shareblue--2020-01-27--Court blocks GOP effort to suppress votes in battleground state

On Monday , the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a pair of voter suppression efforts backed by Arizona Republicans , the Associated Press reported .
Judge William A. Fletcher , who wrote for the court 's majority , found that a 2016 law limiting who can collect and return early ballots , as well as methods the state uses to discard ballots cast in the wrong precinct , are unconstitutional in part because the practices `` have a discriminatory impact on American Indian , Hispanic , and African American voters in Arizona , '' the AP reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ return someone else 's ballot , according to Tucson 's Arizona Daily Star .
Fletcher wrote that the law unfairly targeted racial minorities , ruling that the Republican-led legislature enacted the law `` with discriminatory intent . ''
For ballots cast in the wrong precinct , Fletcher ruled that rather than discarding the entire ballot , the state must count votes for offices that would have been legal if the person had shown up at the correct precinct , including statewide offices like U.S. senator and governor , the Daily Star reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ all Arizonans , '' Herschel Fink , executive director of the party , said in a statement .
`` We are pleased that the latest effort to suppress the voices of voters by Republicans has failed . ''
State Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita , one of the main Republican sponsors of the overturned legislation , had a less positive response .
`` Bull hockey , '' she said , according to the Daily Star , blaming the decision on `` a liberal court . ''
The lawsuit was brought by the Democratic National Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Arizona Democratic Party shortly after the law passed in 2016 , according to the AP .
The Arizona Republican Party joined the state of Arizona in defending the law .
Democrats have engaged in an aggressive legal strategy to fight voter suppression efforts around the country .
According to a Jan. 22 statement from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee , Democratic-aligned groups have filed voting rights lawsuits in eight states on issues ranging from early voting to absentee voting to ballot order .
The states are North Carolina , Texas , Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Minnesota .
In addition to Arizona , the legal effort to overturn voter suppression laws has already seen some success .
In November 2019 , Democrats won a case in Florida , which forced Republicans to stop rigging the ballot by always listing GOP candidates first .
Earlier in January , South Carolina officials agreed to change a rule requiring citizens to put their full nine-digit social security number on voter registration applications .
The change came after Democratic organizations filed a lawsuit over the practice , in which they argued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privacy concerns about handing over their full social security number .
The change in Arizona comes months ahead of the 2020 election , when the state will likely be in the national spotlight .
In addition to being a potential presidential battleground state , Arizona is home to one of the marquee Senate races in the country , pitting Republican Martha McSally against likely Democratic opponent Mark Kelly .
McSally lost her 2018 bid for Senate , only to be then appointed by the state 's Republican governor .
Republicans currently hold a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats hope their nominee can once again defeat McSally and help the party flip control of the chamber .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

On Monday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a pair of voter suppression efforts backed by Arizona Republicans, the Associated Press reported.
Judge William A. Fletcher, who wrote for the court’s majority, found that a 2016 law limiting who can collect and return early ballots, as well as methods the state uses to discard ballots cast in the wrong precinct, are unconstitutional in part because the practices “have a discriminatory impact on American Indian, Hispanic, and African American voters in Arizona,” the AP reported.
The 2016 law criminalized most efforts to return someone else’s ballot, according to Tucson’s Arizona Daily Star. Fletcher wrote that the law unfairly targeted racial minorities, ruling that the Republican-led legislature enacted the law “with discriminatory intent.”
For ballots cast in the wrong precinct, Fletcher ruled that rather than discarding the entire ballot, the state must count votes for offices that would have been legal if the person had shown up at the correct precinct, including statewide offices like U.S. senator and governor, the Daily Star reported.
The Arizona Democratic Party celebrated the decision.
“Today marks an important victory for all Arizonans,” Herschel Fink, executive director of the party, said in a statement. “We are pleased that the latest effort to suppress the voices of voters by Republicans has failed.”
State Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, one of the main Republican sponsors of the overturned legislation, had a less positive response.
“Bull hockey,” she said, according to the Daily Star, blaming the decision on “a liberal court.”
The lawsuit was brought by the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Arizona Democratic Party shortly after the law passed in 2016, according to the AP. The Arizona Republican Party joined the state of Arizona in defending the law.
Democrats have engaged in an aggressive legal strategy to fight voter suppression efforts around the country. According to a Jan. 22 statement from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic-aligned groups have filed voting rights lawsuits in eight states on issues ranging from early voting to absentee voting to ballot order. The states are North Carolina, Texas, Florida, and Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, and Minnesota.
In addition to Arizona, the legal effort to overturn voter suppression laws has already seen some success.
In November 2019, Democrats won a case in Florida, which forced Republicans to stop rigging the ballot by always listing GOP candidates first.
Earlier in January, South Carolina officials agreed to change a rule requiring citizens to put their full nine-digit social security number on voter registration applications. The change came after Democratic organizations filed a lawsuit over the practice, in which they argued the rule suppressed registration because people had privacy concerns about handing over their full social security number.
The change in Arizona comes months ahead of the 2020 election, when the state will likely be in the national spotlight.
In addition to being a potential presidential battleground state, Arizona is home to one of the marquee Senate races in the country, pitting Republican Martha McSally against likely Democratic opponent Mark Kelly.
McSally lost her 2018 bid for Senate, only to be then appointed by the state’s Republican governor. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and Democrats hope their nominee can once again defeat McSally and help the party flip control of the chamber.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-27--GOP congressman: Senators will face 'repercussions' if they don't protect Trump

A member of Donald Trump 's official impeachment team warned Monday that Republican senators who vote against Trump at the impeachment trial will pay a serious political price .
Rep. Mark Meadows ( R-NC ) , a close Trump ally , told CBS News , `` I mean listen , I do n't want to speak for my Senate colleagues .
But there are always political repercussions for every vote you take . ''
`` There is no vote that is higher profile than this , '' he added .
The comments come just days after an array of Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , one of several Democratic impeachment managers , for virtually arguing the same thing .
On Friday , as he was wrapping up the House managers ' case , Schiff ( D-CA ) reminded lawmakers that an earlier CBS News report had quoted a Trump confidant as saying that , if GOP senators voted against Trump in the impeachment trial , their `` head will be on a pike . ''
Schiff acknowledged that he did not know if the report was accurate and said he hoped it was not true .
Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Senate rules is not allowed to speak in the trial , shook her head no and announced that the claim was `` not true . ''
Sen. Jim Lankford ( R-OK ) denounced Schiff 's remark , saying it was `` insulting and demeaning to everyone to say that we somehow live in fear and that the president has threatened all of us . ''
Sen. Lisa Murkowksi ( R-AK ) told reporters that Schiff had `` crossed the line '' and that he had `` lost '' her with that comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went a step further claiming , `` No Republican senator has been told that . ''
`` What [ Schiff ] has proven to all of us is , he is capable of falsehoods and will tell it to the country , and would tell it to us when we are sitting in the Senate chamber , when every one of us knows it is not true , '' Barrasso said .
On Sunday , Trump publicly threatened Schiff , calling him `` a CORRUPT POLITICIAN , and probably a very sick man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the price , yet , for what he has done to our Country ! ''
Trump tweeted .
Asked later about those remarks , Schiff told NBC 's `` Meet the Press '' that he believed the tweet was indeed `` intended to be '' a threat , but doubled down on his previous comments .
`` It is going to be very difficult for some of these senators to stand up to this president .
It really is .
There 's no question about it , '' he said .
He added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledge it in a way that is offensive to them '' but hoped to `` speak candidly about it . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

A member of Donald Trump’s official impeachment team warned Monday that Republican senators who vote against Trump at the impeachment trial will pay a serious political price.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), a close Trump ally, told CBS News, “I mean listen, I don’t want to speak for my Senate colleagues. But there are always political repercussions for every vote you take.”
“There is no vote that is higher profile than this,” he added.
The comments come just days after an array of Senate Republicans criticized House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff, one of several Democratic impeachment managers, for virtually arguing the same thing.
On Friday, as he was wrapping up the House managers’ case, Schiff (D-CA) reminded lawmakers that an earlier CBS News report had quoted a Trump confidant as saying that, if GOP senators voted against Trump in the impeachment trial, their “head will be on a pike.”
Schiff acknowledged that he did not know if the report was accurate and said he hoped it was not true.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who by Senate rules is not allowed to speak in the trial, shook her head no and announced that the claim was “not true.”
Sen. Jim Lankford (R-OK) denounced Schiff’s remark, saying it was “insulting and demeaning to everyone to say that we somehow live in fear and that the president has threatened all of us.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowksi (R-AK) told reporters that Schiff had “crossed the line” and that he had “lost” her with that comment.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) went a step further claiming, “No Republican senator has been told that.”
“What [Schiff] has proven to all of us is, he is capable of falsehoods and will tell it to the country, and would tell it to us when we are sitting in the Senate chamber, when every one of us knows it is not true,” Barrasso said.
On Sunday, Trump publicly threatened Schiff, calling him “a CORRUPT POLITICIAN, and probably a very sick man.”
“He has not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country!” Trump tweeted.
Asked later about those remarks, Schiff told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he believed the tweet was indeed “intended to be” a threat, but doubled down on his previous comments.
“It is going to be very difficult for some of these senators to stand up to this president. It really is. There’s no question about it,” he said.
He added that he didn’t “want to acknowledge it in a way that is offensive to them” but hoped to “speak candidly about it.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-27--GOP senator says she attacked a reporter to 'represent the people of my state'

Sen. Martha McSally ( R-AZ ) penned an op-ed published Monday in the Arizona Republic saying her recent attack on a reporter was part of her responsibility to `` represent the people of my state and tell them the truth . ''
McSally has been fielding criticism after calling CNN reporter Manu Raju a `` liberal hack '' and refusing to answer his question of whether the Senate should consider new evidence in Donald Trump 's impeachment trial .
In the op-ed , McSally defended her smear of Raju , saying it 's part of her `` reputation '' for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ edgy way . ''
The Arizona senator did not address Raju 's question about witnesses or new evidence in the op-ed .
Instead , she attacked the `` liberal media '' for allegedly having an anti-Trump bias .
She also pledged to her Arizona constituents that she would `` tell you the truth .
To explain my votes .
And to call 'em like I see 'em . ''
In the 11 days since her encounter with Raju , and despite her self-proclaimed knack for speaking candidly , McSally has yet to answer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the question was again posed to her by conservative Fox News host Laura Ingraham .
But McSally did turn her exchange with Raju into a fundraising opportunity .
McSally 's campaign obtained the website LiberalHack.com within hours of the incident and began selling T-shirts with the words `` You 're a liberal hack , buddy '' emblazoned on them , for $ 35 .
McSally 's office did not respond to a request for comment .
`` It 's clear that Martha McSally will do whatever it takes to avoid answering basic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Brad Bainum , spokesperson for the Arizona Democratic Party , said in an emailed statement , adding that McSally will always put `` her personal political career first in Washington . ''
Dodging a question about evidence in Trump 's Senate impeachment trial is not the first time McSally has avoided a substantive question from the press .
In November , McSally was asked if she `` would be willing to ask a foreign country to dig up political dirt on '' an opponent .
Trump was impeached by the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked the government of Ukraine to investigate his potential political rivals .
McSally refused to answer the question then , too .
Her likely Democratic opponent , former astronaut Mark Kelly , however , put out a statement saying his campaign would not ask for or accept foreign assistance `` because it 's against the law , and it 's against the oath Senator McSally and I both took to defend our constitution and our democracy . ''
At the start of the impeachment trial , McSally voted with her Republican colleagues 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the impeachment trial .
Democrats are seeking to pressure Republicans to support new evidence and witnesses in another series of votes expected later this week .

Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) penned an op-ed published Monday in the Arizona Republic saying her recent attack on a reporter was part of her responsibility to “represent the people of my state and tell them the truth.”
McSally has been fielding criticism after calling CNN reporter Manu Raju a “liberal hack” and refusing to answer his question of whether the Senate should consider new evidence in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.
In the op-ed, McSally defended her smear of Raju, saying it’s part of her “reputation” for “speaking candidly, sometimes in an edgy way.”
The Arizona senator did not address Raju’s question about witnesses or new evidence in the op-ed. Instead, she attacked the “liberal media” for allegedly having an anti-Trump bias.
She also pledged to her Arizona constituents that she would “tell you the truth. To explain my votes. And to call ’em like I see ’em.”
In the 11 days since her encounter with Raju, and despite her self-proclaimed knack for speaking candidly, McSally has yet to answer the question about Senate witnesses, even when the question was again posed to her by conservative Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
But McSally did turn her exchange with Raju into a fundraising opportunity. McSally’s campaign obtained the website LiberalHack.com within hours of the incident and began selling T-shirts with the words “You’re a liberal hack, buddy” emblazoned on them, for $35.
McSally’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
“It’s clear that Martha McSally will do whatever it takes to avoid answering basic questions about carrying out her constitutional obligations,” Brad Bainum, spokesperson for the Arizona Democratic Party, said in an emailed statement, adding that McSally will always put “her personal political career first in Washington.”
Dodging a question about evidence in Trump’s Senate impeachment trial is not the first time McSally has avoided a substantive question from the press.
In November, McSally was asked if she “would be willing to ask a foreign country to dig up political dirt on” an opponent. Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in part because he allegedly asked the government of Ukraine to investigate his potential political rivals.
McSally refused to answer the question then, too. Her likely Democratic opponent, former astronaut Mark Kelly, however, put out a statement saying his campaign would not ask for or accept foreign assistance “because it’s against the law, and it’s against the oath Senator McSally and I both took to defend our constitution and our democracy.”
At the start of the impeachment trial, McSally voted with her Republican colleagues 11 times to block new evidence and witnesses from the impeachment trial. Democrats are seeking to pressure Republicans to support new evidence and witnesses in another series of votes expected later this week.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-27--Trump lawyer invokes 9/11 as part of defense at impeachment trial

Jane Raskin , one of the lawyers defending Donald Trump in his Senate impeachment trial , invoked the 9/11 attacks on Monday as part of an attempt to excuse Rudy Giuliani 's actions in Ukraine on Trump 's behalf .
Giuliani , Trump 's personal lawyer , is a central figure in the Ukraine scandal that eventually led to Trump 's impeachment .
Giuliani visited Ukraine as part of the scheme to have the country 's government investigate of Trump 's political rivals while Trump withheld aid to the country .
`` Rudy Giuliani is the House manager 's colorful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He 's a household name .
Legendary federal prosecutor who took down the mafia , corrupt public officials , Wall Street racketeers .
Crime-busting mayor who cleaned up New York and turned it around . ''
`` A national hero .
America 's mayor after 9/11 .
And after that ?
An internationally recognized expert on fighting corruption . ''
The invocation of the terrorist attack has frequently been used by Giuliani and his supporters to deflect from criticisms of his actions .
Raskin went on to argue that because Giuliani `` publicly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and `` stood up to defend the president '' in the spring of 2018 during the Mueller investigation , he has now come under fire .
Raskin 's defense of Giuliani reflects the point , Rep. Adam Schiff ( D-CA ) , the lead House impeachment manager , has been making about Trump 's lawyers .
`` They do n't contest the facts of Trump 's scheme .
They 're trying to deflect , distract from , and distort the truth .
And they are continuing to cover it up by blocking documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday , when House Democrats began to present their case .
Republican senators have defended Trump 's withholding the aid , even after the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office ( GAO ) found that it violated federal law .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Jane Raskin, one of the lawyers defending Donald Trump in his Senate impeachment trial, invoked the 9/11 attacks on Monday as part of an attempt to excuse Rudy Giuliani’s actions in Ukraine on Trump’s behalf.
Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, is a central figure in the Ukraine scandal that eventually led to Trump’s impeachment. Giuliani visited Ukraine as part of the scheme to have the country’s government investigate of Trump’s political rivals while Trump withheld aid to the country.
“Rudy Giuliani is the House manager’s colorful distraction,” argued Raskin. “He’s a household name. Legendary federal prosecutor who took down the mafia, corrupt public officials, Wall Street racketeers. Crime-busting mayor who cleaned up New York and turned it around.”
“A national hero. America’s mayor after 9/11. And after that? An internationally recognized expert on fighting corruption.”
The invocation of the terrorist attack has frequently been used by Giuliani and his supporters to deflect from criticisms of his actions.
Raskin went on to argue that because Giuliani “publicly supported the candidacy of President Trump” and “stood up to defend the president” in the spring of 2018 during the Mueller investigation, he has now come under fire.
Raskin’s defense of Giuliani reflects the point, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the lead House impeachment manager, has been making about Trump’s lawyers.
“They don’t contest the facts of Trump’s scheme. They’re trying to deflect, distract from, and distort the truth. And they are continuing to cover it up by blocking documents and witnesses,” Schiff noted on Saturday, when House Democrats began to present their case.
Republican senators have defended Trump’s withholding the aid, even after the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that it violated federal law.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-27--Wisconsin governor helps dairy farmers hurt by Trump

Wisconsin Gov .
Tony Evers released a plan last week to help farmers facing hardship from Donald Trump 's trade war with China .
Evers specifically pledged to help three key constituencies in the state : farmers , the agricultural industry , and rural communities .
In 2019 , Wisconsin lost a record number of dairies , as 818 shut their doors for the last time .
Dairies first saw trouble in 2018 when Trump initiated a months-long trade war with China .
Due to retaliatory tariffs , U.S. dairy exports to China plunged by more than 50 % in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Democrat who ousted incumbent Republican Gov .
Scott Walker in November 2018 , said in a statement about the plan that he wanted farmers and those in rural communities to know that `` nobody carries the burden alone . ''
In an executive order , Evers announced the creation of a Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity , which will bolster economic prosperity and promote the state 's agriculture .
In addition to the commission , Evers is calling on the Wisconsin Legislature to meet in a special session at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of bills aimed at economically helping rural communities .
Evers is encouraging legislators to pass a package of legislation that would create a Wisconsin Initiative for Dairy Exports ; improve mental health support in rural communities ; and bolster the ability of Wisconsin farmers to connect to local communities , including universities and hospitals .
`` We 're known as America 's Dairyland , '' Evers said in the same statement , `` but unfortunately , as too many families across our state know firsthand , our state continues to face challenges that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The Wisconsin Democratic Party praised Evers ' efforts on Friday while calling out the damage caused by Trump 's trade war .
`` Thanks to years of GOP inaction and President Trump 's reckless trade war , Wisconsin leads the nation in farm bankruptcies and sees two dairy farms close down every day , '' Courtney Beyer , communications director for the party , said in an email .
`` ... Gov .
Evers is leading the way to support our state 's farmers and rural communities and protect our identity as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tackle Wisconsin 's dairy crisis . ''
While Wisconsin has been hit hard by Trump 's policies , other states throughout the Midwest have suffered as well .
A 2019 analysis by the Center for American Progress Action Fund found a 45 % increase in farm bankruptcies across the Midwest since Trump initiated a trade war with China .
On Jan. 15 , 2020 , Trump signed a trade deal with China , but many of the tariffs remain in place for the time being , according to NPR , and experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implemented in time to stave off additional damage to the agriculture industry .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers released a plan last week to help farmers facing hardship from Donald Trump’s trade war with China.
Evers specifically pledged to help three key constituencies in the state: farmers, the agricultural industry, and rural communities.
In 2019, Wisconsin lost a record number of dairies, as 818 shut their doors for the last time. Dairies first saw trouble in 2018 when Trump initiated a months-long trade war with China. Due to retaliatory tariffs, U.S. dairy exports to China plunged by more than 50% in 2019, according to CNBC.
Evers, a Democrat who ousted incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker in November 2018, said in a statement about the plan that he wanted farmers and those in rural communities to know that “nobody carries the burden alone.”
In an executive order, Evers announced the creation of a Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity, which will bolster economic prosperity and promote the state’s agriculture.
In addition to the commission, Evers is calling on the Wisconsin Legislature to meet in a special session at the end of January to consider a series of bills aimed at economically helping rural communities.
Evers is encouraging legislators to pass a package of legislation that would create a Wisconsin Initiative for Dairy Exports; improve mental health support in rural communities; and bolster the ability of Wisconsin farmers to connect to local communities, including universities and hospitals.
“We’re known as America’s Dairyland,” Evers said in the same statement, “but unfortunately, as too many families across our state know firsthand, our state continues to face challenges that we must work quickly to address.”
The Wisconsin Democratic Party praised Evers’ efforts on Friday while calling out the damage caused by Trump’s trade war.
“Thanks to years of GOP inaction and President Trump’s reckless trade war, Wisconsin leads the nation in farm bankruptcies and sees two dairy farms close down every day,” Courtney Beyer, communications director for the party, said in an email. “… Gov. Evers is leading the way to support our state’s farmers and rural communities and protect our identity as America’s Dairyland through his three-prong plan to tackle Wisconsin’s dairy crisis.”
While Wisconsin has been hit hard by Trump’s policies, other states throughout the Midwest have suffered as well. A 2019 analysis by the Center for American Progress Action Fund found a 45% increase in farm bankruptcies across the Midwest since Trump initiated a trade war with China.
On Jan. 15, 2020, Trump signed a trade deal with China, but many of the tariffs remain in place for the time being, according to NPR, and experts are skeptical that the changes will be implemented in time to stave off additional damage to the agriculture industry.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-27--GOP lawmaker scolds colleague for acknowledging racism still exists

A Virginia lawmaker on Friday tried to remove a line from a resolution that acknowledged the harm that `` structural racism '' still does to maternal health , claiming the language was outdated and hurtful .
The comments were first reported by the progressive site Blue Virginia .
The provision in question was part of HJ 111 , a resolution to designate July as `` Maternal Health Awareness Month . ''
It stated that `` considerable racial disparities in pregnancy-related mortality exist , with deaths per live birth for black women nearly three times higher than such deaths for white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ root cause of these disparities is longstanding structural racism , which has contributed to poorer health outcomes among communities of color . ''
Virginia Del .
Barry Knight ( R ) claimed at a House of Delegates Rules Committee hearing that it `` may have been the case in the past '' that structural racism was a root cause of maternal health disparities , but that this was no longer the case .
Knight then suggested that adding in language acknowledging racism 's role in those issues was intentionally hurtful .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pregnancy and all this , '' Knight told the proposal 's sponsor , Del .
Cia Price ( D ) .
`` But you know sometimes it looks to me like you 're trying to stick a knife in there and twist it a little bit sometimes . ''
He added , `` We 're talking about ladies that are having babies from this point forward .
I just think that this does n't do your resolution any good . ''
Knight 's proposal to amend out the language eventually failed on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hog farmer serving in his sixth-term in the state Legislature , ran on a promise of keeping `` Washington style politics out of Richmond , '' but has mostly taken far-right positions .
Last month , he proposed a ban on the use of terms like `` almond milk , '' `` soy milk , '' `` coconut milk , '' and `` oat milk , '' claiming that milk can only come from `` healthy hooved animals . ''
He has also opposed gun safety regulations , LGBTQ rights , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monuments .
Contrary to Knight 's assertion that racial disparities are a thing of the past , a September report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) titled `` Racial and Ethnic Disparities Continue in Pregnancy-Related Deaths '' found the exact opposite .
`` Black , American Indian , and Alaska Native ( AI/AN ) women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women — and this disparity increases with age , '' the researchers found .
Their recommendations included efforts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to implement standardized quality improvement efforts .

A Virginia lawmaker on Friday tried to remove a line from a resolution that acknowledged the harm that “structural racism” still does to maternal health, claiming the language was outdated and hurtful.
The comments were first reported by the progressive site Blue Virginia.
The provision in question was part of HJ 111, a resolution to designate July as “Maternal Health Awareness Month.”
It stated that “considerable racial disparities in pregnancy-related mortality exist, with deaths per live birth for black women nearly three times higher than such deaths for white women,” and that the “root cause of these disparities is longstanding structural racism, which has contributed to poorer health outcomes among communities of color.”
Virginia Del. Barry Knight (R) claimed at a House of Delegates Rules Committee hearing that it “may have been the case in the past” that structural racism was a root cause of maternal health disparities, but that this was no longer the case.
Knight then suggested that adding in language acknowledging racism’s role in those issues was intentionally hurtful.
“I agree with heightened awareness on ladies and pregnancy and all this,” Knight told the proposal’s sponsor, Del. Cia Price (D). “But you know sometimes it looks to me like you’re trying to stick a knife in there and twist it a little bit sometimes.”
He added, “We’re talking about ladies that are having babies from this point forward. I just think that this doesn’t do your resolution any good.”
Knight’s proposal to amend out the language eventually failed on a 5 to 13 vote.
Knight, a hog farmer serving in his sixth-term in the state Legislature, ran on a promise of keeping “Washington style politics out of Richmond,” but has mostly taken far-right positions.
Last month, he proposed a ban on the use of terms like “almond milk,” “soy milk,” “coconut milk,” and “oat milk,” claiming that milk can only come from “healthy hooved animals.” He has also opposed gun safety regulations, LGBTQ rights, and the right of localities to move Confederate monuments.
Contrary to Knight’s assertion that racial disparities are a thing of the past, a September report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) titled “Racial and Ethnic Disparities Continue in Pregnancy-Related Deaths” found the exact opposite.
“Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women — and this disparity increases with age,” the researchers found.
Their recommendations included efforts to find and address implicit bias in healthcare and to implement standardized quality improvement efforts.


shareblue--2020-01-27--Auschwitz survivors mark 75th anniversary of liberation with a warning

Survivors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp recalled their suffering as they marked the 75th anniversary of its liberation , returning to the place where they lost entire families and warning about the ominous growth of anti-Semitism and hatred in the world .
`` We have with us the last living survivors , the last among those who saw the Holocaust with their own eyes , '' Polish President Andrzej Duda told the dignitaries at the commemoration , which included the German president as well as Jewish , Christian , and Muslim leaders .
`` The magnitude of the crime perpetrated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must not look away from it and we must never forget it , '' Duda said .
About 200 camp survivors attended , many of them elderly Jews and non-Jews who have traveled from Israel , the United States , Australia , Peru , Russia , Slovenia , and elsewhere .
Many lost parents and grandparents in Auschwitz or other Nazi death camps , but were joined by children , grandchildren , and even great-grandchildren .
They gathered under an enormous , heated tent straddling the train tracks that had transported people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complex where most of the murdered Jews were killed in gas chambers and then cremated .
Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet army on Jan. 27 , 1945 .
Jewish survivors told their stories , as did a Sinti , or Gypsy , woman who is now blind and delivered a few words that she said were `` spoken from the heart '' before having someone else read them .
Most of the 1.1 million people murdered by the Nazi German forces at the camp were Jews , but other Poles , Russians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Polish survivors walked with Duda through the camp 's gate early Monday wearing striped scarves that recalled the prison garb they wore more than 75 years ago .
World leaders gathered in Jerusalem last week to mark the anniversary in what many saw as a competing observance .
Among them were Russian President Vladimir Putin , U.S. Vice President Mike Pence , French President Emmanuel Macron , and Britain ’ s Prince Charles .
Politics intruded on that event , with Duda boycotting it in protest after Putin claimed that Poland played a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Duda had wanted a chance to speak before or after Putin to defend his nation ’ s record in face of those false accusations , but he was not given a speaking slot in Jerusalem .
Those claims comes as many countries across Eastern Europe have in recent years been mythologizing their own people 's behavior during the war and suppressing knowledge of wrongdoing , something Poland 's government , too , has been criticized for .
Duda said Monday he felt that in Jerusalem , `` Polish participation in the epic fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday 's commemoration gave him a chance to defend his nation , and he used it to recall how Poland was invaded and occupied , losing 6 million of its citizens in the war , half of them Jews .
He recalled how Poland fought the Germans on several fronts , warned the world in vain about the genocide of the Jews , and for decades has been a responsible custodian of Auschwitz and other sites of the German atrocities .
`` Distorting the history of World War II , denying the crimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as an instrumental use of the Auschwitz for whatever purposes is tantamount to desecration of the memory of the victims , '' Duda said .
`` Truth about the Holocaust must not die . ''
Among others attending the observances at Auschwitz , which is located in southern Poland , a region under German occupation during the war , were German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier , Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy , and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin .
Rivlin recalled the strong connection that Israel shares with Poland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It became home to Europe 's largest population of Jews — and later the center of Germany 's destruction of that community .
`` The glorious history of the Jews in Poland , the prosperity of which the Jewish community has enjoyed throughout history , along with the difficult events that have taken place on this earth , connect the Jewish people and the State of Israel , inextricably , with Poland and the Polish people , '' Rivlin said while standing alongside Duda at a news conference .
London Mayor Sadiq Khan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director Piotr Cywinski and viewed a plaque that includes the name of his city after it recently pledged a contribution of 300,000 pounds ( $ 391,000 ) for the site 's preservation .
Organizers of the event in Poland , the Auschwitz-Birkenau state memorial museum , and the World Jewish Congress , have sought to keep the spotlight on survivors .
On the eve of the commemorations , survivors , many leaning on their children and grandchildren for support , walked through the place where they had been brought in on cattle cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close to death .
They said they were there to remember , to share their histories with others , and to make a gesture of defiance toward those who had sought their destruction .
For some , it is also the burial ground for their parents and grandparents , and they said they would say kaddish , the Jewish prayer for the dead .
`` I have no graves to go to and I know my parents were murdered here and burned .
So this is how I pay homage to them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australian who was joined by three more generations now scattered around the globe .
She recalled being brought in from a ghetto in what was then Czechoslovakia by cattle car , being stripped of her clothes , shaved and put in a gas chamber .
By some miracle , the gas chamber that day did not work , and she later survived slave labor and a death march .
A 96-year-old survivor , Jeanette Spiegel , was 20 when she was brought to Auschwitz , where she spent nine months .
Today she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of rising anti-Semitic violence in the United States .
`` I think they pick on the Jews because we are such a small minority and it is easy to pick on us , '' she said , fighting back tears .
`` Young people should understand that nothing is for sure , that some terrible things can happen and they have to be very careful .
And that , God forbid , what happened to the Jewish people then should never be repeated . ''
`` We would like that the next generation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it should never happen again , '' said 91-year-old David Marks , his voice cracking .
He lost 35 relatives after they all arrived in Auschwitz from their village in Romania .
`` A dictator does n't come up from one day to the other , '' Marks said , saying it happens in `` micro steps . ''
`` If we do n't watch it , one day you wake up and it 's too late , '' he added .
In Paris , French President Emmanuel Macron paid his respects at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned about rising hate crimes in France , which increased 27 % last year .
`` That anti-Semitism is coming back is not the Jewish people 's problem : It 's all our problem — it 's the nation 's problem , '' Macron said .

Survivors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp recalled their suffering as they marked the 75th anniversary of its liberation, returning to the place where they lost entire families and warning about the ominous growth of anti-Semitism and hatred in the world.
“We have with us the last living survivors, the last among those who saw the Holocaust with their own eyes,” Polish President Andrzej Duda told the dignitaries at the commemoration, which included the German president as well as Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders.
“The magnitude of the crime perpetrated in this place is terrifying but we must not look away from it and we must never forget it,” Duda said.
About 200 camp survivors attended, many of them elderly Jews and non-Jews who have traveled from Israel, the United States, Australia, Peru, Russia, Slovenia, and elsewhere. Many lost parents and grandparents in Auschwitz or other Nazi death camps, but were joined by children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren.
They gathered under an enormous, heated tent straddling the train tracks that had transported people to Birkenau, the part of the vast complex where most of the murdered Jews were killed in gas chambers and then cremated. Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet army on Jan. 27, 1945.
Jewish survivors told their stories, as did a Sinti, or Gypsy, woman who is now blind and delivered a few words that she said were “spoken from the heart” before having someone else read them.
Most of the 1.1 million people murdered by the Nazi German forces at the camp were Jews, but other Poles, Russians, and Roma were imprisoned there. Polish survivors walked with Duda through the camp’s gate early Monday wearing striped scarves that recalled the prison garb they wore more than 75 years ago.
World leaders gathered in Jerusalem last week to mark the anniversary in what many saw as a competing observance. Among them were Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Britain’s Prince Charles.
Politics intruded on that event, with Duda boycotting it in protest after Putin claimed that Poland played a role in triggering World War II. Duda had wanted a chance to speak before or after Putin to defend his nation’s record in face of those false accusations, but he was not given a speaking slot in Jerusalem.
Those claims comes as many countries across Eastern Europe have in recent years been mythologizing their own people’s behavior during the war and suppressing knowledge of wrongdoing, something Poland’s government, too, has been criticized for.
Duda said Monday he felt that in Jerusalem, “Polish participation in the epic fight against the Nazis was ignored.”
Monday’s commemoration gave him a chance to defend his nation, and he used it to recall how Poland was invaded and occupied, losing 6 million of its citizens in the war, half of them Jews. He recalled how Poland fought the Germans on several fronts, warned the world in vain about the genocide of the Jews, and for decades has been a responsible custodian of Auschwitz and other sites of the German atrocities.
“Distorting the history of World War II, denying the crimes of genocide and negating the Holocaust as well as an instrumental use of the Auschwitz for whatever purposes is tantamount to desecration of the memory of the victims,” Duda said. “Truth about the Holocaust must not die.”
Among others attending the observances at Auschwitz, which is located in southern Poland, a region under German occupation during the war, were German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
Rivlin recalled the strong connection that Israel shares with Poland, which welcomed Jews for centuries. It became home to Europe’s largest population of Jews — and later the center of Germany’s destruction of that community.
“The glorious history of the Jews in Poland, the prosperity of which the Jewish community has enjoyed throughout history, along with the difficult events that have taken place on this earth, connect the Jewish people and the State of Israel, inextricably, with Poland and the Polish people,” Rivlin said while standing alongside Duda at a news conference.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan was guided through the camp by museum director Piotr Cywinski and viewed a plaque that includes the name of his city after it recently pledged a contribution of 300,000 pounds ($391,000) for the site’s preservation.
Organizers of the event in Poland, the Auschwitz-Birkenau state memorial museum, and the World Jewish Congress, have sought to keep the spotlight on survivors.
On the eve of the commemorations, survivors, many leaning on their children and grandchildren for support, walked through the place where they had been brought in on cattle cars and suffered hunger and illness and came close to death. They said they were there to remember, to share their histories with others, and to make a gesture of defiance toward those who had sought their destruction.
For some, it is also the burial ground for their parents and grandparents, and they said they would say kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead.
“I have no graves to go to and I know my parents were murdered here and burned. So this is how I pay homage to them,” said Yvonne Engelman, a 92-year-old Australian who was joined by three more generations now scattered around the globe.
She recalled being brought in from a ghetto in what was then Czechoslovakia by cattle car, being stripped of her clothes, shaved and put in a gas chamber. By some miracle, the gas chamber that day did not work, and she later survived slave labor and a death march.
A 96-year-old survivor, Jeanette Spiegel, was 20 when she was brought to Auschwitz, where she spent nine months. Today she lives in New York and is fearful of rising anti-Semitic violence in the United States.
“I think they pick on the Jews because we are such a small minority and it is easy to pick on us,” she said, fighting back tears. “Young people should understand that nothing is for sure, that some terrible things can happen and they have to be very careful. And that, God forbid, what happened to the Jewish people then should never be repeated.”
“We would like that the next generation know what we went through, and it should never happen again,” said 91-year-old David Marks, his voice cracking. He lost 35 relatives after they all arrived in Auschwitz from their village in Romania.
“A dictator doesn’t come up from one day to the other,” Marks said, saying it happens in “micro steps.”
“If we don’t watch it, one day you wake up and it’s too late,” he added.
In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron paid his respects at the city’s Shoah Memorial and warned about rising hate crimes in France, which increased 27% last year.
“That anti-Semitism is coming back is not the Jewish people’s problem: It’s all our problem — it’s the nation’s problem,” Macron said.


shareblue--2020-01-27--Supreme Court lets Trump deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits

A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to put in place a policy connecting the use of public benefits with whether immigrants could become permanent residents .
The new policy can be used to deny green cards to immigrants over their use of public benefits including Medicaid , food stamps , and housing vouchers , as well as other factors .
The justices ' order came by a 5-4 vote and reversed a ruling from the 2nd U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals in New York that had kept in a place a nationwide hold on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against it .
The court 's four liberal justices , Stephen Breyer , Ruth Bader Ginsburg , Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor , would have prevented the policy from taking effect .
Federal appeals courts in San Francisco and Richmond , Virginia , had previously overturned trial court rulings against the policy .
An injunction in Illinois remains in effect , but applies only to that state .
The lawsuits will continue , but immigrants applying for permanent residency must now show they would n't be public charges , or burdens to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what factors would be considered to make that determination , and if it is decided that immigrants could potentially become public charges at any point in the future , that legal residency could be denied .
Roughly 544,000 people apply for green cards annually .
According to the government , 382,000 are in categories that would make them subject to the new review .
Immigrants make up a small portion of those getting public benefits , since many are ineligible to get them because of their immigration status .

A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to put in place a policy connecting the use of public benefits with whether immigrants could become permanent residents.
The new policy can be used to deny green cards to immigrants over their use of public benefits including Medicaid, food stamps, and housing vouchers, as well as other factors.
The justices’ order came by a 5-4 vote and reversed a ruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York that had kept in a place a nationwide hold on the policy following lawsuits that have been filed against it.
The court’s four liberal justices, Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, would have prevented the policy from taking effect.
Federal appeals courts in San Francisco and Richmond, Virginia, had previously overturned trial court rulings against the policy. An injunction in Illinois remains in effect, but applies only to that state.
The lawsuits will continue, but immigrants applying for permanent residency must now show they wouldn’t be public charges, or burdens to the country.
The new policy significantly expands what factors would be considered to make that determination, and if it is decided that immigrants could potentially become public charges at any point in the future, that legal residency could be denied.
Roughly 544,000 people apply for green cards annually. According to the government, 382,000 are in categories that would make them subject to the new review.
Immigrants make up a small portion of those getting public benefits, since many are ineligible to get them because of their immigration status.


shareblue--2020-01-27--GOP senators say they don't care about damning new evidence from Bolton

Former national security adviser John Bolton reportedly alleges in a forthcoming book that Donald Trump conditioned military aid to Ukraine on whether the country 's leadership would investigate his political rivals — meaning a firsthand witness says Trump did exactly what he 's accused of in the articles of impeachment .
Yet one by one , Republican senators are emerging to say that Bolton 's claims do n't matter , and they plan to acquit Trump anyway .
Sen. Mike Braun ( R-IN ) said at a news conference on Monday that Bolton 's account `` really does n't change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ R-WY ) said at that same news conference that , `` the facts of the case remain the same . ''
`` I do n't think it changes the facts , '' Thune told Washington Post reporter Erica Werner .
`` I do n't personally see it as a game changer . ''
However , Bolton 's evidence directly contradicts Trump 's legal team , which said there was no quid pro quo with Ukraine .
Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) went as far as questioning whether Bolton — who was one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House — is even a firsthand witness .
`` Is he a firsthand witness ? ''
Hawley told CNN 's Haley Byrd .
`` I 'm not sure . ''
Numerous Republicans have said from the outset that they plan to acquit Trump no matter what , despite taking an oath of impartiality .
Yet the bombshell news that Bolton has firsthand knowledge of Trump demanding a quid pro quo led to questions about how the GOP would handle the trial going forward .
Democrats are demanding that Bolton be called to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he would do if subpoenaed .
However , Republicans are laying the groundwork to ignore Bolton and keep on their condensed trial timeline to acquit Trump before his scheduled Feb. 4 State of the Union address .
For instance , the New York Times reported that Republicans were angry that the White House knew Bolton wrote in his book that Trump demanded a quid pro quo , yet did n't alert the Senate , leaving them `` blindsided . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Former national security adviser John Bolton reportedly alleges in a forthcoming book that Donald Trump conditioned military aid to Ukraine on whether the country’s leadership would investigate his political rivals — meaning a firsthand witness says Trump did exactly what he’s accused of in the articles of impeachment.
Yet one by one, Republican senators are emerging to say that Bolton’s claims don’t matter, and they plan to acquit Trump anyway.
Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) said at a news conference on Monday that Bolton’s account “really doesn’t change anything.”
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) said at that same news conference that, “the facts of the case remain the same.”
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) echoed Barrasso’s comments.
“I don’t think it changes the facts,” Thune told Washington Post reporter Erica Werner. “I don’t personally see it as a game changer.”
However, Bolton’s evidence directly contradicts Trump’s legal team, which said there was no quid pro quo with Ukraine.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) went as far as questioning whether Bolton — who was one of the highest-level Trump aides in the White House — is even a firsthand witness.
“Is he a firsthand witness?” Hawley told CNN’s Haley Byrd. “I’m not sure.”
Numerous Republicans have said from the outset that they plan to acquit Trump no matter what, despite taking an oath of impartiality.
Yet the bombshell news that Bolton has firsthand knowledge of Trump demanding a quid pro quo led to questions about how the GOP would handle the trial going forward.
Democrats are demanding that Bolton be called to testify under oath — something he already said he would do if subpoenaed.
However, Republicans are laying the groundwork to ignore Bolton and keep on their condensed trial timeline to acquit Trump before his scheduled Feb. 4 State of the Union address.
For instance, the New York Times reported that Republicans were angry that the White House knew Bolton wrote in his book that Trump demanded a quid pro quo, yet didn’t alert the Senate, leaving them “blindsided.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-28--GOP senator admits she hopes Trump's impeachment hurts Joe Biden

Donald Trump 's impeachment defense team , and many of his staunchest allies , have repeatedly argued that he was not really trying to pressure to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden for the purpose of damaging his presidential election chances — it 's just that Trump is really concerned about corruption .
But on Monday evening , Sen. Joni Ernst ( R-IA ) seemed to suggest that in fact the entire point was indeed to turn off Democratic voters .
`` Iowa caucuses , folks , Iowa caucuses are this next Monday evening , '' Ernst said to reporters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ see how this discussion today informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters , those Democratic caucus goers .
Will they be supporting Vice President Biden at this point ? ''
Much of Trump 's defense team spent Monday 's Senate impeachment trial focusing on the former vice president and his son , Hunter Biden , trying to argue that Trump was justified in seeking investigations into the Biden family because of their alleged corrupt and nefarious acts .
Despite many insinuations by Trump and his allies , there is no evidence to support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And despite the Trump team 's defense , plenty of evidence — including a Sunday bombshell from former national security adviser John Bolton 's forthcoming book — shows that Trump was indeed focused on the Biden family in particular .
Neither Trump nor anyone in his administration has offered any evidence to show that Trump has a general interest in rooting out corruption .
Asked in October whether he had asked any foreign leaders to investigate `` corruption '' of anyone who was not a political opponent , Trump could n't name a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we would have to look , '' he said .
It certainly looks as if Trump wanted to damage Biden , who numerous polls show has a good chance of beating Trump in November if he becomes the Democratic nominee for president .
Now Ernst is making clear that the message she thinks voters should take from Trump 's impeachment trial is n't about Trump , but about the baseless accusations against Biden .
It 's reminiscent of an infamous moment when Republican Kevin McCarthy , now House minority leader , admitted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2015 was to damage Hillary Clinton 's presidential chances .
`` Everybody though Hillary Clinton was unbeatable , right ? ''
McCarthy asked during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity .
`` But we put together a Benghazi special committee , a select committee .
What are her numbers today ?
Her numbers are dropping .
Why ?
Because she 's untrustable .
But no one would have known any of that had happened , had we not fought . ''
Now it seems Ernst has made a similar blunder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's Ukraine dealings was not to combat corruption but to damage Biden with voters .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump’s impeachment defense team, and many of his staunchest allies, have repeatedly argued that he was not really trying to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden for the purpose of damaging his presidential election chances — it’s just that Trump is really concerned about corruption.
But on Monday evening, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) seemed to suggest that in fact the entire point was indeed to turn off Democratic voters.
“Iowa caucuses, folks, Iowa caucuses are this next Monday evening,” Ernst said to reporters. “And I’m really interested to see how this discussion today informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters, those Democratic caucus-goers. Will they be supporting Vice President Biden at this point?”
ERNST: "IA caucuses are this next Monday evening. And I'm really interested to see how this discussion today informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters, those Demcaucus goers. Will they be supporting VP Biden at this point?" H/T @JaxAlemany pic.twitter.com/tYYkSPuIDY — Alan He (@alanhe) January 28, 2020
Much of Trump’s defense team spent Monday’s Senate impeachment trial focusing on the former vice president and his son Hunter Biden, trying to argue that Trump was justified in seeking investigations into the Biden family because of their alleged corrupt and nefarious acts. Despite many insinuations by Trump and his allies, there is no evidence to support Trump’s claims about the Bidens.
And despite the Trump team’s defense, plenty of evidence — including a Sunday bombshell from former national security adviser John Bolton’s forthcoming book — shows that Trump was indeed focused on the Biden family in particular.
Neither Trump nor anyone in his administration has offered any evidence to show that Trump has a general interest in rooting out corruption. In October, when he was asked whether he had asked any foreign leaders to investigate “corruption” of anyone who was not a political opponent, Trump couldn’t name a single example.
“You know, we would have to look,” he said.
It certainly looks as if Trump wanted to damage Biden, who numerous polls show has a good chance of beating Trump in November if he becomes the Democratic nominee for president.
Now Ernst is making clear that the message she thinks voters should take from Trump’s impeachment trial isn’t about Trump but about the baseless accusations against Biden.
It’s reminiscent of an infamous moment when Republican Kevin McCarthy, now House minority leader, admitted that the purpose of the endless Benghazi investigations in 2015 was to damage Hillary Clinton’s presidential chances.
“Everybody though Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right?” McCarthy asked during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. “But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened, had we not fought.”
Now it seems Ernst has made a similar blunder — suggesting that the real motivation of Trump’s Ukraine dealings was not to combat corruption but to damage Biden with voters.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-28--Iowa paper slams Joni Ernst for saying she hopes impeachment hurts Biden

On Tuesday , Iowa 's largest newspaper slammed Sen. Joni Ernst ( R-IA ) for telling reporters she hoped Donald Trump 's impeachment trial would hurt former Vice President Joe Biden 's presidential campaign .
After Trump 's impeachment defense team spent much of Monday insinuating Biden and his son Hunter were corrupt — with claims that have been debunked time and again — Ernst told reporters that night she was `` really interested to see how this discussion today informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters , those Democratic caucus-goers .
Will they be supporting Vice President Biden at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Des Moines Register wrote in response , `` Some Iowans watching her daily commentaries to reporters as Trump 's impeachment trial unfolds may question her allegiance to the U.S. Constitution and the integrity of the U.S .
Senate . ''
The Register cautioned that Ernst `` might want to contemplate whether the process , and her comments , will influence Iowa voters when they go to the polls in November to decide whether she deserves a second term . ''
Ernst 's comments came exactly one week before Iowa Democrats vote for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process to determine the 2020 nominee .
Biden claimed Ernst `` spilled the beans '' when he spoke at an Iowa event on Tuesday , adding , `` the whole impeachment trial for Trump is just a political hit job to try to smear me , because he is scared to death to run against me , and he has good reason to be concerned . ''
Biden is currently leading the pack of Democrats vying for the nomination in an average of national polls , while Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polls .
In addition to taking Ernst to task for her comments , the Register editorial board also encouraged both Ernst and Iowa 's senior senator , Chuck Grassley , to support witnesses in the impeachment trial .
As the Register noted , Ernst is up for reelection in November .
Ernst is currently the third most unpopular senator in the country , according to a Morning Consult poll , with Sen. Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) coming in second and Sen. Susan Collins ( R-ME ) ranked as the most unpopular in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The American Independent Foundation .

On Tuesday, Iowa’s largest newspaper slammed Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) for telling reporters she hoped Donald Trump’s impeachment trial would hurt former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign.
After Trump’s impeachment defense team spent much of Monday insinuating Biden and his son Hunter were corrupt — with claims that have been debunked time and again — Ernst told reporters that night she was “really interested to see how this discussion today informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters, those Democratic caucus-goers. Will they be supporting Vice President Biden at this point?”
Editors at the Des Moines Register wrote in response, “Some Iowans watching her daily commentaries to reporters as Trump’s impeachment trial unfolds may question her allegiance to the U.S. Constitution and the integrity of the U.S. Senate.”
The Register cautioned that Ernst “might want to contemplate whether the process, and her comments, will influence Iowa voters when they go to the polls in November to decide whether she deserves a second term.”
Ernst’s comments came exactly one week before Iowa Democrats vote for their preferred candidate, kicking off the nominating process to determine the 2020 nominee.
Biden claimed Ernst “spilled the beans” when he spoke at an Iowa event on Tuesday, adding, “the whole impeachment trial for Trump is just a political hit job to try to smear me, because he is scared to death to run against me, and he has good reason to be concerned.” Biden is currently leading the pack of Democrats vying for the nomination in an average of national polls, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is leading in an average of Iowa polls.
In addition to taking Ernst to task for her comments, the Register editorial board also encouraged both Ernst and Iowa’s senior senator, Chuck Grassley, to support witnesses in the impeachment trial.
As the Register noted, Ernst is up for reelection in November. Ernst is currently the third most unpopular senator in the country, according to a Morning Consult poll, with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) coming in second and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) ranked as the most unpopular in the country.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-28--West Virginia governor calls on Virginia counties to secede and join his state

West Virginia Gov .
Jim Justice , a Republican , appeared at a press conference on Tuesday and endorsed a proposal by evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. that certain counties secede from Virginia and join Justice 's neighboring state .
Falwell , who leads the private evangelical Liberty University in Virginia , specifically proposed that conservative counties frustrated with the state 's new overwhelming Democratic majority leave his home state for West Virginia .
`` West Virginia 's role is one thing , and that is to tell the world just how inviting we are and that we would welcome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Justice said on Tuesday .
`` If there 's people , or there 's businesses , or there 's counties that are discontent , we want the world to know just how welcoming West Virginia is . ''
Citing Falwell 's suggestion that conservative counties secede , Justice added , `` Whether it 's a long shot or a sure shot , you 're never going to get there unless there 's an effort to try . ''
Moments earlier , Falwell had described the Legislature in Virginia as a `` barbaric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is `` trampling on individual rights throughout the state . ''
He was referring specifically to proposals currently circulating the Legislature intended to combat gun violence , an issue many of the Democrats who won races in Virginia ran on in 2019 , despite the NRA 's heavy presence there .
Falwell then baselessly claimed that the Legislature no longer reflected the will of Virginia voters because many who voted for Democrats lived in Northern Virginia and were employed by the federal government .
Falwell did not explain why those votes were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties in Virginia .
The Republican-led Legislature in West Virginia recently backed a resolution encouraging counties in Virginia to join them .
Congress would have to approve of counties switching states , as would the legislature of both states .
Falwell himself conceded Tuesday that such an outcome would be unlikely .
Virginia voted to secede from the United States in 1861 and joined the pro-slavery Confederacy , which ultimately lost to the United States in the Civil War .
Virginia rejoined the United States in 1869 and has been a part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, appeared at a press conference on Tuesday and endorsed a proposal by evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. that certain counties secede from Virginia and join Justice’s neighboring state.
Falwell, who leads the private evangelical Liberty University in Virginia, specifically proposed that conservative counties frustrated with the state’s new overwhelming Democratic majority leave his home state for West Virginia.
“West Virginia’s role is one thing, and that is to tell the world just how inviting we are and that we would welcome [them] with open arms,” Justice said on Tuesday. “If there’s people, or there’s businesses, or there’s counties that are discontent, we want the world to know just how welcoming West Virginia is.”
Citing Falwell’s suggestion that conservative counties secede, Justice added, “Whether it’s a long shot or a sure shot, you’re never going to get there unless there’s an effort to try.”
Moments earlier, Falwell had described the Legislature in Virginia as a “barbaric, totalitarian and corrupt Democratic regime” that is “trampling on individual rights throughout the state.”
He was referring specifically to proposals currently circulating the Legislature intended to combat gun violence, an issue many of the Democrats who won races in Virginia ran on in 2019, despite the NRA’s heavy presence there.
Falwell then baselessly claimed that the Legislature no longer reflected the will of Virginia voters because many who voted for Democrats lived in Northern Virginia and were employed by the federal government. Falwell did not explain why those votes were less valuable than those from more rural counties in Virginia.
The Republican-led Legislature in West Virginia recently backed a resolution encouraging counties in Virginia to join them.
Congress would have to approve of counties switching states, as would the legislature of both states. Falwell himself conceded Tuesday that such an outcome would be unlikely.
Virginia voted to secede from the United States in 1861 and joined the pro-slavery Confederacy, which ultimately lost to the United States in the Civil War. Virginia rejoined the United States in 1869 and has been a part of the country for the last 151 years.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-28--Trump's Middle East peace plan is dead on arrival

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said `` a thousand no 's '' Tuesday to the Middle East peace plan announced by Donald Trump , which strongly favors Israel .
`` After the nonsense that we heard today we say a thousand no 's to the Deal of The Century , '' Abbas said at a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah , where the Western-backed Palestinian Authority is headquartered .
He said the Palestinians remain committed to ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a state with its capital in east Jerusalem .
`` We will not kneel and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , adding that the Palestinians would resist the plan through `` peaceful , popular means . ''
The plan would create a Palestinian state in parts of the West Bank but would allow Israel to annex nearly all of its settlements in the occupied territory .
The plan would allow the Palestinians to establish a capital on the outskirts of East Jerusalem but would leave most of the city under Israeli control .
The Islamic militant group ruling Gaza rejected the `` conspiracies '' announced by the U.S. and Israel and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responding to the Trump administration 's plan .
`` We are certain that our Palestinian people will not let these conspiracies pass .
So , all options are open .
The ( Israeli ) occupation and the U.S. administration will bear the responsibility for what they did , '' senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said as he participated in one of several protests that broke out across the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip .
Protesters burned tires and pictures of Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .
Abbas held an emergency meeting with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to discuss a unified response to the plan .
Abbas had rejected the deal before it was announced saying the U.S. was hopelessly biased toward Israel .
Jordan meanwhile warned against any Israeli `` annexation of Palestinian lands '' and reaffirmed its commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines , which would include all the West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem .
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned of `` the dangerous consequences of unilateral Israeli measures , such as annexation of Palestinian lands . ''
Jordan and Egypt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have made peace with Israel .

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said “a thousand no’s” Tuesday to the Middle East peace plan announced by Donald Trump, which strongly favors Israel.
“After the nonsense that we heard today we say a thousand no’s to the Deal of The Century,” Abbas said at a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the Western-backed Palestinian Authority is headquartered.
He said the Palestinians remain committed to ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a state with its capital in east Jerusalem.
“We will not kneel and we will not surrender,” Abbas said, adding that the Palestinians would resist the plan through “peaceful, popular means.”
The plan would create a Palestinian state in parts of the West Bank but would allow Israel to annex nearly all of its settlements in the occupied territory. The plan would allow the Palestinians to establish a capital on the outskirts of East Jerusalem but would leave most of the city under Israeli control.
The Islamic militant group ruling Gaza rejected the “conspiracies” announced by the U.S. and Israel and said “all options are open” in responding to the Trump administration’s plan.
“We are certain that our Palestinian people will not let these conspiracies pass. So, all options are open. The (Israeli) occupation and the U.S. administration will bear the responsibility for what they did,” senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said as he participated in one of several protests that broke out across the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Protesters burned tires and pictures of Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Abbas held an emergency meeting with other Palestinian factions, including Hamas, to discuss a unified response to the plan. Abbas had rejected the deal before it was announced saying the U.S. was hopelessly biased toward Israel.
Jordan meanwhile warned against any Israeli “annexation of Palestinian lands” and reaffirmed its commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines, which would include all the West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned of “the dangerous consequences of unilateral Israeli measures, such as annexation of Palestinian lands.”
Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab countries to have made peace with Israel.


shareblue--2020-01-28--Some US citizens stay in China amid virus outbreak despite evacuation

As hundreds of Americans prepare to evacuate Wuhan , the central Chinese city at the heart of a new virus outbreak that has killed over 100 , San Francisco native Doug Perez is staying behind .
It 's not that he 's unconcerned .
Perez , 28 , and his girlfriend have hunkered down in their apartment for the past five days .
They 've argued .
They 've fretted over missed food deliveries .
They 've dubbed their Labrador , Chubby , `` Apocalypse Dog , '' venturing out for short walks on deserted streets only after fitting him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't leave because his girlfriend , a Chinese citizen , wo n't be allowed on the plane .
`` A lot of foreigners are stuck here , '' Perez said .
`` There is no way on Earth many of us , including myself , are going to leave our loved ones . ''
As China rolls out containment measures unprecedented in modern history , locking down more than 50 million people in 17 cities , foreigners trapped in the quarantine zone are wondering when they can return home .
The U.S. government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take several hundred diplomats , family members , and other Americans out of the country to Ontario , California .
The plane will refuel in Anchorage , Alaska , where the passengers will be rescreened , according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services .
But Americans in Wuhan estimate there are more than a thousand U.S. citizens in the city , meaning most will be left behind .
`` It 's like a sinking ship , '' Perez said .
The day the lockdown was announced , Perez and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` a plate was destroyed '' — over whether to venture to a supermarket to buy food .
His girlfriend , who does n't want to be named , won the argument , and the couple began ordering food online .
The streets went quiet .
They stay in every night , spending hours a day on social media checking up on the latest news and fielding calls from worried relatives .
On Monday evening , guards barred him from leaving his apartment compound , leaving him wondering what 's next .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like how bad this could get , '' Perez said .
`` Who knows what will be next week .
Will it be police , will it be soldiers ?
Will we physically not be able to leave our building ? ''
Japan , South Korea , France and other wealthy governments are also planning evacuations .
But for many from other countries , there are no plans for evacuations at all , leaving them totally stranded .
Another American , who declined to be identified out of fear of online and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stay behind because she has a cough and was told she would likely be quarantined at the Wuhan airport by Chinese authorities .
But for Priscilla Dickey , 35 , from South Burlington , Vermont , trying to get on the plane was a no-brainer because of her 8-year-old daughter , Hermione , who she worries could be vulnerable to the virus .
On Monday afternoon , the consulate phoned Dickey and told her she and her daughter had seats .
After packing a bag with three shirts and a pair of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the morning trying to figure out how she would get to the airport amid a transportation shutdown .
She `` stress cleaned '' her apartment in the morning , she said , before getting in an airport-bound car , waves of emotion washing over her .
`` I was feeling guilt , '' Dickey said , speaking by phone on her way to the airport .
`` Excitement , guilt , stress — all of it . ''
Dickey plans to stay with relatives in the Cincinnati area after a 3- to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she was `` very grateful '' to be on her way out .
Meanwhile , Perez is still mulling whether to venture to a supermarket , weighing the risks of getting infected .
But despite the worsening conditions , Perez says there are moments of hope .
On Monday evening , residents set off fireworks , and cries of `` Go Wuhan ! ''
echoed around his apartment compound .
Perez joined in , shouting `` We are all Wuhan people ! ''
His girlfriend cheered and his dog barked , making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this together . ''
`` We needed that , '' Perez said .
`` It lifted us up a bit and gave us some hope . ''

As hundreds of Americans prepare to evacuate Wuhan, the central Chinese city at the heart of a new virus outbreak that has killed over 100, San Francisco native Doug Perez is staying behind.
It’s not that he’s unconcerned. Perez, 28, and his girlfriend have hunkered down in their apartment for the past five days. They’ve argued. They’ve fretted over missed food deliveries. They’ve dubbed their Labrador, Chubby, “Apocalypse Dog,” venturing out for short walks on deserted streets only after fitting him with a mask.
But Perez won’t leave because his girlfriend, a Chinese citizen, won’t be allowed on the plane.
“A lot of foreigners are stuck here,” Perez said. “There is no way on Earth many of us, including myself, are going to leave our loved ones.”
As China rolls out containment measures unprecedented in modern history, locking down more than 50 million people in 17 cities, foreigners trapped in the quarantine zone are wondering when they can return home.
The U.S. government is chartering a flight on Tuesday night to take several hundred diplomats, family members, and other Americans out of the country to Ontario, California. The plane will refuel in Anchorage, Alaska, where the passengers will be rescreened, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
But Americans in Wuhan estimate there are more than a thousand U.S. citizens in the city, meaning most will be left behind.
“It’s like a sinking ship,” Perez said.
The day the lockdown was announced, Perez and his girlfriend got in a fight — “a plate was destroyed” — over whether to venture to a supermarket to buy food. His girlfriend, who doesn’t want to be named, won the argument, and the couple began ordering food online. The streets went quiet. They stay in every night, spending hours a day on social media checking up on the latest news and fielding calls from worried relatives.
On Monday evening, guards barred him from leaving his apartment compound, leaving him wondering what’s next.
“That’s kind of dawned on me, like how bad this could get,” Perez said. “Who knows what will be next week. Will it be police, will it be soldiers? Will we physically not be able to leave our building?”
Japan, South Korea, France and other wealthy governments are also planning evacuations. But for many from other countries, there are no plans for evacuations at all, leaving them totally stranded.
Another American, who declined to be identified out of fear of online and government harassment, said she was choosing to stay behind because she has a cough and was told she would likely be quarantined at the Wuhan airport by Chinese authorities.
But for Priscilla Dickey, 35, from South Burlington, Vermont, trying to get on the plane was a no-brainer because of her 8-year-old daughter, Hermione, who she worries could be vulnerable to the virus. On Monday afternoon, the consulate phoned Dickey and told her she and her daughter had seats.
After packing a bag with three shirts and a pair of pants, Dickey stayed up until two in the morning trying to figure out how she would get to the airport amid a transportation shutdown. She “stress cleaned” her apartment in the morning, she said, before getting in an airport-bound car, waves of emotion washing over her.
“I was feeling guilt,” Dickey said, speaking by phone on her way to the airport. “Excitement, guilt, stress — all of it.”
Dickey plans to stay with relatives in the Cincinnati area after a 3- to 14-day quarantine, she says, adding that she was “very grateful” to be on her way out.
Meanwhile, Perez is still mulling whether to venture to a supermarket, weighing the risks of getting infected.
But despite the worsening conditions, Perez says there are moments of hope. On Monday evening, residents set off fireworks, and cries of “Go Wuhan!” echoed around his apartment compound.
Perez joined in, shouting “We are all Wuhan people!” His girlfriend cheered and his dog barked, making them feel they were “all in this together.”
“We needed that,” Perez said. “It lifted us up a bit and gave us some hope.”


shareblue--2020-01-28--Government agency admits it's not monitoring foreign spending at Trump hotel

The head of the Government Services Agency ( GSA ) admitted Tuesday morning that she had no idea how much money foreign governments were spending at the Trump International Hotel in Washington , D.C. , and had not bothered to find out .
GSA Administrator Emily Murphy 's comments came in response to questions from Rep. John Garamendi ( D-CA ) during an Economic Development , Public Buildings , and Emergency Management subcommittee hearing .
`` Could you please confirm for the record that the GSA has no idea whatsoever as to how much spending by foreign governments accounts for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hotel ? ''
Garamendi asked .
`` That 's correct , sir , '' Murphy said , adding that she only knew what she had read in newspapers .
Garamendi then asked if Murphy had `` made any attempt to request information '' from the Trump Organization `` regarding foreign spending '' at the D.C. hotel .
She replied that she had not .
When asked why she had not attempted to access that information , given she had sworn an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution , Murphy , who was appointed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argued that the Justice Department had already cleared the hotel of any potential emoluments clause violations .
The Trump Hotel is located in the Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue , just blocks from the White House .
The federal government owns the building and awarded the Trump Organization a lease in 2013 to renovate the property and turn it into a hotel .
The lease , which is administered by the GSA , runs a total of almost 100 years , according to the Wall Street Journal .
At the heart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's emoluments clause , which prevents a president from accepting `` any present , Emolument , Office , or Title , of any kind whatever , from any King , Prince , or foreign State '' without Congress ' consent .
An Inspector General ( IG ) investigation last year revealed that the GSA failed to take the emoluments clause into account when allowing the Trump Organization to maintain its lease on the building after Trump was elected in 2016 .
Rep. Peter DeFazio ( D-OR ) noted on Tuesday that the GSA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` by refusing to implement the IG 's recommendation '' from a year earlier .
`` This leads me to question whose interests GSA is serving—the Trump Organization or the American public ? ''
he said .
Trump did not divest from his business ventures upon taking office , as other presidents have done in the past , allowing him to benefit from profits generated by the Trump Hotel .
According to the watchdog group Public Citizen , that decision has created `` a unique ethical minefield , '' as foreign governments may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by staying at the hotel .
Trump claims that a yearly check from the Trump Organization to the U.S. Treasury for all profits from foreign governments is enough to satisfy the Constitution , but scholars question the methodology of the payments .
According to Public Citizen , officials from 16 different foreign governments have stayed at the Trump Hotel since he was elected , including representatives from Pakistan , Nigeria , Turkey , Kuwait , India , the Philippines , Greece , Qatar , and Malaysia .
In one instance , Kuwait moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Four Seasons to the Trump Hotel shortly after Trump was elected , showering the Trump organization with tens of thousands of dollars in business .
In October 2019 , the Trump Organization announced its intention to sell the remaining time on the hotel 's lease .
Part of the Trump Organization sales brochure for the property , according to DeFazio , notes that `` potential exists for a new owner to fully capitalize on government related business . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The head of the Government Services Agency (GSA) admitted Tuesday morning that she had no idea how much money foreign governments were spending at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., and had not bothered to find out.
GSA Administrator Emily Murphy’s comments came in response to questions from Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) during an Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management subcommittee hearing.
“Could you please confirm for the record that the GSA has no idea whatsoever as to how much spending by foreign governments accounts for the income and profits at the Trump Hotel?” Garamendi asked.
“That’s correct, sir,” Murphy said, adding that she only knew what she had read in newspapers.
Garamendi then asked if Murphy had “made any attempt to request information” from the Trump Organization “regarding foreign spending” at the D.C. hotel. She replied that she had not.
When asked why she had not attempted to access that information, given she had sworn an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution, Murphy, who was appointed to her position by Donald Trump, argued that the Justice Department had already cleared the hotel of any potential emoluments clause violations.
The Trump Hotel is located in the Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue, just blocks from the White House. The federal government owns the building and awarded the Trump Organization a lease in 2013 to renovate the property and turn it into a hotel. The lease, which is administered by the GSA, runs a total of almost 100 years, according to the Wall Street Journal.
At the heart of Garamendi’s questions is the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which prevents a president from accepting “any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State” without Congress’ consent.
An Inspector General (IG) investigation last year revealed that the GSA failed to take the emoluments clause into account when allowing the Trump Organization to maintain its lease on the building after Trump was elected in 2016.
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) noted on Tuesday that the GSA had apparently chosen to ignore that investigation “by refusing to implement the IG’s recommendation” from a year earlier.
“This leads me to question whose interests GSA is serving—the Trump Organization or the American public?” he said.
Trump did not divest from his business ventures upon taking office, as other presidents have done in the past, allowing him to benefit from profits generated by the Trump Hotel. According to the watchdog group Public Citizen, that decision has created “a unique ethical minefield,” as foreign governments may seek to influence Trump and his family by staying at the hotel.
Trump claims that a yearly check from the Trump Organization to the U.S. Treasury for all profits from foreign governments is enough to satisfy the Constitution, but scholars question the methodology of the payments.
According to Public Citizen, officials from 16 different foreign governments have stayed at the Trump Hotel since he was elected, including representatives from Pakistan, Nigeria, Turkey, Kuwait, India, the Philippines, Greece, Qatar, and Malaysia. In one instance, Kuwait moved its annual independence day celebration from the Four Seasons to the Trump Hotel shortly after Trump was elected, showering the Trump organization with tens of thousands of dollars in business.
In October 2019, the Trump Organization announced its intention to sell the remaining time on the hotel’s lease. Part of the Trump Organization sales brochure for the property, according to DeFazio, notes that “potential exists for a new owner to fully capitalize on government related business.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-01-28--Trump lawyer: He can't be guilty since he's working on 'peace in the Middle East'

Defense attorney Jay Sekulow delivered his final arguments on Tuesday for why Donald Trump should n't be removed from office , making a rambling , Fox News-conspiracy-laden speech that painted Trump as a victim who is simply trying to cure the world 's problems .
At one point , Sekulow condemned House Democrats for suggested that Trump is self-serving .
`` The one , it still troubles me , this idea that the president , said by several managers , is only doing these things for himself , '' Sekulow said .
`` Understanding what is going on in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They raised it , by the way .
I 'm not trying to be disrespectful .
They raised it — this president is only doing things for himself , while the leaders of opposing parties by the way , at the highest level , to obtain peace in the Middle East , to say you 're only doing that for yourself ? ''
Sekulow seemed to be referencing the Democratic argument that Trump used the office of the presidency for personal gain when he withheld military aid to Ukraine to push the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's unclear how Trump introducing a Middle East peace plan that was quickly rejected by Palestinians has anything to do with Trump demanding Ukraine interfere in the 2020 election in order to obtain funding Congress promised .
However , irrelevant arguments have been par for the course from Trump 's impeachment defense team .
For example on Monday , a Trump defense lawyer argued that Rudy Giuliani — Trump 's personal lawyer who has been a ring leader of the Ukraine scandal that led to Trump 's impeachment — ca n't be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York during 9/11 .
`` Rudy Giuliani is the House manager 's colorful distraction , '' lawyer Jane Raskin said .
`` He 's a household name .
Legendary federal prosecutor who took down the mafia , corrupt public officials , Wall Street racketeers .
Crime-busting mayor who cleaned up New York and turned it around . ''
`` A national hero .
America 's mayor after 9/11 , '' Raskin continued .
`` And after that ?
An internationally recognized expert on fighting corruption . ''
Democrats have attacked the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have n't disputed the facts the House impeachment managers laid out .
`` They do n't contest the facts of Trump 's scheme , '' Rep. Adam Schiff ( D-CA ) , one of the seven House impeachment managers , said on Saturday .
`` They 're trying to deflect , distract from , and distort the truth .
And they are continuing to cover it up by blocking documents and witnesses . ''
Trump 's defense team will wrap its arguments on Tuesday .
After that , Senators will get to submit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be taken on whether any witnesses should testify .
So far , it 's unclear whether Democrats will get the four GOP votes needed to subpoena critical witnesses , such as former national security adviser John Bolton .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Defense attorney Jay Sekulow delivered his final arguments on Tuesday for why Donald Trump shouldn’t be removed from office, making a rambling, Fox News-conspiracy-laden speech that painted Trump as a victim who is simply trying to cure the world’s problems.
At one point, Sekulow condemned House Democrats for suggested that Trump is self-serving.
“The one, it still troubles me, this idea that the president, said by several managers, is only doing these things for himself,” Sekulow said. “Understanding what is going on in the world today as we’re here — They raised it, by the way. I’m not trying to be disrespectful. They raised it — this president is only doing things for himself, while the leaders of opposing parties by the way, at the highest level, to obtain peace in the Middle East, to say you’re only doing that for yourself?”
Sekulow seemed to be referencing the Democratic argument that Trump used the office of the presidency for personal gain when he withheld military aid to Ukraine to push the country to investigate his political rivals.
It’s unclear how Trump introducing a Middle East peace plan that was quickly rejected by Palestinians has anything to do with Trump demanding Ukraine interfere in the 2020 election in order to obtain funding Congress promised.
However, irrelevant arguments have been par for the course from Trump’s impeachment defense team.
For example on Monday, a Trump defense lawyer argued that Rudy Giuliani — Trump’s personal lawyer who has been a ring leader of the Ukraine scandal that led to Trump’s impeachment — can’t be a bad guy because he was mayor of New York during 9/11.
“Rudy Giuliani is the House manager’s colorful distraction,” lawyer Jane Raskin said. “He’s a household name. Legendary federal prosecutor who took down the mafia, corrupt public officials, Wall Street racketeers. Crime-busting mayor who cleaned up New York and turned it around.”
“A national hero. America’s mayor after 9/11,” Raskin continued. “And after that? An internationally recognized expert on fighting corruption.”
Democrats have attacked the Trump defense, saying that Trump’s lawyers haven’t disputed the facts the House impeachment managers laid out.