thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--The Des Moines Register Endorses 'Fearless' Elizabeth Warren Ahead Of Iowa Caucus

The editorial board of Iowa ’ s influential Des Moines Register newspaper on Saturday endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
for the Democratic presidential nomination just days ahead of the Iowa Caucuses .
She is the “ best leader for these times , ” who has the “ vision and temperament to push an unequal America in the right direction , ” the board wrote .
The newspaper declared that Warren ’ s “ competence , respect for others and status as the nation ’ s first female president would be a fitting response to the ignorance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Office.
” The endorsement noted that Warren is not the radical some believe her to be .
“ She says corporations should have less Washington influence , children should be protected from gun violence , child care should be affordable , immigrants deserve compassion , mass incarceration should end and the wealthy should pay more in taxes , ” the editorial stated .
“ Those ideas are not radical .
They are right.
” Warren quickly thanked the newspaper for the prized endorsement , and vowed to “ fight my heart out for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Thank you , @ DMRegister , for your endorsement !
Iowans are ready to make big , structural change—and I ’ m going to fight my heart out for everyone in Iowa and across the country .
https : //t.co/hsI14P5TpZ — Elizabeth Warren ( @ ewarren ) January 26 , 2020 A video of Warren being informed of the endorsement shows her pumping her fists in glee and apparently doing a jig .
But some of her ideas “ go too far , ” the editorial cautioned .
“ This board could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governance or cumulative levels of taxation she proposes .
While the board has long supported single-payer health insurance , it believes a gradual transition is the more realistic approach .
But Warren is pushing in the right direction.
” The endorsement was posted online late Saturday afternoon , and will run in the Sunday paper .
The Iowa Caucuses , the first contest in this election season , is Feb. 3 .
An endorsement from the paper carries clout , but it ’ s not an indication of ultimate victory .
In 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Republican Marco Rubio .
The most recent Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll found that 58 % of likely Democratic caucus participants still had not definitely decided on a candidate .
Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) , however , was leading as the first choice of 20 % of those surveyed to Warren ’ s 17 % as of Jan. 8 .
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 % .

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The editorial board of Iowa’s influential Des Moines Register newspaper on Saturday endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for the Democratic presidential nomination just days ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
She is the “best leader for these times,” who has the “vision and temperament to push an unequal America in the right direction,” the board wrote.
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The newspaper declared that Warren’s “competence, respect for others and status as the nation’s first female president would be a fitting response to the ignorance, sexism and xenophobia of the Trump Oval Office.”
The endorsement noted that Warren is not the radical some believe her to be. “She says corporations should have less Washington influence, children should be protected from gun violence, child care should be affordable, immigrants deserve compassion, mass incarceration should end and the wealthy should pay more in taxes,” the editorial stated. “Those ideas are not radical. They are right.”
Warren quickly thanked the newspaper for the prized endorsement and vowed to “fight my heart out for everyone in Iowa and across the country.”
Thank you, @DMRegister, for your endorsement! Iowans are ready to make big, structural change—and I’m going to fight my heart out for everyone in Iowa and across the country. https://t.co/hsI14P5TpZ — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 26, 2020
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A video of Warren being informed of the endorsement shows her pumping her fists in glee and apparently doing a jig.
Elizabeth Warren learns she’s been endorsed by the @DMRegister pic.twitter.com/lR7xPItkFz — Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) January 26, 2020
The newspaper endorsement expressed support for Warren’s plans to target corruption, expand health care, tackle climate change and ensure government works for the people.
But some of her ideas “go too far,” the editorial cautioned. “This board could not endorse the wholesale overhaul of corporate governance or cumulative levels of taxation she proposes. While the board has long supported single-payer health insurance, it believes a gradual transition is the more realistic approach. But Warren is pushing in the right direction.”
The endorsement was posted online late Saturday afternoon, and will run in the Sunday paper. The Iowa caucuses, the first contest in this election season, is Feb. 3.
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An endorsement from the paper carries clout, but it’s not an indication of ultimate victory. In 2016, the board endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Marco Rubio.
The most recent Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll found that 58% of likely Democratic caucus participants still had not definitely decided on a candidate. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), however, was leading as the first choice of 20% of those surveyed to Warren’s 17% as of Jan. 8. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7%.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--There Are More Recordings Of Donald Trump And Lev Parnas, Attorney Reveals

The lawyer for Lev Parnas told Anderson Cooper Saturday that there are other recordings of his client and Donald Trump .
Joseph Bondy revealed the existence of other tapes just hours after he released a video of the president giving the order to “ get rid of ” then-U.S .
Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch .
“ Perhaps , ” said Bondy , who added that recordings have already been provided to officials of the House Intelligence Committee .
He said the video released Saturday “ certainly addresses the issue of the ambassador , and we thought it was really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public.
” Bondy said if Parnas and other witnesses are not called to testify about what they know occurred in Ukraine , the Trump impeachment trial in the Senate will be “ like a silent movie or a puppet show.
” The nearly 90-minute video released by Bondy involves a 2018 donor dinner including Trump , Parnas , his Ukrainian business partner Igor Fruman and what sounds like several other people in a private room in the Trump Hotel in Washington .
“ Get rid of her !
” Trump can be heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parnas criticizes her .
“ Get her out tomorrow .
I don ’ t care .
Get her out tomorrow .
Take her out .
Do it.
” Bondy said Parnas was “ shocked ” that he could simply “ raise the issue of the ambassador and have the chief executive say , ‘ Get rid of her and fire her , ’ ” Bondy told Cooper .
Parnas , who has been indicted along with fellow Florida businessman Igor Fruman for alleged campaign finance violations , has admitted he tried to strong-arm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unfounded accusations against former Vice President Joe Biden to help Trump smear a top political rival .
Parnas said he was following the president ’ s wishes , communicated to him by Parnas business associate and Trump ’ s personal attorney , Rudy Giuliani .
Yovanovitch apparently needed to go so the men would be free to carry out their scheme .
Parnas has turned over a trove of documents , including text messages , to the U.S. House supporting his claims .
He insists that “ everybody ” — including Secretary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pence — “ was in the loop ” on the Ukraine scheme .
Bondy told Cooper : “ You wouldn ’ t expect diplomacy to be conducted that way , ” using Parnas and Fruman — “ guys with no security clearance and no diplomacy expertise , and who have no background in politics .
It makes no sense.
” Parnas has expressed his willingness to testify at the Senate impeachment trial , although it remains uncertain if any witnesses will be called .

The lawyer for Lev Parnas told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Saturday that there are other recordings of his client and President Donald Trump.
Joseph Bondy revealed the existence of other tapes just hours after he released a video of the president giving the order to “get rid of” then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
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“Are there more recordings that Lev Parnas has? With the president?” Cooper asked Bondy.
“Yes,” Bondy replied.
“Do you plan to release those?” Cooper asked.
“Perhaps,” said Bondy, who added that recordings have already been provided to officials of the House Intelligence Committee. He said the video released Saturday “certainly addresses the issue of the ambassador, and we thought it was really important to get that recording out in public.”
Bondy said if Parnas and other witnesses are not called to testify about what they know occurred in Ukraine, the Trump impeachment trial in the Senate will be “like a silent movie or a puppet show.”
The nearly 90-minute video released by Bondy involves a 2018 donor dinner including Trump, Parnas, his Ukrainian business partner Igor Fruman and what sounds like several other people in a private room in the Trump International Hotel in Washington.
“Get rid of her!” Trump can be heard saying about Yovanovitch at one point after Parnas criticizes her. “Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. Do it.”
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Bondy said Parnas was “shocked” that he could simply “raise the issue of the ambassador and have the chief executive say, ‘Get rid of her and fire her,’” Bondy told Cooper.
Parnas, who has been indicted along with fellow Florida businessman Fruman for alleged campaign finance violations, has admitted he tried to strong-arm Ukrainian officials into launching an investigation into unfounded accusations against former Vice President Joe Biden to help Trump smear a top political rival. Parnas said he was following the president’s wishes, communicated to him by Parnas business associate and Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. Yovanovitch apparently needed to go so the men would be free to carry out their scheme.
Trump has denied knowing Parnas, but it’s clear the men had a number of conversations at the recorded dinner.
Parnas has turned over a trove of documents, including text messages, to the U.S. House supporting his claims. He insists that “everybody” — including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence — “was in the loop” on the Ukraine scheme.
Bondy told Cooper: “You wouldn’t expect diplomacy to be conducted that way,” using Parnas and Fruman — “guys with no security clearance and no diplomacy expertise, and who have no background in politics. It makes no sense.”
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Parnas has expressed his willingness to testify at the Senate impeachment trial, although it remains uncertain whether any witnesses will be called.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--Trump Suggests NPR Shouldn’t Exist After Heated Mike Pompeo Interview

President Donald Trump has once again questioned why National Public Radio exists after it reported on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ’ s foul-mouthed interview with one of its reporters who asked him about Ukraine .
Trump on Sunday agreed with comments posted on Twitter that labeled the nonprofit media organization a “ big-government , Democrat Party propaganda operation ” and asked why NPR receives government funding and still exists .
Trump has repeatedly called to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting , which contributes to funding for the Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS ) , National Public Radio ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Arts ( NEA ) .
According to NPR ’ s website , fees paid by NPR ’ s member stations make up the largest portion of its revenue .
Less than 1 % of NPR ’ s annual operating budget is covered by grants from CPB and federal agencies and departments .
Trump pushed his latest attack on NPR after reporter Mary Louise Kelly , who co-hosts the news program “ All Things Considered , ” revealed on Friday that Pompeo yelled at her while using the “ F-word and many others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war-torn country in an interview that she was asked not to audio-record .
“ I was taken to the Secretary ’ s private living room where he was waiting and where he shouted at me for about the same amount of time as the interview itself , ” she said .
“ He was not happy to have been questioned about Ukraine.
” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly went off on an NPR reporter for asking him questions about Ukraine during an interview .
Pompeo has defended his behavior and accused Kelly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that his comments to her would be off the record .
He also accused her of not being able to find Ukraine on a map when directed .
Kelly had previously reported that she correctly identified Ukraine , which is Europe ’ s second-largest country after Russia , when Pompeo demanded she point it out .
Kelly , who has a master ’ s degree in European studies from Cambridge University , has said that Pompeo never asked for their conversation to be off the record .

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President Donald Trump has once again questioned why National Public Radio exists after it reported on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s foul-mouthed interview with one of its reporters who asked him about Ukraine.
Trump on Sunday agreed with comments posted on Twitter that labeled the nonprofit media organization a “big-government, Democrat Party propaganda operation” and asked why NPR receives government funding and still exists.
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“A very good question!” Trump responded.
Trump has repeatedly called to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which contributes to funding for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), National Public Radio (NPR) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
A very good question! https://t.co/8z6uQLKz8M — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2020
According to NPR’s website, fees paid by NPR’s member stations make up the largest portion of its revenue. Less than 1% of NPR’s annual operating budget is covered by grants from CPB and federal agencies and departments.
Trump pushed his latest attack on NPR after reporter Mary Louise Kelly, who co-hosts the news program “All Things Considered,” revealed on Friday that Pompeo yelled at her while using the “F-word and many others” after she questioned him about the war-torn country in an interview that she was asked not to audio-record.
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“I was taken to the Secretary’s private living room where he was waiting and where he shouted at me for about the same amount of time as the interview itself,” she said. “He was not happy to have been questioned about Ukraine.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly went off on an NPR reporter for asking him questions about Ukraine during an interview. Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Pompeo has defended his behavior and accused Kelly in a statement of breaking an agreement that his comments to her would be off the record. He also accused her of not being able to find Ukraine on a map when directed. Kelly had previously reported that she correctly identified Ukraine, which is Europe’s second-largest country after Russia, when Pompeo demanded she point it out.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--Major Veterans Group Calls On Trump To Apologize For Downplaying Troops' Injuries

A prominent veterans organization is calling on Donald Trump to apologize for a Wednesday press conference in which he downplayed injuries sustained by troops during a recent attack on an Iraqi military base where they were housed .
In a statement posted Friday on the Veterans of Foreign Wars website , the VFW ’ s national commander said the organization “ can not stand idle ” in response to Trump ’ s comments .
“ The VFW expects an apology from the president to our service men and women for his misguided remarks , ” the commander , William “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement .
After Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani in early January , Iranian officials authorized a Jan. 8 retaliatory missile attack against Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq , which is known to house U.S. troops .
Eight U.S. soldiers suffered concussion-like symptoms during the attack and three others sought behavioral health treatment , according to the Pentagon .
The national commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars is calling on President Donald Trump to apologize for minimizing injuries sustained to U.S. troops in Iran .
But in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air base , Trump told the American people in prepared remarks that no U.S. troops were injured .
When CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang pressed Trump on Wednesday to explain the discrepancy between his initial statements and the Pentagon ’ s report about troops who sustained injuries , Trump said he did not consider their injuries “ serious.
” “ I heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things , ” Trump said , adding , “ But I would say , and I can report , it is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traumatic brain injuries by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control .
In most cases , they are non-fatal , but in many cases concussions can cause lasting conditions like memory loss , nausea , anxiety , and ― yes ― severe headaches .
“ I don ’ t consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I ’ ve seen , ” Trump said on Wednesday , adding he believed other troops have been left in far worse condition resulting from previous attacks by Iran .
“ I ’ ve seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
...
I can consider them to be really bad injuries , ” he said .
But he continued to suggest the injuries sustained by the 11 U.S. troops were minor .
“ I do not consider that to be bad injuries , ” Trump said .

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A prominent veterans organization is calling on Donald Trump to apologize for a Wednesday press conference in which he downplayed injuries sustained by troops during a recent attack on an Iraqi military base where they were housed.
In a statement posted Friday on the Veterans of Foreign Wars website, the VFW’s national commander said the organization “cannot stand idle” in response to Trump’s comments.
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“The VFW expects an apology from the president to our service men and women for his misguided remarks,” the commander, William “Doc” Schmitz, said in the statement.
After Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani in early January, Iranian officials authorized a Jan. 8 retaliatory missile attack against Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq, which is known to house U.S. troops. Eight U.S. soldiers suffered concussion-like symptoms during the attack and three others sought behavioral health treatment, according to the Pentagon.
The national commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars is calling on President Donald Trump to apologize for minimizing injuries sustained to U.S. troops in Iran. JIM WATSON via Getty Images
But in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the air base, Trump told the American people in prepared remarks that no U.S. troops were injured. When CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang pressed Trump on Wednesday to explain the discrepancy between his initial statements and the Pentagon’s report about troops who sustained injuries, Trump said he did not consider their injuries “serious.”
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“I heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things,” Trump said, adding, “But I would say, and I can report, it is not very serious.”
Concussions are defined as traumatic brain injuries by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In most cases, they are non-fatal, but in many cases concussions can cause lasting conditions like memory loss, nausea, anxiety, and ― yes ― severe headaches.
“I don’t consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I’ve seen,” Trump said on Wednesday, adding he believed other troops have been left in far worse condition resulting from previous attacks by Iran.
“I’ve seen people with no legs and no arms. ... I can consider them to be really bad injuries,” he said.
But he continued to suggest the injuries sustained by the 11 U.S. troops were minor.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--Louise Linton, Wife Of Steven Mnuchin, Voices Support For Greta Thunberg

Louise Linton , the wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin , briefly expressed support for climate activist Greta Thunberg on Instagram just days after her husband dismissed the teen as too unqualified to preach .
Mnuchin said the 17-year-old , who urged world leaders to divest from the fossil fuel industry at the World Economic Forum last week , should get an economics degree if she wants to be taken seriously .
Mnuchin ’ s wife , however , appeared to publicly disagree with him on Saturday , at least momentarily .
Actress and producer Louise Linton , who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , says she stands with @ GretaThunberg Note how Linton says “ I don ’ t have a degree in economics either ” This is in response to Mnuchin saying that Thunberg should study economics .
pic.twitter.com/W8JFqbWIdd — Yashar Ali 🐘 ( @ yashar ) January 25 , 2020 “ I stand with Greta on this issue .
( I don ’ t have a degree in economics either ) We need to drastically reduce our use of fossil fuels .
Keep up the fight @ gretathunberg , ” the post on her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ praising Thunberg was mysteriously deleted about 30 minutes later .
Thunberg ― not one to let others fight her battles for her ― also hit back at Mnuchin on Thursday , telling him that one doesn ’ t need an economics degree to see the world ’ s current carbon emissions rate is exceeding levels set to prevent a rise in global temperatures .
My gap year ends in August , but it doesn ’ t take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1,5° carbon budget and ongoing fossil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ add up .
1/3 pic.twitter.com/1virpuOyYG — Greta Thunberg ( @ GretaThunberg ) January 23 , 2020 Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman also trashed Mnuchin ’ s understanding of economics , tweeting : “ It ’ s the people insisting that protecting the planet is incompatible with growth who don ’ t know economics .
”

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Louise Linton, the wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, briefly expressed support for climate activist Greta Thunberg on Instagram just days after her husband dismissed the teen as too unqualified to preach.
Mnuchin said the 17-year-old, who urged world leaders to divest from the fossil fuel industry at the World Economic Forum last week, should get an economics degree if she wants to be taken seriously.
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Mnuchin’s wife, however, appeared to publicly disagree with him on Saturday, at least momentarily.
Actress and producer Louise Linton, who is married to US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, says she stands with @GretaThunberg
Note how Linton says “I don’t have a degree in economics either”
This is in response to Mnuchin saying that Thunberg should study economics. pic.twitter.com/W8JFqbWIdd — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 25, 2020
“I stand with Greta on this issue. (I don’t have a degree in economics either) We need to drastically reduce our use of fossil fuels. Keep up the fight @gretathunberg,” the post on her verified Instagram account read.
The post praising Thunberg was mysteriously deleted about 30 minutes later.
Thunberg ― not one to let others fight her battles for her ― also hit back at Mnuchin on Thursday, telling him that one doesn’t need an economics degree to see the world’s current carbon emissions rate is exceeding levels set to prevent a rise in global temperatures.
My gap year ends in August, but it doesn’t take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1,5° carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don’t add up. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/1virpuOyYG — Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) January 23, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--Rep. Adam Schiff Says Trump Tweet About Paying 'A Price' Was Intended As A Threat

Rep. Adam Schiff ( D-Calif. ) , the House Intelligence chairman and lead impeachment manager , said a tweet from Donald Trump suggesting the lawmaker is yet to have “ paid the price ” was intended as a threat .
“ This is a wrathful and vindictive president , ” Schiff said during an interview with “ Meet the Press ” host Chuck Todd , adding , “ I don ’ t think there ’ s any doubt about it .
And if you think there is , look at the president ’ s tweets about me today.
” Amid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the impeachment proceedings , Trump ominously alluded to a “ price ” Schiff will ultimately have to pay for his involvement .
“ He has not paid the price , yet , for what he has done to our Country !
” Trump tweeted .
Watch Schiff ’ s response to Trump ’ s “ paid the price ” tweet in the clip at top .
Last week , Schiff helmed opening arguments by the House ’ s impeachment managers ― all of whom are Democrats ― in Trump ’ s trial before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other impeachment managers argued Trump abused the power of his office when he withheld aid from Ukraine to pressure its officials into investigating Trump ’ s political rivals and pro-Russian conspiracy theories .
In response to Trump ’ s comments , several social media users and political commentators noted previous instances in which Trump ’ s followers acted on his malicious tweets by attempting to harm his targets .
For example , in 2018 , a fervent Trump supporter sent pipe bombs intended for former President Barack Obama , former Secretary of State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats Trump frequently maligns online .
When asked about Trump ’ s tweet during a Sunday interview with CNN ’ s Jake Tapper , Sen. James Lankford ( R-Okla. ) said , “ I don ’ t think it ’ s a death threat .
”

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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the House Intelligence chairman and lead impeachment manager, said a tweet from Donald Trump suggesting the lawmaker is yet to have “paid the price” was intended as a threat.
“This is a wrathful and vindictive president,” Schiff said during an interview with “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd, adding, “I don’t think there’s any doubt about it. And if you think there is, look at the president’s tweets about me today.”
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Amid a flurry of Sunday morning tweets bemoaning the impeachment proceedings, Trump ominously alluded to a “price” Schiff will ultimately have to pay for his involvement.
“He has not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country!” Trump tweeted.
Screenshot
Watch Schiff’s response to Trump’s “paid the price” tweet in the clip at top.
Last week, Schiff helmed opening arguments by the House’s impeachment managers ― all of whom are Democrats ― in Trump’s trial before the Senate. Schiff and the six other impeachment managers argued Trump abused the power of his office when he withheld aid from Ukraine to pressure its officials into investigating Trump’s political rivals and pro-Russian conspiracy theories.
In response to Trump’s comments, several social media users and political commentators noted previous instances in which Trump’s followers acted on his malicious tweets by attempting to harm his targets. For example, in 2018, a fervent Trump supporter sent pipe bombs intended for former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a number of other Democrats Trump frequently maligns online.
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When asked about Trump’s tweet during a Sunday interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said, “I don’t think it’s a death threat.”
Watch the exchange between Tapper and Lankford:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--Barack Obama Grieves Kobe Bryant, Daughter Gianna's Sudden Deaths: 'Unthinkable'

Jim Young / Reuters President Barack Obama , right , and Kobe Bryant , left , during a ceremony honoring the 2009 NBA champions , the Los Angeles Lakers , at the White House on Jan. 25 , 2010 .
Former President Barack Obama paid his condolences to Kobe Bryant ’ s family amid news of Bryant ’ s shocking death on Sunday .
The former Los Angeles Laker died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas , California , alongside eight others on board .
Bryant ’ s 13-year-old daughter , Gianna , was also among those dead .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act .
To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents , ” Obama wrote .
“ Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.
” Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act .
To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents .
Michelle and I send love and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family on an unthinkable day .
— Barack Obama ( @ BarackObama ) January 26 , 2020 Countless tributes poured in from friends , fans and former teammates of Bryant ’ s as his death sent shockwaves around the world .
Shaquille O ’ Neal , who won three championships with Bryant , said that there were “ no words ” to describe the pain he was feeling .
“ There ’ s no words to express the pain I ’ m going through now with this tragic and sad moment of loosing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partner in winning championships , my dude and my homie , ” O ’ Neal wrote in a tribute , alongside photos of him with Bryant .
“ I love you brother and you will be missed .
My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board .
IM SICK RIGHT NOW !
” There ’ s no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother @ kobebryant I love u and u will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board .
IM SICK RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/pigHywq3c1 — SHAQ ( @ SHAQ ) January 26 , 2020 Kobe and I shared so many special conversations about life and basketball .
We had so much in common off the court .
I used to love talking to him about Lakers basketball , being fathers and husbands and how much we loved Italy .
I will miss those conversations and him so much .
pic.twitter.com/PIv7obzr2x — Earvin Magic Johnson ( @ MagicJohnson ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stunned .
Words can ’ t even come close to describing it .
Just an incredibly sad and tragic day .
— Scottie Pippen ( @ ScottiePippen ) January 26 , 2020 Kobe Bryant was not only one of the greatest basketball players ever , he was also the hardest working player I ’ ve ever been around .
I was so fortunate to have known him and coached him with Team USA .
Our thoughts and our prayers are with his wife , Vanessa , and the Bryant family .
— Jim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2020

President Barack Obama, right, and Kobe Bryant, left, during a ceremony honoring the 2009 NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, at the White House on Jan. 25, 2010. Jim Young / Reuters
Former President Barack Obama paid his condolences to Kobe Bryant’s family amid news of Bryant’s shocking death on Sunday.
The former Los Angeles Laker died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, alongside eight others on board. Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also among those dead.
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“Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents,” Obama wrote. “Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”
Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day. — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 26, 2020
Countless tributes poured in from friends, fans and former teammates of Bryant’s as his death sent shockwaves around the world.
Shaquille O’Neal, who won three championships with Bryant, said that there were “no words” to describe the pain he was feeling.
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“There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through now with this tragic and sad moment of loosing my friend, my brother, my partner in winning championships, my dude and my homie,” O’Neal wrote in a tribute, alongside photos of him with Bryant.
“I love you brother and you will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW !”
There’s no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/pigHywq3c1 — SHAQ (@SHAQ) January 26, 2020
Kobe and I shared so many special conversations about life and basketball. We had so much in common off the court. I used to love talking to him about Lakers basketball, being fathers and husbands and how much we loved Italy. I will miss those conversations and him so much. pic.twitter.com/PIv7obzr2x — Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 26, 2020
Beyond devastated... my big brother... I can’t, I just can’t believe it — Pau Gasol (@paugasol) January 26, 2020
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I’m stunned. Words can’t even come close to describing it. Just an incredibly sad and tragic day. — Scottie Pippen (@ScottiePippen) January 26, 2020
Kobe Bryant was not only one of the greatest basketball players ever, he was also the hardest working player I’ve ever been around. I was so fortunate to have known him and coached him with Team USA. Our thoughts and our prayers are with his wife, Vanessa, and the Bryant family. — Jim Boeheim (@therealboeheim) January 26, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--How Spain’s Far-Right Is Exploiting A Local Political Fight To Start A Culture War

Far-right movements have spread across the developed world over the past decade as voters angered over income inequality , decaying social services and increasing chaos from conflicts and climate disasters have sought easy answers in age-old social divisions .
It ’ s a sign of the movement ’ s expanding reach that the moves here in Spain came within days of a march by gun-toting extremists in Richmond , Virginia , and an announcement by France ’ s far-right leader Marine Le Pen that she will run again for president .
Despite this , Sánchez enlisted the support of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to gain approval for his new government , a coalition between his center-left Spanish Socialist Workers ’ Party and the far-left Podemos party .
In doing so , the Sánchez administration made nominal concessions , including allowing the reopening of some overseas Catalan consulates shuttered after the failed independence vote .
But El País , the country ’ s newspaper of record , said that the move was not a “ challenge ” to the Spanish government but that it “ signaled a new era in relations between the northeastern Spanish region and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pro-independence lawmakers been ousted from the Parliament before the Jan. 6 vote to approve the new government , Sánchez would have won approval by a margin of 10 , said Fishman .
Instead , he won by a slim margin of two votes , thanks to the eight pro-independence lawmakers who voted with the political right against the government and the 18 separatists who abstained .
Last week , the party got its first chance to start a major policy fight with the new government .
In Murcia , in southeastern Spain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Vox ’ s votes to pass anything through the regional government .
Last year , Vox agreed to vote for the region ’ s Popular party premier in exchange for a rule requiring parents to give their “ express authorization ” for children to attend lectures on sex education and acceptance of sexual minorities .
The party renewed the fight last week , refusing to approve Murcia ’ s latest budget unless the education program includes the so-called parental veto .

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BARCELONA, Spain ― Nearly 45 years after Spain’s fascist dictator Francisco Franco died and this country transitioned to democracy, a resurgent far-right movement is once again on the march.
Just look at the past few weeks.
Days after Spain swore in a new left-wing government this month, far-right leader Santiago Abascal declared a “war without a barracks” in the Parliament, courts and streets of Europe’s fifth-largest economy.
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Bombastic rhetoric quickly manifested into action. Two weeks ago, his ultra-nationalist Vox party marched thousands through Spanish cities, denouncing Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as a “traitor” to the nation. This past week, his lawmakers wrangled new provisions allowing parents to yank children from public school lectures that teach sexual safety and understanding of the LGBTQ community, which Abascal derided as the “corruption of minors” with “erotic games.”
Far-right movements have spread across the developed world over the past decade as voters angered over income inequality, decaying social services and increasing chaos from conflicts and climate disasters have sought easy answers in age-old social divisions. It’s a sign of the movement’s expanding reach that the moves here in Spain came within days of a march by gun-toting extremists in Richmond, Virginia, and an announcement by France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen that she will run again for president.
Yet the increasing visibility of the Spanish far-right marks a jolting escalation for a country whose recent memory of fascist brutality seemed for years to inoculate its voters against the bigotry-fueled populism seducing other parts of the West.
While an economic malaise appears to have made Spain fertile ground for the far-right, experts say lingering tension over the Catalonia region’s failed 2017 vote for independence created a historic opening the party has handily exploited.
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Now Vox looks poised to spark a “culture war,” political scientists say, rooted in nostalgia for the regime behind what some historians call the “Spanish Holocaust” ― a state-sanctioned campaign of terror against leftist dissidents, workers and LGBTQ minorities that left upward of 200,000 dead and 400,000 languishing in prisons and concentration camps.
“There’s a government that wants to revitalize old hatreds,” Abascal said of Sánchez in a recent interview with Spanish broadcaster Antena3. “There’s nothing sadder than that.”
Fueled By Hatred Of Separatists
Vox, established in late 2013, first gained a toehold in December 2018, when the upstart party won a dozen seats in the local parliament of Andalucia, Spain’s largest region. The victories sent what The Guardian called a “shockwave through Spanish politics” and showed, according to the Financial Times, that Spain was “no longer immune to the far-right.”
The conservative Popular party and the liberal, pro-business Citizens party courted Vox in a bid to form a coalition government, giving the extreme right its first taste of power since the end of the Franco era.
In the next two national elections, Vox strengthened. In an April vote, Vox surged from zero to 24 seats in the national Parliament. November’s most recent election raised that total to 52, making Vox the third-largest party in Spain.
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Vox supporters sing the anthem of the Spanish Phalanx while making the fascist salute during a Jan. 12 protest in Barcelona. SOPA Images via Getty Images
Vox made no effort to temper its approach to a familiar right-wing platform.
In a nod to U.S. President Donald Trump, the party vowed to “build a wall” on Spain’s border to keep out immigrants from northern Africa. In November, Vox spokesman Iván Espinosa de los Monteros falsely claimed foreigners were “three times more likely to commit rape ... than Spaniards.”
Last year, the party enlisted as a candidate a homophobic pseudohistorian who questions basic facts about the Holocaust and advocates gay conversion therapy, a debunked treatment now widely considered to be torture. On human-caused climate change, the official party line is to call it “una tomadura de pelo” ― a term roughly translating to “a joke.” Vox is vehemently antifeminist and made the repeal of Spain’s 2004 law against gender violence a top priority, targeting government workers who focus on the issue and blocking new measures from being enacted.
The inflammatory rhetoric and hard-line conservatism put Vox and its leaders in line with far-right figures such as Le Pen and Italy’s Matteo Salvini. Yet what set Vox apart, say experts, is that it rode to power primarily by playing on Spaniards’ anger over separatist movements in Spain.
Much like the United Kingdom ― a union that includes the nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ― Spain is a patchwork of linguistically and culturally distinct territories that have to varying degrees over the past century pined for complete sovereignty. The most powerful and visible of those independence movements are in Catalonia and Basque country, two regions that suffered brutal repression under the Franco regime.
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Basque separatists waged a decades-long militant insurgency, carrying out hundreds of bombings and shootings, finally disarming in April 2017. But months later, in October, long-simmering tensions boiled over in Catalonia. That month, lawmakers in the northeastern region held a referendum on independence, defying a constitutional court that ruled such a plebiscite illegal.
Just 43% of eligible voters cast ballots. But of those 2.26 million Catalans who voted, 90% favored leaving Spain. The vote drew a swift backlash. Then-Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a conservative, responded by dissolving the Catalan parliament and accusing separatist leaders, who were arrested, of rebellion.
The independence leaders went on trial last February. In October, Spain’s high court found nine former Catalan lawmakers guilty of sedition and misuse of public funds in holding the vote, handing down decade-long prison sentences, including 13 years in prison for Catalonia’s former vice president, Oriol Junqueras. The ruling sparked violent protests in Barcelona, Catalonia’s capital.
Months later, the gold-and-red stripes and blue stars of Catalan separatist flags ― a vexillological allusion to those of Cuban and Puerto Rican independentistas ― flutter ubiquitously across Barcelona and Girona, an ancient city 65 miles north.
Yet the unmissable demonstrations belied divided public sentiment. In November, a poll found that fewer than 42% of Catalan voters supported independence. Among Spaniards outside Catalonia, 57.3% opposed independence for the region, according to a separate November survey from the Catalan government’s own Center for Opinion Studies.
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Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, has declared a “war without a barracks.” Sergio Perez / Reuters
In Basque country, 25% reported feeling more Basque than Spanish, while 26% said they felt only Basque in a poll released last June. Still, just 22% favored independence, down 3 percentage points from a year earlier. Meanwhile, Basques who favored a federalist relationship with the central government in Madrid increased 6 points to 34%.
Despite this, Sánchez enlisted the support of a handful of Basque and Catalan separatist lawmakers to gain approval for his new government, a coalition between his center-left Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party and the far-left Podemos party. In doing so, the Sánchez administration made nominal concessions, including allowing the reopening of some overseas Catalan consulates shuttered after the failed independence vote. But El País, the country’s newspaper of record, said that the move was not a “challenge” to the Spanish government but that it “signaled a new era in relations between the northeastern Spanish region and the central administration in Madrid.”
That nuance eluded the far-right, who instead called the deal between Sánchez and separatist parties a sign that the prime minister betrayed Spain’s sovereignty in regions over which Vox wants the central government to exert more control.
“The rightist parties are all trying to paint the government as if they were puppets of the pro-independence forces in Catalonia and the Basque country,” said Robert Fishman, a political science professor at Carlos III University in Madrid. “There is a slight problem with their arithmetic.”
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Had the pro-independence lawmakers been ousted from the Parliament before the Jan. 6 vote to approve the new government, Sánchez would have won approval by a margin of 10, said Fishman. Instead, he won by a slim margin of two votes, thanks to the eight pro-independence lawmakers who voted with the political right against the government and the 18 separatists who abstained.
Vox did not respond to a request to interview Abascal.
A ‘Culture War’
While the separatist fight propelled the party to power, Vox now looks to be fanning similar flames raging elsewhere in Europe.
The country remains in the grips of a long-term jobs crisis. Unemployment hovered at about 14.2% all last year. It was the lowest in a decade and down from a 2013 peak of 27%, but still more than double the European Union average.
“A homophobic family… does not have the right to make their children homophobic as well.” - Spanish Education Minister Isabel Celaá
In December, a European court ruled that Catalan members of the European parliament who supported the independence vote should receive immunity from prosecution under the chamber’s rules. The decision sparked outrage among Vox supporters, who started pressuring the party to follow the British right-wing and advocate an exit from the European Union altogether. The hashtag “Spaxit” trended on Twitter.
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On the whole, Spain tends to be more tolerant than some of its neighbors, a far cry from the hard-line Catholicism that Franco pushed after winning the Spanish Civil War in 1939 with the help of Germany’s Adolf Hitler and Italy’s Benito Mussolini.
In 2013, the country was deemed the world’s most accepting of LGBTQ people after a Pew Research Center survey of 39 countries found that 88% of Spaniards ― by far the highest percentage ― agreed “society should accept homosexuality.” In a 2017 Pew poll, 86% of Spaniards said they would accept Muslims as neighbors, compared with 96% of Dutch and 65% of Italians.
Vox seems aimed at reversing those trends. The party steeps its rhetoric in that of the Reconquista, the 780-year period in which Christians reclaimed Iberian lands from Muslim rulers.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has enlisted the support of a handful of Basque and Catalan separatist lawmakers to gain approval for his new government. Jon Nazca / Reuters
“Europe is what it is thanks to Spain — thanks to our contribution, ever since the Middle Ages, of stopping the spread and the expanse of Islam,” Espinosa de los Monteros told Foreign Policy last spring.
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Last week, the party got its first chance to start a major policy fight with the new government. In Murcia, in southeastern Spain, the Popular and Citizens parties rely on Vox’s votes to pass anything through the regional government. Last year, Vox agreed to vote for the region’s Popular party premier in exchange for a rule requiring parents to give their “express authorization” for children to attend lectures on sex education and acceptance of sexual minorities. The party renewed the fight last week, refusing to approve Murcia’s latest budget unless the education program includes the so-called parental veto.
Education Minister Isabel Celaá, from Sánchez’s Socialist party, vowed to fight the measure, telling the newspaper El Correo that “a homophobic family... does not have the right to make their children homophobic as well.”
“Parental authority cannot be confused with property,” she said.
Conservative opposition leader Pablo Casado, from the Popular party, countered Celaá’s accusation of creeping right-wing authoritarianism with an accusation of left-wing authoritarianism.
“Are they telling me that we have families like in Cuba, that children belong to the revolution?” he said, according to El País. “Are we going to arrive at the point where children inform on their parents if they are not good revolutionaries?”
The tit-for-tat war of words is a sign of the “culture war” Vox is fueling, said Victor Lapuente, a Spanish political expert and professor at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
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“I think we (in the West) seem to be trapped in these wars where it does not matter so much what you fight for but on which side of the trenches you are,” he said by email. “Are you With us or Against us?”
Fishman drew parallels between Spain today and the cultural conflict that started in the United States in the 1960s.
“Spain has essentially moved from a period of political exclusion to one of ‘culture war’ in which the Left promotes inclusion and the Right denies the legitimacy of that step,” he said by email.
The shift follows the same sort of formula many see in America’s Republican Party, which gave rise to Trump, where once-fringe culture warriors influence and overtake the traditional conservatives.
“What is even more disturbing from my point of view,” he said, “is that the large established right-wing party, the Partido Popular, is playing along with them to a large extent.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--Abortion Among Key Issues In Missouri 2020 Governor's Race

Michael B. Thomas via Getty Images ST LOUIS , MO - JUNE 04 : A women stands with her child in a stroller during a pro-life rally outside the Planned Parenthood Reproductive Health Center on June 4 , 2019 in St Louis , Missouri .
The fate of Missouri 's lone abortion clinic could be decided today in St. Louis Circuit Court after a restraining order prohibiting Missouri from letting the clinic 's license lapse was granted last week .
( Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images ) JEFFERSON CITY , Mo .
( AP ) — Abortion is expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's 2020 governor ’ s race , when voters will decide whether to stick with a Republican who signed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the U.S. or go with the only Democrat who holds statewide office .
Republican Gov .
Mike Parson , who served as lieutenant governor and assumed leadership after Gov .
Eric Greitens resigned amid scandal in 2018 , is heading into the race with good odds over state Auditor Nicole Galloway in the GOP-dominated state .
But the issue of abortion could tighten things after Parson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest , University of Central Missouri political scientist Robynn Kuhlmann said .
“ It ’ s definitely an issue that ’ s going to spur more Democrats out to vote , in particular more women , ” Kuhlmann said .
Galloway has called the law “ outrageous ” and cited its severity as a driving factor in her decision to enter the governor 's race .
The law , which does include exceptions for medical emergencies , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a court battle over its constitutionality .
University of Missouri-St. Louis political scientist Dave Robertson said Parson ’ s support of the law might turn off some more moderate Republicans and motivate suburban women to turn out in support of Galloway .
“ That has to reflect some additional people in the Republican party and probably a few quite influential people whose main concern is to win elections , ” Robertson said .
“ They may be a little concerned that this has gone too far , in addition to having a principled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also could help Parson with staunch abortion opponents , Robertson said .
He expects Parson to play up his role in restricting access to the procedures as he works to rev up his base .
Parson emphasized his anti-abortion position during his State of the State speech this month , telling lawmakers that “ all life has value , including the unborn.
” “ Time will tell as to how much this will make a difference , ” Robertson said .
“ It may be hard to tell in the midst of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with ( President Donald ) Trump 's re-election and other events , some of which we ca n't even imagine yet.
” The stakes of the election are high .
Party control of the governor 's mansion beginning in 2017 emboldened the Republican-led Legislature to pass sweeping anti-abortion measures without the concern of mustering enough support to override a veto by a Democratic governor .
Under Parson , anti-abortion groups are celebrating big wins .
Parson ’ s health department last year came close to shuttering the state ’ s only abortion clinic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether the Planned Parenthood center in St. Louis will be able to keep its license to perform the procedure .
“ Gov .
Parson has done more for the pro-life movement than any other governor in Missouri history , ” Parson 's campaign manager Steele Shippy said in a statement .
“ The governor ’ s leadership has sent a strong signal to the rest of the nation that Missouri stands for life , protects women ’ s health , and advocates for the unborn .
”

ST LOUIS, MO - JUNE 04: A women stands with her child in a stroller during a pro-life rally outside the Planned Parenthood Reproductive Health Center on June 4, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. The fate of Missouri's lone abortion clinic could be decided today in St. Louis Circuit Court after a restraining order prohibiting Missouri from letting the clinic's license lapse was granted last week. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images) Michael B. Thomas via Getty Images
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Abortion is expected to play a key role in Missouri's 2020 governor’s race, when voters will decide whether to stick with a Republican who signed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the U.S. or go with the only Democrat who holds statewide office.
Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who served as lieutenant governor and assumed leadership after Gov. Eric Greitens resigned amid scandal in 2018, is heading into the race with good odds over state Auditor Nicole Galloway in the GOP-dominated state.
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But the issue of abortion could tighten things after Parson signed a law last year that bans most abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest, University of Central Missouri political scientist Robynn Kuhlmann said.
“It’s definitely an issue that’s going to spur more Democrats out to vote, in particular more women,” Kuhlmann said.
Galloway has called the law “outrageous” and cited its severity as a driving factor in her decision to enter the governor's race. The law, which does include exceptions for medical emergencies, is on hold as Parson's administration fights a court battle over its constitutionality.
University of Missouri-St. Louis political scientist Dave Robertson said Parson’s support of the law might turn off some more moderate Republicans and motivate suburban women to turn out in support of Galloway.
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Robertson noted that GOP donor David Humphreys, a Joplin businessman, dumped money into a failed effort to put the abortion law to a public vote in hopes that voters would overturn it.
“That has to reflect some additional people in the Republican party and probably a few quite influential people whose main concern is to win elections,” Robertson said. “They may be a little concerned that this has gone too far, in addition to having a principled objection to it.”
But the issue also could help Parson with staunch abortion opponents, Robertson said. He expects Parson to play up his role in restricting access to the procedures as he works to rev up his base.
Parson emphasized his anti-abortion position during his State of the State speech this month, telling lawmakers that “all life has value, including the unborn.”
Next month he plans to take part in the Midwest March for Life, an anti-abortion rally in Jefferson City.
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“Time will tell as to how much this will make a difference,” Robertson said. “It may be hard to tell in the midst of all the things that will be going on with (President Donald) Trump's re-election and other events, some of which we can't even imagine yet.”
The stakes of the election are high. Party control of the governor's mansion beginning in 2017 emboldened the Republican-led Legislature to pass sweeping anti-abortion measures without the concern of mustering enough support to override a veto by a Democratic governor.
Under Parson, anti-abortion groups are celebrating big wins. Parson’s health department last year came close to shuttering the state’s only abortion clinic. A state commission is now reviewing whether the Planned Parenthood center in St. Louis will be able to keep its license to perform the procedure.
“Gov. Parson has done more for the pro-life movement than any other governor in Missouri history,” Parson's campaign manager Steele Shippy said in a statement. “The governor’s leadership has sent a strong signal to the rest of the nation that Missouri stands for life, protects women’s health, and advocates for the unborn.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--Mike Pompeo Doubles Down On NPR Reporter Attack. No One Buys It.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came out swinging — again — Saturday in yet another attack on a National Public Radio host , indicating she mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine in his map challenge .
Pompeo exploded in a profanity-laced tirade at “ All Things Considered ” host Mary Louise Kelly after she dared to ask him questions about Ukraine in an interview Friday .
He led her to a private office after the interview and yelled at her , using the “ F-word and many others , ” said Kelly .
“ He shouted at me for about the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” which was 10 minutes .
Pompeo also asked : “ Do you think Americans care about Ukraine ?
” Kelly recounted .
He then challenged her to find Ukraine on a blank map , which Kelly did .
On Saturday , Pompeo appeared to indicate that she mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine , which is 3,600 miles away .
“ It ’ s worth noting that Bangladesh is not the Ukraine , ” he scoffed in his statement .
He also claimed that the ugly confrontation was off the record , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report ) , and that Kelly “ lied , ” was “ shameful ” and violated the “ basic rules of journalism and decency.
” Some observers speculated that it was Pompeo who made the geographical goof in his attempt to call out Kelly — by confusing Bangladesh with Belarus , which borders Ukraine .
There is “ absolutely no way ” Kelly mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine , the Post declared .
To mention just a couple of issues , the countries are on different continents , and Bangladesh clearly doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would be difficult to engage in a border war with that nation , something a journalist would know .
In addition , Kelly is a former national security reporter who has traveled extensively abroad and has a master ’ s degree in European studies from prestigious Cambridge University .
“ The mere fact ” that Pompeo challenged Kelly to begin with suggests he didn ’ t “ know who he was dealing with , ” the Post wrote .
Former White House ethics chief Walter Shaub blasted Pompeo ’ s statement as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever issued by a secretary of state in “ over two centuries.
” Pompeo claims @ NPRKelly mistakenly identified Bangladesh as Ukraine .
As we evaluate what may be the most breathtakingly childish official statement ever issued by a Secretary of State in over two centuries , consider the magnitude of the mistake he implausibly claims she made : https : //t.co/ShLL4eDWzn pic.twitter.com/K5WlJkIwzl — Walter Shaub ( @ waltshaub ) January 25 , 2020 Mr. @ SecPompeo , please provide evidence to support your contention that @ NPRKelly confused Bangladesh with Ukraine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ slander , and embarrassing to those of us who pay your salary .
You are a public servant .
You work for us .
— Michael McFaul ( @ McFaul ) January 25 , 2020 See that red ?
That ’ s Bangladesh , to the east of India and south of China , 3600 miles from Ukraine .
Mary Louise Kelly has a masters in European Studies from Cambridge .
She knows where Ukraine is located .
Mike Pompeo is blantantly slandering a journalist for questioning him .
pic.twitter.com/AQY7XfKJK0 — Charlotte Clymer🏳🌈 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 First , no educated person would confuse Ukraine with Bangladesh .
Please .
🙄 Second , is there *anyone* in this administration who is not an unhinged , narcissistic toddler ?
?
https : //t.co/9F6lXl2ZDY — Asha Rangappa ( @ AshaRangappa_ ) January 25 , 2020 Oh my God this is exactly what happened .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to slander a reporter who knows far more about European geography that he does , by insinuating that she has misidentified Ukraine as Belarus .
But he is such a dingdong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ //t.co/BLHygyuV48 — Ken Tremendous ( @ KenTremendous ) January 25 , 2020

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came out swinging — again — Saturday in yet another attack on a National Public Radio host, indicating she mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine in his map challenge.
But no one is buying it.
Pompeo exploded in a profanity-laced tirade at “All Things Considered” host Mary Louise Kelly after she dared to ask him questions about Ukraine in an interview Friday. He led her to a private office after the interview and yelled at her, using the “F-word and many others,” said Kelly. “He shouted at me for about the same amount of time as the interview itself,” which was 10 minutes. Pompeo also asked: “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” Kelly recounted.
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He then challenged her to find Ukraine on a blank map, which Kelly did.
On Saturday, Pompeo appeared to indicate that she mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine, which is 3,600 miles away. “It’s worth noting that Bangladesh is not the Ukraine,” he scoffed in his statement. He also claimed that the ugly confrontation was off the record, which NPR denies (and stands by its report), and that Kelly “lied,” was “shameful” and violated the “basic rules of journalism and decency.”
Some observers speculated that it was Pompeo who made the geographical goof in his attempt to call out Kelly — by confusing Bangladesh with Belarus, which borders Ukraine.
The Washington Post blasted Pompeo’s tale as a “blatant gaslighting attempt.”
There is “absolutely no way” Kelly mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine, the Post declared. To mention just a couple of issues, the countries are on different continents, and Bangladesh clearly doesn’t share a border with Russia, so it would be difficult to engage in a border war with that nation, something a journalist would know.
In addition, Kelly is a former national security reporter who has traveled extensively abroad and has a master’s degree in European studies from prestigious Cambridge University. “The mere fact” that Pompeo challenged Kelly to begin with suggests he didn’t “know who he was dealing with,” the Post wrote.
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Former White House ethics chief Walter Shaub blasted Pompeo’s statement as possibly the “most breathtakingly childish” ever issued by a secretary of state in “over two centuries.”
Pompeo claims @NPRKelly mistakenly identified Bangladesh as Ukraine. As we evaluate what may be the most breathtakingly childish official statement ever issued by a Secretary of State in over two centuries, consider the magnitude of the mistake he implausibly claims she made: https://t.co/ShLL4eDWzn pic.twitter.com/K5WlJkIwzl — Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 25, 2020
Then other Twitter critics piled on.
Mr. @SecPompeo , please provide evidence to support your contention that @NPRKelly confused Bangladesh with Ukraine. Otherwise, your statement is disinformation, slander, and embarrassing to those of us who pay your salary. You are a public servant. You work for us. — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) January 25, 2020
The path from Ukraine to Bangladesh looks like a graph of Pompeo's credibility. pic.twitter.com/ezznkObPc4 — Ben Greenman (@bengreenman) January 25, 2020
What are the odds that it was Pompeo who misidentified Ukraine and thought it was actually Bangladesh? Pretty good. https://t.co/FH3QyuOYfa — Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) January 25, 2020
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See that red? That’s Bangladesh, to the east of India and south of China, 3600 miles from Ukraine.
Mary Louise Kelly has a masters in European Studies from Cambridge. She knows where Ukraine is located.
Mike Pompeo is blantantly slandering a journalist for questioning him. pic.twitter.com/AQY7XfKJK0 — Charlotte Clymer🏳🌈 (@cmclymer) January 25, 2020
That Bangladesh jibe negates the entire statement. An obvious lie. https://t.co/MSOmyq2aAf — Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) January 25, 2020
First, no educated person would confuse Ukraine with Bangladesh. Please. 🙄
Second, is there *anyone* in this administration who is not an unhinged, narcissistic toddler?? https://t.co/9F6lXl2ZDY — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) January 25, 2020
Oh my God this is exactly what happened. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to slander a reporter who knows far more about European geography that he does, by insinuating that she has misidentified Ukraine as Belarus. But he is such a dingdong he accidentally wrote Bangladesh. https://t.co/BLHygyuV48 — Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) January 25, 2020
“Unhinged.” The notion that @NPRKelly would confuse Ukraine with Bangladesh on a map is so ludicrous it doesn’t even merit comment. As for the other accusations, I trust our reporter. And as for “basic rules of decency”: well. pic.twitter.com/2HrKUbzZaN — melissa block (@NPRmelissablock) January 25, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--John Bolton Reportedly Recalls Trump Tying Ukraine Aid To Biden Investigation

Former national security adviser John Bolton reportedly wrote in an outline for a book that President Donald Trump tied the withheld Ukraine aid to the country ’ s announcement that it would investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter .
Drafts of the book outline obtained by The New York Times describe Trump telling Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing nearly $ 400 million in congressionally approved military assistance to Ukraine until officials there agreed to help investigate his political rival .
Trump denied Bolton ’ s reported account in a tweet Sunday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told Bolton the Ukraine aid was tied to “ investigations into Democrats.
” The president also said Bolton “ never complained about this , ” apparently referring to freezing the military aid .
I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats , including the Bidens .
In fact , he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination .
If John Bolton said this , it was only to sell a book .
With that being said , the ... — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January 27 , 2020 A key part of Trump ’ s defense in the impeachment process has been that his decision to withhold the aid was completely separate from his request for Ukraine to investigate the Bidens .
Tying the two together would indicate that Trump attempted a quid pro quo with a foreign government in order to sway the 2020 presidential election ― which Democrats have said was the case since the impeachment inquiry began .
According to the Times , Bolton alleged that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo privately admitted there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s claims that ousted U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was corrupt , and he believed Trump ’ s personal attorney was acting on behalf of other clients .
Bolton also wrote that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was around for at least one phone call during which Trump and Giuliani discussed Yovanovitch , according to the Times .
Bolton also reportedly said he raised his concerns about Giuliani ’ s shadow diplomacy with Attorney General William Barr after Trump ’ s July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one who informed Barr that the president mentioned him on the call , according to the Times .
A spokesperson for Barr told the publication he denied that allegation .
Bolton ’ s account of Trump ’ s alleged remarks were included in the former national security adviser ’ s unpublished manuscript , which he has been circulating to close associates .
The book , according to the Times , represents what Bolton might say in a testimony if the Senate calls him as a witness in Trump ’ s impeachment trial .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ : `` The ambassador transmitted a hard-copy draft of his manuscript to the White House for pre-publication review by the National Security Council .
The ambassador has not passed the manuscript to anyone else , only the NSC.
” https : //t.co/Hn2FnyfZ7Z — Jordan Fabian ( @ Jordanfabian ) January 27 , 2020 “ John Bolton has the evidence , ” Schumer tweeted Sunday night .
“ It ’ s up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton , Mick Mulvaney , and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial.
” The trial for Trump , who the House impeached in December , began earlier this month .
House impeachment managers spent three days last week presenting their opening arguments to senators , while Trump ’ s defense team spent a short time on Saturday presenting their side .
It ’ s unclear if the Senate will follow through with calling witnesses before voting on whether to remove the president from office .

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Former national security adviser John Bolton reportedly wrote in an outline for a book that President Donald Trump tied the withheld Ukraine aid to the country’s announcement that it would investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Drafts of the book outline obtained by The New York Times describe Trump telling Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing nearly $400 million in congressionally approved military assistance to Ukraine until officials there agreed to help investigate his political rival.
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SCOOP: Bolton book draft, circulated to associates and sent to WH for review process, describes a convo w POTUS where he says he doesn't want to release withheld aid till Ukraine turned over material related to investigations @nytmike and me https://t.co/N3Tsce4gR7 — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 26, 2020
Trump denied Bolton’s reported account in a tweet Sunday night, and insisted he “never” told Bolton the Ukraine aid was tied to “investigations into Democrats.” The president also said Bolton “never complained about this,” apparently referring to freezing the military aid.
I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book. With that being said, the... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2020
A key part of Trump’s defense in the impeachment process has been that his decision to withhold the aid was completely separate from his request for Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. Tying the two together would indicate that Trump attempted a quid pro quo with a foreign government in order to sway the 2020 presidential election ― which Democrats have said was the case since the impeachment inquiry began.
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According to the Times, Bolton alleged that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo privately admitted there was no basis to Rudy Giuliani’s claims that ousted U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was corrupt, and he believed Trump’s personal attorney was acting on behalf of other clients.
Bolton also wrote that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was around for at least one phone call during which Trump and Giuliani discussed Yovanovitch, according to the Times.
Bolton also reportedly said he raised his concerns about Giuliani’s shadow diplomacy with Attorney General William Barr after Trump’s July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Bolton alleged that he was the one who informed Barr that the president mentioned him on the call, according to the Times. A spokesperson for Barr told the publication he denied that allegation.
Bolton’s account of Trump’s alleged remarks were included in the former national security adviser’s unpublished manuscript, which he has been circulating to close associates. The book, according to the Times, represents what Bolton might say in a testimony if the Senate calls him as a witness in Trump’s impeachment trial.
Bolton spox Sarah Tinsley tells @HouseInSession: "The ambassador transmitted a hard-copy draft of his manuscript to the White House for pre-publication review by the National Security Council. The ambassador has not passed the manuscript to anyone else, only the NSC.” https://t.co/Hn2FnyfZ7Z — Jordan Fabian (@Jordanfabian) January 27, 2020
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“John Bolton has the evidence,” Schumer tweeted Sunday night. “It’s up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump’s actions testify in the Senate trial.”
John Bolton has the evidence.
It’s up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump’s actions testify in the Senate trial.https://t.co/JbazBaYdRU — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 26, 2020
The Democratic House impeachment managers also released a statement regarding the Times report.
“There is no defensible reason to wait until his book is published, when the information he has to offer is critical to the most important decision Senators must now make ― whether to convict the President of impeachable offenses,” the statement read.
The trial for Trump, who the House impeached in December, began earlier this month. House impeachment managers spent three days last week presenting their opening arguments to senators, while Trump’s defense team spent a short time on Saturday presenting their side. It’s unclear if the Senate will follow through with calling witnesses before voting on whether to remove the president from office.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-27--Ex-GOP Lawmaker David Jolly Puts Republican Senators On Notice After Bolton Book Report

A former Republican member of Congress on Sunday put his onetime colleagues on notice after The New York Times reported @ @ @ @ @ outline of former national security adviser John Bolton ’ s forthcoming book .
Bolton recalls @ @ @ @ @ wanted to withhold aid to Ukraine until the nation agreed to investigate former Vice President @ @ @ @ @ Hunter , according to the Times report .
David Jolly , who represented a Florida @ @ @ @ @ , said the GOP-controlled Senate must now call Bolton as a witness during the president @ @ @ @ @ And if they don ’ t , he argued , they ’ re guilty of @ @ @ @ @ .
If a Senator now votes no on calling Bolton to testify they 're knowingly @ @ @ @ @ — David Jolly ( @ DavidJollyFL ) January 26 , 2020 Jolly , a consistent @ @ @ @ @ Republican Party in 2018 over its support of the president .

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A former Republican member of Congress on Sunday put his onetime colleagues on notice after The New York Times reported on details from a draft outline of former national security adviser John Bolton’s forthcoming book.
Bolton recalls President Donald Trump saying he wanted to withhold aid to Ukraine until the nation agreed to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, according to the Times report.
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David Jolly, who represented a Florida district from 2014 to 2017, said the GOP-controlled Senate must now call Bolton as a witness during the president’s impeachment trial. And if they don’t, he argued, they’re guilty of a cover-up.
Pretty simple. If a Senator now votes no on calling Bolton to testify they're knowingly engaging in a cover-up. — David Jolly (@DavidJollyFL) January 26, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-27--Fox News Host Steve Hilton Calls Out 'Baby' Mike Pompeo Over NPR Attack

And he demanded that Pompeo apologize to Mary Louise Kelly , co-host of NPR ’ s “ All Things Considered.
” “ I ’ m a big fan of the secretary , ” Hilton began , noting he agrees with Pompeo on issues such as China .
But then he lit into him for his tirade against Kelly after she asked him questions he didn ’ t like about Ukraine .
Pompeo later doubled down , calling Kelly “ shameful ” and accusing her of violating the “ basic rules of journalism and decency.
” But Hilton didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him for “ whining ” about the interview .
“ I listen to NPR a lot , and I can tell you that Mary Louise Kelly is one of the very few hosts on there who actually seems fair and is not totally biased against President Trump , ” Hilton said .
For goodness sakes , Mr. Secretary , don ’ t be such a baby .
You should be able to handle tough questions by now and don ’ t be such a bully .
Foul-mouthed ranting at a reporter doing her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration .
“ You should apologize , ” Hilton continued .
“ And people will think much more of you if you do.
” That may be unlikely , given that Trump on Sunday sided with Pompeo , openly wondering why NPR even exists .
In the past , the president has called for ending federal funding for both NPR and PBS .
Hilton , like many on Fox News , typically speaks in support of Trump .
Trump has returned the favor , quoting him on Twitter , thanking him for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watch Hilton ’ s show .
See more of Hilton ’ s criticism of Pompeo below :

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And he demanded that Pompeo apologize to Mary Louise Kelly, co-host of NPR’s “All Things Considered.”
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“I’m a big fan of the secretary,” Hilton began, noting he agrees with Pompeo on issues such as China.
But then he lit into him for his tirade against Kelly after she asked him questions he didn’t like about Ukraine.
Pompeo later doubled down, calling Kelly “shameful” and accusing her of violating the “basic rules of journalism and decency.”
But Hilton didn’t buy any of it, and slammed him for “whining” about the interview.
“I listen to NPR a lot, and I can tell you that Mary Louise Kelly is one of the very few hosts on there who actually seems fair and is not totally biased against President Trump,” Hilton said.
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He added:
For goodness sakes, Mr. Secretary, don’t be such a baby. You should be able to handle tough questions by now and don’t be such a bully. Foul-mouthed ranting at a reporter doing her job is an embarrassment to you and the administration.
“You should apologize,” Hilton continued. “And people will think much more of you if you do.”
That may be unlikely, given that Trump on Sunday sided with Pompeo, openly wondering why NPR even exists. In the past, the president has called for ending federal funding for both NPR and PBS.
Hilton, like many on Fox News, typically speaks in support of Trump. Trump has returned the favor, quoting him on Twitter, thanking him for the praise and encouraging his followers to watch Hilton’s show.
See more of Hilton’s criticism of Pompeo below:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--Former Ambassador To Ukraine Calls Out Pompeo For Callous Dismissal Of Nation

Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Sunday for his reported cavalier dismissal of Ukraine in a recent interview .
“ Do you think Americans care about Ukraine ?
” an angry Pompeo asked Mary Louise Kelly , host of NPR ’ s “ All Things Considered , ” she recounted .
Kelly said Pompeo was furious that she questioned him about Ukraine on the program Friday , and he took her aside after the interview to launch a profanity-laced tirade against her .
He has not contradicted her report of the confrontation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ off the record , ” which NPR has denied .
Taylor called out Pompeo for his misguided attitude about Ukraine in an op-ed in The New York Times .
“ The relationship between the United States and Ukraine is key to our national security .
Americans should care about Ukraine , ” Taylor wrote .
The country remains vital to America regardless of the outcome of the ongoing impeachment trial of President Donald Trump .
Ukraine is “ defending itself — and the West — against Russian attack ” along its border , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a rules-based international order , Western nations are in jeopardy.
” The battle has come at a heavy cost to Ukraine .
Since the Russians invaded six years ago , 14,000 Ukrainians have died in this war , Taylor noted .
Bill Taylor , former ambassador to Ukraine , testified before the U.S. House Committee on Intelligence during the impeachment hearings on President Donald Trump , Nov. 13 , 2019 .
Russian President Vladimir Putin “ seems to want to return to the law of the jungle ... where powerful nations dominated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations established spheres of influence that oppressed neighbors , leading to war and suffering , ” Taylor concluded .
“ In the contest between democracies and autocracies , the contest between freedom and unfreedom , Ukraine is the front line.
” Despite what Pompeo reportedly told Kelly , he told Bloomberg just last week that Ukraine is an important nation that “ sits at the edge of democracy and tyranny.
” He also denied in the interview , seen in the video below , that there was any “ shadow ” Ukrainian foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani — which appeared to be contradicted Sunday in a circulated book manuscript by former national security adviser John Bolton .

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Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Sunday for his reported cavalier dismissal of Ukraine in a recent interview.
“Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” an angry Pompeo asked Mary Louise Kelly, host of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” she recounted. Kelly said Pompeo was furious that she questioned him about Ukraine on the program Friday, and he took her aside after the interview to launch a profanity-laced tirade against her.
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He has not contradicted her report of the confrontation. Pompeo has only insisted it was “off the record,” which NPR has denied.
Taylor called out Pompeo for his misguided attitude about Ukraine in an op-ed in The New York Times. “The relationship between the United States and Ukraine is key to our national security. Americans should care about Ukraine,” Taylor wrote. The country remains vital to America regardless of the outcome of the ongoing impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
Ukraine is “defending itself — and the West — against Russian attack” along its border, he added. “Until Russia recommits to a rules-based international order, Western nations are in jeopardy.”
The battle has come at a heavy cost to Ukraine. Since the Russians invaded six years ago, 14,000 Ukrainians have died in this war, Taylor noted.
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Bill Taylor, former ambassador to Ukraine, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Intelligence during the impeachment hearings on President Donald Trump, Nov. 13, 2019. Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin “seems to want to return to the law of the jungle ... where powerful nations dominated and invaded less powerful nations, where nations established spheres of influence that oppressed neighbors, leading to war and suffering,” Taylor concluded.
“In the contest between democracies and autocracies, the contest between freedom and unfreedom, Ukraine is the front line.”
Pompeo is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv later this week.
Despite what Pompeo reportedly told Kelly, he told Bloomberg just last week that Ukraine is an important nation that “sits at the edge of democracy and tyranny.”
He also denied in the interview, seen in the video below, that there was any “shadow” Ukrainian foreign policy being carried out by Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani — which appeared to be contradicted Sunday in a circulated book manuscript by former national security adviser John Bolton.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--Chris Wallace Challenges Alan Dershowitz On Impeachment Flip-Flop

Dershowitz now claims that a crime is necessary for impeachment — not simply “ abuse of power , ” which is one of the House ’ s articles of impeachment against Trump .
But he had a different view during the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton .
“ We want to listen to a couple of the people who ... argued exactly the opposite of what you ’ re arguing today , ” Wallace said , before playing a clip of Dershowitz during Clinton ’ s impeachment trial .
“ It certainly doesn ’ t have to be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clip , which is at the 8:22-mark in the video above .
“ If you have somebody who completely corrupts the office of president , and who abuses trust and who poses great danger to our liberty , you don ’ t need technical crime.
” After Wallace played the video , Dershowitz argued that in Clinton ’ s case , “ the issue was not whether you need a crime ” because the president had already been charged with perjury .
Wallace shot back : “ We just put the sound bite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have to be a crime.
” Dershowitz , a former law professor , then argued that “ academics change their minds all the time ” after research .
“ It ’ s also what lawyers do ... depending on the facts of the case and the side they ’ re arguing , ” Wallace replied .
The tape Wallace played also included a clip of Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) explaining to his fellow lawmakers in 1999 that impeachment “ doesn ’ t have to be a crime .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office and you ’ re acting in a way that hurts people , you ’ ve committed a high crime.
” Graham has been a staunch defender of Trump .
The House launched an impeachment inquiry into Trump last year after the president withheld congressionally approved military funding from Ukraine and asked its president to investigate former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his son .
Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress , and the General Accountability Office has since determined it was illegal for the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Check out the video above .
The section on impeachment and crime begins at 7:55 .

Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday confronted Alan Dershowitz, a lawyer on President Donald Trump’s defense team, over his apparent about-face regarding impeachment.
Dershowitz now claims that a crime is necessary for impeachment — not simply “abuse of power,” which is one of the House’s articles of impeachment against Trump. But he had a different view during the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton.
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Wallace played the tape to refresh Dershowitz’s memory.
“We want to listen to a couple of the people who ... argued exactly the opposite of what you’re arguing today,” Wallace said, before playing a clip of Dershowitz during Clinton’s impeachment trial.
“It certainly doesn’t have to be a crime,” Dershowitz says in the clip, which is at the 8:22-mark in the video above. “If you have somebody who completely corrupts the office of president, and who abuses trust and who poses great danger to our liberty, you don’t need technical crime.”
After Wallace played the video, Dershowitz argued that in Clinton’s case, “the issue was not whether you need a crime” because the president had already been charged with perjury.
Wallace shot back: “We just put the sound bite up where you said it doesn’t have to be a crime.”
Dershowitz, a former law professor, then argued that “academics change their minds all the time” after research.
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“It’s also what lawyers do ... depending on the facts of the case and the side they’re arguing,” Wallace replied.
The tape Wallace played also included a clip of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) explaining to his fellow lawmakers in 1999 that impeachment “doesn’t have to be a crime. It’s just when you start using your office and you’re acting in a way that hurts people, you’ve committed a high crime.” Graham has been a staunch defender of Trump.
The House launched an impeachment inquiry into Trump last year after the president withheld congressionally approved military funding from Ukraine and asked its president to investigate former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his son. Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and the General Accountability Office has since determined it was illegal for the Trump administration to withhold the military funding for Ukraine.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-26--Democrats Repeat Demands For Impeachment Trial Witnesses After Bolton Bombshell

Democrats are reiterating their demands for witnesses to appear before the Senate ’ s impeachment trial after The New York Times reported Sunday that a draft outline of former national security adviser John Bolton ’ s book includes his recollection that President Donald Trump tied withholding aid from Ukraine to the country investigating his political rival .
The draft outline reportedly described Trump telling Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing almost $ 400 million in congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine until officials there agreed to help investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Trump attempted a quid pro with a foreign government , which Democrats have been saying he did for months .
The House impeached Trump in December , and his trial began in the Senate earlier this month .
House impeachment managers spent three days last week presenting their opening argument to senators , while Trump ’ s defense team spent a couple of hours on Saturday giving their argument .
The Democratic House impeachment managers were some of the first to respond to the Times report , releasing a statement demanding Bolton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial .
“ There is no defensible reason to wait until his book is published , when the information he has to offer is critical to the most important decision Senators must now make ― whether to convict the President of impeachable offenses , ” the statement read .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) , who led Democrats through the impeachment inquiry , said Senate Republicans refusing to call on Bolton and other key witnesses to testify amounts to choosing a cover-up over the Constitution .
Amb .
Bolton reportedly heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was tied to political investigations .
The refusal of the Senate to call for him , other relevant witnesses , and documents is now even more indefensible .
The choice is clear : our Constitution , or a cover-up .
https : //t.co/HBW82ObvOl — Nancy Pelosi ( @ SpeakerPelosi ) January 27 , 2020 The draft outline gives a view of what Bolton might say if called as a witness , according to the Times .
Bolton has said that he would testify before senators if subpoenaed , but Senate Republicans have effectively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring any additional evidence for review in the trial .
The upper chamber will vote on whether to consider witnesses and additional evidence after a period of questioning by senators from both parties .
In order to subpoena new witnesses in the trial , Democrats need to sway at least four Republican senators to support an initial vote on including more evidence .
Three Republicans have shown some level of interest in potentially voting in favor of doing so : Mitt Romney of Utah , Susan Collins of Maine , and Lisa Murkowski @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) , who has led the charge in trying to bring witness testimony to the impeachment trial , reiterated his demands in response to the Times report .
“ John Bolton has the evidence , ” Schumer tweeted Sunday night .
“ It ’ s up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton , Mick Mulvaney , and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump ’ s actions testify in the Senate trial.
” Other senators also spoke up in the wake of the report .
Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often works with Republicans , pressured his GOP colleagues to also call for witness testimony .
“ Congressman Schiff wisely cautioned all Senators just last week that ― eventually ― the full truth about the President ’ s actions will come out , ” Coons said .
“ It ’ s our duty to ensure the truth comes out before the ongoing impeachment trial concludes.
” Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D-Minn. ) echoed Coons ’ calls for the GOP to demand witnesses , telling the Times that “ they should all be calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done so already .

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Democrats are reiterating their demands for witnesses to appear before the Senate’s impeachment trial after The New York Times reported Sunday that a draft outline of former national security adviser John Bolton’s book includes his recollection that President Donald Trump tied withholding aid from Ukraine to the country investigating his political rival.
The draft outline reportedly described Trump telling Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing almost $400 million in congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine until officials there agreed to help investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Tying the two together would reveal that Trump attempted a quid pro with a foreign government, which Democrats have been saying he did for months.
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The House impeached Trump in December, and his trial began in the Senate earlier this month. House impeachment managers spent three days last week presenting their opening argument to senators, while Trump’s defense team spent a couple of hours on Saturday giving their argument.
The Democratic House impeachment managers were some of the first to respond to the Times report, releasing a statement demanding Bolton be called as a witness in the trial.
“There is no defensible reason to wait until his book is published, when the information he has to offer is critical to the most important decision Senators must now make ― whether to convict the President of impeachable offenses,” the statement read.
House Impeachment Managers: "There can be no doubt now that Mr. Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the President's defense and therefore must be called as a witness at the impeachment trial of President Trump." — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 27, 2020
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who led Democrats through the impeachment inquiry, said Senate Republicans refusing to call on Bolton and other key witnesses to testify amounts to choosing a cover-up over the Constitution.
Amb. Bolton reportedly heard directly from Trump that aid for Ukraine was tied to political investigations.
The refusal of the Senate to call for him, other relevant witnesses, and documents is now even more indefensible.
The choice is clear: our Constitution, or a cover-up. https://t.co/HBW82ObvOl — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 27, 2020
The draft outline gives a view of what Bolton might say if called as a witness, according to the Times. Bolton has said that he would testify before senators if subpoenaed, but Senate Republicans have effectively stonewalled efforts to call any witnesses or bring any additional evidence for review in the trial.
The upper chamber will vote on whether to consider witnesses and additional evidence after a period of questioning by senators from both parties.
In order to subpoena new witnesses in the trial, Democrats need to sway at least four Republican senators to support an initial vote on including more evidence. Three Republicans have shown some level of interest in potentially voting in favor of doing so: Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has led the charge in trying to bring witness testimony to the impeachment trial, reiterated his demands in response to the Times report.
“John Bolton has the evidence,” Schumer tweeted Sunday night. “It’s up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump’s actions testify in the Senate trial.”
John Bolton has the evidence.
It’s up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump’s actions testify in the Senate trial.https://t.co/JbazBaYdRU — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 26, 2020
Other senators also spoke up in the wake of the report. Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who often works with Republicans, pressured his GOP colleagues to also call for witness testimony.
“Congressman Schiff wisely cautioned all Senators just last week that ― eventually ― the full truth about the President’s actions will come out,” Coons said. “It’s our duty to ensure the truth comes out before the ongoing impeachment trial concludes.”
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.@ChrisCoons puts out a statement tonight on the new Bolton reporting from the @nytimes. Coons, who frequently works across the aisle, puts pressure on his GOP colleagues to call for witness testimony: pic.twitter.com/Nl29t96a8i — Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) January 27, 2020
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) echoed Coons’ calls for the GOP to demand witnesses, telling the Times that “they should all be calling for witnesses” and noting Romney has done so already.
Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) suggested that if the Senate couldn’t hear from Bolton himself, they should get a subpoena for his book.
The Senate needs to hear from Bolton. The American people deserve to hear from Bolton. If we can’t get Bolton let’s get a subpoena for the book!#subpoenathebook#ImpartialJustice https://t.co/vDCVMORMtI — Doug Jones (@DougJones) January 27, 2020