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middle_east | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/15/world/meast/egypt-us-what-next/index.html?hpt=po_c1 | Billions in aid on the line: What will the U.S. do about Egypt? | 2013-08-15 | Egypt, Middle East | Story highlights The U.S. gives Egypt about $ 1.23 billion in military aid a year
Egypt is one of two Arab countries that has made peace with Israel
The U.S. also has interests with the Suez Canal and American companies in Egypt
When Egypt 's first democratically elected president was tossed out this year , the White House stopped short of calling it a coup .
Doing so would have forced an end to the $ 1.23 billion that the United States sends in military aid a year -- and changed the course of its relationship with its strongest Arab ally in the region .
But that was before Wednesday , when the military-led interim government stormed two camps full of former President Mohamed Morsy 's supporters . More than 525 people were killed and 3,717 wounded in the bloodiest day in Egypt 's recent history , officials there said .
On Thursday , President Barack Obama condemned the violence against civilians and announced the United States is canceling next month 's joint U.S.-Egyptian military exercises .
But will the carnage in Egypt spur more changes in U.S. policy toward the most populous Arab country ? And might the hardening U.S. stance affect Egypt 's own approach ?
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The United States helps Egypt in part because it 's one of only two Arab countries -- along with Jordan -- that made peace with Israel .
In return , Egypt gets more than $ 1 billion each year in U.S. taxpayer money for military and civilian programs . No other country except Israel gets more .
That aid buys Washington an ally to depend on in a turbulent region .
The U.S. does n't want to upset that balance . And pulling aid might do so .
`` It 's a hornets ' nest . And that 's why the administration is trying not to stir it too much , '' CNN 's Fareed Zakaria said .
But it 's not just the peace process and regional stability that the United States is interested in .
Egypt controls the Suez Canal , a crucial sea route used by more than 4 % of the world 's oil traffic and 8 % of all seaborne trade . So far , the canal is running smoothly . But a disruption there could end up hitting Americans in the pocketbook , not to mention affect the safe passage of U.S. military ships and equipment .
Then there 's business for American companies , intelligence cooperation -- and the military relationship .
`` The reality is that the Egyptian military has not only been a source of stability for the United States in an otherwise turbulent Middle East , but it has also been a cash cow , '' said Khairi Abaza , a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies .
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`` Currently , the Egyptian military relies on U.S. military equipment , training and services . This reliance means that Egypt is essentially a client of the U.S. military complex , and aid money is in fact re-injected back into the U.S . economy . ''
All of the factors are enough to give the U.S. pause .
`` If you want a different relationship , you have to articulate what that looks like , and accept you are going to have to give up some things to get other things . ''
From the Obama administration 's side , it 's an `` incredibly complex and difficult situation '' that will require more time to figure out .
That 's what White House spokesman Jay Carney said in July soon after Morsy was ousted , and reporters pressed him as to why the administration was n't calling it a coup .
`` It would not be in the best interests of the United States to immediately change our assistance programs '' to Egypt , Carney said at the time .
Middle East analyst Robin Wright with the Wilson Center says the core issue is what our policy ought to be .
`` The United States faces a really tough dilemma now , '' she said . `` What to do about the most important country in the Arab world , the cornerstone of the peace process , a country that has received over $ 30 billion in U.S. aid since the peace process began in the late 1970s . ''
Some in Congress , including Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona , already have called for halting the aid , saying the United States `` should not be supporting this coup . '' McCain traveled to Egypt on August 5 along with Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina . Both held meetings with representatives of the interim government and the Muslim Brotherhood .
Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey , chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , has said the United States has n't committed much of this year 's aid -- and that 's a good thing .
`` This is an opportunity to have a pause and say to the Egyptians , 'You have an opportunity to come together , ' `` he said . `` You have to have the military understand that that 's what we 're looking for , a transition right away , as soon as possible . ''
According to senior U.S. officials last month , the administration is examining three potential options :
-- Call it a coup and issue a national security waiver to allow aid to continue .
-- Do n't call it a coup because the Egyptian military has taken steps to move the country toward a civilian transitional government and subsequent elections .
Now , officials -- both current and former -- recognize the climate is not encouraging .
`` I think it is time to call it a coup . I think it was time six weeks ago , '' former Assistant Secretary of State P.J . Crowley said Wednesday .
`` Suspend military assistance so the military is invested in the process of rewriting the constitution , setting the parliament and electing a new president . ''
Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that while a political solution is still possible , `` it has been made much , much harder , much more complicated . ''
`` The path toward violence leads only to greater instability , economic disaster and suffering , '' Kerry said
He also called for an end to Egypt 's new state of emergency , which prevents freedom of peaceful assembly and due process .
But as far as firm actions , the United States ' game plan has yet to be drawn .
The Pentagon is mulling whether to halt or delay arms exports .
But as leaders in Washington mull their options , Americans overwhelmingly support staying out of the unrest , according to a recent United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll .
Almost eight in 10 Americans ( 78 % ) said the United States should `` mostly stay out of events '' in Egypt , according to the poll . But 16 % said the U.S. should `` do more '' to end the violence .
The desire to stay out of Egypt 's affairs might be connected to the fact that a majority of Americans feel what happens in the country is n't very important to U.S. interests .
According to a Pew Research Center poll , 61 % of Americans say what happens in Egypt is somewhat important or not important , while 36 % say it is very important .
But ultimately , it 's up to Egyptians to find a peaceful resolution between the military-backed interim government and those who want Morsy back .
`` The role the United States had tried to play as mediator between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood to try to find some kind of compromise is now moot , '' said Wright , the Middle East analyst . `` There 's not much the United States can do . '' | 5069c822c9960be1 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
free_speech | USA TODAY | https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/04/27/ann-coulter-free-speech-alicia-shepard-column/100950568/ | Trumpeting Ann Coulter's free speech | 2017-04-27 | free_speech | CLOSE After several days of back-and-forth between Ann Coulter and UC Berkeley , the conservative speaker just canceled her planned April 27 speech . ███
It ’ s hard to believe that a campus such as Berkeley couldn ’ t find a way to protect Coulter .
Shame on Berkeley , cradle of the Free Speech Movement , and shame on lefty protesters who succeeded in thwarting conservative provocateur Ann Coulter ’ s right to speak there Thursday night .
Wednesday afternoon , officials at the University of California campus canceled the event fearing violent protests that would threaten students ' safety . What ’ s alarming is this is part of a disturbing trend across some college campuses to silence conservative speakers whose ideas are unpopular . Three times since February , masked protesters at Berkeley have turned demonstrations into violent confrontations .
Something similar happened earlier this month at Claremont McKenna in southern California , when protesters disrupted Heather MacDonald of the conservative Manhattan Institute as she attempted to share her critical views on the Black Lives Matter movement . Last month , protesters rudely interrupted Charles Murray of the conservative American Enterprise Institute while speaking at Middlebury College . Administrators were forced to whisk him away to a safe location .
Academic environments should be a place for all students to learn and debate a robust variety of viewpoints — particularly if they contradict one ’ s own beliefs . Universities should do all they can to create an atmosphere for a free and fair exchange of ideas — and that means making it safe for controversial speakers and students .
Coulter , as many know , is an ultra-conservative , uber-Trump supporter whose ubiquitous presence drives the left wing crazy . She epitomizes and invites controversy . She ’ s made hundreds of outrageous statements that make one wonder if she actually believes them or is just a master at turning divisive remarks into an attention-getting art form .
America ’ s growing interest in soccer , she said , is a sign of “ the nation ’ s moral decay. ” And that “ liberals love America like O.J . loved Nicole. ” Coulter suggested if we took away women ’ s right to vote , “ we 'd never have to worry about another Democrat president. ” Google her name and ‘ ridiculous ’ and up pops “ Crazy Ann Coulter Quotes and Statements . ”
But it doesn ’ t matter . She still has a right to express her thoughts . It ’ s called the First Amendment , and it protects her right to free speech .
Berkeley College Republicans and Young America 's Foundation invited Coulter , a huge Trump supporter and right-wing darling , to speak Thursday night . Her attraction might be that she believes there are “ no good democrats , ” while acknowledging there are a “ lot of bad Republicans. ” Or they are drawn to her 2015 book , Adios , America : The Left 's Plan to Turn Our Country into a Third World Hellhole .
First the university tried to push off the speaking engagement to the fall . But a backlash ensued , and Coulter threatened to speak anyway on the iconic Sproul Plaza , which ironically is outside of Sproul Hall , where the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s began .
Coulter should have been allowed to speak at the birthplace of a movement that began because students in 1964 were angry that the university banned on-campus political activities . Students then were demanding their right to free speech .
The same right to free speech Berkeley College Republicans are demanding for themselves and Coulter . The university offered to try to allow her to speak next week in the afternoon — but that ’ s when classes will be over and students madly studying for exams .
“ What are you afraid of ― her ideas ? ” asked Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont , a fan of the liberal college wing . “ Ask her the hard questions , ” he concluded . “ Confront her intellectually . Booing people down , or intimidating people , or shutting down events , I don ’ t think that that works in any way . ”
The right to free speech , enshrined in our Constitution , is one of the hallmarks that proudly differentiates America from more restrictive governments . It means anyone has the right to spew abhorrent political views on the right or left without fear of a violent crowd turning on them — especially on a university campus .
“ Freedom of speech means freedom for those who you despise , and freedom to express the most despicable views , ” said noted legal scholar Alan Dershowitz .
Berkeley said that there are two principles that are non-negotiable on its campus : free speech and campus safety . But this time , campus safety trumps free speech . It ’ s hard to believe that a campus such as Berkeley couldn ’ t find a way to protect Coulter , or that this invitation came as a surprise to them .
Regardless of our political beliefs , we should all stand firmly behind Coulter . Even a few strange bedfellows support Coulter : Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts , MSNBC ’ s Chris Matthews , HBO ’ s Bill Maher and Bloomberg View columnist Margaret Carlson .
“ I ’ m very sad about Berkeley 's cancelation , but my sadness is greater than that , ” tweeted Coulter . “ It is a dark day for free speech in America . ”
Alicia Shepard is a veteran media writer and a former ombudsman for NPR . Follow her on Twitter @ Ombudsman
You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page , on Twitter @ USATOpinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter . To submit a letter , comment or column , check our submission guidelines . | roEHHK96lAedjRcn | 1 | Ann Coulter | 0.2 | Free Speech | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
healthcare | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/08/22/342400717/insurers-refuse-to-cover-some-contraceptives-despite-health-law | Insurers Refuse To Cover Some Contraceptives, Despite Health Law | 2014-08-22 | healthcare | How much leeway do employers and insurers have in deciding whether they 'll cover contraceptives without charge and in determining which methods make the cut ?
Not much , as it turns out , but that has n't stopped some from trying .
People still write in regularly describing battles they 're waging to get birth control coverage they 're entitled to under the Affordable Care Act .
In one of those messages recently , a woman said her insurer denied free coverage for the NuvaRing . This small plastic device , which is inserted into the vagina monthly , works by releasing hormones like the ones in birth control pills .
She said her insurer told her she would be responsible for her contraceptive expenses unless she chose a generic birth control pill . The NuvaRing costs between $ 15 and $ 80 a month , according to Planned Parenthood .
Under the health law , health plans have to cover the full range of birth control methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration without any cost sharing by women .
There are some exceptions if the plan falls into a limited number of categories that are excluded . One is if the plan is grandfathered under the law . Those plans were around since March 23 , 2010 , or before , and have n't changed much . If your plan is grandfathered , it has to disclose that status to you .
The other exception is if the plan is offered by a religious employer or house of worship . Following the recent Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case , some private employers that have religious objections to providing birth control coverage as a free preventive benefit will also be excused from the requirement .
In addition , the federal government has given plans some flexibility by allowing them to use `` reasonable medical management techniques '' to keep their costs under control . So if there is both a generic and a brand-name version of a birth control pill available , for example , a plan could decide to cover only the generic version without cost to the patient .
As for the NuvaRing , even though they may use the same hormones , the pill and the ring are different methods of birth control . As an official from the Department of Health and Human Services said in an email , `` The pill , the ring and the patch are different types of hormonal methods . ... It is not permissible to cover only the pill , but not the ring or the patch . ''
Guidance from the federal government clearly states that the full range of FDA-approved methods of birth control must be covered as a preventive benefit without cost sharing . That includes birth control pills , the ring or patch , intrauterine devices and sterilization , among others .
But despite federal guidance , `` we 've seen this happen , plenty , '' says Adam Sonfield , a senior public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute , a reproductive health research and education organization . `` Clearly insurance companies think things are ambiguous enough that they can get away with it . ''
If you are denied coverage , your defense is to appeal the decision and get your state insurance department involved .
`` The state has the right and responsibility to enforce this law , '' says Sonfield . | 7qkyjzgEupDLzP4Y | 1 | Birth Control | -0.2 | Obamacare | 0 | Healthcare | 0 | null | null | null | null |
us_house | Salon | http://www.salon.com/2013/10/11/republican_moderates_face_one_final_shutdown_test/ | Wimp caucus' last chance: GOP moderates face one final shutdown test | 2013-10-11 | Government Shutdown, Republican Party, US House, Politics | Ever since conservatives staged a strategic coup and forced a government shutdown on skeptical Republican leaders , a band of House Republicans led informally by Rep. Peter King , R-N.Y. -- most of them from competitive districts -- has been bellyaching about the mess they created .
The moderate-conservative civil war is entertaining to watch , but it has been consistently defined by the sane caucus ' unwillingness to wield its power as ruthlessly as the insurrectionists . The two camps are roughly the same size , and thus possess the same leverage . Doing almost anything in the House requires simple majorities , and that means fewer than 20 Republicans in the current Congress can align to make considerable mischief . The hard-liners ' power stems from a threat to deny John Boehner the majority he needs to keep his speakership ; the moderates ' from the theoretical ability to deny conservatives the majorities they need to pass actual bills .
But while the hard-liners cowed Boehner into the shutdown , the moderates have relinquished every opportunity they 've had to bring it to an end . By forswearing their own power , they 've given conservatives carte blanche to continue a crisis of their choosing with no clear endgame , and convinced everyone involved that their whining is insincere , their threats toothless .
The debt limit could give them one last chance to redeem themselves .
House Republican leaders have proposed increasing the debt limit for six weeks with no strings attached -- other than a commitment from Democrats to enter budget negotiations immediately after the extension is enacted . ( Democrats , of course , have been asking for threat-free fiscal negotiations all year . )
That 's a significant retreat from their earlier position , and almost enough on its own to end the standoff altogether . But for now , these Republicans say they are n't ready to end the government shutdown simultaneously . Conservatives are still locked into the fantasy that the shutdown will force Obama to badly undermine his own healthcare law . Combine that with the fact that President Obama wo n't reenter budget talks under the duress of GOP budget crises and suddenly we have a predicament .
The dilemma led the New York Times to report briefly Thursday night that Obama had `` rejected '' the GOP 's debt limit plan . That headline misidentified the source of the disagreement , and overstated the extent of it . It 's even possible that Obama and GOP leaders will resolve their differences among themselves . But if they do n't , it 'll provide moderate Republicans the opening they need to reclaim some of the honor they 've sacrificed over the past couple of weeks .
If Republican leaders do n't address Obama 's objections , Democratic votes will be very hard for Boehner to come by . The only way his plan would pass under those circumstances is if Republicans supported it overwhelmingly .
That 's when the moderates could make their move . If reopening the government is as important to them as they claim , they could follow the Democrats ' lead -- withhold their votes , unless Boehner agreed to end the shutdown too .
It would constitute a complete reversal for them . Over the past week and a half , they 've sided with their party on every procedural vote , including ones that would have ended the shutdown had they the will or the courage to buck Republican leadership . They have likewise laughed off a Democratic petition that would guarantee a vote on ending shutdown if just a few of them would agree to sign it .
In other words , it 's easy to imagine them demonstrating one final time how disingenuous their complaints about the shutdown have been all along . And if Boehner 's plan passes the House as conceived , it 'll fall to Harry Reid to sweep away the mess the moderates have been too sheepish to clean up themselves
A no-strings government funding bill has already passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis , and there would be nothing other than the passage of time to stop them from tacking it onto a House debt limit bill . Once it returned to the House , it would pass easily with both Democratic and Republican votes .
There are a handful of other ways the story could end , and little reason to worry that the crisis will flare up again . But if it ends with the Senate bailing out moderate House Republicans , bookmark this story for easy access when Peter King or Charlie Dent claim , as they predictably will , that they were leading opponents of the shutdown all along . | 33337824324d8c8f | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
education | National Review (News) | https://www.nationalreview.com/news/math-reading-scores-plummeted-to-lowest-level-in-decades-during-school-shutdowns/ | Math, Reading Scores Plummeted to Lowest Level in Decades during School Shutdowns | 2022-09-01 | Education, Department Of Education, Coronavirus | National Review Trump Praises Musk’s DOGE Team During Joint Hannity Interview for Helping Implement Executive Orders Senate Confirms Howard Lutnick to Be Commerce Secretary Trump Administration Eliminates DEI Considerations from Federal Contracting Guidelines Trump Signs Executive Order Aimed at ‘Reducing Barriers’ to IVF New Pro-Life Coalition Seeks to Redefine Abortion Discourse with $30 Million Investment Elementary school students’ math and reading scores plummeted to the lowest level in decades amid the school shutdowns implemented in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, national test results released Thursday show. In math, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which has dubbed itself the “nation’s report card,” reported a first ever score drop among nine-year-olds since it was first administered in 1973. Their reading scores dropped by the largest margin since 1990, the New York Times reported, indicating a serious setback for literacy acquisition. The assessment also measured the window between 2020, when Covid-19 erupted, and 2022. Average scores for nine-year-old students in 2022 declined five points in reading and seven points in mathematics compared to 2020. The learning loss was experienced by kids across race and income level, but it was particularly severe among low-performing and minority students, a well-documented disparity that widened during the two years of remote school. Students in the 90th percentile of scores lost three points in math, but students in the bottom 10th percentile lost 12 points in math. Black students lost 13 points in math compared with five points among white students. As a consequence, the White−Black score gap from 25 points in 2020 was expanded to 33 points in 2022. A May study conducted by Harvard University found that school closures and remote learning disproportionately harmed the academic performance of minority and low-income students, exacerbating the existing gap separating low-income and minority students from their white and wealthier counterparts. While the study does not draw causation between virtual learning and learning loss, it acknowledges that students with greater access to resources while attending school from home fared better academically during the pandemic. The disruption of remote learning posed a disadvantage to all students regardless of socio-economic means, many researchers widely agree, but students with high-quality education technology at their disposal were more likely to overcome it than those who lacked it. “Of the 70 percent of 9-year-olds who learned remotely during the 2020–21 school year, higher performers (those at or above the 75th percentile) had greater access to a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet all the time; a quiet place to work available some of the time; and a teacher available to help them with mathematics or reading schoolwork every day or almost every day compared to lower performers (those below the 25th percentile),” the report notes. Send a tip to the news team at NR. Under the SEC’s new guidance, undertaking ‘specific actions on a social, environmental, or political policy’ may be seen as a violation. Usually the State Department’s FTO designations are reserved for groups like al-Qaeda or ISIS instead of money-driven cartels. After Trump left office, there was a ‘rapid return to underreporting’ under Biden, according to the National Association of Scholars. His tone and false claims can be explained by personal history more than anything else. The MTA immediately filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court challenging the decision. Ernst has already laid out a blueprint for how Loeffler can improve the SBA’s various loan programs and make the agency run more efficiently. © 2025 National Review Newsletters © 2025 National Review End your day with an after-hours roundup of NR’s top stories and biggest headlines. You have been subscribed! Check out our full lineup of newsletters to get more of our insight delivered straight to your inbox. | ff8ec43eaaf4d5be | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-we-must-fight-hard-line-conservative-freedom-caucus-in-2018-midterm-elections/2017/03/30/56783e38-154e-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.804d005fbd54 | Trump: ‘We must fight’ hard-line conservative Freedom Caucus in 2018 midterm elections | 2017-03-30 | White House, Politics | clockThis article was published more than 7 years ago President Trump threatened Thursday to try to knock off members of the House Freedom Caucus in next year’s elections if they don’t fall in line — an extraordinary move that laid bare an escalating civil war within a Republican Party struggling to enact an ambitious agenda. In a series of tweets that began in the morning, the president warned that the powerful group of hard-line conservatives who helped block the party’s health-care bill last week would “hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast.” | 3e1aaad70c23d0c1 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
healthcare | CNN (Web News) | http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/14/republicans-tackle-obamacare-as-the-clock-ticks-down/ | Republicans tackle Obamacare as the clock ticks down | 2013-09-14 | Healthcare, Republican Party, Obamacare | ( CNN ) - With less than a month before open enrollment begins for Obamacare , Republicans again went after the president 's signature health care law in their weekly address on Saturday .
Rep. Diane Black , R-Tennessee , highlighted her bill , `` No Subsidies Without Verification Act , '' which was passed by the House this week , -one of dozens of attempts by the GOP-controlled House to chisel away at the health care law .
The bill , however , has little chance of going anywhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate .
`` This legislation stops the government from issuing health care subsidies until it has a system in place to prevent fraud . It 's that simple , '' said Black , a registered nurse for 40 years .
Obamacare subsidies are essentially tax credits that help free up money for individuals to purchase health insurance . The lower a person 's salary , the higher their subsidy will be .
Opponents of the health care law are frustrated by a rule change announced by the administration this summer . The new rule says that state insurance exchanges can relax how they verify the income of people who apply for the subsidies .
As CNNMoney 's Jeanne Sahadi explains it , exchanges must still check the applicant 's income against a federal database , which will include information from his or her federal tax returns and a record of Social Security benefits .
The exchanges will be looking for disparities between what the applicant says and what 's in the database .
If it looks like someone is understating his or her income by more than 10 % , and the exchange does n't have other sources to quickly check against , the exchange may choose to rely on what the applicant says .
To prevent fraud , the IRS will check the person 's actual income when he or she files their tax return that next April . Anyone who might get a bigger subsidy than they 're eligible for will have to pay back the difference to the IRS .
But Black argued the Obama administration is relying on `` the honor system '' rather than a true verification system .
`` You heard that right : instead of exercising common sense and accountability , the administration is willing to just give away your tax dollars – no questions asked , '' she said .
Hi , I 'm Diane Black , and I represent Tennessee 's Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives . What an honor it is to be speaking with you .
Protecting taxpayer dollars is one of Washington 's most important responsibilities . Your money should be spent wisely or not at all . And everything we do to stop waste and fix broken government removes obstacles to creating jobs and building a stronger economy .
This week , the House took on a hot spot for fraud and abuse in the president 's health care law by passing a bill I authored called the No Subsidies Without Verification Act . This legislation stops the government from issuing health care subsidies until it has a system in place to prevent fraud . It 's that simple .
Now , you 'd be right to ask , why is n't this the case already ? Well , in an attempt to prop up its struggling health care law , the Obama administration decided they 'd hand out subsidies without verifying who 's eligible . They just want to rely on the honor system . You heard that right : instead of exercising common sense and accountability , the administration is willing to just give away your tax dollars – no questions asked .
Not only is that unfair to hardworking taxpayers like you , it opens the door a mile wide to fraud and abuse . According to one independent estimate , some $ 250 billion in bad payments could be doled out over the next decade .
This is nonsense . And members of both parties agree . Democrats on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee have also come out for requiring verification . Now we need the full Democratic-led Senate to act .
This is just the latest in a string of bipartisan efforts to repeal and protect Americans from the president 's health care law . The House has also acted in bipartisan fashion to give individuals and families the same delay from the law 's mandates that big businesses have received . The president himself has signed seven bills that dismantle parts of the law .
It 's important work , and like many of you , this issue affects me personally . I 've been a registered nurse for more than 40 years now , and I can tell you the things patients and their families count on – their doctors , their plans , the cost of their care – all of this comes under siege in the president 's health care law . It wo n't just fail to keep its promises ; it will make things much worse . You do n't have to take my word for it : every day we 're seeing new reports of higher costs , less access , and fewer jobs .
Together , we can stop this 'train wreck ' and put the focus back on patient-centered solutions . Together , we can build a stronger economy that rewards hard work and people who do the right thing .
Again , it has been my honor to address you on behalf of my colleagues . Thank you for listening . | 1d60aff6937c851d | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
banking_and_finance | Fox Business | https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/fed-slows-interest-rate-increases-fifty-basis-point-hike-signals-more-come | Fed slows interest rate increases with 50-basis-point hike, but signals more to come | 2022-12-14 | Banking And Finance, Interest Rates, Economy And Jobs, Inflation, Recession | The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points, slowing its campaign to cool the economy amid early signs that stubbornly high inflation is finally starting to ease.The widely expected move puts the key benchmark federal funds rate at a range of 4.25% to 4.5%, the highest since 2007, from near-zero in March. It marks the seventh consecutive rate increase this year and places interest rates in firmly restrictive territory. While the rate hike is slightly smaller than the 75-basis-point increases approved at the past four meetings, it is still large by historical standards.In addition to the large rate hike, Fed officials laid out an aggressive path of rate increases for next year. New economic projections released after the two-day meeting show policymakers expect rates to rise to 5.1% in 2023, a far higher level than the 4.6% rate officials last projected in September, according to the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) dot plot of individual members' expectations."The committee anticipates that ongoing increases in the target range will be appropriate in order to attain a stance of monetary policy that is sufficiently restrictive to return inflation to 2% over time," the FOMC said in its statement.INFLATION EASES MORE THAN EXPECTED IN NOVEMBER TO 7.1%, BUT CONSUMER PRICES REMAIN ELEVATEDThe quarterly forecasts indicate the U.S. central bank will not cut interest rates until 2024, to a rate of about 4.1%.Officials also indicated that economic growth will slow sharply next year and that unemployment will march substantially higher to a rate of 4.6% as rates hikes bring the U.S. to the brink of a recession. The Fed expects the jobless rate to remain elevated in 2024 and 2025 as steeper rates continue to take their toll by pushing up borrowing costs.THE FED'S WAR ON INFLATION COULD COST 1M JOBSStocks fell after the Fed decision as investors weighed the hawkish projections.Ticker Security Last Change Change % I:DJI DOW JONES AVERAGES 38314.86 -2,231.07 -5.50% I:COMP NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 15587.786263 -962.82 -5.82% SP500 S&P 500 5074.08 -322.44 -5.97%The rate hike decision and the latest economic projections underscore just how committed the Fed is to wrestling high inflation under control, despite early evidence that consumer prices may have peaked earlier this year. New government data released on Tuesday showed that the consumer price index rose just 0.1% in November from the previous month and 7.1% on an annual basis — far less than economists expected.Still, inflation remains about three times above its pre-pandemic average and far higher than the Fed's 2% target.NOVEMBER INFLATION BREAKDOWN: WHERE ARE PRICES RISING THE FASTEST?A growing number of Wall Street economists anticipate the Fed's actions will tip the economy into a recession next year. Hiking interest rates tends to create higher rates on consumer and business loans, which then slows the economy by forcing employers to cut back on spending.Still, Fed Chair Jerome Powell pushed back against that expectation during his post-meeting press conference, suggesting that lower inflation prints could boost the odds of a soft landing — the sweet spot between curbing inflation without flatlining growth."To the extent we need to keep rates higher and keep them there for longer and inflation moves up higher and higher, I think that narrows the runway," he said. "But lower inflation readings, if they persist, in time could certainly make it more possible. I don't think anyone knows whether we're going to have a recession or not, and if we do, whether it's going to be a deep one or not. It's not knowable." | 41c40d61e6e6fd3b | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | NPR Online News | http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/10/12/162806389/bachmann-faces-competitive-re-election-bid-in-minnesota | Bachmann Faces Competitive Re-Election Bid In Minnesota | 2012-10-12 | elections | More than a year after winning Iowa 's Straw Poll for the GOP presidential nomination , and more than nine months after dropping out of that race , Rep. Michele Bachmann , R-Minn. , is back on the campaign trail .
This time she 's after a fourth term representing Minnesota 's 6th Congressional District , and Bachmann 's campaign is running into stiff competition .
Bachmann may be best known for her stridently conservative worldview and controversial remarks , but also her ability to raise huge amounts of money by congressional standards . According to Bachmann 's campaign , in the past three months , $ 4.5 million flowed into her re-election bid .
OpenSecrets.org reports that through July , Bachmann had raised nearly $ 16 million , and that her Democratic opponent , Jim Graves , had raised less than $ 600,000 .
On her campaign website , Bachmann pleads for more money , telling supporters the Democratic campaign committees have her in their sights .
`` Now , perhaps you do n't know this , but the DNC and the DCCC have specifically targeted me for defeat from the United States Congress , '' she says in a Web video asking supporters for campaign contributions .
Bachmann 's district is indeed among those the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting in its Red to Blue campaign . St . Cloud State University political scientist Stephen Frank says that might seem surprising , since redistricting this year added more conservative voters to what had already been a fairly conservative 6th District . And Bachmann , he says , easily won the last three times she ran there .
`` She 's a good candidate . She 's very strong . She raises money early and often . She appeals to constituents . She 's a very formidable opponent , '' Frank says . `` But I do n't think she 's had very good opponents in the past . ''
This time , though , Bachmann faces a Democratic opponent unlike any she 's had before .
At a candidates forum this week at a St . Cloud community college , Graves told a crowd of students that his success as founder of the AmericInn hotel chain has made him a very wealthy man . He 's from the world of business , he added , where nobody cares whether you 're a Democrat or a Republican .
`` I may be in the 1 percent club , but it does n't make any difference . We all are in this together , '' Graves said . `` The problem in America right now is we 're way too polarized . I 'm a bipartisan fella . ''
Bachmann was a no-show at the candidates forum . That disappointed first-time voter Bailey Eilers .
`` It would 've been nice to hear everyone 's point of view , '' said Eilers . `` [ I ] do n't really like her , but I 'm not strong one way or another , so she could 've changed my mind if I would 've seen her in person . ''
Later , Bachmann campaign manager Chase Kroll responded , saying voters can compare the two contenders in three debates scheduled for the final days of the campaign .
`` The Graves campaign has been saying they want to be able to draw a clear contrast . I do n't think there 's any more need of a contrast , '' Graves says .
For now , Bachmann is going after Graves mainly on the airwaves . She 's running ads that might make you think it 's Graves , not Bachmann , who 's seeking re-election . One ad refers to her challenger as `` big spendin ' Jim , '' and says : `` We ca n't afford big-spendin ' Jim in Congress . ''
At a well-attended Graves fundraiser at the St. Paul home of Garrison Keillor , the host of the public radio show A Prairie Home Companion sees off a pair of donors . Keillor grew up in Bachmann 's district , and he 's confident Graves is the man to replace her .
`` I think that Jim is making a good case ... that she 's been doing her own business for two years at least , and maybe she ought not to do that on the public payroll , '' Keillor says .
Back in St . Cloud , resentment lingers over Bachmann 's quest for the presidency .
`` She probably could 've , you know , paid more attention to the homefront , but she does a lot of good work with veterans here in the state , so that 's a good thing , '' says Kevin Solie , an independent who supports Bachmann .
`` It 's a competitive district , and ... it 's a somewhat close race . I think we 're gon na win , but we 're not taking anything for granted , '' Kroll says .
In the latest poll from August , commissioned by the Graves campaign , the Democratic challenger trails Bachmann by 2 percentage points . Still , Frank , of St . Cloud State University , says the race remains Bachmann 's to lose .
`` I think it is going to be much more in play , and I do think he is probably the best candidate she 's ever faced , '' Frank says . | IgUWUzuK6tSfrXiK | 1 | Elections | -0.2 | Presidential Elections | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | The Blaze | https://www.theblaze.com/news/bloomberg-nails-bernie-sanders-for-hypocritical-socialism | Bloomberg obliterates socialist Bernie Sanders over his 3 homes during Democrat debate | 2020-02-20 | Presidential Elections, Democratic Debates, Michael Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Elections | The debate got very heated and personal in numerous moments New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg obliterated Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for owning three homes while declaring himself a socialist democrat during the Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sanders criticized President Donald Trump and Walmart over what he called "socialism for the rich," when Bloomberg inserted his verbal assault. "I believe in democratic socialism for the working people, not billionaires!" exclaimed Sanders. "Health care for all, educational opportunities for all!" "What a wonderful country we have!" interjected Bloomberg. "The best-known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses! What'd I miss here?" "Well, you miss that I work in Washington, house one!" exclaimed Sanders. "That's the first problem," Bloomberg retorted. "Live in Burlington, house two!" Sanders continued. "That's good!" said Bloomberg. "And like thousands of other Vermonters, I do have a summer camp. Forgive me for that! Where is your home? Which tax haven do you have your home?" Sanders asked loudly. "New York City, thank you very much! And I pay all my taxes!" responded Bloomberg. Earlier in the debate, Bloomberg himself came under attack by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) over comments attributed to him that were seen as sexist and misogynist. Sanders is considered by many to be the Democratic presidential front-runner after a disastrous showing for Joe Biden in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. www.youtube.com Carlos Garcia Staff Writer Daniel Horowitz Andrew Chapados Paul Gottfried | 2371297993e07711 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | San Antonio Express-News | https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/Texas-secession-GOP-convention-highlights-17253140.php | GOP wants Texans to vote on secession from U.S. — plus 6 other takeaways from the party's convention | 2022-06-20 | Politics, Texas, Republican Party, State Governments, 2020 Election, Voting Rights And Voter Fraud, Elections, LGBTQ Issues, Gun Control And Gun Rights, Abortion, Education | A crowd gathers before Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at an event at The Rustic on Thursday, June 16, 2022, in Houston. Abbott is skipping the GOP convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center, which is an unusual move for a sitting governor. Thousands of Republicans gathered in Houston last week for the 2022 Texas State Republican Convention. Measures adopted to the party's platform at the convention are not set laws, rather they act as a "mission statement" of sorts for the party over the next two years. SALE! Only 25¢ for 3 months of digital access to local news. SALE! Only 25¢ for 3 months of digital access to local news. Below is a roundup of the GOP's take on hot-button issues — in their own words — from the official platform document. Advertisement Article continues below this ad There are more than 270 measures on the document. Read them all here. On Texas seceding from the U.S.: "We urge the Texas Legislature to pass bill in its next session requiring a referendum in the 2023 general election for the people of Texas to determine whether or not the State of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation." On the 2020 election: "We reject the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election, and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States." On gender identity: "The official position of the Texas schools shall be that there are only two genders: biological male and biological female. We oppose transgender normalizing curriculum and pronoun use." Advertisement Article continues below this ad On voting rights: "We urge that the Voting Rights Act of 1965, codified and updated in 1973, be repealed and not reauthorized." On abortion: "We urge lawmakers to enact legislation to abolish abortion by immediately securing the right to life and equal protection of the laws to all preborn children from the moment of fertilization." On the United Nations: "The United Nations is a detriment to the sovereignty of the United States and other countries; because of this we support ... Our withdrawal from the current United Nations." On the new bipartisan gun proposal: "We reject the so called 'bipartisan gun agreement.'" (U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is a chief negotiator for the gun package, which emerged just weeks after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school.) About Contact Services Account Get all the news, all the time. Unlimited Digital Access Only 25¢ for 3 Months Don’t miss saving on digital access to local news. Stay connected anytime. The Express-News Sale Ends Soon! Cancel Anytime. | 73fef3c49b7df7b4 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
economic_policy | National Review | https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/08/elizabeth-warren-accountable-capitalism-act-terrible-idea/ | Elizabeth Warren’s Corporate Catastrophe | 2018-08-20 | economic_policy | Her bill is based on bad economics and worse business ethics .
The ability of businesses to grow rapidly is a one of the most defining and precious features of the American economy . Amazon went from a fledgling online bookstore to an “ everything store ” and the second-largest employer in the United States in just two decades . Uber emerged from nowhere less than ten years ago to become a dominant transportation option in cities around the world . And earlier this month , Apple became the first U.S. public corporation to reach a $ 1 trillion valuation — a far cry from its sorry state in 1996 , when it looked doomed to fail .
It ’ s not just the information sector . The United States is home to 64 percent of the world ’ s billion-dollar privately held companies and a plurality of the world ’ s billion-dollar startups . Known in the industry as “ unicorns , ” they cover industries ranging from aerospace to biotechnology , and they are the reason America remains the engine of innovation for the entire world .
Unless Elizabeth Warren gets her way . In a bill unveiled this week , the Massachusetts senator has put forward a proposal that threatens to force America ’ s unicorns into a corral and domesticate the American economy indefinitely .
Dubbed the “ Accountable Capitalism Act , ” Warren foresees the creation of an Office of United States Corporations that would require any company with revenue over $ 1 billion to obtain a federal charter , binding company directors to “ consider the interests of all corporate stakeholders — including employees , customers , shareholders , and the communities in which the company operates. ” The bill further requires 40 percent of a chartered company ’ s directors to be selected by employees and adds statutory restrictions on how executive compensation may be structured .
As motivation , Warren cites stagnant median wages and the declining labor share of income . Yet to call this bill a non-sequitur doesn ’ t quite do it justice . Changes in labor share , such that they exist , are almost completely explained by rising real-estate prices ( which appear in the statistics as capital income ) . Stagnant wages , meanwhile , are largely the result of a secular decline in economy-wide productivity — a force that the country ’ s biggest , most productive firms are actively fighting against . Indeed , as Michael Lind and Robert Atkinson note in their recent book Big Is Beautiful , productivity growth in any era tends to be driven by a handful of highly innovative frontier companies at one end of the size distribution . Workers in large firms , for instance , earn on average 54 percent more than their small-business counterparts . This helps to explain why regulations that distort the size distribution of firms can have such a big impact on a nation ’ s aggregate productivity .
Increasing productivity growth is a hard problem . Vilifying America ’ s mega-corporations , in contrast , is easy . Warren ’ s proposal , by channeling the very real malaise of much of America ’ s working class into a campaign against her favored scapegoats , thus has all the hallmarks of populism at its most Trumpian .
When I met with representatives from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation , the internal “ think tank ” for Germany ’ s center-right Christian Democratic Union , in Berlin earlier this year , understanding their deficit of high-growth firms was at the top of the agenda . Germany , they noted , had failed to become a dominant player in tech , producing just five billion-dollar technology companies in the last decade . Instead , Europe ’ s largest economy is dominated by old behemoths such as Volkswagen and an abundance of specialized , thoroughly unscalable “ small and medium ” firms known as Mittelstand .
A central problem , I argued , was hiding right in their name : Konrad Adenauer . The first chancellor of Germany after World War II , Adenauer is revered for having instituted the “ social-market ” model that led to West Germany ’ s post-war economic miracle . The model secured the shaky political order by balancing pro-market reforms with social welfare and worker representation that , following Catholic teaching on subsidiarity , was largely instituted at the level of the firm . These are the roots of Germany ’ s contemporary “ worker councils , ” which provide a conduit for employee input into firm decision making , and its “ co-determination ” system , the inspiration for Warren ’ s proposal to force large firms to share their board of directors with labor .
While co-determination is not without its strengths — Germany is still a rich , productive country — it fails as a model for creating new , fast-growing companies . When Steve Jobs took over Apple in 1996 , for instance , he famously forced the resignation of most of its board of directors , installing close friends who would be loyal to his vision . He then proceeded to lay off 3,000 workers and shuttered a number of the company ’ s biggest boondoggles . This earned him a reputation for ruthlessness , but it also set Apple on the path to become America ’ s first trillion-dollar company . It ’ s simply impossible to imagine Jobs ’ s unilateral vision succeeding in an environment of constant stakeholder management and worker negotiation .
Consider the trend in recent years of private companies ’ delaying , or even reversing , the decision to go public . With bigger pools of capital come additional compliance burdens and a degree of backseat-driving by shareholders and the broader public that can drive a CEO insane . Co-determination laws , to the extent that they simply add bureaucracy for public and private companies alike , could diminish whatever competitive edge remains to staying private .
This is not to say there ’ s no need for reform in America ’ s system of corporate governance . But before proposing a cure it ’ s essential to get the correct diagnosis . In his lengthy defense of Warren ’ s proposal , Vox ’ s Matt Yglesias argues the disease infecting shareholder capitalism is its embodiment of the view , made famous by economist Milton Friedman , that the only social responsibility of business is to increase profit .
Yet , notwithstanding Gordon Gekko ’ s exaltations about the goodness of greed , the “ requirement ” for corporations to maximize shareholder value is virtually nonexistent outside of a few specific circumstances . In practice , corporate boards don ’ t have a fiduciary duty to do much of anything in particular , outside of the standard prescriptions of common law . As an acquaintance who ’ s spent decades working in large , publicly traded companies put it to me , “ I often don ’ t know what does motivate corporate decisions , but I can assure you it ’ s not that . ”
Milton Friedman was simply wrong , descriptively and prescriptively . That does not mean , however , that Warren and Yglesias ’ s alternative theory of corporate social responsibility — what philosophers call “ stakeholders theory ” — is a good idea . As the influential business ethicist Kenneth Goodpaster once observed , simply multiplying the number of stakeholders
blurs traditional goals in terms of entrepreneurial risk-taking , pushes decision-making towards paralysis because of the dilemmas posed by divided loyalties and , in the final analysis , represents nothing less than the conversion of the modern private corporation into a public institution .
This raises the question of why we have private corporations in the first place . Ever since the late Ronald Coase published his famous theory of the firm , economists have tended to argue for a view grounded in public policy . Namely , shareholder corporations dominate modern economies because they are , as a nexus of contracts , much more efficient at pooling capital and directing resources than any competing organizational form . Thus the normative foundation of corporate law is not any subset of stakeholders , but the welfare of society as a whole .
Business ethicist John Boatright makes the point a bit differently , noting that through bargaining , “ any constituency or stakeholder group could conceivably make its interests the objective of the firm and the end of management ’ s fiduciary duty. ” The fact that shareholders tend to bargain hardest for formal control simply stems from their greater exposure to losses as residual claimants .
Enforcing co-determination rules doesn ’ t change this fact . On the contrary , when scandal struck Volkswagen in 2005 , the blame was laid squarely at co-determination ’ s feet . Members of Volkswagen ’ s supervisory board , widely seen as an “ old-boys network ” in its own right , were caught exchanging favors , including access to prostitutes , in exchange for union-member votes . It turns out Coase ’ s theory drives a hard bargain .
As the Democratic party debates whether or not to embrace “ democratic socialism , ” Warren , to her credit , claims she ’ s “ a capitalist to my bones. ” Yet the fact remains that the Accountable Capitalism Act is in many ways the most radical proposal advanced by a mainstream Democratic lawmaker to date . Not because Germany is a socialist dystopia , but because , unlike universal health care or increased spending on the poor , Warren ’ s proposal is to fundamentally upend the way the most productive companies in the American economy work from the top down .
Forget “ If you like your doctor , you can keep your doctor. ” Warren ’ s plan will have you asking if you can keep your retirement savings . As Yglesias notes in his piece , co-determination could cause average share prices to plummet by as much as 25 percent . But don ’ t worry , says Yglesias : “ Cheaper stock would be offset by higher pay and more rights at work . ”
Maybe . Or maybe , after the dust settles , we would find ourselves in a new , lower equilibrium — one with less inequality , perhaps , but even lower productivity , as America ’ s corporate unicorns are converted into glitter glue .
A wise person once said that a model based on preventing the worst-case scenario risks stopping the best-case scenario from ever coming about . The American system , whatever its flaws , is exceptional in its openness to visionaries . Warren ’ s plan , based on bad economics and worse business ethics , is nothing short of a plan to hold those with vision to account . | cSr2o3XCzd0hMw8A | 2 | Economic Policy | -0.4 | Elizabeth Warren | -0.4 | Economy And Jobs | 0 | null | null | null | null |
technology | New York Times (News) | https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/01/technology/amazon-union-staten-island.html | Amazon Workers on Staten Island Vote to Unionize in Landmark Win for Labor | 2022-04-03 | Amazon, Business, Economy And Jobs, Elections, Labor, Unions, New York City, Technology | Advertisement Despite heavy lobbying by the company, workers at the facility voted by a wide margin for a union. It was seen as a rebuke of the company’s treatment of its employees. By Karen Weise and Noam Scheiber Karen Weise writes about Amazon, and Noam Scheiber writes about labor issues. They have been following union campaigns at Amazon facilities for several years. It was a union organizing campaign that few expected to have a chance. A handful of employees at Amazon’s massive warehouse on Staten Island, operating without support from national labor organizations, took on one of the most powerful companies in the world. And, somehow, they won. Workers at the facility voted by a wide margin to form a union, according to results released on Friday, in one of the biggest victories for organized labor in a generation. Employees cast 2,654 votes to be represented by Amazon Labor Union and 2,131 against, giving the union a win by more than 10 percentage points, according to the National Labor Relations Board. More than 8,300 workers at the warehouse, which is the only Amazon fulfillment center in New York City, were eligible to vote. The win on Staten Island comes at a perilous moment for labor unions in the United States, which saw the portion of workers in unions drop last year to 10.3 percent, the lowest rate in decades, despite high demand for workers, pockets of successful labor activity and rising public approval. Advertisement Critics — including some labor officials — say that traditional unions haven’t spent enough money or shown enough imagination in organizing campaigns and that they have often bet on the wrong fights. Some point to tawdry corruption scandals. The union victory at Amazon, the first at the company in the United States after years of worker activism there, offers an enormous opportunity to change that trajectory and build on recent wins. Many union leaders regard Amazon as an existential threat to labor standards because it touches so many industries and frequently dominates them. But the win by a little-known, independent union with few ties to existing groups appears to raise as many questions for the labor movement as it answers: not least, whether there is something fundamentally broken with the traditional bureaucratic union model that can be solved only by replacing it with grass-roots organizations like the one on Staten Island. Amazon is likely to aggressively contest the union’s win. An unsigned statement on its corporate blog said, “We’re disappointed with the outcome of the election in Staten Island because we believe having a direct relationship with the company is best for our employees.” Advertisement The Staten Island outcome followed what appears likely to be a narrow loss by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union at a large Amazon warehouse in Alabama. The vote is close enough that the results will not be known for several weeks as contested ballots are litigated. The surprising strength shown by unions in both locations most likely means that Amazon will face years of pressure at other company facilities from labor groups and progressive activists working with them. As a recent string of union victories at Starbucks have shown, wins at one location can provide encouragement at others. Amazon hired voraciously over the past two years and now has 1.6 million employees globally. But it has been plagued by high turnover, and the pandemic gave employees a growing sense of power while fueling worries about workplace safety. The Staten Island warehouse, known as JFK8, was the subject of a New York Times investigation last year, which found that it was emblematic of the stresses — including inadvertent firings and sky-high attrition — on workers caused by Amazon’s employment model. “The pandemic has fundamentally changed the labor landscape” by giving workers more leverage with their employers, said John Logan, a professor of labor studies at San Francisco State University. “It’s just a question of whether unions can take advantage of the opportunity that transformation has opened up.” Advertisement Standing outside the N.L.R.B. office in Brooklyn, where the ballots were tallied, Christian Smalls, a former Amazon employee who started the union, popped a bottle of champagne before a crowd of supporters and press. “To the first Amazon union in American history,” he cheered. Amazon said it was evaluating its options, including potentially filing an objection to “inappropriate and undue influence” by the N.L.R.B. for suing Amazon in federal court last month. In that case, the N.L.R.B. asked a judge to force Amazon to swiftly rectify “flagrant unfair labor practices” it said took place when Amazon fired a worker who became involved with the union. Amazon argued in court that the labor board abandoned “the neutrality of their office” by filing the injunction just before the election. Amazon would need to prove that any claims of undue influence undermined the so-called laboratory conditions necessary for a fair election, said Wilma B. Liebman, the chair of the N.L.R.B. under President Barack Obama. President Biden was “glad to see workers ensure their voices are heard” at the Amazon facility, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, told reporters. “He believes firmly that every worker in every state must have a free and fair choice to join a union,” she said. Advertisement The near-term question facing the labor movement and other progressive groups is the extent to which they will help the upstart Amazon Labor Union withstand potential challenges to the result and negotiate a first contract, such as by providing resources and legal talent. “The company will appeal, drag it out — it’s going to be an ongoing fight,” said Gene Bruskin, a longtime organizer who helped notch one of labor’s last victories on this scale, at a Smithfield meat-processing plant in 2008, and has informally advised the Staten Island workers. “The labor movement has to figure out how to support them.” Sean O’Brien, the new president of the 1.3 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said in an interview on Thursday that the union was prepared to spend hundreds of millions of dollars unionizing Amazon and to collaborate with a variety of other unions and progressive groups. “We’ve got a lot of partners in labor,” Mr. O’Brien said. “We’ve got community groups. It’s going to be a large coalition.” Advertisement A culture of fear created by intense productivity monitoring that was documented by The Times at JFK8 has been a key motivator for the unionization drive, which started in earnest almost a year ago. The Amazon facility offered a lifeline to laid-off workers during the pandemic but burned through staff and had such poor communication and technology that workers inadvertently were fired or lost benefits. For some employees, the stress of working at the warehouse during Covid outbreaks was a radicalizing experience that led them to take action. Mr. Smalls, the president of the Amazon Labor Union, said he became alarmed in March 2020 after encountering a co-worker who was clearly ill. He pleaded with management to close the facility for two weeks. The company fired him after he helped lead a walkout over safety conditions in late March that year. Amazon said at the time that it had taken “extreme measures” to keep workers safe, including deep cleaning and social distancing. It said it had fired Mr. Smalls for violating social distancing guidelines and attending the walkout even though he had been placed in a quarantine. After workers at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., overwhelmingly rejected the retail workers union in its first election last spring, Mr. Smalls and Derrick Palmer, an Amazon employee who is his friend, decided to form a new union, called Amazon Labor Union. While the organizing in Alabama included high-profile tactics, with progressive supporters like Senator Bernie Sanders visiting the area, the organizers at JFK8 benefited from being insiders. Advertisement For months, they set up shop at the bus stop outside the warehouse, grilling meat at barbecues and at one point even passing out pot. (The retail workers said they were hamstrung by Covid during their initial election in Alabama.) They also filed numerous unfair-labor-practice charges with the N.L.R.B. when they believed Amazon had infringed on their rights. The labor agency found merit in several of the cases, some of which Amazon settled in a nationwide agreement to allow workers more access to organize on-site. At times the Amazon Labor Union stumbled. The labor board determined this fall that the fledgling union, which spent months collecting signatures from workers requesting a vote, had not demonstrated sufficient support to warrant an election. But the organizers kept trying, and by late January they had finally gathered enough signatures. Amazon played up its minimum wage of $15 an hour in advertising and other public relations efforts. The company also waged a full-throated campaign against the union, texting employees and mandating attendance at anti-union meetings. It spent $4.3 million on anti-union consultants nationwide last year, according to annual disclosures filed on Thursday with the Labor Department. In February, Mr. Smalls was arrested at the facility after managers said he was trespassing while delivering food to co-workers and called the police. Two current employees were also arrested during the incident, which appeared to galvanize interest in the union. Advertisement The difference in outcomes in Bessemer and Staten Island may reflect a difference in receptiveness toward unions in the two states — roughly 6 percent of workers in Alabama are union members, versus 22 percent in New York — as well as the difference between a mail-in election and one conducted in person. But it may also suggest the advantages of organizing through an independent, worker-led union. In Alabama, union officials and professional organizers were still barred from the facility under the settlement with the labor board. But at the Staten Island site, a larger portion of the union leadership and organizers were current employees. “What we were trying to say all along is that having workers on the inside is the most powerful tool,” said Mr. Palmer, who makes $21.50 an hour. “People didn’t believe it, but you can’t beat workers organizing other workers.” The independence of the Amazon Labor Union also appeared to undermine Amazon’s anti-union talking points, which cast the union as an interloping “third party.” On March 25, workers at JFK8 started lining up outside a tent in the parking lot to vote. And over five voting days, they cast their ballots to form what could become the first union at Amazon’s operations in the United States. Advertisement Another election, brought also by Amazon Labor Union at a neighboring Staten Island facility, is scheduled for late April. Jodi Kantor contributed reporting. Karen Weise is a technology correspondent based in Seattle, covering Amazon and Microsoft. Her work aims to help readers better understand two of the most powerful companies in America and their growing influence on society. More about Karen Weise Noam Scheiber is a Chicago-based reporter who covers workers and the workplace. He spent nearly 15 years at The New Republic magazine, where he covered economic policy and three presidential campaigns. He is the author of “The Escape Artists.” More about Noam Scheiber Advertisement | 87a87181360b9dbd | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
gun_control_and_gun_rights | Christian Science Monitor | https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2020/0214/Virginia-s-amazing-moment-The-view-from-ground-zero-of-U.S.-gun-debate | Virginia’s ‘amazing moment’: The view from ground zero of U.S. gun debate | 2020-02-14 | gun_control_and_gun_rights | “ It is an amazing moment , ” says Adam Winkler , author of “ Gunfight : The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America. ” “ A lot of people since [ the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre ] have expressed disappointment that nothing has changed , but we have actually seen a real shift in American gun politics . Virginia is really the crucible of that . ”
Virginia , a historically gun-friendly Southern state , has become a front line in the battle over gun rights in the United States , as newly elected Democrats move forward with a ban on new sales of assault-style rifles .
But if you are like the 22,000 people who gathered in Richmond , Virginia , late last month , openly carrying an assault-style rifle is a form of protest and a reminder of Second Amendment rights . “ The pictures that are taken from here ... can live forever and encourage people to remember our rights , ” says Jeff Hulbert , a gun-rights advocate from Maryland who attended the rally .
If you are like Laura Kinzinger of Cape Charles , Virginia , you might call the police and then duck , run , and hide . “ It might be legal , ” she says . “ But it ’ s not normal . ”
How would you react to a plainclothes resident strolling down the street with an AR-15 tossed over his shoulder ?
As chants of “ USA ! USA ! ” poured over him , Jeff Hulbert stood at the ready – a soldier , in his eyes , of democracy . Behind him rose the peak of the Virginia Capitol in the state that has become ground zero in the shifting politics of gun rights across the United States .
On a fence fluttered a “ We Will Not Comply ” banner . Strapped around his shoulder , an Israeli Tavor rifle , which fires the same ammunition as an AR-15 – a military-style weapon that has become popular as an avatar of armed citizenship on the right and decried as a machine of mass death on the left .
“ We think it ’ s very symbolic to wear our sidearms , to wear a rifle , because the pictures that are taken from here ... can live forever and encourage people to remember our rights , ” says Mr. Hulbert , a Maryland resident and founder of Patriot Picket , a gun-rights advocacy group .
But Cape Charles resident Laura Kinzinger has an opposite reaction . If she saw someone openly carrying a long rifle , she says she ’ d call the police and then duck , run , and hide .
“ It might be legal . But it ’ s not normal , ” she says . “ That person might suddenly use it . I mean , there could be accidents . The thought of walking around with an [ assault-style ] rifle is just horrific . They are designed to kill people . That ’ s what they do . ”
As complaints of government overreach still echo from the 22,000-strong show of largely armed force in Richmond late last month , newly elected Democrats are moving forward with a ban on new sales of the assault-style rifles , including misdemeanor penalties for possession of magazines that hold more than seven rounds .
The turn of a historically gun-friendly Southern state toward gun restrictions comes as the U.S. Supreme Court takes its first gun rights case in a decade to determine how far municipalities can go to restrict guns . Given that a conservative majority is unlikely to OK broad new restraints , battles at the state level have come to define an epic shift for Second Amendment reformers .
“ It is an amazing moment , ” says Adam Winkler , a law professor at the University of California , Los Angeles , and author of “ Gunfight : The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America. ” “ A lot of people since [ the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre ] have expressed disappointment that nothing has changed , but we have actually seen a real shift in American gun politics . Virginia is really the crucible of that . ”
On Monday , the House of Delegates advanced the assault-style ban to its final reading , with Democratic lawmakers contending that it will not infringe on anybody ’ s Second Amendment rights . Republicans argue otherwise , saying it would criminalize ownership of some magazines , even after Democrats tempered penalties to a misdemeanor . At one point , police escorted protesters out of the chamber . “ Whose side are you on ? ” they shouted at officers .
But the political fight between blue suburbs and red rural areas over the proposed ban has also bared tensions among gun owners themselves . Does open carry , as Mr. Hulbert hopes , normalize the image of an armed citizenry ? Or does it further entrench the idea that the right to carry a long rifle infringes on the freedoms of non-gun owners ?
Williamsburg , Virginia , resident Josiah Gray says open carry should be restricted to police officers . The parking officer says carrying a gun might make some people feel safer , but others could be intimidated or possibly traumatized , especially if they lost someone they knew to gun violence .
“ You never know how it affects other people , ” he says . “ If you don ’ t have a uniform , it looks kind of off to the other people that you have a gun . ”
Some gun owners share those doubts . Few gun owners question the right , but many ask about the “ pragmatic aspect of open carry , ” says Wake Forest University sociologist David Yamane , founder of the Gun Culture 2.0 blog . “ There are many people in the gun community who really dislike open carry as a method of normalizing firearms . ”
In essence , an open source platform that has sold more than 8 million exemplars on its journey to become “ America ’ s Gun , ” the Armalite Rifle , gun owners say , is basically a slick-looking single-fire rifle . Mechanically and caliber-wise , that is correct . But it is also a masterpiece of war . Its military cousin was a replacement for the unreliable M-14 ; its ability to kill Viet Cong in tight quarters stunned Army researchers .
The AR was first introduced to the civilian population as a hunting rifle , and its advertising slogan belies its appeal : If it is good enough for the military , it is good enough for all of us . The sunsetting of the federal assault weapons ban in 2004 opened an era of gun rights expansion , where three-quarters of states have now loosened regulations on concealed and open carry , and have expanded the rights of lethal self defense .
But that arc has been complicated by the gun ’ s use in a growing number of mass killings , as well as the rise of violent far-right nationalism , members of which law enforcement said posed credible threats as they sought to infiltrate the Richmond rally .
As a result , some of the states that led the expansion of gun rights – like Florida – are tapping the brakes . Gun control advocates like Everytown for Gun Safety , which is backed by Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg , are building on success in turning Virginia blue by spending $ 60 million this election cycle to elect reformers in states like North Carolina , Pennsylvania , and Arizona .
“ Democrats in Virginia aren ’ t doing anything different than what they promised to do , what they ran on , ” says Ernest McGowen , a political scientist at the University of Richmond .
Stephanie Keith/Reuters A large crowd gathers on Gun Lobby Day in front of the Virginia Capitol in Richmond , Jan. 20 , 2020 .
At the same time , he adds , open carry of AR-15s in protest “ is also a statement to the strength of our democracy : [ Gun owners ] were there about politics , about policies , about working out , how do we reasonably deal with this thing with guns in our country ? ”
Gallup says 6 in 10 Americans support an assault-style weapons ban . Those poll numbers and the renewed passion of gun-control advocates after the Parkland massacre in Florida , some gun owners say , has hastened a push to normalize the weapons – and their use in place of protest placards .
“ I think they wanted to show that carrying weapons , whether it ’ s open or concealed , is a normal thing that millions of Americans do every day , ” says Tom Ferguson , a University of Virginia senior who came to Richmond in January to lobby on behalf of gun rights . “ We have just normal people coming in who just care about making their voices heard . ”
The symbolism of the AR-15 is apparent to both sides , and it ’ s unclear whether a ban would reduce gun deaths . Rifle deaths make up about 300 out of 30,000 gun deaths in the U.S. a year , making the toll from handguns far more dramatic .
As Democrats mull gun-control legislation , nearly 100 Virginia counties have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries , where local sheriffs vowed to not enforce laws that , in their estimation , don ’ t meet constitutional muster . ( So far , U.S. courts have allowed assault-style weapon bans . )
“ The right has understood that the battle of ideas is terribly important , because people want to feel that they are part of a crusade that is inspired by a philosophically sophisticated ... and morally significant agenda or purpose , ” says Colin Bird , a political philosopher at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville .
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While the largest share of gun owners are older white men over the age of 40 , women and minorities are part of an increasingly diverse gun culture . For Anna-Marie Lewis , who owns a shooting range in Bergen , New York , carrying a gun is both practical and empowering .
At the rally , she is wearing a helmet and carrying a small AR-15 style rifle . “ No one walks around like this at all , ever , but we do just to show we can , ” says Ms. Lewis . “ This is very peaceful . We have no intent of ever using these in this scenario , but it ’ s just to show that we should be able to ... that it ’ s our right . ” | 4sMut3qIHKwE2J7a | 1 | 2nd Amendment | -0.1 | Gun Control And Gun Rights | -0.1 | Virginia | 0 | null | null | null | null |
general_news | CNN (Web News) | https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/27/media/tom-brokaw-nbc-meet-the-press/index.html | Tom Brokaw says he is 'truly sorry' for his remarks about Hispanics on 'Meet the Press' | 2019-01-27 | Hispanics, General News | New York ( CNN Business ) NBC News , facing mounting backlash stemming from former `` NBC Nightly News '' anchor Tom Brokaw 's comments that Hispanics should `` work harder at assimilation '' into American culture , distanced the network from his `` inappropriate '' commentary .
`` Tom 's comments were inaccurate and inappropriate and we 're glad he apologized , '' an NBC spokesperson said Monday .
Also on Monday , an alliance of Latino advocacy groups wrote an open letter to NBC demanding more than just an apology .
`` Mr. Brokaw 's comments are more than just out-of-touch musings , '' the letter said . `` Mr. Brokaw 's comments are part of a legacy of anti-Latino sentiment that is spreading freely in 2019 . ''
The groups called on NBC to improve the diversity of bookings on `` Meet the Press ; '' make a `` significant '' donation to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists ; and produce a series about the Hispanic community in the United States .
Brokaw tweeted Sunday that he regrets the comment he made on `` Meet the Press '' Sunday .
`` I feel terrible a part of my comments on Hispanics offended some members of that proud culture , '' he said at the beginning of a series of tweets .
The veteran newsman also said he has `` worked hard to knock down false stereotypes , '' and pointed out that he said in his final comment on Sunday 's `` Meet the Press '' that all sides have to work harder .
Criticism erupted after Brokaw , 78 , commented on Hispanics and assimilation during Sunday 's broadcast of `` Meet the Press . '' He said on the show that his view on assimilation is one he 's been sharing `` for a long time . ''
`` You know , they ought not to be just codified in their communities but make sure that all their kids are learning to speak English , and that they feel comfortable in the communities , '' he said during Sunday 's segment . `` And that 's going to take outreach on both sides [ Republican and Democrat ] , frankly . ''
Although he did not issue a formal apology at first , Brokaw emerged again later in the night with another series of tweets in which he said that he is `` truly sorry '' for his remarks , which he acknowledged were `` offensive to many . '' He also thanked fellow panelist and `` PBS Newshour '' correspondent Yamiche Alcindor for her comments during the segment , saying she 's a `` wonderful colleague and an important voice . ''
`` I never intended to disparage any segment of our rich , diverse society which defines who we are , '' Brokaw said .
`` We also need to adjust what we think of as America , '' she said . `` You 're talking about assimilation . I grew up in Miami , where people speak Spanish , but their kids speak English . And the idea that we think Americans can only speak English , as if Spanish and other languages was n't always part of America , is , in some ways , troubling . ''
Tom Brokaw , one of America 's best known journalists , has won 11 Emmy awards during his career .
`` It really was a punch in the gut to a lot of people , '' he said . `` It was not only factually incorrect , it was also xenophobia in action . ''
Speaking on CNN 's `` Newsroom '' later in the day , liberal commentator Maria Cardona said that she loves Brokaw , but that `` he 's a little out of touch . ''
`` I 'll give him a pass because he 's probably not up to speed as to where things are today and age , especially with young Latinos in this country , '' she said . She insisted that `` Latinos absolutely assimilate . ''
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists said in a statement late Sunday that it found both Brokaw 's initial comments and his Twitter response reprehensive .
Hugo Balta , the organization 's president and a senior producer at MSNBC , said that assimilation means `` denying one culture for another . ''
`` Hispanics are no less American for embracing their country of origin or that of their ancestors ... being bicultural and bilingual is a strength in an increasingly multi-ethnic , multilingual society , '' he said .
After reading Brokaw 's response to the controversy , conservative commentator Erick Erickson weighed in on Twitter . He said Brokaw 's comments on the `` Meet the Press '' were not something `` that anyone needs to apologize for making . They 're truths people do n't want to hear . ''
Erickson 's tweet was a preview of how this debate is likely to unfold — pitting prominent conservatives and liberals against one another . Sure enough , some Fox News commentators stood up for Brokaw on Monday .
But a portion of Brokaw 's remarks on `` Meet the Press '' also stoked anger among Republicans .
Before his comments about assimilation , he said that many Republicans perceive the growth of the Hispanic population in the United States to be helping Democrats .
`` Also , '' he said , `` I hear when I push people a little harder is , ' I do n't know whether I want brown grandbabies . ' That 's also a part of it . ''
His talk of racial animus on the right spurred objections from Republicans like Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush , whose mother is Mexican-American .
`` With all due respect @ Tombrokaw , '' Bush tweeted on Monday , `` I am one of those 'little brown ones ' and can assure you that my grandparents conveyed to me that they loved and were proud of me before they passed . ''
Correction : An earlier version of this story misspelled Hugo Balta 's name . | dc7eda6a79caca54 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
family_and_marriage | Salon | http://www.salon.com/2015/06/03/josh_duggar_confessed_three_times_to_sexually_assaulting_his_sisters_and_his_parents_still_did_nothing/ | Josh Duggar confessed three times to sexually assaulting his sisters — and his parents still did nothing | 2015-06-03 | Family And Marriage | Just when it seemed the details of Josh Duggar 's admitted sexual assault could n't get worse , the story has become more horrifying .
On Wednesday , InTouch magazine -- which first broke the story of abuse in the `` 19 Kids & Counting '' family last month -- released additional police reports indicating that Duggar told his father , Jim Bob , on three separate occasions that he had sexually abused his sisters as well as a family friend . Then Jim Bob and his wife , Michelle , waited more than a year to contact the authorities .
The new report , which is less redacted than initial documents , confirms that Duggar was 15 years old when he first molested his five-year-old sister . He also admitted seven separate instances of abuse to his father before he or any of his sisters was taken for professional counseling ; InTouch notes that it remains unclear whether Jim Bob and Michelle brought their children for counseling of their own volition , or if intervention was mandated once law enforcement officials did become involved in the sexual assault allegations .
`` James [ Jim Bob ] said that in March of 2002 [ redacted , Josh ] who had just turned 14 , came to him very upset and crying , '' the police report states . `` James said that [ redacted , Josh ] had told him that he had been sneaking into [ redacted , his sisters ’ ] room at night and had been touching [ redacted , his sisters ] on the breasts and vaginal areas while they were sleeping . ''
According to the report , Duggar -- now a 27-year-old father of three who recently resigned from a leadership position at the anti-LGBT Family Research Council -- went from sister to sister `` in a common room '' where all of the girls slept at the time . He also confessed to Jim Bob that he had assaulted one girl while she slept on the couch .
Legal experts reportedly told InTouch that the Duggar parents could have faced six years in prison for failing to report the assaults to the police , but the statute of limitations on the case had expired by the time law enforcement officials first investigated the allegations in 2006 . Jim Bob and Michelle eventually took their son to speak with state trooper Joseph Hutchens , who apparently gave the teen offender an unofficial talking-to ; the officer is currently serving a 56-year prison sentence for child pornography .
Duggar confirmed the truth of the sexual assault allegations by saying he `` acted inexcusably '' the same week InTouch published its first report . TLC , which airs the family 's reality series `` 19 Kids & Counting , '' pulled the show from its lineup in light of the reports , but has yet to announce whether it will remain on the air . | 538293976391e913 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | The Guardian | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/05/joe-biden-2020-campaign-climate-policy-plagiarism-allegations | Joe Biden's team alters climate policy plan after plagiarism allegations | 2019-06-05 | Election 2020, Joe Biden, Presidential Elections, Elections | Joe Biden ’ s Democratic presidential campaign has amended his climate policy plan hours after it was released on Tuesday because a handful of passages did not credit some of the sources in the proposal , prompting allegations of plagiarism .
Trump faces growing Republican revolt over Mexico tariffs – live updates Read more
The changes come after the conservative Daily Caller and others reported that several passages from Biden ’ s plan appeared to borrow from policy papers and statements written by outside groups without citation .
A Biden campaign statement read : “ Several citations , some from sources cited in other parts of the plan , were inadvertently left out of the final version of the 22-page document . ”
The added citations included passages from documents published by the Blue Green Alliance and the Carbon Capture Coalition . The document by Biden , vice-president under Barack Obama , cites sources in the text of the plan . Some other campaigns use more formal footnotes in their policy papers .
Biden ’ s 1988 presidential campaign ended amid controversy over plagiarized passages in his campaign speech and after he admitted plagiarism on a law school paper . At the time , Biden said the incident at Syracuse University was a matter of him not knowing the proper way to document sources .
David Axelrod , a Democratic strategist and architect of Obama ’ s 2008 campaign , was skeptical that the errors in Biden ’ s climate policy proposal will affect his campaign .
“ There are many , many molehills that look like mountains during a campaign , ” Axelrod said . “ The challenge for the campaigns and the press is to decide which is which . ”
Yet Donald Trump ’ s re-election campaign wasted little time in trying to capitalize .
“ Four decades in public life and there ’ s always one constant . What would a Joe Biden candidacy be without a little plagiarism ? ” said Tim Murtaugh , the campaign communications director . | b62f53dc417bd77f | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | Newsmax (News) | http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/christie-jersey-presidency/2013/11/10/id/535812 | Christie: Focused on New Jersey, Not on Seeking Presidency | 2013-11-10 | Presidential Elections, Elections | President Barack Obama's apology for Obamacare was not enough, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday, but it was the right thing to do."I had said to him earlier, last week, that he should apologize," the newly re-elected Republican governor told CBS' "Face the Nation" guest host Norah O'Donnell, emphasizing that he doesn't know if he was "the" one who led to the apology."In general, when you make a mistake, you should own up and apologize for it," said Christie. When it turned out to not be true that people could keep their insurance policies or doctors, "we need to confront that issue," said Christie, who was making the round of most of Sunday morning's network talk shows.New Jersey didn't choose to put their residents into a state-based insurance exchange, Christie said, because "anybody who has ever managed anything or run anything could see this was a train-wreck. I was not going to get the people of New Jersey involved in this train-wreck in this way."The popular Republican governor, who has often been mentioned as a Republican contender for the 2016 presidential nomination, also used his appearance to tout his state's successes over the past four years, saying the federal government could learn a lesson by paying attention to New Jersey."I have a completely Democratic legislature," said Christie. "On governing, it's about doing things, accomplishing things, reaching across the aisle."He noted that in the past four years, New Jersey has attracted 143,000 new private sector jobs and reduced spending to the point that less money is being spent in fiscal year 2014 than was in 2008."The lesson is to govern and to show up," said Christie. "There are obvious problems that need to be fixed. In a place like New Jersey, we're not using an excuse like a divided government not to act."In New Jersey, Christie said, "we get together, we argue, we fight, we debate. But then we get around a table and we conclude the argument by getting things done and they're not doing that in Washington."Christie insisted he is focused on running his state, not on any speculation he might seek the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.But he sounded a lot like a candidate, tempering his typically blunt responses, while downplaying actions he has taken that might not play well with tea party voters."I know everybody's going to be speculating about what may come in my future and lots of other people's future in our party, but the fact is, I'm focused on being the governor of New Jersey and be the chairman of the Republican Governors Association," Christie told "Fox News Sunday." Christie told ABC's "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos that he isn't thinking about 2016 since he has just been elected to serve four more years as governor."All four years?" Stephanopoulos asked."Listen, who knows? I don't know," Christie said, sidestepping presidential speculation. "I didn't expect to be sitting here four years ago."Christie didn't hold back on the unpopular rollout of President Barack Obama's healthcare law."Anybody who's run anything in their lives could see this coming a mile away," Christie said. "And that's why we didn't do a state-based health exchange. We didn't do it because we could see that this whole program was going to be a problem."Obama's biggest problem, Christie said, is that he has to tell the truth and not be "working out of a fantasy that these are not major problems that need to be fixed and need to be addressed."Christie appeared on four of the five Sunday morning news shows.Noting that some say Christie isn't conservative enough to win the Republican nomination, "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace asked him about several issues.On immigration reform, Christie insisted his position is about "fixing a broken system." On gun control, he said he wants to "control violence." Sometimes that involves guns, he said, but the focus should be on mental health issues.He said he is unconcerned about the current Time magazine cover that shows him in silhouette with the headline: "The Elephant in the Room." Some have speculated the headline has a double meaning, referring both to the mascot of the GOP and to Christie's weight."It is certainly not the first weight joke that has been thrown my way over the course of the last four years," Christie said.Christie refused to render an opinion on tea party favorites Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas, even though he has criticized them in the past. Wallace played a clip of Paul criticizing Christie last week for running post-Hurricane Katrina ads featuring himself.Christie called it "just the game that gets played in Washington" that demonstrates why people hate what happens in the nation's capital.He also responded to charges in the book "Double Down: Game Change 2012" that he was rejected by the Mitt Romney campaign as a vice presidential contender because of trouble in his background."The only person who hasn't said that is Governor Romney, who has completely refuted what they said in the book," Christie said. "He did it immediately after the book came out."Related stories: | 8b1a41da31206524 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
media_bias | Media Research Center | http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2016/05/10/bozell-graham-column-team-obama-boasts-about-ventiloquizing-press | Team Obama Boasts About 'Ventriloquizing' the Press | 2016-05-10 | media_bias | Barack Obama ’ s political appointees are not only celebrated by the media as the best and brightest America has to offer . They are promoted as so bright they are allowed to boast about how they masterfully manipulate the press , like sculpting a smelly can of journalistic Play-Doh .
The New York Times Magazine wrote a long profile of Obama ’ s foreign-policy communications whiz Ben Rhodes , lauded as “ the master shaper and retailer of Obama 's foreign-policy narratives , at a time when the killer wave of social media has washed away the sand castles of the traditional press . ”
Don ’ t blame social media for the traditional media ’ s adoration of Obama . “ Rhodes has become adept at ventriloquizing many people at once , ” wrote David Samuels for the Times . First these ventriloquists enter the briefing rooms to dazzle and deceive the dedicated journalists on those beats , and then there are the “ force multipliers ” – described as “ prominent Washington reporters and columnists who often tweet in sync with White House messaging . ”
Rhodes exploited the fact that as the TV networks and newspapers close foreign bureaus and economize on staff , the gray beards are gone . `` They call us [ at the White House ] to explain to them what 's happening in Moscow and Cairo , ” Rhodes proclaimed . “ Most of the outlets are reporting on world events from Washington . The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old , and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns . That 's a sea change . They literally know nothing . ”
Exhibit A for the “ master shaper ” Rhodes bending the press to Obama ’ s will was the Iran arms deal . The Times explained that the Obama people exploited the press by pretending the 2013 election of prime minister Hassan Rouhani and a “ moderate ” regime presented a brand-new opportunity to strike an Iran deal . But in reality , the Obama negotiators began talking to Iran in July of 2012 , before this false narrative entered that echo chamber . Polls showed the American public didn ’ t like the Iran deal , but the media just shouted over them with recycled Obama lingo about the “ historic ” and “ landmark ” agreement .
Exhibit B wasn ’ t mentioned by the Times : the death of four Americans at Benghazi . In 2012 , Rhodes easily “ ventriloquized ” the media with the bizarre spin that the U.S. consulate wasn ’ t subjected to a terrorist attack , but suffered from a spontaneous protest over a YouTube video mocking the prophet Muhammad . Even after Team Obama was forced to relent on this blatantly false talking point , the ventriloquist dummies wouldn ’ t focus on how they had been used .
Over on Fox News , diplomatic correspondent James Rosen told host Bill O ’ Reilly the State Department blatantly lied to him when he asked about the negotiating timeline .
“ I can attest directly that the Obama administration in the person of then-State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland , of whom I am very fond , Bill , flat-out lied to me in February 2013 , ” Rosen said . “ I asked , point blank , ‘ Are there any direct talks going on between the U.S. and Iran of any kind ? ’ And she said no , at a point when those talks had been ongoing for eight months . ”
The next step naturally followed . The other networks all ignored the kerfuffle over the Rhodes boasts as some sort of inside-the-Beltway snoozefest . The last thing a supine media wants to report is just how supine it is – even when the accuser is the liberal “ master shaper and retailer of Obama ’ s narratives . ” | ctbW8xwNwGLutEVp | 2 | Media Bias | -0.6 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
great_britain | BBC News | https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47715933 | Brexit: MPs prepare for votes in bid to break deadlock | 2019-03-27 | Brexit, Great Britain, World | MPs are awaiting the results of votes on eight different proposals for the future of Brexit .
Options they are considering include leaving without a deal , a customs union and a confirmatory referendum .
Speaker John Bercow will announce what support there is for each later after MPs took over the Commons timetable .
Theresa May has promised to stand down as prime minister if her own deal is approved , prompting several Tory Brexiteers to say they will back it .
Meanwhile , MPs have approved the legislation required to change the date of Brexit from 29 March - after the EU agreed to give the UK an extension last week .
Friday had long been the day written into law for the UK to leave the EU but the Commons approved a statutory instrument - by 441 votes to 105 - changing the deadline to 22 May if a withdrawal agreement is passed this week ; or 12 April if it is not .
The prime minister is still trying to drum up support for her withdrawal agreement despite it being voted down by a large margin twice and the DUP saying they still can not vote for it .
The government is seeking the support of MPs for the Commons to convene on Friday , if necessary , amid reports a third vote on the PM 's deal could be held then .
But Mr Bercow reiterated his earlier warnings that the PM 's deal could not come back for a vote if it had not significantly changed .
He said the government `` should not seek to circumvent my ruling '' by introducing procedures that could reverse his judgement .
But a Downing Street spokesman said there had been a `` significant development '' at the summit in Brussels last week , after Mrs May agreed `` extra reassurances '' over the Irish backstop with the EU , and the date of exit had changed .
MPs are currently voting on a statutory instrument to confirm a delay , after the UK was given until 12 April to propose a different way forward if the current agreement can not get through Parliament and until 22 May to finalise Brexit if the deal is passed .
Earlier on Wednesday , MPs took control of parliamentary business from the government for several hours as they attempt to find a majority for the next steps in the Brexit process .
Conservative backbencher Sir Oliver Letwin , whose cross-party proposal ushered in today 's debate , said the only way leaving the EU with no-deal can be prevented is by crystallising an alternative majority and trying to carry it forward .
He said that if MPs supported the prime minister 's deal in another meaningful vote this would be `` the easy route '' .
But he added that he `` profoundly hopes '' that if on Monday there is a majority view in favour of a particular position , that the government will say that it will carry that forward .
Never afraid of stoking controversy , the Speaker has again infuriated many Tory MPs with his latest surprise pronouncement to the Commons .
Just as it seemed the government was poised to try and get its Brexit deal through again , John Bercow took it upon himself to tick ministers off before they had even tried .
Why ? Because last week he ruled the deal could not be brought back to the Commons for a third time without `` substantial '' changes .
No 10 will only bring the deal back for a third vote if it thinks it could pass . That probably requires DUP backing and a guarantee some Labour MPs will vote for it too .
As it stands , there is n't yet a majority for the deal , but the mood is shifting fast .
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Groups have put forward different options for the UK 's future relationship with the EU , with several based on the assumption Mrs May 's withdrawal agreement with the EU will be approved - albeit with changes to the controversial Northern Ireland backstop .
The Speaker of the House , John Bercow , chose eight to be voted on by MPs .
No-deal Brexit - Leave the EU on 12 April without a deal - Tory MP John Baron
- Leave the EU on 12 April without a deal - Tory MP John Baron Common Market 2.0 - The UK joins the European Economic Area and negotiates a temporary customs union until alternative arrangements can be found - Tory MP Nick Boles
- The UK joins the European Economic Area and negotiates a temporary customs union until alternative arrangements can be found - Tory MP Nick Boles EFTA/EEA - Similar to Common Market 2.0 but rejects any kind of customs union with the EU and says the Irish backstop must be replaced with alternative arrangements - Tory MP George Eustice
- Similar to Common Market 2.0 but rejects any kind of customs union with the EU and says the Irish backstop must be replaced with alternative arrangements - Tory MP George Eustice Customs union - Calls for the UK to negotiate a permanent customs union with the EU after Brexit - Tory MP Ken Clarke
- Calls for the UK to negotiate a permanent customs union with the EU after Brexit - Tory MP Ken Clarke Labour 's alternative plan - A customs union with the EU and `` close alignment '' with the single market - Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn
- A customs union with the EU and `` close alignment '' with the single market - Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn Revoke Article 50 - Cancel Brexit if the UK gets within days of leaving without a deal . MPs would be asked to vote on a no-deal exit and if they rejected that , Article 50 would be revoked - SNP MP Joanna Cherry
- Cancel Brexit if the UK gets within days of leaving without a deal . MPs would be asked to vote on a no-deal exit and if they rejected that , Article 50 would be revoked - SNP MP Joanna Cherry Confirmatory public vote - Parliament can not ratify or implement any agreement on the UK 's withdrawal and future relationship `` unless and until they have been approved by the people of the UK in a confirmatory public ballot '' - Labour MP Margaret Beckett
- Parliament can not ratify or implement any agreement on the UK 's withdrawal and future relationship `` unless and until they have been approved by the people of the UK in a confirmatory public ballot '' - Labour MP Margaret Beckett Malthouse Plan B - The UK makes its budgetary contributions to the EU to the end of 2020 and agrees with the EU a period of two years in which UK goods have full access to the EU - Tory MP Marcus Fysh
Read more on the Brexit options MPs are voting on
After a four-hour debate on each proposal , MPs were given a piece of paper listing the options , and had to mark each one with a `` yes '' or `` no '' .
MPs used both lobbies for completing the ballots in a process that took about half an hour .
Several MPs , including Tory Michael Fabricant and Lib Dem Jo Swinson , posted images of their forms on social media .
The process is likely to continue on Monday as MPs seek to whittle down options which could command majority support in Parliament .
Now : Debate on statutory instrument ( SI ) bringing Brexit delay into law
21:30 : The Speaker announces the results of the indicative votes - though he could announce them earlier during SI debate
Conservative MPs were given a free vote , meaning they were able to support or reject any proposal without pressure from party whips . Cabinet ministers will be abstaining .
The decision followed warnings that more than a dozen ministers might quit if they were told they had to follow party orders .
Labour MPs are being whipped to support the party 's own proposal , as well as motions on a customs union , Common Market 2.0 and a confirmatory public ballot .
Mr Starmer told the Commons any deal `` needs further democratic approval '' before being enacted .
But the move has angered Labour MPs in Brexit-vote constituencies , with Great Grimsby MP Melanie Onn reportedly resigning as a shadow housing minister . | 35fef3a6cf5a7820 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
media_bias | Nieman Lab | https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/07/republicans-and-democrats-read-a-lot-of-the-same-news-what-they-do-with-it-is-a-different-question | Republicans and Democrats read a lot of the same news. What they do with it is a different question. | 2020-07-21 | Media Bias, Media Industry, Fake News, Republican Party, Democratic Party, Culture, Polarization | The growing stream of reporting on and data about fake news , misinformation , partisan content , and news literacy is hard to keep up with . This weekly roundup offers the highlights of what you might have missed .
“ ( Almost ) everything in moderation ” ? New research by Princeton ’ s Andy Guess finds that Democrats and Republicans read a lot of the same news sources ; most American news consumers aren ’ t isolated in echo chambers , and most don ’ t read that much about politics anyway . The outliers with “ the most polarized political media diets , ” however , are more likely to vote in primary and general elections — and the fact that people are reading a lot of the same news doesn ’ t mean they ’ re not processing it ( or sharing it ) very differently .
Guess started out with 2015 and 2016 data from YouGov Pulse , which tracks users ’ web browsing activity ( it ’ s anonymized ) in addition to surveying them . He found that most rely on centrist media , including mainstream portals like MSN.com or AOL.com , which have a moderating effect on media diets .
If you follow me , you might 've encountered the headline finding before : contra @ CassSunstein and others who argue that we 're increasingly siloed into informational cocoons , people mostly rely on centrist media . As a result , news consumption patterns of Dems + Reps overlap a lot . pic.twitter.com/FNtxCdTqqK — Andy Guess ( @ andyguess ) July 15 , 2020
There are extremes at either end , though , especially on the right , and those groups may get more attention . Guess writes :
Even many people who identify in the data as very conservative have relatively moderate media preferences . But those who do not are driving a disproportionate amount of traffic to conservative sites , producing at the macro level an illusion of polarized media consumption . This evidence , then , is consistent with a view that — among the fraction of respondents who visit news and politics websites — the preponderance of the content encountered is ideologically moderate . There is also suggestive evidence of an intense subgroup of Republicans who , possibly in addition to mainstream sources , consume large quantities of conservative , but not liberal , news and information about politics . Similar bumps on the left correspond to the popular viral site BuzzFeed and other left-leaning mainstream sources , in addition to partisan destinations such as Daily Kos . Arguably , then , most people are not habitual partisan news consumers — approximately 18 % of respondents in 2015 and 33 % in 2016 have at least 10 % of their visits to political news content originating from sites with absolute slant greater than 0.75 . But it might seem so from the point of view of news publishers , which may lack the ability to see the individuals lurking behind inbound traffic — leading to the possibility of feedback loops via engagement metrics and optimization .
The narrative can be actively misleading . E.g . : the `` Red Feed , Blue Feed '' simulation popular in 2016 excludes the large mainstream sources that I show are so important https : //t.co/qBzomspJ86 This is selecting on the dependent variable — the examples are designed to be partisan . pic.twitter.com/bTZZqBgt7Q — Andy Guess ( @ andyguess ) July 15 , 2020
( 2 ) Despite that there 's good reason to think that moderation and relative centrism are the norm for most , even today and incl . social media . Take a new working paper by @ wrahool @ feedkoko @ ylelkes , who describe Twitter as a `` remarkably centrist platform '' : https : //t.co/bfNRVKVZP6 — Andy Guess ( @ andyguess ) July 15 , 2020
The New York Times ’ Max Fisher warns that Guess ’ s findings shouldn ’ t be interpreted to mean that polarization isn ’ t a major problem . Sure , people may be reading a lot of the same news , but how are they getting to it and what are they sharing on social media ? “ I think this severely misunderstands how people read and share news today , ” he writes .
If I write a story whose facts affirm liberal worldviews , it will be shared and read heavily by liberals . The next day , a different story might be shared & read by conservatives . Both groups visited the same NYT domain , but they hardly developed a shared media diet or reality . — Max Fisher ( @ Max_Fisher ) July 16 , 2020
For one , reader diets have always been like 10-to-1 news-to-opinion . To understand polarization , you have to look at that 1 opinion article that frames how readers process the 10 news links . Or how posts on social platforms frame those 10 news links . — Max Fisher ( @ Max_Fisher ) July 16 , 2020
At some point `` social media filter bubble '' came to be seen as implying that people read 100 % Gateway Pundit or 100 % Occupy Democrats , but this has always been a straw man . There was a lot of hyperbole about social media after 2016 for sure , but we might be overcorrecting a bit . — Max Fisher ( @ Max_Fisher ) July 16 , 2020
I also share some of Max 's worry about using domains as a proxy for ideology . E.g . this popular post on FB today , which links to a local ABC affiliate but is framed in a very partisan way . pic.twitter.com/CCGTP6Fhu1 — Kevin Roose ( @ kevinroose ) July 16 , 2020
Also , I suspect that despite the readership data you identify that within-outlet selective exposure is also less common than you might think overall – low-engagement people are less able to screen/motivated to do so , high-engagement people do e.g . more hate-reading — Brendan Nyhan ( @ BrendanNyhan ) July 16 , 2020
Guess ’ s paper is forthcoming in the American Journal of Political Science ; read the preprint here .
“ Under the company ’ s guidelines , climate content can be classified as opinion. ” The New York Times ’ Veronica Penney notes that Facebook lets climate change misinformation flow free by classifying it as opinion content .
The policy means that peer-reviewed science can be lumped into the same category as industry statements and even blatant disinformation . In September , for example , the CO2 Coalition , a nonprofit group that says increased carbon emissions are good for the planet , successfully overturned a fact-check when Facebook quietly labeled its post as “ opinion . ”
The CO2 Coalition story was originally reported by Scott Waldman of E & E News . In June , he investigated what happened :
The CO2 Coalition is increasingly focused on using Facebook to reach more people with its message that climate change fears are overblown and that burning more fossil fuels would help humanity , executive director Caleb Rossiter told E & E News this week . He sees the battle over its climate-related posts as part of a larger proxy war over how to reach an audience outside of conservative media . “ It ’ s a huge reach . You can reach so many people both with your posts and your advertisements , ” Rossiter said . “ We ’ re kind of like Donald Trump . We ’ re not happy with the treatment we ’ re getting from the mainstream media , we resort to social media . That ’ s where our action is in larger part. ” Rossiter said the coalition was also temporarily blocked from running ads after the fact-check . After the “ false ” label was removed from its climate models piece , the coalition is now again allowed to buy ads . It has run a number of ads with messages that distort climate change and make inflammatory statements such as “ we are saving the people of the planet from the people who claim they are saving the planet. ” Those ads have received more than 50,000 impressions , Facebook data shows . | 7b5c95d36f532121 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
violence_in_america | ABC News | http://abcnews.go.com/US/man-killed-police-shooting-ferguson-missouri/story?id=27807891 | Video Shows Moments Before Police Shooting Near Ferguson, Missouri | 2014-12-24 | Police, Violence In America | A man was shot and killed by a police officer Tuesday in Berkeley , Missouri , authorities said -- sparking new unrest in a region already reeling following an August police shooting a few miles away in Ferguson .
The town 's mayor worked to calm the unrest this morning by saying that there are major differences between the two cases .
`` All of us are saying the same thing : 'It 's a white policeman killing a black man , and when does this stop ? ' I can assure you that is not what happened last night , '' Berkeley Mayor Theodore Hoskins said this morning .
Hoskins said that he has watched the video of the incident and , though they are going to complete two thorough investigations by both the local police and the county police , he differentiated Tuesday night 's shooting from other recent cases .
`` You could n't even compare this with Ferguson or the [ Eric ] Garner case in New York , '' said Hoskins , who is African American . `` The Garner case in New York , they had the video ; Ferguson they did not . We have the video . I can assure you what is on the video , we 're going to use . ''
The latest shooting happened at 11:15 p.m. Tuesday at a Mobil gas station , St. Louis County Chief of Police Jon Belmar said in a morning news conference .
St. Louis Rams , Police Disagree Over 'Apology ' for Players ' Ferguson Gesture
Belmar said police visited the gas station when a report of a larceny came in . The victim , who is 18 years old that has not been officially named by police , pointed a gun at the officer which sparked the deadly shooting , Belmar said .
`` Bad choices were made , '' Belmar said . `` This individual could have complied , he could have ran away , he could have dropped the gun . ''
The shooting sparked a new wave of unrest in the region , which has been wracked by anxiety following the August shooting of Michael Brown , 18 , in nearby Ferguson . Following Tuesday ’ s shooting , a crowd of 200 to 300 people swarmed the gas station , with four people arrested and a police officer sustaining a leg injury , said Belmar , who is white .
St. Louis County Police released surveillance video today showing the moments before the shooting . The officer can be seen parking his vehicle , and a conversation ensues . The man ’ s arm appears to be raised -- but the video is inconclusive , captured from the side of the building a considerable distance away .
Police also released a second and third video this afternoon showing surveillance footage captured from other angles of the gas station parking lot . However , in the second video , neither the teen nor the police officer are clearly visible in the footage at the moment the shooting happens , but one man can be seen running away .
In the third video , the police officer can be seen stumbling backward as he fires shots and then falling . Police said that out of respect for the teen 's family , he has been cropped out of the clip .
Belmar said the officer was assigned a body camera on Tuesday , but was not wearing it at the time of the shooting . Additionally , the vehicle 's dashboard camera was likely not in use .
The officer -- a six-year veteran of the Berkeley police department , whose name will not be released until after the investigation but has been revealed as 34 years old and white -- fired three rounds , with one round striking the victim , Belmar said .
Belmar declined to release the victim ’ s name or race , but said the man ’ s criminal record includes assault and armed robbery charges .
Gov . Jay Nixon , who coordinated the state 's response to the Ferguson protests , released a statement in support of the officer this morning .
`` The events in Berkeley are a reminder that law enforcement officers have a difficult , and often dangerous , job in protecting themselves and law-abiding citizens , '' he said in the statement .
Toni Martin identified the victim as her son , Antonio Martin . Toni Martin told reporters at the scene that her son was with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting and refuted police claims that her son was carrying a gun .
He was trying to get his life back on track after getting expelled from school , she said . | 60d607d761e0a373 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle_east | CNBC | https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/08/blinken-says-us-has-not-yet-seen-evidence-of-iran-involvement-in-hamas-attack-on-israel.html | Blinken says U.S. has ‘not yet seen’ evidence of Iran involvement in Hamas attack on Israel | 2023-10-10 | Middle East, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Israel Hamas Violence, Facts And Fact Checking | U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 22, 2023 in Washington. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that it is not clear there was any involvement by Iran in the weekend attack by Hamas on Israel. Iran has long been a supporter of Hamas, the group designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization, whose attack on Saturday left at least 250 in Israel dead. "We have not yet seen evidence that Iran directed or was behind this particular attack, but there is certainly a long relationship," Blinken said on CNN's "State of the Union."Smoke billows following Palestinians' respond to Israeli airstrikes with rockets from Gaza, in Gaza City, Gaza on May 10, 2023. Ali Jadallah | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesSome Republican leaders have pointed to Iran as a cause of the attack. Rep Michael McCaul (R-TX) said later on CNN that "we do know that Iran was behind this" but did not specify whether he was talking about specific information on this weekend's attack or just the country's historic support of Hamas in general. One area of criticism of Blinken and the Biden administration has been the $6 billion the U.S. agreed in September to unfreeze for Iran to use only for humanitarian purposes as part of a swap of detainees. However, Blinken said Sunday that none of the $6 billion released to Iran has been spent. Blinken also said the U.S. is working to verify reports that Americans were killed or are missing from the attacks. He added there could be news about requests for additional aid for Israel from the U.S. later on Sunday.Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza City, on May 10, 2023. Mohammed Abed | AFP | Getty Images | 6f303d805108a812 | 1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
culture | Slate | https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/12/weekly-standard-killed-no-trump-love-media.html | The Weekly Standard’s Dismantling Is Terrible News for Conservatism and Journalism | 2018-12-14 | culture | The Weekly Standard shut down on Friday after 23 years of publication . In an unceremonious execution , MediaDC , the magazine ’ s owner , instructed staff to clear out their desks by the end of the day . According to co-founder John Podhoretz , MediaDC chose to kill the outlet so it could strip-mine its assets and subscriber list . The shuttering of the flagship conservative publication is a deeply unfortunate development in an era when right-leaning media is increasingly obsequious toward Donald Trump and hesitant to criticize his abuses of power . No critic of the president should cheer the Weekly Standard ’ s demise .
To many progressives , Friday ’ s news may seem to be just desserts for a magazine that has long espoused what the left views as noxious policy proposals . And there is no doubt that the Weekly Standard has published more than its share of dubious , specious , and offensive articles . The magazine was closely aligned with the George W. Bush administration and , notoriously , vigorously promoted the catastrophic war in Iraq . Its LGBTQ coverage is reliably atrocious—recall this 2009 classic titled “ The Worst Thing About Gay Marriage , ” which claims without evidence that the “ most profound aspect of marriage ” is “ protecting and controlling the sexuality of the child-bearing sex . ”
I could go on . The magazine is vehemently anti-abortion and anti-trans , pushing offensive falsehoods to mock and degrade transgender people . It has asserted that gay people , like me , who sought the right to marry will demand polyamory next . Writers routinely peddle climate change skepticism and denialism . These articles are dangerous and irresponsible .
There is obviously much to criticize here , and I do not expect liberals to praise a magazine that has derided their beliefs for more than two decades . But there is still nothing to celebrate about its untimely death . Over the last few years , the Weekly Standard has emerged as one of the very few conservative outlets to resist Trumpism , to defend a vision of conservatism that rejects Trump ’ s lawlessness , his authoritarian impulses , and his grotesque embrace of white nationalism . Even if the Never Trump movement represents a small segment of the Republican Party , it remains an important counter to the broader opportunistic conservative embrace of the president . And the Weekly Standard ’ s dissolution will only encourage other right-wing outlets to publish more irresponsible pro-Trump garbage .
That is not to say that every other conservative publication has entirely jettisoned its principles to defend Trump . If you ’ re interested in a reasonable take on , say , the Robert Mueller investigation or Trump ’ s trade wars , you can read David French in National Review or Gabriel Malor in the Federalist . But these voices are ever rarer and lonelier . As I write , the top story on National Review is an absurd defense of Michael Cohen ’ s crimes , which argues that prosecutors are “ twisting campaign-finance law ” to secure his conviction . Its purpose is not to defend Cohen himself , but the criminal acts to which he has confessed and in which he has implicated Trump . The Federalist has posted a similar article , as well as a dark warning that the FBI is “ hiding the truth ” about Michael Flynn , replete with a baseless intimation that Mueller ’ s team might be destroying documents that could exonerate Flynn .
The Federalist appears to be the new model for conservative media , a truly depressing development given its almost unrelenting dishonesty . In May , the Week ’ s Damon Linker wrote a devastating critique of the magazine ’ s many lies about the FBI . The Federalist , Linker wrote , “ is a leading disseminator of pro-Trump conspiracies and up-is-down , funhouse-mirror distortions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller ’ s investigation into Russian election meddling and potential Trump involvement. ” If anything , that ’ s an understatement . The Federalist led the push to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein , who long oversaw the probe . It has claimed , over and over again , that Mueller is leading a partisan “ witch hunt. ” Its authors have decried his “ obsessive pursuit ” of the president and condemned Mueller as “ the clown prince of federal law enforcement. ” At every turn , the Federalist seeks to reinforce Trump ’ s claim that the Mueller probe is illegitimate , if not illegal .
The Weekly Standard , by contrast , has remained profoundly skeptical toward Trump .
Click over to National Review and you ’ ll find a more mixed bag ; French , for instance , writes eloquently and accurately about the investigation and its achievements . But his work is countered by Andrew McCarthy , a fantasist who describes Rosenstein as a “ weasel , ” declared that Mueller “ stacked his staff with partisans , ” wrote that Paul Manafort ’ s conviction was “ good news for President Trump , ” claimed Mueller set up Trump for a “ perjury trap , ” and indicated that the FBI is corrupt . McCarthy also champions the narrative that the Steele dossier “ was the driving force behind the Trump–Russia investigation , ” which is false .
There are plenty more examples . Byron York at the Washington Examiner humiliates himself by lying to help Trump and spreading conspiracy theories about the FBI . Kimberley Strassel , a member of the Wall Street Journal ’ s editorial board , writes toxic pro-Trump nonsense that sometimes contradicts the paper ’ s excellent reporting . I am sure that there are reasonable people at the Examiner and the Journal who are embarrassed by this drivel and wish their outlet did not publish it . But publish they do , aiding Trump ’ s effort to assault the integrity of Mueller , Rosenstein , and the FBI .
The Weekly Standard , by contrast , has remained profoundly skeptical toward Trump . Its reporting on the latest developments in the Russia probe are truthful and perceptive . One of its very last articles , published Friday , celebrates Trump ’ s inability to impede the investigation . There are exceptions—its executive editor , Fred Barnes , has penned some very silly criticisms of the special counsel . But the magazine has not slipped into the Federalist ’ s fever dream . It does not often carry water for the president and does not hesitate to condemn his dumbest ideas . The Weekly Standard is , in short , a conservative magazine rooted in reality .
Those are now in short supply . And while it is apparently untrue that the Weekly Standard bled readers because of its Never Trump stance—its web traffic has reportedly increased—other conservative outlets may view its death as a warning : Stray too far from the Trump party line , and readers will abandon you . We will see more writers like Byron York and Kimberley Strassel , and fewer like Weekly Standard star Haley Byrd , one of the finest congressional reporters working today .
It is healthy to have a magazine that challenges both Democrats and Republicans in good faith—a conservative outlet that progressives can not simply write off as an asinine pro-Trump propaganda machine . And it is encouraging to know that the entire conservative movement has not latched itself to Trump ’ s cult of personality . American conservatism will always be with us , but Trump will not . What happens after he is gone ? Will the Republican Party indefinitely adopt his cruelty , his know-nothingism , his contempt for the law ? Or will a saner faction assert dominance in the GOP ? The Weekly Standard made me optimistic for the latter possibility . Its demise suggests that the Trumpists will win out . | 01siLGUAxjHtoFED | 0 | Culture | -0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
media_bias | National Review | https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/fact-checker-denies-that-planned-parenthood-is-an-abortion-business/ | Fact-Checker Denies That Planned Parenthood Is an Abortion Business | 2020-05-12 | media_bias | A member of the New York Police Department stands outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in N.Y. , November 28 , 2015 . ( Andrew Kelly/Reuters )
Thanks to the Media Research Center , which has highlighted a recent fact-check from USA Today and the Green Bay Press-Gazette . In the article , local reporter Haley BeMiller considers the claim — made in a 2019 LifeNews.com article — that Wisconsin ’ s Democratic governor Tony Evers “ wants to force residents to fund Planned Parenthood abortion business ” and rates it “ partly false . ”
In her effort to debunk LifeNews , she offers two falsehoods . First , she attests that taxpayer money wouldn ’ t fund abortion because Wisconsin has its own version of the Hyde Amendment , a federal rider added to spending bills to prevent tax dollars from directly reimbursing for elective abortion procedures .
“ Wisconsin generally can ’ t use state or federal tax dollars to pay for abortions . And that wouldn ’ t have changed under Evers ’ proposal , ” BeMiller writes , adding , “ Evers ’ proposal would have restored funding — cut under former Gov . Scott Walker — that went to Planned Parenthood , which provides abortions . But the money never made it into the final budget , and even if it had , it would have generally been barred from paying for abortions . ”
Here BeMiller repeats an error often found in arguments for government funding of Planned Parenthood . While Hyde and similar state policies prevent direct reimbursement of elective abortions through Medicaid , they do nothing to prevent money from being fungible . If Planned Parenthood receives state funding in Wisconsin , and if Planned Parenthood affiliates in the state perform abortions , taxpayer money is necessarily funding abortion , even if that money doesn ’ t directly reimburse the organization for the cost of any particular abortion procedure .
Second , BeMiller parrots the myth — debunked in turn by both Slate and the Washington Post — that abortion is just 3 percent of what Planned Parenthood does . “ Another part of the claim labeled Planned Parenthood an abortion business . That caught our eye , ” she writes , before pointing out that , according to the group ’ s own reports , “ abortions made up 3.5 % of [ its ] services , nationwide . ”
She concludes , “ Even at that rate , Planned Parenthood is still the largest provider of abortions in the United States . But to call it an abortion business is a stretch , as the organization provides other services far more often . ”
To understand why this is wrong , consider how Planned Parenthood obtains this statistic : by calculating abortion as a percentage of its services rather than calculating what percentage of its clients show up primarily for an abortion . For instance , if a woman comes to Planned Parenthood for an abortion but , while she ’ s there , obtains a pregnancy test , an STD test , and a well-woman exam , and is given contraceptives on her way out the door , the organization would record the abortion she received as just one-fifth of the “ services ” Planned Parenthood performed . This does little to capture the true part that abortion plays in Planned Parenthood ’ s business , nor does it acknowledge the fact that abortion is , by far , the most expensive procedure the group offers .
As BeMiller herself admits , Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the U.S. — and it ’ s not even close . The organization performed north of 345,000 abortions last year alone . According to statistics from the CDC and estimates from the Guttmacher Institute , that means Planned Parenthood performs somewhere between one-third and half of all the annual abortions in the country .
BeMiller says calling that organization an “ abortion business ” is a stretch . It ’ s a stretch to call it anything else . | 3MqnV4bUQ69PMVBv | 2 | Planned Parenthood | -0.8 | Abortion | 0.6 | Media Bias | 0.5 | Facts And Fact Checking | 0 | Fake News | 0 |
us_senate | The Hill | http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/385254-after-a-respite-cruz-again-questioning-mcconnells-strategies | After a respite, Cruz again questioning McConnell’s strategies | 2018-04-30 | us_senate | Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael ( Ted ) Edward CruzWarren goes local in race to build 2020 movement Trump holds chummy meeting with Turkey 's Erdoğan Overnight Defense : Trump hosts Erdoğan at White House | Says Turkish leader has 'great relationship with the Kurds ' | Highlights from first public impeachment hearing MORE ( R-Texas ) , who has been more of a team player since losing the 2016 GOP presidential primary to Donald 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 , is reemerging as an agitator in the GOP conference .
Cruz is questioning Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison ( Mitch ) Mitchell McConnellGOP 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 ’ s ( R-Ky. ) strategy on the GOP 's 2018 agenda , which is to steer clear of partisan bills that don ’ t have Democratic support .
Cruz , who is up for reelection this year and faces a spirited challenger in Rep. Beto O ’ Rourke ( D ) , is leading a group of restive conservatives who want to vote on a budget resolution that would set up a special process — known as reconciliation — to allow the GOP to pass ambitious legislation , such as an ObamaCare repeal , with a simple majority .
“ We have 254 days until Jan. 3 , 2019 . I believe we need to do everything humanly possible to deliver on the promises we made to voters and to score major substantive victories for the American people while we have majorities in both houses and a Republican president , ” Cruz said last week .
“ If we do that , we maximize the chances of keeping majorities in both houses because we ’ re enacting policies that make a real and positive difference in people ’ s lives , ” he added .
Cruz worries the time for passing lasting legislative reforms might be limited given the widespread perception that Democrats have a good chance of winning back the House next year . Those concerns are shared by many conservatives in the House , who communicate regularly with Cruz .
Cruz gave a presentation to the GOP conference last week in an attempt to rally colleagues behind the idea of passing a budget with reconciliation instructions .
Without reconciliation , it takes 60 votes to pass controversial legislation through the Senate .
McConnell , however , shot the idea down , according to two senators .
“ Mitch pushed back . He said , ‘ I agree with where you want to go , but we have a math problem , ’ ” one source said .
It was the first time in a while that Cruz second-guessed McConnell ’ s leadership in front of the entire GOP conference , although colleagues said he did it respectfully .
“ We need to keep going , ” he said . “ We need to finish the job at ObamaCare . We need to keep simplifying the tax code and lowering taxes . We need to keep lifting regulation so we see more jobs at higher wages for working men and women . ”
It ’ s possible Cruz ’ s efforts to tout an ambitious 2018 agenda is intended to spur on conservatives he ’ ll need to come to the polls this fall .
Cruz is favored to win reelection in November , but Democrats have high hopes of taking him out and have a fundraising magnet in O ’ Rourke , who raised a staggering $ 6.7 million in the first quarter of 2018 .
If Cruz is in a tight race this fall , he might need additional funds from the National Republican Senatorial Committee , which is run by GOP leadership .
A senior Republican aide said Cruz ’ s ambitious strategy is unrealistic because it would require the entire GOP conference to vote for the same budget resolution and then to agree on a plan to repeal ObamaCare or other major reforms .
It would be a heavy lift given the ideological differences between conservatives such as Sen. Rand Paul Randal ( Rand ) Howard PaulSenate GOP waves Trump off early motion to dismiss impeachment charges McConnell discounts quick dismissal of Trump impeachment articles : 'We 'll have to have a trial ' GOP motions to subpoena whistleblower MORE ( R-Ky. ) and moderates such as Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsLawmakers under pressure to pass benefits fix for military families Senate GOP waves Trump off early motion to dismiss impeachment charges GOP senators warn against Trump firing intelligence community official MORE ( R-Maine ) , the staffer argued .
“ If Sen. Cruz has a plan that can get 50 votes , he should show it to us , ” the source said .
A spokesman for McConnell declined to comment on the meeting .
Republicans control 51 seats , but with Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCain2020 Democrats make play for veterans ' votes The Memo : Democrats confront prospect of long primary Defending their honor as we hear their testimony MORE ( R-Ariz. ) away from the Senate indefinitely while he undergoes treatment for brain cancer , they have an effective majority of 50 .
Sen. Lisa Murkowski Lisa Ann MurkowskiHillicon Valley : Federal inquiry opened into Google health data deal | Facebook reports millions of post takedowns | Microsoft shakes up privacy debate | Disney plus tops 10M sign-ups in first day Senators press FDA tobacco chief on status of vaping ban Federal inquiry opened into Google health data deal MORE ( Alaska ) , one of three Republicans who voted last year to kill the so-called skinny repeal of ObamaCare , says she doesn ’ t want to plunge back into the health-care debate .
“ I am not enthusiastic about that at all . Not at all , ” she said . “ It would be one thing if somebody had the plan . What ’ s the proposal ? Are we just going to go through an exercise with no plan ? We did that and it didn ’ t work too well . ”
But Cruz argues the biggest legislative accomplishments during Trump ’ s first 15 months of office have come by circumventing Democratic filibusters .
They include confirming Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch , the passage of tax reform , the opening up of the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve to drilling and the repeal of more than a dozen Obama-era regulations under the Congressional Review Act .
During Wednesday ’ s meeting , Cruz argued passionately for what he sees as a big opportunity by showing colleagues a graphic that listed a variety of bills sponsored by different members of the GOP conference that he thinks could pass under reconciliation , according to a senator who attended the meeting .
“ I think there ’ s a great deal we can do that would command 50 votes , ” he told ███ .
McConnell and Cruz have had a history of clashing in recent years .
Their highest profile standoff came in the fall of 2013 , when Cruz mobilized a group of conservative House members to vote down any spending bill that didn ’ t block the implementation of ObamaCare .
McConnell wasn ’ t a fan of the strategy , which resulted in a 16-day government shutdown , and vowed it wouldn ’ t happen again , proclaiming , “ There ’ s no education in the second kick of a mule . ”
Their relationship hit a low point in 2015 , when Cruz accused McConnell on the floor of lying about what he believed was a secret deal with Democrats to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank .
A group of Senate Republicans agree with Cruz that leadership needs to get more aggressive .
“ A lot of us are pushing it , in particular on the block grant to the states on health care , ” said Sen. Ron Johnson Ronald ( Ron ) Harold JohnsonOvernight Health Care : Trump officials making changes to drug pricing proposal | House panel advances flavored e-cig ban | Senators press FDA tobacco chief on vaping ban Why Republicans are afraid to call a key witness in the impeachment inquiry Lindsey Graham basks in the impeachment spotlight MORE ( R-Wis. ) .
He referred to a proposal he has sponsored along with Sens . 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. ) , Bill Cassidy William ( Bill ) Morgan CassidyUN Security Council to meet after Turkey launches Syria offensive Trump faces growing GOP revolt on Syria To win the federal paid family leave debate , allow states to lead the way MORE ( R-La . ) and Dean Heller Dean Arthur HellerThis week : Barr back in hot seat over Mueller report Trump suggests Heller lost reelection bid because he was 'hostile ' during 2016 presidential campaign Trump picks ex-oil lobbyist David Bernhardt for Interior secretary MORE ( R-Nev. ) that would dismantle ObamaCare and convert its funding to health block grants to states .
“ I ’ ve been pushing for a budget and budget reconciliation procedures forever , ” Johnson added .
Republicans who favor this approach acknowledge there isn ’ t yet consensus within their conference on how to proceed on ObamaCare . | MVhd5RrE4ofijbXN | 1 | Mitch McConnell | -0.3 | Ted Cruz | 0.2 | Politics | -0.1 | US Senate | 0 | null | null |
coronavirus | Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/01/28/covid-vaccine-variant-south-africa/ | Novavax vaccine protects against coronavirus in variant hot spots but proved less effective against strain in South Africa | 2021-01-28 | Coronavirus, Safety And Sanity During COVID-19, Coronavirus Vaccine | clockThis article was published more than 4 years ago A coronavirus vaccine made by Maryland biotech company Novavax proved effective at stopping symptomatic infections in global hot spots where concerning variants are dominant, the company announced Thursday. But warning signs lurked amid those findings: The protective effect of the vaccine was substantially muted in South Africa, where a worrisome virus variant is in wide circulation. | c312edf92833d281 | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
opioid_crisis | Guest Writer - Right | https://townhall.com/capitol-voices/congressmanpaulgosar/2019/02/08/its-time-to-call-the-opioid-crisis-what-it-is--a-national-emergency-n2541046 | OPINION: It's Time to Call the Opioid Crisis What It Is: A National Emergency | 2019-02-08 | opioid_crisis | Americans were rightfully outraged when almost 3,000 Americans were killed on 9-11 and another 6,000 injured . As a nation , we declared war in Afghanistan and have suffered more than 2,200 killed and over 20,000 injured . We value life in our country , and we do not turn a blind eye when our citizens are killed and harmed . That is why the President was correct in August 2017 when he declared the opioid crisis a national health emergency . The CDC reported that there were 70,237 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2017 . The numbers remained just as high in 2018 . 70,000 dead Americans per year is a national crisis of unprecedented proportion . Just recently , border patrol agents in Arizona confiscated the “ largest seizure in U.S. history of fentanyl , the synthetic opioid blamed for the majority of overdose deaths ” and the overwhelming majority of which comes from Mexico .
It is time to elevate this national health emergency to a National Emergency under the National Emergency Act and focus on the source of opioids that are killing our people -- drug running from Mexico . Without an effective barrier , drug traffickers routinely and successfully cross the southern border to deliver death to Americans . There are currently 32 National Emergencies declared , not one of which is killing even one U.S. Citizen . With the yearly carnage of our people exceeding the entire death toll for the 12-year Vietnam War , there is no rational basis to conclude this isn ’ t a national emergency .
Here are the benefits of declaring a national emergency : First , that is what this is . 70,000 dead year-in and year-out is a catastrophe of unprecedented levels . Second , in addition to the opioid deaths , due to drugs coming from Mexico , we have the problem of gang members and criminals sashaying across the border and inflicting mayhem in our nation . Every death and injury inflicted upon an American citizen by an illegal alien is a preventable crime if we had an effective barrier . Illegal aliens do not belong in our country and have no right to be here in the first place . Thousands of Americans would still be alive today , reunited with their families , but for the millions of illegal aliens here committing crimes on a daily basis .
This seems simple , tens of thousands of Americans are dying , and therefore it should be considered a national emergency . But the open border globalists crowd doesn ’ t seem to care about the families and communities being torn apart by the river of narcotics flowing from south of the border . Indeed , many are misguided and blame their doctors or pharmacies when the carnage is from illegal heroin and fentanyl .
Let ’ s look at the 32 other National Emergencies that are ongoing . On November 3 , 1997 , President Clinton declared a National Emergency , blocking Sudanese Government Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Sudan . No one complained about this .
On October 27 , 2006 , President Bush declared a National Emergency , Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . This was in response to violence around the Congolese presidential election runoff .
Just last week , the President declared a National Emergency with EO 13857 , Taking Additional Steps To Address the National Emergency with Respect to Venezuela . Not only was this national emergency not condemned , but it is also being cheered by the majority of the D.C. swamp . Not one of these so called emergencies have resulted in an American death . Meanwhile , over 100 Americans per day die from illegal drugs from Mexico .
The question must now be asked , why is the D.C. swamp against a national emergency being declared to protect American citizens in their home , but cheer when a national emergency is used for an international issue with no impact on the lives of U.S. citizens ? The President should do what is right and declare an emergency—because it is .
Congressman Gosar represents a border district as part of the 4th Congressional District in Arizona , including the Yuma Sector . A member of the House Freedom Caucus , he has been an advocate for secure borders since taking office in 2011 . | zEAsPe3WHW5J5IF0 | 2 | Opioid Crisis | 0.8 | Public Health | 0.2 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
elections | John Stossel | https://reason.com/archives/2016/09/28/the-debate-i-heard | OPINION: The Debate I Heard | 2016-09-28 | Debates, Presidential Elections, Elections | I watched Monday 's presidential debate . But what I heard was different from what Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton seemed to say .
When Clinton said , `` I want us to invest in you , '' what I heard was , `` I will spend your money better than you will . '' Also , I heard , `` I will spend lots of your money ! ''
When Trump said our economic problems are China 's fault , what I heard was , `` Blaming China wins me votes . ''
When Clinton told Trump , `` My father… printed drapery fabrics , '' what I heard was , `` Donald , you are a spoiled rich kid . ''
When Trump replied , `` My father gave me a very small loan , '' I heard Trump saying , `` Anything less than $ 200 million is a pittance . '' ( It 's actually not clear what Trump received from his dad . Trump claims it was $ 1 million ; others say $ 200 million . Anyway , is a million dollars a `` small '' loan '' ? )
When Clinton said , `` I 'm going to have a special prosecutor… to enforce the trade deals we have , '' I heard , `` Kiss my ring and pay my foundation if you want your trade deal approved ! ''
When Trump said President Obama has `` doubled '' our debt , I swear I heard Trump promise , `` I 'll triple it ! ''
When Clinton said , `` I think it 's time that the wealthy and corporations paid their fair share , '' what I heard was , `` Good thing Bill and I are 'broke , ' because we 're going to soak the rich like they 've never been soaked before . ''
When Clinton said Trump 's taxes `` must be something really important , even terrible , that he 's trying to hide , '' what I heard was , `` My emails , on the other hand , were just a minor mistake and nothing I 'm trying to hide—next question ? ''
When Trump said , `` I was the one that got ( Obama ) to produce the birth certificate , and I think I did a good job , '' what I heard was , `` Since Hillary and her staff spread the lie first , I 'm blameless . ''
When Clinton said , `` Barack Obama is a man of great dignity , '' I swear I heard her add quietly , `` despite me smearing him in 2008 . ''
When Trump said , `` I was just endorsed ( by 200 ) admirals and generals , '' what I heard was , `` I wish members of the military supported me the way they support Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson . ''
When Clinton said , `` Putin is playing a tough long game here , '' I swear I heard Hillary say , `` I guess my 'reset ' with Russia was a bad idea . ''
When Clinton said she 'll `` do much more with our tech companies '' to fight ISIS , what I heard was , `` I 'll force Facebook and Twitter to shut down parts of the internet . ''
When Clinton said she 'll `` take out al-Qaeda leadership , '' what I heard was , `` I do n't know exactly who they are , but I 'll kill a bunch of military-age males . ''
When Trump said , `` I did not support the war in Iraq , '' what I heard was , `` … except when I did . ''
When Clinton said , `` A man who can be provoked by a tweet should not have his fingers anywhere near the nuclear codes , '' I heard , `` A man provoked by a tweet should not be near the nuclear codes . '' ( Clinton got some things right . )
When Trump said , `` My strongest asset is my temperament , '' I heard viewers laughing .
When Clinton complained that Trump `` said women do n't deserve equal pay unless they do as good a job as men , '' I wondered , `` So Hillary believes that women should get equal pay even when they do n't do as good a job ? ''
If only there were some way both Clinton and Trump could lose . Oh , right—there is ! Governor Gary Johnson 's in the race . But the most reliable predictor of future events—the betting odds ( see ElectionBettingOdds.com ) —does n't give him much of a chance . The bettors do n't give Donald Trump a great chance either . As I write , Clinton is favored 68.7 percent to 29.6 percent .
During the debate , Trump 's odds dropped 5 percent . I did n't think he performed that badly , but I must be wrong . The bettors are generally right .
We may as well get used to hearing the title `` President Hillary Clinton . '' | 64d5b38e73d12d15 | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | New York Times - News | http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/25/us/politics/hostage-deaths-show-risk-of-drone-strikes.html?ref=politics&_r=0 | Amid Errors, Obama Publicly Wrestles With Drones’ Limits | 2015-04-25 | politics | Rarely has a president wrestled with the grim trade-offs of war as publicly and as agonizingly as Mr. Obama has over the last six years . He wanted to get away from the messy ground wars that his predecessor waged in Iraq and Afghanistan and institute a seemingly cleaner , more exacting form of war , one waged only when there was “ near certainty ” that civilians would not be hurt .
But the strike that killed Warren Weinstein , a 73-year-old American aid worker , and the Italian hostage , Giovanni Lo Porto , 37 , in January underscored that there is no such thing as near certainty in war , even one waged with precision instruments like the drones swarming the skies of places like Pakistan , Yemen and Somalia . The only near certainty of war is that innocents die and that presidents have to live with the consequences .
“ I think he ’ s deeply conflicted , ” said Representative Adam B. Schiff of California , the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee . “ This is a president who won a Nobel Peace Prize and who understands the moral imperative of avoiding any civilian casualties , but who also takes his duties as commander in chief to protect the country very seriously . Those counterpressures are enormously difficult . ”
Leon E. Panetta , who served Mr. Obama as C.I.A . director and then as defense secretary , said the president was especially engaged in counterterrorism operations and wanted regular briefings , always asking about civilian casualties . “ You hit some of these targets , and you get a lot of people in a shot , and what you wind up doing is asking yourself , ‘ Is every one of those guys you get a bad guy ? ’ ” Mr. Panetta said .
And yet , for all of Mr. Obama ’ s achingly public struggle over the right approach to terrorism and war , he does not seem likely to overhaul his drone-oriented strategy . Reviews of the strike that killed the hostages may yield better ways to conduct the war — officials were already talking about forming a “ fusion center ” that would link agencies to deal with hostage situations — but aides gave no sense that Mr. Obama would embrace a wholesale shift . | eaCOMhLXGyiJYDd2 | 0 | Politics | 0.4 | Drones | 0 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
politics | Newsmax (News) | http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/Romney-Meeting-Trump-Looms/2016/11/19/id/759782/ | Romney Mum After Meeting With Trump | 2016-11-20 | White House, Politics | Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney had little to say to reporters after meeting with President-elect Donald Trump for just over an hour Saturday afternoon.After coming out of the front door at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ, and shaking hands with Trump, a non-smiling Romney told reporters that he'd had a "far-reaching conversation," particularly regarding various world leaders."We had a far-reaching conversation with regards to the various theaters in the world where there are interests of the U.S." Romney said. "We had a very thorough and in-depth discussion in the time we had and appreciate the chance to speak with the president-elect and look forward to the coming administration."Then the still grim-faced former Massachusetts governor walked away from reporters' shouted questions, got into a vehicle, and left without answering questions about speculation over whether they'd discussed his becoming Secretary of State.He also would not answer questions about if he'd take any other position in the administration, about whether he still thinks Trump is a "con artist," as he called him earlier this year, or if he and Trump had apologized to each other for their bitter words.Trump did not address the press at all, but went back inside the club while Romney was speaking with the press. Minutes later, he and Vice President-elect came out the door to greet former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor Michelle Rhee for another private meeting.Romney and Trump had an often-contentious relationship throughout the 2016 campaign, with Romney labeling Trump as a "phony, a fraud" during the 2016 campaign, and Trump calling Romney a "choke artist" for losing his election to President Barack Obama.Romney did extend an olive branch to Trump with a phone call to congratulate him for his win, but Trump so far has chosen mostly loyalists for key roles, including Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as chief of staff, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general and retired Army Lieutenant Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser.However, for CIA director, Trump chose, Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo who initially backed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for the GOP nomination. Trump also met this past week with Sen. Ted Cruz, who sparred fiercely with the eventual president-elect and who refused to endorse him even during a speech at the Republican National Convention.The meetings are sending a "clear signal" that Trump's appointments will not depend on political affiliations or loyalty to him, Republican National Committee spokesman and Trump transition team member Sean Spicer said Friday."He's met with Democrats, independents, Republicans," said Spicer. "His goal is to pick the highest quality and caliber of individuals to advance the agenda that will make the country better."No official reason has been announced for the meeting, and skeptics note that Romney does not have a great deal of foreign policy experience that would lend itself to his being named as Secretary of State.In addition, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump surrogate and close adviser, has widely been reported to be under top consideration for the spot.Romney also campaigned with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who had dropped out of the race in May.After that, Priebus urged Trump and Romney to reconcile their differences, but even this summer, Romney told CNN that Trump's "trickle-down racism, trickle-down bigotry, trickle-down misogyny, all these things are extraordinarily dangerous to the heart and character of America."Romney's views on Russia will also likely clash with Trump's. President Barack Obama, during a debate against Romney in 2012, ridiculed him for basing his foreign policy on the 1980s after Romney warned of the growing threat of Russia.Meanwhile, Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for his leadership skills, and the Russian leader was one of the first world leaders to congratulate the new president-elect on his victory.But while some are seeing Romney's meeting with Trump as a sign of party cooperation, others, such as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren ridiculed the thought of Romney becoming part of a Trump administration.Warren sent Romney a tweet Friday, including a photo collage of "Donald Trump's Cabinet Shortlist," a photograph that included just four women:Gov @MittRomney: when you're meeting with @realDonaldTrump, maybe you could bring your binders full of women with you? pic.twitter.com/4tJdYxTchc — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) November 18, 2016She also asked him if "maybe you could bring your binders full of women with you," a reference to Romney's use of the phrase "binders full of women" to answer a debate question about the number of women he'd reviewed for jobs while he was still governor.Trump arrived Friday night at Bedminster, reports NJ.com, for a series of meetings that will also include New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who lives just 10 miles away from the private golf club, on Sunday.Christie was demoted to vice chair of Trump's transition team last week, but it remains unclear if he'll be offered a position in Trump's administration. On Thursday, Christie said he expects to finish his final term in office, which will end in 2018, but did not rule out a role in Trump's administration.Trump is also scheduled to meet with retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, a possible contender for Secretary of Defense. | e125f0d193824fef | 2 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
terrorism | Christian Science Monitor | http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0424/Boston-bombings-Who-s-the-mysterious-Misha?nav=89-csm_category-leadStory | Boston bombings: Who's the mysterious 'Misha'? | 2013-04-24 | terrorism | In the years before the Boston Marathon bombings , Tamerlan Tsarnaev fell under the influence of a new friend , a Muslim convert who steered the religiously apathetic young man toward a strict strain of Islam , family members said .
Under the tutelage of a friend known to the Tsarnaev family only as Misha , Tamerlan gave up boxing and stopped studying music , his family said . He began opposing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq . He turned to websites and literature claiming that the CIA was behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 , 2001 , and Jews controlled the world .
`` Somehow , he just took his brain , '' said Tamerlan 's uncle , Ruslan Tsarni , who recalled conversations with Tamerlan 's worried father about Misha 's influence . Efforts over several days by The Associated Press to identify and interview Misha have been unsuccessful .
Tamerlan 's relationship with Misha could be a clue in understanding the motives behind his religious transformation and , ultimately , the attack itself . Two U.S. officials say he had no tie to terrorist groups .
Throughout his religious makeover , Tamerlan maintained a strong influence over his siblings , including Dzhokhar , who investigators say carried out the deadly attack by his older brother 's side , killing three and injuring 264 people .
`` They all loved Tamerlan . He was the eldest one and he , in many ways , was the role model for his sisters and his brother , '' said Elmirza Khozhugov , 26 , the ex-husband of Tamerlan 's sister , Ailina . `` You could always hear his younger brother and sisters say , 'Tamerlan said this , ' and 'Tamerlan said that . ' Dzhokhar loved him . He would do whatever Tamerlan would say .
`` Even my ex-wife loved him so much and respected him so much , '' said Khozhugov . `` I 'd have arguments with her and if Tamerlan took my side , she would agree : 'OK , if Tamerlan said it . ' ''
Khozhugov said he was close to Tamaran when he was married and they kept in touch for a while but drifted apart in the past two years or so . He spoke to the AP from his home in Almaty , Kazakhstan . A family member in the United States provided the contact information .
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a police shootout Friday . Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged Monday with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill , and he could face the death penalty if convicted .
`` Of course I was shocked and surprised that he was Suspect No . 1 , '' Khozhugov said , recalling the days after the bombing when the FBI identified Tamerlan as the primary suspect . `` But after a few hours of thinking about it , I thought it could be possible that he did it . ''
Based on preliminary written interviews with Dzhokar in his hospital bed , U.S. officials believe the brothers were motivated by their religious views . It has not been clear , however , what those views were .
As authorities try to piece together that information , they are touching on a question asked after so many terrorist plots : What turns someone into a terrorist ?
The brothers emigrated in 2002 or 2003 from Dagestan , a Russian republic that has become an epicenter of the Islamic insurgency that spilled over from the region of Chechnya .
They were raised in a home that followed Sunni Islam , the religion 's largest sect . They were not regulars at the mosque and rarely discussed religion , Khozhugov said .
Then , in 2008 or 2009 , Tamerlan met Misha , a slightly older , heavyset bald man with a long reddish beard . Khozhugov did n't know where they 'd met but believed they attended a Boston-area mosque together . Misha was an Armenian native and a convert to Islam and quickly began influencing his new friend , family members said .
Once , Khozhugov said , Misha came to the family home outside Boston and sat in the kitchen , chatting with Tamerlan for hours .
`` Misha was telling him what is Islam , what is good in Islam , what is bad in Islam , '' said Khozhugov , who said he was present for the conversation . `` This is the best religion and that 's it . Mohammed said this and Mohammed said that . ''
The conversation continued until Tamerlan 's father , Anzor , came home from work .
`` It was late , like midnight , '' Khozhugov said . `` His father comes in and says , 'Why is Misha here so late and still in our house ? ' He asked it politely . Tamerlan was so much into the conversation he did n't listen . ''
Khozhugov said Tamerlan 's mother , Zubeidat , told him not to worry .
`` 'Do n't interrupt them , ' '' Khozhugov recalled the mother saying . `` 'They 're talking about religion and good things . Misha is teaching him to be good and nice . ' ''
As time went on , Tamerlan and his father argued about the young man 's new beliefs .
`` When Misha would start talking , Tamerlan would stop talking and listen . It upset his father because Tamerlan would n't listen to him as much , '' Khozhugov said . `` He would listen to this guy from the mosque who was preaching to him . ''
Anzor became so concerned that he called his brother , worried about Misha 's effects .
`` I heard about nobody else but this convert , '' Tsarni said . `` The seed for changing his views was planted right there in Cambridge . ''
It was not immediately clear whether the FBI has spoken to Misha or was attempting to .
Tsarnaev became an ardent reader of jihadist websites and extremist propaganda , two U.S. officials said . He read Inspire magazine , an English-language online publication produced by al-Qaida 's Yemen affiliate .
Tamerlan loved music and , a few years ago , he sent Khozhugov a song he 'd composed in English and Russian . He said he was about to start music school .
Six weeks later , the two men spoke on the phone . Khozhugov asked how school was going .
`` Misha said it 's not really good to create music . It 's not really good to listen to music , '' Tamerlan said , according to Khozhugov .
Tamerlan took an interest in Infowars , a conspiracy theory website . Khozhugov said Tamerlan was interested in finding a copy of `` The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion , '' a piece of anti-Semitic literature claiming a Jewish plot to take over the world .
`` He never said he hated America or he hated the Jews , '' Khozhugov said . `` But he was fairly aggressive toward the policies of the U.S. toward countries with Muslim populations . He disliked the wars . ''
One of the brothers ' neighbors , Albrecht Ammon , recently recalled an encounter in which Tamerlan argued about U.S. foreign policy , the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq , and religion .
Ammon said Tamerlan described the Bible as a `` cheap copy '' of the Quran , used to justify wars with other countries .
`` He had nothing against the American people , '' Ammon said . `` He had something against the American government . ''
Khozhugov said Tamerlan did not know much about Islam beyond what he found online or what he heard from Misha .
`` Misha was important , '' he said . `` Tamerlan was searching for something . He was searching for something out there . ''
Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox . By signing up , you agree to our Privacy Policy | mx1g0yKPZN2WIGW6 | 1 | Boston Bombing | 0.2 | Terrorism | 0.1 | null | null | null | null | null | null |
israel | CNN (Web News) | http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/15/world/meast/gaza-israel-strike/index.html?hpt=hp_c1 | Rockets pound Israel, Gaza as Netanyahu alleges 'double war crime' | 2012-11-15 | israel | Story highlights Israel says 422 rockets fired from Gaza into Israel in past two days
Both sides tweet photos of children struck by the violence
Explosions rumbled through Gaza City all night into Friday , and shortly after sunup , two detonations landed just 500 to 600 yards away from CNN 's team sending it running for cover inside the hotel .
A litany of bombardments provided for a sleepless night of hearing and feel incoming ordinance exploding and watching rockets leaving Gaza for Israel .
Falling bombs made doors clatter and sometimes even one 's bones . Clouds of smoke sprouted into the sky paralleling the repetition of thunderous booms .
New destruction will await Egypt 's new Prime Minister Hesham Kandil , when he arrives Friday morning in Gaza to meet with Palestinian officials .
Israel reported three people were killed , and Palestinians reported 19 deaths , including at least three killed late Thursday . Hamas gave conflicting information as to how many of them were Hamas militants .
At least 422 rockets from Gaza have been fired into Israel since `` Operation Pillar of Defense '' began Wednesday , the Israeli military said . Israel 's Iron Dome defense system has intercepted 130 , the Israel Defense Forces said . The al-Qassam Brigade , Hamas ' military arm , said on its Twitter feed that it had shot 527 projectiles at Israel in that time .
One rocket struck an open area near Rishon LeZion , an Israeli city with more than 200,000 residents just south of Tel Aviv , the IDF said .
JUST WATCHED Israel at a tipping point ? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Israel at a tipping point ? 05:49
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JUST WATCHED Israel , Hamas trade shots on Twitter Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Israel , Hamas trade shots on Twitter 01:50
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Also , air sirens went off inside and outside the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv . The building was evacuated briefly , and employees were allowed back in when the sirens stopped . An explosion was heard far off in the distance .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in the building at the time of the evacuation , ministry officials said .
Israel has targeted more than 300 `` terror sites '' in Gaza , the IDF said . The military said it targeted scores of `` medium and long range rocket launch and infrastructure sites across the Gaza Strip . '' The Israeli navy has taken aim at targets along Gaza 's shoreline , the IDF said .
Airstrikes continued overnight , with planes striking sites in Gaza City .
Sources with Hamas , which controls the government in Gaza , and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said that more than 140 strikes had hit Gaza .
The al-Qassam Brigade said its operatives downed a military drone east of Gaza . An Israeli military spokeswoman told CNN that no IDF aircraft was shot down .
At least three Israelis were killed and four were wounded when a rocket struck an apartment building in the town of Kiryat Malakhi on Thursday , an Israeli police spokesman said .
Israeli military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich tweeted a photo that she said was a baby wounded from a rocket attack in Israel . The baby 's face is blurred , but the child appears to be spattered with blood .
The al-Qassam Brigade tweeted a screen shot from Hamas-run al Aqsa TV , showing the mangled body of a child . `` Israel 's military kills Palestinian children in cold blood in # Gaza , '' the tweet said .
Al-Aqsa TV quoted the health ministry as saying 19 people had been killed , among them six children and two `` elderly . ''
The channel said more than 180 people have been wounded since the Israeli strikes began this week in Gaza . Israel has reported several people wounded , including another three soldiers injured Thursday morning by rockets from Gaza .
`` We are defending ourselves , '' he said , arguing that Netanyahu was looking to cement support in advance of an election in two months .
JUST WATCHED Rocket fire escalates in Israel , Gaza Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rocket fire escalates in Israel , Gaza 04:04
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Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak denied that any politics are involved in the decision .
Speaking to CNN , Barak said Israel has destroyed most of the `` heavy long-range rockets '' used by militants in Gaza and is working to `` systematically destroy '' installations in which other rockets are produced .
Israeli forces are going after Hamas weapons , storage bunkers , weapons labs and workshops , an Israeli official told CNN . The official has direct knowledge of Israeli plans but declined to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the information .
The Israeli army moved nearly a division 's worth of troops -- perhaps 1,500 to 2,000 -- to the border , the official said .
While multiple militant groups are behind the rocket attacks , Israel holds Hamas responsible ever since it took control of Gaza , Barak said .
Hamas ' military wing has claimed responsibility for numerous operations in the past . The U.S. government and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization .
Netanyahu issued a statement Thursday saying , `` In recent days and weeks , Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in Gaza have made normal life impossible for over 1 million Israelis . No government would tolerate a situation where nearly a fifth of its people live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile fire . ''
He added , `` The terrorists are committing a double war crime . They fire at Israeli civilians , and they hide behind Palestinian civilians . And by contrast , Israel takes every measure to avoid civilian casualties . ''
Ghazi Hamad , Hamas ' deputy foreign minister , told CNN that Hamas was sending rockets toward Israel 's population because Israel thinks `` that it is easy to kill people in Gaza , '' enter the area and `` do everything '' it wants in Gaza . `` We send a message to them that Gaza is not an easy bone . ... You ca n't eat Gaza in one minute . If you do something , we will react . ''
Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti said the Israeli government has `` proven that it is a government of war and not peace . ''
The sudden increase in violence has raised fears of a widening conflict that could lead to an Israeli ground assault .
Tony Blair , envoy for the Middle East Quartet , which is working to bring about a peace agreement , said on Thursday : `` I do n't think we should be of any doubt at all that if this situation continues and it escalates , it 's going to be really serious and tragic -- not just for Israelis and Palestinians , but actually it will cause a huge amount of upheaval right across the region , and this is a region , as you know , that does n't require more upheaval right now . ''
British Foreign Secretary William Hague issued a statement saying he is `` gravely concerned '' and calling on all sides to avoid civilian casualties .
`` Hamas bears principal responsibility for the current crisis . I utterly condemn rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel by Hamas and other armed groups . This creates an intolerable situation for Israeli civilians in southern Israel , who have the right to live without fear of attack from Gaza . The rocket attacks also risk worsening the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza , which is already precarious . ''
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas , who leads the Palestinian Fatah movement based in the West Bank , is cutting short a visit to Europe to follow developments of `` the Israeli aggression on the Gaza strip , '' PLO Executive Committee member Saeb Erakat said .
Israel says it has called thousands of residents in Gaza to warn them of strikes and dropped leaflets in Gaza warning Palestinian civilians to `` avoid being present in the vicinity of Hamas operatives , '' the IDF said .
It also uses `` roof knocking '' -- targeting a building `` with a loud but nonlethal bomb that warns civilians that they are in the vicinity of a weapons cache or other target . This method is used to allow all residents to leave the area before the IDF targets the site with live ammunition . ''
At one point Thursday morning , 13 rockets were fired in quick succession from Gaza into Israel . A CNN crew could see trails of smoke as they reported from the Israeli side of the Erez Crossing on Gaza 's northern border .
The crew was forced to take cover after rockets struck near the border crossing .
Later , reporting from Gaza City , the crew witnessed airstrikes and plumes of black smoke in many parts of the city .
The escalating violence is likely to further erode Israel 's fragile relationship with Egypt , which recalled its ambassador to Israel on Wednesday in protest over the ongoing strikes . It also delivered a formal protest to the Israeli government .
On Thursday , when asked by CNN 's Hala Gorani if treaties between Egypt and Israel are in danger , the chief of the Egyptian presidential cabinet said no .
`` Not at all . Because we have declared several times , repeatedly , that we abide by our international commitments , '' Mohamed Refa ' a al-Tahtawi said . `` But respecting a peace treaty does not mean to stay idle or indifferent to what is going on along our borders .
A spokesman for Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy said the Arab League will meet Saturday in emergency session to discuss the violence .
`` Egypt is taking all diplomatic measures with all parties involved to reach some sort of immediate truce or cease fire , '' Yaser Ali added .
A senior official in U.S. President Obama 's administration told CNN that the White House is asking Egypt and Turkey -- two nations that have influence with Hamas -- to urge the group to de-escalate the rocket attacks .
But a Hamas deputy foreign minister told CNN : `` I am in touch with the Egyptians they are very angry and very upset because they feel that Israel put a knife in their back '' by attacking sites in Gaza .
Egypt 's Prime Minister Hesham Kandil will travel on Friday morning to Gaza with a team of presidential advisers and ministers to meet with Palestinian officials .
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon also will go to Egypt and Israel next week , because of the rising tensions between Israel and Hamas , a Western diplomat told CNN . The diplomat said the Secretary General has canceled a trip to Mozambique , Botswana , Seychelles and Mauritius to go to the Middle East . | 9iXIWdBVPrtv7w7N | 0 | Gaza | -1.3 | Israel | 0.5 | Middle East | -0.3 | null | null | null | null |
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