shareblue--2020-02-13--Senate defies Mitch McConnell and votes to curb Trump's war powers

Some 55 senators voted on Thursday to limit the Trump administration 's ability to carry out military attacks on Iran without congressional authorization .
Despite fierce opposition from Donald Trump himself and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , eight Senate Republicans joined with all 47 members of the Senate Democratic caucus to pass the measure .
Trump declined to alert Democratic lawmakers before ordering a strike on Gen. Qassem Soleimani , the brutal leader of Iran 's Revolutionary Guard , back in January .
Soleimani was killed in that attack .
He did inform some Republican lawmakers , notably South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was briefed on the planned airstrike while visiting Trump at his Florida golf resort .
Trump later claimed , without evidence , that he had kept the information from Democratic leaders because they could not be trusted with sensitive national security secrets .
Trump and his administration subsequently received bipartisan criticism for their attempts to retroactively justify the strike as urgent , spurred by an alleged `` imminent '' threat — proof of which never materialized .
Iran retaliated days after the strike on Soleimani by firing ballistic missiles at U.S. bases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , called the move a `` slap '' intended to encourage the withdrawal of American troops from the region .
At least 100 American service members suffered brain injuries as a result of those retaliatory strikes .
Trump initially bragged `` All is well ! ''
and wrongly stated that no Americans had been harmed , later dismissing reports of their injuries as `` headaches '' that were `` not very serious . ''
On Jan. 9 , the House voted 224 to 194 — mostly along party lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in and against Iran . ''
With several Senate Republicans endorsing the effort , Sen. Tim Kaine ( D-VA ) was able to bring the Senate version up for consideration this week .
McConnell ( R-KY ) said Tuesday in a floor speech that he `` strongly '' opposed the `` blunt and clumsy '' resolution .
`` The ill-conceived potshots at presidential authorities in the wake of a strike that succeeded using the blunt instrument of a war powers resolution is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broader [ foreign policy ] questions , '' he told colleagues , urging them to defeat it .
On Wednesday , Trump also weighed in .
He claimed it was `` very important for our Country ’ s SECURITY that the United States Senate not vote for the Iran War Powers Resolution . ''
`` We are doing very well with Iran and this is not the time to show weakness , '' he tweeted .
`` Americans overwhelmingly support our attack on terrorist Soleimani . ''
He added that if Congress were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a `` field day '' and claimed Democrats were `` only doing this as an attempt to embarrass the Republican Party . ''
Despite Trump 's and McConnell 's entreaties , a handful of Republicans voted for the resolution this week , giving more than the required 51 vote majority .
It is unclear whether the resolutions will be binding without Trump 's ascent ; that question that has not yet been resolved by the federal court system .
Constitutionally , only Congress has the power to declare war .
Under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has some leeway to unilaterally act in emergencies but must get authorization from Congress for longer military efforts .
The rule also requires that the president `` in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Some 55 senators voted on Thursday to limit the Trump administration’s ability to carry out military attacks on Iran without congressional authorization.
Despite fierce opposition from Donald Trump himself and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, eight Senate Republicans joined with all 47 members of the Senate Democratic caucus to pass the measure.
Trump declined to alert Democratic lawmakers before ordering a strike on Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the brutal leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, back in January. Soleimani was killed in that attack.
He did inform some Republican lawmakers, notably South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who said he was briefed on the planned airstrike while visiting Trump at his Florida golf resort.
Trump later claimed, without evidence, that he had kept the information from Democratic leaders because they could not be trusted with sensitive national security secrets.
Trump and his administration subsequently received bipartisan criticism for their attempts to retroactively justify the strike as urgent, spurred by an alleged “imminent” threat — proof of which never materialized.
Iran retaliated days after the strike on Soleimani by firing ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called the move a “slap” intended to encourage the withdrawal of American troops from the region.
At least 100 American service members suffered brain injuries as a result of those retaliatory strikes. Trump initially bragged “All is well!” and wrongly stated that no Americans had been harmed, later dismissing reports of their injuries as “headaches” that were “not very serious.”
On Jan. 9, the House voted 224 to 194 — mostly along party lines — to direct Trump to “terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in and against Iran.”
With several Senate Republicans endorsing the effort, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) was able to bring the Senate version up for consideration this week.
McConnell (R-KY) said Tuesday in a floor speech that he “strongly” opposed the “blunt and clumsy” resolution.
“The ill-conceived potshots at presidential authorities in the wake of a strike that succeeded using the blunt instrument of a war powers resolution is no substitute at all for answering these broader [foreign policy] questions,” he told colleagues, urging them to defeat it.
On Wednesday, Trump also weighed in. He claimed it was “very important for our Country’s SECURITY that the United States Senate not vote for the Iran War Powers Resolution.”
“We are doing very well with Iran and this is not the time to show weakness,” he tweeted. “Americans overwhelmingly support our attack on terrorist Soleimani.”
He added that if Congress were to tie his hands, Iran would have a “field day” and claimed Democrats were “only doing this as an attempt to embarrass the Republican Party.”
Despite Trump’s and McConnell’s entreaties, a handful of Republicans voted for the resolution this week, giving more than the required 51 vote majority.
It is unclear whether the resolutions will be binding without Trump’s ascent; that question that has not yet been resolved by the federal court system.
Constitutionally, only Congress has the power to declare war. Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, the president has some leeway to unilaterally act in emergencies but must get authorization from Congress for longer military efforts. The rule also requires that the president “in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-13--Mike Bloomberg struggles to defend racist remarks

Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg struggled this week to confront the fallout from a series of reports on racist comments he made in the past .
In 2015 , Bloomberg defended the racist `` stop-and-frisk '' policy used by New York City Police officers when he was mayor , saying the `` way you get the guns out of the kids ' hands is to throw them up against the wall and frisk them . ''
`` We put all the cops in minority neighborhoods .
Yes , that 's true .
Why do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where all the crime is , '' Bloomberg said at the time , during a speech at the Aspen Institute .
The NAACP has called stop-and-frisk `` ineffective '' and slammed it as `` racial profiling . ''
Audio of those remarks was first flagged by the conservative Daily Caller in 2015 and resurfaced this week after podcast host Benjamin Dixon shared it in a tweet .
On Wednesday , at an event in Chattanooga , Tennessee , Bloomberg was pressed about those comments .
`` I don ’ t think those words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city in the nation , and I apologized for the practice and the pain that it caused , '' he replied .
`` It was five years ago and it 's just not the way that I think . ''
However , the Associated Press also unearthed comments this week that Bloomberg made in 2008 , in which he lamented the elimination of the discriminatory practice of redlining and blamed its removal for the financial crisis .
As the outlet notes , the term `` redlining '' stems from the industry practice of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas on a map `` to denote areas deemed ineligible for credit , frequently based on race . ''
`` ... Congress got involved — local elected officials , as well — and said , 'Oh that ’ s not fair , these people should be able to get credit . '
And once you started pushing in that direction , banks started making more and more loans where the credit of the person buying the house was n't as good as you would like , '' Bloomberg said at a Georgetown forum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ echoed comments by many Republicans who repeatedly blamed the financial crisis on poor people , rather than banks who bought and sold loans .
Bloomberg also came under fire on Thursday , after New York Magazine published a report detailing comments he made in a 2018 talk he gave at the International Monetary Fund , during which he defended the practice of fingerprinting food stamp recipients .
`` Now , there was a lot of yelling and screaming and saying , that we 're invading your personal space by looking at your fingerprints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but you ca n't come to work for New York City unless we fingerprint you first .
So it ’ s not unreasonable to think that the beneficiaries of our program would get fingerprinted too , '' he said during that speech .
`` We 're just stopping people from breaking the law , which is hurting other people . ''
Bloomberg is currently running in the Democratic presidential primary and has outspent every one of his opponents thus far , dropping more than $ 188 million in the last quarter alone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 14.2 % support within the Democratic Party , trailing Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) and former Vice President Joe Biden .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg struggled this week to confront the fallout from a series of reports on racist comments he made in the past.
In 2015, Bloomberg defended the racist “stop-and-frisk” policy used by New York City Police officers when he was mayor, saying the “way you get the guns out of the kids’ hands is to throw them up against the wall and frisk them.”
“We put all the cops in minority neighborhoods. Yes, that’s true. Why do we do it? Because that’s where all the crime is,” Bloomberg said at the time, during a speech at the Aspen Institute.
The NAACP has called stop-and-frisk “ineffective” and slammed it as “racial profiling.”
Audio of those remarks was first flagged by the conservative Daily Caller in 2015 and resurfaced this week after podcast host Benjamin Dixon shared it in a tweet.
On Wednesday, at an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Bloomberg was pressed about those comments.
“I don’t think those words reflect how I led the most diverse city in the nation, and I apologized for the practice and the pain that it caused,” he replied. “It was five years ago and it’s just not the way that I think.”
However, the Associated Press also unearthed comments this week that Bloomberg made in 2008, in which he lamented the elimination of the discriminatory practice of redlining and blamed its removal for the financial crisis.
As the outlet notes, the term “redlining” stems from the industry practice of drawing “red lines” around certain areas on a map “to denote areas deemed ineligible for credit, frequently based on race.”
“… Congress got involved — local elected officials, as well — and said, ‘Oh that’s not fair, these people should be able to get credit.’ And once you started pushing in that direction, banks started making more and more loans where the credit of the person buying the house wasn’t as good as you would like,” Bloomberg said at a Georgetown forum at the time.
Bloomberg’s statement echoed comments by many Republicans who repeatedly blamed the financial crisis on poor people, rather than banks who bought and sold loans.
Bloomberg also came under fire on Thursday, after New York Magazine published a report detailing comments he made in a 2018 talk he gave at the International Monetary Fund, during which he defended the practice of fingerprinting food stamp recipients.
“Now, there was a lot of yelling and screaming and saying, that we’re invading your personal space by looking at your fingerprints. Well, that may be, but you can’t come to work for New York City unless we fingerprint you first. So it’s not unreasonable to think that the beneficiaries of our program would get fingerprinted too,” he said during that speech. “We’re just stopping people from breaking the law, which is hurting other people.”
Bloomberg is currently running in the Democratic presidential primary and has outspent every one of his opponents thus far, dropping more than $188 million in the last quarter alone.
An aggregate of recent polling shows Bloomberg with 14.2% support within the Democratic Party, trailing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former Vice President Joe Biden.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-13--Trump rehires aide who was fired because he couldn't pass background check

Donald Trump has rehired John McEntee a former aide who was fired and escorted from the White House grounds nearly two years ago after he failed to pass a background check .
McEntee previously served as Trump 's personal assistant and will return to the White House as head of presidential personnel , the Washington Post 's Josh Dawsey reported .
It 's unclear if McEntee can pass a background check now .
However , he previously failed to obtain security clearance due in part to an online gambling habit , according to a Wall Street Journal report at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former Trump administration official who is returning .
Hope Hicks , who most recently served as White House communications director before leaving in March 2018 , will return to the White House as a counselor to the president and special adviser , the New York Times reported .
That 's the same title Kellyanne Conway has .
Hicks left the White House because she was no longer happy in the role , according to a New York Times report at the time .
After her departure , she made headlines during a House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when she refused to answer even basic questions from members of Congress , including where her desk was in the White House and if she spoke with Trump during lunchtime .
It also came to light after her departure that Hicks was intimately involved in Trump 's effort to pay off porn actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election .
However , it seems she was n't happy after she left the White House to be an executive vice president of Fox .
Hicks moved to Hollywood , where she reportedly felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report from Axios .
Hicks even complained , `` No one on the cast of Modern Family wants to see me . ''

Donald Trump has rehired John McEntee a former aide who was fired and escorted from the White House grounds nearly two years ago after he failed to pass a background check.
McEntee previously served as Trump’s personal assistant and will return to the White House as head of presidential personnel, the Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey reported.
It’s unclear if McEntee can pass a background check now. However, he previously failed to obtain security clearance due in part to an online gambling habit, according to a Wall Street Journal report at the time.
McEntee isn’t the only former Trump administration official who is returning.
Hope Hicks, who most recently served as White House communications director before leaving in March 2018, will return to the White House as a counselor to the president and special adviser, the New York Times reported. That’s the same title Kellyanne Conway has.
Hicks left the White House because she was no longer happy in the role, according to a New York Times report at the time.
After her departure, she made headlines during a House investigation into Trump’s abuse of power when she refused to answer even basic questions from members of Congress, including where her desk was in the White House and if she spoke with Trump during lunchtime.
It also came to light after her departure that Hicks was intimately involved in Trump’s effort to pay off porn actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
However, it seems she wasn’t happy after she left the White House to be an executive vice president of Fox.
Hicks moved to Hollywood, where she reportedly felt like a pariah, according to a report from Axios. Hicks even complained, “No one on the cast of Modern Family wants to see me.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-13--Mnuchin still insists GOP tax cuts will pay for themselves. The math says otherwise.

Trump administration officials continue to make wildly inaccurate statements about the economic impact of the Republican 2017 tax law .
On Wednesday , contrary to all available evidence , Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told the Senate Finance Committee that he stands by previous administration claims that the tax cuts `` will pay for themselves . ''
`` This will be simple math , '' Mnuchin testified under oath .
`` We measure this over 10 years .
We got eight years left .
I look forward to writing the committee a letter in eight years going through all the exact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flagged by American Bridge , a progressive opposition research organization , is widely disputed by experts , even experts who tout the benefits of the 2017 law .
`` Secretary Mnuchin 's statement is clearly false , '' Josh Bivens , research director at the Economic Policy Institute , said in an email .
`` No reputable economist thinks that the 2017 tax cuts will pay for themselves .
Mnuchin is either somehow ignorant of mountains of evidence on this front , or he 's being intentionally misleading .
Neither inspires confidence in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation generally supports a rosier view of large tax cuts like those contained in the 2017 law .
And even their experts dispute Mnuchin .
`` The 2017 tax law will not pay for itself , '' Erica York , an economist with the Tax Foundation , said in an email .
Her organization predicted the new law would spur economic growth , but even revenue generated from the new growth is not enough to offset the cost of the law .
In total , the group anticipates the law will result in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the deficit , after factoring loss of tax revenues and anticipated growth from the cuts .
The GOP tax law passed Congress and was signed into law by Donald Trump in December 2017 .
It dramatically reduced tax rates for wealthy corporations , and more than 80 % of the benefits for individual Americans were targeted at the richest 1 % .
Mnuchin and other Republicans claimed the law would pay for itself when it first passed , too , even though independent analyses pointed out that it could add up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Mnuchin 's claims that Republican tax cuts for the wealthy will pay for themselves are dishonest nonsense , and he knows it , '' Rep. Don Beyer ( D-VA ) , vice chair of the congressional Joint Economic Committee , said in an email .
`` No one should believe him , but if anyone is in doubt the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office now forecasts trillion-dollar deficits for the coming decade . ''
Beyer said that what started as a political promise by Trump `` has become economic gaslighting . ''
Published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Trump administration officials continue to make wildly inaccurate statements about the economic impact of the Republican 2017 tax law. On Wednesday, contrary to all available evidence, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told the Senate Finance Committee that he stands by previous administration claims that the tax cuts “will pay for themselves.”
“This will be simple math,” Mnuchin testified under oath. “We measure this over 10 years. We got eight years left. I look forward to writing the committee a letter in eight years going through all the exact numbers.”
Mnuchin’s claim, flagged by American Bridge, a progressive opposition research organization, is widely disputed by experts, even experts who tout the benefits of the 2017 law.
“Secretary Mnuchin’s statement is clearly false,” Josh Bivens, research director at the Economic Policy Institute, said in an email. “No reputable economist thinks that the 2017 tax cuts will pay for themselves. Mnuchin is either somehow ignorant of mountains of evidence on this front, or he’s being intentionally misleading. Neither inspires confidence in a Treasury Secretary.”
The Tax Foundation generally supports a rosier view of large tax cuts like those contained in the 2017 law. And even their experts dispute Mnuchin.
“The 2017 tax law will not pay for itself,” Erica York, an economist with the Tax Foundation, said in an email. Her organization predicted the new law would spur economic growth, but even revenue generated from the new growth is not enough to offset the cost of the law. In total, the group anticipates the law will result in a deficit increase of $762 billion to the deficit, after factoring loss of tax revenues and anticipated growth from the cuts.
The GOP tax law passed Congress and was signed into law by Donald Trump in December 2017. It dramatically reduced tax rates for wealthy corporations, and more than 80% of the benefits for individual Americans were targeted at the richest 1%.
Mnuchin and other Republicans claimed the law would pay for itself when it first passed, too, even though independent analyses pointed out that it could add up to $1.7 trillion to the deficit.
“Mnuchin’s claims that Republican tax cuts for the wealthy will pay for themselves are dishonest nonsense, and he knows it,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), vice chair of the congressional Joint Economic Committee, said in an email. “No one should believe him, but if anyone is in doubt the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office now forecasts trillion-dollar deficits for the coming decade.”
Beyer said that what started as a political promise by Trump “has become economic gaslighting.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-13--54 Republicans in Congress accept award from hate group

An anti-LGBTQ hate group honored 141 congressional Republicans on Tuesday for their work opposing abortion rights and LGBTQ equality .
More than 50 of the honorees showed up to accept their awards in person .
FRC Action , the political arm of Tony Perkins ' Family Research Council , gave out its `` True Blue Award '' to the 90 House Republicans and 51 Senate Republicans that received a `` perfect 100 percent '' on its annual scorecard .
At least 54 of them showed up to a Tuesday morning reception to accept the honor .
Perkins praised the recipients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stood up for life , family , and religious liberty . ''
`` We hope that voters will recognize the pro-life , pro-family , and pro-religious liberty voting records of the 'True Blue ' members and elect more candidates like them in the 2020 election , '' he added .
More than a dozen of the recipients tweeted out photos of themselves accepting their award from Perkins .
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( R-WV ) bragged of her `` 100 % record with @ FRCAction voting to protect life , codify the Hyde @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding ] , and confirm conservative judges . ''
Sen. Mike Braun ( R-IN ) tweeted that he was `` proud to receive the True Blue award . ''
Rep. Kevin Brady ( R-TX ) also said he was `` honored to receive the # TrueBlue award '' and would `` always be an advocate for defending faith , family , and freedom . ''
The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Family Research Council as a hate group , stating that the organization `` often makes false claims about the LGBT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science . ''
`` The intention is to denigrate LGBT people as the organization battles against same-sex marriage , hate crime laws , anti-bullying programs and the repeal of the military ’ s 'Don ’ t Ask , Don ’ t Tell ' policy , '' the group notes .
As recently as 2010 , Perkins falsely claimed that there was `` overlap '' between pedophilia and homosexuality .
`` While activists like to claim that pedophilia is a completely distinct orientation from homosexuality , evidence shows a disproportionate overlap between the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he said at the time .
FRC Action also published a blog post on Wednesday attacking Sesame Street for `` inviting drag queen Billy Porter on to teach kids the virtues of gender confusion . ''
It wrote that by including the Tony- , Grammy- , and Emmy-winning actor and musician , the `` once-beloved kids'show '' was `` making the best case for defunding PBS yet . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

An anti-LGBTQ hate group honored 141 congressional Republicans on Tuesday for their work opposing abortion rights and LGBTQ equality.
More than 50 of the honorees showed up to accept their awards in person.
FRC Action, the political arm of Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council, gave out its “True Blue Award” to the 90 House Republicans and 51 Senate Republicans that received a “perfect 100 percent” on its annual scorecard. At least 54 of them showed up to a Tuesday morning reception to accept the honor.
Perkins praised the recipients as “the champions who have consistently stood up for life, family, and religious liberty.”
“We hope that voters will recognize the pro-life, pro-family, and pro-religious liberty voting records of the ‘True Blue’ members and elect more candidates like them in the 2020 election,” he added.
More than a dozen of the recipients tweeted out photos of themselves accepting their award from Perkins.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) bragged of her “100% record with @FRCAction voting to protect life, codify the Hyde Amendment [ban on most federal abortion funding], and confirm conservative judges.”
Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) tweeted that he was “proud to receive the True Blue award.”
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) also said he was “honored to receive the #TrueBlue award” and would “always be an advocate for defending faith, family, and freedom.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Family Research Council as a hate group, stating that the organization “often makes false claims about the LGBT community based on discredited research and junk science.”
“The intention is to denigrate LGBT people as the organization battles against same-sex marriage, hate crime laws, anti-bullying programs and the repeal of the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy,” the group notes.
As recently as 2010, Perkins falsely claimed that there was “overlap” between pedophilia and homosexuality.
“While activists like to claim that pedophilia is a completely distinct orientation from homosexuality, evidence shows a disproportionate overlap between the two. … It is a homosexual problem,” he said at the time.
FRC Action also published a blog post on Wednesday attacking Sesame Street for “inviting drag queen Billy Porter on to teach kids the virtues of gender confusion.”
It wrote that by including the Tony-, Grammy-, and Emmy-winning actor and musician, the “once-beloved kids’show” was “making the best case for defunding PBS yet.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-13--McConnell is still attacking Democrats over impeachment on the Senate floor

Sen. Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) took to the Senate floor Thursday to deliver an 11-minute speech attacking Democrats for the impeachment of Donald Trump , charging Democrats with destroying institutions like the House , the Senate , and the U.S. Constitution .
McConnell — who has criticized Democrats from dragging out impeachment — made the speech more than a week after the Senate voted to acquit Trump on the two articles of impeachment he faced : abuse of power and obstruction of Congress .
And he patted himself and Senate Republicans on the back for that acquittal .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McConnell said .
`` We protected the long-term future of our republic .
We kept the temporary fires of factionalism from burning through to the bedrock of our institutions .
We acted as Madison wished , as an impediment against improper acts . ''
McConnell 's comments saying Democrats were the ones breaking precedent and ignoring the Constitution came as Donald Trump appears to be intervening in the work of the Department of Justice — the law enforcement agency of the United States that 's supposed to act independently of the presidency .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sentencing guideline for Roger Stone — the Trump ally who was convicted on seven counts of obstruction of justice , witness tampering , and lying to Congress — after Trump publicly called the sentencing guideline `` unfair . ''
Prosecutors alleged in their case that Stone interfered in special counsel Robert Mueller 's investigation in order to protect Trump .
The DOJ 's abrupt reversal on the Stone sentencing position after Trump 's comment led the four lead prosecutors on the case to resign in protest .
However , McConnell has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say whether Trump and his attorney general William Barr were acting improperly in their meddling in the Stone case .
`` I do not have an opinion on that , '' McConnell told reporters of the Trump interference with the DOJ .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to the Senate floor Thursday to deliver an 11-minute speech attacking Democrats for the impeachment of Donald Trump, charging Democrats with destroying institutions like the House, the Senate, and the U.S. Constitution.
McConnell — who has criticized Democrats from dragging out impeachment — made the speech more than a week after the Senate voted to acquit Trump on the two articles of impeachment he faced: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
And he patted himself and Senate Republicans on the back for that acquittal.
“The Senate did its job,” McConnell said. “We protected the long-term future of our republic. We kept the temporary fires of factionalism from burning through to the bedrock of our institutions. We acted as Madison wished, as an impediment against improper acts.”
McConnell’s comments saying Democrats were the ones breaking precedent and ignoring the Constitution came as Donald Trump appears to be intervening in the work of the Department of Justice — the law enforcement agency of the United States that’s supposed to act independently of the presidency.
The Department of Justice abruptly about-faced on a sentencing guideline for Roger Stone — the Trump ally who was convicted on seven counts of obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and lying to Congress — after Trump publicly called the sentencing guideline “unfair.” Prosecutors alleged in their case that Stone interfered in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in order to protect Trump.
The DOJ’s abrupt reversal on the Stone sentencing position after Trump’s comment led the four lead prosecutors on the case to resign in protest.
However, McConnell has been silent on the issue, refusing to say whether Trump and his attorney general William Barr were acting improperly in their meddling in the Stone case.
“I do not have an opinion on that,” McConnell told reporters of the Trump interference with the DOJ.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-14--News you missed: Immigrants win back right to call free hotline if they're detained

This week , Native Americans in North Dakota scored a major voting rights victory , the South Dakota Legislature defeated an anti-transgender bill , and a new proposal in Michigan would guarantee access to family planning services for 30,000 more women .
Read on to see what else flew under the radar this week .
A federal judge ordered the government to restore a free hotline for detained immigrants , the Associated Press reported on Wednesday .
The service , run by the nonprofit group Freedom for Immigrants , was shut down after it was featured in a 2019 episode @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Black , '' a television show about women in prison .
The hotline was originally set up in 2015 to help immigrants in detention obtain legal services and report on bad conditions and rights violations .
`` For too long , ICE has censored our speech and invented imaginary rules to terminate our programs , '' Christina Fialho , co-founder and executive director of Freedom for Immigrants , said in a statement about the ruling .
`` Today , the court saw through this farce and restored our national hotline . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hotline received up to 14,500 calls per month , according to the organization .
AP said it was not immediately clear when the federal government would restore access to the hotline .
After a four-year legal battle , North Dakota has been ordered to accept tribals IDs as a valid form of identification for voters .
Advocates celebrated the victory on Thursday .
`` It has always been our goal to ensure that every native person in North Dakota has an equal opportunity to vote , and we have achieved that today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Native American Rights Fund , said in a press release .
`` We thank the Spirit Lake Nation , Standing Rock Sioux Tribe , and the individual native voters that stood up for the right to vote .
A Republican-backed law mandated that only IDs with a street address were acceptable , even though homes on many Native American reservations in the state do not have street addresses .
Now , the North Dakota secretary of state has agreed to allow tribal IDs , and it will distribute free nondriver IDs on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statewide election , according to the Campaign Legal Center .
House moves to add Equal Rights Amendment to U.S. Constitution Weeks after Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment , the House of Representatives on Thursday voted to remove the artificial deadline Congress previously imposed on the constitutional amendment .
The House voted 232-183 to remove the previous 1982 deadline for states to ratify the ERA .
`` Since women gained the right to vote 100 years ago , we have made incredible progress , rolling back laws like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ juries , owning land , or even getting our own credit card , '' Rep. Judy Chu ( D-CA ) said in a statement after the vote .
`` Arbitrary deadlines are no reason to silence our voices .
I am proud of today 's vote to ensure women have the same rights as men . ''
The resolution will need to be taken up by the Senate to pass .
Several states filed a lawsuit to ensure the amendment is added to the Constitution , but the Trump administration opposes adding it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 94 % of Americans supported adding the ERA to the Constitution .
Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer added funding in her budget proposal to ensure an additional 30,000 Michigan women have access to family planning services , MLive reported on Wednesday .
The $ 37.5 million in funding would go toward a new initiative called `` Healthy Moms , Healthy Babies , '' the state 's Health and Human Services Department told MLive , expanding Medicaid coverage to women of childbearing age who earn up to 200 % of the federal poverty line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coverage to a full year , up from 60 days .
Dr. Joneigh S. Khaldun , a top official with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services , told MLive the initiative is focused on `` thinking about maternal and infant health as a continuum . ''
On Monday , a South Dakota Senate committee voted 5-2 to reject an anti-transgender bill , the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported .
The legislation sought to ban doctors from administering hormones or providing gender confirmation surgeries to transgender youth .
The South Dakota ACLU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` It 's time we stop these attacks and the very real harm they cause to transgender youth across our state , '' Libby Skarin , policy director of the ACLU of South Dakota , told the Leader .
`` Let this be a signal to the South Dakota Legislature that discrimination against a marginalized group is a distraction from the needs of the state and hurts us all . ''
On Tuesday , the Virginia House of Delegates passed legislation to get rid of the photo ID requirement for voting , WHSV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becomes law , would allow for nonphoto forms of identification , such as a bank statement , to be used by Virginia voters in future elections .
The legislation is one of several measures the chamber , led by Democrats , passed this year to increase access to voting .
Others include automatic voter registration when a Virginia resident receives or renews their driver 's license , no-excuse absentee voting , same-day voter registration , and making Election Day a holiday .
`` We 're doing exactly what we said we were going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progress moving Virginia forward , and for that , we 're really excited , '' Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn , a Democrat , said on Tuesday about a range of accomplishments .
`` I think you can see from Virginians that this is what they wanted and they spoke loud and clear on Election Day . ''
In 2019 , Democrats regained control of both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly .
Check back next week for more news you missed .

This week, Native Americans in North Dakota scored a major voting rights victory, the South Dakota Legislature defeated an anti-transgender bill, and a new proposal in Michigan would guarantee access to family planning services for 30,000 more women.
Read on to see what else flew under the radar this week.
A federal judge ordered the government to restore a free hotline for detained immigrants, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. The service, run by the nonprofit group Freedom for Immigrants, was shut down after it was featured in a 2019 episode of HBO’s “Orange is the New Black,” a television show about women in prison. The hotline was originally set up in 2015 to help immigrants in detention obtain legal services and report on bad conditions and rights violations.
“For too long, ICE has censored our speech and invented imaginary rules to terminate our programs,” Christina Fialho, co-founder and executive director of Freedom for Immigrants, said in a statement about the ruling. “Today, the court saw through this farce and restored our national hotline.”
Before the government shut it down, the hotline received up to 14,500 calls per month, according to the organization. AP said it was not immediately clear when the federal government would restore access to the hotline.
After a four-year legal battle, North Dakota has been ordered to accept tribals IDs as a valid form of identification for voters. Advocates celebrated the victory on Thursday.
“It has always been our goal to ensure that every native person in North Dakota has an equal opportunity to vote, and we have achieved that today,” Matthew Campbell, attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, said in a press release. “We thank the Spirit Lake Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the individual native voters that stood up for the right to vote.
A Republican-backed law mandated that only IDs with a street address were acceptable, even though homes on many Native American reservations in the state do not have street addresses. Now, the North Dakota secretary of state has agreed to allow tribal IDs, and it will distribute free nondriver IDs on every reservation within 30 days of a statewide election, according to the Campaign Legal Center.
Weeks after Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, the House of Representatives on Thursday voted to remove the artificial deadline Congress previously imposed on the constitutional amendment.
The House voted 232-183 to remove the previous 1982 deadline for states to ratify the ERA.
“Since women gained the right to vote 100 years ago, we have made incredible progress, rolling back laws like those that kept us from serving on juries, owning land, or even getting our own credit card,” Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) said in a statement after the vote. “Arbitrary deadlines are no reason to silence our voices. I am proud of today’s vote to ensure women have the same rights as men.”
The resolution will need to be taken up by the Senate to pass. Several states filed a lawsuit to ensure the amendment is added to the Constitution, but the Trump administration opposes adding it.
A 2016 poll showed an overwhelming 94% of Americans supported adding the ERA to the Constitution.
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer added funding in her budget proposal to ensure an additional 30,000 Michigan women have access to family planning services, MLive reported on Wednesday.
The $37.5 million in funding would go toward a new initiative called “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies,” the state’s Health and Human Services Department told MLive, expanding Medicaid coverage to women of childbearing age who earn up to 200% of the federal poverty line.
The initiative would also extend post-partum coverage to a full year, up from 60 days.
Dr. Joneigh S. Khaldun, a top official with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, told MLive the initiative is focused on “thinking about maternal and infant health as a continuum.”
On Monday, a South Dakota Senate committee voted 5-2 to reject an anti-transgender bill, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported. The legislation sought to ban doctors from administering hormones or providing gender confirmation surgeries to transgender youth.
The South Dakota ACLU celebrated the defeat of the bill.
“It’s time we stop these attacks and the very real harm they cause to transgender youth across our state,” Libby Skarin, policy director of the ACLU of South Dakota, told the Leader. “Let this be a signal to the South Dakota Legislature that discrimination against a marginalized group is a distraction from the needs of the state and hurts us all.”
On Tuesday, the Virginia House of Delegates passed legislation to get rid of the photo ID requirement for voting, WHSV reported.
The bill, if it becomes law, would allow for nonphoto forms of identification, such as a bank statement, to be used by Virginia voters in future elections.
The legislation is one of several measures the chamber, led by Democrats, passed this year to increase access to voting. Others include automatic voter registration when a Virginia resident receives or renews their driver’s license, no-excuse absentee voting, same-day voter registration, and making Election Day a holiday.
“We’re doing exactly what we said we were going to do, and we’re making progress moving Virginia forward, and for that, we’re really excited,” Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, a Democrat, said on Tuesday about a range of accomplishments. “I think you can see from Virginians that this is what they wanted and they spoke loud and clear on Election Day.”
In 2019, Democrats regained control of both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly.
Check back next week for more news you missed.


shareblue--2020-02-14--Trump administration sending tactical units to detain immigrants in sanctuary cities

The Trump is administration is deploying tactical units into multiple sanctuary cities as part of an effort to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in its campaign to detain migrants .
The units are being deployed `` in order to enhance the integrity of the immigration system , protect public safety , and strengthen our national security , '' Customs and Border Protection spokesman Lawrence Payne told the New York Times on Friday .
According to an email sent to CBP personnel , the deployment of the tactical teams will run from February through May .
The elite units , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SWAT team of the border patrol , '' will have gear such as stun grenades and have gone through training like that of the Special Forces .
According to the outlet , `` the officers typically conduct high-risk operations targeting individuals who are known to be violent , many of them with extensive criminal records . ''
The planned deployment will affect cities including San Francisco , Los Angeles , Atlanta , Houston , Boston , New Orleans , Detroit , and Newark , New Jersey .
ICE already operates in those cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degree of militarism to its immigration operations .
Donald Trump has often attacked and criticized sanctuary cities as part of his anti-immigrant rhetoric .
`` The state of California passed an outrageous law declaring their whole state to be a sanctuary for criminal illegal immigrants — a very terrible sanctuary — with catastrophic results , '' Trump said in his recent State of the Union address .
At a campaign rally in New Hampshire , Trump complained about `` left-wing politicians '' who `` support sanctuary cities that release criminal aliens directly into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , immigrant communities have expressed fears about agencies like ICE coming into communities and separating families from each other .
In some instances , ICE has even apprehended and detained American citizens , despite claims that they only target migrants .
During the 2016 presidential campaign , Trump said that he would use a `` deportation force '' to remove 11 million immigrants from the United States .
`` You 're going to have a deportation force , and you 're going to do it humanely , '' he claimed at the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are statistically far less likely to commit crimes than natural-born U.S. citizens .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The Trump is administration is deploying tactical units into multiple sanctuary cities as part of an effort to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in its campaign to detain migrants.
The units are being deployed “in order to enhance the integrity of the immigration system, protect public safety, and strengthen our national security,” Customs and Border Protection spokesman Lawrence Payne told the New York Times on Friday.
According to an email sent to CBP personnel, the deployment of the tactical teams will run from February through May.
The elite units, described by the Times as the “SWAT team of the border patrol,” will have gear such as stun grenades and have gone through training like that of the Special Forces. According to the outlet, “the officers typically conduct high-risk operations targeting individuals who are known to be violent, many of them with extensive criminal records.”
The planned deployment will affect cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit, and Newark, New Jersey.
ICE already operates in those cities and the deployment will add an increased degree of militarism to its immigration operations.
Donald Trump has often attacked and criticized sanctuary cities as part of his anti-immigrant rhetoric.
“The state of California passed an outrageous law declaring their whole state to be a sanctuary for criminal illegal immigrants — a very terrible sanctuary — with catastrophic results,” Trump said in his recent State of the Union address.
At a campaign rally in New Hampshire, Trump complained about “left-wing politicians” who “support sanctuary cities that release criminal aliens directly into the American community.”
Under Trump, immigrant communities have expressed fears about agencies like ICE coming into communities and separating families from each other. In some instances, ICE has even apprehended and detained American citizens, despite claims that they only target migrants.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump said that he would use a “deportation force” to remove 11 million immigrants from the United States.
“You’re going to have a deportation force, and you’re going to do it humanely,” he claimed at the time.
Multiple studies have shown that migrants are statistically far less likely to commit crimes than natural-born U.S. citizens.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-14--Trump silent as his allies attack Pete Buttigieg for being gay

Donald Trump has been mostly silent this week as his political allies have attacked Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg for being gay , despite boasting previously that he enjoyed wide support from the LGBTQ community .
As the Washington Post noted this week , Republicans have increased their attacks against the former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , as top-two finishes in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary have boosted his chances at the Democratic nomination .
Trump himself mocked Buttigieg 's name on Thursday , calling him `` Pete Boot-at-edge '' in a radio interview with Geraldo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate for having an `` unpronounceable '' surname .
Days after Trump awarded Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom during his State of the Union address , the racist , sexist , and anti-LGBTQ radio host attacked Buttigieg for often kissing his husband Chasten in public .
Sebastian Gorka , a former Trump White House staffer and current far-right radio host , asked Wednesday why Buttigieg , `` a homosexual man , '' had any right to talk about abortion rights .
`` I thought you 're supposed to stay in your lane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment on the lived experience of the other , '' he said .
Conservative commentator Ben Ferguson also tweeted Thursday suggesting that Buttigieg — a decorated former naval intelligence officer — lacks the `` masculinity '' to be a viable presidential candidate .
Ferguson denied that he had any problem with Buttigieg 's orientation , but has not taken down the tweet .
Trump has still not denounced the homophobic attacks publicly , despite portraying himself on the campaign trail in 2016 as a `` real friend '' to LGBTQ Americans .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando , Florida , that left 49 people dead , Trump spoke out against the gunman , who had sworn allegiance to ISIS during the attack .
The gunman , he said , `` targeted the nightclub not only because he wanted to kill Americans , but in order to execute gay and lesbian citizens because of their sexual orientation . ''
He said the shooting struck `` at the heart and soul of who we are as a nation '' and was an `` assault @ @ @ @ @ @ @ love who they want and express their identity . ''
LGBTQ Americans still solidly supported Trump 's rival in that election , Hillary Clinton , by a wide margin according to exit polls .
Since taking office , Trump has moved to ban transgender military service members , eliminated non-discrimination regulations , fought against passage of the Equality Act , and appointed a host of anti-LGBTQ activists to executive branch jobs and lifetime judgeships .
But he has continued to pretend to be an ally , claiming in August that `` some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LGBTQ ] community '' and that he has `` done really very well with that community . ''
`` Some of my biggest supporters are of that community and I think that they , and I talk to them a lot about it , '' Trump told reporters that month .
`` I think I 've done really very well with that community .
As you know , [ PayPal and Palantir founder ] Peter Thiel [ who is gay ] and so many others , there with me all the way and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing . ''
As recently as Thursday , in his interview with Rivera , Trump said that although `` some '' Americans would not vote for a gay man to be president , he was not among them .
`` I think there would be some that would n't , '' he said .
`` I would n't be among that group to be honest with you . ''
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump planned to denounce the attacks on Buttigieg .
Published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Donald Trump has been mostly silent this week as his political allies have attacked Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg for being gay, despite boasting previously that he enjoyed wide support from the LGBTQ community.
As the Washington Post noted this week, Republicans have increased their attacks against the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as top-two finishes in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary have boosted his chances at the Democratic nomination.
Trump himself mocked Buttigieg’s name on Thursday, calling him “Pete Boot-at-edge” in a radio interview with Geraldo Rivera. He has previously ridiculed the candidate for having an “unpronounceable” surname.
Days after Trump awarded Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom during his State of the Union address, the racist, sexist, and anti-LGBTQ radio host attacked Buttigieg for often kissing his husband Chasten in public.
Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump White House staffer and current far-right radio host, asked Wednesday why Buttigieg, “a homosexual man,” had any right to talk about abortion rights. “I thought you’re supposed to stay in your lane as a leftist. You can’t comment on the lived experience of the other,” he said.
Conservative commentator Ben Ferguson also tweeted Thursday suggesting that Buttigieg — a decorated former naval intelligence officer — lacks the “masculinity” to be a viable presidential candidate. Ferguson denied that he had any problem with Buttigieg’s orientation, but has not taken down the tweet.
Trump has still not denounced the homophobic attacks publicly, despite portraying himself on the campaign trail in 2016 as a “real friend” to LGBTQ Americans.
In June that year, following a deadly mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that left 49 people dead, Trump spoke out against the gunman, who had sworn allegiance to ISIS during the attack.
The gunman, he said, “targeted the nightclub not only because he wanted to kill Americans, but in order to execute gay and lesbian citizens because of their sexual orientation.” He said the shooting struck “at the heart and soul of who we are as a nation” and was an “assault” on Americans’ right to “love who they want and express their identity.”
LGBTQ Americans still solidly supported Trump’s rival in that election, Hillary Clinton, by a wide margin according to exit polls.
Since taking office, Trump has moved to ban transgender military service members, eliminated non-discrimination regulations, fought against passage of the Equality Act, and appointed a host of anti-LGBTQ activists to executive branch jobs and lifetime judgeships.
But he has continued to pretend to be an ally, claiming in August that “some of my biggest supporters are of that [LGBTQ] community” and that he has “done really very well with that community.”
“Some of my biggest supporters are of that community and I think that they, and I talk to them a lot about it,” Trump told reporters that month. “I think I’ve done really very well with that community. As you know, [PayPal and Palantir founder] Peter Thiel [who is gay] and so many others, there with me all the way and they like the job I’m doing.”
As recently as Thursday, in his interview with Rivera, Trump said that although “some” Americans would not vote for a gay man to be president, he was not among them.
“I think there would be some that wouldn’t,” he said. “I wouldn’t be among that group to be honest with you.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump planned to denounce the attacks on Buttigieg.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-14--GOP lawmaker silences activists for calling anti-immigrant proposal 'racist'

Immigration advocates speaking out against an anti-immigrant constitutional amendment being considered in Arizona were silenced Thursday by the Republican majority in the state legislature , after the Senate president became upset that they had called the proposal `` racist . ''
Hugo Polanco , speaking on behalf of the immigrant-rights group Living United for Change in Arizona , told the Senate Judiciary Committee that passage of the proposal would bring `` a return to the racism , divisiveness , and hate of SB 1070 , '' the infamous ( and mostly unconstitutional ) 2010 state law targeting undocumented immigrants .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who also serves as chair of the committee , interrupted him .
`` I 'm going to caution you on the vitriol , '' he said .
`` You can testify , but there 's nothing racist about anybody up here … You do n't need to be vitriolic . ''
When Polanco asked the committee `` on behalf of families like mine , to reject this racist , divisive , and hateful legislation , '' Farnsworth banged his gavel , informed him he was finished , and threatened to have him removed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alejandra Gomez , rose to speak next .
Farnsworth , however , informed her , `` We 're done , '' and moved to report the amendment , which ultimately passed on a party-line 4-3 vote .
After activists chanted , `` Kill the bill ! ''
Farnsworth dispatched state troopers to eject them .
The topic of discussion was Concurrent Resolution 1007 , which would propose a state constitutional amendment .
The proposed text reads , `` A county , city , or town of this state may not limit or restrict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state related immigration laws . ''
It would enshrine in the state 's constitution an existing prohibition on `` sanctuary cities , '' where local governments opt not to coordinate with or enforce immigration laws for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
That ban was part of SB 10170 , which also included provisions to require law enforcement to check immigration status during any `` lawful stop , detention or arrest , '' and to punish those who shelter or hire undocumented immigrants .
Fearing widespread racial and ethnic profiling after that law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boycotts of Arizona and many immigrant families left the state entirely .
Most of those other provisions were struck down as unconstitutional in 2012 by the U.S. Supreme Court , but the sanctuary cities section remains on the books .
Farnsworth and Living United for Change in Arizona did not immediately respond to inquires about the censorship .
Randy Perez , who serves as democracy director for Living United for Change in Arizona , tweeted Thursday , `` We will be BACK next Wednesday for our LUCHA Lobby Day and I hope folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting back on bad legislation like SCR1007 and advocating for our People 's Agenda . ''
The amendment now moves onto the full Senate .
A House version is also working its way through the process .
If both GOP-controlled chambers give majority support to the proposals , it would go straight to the voters .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Immigration advocates speaking out against an anti-immigrant constitutional amendment being considered in Arizona were silenced Thursday by the Republican majority in the state legislature, after the Senate president became upset that they had called the proposal “racist.”
Hugo Polanco, speaking on behalf of the immigrant-rights group Living United for Change in Arizona, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that passage of the proposal would bring “a return to the racism, divisiveness, and hate of SB 1070,” the infamous (and mostly unconstitutional) 2010 state law targeting undocumented immigrants.
Senate President Pro Tempore Eddie Farnsworth, who also serves as chair of the committee, interrupted him.
“I’m going to caution you on the vitriol,” he said. “You can testify, but there’s nothing racist about anybody up here … You don’t need to be vitriolic.”
When Polanco asked the committee “on behalf of families like mine, to reject this racist, divisive, and hateful legislation,” Farnsworth banged his gavel, informed him he was finished, and threatened to have him removed.
The group’s executive director, Alejandra Gomez, rose to speak next. Farnsworth, however, informed her, “We’re done,” and moved to report the amendment, which ultimately passed on a party-line 4-3 vote.
After activists chanted, “Kill the bill!” Farnsworth dispatched state troopers to eject them.
The topic of discussion was Concurrent Resolution 1007, which would propose a state constitutional amendment. The proposed text reads, “A county, city, or town of this state may not limit or restrict the enforcement of federal immigration laws or state related immigration laws.”
It would enshrine in the state’s constitution an existing prohibition on “sanctuary cities,” where local governments opt not to coordinate with or enforce immigration laws for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
That ban was part of SB 10170, which also included provisions to require law enforcement to check immigration status during any “lawful stop, detention or arrest,” and to punish those who shelter or hire undocumented immigrants.
Fearing widespread racial and ethnic profiling after that law’s initial enactment, critics organized economic boycotts of Arizona and many immigrant families left the state entirely.
Most of those other provisions were struck down as unconstitutional in 2012 by the U.S. Supreme Court, but the sanctuary cities section remains on the books.
Farnsworth and Living United for Change in Arizona did not immediately respond to inquires about the censorship.
Randy Perez, who serves as democracy director for Living United for Change in Arizona, tweeted Thursday, “We will be BACK next Wednesday for our LUCHA Lobby Day and I hope folks can join us! We’ll be fighting back on bad legislation like SCR1007 and advocating for our People’s Agenda.”
The amendment now moves onto the full Senate. A House version is also working its way through the process. If both GOP-controlled chambers give majority support to the proposals, it would go straight to the voters.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-14--McCabe slams Trump for using DOJ for 'pursuit of political enemies'

The Department of Justice decided on Friday against pursuing a criminal prosecution of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe .
Donald Trump has repeatedly publicly attacked McCabe , accusing him of being part of a `` coup '' and engaging in `` treason '' because the FBI investigated the Trump campaign 's ties to Russia in the 2016 election .
From the Feb. 14 edition of CNN 's `` Right Now with Brianna Keilar '' : ANDREW MCCABE : We said from the very first day – the very first day that we were notified by the Department of Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a confidential investigation was leaked to the public — that if they followed the law and they followed the facts that I would have nothing to worry about .
But as the president 's interest in pursuing his perceived political enemies continued over the last two years , we were getting more and more concerned about where this would end up , because quite frankly we are seeing things happen every day in this country that many of us never ever thought we 'd see here .
The pursuit of political enemies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and criminal investigations to exact some sort of revenge on those political enemies is not something that should be happening in the United States of America .

The Department of Justice decided on Friday against pursuing a criminal prosecution of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
Donald Trump has repeatedly publicly attacked McCabe, accusing him of being part of a “coup” and engaging in “treason” because the FBI investigated the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia in the 2016 election.
From the Feb. 14 edition of CNN’s “Right Now with Brianna Keilar”:
ANDREW MCCABE: We said from the very first day – the very first day that we were notified by the Department of Justice that news of what should have been a confidential investigation was leaked to the public — that if they followed the law and they followed the facts that I would have nothing to worry about. But as the president’s interest in pursuing his perceived political enemies continued over the last two years, we were getting more and more concerned about where this would end up, because quite frankly we are seeing things happen every day in this country that many of us never ever thought we’d see here. The pursuit of political enemies and the use of the criminal justice system and criminal investigations to exact some sort of revenge on those political enemies is not something that should be happening in the United States of America.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-14--DOJ says it won't prosecute former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe after all

The Department of Justice announced on Friday that it had dropped an investigation into former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe , and wo n't charge him with any crimes as part of his role in the Russia investigation .
`` We write to inform you that , after careful consideration , the Government has decided not to pursue criminal charges against your client , '' DOJ officials wrote in a letter to McCabe 's attorney , according to Politico 's Kyle Cheney .
`` Based on the totality of the circumstances and all of the information known to the Government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter closed , '' the letter added .
The email comes a day after the Washington Post reported that Donald Trump wanted McCabe to be criminally charged for allegedly lying about leaking information for an October 2016 Wall Street Journal story regarding the Clinton Foundation .
It also comes as the Justice Department faces questions about whether Trump is influencing criminal cases in order to help his allies and boost his own reelection chances .
Trump has repeatedly attacked McCabe , accusing the career FBI official of being part of a larger partisan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department .
Among other things , Trump baselessly accused McCabe of being biased against him because McCabe 's wife took a campaign contribution during a state Senate bid from former Virginia Gov .
Terry McAuliffe , who is an ally of Hillary Clinton .
McCabe was ultimately fired by now-former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2018 , just a few hours before McCabe 's full pension would have vested .
McCabe sued the Justice Department for his firing , claiming it was politically motivated and intentionally done to ensure McCabe would n't receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McCabe told CBS News that he had ordered obstruction of justice and counterintelligence investigations into Trump in the days after Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey , prior to the broader Mueller probe .
According to the outlet , McCabe `` was concerned Trump would try to make the overall investigation into Russian election meddling go away . ''
`` I was speaking to the man who had just run for the presidency and won the election for the presidency , and who might have done so with the aid of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adversary on the world stage , '' McCabe said at the time .
`` And that was something that troubled me greatly . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The Department of Justice announced on Friday that it had dropped an investigation into former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, and won’t charge him with any crimes as part of his role in the Russia investigation.
“We write to inform you that, after careful consideration, the Government has decided not to pursue criminal charges against your client,” DOJ officials wrote in a letter to McCabe’s attorney, according to Politico’s Kyle Cheney.
“Based on the totality of the circumstances and all of the information known to the Government at this time, we consider the matter closed,” the letter added.
The email comes a day after the Washington Post reported that Donald Trump wanted McCabe to be criminally charged for allegedly lying about leaking information for an October 2016 Wall Street Journal story regarding the Clinton Foundation.
It also comes as the Justice Department faces questions about whether Trump is influencing criminal cases in order to help his allies and boost his own reelection chances.
Trump has repeatedly attacked McCabe, accusing the career FBI official of being part of a larger partisan witch hunt against him within the Justice Department.
Among other things, Trump baselessly accused McCabe of being biased against him because McCabe’s wife took a campaign contribution during a state Senate bid from former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who is an ally of Hillary Clinton.
McCabe was ultimately fired by now-former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2018, just a few hours before McCabe’s full pension would have vested.
McCabe sued the Justice Department for his firing, claiming it was politically motivated and intentionally done to ensure McCabe wouldn’t receive his pension.
In February 2019, McCabe told CBS News that he had ordered obstruction of justice and counterintelligence investigations into Trump in the days after Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey, prior to the broader Mueller probe. According to the outlet, McCabe “was concerned Trump would try to make the overall investigation into Russian election meddling go away.”
“I was speaking to the man who had just run for the presidency and won the election for the presidency, and who might have done so with the aid of the government of Russia, our most formidable adversary on the world stage,” McCabe said at the time. “And that was something that troubled me greatly.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-14--Trump caught lying about how he helped a homeless veteran

Donald Trump 's State of the Union address was riddled with misinformation .
A new report from the Associated Press reveals that Trump even lied about a formerly homeless veteran he invited to the speech as a guest .
At Trump 's Feb. 4 address , he pointed to Rankins , an Army veteran invited by the White House to attend the speech , and claimed he worked for a construction company that invested in the administration 's `` opportunity zones '' program , an attempt to get businesses to invest in low-income neighborhoods via tax breaks .
`` After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his job , his house and his family .
He was homeless , '' Trump said .
`` But then Tony found a construction company that invests in Opportunity Zones .
He is now a top tradesman , drug-free , reunited with his family . ''
But Rankins started his construction job four months before the Treasury Department announced its final list of neighborhoods eligible for the tax break , the AP reported on Thursday .
And further , the hotel Rankins was working on was ineligible to benefit from the program .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ or not wealthy individuals connected to the Trump administration are misusing the tax breaks .
In addition to lying about Rankins , Trump misled Americans on several other topics .
On the issue of health care , the Trump administration is supporting a lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act , including provisions in the law that protect people with preexisting conditions from having to pay more for health care .
Yet in his address , Trump falsely claimed to `` always protect patients with preexisting conditions . ''
While several states are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump used the State of the Union to claim his administration is `` restoring our nation 's manufacturing might . ''
In fact , Michigan , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin lost 27,000 manufacturing jobs from January through September 2019 , thanks in large part to Trump 's trade war with China .
Trump also claimed to `` cherish religion '' and defended his administration 's work to defend `` religious liberty . ''
Yet the statement came days after Trump expanded the number of countries included in his Muslim travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes attacking immigrants , including perpetuating false allegations about the violence of immigrants ( immigrants commit less crime than native-born Americans ) , falsely implying sanctuary cities are less safe ( they are safer ) , and making false claims about his immigration reforms .
According to a Washington Post analysis , Trump has told more than 16,000 lies since he took office .
The analysis was completed before February 's State of the Union address .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was riddled with misinformation. A new report from the Associated Press reveals that Trump even lied about a formerly homeless veteran he invited to the speech as a guest.
At Trump’s Feb. 4 address, he pointed to Rankins, an Army veteran invited by the White House to attend the speech, and claimed he worked for a construction company that invested in the administration’s “opportunity zones” program, an attempt to get businesses to invest in low-income neighborhoods via tax breaks.
“After struggling with drug addiction, Tony lost his job, his house and his family. He was homeless,” Trump said. “But then Tony found a construction company that invests in Opportunity Zones. He is now a top tradesman, drug-free, reunited with his family.”
But Rankins started his construction job four months before the Treasury Department announced its final list of neighborhoods eligible for the tax break, the AP reported on Thursday. And further, the hotel Rankins was working on was ineligible to benefit from the program.
The Treasury Department is currently investigating whether or not wealthy individuals connected to the Trump administration are misusing the tax breaks.
In addition to lying about Rankins, Trump misled Americans on several other topics.
On the issue of health care, the Trump administration is supporting a lawsuit to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, including provisions in the law that protect people with preexisting conditions from having to pay more for health care. Yet in his address, Trump falsely claimed to “always protect patients with preexisting conditions.”
While several states are losing manufacturing jobs under his administration, Trump used the State of the Union to claim his administration is “restoring our nation’s manufacturing might.” In fact, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin lost 27,000 manufacturing jobs from January through September 2019, thanks in large part to Trump’s trade war with China.
Trump also claimed to “cherish religion” and defended his administration’s work to defend “religious liberty.” Yet the statement came days after Trump expanded the number of countries included in his Muslim travel ban.
Trump also spent nearly 10 minutes attacking immigrants, including perpetuating false allegations about the violence of immigrants (immigrants commit less crime than native-born Americans), falsely implying sanctuary cities are less safe (they are safer), and making false claims about his immigration reforms.
According to a Washington Post analysis, Trump has told more than 16,000 lies since he took office. The analysis was completed before February’s State of the Union address.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-14--Trump threatens to shut down practice of staff listening on his calls

Donald Trump said Thursday that he might end the long-running practice of letting other administration officials listen in on presidential calls with foreign leaders .
That 's after Trump 's impeachment was triggered by his July phone call with the president of Ukraine .
`` I may end the practice entirely , '' Trump told Geraldo Rivera in a radio interview that aired Thursday .
Records experts said that was a bad idea , for multiple reasons .
Trump also offered new insights into his feelings about being impeached , saying it made him think about the `` dark '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Watergate scandal before his own likely impeachment .
`` Well , it 's a terrible thing and , you know , I think of Nixon more than anybody else and what that dark period was in our country and the whole thing with the tapes and the horror show , '' Trump said .
`` It was dark and went on for a long time , and I watched it . ''
He said he often passes portraits of past presidents that hang in the White House .
`` The portrait of Richard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It 's a little bit of a different feeling than I get from looking at the other portraits of presidents , '' he said .
`` I got impeached for no reason whatsoever — totally partisan . ''
Trump was impeached over his decision to hold up military aid to Ukraine .
House Democrats allege that Trump abused his power by asking Ukraine to announce investigations of political rival Joe Biden and other Democrats in exchange for releasing the aid .
House Democrats also charged Trump with obstruction of Congress for refusing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's impeachment stemmed from his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House staffers listened in the call .
As is standard practice in any administration , the staffers , working in the secure , soundproof Situation Room in the West Wing basement , chronicled the conversation .
National Security Council personnel then prepared a memorandum about the call , which serves as an official record .
Robert O'Brien , Trump 's national security adviser , said Trump can conduct whatever phone calls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the line .
`` We can certainly comply with the Presidential Records Act and serve the president in however he 'd like to have his conversations with foreign leaders , '' O'Brien told reporters Thursday evening outside the White House .
But he said he thinks Trump likes having Vice President Mike Pence , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or O'Brien listening to the conversations .
`` I think generally the president is happy if he 's got some of his aides with him when he 's making those calls .
...
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , '' O'Brien said .
The White House clamped down on the distribution of those memos earlier in the Trump administration after information about Trump 's calls with other heads of state , including Mexico 's , were leaked to the media , according to two people familiar with how the distribution became more limited .
Larry Pfeiffer , a 30-year U.S. intelligence veteran who managed the Situation Room during the Obama years , said his predecessor told him that the White House had stopped taping presidential calls in the 1970s after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Transcripts of those conversations were used by Watergate investigators and during the impeachment hearings that followed .
`` The long-standing practice is something meant to help and protect the president .
It allows the president and the national security adviser to track any agreements made on the call and to refute quickly and accurately any incorrect claims about the call made by the foreign side , '' Pfeiffer said , adding that it allows White House staff members to follow up and implement the president 's policy .
Pfeiffer , who now directs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Policy , and International Security at George Mason University , said the memoranda of foreign leader calls also fulfill important historical record-keeping requirements .
`` By stopping the practice , the president only shoots himself in the foot , '' he said .
`` And one can only surmise that the president therefore has something to hide from his own staff and bureaucracy . ''
Steven Aftergood , who directs the Federation of American Scientists ' Project on Government Secrecy , also said Trump has the power to limit access to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a `` bad idea . ''
`` The president requires the expertise and advice of his senior officials , and they require access to these calls in order to do their job , '' Aftergood said .
`` Secrecy here becomes self-defeating . ''

Donald Trump said Thursday that he might end the long-running practice of letting other administration officials listen in on presidential calls with foreign leaders. That’s after Trump’s impeachment was triggered by his July phone call with the president of Ukraine.
“I may end the practice entirely,” Trump told Geraldo Rivera in a radio interview that aired Thursday. Records experts said that was a bad idea, for multiple reasons.
Trump also offered new insights into his feelings about being impeached, saying it made him think about the “dark” days when Richard Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal before his own likely impeachment.
“Well, it’s a terrible thing and, you know, I think of Nixon more than anybody else and what that dark period was in our country and the whole thing with the tapes and the horror show,” Trump said. “It was dark and went on for a long time, and I watched it.”
He said he often passes portraits of past presidents that hang in the White House.
“The portrait of Richard Nixon — I don’t know. It’s a little bit of a different feeling than I get from looking at the other portraits of presidents,” he said. “I got impeached for no reason whatsoever — totally partisan.”
Trump was impeached over his decision to hold up military aid to Ukraine. House Democrats allege that Trump abused his power by asking Ukraine to announce investigations of political rival Joe Biden and other Democrats in exchange for releasing the aid. House Democrats also charged Trump with obstruction of Congress for refusing to turn over documents and provide witnesses.
Trump’s impeachment stemmed from his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House staffers listened in the call.
As is standard practice in any administration, the staffers, working in the secure, soundproof Situation Room in the West Wing basement, chronicled the conversation. National Security Council personnel then prepared a memorandum about the call, which serves as an official record.
Robert O’Brien, Trump’s national security adviser, said Trump can conduct whatever phone calls he wants without other people being on the line.
“We can certainly comply with the Presidential Records Act and serve the president in however he’d like to have his conversations with foreign leaders,” O’Brien told reporters Thursday evening outside the White House. But he said he thinks Trump likes having Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or O’Brien listening to the conversations.
“I think generally the president is happy if he’s got some of his aides with him when he’s making those calls. … So, we’ll see how that plays out,” O’Brien said.
The White House clamped down on the distribution of those memos earlier in the Trump administration after information about Trump’s calls with other heads of state, including Mexico’s, were leaked to the media, according to two people familiar with how the distribution became more limited.
Larry Pfeiffer, a 30-year U.S. intelligence veteran who managed the Situation Room during the Obama years, said his predecessor told him that the White House had stopped taping presidential calls in the 1970s after Nixon recorded 3,700 hours of conversations. Transcripts of those conversations were used by Watergate investigators and during the impeachment hearings that followed.
“The long-standing practice is something meant to help and protect the president. It allows the president and the national security adviser to track any agreements made on the call and to refute quickly and accurately any incorrect claims about the call made by the foreign side,” Pfeiffer said, adding that it allows White House staff members to follow up and implement the president’s policy.
Pfeiffer, who now directs the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security at George Mason University, said the memoranda of foreign leader calls also fulfill important historical record-keeping requirements.
“By stopping the practice, the president only shoots himself in the foot,” he said. “And one can only surmise that the president therefore has something to hide from his own staff and bureaucracy.”
Steven Aftergood, who directs the Federation of American Scientists’ Project on Government Secrecy, also said Trump has the power to limit access to his conversations. But Aftergood said it’s a “bad idea.”
“The president requires the expertise and advice of his senior officials, and they require access to these calls in order to do their job,” Aftergood said. “Secrecy here becomes self-defeating.”


shareblue--2020-02-14--McConnell vows to block 395 House bills: 'We're not gonna pass those'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed on Thursday that he is blocking about 400 pieces of legislation that have passed the House of Representatives , and made it clear that he intends to kill every one of them .
Speaking to Fox News , McConnell ( R-KY ) , the self-proclaimed `` Grim Reaper , '' confirmed that he was holding up 395 pieces of legislation , which does not take into account the growing pile of bills that have made it to his desk since the start of the new year .
`` It is true .
They 've @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , trotting out all of their left-wing solutions that are going to be issues in the fall campaign , '' McConnell replied .
`` We 're not gon na pass those . ''
He admitted that there were `` some things we can agree on '' such as `` infrastructure '' and `` parks . ''
`` It may not be a big bill , because that would require dealing with the revenue sources [ and ] both sides are nervous about raising the gas tax , '' he said , referring to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` It 's not that we 're not doing anything .
It 's that we 're not doing what the House Democrats and these candidates for president on the Democratic ticket want to do . ''
When asked about a House-passed bill to lower drug prices , something Republicans have claimed is a priority , McConnell said simply the Senate was `` wrestling with that . ''
Since the start of 2019 , McConnell and Senate Republican caucus have done almost no legislating .
The vast majority of their 428 roll call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's nominees to the courts or executive branch .
Even several members of McConnell 's own caucus have criticized their leadership for focusing almost solely on nominations .
Some of the legislation McConnell is obstructing is indeed based on progressive ideas that he opposes , though most received at least some GOP votes in the House .
These include bills to provide voter protections , prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ Americans , protect Dreamers , guarantee fair pay , mandate gun background checks , fight government corruption , and raise the federal minimum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures are fairly non-controversial bills that easily passed the House , with overwhelming bipartisan support .
Often , these bills were even authored by House Republicans .
• The Global Hope Act , a bipartisan bill by Rep. Michael McCaul ( R-TX ) to support global partnerships for the fight against childhood cancer .
It passed with super-majority House support last month .
• The Securing America 's Ports Act , a bipartisan bill by Rep. Xochitl Torres Small ( D-NM ) to ensure that all vehicles entering the United States at land @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passed with super-majority House support this week .
• The Unlocking Opportunities for Small Businesses Act , a bill by Rep. Jim Hagedorn ( R-MN ) and Dwight Evans ( D-PA ) to make it easier for small business to compete for federal prime contracts by requiring contract officers to consider relevant past performance and subcontractor experience of companies .
It passed with super-majority House support last month .
• H.R .
5037 , a bill to rename the Farmville , North Carolina , post office after the late Rep. Walter Jones Jr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Reg .
Gregory Murphy ( R-NC ) , authored the bill and every member of the state 's House delegation co-sponsored the tribute to the 12-term GOP lawmaker .
It passed with super-majority House support last week .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed on Thursday that he is blocking about 400 pieces of legislation that have passed the House of Representatives, and made it clear that he intends to kill every one of them.
Speaking to Fox News, McConnell (R-KY), the self-proclaimed “Grim Reaper,” confirmed that he was holding up 395 pieces of legislation, which does not take into account the growing pile of bills that have made it to his desk since the start of the new year.
“It is true. They’ve been on full left-wing parade over there, trotting out all of their left-wing solutions that are going to be issues in the fall campaign,” McConnell replied. “We’re not gonna pass those.”
He admitted that there were “some things we can agree on” such as “infrastructure” and “parks.”
“It may not be a big bill, because that would require dealing with the revenue sources [and] both sides are nervous about raising the gas tax,” he said, referring to a potential infrastructure deal.
He added, “It’s not that we’re not doing anything. It’s that we’re not doing what the House Democrats and these candidates for president on the Democratic ticket want to do.”
When asked about a House-passed bill to lower drug prices, something Republicans have claimed is a priority, McConnell said simply the Senate was “wrestling with that.”
Since the start of 2019, McConnell and Senate Republican caucus have done almost no legislating. The vast majority of their 428 roll call votes last year were related to Donald Trump’s nominees to the courts or executive branch. Even several members of McConnell’s own caucus have criticized their leadership for focusing almost solely on nominations.
Some of the legislation McConnell is obstructing is indeed based on progressive ideas that he opposes, though most received at least some GOP votes in the House. These include bills to provide voter protections, prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ Americans, protect Dreamers, guarantee fair pay, mandate gun background checks, fight government corruption, and raise the federal minimum wage.
But many of the stalled measures are fairly non-controversial bills that easily passed the House, with overwhelming bipartisan support. Often, these bills were even authored by House Republicans.
They include:
The Global Hope Act, a bipartisan bill by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) to support global partnerships for the fight against childhood cancer. It passed with super-majority House support last month.
The Securing America’s Ports Act, a bipartisan bill by Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM) to ensure that all vehicles entering the United States at land ports of entry are scanned. It passed with super-majority House support this week.
The Unlocking Opportunities for Small Businesses Act, a bill by Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN) and Dwight Evans (D-PA) to make it easier for small business to compete for federal prime contracts by requiring contract officers to consider relevant past performance and subcontractor experience of companies. It passed with super-majority House support last month.
H.R. 5037, a bill to rename the Farmville, North Carolina, post office after the late Rep. Walter Jones Jr. (R-NC). Jones’ successor, Reg. Gregory Murphy (R-NC), authored the bill and every member of the state’s House delegation co-sponsored the tribute to the 12-term GOP lawmaker. It passed with super-majority House support last week.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-02-14--Trump claims 'legal right' to interfere in his friends' criminal cases

Donald Trump on Friday claimed he has the right to intervene in criminal matters concerning his friends and allies — despite the longstanding precedent that the Department of Justice should be free of political influence .
Trump set off a firestorm of controversy this week after he tweeted that the nine-year sentence federal prosecutors recommended for his longtime ally Roger Stone was `` unfair . ''
Hours after that tweet , the DOJ announced it was overruling those prosecutors to recommend a lighter sentence for Stone — a move that led the four top prosecutors on the case to resign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitted in an interview with ABC News that he was the one who intervened to lower the DOJ sentencing recommendation for Stone .
But he claimed that Trump 's tweet had nothing to do with his decision .
And in the ABC News interview on Thursday , Barr criticized Trump for tweeting about criminal matters , saying it makes it `` impossible '' for Barr to do his job and maintain the appearance of an independent DOJ .
On Friday , Trump tweeted a quote from the Barr interview , in which Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do anything in a criminal case . ''
`` This does n't mean that I do not have , as President , the legal right to do so , I do , but I have so far chosen not to ! ''
Trump tweeted .
Stone will be sentenced at the end of the month .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump on Friday claimed he has the right to intervene in criminal matters concerning his friends and allies — despite the longstanding precedent that the Department of Justice should be free of political influence.
Trump set off a firestorm of controversy this week after he tweeted that the nine-year sentence federal prosecutors recommended for his longtime ally Roger Stone was “unfair.” Hours after that tweet, the DOJ announced it was overruling those prosecutors to recommend a lighter sentence for Stone — a move that led the four top prosecutors on the case to resign in protest.
Attorney General William Barr admitted in an interview with ABC News that he was the one who intervened to lower the DOJ sentencing recommendation for Stone. But he claimed that Trump’s tweet had nothing to do with his decision.
And in the ABC News interview on Thursday, Barr criticized Trump for tweeting about criminal matters, saying it makes it “impossible” for Barr to do his job and maintain the appearance of an independent DOJ.
On Friday, Trump tweeted a quote from the Barr interview, in which Barr claimed that Trump never asked him “to do anything in a criminal case.”
“This doesn’t mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!” Trump tweeted.
Stone will be sentenced at the end of the month.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.