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| August 24, 2020 07:55 PM Jerry Falwell Jr.'s career, both at Liberty University and as a figurehead of the evangelical community, is over. After years of mounting stunts and scandals, Falwell's personal life exploded into the national limelight. At first, he tried to get ahead of the story, with the Washington Examiner's Paul Bedard breaking his eleventh-hour statement claiming that his wife Becki had engaged in "an inappropriate personal relationship with" a pool assistant they had met nearly a decade ago, "something in which I was not involved." Then, however, came the real allegation — that one of the most sanctimonious moral scolds in the nation had recruited a 20-year-old pool boy to have sex with Becki while Falwell watched. Some people are just into that. If you took this pitch to a porn director, he would shun it as too trite even for the internet's lowest form of entertainment. And it's true. Everyone calling Falwell a hypocritical hoaxer is also right. But the true tragedy of this scenario isn't just the collateral damage among Liberty's truly faithful, besmirched by Falwell's failures. It's the simple fact that Falwell should have been out before reports of his cuckolding and "throuple" were made public. As a tax-exempt institution, Liberty is legally forbidden from making formal political endorsements, something Falwell jeopardized when he decided to sell out Ted Cruz, a faithful and practicing evangelical who would have materially advanced religious liberty as president, to back the thrice-married adulterer who now occupies the Oval Office. And now, there is the question of why precisely Falwell pulled the trigger for President Trump. Over at the American Conservative, Rod Dreher has an idea: It raises an important question too about whether or not the Trump campaign used knowledge of the Falwells’ affair to pressure Jerry Jr. to endorse Trump. Former Trump legal fixer Michael Cohen told Tom Arnold that he handled a situation down in Florida in which somebody had some compromising boudoir shots of Becki Falwell that he (Cohen) had to obtain. Funnily enough, right after that, Jerry Jr., who was lined up to endorse Ted Cruz for president, flip-flopped to Trump. Amazing, eh? In a sane society, personal circles should care about moral behavior, and public communities ought to care about consensual behavior. Falwell's followers followed neither tenet here. While Falwell degraded Liberty's reputation to help Trump, the powers that be in his community stood by. And now that his personal preferences — none that involved coercion, manipulation, or any other sort of abuse of power — have apparently sprung to national news, the non-evangelical public has handed down its verdict. And why? Simply because the draconian and often overbearing moral policing of Liberty's community would dictate that what Falwell did was wrong. Falwell should have faced the thrust of his own community to leave Liberty long ago. Let this unnecessary personal humiliation of his be a lesson to those who forget the importance of confronting their own and holding them accountable.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! President Trump on Wednesday morning tweeted a full-throated defense of his son, pushing back after the release of a damning email chain between his son and a Russian publicist appeared to show the younger Trump readily accepting help from the Kremlin. FILE - In this June 5, 2017, file photo, Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president of The Trump Organization, announces that the family's company is launching a new hotel chain inspired by his and brother Eric's Trump's travels with their father's campaign at Trump Tower in New York. Trump Jr. shared a video on July 8, 2017, of an edited clip of the 1986 military thriller âTop Gunâ in which President Donald Trumpâs face is superimposed over Tom Cruiseâs character as he shoots down a Russian jet with a CNN logo on it. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) (AP)The president had initially offered praise for Donald Trump Jr., issuing a statement through a spokesperson saying his son was a “high-quality person” and applauding his “transparency” after Trump Jr. released a June 2016 email chain that spelled out an offer to give the Trump administration incriminating information on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton as part of Russia’s "support for Mr. Trump.”But on Wednesday President Trump was the defiant tweeter-in-chief, taking to social media to support his son after a Tuesday night appearance on Fox News' "Hannity."“My son Donald did a good job last night. He was open, transparent and innocent. This is the greatest Witch Hunt in political history. Sad!” Trump wrote.He added: “Remember, when you hear the words ‘sources say’ from the Fake Media, often times those sources are made up and do not exist.”The Trump administration’s agenda has been stalled in part by persistent media questions and a plethora of Congressional committees and Federal agencies investigating alleged collusion by Team Trump with the alleged Russian plot to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.While many of the stories have relied on murky anonymous sourcing – perhaps accounting for Trump’s second tweet – Tuesday’s Trump Jr. stories were largely predicated on the email exchange between Trump Jr. and Russian publicist Rob Goldstone – a conversation later shown to be accurate when Trump Jr. himself tweeted the email chain in light of its pending publication by The New York Times.
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Lena Dunham at the TCA press tour in 2014. (Reuters photo: Lucy Nicholson) Progressive corporations enforce an ideological monoculture. Dissent and get fired. When I talk about free speech, I often ask the audience two questions. First, did you know that the Supreme Court has been steadily expanding free-speech rights? Second, do you feel freer to speak now than you did five years ago? The answers are always the same — some variation of “no” and “heck, no.” The first assertion is undoubtedly true. Federal courts have consistently protected free speech from government interference and have been relentless in shutting down viewpoint discrimination. When government officials target speech because of a speaker’s views, they lose time and again.
At the same time, millions of Americans are extraordinarily reluctant to express even the most mainstream of (particularly) social conservative views. They’re convinced that if they do that, they’ll be publicly humiliated, investigated, and perhaps even lose their jobs. They’re convinced that outspoken liberals enjoy greater opportunity in key sectors of the economy, and if conservatives want to thrive, they best keep their opinions to themselves.
Two recent incidents highlight this concern. The first comes courtesy of actress Lena Dunham, the paradigm of the celebrity social-justice warrior. Early last Thursday morning, she tweeted at American Airlines that she’d heard two of its employees engaged in “transphobic” talk. Specifically, she said she heard two flight attendants talk about how they thought transgenderism was “gross,” and they’d “never accept a trans kid.” She did not see them harassing anyone. She was simply eavesdropping on a conversation.
How did American Airlines respond? By launching an investigation into the offending employees (they couldn’t substantiate Dunham’s claims). Is that now the standard? Will American Airlines investigate employees without any allegation that they’ve actually mistreated a single customer merely on the grounds that their employees’ private conversation offended a leftist?
The second incident comes courtesy of Google, one of the most powerful corporations on the planet. An anonymous employee penned a multi-page memo addressing why there are fewer women than men in key fields in the tech industry. In the memo, he noted that Google values gender and racial diversity but has created an “ideological echo chamber where some ideas are too sacred to be honestly discussed.” This means that Google responds to gender imbalances with “extreme and authoritarian” measures. At the extreme, it views all gender disparities as “due to oppression.” Its authoritarian response is to “discriminate to correct this oppression.”
The writer than explores at length cultural and biological differences between men and women and then proposes some measures to increase female representation in the field without resorting to discrimination.
And how did his colleagues respond? How did Google respond? Employees demanded that he be fired. Google then penned a response that contained this ominous paragraph: Part of building an open, inclusive environment means fostering a culture in which those with alternative views, including different political views, feel safe sharing their opinions. But that discourse needs to work alongside the principles of equal employment found in our Code of Conduct, policies, and anti-discrimination laws. That was a thinly veiled warning. Speak your mind, but know that HR is looking over your shoulder. And late Monday, Google lowered the boom. It fired software engineer James Damore for “perpetuating gender stereotypes.” He wrote a memo describing how Google was intolerant of dissenting voices. Google proved his point.
It’s important to note that Google and American Airlines are both private corporations. They have enormous latitude to advance their own corporate viewpoints and to regulate the speech of their employees. There is no First Amendment violation here. There’s nothing illegal about fellow employees or corporate employers attempting to squelch the speech of employees who quite literally dissent from the company line. Major corporations and virtually every university in the nation are now political entities just as much as they’re commercial entities, and they wear their progressivism on their sleeves.
But just because something is legal does not mean it’s right, and the result is a crisis in the culture of free speech in the United States. As the politicization of everything proceeds apace, the “company line” has increasingly moved well beyond promoting its own products to promoting a particular kind of politics. Major corporations and virtually every university in the nation are now political entities just as much as they’re commercial entities, and they wear their progressivism on their sleeves.
The primary victims of this new culture of groupthink are social conservatives and other dissenters from identity politics. In field after field and company after company, conservatives understand that the price of their employment is silence. Double standards abound, and companies intentionally try to keep work environments “safe” from disagreement. Radical sexual and racial politics are given free rein. Disagree — and lose your job. It takes a person of rare constitution and moral courage to speak up. And that’s precisely how the far Left likes it. After all, what value is there in disagreement? They’ve figured out that elusive path to racial, gender, and sexual justice, and disagreement only distracts. It does worse than distract. It wounds.
But take heart, conservatives. It’s not all bleak. After all, the government is highly unlikely to persecute you for your speech. And if you want to succeed in cutting-edge businesses or enjoy equal opportunity in the academy, you do have one good option. You can shut your mouth.
READ MORE:
The ‘Anti-Diversity’ Screed That Wasn’t
Google Receives 95 Theses of Diversity and Inclusion
Justifying Exclusion through ‘Diversity’
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Marco Rubio tops Florida Senate rival Val Demings as Biden approval plummets: Poll David M. Drucker | February 16, 2022 06:00 AM SEE IT: Reporter presses Hillary Clinton on 'spying' allegations Daniel Chaitin | February 15, 2022 10:48 PM Typo on flier sends drivers in Florida to Trump 2024 merchandise website Asher Notheis | February 15, 2022 05:41 PM Charlie Savage is the reason no one trusts journalists Conn Carroll | February 15, 2022 01:48 PM Oz and McCormick wage battle for Trump endorsement in GOP Senate primary David M. Drucker | February 15, 2022 01:34 PM Sussmann wants Durham filing about Trump White House snooping stricken from record Jerry Dunleavy | February 15, 2022 01:12 PM No spying on Trump? 35 times Big Media lied Paul Bedard | February 15, 2022 01:10 PM The frightening breadth and unaccountability of the deep state Washington Examiner | February 15, 2022 12:01 AM Tech executive fires back at John Durham Daniel Chaitin | February 14, 2022 09:40 PM Trump Organization's longtime accounting firm cuts ties Asher Notheis | February 14, 2022 08:34 PM
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The White House announced Friday that President Biden will make his first foreign trip in June with stops in the UK and Belgium. Biden has avoided travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite being vaccinated, but will make the trip to participate in annual G7 and NATO summits. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “This trip will highlight his commitment to restoring our alliances, revitalizing the trans-Atlantic relationship, and working in close cooperation with our allies and multilateral partners to address global challenges and better secure America’s interests.” The G7 summit in Cornwall, England, is scheduled for June 11-13 and Biden will use the stop to “reinforce our commitment to multilateralism, work to advance key US policy priorities on public health, economic recovery, and climate change, and demonstrate solidarity and shared values among major democracies,” Psaki said. The Carbis Bay Estate hotel and beach, set to be the main venue for the upcoming G7 summit, is seen from a drone on March 2, 2021 in Carbis Bay, Cornwall.Getty Images Biden is expected to hold one-on-one meetings with leaders of the six other member countries, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The NATO summit in Belgium is booked for June 14.“President Biden will affirm the United States’ commitment to NATO, trans-Atlantic security, and collective defense. NATO leaders will discuss how to orient the alliance to future threats and ensure effective burden sharing,” Psaki said. NATO foreign ministers meet at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.POOL/AFP via Getty Images During the Belgium stop, Biden also will “participate in a US–EU Summit, which will underscore our commitment to a strong trans-Atlantic partnership based on shared interests and values.” Psaki’s announcement said nothing about a possible summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden said this month that he offered Putin a summit meeting “this summer in Europe.” President Joe Biden delivers remarks and participates in the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate from the White House.Jim Watson/Getty Images
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The Democratic Caucuses in Virginia’s state House and Senate both called Friday for Gov. Ralph Northam to resign, saying members have lost confidence in him to lead the state after a photo emerged of him and a friend with one in blackface and the other in a KKK outfit. The Democrats said they had “trouble reconciling” the photo with their own experiences with the Democratic governor. But they said voters need to be able to trust their elected officials, and that’s no longer possible. “We regret to say that we are no longer confident in the Governor’s representation of Virginians. Though it brings us no joy to do so, we must call for Governor Northam’s resignation,” the House caucus said in a statement. Senate Democrats also said they were shocked. “The Ralph Northam we know is a pediatric neurologist, a dedicated public servant and a committed husband and father. Nevertheless, it is with heavy hearts that we have respectfully asked him to step down,” the Senate caucus said on Twitter. While leaders across the Democratic Party nationally have made similar calls, the House Democratic Caucus’s decision to turn on the governor is particularly devastating because it was his massive election victory in 2017 and his electoral coattails that helped many of them get elected. All 140 seats in the House and Senate are up for election this November, and Democrats had been hoping to win their first majorities in the chambers in two decades. Earlier in the day, after the 1984 yearbook photo surfaced, Mr. Northam released both a written statement and a video Friday apologizing for the photo and vowing to work to regain voters’ trust — but signaling no intention to step down.
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NEWS AND OPINION: The first Democratic presidential debate of 2020 is in Des Moines on Tuesday night, less than three weeks before the Iowa caucuses. Gone is the big crowd of 20 cheerful hopefuls who gathered on a glittering stage in Miami over two nights for the very first Democratic debate seven months ago, strutting their stuff and shaking hands before a mesmerized media. The debate would be “the largest gathering of liberals since Woodstock,” predicted Ross Baker, a distinguished political science professor at Rutgers University — and he was right. But time marches on, competition is keen. This time around, there’s a slim cast of just six hopefuls at the CNN-hosted event: Sens. Bernard Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar; former Vice President Joseph R. Biden; Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana; and billionaire Tom Steyer. Things may not be so cordial. Reality has set in. “The narratives have been morphing over the past few days as the rift grows between Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Both candidates seem to have realized that there’s a chance they could split the progressive vote and hand a victory to Joe Biden if they can’t consolidate a solid base,” writes Nate Ashworth, editor of Election Central. “Tuesday debate is a battle for heads, not hearts,” declares The Washington Post. “Tight polls, impeachment, billionaire wild cards: Uncertainty reigns in run up to Tuesday’s Democratic debate,” advises The Los Angeles Times. In other words, the election is now underway. For real. The Democratic hopefuls are foes and rivals now, not friends. GOOD GUY WITH A GUN Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has presented the Governor’s Medal of Courage — the Lone Star State’s highest civilian award — to Jack Wilson. The former reserve deputy sheriff took out a shooter who opened fire in a Fort Worth church in late December, felling the gunman with a single round within six seconds after the shooting began. The congregation numbered 240 people; two members of the church were killed. Mr. Wilson, 71, heads up the church’s volunteer security squad. “I had a clear shot and I took the shot, and the shooter went down. I don’t see myself as a hero. I see myself as doing what needed to be done to take out the evil threat,” Mr. Wilson told reporters in the aftermath. FIRST AMENDMENT IN MILWAUKEE President Trump will stage yet another splendid rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday, one in a long sequence of campaign rallies that make up his successful voter outreach. But there’s always drama afoot, and the Milwaukee rally is no exception. This rally takes place in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther Arena, a detail which caused so much consternation among students that chancellor Mark Mone had to explain that the campus had naming rights for the venue — but neither owns the site nor controls who appears there. Young critics had deemed the Trump gathering a “hate” rally. “I have frequently spoken about our unwavering commitment to your safety, inclusivity, equity and respect. We are proud that we educate the most diverse population of any campus in the state with more under-represented minority students and veterans than any other Wisconsin campus. Our campus community is further enriched by our first-generation, LGBT, and non-traditional students. Diversity is further enhanced by critical conversations that can help others see life through their fellow human beings’ lens,” Mr. Mone wrote in a letter to students and faculty. “Our diversity is also vital in creating an environment that welcomes and encourages the open exchange of ideas and civil, intellectual challenge. This free expression will at times be logical and at other times, highly emotional. Most of us cherish the right to say what’s on our minds. At the same time, each of us is — and will continue to be — confronted with hostile speech and words that challenge our sense of morality and justice. This type of speech is also a right and is protected by the First Amendment,” Mr. Mone advised. TRUMP COVERAGE 93% NEGATIVE It is a tradition that continues: Almost all the broadcast coverage about President Trump has been negative in recent months. “In the first 100 days since House Democrats began their impeachment push on September 24, ABC, CBS and NBC have aggressively aided the effort. A Media Research Center analysis finds the Big Three evening newscasts have battered the President with 93% negative coverage and promoted impeachment at the expense of nearly all other Trump news,” write Rich Noyes and Bill D’Agostino, who evaluated 1,053 comments about Mr. Trump which aired on the networks from Sept. 24 to Jan. 1. “The broadcast networks donated at least 124 hours of wall-to-wall live coverage as they pre-empted regular programming in favor of House Democrat-led impeachment activities,” the analysts said. Three-fourths of the coverage was devoted to impeachment, which earned 849 minutes of airtime — compared to the fight against ISIS, which got 78 minutes, North Korea (19 minutes), immigration (17 minutes) and the economy (9 minutes). Democratic candidates were also compromised, Mr. Trump drew a total of 1,143 minutes, Joseph R. Biden got 107 minutes, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernard Sanders got 24 minutes each, and Pete Buttigieg had 8 minutes. “While most citizens would want their media to be even-handed in their coverage of candidates, the networks seem poised to be as lopsidedly negative in their coverage of Trump’s 2020 campaign as they have been in their coverage of his presidency,” the analysts concluded. POLL DU JOUR • 66% of U.S. adults say the federal government should have “a lot of responsibility” in reducing economic inequality in the U.S.; 44% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats agree. • 62% overall say large business and corporations should have responsibility; 51% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats agree. • 52% overall say state governments should have responsibility; 41% of Republicans and 57% of Democrats agree. • 46% overall say wealthy individuals should have responsibility; 34% of Republicans and 51% of Democrats agree. • 13% overall say churches and religious organizations have the responsibility; 11% of Republicans and 13% of Democrats agree. Source: A Pew Research Center poll of 6,878 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 16-29 and released Friday. • Helpful information to [email protected]
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Clouds gather over the skyline of San Francisco, 2014. (Robert Galbraith/Reuters) The Democratic party is going from being the party of formal entitlements for the poor to the party of the informal entitlement of the affluent. NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE T here is a class war going on inside the Democratic party.
Consider these two cris de couer: Writing in the New York Times under the headline “America’s Cities Are Unlivable — Blame Wealthy Liberals,” Farhad Manjoo argues that rich progressives have, through their political domination of cities such as San Francisco, built an invisible wall by artificially constricting the supply of housing to keep prices up and the riff-raff down; writing in The Atlantic, Rahm Emanuel, the feckless former mayor of one of those unlivable cities, puts into prose a campaign rally speech in which he holds ragingly forth on “what … Something to Consider If you enjoyed this article, we have a proposition for you: Join NRPLUS. Members get all of our content on the site including the digital magazine and archives, no paywalls or content meters, an advertising-minimal experience, and unique access to our writers and editors (through conference calls, social media groups, and more). And importantly, NRPLUS members help keep NR going. If you enjoyed this article and want to see more premium content like this, we have a proposition for you: Join NRPLUS. Become a Member Recommended NBC's 'Cataclysmic' Olympics-Coverage Flop How can anyone feel good about these Olympics? Joe Biden Doesn’t Know What You’re Talking About To watch Biden at the lectern was to experience shock and dismay interspersed with moments of alarm and dark humor. No wonder he hides from the media. Nikole Hannah-Jones Responds to Our 1619 and Slavery Issue She reacted with a lot of sneering and ad hominem argumentation and nothing of substance. Maskless Super Bowl Marks Our Return to Normalcy This collective moment was a warning to the Covid regime that its strictures won’t stand much longer. The Perfect Storm Is Coming Not learning from the stagflationary past may lead to a stagflationary future. The Afghanistan Debacle Looks Worse and Worse The more we learn about the administration’s withdrawal, the more it becomes clear that its decisions were driven by political considerations and panic. The Latest Nikki Haley Blasts American-Born Skier Competing for China at Beijing Olympics 'Every athlete needs to know when they put their flag on, you're standing for freedom or you're standing for human rights abuses,' said Haley. San Francisco Voters Overwhelmingly Back Recall of Progressive School-Board Members More than 70 percent of voters supported the ouster of school board members Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga. How Georgetown Is Stifling Speech on Campus The university is implementing the academic analog of a SLAPP suit against Ilya Shapiro. McKinsey Website Contradicts Denials of Chinese-Government Work; Rubio Claims ‘Cover-Up’ The consultancy once said it did work for China’s central government, undercutting recent statements. Imagine a Trumpdeau. You Can’t If Trump had gone after the 2020 rioters the way Trudeau is targeting truckers, the institutions and the permanent government wouldn’t have complied. Building Back Stagflation Our elected leaders must accept that inflation is a monster of their own making, and stop fanning the flames with ever-higher levels of government spending.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! "Garage kept" may be great for classic cars -- but for National Guard members it may be disrespectful.Reports of shabby treatment of National Guard troops at the U.S. Capitol were sparking bipartisan outrage among lawmakers and other officials Thursday -- with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott calling for the return home of his state's Guard members.Thousands of National Guard troops from several states had deployed to the U.S. Capitol to protect Wednesday's inauguration of President Biden against threats of violence following the Jan. 6 riot.Photos of Guard members sleeping on the marble floors of the Capitol quickly went viral -- until they later received cots. Then on Thursday came another insult: According to reports, the Guard members were abruptly told to take their break time inside a parking garage instead of inside the Capitol.On Friday, Yogananda Pittman, acting chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, said in a statement that "with the exception of specific times on Inauguration Day itself while the swearing-in ceremonies were underway, the United States Capitol police did not instruct the National Guard to vacate the Capitol Building facilities.""And on Inauguration Day, the Guard was notified and encouraged to reoccupy the spaces in the Capitol and CVC at 2 p.m.," Pittman added. "As of this morning, all Guardsmen and women have been relocated to space within the Capitol Complex." The Guardsmen, who had been resting inside the Capitol between 12-hour shifts, were moved to a nearby parking garage where photos obtained by Politico and other outlets showed members crowded together on the ground -- some resting their heads against cement pillars.By Thursday evening, Abbott was among those who had apparently seen enough."I have instructed General Norris to order the return of the Texas National Guard to our state," the Republican governor wrote on Twitter, referring to Major Gen. Tracy Norris of the Texas National Guard.Abbott previously objected to reports that Guard members were being "vetted" over concerns about a possible "inside" attack during the Biden inauguration.More outrage came earlier Thursday from other lawmakers and officials, both Republicans and Democrats.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted about the parking garage reports, "If this is true, it's outrageous. I will get to the bottom of this."NATIONAL GUARD SAYS THERE WERE 'NO CONFRONTATIONS' WITH PROTESTERS DURING BIDEN INAUGURATIONRep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., visited the troops and tweeted that he brought them pizza. "No soldier will ever, ever sleep on a garage floor in the US Capitol while I work in Congress."U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., tweeted, "This is absolutely unacceptable and despicable treatment of our brave and dedicated National Guard who answered the call to serve. We need to demand answers now and this needs to be fixed immediately."Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., called the treatment of Guard members, "outrageous, shameful, and incredibly disrespectful.""We need it fixed and we need answers on how it happened," she tweeted.Sinema was one of several lawmakers to offer the use of her office to the Guardsmen and at around 10:30 p.m. ET she tweeted that the members had all been "welcomed back to the Capitol tonight. No more parking garages."CBS reporter Kris Van Cleave reported early Friday the National Guard said the troops are out of the garage and will take their breaks in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitors Center from now on. He included a video of the troops leaving the garage. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., confirmed that she had made several calls and had been informed the "Capitol Police have apologized to the Guardsmen and they will be allowed back into the complex tonight. I’ll keep checking to make sure they are."Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also offered her office, confirmed the Guardsmen were being allowed back in the Capitol and said an offer of snacks "still stands."NATIONAL GUARDSMEN REMOVED FROM US CAPITOL AHEAD OF INAUGURATION One Guardsman told Politico that on the day of the inauguration dozens of lawmakers had taken photos with them, shook their hands and thanked them for their service. He added, "Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage. We feel incredibly betrayed." Politico reported the unit that had been using space in the Dirksen Senate Office building were asked to move to the garage by the Capitol Police. "After significant outcry, it seems like there is movement right now to get Guard members back inside the Capitol, into the visitors center," Politico reporter Natasha Bertrand, tweeted.Politico reporter Lara Seligman said a Guard source told her "all units at the Thurgood Marshall parking garage are ordered to relocate to the CVC (Capitol Visitors Center) immediately."The U.S. Capitol Police put out a statement on the report saying, "The United States Capitol Police immensely appreciates the integral support of the U.S. National Guard in helping to secure the Capitol Complex leading up to, and including the Inaugural ceremony. The Department is grateful for their service and our strong partnership during this time."It continued, "The Department’s request for National Guard assistance included a specific number of personnel to allow the National Guard to provide, at a minimum, 12 hours of off-campus rest time for the troops, and understood that this would be carried out throughout their deployment. Recently, the Department requested that the troops’ schedules be changed so they work no more than 8-hour shifts to allow for more off-campus rest time post-Inauguration."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe Guardsmen have been using the garage only for breaks between their long shifts and have hotel rooms to sleep in at night, Van Cleave tweeted.A spokesman for the National Guard told Politico, "As Congress is in session and increased foot traffic and business is being conducted, Capitol Police asked the troops to move their rest area. They were temporarily relocated to the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center garage with heat and restroom facilities. We remain an agile and flexible force to provide for the safety and security of the Capitol and its surrounding areas. The Guard is reviewing the request so that logistics and schedules can be adjusted."The National Guard did not immediately respond to Fox News requests for comment. Fox News' Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.
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Democrats called it the Trump shutdown. Republicans labeled it the Schumer shutdown. But in reality, it was the Dreamer shutdown. Illegal immigrant Dreamers had for months begged Democrats to block funding for the government unless the bill granted them citizenship rights. On Friday Democrats heeded that call, mounting a filibuster of a four-week spending bill, denying the government the cash it needs to remain open. In the wake of the shutdown Dreamers cheered, saying they were finally being taken seriously. “We know that the public is on our side,” Cata Santiago, a Dreamer, said in a statement. “We are calling for the immigrant community and our allies to take to the streets immediately to demand that Congress pass legislation guaranteeing permanent protection for immigrant youth NOW.” Dozens of Dreamers were in the Senate’s viewing galleries Friday night watching as the drama unfolded beneath them. Police were gathered in force just outside the galleries with piles of plastic handcuffs, prepared for the kinds of protests and mass arrests Dreamers have fostered around the Capitol in recent weeks. There were no disturbances in the galleries, but there was plenty of confusion among senators, who seemed stunned that they actually careened into a shutdown despite Democrats and Republicans saying they didn’t want one. “Almost everybody on both sides doesn’t understand how we ended up here,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He laid blame squarely at the feet of the Dreamer debate, saying Democrats held the entire process — a two-year budget, money for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and other needs — hostage to the immigration talks. Democrats suggested there were other sticking points, but acknowledged immigration and the fate of the Dreamers was the chief hurdle. But they said the hold-up was President Trump’s demands for major changes in immigration policy, which the White House said had to be passed along with any action on Dreamers. “What happened to President Trump who asked us to come up with a deal? He backed off at the first sign of pressure,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said. The Dreamers and their immigrant-rights allies now find themselves in the same position as conservative and tea party groups, who pressured Republicans into an Obamacare-fueled shutdown in 2013. That shutdown lasted 16 days, and Republicans relented in the end, walking away with no substantive gains. Dreamers are likely to emerge from this shutdown in better shape, with most lawmakers saying they do want to find a solution for them. Early Saturday morning, after the votes, Dreamers stood outside the Capitol in small groups. Some seemed stunned by the turn of events, while others danced to music playing from their iPhones. For now the Dreamers await along with the rest of the country to see the outcome — though they were emboldened by their show of political power. For now, though, the Dreamers await along with the rest of the country — though they were emboldened by the show of political power. “Our fight has never been about a government shutdown; it’s about a policy breakthrough. It’s not about political advantage; it’s about people’s lives,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, a pro-immigration lobby group. “Victory is close. We won’t stop until we achieve it.” Deemed the most sympathetic figures in the immigration debate, most Dreamers were brought to the U.S. by parents with little say in the decision, and many don’t have substantive memories of their home countries. They began “coming out” as illegal immigrants in the last decade, and quickly became a political force, earning invitations to the State of the Union address, meeting at the White House with President Barack Obama and addressing the Democratic National Convention. They came close to a solution in 2010, when legislation known as the Dream Act — which they took their name from — cleared the House and came close to passing the Senate, falling in a GOP-led filibuster. Their power has grown in the years since, and they felt emboldened last year to demand a shutdown fight. Democrats balked the first few times, but finally agreed to a self-imposed Jan. 19 deadline for action. Yet the actual firm deadline for Dreamers is March 5, which is when Mr. Trump’s phaseout of the Obama-era DACA deportation amnesty, protecting some 690,000 Dreamers, begins to expire. More than 100 Dreamers are losing status each day right now, but those are ones who didn’t manage to renew their status by Homeland Security’s Oct. 5 deadline. Still, Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who has led the fight on their behalf for years, said it was a travesty for Congress to have not solved their situation. “To say we’re in no hurry — well, we may not be as senators and congressmen, but these young people are in a hurry to find out whether or not they have a life. That’s what it comes down to,” Mr. Durbin said. Republicans countered that they, too, wanted to grant long-term certainty to Dreamers, but didn’t want a new amnesty to invite another wave of illegal immigration. They demanded more border security and other policy changes be tied to any Dreamer legislation. “We cannot deal with the issue of individuals in our country illegally … and ignore how it happened in the first place,” said Sen. James Lankford, Oklahoma Republican.
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President Joe Biden delivers remarks after a roundtable discussion with advisors on steps to curtail gun violence at the White House, June 23, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) President Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland discussed a plan to curb gun violence at a White House press conference on Wednesday evening, amid rising homicide rates throughout the U.S.
Biden said he will direct the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to revoke licenses from dealers the first time they are caught selling a weapon to someone without a permit. Dealers would also have their licenses revoked if they refuse a federal request for trace information about a gun used in a crime, or refuse to run a background check. “If you willfully sell a gun to someone who is prohibited from possessing it, if you willfully failed to run a background check, if you willfully falsify a record, if you willfully failed to cooperate with the tracing request or inspections, my message is this: We will find you and we will seek your license to sell guns,” Biden told reporters. “We’ll make sure you can’t sell death and mayhem on our streets.”
The president said 90 percent of illegal guns found at crime scenes were sold by 5 percent of gun dealers, citing a 20-year-old study from what he said was the last time data were available.
“These merchants of death are breaking the law for profit,” Biden said. “As the attorney general said, we’re going to crack down on those gun dealers and the violent criminals they knowingly arm.” Biden also called to open employment opportunities in the government agencies and in private businesses to former prisoners, in a bid to reduce recidivism among former convicts. Administration officials said the president would redirect $350 million in federal stimulus funds toward police departments contending with a rise in crime, according to the Washington Post.
BIDEN: "Those who say the blood of Patriots, you know, and all the stuff about how we’re gonna have to move against the government… If you think you need to have weapons to take on the government, you need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons." pic.twitter.com/BDawoxvMcd
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 23, 2021
Biden added that there has “always been a limit” on the type of weapons citizens are allowed to own.
“Those who say the blood of patriots, you know, and all the stuff about how we’re gonna have to move against the government — well, the tree of liberty is not watered with the blood of patriots,” Biden said. “If you think you need to have weapons to take on the government, you need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons.”
Biden made similar comments during the 2020 presidential campaign.
Send a tip to the news team at NR. Recommended NBC's 'Cataclysmic' Olympics-Coverage Flop How can anyone feel good about these Olympics? Joe Biden Doesn’t Know What You’re Talking About To watch Biden at the lectern was to experience shock and dismay interspersed with moments of alarm and dark humor. No wonder he hides from the media. Nikole Hannah-Jones Responds to Our 1619 and Slavery Issue She reacted with a lot of sneering and ad hominem argumentation and nothing of substance. Maskless Super Bowl Marks Our Return to Normalcy This collective moment was a warning to the Covid regime that its strictures won’t stand much longer. The Perfect Storm Is Coming Not learning from the stagflationary past may lead to a stagflationary future. The Afghanistan Debacle Looks Worse and Worse The more we learn about the administration’s withdrawal, the more it becomes clear that its decisions were driven by political considerations and panic. The Latest Nikki Haley Blasts American-Born Skier Competing for China at Beijing Olympics 'Every athlete needs to know when they put their flag on, you're standing for freedom or you're standing for human rights abuses,' said Haley. San Francisco Voters Overwhelmingly Back Recall of Progressive School-Board Members More than 70 percent of voters supported the ouster of school board members Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga. How Georgetown Is Stifling Speech on Campus The university is implementing the academic analog of a SLAPP suit against Ilya Shapiro. McKinsey Website Contradicts Denials of Chinese-Government Work; Rubio Claims ‘Cover-Up’ The consultancy once said it did work for China’s central government, undercutting recent statements. Imagine a Trumpdeau. You Can’t If Trump had gone after the 2020 rioters the way Trudeau is targeting truckers, the institutions and the permanent government wouldn’t have complied. Building Back Stagflation Our elected leaders must accept that inflation is a monster of their own making, and stop fanning the flames with ever-higher levels of government spending.
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CBNFAITHNATION060920CC_HD1080_49.366_261Pallbearers bring the coffin into The Fountain of Praise church in Houston for the funeral for George Floyd on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 (Godofredo A. Vásquez/Houston Chronicle via AP, Pool)
George Floyd is being laid to rest next to his mother today at Houston Memorial Gardens in Pearland, Texas.
His body arrived in Houston on Saturday at 9:40 p.m. and was taken to Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center by the Houston Police Department.
Floyd, 46, died on May 25 in Minneapolis while being held down by a white police officer. Video from a bystander taken outside a local grocery store captured the officer pressing his knee on Floyd's neck.
"It just hurts," said Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother. "We will get justice. We will get it. We will not let this door close." Thousands of mourners paid respect to Floyd during a six-hour public viewing on Monday in Houston. Those attending the memorial service included former Vice President Joe Biden and Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX). STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FREE CBN NEWS APP! Click Here Get the App with Special Alerts on Breaking News and Live Events!
The Floyd family invited Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Reverend Al Sharpton, Congressman Al Green, Bishop James Dixon to attend today's service. Rev. Sharpton will deliver the eulogy.
Although Tuesday's burial is for family and invited guests only, officials expect a large turnout of mourners wishing to honor Floyd before he reaches his final resting place. The memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. Central time at Fountain of Praise Church. After that, a procession carrying Floyd's body will go directly from the church to the cemetery.
Watch the live memorial service in Houston below:
We encourage readers who wish to comment on our material to do so through our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram accounts. God bless you and keep you in His truth.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A group of about 150 migrants carrying white flags that read, "La paz y Dios," or "Peace and God are With Us," separated from the larger caravan near Southern California and inched within 500 feet of the U.S., a report Thursday said.The migrants said they are carrying the white flags to show that they are peaceful, and will attempt to present themselves as asylum seekers near Baja, Calif., The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.President Trump on Thursday threatened to close the border with Mexico if his administration determines that Mexico has lost control of the situation. The Union-Tribune reported that Mexican federal police held a barrier near a pedestrian crossing and urged the migrants to apply for jobs in Tijuana. Police claimed there are thousands of jobs in the city. Federal police were dressed in riot gear and prevented the caravan from getting closer to the U.S.Carlos Lopez, a Honduran who was leading the small group, told the paper that the conditions in Mexico are horrible. He said there are sick children and women and children are forced to remain outside in the elements. Those already in the city have camped out in tents, slept on dirt fields or under bleachers or are staying in overcrowded shelters throughout the city as they wait to figure out their next steps."The whole world is watching what is happening here," he said.The report said the larger group contains about 6,219 Central Americans. The federal government estimates the number of migrants could grow to 10,000 in the coming weeks, or months. President Trump warned that the caravan is a national security threat and it will not enter the U.S.On Monday, a judge barred the president from enforcing a ban on asylum for those who cross the U.S. border illegally – a decision the administration said would cause “countless illegal aliens to pour into our country."The report said that the migrants who traveled for over a month can now see a bridge that separates them from the U.S.Speaking to reporters while in Florida for the holiday, Trump threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines that its southern ally has lost "control" on its side.Trump also said he has given the thousands of active-duty troops he sent to the border before the Nov. 6 midterm elections the "OK" to use lethal force against migrants "if they have to." And he said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, whom he has faulted for not being tough enough on immigration, is "in there trying."Fox News' Andrew O'Reilly contributed to this report
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A medical examination room at a Kaiser Permanente health clinic located in San Diego, Calif., November 17, 2014 (Mike Blake/Reuters) Arkansas lawmakers on Monday passed first of its kind legislation that would prevent doctors from offering puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or gender-transition surgery to minors.
Under the measure, any healthcare professional who offers such services would be in danger of losing their medical license and open to lawsuits from patients who later come to regret their procedures. Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson has not yet revealed whether he will sign the bill into law.
“The governor will review the bill more closely, listen to the debate, study it and make a decision on the legislation,” spokesperson Katie Beck told Reuters.
If enacted, Arkansas could become the first state in the country to restrict the procedures, though sixteen other states are considering similar bills. In Tennessee, state Representative John Ragan has sponsored a bill that would prohibit most gender transition treatment for minors unless it has the consent of three physicians. “They’re not mature enough to make those kinds of decisions,” Ragan said.
Those who back the legislation say they aim to protect children from irreversible procedures they could later regret.
Though opponents argue the legislation is unconstitutional, goes against scientific evidence and relies on stereotypes.
“As a trans person, as a parent, I can’t stress enough how devastating the consequences would be,” said Chase Strangio, deputy director for transgender justice at the American Civil Liberties Union.
The American College of Pediatricians, which represents 600 physicians and healthcare professionals, has endorsed the legislation, saying affirming gender dysphoria in young people too early will urge them to transition.
Advocates for the bans also argue that transgender activists minimize the side effects and downplay cases of transgender people who regret their transition.
The passage of the measure comes days after the governor signed another bill on Friday which would restrict women’s sports to biologically female athletes.
Send a tip to the news team at NR. Recommended RNC Should Take a Lesson from Mike Pence The RNC censure resolution was morally repellent, while the former vice president took a stand for the truth. NBC's 'Cataclysmic' Olympics-Coverage Flop How can anyone feel good about these Olympics? Nikole Hannah-Jones Responds to Our 1619 and Slavery Issue She reacted with a lot of sneering and ad hominem argumentation and nothing of substance. Joe Biden Doesn’t Know What You’re Talking About To watch Biden at the lectern was to experience shock and dismay interspersed with moments of alarm and dark humor. No wonder he hides from the media. Why Were Authorities So Evasive About the Synagogue Gunman's Motive? Why were President Biden and the FBI so reluctant to say that the synagogue gunman was motivated by antisemitism and jihadism? The Afghanistan Debacle Looks Worse and Worse The more we learn about the administration’s withdrawal, the more it becomes clear that its decisions were driven by political considerations and panic. The Latest Maskless Super Bowl Marks Our Return to Normalcy This collective moment was a warning to the Covid regime that its strictures won’t stand much longer. Russian Figure-Skating Prodigy Will Compete at Olympics Despite Failed Drug Test The IOC has decided it will not hold a medal ceremony for any event in which Valieva places in the top three while the matter remains under investigation. The IRS Wants Your Picture The agency’s plans for facial recognition might be abandoned for now, but its lust for data is never satiated. Why America’s Government-Debt Problem Endures Any meaningful change requires enough Americans deciding that they really do want less government in their lives, and then acting accordingly. ‘Blame America first,’ &c. On Jeane Kirkpatrick, today’s Russia debate, Edward Snowden, Ukraine’s right to exist, and more.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Police investigator Peter Springare isn’t likely to be among those mocking President Trump for his remarks about refugees in Sweden.Trump’s comments during a Florida campaign rally on Saturday – which some took as a misstatement about a supposed terror attack – dovetail with what Springare has been seeing during a typical week in Orebro, Sweden. Five rapes, three assaults, a pair of extortions, blackmail, an attempted murder, violence against police and a robbery made up Springare’s caseload for a five-day period earlier this month, according to a Feb. 3 Facebook post he wrote. The suspects were all from Muslim-majority countries – Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Turkey – save for one Swedish man nabbed in a drug-related case.“Mohammed, Mahmod, Ali, again and again,” Springare wrote of those arrested.Springare, who was briefly investigated for possible hate crime incitement based on his post, managed to elucidate what Trump only hinted at during a Florida campaign speech – somewhat opaquely. Swedish police investigator Peter Springare is in trouble after this Facebook post went viral. (Translated for ZeroHedge.com)“You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden,” Trump said. “Sweden. Who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible.”Many analysts took issue with Trump’s “last night” framing, and immediately compared the line to recent misstatements by Trump spokespeople, such as counselor Kellyanne Conway’s infamous “Bowling Green Massacre” blunder.But Trump explained on Twitter late Sunday that he was only referring to a Fox News segment that aired on Friday night’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” dealing with the Swedish refugee crime.
My statement as to what's happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2017
“It seems like we may be missing the point of the story, which is there has been a massive social cost associated with the refugee policies and the immigration policies of Western Europe,” Carlson said on “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning.He added: “Fifty years of immigration policy is coming to flower in Europe. We’re not paying any attention. We’re not drawing any of the obvious lessons from it. It's not working. That's the real point here. ”Trump tweeted again on Monday morning, blasting media outlets that failed to report on Sweden's migrant crime epidemic."Give the public a break - The FAKE NEWS media is trying to say that large scale immigration in Sweden is working out just beautifully. NOT!" Trump wrote.Fox News reached out to the Swedish Embassy for comment, however, the building was closed for President's Day. The embassy did tweet back to Trump on Sunday: "We look forward to informing the US administration about Swedish immigration and integration policies."Last month, the police chief for the southern Swedish city of Malmo issued a desperate plea for help curtailing a plague of attempted murders, beatings and rapes. About 32 percent of Malmo’s occupants are migrants, although it is not clear what role migrants play in the crime wave.“We cannot do it on our own,” Chief Stefan Sinteus wrote in an open letter about the “upward spiral of violence.”And Sinteus is not merely dealing with typical crimes that any modern city would witness.Malmo had 52 hand grenade attacks in 2016 alone, a jump from 48 attacks in 2015, according to figures provided by the Swedish Police Authority.Nationwide, the terror threat level is at “elevated” and police believe at least 300 Swedish nationals have travelled to Syria and Iraq for jihadi training. On Feb. 11, a Swedish man and a Danish man were arrested in Turkey, suspected of plotting to carry out attacks in Europe. Tofik Saleh, a 38-year-old Swedish citizen of Iraqi origin, had been training with ISIS since 2014, officials said.On the same day Springare posted his screed, a Swedish court turned over to Belgium evidence – seized in Malmo – in connection with the 2016 Brussels terror attacks, prosecutors said.Sweden has taken in 650,000 asylum-seekers during the past 15 years – including 163,000 in 2015 alone, The Spectator reported. Of those refugees, 35,000 were unaccompanied children – or at least claimed to be. The children – mostly males from Afghanistan and Somalia – are only identified as minors by the age the applicant gives. The only time an applicant-provided age is rejected is if it’s “obviously” untrue, though there’s no clear definition of “obviously.” The Spectator interviewed asylum-seekers who admitted to lying about their age to improve their chances of avoiding deportation.Carlson warned this mass influx of migrants, many of whom are uneducated and jobless, has begun to alter the face – and crime rates – of countries such as Sweden.“[The integration policy] hasn’t worked very well, at all,” Carlson said. “And it’s in the process of totally changing these ancient cultures into something different and much more volatile and much more threatening, so what are the lessons we should draw from this? That’s the conversation we should have.”
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Tiger Woods is recovering from surgery after suffering "significant orthopedic injuries to his lower right extremity," which were sustained in a Tuesday wreck. Woods, 45, was in Los Angeles on Tuesday when he was involved in a single-car crash. Following the lengthy Tuesday surgery, Woods was "awake, responsive, and recovering in his hospital room." What are the details? Dr. Anish Mahajan of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center issued a statement on Woods' condition, noting that Woods suffered multiple "open fractures" to his right leg. "Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia," Mahajan said in part of the statement. He also revealed that screws and pins were inserted in both Woods' foot and ankle during the surgery. "Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins," the surgeon added. "Trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling." The statement was published on Woods' Twitter page along with a message from Woods' team.
"We thank everyone for the overwhelming support and messages during this tough time," a portion of the statement added. "[Woods] is currently awake, responsive, and recovering in his hospital room," the statement continued. "Thank you to the wonderful doctors and hospital staff at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and the Fire Department. Your support and assistance has been outstanding." "There are no further updates at this time, and we continue to thank you for your well-wishes and privacy for him and his family," the statement concluded. https://t.co/vZitnFV0YA — Tiger Woods (@Tiger Woods) 1614144628.0 What else? During the horrific accident, Woods was said to be awake and lucid. ESPN reports, "The two-lane road on which the rollover occurred curves through upscale suburbs, and the northbound side that Woods was driving on descends steeply enough that signs warn trucks to use lower gears. The speed limit is 45 mph." Sheriff Alex Villanueva of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that Woods' vehicle "appeared to first make contact with [a] median, then went across the two southbound lanes." "It hit a curb, hit trees, and rolled over several times, with the vehicle ultimately settling several hundred feet from the road," ESPN reported. "There were no skid marks and no evidence of braking, and weather was not a factor." Authorities did not divulge the specific speed at which they believed Woods was traveling but pointed out that Woods was driving at a "relatively greater speed than normal" when he first struck the median. The airbags, Villanueva said, "gave him a cushion to survive the crash." Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, who arrived first on the scene of Tuesday's crash, said that it's "very fortunate" that Woods "was able to come out of this alive."
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Making the click-through worthwhile: a serious scare at George Soros’s house; a rollercoaster of new polls for Republicans, with good news in Indiana, mixed news in the House, and some ominous news in Florida; and a trio of Democrats had a really lousy Monday.
Who Planted a Bomb at George Soros’s House?
There is one effective solution to political violence: Treat it like violence — that is, investigate, identify, arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate.
We should do this when the target is someone on the Left . . .
An explosive device was found on Monday in a mailbox at a home of George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist who is a favorite target of right-wing groups, in a suburb north of New York City, the authorities said.
A law enforcement official confirmed that the device was found near Mr. Soros’s home. It did not explode on its own, and bomb squad technicians “proactively detonated” it, the official said.
Federal and state law enforcement officials responded to the scene in Katonah, N.Y., a hamlet in the upscale town of Bedford in northern Westchester County, after the Bedford Police Department received a call about a suspicious package at about 3:45 p.m.
“An employee of the residence opened the package, revealing what appeared to be an explosive device,” the police said in a statement. “The employee placed the package in a wooded area and called the Bedford police.”
And we should do this when the target is someone on the right.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office in California was vandalized and equipment was stolen Monday evening, the Republican congressman said.
In a post on his Instagram account, McCarthy published pictures of the two men he claims “threw a boulder“” through the window of his Bakersfield office and a picture of the resulting damage.
“Does anyone know these two guys? They threw a boulder thru our office window and took office equipment,” McCarthy wrote Monday.
You’ll recall that I have a longstanding position that politically motivated violence should be blamed on the perpetrators, and more or less only the perpetrators. No one’s rant about George Soros being a sinister force behind leftist politics made somebody place a bomb in his mailbox; somebody made the conscious decision to build that device, place it in that particular place, and commit that crime. Brace Yourself for a Polling Rollercoaster, Keep Your Hands and Legs Inside the Vehicle
Ready for a polling rollercoaster for the GOP?
Going up high! For the first time in what seems like forever, Mike Braun has a lead in a poll over incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly! I had been hearing a little bit of grumbling, that Braun had been gift-wrapped a perfect set of circumstances: going up against a Democrat who won with 50 percent in a presidential year; running in a midterm in Indiana, a state Donald Trump won by 19 points, and then the incumbent voted against Brett Kavanaugh about a month before Election Day. In the other Senate race that’s comparable to this one, in North Dakota, Kevin Cramer is beating Heidi Heitkamp by 16 points.
But wait, SurveyUSA had Donnelly ahead by a point yesterday!
The latest Washington Post poll has the vote even in the swing districts that Republicans need to hold!
The latest survey shows only a marginal change in the race during October, with 50 percent currently supporting the Democratic candidate in their district and 47 percent backing the Republican. Candidates from the two parties collectively are running almost even in 48 contested congressional districts won by President Trump in 2016, while Democrats hold the advantage in 21 competitive districts won by Hillary Clinton. The Democrats’ lead in those Clinton districts has narrowed a bit since the beginning of the month.
The overwhelming majority of the districts surveyed — 63 of the 69 — are currently represented by a Republican in the House.
But hold on, if they split those 48 congressional districts evenly, Democrats would win 24 — which is exactly what they need for 218-seat majority. If they fall short anywhere, they end up falling just short of a majority, barring some huge upset in some race currently considered safe for Republicans. And this calculation doesn’t include those six House seats held by Democrats. For what it’s worth, Republicans feel pretty good about their odds in Minnesota’s first district, Minnesota’s eighth district, and maybe Nevada’s third district. So Democrats probably want to win 27 or 28 out of those most competitive 48 to ensure that they win the majority.
As Alexandra DeSanctis observes, three polls of Florida’s statewide races came out, and two of them are bad for Republicans, and one of them is good. It would seem odd for Scott to slide in the polls as he’s spending his days primarily focused on directing the state’s response to Hurricane Michael; these are usually the sorts of moments where governors look their best. I also wonder if turnout in Florida’s panhandle will be affected by the aftermath of the hurricane.
“Rick Scott has twice won elections for governor by a single percentage point, and in 2014 the 64,000-vote margin he had over Democrat Charlie Crist, half of it was accumulated in the counties now reeling from Michael,” said John Kennedy, a veteran Florida political reporter who runs the Tallahassee bureau for GateHouse Media, which owns a group of state newspapers.
“These eight counties that were devastated by Michael, they’re home to 220,000 voters, and with the exception of really Democratic-heavy Gadsden County, these counties are overwhelmingly Republican-leaning,” Kennedy said on “Inside Florida Politics,” a GateHouse podcast.
Some right-leaning readers in Florida are absolutely convinced that Senate candidate Rick Scott and gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis will be just fine.
Three Democrats Who Had a Bad Monday
Lawyer, potential presidential candidate, and walking caricature Michael Avenatti:
Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels, was hit with a personal judgment of $4.85 million Monday for his failure to pay a debt to a former colleague at his longtime Newport Beach firm.
Less than an hour after his defeat in the Los Angeles lawsuit, Avenatti suffered another setback at a trial in Orange County: The Irvine Co. won a court order evicting him and his staff from their offices because the firm, Eagan Avenatti, skipped the last four months of rent.
Democratic congressional candidate Scott Wallace:
As the political climate continues to heat up, challenger Scott Wallace lost his cool during a debate with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. Sunday night at the Congregation Tifereth Israel in Bensalem, Wallace used an expletive and “dropped an f-bomb” in front of those attending.
“Ironically, there was a later question about the need for civility in politics,” Fitzpatrick told WBCB. “Well, a good start is to not use vulgarities in the sanctuary of a synagogue in the middle of a congressional debate.”
Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams:
The Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia, Stacey Abrams, helped light a state flag on fire on the steps of the state’s Capitol in June 1992, as part of a protest that her campaign on Monday night characterized as an effort to “overcome racially divisive issues.”
The flag at the time incorporated designs from the Confederate battle flag, and Abrams, then a freshman at Atlanta’s Spelman College, was one of about a dozen demonstrators involved, according to contemporaneous newspaper accounts and several social media posts that surfaced the issue late Monday.
ADDENDUM: Do the early voting numbers look good for Republicans everywhere except Nevada? Yes. But it’s still really early, and the proportion of early votes that have been turned in so far will constitute a small fraction of the overall vote. So, don’t take anything for granted!
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Ukrainian border guards retreated Thursday as two columns of Russian tanks streamed into the nation, prompting fears that Russia is creating a land link between its territory and Crimea.Ukrainian security council spokesman Col. Andriy Lysenko says Ukrainian forces were fired at using Grad missile systems from Russian territory at about 11 a.m.Lysenko said about an hour and a half later, two columns -- including tanks and other fighting vehicles -- began an attack on a border post.They later entered Ukraine from Veselo-Voznesenka and Maximovo of the Rostov region in Russia.Ukrainian border guards retreated because they didn't have heavy equipment.The incursion reported Thursday continues several weeks of Russian military action in Ukraine. Tanks, armor and soldiers have been streaming across the border, and on Thursday, NATO released several images from last week that show purported Russian tank columns."This is like watching a frog boil," a Pentagon official told Fox News. "They turn up the heat."Meanwhile, a Russian separatist said Thursday that there were up to 4,000 Russian troops in Ukraine."We have never hidden from anybody (the fact) there are many Russians among us," Alexander Zakharchenko, the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Poeple's Republic, said at a press conference. "Without their help it would be very difficult for us to fight."Brig. Gen. Nico Tak, a top NATO official, told reporters at NATO headquarters that the ultimate aim of Russia was to stave off defeat for the separatists and turn eastern Ukraine into a "frozen conflict" that would destabilize the country "indefinitely."NATO estimated that another 20,000 Russian troops were right over the Russian border.Tak said the 1,000 Russian troops operating inside Ukraine was a conservative estimate and provided satellite imaginary showing an incursion of great sophistication. He refused to specify exactly what the "contact" with Ukrainian troops was.A leader of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine reportedly has admitted that thousands of Russians have been fighting alongside his troops.Alexander Zakharchenko told Russian television that he estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 Russians had joined the ranks, and claimed that they were either former Russian service members or current military personnel on leave, according to the BBC. However, he also insisted that any Russians who went to flight did so voluntarily and not on orders from superiors in Moscow.Russia's ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, told the BBC that "NATO has never produced a single piece of evidence" of Russian troops operating in Ukraine. He said the only Russian soldiers in Ukraine were the 10 captured this week, who Moscow insists had mistakenly wandered across the border.The Russian Defense Ministry didn't directly deny its troops were in Ukraine, but said the list of Russian military units said to be operating in Ukraine had no relation to reality.U.S. officials tell Fox News that they believe that Russian special forces are fighting in Ukraine, with one saying "if you look at a Russian separatist, it is basically a Russian soldier."A senior U.S. defense official also told Fox News that the Pentagon has seen evidence that Russia has fired artillery inside Ukrainian territory at Ukraine military positions in recent days."This is not the first time," the official said. However, U.S. officials are not ready to declare that Russia has begun invading Ukraine.U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt posted the following statement in three Twitter messages Thursday: "Russian supplied tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and multiple rocket launchers have been insufficient to defeat Ukraine's armed forces. So now an increasing number of Russian troops are intervening directly in fighting on Ukrainian territory. Russia has also sent its newest air defense systems including the SA-22 into eastern Ukraine & is now directly involved in the fighting."Ukraine and its Western allies have repeatedly accused Russia of providing weapons and training to the rebels, who declared independence from Kiev in two eastern districts this past April following Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula. Moscow, in turn has repeatedly denied the accusations.Joseph Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, said recent images of a military convoy in eastern Ukraine showed the presence of a variant of the T-72 tank which "is not known to have been exported or operated outside of Russia."The tanks' presence, he added in a blog published Thursday, "strongly supports the contention that Russia is supplying arms to separatist forces."Zakharchenko's admission that Russians had joined the ranks came as the rebels appeared to have captured the strategic town of Novoazovsk in southeastern Ukraine. On Thursday morning, an Associated Press journalist saw rebel checkpoints at the outskirts and was told he could not enter. One of the rebels said there was no fighting in the town.Novoazovsk, which lies along the road connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula, had come under shelling for three days, with the rebels entering on Wednesday.The southeastern portion of Ukraine along the Azov Sea previously had escaped the fighting engulfing areas to the north. The loss of Novoazovsk could open the way for the rebels to advance on the much larger port of Mariupol.The new southeastern front raises fears that the separatists are seeking to create a land link between Russia and Crimea. If successful, it could give them or Russia control over the entire Sea of Azov and the gas and mineral riches that energy experts believe it contains. Ukraine already has lost roughly half its coastline, several major ports and significant Black Sea mineral rights in March when Russia annexed Crimea.President Petro Poroshenko announced in a statement published online Thursday that he was canceling a visit to Turkey for the inauguration of newly elected president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and called a snap session of Ukraine's security council."I have decided to cancel my visit to Turkey because of the sharp escalation of the situation in the Donetsk region... as Russian forces have entered Ukraine," he said."Destabilization of the situation and panic, this is as much of a weapon of the enemy as tanks," Poroshenko told the security council, according to the Interfax news agency.U.N. Undersecretary-General of Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman opened a meeting of the U.N. Security Council Thursday telling members the latest developments mark a "dangerous escalation in the conflict."Power reminded the council that the meeting was "the 24th session to try to rein in Russia's aggressive acts in the Ukraine.""Every single one has sent a straightforward, unified message: 'Russia, stop this conflict. Russia is not listening,'" she said, adding that Russia's force along the border is the largest it's been since it started deploying in late May.State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Thursday that Moscow is engaged in a "pattern of escalating aggression in Ukraine," now including combat forces, armored vehicles, artillery and surface-to-air missiles.Psaki added that the U.S. could increase economic sanctions against Russia. But she said no such decisions have been made. And to help Ukraine, she said Washington is focused on nonlethal forms of assistance and not military equipment.Also on Thursday, a pro-government militia fighter told Reuters that in addition to taking Novoazovsk, the rebels had captured a strategic hill just east of Donetsk, one of two major rebel strongholds that Ukrainian forces had surrounded in recent weeks.The recent reversals by Kiev's forces have prompted claims from Ukraine that Russian forces have crossed the border in an effort to open a new front and prevent pro-government forces from dealing a decisive blow to the rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk.In Donetsk, 11 people were killed by shelling during the night, the city administration said in a statement.Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from the BBC.Click for more from Reuters.
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President Trump called on world leaders Tuesday to isolate and sanction Iran until the Islamic Republic stops spreading terrorism and working to build a nuclear arsenal. “We cannot allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet’s most dangerous weapons,” Mr. Trump told the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York. “We ask all nations to isolate Iran’s regime as long as its aggression continues.” The president, who said he won’t meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran in May, saying the agreement rewarded Tehran for its bad behavior by lifting economic sanctions. “Iran’s leaders sow chaos, death and destruction,” Mr. Trump said. “Iran’s leaders plunder the nation’s resources to enrich themselves and to spread mayhem across the Middle East and far beyond.The dictatorship used the funds to build nuclear-capable missiles … [and to] finance havoc and slaughter in Syria and Yemen.” In his second dress to the world body, Mr. Trump struck a more somber tone than last year, when he had warned the U.S. would “destroy” North Korea if it persisted in threatening America. He said his approach to foreign affairs “has always yielded incredible change.” “With support from many countries here today, we have engaged with North Korea to replace the specter of conflict with a bold and new push for peace,” the president said, adding that sanctions on Pyongyang remain in place. But Mr. Trump went after a series of world bodies, including the World Trade Organization, the oil-producing OPEC coalition, and the International Criminal Court, which he said has “no legitimacy.” “We will never surrender America’s sovereignty to an unaccountable, unelected global bureaucracy,” Mr. Trump said. “We reject the ideology of globalism.” The president also criticized the U.N. global compact on migration, an effort to resettle more refugees that was embraced by former President Barack Obama. The Trump administration notified the U.N. late last year that the U.S. would not continue with Mr. Obama’s commitment to the initiative. “The U.S. will not participate in the new global compact on migration,” Mr. Trump said. “Migration should not be governed by an international body unaccountable to our own citizens.” Human Rights First said Mr. Trump’s rejection of the migration initiative was “yet another indication that this administration will not lead internationally when it comes to solving hard, transnational problems.” “Even in praising those states, like Jordan, that are bearing the brunt of the global flow of refugees, Trump managed to hide behind the work of others to mask administration policies that are harming the most vulnerable,” said Rob Berschinski, the group’s vice president for policy. Referring to his tariff war with China, Mr. Trump said the U.S. has lost 3 million manufacturing jobs since China joined the WTO. “We have racked up $13 trillion in trade deficits over last two decades,” he said. “Those days are over. America will never apologize for protecting its citizens. China’s market distortions and the way they deal cannot be tolerated. America will always act in our national interest.” He said OPEC “is ripping off the rest of the world” with high oil prices. “We defend these nations for nothing and then they take advantage of us with high oil prices,” Mr. Trump said. “I don’t like it. Nobody should like it. We are not going to put up with it, these horrible prices, much longer.” The world body greeted Mr. Trump with audible grumbling and some laughter when he began the speech with a victory lap of his domestic economic achievements. “In less than two years, my administration has accomplished almost more than any administration in the history of our country,” Mr. Trump said. Then he paused as murmurs of apparent disapproval were heard in the massive hall. “So true,” Mr. Trump ad-libbed. “Didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK.”
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U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said he “probably” won’t support legislation to let states require out-of-state Internet retailers to collect sales taxes, saying it would be too cumbersome to implement.
“Moving this bill where you’ve got 50 different sales tax codes, it’s a mess out there,” Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said in a Bloomberg Television interview in Washington. “You’re going to make it much more difficult for online retailers to be able to comply.”
The Senate passed the bill May 6 in a bipartisan vote of 69-27, with support from 21 Republicans. Asked whether he could back it, Boehner said, “probably not.”
A lack of support from the speaker emphasizes the difficulty the measure will have winning House passage, especially in its current form. The House Judiciary Committee will consider the Senate bill, Boehner said.
“We’ll see what they think,” he said. “You’re putting in a big burden on some very small businesses.”
The measure is backed by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other retailers that say it’s unfair to allow many sales made over the Internet or through catalogs to be untaxed. States lose an estimated $23 billion annually in forgone revenue from uncollected sales taxes.
Resolving Immigration
Boehner also said he is “committed” to resolving the debate over curbing illegal immigration and fixing the “broken” system for legally entering the U.S.
“We’re going to have votes,” the speaker said. “We are going to deal with immigration in the House.”
While he didn’t say what approach he supports on immigration policy, Boehner said “it’s time to deal honestly with a big challenge.” He said he expects a group of eight House Republicans and Democrats to present their immigration proposal “very soon.”
“What I’ve been trying to do is to continue to foster the education and the discussion about how we resolve it,” Boehner said. “It’s not going to be easy.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin considering a separate bipartisan immigration proposal this week.
Boehner reiterated his opposition to increasing tax revenue as part of any deficit-reduction bargain. He said the focus should be on cutting spending and balancing the federal budget in 10 years.
President’s Role
While he has previously said he won’t negotiate with President Barack Obama behind closed doors any more, the speaker said all sides need to have a role in working out an agreement.
“I’ll dance with whoever will dance to solve this problem,” Boehner said. “So everybody needs to play a role if we’re going to solve this problem.”
Boehner sought to deflect criticism from Democrats that by cutting spending the U.S. would risk the sort of damper on growth that European countries have seen after enacting austerity measures.
“We are not Europe, all right?” Boehner said. “We’re talking about long-term spending problem. It’s really not going to affect anything in the near future.”
“The president wants to go out there and crow about the fact that the economy is growing -- barely,” Boehner said. “This is not the kind of economic growth that’s going to help our country long term. You got wages that are stagnant. You have few opportunities of, if you will, walking up the economic ladder.” © Copyright 2022 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.
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President Joe Biden speaks during the Democratic National Committee’s “Back on Track” drive-in car rally to celebrate the president’s 100th day in office at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Ga., April 29, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) One hundred days in, Biden’s radical presidency makes clear that his campaign was, in fact, a fraud. NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE ‘ It’s the unspoken Biden formula,” reports Axios. “Talk like a rosy bipartisan; act like a ruthless partisan.”
Indeed, it is. And to this maxim we might add a few others. Talk like a moderate; act like a radical. Talk about normality; act like a revolutionary. And, at all stages, aggressively hide the ball. Progressive pundits have taken to saying that Biden poses a problem for conservatives because he is so “boring.” That’s one way of looking at it, certainly. Another is that he is a fraud. The man who ran on a return to normalcy — and whose party avoided unified … Recommended NBC's 'Cataclysmic' Olympics-Coverage Flop How can anyone feel good about these Olympics? Joe Biden Doesn’t Know What You’re Talking About To watch Biden at the lectern was to experience shock and dismay interspersed with moments of alarm and dark humor. No wonder he hides from the media. Nikole Hannah-Jones Responds to Our 1619 and Slavery Issue She reacted with a lot of sneering and ad hominem argumentation and nothing of substance. Maskless Super Bowl Marks Our Return to Normalcy This collective moment was a warning to the Covid regime that its strictures won’t stand much longer. The Perfect Storm Is Coming Not learning from the stagflationary past may lead to a stagflationary future. The Afghanistan Debacle Looks Worse and Worse The more we learn about the administration’s withdrawal, the more it becomes clear that its decisions were driven by political considerations and panic. The Latest Nikki Haley Blasts American-Born Skier Competing for China at Beijing Olympics 'Every athlete needs to know when they put their flag on, you're standing for freedom or you're standing for human rights abuses,' said Haley. San Francisco Voters Overwhelmingly Back Recall of Progressive School-Board Members More than 70 percent of voters supported the ouster of school board members Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga. How Georgetown Is Stifling Speech on Campus The university is implementing the academic analog of a SLAPP suit against Ilya Shapiro. McKinsey Website Contradicts Denials of Chinese-Government Work; Rubio Claims ‘Cover-Up’ The consultancy once said it did work for China’s central government, undercutting recent statements. Imagine a Trumpdeau. You Can’t If Trump had gone after the 2020 rioters the way Trudeau is targeting truckers, the institutions and the permanent government wouldn’t have complied. Building Back Stagflation Our elected leaders must accept that inflation is a monster of their own making, and stop fanning the flames with ever-higher levels of government spending.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The manhunt for the perpetrator of an Islamic State-claimed attack on a Christmas market in Berlin continued Tuesday as German police said "we may still have a dangerous criminal out there."Peter Frank, the country’s top prosecutor, said investigators are treating Monday's attack on the market outside Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church as an act of terrorism. At least 12 people were killed and more than 50 were injured after a truck plowed through a crowd at the market.ISIS -- through its media arm on Tuesday -- claimed responsibility for the massacre and called the attacker "a soldier of the Islamic State," a typical phrase used by the group when an assailant has been inspired but not directed.A man who was previously in custody -- identified as a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based on a description of a man who jumped out of the truck and fled after the attack.But federal prosecutors said late Tuesday that he denied any involvement and they had found no forensic evidence proving he was in the cab during the rampage. Additionally, no witnesses had followed him from the scene to the spot where he was picked up.Police sources told the country's Die Welt newspaper that they had the “wrong man” and that the true perpetrator “is still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage.”"We may still have a dangerous criminal out there," Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.Holger Muench, head of Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, said they have not yet found a pistol believed to be used to kill the truck’s passenger, who was identified by police as 37-year-old Lukasz Urban. AP (Dec. 20, 2016: A woman forms a cross with candles in Berlin, Germany, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market nearby and killed several people.)One of his colleagues said he was so dedicated to his work and his truck that he could be expected to defend the vehicle "to the end."Ariel Zurawski, the owner of the trucking company and the victim's cousin, was asked by German authorities to identify Urban from photos."It was really clear that he was fighting for his life. His face was swollen and bloodied. Police informed me that he had suffered gunshot wounds. Despite being stabbed he was shot dead," Zurawski told Polish media.Frank said the method used in the rampage was reminiscent of July’s truck attack in Nice, France, and of the new “modius operandi” used my Islamic extremist groups.For those reasons, he said, we are "naturally on high alert and are investigating in all directions."Six out of the 12 people killed have been identified and are all Germans, but he does not yet know whether the other six are as well, Muench added.Berlin police urged people to remain "particularly vigilant" and to report "suspicious movement" to a special hotline.COLONGE INCREASES POLICE PRESENCE, CLEARS JAIL CELLS FOR NYE CELEBRATIONInterior Minister Thomas de Maiziere -- Germany's top security official -- said Tuesday that authorities have "no doubt" that the attack was intentional.The truck struck a popular Christmas market packed with holiday shoppers outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial late Monday as tourists and locals were enjoying a traditional pre-Christmas evening out near Berlin’s Zoo station. The Christmas market where the truck attack happened. (AP)"All police measures concerning the suspected terror attack at Breitscheidplatz are being taken with great speed and the necessary care," Berlin police said on Twitter.TRUMP PINS KILLINGS IN GERMANY, RUSSIA ON RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISMThe crash came less than a month after the U.S. State Department called for caution in markets and other public places across Europe, saying extremist groups including Islamic State and Al Qaeda were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events."The Islamic State and Al Qaeda have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France. No group had claimed responsibility for the Berlin attack as of early Tuesday.The revelations about the attacker's identity are likely to heap more pressure onto German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose decision to accept waves of migrants from Africa and the Middle East has stoked controversy and unsettled Germany and Europe.In Tuesday press conference, Merkel said she is “shocked, shaken and deeply saddened” by the attack. She had told reporters that it would be “particularly sickening” if it’s confirmed the attack was an asylum-seeker who sought refuge in Germany.Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning. "They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.For several hours, the truck was started and stopped as if the driver was learning how to use the vehicle and finally pulled away at around 7:14 p.m. local time. By about 8:14 p.m., the truck had plowed into a group of people as it headed the wrong way on a street and then onto a sidewalk.Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, took over the investigation, according to German Justice Minister Heiko Maas. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was in contact with German officials and ready to help in the investigation and response.U.S. President-elect Donald Trump blamed Islamist terrorists, though it was unclear what that assessment was based on. He said Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners."Germany has not experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by ISIS. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, helped stoke tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.Fox News’ Greg Palkot and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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This morning I wrote, “if Ed Gillespie loses, some Republicans will want to blame Trump, and he’ll deserve a share of the blame, but it’s a pretty limited share.” That assertion may need revision, with not merely Gillespie and the rest of the statewide ticket losing, but the Republicans in the Virginia state legislature getting demolished. At this hour, Republicans are in danger of losing control of the House of Delegates, where they entered Election Day with a seemingly comfortable 17-seat margin. Corey Stewart and the Trump-ified faction of the Virginia GOP will insist tonight’s dismal defeat stems from Gillespie’s alleged Establishment squishiness, while northern Virginia Republicans will argue it’s because Gillespie sounded Trump-like with his hard-edged focus and ads on illegal immigration and crime. They may both have a point, as Gillespie’s getting the worst of both worlds: The margins in red rural counties are about the same as 2016, but the turnout is “meh” and Republicans are just getting crushed in the suburbs. It’s not just the ones closest to Washington, D.C.; Northam is beating Gillespie by about a 20-point margin in Loudon and Prince William Counties.
But the key lesson of the night goes far beyond Gillespie. Right now, the Republican party’s brand in Virginia is dirt. Throw in the failure to make New Jersey even remotely competitive, and tonight is about as bad as it can get for the GOP – a sense of déjà vu from the results across the country 2006 and 2008.
Democrats are, no doubt, energized by their daily outrages of the Trump era. Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration should feel slapped in the face, and even more pressure to accomplish as much as possible between now and Election Day 2018. Recommended NBC's 'Cataclysmic' Olympics-Coverage Flop How can anyone feel good about these Olympics? Joe Biden Doesn’t Know What You’re Talking About To watch Biden at the lectern was to experience shock and dismay interspersed with moments of alarm and dark humor. No wonder he hides from the media. Nikole Hannah-Jones Responds to Our 1619 and Slavery Issue She reacted with a lot of sneering and ad hominem argumentation and nothing of substance. Maskless Super Bowl Marks Our Return to Normalcy This collective moment was a warning to the Covid regime that its strictures won’t stand much longer. The Perfect Storm Is Coming Not learning from the stagflationary past may lead to a stagflationary future. The Afghanistan Debacle Looks Worse and Worse The more we learn about the administration’s withdrawal, the more it becomes clear that its decisions were driven by political considerations and panic. The Latest Nikki Haley Blasts American-Born Skier Competing for China at Beijing Olympics 'Every athlete needs to know when they put their flag on, you're standing for freedom or you're standing for human rights abuses,' said Haley. San Francisco Voters Overwhelmingly Back Recall of Progressive School-Board Members More than 70 percent of voters supported the ouster of school board members Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga. How Georgetown Is Stifling Speech on Campus The university is implementing the academic analog of a SLAPP suit against Ilya Shapiro. McKinsey Website Contradicts Denials of Chinese-Government Work; Rubio Claims ‘Cover-Up’ The consultancy once said it did work for China’s central government, undercutting recent statements. Imagine a Trumpdeau. You Can’t If Trump had gone after the 2020 rioters the way Trudeau is targeting truckers, the institutions and the permanent government wouldn’t have complied. Building Back Stagflation Our elected leaders must accept that inflation is a monster of their own making, and stop fanning the flames with ever-higher levels of government spending.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden have both canceled their planned election-night rallies Tuesday in Ohio amid coronavirus fears.The Sanders campaign announced the cancellation of their rally first, which was slated to take place in Cleveland, Ohio.“Out of concern for public health and safety, we are canceling tonight’s rally in Cleveland,” the Sanders campaign spokesman, Mike Casca, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “We are heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials, who have communicated concern about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak.”CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW“Sen. Sanders would like to express his regret to the thousands of Ohioans who had planned to attend the event tonight,” Casca continued, adding that “all future Bernie 2020 events will be evaluated on a case by case basis.”Minutes later, the former vice president's campaign followed suit, with deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield announcing the cancellation "out of an abundance of caution.""In accordance with guidance from public officials and out of an abundance of caution, our rally in Cleveland, Ohio tonight is cancelled," Bedingfield said in a statement Tuesday. "We will continue to consult with public health officials and public health guidance and make announcements about future events in the coming days."She added: "Vice President Biden thanks all of his supporters who wanted to be with us in Cleveland this evening."The Biden campaign said the candidate will instead speak at National Constitution Center in Philly on Tuesday night.The announcements came the same day that multiple states are holding presidential primaries, with Michigan carrying the largest delegate prize.Sanders and Biden had both decided to hold their rallies in Ohio Tuesday night, in an effort to look ahead to the key swing state, which holds its primary next week on March 17.Earlier in the day, Sanders said that the coronavirus threat was being taken “very seriously,” while taking a swipe at President Trump.MARCH 10 PRIMARIES: HERE ARE THE STATES VOTING, AND THE DELEGATES AT STAKE“We take this issue, unlike the president, very, very seriously,” Sanders said. “What we are doing, wherever we go, whenever we do rallies, we consult with public health officials.”He added: “Because the last thing in the world we will ever wanna do is put anybody in danger.”Sanders' announcement comes amid the outbreak of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, which has rocked the political world.Over the weekend, it was revealed that an attendee of the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, held from Feb. 26 to Feb. 29 outside of Washington, D.C. had tested positive with the virus.The top levels of government on the GOP side – Trump, Vice President Pence, cabinet officials, top-ranking lawmakers – attended CPAC. Staffers quickly worked to figure out who may have come in contact with the still-unnamed person. These discussions so far have led to several lawmakers going into self-quarantine as a precaution, amid assurances from organizers that nobody else has yet gotten sick from this individual.The chain of events has fed speculation about whether Trump himself was at risk, as both the president and Pence attended and spoke at the conference. The White House said there is no indication that Trump or Pence was in close proximity to the stricken attendee.Meanwhile, it’s unclear for how long the candidates will go without holding indoor campaign events. Biden, Sanders and Trump are all in the 70s, which puts them in the age bracket that doctors say could leave them more vulnerable to coronavirus.But steps have been taken in recent days to still hold events: During a Biden campaign event in Michigan on Monday night, volunteers gave attendees hand sanitizer as they entered the venue.Fox News' Tara Prindiville and Allie Raffa contributed to this report.
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Editors’ Picks Essential Reading Salvos The Counter-Revolution Salvo 02.09.2022 The Zaibatsu-ization of America Our tech overlords have forsaken innovation for consolidation. Salvo 01.24.2022 The Free Speech Facade The Left’s support for civil liberties has always been contingent on its own relative strength or weakness. Salvo 01.25.2022 A House Aggrieved Cannot Stand Our rulers stoke a civil conflict because they want to win it. Salvo 12.29.2021 Which Way, Western Mom? When Tik Tok teachers want to trans your kids Salvo 12.28.2021 How Meta The metaverse raises a lot of unanswered questions. Salvo 12.13.2021 Rittenhouse, Smollett, and the Big Lie Eating Away at America Woke communism is turning our country into a totalitarian police state. Salvo 12.08.2021 Density Cometh California is waging war on its suburbs. Salvo 10.21.2021 Equality In Servitude From citizen competence to therapeutic despotism Salvo 12.06.2021 What Mary Knew On mothers and the mother of God. Salvo 12.03.2021 The Mullahs Declare Cyberwar Iran’s nuclear threat is real, but the acute danger is digital. Salvo 12.02.2021 Be It Resolved President Biden’s Covid workplace mandate revives an ancient debate. Salvo 12.01.2021 Own Nothing and Love It An unholy alliance of planners, financiers, and leftists wants everyone to live in mass social housing developments. Salvo 11.30.2021 Fortifying Tomorrow’s Elections Harvard Law is preparing a cohort of election lawyers to fight for Democrat candidates. Salvo 11.30.2021 Woke Credit We're on the road to a social credit system, whether we like it or not. Salvo 10.26.2021 Dark Gods at the Renaissance Fair How Hatred of History Hurts Us Salvo 10.25.2021 Preparing the Way Ahead Forging a new political alliance at National Conservatism II Salvo 10.21.2021 A Pattern of Prosecution The Left's Jan. 6 tactics are nothing new. Salvo 10.22.2021 Woke Medicine’s Critical Harm The American Medical Association has fallen into Marxist lockstep with Critical Race Theory. Salvo 10.14.2021 On Sexual Anarchy It's real, it's spreading, and they will fight you if you talk about it. Salvo 10.13.2021 The Ouroboros Moment Today’s official version of “progress” is eating its own tail. Salvo 10.11.2021 How the Regime Wrecked the Vaccine Rollout An end to informed consent Salvo 10.11.2021 Hate Columbus, Hate America What's today really about? Salvo 10.08.2021 Breaking Free How to combat the rising woke regime Salvo 01.27.2022 Media Relations Meltdown The regime’s PR posture reveals weakness and insecurity. Salvo 01.26.2022 Defeat the Mandates by Overcoming Dependency Americans must regain trust in their own capacities to understand the world. That the rules governing acceptable speech concerning topics of such monumental importance can dramatically shift, for an entire nation, based on nothing, is of course damning of our entire media and, far more so, social media. Mike Solana in "Zone of Repulsion" Features Meeting of the Minds View this feature In Defense of Parents Helen Roy has issued a call to action on behalf of parents whose right to raise their children is under assault. Peachy Keenan and Kelli Buzzard respond. Parents’ Rights The uses and limits of relying on liberal mechanisms to fight liberal denouement View this feature Woman vs. Machine Mary Harrington reveals the techno-futurist motivations behind trans-radical “feminism.” Tara Thieke, Katherine Dee, Tiger Lily, Faith Moore, and Ingri Pauline respond. View this feature Winning the Cold Civil War Claremont Board Chairman Thomas D. Klingenstein has issued a call to defend the American way of life against Woke Communism. Adam Ellwanger, Rachel Bovard, and Sohrab Ahmari respond. View this feature COVID Forever? Josh Hammer argues that the ruling class is using COVID to thoroughly subvert what remains of the American way of life. Spencer Klavan, Helen Roy, Mike Solana, and Tara Thieke respond. View this feature The Soul of Politics Claremont Senior Fellow Glenn Ellmers has published a new book on the life and thought of Harry V. Jaffa. W.B. Allen, Ken Masugi, Christopher Flannery, John Marini, Ronald J. Pestritto, and Edward J. Erler respond. View this feature Disaster in Afghanistan Michael Anton has described the war in Afghanistan as “doomed from the start.” Sean Davis, Lomez, Helen Roy, Spencer Klavan, Seth Barron, Peachy Keenan, Pedro Gonzalez, and G. David Bednar respond. View this feature Surviving the Culture Wars A new era of America’s ongoing crisis calls for guidance in uncertain times. William Wheelwright, Helen Roy, Blaise Ebiner, Bryan Babb, Josiah Lippincott, Katherine Dee, Noah Peterson, Chris Rudzki, and Casey Chalk respond. View this feature California Crackup Matthew J. Peterson surveys the prospects of California and its upcoming recall elections. Tony Francois, Carol Silver, Suzanne Francois, Mike Solana, Blaise Ebiner, and John Jones respond. View this feature They're Coming for You The Biden Administration has announced its intention to criminalize right-wing thought. Kyle Shideler, Pedro Gonzalez, John Robb, Glenn Ellmers, Josh Hammer, and Max Abrahms respond. Who’s Next? The Biden Administration's Domestic Terrorism Strategy is an announcement that they're coming for you. Memos What Is to Be Done
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FILE: Jan. 29, 2013: A union workers holds a sign before a public viewing of President Barack Obama's speech on immigration in Los Angeles, Calif. (REUTERS)NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Congressional Republicans on Sunday criticized a White House plan on immigration reform that allows illegal immigrants to become legal, permanent residents within eight years -- saying Congress will never pass such a proposal and questioning President Obama’s intent.Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul said the plan is untenable and so outside of what the country wants that it suggests Obama is not sincere about passing immigration reform.“The president is torpedoing his own plan,” Paul told “Fox News Sunday.” “It shows me he is really not serious. … The bill won’t pass.”The draft immigration bill being circulated by the White House also includes plans for a new visa for illegal immigrants living in the United States, as first reported by USA Today.Obama's bill would create a "Lawful Prospective Immigrant" visa for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the country. The bill includes more security funding and requires business owners to adopt a system for verifying the immigration status of new hires within four years, the newspaper said.More On This... On Saturday, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio called the White House proposal "half-baked and seriously flawed."Rubio -- part of an eight-member, bipartisan Senate panel working on an immigration reform bill -- also said the proposal was disappointing to those “working on serious solutions” and repeats failures of past legislation.He said the White House also erred in not seeking input from Republican lawmakers."If actually proposed, the president's bill would be dead on arrival in Congress, leaving us with unsecured borders and a broken legal immigration system for years to come," Rubio said in a statement.Obama Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said Sunday the White House is working with members and staffers of the so-called “Gang of Eight” and that the White House hasn’t proposed anything so far to Capitol Hill on immigration.McDonough declined to answer repeated questions on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about why the White House didn’t first consult Rubio, consider the key Republican on the issue.“We are doing exactly what we said we would do, which is we will be prepared in the event that the bipartisan talks on the Hill … do not work out,” he told NBC.USA Today also reported that the bill would require that immigrants pass a criminal background check, submit biometric information and pay fees to qualify for the new visa.Immigrants who served more than a year in prison for a criminal conviction or were convicted of three or more crimes and were sentenced to a total of 90 days in jail would not be eligible. Crimes committed in other countries that would bar immigrants from legally entering the country would also be ineligible.Those immigrants facing deportation would be eligible to apply for the visa, the newspaper reported. Immigrants would be eligible to apply for a green card within eight years, if they learn English and U.S. history and government, and they would later be eligible to become U.S. citizens.House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan took back the praise he gave Obama for his State of the Union remarks on immigration.“Putting these details out without a guest worker program, without addressing future flow, by giving advantage to those who cut in front of line for immigrants who came here legally, not dealing with border security adequately, that tells us that he's looking for a partisan advantage and not a bipartisan solution,” The Wisconsin Republican told ABC’s “This Week.”Last month, the group of senators announced they had agreed on the general outline of an immigration plan.Obama has said he would not submit his own legislation to Congress so long as law makers acted "in a timely manner." If they failed, he said, "I will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away."Paul also told Fox he will submit an amendment to the upcoming Senate bill calling for a General Accounting Office report stating U.S. borders are secure that must be periodically updated.Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman, said Saturday that Obama still supports a bipartisan effort to craft a comprehensive immigration bill. "While the president has made clear he will move forward if Congress fails to act, progress continues to be made and the administration has not prepared a final bill to submit," he said in a statement.Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, described the draft bill as a "very moderate" proposal. While the path to citizenship was welcomed by Noorani, he said not enough attention was being paid to future immigration."Commonsense immigration reform must include a functioning immigration system for the future," Noorani said in a statement. "Reform does not begin and end with citizenship and enforcement alone."The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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FILE: Oct. 4, 2013: Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (AP)NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Michigan Democratic Rep. John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history, will not seek reelection to another term.The 87-year-old lawmaker has served in the House since 1955, when he filled the seat vacated by his late father. He announced his retirement Monday.Dingell has played a role in a number of major pieces of legislation, including President Obama's health care overhaul.Dingell was chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee until he lost the post to California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman in 2009. It was widely thought that Dingell, representing Detroit, was unable to move climate change legislation known as "cap and trade" through his committee -- after the gavel transferred to Waxman's hand, the committee moved the bill, as well as the health care overhaul, through the House. Cap-and-trade, unlike ObamaCare, died in the Senate.The retirement was reported first by The Detroit Free-Press and Detroit News.Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., who was elected in 1964, is now in line to become the longest-serving member currently in Congress. Coupled with the retirement of Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Michigan is poised to lose more than 90 years of service from its congressional delegation.Dingell mastered legislative deal-making and was fiercely protective of Detroit's auto industry.He became the longest serving member of Congress in history on June 7 when he eclipsed the record held by the late Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia."I'm not going to be carried out feet first," Dingell told The News. "I don't want people to say I stayed too long."Dubbed "Big John" for his imposing 6-foot-3 frame and sometimes intimidating manner, a reputation bolstered by the wild game heads decorating his Washington office, Dingell has served with every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower. He also was known as a dogged pursuer of government waste and fraud, helping take down two top presidential aides while chairman of a powerful investigative panel."Presidents come and presidents go," former President Bill Clinton said in 2005, when Dingell celebrated 50 years in Congress. "John Dingell goes on forever."Dingell had a front-row seat for the passage of landmark legislation including Medicare, the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act, all of which he supported.He also was accused of stalling the Clean Air Act to help auto interests. His hometown, the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, was home to a Ford Motor Co. factory that was once the largest in the world.He often has used his dry wit to amuse his friends and sting opponents. Even when he was in a hospital in 2003 following an operation to open a blocked artery, he maintained his humor."I'm happy to inform the Republican leadership that I fully intend to be present to vote against their harmful and shameless tax giveaway package," he said from the hospital.His critics called him overpowering and intimidating. And the head of a 500-pound wild boar looking at visitors to his Washington office only boosted that reputation, as did the story behind it: Dingell is said to have felled the animal with a pistol as it charged him during a hunting trip in Soviet Georgia.Yet the avid hunter and sportsman, whose office was decorated with big game trophies, was hard to typecast. He also loved classical music and ballet -- his first date with his wife, Debbie, a prominent Democratic activist whom he affectionately introduced as "the lovely Deborah," was a performance of the American Ballet Theater.Born in Colorado Springs, Colo., on July 8, 1926, John David Dingell Jr. grew up in Michigan, where his father was elected to Congress as a "New Deal" Democrat in 1932. After a brief stint in the Army near the end of World War II, the younger Dingell earned his bachelor's and law degrees from Georgetown University.Following the sudden death of his father in September 1955, Dingell, then a 29-year-old attorney, won a special election to succeed him.Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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President Trump will crack down on what he calls China’s unfair trade practices and theft of U.S. intellectual property with a package of punitive actions Thursday that include up to $60 billion in tariffs on imports. The tariffs, which chiefly target information technology, consumer electronics and telecoms, follow through on Mr. Trump’s tough talk against China’s trade abuses that helped fuel his White House win. The measures enjoyed strong support from Mr. Trump’s economic team, especially U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Beyond the White House, however, business leaders and free-trade advocates argue that U.S. consumers are the ones who ultimately pay the new tax. The tariffs are being imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that authorizes the president to take action or retaliation against unjustified, unreasonable or discriminatory foreign trade laws that hurt U.S. commerce. The list of items subject to the tariff could also be expanded to include clothing and shoes, according to Reuters, which first reported the tariff plan last week. The administration has warned Beijing to further open markets and loosen rules that disadvantage U.S. companies, and the tariffs hammer home the demand. The implementation of the tariffs will be delayed, allowing for negotiations with China over trade practices and intellectually property rights. The White House declined to comment Wednesday on the tariff rollout. Joshua Bolten, president of the Business Roundtable, said that unilaterally imposing tariffs “will only stifle job creation, reduce the competitiveness of businesses, and increase prices for American families.” A group of retail giants including Walmart, Target and Costco in a letter urged Mr. Trump to reconsider. “This is not American industries crying wolf,” said Sandy Kennedy, president of Retail Industries Leaders Association. “Higher tariffs will mean higher costs to businesses and in turn higher prices for American families. After a major tax reform victory, widespread tariffs on everyday consumer goods will wipe out much of the benefits realized by the average American household.” Critics also warned that Mr. Trump was setting off a trade war with America’s biggest trading partner, as well as possibly souring relations with a key ally in Mr. Trump’s upcoming nuclear talks with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. Mr. Trump has brushed off talk of trade wars in a tweet earlier this month: “When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!” That was after the Trump administration announced tariffs on steel and aluminum. Those tariffs take effect Friday and hit all imports of steel and aluminum. Mr. Trump called out China for dumping cheap steel in the U.S. when announcing the tariffs, although China accounts for a small portion of U.S. steel imports. In January, Mr. Trump slapped tariffs on imports of solar panels and washing machines. Beijing voiced “strong dissatisfaction.” A week later, China’s biggest maker of solar panels announced plans to open a new U.S. factory. The new tariffs on technology and intellectual property are expected to be worth between $30 billion and $60 billion, roughly the value of U.S. technology lost to China due to the country’s onerous trade rules. “I don’t think there is any silver bullet solution to this, but we know what doesn’t work and that is tariffs,” said Christine McDaniel, an economist at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. She said multilateral trade deals, such as the Trans Pacific Partnership that Mr. Trump tore up, are more effective in putting pressure on China. “It he can keep using these tariffs as negotiation tools, more power to him. But we need to rewrite trade rules and do it with countries that are eager to do it with us,” said Ms. McDaniel. “They can live without the U.S. but they can’t live without the rest of the world.”
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday won his legal battle against being extradited from the UK to face espionage charges — after a British judge decided he would likely commit suicide if sent to the US. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that it would be “oppressive” to extradite the 49-year-old Australian because of his mental health as he faced up to 175 years in prison for allegedly hacking into US government computers. She described Assange as “a depressed and sometimes despairing man” who had the “intellect and determination” to circumvent any suicide prevention measures taken by American prison authorities. The US government immediately announced that it would appeal the decision. “While we are extremely disappointed in the court’s ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised. In particular, the court rejected all of Mr. Assange’s arguments regarding political motivation, political offense, fair trial, and freedom of speech,” a US Department of Justice spokesman said in a statement. “We will continue to seek Mr. Assange’s extradition to the United States.” Assange’s lawyers, meanwhile, said they would press for his release from a London prison during a bail hearing set for Wednesday. Assange, who sat in the dock at London’s Central Criminal Court for the ruling, wiped his brow as the decision was announced. His partner Stella Moris, with whom he has two young sons, wept. “Today is a victory for Julian. Today’s victory is the first step towards justice in this case,” Moris said outside court, saying she was “extremely concerned” that the US government planned to appeal. “It continues to want to punish Julian, and make him disappear into the deepest, darkest hole of the US prison system for the rest of his life,” she said, saying they will only “celebrate the day he comes home.” Assange has been in custody in the UK since April 2019, when he was arrested after being booted from his safe-haven in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in LondonAP Assange’s lawyers have insisted that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange’s American lawyer, Barry Pollack, said the legal team was “enormously gratified by the U.K. court’s decision denying extradition.” “The effort by the United States to prosecute Julian Assange and seek his extradition was ill-advised from the start,” he said. “We hope that after consideration of the U.K. court’s ruling, the United States will decide not to pursue the case further.” The Freedom of the Press Foundation called the attempted extradition and prosecution “the most dangerous threat to US press freedom in decades.” “This is a huge relief to anyone who cares about the rights of journalists,” it tweeted of Monday’s court ruling. “The result will protect journalists everywhere.” With Post wires
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| February 04, 2021 07:00 AM Former President Donald Trump’s departure from the White House after a single term has triggered a heated debate over the direction of the Republican Party, with the governing class that never fully made peace with him frequently at odds with the MAGA-centric base. Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, beat back an attempt to oust her as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference for being one of 10 GOP members of the chamber to vote for Trump's impeachment. It was a stunning turn of events that the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, a mainstay of the party, even found herself in this position. On Thursday, the House is set to vote on stripping Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments, mainly for her advocacy of Trump-era conspiracy theories. Trump’s second Senate trial in as many years also looms, this time with lawmakers deliberating whether he incited an insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6 — and whether this process for removal from office constitutionally applies to a president whose term has already expired. Rank-and-file Republicans are looking for direction, as the former president’s exit from Washington has left a Trump-sized party leadership void in his wake. “Sometimes, these family fights are necessary, and we hope they’re short-term,” said Rep. Ted Budd, a North Carolina Republican. “I believe that the Republican Party has an agenda that works, but we can’t go back to the old-style GOP that only catered to elites. President Trump brought so many new working-class voters into our party, and we need to go forward with that in mind.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has gently tried to nudge the party in a post-Trump direction. He took strong exception to Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and said that the riot at the Capitol was fed by the then-president’s “lies.” McConnell castigated Greene as a “cancer” on the party and publicly defended Cheney. But he voted with 44 other Republican senators in favor of a point of order finding Trump’s post-presidential Senate trial unconstitutional. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, by contrast, met with the former president in Florida, posing for a photo with Trump and saying he would be involved in helping Republicans in the midterm elections. The California Republican urged his colleagues to stick with Cheney but handled Greene more gingerly. “I understand that Marjorie’s comments have caused deep wounds to many and as a result, I offered Majority Leader [Steny] Hoyer a path to lower the temperature and address these concerns,” McCarthy said in a statement on Wednesday. Hoyer was unmoved by the gesture and has now set in motion a House vote on Greene’s committee assignments, which would force Republicans to take a stand. These disputes spilled over into a lengthy House Republican Conference meeting that symbolized the larger intraparty fight. Cheney refused to back down from or apologize for her impeachment vote. Greene apologized for her past advocacy of QAnon, a set of conspiracy theories that portray Trump as the lone fighter against a child-molesting political establishment, and reaffirmed that she believed school shootings are “real and awful.” She had previously described some high-profile shootings as “false flag” events designed to bolster support for gun control. “As for Rep. Cheney, I think she has the right to vote her conscience, but to go against President Trump as chair of our conference is concerning and worthy of a discussion,” Budd said. “As for Rep. Greene, while I don’t like any of the comments she made two years prior to being elected, I don’t want to be in the business of telling the people of Georgia who they can elect.” “We need to cut bait,” a Republican congressional aide said of Greene. “But a lot of members see this as more media-driven, while what a member of leadership does actually matters.” In the end, Cheney prevailed on Wednesday night, with 145 voting to retain her as conference chairwoman and 61 voting by secret ballot to remove her. The GOP was seen as leaderless for much of former President Barack Obama’s tenure after President George W. Bush left office with low approval ratings, but that didn’t stop it from winning the House in 2010, the Senate in 2014, and the White House in 2016. Republicans would need to gain only one Senate seat to recapture the majority in the midterm elections and fewer than 10 House seats. What is unusual is that Trump still casts such a long shadow over the party. He may run again in 2024 if he is not convicted by the Senate and then subsequently banned from doing so. He could remain a Republican kingmaker. And his family could attempt to start a Trump political dynasty with its own campaigns. “Moving forward, Republicans are going to keep struggling with whether they want him involved with the party or not,” said Rory Cooper, a former senior aide to Eric Cantor as House majority leader. “Jan. 6 provided a clean break, and yet, we’ve seen some march back into his embrace for fear of caucus or voter dynamics. I don’t expect we’ll get that clean break in the trial either. But it may give more members permission to separate themselves from him while still embracing a lot of Trumpism.” “Regarding other family members running for office, I'm not sure the brand is enough to support any of them. None of them have deep or recent roots in any of the states they're mentioning, and none of them are named Donald Trump Sr.,” said a veteran Republican strategist. “As a Republican operative, I'd love to litigate Trump in a Republican primary when it's not actually him running.” The Cheney vote will not be the last GOP referendum on Trump. “This is a bleak time for Republicans without a clear direction out,” Cooper said. “They’re stuck in the mess they helped create. Rather than following the most sycophantic of senators down the procedural rabbit hole trying to protect Trump, they should simply be fair jurors with an eye toward holding people accountable for one of the darkest days in our nation’s democratic history.”
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The United States has sent two F-22 stealth fighter jets to South Korea to join Seoul forces in military exercises after North Korea warned the Korean Peninsula has entered "a state of war."A Pentagon spokesman confirms to Fox News that the F-22 Raptors were deployed to Osan Air Base in South Korea from Japan on Sunday to support ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills."This exercise has been planned for some time and is part of the air component of the Foal Eagle exercise," spokesman George Little told reporters Monday.Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gathered legislators Monday for an annual spring parliamentary session that followed a ruling party declaration that nuclear bomb building and a stronger economy were the nation's top priorities.The meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly follows near-daily threats from Pyongyang, including vows of nuclear strikes on South Korea and the U.S. In a statement released Sunday, U.S. military in South Korea urged North Korea to restrain itself.More On This... "(North Korea) will achieve nothing by threats or provocations, which will only further isolate North Korea and undermine international efforts to ensure peace and stability in Northeast Asia," the statement said.Meanwhile, North Korea said Saturday its armed forces, "will blow up U.S. bases for aggression in its mainland and in the Pacific operational theatres including Hawaii and Guam."Kim also threatened to shut down a border factory complex that is the last major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, according to the Associated Press.The threats are seen as part of an effort to provoke the new government in Seoul to change its policies toward Pyongyang and to win diplomatic talks with Washington in order to gain more aid.The White House says the U.S. is taking North Korea's threats seriously, but has also noted Pyongyang's history of "bellicose rhetoric."On Thursday, U.S. military officials revealed that two B-2 stealth bombers dropped dummy munitions on an uninhabited South Korean island as part of annual defense drills that Pyongyang sees as rehearsals for invasion. Hours later, Kim ordered his generals to put rockets on standby and threatened to strike American targets if provoked.Military analysts have said a full-scale conflict between North and South Korea is extremely unlikely, noting that the Korean Peninsula has remained in a technical state of war for 60 years. But the North's continued threats toward South Korea and the United States have raised worries that a misjudgment between the sides could lead to a clash.In addition to the military exercise, the U.S. will fortify its defenses against a potential North Korean missile attack by adding more than a dozen missile interceptors to the 26 already in place at Fort Greely, Alaska, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has also announced.Fox News' Justin Fishel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Christian cross over beautiful sky background concept of religion (iStock)NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Easter Day, which falls on Sunday for most Christians in the U.S., celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After being executed on a cross on Good Friday, Jesus was buried in a tomb. That first Easter, some 2,000 years ago, God the Father raised Jesus from the dead. The account is found in all four Gospels of the New Testament in the Bible.That’s the basic definition. I hope every Christian knows that much, and I suspect that many non-Christians know this much, too. Beyond those basics, much of our Easter celebration is layered in tradition.Our churches are often decorated with white lilies and other spring flowers. Families gather for festive meals, often eating ham or lamb. For me personally, jelly beans are always a highlight of Easter customs. It’s traditional to buy new clothes to wear to church on Easter. And if you come to a church on Easter Day, it’s likely you’ll sing hymns and songs beloved by that church community.But if we keep looking at Easter, it gets more complex and the meaning deepens. The day is larger than the commemoration of a historic event, and it’s larger than familiar traditions. For on Easter, everything changed.We Christians believe that Jesus Christ was sent by God the father to live among us, to show us perfect love. Jesus loved outcasts and sinners. Jesus offered hope and healing. Jesus said that our joy is found in sacrificial generosity, not in accruing possessions.Jesus always told the truth. Jesus offered forgiveness of sin, even to those who betrayed and murdered him. Jesus said, over and over, that we shouldn’t be afraid. Jesus showed us perfect love.Of course, the Roman Empire didn’t much care for someone preaching a message like this. The empire relied on wealth and was built on might and fear. Jesus’ teachings undercut all that.Authorities conspired to kill Jesus in an attempt to silence his message. So Jesus was betrayed, arrested, tortured and executed on a cross. His followers lovingly cared for his body and he was buried in a stone tomb.When women went to the tomb early on Easter morning, they found it was empty. Then they met the risen Jesus, who told them not to be afraid. These women told the men, Jesus’ disciples, the good news that Jesus had been raised from the dead, that he was alive.People 2,000 years ago understood that when people die, they are meant to stay dead. So it was shocking to them to see their friend and teacher alive again. They were so convinced that Jesus was really, truly alive that many of them would willingly be martyred for their faith in the decades that followed.Jesus’ followers rejoiced at Easter and developed deep faith. It wasn’t just that Easter showed them a really amazing miracle. No, the joy of Easter is even deeper than that.Easter shows us that perfect love always wins. In the end, whatever powerful people might try to do to silence love, God’s way is always stronger.Easter shows us that our mortal bodies die, but life for us continues. Easter shows us that we need not fear death. Death no longer has dominion over us.This holiday celebrates a complete reorientation of the universe. Love defeats hate. Hope defeats fear. Sacrifice defeats greed. Mercy defeats might. Life defeats death.If you celebrate Easter, you are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But you are also celebrating God’s great love for us, a love strong enough to defeat death itself. Happy Easter to you all.
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FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2001 file photo, the twin towers of the World Trade Center burn after hijacked planes crashed into them in New York. As the post-Sept. 11 decade ends, some foreign families of the victims are eager to move past the tragedy. But though the pain transcended borders, foreign families have battled to cope with their loss from afar. (AP2001)NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! I still vividly remember Sept. 11, 2001, when my 5th grade teacher in a suburb of Albany, New York, stopped class and told us a about the horrific mass murder of our fellow New Yorkers a few counties to the south.On that day 16 years ago, 19 monsters who despised the noble ideals of freedom and equality that America stands for took the lives of almost 3,000 of our fellow countrymen in New York City, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.The terrible events of 9/11 are starting to fade in memory and out of public discourse. Now an entire generation too young to remember the day is starting to become active in civic affairs.For millennials such as me, the day was the beginning of our introduction to world affairs. Its aftereffects have defined many portions of our lives since.On this 16th anniversary of 9/11, we should remember that to our external enemies, we are all fundamentally the same – free human beings with a love of God and liberty, united by the Constitution and draped in America’s proud history. I still remember watching on television as President George W. Bush stood among the ruins in Manhattan and warned our attackers that we would strike back. And I remember later when he spoke before Congress about the need to invade Iraq.I remember the feeling of unity our country felt afterward, as we realized that despite our many differences, we are not as divided as we seem.I remember seeing how many of my brave classmates in high school signed up to join our armed forces out of patriotic devotion as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq raged on.I remember seeing pictures and news stories of how, no matter our background or belief, American soldiers united in fighting the enemy that took so many American lives on 9/11. I remember seeing how our civilian population back home stood united in backing our troops and one another.Now new international security challenges confront us as 9/11 moves to the history books, though it remains fresh in the minds and hearts of everyone who lived through it, particularly those who lost loved ones. Like the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor for an earlier generation, it is a historical marker engraved in the collective consciousness.Much of the modern world is still defined by the tragedy that happened 16 years ago. We still are fighting in Afghanistan. Iraq remains a battlefield, as we continue to destroy ISIS and its extremist brethren across the world.Furthermore, I believe there is an important lesson we should still recall from 9/11 – that of unity.Our country right now is perhaps the most divided it has ever been since the Civil War. A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll described how Americans are polarized across ideological and partisan lines.The election and administration of President Trump has drawn media attention to this polarization. But surveys and studies have shown that in recent years, even before the 2016 election, Americans have been drifting further and further apart.Our political discourse is filled each day with opposing sides not only engaging in policy debates but personal attacks and demonization. Rather than seeing those in the other party as decent and sincere people simply holding alternate viewpoints, too many of us now see them as enemies.However, in all this hostility, the truth is that we are not as different from one another as it seems. While liberals and conservatives have many disagreements in policies and philosophy, we still all support our fundamental constitutional ideals and the belief in our right to purse life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that has defined our nation’s image and path.On this 16th anniversary of 9/11, we should remember that to our external enemies, we are all fundamentally the same – free human beings with a love of God and liberty, united by the Constitution and draped in America’s proud history.On this solemn day, it is worth remembering what brings us together. Perhaps someday our country can be as united again as it was on Sept. 11, 2001.
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America’s top intelligence official acknowledged Tuesday that President Obama and other senior White House officials were well aware of U.S. surveillance activities targeting leaders of friendly foreign nations — a stark contradiction of the administration’s insinuation in recent days that the president was unaware of such spying. Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper described the targeting of foreign leaders, including American allies, as a “fundamental” aspect of intelligence gathering, and said neither the CIA nor the National Security Agency can tap into a given leader’s private communications without White House oversight. His testimony, made during a series of tacit exchanges Tuesday with members of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, came as all sides in Congress have begun seriously examining legislative proposals that would rein in the legal framework surrounding the NSA’s snooping programs. Two lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday that would end the agency’s legal ability to collect and store massive amounts of private, albeit basic, telephone metadata, while a separate Senate proposal would allow the data gathering to continue under new oversight requirements. Despite his broad characterizations about the program and the White House’s knowledge of it, Mr. Clapper sought also to defend Mr. Obama during the intelligence hearing, saying that while the president is briefed “quite frequently” on the scope of surveillance operations, it would be “unrealistic” to think his staff regularly goes over specific details, such as explicitly how or when the intelligence is being gleaned. Testifying alongside Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, director of the NSA, Mr. Clapper painted a picture in which recent revelations about American spying are obvious. Both men said foreign leaders are disingenuous when expressing outrage over the snooping because America’s own allies have conducted similar spying operations against the U.S. “Some of this reminds me a lot of the classic movie ‘Casablanca’: ‘My God, there’s gambling going on here?’” Mr. Clapper quipped at one point. The remarks also added fresh context to the questions surging with Watergate-era flair through Washington in recent days, over exactly what the president knew about NSA efforts to tap into the private communications of some of America’s closest allies, including the cellphones of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Mrs. Merkel, along with leaders from Mexico, France, Sweden, Spain and Italy have seethed publicly at international news reports drawn from documents leaked by Edward Snowden — the former NSA contractor now hiding in Russia — that reveal aspects of the American snooping program, including one mission that involved hacking into Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s emails in 2010. The White House this week has dodged questions about one specific report that claimed Mr. Obama learned of the NSA program’s scope only a few months ago. The story, published Monday by The Wall Street Journal, cited unidentified officials as saying Mr. Obama had moved to swiftly end the program upon learning that the U.S. was tapping Mrs. Merkel’s phones. Speaking only the condition of anonymity with reporters, U.S. officials have said that during a personal telephone call with Mrs. Merkel last week, Mr. Obama, who sought to allay the German leader’s frustration about the NSA program, denied having known about it. Hitting a nerve While Mr. Clapper and Gen. Alexander asserted Tuesday that the surge of international news reports about the NSA program have been inaccurate, neither was willing to disclose much about what the highly classified program entails. With the committee hearing open to the public, lawmakers were also reluctant to use anything other than vague language about NSA operations. During the nearly four-hour session, not one Republican or Democrat asked the specific question of whether Mr. Clapper or Gen. Alexander believes that Mr. Obama knew all along that Mrs. Merkel’s cellphones were being tapped. During one exchange, Rep. Mike Rogers, Michigan Republican and committee chairman, asked whether it “would be fair to say that the White House should know what those collection priorities are,” Mr. Clapper responded: “They can and do.” “But I have to say that that does not necessarily extend down to the level of detail,” Mr. Clapper added quickly. “We don’t necessarily review with the White House what the forthcoming collection deck is. That is done at levels below the White House or the national security staff.” A day earlier, Senate intelligence committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, in calling for a “total review of all intelligence programs,” said neither she nor the president knew about eavesdropping on the German chancellor. Friendly spying American intelligence officials have been monitoring world leaders’ conversations and activities for decades, ranging from open-source data and human intelligence from attendees at events to the monitoring of phone calls, according to U.S. officials who have spoken on background with The Washington Times. Every president in modern history has been aware of the activities and been the beneficiary of information placed into the president’s daily briefings or special topic briefings, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Although those briefings don’t always specify the exact nature of how information was obtained, presidents have known about NSA eavesdropping on allies for many years. Mr. Obama, for instance, specifically received briefings since being in office about information learned by U.S. intelligence about Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, Pakistan’s prime minister, Russian President Vladimir Putin and United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, the officials said. Officials said intelligence agencies have been bracing for more Snowden-related revelations about espionage involving foreign friendlies. But during one of the more enlightening exchanges of Tuesday’s hearing, Gen. Alexander told lawmakers he had no doubt that U.S. allies are also spying on Washington. The testimony came after Rep. Rogers asked, “In your experience as director of the National Security Agency, have the allies of the United States ever, during the course of that time, engaged in anything that you would qualify as an espionage act targeted at the United States of America?” “Yes, they have,” Gen. Alexander responded, to which Mr. Rogers asked, “And that would be consistent with most of our allies? Well, let’s just pick a place — the European Union?” “Yes, it would,” Gen. Alexander said.
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Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she now supports same-sex marriage — an announcement that could be seen as a political step toward a White House run. Gays are “full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship,” she said in a five-minute video released by the Human Rights Campaign on Monday morning. “That includes marriage.” Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, came out in support of gay marriage earlier this month. In the video, Mrs. Clinton specified she supports same-sex marriage “personally and as a matter of policy and law.” Her stated views of gay marriage now fall in line with other potential White House candidates in the next election. Vice President Joseph R. Biden, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley all support same-sex marriage. Politically, Mrs. Clinton’s views now follow public polls, too. Gallup said last November that 53 percent of adults in the United States favor same-sex marriage laws, up considerably from 1996, when only 27 percent supported such laws. Mrs. Clinton’s opinion on the issue has morphed over the years. In a December 2003 interview with CBS News, she said she was opposed to federal laws allowing for gay marriage, though she favored civil unions for gays. During the 2008 Democratic presidential primary season, Mrs. Clinton agreed with her opponent Barack Obama that “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the military’s policy on gays serving in the military, was in need of overhaul. Then, she said gays should be allowed to openly serve.
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| April 06, 2020 06:41 PM Wisconsin's Tuesday primary is back on. In a 4-2 decision along ideological lines, the state's Supreme Court ruled Monday that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers does not have the authority to move the scheduled primary to June 9. Evers attempted to delay the primary due to the coronavirus pandemic through an executive order issued the day before the scheduled primary. Republican lawmakers in the state immediately responded to Evers's attempted order by challenging it in court. Those in the Republican-controlled legislature have blocked delaying of the primary. The ruling means that the Democratic presidential primary and hundreds of local elections will proceed as scheduled despite the risk of voters and poll workers increasing the spread of the coronavirus. Last week, a U.S. district judge ruled that the elections would proceed as scheduled. “As much as the court would prefer that the Wisconsin Legislature and Governor consider the public health ahead of any political considerations, that does not appear in the cards. Nor is it appropriate for a federal-district court to act as the state’s chief health official by taking that step for them," the ruling said. Voters were able to request absentee ballots through April 3, and the U.S. District Judge ruled that clerks could not release results from the elections until 4 p.m. on April 13, the deadline for absentee ballots to come in. More than a dozen states have postponed their primaries due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Wisconsin being the unusual outlier in keeping its original date.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Another member of the Washington political media stepped forward Thursday to claim he was threatened by the Obama White House, shortly after the White House denied reports that an adviser threatened famed Watergate journalist Bob Woodward.The latest claim comes from Lanny Davis, who served as counsel to former President Bill Clinton and later went on to write a column for The Washington Times. In a radio interview on WMAL, Davis said that a "senior Obama White House official" once called his editor at the Times and said that if the paper continued to run his columns, "his reporters would lose their credentials."Davis said he "couldn't imagine why this call was made" since he's an Obama supporter.But he called the alleged threat "unfortunate."The account comes after Woodward claimed Wednesday night that a White House aide sent him an email saying he would "regret" his recent reporting on the sequester battle. The aide was not identified, but an official familiar with the exchange told Fox News it was National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling -- the tone of the email was rather mixed, as it also included an apology. That was after Woodward wrote a column this past weekend claiming Obama was trying to re-write history -- regarding not only whose idea the sequester was, but also how it would take effect.More On This... Woodward wrote that based on his reporting earlier in the budget battle, the president was trying to move the goalposts by trying to replace the sequester with a mix of tax hikes and spending cuts -- instead of solely spending cuts.After Politico reported late Wednesday that Woodward was coming forward to claim he was threatened, a White House aide denied the claim."Of course no threat was intended," wrote the White House aide. "As Mr. Woodward noted, the email from the aide was sent to apologize for voices being raised in their previous conversation. The note suggested that Mr. Woodward would regret the observation he made regarding the sequester because that observation was inaccurate, nothing more. And Mr. Woodward responded to this aide's email in a friendly manner."White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Thursday that Woodward and Obama's advisers merely "had a factual disagreement that I think we stand by."He stressed that it's clear nobody was threatening anybody, and that the tone was "respectful."According to Politico, Woodward said he was "yelled at" by an Obama aide over his weekend column in the Post. Then, he said he received a page-long email from the aide -- apparently Sperling -- that said: "I apologize for raising my voice in our conversation today. ... You're focusing on a few specific trees that give a very wrong impression of the forest. But perhaps we will just not see eye to eye here. ... I think you will regret staking out that claim."Animosity between Woodward and the Obama team is rising, as the journalist has repeatedly needled the administration on its sequester talking points. His reporting bolstered claims that the sequester idea originated at the White House. And this week, he called the administration's handling of the cuts "madness."Former Obama adviser David Plouffe tweeted Wednesday: "Watching Woodward last 2 days is like imagining my idol Mike Schmidt facing live pitching again. Perfection gained once is rarely repeated."Fox News' Ed Henry contributed to this report.
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Posted: Jan 03, 2018 12:01 AM The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
President Trump took office at the beginning of 2017 swimming in a sea of negativity.Some predicted that he wouldn't make it through the year. Some predicted that he even if he did, he would fail to get any major legislation passed.Pew Research Center reported that 62 percent of the news stories about Trump's first 60 days were negative, compared to 20 percent in President Obama's first 60 days and 28 percent in Bush's and Clinton's.But those who voted for Trump wanted something completely different, and Trump is not disappointing them. As he moves forward in Washington with his own style of doing business, it brings to mind Frank Sinatra's classic song, "My Way."Indeed, Trump is doing it his way. But what is causing doubters to sit up is that he is accomplishing in a big way.The economy is growing like it hasn't in years, the most sweeping tax reform since 1986 has been passed, and he is deregulating. The number of pages in the Federal Register -- where new regulations are published -- is now two-thirds of where it stood in the Obama years.Trump has already put his stamp on the nation, which will have repercussions for years, in his impressive conservative judicial appointments -- 12 of his federal appeals court judge nominations have been confirmed by the Senate -- and Neil Gorsuch has taken Antonin Scalia's seat on the Supreme Court.With two Supreme Court justices over 80 -- Anthony Kennedy and Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- chances are that Trump will have an opportunity to place another solid conservative on the Supreme Court in the course of his first term.Reports are that Trump will meet with Senate Majority leader McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan soon at Camp David to discuss legislative plans for 2018.Major campaign issues still on the table are immigration reform, welfare reform and national infrastructure investments.It is reasonable to expect that the product of these deliberations will reflect a combination of idealism -- what they believe are national priorities -- and political realism -- what they see as doable in the existing political environment.Certainly, McConnell's challenge in the Senate has increased with his Republican margin now a razor-thin 51 to 49.On the other hand, in our unconventional president we have a man with plans to accomplish -- his way.Perhaps Trump fulfilled his campaign promise to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel to show that he is willing to do what he sees as the right thing despite great opposition.
In immigration reform and welfare reform, we have two issues vitally in need of attention, both with huge impacts on the nation and both very politically difficult.But the inability of Washington to fix what is broken in our nation is what drove so many voters to Trump. If Trump ignores or forgets this, then it will turn him into just another politician. My guess is that this is an intolerable and indigestible fate to Donald Trump.So I am optimistic that 2018 will bring more unexpected accomplishments from Trump, as he carries forward promises from his campaign.That is, to turn the country back to its people, to re-unify the country under its founding ideals, and for all Americans to feel part of the American enterprise.He said it memorably in his inaugural address. "And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit, or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their hearts with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty creator."I'm looking forward to a great 2018.
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White House economic adviser Gary Cohn challenged Donald Trump’s response to Charlottesville, insisting that the president had to do a better job condemning white supremacists.
“I believe this administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities,” Cohn said in an interview with the Financial Times. Cohn aligned his views with the establishment media, asserting that the violent Antifa counter-protesters were “standing up for equality and freedom” while the protesters defending Robert E. Lee’s statue were all white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the KKK.
“Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK,” he said.
Cohn defended his decision to stay in his job, despite pressure from his friends and colleagues to resign in protest.
“I feel a duty to fulfill my commitment to work on behalf of the American people,” he said. “But I also feel compelled to voice my distress over the events of the last two weeks.”
Cohn insisted that by staying in his job in the White House, he was fighting white supremacists.
“As a Jewish American, I will not allow neo-Nazis ranting ‘Jews will not replace us’ to cause this Jew to leave his job,” he said.
Cohn “seriously considered resigning,” according to the New York Times, in response to Trump’s Charlottesville comments and drafted a letter of resignation. “Sources close to” Cohn floated quotes on background to the media noting that he was “disgusted and deeply upset” with the president.
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Marco Rubio tops Florida Senate rival Val Demings as Biden approval plummets: Poll David M. Drucker | February 16, 2022 06:00 AM SEE IT: Reporter presses Hillary Clinton on 'spying' allegations Daniel Chaitin | February 15, 2022 10:48 PM Typo on flier sends drivers in Florida to Trump 2024 merchandise website Asher Notheis | February 15, 2022 05:41 PM Charlie Savage is the reason no one trusts journalists Conn Carroll | February 15, 2022 01:48 PM Oz and McCormick wage battle for Trump endorsement in GOP Senate primary David M. Drucker | February 15, 2022 01:34 PM Sussmann wants Durham filing about Trump White House snooping stricken from record Jerry Dunleavy | February 15, 2022 01:12 PM No spying on Trump? 35 times Big Media lied Paul Bedard | February 15, 2022 01:10 PM The frightening breadth and unaccountability of the deep state Washington Examiner | February 15, 2022 12:01 AM Tech executive fires back at John Durham Daniel Chaitin | February 14, 2022 09:40 PM Trump Organization's longtime accounting firm cuts ties Asher Notheis | February 14, 2022 08:34 PM
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At the State of Union address, President Obama said he regretted that the division between the parties had worsened.EVAN VUCCIOne of the "few regrets" of his presidency, President Obama said dolefully in his State of the Union speech, was "that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better." Were he endowed with "the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt," he remarked, he could have done more to bridge the partisan divide. But he pledged to "keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office."Did you experience a touch of déjà vu when the president said that? Four years ago, when he was in the home stretch of his first term and running for a second, he said much the same thing."I'm the first one to confess that the spirit that I brought to Washington, that I wanted to see instituted, where we weren't constantly in a political slugfest . . . I haven't fully accomplished that," Obama told an interviewer in 2012. "My biggest disappointment is that we haven't changed the tone in Washington as much as I would have liked."Did he even try?From his earliest days as a presidential contender, Obama had held himself out as a healer — as a visionary who would never "pit red America against blue America," who committed himself to ending "a politics that breeds division and conflict and cynicism." That uplifting promise was at the very heart of Obama's appeal; it was what led so many voters to invest so much hope and faith — even love — in the prospect of an Obama presidency.Yet in his first term, American political life grew more bitter, not less. Unity and goodwill receded even further. As measured by Gallup, Obama supplanted George W. Bush as the most polarizing president ever. Democrats and Republicans blamed each other for the nastiness and distrust. The president often took the low road; his opponents often did too. Deeply controversial legislation, especially Obamacare, was rammed through on party-line votes. The rise of the Tea Party prefigured sweeping Republican gains in the 2010 midterm elections, which led both parties into an even more toxic relationship. By the time Obama ran for reelection in 2012, little remained of 2008's optimistic candidate of hope. In his place was a snappish incumbent grimly focused on winning a second term by any means necessary. Even liberal media outlets remarked on the disparity. "Obama and his top campaign aides have engaged far more frequently in character attacks and personal insults," Politico reported.But when voters renewed Obama's lease on the White House, they also gave him a fresh opportunity to make good on the signal promise of his rise to power. A second term offered this most polarizing of presidents a chance to extend olive branches — and to eschew the ad hominem attacks that so infuriate his critics. Democracy doesn't work "if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice," the president said in his address to Congress this month. "It doesn't work if we think that our political opponents are unpatriotic or trying to weaken America."That's exactly the right message. If only Obama had heeded it.Let's be clear: The president is not to blame for the polarization of American life. The "mushy middle" has been dwindling for years. With Democrats moving to the left and Republicans moving to the right, there is far less overlap between the parties than there was a generation ago. In a recent study, the Pew Research Center found that 92 percent of Republicans are now to the right of the median Democrat, and 94 percent of Democrats are to the left of the median Republican.Worse — much worse — is how intensely hostile the antipathy between right and left has become. Large swaths of each camp say the opposing party is not merely misguided, but an explicit threat to the nation's well-being. Obama could have led the way in suppressing this corrosive tendency. Instead he inflamed it.It would not have required "the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt" to eschew the ridicule and taunts that so pollute modern political discourse. The gifts of Gerald Ford would have done nicely. Like all presidents, Obama has been frustrated by partisan opponents. But no chief executive in modern times has been so quick to impugn his critics' motives, or to resort to mockery and demonization when amicable persuasion would serve so much better.Obama routinely speaks of his critics as if their motives couldn't possibly be rational or decent. When Republicans balked at his proposal to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees to enter the United States (a proposal I favor), Obama jeered. "Apparently they're scared of widows and orphans," he said. "That doesn't sound very tough to me."When GOP lawmakers resisted raising the debt limit, Obama tweeted: "Are they really willing to hurt people just to score political points?" Efforts to repeal Obamacare he attributed to cruelty — the "one unifying principle" for Republicans, the president told reporters, is "making sure that 30 million people don't have health care."With Obama, there seems to be no possibility of honorable disagreement. Oppose something he wants, and you are a bought-and-paid-for stooge, or a denier of science, or a peddler of fiction, or a scoundrel who puts party ahead of country. He isn't the only one who talks this way, not by a long shot. But he is our only president, and how he expresses himself matters. When presidential rhetoric is mean and contemptuous, the whole public square is befouled.It can always get worse, as Donald Trump demonstrates daily. But an awful lot of Americans, Republicans and Democrats both, want it to get better. Obama insisted he was going to heal the divide, but never even made the effort. He still has a year in office. It's not too late to start.Jeff Jacoby can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jeff_jacoby.Boston Globe video
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SEE IT: Reporter presses Hillary Clinton on 'spying' allegations Daniel Chaitin | February 15, 2022 10:48 PM Sussmann wants Durham filing about Trump White House snooping stricken from record Jerry Dunleavy | February 15, 2022 01:12 PM The frightening breadth and unaccountability of the deep state Washington Examiner | February 15, 2022 12:01 AM Tech executive fires back at John Durham Daniel Chaitin | February 14, 2022 09:40 PM Devin Nunes expects 'many more' Durham indictments Daniel Chaitin | February 14, 2022 07:32 PM Hugo Gurdon: Democrats on wrong side of crime, Durham report, and COVID-19 policy Heather Hamilton | February 14, 2022 12:41 PM Of course they spied on Trump Byron York | February 14, 2022 09:08 AM Yes, Hillary Clinton spied on Donald Trump — while he was president Kaylee McGhee White | February 13, 2022 02:37 PM 'Gender equity': Hillary Clinton to receive Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award Julia Johnson | February 13, 2022 06:00 AM Comeback kid? Flurry of Hillary Clinton activity fuels 2024 speculation Haisten Willis | February 12, 2022 05:15 AM
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Rep. Liz Cheney, ousted Wednesday from her position as the No. 3 leader of her party in the House, is the latest anti-Trump Republican to be steamrolled by the former president since he crashed onto the political scene in 2015, but the congresswoman from Wyoming was defiant in defeat. Ms. Cheney made it clear that she would not follow in the footsteps of Republicans who decided that if you can’t beat him, join him. The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney instead doubled down on her criticism of Donald Trump, vowing to wage a public relations war against the 45th president and loosen his grip on the party. “I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office,” she told reporters after her fellow Republicans on a voice vote fired her as the party’s House conference chair. Ms. Cheney’s next stop was an exclusive sit-down interview with NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie that is set to air Thursday morning on “Today.” She also is set to be beamed into living rooms across the country when she joins Bret Baier on Thursday night on Fox News’ “Special Report.” Mr. Trump, meanwhile, celebrated her loss from the sidelines. “Liz Cheney is a bitter, horrible human being,” Mr. Trump said in a statement. “She is a warmonger whose family stupidly pushed us into the never-ending Middle East Disaster, draining our wealth and depleting our Great Military, the worst decision in our Country’s history.” “I look forward to soon watching her as a Paid Contributor on CNN or MSDNC!” he said. In her interview with NBC, Ms. Cheney said the showdown over her leadership position was the “opening salvo” in a battle for the soul of the Republican Party. “I intend to be the leader, one of the leaders, in a fight to help to restore our party, and in a fight to bring our party back to substance and principles,” Ms. Cheney said, according to an excerpt from the interview released Wednesday. Asked about Mr. Trump’s push to sink her in the Republican primary election next year, Ms. Cheney said, “Bring it on.” Kevin Madden, a Republican Party consultant, said Ms. Cheney faces a series of challenges in her quest. “Trump has a dominant hold on the party, its leadership and its message,” Mr. Madden said. “He also controls the oxygen supply of any party, which is the fundraising capability and the grassroots dollars coming in. “The charge Cheney has is a formidable one,” he said. “What other leaders are with her, what’s the message, the strategy and where are the resources? “All of those need to be answered,” he said. “Trump and his allies have those questions answered right now.” The former president, tarnished by the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and holed up at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, lost powerful social media tools when he was suspended from Twitter and Facebook. But he retains enormous influence among rank-and-file Republican voters backing his effort to remake the party in his image. Without Twitter, Mr. Trump has been releasing an ever-increasing stream of statements. On Wednesday, he highlighted Fox News personality Sean Hannity’s tweet mocking the press for fawning over Ms. Cheney. “Hope [you’re] enjoying being embraced & praised by Dems and media mob, the same people that called your dad a ‘War Criminal,” convicted Scooter Libby & tried to destroy your father over his work w/ Halliburton,” said Mr. Hannity, a Trump ally. “Counting the days until your new friends return to normal.” Mr. Trump has forged a history of feasting on critics inside the Republican Party. He trounced a crowded field of rivals on his way to the 2016 Republican presidential nomination and afterward managed to turn some of those opponents into staunch allies. Onetime opponent Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called Mr. Trump a “pathological liar” and “utterly amoral.” Nomination rival Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Mr. Trump was a “fake conservative,” and Sen. Lindsey Graham said if Republicans nominated Mr. Trump, “we will get destroyed … and we will deserve it.” The three Republicans are now among Mr. Trump’s most vocal supporters and have even joined their former antagonist on the golf course or in a clubhouse dining room. Mr. Trump also helped persuade some Republicans to get out of the business. Sens. Jeff Flake and Bob Corker decided against running for reelection in 2018 after getting on Mr. Trump’s bad side. The former president also claimed primary victories. In South Carolina, Rep. Mark Sanford fell short against a Republican who won a last-minute Trump endorsement. Some have parlayed their clashes with Mr. Trump into opportunities elsewhere. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich now works as a commentator on CNN, a perch from which he has continued to criticize Mr. Trump and cheer on Ms. Cheney. “The only thing the GOP accomplished was to make @Liz_Cheney a martyr,” Mr. Kasich said in a post on Twitter. “Her influence will only grow. She is on the right side of history.” Mr. Kasich also blasted out a link to the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ song “I Won’t Back Down.” For now, though, the party belongs to Mr. Trump. A poll from the right-leaning Trafalgar Group released Wednesday found that roughly half of Republican voters would certainly back Mr. Trump in a presidential race in 2024 and another 12% would likely do so. Mr. Trump also appears to have helped clear the field for Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York to succeed Ms. Cheney as House Republican Conference chair. Ms. Stefanik’s conservative credentials have been questioned, but she is the sole candidate at the moment and there isn’t much of an appetite to line up against Mr. Trump’s blessing. “I don’t think there will be anybody that wants to risk a future chairmanship or a future role in the party by taking on Elise Stefanik, which I think is terribly unfortunate,” said Rep. Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican and member of the far-right Freedom Caucus. Mr. Trump plans to play a big role in the midterm elections next year. His influence is already felt in states such as Pennsylvania and North Carolina, where Sens. Patrick J. Toomey and Richard Burr, who voted to convict Mr. Trump in his second impeachment trial, are not seeking reelection. Mr. Trump has openly called for voters to punish Republicans who either voted to impeach him or refused to echo his claims that the election was stolen from him. Of the seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Mr. Trump, five have been censured by the Republican groups in their states. Sen. Mitt Romney narrowly escaped censure from Utah Republicans after voting to convict Mr. Trump in both impeachment trials. Mr. Romney was booed on stage at the state party convention and later was censured by the Weber County Republican Party in Utah. ⦁ Kery Murakami and Tom Howell Jr. contributed to this report.
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Nov. 18, 2016Credit...Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist for The New York TimesOver the past few days we’ve seen what happens when you assign someone a single identity. Pollsters assumed that most Latinos would vote only as Latinos, and therefore against Donald Trump. But a surprising percentage voted for him.Pollsters assumed women would vote primarily as women, and go for Hillary Clinton. But a surprising number voted against her. They assumed African-Americans would vote along straight Democratic lines, but a surprising number left the top line of the ballot blank.The pollsters reduced complex individuals to a single identity, and are now embarrassed.But pollsters are not the only people guilty of reductionist solitarism. This mode of thinking is one of the biggest problems facing this country today.Trump spent the entire campaign reducing people to one identity and then generalizing. Muslims are only one thing, and they are dangerous. Mexicans are only one thing, and that is alien. When Trump talked about African-Americans he always talked about inner-city poverty, as if that was the sum total of the black experience in America.Bigots turn multidimensional human beings into one-dimensional creatures. Anti-Semites define Jewishness in a certain crude miniaturizing way. Racists define both blackness and whiteness in just that manner. Populists dehumanize complex people into the moronic categories of “the people” and “the elites.”But it’s not only racists who reduce people to a single identity. These days it’s the anti-racists, too. To raise money and mobilize people, advocates play up ethnic categories to an extreme degree.Large parts of popular culture — and pretty much all of stand-up comedy — consist of reducing people to one or another identity and then making jokes about that generalization. The people who worry about cultural appropriation reduce people to an ethnic category and argue that those outside can never understand it. A single identity walls off empathy and the imagination.We’re even seeing a wave of voluntary reductionism. People feel besieged, or they’re intellectually lazy, so they reduce themselves to one category. Being an evangelical used to mean practicing a certain form of faith. But “evangelical” has gone from being an adjective to a noun, a simplistic tribal identity that commands Republican affiliation.Unfortunately, if you reduce complex individuals to one thing you’ll go through life clueless about the world around you. People’s classifications now shape how they see the world.Plus, as the philosopher Amartya Sen has argued, this mentality makes the world more flammable. Crude tribal dividing lines inevitably arouse a besieged, victimized us/them mentality. This mentality assumes that the relations between groups are zero sum and antagonistic. People with this mentality tolerate dishonesty, misogyny and terrorism on their own side because all morality lays down before the tribal imperative.The only way out of this mess is to continually remind ourselves that each human is a conglomeration of identities: ethnic, racial, professional, geographic, religious and so on. Even each identity itself is not one thing but a tradition of debate about the meaning of that identity. Furthermore, the dignity of each person is not found in the racial or ethnic category that each has inherited, but in the moral commitments that each individual has chosen and lived out.Getting out of this mess also means accepting the limits of social science. The judgments of actual voters are better captured in the narratives of journalism and historical analysis than in the brutalizing correlations of big data.Rebinding the nation means finding shared identities, not just contrasting ones. If we want to improve race relations, it’s not enough to have a conversation about race. We also have to emphasize identities people have in common across the color line. If you can engage different people together as Marines or teachers, then you will have built an empathetic relationship, and people can learn one another’s racial experiences naturally.Finally, we have to revive the American identity. For much of the 20th century, America had a rough consensus about the American idea. Historians congregated around a common narrative. People put great stock in civic rituals like the pledge. But that consensus is now in tatters, stretched by globalization, increasing diversity as well as failures of civic education.Now many Americans don’t recognize one another or their country. The line I heard most on election night was, “This is not my America.” We will have to construct a new national idea that binds and embraces all our particular identities.The good news, as my Times colleague April Lawson points out, is that there wasn’t mass violence last week. That could have happened amid a civic clash this ugly and passionate. That’s a sign that for all the fear and anger of this season, there’s still mutual attachment among us, something to build on.But there has to be a rejection of single-identity thinking and a continual embrace of the reality that each of us is a mansion with many rooms.
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DENVER — President Obama has opened a sizable lead over Mitt Romney in polling ahead of the election as both Democrats and Republicans are increasingly convinced that he is going to win re-election, according to The Washington Times/Zogby Poll released Sunday. In the latest poll, Mr. Obama drew 49.7 percent support while the Republican nominee garnered 41.1 percent. The previous Times/Zogby polls showed the race a dead heat — including just before the national party conventions, when they were tied with 45.7 percent of the vote each. Even with third-party candidates added to the mix, the results barely changed. • Click here to view poll data (PDF file) Mr. Obama’s support is growing even as voters are split on whether they are better off than they were four years ago — the key question Mr. Romney poses on the campaign trail — and even as voters said they weren’t happy with the president’s handling of the attacks on U.S. diplomatic posts three weeks ago. “If Obama were running against himself, ‘Would you vote for Obama, yes or no,?’ this would be a much closer race. To a great degree, it’s all about Mitt Romney right now, and the judgment today is he doesn’t appear to be a suitable alternative, including for people who don’t want to vote for Obama,” said John Zogby, the pollster who conducted the survey. “Now, it’s not over — oh, absolutely, it’s not over. No prediction here. But [Mr. Romney] is on the ropes,” he said. The poll of 800 likely voters, taken Thursday through Saturday, has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. Those who didn’t have a definitive choice for president were asked which way they leaned, and those were included in the head-to-head tally. The survey, which was weighted for demographic purposes, tracks with other national surveys that show Mr. Obama gaining momentum as the election nears, and shows Mr. Romney’s window closing. Indeed, 57 percent of voters now say they expect Mr. Obama to cruise to re-election, which is up 10 percentage points from just before the parties’ national conventions. The higher expectations hold true across the ideological spectrum, with Democrats, Republicans and independents becoming more convinced of Mr. Obama’s success. Analysts said Mr. Obama got an initial bump out of his convention in early September, and then Mr. Romney stumbled for several weeks, particularly with the release of a video of him telling a closed-door group of donors this year that 47 percent of voters are dependent on government and see themselves as “victims.” He said he didn’t expect to win the support of those people. Asked in the poll, 41 percent of voters agreed with Mr. Romney — about equal to the support he is getting overall. Meanwhile, 40 percent of voters, including 68 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of independents, “strongly disagreed” with Mr. Romney’s remark. Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said Mr. Romney had been “inarticulate” with the comment, but added that Republicans believe the president has fostered an atmosphere of dependence on the federal government. “Here and there, we have not been able to frame that choice as clearly [as we have wanted],” he said. “I really believe that by the end of this day, people are going to understand what they’ve got and the choices that they have.” The Times/Zogby poll had good news for Mr. Obama across the board. He led Mr. Romney in each of five areas: jobs and the economy, national security, immigration, energy and foreign affairs. In fact, Mr. Obama has gained ground on every one of those areas since The Times/Zogby poll last asked about them in May, including an 8-percentage-point leap when voters are asked who would do better on jobs and the economy. In May, Mr. Romney led that category 52 percent to 46 percent, but Mr. Obama now leads 49 percent to 44 percent. Mr. Romney also is hurting because of the number of voters who feel they don’t know him as well as Mr. Obama. The poll asked voters to rank how well they felt they knew Mr. Romney and Mr. Obama on a scale of one to five, with five being “very well.” About 42 percent ranked Mr. Romney a four or five, while 71 percent ranked Mr. Obama a four or five. Mr. Zogby said that is both a problem and a potential opportunity, particularly when the two men face off Wednesday in the first debate of the season. “Essentially, Romney still has a net negative in terms of favorable-unfavorable; however, there’s still a considerable number of people who know him or don’t know him,” he said. “This race should be closer than it is, and perhaps it will be. But right now, Wednesday night couldn’t possibly be more important for a candidate than this Wednesday is for Romney.” Voters were split on whether they are better off now than four years ago, with 46 percent saying they are and 49 percent saying they aren’t. The rest were unsure. Female voters were most likely to say they were better off, while married women were least likely to say their lot has improved. Those making more than $100,000 and those making less than $35,000 a year were most likely to say they were better off. Voters also seemed slightly less likely to want to vote for Mr. Obama after his handling of the attacks on U.S. diplomatic posts last month. Four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, were killed in the attack in Benghazi, Libya, and administration officials have struggled to explain the attack, have provided differing accounts of its cause and their knowledge, and took more than two weeks to say publicly that the attack was linked to al Qaeda. Asked about the Libya attack and other assaults on U.S. embassies throughout the Muslim world, 39 percent of voters said they were less likely to vote for Mr. Obama, versus 24 percent who said his handling of the situation made them more likely to back him. Most of those responses came from Republicans already inclined to oppose Mr. Obama, or Democrats who back him. Among independents, there was a slight reticence based on his handling.
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OPINION: Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake unburdened himself and burdened the rest of us Tuesday with what may rank as one of the worst-delivered nationally televised speeches in the history of the U.S. Senate. His message: I will not seek a second term. It took him 17 minutes to say that. He stumbled oh-so-many times over oh-so-many of the 2,400 words he and/or his speechwriter(s) composed for him that you have to think he was unaccountably overconfident of his speechifying abilities, despite years of evidence to the contrary. He might have read the thing over a few times before attempting to utter its content. Ok, he loused up the speech, but why is he not seeking a second term? President Trump is to blame, he said without mentioning him by name. Mr. Trump has so lowered the tone and content of discourse in the world, in the U.S. and, most intolerably, in the Senate (where Mr. Trump does not have seat to sit on, as I recall) that it’s now beneath Mr. flake’s dignity to remain seated in the Senate seat he does have until January 2019. Seems Mr. Trump out-insulted the junior senator from Arizona, who had written and published a book devoted to insulting Mr. Trump. In that contest to see who can stream used water farther, the president won. Now Mr. Flake knows how Little Ted felt. OK, the discourse in the Senate is beneath Mr. Flake, thanks to Mr. Trump’s bad qualities of speech and temperament. So why’d he really forgo a run for a second term? You think Steve Bannon’s thundering pledge to find and field a challenger to Mr. Flake might have had something to do with it? You think these Flake words answer the question? “It is clear at this moment that a traditional conservative who believes in limited government and free markets, who is devoted to free trade, and who is pro-immigration, has a narrower and narrower path to nomination in the Republican Party — the party that for so long has defined itself by belief in those things,” Mr. Flake said at one point in his endless speech. You think osteopathic physician Kelli Ward’s beating Mr. Flake in polls of 2018 GOP primary voters has something to do with it? Mr. Flake was never exactly a hero to most conservatives, despite his lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 93 (he did score under 80 in the two latest ratings). Mr. Flake thinks populism is for — well, for anything but fiscal conservatives Mr. Flake thinks Mr. Trump is a flake on immigration. An ethnocentrist. A nativist. Mr. Flake’s problem is that he doesn’t really get “E Pluribus Unum.” He doesn’t understand why fears continue to grow that America is becoming the salad bowl so many of us feared instead of the melting pot that it was founded to be — that created something new and original in the world — an American, with a unique culture and worldview. He thinks “America first” is, well, dangerously nationalistic. Mr. Flake has missed a lot of the changes taking place in our land. What he won’t be is missed. • Ralph Z. Hallow, chief political writer at The Washington Times, has covered Washington since 1982.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Taliban have released a video showing the handover of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl into U.S. custody over the weekend. The video was emailed to media outlets Wednesday. Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said that the Defense Department was reviewing the video, but had "no reason to doubt [its] authenticity.""Regardless," Rear Adm. Kirby said, "we know the transfer was peaceful and successful, and our focus remains on getting Sgt. Bergdahl the care he needs."The video opens by showing Bergdahl in traditional Afghan clothing sitting in a white pickup truck parked on a hillside somewhere in eastern Afghanistan. More than a dozen Taliban fighters with machine guns stand around the truck and on the hillside.Bergdahl, who is clean shaven and has a shaved head in the video, is seen blinking frequently as he looks at and listens to his captors.The video is narrated by a Taliban militant, who at one point says, "We told them there are 18 armed fighters and the Americans said that's all right."A Black Hawk helicopter then lands and two Taliban fighters, one carrying a white flag, lead Bergdahl half way. He is greeted and taken by three Western-looking men in civilian clothing to the helicopter, where soldiers in Army uniforms are waiting.According to the video's narrator, the handover took place around 4 p.m. Saturday in the area of Bati in Ali Sher district of eastern Khost province. As the helicopter approaches, one of the Taliban men gets closer to Bergdahl and is heard speaking in Pashto, one of two main Afghan languages."Don't come back to Afghanistan," the man tells Bergdahl. "You won't make it out alive next time," he adds as some of the others are heard laughing.Just before the helicopter lands, a group of Taliban near the pickup shout: "Long life to Mujahedeen," or holy warriors as the Taliban call themselves.A Taliban statement, also distributed to media, quoted their leader Mullah Mohammad Omar describing the release of the five Taliban officials from Guantanamo as a significant achievement for the movement.As the video shows the helicopter taking off, the message "Don' [sic] come back to Afghanistan" pops up on the screen.The video also showed the arrival in Qatar of the five Taliban militants released from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Bergdahl's freedom. The video shows the men being greeted with embraces as a Taliban song plays in the background.The aftermath of Bergdahl's release has been consumed by controversy, with many service members claiming that Bergdahl deserted prior to his capture in 2009. Members of Congress have alleged that the administration broke the law by not giving them 30 days notice of the impending release of the militants from Guantanamo Bay.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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| October 02, 2020 06:56 PM The House passed a resolution condemning the conspiracy theory movement known as QAnon, but 17 Republicans and Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, a libertarian, voted against it. H.R. 1154 passed on Friday 371-18, with one person voting present. QAnon is a right-wing conspiracy group that believes, among other things, that a group of powerful politicians is involved in a child sex-trafficking ring. Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia was one of those who voted nay but later explained on Twitter that he did so unintentionally and instead meant to vote yea. In addition to the 17, 33 Republican members of Congress abstained. Not all of those who voted no have publicly explained why. "The resolution threatens protected speech (absurd as that speech may be), and its prescriptions for addressing QAnon aren’t appropriate for what we know about them & may make things worse. These are conspiracy theorists who believe in a deep state that’s fighting against them," Amash wrote on Twitter. "In the middle of a global pandemic, while our cities are subjected to violence and hardworking Americans are watching their livelihoods be burnt to the ground by rioting leftist groups," Florida Rep. Daniel Webster told the Washington Examiner, "Democrats in Congress are giving legitimacy to fringe groups that peddle in conspiracy theories. I never thought I’d live to see this day — instead of passing a bill to renew the Paycheck Protection Program or condemning rioting, looting, and violence against law-abiding citizens, Democrats are railing against an internet group." Rep. Brian Babin expressed a similar desire to not give QAnon any legitimacy. "I know next to nothing about this QAnon stuff, but I do know that this resolution put forward by the House Democrat majority will serve only to give its devotees the publicity and legitimacy they are desperate for," he told the Washington Examiner. "We’ve got big, real issues to deal with in Congress, and instead, we spent most of today debating this silly, pointless, powerless resolution that was written and brought to the floor for one reason: to make campaign commercials. I didn’t want to offer any more undeserved legitimacy to either QAnon or these political games so I did my part: I voted no." Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina said in a statement that while he condemned "in the strongest terms QAnon, Antifa, KKK," the resolution "was yet another worthless messaging bill that does absolutely nothing to address the violence taking place in cities throughout our nation." He added: "For Congress to pass a resolution condemning QAnon by name, but make no such mention of other violent organizations, is shameful." Others who voted against the resolution included Reps. Jodey Arrington of Texas, Rob Bishop of Utah, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Michael Burgess of Texas, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, Drew Ferguson of Georgia, Bill Flores of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Steve King of Iowa, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Tiffany of Wisconsin. In response to this report, Arrington said the resolution was an attempt by Democrats to downplay the actions of "radical Leftist groups" like antifa. “There is a world of difference between conspiracy and criminal - one is protected by the First Amendment; the other should be condemned in all forms. It’s a swampy strategy to call out a fringe right-wing group with no mention of ANTIFA and other radical Leftist groups after over one hundred days of unmitigated mob violence in cities across America," Arrington said in a statement. "Instead of political stunts, Democrat leadership should be working on bipartisan legislation to provide relief to working families and small businesses in a time of unprecedented crisis." President Trump came under fire weeks ago after he avoided directly condemning QAnon. Trump also endorsed Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is running for Congress in Georgia and has voiced support for the conspiracy theory. The Washington Examiner contacted the offices of the remaining congressmen who voted nay for comment but did not hear back. Anthony Leonardi contributed to this report.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama will deliver blistering critiques of President Trump's leadership at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night and warn Democrats too much is on the line of they don't mobilize for Joe Biden, according to excerpts from their speeches.DEM HEAVYWEIGHTS GRAB CONVENTION SPOTLIGHT AHEAD OF HARRIS’ BIG MOMENTClinton, who the lost the White House to Trump four years ago after slim margins of defeat in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, will tell Democrats they must turn out this time for their Democratic nominee because "lives and livelihoods are on the line." Former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, attends a news conference for the film 'Hillary' during the 70th International Film Festival Berlin, Berlinale in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) “For four years, people have said to me, 'I didn’t realize how dangerous he was,'" Clinton said of Trump in prepared remarks. "'I wish I could go back and do it over.' Or worst, 'I should have voted.' Well, this can’t be another woulda coulda shoulda election."PETER NAVARRO ACCUSES DEMOCRATS AND THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY OF BEING IN CAHOOTS IN 2020 ELECTIONClinton urged Democrats to request their mail-in ballots now, to vote early and to get involved. "Most of all, no matter what, vote. Vote like our lives and livelihoods are on the line, because they are," Clinton is expected to say.Obama, the two-term president, will speak from the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia -- a location selected to underscore his message that democracy itself is at stake in this election.Obama said in prepared remarks that Trump can't do the job of president and "the consequences of that failure are severe," citing the coronavirus pandemic death toll, economic downturn, America's reputation "badly diminished" and democratic institutions undermined.Obama said he hoped that his successor "might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care."DEMOCRATS FORMALLY NOMINATE JOE BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT IN VIRTUAL ROLL CALL"But he never did. He’s shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves," Obama said in his speech excerpts. "Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t."California Sen. Kamala Harris, tapped as Biden’s running mate, is also addressing the convention on Wednesday night. According to excerpts, she will attack Trump by saying, "Right now, we have a president who turns our tragedies into political weapons. Joe will be a president who turns our challenges into purpose." Former President Barack Obama, addresses the service during the funeral for the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) Both Clinton and Obama will make the case that Biden is the candidate who can heal and unify the country. Obama will remind Democrats of why he chose the former Delaware senator as his two-time running mate."Twelve years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I didn’t know I’d end up finding a brother," Obama is expected to say of the friendship he and Biden share.NEARLY 80 PERCENT OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES THINK IT'S UNSAFE TO RETURN TO WORK: SURVEYAs Republicans have sought to cast doubt on whether Biden is up to the rigors of the job of president, Obama is expected to vouch for Biden's qualifications."Over eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision," Obama said in prepared remarks. "He made me a better president. He’s got the character and the experience to make us a better country."Obama and Clinton will follow in the footsteps of their spouses who already delivered compelling critiques of Trump's presidency.“He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head,” Michelle Obama said on Monday in the keynote address. “He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is."And Tuesday night, former President Bill Clinton blasted Trump for failing to take responsibility for the coronavirus response, calling his presidency “only chaos.”"At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center," Clinton said during his convention address. "Instead, it’s a storm center. There’s only chaos. Just one thing never changes—his determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame. The buck never stops there."
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Former Hewlett-Packard head Carly Fiorina is reportedly set to announce her candidacy for the presidency as a Republican on Monday, making her the only other woman in the race besides Hillary Clinton, at least for now.
Fiorina has scheduled a “town hall” online via Periscope where she’ll take questions following her announcement.
The next day, the former tech executive speaks at TechCrunch in New York City. After that, she embarks on a tour of the early-nominating states: She stops in Iowa on Thursday, New Hampshire on Friday and South Carolina on Saturday.
Also, Fiorina’s new book will be released on Tuesday. Fiorina’s share of all proceeds from the book are going to a charitable foundation, according to a spokesperson for the candidate.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Chris Christie wasn’t the only one prosecuting the case against Hillary Clinton last night—Ben Carson tossed out a reference to Lucifer—but he was clearly the lead attorney.The onetime federal prosecutor delivered a political indictment that roused the crowd here in Cleveland, and the media reaction was sharply divided.Was the guy who missed out on being Donald Trump’s running mate doing the time-honored task of slamming the opposing candidate? Or did he cross a line by rousing the delegates to chant for Hillary to be jailed?Has there been another spectacle like this in American political history?As the governor ticked off the case against Clinton—eliciting roars of “guilty!” inside the Quicken Loans Arena—left-leaning commentators were appalled. But keep in mind that there will be no shortage of Trump-bashing next week in Philadelphia.Christie went beyond the email investigation that could have led to criminal charges against Clinton, but for the judgment of FBI Director James Comey, to include foreign policy controversies in building his case.On mishandling classified information, he said: “Let’s face it: Hillary Clinton cared more about protecting her own secrets than she did about protecting America's secrets. Then she lied about it over and over again.”It’s easy to second-guess Christie’s performance. He made a tough run for the presidency—remember how he took apart Marco Rubio in that debate?—and then drew widespread mockery for the way he endorsed Trump.He openly campaigned for the VP nod that went to Mike Pence and made no secret of his disappointment.So perhaps he was seeking some measure of vindication with his speech, or trying out for attorney general in a Trump administration.But can Trump build a winning campaign by demonizing his opponent? Remember, these are two candidates with sky-high negatives. And the Democratic nominee is just as aggressive in casting Trump as unfit for high office.On the left, Slate was apoplectic over Christie’s performance:“Chris Christie’s prosecutorial jeremiad against Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night, and the baying bloodlust of the audience, might seem normal. It is not normal...“Christie’s speech was logically incoherent. Even if you buy his damning interpretation of Clinton’s foreign policy errors, it doesn't make sense to discuss them as matters of criminal malfeasance. Emotionally, though, that’s in keeping with how Clinton’s bitterest foes talk about her: as a person of absolute corruption, who, through some sort of occult trick, moves through the world with intolerable impunity.”On the right, National Review’s Jim Geraghty was more admiring, saying Christie “certainly remains one of the toughest attack dogs in the Republican party. It’s not often a convention speaker gets a crowd of delegates to chant ‘LOCK HER UP!’ Christie bit into his role with gusto, inviting delegates to ‘do something fun tonight,’ to ‘hold Hillary Clinton accountable for her performance and her character,’ and asking the delegates to decide whether she was ‘guilty, or not guilty.’…“The media, which had painted Christie as a perpetually humiliated lackey ever since he endorsed Trump, had to give credit where it was due. The Washington Post’s Paul Rucker called Christie’s speech ‘a master class on how to prosecute a political opponent.’ Salina Zito of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review praised his ‘gripping case to the American people on Clinton’s judgment.’”Christie pulled it off, but there is a danger that some of this rhetoric veers into banana-republic territory. One Trump delegate, New Hampshire state Rep. Al Baldasaro, said yesterday: “Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason.”It’s no secret this is a divided Republican convention. In an atmosphere where some delegates remain anti-Trump and party leaders like Paul Ryan are barely mentioning Trump in their speeches, Hillary Clinton is a unifying force.The question now is whether Trump and Mike Pence, while taking their shots at Hillary, will be equally effective at building a positive case for their newly forged ticket.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Supreme Court’s term ends next week with growing speculation that Justice Anthony Kennedy--the panel’s most pivotal member--may retire at age 80 after 29 years on the court.Action is expected on President Trump’s travel ban before the court’s long summer break but the biggest news of all would be if Kennedy were to use the court’s last public session on Monday to announce his retirement, the Associated Press reported Saturday.Kennedy has played an important role as the court’s swing vote on many important rulings. His departure would allow conservatives to wrest near total control of the bench for the foreseeable future. Justice of the Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch hugs his wife Louise during a ceremony at the White House Rose Garden April 10, 2017.Photo by Olivier Douliery/ Abaca(Sipa via AP Images) (Sipa USA via AP)The justice has sided with his liberal colleagues on gay rights and abortion rights, as well as some cases involving race, the death penalty and the rights of people detained without charges at the Guantanamo Bay naval base. He has written all the court's major gay-rights decisions, including the 2015 ruling that declared same-sex marriage is a constitutional right nationwideSeveral of his former law clerks have said they think he is contemplating stepping down in the next year or so.Kennedy and his clerks were gathering over the weekend for a reunion that was pushed up a year and helped spark talk he might be leaving the court."Soon we'll know if rumors of Kennedy's retirement are accurate," one former Kennedy clerk, George Washington University law professor Orin Kerr, said on Twitter Friday.Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters in April, "I would expect a resignation this summer."Kennedy's departure would allow Trump to fill a second Supreme Court vacancy in just a short period of time.Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump's first nominee, joined the court in April, overriding efforts by the Democratic minority to block the nomination. July 31, 2014: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her Supreme Court chambers in Washington. (AP)The vote came after Senate Republicans voted to change parliamentary rules to require only 51 votes to confirm Supreme Court nominees.The other two older justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 84, and Stephen Breyer, 78, are Democratic appointees.Neither appear to be ready to step down with Trump in the White House—if they can help it."I love my job," Ginsburg told a Georgetown University audience last month.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The unemployment rate ticked up to 8.3 percent in July, reflecting a stagnant economic picture as hiring improved but not by enough to make a dent in the sea of unemployed Americans.The Labor Department report, in a glimmer of positive news after three straight months of dismal jobs numbers, showed that hiring reached its best level since February, with 163,000 jobs added.But the number brings the economy back to treading-water status. The economy added an average of 151,000 jobs a month this year, roughly the same as last year's pace. That's not enough to satisfy the 12.8 million Americans who are unemployed. It would take 250,000 new jobs a month to rapidly bring the unemployment rate down.With the rate rising from 8.2 percent to 8.3 percent, Republicans amped up their criticism of President Obama's stewardship Friday."Today's increase in the unemployment rate is a hammer blow to struggling middle-class families," Mitt Romney said in a statement.More On This... Speaking later in North Las Vegas, he called the sustained high unemployment an "extraordinary record of failure.""That's the longest period of time, 42 months ... we've had unemployment above 8 percent in American history," Romney said.Both sides are to using the report to double down on their respective tax plans. House Speaker John Boehner said "any new job creation is welcome news," but that unemployment above 8 percent makes it "insane to raise taxes on small businesses."Republicans want to extend the Bush-era tax rates for all Americans; Obama and congressional Democrats largely want to extend them for those making less than $250,000, letting rates rise for top earners.Obama, speaking just minutes after Romney, said Friday that raising taxes on the middle class is "the last thing that we should be doing."He noted that the jobs report means the economy has created 4.5 million new jobs in the last 29 months, and 1.1 million this year."But let's acknowledge we've still got too many folks out there who are looking for work," Obama said.House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi touted the fact that July marked the 29th straight month of private sector job growth."Last month, 163,000 jobs were created despite Republicans' refusal to work with President Obama and Democrats to create jobs, grow our economy, and ensure the economic security of our middle class," she said. "With too many Americans still out of work, the message remains clear: we must do more."The government uses two surveys to measure employment. A survey of businesses showed job gains. The unemployment rate comes from a survey of households, which showed fewer people had jobs. Economists say the business survey is more reliable.Investors appeared pleased with the report. Futures tracking the Standard & Poor's 500 index and the Dow Jones industrial average gained about 1 percent. The stock market is coming off four days of losses. Yields on government bonds also rose after the report came out as investors moved money out of low-risk assets.A better outlook on hiring could prompt the Federal Reserve to hold off taking more action to spur growth. The U.S. central bank, which ended a two-day policy meeting Wednesday, signaled in a statement a growing inclination to take further steps if hiring doesn't pick up.The job gains were broad-based. Manufacturing added 25,000 jobs, the most since March. Restaurants and bars added 29,000. Retailers hired 7,000 more workers. Education and health services gained 38,000. Governments cut 9,000 positions.Average hourly wages also increased by 2 cents. Over the past year, wages have increased 1.7 percent -- matching the rate of inflation. Despite July's job gains, the economy remains weak more than three years after economists declared the recession had ended in June 2009. Growth slowed to an annual rate of 1.5 percent in the April-June quarter, down from 2 percent in the first quarter and 4.1 percent in the final three months of 2011.Manufacturing activity shrank for the second straight month in July, a private survey said Wednesday. Consumer confidence improved slightly last month but remains weak.Rising pessimism about the future is taking a toll on businesses and consumers, many economists say. Europe's financial crisis has weakened that region's economy, hurting U.S. exports. Worries have also intensified that the U.S. economy will fall off a "fiscal cliff" at the end of the year. That's when tax increases and deep spending cuts will take effect unless Congress reaches a budget deal. A recession could follow, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has warned.Americans are responding by spending less and saving more. A big reason growth slowed in the second quarter was that consumer spending, which accounts for roughly 70 percent of economic activity, slowed to an annual growth rate of 1.5 percent. That was down from 2.4 percent in the first quarter.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The number of daily new COVID-19 infections has shot up almost 50 percent in the United States amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant — with rises even recorded in states with high vaccination rates, data shows. The US on Tuesday recorded an average of 19,455 new cases per day over the last seven days — up 47.5 percent from the previous week, according to a USA Today analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. But deaths from the pandemic have continued to dip nationwide, down about 25 percent — to an average of 154 during the most recent 7-day period, down from 205 the prior week, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
New COVID hospital admissions, however, have climbed. The 7-day average for the week ending Sunday was 2,507, up from 1,996 over the prior 7-day period, the CDC said. Cases are even rising in some states with high vaccination rates.Getty Images A total of 43 states have seen an increase in infections from the previous week. Over the past two weeks, cases have also been rising in some states with high vaccination rates, such as New York, Vermont, and California — all of which have fully vaccinated at least 62 percent of their adult residents, according to data. Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the spread in highly vaccinated states is “worrisome.” Forty-three states have seen an increase in infections from the previous week.Getty Images “Anywhere there are pockets of low vax coverage is at risk!” she wrote on Twitter. Several states, including Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma, have recorded double the number of new infections compared to a month ago, NPR reported. “Unfortunately looking at what’s happening in individual states, I do worry we will continue to see national numbers increase,” Nuzzo told the outlet. The troubling numbers come as highly contagious variants, such as the Delta strain, spread across the US. “The emergence of the delta variant is going to mean for those areas with low rates of vaccination that they’re very much at risk to see significant increases in transmission, with potentially even exponential growth,” Dr. David Rubin, director of PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told NPR.
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President Obama on Wednesday tapped the acting director of the Secret Service, Joseph Clancy, to lead the embattled agency on a permanent basis, ignoring calls for an outsider to take over. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the president decided that Mr. Clancy “has demonstrated that he was willing to conduct a candid, clear-eyed assessment of the shortcoming of that agency and to look at needed reforms and implement them.” “That precisely is why he has been promoted to this permanent role,” Mr. Earnest said. Mr. Clancy was appointed on an interim basis last October after then-Director Julia Pierson was forced out of the agency due to embarrassing security breaches, including one in which a fence-jumper ran all the way into the White House through an unlocked front door. Those episodes came on the heels of an incident in 2012 in which agents performing advance work for the president’s trip to Colombia were caught with prostitutes in their hotel rooms. While serving as interim director, Mr. Clancy had already embarked on a shake-up of the agency’s top officials, reassigning at least four others to posts elsewhere in government. He is a former agent-in-charge of the president’s personal protection detail as well. An independent review panel concluded earlier this year that agency was too “insular” and “starving for leadership,” and recommended an outsider for the agency’s next director. “Only a director from outside the service, removed from organizational traditions and personal relationships, will be able to do the honest top-to-bottom reassessment this will require,” the panel’s report said. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said he and Mr. Obama considered several candidates, “including those who had never been with the Secret Service.” “Ultimately, Joe Clancy struck the right balance of familiarity with the Secret Service and its missions, respect from within the workforce, and a demonstrated determination to make hard choices and foster needed change,” Mr. Johnson said. “I am confident Joe will continue this management approach.” Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Utah Republican and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman, called the choice of Mr. Clancy “disappointing.” “The [review] panel made it crystal clear that only a director from outside the agency would meet the needs of the agency today — someone with a fresh perspective, free from allegiances and without ties to what has consistently been described as a ‘good old boys network,’” Mr. Chaffetz said. “The good men and women of the Secret Service are screaming for a fresh start. At this moment in time, the Secret Service would best be served by a transformative and dynamic leader from outside the agency.” The panel’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, said Mr. Clancy has already demonstrated “decisive leadership.” “I look forward to working with him closely over the next year to ensure that the Secret Service gets what it needs to fulfill its critical mission,” Mr. Cummings said. Mr. Clancy, a 27-year veteran of the agency, also served in the protective detail for President Bill Clinton. He left the Secret Service in 2011 to become the head of corporate security at Comcast, then returned when Mr. Obama summoned him.
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For the first time in over two months, COVID-19 cases are declining in the United States.As of September 6, the U.S. is averaging 137,000 new daily cases nationwide, a nine percent decrease from the 151,000 case average two weeks ago on August 24.It is the first time since June 30 that the national average is lower than the total from two weeks earlier.The Delta variant-fueled COVID-19 surge began soon after June 30, striking the Midwest in early July.A decline in cases could signal that the case surge that began just over two months ago may finally be reaching an end.A majority of states do not report cases daily anymore, though, so the decline could be a matter of some holding on to data to report at a later date. Some experts also fear cases could soon quickly start rising once again after many Americans travelled for the labor day holiday. The country did reach another milestone this week as well, though, as the U.S. reached 40 million total COVID-19 cases on Monday.The 'Mu' variant, a strain of the virus experts believe could be even more contagious and even evade vaccines is now being found in the United States as well. Growth of COVID-19 cases has slowed in recent weeks, leading into the eventual decline of cases.The nation was averaging just over 10,000 cases per day at the start of July. That figure quickly inflated, though, having doubled by July 12, and increase eight-fold by the end of the month.The growth was fueled by the Delta variant, the more contagious virus strain that originated in India.Delta caused massive surges in the South Asian nation in May, causing the country to suffer the worst outbreak the world has seen so far, suffering over 4,000 deaths per day at some points.The variant then began to make its way across the world, causing an outbreak in the U.K. before eventually finding the U.S.It is now the dominant strain in America, accounting for more than 99 percent of new cases.Experts have predicted that case numbers would soon fall, though, as in other countries the Delta variant-fueled surges often began to end after two months. Cases of COVID-19 are declining over a two-week period for the first time since June, as experts hope the Delta variant-fueled surge may soon come to an end. Pictured: A man in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is tested for COVID-19 Despite the decline in cases, deaths and hospitalizations are still increasing as both figures often lag behind. Pictured: A doctor in a Jonesboro, Arkansas, COVID-19 ward treats a patientThe same may be happening now in the U.S., with cases now potentially on the decline after over two consecutive months of growth. Deaths and hospitalizations often lag behind cases, though, and are continuing to rise despite a recent drop in cases.Daily COVID-19 deaths have risen by 50 percent over the past two weeks, from around 1,000 a day on August 24 to over 1,500 in the first week of September.This is the first time deaths have eclipsed 1,500 per day since March, before the COVID-19 vaccines were widely available.Hospitalizations are also at high levels, though showing signs of slowing down.After eclipsing 100,000 hospitalizations every day last week, the figure has stayed around the level.Hospitalizations have only grown by eight percent over the past two weeks, and with cases declining the figure should eventually start falling as well.Still, many hospitals are reaching critical capacity at the moment, with 75 percent of ICU beds around the country currently in use. But as Delta begins to recede, a new threat may be around the corner for Americans. The 'Mu' variant, which originated in Colombia, has now been detected in 49 U.S. states. The strain was discovered in South America in January, but was not labeled with a Greek letter name and declared a variant of interest by the World Health Organization until August 30.In the time since, the variant as quickly worked its way across the U.S.Mu is especially worrisome, as it could be more contagious than Delta and could even have the ability to evade vaccine immunity. The new strain still accounts for an insignificant portion of cases in the U.S. at the moment, though it will be a worry for public health officials going forward. In total, the United States has suffered more than 40 million COVID-19 cases and 649,000 deaths since the pandemic first began. Vaccination is still the most effective way to combat all variants, and experts still are pushing for every American to get jabbed to protect from the virus.Currently, 62.3 percent of Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 53 percent of people are fully vaccinated.Every American over the age of 12 is currently eligible for a vaccine.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed into law Florida’s "anti-riot" bill, which increases penalties for crimes committed during riots and is aimed at "combating public disorder.""If you look at the breadth of this particular piece of legislation, it is the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country," DeSantis said at a press conference. "There’s just nothing even close."RON DESANTIS TELLS TUCKER CARLSON SOME FLORIDA COVID RESTRICTIONS WERE 'INEFFECTIVE,' DENOUNCES 'FAUCISM' Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures during a news conference Sunday, April 4, 2021, at the Manatee County Emergency Management office in Palmetto, Fla. (Associated Press) Florida's Senate passed the bill last week 23-17. It was seen as a response to protests around the country stemming from police brutality against African Americans.The law, which goes into effect immediately, grants civil legal immunity to people who drive through protesters blocking a road and allows authorities to hold arrested demonstrators from posting bail until after their first court date. The legislation increases the charge for battery on a police officer during a riot and adds language that could force local governments to justify a reduction in law enforcement budgets.The bill allows people to sue local governments over personal or property damages if they were determined to have interfered with law enforcement response during civil unrest. It also increases penalties for protesters who block roadways or deface public monuments and creates a new crime, "mob intimidation."Republicans say the bill would protect law enforcement officers and help prevent public disorder following recent unrest in the U.S.Civil rights, social justice groups, and Democrats say it is an unconstitutional attack on free speech that would make it easier for law enforcement to charge those involved in a protest.TED WILLIAMS: BOTH SIDES IN TEH CHAUVIN CASE 'HAVE GIVEN AS MUCH' AS THEY RECEIVED"The problem with this bill is that the language is so overbroad and vague ... that it captures anybody who is peacefully protesting at a protest that turns violent through no fault of their own," said Kara Gross, the legislative director at ACLU Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel. "Those individuals who do not engage in any violent conduct under this bill can be arrested and charged with a third-degree felony and face up to five years in prison and loss of voting rights. The whole point of this is to instill fear in Floridians."On Monday, DeSantis, a Republican, also talked about the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter following the death of George Floyd last May. The governor hinted he could be acquitted, according to the paper. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"I don’t know what’s going to happen," DeSantis said. "But I can tell you that case was bungled by the attorney general there in Minnesota. They didn’t handle it properly. And so there may be people disappointed."
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Trump administration pushes back on Woodward book Members of the Trump administration are vigorously denying various insults and slights against President Trump in a new book by Bob Woodward; chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports.NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The White House hit back Tuesday after excerpts were released from a forthcoming book by veteran reporter Bob Woodward detailing a White House beset by infighting and facing an "administrative coup d'etat" in the ranks.“This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.Meanwhile, President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani blasted those officials talking trash to Woodward."If they said it, they should be questioning why they are there. Why don't they go get another job? That's the kind of disloyalty that leads to you leaving, not staying and undermining the president," Giuliani told CNBC.An early copy of The Washington Post associate editor’s book was obtained by The Washington Post. According to the Post, it portrays a chaotic Trump White House filled with second-guessing by members of Trump’s staff, who repeatedly bad-mouth him behind closed doors.The book is to be released on Sept. 11.According to The Post, the book alleges that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told associates of the president that he had the understanding of “a fifth- or sixth-grader.” After Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad launched a chemical attack on Syrians in April 2017, Trump is said to have demanded Mattis launch an assassination attempt.“Let’s f---ing kill him! Let’s go in. Let’s kill the f---ing lot of them,” Trump reportedly said. But Mattis told an aide: “We’re not going to do any of that. We’re going to be much more measured.”Mattis responded Tuesday: “The contemptuous words about the President attributed to me in Woodward’s book were never uttered by me or in my presence. While I generally enjoy reading fiction, this is a uniquely Washington brand of literature, and his anonymous sources do not lend credibility.”He continued: “In serving in this administration, the idea that I would show contempt for the elected Commander-in-Chief president Trump, or tolerate disrespect to the office of the President from within out Department of Defense, is a product of someone’s rich imagination.”Former White House chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, meanwhile, is alleged to have stolen a letter from Trump’s desk that would have withdrawn the U.S. from a trade agreement with South Korea. Cohn is reported to have said that he did it to protect national security and that Trump didn't notice that it was missing.White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is reported to have frequently lost his temper, and described Trump as “an idiot.”“It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown,” Kelly said, according to Woodward. “I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had.”On Tuesday, Kelly said that the account was false.“The idea I ever called the President an idiot is not true," he said in a statement. "As I stated back in May and still firmly stand behind: 'I spend more time with the President than anyone else, and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship. He always knows where I stand, and he and I both know this story is total BS. I'm committed to the President, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration’s many successes."Former Trump attorney John Dowd, meanwhile, denied claims that he held a practice session of a potential interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, called Trump a liar, and told Trump he could end up in an "orange jumpsuit" if he interviewed with Mueller.He also said Woodward's book appears to be "the most recent in an endless cycle of accusations and misrepresentations based on anonymous statements from unknown malcontents."Trump is reported not to have held back from criticism of members of his Cabinet. He allegedly called Attorney General Jeff Sessions a “traitor” for recusing himself from overseeing the Russia probe.“This guy is mentally retarded. He’s this dumb Southerner. … He couldn’t even be a one-person country lawyer down in Alabama,” Trump reportedly said.Trump was not interviewed for the book, despite what Woodward said were repeated attempts to contact him. Trump called Woodward in August and told him that his staff hadn’t informed him of the request and expressed concern that the book would be “inaccurate.”“So I have another bad book coming out,” Trump says, according to a tape of that conversation published by The Post. “Big deal."Fox News' Kristin Brown, Jennifer Griffin and John Roberts contributed to this report.
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August 02, 2018
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Pope Francis is steering the Catholic church away from supporting the death penalty in a new papal policy released Thursday.Francis called the death penalty “inadmissible” and said it “attacks” the dignity of all humans, according to The Associated Press. (RELATED: Pope Francis Says ‘Traitors Of Trust’ Are Taking Over Catholic Church Like A ‘Cancer’) Francis is making a major change to the faith’s Catechism, as Catholicism used to allow the death penalty in the case of extraordinary circumstance. “If this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor,” Catechism previously taught, The AP reported. Francis slammed the old policy as out of date and said it is contrary to the “light of the Gospel.” “Consequently the church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” Francis claimed. “And she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.” Cardinal Luis Ladaria, head of the Vatican’s doctrine office, said no person is ever beyond redemption. Even those who have committed unspeakable crimes. “If, in fact the political and social situation of the past made the death penalty an acceptable means for the protection of the common good, today the increasing understanding that the dignity of a person is not lost even after committing the most serious crimes,” Ladaria wrote in a letter explaining the new change. The change was officially approved by the pontiff in May, but was announced and made public on Thursday, according to The AP. You can Follow Nick on Twitter Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
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The gubernatorial election for Kentucky was called for the Democratic challenger Attorney General Andy Beshear on Tuesday, but Republican Gov. Matt Bevin refused to concede. Beshear declared victory on Twitter and in a speech at his election rally. Thank you, Kentucky! https://t.co/mmMb7ekyK5 — Andy Beshear (@Andy Beshear) 1573008657.0 "This is a close, close race, we are not conceding this race by any stretch," said Bevin to his cheering supporters. "Understand this, we want the process to be followed," he continued. "And there is a process, we know for a fact that there have been more than a few irregularities and they are very well corroborated, and that's alright. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin says he's not conceding as he is narrowly trailing behind Democratic challenger Andy Beshe… https://t.co/ED8kqtGEFd — CBS News (@CBS News) 1573009524.0 There is no automatic recount process in Kentucky, but Bevin could request a recount from the Franklin Circuit Court. Many saw the election in the red state as a bellwether for support of the impeachment process against President Donald Trump, but others pointed out that Bevin ran with uniquely low favorability ratings. "Matt Bevin had a 34% approval rating as governor, and that still didn't drag down any other GOP candidates across the state," tweeted pollster Frank Luntz.
He also noted that the president campaigned for Bevin at a rally in Lexington on Monday, and that Trump won the state by nearly 30 points in the 2016 election. Here's more about the Kentucky election: Is Kentucky's gubernatorial election a referendum for Trump? www.youtube.com
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WASHINGTON — President Biden on Friday claimed that al Qaeda is “gone” from Afghanistan, allies aren’t upset about the chaotic US pullout and the Taliban is letting Americans reach Kabul’s airport, before Pentagon leaders quickly contradicted the commander in chief. Biden stumbled repeatedly when taking his first questions from reporters on Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban in the White House East Room five days after the Islamic fundamentalist group swept into the Afghan capital, toppling US-backed leaders after 20 years of war.The president repeatedly spoke inaccurately about facts around the evacuation of US citizens from the airport — saying that US citizens can reach the airport before clarifying that the Taliban is allowing Americans to pass but crowds are impeding them. But the Pentagon said Friday afternoon it’s heard the Taliban is actually stopping Americans.Biden said in his remarks that 169 Americans “got over the wall into the airport using military assets.” Reuters later reported that those US citizens were loaded onto three Chinook helicopters from the Baron Hotel, just 200 meters from the airport. They reportedly were unable to reach the airport gates, casting further doubt on Biden’s claim that the airport was accessible.Journalists and Biden’s own subordinates disputed his remarks on the situation in Afghanistan. Biden defended the US departure by stating, “What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point with al Qaeda gone?” But a recent United Nations report said that the terror network is present in at least 15 of 34 Afghan provinces and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed Thursday afternoon that “we know that al Qaeda is a presence, as well as ISIS, in Afghanistan and we’ve talked about that for quite some time.” Attempting to put a positive spin on ongoing evacuations, Biden said in his remarks “we know of no circumstance where American citizens are carrying an American passport and are trying to get through to the airport.” When an NPR reporter pointed out that was untrue, Biden changed his answer, saying that “to the best of our knowledge, the Taliban checkpoints, they are letting through people showing American passports” and that some Americans are struggling to reach the airport because of “the mad rush of non-Americans” crowding the area. President Joe Biden responds to questions about the ongoing US military evacuations of US citizens and vulnerable Afghans in the White House on August 20, 2021.AFP via Getty Images Kirby also said following Biden’s remarks that the Pentagon is aware of Taliban fighters impeding transit to the airport. “We’re certainly mindful of these reports and they’re deeply troubling and we have communicated to the Taliban that that is absolutely unacceptable and we want free passage through their checkpoints for documented Americans. And by and large, that’s happening,” Kirby said at a press briefing. Kirby firmly contradicted Biden’s claim that al Qaeda is “gone” from Afghanistan while arguing the terror network’s power is diminished. “We do not believe it is exorbitantly high, but we don’t have an exact figure for you… our intelligence gathering ability in Afghanistan isn’t what it used to be because we aren’t there with the same numbers that we used to be,” Kirby said. Kirby added, “what we believe is that there isn’t a presence that is significant enough to merit a threat to our homeland as there was back on 9/11 20 years ago.” Hundreds of people run alongside a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane as it moves down a runway of the international airport, in Kabul, AfghanistanUGC via AP British and Turkish coalition forces, and US Marines assist a child during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.US Central Command Public Affair Biden, speaking for only the second time about Afghanistan since the Taliban seized Kabul on Sunday, also said “I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world.” The US departure, however, was condemned harshly during a UK parliament session. Armin Laschet, the conservative candidate to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel, called it “the biggest debacle NATO has suffered since its founding.”
Meanwhile, there are many press reports of Americans unable to reach the Kabul airport. One American, David Marshall Fox, told The Post on Thursday that he and his son unsuccessfully sought to enter the airport on Wednesday while presenting his US passport. “For me to be 10 feet from US Marines with my 3-year-old son, with my US passport and not being able to get through — that’s problematic,” Fox said, adding that he had given up hope of being evacuated. While taking reporter questions, Biden said that he believed expanding the US military perimeter at Kabul’s airport could “draw an awful lot of unintended consequences.” About 5,200 American troops are assisting with the desperate airport evacuation ahead of Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline to remove US troops from Afghanistan.
Evacuees from Afghanistan sit inside a military aircraft during an evacuation from Kabul.US MARINES via REUTERS “The only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision is the United States of America,” Biden said. “We’ve already evacuated more than 18,000 people since July and approximately 13,000 since our military airlift began on August 14. Thousands more have been evacuated on private charter flights facilitated by the US government.” On Thursday, Pentagon and State Department spokesmen admitted they didn’t know how many Americans still need to be evacuated from Afghanistan. Biden said “we want to get a strong number as to exactly how many people are there, how many American citizens and where they are.” The president spoke for less than 30 minutes and abruptly cut off questions and left the room.
Biden said “there will be plenty of time to criticize and second guess when this operation is over.” Many top Biden administration officials have shied from public appearances this week amid the fall of Afghanistan. Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who both have been conspicuously quiet, stood behind Biden on Friday but did not speak. Biden on Friday postponed a planned long weekend in Delaware as chaos continued in Kabul. His administration on Thursday abandoned plans to charge evacuees $2,000 or more for departure flights.
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Immigrant-rights protesters confronted President Obama on Monday, interrupting his speech in San Francisco and demanding he use executive authority to halt all deportations, but he rebuked them and told them he doesn’t have that kind of power. The confrontation is the latest sign of growing tension between Mr. Obama and some on his political left who say he can do more to push the issue of immigration, even as he argues that the roadblock is actually Republicans on Capitol Hill. Hours before Mr. Obama’s immigration speech, protesters chained themselves to the gates of a detention center for illegal immigrants in Adelanto, Calif., to call attention to deportations and what the activists said is inhumane treatment of those awaiting removal from the country. “You have a power to stop deportation for all undocumented immigrants in this country,” a man, identified by news reports as Ju Hong, shouted from the stage directly behind Mr. Obama, then helped lead a chant of “Stop deportation!” that was taken up by others in the crowd. “Actually, I don’t, and that’s why we are here,” Mr. Obama replied. As action on immigration has stalled in Congress, Mr. Obama and activists are increasingly at odds over the question of how much authority he does have. Mr. Obama raised expectations with his broad policy last year of granting tentative legal status to young illegal immigrants who were brought to the country as children and call themselves “dreamers.” Under Mr. Obama’s policy they have been granted work permits and authorization to remain in the U.S. without fear of deportation. Earlier this month, the administration also announced a policy allowing illegal immigrant relatives of U.S. troops and veterans to apply for “parole in place,” which would also exempt them from being removed from the country. The activists say those moves show Mr. Obama has authority to stop deportations for most of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. Not so, the president counters. “If, in fact, I could solve all these problems without passing the laws in Congress then I would do so. But we’re also a nation of laws, that’s part of our tradition,” he said. “The easy way out is to try to yell and pretend like I can do something by violating our laws. What I’m proposing is the harder path, which is to use our democratic processes to achieve the same goal that you want to achieve.” Security personnel were about to remove the protesters from the event, but Mr. Obama stopped them. “These guys don’t need to go. Let me finish. No, no, he can stay there,” the president said, drawing cheers from the audience for his act. Mr. Obama has said his decision to stop deporting young illegal immigrants was an exercise of “prosecutorial discretion.” It’s a power Mr. Obama has flexed repeatedly — including earlier this month when the White House said it wouldn’t enforce part of the new health care law’s requirements that make many existing health plans illegal. But in the case of immigration, Mr. Obama has told interviewers that stopping all deportations would go beyond discretion and cross the line into ignoring the law. It’s unclear how many people the president has already placed out of reach of deportation. The youth exemption alone has been granted to more than 450,000 people as of Aug. 31, which is the most recent data available. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had been updating those numbers monthly, but it has been more than two months since the last figures were released. Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican, said the GOP shouldn’t accept any immigration bill until Mr. Obama rescinds his nondeportation policies and lets immigration agents do their jobs. “During his time in office, the president has systematically dismantled interior enforcement, handcuffing immigration officers and bypassing Congress,” Mr. Sessions said. “No agreement should be entered into while such lawlessness continues.” Both Mr. Obama and congressional Republicans are facing increasing heat from activists. Monday’s detention center blockade was the latest in a string that has included several locations in Arizona, as well as New Orleans, Atlanta and Chicago. Meanwhile, protesters have staked out House Speaker John A. Boehner’s house and, last week, some were arrested outside the office of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Not every protest is as confrontational. Activists are maintaining an ongoing prayer fast at a tent on the Mall in the District — an event that drew a nod of approval from Mr. Obama in his speech Monday. The president also repeated his new stance that he is willing to accept an immigration deal from Congress that comes in pieces, rather than the broad single bill that passed in the Senate. “It’s Thanksgiving — we can carve that bird into multiple pieces,” Mr. Obama said. “But as long as all the pieces get done, soon, and we actually deliver on the core values we’ve been talking about for so long, I think everybody is fine with it. They’re not worried about the procedures, they just want the result.” Mr. Obama says any final deal must include a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, along with whatever new border security and interior enforcement measures Congress wants. Many Republicans, though, argue that border security should come first, and legalization later. Many of those Republicans also object to a full special pathway to citizenship, saying that amounts to amnesty. Instead of a single bill, House Republicans are working on a series of bills, and Mr. Boehner has said he will not enter into negotiations with the Senate on its massive legislation. Mr. Boehner, though, also said last week that he remains committed to getting something done on immigration, and doesn’t consider it a dead issue in this Congress. The activists conducting the prayer fast on the Mall urged Mr. Boehner to put that vow into action. “It’s time Speaker Boehner and the House of Representatives address America’s moral crisis — a dysfunctional immigration system that has continuously undermined the integrity of our national values and the unity of our families,” the activists said in a statement.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee is recommending moderate-to-severe immunocompromised individuals receive an mRNA COVID-19 booster dose. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices held the vote Friday, a day after the FDA expanded emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines to authorize a booster shot for certain immunocompromised patients.The vote was 11 to 0.The recommendation will now go before CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky for final approval.FDA GREENLIGHTS COVID-19 BOOSTER VACCINE FOR SOME IMMUNOCOMPROMISED PATIENTSCommittee members were tasked with discussing the following question:Should vaccination with an additional dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (≥12 years) or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (≥18 years) be recommended following a primary series in immunocompromised people, under an Emergency Use Authorization?The panel met on Friday to discuss clinical recommendations regarding an additional dose for immunocompromised individuals. Growing evidence had suggested select immunocompromised patients mount a diminished protective immune response, even after two doses of vaccine. HIV and cancer patients, organ transplant recipients and those taking immunosuppressant drugs comprise about 2.7% of the U.S. adult population. The panel said the additional dose should match the vaccine given during the initial series, but if it’s not feasible, another mRNA dose is permitted. The panel also recommended the additional dose be administered at least 28 days after completing the primary series.Patients eligible for booster shots under the recommendation and amended emergency approval include those with moderate to severe immune compromise, such as solid organ transplant recipients, patients with advanced or untreated HIV infection and those taking high-dose corticosteroids and severely immunosuppressive cancer treatments, among others.The FDA had not expanded authorization of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Thursday as an additional dose among immunocompromised patients due to insufficient data. However, the FDA and CDC are working to issue guidance on the matter.GET THE FOX NEWS APPSeveral studies were presented ahead of the vote, including research published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday among 120 organ transplant recipients who received a third dose of Moderna's vaccine, which indicated a substantial boost in neutralizing antibodies and T-cell counts, compared to a group receiving saline placebo.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The hearings for the second impeachment trial of former President Trump start on Tuesday and Republicans are making it clear, even before they're gaveled in, that they believe the result is predetermined. "It's a partisan farce," Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said of the impeachment effort on "Fox News Sunday." Paul added that he does not believe it's possible Trump will be convicted. "Zero chance of conviction," Paul said when asked if he thinks there's a chance the Senate could meet the 67-vote threshold to convict Trump. "Forty-five Republicans have said it's not even a legitimate proceeding so it's really over before it starts. As far as witnesses, I think unlikely to be witnesses; if they do want witnesses, there's going to be so much evidence that the president had nothing to do with this."Indeed, Paul last month raised a point of order in the Senate alleging that the impeachment trial is unconstitutional. This forced a vote and only five Republicans joined the Senate's 50 Democrats in saying that the trial is constitutionally allowed to move forward. That means that 12 Republicans would have to change their minds on whether the trial is constitutional for Democrats to have even a chance of convicting Trump. Former President Donald Trump speaks to a crowd before boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez) REPUBLICAN WHO CALLED ON TRUMP TO RESIGN ADMITS CONVICTION 'VERY UNLIKELY'Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. ‒ who is in favor of convicting Trump and made the case on "Fox News Sunday" that the Senate has a responsibility to hold a trial of the former president ‒ even allowed that Paul makes a reasonable point that the trial is unconstitutional. "I admit this is of course a matter of first impression and so I don't think the case that Senator Paul is making is a ridiculous one," he said. Other top Republicans also believe Trump is highly unlikely to be convicted, which if it does happen, could result in him being barred from holding office in the future."They know that this has no chance of winning. There's no chance of the president actually being convicted here," Trump 2020 senior adviser Jason Miller said on Fox News Sunday. "This is designed to try to implement political pain, so to speak, over the course of a week, maybe a week and a half, and then they're going to move on. They're not even taking this seriously."Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., meanwhile, criticized the process of the impeachment in the House, saying it tainted proceedings in the Senate. "Let's face it, the House did an incredibly poor job of building a case before the impeachment vote," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "There was no process. I mean, it's almost like, you know, if it happened in the Soviet Union, you would have called it a show trial."Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said on "Sunday Morning Futures" that the trial is "designed for nine House Democrats to do two things — to get political vengeance and have a viral moment."TRUMP IMPEACHMENT IS 'PARTISAN FARCE,' SCHUMER WOULD DESERVE TO BE IMPEACHED TOO: RAND PAULSen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., added on CNN that because 45 Republicans have already said the trial is unconstitutional, "you can infer how likely it is that those folks will vote to convict."As for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., he said "the outcome is not really in doubt.""Impeachment is a political process. We've never impeached a president once they're out of office. I think this is a really bad idea. Forty-five-plus Republicans are going to vote early on that it's unconstitutional. It's not a question of how the trial ends. It's a question of when it ends," Graham said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "The only question is will they call witnesses? How long does the trial take?"Graham also said that he does not endorse the events of Jan. 6 and didn't walk back his previous statements holding Trump partially responsible for the attack on the Capitol. But Graham said he does not believe Trump actually committed a crime, and that the trial itself should not be moving forward."It's not a crime. The House is impeaching him under the grounds that his speech created a riot," Graham said. "If you believe he committed a crime, he can be prosecuted like any other citizen. Impeachment is a political process. We've never impeached a president once they're out of office."Trump's trial stems from an impeachment vote in the House on Jan. 13, one week after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. Trump for months made false claims that he won the presidential election before gathering a massive crowd in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, the day Congress was set to certify the presidential election results. Trump said the rally would be "wild."LIVE UPDATES: REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP IMPEACHMENT FACE BACKLASH AT HOMEDuring that speech, Trump doubled down on his false claims about the election and said, "If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore." Trump did tell his followers to march "peacefully and patriotically" to the Capitol, but those who favor his impeachment and conviction say the balance of his post-election behavior and his comments at the rally made clear the president was the cause of the violence at the Capitol. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, called for "trial by combat" on the very same stage that morning. After the rally ended at 1:12 p.m., and Trump told his followers to "walk down," the Capitol began to be locked down as the attack intensified shortly after 2 p.m. "The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack," Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said of her vote to impeach Trump last month. "Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the president."Even though the final outcome is very clear on the eve of the Senate's impeachment trial, what's less clear is the path the Senate takes to conviction. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have yet to announce an agreement on how the hearings for the trial itself will work. The only thing that is currently known is that the affair will gavel-in at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and that Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., will oversee the proceedings. What's unknown, as Graham said, is how long the trial will last, if there will be witnesses, how the trial will be structured as it's happening, and if the Senate will split its time between tackling legislation and nominations and holding the trial, or if it will only take care of trial proceedings. SEN. MURPHY: 'WE HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY' TO HOLD TRUMP'S TRIALMurphy said he hopes the Senate will split its days between the trial and other business, saying, "the Senate can walk and chew gum at the same time."A potential agreement for a trial framework is being shopped around to senators to see if they could agree on it. The trial would start with four hours of debate on whether the trial is constitutional, then a vote on whether to proceed. There also could be debate and a vote on if impeachment managers can call witnesses, which would be subject to a simple majority threshold.And the trial framework would be modified from six days per week with Sundays off to six days per week with Saturdays off. Trump lawyer David Schoen observes the Jewish Sabbath, so he's requested that the trial stop by 5 p.m. Friday and resume Sunday. Murphy also argued that it's constitutional for the Senate to move ahead with the trial and it's not critical there be witnesses at the Senate trial, but they should be allowed if the impeachment managers request them. "There is clear precedent for the Senate moving forward on impeachment trial once being sent articles, even after an official has left office and so, you know, my analysis here sort of begins and ends with what is my constitutional responsibility," he said. "This time we saw what happened in real time. President Trump sent that angry mob to the Capitol on live TV, so it's not as important that you have witnesses. But if the House managers want witnesses we should allow them to be able to put them on." In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump scale the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The attack on the U.S. Capitol by an angry mob of President Donald Trump's supporters shocked many Americans who thought such a violent assault by their fellow countrymen wasn't possible. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Also happening Monday, the House impeachment managers and Trump's defense team will submit a second round of briefs to the Senate, as part of a pretrial deal struck between McConnell and Schumer. Those briefs should provide a further window into how each side will present its argument after they submitted a round of briefs last week. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., predicted Sunday on MSNBC that the impeachment managers will "make a great presentation."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"Well, first of all, I know that our impeachment managers are going to do a terrific job. If you take a look at the briefs that they've already exposed somewhat, you will see that they have the information. They have the facts. And they have connected the dots," she said. One of the arguments that Trump's defense team is likely to use is comparing Trump's post-election rhetoric to words from various Democrats. This could include comments Schumer made about Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, which caused Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a condemnation of the senator, and comments Waters made previously about what people should do if they see Trump officials in public. "They’re not going to be able to go to a restaurant, they’re not going to be able to stop at a gas station, they’re not going to be able to shop at a department store," she said. "The people are going to turn on them, they're going to protest, they’re going to absolutely harass them."Waters on MSNBC, however, said she has "absolutely" never glorified violence.Fox News' Edmund DeMarche, Chad Pergram and Talia Kaplan contributed to this report.
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May 16, 2017: President Donald Trump welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House in Washington. (AP)NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the Trump administration on Tuesday that recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a “red line” for Muslims.Erdogan, while speaking to Parliament, said such a step by President Trump would force Turkey to cut off all diplomatic ties with Israel. He pledged to rally other Muslim countries to oppose any move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.The White House has been considering recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel despite growing calls from the Middle East and Europe to reconsider the move. The possible recognition might come this week.Turkey is among the latest nations to publicly voice their opposition to the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State, with some saying it will hinder the possibility of the peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians and will be an insult to the Muslim world.The Palestinian leadership said Tuesday that they will “stop contacts” with the U.S. if Trump goes forward with the change. Palestinian officials also called for mass protests in the event of the recognition.The Organization for Islamic Cooperation, an umbrella organization of Muslim countries, said Monday that the move would constitute “naked aggression” against the Arab and Muslim world.In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron told Trump during a telephone call on Monday that he was “concerned” about the plan and asked to reconsider the move, the Jerusalem Post reported.“Mr. Macron reaffirmed that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, particularly those relating to the establishment of two states,” Macron’s office said.The opposition surrounds East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967 after Arab nations launched an all-out attack against the state, the home of a large Muslim population. Both Israel and Palestinian leaders see Jerusalem as their country’s rightful capital.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Special Counsel Robert Mueller is sensitive to pulling "another Comey" as the Russia probe enters its final months, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said in an interview Sunday.Calling the investigation a "long nightmare with the American people," Giuliani also issued a challenge directly to Mueller's team, telling investigators to "man up" rather than seek to subpoena President Trump."They have to make a decision without it," Giuliani said on ABC's "This Week," noting that the Trump team has already made available several witnesses and turned over more than a million documents. "So, come on, man up and make your decision."Meanwhile, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told “Fox News Sunday” that President Trump’s legal team will “take it to court” if Mueller subpoenas him as part of the Russia probe."They will take it to court, and I believe the court’s going to be on the president’s side on this,” Lewandowski said Sunday.Giuliani said he would keep an "open mind" about whether Trump would testify under oath in the probe, but added: "I have to just be honest, we are leaning towards not."Mueller is wary of overstepping his authority just months before the midterm elections, Giuliani said.TRUMP ATTORNEY SETS 'RED LINES' FOR MUELLER"He's as sensitive as everybody to not doing another Comey and interfering horribly in the election," Giuliani charged, referring to the former FBI director's decision to publicly announce the reopening of the Hillary Clinton email investigation shortly before voters headed to the polls."I have a feeling that collusion has come up completely empty," Giuliani said, adding that he thinks the inquiry into any possible collusion by the Trump campaign with Russia has probably ended.Asked about the possibility that Trump could be impeached simply for lying to the press, even while not under oath, Giuliani laughed."Congress is going to impeach somebody for lying to the press? Come on. They do more lying to the press than anybody." — Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani"Congress is going to impeach somebody for lying to the press?" he said. "Come on. They do more lying to the press than anybody."Presidents can technically be impeached for essentially any reason, and the articles of impeachment drafted against Richard Nixon cited his misleading statements to the American public.But, Giuliani said, Trump would face potentially significant risks if he fired Mueller and shut down the probe into his campaign's supposed ties to Russia."It could lead to impeachment, if he terminated an investigation of himself," Giuliani said in a separate interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."The theory that Trump could also effectively short-circuit the Russia probe by issuing an unprecedented self-pardon, Giuliani added, was a complete non-starter."The president of the United States pardoning himself is unthinkable ... it would probably lead to immediate impeachment," he said.CAN TRUMP SELF-PARDON? LEGAL EXPERTS WEIGH INFormer New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie agreed on Sunday, telling "This Week" that there is "no way" Trump will pardon himself.The Russia probe is still expected to conclude by September 1, Giuliani said.
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Sweden has reopened an investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, complicating U.S. efforts to extradite him. Swedish prosecutor Marie Persson said Monday “a new questioning of Assange is required” and there is “still probable cause to suspect that Assange committed rape.” The alleged victim requested the reopening of the investigation. Vice chief prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday May 13, 2019. Swedish prosecutors are to reopen rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a month after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP) Prosecutors will seek the extradition of Assange after he’s done serving his 50-week jail sentence for breaking his bail conditions after he claimed asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face the allegations. If both the U.S. and Sweden seek to extradite the WikiLeaks founder, British officials will determine where he will end up. “I am well aware of the fact that an extradition process is ongoing in the U.K. and that he could be extradited to the U.S. In the event of a conflict between a European Arrest Warrant and a request for extradition from the U.S., U.K. authorities will decide on the order of priority. The outcome of this process is impossible to predict,” Persson said. Prosecutors also noted that the statute of limitations in the rape case expire in August 2020. In the U.S., Assange faces charges that he conspired with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pentagon computer network in 2010. The single-count conspiracy indictment carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Ten people were killed, including a veteran police officer, during a mass shooting Monday inside a grocery store in Boulder, Colo., authorities said at a late news conference.The officer was identified as Eric Talley, 51, who served on the force since 2010. He was the first officer at King Soopers, the crime scene, after the shooting occurred at about 2:30 p.m. His actions were called heroic.Talley was the father of seven, his youngest seven years old, his father told the Denver Channel. "He loved his kids and his family more than anything," his father said.WITNESS: HE JUST CAME IN AND STARTED SHOOTINGThe suspect, who was not identified, is receiving medical treatment. Officers had escorted a shirtless man with blood running down his leg out of the store in handcuffs but authorities would not say if he was the suspect.Identities of the other nine victims were not disclosed as police were still notifying their family members.Authorities said that they are working to compile evidence. Several state and county law enforcement agencies were assisting Boulder police as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, tweeted that President Biden has been informed about the shooting and will be receiving updates if there are additional developments.Witnesses told FOX 31 Denver that they heard pops that sounded similar to fireworks and saw a man brandishing an "AR-15 style weapon" and wearing what looked like tactical gear.KCNC-TV reported that family members were in line for the COVID-19 vaccine inside the store's pharmacy at the time of the shooting.A witness told The Associated Press he had just left the supermarket when he heard gunshots and saw three people lying face down, two in the parking lot and one near the doorway. He said he "couldn't tell if they were breathing."Video posted on YouTube showed one person on the floor inside the store and two more outside on the ground. What sounds like two gunshots are also heard at the beginning of the video.Authorities could also be seen leading at least one other person out of the store and pressing him against the exterior wall of the building before walking away with him. He did not appear to be handcuffed. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, said she was praying for "employees, first responders & others affected by the shooting in Boulder."Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said his "heart is breaking" over the incident. "My heart is breaking as we watch this unspeakable event unfold in our Boulder community," he said. "We are making every public safety resource available to assist the Boulder County Sheriff's Department as they work to secure the store. I’m incredibly grateful to the brave men and women who have responded to the scene to help the victims of this senseless tragedy." next prev next prev next prev next prev CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPColorado coach Tad Boyle said he "felt an emptiness" in his stomach while trying to guide the Buffaloes to a victory in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Monday in the midst of a supermarket shooting in Boulder.Boyle spoke to reporters about the shooting in the city where the school is located. At least 10 people were killed, including a police officer and authorities said a suspect was in custody. He called the shooting a "senseless act of violence."Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report
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President Trump responded to criticism from former Defense Secretary James Mattis by calling him an “overrated” military leader whom he relished firing. “Probably the only thing Barack Obama and I have in common is that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis, the world’s most overrated General,” Mr. Trump tweeted. “I asked for his letter of resignation, & felt great about.” Mr. Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general whom the president previously called a hero, criticized the president Wednesday for “militarizing” the federal response to nationwide protests over police brutality. He called Mr. Trump “the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try.” He served two years as Defense secretary before leaving in January 2019. The president said of Mr. Mattis, “His nickname was ‘Chaos’, which I didn’t like, & changed it to ‘Mad Dog’. His primary strength was not military, but rather personal public relations.” In fact, Mr. Mattis was given the nickname “Mad Dog” in the military long before Mr. Trump was elected. A San Diego Tribune article in 2013 refers to the nickname, noting that Mr. Mattis didn’t like the moniker. Said the president, “I gave him a new life, things to do, and battles to win, but he seldom ‘brought home the bacon’. I didn’t like his ‘leadership’ style or much else about him, and many others agree. Glad he is gone!” Mr. Mattis wasn’t fired; he resigned after clashing with the president over the administration’s policy in Syria. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany also weighed in, saying Mr. Mattis’s statement was “little more than a self-promotional stunt to appease the DC elite.” She tweeted Mr. Trump “is the law and order President that has restored peace to our nation’s streets.” “Mattis’ small words pale in comparison to @POTUS’ strong action,” she said.
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MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA/Newscom
In January of this year, as congressional Republicans were ramping up legislation to repeal, or at least rewrite, Obamacare, Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, went on Face the Nation to make his case against the current health care law.
"What you need to understand is that there are 25 million Americans who aren't covered now," he said. "If the idea behind Obamacare was to get everyone covered, that's one of the many failures. In addition to premiums going up, copayments going up, deductibles going up. And many Americans who actually did get insurance when they did not have it before have really bad insurance that they have to pay for, and the deductibles are so high that it's really not worth much to them. So it is chaotic. The status quo is simply unacceptable."
McConnell's case against Obamacare, highlighted at the time by Vox's Ezra Klein, was that it didn't cover enough people, that premiums were too expensive, that out of pocket payments and deductibles were too large, and that the system as a whole, with its unstable health exchanges, was too chaotic. Something would have to change.
McConnell's argument had the virtue of being essentially true. Health insurers have exited the exchanges. Deductibles in Obamacare plans run high. Premiums for typical plans under the law went up 22 percent last year. The current system has increased coverage, but it has not covered everyone, and those who do have coverage have reported frustrations with the expense and limitations of their plans.
At the time, Republicans had not released their own health care legislation, or shared the framework for their plan. But now they have, and it is hard to square McConnell's criticisms of Obamacare with the legislation his office helped produce. According to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate released this afternoon, the Senate health care bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), would make every single one of the issues that McConnell mentioned worse.
Essentially, the CBO's report concludes that the Senate GOP's health care bill would not solve any of the problems that Mitch McConnell said he wanted to solve. Like the Senate health care bill itself, it highlights the cynicism and emptiness of Republican thinking on health care policy.
Let's start with coverage. McConnell complained that "one of the many failures" of Obamacare was that it left 25 million uncovered. According to CBO, however, under the Senate health care plan 15 million fewer people would have coverage next year than under current law. By 2026, the CBO estimates that the figure would rise to 22 million. McConnell couched this criticism in a caveat—"if the idea behind Obamacare was to get everyone covered"—which perhaps suggests that this is only a failure if the idea is to cover everyone. But Republicans did not and do not have another idea. Indeed, around the same time, President Trump promised that the Republican plan would provide insurance for everyone. 28 million uninsured under Obamacare
— JohnCornyn (@JohnCornyn) June 26, 2017 McConnell also hit Obamacare for rising premiums. But the Senate health plan would not halt those increases either. CBO estimates that if the plan were to become law, premiums would be about 20 percent higher next year than under Obamacare. To be clear, that's a 20 percent increase above and beyond what is already projected. In 2019, premiums would be 10 percent higher than under current law. Starting in the next decade, CBO estimates that premiums would be lower than under current law by about 30 percent. But that's after several years of significant hikes.
Which brings us to one of McConnell's other criticisms, that the insurance provided under Obamacare isn't very valuable. According to CBO, the biggest reason why premiums would be lower, relatively speaking, in the next decade is because, on average, health plans would cover significantly less than they do now.
The Senate bill pegs its subsidies to health plans with lower actuarial values than Obamacare does; these plans are known as benchmark plans. The actuarial value is the percentage of expected health costs that a plan must pay. What this means is that the Senate legislation is built around standard plans that offer less generous coverage than under Obamacare. At the same time, it leaves many of Obamacare's insurance regulations in place. So in order for health insurers to offer standard plans that also comply with Obamacare's regulations, they end up having to include high deductibles. Under Obamacare, plans that resemble the Senate bill's standard plans typically have deductibles of about $6,000, meaning that beneficiaries have to pay that amount before using their coverage.
In some cases, the deductibles would be high enough that they would limit the value of plans, according to the CBO, especially to low-income individuals. "As a result," the report states, "despite being eligible for premium tax credits, few low-income people would purchase any plan."
You might summarize this by saying, for example, that the Senate bill might result in people having "really bad insurance that they have to pay for, and the deductibles are so high that it's really not worth much to them."
Do they have to pay for it? The Senate health care bill does eliminate Obamacare's individual mandate. But it includes a workaround, intended to synthesize the mandate's effects, by penalizing people who go without coverage for 63 days in a different way—prohibiting them from obtaining insurance coverage for six month.
And what about insurance markets? Today's CBO report expects that under the Senate plan, individual insurance markets would continue to be stable in "most parts of the country"—emphasis on the "most." This is another way of saying that the Senate bill would not significantly improve on the conditions we are seeing under Obamacare. The CBO also notes, with some uncertainty, that some of the provisions in the Senate bill could cause insurers to exit the market, or refuse to enter. So it would not be less chaotic. It might be more so.
Are the CBO's estimates perfectly accurate? Almost certainly not. As point estimates, they are quite likely to be wrong. And the CBO's models sometimes miss complex economic feedback effects.
But the single point estimates are less important than the broader shifts the agency foresees. CBO's projections are likely to be directionally accurate: higher premiums and deductibles, fewer people with coverage and lingering questions about market stability. CBO's report is a picture of an insurance market that has all of the flaws that Mitch McConnell diagnosed in Obamacare, but worse.
As with the structure of the Senate health care bill—a dysfunctional rewrite masquerading as repeal—what CBO's report exposes is the GOP's unwillingness to think beyond the parameters of Obamacare.
Republicans did not respond to the failures of Obamacare with a different vision of how the health care system should be organized. They did not build a case for policies with different goals about the health care system. Instead, they criticized Obamacare for not living up to its own goals, for failing on its own terms. Even in their criticisms, they bought into to its premises. They had no policy goals of their own to promote.
So it is hardly surprising that when it came time to repeal and replace Obamacare, they instead produced legislation that simply rewrote it, offering the same thing, but less of it. And it is even less surprising that the legislation they have released undercuts the criticisms that McConnell and others have made of Obamacare, because their plan has the same problems—but even more acute.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Oprah's longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham said in response to Sunday night's Golden Globe push for an Oprah Winfrey 2020 presidential run that if called, the talk show host will serve."It's up to the people," Graham told The Los Angeles Times. "She would absolutely do it."Graham's comment only reinforced growing rumors that Winfrey is seriously considering a presidential bid.NBC network and celebrities dubbed Winfrey "our future president" following her appearance at the Golden Globes and her speech referencing civil rights and the #MeToo campaign that highlighted rampant sexual harassment. Oprah Winfrey and partner Stedman Graham arrive at the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California February 22, 2015. (Reuters)The iconic talk show host was also the subject of a joke by the award’s host Seth Meyers who taunted her to run for U.S. president.“In 2011, I told some jokes about our current president at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Jokes about how he was unqualified to be president,” Mayers said. “Some have said that night convinced him to run. So if that’s true, I just want to say: Oprah, you will never be president! You do not have what it takes!”The joke prompted NBC network to tweet and then delete: “Nothing but respect for OUR future president.”Winfrey later went on to accept the Cecil B. DeMille Award that night – the first ever awarded to a black woman – and speak about the Me Too and civil rights movement, sparking wild speculations about her political aspirations.“For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men,” she said. “But their time is up. Their time is up. Their time is up,” she added as A-list Hollywood celebrities stood up and applauded.Liberal MSNBC host Joy Reid tweeted: “Switched back to the Golden Globes to watch Oprah get her award. Never let it be said that I don’t respect the president of the United States.”Multiple other commentators and celebrities also joined saying Winfrey should run for president in 2020.After paying tribute to civil rights and the press, she ended with a hopeful note that “a new day was on the horizon” because of people, who will “take us to the time when nobody ever has to say ‘me too’ again.”The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) may be endorsing Joe Biden for the Democrat nomination, but the political movement that powered the Vermont septuagenarian’s campaign is unready to do the same.
On Monday, shortly after Sanders threw his backing behind the former vice president, the senator’s one-time campaign spokeswoman, Briahna Joy Gray, announced that she was not following suit. Gray, who has made no effort to conceal disagreement with other high profile national Democrats, asserted she was unable to support Biden because of his unwillingness to adopt progressive stances on the economy and healthcare. “With the utmost respect for Bernie Sanders, who is an incredible human being [and] a genuine inspiration, I don’t endorse Joe Biden,” she wrote on social media.
“I supported Bernie Sanders because he backed ideas like Medicare for All, cancelling ALL student debt, [and] a wealth tax,” Gray added. “Biden supports none of those.”
The ideological differences that Gray noted underscore the challenge that lays ahead for Biden. Since the former vice president routed his opposition on Super Tuesday to become the presumptive nominee, progressives aligned with Sanders began eyeing their options for the general election. Many seem to have found Biden, who has unequivocally come out against universal healthcare and has shown disdain for the “socialist” label, wanting.
Nor do such activists appear ready to come around any time soon. In recent weeks, as it became all but apparent that the former vice president would be the nominee, a small but vocal “Never Biden” community sprouted up on social media. Its members include former campaign operatives, sympathetic media pundits, and the types of average voters that made Sanders’ 2016 insurgent campaign possible.
Biden, for his part, has offered several olive branches to the disaffected Sanders supporters. Last month, the former vice president opted to adopt the bankruptcy proposal authored by his former rival, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The decision was nothing short of a full repudiation of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, which Biden authored and progressives have long claimed was a giveaway to big banks. Biden’s shift on bankruptcy was followed up last week by an embrace of lowering the age of Medicaid eligibility to 60 and student loan forgiveness for individuals making below $125,000-per-year.
Those efforts, however, have not been succesful. More than a few members of Sanders’ movement have rejected the olive branches as not going far enough. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who endorsed the Vermont senator last year and campaigned for him ahead of the Iowa Caucuses, described Biden’s proposal as “almost an insult.”
“I think Hillary [Clinton] was looking at policies that lowered it to 50,” the congresswoman told The New York Times in an interview published Monday. “So we’re talking about a ‘progressive concession’ that is ten years worse than what the nominee had in 2016.”
Policy differences are not the only reason why many members of Sanders’ political movement remain uncommitted about backing Biden. Some, in particular, are concerned about new sexual assault allegation leveled against the former vice president by former staffer Tara Reade as disqualifying.
In fact, when Reade’s allegations first surfaced last month, a top Sanders supporter announced they believed the accusations were true. Others from the Never Biden community soon echoed the sentiment, with some even openly saying the allegations were disqualifying for the former vice president’s candidacy.
Hear the full story of Tara Reade, former Senate Aide to @JoeBiden, in her own voice, as she painfully describes being sexually assaulted by him in his office.
She told this story to her trusted friends & relatives when it happened. #iBelieveTara. https://t.co/nSUGzsd2AT
— Shaun King (@shaunking) March 25, 2020
All of this poses a major predicament. In 2016, President Donald Trump won the White House, in part, because disaffected Sanders supporters opted to stay home or vote third party. Decreased turnout for the Democrat ticket that year, coupled with Trump’s populist appeals to white working-class voters in the MidWest, led to a GOP victory.
A similar scenario could repeat itself this year. Exit polls from last month’s Michigan primary found that only two out of five Sanders supporters would be willing to back Biden in November, according to Politico. If those numbers hold on election day, it would spell disaster for Biden, especially as Michigan is considered a must-win if Democrats have any hope of retaking the White House.
Sanders, himself, appears to understand the predicament members of his one-time movement pose for Biden. On Monday, while endorsing the former vice president, the Vermont senator urged his supporters to fall in line behind the Democrat nominee.
“We must come together to defeat the most dangerous president in modern history,” Sanders said.
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| March 23, 2021 01:10 PM President Biden urged Congress to ban assault weapons and tighten background checks on gun sales in the aftermath of the Colorado mass shooting. “I don't need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common sense steps or save the lives in the future, and to urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act,” he said in an address Tuesday at the White House. “We can ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in this country once again.” Biden, as a senator, helped push a ban on the most lethal firearms in 1994. It expired a decade later. On Tuesday, he expressed sympathy for the families of the 10 victims killed in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday and paid tribute to Eric Talley, the police officer who died in the shooting, as the “definition of an American hero.” BIDEN UNDER PRESSURE TO ACT ON GUN KILLINGS But his address broke new ground in its demands for swift action to prevent more gun deaths. He urged the Senate to move fast on two bills that have already passed the House that will expand background checks. “This is not and should not be a partisan issue,” he said. “This is an American issue. It will save American lives. We have to act. We should also ban assault weapons in the process." His comments follow two mass shootings in less than a week. Police earlier charged Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, a 21-year-old from the Denver suburb of Arvada, with 10 murders committed inside a Colorado supermarket. They said they do not yet know what motivated the shooter to open fire. Officers said Alissa was in the hospital being treated for a leg wound sustained during a firefight. A week earlier, eight people, mostly Asian American women, were shot dead at massage parlors in and around Atlanta, Georgia. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The two mass shootings have intensified pressure on Biden to act against gun violence.
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Amy Klobuchar speaks at the Democratic presidential debate in Manchester, N.H., February 7, 2020. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) It’s really the only question that matters after Friday’s contest. Manchester, N.H. Pete Buttigieg’s strong finish in Iowa, where he came in less than two points behind Bernie Sanders on the final vote and roughly tied Sanders for state delegates, has propelled him upward in New Hampshire polls. In Suffolk’s tracking poll, Buttigieg trailed Sanders 11 percent to 24 percent in New Hampshire right before Iowa, but he had closed the gap to one point — 23 percent to 24 percent — in that same tracking poll conducted February 5–6. Did anything happen at Friday’s debate in Manchester to change the dynamic of the race?
The frontrunner Sanders seemed to escape relatively unscathed. Joe Biden was the only candidate on stage to hit him hard on Medicare for All and Sanders’s past support of gun rights, but there was no defining moment that appeared likely to send the Vermont socialist sinking in New Hampshire.
Buttigieg, on the other hand, did take some hard shots from Amy Klobuchar, who portrayed the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Ind., as a child. “We got a newcomer in the White House and look where it got us,” Klobuchar said after noting Buttigieg is himself the “cool newcomer.” She hit Buttigieg for saying he’d rather “watch cartoons” than the Senate impeachment trial. Klobuchar was shading the truth a little bit. Buttigieg did indeed say: “I live and breathe politics, and I find it exhausting. It’s just — it gets you down and makes you want to watch cartoons instead.” But he went on to say that this was a “temptation” that “the cynics” want Democrats to give in to.
Klobuchar was on firmer ground when she went after Buttigieg’s past support for Medicare for All. Buttigieg said at the debate that he has been “consistent throughout” on the issue of Medicare for All, but in 2018 he tweeted: “I, Pete Buttigieg, politician, do henceforth and forthwith declare, most affirmatively and indubitably, unto the ages, that I do favor Medicare for All, as I do favor any measure that would help get all Americans covered.” The former mayor drew fire from other candidates on stage as well. “I don’t know what about the past about Barack Obama and Joe Biden was so bad,” Joe Biden said. Buttigieg replied that those “achievements were phenomenally important because they met the moment” but that “now we have to meet this moment, and this moment is different.”
All in all, Biden was more lively than he has been in the past but still turned in an unsteady performance. “I took a hit in Iowa and I’ll probably take a hit here,” the former vice president said at the outset of the debate. Elizabeth Warren, who probably needs good news out of New Hampshire more than Biden does (he still has a chance in South Carolina regardless of Tuesday’s outcome), was lackluster on Friday night. She preferred to stick to her script rather than forcefully debate her opponents. She may have stayed above the fray, but she didn’t do much to stay at the top of voters’ minds.
The New Hampshire contest was Klobuchar’s best debate overall. She was poised and collected, and it was smart from her perspective to hit Buttigieg, whose supporters overlap the most with hers. Her attacks on Buttigieg certainly didn’t seem to be powerful enough to send Buttigieg tumbling downward the way Chris Christie’s attack on Marco Rubio did at the 2016 GOP debate. But was it a strong-enough debate performance for Klobuchar to leapfrog Buttigieg in New Hampshire and become a real contender for the nomination? We’ll know soon enough. Recommended RNC Should Take a Lesson from Mike Pence The RNC censure resolution was morally repellent, while the former vice president took a stand for the truth. NBC's 'Cataclysmic' Olympics-Coverage Flop How can anyone feel good about these Olympics? Nikole Hannah-Jones Responds to Our 1619 and Slavery Issue She reacted with a lot of sneering and ad hominem argumentation and nothing of substance. Joe Biden Doesn’t Know What You’re Talking About To watch Biden at the lectern was to experience shock and dismay interspersed with moments of alarm and dark humor. No wonder he hides from the media. Why Were Authorities So Evasive About the Synagogue Gunman's Motive? Why were President Biden and the FBI so reluctant to say that the synagogue gunman was motivated by antisemitism and jihadism? The Afghanistan Debacle Looks Worse and Worse The more we learn about the administration’s withdrawal, the more it becomes clear that its decisions were driven by political considerations and panic. The Latest Maskless Super Bowl Marks Our Return to Normalcy This collective moment was a warning to the Covid regime that its strictures won’t stand much longer. Russian Figure-Skating Prodigy Will Compete at Olympics Despite Failed Drug Test The IOC has decided it will not hold a medal ceremony for any event in which Valieva places in the top three while the matter remains under investigation. The IRS Wants Your Picture The agency’s plans for facial recognition might be abandoned for now, but its lust for data is never satiated. Why America’s Government-Debt Problem Endures Any meaningful change requires enough Americans deciding that they really do want less government in their lives, and then acting accordingly. ‘Blame America first,’ &c. On Jeane Kirkpatrick, today’s Russia debate, Edward Snowden, Ukraine’s right to exist, and more.
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President Trump’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter Thursday to the publisher of an upcoming book that gives an unflattering portrayal of the president and his team, as the White House and its allies again pushed back aggressively against former adviser Steve Bannon and the book’s author. Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Charles Harder, sent a cease-and-desist letter Thursday to the publisher of “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” and to author Michael Wolff. “We are investigating numerous false and/or baseless statements that you have made about Mr. Trump,” the lawyer wrote to Mr. Wolff. The letters also states that the legal team is looking into possible defamation of Mr. Trump and his family and invasion of privacy. The letter to Mr. Wolff and publisher Henry Holt and Co. Inc. also accuses the author of actual malice. “Actual malice (reckless disregard for the truth) can be proven by the fact that the book admits in the Introduction that it contains untrue statements,” the letter states. “Moreover, the Book appears to cite to no sources for many of its most damaging statements about Mr. Trump.” Mr. Harder adds, “Also, many of your so-called ‘sources’ have stated publicly that they never spoke to Mr. Wolff and/or never made the statements that are being attributed to them. Other alleged ‘sources’ of statements about Mr. Trump are believed to have no personal knowledge of the facts upon which they are making statements or are known to be unreliable and/or strongly biased against Mr. Trump.” Mr. Wolff, in a new article for The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, recounts his frequent access to the West Wing staff in the early months of the administration, and offers more unflattering depictions of the White House operations. “To say that no one was in charge, that there were no guiding principles, not even a working org chart, would again be an understatement,” Mr. Wolff writes. The White House and its allies resumed their counteroffensive Thursday in the media. Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci defended the president and his son, Donald Trump Jr., on several morning TV news shows. He specifically countered Mr. Bannon’s allegation in the upcoming book “Fire and Fury” that the younger Trump’s meeting with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign was “treasonous.” “There’s nobody less treasonous than Don Jr., there’s nobody more patriotic,” Mr. Scaramucci said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” On MSNBC, he called the younger Trump “a great American,” and said Mr. Bannon should apologize to the president’s son. Others in the White House are taking aim at author Michael Wolff, poking holes in some of the book excerpts that have circulated. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin commented on Twitter, “We have become used to #FakeNews, now we have #FakeBooks! #MAGA.” Presidential aide Dan Scavino posted a photograph on Twitter of Mr. Trump at a golf course with then-House Speaker John Boehner in 2013. The book portrays Mr. Trump as not knowing Mr. Boehner’s name during the 2016 campaign. Mr. Scavino said on Twitter, “Seems like I took this photo yesterday of @SpeakerBoehner & NYC Businessman @realDonaldTrump, out for a round of golf & many laughs together, back in 2013. Claims of President Trump not knowing who John Boehner was, when they’ve known each other for a long time, are 100% FALSE!” Mr. Scaramucci said of the book, “A lot of it’s nonsense.” The president lashed out at Mr. Bannon on Wednesday in a lengthy statement, saying his former aide had “lost his mind.” Mr. Trump’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to Mr. Bannon Wednesday night, accusing him of violating a confidentiality agreement by speaking with the book’s author. In a radio show on Sirius on Wednesday night, Mr. Bannon said he is still backing the president’s agenda. “Nothing will ever come between us and President Trump and his agenda,” Mr. Bannon said, adding that “we’re as tight on this agenda as we’ve ever been.”
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A tentative agreement for a Thursday hearing with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford has been reached, a source with knowledge of the discussions has told Fox News.Earlier on Saturday, Ford had indicated she'd accept the Senate Judiciary Committee’s request to discuss an alleged sexual assault by Kavanaugh, although the terms under which she might testify remained largely unclear.In a letter to the committee, Ford’s lawyers said that she had accepted the request to provide “her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct next week” after Republicans on the committee set a 2:30 p.m. deadline for her to say whether she would do so. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, had said a vote would proceed in the absence of a response from Ford's team by the cutoff time.In the letter from Ford's lawyers, they said “many aspects of the proposal you provided ... are fundamentally inconsistent with the Committee’s promise of a fair, impartial investigation into her allegations,” yet they also expressed hope that an agreement would be reached, as now appears to be the case.Ahead of news about a tentative Thursday meeting, a senior White House official had told Fox News that the Ford team's letter represented a request to continue negotiations without any firm commitment.White House spokesperson Kerri Kupec later issued a separate statement, noting that Kavanaugh has denied the allegation "and is eager to testify publicly to defend his integrity and clear his good name."Ford alleges that Kavanaugh assaulted her during a house party in high school in the 1980s. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegation. Democrats have called for the vote on his confirmation to the nation’s highest court to be delayed, pending a full FBI investigation, something that Republicans have dismissed as unnecessary.DEMOCRATS FLOAT MORE KAVANAUGH INVESTIGATIONS, IMPEACHMENT EVEN IF HE IS CONFIRMED Republicans have accused Democrats of sitting on the doctor's allegation during the hearings and looking to delay the vote until after the midterms in November.Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement that he will support Ford's "steadfast bravery against the arbitrary, unfair, irrational constraints set by Chairman Grassley.""I remain deeply disturbed by the conduct of my colleagues over the last week, and am committed to ensuring that Dr. Ford’s safety and security is made a top priority,” he said.Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said Ford had demonstrated "impressive courage" in her willingness to come forward "in spite of Republicans’ astounding disregard for basic due process in failing to order the completion of a background investigation."“Even in accommodating Dr. Blasey Ford’s request for a few additional days, Chairman Grassley has rejected many of her reasonable requests to ensure a fair process," his statement said. "Next week’s hearing, as currently contemplated, will be a kangaroo court, because the Republicans have done everything in their power to prevent the consideration of any outside evidence, whether corroborating or exculpatory. Republicans should respect Dr. Blasey Ford’s wishes, as they should respect the wishes of all victims of sexual assault."Fox News’ Mike Emanuel, Chad Pergram and Matt Leach contributed to this report.
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Wednesday at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, President Barack Obama said many American do not know Muslims so they get their “hugely distorted impression” of Muslims from “distorted media portrayals” and “inexcusable political rhetoric,” after terror attacks.
Obama said, “Muslim American community remains relatively very small in this country, and as a result, most Americans don’t know or at least don’t know that they know a Muslim person. And as a result, many only hear about Muslims and Islam from the news after an act of terrorism, or in distorted media portrayals in TV or film, all of which gives this hugely distorted impression. And since 9/11, but more recently, since the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, you’ve seen too often people conflating the horrific acts of terrorism with the beliefs of an entire faith. And of course, recently we’ve heard inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslim Americans that has no place in our country. No surprise then that threats and harassment of Muslim Americans have surged. Here at this mosque, twice last year, threats were made against your children. Around the country women wearing the hijab, just like Saba, had been targeted. We’ve seen children bullied, we have seen mosques vandalized.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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While Congress passed a massive $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill early Friday, President Trump threatened to veto it later in the morning, meaning a government shutdown is still a possibility.The president pointed to the legislation’s lack of full funding for his border wall between the United States and Mexico and that there are no protections for recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.“I am considering a VETO of the Omnibus Spending Bill based on the fact that the 800,000 plus DACA recipients have been totally abandoned by the Democrats (not even mentioned in Bill) and the BORDER WALL, which is desperately needed for our National Defense, is not fully funded,” he wrote. I am considering a VETO of the Omnibus Spending Bill based on the fact that the 800,000 plus DACA recipients have been totally abandoned by the Democrats (not even mentioned in Bill) and the BORDER WALL, which is desperately needed for our National Defense, is not fully funded.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2018Earlier Friday Trump alluded to his frustration over these issues but did not mention it in relation to the spending bill. “DACA was abandoned by the Democrats. Very unfair to them! Would have been tied to desperately needed Wall,” he wrote. DACA was abandoned by the Democrats. Very unfair to them! Would have been tied to desperately needed Wall.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2018Many Republican lawmakers, unhappy with the fiscal burden the bill places on our nation, were pleased with the news, encouraging him to do so."Please do, Mr. President. I am just down the street and will bring you a pen. The spending levels without any offsets are grotesque, throwing all of our children under the bus. Totally irresponsible," Sen. Bob Corker tweeted. Please do, Mr. President. I am just down the street and will bring you a pen. The spending levels without any offsets are grotesque, throwing all of our children under the bus. Totally irresponsible. https://t.co/np7BmP1AkB— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) March 23, 2018"I agree @realDonaldTrump should veto this sad excuse for legislation because it’s $1.3 trillion in spending that (almost) no one read," Sen. Rand Paul wrote.
I agree @realDonaldTrump should veto this sad excuse for legislation because it’s $1.3 trillion in spending that (almost) no one read. https://t.co/8aOSAOIESY— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 23, 2018This post has been updated.
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Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, admonished Trump’s team and House impeachment managers early Jan. 22 after the sides traded insults.
“I think it is appropriate at this point for me to admonish both the House managers and president’s counsel in equal terms to remember that they are addressing the world’s greatest deliberative body,” Roberts said.
“One reason it has earned that title is because its members avoid speaking in a manner and using language that is not conducive to civil discourse.”
Roberts noted that in the 1905 Senate impeachment trial of a judge, a senator objected when one of the House managers used the word “pettifogging.” The presiding judge then agreed that “the word ought not have been used.”
“I don’t think we need to aspire to that high standard, but I do think those addressing the Senate should remember where they are,” he said.
Pettifogging means worrying too much about details that are minor or unimportant.
Roberts’s remarks came after House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) claimed that Republicans in the Senate want to cover up actions carried out by Trump by not allowing additional witnesses or approving requests by House and Senate Democrats for certain documents. House impeachment manager Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) speaks during impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 21, 2020. (Senate Television via Getty Images) White House counsel Pat Cipollone speaking in the Senate chamber during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 21, 2020. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
“I’m sad to say I see a lot of senators voting for a cover-up, voting to deny witnesses,” Nadler said.
“History will judge, and so will the electorate.”
He also said that White House lawyers’ arguments for not subpoenaing John Bolton, the former national security adviser, were “executive privilege or other nonsense.”
Pat Cipollone, White House counsel and Trump’s lead impeachment lawyer, responded by asking for an apology from Nadler.
“Mr. Nadler came up here and made false allegations against our team. He made false allegations against all of you. He accused you of a cover-up. He’s been making false allegations against the president,” Cipollone told lawmakers.
“The only one who should be embarrassed, Mr. Nadler, is you, for the way you’ve addressed this body,” Cipollone added, prompting some senators to clap. “This is the United States Senate. You’re not in charge here.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) thanked Roberts for his admonishment before motioning to table Nadler’s amendment to require Bolton to testify during the trial. Follow Zachary Stieber covers U.S. news and stories relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is based in Maryland.
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OPINION: ANALYSIS/OPINION: President Obama put on his preaching clothes yesterday and drove up Connecticut Avenue to the Washington Hilton to deliver a sermon to the choir. He took his text from the first chapter of the Book of Moral Equivalence and let the choir have both barrels. He spoke from the pulpit of the National Prayer Breakfast, organized as an occasion of Christian congressmen six decades ago, and has evolved into an occasion for politicians to come together not so much to pray as to be seen praying. Such prayers are often lectures to heaven, attempts to straighten God out on what’s going on down here. Mr. Obama has so far been unable to talk very much about Islamic terrorism, or even to say the words “Islamic” and “terrorism” in the same sentence. Perhaps the prayer breakfast was the time and place he had been waiting for, to say what everyone in the world knows is true, that Islam, distorted or not, has been giving the world a royal pain in that certain private place, and should straighten up and fly right into the 21st century. Alas, no. If he wants an appropriate time and place, he’s still looking for it. His speechwriters gave him the usual things to say about religious freedom, the trite and true about how everybody should have the right to practice his faith however he chooses, to change his faith if he chooses, or to practice no faith at all if that’s what nourishes his soul, and no offense if he thinks he doesn’t have one. (The pronouns here are collective, including both male and female, but the president, who is politically correct to a considerable fault, avoids pronouns except the vertical one.) He didn’t call out anyone by name, though the place in the world where someone risks keeping his head on his shoulders for changing his religious “faith” is neither Presbyterian nor Buddhist, Hindu nor Hottentot. So where are the places the fatwa is feared, where an imam can casually write a sentence of death for the faithful to carry out? He didn’t say. He probably figured everyone already knows the answer to that one. How can people of faith, he asks, reconcile “the profound good, the strength, the tenacity, the compassion and love that can flow from all our faiths operate alongside those who seek to hijack religious [faith] for their own murderous ends?” Humanity, he said, has been grappling with this puzzle throughout history, and just to make sure that everyone knows who he’s talking about, he called out offenders by name. “Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.” The president is correct, of course, that many bad things have been done by people who called themselves Christians. But they were not celebrated in the faith for the sin and the outrage, bur roundly rebuked: In the words of the ancient black spiritual, “everybody talkin’ ‘bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.” If Mr. Obama wants to think Jim Crow was a Baptist deacon, he’s entitled, and rebuking the hubris of Christians, to challenge them to dismount from the high horse, is a useful thing to do. But given the widespread and well-founded suspicion that Mr. Obama is soft on those who, as he says, distort Islam to justify jihad, why did he choose a Christian prayer breakfast to equate the faith of most of his constituents to the barbarism of the cult whose proper name he cannot bring himself to say? Intolerance is all about us, and confronting it is often difficult, and most Christians agree with the president that God compels the faithful to try. Mr. Obama’s prescription is a useful one, and maybe in a rare fit of introspection he was preaching not only to the choir but to himself. “First,” he said, “we should start with some basic humility. I believe that the starting point of faith is some doubt — not being so full of yourself and so confident that you are right and that God speaks only to us, and doesn’t speak to others, that somehow we alone are in possession of the truth.” Strong words, and welcome words. We all need to hear them. But the president’s invoking the Crusades — the last Crusader left Europe for Jerusalem 700 years ago — sounds like something remembered from a radical mosque. He’s preaching tolerance to the wrong congregation. • Wesley Pruden is editor emeritus of The Washington Times.
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Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) on Monday announced his intention for running for president on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert."Eric Swalwell on The Late Show: "I'm running for President of the United States." pic.twitter.com/4A4cES1nUx— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 8, 2019His campaign's theme is "Let's go big, be bold and do good," which can be seen in his promo video:Are you ready America? Let's go big, be bold, and do good! pic.twitter.com/gk9SPDT4FN— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 8, 2019Not everyone was excited about the what they saw. In fact, Swalwell has made a name for himself as anti-gunner and, like practically every other 2020 Democrat, plans to run on the gun control issue. While he wants to be known as a strong supporter of "gun safety," his claim to fame is wanting to nuke gun owners. Meet wannabe nuker-in-chief Eric Swalwell. pic.twitter.com/rMAYQJEWRA— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 9, 2019Eric Swalwell, the guy who said he would nuke America in a tweet, has just announced he is running for President.2020 is going to be hilarious ??— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) April 9, 2019Swalwell campaign slogan: “Turn in your guns or I’ll nuke you” https://t.co/nKUbDiiWaT— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) April 4, 2019Nice. Rep. Eric Swalwell AKA Duke Nukem who wants to nuke gun owners, is running for president.— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) April 9, 2019Would rather go to the dentist and get my teeth drilled with no Novocain #fixit https://t.co/yDy7Q0UeX3— Andrew Pollack (@AndrewPollackFL) April 8, 2019And then there are those who can't even take his candidacy seriously.Voters “This field of candidates couldn’t get any dumber!”Swalwell, “Hold my Zima.”He should’ve gone with “Submit, we have nukes.” https://t.co/6oav6yHHso— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) April 8, 2019Eric Swalwell enters the Presidential race and has immediately taken the lead as the most unrecognizably generic white guy.— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) April 9, 2019When your candidacy is a joke, what better place to announce it than on a comedy show? Eric Swalwell— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) April 8, 2019Eric Swalwell has 32,000 Facebook followers. Looks like there's some huge interest in his campaign. hahahahahaha! #Loser2020— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) April 9, 2019Congrats to Swalwell and his family, no doubt the only 4 people even mildly excited by this https://t.co/OkzWuD56JA— Secular Talk (@KyleKulinski) April 8, 2019Bet he's second guessing wanting to nuke gun owners. But hey, the clown car is turning into a clown parade. And it's great news for President Trump.
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State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert has withdrawn herself from consideration to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the department said Saturday. President Trump announced his intention in December to nominate Ms. Nauert, 49, to replace Ambassador Nikki Haley, who departed at the end of the year. At the time, the president said Ms. Nauert — a former Fox News personality — had been doing “a great job” at the State Department since the beginning of his administration. Yet some questioned whether she had the background and qualifications for the role, and the White House never formally sent her nomination to the Senate. In a release from the State Department, Ms. Nauert said she is grateful to Mr. Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “for the trust they placed in me for considering me for the position of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.” “However,” she said, “the past two months have been grueling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw my name from consideration.” The State Department said Mr. Trump would announce a nominee to the ambassador post soon.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! WASHINGTON – Eric Holder lashed out at his chief antagonist Wednesday at a congressional hearing where the attorney general was questioned on recent administration scandals, telling Republican Rep. Darrell Issa at the end of a tense exchange that his conduct is "shameful."Holder’s comments came after Issa accused him of purposely and repeatedly keeping information from Congress.“No, that’s what you typically do,” Holder responded. Following crosstalk, Holder added, “That is inappropriate and is too consistent with the way in which you conduct yourself as a member of Congress. It’s unacceptable and it’s shameful.”The heated exchange with the lawmaker who led the charge against Holder regarding the botched Operation Fast and Furious came during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that examined a new set of scandals. Holder was grilled on a series of allegations, including the way the agency tried to find out who was behind a government leak to The Associated Press.The AP, along with several lawmakers, say the Justice Department infringed on the constitutional rights of the press when it secretly obtained two months' worth of phone records. Lawmakers tried to get answers out of Holder Wednesday but voiced frustration after Holder repeatedly rebuffed questions by claiming he wasn’t involved in the decision-making process.Wisconsin Rep. James Sensenbrenner was among the group of bipartisan lawmakers who pressed Holder on why the Justice Department secretly collected telephone records.Holder said he had recused himself from the case because "I am a possessor of information eventually leaked."He also said he was unable to answer any questions on why the department he oversees failed to negotiate with the AP prior to obtaining subpoenas -- something which is standard practice in these cases.Holder testified that all the decisions made in the case fell on Deputy Attorney General James Cole’s shoulders. Sensenbrenner then suggested having Cole testify before the House Judiciary Committee. While Congress could call Cole to testify, he would be prohibited from discussing any ongoing case. His testimony would likely yield few answers."There doesn't appear to be any acceptance of responsibility for things that have gone wrong," Sensenbrenner said, after suggesting administration officials travel to the Harry Truman Presidential Library and take a photo of the famous sign, "the buck stops here."Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., said he was "troubled by the notion that our government would pursue a broad array of phone records over a period of time." But like Sensenbrenner, he was unable to pull any new information about the AP case from Holder.On Monday, AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt disclosed the government’s action in a letter to Holder that was made public.In it, Pruitt called the collection of phone records at four AP bureaus a “massive and unprecedented intrusion” of the news agency’s freedom of press rights granted under the U.S. Constitution.The AP case immediately sparked bipartisan outrage, leading members of both parties to publicly question the government’s actions.Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said the attorney general should resign over the issue, adding: "Freedom of the press is an essential right in a free society."Holder acknowledged Priebus’s calls for his resignation during his opening remarks, though again noted that he was not behind the subpoena.On Wednesday, New York Sen. Charles Schumer said he plans to reintroduce legislation that would protect journalists from revealing their sources. The bill, which was brought up in 2009, has since stalled in Congress.The Obama administration has been very aggressive in going after government workers leaking classified information. To date, the White House has brought indictments against five workers. The Defense Department is pursuing a sixth case against the U.S. Army soldier accused of sending classified documents to the anti-secrecy online group WikiLeaks.Under Holder’s command, the Justice Department has prosecuted more government officials for alleged leaks under the World War I-era Espionage Act than all of the AGs who came before him – combined.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! As the GOP works to recapture the Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections, longtime Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is making it crystal clear what he thinks of former President Trump’s relitigating of his 2020 election loss to President Biden."I do think we need to be thinking about the future and not the past," McConnell told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday when asked if he was comfortable with his party’s embrace of the former president.TRUMP CALLS FOR MCCONNELL'S OUSTER AS SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER"I think the American people are focusing on this administration, what it’s doing to the country, and it’s my hope the ’22 election will be a referendum on the performance of the current administration, not a rehash of suggestions about what may have happened in 2020," the Republican from Kentucky emphasized. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joined at left by Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., speaks to reporters after a Republican strategy meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite )Republicans need a net gain of just one seat in next year’s midterms to regain the majority they lost in January, when they were swept by the Democrats in the twin Georgia runoff elections.And the GOP sees a conducive political climate, with President Biden’s approval ratings underwater in the wake of criticism of his handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan, the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases this summer, the latest surge of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. along the southern border with Mexico, and the rise in inflation.But some in the GOP are concerned that Trump’s obsession with his 2020 election loss to Biden will be a drag on their efforts to win back both houses of Congress.TRUMP TIPTOES AROUND TEASING 2024 DURING IOWA RALLYNine months removed from the White House, Trump remains very popular with most Republican voters and extremely influential with GOP politicians, as he continues to play a kingmaker’s role in party politics and teases another presidential run in 2024. But he also repeatedly makes unfounded claims that the 2020 election was rampant with "massive voter fraud" and "rigged." And the former president continues to push for election audits in numerous states across the country.Trump spent much of nearly two hours of comments at his most recent rally – a week and a half ago in Iowa – and at a closed-door speech last week at a donor retreat hosted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the reelection arm of the Senate Republicans, relitigating his election defeat.While McConnell once again took aim at Trump without naming the former president, Trump continues to blast McConnell — by name.At the Iowa rally, Trump lashed out at McConnell, charging the Senate GOP leader didn’t "have the courage" to support Trump’s unsuccessful attempts to overturn the 2020 election results."Mitch McConnell should have challenged that election because even back then, we had plenty of material to challenge that election. He should have challenged the election," Trump claimed.McConnell angered Trump last December by acknowledging Biden’s White House victory, after the then-Democratic nominee’s Electoral College victory.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPMcConnell voted in February to acquit the former president, who was impeached on one count of inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists and other Trump supporters aiming to disrupt congressional certification of Biden’s Electoral College victory.But McConnell assailed Trump in a speech on the Senate floor minutes after the trial concluded, saying that the former president "bears moral responsibility" for the storming of the Capitol. A war of words between the two GOP leaders continues to present day.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom has reportedly decided to sign a controversial bill requiring that all presidential candidates publish their tax returns to appear on the state’s primary ballot.
The bill is targeted at President Donald Trump, who has not published his tax returns. According to Yashar Ali, who broke the story in his newsletter, Newsom decided to sign the bill into law by the Tuesday deadline — even though he had been expected not to do so.
As Breitbart News noted on Sunday:
The bill, SB 27, passed both houses of the California state legislature earlier this month, thanks in part to Democrats’ super-majority in each. It now awaits Newsom’s signature. Analysts describe it as a political “freebie” for Newsom — but it could be declared unconstitutional, and it could jeopardize the few areas in which Trump has cooperated with Newsom’s administration.
The move is likely to lose in court, and will jeopardize California’s precarious relationship with the Trump administration.
Jay Sekulow, a personal attorney for President Trump, suggested legal action will be taken in response to the move by Newsom. “The state of California’s attempt to circumvent the Constitution will be answered in court,” Sekulow stated. Though the Golden State has often sued the Trump administration over its policies, California is also dependent on federal aid in a number of areas. Earlier this year, Trump canceled nearly $1 billion of funds for California’s now-defunct high-speed rail project, which Newsom had still hoped to use despite canceling the project.
Newsom shared his own tax returns during the 2018 race for governor. Ali notes that Newsom’s predecessor, Jerry Brown, did not publish his tax returns. California’s new law will largely be symbolic.
It will not matter if Trump does not appear on the California primary ballot, because he will still appear on the ballot in the general election. California exempts the presidential primary from its usual “jungle primary” process, in which only the top two candidates advance to the general election, regardless of party.
The bill could, however, inspire other Democrat-governed states to do the same. It will almost certainly boost Newsom’s national profile as well.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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Sen. Kamala Harris, once considered a 2020 presidential Democratic frontrunner, ended her bid for the nomination on Tuesday, citing a lack of funds. “I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign,” she wrote in an email to supporters. “And as the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete.”
Harris becomes the second major candidate to drop out of the primary race before Iowa, joining Beto O’Rourke, who bowed out last month after failing to gain significant support and running out of money.
Why did Harris crash? Three reasons immediately come to mind: she got too much undeserved attention too early, she’s a cop with a record that doesn’t appeal to Democratic primary voters, and she was no match for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who basically killed her campaign on live TV by exposing Harris as a hypocrite.
1. Harris Wasn’t the Consensus Candidate the Media Thought She Was
Like O’Rourke, Harris got too much attention too early on from media and beltway insiders, who saw her as a kind of totemic candidate who could pull together all the disparate strands of the Democratic Party and re-create the Obama coalition. She was a black woman, an experienced prosecutor who had won a Senate seat in California, a pragmatic liberal with positions just to the left of Joe Biden. The establishment would accept her and, with some strategic pandering, so would the left-wing base—or so went the conventional wisdom.
But she never polled higher than about 15 percent. That was back in July after she attacked Biden on school busing in the first Democratic debate, a position she later walked back, opening her up to charges of cynicism and insincerity. Her numbers plummeted after that, and since early August she hasn’t polled in the double digits. In recent weeks her support dipped below 4 percent.
That’s another parallel with O’Rourke, who despite fawning media coverage never attracted many actual supporters. Consider that a year ago Harris and O’Rourke were being touted as number one and two in the Democratic field, despite trailing far behind both Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders. 51 weeks ago pic.twitter.com/BXhRgj3qAA
— Derek Thompson (@DKThomp) December 3, 2019
That both were so feted by the media and Twitter yet burned out so early suggests that they were molding their campaigns around positive coverage and viral moments instead of understanding a complex Democratic field and picking a viable lane with a pathway to the nomination.
2. Kamala Is A Cop
Why did Harris fail to attract support? Maybe it’s because she never became the candidate the media establishment thought she was and instead took every opportunity to showcase her worst instincts, like her cringe-inducing “foodie president” act, or trying to get President Trump banned from Twitter.
Speaking of bans, as my colleague David Marcus noted back in January, Harris marked herself out early on as queen of the ban: “Along with banning private health insurance, Harris also wants to ban for-profit colleges, assault weapons, fossil fuels, personal cars, and presumably members of the Knights of Columbus serving as federal judges.”
Presumably, Harris thought a draconian approach to such things would please the Democratic Party’s left-wing base, whom she knew would be naturally suspicious of her. But it was a bad look for a candidate trying to gloss over her record as a tough, no-nonsense prosecutor who, for example, put more than 1,500 people in jail for smoking weed—and then laughed about it.
3. Tulsi Is A Cop Killer
That brings us to Gabbard. More than any other candidate, Gabbard’s mauling of Harris in the debates exposed not just Harris’s hypocrisy but also her prickliness and general unlikability.
When Gabbard tore into Harris for her record as California’s attorney general during a debate in late July—for jailing marijuana users, blocking evidence than would have freed a man on death row, and keeping people in prison to use them as cheap labor for the state of California—a visibly flustered Harris responded by saying she was proud of her record and that actually making decisions as a prosecutor is a lot harder than making “fancy speeches.” WATCH: Tulsi Gabbard tears into Kamala Harris' tough-on-crime record as California Attorney General. #DemDebate2 pic.twitter.com/Bw8iFW5wgI
— America Rising (@AmericaRising) August 1, 2019
The exchange would come to epitomize a candidacy that was obviously twisting in the wind. By the time Harris reversed her position on marijuana legalization and mandatory sentencing reform, it was obvious that she had no real principles and would, like Hillary Clinton, change her views to whatever she thought would advantage her politically.
That’s what really killed her campaign. 2016 should have taught our political class and media elites that voters hate that sort of thing. Trump’s victory in the GOP primary and against Clinton in the general was driven above all by voters’ disgust with politics as usual and a deep aversion to precisely the kind of cynical pandering that marked Harris’s entire campaign. John Daniel Davidson is a senior editor at The Federalist. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Texas Monthly, The Guardian, First Things, the Claremont Review of Books, The New York Post, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter, @johnddavidson. 20/202020 Democratic PrimaryDemocratic debatesHillary ClintonJoe Bidenpresidential candidatesSen. Kamala HarrisTulsi Gabbard
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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a once rising star of the GOP presidential pack, has dropped out of the race. Now the field is scrambling to re-align.
Just this summer, Walker led the Republican field in Iowa. But on Monday, he called it quits and suggested that someone could emerge from a smaller pool of candidates with a clear conservative alternative to the current frontrunner, Donald Trump.
"Today, I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the race so that a positive conservative message can rise to the top of the field. With that in mind, I will suspend my campaign immediately," he said.
But will others drop out so that support can build around an alternative to Trump? None are expected to do so anytime soon. In fact, they're all vying for the Walker campaign assets.
Some believe that Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., will benefit the most from Walker's departure. They're both considered "fresh faces" with next generation appeal.
Late Monday, Rubio was already welcoming Walker staff to his team, as was Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
The latest CNN poll shows political outsiders Trump, former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson leading the presidential pack, with Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is battling off an unexpectedly strong challenge from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. She's also waiting to see if Vice President Joe Biden decides to enter the race.
In her latest campaign move, the former secretary of state is promising not only to protect Obamacare from GOP plans to repeal it but to improve it.
"As the latest census numbers show, the number of uninsured continues to fall and Americans are now seeing, hearing, and feeling the full benefits of the Affordable Care Act," a Clinton campaign official said Saturday.
It's already a presidential campaign year that no one could have predicted, and voters have never had so many candidates to consider.
But whether any of them will follow Walker's advice to lead by falling back is unlikely for now.
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Dec. 19, 2009: U. S. Post Office letter carrier Tim Bell delivers the mail during a snow storm in Havertown, Pa. (AP)NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! On the heels of announcing the end of Saturday mail delivery, the U.S. Postal Service said Tuesday it plans to launch a new line of clothing and accessories next year.The cash-strapped agency has signed a license agreement with Wahconah Group, a Cleveland-based fashion apparel company, to support its new "Rain Heat & Snow" brand, Postal Service corporate licensing manager Steven Mills said in a news release.“This agreement will put the Postal Service on the cutting edge of functional fashion,” Mills said. “The main focus will be to produce Rain Heat & Snow apparel and accessories using technology to create ‘smart apparel’ — also known as wearable electronics.”The Postal Service plans to establish a showroom in New York City's garment district to showcase its new products, which will be available initially only for men, the news release states.The goal of the new product line, according to Mills, is to eventually sell Rain Heat & Snow products "in premier department and specialty stores."The Postal Service is in the midst of a major restructuring throughout its retail, delivery and mail processing operations. Since 2006, it has cut annual costs by about $15 billion, reduced the size of its career workforce by 193,000 or by 28 percent, and has consolidated more than 200 mail processing locations, officials say.The agency in November reported an annual loss of a record $15.9 billion for the last budget year and forecast more red ink in 2013, capping a tumultuous year in which it was forced to default on billions in retiree health benefit prepayments to avert bankruptcy.The financial losses for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 were more than triple the $5.1 billion loss in the previous year. Having reached its borrowing limit, the mail agency is operating with little cash on hand.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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President Joe Biden rescinded former President Donald Trump's executive order that would have denied visas to immigrants who were viewed as a financial "burden" to the U.S. healthcare system. SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS MIGHT SINK BIDEN IMMIGRATION PLAN The White House announced Friday afternoon that it would not go forward with the Trump administration's plan because it "does not advance the interests" of the United States. The move is the latest in a string of reversals of Trump policies and protocols to restrict both legal immigration and asylum-seekers, following Biden's earlier decisions to halt border wall construction, increase the number of refugees admitted, and return to catch and release policies at the southern border. "My administration is committed to expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare. We can achieve that objective, however, without barring the entry of noncitizens who seek to immigrate lawfully to this country but who lack significant financial means or have not purchased health insurance coverage from a restrictive list of qualifying plans," Biden said in a proclamation reversing the order. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Trump's order was put forward in October 2019, and it had ordered the government not to accept immigrants who could not prove they have health insurance or show that they could afford to cover medical costs if they became legal permanent residents.
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OPINION: REPRINTED FROM AN EARLIER CHRISTMAS The malls and the Main Streets fall silent. The ringing cash registers and the happy cries of children become but ghostly echoes across the silent cities. But the Christ child born in a manger 2,000 years ago lives, liberating the hearts of sinners and transforming the lives of the wicked. The story of the redeeming power of the Christmas message is nowhere more vividly illustrated than in the incredible life of an English slaver named John Newton. He was born 300 years ago into a seafaring family in Liverpool. His mother was a godly woman whose faith gave her life meaning. She died when John was 7, and as an old man he recalled as the sweetest remembrance of childhood the soft and tender voice of his mother at prayer. His father married again, and John left school at 11 to go to sea with him. He quickly adopted the vulgar life of seafaring men, though the memory of his mother’s faith remained. He reckoned that religious faith was important, he recalled many years later, “but I loved sin.” Once on shore leave, he was seized by a press gang to work on another ship, HMS Harwich, and life grew coarser. He ran away, was captured, put in chains, stripped before the mast and flogged without mercy. “The Lord had by all appearances given me up to judicial hardness. I was capable of anything. I had not the least fear of God, nor the least sensibility of conscience. I was firmly persuaded that after death I should merely cease to be.” The Harwich traded him to a slaving ship, bound for West Africa to take aboard human cargo. “At this period of my life,” John reflected, “I was big with mischief and, like one afflicted with a pestilence, was capable of spreading a taint wherever I went.” John’s new captain liked him, and took him to his home on an island off the African coast, where he had married a beautiful and cruel African princess. She grew jealous of her husband’s friendship with John, who fell ill, and was left in her care. HMS Harwich was barely over the horizon when she threw John into a pig sty, blinded him, and left him in delirium to die. He did not die, but was kept in chains in a cage and fed swill from her table. Word spread through the district that a black woman was keeping a white slave, and many came to taunt him. They threw limes and stones at him, mocking his misery. He would have starved if slaves waiting to embark on the Middle Passage to the Americas had not shared their meager scraps of food. Five years passed, and the captain returned. John told how he had been treated and he was mocked as a liar. When he was finally taken aboard HMS Harwich again, he was treated ever harshly, allowed to eat only the entrails of animals butchered for the crew’s mess. “The voyage quite broke my constitution,” he would recall, “and the effects would always remain with me as a needful memento of the wages of sin.” Like Job, he became a magnet for adversity. His ship crashed against the rocks, and he despaired that God’s mercy remained after his life of hostile indifference to the Gospel. “During the time I was engaged in the slave trade,” he said, “I never had the least scruple to its lawfulness.” The wanton sinner, the arrogant blasphemer, the mocker of the faith of others was at last driven to his knees: “My prayer was like the cry of ravens, which yet the Lord does not disdain to hear.” Miraculously, he was rescued, and arrived back in London to reflect on the mercies God had shown him despite his awful life. He fell under the preaching of George Whitefield and the influence of John Wesley, and was born again into the new life in Christ. Shortly before Christmas Day of 1807, he died at the age of 82, leaving a dazzling testimony to the miracle born on the first Christmas. “I commit my soul to my gracious God and Savior, who mercifully spared and preserved me, when I was an apostate, a blasphemer and an infidel, and delivered me from that state on the coast of Africa into which my obstinate wickedness had plunged me.” His testimony, set to music, would become the most beloved hymn of Christendom: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear And grace my fears relieved How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. • Wesley Pruden is editor in chief emeritus of The Washington Times.
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Marco Rubio tops Florida Senate rival Val Demings as Biden approval plummets: Poll David M. Drucker | February 16, 2022 06:00 AM SEE IT: Reporter presses Hillary Clinton on 'spying' allegations Daniel Chaitin | February 15, 2022 10:48 PM Typo on flier sends drivers in Florida to Trump 2024 merchandise website Asher Notheis | February 15, 2022 05:41 PM Charlie Savage is the reason no one trusts journalists Conn Carroll | February 15, 2022 01:48 PM Oz and McCormick wage battle for Trump endorsement in GOP Senate primary David M. Drucker | February 15, 2022 01:34 PM Sussmann wants Durham filing about Trump White House snooping stricken from record Jerry Dunleavy | February 15, 2022 01:12 PM No spying on Trump? 35 times Big Media lied Paul Bedard | February 15, 2022 01:10 PM The frightening breadth and unaccountability of the deep state Washington Examiner | February 15, 2022 12:01 AM Tech executive fires back at John Durham Daniel Chaitin | February 14, 2022 09:40 PM Trump Organization's longtime accounting firm cuts ties Asher Notheis | February 14, 2022 08:34 PM
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Hillary let the cat out of a bag Friday. For once, she told us what she really thinks. the truth. No lies, no filters, no politically correct editing.Hillary finally shared her true feelings at a fundraising event in Manhattan on Friday night, with her old pal Barbara Streisand hosting. Just like Mitt Romney exposed his true feelings about "the 47 percent" at a private fundraiser in 2012.Hillary said that half of Donald Trump’s supporters belong in a “basket of deplorables.”This was the real Hillary -- raw and unfiltered. She must be taking lessons from Donald Trump.Everything I love -- and millions of conservatives, Christians and patriots love -- is under attack from Hillary and the Democrats. They resent us. They disrespect us. They want to silence us. Of course, she now regrets saying it. Politicians often regret letting their true feelings out. But it's clear what Hillary meant. Hillary and her supporters despise and disrespect anyone who loves God, country, family and our Constitution.Hillary was talking about me and my friends. I’m Exhibit A for her rant. I’m the author of the new book “ANGRY WHITE MALE.” It’s my testimony about exactly what millions of angry white males who support Donald Trump believe in…and exactly what liberals like Hillary and President Obama think of us. How they are trying to target us, muzzle us, punish us and destroy us.Thanks Hillary. We already knew how you felt, but it's nice to get it out into the open. Now you're on record. Everything I love -- and millions of conservatives, Christians and patriots love -- is under attack from Hillary and the Democrats. They resent us. They disrespect us. They want to silence us. They want to financially cripple us (to redistribute our income in the name of "fairness" and "social justice").Millions of Trump supporters believe the things that made America great are simple: Faith in God, family, patriotism, American exceptionalism, capitalism, Judeo-Christian values, Constitution, military and police. But Hillary and the Democrats despise those symbols. To them, belief in those symbols makes you..."deplorable."Well, I’m proud that Hillary and her socialist cabal see me as “deplorable.” Let’s look at who else is in this “basket" with me. Here is a list of my teammates in Hillary's "basket of deplorables":- The soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. We know they are Trump supporters. The latest poll shows Trump winning the military vote by a landslide. Hillary thinks they are "deplorable."- Military veterans. These are the Americans who were willing to die for our freedoms. Vets were included in that military poll that showed Trump winning by a landslide.- Vets who came home from Iraq and Afghanistan with no arms, or no legs, or both. I’m betting most of them are for Trump too. Does Hillary think they’re “deplorable?”- Policemen murdered in the line of duty -- like the five officers recently killed in Dallas, or the three who were killed in Baton Rouge. Most every police officer I meet is voting for Trump.- The spouses and children of policemen murdered in the line of duty. What if they're voting for Trump? Are they “deplorable” to Hillary and her supporters?- Every red-blooded regular church-goer on Sunday mornings in America. We know a large majority of regular church-goers are for Trump.- A majority of the 28 million small business owners in America. This group will be voting overwhelmingly for Trump. They get up early, work 16 hour days, risk their own money, and create the majority of America's private sector jobs. But Hillary doesn't like them very much. She thinks if they vote for Trump they're "deplorable."Now Hillary is walking back her comment. She says she regrets calling us all "a basket of deplorables." But it's too late. We all know your first comment was the raw truth, Hillary. That was how you really feel about us.The only thing Hillary regrets is that she let the cat out of the bag.Well, I have news for Hillary…I'm for Donald Trump. And... I am proud to be part of "the basket of deplorables."
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending schools reopen this fall with students "physically present" in their classrooms, as the negative impacts are already being shown in children since schools closed earlier this spring. "The importance of in-person learning is well-documented," the AAP said in recently released guidance, reports the U.K.'s Daily Mail. "The AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with the goal of having students physically present in school."
Being away from school for too long can often result in a sense of social isolation, which makes it difficult for schools to identify and address issues such as physical or sexual abuse, substance use, depression, and even suicidal thoughts, and places children and adolescents "at considerable risk of morbidity and in some cases, mortality," the guidance said. In addition, being away from school has caused a "substantial impact on food security and physical activity for children and families," the report said. The organization acknowledged children and adolescents are less likely to be symptomatic or have "serious disease" from COVID-19 and "may be less likely to become infected and to spread infection."
The report surfaced while several states have seen increased coronavirus case numbers, including Friday, when the United States recorded the largest single-day increase of the pandemic, with 45,000 new cases. Overall, there are 2.5 million coronavirus cases in the United States, and Texas, Florida, and other southern states are reversing some parts of their reopening efforts. © 2022 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
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Brushing aside Democrats’ warnings of permanent political doom, House Republicans voted Thursday to cancel President Obama’s deportation amnesties, casting it as an effort to undo a runaway White House untethered either to the Constitution or its own words and promises. In a debate freighted with political, symbolic and constitutional significance, House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, read 22 quotes from Mr. Obama denying he had powers to act unilaterally to halt deportations. The president claimed the powers last year when he announced an amnesty for more than 4 million illegal immigrants, granting them tentative legal status and work permits to compete legally for jobs. “We do not take this action lightly, but there is simply no alternative,” Mr. Boehner said from the well of the House. “This is not a dispute between parties, or even branches of government. The president’s overreach is an affront to the rule of law and the Constitution itself.” Democrats, no less strenuous in their defense of Mr. Obama, accused Republicans of mean-spiritedness with a series of votes to roll back Mr. Obama’s November amnesty and a smaller 2012 amnesty for Dreamers, or young adults brought to the U.S. as children. “As a country, we’re better than this. Shame on you,” said Rep. Linda T. Sanchez of California, chairwoman of the House Hispanic Caucus. The vote to cancel the November amnesty was 237-190, with seven Republicans joining Democrats in opposition. The vote to cancel the amnesty for Dreamers was less popular, passing on a 218-209 vote with 26 Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition. White House officials and immigrant rights advocates feared the votes could send illegal immigrants back into the shadows. But Cecilia Munoz, Mr. Obama’s domestic policy director, said the White House will make it clear to illegal immigrants that the president won’t be daunted.“At the end of the day, we are confident we are going to be implementing these executive actions,” she said. The courts could have a final say, however. Several challenges have been filed, including one in Texas, where 25 states have sued, arguing that they will have to fund billions of dollars worth of services to illegal immigrants if the president’s plans are allowed to stand. A judge will hold a hearing Thursday on the states’ request for an injunction. Wednesday’s fight was part of the debate on a bill to fund the Homeland Security Department and its immigration enforcement mission through the end of the fiscal year. That bill cleared the House on a 236-191 vote. Mr. Obama has vowed to veto the bill because it includes the provisions canceling his amnesties, and Senate Democratic leaders said they will lead a filibuster to prevent the bill from even reaching the president’s desk. That would leave homeland security funding in limbo, with a Feb. 27 deadline looming, and rank-and-file House Republicans acknowledged Wednesday that they aren’t sure about the next step. “I don’t know that there is a Plan B,” said Rep. Peter T. King, a New York Republican who voted for the amendment to cancel the November amnesty but against the plan to scrap the Dreamer amnesty. “It’s a work in progress.” Mr. King said there are six weeks to go before the deadline, which gives all sides a chance to work out an agreement. House and Senate Republicans will gather Thursday and Friday in Pennsylvania for a policy retreat, where immigration is bound to take up much of the discussion. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican who opposed both amnesty amendments, said the effort was a waste because Republicans don’t have the votes to override a presidential veto. “I wish that wasn’t the case. I wish President Obama was not in the White House. But that’s the reality,” he said. All sides said Wednesday’s votes were momentous political statements and served as a signal of how much the immigration debate has changed over the past year. House Republicans entered their annual policy retreat last year with Mr. Boehner announcing principles for tackling immigration, including legalizing the Dreamers and figuring out a solution for the rest of the illegal immigrant population. This year, Mr. Boehner led the charge to cancel the amnesty for Dreamers and to step up enforcement of immigration laws. Republicans said the moves should be seen as statements on the Constitution and separation of powers, not as attacks on immigrants. Democrats, though, said Hispanic voters won’t see it that way. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat who has been a staunch advocate for legalizing illegal immigrants, chided Republicans for backtracking on Mr. Boehner’s stance to legalize Dreamers. “One year later, you want to take away from 600,000 Dreamers their right to live in this country. What happened? What happened?” Mr. Gutierrez said. He vowed to make sure Hispanic voters punish Republicans for the votes: “The fruits of your action today will ultimately anger and outrage and [mobilize] the immigrant community throughout this nation.” Democrats pointed to missives from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the AFL-CIO and Hispanic rights groups who all blasted the amendments. The bishops said deporting illegal immigrants would fracture families, and labor unions said the moves were “anti-immigrant.”
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by: Posted: May 4, 2016 / 04:29 PM EDT / Updated: May 4, 2016 / 05:57 PM EDT This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced the suspension of his presidential campaign Wednesday evening in Columbus.
He kept his remarks short, but thanked his wife, his two daughters, his staff and the hundreds of volunteers who supported his presidential run. The governor also reflected on a few people he met along the campaign trail.
“I have always said God has a purpose for me, as he does for everyone,” Kasich said moments before officially suspending his bid for the White House. “Thank you and God bless.”
While he acknowledged his campaign never had the funds to compete, he stayed positive about his impact on the race.
“They didn’t think I could make a debate; I made all 13 of them. Even won a few,” Kasich said with a smile.
The Ohio governor also had a few words of warning for other politicians, saying, “Economic growth can be achieved by public officials, if they do their jobs.” He said those in office shouldn’t pay attention to polls.
After the news broke earlier on Wednesday, Donald Trump said Kasich is “doing the right thing” by dropping out of the presidential race, adding that he is interested in vetting the Ohio governor as a potential running mate.
“That’s good. That’s good. You’re just telling me that for the first time,” Trump said when CNN’s Wolf Blitzer relayed the news of Kasich’s decision, which CNN confirmed during the interview.
Kasich has been critical of Trump’s rhetoric and many of his proposals on the campaign trail, but Trump insisted that he has “a very good relationship with John.”
“I think John will be very helpful with Ohio,” Trump said of Kasich and his home state, which will once again be a battleground state in November’s general election.
Kasich’s decision to drop out now leaves Trump with an entirely unobstructed path to the Republican nomination after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz dropped out Tuesday night.
GOP Convention spokesperson Kirsten Kukowski told FOX 8, “The convention staff will begin working with the Trump campaign to bring them up to speed on the months of planning that’s been happening in Cleveland so we can unite and make the convention a success for the Republican Party and nominee.”
The Republican National Convention will be held July 18 to 21 in Cleveland.
The general election, Trump said, has “essentially” begun.
Continuing coverage on the presidential race here
More on John Kasich here
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s surprise announcement that his nation will suspend tests of nuclear weapons and missiles and close its nuclear testing site sounds like a momentous victory for the U.S. It’s not – at least, not yet.Kim’s announcement Saturday (local time) may simply be a ploy to ensure President Trump meets with Kim in the coming weeks, conferring international prestige on the dictator and paving the way for the lifting of international economic sanctions crippling his impoverished nation.Before we start singing “Give Peace a Chance” and celebrating a victory by the Trump administration for forcing Kim to back down, let’s pause. Remember that Kim simply made a statement – and he has a long record of lying and breaking promises on the nuclear issue and other issues.While Kim’s conciliatory words are certainly welcome, there’s no way of knowing whether he will actually do what he claims.Before we start singing “Give Peace a Chance” and celebrating a victory by the Trump administration for forcing Kim to back down, let’s pause. Remember that Kim simply made a statement – and he has a long record of lying and breaking promises on the nuclear issue and other issues. At this point, Kim has given away absolutely nothing. All he has to do is give an order and North Korea can resume testing nuclear weapons and missiles again.And of critical importance, Kim gave no indication he plans to destroy his small but devastating nuclear arsenal and missiles that he has already developed – or his large conventional armed forces and armaments. He already has the ability to kill millions of people with the nuclear weapons and missiles that he has on hand, without developing any new ones.Kim may simply be trying to show signs that he is willing to make major concessions to have better relations with the United States, South Korea and Japan, along with the international community. He has plenty of reasons to be on his best behavior over the next few weeks, showing that he can be reasonable, rational and open to a long-term détente.The North Korean leader will meet on Friday in the week ahead with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. And plans are underway for the first-ever meeting between U.S. and North Korean leaders in coming weeks.Remember the cold hard reality of what we witnessed back in 2017. Kim might not need to conduct many more missile or nuclear tests to know he can hit targets in the U.S. homeland.Kim tested three intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) – part of a sprint of over 20 missile tests last year – that showed North Korea had the range and technological prowess to strike as far as New York City and even Washington, D.C.In September, Kim also tested a hydrogen bomb – the most destructive of all nuclear weapons. One of these bombs could wipe any U.S. city off the map, with horrific casualties.So Kim is now very close to having a fully capable, albeit tiny, nuclear force with global reach. All that is needed is the ability for his warheads to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and land on target.And we know, at least according to one report, that Kim has at least a crude capability to see his warheads survive the massive heat and wind shears to rain down atomic terror on his enemies.So what does this all mean?Since Kim last tested an ICBM – or any missile – in November, he has had months of lab research time to perfect even more of his nuclear weapons arsenal and missiles.Kim may have gambled that announcing a closure of his atomic testing grounds and suspending missile and nuclear weapons tests will gain him tremendous international goodwill, a meeting with the U.S. president – and result in him losing nothing.Kim could easily start to test missiles at any time he wishes. And he doesn’t need missiles flying all throughout Northeast Asia to perfect the targeting, guidance, command and control and heatshield technology of his nuclear delivery systems in small ways.Perfecting all these things could have very big results months or years down the line if Kim decides to change his mind and begin missile testing again.The same goes for nuclear weapons. Just because Kim closes his nuclear testing area doesn’t mean he can’t open it back up again. The testing site – a series of carefully crafted deep underground tunnels that took time to construct – is not a sophisticated lab. So let’s not get carried away and be so impressed.Again, as I noted just recently in a Fox News Opinion piece, what Kim is likely doing is setting the craftiest of traps – one designed to suck the Trump administration into months or years of negotiations.All the while, Kim’s scientists are working to perfect his deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction – not just nuclear weapons, but also chemical and likely biological weapons as well.The Trump administration must move past Kim’s dramatic announcement that was designed to pull at our emotions and make us hopeful that peace is at hand.We must demand deeds, because as the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Particularly in Kim’s case.For example, the Trump administration should insist on a roadmap whereby Kim lays out how he will get rid of his nuclear weapons for good – before any U.S.-North Korea summit.Any agreement with the North should be contingent on international inspectors having 24-hour access to all parts of North Korea – with no site off limits and no notification of access. If inspectors are not allowed to go anywhere, anytime in North Korea without notice there is no real basis for a deal.Also, any lifting of the international maximum pressure campaign on North Korea must be contingent on Kim making measured and definable progress on giving up his nukes. He must give verifiable proof that he is getting rid of his atomic arsenal to see economic sanctions lifted.While I am hopeful that Kim could really be sincere in giving up his nukes, public declarations and easily reversed measures are meaningless. I can only hope the Trump administration sees it the same way.
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President Trump complied with financial disclosure requirements in reporting a payment of more than $100,000 to attorney Michael Cohen, who paid hush-money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, the Office of Government Ethics said Wednesday. But OGE said the president should have disclosed the reimbursement to Mr. Cohen in last year’s report, and it notified Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein of the lapse for any possible investigation. “OGE has concluded that the information related to the payment made by Mr. Cohen is required to be reported and that the information provided meets the disclosure requirement for a reportable liability under the Ethics in Government Act,” said OGE Acting Director David J. Apol. The report filed by the president says he “fully reimbursed” Mr. Cohen in the range of $100,000 to $250,000 during 2017. Mr. Cohen paid $130,000 to Ms. Daniels, who alleges a brief affair with Mr. Trump in 2006, shortly before the presidential election in 2016. “In 2016 expenses were incurred by one of Donald J. Trump’s attorneys, Michael Cohen,” the president reported on the financial disclosure report required of top federal officials. “Mr. Cohen sought reimbursement of those expenses and Mr. Trump fully reimbursed Mr. Cohen in 2017. The category of value would be $100,001 — $250,000 and the interest rate would be zero.” Earlier this year, Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he had not known about Mr. Cohen’s payment to Ms. Daniels. Trump lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani said earlier this month that Mr. Trump had reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the payment. The president later tweeted that he paid Mr. Cohen via a monthly retainer to stop what the president called “false and extortionist accusations.” Mr. Apol flagged the disclosure in a letter to Mr. Rosenstein “because you may find the disclosure relevant to any inquiry you may be pursuing regarding the president’s prior [financial disclosure] report that was signed on June 14, 2017.” Mr. Rosenstein oversees the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is probing whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia and other matters. A government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the president’s disclosure of the liability to Mr. Cohen “raises serious questions” about why he didn’t disclose the repayment in last year’s filing. “It is good that in the face of overwhelming evidence and public pressure, the president came clean about this liability on this year’s form, but we now have to wonder how many other liabilities for similar payments he has that he still has not disclosed because he has not been publicly called out on them, said CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder. “If the [Justice] Department is not already investigating the president’s failure to disclose the loan last year, it should open an investigation immediately.” Congressional Democrats blasted the president for the revelation, saying it underscored their calls for an investigation that has been ignored by the GOP majority. “Today’s determination by the Office of Government Ethics confirms exactly the concerns I raised more than a week ago in a letter asking Chairman Trey Gowdy to investigate President Trump’s payments and whether they violated federal law,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, top Democrat on the House Government Oversight Committee. “President Trump was required by law to report that he ‘funneled’ money through Michael Cohen to reimburse a secret payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, but he concealed these payments, and we still do not know why.” He said it is time for congressional Republicans “to stop shielding President Trump from congressional oversight.” Former OGE director Walter Shaub, who resigned from the post last year and has clashed with the president, questioned whether the Justice Department will “step up and do its job.” “If DOJ investigates and determines that President Trump knew of his debt to Cohen when he filed last year’s report, there will be reason to suspect that his omission of the debt from last year’s report was ‘knowing and willful,’ which would be a crime,” said Mr. Shaub, now an official at the Campaign Legal Center in Washington. “I note that no one from the Trump camp asked OGE last year whether the debt was reportable and that, instead, President Trump’s attorney asked OGE to allow him to be the first filer in history to be excused from the obligation to certify that his report was true.” The 92-page report lists Mr. Trump’s more than 200 property holdings, including Trump Tower in New York and his private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, valued at more than $50 million. For the period from January 2017 to this month, the president reported income of well over $35 million, with the exact amount difficult to determine because the form asks only for ranges — for example, between $1 million and $5 million for a given asset.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Unlike Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great, the Soviet Union and the British Empire, the United States finds itself in a unique position that no other nation has found themselves in before when it comes to having a presence in Afghanistan: America is welcome.Through the stabilizing efforts of the United States military, the NATO mission, and the Afghan government, we have achieved so much. Over 9 million Afghan children are in school today, one-third of whom are young girls who were previously banned from accessing education by the Taliban.Today, Afghan women are being empowered across society more than ever before, serving in high-level positions from government ministers to CEOs to generals. Preserving women’s rights was tied for the #1 policy priority in a peace deal among Afghans, signaling how important women’s empowerment has become to all of Afghan society.The Afghan government promotes our shared values of democracy and freedom, and the constitution enshrines gender equality, freedom of expression and the preservation of human dignity.BIDEN FACES BIPARTISAN PUSHBACK OVER PLAN TO WITHDRAW ALL TROOPS FROM AFGHANISTAN BY SEPT. 11Most importantly, U.S. training programs have been critical in helping Afghan security forces build up the capacity to protect the people of Afghanistan, the region and the world alike by ensuring that Afghanistan never becomes a haven for terrorism again.For those of us who have fought in war, we know this progress is the outcome of partners working together to build a better tomorrow for Afghans and promoting the security of freedom-loving people around the world.U.S. and Afghan goals are completely aligned; we both seek to secure Afghanistan so it cannot be a threat to its people or its allies and ensure a positive future in Afghanistan by protecting the gains made.The United States’ engagement has evolved to focus on these goals, as was always intended. Far from the 100,000 troops in Afghanistan in 2010, less than 5,000 U.S. troops remain on the ground.American forces are now primarily conducting intelligence, counterterrorism, as well as train and assist operations, while Afghan security forces conduct 96% of security operations in Afghanistan. Afghans are bearing the brunt of the fight, while both Afghans and Americans alike share in the benefits.So when we discuss the possibility of troop withdrawal, we must first start by setting the narrative straight.STREYDER AND WEINSTEIN: BIDEN, AFGHANISTAN AND THE COMMODIFICATION OF THE AMERICAN WARFIGHTERWhile many fatigued Americans characterize U.S. engagement in Afghanistan as a "forever war," the reality is that America’s presence in Afghanistan is no longer the same combat mission that began after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. It has evolved into a mutually beneficial partnership, where each side serves as an insurance policy on security for each other.For the United States to abandon their position in Afghanistan is dangerous. To give up what American and Afghan troops have fought and died side-by-side for, only for the U.S. to return next year with more troops to fight the same enemy again, would be a grave mistake.When President Obama was politically pressured to draw down forces too quickly in Iraq, the United States was ultimately forced to send back even more troops in a surge to fight ISIS. And now, as President Biden faces similar pressure to meet an arbitrary deadline, we urge his administration to reconsider. We must learn from our mistakes, not repeat them. Announcing the decision to withdraw based on a timeline regardless of the conditions on the ground undermines the sacrifices Americans and Afghans have made over the past 20 years.The dramatic increase in violence and repeated violations of every part of the U.S.-Taliban deal further shows that the Taliban has no incentive to seriously commit to the peace process. They will simply wait for the clock to run out in September, and pick up where they left off.CLICK HERE TO GET THE OPINION NEWSLETTERThe Taliban has not shown their commitment to upholding their end of a deal. In fact, the NATO Resolute support and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan commander has characterized the Taliban’s recent behavior as "not consistent with the U.S.-Taliban agreement and [undermining] the ongoing Afghan peace talks." Following the Sept. 11 attacks, Taliban leaders chose to face certain battlefield defeat rather than accede to U.S. requests to turn over Al Qaeda’s leaders. We see no evidence that would suggest a different outcome in the future. On the contrary, the Taliban still have not cut ties with Al Qaeda, and Abu Muhsin al-Masri, Al Qaeda’s second in command, was killed in Afghanistan by Afghan security forces less than six months ago.Without question, achieving a true peace deal is the goal. But we should also work to maintain American and NATO force structures to ensure American diplomats are protected, Afghan forces are supported, and the conditionality of withdrawal is clear. We cannot make a deal just for the sake of making a deal. The deal needs to be based on good faith, and while the cost of pressing on is notable, the benefits far outweigh it.The Afghan people want peace and the American people want to bring troops home. But we have to make sure we approach this carefully and strategically. Maintaining U.S. presence in Afghanistan at this critical time is essential to securing a durable peace and ensuring lasting security for both Afghans and the rest of the world.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe vacuum left by the United States’ departure would allow for terrorist organizations to rebound and flourish and for all the gains we have dedicated so much to for the past 20 years to be crushed.Both our sacrifices and achievements have been great. Now is not the time to retreat.
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President Barack Obama is speaking out against the military coup that is now seeking to overthrow Turkey’s elected Islamist government.
According to a 7.00 pm statement from the White House, The President spoke tonight by phone with Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the events in Turkey. The President and Secretary agreed that all parties in Turkey should support the democratically-elected Government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed. The Secretary underscored that the State Department will continue to focus on the safety and security of U.S. citizens in Turkey. The President asked the Secretary to continue to keep him updated as the situation unfolds.
Obama entered power in 2009 hoping to use Turkey’s Islamist president to help remake politics in the Middle East — but the wished-for alliance crashed as Erdogan’s Islamist government became more radical year by year.
Obama met with Erdogan multiple times during his first four-year term.
In January, 2012, Obama said Erdogan is one of his top allies. “I think that if you ask them, [Germany’s] Angela Merkel or [Indian] Prime Minister Singh or [Korea’s] President Lee or [Turkey’s] Prime Minister Erdogan or [U.K.] David Cameron would say ‘We have a lot of trust and confidence in the President … We think he’s paying attention to our concerns and our interests,’” he told Newsweek interviewer Fareed Zakaria.
In March 2012, at a meeting in South Korea, Obama declared about Erdogan “that we find ourselves in frequent agreement upon a wide range of issues… [and] because he has two daughters that are a little older than mine — they’ve turned out very well, so I’m always interested in his perspective on raising girls.”
Erdogan has pushed step-by-step create an Islamic state. That Islamic push is being resisted by secular, educated Turks, mostly in the major cities.
Erdogan has also tried to revive the defunct Ottoman Empire by building a new presidential palace and surrounding himself with guards dressed as the soldiers of the Ottoman empire, which collapsed in 1920. That push has been strongly resisted by neighboring Arab countries, and largely ignored by European governments.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The race to become Britain's next prime minister took a dramatic last-minute turn with former London Mayor Boris Johnson -- considered a front-runner -- ruling himself out of the race after the defection of a key ally on Thursday.Johnson, a prominent campaigner for British withdrawal from the European Union, told a news conference that the next Conservative Party leader would have needs to ensure Britain's standing in the world."Having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in Parliament, I have concluded that person cannot be me," he said.Johnson dropped out after Justice Secretary Michael Gove, Johnson's ally in the EU "leave" campaign, astonished the political world by announcing that he was running to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron.Home Secretary Theresa May and Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb are also in the race.The winner of the contest, to be announced Sept. 9, will become prime minister and play a vital role shaping the nature of Britain's relationship with the European Union after last week's Brexit vote ended the career of Cameron, whose bid to keep Britain in the EU block failed. Boris Johnson on June 24. (Mary Turner/Pool via AP)The bookies' early favorite is May, who is seen by many in the party as a safe pair of hands as the country struggles to disentangle itself from the EU."This is not a normal leadership held under normal circumstances," May said in a speech Thursday in London. "The result means we face a period of uncertainty we need to address head on."Although May had offered a tepid endorsement of Britain's place in the European Union during the referendum campaign, she was clear that the vote would be respected."The United Kingdom will leave the EU," she said, pledging to create a brand new government department devoted to negotiating Britain's "sensible and orderly" departure from the 28-nation bloc.Boosting May's chances was a last-minute falling out between her two leading competitors -- Gove and Johnson -- who had campaigned together to yank Britain from the EU.In a statement, Gove said he would pursue the prime minister's post after concluding that Johnson "cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead."An email from Gove's wife, Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine, obtained earlier by Sky News, suggested that Gove should ensure he had specific guarantees from Johnson before backing the latter's bid.She added that influential right-wing media barons Rupert Murdoch and Paul Dacre "instinctively dislike" Johnson.Gove's camp has declined to comment on the missive.The opposition Labour Party is also is extreme disarray, with leader Jeremy Corbyn facing intense pressure to resign after losing a confidence vote. He has lost the support of the party's lawmakers but claims the rank and file still back himHe is expected to face a formal leadership challenge in the coming days. He has faced heavy criticism for failing to campaign effectively in support of keeping Britain within the EU.
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