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babylonsister
babylonsister's Journal
babylonsister's Journal
February 19, 2019
Klobuchar Runs to the Center
February 19, 2019 at 6:36 am EST By Taegan Goddard
Klobuchar Runs to the Center
https://politicalwire.com/2019/02/19/klobuchar-runs-to-the-center/Klobuchar Runs to the Center
February 19, 2019 at 6:36 am EST By Taegan Goddard
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) “placed herself firmly in the center lane of the Democratic primary on Monday, calling popular progressive policy platforms ‘aspirational,’ and declining to fully commit to them,” Politico reports.
“The Minnesota Democrat called the Green New Deal ‘aspirational’ and said that Medicare-for-all is ‘something we can look to in the future,’ during a CNN town hall hosted in Manchester, N.H., on Monday night. On free four-year college, Klobuchar said: ‘No, I am not for four-year college for all.’”
“The Minnesota Democrat called the Green New Deal ‘aspirational’ and said that Medicare-for-all is ‘something we can look to in the future,’ during a CNN town hall hosted in Manchester, N.H., on Monday night. On free four-year college, Klobuchar said: ‘No, I am not for four-year college for all.’”
February 19, 2019
Why Is CNN Paying John Kasich to Seemingly Trial-Balloon a 2020 Run?
Experts say CNN paying Ohio’s ex-governor for his punditry could cause ethical ‘chaos,’ but neither network brass nor Kasich’s camp seem all that worried.
Maxwell Tani
02.19.19
5:09 AM ET
CNN’s political news reporters have found themselves in a bizarre, murky position: One of their newest colleagues may very likely run for president.
Before and since joining CNN a month ago as a paid on-air contributor, John Kasich has made no secret that he could run for president again. In fact, ever since the 2016 election, a consistent feature of political coverage has been headlines about the Republican ex-governor of Ohio “mulling” or “considering” a primary or third-party challenge against President Trump.
And when he appears on CNN, he sounds like he’s on the stump.
Often asked to react to other candidates’ presidential aspirations and campaign moves, Kasich falls back on the messaging he tried out as a GOP primary candidate in 2016.
“You must communicate to people in this country that we understand your struggles: health care, the fact that you’re not getting ahead with your income, the fact that your kind can’t get a job,” Kasich said on CNN last month. “That’s what people I believe want to hear. And we’ll see who can articulate that.”
Media critics knocked CNN for signing Kasich knowing he may still run for president, saying the network is effectively giving him a paid platform to build momentum for a future campaign.
more...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-is-cnn-paying-john-kasich-to-seemingly-trial-balloon-a-2020-run?ref=home
Why Is CNN Paying John Kasich to Seemingly Trial-Balloon a 2020 Run?
Why Is CNN Paying John Kasich to Seemingly Trial-Balloon a 2020 Run?
Experts say CNN paying Ohio’s ex-governor for his punditry could cause ethical ‘chaos,’ but neither network brass nor Kasich’s camp seem all that worried.
Maxwell Tani
02.19.19
5:09 AM ET
CNN’s political news reporters have found themselves in a bizarre, murky position: One of their newest colleagues may very likely run for president.
Before and since joining CNN a month ago as a paid on-air contributor, John Kasich has made no secret that he could run for president again. In fact, ever since the 2016 election, a consistent feature of political coverage has been headlines about the Republican ex-governor of Ohio “mulling” or “considering” a primary or third-party challenge against President Trump.
And when he appears on CNN, he sounds like he’s on the stump.
Often asked to react to other candidates’ presidential aspirations and campaign moves, Kasich falls back on the messaging he tried out as a GOP primary candidate in 2016.
“You must communicate to people in this country that we understand your struggles: health care, the fact that you’re not getting ahead with your income, the fact that your kind can’t get a job,” Kasich said on CNN last month. “That’s what people I believe want to hear. And we’ll see who can articulate that.”
Media critics knocked CNN for signing Kasich knowing he may still run for president, saying the network is effectively giving him a paid platform to build momentum for a future campaign.
“I do believe CNN runs an ethical risk paying a potential candidate,” Steven Roberts, a professor of media ethics at George Washington University, told The Daily Beast. “The mixture of journalists/pundits/consultants/political operatives on CNN and other platforms is already confusing enough to viewers. Adding potential candidates as paid contributors crosses a line into chaos.”
more...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-is-cnn-paying-john-kasich-to-seemingly-trial-balloon-a-2020-run?ref=home
February 19, 2019
https://politicalwire.com/2019/02/18/trump-confidant-says-dan-coats-could-be-fired/
Trump Confidant Says Dan Coats Could Be Fired
February 18, 2019 at 6:17 pm EST By Taegan Goddard
Trump Confidant Says Dan Coats Could Be Fired
https://politicalwire.com/2019/02/18/trump-confidant-says-dan-coats-could-be-fired/
Trump Confidant Says Dan Coats Could Be Fired
February 18, 2019 at 6:17 pm EST By Taegan Goddard
Chris Ruddy, the founder of the conservative outlet Newsmax and a confidant of President Trump’s, told CNN that — based on what he’s been told by White House sources — he believes Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats could be fired for attacking the administration’s stance on North Korea.
February 19, 2019
Posted on Mon, Feb 18th, 2019 by Sean Colarossi
‘What’s The Point Of Congress?’: Katy Tur Rips GOP For Turning Blind Eye To Trump’s Power Grab
MSNBC’s Katy Tur said Republicans are essentially turning Congress into an irrelevant branch of government by going along with Donald Trump’s fake emergency declaration.
If Republicans in Congress leave it up to the courts and they ultimately uphold Trump’s abuse of power, then “they do stand to lose a lot of congressional authority,” the MSNBC host said.
“If this goes to the courts and the courts uphold it, what’s the point of Congress?” Tur asked.
https://twitter.com/politicususa/status/1097652731672756224
Tur said:
Republicans have abdicated their responsibility
In the Trump era, Republicans in Congress have refused to act as a co-equal branch of government. They have willingly given up their constitutional powers in order to appease and protect the president.
As Katy Tur added on Monday, “Why would someone like Mitch McConnell or anybody else be so willing to give up congressional authority – their own power – to support anyone – Democratic, Republican or Independent?”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” she added.
A measure to block Trump’s fake emergency declaration may very well pass both chambers of Congress as a key number of Republicans have publicly expressed their concerns, but the president is likely to veto it.
If Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, refuse to override that potential veto and prevent a blatant abuse of power by Trump, they are once again abdicating their responsibilities and making Congress an irrelevant branch of government.
'What's The Point Of Congress?': Katy Tur Rips GOP For Turning Blind Eye To Trump's Power Grab
https://www.politicususa.com/2019/02/18/congress-katy-tur-gop-blind-eye-trumps-power-grab.htmlPosted on Mon, Feb 18th, 2019 by Sean Colarossi
‘What’s The Point Of Congress?’: Katy Tur Rips GOP For Turning Blind Eye To Trump’s Power Grab
MSNBC’s Katy Tur said Republicans are essentially turning Congress into an irrelevant branch of government by going along with Donald Trump’s fake emergency declaration.
If Republicans in Congress leave it up to the courts and they ultimately uphold Trump’s abuse of power, then “they do stand to lose a lot of congressional authority,” the MSNBC host said.
“If this goes to the courts and the courts uphold it, what’s the point of Congress?” Tur asked.
https://twitter.com/politicususa/status/1097652731672756224
Tur said:
They do stand to lose a lot of congressional authority. If this goes to the courts and the courts uphold it, what’s the point of Congress? You have the president who can declare whatever he wants, he or she wants.
Republicans have abdicated their responsibility
In the Trump era, Republicans in Congress have refused to act as a co-equal branch of government. They have willingly given up their constitutional powers in order to appease and protect the president.
As Katy Tur added on Monday, “Why would someone like Mitch McConnell or anybody else be so willing to give up congressional authority – their own power – to support anyone – Democratic, Republican or Independent?”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” she added.
A measure to block Trump’s fake emergency declaration may very well pass both chambers of Congress as a key number of Republicans have publicly expressed their concerns, but the president is likely to veto it.
If Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, refuse to override that potential veto and prevent a blatant abuse of power by Trump, they are once again abdicating their responsibilities and making Congress an irrelevant branch of government.
February 18, 2019
At Least 13 States Will Join Lawsuit Challenging Trump’s Emergency Declaration
By Daniel Politi
Feb 18, 2019
4:07 PM
California and at least a dozen other states will be joining a lawsuit to challenge President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Monday. “The president admitted that there’s not a basis for the declaration, he admitted there’s no crisis at the border, he’s now trying to rob funds that were allocated by Congress legally to the various states and people of our states,” Becerra told MSNBC. “The separation of powers is being violated, we’re going to go out there and make sure that Donald Trump cannot steal money from the states and people who need them, since we paid the taxpayer dollars to Washington, D.C. to get those services.”
This marks the latest effort to challenge Trump’s emergency declaration in the courts. Earlier, three environmental and advocacy groups joined a lawsuit against the emergency declaration. The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit over the weekend arguing that the White House doesn’t have the authority to use emergency funds to build a wall along the Mexico border. “The only emergency here is Trump’s assault on the Constitution,” said Brian Segee, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “Separation of powers is at the heart of our democracy and the power of the purse is a critical check on the president. Trump’s authoritarian attempt to build his destructive border wall is a flagrant abuse of that constitutional structure. If he gets his way, it’ll be a disaster for communities and wildlife along the border, including some of our country’s most endangered species.” This came after the advocacy group Public Citizen also filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Texas landowners and an environmental group. The American Civil Liberties Union also said it was preparing a lawsuit claiming that Trump doesn’t have the authority to redirect taxpayer money to build a wall.
All the lawsuits shouldn’t come as a surprise to the White House. In fact, Trump said he fully expected the be sued when he announced the emergency declaration Friday but he was confident his administration would eventually come out on top of any legal challenge. “And I’ll sign the final papers as soon as I get into the Oval Office. And we will have a national emergency, and then we will then be sued, and they will sue us in the Ninth Circuit, even though it shouldn’t be there,” Trump said. “And we will possibly get a bad ruling, and then we’ll get another bad ruling. And then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court, and hopefully we’ll get a fair shake. And we’ll win in the Supreme Court, just like the ban.”
Challenge to the emergency declaration could also come from Congress, where lawmakers could put forth a joint resolution to terminate it. But White House adviser Stephen Miller hinted Trump wouldn’t hesitate to cast the first veto of his presidency if lawmakers tried to undo his emergency declaration. “Obviously the president is going to protect his national emergency declaration,” Miller said on Fox News Sunday.
At Least 13 States Will Join Lawsuit Challenging Trump's Emergency Declaration
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/02/states-join-lawsuit-trump-emergency-declaration.htmlAt Least 13 States Will Join Lawsuit Challenging Trump’s Emergency Declaration
By Daniel Politi
Feb 18, 2019
4:07 PM
California and at least a dozen other states will be joining a lawsuit to challenge President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Monday. “The president admitted that there’s not a basis for the declaration, he admitted there’s no crisis at the border, he’s now trying to rob funds that were allocated by Congress legally to the various states and people of our states,” Becerra told MSNBC. “The separation of powers is being violated, we’re going to go out there and make sure that Donald Trump cannot steal money from the states and people who need them, since we paid the taxpayer dollars to Washington, D.C. to get those services.”
Speaking on CNN, Becerra said the lawsuit is imminent. “We should be filing sometime today,” Becerra said. “We’re going to try to halt the President from violating the Constitution, the separation of powers, from stealing money from Americans and states that has been allocated by Congress, lawfully.”
This marks the latest effort to challenge Trump’s emergency declaration in the courts. Earlier, three environmental and advocacy groups joined a lawsuit against the emergency declaration. The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit over the weekend arguing that the White House doesn’t have the authority to use emergency funds to build a wall along the Mexico border. “The only emergency here is Trump’s assault on the Constitution,” said Brian Segee, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “Separation of powers is at the heart of our democracy and the power of the purse is a critical check on the president. Trump’s authoritarian attempt to build his destructive border wall is a flagrant abuse of that constitutional structure. If he gets his way, it’ll be a disaster for communities and wildlife along the border, including some of our country’s most endangered species.” This came after the advocacy group Public Citizen also filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Texas landowners and an environmental group. The American Civil Liberties Union also said it was preparing a lawsuit claiming that Trump doesn’t have the authority to redirect taxpayer money to build a wall.
All the lawsuits shouldn’t come as a surprise to the White House. In fact, Trump said he fully expected the be sued when he announced the emergency declaration Friday but he was confident his administration would eventually come out on top of any legal challenge. “And I’ll sign the final papers as soon as I get into the Oval Office. And we will have a national emergency, and then we will then be sued, and they will sue us in the Ninth Circuit, even though it shouldn’t be there,” Trump said. “And we will possibly get a bad ruling, and then we’ll get another bad ruling. And then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court, and hopefully we’ll get a fair shake. And we’ll win in the Supreme Court, just like the ban.”
Challenge to the emergency declaration could also come from Congress, where lawmakers could put forth a joint resolution to terminate it. But White House adviser Stephen Miller hinted Trump wouldn’t hesitate to cast the first veto of his presidency if lawmakers tried to undo his emergency declaration. “Obviously the president is going to protect his national emergency declaration,” Miller said on Fox News Sunday.
February 18, 2019
Kellyanne Conway's Husband Thinks We Should Be Worried About Donald Trump's Mental Stability
I think we're all worried.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/02/kellyanne-conway-husband-trump-obama-north-korea-world-war/
Kellyanne Conway’s Husband Thinks We Should Be Worried About Donald Trump’s Mental Stability
The latest data point? The president’s comments about how close Obama was to starting a war with North Korea.
Jamilah King
February 17, 2019 2:23 PM
snip//
“I believe he would have gone to war with North Korea,” Trump said about Obama on Friday. “That was going to be a war that could have been a World War III, to be honest with you,” Trump added later.
Obama was famously reluctant about engaging in direct military intervention, and his former deputy national security advisor, Ben Rhodes, tweeted that it didn’t happen.
https://twitter.com/brhodes/status/1096467354723274752
Conway saw the news as another sign of the president’s supposed instability. “We should highly question that mental stability of a president of the United States who would lie about whether the United States had been on the verge of starting ‘World War III’ with another state possessing nuclear weapons,” he tweeted on Saturday.
https://twitter.com/gtconway3d/status/1096865616349270018
Conway, a proud Democrat, has previously called the Trump administration “a dumpster fire,” questioned the president’s fitness for office, and taunted him about the Russia investigation. Trump has dismissed Conway’s criticism as just an attempt to drum up publicity for himself, but it’s clearly never a good look for someone so close to his administration to so openly question his sanity.
February 18, 2019
Posted on Mon, Feb 18th, 2019 by Jason Easley
The White House Is Worried Mueller Will Bust Trump For Obstruction Of Justice
The White House doesn’t know what Mueller has, but they are worrying that he is going to bust Trump for obstruction of justice.
The White House is worried about obstruction of justice
https://twitter.com/politicususa/status/1097563277398294536
Mueller finding that Trump obstructed justice would form the basis for impeachment
more...
https://www.politicususa.com/2019/02/18/the-white-house-is-worried-mueller-will-bust-trump-for-obstruction-of-justice.html
The White House Is Worried Mueller Will Bust Trump For Obstruction Of Justice
https://www.politicususa.com/2019/02/18/the-white-house-is-worried-mueller-will-bust-trump-for-obstruction-of-justice.htmlPosted on Mon, Feb 18th, 2019 by Jason Easley
The White House Is Worried Mueller Will Bust Trump For Obstruction Of Justice
The White House doesn’t know what Mueller has, but they are worrying that he is going to bust Trump for obstruction of justice.
The White House is worried about obstruction of justice
The Washington Post‘s Robert Costa told MSNBC, “The mindset on the Russia collusion front is pretty vague because they’re not really sure inside of this White House what Robert Mueller has found along with his investigators. What they’re more cognizant about is the obstruction side of the investigation, and they know so many White House aides and administration officials have been pulled before Robert Mueller‘s team to talk about the president’s conduct, and that’s where some of the worry is among my top sources. What’s going to be detailed about obstruction of justice, alleged obstruction of justice in this Mueller report? Could that really be something beyond the Russia questions that threatens this presidency?”
https://twitter.com/politicususa/status/1097563277398294536
Mueller finding that Trump obstructed justice would form the basis for impeachment
more...
https://www.politicususa.com/2019/02/18/the-white-house-is-worried-mueller-will-bust-trump-for-obstruction-of-justice.html
February 17, 2019
US-Born Marine Veteran Detained By ICE Was Carrying His US Passport When He Was Arrested
From January-still outrageous.
US-Born Marine Veteran Detained By ICE Was Carrying His US Passport When He Was Arrested
Jilmar Ramos-Gomez also was carrying a driver’s license and military ID, said the ACLU, which wants to know how he ended up in ICE custody for three days.
Hamed Aleaziz BuzzFeed News Reporter
Posted on January 23, 2019, at 5:37 p.m. ET
A US-born Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan had his US passport, a REAL ID driver’s license, a military ID card, and his US Marine Corps dog tags with him when he was arrested by police in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which held him for three days before his lawyer demanded his release, according to the ACLU of Michigan.
The advocacy group has called for an investigation into how the Grand Rapids Police Department handled the arrest of Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, who was born in Grand Rapids, served in Afghanistan and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. The ACLU is also demanding that ICE explain why it took the veteran into custody and did not review his identification documents during the three days he was being held.
more...
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hamedaleaziz/us-born-marine-ice-detained-passport?fbclid=IwAR0noV1ZPQy8fZA2DaUU7adJeSzv6_ycW88CLGxxV-l1k20mKE7CyODPOTs
February 17, 2019
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/graham-ky-kids-would-be-better-off-if-school-funds-are-diverted-to-border-wall?fbclid=IwAR12eAiE0DNhTmzwTRzunLoIRC1M9FJqYEWVqaxqmUEH4_EDv0UBed9m4tY
Graham: KY Kids Would Be Better Off If School Funds Are Diverted To Border Wall
Screenshot/CBS News
By Matt Shuham
February 17, 2019 1:49 pm
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speculated Sunday that middle schoolers in Kentucky who would otherwise benefit from Defense Department funds for school construction would be better off should that money be used for a border wall instead.
Trump administration officials have said that, because President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday, already-appropriated money designated for military construction will be available to build a wall on the southern border instead.
CBS “Face The Nation” host Margaret Brennan asked Graham about the trade-off in an interview Sunday.
“Aren’t you concerned that some of these projects, that were part of legislation that you helped approve in Congress, are now going to be possibly cut out?” she asked.
Graham said the choice of which DOD funds to use was Trump’s, not his, but, should the military middle school construction project get the ax, “I would say it’s better for the middle school kids in Kentucky to have a secure border.”
“We’ll get them the school they need, but right now we’ve got a national emergency on our hands,” he added.
https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1097163750296178690
Graham: KY Kids Would Be Better Off If School Funds Are Diverted To Border Wall
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/graham-ky-kids-would-be-better-off-if-school-funds-are-diverted-to-border-wall?fbclid=IwAR12eAiE0DNhTmzwTRzunLoIRC1M9FJqYEWVqaxqmUEH4_EDv0UBed9m4tY
Graham: KY Kids Would Be Better Off If School Funds Are Diverted To Border Wall
Screenshot/CBS News
By Matt Shuham
February 17, 2019 1:49 pm
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speculated Sunday that middle schoolers in Kentucky who would otherwise benefit from Defense Department funds for school construction would be better off should that money be used for a border wall instead.
Trump administration officials have said that, because President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday, already-appropriated money designated for military construction will be available to build a wall on the southern border instead.
CBS “Face The Nation” host Margaret Brennan asked Graham about the trade-off in an interview Sunday.
“Aren’t you concerned that some of these projects, that were part of legislation that you helped approve in Congress, are now going to be possibly cut out?” she asked.
Graham said the choice of which DOD funds to use was Trump’s, not his, but, should the military middle school construction project get the ax, “I would say it’s better for the middle school kids in Kentucky to have a secure border.”
“We’ll get them the school they need, but right now we’ve got a national emergency on our hands,” he added.
https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1097163750296178690
February 17, 2019
Orrin Hatch Foundation seeking $2 million in taxpayer money to fund new center in his honor
By Aris Folley - 02/14/19 08:22 PM EST
The Orrin Hatch Foundation is reportedly asking the Utah Legislature to donate $2 million in taxpayer money to a new center made in the Republican’s honor.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the center is partnering with the University of Utah for the effort, which has been pitched towards being an archive for the former senator in addition to a place of training for future political leaders.
Meg Holbrook, who served as chairwoman of the Utah Democratic Party and is now a top executive at Zions Bank, reportedly pitched the concept to the Legislature’s Business, Economic Development, and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee on Thursday.
“Its overall goal is to, one, store [Hatch’s] papers, which are invaluable,” she said, according to the local paper.
more...
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/430129-orrin-hatch-foundation-seeking-2-million-in-taxpayer-money-to-fund-new-center
Orrin Hatch Foundation seeking $2 million in taxpayer money to fund new center in his honor
Orrin Hatch Foundation seeking $2 million in taxpayer money to fund new center in his honor
By Aris Folley - 02/14/19 08:22 PM EST
The Orrin Hatch Foundation is reportedly asking the Utah Legislature to donate $2 million in taxpayer money to a new center made in the Republican’s honor.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the center is partnering with the University of Utah for the effort, which has been pitched towards being an archive for the former senator in addition to a place of training for future political leaders.
Meg Holbrook, who served as chairwoman of the Utah Democratic Party and is now a top executive at Zions Bank, reportedly pitched the concept to the Legislature’s Business, Economic Development, and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee on Thursday.
“Its overall goal is to, one, store [Hatch’s] papers, which are invaluable,” she said, according to the local paper.
more...
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/430129-orrin-hatch-foundation-seeking-2-million-in-taxpayer-money-to-fund-new-center
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