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This happens for different reasons , but a key element is the vicious cycle between holding strong attitudes on an issue and something called “ selective perception. ” Essentially , the stronger your views are on an issue like Trump ’ s impeachment , the more likely you are to attend more carefully to information that supports your views and to ignore or disregard information that contradicts them . Consuming more belief-consistent information will , in turn , increase your original support or disapproval for impeachment , which just fortifies your attitudes . So , no , not much change will be seen in the minds of the 33 percent .\nExcept , maybe . One of the more interesting findings from research on attitude change is that our more important , self-defining attitudes do not seem to change incrementally , a little at a time , but they can change dramatically , from one extreme to another . Typically , when others try to change our views on important issues that we hold firmly , their attempts to persuade us with facts and figures end up bolstering our original attitudes or pushing us out to even further extremes . But strong attitudes can experience what psychologists call “ threshold-effect changes. ” Over time , when we are exposed to information contradicting our attitudes , that information—even if we ignore , discount or deny it—can seep into our thinking and accumulate to a point where , across some threshold , people radically change their views to the opposite side of the spectrum . In other words , nothing much changes until everything changes .\nThese jumps from one extreme attitude to another on self-defining issues are not uncommon , and have been seen with former skinheads turned tolerance trainers , peace activists turned violent militants , and religious zealots turned atheists . This type of drastic transformation is , of course , hard to predict , and it can be triggered by seemingly insignificant events ( the tipping point for one skinhead was when his black co-worker tossed him half of his submarine sandwich when he had no lunch ) . But it typically occurs after repeated exposure to information contradicting their attitudes .\nSo , yes , it is possible that if some of the testimonies in the hearings are experienced by true believers ( at either extreme ) as counter to their beliefs but also persuasive , this information can plant seeds of a different point of view , that might , someday , lead to a big change . Still , this is unlikely to happen very soon .\nMinds , however , can change among the vast majority of people who don ’ t hold extreme views . A recent study by the nonpartisan group More in Common found that about 67 percent of moderate Americans on both sides of the political divide—a group the authors of the study call “ the exhausted majority ” —are fed up with our current dysfunction , despise the contemptuous state of polarization we are in , and are eager to find ways to talk , compromise and work together again . These folks , particularly the 26 percent of moderates who are politically disengaged and thus are much less identified with either tribe , can be swayed . Of course , this assumes that they are not so burned out by the vitriol of our politics that they are unwilling to devote some attention to information coming out of the hearings .\nResearch suggests a few basic strategies for changing minds that are , well , changeable . First , immediately establishing the credibility of the witnesses—to both progressives and conservatives —is paramount . For example , the introductions of the witnesses should emphasize their merits for both the left and the right to see . Second , logic and evidence can matter when they are clearly laid out , compelling and derived from trusted sources . Third , moving testimony by witnesses about the profound moral dilemmas they faced in coming forward , and any specific threats they experienced to their and their family ’ s physical safety , can help to humanize otherwise dry , technical testimony and move the listener . And finally , because most viewers tend to lean either red or blue ( even though they are “ exhausted ” ) and so will view the proceedings to some degree through their team ’ s lens , it is critical for the lawmakers to choose to emphasize just a few takeaway points , and then to stress the urgency and importance of the viewers ’ attention to them . This can serve to move viewers from their more automatic , heuristic modes of cognitive processing to more intentional , systematic modes , where they will be more likely to take in new information and learn .\nBut here is a caution for our leaders in Congress on both sides . Clearly , by many accounts , America is more polarized , anxious and exhausted by our political climate today than ever before . No , this is not all Congress ’ doing , but many in Washington are playing their part . The resulting rise in the toxicity of our culture is such that today 86 percent of Americans are seriously concerned that our divisions will soon lead to violence .\nSo , as our Republican and Democratic members of Congress prepare for the public hearings—ready themselves to make their case and score points and change minds—they should understand what is at stake . A narrow focus on short wins today can bring devastating outcomes tomorrow . Of course , members of Congress have a job to do to reveal the truth and share the facts with the American public . But our social fabric is stretched to the limit , and the future of our society , in the form of our basic capacities for compassion , connection and shared humanity across our divide , is on the line . The impeachment hearings ’ primary audience—the 67 percent ( not base voters ) —is persuadable through credibility , logic and evidence . This is a chance for lawmakers to plant seeds for changing minds in the future . So , please , for our nation ’ s sake , rise to your best selves .\nAs someone who knew something about divisions once wrote , “ We are not enemies , but friends . We must not be enemies . Though passion may have strained , it must not break our bonds of affection . The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched , as surely they will be , by the better angels of our nature. ” Come Wednesday , lawmakers will need to find a way to make their public case effectively , while not inflaming our already heightened sense of contempt and enmity for the other side . In the long run , this is all that will matter .
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A full week after the alleged “ shellacking “ of President Obama and the Democrats , the country remains a “ stucknation ” locked in a partisan standoff where both factions hold each other in contempt and have a long list of past grievances they want to relitigate .\nFor several years now , the two parties have so amped up the partisan rhetoric that what used to be middle ground is nothing but scorched earth . It 's a machine fueled by animus , but raises hundreds of millions of dollars for the warring factions and keeps the nation from a necessary reconciliation that 's a prerequisite for moving forward .\nListening to this cacophony that passes for political discourse , an alien from outer space would come to the conclusion that Americans really can ’ t stand each other and just don ’ t want to defeat their opponents but annihilate them .\nHistory is never shaped by one thing , but a confluence of trends and events . We have a president who just can ’ t figure out why everybody is not as smart as he is , and a disloyal opposition that so lusts for his demise they would shut down the government to make a rhetorical point .\nFor many Democratic partisans , the reactionary right is waging a war on women ’ s reproductive rights and working around the clock to strip the right to vote from people of color . A key core belief of many Tea Party Republicans is that Democrats can only win elections if they steal them .\nThis delegitimizing of the nation ’ s political process popped up for Democrats in Gore v. Bush in 2000 and now has captured conservatives , who pretty much refute the results of every election except for the ones they win . ( A notable exception was Ed Gillespie ’ s concession to Sen. Mark Warner , which went some distance in restoring the notion of a Virginian gentleman . )\nJust spend an hour listening to national talk show host Michael Savage and his many less talented imitators that blanket the airwaves . You will hear such a deep hatred for the president you ’ ll understand that Savage and his crowd just don ’ t have contempt for the president -- but for the tens of millions of their fellow Americans that voted for him twice .\nEven as ISIS does its thing Savage has described the sitting president as the “ enemy within ” who wants to spread Ebola , open the door to “ illegals , ” all so as to make the U.S. a third-world nation in a kind of egalitarian “ marxist ” exercise aimed at collapsing capitalism . These statements are made despite the president ’ s record deportations and unprecedented profits enjoyed by U.S. corporations during the president ’ s tenure . A mediocre chief executive he may be , but he certainly is not a marxist .\nWhile largely ignored by the mainstream media , Savage ’ s millions of loyal listeners are also voracious readers who sent his recently released “ Stop the Coming Civil War : My Savage Truth ” on to the Barnes and Nobles big seller list . The bookseller ’ s website says Savage tells his readers “ our nation is in real trouble and the seeds of a second conflagration have been sown . ”\nThis near violent alienation extends into the global warming debate with one side insisting that as long as there is a God we need not worry about environmental consequences and we must burn as much fossil fuel as possible to fire up prosperity for future generations . Their opponents see these “ climate change deniers ” as a clear and present danger to the planet , funded by fossil fuel profiteers , whose only reason for existing is accumulating as much material wealth as possible so as to extend their dominion over a quickly dying planet .\nThere is just no reconciling these alienated factions . Billions of dollars are backing up both narratives , even as the homeless stretch out in the street and West Africa begs for the basics . No wonder most Americans decided to sit out Choice 2014 .\nIn the aftermath of the 2014 midterms , the milquetoast political press offers a ho-hum narrative dominated by the politicians ' personal story . What ’ s President Obama ’ s legacy ? Which Republican will claim the 2016 nomination ? How do the results of 2014 impact former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ’ s chances to win the presidency ?\nRank them . Sort them . Do whatever your cyberalgorithms tell you will get the most eyeballs . The political reporting is so fixated on who 's winning or falling behind that the horse race eclipses the actual economic and social conditions of the country . What they seem to be missing is just how badly polarized the nation is and just how many American households are still falling behind .\nAs for the voters ' hearts and minds , they get their shot during the exit polls . Based on those polls Republicans would be mistaken to interpret their victory as some kind of blank check . As the New York Times reported , voters surveyed this time around were skeptical of both parties . They believed the U.S. economy is rigged for the 1 percent and are doubtful their children will do better than they have .\nThere is something that is ruminating out there beyond the Beltway and the safe green zone of the corporate media that acts as its buffer . Looking at the “ right way-wrong way ” survey data by the NBC News/Wall Street Journal it has pretty much been all downhill from right after the Sept. 11 attack . That was when just over 70 percent of those surveyed thought the nation was headed in the right direction as ground zero still smoldered , the nation pulled together and the world embraced us as a victim of terrorism .\nBy this summer , more than 12 years into our global war on terror , and a few years into the “ recovery , ” that same poll was totally upside down with 70 percent now saying the nation was headed in the wrong direction . In the immediate run-up to the midterms the president said U.S. intelligence missed the rise of ISIS , the Secret Service left the front door of the White House and the Centers for Disease Control fumbled the initial response of Ebola .\nMost all the Democrats ran away from the president . Consistently the president was a couple of beats behind the breaking news where his handlers must have thought it was safe . Whether it was responding to the wave of undocumented children crossing the border , ISIS or Ebola the White House waited for events to play out for weeks and even months , and only when the media declared a “ crisis , ” would we get presidential action . It was as if President Obama ’ s heart wasn ’ t in doing his job .\nOff course for the Savage contingent this passiveness was extrapolated as premeditation and diabolical planning to collapse the nation into an oozing morass of disease and lawless chaos .\nThe president ’ s poor performance , whatever the reason for it , had consequences down ballot . Republicans not only won the U.S. Senate but they now hold 31 of the nation ’ s governorships , replacing Democrats in Arkansas , Illinois , Massachusetts and Maryland . The GOP now has total control , that is the governorship and the state legislatures , in 21 states compared to the Democrats who now have a third of that many .\nIn the state races there were no doubt local issues also in play . Yet New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie , who led the Republican Governors Association 's bid to capture as many state capitals as possible , says in the 35 states he visited voters expressed major anxiety about the president ’ s lack of leadership . “ I wouldn ’ t call it fear . I ’ d call it anxiety , really anxious . I think the best way to describe it was a woman I met who told me she was in her 80s from Vero Beach and she said to me , 'Governor what 's happened to our country ? We used to control events , now events control us . ' ”\n“ I think the reason folks are anxious is they feel like the president is weak and as a result our country is perceived to be weak , ” Christie told reporters after he voted . “ I think the country is looking for the president to be strong and I wish he would be . He ’ s my president too. ” Up against Michael Savage Christie sounds like Eisenhower , a throwback to the Republican Party that pledged allegiance to the flag and respected the occupant of the White House , no matter what his party affiliation , because they respected the office and by extension the broader electorate .\nThis nation ’ s existential crisis started well before President Obama was on the scene , as any graph over the growing wealth disparity will illustrate . What ails us goes deeper than a passive and detached president who 's reliably two beats behind the news wave and a Republican Party leadership committed to derailing his presidency at any cost . Even as the factions continue their war of attrition on each other , the American worker continued to fall behind , thanks to stagnant or declining wages despite increased productivity .\nThese are the same economic conditions candidate Barack Obama railed against , and before him candidate Bill Clinton . Yet from 1979 until 2013 productivity grew by almost 65 percent but average workers only saw their compensation increase by a measly 8 percent increase in those 33 years . More recently , from 2007 until 2013 the median U.S. income dropped every year and when adjusted for inflation was the lowest since 1995 .\nAll you need to know about the frame of mind of Americans for the 2014 midterm was in the small print of the latest Department of Labor report on employment that came a couple of days after the election . “ In October , the number of long-term unemployed ( those jobless for 27 weeks or more ) was little changed at 2.9 million , ” writes the Department of Labor , which translates to roughly a third of the unemployed . Civilian labor force participation continued its steady decline , hovering now at 62.8 percent , flat since April .\nLast month the DOL reported 7 million people were consigned to part-time work , even though they wanted full-time opportunities . Also in October , DOL said 2.2 million people were “ marginally attached to the labor force , ” a disconcerting stat DOL says “ was little changed from a year earlier. ” “ These individuals were not in the labor force ” but “ had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months . They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the four weeks preceding the survey . ”\nAt the same time that most U.S. households were stuck in neutral or slipping back into reverse , the top 1 percent continued to buzz by in overdrive leaving the rest of the U.S. in their dust . From the first half of 2013 to the first half of 2014 , real hourly wages fell across the board with the exception of states that raised the minimum wage . Meanwhile “ the wealthiest one percent captured 95 percent of the post financial crisis growth since 2009 , while the bottom 90 percent became poorer , ” according to the World Economic Forum ’ s Outlook on the Global Agenda 2014 .\nAnd while the business press chirped out happy faces over the officially declining unemployment number , the rest of the stats in the latest Department of Labor data described the ongoing wasting of a nation through workforce and wage stagnation .\nAmericans are trying to walk up the downward escalator whose motor is driven by corporate greed and bipartisan complicity . While corporations keep a lid on compensation and hiring they have increasingly become more skilled at stashing hundreds of billions of dollars in profits offshore , shifting their tax burden onto the same population that they have been squeezing for decades .\nBy some estimates as much as $ 2 trillion remains stashed offshore , kneecapping any real recovery . This creates a phony scarcity to help build back the pressure to get their tax cuts , shrink the federal government , help rescind the social contract and break what ’ s left of the American labor movement .\nHaving totally captured both political parties it is in the interests of corporations to fund the great American political kabuki dance that perpetuates the myth that on the issues that matter most to the corporations there ’ s a big difference between how both parties would govern . This partisan sideshow keeps the electorate distracted from the widening income disparity , wealth concentration and tax shifting that has happened under the leadership of both political parties for decades .\nIn 2008 we went for `` hope and change , '' but six years later there 's this sense we are still on a downward trajectory , despite the booming stock market and gas prices dropping so fast experts are worried . Our kids are burdened with billions in debt and now the very same Wall Street vultures that created the mortgage meltdown are coming back to buy up foreclosed homes so they can rent them to the serfs who now can ’ t afford their own castle .\nIt is this gnawing insecurity about the prospects for our families that is the psychological fallout from the Great Recession and our wars without end . For our grandparents it was shorthanded as the `` Depression era '' mentality . It defined every choice they made but also burnished a sense of national purpose , self-sacrifice and collectivity . It beat fascism on two fronts , came home , had a parade , built the interstate highway system , and sent their soldiers to school for free . But back then we had FDR who united the population against the speculators .\nToday most people grapple with their economic dislocation in isolation . The TV says we are in a recovery so it must be just me , my family , my household falling behind . Every day the TV says the market is up and yet that seems to have less and less to do with the average American family 's economic well-being .\nYes , we are a war-prone republic , but we have always had periods when we collectively stood down , albeit briefly . Now we are told we are in a further notice eternal war where peace comes only when we leave this earthly plain . I do n't know if the human psyche is wired for that .\nBut there is something else at work structurally that the media also shies away from because it undermines our superpower status narrative and the notion of our exceptionalism . Even talking about it one risks looking unpatriotic . For many Americans this has been the linchpin for their sense of well-being in an ever-changing world . We are just not up to coming to grips with the notion that planetary peace , prosperity and stability is truly a multilateral project . Where ’ s the national pride in that ?\nWhen the president was n't propping up the phony Bush war on terror narrative , he spoke eloquently about this reality as he did at West Point .\nPresident Obama is presiding in a period where in the scheme of world affairs , save the nuclear war option , the presidency is shrinking . This globally integrated marketplace we were so hell-bent to create has geopolitical consequences .\nYou can ’ t rely on China to finance your federal debt and not expect to lose leverage in the world . While Republicans like to put the shrinking of the presidency on the current occupant of the White House , it ignores structural things like that and the well-documented choice by U.S. multinationals and hedge funds to bet against America because they can make more money someplace else .\nIronically , these very hedge fund players that helped fund Christie ’ s Republican Governors Association , like Elliot Management ’ s Paul Singer who gave over a million dollars to the RGA , are the same crowd looking to profit from the inversion deals being cut by U.S. corporations to abandon the U.S. to reduce their U.S. tax liability .\nSo is it now , `` ask not what your country can do for you '' but which country gives you the highest rate of return ?
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It was the Hawkeye State that scuttled Hillary Clinton ’ s presidential ambitions in 2008 . Iowa ’ s energetic caucus-goers were not moved by Clinton ’ s self-professed qualities of electability and inevitability , and they voted for both Barack Obama and John Edwards over the former first lady . Clinton learned that she would have to earn her party ’ s nomination that night , and the primary campaign that followed the Iowa caucuses would prove to be an intensely fought one . It was a fight , however , from which she was not fated to emerge victorious .\nAs Clinton is preparing to mount a new campaign for the presidency , she faces a predicament similar to the one she faced six years ago . In Iowa , all the energy is behind non-establishment ideals ( as opposed to flesh and blood candidates ) , and the caucus system rewards enthusiasm and organization over raw support . While another upset seems unlikely , the ingredients that make for a political surprise are present .\n“ Interviews with more than half of Democratic chiefs in Iowa ’ s 99 counties show a state party leadership so far reluctant to coalesce behind Mrs. Clinton . County Democratic officials also voiced qualms about Mrs. Clinton ’ s ability to win a general election and her fundraising ties to Wall Street firms and corporations , which remain a target of liberal ire , ” read a report in Monday ’ s Wall Street Journal that should concern Team Hillary .\nMany county officials said they would like to see senators including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont enter the race , though they were split over whether any could gain traction and overtake Mrs. Clinton . “ My heart wouldn ’ t be in it for Hillary to the extent that it might be if it was a different candidate , ” said Jennifer Herrington , chair of the Page County Democrats in southwest Iowa . “ I admire Hillary , she ’ d be a great president , but you know , she isn ’ t my first choice I guess . ”\nIn many ways , Iowa ’ s Democratic electorate mirrors its Republican counterpart . 2012 proved that there are a sizable number of GOP voters in Iowa who are happy to back the contender dubbed most electable in spite of the pejorative label “ establishment. ” Mitt Romney came in an extraordinarily narrow second place behind former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum , and for much of the evening it looked like Romney had shocked the political world by emerging from Iowa victorious . But for all of Romney ’ s 24.5 percent of the Iowa vote , another three-quarters backed a non-establishment candidate . It was a narrow loss that shattered Romney ’ s own cultivated sense of inevitability , and one which fueled a fierce opposition to his candidacy that continued until May .\nEven a narrow loss for Clinton in Iowa could spell disaster for her second presidential bid , but that prospect seems remote . You can ’ t lose to nobody , and the Clinton machine has , thus far , been able to fend off top-tier challengers . But how long can Democratic politicians with aspirations for higher office ignore the Siren Song of Iowa ’ s county-level party chairs crying out for a liberal champion ? Discontent with Clinton is palpable , and her support in the polls could be an artificial result of standing alone on the presidential stage .\nBut Democrats who want to see Clinton challenged in a primary are also smartly laying the foundations to blame her for a 2016 defeat if a challenge does not materialize . According to The Journal , local Democrats note that the energy , donations , and political infrastructure acquired during a contested primary also become critical tools to use in the general election . Without those , the Democratic nominee is likely to be at a disadvantage when the vibrant and ideologically diverse GOP concludes its primary contest . Could appeals like these prompt Clinton to rein in her loyal soldiers ? Some of these allies are apparently so trigger happy that , simply for displaying the gall to consider a likely doomed challenge to Clinton , they would seek to impugn one-term Sen. Jim Webb for having penned mildly racy content in his novels .\nWhile the argument that a party that undergoes a contested primary is a stronger party is a valid contention , Clinton is unlikely to welcome a serious challenge . 2008 ’ s memories from Iowa are too fresh . Anti-Clinton forces , too , seem resigned . Those disaffected liberals who are prepared to accept her coronation are also preparing to consign the name Clinton to history ’ s dishonorable scrap piles should she lose . It would be a bitter irony that the name Clinton , one which for the last 20 years has been associated with reviving the moribund Democratic brand , might soon become synonymous with its destruction .
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US President Donald Trump has launched a furious attack on Special Counsel Robert Mueller and on his critics at a conservative summit .\nIn the longest speech of his presidency , Mr Trump railed against the inquiry into alleged collusion between his campaign and Russia .\n`` We 're waiting for a report by people who were n't elected , '' he told a crowd of cheering conservatives .\nMr Mueller is expected to hand in his report to the attorney general shortly .\n`` Unfortunately , you put the wrong people in a couple of positions and they leave people for a long time that should n't be there and all of a sudden they are trying to take you out with bullshit , okay ? '' the president said .\nMr Trump has frequently called the special counsel 's investigation a `` witch hunt '' .\nThe speech - clocking in at more than two hours - also included sharp attacks on former Attorney General Jeff Sessions , former FBI head James Comey , the Democratic Party and those critical of his approach to North Korea .\nMr Trump 's second summit with Kim Jong-un in Vietnam ended abruptly without a deal this week .\nSpeaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland , Mr Trump lashed out at his detractors in a wide-ranging speech .\n`` This is how I got elected , by being off script . . . and if we do n't go off script , our country is in big trouble , folks , '' he began .\nThe president repeatedly said that Mr Mueller had `` never received a vote '' , nor had Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein , who appointed Mr Mueller to his position .\nMr Rosenstein plans to step down by March after frequent presidential attacks .\nThe president alleged Mr Mueller was `` best friends '' with former FBI head James Comey , and mocked the accent of former attorney general Mr Sessions , whom he fired in November .\nHe said Mr Sessions was `` weak and ineffective and he does n't do what he should have done '' .\nHe called the Green New Deal proposal - pitched by some Democrats as a radical bid to combat climate change - `` the craziest plan '' , saying `` when the wind stops blowing , that 's the end of your electric '' .\nAfter a series of remarks on immigrants who , he said , must `` love our country '' , Mr Trump said , `` We have people in Congress that hate our country . ''\n`` And you know that , and we can name every one of them if you want , '' he said .\nHe also defended his summit with North Korea leader Mr Kim , telling the crowd they had made `` a lot of progress '' and saying the country had `` an incredible , brilliant future '' .\nMr Trump also pledged to protect free speech on US university campuses with an executive order .\nThe speech came at the end of a difficult week for the president .\nMr Trump 's former lawyer Michael Cohen called him a `` racist '' , `` conman '' and a `` cheat '' in a congressional hearing .
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WASHINGTON — During his final year in Congress in 2008 , then-senator Joe Biden heralded his top picks for the nation 's elite service academies with a congratulatory news release and led a group of academy-bound students on a personal tour of his domain as Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman .\nAs vice president , Biden has the power to nominate students to three of the nation 's service academies . However , the names of the students he chooses for these plum assignments are now secret .\nNeither Biden 's staff nor the academies would disclose the identities of his nominees to ███ , citing student privacy . So it 's unclear how the vice president uses his nominations — which this year included the daughter of a congressman and an Air Force Academy nominee his office took an interest in .\nA ███ examination of the nomination system found a process with little disclosure or oversight . Each member of Congress and the vice president can have up to five nominees in each military academy — the U.S. Military Academy at West Point , N.Y. , the Naval Academy in Annapolis , Md. , and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs , Colo . But the nominations largely are made in secret with no standard process or criteria for awarding them .\nVice presidential nominations are unique . They are the only nominations that everyone can apply for and anyone can receive . For some American students living overseas , it may be the only option available to them .\nAs a result , the vice president gets thousands of requests for nominations each year . The service academies say they take the lead in vetting the students and submitting to Biden 's office a list of top-scoring applicants who lack only a nomination from another source .\nThis year , however , Biden 's staff took an interest in a particular candidate and let the Air Force know . `` His contact called me and said , 'Hey , we 've had some express interest in this individual , ' `` said Jim Dahlmann , the Air Force Academy 's congressional liaison .\n`` Sure enough , he was a qualified candidate , which is great . And he 's of interest to the vice president . Well that 's easy enough , we 'll make sure he 's on the list , '' he said .\nThe student also had secured nominations from a U.S. senator and a local congresswoman , but academy officials took the extra step of putting the student at the top of the list they submitted to Biden 's office , Dahlmann said . `` We wanted to make sure they could say , 'Oh yeah , the academy is listening to us . ' ``\nGenerally , Dahlmann said , Biden 's office is more removed from the process than congressional offices .\nAt the Naval Academy , the list of vice presidential nominations this year included the daughter of Rep. Andy Harris , R-Md . Harris spokesman Chris Meekins said the younger Harris , a track standout , was recruited for the academy 's track team late in the year — after congressional application deadlines had passed — and the vice presidential nomination was the only option available .\nShe was offered an appointment to Annapolis but did not accept it . Harris is now studying at Notre Dame on a track scholarship .\nThe vice president 's office would not discuss any nominations on the record . `` In order to protect the privacy of individuals who are nominated to the service academies and consistent with previous administration practices and service academy protocols , we do n't release names to the public , '' said Kendra Barkoff , a Biden spokeswoman .\nBut some of the academies say Biden 's office is more engaged in the process than was his predecessor . `` This vice president has been active in making the selections , '' said Col. Deborah McDonald , West Point 's director of admissions . While vice president Dick Cheney 's nominations came in before the deadline , Biden 's often come in months after the congressional nominations are due Jan. 31 — and in some cases as late as June , just before cadets and midshipmen report to the academies .\nThat additional time allows the vice president 's office to ensure that its nominations are going only to candidates who do n't have any other source of a nomination . `` I 'm guessing what they were doing was making sure they were looking at all the congressional nominations that came in to try to — and I 'm just guessing this — expand the candidate pool , '' she said .\nOther vice presidents have taken an interest in their nominations .\nFormer vice president Walter Mondale , who served in the late 1970s , said his staff took the step of reviewing the applications of nominees recommended by the academies . `` I used the staff to vet them to see if there were any embarrassments there , '' Mondale said . `` Most were just fine . ... I think ( the academies ) were very careful about sending up the best . ''\nUnder a separate system of nominations , the president also makes nominations for the children of Medal of Honor winners and members of the armed forces . But those nominations are presidential in name only — the entire process is delegated to the Defense Department and the academies , which do n't release those names .
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Rep. Ilhan Omar , D-Minn. , sparked backlash Sunday evening from members of both parties -- including former first daughter Chelsea Clinton -- after she accused a prominent lobbying group of paying members of Congress to support Israel .\nOmar , who became the first Somali-American woman elected to Congress in November , responded to a Twitter post by journalist Glenn Greenwald criticizing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy , R-Calif. , for threatening to take action against Omar and another freshman lawmaker , Rashida Tlaib , D-Mich. , over allegedly anti-Semitic remarks .\n`` There ’ s situations in our conference where a member does something that is wrong — I think you ’ ve seen from my own actions that I take action about it , '' McCarthy told reporters Friday , making an apparent reference to Republican congressman Steve King of Iowa . `` I think when they stay silent , they are just as guilty ... I think this will not be the end of this , and if they do not take action then I think you will see action from myself . It ’ s unacceptable in this country , especially when you sit back and think about and listen to what this country went through in World War II . ''\nMCCARTHY ASKS DEMS TO DENOUNCE ALLEGED ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS : 'THIS WILL NOT BE THE END OF THIS '\nGreenwald accused McCarthy of targeting Omar and Tlaib for their numerous criticisms of Israel , to which Omar chimed in `` It 's all about the Benjamins , baby , '' quoting a 1997 rap song by Puff Daddy . She then doubled down when challenged by Batya Ungar-Sargon , the opinion editor of The Forward newspaper .\n`` Would love to know who @ IlhanMN thinks is paying American politicians to be pro-Israel , though I think I can guess , '' Ungar-Sargon tweeted . `` Bad form , Congresswoman . That 's the second anti-Semitic trope you 've tweeted . ''\nIn response , Omar tweeted `` AIPAC ! '' referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee , which regularly has been accused by progressives of agitating for a conflict with Iran .\n`` We are proud that we are engaged in the democratic process to strengthen the US-Israel relationship , '' AIPAC tweeted Sunday evening . `` Our bipartisan efforts are reflective of American values and interests . We will not be deterred in any way by ill-informed and illegitimate attacks on this important work . ''\nAnother freshman Democrat , Max Rose of New York , tweeted that Omar 's statements `` are deeply hurtful to Jews , including myself . ''\n`` When someone uses hateful and offensive tropes and words against people of my faith , I will not be silent , '' Rose said in a statement . `` ... At a time when anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise , our leaders should not be invoking hurtful stereotypes and caricatures of Jewish people to dismiss those who support Israel . In the Democratic Party - and in the United States of America - we celebrate the diversity of our people , and the Gods we pray to , as a strength . The congresswoman 's statements do not live up to that cherished ideal . ''\nJEWISH GROUPS CONDEMN REP. RASHIDA TLAIB OVER TIES TO RADICAL PRO-HEZBOLLAH , ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST\nHouse GOP conference chair Liz Cheney , R-Wyo. , slammed Omar 's remarks and called for House Democrat leaders to remove Omar from the Housed Foreign Affairs Committee .\nZudhi Jasser , a physician and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy , took Cheney ’ s call a step further , arguing that removing Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee would be a “ good first step , followed by a swift sanction against @ IlhanMN for bigotry unfit for the US Congress with removal from all committees . Ignoring this would bring the “ bigotry of low expectations ” to a new low for Muslims . ”\nThe Republican Jewish Coalition called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , to take action against Omar and asked rhetorically if other House Democrats would `` care to comment on the outrageous anti-Semitism being spewed by one of your fêted members ? ''\n`` [ House Majority ] Leader [ Steny ] Hoyer [ D-Md . ] - you 've led many AIPAC trips to Israel , '' RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks tweeted . `` Will you speak out against this ? ? ''\nMcCarthy himself tweeted : `` Anti-Semitic tropes have no place in the halls of Congress . It is dangerous for Democrat leadership to stay silent on this reckless language . ''\nFormer U.S . Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley , who repeatedly accused the global body of anti-Israel bias during her tenure , tweeted that Omar 's statements `` CAN NOT be tolerated in our own Congress by anyone of either party . In a time of increased anti semitism , we all must be held to account . No excuses . ''\nChelsea Clinton tweeted : `` We should expect all elected officials , regardless of party , and all public figures to not traffic in anti-Semitism . ''\nMeghan McCain , daughter of late Arizona Senator John McCain , lauded Clinton for calling out anti-Semitism `` on all sides , in all spaces , no matter how uncomfortable . ''\nLeft-wing historian and Politico Magazine contributing editor Joshua Zeitz tweeted : `` I 'm one of those American Jews who opposes the occupation [ of the West Bank and Gaza Strip ] , laments Israel 's anti-democratic drift , and does n't regard the country as especially central to my Jewish identity . And I knew exactly what the congresswoman meant . She might as well call us hook-nosed . ''\nClinton later promised that she would `` reach out '' to Omar Monday after another user said she was `` disappointed '' that Clinton was `` piling on . ''\n`` I would be happy to talk , '' Omar tweeted at Clinton in response . `` We must call out smears from the GOP and their allies . And I believe we can do that without criticizing people for their faith . I look forward to building an inclusive movement for justice with you . ''\nSunday marked the latest in a long line of statements by Omar that critics have slammed as anti-Semitic . In 2012 , she tweeted that `` Israel has hypnotized the world , may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel . # Gaza # Palestine # Israel. ” She did not apologize for posting the tweet until last month .\nIn January , Omar argued in a Yahoo ! News interview that Israel could not be considered a democracy and compared it to the Islamic theocracy in Iran .\n`` When I see Israel institute laws that recognize it as a Jewish state and does not recognize the other religions that are living in it , and we still uphold it as a democracy in the Middle East I almost chuckle because I know that if we see that any other society we would criticize it , call it out , '' she said . `` We do that to Iran , we do that to any other place that sort of upholds its religion . And I see that now happening with Saudi Arabia and so I am aggravated , truly , in those contradictions . ''
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LISTEN TO ARTICLE 5:37 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Share Tweet Post Email\nU.S. President Donald Trump is pushing his trade conflict with China toward a point where neither side can back down .\nBy Aug. 30 , as the U.S. nears mid-term elections vital for Trump ’ s legislative agenda , the White House will be ready to impose 10 percent tariffs on $ 200 billion of Chinese-made products , ranging from clothing to television parts to refrigerators . The levies announced Tuesday -- together with some $ 50 billion already in the works -- stand to raise import prices on almost half of everything the U.S. buys from the Asian nation .\nChina has seven weeks to make a deal or dig in and try to outlast the U.S. leader . President Xi Jinping , facing his own political pressures to look tough , has vowed to respond blow-for-blow . He ’ s already imposed retaliatory duties targeting Trump ’ s base including Iowa soybeans and Kentucky bourbon .\nYet matching the latest U.S. barrage would force China to either levy much higher tariffs or take more disruptive steps like canceling purchase orders , encouraging consumer boycotts and putting up regulatory hurdles . Not only does that risk provoking Trump to follow through on threats to tax virtually all Chinese products , it could unleash nationalist sentiment on both sides that fuels a deeper struggle for geopolitical dominance .\nTrump on Wednesday framed his trade actions as necessary to shield American businesses and farmers from harmful trading practices .\n“ Other countries ’ trade barriers and tariffs have been destroying their businesses . I will open things up , better than ever before , but it can ’ t go too quickly , ” Trump said in a Twitter post from Brussels , where he ’ s attending a NATO summit . “ I am fighting for a level playing field for our farmers , and will win ! ”\n“ It ’ s already past the point of no return , ” said Pauline Loong , managing director at research firm Asia-Analytica in Hong Kong . “ What ’ s next is not so much a trade war or even a cold war as the dawn of an ice age in relations between China and the United States . ”\nRead more on the escalating conflict Handbags and Cameras Hit as Trump Tariffs Target Consumers\nYou Have a Month to Comment on Bull Semen , Vegetable Hair Tariff\nTrump Must Meet Xi to Stop Trade War , Top House Republican Says\nThose Cheap Chinese TVs ? They May Just Get a Lot More Expensive\nStocks fell and commodities slid with emerging-market assets Wednesday as investors assessed the fallout . The S & P 500 Index ended the longest rally in a month and the Stoxx Europe 600 Index retreated . While earlier tariffs were expected to have only a limited impact , economists warn a full-blown trade war could derail the strongest economic upswing in years .\nThe Chinese Commerce Ministry said Tuesday that it would be forced to retaliate against what it called “ totally unacceptable ” U.S. tariffs . There have been no confirmed high-level talks between the two sides since an early June visit to Beijing by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that achieved no breakthroughs .\nBeijing “ never yields to threat or blackmail ” and will retaliate against the “ groundless ” tariffs , China ’ s Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen said in written comments to ███ . “ The U.S. side ignored the progress , adopted unilateral and protectionist measures , and started the trade war . ”\nWhat Our Economists Say ... “ As the targeted imports broaden to include more consumer products , a hit to household wallets and a bump to inflation could start to shift the political calculus in the U.S. , ” said ███ ’ s China economist Fielding Chen .\nThe Aug. 30 date ensures the trade fight features prominently in November ’ s U.S. congressional elections , and the announcement exposed fissures between Trump and his Republican Party about the strategy . House Ways and Means Committee chief Kevin Brady , of Texas , warned of “ a long , multi-year trade war between the two largest economies in the world that engulfs more and more of the globe . ”\nSenate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch , of Utah , called the new levies “ reckless ” and not “ targeted. ” Senator Chuck Grassley , a Republican from Iowa , said he had a “ great deal of concern ” about the trade spat with China and the level of uncertainty it ’ s creating among farmers and businesses in his state. “ When you don ’ t know what ’ s going to be the outcome , it ’ s very uncertain , and it ’ s had a definite impact , ” he told ███ Television . “ How long is this going to go on ? I hope we can settle pretty soon . ”\nRead more : Some tariffs apply to flows that don ’ t exist\nThe latest move suggests that Trump -- who in March declared that “ trade wars are good and easy to win ” -- may be compromising on his pledge to spare consumers from the pain . The tariffs could raise the prices of everything from baseball gloves to handbags to digital cameras just as voters are heading to the polls . Other high-profile items such as mobile phones have so far been spared .\nThe U.S. felt it had no choice , but to move forward on the new tariffs after China failed to respond to the administration ’ s concerns over unfair trade practices and Beijing ’ s abuse of American intellectual property , according to two senior officials who spoke to reporters . The Trump administration has so far rejected Chinese offers to trim its massive trade surplus by buying more American goods , and is demanding more systemic change .\n“ For over a year , the Trump administration has patiently urged China to stop its unfair practices , open its market , and engage in true market competition , ” Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement . “ China has not changed its behavior -- behavior that puts the future of the U.S. economy at risk . ”\nAlthough the looming elections provide an immediate concern for Trump , a trade war poses a more existential concern for Xi , whose Communist Party has built its legitimacy on economic success . Prominent academics and some government officials have begun to question if China ’ s slowing , trade-dependent economy can withstand a sustained attack from Trump , which has already weighed heavily on stock prices .\nAmong other things , the U.S. is asking China to roll back its “ Made-in-China 2025 ” program , a signature Xi initiative to dominate several strategic industries , such as semiconductors to aerospace development . Since abolishing presidential term limits , Xi has strengthened his control over the levers of power and money in China and can ’ t afford to look weak .\n“ China is showing no signs of backing down and instead looks like it is preparing for a drawn out conflict , ” said Scott Kennedy , deputy director of China studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington . “ China has a million and one ways to retaliate . ”\n— With assistance by Jenny Leonard , Andrew Mayeda , Bryce Baschuk , and Kevin Cirilli
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LISTEN TO ARTICLE 2:28 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Share Tweet Post Email\nPresident Donald Trump said he ’ ll likely push forward with plans to increase tariffs on $ 200 billion of Chinese goods , indicating he would also slap duties on all remaining imports from the Asian nation if negotiations with China ’ s leader Xi Jinping fail to produce a trade deal .\nTrump , in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published Monday , said he ’ s prepared to impose tariffs on a final batch of $ 267 billion of Chinese shipments if he can ’ t make a deal with Xi when they meet at the Group of 20 meeting in Argentina , which starts Nov. 30 . The rate could be either 10 percent or 25 percent , Trump said .\nTrump said that Apple Inc. ’ s iPhones and laptops imported from China could be hit by new tariffs . Americans could “ very easily ” handle a 10 percent duty , he said .\nRead More : Apple Shares Fall as Trump Suggests 10 % Tariff on IPhones\nThe Trump administration has complained that U.S. companies aren ’ t getting a fair deal in China .\n“ The only deal would be China has to open up their country to competition from the United States , ” the president said , according to the newspaper . “ As far as other countries are concerned , that ’ s up to them . ”\nIn September , the Trump administration plunged deeper into a trade war with China by imposing a 10 percent tariff on $ 200 billion of Chinese goods , and said the rate will rise to 25 percent on Jan. 1 . The U.S. is unlikely to accede to demands from Beijing to refrain from increasing the tariff , Trump said .\n`` This is largely a negotiation tactic , '' said Tao Dong , vice chairman for Greater China at Credit Suisse Private Banking in Hong Kong . `` Putting high stakes pressure onto the other side seems to be a consistent pattern from the Trump administration . ''\nChina ’ s foreign ministry urged the U.S. to work toward a positive outcome at the planned Group of 20 meeting . Teams from the U.S. and China are working to follow through on a Nov. 1 phone call between Trump and Xi during which the leaders agreed to reach a “ mutually acceptable proposal , ” a foreign ministry spokesman told reporters in Beijing on Tuesday .\nThe U.S. already imposed tariffs on $ 50 billion on Chinese products earlier this year , which Beijing retaliated against on a dollar-for-dollar basis . China has since added retaliatory duties on an additional $ 60 billion of American products .\nIn the Crosshairs Consumer goods will be top target if U.S. imposes tariffs on remaining Chinese imports Source : United States International Trade Commission\nChinese officials have said their key outcome from the Trump-Xi meeting is to convince the U.S. to hold off from the tariff increase , the Wall Street Journal reported , without identifying the officials .\nTrump told the Journal that his advice to American companies caught up in the trade conflict is to build factories in the U.S. and make their products domestically .\n— With assistance by Kevin Hamlin , Miao Han , Natalie Lung , and David Ramli
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( CNN ) -- Rescue teams are scrambling to reach the site of Monday morning 's strong and shallow earthquake in northwestern China that has killed at least 89 people , according to state media .\nAnother 593 people were injured and five were believed missing after the quake tore through Gansu Province , China Daily reported .\nThe quake hit along the border of two counties -- Min and Zhang -- at around 7:45 a.m. local time , according to state news agency Xinhua .\nEmergency services are converging on the area , including the Red Cross Society of China , which is sending 200 tents and other supplies to shelter and sustain those left without homes .\nAccording to state broadcaster CCTV , Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged crews to prioritize the rescue of survivors and minimize casualties .\nThe original quake and powerful aftershocks caused roofs to collapse , cut telecommunications lines and damaged a major highway linking the provincial capital of Lanzhou to the south , according to the China Daily newspaper .\nMore than 300 armed police troops and 64 heavy machines have been dispatched to repair National Highway No . 212 , the paper reported . Train services in the area have also been suspended .\nRescue efforts are expected to be hampered by heavy rain that 's soaked the region in recent weeks . More rain is forecast and experts have warned about potential landslides .\nAccording to the Gansu Provincial Seismological Bureau , the quake registered a magnitude of 6.6 , however the U.S. Geological Survey said it was a 5.9-magnitude tremor , which struck at the relatively shallow depth of about half a mile ( 1 kilometer ) .\nThe epicenter was eight miles ( 13 kilometers ) east of Chabu and 110 miles ( 177 kilometers ) south-southeast of Lanzhou , the USGS said .\nTremors were still being felt from the quake , Xinhua said , quoting sources within the Min County government . Locals said buildings and trees shook for about a minute .\nResidents within the earthquake zone took to Weibo -- China 's version of Twitter -- soon after to describe how the earth shook .\n`` This morning at 7:40 I was brushing my teeth , all of a sudden everything shook for a few moments , I thought I did n't get enough sleep last night and was feeling dizzy , '' @ wyyy wrote . `` Turns out it was an earthquake , sigh , seems that with the huge rain downpour outside , we really do n't know how much longer this planet is going to let us live here . ''\nAnother , @ dengdjianjyany , said : `` Gansu earthquake . So many natural disasters in so short a time , another flood , another landslide , another earthquake , another something . And it 's not finished , my God ~ is there any safe place left ? Wish everybody a life of peace ''\n@ Heidiping : `` Another earthquake , life really is fragile , survivors , be at peace ! ''
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President Donald Trump is moving ahead with steps to protect U.S. intellectual property by punishing China with broad investment restrictions , litigation at the World Trade Organization and hefty tariffs on $ 50 billion worth of Chinese goods .\nThe move , which the White House announced Tuesday morning , reignites trade tensions between the world 's two largest economies and ratchets up the pressure just days before Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is set to travel to Beijing for further trade talks .\nA series of tit-for-tat trade actions earlier this year had depressed markets and threatened to harm consumers and industries in both countries , but relations had calmed down after the two sides launched an economic dialogue that led Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to declare just over a week ago that the trade war was `` on hold . ''\nMnuchin and others had noted , however , that Trump wanted to keep the threat of tariffs at the ready , but he was inclined to tone down the trade war rhetoric as discussions were ongoing .\nThe Trump administration declined to specify on Tuesday what had changed that led the White House to issue its latest announcement . But one administration official said it should be viewed as negotiating leverage rather than as a rebuke of the idea that the trade war is on hold .\n`` You ca n't go soft too quickly or you are not going to get where you want to go , '' the official said .\nStill , the sudden statement caught officials from Washington to Beijing by surprise and angered those who had welcomed a calming of the waters .\n`` Trump ’ s schizophrenic China trade policy is a menace to the global economy , '' said Dan Ikenson , a trade policy expert at the Cato Institute who criticized the decision to reverse course `` yet again . '' `` The president seems to thrive on the uncertainty and chaos that his version of leadership churns out on a daily basis , but whether any of this actually happens is anyone ’ s guess . ''\nStocks again fell in light of the news and turmoil in Europe . The Dow Jones industrial average dropped nearly 400 points , or about 1.6 percent , to end the day at 24,361.45 . The broader Standard & Poor ’ s 500 index was off more than 1 percent to close at 2,689.86 .\nThe steps announced Tuesday involve imposing 25 percent tariffs on imported goods from China that include what the White House called `` industrially significant '' technology and products related to the `` Made in China 2025 '' initiative . The list of targeted goods will be announced by June 15 and the added levy will be imposed shortly after , the White House said .\nThe White House is also pledging to put in place investment restrictions and stronger export controls in a bid to curb Chinese acquisition of `` industrially significant '' technology , which will be announced by June 30 and imposed shortly after . The administration will also continue a WTO case launched in March on accusations that China 's intellectual property practices violate international trade law .\nAll three measures are being taken as a result of a seven-month investigation the Trump administration began into China ’ s handling of data and intellectual property , which wrapped up in late March . The White House argues as a result of that investigation that Beijing commits IP theft and forces foreign companies to hand over valuable data in order to operate in the Chinese market and compete with domestic firms .\nBut China is sure to retaliate against the latest measures , as it has made clear that it will respond in kind to any tariffs the Trump administration levies against its exported goods . On Tuesday , China 's Ministry of Commerce said it was `` surprised '' by the White House 's announcement but also called it `` somewhat expected . ''\n`` This is obviously contrary to the consensus reached between the two sides in Washington not long ago , '' a spokesperson said , according to an informal translation . `` No matter what measures the United States takes , China has the confidence , ability and experience to safeguard the interests of the Chinese people and the country ’ s core interests . China urges the United States to act in accordance with the spirit of the joint statement . ''\nLast month , China promised to respond in kind to Trump 's proposed tariffs on $ 50 billion in goods with its own fees on the same dollar value in imports from the U.S. of amount on soybeans , chemical products and other items . Those would come on top of the tariffs on $ 3 billion in goods in place as of early April on U.S. shipments to China of pork , fruit , nuts , recycled aluminum and other goods .\nThere had been some hope among free traders and the anti-tariff camp that the higher set of tariffs would never ultimately go into effect after the two countries launched a trade dialogue earlier this month in Beijing . After Trump administration officials traveled to China at the start of the month , a Chinese delegation came to Washington two weeks later , and the two sides announced that Beijing would buy significantly more U.S. agricultural and energy products in a bid to reduce the bilateral trade deficit .\nMany in the business sector urged the Trump administration to once again withdraw its threat to impose tariffs , even as they remained supportive of the need to crack down in some way on China 's intellectual property practices .\n“ Tariffs do not work — point blank , '' said Dean Garfield , the president and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council . `` Moving forward with tariffs on goods imported from China will harm U.S. consumers and businesses , and will fail to change China ’ s discriminatory and damaging trade practices . ''\nOn Tuesday , American hog farmers sent out a plea calling on the administration to swiftly resolve disputes with China , saying that is costing producers billions of dollars in lost profits . The group cited research from Iowa State University economist Dermot Hayes , who estimates that U.S. pork producers have lost $ 2.2 billion on an annualized basis as a result of events leading up to and following China 's 25 percent punitive tariff on pork .\nAnd on Capitol Hill , Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer offered muted praise for the announcement but urged Trump not to change his mind again .\n`` While obviously more details are needed , this outline represents the kind of actions we have needed to take for a long time , but the president must stick with it and not bargain it away , '' he said in a statement .\nBut other Democrats appeared less sure that the announcement was a positive one .\nRep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey , the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee , said that taking steps to curb China 's `` cheating '' was necessary but expressed concern about the rollout of the announcement , which `` seemingly no one knew '' was coming .\n`` The chaos and incoherence of this administration ’ s approach is more head-spinning than a pinball machine , '' he added .
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The Hong Kong police have clashed with protesters in the city-state 's airport on Tuesday evening as demonstrators continue to occupy the international travel hub for the fifth day straight since Friday , in a sit-in that has canceled hundreds of flights in the last two days .\nAccording to Skynews , which has a film-crew on the ground providing a live-feed , the police claimed their officers arrived at the airport not to disperse protesters , but to rescue people that were captured by the protesters . But Skynews said that those allegedly captured individuals may have been undercover officers that were secretly surveilling the protests and attempting to cause turmoil .\nThe protestors tied up one individual they suspected of being a `` spy '' for the police force .\nProtesters at the Hong Kong airport tied up a man after a `` I love HK Police '' t-shirt was found inside his bag pic.twitter.com/9eop8dNWwB — Bloomberg TicToc ( @ tictoc ) August 13 , 2019\nThe Skynews broadcast showed at least a few dozen officers outside of the airport at this current moment . Thousands of protesters are still in the airport .\n`` They need to come in much larger numbers if they want to do a clearance operation . I wonder whether they even can , '' said Steward Ramsey , the Sky News reporter on the ground .\nEarlier , protestors butted heads with police trying to leave the airport .\nPolice have been cornered in by protestors while trying to get on a bus to leave the airport in Hong Kong .\nTensions are escalating as riot officers arrive to try and disperse protestors in the airport : https : //t.co/hyF4BMCDUL pic.twitter.com/iQRHc4IOtf — Sky News ( @ SkyNews ) August 13 , 2019\nSome protesters have left the airport after the police arrived , according to SkyNews . At this point , the fullest extent of interaction between police and protesters are not apparent .\nThe protesters mobilized at the eighth busiest airport in the world as police violence against protesters escalate , believing that the authorities will dare not use aggressive policing measures in front of international travelers .\nHowever , as footage from the police action comes out today , it is becoming apparent that measures are escalating as China looks to crack down on the movement .\nViolent clashes at Hong Kong airport between police and protesters pic.twitter.com/RcRQxzhSf5 — The Independent ( @ Independent ) August 13 , 2019\nPresident Donald Trump has also commented on the Hong Kong protests — saying it is a `` very tough situation . ''\nPresident Trump : `` The Hong Kong thing is a very tough situation , very tough . We 'll what see what happens . But I 'm sure it 'll work out . I hope it works out for everybody , including China , by the way . '' pic.twitter.com/QJrFWiUOLu — MSNBC ( @ MSNBC ) August 13 , 2019
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China routinely broke federal law by not disclosing how much it spent to publish regime propaganda in the New York Times , the Washington Post , and other newspapers , an expert review of foreign agent registration filings concluded .\nChina Daily , an official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party , has published hundreds of propaganda articles designed to look like ordinary news stories in some of America 's most influential newspapers . While foreign agents may place ads in the United States , the propaganda outlet has repeatedly violated the Foreign Agent Registration Act ( FARA ) by failing to provide full disclosures about its purchases .\nChina Daily has published propaganda in mainstream outlets for decades , but did not disclose its purchases of space in American newspapers to the Department of Justice until 2012 . Even after it began acknowledging its relationship with the papers , the regime mouthpiece continued to violate federal disclosure requirements . China Daily has failed to provide breakdowns of spending activities and withheld copies of online ads , among other omissions that violate federal law , according to experts who reviewed years of its FARA filings .\nThe ███ reviewed all of the physical copies of China Daily ‘ s ads filed with the DOJ , as well as online ads the propaganda outlet did not submit to the department . China Daily has run more than 700 online ads designed to look like news articles and purchased 500 print pages in six American newspapers over the last seven years . These propaganda articles frame state oppression in Xinjiang , Tibet , and Hong Kong in a positive light and run alongside actual news stories produced by reporters at the Post , Times , Wall Street Journal , and other outlets .\nRep. Jim Banks ( R. , Ind . ) , a member of the House Armed Services Committee , has frequently criticized China Daily , arguing that the newspaper should not be distributed to the offices of members of Congress . He said American newspapers traded credibility for ad revenue .\n`` These outlets claim to support democracy , but they 've participated in a cover-up for an ongoing communist-run genocide , '' Banks said . `` It 's disgusting . ''\nA spokesman for the Post told the Free Beacon that the newspaper has run China Daily ads for `` more than 30 years . '' By 2012 , the regime mouthpiece 's operation was running dozens of ads per year mimicking real articles in major outlets under the banner of `` China Watch '' —a self-proclaimed `` high-end think tank platform '' backed by China Daily .\nFederal law requires foreign agents to report and provide copies of all propaganda that is `` disseminated or circulated among two or more persons '' in the United States . Ben Freeman , director of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative at the Center for International Policy , said China Daily ‘ s ad inserts are subject to those requirements .\n`` Clearly , an ad that 's in the Washington Post , the Wall Street Journal , or any big media outlet is going to be distributed to two or more people , '' Freeman said .\nChina Daily registered as a foreign agent in 1983 , but did not disclose its relationship with U.S. newspapers in its biannual reports for 29 years . The outlet did not respond to requests for comment about its FARA filings .\nJoshua Rosenstein , a FARA lawyer at Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock , P.C. , said China Daily ‘ s failure to report ads prior to 2012 was a clear violation of disclosure requirements .\n`` If they were to have placed paid ads in the Washington Post as early as 2010 , that would be the sort of thing they would need to detail , '' Rosenstein said .\nAfter reviewing China Daily ‘ s most recent report , filed in November , both Rosenstein and Freeman said the outlet continues to flout the law . The report illegally lumps together all expenditures under two vague categories : `` Total Cost of Goods Sold '' and `` Operation Expenses . '' China Daily should have broken down its expenditures , detailing how much money it paid to each outlet for each ad purchase , said the two experts .\n`` If I 'm just looking at one line item for $ 4 million in operating expenses , how can I possibly evaluate that ? '' Freeman said . `` I do n't think I can , frankly . ''\nThe vague disclosures do reveal that China Daily is flush with money from the Chinese Communist Party , including $ 11.8 million that the paper 's Beijing office wired to the U.S. branch over the past year . The cash transfers gave China Daily the ninth-largest budget of all FARA registered entities , according to the Center for Responsive Politics .\n`` I 'm sure the Chinese government would n't have invested so much money into this effort in almost every major newspaper if they did n't think that they were getting some return , '' Zack Cooper , a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute , told the Free Beacon .\nChina Daily uses its large war chest to purchase hundreds of ads in the print and online versions of the Times , Post , and Journal . Ad spending peaked in 2016 , when it took out ads in more than 140 pages in American outlets .\nSpokesmen for all three newspapers declined to say how much they have taken from China Daily over the years , but the spending could easily run into the millions , according to public relations professionals . One firm , which requested anonymity as it continues to publish ads with all three outlets , said full-page ads cost between $ 65,000 and $ 120,000 each .\nWhile many China Daily articles touted the country 's economic achievements or tourist attractions , others pushed explicit political messages . These articles contain the legally required disclaimer that a Chinese entity prepared the ads , but do not say that China Daily is owned by the Chinese Communist Party .\nOne China Daily article from March that appeared on the Journal ‘ s website described China 's detention of more than one million Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang reeducation camps as a `` law-based campaign of de-radicalization . '' A Journal spokesperson said that her outlet reviews all ads for `` issues of taste and accuracy , '' but did not say whether China Daily ‘ s articles on Xinjiang met those guidelines .\nMeanwhile , more than half of the Post ‘ s China Daily ad inserts since 2012 have featured propaganda articles about Tibet , where China has repressed dissidents and Buddhists for decades . Those articles depicted China 's presence in Tibet in a positive light , saying the Chinese Communist Party 's economic and social policies have brought prosperity and peace to the region .\n`` Harmony rules in Tibet 's Catholic town , '' a 2013 China Daily article in the Post says . `` Through mediation by the local government [ Buddhism and Catholicism ] entered an era of coexistence . ''\nA Post spokesperson defended the ads , arguing that the newspaper gives `` wide latitude '' to advertisers as long as the ads do not break any laws .\nSome ads appeared adjacent to real news articles . The Journal , for instance , ran a Journal article and a China Daily article that gave opposite assessments of the Chinese economy side by side in 2014 .\nIn the months leading up to the 2018 election , China Daily ran ads critical of the trade war in Roll Call , a Washington , D.C. , publication , and in the Iowa-based Des Moines Register . The Register ad labeled the trade war a `` fruit of a president 's folly , '' provoking a response from President Donald Trump on Twitter .\n`` China is actually placing propaganda ads in the Des Moines Register and other papers , made to look like news , '' Trump tweeted . `` That 's because we are beating them on Trade , opening markets , and the farmers will make a fortune when this is over ! ''\nA Times spokesperson said that the lucrative ad deals with China Daily have not compromised the paper 's reporting , pointing to a recent exposé on oppression in Xinjiang as evidence .\n`` The New York Times covers China thoroughly and aggressively , and at no time has advertising influenced our coverage , '' she said .\nYaqiu Wang , a researcher at Human Rights Watch , said the Chinese regime targets prominent American newspapers in hopes of influencing reporting . Media companies that run China Daily ads undermine the work of their own reporters , she said .\n`` These newspapers are doing a disservice to their brave journalists in China who are taking tremendous risks to report on the Xinjiang issue , '' she said . `` I think newspapers should take a more principled stance to reject those ads that are clearly not speaking the truth . ''
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The Pentagon ’ s top general said Tuesday that the failed special forces mission to rescue James Foley and other hostages being kept by Islamic State militants was the toughest he ’ s ever seen .\nGen. Martin E. Dempsey , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , didn ’ t go into details , but said the effort expended should answer some of the criticisms raised that the U.S. government didn ’ t do enough to try to get hostages released .\n“ That was the most complex , highest-risk mission we ’ ve ever taken , ” the Army general said .\nFoley , a reporter captured in 2012 , was beheaded by an Islamic State terrorist in a brutal execution the militants filmed and released on the Internet on Aug. 19 .\nFoley ’ s parents have complained that the U.S. government didn ’ t communicate with them about steps that were being taken to try to free him , and said they were told they could be prosecuted if they tried to pay a ransom .\nWhile Gen. Dempsey and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel wouldn ’ t go into details of the rescue mission , they said it showed they were trying to do something .\n“ We have some limitations in our ability to collect intelligence inside Syria , but when we had the opportunity to do so , we tried to get ‘ em , ” Gen. Dempsey said .\nMr. Hagel said that while there are boundaries to what the U.S. can do , including a strict policy that the country does not pay ransoms , officials could do a better job of “ dealing with families and the human part of this . ”\nDuring the mission , which reportedly took place earlier in the summer , special operations forces slipped into Syria but were unable to locate Foley or other hostages , who had apparently been moved in the time since the last intelligence the U.S. had .\nSome military officials have reportedly second-guessed President Obama ’ s decision-making , with one report saying that his hesitation to give the go-ahead reduced the chances for success .\nThe White House , though , said Mr. Obama gave the go-ahead as soon as they believed the mission could be carried out successfully .\nIslamic State militants have also killed American journalist Steven Sotloff and British aid worker David Haines . But another American reporter , Peter Theo Curtis , was released late last month , apparently by the Nusra Front , an al Qaeda-linked group .
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The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings was charged Monday with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill three people and wound more than 200 in what FBI investigators said evidence shows was a coldly calculated attack .\nWith chilling detail , the criminal complaint filed against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev says he was seen on video placing a bag near the the finish line of the marathon , watching and reacting with no surprise as the first explosion went off down the street , and then `` calmly but rapidly '' walking away before the second blast occurred at the spot where moments before he had been standing . ( Scroll down to see more from the complaint or to read a complete copy of it . )\nThe FBI 's description of that scene came just before people in Boston and across Massachusetts were to pause for a moment of silence at 2:50 p.m . ET Monday — marking the time exactly one week ago when the first of the two bombs exploded . The criminal complaint filed against Tsarnaev also included a new detail : Previously , officials had said 170 to 180 people were injured in the blasts . In the complaint , they increased that to `` over 200 . ''\nLatest Developments — Surviving suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will not be considered an `` enemy combatant , '' the White House says . That means he will be treated and tried as a criminal defendant . — Tsarnaev , who remains in serious condition at a Boston hospital , was arraigned in his bed . He 's charged with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill three people and injure more than 200 ( a higher number of injured than had previously been reported ) . — According to a transcript — obtained by The New York Times — of today 's initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler , Tsarnaev said one word — `` No '' — when he was asked if he could afford a lawyer . At the end of the hearing — where Tsarnaev was given his Miranda warning — Bowler said she found `` the defendant is alert , mentally competent , and lucid . He is aware of the nature of the proceedings . '' — The investigation continues into whether anyone besides Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan ( who died Friday after a gun battle with police ) may have been involved in the Boston Marathon bombings . — There was a funeral Monday for Krystle Campbell , one of the three people killed in the marathon bombings .\nDzhokhar Tsarnaev , 19 , was arraigned at Boston 's Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital , where he remains in serious condition . As NPR 's David Schaper reported on Morning Edition , it 's not clear yet how or when Tsarnaev was wounded or who inflicted some of his injuries . It 's possible he tried to kill himself . Sources familiar with the investigation into the bombings have told NPR that wounds to his neck and jaw area are preventing Tsarnaev from talking .\nAccording to a transcript of today 's initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler , Tsarnaev said one word — `` No '' — when he was asked if he could afford a lawyer .\nAt the end of the hearing — where Tsarnaev was given his Miranda warning — Bowler said she found `` the defendant is alert , mentally competent , and lucid . He is aware of the nature of the proceedings . ''\nTamerlan Tsarnaev , Dzhokhar 's 26-year-old brother and the other suspect in the bombings , died after a gun battle with police early Friday in the Boston suburb of Watertown , Mass . The brothers allegedly killed an MIT campus police officer and seriously wounded a Boston transit police officer during a wild shooting spree that began Thursday night and lasted into the early hours of Friday .\nDzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured Friday evening after a harrowing day when much of the Boston area was locked down during the police manhunt . He was discovered in a boat stored in a Watertown family 's backyard . Authorities are anxious to know whether anyone else may have been involved and whether any more attacks were planned .\nInvestigators also are trying to piece together how Tamerlan Tsarnaev may have been radicalized in recent years , NPR 's Temple-Raston added Monday . They 're looking to interview his wife . The Tsarnaev brothers , both Muslims , came from an ethnic Chechen family that had been living in the U.S. for about a decade . Tamerlan was a legal resident , and Dzhokhar became a U.S. citizen last year .\nWe 'll keep an eye on developments as the day continues and update this post with the news .\nUpdate at 8:02 p.m . ET . Feds Hand Off Boylston Street :\nIn a move that also had a lot of symbolic significance , federal officers handed custody of Boylston Street back to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino . The Boston Police Department tweeted a picture of the moment a little bit ago .\nCBS Boston reports that this means the city has begun a 5-step plan to reopen the scene of the bombings to the general public .\n`` The 5-steps include testing the area for contamination , structural building assessments , removing debris , internal building assessments and re-entry including communication and counseling . ''\nDzhokhar Tsarnaev was read the Miranda warning today during his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler .\nA transcript of the proceeding was filed at the United States District Court District of Massachusetts and the document was posted online by The New York Times .\nBowler tells Tsarnaev that he has the right to remain silent and not say anything that will incriminate him . She also asks Tsarnaev if he can afford a lawyer and Tsarnaev appears to answer `` no . ''\nPerhaps most importantly , the judge says , `` At this time , at the conclusion of the initial appearance , I find that the defendant is alert , mentally competent , and lucid . He is aware of the nature of the proceedings . ''\nWilliam Fick , the federal defender representing Tsarnaev , also agreed to a voluntary detention of the suspect .\nFor about seven minutes beginning at 2:50 p.m . ET. , the city of Boston fell silent . Investigators formed a semi-circle around the the site of one the blasts and bowed their heads .\nThe New York Stock Exchange , the House of Representatives in Washington and the Massachusetts State House also paused to remember the three killed and the more than 200 injured .\nThe historic Peabody Square clock , near where 8-year-old Martin Richard lived , was frozen at 2:50 p.m. During the moment of silence , reports the Boston Globe 's Eric Moskowitz , it was restarted .\nUpdate at 2:15 p.m . ET . Details From The Complaint Against Tsarnaev .\nDaniel Genck , an FBI special agent , writes in the criminal complaint that :\n-- On video , a man who appears to be Dzhokhar Tsarnaev can be seen placing a bag down in front of the Forum Restaurant along the marathon route . `` Approximately 30 seconds before the first explosion , he lifts [ a ] phone to his ear as if he is speaking ... and keeps it there for approximately 18 seconds . A few seconds after he finishes the call , the large crowd of people around him can be seen reacting to the first explosion . Virtually every head turns to the east ( toward the finish line ) and stares in that direction in apparent bewilderment and alarm . Bomber Two [ Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ] , virtually alone among the individuals in front of the restaurant appears calm . He glances to east and then calmly but rapidly begins moving to the west , away from the direction of the finish line . He walks away without his knapsack , having left it on the ground where he had been standing . Approximately 10 seconds later , an explosion occurs in the location where Bomber Two had placed his knapsack . ''\n-- The victim of a carjacking Thursday night in Cambridge , Mass. , has told police that one of the two men ( who the agent later identifies as Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev ) said during the carjacking : `` Did you hear about the Boston explosion ? ... I did that . ''\n-- `` A preliminary examination of the explosive devices that were discovered at the scene of the shootout in Watertown [ early Friday ] and in the abandoned vehicle has revealed similarities to the explosives used at the Boston Marathon . ''\n-- In Dzhokhar Tsarnaev 's dormitory room at the University of Massachusetts , Dartmouth , FBI agents found `` a large pyrotechnic , a black jacket and a white hat of the same general appearance as those worn by Bomber Two at the Boston Marathon . ''\nUpdate at 1:55 p.m . ET . The Criminal Complaint Against Tsarnaev :\nUpdate at 1:38 p.m . ET . Confirmed : Tsarnaev Has Been Charged .\n`` Dzhokhar Tsarnaev charged with conspiring to use weapon of mass destruction against persons and property in U.S. resulting in death , '' the U.S. attorney 's offfice for the district of Massachusetts confirms on its Twitter page .\nAnd in a statement , the Department of Justice says he 's been charged `` with using a weapon of mass destruction against persons and property at the Boston Marathon on April 15 , 2013 , resulting in the death of three people and injuries to more than 200 people . ''\nUpdate at 1:05 p.m . ET . Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Will Not Be Charged As Enemy Combatant , White House Says ; He 's Arraigned In Hospital Bed , Official Says :\nConfirming what was expected , the White House has said Tsarnaev will not be treated as an `` enemy combatant , '' but will be prosecuted in civilian courts . And as that news was breaking moments ago , WCVB-TV in Boston was reporting that Tsarnaev today was arraigned in his hospital bed , according to Gary Wente , the circuit executive for the U.S. Courts in Boston . The complaint against him has been sealed , the station added . NPR has not independently confirmed that an arraignment has happened .\nFor more on the legal issues involved in treating someone as an enemy combatant , check this Morning Edition report from NPR 's Tovia Smith .\nUpdate at 12:20 p.m . ET . Tamerlan Tsarnaev 's `` Closest American Friend '' And Two Other Young Men Were Murdered Three Years Ago ; Case Remains Unsolved :\nAfter a Buzzfeed report that `` associates of slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev now believe he may have been involved in a 2011 triple murder that claimed the life of his closest American friend , Brendan Mess , '' the prosecutor 's office in Middlesex County , Mass. , is going to go back to see if there 's any connection between Tsarnaev and that unsolved crime , Reuters reports .\n`` 'We are definitely going to pursue any new leads , ' said Stephanie Guyotte , a spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney 's office . She said it was fair to say that investigators will check to see if Tsarnaev had anything to do with the crime . ''\nJohn Allan , owner of Wai Kru Mixed Martial Arts in Allston , Mass. , where Tsarnaev once boxed , had earlier told the Boston Globe that the 26-year-old had once introduced Mess as his best friend . Then two years ago , the Globe wrote , `` Mess and two other men were brutally killed in a Waltham apartment where they were found by police with their throats slit and their bodies covered with marijuana . The murders remain unsolved . ''\nAccording to Buzzfeed , a mutual friend says Tsarnaev did not come to Mess ' funeral . `` A few months after Mess 's murder , '' Buzzfeed adds , `` Tsarnaev went to Russia for six months . ''\nGuyotte , the prosecutor 's spokeswoman , has also told the local Waltham Patch that the triple murders are `` an active homicide case and that investigators would pursue any new leads they receive . ''\nWhile friends are asking whether Tsarnaev might have been involved in the murders , The Wall Street Journal notes that the killings came at a tumultuous time in Tsarnaev 's life and raises the prospect that they might have been among the reasons he appears to have turned to a radical form of Islam .\nThe funeral for 29-year-old Krystle Campbell , one of the three people killed in the bombings , is being held this hour in her hometown of Medford , Mass . The Boston Globe says `` some 200 members of Teamsters Local 25 members began gathering at St. Joseph 's Church before 8 a.m. today , promising to block protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church if they follow through on a threat to picket the funeral . ''\nA memorial service for 23-year-old Lingzi Lu of China , who was a graduate student at Boston University , is planned for 7 p.m . ET Monday at the school . The third person killed at the marathon was 8-year-old Martin Richard of Dorchester , Mass . He was remembered during a Mass on Sunday at Dorchester 's St. Ann Parish . Sean Collier , the 26-year-old slain MIT police officer , is to be remembered later this week .\nUpdate at 10:45 a.m . ET . President Obama Will Observe Moment :\nPresident Obama will also `` observe a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings '' at 2:50 p.m . ET , the White House says in a statement sent to reporters . He will do so in private , the statement adds .\nUpdate at 10 a.m . ET . Wounded Officer `` Shows Hopeful Signs '' :\n`` The transit police officer critically wounded in a gunbattle with the marathon bombing suspects opened his eyes , wiggled his toes and squeezed his wife 's hand yesterday for the first time since he nearly bled to death Friday — hopeful signs for his doctors and family , '' The Boston Herald writes . `` Three-year veteran MBTA cop Richard Donohue remains in critical but stable condition at the surgical intensive care unit at Mount Auburn Hospital . ''\nUpdate at 8:50 a.m . ET . Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Remains In Serious Condition .\n`` According to BIDMC marathon bombing suspect remains in serious condition this morning . Releasing info at hospital 's request . ''\nAs Monday dawned , here were some of the related headlines :\n-- `` Turn To Religion Split Bomb Suspects ' Home . '' ( The Wall Street Journal , behind a paywall )\n-- `` Dead Suspect Broke Angrily With Muslim Speakers . '' ( The Boston Globe )\n-- `` Suspects Seemed Set For Attacks Beyond Boston . '' ( The New York Times )\n-- `` The Inside Story '' Of The Investigation . ( CBS News ' 60 Minutes )\n-- `` Should Marathon Bomber Be Treated As An Enemy Combatant ? '' ( Morning Edition )
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With the latest Benghazi ! ™ extravaganza about to begin , the Democrats are faced with a dilemma . Should they boycott the silly hearings , thus leaving the Republicans to put on their pageant unimpeded , or should they join in with a full panel and add legitimacy to the process ? The problem seems to be that whether they like it or not , these hearings are going to be covered . And if the press reaction so far tells us anything , they are looking for a show .\nThis is why they should follow the advice of Ari Rabin-Havt in the American Prospect who says that a boycott would be a `` colossal error . '' He points out the unfortunate reality :\nEven with limited power , ceding the committee room to Republicans—not to mention the televised hearings—will only allow them to parade their Benghazi myths unimpeded by relevant facts framed in questions from the minority\nYes , one might expect that the media would be able to straighten out all the factual misrepresentations and downright lies , but considering the fact that even Lara Logan and the venerable `` 60 Minutes '' imploding with a full-fledged hoax did little to put the story to bed , it 's highly unlikely that allowing the GOP to harangue and harass Hillary Clinton will put an end to this phony scandal .\nIn fact , it 's long past time the Democrats understood that they are not as successful as they think they are at letting the Republicans hang themselves . They seem to believe that because all their friends and wealthy donors think the GOP clown show is appalling that it always reads that way in the rest of the country . `` Smell-test '' scandal-mongering , where people begin to think there must be something to it or they could n't get away with spending all this time and money pursuing it , takes its toll .\nNobody in American politics has dealt with this phenomenon more than the Clintons . And the one thing they were known for back in the day , always , was to never let charges go unanswered . They understood very well that expecting the press and the people to see through such inanity and recognize it for the rank partisan hack job it is is a fool 's game .\nStill , it does n't make a whole lot of sense to try to deal with a three-ring circus by convening an academic seminar . In order to perform their role properly , they need to engage the issue at hand with intelligence and a grasp of the facts but also an ability to guide the questioning in a way that illuminates the absurdity of the hearings as a whole . And yes , they need to provide easy sound bites for the media so they have something to run with .\nLuckily , as Rabin-Havt points out , they have the perfect person right there in the Congress to do it : the original `` congressman with guts , '' Alan Grayson of Florida .\nPerhaps people do n't realize that Alan Grayson is n't just another lawyer/congressman . He 's an experienced litigator who fought whistle-blower fraud cases aimed at military contractors . The Wall Street Journal characterized him in 2006 as `` waging a one-man war against contractor fraud in Iraq . '' And he was very successful at it . As a politician Grayson is usually seen as a pugnacious fighter always at the ready with a pithy put-down on cable news shows . His floor speeches are often fiery indictments of his political opponents and the power elite .\nBut that 's not why the Democrats should tap him for the job . As notable as all those characteristics are , they are not where Grayson 's true talent lies . He is a master at the task of committee questioning . During his first term as a member of the Financial Services Committee he practically had bankers whimpering on the hot seat and he took on everyone from Ben Bernanke to Timothy Geithner , eliciting important information . Unlike the vaunted prosecutor the GOP has tapped to lead the inquiry , Trey Gowdy ( who specializes in browbeating and histrionic questioning ) , Grayson is never rude and he is n't dismissive or insulting . He is serious , composed and extremely well prepared . And when he has the floor he is completely in control .\nAnd yes , choosing him would please the Democratic base and infuriate the Republicans . That should be a feature , not a bug . The Republicans want a show . Grayson will definitely give them one -- but it wo n't be the kind of show they 're looking for . He 'll elicit the kinds of responses from the Democratic witnesses that are needed to make their case and he 'll skewer the conservative scandal-mongers with the facts .\nRabin-Havt had originally suggested that Grayson simply be on the committee as a member , but he and other progressives , including Credo Mobile , are now suggesting that he should be the lone Democrat assigned . It would be an uncharacteristically bold and brilliant move for the House Democrats to do it .\nGrayson says he 's game if they are . Will they have the guts that he has ?
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Story highlights Tsarnaev has said his brother drove the attack and they had no international ties\nFederal investigators return Boylston Street to city of Boston but it remains closed\nHis brother was killed during a police chase early Friday\nBoston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has told investigators his older brother Tamerlan was the driving force behind last week 's attack and that no international terrorist groups were behind them , a U.S. government source said Monday .\nPreliminary interviews with Tsarnaev indicate the two brothers fit the classification of self-radicalized jihadists , the source said . Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , wounded and held in a Boston hospital , has said his brother -- who was killed early Friday -- wanted to defend Islam from attack , according to the source .\nThe government source cautioned that the interviews were preliminary , and that Tsarnaev 's account needs to be checked out and followed up on by investigators .\nAnd a federal law enforcement official told CNN that while investigators have seen nothing yet to indicate the suspects were working with anyone else , a lot of work remains before they can say confidently that no others were involved . That official would not comment on any motive or specifics on what Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has communicated to officials .\nThe 19-year-old has been charged with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death , and one count of malicious destruction of property by means of an explosive device resulting in death . He was heavily sedated and on a ventilator at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital , but was `` alert , mentally competent and lucid '' during the brief initial court appearance at his bedside on Monday , U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler found .\nDuring the hearing , Tsarnaev communicated mostly by nodding his head , though he once answered `` No '' when Bowler asked him if he could afford a lawyer , according to a transcript of the proceeding . A public defender was appointed to represent him .\nInvestigators have been asking Tsarnaev whether there are more bombs , explosives caches or weapons beyond those already found by police , and if anyone else was involved in the attacks , a source with first-hand knowledge of the investigation told CNN . Investigators are going into Tsarnaev 's room every few hours to ask questions in the presence of doctors , the source said .\nFederal agents at first questioned Tsarnaev without reading him his Miranda rights , under an exception to the rule invoked when authorities believe there is an imminent public safety threat , a Justice Department official said over the weekend . But by the time of the hospital room proceeding , government sources said he had been read his rights , and Bowler reviewed those with him again Monday .\nTsarnaev had been shot in the head , neck , legs and one hand , according to an FBI affidavit supporting the charges . He had lost a lot of blood and may have hearing loss from two flash-bang devices used to draw him out of the boat , the source said .\n-- armed with handguns and explosives -- apparently were planning another attack before the shootout disrupted their efforts . It was n't clear whether Tsarnaev was wounded during his capture Friday night or in an earlier shootout with police that left his 26-year-old brother dead . Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said the brothers -- armed with handguns and explosives -- apparently were planning another attack before the shootout disrupted their efforts .\n`` I believe that the only reason that someone would have those in their possession was to further attack people and cause more death and destruction , '' Davis said on CNN 's `` Starting Point '' Monday .\nInvestigators are also trying to determine whether anyone else was involved in the bombings . But Davis , speaking Sunday to CNN 's Don Lemon , said that he was confident that the brothers were `` the two major actors in the violence that occurred . ''\n`` I told the people of Boston that they can rest easily , that the two people who were committing these vicious attacks are either dead or arrested , and I still believe that , '' he said .\nMeanwhile , after a week of combing the downtown thoroughfare where the bombs went off for evidence , federal authorities handed control of Boylston Street back to the city . But the blocks around the bomb sites remain closed to the public while Boston officials clean up the area and make sure the buildings are safe to occupy .\n`` This area will be opened up to businesses over the next few hours , and then the people will be back here in a day or so , '' Davis said . `` And they will be walking up and down this street , and the terrorists will understand that they can not keep us down . ''\nA police honor guard , accompanied by a bagpiper , lowered the flag that had flown at the finish line of last week 's marathon and presented it to Mayor Thomas Menino to mark the occasion . Shortly afterward , workers in bright yellow suits began hosing down and scrubbing the sidewalks around the second bomb site .\nAmong the pieces of evidence collected from Boylston Street during the past week was a tree that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev may have leaned against before the bombing , according to a source who receives regular intelligence briefings on the Boston bombings . The source said the tree -- located at the site of the second blast -- was removed along with the surrounding grate , where the explosive device 's circuit board was found .\nThe decision to charge Tsarnaev in civilian court put an end to speculation that he would be charged as an enemy combatant , a designation sometimes used against terrorists . White House spokesman Jay Carney said that Tsarnaev is a naturalized U.S. citizen and can not be tried by a military commission .\nTrying Tsarnaev in civilian courts -- like `` hundreds of terrorists '' to date -- is `` absolutely the right way to go and the appropriate way to go , '' Carney said . `` We have a long history of successfully prosecuting terrorists and bringing them to justice , and the president fully believes that that process will work in this case . ''\nThat disappointed Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-South Carolina , who has been calling for Tsarnaev to be handed over to U.S. intelligence as an `` enemy combatant . ''\n`` There is ample evidence here on the criminal side , '' Graham said . `` A first-year law student could prosecute this case . What I am worried about is , what does this individual know about future attacks or terrorist organizations that may be in our midst ? We have the right to gather intelligence . ''\nGraham also said there was also `` ample evidence '' that the bombings were `` inspired by radical ideology . ''\nBut while Tamerlan Tsarnaev apparently became increasingly radical in the past three or four years , according to an analysis of his social media accounts and the recollections of family members , there was no evidence Monday that he had any active association with international jihadist groups .\nTamerlan Tsarnaev , 26 , died after a shootout with police early Friday . Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured that night , after police found him hiding in a boat in the back yard of a house in the Boston suburb of Watertown , Massachusetts .\nWith one suspect dead and the other hindered in his ability to communicate , investigators are eager to speak to Tamerlan Tsarnaev 's wife , Katherine Russell , to see what she might know about incidents leading up to the bombings .\nOn Monday , her attorney said she learned of her husband 's alleged involvement through news accounts .\n`` She knew nothing about it at any time , '' Amato DeLuca said in response to questions about whether Russell knew of plans to attack the marathon .\nTsarnaev stayed home and cared for the couple 's 2-year-old daughter while his wife worked long hours as a home-care aide , according to DeLuca .\n`` They 're very distraught . They 're upset . Their lives have been unalterably changed . They 're upset because of what happened , the people that were injured , that were killed . It 's an awful , terrible thing , '' he said . `` And of course ( for ) Katy , it 's even worse because what she lost -- her husband and the father of her daughter . ''\nThe Tsarnaev family hails from the Russian republic of Chechnya and fled the brutal wars there in the 1990s . The two brothers were born in Kyrgyzstan ; Dzhokhar became a U.S. citizen in 2012 , while Tamerlan was a legal U.S. resident .\nAn FBI official said agents interviewed Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2011 at the request of the Russian government . The FBI said Russia claimed that he was a follower of radical Islam and that he had changed drastically since 2010 .\nBut the Russian government 's request was vague , a U.S. official and a law enforcement source said Sunday . The lack of specifics limited how much the FBI was able to investigate Tamerlan , the law enforcement official said .\nIn August 2012 , soon after returning from a visit to Russia , the elder Tsarnaev brother created a YouTube channel with links to a number of videos . Two videos under a category labeled `` Terrorists '' were deleted . It 's not clear when or by whom .\nTamerlan Tsarnaev attended prayers periodically at the Islamic Society of Boston 's mosque in Cambridge , a board member told CNN 's Brian Todd . In a statement issued Monday , the society said he twice interrupted sermons -- once in November to express his opposition to celebrating any holiday as un-Islamic , and once in January when he tore into the preacher for citing civil rights leader Martin Luther King .\nThe second time , the congregation shouted back , `` Leave now , '' the statement said .\n`` After the sermon and the congregational prayer ended , a few volunteer leaders of the mosque sat down with the older suspect and gave him a clear choice : either he stops interrupting sermons and remains silent or he would not be welcomed , '' it said . `` While he continued to attend some of the congregational prayers after the January incident , he neither interrupted another sermon nor did he cause any other disturbances . ''\nTamerlan Tsarnaev `` began coming intermittently to our congregational prayers on Friday over a year ago and occasionally to our daily prayers , '' the statement read . `` The younger suspect was rarely seen at the center , coming only occasionally for prayer . ''\nOne of the victims , Krystle Campbell was memorialized Monday morning in a service at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Medford , Massachusetts . After the service , police officers lined the street in front of the church as other officers wearing dress uniforms saluted as the casket bearing her remains was taken from the church and loaded into a hearse .\nAnother memorial service was scheduled Monday night at Boston University for Lingzi Lu , a student from China . Lu was a graduate student in mathematics and statistics . Before coming to Boston , she won an academic scholarship to the Beijing Institute of Technology , where she received accolades for her math skills .\nOn Wednesday , Vice President Joe Biden will attend the memorial service for MIT police officer Sean Collier , who was allegedly killed by the Tsarnaev brothers .\nA week after the marathon bombings , 50 people remain hospitalized , including two in critical condition , according to a CNN tally .\nPatients at Boston Medical Center have received visits from war veterans who have also suffered amputations . The vets , Dr. Jeffrey Kalish said , told patients that their lives are n't over because they 've lost limbs .\n`` We 've seen really tremendous success and great attitudes , '' he said .\nAlso Monday , Davis -- the Boston police commissioner -- said transit system police officer Richard Donohue , wounded in the firefight with the Tsarnaev brothers , was improving .\n`` He was in grave condition when he went to the hospital , so we 're very optimistic at this point in time , and our prayers are with him and his family , '' he said .
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CLOSE France launched `` massive '' air strikes on the Islamic State group 's de-facto capital in Syria on Sunday night , destroying a jihadi training camp and a munitions dump in the city of Raqqa . ( Nov. 15 ) AP\nFrance 's military launched `` massive '' retaliatory airstrikes against Islamic State sites in Syria on Sunday night , saying French aircraft struck a command center and training camp at Raqqa .\nThe French Air Force posted videos on its Facebook page of the planes embarking on the raid of the extremist group 's de facto capital . The strikes come two days after the worst attacks in Paris since World War II . The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks at six sites that killed 132 people and wounded hundreds more .\nThe French Defense Ministry said the strikes targeted a command post , a training camp and a weapons depot , dropping 20 bombs on Raqqa . It said 10 fighter jets in the operation came from the United Arab Emirates and Jordan in coordination with U.S. forces .\nSpeaking in Turkey at the G-20 summit , French Foreign Minister Lauren Fabius said , `` France has always said that because she has been threatened and attacked by ( Isis ) it would be normal that she react in the framework of self defense , '' The Financial Times reported . `` It would be normal to take action . That ’ s what we did with the strikes on Raqqa , which is their headquarter . We can not let ( Isis ) act without reacting . ”\nA U.S.-led coalition that includes France has been conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria since last year .\nA group of anti-Islamic State activists in Syria called Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently reported Sunday that at least 30 airstrikes had hit Raqqa `` so far . ''\n`` No civilians hit so far , the hospitals are reporting . Electricity and water shut down . Panic among the civilians , ” the group posted on its website . “ Areas hit : Stadium , museum , hospital , government building ( municipal ) . ”\n“ It ’ s sad how it always falls on our heads . Pray for us , ” the group said .\nThe group was created by 17 Syrian activists in April 2014 to document abuses by the Islamic State after the militant group took over and declared the northern Syrian city of Raqqa to be the caliphate ’ s capital .\nWorking anonymously for their safety , members of Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently secretly film and report from within the city and send the information to local and outside news media .
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The lone surviving suspect in the bombing attack on the Boston Marathon one week ago is communicating in writing , and could be ready to be questioned by an elite FBI team\nAs Boston prepared to mark with a moment of silence the passing of a week since the terror attack that killed three and wounded at least 176 , Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was believed to be unable to speak but awake and responding to questions , possibly from medical staff . Tsarnaev is under heavy guard at Boston 's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center , and is in serious condition with several injuries , including a possible gunshot wound to the neck .\nUSA Today reported that the suspect began answering `` substantive '' questions from authorities Sunday night , but that could not be independently confirmed . If the interrogation has indeed begun , prosecutors may have just 48 hours before he must be read his Miranda rights and granted the right to remain silent and to have an attorney . White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday that Tsarnaev , who is a U.S. citizen , will be tried in civilian courts and not held as an enemy combatant .\nInvestigators believe the throat wound that left the 19-year-old suspect unable to speak may have been self-inflicted in a failed suicide bid that may have come as police closed in on him , as he hid inside a boat trailered in a backyard in Watertown , Mass. , late Friday .\nU.S. Senate Intelligence Committee member Dan Coats , R-Ind. , told ABC Sunday the injuries may leave the suspect permanently unable to speak .\n“ The information we have is that there was a shot to the throat , '' Coats said . `` And it ’ s questionable whether — when and whether -- he ’ ll be able to talk again . ”\nMeanwhile , Massachusetts Gov . Deval Patrick has asked residents to observe a moment of silence at 2:50 p.m. Monday , the time the first of two bombs exploded near the finish line . Bells will ring across the city and state afterward .\nThe most serious charge available to federal prosecutors would be the use of a weapon of mass destruction to kill people , which carries a possible death sentence . Massachusetts does not have the death penalty .\nDavis also said Sunday authorities believe the suspects also were likely planning other attacks based on the cache of weapons uncovered during the Thursday night shootout , calling the stockpile `` as dangerous as it gets in urban policing . ''\n`` We have reason to believe , based upon the evidence that was found at that scene -- the explosions , the explosive ordnance that was unexploded and the firepower that they had -- that they were going to attack other individuals , '' Davis said Sunday on CBS ' `` Face the Nation . '' `` That 's my belief at this point . ''\nDavis added on `` ███ Sunday '' that authorities can not be positive there are n't more explosives that have n't been found , but the people of Boston are safe .\nAlso Sunday , a lawyer for the wife of Tamerlan Tsarnaev said federal authorities have asked to speak with his client as part of their investigation .\nAuthorities went to the suburban Rhode Island home of Tsarnaev 's in-laws Sunday evening , where Katherine Russell Tsarnaev has been staying . Lawyer Amato DeLuca tells The Associated Press that she did not speak with them , and they are discussing how to proceed .\nThe twin bombings killed three people and wounded at least 176 .\nPatrick told NBC on Sunday that surveillance video clearly puts Dzhokhar Tsarnaev at the scene of the attack .\n`` It does seem to be pretty clear that this suspect took the backpack off , put it down , did not react when the first explosion went off and then moved away from the backpack in time for the second explosion , '' Patrick said . `` It 's pretty clear about his involvement and pretty chilling , frankly .\nAccording to media accounts , Tsarnaev and his brother , Tamerlan , were Muslims who recently gravitated to a radical strain of Islam , going so far as to post Anti-American , jihadist videos on social-media sites . Both are thought to have as-yet-unprobed ties to a radical Muslim cleric hellbent on the destruction of the American way of life .\nA day-long dragnet for Tsarnaev ended Friday , with police capturing the suspect covered in blood and hiding in a boat in the backyard of a man who called 911 after becoming suspicious of activity on his property .\n`` We got him , '' Boston Mayor Tom Menino tweeted moments later , as neighbors gathered to form a gauntlet of cheers while a phalanx of police cars departed the scene .\nPolice moved in on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Friday evening after a tip led them to the home on Franklin Street .\nNeighbors said they heard more than 30 shots likened to `` a roll of firecrackers shooting off . '' Police swarmed the scene , and several explosions , possibly police concussion grenades , were heard after a robot moved in on the boat . Less than two hours later , at about 9 p.m. , the suspect , believed to have been injured in a wild shootout that spanned Thursday night to Friday morning , was being taken to Beth Israel Hospital .\nNo police were injured when shots were fired by the boat .\nSources told ███ the shed and the boat had been searched earlier , but a local man noticed a door to it had been opened , saw blood on the tarp and called police .\n`` It was a call from a resident of Watertown , '' Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau said . `` We got that call , and we got the guy . ''\nDavis said Tsarnaev was in serious condition and was found `` covered with blood . '' He did not come out from inside the boat willingly , despite the efforts of negotiators , Davis said .\n`` We assume that those injuries came from the gunfire the night before , '' Davis said .\nHe also said Tsarnaev did not have any explosives with him when he was taken into custody .\n`` I , and I think all of the law enforcement officials , are hoping for a host of reasons the suspect survives , '' Patrick said after a ceremony at Fenway Park to honor the victims and survivors of the attack Saturday . `` We have a million questions , and those questions need to be answered . ''\nThe hiding place was found just moments after police said their hunt for Tsarnaev , one of two radical Muslim brothers suspected in Monday 's attack , had gone cold and urged people to `` go about your business . ''\nShortly after the capture was announced , Watertown residents poured out of their homes and lined the streets to cheer police vehicles as they rolled away from the scene .\nCelebratory bells rang from a church tower . Teenagers waved American flags . Drivers honked . Every time an emergency vehicle went by , people cheered loudly .\n`` Tonight , our family applauds the entire law enforcement community for a job well done , and trust that our justice system will now do its job , '' said the family of 8-year-old Martin Richard , who died in the bombing .\nEarly in the day , police told residents of several city neighborhoods , especially Watertown , to stay inside . School was canceled , bus and train service suspended and people were even told not to venture out for work . But those restrictions were lifted at the news briefing Friday night about 15 minutes before the gunshots were heard .\nThe boat Tsarnaev hid under was just outside the tight perimeter where Black Hawk helicopters patrolled the sky and police went door-to-door hunting for him , police said . Police say he and his older brother placed the deadly bombs , at least one of which was made from a pressure cooker packed with explosives and shrapnel , at the race , killing three and injuring more than 180 . The sibling suspects are from Dagestan , a province in Russia that borders Chechnya , but have been in the U.S. for as much as a decade ..\nOn Thursday night , hours after the radicalized Muslims were fingered by the FBI and their images circulated around the world , they killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer and carjacked an SUV from a man who later escaped . The brothers led police on a chase through city streets that included a wild shootout that saw some 200 shots fired and the suspects hurling pipe bombs from the SUV . Bizarrely , police discounted earlier reports that the brothers had robbed a 7/11 , saying although it had been robbed , and they had been caught on surveillance video , they were not the robbers .\nThe pursuit went into Watertown , where Tamerlan Tsarnaev , 26 , was shot several times in the gunfight . But Dzhokhar Tsarnaev somehow slipped away , running over his already wounded brother as he fled by car , according to two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity . Tamerlan Tsarnaev was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Hospital Deaconess Medical Center Friday morning . But at some point following the shootout and car chase , the younger brother fled by foot , according to State Police , who said Friday night they do n't believe he now has access to a car .\nDuring the pursuit , a MBTA transit police officer was seriously injured and transported to the hospital , according to a news release . He was identified as Richard H. Donahue Jr. , 33 , and was at Mount Auburn Hospital in critical but stable condition .\nThe suspects ' bloody rampage claimed the life of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier , 26 , who was found shot to death in his squad car at 10:20 p.m. Thursday in what Davis termed a `` vicious assassination . ''\nMoments after the shooting , the brothers carjacked the Mercedes SUV from Third Street in Cambridge and forced the driver to stop at several bank machines to withdraw money . The driver later told police that the brothers had bragged to him that they were the marathon bombers , law enforcement authorities said .\n“ The guy was very lucky that they let him go , ” Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio said .\nIt was when police were working to activate the tracking device on the stolen SUV , that other patrol officers spotted it in nearby Watertown , touching off the dramatic chase .\nFBI Special Agent Rick Deslauriers said Friday night the FBI pored though thousands of tips , and chased down countless leads in the intense probe following the terror attack on Monday .\n`` This was a truly intense investigation , '' Deslauriers said . `` As a result of that , justice is being served for each of the victims of these crimes . ''
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Story highlights A Russian lawmaker says Russia will not push Snowden out\nSnowden wants to return home , but he wants protection from prosecution\nEdward Snowden may stay in Russia longer than first thought .\nSnowden has said the time is n't right for him to return to the United States , where he could face criminal charges for leaking classified information . Russia gave him asylum for a year .\nNow Russia says it will continue to extend asylum protections to Snowden and wo n't send him back home .\nThat word came Friday from Alexy Pushkov , a legislator who is head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Duma , Russia 's lower house . He spoke about Snowden at the World Economic Forum in Davos , Switzerland .\nRussia 's position basically buys Snowden more time as he mulls his next move .\nJUST WATCHED Edward Snowden responds to CNN Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Edward Snowden responds to CNN 01:45\nJUST WATCHED A DOJ deal for Edward Snowden ? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH A DOJ deal for Edward Snowden ? 04:56\nJUST WATCHED Atty Gen. Holder discusses Snowden case Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Atty Gen. Holder discusses Snowden case 01:36\nSnowden has said he wants to return home but also wants whistle-blower protection . The U.S. government , meanwhile , says it will not offer clemency .\nIn an online chat Thursday , Snowden said that returning to the U.S. `` is the best resolution for all parties , '' but `` it 's unfortunately not possible in the face of current whistle-blower protection laws . ''\nHe pointed out that the U.S. government 's Whistleblower Protection Act does n't cover someone like him , a former government contractor .\n`` There are so many holes in the laws , the protections they afford are so weak , and the processes for reporting they provide are so ineffective that they appear to be intended to discourage reporting of even the clearest wrongdoing , '' he wrote . `` ... My case clearly demonstrates the need for comprehensive whistle-blower protection act reform . ''\nSnowden offered his remarks from Russia , where he 's been since June , having been granted a one-year asylum . Pushkov 's remarks appear to open the door to an extension of that asylum .\nThe U.S. government has n't stayed silent on his case , either .\nOn Thursday , around the time that Snowden was answering questions online , Attorney General Eric Holder said that `` if Mr. Snowden wanted to come back to the United States and enter a plea , we would engage with his lawyers . ''\nThe government would take the same tack with anyone willing to plead guilty , Holder said at an event at the University of Virginia 's Miller Center .\nBut in Snowden 's case , the attorney general insisted , `` Clemency is n't something that we ( are ) willing to consider . ''
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Sen. John McCain said Thursday he is worried about a court 's ruling Thursday against the National Security Agency 's phone records collection program , as he believes the United States needs to have the ability to monitor communications . `` It is clear that 9/11 could have been prevented if we had known about the communications , '' the Arizona Republican , who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee , told Fox News . `` We have to have that capability . `` Earlier in the day , a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S . Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled that the bulk collection of Americans ' phone records by the government exceeds what Congress has allowed.The panel permitted the National Security Agency program to continue temporarily as it exists , and urged Congress to better define where the boundaries exist.McCain said it 's important to preserve privacy and not overstep , and `` from time to time the government has done that , '' but still there should be a balance . `` We have to understand this threat , and people seem to have forgotten 9/11 , '' the senator said . `` People do n't understand there are thousands of young people all over the world who are motivated by this radical brand of Islam , which is our enemy . `` McCain pointed out that the Islamic State ( ISIS ) is recruiting people through the Internet . `` It is clear as long as ISIS continues to be perceived as proceeding , they are going to be attracting young men ... who want to go over and fight , '' said McCain . `` Throughout Europe , they have had hundreds of and thousands fighting for them . In the fighting in Iraq , the best fighters for ISIS were foreigners . So look , it is a huge challenge because of the penetration and ability of social media to bring and motivate young people to commit acts of terror and/or flock to Syria or Iraq to fight . Then they come back [ here ] . `` McCain also spoke about a government waste report he has presented with Sen. Tom Coburn , R-Oklahoma , that reveals some of the largest spending problems , including $ 15,000 for the EPA to study emissions from backyard barbecues ; $ 30,000 for Vermont puppet shows , and more.But those pale to the billions that are wasted in the Pentagon , said McCain , where overspending is `` our highest priority to eliminate . ''\nAt the Pentagon , `` we have duplicated staff , and we have staffs that are four and five times larger than they were during the Vietnam War , '' said McCain . `` We have to get rid of the duplicate ways in the Pentagon and get rid of sequestration because it is destroying our ability to fund the nation . ''
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Alexander said on Capitol Hill that the two roles shouldn ’ t be divorced . | John Shinkle/███ NSA director defends surveillance\nControversial surveillance practices that spilled into public view through a series of dramatic leaks last week have helped to avert “ dozens of terrorist events ” in recent years , National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander told a Senate committee Wednesday .\nHowever , the longer the NSA director spoke before the Senate Appropriations Committee , the less clear it became just which surveillance programs he was crediting for those successes .\nHis answer came in response to a question from Sen. Patrick Leahy ( D-Vt. ) about call-tracking surveillance conducted under Patriot Act Section 215 .\nAlexander said it was difficult to segregate information obtained under that provision from another practice disclosed by leak last week : a system that gathers bulk data from internet providers , e-mail services and social media sites . That system is aimed at foreigners outside the United States , though it sometimes data from Americans or foreigners on U.S. soil is swept in as well .\n“ These authorities complement each other . The reality is , they work together , ” said Alexander .\nIt was also not clear whether Alexander was attributing the prevention of dozens of terrorist events to the phone-call tracking program or to the use of Section 215 more generally . Beyond the mass collection of phone records revealed last week , that provision can be used to acquire a variety of business records .\n“ Clearly , this authority is being used for something more than phone records , ” Sen. Dick Durbin ( D-Ill. ) said .\nHowever , Alexander made it clear there are limits to the NSA ’ s surveillance\nSen. Susan Collins ( R-Maine ) asked whether it was true that the NSA had the ability to tap into Americans ’ phone calls and electronic communications .\n“ False . I know of no way to do that , ” Alexander responded .\nThe NSA chief , who is also a four-star Army general who oversees the U.S. Cyber Command , said he is pressing to declassify information on how often the information has been useful . “ I ’ m pushing for that , ” he said . “ We do want to get this right and it has to be vetted across the community so what we give you , you know , is accurate . ”\nLeahy complained that the intelligence community has been dismissive of past congressional efforts to rein in the practices .\nThe “ intelligence community has told us we obviously don ’ t have the ability as simple senators to know things as well as you do , ” Leahy said , paraphrasing what he ’ s been told about NSA ’ s programs as : “ Congress shouldn ’ t tinker with it at all . We should simply trust you . ”\nThe Senate hearing was called to address efforts to protect Americans from cyber attacks , but it took less than an hour for senators to turn their focus to the question of government surveillance .\nAt the outset of the session , Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski ( D-Md . ) encouraged her colleagues to put off questions about the hot surveillance issues to other hearings to take place in the future . Multiple times she interrupted their questions of Alexander about domestic surveillance to plead with them to put off questions on the phone records programs .\n“ In the last several days , many intelligence issues have been in the press…I understand that these are issues that are very much on the public ’ s mind and members of the Senate , ” Mikulski said . “ That ’ s not today . That ’ s for another day . ”\nHowever , Mikulski was clearly sensitive to suggestions she was trying to steer the hearing away from the surveillance issues that have dominated the news in recent days . She publicly took exception to a BuzzFeed reporter ’ s tweet saying Mikulski was “ trying hard ” to keep other senators from delving into the data mining issue\n” There is no attempt here to muzzle — stifle any senator from asking any line of question , ” Mikulski insisted .\nWhile he wasn ’ t immediately asked about the revelations of phone-call tracking and Web surveillance aimed at foreigners , Alexander used part of his opening statement to defend his workforce as respectful of privacy .
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NSA leaker Edward Snowden 's effort to evade prosecution in the U.S. took a turn toward Latin America Friday after the Presidents of Venezuela and Nicaragua announced they were prepared to grant NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden asylum .\nAlthough there were no concrete details from Presidents Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua or Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela , it is believed that they are the first offers of asylum that Snowden has received since he requested asylum in several countries , including Nicaragua and Venezuela .\n`` As head of state , the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young American Edward Snowden so that he can live ( without ) ... persecution from the empire , '' President Maduro said , referring to the United States . He made the offer during a speech marking the anniversary of Venezuela 's independence . It was not immediately clear if there were any conditions to Venezuela 's offer .\nIn Nicaragua , Ortega said he was willing to make the same offer `` if circumstances allow it . '' Ortega did n't say what the right circumstances would be when he spoke during a speech in Managua .\nHe said the Nicaraguan embassy in Moscow received Snowden 's application for asylum and that it is studying the request .\n`` We have the sovereign right to help a person who felt remorse after finding out how the United States was using technology to spy on the whole world , and especially its European allies , '' Ortega said .\nMaduro made the asylum offer during a speech marking the anniversary of Venezuela 's independence . It was not immediately clear if there were any conditions to Venezuela 's offer .\nBut his critics said Maduro 's decision is nothing but an attempt to veil the current undignified conditions of Venezuela , including one of the world 's highest inflation rates and a shortage of basic products such as toilet paper .\n`` The asylum does n't fix the economic disaster , the record inflation , an upcoming devaluation ( of the currency ) , and the rising crime rate , '' Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles said in his Twitter account . Maduro beat Capriles in April 's presidential election , but Capriles has not recognized defeat and has called it an electoral fraud .\nThe White House on Friday refused to comment on the asylum offers , referring questions on the matter to the U.S. Justice Department , according to Reuters .\nThe offers came a day after left-wing South American leaders gathered to denounce the rerouting of Bolivian President Evo Morales ' plane in Europe earlier this week amid reports that Snowden might have been aboard .\nSpain on Friday said it had been warned along with other European countries that Snowden , a former U.S. intelligence worker , was aboard the Bolivian presidential plane , an acknowledgement that the manhunt for the fugitive leaker had something to do with the plane 's unexpected diversion to Austria .\nIt is unclear whether the United States , which has told its European allies that it wants Snowden back , warned Madrid about the Bolivian president 's plane . U.S. officials will not detail their conversations with European countries , except to say that they have stated the U.S. 's general position that it wants Snowden back .\nPresident Obama has publicly displayed a relaxed attitude toward Snowden 's movements , saying last month that he would n't be `` scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker . ''\nBut the drama surrounding the flight of Bolivian President Evo Morales , whose plane was abruptly rerouted to Vienna after apparently being denied permission to fly over France , suggests that pressure is being applied behind the scenes .\nSpanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told Spanish National Television that `` they told us that the information was clear , that he was inside . ''\nHe did not identify who `` they '' were and declined to say whether he had been in contact with the U.S . But he said that European countries ' decisions were based on the tip . France has since sent a letter of apology to the Bolivian government .\nMeanwhile , secret-spilling website WikiLeaks said that Snowden , who is still believed to be stuck in a Moscow airport 's transit area , had put in asylum applications to six new countries .\nThe organization said in a message posted to Twitter on Friday that it would n't be identifying the countries involved `` due to attempted U.S . interference . '' They also called for “ all strong countries ” in the Union of South American Nations to offer Snowden asylym .\nA number of countries have already rejected asylum applications from Snowden .
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Soon after he won the White House , President Obama declared to the world , “ The interests that we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart. ” It was a hopeful sentiment , one aimed at reversing a conflict-based way of thinking that had long pervaded American politics and foreign policy .\nYet an us-versus-them mentality seems to have been par for the course among US spy agencies , starting long before the Obama era . Revelations by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden allege that the NSA tapped the cellphones of as many as 35 world leaders , even German Chancellor Angela Merkel , a close ally .\nThe excuses for this high-level spying do not fit the normal “ everybody does it ” rationale among nations . Electronic snooping of an ally ’ s personal phone is particularly invasive and unnecessary . It hints at paranoia and pessimism run amuck , even in a post-9/11 threat environment . It harks back to the days of Watergate and McCarthyism .\nAs Mr. Obama now tries to restore trust in the United States , he must tell his security officials to be careful in not accepting the view that all people should be pigeonholed into a class or grouping , such as friend or foe . That can easily lead to an oversimplified , black-and-white mode of operation that creates enemies more imagined than real . And it certainly does not reflect Obama ’ s view that humans share more interests than the forces that drive them apart .\nHuman beings are too complex and varied to be stuffed into a label that is then considered determinative of how they will behave . Men are not always from Mars , for example , nor women from Venus . A person ’ s identity lies in individual qualities of thought , not an assemblage of perceptions about them in a mass grouping based on past behavior .\nSifting people into categories is a way to polarize them by “ the other ” and set everyone up for conflict . While much of written history assumes that change comes out of conflicts over differences – barbarian versus civilized , Christians versus Muslim , women versus men – the fact is that progress has been achieved more through cooperation than by contention .\n“ Human relations are ... about blending , borrowing , interacting , and interconnecting , ” says British historian David Cannadine . “ A divided past is in fact only part of the human story . It may be the one that makes the headlines , but , arguably , it ’ s not the only one and it ’ s probably not the most important one either . ”\nJournalists are particularly prone to typecast people by gender , social class , religion , nationality , or even race and ethnicity , a tendency made stronger as the news business struggles to retain audiences . Such an unexamined bias , for example , has led more TV news stations to compartmentalize themselves into liberal ( MSNBC ) and conservative ( Fox News ) , even though Americans tend to mix and match their political views .\nMost people prefer to affirm their individuality while discovering and building their common humanity . They don ’ t see the world as only a “ clash of civilizations ” or a Manichaean struggle between good and evil .\nLanguage by its very nature tends toward labels . That tendency , while helpful at times , can often mislead .\nGet the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox . By signing up , you agree to our Privacy Policy\nAs Obama now seeks to change how US intelligence agencies select targets for surveillance , he must insist they resist the “ impulse ... to sunder all the peoples of the world into belligerent collectivities , ” as historian Mr. Cannadine states . A balanced view is needed by taking into account people ’ s commonalities as well as their contrasts .\n“ I note the obvious differences between each form and type , ” wrote poet Maya Angelou . “ But we are more alike , my friends , than we are unalike . ”
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The National Security Agency is the U.S. government 's primary eavesdropping agency . It intercepts , decodes , and analyzes foreign communications — such as emails , telephone calls , and other `` signals intelligence . '' The Fort Meade , Md.–based agency , which has an annual budget of about $ 10 billion and employs some 40,000 people , has long carried out this mission in the shadows . But a series of leaks by former agency contractor Edward Snowden has revealed the stunning scale of its global surveillance operation . It 's now known that the NSA scoops up and stores billions of internet communications and cellphone records from the U.S. and around the world every day , which can then be studied by the agency 's legion of code breakers , data miners , and counterterrorism specialists . When President Obama receives his daily intelligence briefing , `` at least 75 percent '' comes from the NSA 's cyberspies , said Mike McConnell , director of national intelligence under President George W. Bush .\nIt was set up by President Truman in 1952 to consolidate the military 's jumble of code-breaking operations into a single , powerful agency capable of cracking the Soviet Union 's communications . The NSA , whose existence remained classified for decades , quickly became the intelligence community 's crown jewel . It ringed the USSR with 100-foot-tall , 1,000-foot-wide antennas that intercepted wireless signals as they bounced between the earth and the ionosphere . It stationed spy ships in the seas , and sent reconnaissance planes and satellites into the skies . Very quickly , the sheer volume of information harvested by the NSA dwarfed the `` human intelligence '' gathered by CIA agents in the field . `` The CIA is good at stealing a memo off a prime minister 's desk , '' said one former NSA director . `` They 're not much good at anything else . ''\nAt times , enormously so . The NSA was the first agency to spot Soviet missiles in Cuba in 1962 . It provided advance warning of China 's first nuclear bomb test in 1964 , and its monitoring of Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev 's limousine telephone gave American negotiators crucial inside information during arms limitation talks in 1972 . But NSA intercepts also led to some colossal blunders . In August 1964 , the agency reported that U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin had been attacked by North Vietnamese boats twice in three days . But the second attack , used by President Johnson to justify an escalation of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War , never occurred . The NSA had overheard North Vietnamese radio operators discussing the first battle , and misinterpreted it as a live combat report . `` It was one of the greatest intelligence mistakes in history , '' said Matthew Aid , author of the NSA history The Secret Sentry .\nYes , though these efforts are sometimes of dubious legality . From the '50s to the early '70s , the NSA operated a program called `` Shamrock '' that saw U.S. telegram companies hand over up to 150,000 messages a month — including many telegrams from ordinary Americans — which agency analysts studied for evidence of Soviet spying . Under Presidents Johnson and Nixon , the NSA worked with the FBI and CIA to monitor the communications of civil rights leaders and anti-war protesters , including Martin Luther King Jr. and Jane Fonda , as well as members of Congress . The exposure of those programs by Idaho Sen. Frank Church led Congress to enact the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 1978 , which created a secret court to hear warrant requests from intelligence services .\nThe attacks forced the NSA to adapt to the digital age . After Sept. 11 , 2001 , embarrassed the nation 's intelligence community , NSA officials launched a massive effort to capture , store , and analyze emails , texts , and online chats and videos used by terrorist networks . `` They took on a new mission that required sifting vast amounts of data to find a few important signals , '' said Stewart Baker , a former senior Homeland Security official . The NSA ordered America 's largest telecom firms and internet service providers to hand over raw data as it transited their networks . It tapped directly into the fiber-optic cables that constitute the internet 's nervous system , and recruited scores of Silicon Valley experts — including Max Kelly , Facebook 's former chief security officer — to help it navigate the new digital landscape .\nThe agency says it `` touches '' 1.6 percent of all traffic being carried on the internet — about 29.2 petabytes of communication data a day . That 's the equivalent of collecting all the text held in the Library of Congress 2,990 times every day . Intelligence officials argue that these intercepts have provided crucial insights into Iran 's nuclear weapons program , aided the U.S. military 's operations in Iraq and Libya , and helped disrupt dozens of potential terrorist attacks around the world . But some former employees claim the NSA 's ability to collect data is now outpacing its ability to analyze it . `` Despite all this collection , the NSA missed the Boston bombing , the underwear bomber , and the Times Square bomber , '' said James Bamford , a historian of the NSA . `` The problem is the bigger you build the haystack , the harder it is to find the needle . ''\nThe NSA has mastered the art of collecting vast amounts of communications data . It now has somewhere to store it . Last year , the agency opened a $ 1.7 billion data center in the Utah desert , which houses 100,000 square feet of high-performance servers . The computers use 65 megawatts of electricity — about the same as a small city — and generate so much heat that they require 1.5 million gallons of cooling water a day . William Binney , a former NSA technical director turned whistleblower , estimates that the warehouse 's servers can handle five zettabytes of data , which would fill 1.25 trillion DVDs . That means the agency has enough storage to hold `` 100 years ' worth of worldwide communications , [ phone records ] and emails , '' said Binney , `` and then have plenty of space left over to do any kind of parallel processing to try to break codes . ''
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Iran 's latest crackdown on freedom includes lashes and prison for seven young adults who posted a video of themselves dancing to the American pop hit `` Happy '' and a death sentence for a blogger accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad .\nThe seven men and women were arrested in May , but then released after self-professed `` moderate '' President Hassan Rouhani tweeted that the regime should lighten up . But the group was forced nonetheless to apologize on television and endure a trial in which they were convicted and each sentenced to 91 lashes . One was given a full year in prison while the others got six months , although their attorney told Iranwire.com the sentences were suspended .\n“ A suspended sentence becomes null and void after a certain period of time , ” attorney Farshid Rofugaran said . For the Happy Group , that period will be three years . “ When it ’ s a suspended sentence , the verdict is not carried out , but if during this period a similar offense is committed , then the accused is subject to legal punishment and the suspended sentence will then be carried out as well . ”\nThe video was part of a global campaign launched by pop star Pharrell Williams and was viewed by more than 100,000 people on YouTube . The six who appeared on the video and a man who shot the footage apologized and said they had been tricked into doing it . After the confession , they were released on bail .\n“ We can accept the verdict or appeal , ” said Rofugaran , adding that his clients are not banned from leaving the country .\nMeanwhile , the ultimate penalty was handed down to Soheil Arabi , a blogger found guilty of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in his postings on Facebook . The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported that Arabi will be able to appeal the decision .\nRevolutionary Guard agents arrested Arabi , 30 , and his wife last November . Arabi 's wife was released a few hours later , but Arabi was kept in solitary confinement for two months inside the notorious Evin Prison before being found guilty of “ sabb al-nabi ” ( insulting the Prophet ) , on Aug. 30 .\n“ Soheil had eight Facebook pages under different names , and he was charged with insulting the Imams and the Prophet because of the contents of those pages . He has accepted his charges , but throughout the trial , he stated that he wrote the material without thinking and in poor psychological condition , ” a source told the Campaign .
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Perhaps taking a page out of the president ’ s political handbook , Washington state ’ s Democratic governor has announced he is placing a moratorium on state executions . No one on death row will be executed during his tenure , he said today at a press conference ; but no one convicted of murder will be released or have their sentences commuted , either . The AP reports :\nGov . Jay Inslee said Tuesday he was suspending the use of the death penalty in Washington state , announcing a move that he hopes will enable officials to `` join a growing national conversation about capital punishment . '' The Democrat said he came to the decision after months of review , meetings with family members of victims , prosecutors and law enforcement . `` There have been too many doubts raised about capital punishment , there are too many flaws in this system today , '' Inslee said at a news conference . `` There is too much at stake to accept an imperfect system . '' Inslee said that the use of the death penalty is inconsistent and unequal . The governor 's staff briefed lawmakers about the move on Monday night and Tuesday morning . Inslee 's moratorium , which will be in place for as long as he is governor , means that if a death penalty case comes to his desk , he will issue a reprieve , which is n't a pardon and does n't commute the sentences of those condemned to death . `` During my term , we will not be executing people , '' said Inslee , who was elected in 2012 . `` Nobody is getting out of prison , period . ''\nOpposing capital punishment on principle is a perfectly legitimate position to take . But does the governor have the legal or judicial authority to unilaterally postpone a state execution ? It seems he does . In fact , one sweeping power vested in the state 's chief executive ( besides , of course , the ability to pardon an offender if he so chooses ) is issuing a “ reprieve , ” which would temporarily save a death row inmate from being executed , according to the Seattle Times :\nAccording to the state Attorney General ’ s website , “ Under RCW 10.01.120 , the Governor has the authority to commute a death sentence to life in prison at hard labor and , upon a petition from the offender , to pardon the offender . A commutation is generally defined as a lessening of the criminal penalty , whereas a pardon is often defined as the termination of the criminal penalty. ” The Attorney General ’ s Office also said that the governor “ has the power to issue a reprieve ( also called a stay of execution or a “ respite ” ) to temporarily delay the imposition of a death sentence . A reprieve is to be issued “ for good cause shown , and as the Governor thinks proper. ” “ Washington ’ s Constitution and state statutes grant the governor significant powers over the fate of individuals sentenced to death , ” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement Tuesday morning . “ Consequently , the governor has the authority to hit the ’ pause ’ button for executions in Washington . ”\nEighteen U.S. states have abolished the death penalty . In Washington , however , nine men currently sit on death row .
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This story is adapted from the False Witness newsletter . Sign up to receive it here .\nTwo months after ███ and The New York Times Magazine published a joint investigation that cast doubt on key testimony in a Florida death penalty case , the fate of James Dailey remains uncertain . Dailey was scheduled to be executed on Nov. 7 , 2019 , but he was granted a stay of execution last fall . That stay expired on Dec. 30 . Ever since , as Dailey ’ s attorneys have sought to have his claims of innocence evaluated in state and federal courts , one question has loomed over his case : What will Florida Gov . Ron DeSantis do ?\nDailey remains under an active death warrant — an order that authorizes his execution should the governor set a new date — in a cell that is just 30 feet from Florida ’ s execution chamber .\nDailey and his co-defendant , Jack Pearcy , were convicted of the 1985 murder of 14-year-old Shelly Boggio . Pearcy received a life sentence . Dailey , whose conviction rested largely on the testimony of con man-turned-jailhouse informant Paul Skalnik , was condemned to death .\nGet Email Updates Sign up to get more from Pamela Colloff about her investigation into jailhouse informants and how she reported the story .\nThe ███-Times Magazine investigation found that Skalnik was one of the most prolific , and most effective , jailhouse informants in American history . In the 1980s , he testified or supplied information in at least 37 cases in Pinellas County , Florida , alone . Florida prosecutors put Skalnik on the stand again and again , even though he was notoriously unreliable , and in exchange for his damning testimony , they granted him leniency . Just five days after Dailey was sentenced to death in 1987 , Skalnik was released from jail . Skalnik has always maintained that his testimony in Dailey ’ s trial was truthful and that he did not receive any benefits in return .\nDeSantis can set a new execution date until March 23 , when Dailey ’ s death warrant expires . After that , the governor would have to sign a new warrant before he could set an execution date .\nAcross Florida , newspaper editorial boards and columnists have cited the reporting by ███ and the Times Magazine on Skalnik in expressing their concern about Dailey ’ s possible execution . Tampa Bay Times columnist Daniel Ruth wrote that there would be “ blood on DeSantis ’ hands ” if he allowed Dailey to be put to death . The Orlando Sentinel warned : “ Gov . DeSantis Must Not Be Conned into Executing James Dailey. ” Miami Herald opinion columnist Carl Hiaasen cautioned that “ sending a man to his grave on the worthless word of Paul Skalnik wouldn ’ t be justice . It would be a shameful travesty . ”\n“ It seems clear that the state never had enough real evidence to convict Dailey , so it turned to lies — lies that have come undone , ” wrote The Daytona Beach News-Journal ’ s editorial board .\nDeSantis has indicated that he is waiting for the case to play out in the courts . But over the past several months , the courts have not looked favorably on Dailey ’ s attempts to have his case reconsidered . Dailey ’ s case highlights a strange fact of the criminal justice system : Because the standard for proving actual innocence is incredibly high , judges are often reluctant to overturn convictions even when evidence emerges that casts the original facts of the case into doubt or reveals once-incriminating testimony to be far more ambiguous .\nIn December , U.S. District Judge William F. Jung rejected a request from Dailey ’ s federal attorneys for an indefinite stay of execution so that they could pursue his innocence claims . “ A thorough review shows the state ’ s trial case against James Dailey was not strong , but it was sufficient , ” Jung wrote .\nAfter Jung ’ s decision , Dailey ’ s federal attorneys requested permission from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to file an additional federal habeas petition in which they asked that his claims of innocence be considered . But they were rebuffed in a ruling on Jan. 30 .\nRead More He ’ s a Liar , a Con Artist and a Snitch . His Testimony Could Soon Send a Man to His Death . Paul Skalnik has a decadeslong criminal record and may be one of the most prolific jailhouse informants in U.S. history . The state of Florida is planning to execute a man based largely on his word .\nIn a remarkable footnote to the ruling , Chief Judge Ed Carnes acknowledged that Skalnik ’ s testimony at Dailey ’ s trial was likely false . “ The layout of the jail where Dailey was housed and the procedures in place for prisoners in protective custody , like Skalnik , establish that Dailey could not have confessed to Skalnik in the way Skalnik said he did , ” Carnes wrote . “ And other evidence indicates Skalnik lied about other matters during the trial . ”\nBut neither Skalnik ’ s lies , nor other evidence Dailey ’ s lawyers presented to the 11th Circuit , ultimately mattered . “ Dailey ’ s new evidence , at most , casts some degree of doubt on some of the testimony the State presented at trial , ” Carnes wrote . “ But we are not jurors deciding in the first instance whether the State has proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt . We are a court of appeals deciding more than 30 years after a murder whether the inmate who was convicted of it , and whose conviction has been upheld at every turn for three decades , has shown a reasonable likelihood of meeting the ‘ extraordinarily high ’ burden of making a ‘ truly persuasive demonstration ’ that he is actually innocent . Dailey has not done that . ”\nCarnes , a former Alabama assistant attorney general , has long been assailed as overzealous in his pursuit of the death penalty — even in cases tainted by racial discrimination that were decided by all-white juries . An Alabama legal journal dubbed him “ Mr . Death Penalty . ”\nDailey ’ s lead federal attorney , Carol Wright , condemned the ruling . “ The court today says that proof of innocence is not enough , ” she wrote in a statement to The Tampa Bay Times . “ The court today says even if the state ’ s theory of the conviction is disproved , if the court can imagine any scenario of guilt however implausible an innocent man can be executed . The system is broken . ”\nThough Dailey ’ s appeals have not made headway in the federal courts , his case is also currently before the 6th Judicial Circuit Court in Clearwater , Florida , and it is there , as the possibility of his execution looms , that his legal team is fighting to have the courts examine his claims of innocence .\nOne of the most compelling issues before the court is an extraordinary new admission from Pearcy . In December , in a meeting with one of Dailey ’ s attorneys , Pearcy signed an affidavit that stated : “ James Dailey had nothing to do with the murder of Shelly Boggio . I committed the crime alone . James Dailey was back at the house when I drove Shelly Boggio to the place where I ultimately killed her . ”\nPearcy has now repeatedly confessed to being solely responsible for the crime for which he was sentenced to life in prison and for which Dailey was sentenced to death .\nJames Dailey at Florida State Prison in November . ( Eli Durst , special to The New York Times Magazine )\nIn 2017 , he signed a sworn affidavit in which he asserted that Dailey was not present when Boggio was killed . But when he was called to the stand the following year to attest to this under oath , he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination . Over the years , Pearcy has given numerous different accounts of the crime — at times blaming Dailey and other times inculpating himself .\nOn Feb. 20 , Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa will consider whether to grant the defense ’ s request for an evidentiary hearing at which Pearcy could be called to testify . Another issue before the judge concerns what prosecutors knew about Skalnik ’ s criminal history when they called him to testify at Dailey ’ s trial .\nAs the ███-Times Magazine investigation revealed , Skalnik was arrested in 1982 and charged — but never prosecuted — with “ lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under 14 , ” after a 12-year-old girl said he assaulted her . The state attorney ’ s office ultimately dropped the charge against him and continued to use him as a jailhouse informant . Once the charge was dropped , Skalnik was able to portray himself to jurors as a far more innocuous figure than he actually was .\nThis was true at Dailey ’ s trial , as well . When Skalnik was cross-examined in that trial , one of Dailey ’ s attorneys pressed him about his criminal history , asking , “ How bad were your charges ? ”\nSkalnik was quick to reply : “ They were grand theft , counselor , not murder , not rape , no physical violence in my life. ” He never mentioned his arrest for the molestation charge .\nProsecutors did not object to this characterization . In fact , they doubled down on the idea that Skalnik was morally superior to the man who sat at the defense table . “ There is a hierarchy over in that jail , just like in life , ” prosecutor Beverly Andrews said in closing arguments , drawing a distinction between Skalnik ’ s theft charges and the murder charge that Dailey faced . “ Some crimes , ” she added , “ are worse than others . ”\nDid the prosecutors who tried Dailey — Andrews and Robert Heyman — know about Skalnik ’ s molestation charge , but not disclose it to jurors ? Both have strenuously denied any wrongdoing .\nLast month , Dailey ’ s attorneys filed a motion with the 6th Judicial Circuit Court alleging that Heyman “ was aware of the sexual assault charges previously faced by Skalnik and dismissed by his office. ” They pointed to handwritten notes the state attorney ’ s office turned over in a separate capital case in which Skalnik testified . The notes appeared to be from Dailey ’ s trial and referenced the testimony of a Pinellas County sheriff ’ s detective , John Halliday , about Skalnik . Next to Skalnik ’ s name , the words “ sex assault ” had been crossed out .\nA reproduction of notes James Dailey ’ s lawyers submitted as part of a January court filing .\nDailey ’ s attorneys had suspected that the notes belonged to Heyman , who questioned the detective during Dailey ’ s trial . According to the motion they filed , Heyman said the notes were his in a January interview with ABC News that has not yet aired .\n“ Mr . Heyman was apparently prepared to ask Halliday about Skalnik ’ s prior sexual assault charge , but , after Skalnik ’ s false testimony regarding his criminal history , Mr. Heyman did not , ” Dailey ’ s attorneys assert in the motion . “ The State permitted Skalnik ’ s false testimony about his criminal history to stand uncorrected. ” ( The state has not filed a response thus far . )\nDailey ’ s attorneys have previously argued that jurors could not fairly assess Skalnik ’ s credibility as a witness without knowing his full criminal history . Heyman ’ s admission allowed them to make a powerful new argument : that the prosecution not only knew Skalnik had misrepresented his history , but then let that mischaracterization stand and bolstered his testimony with representations that he was merely a thief . In doing so , Dailey ’ s attorneys allege , Heyman “ perpetrated a fraud on the court. ” In light of that , they argue , the 6th Judicial Circuit Court should vacate Dailey ’ s conviction and death sentence .\nIf Siracusa grants the defense ’ s request for an evidentiary hearing , Heyman could be called to testify .\nDailey ’ s attorneys have also filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court , asking its justices to review the Florida Supreme Court ’ s refusal to consider Pearcy ’ s 2017 sworn affidavit . An unlikely coalition of groups has filed amicus curiae briefs . These “ friend of the court ” filings — submitted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops , eight former and current prosecutors and Conservatives Concerned About The Death Penalty — ask the nation ’ s highest court to review Dailey ’ s case .\n“ Generally , the weaker the prosecution ’ s case , the stronger the likelihood that prosecutors will resort to using jailhouse informant testimony , ” the prosecutors wrote . “ Because informant testimony is inherently unreliable , prosecutors have an obligation to present an accurate and complete picture of the benefits received so that jurors can consider in context the credibility to which the testimony is entitled . The evidence unveiled after Mr. Dailey ’ s trial about the jailhouse informants and their motives to testify stands in stark contrast to that presented during trial , thus undermining any confidence in the jury ’ s verdict . ”\nAs the courts sort out what will happen next , Dailey remains on “ death watch , ” steps away from the execution chamber .
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Several thousand prisoners in California may be eligible to apply for sentence reductions , after voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative Tuesday that alters the state 's controversial three-strikes law .\nBut voters also rejected a proposition that would abolish the death penalty in the state . Proposition 34 would have replaced capital punishment with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole .\n`` I guess the next step , then , is to start executing these monsters that exist on death row , '' says Mark Klass , the father of Polly Klass , a 12-year-old girl who was brutally kidnapped , raped and murdered in 1993 .\nKlass says he 's relieved that the man convicted of the crime will remain on death row . `` They understand that for that worst 2 percent of murders — those individuals who kill little children , who kill police officers , who are serial killers , who are mass murderers , who are psychopathic and show absolutely no remorse — those are the individuals that we can do without , '' Klass says .\nMore than 700 inmates are currently on California 's death row , and 14 of them have now exhausted all of their legal appeals . It 's still unclear , however , when executions would resume in California .\nFormer Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti had joined with the ACLU and a former head warden of San Quentin prison to try to abolish the state 's death penalty . He says both sides agree that the death penalty does not serve as a crime deterrent .\nGarcetti argues that the state has spent $ 4 billion to house death row inmates and pay for their appeals . And though capital punishment still stands , Garcetti says Tuesday 's vote nevertheless shows that Californians increasingly oppose the death penalty .\n`` Look at how many voters in 1978 passed the death penalty law that 's in effect today . That 's 71 percent . Now we 're down to 53 percent in favor of the death penalty , '' Garcetti says . `` They 'll come over , so it 's a matter of time , that 's what it is . ''\nWhile Californians rejected Proposition 34 , they did vote to change the state 's three-strikes law . The revision eliminates the mandatory 25 years-to-life sentence for a third felony , if that crime is nonviolent .\nAs many as 3,000 prisoners could appeal their original sentences in the wake of the vote , which worries Mike Reynolds , the author of the original three-strikes law , adopted in 1994 .\n`` It 's going to destroy the deterrent value of the three-strikes law , '' Reynolds says . `` This is going to bring a lot more bloodshed and a lot more costs to our state in terms of crime and dealing with it . ''\nBut Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley says those fears are unfounded . `` Hordes of people are not going to be released , '' he says . `` Not under this very modest proposal . ''\nCooley says repeat offenders will still have to serve time , but their sentences now will be proportionate to the crime committed . He says that 's a practice L.A. County has already been following successfully for the past 12 years .\n`` Our crime rate 's at a 60-year low here in Los Angeles County , '' Cooley says . `` We 're not clogging our courts with trials of relatively minor , nonserious , nonviolent felonies , and we 're assuring proportionate sentencing based upon the nature of the new offense . ''\n`` Legally speaking , it 's a modest change in the three-strikes law , but politically speaking , it 's a monster change , '' says Adam Gelb , director of the Public Safety Performance Project at the Pew Center on the States .\nGelb says until now , California has had the nation 's harshest three-strikes law . He says the vote to revise it confirms that people are tired of spending money on nonviolent offenders serving long prison sentences .\n`` California helped start this three-strikes trend many years ago , '' Gelb says . `` And this vote to scale it back is going to resonate across the country for years to come . ''\nGelb says this could mean other states will begin to reform their three-strikes laws , too .
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Want the best of ███ News straight to your inbox ? Sign up here .\nThe Trump administration plans to resume federal executions , reversing a 16-year de facto moratorium on the death penalty within the Department of Justice .\nAttorney General William Barr instructed the Federal Bureau of Prisons on Thursday to schedule executions of five death-row inmates , who he said were convicted of “ murdering , and in some cases torturing and raping , the most vulnerable in our society — children and the elderly . '' The federal government has carried out three executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1988 : two in 2001 and one in 2003 .\nBut it ’ s not clear whether the federal government has successfully obtained the drugs required to perform lethal injections in the midst of a nationwide shortage .\n“ Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people ’ s representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the president , ” Barr said in a statement . “ The Department of Justice has sought the death penalty against the worst criminals , including these five murderers , each of whom was convicted by a jury of his peers after a full and fair proceeding . ”\nThursday ’ s announcement bucks a national trend toward phasing out the death penalty entirely . Faced with a shortage of lethal injection drugs , states have tried to experiment with untested cocktails of chemicals — and even kept some of the details secret . But trying to circumvent the shortage has led to botched executions in some instances and lawsuits questioning the humanity of new protocols .\nREAD : The first person is about to be executed with fentanyl — and it 's not Scott Dozier\nAs a result , the number of annual executions has declined in recent years — and public opinion has increasingly swung in favor of doing away with capital punishment entirely .\nSome states have even adjusted their protocols to allow death row inmates to choose alternate methods of execution . Last December , an inmate in Tennessee died by electric chair at his request .\nSixty-two inmates currently wait on federal death row . Among them is Dylann Roof , a white supremacist who killed nine black parishioners when he opened fire on a church in Charleston , South Carolina , in 2015 .\nOnly 25 states still have the death penalty on the books , but just eight states carried out executions in 2018 . So far this year , governors in four states — California , Colorado , Oregon and Pennsylvania — have placed moratoriums on their state ’ s death penalty . New Hampshire also abolished the death penalty entirely in 2019 , just months after Washington , which scrapped capital punishment last October .\nCover image : A table with restraints is shown inside the death chamber at the new lethal injection facility at San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin , Calif. , Tuesday , Sept. 21 , 2010 . ( AP Photo/Eric Risberg )
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Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin , front atop truck , participates with other local celebrities in a protest demanding the resignation of governor Ricardo Rossello in San Juan , Puerto Rico , Monday , July 22 , 2019 . Protesters are demanding Rossello step down for his involvement in a private chat in which he used profanities to describe an ex-New York City councilwoman and a federal control board overseeing the island 's finance . ( AP Photo/Carlos Giusti )\nPuerto Rican singer Ricky Martin , front atop truck , participates with other local celebrities in a protest demanding the resignation of governor Ricardo Rossello in San Juan , Puerto Rico , Monday , July 22 , 2019 . Protesters are demanding Rossello step down for his involvement in a private chat in which he used profanities to describe an ex-New York City councilwoman and a federal control board overseeing the island 's finance . ( AP Photo/Carlos Giusti )\nSAN JUAN , Puerto Rico ( AP ) — Waving flags , chanting and banging pots and pans , tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans jammed a highway Monday to demand the resignation of Gov . Ricardo Rosselló in a crisis triggered by a leak of offensive , obscenity-laden chat messages between him and his advisers .\nThe demonstration appeared to be the biggest protest on the island in nearly two decades .\n“ Finally , the government ’ s mask has fallen , ” said Jannice Rivera , a 43-year-old mechanical engineer who lives in Houston but was born and raised in Puerto Rico and flew in to join the crowds .\nThe protest came 10 days after the leak of 889 pages of online chats in which Rosselló and some of his close aides insulted women and mocked constituents , including victims of Hurricane Maria .\nThe leak has intensified long-smoldering anger in the U.S. territory over persistent corruption and mismanagement by the island ’ s two main political parties , a severe debt crisis , a sickly economy and a slow recovery from Maria , which devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017 .\n“ The people have awakened after so much outrage , ” said 69-year-old retired nurse Benedicta Villegas . “ There are still people without roofs and highways without lights . The chat was the tip of the iceberg . ”\nThe crowd surged along the Americas Expressway despite the punishing heat — toddlers , teenagers , professionals and the elderly , all dripping in sweat and smiling as they waved Puerto Rico flags large and small and hoisted signs .\n“ This is to show that the people respect themselves , ” said Ana Carrasquillo , 26 . “ We ’ ve put up with corruption for so many years . ”\nIn an interview Monday with Fox News , Rosselló said that he will not resign and that he is focused on tackling corruption and helping the island recover from Maria .\n“ I ’ m making amends , ” he said . “ I ’ ve apologized for all the comments that I made on the chat . ”\nOn Sunday evening , Rosselló , a Democrat , sought to calm the unrest by promising not to seek re-election in 2020 or continue as head of his pro-statehood New Progressive Party . That only further angered his critics , who have mounted street demonstrations for more than a week .\n“ The people are not going to go away , ” said Johanna Soto , of the city of Carolina . “ That ’ s what he ’ s hoping for , but we outnumber him . ”\nAsked who was advising Rosselló on staying in office , Rosselló ‘ s secretary of public affairs , Anthony Maceira , said the governor was speaking with his family , and “ that carries a great weight. ” Rosselló ’ s father , Pedro , was governor from 1993 to 2001 .\nThe biggest newspaper in this territory of more than 3 million American citizens , El Nuevo Dia , added to the pressure with the front-page headline : “ Governor , it ’ s time to listen to the people : You have to resign . ”\nAsked whether the governor should step down , President Donald Trump said that Rosselló is a “ terrible ” governor and that hurricane relief money sent to Puerto Rico has been “ squandered , wasted and stolen ” and the island ’ s top leadership is “ totally , grossly incompetent . ”\nThe demonstrations represent the biggest protest movement on the island since Puerto Ricans rallied to put an end to U.S. Navy training on the island of Vieques more than 15 years ago .\nMonday was the 10th consecutive day of protests , and more are being called for later in the week . The island ’ s largest mall , Plaza de las Américas , closed ahead of the protest , as did dozens of other businesses . The upheaval also prompted at least four cruise ships to cancel visits to Puerto Rico .\nThe crisis has stirred fears about the effects on the already fragile economy .\nPuerto Rico is struggling to restructure part of its $ 70 billion in debt under federal supervision and deal with a 13-year recession through school closings , cutbacks in infrastructure maintenance and other austerity measures .\nAt the same time , the island is trying to rebuild from Maria , which caused more than $ 100 billion in damage , threw Puerto Rico into a year-long blackout and left thousands dead , most of them succumbing during the sweltering aftermath .\nThe island has also seen a recent string of arrests of Puerto Rico officials on corruption charges . Those arrested included the former education secretary .
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( CNN ) – The suggestion this week from a top Obama campaign official that Mitt Romney may have committed a felony by listing himself as CEO of Bain Capital after leaving the firm was picked apart Sunday , with Republicans decrying the remark as the worst type of divisive politics and Obama 's team urging its rivals to `` stop whining . ''\nStephanie Cutter , Obama 's deputy campaign manager , originally made the claim Thursday on a conference call .\n`` Either Mitt Romney , through his own words and his own signature was misrepresenting his position at Bain to the SEC , which is a felony , or he was misrepresenting his position at Bain to the American people to avoid responsibility for some of the consequences of his investments , '' Cutter said , responding to a newspaper report that Romney was listed as Bain Capital 's CEO after 1999 , when he has repeatedly said he left the private equity firm .\nThe significance of Romney 's date of departure centers on companies acquired by Bain that later shipped jobs overseas . Romney claims he left the company before those decisions were made , but Democrats point to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that indicate Romney was still listed as the firm 's CEO .\nCutter 's words drew a quick response from Obama 's opponents , who said the suggestion that the presumptive GOP nominee had committed a felony was below the office of the presidency .\nRomney himself said in an interview with CNN on Friday that the charge was `` disgusting '' and `` demeaning , '' and called on Obama and his campaign to apologize .\nEd Gillespie , a senior adviser to Romney , echoed that sentiment on Sunday , saying on CNN the charges reflected a `` say anything '' stance adopted by the president 's campaign .\n`` We now know that this president will say anything to keep this highest office in the land , even if it means demeaning the highest office in the land , '' Gillespie said .\nAnd Kevin Madden , newly appointed to a more senior role on Romney 's team , said on CBS that the felony suggestion was out of line .\n`` I think it is very troubling that the president would direct this campaign to label someone like Gov . Romney , who is a very good and honorable man , as a felon . That 's very troubling , '' Madden said .\nCutter , sitting next to Madden on the CBS set , said she was not calling Romney a felon , but merely stating the Bain documents , if misrepresentative of his role at the company , would amount to a felony . She refused to apologize for the remark .\n`` He 's not going to get an apology , '' Cutter said . `` Just a few months ago in the primary Mitt Romney said to his opponents - who were crushing him at the time – 'stop whining . ' And that 's a good message for the Romney campaign . Instead of whining about what the Obama campaign is saying , just put the facts out there and let people decide rather than trying to hide them . ''\nChicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel , who left his post as Obama 's chief of staff in 2010 to run in the mayoral election , had similar advice for the Republican candidate .\n`` Give it up about Stephanie . Do n't worry about that , '' Emanuel said on ABC . `` What are you going to do when a China president says something about you ? Stop whining . If you want to claim Bain Capital as your calling card for the White House , defend what happened to Bain Capital and what happened to those jobs that went overseas , those jobs that were actually cut and eliminated . ''
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CHARLOTTE , NC - Round two of the 2012 DNC is finally complete , following an interminable stemwinder from former President Bill Clinton . A few thoughts on the evening : Prior to the 10pm ET hour , the convention lineup was wholly unremarkable . Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer both spoke for the second time this week . Why ? These speeches lasted nearly six-and-a-half hours in total . Were retreads necessary ? In any case , we heard from more abortion proponents , several union bosses , and a long list of unremarkable politicians . It was tedious in the extreme , especially the mindless Bain demagoguery . On to my `` prime '' prime-time grades :\nSandra Fluke : D. The thirtysomething recent law grad gave a surly and self-pitying speech about birth control and abortion . This is a young woman whose claim to fame is demanding that the Catholic school she chose to attend be coerced by the federal government to cast aside their beliefs and pay for her `` free '' birth control . She cast herself as a courageous victim , repeatedly knocking Mitt Romney for refusing to stand up for her after Rush Limbaugh called her a name . Absolutely pitiful . Her demagoguery about women `` dying '' under the Romney/Ryan plan was unseemly , crass , and befitting her pathetic 15 minutes of fame . Sandra Fluke may be a hero to some liberals , but I ca n't imagine she has even an ounce of appeal to most average people . Democratic commentator Kirsten Powers was decidedly unimpressed with Fluke 's whole schtick .\nJim Sinegal : N/A . The former CEO of Costco 's job was to convince people that Democrats are good for business . His speech was dull and so unmemorable that I have no meaningful analysis to offer .\nElizabeth Warren : C. The Harvard Law professor led the class warfare fight tonight , as is her wont . We do everything `` together , '' the system 's `` rigged , '' etc . She called ( surprise ! ) for much higher levels of government `` investment '' in practically all imaginable sectors . As the author of the original `` you did n't build that '' riff , her message was characteristic and reprehensible . Her delivery was slightly improved and she remembered to smile -- so marks for that , I guess . Interestingly , Warren did n't mention her `` heritage . '' Weird , right ?\nBill Clinton : B+ . It was good . It should have been shorter . If it had , it would have been significantly better . The former president spoke for 48 minutes ; he was reportedly allotted 20-25 minutes . Clinton made the best case available to Obama backers , basically : Things were really bad , he inherited an impossible problem , he 's done as well as anyone possibly could have , things are starting to get better , he 's a good guy , and he needs more time . This argument rests on the hope that voters will believe that they 're better off under Obama and that his policies have not been counter-productive . Tough sledding , but Clinton 's a word wizard . He spun a compelling yarn . He took a risk , though , by ignoring his own pollsters ' advice by crossing into Obama economy happy talk a little too often . Clinton also engaged in a lot of Republican blaming , slightly leavened by a few kind words about his Republican predecessor and successor . He repeated the `` GOP obstructionism '' trope without any acknowledgement of Democrats ' massive majorities for two full years , nor any recognition that the American people elected Republicans in a landslide in 2010 explicitly to slam the brakes on the Obama agenda . After moving through the ( effective ) heart of his remarks , Clinton decided to play fact-checker-in-chief . This is where he wandered . He addressed a litany of Republican arguments and policies , erecting and destroying straw men along the way . His `` arithmetic , '' as he called it , was tendentious and incomplete . Indeed , he repeated many of the claims FactCheck.org dealt with this morning . He talked , and talked , and talked -- on the economy , on healthcare , on Medicare , on the debt , and on welfare reform ( speaking of which , read this and this ) . His mind is still sharp and his political instincts are still keen , but Clinton strayed from the script too often and overstayed his welcome . Not in this hall , of course . The partisan crowd lapped up every last word . But at home . If his address had been shaved down to 30 or even 35 minutes , it would have been dynamite . It was still quite good . The guy loves to talk , and he 's pretty fun to listen to . In the end , Bill Clinton made the most effective sales pitch for `` four more years '' we 've heard at this convention . Did people stick it out through he whole marathon , or were they watching football ? The image of the night was Obama striding on stage to hug Clinton as the pair basked in the crowd 's adulation . Obama wants voters to almost imagine Clinton as his running mate , thus appropriating the 42nd president 's record and enduring good will . Obama 's counting on Clinton 's decade-old legacy to save him from his own .\nOdds and Ends : The media is eager to move past today 's floor debacle , so they 'll pump a `` back on track , thanks to a masterful Clinton performance ! '' narrative . Clinton salvaged a lackluster 10pm hour ( and session , really ) then dragged it well into the next . Clinton 's star power and strong endorsement certainly helped Obama ; the rest of the night , not so much .
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Mr. Sousa said the group had compiled a fund-raising list of more than a million potential donors ’ email addresses , which it is renting to the Carson campaign . That follows the example set by Ready PAC , formerly known as Ready for Hillary , which spent close to a year building support for Hillary Clinton before she announced her candidacy . It never ran a television ad . ( Nor has Correct the Record , a super PAC founded by David Brock that is focusing exclusively on opposition research and rapid response in Mrs. Clinton ’ s defense . )\nMany super PACs will turn to television soon enough , but even those that have done so already have recognized the need for more than just TV ads .\nNew Day for America , the super PAC supporting Mr. Kasich , is pursuing a highly advanced ground game in partnership with a data-analytics firm , Applecart : The firm says it mines data sources like yearbooks and local news reports to decipher which people have personally influential relationships with sought-after voters . Rather than giving phone-bank callers or canvassers lists of random people to contact , for example , the organizers are assigning each of those volunteers to reach 10 to 20 New Hampshire voters they know personally and convert them into Kasich supporters .\nRight to Rise , the super PAC supporting Mr. Bush , is also starting to pour more money into online messaging , where — unlike on television — its dollars go just as far as the candidate ’ s . All advertisers — campaigns , super PACs , even Frito-Lay — pay the same rates for digital ads .\n“ With TV getting a bit more crowded , we ’ re looking at frequency , ” said Sheena Arora , a digital strategist at Revolution Agency who works with Right to Rise — meaning “ how many times we ’ re hitting individuals across devices. ” The group has been creating a wide range of ads aimed at smartphones , tablets and even Xbox gaming systems .\nNot everyone buys into the changing tactics . Rick Shaftan , who leads the pro-Cruz Courageous Conservatives group , suggested that spending money on field efforts made little sense for his operation . “ This is what I did as field guy : hung out with the volunteers , brought people signs and brought people literature , ” he said . “ That was 1984 . Now we ’ re in a world where it ’ s all different . People can get their own signs . ”
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Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on Sunday threatened Ohio Gov . John Kasich and other Republicans who refuse to support presidential nominee Donald Trump , saying the party may take steps to ensure it ’ s not “ that easy for them ” to seek the White House again .\nSpeaking on CBS ’ “ Face the Nation , ” Mr. Priebus said every Republican who ran in 2016 needs to get behind Mr. Trump .\nThose who haven ’ t — including Mr. Kasich , former Florida Gov . Jeb Bush , and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — could see diminished support from the party moving forward .\n“ People who agreed to support the nominee , that took part in our process , they used tools from the RNC . They agreed to support the nominee . They took part in our process . We ’ re a private party , we ’ re not a public entity . Those people need to get on board , ” Mr. Priebus said .\n“ And if they ’ re thinking they ’ re going to run again someday , I think we ’ re going to evaluate our process , the nomination process , and I don ’ t think it ’ s going to be that easy for them , ” he said .\nMr. Kasich said it ’ s “ very unlikely ” he ’ ll vote for Mr. Trump … “ too much water under the bridge , ” the Ohio governor said in an interview with CNN that aired Friday .\nSEE ALSO : 48 % of Democratic voters say Bernie Sanders should replace Hillary if she drops out of race\nMr. Bush has expressed similar sentiments , and Mr. Cruz famously withheld an endorsement of Mr. Trump during the Republican National Convention and instead told Republicans to “ vote their conscience ” in November .\nMr. Priebus denied that he was threatening Mr. Kasich , Mr. Cruz or anyone else , yet he clearly suggested the party would put roadblocks in front of the electoral hopes of anyone who hasn ’ t offered a full-throated endorsement of Mr. Trump .\n“ People in our party are talking about what we ’ re going to do about this … It ’ s not a threat . It ’ s just a question , ” the RNC chairman said . “ What should a private party do about that if those same people come around in four or eight years ? ”\nMr. Kasich , a former 2016 GOP presidential candidate himself , said it ’ s still important to get out the vote for Republicans like Sen . Rob Portman , who is running for re-election in Ohio .\n“ We want to get people out to vote . We want to re-elect Senator Portman , and we want to re-elect people down ticket , ” Mr. Kasich said . “ I ’ m not voting for Hillary [ Clinton ] . ”\n“ I ’ ll let everybody know … but I think my actions have spoken very loudly . Louder than even my words , ” he said .\nMr. Kasich was in Cleveland during the Republican National Convention in July , but he did not attend the convention itself .\nAsked about Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson , Mr. Kasich said : “ I haven ’ t even gone there yet . It ’ s a long way [ until ] Election Day . ”
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This may be the most entertaining road show yet . Round and round the presidential campaign goes , and where it stops nobody knows . Even Mitt Romney is said to be thinking about jumping in again , no doubt figuring that some of Jeb ’ s “ investors , ” who are familiar indeed , may be looking for another place to place their bets .\nHillary Clinton ’ s campaign still gets respectful attention , but nobody ’ s any longer practicing what to call her if , as in a prospect ever more unlikely , she ’ s actually elected . Madame President ? That sounds like something from a bordello , or worse , from France . Mrs. President ? The feminists wouldn ’ t like that , because it pays homage to a husband . “ Miss President ” sounds like everybody ’ s seventh-period Latin teacher , perhaps fetching in her own way , but not much fun .\nJoe Biden , everybody ’ s good old , slightly daffy uncle , lovable but prone to gaffes , boners and extravagant slips not only of the tongue but sometimes of the brain , like his suggestion , meant to warm the hearts of gun owners , that if you hear a varmint or a prowler in the middle of the night , the thing to do is to take your shotgun to the front porch and blast away at the night . ( Hoping nobody is still up across the street is optional . )\nThe Republican establishment has the opposite problem . They ’ re having to quit laughing at Donald Trump and start taking him seriously . He keeps increasing his polling lead over the field , and where that stops nobody knows , either . He ’ s an “ outlier , ” the currently fashionable $ 2 word for “ outsider , ” but he ’ s not as outsiderly as he used to be .\nThe liberal media , the Greek chorus assigned to enlightening the halt , the unhip and the dumb , spent the weekend chortling over the fact that the Donald attracted “ only ” 20,000 fans to a football stadium that seats 30,000 in Mobile . The cops wisely declined to offer an estimate of the size of the crowd , but it was bigger than anyone else has drawn so far . Who but the Donald , who compared it to a crowd at a Billy Graham revival meeting , would risk holding a political rally in a football stadium in Alabama , exposing empty seats and inviting unwanted comparisons .\nPresident Obama himself threw a big flat rock in the Democratic pond on Monday with a resounding splash . He sent his press agent out to suggest to reporters that he might endorse someone in the Democratic primaries , and it didn ’ t sound like he was talking about Hillary . The president , said press secretary Josh Earnest , thinks taking Joe Biden on his ticket seven years ago was the smartest political decision he ever made . He reminded everyone that he had spoken “ warmly ” about Hillary , too . Then it was back to praising good old Joe .\n“ I ’ ll just say that the vice president is somebody who has already run for president twice . He ’ s been on a national ticket through two election cycles … So I think you could make the case that there is no one who has a better understanding of exactly what is required to mount a successful national presidential campaign … I wouldn ’ t rule out the possibility of an endorsement in the Democratic primary . ”\nA press agent always speaks for the man who pays him , so we can safely assume that Mr . Earnest didn ’ t make a semi-endorsement , sort of , on his own .\nMr. Obama ’ s endorsement would be valuable in a Democratic primary , a signal that he has found someone who will protect his “ legacy , ” such as it will be . In the general election , his endorsement might be a sloppy kiss of death , where voters of all kinds could rush to make the judgment that is likely to be the verdict of history — Mr. Obama was a freak of history , elected by a well-meaning but naive electorate eager to show good faith and hope for the best .\nTaking a flier is rarely a substitute for making a sound judgment . Nominating a candidate with little political experience can be tempting . The Republicans tried it in 1940 , nominating Wendell Willkie , a Wall Street lawyer who had never been elected to anything , thinking everyone shared their contempt for Franklin D. Roosevelt .\nThat ’ s what terrifies the Republican establishment about Donald Trump . If the establishment understood politics a little better than it does , establishment Republicans would recognize how they brought the Donald to political prominence themselves . The establishment doesn ’ t understand how cable-TV , the Internet and a succession of mushmouth candidates have changed everything .\nThe Republican grass roots hankers for rough justice , applied without mercy . These are the grass roots that are a minority of a minority , but they ’ re loud , they ’ re angry , and they ’ re out for blood .\n• Wesley Pruden is editor emeritus of The Washington Times .
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