DonViejo
DonViejo's JournalGeorgia cuts thousands from food stamps program over work requirement
Source: The Hill
BY OWEN DAUGHTERY - 12/24/18 09:56 AM EST
Georgia has reportedly removed thousands of people from the federal food stamp program in recent months for failing to meet its work requirement amid a planned crackdown by the Trump administration.
The state removed nearly 8,000 people a month from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) between April and October, compared to less than 400 a month from October 2017 through March of this year, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, which cited data from the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
Georgia officials told the newspaper that they are now able to better track who is receiving food stamps and remove ineligible recipients through a new data management system.
“We have more data elements available to us with this system than we have had with any of our other eligibility systems,” Jon Anderson, head of DFCS’s Office of Family Independence told the newspaper. “We are more confident in the system being able to identify ABAWDs (able-bodied adults without dependents) than we were in earlier systems.”
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/422722-georgia-cuts-thousands-from-food-stamps-program-over-work-requirement
Ted Cruz's anti-Obamacare crusade continues with few allies
BY ANDREA DRUSCH
DECEMBER 24, 2018 10:33 AM,
UPDATED 13 MINUTES AGO
WASHINGTON - Ted Cruz is still on a crusade to wipe out Obamacare, but the effort is getting lonelier and lonelier.
Republican leaders are now publicly rooting against a Texas-led lawsuit that could eradicate the law in its entirety. Cruz personally laid the groundwork last year for the lawsuit’s approach.
The GOP also largely ignored Cruz’s pleas to make major changes to the law using only Republican votes in these final days when the party controls all of Congress. Democrats will run the House as of Jan. 3.
Fresh off an election where Republicans lost control of the House in large part due to attacks on their plans to overhaul the nation’s health care system, GOP leaders desperately want to move on from an issue that’s gone from political boon to an albatross.
more
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article223302440.html
Trump accuses Democrats of border wall hypocrisy
Source: Politico
By ELI OKUN 12/24/2018 10:41 AM EST
Amid a government shutdown centered on President Donald Trump’s demands for border wall funding, the president again slammed Democrats on Monday for refusing to give him the funding levels he wants.
“Virtually every Democrat we are dealing with today strongly supported a Border Wall or Fence,” Trump tweeted. “It was only when I made it an important part of my campaign, because people and drugs were pouring into our Country unchecked, that they turned against it. Desperately needed!”
The comments echo a talking point that congressional Republicans have circulated in recent days — noting that a failed 2013 immigration deal, which garnered Senate Democratic support, would have devoted $46 billion to border security.
That’s far more than the $5 billion Trump has demanded in border wall funding, a figure that largely prompted the current shutdown.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/24/trump-border-wall-government-shutdown-1074815
Trump swipes at senators, Mattis over military alliances
Source: Politico
By GARRETT ROSS 12/24/2018 10:48 AM EST
President Donald Trump on Monday offered a fresh rebuke of senators who have criticized his recent military actions and the departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, jabbing at the retired Marine general as well.
In a pair of tweets, Trump pushed back on the notion that he does not value global military alliances, saying that he does not like when countries “take advantage” of the United States in “Military Protection and Trade.”
“To those few Senators who think I don’t like or appreciate being allied with other countries, they are wrong, I DO. What I don’t like, however, is when many of these same countries take advantage of their friendship with the United States, both in Military Protection and Trade…” Trump tweeted, adding in a followup: “....We are substantially subsidizing the Militaries of many VERY rich countries all over the world, while at the same time these countries take total advantage of the U.S., and our TAXPAYERS, on Trade. General Mattis did not see this as a problem. I DO, and it is being fixed!”
While it was unclear which senators Trump was referring to, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) appeared on NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sunday and called out Trump over his divergent view of foreign policy from Mattis.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/24/trump-mattis-military-alliances-1074816
50 Interesting Facts About the 2018 Election
Jennifer Duffy, David Wasserman and Ally Flinn
December 20, 2018
@cookpolitical
In keeping with our end-of-cycle tradition, we found 50 interesting things to tide you over during the holidays as we take a well-earned break. Happy Holidays!
1. While not all the election results have been certified yet, the U.S. Elections Project estimates that turnout in the 2018 mid-term election was 50.3 percent of eligible voters, making it the highest turnout in a midterm election since 1914 and the first time a majority of eligible voters cast ballots since women gained the right to vote.
2. According to the NBC News Exit Poll, 16 percent said that they were voting in their first mid-term election.
3. President Trump was mentioned in 16 percent of all U.S. House and Senate ads, the highest rate of any national political figure. Among Republican-sponsored House and Senate ads, he was mentioned in 20 percent of all spots. Nancy Pelosi came in a close second; she was featured in 19 percent of all Republican House and Senate ads. (Courtesy Kantar Media/CMAG)
4. Some issues were mentioned at almost identical rates among Democratic and Republican advertisers. The issues that drew equal attention across party lines included “Food/Agriculture,” “Veterans Affairs,” and “Opioids/Opiates.” The issues at the polar ends of the spectrum highlight the topics of which each party has taken ownership. On the Democratic side, advertisers mentioned “Climate Change,” “Prescription Drugs: Cost,” and “Minimum Wage” at much higher rates whereas on the Republican side “Term Limits,” “Trade: Mexico,” and “Immigration” were the issues that dominated. (Courtesy Kantar Media/CMAG)
5. Democrats ostensibly controlled the conversation around health care and mentioned it in nearly 54 percent of federal-level advertising and Democrats mentioned health care at a rate 2.5 times higher than Republicans. (Courtesy Kantar Media/CMAG)
more
https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/national/national-politics/50-interesting-facts-about-2018-election
Mattis signs order withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria
Source: Reuters
DECEMBER 24, 2018 / 8:28 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis has signed an order withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria, a Defense Department spokesman said on Monday, following through on a decision by President Donald Trump that helped trigger Mattis’ resignation last week.
The signing, which had been expected, occurred after Trump announced on Sunday that he would replace Mattis two months earlier than expected, a move officials said was driven by the president’s anger at a rebuke of his foreign policy contained in Mattis’ resignation letter.
“The execute order for Syria has been signed,” a Defense Department spokesman said in an email to Reuters that provided no operational details.
Officials have cautioned against a timeline but the withdrawal could begin in weeks. A senior official said a specific plan was being worked on.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-mattis-withdrawal/mattis-signs-order-withdrawing-u-s-troops-from-syria-idUSKCN1ON0QX?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FPoliticsNews+%28Reuters+Politics+News%29
The body of the 7-year-old girl who died in US custody returns to Guatemala
Source: CNN
By Emanuella Grinberg and Michelle Mendoza, CNN
Updated 9:45 PM ET, Sun December 23, 2018
Guatemala City, Guatemala (CNN)The body of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old girl who died in US Customs and Border Protection custody, has been returned to Guatemala.
Jakelin's family says she fled the country with her father, Nery Gilberto Caal, 29, in search of a better life. She survived the 2,000-mile journey from northern Guatemala only to die less than 48 hours after Border Patrol agents detained her at a US-Mexico border crossing.
Her body was repatriated to Guatemala on Sunday after being transported by plane from Laredo, Texas. Her remains will be transported to the indigenous community of Raxruha, where she was from.
The remains of Jakelin Caal Maquin were transported to Guatemala on Sunday.
Her death marked another flashpoint in the debate over the Trump administration's hardline approach to immigration enforcement with many -- including Jakelin's family -- wondering if better medical care could have saved her.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/23/americas/guatemala-jakelin-caal-maquin-returns-home/index.html?cid=web-alerts&nsid=24611312
Israel to hold early election in April: Netanyahu spokesman
Source: Reuters
DECEMBER 24, 2018 / 7:32 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Jeffrey Heller
3 MIN READ
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will hold an early general election in April, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday, after members of his governing coalition met to discuss differences over legislation.
“The leaders of the coalition decided unanimously to dissolve parliament and go to a new election in early April,” the spokesman wrote on Twitter, quoting from a statement issued by Netanyahu’s political partners.
A coalition crisis over a military conscription bill affecting exemptions from compulsory service for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men led to the decision.
Netanyahu, now in his fourth term as prime minister, has been governing with a razor-thin majority of 61 seats in the 120-member parliament. He heads the right-wing Likud party.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-politics/israel-to-hold-early-election-in-april-netanyahu-spokesman-idUSKCN1ON0NP
UPDATED: Mattis leaving before Jan. 1
Source: Politico
By QUINT FORGEY 12/23/2018 12:09 PM EST
Defense Secretary James Mattis will step down before 2019, President Donald Trump announced in a tweet Sunday. Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan will lead the Pentagon as acting secretary effective Jan. 1.
"I am pleased to announce that our very talented Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, will assume the title of Acting Secretary of Defense starting January 1, 2019," the president wrote. "Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!"
Mattis announced his resignation last week in protest of Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, a move that has rattled the defense community and congressional lawmakers. In his resignation letter, Mattis said he would be departing the administration Feb. 28.
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Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/23/mattis-trump-defense-shanahan-1074509
UPDATE:
Trump, Angry Over Mattis’s Rebuke, Removes Him 2 Months Early
Sarah Silbiger/The New York Times
By Helene Cooper
Dec. 23, 2018
WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Sunday that he would remove Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who issued a stinging rebuke of the president when he announced his resignation last week, from his post by Jan. 1, two months before he had planned to depart.
Mr. Trump, in a Twitter post, said that Patrick M. Shanahan, Mr. Mattis’s deputy, would serve as the acting defense secretary.
Aides said that the president was furious that Mr. Mattis’s resignation letter — in which he rebuked the president’s rejection of international allies and his failure to check authoritarian governments — had led to days of negative news coverage. Mr. Mattis resigned in large part over Mr. Trump’s hasty decision to withdraw American forces from Syria.
When Mr. Trump first announced that Mr. Mattis was leaving, effective Feb. 28, he praised the defense secretary on Twitter, saying he was retiring “with distinction.” One aide said that although Mr. Trump had already seen the resignation letter when he praised Mr. Mattis, the president did not understand just how forceful a rejection of his strategy Mr. Mattis had issued.
more
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/23/us/politics/trump-mattis.html?
Trump's Bill Clinton defense
Mike Allen1 hour ago
Floating possible future defenses, Rudy Giuliani is invoking Republican overreach against Bill Clinton in arguing that President Trump's use of hush money during the campaign is "a non-crime."
What he's saying: The comparison, Giuliani told me, is "an extraordinary intrusion into what we regard as our private lives."
"The law says that if there's another purpose [for the payment], it's not a campaign contribution," Giuliani said. "Here, the purpose was to protect you against your wife. Protect her from embarrassment. Protect your family from embarrassment. Protect your business from embarrassment."
"Members of Congress use campaign funds to settle harassment claims," Giuliani added. "They're going to be the ones to impeach him?"
Giuliani recalled that he was the Republican mayor of New York when House Republicans impeached Bill Clinton in 1998. He thought that his party was making "a critical error" by making it a partisan issue.
"Bill Clinton used it very well against us," Giuliani said. "We ultimately got killed [politically], and should have."
more
https://www.axios.com/donald-trump-bill-clinton-sex-campaign-finance-075fd930-d641-4680-8ebb-e9b7f7b6eb64.html
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Name: DonGender: Male
Hometown: Massachusetts
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