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barack obama will make a long-awaited trip to kenya later this year, visiting his father's homeland for the first time since becoming us president six years ago, the white house said monday. during the long-promised visit this july, obama will attend a global entrepreneurship summit in the east african nation, a statement said. obama has visited africa four times since becoming president, but has not visited the country where he still has relatives. for much of obama's presidency, kenya's leaders have been under a cloud of prosecution by the international criminal court. kenyatta was indicted over the country's 2007-08 post-election violence, the worst since it won independence from britain in 1963. kenyatta has always protested his innocence. the case was dropped in december, with prosecutors complaining that they had been undermined by a lack of cooperation by the kenyan government, as well as the bribing or intimidation of witnesses. "president obama will meet him in kenya," a white house official told afp, confirming a meeting that is likely to court controversy. the official, who asked not to be named, said the united states regularly raises "concerns with the kenyan government about restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms." "the president's trip will create another opportunity for dialogue with the government and civil society on these issues." obama had visited kenya before as a senator and before entering politics, visiting his father's home village and taking a very public hiv test. the president's origins have spurred domestic controversy, with some hardline political foes claiming he was not born in the united states and so was ineligible to become president. obama allies say this is thinly veiled racism. the president has often made light of the controversy. "if i did not love america, i wouldn't have moved here from kenya," he recently joked. on this visit, obama expected to take part in the global entrepreneurship summit (ges), which is being held in sub-saharan africa for the first time. "hosting the ges is an opportunity for kenya to showcase its economic progress," said the white house official. "kenya maintains enormous potential for economic growth, thanks to the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of the kenyan people."

obama to make landmark presidential trip to father's homeland, kenya

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washington (cnn) president barack obama on thursday called the nine deaths in the charleston, south carolina, church shooting "senseless murders" and suggested more gun control is needed in the wake of the tragedy. "any death of this sort is a tragedy. any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy," said obama, as vice president joe biden stood alongside him. "there is something particularly heartbreaking about death happening in a place in which we seek solace and we seek peace." police in charleston released this security-camera image that they say shows roof entering the emanuel african methodist episcopal church. police in charleston released this security-camera image that they say shows roof entering the emanuel african methodist episcopal church. police close off a section of calhoun street near the scene of the shooting. police close off a section of calhoun street near the scene of the shooting. people pray in a hotel parking lot across the street from the scene of the shooting on june 17. every wednesday evening, the church holds a bible study in its basement. people pray in a hotel parking lot across the street from the scene of the shooting on june 17. every wednesday evening, the church holds a bible study in its basement. police gather at the scene of the shooting on june 17. the church was formed in 1816. police gather at the scene of the shooting on june 17. the church was formed in 1816. a man kneels across the street from where police gathered outside the church on june 17. a man kneels across the street from where police gathered outside the church on june 17. people in charleston pray following the shooting on june 17. people in charleston pray following the shooting on june 17. charleston police officers search for the shooting suspect outside the church on wednesday, june 17. charleston police officers search for the shooting suspect outside the church on wednesday, june 17. police in charleston close off a section of calhoun street early on june 18, after the shooting. the steeple of the church is visible in the background. police in charleston close off a section of calhoun street early on june 18, after the shooting. the steeple of the church is visible in the background. two law enforcement officials said roof confessed. roof said he wanted to start a race war, one of the officials said. two law enforcement officials said roof confessed. roof said he wanted to start a race war, one of the officials said. a police officer directs a police vehicle in front of the church on june 18. a police officer directs a police vehicle in front of the church on june 18. law enforcement officers in charleston, south carolina, stand guard near the scene of the shooting at emanuel african methodist episcopal church. law enforcement officers in charleston, south carolina, stand guard near the scene of the shooting at emanuel african methodist episcopal church. dylann roof, the 21-year-old charged with murdering nine people in a church shooting on wednesday, june 17, is escorted by police in shelby, north carolina, on thursday, june 18. dylann roof, the 21-year-old charged with murdering nine people in a church shooting on wednesday, june 17, is escorted by police in shelby, north carolina, on thursday, june 18. in this image from the video uplink from the detention center to the courtroom, dylann roof appears at a bond hearing june 19, 2015, in south carolina. roof is charged with nine counts of murder and firearms charges in the shooting deaths at emanuel african methodist episcopal church in charleston, south carolina on june 17. in this image from the video uplink from the detention center to the courtroom, dylann roof appears at a bond hearing june 19, 2015, in south carolina. roof is charged with nine counts of murder and firearms charges in the shooting deaths at emanuel african methodist episcopal church in charleston, south carolina on june 17. obama spoke of the personal connections he and first lady michelle obama had to the emanuel african methodist episcopal church, where they knew several members. "we knew their pastor, reverend clementa pinckney, who, along with eight others gathered in prayer and fellowship, was murdered last night," obama said. "and to say our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families and their community doesn't say enough to convey the heartache and the sadness and the anger that we feel." obama declined to comment on specific details of the investigation, which currently centers on 21-year-old suspect dylann roof, a white man who was taken into custody late thursday morning in shelby, north carolina, authorities have said. but the president said the shooting should refocus attention on preventing potential killers from getting their hands on guns. "we do know that once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun," obama said at the white house. "at some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this kind of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. it doesn't happen in other places with this kind of frequency. it is in our power to do something about it." "communities like (charleston) have had to endure tragedies like this too many times," he said. republican presidential candidate rand paul, however, was skeptical that a government solution was available. "what kind of person goes in a church and shoots nine people? there's a sickness in our country. there's something terribly wrong, but it isn't going to be fixed by your government," the kentucky senator said at the faith and freedom coalition's road to majority conference in washington. meanwhile, the national rifle association declined to comment following the president's remarks thursday afternoon, saying it was sticking to the same policy it has followed after similar incidents. "the nra will not be making any public statements until the facts are known," spokesman andrew arulanandam told cnn. thursday isn't the first time obama has used a shooting tragedy in the united states to make a renewed call for toughening gun ownership laws. bolstering restrictions on gun sales became a top white house priority immediately following the mass shooting at sandy hook, which killed 20 children and left a total of 28 people dead. advocates for tougher gun laws rallied behind a bipartisan measure that would have mandated background checks on every gun sale. the bill was seen as the best chance for any type of new gun restriction to gain approval on capitol hill, where many lawmakers balked at imposing bans on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines. but even the background check measure failed to gain enough support in the senate in april 2013, and the issue of gun control has largely remained off the agenda in washington since. without congressional support, obama has signed dozens of unilateral executive actions meant to quell gun violence. but broad actions like creating a universal background check law or banning certain types of ammunition would still require lawmakers' approval. a year ago, obama said it was "stunning" that congress wasn't able to get behind a single piece of gun control legislation after the sandy hook shooting. he called the failure to expand background checks to handgun sales his "biggest frustration" as president. obama on thursday conceded that the current political arrangement in washington -- where republicans control both chambers of congress -- means any movement on gun control laws remains unlikely during his presidency. "the politics in this town foreclose a lot of those avenues right now," he said, adding that acknowledging the steady beat of shootings -- and their perpetrators' access to guns -- was a first step. "at some point it's going to be important for the american people to come to grips with it, and for us to be able to shift how we think about the issue of gun violence collectively," he said.

obama: 'senseless murders' in church shooting

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a verdict in 2017 could have sweeping consequences for tech startups.

2016 cash race: it's on

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during the campaign, trump had threatened to impose a large tariff to keep the jobs in the united states.

clinton pivots left on immigration

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how rich candidates try to appeal to working voters donald trump has described himself as "really rich" <u+2014> but by just about any standard, that label fits both the republican presidential nominee and his democratic rival, hillary clinton. in an election year characterized by populist energy over economic concerns like jobs and trade, the gap is striking. clinton's newly released tax returns show that she and her husband, former president bill clinton, made more than $10 million in 2015. trump is under pressure to follow suit, but he has yet to release his returns. he says he's a multi-billionaire, but his refusal to release the documents has led to speculation that trump may not be as rich as he claims. what's clear is that both trump and clinton earn vastly more than the income of the typical american household, around $54,000 per year. so it's no surprise the candidates have been trying <u+2014> and sometimes struggling <u+2014> to connect with average voters. money has been a big theme in this election. trump often touts his wealth as evidence of his competence and success, promising to create jobs for working people. he's argued that his wealth means he won't answer to big donors <u+2014> even though he has begun fundraising more aggressively since locking up the gop nomination. "i don't need anybody's money. i'm using my own money. i'm not using the lobbyists. i'm not using the donors. i don't care," trump said during his campaign announcement speech at trump tower in new york last year. clinton, meanwhile, points to her middle-class, midwestern roots. in her speech to the democratic national convention last month. clinton said in the rodham family, "no one had their name on big buildings. my family were builders of a different kind." clinton talked about her grandfather working to build a better life by working in a lace mill in scranton, pa., and her father's experience running a small business. of course, clinton grew up in an upper-middle class suburb of chicago, and her father did well as the owner of a drapery business. trump, too, has tried to demonstrate that he understands the lives of regular people. speaking to the national association of home builders in miami thursday, trump reminisced about his father <u+2014> also a builder <u+2014> touring some of his construction sites. "my father would go, and he'd pick up the sawdust, and he'd pick up the nails <u+2013> the extra nails. and he'd pick up the scraps of wood; he'd use whatever he could use, and recycle it in some form, or sell it. and it was a constant process," trump said. "and he did a beautiful job." at a campaign rally in erie, pennsylvania, he said he actually prefers the workers on construction sites to his wealthy peers: "they say, you know, you're really rich. how come you sort of relate to these people? well, you know, my father built houses and i used to work in these houses," trump said. "i got to know the plumbers, the steamfitters, i got to know them all. and i liked them better than the rich people that i know. i know a lot of rich people. it's true. they are better. i like them better." while trump touts his ability to accumulate vast wealth in the real-estate business, clinton has come under fire for the amount of money she and her husband have made since leaving public office. in june of 2014, abc's diane sawyer asked about her lucrative paid speeches to audiences that have included wall street firms. "we came out of the white house not only dead broke, but in debt. we had no money when we got there, and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for chelsea's education," clinton said. "you know, it was not easy." that answer was widely panned by clinton's critics and rated "mostly false" by politifact. republican pollster frank luntz says he's no fan of either clinton or trump, but he says clinton's carefully rehearsed style feels inauthentic to many working-class voters. "to working-class voters, they want you to let loose," luntz told npr. "they want you to say what you mean and mean what you say." despite trump's massive wealth, his "willingness to say just about anything to just about anyone at any time" has strengthened his credibility, luntz said, with working-class people who are "tired of being talked down to." but luntz added that trump's slipping poll numbers over the past few weeks suggest his style may be turning off the upper middle-class voters the republican party has long relied upon.

how rich candidates try to appeal to working voters

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maryland gov. larry hogan (r) on wednesday rejected a request by an openly gay state lawmaker to ban state-funded travel to indiana until that state repeals its newly enacted religious freedom restoration act. critics say the law <u+2014> which has triggered a firestorm of reaction across the country <u+2014> could allow businesses to discriminate against gay people and others in the name of religious freedom. <u+201c>my family could be denied service in indiana because of my marriage to another man,<u+201d> sen.<u+00a0>richard s. madaleno jr. (d-montgomery) wrote in a letter to hogan on tuesday. <u+201c>many of our colleagues could also be denied service because of an indiana business owner<u+2019>s objection to a marylander<u+2019>s marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, appearance, or a myriad of other excuses.<u+201d> d.c. mayor muriel e. bowser (d) issued an executive order tuesday banning city-funded travel to indiana until the law is repealed. the democratic governors of connecticut, new york and washington state have taken similar action. doug mayer, a spokesman for the governor, said hogan does not plan to institute a ban. <u+201c>governor hogan is opposed to discrimination in all forms,<u+201d> mayer said. <u+201c>history has repeatedly proven that the best way to effect positive change is through an engagement of ideas, not disengaging from those we disagree with. political stunts like this are precisely what maryland voters rejected in last year<u+2019>s election.<u+201d> virginia gov. terry mcauliffe (d) submitted a letter to the indianapolis star on monday that urged indiana businesses displeased with the law signed last week by gov. mike pence (r) to relocate to <u+201c>open and welcoming<u+201d> virginia. the commonwealth passed a religious liberties law of its own in 2007. but its focus is on government intrusion into the free exercise of religion, rather than on religious clashes between individuals and businesses. mcauliffe spokesman brian coy said the governor is not planning any ban on state-funded travel to indiana. <u+201c>no, he<u+2019>s working on convincing indiana businesses who are concerned about this recent development to travel to virginia and bring jobs with them,<u+201d> coy said. <u+201c>in fact, he<u+2019>s hoping to travel there himself and recruit businesses.<u+201d> a maryland lawmaker borrowed mcauliffe<u+2019>s idea wednesday, circulating <u+201c>an open letter to indiana businesses<u+201d> that encouraged them to move to maryland. <u+201c>with their profoundly divisive action, your state policymakers made it harder for you to attract world-class talent,<u+201d> wrote del. luke h. clippinger (baltimore), chairman of the house democratic caucus. <u+201c>governor pence and his cronies put you at an extraordinary competitive disadvantage.<u+201d> pence strongly defended the law at a news conference tuesday, focusing on the legal grounds granted to individuals and businesses to defend themselves against claims of discrimination. but he said that the intent of the law was never to allow discrimination and that the state will <u+201c>fix<u+201d> that to make clear that businesses cannot deny services to anyone. madaleno wrote in his letter that maryland has been a leader in providing legal recognition and protections for all state residents. <u+201c>when other states pass these prejudicial laws,<u+201d> he wrote, <u+201c>maryland needs to stand up for our values.<u+201d> the democrat said indiana<u+2019>s law would allow businesses to discriminate against people on the basis of their marital status, sketching a scenario in which first lady yumi hogan could be refused service because her first marriage ended in divorce. mayer said that when hogan reached that part of madaleno<u+2019>s letter, he stopped reading. the letter drew a rebuke wednesday from senate president thomas v. mike miller jr. (d-calvert), who cautioned lawmakers against mentioning relatives of fellow elected leaders in written correspondence. <u+201c>we had a letter going out the other day that mentioned someone<u+2019>s spouse,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re not going to get into details, but we<u+2019>re all big here, men and women. and we<u+2019>re partners in this, but we don<u+2019>t mention other people<u+2019>s spouses in any type of correspondence <u+2014> their spouses or children.<u+201d> madaleno said he was <u+201c>trying to make the point about how sweeping this type of law is and how it puts many families in indiana and in maryland at risk for a variety of reasons.<u+201d> he said he was <u+201c>very sad<u+201d> to hear that hogan considers bans and strong stances against the indiana law to be political stunts. referring to the racing group that issued a statement tuesday opposing the legislation, madaleno added, <u+201c>he<u+2019>s not even standing with nascar.<u+201d> <u+201c>we all have aspects about our lives that probably someone else would find offensive or objectionable from their own religious stance <u+2014> but they shouldn<u+2019>t be able to deny us service or discriminate against us because of it,<u+201d> madaleno said. <u+201c>and that<u+2019>s the point i was trying to make.<u+201d> madaleno acknowledged that it<u+2019>s <u+201c>always difficult<u+201d> when family members become part of political discussions, but he added: <u+201c>my family has been part of the political debate in this state for quite a while.<u+201d> laura vozzella in richmond contributed to this report.

hogan rejects democratic request for ban on state-funded travel to indiana

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(cnn) one day after reporter alison parker, 24, and her cameraman, adam ward, 27, were gunned down on live television near roanoke, virginia, parker's boyfriend said merely remembering their lives is not enough. "there needs to be some action that is taken out of an event like this -- out of an event like sandy hook, like charleston, like aurora, colorado... where these things just don't occur anymore," chris hurst told cnn on thursday, citing a litany of american gun violence. "we need to have a substantive conversation on what is going on in america that is allowing evil to continue to crop up over love? is it because we are in the media? and the attacker knew this was going to get a lot of play, and here we are again, another mushroom cloud of coverage over gun violence?" on wednesday, vester lee flanagan ii produced a real-time murder show that he choreographed in detail. in a ranting note sent to abc news before his death, flanagan blamed his misery on black men and white women and said he was "somewhat racist against whites, blacks and latinos." flanagan shot dead parker and ward while she was live on air on wdbj via ward's camera, a video of the incident showed. hurst works at the station as an anchor and had been dating parker for nine months. they were already talking about marriage. he was saving for an engagement ring, he said. "i think the media can have an even stronger effect to be positive if we can use this as a conversation in figuring out why we are allowing hate to creep into people's hearts instead of fostering love," he said at memorial for the victims. "we need to ask why this is happening, and we need to keep the conversation going. we don't want to keep it going because it's tiresome and then, we just wait for another one to happen, and we say, 'this is a huge issue,' and then forget about it until another one happens... if we don't forget, i think the incidents will lessen. i believe that." parker's father, andy parker, told cnn's anderson cooper on thursday night that he will honor his daughter's memory by lobbying for laws that will make it harder for the mentally ill to purchase firearms. it was not clear whether flanagan had been diagnosed with a mental illness. "after sandy hook, and the theater shootings, everybody thought, gosh this is terrible," he said. "we have got to do something to keep people that are mentally disturbed, we got to keep them away from guns and having the ability to get guns." it's up to the media, he said, to prevent the story from fading. "that's what the [national rifle association] is thinking right now," parker said. "the nra is saying, it will go away. and, you know, they are the most powerful lobby in the country. and someone has got ... to take them on. by god, i am going to do it." parker was reluctant at first to speak to reporters about his daughter's killing, but her career as a journalist changed his mind. the first 24 hours after her death were filled with numbness, uncontrollable grief and anger, he said. "she was kind and she was sweet and she touched everybody," he said. he didn't go nicely back then, and ward recorded his emotional outburst on camera. court documents from a discrimination suit that he filed show that flanagan scoffed at ward and flipped off the camera. before police walked him out of the building, flanagan handed his manager a small wooden cross and said, "you'll need this." flanagan had not worked with parker, the reporter he shot dead, but there were signs he resented her having been hired. wdbj's general manager said flanagan had run-ins with many co-workers and was a poor performer. flanagan's performance and behavior problems led to his bosses referring him to the company's employee assistance program, marks said. the managers did not request he reach out to the program because of his mental state -- they didn't know about that -- but because of his difficulty working with others, marks said. the final warning for the reporter came in december 2012, and he was fired in february 2013. flanagan caused a stir and police were called to escort him out, marks said. flanagan gave the news director at the time a cross and said "you'll need this," marks said. all of the claims that flanagan made against the company and were investigated marks said. those investigations concluded that no reasonable person would have taken the alleged instances as discrimination or harassment, he said. vester flanagan owned several websites associated with gay porn, records show. flanagan registered at least seven domain names in 2007 and 2008, and solicited "attractive & muscular men" to model for live web cams. records obtained by cnn show flanagan's name and vallejo, california, address were included in the domain registrations. the shooter planned meticulously to act out a lot of resentment violently and get back into the limelight before turning his gun on himself. flanagan, aka williams, recorded video of his killing, which he spread on social media as he fled authorities. he appeared to have prepped his twitter account days before the killing with a review of images from stations of his life. during his flight, posts to twitter appeared in the name of bryce williams, showing video recorded from the perspective of his gun barrel as his shots struck his victims. many social media users were horrified by the scenes playing out before them on autoplay. both facebook and twitter quickly shut down the accounts. flanagan had rented a car weeks before and used it in his getaway instead of his own car, a 2009 ford mustang. virginia state police spotted the rental car on interstate 66. a trooper tried to pull him over, police said, but he refused to stop and sped away before running off the road and crashing into an embankment. troopers found flanagan inside with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, virginia state police sgt. f.l. tyler told reporters. he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead wednesday afternoon. flanagan was known for a series of anger and behavioral problems in his workplaces. as news broke about whom police sought in the killing, don shafer heard a familiar name on the radio. "vester flanagan. he worked for me," he said to himself. "the hair on the back of my neck went up," said shafer, who is now news director at xetv in san diego. when he hired flanagan, shafer was news director at wtwc in tallahassee, florida. the reporter who went by bryce williams made a nice impression on shafer at first, but in 2000, he fired him over run-ins with colleagues. "there were some issues with him and his personality that kind of spiraled down, and that's why we had to get rid of him," shafer said. flanagan sued, alleging racial discrimination, but the suit was dismissed. later, he joined wdbj but was later fired over performance issues. he sued again, once more alleging discrimination. court documents from that suit revealed the station had taken disciplinary action against flanagan for months, met with him many times about angry behavior and told him to seek counseling. dan dennison, former news director at wdbj, said it was the toughest termination decision he'd ever handled. he had to call police to escort the reporter out. "(williams/flanagan) had a level of a long series of complaints against co-workers nearly from the beginning of employment at the tv station," dennison said. he said they were never substantiated. the firings and lawsuits were part of a mishmash of resentments that flanagan faxed to abc news, while police searched for him. in a ranting note in his farewell fax, flanagan tried to justify his killings. "ok, so the big question is 'why?' " he wrote. "well, after i compiled well over 100 pages chronicling the hurt in my life, i asked myself, 'why not?' " and he talked about having a disturbed mind. "i've been a human powder keg for a while ... just waiting to go boom!!!! at any moment," he wrote. he spent some time making allegations of racism, including against reporter parker, whom he said "made racist comments" but got hired anyhow. there was no elaboration, and wdbj general manager marks said the claim was unfounded. "we're outraged that any of the comments in that manifesto are taken the least bit seriously," he said, adding that he doesn't believe that flanagan and parker crossed paths at wdbj. but flanagan also blamed much of his misery on black men and white women and said he was "somewhat racist against whites, blacks and latinos." flanagan said he put a deposit down for a gun two days after the charleston, south carolina, church shooting in june and ranted against the accused shooter. "as for dylann roof? you (deleted)! you want a race war (deleted)? bring it then you white (deleted)!!!" the fax said. police recovered two guns from flanagan, glock 9 mm pistols he purchased legally.

slain reporter's boyfriend calls for violence discussion

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president obama's 2016 budget seeks higher spending on education, roads, and bridges, and a boost to middle class incomes. republicans want to spend more on defense. the search for common ground is on. it<u+2019>s budget day in washington, and president obama is taking a sharp turn from the past. gone is an emphasis on deficit reduction. talk of putting social security and other safety net programs on a more sustainable path has also been put to the side. now, with deficits down, mr. obama is focused on boosting the middle class and reducing income inequality. that means higher taxes on wealthy americans and corporations and more government spending. <u+201c>what i<u+2019>d like to see is not only that the economy continues to grow, but i also want to make sure that everybody<u+2019>s benefiting,<u+201d> obama told nbc news sunday, looking ahead to his final two years in office. the result is a nearly $4 trillion federal budget plan for fiscal 2016 that ditches what obama calls <u+201c>mindless austerity<u+201d> and raises spending for domestic priorities <u+2013> foremost on education, infrastructure, and tax relief for middle-income americans <u+2013> as well as on national security. by proposing higher defense spending, obama hopes to lure republicans into a deal. many republicans agree that the <u+201c>sequester<u+201d> <u+2013> the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts put in place two years ago <u+2013> is a bad way to budget. but they<u+2019>re not ready to go along with what obama has in mind. and so while deficits are down, that doesn<u+2019>t necessarily mean washington is on the verge of a spending spree. political reality points to a tough slog ahead. republicans now control both houses of congress, and if they can agree amongst themselves on what to present obama <u+2013> and that<u+2019>s a big <u+201c>if<u+201d> <u+2013> he could face tough choices of his own later this year to keep the government running. what<u+2019>s more, deficit hawks have hardly given up. they point to retiring baby boomers and the prospect of skyrocketing interest payments on the debt with alarm. though annual deficits have shrunk markedly from the early obama years, they will begin to rise again in 2018, reaching $1.1 trillion in 2025, the nonpartisan congressional budget office said last week. if obama<u+2019>s 10-year budget plan were to become reality, nearly $6 trillion would be added to the federal debt, which now stands at $18 trillion. but for now, obama is all about planting a flag for the middle class, which involves <u+201c>investment<u+201d> <u+2013> i.e. spending. presidential budget proposals are a statement of priorities, and the opening bid in a negotiation, not a blueprint for what will happen. this year, as the race to succeed obama gets under way, the budget is especially political. it<u+2019>s also a reaction to the blowout of last november<u+2019>s midterms, when republicans won control of the senate and built a larger majority in the house. just as obama appeared ebullient, even liberated, in his recent state of the union address, so too is his budget almost a declaration of independence. <u+201c>the president is not running for reelection, so he<u+2019>s a little freer to propose what he wants,<u+201d> says stan collender, a budget expert and executive vice president at qorvis msl group. <u+201c>since he<u+2019>s proposing it to a republican congress and it<u+2019>s dead before type-setting, he<u+2019>s also free, because he doesn<u+2019>t need to come up with something democrats will accept.<u+201d> the budget is also a campaign document. not only does it set the table for hillary rodham clinton, strongly favored to win the 2016 democratic presidential nomination, it also affects the party<u+2019>s bid to retake the senate and win back house seats. whether former secretary of state clinton, known as more of a centrist, wants to move so far to the left is another matter. but for now, obama may have at least mollified the restive liberal base of the democratic party. and there is plenty in obama<u+2019>s budget for liberals to cheer about, including free community college (costing $60 billion over 10 years) and a six-year, $478 billion program to repair the nation<u+2019>s roads, bridges, airports, and other infrastructure. to pay for his college plan, obama would change how inherited wealth is taxed. money for the infrastructure plan would come from a one-time 14 percent tax on corporate wealth repatriated from overseas. obama also proposes a 19 percent minimum tax rate on corporate profits earned overseas, as part of a larger overhaul of taxes that would take the corporate rate down from 35 percent to 28 percent, and 25 percent for manufacturers. an overhaul of the entire tax code has long been on washington<u+2019>s agenda, but amid partisan gridlock, the process hasn<u+2019>t gotten off the ground. rep. paul ryan (r) of wisconsin, the new chairman of the house ways and means committee, which handles taxation, signaled on sunday that he<u+2019>s open to working on tax reform with obama, but warned it will be difficult. "we want to work with this administration to see if we can find common ground ... and we want to exhaust that possibility and if and when that possibility is exhausted, then we will put out what we think ought to be done," congressman ryan said sunday on nbc<u+2019>s <u+201c>meet the press.<u+201d> "we haven't done tax reform since 1986, because it is just that hard,<u+201d> he added. other elements of obama<u+2019>s budget were telegraphed in advance. in calling for an end to the sequester, obama proposed a 7 percent hike in discretionary spending for both domestic and defense spending by roughly equal amounts. domestic non-entitlement spending would go up $37 billion over the sequester caps to $530 billion; defense spending would rise by $38 billion to $561 billion. the rest of the budget is consumed by nondiscretionary spending: entitlements such as social security, medicare, and medicaid, plus interest on the debt. obama used to speak regularly about the perils of deficits, and the ever-rising federal debt, which is the cumulative total of annual deficits. in 2010, he appointed a panel, the simpson-bowles commission, to come up with proposals for tackling the nation<u+2019>s unsustainable fiscal path. the budget control act of 2011 did bring spending down, via sequestration, but now both parties are ready to move away from that technique. some economists argue that deficits and debt are sustainable, as long as they remain at a reasonable percentage of the size of the us economy. but deficit hawks are as alarmed as ever. <u+201c>entitlement reform <u+2013> the most critical piece of fixing our fiscal situation <u+2013> is the disappearing story of the upcoming budget cycle,<u+201d> says maya macguineas, president of the committee for a responsible federal budget. <u+201c>the debt levels are still quite scary, and yet we<u+2019>re about to see a budget that no longer even aspires to get control of the debt.<u+201d>

budget 2016: obama moves left, testing republicans (+video)

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typically the white house releases a few excerpts in advance of the state of the union, and 2015 is no exception to that rule. here's what they've told us to expect: "we are fifteen years into this new century.<u+00a0> fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two long and costly wars; that saw a vicious recession spread across our nation and the world.<u+00a0> it has been, and still is, a hard time for many. but tonight, we turn the page." "at this moment - with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production - we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on earth.<u+00a0> it's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next fifteen years, and for decades to come. will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well?<u+00a0> or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effort?" "so the verdict is clear.<u+00a0> middle-class economics works.<u+00a0> expanding opportunity works.<u+00a0> and these policies will continue to work, as long as politics don't get in the way." "in fact, at every moment of economic change throughout our history, this country has taken bold action to adapt to new circumstances, and to make sure everyone gets a fair shot. we set up worker protections, social security, medicare, and medicaid to protect ourselves from the harshest adversity.<u+00a0> we gave our citizens schools and colleges, infrastructure and the internet - tools they needed to go as far as their effort will take them. that's what middle-class economics is - the idea that this country does best when everyone gets their fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules." "i believe in a smarter kind of american leadership.<u+00a0> we lead best when we combine military power with strong diplomacy; when we leverage our power with coalition building; when we don't let our fears blind us to the opportunities that this new century presents.<u+00a0> that's exactly what we're doing right now - and around the globe, it is making a difference." "in iraq and syria, american leadership - including our military power - is stopping isil's advance.<u+00a0> instead of getting dragged into another ground war in the middle east, we are leading a broad coalition, including arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group.<u+00a0> we're also supporting a moderate opposition in syria that can help us in this effort, and assisting people everywhere who stand up to the bankrupt ideology of violent extremism.<u+00a0> this effort will take time.<u+00a0> it will require focus.<u+00a0> but we will succeed.<u+00a0> and tonight, i call on this congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against isil." "no foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of american families, especially our kids.<u+00a0> we are making sure our government integrates intelligence to combat cyber threats, just as we have done to combat terrorism.<u+00a0> and tonight, i urge this congress to finally pass the legislation we need to better meet the evolving threat of cyber-attacks, combat identity theft, and protect our children's information.<u+00a0> if we don't act, we'll leave our nation and our economy vulnerable.<u+00a0> if we do, we can continue to protect the technologies that have unleashed untold opportunities for people around the globe."

the best lines from president obama's speech, according to the white house

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according to some polls, donald trump has been pulling as little as 0 percent of the black vote in key battleground states such as ohio and pennsylvania. zero percent! that's mind-boggling and sure, it might pick up after his recent speeches identifying with the plight of african americans living in urban areas that have been under democratic control for decades. but if we're being honest, it's not going to change very much. that's not all trump's fault, either. it represents a decades-long trend that has seen republicans essentially abandon all hopes of cracking the lowest possible double digits among black voters. in 2012, mitt romney got just 6 percent of black votes. (one republican who has done better is ohio gov. john kasich, who earned 26 percent of the black vote in his 2014 re-election race). it wasn't always this way, of course, and looking at how republicans went from being the default party of black voters after the civil war to being a pariah among them is a way of understanding one highly probable future for the gop as a minor party that represents a smaller and smaller bloc of voters who identify as "white" and "american" in strictly nativist terms. the gop's declining appeal to black voters<u+2014>again, approaching zero in the year of the donald!<u+2014>is paralleled by the party's declining appeal to hispanic voters, too. according to the census, blacks currently make up about 13 percent of the population while hispanics account for about 18 percent. in an august 11 fox news latino poll, only 20 percent of latinos support him, lower even than mitt romney's dismal 27 percent showing among latinos in 2012, which was itself lower than john mccain's 31 percent in 2008. between blacks and latinos, then, the republican party is effectively writing off almost 31 percent of the vote before the first ballot is cast in november. and given broad demographic trends, things can only get worse for the gop. what's going on here and what it does it say about republicans and electoral politics in the 21st century? and what does it say about the possibility for a third party such as the libertarians to drive up their own national numbers? the short answers: absent a different agenda and outreach to groups they alternately demonize and ignore, the gop will harden into an awful party of racial and ethnic resentment. for the lp, which embraces tolerance, diversity, and economic mixing and progress, the sky's the limit, especially if the democrats continue to take minorities for granted. as recently as 1960, the republican richard nixon managed to get about 30 percent of the black vote. from the civil war on, blacks had favored the "party of lincoln" for self-evident reasons. southern democrats were segregationists and they worked hard not just at disenfranchising blacks at election time but in every way possible. blacks weren't even allowed to attend democratic national conventions until 1924. while he was no great friend to african americans, franklin roosevelt began to win a majority of their votes in the 1930s, mostly for the same reasons he won a majority of nearly every group's votes during his four presidential campaigns. blacks were more likely to be poor than average and they warmed to various fdr programs aimed at ameliorating poverty. harry truman, writes brooks jackson, won 77 percent of the black vote in 1948, the first year that a majority of blacks identified as democrats (among other things, truman integrated the armed forces and took civil rights more seriously than most of his predecessors). while eisenhower in '56 and nixon in '60 did relatively well with black voters, barry goldwater's refusal to vote for the civil rights act of 1964<u+2014>and his willingness to run a campaign that tolerated (if it didn't actively court) segregationists<u+2014>effectively ended the republican party's relationship with blacks. as former segregationists such as strom thurmond crossed the aisle to join the republicans, the transition was complete and for the past 40-plus years, republican presidential candidates have struggled to crack double digits with black voters. running as the "law and order" candidate in 1968 and targeting urban violence (by war demonstrators and race rioters alike), nixon no longer had much appeal for black voters. the last gop candidate to crack double digits was george w. bush in 2004, when he pulled 11 percent. something similar is happening with latino voters, although the trend line is less uni-directional. in 2004, george w. bush won 40 percent of the latino vote (some reports put it a few points higher), but since then it has declined precipitously, down to trump's pre-election share of 20 percent. the typical conservative republican response to this is to invoke a master plan by democrats and/or moral and ideological failings of latinos. a few years back, i debated ann coulter at an event hosted by the great independence institute of colorado. among the topics was immigration. coulter, who has taken credit for donald trump's pro-deportation stance in this election, claimed that ted kennedy was behind the push to bring in millions of mexicans and other unmeltable ethnics from africa, asia, and especially latin america, all of whom would inevitably vote for democrats. "i don't think any time in the history of the world has a country changed its ethnic composition overnight like that," said coulter, following a line of thought that is popular among many conservatives, right-wingers, and republicans. "it was done by design. it was done to help the democrats, and it did help the democrats." in fact, the immigration reform enacted in the mid-1960s, much in the spirit of civil rights legislation. its chief authors were new york rep. emanuel celler and michigan sen. philip hart, and its explicit goal was partly to route around the patently racist quotas from the 1920s that had been based on "national origins." disturbed by the rise in immigrants from central and southern europe, unapologetically racist lawmakers in the '20s laws moved to limit the number of jews, italians, poles, slavs, irish, and other undesirable europeans. new limits were pegged to percentages of the 1890 census, when there were fewer foreigners from "bad" countries in the united states. the '60s reforms, on the other hand, were specifically designed to let americans of european descent bring over parents and grandparents who had been stranded in the old country first by the depression and then by world war ii. even as it put family reunification front and center in deciding who could come here, it also allowed for high-skilled folks to emigrate. it was passed against a backdrop of lower and lower levels of foreign-born people in the united states. by 1970, just 4.7 percent of the country was foreign-born, down from a peak of almost 15 percent in 1910. by the mid-'60s, though, relatively few europeans were interested in coming to america. some of them were trapped behind the iron curtain and had no easy way west. throughout free european nations, things were relatively good for most people after a truly grim period that started with world war i. the immigrants that have come to america post-1965 are mostly from mexico, latin america, and asia. in the late 1980s, ronald reagan pushed hard to create a pathway to legalization and citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were overwhelmingly of latino heritage. so you might want blame (or thank) reagan far more than ted kennedy for changing our "ethnic composition overnight." but you can and should blame republicans for failing to appeal to ethnically diverse americans in the 21st century. demograhics are not destiny in politics but ever since the mid-'60s, the gop has done a masterful, if not always conscious, job of making sure that blacks and latinos feel unwelcome. in a great piece at politico, josh zeitz writes that "unlike earlier waves, 90 percent of new americans since 1965 hail from outside europe<u+2014>from countries like mexico, brazil, the philippines, korea, cuba, taiwan, india and the dominican republic." where conservatives tend to see an undifferentiated blob of threats to american identity, zeitz underscores that post-1965 immigrants "include evangelical christians, traditional catholics, anti-statist refugees and the kind of upwardly mobile, economic strivers whom the gop courted assiduously in past decades." had the gop worked to engage newer, non-european immigrants, the party wouldn't be in the position it's found itself in, where only rare presidential candidates such as reagan and bush ii can appeal to one-third or more of a rapidly growing part of the citizenry. about the only time contemporary republicans view immigrants as individuals is when they are signaling out the precise threat each different sub-group represents to the nation: "by 2050, non-hispanic white americans will comprise less than half of the u.s. population," writes zeitz. "had the gop focused more on ideology and less on skin color, the party could have thrived from the immigrant influx." but it didn't do that, any more than it has reached out to african americans on a regular basis. there have been well-intentioned and sincere efforts by some republicans (jack kemp comes to mind, and more recently rand paul), but the instinct among most conservatives and republicans is to ignore issues in the african-american community or to reflexively side with the police, drug warriors, and others who are viewed negatively by blacks. when it comes to latinos and non-european immigrants, the same distancing act dominates, along with calls to establish english as an official language and appeals to protect bankrupt entitlement programs from pilfering by illegal immigrants who are simultaneously supernaturally lazy and so hard-working they take all of our jobs. there is very little reason to believe that the republican party will pursue any meaningful interaction with racial and ethnic minorites or economic refugees, even when, as zeitz underscores, they might have strong ties built on common religious and entrepreneurial interests. the attitudes of so many of the gop's presidential nominees and boosters in the press have been resolutely hostile to seeing mexican and latino immigration as anything other than a scourge upon the land. a few years back, tea party favorite marco rubio worked on comprehensive immigration refrom legislation until he was shouted down by his own party. by the time he announced for president, he was only interested in talking about cutting off the flow of newcomers. toward the end of primary season, the cuban-american ted cruz took to attacking donald trump as soft on immigration because the billionaire had a "door" in his much-discussed wall on the u.s.-mexico border. national review, arguably the flagship publication of the conservative right, has been calling for reductions in immigration from latin america for decades now and attacked trump for being insufficiently tough on the issue. the republicans' unwillingness to interact with a more ethnically and religiously diverse america can be the libertarian party's gain. former new mexico gov. gary johnson and former massachusetts gov. william weld are the only candidates that are effusively pro-immigration, pro-trade, and socially tolerant. coming from a border state with a large latino population, johnson in particular is in a position to talk about the benefits of immigration and the issues faced by newcomers and their families as well as by longtime residents. his focus on the sharing economy, school choice, and rolling back federal regulations that hamper entrepreneurship also should play well with both blacks and latinos. but none of this is easily achieved. gaining support among any constituency is the result of hard work and years of toiling side by side and shoulder to shoulder. the republican party<u+2014>including donald trump in his recent outreach to african americans<u+2014>isn't wrong to say that racial and ethnic minorities aren't benefitting from democratic party policies at the local, state, and federal levels. social security retirement benefits ultimately screw over blacks, who have shorter lifespans; protecting union teachers from competition by charters and other forms of school choice hurts low-income minorities most of all; far from welcoming illegals from latin america, the obama administration has deported record numbers and split up tens of thousands of families; and on and on. but simply rattling off such talking points isn't going to win new votes. that only comes from concerted actions that start at the neighborhood level and work out and up through levels of power and government policy. the political opportunity is there, but it remains to be seen who, if anyone, will take it.

the gop is writing off 30 percent of the american electorate

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the fate of the affordable care act, the president's signature domestic policy achievement, is once again in the hands of the supreme court on wednesday. the justices heard oral arguments in king v. burwell, a challenge to the financial assistance that millions of americans are receiving to purchase health insurance. the case is considered the greatest threat to obamacare's future since the court considered a challenge to the law's individual mandate three years ago. what's the lawsuit all about? the aca created marketplaces, or exchanges, where people can shop for individual and family health insurance if they don't have another source of coverage. the law directs the federal government to set up exchanges in states that didn't build their own, which was the case for about two-thirds of the country. the law also provides subsidies through the exchanges to people who meet income requirements. the king challengers say the law only authorizes subsidies through exchanges established by the state. they argue that the law was intentionally designed this way to pressure states to set up their own insurance marketplaces. they contend the irs illegally issued a rule in 2012 providing subsidies through the federal exchanges when it became clear that most states wouldn't set up their own exchanges by 2014, when the marketplaces opened. the obama administration, however, argues the challenge is politically motivated and wrongly focuses<u+00a0>on just a few words in the aca. the administration says a reading of the entire law makes clear that subsidies are available in all exchanges, regardless of who's running them. the law was intended to extend health insurance to as many americans as possible, the administration argues, so the law's drafters would have no reason to withhold subsidies to so many people. the plaintiffs are four virginians who do not want to buy health insurance, as mandated by the aca. they argue the irs illegally interpreted the aca to authorize subsidies through federal-run exchange, and that without those subsidies, they would be exempt from the requirement to purchase insurance because they don't earn enough. the challenge is funded by the competitive enterprise institute, a libertarian think tank opposed to the aca. federal courts have also heard three other cases challenging the subsidies, but the supreme court is only considering king. why do people think this case is so important to the future of aca? the subsidies are a critical part of the law, working with two other major aca pieces <u+2014> the guaranteed availability of health insurance and the individual mandate. the law prevents health insurers from denying coverage or charging people more because of their medical condition. to help offset the costs of sicker customers, the law requires most people to have insurance or pay an annual penalty for not having coverage. to make that coverage affordable, the law provides subsidies to low- and middle-income families.<u+00a0>the subsidies are paid directly to insurers, who then apply the discount to their customers' monthly premiums. on average, the subsidies knock down the price of monthly premiums by nearly 75 percent. a ruling overturning the subsidies would cause more than 8 million people across the country to lose health insurance as a result of a ruling against the government, according to recent estimates. and it could wreak havoc on the insurance market.<u+00a0>without the aid, it's expected that the lower-income and healthier enrollees would quickly drop coverage, leaving just the sickest patients who need coverage the most. insurers would look to raise their rates to cover the costs, pricing even more people out of coverage and causing problems for the individual insurance market outside of just the exchanges. one note, however: most people who would lose their subsidies in such a ruling would<u+00a0>be spared from the penalty for not having health insurance since they don't earn enough. would there be a fix? the immediate question is whether subsidies could be restored to those who'd suddenly lose them if the supreme court rules against the government. the easiest fix would be for congress to pass a law that says federal exchanges can provide subsidies <u+2014> but republicans opposing the aca would never go for that. a handful of republican lawmakers, in two separate proposals this week, raised the idea that they would offer temporary financial relief to those losing subsidies. however, they haven't provided detailed plans, and it's unclear how much support they have within the party for their proposals. the obama administration, for its part, insists it won't be able to fix anything <u+2014> perhaps an effort to avoid signaling to the justices that a ruling against subsidies would<u+00a0>be easy to rectify. the federal exchange states, many of which are deeply opposed to the law, are in a precarious position, too. republican governors and state lawmakers could find themselves taking the blame if millions of their citizens are suddenly cut off from coverage. states could still establish their own exchanges, ensuring that their citizens receive subsidies, but that could be a lengthy, expensive and politically difficult process. so that means states may look to possible work-arounds to establish<u+00a0>an exchange in minimal time and cost. the state-level response will depend, though, on the details of the court's decision and whatever direction comes from congress or the obama administration. which states would be affected? the challenge is only to the subsidies in states that didn't set up their own marketplaces, so residents of 16 states and the district of columbia wouldn't see their financial assistance taken away if the government loses. in the following map from the kaiser family foundation, residents of states with "federally-facilitated marketplaces" and "state-partnership marketplaces," as labeled below, could lose the subsidies. this case marks the third time the aca has been before the supreme court since it was enacted five years ago. in 2012, the court narrowly upheld the individual mandate, the requirement for most americans to have health insurance, while also ruling that the federal government couldn't force states to expand their medicaid programs. and last year, the court ruled that the government couldn't require closely held businesses to offer their employees contraceptive coverage against their religious objections. how will the court rule this time? that's always hard to predict. four justices from the court's conservative wing were ready to throw out the entire law three years ago, but chief justice john roberts found a backdoor way to uphold the individual mandate. it only takes four supreme court judges to accept a case (though, we don't know which ones opted to pick up king v. burwell), and some observers were surprised that the court accepted this challenge as quickly as it did. either way, it's thought that roberts or justice anthony kennedy could provide the swing votes this time. oral arguments began<u+00a0>wednesday at 10 a.m and have now ended. within days of the argument, the justices will likely meet privately to discuss and vote on the case. however, the court isn't expected to release its decision until late june, before the justices break for the summer. and, no, don't expect a decision to leak before the justices announce it from the bench.

the supreme court is hearing a case that could derail obamacare: everything you need to know

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friday, forecasters expect the labor department will report that the economy created 190,000 jobs in october<u+2014>that<u+2019>s well below the 260,000 averaged in 2014. we can also expect the white house to again proclaim that the economy is doing well<u+2014>touting 61 consecutive months of jobs creation<u+2014>and liberal commentators like new york times columnist and cnbc analyst john harwood will no doubt offer this as more proof that the economy does better with a democrat in the white house. so much depends on the circumstances in which each president governs. for example, does his party control one or both houses of congress and more importantly, what was the state of the economy bequeathed by his predecessor? the best apples to apples comparison are the rather difficult conditions of presidents reagan and obama inherited and how the fortunes of america<u+2019>s families then progressed<u+2014>with the former relying on conservative prescriptions and the latter on activist government to stimulate growth. obama confronted a terrible financial crisis and endured a punishing recession. unemployment peaked at 10 percent in his first term, but since the economy has reclaimed and added 12.6 million jobs and employment is up 9.8 percent. the gipper faced tough times too<u+2014>double-digit unemployment and interest rates and a bruising recession. unemployment peaked at 10.8 percent but subsequently the economy added more than 17.2 million jobs and employment rose 19.4 percent. the reason reagan was able to create so many more jobs<u+2014>in a much smaller economy<u+2014>is quite simple. it wasn<u+2019>t just lower taxes and less spending but rather, a reliance on private decisions to guide recovery. he cleared a path for businesses, large and small, to invest as they deemed fit and raise wages as they decided they could afford, and encouraged the unemployed to get out and look for work. whereas from subsidies for solar energy projects and mandatory health insurance to incessant preaching that ordinary folks are victims of racism, sexism and the evil machinations of the well-off, obama has sought to micromanage business through an explosion of regulations and to pacify a middle class under siege and americans underemployed or not working at all with giveaways from free contraception to forgiving college debt. through the first 25 quarters of obama<u+2019>s recovery, gdp growth has averaged 2.1 percent, whereas during the comparable period for reagan, gdp advanced at a 4.6 percent annual pace. and whereas reagan<u+2019>s social safety net assisted the unemployed, obama<u+2019>s pays the unemployed to be idle. the 7 million men between the ages of 25 and 54 who are neither employed nor are looking for work are rewarded with food stamps, the earned income tax credit if their spouse is a low-income worker and federal healthcare subsidies<u+2014>and even virtually free health care through medicaid in many states. for folks refusing to do anything productive with their lives, obama is offering an even more attractive benefit<u+2014>free money in the form of a government pension. despite the fact that americans are living healthier and longer lives and work is generally less physically challenging, the percentage of adults ages 16 to 64 certified as permanently incapable of working by the social security disability insurance program now stands at 5.1 percent<u+2014>about double the figure in reagan<u+2019>s day. a broken appeals system offers a decided advantage to those crafty applicants who hire a lawyer<u+2014>a situation the obama administration refuses to fix. for hard working families, the results are predictable<u+2014>annual family incomes have declined about $1650 during the obama years, whereas those increased $3900 during reagan<u+2019>s tenure. for the indolent, this is the second age of pericles but for those who toil for their daily bread, obama<u+2019>s pronouncements that the economy is much improved and performs better with democrats in control have a decided orwellian ring. peter morici served as chief economist at the u.s. international trade commission from 1993 to 1995. he is an economist and professor at the smith school of business, university of maryland, and a widely published columnist. he is the five time winner of the marketwatch best forecaster award. follow him on twitter @pmorici1.

white house still not telling america the truth about jobs, economy

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washington (cnn) the stakes of bernie sanders' take-it-to-the-convention strategy are rapidly rising as fresh polls underscore hillary clinton's vulnerabilities and predict a tight race between her and donald trump in the fall. after months of talk about the potential of a contested republican convention, trump, the presumptive gop nominee, is quickly consolidating his party's support -- something clinton is unable to do with sanders still in the race. with only a few major nominating contests left, including california and new jersey on june 7, sanders lacks a credible mathematical path to overhauling clinton's wide lead in pledged delegates. and with polls showing clinton's general election advantage over trump evaporating, a lingering fracture in the democratic party could be perilous for its chances to keep the white house. still, sanders is not heeding calls from some democrats to get out of the race -- or at least cool his rhetoric during the final weeks of the primary season. instead, he kept up his blistering criticism of clinton over the weekend and deepened his feud with the party establishment, including endorsing the primary challenger to democratic national committee chairwoman debbie wasserman schultz. "the last i heard is that we are a democratic country, and that elections are about vigorous debates over the issues. secretary clinton and i disagree," sanders told jake tapper sunday on cnn's "state of the union." "what the democratic leadership has got to understand is that not all of my supporters go to these fancy fundraising dinners. they're working people who are hurting now, who want real change in the economy." he added: "i hope the democratic leadership understands they have to open up the process, bring those people in." sanders acknowledged in the interview that he has a "very, very uphill fight" in his quest to overtake clinton, given that he has won 46% of pledged delegates so far and she has won 54%. but he rebuked democratic superdelegates -- party office holders and lawmakers who can vote however they choose at the convention -- for overwhelmingly coming out for clinton early on in what he said was an "anointment" by the establishment and big money interests. clinton's failure to finally put away the sanders campaign is grating on the former secretary of state. "i will be the nominee for my party,'' clinton told cnn's chris cuomo in an interview last week. "that is already done, in effect. there is no way i won't be.'' on sunday, she said there will be an "obvious need of us to unify the party" once she becomes the presumptive nominee. "i will certainly do my part, reaching out to sen. sanders, reaching out to his supporters," she said on nbc's "meet the press." "and i expect him to do his." the internal conflict comes at a time when polls show that trump is getting a dividend from closing out the republican primary race, and setting up what could be a close election against clinton in november. a fox news poll last week showed trump leading clinton 45% to 42%, findings that were within the survey's margin of error. meanwhile, a new york times/cbs news national survey released thursday had clinton up by six points. quinnipiac university polls in swing states ohio, florida and pennsylvania this month also had the rivals effectively neck-and-neck. polls this far out from a general election cannot offer a reliable picture of what will happen in november. but they can shape the political environment in which the early stages of the race evolves and, if they continue to show trump gaining in strength, are likely to increase pressure on sanders to bring the democratic party together. but sanders does not see such polls as an argument that he should get out of the race or dial back attacks on clinton. in fact, he sees them as proof that he would be a superior general election candidate to the former first lady -- most polls show him leading trump. in the nbc interview, clinton suggested sanders simply hasn't been subjected to the rough and tumble of politics the way she has. it's "fair to say that i have been vetted and tested, and i think that that puts me in a very strong position," she said. referring to sanders, she said, "let me say that i don't think he's had a single negative ad ever run against him." sanders disputed the notion that he is only doing better than clinton because he has not had to endure the years of partisan warfare that have shredded her approval ratings. "any objective assessment of our campaign versus clinton's campaign, i think, will conclude we have the energy, we have the excitement, we have the young people, we have the working people, we can drive a large voter turnout, so that we not only win the white house, but we retain, regain control of the senate, do well in the house and in governor's chairs up and down the line," sanders told tapper. latest polls clearly show that the lingering democratic party divisions are a challenge for clinton. the washington post/abc poll released sunday showed that in a match-up equation with trump, clinton currently gets 86% of democratic voters, meaning that a slice of the party coalition that is not yet sold on her as nominee. making a decision to leave a primary race or to tone down attacks on a rival who appears headed for victory is the toughest choices any candidate faces. it is a particularly acute dilemma for sanders, given that he has won millions of votes, ignited a populist uprising in the democratic party that no one saw coming and is basking in an unprecedented reception to his democratic socialist ideas that left him in the political wilderness for years in the senate. he and his campaign team have dismissed the idea that he could wreak lasting damage on clinton if she becomes the nominee, saying he will do whatever it takes to ensure that trump does not win the presidency. but if his arguments about the process of the democratic primary race leave the impression that he has been unfairly treated and that clinton is somehow not the legitimate nominee, the task of uniting the party becomes far more difficult. that's where sanders' clash with wasserman schultz is particularly concerning to some democrats. the vermont senator's campaign has consistently accused the dnc chairwoman of tilting the race in favor of clinton and criticized the scheduling of debates on saturday nights when television audiences are lower, and the closed primaries that bar independents in big states like new york. sanders is now backing wasserman schultz's primary opponent in her florida district, tim canova, and left no doubt about the strengths of his feelings about her on sunday. "well, clearly, i favor her opponent," sanders told tapper. "his views are much closer to mine than as to wasserman schultz's." "in all due respect to the current chairperson. if (i was) elected president, she would not be reappointed to be chair of the dnc." sanders campaign manager jeff weaver also sent out a fundraising email to supporters sunday seeking contributions for canova. for all the sudden handwringing in democratic circles, it's still likely that clinton will enjoy her own boost in the polls once she finally becomes the presumptive democratic nominee similar to the one trump is enjoying now. for now, veteran democrats appear to be ready to give sanders some room. but the clock is ticking. "after (clinton) has actually won, after she actually has enough delegates to win the nomination, i think bernie needs to think about his legacy," said mark alderman, a top democratic party donor who was part of president barack obama's transition team. "bernie is in the middle of the tsunami -- he doesn't have any perspective yet. it will take a little time. unfortunately, he only has a little time. he has got to get it together by july."

bernie sanders digs in

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republican leaders are taking presumptive presidential nominee donald trump to task for his attacks on a latino judge presiding over a lawsuit against trump university. trump is refusing to back down from his contention that u.s. district judge gonzalo curiel could not preside over a fair trial in a fraud case against trump university because curiel's parents were born in mexico. "he's member of a club or society very strongly pro-mexican, which is all fine. but i say he's got bias," trump said of curiel on cbs' "face the nation." "i want to build a wall. i'm going to build a wall." and trump went further when pressed on whether he thinks<u+00a0>a muslim judge would also be biased against him. "it's possible, yes. yes. that would be possible, absolutely," the billionaire said. cbs' john dickerson <u+00a0>then asked trump, "isn't there sort of a tradition though in america that we don't judge people by who their parents were and where they came from?" "i'm not talking about tradition," trump replied. "i'm talking about common sense, okay?" former house speaker newt gingrich, a trump supporter and widely considered a possible running mate, severely criticized his remarks. "this is one of the worst mistakes trump has made," said gingrich. "i think it's inexcusable. this judge was born in indiana. he is an american, period." <u+00a0> but gingrich added that that he considers trump a remarkable leader who learns very quickly. meanwhile, democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton grabbed the chance to aim her fire at trump. "what trump is doing is trying to divert attention from the very serious fraud charges against trump university," she said on abc's "this week." and on nbc's "meet the press," senate majority leader mitch mcconnell also criticized trump, but would not say if he thought what trump said was racist. "i couldn't disagree more with a statement like that," mcconnell told nbc's chuck todd. "but is it a racist statement?" todd pressed. "i couldn't disagree more with what he said," mcconnell reiterated. in the meantime, republican leaders are urging trump to start unifying the party and start acting like "a potential leader of the united states."

trump draws fire from gop leaders over attacks on latino judge

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confronting the <u+2018>caliphate<u+2019> | this is part of an occasional series. along the vast, zigzagging perimeter of the islamic state<u+2019>s self-styled state, the militants are steadily being pushed back as the forces<u+00ad> ranged against them gain in strength. in the process, new borders are being drawn, new fiefdoms are being carved out and the seeds of potential new conflicts are being sown. a war seen by the united states as primarily aimed at preventing future terrorist attacks in america is being prosecuted for very different reasons by the diverse assortment of shiite, kurdish and sunni fighters battling in both iraq and syria, often in pursuit of competing agendas that work to subvert the goal of defeating the militants. in northern iraq and syria, kurds are busily carving out the borders to new kurdish enclaves. shiite militias, now the most powerful force in iraq, are extending their reach deep into traditionally sunni areas of northern iraq. the syrian government is focusing its energies on reclaiming land seized by its opponents during the five-year-old rebellion against it, while deeply divided syrian rebels in turn are fighting a two-front war to hold their ground against both the government and the islamic state. in this fragmented landscape, the islamic state is but one of a multitude of groups competing for territory and dominance over the collapsed nation states of iraq and syria <u+2014> a symptom as much as a cause of the scramble for power unleashed by the u.s.-led invasion of iraq in 2003 and the 2011 revolt in syria. [is it too late to solve the mess in the middle east?] the islamic state may or may not be vanquished soon <u+2014> and a string of defeats inflicted in recent months in northeastern syria, northern iraq and most recently ramadi have raised hopes that its demise may be closer than had been thought. but already it is becoming clear that victory over the militants won<u+2019>t end the bloodshed in the region, said fawaz gerges, a professor of international relations at the london school of economics and political science. <u+201c>there is little thought being given to the morning after, and the morning after is going to be as bloody, as chaotic and as destabilizing as the situation we are seeing now,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>the heart of the middle east has changed. the fragile state system is no longer there.<u+201d> along some of the war<u+2019>s front lines, the ways in which the battle against the islamic state is redrawing the map of the middle east <u+2014> perhaps irrevocably <u+2014> come sharply into focus. men of all ages <u+2014> and in a few places, women <u+2014> are fighting courageously against desperate and well-armed jihadists, in some instances carrying only the hunting rifles their families owned long before there was war. but there is no single unifying plan, and no overarching goal, only a jigsaw puzzle composed of the collapsed fragments of iraq and syria. one piece of the puzzle is taking shape along a road called the m4 on most maps, and the international highway by those who live in its vicinity. it links northern iraq to the mediterranean coast of syria, and it has served as a supply route for the islamic state across the mostly erased syria-iraq border. in northeastern syria, it also roughly tracks the front line between the frontier of the islamic state<u+2019>s so-called caliphate and the lands claimed by syria<u+2019>s minority kurds, who have emerged as one of the single-most-effective u.s. partners in the war. raqqa, the islamic state<u+2019>s self-proclaimed capital and the next priority of the u.s. military campaign, lies 30 miles to the south. but raqqa, an arab city, is not a priority for the people<u+2019>s protection units, or ypg, the kurdish force that is busy consolidating its control in northeastern syria. in the past year, the ypg has expanded the territory under its control by 186<u+00a0>percent <u+2014> compared with a 14<u+00a0>percent shrinkage for the far larger territory controlled by the islamic state <u+2014> making it by far the biggest winner in the wider war, according to figures compiled by the ihs conflict monitor. the ypg<u+2019>s sights are now set on another stretch of kurdish land, the isolated enclave of afrin far to the west, in the province of aleppo, surrounded by territory controlled by an assortment of syrian rebels. in an effort to link up with afrin, the focus of the fighting has shifted there, putting the kurds in conflict with local free syrian army groups and, potentially, turkey, which has vowed to prevent the creation of a kurdish enclave in the area. the raqqa front line has been left to a ragged assortment of former raqqa rebels who were driven out of the city by the islamic state. they are fighting in sandals with ancient kalashnikovs alongside a crude earth barrier thrown up in the desert just to the south of the town of ain issa. their relations with the ypg are tense, and they have been overlooked in the effort by the pentagon to arm sunni allies to take on the islamic state in sunni areas. but a strategy that relies on a kurdish force to counter the islamic state in arab areas <u+201c>is destined to make things worse, not better,<u+201d> said robert ford, the former u.s. ambassador to syria who is now with the middle east institute. <u+201c>the americans are aiding in the establishment of a unilaterally declared autonomous kurdish zone, and arab syrians will not accept it,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>where this leads to is the partition of syria, and it<u+2019>s going to make it harder if countries are fragmented in this way to take on the islamic state.<u+201d> a similar dilemma prevails across the border in the kurdish region of northern iraq, on the battlefield just south of the once-mixed kurdish-arab town of makhmour, whose capture by the islamic state in august 2014 helped precipitate u.s. airstrikes. the jihadist occupation lasted barely 48 hours before u.s. warplanes intervened and the islamic state retreated, in the first indication that air power could prove decisive in stemming and then reversing the militants<u+2019> <u+00ad>advances. the front line since has barely shifted. a labyrinth of trenches, earthen barricades and sandbags snaking across the fertile plains of northern iraq<u+2019>s nineveh province separates the combatants and also forms the southernmost frontier of the territories claimed by the regional government of kurdistan as part of its still-undeclared kurdish state. the villages beyond are wholly arab, and the kurdish peshmerga forces manning the line say they have no intention of pressing forward, even though they believe they could. <u+201c>here on this front line we won<u+2019>t advance any further because this is arab land,<u+201d> explained col. yadgar hijran, who commands forces<u+00ad> along a stretch of the front line. <u+201c>if anyone is to free these areas, it should be arabs, because if kurds free them, then it will become an ethnic war.<u+201d> in many ways, it already is. spanning the kurdish-arab fault line that runs across northern iraq, makhmour has long been contested and was among the areas targeted in the 1980s by saddam hussein<u+2019>s <u+201c>arabization<u+201d> program. surrounding kurdish villages were razed and their lands given to arab settlers, often from other parts of the country. the kurdish peshmerga seized control of makhmour after u.s. troops swept into the area in 2003, and many of those arabs fled. [the hidden hand behind the islamic state militants? saddam hussein<u+2019>s.] under iraq<u+2019>s new constitution, the final status was to have been settled by a referendum, but that plan has become moot since the war against the islamic state began. the president of the kurdish region, masoud barzani, has said the kurds will never surrender any of the lands they have recaptured. talk of a far bolder referendum, to vote on the complete independence of kurdistan, is being revived. <u+201c>there is a need for brave decisions, to look at the realities and let people decide what they want,<u+201d> said masrour barzani, kurdistan<u+2019>s national security chief. <u+201c>iraq has broken apart. sunnis believe in a united iraq only if sunnis rule it. shiites believe in a united iraq only if shiites rule it. there is no single definition of a united iraq.<u+201d> <u+201c>trying to keep the country united against the will of the people is not going to succeed,<u+201d> he said. that<u+2019>s not a view shared by the shiite militia fighters battling the islamic state 40 miles to the south, outside the destroyed baiji oil refinery. the facility was finally recaptured in october after more than a year of back-and-forth battles, with shiite militias fighting under the umbrella of the hashd shabi <u+2014> as the popular mobilization units are known <u+2014> playing an instrumental role in securing the victory alongside iraqi army units, according to the iraqi government and army units on the ground. the front line now has shifted northwest into the makhool mountains, a strategic ridge of barren hills overlooking the refinery and also the main highway leading to mosul, the biggest city controlled by the islamic state and a key target of the fight. this is also indisputably sunni territory, now in the process of being conquered by shiites fighting far from their homes in the shiite south of the country <u+2014> motivated, say young fighters, by duty to their religious leaders. along the length of the 200-mile highway leading north to baiji from baghdad lie the ruins of sunni towns and villages, destroyed by airstrikes and artillery in the fight to dislodge the islamic state. <u+201c>we are following the orders of our marjaya<u+201d> <u+2014> the shiite religious authorities in najaf <u+2014> said sattar ahwan, one of about two dozen men massed beneath a ridge on the hillside as bullets zinged and mortar fire crumped overhead. he, along with many of the fighters, wore an armband featuring the face of the late iranian leader ayatollah khomeini, a reminder of the divergent loyalties complicating the battlefield. the shiite fighters are nonetheless fighting for a united iraq, insisted two commanders from the kataeb sayed shuhada, a shiite militia that has also sent fighters to syria, at a command post behind the front lines on the edge of the nearby town of baiji. <u+201c>the hashd are the sons of iraq. our role is to fight for the sake of iraq,<u+201d> said alaa al-husseini, who comes from najaf and wears a turban, signaling his role as a religious adviser to the fighters. <u+201c>we are all iraqis, sunnis and shiites, and this crisis has made us unite.<u+201d> behind him, the flags of the assorted shiite militias participating in the fight fluttered over baiji, long since emptied of its inhabitants and now almost destroyed. for the few iraqi sunnis engaged in the fight against the sunni islamic state, the symbolism of such scenes, broadcast widely on television, is obvious <u+2014> and worrying. amiriyat fallujah, in the western province of anbar, is one of the few sunni towns that held at bay the islamic state onslaught into most of the country<u+2019>s sunni regions last year, and it is one of the first where local sunnis are being deployed in the fight against the islamic state. several hundred local sunni tribesmen trained by u.s. troops returned there in late october, and they launched their first offensive in november, alongside iraqi army troops. it went well. a front line that had endured since the islamic state<u+2019>s advances<u+00ad> early in 2014 crumbled within 36 hours. the tribesmen took control of an extra three miles or so of land. the new front line is barely distinguishable from the old, except that the old trench dug in the desert had filled with plastic bags and water bottles, whereas the new one is dug from freshly churned earth. it also puts the fighters three miles closer to fallujah, the first iraqi town to be captured by the islamic state nearly two years ago. as is the case along other front lines, the fighters say they are confident they could easily gain more ground and perhaps take fallujah itself if they had sufficient support <u+2014> from the iraqi government and from allies such as the united states. <u+201c>as soon as they saw our <u+00ad>forces, they ran away,<u+201d> said faisal al-issawi, a local tribal leader who commands forces<u+00ad> along one stretch of the newly dug front line. <u+201c>they still have power, but it<u+2019>s not the same as a year ago. airstrikes made them weak and are breaking their structures. every week they execute four or five members because they refuse to obey orders or try to turn against their leaders.<u+201d> but weapons have been hard to come by on this neglected front, where actual fighting is rare. none of the tribal fighters wear uniforms, and some are armed only with ancient rifles, owned by their families for generations, according to one fighter, who said he was 60 but looked older. the shiite-dominated government has been reluctant to arm the sunni tribes for fear of empowering potential rivals, and the sunnis here are already questioning their future in an iraq now more firmly dominated by shiites than ever before. <u+201c>even those who are loyal to the central government and fight isis are treated like foreigners<u+201d> by the central government, said shaker al-issawi, the mayor of amiriyat fallujah, as he visited his men on the front line. he is among a small but growing number of sunnis who are starting to embrace the idea of forming a separate sunni entity, along the lines of the semiautonomous kurdish enclave in the north. <u+201c>if the people of anbar felt respected, as iraqis, they would be loyal to us and fight isis,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>but we are not respected, and i fear the only solution is a sunni state.<u+201d> it is not a mainstream view among iraqi sunnis, suhaib al-rawi, the governor of the province of anbar, said in an interview in baghdad ahead of the recent victory of iraqi government troops in ramadi. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s not only a bad idea, it would be a catastrophe,<u+201d> he said, citing the battle for ramadi, fought by the iraqi army, as evidence that iraq can survive. <u+201c>iraq was always a united nation and a great regional power. it is in the best interest of everyone to remain united.<u+201d> but they are not united, said gerges, the london school of economics professor, who questions not whether iraq or syria should be partitioned as part of an ultimate solution but whether they can be salvaged at all. <u+201c>the puzzle is, how do you glue these states back together again?<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>they<u+2019>re gone. they<u+2019>re gone into a million pieces.<u+201d> this is part of an occasional series about the militant group islamic state and its violent collision with the united states and others intent on halting the group<u+2019>s rapid rise. the hidden hand behind the islamic state militants? saddam hussein<u+2019>s. life in the <u+2018>islamic state<u+2019>: spoils for the rulers, terror for the ruled inside the surreal world of the islamic state<u+2019>s propaganda machine from hip-hop to jihad, how the islamic state became a magnet for converts 5 stories you should read to really understand the islamic state mustafa salim in baiji and ameriyat fallujah.contributed to this report.

how the battle against the islamic state is redrawing the map of the middle east

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the trump alliance desires to remake the world in their own image, just as the class representing neoliberal globalization has insisted on doing so. the difference couldn<u+2019>t be starker. capitalism today is placeless, locationless, nameless, faceless, while trump is talking about hauling corporations back to where they belong, in their home countries, fix them in place by means of rewards and retribution, like one handles a recalcitrant child. trump is a businessman, while mitt romney was a businessman too, yet i predict victory for the former while the latter obviously lost miserably. what is the difference? while trump <u+201c>builds<u+201d> things (literal buildings), in places like manhattan and atlantic city, places one can recognize and identify with, and while trump<u+2019>s entire life has been orchestrated around building luxury and ostentatiousness, again things one can tangibly grasp and hold on to (the trump steaks!), romney is the personification of a placeless corporation, making his quarter billion dollars from consulting, i.e., representing economic abstraction at its purest, serving as a high priest of the transnational capitalist class. no one can visualize the boardroom romney sat in, as head of bain capital, but, via the apprentice, everyone has seen, for more than a decade, what trump<u+2019>s boardroom looks like, and what it takes to be a <u+201c>winner<u+201d> in the real economy. what was that fa<u+00e7>ade behind the collapse of fictitious corporations like enron in the early 2000s? trump supposedly pulled the veil off. in the present election, hillary clinton represents precisely the same disembodiedness as romney, for example because of her association with the clinton foundation. where did the business of the state, while she was secretary of state, stop, and where did the business of global philanthropy (just another name for global business), begin, and who can possibly tell the difference? the maneuverings of the clinton foundation, in the popular imagination, are as arcane as the colossal daily transactions on the world<u+2019>s financial exchanges. everything about clinton<u+2014>and this becomes all the more marked when she takes on the (false) mantle of speaking for the underclass, with whom she bears no mental or physical resemblance<u+2014>reeks of the easy mobility of the global rentier class. their efficacy cannot be accounted for, not through the kind of democratic process that is unfolding before our eyes as a remnant of the american founding imagination, her whole sphere of movement is pure abstraction. in this election, abstraction will clearly lose, and corporeality, even if<u+2014>or particularly if<u+2014>gross and vulgar and rising from the repressed, will undoubtedly win. a business tycoon who vigorously inserted himself in the imaginations of the dispossessed as the foremost exponent of birtherism surely cannot be entirely beholden to the polite elites, can he? trump is capital, but he is not capital, he is of us but also not of us in the way that the working class desires elevation from their rootedness, still strongly identified with place and time, not outside it. after all, he posed the elemental question, where were you born? though he is in fact the libertine (certainly not clinton, who is libertinism<u+2019>s antithesis), he will be able to tar her with being permissive to an extreme degree<u+2014>an <u+201c>enabler,<u+201d> as the current jargon has it, for her husband<u+2019>s proclivities, for example. it has nothing to do with misogyny. it has everything to do with the kind of vocabulary that must substitute for people<u+2019>s real emotions, their fears and desires, in the face of an abstract market that presumes to rule out everything but the <u+201c>rational<u+201d> utility-maximizing motive. for the market to exist, as classical economics would have it, there must be free buyers and sellers, competitive prices, a marketplace that remains fixed and transparent, and none of these elements exist anymore in the neoliberal economy, which seeks to stamp out the last vestiges of resistance in the most forgotten parts of the world. in fact, the market has created<u+2014>in the ghost towns of the american midwest, for example<u+2014>a kind of sub-saharan desolation, in the heartland of the country, all the better to identify the completeness of its project in the <u+201c>successful<u+201d> coastal cities. trump is a messenger from the most successful of these cities, and his very jet-setting presence, in the middle of empty landscapes, provides an imaginary access point. darkness in the human soul is not utility-maximizing, therefore someone has to stand in for the opposite of what the market establishes as the universal solvent, and that someone, in this election, happens to be hillary clinton; which makes her unelectable. she will not, in fact, be able to discover, as she hasn<u+2019>t so far, anything like an authentic voice which can prove to the electorate that she is not that dark force the market cannot account for. but note the irony: by discrediting clinton in this manner, the losers in the global economy are actually articulating yet another form for the decisive articulateness of the market after all! the population across the board does not see the abstractions of the transnational capitalist class being able to solve a problem like isis, which represents a crisis of authority. wasn<u+2019>t al-qaeda defeated? didn<u+2019>t we get osama bin laden<u+2019>s head? then what is this lingering distaste called isis? forms of darkness are easily substitutable, thus hillary (whose synecdoche is benghazi, or secret emails) becomes unable to speak the truth, the more she tries. but<u+2026>i do not want to claim for a minute that trump can represent anything other than the further strengthening of neoliberal capitalism, both domestically and globally. he can only represent a further intensification, as would be true of anyone else. the total globalization of the market<u+2014>our greatest of myths today, the one all-powerful entity to which all, state, civil society, and individual, have completely bent<u+2014>is unstoppable. the flat earth posited by tom friedman in the 1990s will end up erasing all local distinctiveness, the end goal of neoliberalism. while trump represents the desire for national regeneration<u+2014>as is true of any neofascist movement<u+2014>this is not possible in the twenty-first century, because the state as we have known it has ended, as has the market in the conventional understanding. in the end, trump cannot take charge, because no one can take charge. capital today serves nothing other than capital itself. in the current post-democratic, post-<u+201c>capitalism<u+201d> era, the myths of regeneration propounded by trump serve as convenient fictions, as capital well knows, and is therefore little disturbed by. nonetheless, trump has brought to the surface the leftover mobs of american society, the residual unemployable, the <u+201c>losers<u+201d> constituting perhaps a third of society, who were never acknowledged as such during the past many cycles of political ups and downs, but who are now forcing the successful two-thirds to face up to the fictions of the market. when trump<u+2019>s masses see clinton tacking to the middle<u+2014>as she undoubtedly will, rather than go for the surefire path to victory by heading left, by picking bernie sanders for example<u+2014>the more they will detest it, which will push her only further in their direction, not in the direction that can bring victory. clinton, because of her disembodied identity in the placeless global economy, cannot make a movement toward the direction of reality, because the equations would falter, the math would be off, the logic would be unsustainable. and that is the contradiction that the country can easily see, that is the exposed front of the abstract market that will bring about its supposed reckoning in the form of clinton<u+2019>s defeat. but the reckoning, again, will be pure fiction. trump is not a fascist father figure, he is not the second coming of mussolini, he is the new virtual figure who is as real as reality television, which is even more recessive and vanishing compared to ronald reagan<u+2019>s hollywood fictions. the field of action in which trump specialized for a long time before the nation, as dress rehearsal for the current (and final) role, was one where, at least to outward appearances, the presence of surplus capital was acknowledged and taken for granted, and aspirants competed to know more about it and to desperately work on its behalf. with the ascension of trump, an entire country of apprentices wants to get a handle on surplus capital by bringing the state back in, but as i said before, this is impossible because the pre-neoliberal state is gone, it has been reduced to the market, it is the market. again, capital serves only capital, though trump<u+2019>s followers wish to see him create a split whereby they can enter the picture, forcibly, though even they perhaps know that trump, as president, cannot sue evanescent corporations, or other realities of the market, even if suing is a tendency that comes naturally to him. to take the logic one step further, the myth of the market<u+2014>or the way <u+201c>government<u+201d> is run today<u+2014>cannot acknowledge one thing and one thing only: death. if you compete (whether in trump<u+2019>s boardroom or on the <u+201c>level playing field<u+201d> he wants to bring about in america by excluding illegal competitors, whether undocumented aliens or chinese currency manipulators or unwanted mexican goods), you win. (of course, this only strengthens the myth of the market, but that is something that will be evident to the populace once trump is in power; they want a localized, responsive, non-idle market, but the market is beyond the need to accommodate itself in those ways.) but to get back to death, trump<u+2019>s campaign has been successful so far, and will surely be victorious in the end, because he is the only one who has brought death back into the discourse. the only people identified with death today on the global scene<u+2014>the only people not part of the market and not able to be part of it<u+2014>are terrorists, undocumented immigrants, the homeless and the mentally ill, those who have no claims to success in the market. trump<u+2019>s people want to make sure<u+2014>from the purest feeling of shame known to politics<u+2014>that they are not of the unchosen ones, they want to enforce a radical separation between their kind of shame, which they think is unwarranted, by excluding illegal competition, by constructing literal walls to keep out the death-dealers, by overruling the transnational party elites who have sold them out. trump is vocally identifying the death aura, prodding the working class to confront the other, which is as alienated and excluded as itself, but which the working class likes to imagine is the irreconcilable other. by forcing this confrontation he has put himself in the winner<u+2019>s seat. let us note the rise of suicide among white working-class men and women, of all ages. this<u+2014>like the other deals in death that the market fails to name<u+2014>is an assertion of independence from the market. let us note too the power of the transgender rights movement (after the relative normalization of the presence of aids, and also of same-sex marriage) to prompt ferocious emotions amongst the excluded; this movement has become a substitute for the power of death<u+2014>sexual death<u+2014>to terrify us. they would rather be terrified by something they can do something about, knowing that the market wants to assimilate this form of gender-bending, identity-shifting, unlocalizable personality triumph. again, trump is virtual but not virtual, he is of tv but not of tv, functioning more as an ambassador from tv than an actor or role-player in that world<u+2014>which makes him uniquely equipped, in the eyes of his supporters, for taking on the kinds of death-dealers that they think mess up the market against their parochial interests. think again of trump<u+2019>s initiation of his campaign with the idea of the wall, and calling those who break through the wall rapists and murderers. and compare it to clinton<u+2019>s opening gambit of giving identifiable personalities to the clear winners in the transnational race to acquire and embody capital, paraded one after the other in her first campaign commercial. and then think of the culture warriors, both on the left and the right, as perceiving every threat as a personal attack on their very being, their very existence, no matter how trivial the offense (hence the revealing term <u+201c>micro-aggressions), exactly as the trump proletariat reacts to attacks on their identity, as they have been trained to respond after decades of rampant identity politics. now consider, in the face of these three competing tendencies, the market<u+2019>s pure victory; because all three games are being played out on its terms, it is the preordained winner. and yet, i would say, trump must win, he has to win, to give the element he represents, of the three mentioned here, a degree of equality with the other two. the spectacle must be kept interesting after all. what is common between the <u+201c>multitudes<u+201d> who show up for the trump and sanders rallies? both constituencies are rebelling against the empire of capital, the empire of the market (whether the right calls it the new world order or the left calls it free trade), and they show up naming empire as such. in this election campaign, whoever names the empire of the market wins (trump, or sanders had he been able to overcome the barriers erected by the democratic party), and whoever hides its name (clinton), loses. are these rallies, trump<u+2019>s and sanders<u+2019>s, aesthetic spectacles, or are they radical politics? the market does not have an answer to this question, or rather it has already answered it to its own satisfaction. is trump a racist? does he represent racists? we have to take into account the fact that the recent resurgence of racism<u+2014>in the form of overt police beatings, for example, and other things that we thought had been relegated to the past<u+2014>is a symptom of the failure of the old state, it is simply an assertion on the part of the market that we cannot count on the <u+201c>state<u+201d> as such to resolve the fantasy of racism as the great equalizer. the market, i would dare to assert, is quite happy at the failure of the state to contend with racism. and to the extent that trump fans the flames of racism, the market is happy with that too, it remains above the fray, so to speak, it remains the only untouched, unsullied, uncorrupted entity in the whole ongoing show. i expect trump to take a national lead shortly and never relinquish it until the end. it will be easy if he keeps the libertine and destructive aspects of himself in perfect balance, seesawing from one to the other, as he has so far, appealing to an elemental fear in the country, torn apart by the abstraction of the market, to which clinton has not the faintest hope of responding. he only has to use one distinctively non-misogynist, concretely unifying, morose five-letter word in the debates: nafta. a pure market abstraction that has turned out to be not so much an abstraction.

donald trump is going to win: this is why hillary clinton can<u+2019>t defeat what trump represents

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nevada gov. brian sandoval (r) announced tuesday that he will not be running for his state's open u.s. senate seat in 2016, disappointing many republicans who saw him as the strongest candidate to win. "i have said many times that it is an honor and a privilege to serve as nevada's chief executive and that i love my job. my heart is in my responsibilities as governor and continuing to build the new nevada. my undivided attention must be devoted to being the best governor, husband and father i can be. for these reasons, i will not seek the united states senate seat that will be available in 2016," sandoval said in a statement posted on his website. "i support governor sandoval's difficult decision to not run for the united states senate," said sen. dean heller (r-nev.), who had urged the governor to run. "under his leadership, our state's economy continues to experience the nevada comeback that we all know it is capable of achieving. while governor sandoval's voice and experience would have been a welcomed addition here on capitol hill, i join the entire nevada family in wishing him success for the duration of his term in office." senate majority leader harry reid (d-nev.) revealed in march that he won't seek re-election in 2016, setting off a scramble to see whether republicans will be able to pick up his seat. reid has endorsed democrat catherine cortez masto, a former state attorney general, who announced her candidacy shortly after his announcement. sandoval easily won a second term last year, and is the first latino to serve as nevada's governor. but he has long sounded reluctant about entering the senate race. <u+201c>do you really think <u+2026> i would propose the things that i proposed last night, thinking i might be on a ballot?<u+201d> sandoval said in january, referring to a proposed tax increase that would be the largest in nevada history. las vegas city council member bob beers (r) has already declared his candidacy on the republican side. u.s. reps. joe heck and mark amodei, both republicans, have already opted out of the race, but they could reconsider now that sandoval isn't running. correction: this piece originally stated that rep. dina titus (d-nev.) is also thinking of running for the senate seat. she recently announced, however, that she is sitting out the race. have a tip or story idea to share with us? email us at [email protected]. we'll keep your identity private unless you tell us otherwise.

nevada gop gov. brian sandoval won't run for senate in 2016

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president obama said world leaders were right to be "rattled" by donald trump. <u+201c>they are rattled by (him)<u+00a0><u+2014> and for good reason,<u+201d> said obama of<u+00a0>the presumptive republican presidential nominee. the president<u+00a0>was speaking thursday in japan<u+00a0>on the sidelines of a<u+00a0>group of seven conference, a two-day<u+00a0>event focused on the global economy. <u+201c>a lot of the proposals he has made display either ignorance of world affairs, or a cavalier attitude, or an interest in getting tweets and headlines,<u+201d> said obama. he dismissed concerns that attacks by democratic rival candidates<u+00a0>hillary clinton and bernie sanders were hurting the party's electoral chances. <u+201c>during primaries, people get a little grumpy with each other. somebody<u+2019>s supporter pops off and there<u+2019>s a certain buildup of aggravation,<u+201d> obama said. <u+201c>every little speed bump, conflict trash-talking that takes place is elevated.<u+201d>

obama says world leaders right to be 'rattled' by trump

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this summer, the court is expected to rule in king v. burwell, in which the plaintiffs allege the affordable care act's language does not authorize the federal government to distribute health insurance tax credits in about two-thirds of the states. some wording in one section of the law is the source of the dispute -- an ambiguity that congress could fix with a simple, one-line correction. coats, speaking to the wall street journal's louise radnofsky, seemed to suggest he and other republicans had no interest in taking that step. it's possible coats was being flippant. (his office has not responded to email inquiries from the huffington post.) and he doesn't necessarily speak for other republicans, at least a few of whom have indicated they're thinking about what to do if the court does find for the plaintiffs. over the last few months, a cadre of prominent conservative writers and intellectuals -- most notably james capretta, philip klein, avik roy and yuval levin -- have suggested republicans seize the opportunity to enact their own version of health reform, whether that's through significant modifications to the existing law or some kind of wholesale replacement. the topic reportedly came up at a house republican strategy retreat this month, and over in the senate, republicans lamar alexander, john barrasso and orrin hatch have started a working group to examine possible post-king reforms. "there are a lot of ideas," hatch told tpm's sahil kapur this week. "if the case goes the way i think it should go ... then we've gotta come up with a way of resolving the problems we're in. we're quietly looking at all that and trying to do that." but drawing up a health care bill can't really be done "quietly" -- or quickly. the debate over the affordable care act dragged on for more than a year in congress. and that was just the final stage of a process that had unfolded over roughly a decade, during which time liberal intellectuals and interest groups hashed out different ideas for how to write legislation and then how to build a political coalition that could pass it. it took such a long time because devising even narrowly tailored health care legislation requires coming to grips with difficult trade-offs -- and then dealing with politically powerful constituencies that might not like them. republicans would face the very same difficulties. many conservatives have said, for example, that they would prefer to repeal or at least relax obamacare's restrictions on "age rating," thereby allowing insurers much more room to vary premiums based on age. they tout this proposal because, they note correctly, it would mean lower premiums for young people. what they often don't mention is that it would also mean higher premiums for old people. in other words, giving a break to twenty-somethings would mean sticking it to those nearer retirement. explaining that to older americans now getting coverage wouldn't be easy for republicans, particularly since older voters are a key part of the gop constituency. of course, republicans strategizing about a king ruling may not be acting in good faith. nobody knows how the court will rule or what reasoning the individual justices will invoke in their decisions. but lots of people in washington believe that chief justice john roberts, whose vote to uphold the individual mandate saved obamacare in 2012, might be inclined to save it again if he fears upholding the king lawsuit would wreak havoc -- not only by depriving millions of insurance, but also by throwing entire state insurance markets into chaos. (without the subsidies, most experts say, many of the law's other reforms could not work and would lead to sudden spikes in premiums or a mass exodus of insurers.) if republicans make it look like they're prepared to act, the thinking goes, that will ease roberts' conscience and make it easier for him to rule in favor of the lawsuit. for now, as one conservative health policy adviser told kapur, the main goal of republicans is to "make the world safe for roberts to overturn." it'd be a smart gambit. but coats' comments -- if representative of more widespread thinking -- would suggest that the mere appearance of trying to pass a law that preserves health insurance for millions is more than many conservatives can stomach.

gop senator on fixing obamacare: 'no, no, no, no'

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before any rational discussion of the economic or scientific merits of president obama<u+2019>s clean power plan can begin (it will be announced monday), it is necessary to take his rhetoric about its benefits off the table.<u+00a0> the president stated sunday that his plan is "protecting the world we leave to our children.<u+201d><u+00a0> to be generous to the president, that is a gross exaggeration. by the environmental protection agency<u+2019>s own calculations, the plan will reduce u.s. emissions of carbon dioxide by about 10% from what they are now projected to be in 2030. since by that time the u.s. will be producing less than 20 percent of global co2 emissions, the result is at most 2 percent less growth in global emissions. based on the calculations of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, that will make less than one-tenth of a degree of difference in global temperatures. contrary to the president<u+2019>s claims about saving lives and reducing energy costs, his own epa has found that the drastic cuts they are ordering will increase electricity costs, while doing next to nothing to slow the pace of climate change. what the president will not admit about his ambitious plans is that they will not matter unless the countries actually responsible for future greenhouse gas emissions do far more than they now show any intention of doing. the world<u+2019>s future major emitters will be china, india, brazil -- and of course russia -- and other rapidly growing economies whose use of fossil fuels is part and parcel of their growth plans. the energy information administration and the international energy agency forecast that by 2030 these countries will be responsible for almost 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions. their role is growing fast, not shrinking. despite the presidential hoopla about the upcoming paris climate summit, what the actual preparations show is how little those other major emitters have any intention of doing. the paris meeting is not about setting new binding international targets for global emissions.<u+00a0> instead, nations will determine their own efforts and communicate their intentions in documents called <u+201c>intended nationally determined contributions (indcs).<u+201d> this in the long run could be a great improvement over futile meetings to discuss mandatory targets, but china, the world<u+2019>s largest source of co2, has already stated its intention to keep growing carbon emissions out to 2030. in other words, the president is claiming that the u.s. must provide a leading example at a time when the most important carbon emitters have already declared they will not follow it. at the pace those countries are moving, the problem of climate change will be just as great for our children as it is today, no matter what costly regulations the president imposes on the u.s. economy. dr. w. david montgomery is an expert on the economic issues associated with climate change policy, and testifies as an expert witness in state and federal courts on antitrust and damages cases dealing with petroleum and natural gas markets. his scholarly work is frequently published in peer-reviewed journals, and congressional committees have requested his testimony on climate change, issues affecting oil and gas markets, and other energy market and environmental issues on numerous occasions. he advises clients on the strategic implications of changes in energy and environmental policies and energy markets.

the folly of obama's clean power plan

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democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton<u+00a0>has said she "does not recall" ordering emails related to state department business to be deleted or permanently erased from her personal server after she left her post in 2013,<u+00a0>according to sworn testimony made public thursday. the testimony, obtained by the conservative group judicial watch, marked the first time clinton was forced to answer questions under oath about her private email system. a federal judge had ordered the former secretary of state's legal team to turn over written responses to questions about the so-called "homebrew" server, which was kept in her new york home during her tenure as america's top diplomat. clinton and her legal team objected to all or part of 18 of the 25 questions put to her by judicial watch. she also filed eight separate general objections to the process under which the questions were being asked. in her responses, clinton used some variation of "does not recall" at least 21 times. in the testimony, clinton says that it was her "expectation" that all her "work-related and potentially work-related e-mails [sic]" had been turned over to the state department by her lawyers when she determined that she had "no reason to keep her personal e-mails [sic]." that statement contradicts testimony by fbi director james comey this past july. comey told the house oversight committee that "thousands" of work-related emails were not returned. clinton also denied sending a 2011 memo warning state department employees not to conduct official business from personal email accounts. clinton said the memo, like all notices sent from the state department, concluded with her last name as "a formality ... it did not mean that she sent, authored, or reviewed the cable." clinton also said she did not recall receiving a february 2011 memo warning her of increased attempts to hack into private email accounts belonging to senior state department officials. clinton was also asked when she decided to use her private email account to conduct government business and whom she consulted in making that decision. clinton said she recalled making the decision in early 2009, but she "does not recall any specific consultations regarding the decision." asked whether she was warned that using a private email account conflicted with federal record-keeping rules, clinton responded that "she does not recall being advised, cautioned, or warned, she does not recall that it was ever suggested to her, and she does not recall participating in any communication, conversation, or meeting in which it was discussed." clinton noted in her testimony that her use of a personal email account for official business dated to her time as a senator from new york, and insisted that she decided to use the server "for the purpose of convenience." judicial watch president tom fitton said the group's lawyers will closely review clinton's responses. "mrs. clinton's refusal to answer many of the questions in a clear and straightforward manner further reflects disdain for the rule of law," fitton said. campaign spokesman brian fallon said clinton has answered these same questions in multiple settings for over a year, and her answers thursday "are entirely consistent with what she has said many times before." "judicial watch is a right-wing organization that has been attacking the clintons since the 1990s, and this frivolous lawsuit is just its latest failed attempt to hurt her campaign for the presidency," fallon said. the associated press contributed to this report.

clinton 'does not recall' ordering destruction of emails from personal server in testimony

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osceola, ind. <u+2014> sen. ted cruz (r-tex.) kicked off the final day of campaigning before the end of this state's primary by shaking every hand at the bravo cafe, an act of politicking that took him through a packed restaurant and down a lengthy line of voters stuck outside. he signed an ironic baseball cap that copied john oliver's anti-trump slogan "make donald drumpf again," then signed a copy of the "american patriot's bible," a compilation of the good book and a christian history of the united states. "i've got the same one at home," he said. from there, he told reporters that the election in indiana was boiling down to a choice between crudeness and decency, "a choice about our national character" that hoosiers could get right. "i trust the good people of indiana to differentiate," cruz said. "we are not a country built on hatred. we are not a country built on anger, built on pettiness. we are not a country built on bullying. we are not a country about selfishness. no country in the world has spilled more blood saving the lives of others than america.<u+00a0>we are not a petty, bigoted, angry people. that is not america." cruz said that after vaughn hillyard, an nbc news reporter, asked if the senator was referring to trump when he called the election a chance to reject "evil." cruz declined to put it that way; indeed, when he used the word at a sunday night rally down the road, he was notably short on jabs at trump. he did not even mention the mogul's rejection of ordinances that allowed transgender people in the bathrooms of their adopted sex, which had been a theme on the trail and in campaign ads. "do we get behind a campaign that is based on yelling, and screaming, and cursing, and insults?" asked cruz at the rally. "or do we unify behind a positive, optimistic, forward-looking conservative campaign?" in osceola, he asked parents to consider a future where the "words coming out of the president's mouth would make you punish your child," instead of appealing to "our better angels," a la abraham lincoln. "do you want to turn on the television, and see a president, republican or democrat, who embarrasses you?" asked cruz. "who would make you feel embarrassed if your children came and spoke the words uttered by the president? we've had presidents who've inspired us. fdr told us the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. john f. kennedy said, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." asked if he had a path to the republican nomination without indiana, cruz said "absolutely," and<u+00a0>suggested that the campaign was still in a<u+00a0>position to surge back and win. "the polls have been all over the place," said cruz, referring to but not naming a mike downs center for politics<u+00a0>poll that breaks the pattern of public polls favoring trump. "there has literally been a 30-point swing, depending on which poll you're looking at. we are neck and neck right now." from there, cruz jumped on the phone to talk with an indiana radio host. he excoriated media in "manhattan" for saying that the primary was functionally over, and attacked trump <u+2014> but not over transgender bathrooms. instead, he hit on a theme that the campaign found friday, when trump mystifyingly mentioned his endorsement from mike tyson. "mike tyson is a convicted rapist who served three years in prison in indiana for rape," cruz said. "i don't think rapists are tough guys. i think rapists are weaklings and bullies. we all know that bullies behave the way they do because they're scared."

cruz<u+2019>s closing case against trump: <u+2018>we are not a bigoted, angry people<u+2019>

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the libertarian moment in american politics<u+2014>foretold just last year in the new york times magazine<u+2014>is like the horizon; always retreating as we advance upon it. the political events of 2015 are a brutal reminder about how far this country is from embracing libertarianism and how alien those ideas are even to the purported shock troops of the freedom movement. while libertarianism<u+2019>s opponents can take heart, its champions are setting their cause back by pretending that all is well. the collapse of the rand paul campaign speaks volumes. in a 15-person field, paul is the only candidate who looks even remotely libertarian (social tolerance, foreign policy restraint, and limited government). he started the campaign with decent name recognition, a seat in the united states senate, lavish media attention, a serious will to win, and a battle-tested, national political operation inherited from his father, ron. if there were any significant support for libertarian ideas in the gop<u+2014>any at all<u+2014>rand paul would be near the top of an otherwise crowded, fragmented field that is fighting over every non-libertarian voter in the party. yet he<u+2019>s polling at a mere 1 percent among republican voters nationwide and has a higher unfavorability rating than anyone else in the gop race. according to an august survey by the independent polling firm eschelon insights, far and away the most popular candidate nationwide among libertarian-inclined republicans is donald trump, the least libertarian candidate in the race. libertarians who can<u+2019>t stomach trump scattered their support without any ideological rhyme or reason (11 percent for marco rubio and jeb bush, 9 percent for ted cruz and john kasich, 8 percent for carly fiorina, 7 percent for paul). the secret of trump<u+2019>s appeal to paul<u+2019>s base is that a large segment of the <u+201c>ron paul revolution<u+201d> leavened its libertarianism with a pony keg of crazy. birthers, 9/11 truthers, a wide assortment of conspiracy theorists (many of whom believe the federal reserve to be a modern manifestation of the illuminati), and naked racists rivaled the number of reasonably sober libertarian-ish voters among the faithful. trump won their hearts by throwing even more crazy into the mix and stirring up a white, working class populism last given political life by george wallace. paul let these voters down because he was disinclined to offer the distasteful dog whistles that his father traded for extremist support, much less the louder, baser appeals that are trump<u+2019>s stock-in-trade. the second voter bloc rand paul hoped to bring into his camp<u+2014>tea partiers<u+2014>has likewise rejected the kentucky republican. that<u+2019>s because there are few libertarians there, either. according to a survey conducted by the public religion research institute, more than half the tea party is made up of the religious right while only 26 percent<u+2014>the smallest ideological bloc within the group<u+2014>can be loosely described as libertarian.<u+00a0>and tea partiers have always manifested a large degree of nativist populism. it should be no surprise, then, that the candidates doing best with tea partiers are donald trump (37 percent support), ted cruz (19 percent), and ben carson (14 percent).<u+00a0> rand paul?<u+00a0> two percent. sure, one can argue that paul has run a sub-par campaign and that a more adroit effort would have produced better results.<u+00a0>but given the above, it is hard to argue, as some do, that paul would have done better had he run as more of a libertarian. if real libertarian votes were there for the taking, someone would have come along and done the harvesting. if there was truly a $20 (electoral) bill lying on the sidewalk, it<u+2019>s hard to believe that none of the other 14 starving candidates would bother to pick it up. yet this is precisely the narrative that the prophets of the libertarian vote would have us believe: an epic political market failure. there<u+2019>s good reason that political professionals<u+2014>those with the most to gain from an accurate reading of the political landscape<u+2014>do not pander to the libertarian vote: it doesn<u+2019>t exist. the most thorough search for libertarian sentiment was conducted last year by the pew research center.<u+00a0>they asked 10,013 adults 23 questions about a variety of social and political issues and then used cluster analysis to sort respondents into homogeneous groups. pew found that americans who <u+201c>resembled libertarians<u+201d> form a group that is <u+201c>too small to analyze<u+201d>: no more than 5 percent of those surveyed. it<u+2019>s true that if we avoid asking people about concrete issues and instead ask general questions, we can (if we squint hard enough) see a great deal of latent libertarian sentiment out there. it has been noted, for instance, that 59 percent of the american public is, broadly speaking, libertarian in that they answer <u+201c>yes<u+201d> to the question <u+201c>would you define yourself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal?<u+201d><u+00a0>political scientists and campaign strategists, however, almost universally dismiss self-identification and general sentiment surveys as functionally meaningless. both academic investigation and hard-earned political experience tell us that attitudes about specific governmental programs are far more telling than asking people what labels or characterizations describe them best. libertarians, however, can take heart from the fact that political sentiment is moving their way in some areas. gay rights, drug decriminalization, increasing outrage over heavy-handed police tactics, growing concern over an unjust legal system, disgust over crony capitalism, and opposition to military deployments abroad all suggest that libertarian arguments can have political force. but just because people buy libertarian arguments when it comes to civil liberties or foreign policy does not mean they are more likely to buy them on taxes, spending, or regulation. if they were, then bernie sanders democrats would be rand paul republicans. libertarians love to preach the virtues of markets. yet in the <u+201c>marketplace of ideas,<u+201d> their bundled product has been regularly and thoroughly rejected for over a century. until libertarians acknowledge that market verdict and re-think either what they<u+2019>re selling, how they<u+2019>re selling it, or both, they will remain on the margins of american political life. and for friends of liberty, that would be a tragedy. jerry taylor is the president of the niskanen center,<u+00a0>a think tank in washington, d.c. dedicated to the advancement of liberty and pragmatic policy solutions.

the collapse of rand paul and the libertarian moment that never was

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- real estate mogul donald trump said during his presidential announcement that mexican migrants to the u.s. are drug traffickers and rapists, as well as "some ... good people." ()

trump: immigrants bring 'drugs ... crime' to u.s. from mexico

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shelley brannon, 62, can sum up the obama presidency with three words. well, three words and an exclamation. <u+201c>he screwed us,<u+201d> said brannon, a coal miner from wise county, va., as he sat outside a rally for the united mine workers of america. <u+201c>man, he screwed us.<u+201d> he shook his head under a camouflage hat that matched his camouflage umwa t-shirt, and he described his fantasy of dumping nuclear waste in the yards of environmentalists, <u+201c>if they think coal<u+2019>s so bad.<u+201d> he mulled over the mistake he says the umwa made in 2008, when it endorsed barack obama over hillary rodham clinton. then he explained why he would probably be voting for sen. bernie sanders (i-vt.) in the next democratic primary. <u+201c>for one thing, he knows what union is, and he respects it,<u+201d> brannon said. <u+201c>that<u+2019>s all we need is respect. he<u+2019>s just a likable fellow, trustworthy. i don<u+2019>t think she has the same respect for the union, and she really shot herself in the foot over, you know, all that secretive stuff.<u+201d> west virginia has rejected the obama-era democratic party more dramatically than any other state outside the south, with appalachian counties that voted for michael dukakis and walter mondale turning blood red over the past eight years. but if you think it<u+2019>s in places like this where the insurgent sanders campaign faces its most formidable test, here<u+2019>s what he thinks: it is also one of his greatest opportunities. the vermont socialist believes that white, working-class voters <u+2014> the sort of people obama once self-defeatingly said <u+201c>cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren<u+2019>t like them<u+201d> <u+2014> are just one honest argument away from coming back. <u+201c>we have millions of working-class people who are voting for republican candidates whose views are diametrically opposite to what voters want,<u+201d> sanders said in an interview. <u+201c>how many think it<u+2019>s a great idea that we have trade policies that lead to plants in west virginia being shut down? how many think there should be massive cuts in pell grants or in social security? in my opinion, not too many people.<u+201d> this state, one of the last to vote in the 2016 primary race, is supposed to be clinton country. seven years ago, in the 2008 primary, west virginia democrats gave clinton a landslide victory over obama. she won 69<u+00a0>percent of the white vote and did even better with voters who lacked a college education. a democrat who improved a few points on obama<u+2019>s 39 percent of the national white vote in the 2012 general election would stroll into the white house. sanders, who has won elections only in a white, rural state, thinks his brand of bold democratic socialism can sell. he has never campaigned here, yet at friday<u+2019>s rally in morgantown, miner after miner said they basically agreed with the former mayor of burlington more than they agreed with clinton. several were aware that sanders had walked picket lines, something that resonated as they packed a hotel ballroom to demand that washington fully fund umwa pensions. when the room quieted, a man recited a prayer against greed. <u+201c>lord, we know that satan has those corporate thieves,<u+201d> he said, <u+201c>and they<u+2019>re still trying to rob us.<u+201d> then a singer-songwriter started in: it<u+2019>s a long way to wall street from 12th and main and the back roads of my home town. there<u+2019>s a new world order and times have changed, so they let these deals go down. sanders<u+2019>s campaign theory may be that there<u+2019>s a larger electorate hiding in plain sight. over the summer, as he gained in polls, sanders was criticized for bringing seemingly every issue back to the sediment of economics and class. black lives matter activist marissa johnson dubbed it <u+201c>class reductionism.<u+201d> clinton allies had trouble seeing how his support could grow beyond white liberals. sen. joe manchin iii (d-w.va.), who has endorsed clinton, said sanders has a weakness in west virginia greater even than the socialist label: coal. although the economics-first focus makes sense, manchin said, sanders<u+2019>s support for every major obama initiative on the environment makes his candidacy a <u+201c>nonstarter<u+201d> here. <u+201c>his environmental stance?<u+201d> manchin asked. <u+201c>oh, my, it would be awful.<u+201d> but sanders believes that such naysayers are missing the weight of his cardinal argument <u+2014> for greater economic fairness <u+2014> and voters<u+2019> willingness to look past the other issues where they disagree. he has won elections in vermont, a white, rural, gun-owning state, as a socialist. the social-issue <u+201c>distractions<u+201d> bemoaned by red-state democrats have seemed to bounce right off his armor. (he has taken mixed positions on gun control, supporting a ban on assault rifles, for instance, but opposing the brady bill.) in the end, is the white guy who voted for him in vermont any different than the white guy in west virginia or kentucky or ohio who was told to blame liberals for his problems? [a key to the southern vote lies centuries ago on another continent ] <u+201c>what i<u+2019>ve found in vermont and around the country is that we go to people and say, <u+2018>look, we do have differences,<u+2019><u+2009><u+201d> sanders said. <u+201c><u+2009><u+2018>i believe in gay marriage. i<u+2019>m not going to change your view if you don<u+2019>t. i believe climate change is absolutely real, and some of you do not. but how many of you think we should give hundreds of billions in tax breaks to the richest 1 percent?<u+2019><u+2009><u+201d> conservative sen. ted cruz (r-tex.) has made a similar argument <u+2014> that his party can win, with no changes to its message, if more evangelical voters are inspired to come out. bolstering sanders<u+2019>s case are his strong numbers in independent polls. a national quinnipiac survey last month found him polling marginally better against leading republican candidates than clinton did. a marquette university poll last week indicated that sanders is running just as strong as clinton in wisconsin, home to some of the white voters who have abandoned the democrats in off years. something similar may be happening in west virginia. in morgantown, home to west virginia university, a 62-year-old activist named andy cockburn went to an early organizing meeting for clinton and found only 10 other people. in july, more than 100 people packed a bar basement and started organizing for sanders. railing against oligarchies and <u+201c>the 1 percent<u+201d> means one thing in new york or san francisco. it means more in west virginia, where coal magnate don blankenship is standing trial and patriot coal is trying to spend most of a $22 million settlement for miners on its own attorneys. on friday night, at the democrats<u+2019> jefferson-jackson dinner in the state capital, charleston, bill clinton echoed his wife and condemned patriot. but sanders is the candidate with consistency on corporate greed <u+2014> a fact that has helped him slow down some labor endorsements for clinton. according to the new york times, the international association of fire fighters hit the pause button on its expected endorsement after too many local leaders blanched. on saturday, sanders lost the endorsement of the national education association but only after a similar protest made clinton work for it. the umwa has never endorsed clinton. in 2008, it went for the doomed campaign of john edwards, switching to obama only after he had basically sewn up the nomination. in 2012 it made no endorsement, in an avowed protest of the administration<u+2019>s environmental regulations. this year, the union, with 32,354 of its 71,160 members based in west virginia, is not yet close to a decision. <u+201c>what we<u+2019>re going to do is base our decision on our future here,<u+201d> umwa president cecil roberts said in an interview <u+2014> <u+201c>whether we<u+2019>re going to have health care, have pensions, have jobs for people in appalachia.<u+201d> that question could vex sanders just as much as clinton. in his energy talking points, sanders notes that he <u+201c>introduced the gold standard for climate-change legislation with sen. barbara boxer to tax carbon and methane emissions,<u+201d> a r<u+00e9>sum<u+00e9> item that would be about as welcome in west virginia as a university of maryland terps jersey. asked what he would say to a coal miner who blames environmental protection agency regulations for the loss of his job, sanders said he could only be straight with him. <u+201c>what we have to say is, <u+2018>look, through no fault of your own, you<u+2019>re working in an industry which is helping to cause climate change and in fact having a negative impact on the country and world,<u+2019><u+2009><u+201d> sanders said. <u+201c>what the government does have is an obligation to say: <u+2018>we<u+2019>ll protect you financially as we transition away from fossil fuel. we are going to create jobs in your community, extended unemployment benefits. if you lose your job to a trade deal, you get benefits for two years. you get job training.<u+2019> i would take that same approach to energy jobs that are lost because of the threat of climate change.<u+201d> nothing about sanders<u+2019>s pitch is easy, but this piece is especially rough. state rep. mike caputo (d), a miner and a union member, said his brothers need jobs, not pity. in an interview at the umwa office in fairmont, he asked: <u+201c>you can train a guy to be a truck driver, but what<u+2019>s he going to haul? coal miners don<u+2019>t want unemployment. they want work.<u+201d> still, on thursday, at his farm in grafton, democratic former state legislator mike manypenny was firm that enthusiasm for sanders is big and getting bigger. manypenny, one of the many casualties of a 2014 republican sweep, is running for congress on the theory that the progressive politics he shares with sanders <u+2014> a living wage, the return of glass-steagall<u+2019>s repealed restrictions on banks <u+2014> are the way to break the conservative grip on voters<u+2019> imaginations. <u+201c>the problem last year was that everybody focused on getting the vote out from the historic democratic voters,<u+201d> he explained. <u+201c>those are the seniors <u+2014> i don<u+2019>t need to tell you that each year you lose a little more of them. this is something new. barring anything happening in the democratic debate, like bernie stumbling badly, i don<u+2019>t see anything changing the momentum. i think he wins.<u+201d>

in rural america, a startling prospect: voters obama lost look to sanders

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when we ask <u+201c>who rules the world?<u+201d> we commonly adopt the standard convention that the actors in world affairs are states, primarily the great powers, and we consider their decisions and the relations among them. that is not wrong. but we would do well to keep in mind that this level of abstraction can also be highly misleading. states, of course, have complex internal structures, and the choices and decisions of the political leadership are heavily influenced by internal concentrations of power, while the general population is often marginalized. that is true even for the more democratic societies, and obviously for others. we cannot gain a realistic understanding of who rules the world while ignoring the <u+201c>masters of mankind<u+201d>, as adam smith called them: in his day, the merchants and manufacturers of england; in ours, multinational conglomerates, huge financial institutions, retail empires and the like. still following smith, it is also wise to attend to the <u+201c>vile maxim<u+201d> to which the <u+201c>masters of mankind<u+201d> are dedicated: <u+201c>all for ourselves and nothing for other people<u+201d> <u+2013> a doctrine known otherwise as bitter and incessant class war, often one-sided, much to the detriment of the people of the home country and the world. in the contemporary global order, the institutions of the masters hold enormous power, not only in the international arena but also within their home states, on which they rely to protect their power and to provide economic support by a wide variety of means. when we consider the role of the masters of mankind, we turn to such state policy priorities of the moment as the trans-pacific partnership, one of the investor-rights agreements mislabeled <u+201c>free-trade agreements<u+201d> in propaganda and commentary. they are negotiated in secret, apart from the hundreds of corporate lawyers and lobbyists writing the crucial details. the intention is to have them adopted in good stalinist style with <u+201c>fast track<u+201d> procedures designed to block discussion and allow only the choice of yes or no (hence yes). the designers regularly do quite well, not surprisingly. people are incidental, with the consequences one might anticipate. the neoliberal programs of the past generation have concentrated wealth and power in far fewer hands while undermining functioning democracy, but they have aroused opposition as well, most prominently in latin america but also in the centers of global power. the european union (eu), one of the more promising developments of the post-world war ii period, has been tottering because of the harsh effect of the policies of austerity during recession, condemned even by the economists of the international monetary fund (if not the imf<u+2019>s political actors). democracy has been undermined as decision-making shifted to the brussels bureaucracy, with the northern banks casting their shadow over their proceedings. mainstream parties have been rapidly losing members to left and to right. the executive director of the paris-based research group europanova attributes the general disenchantment to <u+201c>a mood of angry impotence as the real power to shape events largely shifted from national political leaders [who, in principle at least, are subject to democratic politics] to the market, the institutions of the european union and corporations<u+201d>, quite in accord with neoliberal doctrine. very similar processes are under way in the united states, for somewhat similar reasons, a matter of significance and concern not just for the country but, because of us power, for the world. the rising opposition to the neoliberal assault highlights another crucial aspect of the standard convention: it sets aside the public, which often fails to accept the approved role of <u+201c>spectators<u+201d> (rather than <u+201c>participants<u+201d>) assigned to it in liberal democratic theory. such disobedience has always been of concern to the dominant classes. just keeping to american history, george washington regarded the common people who formed the militias that he was to command as <u+201c>an exceedingly dirty and nasty people [evincing] an unaccountable kind of stupidity in the lower class of these people<u+201d>. in violent politics, his masterful review of insurgencies from <u+201c>the american insurgency<u+201d> to contemporary afghanistan and iraq, william polk concludes that general washington <u+201c>was so anxious to sideline [the fighters he despised] that he came close to losing the revolution<u+201d>. indeed, he <u+201c>might have actually done so<u+201d> had france not massively intervened and <u+201c>saved the revolution<u+201d>, which until then had been won by guerrillas <u+2013> whom we would now call <u+201c>terrorists<u+201d> <u+2013> while washington<u+2019>s british-style army <u+201c>was defeated time after time and almost lost the war<u+201d>. a common feature of successful insurgencies, polk records, is that once popular support dissolves after victory, the leadership suppresses the <u+201c>dirty and nasty people<u+201d> who actually won the war with guerrilla tactics and terror, for fear that they might challenge class privilege. the elites<u+2019> contempt for <u+201c>the lower class of these people<u+201d> has taken various forms throughout the years. in recent times one expression of this contempt is the call for passivity and obedience (<u+201c>moderation in democracy<u+201d>) by liberal internationalists reacting to the dangerous democratizing effects of the popular movements of the 1960s. sometimes states do choose to follow public opinion, eliciting much fury in centers of power. one dramatic case was in 2003, when the bush administration called on turkey to join its invasion of iraq. ninety-five percent of turks opposed that course of action and, to the amazement and horror of washington, the turkish government adhered to their views. turkey was bitterly condemned for this departure from responsible behavior. deputy secretary of defense paul wolfowitz, designated by the press as the <u+201c>idealist-in-chief<u+201d> of the administration, berated the turkish military for permitting the malfeasance of the government and demanded an apology. unperturbed by these and innumerable other illustrations of our fabled <u+201c>yearning for democracy<u+201d>, respectable commentary continued to laud president george w bush for his dedication to <u+201c>democracy promotion<u+201d>, or sometimes criticized him for his naivete in thinking that an outside power could impose its democratic yearnings on others. the turkish public was not alone. global opposition to us-uk aggression was overwhelming. support for washington<u+2019>s war plans scarcely reached 10% almost anywhere, according to international polls. opposition sparked huge worldwide protests, in the united states as well, probably the first time in history that imperial aggression was strongly protested even before it was officially launched. on the front page of the new york times, journalist patrick tyler reported that <u+201c>there may still be two superpowers on the planet: the united states and world public opinion<u+201d>. unprecedented protest in the us was a manifestation of the opposition to aggression that began decades earlier in the condemnation of the us wars in indochina, reaching a scale that was substantial and influential, even if far too late. by 1967, when the antiwar movement was becoming a significant force, military historian and vietnam specialist bernard fall warned that <u+201c>vietnam as a cultural and historic entity <u+2026> is threatened with extinction <u+2026> [as] the countryside literally dies under the blows of the largest military machine ever unleashed on an area of this size<u+201d>. but the antiwar movement did become a force that could not be ignored. nor could it be ignored when ronald reagan came into office determined to launch an assault on central america. his administration mimicked closely the steps john f kennedy had taken 20 years earlier in launching the war against south vietnam, but had to back off because of the kind of vigorous public protest that had been lacking in the early 1960s. the assault was awful enough. the victims have yet to recover. but what happened to south vietnam and later all of indochina, where <u+201c>the second superpower<u+201d> imposed its impediments only much later in the conflict, was incomparably worse. it is often argued that the enormous public opposition to the invasion of iraq had no effect. that seems incorrect to me. again, the invasion was horrifying enough, and its aftermath is utterly grotesque. nevertheless, it could have been far worse. vice-president dick cheney, secretary of defense donald rumsfeld, and the rest of bush<u+2019>s top officials could never even contemplate the sort of measures that president kennedy and president lyndon johnson adopted 40 years earlier largely without protest. there is far more to say, of course, about the factors in determining state policy that are put to the side when we adopt the standard convention that states are the actors in international affairs. but with such nontrivial caveats as these, let us nevertheless adopt the convention, at least as a first approximation to reality. then the question of who rules the world leads at once to such concerns as china<u+2019>s rise to power and its challenge to the us and <u+201c>world order<u+201d>, the new cold war simmering in eastern europe, the global war on terror, american hegemony and american decline, and a range of similar considerations. the challenges faced by western power at the outset of 2016 are usefully summarized within the conventional framework by gideon rachman, chief foreign-affairs columnist for the london financial times. he begins by reviewing the western picture of world order: <u+201c>ever since the end of the cold war, the overwhelming power of the us military has been the central fact of international politics.<u+201d> this is particularly crucial in three regions: east asia, where <u+201c>the us navy has become used to treating the pacific as an <u+2018>american lake<u+2019><u+201d>; europe, where nato <u+2013> meaning the united states, which <u+201c>accounts for a staggering three-quarters of nato<u+2019>s military spending<u+201d> <u+2013> <u+201c>guarantees the territorial integrity of its member states<u+201d>; and the middle east, where giant us naval and air bases <u+201c>exist to reassure friends and to intimidate rivals<u+201d>. the problem of world order today, rachman continues, is that <u+201c>these security orders are now under challenge in all three regions<u+201d> because of russian intervention in ukraine and syria, and because of china turning its nearby seas from an american lake to <u+201c>clearly contested water<u+201d>. the fundamental question of international relations, then, is whether the us should <u+201c>accept that other major powers should have some kind of zone of influence in their neighborhoods<u+201d>. rachman thinks it should, for reasons of <u+201c>diffusion of economic power around the world <u+2013> combined with simple common sense<u+201d>. there are, to be sure, ways of looking at the world from different standpoints. but let us keep to these three regions, surely critically important ones. beginning with the <u+201c>american lake<u+201d>, some eyebrows might be raised over the report in mid-december 2015 that <u+201c>an american b-52 bomber on a routine mission over the south china sea unintentionally flew within two nautical miles of an artificial island built by china, senior defense officials said, exacerbating a hotly divisive issue for washington and beijing<u+201d>. those familiar with the grim record of the 70 years of the nuclear weapons era will be all too aware that this is the kind of incident that has often come perilously close to igniting terminal nuclear war. one need not be a supporter of china<u+2019>s provocative and aggressive actions in the south china sea to notice that the incident did not involve a chinese nuclear-capable bomber in the caribbean, or off the coast of california, where china has no pretensions of establishing a <u+201c>chinese lake<u+201d>. luckily for the world. chinese leaders understand very well that their country<u+2019>s maritime trade routes are ringed with hostile powers from japan through the malacca straits and beyond, backed by overwhelming us military force. accordingly, china is proceeding to expand westward with extensive investments and careful moves toward integration. in part, these developments are within the framework of the shanghai cooperation organization (sco), which includes the central asian states and russia, and soon india and pakistan with iran as one of the observers <u+2013> a status that was denied to the us, which was also called on to close all military bases in the region. china is constructing a modernized version of the old silk roads, with the intent not only of integrating the region under chinese influence, but also of reaching europe and the middle eastern oil-producing regions. it is pouring huge sums into creating an integrated asian energy and commercial system, with extensive high-speed rail lines and pipelines. one element of the program is a highway through some of the world<u+2019>s tallest mountains to the new chinese-developed port of gwadar in pakistan, which will protect oil shipments from potential us interference. the program may also, china and pakistan hope, spur industrial development in pakistan, which the united states has not undertaken despite massive military aid, and might also provide an incentive for pakistan to clamp down on domestic terrorism, a serious issue for china in western xinjiang province. gwadar will be part of china<u+2019>s <u+201c>string of pearls<u+201d>, bases being constructed in the indian ocean for commercial purposes but potentially also for military use, with the expectation that china might someday be able to project power as far as the persian gulf for the first time in the modern era. all of these moves remain immune to washington<u+2019>s overwhelming military power, short of annihilation by nuclear war, which would destroy the us as well. in 2015, china also established the asian infrastructure investment bank (aiib), with itself as the main shareholder. fifty-six nations participated in the opening in beijing in june, including us allies australia, britain and others which joined in defiance of washington<u+2019>s wishes. the us and japan were absent. some analysts believe that the new bank might turn out to be a competitor to the bretton woods institutions (the imf and the world bank), in which the united states holds veto power. there are also some expectations that the sco might eventually become a counterpart to nato. turning to the second region, eastern europe, there is a crisis brewing at the nato-russian border. it is no small matter. in his illuminating and judicious scholarly study of the region, frontline ukraine: crisis in the borderlands, richard sakwa writes <u+2013> all too plausibly <u+2013> that the <u+201c>russo-georgian war of august 2008 was in effect the first of the <u+2018>wars to stop nato enlargement<u+2019>; the ukraine crisis of 2014 is the second. it is not clear whether humanity would survive a third.<u+201d> the west sees nato enlargement as benign. not surprisingly, russia, along with much of the global south, has a different opinion, as do some prominent western voices. george kennan warned early on that nato enlargement is a <u+201c>tragic mistake<u+201d>, and he was joined by senior american statesmen in an open letter to the white house describing it as a <u+201c>policy error of historic proportions<u+201d>. the present crisis has its origins in 1991, with the end of the cold war and the collapse of the soviet union. there were then two contrasting visions of a new security system and political economy in eurasia. in sakwa<u+2019>s words, one vision was of a <u+201c><u+2018>wider europe<u+2019>, with the eu at its heart but increasingly coterminous with the euro-atlantic security and political community; and on the other side there [was] the idea of <u+2018>greater europe<u+2019>, a vision of a continental europe, stretching from lisbon to vladivostok, that has multiple centers, including brussels, moscow and ankara, but with a common purpose in overcoming the divisions that have traditionally plagued the continent<u+201d>. soviet leader mikhail gorbachev was the major proponent of greater europe, a concept that also had european roots in gaullism and other initiatives. however, as russia collapsed under the devastating market reforms of the 1990s, the vision faded, only to be renewed as russia began to recover and seek a place on the world stage under vladimir putin who, along with his associate dmitry medvedev, has repeatedly <u+201c>called for the geopolitical unification of all of <u+2018>greater europe<u+2019> from lisbon to vladivostok, to create a genuine <u+2018>strategic partnership<u+2019><u+201d>. these initiatives were <u+201c>greeted with polite contempt<u+201d>, sakwa writes, regarded as <u+201c>little more than a cover for the establishment of a <u+2018>greater russia<u+2019> by stealth<u+201d> and an effort to <u+201c>drive a wedge<u+201d> between north america and western europe. such concerns trace back to earlier cold war fears that europe might become a <u+201c>third force<u+201d> independent of both the great and minor superpowers and moving toward closer links to the latter (as can be seen in willy brandt<u+2019>s ostpolitik and other initiatives). the western response to russia<u+2019>s collapse was triumphalist. it was hailed as signaling <u+201c>the end of history<u+201d>, the final victory of western capitalist democracy, almost as if russia were being instructed to revert to its pre-world war i status as a virtual economic colony of the west. nato enlargement began at once, in violation of verbal assurances to gorbachev that nato forces would not move <u+201c>one inch to the east<u+201d> after he agreed that a unified germany could become a nato member <u+2013> a remarkable concession, in the light of history. that discussion kept to east germany. the possibility that nato might expand beyond germany was not discussed with gorbachev, even if privately considered. soon, nato did begin to move beyond, right to the borders of russia. the general mission of nato was officially changed to a mandate to protect <u+201c>crucial infrastructure<u+201d> of the global energy system, sea lanes and pipelines, giving it a global area of operations. furthermore, under a crucial western revision of the now widely heralded doctrine of <u+201c>responsibility to protect<u+201d>, sharply different from the official un version, nato may now also serve as an intervention force under us command. of particular concern to russia are plans to expand nato to ukraine. these plans were articulated explicitly at the bucharest nato summit of april 2008, when georgia and ukraine were promised eventual membership in nato. the wording was unambiguous: <u+201c>nato welcomes ukraine<u+2019>s and georgia<u+2019>s euro-atlantic aspirations for membership in nato. we agreed today that these countries will become members of nato.<u+201d> with the <u+201c>orange revolution<u+201d> victory of pro-western candidates in ukraine in 2004, state department representative daniel fried rushed there and <u+201c>emphasized us support for ukraine<u+2019>s nato and euro-atlantic aspirations<u+201d>, as a wikileaks report revealed. russia<u+2019>s concerns are easily understandable. they are outlined by international relations scholar john mearsheimer in the leading us establishment journal, foreign affairs. he writes that <u+201c>the taproot of the current crisis [over ukraine] is nato expansion and washington<u+2019>s commitment to move ukraine out of moscow<u+2019>s orbit and integrate it into the west<u+201d>, which putin viewed as <u+201c>a direct threat to russia<u+2019>s core interests<u+201d>. <u+201c>who can blame him?<u+201d> mearsheimer asks, pointing out that <u+201c>washington may not like moscow<u+2019>s position, but it should understand the logic behind it<u+201d>. that should not be too difficult. after all, as everyone knows, <u+201c>the united states does not tolerate distant great powers deploying military forces anywhere in the western hemisphere, much less on its borders.<u+201d> in fact, the us stand is far stronger. it does not tolerate what is officially called <u+201c>successful defiance<u+201d> of the monroe doctrine of 1823, which declared (but could not yet implement) us control of the hemisphere. and a small country that carries out such successful defiance may be subjected to <u+201c>the terrors of the earth<u+201d> and a crushing embargo <u+2013> as happened to cuba. we need not ask how the united states would have reacted had the countries of latin america joined the warsaw pact, with plans for mexico and canada to join as well. the merest hint of the first tentative steps in that direction would have been <u+201c>terminated with extreme prejudice<u+201d>, to adopt cia lingo. as in the case of china, one does not have to regard putin<u+2019>s moves and motives favorably to understand the logic behind them, nor to grasp the importance of understanding that logic instead of issuing imprecations against it. as in the case of china, a great deal is at stake, reaching as far <u+2013> literally <u+2013> as questions of survival. let us turn to the third region of major concern, the (largely) islamic world, also the scene of the global war on terror (gwot) that george w bush declared in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attack. to be more accurate, re-declared. the gwot was declared by the reagan administration when it took office, with fevered rhetoric about a <u+201c>plague spread by depraved opponents of civilization itself<u+201d> (as reagan put it) and a <u+201c>return to barbarism in the modern age<u+201d> (the words of george shultz, his secretary of state). the original gwot has been quietly removed from history. it very quickly turned into a murderous and destructive terrorist war afflicting central america, southern africa, and the middle east, with grim repercussions to the present, even leading to condemnation of the united states by the world court (which washington dismissed). in any event, it is not the right story for history, so it is gone. the success of the bush-obama version of gwot can readily be evaluated on direct inspection. when the war was declared, the terrorist targets were confined to a small corner of tribal afghanistan. they were protected by afghans, who mostly disliked or despised them, under the tribal code of hospitality <u+2013> which baffled americans when poor peasants refused <u+201c>to turn over osama bin laden for the, to them, astronomical sum of $25m<u+201d>. there are good reasons to believe that a well-constructed police action, or even serious diplomatic negotiations with the taliban, might have placed those suspected of the 9/11 crimes in american hands for trial and sentencing. but such options were off the table. instead, the reflexive choice was large-scale violence <u+2013> not with the goal of overthrowing the taliban (that came later) but to make clear us contempt for tentative taliban offers of the possible extradition of bin laden. how serious these offers were we do not know, since the possibility of exploring them was never entertained. or perhaps the us was just intent on <u+201c>trying to show its muscle, score a victory and scare everyone in the world. they don<u+2019>t care about the suffering of the afghans or how many people we will lose<u+201d>. that was the judgment of the highly respected anti-taliban leader abdul haq, one of the many oppositionists who condemned the american bombing campaign launched in october 2001 as <u+201c>a big setback<u+201d> for their efforts to overthrow the taliban from within, a goal they considered within their reach. his judgment is confirmed by richard a clarke, who was chairman of the counterterrorism security group at the white house under president george w bush when the plans to attack afghanistan were made. as clarke describes the meeting, when informed that the attack would violate international law, <u+201c>the president yelled in the narrow conference room, <u+2018>i don<u+2019>t care what the international lawyers say, we are going to kick some ass.<u+2019><u+201d> the attack was also bitterly opposed by the major aid organizations working in afghanistan, who warned that millions were on the verge of starvation and that the consequences might be horrendous. the consequences for poor afghanistan years later need hardly be reviewed. the next target of the sledgehammer was iraq. the us-uk invasion, utterly without credible pretext, is the major crime of the 21st century. the invasion led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people in a country where the civilian society had already been devastated by american and british sanctions that were regarded as <u+201c>genocidal<u+201d> by the two distinguished international diplomats who administered them, and resigned in protest for this reason. the invasion also generated millions of refugees, largely destroyed the country, and instigated a sectarian conflict that is now tearing apart iraq and the entire region. it is an astonishing fact about our intellectual and moral culture that in informed and enlightened circles it can be called, blandly, <u+201c>the liberation of iraq<u+201d>. pentagon and british ministry of defense polls found that only 3% of iraqis regarded the us security role in their neighborhood as legitimate, less than 1% believed that <u+201c>coalition<u+201d> (us-uk) forces were good for their security, 80% opposed the presence of coalition forces in the country, and a majority supported attacks on coalition troops. afghanistan has been destroyed beyond the possibility of reliable polling, but there are indications that something similar may be true there as well. particularly in iraq the united states suffered a severe defeat, abandoning its official war aims, and leaving the country under the influence of the sole victor, iran. the sledgehammer was also wielded elsewhere, notably in libya, where the three traditional imperial powers (britain, france and the us) procured security council resolution 1973 and instantly violated it, becoming the air force of the rebels. the effect was to undercut the possibility of a peaceful, negotiated settlement; sharply increase casualties (by at least a factor of 10, according to political scientist alan kuperman); leave libya in ruins, in the hands of warring militias; and, more recently, to provide the islamic state with a base that it can use to spread terror beyond. quite sensible diplomatic proposals by the african union, accepted in principle by libya<u+2019>s muammar gaddafi, were ignored by the imperial triumvirate, as africa specialist alex de waal reviews. a huge flow of weapons and jihadis has spread terror and violence from west africa (now the champion for terrorist murders) to the levant, while the nato attack also sent a flood of refugees from africa to europe. yet another triumph of <u+201c>humanitarian intervention<u+201d>, and, as the long and often ghastly record reveals, not an unusual one, going back to its modern origins four centuries ago. this piece was first published on tomdispatch.com. this is part one of an overview essay from noam chomsky<u+2019>s new book on american power and the world, who rules the world?

who rules the world? america is no longer the obvious answer

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two weeks after the secret service forced out four of its top officials, lawmakers are questioning whether the agency should have ousted one more <u+2014> its influential second-in-command. members of congress from both parties are concerned that by<u+00a0>keeping in place alvin <u+201c>a.t.<u+201d> smith, the secret service stopped short of fully reforming upper management following a string of embarrassing security lapses, according to government officials familiar with the discussions. smith, as a top official for nearly a decade and the deputy director since 2012, has managed the agency<u+2019>s day-to-day operations and was a key architect of its budgets and policies. he has overseen the departments responsible for the missteps and is now helping to engineer the agency<u+2019>s overhaul. smith is the highest-ranking official to survive a series of management shake-ups that began in october with the resignation of director julia pierson and continued this month with the ouster or retirement of six assistant directors. the house oversight and government reform committee plans to invite smith and acting director joseph p. clancy to appear at a february hearing focusing on the core reasons behind security breaches involving the white house and the president, according to people knowledgeable about the panel<u+2019>s plans. committee members have heard from agency whistleblowers who have complained that smith approved policy changes that they say weakened the agency, according to these people. lawmakers have also quietly expressed concern to administration officials in recent days about smith<u+2019>s continued presence in the agency<u+2019>s top leadership. <u+201c>i<u+2019>m worried that a.t. smith is part of the problem, not part of the solution,<u+201d> said the committee<u+2019>s chairman, rep. jason chaffetz (r-utah). <u+201c>he seems to be in the middle of most of these really bad decisions.<u+201d> smith and clancy declined to comment. secret service spokesman edwin donovan also declined to discuss smith<u+2019>s role but said the deputy director has a <u+201c>proven record of accomplishment and professionalism.<u+201d> the discussions regarding smith<u+2019>s role underscore a dilemma facing the obama administration as it attempts to turn around the beleaguered protective agency: how to clean house in the upper ranks without losing the unusual expertise required for the highly specialized work of protecting the white house and national leaders. smith<u+2019>s allies say that ousting the 28-year secret service veteran would strip the agency of the little remaining continuity and institutional knowledge remaining after the shake-up in leadership. <u+201c>he<u+2019>s a pivotal peg in the foundation,<u+201d> said jon adler, president of the federal law enforcement officers association. <u+201c>if he gets pulled, i<u+2019>m concerned there would be a need for a complete rebuild. we don<u+2019>t have luxury for a rebuild, because the bad guys aren<u+2019>t going to wait for us to do a complete overhaul.<u+201d> a reminder of the secret service<u+2019>s continuing challenges came this week when an errant recreational drone evaded detection and crashed on the white house grounds. the device was not a threat, but the agency has studied the white house<u+2019>s vulnerability to a drone attack for years and has yet to find a solution. this week<u+2019>s incident came four months after a knife-wielding man was able to jump the white house fence and race into the front door and through much of the main floor <u+2014> a humiliation for the secret service that exposed poor training and numerous breakdowns in communications and procedures. smith, 56, who started his law enforcement career as a greenville, s.c., sheriff<u+2019>s dispatcher and joined the secret service in 1986 as a special investigator in the miami field office, knows the inner workings of the agency better than anyone, according to several current and former managers. he also has made political connections as he has risen through the ranks, serving during the 1990s as head of the protective detail for then-first lady hillary rodham clinton. smith married president bill clinton<u+2019>s cousin catherine cornelius in 2000, and bill and<u+00a0>hillary clinton attended the <u+00ad>wedding at foundry methodist church near the white house. smith has received a number of awards during his career, particularly related to his time heading the new york field office and managing major security events. new york agents applauded his steady hand in rebuilding the agency<u+2019>s flagship field office after its headquarters at the world trade center was destroyed in the sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and one of its officers was killed. the george w. bush administration honored him with a merit award in 2004 for his handling of security at the republican national convention at new york<u+2019>s madison square garden. smith received the secretary<u+2019>s silver medal from homeland security secretary michael chertoff for coordinating security for the 60th anniversary of the u.n. general assembly in 2005, at the time the largest security event the agency had ever managed. but smith is also directly responsible for some of the decisions cited as contributing factors in recent security lapses, including the sept. 19 fence-jumping incident and the failure of the security system at vice president biden<u+2019>s delaware home when shots were fired near the house this month. smith signed off on canceling academy classes for new recruits and regular training for officers, which resulted in the white house being guarded by a team of secret service officers who were stretched thin and often unsure of their specific duties in responding to an intruder. he also approved cutting back on funds meant to replace aging technology and alarms. his management decisions came under scrutiny after he authorized a special operation in 2011 that diverted agents from a white house surveillance post to monitor the well-being of the secret service director<u+2019>s administrative assistant, who was in a dispute with her neighbor. the agency<u+2019>s inspector general later concluded that <u+201c>operation moonlight<u+201d> was improper and represented a <u+201c>serious lapse in judgment<u+201d> in removing agents from a key post. smith defended his actions, telling investigators that he felt it was appropriate for the secret service to be concerned about the welfare of a staffer, particularly one who held a white house pass and worked closely with the agency director. smith<u+2019>s critics say he is one of the central architects of an insular management structure that has lost the trust of rank-and-file employees, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former personnel. many inside were shocked that smith was not forced out along with the top managers. <u+201c>people were holding their breath for two months,<u+201d> one veteran agent said. <u+201c>now they are wondering: why is<u+00a0>the core of the problem still there?<u+201d> a special panel appointed by the department of homeland security recommended last month that the white house pick a new director from outside the secret service, describing the agency as <u+201c>starved<u+201d> for dynamic leaders with fresh ideas. in recent weeks, smith has provided close counsel to clancy, who has said he is seeking to repair management problems and repair the battered image of a once- revered agency. smith was involved in the recent departures of senior managers. and last week, he helped choose five new assistant directors to fill the new vacancies, almost all of whom served with smith on previous assignments.

lawmakers seek deeper shake-up at secret service

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donald trump threatened to sue the new york times <u+2014> and went on a twitter tirade slamming columnist maureen dowd as "a neurotic dope" after she alleged trump appeared to like enjoy inciting violence at his rallies. "my lawyers want to sue the failing @nytimes so badly for irresponsible intent. i said no (for now), but they are watching. really disgusting," trump tweeted on saturday. he suggested the newspaper was slanting its coverage to boost rival hillary clinton, saying the democratic nominee was "doing so badly" that the times is "willing to say anything." he also lacerated dowd, deriding her as "crazy," "wacky," and "a neurotic dope," and tweeting that the columnist "hardly knows me," but "makes up things that i never said for her boring interviews and column." the attack followed dowd's interview earlier saturday on cnn, where she was promoting her new book. "the year of voting dangerously." "i told him that it was wrong that there was violence being incited at his rallies and that reporters were getting roughed up," dowd told cnn. "and he paused <u+2014> you're right, he did listen <u+2014> but then he disagreed and said he thought the violence added a frisson of excitement."

trump threatens lawsuit against slanted new york times

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bernie sanders<u+2019> campaign, buoyed by recent victories, is mounting a late-stage bid to court so-called superdelegates and wrangle just enough of the influential party insiders to close the gap with hillary clinton heading into the democrats<u+2019> presidential convention. like essentially every other sanders strategy at this point, it<u+2019>s an uphill and longshot play. campaign officials acknowledged monday that the vermont senator, despite his weekend caucus sweep and other wins, cannot secure the nomination without moving the needle on superdelegates <u+2013> who are elected officials and others free to support whomever they want. top sanders adviser tad devine argued the delegate count will be so close that neither clinton nor sanders could win the nomination with pledged delegates alone. so as the sanders campaign continues to <u+201c>compete and compete fully,<u+201d> as devine put it, in the remaining primaries and caucuses, the underdog team is looking to line up support from superdelegates who remain undecided or aligned with the front-running clinton. devine said dozens of superdelegates have expressed support for the vermont senator. he acknowledged delegates who are undecided <u+2013> as opposed to those already backing clinton <u+2013> are the <u+201c>best target.<u+201d> campaign manager jeff weaver also suggested the number in the pro-sanders camp is <u+201c>higher than what<u+2019>s publicly available<u+201d> because others are <u+201c>not ready to go public yet.<u+201d> the leaderboard right now still reflects a daunting road ahead for sanders. clinton leads sanders in the pledged-delegate race 1,243-975. that gap grows immensely when superdelegates are included; 469 currently support clinton, while sanders only has 29 in his corner. it takes 2,383 total delegates to win the nomination. even as sanders claims momentum out of his western state victories this past weekend, the clinton campaign is voicing confidence that the race could be over in a matter of weeks. <u+201c>we are going to get to the point where, at the end of april, there just is not enough real estate for him to overtake the commanding lead that we<u+2019>ve built up,<u+201d> clinton pollster joel benenson told reporters, according to the los angeles times. weaver, though, said the sanders campaign is in regular contact with at least some of the roughly 200 still-available superdelegates, an effort that includes recently sending them a newsletter and having those committed to sanders making calls to the undecided. the campaign is not alone in such efforts. the remaining three gop presidential candidates are in a furious, behind-the-scenes battle for delegates who -- more likely than for democrats -- could decide the nominee at the july convention. they are eyeing both delegates who backed ex-candidates and those who could become unbound at a contested convention. front-runner donald trump on tuesday named as his convention manager paul manafort, a political veteran who helped then-president gerald ford in his convention floor fight in 1976. ohio gov. john kasich has enlisted four veterans: stu spencer and charlie black, both reagan advisers, and this week operatives michael biundo and andrew boucher, to win over delegates. in addition, texas sen. ted cruz reportedly is going to the colorado state convention next week, when a majority of the state<u+2019>s delegates will be picked. and trump is disputing the delegate allocation in louisiana<u+2019>s march 29 primary, where he reportedly could get fewer delegates than second-place finisher cruz despite winning the state. the sanders campaign has a superdelegate point person, though it<u+2019>s unclear how aggressive their wooing operation will be. sanders press secretary symone sanders told foxnews.com on tuesday the campaign has somebody on staff to keep in contact with superdelegates. <u+201c>but no, we don<u+2019>t have anybody picking off folks,<u+201d> she said. on monday, sanders pollster ben tulchin said an <u+201c>overwhelming preponderance<u+201d> of polling data shows that his candidate would fare better in a general election than clinton against any of the three gop candidates. <u+201c>this is not a blip,<u+201d> he said. tulchin also said sanders is <u+201c>very popular<u+201d> among independent voters who are <u+201c>absolutely critical for democrats to win the white house in november.<u+201d> and he made clear that the polling details are targeted to more than just reporters and voters. <u+201c>these are things that superdelegates, quite frankly, have to consider quite seriously,<u+201d> he said.

sanders launches late-stage bid to woo superdelegates

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republican members of congress on tuesday declared president obama's $4 trillion budget plan to be a legislative nonstarter, as they decried new taxes it would require to pay for an ambitious slate of proposed programs. "it's dead on arrival," said sen. john mccain (r-ariz.). obama's plan, which includes calls for new early-education programs and free community college tuition, among other things, would require new tax revenue from the wealthy americans and large corporations to fund the initiatives. "there's no greater contrast than showing what this new american congress is for and what the president supports. his new budget will give the federal government an 11 percent raise by taking more out of the economy in taxes," said house majority leader kevin mccarthy (r-calif.). addressing reporters at a christian science monitor breakfast earlier monday, club for growth president david mcintosh said: "i think the president's proposal for essentially massive tax increases on corporate america is a nonstarter." republicans, who control both chambers of congress, are expected to unveil their own budget plans in the coming weeks. "we believe in growing america's economy, not growing washington," said mccarthy.

congressional republicans declare obama<u+2019>s budget dead on arrival

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let's dispel once and for all with this fiction that marco rubio will be the 2016 republican nominee. after a humiliating defeat on mega tuesday, he finally bailed out -- closing down his campaign with an emotional speech that begged republicans not to "surrender" to anger and fear. they almost did: donald trump scored big victories across the country and added hugely to his delegate count. but john kasich's victory in ohio may have prevented his coronation. and so the baton is passed: we have a new contender for second place. the exit polls told us a lot of what we've heard before. trump appeals to the less well educated, the poorer and, often-times, the older voter. kasich won ohio by dominating among moderates and the upper-middle-class . it's tempting to dismiss his victory given that it came in his home state -- the political equivalent of getting a valentine's day card from your mother. but compared to the rout that rubio suffered in florida, it sounded like a ringing endorsement from party moderates desperate to find a new leader. and it came at just the right moment, too, given that hillary clinton all but sealed her nomination in the democratic contest. the more certain her candidacy appears, the more that mature voices in the gop have to do to ensure they have a winnable ticket. but does kasich, or anyone else, really stand a chance of beating trump? there are three theories. one is that because he's been denied ohio's 66 delegates, trump suddenly has a really hard road ahead to win on the first ballot at the convention. in the coming primaries, the republicans can beat him the way that a pride of lions kills an elephant -- in small bites that exhaust the beast until it gives in. the problem with that approach is that it's going to tear the gop apart. it means several months of bitter fighting, recriminations and -- at the end of it -- trump could well go third party anyway. meanwhile, hillary will be mounting a media blitz against a gop that seems unfit for government. kasich, cruz or an other could find themselves stealing a hollow crown. theory two is that kasich winning ohio is actually good for trump because it keeps kasich in the race. if kasich had lost then the party could have rallied around ted cruz, tying up all of the dissident forces into one candidacy -- the stronger candidacy, too, because cruz has shown an ability to win states other than his own. for a sense of how division has helped the donald, look at the results in north carolina and missouri. there's a strong case for saying that rubio and kasich's small but significant showings denied both to cruz. finally, theory no. 3 is that trump still has the nomination in the bag despite losing ohio. his performance elsewhere on mega tuesday may have been strong enough to cover the loss to kasich in delegates. and while the coming calendar looks good for kasich in some ways -- lots of northern states such as pennsylvania and wisconsin -- it still contains plenty of contests that favor trump. arizona, for instance, is next: 58 delegates in a state where the immigration issue dominates. then there is the argument that trump has built a moral case for the nomination by enjoying a string of victories, by pulling new people into the party and by seeing off so many big beasts. if the gop rallied around an alternative and tried to deny trump what seems rightfully his, the convention would surely be a bloodbath. (perhaps even a literal one given the candidate's ability to draw violent protests). and who exactly would the alternative to trump be? clearly not rubio, who admitted in his speech that it wasn't "god's plan" that he should be elected president in 2016. his crushing defeat represents a rejection of not just a man but an orthodoxy. rubio was the most boilerplate republican left in the race and the party is going to have to reckon with the fact that voters plainly do not want more war or illegal immigration -- but probably do want their entitlements and their jobs protected. in that sense, trump really did secure his nomination on tuesday. he has swept the south and the north and is now poised to take on the west. even if the conspiracy of mathematicians denies him the actual, physical candidacy, he has changed his party for good. or wrecked it, depending on your point of view.

opinion: face it, trump on course for nomination

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london <u+2014> u.s. secretary of state john kerry said on saturday syria's president bashar al-assad has to go but the timing of his departure should be decided through negotiation. speaking after talks with british foreign secretary philip hammond in london, kerry called on russia and iran to use their influence over assad to convince him to negotiate a political transition. kerry said the united states welcomed russia's involvement in tackling the islamic state (isis) in syria but a worsening refugee crisis underscored the need to find a compromise that could also lead to political change in the country. "we need to get to the negotiation. that is what we're looking for and we hope russia and iran, and any other countries with influence, will help to bring about that, because that's what is preventing this crisis from ending," said kerry. "we're prepared to negotiate. is assad prepared to negotiate, really negotiate? is russia prepared to bring him to the table?" russia's buildup at syria's latakia airbase has raised the possibility of air combat missions in syrian airspace. heavy russian equipment, including tanks, helicopters and naval infantry forces, have been moved to latakia, u.s. officials say. kerry said of assad's removal: "for the last year and a half we have said assad has to go, but how long and what the modality is ...that's a decision that has to be made in the context of the geneva process and negotiation." kerry added: "it doesn't have to be on day one or month one ... there is a process by which all the parties have to come together and reach an understanding of how this can best be achieved." kerry said he did not have a specific time frame in mind for assad to stay. "i just know that the people of syria have already spoken with their feet. they're leaving syria." hammond, who on sept. 9 said britain could accept assad staying in place for a transition period, said assad could not be part of syria's long-term future "but the modality and timing has to be part of a political solution that allows us to move forward." hammond said the situation in syria was now more complicated with russia's increased military involvement in the country. "because of the russian engagement the situation in syria is becoming more complicated and we need to discuss this as part of a much bigger problem - the migration pressures, the humanitarian crisis in syria as well as the need to defeat isil," he said. kerry and hammond said they also discussed conflicts in yemen, libya and ukraine.

kerry: assad must go

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if donald trump secures the republican presidential nomination, he would start the general election campaign as the least-popular candidate to represent either party in modern times. three-quarters of women view him unfavorably. so do nearly two-thirds of independents, 80 percent of young adults, 85 percent of hispanics and nearly half of republicans and republican-leaning independents. those findings, tallied from washington post-abc news polling, fuel trump<u+2019>s overall 67 percent unfavorable rating <u+2014> making trump more disliked than any major-party nominee in the 32 years the survey has been tracking candidates. head-to-head matchups show hillary clinton, as well as her democratic rival bernie sanders, leading trump, often by double digits. even his two remaining fellow gop contenders this week backed away from earlier promises to support the eventual nominee. and with each passing day, trump makes moves that add further uncertainty to his ability to pivot to the general election. his defiant defense this week of his campaign manager, corey lewandowski, who was charged with battery for yanking the arm of a female reporter, as well as trump<u+2019>s remarks wednesday that women who get illegal abortions should be punished, might play well with his followers, but could further alienate the broader electorate. <u+201c>normally, when you<u+2019>re in a hole, the best advice is to stop digging. that doesn<u+2019>t appear to be his inclination,<u+201d> gop strategist david carney said. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s like taking a wagon full of nitroglycerine across the prairie. it<u+2019>s great if you get to the mountains and blow them up for gold. but it<u+2019>s pretty unpredictable.<u+201d> peter hart, a veteran democratic pollster who has studied public impressions of trump, said voters<u+2019> views of him are <u+201c>exceptionally rancid.<u+201d> <u+201c>in terms of any domestic personality that we have measured, we<u+2019>ve never seen an individual with a higher negative,<u+201d> hart said. trump has drawn huge crowds and built a passionate base of supporters who have helped him amass a big delegate lead in the battle for the nomination. but his success among a segment of the republican electorate stands in contrast to his weaknesses in a general election decided by all voters. in that broader context, his dismal standing by all traditional measures points to a big question underlying his nontraditional candidacy: whether trump, as the gop nominee, could leverage his celebrity persona and unusual appeal among disaffected voters in both parties to overcome his glaring disadvantages. trump<u+2019>s unpopularity in the post-abc poll was driven in part by sharply negative ratings from democrats and lukewarm republicans. the greatest risk for his general election viability stems from the unusually poor ratings he gets from swing-voting independents and white college graduates. a silver lining for trump is that voters overall also feel antipathy for clinton, the democratic front-runner. the distaste for clinton is not as strong as it is for trump <u+2014> 52 percent of voters see her unfavorably <u+2014> but clinton<u+2019>s vulnerabilities, combined with trump<u+2019>s unpredictability, haunt many democrats. guy cecil, chief strategist for the pro-clinton super pac priorities usa, urged democrats to <u+201c>postpone the ticker-tape parade,<u+201d> warning that trump is not as weak a general election candidate as the current atmosphere would suggest. <u+201c>i am skeptical of the polls showing such large leads, and it<u+2019>s incumbent upon us to view this as a close race,<u+201d> cecil said. <u+201c>he<u+2019>s going to attempt to throw everything, including the kitchen sink and maybe the refrigerator and stove, at hillary. and i would not be surprised if he changes his views on policy issues.<u+201d> overcoming his hurdles likely would require either a massive influx of working-class white male voters <u+2014> trump<u+2019>s base <u+2014> or dramatic changes in his policies and presentation that might reverse the strongly negative views of him held by women and minorities. trump and his advisers say they have plans to accomplish both objectives. they say he can reverse his favorability ratings over time by framing the fall contest around issues on which they think trump<u+2019>s positions resonate powerfully across traditional demographics: the economy, trade and national security. since trump is not tethered to any particular ideology, his test may be convincing voters that he is not a hostile force and is fit to be president, rather than persuading them to buy into a sweeping conservative ideological project. the trump team insists that the power of his personality and the potency of his planned attacks on clinton would win him converts. and it is wagering that millions of working-class voters who for a generation have been politically dormant will rush to the polls and offset trump<u+2019>s sizable deficit with the ascendant electorate of women, minority and young voters. <u+201c>what you<u+2019>ll find is across the board, in states like pennsylvania or new york or new jersey or michigan, you<u+2019>re going to have a bunch of blue-collar workers who have supported trump in the past and will continue to do so,<u+201d> lewandowski said. <u+201c>that broad appeal allows him to expand the electoral map.<u+201d> concerned about his standing in the polls, trump<u+2019>s allies are offering advice about how to make up ground with important demographic groups. newt gingrich, a former republican house speaker who is unaffiliated but has informally counseled trump on several occasions, suggested he campaign in black neighborhoods, send targeted messages on social media and embrace his outsider approach to government. <u+201c>imagine trump on the south side of chicago saying, <u+2018>people shouldn<u+2019>t be killed, schools ought to actually work, you ought to have jobs in your neighborhood and you know that hillary can<u+2019>t deliver any of those because she is the system,<u+2019><u+200a><u+201d> gingrich said. the shift from a primary fight to the general campaign would be trump<u+2019>s crucible, requiring him to communicate persuasively with an entirely different electorate than the primary voters he has courted for the past year. ben carson, the retired neurosurgeon who endorsed trump after dropping out of the republican presidential race, said he has advised trump to turn his attention to education reform and charter schools as a means of supplementing his core pitch on trade and immigration to grow his support with young and minority voters. <u+201c>creating ladders of opportunity, such as school choice, is one way to do that,<u+201d> carson said. <u+201c>he<u+2019>s been very enthusiastic about that suggestion. he<u+2019>ll have to follow through and get through to those kids and families who don<u+2019>t feel like they<u+2019>re getting the best possible education.<u+201d> there are stylistic changes trump can make, as well, carson said. <u+201c>a little humility would go a tremendous distance, no question about it,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>hopefully, he will find that on his own.<u+201d> frank luntz, an unaligned gop pollster, said trump could erase at least some his deficit if he capitalizes on the fall debates and other events, noting that history is littered with examples of candidates doing just that. <u+201c>the big moments cause people to change,<u+201d> luntz said. <u+201c>and let<u+2019>s face it, we may have a moment outside of conventions and debates that<u+2019>s even bigger. if you have a paris or a brussels on american soil, that can completely change the dynamic.<u+201d> it is a tall order, however, for trump to undo the damage his rhetoric has already done to his image with the rising national electorate that includes latinos, single mothers and millennials. <u+201c>donald trump<u+2019>s whole message is somewhat backward looking,<u+201d> said kristen soltis anderson, a republican pollster who wrote a book, <u+201c>the selfie vote,<u+201d> about these voters. referring to trump<u+2019>s slogan, she added: <u+201c><u+2009><u+2018>make america great again<u+2019> sounds like an attempt to turn back the clock to a time most young voters don<u+2019>t remember.<u+201d> pennsylvania, a democrat-leaning battleground that trump hopes to target, is a case study of trump<u+2019>s upside and downside. while he has picked up endorsements and blue-collar support in the state<u+2019>s industrial regions, centrist republicans from philadelphia and its vote-rich suburbs have kept their distance. trump needs to make inroads to win a state republicans last carried in 1988. <u+201c>ticket-splitting republicans in the philadelphia suburbs went for [president] obama <u+2014> and if they don<u+2019>t feel comfortable with trump, they could go for clinton,<u+201d> said g. terry madonna, a professor at franklin & marshall college, which conducts polling in pennsylvania. madonna said that more than 120,000 voters statewide, mostly democrats and independents, have switched their registration to republican since january. but he cautioned against interpreting the moves as a rust belt tilt toward trump. <u+201c>even if these children of reagan democrats love his talk about manufacturing and american pride, he<u+2019>s going to have to make sure he<u+2019>s not losing the republicans who are the heart of the party,<u+201d> said john brabender, a gop strategist who has guided the political career of former senator rick santorum (r-pa.). <u+201c>that will require a campaign of surgical precision.<u+201d>

trump would be least-popular major-party nominee in modern times

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state trooper michael keyes was once involuntarily committed, which bars him from owning a gun. but with a clean bill of health, he<u+2019>s now suing for his 2nd amendment rights. and the pennsylvania state trooper knows how to use one: he carries several on duty, rotating between his sig sauer 227 handgun, a fully-automatic ar-15 and a remington 870 shotgun. but while a very armed keyes is trusted to serve and protect pennsylvania, as soon as he clocks out, he is banned by state law from owning a gun for personal use. at issue for keyes are laws governing firearm ownership for the mentally ill<u+2014>a rallying cause backed by practically everyone, including the national rifle association. but keyes, along with his co-plaintiff in a new federal lawsuit, corrections officer jonathan yox, may now be the new poster boys for a contingent of gun rights advocates who argue mental illness provisions of the 1968 gun control act (gca) are too strict and infringe on the second amendment rights of thousands of perfectly sane individuals. keyes and yox have both been involuntarily committed to a mental institution, which in the eyes of both federal and state law, makes them forever dangerous to themselves and others<u+2014>despite both men having since been cleared by mental health professionals. for keyes, it was a pair of bitter divorces that triggered depression, heavy drinking, threats of suicide, and an eventual two-week commitment. <u+00a0>following that dark period, he fought for and won his reinstatement with the state police and has earned outstanding marks in performance reviews. since 2008, keyes<u+2019> attempts to restore his rights for personal firearms use have been unsuccessful. though a county court judge found keyes to no longer be a threat to himself or others, he ruled there was no way to expunge his record or overcome the federal ban. state superior court judge kate ford elliott echoed the lower court<u+2019>s ruling in 2013, but went further. <u+201c>the dangers inherent in the possession of firearms by the mentally ill are manifest,<u+201d> she wrote, and even more so in the case of keyes, <u+201c>who was involuntarily committed and thus failed to recognize and act upon his own illness.<u+201d> further, she noted, <u+201c>a present clean bill of mental health is no guarantee that a relapse is not possible.<u+201d> yox was also hospitalized in 2006, twice by his parents when he was just 15 years old for an incident where he bought cocaine into school, and a brief period of depression that included cutting himself and a suicide pact with a girl. after yox<u+2019>s release, he graduated from high school, joined the army and served in afghanistan, and now actively carries a firearm as a state correctional officer. in a 2012 mental health review, a psychologist found him to be a <u+201c>pleasant...clean-cut, outgoing young man<u+201d> with future goals and a strong support system. though yox was committed as a juvenile, his 2013 attempt to expunge his record<u+2014>so that he could purchase a weapon for home defense and pursue a career in government<u+2014>fell short. the judge in yox<u+2019>s case cited the keyes ruling in his decision. state laws vary widely in regard to how they restrict firearms for the mentally ill. pennsylvania is one of 21 states that have accepted a court order or an involuntary commitment as a barrier to gun ownership, according to the national conference of state legislatures. five other states, including california and connecticut, include voluntary commitment in their bans<u+2014>a move that gun rights advocates argue keeps gun owners who need professional help from seeking it.reforming these blanket bans may just be an issue that even gun control groups can support.<u+201c>there should be an process whereby people who<u+2019>ve lost their rights to guns because of mental illness should be able to get them back, and we<u+2019>ve supported that,<u+201d> said shira goodman, executive director of gun violence prevention group, ceasfirepa. <u+201c>but in part, i blame the gun lobby itself,<u+201d> who she says has hijacked gun bills in pennsylvania that addressed similar mental health issues. in 2013, pennsylvania provided the fbi with 643,167 records representing people banned from purchasing firearms because of involuntary mental health commitments in the state.this new federal case is asking a judge to find that the mental illness disability does not exist for keyes and yox and that the absence of any method of relief is in violation of their second amendment rights. still their attorney sees wider implications. <u+201c>this is going to be the first step in getting the federal courts to address this type of situation,<u+201d> said keye<u+2019>s attorney, joshua prince. <u+201c>we have an individual, who we can show possess firearms without threat to himself or others and does so on a daily basis and the fact is, there is no reasonable basis for denying that person the ability to defend himself in his home.<u+201d>

<u+2018>mentally ill<u+2019> officer: give me back my gun

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ukraine wants the united nations to brand russia a terrorism sponsor amid bloody clashes between pro-russian separatists and ukrainian government troops. the ukrainian ambassador to the un told fox news he plans to submit a draft resolution asking the un general assembly to formally label <u+201c>russia as a sponsor of terrorism." ambassador yuriy sergeyev gave no timetable for when he would present the resolution to the un. he said government officials in kiev are working on the text. sergeyev told fox news the resolution will mirror the ukrainian parliament<u+2019>s declaration this week, designating the moscow-backed separatists in east ukraine as a terrorist group. kiev believes that by defining the separatists as terrorists it eliminates any notion that it would engage in peace talks with them. sergeyev warned of a <u+201c>huge war<u+201d> if the separatists take more territory or build a corridor to southern ukraine<u+2019>s crimean peninsula, which russia annexed almost a year ago. ukraine and the west accuse russia of backing the rebels with troops and weapons, which russia denies. meanwhile, artillery fire killed at least 12 civilians in the main rebel stronghold of donetsk on friday amid fierce fighting between pro-russia separatists and government troops as hopes for a break in hostilities were dashed when an attempt to call a new round of peace talks failed. five people were killed as they were waiting for humanitarian aid outside a community center and two people were killed in the same neighborhood when a mortar shell landed near a bus stop. by the time an associated press journalist arrived at the community center, the bodies were taken away. nearby trees were cut down by what could have been a projectile. five other people died friday in sporadic artillery fire in the west of donetsk. full-blown fighting between the russian-backed separatists and government forces erupted anew earlier this month following a period of relative tranquility. fox news' jonathan wachtel and the associated press contributed to this report

ukraine wants un to label russia as a sponsor of terrorism

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in his 2015<u+00a0>state of the union address, president obama spoke about important labor issues like unequal wages for women and a lack of paid sick and maternity leave. he called on congress to pass legislation raising the minimum wage and requiring employers to guarantee at least seven days of sick time a year to their employees. he had to do this because, remarkably, nearly<u+00a0>40 percent<u+00a0>of the american workers have no sick time at all, nor is there any requirement for their employers to provide any <u+2013> a regressive distinction the united states shares with only two other countries,<u+00a0>papua new guinea and oman. hopefully these important issues will be brought to light as the 2016 presidential race heats up, especially with bernie sanders running. the anti-family nature of u.s. labor law should make it a logical target for any values-oriented crusader; but predictably,<u+00a0>republican politicians oppose reform. while hiding behind a defense of small businesses, the republican agenda is really a handout to mega corporations. walmart, for instance, has been exposed for its discrimination against pregnant women, forcing them onto unpaid leave or firing them outright if they become unable to perform certain duties. in april 2014, activists and employees forced<u+00a0>the company to modify its policy, allowing<u+00a0>for a <u+201c>reasonable accommodation<u+201d> to be made for women with <u+201c>a temporary disability caused by pregnancy.<u+201d> this weak and ambiguous concession leaves<u+00a0>women with healthy pregnancies in the lurch, even though they still may require modified job duties. congress could intervene and establish better protections for pregnant women, but it doesn<u+2019>t. the 1978 pregnancy discrimination act<u+00a0><u+2013><u+00a0>the last such act passed on the federal level <u+2013><u+00a0>is so feeble that<u+00a0>a<u+00a0>walmart spokesperson in 2014<u+00a0>could truthfully say, <u+201c>we<u+2019>re proud of our new policy. it is best in class and goes well beyond federal and most state laws.<u+201d> that reveals at least as much about federal and state laws as it does walmart. the waltons are<u+00a0>among the wealthiest people<u+00a0>on the globe, yet their business won<u+2019>t guarantee american workers the fundamental dignity of having a child without fear of repercussion. and so it goes with workers<u+2019> rights across sectors of the economy. in any moral society, this would be considered a crime. and in more advanced societies, walmart is forced to grant their workers more rights,<u+00a0>like unionization. here, we<u+2019>re dominated by politicians who argue the only crime would be if the state got involved at all. republicans scoff at emulation of the european model <u+2013><u+00a0>which affords<u+00a0>generous holiday, sick and<u+00a0>paternal leave to workers <u+2013> by pointing to<u+00a0>europe<u+2019>s own unemployment epidemic<u+00a0>and the fact that<u+00a0>the american<u+00a0>economy is recovering with almost all of its capitalist dogmas intact. of course, what<u+2019>s often left unsaid is that<u+00a0>our rebound is being enjoyed overwhelmingly by only the wealthiest few. what value is a roaring economy to ordinary americans who are overworked, overstressed, unable to spend time with their families, and not even reaping the financial benefits for their hardship? even office and white-collar workers, while generally receiving far greater benefits than low-wage retail and fast food workers, are woefully deprived when it comes to making room for their personal lives. their hours are less rigidly documented and they are usually salaried, meaning they<u+00a0>are more likely to be<u+00a0>called on for<u+00a0>unpaid overtime. they spend virtually their entire day in plywood boxes, a mentally stultifying way to invest one<u+2019>s time. as more and more americans live the sedentary, <u+201c>professional<u+201d> lifestyle, the<u+00a0>disastrous health consequences<u+00a0>of sitting around all day are becoming apparent. there<u+2019>s also a compelling argument, articulated brilliantly in<u+00a0>a 2013 essay<u+00a0>by author and activist david graeber, that many white-collar and service sector<u+00a0>jobs have no justifiable reason to exist. says graeber: <u+201c>it<u+2019>s as if someone were out there making up pointless jobs just for the sake of keeping us all working.<u+201d><u+00a0>professionals spend their days bounding from meeting to meeting and forwarding spreadsheets from one department to another. customer service does little more than<u+00a0>obfuscate information<u+00a0>and<u+00a0>bear the brunt of<u+00a0>consumer rage. all this goes on with virtually no time off or flexibility, despite the economic and personally refreshing benefits of<u+00a0>people controlling their own schedules. working americans passively accept that this is just life, but total conformity to the demands of a meaningless day job exacts a toll on their psyche and wastes the time and energy of skilled people who could otherwise be doing important work. these are not minor quibbles to be brushed aside with folksy idioms like<u+00a0><u+201c>nobody likes their job<u+201d> and <u+201c>that<u+2019>s why<u+00a0>they call it<u+00a0>work<u+201d>; this is a crippling cultural sickness. america is often heralded as a <u+201c>great experiment,<u+201d> but policy planners are at best unimaginative and at worst fiercely hostile when it comes to social experimentation. nowhere is this more finely exemplified than in our work culture. you can make close to $100,000 in your first year<u+00a0>working on wall street, but cap out around that much after a lifetime in<u+00a0>social work. say what you will about capitalism <u+2013> it<u+2019>s not a system that rewards work based on its social value. our fixation on profit drives americans into the <u+201c>bullshit jobs<u+201d> sector of the economy, leaving important work like fixing our<u+00a0>crumbling infrastructure<u+00a0>undone. a society that was truly full of big, bold ideas would not allow a fear of resembling socialism to prevent it from more meaningful planning. lots of americans can<u+2019>t find work at all. many of those who can work put in too many hours for too little reward. while our jobs<u+00a0>erode our home lives<u+00a0>and personal health, politicians defend abstract ideals of capitalism over the needs of real human beings. pointless, even<u+00a0>destructive<u+00a0>work pays a great deal more than work that benefits society. to praise this as the<u+00a0>greatest model<u+00a0>in the world is about as delusional as anything the north koreans believe. but there is a way to beat it. the super wealthy have engineered a system that works wonders for them and<u+00a0>they aren<u+2019>t going to let it go without a fight. if we ever want to have a system that works for the people, the people are going to have to build it. american workers and consumers must<u+00a0>strike, protest, stand up for their rights as human beings and strengthen their local communities.<u+00a0>we need to<u+00a0>radicalize our economy<u+00a0><u+2013> decide as a society the kind of work we really value and reward it accordingly. and we could all spend a lot more time creating, loving, sharing and relaxing.

walmart is a cultural sickness: how the american workplace is enriching the wealthy <u+2014> and destroying everyone else

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president barack obama has officially hit the stage of his presidency where he does not give one f**k. at least that's according to a video that played ahead of his speech at the 2015 white house correspondents' dinner on saturday night. after the video played, obama said he was recently asked if he had anything left on his presidential bucket list. "well, i have something that rhymes with 'bucket list,'" obama said. "take executive action on immigration? bucket. new climate regulations? bucket, it's the right thing to do." watch the video above, and see more from the dinner below:

obama has hit the dgaf portion of his presidency, and this video is proof

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hillary clinton and her allies are shifting their attention to a likely general-election contest against donald trump that they expect to be strongly negative <u+2014> and for which they are planning an intensive effort to draw out minority voters who feel <u+00ad>demonized by the billionaire real estate mogul. clinton is still waging a hard-fought nomination battle against sen. bernie sanders of vermont <u+2014> including 11 contests on tuesday <u+2014> and some democrats supporting her are wary of looking too far over the horizon. but increasingly sure that trump will win the republican nomination, clinton appears this week to be running a two-pronged campaign against both sanders and an eventual republican opponent who sounds a lot like trump. on monday, for instance, clinton lingered on what she called <u+201c>scapegoating<u+201d> and <u+201c>finger-pointing<u+201d> in the republican race <u+2014> clearly signaling her willingness to criticize trump. <u+201c>the mean-spiritedness, the hateful rhetoric, the insults <u+2014> that<u+2019>s not who we are,<u+201d> clinton said in springfield, mass., a day ahead of the super tuesday voting that is expected to place her firmly in the lead for the democratic nomination. <u+201c>it really undermines our fabric as a nation.<u+201d> a clinton-vs.-trump general election would put the former secretary of state and first lady head to head with an unconventional candidate who has seized on a current of nationalist and anti-immigrant discontent. trump has been talking about the general-election matchup for a while, predicting that he will defeat clinton in unexpected places, including new york and such rust belt states as michigan that republicans haven<u+2019>t won since the 1980s. <u+201c>people are going to be surprised,<u+201d> he said monday during a rally in radford, va., where he also took a few swings at clinton. <u+201c>honestly, she should not be allowed to run,<u+201d> he said. but <u+201c>bernie sanders is over, he took a big beating. took a big beating.<u+201d> what became clear monday is that clinton and her surrogates are also preparing for a showdown with trump. sen. timothy m. kaine (d-va.), a clinton supporter mentioned regularly as a potential vice presidential pick, came out swinging at an appearance in the virginia suburbs of washington on monday, criticizing trump for saying during a debate this month that the u.s. military is a <u+201c>disaster.<u+201d> <u+201c>that<u+2019>s a quote. from a guy who wants to be commander in chief,<u+201d> kaine said. <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t want somebody who is the commander in chief to talk that way about 1.6<u+00a0>million young men and women who volunteer in a time of war to serve their country. i want a commander in chief who respects the military and their families and who will speak about them with gratitude, not contempt.<u+201d> clinton<u+2019>s campaign declined to speak on the record about a <u+00ad>general-election contest against trump, saying the focus is on the primaries. but a senior campaign aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss campaign strategy did note that clinton was the first candidate <u+2014> democratic or republican <u+2014> to criticize trump directly over his comments about mexican immigrants and, later, syrian refugees. [the gop<u+2019>s implosion over donald trump<u+2019>s candidacy has arrived] several clinton supporters said that if trump is the gop nominee, those comments are likely to be the focus of a major line of attack with the goal of boosting turnout among latinos and other immigrant and minority voters who are turned off by trump<u+2019>s rhetoric. they said trump is the republicans<u+2019> own worst enemy in a general election, even as he holds mass appeal among white working- and <u+00ad>middle-class voters likely to determine the party<u+2019>s nomination. and clinton<u+2019>s allies will have the resources to wage those attacks on the airwaves. at the beginning of february, priorities usa action, the largest super pac supporting her, had nearly $45<u+00a0>million in its war chest and had spent a relatively modest amount <u+2014> about $4<u+00a0>million <u+2014> boosting clinton in the primaries. the super pac plans to raise at least $200<u+00a0>million in the 2016 cycle, the lion<u+2019>s share of it intended for the general election. <u+201c>it became clear by last summer that donald trump wasn<u+2019>t going anywhere and this was a real campaign,<u+201d> said priorities usa spokesman justin barasky. <u+201c>our main focus has always been the general election.<u+201d> <u+201c>generally, we<u+2019>re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins,<u+201d> he added. the crux of clinton<u+2019>s strategy, several allies said, would be to compare trump<u+2019>s immigration program to hers: a wall and a hard line on deportation vs. a path to citizenship and an emphasis on keeping families together. this construct has already been used by clinton, as well as by surrogates in nevada and colorado, and clinton allies envision it as a rallying cry for hispanic support in the general election. clinton<u+2019>s recent pitch to <u+201c>break down every barrier,<u+201d> for instance, is an implicit contrast to trump<u+2019>s promise to build a wall along the border with mexico and to deport all 12 million immigrants living in the united states illegally. and her occasional appeal to bring more <u+201c>love and kindness<u+201d> into the political sphere appears to have trump in mind. <u+201c>we don<u+2019>t need to make america great,<u+201d> clinton said saturday, playing on trump<u+2019>s signature promise after her big victory in south carolina<u+2019>s primary. <u+201c>america has never stopped being great. we do need to make america whole again. instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers.<u+201d> her campaign also plans to hold one or more huge rallies with hispanic supporters, including elected leaders, entertainers and writers, said a clinton donor familiar with her hispanic outreach efforts. one such event could come before the democratic convention in july and another after, the supporter said. already, clinton has targeted trump directly on twitter and on the stump, usually over immigration and the threat to u.s. influence abroad from what she has called <u+201c>loose talk.<u+201d> on sunday, clinton retweeted sanders on the subject of trump: <u+201c>america<u+2019>s first black president cannot and will not be succeeded by a hatemonger who refuses to condemn the kkk,<u+201d> the message said. that was a reference to trump<u+2019>s refusal to disavow the support of former ku klux klan leader david duke. [sanders says he<u+2019>ll stay in until all 50 states have voted] trump claimed last year that mexico exports <u+201c>killers and rapists<u+201d> to the united states, producing one of clinton<u+2019>s first and most pointed denunciations of him. latino voters are baffled by the rhetoric, and while few believe trump could actually deport so many people or build the wall he promises, many are worried and offended, said rep. xavier becerra (d-calif.), chairman of the house democratic caucus and a clinton supporter. trump<u+2019>s broadsides come in an election year when some republican leaders had hoped to make a values-based appeal to hispanic voters and improve the party<u+2019>s image with the nation<u+2019>s fastest-growing demographic. a recent washington post- univision poll showed that 74<u+00a0>percent of hispanic voters say trump<u+2019>s views on immigration are offensive. the poll found that 82<u+00a0>percent of hispanic voters want the next president to support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants <u+2014> and that 43<u+00a0>percent would not vote for a candidate who opposes such a policy. becerra predicts that a wave of new and motivated hispanic voters will oppose trump. <u+201c>donald trump is building his own wall to keep latinos from voting for him. it may be the only wall he builds,<u+201d> he said. rep. joaquin castro (d-tex.), a clinton supporter, told msnbc host andrea mitchell on monday that trump has turned the race <u+201c>into a farce<u+201d> and is energizing hispanic voters to oppose him. it has never been easier, castro said, for him to persuade friends and associates to vote. <u+201c>when one candidate is saying you<u+2019>re a murderer and a rapist, it<u+2019>s kind of a no-brainer<u+201d> that voters will prefer the alternative, becerra joked. although trump boasted monday that he had done well among hispanic voters in nevada<u+2019>s republican caucuses and would continue to do well with that large and growing voter group, democrats supporting clinton say they are confident he could attract no more than about one in four latino voters nationally. at his rally in radford, trump said he believes there is more enthusiasm among republican voters than among democrats, pointing to voting totals in the south carolina primary. although clinton<u+2019>s victory there showed her enduring strength among black voters, lower turnout may bode ill for clinton in the long haul, trump suggested. <u+201c>i drew <u+2014> the republicans drew <u+2014> so much more, so many more votes. like double. and they went down because there<u+2019>s no enthusiasm for hillary. none,<u+201d> trump said. <u+201c>we went way up because, whether people like me or not, there is enthusiasm on the republican side. that i can tell you. there is enthusiasm. big, big, big enthusiasm.<u+201d> trump has perfectly captured the mood of the republican base, said pollster stanley greenberg, who worked for former president bill clinton. greenberg released findings monday from a poll of likely gop voters showing that immigration and cultural differences are main drivers for white, working-class republicans. <u+201c>why is it donald trump appears to be headed to be the republican nominee? he understands the republican electorate better than anyone else<u+201d> this cycle, greenberg told reporters. but that understanding comes at the potential cost of alienating more than hispanic voters in the general election, he said. women, catholics and moderate republicans generally expressed worry about a trump candidacy. greenberg<u+2019>s survey of 800 likely republican voters found that 20 percent of republicans have not decided whether they would back trump or clinton in a head-to-head contest. meanwhile, although clinton <u+00ad>remains focused on the democratic nomination, her campaign hopes that her outreach to latinos in upcoming primary states will lay the groundwork for boosting turnout in the general election. she is favored tuesday in texas, where hispanics are a sizable portion of the electorate. in addition, the political arm of the congressional hispanic caucus announced its support for clinton on monday. clinton is also looking past super tuesday to florida, an important swing state and the next one on the primary calendar with a large and influential hispanic population. clinton is holding her super tuesday evening rally in miami, where trump and sen. marco rubio (r-fla.) also are scheduled to be that day. all are focused on the state<u+2019>s march 15 primary. jose delreal in radford, va., and scott clement contributed to this report.

even before super tuesday, clinton is thinking about a likely matchup with trump

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republican presidential candidate carly fiorina slammed rival hillary clinton on sunday, saying the democratic front-runner has <u+201c>gotten every single foreign policy challenge wrong.<u+201d> fiorina, who appeared on "fox news sunday," also took a shot at gop candidate donald trump. <u+201c>donald trump is a big christmas gift wrapped up under the tree<u+201d> for the clinton campaign. <u+201c>she desperately hopes she runs against donald trump,<u+201d> fiorina said. <u+201c>i, however, am the lump of coal in mrs. clinton<u+2019>s stocking and she desperately hopes she does not run against me.<u+201d> <u+201c>she can beat donald trump,<u+201d> fiorina said. <u+201c>donald trump cannot beat hillary clinton. i think it<u+2019>s very clear.<u+201d> fiorina, once a breakout star of the gop who fought her way from the low-polling undercard debates to the primetime stage, has been having trouble in the past few weeks maintaining her momentum. during last week's fifth republican debate, fiorina came under fire after she said she would bring back the <u+201c>warrior class<u+201d> to fight the islamic state and claimed several high-ranking generals had left the military because they didn<u+2019>t agree with president obama<u+2019>s political policies. gen. jack keane, a fox news contributor and one of the generals she said quit, actually retired before obama took office. fiorina also said gens. david petraeus and stanley mcchrystal resigned because they disagreed with the administration; but, in fact, petreaus<u+2019> retirement came following revelations he shared classified information with his alleged mistress and biographer while mcchrystal called it quits after he was quoted criticizing obama in a <u+201c>rolling stone<u+201d> article. fiorina was also pressed by host chris wallace about a digital ad paid for by a super pac supporting fiorina that links her to margaret <u+201c>iron lady<u+201d> thatcher, the first female prime minister of britain. <u+201c>mrs. fiorina, respectfully, isn<u+2019>t that a little over the top?<u+201d> the anchor asked. <u+201c>many people have commented on the comparison and i<u+2019>m flattered by it, frankly,<u+201d> she said. <u+201c>margaret thatcher was a great leader for her nation at a pivotal and perilous time.<u+201d> when asked by wallace about her stagnant poll numbers, fiorina said she was <u+201c>happy<u+201d> with her position and that she is where she wants to be. she quipped, <u+201c>people make up their minds late, and if the polls at this stage and in earlier states were true we would have had president howard dean, president rudy giuliani, and by the way, we would have already had president hillary clinton.<u+201d>

fiorina slams clinton, calls trump a 'christmas present' for dems

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president obama said wednesday that the administration will be "as aggressive as we can" on a texas judge's ruling that<u+00a0>temporarily blocked the administration's deferred-deportation program and he will veto any potential congressional vote on whether or not his executive actions on immigration are legal. <u+201c>unfortunately a group of republican governors sued. they found a district court judge who enjoined<u+2026> but that<u+2019>s just the first part of the process," obama said at a town hall event hosted by msnbc and telemundo in miami. "this is just one federal judge. we have appealed it very aggressively. we<u+2019>re going to be as aggressive as we can. in the meantime, what we said to republicans is, <u+2018>instead of trying to hold hostage funding for the department of homeland security, which is so important for our national security, fund that and let<u+2019>s get on with passing comprehensive immigration reform.<u+2019><u+201d> obama continued: <u+201c>in the short term if mr. mcconnell, the leader of the senate, and the speaker of the house, john boehner, want to have vote over whether what i<u+2019>m doing is legal or not they can have that vote. i will veto that vote because i<u+2019>m absolutely confident it<u+2019>s the right thing we do.<u+201d> obama said that the administration was not surprised by the ruling by<u+00a0>u.s. district judge andrew s. hanen of<u+00a0>texas. obama<u+00a0>compared his immigration actions to those of george h.w. bush, which obama said <u+201c>were not challenged by democrats<u+201d> for political reasons.<u+00a0> obama said that the executive action program is on hold due to the court fight, but immigrants should be gathering their paperwork for their deportation relief applications so that they are ready to go after the legal fight is resolved. the president said that no matter what happens, a bill on comprehensive immigration reform must pass congress, because the changes from his executive order will only be temporary until the law is changed. <u+201c>we<u+2019>ve got to pass a bill. the pressure<u+2019>s got to continue to stay on congress. the pressure<u+2019>s got to continue to stay on the republican party that is blocking comprehensive immigration reform<u+2026> for the next set of presidential candidates -- because i<u+2019>m term-limited, michelle<u+2019>s happy about that -- when they start asking for votes, the first question should be, <u+2018>are you really going to deport 11 million people? if not, what<u+2019>s your plan?<u+2019> ... we<u+2019>re going to have to keep on the political process on a separate track.<u+201d> obama met with 17 advocates at the white house, hours before the town hall in<u+00a0>miami.<u+00a0>marielena hincapie, executive director of the national immigration law center, said obama hopes that the funding issue will be resolved soon<u+00a0>so he can<u+00a0>talk about possible immigration legislation<u+00a0>with boehner (r-ohio) and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell (r-ky.). despite that, the president is concerned that "this congress will never pass a bill that he could sign into law," one that addresses the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants, she said. however, obama said in miami that he<u+00a0><u+00a0>hasn't "given up passing it when i<u+2019>m president. <u+2026> don<u+2019>t suddenly give up and say, <u+2018>oh we have to wait the next two years.<u+2019> <u+2026> i<u+2019>m not just going to stand still over the next two years." obama highlighted parts of his executive action plan that were not part of the court order,<u+00a0><u+00a0>including refocusing border patrol agents on high-priority people, including felons, not families or people who have been in the country for years or decades. "felons not families," obama said when announcing the actions in november. "he really wants to lift up the parts of the executive action that haven<u+2019>t got as much attention that were not enjoined by the judge," said frank sharry, founder and director of america's voice. advocacy groups will also start highlighting that only one portion of the executive actions is part of the ruling. those include refocusing border patrol agents on high-priority people, including felons, serious criminals and people who recently crossed the border, not families or people who have been in the country for years or decades. when asked by moderator jose diaz-balart about the continued number of deportations despite the new policy, obama said it takes time for a huge government to fully change. <u+201c>every time you have a big bureaucracy and you change policy there is going to be one or two or three instances where people apparently haven<u+2019>t gotten the message. but if you talk to the head of homeland security, jeh johnson, he is absolutely committed to this new prioritization. more important, i, the president of the united states, am committed. ... we<u+2019>re going to be focusing on criminals; we<u+2019>re going to be focusing on potential felons.<u+201d> if, for example, someone working for immigration and customs enforcement doesn't follow the policy changes, "there's going to be consequences to it," obama said. obama said that he has used all the legal power he has to try to change the nation's immigration policies. <u+201c>not only are we going to have to win this legal fight.. but ultimately we<u+2019>re still going to pass a law through congress. the bottom line is i<u+2019>m using all the legal power invested in me in order to solve this problem," he said. attendees said advocacy groups will also stress that young people who received<u+00a0>temporary relief under obama's 2012 deferred action for childhood arrivals program, or daca, are not subject to the order and can still sign up and renew their status. "we went into the meeting and left the meeting with the same sense, that the president acted within his full, legal authority when he announced these initiatives<u+00a0>back on nov. 20 and there<u+2019>s an agreement between us," hincapie said. the administration on monday<u+00a0>filed a notice of appeal and motion to stay the decision. it argued that the states do not have standing to challenge federal immigration policy.<u+00a0>the motion for stay cited the use of "prosecutorial discretion," where the government uses its discretion to decide how to best allocate resources and apply the law.<u+00a0>while hanen's order would halt the program nationwide, the administration<u+00a0>argued that texas is the<u+00a0>"only state whose claims of harm<u+00a0>the court credited," and if a full stay is not granted the ruling should only apply to texas. johnson, the department of homeland security secretary, won support wednesday from two of his republican predecessors <u+2013> tom ridge and michael chertoff <u+2013> who joined him in warning that a shutdown would hurt the department<u+2019>s ability to protect the homeland. ridge, the department<u+2019>s first secretary under president george w. bush, acknowledged that he strongly opposed obama<u+2019>s executive orders on immigration, which triggered the funding battle. <u+201c>i personally believe that the president has greatly overstepped his constitutional authority,<u+2019><u+2019> ridge said at a news conference with johnson and chertoff. but ridge called it <u+201c>wrong and folly<u+201d> to express that opposition by refusing to fully fund dhs. <u+201c>we would not think of not funding our soldiers,<u+2019><u+2019> he said. <u+201c>these are soldiers at dhs. they wear a different uniform, but the goal and objective and mission is the same <u+2013> keeping america as safe as possible.<u+2019><u+2019> diaz-balart pressed obama as to why he didn't push harder for immigration in his first term. <u+201c>it wasn<u+2019>t like i was sitting back not doing anything. we were moving aggressively on a whole host of issues. we wanted immigration done; we pushed for immigration to be done, but ultimately we didn<u+2019>t have the votes to get immigration done. <u+2026> i don<u+2019>t regret having done the aca," obama said, referring to the health-care law. obama said that the changing demographics of the united states will ultimately resolve the issue. "over the long term, this is going to get solve because at some point there<u+2019>s going to be a president rodriguez or a president shin because we<u+2019>re a nation of immigrants. so what i would say to the next president is think ahead<u+2026>think long-term,<u+201d> obama said. after past contentious meetings with immigration activists, the mood was relaxed and advocates felt that they were on the same page as the administration. "there<u+2019>s been a lot of difficult meetings with the president over the years and this was not one of them," sharry said. "lots of mutual gratitude and a clear alignment on strategy and tactics and lots of optimism<u+00a0>that we're going to win in the courts."

obama: <u+2018>we will be as aggressive as we can<u+2019> on immigration appeal

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after the past disastrous week, he can<u+2019>t win. but he<u+2019>s already made all of us losers, and we<u+2019>ve been accessories to his crimes. the self-imposed carnage will mean almost nothing to trump loyalists. but with 36 days left, the clock has run out for real estate magnate and<u+2014>without a meaningful field organization, and with an undisciplined, national communications apparatus<u+2014>there is simply no way for him to build and grow the kind of broad-based coalition necessary to topple hillary clinton<u+2019>s current polling lead. between now and election day, the gap is too large, there are too many yards left to run the football, and the real estate developer just dipped his hands in cement. without question, trump would have been the most disastrous american president of the modern era. some very real damage, however, has already been done<u+2014>to what is deemed acceptable in our discourse, to the way in which we determine the long-term viability of candidates, and to the fundamental spirit of fair play<u+2014>and there is no turning back. there is more than enough culpability to go around<u+2014>including a broad swath of gop primary voters, journalists who partook in false equivalences in the name of clicks and ratings, and even the rnc honchos who refused to deploy legal mechanisms stop him. of course, there is also the broader society which bought into the fable of his business acumen, tuning in for his weekly reality show on nbc, and handed him a trough laden with celebrity. together, one and all, we made him. there will almost certainly be social and political consequences of trump<u+2019>s months-long verbal carpet bombing campaign. notwithstanding heroic acts of journalism, the so-called balanced egalitarian approach to election coverage has been dominated and fraught with dishonest political brokers. beyond an emboldened, more virulently bigoted strain of ethno-nationalists, win or lose, trump and his band of surrogates have fundamentally changed the rules of fair play. beating out more than a dozen primary opponents while lobbing bigoted remarks at muslims, hispanics, and women, a promised <u+201c>pivot<u+201d> never came to fruition. the fact that he was not forced to suspend his campaign after making racist remarks about a federal judge says as much about us as it does about trump. with our tacit approval, he moved on to vicious stereotypes about african americans and refused to apologize for his attempt to delegitimize the nation<u+2019>s first black president. in fact, he said we should thank him for telling the truth and forcing president obama to produce his long-form birth certificate. instead of issuing a mea culpa, trump falsely blamed clinton<u+2019>s 2008 campaign team for initiating the controversy and promptly patted himself on the back for putting the issue to bed. except trump never walked away from birtherism. he continued to claim the document was fraudulent and even posited that the health official who signed it might have been murdered. on two occasions, he has risen to the podium and suggested circumstances under which his opponent might be shot. for any other candidate in any other year, just one of those things would have been enough. but trump knows it isn<u+2019>t. <u+201c>she<u+2019>s nasty, but i can be nastier than she ever can be,<u+201d> he boasted in an interview with the times. he knows that he and some of his most prominent surrogates<u+2014>chris christie, rudy giuliani, and newt gingrich<u+2014>can keep blowing the whistle, changing the rules mid-play. they all but blamed americans for paying their fair share of taxes and honoring their contractual obligations. trump, in the words of former new york mayor giuliani was a <u+201c>genius<u+201d> for using the net operating loss carry-forward deduction<u+2014>an obscure loophole unavailable to most working americans<u+2014>to cure future tax debt for nearly two decades. so what if he filed multiple bankruptcies, refused to pay small businesses after they rendered services to his companies, and cost tens of thousands of people their jobs? it was all fair and legal, according to trump. so what if he is an admitted serial adulterer who won<u+2019>t spare a breath before spitting out misogynist, hypersexualized comments about women. everybody cheats, at least according to giuliani, and the women deserved it, right? so what if it turns out to be true that trump didn<u+2019>t pay a dime in federal or state taxes over the span of 18 years<u+2014>leaving police officers, school teachers, veterans, and others out in the wash. that makes him <u+201c>smart,<u+201d> right? once upon a time, allegations of fraud, draft dodging, flagrant philandering, and self-dealing, not to mention public verbal assaults against a litany of people, would have been immediate disqualifiers. a self-professed billionaire who paid no taxes for even one year would have been laughed off the stage. candidates have surely dropped out over less. the torrent of bad press would<u+2019>ve been enough to send any other self-respecting candidate for the hills. within hours, the candidate and his spouse would<u+2019>ve been standing tearfully before a flag draped podium proclaiming their allegiance to their country and vowing to continue the fight as private citizens for the public good. never in the history of american politics has a major party nominee made such a mockery of the process. but the game changed the moment gop voters cast their lot with a one-time reality show personality with no public policy experience, little in the way of intellectual curiously, and no guiding values. it changed the moment sitting gop members of congress refused to call foul on some of his most egregious remarks. if you believe in nothing, nothing is truly out of bounds and, for trump, apologies are an admission of defeat. to the extent that trump (and an almost laissez-faire media class) has begun to normalize various brand of racism, bigotry, and misogyny, it is truly a reflection on all of us. he needed willing participants and, unfortunately, he found them. not only among the alt-right and white supremacists; he also found them in the halls of cable news networks with people incapable or unwilling to challenge his nonsensical rants and stop booking surrogates who flat out lie.

how donald trump wins even when he loses

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when donald trump descended from that escalator to announce his presidential run nearly six months ago you probably couldn<u+2019>t have found more than three people in the whole country who thought he had a chance.<u+00a0> it was even reported at the time that<u+00a0>he had paid actors at fifty bucks a head<u+00a0><u+00a0>to<u+00a0>enthusiastically cheer and clap for his bizarre announcement speech, in which he declared his intention to build a big beautiful wall to keep out all the <u+00a0>immigrant rapists. it seemed like a joke or some kind of political performance art. everyone settled in to enjoy the show, never dreaming that anyone would take him seriously. but over the course of the last half year he<u+2019>s stayed at the top of polls and, even more astonishingly, gotten away with saying things that no other political figure could have ever gotten away with. with each gaffe, insult, mistake, faux pas, slander and cheap shot, his followers become even more loyal. the latest polling average by the huffington post pollster<u+00a0>has trump at 34.4 percent with rubio at 14.6 percent, carson at 13.9 percent and cruz at 13.4 percent. he<u+2019>s not going down. he<u+2019>s going up. and now that the primary season is in full effect, everyone<u+2019>s starting to wonder whether he might actually win. there have been a flurry of recent articles reporting that <u+00a0>big gop donors starting to get nervous, particularly since their designated candidate, jeb bush, sank in the polls a few months ago and hasn<u+2019>t been able to climb back up. but they are stumped<u+00a0>about what to do about him. on the one hand they<u+2019>re sure he<u+2019>s going to implode and on the other worried that any money they spend trying to take him down will be wasted. this article<u+00a0>in last week<u+2019>s washington post by matea gold and robert costa is filled with colorful anecdotes and quotes from various consultants, advisors and party poohbahs wringing their hands and clutching their pearls over the problem. but the best are the big money donors who are convinced that the voters will see the light and all will be well: <u+201c>he is going to implode himself,<u+201d> said frank vandersloot, the chief executive of an idaho nutritional-supplement company who is backing sen. marco rubio (fla.). he said he recently turned down a funding request from a group seeking to run anti-trump ads. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s just going to take a little time for people to take a step back and look at his track record, see who he is and how he<u+2019>s changed his positions and how unprepared he is to be president of the united states,<u+201d> vandersloot said. their faith is rather charmingly naive. they don<u+2019>t seem to realize that the voters who are flocking to trump hate people like them and have no respect for anything they believe. it<u+2019>s not the money, of course. the fact that trump is a billionaire is one of the things they love about him. he<u+2019>s a winner. what they hate is the fact that these elites don<u+2019>t think trump is qualified. his lack of political experience is irrelevant. he says out loud what they are thinking and he does it without any self-awareness<u+00a0>or sense that there<u+2019>s anything wrong with it. he validates their rage. the large field has all the super pacs tying themselves in knots trying to game out the ramifications of taking on trump, worried that it will end up benefiting one of their rivals. john kasich<u+2019>s super pac decided to take the plunge and was greeted with a threat of a lawsuit from trump<u+2019>s lawyer: fred davis, the gop admaker crafting the super pac<u+2019>s spots, said the missive is an example of why more donors are not stepping forward to take on trump. <u+201c>i think the reason people are hesitant is that he<u+2019>s a bully,<u+201d> he said. trump and his followers were undoubtedly<u+00a0>thrilled<u+00a0>with that admission. so the campaigns, the big donors and the super pacs have been pretty much paralyzed by the trump phenomenon. at this point they are just hoping he<u+2019>ll implode and they can run the campaign they always planned to run. but others in the party, those with concerns beyond the presidential election are starting to do some serious analysis and strategizing around trump. yesterday, robert costa and philip rucker<u+00a0>reported<u+00a0>that the head of the national republican senatorial committee wrote a seven page confidential memo that <u+201c>urges candidates to adopt many of trump<u+2019>s tactics, issues and approaches <u+2014> right down to adjusting the way they dress and how they use twitter.<u+201d> if you can<u+2019>t beat him, join him. the nrsc is obviously right to be concerned about trump. but most would assume this concern stems from the possibility that his brand of politics could lead to the party being decimated down ticket if he should get the nomination. but this takes a different tack altogether. nrsc executive director ward baker is telling his senate candidates that trump is on to something and they should try to emulate him. many people have pointed out that the republicans created the angry constituency that is now enthralled by trump with decades of talk radio and fox tv propaganda. and they were obviously startled by the results. but now they seem to be in the process of accepting and adapting. the problem is that they don<u+2019>t really understand trump<u+2019>s appeal. they think he<u+2019>s popular because of his <u+201c>anti-washington populist agenda<u+201d> and because <u+201c>he can<u+2019>t be bought.<u+201d> and it<u+2019>s true that people like that about him. but what his followers<u+00a0>love<u+00a0>about him is his open, almost cheerful disdain for people they hate and a willingness to win by any means necessary. without that, he<u+2019>s just another guy railing against<u+00a0>washington and saying he<u+2019>ll lower<u+00a0>taxes. ward seems to think that candidates can cop trump<u+2019>s attitude without going for the substance and people will go for it. but that<u+2019>s pretty condescending. voters like trump for what he<u+2019>s saying even more than the way he<u+2019>s saying it. they<u+2019>re not going to be fooled by someone trying to do <u+201c>trump-lite.<u+201d> nonetheless, the memo is important for the fact that it admits that the highest levels of the republican party see a way in which trump can put together a coalition that could win a general election. it<u+2019>s hard to believe they<u+2019>re right, but they do seem to be serious. but even more concerning is the fact that trumpism is seeping beyond his candidacy and into the party as whole. they are no longer rejecting him, they are co-opting him. they are becoming him.

donald trump is reinventing the gop in his image: the secret republican memo that admits what already should have been obvious

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the supreme court made a number of important decisions this term, but none more transformative than legalizing gay marriage. the decision, however, does not settle the issue of gay rights and religious liberty. why climate scientists are taking fact-checking into their own hands a man holds a us and a rainbow flag outside the supreme court in washington after the court legalized gay marriage nationwide on june 26. after the decision, religious conservatives are focusing on preserving their right to object. their concerns are for the thousands of faith-based charities, colleges, and hospitals that want to hire, fire, serve, and set policy according to their religious beliefs. two blockbuster cases dominated the docket at the united states supreme court in its recently-concluded term <u+2013> one stands as a civil rights landmark, the other is slipping into quiet obscurity. in its 2014-15 term, the high court decided 74 cases, including rulings upholding the president<u+2019>s power to determine us policy over the contested status of jerusalem, permitting texas to exclude the confederate flag from specialty license plates, and barring prosecutors from treating an undersized grouper as the legal equivalent of a shredded document. but by far the term<u+2019>s biggest decisions came in the court<u+2019>s historic ruling for same-sex marriage and in a 6-to-3 vote upholding distribution of tax credits in president obama<u+2019>s health care reform law. while the same-sex marriage decision will reverberate for years, the high court<u+2019>s ruling in the obamacare case has quickly fallen off the national radar now that the once-dire threat to millions of health insurance policies has subsided. in contrast, justice anthony kennedy<u+2019>s decision in the same-sex marriage case is a transformative event. it marks the most significant civil rights decision by the high court in at least a generation <u+2013> a kind of gay rights version of brown v. board of education. in his decision, justice kennedy established that the fundamental right to marry embraces all americans <u+2013> regardless of sexual orientation. in the 5-to-4 ruling, the high court said that state bans on same-sex marriage violate due process and equal protection rights of the fourteenth amendment. the decision effectively ends a rancorous state-by-state debate over marriage, and extends a welcoming hand to a segment of american society that has faced open hostility and discrimination. as such, the marriage decision represents a huge victory for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (lgbt) community, their friends, families, and other supporters. <u+201c>this decision affirms what millions of americans already believe in their hearts. when all americans are treated as equal, we are all more free,<u+201d> president obama said in comments shortly after the ruling. but the case that sharply divided the court itself has also left the country sharply divided. religious conservatives feel they are under siege and are looking for ways to fight back or protect themselves. recognizing this, kennedy<u+2019>s decision hints at matters beyond gay marriage and anticipates the next big high court showdown <u+2013> a bitter national struggle pitting gay rights against religious liberty. analysts say kennedy went out of his way in his decision to avoid labeling religious conservatives as bigots or motivated by animosity toward homosexuals. that posture is critical, they say, because it leaves open a way for the court in future cases to balance the competing interests of religious conservatives with the growing rights and clout of gay americans. <u+201c>kennedy, i think, wants to keep the court<u+2019>s options open to respect religious and traditional marriage libertarian rights to exclude or to discriminate,<u+201d> yale law professor william eskridge told a recent gathering of the american constitution society. <u+201c>justice kennedy is loath to close off those options,<u+201d> he said. professor eskridge noted that kennedy provided the decisive fifth vote in a 2000 high court case that upheld the boy scouts<u+2019> right to bar gay men from serving as scoutmasters. to the boy scouts, the decision affirmed their right to associate with like-minded individuals. to the rejected scoutmaster, the decision endorsed blatant anti-gay discrimination. washington appellate lawyer gene schaerr said in a heritage foundation briefing that justice kennedy went <u+201c>out of his way in numerous places in his opinion to try to suggest respect for the religious viewpoint on this issue.<u+201d> <u+201c>those of us who care about religious liberty can be grateful that justice kennedy<u+2019>s opinion dodged some big bullets,<u+201d> mr. schaerr said. <u+201c>but the opinion, unintentionally i think, launched a number of grenades that are still in the air.<u+201d> he noted that some religious organizations may soon face loss of their tax exempt status unless they jettison their opposition to same-sex marriage, and religious colleges may discover their accreditation is in jeopardy if they are found to discriminate against same-sex married couples in violation of constitutional rights. in contrast to the historic same-sex marriage landmark with its ongoing repercussions, the high court challenge to president obama<u+2019>s health care reform law is fast on its way to being forgotten. had a majority of justices agreed with the plaintiffs that the affordable care act barred the distribution of tax credits thorough federal health care exchanges set up in 34 states, that decision would have gutted the aca and left millions of americans unable to afford any health insurance. but that<u+2019>s not what happened. instead, the court essentially gave the obama administration the benefit of the doubt over what the majority justices said were <u+201c>a few examples of inartful drafting.<u+201d> writing for the majority in the 6-to-3 decision, chief justice john roberts said it would make no sense for congress to create a law meant to advance universal health care by allowing tax subsidies only in health care exchanges established by a state <u+2013> rather than also in exchanges set up by the federal government. <u+201c>congress passed the affordable care act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them,<u+201d> chief justice roberts wrote. it marked the second time the chief justice had joined the high court<u+2019>s liberal wing to save the aca from its potential demise at the nation<u+2019>s highest court. in june 2012, roberts joined with the court<u+2019>s liberal wing to uphold the controversial measure after concluding that the law<u+2019>s mandated insurance requirement amounted to a tax rather than a penalty. the chief justice<u+2019>s twin rescue operations prompted justice antonin scalia to quip in a dissenting opinion that rather than calling the law obamacare, it should be renamed scotuscare. <u+00a0>(scotus is an acronym for supreme court of the united states.) beyond the two blockbusters, the court<u+2019>s term produced several other notable decisions. in an 8-to-1 decision, the court put employers on notice that they must recognize the need to accommodate religious practices of their workers or job applicants, even when a job applicant fails to request an accommodation. in that case the court ruled for a muslim teen who was rejected for a job at an abercrombie kids store because she wore a headscarf. in its 10th year under chief justice roberts, the court remains essentially a conservative body. but you wouldn<u+2019>t know it from this year<u+2019>s highest profile cases. of the top 10 decisions of the term, analysts classify eight as liberal victories. only two of the top 10 decisions are said to embrace a conservative approach. this pendulum-like movement at the court between liberal and conservative rulings is due in large part to justice kennedy<u+2019>s position at or near the center of the nine-member court. he is, thus, frequently positioned to cast the fifth and deciding vote in controversial cases. the chief justice has also occasionally swung over to join the liberal wing in high profile cases, as both he and kennedy did in the obamacare decision. despite that exception, kennedy<u+2019>s power to singlehandedly decide major cases was on full display this term. he provided the deciding vote in a ruling that an independent commission formed in arizona by ballot initiative did not violate the constitution<u+2019>s "elections clause." the decision is a major victory for election reform advocates. it upholds similar commissions in six other states and gives a green light to others looking for ways to reduce the involvement of partisan politics in drawing election districts. kennedy also swung over to join his liberal colleagues in a redistricting case in alabama. in that case the court agreed to keep alive a challenge to a voting map drawn by the republican-controlled state legislature. minority groups charged the map illegally undercut black voting clout in the state. kennedy also played a key role in holding off an effort by the court<u+2019>s conservatives to bar the use of so-called disparate impact discrimination claims under the fair housing act. the case marked the third time in recent years that the court<u+2019>s conservatives had sought to take up a case to strike down the disparate impact approach under the fha. the disparate impact theory of discrimination permits lawsuits when a statistical analysis shows that minorities suffer disproportionate harm from a particular policy <u+2013> even when that policy is racially neutral. instead of joining the conservatives, kennedy sided with the liberal wing and wrote the majority opinion upholding disparate impact lawsuits under the fha, but also seeking to impose limits on such suits when they might lead to racial quotas. apart from the string of liberal wins, the high court produced two conservative victories among the term<u+2019>s top cases. both were made possible by the swing vote of kennedy. in one, the court ruled that the environmental protection agency must take the cost of compliance into account when considering whether to regulate toxic air pollutants emitted from coal- and oil-fired power plants. in the second conservative victory, the court upheld oklahoma<u+2019>s use of the drug midazolam as part of its three-drug lethal injection protocol despite the involvement of that same drug in three botched executions last year. again, with kennedy<u+2019>s support, the court said three oklahoma death row inmates had failed to prove that the state<u+2019>s use of midazolam presented an intolerable risk that the condemned prisoners would suffer severe pain during the execution process. the case was important because capital punishment abolitionists have been working to dry up the availability of certain drugs used in lethal injections. the ruling will make it easier for states like oklahoma to continue to use midazolam, and to continue carry out executions. the case is also notable because two liberal justices, stephen breyer and ruth bader ginsburg, announced that they believe the time has come to declare the death penalty unconstitutional. that announcement is expected to trigger a new round of litigation in death penalty cases with an eye toward bringing a dispute to the high court that might facilitate a decision striking down capital punishment throughout the us. as in most other high profile cases, the outcome in that one would likely, once again, come down to the vote of justice kennedy.

gay marriage ruling leaves debate about religious liberty wide open

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the saga of kim davis, the kentucky county clerk who went to jail for a weekend rather than sign off on same-sex marriage certificates, might seem like it<u+2019>s a last gasp for the anti-gay right; an attempt to eke out some kind of victory after having lost their two-decade fight against same-sex marriage. unable to stop same-sex couples from marrying, davis, along with a handful of anti-gay florists and bakers, strives instead to just make getting the license an embarrassing hassle. it<u+2019>s childish sore loser behavior, the equivalent of a baseball player pouting in the dugout and refusing to shake hands with his opponent because he didn<u+2019>t win the game. because of this, liberals can be forgiven for laughing and moving on, not particularly worried about davis, whose temper tantrum isn<u+2019>t even preventing the licenses from being issued any longer, as the judge authorized her deputies to hand them out. unfortunately, though, davis<u+2019>s behavior isn<u+2019>t just a bratty tantrum. this whole incident is also a sign of a troubling development in the religious right: as their cultural power declines in the face of growing diversity and liberalism, religious conservatives are embracing scary levels of radicalism. they don<u+2019>t have the numbers anymore, so they are turning to scarier and more radical demands to seize power in any way that they can. no doubt davis is a comical figure whose self-righteousness is only equaled by her ignorance both of the text of the bible she clings to and what it means to have a job as a government employee. but she<u+2019>s being used by her legal team and other religious right leaders to spread the idea that religious conservatives are entitled to ignore <u+2014> or even overthrow <u+2014> democracy and seize power just because they feel like it. some supporters, like ryan anderson of the new york times, are claiming that davis wants an <u+201c>accommodation<u+201d> for her religious beliefs. this is, to put it bluntly, a lie. davis was offered just such an accommodation and told that she doesn<u+2019>t have to personally issue the licenses so long as her deputies were allowed to do so. she declined that compromise, insisting that she be able to actually prevent same-sex couples from getting licenses in her county altogether. what davis is asking for is not an accommodation at all, but for the right to declare, by fiat, that rowan county, kentucky, is a mini-theocracy not beholden to the laws of the land, but by the whims of kim davis. her legal team wants you to see her as a sweet but faithful woman, but in fact she<u+2019>s trying to pull a coup here, claiming that <u+201c>god<u+2019>s authority<u+201d> <u+2014> read kim davis<u+2019>s authority <u+2014> trumps our entire democratic system. it<u+2019>s not just her, either. rena lindevaldsen, who works for the liberty counsel, which<u+00a0>is handling davis<u+2019>s case, has taken to boldly arguing that christians have the right to overthrow the democratically elected government and simply impose their will by fiat. <u+201c>whether it<u+2019>s zoning or taxes or marriage or abortion, in those issues, government doesn<u+2019>t have authority to say that these things are appropriate because they<u+2019>re contrary to scripture,<u+201d> lindevaldsen recently argued in front of liberty university. which is to say that even though the government has declared abortion legal, if you decide you don<u+2019>t want your neighbors getting abortions, you should be able to declare yourself a god-appointed authority and simply shut it down. if you don<u+2019>t want to pay taxes, declare yourself a <u+201c>sovereign citizen.<u+201d> mike huckabee has been at the frontlines of pushing the claim that christian conservatives simply have the right to ignore or overturn democracy to impose their will, and not just because he<u+2019>s been running around kentucky, trying to get himself on camera as much as possible in support of davis<u+2019>s attempt to ban gay marriage by fiat. he<u+2019>s also been using the campaign trail to argue that the president should be able to simply end rule of law and start ruling like a dictator. he doesn<u+2019>t just the word dictator, of course, but make no mistake, huckabee has repeatedly and shamelessly promised that if he is elected president, he will start declaring his beliefs to be the law of the land without the cooperation of congress. in a google hangout, he laid out the scheme: declare as president that there are <u+201c>constitutional rights of the unborn<u+201d> and simply ban abortion by fiat. he claimed a similar authority during the republican debate, a moment that got startlingly little play even though it was literally a candidate for president arguing that he would make himself a dictator. despite his regular references to the constitution when making these proclamations, huckabee<u+2019>s scheme would mean voiding out the constitution, as well, and not just because, despite his claims to the contrary, there is not a single word in it that gives citizenship status to embryos. it<u+2019>s also because his scheme would mean ending the balance of powers, concentrating all the power of the legislature and the courts into the hands of the president. and once you believe that your interpretation of what god wants trumps rule of law, not just for yourself but for your neighbors, then it follows very quickly that you are entitled to use force and even violence to get your way. some religious right leaders are, in fact, making noises that sound very much like justifying the use of violent force in order to overturn the social progress brought upon the u.s. from the democratic system. <u+201c>no one should want it and no one, myself included, does want it,<u+201d> conservative pundit erick erickson argued in an op-ed about the davis case. <u+201c>but how much longer until we have another civil war?<u+201d> you can be forgiven for being skeptical of his claim not to want this, of course. on the contrary, it reads very much like a threat: either give up the gains made under the democratic system or face violent overthrow by religious fanatics. huckabee plays the same game of fantasizing about violent struggle to overturn democracy while pretending to abhor violence. in his google hangout, he said that he expected that banning abortion by fiat would likely result in <u+201c>extraordinary pushback, and goodness, perhaps riots in the streets.<u+201d> he<u+2019>s not wrong that simply dissolving rule of law and declaring yourself the sole authority would likely result in people resisting, but he shrugged this off as merely the price of doing business. to be clear, all these fantasies of governmental overthrow to stop gay couples from marrying will likely remain fantasies. the religious right is aging and losing numbers quickly. this is why they<u+2019>re getting increasingly fanatical in their rhetoric, of course, but it also makes it hard to imagine they could really get it together to act out their fantasies of seizing power by force. still, this isn<u+2019>t just talk. the republicans are still beholden to the religious right in many ways. the fact that so many republican candidates were afraid to defend the rule of law and denounce davis for her actions is a troubling symptom of this. the christian right may not be up to armed revolution, but they are increasingly demanding that republicans turn their backs on the basic rules of democracy to cater to a theocratic minority. that republicans are listening is a danger to us all.

kim davis is the new face of the religious right: angry, marginalized and increasingly desperate

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the 2010 documentary <u+201c>waiting for <u+2018>superman<u+2019> <u+201d> was <u+2013> still is <u+2013> a powerful indictment of american public education. the movie describes a system so dysfunctional, teachers unions so entrenched, and urban neighborhoods so battered that frequent calls for <u+201c>education reform<u+201d> ring hollow. every recent american president has come into office proclaiming improving education job 1 and often signing landmark legislation. but too many students <u+2013> other versions of the innocent anthony, daisy, emily, francisco, and bianca in the documentary <u+2013> are still being left behind. now, to be fair, most public schools are healthy, productive environments where capable teachers make a profound difference in students<u+2019> lives. year after year, public schools in states such as massachusetts competently prepare students for college. still, <u+201c>waiting for <u+2018>superman<u+2019> <u+201d> makes a convincing case that much of the public-education system, especially in the inner city, is broken and that charter schools <u+2013> by focusing less on the job security of adults who run the system and more on the kids who are supposed to be served by it <u+2013> are showing how to fix it. there are now 6,700 charter schools in the united states. they educate 3 million students (6 percent of the public school population); another 1 million are on waiting lists. if current trends continue, by 2035 charters could be educating as much as 40 percent of american students. though charter schools vary in quality, in general they are effective at boosting educational achievement, which accounts for their popularity in inner-city neighborhoods. they are big players in cities such as detroit, washington, and especially new orleans, where 91 percent of students now attend charter schools. early charter schools resembled high-tech start-ups, powered by charismatic leaders, succinct mission statements, and a build-fast-fail-fast ethos. administration was flat. teachers put in long hours. student discipline and a culture of learning were paramount. as the movement matures, that is changing. case in point: mastery charter schools in philadelphia, where chief executive scott gordon has moved from a <u+201c>no excuses<u+201d> approach with students to one that takes into account students<u+2019> backgrounds and the communities they come from, much as traditional public schools do. ( click here for a monitor cover story on mr. gordon and the schools he manages.) as charters scale up, they face many of the same issues that public schools do. few charter teachers are in labor unions now, but unionization is spreading. management is flat now, but bigger schools will require more bureaucracy. most charters tuck themselves into small spaces today, but that precludes them offering a full range of activities for students, including athletics and other extracurriculars. charter schools began as laboratories. if their growth rate continues, they will become factories. they might, as a result, lose some of the energy of the early days. they might even resemble the public school system they seek to reform. heroism isn<u+2019>t a sustainable business model, unless you are superman, and school kids can wait forever for him. the key for charter schools and for public schools is to remain focused on what really matters. their names are anthony, daisy, emily, francisco, and bianca.

charting a course for charter schools

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ferguson, mo. <u+2014><u+00a0>a<u+00a0>man who was shot and critically injured by police here after authorities said he opened fire<u+00a0>at officers was<u+00a0>in critical condition monday, his father said, as questions remained about what sparked the gunfire amid protests marking the first anniversary of the fatal shooting of<u+00a0>michael brown. the late-night shooting<u+00a0>was a violent coda to a mostly peaceful day of protests and vigils commemorating a year since brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, was shot and killed by a white ferguson officer, an event that thrust this small suburb of st. louis into the center of a national conversation on how police officers use lethal force toward minorities. it heightened fears about what the latest bloodshed could do to a tense community that has repeatedly been unsettled by unrest over the last year. activists had<u+00a0>planned a<u+00a0>day of civil disobedience on monday, and dozens of people were arrested in st. louis on monday. on monday afternoon, the st. louis county executive declared a state of emergency in response to what he called <u+201c>the potential for harm to persons and property<u+201d> in the area. <u+201c>the recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger,<u+201d> steve stenger, the county executive, said in a statement. <u+201c>the time and investment in ferguson and dellwood will not be destroyed by a few that wish to violate the rights<u+00a0>of others.<u+201d> stenger said that he would place the st. louis county police chief, jon belmar, in charge of police emergency management in ferguson and the surrounding area, a nearby city. belmar held a news conference early monday morning to discuss the man shot by his officers, saying that this man had opened<u+00a0>fire on an unmarked police suv shortly before midnight. on monday, the office of robert p. mcculloch, the st. louis county prosecuting attorney, charged<u+00a0>tyrone harris, 18, with 10 counts of assaulting law enforcement, shooting at a motor vehicle and armed criminal action as a result of this incident. harris remained in critical condition at a hospital in the area, according to the st. louis county police department. he is being held on a $250,000 cash-only bond, a spokesman said. the man shot by police had been identified by the<u+00a0>st. louis post-dispatch and other local news outlets as tyrone harris jr. in a telephone interview monday, tyrone harris sr., who identified himself as<u+00a0>harris<u+2019>s father, said that two girls who were with the younger harris before he got shot said he<u+00a0>didn<u+2019>t have a gun. belmar said police were responding to reports of looting on west florissant avenue,<u+00a0>which served as the focal point for the protests and unrest that followed brown<u+2019>s death last year and where stores were burned and looted on several nights. tensions began to increase at about<u+00a0>8 p.m. local time. with most of those who came to ferguson to demonstrate gathered at a rap concert and a panel discussion, groups of young men began breaking<u+00a0>into storefronts along west florissant. as a result, police cut off traffic to the area and deployed officers in riot gear, a visible police presence that prompted angry locals and some protesters to gather opposite the line of officers.<u+00a0>while this was happening, belmar said,<u+00a0>plainclothes detectives farther down west florissant were monitoring a person<u+00a0>they believed to be armed, who was with at least three or four other people they also believed to have weapons. even as protesters and police were facing off nearby, two groups that were apparently involved in some kind of feud began firing at each other, belmar said. he said between<u+00a0>40 and 50 shots were fired over about 45 seconds. <u+201c>it was a remarkable amount of gunfire,<u+201d> belmar said. the person being tracked by the detectives crossed the street and left the area where the two groups were facing off, and he may have been preparing to return, belmar said. at that point, an unmarked suv with its interior red and blue lights illuminated began moving toward the man, who began firing at the vehicle, striking the hood and windshield multiple times, belmar said. he was armed with a 9mm sig sauer pistol reported stolen last year, belmar said. these detectives returned fire from inside the car and were not sure if they hit the man, belmar said. they followed the man toward a fenced-in area where he again opened fire, belmar said, and all four detectives<u+00a0>who had been in the suv fired at the man. he was taken to a nearby hospital in critical, unstable condition. the four detectives, who were placed on administrative leave, have not been identified. belmar said that this confrontation between police and the lone man <u+201c>wasn<u+2019>t the culmination of all the shooting,<u+201d> though, adding that it was somewhat separate from the two groups firing at each other. belmar said it was possible the man shot by police had left the two groups because he was afraid he was going to be shot. <u+201c>they were criminals,<u+201d> belmar said of the people who opened fire. <u+201c>they weren<u+2019>t protesters.<u+201d> police were not clear on why the two groups were fighting, belmar<u+00a0>said. tyrone harris sr. said monday that his son remained in critical condition, but said he was not allowed in the hospital and was told to remain on the sidewalk outside. <u+201c>the situation is messed up,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>my son wasn<u+2019>t even armed when he was shot.<u+201d> harris said that his son, who went to school with michael brown, had been on a date when he went out to a remembrance honoring brown. he said that he had been told his son was there with friends who got into some kind of an altercation, possibly a fight over a television, and that one of these people began shooting. two girls who were there told the elder harris that his son was <u+201c>running for his life.<u+201d> tyrone harris sr. said that his son had graduated from high school and was planning on going to school to be an electrician.<u+00a0><u+201c>there is no perfect child,<u+201d> harris said of his son, adding that he<u+00a0>was trying to make something of himself. the younger harris had not graduated with the rest of his class, but he took classes over the summer and earned his diploma, his father said. that shooting was followed by another burst of gunfire at around 2 a.m. near the canfield green apartment complex, right near where brown was shot. two<u+00a0>young men <u+2014> 17 and 19 years old <u+2014> were shot<u+00a0>at around that time. the two teenagers<u+00a0>told police they were walking on the sidewalk when a man wearing a red hooded sweatshirt started shooting at them from the rear passenger side of a vehicle.<u+00a0>the 17-year-old was shot once in the chest or shoulder, while<u+00a0>the 19-year-old was shot once in the chest, police said. they were both taken to the hospital with what police described as non-life-threatening injuries. meanwhile, paul hampel, a reporter for the st. louis post-dispatch, was beaten and robbed while reporting on a break-in happening on west florissant. <u+201c>i got swarmed, beaten down really bad,<u+201d> he told the post-dispatch. <u+201c>those who terrorize communities with gunfire and commit violence against police officers are criminals, and their reprehensible acts must not be allowed to silence the voices of peace and progress,<u+201d> missouri gov. jay nixon (d) said in a statement monday. he added: <u+201c>for the sake of all, it is my hope and expectation that today<u+2019>s events will be peaceful so that these efforts can continue to move the region in a positive direction.<u+201d> during his news conference early monday morning, belmar stressed that the groups shooting at each other were separate from the protesters demonstrating in the streets. <u+201c>there is a small group of people out there who are intent on making sure we don<u+2019>t have peace that prevails,<u+201d> belmar said. <u+201c>that<u+2019>s unfortunate. because even with the folks who were in the street last night, there were a lot of emotions, i get it. but this is something different.<u+201d> he added: <u+201c>we can<u+2019>t talk about the good things that we have been talking about in the last year <u+2026> if we<u+2019>re prevented from moving forward by this type of violence.<u+201d> belmar characterized the shooting as <u+201c>avoidable.<u+201d> police officers shot harris about half a mile from the spot where brown was shot and killed last year by darren wilson, a former ferguson police officer. at the fraternal order of police<u+2019>s national conference in pittsburgh on monday, attorney general loretta lynch <u+201c>strongly<u+201d> condemned <u+201c>the violence against the community, including police officers, in ferguson.<u+201d> <u+201c>as we have seen over the recent months and years, not only does violence obscure any message of peaceful protest, it places the community, as well as the officers who seek to protect it, in harm<u+2019>s way,<u+201d> lynch said, according to her prepared remarks. <u+201c>the weekend<u+2019>s events were peaceful and promoted a message of reconciliation and healing,<u+201d> she continued. <u+201c>but incidents of violence, such as we saw last night, are contrary to both that message, along with everything that all of us, including this group, have worked to achieve over the past year.<u+201d> more than 100 demonstrators on monday marched to a barricaded st. louis county justice center, stepping inside the blocked-off area and staging a sit-in. numerous people, including some of the most high-profile members of the black lives matter movement, were arrested in downtown st. louis. [ferguson activists deray mckesson, johnetta elzie among those arrested in st. louis] in the year since brown was killed, a series of demonstrations have erupted on ferguson<u+2019>s streets. the days after his death was marked by frenzied confrontations between demonstrators and police, unrest that lingered into the fall and flared up again after a grand jury did not indict wilson. the justice department has criticized how law enforcement agencies responded to the initial protests in ferguson, saying in a draft summary of an upcoming report that many police actions <u+201c>served to only exacerbate tensions between protests and the police.<u+201d> earlier this year, the justice department released two reports sparked by the ferguson unrest. in one, it said that it would not pursue federal civil rights charges against wilson; in the other, it found that the city<u+2019>s police and court system had<u+00a0>routinely violated the constitutional rights of black citizens. after these reports, ferguson<u+2019>s police chief, city manager and top municipal judge<u+00a0>left their positions. protests again emerged on the city<u+2019>s streets after the justice department<u+2019>s report and the departure of these officials. the week after the justice department issued its reports, two police officers were shot and seriously injured near the city<u+2019>s police headquarters. once again, the missouri highway patrol was called in to take over security amid fears of worsening tension. a 20-year-old man arrested and charged with the shooting<u+00a0>told<u+00a0>authorities he was not aiming at the police officers when he fired the gun. this week, police again said they came under fire during tense protests in ferguson. when harris was shot, protesters<u+00a0>were still filling some of the same streets in ferguson where nightly showdowns between demonstrators and police occurred last year. <u+201c>we are deeply disappointed with the violence that took place last night,<u+201d> ferguson mayor james knowles iii and the ferguson city council said in a joint statement. <u+201c>this kind of behavior from those who want to cause disruption and destroy the progress from this past year will not be tolerated.<u+201d> the sound of the gunfire was caught on film by cnn, which later aired video of<u+00a0>an interview with the city<u+2019>s new interim police chief<u+00a0>andre anderson.<u+00a0>shots were heard on the street during the interview, and anderson appeared startled. graphic video<u+00a0>shot by prominent ferguson protester tony rice <u+2014> known for his tweets from the streets during demonstrations <u+2014> appeared to show a handcuffed and injured man lying on the ground as an officer watched. <u+201c>it seemed like the protest was winding down,<u+201d> rice told the washington post<u+00a0>of the moments before the violence. <u+201c>and next thing you know, gunshots rang out.<u+201d> when the gunfire stopped, rice said he was met with a horrible sight. <u+201c>by the time the gunshots died down, i stood up and looked, there<u+2019>s another lady out there yelling that someone had been shot,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>as i approached, sure enough, there<u+2019>s a body on the ground.<u+201d> in the video, rice is heard yelling to officers and asking why the man was not being given medical attention. <u+201c>hey, he bleeding!<u+201d> rice<u+00a0>said in the video. <u+201c>get him some help, man. please get him some help! <u+2026> he<u+2019>s bleeding out, man, you see it. he<u+2019>s breathing, man. please get him some help!<u+201d> he added later:<u+00a0><u+201c>i just did not see a level of urgency. <u+2026> and it was quite a while before the initial officers went over and did a pulse check.<u+201d> as they attempted to secure a still-chaotic scene, officers detained rice, handcuffing him and sitting him down not far from the shooting before releasing him. <u+201c>this is a crime scene,<u+201d> an officer said. <u+201c>back up <u+2026> you are under arrest!<u+201d> rice<u+00a0>said<u+00a0>he did see three officers eventually attempt to provide some form of medical aid to the man who was shot. before sunday night<u+2019>s gunfire, there had been another shooting the previous night at an event related to the anniversary of brown<u+2019>s death. police said they were called to the intersection of west florissant avenue and ferguson avenue after gunshots were fired and found a 22-year-old who was shot in the arm in that area. the st. louis county police said on sunday afternoon that trevion hopson, 17, had been<u+00a0>charged with unlawful use of a weapon due to that shooting. police said hopson went to anniversary events and fired at <u+201c>a specific target<u+201d> before shooting into the fleeing crowd. st. louis alderman antonio french <u+2014> a well-known face on the streets of ferguson since brown<u+2019>s death <u+2014> said that, when night fell, things turned<u+00a0>chaotic. [thousands dead, few prosecuted: an analysis of fatal shootings by on-duty police officers] on twitter, french later reported that tear gas had been used on the crowd. at the overnight news conference, belmar said he had heard smoke had been deployed, but said he had not been at the scene of the protest since <u+201c>about midnight.<u+201d> cnn, among other outlets, later reported tear gas was used as well. the<u+00a0>st. louis county police said that three officers were injured on sunday night and into monday morning. two officers were pepper-sprayed by protesters, while one officer was hit in the face by a rock, a spokesman said. three county police cars were also damaged, two by gunfire and one due to a minor accident. authorities said they arrested four people late sunday and early monday. three were charged with interfering with <u+00a0>police officers, while a third man was charged with failure to disperse and an unlawful use of a firearm. this post has been updated. wan and<u+00a0>berman reported from washington. j. freedom du lac, justin moyer and nick kirkpatrick contributed.

state of emergency declared in ferguson after police shoot and critically injure man during protests

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earlier today, i talked with libertarian party presidential candidate gary johnson for about half an hour. here's an edited version of my conversation with the former two-term republican governor of new mexico. the topics we covered include whether he supports carbon taxes and mandatory vaccines (no to both), agrees with hillary clinton's characterization of donald trump as racist (yes), and if he thinks there is any chance he will crack 15 percent in the national polls that will earn him a ticket to the presidential debates ("we're very optimistic"). johnson, who ran for president on the lp ticket in 2012 and pulled more than 1 million votes, says that the response his campaign is getting this time around is a "transformation." he attributes this to an "appetite" voters have for a different approach to politics, one that combines liberal social views and conservative fiscal views. he is certainly the only presidential candidate who believes "taxes to me are like a death plague," blacks are systematically denied equal opportunities in america, minimum-wage laws punish low-skilled workers, and marijuana should be legalized. "we are two former republican governors who served in heavily democratic states," johnson told me while discussing the reaction to the way he and his running mate, former massachusetts gov. bill weld, mash-up positions normally associated with either the right or the left. "what that meant is that we pissed everybody off, and because we pissed everybody off, we both got re-elected by bigger margins. we pissed off the left, we pissed off the right, but really where we came down was right in the middle. where we came down on was right where everybody is, right where the majority of people are at."<u+2014>nick gillespie nick gillespie: earlier this week, you suggested you were in favor of a carbon tax or fee. yesterday, at a rally in new hampshire (video here), you said you were against it. what is your position on carbon taxes? gary johnson: [a carbon tax] sounds good in theory, but it wouldn't work in practice. i never called it a tax. i called it a fee. as it was presented to me, this was the way to reduce carbon and actually reduce costs to reduce carbon. under that premise<u+2014>lower costs, better outcomes<u+2014>you can always count on me to support that [sort of] notion. in theory it sounds good, but the reality is that it's really complex and it won't really accomplish that. so, no support for a carbon fee. i never raised one penny of tax as governor of new mexico, not one cent in any area. taxes to me are like a death plague. gillespie: you do believe that climate change is happening and that human activity adds to it. does that mean it is an issue that should be addressed by government policy? johnson: well, i'll agree with the first two, but i'm a skeptic that government policy can address this. the united states contributes 16 percent of the contribution of carbon in the world<u+2026> gillespie: so you would be against the united states unilaterally making any kind of move that puts a huge economic disadvantage that also wouldn't really mitigate carbon? johnson: if there is any way we can address this issue without the loss of u.s. jobs, my ears are open. gillespie: let's talk about vaccines. there are no federal laws mandating vaccines, and that's how it should be, as far as you're concerned. gillespie: various states treat vaccines differently, and you're not wild about the range of individual choice and opt-out provisions, but you do believe it's a state-level decision<u+2014>or certainly that it's not a federal-level decision. gillespie: there are people who say vaccines cause autism [and other problems] or that vaccines don't work. are you in that camp? johnson: no, i chose to have my children vaccinated. i understand all the concerns that some people have, but for me personally, i made a decision to have my children vaccinated. i want people to make decisions and i believe in [opt-outs]. with the exception of a few states, everyone has an opt-out. but i also want to say that, as president of the united states, if i am confronted with a zombie apocalypse that will happen unless the total herd is totally immunized, i will support [mandatory vaccinations]. gillespie: yesterday, hillary clinton gave a speech in which she explicitly said that donald trump was racist and that he has brought a racist presence into the republican party. a year ago, you told reason something very similar. you said trump's comments about mexicans and his views on immigration were racist. do you agree with hillary clinton that donald trump is a racist? johnson: well, if it walks like a duck, if it talks like a duck, it's a duck. gillespie: as a former republican governor, how does that make you feel about the current state of the gop? johnson: it makes me feel like i think more than half of republicans feel: this is not representative of republicans. gillespie: do you think the republican party is going to be permanently damaged by donald trump's candidacy? gillespie: what do you think of his recent appeals to black voters? he's been saying to african americans that the democratic party hasn't really helped them much. that everything in their lives has gotten worse under barack obama and that hillary clinton is not their champion. do you agree with trump that democratic party policies haven't really benefited the black community? johnson: i do. both parties are engaged in pandering. the libertarian approach<u+2014>equal opportunity<u+2014>isn't that what you really want? but i'd argue that equal opportunity currently does not exist. gillespie: how does it not exist, and what policies would you enact to make it a reality? is it a question of ending a drug war that disproportionately impacts blacks, promoting school choice so they can escape chronically bad schools, and ending minimum-wage laws that price low-skilled workers out of getting their first jobs? johnson: all of what you just mentioned. let me offer up a story. i was on fox news' the five a couple of days ago with eric bolling. i made the statement that "black lives matter" and eric chimed in to say, "all lives matter." it's not a criticism of him, it's just indicative of the conversation [about race and politics]. i said, "yes, all lives do matter, but blacks are getting shot at the rate of six times that whites are. if you're of color and you're arrested, there's a four times greater likelihood that you'll go to jail than if you're white. eric said, "blacks commit eight times the crime." my answer was little muddied, but i think i got to my point. yes, blacks are being arrested, they are being charged, and they are being convicted at eight times the rate of whites. if that same scrutiny were applied to you and i as whites, we would have those same results. that's the awareness [of unequal treatment] that doesn't currently exist. gillespie: the set of ideas, mind-sets, and positions that your campaign is putting out there doesn't have a home in contemporary republican and democratic politics. the way things are is that if you're against the minimum wage because you think it hurts unskilled workers, you've got to be a conservative. but then you're saying, "i care about blacks and they are having a tougher time in america than whites." so then you must be on the left. do you feel the framework you and bill weld are presenting is getting through? is it changing the way people think about politics? johnson: i think we're getting through in a huge way. between facebook, twitter, and other social media, we've got a reach of 300 million. we had a rally the other night in vermont, and there was a crowd of 300 or 400 people, very enthusiastic people. our facebook live stream of the rally got 300,000 views on facebook live in two hours. 300,000! clearly there's an appetite for what we're talking about. bill weld says this all the time: we are two former republican governors who served in heavily democratic states. what that meant is that we pissed everybody off, and because we pissed everybody off, we both got re-elected by bigger margins. we pissed off the left, we pissed off the right, but really where we came down was right in the middle. where we came down on was right where everybody is, right where the majority of people are at. gillespie: a writer at the conservative website the federalist recently said that your embrace of a carbon tax clearly meant you are "a left-wing candidate." do you consider yourself a left-winger? johnson: well, no. but you know, tomorrow you will see an article that says this guy is a right-wing radical. bravo. gillespie: let's talk about your stance on religious-liberty issues, which has angered a lot people on the right and many libertarians. your position is that you essentially want to extend anti-discrimination protections for race and gender to cover sexual orientation when it comes to businesses that are open to the public. yet you support an opt-out for vaccinations. why not support an opt-out for the religious owner of a business who doesn't want to bake a gay nazi wedding cake? johnson: because it would create a new exemption for discrimination. at the end of the day we're just going to agree to disagree. but you bring me specific legislation dealing with a cake baker not having to decorate a cake for a nazi and i'll sign it. gillespie: let's talk about hillary clinton. in response to being called a bigot and a racist by her, donald trump said that she was fundamentally not trustworthy. do you agree with him on that? johnson: yes, i agree with him. gillespie: so you're in a weird position, aren't you? you actually agree with both hillary and donald, but you don't think either should be president. johnson: i agree. i had always surmised that bill clinton's speaking fees<u+2014>which hadn't been highly publicized over the years<u+2014>were tied to payoffs for what he had done as president. i've always felt that, ok, this is the way of paying him back. what i've come to discover is that it was also access to hillary clinton as secretary of state that was being sold. it's pay-to-play, textbook pay-to-play. that's not right. having never held political office before [becoming governor], i had no idea of what was possible [in terms of selling access and favors]. for me, it had everything to do with doing the right thing. for me, it had everything to do with analyzing legislation<u+2014>would this actually improve lives or would it not? if it didn't, i was going to veto it. if it was going to make things better, even incrementally, i signed on to it. gillespie: do you have a particular instance that you can point to with hillary clinton where she accepted a donation to the clinton foundation in regard to this action or this access? johnson: view the documentary that's online right now: clinton cash. the preponderance of what they break down [in the film] clearly shows to me that this was an ongoing activity. gillespie: you still have a lot of ground to cover to reach 15 percent in the national polls that will get you into the presidential debates. what do you think your odds are at this point? johnson: we're very optimistic. our reach on social media is doubling every three weeks right now. that simply means that for the first time people are hearing the name gary johnson. in the five polls [being used by the commission on presidential debates], we're smack dab at 10 percent. not 10.1 percent, not 9 percent, but smack dab at 10 percent. and if you look at those polls six weeks ago, the average would have probably been between 6 percent and 7 percent. currently, we're on the ballot in 45 states and we have 100 percent belief that we'll be on the ballot in all the states and [the district in columbia]. this campaign is really a transformation. we showed up in new hampshire the other day to a big crowd. i ran in the 2012 cycle, and i think i got more media at that event than i got in the entire 2012 cycle. everything is changed right now from an attention standpoint. whether or not that means we end up in the debates and getting to make a difference on the stage is still a question. but right now? i'm as optimistic as ever. gillespie: thank your for time.

gary johnson: no to carbon taxes and mandatory vaccines, yes to black lives matter and transformative politics

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texas senator ted cruz (r) isn<u+2019>t about to let the facts get in the way of his narrative, so instead of admitting that his party<u+2019>s rhetorical tantrums about hoax videos may have contributed to robert louis dear<u+2019>s decision to shoot up a planned parenthood clinic on friday, he blamed it on what conservatives would consider a most loathsome manticore: a <u+201c>transgendered leftist activist.<u+201d> on sunday, cruz said that any attempt to link dear to conservatives<u+2019> mission to curtail a woman<u+2019>s right to choose is merely <u+201c>vicious rhetoric on the left blaming those who are pro-life.<u+201d> he claimed that <u+201c>the media promptly wants to blame [dear] on the pro-life movement, when at this point there<u+2019>s very little evidence to indicate that.<u+201d> cruz, you see, is very, very concerned about people who make commonsense accusations based on reports that dear was mumbling about <u+201c>baby parts<u+201d> when he was arrested. repeating the republican talking points about planned parenthood constitutes, to his mind, <u+201c>very little evidence.<u+201d> solid evidence, for cruz, comes from the person who has been deemed the stupidest man on the internet, who discovered that dear was listed as <u+201c>female<u+201d> on a voter registration form, meaning he is obviously, as cruz identified him, a <u+201c>transgendered leftist activist.<u+201d> cruz made that statement while attempting to take the high road, but he<u+2019>s unfamiliar with such heights and it showed. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s also been reported that he was registered as an independent and a woman and transgendered leftist activist, if that<u+2019>s what he is,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t think it<u+2019>s fair to blame on the rhetoric on the left. this is a murderer.<u+201d> apparently, he believed people would walk away from his statement thinking, <u+201c>it<u+2019>s big of cruz not to blame leftist rhetoric for a man shooting up a planned parenthood clinic<u+201d> <u+2014> which says quite a bit about how intelligent he considers his audience. moreover, given that the only evidence cruz has that dear was transgender is a single voter registration form in which he identifies both as <u+201c>female<u+201d> and <u+201c>uaf,<u+201d> which stands for <u+201c>unaffiliated,<u+201d> it stands to reason that he believes it impossible for a transgender person to be affiliated with the conservative movement in general or the republican party in particular. while that may be true, it<u+2019>s also telling about who he assumes can find a home in the conservative coalition. as thinkprogress<u+2019> zack ford reported, no one who knew him believed he identified as a woman, and his ex-wife claimed that <u+201c>he believed wholeheartedly in the bible,<u+201d> but that doesn<u+2019>t constitute the kind of evidence a professional prevaricator like cruz would consider worthy of mention. he should be commended, though, for his restraint in not arguing that dear was simply a bank robber who took shelter in the planned parenthood clinic, another conservative canard that made the rounds this weekend.

ted cruz is a professional liar: the planned parenthood shooting was the work of a <u+201c>transgendered leftist activist<u+201d>

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egyptian warplanes struck hard at isis militants in neighboring libya, killing as many as 64 militants and destroying the islamist terror group's training camps and weapons caches a day after a sickening video surfaced showing black-clad jihadists beheading 21 coptic christians. the strikes came in two waves after egypt's president abdel fattah el-sissi went on national television in the world's most populous arab nation and vowed revenge was coming. the address was followed by the airing of military video showing the planes taking off for the mission and an armed forces general command statement saying the strikes were "to avenge the bloodshed and to seek retribution from the killers." "avenging egyptian blood and punishing criminals and murderers is our right and duty," the egyptian military said in the statement, which was broadcast on state television. the egyptian foreign ministry said the airstrikes targeted isis locations in derna, a port city in eastern libya. "leaving the situation as it is in libya without a firm intervention to curtail these terrorist organizations would be a threat to international peace and security," the ministry said. the isis video released online showed the egyptian victims, poor men from egypt's rural areas who had traveled to libya looking for work, kneeling before islamic state executioners. in egypt, which by some estimates is about 10 percent christian, the video sent shockwaves through both muslim and christian communities. el-sisi, the u.s.-trained, former military leader who in a landmark new year's day address called on the arab world to reject radical terror, and then took the unprecedented step of attending services at a christian church, told his nation the deaths would be avenged. "these cowardly actions will not undermine our determination" said el-sissi, who also banned all travel to libya by egyptian citizens. "egypt and the whole world are in a fierce battle with extremist groups carrying extremist ideology and sharing the same goals." on monday, el-sissi visited the main coptic cathedral of st. mark in cairo to offer his condolences on the egyptians killed in libya, according to state tv. egyptian state-run news service al-ahram, citing a libyan military spokesman, reported that the strikes, which were coordinated with libyan officials, killed 64 islamic state fighters and left dozens wounded. egyptian officials told the news service the strikes were the first of several to come. egypt is already battling a burgeoning islamist insurgency centered in the strategic sinai peninsula, where militants have recently declared their allegiance to isis and rely heavily on arms smuggled across the porous desert border between egypt and libya. the strikes also come just a month before egypt is scheduled to host a major donor's conference at a sinai resort to attract foreign investment needed to revive the economy after more than four years of turmoil. the egyptian government had previously declared a seven-day period of mourning and president abdel fattah el-sissi addressed the nation late sunday night, saying that his government reserved the right to seek retaliation for the killings. "these cowardly actions will not undermine our determination" said el-sissi, who also banned all travel to libya by egyptian citizens. "egypt and the whole world are in a fierce battle with extremist groups carrying extremist ideology and sharing the same goals." libya's air force commander, saqr al-joroushi, told egyptian state tv that the airstrikes were coordinated with the libyan side and that they killed about 50 militants. libya's air force also announced it had launched strikes in the eastern city of darna, which was taken over by an isis affiliate last year. the announcement, on the facebook page of the air force chief of staff, did not provide further details. two libyan security officials told the associated press civilians, including three children and two women, were killed in the strikes. the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. the video was released late sunday by militants in libya affiliated with the islamic state group. the militants had been holding 21 egyptian coptic christian laborers rounded up from the city of sirte in december and january. the killings raise the possibility that the extremist group -- which controls about a third of syria and iraq in a self-declared caliphate -- has established a direct affiliate less than 500 miles from the southern tip of italy, libya's former colonial master. one of the militants in the video makes direct reference to that possibility, saying the group now plans to "conquer rome." in washington, the white house released a statement calling the beheadings "despicable" and "cowardly", but made no mention of the victims' religion, referring to them only as "egyptian citizens" or "innocents." white house press secretary josh earnest added in the statement that the terror group's "barbarity knows no bounds." also sunday, secretary of state john kerry called egyptian foreign minister sameh shoukry. he offered his condolences on behalf of the american people and strongly condemned the killings. kerry and the foreign minister agreed to keep in close touch as egyptians deliberated on a response, according to a release from the state department. the u.n. security council meanwhile strongly condemned what it called "the heinous and cowardly apparent murder in libya of 21 egyptian coptic christians by an affiliate of the islamic state of iraq and the levant," using another name for the terror group. the foreign minister of the united arab emirates, sheikh abdullah bin zayed al nahyan, also condemned the mass killing, calling it an "ugly crime." "the united arab emirates is devoting all its resources to support the efforts of egypt to eradicate terrorism and the violence directed against its citizens," he said. sheikh abdullah added that the killing highlights the need to help the libyan government "extend its sovereign authority over all of libya's territory." the oil-rich emirates, along with saudi arabia and kuwait, has given billions of dollars in aid to egypt since el-sissi, who was then military chief, overthrew islamist president mohammed morsi in july 2013 amid massive protests against his yearlong rule. egypt has since waged a sweeping crackdown against morsi's muslim brotherhood group, which it has officially branded a terrorist organization. el-sissi has insisted the crackdown in egypt, as well as support for the government in libya, is part of a larger war on terror. libya in recent months has seen the worst unrest since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator moammar gadhafi, which will complicate any efforts to combat the country's many islamic extremist groups. the internationally recognized government has been confined to the country's far east since islamist-allied militias seized the capital tripoli last year, and islamist politicians have reconstituted a previous government and parliament. egypt has strongly backed the internationally recognized government, and u.s. officials have said both egypt and the united arab emirates have taken part in a series of mysterious airstrikes targeting islamist-allied forces. the associated press contributed to this report.

egyptian planes pound isis in libya in revenge for mass beheadings of christians

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it was hosted by cnn, and the presentation was so bombastically stupid that it was almost condescending. the moderation wasn<u+2019>t great; it took far too long to bring up the violence recently perpetrated against journalists and protesters by trump supporters <u+2014> and, shit you not, the trump campaign itself. and absolutely nothing happened that<u+2019>s likely to change an outcome which, much like death, seems more inevitable every day. but listen: you don<u+2019>t want to hear about the entire debate. you either chose to do something else <u+2014> or worse still, you watched it for yourself. and as the current patriarch of the heirs of drumpf said himself thursday night, <u+201c>we<u+2019>ve had enough of the debates<u+201d> already. so i<u+2019>m going to spare you a play-by-play. and i<u+2019>m definitely not going to tell you who <u+201c>won,<u+201d> because, really, why the hell do journalists try to do that? here<u+2019>s what i<u+2019>ll do instead. i<u+2019>m going to focus on the one part of the debate that, in the grand scheme of things, as best i can tell <u+2014> which, to be clear, is very little <u+2014> matters the most. it was early, and it was ugly, and it was exactly the kind of exhibition of political cynicism and religious bigotry that president obama calls <u+201c>the source of a lot of destructive acts.<u+201d> i<u+2019>m talking about the <u+201c>debate<u+201d> over what donald trump said about muslims (all 1.6 billion of <u+2018>em) wednesday night. the quote, for those of you who were lucky enough to miss that, too: i think islam hates us. there<u+2019>s something there that <u+2014> there<u+2019>s a tremendous hatred there. there<u+2019>s a tremendous hatred. we have to get to the bottom of it. there<u+2019>s an unbelievable hatred of us<u+2026>. [w]e have to be very vigilant, we have to be very careful and we can<u+2019>t allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the united states, and of people who are not muslim. needless to say, when a genuflecting anderson cooper (cnn again!) offered trump a chance to at least say he was only referring to those who believed in a <u+201c>radical<u+201d> interpretation of islam <u+2014> which is still problematic for someone who wants to be president, but whatever <u+2014> the donald declined. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s very hard to separate<u+201d> radicals from the nearly 1.6 billion others, he answered. anyway, that was the topic on thursday night. but when cnn tossed another softball in trump<u+2019>s direction and gave him another chance to walk it back (are we going to ask him every single day now?), trump didn<u+2019>t just reject the offer. he went from arguing that it was difficult to tell the difference between a violent jihadist and an 8-year-old child to arguing that <u+201c>a lot of them<u+201d> are full of <u+201c>tremendous hatred<u+201d>: i will tell you there<u+2019>s something going on that maybe you don<u+2019>t know about, maybe a lot of other people don<u+2019>t know about, but there<u+2019>s tremendous hatred <u+2026> and i will stick with exactly what i said to anderson cooper. i like to solve problems. we have a serious, serious problem of hate <u+2026> we have large portions of a group of people <u+2014> islam <u+2014> large portions want to use very, very harsh means. in response, little marco offered a tepid critique, saying that trump didn<u+2019>t get that <u+201c>presidents can<u+2019>t just say anything they want.<u+201d> rubio added that he wasn<u+2019>t <u+201c>interested in being politically correct,<u+201d> but that there were pragmatic reasons not to dehumanize 1.6 billion people. that<u+2019>s better, i guess; but as the intercept<u+2019>s murtaza hussain tweeted: someone should tell these guys muslims are also watching the debate and hearing them say we should only be nice for utilitarian reasons. why was this the most important moment of the debate? because this wasn<u+2019>t just about trump, though he certainly was the driver. it was about the entire republican party, and about the millions of americans who continue to support it. all over the country <u+2014> and all over the world <u+2014> people are watching. there are millions of people whose perception of the united states is not set in stone just yet. and this is the country we show them. i can<u+2019>t blame them if they choose to turn away.

after the latest debacle, we agree with donald trump: <u+201c>we<u+2019>ve had enough of the debates<u+201d>

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megyn kelly has been none too impressed with republican presidential candidates<u+2019> reaction to their third primary debate and days long tantrum about the cnbc moderators <u+2014> after all, she did see her own revolt of fox news viewers following her moderation of the first gop debate <u+2014> so on her wednesday night program, kelly confronted texas senator ted cruz about his recent demand that future gop debate moderators strictly be republicans. making clear that he thought the debates so far have been <u+201c>terrific,<u+201d> cruz responded to new jersey governor chris christie<u+2019>s suggestion that republican presidential candidates stop whining and move on from last week<u+2019>s debate. cruz said he was happy to <u+201c>debate any of the candidates, anywhere,<u+201d> and denied that he planned to sign onto a gop list of demands for future debates. but then cruz explained that his only problem with the republican primary debates has been the fact that they are moderated by what he calls liberals. <u+201c>why is it that we have republican primary debates that are moderated by liberal democrats,<u+201d> cruz asked, repeating the argument he made on fox news<u+2019> <u+201c>hannity<u+201d> moments following last week<u+2019>s cnbc debate. <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t think that makes any sense,<u+201d> he<u+00a0>told kelly. <u+201c>the one rule change that i think the rnc ought to think about is saying that if you have never in your life voted in a republican party primary, that you shouldn<u+2019>t be moderating a republican primary debate,<u+201d> cruz argued. <u+201c>let me challenge you on that,<u+201d> kelly offered. <u+201c>do you have any idea whether bret baier or chris wallace have ever voted in a republican primary?<u+201d> <u+201c>i have no idea,<u+201d> cruz admitted chucklingly, before defending his assertion by revealing the secret<u+00a0>that neither kelly, nor wallace, nor baier could plausibly be described<u+00a0>as liberals. <u+201c>would we have to submit our voting records to you?<u+201d> kelly shot back after noting that cruz<u+2019>s proposed rule could potentially box out some fox news anchors from moderating gop debates. <u+201c>megyn,<u+00a0>it is not complicated,<u+201d> cruz insisted. <u+201c>in a primary, don<u+2019>t have liberals moderating.<u+201d> watch kelly attempt to confront<u+00a0>cruz on his gop only debate proposal:

megyn kelly tears into ted cruz over ridiculous debate demands: <u+201c>would we have to submit our voting records to you?<u+201d>

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senate supporters of the keystone xl pipeline, which would transport crude oil from a private canadian company to texas oil refineries, failed to get the 60 votes needed to limit debate on the controversial project. senate democrats blocked a gop bill to push the controversial keystone xl pipeline project through congress. the pipeline would transport oil from a private canadian company to texas refineries, via public and private lands up and down the us. democrats in the u.s. senate blocked the keystone xl pipeline bill from moving forward on monday, but supporters of the project vowed to push ahead and eventually get a vote on the measure. the senate failed to get the 60 votes needed to limit debate, voting 53 to 39 on the measure. the<u+00a0>keystone bill allows congress to approve transcanada corp's project to link canada's oil sands to refineries on the gulf coast. democrats, who lost control of the senate as a result of november's elections, flexed their muscles to deliver a message to majority leader mitch mcconnell that he will have to deal with them even on bills that enjoy some bipartisan support. mcconnell has pledged that amendments to bills will be debated in an open process. but democrats said mcconnell cut off debate last thursday on several amendments. "he's got to work with us and not try to jam us," senator chuck schumer said of mcconnell. democrats are not trying to delay the bill, but they don't want mcconnell to shut down the open process at his whim, said schumer, the senate's third ranking democrat. republicans have made passing the keystone bill the first priority of the new senate. but the white house has said president barack obama would reject the bill, and<u+00a0>keystone supporters are four votes short of the 67 needed to overcome any veto. senator lisa murkowski, the chairman of the energy committee, vowed to work with democrats on her panel to consider additional amendments.

senate democrats block swift passage of keystone xl pipeline bill (+video)

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folks, i work hard to be the common sense voice for you in a growingly crazy america. we are taking in<u+00a0>thousands of refugees from muslim countries without any idea who they are or what their motives are. a serial sniper<u+2019>s been <u+00a0>shooting at vehicles in arizona. caitlyn jenner is considered a hero, yet, the cops who risk their lives for us are being gunned down in the streets. the country is upside down. but there<u+2019>s one issue i have to highlight here in wake up america because it threatens our very republic. it<u+2019>s the iran nuclear deal.. and it<u+2019>s a deadly mistake we are making. this is no right wing. left wing manufactured fight. this is for real folks -- lives will be lost if we lift iranian sanctions. period. handing over an initial $100 billion to the regime that sponsors terror around the world is insane! then allowing them to sell another $100 billion per year in oil is equally insane. that as they telegraph their hatred for us makes zero sense. zero! they lie. they cheat. they finance hezbollah, hamas and factions of al qaeda. and they finance these hate groups with the goal of killing <u+00a0>americans. what genius decided giving people who despise us more money to kill us was a good idea? this is bigger than obama<u+2019>s legacy. this is bigger than democrats circling the wagons around their ideology. america will be hit with iranian financed terror if we don<u+2019>t stop this deal<u+2026> now. it's common sense folks. it<u+2019>s lacking in d.c. and this time around it will cost us american lives. and by the way, did we learn nothing when terrorists flew planes into the world trade center and the pentagon and pennsylvania -- killing 3,000 innocent americans exactly 14 years ago today? eric bolling currently serves as co-host of fox news channel's "the five" (weekdays 5-6pm/et). he also serves as the host of "cashin' in" (saturdays 11:30am-12pm/et), an analysis program on fnc's weekend business block, "the cost of freedom." bolling joined the network in 2008. click here for more information on eric bolling.

wake up, america. our country is upside down

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governments and charities from the united states to the middle east rushed personnel and aid to nepal sunday after saturday<u+2019>s magnitude 7.8 earthquake and ensuing aftershocks rattled the himalayan nation, leaving more than 2,700 dead and thousands injured according to nepalese authorities. u.n. spokeswoman orla fagan, who is heading to nepal, said preventing the spread of disease is one of the most important tasks facing aid workers who are arriving. "there are 14 international medical teams on the way and either 14 or 15 international search-and-rescue teams on the way," she said. "they need to get in as soon as possible. they will use military aircraft to get them into nepal." the pentagon says a u.s. military plane has departed from the dover air force base in delaware bound for the earthquake-stricken nation. onboard are 70 personnel, including a u.s. agency for international development disaster assistance response team, a virginia-based search and rescue team and 45 tons of cargo to provide assistance to areas hit by saturday's massive quake. the pentagon says the flight is expected to arrive at kathmandu on monday. the first to respond, however, were nepal's neighbors -- india, china and pakistan, all of which have been jockeying for influence over the landlocked nation. still, nepal remains closest to india with which it shares deep political, cultural and religious ties. indian air force planes landed sunday with 43 tons of relief material, including tents and food, and nearly 200 rescuers, india's external affairs ministry spokesman vikas swarup said. the planes were returning to new delhi with indian nationals stranded in kathmandu. more aid flights were planned for sunday. india suffered its own losses from the quake, with at least 61 people killed there and dozens injured. sunday's aftershock was also widely felt in the country, and local news reports said metro trains in new delhi and kolkata were briefly shut down when the shaking started. european nations deployed as well: france said it would send 11 rescuers on sunday; britain announced that an advance team of eight had been sent and that a 5 million pound ($7.6 million) aid package would be available under a rapid response plan; italy deployed a team of experts from its civil protection department as well as it foreign crisis team; and the swiss foreign ministry said a team of experts including a doctor, a building surveyor and water quality technician had left for nepal on sunday. poland is sending a rescue team to nepal of 81 firefighters, together with heavy equipment and several dogs, as well several medics. the medics are expected in nepal on monday morning. the firefighters were delayed by aftershocks and confusion at kathmandu's airport, said pawel fratczak, spokesman for firefighters. he said they are now due to arrive monday afternoon. other countries sending support sunday included the united arab emirates, germany and france. pakistan prepared to send four c-130 aircraft, carrying a 30-bed temporary hospital comprising army doctors, surgeons and specialists. an urban search and rescue team was also sent with ground-penetrating radars, concrete cutters and sniffing dogs. pakistan was also sending 2,000 ready-to-eat meal packs, water bottles, medicines, 200 tents, 600 blankets and other necessary items. the need is great: unicef said sunday that nearly 1 million children in areas affected by the earthquake are in "urgent need" of humanitarian assistance. unicef staff reported dwindling water supplies, power shortages and communications breakdowns. celebrities like singer shakira sent tweets appealing for help for unicef. the mobile payment company square created a "cashtag" to donate: cash.me/$unicef. paypal announced it was waiving fees for donations to several aid organizations. information was still lacking about conditions at the earthquake's epicenter, pickering said. "going forward it's about access to the epicenter, and helicopters are the key, but it's not clear whether they can be sourced and whether the high altitude is a problem," he said, adding that save the children has emergency kits pre-positioned in three warehouses in nepal and plans to distribute bedding, buckets and other basic supplies to 2,000 families as quickly as possible. saturday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake spread horror from kathmandu to small villages and to the slopes of mount everest, triggering an avalanche that buried part of the base camp packed with foreign climbers preparing to make their summit attempts. at least 18 people died there and 61 were injured. the earthquake centered outside kathmandu, the capital, was the worst to hit the south asian nation in over 80 years. it destroyed swaths of the oldest neighborhoods of kathmandu, and was strong enough to be felt all across parts of india, bangladesh, china's region of tibet and pakistan. by sunday night, authorities said at least 2,430 people had died in nepal alone, not including the 18 people that the nepal mountaineering association says died in an earthquake-triggered avalanche on mount everest. another 61 people died from the quake in india and a few in other neighboring countries. at least 721 of the deaths were in kathmandu, and the number of injured nationwide was upward of 5,000. with search and rescue efforts far from over, it was unclear how much the death toll would rise. the state department confirmed sunday that three u.s. citizens died in nepal saturday. dan fredinburg, a google executive who described himself as an adventurer, was among the dead. google confirmed his death. lawrence you, the company's director of privacy, posted online that fredinburg was in nepal with three other google employees climbing mount everest. the other three, he added, are safe. according to the technology blog re/code, fredinburg was an experienced climber who co-founded, in his spare time, google adventure. the project aims to "translate the google street view concept into extreme, exotic locations like the summit of mount everest or the great barrier reef off australia," according to startup grind, a global startup community. outside of the oldest neighborhoods, many in kathmandu were surprised by how few modern structures collapsed in the quake. the city is largely a collection of small, poorly constructed brick apartment buildings. with people fearing more quakes, tens of thousands of nepalese spent saturday night outside under chilly skies, or in cars and public buses. they were jolted awake by the aftershocks, including a powerful magnitude 6.7 aftershock in the kathmandu region, on sunday. "the aftershocks keep coming ... so people don't know what to expect," said sanjay karki, nepal country head for global aid agency mercy corps. "all the open spaces in kathmandu are packed with people who are camping outdoors. when the aftershocks come you cannot imagine the fear. you can hear women and children crying." late sunday, another magnitude 5.3 quake shook an area about 30 miles east of kathmandu. nepal's worst recorded earthquake in 1934 measured 8.0 and all but destroyed the cities of kathmandu, bhaktapur and patan. in the kalanki neighborhood of kathmandu, police rescuers finally extricated a man lying under a dead person, both of them buried beneath a pile of concrete slabs and iron beams. before his rescue, his family members stood nearby, crying and praying. police said the man's legs and hips were totally crushed. hundreds of people in kalanki gathered around the collapsed lumbini guest house, once a three-story budget hotel and restaurant frequented by nepalese. they watched with fear and anticipation as a single backhoe dug into the rubble. police officer rp dhamala, who was coordinating the rescue efforts, said they had already pulled out 12 people alive and six dead. he said rescuers were still searching for about 20 people believed to be trapped, but had heard no cries, taps or noises for a while. the kathmandu valley is listed as a world heritage site. the buddhist stupas, public squares and hindu temples are some of the most well-known sites in kathmandu, and now some of the most deeply mourned. the head of the u.n. cultural agency, irina bokova, said in a statement that unesco was ready to help nepal rebuild from "extensive damage, including to historic monuments and buildings of the kathmandu valley." nepali journalist and author shiwani neupane tweeted: "the sadness is sinking in. we have lost our temples, our history, the places we grew up." the associated press contributed to this report.

global relief effort underway after nepal earthquake leaves 2,700 dead, thousands injured

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gun rights supporters in texas counted down the hours, minutes and seconds to new year's day, because when the clock strikes midnight, licensed firearms owners in the lone star state can openly carry their handguns in public. the non-profit group open carry texas, which supports the law, posted a countdown on its website. texas already allows openly carrying rifles and shotguns, but has banned having handguns visible since just after the civil war. on new year's day, it'll be the 45th and largest state to sanction some form of open carry, with california, florida, illinois, new york and south carolina still banning it. activists with open carry texas say they support the law, but that it should go farther. "our ultimate goal will always be constitutional carry - if you can legally own and purchase a gun, you should be able to legally carry that gun without begging for government permission in the form of a license and 2nd amendment tax," they say on their website. texas had nearly 826,000 concealed license holders in 2014, which ranks among the nation's highest. openly carrying a gun will require obtaining the same license concealed weapons holders have -- be at least 21, have clean criminal and psychology records, complete a training course and pass a shooting test. concealed handguns are even allowed inside the texas capitol, where license holders can bypass metal detectors. under the new law, businesses can bar guns from their premises if they post approved signs outside. texas also has the country's most federal firearms license holders, from manufacturers to dealers, and the state cites its relaxed gun ownership rules in lobbying gun makers to move here. the national rifle association has traditionally pumped tens of thousands of dollars into texas' state political races, more than it spent many other places, though contribution totals look to be waning recently. the original open carry bill included a "no-stop" provision barring police from demanding to see the license of someone simply for openly carrying their gun. tea party legislators didn't want 2nd amendment rights infringed, while democrats worried about racial profiling, concerned that blacks and hispanics might be asked for their licenses more than their white counterparts. "if i get a gun, i guess i'd better put my hands up," state sen. rodney ellis, a houston democrat who is black, said when the measure was debated on the senate floor. austin police chief art acevedo was an outspoken critic of the "no-stop" provision, saying it would effectively bar police from doing their jobs while endangering the public. under pressure from acevedo and other police chiefs, as well as state law enforcement organizations, that language was stripped from the final open carry bill. but michael, who is readying acevedo's force for the new law, said he doesn't expect many officers to ask for licenses. the department is even training its dispatchers to educate the public on the law change, anticipating a barrage of 911 calls about someone openly carrying a gun. "the call-taker will say it's now legal to do that," said michael, who said his department has been discussing preparations for open carry for months with police departments across central texas. police "don't want to not act and then have something devolve into a mass shooting incident, but harassing every person with a holster gun isn't going to solve that," said shannon edmonds, director of governmental relations for the texas district and county attorneys association. "the irony is that you saw many law enforcement agencies lobby strongly against that provision that would have restricted them outright from ever asking if someone had a license absent other evidence of a crime," edmonds said, noting that's changed after a number of those same agencies talked with their legal counsels. not demanding to see licenses, though, could also make it easier for unlicensed texas residents to take advantage of the don't-ask environment. "we've changed things here a lot and we've not thought this through," said charley wilkison, executive director of the combined law enforcement associations of texas, the state's largest law enforcement officers' union. "people will drive without a license and we can sure count on them to carry a weapon without training or license." the associated press contributed to this report.

texas counts down the hours until new open carry law takes effect

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it now appears a sudden, complete explosion caused by a bomb brought down the airbus over the mediterranean<u+2014>but that doesn't mean it was isis. flight tracking data<u+00a0>showing its altitude, speed, and direction, ends instantaneously while the plane was at its cruise height of 37,000 feet. this can now be combined with reports that a military satellite using infrared technology detected a flash at the time and location where the airplane was last tracked, according to nbc news. u.s. officials told reuters a review of preliminary satellite imagery has produced no sign of an explosion so far. if the airbus a320 was stricken by a mechanical failure it is highly unlikely that the effects would have been so sudden, leaving the pilots at least some time to send a mayday call. no call was made, officials say. reports that wreckage has been found floating in the eastern mediterranean were later denied by egyptian officials. once it is found, as it will be, and given the increasing indications that a bomb caused the disaster an urgent priority for investigators will be to look for evidence in the wreckage of blast and fire. if there is evidence of a bomb blast the next priority will be to establish where the bomb was placed on the airplane: in the cabin or in the cargo hold. essential clues to that could be found both from physical wreckage from the airplane and from bodies of passengers, even down to their seat locations. in this situation the jet<u+2019>s black boxes<u+2014>the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder<u+2014>are of little value since their data would have been terminated with the sudden explosion, leaving only a record of what was until then an absolutely normal flight. wreckage is where the story is to be told. there has yet been no credible claim by any terrorist group that they were responsible. if a bomb was successfully placed on the flight not only does this point to a weak point in security at charles de gaulle airport in paris, the origin of the flight, but it could mean that bomb makers have found a new way of eluding current bomb-detecting technology. the man credited with being the world<u+2019>s most-ingenious bomb designer is al qaeda<u+2019>s ibrahim al-asiri.<u+00a0> al qaeda has recently been overshadowed by isis, and some experts believe that it wants to re-establish its superiority in attacks on what it has always regarded as the most effective western target, commercial aviation. if the flight was brought down by a bomb, the timing of the blast could be a part of the signature of the bomb maker. was it timed to detonate specifically at the only place on the egyptair jet<u+2019>s route when it was over water? the retrieval of wreckage and, particularly, of the flight data recorders, is far more difficult with a plunge into the sea than when the airplane falls in plain sight over land. on the other hand counter-terrorism experts have always believed that bombers would rather bring down a jet over land and, ideally, over a city for the maximum effect<u+2014>as was the intention of umar farouk abdulmutallab, the underpants bomber, on christmas day 2009, aiming for detroit. the jet was flying what has become one of the most densely trafficked airline routes in the world, a crucial corridor in the sky for international flights. following the downing by a missile of malaysia airlines flight mh17 over ukraine in july 2014 that part of eastern europe was<u+2014>belatedly<u+2014>defined as a war zone. the main airline routes between europe, the middle east, and asia were then diverted south to fly over romania, greece, turkey, and across the eastern mediterranean into egyptian airspace. the corridor became even more crowded after the crash of the russian metrojet while flying over the sinai peninsula last october, when the sinai airspace was also ruled too dangerous for commercial flights. this had the effect of pushing a lot more intercontinental flights further south, flying eastbound and westbound across cairo, the red sea, and saudi arabia and dubai (dubai is now a major hub for flights between europe, africa, and asia).

egyptair flight 804 crash increasingly looks like terrorism

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sunday, president obama morally abdicated his place as the leader of the free world. his decision to stay home instead of standing side by side with french president hollande as millions marched in paris in solidarity with the slain journalists of charlie hebdo in opposition to radical islam <u+2013> an enemy fiercer than we have seen in decades <u+2013> sent a clear message to the world: obama just doesn<u+2019>t care. his words about the horrendous terrorist attack this week were not enough. they came off as inauthentic at best and offensive at worst. to speak about the most serious terrorist attack on western soil since 9/11, london and madrid, in between speeches about his free community college plan demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding for the gravity of the situation in paris and, indeed, the world. to this end, it is not surprising that president obama is the only western leader who has refused to call this attack islamic terrorism, even though president hollande has declared that france is it at war with radical islam. and to not even send vice president joe biden or secretary of state john kerry in his place shows a level of disrespect that makes me ashamed of our nation. we are at war with radical islam. and president obama needs to say it. many have tried to understand why president obama made this choice. it<u+2019>s certainly not possible that obama has different intelligence than the french. or that he and his advisers can<u+2019>t see what the rest of the world has seen and come out against <u+2013> the radicalization of islam, the greatest threat of our time. incredibly, in a speech on friday egyptian president el-sisi called upon the islamic leaders in his own country to stand up to the extremism that is destroying islam. <u+201c>we are in need of a religious revolution<u+2026>you, imams, are responsible for allah. the entire world<u+2026>is waiting for your next move<u+2026>because [the islamic world] is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost <u+2013> and it is being lost by our own lands.<u+201d> sisi<u+2019>s words strike at the heart of the problem in islam today, where radicals and extremists have hijacked a religion for their own hateful means. he doesn<u+2019>t condemn the whole religion by calling out the terrorists for what they are. so why is our own president afraid to do the same? a condemnation and declaration of war against islamic extremism does not mean a condemnation and declaration of war against islam. they are separate and distinct and the president shows a profound lack of understanding for today<u+2019>s world and threats to america and, indeed, the world without being honest about what<u+2019>s at stake here. i made these same points sunday night on fox news channel with my colleagues on "political insiders" when we talked with harris faulkner and will continue to do so. i have been disappointed by president obama many times during his six years in office, but perhaps never more so than this weekend. he is redefining what it means to be a lame duck as well as giving the world a master class in what it means to let the world down.

obama awol in paris: message to america, allies is we don't care

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president obama plans to propose raising $320 billion over the next 10 years in new taxes targeting wealthy individuals and big financial institutions to pay for new programs designed to help lower- and middle-income families, senior administration officials said saturday. in his state of the union address tuesday night, obama will propose raising the capital gains and dividend tax rates to 28<u+2009>percent for high earners; imposing a fee on the liabilities of about 100 big financial institutions; and greatly broadening the amount of inherited money subject to taxes. obama will also seek to boost private retirement savings by requiring employers without 401(k) plans to make it easier for full-time and part-time workers to save in individual retirement accounts, which could assist as many as 30<u+2009>million people. the administration would provide small employers tax credits to cover costs. senior administration officials said that the package would highlight the president<u+2019>s desire to boost taxes on the nation<u+2019>s wealthy households and help lower- and middle-class families. new tax credits would help those in need of child care and households with two earners, they said, while other proposals <u+2014> such as covering community college tuition <u+2014> would help students. the moves would <u+201c>eliminate the biggest tax loopholes and use the savings to let the middle class get ahead,<u+201d> said one of the senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity during a conference call with reporters to describe the plan before the president<u+2019>s speech. this person also said that 99<u+2009>percent of the impact of the tax increases would fall on the top 1<u+2009>percent of earners. the ambitious <u+2014> and controversial <u+2014> proposals demonstrate the white house<u+2019>s increasing confidence about the trajectory of the u.s. economy. for the past year and a half, it has debated how much it could trumpet the recovery when so many americans have not felt any change in their own economic outlook. but the plan drew immediate fire from republican <u+2014> and could face criticism from some democrats <u+2014> who have in the past increased the amount of money exempt from inheritance taxes they branded <u+201c>death taxes.<u+201d> most republicans have long opposed increases in capital gains rates, and many favor eliminating the tax altogether. <u+201c>this is not a serious proposal,<u+201d> wrote brendan buck, a spokesman for house ways and means committee chairman paul ryan (r-wis.) in an e-mail late saturday. <u+201c>we lift families up and grow the economy with a simpler, flatter tax code, not big tax increases to pay for more washington spending.<u+201d> <u+201c>slapping american small businesses, savers, and investors with more tax hikes only negates the benefits of the tax policies that have been successful in helping to expand the economy, promote savings, and create jobs,<u+201d> senate finance committee chairman orrin g. hatch (r-utah) said in a statement saturday night. <u+201c>the president needs to stop listening to his liberal allies who want to raise taxes at all costs and start working with congress to fix our broken tax code.<u+201d> the administration tried to head off some of that attack by asserting that elements of the package resembled proposals endorsed by republicans. officials also said that the capital gains tax rate was 28<u+2009>percent during president ronald reagan<u+2019>s terms in office. the obama administration would also seek to limit the impact of the tax increases by saying the higher capital gains and dividend rates would apply only to couples earning more than $500,000 a year. officials said that the relatively low capital gains tax rate with a top rate of 20<u+2009>percent has enabled the 400 highest-earning taxpayers <u+2014> with $139<u+2009>million or more of income <u+2014> to pay an average rate of 17<u+2009>percent when the top income tax rate is 35<u+2009>percent. the proposal to impose a 7 basis point fee on financial institutions with assets of more than $50<u+2009>billion will also run smack into opposition from big banks and insurance companies. the administration compared the fee with a proposal by former house ways and means committee chairman dave camp (r-mich.) for an excise tax on large financial institutions. and last week, the house budget committee<u+2019>s ranking democrat, rep. chris van hollen (d-md.), proposed a 0.1<u+2009>percent surcharge on financial market transactions. one of the senior administration officials saturday said that the goal of the proposed fee from the white house was to discourage big financial institutions from excessive borrowing. he said that despite banking revisions after the 2008-2009 financial crisis, highly leveraged financial institutions <u+201c>still pose risks to the broader economy,<u+201d> adding that <u+201c>this fee is designed to make that activity more costly.<u+201d> the economic recovery has freed the president to push for more ambitious domestic policies, many designed to help those in the poor and middle class who are still lagging behind. in the past week alone, obama has announced new proposals on paid sick leave, free community college tuition and expanded broadband access. and while he might have trouble pushing those through the gop-controlled congress, obama could still end up defining key issues for the elections in 2016. <u+201c>the battle for the next american agenda is already on,<u+201d> said donald a. baer, chief executive of burson-marsteller and formerly chief speechwriter for president bill clinton. <u+201c>there<u+2019>s this effort to define a new growth and share agenda <u+2014> growth but not only growth alone, and sharing the growth but not just sharing the wealth.<u+201d> he said obama<u+2019>s college and broadband access are examples of proposals that could add to growth and give poor and middle-class people the tools to increase their share in it. but obama has to balance his rhetoric <u+2014> between optimism and caution <u+2014> by talking up the strong recovery while acknowledging that wage growth remains weak. <u+201c>there<u+2019>s always been a tension between things are in fact getting better and people are not feeling great,<u+201d> said wade randlett, a silicon valley entrepreneur and major democratic donor. <u+201c>one is economic fact, and the other is polling, which always catches up over time.<u+201d> now the president is so comfortable with the idea of talking up the economic recovery that his advisers have branded it <u+2014> <u+201c>america<u+2019>s resurgence<u+201d> <u+2014> and made it a regular talking point in obama<u+2019>s stump speeches and weekly radio addresses. and it is likely to be a centerpiece of the state of the union address. in bragging about performance, obama administration officials point to factors including the best streak of job growth since the 1990s, a recovery in the housing market and healthier balance sheets for households, companies and the federal government. and they have contrasted that performance with the anemic economies of europe and japan as evidence that the united states has regained its global economic dominance in what obama has called a <u+201c>breakthrough year for america.<u+201d> but wages have been a stubborn reminder of the recovery<u+2019>s shortcomings. in november, average hourly private-sector nominal wages inched up 6<u+2009>cents, but in december, they fell 5 cents. after adjusting for inflation, wages for the entire year crawled up 0.7<u+2009>percent, a modest amount in an economic recovery. it is a point that has been featured prominently in comments by sen. elizabeth warren (d-mass.), who has emerged as a leader of the democratic party<u+2019>s liberal wing. <u+201c>i<u+2019>m feeling better about the economy, but i don<u+2019>t think we have in place a set of policies that will assure that this recovery will be either sustained or fully inclusive,<u+201d> said lawrence h. summers, a former top adviser to obama, former treasury secretary and now a professor at harvard university. <u+201c>that<u+2019>s why i think more needs to be done.<u+201d> the white house typically aims its messages directly at the middle class, but, partly in response to warren, obama administration officials are more comfortable talking about how some of its proposals benefit poorer americans. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re on offense on minimum wage and the environment,<u+201d> randlett said. <u+201c>that<u+2019>s the kind you only do when you have the leash of good economics.<u+201d>

obama likely to make economic recovery a centerpiece of state of the union address

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california<u+2019>s drought was spawned by<u+00a0>natural weather variations<u+00a0>that<u+00a0>have bedeviled the west throughout recorded history. but a new study released thursday says human-caused global warming is worsening the natural phenomenon. the study by columbia university<u+2019>s earth institute isn<u+2019>t the first to<u+00a0>say warming has played a key role in fueling california<u+2019>s dry conditions, <u+00a0>but it<u+2019>s the first to measure its impact, calculating that<u+00a0>it increased the problem by<u+00a0>as much as 25 percent. natural weather patterns that push away atmospheric<u+00a0>moisture that carries rain are normal for the state. but warming adds to the resulting dryness and heat. a small amount of moisture stored in plants and the soil evaporates into the drier atmosphere. <u+201c>a lot of people think that the amount of rain that falls out the sky is the only thing that matters,<u+201d> said park williams, a bio-climatologist at columbia university<u+2019>s lamont-doherty earth observatory who was the study<u+2019>s lead author. <u+201c>but warming changes the baseline amount of water that<u+2019>s available to us, because it sends water back into the sky.<u+201d> [as water runs dry, californians brace for a new way of life] lightning strikes on parched earth are igniting wildfires all over the state. there are so many blazes that firefighters from across the world are rushing<u+00a0>to help put them out. in the central valley, the land is so dry that <u+00a0>farmers are drilling deep into the soil to extract groundwater to irrigate crops. the drilling and pumping are drawing down aquifers that serve as a sort of liquid bank that the state can rely on when rivers and reservoirs aren<u+2019>t replenished by rain and snow because of drought. farmers have been the targets of critics who say they take too much water, but irrigation<u+00a0>actually has environmental benefits, williams said. it provides moisture that cools the air, offsetting rising heat. but there<u+2019>s a drawback. when too much is drained, the state loses its artificial moisture, making the air even hotter. the current drought is the most severe on record, state officials say, and 2014 was the hottest year in state history.<u+00a0>snowpack levels that recharged aquifers was near zero in the sierra-nevada and there<u+2019>s little rainfall.<u+00a0>as the water supply in dozens of metropolitan reservoirs drops to historic lows, californians are hoping that a giant el ni<u+00f1>o weather pattern forming in the pacific ocean will deluge the state with rain next winter. but even a large seasonal gusher would only delay the inevitable <u+2014> a future of longer and more frequent droughts in california, numerous researchers have said. in february, researchers at nasa and cornell and columbia universities predicted that california and the southwest would slip into a 30-year megadrought by 2050 if greenhouse gas emissions are not curtailed. a month later, researchers at stanford university said californians by then will be well accustomed to drought. they used historical data to predict that average temperature increases would continue, quickly evaporating average precipitation that will remain steady and increasing the likelihood of prolonged dryness. scientists have been reluctant to link the state<u+2019>s drought to global warming, saying there was not enough data to support such a conclusion.<u+00a0>but the current study is part of a growing body of evidence that<u+2019>s changing the minds of researchers. [a megadrought will grip the southwest in coming decades, scientists say] williams said his team read all the studies and sought to answer whether or not global warming was having an immediate impact. <u+201c>we didn<u+2019>t look at the future at all. this is a study about now,<u+201d> he said. they analyzed month-to-month climate data between 1901 and 2014 to find fluctuations in precipitation, wind, temperature and humidity. the study, published in the journal geophysical research letters, said average temperatures in california have increased by 2.5 degrees fahrenheit over 113 years. and, starting in the 1960s, heat increased with the introduction of more greenhouse gases from automobiles and other sources. richard seager, a climate scientist at columbia<u+2019>s earth observatory; john t. abatzoglou, an associate professor at the university of idaho; and benjamin i. cook,<u+00a0>a research scientist for nasa<u+2019>s goddard institute for space studies, were co-authors of the study. <u+201c>when greenhouse gases accumulate, it<u+2019>s like a bully showing up at your door to demand that you give it more and more every year,<u+201d> williams said. in california, that meant more moisture, evaporating from rain and ground water sprayed on crops in farming regions such as the central valley. after a century, the effects of warming are becoming more noticeable in the current drought.<u+00a0><u+201c>the current drought would be bad without the bully,<u+201d> williams said, referring to global warming. with it, the problem can become catastrophic. williams said the state, which only loosely regulates the withdrawal of groundwater by farms and other sources of agriculture, should act more aggressively in policing its use, attaching higher fees for removing it, and fines for overdoing it. state officials who<u+2019>ve been diligent on capping greenhouse gas emissions might consider tougher regulations to avoid more severe drought. noah diffenbaugh, author of the stanford study, called the earth institute study <u+201c>a step forward,<u+201d> saying it was based on firm data showing <u+201c>that temperature makes it harder for drought to break, and increases the long-term risk.<u+201d> amir aghakouchak, a hydrology professor at the university of california at irvine who said in june that science did not support connecting the drought to warming, said the report<u+2019>s results show that human influences are having an effect. with a stunning 7 million acres burned so far, the u.s. wildfire situation is looking dire power companies may have found a new way to crack into the solar business for more, you can sign up for our weekly newsletter here, and<u+00a0>follow us on twitter here.

global warming worsened the california drought, scientists say

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newly released video captured by an arizona police officer<u+2019>s body camera captures the chilling moment when a deranged suspect drew a gun and fired the bullet that killed the officer last month. rookie flagstaff police officer tyler stewart<u+2019>s camera caught the entire, deadly encounter with robert smith, whose girlfriend had called police on dec. 27 to report he had trashed her apartment. the video, released by the police department in response to freedom of information act requests, begins with stewart getting out of his squad car and ends with smith pointing the gun at him and firing. smith then shot himself dead, and stewart, who was 24, later died at a hospital. "officer stewart was murdered by smith without any provocation or warning," sgt. margaret bentzen told the arizona daily sun. "there were no homicidal or suicidal indications from smith prior to the crime." the frightening, 14-minute video comes as the justice department is encouraging police departments around the nation to invest in the body cameras following high-profile cases in which police have been criticized, including last august<u+2019>s police shooting of michael brown in ferguson, mo. stewart and smith speak outside smith's flagstaff home on dec. 27 for about three minutes as smith stands with his hands in his jacket pockets. when stewart asks him if he has any weapons on him, smith replies, <u+201c>no, sir. i'm just cold,<u+201d> and says he only has <u+201c>smokes<u+201d> in his pocket. stewart then calmly asks if he can check smith for weapons. when he reaches toward him, smith draws a .22-caliber revolver from his right pocket and fires six times at stewart. five shots hit strewart, four in the head and one in the lower back. one of smith's roommates told police that smith had been contemplating suicide, according to police reports. stewart had gone to smith<u+2019>s girlfriend<u+2019>s home earlier, but the man who would later kill him was gone. the cop then went to smith's home, where his roommate said smith had fled, according to a police report. records indicate that about an hour later, at 12.30 p.m., smith called the flagstaff police department and left a message for stewart, who then went back to smith<u+2019>s home where the fatal encounter took place. <u+201c>this is an enormous tragedy for our department and the family of our officer,<u+201d> flagstaff police chief kevin treadway told az central. <u+201c>we are a very close-knit organization, and know that all members of the flagstaff police department are grieving at this time.<u+201d> release of the frightening footage raises questions about balancing the public's right to know against privacy concerns of police officers and their families, according to levi bolton jr., executive director of the 14,000-member arizona police association. on wednesday, bolton met with state lawmakers to discuss the cameras and how best to handle disclosure of footage that may show innocent bystanders, undercover police or informants or, as in stewart's case, the final moments of an officer's life. "we are currently crafting or looking at legislation that may very well discuss this," bolton told reporters. "we acknowledge that the public and the media should have access to this information." a fund to help stewart's family has been established and those wishing to donate can do so at any wells fargo bank, according to the flagstaff police department. the account number is 7764473984.

arizona cop's body cam captures fatal encounter with suspect

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government forces appeared close to capturing the capital of iraq<u+2019>s largest province from the islamic state on monday, dealing a potentially significant blow to the militant group as it loses territory in both iraq and syria. soldiers and counterterrorism troops stormed into a sprawling government facility in ramadi, driving the militants out of the area and effectively ending their seven-month occupation of the city, iraqi officials said. television images showed the troops celebrating after their advance, which was aided by airstrikes from the u.s.-led coalition, by raising the iraqi flag over the compound and slaughtering sheep inside it. the compound was more symbolic than strategic, but its change of hands appeared to be the decisive blow to the militant group<u+2019>s hold on the city. now, government forces appear poised to press their offensive: prime minister haider al-abadi, in a statement congratulating his forces for <u+201c>defeating<u+201d> the islamic state in ramadi, vowed to take the fight to the group in the country<u+2019>s second-largest city. <u+201c>we are coming to liberate mosul,<u+201d> abadi said. the islamic state shocked iraqis in may when it captured ramadi, capital of anbar province. losing the city would represent one of the most dramatic setbacks suffered by the group since its lightning assault across iraq in june 2014. <u+201c>daesh are running away now, and all the city is under our control,<u+201d> said maj. gen. hadi rzaig, head of the anbar police force. daesh is the arabic acronym for the islamic state, which is also known as isis and isil. defense secretary ashton b. carter congratulated the iraqi government on its progress in ramadi but cautioned that the fight against the islamic state <u+201c>is far from over.<u+201d> the operation to retake ramadi has produced intense fighting and caused vast destruction in the city, which had a population of more than a million before the islamic state takeover. it is unclear how many iraqi troops and civilians have been killed in the battles, which involved fending off the militant group<u+2019>s waves of suicide bombers. the governor of anbar province, sohaib al-rawi, estimated that 1,000 islamic state militants had been killed during months of grinding assaults to retake ramadi. he called the capture of the government compound <u+201c>a victory.<u+201d> rebuilding ramadi, if it can be fully secured by the government, will be no easy task. suspicion of iraq<u+2019>s shiite- dominated government runs high in the sunni city, whose residents felt abandoned by officials in baghdad as islamic state militants mounted their assault in may. lacking support from the government, ramadi residents formed community defenses and even purchased their own weapons to defend the city. islamic state militants killed scores of residents and exacted other forms of retribution on people who were associated with the government, including home demolitions. but among the iraqi forces in ramadi on monday, the mood was celebratory. speaking to iraqi television, gen. talib shigati, a senior commander, thanked his troops and expressed confidence in their abilities. [iraqi armed forces see chance for redemption as they close in on ramadi] the capture of ramadi would mark the first time that iraqi armed forces have seized a city from the islamic state without the aid of the country<u+2019>s powerful shiite militias, which did not participate in the operation because of concerns about sectarian tensions with the city<u+2019>s mostly sunni inhabitants. lt. gen abdulghani al-assadi, a commander of a counterterrorism unit in the city, said that seizing control of the sprawling compound <u+2014> which contains provincial and municipal government offices <u+2014> gave his forces the decisive upper hand. it prompted most of the militants in ramadi to flee, although he warned that some neighborhoods had <u+201c>pockets<u+201d> of apparent islamic state militants that still had to be confronted. <u+201c>we are clearing out the city of booby traps and bombs, but the remaining daesh fighters are in retreat,<u+201d> assadi said, describing the operation as <u+201c>a historic moment for the iraqi people and for the iraqi armed forces.<u+201d> the push into ramadi, about 80 miles west of the capital, baghdad, underscores the flagging battlefield momentum of the islamic state. the group has been losing control of territory in iraq and syria recently to u.s.-backed kurdish and arab opponents. army gen. lloyd j. austin iii, the chief of u.s. central command, congratulated iraqi forces on securing the government complex in ramadi, calling it <u+201c>an important operational achievement.<u+201d> he stopped short of calling it a strategic success, however, perhaps a nod to the tenuous security situation that remains in the city. col. steve warren, a u.s. military spokesman in baghdad, said in a different statement that the u.s.-led coalition carried out more than 630 airstrikes to help iraqi forces advance on ramadi. those forces also received help in clearing <u+00ad>improvised explosive devices and other bombs that the islamic state deployed against coalition-aligned forces, he said. retired marine gen. john r. allen, who served as president obama<u+2019>s special envoy to the international coalition against the militants until october, said the success in ramadi is best viewed not in isolation but as a part of broader regional efforts that have led to iraqi forces taking back tikrit, baiji and other areas from the militants in the past few months. but he added that the victory in recovering ramadi could be seen as both highly symbolic and physical in iraq, considering how badly the islamic state wanted to keep control of it. allen predicted that an operation to take back mosul could begin in months but said it is dependent on what abadi, the prime minister, wants to do. obama has committed apache helicopters and more special operations troops to the war, but their use must be balanced against concerns the iraqis have about not overly <u+201c>americanizing<u+201d> the war, allen said. <u+201c>while ramadi took a long time to pull off,<u+201d> allen said, <u+201c>i think the iraqis will come out of this with a greater sense of their capabilities and improved morale. the iraqis will have to take stock of the state of their security forces as they emerge from ramadi in terms of their casualties and what their replacement requirements will be, as well as their equipment and materiel losses.<u+201d> sen. john mccain (r-ariz.), chairman of the senate armed services committee, said monday that liberating ramadi<u+2019>s city center was a <u+201c>major milestone<u+201d> in the fight against the islamic state, a significant achievement for iraqi forces and a tribute to the effort of coalition forces who have assisted them. but he cautioned that much work remains to be done. <u+201c>the black flags of isil still fly over mosul, raqqa and other key parts of iraq and syria,<u+201d> mccain said in a statement. <u+201c>this threat is also metastasizing across the middle east, north africa and south asia. and it now poses a more direct threat than ever to our homeland and that of our allies, as we have seen in recent terrorist attacks in san bernardino, paris, beirut, ankara and the downing of the russian airliner over sinai.<u+201d> mccain added that u.s. commanders estimate that mosul will not be retaken by the end of next year, and it is unlikely that a local force will emerge in the foreseeable future to seize the syrian city of raqqa, the de facto islamic state capital. he has frequently called in the past for more u.s. involvement, and did so again monday. <u+201c>if our goal truly is to destroy isil in the near future, rather than kick the can down the road for others to deal with, the united states must play a far more active role than we are now, especially in supporting local sunni arab forces to take the fight to isil themselves,<u+201d> mccain said. naylor reported from istanbul. brian murphy and dan lamothe in washington contributed to this report. inside the media machine of the islamic state today<u+2019>s coverage from post correspondents around the world

iraqi forces appear close to retaking ramadi from islamic state

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the clinton campaign blasted the fbi director, james comey, for <u+201c>jaw-dropping<u+201d> double standards on monday after claims that he had sought to withhold evidence of russian support for donald trump for fear of influencing next week<u+2019>s us election. in a sharp escalation of their unprecedented war of words with federal law enforcement authorities, clinton<u+2019>s key aides contrasted this apparent caution with comey<u+2019>s controversial decision to release new details of its investigation into clinton<u+2019>s private email server to lawmakers on friday. <u+201c>it is impossible to view this as anything less than a blatant double standard,<u+201d> her campaign manager, robby mook, told reporters, claiming the decision <u+201c>defied all logic<u+201d>, especially as other intelligence agencies had favoured disclosure of suspected russian involvement. <u+201c>through these two decisions he shows he favours acting alone and without consulting <u+2026> these are not the hallmarks of a responsible investigation,<u+201d> added mook. both cnbc and the huffington post have reported that comey privately urged against naming russia for allegedly meddling in the election and hacking democratic email accounts. though this advice has not been confirmed officially, it tallies with the fact the fbi<u+2019>s name did not appear on a list of us intelligence agencies supporting the allegations. <u+201c>a foreign power was trying to undermine the election. he believed it to be true but was against putting it out before the election,<u+201d> one former official told cnbc. comey<u+2019>s position, this official reportedly said, was: <u+201c>if it is said, it shouldn<u+2019>t come from the fbi, which as you<u+2019>ll recall it did not.<u+201d> the clinton campaign called on comey to <u+201c>immediately explain this incongruence<u+201d>. <u+201c>he has set the standard for narrating a play-by-play,<u+201d> added spokesman brian fallon. <u+201c>if that is his way of handling things, he needs to take the same approach to the trump campaign.<u+201d> on monday night, nbc news reported that the fbi was conducting a preliminary inquiry into former trump campaign manager paul manafort<u+2019>s business ties to russia, though it was not yet a criminal investigation. manafort called the report <u+201c>an outrageous smear being driven by harry reid and the clinton campaign<u+201d>. earlier the white house highlighted concerns over the fbi director<u+2019>s decision to announce that the bureau was examining whether newly discovered emails may be relevant to its investigation of clinton<u+2019>s use of a private email server. press secretary josh earnest was careful to say that comey is regarded by barack obama as a man of integrity and principle. but he also noted the importance of <u+201c>longstanding tradition and practice and norms<u+201d> and warned of the <u+201c>risk<u+201d> of communicating with congress. comey has faced a fierce backlash for going public with the new fbi investigation just 11 days before a presidential election, reportedly against the advice and guidelines of the attorney general, loretta lynch, and other senior figures at the department of justice. on sunday the fbi obtained a search warrant to begin reviewing the emails, reportedly numbering 650,000 and found on the laptop of anthony weiner, estranged husband of top clinton aide huma abedin. on monday, a spokesman for the office of special counsel indicated that the independent federal agency may be investigating comey over an alleged violation of the hatch act, which guards against federal officials seeking to influence an election. an emboldened trump has described the revelation as <u+201c>bigger than watergate<u+201d>, but there is little initial evidence the news has upended the presidential race. a morning consult/politico poll carried out after the announcement put clinton three points ahead, while a cbs/yougov survey of likely voters in 13 battleground states showed that only 1% of clinton supporters were less likely to vote for her as a consequence. trump claimed on monday that the fbi had stumbled across a digital <u+201c>mother lode<u+201d> and predicted they would discover missing work-related emails that had been deleted from clinton<u+2019>s computers. <u+201c>six hundred and fifty thousand [emails]? <u+2026> i think you are going to find the 33,000 that are missing,<u+201d> he told supporters in michigan. <u+201c>i think we hit the mother lode, as they say in the mining industry.<u+201d> trump urged comey to resist political pressure. <u+201c>he<u+2019>s gotta hang tough because a lot of people think he did the wrong thing, but he did the right thing,<u+201d> he told the grand rapids rally. <u+201c>i was not his fan but what he did he brought back his reputation.<u+201d> <u+201c>it took guts for director comey to do what he did,<u+201d> he added, to chants of <u+201c>lock her up<u+201d> from the crowd. trump has seized on signs of momentum to push into once-safe democratic territory in the industrial midwest. he was also due to speak in warren in michigan on monday before appearing with running mate mike pence in eau claire, wisconsin, on tuesday. until his polling gap began to narrow again last week, trump had been forced back to a dwindling number of swing states, while clinton eyed republican territory in utah, arizona and georgia. renewed optimism among republicans has created an unusually vast national battleground, particularly as trump<u+2019>s economic populism scrambles traditional demographic dividing lines. michigan and wisconsin have both been hit hard by the loss of manufacturing jobs and were the scene of surprise defeats for clinton in the democratic primary, when large numbers of blue-collar workers favoured bernie sanders. signs of democratic nervousness in wisconsin became apparent last week when the clinton campaign suddenly announced an advertising blitz. sanders has been dispatched to help campaign for clinton in the state on wednesday. the impact of early voting may also be forcing trump to look further afield. states such as a north carolina have seen heavy early turnout among democrats and may be relatively immune from any late swing away from clinton. if he cannot win north carolina but picks up florida and ohio, trump<u+2019>s best hope of pulling off a shock victory will rely on either rustbelt states like michigan and wisconsin or, in the north-east, new hampshire, pennsylvania and maine. clinton is redoubling her efforts. two stops on monday in ohio were to be followed by three in florida on tuesday and another swing to north carolina later in the week. <u+201c>most people have decided quite a long time ago what they think about all this,<u+201d> she told a rally in ohio on monday. <u+201c>now what people are focused upon is choosing the next president and commander-in-chief.<u+201d> <u+201c>i am sure a lot of you may be asking what this email business is about and why in the world the fbi would decide to jump into an election without any evidence and it<u+2019>s a good a question,<u+201d> she said, to boos from a young crowd at kent state university. <u+201c>by all mean they should look at [the emails] and i am sure they will reach the same conclusion as when they looked at my emails: there is no case.<u+201d> meanwhile, clinton suffered another blow from a separate source: the ongoing wikileaks release of emails from her campaign chairman, john podesta. the latest batch appeared to show that donna brazile, the interim head of the democratic national committee and a cnn contributor, gave clinton a heads up about a likely debate question the day before she was due to take on sanders in a primary debate. cnn spokeswoman lauren pratapas said: <u+201c>cnn never gave brazile access to any questions, prep material, attendee list, background information or meetings in advance of a town hall or debate.<u+201d> brazile has subsequently announced her resignation from cnn.

clinton campaign blasts james comey over 'jaw-dropping' double standards at fbi

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to be fair, clinton has been on the ugly end of republican attacks for decades <u+2013> a little guardedness is pardonable. but a play-it-safe approach seemed unnecessarily risky against an omnipresent juggernaut like trump. the republican nominee<u+2019>s campaign depends upon free media. in many ways, what trump says or does with his airtime is irrelevant <u+2013> the point is to be seen and heard. he can lie and distort with impunity; his supporters don<u+2019>t care and he dominates headlines all the same. with that in mind, i suggested clinton<u+2019>s plan to lay low and let surrogates do her bidding was a bad idea, and that she ought to steal the spotlight from trump whenever and wherever she can. the same, i reasoned, was true for democrats and down-ballot races. democrats still shouldn<u+2019>t take anything for granted, but i no longer believe there<u+2019>s any reason to compete with trump for airtime. if we<u+2019>ve learned anything in the last couple of weeks, it<u+2019>s that trump will never morph into a sane, pragmatic candidate. he was never going to conform to political norms, but one assumed he would tone it down a bit as we approached november. instead, he<u+2019>s quadruple downed on his racist comments about a mexican-american judge and, more recently, accused president obama of being a muslim manchurian candidate who may or may not be complicit in the recent terror attacks in orlando. now that trump is speaking to a general electorate, he<u+2019>s paying a higher price for his racist drivel. indeed, the latest nbc news/surveymonkey poll finds hillary clinton now leading donald trump nationally by eight points (49 percent to 41 percent). this gap will grow as democrats unify and the republican nominee continues unraveling in public. even the political press is challenging trump in ways that appear to have stunted his momentum. according to a politico report, senate minority leader harry reid is now encouraging democratic senate candidates to sit back and watch trump discredit himself and everyone associated with him, including gop candidates who<u+2019>ve endorsed him. it<u+2019>s a time-tested strategy: when your enemy is imploding, let him. and that<u+2019>s what democrats are doing. calling it a <u+201c>shock and blah campaign,<u+201d> politico reporter burgess everett writes: <u+201c>the blah comes from the democratic candidates themselves<u+2026>they<u+2019>re intentionally playing it safe and boring, figuring their elections will mostly be a referendum on trump and that animosity toward the real estate magnate will put them over the top in key swing states.<u+201d> to the extent that democrats are attacking at all, they<u+2019>re keeping it simple. every interview, every question, and every speech returns to a common theme: look who<u+2019>s at the top of the republican ticket? is this what the gop stands for? is this a candidate republicans are willing to co-sign? <u+201c>if there was ever a national election,<u+201d> said dem. senator chuck schumer, <u+201c>this is it.<u+201d> trump<u+2019>s campaign is a dumpster fire riding a wave of nativist angst. why not make every race on the ballot a referendum on him? what works for democratic senate candidates will also work for hillary clinton. there are obvious differences between senate races and a presidential contest, but the general strategy ought to work in both domains. clinton will have to face the cameras and engage much more than down-ballot candidates. however, if this is who trump is going to be, then merely looking and sounding like an adult will be enough for clinton.

letting trump and the gop self-destruct: hillary and democrats have the right strategy by laying low

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i write to you in your capacity as debate negotiator for republican presidential candidates. i understand you may have an opening for a moderator for your feb.<u+00a0>26 debate. please consider this letter my application for the job. i applaud republican national committee chairman reince priebus<u+2019>s decision to suspend nbc as a debate host because of the <u+201c>mean<u+201d> and <u+201c>gotcha<u+201d> questions cnbc asked at last week<u+2019>s debate. i feel passionately that a debate is neither the time nor the place for hard questions, and as debate moderator i will rigorously adhere to gentle and affectionate questioning. i also share donald trump<u+2019>s outrage that telemundo, a spanish-language outlet, would be allowed to co-host the february debate even though a telemundo journalist had the gall to challenge trump about the rapists and criminals he says mexico sends to america. let me assure you that, as debate moderator, i would not challenge trump or any other candidate on this or any factual matter. i do not even speak spanish, a claim that had the enthusiastic concurrence of my high school spanish teacher, se<u+00f1>ora sopanoff. furthermore, i have read your draft letter proposing requirements for future debate moderators, and i wholeheartedly and unreservedly commit to abide by every one of them. specifically, i pledge to meet the following demands you listed: <u+25cf> not to allow the temperature in the room to exceed 67 degrees at any time. <u+25cf> not to ask any candidate to raise his/her hand at any time. <u+25cf> not to ask yes/no questions. <u+25cf> not to engage in any <u+201c>lightning round<u+201d> questioning. <u+25cf> not to allow any camera angles that show the candidates using notes. <u+25cf> not to show an empty lectern if a candidate is late in returning from a bathroom break. <u+25cf> not to show any <u+201c>reaction shots<u+201d> of audience members or of me, the moderator. <u+25cf> not to broadcast any graphics or biographical information without the express pre-approval of the candidates. additionally, per your list of requirements, i promise: <u+25cf> to allow all candidates to make opening and closing statements of at least 30 seconds each. <u+25cf> to allow the candidates unlimited time to rebut one another whenever their names are mentioned. <u+25cf> to ask an equal number of questions of each candidate, and to guarantee that each candidate receives an equal amount of response time. as a further inducement to hire me as your moderator, i will go beyond the above-mentioned requirements cited in your letter. you also posed questions about standards for inclusion in the debate, debate length, use of <u+201c>gong/buzzer/bell,<u+201d> debate format, stage design, and the type and size of the audience and clothing worn by audience members. in order to guarantee that this debate will be the thoroughly enjoyable experience for the candidates that we all want it to be, i plan to allow all 15 candidates to debate on the stage at the same time and not to cut off candidates if they exceed their time limits. at the same time, i pledge to hold the overall debate length to 30 minutes, including opening and closing statements, in order to minimize time for gaffes and unscripted remarks. to avoid unhelpful reactions from the audience, i promise to have no audience. i will pipe in artificial applause of precisely the same pre-agreed length and decibel level for all candidates after all answers. i will submit my questions in advance for pre-approval by the campaigns. no questions will be asked about women, racial minorities or any other issue that might cast the republican party in an unfavorable light. there will be no questions about any candidate<u+2019>s past statements or actions, including but not limited to: bankruptcies, financial difficulties, missed votes and inconsistencies. candidates will not be required to perform math or to provide supporting evidence for claims. candidates will be seated in barcaloungers. if candidates feel overheated, the moderator will fan them while they answer and provide them with their choice of lemon or cucumber ice water. i will begin each question with the phrase <u+201c>mother, may i,<u+201d> and i will address candidates as <u+201c>your excellency,<u+201d> <u+201c>your eminence<u+201d> or another honorific approved by the campaigns. i hope this application meets with your approval. i believe the format outlined above will, after the cnbc debate debacle, truly make republicans look great again and return journalists to their proper role as palace courtiers. i am hopeful that i can convince my colleagues at washingtonpost.com to live-stream the debate. though i cannot promise you that any network will broadcast the debate, i believe this should not be a major impediment. under the requirements you proposed, very few people will be watching anyway. read more from dana milbank<u+2019>s archive, follow him on twitter or subscribe to his updates on facebook.

dear gop: hire me and i<u+2019>ll give you the debate of your dreams

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copenhagen, denmark (cnn) open a newspaper on any given day here in this small europe nation known for high taxes, generous government services and its stubbornly happy citizens, and you'll almost certainly find a story about the u.s. presidential election. the danes are following the race with an astounding level of enthusiasm and interest in part because bernie sanders, one of the leading candidates for the democratic nomination, won't stop talking about them. sanders has proudly adopted the label of a "democratic socialist," and he has pointed to denmark as a model for his vision of an ideal american future. in denmark, there is a very different understanding of what "freedom" means... they have gone a long way to ending the enormous anxieties that comes with economic insecurity. at a presidential debate hosted by cnn in october, sanders brought up denmark and the surrounding scandinavian states when asked to describe what "democratic socialism" means to him. "i think we should look to countries like denmark, like sweden and norway," sanders said, "and learn what they have accomplished for their working people." "we are not denmark," hillary clinton responded. "in denmark, there is a very different understanding of what 'freedom' means," sanders wrote, arguing the u.s. could learn from the way the danes have "gone a long way to ending the enormous anxieties that comes with economic insecurity." "instead of promoting a system which allows a few to have enormous wealth, they have developed a system which guarantees a strong minimal standard of living to all -- including the children, the elderly and the disabled," sanders added. while the danes are flattered by all the attention, they want to ensure that the love coming from sanders doesn't confuse people into thinking they describe themselves "socialists," too. sanders has clarified that his democratic socialism is not the same as "socialist" in the traditional sense of a purely government-controlled economy. but that hasn't stopped danish leaders from ensuring there is no misconception about their own system. "i would like to make one thing clear," danish prime minister lars lokke rasmussen said recently in a speech at harvard's kennedy school of government. "denmark is far from a socialist planned economy. denmark is a market economy." but it is a market with many differences from the united states. all danish citizens have access to child care, state-guaranteed medical and parental leave from work, free college tuition in which students receive a paycheck from the government during enrollment, free health care and a generous pension, all of which sanders supports. "free" is actually the wrong word to describe these services. danes pay some of the highest taxes in the world, including a 25% tax on all goods and services, a top marginal tax rate hovering near 60%. the top tax rate in the u.s., by comparison, is less than 40%. but there are aspects to the danish model that you would never see on sanders' policy platform. as a small country heavily reliant on trade, denmark imposes minimal tariffs on foreign goods. businesses here are only lightly regulated. the corporate tax rate is much lower than in the united states, which has one of the highest in the world. there's not even a minimum wage in denmark, although most workers are paid high salaries in large part due to the strength of labor unions. and in the past few years, danish voters elected a right-of-center government, which has been instituting reforms that have put tighter restrictions on access to the long-held safety net. the recent changes have caught the attention of conservative and libertarian think tanks in north america that rank levels of economic freedom around the world. over the past few years, studies conducted by the heritage foundation, wall street journal, the cato institute and the canadian fraser institute have ranked denmark as having actually more economic freedom than the united states. in terms of pure semantics, few danish politicians today would characterize themselves as "socialist"--even a "democratic socialist"--as sanders does. the word has largely fallen out of fashion in recent decades. "when i hear bernie sanders talk about himself as a democratic socialist, it's a little bit 1970s," said lars christensen, a danish economist known here as an outspoken critic of his homeland's model. "the major political parties on the center-left and the center-right would oppose many of the proposals of bernie sanders on the regulatory side as being too leftist." could the u.s. adopt the danish model? as even sanders has conceded, the differences between the united states and denmark are striking. in many ways, denmark's success depends on its small size. the country has a population of just 5.6 million -- about the same as minnesota's -- and its territory makes up just 16,000 square miles, about half the size of south carolina. by comparison, the united states has a population of more than 300 million and encompasses 3.8 million square miles. unlike the united states' diverse population of immigrants, denmark is ethnically homogenous -- nearly 90% are of danish ancestry, according to the danish ministry of social affairs and integration -- making political consensus easier than in the united states. "i think this system is only possible because we essentially are all the same," said christensen. "maybe if you wanted to introduce such a scheme in utah, you could do that. but doing it across the u.s., i find it completely and utterly impossible just for the mere fact that americans are all so different." danish citizens also seem to have a higher comfort level and trust in government than in the united states. one would be hard-pressed to find a mainstream danish politician who would agree with ronald reagan's axiom that, "the nine most terrifying words in the english language are, 'i'm from the government and i'm here to help." while americans have a deep-seated distrust of government that was imprinted on the nation's soul in the bill of rights, the danish just don't view their government's size as a recipe for tyranny. "the question is not how much tax you pay or how big your government is, it's whether it works," lidegaard said. "it's whether you get return on your payment. we pay a lot of taxes, but we get a lot in return." the danish also participate in the democratic process on a scale unheard of in the united states. more than 85% of danish citizens participated in the nation's general election in 2015; only 55% of americans went to the polls in 2012. sanders would also probably have concerns with the way denmark has handled the european migrant crisis. fearful that the thousands of refugees pouring in the european union from iraq and syria could threaten their society, the danish government has gone to great -- and controversial -- lengths to dissuade migrants from settling in their country. the most problematic move came when the government passed a law that would grant the state the right to seize possessions worth more than the equivalent of about $1,500 from refugees settling in denmark who seek aid from the government. the law includes a carve-out for items of "special sentimental value," but the critical reaction from human rights groups was swift and punishing. the law also increases the number of years refugees would have to wait to bring family members into the country and it made it more difficult for them to obtain permanent residency. its passage comes amid the rise of the right-wing danish people's party, which has made combating immigration a chief priority. "there is an inherent contradiction between a welfare state where all your life you pay taxes to have coverage -- health, social costs, etc. -- and then being in the country as a migrant only part of your life," said lidegaard. "the problem with the law -- and there is one -- is that it's trying to send a signal: immigrants in europe, don't go here. don't come to denmark. the signal sent that way is a stupid signal to send. that's the purpose of the law. it's not a practical measure." before the law passed, denmark's ministry of immigration, integration and housing published ads in arab and english-language newspapers in lebanon, where more than 1 million syrian refugees live, warning immigrants that denmark will be an unwelcoming place for them. the fear, generally, is that the foreign culture brought by the refugees would not align with traditional danish customs and disrupt the recipe for what makes the welfare state possible. "there is a limit to how many immigrants we can take in from a different culture who don't speak the language and how fast we can turn them into becoming citizens that are part of society, that are able to function and contribute to the wealth of our society," said lidegaard."so we have a lot of focus now on how we integrate newcomers. how we turn immigrants into citizens who are part of production, part of taxpaying, part of paying the bill." the danes are watching us even though danes are eager participants in their own elections, the amount of time they spend watching and discussing our elections is a phenomenon to behold. "american politics is really, really popular in denmark," said anders agner pedersen, a danish journalist who edits kongressen, a news outlet that exclusively american politics for a danish audience. "it basically is in the news every day." pedersen, who has to stay up all night to watch american presidential debates and state primary returns from denmark, is swamped with bookings on danish television and radio programs to explain the election process and analyze the daily horse race. he recently hosted what he thought would be a small salon session to discuss the primaries at a copenhagen restaurant and was shocked when more than 100 danes showed up to get their american political fix. "you guys do quite a good show," he said of the american election process. sanders isn't the only candidate the danes are talking about. donald trump is a source of constant fascination -- and perhaps even a little terror -- in the nordic region. in january, when three young children who call themselves the "usa freedom kids" dressed up in red, white and blue and performed a song-and-dance number about trump at one of his rallies in florida, the video skyrocketed throughout danish social media. and just this month, ted cruz set danish media aflame when he suggested that donald trump was so unhinged he's liable to drop an atom bomb on denmark. the danes were bewildered: why us? as the campaign marches on with trump still riding high in the polls, his ongoing success is starting to become a concern here. "in the beginning i thought it was a joke. then we realized people were voting for trump," jonas pedersen, a medical student at the university of copenhagen, said. another medical student, helena boegh, said, "that some people would actually vote for donald trump and in the same country would vote for someone who likes the system we have in denmark -- that really says something about america."

bernie sanders' american dream is in denmark

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as the gop becomes whiter, older, and more religious, democrats become more diverse, younger, and less religious. the next president faces a daunting challenge bridging that gap. gop presidential nominee donald trump states that he believes president obama was born in the united states at a campaign event in washington, sept. 16, 2016. whoever wins the presidency this election day, they will be faced with leading a partisan american electorate increasingly divided by race, religion, and other basic demographic measures. in many ways the two great parties that govern america are like two icebergs slowly floating farther and farther apart. in their makeup they are less alike than at any time in the past quarter-century, notes a new pew research center study. the distance between them is likely to continue to grow in the years ahead. <u+201c>the fundamental demographic changes taking place in the country <u+2013> an aging population, growing racial and ethnic diversity and rising levels of education <u+2013> have reshaped both party coalitions,<u+201d> according to pew<u+2019>s new election 2016 report. and campaign 2016 isn<u+2019>t helping the nation get ready to handle the inevitable disagreements that will arise from this division. if anything, it is making partisanship worse. donald trump<u+2019>s <u+201c>birther<u+201d> swap on friday, in which he dropped the lie that president obama might have been born in kenya while asserting <u+2013> falsely <u+2013> that hillary clinton was the first to make that charge, will almost certainly further inflame african-american voters (among others). hillary clinton<u+2019>s labeling of half of trump<u+2019>s voters as a <u+201c>basket of deplorables<u+201d> has infuriated some of his supporters, leading them to embrace the tag <u+201c>les deplorables<u+201d> in defiance. <u+201c>there is no evidence that the campaign will do anything to reduce the partisan polarization that has blocked progress on vital national problems. on the contrary, it seems likely to deepen the crisis of governance that has hobbled the united states for much too long,<u+201d> writes william a. galston, a senior fellow in governance studies at the brookings institution, in a study of the problems facing the next administration. think of the changes affecting the makeup of the parties this way: the republican party is becoming whiter, older, and more religious than the country as a whole. the reverse is true for the democratic party, which is becoming diverse, younger, and less religious faster than the us population. take race. these changes do not mean the gop is becoming the all-white party. instead, they mean that the racial makeup of the two parties is becoming more and more dissimilar, as racial minorities disproportionately favor democrats. in 2008, whites made up 88 percent of all republicans and republican-leaning voters in the us, according to pew<u+2019>s data. by 2016, that had slipped two percentage points, with whites making up 86 percent of the gop coalition. on the other end of the political spectrum, whites made up 64 percent of democrats and democratic-leaners when president obama was elected in 2008. they are only 57 percent of the democratic coalition today <u+2013> a seven percent drop over the period of obama<u+2019>s two terms. the same trend holds for age, with republicans becoming relatively older; education, with college-educated voters declining as a percentage of the gop and increasing as a percentage of the democratic vote; and religion. fully 29 percent of the democratic coalition now rates itself as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular. the corresponding figure for the gop is 12 percent. <u+201c>summing up, democrats are becoming the party of minorities and college-educated whites while republicans are becoming the party of whites with lower levels of education,<u+201d> writes william galston of brookings. these groups aren<u+2019>t just divided by inflammatory, nonsubstantive wedge issues. they have real differences of outlook and interest, galston notes. minorities are more likely than whites to support affirmative action. college-educated voters are perhaps more likely than the non-college-educated to support increased federal aid for education. religious voters are more likely to oppose abortion. and so on. overall, the democratic coalition is more comfortable with diversity, believes that the present is better than the past, and looks forward to the future with optimism. the republican coalition sees increasing diversity as a threat, prefers past decades over today, and looks ahead with foreboding. <u+201c>these are differences of kind, not degree, and they create a gap that the winner of the 2016 presidential election will find it hard to narrow unless he or she focuses on an agenda of national reconciliation starting on day 1 of the transition,<u+201d> according to galston.

campaign 2016 is divisive: what it says for the future

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at least a half-dozen attendees shoved and tackled the protester, a black man, to the ground as he refused to leave the event. at least one man punched the protester and a woman kicked him while he was on the ground. all of the attendees who were involved in the physical altercation with the protester were white. the protester appeared to be shouting <u+201c>black lives matter<u+201d> and later removed his sweatshirt to reveal a shirt with those words. at least one attendee shouted <u+201c>all lives matter<u+201d> as the protester was eventually led out by police officers on the scene<u+2026> mercutio southall jr., the man who was assaulted, offered these additional details: the black lives matter protester<u+00a0>attacked during donald<u+2019>s trump<u+2019>s birmingham rally<u+00a0>said he was punched, kicked and called <u+201c>n****r<u+201d> while a group of eight or nine people were on top of him<u+2026><u+201d> he said people encircled him, and he was being pushed and punched from every direction. someone hit him from behind, and the next thing he knew, he was at the bottom of pile. he was kicked in the stomach, and the chest, both men and women. <u+201c>i got enough people off of me that i was able to get up a little bit,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>somebody got behind me and started trying to choke me out.<u+201d><u+2026> southall said he was repeatedly called a <u+201c>n****r<u+201d> and <u+201c>monkey<u+201d> and told his life doesn<u+2019>t matter. <u+201c>maybe he should have been roughed up, because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing,<u+201d> trump said on the fox news channel on sunday morning. <u+201c>i have a lot of fans, and they were not happy about it. and this was a very obnoxious guy who was a trouble-maker who was looking to make trouble.<u+201d> in their current state of outrage about anti-racism protests at america<u+2019>s colleges and universities, <u+201c>political correctness,<u+201d> and black lives matter activism, movement conservatives are refighting the culture wars of the 1960s and 1980s. once more, the university is their enemy both because of the american right<u+2019>s deeply rooted anti-intellectualism, as well as how it is one of the few spaces where women, gays and lesbians, and people of color are (incorrectly) imagined as having a voice and some pittance of power. because conservatives exhibit a high degree of social dominance behavior, any threat to what they view as <u+201c>the natural order of things<u+201d> is met with fear, a sense of victimization, and feelings of hostility. this dynamic helps to explain the right-wing<u+2019>s current obsession with <u+201c>political correctness<u+201d> and <u+201c>safe spaces.<u+201d> it also reveals the glaring difference between how movement conservatives and liberally minded people understand the world, and the language they use to describe it. as originally used and intended by liberals and progressives, a <u+201c>safe space<u+201d> is one where non-whites, gays and lesbians, women, the differently-abled, and other stigmatized groups and individuals, can be momentarily free from harassment, marginalization and discrimination. liberals use the phrase <u+201c>political correctness<u+201d> to describe a basic principle that individuals should try to treat one another with dignity and respect. conservatives (who of course practice their own type of ideological orthodoxy as <u+201c>political correctness<u+201d>) are enraged by these notions because they view them as a limitation on their ability to demean, harass and abuse other people. moreover, conservatives are especially upset by <u+201c>political correctness<u+201d> because it is often an assertion of agency and a demand for respect from marginalized groups against dominant, white, male, institutional authority. the divergent reaction to <u+201c>safe spaces<u+201d> and <u+201c>political correctness<u+201d> from conservatives and liberals also signals to another socio-political fact. american society is structured around maintaining, promoting, and protecting unearned advantages, life opportunities, and resources for white people. as viewed through the lens of the color line, almost every aspect of american life is a <u+201c>safe space<u+201d> for white people. this <u+201c>safe space<u+201d> for whiteness is reinforced by many factors, including, but not limited to, the mass media, residential and housing segregation, racially homogeneous<u+00a0>interpersonal social networks, as well as a racist <u+201c>criminal justice<u+201d> system. and when this protective bubble of white privilege is pierced, or in any way challenged, many white folks respond in extremely negative, hostile, and immature ways. when people tell and show you who they really are, you had best pay close attention. when black lives matter protesters exercised their constitutionally protected right of free speech at hillary clinton<u+2019>s and bernie sanders<u+2019> rallies earlier this year, they were not physically assaulted by those in attendance. in contrast, when black lives matter and other protesters have intervened at donald trump rallies they have been met with thuggish violence by his public. it is also telling that donald trump<u+2019>s supporters began to triumphantly yell <u+201c>all lives matter<u+201d> while mercutio southall jr. was taken away by police. this slur is a rejection of the basic principle driving black lives matter: african-americans should have same the full and equal human rights, protections, and freedoms as whites. any other civic arrangement should be unacceptable in a country that purports to be the greatest country on earth. to stand against black lives matter is to agree that black people should in fact be second class citizens in their own country. consequently, it has become abundantly clear in recent months that <u+201c>all lives matter<u+201d> is the new <u+201c>white power!<u+201d> for the age of obama. research on political attitudes, values, and american history has repeatedly demonstrated the many ways that conservatism and racism is now the same thing in post-civil rights era america. the rise of the tea party, the gop<u+2019>s extreme rightward shift, vicious and ugly racially driven animus and conspiracy theories towards barack obama, the efforts to destroy the gains of the civil rights movement, and now the know-nothing-like xenophobia and prejudice against non-white immigrants and syrian refugees are current events as an example of the republican party<u+2019>s white supremacist orientation and brand. [this is seen online as well. the youtube clip of the fracas in birmingham, alabama, has hundreds of comments<u+2014>many of them are overtly racist, use racially violent anti-black language, lie about how <u+201c>black lives matter<u+201d> is a <u+201c>terrorist organization,<u+201d><u+00a0>and deploy the slogans <u+201c>white power<u+201d> and <u+201c>all lives matter<u+201d> interchangeably.] and because he appeals to the most strident, immature, and reactionary part of the american right-wing id, donald trump<u+2019>s rallies are safe spaces <u+2014> for nativism, white racism, and increasingly, violence.

donald trump<u+2019>s white fascist brigade: his rallies are now a safe space for racism

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a verdict in 2017 could have sweeping consequences for tech startups.

inside hillary clinton's 2016 plan

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the legal authority for several national security programs expired at midnight sunday and will not be renewed for at least two days, after senate republicans leaders were unable to maneuver around sen. rand paul (r-ky.), a presidential candidate who followed through on a pledge to block an extension of the law. the senate closed a rare sunday session without approving the only legislation that would have averted a lapse in the authority <u+2014> a house-passed bill that would provide for an orderly transition away from the most controversial program authorized under the current law: the national security agency<u+2019>s bulk collection of call records from telephone companies. spurred by the impending deadline, senators voted overwhelmingly, 77 to 17, to proceed with the measure sunday, a week after they didn<u+2019>t act on it before starting a week-long recess. but paul, under senate rules, was able to delay final passage of the bill until at least tuesday. on monday, house majority leader kevin mccarthy (r-calif.) reiterated his preference to have the senate pass the already-approved house bill, without any amendments, so that it can be sent to president obama<u+2019>s desk quickly for its enactment into law. <u+201c>i still think the best advice for them is to pass our bill,<u+201d> mccarthy told reporters monday morning. he declined several opportunities to say whether he would accept any changes by the senate, which would require the house to reconsider the anti-terror legislation. <u+201c>the best option for the protection of this country is to pass our bill,<u+201d> he said. immediately after the vote, paul took the floor and began his remarks by conceding that the measure he opposes would eventually pass. but after he left the floor, he declared victory because the house bill, known as the usa freedom act, would end the government<u+2019>s collection of phone records. <u+201c>the point we wanted to make is, we can still catch terrorists using the constitution,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>i<u+2019>m supportive of the part that ends bulk collection by the government. my concern is that we might be exchanging bulk collection by the government [with] bulk collection by the phone companies.<u+201d> during an early-morning session on may 23, paul used his powers under senate rules to foil majority leader mitch mcconnell<u+2019>s efforts to extend the existing authority for 60<u+00a0>days, a week, or even one day. on sunday, he objected to a proposal from mcconnell (r-ky.) that would have extended less-controversial surveillance programs while the debate about the nsa telephone program continued. that prompted a fiery floor speech from mcconnell, who accused paul and other opponents of the nsa program of engaging in a <u+201c>campaign of demagoguery and disinformation<u+201d> prompted by the <u+201c>illegal actions<u+201d> of former nsa contractor edward snow<u+00ad>den. <u+201c>we shouldn<u+2019>t be disarming unilaterally as our enemies grow more sophisticated and aggressive,<u+201d> said mcconnell, who has endorsed paul for president and looked directly at paul at times as he delivered his remarks. he later made procedural moves to prevent paul from offering amendments he has sought to the pending bill. the nsa<u+2019>s collection of phone records began in secret after the sept. 11,<u+00a0>2001, attacks and was later authorized, also in secret, by a court under section<u+00a0>215 of the usa patriot act <u+2014> the provision that is set to expire. the continuation of the program and its justification were revealed in 2013 by snowden. until sunday, mcconnell had resisted taking action on the house bill, arguing alongside other key republican senators that it would not do enough to preserve necessary counterterrorism capabilities. those senators on sunday pledged to amend the usa freedom act to provide further assurances that intelligence officials will have timely access to the phone records, even if they remain in private hands. if the bill is amended, it would go back to the house, whose leaders have resisted any suggestion that more changes are needed, further extending the lapse in authority. house speaker john a. boehner (r-ohio) on sunday repeated calls for the senate to pass the usa freedom act, which would provide for an orderly transition away from the bulk collection program and cleared the house earlier this month by an overwhelming vote of 338 to 88. <u+201c>al-qaeda, isil and other terrorists around the globe continue to plot attacks on america and our allies,<u+201d> boehner said, using an acronym for the islamic state. <u+201c>anyone who is satisfied with letting this critical intelligence capability go dark isn<u+2019>t taking the terrorist threat seriously. i<u+2019>d urge the senate to pass the bipartisan usa freedom act, and do so expeditiously.<u+201d> cia director john brennan said sunday that the expiring programs are <u+201c>integral to making sure that we<u+2019>re able to stop terrorists in their tracks.<u+201d> <u+201c>i think that there has been a little too much political grandstanding and crusading for ideological causes that have skewed the debate on this issue,<u+201d> he said on cbs<u+2019>s <u+201c>face the nation.<u+201d> <u+201c>but these tools are important to american lives.<u+201d> brennan said <u+201c>terrorist elements<u+201d> are watching congress<u+2019>s actions <u+201c>very carefully<u+201d> and are <u+201c>looking for the seams to operate within.<u+201d> <u+201c>this is something that we can<u+2019>t afford to do right now, because if you look at the horrific terrorist attacks and violence that is being perpetrated around the globe, we need to keep our country safe,<u+201d> he added. after the senate adjourned sunday, white house press secretary josh earnest in a statement called on senators to <u+201c>ensure this irresponsible lapse in authorities is as short-lived as possible.<u+201d> <u+201c>on a matter as critical as our national security, individual senators must put aside their partisan motivations and act swiftly,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>the american people deserve nothing less.<u+201d> the usa freedom act is the product of months of compromise between republicans and democrats, the administration and privacy groups. under it, the nsa would stop gathering billions of call records <u+2014> their times, dates and durations, but not their content. instead, the phone companies would be required to adapt their systems so that they could be queried for records of specific terrorism suspects based on individual court orders. the bill also would renew other expiring investigative powers that the fbi says are critical. but paul, who wants the nsa program ended outright, and a handful of senators who prefer that the nsa program remain as is, effectively blocked action on the bill until sunday. mcconnell had counted on the impending deadline to force at least a short-term extension of the current law, but paul and a few other senators blocked any stopgap. on the senate floor sunday afternoon, minority leader harry m. reid (d-nev.) lambasted mcconnell for a lack of <u+201c>strategy, planning and open lines of communication.<u+201d> reid said the expiration of the patriot act provision can<u+2019>t be blamed on paul, who has long been an outspoken critic of overreach by the nsa. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re in this mess today because of the majority leader,<u+201d> reid said sunday. <u+201c>my friend from kentucky simply didn<u+2019>t have a plan. that<u+2019>s why we<u+2019>re here.<u+201d> elizabeth goitein, a national security expert at new york university law school<u+2019>s brennan center for justice, said mcconnell <u+201c>badly overplayed his hand.<u+201d> <u+201c>he gambled that he could wait until the last minute and ram through a short-term reauthorization of the patriot act, and he lost,<u+201d> she said. <u+201c>by the time he tried to backpedal and move the usa freedom act forward, it was too late.<u+201d> some of the tools that are set to lapse are not controversial and have been renewed in the past, president obama said in his radio address. they include the ability to seek a <u+201c>roving wiretap<u+201d> to keep up with suspected terrorists or spies who constantly switch out cellphones. another power <u+2014> never used <u+2014> enables wiretaps on suspected <u+201c>lone wolf<u+201d> terrorists who cannot be directly tied to a terrorist group. one of the most important, officials say, is section 215. that authority permits the government to obtain all types of records on an individual as long as they are relevant to a foreign terrorism or espionage investigation. rep. adam b. schiff (calif.), the top democrat on the house select committee on intelligence, said national security officials may be able to rely on <u+201c>workarounds<u+201d> to the lack of section 215 authority in some cases but not others. <u+201c>unquestionably, there<u+2019>s going to be a disruption in the capabilities,<u+201d> he said, adding that the situation <u+201c>won<u+2019>t be optimal by any means.<u+201d> the usa freedom act also would end bulk collection of records under other national security authorities, including national security letters. it would require the foreign intelligence surveillance court, which meets in secret, to declassify significant legal decisions and provide for an advocate for the public<u+2019>s privacy rights at the court, which generally hears only the government<u+2019>s cases for a wiretap or other surveillance order. and it would grant technology companies more leeway to report on the scale of national security data requests. the bill also contains a six-month transition period during which the nsa would work with phone companies to ensure that they can set up their systems to quickly search for records and send them to the agency. since last weekend, nsa wind-down teams were placed on a <u+201c>hot standby,<u+201d> which included contacting phone companies with a plan of action for shutting down the bulk collection. the actual shutdown time is about eight hours, officials said. paul kane and katie zezima contributed to this report.

senators pledge to amend house bill after some nsa powers halted

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california and oregon will be the first states in the nation to allow women to get birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives directly from their pharmacists <u+2013> without a doctor's prescription. as california officials were busy finalizing regulations on a state law passed in 2013, oregon's governor kate brown signed a similar bill into law last week. the two measures were hailed by women's health advocates. they noted that men have long had an easier time getting birth control, simply purchasing condoms over the counter. "we support efforts like these that remove barriers to women gaining access to birth control and other reproductive health care," said kathy kneer, president and ceo of planned parenthood affiliates of california, in a written statement. she added that hormonal contraception has been widely studied and shown to be safe -- "so safe that the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists has recommended that it be available over the counter." the contraceptives won't be available like cough drops or antacids, however. in california, pharmacists can only dispense them after providing a health screening to women and taking their blood pressure. oregon will also require a health screening, but the state's specific rules haven't been developed. the laws differ somewhat. california's law has no age restrictions on patients <u+2013> minors have the same access as adults. in oregon, pharmacists may only give new birth control prescriptions to women 18 or older. women under 18 must show proof of prior birth control prescriptions from a physician. also, oregon likely will require pharmacists to undergo more training than the one hour of education required of california pharmacists, said marcus watt, executive director of the oregon state board of pharmacy. california's rules are expected to take effect after oct 1 and oregon's law after jan. 1. elizabeth nash, senior state issues associate at the guttmacher institute, a reproductive health think tank, said other states could end up following california's and oregon's approaches, depending on how they work. "a lot of eyes are watching what's going to happen next," she said. the laws moved ahead despite partisan debate in congress over access to birth control. there, members of both parties support legislation allowing over-the-counter access <u+2013> without any prescription -- but republican legislation would not require insurers to pay for it. democrats say that is an attempt to get around requirements to cover prescription birth control under the affordable care act and would effectively make hormonal contraceptives off limits to many poor women. they have introduced a bill that would require insurance coverage of over-the-counter hormonal contraceptives. california's regulations and oregon's law do not address insurance coverage of birth control. but california's pharmacists have voiced concerns that insurers won't pay for time spent screening women and dispensing birth control, as they would for a doctor's visit. pharmacists in california say they are preparing for the new regulations and hoping to resolve the reimbursement issue. it has taken nearly two years to develop regulations implementing california's 2013 law, which also allows pharmacists to prescribe other medications that once required a doctor's prescription, including travel medicines, smoking cessation treatments and the opioid overdose antidote naloxone. the overall expansion of pharmacists' prescribing authority is aimed at relieving the burden on physicians faced with an influx of patients newly insured under the affordable care act. "honestly, we're really excited," said ken thai, part-owner and manager of the el monte pharmacy group, with 10 stores in southern california. "medical clinics in the area are overflowing, with long wait times. we're already doing other services like immunizations and cholesterol checks, and our customers already see us as a resource. we're ready for something like this. it's been a long time coming." until now, california pharmacists could only provide emergency contraception, also known as the "morning-after pill," without a doctor's prescription. most major pharmacy chains will likely participate in offering non-prescription birth control because they were involved in developing the protocols, said virginia herold, executive officer of the california state board of pharmacy. representatives from cvs, walgreens and costco would not confirm their chains' participation, either declining to comment or saying that they are awaiting the final regulations. some patients welcomed the change <u+2013> glad for the convenience, if nothing else. "i think it's really wonderful," said 26-year-old anne wong, who lives in san francisco. "it's a drag to have to go to clinic and talk to the doctor to get birth control pills <u+2013> it takes a chunk out of your day." wong, who at age 17 emigrated with her family from thailand, said the new access would help women in her community practice safer sex. the topic "is still taboo," wong said. but with the new regulations, "i could just tell my parents i'm going to a store for something. all i'd need to do is just walk to the walgreens near my house." kaiser health news is an editorially independent program of the kaiser family foundation.

calif., ore. allow women to get birth control without a prescription

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the justice department is significantly reducing the number of federal observers stationed inside polling places in next month<u+2019>s election at the same time that voters will face strict new election laws in more than a dozen states. these laws, including requirements to present certain kinds of photo identification, are expected to lead to disputes at the polls. adding to the potential for confusion, republican presidential candidate donald trump has called for his supporters to police the polls themselves for fraud. for the past five decades, the justice department has sent hundreds of observers and poll monitors across the country to ensure that voters are not intimidated or discriminated against when they cast their ballots. but u.s. officials say that a 2013 supreme court decision now limits the federal government<u+2019>s role inside polling places on election day. <u+201c>in the past, we have .<u+2009>.<u+2009>. relied heavily on election observers, specially trained individuals who are authorized to enter polling locations and monitor the process to ensure that it lives up to its legal obligations,<u+201d> attorney general loretta e. lynch told a latino civil rights group over the summer. <u+201c>our ability to deploy them has been severely curtailed.<u+201d> in recent months, the justice department and civil rights groups have successfully sued to block a number of states, such as north carolina, that have put in place new voter restrictions that critics say target minority voters. but advocates are worried that these courtroom victories might not be enough to protect voters if the federal government is not able to enforce the law on election day. [find out what you need to know to vote in your state] in the 2012 presidential election, the last before the court ruling, the justice department sent more than 780 observers and other personnel to polling places in 51 jurisdictions in 23 states to watch for unlawful activity and write up reports about possible civil rights violations. the observers were specially trained by the office of personnel management and were required to be inside polling places. justice department officials say this year they are sending observers to fewer than five states <u+2014> and to those locations only because the oversight has been ordered by judges in specific cases. five weeks out from the election, officials said they would not specify the exact number of observers. there are 14 states where poll workers are being asked to implement new laws, including voter id requirements, for the first time in a presidential election. federal observers will not be sent inside polling places in those states. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s a game-changer,<u+201d> said kristen clarke, president and executive director of the lawyers<u+2019> committee for civil rights under law. <u+201c>historically, the federal observer program has been a valuable and necessary tool to help prevent intimidation and harassment of minority voters.<u+201d> <u+201c>without those protections, we<u+2019>re bracing for the worst,<u+201d> clarke said. <u+201c>all of this unfolds at a moment when we have a presidential candidate who has called for law enforcement and untrained individuals to monitor activity at the polls.<u+201d> trump is encouraging his supporters to sign up on his website to be a <u+201c>trump election observer.<u+201d> he has told supporters in pennsylvania to be vigilant for voter fraud at the polls, saying that <u+201c>cheating<u+201d> is the only thing that will stop him from defeating democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton in that battleground state. <u+201c>you<u+2019>ve got to get every one of your friends. you<u+2019>ve got to get every one of your family. you<u+2019>ve got to get everybody to go out and watch and go out and vote,<u+201d> trump said in august at a rally in ohio. <u+201c>and when i say <u+2018>watch,<u+2019> you know what i<u+2019>m talking about. right? you know what i<u+2019>m talking about. i think you<u+2019>ve got to go out and you<u+2019>ve got to watch.<u+201d> justice department officials said they had no choice but to cut the number of observers. the supreme court<u+2019>s 2013 shelby county v. holder ruling on the voting rights act <u+201c>curtailed our ability to deploy observers<u+201d> to states that used to need federal approval before making changes to election or voting laws, said vanita gupta, head of the department<u+2019>s civil rights division. the supreme court<u+2019>s ruling immediately opened the door for laws with new voting restrictions. less well known was the effect it had on the justice department<u+2019>s efforts to monitor elections. the government had relied on a key section of the 1965 voting rights act that was invalidated by the supreme court for its authority to send observers to states with a history of discrimination. the court said congress has to come up with a new formula based on current data to determine which states should be subject to federal oversight. congress has not yet acted. <u+201c>shelby county significantly impacted the department<u+2019>s ability to watch for problems while elections are taking place,<u+201d> according to a justice department fact sheet. the justice department in the past has sent two types of lawyers to the polls: observers and monitors. observers work inside polling places. monitors, by contrast, are not allowed to go inside polling places unless state officials give them permission. despite the court ruling, officials say they can send monitors across the country. <u+201c>we will still be able to send out a robust team of monitors this november,<u+201d> gupta said. but j.<u+00a0>gerald hebert, the executive director of the campaign legal center, said it is critical to have federal observers who can actually go inside the polling places in the same way that candidates and political parties in most states can designate someone to be inside as a poll watcher. <u+201c>you have to distinguish between sending a lawyer to a state who sits down at the u.s. attorney<u+2019>s office and waits for people to call in,<u+201d> said hebert, an official in the justice department<u+2019>s voting section for 20 years who went to several states on election day to monitor elections. <u+201c>they<u+2019>re not in the polling place, and they<u+2019>re not even at the polling places,<u+201d> hebert said of the monitors. <u+201c>they<u+2019>re usually downtown at a hotel or a u.s. attorney<u+2019>s office. that<u+2019>s a lot different by a long shot than federal observers inside the polling place, because discrimination at the polls doesn<u+2019>t take place outside.<u+201d> without federal observers, <u+201c>there<u+2019>s nobody watching the [other poll] watchers<u+201d> who can intimidate or challenge voters or slow down the process and, for example, contribute to long lines at lunchtime when voters have limited time to vote and get back to work, hebert said. the justice department said it will release a phone number and email address for voters to contact if they experience intimidation or harassment. <u+201c>we watch carefully, meticulously documenting the voting process with an eye for potential violations of federal statutes that protect the right to vote,<u+201d> gupta said. <u+201c>and we often find that the simple fact of our presence in the jurisdiction helps defuse tension and avoid problems.<u+201d> some voting rights advocates say that the justice department did not need to reduce its election observers, because the supreme court<u+2019>s ruling did not specifically mention federal observers. regardless, advocates have questioned why lynch revealed over the summer the department<u+2019>s plans to cut the observers when she spoke to a civil rights group. <u+201c>there was no need to announce that it<u+2019>s open season on voters at the polls because there won<u+2019>t be any federal observers there inside,<u+201d> hebert said. getting a photo id to vote is easy. unless you<u+2019>re poor, black, latino or elderly. more than 30 states offer online voting, but experts warn it isn<u+2019>t secure inside the republican creation of the n.c. voting bill dubbed the <u+2018>monster<u+2019> law

justice department significantly reducing number of federal observers stationed inside polling places

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a two-page letter from hillary clinton's doctor a year ago, declaring the former first lady, senator and secretary of state "fit to serve" as president has done little to quell doubts about her health amid a gruelling campaign. photos of the democratic presidential nominee being helped up stairs, frequent coughing bouts on the campaign trail and rumors that a 2012 concussion was worse than revealed have made the 68-year old's fitness a campaign issue. <u+201c>hillary clinton lacks the judgement, the temperament and the moral character to lead this nation," donald trump said in a recent foreign policy speech. "importantly, she also lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on isis, and all the many adversaries we face <u+2013> not only in terrorism, but in trade and every other challenge we must confront to turn this country around.<u+201d> clinton<u+2019>s health has been a matter of scrutiny since the concussion she suffered while serving as secretary of state. while being evaluated at new york-presbyterian hospital, doctors discovered a blood clot inside a vein in her head and prescribed blood thinners, she told abc news<u+2019> diane sawyer in 2014. in part to quash speculation about clinton<u+2019>s health, the campaign released a summary of her medical records last summer. in the july 28, 2015 letter, <u+00a0>dr. lisa bardack, an internist in mount kisco, n.y., described clinton <u+201c>as a healthy 67-year-old female whose current medical conditions include hypothyroidism and seasonal pollen allergies.<u+201d> unlike 2008 republican presidential candidate john mccain who invited reporters to review the full 1,173 pages of his medical records, clinton released only a summary of her past issues, including an elbow fracture in 2009 and several episodes of deep vein thrombosis. clinton<u+2019>s chief strategist joel benenson said the campaign has no plans to release more detailed records, but his position is at odds with many americans. a new rasmussen reports survey found that 59 percent of voters believe all major presidential candidates should release at least their most recent medical records to the public. that figure is up from 38 percent of americans in may 2014, when questions about clinton's health were first being raised. thirty percent don<u+2019>t think candidates should have to release their recent medical records and 11 percent were undecided. the people may want to see more medical records, but the clinton campaign just sees right-wing conspiracy. a campaign spokeswoman blamed the health controversy on roger stone, a longtime conservative policeal operative who had a formal role as a trump adviser until he was fired a year ago. still an unabashed supporter of trump, stone is still working to get him elected, say critics. <u+201c>donald trump is simply parroting lies based on fabricated documents promoted by roger stone and his right-wing allies," said campaign communications director jennifer palmieri. "hillary clinton has released a detailed medical record showing her to be in excellent health plus her personal tax returns since 1977, while trump has failed to provide the public with the most basic financial information disclosed by every major candidate in the last 40 years.<u+201d> requests for comment from the clinton and trump campaigns were not answered. bardack<u+2019>s office declined to comment. <u+201c>i think the questions being raised are legitimate given that it impacts who leads our nation," said dr. jan orient, executive director of the association of american physicians and surgeons. "as a physician, you cannot help but to ask questions. but given that our information is limited, it would be wrong for any physician to diagnose someone without seeing them themselves.<u+201d> orient said she has received both positive and negative responses to her recent column on the association<u+2019>s blog which asked whether clinton is <u+201c>medically unfit<u+201d> to serve as president. television personality dr. drew pinsky told kabc radio this week that he was concerned about the <u+201c>1950s level of care<u+201d> that clinton was receiving and not as much about her actual health. <u+201c>it just seems like she<u+2019>s getting care from somebody that she met in arkansas<u+00a0>when she was a kid,<u+201d> he added. while agreeing that a candidate<u+2019>s health is a serious issue for voters to consider, one trump advisor warned against either side diagnosing the physical or mental health of the candidates. <u+201c>i would be very cautious and would recommend the doctors for professional reasons to be very cautious when deciding you are going to analyze people,<u+201d> said former speaker of the house newt gingrich on fox & friends.

clinton's health continues to spur controversy and conspiracy

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washington (cnn) texas sen. ted cruz is standing his ground in his belief that allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice "opens the door for predators," dismissing criticism from caitlyn jenner, who mocked him over the issue last week. "this is not a matter of right or left, or democrat or republican. this is common sense. it doesn't make sense for grown adult men, strangers, to be alone in a restroom with a little girl," cruz told cnn's jake tapper on "state of the union." "this is the height of political correctness," cruz continued. "and frankly, the concern is not of the caitlyn jenners of the world, but if the law is such that any man, if he feels like it, can go in a woman's restroom and you can't ask him to leave, that opens the door for predators." jenner, a reality tv star and activist for transgender causes, posted a video to facebook on wednesday knocking cruz for his support of a controversial north carolina law that requires people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their "biological sex" stated on their birth certificate, rather than how they self-identify. after using a women's bathroom in the trump international hotel and tower in new york city -- following a recent comment by trump in which he said jenner could use whichever bathroom she wanted at the tower -- jenner, a republican, quipped: "by the way, ted, nobody got molested." "i've spent a lot of years in law enforcement dealing with child predators that are sick individuals," cruz told tapper. "that doesn't mean that that is the people who are transgendered. but there are predators in the world, and just saying that you're a man, you can go in the girls' restroom if you feel like it, opens the door for criminals." "this is the height of political correctness for donald trump to say yes, let grown men in the bathroom with little girls," he said. cruz told tapper that fiorina's words owed to her being a tough competitor. "she was a competitor in this primary. she was a fierce competitor in a primary people take shots at each other. that's part of the process," cruz said. "you know, we all remember when ronald reagan picked george herbert walker bush as his vice president and they had to explain why bush had called reaganomics 'voodoo economics.' listen, that happens when you come through a primary and you unite." cruz added: "i can tell you carly and i have spent weeks and weeks and weeks together on the road barnstorming the state of indiana, barnstorming the country, and i have gotten to know and respect carly. she's an extraordinary leader." boehner 'let out his inner trump' asked about the criticism, cruz shrugged it off. "i think boehner kinda let out his inner trump, and he had some colorful imagery there. but it's interesting, when boehner was attacking me, he praised hillary clinton. he thinks she's terrific, and he praised donald trump. he said donald is his friend, his golfing buddy, his texting buddy," cruz said. "and there's a reason -- if you like, if you want to see the next president as a boehner republican, then donald trump is your man." so why does boehner dislike cruz? "if you look at hillary clinton and donald trump and john boehner, they're all part of the same corrupt washington system where the rich get richer (and) the powerful and the lobbyists use government power for personal benefit," cruz said. 'behind the donald trump mask is hillary clinton' "you know who i feel the worst for? i feel the worst for donald's supporters who believe his role," cruz said. "but every day, if he gets closer to the nomination, he starts taking his mask off, and behind the donald trump mask is hillary clinton." "that is quite an image," tapper said.

cruz takes on caitlyn jenner over transgender fight

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an intense search continued thursday in the mediterranean sea off greece for wreckage of an egyptair flight that went down earlier in the day with 66 people on board, as multiple u.s. officials told fox news that no explosion was detected by infrared satellites in the vicinity of the crash area. there were conflicting reports throughout the day as to if any debris from the plane was spotted by search crews. officials from egyptair initially said debris from the plane was found off the greek island of karpathos. athanassios binis, head of greece's air accident investigation and aviation safety board, later told state ert tv that "an assessment of the finds showed that they do not belong to an aircraft," the associated press reported. binis added that this has been confirmed by egyptian authorities. later in the day, ahmed adel, vice president of egyptair, told cnn the debris found thursday was not from flight 804. "we stand corrected on finding the wreckage because what we found was not parts of our plane," he said. adel added the search for wreckage will continue on friday. several u.s. officials told fox news that spy satellites used to detect missile launches and explosions around the world did not detect an explosion in the area where the egyptair flight crashed. cairo-bound egyptair flight 804 dropped from the sky hours after departing from paris. the plane banked and spun sharply before plunging less than an hour before it was due to land in cairo at 3:15 a.m. local time, according to aviation officials. authorities have said terrorism was a more likely cause of the crash than technical failure. greek military officials said a greek c-130 military transport plane is still participating in the search for debris from the egyptair jet, but a frigate initially sent to the area has been recalled. a greek military official told the associated press planes had earlier spotted debris 230 miles south-southeast of the island of crete but still within the egyptian air traffic control area. two other floating objects, colored white and red, were spotted in the same area, greek defense sources told reuters. speaking from cairo, egyptian minister of aviation sherif fathy said the airbus 320, which left charles de gaulle airport at 11:09 p.m. local time wednesday and was due in cairo at 3:15 a.m., "vanished." "i'm not excluding any theory," said fathy, who responded to a reporter<u+2019>s question by saying that the possibility of a terror attack as the cause of the crash is "stronger" than technical failure. greek officials say the plane banked and spun sharply just before dropping. "the plane carried out a 90-degree turn to the left and a 360-degree turn to the right, falling from 37,000 to 15,000 feet and the signal was lost at around 10,000 feet," greece<u+2019>s defense minister panos kammenos told a news conference thursday. greek air traffic controllers tried to make contact as the plane left greek airspace, but the pilot did not respond, he said. they continued to try to reach the pilot until 2:29 a.m. cairo time, when the plane disappeared from the radar 7 miles southeast of the island of crete. what is unknown about the plane's final moments in the air could be consistent with terrorism, david learmount, a leading british air analyst, told fox news. "all this says is that the plane was destabilized . . . it doesn't say why," learmount said. learmount said it is possible that a bomb or someone with a gun or knife entering the cockpit could de-stabilize a plane, but also pointed out that a mechanical or technical defect, as well as human error, could also de-stabilize the aircraft. congressman michael mccaul, r-texas, chairman of the house homeland security committee, told reporters thursday he spoke with the head of the transportation security administration. mccaul added that there are indicators of an event similar to that in october when a russian passenger plane was blown out of the sky over the sinai peninsula using a timed bomb. sen. diane feinstein, top democrat on the senate intelligence committee, told reporters thursday she hasn't been briefed on the egyptair crash but that there was "strong probability that the plane went down with an act of terror." flight 804 was carrying 56 passengers, including one child and two babies, three security staff and seven crew members, officials said. fathy said identities would not be released until relatives could be contacted, but described those on board as including 15 french passengers, 30 egyptians, one briton, two iraqis, one kuwaiti, one saudi, one sudanese, one chadian, one portuguese, one algerian and one canadian. among passengers on missing egyptair flight 804 was a student training at a french military school who was heading to his family home in chad to mourn his mother. the protocol officer for chad's embassy in paris, muhammed allamine, said the man "was going to give condolences to his family." allamine said the man, who wasn't identified, was a student at france's prestigious saint-cyr army academy. another passenger on the flight was an egyptian man returning home after medical treatment in france, according to two shocked friends who turned up at paris' charles de gaulle airport. "it breaks my heart," said one friend, madji samaan. kuwait's foreign ministry identified a kuwaiti feared dead in the crash as abdulmohsen al-muteiri, but offered no other details. in paris, relatives started arriving at de gaulle airport outside the french capital.a man and a woman, identified by airport staff as relatives of passengers, sat at an information desk near the egyptair counter. the woman sobbed, holding her face in a handkerchief. the pair were led away by police. officials offered conflicting reports of an emergency beacon being picked up two hours after the plane had dropped off from radar. the egyptian military said that no such distress call was received, but didn<u+2019>t specify whether they were confirming an initial report or dismissing an egyptair statement. defense officials told fox news thursday that the u.s. navy is flying p-3 reconnaissance aircraft to assist in the search effort. another u.s. government official said homeland security secretary jeh johnson has been briefed at least twice on the missing plane, and that at this early stage, everything is on the table as the government is <u+201c>tied in tight<u+201d> with french and egyptian investigators. the white house also said in a statement that president obama has been briefed on the crash. greece's defense minister, panos kammenos, said greece has a submarine on standby which is participating in a nato exercise about 100 miles away from the presumed crash area, while f-16 fighter jets stationed on crete could also be used if necessary. the country already has a navy frigate, two military transport planes and a radar plane participating in the search operation, while he said egypt had sent a c-130 military transport plane and two f-16s. hollande and french foreign minister jean-marc ayrault offered to send military planes and boats to join the search for wreckage. "we are at the disposition of the egyptian authorities with our military capacities, with our planes, our boats to help in the search for this plane," ayrault said. he spoke as hollande held an emergency meeting at the elysee palace. later, the french military said a falcon surveillance jet monitoring the mediterranean for migrants had been diverted to help search for the egyptair plane. military spokesman col. gilles jaron told the associated press that the jet is joining the egypt-led search effort, and the french navy may send another plane and a ship to the zone. hours after the plane disappeared on thursday, fathy told reporters in cairo that the diameter of the search area will widen, moving further south of the island of karpathos. hollande spoke with egyptian president abdel-fattah el-sissi on the phone earlier thursday and agreed to "closely cooperate to establish as soon as possible the circumstances" in which the egyptair flight disappeared, according to a statement issued in paris. in cairo, el-sissi convened an emergency meeting of the national security council, the country's highest security body. the council includes the prime minister and the defense, foreign and interior ministers, in addition to the chiefs of the intelligence agencies. the airbus a320 is a widely used twin-engine, single-aisle plane that operates on short and medium-haul routes. nearly 4,000 a320s are currently in use around the world. the versions egyptair operates are equipped to carry 145 passengers. the french prosecutor<u+2019>s office said they will launch an investigation into the egyptair crash. the country remains under a state of emergency after terror attacks by the islamic state killed 130 people in november. the associated press reported that around 15 family members of passengers on board the missing flight had arrived at cairo airport thursday morning. airport authorities brought doctors to the scene after several distressed family members collapsed. the incident renewed security concerns months after a russian passenger plane was blown out of the sky over the sinai peninsula. the russian plane crashed in sinai on oct. 31, killing all 224 people on board. moscow said it was brought down by an explosive device, and a local branch of isis has claimed responsibility for planting it. in 1999, egyptair flight 1990 crashed into the atlantic ocean near the massachusetts island of nantucket, killing all 217 people aboard. u.s. investigators filed a final report that concluded its co-pilot switched off the autopilot and pointed the boeing 767 downward. but egyptian officials rejected the notion of suicide altogether, insisting some mechanical reason caused the crash. in march, an egyptair plane was hijacked and diverted to cyprus. a man who admitted to the hijacking and was described by cypriot authorities as "psychologically unstable" is in custody. fox news' greg palkot, lucas tomlinson, catherine herridge and the associated press contributed to this report

search continues for wreckage from egyptair flight as officials probe links to terror

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republican presidential candidate john kasich reaffirmed his call for<u+00a0>a path to legal status for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the u.s., as well as a guest worker program to meet the needs of the labor market. on cnn<u+2019>s <u+201c>state of the union<u+201d> show on sunday morning, the ohio governor seemed to disavow his previous support for eliminating <u+201c>birthright citizenship,<u+201d> the law granting automatic u.s. citizenship to almost all children born on u.s. soil. <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t think we need to go there,<u+201d> he said.

kasich affirms path to legal status for undocumented immigrants

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the islamic state (is) group claimed to have carried out a deadly suicide attack in eastern afghanistan saturday that killed at least 33 people and injured more than 100, afghan president ashraf ghani said, in what, if verified, would be the first major attack claimed by the jihadist group in the country. "who claimed responsibility for horrific attack in nangarhar today? the taliban did not claim responsibility for the attack, daesh (is) claimed responsibility for the attack," president ghani said on a visit to northeastern badakhshan province. a person purporting to be an is spokesman said in a call to afp that the group claimed responsibility for the bombing outside a bank in the eastern afghan city of jalalabad. an online posting allegedly from the group made the same claim, which could not be immediately verified. "thirty-three dead bodies and more than 100 wounded were brought to the hospital," dr najeebullah kamawal, head of the provincial hospital, told afp. ahmad zia abdulzai, a provincial government spokesman, confirmed the attack -- the deadliest since november. "the explosion happened outside the bank when government employees and civilians were collecting their monthly salaries," he told afp. the un gave a higher toll, saying 35 people had been killed. president ghani strongly condemned the attack, which saw children among those killed, his office said in a statement. "carrying out terrorist attacks in cities and public places are the most cowardly acts of terror by terrorists targeting innocent civilians," president ghani said. the scene of the attack showed the gruesome scale of the carnage with people lying in pools of blood and body parts scattered across the ground. the bombing comes as afghanistan braces for what is expected to be a bloody push by the taliban at the start of the fighting season. the militants have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets since washington backpedalled on plans to shrink the us force in afghanistan this year by nearly half. the taliban have seen defections to is in recent months, with some insurgents voicing their disaffection with their one-eyed supreme leader mullah omar, who has not been seen since the 2001 us-led invasion of afghanistan. the afghan government has also raised the ominous prospect of is making inroads into the country, though the group that has captured swathes of territory in syria and iraq has never formally acknowledged having a presence in afghanistan.

isis claims responsibility for deadly bombing in afghanistan

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hillary clinton faces the last major contest of the primary campaign on tuesday having already been declared the democratic presidential nominee, making her the first woman in history to lead a major party bid for the white house. the declaration that clinton had won the support of the 2,383 delegates needed to clinch the nomination came from the associated press late on monday, before voting was due to commence in primaries in california and five other states. the legitimacy of ap<u+2019>s declaration, which was announced 24 hours earlier than her campaign expected, was immediately called into question by clinton<u+2019>s rival, bernie sanders. the vermont senator<u+2019>s campaign issued a defiant statement that condemned the media<u+2019>s <u+201c>rush to judgment<u+201d> and signalled that the vermont senator was willing, if possible, to contest the nomination at the democratic national convention in july. however, as voters headed to the polls in california, new jersey, montana, north dakota, south dakota and new mexico, it was clear that the mathematics were squarely on the side of the former secretary of state. the unexpected and somewhat anti-climactic twist in the race appeared to surprise the clinton campaign, which has not altered its plan and is waiting until voting concludes on tuesday before declaring her the democratic nominee-in-waiting at a victory party in new york. clinton made reference to the ap declaration during a campaign event in long beach, california, on monday night. <u+201c>i got to tell you, according to the news, we are on the brink of a historic, historic, unprecedented moment, but we still have work to do, don<u+2019>t we?<u+201d> she said. on tuesday clinton secured the endorsement of house democratic leader nancy pelosi of california and, according to us media reports, aides to barack obama are in discussion with her campaign with a view to the president formally backing her soon. he is understood to have called sanders on sunday to inform him. obama remained on the fence on tuesday. josh earnest, the white house press secretary, said: <u+201c>there is at least one superdelegate <u+2013> the one who works in the oval office <u+2013> who is not prepared to make a public declaration about his endorsement at this point, but stay tuned and we<u+2019>ll keep you updated.<u+201d> clinton<u+2019>s candidacy, years in the making, will cap a long and bruising campaign against sanders, a self-described socialist who has electrified the progressive wing of the democratic party and pulled its frontrunner to the left. her graduation to presumptive nominee will also mark the start of a momentous general election campaign against the republican nominee, donald trump. clinton gave a foretaste of the type of campaign she plans to wage against the real estate mogul last week when she used a speech in san diego to brand her adversary too dangerous and unstable to be entrusted with nuclear codes and warning of economic crisis if he were to reach the white house. <u+201c>donald trump<u+2019>s ideas aren<u+2019>t just different, they<u+2019>re dangerously incoherent. they<u+2019>re not even really ideas, just a series of bizarre rants, personal feuds and outright lies,<u+201d> she said in that speech, widely agreed to be one of her best of the campaign. <u+201c>he is not just unprepared. he is temperamentally unfit to hold an office that requires knowledge, stability and immense responsibility.<u+201d> at a fundraising concert in los angeles on monday where celebrity supporters included stevie wonder, ricky martin, cher, magic johnson and christina aguilera, clinton told the crowd: <u+201c>we<u+2019>re going to come out of the primary even stronger to take on donald trump. enough with the fear, enough with the anger, enough with the bigotry, enough with the bullying!<u+201d> her supporters argue she has unparalleled qualifications for the job after a lifetime in public service in which she has served as first lady, new york senator and secretary of state under barack obama. the us president, who defeated clinton<u+2019>s first bid for the democratic nomination in 2008, is widely expected to endorse clinton in the coming days. the sense that the nomination was within clinton<u+2019>s grasp had been growing in recent days and the candidate has been looking increasingly relaxed and confident on the campaign trail. earlier on monday, in an exchange with reporters in compton, clinton made clear she believed sanders should withdraw from the race after tuesday<u+2019>s vote, pointing out it would be <u+201c>eight years to the day<u+201d> since she withdrew and endorsed then-senator obama. unusually for clinton, who has carefully avoided appearing to take the nomination for granted, she also conceded she was <u+201c>very touched<u+201d> by the belief among her supporters that she was on the verge of making history. <u+201c>my supporters are passionate. they are committed. they have voted for me in great numbers across our country for many reasons,<u+201d> she said. <u+201c>but among those reasons is their belief that having a woman president will make a great statement, a historic statement about what kind of country we are, what we stand for. it<u+2019>s really emotional.<u+201d> however, clinton<u+2019>s readiness for the looming general election battle still rests, in part, on the outcome of tuesday<u+2019>s primary in california, a large and diverse state that she had been expected to win easily until just a few weeks ago. clinton and her husband, former president bill clinton, have campaigned tirelessly in the state in recent days after polls showed her formidable lead in the polls shrink in the face of a stiff challenge from sanders. the senator had hoped to use an upset in california to shift momentum in the race and convince superdelegates to switch sides. conversely, a defeat for sanders in california, which could potentially mean his rival amounting sufficient pledged delegates to seal the nomination without the help of superdelegates, would fundamentally undermine his case for remaining in the race until july. appearing before thousands of supporters in front of a fog-shrouded golden gate bridge late on monday, sanders implored supporters to turn out for a contest he described as <u+201c>the most important primary that we<u+2019>ve had in the entire democratic nomination process<u+201d>. he repeated his argument that he is consistently performing better against trump in the polls than clinton and stands a better chance of keeping him out of the white house. the senator made no mention of the reports declaring clinton the nominee, but the news had by then percolated through the crowd. some supporters began trickling out of the rally before it had concluded while others sniped at reporters over what they complained was biased media coverage and a premature and undemocratic declaration of clinton as the victor. ap said its announcement was based on <u+201c>a burst of last-minute support from superdelegates<u+201d> <u+2013> the party officials who get a vote at the national convention that is not bound by the results of elections. clinton appeared to be on the very cusp of amassing the number of delegates to win the nomination after convincing wins in the us virgin islands and puerto rico by the end of the weekend. by then clinton had 1,812 pledged delegates, compared with sanders<u+2019> 1,521. when those were added to her overwhelming support from superdelegates the frontrunner appeared to be just shy of the target. but the declaration, by ap<u+2019>s count, that clinton had actually met the target appeared to catch both campaigns off guard, upending carefully choreographed plans to react to a denouement not expected until tuesday. sanders<u+2019> spokesman, michael briggs, immediately released a statement accusing the media of <u+201c>ignoring the democratic national committee<u+2019>s clear statement that it is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer<u+201d>. <u+201c>secretary clinton does not have and will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to secure the nomination,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>she will be dependent on superdelegates who do not vote until 25 july and who can change their minds between now and then.<u+201d> even clinton<u+2019>s campaign appeared to believe the declaration was premature. <u+201c>we can<u+2019>t say the primary is over,<u+201d> bill clinton told reporters at a rally in san francisco. <u+201c>let people vote. let them have their say.<u+201d> other clinton campaign officials indicated that, while the news reports were welcome, they did not plan to declare victory in the overall race until tuesday. clinton spoke only briefly at the concert-rally in hollywood. <u+201c>it is not an overstatement for me to say that we have a really important election ahead of us now,<u+201d> she said, smiling broadly.

clinton clinches democratic nomination as sanders stays in race

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kiev, ukraine (ap) <u+2014> petro poroshenko took the oath of office as ukraine's president saturday, calling on armed groups to lay down their weapons as he assumed leadership of a country mired in a violent uprising and economic troubles. in his inaugural address to the verkhovna rada, the country's parliament, poroshenko promised amnesty "for those who do not have blood on their hands." that appeared to apply both to separatist, pro-russia insurgents in the country's east and to nationalist groups that oppose them. poroshenko also promised dialogue with citizens in the eastern regions, but excluded the insurgents. "talking to gangsters and killers is not our avenue," he said, according to a translator. he also called for early regional elections in the east. he assumed power a day after meeting russian president vladimir putin at d-day commemoration ceremonies in france. despite the outreach to putin, poroshenko said he will not accept russia's annexation of crimea. "crimea is, was and will be ukrainian. there will be no trade-off," poroshenko said. russia annexed the territory in march after its troops took control of the black sea peninsula and crimea held a secession referendum that kiev and western countries regard as illegitimate. poroshenko, who became a billionaire as a candy tycoon, was elected on may 25, three months after the pro-russian president viktor yanukovych fled the country in the wake of months of street protests. putin has denied allegations by kiev and the west that russia has fomented the rebellion in the east, and he insisted friday that poroshenko needs to speak directly to representatives from the east. copyright 2014 the associated press. all rights reserved. this material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

poroshenko sworn in as ukraine's president

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hillary rodham clinton<u+2019>s attorney has agreed to provide the fbi with the private server that housed her e-mail during her four years as secretary of state, clinton<u+2019>s presidential campaign said tuesday. her attorney also has agreed to give agents a thumb drive containing copies of thousands of e-mails that clinton had previously turned over to the state department. the fbi has been looking into the security of clinton<u+2019>s unusual private system, which has emerged as an issue in her campaign amid growing questions from republicans and some u.s. intelligence officials about whether government secrets might have been put at risk. the development in the fbi inquiry came the same day that a top intelligence official whose office has been reviewing some of clinton<u+2019>s e-mails informed congressional leaders that top-secret information had been contained in two e-mails that traveled across the server. the finding, contained in a letter sent to leaders of key oversight committees, marked the first indication from government officials that information regarded as top secret <u+2014> the government<u+2019>s highest category of security designation <u+2014> may have passed across clinton<u+2019>s server while she led the state department. a state department spokesman late tuesday described the top-secret designation as a recommendation and said they had not been marked classified at the time, but said staffers <u+201c>circulated these e-mails on unclassified systems in 2009 and 2011 and ultimately some were forwarded to secretary clinton.<u+201d> nick merrill, a clinton spokesman, said tuesday night that clinton is cooperating with the fbi probe. he declined to say whether the fbi ordered that she turn over the devices and when her attorney, david kendall, had done so. <u+201c>she directed her team to give her e-mail server that was used during her tenure as secretary to the department of justice, as well as a thumb drive containing copies of her e-mails already provided to the state department,<u+201d> merrill said. <u+201c>she pledged to cooperate with the government<u+2019>s security inquiry, and if there are more questions, we will continue to address them.<u+201d> the inquiry by the fbi is considered preliminary and appears to be focused on ensuring the proper handling of classified material. officials have said that clinton, the democratic presidential front-runner, is not a target. the fbi<u+2019>s efforts have included contacting the denver-based technology firm that helped manage the clintons<u+2019> unusual private <u+00ad>e-mail system. clinton has resisted relinquishing control of the server. in march, she said the server contained <u+201c>personal communications from my husband and me.<u+201d> <u+201c>i believe i have met all of my responsibilities, and the server will remain private,<u+201d> she said then, in response to a question from a reporter about whether she would allow an independent party to examine the device clinton turned over more than 30,000 e-mails from the account to the state department in december, and the agency is vetting those messages for release to the public. she has said that she deemed an additional 32,000 <u+00ad>e-mails to be personal and chose not to keep them. kendall told a congressional oversight committee in a letter that there was <u+201c>no basis<u+201d> to support a third-party examination of the server. he indicated that he had confirmed with it staffers that no e-mail sent or received by clinton<u+2019>s account while she was secretary of state remained on the server or backup systems associated with the system. <u+201c>thus, there are no [email protected] emails from secretary of state clinton<u+2019>s tenure on the server for any review, even if such a review were appropriate or legally authorized,<u+201d> he wrote. meanwhile tuesday, 17 house and senate members from both parties were informed about the presence of <u+201c>top secret<u+201d> information on the clinton e-mail system in a letter from the inspector general for the intelligence community, i. charles mccullough iii. the letter was first reported tuesday by the mcclatchy news service. much of the classified information in the e-mail conversations originated with the cia, according to two government officials familiar with the records. some of the information was deemed to be classified by the national geospatial-intelligence agency<u+2019>s classification guidelines. the information included references to information related to satellite images and electronic communications, according to the officials. the findings by mccullough stemmed from his office<u+2019>s review of a sample of 40 of clinton<u+2019>s <u+00ad>e-mails. previously, he had said that the sample included four classified e-mails, but on tuesday he adjusted his assessment <u+2014> saying that intelligence agencies deemed two of those e-mails to have contained top-secret information. mccullough has asked for access to all of the e-mails to conduct a more thorough review but was denied by state department officials in july. last week, state department spokesman john kirby said that while the agency was working to <u+201c>resolve whether, in fact, this material is actually classified, we are taking steps to ensure the information is protected and stored appropriately.<u+201d> mccullough also located two e-mails that included classified material from among a separate batch of 296 related to the 2012 attacks on u.s. outposts in benghazi. one of those e-mails had been publicly released by the state department, causing consternation within the intelligence community. he has also located one additional e-mail in the sample of 40 that was classified at the time it was sent but has since been declassified, suggesting that there is no longer a reason to protect the information or that it has since become public, two people familiar with the finding said. mccullough also told lawmakers that his reviewers found two e-mails they believe contain information that the state department considers classified, and they have alerted the agency so it can conduct its own review. all told, mccullough has pointed to seven e-mails that he said contained classified information, including two with top-secret material. his findings appear to contradict clinton<u+2019>s earlier comments. <u+201c>i am confident that i never sent or received any information that was classified at the time it was sent and received,<u+201d> she told reporters last month in iowa. clinton said she had <u+201c>no idea<u+201d> which e-mails have caught mccullough<u+2019>s attention.

hillary clinton agrees to provide private e-mail server to fbi

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"i can guarantee that," obama answered when asked by fox news' chris wallace if he would direct the justice department to treat clinton as the evidence shows. "that is institutionally how we have always operated: i do not talk to the attorney general about pending investigations. i do not talk to fbi directors about pending investigations. we have a strict line," he said. wallace asked obama if he can still stand by his previous claims that the emails did not jeopardize national security. "i continue to believe that she has not jeopardized america's national security," obama said. "now what i've also said ... there's a carelessness in terms of managing emails that she has owned and she recognizes. but i also think it is important to keep this in perspective." the president tried to distinguish between different levels of top secret -- or classified information -- as a means of defending clinton. "what i also know, because i handle a lot of classified information, is that there's classified, and then there's classified," he said. "there's stuff that is really top secret-top secret, and there's stuff that is being presented to the president or the secretary of state, that you might not want on the transom, or going out over the wire, but is basically stuff that you could get in open source." obama said his former secretary of state saying she would "never intentionally put america in any kind of jeopardy." "this is somebody whose served her country for four years as secretary of state, and did an outstanding job, and no one has suggested that in some ways as a consequence of how she's handled emails that that detracted from her excellent ability to carry out her duties," he said. obama was also questioned by wallace on criticism to his personal responses to terrorist attacks, citing the president calling the november terrorist attacks in paris "a setback." "there isn't a president who's taken more terrorists off the field then me over the last seven and half years," obama said, defending himself. "i'm the guy who calls the families or meets with them or hugs them or tries to comfort a mom or a dad or a husband or a kid after a terrorist attack. so let's be very clear how much i prioritize this. this is my no. 1 job and we have been doing it effectively," he said.

obama 'guarantees' he will not interfere with clinton email investigation

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kentucky sen. rand paul suspended his republican presidential campaign on wednesday, after finishing fifth in the leadoff iowa caucuses. though paul actually exceeded expectations in the iowa contest, fox news is told he did not believe his campaign had the momentum to build upon going into the new hampshire primary next week. the libertarian-leaning senator made the decision official in a brief statement. <u+201c>across the country thousands upon thousands of young people flocked to our message of limited government, privacy, criminal justice reform and a reasonable foreign policy. brushfires of liberty were ignited, and those will carry on, as will i,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>although, today i will suspend my campaign for president, the fight is far from over. i will continue to carry the torch for liberty in the united states senate and i look forward to earning the privilege to represent the people of kentucky for another term." paul, who was often at odds with other republican candidates on issues like national security and surveillance, struggled to attract the loyal and enthusiastic following that buoyed his father ron paul<u+2019>s past presidential bids. he was seen as having a strong debate performance in des moines last week, perhaps contributing to his respectable finish on monday -- but was looking at dim chances next week in new hampshire, where several other candidates are polling stronger. paul, in opting not to continue his presidential bid, can now concentrate on his senate re-election campaign. paul follows former arkansas gov. mike huckabee in dropping out of the republican primary battle after iowa<u+2019>s caucuses.

kentucky sen. rand paul suspends presidential campaign

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washington <u+2014> house speaker john boehner said wednesday that senate democrats should "get off their ass" and stop blocking a $40 billion homeland security bill that would derail president obama's immigration programs. boehner's comments came a day after senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, r-ky., said the senate has reached a stalemate and "the next move obviously is up to the house." senate democrats voted three times last week to block the dhs funding bill from moving forward. they object to house-passed provisions that would cut off all funds to carry out obama's executive orders on immigration. the two republican leaders seem to be each placing responsibility on the other chamber for what happens next on the funding bill. unless congress acts, funding for the department of homeland security will expire on feb. 27 and the agency will face a partial shutdown. boehner said the house will not take up a revised bill despite the senate impasse. "the house has done its job," boehner, r-ohio, said at a news conference after meeting with house republicans. "why don't you go ask the senate democrats when they're going to get off their ass and do something other than to vote 'no'?" obama announced in november that he would protect about 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and allow them to work legally in the u.s. his program would help the undocumented parents of u.s. citizens. it also would expand his 2012 deferred action for childhood arrivals (daca) program, which gives temporary legal status and work permits to undocumented immigrants brought to the usa as children. the house-passed bill would cut off all funding for the 2012 daca program as well as blocking funds for obama's latest immigration orders. senate democrats say they will only support the dhs funding bill if the immigration provisions are scrapped. "if congress wants stronger border security and immigration enforcement, a clean funding bill for dhs is what we should be rallying around," said sen. tom carper, d-del., the senior democrat on the senate homeland security committee. "i hope that congress can come together to do the right thing <u+2014> support the passage of a clean, full-year appropriation for the department of homeland security by feb. 27 <u+2014> and then get to work to pass a thoughtful, comprehensive immigration reform bill." republicans see obama's immigration orders as an unconstitutional power grab and view the dhs funding bill as the best leverage they have to stop them. but senate republicans, who have a 54-vote majority, need 60 votes to advance the dhs funding bill and they have been unable to attract any democrats to their side. boehner and mcconnell have both said they don't want a shutdown of homeland security, but their options are running out. there has been talk in both chambers of the possibility of passing a continuing resolution that would keep dhs open and funded at 2014 levels. homeland security secretary jeh johnson has spoken out against that option because it would not allow dhs to hire new secret service agents, buy new surveillance equipment for the southwest border or send certain security grants to states and local governments.

boehner: democrats must 'get off their ass' on dhs bill

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one baltimore police officer was charged friday with murder, three with manslaughter and two with assault in the death of freddie gray, who a prosecutor said suffered a broken neck last month when he was left shackled at the feet and lying face down in a police van by officers who ignored his pleas as they made their rounds. the death of gray, 25, on april 19 of injuries suffered a week earlier touched off peaceful protests that degenerated into a night of rioting, looting and chaos monday. on friday, a crowd gathered around state's attorney for baltimore marilyn mosby cheered as she said the police involved would be brought to justice in the incident. mosby said the police had no basis for arresting gray, and described a harrowing ride in a van driven by police officer caesar goodson, 45, who was charged with the most serious crimes, including second-degree murder. "no one is above the law," declared mosby, who said she comes from five generations of law enforcement and has been on the job for four months. her husband is baltimore city councilman nick mosby, who has spoken out about the riots and anger in the city's african-american community. at a late afternoon press conference friday, a man named richard who said he was "one of freddie's two fathers" said the family was "satisfied with today's charges." he then appealed for peace, saying, "without justice there is no peace but let us have peace in the pursuit of justice." all six officers were reported in custody by friday afternoon. before the charges were announced, the baltimore police union president told mosby in a letter that none of the six officers were responsible for gray's death. "not one of the officers involved in this tragic situation left home in the morning with the anticipation that someone with whom they interacted would not go home that night," the letter states. "as tragic as this situation is, none of the officers involved are responsible for the death of mr. gray." the union requested a special prosecutor in the case, saying mosby had conflicts of interest including a friendship with the gray family's lawyer, billy murphy, who contributed to her campaign. murphy was among mosby's biggest campaign contributors last year, donating the maximum individual amount allowed, $4,000, in june. murphy also served on mosby's transition team after the election. gray suffered a broken neck, apparently while riding in the back of the baltimore police van. while mosby said friday the medical examiner had ruled the death a homicide, police sources have said his injuries may have been caused by his head hitting a bolt inside the vehicle, according to local reports. the officers and charges in the case include: - goodson was charged with second-degree depraved-heart murder, involuntary manslaughter, second-degree negligent assault, as well as other charges including failure to render aid and misconduct in office. - police officer william porter, 25, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault and misconduct in office. - police lt. brian rice, 41, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree assault. - police officer alicia white, 30, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, second degree assault and misconduct in office. - police officers edward nero, 29, and garrett miller, 26, were charged with multiple counts of assault, false imprisonment and misconduct in office. five of the six officers charged were in custody friday afternoon, according to baltimore mayor stephanie ralwings-blake. the officers facing felony charges have been suspended without pay. mosby said her office<u+2019>s police integrity unit began investigating the case the day after gray<u+2019>s arrest and interviewed dozens of witnesses and reviewed video, police statements and medical records as well as canvassed "the community and the family of mr. gray." she said her probe found the police officers, part of a bike patrol led by rice, made eye contact with gray, who has a rap sheet that includes several drug arrests. gray ran from police, prompting the officers to chase after him, mosby said. gray surrendered a short time later and was handcuffed with his arms behind his back, she said. "it was at this time that mr. gray indicated that he could not breathe and requested an inhaler, to no avail," said mosby, who also said the knife gray was carrying clipped to the inside of his pants was not a switchblade and was not illegal. police held gray on the sidewalk until goodson arrived driving the van, mosby said. goodson, rice, nero and miller loaded him into the van, she said, but did not secure him with a seatbelt, a policy that had been put in place department wide nine days earlier. moments later, rice ordered goodson to pull over and the officers took gray back out of the van. the shackled gray's legs, filled out paperwork and put him back in, placing him on his stomach on the floor of the vehicle, mosby said. it was after that, she said, that gray suffered his injuries. mosby said gray was injured "as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside" the wagon. mosby said the police stopped at least one more time to observe gray, but did not immediately request medical assistance for him despite his pleas. she said goodson drove the vehicle to pick up another arrested suspect blocks away, rather than taking gray immediately for medical help. white, who had been sent to investigate citizens' complaints about gray's initial arrest, looked in on him as he lay face down in the back of the van, mosby said, but did nothing to help him. "she made no effort to look or assess or determine his condition," mosby charged. by the time the van arrived at the police station, according to mosby, gray was not breathing and had gone into cardiac arrest. he was then rushed to a trauma center run by the university of maryland where he underwent surgery and later died, she said. gray died a week later, on april 19. until friday's news conference few details about the investigation had been publicly released and most of what was known came from local reports citing unnamed sources. an explosive report wednesday night in the washington post cited a fellow passenger's account in a police affidavit that said gray was thrashing around in an effort to injure himself, although that witness went on the city's cbs affiliate to say his words were taken out of context and that he now fears for his life after his statement was used to bolster the police version of events. "when i was in the back of that van it did not stop or nothing," danta allen, who had been arrested for allegedly stealing a cigarette, told wjz. "all it did was go straight to the station, but i heard a little banging, like he was banging his head," allen said. "i didn<u+2019>t even know he was in the van until we got to the station." gray's lawyer has said his spine was nearly severed, but results of an autopsy, like the police report, remained under wraps. that has fueled frustration and suspicion in the community, where peaceful protests devolved into rioting and looting, culminating in a night of chaos on monday. the gray family's lawyers said they want the process to play out, and urged calm. "this family wants justice, and they want justice that comes at the right time and not too soon," attorney hassan murphy said wednesday. meanwhile, protesters over gray<u+2019>s death continue to spread across the nation. aside from gatherings in baltimore, demonstrations spread to philadelphia and new york thursday. philly.com reports philadelphia police made three or four arrests after hundreds of protesters marched through the city to show support for gray. more demonstrations are planned through the weekend. the associated press contributed to this report

baltimore prosecutor charges police with murder, manslaughter in death of freddie gray

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as the polls tighten in the last few days of the presidential election campaign, it<u+2019>s interesting to see the reluctant gop establishment start scurrying back into donald trump<u+2019>s fold. apparently, prominent republicans are all making the bet that that the party<u+2019>s nominee will at least come close enough to make it necessary to back him, lest they be blamed for his failure. the most famous of those who<u+00a0>have re-endorsed trump after walking away when he was cratering is jason chaffetz, the<u+00a0>house oversight committee chair, who probably secretly hopes democrat presidential nominee hillary clinton will win (so he can run his endless witch hunts in front of the cameras) but felt it was necessary to back trump just in case. chaffetz is also likely to throw his hat into the ring for speaker if there<u+2019>s a rebellion against paul ryan which is a real possibility. sen. deb fischer of nebraska, rep. scott garrett of new jersey, rep. bradley byrne of alabama and sen. john thune of south dakota<u+00a0>have all come creeping<u+00a0>back to trump<u+00a0>after initially dropping their endorsements in the wake of the <u+201c>grab <u+2019>em by the pussy<u+201d> tape. even trump skeptic and beloved beltway conservative<u+00a0>hugh hewitt<u+00a0>has now decided to run with the pack. it<u+2019>s been a tough time for republican officials and elite conservative pundits, and that<u+2019>s understandable. they<u+2019>ve just discovered that their voters have a different interpretation of conservatism than they thought they did. the elites define reagan<u+2019>s famous <u+201c>three-legged stool<u+201d> of conservatism as <u+201c>economic conservatism,<u+201d> <u+201c>social conservatism<u+201d> and <u+201c>defense conservatism,<u+201d> which they would further describe as a belief in small government, family values and patriotism, all dressed up in fancy philosophical paeans to freedom, the founders and the<u+00a0>constitution. trump has shown that the base of the party also believes in those three pillars, but republicans<u+00a0>have stripped away the intellectual veneer that made them socially acceptable and laid bare that the three legs actually represent racism, sexism and nationalism. economic conservatism is simply a way to stop the federal government from spending money on <u+201c>the wrong people.<u+201d> social conservatism is simply a way to keep women in their place. and defense conservatism is a chauvinistic belief that america is for americans and foreigners had better watch their step. elites had always known that many republican voters held these views, but they thought that over time these ugly impulses would gradually fade away and become more ideologically abstract. infamous gop strategist lee atwater explained how he expected this to evolve: you start out in 1954 by saying, <u+201c>n***er, n***er, ni***er.<u+201d> by 1968 you can<u+2019>t say <u+201c>ni***er<u+201d> <u+2014> that hurts you. backfires. so you say stuff like forced busing, states<u+2019> rights and all that stuff. you<u+2019>re getting so abstract now [that] you<u+2019>re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you<u+2019>re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. and subconsciously maybe that is part of it. i<u+2019>m not saying that. but i<u+2019>m saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. the<u+00a0>republicans didn<u+2019>t do away with it. it just went underground. and all that coding and dog-whistling and abstraction was eventually seen as <u+201c>political correctness<u+201d> and their voters came to hate it. a new pew research center poll was released this week<u+00a0>showing that whatever hope the gop elders have that they can return to the previous status quo, where everyone pretends the party<u+2019>s base cares about tort reform and the capital gains tax, is not going to happen. the best they can say is that republicans are deeply divided. pew<u+00a0>states the following: about two-thirds (65%) of republican and republican-leaning voters think their party<u+2019>s presidential candidate does represent the core principles and positions the republican party should stand for while 31% think trump does not. among republican voters, conservatives are far more likely than moderate and liberal republicans to think of trump as representative of the republican party<u+2019>s principles. while three-quarters of conservative republican voters see trump as representative of what the party should stand for, only about half of moderate and liberal republicans (52%) say the same. that divide manifests itself in many different ways, with the people who didn<u+2019>t vote for trump<u+00a0>in the primaries showing a stronger dislike for the republican party as a whole. trump voters seem to like the party just fine now that trump has defined what it stands for. how this plays out after the election should be very interesting. obviously if trump wins, it will be a huge triumph and we<u+2019>ll likely see a quick consolidation under his leadership. but even if he loses, it won<u+2019>t be possible to put the genie back in the bottle, no matter how hard the <u+201c>never trump<u+201d> types try. trump had<u+00a0>only a couple of deeply held political beliefs that he brought with him into the campaign. he<u+2019>s long believed foreign countries are laughing at america and he wants to make them stop. and he has always wanted to let police take the gloves off and enforce law and order. everything else in his <u+201c>platform,<u+201d> from birtherism to the border wall and from <u+00a0>torture to terrorism, he got from conservative media. according to new york magazine<u+2019>s gabriel sherman, his earliest advisers going back to 2012 were the notorious trickster roger stone, who is steeped in wing-nut-ism, and right-wing lawyer sam nunberg: <u+201c>i listened to thousands of hours of talk radio, and he was getting reports from me,<u+201d> nunberg recalled. what those reports said was that the gop base was frothing over a handful of issues including immigration, obamacare, and common core. while jeb bush talked about crossing the border as an <u+201c>act of love,<u+201d> trump was thinking about how high to build his wall. now trump has breitbart<u+2019>s steve bannon in his ear with the alt-right agenda, much of which sounds familiar as well.<u+00a0> these ideas have all been swirling around right-wing media for years, while the political establishment was holding seminars on <u+201c>atlas shrugged<u+201d> and fetishizing the budget deficit. conservatism<u+00a0>is<u+00a0>trumpism <u+2014><u+00a0>and has been for a long time. so-called conservatives just weren<u+2019>t listening.

never trump? forget it <u+2014> prominent republicans come crawling back defeated

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moscow <u+2014> russia's capital city was reeling saturday after the shooting death of prominent opposition leader boris nemtsov just steps from the kremlin. "it's the end of an epoch, an abyss," said artyom faizulin, a member of the opposition progress party, standing near the spot where nemtsov was gunned down on moscow's moskvoretsky bridge, close to the kremlin towers. the site where nemtsov's body lay under a plastic sheet for almost two hours is now covered with flowers and candles brought by supporters in the freezing drizzle. "it's the start of a new, more somber picture of our history, and we will see more political killings," faizulin said. nemtsov, 55, a former first deputy prime minister, was shot and killed shortly before midnight friday by an unknown gunman who jumped from a white car, fired around seven shots then sped off. nemtsov, an outspoken critic of russian president vladimir putin, was set to appear at an opposition march scheduled sunday against russia's involvement in ukraine, where a separatist conflict between pro-russian rebels and ukrainian forces has left more than 5,000 dead since april. organizers canceled the march, instead planning a gathering sunday to mourn him. moscow, which annexed ukraine's crimea in march, has denied allegations that it is arming separatist rebels and sending troops to ukraine's east. nemtsov had been working on a report proving russia's involvement in the conflict. russian authorities reacted swiftly to the killing of nemtsov, a leader of the liberal parnas party who was once viewed as a potential handpicked successor to then-president boris yeltsin in 1999. putin condemned the shooting and took the investigation into the killing under his personal control saturday morning. his press secretary, dmitry peskov, called the incident a "provocation." by saturday afternoon, the investigative committee said in a statement that it was considering several motives for the crime, including "murder as a provocation to destabilize the political situation in the country." two other hypotheses being considered by the investigative committee link the fatal shooting to islamist extremists and to ukraine. some found it hard to believe the perpetrators are not connected to the government because the crime was committed so close to the kremlin. "this is a sacred place for (russian) history," said valery kachayev, an artist, who was paying respects saturday at the bridge where nemtsov died. "nothing like this has happened in russia's recent history. it's like the state secretary being assassinated on the white house lawn." colleagues were also skeptical about the official investigation. "i'm certain that sooner or later the people who killed him will be found, but i strongly doubt this will happen while the current regime is in power," said ilya yashin, one of the leaders of the parnas party. "while the investigation is being carried out under the current authorities, who considered nemtsov a personal enemy, there is little hope." the incident took place against a backdrop of unprecedented propaganda on russian state television and social networks in wake of the ukraine crisis, in which political critics are often termed "national traitors" and "fifth columnists." putin's popularity has skyrocketed following russia's annexation of crimea, despite the toll on the country's economy. a february poll by the levada center placed his approval rating at 86%, one point higher than in january. nemtsov had received anonymous threats in the past several weeks, yashin said. his death is "a result of what is happening in the country. that hatred that has been stoked by the government in recent months in many ways led to such a high-profile political murder being committed," yashin said. many of nemtsov's supporters who gathered on moskvoretsky bridge on saturday blamed the assassination of the outspoken politician on the kremlin, saying they feared the climate of fear in the country would get worse. "it's a move towards a new level of repression," kachayev said. "the regime has turned to political killings." others recalled the 1934 assassination of popular communist leader sergei kirov, which served as a pretext for the start of soviet leader joseph stalin's repressions against his former colleagues. some historians believe kirov's murder was the result of a kremlin attempt to remove a rival. independent political expert alexei makarkin said he believes the killing was a complete surprise for the kremlin but added it could seriously undermine future dialogue between russia and the west, already hampered by the ukraine crisis. the crime itself, he said, may have been a provocation by radical elements galvanized by russia's support of pro-russian rebels in ukraine. "there is a party of war, which wants to cut off all contact with the west," said makarkin, who is vice president of the moscow-based center for political technologies. "for them, nemtsov is an agent of ukraine, of the enemy, which the authorities have not arrested for some reason." relations between russia and the rest of the world will "very much will depend on how the government investigates a crime committed so close to the kremlin," he added.

russian opposition leader's slaying shocks moscow

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dan pfeiffer, who left his position as senior adviser at the white house last week after having worked with barack obama since his first presidential campaign, has been involved from the outset in navigating the central contradiction at the heart of obama<u+2019>s public persona: he ran as a figure who could overcome partisan polarization, yet he has instead presided over more of it despite accomplishing the majority of the substantive agenda he<u+00a0>promised. obama and his spokespeople have spent most of their administration quietly at war with the conventional wisdom in washington over the cause of this failure, and pfeiffer has spent much of his time in the administration dealing with, or scolding, members of the media, mostly in off-the-record conversations. but in an interview last week, a few days before he resigned, he explained in unusually candid terms the administration<u+2019>s thinking<u+2014>and how the white house lost its<u+00a0>illusions. <u+201c>i think [obama] believes, and i certainly believe, that while we can always do better, this is a case where structural forces are the large actor here,<u+201d> he told me. pfeiffer cited three of them. the first is rising polarization<u+2014><u+201c>the great sorting,<u+201d> as he called it<u+2014>which, over a period of decades, has driven white conservatives out of the democratic party and moderates out of the republican party, creating two ideologically homogeneous political organizations. the second is the disintegration of restrictions on campaign finance, which <u+201c>gives people even more incentive to play to the far right or to a set of special-interests donors, so that one individual can basically, especially in these house races, do a $1 million expenditure and completely tip the balance.<u+201d> and, finally, the news media has changed so that people select only sources that will confirm their preexisting<u+00a0>beliefs. all of this combined makes communication with republicans mostly hopeless. <u+201c>there<u+2019>s very little we can do to change the republicans<u+2019> political situation because they are worried about a cohort of voters who disagree with most of what the president says,<u+201d> pfeiffer said. <u+201c>we don<u+2019>t have the ability to communicate with them<u+2014>we can<u+2019>t even break into the tight communication circles to convince them that climate change is real. they are talking to people who agree with them, they are listening to news outlets that reinforce that point of view, and the president is probably the person with the least ability to break into that because of the partisan bias<u+00a0>there.<u+201d> pfeiffer<u+2019>s reading of the red-blue impasse isn<u+2019>t that it<u+2019>s a permanent catastrophe. demographic change will eventually force republicans to compete with democrats for some of the same voters, reopening a national political conversation that is accessible to both parties. and democrats will find the millennial generation in play. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re going to have to work harder to get them registered to vote and involved, and that offers an opportunity, because while they are very progressive in some of their general leanings, they<u+2019>re less tied to institutions and parties.<u+201d> but that will have to happen after this administration has left the<u+00a0>scene. the original premise of obama<u+2019>s first presidential campaign was that he could reason with republicans<u+2014>or else, by staking out obviously reasonable stances, force them to moderate or be exposed as extreme and unyielding. it took years for the white house to conclude that this was false, and that, in pfeiffer<u+2019>s words, <u+201c>what drives 90 percent of stuff is not the small tactical decisions or the personal relationships but the big, macro political<u+00a0>incentives.<u+201d> if you had to pinpoint the moment this worldview began to crystallize, it would probably be around the first debt-ceiling showdown, in 2011, when obama tried repeatedly and desperately to cut a budget deal with house speaker john boehner only to realize, eventually, that boehner did not have the power to negotiate. the administration has now decided that in many cases, even adversarial bargaining fails because the republican leadership is not capable of planning tactically. <u+201c>you have to be careful not to presume a lot of strategy for this group,<u+201d> pfeiffer said. <u+201c>i<u+2019>ve always believed that the fundamental, driving strategic ethos of the republican house leadership has been, what do we do to get through the next caucus or conference without getting yelled at? we should never assume they have a long game. we used to spend a lot of time thinking that maybe boehner is saying this to get himself some more room. and it<u+2019>s like, no, that<u+2019>s not actually the case. usually he<u+2019>s just saying it because he just said it or it<u+2019>s the easiest thing to solve his immediate<u+00a0>problem.<u+201d> this analysis puts the administration at odds with the reading of american politics that still dominates much of washington reporting. many political journalists imagine that the basic tension for the white house lies between obama<u+2019>s liberal base and appealing to americans at the center, who will be crucial for tipping<u+00a0>elections. pfeiffer believes the dynamic is, in fact, the opposite: <u+201c>the incentive structure moves from going after the diminishing middle to motivating the base.<u+201d> ever since republicans took control of the house four years ago, attempts to court republicans have mostly failed while simultaneously dividing democratic voters. obama<u+2019>s most politically successful maneuvers, by contrast, have all been unilateral and liberal. <u+201c>whenever we<u+00a0>contemplate bold progressive action,<u+201d> pfeiffer said, <u+201c>whether that<u+2019>s the president<u+2019>s endorsement of marriage equality, or coming out strong on power-plant rules to reduce current pollution, on immigration, on net neutrality, you get a lot of hemming and hawing in advance about what this is going to mean: is this going to alienate people? is this going to hurt the president<u+2019>s approval ratings? what will this mean in red states?<u+201d> and yet this hesitation has always proved overblown: <u+201c>there<u+2019>s never been a time when we<u+2019>ve taken progressive action and regretted<u+00a0>it.<u+201d> this was deeply at odds with the lesson bill clinton and most of his aides (many of whom staffed obama<u+2019>s administration) had taken away from his presidency. but by the beginning of obama<u+2019>s second term, at least, the president seemed fully convinced. <u+201c>as we were preparing for the potential that we would lose the midterms,<u+201d> pfeiffer told me, <u+201c>a lot of the advice we got around town was, you have to show major contrition; heads have to roll; you have to give some sop to the republicans. the president<u+2019>s view was, no, we<u+2019>re not going to do that. we<u+2019>re going to go out and we<u+2019>re going<u+00a0>to be the opposite of contrite; we<u+2019>re going to be aggressive in our policies and our politics. and that worked. it caused people to cheer. but that<u+2019>s the exact opposite of the sort of advice you<u+2019>d get in this<u+00a0>town.<u+201d> though the administration has wound up embracing a very different political strategy from the one it began with, one thing has remained consistent: obama<u+2019>s disdain for conventional wisdom. in his introduction to america as the keynote speaker at the 2004 democratic national convention, he criticized the pundits who <u+201c>like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states.<u+201d> now the pundits insist that obama would bridge the partisan divide if only he spent more time golfing with john boehner. those whom obama once dismissed as cynical he now dismisses as<u+00a0>na<u+00ef>ve. which isn<u+2019>t to say that he sees his presidency as triumphant. i asked pfeiffer about how his boss<u+2019>s view of politics has changed. <u+201c>he had hopes of being able to change the polarization, not just in the country, but in washington,<u+201d> pfeiffer told me. <u+201c>we learned very quickly that that was a lot harder than we thought. he will always say that his one biggest regret is that he<u+2019>s been unable to deliver on that<u+00a0>promise.<u+201d> *this article appears in the march 9, 2015 issue of<u+00a0>new york<u+00a0>magazine.

dan pfeiffer<u+2019>s exit interview: how the white house learned to be liberal

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critics have worried that the<u+00a0>algorithm facebook uses to determine what users see could be creating 'bubbles' that allow us to see only what we agree with. a new study finds that users are driving the trend more than facebook itself. facebook users do more to seal themselves within their own political news and opinion bubbles than the social media site's algorithms do, according to a study published thursday in the journal science express. a quick google search for the social-media giant facebook turns up a range of provocative questions: is facebook making us lonely? is facebook losing its cool? is facebook dying? scientists at facebook have added another: is facebook reinforcing ideological bubbles that users build around themselves? their short answer is: yes. but the effect is small compared with contributions users themselves make. users build those bubbles through their choice of "friends," what those friends share, and the extent to which users open links to news or opinion material that would offer views that run counter to the user's view. on one level, the results, published thursday in the online journal science express, suggest that for now, social media and their complex, user-focused algorithms aren't to blame for the nation's growing political polarization. that polarization is a trend many political and information scientists see as a threat to a well-oiled democracy, which relies on people with competing ideologies working together toward shared goals. the study reinforces the observation that people are bringing to the virtual world their real-world tendencies to surround themselves with people who think like they do. on another level, however, the small internal effect the researchers detected from facebook's algorithm should raise warning flags, says david lazer, a political scientist at northeastern university who focuses in part on the impact of the internet on politics and was not a member of the study team. "there's nothing in the algorithm that says: let's polarize america," he says. but "the simple rules that might make content more engaging may also result in this kind of bubble." he notes that facebook recently tweaked it algorithm, in part to make sure a user sees more material from people a user identifies as close friends. "close friends are probably more similar to you in many ways than your distant acquaintances. so it's quite plausible that the change will have the unintended consequence" of further narrowing the range of perspectives that enter a user's news feed, he says. the new study grew out of surprising results in previous work, which looked at how users got their information on facebook, says eytan bakshy, a data scientist at facebook and the study's lead author. the earlier study found that on average, the less frequently you interact with a facebook friend, the more likely you are to share items that come from that friend. "to our surprise we found that the majority of information that you click on and you end up re-sharing comes from weaker ties," people with whom you interact relatively rarely, dr. bakshy says. these people "have the potential to be more dissimilar to you." that raised a question: what does this imply for the notion of social media as an echo chamber in which people surround themselves only with people who think like they do? others have tried to tackle that question, with conflicting results <u+2013> often in no small part because the sample sizes in the study groups were relatively small. bakshy and colleagues tapped data and activity for some 10.1 million facebook users in the united states, using protocols that ensured their anonymity. these people had listed a political affiliation in their profiles. in addition, the team focused on shared content they dubbed hard news or opinion <u+2013> politics, us news in general, and international news. no cats or children's birthday parties. ideology of the source was based on the organization tied to a web link, rather than the content of specific articles. when the researchers parsed the data, they found that on average, 23 percent of a user's friends are people whose politics are "from the other side." despite the heavy tilt in friends toward "like me," just under 30 percent of the incoming news represented the other side's perspective <u+2013> so-called cross-cutting material. overall, the algorithm organizing what a user is most likely to see reduces cross-cutting content by slightly less than 1 percent, while a user's self-built bubble reduces that content by about 4 percent. given the relatively small influence of the algorithm, the results "are not all that different from a lot of what we know about how people are acting across ideological and party lines in the real world," says patrick miller, a political scientist at the university of kansas at lawrence who also studies the interplay between social media and politics. in many ways, a "don't shoot me, i'm just the piano player" sensibility about the study is justified, he suggests. a vast amount of social-science research has made it "very clear that when people are building their online social networks, they're building them to reflect their offline social networks." and offline, people live in partisan bubbles in a country that has become increasingly polarized, he adds. but that doesn't let facebook off the hook as the algorithm's designer, others caution. "selectivity has always existed. but now we're living in different world," says dietram scheufele, who specializes in science communication at the university of wisconsin at madison. facebook "is enabling levels of selectivity that have never been possible before." for instance, he says, research has shown that two people with identical friends will get different news feeds from each other based on the pictures the two clicked on, posts from those friends they "liked," or even something as unrelated to friends as the websites<u+00a0>they used facebook to log into. although people always have built ideological bubbles, "that doesn't mean we have to make it worse," online, he says. yet it's also true that people would be overwhelmed by posts if some sort of sifting wasn't done ahead of time, northeastern's professor lazer acknowledges. perhaps the study's biggest contribution is to provoke a recognition about how much information being gathered about people is being archived and used for everything from organizing and presenting facebook news items to setting different prices on items sold on e-commerce sites based on information gathered about the purchaser. a lot of the algorithms that focus choices based on personal profiles "are done for our convenience, but some of it, frankly, is to exploit us," he says. "i'm not saying we need to go back to the pre-internet age," he says. but in "matrix" like fashion, the line between the real and virtual worlds are blurring, he adds. "we have to think about what is good and what is bad. this study doesn't answer that question, but it does provoke the question. we're really behind where we should be in terms of debating these things as a society," he says.

is facebook to blame for making us more polarized? no, we are. (+video)

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over the weekend, a shootout<u+00a0>between three rival biker gangs at a bar in waco, texas, left at least nine gang members dead and 18 others hospitalized with gunshot and stab wounds. it was a huge, devastating tragedy. the<u+00a0>new york times reported that law enforcement sources called it "the worst violence in the waco area since the siege on the branch davidian compound in 1993 that left 86 people dead." but if you follow the social media conversations around the incident, you'll see something in addition to the predictable shock, curiosity, and mourning for the victims: there's frustration and anger over how the waco shootout (whose perpetrators appear to be mostly white) is being talked about <u+2014> and, specifically, how that contrasts with the coverage and commentary of crimes when the people involved are black. those who are using what happened in waco to start conversations about stereotypes and media biases against black people aren't complaining about the tenor of this weekend's media coverage. they're saying something a little different: that by being pretty reasonable and sticking to the facts, this coverage highlights the absurdity of the language and analysis that have been deployed in other instances, when the accused criminals are black. in particular, you'll see a lot of sarcasm about "white-on-white crime" and "white-on-white violence." that's because hand-wringing over "black-on-black" violence is frustratingly common <u+2014> especially as an attempt to derail the focus on high profile stories of police-involved deaths of black people.<u+00a0>it's finally catching on that focusing on black-on-black crime in response to criticism of law enforcement practices<u+00a0>doesn't make sense, but the absence of any similar refrain in cases in which the suspected criminals are white is a reminder of how the idea of intraracial crime is almost exclusively <u+2014> and unfairly <u+2014> brought up when black people are involved. another line of commentary that's predictable in media coverage and commentary surrounding violence involving black people has to do with black cultural pathology. politicians and pundits are notorious for grasping for problems in african-american communities <u+2014> especially fatherlessness <u+2014> to explain the kind of violence that, when it happens in a white community, is treated as an isolated crime versus an indictment of an entire racial group's way of life. politicians and pundits are notorious for grasping for problems in african-american communities the total absence around the waco incident of analysis of struggles and shortfalls within white families and communities is a painful reminder of this. the "why are they shooting up their own neighborhood?" question in that last tweet is a sarcastic<u+00a0>reference to a common sentiment expressed after the baltimore riots that followed the death of<u+00a0>freddie gray, and the destructive elements of the mostly peaceful protests in ferguson, missouri, surrounding the police shooting of<u+00a0>michael brown. it's another line of thinking that's conspicuously absent in the television and social media commentary that's surrounded the waco shootout. you'll also hear people lamenting that politicians, reporters, and commentators have largely refrained from calling the bike gang members "thugs." there's been widespread sensitivity around the racialized use of that term ever since it was deployed against slain black teen trayvon martin, who was killed by george zimmerman in 2012. this issue came up again, more recently when baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake used it to describe the young people who destroyed property when protesting freddie gray's death. the fact that the bike gang members accused in this case haven't been slapped with this label is an infuriating reminder of its racial undertones and the way it is so easily and disproportionately deployed against black people, either as an intentional code word of because of deep-seated stereotypes about race and criminality. to really understand the angst over the language and analysis surrounding what happened in waco, you have to remember that there's more going on here than just frustration with reports, cable news commentators, and twitter reactions. all of this is underscored and intensified by larger concerns about the way the same racial biases that fuel differences in coverage and conversation play out in real life: in the same way observers speak and write differently when black people are involved, <u+00a0>police <u+2014> perhaps unconsciously<u+2014> treat black people unfairly. many times, these biases have deadly consequences. that's why some observers of the waco tragedy have taken note of the fact that the gang members in the brawl weren't brutalized or killed by the police officers who arrested them, and actually appeared to be treated with a certain level of civility. a writer at the blog<u+00a0>crooks and liars lamented, "check out the cell phones and smokes while they wait for the cops to process them. no rides in the paddy wagon for them. just sit on the curb and wait until nice mr. policeman has a moment to process you." that, of course, stands in contrast to what has happened in a string of high-profile cases involving the police-involved deaths of black men who, unlike the waco bike gang members, were entirely unarmed. some have interpreted the backlash as a criticism of media coverage of this particular event, and are confused about what critics want to happen here. is the media supposed to use harsher language to describe the white bike gang members' actions? call them thugs? ask about their fathers? that confusion is understandable. after all, it's not as if the media has swept this tragedy under the rug or minimized its intensity. the new york times quoted a waco law enforcement official who said,<u+00a0>"in 34 years of law enforcement, this is the worst crime scene <u+2014> the most violent crime scene <u+2014> that i have ever been involved in. there are dead people still there. there is blood everywhere." outlets aren't holding back from using the term "gang," or talking about the death toll, or explaining the dynamics that led to the battle. steve cook, executive director of the midwest outlaw motorcycle gang investigators association, told vox's libby nelson that the gang members are "domestic terrorists." but the key thing to understand is that the criticism here is not really of the coverage of what happened in waco. it's of the juxtaposition of what happened here with what happens when the people involved are of a different color. the message is not that the conversation about waco should be overblown, hypercritical of an entire culture, or full of racial subtext.<u+00a0>it's despair over the sense that if the gang members were black, it almost certainly would be.

media coverage of gang violence sure looks different when the perpetrators are white

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it<u+2019>s not really in character for hillary clinton to speak in terms of vivid imagery, creative metaphors, or striking turns of phrase. but she did it over the weekend, setting off a growing firestorm of controversy that<u+2019>s defined the week in politics. <u+201c>you know,<u+201d> clinton said to a friendly crowd of wealthy donors this weekend, <u+201c>to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of trump's supporters into what i call the basket of deplorables. right? the racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, islamophobic <u+2014> you name it.<u+201d> with that odd turn of phrase <u+2014> basket of deplorables <u+2014> clinton sent the media-politico ecosystem into a tizzy. donald trump<u+2019>s campaign immediately took offense on behalf of his constituents, and clinton rather rapidly apologized. but trump has only escalated. at a monday night rally in north carolina, he accused clinton of running a <u+201c>hate-filled and negative campaign<u+201d> and released a television ad built around the remark. and indeed, while clinton apologized for painting with such a broad brush as to call fully half of trump<u+2019>s supporters deplorables, her campaign is very much sticking to the core accusation that trump is trafficking in bigotry. meanwhile, some liberals think clinton was wrong to back away from her numerical estimates. writers like the atlantic<u+2019>s ta-nehisi coates, slate<u+2019>s jamelle bouie, new york<u+2019>s jonathan chait, and vox<u+2019>s own german lopez have all argued that, as best as we can tell, clinton was, if anything, undercounting the quantity of irredeemable bigots in trump<u+2019>s ranks. the multifaceted controversy touches on two of the more enduring taboos in american politics <u+2014> frank discussion of racism and disparaging the electorate. and it highlights the contrasting campaign strategies of the trump and clinton camps. it started because the trump camp correctly sensed clinton had made a mistake. but it continues so viciously because it covers terrain clinton is fundamentally comfortable with <u+2014> reenforcing a dynamic in which trump, like the television entertainer he is, chases the ever-tighter loyalty of a minority <u+2014> while clinton seeks to paint trump as broadly unacceptable to the general population that will be voting in november. clinton<u+2019>s remarks came in the context of what was essentially a fundraising pitch. she expressed her understanding of the fact that despite massive strides in achieving legal and social equality, lgbtq americans still face many challenges. <u+201c>you can get married on saturday, post your pictures on sunday, and get fired on monday,<u+201d> she said before launching into a litany of specific policy commitments she<u+2019>s made to the lgbtq community. then she pivoted to the ask: i know there are only 60 days left to make our case <u+2014> and don't get complacent, don't see the latest outrageous, offensive, inappropriate comment and think, well, he's done this time. we are living in a volatile political environment. you know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of trump's supporters into what i call the basket of deplorables. right? the racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, islamophobic <u+2014> you name it. and unfortunately there are people like that. and he has lifted them up. he has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people <u+2014> now 11 million. he tweets and retweets their offensive hateful mean-spirited rhetoric. now, some of those folks <u+2014> they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not america. but the other basket <u+2014> and i know this because i see friends from all over america here; i see friends from florida and georgia and south carolina and texas, as well as, you know, new york and california <u+2014> but that other basket of people are people who feel that the government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they're just desperate for change. it doesn't really even matter where it comes from. they don't buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. they won't wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroin, feel like they're in a dead end. those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well. and what i hope is that in addition to your extraordinary generosity, you will go to our website, hillaryclinton.com, or text to join at 47246 to see how else you can get involved. to be persnickety about it, the problem here is that clinton is somewhat herself. the upshot of clinton<u+2019>s quasi-apology is to disavow the second claim while increasing her bet on the first. their strategy was boosted when donald trump jr. responded to the controversy by instagramming a pro-trump meme image featuring pepe the frog, a common white nationalist symbol (that<u+2019>s an explainer for another day, but olivia nuzzi<u+2019>s primer is a good place to start) and then republican vice presidential candidate mike pence went on cnn and refused to call former kkk grand wizard david duke deplorable, suggesting the current republican party is in a tough spot when it comes to white nationalists. clinton<u+2019>s use of the phrase <u+201c>deplorables<u+201d> at the lgbtq gala was not unique. earlier in the week, in an english-language interview on israeli television, clinton explained, <u+201c>if i were to be grossly generalistic, i'd say you can take trump supporters and put them in two big baskets. there are what i call the deplorables.<u+201d> and then there are the rest <u+2014> lots of basically good, decent americans who she believes don<u+2019>t buy into the ugly side of what trump is saying but who are so desperate to see change in american politics that they are willing to vote for trump. writing at slate, ben zimmer suggests that the <u+201c>basket of deplorables<u+201d> construction entered clinton<u+2019>s mind by way of analogy with the term <u+201c>parade of horribles,<u+201d> which, starting in the 1920s, <u+201c>entered legal usage as a dismissive term for imagined concerns about a ruling's negative effects.<u+201d> clinton is an attorney by training, so zimmer thinks she would be accustomed to that particular instance of nouning an adjective. actual english-language use of <u+201c>deplorables<u+201d> as a term for a group of people, however, is quite rare, though zimmer did find thomas carlyle in 1831 writing that <u+201c>of all the deplorables and despicables of this city and time the saddest are the <u+2018>literary men.<u+2019><u+201d> in general, this type of linguistic term suggests to me the vocabulary of revolutionary france (and, indeed, carlyle wrote an early history of the french revolution). this vocabulary is probably most familiar to the mass audience from the musical and book les mis<u+00e9>rables, with its invocation of <u+201c>the miserables<u+201d> as a term for the french urban poor. but the revolutionary era also gave us les enrag<u+00e9>s (<u+201c>the enraged<u+201d>) as a term for a loose group of radical polemicists, the sans-culottes (<u+201c>the pantsless,<u+201d> i.e., people who were the opposite of fancy pants) for the paris mob, and other instances of nouning adjectives to give a name to social classes. wherever clinton got it from exactly, it seems that in her lgbtq gala she committed the cardinal political spin of mixing up two different spiels. one spiel, the one that includes the phrase <u+201c>deplorables,<u+201d> is intended to set the stage for a rhetorical pivot to the idea that the vast majority of trump supporters aren<u+2019>t deplorable. she wants to say that they are, mostly, simply confused. they are frustrated by the political status quo, as is she, and she hopes that if she wins she can deliver change and prosperity and win them over despite their doubts. the other spiel is intended to recapitulate the themes of clinton<u+2019>s speech on trump and the alt-right in which she denounces trump individually for elevating a handful of extreme and hateful voices that early republican leaders would have marginalized. by crossing the rhetorical streams, clinton wound up saying that fully half of trump supporters belong in the tiny basket of hateful extremists. whatever one makes of that as a question of demographics, it doesn<u+2019>t make sense as a piece of political rhetoric, which is why clinton backed away from it. in the overwhelmingly white community of political journalists, it felt natural to take the fact that clinton had made a political error as the starting point of analysis and proceed from there. but a group of writers, disproportionately and not coincidentally composed of people of color, wanted to press the point that clinton was probably correct. her political error, if there was an error, was in breaking the taboo around saying that racial bias is a potent and widespread force in contemporary american life. as lopez wrote for vox, public opinion polling strongly suggests that a great majority of trump supporters hold unfavorable views of muslims and support a policy that bans muslims from entering the us. most of them support proposals that stifle immigration from mexico, and they agree with trump<u+2019>s comments that mexican immigrants are criminals. and many <u+2014> but not a majority <u+2014> say that black people are less intelligent and more violent than their white peers. in particular, a reuters/ipsos polling analysis of the gop primary showed that donald trump<u+2019>s supporters stood out from backers of the other gop candidates primarily in having highly negative attitudes toward nonwhite groups. whether the <u+201c>deplorables<u+201d> are really half of trump<u+2019>s current general election voters depends a bit on how you count, but it<u+2019>s at least a plausible estimate. one important nuance about this that liberals sometimes miss is that even though there<u+2019>s a lot of reason to believe racial hostility was key to trump<u+2019>s rise, there<u+2019>s very little reason to think that white racism in general is more widespread in 2016 than it was 20 or 30 years ago. rather, as lee drutman writes separately for vox, the issue is that <u+201c>whites with strong racist attitudes turned much more sharply republican following obama's election, including some who had previously been democrats.<u+201d> back in the 1980s and <u+2019>90s, the democratic party was already identified as being more aligned with black interests, but the election of an actual black president combined with the growth of the nonwhite population kicked that identification into overdrive. racially resentful whites left the democratic party, and democrats decided they could build a winning coalition without them, turning racial attitudes into a powerful axis of partisan conflict. aaron blake at the washington post immediately reacted to the news of clinton<u+2019>s remarks by asking <u+201c>did hillary clinton just make her own <u+2018>47 percent<u+2019> gaffe?<u+201d> this is a reference to a secret video recording released to mother jones in september 2012 that showed mitt romney at a closed-door fundraiser explaining that there was a 47 percent floor on barack obama<u+2019>s support: these remarks rapidly entered the lexicon of political operatives and journalists as a textbook example of a damaging gaffe, so framing clinton<u+2019>s remarks as a potential new <u+201c>47 percent moment<u+201d> is meant to play up their potential consequences. however, just as the actual hurricane katrina did not have the political impact that the search for <u+201c>obama<u+2019>s katrina<u+201d> implies, there is little reason to believe the 47 percent gaffe hurt romney. indeed, in their excellent empirical account of the 2012 campaign the gamble, john sides and lynn vavreck find that none of the many well-covered gaffes of the 2012 season made much of a difference. on a high level, the economic fundamentals favored an obama victory, which is what happened, and romney proved more popular than virtually every gop senate nominee, which indicates that at the end of the day the party chose a fairly effective messenger. despite what i wrote above, it is widely believed in professional political circles that the 47 percent gaffe hurt romney, so it<u+2019>s natural for practitioners to leap at the chance to relive it. beyond that, despite some recent tightening in the polls, trump is still losing. indeed, he has been consistently losing from day one of this election. at times he<u+2019>s made it close, but he<u+2019>s never been ahead. his best chance of winning would probably be some kind of economic calamity, but it<u+2019>s already mid-september, so he<u+2019>s running a bit short on time. (remember, though, that in 2008 obama was the beneficiary of a spectacular financial meltdown in october, so anything can happen). he has to try to do something, and the big push around deplorables is indeed something. beyond that, the basket of deplorables idea reenforces a longstanding conservative contention that liberal coastal elites fundamentally despise white working-class americans. they view white working-class culture as backward, white working-class politics as bigoted, and white working-class community problems as fundamentally less worthy of addressing than those of downscale black and latino communities. in that sense, the clinton gaffe is reminiscent of barack obama<u+2019>s characterization of <u+201c>small town<u+201d> politics from the 2008 primary as full of people who <u+201c>get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.<u+201d> it<u+2019>s worth noting, however, that obama and clinton were in a sense positioning themselves on opposite ends of the liberal spectrum of views on this matter. obama was essentially a premature proponent of the <u+201c>economic anxiety<u+201d> school of trump studies, promoting the view that all of conservative cultural politics is a massive case of false consciousness in which residents of failing economic communities cling bitterly to guns, religion, and racism, which in turn induces them to vote for mainstream republicans. clinton, meanwhile, is offering the considerably more mainstream view that one reason many americans are planning to vote for a man who says racist stuff is that a large share of those americans agree with the racist stuff he says. while some critics see clinton<u+2019>s willingness to back away from her comments as a sign of cowardice or expediency, the norm against attacking the other party<u+2019>s constituents has a real logic to it. <u+201c>we are all republicans, we are all federalists,<u+201d> said thomas jefferson in his inaugural address that marked the first peaceful transfer of power between political parties in american history. <u+201c>if there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.<u+201d> this can read as simply banal two centuries later, but it<u+2019>s worth considering it in context. a losing party whose members fear the other party will persecute them if they lose and go into opposition has every reason to resist giving up power peacefully. and a winning party that fears the other party will resist giving up power has every reason to persecute the losers. preventing a downward spiral of violence and civil conflict requires the winners to reassure the losers that they are not losing everything by giving up power. reassuring the losing party<u+2019>s supporters that they are not the targets of personal enmity on the part of the winning party<u+2019>s leaders is key to that. it<u+2019>s since become traditional for newly elected presidents to mouth some version of this message almost ritualistically. and like many rituals, it<u+2019>s actually pretty important, even if cynics are inclined to roll their eyes at it <u+2014> the quadrennial reminder that we are americans with policy disagreements, not warring tribes, is crucial civic glue. what ties together the 47 percent, the bitter clingers, and the basket of deplorables is an apparent tradition of violating this ritual at fundraising talks <u+2014> badmouthing not the opposition party but its voters in an effort to rationalize away the fact that the candidate won<u+2019>t be able to secure their votes. the fact that he<u+2019>s been consistently losing tends to obscure this, but trump has a lot of advantages in the 2016 race. clinton herself is very unpopular with the american mass public, and she has a notoriously poor relationship with the american news media. people with liberal public policy views but weak institutional and emotional attachments to the democratic party overwhelmingly voted for her opponent in the primaries, and there is a real risk of them either not voting in november or else pulling the lever for gary johnson or jill stein. the nation<u+2019>s overall <u+201c>policy mood<u+201d> typically shifts in the opposite direction of the incumbent president, and the obama years have been no exception. indeed, in state after state <u+2014> from new hampshire to nevada to ohio to florida and beyond <u+2014> virtually every republican party senate candidate is performing better than trump. trump<u+2019>s strong personal affiliation with racism is not the only reason this is the case, but it is one of the reasons. in the primaries, trump<u+2019>s willingness to court racial controversy worked in his favor because most republicans take the view that discrimination against nonwhites is an overblown problem in the united states. this view commands overwhelming support among republicans, but few prominent republican party officeholders have championed it because it<u+2019>s not popular with the public at large. trump<u+2019>s willingness to say and do things that other presidential contenders wouldn<u+2019>t say or do <u+2014> that all muslims should be banned from the united states or that mexican immigrants are a physical threat to americans<u+2019> safety <u+2014> thrilled the primary electorate but alienates general election voters. trump, by loudly and proudly defending white americans from charges of racism, intensifies his bond with his core base of racially resentful working-class whites. that<u+2019>s an excellent strategy for pumping up rally crowds or building a hypothetical future media business, but does nothing to help him reach the people <u+2014> minorities and racially liberal whites <u+2014> who find him disturbing. back during the heyday of richard nixon<u+2019>s southern strategy, pat buchanan, then an adviser to the white house, wrote that by playing cultural wedge politics <u+201c>we can break the country in half and it will leave us with far the larger half.<u+201d> trump, who is backed by buchanan and advised by the old nixon hand roger ailes, is employing the exact same strategy today <u+2014> except 40 years of demographic changes mean he<u+2019>s left with the smaller half.

hillary clinton<u+2019>s basket of deplorables, explained

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washington (cnn) the u.s. government on monday found itself with fewer tools to investigate terrorism -- at least temporarily -- after the senate let provisions of the patriot act expire sunday night. while officials warned of national security risks, it is clear that the lapse will not come close to debilitating counterterrorism efforts. the senate entered a debate period late sunday on the patriot act that pushed beyond the midnight deadline, effectively ending three provisions of that law, including the national security agency's bulk data collection program. the lapse was a huge victory for privacy hawks who have called for changes to that program and others under the patriot act since edward snowden first blew the lid off the nsa's domestic surveillance programs in 2013. the national security agency officially shut down the bulk metadata collection program officially at 7:44 p.m. sunday night, a senior government official told cnn. officials had previously indicated they would shut the program down around 8 p.m. to ensure all procedures were in place before midnight military time. the senate is expected to restore the expiring authorities midweek, but here's what we know will change between now and then: what counterterrorism tools does the u.s. lose? the government loses authorities under three patriot act provisions. the biggest and most controversial is the government's sweeping powers under section 215 that allow the nsa to collect telephone metadata on millions of americans and store that data for five years. that is, for the time being, gone. law enforcement officials also won't be allowed to get a roving wiretap to track terror suspects who frequently change communications devices, like phones. instead, they will need to get individual warrants for each new device. and third, the government loses a legal provision allowing it to use national security tools against "lone wolf" terror suspects if officials can't find a connection to a foreign terror group such as isis, for example. but that provision has never been used, the justice department confirmed. the house overwhelmingly passed a bill, the usa freedom act, that would make big changes to the first, but leave the latter two provisions intact. that bill would have the telephone companies hold americans' telephone metadata and require the government to get a specific warrant to seize any telephone metadata -- and not on millions of people, but instead on specific individuals. so those tools are now completely gone? fbi and nsa officials are allowed to continue using section 215 and the roving wiretap provision in investigations they began before the june 1 expiration date. any new investigations will have to go without the roving wiretaps and the ability to petition the secret fisa court for warrants to seize business records, like telephone metadata, in terrorism cases. that court was established under the foreign intelligence surveillance act to provide warrants in national security cases. the nsa's bulk metadata collection program was actually slated to end at 8 p.m. et sunday to ensure the government is in compliance with the deadline by midnight in military time as well. the process of winding down that program was ongoing last week, and the nsa was slated to cut off its connections to telecommunications companies starting at 4 p.m. et sunday. why is it such a long process? officials said the government began "winding down" the bulk data collection program during the week leading up to the deadline. a u.s. administration official who spoke to cnn on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information said "taking down the system" involves shutting off inputs between telecom companies and u.s. intelligence, "bringing down servers" and configuring "our monitoring software" to keep officials from accessing any data at telecommunication companies. "we lock the system down so that there is no chance that data comes or data could be accessed during that time frame," the official said. and the department of justice spent last week communicating the potential changes to its authority to collect data to telecommunications companies, according to a justice department official and a telecommunications company official familiar with the process. "really it's about just letting them know that on midnight on the 31st, they're not going to be able to provide the legal documents and the warrant and we're not going to give them anything," the telecommunications company official said. the justice department official pointed to "legal and technical processes that need to occur" for the program to shut down. so could america be less safe? director of national intelligence james clapper said in a statement on friday the united states "would lose entirely an important capability that helps us identify potential u.s. based associates of foreign terrorists." but opponents aren't convinced. instead, they're determined not to let fears over national security trump civil liberties and privacy concerns. the american civil liberties union said thursday that "efforts to short-circuit reform efforts should not be allowed to succeed." "allowing the provisions of the patriot act to sunset wouldn't affect the government's ability to conduct targeted investigations or combat terrorism," the aclu said. "the government has numerous other tools, including administrative and grand jury subpoenas, which would enable it to gather necessary information." what are the facts on the expiring capabilities? as it stands, several official review boards -- including a presidential review group and a government privacy oversight board -- found that the bulk metadata collection program was not essential to thwarting a single terror plot. the obama administration endorses the plan under the usa freedom act to transform that program. the roving wiretaps provision that can be used in terrorism cases is used less than 100 times per year, but officials could be in a bind when it comes to new investigations. authorities could still obtain standard wiretaps on a suspected terrorists' phone, but a new phone requires a new warrant. justice department spokesman marc raimondi said the top-secret nature of the investigations make even that a challenge. "when we're chasing a terrorist or a spy, almost everything we have is highly, highly classified. normal courts are not set up to handle that," he said. officials say the rising threat of lone wolves -- including those inspired by isis, but not ordered -- raises the need to maintain that provision of the patriot act. but they concede the provision had not been used, even as the fbi has increasingly focused its efforts on lone wolves.

patriot act provisions have expired: what happens now?

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when bernie san<u+00ad>ders launched his long-shot bid for the presidency 10 months ago, there were two words that rarely crossed his lips: hillary clinton. now he can<u+2019>t seem to stop talking about her <u+2014> and not much of what he has to say is very nice. during a boisterous rally here, the senator from vermont dinged clinton for supporting a series of <u+201c>disastrous<u+201d> trade deals. he mocked her for refusing to release transcripts of paid speeches she gave to wall street firms. he said she was wrong to vote for the iraq war in 2002. the transformation has been stark. what<u+2019>s less clear is whether sanders<u+2019>s rhetoric helps explain his lasting power in a nominating contest that appears likely to drag on for weeks, considering the mounting number of victories he has scored in key states. so far, the evidence is mixed. in michigan last week, sanders won a surprising though narrow victory after closing a gap of more than 20 percentage points in the polls. he was relentless in the days before the election in criticizing clinton on trade. but sanders also got trounced the same day in mississippi <u+2014> albeit a state where he didn<u+2019>t mount much of a campaign. tuesday <u+2014> a day when five states hold primaries <u+2014> should give a better indication of whether sanders<u+2019>s tough talk is paying off. one of those contests is in illinois, and sanders isn<u+2019>t holding back as he campaigns here. in chicago on friday, sanders even took aim at clinton for her close association with mayor rahm emanuel (d), whose approval ratings are in the tank, particularly among black chicagoans. <u+201c>i want to thank rahm emanuel for not endorsing me. i don<u+2019>t want his endorsement!<u+201d> sanders screamed, to the delight of a crowd estimated at 9,000 people. <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t want the endorsement of a mayor who is shutting down school after school and firing teachers.<u+201d> to drive home his point, san<u+00ad>ders held a news conference the next day devoted entirely to emanuel. he told reporters that if he were clinton, he would have refused the mayor<u+2019>s support. compared with the republican presidential race and other elections in past years, the democratic contest remains relatively tame. but the bernie sanders who is fighting to remain relevant in the delegate chase against clinton sounds quite different from the sanders whose chief antagonist was the <u+201c>billionaire class<u+201d> when he debuted on the campaign trail last spring. analysts say sanders<u+2019>s decision to attack clinton more aggressively is understandable: it<u+2019>s what candidates who are behind tend to do. but in sanders<u+2019>s case, he risks damaging his brand as an<u+00a0>anti-establishment politician who has boasted about never running negative television ads and pledged to stay positive in his bid for the democratic nomination. <u+201c>when you<u+2019>re promising to run a different kind of campaign, it<u+2019>s never good to look like you<u+2019>re running the same kind of campaign that other politicians do,<u+201d> said mo elleithee, executive director of the institute of politics and public service at georgetown university. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s a risk, but it<u+2019>s a calculated risk, and one they seem willing to take.<u+201d> in an interview, sanders acknowledged that he<u+2019>s adopted a tougher tone but said he has tried to stick to the issues and not engage in character attacks. to the extent that the race has turned more negative, sanders said, clinton is to blame. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re responding,<u+201d> sanders said. <u+201c>i find it disappointing when the secretary mischaracterizes my record.<u+201d> sanders was particularly galled, he said, by clinton<u+2019>s assertion during their recent debate in flint, mich., that he had opposed releasing funds to bail out the automobile industry <u+2014> an issue of keen interest to voters in michigan, given detroit<u+2019>s long history as the capital of the auto industry. most fact checkers who looked into clinton<u+2019>s statement concluded she wasn<u+2019>t telling the whole story. in 2008, sanders voted for an unsuccessful stand-alone bill to provide aid to the auto industry. the bill clinton referenced came later, and its primary purpose was to bail out wall street, something sanders staunchly opposed. some money authorized in the bill wound up flowing to major u.s. automakers, though. <u+201c>to say that bernie sanders, who has perhaps the strongest pro-worker voting record in the united states congress, does not support automobile workers in their time of need .<u+2009>.<u+2009>. is totally absurd,<u+201d> sanders said. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s unfortunate that she made that statement.<u+201d> sanders and his aides have tried to argue that none of his tv ads mention clinton by name. but some leave little to the imagination. on friday, sanders debuted a pair of ads in illinois and north carolina, another state that votes tuesday, that say that <u+201c>while his opponent has flip-flopped on trade deals, bernie has fought them and stood with american workers.<u+201d> clinton<u+2019>s positions on some trade deals, including the pending trans-pacific partnership, have, in fact, evolved. as secretary of state, she called the tpp <u+201c>the gold standard<u+201d> of trade deals. last fall, she announced her opposition, which she stated even more strongly over the weekend. she has said she now has a fuller picture of what<u+2019>s being proposed. in the interview, sanders said voters have a right to know where he and his opponent diverge. <u+201c>the differences are becoming fairly clear to the american people, and the more the differences between her views and my views get out there, the better we<u+2019>ll be,<u+201d> he said. clinton doesn<u+2019>t see it that way. during an appearance saturday in st. louis, she said sanders <u+201c>has decided to close this election by attacking me and misrepresenting my record and his.<u+201d> clinton spokesman jesse ferguson said clinton<u+2019>s campaign thinks sanders has <u+201c>broken his word<u+201d> about running a positive race. during a rally saturday in springfield, mo., sanders continued to hammer clinton on trade, saying their views diverged on the north american free trade agreement, which was approved when her husband was in the white house in the 1990s. <u+201c>i understood at the end of about three seconds that what this trade deal was about was forcing american workers to compete against very, very poor people in mexico,<u+201d> sanders told his audience. <u+201c>i have voted against every one of these disastrous trade agreements,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>secretary clinton<u+2019>s position has been different. she has supported virtually every one of these trade agreements.<u+201d> boos filled the arena at the mention of clinton<u+2019>s position. sanders has also raised questions about clinton<u+2019>s judgment, zeroing in on her decision to deliver a series of paid speeches to corporate interests in the run-up to her presidential bid. that included some addresses to the wall street firm goldman sachs, which paid her $225,000 for one speech. on that subject, sanders hasn<u+2019>t hesitated to take a snide tone. <u+201c>the way i see it, if you<u+2019>re going to give a speech and get $225,000, it must be a really brilliant speech,<u+201d> sanders told a crowd at the university of illinois on saturday. <u+201c>it must be opening new vistas of human thought.<u+201d> he also knocked clinton for refusing to release transcripts of those speeches to the public. she has said she would do so when other candidates are held to the same standard. <u+201c>let me make a dramatic announcement to all of you here today,<u+201d> sanders sarcastically told his crowd. saying he was ready to release transcripts of his wall street speeches, he swung open his arms to reveal nothing. <u+201c>here they are!<u+201d> he said. the danger for sanders, elleithee said, is not that he will lose die-hard supporters with his tougher tone but that it could be harder to attract new ones <u+2014> including some who like clinton and are still weighing whether to vote for her. some sanders fans, including samuel nebinger, who turned out saturday night to see the candidate in springfield, say they<u+2019>re not bothered by the more pointed rhetoric. nebinger said he welcomes it. nebinger, 21, recently dropped out of missouri state university, he said, because it was too expensive, and he now works at a local call center. he was wearing a shirt that said <u+201c>help us, bernie, you<u+2019>re our only hope.<u+201d> <u+201c>he wanted to run it clean at first,<u+201d> nebinger said. <u+201c>but he needed to go on the offensive, because she<u+2019>s been doing so many corrupt things. she did that to herself.<u+201d>

sanders has gotten nastier. does it help explain his staying power?

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the poll, conducted from monday to friday, showed clinton, the presumptive democratic nominee, with a 10.7 point lead among likely voters over trump, her likely republican rival in the november presidential election. that's down from a lead of 14.3 points for clinton on sunday, the day an american-born shooter who declared allegiance to militant group islamic state killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in orlando, florida. trump seized on the attack to sharpen his security proposals, saying he would block immigration to the united states from any country with a "proven history of terrorism" against america and its allies if elected. the pledge fine-tuned an earlier vow, made after the attacks last year in paris and california, to ban the entry of all muslims into the united states. he also called for measures to make it more difficult for suspected terrorists to obtain firearms, veering from the republican party's general opposition to gun control. while trump's comments on both muslims and guns dismayed some republican elites, they may have cheered some voters. some 45 percent of americans said they supported trump's idea to suspend muslim immigration, up from 41.9 percent at the start of the month, according to the poll. meanwhile, about 70 percent of americans, including a majority of democrats and republicans, said they wanted to see at least moderate regulations and restrictions on guns, up from 60 percent in similar polls in 2013 and 2014. clinton focused her response to the orlando attack on the need to boost intelligence gathering and defeat islamic state and what she called "radical jihadist terrorism," while warning against demonizing muslim-americans. she also repeated her calls for tougher gun control measures, including a ban on assault weapons. as usual after a major attack, "terrorism" jumped to the top concern among all adults in the poll - rising above the economy, health care and other major issues. the poll's five-day average showed that 45.5 percent of likely american voters supported clinton, while 34.8 percent supported trump, and another 19.7 percent did not support either candidate. on sunday, clinton's support was at 46.6 percent, versus trump's 32.3 percent. the reuters/ipsos poll was conducted online in english with adults living in the continental united states, alaska and hawaii. the political horserace poll included 1,133 likely voters and has a credibility interval, a measure of the poll's accuracy, of 3.4 percentage points.

poll: clinton's lead over trump slips after florida shooting

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in a blog post out sunday, foundation acting ceo maura pally reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, but nevertheless said some errors had occurred. "yes, we made mistakes, as many organizations of our size do, but we are acting quickly to remedy them, and have taken steps to ensure they don't happen in the future," pally wrote. while the details of the clinton foundation's operations are complex and date back almost a decade, they have thrown a wrench in the "ramp up" period of hillary clinton's presidential campaign. instead of focusing solely on early presidential states, like the campaign had hoped, many of her top aides spent the last week answering questions about the foundation and its tangled relationship to numerous foreign donors. in a new book "clinton cash," writer peter schweizer alleges that the foundation, led until recently by likely democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton, let some donors to the foundation have undue influence on the charity's work and state department actions. schweizer said sunday that he did not have "direct evidence" of ethical misconduct, but said the pattern he uncovered should raise eyebrows and trigger an investigation. the clinton foundation has drawn fire both from schweizer and from reports in the new york times and other outlets for some of the work of a subsidiary of the philanthropy, the clinton giustra enterprise partnership, which is backed by frank giustra, a canadian mining company owner who has been a big donor to the foundation. related: clinton 'ready' for attacks in wake of book story pally said that donations to the clinton giustra enterprise partnership weren't publicly disclosed because canada bars the names of donors from being released without their consent. "this is hardly an effort on our part to avoid transparency," pally wrote. she also explained the foundation's plans to refile tax returns after reports emerged that the philanthropy had made errors in recent years. pally said the foundation had not intentionally under reported revenue, but rather accidentally combined revenue from government grants with contributions from donors. pally stressed the foundation was working to rectify the errors. "we are committed to operating the foundation responsibly and effectively to continue the life-changing work that this philanthropy is doing every day," she said. hillary clinton resigned from the foundation's board immediately after declaring her presidential run. shortly after, the foundation unveiled new a new donor disclosure schedule and said it would only accept foreign donations from six countries. the clinton giustra enterprise partnership was started in 2007 when giustra brought the idea to bill clinton, according to a spokesperson for giustra. the initiative is an arm of the clinton foundation, meaning its donors are disclosed on the clinton foundation website. giustra pledged $100 million at the start of the enterprise and in order to help fund the initiative, a clinton foundation spokesperson said giustra also established the clinton giustra enterprise partnership (canada) in 2007. the canadian charity was signed off on by the clinton foundation, the foundation spokesperson said. both a giustra and foundation spokesperson said that the canadian arm charity was founded in order to allow other canadian philanthropists to donate to the enterprise and receive a tax credit. but because the charity is operated in canada, it falls under different laws than groups in the united states. "under canadian laws, charitable donors have a right to privacy," said giustra's spokesperson. "when a donor gives money to a canadian charity in confidence, and in the process provides his or her personal information, under canadian law a fiduciary relationship is established between the canadian charity toward the donor concerning the use of private information that the donor has provided." giuistra's spokesperson would not detail the group's donors, but said that no one from the clinton foundation was briefed on donations to the clinton giustra enterprise partnership (canada) because that would have broken canadian law. "to maintain a fiduciary relationship between canadian donors and clinton giustra enterprise partnership (canada) with regard to disclosure of donor information, prior consent must be first obtained from each and every clinton giustra enterprise partnership (canada) donor agreeing to disclose their donor information to any other person or organization," the spokesperson said. schweizer, however, was on abc on sunday, where the author argued that there was a smoking gun in the book. "the smoking gun is in the pattern of behavior," he said of the clintons. all of these explanations by people close to the clintons, though, have not stemmed the tide of mounting ethical questions being poised by clinton's detractors. many republican operatives see the story as clean hit against clinton, and one that will make a convincing ad once the campaigns start in earnest. "these new revelations," republican national committee spokeswoman allison moore said on thursday, "continue to raise serious questions about hillary clinton's judgment as secretary of state."

clinton foundation: 'yes, we made mistakes'

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washington <u+2014> the u.s. government started keeping secret records of americans' international telephone calls nearly a decade before the sept. 11 terrorist attacks, harvesting billions of calls in a program that provided a blueprint for the far broader national security agency surveillance that followed. for more than two decades, the justice department and the drug enforcement administration amassed logs of virtually all telephone calls from the usa to as many as 116 countries linked to drug trafficking, current and former officials involved with the operation said. the targeted countries changed over time but included canada, mexico and most of central and south america. federal investigators used the call records to track drug cartels' distribution networks in the usa, allowing agents to detect previously unknown trafficking rings and money handlers. they also used the records to help rule out foreign ties to the bombing in 1995 of a federal building in oklahoma city and to identify u.s. suspects in a wide range of other investigations. the justice department revealed in january that the dea had collected data about calls to "designated foreign countries." but the history and vast scale of that operation have not been disclosed until now. the now-discontinued operation, carried out by the dea's intelligence arm, was the government's first known effort to gather data on americans in bulk, sweeping up records of telephone calls made by millions of u.s. citizens regardless of whether they were suspected of a crime. it was a model for the massive phone surveillance system the nsa launched to identify terrorists after the sept. 11 attacks. that dragnet drew sharp criticism that the government had intruded too deeply into americans' privacy after former nsa contractor edward snowden leaked it to the news media two years ago. more than a dozen current and former law enforcement and intelligence officials described the details of the justice department operation to usa today. most did so on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the intelligence program, part of which remains classified. the dea program did not intercept the content of americans' calls, but the records <u+2014> which numbers were dialed and when <u+2014> allowed agents to map suspects' communications and link them to troves of other police and intelligence data. at first, the drug agency did so with help from military computers and intelligence analysts. that data collection was "one of the most important and effective federal drug law enforcement initiatives," the justice department said in a 1998 letter to sprint asking the telecom giant to turn over its call records. the previously undisclosed letter was signed by the head of the department's narcotics and dangerous drugs section, mary lee warren, who wrote that the operation had "been approved at the highest levels of federal law enforcement authority," including then-attorney general janet reno and her deputy, eric holder. the data collection began in 1992 during the administration of president george h.w. bush, nine years before his son, president george w. bush, authorized the nsa to gather its own logs of americans' phone calls in 2001. it was approved by top justice department officials in four presidential administrations and detailed in occasional briefings to members of congress but otherwise had little independent oversight, according to officials involved with running it. the dea used its data collection extensively and in ways that the nsa is now prohibited from doing. agents gathered the records without court approval, searched them more often in a day than the spy agency does in a year and automatically linked the numbers the agency gathered to large electronic collections of investigative reports, domestic call records accumulated by its agents and intelligence data from overseas. the result was "a treasure trove of very important information on trafficking," former dea administrator thomas constantine said in an interview. the extent of that surveillance alarmed privacy advocates, who questioned its legality. "this was aimed squarely at americans," said mark rumold, an attorney with the electronic frontier foundation. "that's very significant from a constitutional perspective." holder halted the data collection in september 2013 amid the fallout from snowden's revelations about other surveillance programs. in its place, current and former officials said the drug agency sends telecom companies daily subpoenas for international calling records involving only phone numbers that agents suspect are linked to the drug trade or other crimes <u+2014> sometimes a thousand or more numbers a day. tuesday, justice department spokesman patrick rodenbush said the dea "is no longer collecting bulk telephony metadata from u.s. service providers." a dea spokesman declined to comment. the dea began assembling a data-gathering program in the 1980s as the government searched for new ways to battle colombian drug cartels. neither informants nor undercover agents had been enough to crack the cartels' infrastructure. so the agency's intelligence arm turned its attention to the groups' communication networks. calling records <u+2013> often called "toll records" <u+2013> offered one way to do that. toll records are comparable to what appears on a phone bill <u+2013> the numbers a person dialed, the date and time of the call, its duration and how it was paid for. by then, dea agents had decades of experience gathering toll records of people they suspected were linked to drug trafficking, albeit one person at a time. in the late 1980s and early 1990s, officials said the agency had little way to make sense of the data their agents accumulated and almost no ability to use them to ferret out new cartel connections. some agents used legal pads. "we were drowning in toll records," a former intelligence official said. the dea asked the pentagon for help. the military responded with a pair of supercomputers and intelligence analysts who had experience tracking the communication patterns of soviet military units. "what they discovered was that the incident of a communication was perhaps as important as the content of a communication," a former justice department official said. the military installed the supercomputers on the fifth floor of the dea's headquarters, across from a shopping mall in arlington, va. the system they built ultimately allowed the drug agency to stitch together huge collections of data to map trafficking and money laundering networks both overseas and within the usa. it allowed agents to link the call records its agents gathered domestically with calling data the dea and intelligence agencies had acquired outside the usa. (in some cases, officials said the dea paid employees of foreign telecom firms for copies of call logs and subscriber lists.) and it eventually allowed agents to cross-reference all of that against investigative reports from the dea, fbi and customs service. the result "produced major international investigations that allowed us to take some big people," constantine said, though he said he could not identify particular cases. in 1989, president george h.w. bush proposed in his first prime-time address using "sophisticated intelligence-gathering and defense department technology" to disrupt drug trafficking. three years later, when violent crime rates were at record highs, the drug agency intensified its intelligence push, launching a "kingpin strategy" to attack drug cartels by going after their finances, leadership and communication. in 1992, in the last months of bush's administration, attorney general william barr and his chief criminal prosecutor, robert mueller, gave the dea permission to collect a much larger set of phone data to feed into that intelligence operation. instead of simply asking phone companies for records about calls made by people suspected of drug crimes, the justice department began ordering telephone companies to turn over lists of all phone calls from the usa to countries where the government determined drug traffickers operated, current and former officials said. barr and mueller declined to comment, as did barr's deputy, george terwilliger iii, though terwilliger said, "it has been apparent for a long time in both the law enforcement and intelligence worlds that there is a tremendous value and need to collect certain metadata to support legitimate investigations." the data collection was known within the agency as usto (a play on the fact that it tracked calls from the u.s. to other countries). the dea obtained those records using administrative subpoenas that allow the agency to collect records "relevant or material to" federal drug investigations. officials acknowledged it was an expansive interpretation of that authority but one that was not likely to be challenged because unlike search warrants, dea subpoenas do not require a judge's approval. "we knew we were stretching the definition," a former official involved in the process said. officials said a few telephone companies were reluctant to provide so much information, but none challenged the subpoenas in court. those that hesitated received letters from the justice department urging them to comply. after sprint executives expressed reservations in 1998, for example, warren, the head of the department's drug section, responded with a letter telling the company that "the initiative has been determined to be legally appropriate" and that turning over the call data was "appropriate and required by law." the letter said the data would be used by authorities "to focus scarce investigative resources by means of sophisticated pattern and link analysis." the letter did not name other telecom firms providing records to the dea but did tell executives that "the arrangement with sprint being sought by the dea is by no means unique to sprint" and that "major service providers have been eager to support and assist law enforcement within appropriate bounds." former officials said the operation included records from at&t and other telecom companies. a spokesman for at&t declined to comment. sprint spokeswoman stephanie vinge walsh said only that "we do comply with all state and federal laws regarding law enforcement subpoenas." agents said that when the data collection began, they sought to limit its use mainly to drug investigations and turned away requests for access from the fbi and the nsa. they allowed searches of the data in terrorism cases, including the bombing of a federal building in oklahoma city that killed 168 people in 1995, helping to rule out theories linking the attack to foreign terrorists. they allowed even broader use after sept. 11, 2001. the dea's public disclosure of its program in january came in the case of a man charged with violating u.s. export restrictions by trying to send electrical equipment to iran. at first, officials said the dea gathered records only of calls to a handful of countries, focusing on colombian drug cartels and their supply lines. its reach grew quickly, and by the late 1990s, the dea was logging "a massive number of calls," said a former intelligence official who supervised the program. former officials said they could not recall the complete list of countries included in usto, and the coverage changed over time. the justice department and dea added countries to the list if officials could establish that they were home to outfits that produced or trafficked drugs or were involved in money laundering or other drug-related crimes. the justice department warned when it disclosed the program in january that the list of countries should remain secret "to protect against any disruption to prospective law enforcement cooperation." at its peak, the operation gathered data on calls to 116 countries, an official involved in reviewing the list said. two other officials said they did not recall the precise number of countries, but it was more than 100. that gave the collection a considerable sweep; the u.s. government recognizes a total of 195 countries. at one time or another, officials said, the data collection covered most of the countries in central and south america and the caribbean, as well as others in western africa, europe and asia. it included afghanistan, pakistan, iran, italy, mexico and canada. the dea often <u+2014> though not always <u+2014> notified foreign governments it was collecting call records, in part to make sure its agents would not be expelled if the program was discovered. in some cases, the dea provided some of that information to foreign law enforcement agencies to help them build their own investigations, officials said. the dea did not have a real-time connection to phone companies' data; instead, the companies regularly provided copies of their call logs, first on computer disks and later over a private network. agents who used the system said the numbers they saw were seldom more than a few days old. the database did not include callers' names or other identifying data. officials said agents often were able to identify individuals associated with telephone numbers flagged by the analysis, either by cross-referencing them against other databases or by sending follow-up requests to the phone companies. to keep the program secret, the dea sought not to use the information as evidence in criminal prosecutions or in its justification for warrants or other searches. instead, its special operations division passed the data to field agents as tips to help them find new targets or focus existing investigations, a process approved by justice department lawyers. many of those tips were classified because the dea phone searches drew on other intelligence data. that practice sparked a furor when the reuters news agency reported in 2013 that the dea trained agents to conceal the sources of those tips from judges and defense lawyers. reuters said the tips were based on wiretaps, foreign intelligence and a dea database of telephone calls gathered through routine subpoenas and search warrants. as a result, "the government short-circuited any debate about the legality and wisdom of putting the call records of millions of innocent people in the hands of the dea," american civil liberties union lawyer patrick toomey said. listen to brad heath detail his investigation into decades of bulk data collection in the audio player below: the nsa began collecting its own data on americans' phone calls within months of sept. 11, 2001, as a way to identify potential terrorists within the usa. at first, it did so without court approval. in 2006, after the new york times and usa today began reporting on the surveillance program, president george w. bush's administration brought it under the foreign intelligence surveillance act, which allows the government to use secret court orders to get access to records relevant to national security investigations. unlike the dea, the nsa also gathered logs of calls within the usa. the similarities between the nsa program and the dea operation established a decade earlier are striking <u+2013> too much so to have been a coincidence, people familiar with the programs said. former nsa general counsel stewart baker said, "it's very hard to see (the dea operation) as anything other than the precursor" to the nsa's terrorist surveillance. both operations relied on an expansive interpretation of the word "relevant," for example <u+2014> one that allowed the government to collect vast amounts of information on the premise that some tiny fraction of it would be useful to investigators. both used similar internal safeguards, requiring analysts to certify that they had "reasonable articulable suspicion" <u+2013> a comparatively low legal threshold <u+2013> that a phone number was linked to a drug or intelligence case before they could query the records. "the foundation of the nsa program was a mirror image of what we were doing," said a former justice department official who helped oversee the surveillance. that official said he and others briefed nsa lawyers several times on the particulars of their surveillance program. two former dea officials also said the nsa had been briefed on the operation. the nsa declined to comment. there were also significant differences. for one thing, dea analysts queried their data collection far more often. the nsa said analysts searched its telephone database only about 300 times in 2012; dea analysts routinely performed that many searches in a day, former officials said. beyond that, nsa analysts must have approval from a judge on the foreign intelligence surveillance court each time they want to search their own collection of phone metadata, and they do not automatically cross-reference it with other intelligence files. sen. patrick leahy, d-vt., then the chairman of the senate judiciary committee, complained last year to holder that the dea had been gathering phone data "in bulk" without judicial oversight. officials said the dea's database was disclosed to judges only occasionally, in classified hearings. for two decades, it was never reviewed by the justice department's own inspector general, which told congress it is now looking into the dea's bulk data collections. holder pulled the plug on the phone data collection in september 2013. that summer, snowden leaked a remarkable series of classified documents detailing some of the government's most prized surveillance secrets, including the nsa's logging of domestic phone calls and internet traffic. reuters and the new york times raised questions about the drug agency's own access to phone records. officials said the justice department told the dea that it had determined it could not continue both surveillance programs, particularly because part of its justification for sweeping nsa surveillance was that it served national security interests, not ordinary policing. eight months after usto was halted, for example, department lawyers defended the spy agency's phone dragnet in court partly on the grounds that it "serves special governmental needs above and beyond normal law enforcement." three months after usto was shut down, a review panel commissioned by president obama urged congress to bar the nsa from gathering telephone data on americans in bulk. not long after that, obama instructed the nsa to get permission from the surveillance court before querying its phone data collection, a step the drug agency never was required to take. the dea stopped searching usto in september 2013. not long after that, it purged the database. "it was made abundantly clear that they couldn't defend both programs," a former justice department official said. others said holder's message was more direct. "he said he didn't think we should have that information," a former dea official said. by then, agents said usto was suffering from diminishing returns. more criminals <u+2014> especially the sophisticated cartel operatives the agency targeted <u+2014> were communicating on internet messaging systems that are harder for law enforcement to track. still, the shutdown took a toll, officials said. "it has had a major impact on investigations," one former dea official said. the dea asked the justice department to restart the surveillance program in december 2013. it withdrew that request when agents came up with a new solution. every day, the agency assembles a list of the telephone numbers its agents suspect may be tied to drug trafficking. each day, it sends electronic subpoenas <u+2014> sometimes listing more than a thousand numbers <u+2014> to telephone companies seeking logs of international telephone calls linked to those numbers, two official familiar with the program said. the data collection that results is more targeted but slower and more expensive. agents said it takes a day or more to pull together communication profiles that used to take minutes. the white house proposed a similar approach for the nsa's telephone surveillance program, which is set to expire june 1. that approach would halt the nsa's bulk data collection but would give the spy agency the power to force companies to turn over records linked to particular telephone numbers, subject to a court order.

u.s. secretly tracked billions of calls for decades

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the evening leaves him with a strong moral case for the republican nomination, and everyone trying to work out what the heck he'll actually do with it. expect a more moderate tone. trump, believe or not, is showing signs of political sophistication. the lingering gop argument against a trump nomination is that a) he remains unpopular with the wider electorate and that b) the delegate count is still stacked against him. it's true that he heads into tougher, more western terrain after the acela primaries; it's also true that ted cruz and john kasich have forged an alliance to stop him. they make an unlikely butch cassidy and the sundance kid, but they're determined to go down with a fight. they'll probably lose. true, trump is a surprisingly unpopular front-runner who hasn't enjoyed huge majorities in primaries -- until now. the argument used to be that as the field narrowed and the gop organized a counteroffensive, trump would hit a natural ceiling of support and start losing. the opposite appears to be true: the narrower the race, the better he does. aside from sweeping all five states on tuesday, he won every single demographic in most of them. he even did well in the philadelphia suburbs, areas that often function as a predictor of how a nominee will do in november. his support has proven to be as wide as it is deep, undivided by class, gender or income. there is no evidence that the counter revolutionary alliance is popular enough -- or trump unpopular enough -- to stop him. the true trump is the part he's playing by the time that the republicans gather in cleveland, they are going to have to face up to an uncomfortable truth. yes, trump's victory has been built largely on pluralities. but no, the republican party has not been able to find an alternative that republican voters are prepared to endorse. trump is nominee almost by default. which leaves us with two questions. first, how will he navigate the convention? his victory speech heralded a change in tone. lots of promises to unify and heal and reach out to the disgruntled, even a few nice words about the media. it was "moderate energy." behind the scenes, trump's campaign has promised to hire speechwriters and he's practicing with a teleprompter. evidence is growing that the establishment is prepared to take a second look. reince priebus, the gop chair with the hardest job in the western world, has warned conservatives that there will be no alternative to the nominee. so there's every likelihood that the convention could reach a peaceful accord; the gop might yet rally around its front-runner. that said, you can never be sure with trump. the man is unpredictable. for that reason, the answer to the second question -- how will he run in the fall? -- remains equally unclear. it is said that he's tacked a little to the left recently. he has, supposedly, argued that transgender people should be able to use the restrooms they want and that the republican platform should support legal abortion in certain instances. but are these positions the product of strategic thinking or trump finding his feet as a new arrival to the world of conservatism? very shortly after he questioned north carolina's bathroom bill, trump said that it was actually a state issue and the federal government should stay out. and his views on abortion have vacillated from suggesting women could face punishment to now being a little more liberal. hillary clinton and donald trump on the 'woman card' hillary clinton and donald trump on the 'woman card' moreover, even if trump's private instincts are socially tolerant, the democrats won't define him that way in the fall campaign. in her tuesday night speech, hillary clinton hammered away at the social issues and promised to "break down barriers" rather than "build walls," asserting that "love trumps hate." after delivering each of these slogans, clinton did that weird thing she does where she nods at what she just said as though she wasn't the one saying it. her visuals are often a little baffling, but her message is utterly disciplined: clinton will fight trump on trump's reputation as a bigot rather than the reality of trump as a complex man without a clearly defined politics. clinton, however, had better watch out. the scale of trump's latest victories indicates that he does have the potential to break through a wall of negative media, hit the economic issues effectively and drag his opponents down with sheer strength of will. this campaign cycle is slowly evolving from a narrative of trump as a "surprise winner" to trump as a potential nominee. the votes haven't dried up as a result; there's still a lot of enthusiasm for him out there. when trump described tuesday as his "biggest night," he was probably right.

donald trump's big night: don't underestimate him

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another poll, more evidence that president obama's stock is rising among the american public. a new washington post-abc news poll put obama's approval rating at 50%, his highest since the spring of 2013 in this particular survey. that's also nine points higher than it was in december, a month after voters gave republicans control of the senate and increased the gop majority in the u.s. house. good economic news appears to be fueling obama's improved ratings in a string of recent polls. the post/abc survey also shows an american public sharply divided along democratic and republican lines, at odds as to whether the view of obama or the gop should prevail. "despite the partisan divisions on most issues, a substantial majority of americans continue to see political dysfunction in washington as a big problem. after years of political standoffs, there is considerable skepticism about whether the two sides can overcome their political differences to ease what has become a chronic problem ... "the post-abc survey puts the president's approval rating slightly higher than some other recent public polls. but most have shown improvement since the november elections as the president has moved aggressively and unilaterally on issues such as immigration and climate change."

obama hits 50% approval rating in poll

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the spending proposal will almost assuredly get strong pushback from republicans in congress, who now control both the house and the senate and wield even more power than they did four years ago. for that reason alone, the budget is another sign of a president feeling unhindered in his final years of office and eager to take advantage of an improving economy. details of the budget have been guarded closely by administration and capitol hill officials. but sources on both ends of pennsylvania avenue said obama will propose increasing discretionary spending by about $70 billion (several sources cautioned the proposed increase likely will be slightly less). the money would be divided equally between defense and non-defense accounts. <u+201c>the president will propose to end the across-the-board sequester cuts that threaten our economy and our military," a white house official said. "the president<u+2019>s budget will fully reverse those cuts for domestic priorities, and match those investments dollar-for-dollar with the resources our troops need to keep america safe.<u+201d> an administration official told the huffington post that the spending additions the president will outline -- which appear larger than those he proposed in last year's budget -- would be offset by cutting spending and closing tax loopholes. the overall budget, the official added, would have measures to reduce the deficit through a similar combination of savings. for republicans, the proposal will likely be perceived as fiscally reckless, if not politically brazen. after all, it was the gop wins in the 2010 election that set the stage for sequestration's across-the-board budget cuts in the first place. after that election cycle, obama attempted to craft several debt-reduction deals with house speaker john boehner (r-ohio) as a nod to conservative victories. but the deals never came to fruition. and in the summer of 2011, as the debt ceiling was nearly breached, the two sides fell back on an exchange that neither truly liked. under the budget control act of 2011, spending was reduced by nearly $1 trillion and congress created the so-called super committee to find roughly $1.5 trillion more in savings. when the committee failed to find consensus, mandatory sequestration cuts kicked in, forcing more than $1 trillion in cuts over 10 years. sequestration was delayed a few months starting at the beginning of 2013. but by march of that year, it was law of the land. though republicans have lamented sequestration's effects on defense operations -- and some have worried about non-defense programs in their districts -- they have largely resisted proposals to replace sequestration with any package that includes tax hikes. <u+201c>republicans believe there are smarter ways to cut spending than the sequester and have passed legislation to replace it multiple times, only to see the president continue to demand tax hikes," said cory fritz, a spokesman for boehner. "until he gets serious about solving our long-term spending problem it<u+2019>s hard to take him seriously." but obama also may find critics of his budget proposal on his side of the aisle -- for not being bolder. a roughly $70 billion increase may seem healthy, if not daring. but as the new york times noted, it represents a small portion of a budget expected to reach $3.9 trillion, and it comes at a time when the deficit is shrinking. senate budget committee ranking member bernie sanders (i-vt.), for one, has called for a major government investment in infrastructure and other domestic priorities well beyond where the obama administration appears willing to go. the administration<u+2019>s hope is that somewhere in the ideological middle (albeit closer to the liberal side of the divide), there will be enough lawmakers to forge a majority. rep. paul ryan (r-wis.) and sen. patty murray (d-wash) were able to craft a deal to alleviate some of the budget cuts brought on by sequestration in december 2013. a request for comment from ryan<u+2019>s office was not returned late wednesday night.

obama wants to end the era of sequestration

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if hillary clinton and donald trump wind up in the general election, we certainly will have a contest <u+2014> for the less<u+00a0>truthful and less<u+00a0>in-touch candidate. this weekend was a perfect example of two candidates who live in their own reality. hillary clinton in the debate saturday night argued that donald trump was <u+201c>becoming isis<u+2019>s best recruiter.<u+201d> she insisted, <u+201c>they are going to people, showing them videos of donald trump insulting islam and muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists.<u+201d> there is no such video, and her statement has been rated <u+201c>false<u+201d> by fact checkers. nevertheless, her campaign team insists this is so. not to be outmatched in the fantasy department, trump is still insisting thousands of muslims were celebrating 9/11 in new jersey. this too is false, and new jersey gov. chris christie has repeatedly said it did not happen. scarily, these candidates<u+2019> larger worldviews are at odds with reality as well. trump basks in the compliments of russian president putin and <u+2014> incredibly <u+2014> claims there is no evidence suggesting putin killed journalists. (<u+201c>but, in all fairness to putin, you<u+2019>re saying he killed people. i haven<u+2019>t seen that. i don<u+2019>t know that he has.<u+201d>) apparently he will buy into the notion that thousands of muslims were celebrating 9/11 but insists on putin<u+2019>s fingerprints on the gun before acknowledging putin<u+2019>s hand in the deaths of scores of journalists. someone should tell trump that<u+00a0>putin<u+2019>s regime also kills businessmen<u+2019>s lawyers. trump<u+2019>s world is not so different from<u+00a0>the far-left world in which the united states<u+00a0>has been the troublemaker (<u+201c>well, take a look at <u+2014> take a look at <u+2014> excuse me, take a look at the rampage all over the place<u+201c>) and civil rights atrocities in dictatorial regimes around the globe are no big deal. then there is hillary clinton<u+2019>s worldview, in which the obama-clinton foreign policy is a success. she<u+2019>s insisted the russian <u+201c>reset<u+201d> worked. in saturday<u+2019>s<u+00a0>debate, she proclaimed, <u+201c>we now finally are where we need to be. we have a strategy and a commitment to go after isis which is a danger to us as well as the region, and we finally have a u.n. security council resolution bringing the world together to go after a political transition in syria.<u+201d> in its own way, this is as stunning as trump<u+2019>s non-facts. the president<u+2019>s military advisers and secretary of defense acknowledge that the islamic state is not contained. innocents have been slaughtered in paris and san bernardino, calif. russia and iran are backing bashar al-assad. and the administration has stopped saying assad must go. the bloody civil war rages on. our sunni arab allies do not trust us. we have helped revive the iranian economy and in turn allowed iran to redouble its support for assad, hezbollah and others. if she thinks a u.n. resolution is going to make things better, she truly is in her own universe.<u+00a0>yes, siree, we are right where we want to be. we can only hope one or both parties finds someone to nominate grounded in reality. for seven years we have had a president who imagines the world is as he wishes it to be, who thought (among other things): the world would be improved if the united states<u+00a0>receded, we shouldn<u+2019>t rock the boat by backing the green revolution; <u+00a0>there was a fatwa against nukes in iran; and without the united states<u+00a0>as the dominant presence the middle east, we would do just fine. picking someone equally if not more delusional than president obama will have serious implications for the united states and the world.

clinton or trump: who<u+2019>s less truthful?

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ohio democrat tim ryan does a lot of media but only has 2 public supporters

bobby jindal governing like it's 2016

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sen. bernie sanders suffered a crushing defeat tuesday night, losing three out of five states to democratic frontrunner hillary clinton by significant margins at press time. in a speech shortly after most polls closed at 8 pm, sanders blamed his loss on closed primaries, which barred independent voters from participating in four of five primaries. he did win rhode island, which allows participation by independent voters. <u+201c>in a general election, democrat, independent, republican, has the right to vote for president. the elections are not closed primaries,<u+201d> sanders said. <u+201c>those folks and independents all over this country will be voting in november for the next president of the united states. and in most cases, we win the independent vote by a 2<u+2013>1 margin.<u+201d> clinton made another strong showing tuesday night with non-white voters and city dwellers. exit polls indicated strong support in cities like baltimore. baltimore pastor jamal bryant, who had been working to get out the vote for sanders in baltimore<u+2019>s inner city, lamented that the vermont senator has not done better with communities of color, who have overwhelmingly backed clinton. <u+201c>he more than any candidate, democrat or republican, speaks to our issues,<u+201d> bryant told thinkprogress, noting his progressive racial justice and criminal justice proposals. <u+201c>i would have thought he<u+2019>d have more black and brown supporters. but there<u+2019>s been a translation problem. the gatekeepers have already sworn allegiance to the clinton dynasty, and most people go with a name they<u+2019>re already familiar with.<u+201d> as his path to the nomination narrows, sanders<u+2019> campaign is reassessing the senator<u+2019>s prospects following tuesday<u+2019>s losses, and key supporters are admitting that it is increasingly unlikely he can clinch the nomination. his campaign and supporters have already turned their attention to how sanders can use his popularity and influence to shape the democratic party even if he is not its standard bearer. the new york times reported that aides to sanders have started pressing party officials for a major role in drafting the platform for the democratic national convention in july, especially on including issues like a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, breaking up wall street banks, and banning natural gas fracking.

bernie sanders blames closed primaries as path to the nomination narrows

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