Posts on Friday, January 31, 2020
WAUKEE, Iowa — Former Vice President Joe Biden has opened a final sprint toward the Iowa caucuses, returning to his greatest strength: voter perception that he is most able to beat President Trump. But as his rivals draw large crowds of energetic supporters in a variety of communities between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, some of his fans worry that Biden’s decidedly more low-key approach underscores a glaring weakness: Everyone likes Joe Biden. Few seem enthusiastic about him. “I want to see some energy going into the last four days,” said Charlie Jordan, a former backer of Beto O’Rourke who
DES MOINES, Iowa — A small group of Democratic National Committee members has privately begun gauging support for a plan to potentially weaken Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign and head off a brokered convention. In conversations on the sidelines of a DNC executive committee meeting and in telephone calls and texts in recent days, about a half-dozen members have discussed the possibility of a policy reversal to ensure that so-called superdelegates can vote on the first ballot at the party’s national convention. Such a move would increase the influence of DNC members, members of Congress and other top party officials, who
The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who accused the Trump administration of a "smear" campaign against her, has retired from the foreign service, NPR has learned. The career diplomat was abruptly forced out of her post in Ukraine amid accusations of disloyalty in a scheme allegedly involving President Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and two of Giuliani's associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were arrested and charged with campaign finance violations in October. After her recall in May, Yovanovitch remained on the State Department payroll, teaching at Georgetown University. But sources tell NPR that she has officially
As it appears more and more likely that the Senate will be moving to exclude witnesses and acquit Donald Trump, the journalistic reaction has become frenzied. After MSNBC compared it to letting a wife beater go, NBC’s Jon Meacham on Friday fretted that the Senate is making Trump a “king” who is “above the law.” He warned, “President Trump is functionally a monarch at this point. If the king does it, it's okay.” The NBC historian panicked, “I think the significance of today and going into the weekend and into next week is, I think, it is now arguable... that Donald Trump may well have now
Cats and dogs seem perfectly happy to be fed, watered and cuddled by doting owners.
But whatever you do, don't call them pets, says the head of an animal rights organisation.
Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA, said this is derogatory and suggests they are merely a 'commodity' or 'decoration'.
The group – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – has long called for owners to be renamed 'human carers' or guardians.
(Snip) Miss Newkirk said: 'Animals are not pets – they are not your cheap burglar alarm, or something which allows you to go out for a walk. They are not ours as decorations or toys, they are living beings.
It’s all over but the shouting, as the saying goes.
The Senate has enough votes to block new witnesses in the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump. A literal 11th hour announcement Thursday night from retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) ensured that there were 50 votes against new witnesses in the Senate in addition to the witnesses already heard in the House, and then Friday’s announcement from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) that she would also oppose witnesses put the Senate at 51, meaning that there would be no tie that Democrats would push Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts—who is presiding over Trump’s trial—to break.
CPAC doesn’t want Sen. Mitt Romney’s shadow darkening the door at its annual conference. The Conservative Political Action Committee formally disinvited the Utah Republican from its high-profile conference next month, after he voted in favor of new witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial. “BREAKING: The ‘extreme conservative’ and Junior Senator from the great state of Utah, @SenatorRomney is formally NOT invited to #CPAC2020,” tweeted Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union. Mr. Romney has attended CPAC in the past. In 2012, as he successfully campaigned for the GOP presidential nomination, he used the word “conservative” 25 times in his 26-minute speech at the conference.
President Trump and Melania Trump were spotted leaving the White House, along with the First Lady's parents, to spend the weekend in Florida. The Trumps were all smiles as they held hands and waved while crossing the White House's South Lawn and boarding Marine One Friday afternoon as the Senate impeachment trial continued. Trump saluted the Marine standing outside the helicopter while Melania - wearing a camel-colored wool cape by Chloe - climbed aboard.
The varsity basketball game between the Gonzaga Eagles and the Good Counsel Falcons that was played in the Gonzaga gym—about a one-mile walk from the U.S. Capitol--drew a larger crowd on Thursday evening than the Senate impeachment trial did.That was the case even though the Gonzaga-Good Counsel game drew a modest crowd--as Gonzaga won 79-55.According to Gonzaga Athletic Director Joe Reyda, there was a crowd of about 200 at the varsity basketball match that started at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.A count of the people in the Senate galleries, taken between 7:46 p.m. and 7:50 p.m. by this writer, indicated there was a total of approximately 131 people
During his four decades as an accumulator of power in the nation’s capital, a holder of high offices in the State Department, and finally a stint as President Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton has been well known for his scrupulous attention to the hiring and firing of his staff.
He always has demanded unwavering personal loyalty as well as fealty to his own—not his president’s—policy agenda. He has performed the most rigorous vetting on all who have been selected to serve on his various staffs, both the small number of political appointees a political appointee such as himself is allowed to have as well as the more numerous personnel selected
Mitt Romney is stoking suspicions that he is eyeing a third White House bid in 2024 after the Utah Republican broke with his party and insisted on witnesses at President Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate. Along with centrist Susan Collins of Maine, Romney was one of just two Senate Republicans to join the Democrats in a failed vote to subpoena fresh testimony. The 2012 Republican presidential nominee might yet acquit Trump on two articles alleging abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, but consistent criticism of Trump throughout impeachment, a GOP rarity, capped by support for witnesses has some Republicans convinced Romney is jockeying to reclaim the party.
Pennsylvania’s Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG) announced Tuesday that it had filed charges against 45 people for committing welfare fraud in the state in December 2019.
The total amount owed to the state from all the welfare fraud cases amounted to $240,125.40, according to the OSIG.
The OSIG also announced that 35 of those cases where individuals had been fraudulently receiving public assistance were classified as third-degree felonies.
If these people are convicted, they face up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of $15,000. In specific Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), cash assistance, or daycare fraud cases,
We can see the basic outline of how a fraudulent impeachment scheme was constructed through an alliance of operatives in the National Security Council (NSC) and staff in the House committees. Our nation is currently dealing with the consequences. However, if we go back to Nancy Pelosi’s December 2018 rule changes, there is clear forethought.
It now looks like the Lawfare network constructed the ‘whistle-blower’ complaint (Snip)and handed it to allied CIA operative Eric Ciaramella to file as a formal IC complaint. This process is almost identical to the Fusion-GPS/Lawfare network handing the Steele Dossier to the FBI to use as the evidence for the 2016/2017 Russia conspiracy.
The Senate Friday voted to usher in the end of President Trump’s impeachment trial by rejecting a motion to call for additional witnesses and documents.
Two Republicans joined 47 Democrats to vote in favor of calling for the additional evidence. The motion fell short by two votes, ending the case House Impeachment managers have been presenting for the past two weeks.
The Senate now moves into the final phase of the trial, which could last a few days longer to allow senators to deliberate and give speeches before holding final votes.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer melted down on Friday as impeachment against President Trump imploded.McConnell will be holding a vote on additional witnesses Friday after closing arguments wrap up.In a huge blow to Democrats, Senator Lamar Alexander announced Thursday night he will be voting against new witnesses, giving the Republicans a probable victory with a 50-50 tie. Chief Justice Roberts is not expected to cast a tie-breaker vote, according to Republicans.Once the witnesses are blocked, Republicans will move to acquit President Trump.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has been consistent throughout the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, wanting to shine a light on the nefarious actions of former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, in regard to Ukraine.To that end, Cruz slammed CNN for trying to cover up the younger Biden’s role — the liberal media has been unified in saying there has been “no evidence” of wrongdoing.Cruz was open to calling new witnesses, so long as that would mean Hunter Biden would be among them, and told reporters earlier this week that if Democrats manage to get enough votes — they didn’t — Republicans will ensure
Pop icon, Constitutional scholar, and noted political pundit Barbra Streisand says she sees in Adam Schiff (D-CA), the face of the Democrat impeachment campaign against President Donald Trump, a man who “would make a great president. “Adam Schiff is so impressive. His knowledge of the law… his passion… his articulateness. His sincerity!” Barbra Streisand said, pouring praise on the partisan lawmaker. “He speaks the truth and would make a great president.” (Tweet) Babs may want to pomp the breaks because as it stands, only 27 percent of America has a positive opinion of Rep. Schiff according to YouGov data.
West Palm Beach — Law enforcement officials say they have a 30-year-old woman in custody after the SUV she was driving breached a security checkpoint at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw identified Friday’s intruder as Hannah Roemhild. He says she wasn’t “even remotely close" to getting into the “inner perimeter" of the resort in Palm Beach. Bradshaw says Roemhild was impaired. He says when officers first approached her, she was inside her car and would not respond when they tapped on the window. Officers finally smashed through the window glass and she drove away.
The Senate’s shame
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What is there to say about this week’s shameful events in the US Senate that doesn’t come across as hopelessly naive?
What is there to say about this week’s shameful events in the US Senate that doesn’t sound hopelessly naive?
What use is it to cite the Constitution, to refer to the Founders’ fears that exactly this kind of unchecked lawlessness would arise, or to appeal to core principles like the rule of law, the separation of powers and checks and balances?
We are long past such gauziness.
A year after Ukraine official and alleged whistleblower Eric Ciaramella left President Trump’s White House, a picture of him shaking Barack Obama’s hand was published on a close friend's wedding website.
The Oval Office photograph, obtained by the Washington Examiner, is circulating among Trump allies who consider it evidence that the alleged whistleblower is biased against Trump and had partisan motivations when he filed an Aug. 12 complaint that sparked impeachment proceedings.(Snip) From 2015, Ciaramella was the NSC's Ukraine director, the post currently occupied by Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who has testified against Trump and with whom Ciaramella still has professional dealings. The Washington Post has suggested that Vindman spoke
President Donald Trump directed his former national security adviser John Bolton to help with his pressure campaign in Ukraine to dig up dirt on Democrats in early May last year, according to a draft manuscript by Bolton reported on by The New York Times.
According to Bolton's account, Trump told him to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to make sure the newly elected leader would meet with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani(Snip)
On Friday, Trump denied the allegation in a statement.
"I never instructed John Bolton to set up a meeting for Rudy Giuliani, one of the greatest corruption fighters in America and by far the greatest mayor in the history of N.Y.C.,
Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney dropped out of the 2020 presidential race on Friday. It's a bittersweet ending considering he was just a few days shy of the first real contest, the Iowa Caucus. The Democratic contender explained that he will "not have sufficient support to get to the 15 percent viability threshold" needed on Monday night.
Delaney declined to endorse another candidate, but did say he wants a moderate. [Tweet]
He had tried to paint himself as one of the centrists on stage throughout the opening Democratic primary debates, pushing back at the more leftist positions such as Medicare for All. Whenever he had the chance,
Former Georgia state representative and romance novelist Stacey Abrams said she believes she will be occupying the White House by 2040.
Abrams — who rose to national prominence after failing to win the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial contest and then refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the outcome — spoke to FiveThirtyEight about a slate of topics, including her presidential ambitions. The former Georgia House minority leader said she “absolutely” believes a black woman could be elected president by 2040, and she believes that woman to be her.
“Yes, I do,” Abrams said when asked if she believed the country would elect her as president within the next 20 years. “That’s my plan,
Report indicates child sex offender does not
meet criteria for a predator after transitioning
to woman replies
meet criteria for a predator after transitioning
to woman replies
Iowa officials will release a biological man who molested up to 15 children and obtained a sex change after a preliminary report indicated the sex offender is not a threat.
The Iowa attorney general’s office filed a Jan. 9 motion announcing that it will no longer recommend that 23-year-old Joseph Matthew Smith, who now identifies as a woman, be institutionalized in the Cherokee Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders (CCUSO), the Storm Lake Times reported in January.
The motion, which attorney general spokesman Lynn Hicks provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation, asks that Smith “be released from confinement to begin serving his 903B supervision after he has completed sex offender registration.”
WH counsel buries Dems for ‘domestic election
interference,’ turns Pelosi’s own words against
her replies
interference,’ turns Pelosi’s own words against
her replies
White House counsel Pat Cipollone buried Democrats in the final day of questions from senators in President Trump’s impeachment trial.
Trump’s lead defense lawyer leveled one scathing rebuke after another at Democrats and the impeachment managers pressing the sham case against the president, calling them out Thursday for committing “domestic election interference” and warning them that they will pay the price at the ballot box. [Video]
Responding to a question about the “partisan nature of the proceedings in the House” read by Chief Justice John Roberts who is presiding over the trial, Cipollone turned the words of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi against her
A new study shows the number of Washington state drivers involved in deadly crashes who tested positive for THC has doubled.
According to research by AAA between 2008 and 2012, an estimated eight percent of Washington drivers involved in fatal crashes were positive for THC. That rate now is more than double since weed became legal in Washington.
In the five years before legislation, an average of 56 Washington drivers involved in fatal crashes each year were THC positive.
Two suspects are in police custody after breaching two security checkpoints at President Donald Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club on Friday, law enforcement officials said.
In a statement via the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol officers were trailing a black SUV when it rammed through the checkpoints at around 11:40 a.m. EST, prompting them to open fire as the suspects sped toward the front of the property.
The suspects were arrested after state highway troops and a PBSO helicopter located them on-site.
Details about possible injuries are currently unknown.
A video making the rounds on social media flashes us back to Joe Biden’s audacious lies and acts of plagiarism during his doomed 1988 presidential campaign.
The video, which is nearly five minutes long, does not engage in any editorializing. It is merely clips from 1987, clips of Biden either caught stealing his speeches from others, caught lying about his stealing of those speeches, or just outright lying about his résumé.
Take a look… [video]
The video appears to have originated with Shaun King, a controversial leftist and Bernie Sanders supporter.
As someone who remembers the ’88 campaign, who remembers the overall Biden controversy,
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski came out Friday against calling witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial, all but assuring the Senate will move to wrap up proceedings with a likely acquittal in a matter of days, if not hours.
“Given the partisan nature of this impeachment from the very beginning and throughout, I have come to the conclusion that there will be no fair trial in the Senate. I don’t believe the continuation of this process will change anything. It is sad for me to admit that, as an institution, the Congress has failed,” said Murkowski, R-Alaska, a key moderate senator who has been closely watched on the witness question.
How do you respond when placard-waving students occupy your 15th-century quadrangle and refuse to leave until you sell the college’s shares in oil companies? (snip) They say that the college, the richest in Oxford, has £8 million of its £551 million endowment fund invested in BP and Shell.
Professor Parker responded with a provocative offer. “I am not able to arrange any divestment at short notice,” he wrote. “But I can arrange for the gas central heating in college to be switched off."
Democrats Never Found Their Hero
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As the final sliver of daylight faded over the Capitol dome last night, it was clear that Democrats’ long, frustrated quest to compel a deus from the machina of impeachment would end in disappointment. (Snip)Since Election Night 2016, Democrats have been searching for a savior, no matter the party or rank of the individual.
First there was James Comey, the self-righteous former FBI director impervious to Trump’s attempts to co-opt his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Then there was Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to take over the Russia inquiry after Trump’s abrupt dismissal of Comey produced a furor, but whose
The Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump will reconvene on Friday afternoon to consider, finally, the question of witnesses.
On Thursday, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) indicated that he would not vote for witnesses. That fueled speculation of a potential 50-50 tie in the Senate vote. If that happens, it is possible that Chief Justice John Roberts could be called upon to cast the tie breaking vote for witnesses.
Typically, Vice President would cast a tie breaking vote in the Senate — but not in impeachment trials. As the New York Times noted earlier this week, there is precedent for the Chief Justice to cast tie breaking votes;
According to a recent report by Wired, a Canadian AI-driven algorithm called BlueDot sent the first warnings of the coronavirus outbreak in China beating both the CDC and the WHO.
Wired reports that on January 6, the CDC issued a warning about a possible virus outbreak in China, the WHO made a similar announcement on January 9 after a number of pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan. But both were beaten to the report by a Canadian AI health monitoring platform called BlueDot which sent warnings to customers on December 31, 2019.
LONDON - A Brexit supporter burned a European Union flag beside Downing Street in central London on Friday as others jeered at pro-EU demonstrators in the final hours before the United Kingdom is due to leave the bloc.
About 200-300 pro-European Union supporters were mocked by pro-Brexit supporters as they walked from Downing Street to the office of the European Commission in London. Police formed a line to keep the two groups apart.
The pro-Brexit supporters were singing “shame on you, shame on you”, “losers, losers” and “bye, bye EU” to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said on Friday morning that they were suspending service to China as concerns about coronavirus spread across the globe.
American Airlines said that it was suspending all flights to and from mainland China immediately through March 27. Delta said it would suspend service from Feb. 6 through April 30. (Snip) The announcements came a day after the United States State Department raised its travel advisory to Level 4 — “Do not travel” — and after the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency because of the spreading virus.
American said its decision was informed by the State Department advisory.
Librarians and free speech advocates are fighting back against a proposal in the Missouri House of Representatives that would ban certain books from the state's libraries with the threat of a misdemeanor charge. (Snip) Dudenhoffer, however, noted that drag queen story hours and other similar events aren't mentioned in the bill and those readings have not included books with sexually inappropriate content. Nora Pelizzari, a spokeswoman for the National Coalition Against Censorship, which called on the Missouri Legislature to reject the bill this week, said the proposal is trying to remove books that promote positive LGTBQ messages.
North Korean government officials escape across
the border 'with key documents' in group defection replies
the border 'with key documents' in group defection replies
Eight North Korean government officials have escaped over the border into China, including a typist who handled important documents for the ruling party and a number of communications experts. A Radio Free Asia report claims that a further seven officials from Pyongyang were caught by state security officers in a village close to the border before they could defect.
(Snip) The officials appear to have been senior and trusted members of the North Korean government and lived in the luxurious apartments set aside for the regime’s elite on Ryomyong Street and Mirae Scientists Street in the centre of Pyongyang. “Considering that the security authorities pulled out all the stops,
It looks like the reports were right. With Lamar Alexander’s announcement on Thursday night it is likely that the Trump impeachment charade will end in the next 24 hours. And the official British exit from the EU will also take place today. (Tweet) That means Brexit and Acquitmas will likely take place within hours of eachother. What a great day!
One Medical, a direct primary-care provider, has filed for its initial public offering, trading under the name 1Life Healthcare Inc.
The company ONEM, +0.00% operates a care model in which patients pay an annual fee of $199 to gain access to One Medical’s primary-care physicians and services, including the ability to text their doctors, schedule same-day appointments and log into the company’s digital platform housing all of their health information. (Snip) Direct primary care, in particular, is growing in popularity because it seeks to address two of the biggest complaints about traditional primary-care offices in the U.S., a lacking customer experience and a frustrating working environment for physicians,
Brexit goes through today, and Britain is finally independent, free from the clutches of the European Union. It's a great event regardless of how it happens, but in this case, it was cool beyond description.
It all ended with a pretty amazing flourish, one that told us a lot about both the European Commission and newly sovereign Britain itself. Chief Brexiteer Nigel Farage made his last speech before the European Commission, which was a great scolding and call to shut down the whole operation altogether, which was subversive enough. But he drove it even further.
The best moment on Impeachment TV…
I am leading with this because it’s just terrific. (Video)Poor, broken House Manager Adam Schiff. His comrade Rep. Jerry Nadler did a speed waddle up to the podium to answer the last question of the night during the impeachment hearing.
“Jerry. Jerry. Jerry,” Schiff is heard saying as he took a few steps towards Nadler, but failed to stop him. One can only imagine how many hours Schiff rehearsed his final remarks which would include tears and hallucinations, I’m sure. Alas, it was not to be.
Even MSNBC had a laugh. “Adam Schiff stood. He was ready to go to the podium. He only
Antifa plans massive anti-cop action
in NY subways, push for free transit,
ending police presence replies
in NY subways, push for free transit,
ending police presence replies
Police in New York are increasing their presence in subways Friday after members of the far-left Antifa movement called for a mass protest against law enforcement and transit fares.
The Police Benevolent Association of New York City issued a strong warning ahead of Friday’s Antifa demonstration, urging New Yorkers to “pay close attention.”“This is [the] true endgame of the anti-police movement, an end of all policing & destruction of public order,” the group said in a tweet. “Our members have spent their careers -- and in some cases given their lives -- to bring public safety back to NYC. We can't go backwards.”
Joe Biden Argued Against Impeachment
Witnesses In 1999: ‘The Senate Need
Not Hold A Full Blown Trial’ replies
Witnesses In 1999: ‘The Senate Need
Not Hold A Full Blown Trial’ replies
Former Vice President Joe Biden argued during the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton that witnesses should be rejected by the Senate, according to a memo obtained by Politico.
In a January 5, 1999 private memorandum to his fellow Democrat senators at the time, Biden wrote that the Senate should dismiss the articles of impeachment against Clinton without holding what he called a “‘full blown’ trial.”
“The Senate need not hold a ‘full blown’ trial” with witnesses and testimony, then-Sen. Biden wrote. “[T]he Senate may dismiss articles of impeachment without holding a full trial or taking any evidence.”
American presidents have their famous speeches, remembered long after they leave office. JFK said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate and told Mikhail Gorbachev to: “Tear down this wall.”
Some speeches are memorable in other ways. George W. Bush, days after 9/11, ironically announced that: “Islam is peace.” Barack Obama proclaimed himself the messiah: “This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow, and our planet began to heal.”
President Trump has certainly given strong speeches, such as at the recent March for Life.
Read The Question About Eric Ciaramella
That Chief Justice John Roberts Just
Refused To Read replies
That Chief Justice John Roberts Just
Refused To Read replies
During the Senate impeachment trial Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts declined to read a question submitted by Sen. Rand Paul which included the name of Eric Ciaramella, the man RealClear Investigations has identified as the whistleblower at the heart of the impeachment inquiry.
The Kentucky Republican submitted the question card, and after reading it, Roberts replied, “The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted.” Paul’s question did not use the term whistleblower or identify Ciaramella as the whistleblower.(Snip) “My exact question was: Are you aware that House intelligence committee staffer Shawn Misko had a close relationship with Eric Ciaramella while at the National Security Council together,” Paul stated, “and
President Donald Trump will not be removed from office following his impeachment by the House of Representatives and a trial in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly told colleagues they have the votes to finish things this week.
Whether the senators put the trial out of its misery this week or drag it on for months, the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Here are the eight big reasons why Trump won impeachment.
1. Trump Didn’t Commit An Impeachable Offense
It’s an obvious point, but the most important point.Impeaching President Trump has been the stated goal of the Resistance since his inauguration.
I think it is fair to say: no individual has worked harder for this day than Britain’s Nigel Farage. Without his relentless work to organize voters to remove the U.K. from the European Union; and then to organize again -three years later- to break the Brexit stalemate in Parliament; this momentous day would not have arrived. [Tweet] (Snip)Many of us stayed up that night in June 2016 to watch the Brexit referendum vote returns from polling stations across the U.K…. The establishment shock was incredible when they realized the majority of U.K. citizens voted to leave the European union.
One year after filing for bankruptcy, PG&E has worked out deals to borrow money and guarantee more than $25 billion in payouts to wildfire victims, insurers and local municipalities. It’s even come to terms with bondholders. As a result, its shares have skyrocketed 37 percent so far in January. Mizuho upgraded the stock this week to a “buy.” That optimism may be premature. (Snip) And he kept repeating this threat: “There’s going to be a new company or the state of California takes it over.” Newsom revealed he’s been working on a plan for six months to take over the
Meanwhile, shifty Schiff seems to have found a new protector for his Whistleblower, one that brings new meaning to the term “snake in the grass”. Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts is back again heaping misery on a much beleaguered Republic.
Not all Creatures of the Swamp come with pencil necks and shark fins. Roberts is one of the
“Avengers” actor Mark Ruffalo didn’t mince words in a recent tweet about beating Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
The Bernie Sanders supporter shared a tweet on Wednesday discussing the importance of defeating the president and encouraging his followers to consider their options when it comes to Democratic candidates. Hashtagged in the tweet was an encouragement for fellow Democrats to “#KickTrumpsA--.”
On Tuesday, Trump tweeted photos of a briefing he'd received on the new coronavirus spreading out of China.
"We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments," the President said in his post. "We have the best experts anywhere in the world, and they are on top of it 24/7!"
Who are these experts? They're largely the same sorts of white men (and a couple women on the sidelines) who've dominated the Trump administration from the very beginning.
A Thousand Ways to Get Sold Out
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Although Russia and the Ukraine are the focus of US media coverage the most important recent events have occurred in China. It remains in the grip of an ever expanding coronavirus epidemic that the WHO seems reluctant to wall off, saying Beijing would help those foreign countries that got infected.
" In the wake of numerous airlines cancelling flights to China and businesses including Starbucks and McDonald’s temporarily closing hundreds of shops, Tedros said WHO was not recommending limiting travel or trade to China." (Snip) The 2019-nCoV outbreak is proving to be not only an epidemiological event but a geopolitical development.
Donald Trump's most famous and flamboyant lawyer vanished from his trial Thursday - turning up in Miami to fight back against a tidal wave of criticism for his extraordinary defense that anything a president does to get re-elected is unimpeachable.
The Harvard professor surfaced in Florida as other academics and attorneys reacted with astonishment to his position, which he then said he had never actually said.
On CNN he told Wolf Blitzer that he had a commitment in the state Thursday and it was difficult to change his flight because the Super Bowl is on this weekend in Miami.
This pol got caught with his pants down.
A New Jersey mayor has apologized after getting so sloshed at a work party that he stripped off his trousers and passed out in a female employee’s bed.
Mahwah Mayor John Roth was exposed after an anonymous letter signed by “concerned employees of the township of Mahwah” began circulating last week, according to reports.
Chief Justice John Roberts doesn't seem to have the judicial acumen of a traffic court judge. (snip) If the chief justice had instructed the House managers to stop committing perjury, then perhaps their posturing in calling witnesses to get at the truth may have been be more credible. If there is no penalty for perjury, then why have any witnesses? So far, this entire impeachment is just more D.C. political blustering and fake news reporting theater of the absurd that Americans hate at so many levels.
CNN anchor John King defended Republicans on Thursday, arguing they made a "legitimate point" in asking why the intelligence community whistleblower -- who brought the complaint that prompted Trump's impeachment -- hadn't been questioned."You're asking the Congress, the Senate now, to remove the President of the United States," King said. "It's a legitimate point for the president's team and the Republicans to say: 'Shouldn't we go to the very origin of this?'"His comments came after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., tried asking a question that mentioned the name of a person reported to be the whistleblower. Chief Justice John Roberts shut down the question, which Paul described as "atypical."
As Hunter Biden battles a contentious paternity battle with a former stripper in Arkansas, his ex-wife Kathleen was spotted eating dinner on Wednesday with Michelle Obama at French restaurant Brasserie Liberté in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.Kathleen Biden has leaned on Obama since she divorced former Vice President Joe Biden’s son. “One of her closest friends is Michelle Obama. They hang out a lot,” a source told the New York Post last year.Brasserie Liberté confirmed the two dined at the Georgetown eatery last night but refused to comment further
Questions about House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff’s dealings with the anonymous Ukraine whistleblower are not “disgraceful,” as Schiff tried to claim on Thursday, nor are they baseless. These questions are relevant and necessary insofar as they inform the impeachment of President Trump, why this impeachment was launched, and how it came about.
During Thursday’s question period in the impeachment trial, Schiff was asked why the House Intelligence Committee hired two Obama-era National Security Council aides, Abigail Grace and Sean Misko, who had worked with the alleged whistleblower, and what role Grace and Misko had played in the House’s impeachment investigation.
Instead of addressing this potential conflict of interest,
Reboots are all the rage in Hollywood these days, and also in politics it seems. There’s something familiar about a Democratic nomination contest featuring a former Vice President trying to fend off a challenge from a far left Senator who enjoys the enthusiastic backing of the frenzied left for the privilege of facing off against a Republican incumbent that Democrats loathe with the intensity of a thousand white hot suns. Oh yeah—that was 1972, when the George McGovern insurgency ended Hubert Humphrey’s presidential ambitions.
There are some lessons to be learned from that long ago contest, including how the party establishment was unable to stop McGovern, partly
Democrats Never Found Their Hero
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As the final sliver of daylight faded over the Capitol dome last night, it was clear that Democrats’ long, frustrated quest for a deus to save them from Donald Trump would produce no machina after all. Instead, there was only Representative Adam Schiff, the party’s tireless point man in the impeachment trial, who stood in the well of the Senate making an 11th-hour argument that Trump’s political-dirt-for-military-aid squeeze on Ukraine was too egregious to ignore.
“If you accept the argument that the president of the United States can tell you to pound sand when you try to investigate his wrongdoing, there will be no force
US President Donald Trump’s speech on Tuesday in which he outlined the “Deal of the Century” that has been three years in the making, was nothing short of Earth-shattering. The fact that Israelis across the political spectrum have been arguing over the proposal – called “Peace to Prosperity” – is thus as understandable as it was inevitable.
Unfortunately, however, much of the debate has been focused on the details and viability of the plan, rather than on the significance of how Trump presented it, and why his words were revolutionary. In an effort to downplay the momentousness of the event, his left-wing detractors ridiculed his mispronunciation of “al-Aqsa Mosque”
Michael Flynn takes on 'egregious'
FBI misconduct, little-known
FBI agent in guilty plea withdrawal replies
FBI misconduct, little-known
FBI agent in guilty plea withdrawal replies
"I did not lie to them."
With those words in a declaration and supplemental motion filed Wednesday, former national security adviser Michael Flynn formally asked a federal judge for permission to withdraw his guilty plea for making false statements to two FBI agents in the White House back on Jan. 24, 2017.
In a sweeping argument that took aim at the bureau's "outrageous" conduct, Flynn's legal team highlighted a slew of information that has come to light since Flynn's plea -- including that no precise record of Flynn's statements to the agents exists and that the original handwritten FD-302 witness report from the interview is "missing," with subsequent versions later "edited"
You know it’s bad for the Democrats when CNN admits they are in trouble.CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday evening admitted the “Democrats look like they are in trouble” as day two of the question-and-answer session of the impeachment trial winded down.“The big fight over whether or not there will be witnesses and Jake, the big vote on that will come on that tomorrow. They need four Republicans — right now the Democrats look like they’re in trouble,” Blitzer said to Jake Tapper. “They sure do,” Jake Tapper said agreeing with Wolf Blitzer. WATCH:
How much punishment must liberal elites on both sides of the Atlantic endure before they learn not to try to undo the will of voters? That such trickery only invites fiercer and more decisive popular backlashes?
This week, elites on both sides of the Atlantic had their knuckles rapped on exactly these points — yet again. The United Kingdom finalized its divorce, once and for all, from the European Union — despite three years of underhanded efforts from “Remoaners” determined to keep the marriage going.
Boris Johnson will deliver a plea for the country to move on from Brexit as the UK finally leaves the EU tonight. In an address to be broadcast shortly before Britain's departure at 11pm, the Prime Minister will insist that Brexit marks 'not an end but a beginning'. And in a sign of the new Government's changed approach, he will convene a symbolic Cabinet meeting this afternoon in Sunderland, the first city to declare for Brexit when the 2016 referendum results came out. (Photos)
Former CIA Director John Brennan is an unabashed member of The Resistance. He and the rest of the Trump-hating left are bitterly clinging to the hope that a miracle will occur in the impeachment trial. Nothing short of a vote in the Senate to affirm that the president is guilty of the charges before them will suffice. Then, of course, President Trump must be removed from office. Reality is slowly setting in for men like Brennan. President Trump will not be voted guilty in the Senate and he will not be removed from office. He will serve out the rest of his term.
During a portion of an interview set to air on Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox News @ Night,” President Trump stated that he has “great confidence in Republican senators, and probably some Democrats,” on how they will vote in the Senate’s impeachment trial.Trump said, “I got to watch a little bit. It’s very boring to watch, I have to say that. It’s very boring. I call it the impeachment hoax. And that’s what it is. It’s a hoax. It should have never taken place, should have never been allowed to happen. But I have great confidence in Republican senators, and probably some Democrats,
The Pot-Kettle-Black Impeachment
replies
Rep. Adam Schiff said that if Barack Obama encouraged a foreign power to investigate a political opponent, then the last president would have committed an impeachable offense.
“Under no circumstances do you go outside of your own legitimate law enforcement process to ask a foreign power to investigate your rival, whether you think there’s cause or you don’t think there’s cause,” Schiff explained during the impeachment trial. “And you certainly don’t invite that foreign power to try to influence an election to your benefit.”
Schiff strangely spoke as though addressing a hypothetical. Not only did the Obama administration link arms with foreigners to take down a political rival,
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, may have been the leading House impeachment manager, but it was Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who got the last word in a comical moment that quickly went viral on social media. Wrapping up the second day of questioning by the Senate jurors, Chief Justice John Roberts called on the House managers to answer the final question of the evening.
"Could you please respond to the answer just given by the president's counsel and provide any other comments the Senate would benefit from hearing before we adjourn for the evening?" Roberts read from the card.
Nadler is then seen jumping out of his chair and rushing
Hakeem Jeffries Says Steele Dossier Doesn’t
Count As Foreign Interference Because
It Was ‘Purchased’ replies
Count As Foreign Interference Because
It Was ‘Purchased’ replies
Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, one of the House impeachment managers, argued Thursday that Democrats’ hiring of a former British spy to collect dirt from Russian sources about the Trump campaign does not constitute foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election.The New York congressman’s argument was based on the puzzling logic that Democrats paid for the information from the retired spy, Christopher Steele, rather than simply obtaining it.“The analogy is not applicable to the present situation
A lawyer for Hillary Clinton has finally accepted legal documents in connection with a $50 million defamation lawsuit filed by 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, the Hawaii congresswoman’s lawyer told Fox News on Thursday night.
“We look forward to finally moving forward on the merits” of the case, said Brian Dunne, lead attorney representing Gabbard, who is suing over Clinton indirectly referring to her as a “Russian asset” during an October interview.
The development comes after Clinton or her representatives declined to accept the papers in three previous attempts to serve them, Dunne said.
Hundreds of people attended a funeral service in suburban Chicago Wednesday for a former U.S. Air Force mechanic who became an “unclaimed veteran” when he died last month.
The service for John James Murphy, 71, was held at Symonds-Madison Funeral Home in Elgin. Murphy died Dec. 18 at a nearby hospital after living in a rehabilitation center since 2017. The funeral home was unable to find any relatives.
“He is ours,” the Rev. Tim Perry said to applause at the start of the service.
Joy and Dan Symonds, the owners of the funeral home, invited the public to attend Murphy’s service. The Symonds obtained permission from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
The last we heard from book author and weird raconteur, E. Jean Carroll, she was telling a non-plussed Anderson Cooper that "rape is sexy" and added, in a sultrier tone, "you're fascinating to talk to."
After that car crash of an interview on CNN (see below), the woman who claimed Donald Trump raped her in a dressing room at a New York Bergdorf Goodman Department store more than 30 years ago disappeared from national view.
But now she's back. She has an attorney. And she claims she has the still un-cleaned work dress she wore that day all those years ago and now demands a sample of Trump's DNA
It must have been nice to live in 18th-century America. Indoor plumbing was primitive and I don't think too many of us would like the food very much, given there were no refrigerators or preservatives.
But there were other compensations, to be sure. Life moved at a decidedly slower pace. This was not only good for the heart but proved to be wonderful for sober reflection and thoughtful discourse. Hasty action was frowned upon. And in the case of the fledgling United States government, it was nearly impossible to act quickly or rashly.
That's because our founders built into the system of government checks and balances
President Trump’s deputy counsel Patrick Philbin suggested Wednesday night the whistleblower, Eric Ciaramella, may have a PERSONAL conflict of interest in filing a complaint against President Trump.
“If the whistleblower, as is alleged in some public reports, actually did work for then-Vice President Biden on Ukraine issues, exactly what was his role? What was his involvement? Philbin said.
Philbin asked if the whistleblower was involved in any of Hunter and Joe Biden’s dealings with Burisma Holdings.
This is huge, because if Ciaramella did work with Biden on anything related to Burisma and the firing of Viktor Shokin, the Ukrainian prosecutor general investigating Burisma,
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is opening up a sizable lead in the 2020 California Democratic presidential primary, two new polls show.
A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll of likely voters released Tuesday shows that Sanders is leading the field with 26 percent of survey respondents. He's followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 20 percent and former Vice President Joe Biden at 15 percent. No other candidate reached double-digit support, with South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg coming the closest at seven percent support.
Republican House candidate Pierce Bush, the grandson of late President George H.W. Bush, has fully embraced President Trump as part of his campaign platform.
In a crowded race with at least 14 other candidates vying to fill the seat of retiring Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas), Bush has decided to highlight his support of the current president — instead of putting a focus on his own family dynasty.
“[Trump’s accomplishments are] hard to argue with,” Bush told “Fox & Friends” during an appearance Wednesday morning.
“He is a strong fighter for our nation’s national security,” Bush said, adding, “The most important job a president has is keeping our country safe and defending our liberties
Sen. Lamar Alexander said late Thursday that he will oppose calling witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial, deflating Democrats.
The Tennessee Republican’s decision means the trial could end in acquittal as early as Friday night.
Alexander, who is retiring, said in a statement that Trump’s request that Ukraine investigate Democrats including Joe Biden was “inappropriate” but did not cross a threshold for removal from office.
“It was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation,” Alexander wrote in a 15-tweet statement.
A new poll indicates that support for President Trump among black voters in America has doubled in the past year.
Despite Democrats’ attempts to label Trump as a racist for the last three years, a new Rasmussen poll reported that black support among likely voters has doubled to 42% from 21% last year. [Tweet]
The liberal media narrative continues to counter Trump’s support among black voters but the latest poll numbers show a different story, as the president has touted how his economy has benefited black Americans with unemployment rates at record lows, an improved economy, prison reform, and urban renewal programs.