shareblue--2020-01-13--Early state voters say Iran crisis doesn't stop them from caring about health care

Donald Trump has an impeachment trial looming , and rising tensions with Iran have captured headlines .
But standing in the back of a New Hampshire brewery with three varieties of IPA on tap , Janie Shaklee said the political basics are much more likely to decide her vote .
`` The economy is much realer to me , '' said the 69-year-old retired professor who was attending a campaign event for businessman Andrew Yang ahead of her state 's Feb. 11 primary .
`` The world can blow apart at any point , no matter what .
It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen . ''
Less than two weeks old , 2020 has been characterized by a striking amount of political turmoil at home and abroad .
But for many in the states that will soon begin choosing the Democratic presidential nominee , the same bread-and-butter issues that have long dominated the primary — health care , higher wages , student debt , climate change — remain top of mind .
`` Many Americans , for their own mental health , have taken Trump and his presidency and put it into a box and are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's some sort of aberration that 's happening during our time and still staying focused on their own family , '' said Raymond Buckley , chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party .
`` The unpredictability of Trump , his unhinged decision-making , he 's made it very difficult and a challenge to the average voter that overwhelms them . ''
That sentiment is also playing out in Iowa , home to the Feb. 3 caucuses that usher in the Democratic contest .
Farah Jorgensen , a nurse from Waukee , said she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the long term .
`` I think it ’ s just going to fade off , '' said Jorgensen , who was planning to back New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker before he dropped out of the race on Monday .
`` I don ’ t think the world is ready for another war . ''
Andrew Feldman , a Democratic strategist in Washington , agreed that Iran in recent days , just like impeachment in recent weeks , is `` still not the main focus of voters . ''
`` They may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may know about it , but it doesn ’ t one-up the challenges they 're having with health care , the challenges they 're having with hundreds of thousands of dollars of student debt , '' Feldman said of voters .
`` The issues that we think are important here in the Beltway don ’ t actually make it to the kitchen table as issues that voters are talking about . ''
The war in Iraq and other major foreign policy issues cast long shadows over past Democratic primaries , including in 2004 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dominated the 2020 contest for more than a year , as the candidates spent large chunks of their first debates arguing over whether the country was ready to fully scrap private insurance for a universal , government-run health care system under a `` Medicare for All '' program .
Foreign policy came up in a more substantial way during the December debate , but many Democratic voters say that the situation in Iran and impeachment have just increased their dislike for Trump .
`` All this does is make it that much more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Michael Ginsberg , a 68-year-old New Hampshire resident who identified himself as an independent voter .
`` I 'm still not 100 % convinced about who is the most likely person to do that . ''
Polls in the early states , as well as nationally , show no clear front-runner emerging between Vice President Joe Biden , Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders , Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren , and Pete Buttigieg , the former mayor of South Bend , Indiana .
Biden has lately talked up his foreign policy experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq at a time when few others , including Biden , did .
Buttigieg is a combat veteran who has subtly questioned Biden 's judgment on the Iraq War , telling a recent New Hampshire crowd , `` As a military intelligence officer on the ground in Afghanistan , I was trained to ask these questions before a decision was made . ''
Warren spent the summer rising in the polls on the strength of her sweeping plans to tackle top domestic issues , including imposing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 50 million , creating universal child and health care systems , and wiping out student debt .
She has n't focused as much on impeachment or Iran while facing campaign audiences — but was forced to do so by a protester last week , during a stop in the riverside town of Dover , New Hampshire .
`` Why are you siding with Iran ? ''
a man yelled , calling Warren a fraud .
After he 'd been escorted out , the senator questioned the timing of Trump increasing tensions with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do with the fact that Donald Trump is right on the eve of an impeachment hearing ? ''
she asked .
`` This man is an embarrassment .
He is now clearly a danger to the United States and the world .
We need to get him out . ''
But then Warren pivoted back to her usual , heavily biographical stump speech .
And when a voter asked if her litany of domestic plans was `` a blueprint for the American dream , '' Warren exclaimed : `` Oh , yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a country with long-term vision , '' she added .
`` Not just short-term vision . ''

Donald Trump has an impeachment trial looming, and rising tensions with Iran have captured headlines. But standing in the back of a New Hampshire brewery with three varieties of IPA on tap, Janie Shaklee said the political basics are much more likely to decide her vote.
“The economy is much realer to me,” said the 69-year-old retired professor who was attending a campaign event for businessman Andrew Yang ahead of her state’s Feb. 11 primary. “The world can blow apart at any point, no matter what. It’s always been that way … anything can happen.”
Less than two weeks old, 2020 has been characterized by a striking amount of political turmoil at home and abroad. But for many in the states that will soon begin choosing the Democratic presidential nominee, the same bread-and-butter issues that have long dominated the primary — health care, higher wages, student debt, climate change — remain top of mind.
“Many Americans, for their own mental health, have taken Trump and his presidency and put it into a box and are doing their best to believe that it’s some sort of aberration that’s happening during our time and still staying focused on their own family,” said Raymond Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. “The unpredictability of Trump, his unhinged decision-making, he’s made it very difficult and a challenge to the average voter that overwhelms them.”
That sentiment is also playing out in Iowa, home to the Feb. 3 caucuses that usher in the Democratic contest. Farah Jorgensen, a nurse from Waukee, said she doesn’t see Iran remaining an issue over the long term.
“I think it’s just going to fade off,” said Jorgensen, who was planning to back New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker before he dropped out of the race on Monday. “I don’t think the world is ready for another war.”
Andrew Feldman, a Democratic strategist in Washington, agreed that Iran in recent days, just like impeachment in recent weeks, is “still not the main focus of voters.”
“They may have an opinion on it, they may know about it, but it doesn’t one-up the challenges they’re having with health care, the challenges they’re having with hundreds of thousands of dollars of student debt,” Feldman said of voters. “The issues that we think are important here in the Beltway don’t actually make it to the kitchen table as issues that voters are talking about.”
The war in Iraq and other major foreign policy issues cast long shadows over past Democratic primaries, including in 2004 and 2008. But domestic policy has dominated the 2020 contest for more than a year, as the candidates spent large chunks of their first debates arguing over whether the country was ready to fully scrap private insurance for a universal, government-run health care system under a “Medicare for All” program.
Foreign policy came up in a more substantial way during the December debate, but many Democratic voters say that the situation in Iran and impeachment have just increased their dislike for Trump.
“All this does is make it that much more important to get him out of there,” said Michael Ginsberg, a 68-year-old New Hampshire resident who identified himself as an independent voter. “I’m still not 100% convinced about who is the most likely person to do that.”
Polls in the early states, as well as nationally, show no clear front-runner emerging between Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
Biden has lately talked up his foreign policy experience, while Sanders is reminding voters that he opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq at a time when few others, including Biden, did. Buttigieg is a combat veteran who has subtly questioned Biden’s judgment on the Iraq War, telling a recent New Hampshire crowd, “As a military intelligence officer on the ground in Afghanistan, I was trained to ask these questions before a decision was made.”
Warren spent the summer rising in the polls on the strength of her sweeping plans to tackle top domestic issues, including imposing a wealth tax on fortunes worth more than $50 million, creating universal child and health care systems, and wiping out student debt. She hasn’t focused as much on impeachment or Iran while facing campaign audiences — but was forced to do so by a protester last week, during a stop in the riverside town of Dover, New Hampshire.
“Why are you siding with Iran?” a man yelled, calling Warren a fraud. After he’d been escorted out, the senator questioned the timing of Trump increasing tensions with Iran.
“Does this have anything to do with the fact that Donald Trump is right on the eve of an impeachment hearing?” she asked. “This man is an embarrassment. He is now clearly a danger to the United States and the world. We need to get him out.”
But then Warren pivoted back to her usual, heavily biographical stump speech. And when a voter asked if her litany of domestic plans was “a blueprint for the American dream,” Warren exclaimed: “Oh, yes!”
“Let’s make this a country with long-term vision,” she added. “Not just short-term vision.”


shareblue--2020-01-13--US to remove Saudi military students after shooting at Florida Navy base

The United States is preparing to remove more than a dozen Saudi military students from a training program and return them to their home country after an investigation into a deadly shooting by a Saudi aviation student at a Florida navy base last month , a U.S. official told the Associated Press .
The 21-year-old Saudi Air Force officer , 2nd Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani , opened fire at the base in Pensacola , killing three U.S. sailors and injuring eight other people .
The Justice Department has been investigating the incident as an act of terrorism .
Officials have said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where he and others watched videos of mass shootings .
The gunman had also apparently taken to Twitter before the shooting to criticize U.S. support of Israel and accuse America of being anti-Muslim , another U.S. official told the AP last month .
Alshamrani , who was killed by a sheriff 's deputy during the rampage at a classroom building , was undergoing flight training at Pensacola , where members of foreign militaries routinely receive instruction .
It was not immediately clear on what grounds the students were being removed from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were not suspected of having played any role in the attack .
The precise number of students being removed was also not clear .
The officials discussing the case spoke on condition of anonymity to speak about details involved in an ongoing investigation .
The FBI declined to comment on Sunday .
The Justice Department said Attorney General William Barr and Deputy FBI Director David Bowdich would provide an update on the investigation at a news conference Monday afternoon .
The plan to remove the students was first reported by CNN .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international military students are screened before they attend training at American bases .
Some lawmakers , including a top Republican ally of Donald Trump , have called for Saudi Arabia to be suspended from an American military training program .
Trump called for the program to be reviewed .
But Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) said the program needed to be reevaluated after the attack .
A Saudi commanding officer had ordered all students from the country to remain at one location at the base after the attack .
National security adviser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fox News that the shooting `` showed that there had been errors in the way that we vetted '' the students .
The actions being taken by the Justice Department and Defense Department to remove the Saudi students are to `` protect our service men and women , '' he said .
Federal officials are still investigating the shooting and examining evidence .
Earlier this week , FBI asked Apple to help extract data from two iPhones that belonged to the gunman .
Investigators have been trying to access the two devices — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — but have been unable to access them because the phones are locked and encrypted , according to a letter from the FBI 's general counsel , Dana Boente .
The FBI has received a court authorization to search the phones and the devices have been sent to the bureau ’ s lab in Quantico , Virginia , he said .
The investigation is considered a `` high-priority national security matter , '' Boente said in the letter .
FBI officials have sought help from other federal agencies and other experts , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passwords , but those efforts have been unsuccessful , according to the letter .
Apple said in a statement that it has already provided investigators with all the relevant data held by the company and would continue to support the investigators .
At least one of the phones was shot by a sheriff 's deputy during the attack , but investigators believe they may still be able to extract data from the device , according to a person familiar with the matter .
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an @ @ @

The United States is preparing to remove more than a dozen Saudi military students from a training program and return them to their home country after an investigation into a deadly shooting by a Saudi aviation student at a Florida navy base last month, a U.S. official told the Associated Press.
The 21-year-old Saudi Air Force officer, 2nd Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani, opened fire at the base in Pensacola, killing three U.S. sailors and injuring eight other people. The Justice Department has been investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
Officials have said Alshamrani hosted a party before the shooting, where he and others watched videos of mass shootings. The gunman had also apparently taken to Twitter before the shooting to criticize U.S. support of Israel and accuse America of being anti-Muslim, another U.S. official told the AP last month.
Alshamrani, who was killed by a sheriff’s deputy during the rampage at a classroom building, was undergoing flight training at Pensacola, where members of foreign militaries routinely receive instruction.
It was not immediately clear on what grounds the students were being removed from the program, though the official said they were not suspected of having played any role in the attack. The precise number of students being removed was also not clear. The officials discussing the case spoke on condition of anonymity to speak about details involved in an ongoing investigation.
The FBI declined to comment on Sunday. The Justice Department said Attorney General William Barr and Deputy FBI Director David Bowdich would provide an update on the investigation at a news conference Monday afternoon.
The plan to remove the students was first reported by CNN.
The December shooting raised questions about how well international military students are screened before they attend training at American bases. Some lawmakers, including a top Republican ally of Donald Trump, have called for Saudi Arabia to be suspended from an American military training program.
Trump called for the program to be reviewed. But Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the program needed to be reevaluated after the attack.
A Saudi commanding officer had ordered all students from the country to remain at one location at the base after the attack.
National security adviser Robert O’Brien said in an interview on Fox News that the shooting “showed that there had been errors in the way that we vetted” the students. The actions being taken by the Justice Department and Defense Department to remove the Saudi students are to “protect our service men and women,” he said.
Federal officials are still investigating the shooting and examining evidence. Earlier this week, FBI asked Apple to help extract data from two iPhones that belonged to the gunman.
Investigators have been trying to access the two devices — an iPhone 7 and an iPhone 5 — but have been unable to access them because the phones are locked and encrypted, according to a letter from the FBI’s general counsel, Dana Boente. The FBI has received a court authorization to search the phones and the devices have been sent to the bureau’s lab in Quantico, Virginia, he said.
The investigation is considered a “high-priority national security matter,” Boente said in the letter.
FBI officials have sought help from other federal agencies and other experts, and investigators have been trying to guess the passwords, but those efforts have been unsuccessful, according to the letter.
Apple said in a statement that it has already provided investigators with all the relevant data held by the company and would continue to support the investigators.
At least one of the phones was shot by a sheriff’s deputy during the attack, but investigators believe they may still be able to extract data from the device, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.


shareblue--2020-01-14--Trump tries to compete with Democratic debate by holding another rally

As Democrats prepare for their last debate before primary voting commences , Donald Trump is eager to provide political counter-programming in a nearby battleground state .
Trump is headed to Wisconsin on Tuesday night for a rally that coincides with the final Democratic presidential debate in Iowa , which holds its kickoff caucuses in less than three weeks on Feb. 3 .
While Democratic voters try to decide who is their best candidate , Trump has been contending with the House vote to impeach him .
After weeks of delay , the House will vote Wednesday to send its articles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off what will be only the third impeachment trial in the nation 's history .
Winning back Wisconsin is a key part of Democrats ' 2020 strategy — and one of the reasons the party chose Milwaukee to host its national convention in July .
Trump won the state by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016 , cracking Democrats ' long-held `` blue wall , '' along with Michigan and Pennsylvania .
Trump is expected to make frequent return visits in the coming months as he works to maintain his edge .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday evening outside the arena to make sure they would be able to get inside .
Counter-protests and other related events organized by both Democrats and the Trump administration were planned ahead of the rally at an arena in the heart of downtown .
Democrats were focused on health care issues , with Mayor Tom Barrett , the state Democratic Party chair and others planning to speak at a Milwaukee hospital against Trump 's health care policies .
They were pressing the need to uphold the current law , enacted under former President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people with pre-existing conditions .
Protests were also planned around the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee arena .
The Coalition to March on the DNC said more than a dozen groups would be joining its event .
And an immigrant and refugee advocacy group , Voces de la Frontera , planned a separate rally to criticize the Trump administration 's treatment of immigrants and refugees .
Meanwhile , Trump 's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner was holding an event to highlight the administration 's criminal justice reform efforts with Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act , a law designed to overhaul the criminal justice system , reduce the number of people in prison and help former inmates rejoin society .
It was a rare bipartisan victory , with backing from black leaders and lawmakers who forged an allegiance with Trump .
Democrats and Republicans are trying to win over black voters in big cities such as Milwaukee that will play a huge role in deciding who will become the next president .
Lower African American turnout in 2016 was part of what helped fuel Trump 's victory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Angela Lang , said Kushner 's event seemed like an attempt to woo minorities .
But she said Trump should n't assume that all black voters care about is mass incarceration and criminal justice reform .
`` Everyone knows when you come to Milwaukee that 's code for black and brown voters , '' she said .
`` But black voters are more than just single-issue voters . ''

As Democrats prepare for their last debate before primary voting commences, Donald Trump is eager to provide political counter-programming in a nearby battleground state.
Trump is headed to Wisconsin on Tuesday night for a rally that coincides with the final Democratic presidential debate in Iowa, which holds its kickoff caucuses in less than three weeks on Feb. 3.
While Democratic voters try to decide who is their best candidate, Trump has been contending with the House vote to impeach him. After weeks of delay, the House will vote Wednesday to send its articles of impeachment to the Senate, kicking off what will be only the third impeachment trial in the nation’s history.
Winning back Wisconsin is a key part of Democrats’ 2020 strategy — and one of the reasons the party chose Milwaukee to host its national convention in July. Trump won the state by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016, cracking Democrats’ long-held “blue wall,” along with Michigan and Pennsylvania. Trump is expected to make frequent return visits in the coming months as he works to maintain his edge.
In Milwaukee, Trump supporters began lining up Monday evening outside the arena to make sure they would be able to get inside. Counter-protests and other related events organized by both Democrats and the Trump administration were planned ahead of the rally at an arena in the heart of downtown.
Democrats were focused on health care issues, with Mayor Tom Barrett, the state Democratic Party chair and others planning to speak at a Milwaukee hospital against Trump’s health care policies. They were pressing the need to uphold the current law, enacted under former President Barack Obama, that guarantees coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
Protests were also planned around the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee arena. The Coalition to March on the DNC said more than a dozen groups would be joining its event. And an immigrant and refugee advocacy group, Voces de la Frontera, planned a separate rally to criticize the Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants and refugees.
Meanwhile, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner was holding an event to highlight the administration’s criminal justice reform efforts with Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Trump signed the First Step Act, a law designed to overhaul the criminal justice system, reduce the number of people in prison and help former inmates rejoin society. It was a rare bipartisan victory, with backing from black leaders and lawmakers who forged an allegiance with Trump.
Democrats and Republicans are trying to win over black voters in big cities such as Milwaukee that will play a huge role in deciding who will become the next president. Lower African American turnout in 2016 was part of what helped fuel Trump’s victory.
One of those organizers in Milwaukee, Angela Lang, said Kushner’s event seemed like an attempt to woo minorities. But she said Trump shouldn’t assume that all black voters care about is mass incarceration and criminal justice reform.
“Everyone knows when you come to Milwaukee that’s code for black and brown voters,” she said. “But black voters are more than just single-issue voters.”
Wisconsin’s primary is April 7.


shareblue--2020-01-14--Senate has the votes to rein in Trump's war powers

A majority of U.S. senators now back a resolution to limit Donald Trump 's ability to carry out military strikes against Iran , Defense News ’ Joe Gould reported Tuesday afternoon .
Sen. Tim Kaine ( D-VA ) , the lead sponsor of the resolution , said four Republicans — Todd Young of Indiana , Susan Collins of Maine , Mike Lee of Utah , and Rand Paul of Kentucky — have agreed to vote with all 45 Senate Democrats , as well as the two independents who caucus with the Democrats , bringing the total to 51 .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Star , Young said it would be `` wise and appropriate that Congress '' be more involved in war-making decisions .
`` I think we really owe it to our men and women in uniform as members of Congress to be more assertive as it relates to our war power , '' he said .
Alaska 's Lisa Murkowski is also considering voting for the resolution .
Utah 's Mitt Romney , who earlier said he was considering voting for it , announced Tuesday evening that he will not support it after all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outspoken about their discomfort with the Trump administration 's ever-changing rationale for the Jan. 3 drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani .
Lee blasted a Jan. 8 briefing for senators as `` the worst briefing I 've seen at least on a military issue in the nine years I 've served in the United States Senate . ''
The message from administration officials , according to Lee , was for lawmakers to `` run along and be good little boys and girls and not debate . ''
Lee was furious .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Lee said .
`` Not personally , but to the office that each of the 100 senators in this building happens to hold .
I find it insulting and I find it demeaning to the Constitution of the United States to which we 've all sworn an oath . ''
Paul called the administration 's reliance on a post-9/11 congressional authorization of force to defend the strike `` absurd '' and `` an insult . ''
The White House initially justified the attack by claiming it had intelligence that Soleimani was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Almost a week later , on Jan. 9 , Trump claimed the U.S. embassy in Baghdad was going to be attacked , along with three other unnamed U.S. embassies .
However , the administration has not released any evidence to support that claim and has since walked back several of the assertions .
On Monday , Trump declared on Twitter that `` it does n't really matter '' whether the strike that killed Soleimani was in direct response to an imminent threat .
Further , it turns out Trump approved a mission to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into question the imminence of an attack .
Additionally , the State Department was not aware of any imminent threats , and therefore did not warn any embassies of impending threats .
One senior State Department official told CNN that they were `` blindsided '' when Trump declared that four embassies were potentially in harm 's way .
On Friday , the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump approved the attack in part to appease Republican senators who hold sway in the upcoming impeachment trial .
On Jan. 9 , a bipartisan majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar resolution to rein Trump Iranian aggression without further approval from Congress .
According to the Hill , the soonest Senate Democrats would be able to force a vote on the resolution is Jan. 21 , the same day Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump 's impeachment trial will begin .
Kaine said he may be able to broker an agreement to hold a vote before then .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

A majority of U.S. senators now back a resolution to limit Donald Trump’s ability to carry out military strikes against Iran, Defense News’ Joe Gould reported Tuesday afternoon.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), the lead sponsor of the resolution, said four Republicans — Todd Young of Indiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Mike Lee of Utah, and Rand Paul of Kentucky — have agreed to vote with all 45 Senate Democrats, as well as the two independents who caucus with the Democrats, bringing the total to 51.
In a Jan. 10 interview with the Indianapolis Star, Young said it would be “wise and appropriate that Congress” be more involved in war-making decisions. “I think we really owe it to our men and women in uniform as members of Congress to be more assertive as it relates to our war power,” he said.
Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski is also considering voting for the resolution. Utah’s Mitt Romney, who earlier said he was considering voting for it, announced Tuesday evening that he will not support it after all.
Lee and Paul have been particularly outspoken about their discomfort with the Trump administration’s ever-changing rationale for the Jan. 3 drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Lee blasted a Jan. 8 briefing for senators as “the worst briefing I’ve seen at least on a military issue in the nine years I’ve served in the United States Senate.”
The message from administration officials, according to Lee, was for lawmakers to “run along and be good little boys and girls and not debate.” Lee was furious.
“I find this insulting and demeaning,” Lee said. “Not personally, but to the office that each of the 100 senators in this building happens to hold. I find it insulting and I find it demeaning to the Constitution of the United States to which we’ve all sworn an oath.”
Paul called the administration’s reliance on a post-9/11 congressional authorization of force to defend the strike “absurd” and “an insult.”
The White House initially justified the attack by claiming it had intelligence that Soleimani was plotting an “imminent attack.” Almost a week later, on Jan. 9, Trump claimed the U.S. embassy in Baghdad was going to be attacked, along with three other unnamed U.S. embassies. However, the administration has not released any evidence to support that claim and has since walked back several of the assertions.
On Monday, Trump declared on Twitter that “it doesn’t really matter” whether the strike that killed Soleimani was in direct response to an imminent threat.
Further, it turns out Trump approved a mission to kill Soleimani seven months ago, calling into question the imminence of an attack. Additionally, the State Department was not aware of any imminent threats, and therefore did not warn any embassies of impending threats. One senior State Department official told CNN that they were “blindsided” when Trump declared that four embassies were potentially in harm’s way.
On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump approved the attack in part to appease Republican senators who hold sway in the upcoming impeachment trial.
On Jan. 9, a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives passed a similar resolution to rein Trump Iranian aggression without further approval from Congress.
According to the Hill, the soonest Senate Democrats would be able to force a vote on the resolution is Jan. 21, the same day Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump’s impeachment trial will begin. Kaine said he may be able to broker an agreement to hold a vote before then.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-14--Ted Cruz says presidents need approval to spend money — unless they're Trump

Sen. Ted Cruz ( R-TX ) attacked a plan proposed by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) to unilaterally forgive student loan debt as unconstitutional .
But Cruz showed less concern last year when Donald Trump unilaterally siphoned Defense funds to pay for his border wall .
`` Which clause of the Constitution gives a President the authority to give away a trillion [ dollars without ] Congress ? ''
Cruz asked on Tuesday .
`` And if you like this policy , how would you feel if/when a GOP president does it for something you don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a better idea : follow the [ Constitution and ] don ’ t be a dictator . ''
Cruz was responding to Warren 's suggestion that , if elected president , she could bypass Congress to forgive most student loan debt .
She said Tuesday that this would be possible by having the secretary of education `` compromise and modify '' the loans , which is permissible under existing law .
She released a letter from three legal experts calling her approach `` lawful and permissible . ''
Last year , Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decreed that this declaration would allow him to siphon billions in defense funds to pay for a southern border wall .
As a candidate , Trump promised repeatedly that such a wall would be funded entirely by Mexico , but since then Congress has repeatedly declined to appropriate taxpayer money for this purpose .
In March of 2019 , while most members of the Democratic House and Republican Senate voted to overrule Trump and terminate his order , Cruz did not .
Rather than condemn the so-called emergency as an unconstitutional act , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a `` Statement in Support of President Trump 's National Emergency Declaration . ''
`` We can not end this emergency without securing our southern border , and we can not secure our border without building a wall , '' Cruz wrote , arguing that Trump had the statutory power to do so .
Cruz 's office did not immediately respond to an inquiry about what circumstances he believes makes such a move acceptable .
On Tuesday , the Washington Post reported that the administration plans to take another $ 7.2 billion appropriated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his wall .
The money would come from military construction projects and anti-drug trafficking efforts .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) attacked a plan proposed by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to unilaterally forgive student loan debt as unconstitutional. But Cruz showed less concern last year when Donald Trump unilaterally siphoned Defense funds to pay for his border wall.
“Which clause of the Constitution gives a President the authority to give away a trillion [dollars without] Congress?” Cruz asked on Tuesday. “And if you like this policy, how would you feel if/when a GOP president does it for something you don’t like? Here’s a better idea: follow the [Constitution and] don’t be a dictator.”
Cruz was responding to Warren’s suggestion that, if elected president, she could bypass Congress to forgive most student loan debt. She said Tuesday that this would be possible by having the secretary of education “compromise and modify” the loans, which is permissible under existing law. She released a letter from three legal experts calling her approach “lawful and permissible.”
Last year, Donald Trump declared a “national emergency” and decreed that this declaration would allow him to siphon billions in defense funds to pay for a southern border wall. As a candidate, Trump promised repeatedly that such a wall would be funded entirely by Mexico, but since then Congress has repeatedly declined to appropriate taxpayer money for this purpose.
In March of 2019, while most members of the Democratic House and Republican Senate voted to overrule Trump and terminate his order, Cruz did not. Rather than condemn the so-called emergency as an unconstitutional act, Cruz endorsed Trump’s maneuver, issuing a “Statement in Support of President Trump’s National Emergency Declaration.”
“We cannot end this emergency without securing our southern border, and we cannot secure our border without building a wall,” Cruz wrote, arguing that Trump had the statutory power to do so.
Cruz’s office did not immediately respond to an inquiry about what circumstances he believes makes such a move acceptable.
On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that the administration plans to take another $7.2 billion appropriated for the military and use it on his wall. The money would come from military construction projects and anti-drug trafficking efforts.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-14--Judge once again blocks Wisconsin GOP from purging over 200,000 from voter rolls

A Wisconsin appeals court on Tuesday put on hold an order to immediately remove up to 209,000 names from the state 's voter registration rolls , handing Democrats who had fought the move a victory in the battleground state .
The appeals court sided with the bipartisan state elections commission in putting the brakes on removing any voters while the court fight continues .
It also put on hold a ruling from Monday in which a judge found the commission and its three Democratic members in contempt for not proceeding with removing the voters .
The orders came as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with attorneys from the state Department of Justice to discuss the case .
A conservative law firm that brought the case — the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty — had wanted the purge to happen immediately , even though the elections commission raised concerns about the accuracy of data used to identify voters who would have their registrations deactivated .
The law firm 's president , Rick Esenberg , did n't directly address the court 's order in a statement .
“ What is true yesterday is true today , '' he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t following state law and we look forward to making that case in the Court of Appeals.
” The case is being closely watched , as Wisconsin is among a group of swing states being targeted by both Democrats and Donald Trump this year .
Trump narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016 by fewer than 23,000 votes , putting even more of a focus on every voter in the state .
Trump was back in the state on Tuesday night for a rally in Milwaukee , kicking off what is expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The voter purge lawsuit was brought by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty , a conservative law firm .
It argued that the state elections commission broke the law when it did not remove voters from the rolls who did not respond within 30 days to a mailing in October indicating they may have moved .
The commission wanted to wait until after the November 2020 presidential election before removing anyone because of inaccuracies found while previously attempting to identify voters who may have moved .
Even if a voter has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again later or on Election Day when they show up at the polls , assuming they have the required documentation .
Because voters who moved were concentrated in more Democratic parts of the state , liberals argued that the lawsuit was meant to lower turnout on their side .
Republicans countered that it was about reducing the likelihood of voter fraud and making sure that people who have moved are not able to vote from their previous addresses .
A judge last month sided with conservatives and ordered the removal of the voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on proceeding with the purge , the judge on Monday found it and its three Democratic commissioners in contempt , and again ordered the voters ' names removed .
Hours later , a divided Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to take the case .
That shifted the fight back to the appeals court , which sided with the elections commission on Tuesday and put the judge 's original ruling on hold .
A three-judge panel in the 4th District of the appeals court — Michael Fitzpatrick , JoAnne Kloppenburg , and Jennifer Nashold — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have a follow-up order later that explains their reasoning , but that they wanted to act quickly given the contempt order and the commission 's meeting .
Nashold was elected to the court last year after running unopposed .
Fitzpatrick also ran unopposed and was first elected in 2017 .
Kloppenburg has been on the appeals court since 2012 and also ran unsuccessfully twice for the state Supreme Court with Democratic support .
The decision effectively hits the pause button on the fast-moving case and means there will be no immediate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There are a number of elections coming soon , including a February primary for a state Supreme Court seat , a primary in the special election to fill the 7th Congressional District seat and races for a host of local offices .
Wisconsin 's presidential primary is on April 7 .
The issue is unlikely to be resolved in court before the presidential election .
The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin also filed a federal lawsuit to stop the purge .

A Wisconsin appeals court on Tuesday put on hold an order to immediately remove up to 209,000 names from the state’s voter registration rolls, handing Democrats who had fought the move a victory in the battleground state.
The appeals court sided with the bipartisan state elections commission in putting the brakes on removing any voters while the court fight continues. It also put on hold a ruling from Monday in which a judge found the commission and its three Democratic members in contempt for not proceeding with removing the voters.
The orders came as the commission was meeting in a closed session with attorneys from the state Department of Justice to discuss the case.
A conservative law firm that brought the case — the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty — had wanted the purge to happen immediately, even though the elections commission raised concerns about the accuracy of data used to identify voters who would have their registrations deactivated.
The law firm’s president, Rick Esenberg, didn’t directly address the court’s order in a statement.
“What is true yesterday is true today,” he said. “The Wisconsin Elections Commission isn’t following state law and we look forward to making that case in the Court of Appeals.”
The case is being closely watched, as Wisconsin is among a group of swing states being targeted by both Democrats and Donald Trump this year. Trump narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016 by fewer than 23,000 votes, putting even more of a focus on every voter in the state.
Trump was back in the state on Tuesday night for a rally in Milwaukee, kicking off what is expected to be an intense fight to win Wisconsin.
The voter purge lawsuit was brought by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative law firm. It argued that the state elections commission broke the law when it did not remove voters from the rolls who did not respond within 30 days to a mailing in October indicating they may have moved.
The commission wanted to wait until after the November 2020 presidential election before removing anyone because of inaccuracies found while previously attempting to identify voters who may have moved. Even if a voter has their registration deactivated, they can register again later or on Election Day when they show up at the polls, assuming they have the required documentation.
Because voters who moved were concentrated in more Democratic parts of the state, liberals argued that the lawsuit was meant to lower turnout on their side. Republicans countered that it was about reducing the likelihood of voter fraud and making sure that people who have moved are not able to vote from their previous addresses.
A judge last month sided with conservatives and ordered the removal of the voters. When the bipartisan elections commission deadlocked on proceeding with the purge, the judge on Monday found it and its three Democratic commissioners in contempt, and again ordered the voters’ names removed.
Hours later, a divided Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to take the case. That shifted the fight back to the appeals court, which sided with the elections commission on Tuesday and put the judge’s original ruling on hold.
A three-judge panel in the 4th District of the appeals court — Michael Fitzpatrick, JoAnne Kloppenburg, and Jennifer Nashold — issued the ruling. They said they would have a follow-up order later that explains their reasoning, but that they wanted to act quickly given the contempt order and the commission’s meeting.
Nashold was elected to the court last year after running unopposed. Fitzpatrick also ran unopposed and was first elected in 2017. Kloppenburg has been on the appeals court since 2012 and also ran unsuccessfully twice for the state Supreme Court with Democratic support.
The decision effectively hits the pause button on the fast-moving case and means there will be no immediate change to the state’s voter registration rolls. There are a number of elections coming soon, including a February primary for a state Supreme Court seat, a primary in the special election to fill the 7th Congressional District seat and races for a host of local offices. Wisconsin’s presidential primary is on April 7.
The issue is unlikely to be resolved in court before the presidential election. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin also filed a federal lawsuit to stop the purge.


shareblue--2020-01-14--Even most Republicans want to tax the rich

A majority of Americans spanning political parties agree with the idea that the wealthiest people in the country need to chip in more to help pay for government services , according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday .
When asked if they support the idea that `` the very rich should contribute an extra share of their total wealth each year to support public programs , '' about 2 in 3 Americans ( 64 % ) agreed .
Even a substantial majority of Republicans , 53 % , agreed .
Among Democrats that number was even higher , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broad-based support for hiking taxes on the very wealthy did not surprise Dana Bye , campaign director of the Tax March , an organization that opposed the 2017 GOP tax bill , which cut taxes for corporations and the rich .
`` Of course they do .
The American people are n't blind to the fact that the rich keep getting richer and that 's thanks in no small part to a broken theory that tax breaks for the rich trickle down to hard-working people , '' Bye said in an email .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to show how popular taxing the rich is , and it certainly wo n't be the last [ ... ] . ''
Bye said that her organization `` has every intention of continuing to remind our policymakers '' of that reality .
New York Times polls from July and November 2019 also show support for a wealth tax remaining above 60 % .
According to Reuters , the richest 1 % of families saw their share of the national net worth grow from 27.8 % in 2009 to 32.2 % in 2019 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ passed a new tax law where 80 % of the benefits eventually flow to the richest 1 % .
Further , the bill — advocated and signed into law by Donald Trump — drastically slashed corporate taxes paid by Wall Street titans like Amazon .
One analysis showed wealthy companies avoided paying more than $ 70 billion in taxes in the first year after the tax bill became law .
Even Trump supporters are unhappy with that fact .
`` We 're taxed from one end to the other , and it just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ share , '' Kathy Herron , a Trump-supporting Republican from Santa Rosa , California , told Reuters last week .
Esin Zimmerman , a `` lifelong Republican '' from Minnesota , also said the richest Americans were spending their money on pointless luxuries and should be taxed at a higher rate .
`` Rich people have a right to blow their money on Lamborghinis and world-wide cruises or whatever .
But that money could be used in other ways that help people , '' Zimmerman said .
The Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates that proposals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could prove popular if she wins the Democratic nomination for president .
Warren has proposed a 2 % tax on Americans with assets worth more than $ 50 million .
Under her plan , which would pay for programs to forgive student debt and expand health care to more Americans , wealthy Americans would pay two pennies in taxes for every dollar they have over $ 50 million .
Those worth less than $ 50 million , she said , would not see their taxes go up .
Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic nomination , has released his own wealth tax proposal , starting with a 1 % tax on those worth $ 32 million and gradually increasing to an 8 % tax on those worth more than $ 10 billion .
Like the Warren plan , non-multi-millionaire households would not be impacted by the Sanders wealth tax .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

A majority of Americans spanning political parties agree with the idea that the wealthiest people in the country need to chip in more to help pay for government services, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday.
When asked if they support the idea that “the very rich should contribute an extra share of their total wealth each year to support public programs,” about 2 in 3 Americans (64%) agreed. Even a substantial majority of Republicans, 53%, agreed.
Among Democrats that number was even higher, with 77% supporting the statement.
The broad-based support for hiking taxes on the very wealthy did not surprise Dana Bye, campaign director of the Tax March, an organization that opposed the 2017 GOP tax bill, which cut taxes for corporations and the rich.
“Of course they do. The American people aren’t blind to the fact that the rich keep getting richer and that’s thanks in no small part to a broken theory that tax breaks for the rich trickle down to hard-working people,” Bye said in an email. “This isn’t the first poll to show how popular taxing the rich is, and it certainly won’t be the last […].”
Bye said that her organization “has every intention of continuing to remind our policymakers” of that reality.
New York Times polls from July and November 2019 also show support for a wealth tax remaining above 60%.
According to Reuters, the richest 1% of families saw their share of the national net worth grow from 27.8% in 2009 to 32.2% in 2019.
And in 2017, Republicans in Congress passed a new tax law where 80% of the benefits eventually flow to the richest 1%. Further, the bill — advocated and signed into law by Donald Trump — drastically slashed corporate taxes paid by Wall Street titans like Amazon. One analysis showed wealthy companies avoided paying more than $70 billion in taxes in the first year after the tax bill became law.
Even Trump supporters are unhappy with that fact.
“We’re taxed from one end to the other, and it just seems the rich don’t pay their share,” Kathy Herron, a Trump-supporting Republican from Santa Rosa, California, told Reuters last week.
Esin Zimmerman, a “lifelong Republican” from Minnesota, also said the richest Americans were spending their money on pointless luxuries and should be taxed at a higher rate.
“Rich people have a right to blow their money on Lamborghinis and world-wide cruises or whatever. But that money could be used in other ways that help people,” Zimmerman said.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates that proposals like Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax could prove popular if she wins the Democratic nomination for president.
Warren has proposed a 2% tax on Americans with assets worth more than $50 million. Under her plan, which would pay for programs to forgive student debt and expand health care to more Americans, wealthy Americans would pay two pennies in taxes for every dollar they have over $50 million. Those worth less than $50 million, she said, would not see their taxes go up.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is also currently seeking the Democratic nomination, has released his own wealth tax proposal, starting with a 1% tax on those worth $32 million and gradually increasing to an 8% tax on those worth more than $10 billion. Like the Warren plan, non-multi-millionaire households would not be impacted by the Sanders wealth tax.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-14--Iran announces arrests over shootdown of plane that killed 176

Iran said Tuesday that authorities have made arrests for the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane , which killed all 176 people on board and set off protests in the country demanding accountability after officials initially concealed the cause of the crash .
Iran 's Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said “ some individuals '' were arrested after “ extensive investigations . ''
His statement on the judiciary 's website did not say how many people had been detained or name those arrested .
Iran at first dismissed allegations that a missile had brought down the plane , but in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday — three days after — that its Revolutionary Guard had shot down the plane by mistake as the force braced for a possible military confrontation with the United States .
The plane , en route from Tehran to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv , was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries , including 82 Iranians and 57 Canadians , many of whom were Iranians with dual citizenship .
There were several children among the passengers , including an infant .
Iran 's president on Tuesday called for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge and dozens of experts '' to be set up to probe the incident .
“ The responsibility falls on more than just one person , '' President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech , adding that those found culpable “ should be punished.
” “ There are others , too , and I want that this issue is expressed honestly , ” he said , without elaborating .
Rouhani called the incident `` a painful and unforgivable ” mistake and promised that his administration would pursue the case “ by all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordinary case .
The entire the world will be watching this court , ” he said .
Tensions have been escalating since Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of Iran 's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers , then reimposed sanctions that had been lifted under the accord .
The deal has quickly unraveled since then , with Iran steadily breaking away from limits on its nuclear program and Europe unable to find ways to keep Tehran committed .
The U.S. sanctions have devastated Iran ’ s economy .
On Tuesday , Britain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ dispute mechanism '' action that paves way for possible further sanctions in response to Iran 's moves .
Tensions sharply escalated further after on Jan. 3 , when a U.S. airstrike killed Iran 's most powerful commander , Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani , in Baghdad .
In response , Iran launched ballistic missiles on military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq to avenge Soleimani 's killing .
The Ukrainian plane was shot down in Tehran as Iranian forces were on alert for possible U.S. retaliation .
While Rouhani pointed to mistakes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government 's line that the plane tragedy was ultimately rooted in U.S. aggression .
“ It was the U.S. that made for an agitated environment .
It was the U.S. that created an unusual situation .
It was the U.S. that threatened and took our beloved ( Soleimani ) , ” he said .
Rouhani called the government 's admission that Iranian forces shot down the plane a “ first good step.
” He added that Iranian experts who retrieved the Ukrainian plane 's flight recorder , the so-called black box , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh , the head of the Guard ’ s aerospace division , said over the weekend his unit accepts full responsibility for the shootdown .
He said when he learned about the downing of the plane , “ I wished I was dead.
” The incident raised questions about why Iran did not shut down its international airport or airspace the day it was on alert for U.S. military retaliation .
The shootdown and the lack of transparency around it has reignited anger in Iran at the country ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse protests in the streets .
Also Tuesday , Iran 's judiciary said that 30 people had been detained in the protests , and that some were released , without elaborating further .
An Iranian film director who 'd called for protests in Tehran 's Azadi , or Freedom , Square is among those released .
Iranian authorities briefly arrested British Ambassador Rob Macaire on Saturday evening .
He 's said he went to a candlelight vigil to pay his respects for the victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as soon as the chanting began and it turned into a protest .
Iran ’ s Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador on Sunday to protest what it said was his presence at an illegal protest .
Britain , in turn , summoned Iran ’ s ambassador on Monday “ to convey our strong objections ” over the weekend arrest .
Iran 's top prosecutor , Mohammad Javad Montazeri , was quoted in local media Tuesday saying the British ambassador must be expelled from the country as soon as possible .

Iran said Tuesday that authorities have made arrests for the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which killed all 176 people on board and set off protests in the country demanding accountability after officials initially concealed the cause of the crash.
Iran’s Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said “some individuals” were arrested after “extensive investigations.” His statement on the judiciary’s website did not say how many people had been detained or name those arrested.
Iran at first dismissed allegations that a missile had brought down the plane, but in the face of mounting evidence officials acknowledged on Saturday — three days after — that its Revolutionary Guard had shot down the plane by mistake as the force braced for a possible military confrontation with the United States.
The plane, en route from Tehran to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians and 57 Canadians, many of whom were Iranians with dual citizenship. There were several children among the passengers, including an infant.
Iran’s president on Tuesday called for a special court with “a ranking judge and dozens of experts” to be set up to probe the incident.
“The responsibility falls on more than just one person,” President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech, adding that those found culpable “should be punished.”
“There are others, too, and I want that this issue is expressed honestly,” he said, without elaborating.
Rouhani called the incident “a painful and unforgivable” mistake and promised that his administration would pursue the case “by all means.”
“This is not an ordinary case. The entire the world will be watching this court,” he said.
Tensions have been escalating since Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, then reimposed sanctions that had been lifted under the accord.
The deal has quickly unraveled since then, with Iran steadily breaking away from limits on its nuclear program and Europe unable to find ways to keep Tehran committed.
The U.S. sanctions have devastated Iran’s economy.
On Tuesday, Britain, France and Germany triggered the so-called “dispute mechanism” action that paves way for possible further sanctions in response to Iran’s moves.
Tensions sharply escalated further after on Jan. 3, when a U.S. airstrike killed Iran’s most powerful commander, Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad.
In response, Iran launched ballistic missiles on military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq to avenge Soleimani’s killing. The Ukrainian plane was shot down in Tehran as Iranian forces were on alert for possible U.S. retaliation.
While Rouhani pointed to mistakes and negligence, he also repeated the government’s line that the plane tragedy was ultimately rooted in U.S. aggression.
“It was the U.S. that made for an agitated environment. It was the U.S. that created an unusual situation. It was the U.S. that threatened and took our beloved (Soleimani),” he said.
Rouhani called the government’s admission that Iranian forces shot down the plane a “first good step.”
He added that Iranian experts who retrieved the Ukrainian plane’s flight recorder, the so-called black box, have sent it to France for analysis.
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guard’s aerospace division, said over the weekend his unit accepts full responsibility for the shootdown. He said when he learned about the downing of the plane, “I wished I was dead.”
The incident raised questions about why Iran did not shut down its international airport or airspace the day it was on alert for U.S. military retaliation.
The shootdown and the lack of transparency around it has reignited anger in Iran at the country’s leadership. Online videos appeared to show security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse protests in the streets.
Also Tuesday, Iran’s judiciary said that 30 people had been detained in the protests, and that some were released, without elaborating further. An Iranian film director who’d called for protests in Tehran’s Azadi, or Freedom, Square is among those released.
Iranian authorities briefly arrested British Ambassador Rob Macaire on Saturday evening. He’s said he went to a candlelight vigil to pay his respects for the victims of the Ukrainian plane shootdown and left as soon as the chanting began and it turned into a protest.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador on Sunday to protest what it said was his presence at an illegal protest. Britain, in turn, summoned Iran’s ambassador on Monday “to convey our strong objections” over the weekend arrest.
Iran’s top prosecutor, Mohammad Javad Montazeri, was quoted in local media Tuesday saying the British ambassador must be expelled from the country as soon as possible.


shareblue--2020-01-14--GOP claims Pelosi is 'losing her mind' for criticizing McConnell

The National Republican Congressional Committee on Tuesday accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of `` losing her mind '' after a report revealed she sometimes questioned Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 's motives .
`` CNN is reporting that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is openly questioning whether the United States Senate Majority Leader is an asset of the Russian Federation .
Let that sink in for a second , '' Michael McAdams , the NRCC 's national press secretary , wrote in a release .
`` Is it time to start openly questioning whether Pelosi is losing her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN reported on Pelosi 's comments to a private meeting of House Democrats earlier on Tuesday .
In that meeting , according to sources who spoke to the outlet , Pelosi `` laid into McConnell , saying , as she 's said before , that he is acting like a rogue Senate leader . ''
The sources also said Pelosi `` mused that sometimes she wonders whether McConnell has Russian connections . ''
McConnell has repeatedly deferred to Donald Trump on a host of issues , rather than prioritizing the interests of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blocked bipartisan congressional efforts to shore up election security that had support in the House and the Senate , even as others noted that foreign actors like Russia had interfered in U.S. elections in the past and would likely do so again in 2020 .
During the 2016 election , McConnell notably stated that he would not stand with President Barack Obama in alerting the public to Russian election interference .
McConnell has recently complained about Pelosi 's reluctance to send articles of impeachment to the Senate after he went on record in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's favor .
Pelosi has been critical of McConnell 's coordination with the White House ahead of the Senate trial , as well as his unwillingness to call witnesses , and has up until now refused to send over the two articles against Trump — one for abuse of power and another for obstruction of Congress — in hopes of pushing McConnell to hold fair proceedings .
Pelosi is expected to send the articles to the Senate this week and the House will choose impeachment managers to handle to case against Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Tuesday , the House speaker said that , despite her decision to pass along the articles , `` the American people will fully understand the Senate 's move to begin the trial without witnesses and documents as a pure political cover-up . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The National Republican Congressional Committee on Tuesday accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of “losing her mind” after a report revealed she sometimes questioned Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s motives.
“CNN is reporting that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is openly questioning whether the United States Senate Majority Leader is an asset of the Russian Federation. Let that sink in for a second,” Michael McAdams, the NRCC’s national press secretary, wrote in a release. “Is it time to start openly questioning whether Pelosi is losing her mind?”
The attack came after CNN reported on Pelosi’s comments to a private meeting of House Democrats earlier on Tuesday.
In that meeting, according to sources who spoke to the outlet, Pelosi “laid into McConnell, saying, as she’s said before, that he is acting like a rogue Senate leader.” The sources also said Pelosi “mused that sometimes she wonders whether McConnell has Russian connections.”
McConnell has repeatedly deferred to Donald Trump on a host of issues, rather than prioritizing the interests of the United States.
For months, McConnell blocked bipartisan congressional efforts to shore up election security that had support in the House and the Senate, even as others noted that foreign actors like Russia had interfered in U.S. elections in the past and would likely do so again in 2020.
During the 2016 election, McConnell notably stated that he would not stand with President Barack Obama in alerting the public to Russian election interference.
McConnell has recently complained about Pelosi’s reluctance to send articles of impeachment to the Senate after he went on record in favor of influencing the process in Trump’s favor. Pelosi has been critical of McConnell’s coordination with the White House ahead of the Senate trial, as well as his unwillingness to call witnesses, and has up until now refused to send over the two articles against Trump — one for abuse of power and another for obstruction of Congress — in hopes of pushing McConnell to hold fair proceedings.
Pelosi is expected to send the articles to the Senate this week and the House will choose impeachment managers to handle to case against Trump.
In the same closed-door meeting with Democrats on Tuesday, the House speaker said that, despite her decision to pass along the articles, “the American people will fully understand the Senate’s move to begin the trial without witnesses and documents as a pure political cover-up.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-14--GOP leader says Biden should suspend his campaign: It's the 'rightful thing'

Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy attempted to meddle in the Democratic presidential primary Tuesday morning , accusing Speaker Nancy Pelosi of interfering in the nominating process to harm one campaign and help another .
Commenting at a Republican press conference , McCarthy offered no evidence to back up his claim , yet still demanded that former Vice President Joe Biden suspend his presidential campaign for the time being .
`` The only rightful thing of Joe Biden is to make a pledge not to campaign while Bernie Sanders can not , '' McCarthy said .
`` With Iowa quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four Senators who are running for president will now no longer have a voice , '' McCarthy said , referring to the forthcoming Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump .
Democratic presidential candidates Sens .
Michael Bennet ( D-CO ) , Amy Klobuchar ( D-MN ) , Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) , and Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) will likely be unable to campaign in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses while the Senate impeachment trial is proceeding .
McCarthy accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of putting her thumb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withheld advancing the articles of impeachment to the Senate as part of a political ploy to influence the primary process .
`` Senator Sanders actually has a chance to win , but not now that Nancy Pelosi has held these documents , '' McCarthy said .
He went on to claim that Pelosi intended to `` harm one campaign and give a benefit to another . ''
Pelosi 's office responded to McCarthy , with spokesperson Drew Hammill noting on social media that impeachment `` has nothing to do with politics or the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` the Minority Leader has no idea what he 's talking about . ''
McCarthy 's office did not respond to an email asking for evidence that Pelosi was seeking to interfere in the Democratic primary .
According to an average of Iowa polls from FiveThirtyEight , Biden and Sanders are tied for the lead in Iowa , with South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Warren close behind .
During the press conference , McCarthy brought up the 2016 Democratic primary , where emails hacked and released by Russian agents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Committee supported Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders .
According to special counsel Robert Mueller , Russia released the emails as part of a propaganda effort to sow discord among Democrats as a way to help Donald Trump 's campaign .
McCarthy appeared to be amplifying that same Russian propaganda at his press conference .
His office did not respond to an email asking why he is comfortable spreading Russian propaganda .
And while McCarthy openly accused Democrats of interfering in the Democratic primary , he was silent about Republican efforts to rig @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mid-January , 10 states have either canceled primaries or changed the rules of nominating contests to ensure Trump is the Republican nominee .
For instance , several states will only list Trump on the Republican primary , refusing to list other candidates who are seeking the nomination , such as former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts Gov .
Bill Weld .
Although McCarthy called on Biden to suspend his campaign during Trump 's impeachment trial , he did not call on Trump to stop campaigning during the trial .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Jan. 30 , just days before the Democratic primary .
The three most recent national polls , spanning from Dec. 18 through Jan. 13 , show Trump losing in head-to-head matchups against both Biden and Sanders .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy attempted to meddle in the Democratic presidential primary Tuesday morning, accusing Speaker Nancy Pelosi of interfering in the nominating process to harm one campaign and help another.
Commenting at a Republican press conference, McCarthy offered no evidence to back up his claim, yet still demanded that former Vice President Joe Biden suspend his presidential campaign for the time being.
“The only rightful thing of Joe Biden is to make a pledge not to campaign while Bernie Sanders cannot,” McCarthy said.
“With Iowa quickly upon us in early February, those four Senators who are running for president will now no longer have a voice,” McCarthy said, referring to the forthcoming Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump. Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) will likely be unable to campaign in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses while the Senate impeachment trial is proceeding.
McCarthy accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of putting her thumb on the scale, saying she has withheld advancing the articles of impeachment to the Senate as part of a political ploy to influence the primary process.
“Senator Sanders actually has a chance to win, but not now that Nancy Pelosi has held these documents,” McCarthy said. He went on to claim that Pelosi intended to “harm one campaign and give a benefit to another.”
Pelosi’s office responded to McCarthy, with spokesperson Drew Hammill noting on social media that impeachment “has nothing to do with politics or the presidential race.” Hammill added, “the Minority Leader has no idea what he’s talking about.”
McCarthy’s office did not respond to an email asking for evidence that Pelosi was seeking to interfere in the Democratic primary.
According to an average of Iowa polls from FiveThirtyEight, Biden and Sanders are tied for the lead in Iowa, with South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Warren close behind.
During the press conference, McCarthy brought up the 2016 Democratic primary, where emails hacked and released by Russian agents showed that some staffers at the Democratic National Committee supported Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders. According to special counsel Robert Mueller, Russia released the emails as part of a propaganda effort to sow discord among Democrats as a way to help Donald Trump’s campaign.
McCarthy appeared to be amplifying that same Russian propaganda at his press conference. His office did not respond to an email asking why he is comfortable spreading Russian propaganda.
And while McCarthy openly accused Democrats of interfering in the Democratic primary, he was silent about Republican efforts to rig the GOP primary for Trump. As of mid-January, 10 states have either canceled primaries or changed the rules of nominating contests to ensure Trump is the Republican nominee. For instance, several states will only list Trump on the Republican primary, refusing to list other candidates who are seeking the nomination, such as former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld.
Although McCarthy called on Biden to suspend his campaign during Trump’s impeachment trial, he did not call on Trump to stop campaigning during the trial. Trump is planning a campaign rally in Iowa on Jan. 30, just days before the Democratic primary.
The three most recent national polls, spanning from Dec. 18 through Jan. 13, show Trump losing in head-to-head matchups against both Biden and Sanders.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-14--Trump promised to eliminate the deficit — then it shot up to $1 trillion

Donald Trump ran for president in 2016 on the wildly optimistic promise that he would not only eliminate the annual budget deficit , but would also pay off the entire national debt .
Instead , he has increased both significantly .
The New York Times reported on Monday that the federal deficit exceeded $ 1 trillion in 2019 , even as the nation experienced what Trump has called the `` Greatest Economy in American History . ''
Citing data from the Treasury Department , the outlet noted the deficit grew 17 % from 2018 to 2019 and was the highest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now more than $ 23 trillion , the highest in the nation 's history .
As a candidate , Trump promised to balance the budget `` quickly '' and bragged that he would eliminate the entire national debt during his time in office .
Several months after his inauguration he made the totally false claim that a $ 5.2 trillion increase in the stock market was `` in a sense '' reducing the national debt .
But Trump has made the budget less balanced , not more .
He sharply reduced revenue by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 that mostly benefited big corporations and wealthy people like himself .
He also signed several appropriations bills that increased spending — paying for controversial priorities like a national space force and border wall .
After saying in 2018 that he would never sign another spending bill like the $ 1.3 trillion omnibus passed by Congress , last month , he signed a $ 1.4 trillion spending package .
In 2011 , Trump slammed President Barack Obama for growth in the national debt .
`` With a record deficit and $ 15 trillion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama was `` spending $ 4 million of our money on his Hawaii vacation .
Just plain wrong . ''
Trump has spent an estimated $ 115 million in taxpayer money on his golf trips .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump ran for president in 2016 on the wildly optimistic promise that he would not only eliminate the annual budget deficit, but would also pay off the entire national debt.
Instead, he has increased both significantly.
The New York Times reported on Monday that the federal deficit exceeded $1 trillion in 2019, even as the nation experienced what Trump has called the “Greatest Economy in American History.” Citing data from the Treasury Department, the outlet noted the deficit grew 17% from 2018 to 2019 and was the highest since 2012.
The national debt is now more than $23 trillion, the highest in the nation’s history.
As a candidate, Trump promised to balance the budget “quickly” and bragged that he would eliminate the entire national debt during his time in office. Several months after his inauguration he made the totally false claim that a $5.2 trillion increase in the stock market was “in a sense” reducing the national debt.
But Trump has made the budget less balanced, not more. He sharply reduced revenue by pushing through a massive tax cut in 2017 that mostly benefited big corporations and wealthy people like himself.
He also signed several appropriations bills that increased spending — paying for controversial priorities like a national space force and border wall. After saying in 2018 that he would never sign another spending bill like the $1.3 trillion omnibus passed by Congress, last month, he signed a $1.4 trillion spending package.
In 2011, Trump slammed President Barack Obama for growth in the national debt. “With a record deficit and $15 trillion in debt,” he said, Obama was “spending $4 million of our money on his Hawaii vacation. Just plain wrong.”
Trump has spent an estimated $115 million in taxpayer money on his golf trips.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-14--McConnell wants Trump impeachment trial to be first ever without witnesses

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday he does n't want witnesses to testify in Donald Trump 's impeachment trial , arguing that it would be akin to reopening the investigation and saying it proved Democrats ' case for impeachment is `` weak . ''
History , however , would argue otherwise .
`` If the existing case is strong , there 's no need for the judge and the jury to reopen the investigation , '' McConnell said Tuesday in a speech on the Senate floor .
`` If the existing case is weak , House Democrats should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been 19 impeachments and 15 impeachment trials in American history , two of which were for presidents and the rest for federal judges — who can only be removed from their lifetime appointments via impeachment — a senator and a Cabinet secretary .
Every single one of the trials conducted by the Senate has heard testimony from witnesses , including the two presidents who were impeached — Andrew Jackson and Bill Clinton .
The Senate trial in Jackson 's impeachment in 1868 featured testimony from dozens of witnesses — 25 that the prosecution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the Senate Historical Office .
Clinton 's impeachment trial featured three witnesses , all of whom testified in closed-door depositions that were taped and later played on the Senate floor .
During Clinton 's impeachment , Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) — who was a House member at the time and an impeachment manager against Clinton — made the case about why calling witnesses was so important .
`` The whole point that we 're trying to make is that in every trial that there 's ever been in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called .
So what I 'm saying about witnesses is , that if you take them off the table in the Senate , the next Judiciary Committee , the next independent counsel ought to do everything because they may lose the chance to present the case , '' Graham said back in 1998 .
`` That would be bad for impeachment law , that would be against precedent and I hope that does n't happen here . ''
Like McConnell , Graham does not want to have witnesses in Trump 's impeachment trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Republican is being impeached rather than a Democrat like Clinton .
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted Republicans for trying to block witnesses .
`` A fair trial is one that considers all the facts and gives the senators all the information they need to make an informed decision , '' Schumer said in a Senate floor speech .
`` That means relevant witnesses .
That means relevant documents .
That means the truth .
Without these things , a Senate trial would become a farce — a nationally televised meeting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday he doesn’t want witnesses to testify in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, arguing that it would be akin to reopening the investigation and saying it proved Democrats’ case for impeachment is “weak.” History, however, would argue otherwise.
“If the existing case is strong, there’s no need for the judge and the jury to reopen the investigation,” McConnell said Tuesday in a speech on the Senate floor. “If the existing case is weak, House Democrats should not have impeached.”
There have been 19 impeachments and 15 impeachment trials in American history, two of which were for presidents and the rest for federal judges — who can only be removed from their lifetime appointments via impeachment — a senator and a Cabinet secretary. Every single one of the trials conducted by the Senate has heard testimony from witnesses, including the two presidents who were impeached — Andrew Jackson and Bill Clinton.
The Senate trial in Jackson’s impeachment in 1868 featured testimony from dozens of witnesses — 25 that the prosecution called and 16 that the defense called, according to the Senate Historical Office.
Clinton’s impeachment trial featured three witnesses, all of whom testified in closed-door depositions that were taped and later played on the Senate floor.
During Clinton’s impeachment, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — who was a House member at the time and an impeachment manager against Clinton — made the case about why calling witnesses was so important.
“The whole point that we’re trying to make is that in every trial that there’s ever been in the Senate regarding impeachment, witnesses were called. So what I’m saying about witnesses is, that if you take them off the table in the Senate, the next Judiciary Committee, the next independent counsel ought to do everything because they may lose the chance to present the case,” Graham said back in 1998. “That would be bad for impeachment law, that would be against precedent and I hope that doesn’t happen here.”
Like McConnell, Graham does not want to have witnesses in Trump’s impeachment trial, completely reversing his stance now that a Republican is being impeached rather than a Democrat like Clinton.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted Republicans for trying to block witnesses.
“A fair trial is one that considers all the facts and gives the senators all the information they need to make an informed decision,” Schumer said in a Senate floor speech. “That means relevant witnesses. That means relevant documents. That means the truth. Without these things, a Senate trial would become a farce — a nationally televised meeting of the mock trial club.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-15--Warren slams endless war during Democratic debate: 'We're going in circles'

Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) criticized U.S. military policy in the Middle East at Tuesday 's seventh Democratic primary debate , slamming officials ' repeated claims that the tide was turning and saying it was time to bring troops home .
Warren stated that while most of the Democratic candidates agreed that endless wars were bad , the challenge was `` when and how '' to withdraw from them .
She specifically noted the war in Afghanistan — started in 2001 by former President George W. Bush — was still ongoing nearly two decades later , despite repeated claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imminent .
`` We have one general after another in Afghanistan who comes in and says , 'You know , we 've just turned the corner and now it 's all going to be different , ' '' said Warren , who serves on the Senate Armed Services committee .
`` And then what happens ?
It 's all the same for another year .
Someone new comes in and 'we 've just turned the corner . '
'' She quipped , `` We 've turned the corner so many times , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Warren 's remarks echo the findings of the Afghanistan Papers , an extensive Washington Post report published in December that revealed how the U.S. government had consistently mislead the American public about the ongoing conflict .
`` U.S. officials constantly said they were making progress .
They were not , and they knew it , '' the report documented , citing transcripts of interviews from the Lessons Learned project by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction .
Those transcripts , the paper concluded , show that `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump and their military commanders have been unable to deliver on their promises to prevail in Afghanistan . ''
Businessman Tom Steyer also criticized the lack of a plan in Afghanistan under both Trump and his predecessors .
`` If you look further over the last 20 years , including in the war in Afghanistan , we know from the Washington Post that , in fact , there was no strategy .
There was just a series of tactical decisions that made no sense . ''
Earlier in the debate , former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders ( I-VT ) , were asked about their votes to authorize military force in Afghanistan in 2001 and , in Biden 's case , Iraq in 2002 .
Biden was serving as the Democratic senator from Delaware at the time ; Sanders , a congressman .
Biden said his Iraq vote was a mistake , but hailed his own efforts to end the conflict during the Obama years .
Sanders , who has said he regrets his Afghanistan vote , noted that only one member of Congress — Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he had subsequently seen through the Bush administration 's false claims about Iraq .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) criticized U.S. military policy in the Middle East at Tuesday’s seventh Democratic primary debate, slamming officials’ repeated claims that the tide was turning and saying it was time to bring troops home.
Warren stated that while most of the Democratic candidates agreed that endless wars were bad, the challenge was “when and how” to withdraw from them. She specifically noted the war in Afghanistan — started in 2001 by former President George W. Bush — was still ongoing nearly two decades later, despite repeated claims by the Defense Department that progress was imminent.
“We have one general after another in Afghanistan who comes in and says, ‘You know, we’ve just turned the corner and now it’s all going to be different,'” said Warren, who serves on the Senate Armed Services committee. “And then what happens? It’s all the same for another year. Someone new comes in and ‘we’ve just turned the corner.'”
She quipped, “We’ve turned the corner so many times, we’re going in circles in these regions.”
Warren’s remarks echo the findings of the Afghanistan Papers, an extensive Washington Post report published in December that revealed how the U.S. government had consistently mislead the American public about the ongoing conflict.
“U.S. officials constantly said they were making progress. They were not, and they knew it,” the report documented, citing transcripts of interviews from the Lessons Learned project by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.
Those transcripts, the paper concluded, show that “George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump and their military commanders have been unable to deliver on their promises to prevail in Afghanistan.”
Businessman Tom Steyer also criticized the lack of a plan in Afghanistan under both Trump and his predecessors. “If you look further over the last 20 years, including in the war in Afghanistan, we know from the Washington Post that, in fact, there was no strategy. There was just a series of tactical decisions that made no sense.”
Earlier in the debate, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), were asked about their votes to authorize military force in Afghanistan in 2001 and, in Biden’s case, Iraq in 2002. Biden was serving as the Democratic senator from Delaware at the time; Sanders, a congressman.
Biden said his Iraq vote was a mistake, but hailed his own efforts to end the conflict during the Obama years. Sanders, who has said he regrets his Afghanistan vote, noted that only one member of Congress — Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California — had voted no and that he had subsequently seen through the Bush administration’s false claims about Iraq.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-15--Watch Democratic candidates explain why of course a woman can beat Trump

Leading Democratic presidential hopefuls sought to shoot down any notion that a woman ca n't beat Donald Trump in 2020 , pointing to the success of women who ran in the last midterm elections , as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 's 3-million-plus-vote victory over Trump in 2016 .
`` This question about whether or not a woman can be president has been raised , and it 's time for us to attack it head on , '' Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) said .
`` And I think the best way to talk about who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's winning record .
So , can a woman beat Donald Trump ?
Look at the men on this stage .
Collectively , they have lost 10 elections .
The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they 've been in are the women : Amy [ Klobuchar ] and me . ''
The discussion over whether a woman can beat Trump came up after CNN debate moderators asked Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) about a conversation the two lawmakers had before they launched their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her he did not think a woman could beat Trump , though Sanders denied he ever said that .
`` I do n't want to waste a whole lot of time on this , because this is what Donald Trump and maybe some of the media want , '' Sanders said , after denying he told Warren that a woman ca n't win in 2020 .
Sanders went on to point out that `` Clinton won the popular vote by 3 million votes .
How could anybody in a million years not believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States ? ''
Sanders also tried to downplay any reports of a feud between his and Warren 's campaign .
`` Let me be very clear : If any of the women on this stage or any of the men on this stage win the nomination — I hope that 's not the case , I hope it 's me — but if they do , I will do everything in my power to make sure that they are elected in order to defeat the most dangerous president in the history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Leading Democratic presidential hopefuls sought to shoot down any notion that a woman can’t beat Donald Trump in 2020, pointing to the success of women who ran in the last midterm elections, as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 3-million-plus-vote victory over Trump in 2016.
“This question about whether or not a woman can be president has been raised, and it’s time for us to attack it head on,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said. “And I think the best way to talk about who can win is by looking at people’s winning record. So, can a woman beat Donald Trump? Look at the men on this stage. Collectively, they have lost 10 elections. The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they’ve been in are the women: Amy [Klobuchar] and me.”
The discussion over whether a woman can beat Trump came up after CNN debate moderators asked Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) about a conversation the two lawmakers had before they launched their presidential bids. Warren says Sanders told her he did not think a woman could beat Trump, though Sanders denied he ever said that.
“I don’t want to waste a whole lot of time on this, because this is what Donald Trump and maybe some of the media want,” Sanders said, after denying he told Warren that a woman can’t win in 2020.
Sanders went on to point out that “Clinton won the popular vote by 3 million votes. How could anybody in a million years not believe that a woman could become president of the United States?”
Sanders also tried to downplay any reports of a feud between his and Warren’s campaign.
“Let me be very clear: If any of the women on this stage or any of the men on this stage win the nomination — I hope that’s not the case, I hope it’s me — but if they do, I will do everything in my power to make sure that they are elected in order to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of our country.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-15--Trump says Puerto Rico has to pay workers less than $15 an hour if it wants disaster aid

The Trump administration is strong-arming the local Puerto Rican government to pay federal contractors less than $ 15 an hour if the island territory wants to receive more than $ 8 billion of federal aid , the Washington Post reported Wednesday .
The demand goes against a 2018 executive order signed by Puerto Rico 's governor requiring construction industry employees to be paid at least $ 15 an hour for government contracting .
The Trump administration is attaching additional strings to the disaster mitigation aid , which it has held up for months despite congressional approval of the funding .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to new systems to track property deeds , additional authority for the federally mandated Fiscal Control Board , and a mandate that none of the funds will go toward the island 's fragile electrical grid , according to what officials told the Post .
Rep. Raul Grijalva ( D-AZ ) , chair of the House Natural Resources Committee , told the Post that the multiple requirements for aid is `` a painful delaying tactic . ''
Puerto Rico has borne the brunt of a series of natural disasters in the Trump era .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ battered by hurricanes , including the devastating Hurricane Maria .
Trump 's lackluster response to the repeated disasters has been roundly criticized .
In 2018 , Trump refused to admit that the death toll from Hurricane Maria was in the thousands , and he regularly attacked local officials involved in the recovery effort .
Most infamously , Trump was photographed tossing rolls of paper towels to island residents shortly after Hurricane Maria .
It was after Hurricane Maria battered the island that the governor signed the order raising wages for construction workers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , the governor said , `` it is indispensable that the local construction workforce be stronger than ever , '' adding that the island needs `` more Puerto Rican construction workers , better trained , and better paid . ''
On Jan 7 , 2020 , the island was struck by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake , killing one person and injuring another nine .
A few days later , another strong earthquake rattled Puerto Rico .
In a contrast from attacking local officials after the hurricanes , Trump 's response to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a week after the first major quake hit the island , Trump has yet to even make a comment via Twitter .
Congress has approved a total of $ 42 billion for Puerto Rico 's recovery efforts .
Despite the fact that residents of the island are American citizens , only a small portion of that aid has been released , the Post reported .
`` The help comes , but it comes one drop at a time , '' Elizabeth Ocasio , vice mayor of Ponce , told the Post .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the hurricane .
Now , we have greater damage . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The Trump administration is strong-arming the local Puerto Rican government to pay federal contractors less than $15 an hour if the island territory wants to receive more than $8 billion of federal aid, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. The demand goes against a 2018 executive order signed by Puerto Rico’s governor requiring construction industry employees to be paid at least $15 an hour for government contracting.
The Trump administration is attaching additional strings to the disaster mitigation aid, which it has held up for months despite congressional approval of the funding. Puerto Rico’s government must also agree to new systems to track property deeds, additional authority for the federally mandated Fiscal Control Board, and a mandate that none of the funds will go toward the island’s fragile electrical grid, according to what officials told the Post.
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, told the Post that the multiple requirements for aid is “a painful delaying tactic.”
Puerto Rico has borne the brunt of a series of natural disasters in the Trump era. In 2017, the island territory was battered by hurricanes, including the devastating Hurricane Maria.
Trump’s lackluster response to the repeated disasters has been roundly criticized. In 2018, Trump refused to admit that the death toll from Hurricane Maria was in the thousands, and he regularly attacked local officials involved in the recovery effort. Most infamously, Trump was photographed tossing rolls of paper towels to island residents shortly after Hurricane Maria.
It was after Hurricane Maria battered the island that the governor signed the order raising wages for construction workers to $15 per hour. At the time, the governor said, “it is indispensable that the local construction workforce be stronger than ever,” adding that the island needs “more Puerto Rican construction workers, better trained, and better paid.”
On Jan 7, 2020, the island was struck by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake, killing one person and injuring another nine. A few days later, another strong earthquake rattled Puerto Rico.
In a contrast from attacking local officials after the hurricanes, Trump’s response to the recent earthquakes has been silence. More than a week after the first major quake hit the island, Trump has yet to even make a comment via Twitter.
Congress has approved a total of $42 billion for Puerto Rico’s recovery efforts. Despite the fact that residents of the island are American citizens, only a small portion of that aid has been released, the Post reported.
“The help comes, but it comes one drop at a time,” Elizabeth Ocasio, vice mayor of Ponce, told the Post. “We needed to strengthen these structures after the hurricane. Now, we have greater damage.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.