pin him as a Republican right-wing stalwart .
The campaign has not turned out so well . He has demonstrated a number of personal failings , such as a fierce temper as well as hostile interaction with female reporters that , early on , damaged him in interviews .
Perhaps more important is the fact that his skeptical stance about an aggressive foreign policy was out of step with so many Republicans . The truth is that much of the party has embraced the hawkish outlook that has prevailed among Republicans since 9/11 . There is little room for Republicans outside of this fold . Even his attacks on surveillance , which had gained some hold , lost traction as the threat of ISIS has become clearer .
Paul 's efforts to reach across party lines on issues like criminal justice have some appeal with younger voters , but not with the majority of primary voters who are older and not as sympathetic to these kinds of questions . At last week 's debate , he scored some points by criticizing Chris Christie when he said : `` If you are in favor of World War III , you have your candidate . '' The problem for Paul is that right now there are many Republicans who like militaristic rhetoric in today 's troubling times .
Lindsey Graham : The struggles of the South Carolina senator , who became the latest to drop out of the race Monday , are much less surprising than those of Jeb Bush .
Graham remains a favorite conservative in the minds of many of his colleagues because of a number of attractive qualities -- his long record as a hawk in an era of great national security challenges and political fear , and his roots in the regional bedrock of modern conservatism : the South .
He has a good sense of humor that he knows how to deploy politically , even with delicate issues . Last week , in the early bird debate , he said : `` Donald Trump has done the one thing you can not do : Declare war on Islam itself . ISIL would be dancing in the streets , but they do n't like dancing . ''
Beyond his quotable lines in the debates , Graham 's candidacy barely attracted any attention . Graham 's low-key , folksy style did n't play well in the modern media age of cutthroat , smash-mouth politics . Speaking softly and carrying a big stick do n't really work so well in the era of Twitter and cable news .
Graham also prides himself on knowing how to work within the system and form ties to fellow members of Congress . But since comity is out and partisan warfare is in , these virtues do n't really sit well with many of the GOP 's primary voters . His hawkish credentials have also been echoed by most of the other candidates so there was not really much to distinguish him .
Mike Huckabee rose to fame in Arkansas at a moment when the religious right played a big role in partisan politics shaped by the culture wars . As the agenda has turned to questions like immigration , terrorism , and climate change , those concerns have not been front and center .
Ironically , even in this anti-Washington environment , the other governors and former governors who are running for office are not having an easy time . In past decades the role of governor has been an attractive position for running for president -- governors get to display executive leadership without becoming enmeshed in the politics of the Beltway . Yet this time they have had trouble claiming true outsider status , especially in contrast to Trump and Ben Carson . While some of them , like Bush , Christie and John Kasich are hanging in there , others are unlikely to survive much longer . George Pataki , a conservative from the blue state of New York , was one of those executives who liked to boast of how well he could govern in years where northeastern Republicans still had some role within the party . But those times are gone , and his low-key and at times dull public presence is not really made for the national stage .
Former Virginia Gov . Jim Gilmore , who comes from a critical state for the GOP , has barely made a blip on the political radar . His campaign has fizzled from the moment he started , lacking definition and lacking sizzle . Christie 's record in New Jersey , from the problems of the economy to the bridge scandal , has continued to be a black mark on his campaign , though his focus on campaigning in New Hampshire has helped him in the first primary state .
Not registering in the polls , or a flash in the pan ?
Rick Santorum : His time came in 2012 when he shocked Mitt Romney early on with his strong support among blue-collar conservatives . Santorum was one of the first Republicans to tap into the anti-establishment anger Republicans directed against Washington and Wall Street . But now his themes are being repeated by a number of candidates , including Trump . His thunder seems less distinct in 2016 , while his staunchly conservative views on same-sex marriage remain a huge liability in the current environment .
Ben Carson : Carson is much more like the flash-in-the-pan candidate that most experts thought Trump would be . Though Carson had a few weeks where his low-key personality and eclectic views attracted some interest and a spike in the polls , his inexperience and tenuous command of foreign policy became a huge liability as the agenda shifted to foreign policy .
Carly Fiorina : Despite a few strong debate performances , her campaign has never really taken off . She has been dogged by questions about her business record , which has continued to provide fodder for her opponents . Her highly conservative views have undercut some of her promise to broaden the Republican electorate while she has not had much success defining what her candidacy is really about , other than theoretically being the best person to handle the `` gender '' problem the GOP candidate would face if running against Hillary Clinton .
The candidates are trying to stay in the race as long as possible , hoping that the early polling is n't really accurately predicting how the voters will choose . It is also important to remember that according to all the best social science research , the `` invisible primary '' of fund-raising and endorsements matters more than national polling at this stage , so some candidates believe all of the talk of inevitability for Trump or others at the top of the polls is misplaced .
But staying around will be hard , especially if voters do n't flock to their sides and if their campaign coffers are depleted . Many of these candidates could join Lindsey Graham , Rick Perry , Scott Walker , and Bobby Jindal in leaving the stage . We will soon gain a better sense of what the real contest is in the major primaries , and of whether the party can unite around a candidate -- or will have to choose one at a messy convention . | NBbs6pMz2HOpDi2N | 0 | Republican Party | 0.3 | Presidential Elections | -0.1 | Elections | 0 | null | null | null | null |
elections | Fox News | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/08/03/fox-news-poll-voters-trust-trump-on-economy-clinton-on-nukes.html | Fox News Poll: Voters trust Trump on economy, Clinton on nukes | 2016-08-03 | elections | Voters say the top issues facing the country are the economy and terrorism . They think Donald Trump will handle one of them better than Hillary Clinton , while the candidates tie on the other .
A new βββ Poll on the 2016 election finds more voters trust Trump than Clinton on the economy ( +5 points ) . He also bests Clinton on handling the federal deficit ( +5 points ) . Those are the only issues where he comes out on top .
It β s a draw on β terrorism and national security , β as the candidates receive 47 percent apiece . In May , Trump led Clinton by 12 points on doing a better job on β terrorism β ( 52-40 percent ) .
Equal numbers of voters say the economy and terrorism are the most important issues facing the country today ( 22 percent each ) . Education is the only other one to receive double-digit mentions ( 11 percent ) . Here β s the rest of the list : race relations ( 9 percent ) , the federal deficit ( 5 percent ) , health care ( 5 percent ) , climate change ( 4 percent ) , immigration ( 3 percent ) , foreign policy ( 3 percent ) , and drug addiction ( 2 percent ) .
Clinton beats Trump by wide margins on education ( +23 points ) , and on the lower priority concerns : climate change ( +31 points ) , race relations ( +28 points ) , drug addiction ( +19 points ) , foreign policy ( +16 points ) , and health care ( +11 points ) . She also has the advantage on one of Trump β s signature issues -- immigration ( +7 points ) .
Who would do better picking the next Supreme Court justice ? That β s a hot topic this election . Voters trust Clinton over Trump by eight points . They also think she β s more likely to β preserve and protect the U.S. Constitution β ( +7 points ) .
By a 22-point margin , voters trust Clinton over Trump when it comes to using nuclear weapons ( 56-34 percent ) . That β s twice the advantage she held in May ( 49-38 percent ) .
Yet voters are more likely to trust Trump to destroy terrorist groups like ISIS ( +9 points ) .
The candidates now tie on restoring trust in government ( 43-43 ) . That β s a shift since May when Trump had an eight-point advantage ( 46-38 percent ) .
Despite Trump β s claim that he understands the concerns of everyday Americans , Clinton bests him on empathy . By a 51-40 percent margin , voters say she β ll do a better job looking out for their family during tough economic times . In June 2012 , Barack Obama topped Mitt Romney on this measure by 47-36 percent .
How do voters feel about Trump β s praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin ? Fifty-two percent of voters say it β s no big deal . For 44 percent , it β s bothersome .
Most Republicans say it β s no big deal ( 72 percent ) , while two-thirds of Democrats say it bothers them ( 66 percent ) .
The βββ poll is based on landline and cellphone interviews with 1,022 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research ( D ) and Shaw & Company Research ( R ) from July 31-August 2 , 2016 . The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for all registered voters . | XcXhb1M1MbWhqm7a | 2 | Hillary Clinton | 0.1 | Donald Trump | 0.05 | Polls | 0 | Presidential Elections | 0 | Elections | 0 |
abortion | Townhall | http://townhall.com/tipsheet/danieldoherty/2013/07/09/cruz-without-life-there-is-no-liberty-n1636569 | Cruz: βWithout Life, There is no Libertyβ | 2013-07-09 | abortion | On Monday evening , Texas Senator Ted Cruz blasted out a press release informing the public that he had proudly and officially come out in favor of Texas Senate Bill 1 , the β controversial β statute that would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation .
AUSTIN , TX β U.S . Senator Ted Cruz ( R-TX ) today submitted testimony for the record in support of Texas Senate Bill 1 , which will ban abortions after 20 weeks and raise standards of care at abortion clinics by requiring them to meet the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers . Part of Sen. Cruz β s testimony will be read at the Stand for Life Rally on Monday evening at the Texas State Capitol . β I want to thank the thousands of Texans who are engaging in the legislative process to speak up for the unborn , β Sen. Cruz said . β The horrors exposed during the recent murder trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell compel us , in Texas and nationally , to take action . Our opponents seem to advocate little to no restrictions on abortion . In the past , such advocates claimed abortion should be β safe , legal , and rare. β Today , their position can fairly be interpreted as β anytime , on-demand , and everywhere. β This extreme embrace of unlimited late-term abortion is indefensible . β Our nation was founded on the principle that we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with β certain unalienable rights , that among these are life , liberty , and the pursuit of happiness. β America β s founders knew that life comes first . Without life , there is no liberty ; without life , there is no pursuit of happiness . β
Over the course of the last week or so I β ve spent some time reflecting on the Founders , the Declaration of Independence , and the concept of natural rights . If anything , the Fourth of July forces us to , not least because the United States is the only enduring nation on earth ever founded explicitly on an idea -- namely , the belief that β all men are created equal. β But since the nation β s earliest days , of course , there have always been those who β ve sought to distort what Jefferson originally meant when he penned those immortal words . After all , pro-slavery factions and their apologists argued for generations that the phrase β all men are created equal β only applied to white male landowners ; it took a series of social reform movements and a bloody civil war before women and blacks were finally granted equal status and citizenship rights . We all know that America is not a perfect country . But through the political process , at least we know it can change .
I wrote last week that , according to a recent survey , 71 percent of Americans believe the Founders would be β disappointed β with Americans today . I think they β re right on at least one important score . I don β t presume to speak for them , but it seems safe to conclude that the Founders would find legalized infanticide abhorrent and unconscionable . Indeed , women today can terminate a pregnancy after 20 weeks gestation in many states . Given what we now know about fetal pain , this is highly problematic -- not to mention barbaric -- for a nation ostensibly β conceived in liberty β and β dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal , β as Lincoln so nicely put it at Gettysburg . The bill in Texas pro-lifers are championing is obviously not meant to `` harm `` women ; on the contrary , it β s meant to protect the unborn from agony and death .
Cruz is right : liberty and late-term abortion can not co-exist . And while most Americans seem to understand this , far too many do not . | TwwI5AQQfswegPx1 | 2 | Abortion | -0.4 | Texas | 0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Washington Times | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/8/hillary-clinton-outpacing-gop-rivals-early-look-20/ | Hillary Clinton outpacing GOP rivals in early look at 2016 | 2014-12-08 | elections | Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is outpacing her would-be Republican rivals in an early look at 2016 head-to-head presidential match-ups , as well as on favorability and key qualities voters are looking for in their presidential candidates .
Fifty-two percent of adults view Mrs. Clinton favorably in a new Bloomberg Politics poll , compared to 42 percent who view her unfavorably .
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. , a possible Democratic rival for Mrs. Clinton if she runs , is at a slightly positive 45 percent/43 percent favorable/unfavorable split .
Thirty-two percent have a favorable view of GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky , compared to 29 percent who have an unfavorable view .
New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie is at a slightly positive 36 percent/35 percent split , and former Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney has a slightly negative 43 percent/44 percent split .
The other potential GOP candidates the poll asked about , former Florida Gov . Jeb Bush and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas , are viewed slightly negatively . Mr. Bush has a 32 percent/37 percent favorable/unfavorable split , and Mr. Cruz has a 26 percent/29 percent favorable/unfavorable split .
Mrs. Clinton leads Mr. Bush , Mr. Christie , and Mr. Romney by 6 points in head-to-head match-ups . She leads Mr. Bush 43 percent to 37 percent , Mr. Christie 42 percent to 36 percent , and Mr. Romney 45 percent to 39 percent .
She leads Mr. Paul by 8 points , 45 percent to 37 percent , and Mr. Cruz by 13 points , 46 percent to 33 percent .
On four candidate qualities people said matter to them in deciding how they vote for president β shares your values , has a vision for the future , is a strong leader and cares about people like you β Mrs. Clinton also outpaced all five Republicans by between 3 and 21 points .
Overall , Mr. Romney was closest to Mrs. Clinton compared to other Republicans on those qualities . Forty-seven percent think she β s better at sharing your values , compared to 44 percent for Mr. Romney . Forty-nine percent think she β s better at being a strong leader , compared to 42 percent for Mr. Romney .
Fifty-one percent think she is better at caring about people like you , compared to 40 percent for Mr. Romney ; she also has an 11-point edge on that question over Mr. Bush , Mr. Christie , and Mr. Paul . And 49 percent think she is better at having a vision for the future , compared to 43 percent for Mr. Romney .
Nearly 80 percent of voters say her having lived in Washington and worked in the federal government is more to her advantage than to her disadvantage . More than three-quarters of voters see her having served as Secretary of State for four years as an advantage , and two-thirds see her being married to former President Bill Clinton as an advantage .
About 6 in 10 see her having a run for president before and having served in the Obama administration for four years as an advantage , while 52 percent say her having close ties to Wall Street is more to her advantage , compared to 41 percent who say her having close ties to Wall Street is more to her disadvantage .
The poll of 1,000 U.S. adults was taken between Dec. 3-5 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points . | 6cl2F1BD5CQ9LnpH | 2 | Presidential Elections | 0.05 | Elections | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
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