thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-10--Trump's $4.8 Trillion Budget Plan Includes Cuts To Farm Subsidies, Food Stamps And Medicaid

The plan has virtually no chance , even before Trump ’ s impeachment scorched Washington .
Its cuts to food stamps , farm subsidies , Medicaid and student loans couldn ’ t pass when Republicans controlled Congress , much less now with liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , setting the agenda .
Trump ’ s budget would also shred last year ’ s hard-won budget deal between the White House and Pelosi by imposing an immediate 5 % cut to non-defense agency budgets passed by Congress .
Slashing cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and taking $ 700 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are also nonstarters on Capitol Hill , but both the White House and Democrats are hopeful of progress this spring on prescription drug prices .
The Trump budget is a blueprint written as if he could enact it without congressional approval .
It relies on rosy economic projections of 2.8 % economic growth this year and 3 % over the long term — in addition to fanciful claims of future cuts to domestic programs — to show that it is possible to bend the deficit curve in the right direction .
That sleight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whittle down a $ 1.08 budget deficit for the ongoing budget year and a $ 966 billion deficit gap in the 2021 fiscal year starting Oct. 1 to $ 261 billion in 2030 , according to summary tables obtained by The Associated Press .
Balance would come in 15 years .
The reality is that no one — Trump , the Democratic-controlled House or the GOP-held Senate — has any interest in tackling a chronic budget gap that forces the government to borrow 22 cents of every dollar it spends .
The White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending cuts over the coming decade On Capitol Hill , Democrats controlling the House have seen their number of deficit-conscious “ Blue Dogs ” shrink while the roster of lawmakers favoring costly “ Medicare for All ” and “ Green New Deal ” proposals has swelled .
Tea party Republicans have largely abandoned the cause that defined , at least in part , their successful takeover of the House a decade ago .
Trump has also signed two broader budget deals worked out by Democrats and Republicans to get rid of spending cuts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accord .
The result has been eye-popping spending levels for defense — to about $ 750 billion this year — and significant gains for domestic programs favored by Democrats .
The White House hasn ’ t done much to draw attention to this year ’ s budget release , though Trump has revealed initiatives of interest to key 2020 battleground states , such as an increase to $ 250 million to restore Florida ’ s Everglades and a move to finally abandon a multibillion-dollar , never-used nuclear waste dump that ’ s political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also leaked word of a $ 25 billion proposal for “ Revitalizing Rural America ” with grants for broadband Internet access and other traditional infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges .
The Trump budget also promises a $ 3 billion increase — to $ 25 billion — for NASA in hopes of returning astronauts to the moon and on to Mars .
It contains a beefed-up , 10-year , $ 1 trillion infrastructure proposal , a modest parental leave plan , and a 10-year , $ 130 billion set-aside for tackling the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump ’ s U.S.-Mexico border wall would receive a $ 2 billion appropriation , more than provided by Congress but less than the $ 8 billion requested last year .
Trump has enough wall money on hand to build 1,000 miles of wall , a senior administration official said , most of it obtained by exploiting his budget transfer powers .
The official requested anonymity to discuss the budget before it is made public .
Trump has proposed modest adjustments to eligibility for Social Security disability benefits and he ’ s proposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the real cost driver of Medicare and Social Security is the ongoing retirement surge of the baby boom-generation and health care costs that continue to outpace inflation .
With Medicare and Social Security largely off the table , Trump has instead focused on Medicaid , which provides care to more than 70 million poor and disabled people .
President Barack Obama successfully expanded Medicaid when passing the Affordable Care Act a decade ago , but Trump has endorsed GOP plans — they failed spectacularly in the Senate two years ago — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s latest Medicaid proposal , the administration official said , would allow states that want more flexibility in Medicaid to accept their federal share as a lump sum ; for states staying in traditional Medicaid , a 3 % cap on cost growth would apply .
Trump would also revive a plan , rejected by lawmakers in the past , to cut food stamp costs by providing much of the benefit as food shipments instead of cash .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is offering a $4.8 trillion election-year budget plan that recycles previously rejected cuts to domestic programs to promise a balanced budget in 15 years — all while boosting the military and leaving Social Security and Medicare benefits untouched.
Trump’s fiscal 2021 plan, to be released Monday, promises the government’s deficit will crest above $1 trillion only for the current budget year before steadily decreasing to more manageable levels.
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The plan has virtually no chance, even before Trump’s impeachment scorched Washington. Its cuts to food stamps, farm subsidies, Medicaid and student loans couldn’t pass when Republicans controlled Congress, much less now with liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., setting the agenda.
Pelosi said Sunday night that “once again the president is showing just how little he values the good health, financial security and well-being of hard-working American families.”
“Year after year, President Trump’s budgets have sought to inflict devastating cuts to critical lifelines that millions of Americans rely on,” she said in a statement. “Americans’ quality, affordable health care will never be safe with President Trump.”
Trump’s budget would also shred last year’s hard-won budget deal between the White House and Pelosi by imposing an immediate 5% cut to non-defense agency budgets passed by Congress. Slashing cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and taking $700 billion out of Medicaid over a decade are also nonstarters on Capitol Hill, but both the White House and Democrats are hopeful of progress this spring on prescription drug prices.
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The Trump budget is a blueprint written as if he could enact it without congressional approval. It relies on rosy economic projections of 2.8% economic growth this year and 3% over the long term — in addition to fanciful claims of future cuts to domestic programs — to show that it is possible to bend the deficit curve in the right direction.
That sleight of hand enables Trump to promise to whittle down a $1.08 budget deficit for the ongoing budget year and a $966 billion deficit gap in the 2021 fiscal year starting Oct. 1 to $261 billion in 2030, according to summary tables obtained by The Associated Press. Balance would come in 15 years.
The reality is that no one — Trump, the Democratic-controlled House or the GOP-held Senate — has any interest in tackling a chronic budget gap that forces the government to borrow 22 cents of every dollar it spends. The White House plan proposes $4.4 trillion in spending cuts over the coming decade
Trump’s reelection campaign, meanwhile, is focused on the economy and the historically low jobless rate while ignoring the government’s budget.
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On Capitol Hill, Democrats controlling the House have seen their number of deficit-conscious “Blue Dogs” shrink while the roster of lawmakers favoring costly “Medicare for All” and “Green New Deal” proposals has swelled. Tea party Republicans have largely abandoned the cause that defined, at least in part, their successful takeover of the House a decade ago.
Trump has also signed two broader budget deals worked out by Democrats and Republicans to get rid of spending cuts left over from a failed 2011 budget accord. The result has been eye-popping spending levels for defense — to about $750 billion this year — and significant gains for domestic programs favored by Democrats.
The White House hasn’t done much to draw attention to this year’s budget release, though Trump has revealed initiatives of interest to key 2020 battleground states, such as an increase to $250 million to restore Florida’s Everglades and a move to finally abandon a multibillion-dollar, never-used nuclear waste dump that’s political poison in Nevada. The White House also leaked word of a $25 billion proposal for “Revitalizing Rural America” with grants for broadband Internet access and other traditional infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges.
The Trump budget also promises a $3 billion increase — to $25 billion — for NASA in hopes of returning astronauts to the moon and on to Mars. It contains a beefed-up, 10-year, $1 trillion infrastructure proposal, a modest parental leave plan, and a 10-year, $130 billion set-aside for tackling the high cost of prescription drugs this year.
Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall would receive a $2 billion appropriation, more than provided by Congress but less than the $8 billion requested last year. Trump has enough wall money on hand to build 1,000 miles of wall, a senior administration official said, most of it obtained by exploiting his budget transfer powers. The official requested anonymity to discuss the budget before it is made public.
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Trump has proposed modest adjustments to eligibility for Social Security disability benefits and he’s proposed cuts to Medicare providers such as hospitals, but the real cost driver of Medicare and Social Security is the ongoing retirement surge of the baby boom-generation and health care costs that continue to outpace inflation.
With Medicare and Social Security largely off the table, Trump has instead focused on Medicaid, which provides care to more than 70 million poor and disabled people. President Barack Obama successfully expanded Medicaid when passing the Affordable Care Act a decade ago, but Trump has endorsed GOP plans — they failed spectacularly in the Senate two years ago — to dramatically curb the program.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-10--How Pete Buttigieg Defied The Polls In Iowa

Matter went on to serve as a precinct captain for Buttigieg on caucus night , where he estimates that the number of Buttigieg volunteers ran 40 deep .
Together they turned Buttigieg from the third-place candidate in the first alignment in their precinct into a narrow winner in the realignment by persuading caucus-goers backing Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D ) , who was not viable , to join their side .
It ’ s a pattern that repeated itself statewide , where Buttigieg picked up more voters from the first alignment to the final one than any other candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factors that propelled Buttigieg to his narrow lead in the Iowa caucus delegate count , defying pre-caucus polls that showed him trailing both Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) ― who ended up winning the popular vote ― and former Vice President Joe Biden , whose fourth-place finish has raised serious doubts about his candidacy .
The performance fueled a surge for Buttigieg in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday ’ s primary , though he still trails Sanders in an average of public polls .
When Buttigieg embarked on an on-record bus tour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in early November , it was clear that he inspired particularly high levels of interest in the older , more traditional communities outside of Iowa ’ s major metropolitan areas .
For example , in the city of Decorah , which has less than 8,000 people , he drew a capacity crowd of 1,000 people on a Saturday night .
That excitement in his candidacy did not let up : Buttigieg drew an estimated 350 people for a town hall in 15,000-person Newton on a weekday afternoon in mid-January .
Sanders , by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 260 people in the state , had two fewer field offices than Buttigieg in the 1st Congressional District , five fewer in the 2nd , four fewer in the 3rd , and one fewer in the 4th .
( The Sanders campaign maintains that its field investments went further because of the size of its volunteer force . )
And Buttigieg ’ s campaign adjusted to accommodate his momentum in rural areas .
Internal polling showed Buttigieg ’ s support rising in Republican-leaning Western Iowa in the final weeks before the caucus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign responded by sending an additional 20 field organizers to reinforce its contingent of 30 organizers who were already on the ground in the region .
She also saw Buttigieg ’ s calm tone and relatively moderate health care stance resonating with her neighbors .
Indeed , Buttigieg tied Sanders among caucus-goers for whom health care was their top issue , even as 57 % of those same Iowan Democrats said they favor Sanders ’ single-payer health care system over Buttigieg , according to a Washington Post entrance poll .

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Scott Matter, a semi-retired corporate PR strategist, has held high-level positions on Republican campaigns from Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley’s 1986 re-election bid to Sen. Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential run.
But after President Donald Trump’s election in 2016, Matter had enough of the GOP and the political polarization he believes has intensified under Trump. He found in former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg a candidate welcoming “future former Republicans” with open arms.
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“I was looking for somebody who can turn the page from where we’re at,” Matter said, citing Buttigieg’s optimistic message.
Matter joined hundreds of other Buttigieg supporters to attend a two-day caucus training in Des Moines following the Liberty Justice Celebration dinner at the start of November.
Matter went on to serve as a precinct captain for Buttigieg on caucus night, where he estimates that the number of Buttigieg volunteers ran 40 deep. Together they turned Buttigieg from the third-place candidate in the first alignment in their precinct into a narrow winner in the realignment by persuading caucus-goers backing Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), who was not viable, to join their side. It’s a pattern that repeated itself statewide, where Buttigieg picked up more voters from the first alignment to the final one than any other candidate.
Matter’s experience embodies the factors that propelled Buttigieg to his narrow lead in the Iowa caucus delegate count, defying pre-caucus polls that showed him trailing both Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) ― who ended up winning the popular vote ― and former Vice President Joe Biden, whose fourth-place finish has raised serious doubts about his candidacy. The performance fueled a surge for Buttigieg in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday’s primary, though he still trails Sanders in an average of public polls.
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Several Iowa Democrats who spoke to HuffPost about Buttigieg’s performance said his success is a credit to the moderate message that appealed to newcomers like Matter; his investment in a sophisticated field program, particularly in the state’s many rural counties; his profile and style as a midwestern mayor; and ample campaign cash to leverage all of those strengths.
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, left, waves with his husband Chasten Buttigieg after declaring victory in Iowa on Feb. 3, despite the absence of complete results. Tom Brenner/Getty Images
Relentless Attention On Iowa’s Rural Counties
When Buttigieg embarked on an on-record bus tour across a rural slice of Northern Iowa in early November, it was clear that he inspired particularly high levels of interest in the older, more traditional communities outside of Iowa’s major metropolitan areas. For example, in the city of Decorah, which has less than 8,000 people, he drew a capacity crowd of 1,000 people on a Saturday night. That excitement in his candidacy did not let up: Buttigieg drew an estimated 350 people for a town hall in 15,000-person Newton on a weekday afternoon in mid-January.
Appeal in rural areas is disproportionately important in the Iowa caucuses where candidates can win the majority of state delegates without winning the majority of the statewide vote. The state’s 1,678 traditional precincts generally overstate the importance of rural areas by granting weight to so many low-population communities.
As of Monday, with some challenges to results outstanding, Buttigieg was ahead in 59 of Iowa’s 99 counties. That figure includes 20 out of the state’s 31 counties that flipped from former President Barack Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016, according to a HuffPost analysis of official results.
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Buttigieg’s success in rural Iowa was an outgrowth of his strategy to deliberately court Democrats in those areas. He employed over 170 staffers in Iowa, the vast majority of them worked as organizers in the campaign’s 34 field offices in far-reaching corners of the state.
Buttigieg led or tied the field in the number of field offices in each of the state’s four congressional districts, according to an analysis conducted by FiveThirtyEight.
Sanders, by contrast, whose campaign said it employed over 260 people in the state, had two fewer field offices than Buttigieg in the 1st Congressional District, five fewer in the 2nd, four fewer in the 3rd, and one fewer in the 4th. (The Sanders campaign maintains that its field investments went further because of the size of its volunteer force.)
“He had a really good ground game in Iowa.” - Steve King, Chairman, Kossuth County Democratic Party
And Buttigieg’s campaign adjusted to accommodate his momentum in rural areas. Internal polling showed Buttigieg’s support rising in Republican-leaning Western Iowa in the final weeks before the caucus, according to the campaign. The campaign responded by sending an additional 20 field organizers to reinforce its contingent of 30 organizers who were already on the ground in the region.
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“He had a really good ground game in Iowa. He had good organizers,” said Kossuth County, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Steve King, who caucused for Klobuchar and is not related to his congressman, Republican Rep. Steve King. “That was their number one thing.”
Buttigieg himself showed up in rural counties in Western Iowa more often than the rivals closest to him in the polls.
In the rural 4th district, where Kossuth County is located, Buttigieg topped Klobuchar for the most in-district candidate events, according to FiveThirtyEight. After Klobuchar, who never reached the top polling tier, Biden, Buttigieg’s closest rival in the district, trailed him by 15 events.
Klobuchar was the only candidate to rival Buttigieg’s outreach in the rural precincts of Western Iowa, but she lacked his campaign resources, according to J.D. Scholten, a Democratic congressional candidate in Iowa’s 4th.
Scholten, who has refused to say for whom he caucused, ran a caucus of 12 people in rural Danbury. Although Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) bested Buttigieg in the precinct thanks to a coin toss, Buttigieg demonstrated his crossover appeal: Three of the people who caucused for him were former Republicans, Scholten said.
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Pete Buttigieg, center, exits a tour of an ethanol plant in Mason City, Iowa, in early November. Courting rural voters was a key element of his approach in Iowa. Scott Olson/Getty Images
The Rust Belt Mayor With Midwestern ‘Humility’
Buttigieg has been mocked by Biden and online commentators for treating his tenure as the chief executive of a city of about 100,000 people as if it simultaneously conferred relevant governing experience and inoculated him from the corrupting effects of service in Washington.
He spoke of being able to walk to cornfields from his South Bend home and being more in touch with the “American Heartland” than his rivals ― a characterization that critics derided for valorizing predominantly white parts of rural America.
But behind the headline-grabbing remarks, Buttigieg was highlighting his credentials as the self-styled turn-around artist of a post-industrial city, which has struggled since the 1960s due to the shuttering of the Studebaker automobile plant and other manufacturing facilities.
In the 30-second ad, “Heart,” which aired over 600 times in Iowa in a 3-week period in January, South Bend residents praise Buttigieg for his work helping the city recover after the flight of manufacturing jobs.
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“He has a heart for our city ― and I think he’ll show the same heart for our country,” a South Bend resident says at the conclusion of the video.
Rep. Dave Loebsack, an Iowa Democrat who endorsed Buttigieg in January, said he saw the message of post-industrial revival resonating in the blue-collar manufacturing towns in his district, particularly those adjacent to the Mississippi River.
“He’s a guy who can talk to farmers and he can talk to factory workers … He’s a good listener,” Loebsack said, pointing to what he characterized as Buttigieg’s “humility.”
“I don’t want to slam New Yorkers or Californians or anything like that, but I think that is part of what it means to be a midwesterner,” he added.
Rep. Dave Loebsack (D), a Buttigieg backer who represents a swing seat in southeastern Iowa, said the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor had appeal in post-industrial communities. Bill Clark/Getty Images
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Courting Black Iowans?
Ads like “Heart” doubled as a message to Iowa’s small but significant Black community, which is concentrated in cities like Waterloo where economic development is still a pressing concern. All of the South Bend residents featured in the ad are Black.
Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart was one of several Black Iowa officials who endorsed Buttigieg prior to the caucuses, including Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague, state Rep. Phyllis Thede and former state Rep. Deb Berry.
Hart met Buttigieg more than a year and a half before the caucuses at a municipal economic development conference. Hart said they’ve talked about boosting job prospects for minorities, improving city life and repairing decaying infrastructure.
“Within 30 minutes of me meeting him, we were talking about parallels between our cities,” Hart said. “I saw sensitivity to being in a place where you have a significant minority population.”
In particular, Hart valued Buttigieg’s Douglass Plan to reduce racial inequity. And while Hart acknowledged the controversy surrounding allegedly racist practices in South Bend’s police department, he held up Buttigieg’s claim that Black poverty in the city halved under Buttigieg’s leadership. (More reliable figures show that the decline was closer to 6%, according to a Washington Post fact check that gave Buttigieg “three Pinnochios” for the claim.)
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“I saw sensitivity to being in a place where you have a significant minority population.” - Quentin Hart, Mayor of Waterloo, Iowa
It’s hard to say how much of a difference Buttigieg’s Black outreach made. Sanders won 43% of Iowa’s non-white caucus support, compared with 15% for Buttigieg, according to a CNN entrance poll.
But the friendship with Hart could indicate Buttigieg’s broader investment in a network of local support.
That outreach came in the form of modest cash contributions to Iowa’s county-level Democratic parties. He contributed $7,350 to 14 county parties in the final quarter of 2019, including $1,000 to the local party in Black Hawk County, where Waterloo is located. Some of the money was evidently the price of admission to campaign events attended by multiple candidates, but when asked about it, the Buttigieg campaign characterized it as support for local party infrastructure, implicitly acknowledging that it went beyond covering event costs.
Ashley Vanorny, a city councilwoman in the Democratic bastion of Cedar Rapids, caucused for Warren. But Vanorny came away impressed with the Buttigieg campaign’s attentiveness, noting how they kept in touch with her even after she committed to another candidate.
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She also saw Buttigieg’s calm tone and relatively moderate health care stance resonating with her neighbors. Indeed, Buttigieg tied Sanders among caucus-goers for whom health care was their top issue, even as 57% of those same Iowan Democrats said they favor Sanders’ single-payer health care system over Buttigieg, according to a Washington Post entrance poll.
“He fine-tuned his messaging to relate to Iowans,” she said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-10--Van Jones Has A Stark Warning For Democrats Regarding Black Voters

Van Jones is warning Democrats it ’ s time for the party to get its act together , especially with Black voters or President Donald Trump will be reelected in November .
“ For a long time , the Black vote was taken for granted by Democrats and written off by Republicans , ” the CNN commentator told host S.E .
Cupp on Sunday .
“ That ’ s not happening this year.
” Trump , he noted , has launched a new effort to reach that demographic , including a Super Bowl ad touting his criminal justice reform efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African-Americans will vote for the Democratic candidate , but added that it ’ s “ conceivable ” Trump could take just enough of the Black vote in swing states to win the election .
Do not take the Black vote for granted in this election , ” Jones said .
“ And don ’ t pick somebody who ’ s not going to appeal to Black people because you ’ re really going to be hurting the cause .
Jones also said Black voters were getting “ tired ” of one part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re an African-American voter , you understand , I get it , I ’ m supposed to stand in a five-hour-long line in the freezing cold in Michigan so the Democrats can win ― and then never speak to me again for four years , ” he said .
“ And it ’ s gotten old and tired.
” Jones said Democrats have spent three years playing “ fantasy football ” with ideas , such as the notion the Electoral College would step in and stop Trump from taking office in 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end the presidency .
Instead , Democrats should ’ ve accepted “ reality ” and tried to figure out what made some people vote for President Barack Obama twice and then turn to Trump .
“ Trump is actually higher in the polls than he ’ s ever been , and we still don ’ t have a candidate , ” Jones said .
See more of his conversation with Cupp below and a longer clip on the Mediaite website : '' Democrats have as our core vote the African American vote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in some ways there 's a feeling that maybe we 've taken that vote for granted for too long . ''
@ VanJones68 tells @ secupp why Dems ca n't dismiss Trump 's attempt to court black voters .
pic.twitter.com/QaBXCtEl0i — SE Cupp Unfiltered ( @ UnfilteredSE ) February 9 , 2020

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Van Jones is warning Democrats it’s time for the party to get its act together, especially with Black voters or President Donald Trump will be reelected in November.
“For a long time, the Black vote was taken for granted by Democrats and written off by Republicans,” the CNN commentator told host S.E. Cupp on Sunday. “That’s not happening this year.”
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Trump, he noted, has launched a new effort to reach that demographic, including a Super Bowl ad touting his criminal justice reform efforts. Jones said the vast majority of African-Americans will vote for the Democratic candidate, but added that it’s “conceivable” Trump could take just enough of the Black vote in swing states to win the election.
Then, he issued a warning to Democrats.
Do not take the Black vote for granted in this election,” Jones said. “And don’t pick somebody who’s not going to appeal to Black people because you’re really going to be hurting the cause.
Jones also said Black voters were getting “tired” of one part of the election process.
“If you’re an African-American voter, you understand, I get it, I’m supposed to stand in a five-hour-long line in the freezing cold in Michigan so the Democrats can win ― and then never speak to me again for four years,” he said. “And it’s gotten old and tired.”
Jones said Democrats have spent three years playing “fantasy football” with ideas, such as the notion the Electoral College would step in and stop Trump from taking office in 2017 or that the Robert Mueller investigation would end the presidency. Instead, Democrats should’ve accepted “reality” and tried to figure out what made some people vote for President Barack Obama twice and then turn to Trump.
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“Trump is actually higher in the polls than he’s ever been, and we still don’t have a candidate,” Jones said.
See more of his conversation with Cupp below and a longer clip on the Mediaite website:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-10--By Targeting Africans, Trump's Muslim Ban Is Even More Racist

After the announcement , Democrats and immigration advocates have condemned the expanded policy , noting that the new order not only doubles down on targeting Muslims ― but it now explicitly targets Africans and Black African Muslims .
Out of the seven newly added nations , four are African countries with sizable or majority-Muslim populations .
Nigeria and Sudan each hold majority-Muslim populations , while Eritrea and Tanzania have sizable Muslim communities .
Kyrgyzstan , a majority-Muslim country in Asia , is also on the list .
This week , Democrats plan to fight back what they say is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act ― also known as the No Ban Act — to the House floor for a vote .
The bill would effectively terminate Trump ’ s ban .
Aya Saed , a Bertha Justice Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights who focuses on systematic unlawful policies , said that it was no coincidence that these particular African nations were targeted , especially in light of Trump ’ s comments about Africans .
In 2018 , President Donald Trump reportedly referred to several African nations as “ shithole countries ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House .
A year prior , Trump allegedly said Nigerian visitors would never “ go back to their huts ” in a 2017 meeting .
He was angry over the number of visas awarded to travelers from certain countries , according to those present at the meeting .
Saed predicts that the international backlash will be minimal due to “ the lack of power that some of these countries can wield in American politics.
” She also added that those communities inside the United States may not be well advocated for by current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sizes .
The United States is suspending immigrant visas ― the type of visa given to people seeking to live in the U.S. permanently ― for people from Eritrea , Kyrgyzstan , Myanmar , and Nigeria .
People from Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be issued diversity visas , a type of visa reserved for travelers from countries with historically low immigration rates to the U.S. “ This just a doubling down on Trump ’ s racist and xenophobic immigration policies that continue to uphold white supremacy and keep out families and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Mustafa Jumale , policy manager for the Black Alliance for Just Immigration .
The No Ban Act would end the current travel ban and prevent future presidents from instituting similar bans .
It first introduced by Rep. Judy Chu ( D-Calif. ) and Sen. Chris Coons ( D-Del . )
, and co-sponsored by all three Muslim members of Congress : Reps. André Carson ( D-Ind . )
, Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn. ) and Rashida Tlaib ( D-Mich. ) .
Neguse , who is the first Eritrean-American elected to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first congressman of African descent , called the expansion a “ xenophobic immigration policy ” that “ institutionalizes Islamophobia ” and “ exacerbates the existing prejudices faced by so many in this country today.
” Widespread concerns have already made its way to those communities from the impacted nations inside the U.S. Jumale , who is based in Minnesota , the state with the most refugees per capita in the country , said clients told him they are worried about not being able to bring ill relatives to the U.S. for medical treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weddings and other trips abroad in fear of not being able to return .
Jumale pointed out the double standard set by the Trump administration , which continues to position itself as a champion for religious freedom and an advocate for Black people .
During Trump ’ s State of the Union address last week , the president was condemned by Democratic members of Congress for exploiting people of color as political props .
Nigeria , the most populated country in Africa with a total population of 181 million people and a nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. ’ s second-largest trading partner in the continent and receives more than $ 500 million in U.S. foreign aid programs .
More than 42,000 people have been barred from entering the United States as a result of the travel ban ’ s implementation , according to a 2019 analysis of State Department data by the Brennan Center for Justice , a nonpartisan law and policy institute .
At least 3,460 parents were separated from their American children .

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Last week, President Donald Trump announced the expansion of his controversial travel ban adding several more countries to the original list first signed in 2017.
After the announcement, Democrats and immigration advocates have condemned the expanded policy, noting that the new order not only doubles down on targeting Muslims ― but it now explicitly targets Africans and Black African Muslims.
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Out of the seven newly added nations, four are African countries with sizable or majority-Muslim populations. Nigeria and Sudan each hold majority-Muslim populations, while Eritrea and Tanzania have sizable Muslim communities. Kyrgyzstan, a majority-Muslim country in Asia, is also on the list.
More than 12,000 people are expected to be impacted per year, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.
This week, Democrats plan to fight back what they say is a xenophobic policy by bringing the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act ― also known as the No Ban Act — to the House floor for a vote. The bill would effectively terminate Trump’s ban.
Aya Saed, a Bertha Justice Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights who focuses on systematic unlawful policies, said that it was no coincidence that these particular African nations were targeted, especially in light of Trump’s comments about Africans.
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In 2018, President Donald Trump reportedly referred to several African nations as “shithole countries” during an immigration meeting at the White House. A year prior, Trump allegedly said Nigerian visitors would never “go back to their huts” in a 2017 meeting. He was angry over the number of visas awarded to travelers from certain countries, according to those present at the meeting.
Saed predicts that the international backlash will be minimal due to “the lack of power that some of these countries can wield in American politics.” She also added that those communities inside the United States may not be well advocated for by current immigration groups due to their small constituency sizes.
Democrats Fight Back
The United States is suspending immigrant visas ― the type of visa given to people seeking to live in the U.S. permanently ― for people from Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, and Nigeria. People from Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be issued diversity visas, a type of visa reserved for travelers from countries with historically low immigration rates to the U.S.
“This just a doubling down on Trump’s racist and xenophobic immigration policies that continue to uphold white supremacy and keep out families and people who are seeking humanitarian protection,” said Mustafa Jumale, policy manager for the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.
People take part in a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 19, 2018, shortly after his reported "shithole countries" comment. VIEW press via Getty Images
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The No Ban Act would end the current travel ban and prevent future presidents from instituting similar bans. It first introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), and co-sponsored by all three Muslim members of Congress: Reps. André Carson (D-Ind.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
Just last week, Reps. Omar, Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) introduced the Eritrean Nationals’ Safety from Unjust Removal or Expulsion (ENSURE) Act, a bill that prevents officials from detention and deportation of Eritreans fleeing state oppression.
Neguse, who is the first Eritrean-American elected to the United States Congress and Colorado’s first congressman of African descent, called the expansion a “xenophobic immigration policy” that “institutionalizes Islamophobia” and “exacerbates the existing prejudices faced by so many in this country today.”
American Communities Fear A Backlash And Family Separation
Widespread concerns have already made its way to those communities from the impacted nations inside the U.S. Jumale, who is based in Minnesota, the state with the most refugees per capita in the country, said clients told him they are worried about not being able to bring ill relatives to the U.S. for medical treatment. People are now canceling their own weddings and other trips abroad in fear of not being able to return.
Jumale pointed out the double standard set by the Trump administration, which continues to position itself as a champion for religious freedom and an advocate for Black people. During Trump’s State of the Union address last week, the president was condemned by Democratic members of Congress for exploiting people of color as political props.
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Internationally, the U.S. continues to push its own foreign policy interests in the very same nations it has placed travel restrictions on.
Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa with a total population of 181 million people and a nation named on the latest ban, is the U.S.’s second-largest trading partner in the continent and receives more than $500 million in U.S. foreign aid programs.
In 2018, Nigerians were issued 7,922 immigrant visas, making it the second-highest issuance compared to the other African nations.
Meanwhile, in Somalia, a country listed on Trump’s original ban, the American government continues to carry out airstrikes in its fight against terrorism, all while preventing citizens from seeking safety in the U.S.
More than 42,000 people have been barred from entering the United States as a result of the travel ban’s implementation, according to a 2019 analysis of State Department data by the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. At least 3,460 parents were separated from their American children.
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The number of Muslim refugees admitted into the country between 2016 and 2018 shrank by 91%. Of those refugees who resettled in the country in 2018, 70% were Christian. Only approximately 15% of admitted refugees were Muslim.
It is then no surprise that Trump administration continues to target more vulnerable black and brown communities, with little repercussions. Masking Islamophobia and anti-Black racism through legislation like this ban has become alarming accepted, said Saed.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-10--Lying Dog-Faced What??? Joe Biden Mystifies With Bonkers Joke Insult At Voter

Former Vice President Joe Biden uttered an odd line during a question and answer session in New Hampshire over the weekend , calling a voter a “ lying dog-face pony soldier.
” At an event in Hampton , 21-year-old student Madison Moore asked Biden why he fared so poorly in the Iowa caucuses , where he came in fourth place .
Biden has had some tense moments on the campaign trail , including calling a voter in Iowa a “ damn liar.
” Last month , he told someone to “ go vote for somebody else.
” In this case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many in the room laughed , including the woman who questioned him .
However , she later issued a statement saying that while she had never been to a caucus , she didn ’ t appreciate the comment .
“ It is totally irrelevant whether I ’ ve been to a caucus or not , ” Moore told The Washington Post .
“ Joe Biden has been performing incredibly poorly in this race .
His inability to answer a simple question from a nobody college student like me only exacerbates that reality.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reuters reported that he has said it ’ s a reference to the 1953 John Wayne movie “ Hondo.
” A search of the script revealed a few references to pony soldiers and lying , but not together nor with the dog-faced portion .
Some on social media suggested Biden may have been referencing “ Pony Soldier , ” a 1952 film that starred Tyrone Power and not John Wayne .
However , according to Slate , the line as Biden used it never appeared in that film , either .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate broke out the obscure John Wayne references & jokingly accused someone at a town hall of being a “ lying , dog-faced pony soldier ” in New Hampshire And perhaps it was always destined to be Joe Bidenhttps : //t.co/402nWIEiaF pic.twitter.com/Kh2zWbXnnQ — Marc Caputo ( @ MarcACaputo ) February 9 , 2020 Apparently “ you ’ re a lying dog-faced pony soldier ” is a line from a John Wayne movie , but I only know that because someone told me .
To the average person , the optics are HORRIBLE .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he speaks ( if that ’ s possible for him .
https : //t.co/cQX7ib9qXK — Seth Weitz ( @ sethaweitz ) February 9 , 2020

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Former Vice President Joe Biden uttered an odd line during a question and answer session in New Hampshire over the weekend, calling a voter a “lying dog-face pony soldier.”
At an event in Hampton, 21-year-old student Madison Moore asked Biden why he fared so poorly in the Iowa caucuses, where he came in fourth place.
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“Iowa’s a Democratic caucus,” Biden said. “You ever been to a caucus?”
Moore nodded yes, but Biden wasn’t buying it.
“No, you haven’t,” he said. “You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier.”
Biden has had some tense moments on the campaign trail, including calling a voter in Iowa a “damn liar.” Last month, he told someone to “go vote for somebody else.” In this case, the line was a joke and many in the room laughed, including the woman who questioned him. However, she later issued a statement saying that while she had never been to a caucus, she didn’t appreciate the comment.
“It is totally irrelevant whether I’ve been to a caucus or not,” Moore told The Washington Post. “Joe Biden has been performing incredibly poorly in this race. His inability to answer a simple question from a nobody college student like me only exacerbates that reality.”
Biden has used the line before. Reuters reported that he has said it’s a reference to the 1953 John Wayne movie “Hondo.” A search of the script revealed a few references to pony soldiers and lying, but not together nor with the dog-faced portion.
Some on social media suggested Biden may have been referencing “Pony Soldier,” a 1952 film that starred Tyrone Power and not John Wayne. However, according to Slate, the line as Biden used it never appeared in that film, either.
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Regardless of the origin, the strange insult/joke left Twitter users flummoxed:
A young woman asked Joe Biden about electability given his poor showing in Iowa and he called her - I'm 100 percent serious - a LYING DOG FACED PONY SOLDIER https://t.co/jP323Eph2z — Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) February 9, 2020
Can someone pull the plug on this simulation and try again? — Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) February 9, 2020
Joe Biden just called a young woman who asked him a question “a lying dog faced pony soldier.”
Not joking. That’s an exact quote. — Shaun King (@shaunking) February 9, 2020
I’m glad I did not fully hallucinate the best insult of all time, “You’re a lying dog faced pony soldier.” https://t.co/kyaTCd0Ll2 — Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) February 9, 2020
It was only a matter of time before a candidate broke out the obscure John Wayne references & jokingly accused someone at a town hall of being a “lying, dog-faced pony soldier” in New Hampshire
And perhaps it was always destined to be Joe Bidenhttps://t.co/402nWIEiaF pic.twitter.com/Kh2zWbXnnQ — Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 9, 2020
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Apparently “you’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier” is a line from a John Wayne movie, but I only know that because someone told me. To the average person, the optics are HORRIBLE. #Biden needs to be more careful when he speaks (if that’s possible for him. https://t.co/cQX7ib9qXK — Seth Weitz (@sethaweitz) February 9, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-09--CPAC Chair: Mitt Romney’s ‘Physical Safety’ Would Be At Risk At Conference

The chairman of the Conservative Political Action Conference warned in an interview Sunday that he would be “ afraid ” for the “ physical safety ” of Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) if he attempts to attend this month ’ s annual convention in Maryland .
The ominous warning follows Chairman Matt Schlapp ’ s Twitter attack on the senator last month after Romney went against the party line to call for witnesses in Donald Trump ’ s Senate impeachment trial .
Romney , the 2012 Republican nominee for president , subsequently voted last week to convict Trump of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the GOP to do so .
The senator cited his oath to God and the dictates of his religion to do “ my duty.
” Schlapp ’ s tweet notified Romney that he was “ not invited ” to CPAC — though it was unclear if the senator ever planned to attend .
The tweet included an unflattering , almost frightening , image of Romney .
Schlapp told Greta Van Susteren on “ Full Court Press ” Sunday that Romney might be allowed to attend the conference — as a “ nonconservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the future.
” But he noted that it could be too dangerous for Romney to do so now .
“ We won ’ t credential him as a conservative .
I suppose if he wants to come as a nonconservative and debate an issue with us , maybe in the future we would have him come .
This year , I would actually be afraid for his physical safety because people hate him so much , ” Schlapp said .
Romney has been the subject of nonstop attacks from Trump and other Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The president has retweeted inflammatory and unfounded conspiracy theories about the onetime GOP standard bearer , and at least one member of his party has called for Romney to be expelled from the Republican caucus .
Schlapp called the political atmosphere in Washington “ cancerous.
” Ironically , he also told Van Susteren : “ We actually need political leaders that can help all of us get to a better place.
” Romney ’ s office did not immediately respond a request to comment .
But Twitter users had plenty to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events with Mitt Romney , it makes more sense how the Republicans stay so united .
It ’ s out of sheer terror of their own party .
— whathappensnext ( @ jsdmd2010 ) February 9 , 2020

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The chairman of the Conservative Political Action Conference warned in an interview Sunday that he would be “afraid” for the “physical safety” of Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) if he attempts to attend this month’s annual convention in Maryland.
The ominous warning follows Chairman Matt Schlapp’s Twitter attack on the senator last month after Romney went against the party line to call for witnesses in Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial. Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee for president, subsequently voted last week to convict Trump of abuse of power, the sole member of the GOP to do so. The senator cited his oath to God and the dictates of his religion to do “my duty.”
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Schlapp’s tweet notified Romney that he was “not invited” to CPAC — though it was unclear if the senator ever planned to attend. The tweet included an unflattering, almost frightening, image of Romney.
BREAKING: The "extreme conservative" and Junior Senator from the great state of Utah, @SenatorRomney is formally NOT invited to #CPAC2020. pic.twitter.com/f35tYy73V1 — Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) January 31, 2020
Schlapp told Greta Van Susteren on “Full Court Press” Sunday that Romney might be allowed to attend the conference — as a “nonconservative” — at some point “in the future.” But he noted that it could be too dangerous for Romney to do so now.
“We won’t credential him as a conservative. I suppose if he wants to come as a nonconservative and debate an issue with us, maybe in the future we would have him come. This year, I would actually be afraid for his physical safety because people hate him so much,” Schlapp said.
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Romney has been the subject of nonstop attacks from Trump and other Republicans since he voted to convict last week. The president has retweeted inflammatory and unfounded conspiracy theories about the onetime GOP standard bearer, and at least one member of his party has called for Romney to be expelled from the Republican caucus.
Schlapp called the political atmosphere in Washington “cancerous.” Ironically, he also told Van Susteren: “We actually need political leaders that can help all of us get to a better place.”
Romney’s office did not immediately respond a request to comment. But Twitter users had plenty to say.
Closer and closer to saying the quiet part loud. https://t.co/l0cEXthte0 — Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 9, 2020
This is really dangerous talk. Republicans apparently have no compunction in encouraging violence. — neil pessall (@neilpX) February 9, 2020
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After watching this sordid turn of events with Mitt Romney, it makes more sense how the Republicans stay so united. It’s out of sheer terror of their own party. — whathappensnext (@jsdmd2010) February 9, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-10--New Hampshire Democrats Would Prefer A Meteor Catastrophe To A Trump Victory

New Hampshire Democrats would rather have a giant meteor smash into Earth “ extinguishing all human life ” than see President Donald Trump reelected .
That ’ s according to a poll of likely Democratic primary voters that was taken late last month by the University of Massachusetts Lowell .
Sixty-two percent of those asked the catastrophic question picked the meteor option .
The rest — 38 % — chose Trump ’ s reelection .
A full 95 % of likely primary voters said they disapproved of the job Trump is doing .
The Granite State went for Hillary Clinton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ margin of 0.04 % .
Although a significant portion of voters — 39 % — told pollsters they might still change their minds , early support measured by the poll , taken from Jan. 28 to Jan. 31 , indicated that 23 % would vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) , 22 % for former Vice President Joe Biden , 19 % for Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
and 12 % for former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg .
Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D-Minn. ) and billionaire Tom Steyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The poll had an error rate of plus or minus 6.4 % .
More recent polls have Sanders and Buttigieg leading the pack .
A WBZ-TV/Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll that ended Saturday reported 24 % support for Sanders , with Buttigieg grabbing 22 % .
Warren had 13 % backing and Biden 10 % .
Klobuchar ’ s support jumped to 9 % .
The portion of undecided voters rose from 7 % Friday night to 12 % Saturday night .
That poll had an error rate of plus or minus 4.4 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s independents .
They make up the largest bloc of voters .
“ This is a true toss-up race , ” said Joshua Dyck , associate political science professor and director of the Center for Public Opinion , which conducted the University of Massachusetts poll .
“ New Hampshire primaries are reputed for going down to the wire , and it looks like Granite State Democrats are ready to live up to their reputation .
”

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New Hampshire Democrats would rather have a giant meteor smash into Earth “extinguishing all human life” than see President Donald Trump reelected.
That’s according to a poll of likely Democratic primary voters that was taken late last month by the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Sixty-two percent of those asked the catastrophic question picked the meteor option. The rest — 38% — chose Trump’s reelection.
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A full 95% of likely primary voters said they disapproved of the job Trump is doing.
The Granite State went for Hillary Clinton in 2016, but only by a margin of 0.04%.
Although a significant portion of voters — 39% — told pollsters they might still change their minds, early support measured by the poll, taken from Jan. 28 to Jan. 31, indicated that 23% would vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), 22% for former Vice President Joe Biden, 19% for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and 12% for former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and billionaire Tom Steyer each racked up 6% support. The poll had an error rate of plus or minus 6.4%.
More recent polls have Sanders and Buttigieg leading the pack. A WBZ-TV/Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll that ended Saturday reported 24% support for Sanders, with Buttigieg grabbing 22%. Warren had 13% backing and Biden 10%. Klobuchar’s support jumped to 9%. The portion of undecided voters rose from 7% Friday night to 12% Saturday night. That poll had an error rate of plus or minus 4.4%.
The wild card is New Hampshire’s independents. They make up the largest bloc of voters.
“This is a true toss-up race,” said Joshua Dyck, associate political science professor and director of the Center for Public Opinion, which conducted the University of Massachusetts poll. “New Hampshire primaries are reputed for going down to the wire, and it looks like Granite State Democrats are ready to live up to their reputation.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-09--Bill Weld Hunts For Elusive Pre-Trump Republicans In New Hampshire Sprint

At stops up and down the state Saturday and Sunday , Weld warned Republicans that if they believed in what the party stood for in the decades before Donald Trump won the nomination and then the presidency , they needed to mobilize now to stop him .
“ It ’ s crunch time for the New Hampshire primary , which is Tuesday .
But I ’ m here to say that it ’ s also crunch time for the country , ” he told some 130 attendees at a town hall he held at the Keene Public Library , predicting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more authoritarian manner in a second term .
He pointed to Trump ’ s frequent line at his rallies : “ ‘ You have no choice .
You have to vote for me , ’ and everyone laughs , because they know , of course , they do have a choice , and that ’ s what elections are all about .
But Mr. Trump is absolutely serious when he says , ‘ You have no choice.
’ And all of us , if we vote to reelect Mr. Trump , we better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because we ’ re going to be hearing them a lot more.
” Weld was a top Justice Department official under President Ronald Reagan and then a two-term governor of Massachusetts .
Yet that seems to carry little currency in a party where about 9 in 10 primary voters are solidly behind an incumbent president whose demeanor and guiding philosophy have little in common with the party ’ s most iconic names .
Weld , for his part , has been pushing that theme hard ― that if Trump wins a second term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republican Party .
He predicted an end similar to that of the Whig Party , which fractured in the 1850s .
He told an audience of about 75 at the Whipple Free Library in New Boston that “ half of that split ” came to be called the Know Nothing Party .
“ They also were anti-immigrant , held violent rallies and were given to conspiracy theories .
Does that sound familiar ?
” he said .
“ I see trouble for the Republican Party unless this boil is lanced , soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boil can be lanced is this November 2020 , ” he said , predicting that if Trump winds up as the nominee , he will take the Republican Senate down with him .
“ When they lose the Senate , there will be a Democratic Senate , a Democratic House and , unless I ’ m the nominee , there will be a Democratic president , I hope , if the alternative is Mr. Trump.
” If you weaken the president early and then weaken him later on , that ’ s better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bill Weld , making his pitch to a voter in Exeter , New Hampshire Indeed , while Weld attracted respectable crowds at his events over the weekend , those figures were boosted in New Boston by a field trip of a couple of dozen students and faculty from Philadelphia ’ s Temple University and in Keene by a busload of students from Hofstra University on Long Island .
“ Within the Republican Party , I think Trump has like 94 % support , ” said Jack Blodgett , a 74-year-old retiree who came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he would choose from among the centrist Democrats in the race on Tuesday .
“ I just wonder what someone like Bill Weld is thinking.
” The existence of a competitive Democratic primary was clearly hurting Weld ’ s efforts to draw voters to his own .
During a bookstore visit in Exeter on Sunday , independent voter Joel Schander asked Weld why he should vote for him in the Republican primary rather than for his preferred candidate , Andrew Yang , in the Democratic primary .
Weld told him that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put a hole below the waterline of the good ship Donald Trump , ” making it easier to defeat him come November .
“ If you vote for me , you can be assured that your vote will be against Donald Trump , ” he said .
“ If you weaken the president early and then weaken him later on , that ’ s better than just weakening him later on.
” Schander , a 42-year-old computer engineer , thanked Weld , but said later he would rather find a candidate he agrees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it means voting for a third-party candidate in November .
“ This is a vote against somebody , ” he said of Weld ’ s request .
“ I want to vote for somebody.
” Weld said he hopes to “ exceed expectations ” on Tuesday , but that he will in any event carry on to the next GOP contests ― Nevada and South Carolina Republicans canceled their caucuses and primary , respectively , in order to make sure Trump will win all of the state ’ s delegates ― on March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up delegates that day .

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EXETER, N.H. ― As the other presidential candidates crisscrossed the state trying to consolidate support from Democrats in the final weekend before the New Hampshire primary, Bill Weld was on a far more elusive hunt: a search for pre-Trump Republicans.
At stops up and down the state Saturday and Sunday, Weld warned Republicans that if they believed in what the party stood for in the decades before Donald Trump won the nomination and then the presidency, they needed to mobilize now to stop him.
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“It’s crunch time for the New Hampshire primary, which is Tuesday. But I’m here to say that it’s also crunch time for the country,” he told some 130 attendees at a town hall he held at the Keene Public Library, predicting that Trump would behave in an even more authoritarian manner in a second term.
He pointed to Trump’s frequent line at his rallies: “‘You have no choice. You have to vote for me,’ and everyone laughs, because they know, of course, they do have a choice, and that’s what elections are all about. But Mr. Trump is absolutely serious when he says, ‘You have no choice.’ And all of us, if we vote to reelect Mr. Trump, we better get used to hearing those words, because we’re going to be hearing them a lot more.”
Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld greets pedestrians in Exeter, New Hampshire, on Sunday, closing out a weekend of campaigning ahead of Tuesday's presidential primary. Weld is challenging President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination. S.V. Date/HuffPost
Weld was a top Justice Department official under President Ronald Reagan and then a two-term governor of Massachusetts. Yet that seems to carry little currency in a party where about 9 in 10 primary voters are solidly behind an incumbent president whose demeanor and guiding philosophy have little in common with the party’s most iconic names.
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“Will the party survive? I don’t know,” said Claira Pirozzi Monier, a former Reagan administration official and now a top Weld supporter in New Hampshire.
Weld, for his part, has been pushing that theme hard ― that if Trump wins a second term, it will mean the end of the Republican Party. He predicted an end similar to that of the Whig Party, which fractured in the 1850s.
He told an audience of about 75 at the Whipple Free Library in New Boston that “half of that split” came to be called the Know Nothing Party. “They also were anti-immigrant, held violent rallies and were given to conspiracy theories. Does that sound familiar?” he said.
“I see trouble for the Republican Party unless this boil is lanced, soon. And I think the latest this boil can be lanced is this November 2020,” he said, predicting that if Trump winds up as the nominee, he will take the Republican Senate down with him. “When they lose the Senate, there will be a Democratic Senate, a Democratic House and, unless I’m the nominee, there will be a Democratic president, I hope, if the alternative is Mr. Trump.”
Weld entered the race nearly a year ago and has staged 200 campaign events in New Hampshire. Trump, nevertheless, has an 88% to 7% lead over Weld in a poll of that state’s Republican primary voters released on Friday by NBC News.
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“If you weaken the president early and then weaken him later on, that’s better than just weakening him later on.” - Bill Weld, making his pitch to a voter in Exeter, New Hampshire
“I barely even knew he was running. I mean, what’s the point?” said Norris Viviers, a 58-year-old residential real estate developer who shook Weld’s hand at Murphy’s Diner in Manchester on Sunday but intends to vote for Trump, as he did in 2016.
Indeed, while Weld attracted respectable crowds at his events over the weekend, those figures were boosted in New Boston by a field trip of a couple of dozen students and faculty from Philadelphia’s Temple University and in Keene by a busload of students from Hofstra University on Long Island.
Others attending were Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents curious about Weld’s message.
“Within the Republican Party, I think Trump has like 94% support,” said Jack Blodgett, a 74-year-old retiree who came to see Weld in New Boston and said he would choose from among the centrist Democrats in the race on Tuesday. “I just wonder what someone like Bill Weld is thinking.”
The existence of a competitive Democratic primary was clearly hurting Weld’s efforts to draw voters to his own. During a bookstore visit in Exeter on Sunday, independent voter Joel Schander asked Weld why he should vote for him in the Republican primary rather than for his preferred candidate, Andrew Yang, in the Democratic primary.
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Weld told him that a vote for him Tuesday would help “put a hole below the waterline of the good ship Donald Trump,” making it easier to defeat him come November. “If you vote for me, you can be assured that your vote will be against Donald Trump,” he said. “If you weaken the president early and then weaken him later on, that’s better than just weakening him later on.”
Schander, a 42-year-old computer engineer, thanked Weld, but said later he would rather find a candidate he agrees with to vote for, even if it means voting for a third-party candidate in November. “This is a vote against somebody,” he said of Weld’s request. “I want to vote for somebody.”
Weld said he hopes to “exceed expectations” on Tuesday, but that he will in any event carry on to the next GOP contests ― Nevada and South Carolina Republicans canceled their caucuses and primary, respectively, in order to make sure Trump will win all of the state’s delegates ― on March 3 because he believes he can pick up delegates that day.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-09--Bernie Sanders Will Seek Partial Recanvass Of Iowa Caucus Results

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Sen. Bernie Sanders ’ campaign plans to ask for a “ partial recanvass ” of the results of last week ’ s Iowa caucuses .
A campaign aide confirmed the plans Sunday night , ahead of a Monday deadline for candidates to ask the Iowa Democratic Party to recanvass the results .
A recanvass is not a recount , but a check of the vote count to ensure the results were added correctly .
The state party released updated results on Sunday showing Pete Buttigieg leading Sanders by two state delegate equivalents out of 2,152 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to declare a winner because it believes the results may not be fully accurate and are still subject to potential revision .
Technical issues roiled the caucuses .
An app used by party volunteers to report results and jammed phone lines set up for the same purpose resulted in the Iowa Democratic Party failing to release any results to the public until nearly a day after the event .
Behind the scenes , party volunteers reported inconsistencies in the complicated math used by caucus volunteers to calculate the outcome of each individual caucus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data they received , Iowa Democratic Party officials spent much of the week collecting paper records of the results and checking them against the numbers reported by volunteers .
But issues continued to plague the party ’ s reporting , and the Iowa Democratic Party on Saturday said it was reviewing reported inconsistencies in 95 precincts .
The state party also asked campaigns to submit any evidence of inconsistencies in the final results , and pledged to issue any corrections by Monday .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign plans to ask for a “partial recanvass” of the results of last week’s Iowa caucuses.
A campaign aide confirmed the plans Sunday night, ahead of a Monday deadline for candidates to ask the Iowa Democratic Party to recanvass the results. A recanvass is not a recount, but a check of the vote count to ensure the results were added correctly.
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The state party released updated results on Sunday showing Pete Buttigieg leading Sanders by two state delegate equivalents out of 2,152 counted.
The Associated Press remains unable to declare a winner because it believes the results may not be fully accurate and are still subject to potential revision.
Technical issues roiled the caucuses. An app used by party volunteers to report results and jammed phone lines set up for the same purpose resulted in the Iowa Democratic Party failing to release any results to the public until nearly a day after the event. Behind the scenes, party volunteers reported inconsistencies in the complicated math used by caucus volunteers to calculate the outcome of each individual caucus.
To confirm the validity of the data they received, Iowa Democratic Party officials spent much of the week collecting paper records of the results and checking them against the numbers reported by volunteers. But issues continued to plague the party’s reporting, and the Iowa Democratic Party on Saturday said it was reviewing reported inconsistencies in 95 precincts. The state party also asked campaigns to submit any evidence of inconsistencies in the final results, and pledged to issue any corrections by Monday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-10--Veterans Group Issues Joint Endorsement Of Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images Sen. Bernie Sanders ( left ) shares a moment with Sen. Elizabeth Warren before the Democratic presidential debate in Detroit in July .
The two have been co-endorsed by Common Defense .
The group cited the two senators ’ decision to sign its pledge to “ end the Forever War.
” The pledge calls for Congress to re-assert its authority over U.S. foreign policy and take measures to bring the country ’ s open-ended conflicts to a close , particularly in the Middle East .
The group said the other major contenders in the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ; former South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg ; and Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D-Minn. ) ― have not signed the pledge or met with the group ’ s activists to discuss it .
“ Both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have campaigned extensively and unapologetically on bringing our fellow troops home , and have stood up for the majority of veterans despite the skepticism and smears of the hawkish foreign policy establishment and the political media who have too often been uncritical cheerleaders of these failed wars we were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement .
Common Defense also said it was looking for presidential candidates who have a plan to enact “ Medicare for All ” and a Green New Deal .
Common Defense is distinct from other Democratic Party-aligned veterans groups , like VoteVets , in that it unabashedly supports the party ’ s progressive wing .
VoteVets has endorsed Buttigieg and is blanketing the airwaves in early states with ads promoting his candidacy .
Common Defense , by contrast , measures its strength in its ability to mobilize what it estimates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its New Hampshire members will know about the group ’ s decision ahead of the Democratic primary on Tuesday where polls show Sanders ahead .
The organization came into being after the 2016 election as a vehicle for veterans opposed to President Donald Trump .
It subsequently became an outspoken source of calls to impeach the president , including by successfully pressuring moderate House Democrats with military or national security backgrounds to get behind impeachment .
Dual endorsements are rare in politics .
But Common Defense ’ s announcement mirrors actions taken by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a public spat between Sanders and Warren that the left feared would empower moderates .
Democracy for America and 17 other groups launched a unity initiative ― accompanied by a smaller ad campaign ― encouraging the candidates and their supporters to set aside their differences in the interest of blocking an establishment win .
Still , the endorsement carries proportionally greater weight for Warren , who trails Sanders and Buttigieg in New Hampshire polls and is neck and neck with Klobuchar .
Up until Monday , Sanders had largely swept up a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had also sought .
Rather than paper over those differences , Common Defense said it was trying to represent the views of its membership .
When surveyed , about 75 % of its members support Sanders or Warren , but there was not a clear mandate for either candidate , according to the group .
“ While Warren and Sanders have meaningful differences in their record and strategic approach , their supporters have much in common with each other , including a shared assessment that the status quo is broken and bold change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group said in its endorsement .

Sen. Bernie Sanders (left) shares a moment with Sen. Elizabeth Warren before the Democratic presidential debate in Detroit in July. The two have been co-endorsed by Common Defense. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images
Common Defense, a group representing progressive military veterans, announced Monday that it is issuing a co-endorsement of the presidential campaigns of Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
The group cited the two senators’ decision to sign its pledge to “end the Forever War.” The pledge calls for Congress to re-assert its authority over U.S. foreign policy and take measures to bring the country’s open-ended conflicts to a close, particularly in the Middle East. The group said the other major contenders in the Democratic presidential primary ― former Vice President Joe Biden; former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) ― have not signed the pledge or met with the group’s activists to discuss it.
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“Both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have campaigned extensively and unapologetically on bringing our fellow troops home, and have stood up for the majority of veterans despite the skepticism and smears of the hawkish foreign policy establishment and the political media who have too often been uncritical cheerleaders of these failed wars we were sent to fight,” the group said in a statement.
Common Defense also said it was looking for presidential candidates who have a plan to enact “Medicare for All” and a Green New Deal.
Common Defense is distinct from other Democratic Party-aligned veterans groups, like VoteVets, in that it unabashedly supports the party’s progressive wing. VoteVets has endorsed Buttigieg and is blanketing the airwaves in early states with ads promoting his candidacy.
Common Defense, by contrast, measures its strength in its ability to mobilize what it estimates as 150,000 members. The endorsement ensures its New Hampshire members will know about the group’s decision ahead of the Democratic primary on Tuesday where polls show Sanders ahead.
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The organization came into being after the 2016 election as a vehicle for veterans opposed to President Donald Trump. It subsequently became an outspoken source of calls to impeach the president, including by successfully pressuring moderate House Democrats with military or national security backgrounds to get behind impeachment.
Dual endorsements are rare in politics. But Common Defense’s announcement mirrors actions taken by other progressive groups in January in response to a public spat between Sanders and Warren that the left feared would empower moderates. Democracy for America and 17 other groups launched a unity initiative ― accompanied by a smaller ad campaign ― encouraging the candidates and their supporters to set aside their differences in the interest of blocking an establishment win.
Still, the endorsement carries proportionally greater weight for Warren, who trails Sanders and Buttigieg in New Hampshire polls and is neck and neck with Klobuchar. Up until Monday, Sanders had largely swept up a host of key progressive endorsements that Warren had also sought.
Warren has a less-established record of opposing foreign interventionism than Sanders does.
Rather than paper over those differences, Common Defense said it was trying to represent the views of its membership. When surveyed, about 75% of its members support Sanders or Warren, but there was not a clear mandate for either candidate, according to the group.
“While Warren and Sanders have meaningful differences in their record and strategic approach, their supporters have much in common with each other, including a shared assessment that the status quo is broken and bold change is needed to fix it,” the group said in its endorsement.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-11--Trump Just Tweeted A Clip From A TV Show That Was Totally Making Fun Of Him

President Donald Trump shared a video clip he seems to think shows that “ tough guys ” support him .
Just one problem : The footage of a biker reacting to a “ Make America Great Again ” cap was from an episode of Larry David ’ s HBO show “ Curb Your Enthusiasm.
” And the episode not only mocked the caps but called them “ a great people repellent.
” On Monday , Trump tweeted the clip , which contained at least eight profanities : In the episode , the notoriously prickly David discovers that people want nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the MAGA cap so he dons it as a “ people repellent.
” The cap gets him out of a lunch meeting he had been trying to avoid , and helps him keep the seat next to him at a sushi bar empty .
In the clip shared by Trump , David accidentally cuts off a biker , who angrily pursues him , dropping f-bombs along the way .
When David dons the cap , the angry biker ― Trump ’ s “ TOUGH GUY ” ― suddenly becomes much friendlier .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kay asked David if he was worried the episode mocking the MAGA hats would alienate Trump supporters .
“ Alienate yourselves .
Go .
Go and alienate , you have my blessing , ” David said to laughs from the audience .
“ No , I could give a fuck .
”

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President Donald Trump shared a video clip he seems to think shows that “tough guys” support him.
Just one problem: The footage of a biker reacting to a “Make America Great Again” cap was from an episode of Larry David’s HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” And the episode not only mocked the caps, but called them “a great people repellent.”
On Monday, Trump tweeted the clip, which contained at least eight profanities:
TOUGH GUYS FOR TRUMP! pic.twitter.com/DbjZjGzLWU — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 11, 2020
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In the episode, the notoriously prickly David discovers that people want nothing to do with him when he wears the MAGA cap, so he dons it as a “people repellent.” The cap gets him out of a lunch meeting he had been trying to avoid, and helps keep the seat next to him at a sushi bar empty.
In the clip shared by Trump, David accidentally cuts off a biker, who angrily pursues him, dropping f-bombs along the way. When David dons the cap, the angry biker ― Trump’s “TOUGH GUY” ― suddenly becomes much friendlier.
Last month, sportscaster and talk-show host Michael Kay asked David if he was worried the episode mocking the MAGA hats would alienate Trump supporters.
“Alienate yourselves. Go. Go and alienate, you have my blessing,” David said to laughs from the audience. “No, I could give a fuck.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-10--George Conway Suggests Why 'Vindictive' Trump May Need To Be Impeached Again

Conservative attorney George Conway has penned a scorching op-ed about President Donald Trump , in the wake of the president ’ s firing of two witnesses who testified in the House impeachment inquiry .
Conway , who is married to the president ’ s counselor Kellyanne Conway , opened his Washington Post article with a quote from Trump following his Senate acquittal Thursday .
“ We ’ ll probably have to do it again , because these people have gone stone-cold crazy , ” the president riffed on impeachment in the East Room .
Conway posited that , the very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why he could be destined to achieve that ignominious fate ” with his “ retaliatory ” dismissals .
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman , the top National Security Council official on Ukraine , was fired and escorted from the White House on Friday .
Some hours later , European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland was also fired .
Both provided key testimony in the House inquiry .
Army Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman , Alexander Vindman ’ s twin brother , was also dismissed .
“ With essentially no pretense about why he was doing it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two witnesses who gave truthful testimony in the House ’ s impeachment inquiry , ” Conway wrote in the article , published Monday .
“ Trump essentially admitted his retaliatory motive on Saturday , when he tweeted that he sacked Vindman in part for having ‘ reported contents of my “ perfect ” calls incorrectly.
’ ” Conway argued that , had this been a criminal investigation , this so-called “ Friday Night Massacre ” could have been a crime .
He linked to a piece of U.S. Code about the criminal repercussions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At the very least , it ought to be impeachable : If Richard M. Nixon was to be impeached for authorizing hush money for witnesses , and Trump himself was actually impeached for directing defiance of House subpoenas , then there should be no doubt that punishing witnesses for complying with subpoenas and giving truthful testimony about presidential misconduct should make for a high crime or misdemeanor as well .
But , Conway said , it ’ s not only about “ this one day , or this one egregious act , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a duty to uphold the public ’ s trust .
“ And that Trump ’ s narcissism won ’ t allow him to put anyone else ’ s interests above his own , including the nation ’ s , ” he wrote .
“ Indeed , he can ’ t even distinguish between his interests and the nation ’ s — and doesn ’ t need to , according to his lawyers and now the judgment of the Senate.
” Highlighting the now-walked-back remarks from Sen. Susan Collins ( R-Maine ) that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Trump contradicted this when asked about her assertion ) , Conway warned that the president ’ s behavior indicates he will only get worse .
The lawyer listed multiple other examples he called “ vindictive ” uses of presidential power from the duration of Trump ’ s time in office , including the firing of James B. Comey as FBI director and his threats against companies including Facebook and Twitter .

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Conservative attorney George Conway has penned a scorching op-ed about President Donald Trump, in the wake of the president’s firing of two witnesses who testified in the House impeachment inquiry.
Conway, who is married to the president’s counselor Kellyanne Conway, opened his Washington Post article with a quote from Trump following his Senate acquittal Thursday. “We’ll probably have to do it again, because these people have gone stone-cold crazy,” the president riffed on impeachment in the East Room.
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Conway posited that, the very next day, Trump demonstrated “precisely why he could be destined to achieve that ignominious fate” with his “retaliatory” dismissals.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top National Security Council official on Ukraine, was fired and escorted from the White House on Friday. Some hours later, European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland was also fired. Both provided key testimony in the House inquiry. Army Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, Alexander Vindman’s twin brother, was also dismissed.
“With essentially no pretense about why he was doing it, the president brazenly retaliated Friday against two witnesses who gave truthful testimony in the House’s impeachment inquiry,” Conway wrote in the article, published Monday.
“Trump essentially admitted his retaliatory motive on Saturday, when he tweeted that he sacked Vindman in part for having ‘reported contents of my “perfect” calls incorrectly.’”
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President Donald Trump, and the husband of his White House counselor, George Conway. Reuters / Getty
Conway argued that, had this been a criminal investigation, this so-called “Friday Night Massacre” could have been a crime. He linked to a piece of U.S. Code about the criminal repercussions of retaliating against witnesses and informants.
Conway continued:
At the very least, it ought to be impeachable: If Richard M. Nixon was to be impeached for authorizing hush money for witnesses, and Trump himself was actually impeached for directing defiance of House subpoenas, then there should be no doubt that punishing witnesses for complying with subpoenas and giving truthful testimony about presidential misconduct should make for a high crime or misdemeanor as well.
But, Conway said, it’s not only about “this one day, or this one egregious act,” but the fact that the president has a duty to uphold the public’s trust.
“And that Trump’s narcissism won’t allow him to put anyone else’s interests above his own, including the nation’s,” he wrote.
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“Indeed, he can’t even distinguish between his interests and the nation’s — and doesn’t need to, according to his lawyers and now the judgment of the Senate.”
Highlighting the now-walked-back remarks from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that Trump had learned a lesson from the impeachment (Trump contradicted this when asked about her assertion), Conway warned that the president’s behavior indicates he will only get worse.
The lawyer listed multiple other examples he called “vindictive” uses of presidential power from the duration of Trump’s time in office, including the firing of James B. Comey as FBI director and his threats against companies including Facebook and Twitter.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-10--Trump's $4.8 Trillion Budget Proposal Revisits Rejected Cuts

Trump ’ s fiscal 2021 plan promises the government ’ s deficit will crest above $ 1 trillion only for the current budget year before steadily decreasing to more manageable levels , but only by relying on optimistic economic projections , dramatically scaled-back military operations overseas , and proposed cuts to agency budgets that run directly opposite to two previous budget deals signed by Trump .
“ There is optimism that was not here before 63 million Americans asked me to work for them and drain the swamp , ” Trump said .
“ For decades , Washington elites told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accept stagnation , decay , and decline .
We proved them wrong .
Our economy is strong once more.
” In a White House appearance , Trump said , ” Trump ’ s budget follows a familiar formula that exempts seniors from politically toxic cuts to Medicare and Social Security while targeting benefit safety net programs for the poor , domestic programs like clean energy and student loan subsidies .
It again proposes to dramatically slash funding for overseas military operations to save $ 567 billion over 10 years but adds $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make his 2017 tax cuts permanent law .
Trump ’ s proposal would cut $ 465 billion from Medicare providers such as hospitals , which prompted howls from Democrats such as former Vice President Joe Biden , who said it “ eviscerates Medicare , ” while top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York said Trump is planning to ” rip away health care from millions of Americans ” with cuts to Medicare and the Medicaid health program for the poor .
Trump ’ s budget would also shred last year ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House and Pelosi by imposing an immediate 5 % cut to non-defense agency budgets passed by Congress .
Slashing cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and taking about $ 900 billion out of Medicaid over a decade are also nonstarters on Capitol Hill , but both the White House and Democrats are hopeful of progress this spring on prescription drug prices .
The Trump budget is a blueprint written under Washington rules as if he could enact it without congressional approval .
It relies on rosy economic projections of 2.8 % economic growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long term — in addition to fanciful claims of future cuts to domestic programs — to show that it is possible to bend the deficit curve in the right direction .
The reality is that no one — Trump , the Democratic-controlled House or the GOP-held Senate — has any interest in tackling a chronic budget gap that forces the government to borrow 22 cents of every dollar it spends .
The White House plan proposes $ 4.4 trillion in spending cuts over the coming decade .
Trump has also signed two broader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans to get rid of spending cuts left over from a failed 2011 budget accord .
The result has been eye-popping spending levels for defense — to about $ 750 billion this year — and significant gains for domestic programs favored by Democrats .
Trump ’ s new budget essentially freezes defense at current levels while proposing a 3 % military pay hike .
The Trump budget also promises a $ 3 billion increase — to $ 25 billion — for NASA in hopes of returning astronauts to the moon and on to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10-year , $ 1 trillion infrastructure proposal , but $ 800 billion of that comes through existing surface transportation programs .
It contains a modest parental leave plan championed by first daughter Ivanka Trump and includes $ 135 billion in savings over the coming decade as part of an unspecified set-aside to tackle the high cost of prescription drugs this year .
Trump ’ s U.S.-Mexico border wall would receive a $ 2 billion appropriation , more than provided by Congress but less than the $ 8 billion requested last year .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ build 1000 miles ( 1,600 kilometers ) of wall , a senior administration official said , most of it obtained by exploiting his budget transfer powers .
The official requested anonymity to discuss the budget before it is made public .
With Medicare and Social Security largely off the table , Trump has instead focused on Medicaid , which provides care to more than 70 million poor and disabled people .
President Barack Obama successfully expanded Medicaid when passing the Affordable Care Act a decade ago , but Trump has endorsed GOP plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two years ago — to dramatically curb the program .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump unveiled a $4.8 trillion election year budget plan on Monday that recycles deep, previously rejected cuts to domestic programs like food stamps, Medicaid, and housing as the recipe for wrestling the federal budget back into balance.
Trump’s fiscal 2021 plan promises the government’s deficit will crest above $1 trillion only for the current budget year before steadily decreasing to more manageable levels, but only by relying on optimistic economic projections, dramatically scaled-back military operations overseas, and proposed cuts to agency budgets that run directly opposite to two previous budget deals signed by Trump.
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The budget “sets the course for a future of continued American dominance and prosperity,” Trump said in a message accompanying the document.
“There is optimism that was not here before 63 million Americans asked me to work for them and drain the swamp,” Trump said. “For decades, Washington elites told us that Americans had no choice but to accept stagnation, decay, and decline. We proved them wrong. Our economy is strong once more.” In a White House appearance, Trump said, ”
The plan had no chance even before Trump’s impeachment scorched Washington. Its cuts to food stamps, farm subsidies, subsidized housing for the poor, Medicaid and student loans couldn’t pass when Republicans controlled Congress, much less now with liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., setting the agenda.
Trump’s budget follows a familiar formula that exempts seniors from politically toxic cuts to Medicare and Social Security while targeting benefit safety net programs for the poor, domestic programs like clean energy and student loan subsidies. It again proposes to dramatically slash funding for overseas military operations to save $567 billion over 10 years but adds $1.5 trillion over the same time frame to make his 2017 tax cuts permanent law.
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Trump’s proposal would cut $465 billion from Medicare providers such as hospitals, which prompted howls from Democrats such as former Vice President Joe Biden, who said it “eviscerates Medicare,” while top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York said Trump is planning to ”rip away health care from millions of Americans” with cuts to Medicare and the Medicaid health program for the poor.
Trump’s GOP allies generally issued only faint praise if commenting at all. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., called it “just a list of suggestions” while top House Budget Committee Republican Steve Womack of Arkansas took aim at its rosy predictions of economic growth and lower interest rates, both of which help Trump’s budget add up.
Trump’s budget would also shred last year’s hard-won budget deal between the White House and Pelosi by imposing an immediate 5% cut to non-defense agency budgets passed by Congress. Slashing cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and taking about $900 billion out of Medicaid over a decade are also nonstarters on Capitol Hill, but both the White House and Democrats are hopeful of progress this spring on prescription drug prices.
The Trump budget is a blueprint written under Washington rules as if he could enact it without congressional approval. It relies on rosy economic projections of 2.8% economic growth this year and 3% over the long term — in addition to fanciful claims of future cuts to domestic programs — to show that it is possible to bend the deficit curve in the right direction.
The economy grew by 2.1% last year and Congress spent much of the past decade reversing agency spending cuts imposed by a failed 2011 budget pact.
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That sleight of hand enables Trump to promise to whittle down a $1.08 trillion budget deficit for the ongoing budget year and a $966 billion deficit gap in the 2021 fiscal year starting Oct. 1 to $261 billion in 2030. Balance would come in 15 years.
The reality is that no one — Trump, the Democratic-controlled House or the GOP-held Senate — has any interest in tackling a chronic budget gap that forces the government to borrow 22 cents of every dollar it spends. The White House plan proposes $4.4 trillion in spending cuts over the coming decade.
Trump’s reelection campaign, meanwhile, is focused on the economy and the historically low jobless rate while ignoring the government’s red ink.
Ever since his days as a presidential candidate, Trump has been promising a health care plan. The budget repeats that promise but offers few details. It lays out a “health reform vision” that calls for better care at lower cost and protecting people with preexisting medical conditions.
Trump has also signed two broader budget deals worked out by Democrats and Republicans to get rid of spending cuts left over from a failed 2011 budget accord. The result has been eye-popping spending levels for defense — to about $750 billion this year — and significant gains for domestic programs favored by Democrats. Trump’s new budget essentially freezes defense at current levels while proposing a 3% military pay hike.
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The White House hasn’t done much to draw attention to this year’s budget release, though Trump has revealed initiatives of interest to key 2020 battleground states, such as an increase to $250 million to restore Florida’s Everglades and a move to finally abandon a multibillion-dollar, never-used nuclear waste dump that’s political poison in Nevada.
The Trump budget also promises a $3 billion increase — to $25 billion — for NASA in hopes of returning astronauts to the moon and on to Mars. It touts a beefed-up, 10-year, $1 trillion infrastructure proposal, but $800 billion of that comes through existing surface transportation programs. It contains a modest parental leave plan championed by first daughter Ivanka Trump and includes $135 billion in savings over the coming decade as part of an unspecified set-aside to tackle the high cost of prescription drugs this year.
Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall would receive a $2 billion appropriation, more than provided by Congress but less than the $8 billion requested last year. Trump has enough wall money on hand to build 1000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of wall, a senior administration official said, most of it obtained by exploiting his budget transfer powers. The official requested anonymity to discuss the budget before it is made public.
The reduced wall request could ease the way for action on appropriations bills in the GOP-held Senate, where a fight over last year’s far larger wall request stalled work on the annual spending bills for months.
Trump has proposed modest adjustments to eligibility for Social Security disability benefits, and he’s proposed cuts to Medicare providers such as hospitals, but the real cost driver of Medicare and Social Security is the ongoing retirement surge of the baby boom generation and health care costs that continue to outpace inflation.
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With Medicare and Social Security largely off the table, Trump has instead focused on Medicaid, which provides care to more than 70 million poor and disabled people. President Barack Obama successfully expanded Medicaid when passing the Affordable Care Act a decade ago, but Trump has endorsed GOP plans — they failed spectacularly in the Senate two years ago — to dramatically curb the program.
Indeed, Trump’s proposed cuts to Medicaid and subsidies for so-called Obamacare health insurance policies total almost $1 trillion over 10 years, according to calculations by the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, whose president, Robert Greenstein, called the Trump plan “stunningly harsh.”
Trump would also revive a plan, rejected by lawmakers in the past, to cut food stamp costs by providing much of the benefit as food shipments instead of cash. He’s also proposing work requirements for safety net programs like Medicaid, food stamps, and federally subsidized housing.
Other cuts, outlined in an annual “Major Savings and Reforms” volume that’s ignored every year, include eliminating heating subsidies for the poor and $405 million worth of grants to boost community service work by senior citizens, along with plans to dramatically slash legal aid to the poor, the National Endowment for the Arts, and subsidies to states such as California saddled with high costs for jailing criminal migrants who enter the country illegally.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-02-11--'Vindman Deserves Better': GOP Group Hits Donald Trump With New Attack Ad On Fox News

A conservative group is hitting President Donald Trump with another attack ad on one of his favorite TV shows , this time declaring that “ our country deserves better.
” The promo calls out Trump for ousting Vindman , a decorated Iraq War veteran who served on the National Security Council as an expert on Ukrainian affairs , and his twin brother , Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman , who reportedly had no link to the impeachment investigation .
“ As a penalty for telling the truth , President Trump fired him and his twin brother and had them escorted from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voiceover in the ad .
“ This isn ’ t how the president is supposed to treat military heroes who obey the law , ” he adds .
“ Our military deserves better .
Our country deserves better .
Lt. Col. Vindman deserves better.
” “ Ordering subordinates not to comply with duly authorized Congressional subpoenas is an offense to the rule of law , ” Sarah Longwell , the anti-Trump group ’ s executive director Sarah Longwell , said in a statement sent to HuffPost .
“ Publicly firing them when they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truth to Congress is even worse .
But worst of all is taking public revenge against a decorated military hero for standing by his oath to defend the Constitution , ” she added .
“ President Trump ’ s treatment of Lt. Col. Vindman undermines the very values that make the American military great .
The military and the country deserve better leadership.
” Republicans for the Rule of Law , which is led by conservative commentator Bill Kristol , last week hailed Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) as a “ patriot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican to vote to convict Trump during the impeachment trial .
Check out that ad here :

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A conservative group is hitting President Donald Trump with another attack ad on one of his favorite TV shows, this time declaring that “our country deserves better.”
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The promo calls out Trump for ousting Vindman, a decorated Iraq War veteran who served on the National Security Council as an expert on Ukrainian affairs, and his twin brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, who reportedly had no link to the impeachment investigation.
“As a penalty for telling the truth, President Trump fired him and his twin brother and had them escorted from the White House,” says the voiceover in the ad.
“This isn’t how the president is supposed to treat military heroes who obey the law,” the spot continues. “Our military deserves better. Our country deserves better. Lt. Col. Vindman deserves better.”
Check out the ad here:
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“Ordering subordinates not to comply with duly authorized Congressional subpoenas is an offense to the rule of law,” Sarah Longwell, the anti-Trump group’s executive director, said in a statement sent to HuffPost.
“President Trump’s treatment of Lt. Col. Vindman undermines the very values that make the American military great,” Longwell added. “The military and the country deserve better leadership.”
Republicans for the Rule of Law, which is led by conservative commentator Bill Kristol, last week hailed Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) as a “patriot” after he became the only Senate Republican to vote to convict Trump during the impeachment trial.