GOT POT? San Francisco to host medical marijuana food fair

No-Fly Zone Ordered For Hillary Clinton’s New York City Kickoff Rally

Federal officials today took the rare step of creating a "no-fly zone" around the site of Hillary Clinton’s campaign kickoff rally in New York City on Saturday.

The Federal Aviation Administration established the protective zone in the form of a so-called "Notice to Airmen" announcing that a section along Manhattan’s East Side will be temporarily transformed into "national defense airspace."

The FAA website lists the reason as "Temporary flight restrictions for VIP Movement" and cites the federal law that the FAA employs to ban flights over events attended by the president, vice president or other key dignitaries.

"The United States government may use deadly force against the airborne aircraft if it is determined that the aircraft poses an imminent security threat," according to the notice.
Clinton’s rally -- planned as the largest event of her presidential campaign so far -- will take place on Roosevelt Island, a narrow sliver of land in the East River located between Manhattan and Queens.

As the wife of former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton is still guarded by a Secret Service detail. The former president is expected to attend tomorrow’s event.

"This is highly unusual," a spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, told ABC News. The "no fly zones," also known as "Temporary Flight Restrictions" are issued about 1,000 times a year, according to the association. But they usually are not issued for candidates for president.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fly-zone-ordered-hillary-clintons-york-city-kickoff/story?id=31733120

House Democrats rebuff Obama on trade, delivering major defeat

House Democrats dealt President Obama a humiliating defeat on his free-trade initiative Friday, derailing a key priority for the president and rebuffing his rare, personal pleas for their support.

The defeat at the hands of his own party placed Obama’s trade agenda in limbo and exposed deep party divisions on economic policy, leaving the pro-trade Democrats marginalized by the anti-corporate wing of the party, which has been on the rise since the 2008 financial collapse. It also exposed the weakening hand of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who had worked for days to avoid a Democratic takedown of the president’s agenda, only to throw her support in with the rank-and-file rebellion at the last minute.

The fate of the trade legislation now depends on Obama’s ability, along with business-friendly interests, to persuade dozens of Democrats to switch their votes before a planned do-over vote early next week.

The key roll call came on a measure to grant financial aid to displaced workers, with 144 Democrats linking arms with 158 Republicans in a rout that left the overall package of trade bills stalled. Despite Obama’s entreaty to “play it straight,” Democrats rejected a program that they had almost universally supported in the past because its failure also ensured the failure of the centerpiece measure, the “fast-track” negotiating authority. House leaders structured the voting so that it required passage of three separate measures for the legislation to advance.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/president-obama-is-all-in-on-trade-sees-it-as-a-cornerstone-of-his-legacy/2015/06/12/32b6dce8-1073-11e5-a0dc-2b6f404ff5cf_story.html

New questions arise about House Democratic caucus’s loyalty to Obama

Cheers rang out Thursday evening when President Obama made a surprise visit to the annual congressional baseball game at National Park. Thousands of Democratic staffers began to chant: “O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!” More unexpectedly, Republican lawmakers and staffers, who have been locked in battle with the president for more than six years, began a cheer of their own: “TPA, TPA!” they chanted, voicing approval for Obama’s trade promotion agenda.

Obama flashed the GOP side a thumbs up.

Inside the Democratic dugout, according to several senior aides and lawmakers, the president’s usual allies were appalled by the scene: He was waving to Republicans in approval of trade legislation that most of them opposed.

A day later, the Democratic team threw the president a curveball by blocking his high-stakes bid to win fast-track authority to complete a sweeping, multinational Pacific Rim free-trade accord. For Obama, who has staked enormous personal credibility and political capital on the effort, the loss on Friday represented a major setback on a key presidential priority and renewed questions in Washington about his relationship with the House Democratic caucus.

snip

But Obama appeared to be blindsided by Pelosi, who said months ago, during a fact-finding mission to Asia with other lawmakers, that she was “trying to get to yes” on the president’s trade deal. In 2009 and 2010, Obama leaned heavily on her, when she was the House speaker, to help wrestle the Affordable Care Act through Congress with Democratic majorities on a party-line vote.

As the trade vote neared, Pelosi refused to tip her hand, although she appeared to be working with Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) to schedule a package of related trade bills in such a way as to help them pass the House, even if she didn’t support them. On Friday, taking the floor minutes before the vote, Pelosi broke her silence: “I will be voting to slow down fast-track,” she declared. “Today, we have an opportunity to slow down. Whatever the deal is with other countries, we want a better deal for American workers.”

It was a fatal blow for Obama, and supportive Democrats were stunned.

“She screwed this president,” one lawmaker fumed, speaking on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. “She pandered to the left. She does not ever want to be outflanked by the left, because that’s her base.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-takes-one-on-the-chin-from-his-own-party-on-trade-bill/2015/06/12/d1aa7da6-1126-11e5-9726-49d6fa26a8c6_story.html

Billionaire Bunkers: Exclusive Look Inside the World's Largest Planned Doomsday Escape

For the very first time, a modern day Noah’s Ark has opened its doors for an exclusive inside look offering up plans for the ultimate Billionaire bunker and doomsday escape.

Vivos founder and CEO Robert Vicino announced Vivos Europa One which will be an invitation only, five star, underground survival complex, similar to an underground cruise ship for the elite. Each family will be provided a private 2,500 square foot of floor area, capable of two story improvements for a total of 5,000 square feet of private living quarters. With fit and finish comparable to a mega-yacht, each member family will hire their own architect and contractor to build out their living quarters to the custom standard they desire.

The expansive shelter is located in Germany and is one of the most fortified and massive underground survival shelters on Earth. Originally built by the Soviets during the Cold War, this shelter was a fortress for military equipment and munitions. After the DDR was merged with Germany, the German government inherited this relic and intended to use it for the same purpose of weapons storage. However, due to a law prohibiting the storage of ammunition near a major highway, the German Government soon realized they could not continue with their plans and decided to auction this 76 acre complex. A wealthy investor purchased the entire property, along with all of its improvements, both above and below ground. Vicino says “We are proud to bring this epic project forward in these increasingly dangerous times.”

The hardened facility is capable of withstanding a substantial close range nuclear blast, a direct airplane crash, biological and chemical agents, shock waves, earthquakes, tsunami, electro-magnetic pulses, and virtually any armed attack.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2015/06/12/billionaire-bunkers-exclusive-look-inside-the-worlds-largest-planned-doomsday-escape/

What Chicago Democrats tell us about President Obama’s problems on trade

On the day Barack Obama launched himself on the fast track to the presidency, running for a U.S. Senate seat in 2004, Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) was right there with him.

He served, in fact, as master of ceremonies for his campaign launch, Davis recalls with a chuckle: “He’s a person that I have supported pretty much straight down the line.”

Until now.

With his presidency waning and a Republican Congress obstructing all but a handful of items on his legislative agenda, Obama has one more big request for House Democrats such as Davis: a vote to grant his administration “fast track” negotiating authority, paving the way for the completion of the vast Trans-Pacific Partnership trade accord.

Final votes on the trade legislation are set for Friday, and its fate remains uncertain — thanks mainly to the skepticism that runs deep among Obama’s fellow Democrats. Some were talking openly of sabotaging the bill, and only eight Democrats backed a key procedural measure that squeaked through on Thursday evening.

Davis was not among the eight. Despite months of lobbying and personal appeals from Obama, he has made clear the president can look elsewhere for support.

”I recognize that the president does indeed want this legislation passed,” he said. “The people who vote for me in the 7th District have their position, and accurate, right, wrong, whatever — it’s the position of the people.”


http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/what-chicago-democrats-tell-us-about-president-obamas-problems-on-trade/2015/06/11/ef4e2c0c-0f75-11e5-adec-e82f8395c032_story.html

Trade bill survives scare

President Obama's trade agenda survived a bad scare in the House on Thursday when the GOP rule governing debate for the package narrowly survived a 217-212 vote.

Thirty-four Republicans voted against the rule, while eight Democrats backed it.

A handful of pro-trade Democrats withheld their votes, watching the tally closely from the floor. Then, when it was apparent Republicans would not be able to pass the typically partisan measure on its own, they threw their votes in favor all at once.
The tight vote foreshadows the challenge GOP leaders will face Friday, when the House votes on two critical pieces of Obama’s trade agenda: fast-track authority and a separate bill offering help to workers displaced by trade.

GOP opposition to the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, as well as to fast-track, led Republicans to oppose their party’s rule.

Votes on House rules are tests of party discipline. Democrats traditionally vote against rules brought up by the House GOP.

House Republicans could only lose 26 of their own for the rule to pass without help from Democrats. Had the rule failed, the House would not have been able to debate and vote on the trade bills.

The eight Democrats who saved the trade package were Reps. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), Gerry Connolly (Va.), Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Henry Cuellar (Texas), John Delaney (Md.), Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas), Ron Kind (Wis.) and Rick Larsen (Wash.).

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/244745-trade-vote-survives-scare-in-rule-vote

Trade vote cliff-hanger for Obama

House GOP leaders and the Obama administration are scrambling to win over lawmakers in both parties ahead of two critical trade votes on Friday.

Last-second Democratic threats to vote down a bill granting aid to workers displaced by trade is threatening the larger package, and lawmakers in both parties say the outcome is in doubt.

The White House late Thursday was pleading with Democrats to back Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), a program that traditionally has had more support from Democrats than the GOP.

Because of possible Democratic defections, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said the GOP whip team may have to approach some anti-TAA Republicans and ask them to vote in favor.

“I think Democrats are playing games with it right now. We’re in a situation where people are willing to cut off their nose to spite their face,” Cole, a deputy whip, told The Hill. “Liberal, pro-trade union Democrats are breaking ranks and destroying a program that they fought to create because they’re so much against TPA [trade promotion authority].”

The complicated path that GOP leaders and the White House are walking was highlighted Thursday night, when a House rule governing the debate narrowly passed — and only because eight Democrats broke ranks and supported it.

That rule sets up votes on both TPA, also known as fast-track, and TAA on Friday. If the TAA bill is defeated, however, there won’t even be a vote on fast-track and the whole package will collapse.

That has created an incentive for Democrats opposed to fast-track to vote against TAA, in the hopes it will drag the entire package down.

Some pro-trade Democrats expressed frustration with the threat.

“Certain people argued that this is the mechanism to kill TPA, and that that’s worth doing,” said Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), who favors fast-track. “Other people pointed out that that’s a terribly cynical gamble.”

Cole said he felt good about the TAA vote but conceded “it will be tricky and it will be close.

House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas), who supports the entire trade package, said he had serious concerns the TAA vote could fail. But he was confident Democrats would bear the blame if they voted to kill the trade package.

“We cannot pass this all by ourselves,” Sessions said. “If we’re for it and they’re against, you can tell who gets blamed.”

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/244763-trade-vote-cliffhanger-for-obama

Blamed? Must not be a good thing they're promoting.

Legendary Rabbi of England Calls for Jewish Surrender in Europe

This week England’s Former Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks gave a speech described by the media as doom and gloom at a conference in Herzliya. He admitted a belief that the BDS movement had succeeded in making the State of Israel a “divisive factor” in Jewish life and claimed that, as a result, supporting Israel was “almost impossible” for European Jews.

It was an astonishingly defeatist speech, which is troubling enough. But most disturbing was the false dichotomy he presented to European Jews. In his own troubling words he said, “Jews have been faced with a choice: live in Europe and criticize Israel or be silent, or leave Europe…” In other words, the only solutions left for Europe’s Jewish community is to embrace and succumb to BDS or get out. What he shockingly neglected to mention is the obvious third option: to stay in Europe, embrace Israel, and fight for the Jewish State.

I was personally saddened by Rabbi Sacks’ most recent remarks. In the 11 years I served as Rabbi at Oxford University I was originally his biggest public champion. His eloquence in promoting Judaism was thrilling. But as time went by and he refused to use his considerable pulpit, not to mention his extraordinary gifts, to fight for Israel and against the anti-Semites, he gradually lost me.

In all the years Rabbi Sacks spent as Chief Rabbi all would agree that he had few equals in his mastery of language. Which made it all the more mystifying why he would not use that mastery in the war for the Jewish State. His Chief Rabbinate must be judged a failure, and not only because Anglo-Jewry continued to diminish under his watch. Rather, the phenomenal growth of anti-Semitism and attacks against Israel while he was in office, without his joining the battle, rendered his leadership obsolete.

Read more at http://observer.com/2015/06/former-chief-rabbi-of-england-calls-for-jewish-surrender-in-europe/

Bipartisan Agreement: Foreign Governments Pay Former Senate Leaders to Sell TPP

In a scene all too typical in present day Washington, the culmination of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, along with the push for passage of related legislation such as Trade Promotion Authority (or Fast Track) have set off a lobbying frenzy.

While liberal organizations and members of Congress deride the TPP as the biggest boondoggle since NAFTA and President Obama defends it as “the most progressive trade treaty ever,” the influence peddlers who populate K Street see opportunity.

Policy makers aren’t simply facing a lobbying barrage from the typical slate of domestic interest groups. Foreign governments are running sophisticated operations to influence Congress and gather intelligence in Washington as the negotiations proceed.

This is now “par for the course,” according to Lydia Dennett, an investigator at the Project on Government Oversight [POGO], a nonprofit watchdog. “If a certain country wants trade legislation that will be beneficial to them they can hire an American lobbyist to get them the access the need.”

Leading the way among TPP nations seeking to sway American policy makers is Japan, which signed up former Democratic Leader Tom Daschle’s firm as well as well-connected public relations firm DCI.

We won’t know the full extent of Mr. Daschle or DCI’s work on behalf of Japan until their next series of Foreign Agent Registration Act [FARA] disclosure reports are filed with the Department of Justice in a few months.

Read more at http://observer.com/2015/06/many-foreign-governments-pay-k-street-big-money-to-peddle-tpp-to-congress/