December 1, 2017

Sessions blasts sanctuary cities after Kate Steinle murder trial ruling

Source: The Hill




BY JOSH DELK - 11/30/17 09:02 PM EST

Attorney General Jeff Session blasted so-called sanctuary cities late Thursday after a San Francisco jury acquitted an illegal immigrant charged with the 2015 murder of 32-year-old Kate Steinle.

“When jurisdictions choose to return criminal aliens to the streets rather than turning them over to federal immigration authorities, they put the public’s safety at risk," Sessions said in a statement.

Sessions's comments came after a jury for the Superior Court of San Francisco acquitted Jose Ines Garcia Zarate of the fatal shooting of Steinle. Zarate had previously been deported five times.

The court found Zarate not guilty of first or second-degree murder or assault with a firearm, but convicted him of being a felon with a firearm, for which he will be sentenced at a future date.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/362707-sessions-blasts-sanctuary-cities-after-kate-steinle-decision

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Defense attorney in Steinle case: Jury's verdict 'should be respected'

BY BRANDON CARTER - 11/30/17 09:44 PM EST

The attorney representing the undocumented immigrant found not guilty of the murder of Kate Steinle issued a statement after the verdict aimed squarely at President Trump, Vice President Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, saying the jury's verdict “should be respected.”

“For those who might criticize this verdict – there are a number of people who have commented on this case in the last couple of years; the Attorney General of the United States and the President and Vice President of the United States,” defense attorney Matt Gonzalez said, according to a local CBS affiliate.

“Let me just remind them: they are themselves under investigation by a special prosecutor in Washington D.C. and they may soon avail themselves of the presumption of innocence beyond a reasonable doubt, so I ask that they reflect on that before they comment or disparage the results of this case.” A jury for the Superior Court of San Francisco acquitted Jose Ines Garcia Zarate Wednesday of the fatal shooting of Steinle. Zarate, who was in the US illegally at the time of the shooting, had previously been deported five times.

The court found Zarate not guilty of first or second-degree murder or assault with a firearm, but convicted him of being a felon with a firearm, for which he will be sentenced at a future date.

more
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/362711-defense-attorney-in-steinle-case-jurys-verdict-should-be

December 1, 2017

Here We Go Again: Twitter Mocks Trump Over Awful Attendance at National Tree Lighting

by Joe DePaolo | 7:57 pm, November 30th, 2017

Here we go again.

President Donald Trump and the first family attended the National Tree Lighting ceremony in Washington on Thursday before a crowd of…well…let’s see:

https://twitter.com/SteveRudinABC7/status/936369495853228032

The parallels to the Inauguration were obvious. And Twitter, which seldom disappoints, was all over it. Here’s a sampling of the social media reaction:

https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/936384866320568321
https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/936388180785483776
https://twitter.com/Amy_Siskind/status/936380371532505100
https://twitter.com/ReignOfApril/status/936380075834003456
https://twitter.com/AynRandPaulRyan/status/936381359634837504
https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/936386107012460545

more
https://www.mediaite.com/online/here-we-go-again-twitter-mocks-trump-over-awful-attendance-at-national-tree-lighting/

December 1, 2017

Interrogators Blast Trump's 'Clueless' CIA Pick Tom Cotton

Source: The Daily Beast



Tom Cotton, Trump’s reported choice for CIA, mocked the idea that Russia backed Trump—and backed waterboarding. That could make for a tense reception at Langley.

SPENCER ACKERMAN
11.30.17 12:44 PM ET

The Central Intelligence Agency is set to receive an advocate of waterboarding, sweeping surveillance powers, jailing journalists, and conflict with Iran as its next director.

A combat veteran and first-term Arkansas GOP senator, Tom Cotton has wasted little time building his twin reputations as one of the Senate’s hardest hardliners and friendliest Donald Trump allies. In one of his earliest Senate soundbites, he rebuked a Pentagon official in 2015 for the failed plan to close Guantanamo Bay, saying its detainees should “rot in hell.” More recently, he has mocked the idea that Trump colluded with Russia.

Now, following months of whispered reporting, White House chief of staff John Kelly has developed a plan to transition Cotton over to the Central Intelligence Agency directorship—the better to oust flailing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA director and fellow Trump loyalist Mike Pompeo, according to the New York Times.

Cotton’s prospective arrival at the CIA is the latest dalliance with a restoration of torture to the spy agency’s agenda. Trump as a presidential candidate advocated “worse” torture techniques than waterboarding, only to proclaim himself swayed away from torture by the opposition of Jim Mattis, now the defense secretary.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-cia-pick-tom-cotton-blasted-by-interrogators

December 1, 2017

White House Proclaims World AIDS Day, Leaves Out LGBT People & People of Color

Source: The Daily Beast



In administrations past, the World AIDS Day proclamation has traditionally included mentions of groups acutely affected by HIV/AIDS. Not under President Trump.

SCOTT BIXBY
11.30.17 3:40 PM ET

The White House on Thursday released a proclamation of World AIDS Day that excluded any mention of groups at particular risk of HIV infection, including gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people, or people of color.

The proclamation was issued one day before Dec. 1st, a date recognized internationally since 1988 as a day dedicated to raising aware of the AIDS pandemic that has claimed more than 35 million lives. “We pray for all those living with HIV, and those who have lost loved ones to AIDS,” the proclamation, signed by President Donald Trump, notes, and “we commend the immense effort people have made to control and end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”

In response to requests for clarification as to why the White House omitted at-risk groups from the proclamation, the press secretary’s office told The Daily Beast that “HIV/AIDS afflicts people of all types.”

The omission is like the White House’s decision to omit any mention of Jews in its statement commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day, which drew heavy condemnation from across the political spectrum.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-proclaims-world-aids-day-leaves-out-lgbt-people-and-people-of-color