rawstory--2020-01-14--GOP lawmaker accuses Rep. Matt Gaetz of creating ‘a game’ where politicians get ‘points’ for sleepin

GOP lawmaker accuses Rep. Matt Gaetz of creating ‘a game’ where politicians get ‘points’ for sleeping with interns and married colleagues

In Florida politics , Rep. Matt Gaetz is not only known for getting into bitter arguments with Democrats — he is also known for his feuds with fellow Republicans .
And this week , things turned ugly after Gaetz attacked Republican State Rep. Chris Latvala for tweeting a photo of him meeting with the Rev .
Al Sharpton .
Monday on Twitter , Latvala wrote , “ It was an honor to meet @ TheRevAl today.
” And when Gaetz ( who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives via Florida ’ s 1st Congressional District ) saw the tweet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — who hosts “ Politics Nation ” on MSNBC — the 37-year-old far-right Republican responded , “ Sharpton has called Cops ‘ pigs ; ’ Whites ‘ interlopers ; ’ Greeks ‘ homos ’ and Jews ‘ diamond merchants .
So that is pretty disgusting.
” Latvala ( the 38-year-old son of former Florida State Sen. Jack Latvala , now 68 ) responded by accusing Gaetz of inventing a sleazy game for Florida legislators that included a sexual scoring system .
In 2013 , Politico ’ s Marc Caputo reported that according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislators received one point for sleeping with a lobbyist , two points for sleeping with legislative staff , three points for sleeping with another legislator and six points for sleeping with a married legislator .
Gaetz responded by telling the Tampa Bay Times that he “ had no idea what Chris was talking about ” and attacking Jack Latvala .
Gaetz told the Tampa Bay Times , “ I know Jack Latvala ( had ) to resign in disgrace over demanding sexual favors from lobbyists in exchange for appropriations .
So , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t start conversations with people on Twitter about their sex lives , especially Latvalas.
” Jack Latvala resigned from the Florida State Senate in December 2017 .
On Twitter , Gaetz told Chris Latvala , “ Just because I own you on Twitter , don ’ t confuse me for your daddy when it comes to abusing power for sex .
Also , I missed the defense of Sharpton in your reply.
” Chris Latvala then brought up Gaetz ’ arrest in 2008 in Okaloosa County , Florida for allegedly driving under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dropped .
The Florida representative tweeted , “ Have you been drinking tonight ?
I hope you don ’ t get behind the wheel .
I know you have had a rough few days up there .
”

There are a few different explanations that math enthusiasts have put forward – some citing translation, others pointing to a more typographic origin. Each theory has some merit, but historians of mathematics, like me, know that it’s difficult to say for sure how x got its role in modern algebra.
Ancient unknowns
Algebra today is a branch of math in which abstract symbols are manipulated, using arithmetic, to solve different kinds of equations. But many ancient societies had well-developed mathematical systems and knowledge with no symbolic notation.
All ancient algebra was rhetorical. Mathematical problems and solutions were completely written out in words as part of a little story, much like the word problems you might see in elementary school.
A portion of the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, dated circa 1650 B.C.E. The Trustees of the British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA
Ancient Egyptian mathematicians, who are perhaps best known for their geometric advances, were skilled in solving simple algebraic problems. In the Rhind papyrus, the scribe Ahmes uses the hieroglyphics referred to as “aha” to denote the unknown quantity in his algebraic problems. For example, problem 24 asks for the value of aha if aha plus one-seventh of aha equals 19. “Aha” means something like “mass” or “heap.”
The ancient Babylonians of Mesopotamia used many different words for unknowns in their algebraic system – typically words meaning length, width, area or volume, even if the problem itself was not geometric in nature. One ancient problem involved two unknowns termed the “first silver thing” and the “second silver thing.”
Mathematical know-how developed somewhat independently in many lands and in many languages. Limitations in communication prevented any immediate standardization of notation. However, over time some abbreviations crept in.
In a transitional syncopated phase, authors used some symbolic notation, but algebraic ideas were still presented mainly rhetorically. Diophantus of Alexandria used a syncopated algebra in his great work Arithmetica. He called the unknown “arithmos” and used an archaic Greek letter similar to s for the unknown.
Indian mathematicians made additional algebraic discoveries and developed what are essentially the modern symbols for each of the decimal digits. One especially influential Indian mathematician was Brahmagupta, whose algebraic techniques could handle any quadratic equation. Brahmagupta’s name for the unknown variable was yãvattâvat. When additional variables were required, he instead used the initial syllable of color names, like kâ from kâlaka (black), ya from yavat tava (yellow), ni from nilaka (blue), and so on.
In the treatise Al-jabr wa'l muqabalah, the words al-jabr and muqabalah roughly mean ‘restoration’ and ‘reduction,’ respectively. Al-Khwarizmi via Wikimedia Commons
Islamic scholars translated and preserved a great deal of both Greek and Indian scholarship that has contributed immensely to the world’s mathematical, scientific and technical knowledge. The most famous Islamic mathematician was al-Khowarizmi, whose foundational book Al-jabr wa’l muqabalah is at the root of the modern word “algebra.”
So what about x?
One theory of the genesis of x as the unknown in modern algebra points to these Islamic roots. The theory contends that the Arabic word used for the quantity being sought was al-shayun, meaning “something,” which was shortened to the symbol for its first “sh” sound. When Spanish scholars translated the Arabic mathematical treatises, they lacked a letter for the “sh” sound and instead chose the “k” sound. They represented this sound by the Greek letter χ, which later became the Latin x.
It’s not unusual for a mathematical expression to come about through convoluted translations – the trigonometric word “sine” started as a Hindu word for a half-chord but, through a series of translations, ended up coming from the Latin word “sinus,” meaning bay. However, there is some evidence that casts doubt upon the theory that using x as an unknown is an artifact of Spanish translation.
The Spanish alphabet includes the letter x, and early Catalonian involved several pronunciations of it depending on context, including a pronunciation akin to the modern sh. Although the sound changed pronunciation over time, there are still vestiges of the sh sound for x in Portuguese, as well as in Mexican Spanish and its use in native place names. By this reasoning, Spanish translators conceivably could have used x without needing to resort first to the Greek χ and then to the Latin x.
Moreover, although the letter x may have been used in mathematics during the Middle Ages sporadically, there is no consistent use of it dating back that far. Western mathematical texts over the next several centuries still used a variety of words, abbreviations and letters to represent the unknown.
For instance, a typical problem in the algebra book “Sumario Compendioso of Juan Diez,” published in Mexico in 1556, uses the word “cosa” – meaning “stuff” or “thing” – to stand in for the unknown.
The French mathematician, scientist and philosopher René Descartes. Painting by Frans Hals via Wikimedia Commons
I think that the most plausible explanation is to credit the influential French scholar René Descartes for the modern use of x. In an appendix to his major work “Discourse” in the 17th century, Descartes introduced a version of analytic geometry – in which algebra is used to solve geometric problems. For unspecified constants he chose the first few letters of the alphabet, and for variables he chose the last letters in reverse order.
Although scholars may never know for sure, some theorize that Descartes may have chosen the letter x to appear often since the printer had a large cache of x’s because of its scarcity in the French language. Whatever his reasons for choosing x, Descartes greatly influenced the development of mathematics, and his mathematical writings were widely circulated.
Xtending beyond algebra
Even if the origins of x in algebra are uncertain, there are some instances in which historians do know why x is used. The X in Xmas as an abbreviation for Christmas definitely does come from the Greek letter χ. The Greek word for Christ is Christos, written χριστοσ and meaning “anointed.” The χ monogram was used as a shorthand for Christ in both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox writings dating back as far as the 16th century.
There are also some contexts in which x was chosen specifically to indicate something unknown or extra, such as when the German physicist Wilhelm Roentgenaccidentally discovered X-rays in 1895 while experimenting with cathode rays and glass.
But there are other cases in which scholars can only guess about the origins of x’s role, such as the phrase “X marks the spot.” And there are other contexts – such as Elon Musk’s affinity for the letter – that may just be a matter of personal taste.
Peter Schumer, Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, Middlebury


rawstory--2020-01-14--McConnell not only is refusing to negotiate on impeachment rules — he won’t even talk to Democrats:

McConnell not only is refusing to negotiate on impeachment rules — he won’t even talk to Democrats: Schumer

Sen. Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) told the press Tuesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) not only won ’ t work with Democrats on crafting agreeable rules for the impeachment trial , he won ’ t even speak to them .
Politico congressional reporter Burgess Everett quoted Schumer as he appeared before the press in the wake of McConnell ’ s briefing about the timeline for the impeachment trial .
Other Republicans have encouraged McConnell to stop stonewalling Democrats because it is beginning to make them look bad as they get closer to their elections in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) is one such Republican up in November trying to generate the appearance of fairness in the process .
“ We need to start working together on procedures , ” said Ernst .
As the new Quinnipiac University poll showed this week , 51 percent of voters support the impeachment of President Donald Trump .
However , 46 percent believe he should be convicted and removed from office .
A full 66 percent of Americans want John Bolton to testify , which shows overwhelming support for a fair trial with witnesses .
McConnell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the impeachment inquiry against Trump , but as more information becomes available , support for a fair trial began to grow .

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told the press Tuesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) not only won't work with Democrats on crafting agreeable rules for the impeachment trial, he won't even speak to them.
Politico congressional reporter Burgess Everett quoted Schumer as he appeared before the press in the wake of McConnell's briefing about the timeline for the impeachment trial.
Other Republicans have encouraged McConnell to stop stonewalling Democrats because it is beginning to make them look bad as they get closer to their elections in 2020.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is one such Republican up in November trying to generate the appearance of fairness in the process.
“We need to start working together on procedures,” said Ernst.
As the new Quinnipiac University poll showed this week, 51 percent of voters support the impeachment of President Donald Trump. However, 46 percent believe he should be convicted and removed from office. A full 66 percent of Americans want John Bolton to testify, which shows overwhelming support for a fair trial with witnesses.
McConnell was once confident he could get rid of the impeachment inquiry against Trump, but as more information becomes available, support for a fair trial began to grow.


rawstory--2020-01-14--There are now enough Senators to force a vote on whether or not to call witnesses in Trump’s impeach

There are now enough Senators to force a vote on whether or not to call witnesses in Trump’s impeachment trial: Report

The House of Representatives tried to get several Trump administration officials to testify during the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump , but the White House blocked them from appearing .
In response , Speaker Nancy Pelosi held the Articles of Impeachment from the Senate in an attempt to bring the issue to light , and hopefully convince Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to agree to have these top officials testify .
McConnell refused , but according to Bloomberg News ’ Laura Litvan , there are now enough Republican Senators joining with Democrats to force a vote on whether or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents .
Senator Lamar Alexander ( R-TN ) , who is retiring at the end of his term , joins GOP Senators Susan Collins , Lisa Murkowski , and Mitt Romney – plus 45 Democrats and 2 Independents – to reach , Litvan says , the “ magic number ” of 51 Senators who want “ a guaranteed vote on whether to call witnesses or more documents later in the Trump impeachment trial.
” That ’ s bad news for Trump , but good news for democracy – assuming they vote to call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he doesn ’ t know which way he will vote – to call witnesses or not .
That ’ s of course where posturing may be mistaken for supporting democracy .
And we likely won ’ t know until it happens .

David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement

The House of Representatives tried to get several Trump administration officials to testify during the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, but the White House blocked them from appearing. In response, Speaker Nancy Pelosi held the Articles of Impeachment from the Senate in an attempt to bring the issue to light, and hopefully convince Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to agree to have these top officials testify.
McConnell refused, but according to Bloomberg News' Laura Litvan, there are now enough Republican Senators joining with Democrats to force a vote on whether or not to call witnesses and allow additional documents.
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who is retiring at the end of his term, joins GOP Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitt Romney – plus 45 Democrats and 2 Independents – to reach, Litvan says, the "magic number" of 51 Senators who want "a guaranteed vote on whether to call witnesses or more documents later in the Trump impeachment trial."
That's bad news for Trump, but good news for democracy – assuming they vote to call witnesses.
But even Sen. Alexander says he doesn't know which way he will vote – to call witnesses or not.
Here's Sen. Alexander talking to ABC News:
That's of course where posturing may be mistaken for supporting democracy. And we likely won't know until it happens.


rawstory--2020-01-14--The Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump will begin in one week: Mitch McConnell

It ’ s official .
The Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump will begin one week from today – three years and one day from the date Trump was sworn in : Tuesday , January 21 , 2020 .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell just made the announcement , adding Senators will be sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court this week .
That ’ s assuming that Wednesday ’ s vote in the House on sending the Articles of Impeachment passes , which it is expected to .
The oath Senators must take , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I , [ name ] , solemnly swear , ( or affirm , as the case may be , ) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of [ name ] , now pending , I will do impartial justice , according to the Constitution and laws : So help me God.
” That will be a challenge for the Senate Majority Leader .
McConnell last month bragged he will be working in “ total coordination with the White House counsel ’ s office and the people representing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” thus betraying the oath he will take , according to at least one legal expert .

It's official. The Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump will begin one week from today – three years and one day from the date Trump was sworn in: Tuesday, January 21, 2020. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell just made the announcement, adding Senators will be sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court this week.
That's assuming that Wednesday's vote in the House on sending the Articles of Impeachment passes, which it is expected to.
The oath Senators must take, as Bloomberg News reported, reads:
“I, [name], solemnly swear, (or affirm, as the case may be,) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of [name], now pending, I will do impartial justice, according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.”
That will be a challenge for the Senate Majority Leader. McConnell last month bragged he will be working in "total coordination with the White House counsel's office and the people representing the president in the well of the Senate," thus betraying the oath he will take, according to at least one legal expert.


rawstory--2020-01-14--Trump’s spiritual adviser said a suicidal gay teen should have opted for ‘gay conversion therapy’

A 2004 book written by Dallas megachurch pastor and Trump spiritual adviser , Robert Jeffress , is getting some renewed attention for its promotion of the discredited “ gay conversion therapy ” thanks to a recent report from Media Matters .
In the book , Jeffress wrote about a high school senior named “ Susan ” who had just revealed to the world that she is gay .
When Jeffress asked her how she thinks God feels about her sexuality , Susan replied that she now understands that God “ created me with these desires , desires that I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ For years I have been miserable trying to deny those feelings and have seriously contemplated suicide , ” Susan continued .
“ But now that I have accepted who I am , I am happier than I have ever been in my life !
” But Jeffress saw no reason to celebrate Susan ’ s newfound confidence in her sexuality , writing that “ homosexual relationships are neither ‘ normal ’ nor ‘ healthy ’ ” and that gay activists are working “ to cover over the darkest secret associated with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ None of us gets a ‘ pass ’ from God for rebellious behavior just because it arises from our innate desires , regardless of the cause of those desires .
But here is the good news : Through the power of Jesus Christ , all of us can be freed from acting on those desires , ” he wrote , adding that it ’ s wrong to assume that sexual orientation can be changed .
“ I wish I could report that after hearing the above information , [ Susan ] renounced her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God , and left my office with a newfound attraction to the opposite sex , ” Jeffress wrote .
“ She didn ’ t. ” Jeffress has been a longtime proponent of conversion therapy , which Human Rights Watch says has been “ rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization for decades.
” “ To date , California , Colorado , Connecticut , Delaware , Hawaii , Illinois , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , Nevada , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New Mexico , New York , Oregon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the District of Columbia , and Puerto Rico all have laws or regulations protecting youth from this harmful practice , ” HRW stated in a recent report .
“ Seven of these state laws were enacted under Republican governors .
A growing number of municipalities have also enacted similar protections , including at least sixty cities and counties in Arizona , Florida , Georgia , Mic higan , Missouri , New York , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Washington and Wisconsin .
”

The three candidates, as well as businessman Perry Johnson and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, also had campaign events at the Iowa State Fair scheduled for Friday, meeting with Reynolds for a “fair-side chat” at JR’s SouthPork Ranch and speaking at the Register Political Soapbox.
In Thursday events, candidates talked with Iowans about issues from the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection to the investigation into Hunter Biden’s financial dealings. Some of the Iowans attending political events in the first two days of the Fair were weighing their options for the 2024 Republican caucuses — looking for alternatives to the frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.
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Linda Sullivan of Johnston came to listen to Burgum’s speech at 8:30 a.m., saying she and her husband were interested in what he and other candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott were saying. Sullivan said Trump was “wouldn’t be on my top list,” and that she was looking for another candidate to take on leading the Republican Party in 2024.
“I just want to get the best person that can get us out of this — in my words — mess, we’re kind of in, in our country,” Sullivan said. “And, yeah, just get back to common sense, like Kim said.”
Trump plans to attend the fair Saturday, but does not plan to speak at the soapbox or participate in a chat with Reynolds.
Here are some updates from the second day of Iowa’s 2023 Iowa State Fair:
Larry Elder calls for support to get to GOP debate stage
Talk show host Larry Elder defended his spot as a “serious candidate” in the 2024 Republican presidential field Friday at the Iowa State Fair, while saying his role was to push other candidates on under-discussed issues.
“Did you think that Donald Trump would win in 2016 at some point? Did you think Joe Biden would the nominee in 2020 at some point?” Elder said. “… Honestly, things have a long way to go between now and the first vote was here in Iowa on January 15. And of longer way to go before the first vote in November in 2024. Anything could happen — trust me, it will happen. You have no idea what’s gonna happen. Do I believe I’m a serious candidate? Hell yes, I am.”
The former California gubernatorial candidate spoke to more than 60 people gathered at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox Friday afternoon. He shared his family story and described policy proposals to address the “epidemic of fatherlessness,” tie federal spending to a set percentage of the national gross domestic product and to remove so-called “soft on crime” district attorneys from office in cities around the country.
Elder described himself as a “MAGA” and “America First” Republican. Though Elder did not point to reasons why he would be a better nominee than former President Donald Trump, he asked for Republicans to support him to put a bigger spotlight on the topics he is discussing.
“Even if they want somebody else, I’m trying to put these issues front and center,” he said. “So if I’m not the nominee, if Trump, for example, is a nominee, if Trump can begin talking about this, given the strength of his voice, given the strength of his megaphone … maybe something can be done.”
Elder said no other Republican candidates are talking about issues such as fatherhood or saying that America is not “systematically racist,” for fear of being called racist. He asked for donations and support from Iowa Republicans at the soapbox and during his Thursday “fair-side chat” with Gov. Kim Reynolds to help him qualify for the Republican debate in Milwaukee Aug. 23.
Elder said he was about 15,000 donors short of the Republican National Committee’s 40,000 threshold. He asked the crowd for support to get his message on the national stage even if they support another candidate for the Republican nomination.
“Do you think that’s a serious message to take to the American people as I’m campaigning, even if I’m not the nominee?” Elder said. “Hell yeah, it is. That’s why I’m doing this.”
Perry Johnson wants executive order to stop Ukraine spending
Perry Johnson spent a large portion of his 20 minutes on the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox focused on federal debt and spending.
Defense spending, aid to Ukraine and federal departments were on Johnson’s list of cuts to make.
“I spent my entire life bringing quality and efficiency to companies and now I want to bring it to the federal government,” Johnson said.
Johnson is a businessman who focuses on efficiency and has founded several worldwide companies.
“I think it’s ridiculous that we are sending $113 billion to the Ukraine when we are going broke here,” Johnson said.
“The single most important thing we have in the United States is defense,” Johnson said, addressing the Department of Defense’s need to have advanced technology, as well as the department’s failed audits.
One audience member asked Johnson how he would be able to stop the U.S. from sending money to Ukraine.
“You noticed how Biden has all of the executive orders to send money over [to Ukraine]? You’re allowed to have an executive order to not fund it,” Johnson said. “… Let’s stop this craziness because sending $113 billion to the Ukraine, we don’t even know where the money is going. It’s nuts.”
Johnson also said he would get rid of the federal Department of Education if elected.
Lowering the cost of running the government is part of Johnson’s agenda, but he also wants to address costs Americans are facing in their privates lives, too, he said.
“The two major things that have gone up exponentially are college tuition and medical care and we need to address those issues,” Johnson, who just sent his eldest son to Michigan State, said.
Johnson said he would require colleges to freeze tuition cost and cut spending 2% each year to qualify for student loans if elected.
“Part of the thing that’s going to happen when I enter office is I will try to privatize as many things as possible,” Johnson said. “You realize, when we privatize things we force competition, we force people to have better quality and better efficiency or they can’t survive.”
Johnson is hosting a concert Saturday featuring the band Big & Rich at the Lauridsen Amphitheater in Des Moines. He said his concert was originally just for his donors, but he has reached his goal of 40,000 donors to reach the debate stage in Milwaukee on Aug. 23.
Johnson still invited everyone to the concert, “I guess in theory you’re supposed to donate, but I do have 52,000 donors, I don’t need more.”
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez emphasizes national electability while aiming for debate stage
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez does not have the name recognition that some of his competitors for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination can boast, but he told Iowans he was uniquely able to draw certain groups of voters away from the Democratic Party.
“I have absolutely no doubt that I would be a impossible candidate for the Democrats to beat, because I attack three core constituencies that, if they were to lose, they will lose the election by a landslide,” Suarez said. “… If we could win Hispanics, if we could win urban voters — which I’ve done already, my community — and young voters, it’s game over. There isn’t a place in the United States where Democrats can win. I’ve already done that.”
The Republican mayor talked with Iowans in back-to-back stops at the Iowa State Fair, first speaking with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for a “fair-side chat” before speaking to a group of 30 at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox.
In both talks, Suarez discussed his experience as a Cuban-American whose parents were “kicked out of their country of birth by a communist dictator.” He said his family history and experience as a Republican mayor in a major American city would make him a good choice to lead conservatives to victory in a national election.
However, Suarez has acknowledged that his bid for the Republican nomination hinges on gaining a higher national profile. In an interview with The Hill Tuesday, the candidate said making it onto the Milwaukee debate stage later this month was “critical” to his campaign, and that he may drop out of the race if he does not qualify for the Aug. 23 debate.
Candidates must have donations from a minimum of 40,000 individuals, as well as hit at least 1% in three national polls or a mix of national and early state polls between July 1 and Aug. 23. Currently, eight candidates have met these thresholds for the debate: former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Trump, Pence and Christie have yet to sign the Republican National Committee’s pledge to back the eventual Republicans nominee regardless of who wins the contest also required to participate.
Suarez said that he is hoping the RNC offers some flexibility in the debate requirements because of some of the obstacles his campaign has encountered, “including not being included in at least a third of the polls that have been that have been put out.” Speaking with reporters after his soapbox speech, Suarez did not commit to dropping out if he does not qualify for the debate, but said he does believe candidates should not “linger around” if they do not have a credible shot at the nomination.
Getting a national platform would give his campaign the momentum needed to build toward that “credible” bid at the Republican nomination, he said.
“When you’re a relatively unknown candidate, you see the reaction that the crowd has and the people have when they listen to me, you know that if you’re given an opportunity to speak at a national level, that you’re gonna be able to connect and that you’re gonna be able to grow,” Suarez said. “So it’s kind of a chicken or an egg problem. And so we’re doing everything we can over the next 10 days to get there.”
Pence expresses pride in ‘Trump-Pence administration’
Although it’s been a common topic during campaign trail appearances, Gov. Kim Reynolds did not ask former Vice President Mike Pence about Jan. 6 during her “fair-side chat” interview.
A fairgoer on Thursday accused Pence of treason for refusing on Jan. 6, 2021, to block certification of the 2020 election. Pence said he was upholding his oath to defend the Constitution.
Reynolds, however, kept the focus on lighter topics. She asked what he was proud of during his time in the White House, as well as his Christian faith, his childhood and America’s current “absent president.”
Pence said he will “always be proud of the Trump-Pence administration,” an appealing line to some Republicans.
Andrew Wallace, a 21-year-old from Wisconsin drove five hours to see Donald Trump on Saturday, but decided to arrive to Iowa a day early to see Pence. Wallace said Pence is running on an agenda similar to Trump’s, but said he does not like Pence “ripping on Trump.”
“I don’t like that, I don’t like that,” Wallace said. “Trump didn’t do anything to him, Trump did absolutely nothing to him.”
Wallace said of Pence, “He’s running a Trump campaign, just a different guy other than Trump.”
Regarding Medicare and Social Security, Pence said, “We’re not going to change anything, 40-years-old or older and nothing changing for you.”
For those who are under 40, Pence said “I’d like to reform these New Deal programs and actually give you a better deal by making sure that Social Security and Medicare are actually there for you.”
The former vice president said the federal government has gotten too big.
“Washington is not only too big and spends too much, but it does too much,” Pence said before he told the audience of about 100 that he would shut down the federal Department of Education if elected.
Reynolds followed up with a question about Linn-Mar schools and a federal lawsuit regarding gender transitioning, with which Pence has been involved.
“We have got to make it clear that parents don’t co-parent with government,” Pence said, receiving a round of applause. “Parents are in charge of their children’s education and we got to protect our kids from this radical gender ideology.”
Pence promised attendees that he would bring small town values to the White House.
“Iowa just feels like home,” Pence said. “I grew up in a small town… I can tell you, I just promise you, you give me the privilege to be your president, I’m going to fight for the values and the ideals and the integrity and the character of the people of Iowa and the heartland of this country.”
Doug Burgum calls for action on U.S.-Mexico border
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Friday about his recent trip to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, saying President Joe Biden’s administration was failing to support Border Patrol agents.
Both Burgum and Reynolds, Republican governors, have sent National Guard troops from their states at the request of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The action comes following the end of Title 42, a measure that allowed the U.S. to turn away asylum-seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burgum also made a trip to the border in Texas with North Dakota National Guard’s adjutant general on Monday and Tuesday, receiving a briefing from the more than 100 North Dakota National Guard troops on a yearlong deployment supporting U.S. Border Patrol agents in Texas.
In a “fair-side chat” with Reynolds Friday, Burgum said he saw the need during his trip for more federal support, and for more Border Patrol agents. There was not enough attention on the Biden administration’s border policies, he said, citing as an example an experience while he was being interviewed by national press in Texas.
“Over my shoulder, there was people wading across the Rio Grande, and I was getting questions about the swamp, and these indictments, while there’s people crossing the river behind us,” Burgum said.
The Biden administration asked Congress on Thursday for an additional $4 billion for border security.
Burgum linked the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border with rising fentanyl overdose deaths, saying the U.S. was “taking mass casualties” by not stopping the flow of drugs over the southern border. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration found in 2020 that most fentanyl, produced in China and Mexico, was transported into the U.S. through legal ports of entry by U.S. citizens. Democrats have criticized Republicans for linking fentanyl trafficking with immigration.
The North Dakota Republican also said immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border was an issue of national security. He said cartels, transnational criminal organizations, were profiting off of people seeking transportation to the U.S. border, and that some of the people crossing the border could pose national security risks.
“This isn’t just like, ‘Oh, people are coming over from Mexico,'” Burgum said. Syrians, Iranians, North Koreans, Russians, Chinese — I mean, so we’ve got people on terrorist watch lists that are part of the group that are coming across the border right now.”
Burgum said there are roughly 20,000 Border Patrol agents currently working in the U.S. at both the northern and southern borders. He said he would reverse the Biden administration’s “dereliction of duty,” and put more federal resources behind border patrol.
“On a day one, if you give a group of law enforcement the support they need if you give them the technology, you give them the staffing you given the material, they’re going to be able to do the job when I was talking to Border Patrol people they said, Hey, we’ve done it before we’ve controlled the board before. Just give us a chance to do it.”
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Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.


rawstory--2020-01-14--Mitch McConnell: ‘There is little to no sentiment in the Republican caucus for the motion to dismiss

Mitch McConnell: ‘There is little to no sentiment in the Republican caucus for the motion to dismiss’

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) on Tuesday admitted that there is “ little to no sentiment in @ @ @ @ @ a motion to dismiss articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump .
At a press @ @ @ @ @ that the Senate impeachment trial will likely begin next Tuesday .
“ There is little @ @ @ @ @ Republican caucus for the motion to dismiss , ” McConnell said .
The Majority Leader @ @ @ @ @ Republicans would call their own witnesses if Democrats insist on having new testimony .
“ @ @ @ @ @ that only the witnesses that Democrats want to call would be called , ” he @ @ @ @ @ said that Joe Biden , Hunter Biden and Rudy Giuliani should speak to Senators .

"If you look at the sheer number of people charged in the Georgia case, you're talking about 18 Trump allies, including Trump himself," said anchor Abby Phillip. "They're accused of racketeering, at least one, and at least one related crime. There's a lot of conduct alleged here, including trying to tamper with voting machines, and actual voting information. What is your take on the actual information contained in this document?"
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
"So, a couple things," said Sununu. "I'm not a lawyer. I will say, this is incredibly similar to the federal indictment that Jack Smith is doing out of DOJ. Other than, as you brought up, now 18 people involved. That's a much bigger swath of individuals. Something that I think republicans need to take note of, this is a grand jury in a very conservative state. That said, this guy needs to be indicted. This isn't just the Department of Justice and the idea that it's all politicized. This is a grand jury in Georgia of all states."
All of this, said Sununu, underscores the fact that "this guy can't win in November."
"You might give him the nomination — I hope we don't — but this guy cannot win a state like New Hampshire, or Arizona, where these two states they absolutely have to have," said Sununu. "Last time I checked, you can't govern if you don't win. It's just gonna be another sob story for Donald Trump. And he's gonna crush the Republican ticket going down. I still am very hopeful the Republicans as a whole make a smart choice and find that one or two candidates to go against him by the time Iowa in New Hampshire hit."
Watch the video below or at the link.


rawstory--2020-01-14--‘Mueller told us this would keep happening’: Ex-FBI counterintelligence expert says Russian hacks ar

‘Mueller told us this would keep happening’: Ex-FBI counterintelligence expert says Russian hacks are ‘the new normal’

In an MSNBC panel discussion Tuesday , former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence , Frank Figliuzzi , warned that American law has not kept up with technology .
As a result , the laws and regulations on international hacking are ambiguous .
The recent act by Russia to hack the Ukrainian oil and gas company Burisma to search for dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden is exactly what former special counsel Robert Mueller cautioned would happen in 2020 .
“ We have been told , including by Bob Mueller , that Russians were doing this in an ongoing fashion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the new battlefield .
This is the new normal .
We ’ re going to see this go on and on and on .
And it may be Joe Biden that this is about right now , but every candidate should hunker down and get ready for foreign influence , hacking and propaganda.
” Former FBI special agent Clint Watts explained that the way the American government protects against cyber-espionage is really only isolated to .gov and .mil sites and accounts .
They don ’ t have the bandwidth to protect every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , companies like CrowdStrike , which President Donald Trump has accused of some type of conspiracy , is a private company that helps corporations , banks or law firms protect their networks .
Figliuzzi went on to say that it ’ s clear the Russians don ’ t care about intruding in the American election because no one will stop them .
“ The similarity that you ’ re describing is what ’ s so brazen about this , ” he said .
“ Russians made no effort to try something different .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , look , we don ’ t fear any reprisal .
No one ’ s going to push back on us , so why should we bother masking our identity ?
We could pretend to be Iranians ; they ’ ve done that before .
We could pretend to be North Korean .
We could pretend to be the 400-pound guy in his bed but no , we ’ re going to leave a trail of bread crumbs that you ’ ve seen before .
It leads right to us .
Now do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the challenge we ’ re facing with Russia.
” Host Katy Tur went on to ask Watts what the security apparatus can do when the president of the United States goes so far as to put out misinformation and propaganda to help his campaign .
Watts explained that ’ s why Trump was asked what he would do if compromising material was given to him by a foreign government again .
Reporters asked Trump if he would hand it over to the FBI , and he said “ no , ” and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again .
Watts said that when foreign governments see Trump ’ s comments , then they are more willing to intrude on the election more openly now .

In an MSNBC panel discussion Tuesday, former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, Frank Figliuzzi, warned that American law has not kept up with technology. As a result, the laws and regulations on international hacking are ambiguous. The recent act by Russia to hack the Ukrainian oil and gas company Burisma to search for dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden is exactly what former special counsel Robert Mueller cautioned would happen in 2020.
"We have been told, including by Bob Mueller, that Russians were doing this in an ongoing fashion," said Figliuzzi. "This is the new battlefield. This is the new normal. We're going to see this go on and on and on. And it may be Joe Biden that this is about right now, but every candidate should hunker down and get ready for foreign influence, hacking and propaganda."
Former FBI special agent Clint Watts explained that the way the American government protects against cyber-espionage is really only isolated to .gov and .mil sites and accounts. They don't have the bandwidth to protect every .com in the United States. So, companies like CrowdStrike, which President Donald Trump has accused of some type of conspiracy, is a private company that helps corporations, banks or law firms protect their networks.
Figliuzzi went on to say that it's clear the Russians don't care about intruding in the American election because no one will stop them.
"The similarity that you're describing is what's so brazen about this," he said. "Russians made no effort to try something different. This is a message to us that, look, we don't fear any reprisal. No one's going to push back on us, so why should we bother masking our identity? We could pretend to be Iranians; they've done that before. We could pretend to be North Korean. We could pretend to be the 400-pound guy in his bed but no, we're going to leave a trail of bread crumbs that you've seen before. It leads right to us. Now do something about it. That's the challenge we're facing with Russia."
Host Katy Tur went on to ask Watts what the security apparatus can do when the president of the United States goes so far as to put out misinformation and propaganda to help his campaign.
Watts explained that's why Trump was asked what he would do if compromising material was given to him by a foreign government again. Reporters asked Trump if he would hand it over to the FBI, and he said "no," and he would willingly collude with the foreign power again. Watts said that when foreign governments see Trump's comments, then they are more willing to intrude on the election more openly now.
Watch the full panel discussion below:


rawstory--2020-01-14--Trump’s withered soul laid bare as he mindlessly jumps from one preposterous decision to the next

There ’ s an old joke about how Richard Nixon was the kind of politician who ’ d cut down an endangered giant redwood , then climb on the stump and make a speech about conservation .
Fast forward to 2020 and Donald Trump , who with every breath plunges Nixonian hypocrisy to heretofore unimagined depths : “ I want clean air , ” he declared the other day .
“ I want clean water .
I want the cleanest air , want the cleanest water .
The environment is very important to me.
” Trump said this , Philip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at a White House event “ focused on scaling back the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act , which , among other things , mandates environmental reviews for federal projects.
” More precisely , another Post article notes , the president is proposing “ fundamental changes to 50-year-old regulations in an effort to speed up new mines , pipelines and hundreds of other projects around the country , including some that could harm the environment and accelerate climate change.
” If your forehead isn ’ t already numb from years of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also told those in attendance at his announcement that , “ Somebody wrote a book that I ’ m an environmentalist and actually called , ‘ The Environmentalist ’ , actually , before I did this… I ’ ll bring it to my next news conference , perhaps .
I ’ m sure you ’ ll be thrilled to see it .
I ’ m sure you ’ ll report all about it.
” Turns out that the book , Donald J. Trump : An Environmental Hero , came out in 2016 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longtime flunky of the Trump Organization and a used-to-be minor New Jersey politician .
Russo was an “ environmental consultant ” for Trump ’ s golf courses , resorts long criticized for ecological abuse .
But as the head of the New Jersey Sierra Club observes , Trump is “ clearly the worst president in history when it comes to the environment .
He has tried to destroy the EPA , ignored or violated environmental laws , and put public health at risk .
He has stifled new technologies and jobs in green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health and increasing health costs.
” This is , of course , all part of the pattern of mindless avarice that has characterized this White House , a wanton display that willfully dismisses scientific evidence or any academic judgement at all as the ramblings of an elitist few— “ the pointy headed intellectuals ” once mocked by George Wallace and others ever since—and always to the cheers of disaffected , usually white male voters .
Yet another other aspect of this bleak and deeply cynical worldview has arisen during the current Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ culture sites , among others in that country , if “ Iran strikes any Americans , or American assets.
” Presumably , these would include some if not all of the 22 places in Iran designated by the United Nations as World Heritage sites .
By international and U.S. law , any such incursion would constitute a war crime , and even those around Trump know it , but when criticized , he simply reiterated the threat : “ We ’ re not allowed to touch their cultural sites ?
” he asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that way.
” Well , yes , Mr. President , it does work that way , according to the 1954 Hague Convention , a 1977 amendment to the Geneva Convention , a 2017 UN Security Council resolution and the Department of Defense ’ s Law of War , which mentions the importance of protecting culture sites more than 600 times .
These include , according to the Hague Convention : This means museums , churches , schools and other facilities designed to house cultural treasures as well .
But beyond the clear illegality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump ’ s threats illustrate the moral bankruptcy at the heart of his White House .
Here in New York , we ’ ve always known how petty and unthinking Trump is when it comes to preservation and protection : back in 1980 , he promised to save historic art deco friezes that were on the walls of the Bonwit Teller department store building he was tearing down to build Trump Tower .
He said he would donate them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art but instead jackhammered the priceless pieces into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On the grand scale of things , perhaps not such a big deal , but an early local indicator of a callous indifference to what others value and care about .
As art and architecture critic Philip Kennicott recently wrote , Trump with his threats against Iran now “ has told the world that everything is on the table , including the deliberate targeting of things that bear in them the accumulated emotion and artistry of centuries , things that are invaluable and can never be replaced.
” The line Trump crossed “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cultural values vs. another ; it isn ’ t between people who speak our language and those who speak all others .
It is between culture and the void , between the many and variegated ways in which different people try to live together peacefully and productively , and the pure nihilism of autocracy .
“ The threat wasn ’ t to Iranian cultural sites .
It was to culture.
” Art and culture are symbolic of a nation ; trying to eliminate them the act of thugs and terrorists , like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buddha statues in Bamiyan or the 2015-17 ISIS attacks on the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria ( which included the public beheading of the site ’ s 82-year-old head of antiquities ) .
Trump ’ s threats to Iran ’ s culture sites are symbolic of a shortsighted and withered soul—his attacks as irrational as the personal and petty invective he hurls at those who speak against him , and as wild and flailing as the unthinking decisions he makes , one more preposterous than the next .
Lacking any sense of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s words and deeds with President John F. Kennedy , who said there was “ little of more importance to the future of our country and of civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist , ” and in a speech at Amherst College less than a month before his assassination , dreamed of “ a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint , its wealth with our wisdom , its power with our purpose .
“ I look forward to an America which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beauty , ” Kennedy declared , “ which will protect the beauty of our natural environment… an America which commands respect throughout the world not only for its strength but for its civilization as well.
” I know , many of those who make up Trump ’ s base don ’ t care a bit about any of this—and why would they ?
Many are blinded to such things by prejudice , anger , fear and yes , ignorance ; others have such troubles of their own there is no room in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make ends meet takes all their attention .
They somehow think a bullying despot can fix that .
But to pay by sacrificing those things that make a society distinctive and exceptional , to be willing to let them be obliterated out of spite , to submit to the lies and whims of a man who takes pleasure in belittlement and destruction diminishes us all .
No good can come of this .

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ decadeslong friendship with real estate tycoon Harlan Crow and Samuel Alito’s luxury travel with billionaire Paul Singer have raised questions about influence and ethics at the nation's highest court.
During his three decades on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas has enjoyed steady access to a lifestyle most Americans can only imagine. A cadre of industry titans and ultrawealthy executives have treated him to far-flung vacations aboard their yachts, ushered him into the premium suites at sporting events and sent their private jets to fetch him — including, on more than one occasion, an entire 737. It’s a stream of luxury that is both more extensive and from a wider circle than has been previously understood.
Like clockwork, Thomas’ leisure activities have been underwritten by benefactors who share the ideology that drives his jurisprudence. Their gifts include:
At least 38 destination vacations, including a previously unreported voyage on a yacht around the Bahamas; 26 private jet flights, plus an additional eight by helicopter; a dozen VIP passes to professional and college sporting events, typically perched in the skybox; two stays at luxury resorts in Florida and Jamaica; and one standing invitation to an uber-exclusive golf club overlooking the Atlantic coast.
This accounting of Thomas’ travel, revealed for the first time here from an array of previously unavailable information, is the fullest to date of the generosity that has regularly afforded Thomas a lifestyle far beyond what his income could provide. And it is almost certainly an undercount.
While some of the hospitality, such as stays in personal homes, may not have required disclosure, Thomas appears to have violated the law by failing to disclose flights, yacht cruises and expensive sports tickets, according to ethics experts.
Perhaps even more significant, the pattern exposes consistent violations of judicial norms, experts, including seven current and former federal judges appointed by both parties, told ProPublica. “In my career I don’t remember ever seeing this degree of largesse given to anybody,” said Jeremy Fogel, a former federal judge who served for years on the judicial committee that reviews judges’ financial disclosures. “I think it’s unprecedented.”
This year, ProPublica revealed Texas real estate billionaire Harlan Crow’s generosity toward Thomas, including vacations, private jet flights, gifts, the purchase of his mother’s house in Georgia and tuition payments. In an April statement, the justice defended his relationship with Crow. The Crows “are among our dearest friends,” Thomas said. “As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips.”
The New York Times recently surfaced VIP treatment from wealthy businessmen he met through the Horatio Alger Association, an exclusive nonprofit. Among them were David Sokol, a former top executive at Berkshire Hathaway, and H. Wayne Huizenga, a billionaire who turned Blockbuster and Waste Management into national goliaths. (The Times noted Thomas gives access to the Supreme Court building for Horatio Alger events; ProPublica confirmed that the access has cost $1,500 or more in donations per person.)
Records and interviews show Thomas had another benefactor, oil baron Paul “Tony” Novelly, whose gifts to the justice have not previously been reported. ProPublica’s totals in this article include trips from Crow.
Each of these men — Novelly, Huizenga, Sokol and Crow — appears to have first met Thomas after he ascended to the Supreme Court. With the exception of Crow, their names are nowhere in Thomas’ financial disclosures, where justices are required by law to publicly report most gifts.
The total value of the undisclosed trips they’ve given Thomas since 1991, the year he was appointed to the Supreme Court, is difficult to measure. But it’s likely in the millions.
Huizenga sent his personal 737 to pick Thomas up and bring him to South Florida at least twice, according to John Wener, a former flight attendant and chef on board the plane. If he were picked up in D.C., the five-hour round trip would have cost at least $130,000 each time had Thomas chartered the jet himself, according to estimates from jet charter companies. In February 2016, Thomas flew on Crow’s private jet from Washington to New Haven, Connecticut, before heading back on the jet just three hours later. ProPublica previously reported the flight, but newly obtained U.S. Marshals Service records reveal its purpose: Thomas met with several Yale Law School deans for a tour of the room where they planned to display a portrait of the justice. (Crow’s foundation also gave the school $105,000, earmarked for the “Justice Thomas Portrait Fund,” tax filings show.)
Don Fox, the former general counsel of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and the senior ethics official in the executive branch, said, “It’s just the height of hypocrisy to wear the robes and live the lifestyle of a billionaire.” Taxpayers, he added, have the right to expect that Supreme Court justices are not living on the dime of others.
Fox, who worked under both Democrat and Republican administrations, said he advised every new political appointee the same thing: Your wealthy friends are the ones you had before you were appointed. “You don’t get to acquire any new ones,” he told them.
Thomas and Novelly did not respond to a detailed list of questions for this story. Huizenga died in 2018 and his son, who is the president of the family’s holding company, also did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
In a statement to ProPublica, Sokol said he’s been close friends with the Thomases for 21 years and acknowledged traveling with and occasionally hosting them. He defended the justice as upright and ethical. “We have never once discussed any pending court matter,” Sokol said. “Our conversations have always revolved around helping young people, sports, and family matters.”
“As to the use of private aviation,” he added, “I believe that given security concerns all of the Supreme Court justices should either fly privately or on governmental aircraft.”
The justices have said they follow court rules prohibiting them from accepting gifts from a group of people so frequently that “a reasonable person would believe that the public office is being used for private gain.” But what actually constitutes a gift under those rules is ambiguous and, in practice, justices have few restrictions on what they can accept. Other members of the court have accepted travel underwritten by wealthy businessmen and speaking invitations at universities. Stephen Breyer accepted a flight to a Nantucket wedding from a Democratic megadonor. Ruth Bader Ginsburg took a tour of Israel and Jordan paid for by an Israeli billionaire. Those gifts are public because Breyer and Ginsburg disclosed them.
Thomas, however, is apparently an extreme outlier for the volume and frequency of all the undisclosed vacations he’s received. He once complained that he sacrificed wealth to sit on the court, though he depicted the choice as a matter of conscience. “The job is not worth doing for what they pay,” he told the bar association in Savannah, Georgia, in 2001, “but it is worth doing for the principle.”
To track Thomas’ relationships and travel, ProPublica examined flight data, emails from airport and university officials, security detail records, tax court filings, meeting minutes and a trove of photographs from personal albums, including cards that Thomas’ wife, Ginni, sent to friends. In addition, reporters interviewed more than 100 eyewitnesses and other sources: jet and helicopter pilots, flight attendants, airport workers, yacht crew members, security guards, photographers, waitresses, caterers, chefs, drivers, river rafting guides and C-suite executives.
ProPublica has not identified any legal cases that Huizenga, Sokol or Novelly had at the Supreme Court during their documented relationships with Thomas, although they all work in industries significantly impacted by the court’s decisions.
In a small-circulation biography given to Huizenga’s friends and family, Thomas acknowledged that he and Huizenga discussed some of the billionaire’s companies but said their relationship was never transactional. “It wasn’t that kind of friendship,” he told the interviewer. The justice said they’d prefer to go to a small restaurant in a strip mall or sit on the billionaire’s lawn and drink tea or diet soda.
“We are in a society where everything is quid pro quo,” Thomas said, but not with the Huizengas. “I don’t do anything for them and they can’t do anything for me.”
“Four Lucky Couples”
On Labor Day weekend 2019, Thomas boarded a private plane in Washington, D.C., for the first leg of a sojourn out West. The vacation had been months in the making and, thanks to Sokol, it was all taken care of. He’s hosted the Thomases virtually every summer for a decade.
The first stop was the Great Plains. It was the home opener at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which Ginni Thomas had attended before transferring. The Thomases were joined there by other couples, including one of the justice’s most vocal advocates, Mark Paoletta, who then worked for the federal government, and his wife.
Sokol, a major university donor who graduated from the Omaha campus, arranged for the group to attend the football and volleyball games with all-access passes. Clarence Thomas met with the football team the day before the game. The group walked out of the tunnel before kickoff. During halftime, they stood on the sidelines to watch the marching band perform, at one point posing for a picture in the end zone: “The Sokols took four lucky couples to the first Nebraska footbal game of the season,” Ginni Thomas wrote in one of the card captions.
Sokol runs a private equity firm and now also chairs a holding company that owns large international shipping and power utility corporations. He resigned from Berkshire Hathaway in 2011 amid an internal investigation by the company that found he had violated its insider trading policy. (At the time, Sokol denied wrongdoing and said his resignation was unrelated to the episode; he was never indicted.)
That Saturday, the group watched both the football and volleyball games from luxury suites. The football skybox, which typically costs $40,000 annually, belonged to Tom Osborne, a former Republican congressman who was also the head coach of the team for 25 years. Hosting the Thomases had ripple effects. A local priest requested a ticket for his 87-year-old mother, but the volleyball coach had to tell him none was available. “All of our tickets have been taken for Clarence Thomas and his group,” the coach wrote.
The Thomases have been treated to at least seven University of Nebraska-Lincoln games — five arranged by Sokol — in recent years. The Times first reported on Thomas’ appearances at some of them.
Thomas has never reported any of those tickets on his yearly financial forms. Judiciary disclosure rules require that most gifts worth more than $415 be disclosed. “It’s so obvious,” said Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush. “It all has to be reported.” ProPublica identified more than 60 federal judges who disclosed tickets to sporting events between 2003 and 2019. In 1999, Thomas disclosed private flight and accommodations for the Daytona 500 but hasn’t reported any other sporting events before or since.
In a statement, Osborne confirmed Thomas has “watched a couple of football games” in his suite, which the university had given to him. He said he is “taxed” for the use of the suite but did not answer whether Thomas has ever reimbursed him. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln did not respond to requests for comment.
On Sunday, the morning after the football game in Nebraska, Sokol flew with Thomas by private jet to Sokol’s Paintbrush Ranch just outside Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The property, valued in the low eight figures, sits in the foothills of Shadow Mountain. A local radio personality said of the estate: “This is the ultimate home and it has the most iconic view of the Tetons I’ve seen. Ever.”
Sokol also owns a waterfront mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, currently worth $20.1 million, where he’s hosted the Thomases as well, according to photos of the visits. The 12,800-square-foot property includes a home theater, elevator, walk-in wine cellar and yacht docking. (In addition, Sokol and Thomas have shared an opulent lodge together while vacationing at Crow’s private lakeside resort, Camp Topridge, in the Adirondacks.)
In Wyoming, the Thomases fished, rafted on the Snake River and sat by a campfire overlooking the Teton Range with the other couples. At one point, the Paolettas serenaded the justice with a song they wrote about him.
Like Thomas, Paoletta did not disclose the trip on his yearly financial filings. At the time, Paoletta was general counsel and the designated ethics official at the Office of Management and Budget. In a statement, Paoletta said he wasn’t required to disclose the trip because he had reimbursed Sokol, but he did not say how much or provide documentation of those payments. “I complied with all ethics laws and regulations,” Paoletta said.
Details of the vacation to Nebraska and Wyoming were drawn from photographs, trip planning emails and social media posts, as well as interviews with airport workers, local residents and others familiar with the travel, including river raft guides.
Since 1990, Sokol and his wife have donated more than $1 million to Republican politicians and groups, along with smaller amounts to Democrats. Last October, in New Orleans, Sokol made a direct reference to a pending Supreme Court case while addressing a group of former Horatio Alger scholarship recipients. (Thomas was not in attendance.)
The speech veered into territory that made many of those in attendance uncomfortable and left others appalled, emails and others messages show. Sokol, who has written extensively about American exceptionalism and the virtues of free enterprise, minimized slavery and systemic racism, some felt. He then criticized President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, arguing Biden had overstepped the government’s authority, according to a recording of the speech obtained by ProPublica.
“It’s going to get overturned by the Supreme Court,” Sokol predicted, echoing a common legal commentary.
He was right. This summer, the court struck down Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. Thomas voted in the majority.
Deep Sea Fishing in the Caribbean
Nearly every spring, Novelly, a billionaire who made his fortune storing and transporting petroleum, takes his two yachts on a fishing expedition to the Bahamas’ Exuma Islands. Photographs from the trips show porcelain beaches, cerulean waters and fresh mahi-mahi. Friends and family come and go for days at a time.
Three of Novelly’s former yacht workers, including a captain, told ProPublica they recall Thomas coming on board the vessels multiple times in recent years. Novelly’s local chauffeur in the Bahamas said his company once picked Thomas up from the billionaire’s private jet and drove him to the marina where one of the yachts, Le Montrachet, frequently docks.
Le Montrachet, named after the premium French wine, is a 126-foot luxury vessel complete with a full bar, multiple dining areas, a baby grand piano, accommodations for 10 guests and a handful of smaller fishing boats and jet skis. Novelly charges about $60,000 a week to outsiders who want to charter it.
Another past guest on Novelly’s yacht is “Alligator” Ron Bergeron, one of the biggest land and roadway developers in Florida. Around 2018, Novelly and Thomas went to Bergeron’s private ranch on the edge of the Everglades — a sprawling, gated estate with centuries-old cypress trees and an 1800s-style saloon on site. He described Novelly as a man who likes to share his success with others. “He’s very generous with all his friends,” Bergeron told ProPublica.
Bergeron said his conversations with Thomas at the ranch were strictly about charity work and not business. “You’re talking about a great man,” Bergeron said, “who gives his time to make a difference for America.”
Since 1999, Novelly’s family and companies have publicly disclosed at least $500,000 to conservative causes and Republican candidates in federal elections. (Before then, he had given to both parties.)
Novelly, who recently stepped down from his CEO roles, ran his business affairs aggressively, ending up on the wrong side of the government in at least two cases. He spends much of his time between St. Louis and Boca Raton, Florida, where he has a 23,000 square-foot palatial estate appraised at $22.2 million. In 2002, Novelly established residency and a holding company in the Virgin Islands. During a hearing with local officials, Novelly described the arrangement there as a “quid pro quo,” meaning the U.S. territory received a boost to the local economy in return for offering substantial tax breaks. The IRS would later call it an “abusive tax avoidance scheme” and pursued Novelly for millions in back taxes and penalties. Novelly denied the characterization and eventually settled with the government for a negotiated amount.
There’s no evidence his friendship with Thomas helped Novelly in one of his most significant disputes. In 2005, the Justice Department sued Novelly’s company, Apex Oil, because its corporate predecessor had contributed to a massive groundwater contamination beneath an Illinois village and then Apex refused to help with the cleanup. Apex argued the spill had occurred before the company went through a bankruptcy years earlier. Several judges ruled against Apex, which eventually appealed to the Supreme Court in 2010. The justices declined to hear the case, and the company had to pay about $150 million to help remove oil from the soil.
It’s not clear how Thomas voted in the case because such votes are not typically public. The vacations ProPublica identified appear to have occurred after the case was resolved.
In 2020, Apex Oil, Sokol and Crow helped fund a documentary defending Thomas as a response to an HBO film that was critical of the justice. Sokol called the HBO movie a “Molotov cocktail into our homes” and a prime example of America’s eroding civility.
The “Most Coveted” Invitation in the World
Thomas’ first billionaire benefactor is likely H. Wayne Huizenga, believed to be the only person in American history to build three separate Fortune 500 companies. One of the three was AutoNation, which Huizenga founded in 1996 before building it into the largest car dealer in the country. Between 1998 and 1999, Huizenga’s holding company spent $500,000 lobbying federal agencies that regulate the automotive industry, according to OpenSecrets data. Over the years, the Huizenga family and companies gave millions to state and federal Republican candidates and once threw a fundraiser for the Florida GOP that helped keep the party afloat for months.
The billionaire was known to regularly lavish gifts and perks on those in his orbit. He routinely took friends on opulent vacations. He paid his employees handsomely and sometimes covered their bills and personal expenses. On a whim, Huizenga once handed box tickets for the opera, which were worth thousands, to his caterer, Bob Leonardi.
“I led the life of a multimillionaire without being one,” Leonardi said.
For 20 years, Thomas benefited from Huizenga’s attention as well, availing himself of the billionaire’s fleet of aircraft and other luxuries. Huizenga took Thomas to see the Miami Dolphins and Florida Panthers several times between the mid-’90s and mid-2000s, according to interviews and photographs. Huizenga owned both teams at the time.
Executives saw Thomas around Huizenga’s office often. Richard Rochon, the former president of Huizenga Holdings, said Thomas once shadowed the billionaire during meetings. “He just wants to see what I do every day,” Rochon recalled Huizenga saying.
On at least two occasions, Thomas attended Huizenga’s birthday and Christmas parties, which the billionaire held inside his private hangar at the Fort Lauderdale airport. Van Poole, a lobbyist and former chairman of the Florida GOP, recalled riding down the elevator at the nearby Hyatt Pier 66 hotel — which Huizenga also controlled — when the Thomases stepped in with a security detail. The group discussed college sports and then traveled to the party together, Poole said.
Thomas occasionally flew on Huizenga’s helicopters, sometimes taking off from the roof of the corporate headquarters, and at least one of his Gulfstream jets around Florida, according to his former pilots. But the billionaire’s most luxurious planes were a pair of 737 jets he had retrofitted like a lounge, complete with recliners, love seats, mahogany dining and card tables and gourmet food.
At least two times in the mid 2000s, Huizenga sent one of them to pick up Thomas and deliver him to Fort Lauderdale, said John Wener, the flight attendant on board.
Wener recalled chatting with the justice about his nomination to the Supreme Court and the tumultuous Senate confirmation hearings after Thomas’ former aide, Anita Hill, accused him of sexual harassment. “He said, ‘Just imagine a job interview and you’re in front of 100 people that hate you,’” Wener recalled Thomas remarking. “‘How would that interview go?’”
In the early 2000s, Huizenga gave Thomas something that was priceless at the time: a standing invitation to his exclusive, members-only golf club, the Floridian. Designed by golf legend Gary Player, the course was lined with cottages for Huizenga’s friends, a yacht marina for them to dock and a helipad if they wanted to fly in. One family friend told the Huizenga family biographer that the Floridian was “the most coveted private golf invitation in the world.” Those who worked and played there said the membership rolls were a Rolodex of the rich, famous and powerful: From Michael Douglas and Rush Limbaugh to Michael Bloomberg and former Vice President Dan Quayle. Donald Trump once asked to be a member but Huizenga spurned him, according to three of Huizenga’s former employees.
All 200-plus members were “honorary” and didn’t pay dues — Huizenga covered everything. “It was a little slice of heaven, a magical place,” former media personality Matt Lauer told the biographer. “You drove through the gates and it was this fairytale land that he had created.”
It’s unclear if Thomas was a member or Huizenga’s frequent guest with similar privileges. The billionaire’s former personal photographer and two former golf pros at the club recalled seeing Thomas there multiple times over the years. One of Huizenga’s helicopter pilots said he had picked the justice up from the property. And a fifth employee, a former waitress and concierge, said she once served Thomas and Huizenga, who were wearing golf attire, as they dined alone in the enormous waterfront clubhouse for lunch. “Have you met a Supreme Court justice?” Huizenga asked the waitress before she took their order. “This is Clarence Thomas.”
Today, the Floridian, which the Huizenga family sold in 2010 before it underwent renovations, has a $150,000 initiation fee.
Paying for Access to the Supreme Court Chambers
Thomas first met Huizenga at a formal gala in Washington, D.C., in 1992, when they were both inducted into the Horatio Alger Association. Henry Kissinger and Maya Angelou were among the other honorees that year. The organization, named after the 19th-century novelist who popularized rags-to-riches folklore, gives millions in college scholarships each year and also brings together some of the country’s wealthiest, self-made business tycoons for opulent events. (In real life, Alger was a minister on Cape Cod who resigned from his parish after he was credibly accused of molesting boys.)
“We were proud to honor Justice Thomas more than 30 years ago,” an association spokesperson said in a statement, “and remain grateful for his continued involvement in our organization.” She said Thomas spends countless hours mentoring scholarship recipients.
Thomas appears to have met Huizenga, Sokol, Novelly and Bergeron through the organization. Several of Thomas’ trips to Florida in the 2000s appear to have been connected with the association. In that time period, he joined Huizenga at Horatio Alger scholarship ceremonies in South Florida, travel that the justice disclosed in several of his yearly financial filings.
However, he never identified Huizenga in any of his disclosures. The association spokesperson confirmed to ProPublica that the billionaire hosted those events “and covered all costs involved.”
Experts said that means Thomas’ disclosures would be, at a minimum, incomplete and misleading because the rules require federal judges to identify the source of the gifts they receive. “Source means the person or entity that paid for it,” said Kathleen Clark, a legal ethics authority at Washington University in St. Louis.
Belonging to the association has had its privileges. As part of a board meeting, the Thomases once went on a lavish trip to Jamaica, where they were hosted by a wealthy donor who owned a luxury hotel atop a former sugar plantation. Johnny Cash performed. Horatio Alger Association membership itself is worth at least $200,000, according to the organization’s meeting minutes in 2007, a sum that those who nominate a new member are responsible for raising in that person’s honor. The association spokesperson said there was no requirement to raise money for new members back when Thomas was inducted.
Thomas has likely helped the group earn many times that figure since then. Every year, the justice hosts an event for members inside the Supreme Court’s Great Hall. The Times previously reported that the event afforded the Horatio Alger Association unusual access to the court.
ProPublica examined boxes of the association’s historical archives, including financial records that show the group has required donations of at least $1,500 — $7,500 for nonmembers — to attend the Supreme Court event. In 2004, those who donated $100,000 for a table at the main ceremony got 10 seats inside the Supreme Court. In the judiciary’s code of conduct — which is general guidance that does not apply to Supreme Court justices, though they say they consult it — there is explicit language advising federal judges against using their position to fundraise for outside organizations.
But that’s what Thomas has done, said Virginia Canter, a former government ethics lawyer who served in administrations of both parties and reviewed the association’s financial records at ProPublica’s request.
“To use the Supreme Court to fundraise for somebody’s charity is, to me, an abuse of office,” she said. Canter acknowledged the organization may do good work, but that’s besides the point, she said, because wealthy donors aren’t supposed to be able to pay thousands of dollars to visit a justice inside the courthouse walls.
“It’s pay to play,” Canter added, “isn’t it?”


rawstory--2020-01-14--A dozen GOP senators are now willing to limit Trump’s war powers after disastrous Suleimani briefing

A dozen GOP senators are now willing to limit Trump’s war powers after disastrous Suleimani briefing: Tim Kaine

Speaking to The Daily Beast this Tuesday , Senator Tim Kaine ( D-VA ) said that there may be a @ @ @ @ @ are willing to curtail President Trump ’ s ability to go to war with Iran @ @ @ @ @ disastrous security briefing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave legislators last week .
According to @ @ @ @ @ around a dozen GOP senators willing to vote in favor of a resolution that requires @ @ @ @ @ of military activity .
Kaine added that there might be more Republicans in support of @ @ @ @ @ of .
Several legislators expressed frustration with Pompeo ’ s briefing , saying that it @ @ @ @ @ ” when it came to any sort of rationale for the targeted killing of Iranian @ @ @ @

Speaking to The Daily Beast this Tuesday, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) said that there may be a growing contingent of Republicans who are willing to curtail President Trump's ability to go to war with Iran, thanks to the reportedly disastrous security briefing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave legislators last week.
According to Kaine, there are now around a dozen GOP senators willing to vote in favor of a resolution that requires congressional approval before any escalation of military activity. Kaine added that there might be more Republicans in support of the resolution than he knows of.
Several legislators expressed frustration with Pompeo's briefing, saying that it was "evasive or dismissive" when it came to any sort of rationale for the targeted killing of Iranian general Qassim Suleimani.


rawstory--2020-01-14--Former AT&T CEO unloads on Trump for ‘stiffing’ rural America in scathing column for Iowa’s 2nd-larg

Former AT&T CEO unloads on Trump for ‘stiffing’ rural America in scathing column for Iowa’s 2nd-largest newspaper

President Donald Trump ’ s policies have wrecked Iowa ’ s economy — according to the former CEO of AT & T Broadband .
Leo Hindery Jr. , currently co-chair of the Task Force on Job Creation and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations , laid out a damning indictment of Trump ’ s economic policies in a column published The Gazette , the second-largest newspaper in the state .
“ The dirty secret of the economy under Trump is that while major corporations have had reasons to celebrate , rural communities in the heartlands have gotten stiffed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in point : Iowa , ” he added .
“ Research shows that in the state the bulk of the economy ’ s benefits are being enjoyed by the richest one percent of Iowans , and much less so by the state ’ s small businesses and farmers who are fighting for scraps.
” The Republican tax cuts were merely handouts to the wealthy , Hindery wrote , and he urged Democrats campaigning and debating in the state to call them out as that .
“ A recent analysis conducted by the Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have benefitted most from the Trump administration ’ s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act , ” Hindery wrote .
“ These findings indicate that the richest one percent – those Iowans with an average income of more than $ 1 million per year – captured 24 percent of all tax cut gains .
The poorest 20 percent of Iowans – those making less than $ 13,700 per year – saw only about one percent of the total.
” The tax cuts have failed to help smaller farm and small business owners , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s $ 16 billion emergency aid package for farmers who ’ ve been hung out to dry by the misguided trade war with China has proven to be just another goody bag for the wealthy , ” Hindery wrote .
“ According to analysis by the Environmental Working Group ( EWG ) , most of the $ 8.4 billion given out as a part of the aid package has gone to wealthy farmers .
The top one percent of recipients received on average roughly $ 183,000 while the bottom 80 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ This pattern could not be starker , ” he added .
“ The President and his supporters in Congress continually promise a lifeboat to those struggling to stay afloat but then they barely throw them a line .
”

President Donald Trump's policies have wrecked Iowa's economy -- according to the former CEO of AT&T Broadband.
Leo Hindery Jr., currently co-chair of the Task Force on Job Creation and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, laid out a damning indictment of Trump's economic policies in a column published The Gazette, the second-largest newspaper in the state.
"The dirty secret of the economy under Trump is that while major corporations have had reasons to celebrate, rural communities in the heartlands have gotten stiffed," Hindery wrote.
"Case in point: Iowa," he added. "Research shows that in the state the bulk of the economy’s benefits are being enjoyed by the richest one percent of Iowans, and much less so by the state’s small businesses and farmers who are fighting for scraps."
The Republican tax cuts were merely handouts to the wealthy, Hindery wrote, and he urged Democrats campaigning and debating in the state to call them out as that.
"A recent analysis conducted by the Iowa Policy Project found that the wealthiest Iowans have benefitted most from the Trump administration’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," Hindery wrote. "These findings indicate that the richest one percent – those Iowans with an average income of more than $1 million per year – captured 24 percent of all tax cut gains. The poorest 20 percent of Iowans – those making less than $13,700 per year – saw only about one percent of the total."
The tax cuts have failed to help smaller farm and small business owners, as well, he argued.
"Even Trump’s $16 billion emergency aid package for farmers who’ve been hung out to dry by the misguided trade war with China has proven to be just another goody bag for the wealthy," Hindery wrote. "According to analysis by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), most of the $8.4 billion given out as a part of the aid package has gone to wealthy farmers. The top one percent of recipients received on average roughly $183,000 while the bottom 80 percent of farmers received less than $5,000."
"This pattern could not be starker," he added. "The President and his supporters in Congress continually promise a lifeboat to those struggling to stay afloat but then they barely throw them a line."


rawstory--2020-01-14--Makeshift koala hospital scrambles to save dozens injured in bushfires

Dozens of injured koalas arrive at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park ’ s makeshift animal hospital each day in cat carriers , washing baskets or clinging to wildlife carers .
Injured in bushfires that have ravaged the wildlife haven off the coast of South Australia state , there are so many marsupials currently requiring urgent treatment that carers don ’ t have time to give them names — they are simply referred to by a number .
Among them is Koala Number 64 , who was brought in with burns to all four of his paws .
Stretched out on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he has been sedated so the wounds can be examined and treated .
“ It ’ s healing nicely , ” says veterinarian Peter Hutchison , explaining the koala had already benefitted from a few days ’ of treatment .
Not all rescued koalas have been so lucky .
Many are found so badly injured that they need to be euthanised .
Steven Selwood , South Australia Veterinary Emergency Management team leader at the hospital , says around 46,000 koalas were thought to be on the island before this year ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as 9,000 remain , Selwood says , describing the figure as “ pretty devastating ” .
“ The fires here were particularly ferocious and fast-moving so we ’ re seeing a lot less injured wildlife than in other fires , ” he tells AFP .
“ A lot of the wildlife was incinerated.
” Australian Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the country ’ s koala population had taken an “ extraordinary hit ” as a result of bushfires that have raged for months , suggesting they could be listed as “ endangered ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the only place in Australia where the population is entirely free of chlamydia — a sexually transmitted infection also found in humans that is fatal to koalas .
That has made them a key “ insurance population ” for the future of the species — and even more crucial now that large numbers have died in bushfires on the Australian mainland .
Almost half of Kangaroo Island has been razed by fire and an estimated 80 percent of koala habitat wiped out .
This widespread destruction has left rescuers with a tricky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animals once they have recovered .
For now , that issue is on the back burner as teams of vets work overtime to save as many as possible .
“ He ’ s going to need another week ( to recover ) and will need to be kept caged after that , ” Hutchinson tells AFP as he wraps a pink bandage around Number 64 ’ s paw .
“ Because there ’ s no habitat for him to go back to at this time .
”

Dozens of injured koalas arrive at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park's makeshift animal hospital each day in cat carriers, washing baskets or clinging to wildlife carers.
Injured in bushfires that have ravaged the wildlife haven off the coast of South Australia state, there are so many marsupials currently requiring urgent treatment that carers don't have time to give them names -- they are simply referred to by a number.
Among them is Koala Number 64, who was brought in with burns to all four of his paws.
Stretched out on a surgical table in a bustling tent, he has been sedated so the wounds can be examined and treated.
"It's healing nicely," says veterinarian Peter Hutchison, explaining the koala had already benefitted from a few days' of treatment.
Not all rescued koalas have been so lucky. Many are found so badly injured that they need to be euthanised.
Steven Selwood, South Australia Veterinary Emergency Management team leader at the hospital, says around 46,000 koalas were thought to be on the island before this year's bushfires.
It is estimated as few as 9,000 remain, Selwood says, describing the figure as "pretty devastating".
"The fires here were particularly ferocious and fast-moving so we're seeing a lot less injured wildlife than in other fires," he tells AFP.
"A lot of the wildlife was incinerated."
Australian Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the country's koala population had taken an "extraordinary hit" as a result of bushfires that have raged for months, suggesting they could be listed as "endangered" for the first time.
Kangaroo Island is the only place in Australia where the population is entirely free of chlamydia -- a sexually transmitted infection also found in humans that is fatal to koalas.
That has made them a key "insurance population" for the future of the species -- and even more crucial now that large numbers have died in bushfires on the Australian mainland.
Almost half of Kangaroo Island has been razed by fire and an estimated 80 percent of koala habitat wiped out.
This widespread destruction has left rescuers with a tricky proposition -- what to do with the animals once they have recovered.
For now, that issue is on the back burner as teams of vets work overtime to save as many as possible.
"He's going to need another week (to recover) and will need to be kept caged after that," Hutchinson tells AFP as he wraps a pink bandage around Number 64's paw.
"Because there's no habitat for him to go back to at this time."
© 2020 AFP


rawstory--2020-01-14--‘Surviving was a miracle’: Iran’s missile attack on Iraq base

Waves of ballistic missiles , soldiers hunkered down in bunkers for hours , intense shock waves — a top US commander said he reacted to Iran ’ s unprecedented attack against an Iraqi base with “ disbelief ” .
In an exclusive interview with AFP at the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq , Lt .
Colonel Tim Garland said his superiors had given him “ a couple hours of advance warning ” last Tuesday night that an attack by Iran was coming .
“ My first reaction was shock , initial disbelief , ” he said , sceptical that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to conduct a bold attack on Ain al-Asad .
The airbase was targeted in retaliation for the US killing top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad on January 3 .
The base is one of the largest in Iraq , with 1,500 US troops making up the bulk of a coalition presence directly adjacent to thousands of Iraqi forces .
Getting those forces to safety was an act of quick thinking and coordination across the army and air force commanders at Ain al-Asad , Garland said .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and coalition forces had evacuated from their sleeping quarters and offices , and were hiding out either in fortified bunkers or dispersed across the base .
They waited , tense , for over two hours .
But not even their commander expected the strength of the blasts that came next .
“ When the first round came in , it was the loudest , most powerful noise I ’ ve ever heard , ” Garland told AFP .
“ There ’ s something unnatural about the air .
The way it moved , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shock wave that came in and bowed the door in and bowed it back out , ” he said .
Starting at 1:35am and for the next three hours , around five volleys of ballistic missiles slammed into the base at varying intervals .
“ I have not been that scared for a long time .
It ’ s been a while , ” said Garland , who has served multiple tours in Iraq .
“ We didn ’ t know what it was going to look like — if there was going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he added .
When the strikes quietened around 4:00am , commanders and soldiers emerged from their bunkers to fires burning across the base , more than a dozen impact sites but — miraculously — no casualties .
Two soldiers who had been in guard towers were blown out of their positions but only suffered concussion , the commander said .
“ How they survived was a miracle of God , ” Garland remarked .
He said the volleys that hit the base were timed in such a way as to trick soldiers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It was just enough time to make you feel safe .
It was my opinion that it was intended to inflict casualties , ” said Garland .
Hossein Salami , commander of Iran ’ s Revolutionary Guards , said on Sunday the missiles it fired in the early hours of Wednesday were not aimed at killing American personnel .
By Monday , most of the impact sites had been cleared .
A bulldozer was piling up the last of the twisted metal and debris from the last site , located by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ living quarters had been totally pulverised and still smelt of charred metal .
Soldiers who lived there told AFP they had lost all their personal belongings — clothes , books , pictures of their families and mementos they had carried through more than a decade in the military .
But given the intensity of the strikes , Garland said , they were lucky .

Waves of ballistic missiles, soldiers hunkered down in bunkers for hours, intense shock waves -- a top US commander said he reacted to Iran's unprecedented attack against an Iraqi base with "disbelief".
In an exclusive interview with AFP at the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, Lt. Colonel Tim Garland said his superiors had given him "a couple hours of advance warning" last Tuesday night that an attack by Iran was coming.
"My first reaction was shock, initial disbelief," he said, sceptical that Iran would be capable, and willing, to conduct a bold attack on Ain al-Asad.
The airbase was targeted in retaliation for the US killing top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad on January 3.
The base is one of the largest in Iraq, with 1,500 US troops making up the bulk of a coalition presence directly adjacent to thousands of Iraqi forces.
Getting those forces to safety was an act of quick thinking and coordination across the army and air force commanders at Ain al-Asad, Garland said.
By 11:00pm (2000 GMT), US and coalition forces had evacuated from their sleeping quarters and offices, and were hiding out either in fortified bunkers or dispersed across the base.
They waited, tense, for over two hours.
But not even their commander expected the strength of the blasts that came next.
"When the first round came in, it was the loudest, most powerful noise I've ever heard," Garland told AFP.
- Shockwave 'bowed door' -
"There's something unnatural about the air. The way it moved, the way it heated up; the shock wave that came in and bowed the door in and bowed it back out," he said.
Starting at 1:35am and for the next three hours, around five volleys of ballistic missiles slammed into the base at varying intervals.
"I have not been that scared for a long time. It's been a while," said Garland, who has served multiple tours in Iraq.
"We didn't know what it was going to look like -- if there was going to be a carpet bombing effect," he added.
When the strikes quietened around 4:00am, commanders and soldiers emerged from their bunkers to fires burning across the base, more than a dozen impact sites but -- miraculously -- no casualties.
Two soldiers who had been in guard towers were blown out of their positions but only suffered concussion, the commander said.
"How they survived was a miracle of God," Garland remarked.
He said the volleys that hit the base were timed in such a way as to trick soldiers into thinking the bombing was over.
"It was just enough time to make you feel safe. It was my opinion that it was intended to inflict casualties," said Garland.
Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said on Sunday the missiles it fired in the early hours of Wednesday were not aimed at killing American personnel.
By Monday, most of the impact sites had been cleared.
A bulldozer was piling up the last of the twisted metal and debris from the last site, located by the base's airfield.
A soldiers' living quarters had been totally pulverised and still smelt of charred metal.
Soldiers who lived there told AFP they had lost all their personal belongings -- clothes, books, pictures of their families and mementos they had carried through more than a decade in the military.
But given the intensity of the strikes, Garland said, they were lucky.
"Theatre ballistic missile strikes. That's unprecedented," he said.
© 2020 AFP