Jose Garcia
Jose Garcia's JournalIran humiliated as 'five ships FAIL to seize British oil tanker in Persian Gulf standoff'
Source: UK Expresd
IRANIAN ships have failed to hijack a UK oil tanker in the Persian Gulf in a huge blow to Tehran on Thursday, according to reports.
According to Sky News the ships, thought to be Iranian, attempted to seize the British tanker as it skirted close to Iranian waters. The ship was ordered to change course before the alleged Revolutionary Guard ships tried to seize the tanker. The Royal Navy frigate, HMS Montrose had been escorting the ship.
When the Iranian boats demanded that it changed its course, the frigate turned its guns on them and issued a warning, according to reports.
Upon issuing the warning, the Iranian ships retreated.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/news/world/1151881/Iran-news-latest-update-World-War-3-khamenei-Middle-east-UK-oil-tanker-persian-gulf-Trump/amp
McConnell's Democratic challenger says she likely would have voted for Kavanaugh
Source: The Hill
Amy McGrath, who announced this week she will challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2020, says in a new interview that she would have likely voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
"I was very concerned about Judge Kavanaugh, what I felt like were the far-right stances that he had. However, there was nothing in his record that I think would disqualify him in any way," McGrath, a former Marine fighter pilot, told the Louisville Courier-Journal.
"And the fact is when you have the president and the Senate, this is our system and so I don't think there was anything that would have disqualified him in my mind," she said, adding when pressed on how she would have voted: "yeah, I probably would have voted for him."
Kavanaugh's nomination became a flashpoint after allegations of sexual assault from psychology professor and research psychologist Christine Blasey Ford, which he denied. Senators eventually voted 50-48 to confirm Kavanaugh, ending a rancorous debate over his nomination.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/senate/452524-mcconnells-democratic-challenger-says-she-likely-would-have-voted-for%3famp
McConnell says he and Obama are both 'descendants of slave holders'
Source: The Hill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) brushed off a question about an NBC News report that his great-great-grandfathers owned slaves, saying it puts him in the same camp as former President Barack Obama.
McConnell appeared to smile as a reporter asked him during a weekly press conference if he knew that his family once owned slaves, and if it changed his position on reparations for African Americans.
"You know I found myself once again in the same position as President Obama, we both oppose reparations and we both are the descendants of slave holders," McConnell told reporters.
NBC News reported Monday that McConnell's great-great-grandfathers, James McConnell and Richard Daley, owned a total of at least 14 slaves in Alabama.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/452241-mcconnell-says-he-and-obama-are-both-descendants-of-slave-holders?amp&__twitter_impression=true
Swalwell to become first Dem to drop out of presidential primary
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is dropping out of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, according to a House Democratic lawmaker close to Swalwell.
The congressman is expected to make a formal announcement at a press conference this afternoon.
Swalwell would be the first in the crowded Democratic field to drop out of the context. He took part in the first series of debates late last month.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that Swalwell, who is a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, is expected to announce he will launch a reelection bid for his fifth term in the lower chamber.
More: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/451995-swalwell-to-drop-out-of-democratic-presidential-primary?amp&__twitter_impression=true
Governor Ducey to withdraw AZ Nike plant incentives amid Betsy Ross-Colin Kaepernick controversy
Source: ABC-15
In a series of tweets early Tuesday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced that he has ordered the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars to encourage Nike to add a manufacturing plant in the Valley.
Ducey's decision stems from a Wall Street Journal report that said former NFL quarterback-turned-social justice activist Colin Kaepernick convinced Nike to pull its sneakers featuring an early American flag
commonly known as the Betsy Ross flag. Kaepernick reportedly found the shoe to be offensive.
"Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured an old version of the American flag," Nike said in a statement to CNN Business following the WSJ report.
Nike has planned a massive shoe manufacturing plant in Goodyear,
with an initial investment of $184.5 million. The plant would create over 500 full-time jobs
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.abc15.com/sports/governor-ducey-to-withdraw-nike-az-plant-incentives-amid-betsy-ross-colin-kaepernick-controversy%3f_amp=true
Scranton mayor resigns, faces charges of extortion, bribery
Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS
The mayor of Scranton used his office to extort bribes from people who did business with the city, federal prosecutors said in documents filed Monday, shortly after the second-term chief executive announced his resignation.
In a plea agreement signed last week by now-former Mayor Bill Courtright and his lawyer, the U.S. attorney’s office said the Democrat pressured people who needed permits or contracts for cash, sometimes having them funnel it to him through intermediaries.
The criminal information that charges him with bribery, extortion and conspiracy said Courtright, 61, used his position “corruptly to obtain cash and other valuable property from others, with their consent, under color of official right.”
They said he also obtained “cash, campaign contributions and other valuable property from others, with their consent, induced by the wrongful use of fear of economic harm.”
Read more: https://www.mcall.com/news/pennsylvania/mc-nws-pa-scranton-mayor-resigning-20190701-trmb72epzvcebotz72jtubvrji-story.html
Nuclear monitor confirms Iran exceeds uranium stockpile limit
Source: The Hill
The international organization that monitors Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal confirmed Monday that Tehran has exceeded the amount of low-enriched uranium it is allowed to stockpile.
“In response to media inquiries, we can confirm that IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano today informed the Board of Governors that the Agency verified on 1 July that Iran’s total enriched uranium stockpile exceeded 300kg of UF6 enriched up to 3.67% U-235 (or the equivalent in different chemical forms),” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement.
The IAEA’s confirmation comes after Iranian state media reported that Iran had breached the 300 kilogram limit.
The verification that Iran has breached the nuclear deal for the first time adds even greater uncertainty to an already volatile situation between the United States and Iran. Less than two weeks ago, President Trump called off a military strike against Iran at the last minute that was meant to respond to it shooting down a U.S. drone.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/451149-nuclear-monitor-confirms-iran-exceeds-uranium-stockpile-limit
Pennsylvania state official launches Democratic challenge to GOP rep in district carried by Trump
Source: The Hill
Pennsylvania's Auditor General Eugene DePasquale (D) officially launched a campaign to challenge Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) on Monday, setting up what could be a contentious 2020 battle in the state's 10th congressional district.
If he wins the Democratic primary, DePasquale would present a formidable challenge to Perry. The district went for President Trump in 2016 but that same year DePasquale won his reelection bid for auditor general.
Pennsylvania Democrats have expressed optimism about the district since it was redrawn following the state Supreme Court's ruling that the previous lines had been gerrymandered to benefit Republicans.
DePasquale's candidacy is another sign that Pennsylvania Democrats are getting in an offensive position after Trump flipped the state red in 2016.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/451199-pennsylvania-state-official-launches-democratic-challenge-to-gop-rep-in
De Blasio apologizes for quoting Che Guevara in Miami
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) apologized Thursday for quoting infamous Argentine revolutionary figure Ernesto "Che" Guevara in saying "Hasta la victoria siempre" at a Miami rally.
The phrase from Guevara, who is widely disliked by Miami's large Cuban population, translates roughly to "Ever on to victory."
"The eyes of the world are on Miami-Dade and on this airport," de Blasio said Thursday during a union rally at Miami International Airport before quoting Guevara and passing off the microphone.
But Blasio apologized on Twitter hours later, saying he "did not know the phrase...was associated with Che Guevara
More: https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/campaign/450746-de-blasio-quotes-che-guevara-in-miami%3famp
'Pete Has a Black Problem': Top Black Leaders Say Buttigieg Is 'Naive' on Race
NORTH AUGUSTA, South Carolina—A few weeks ago, a prominent black leader posed what seemed like a simple question to South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigiegduring a private meeting: Who in the African-American community back home supports you?
“He didn’t name anybody,” the leader said in an interview with The Daily Beast. “If he’s got young black supporters, they do have names.”
That leader, who requested anonymity to speak openly about a private meeting, was not only referring to young supporters but expressing a sentiment that was apparent in talks with several African-American lawmakers: that Buttigieg’s interactions with the black community in recent weeks were “naïve” and that the national perception of him as “genuine and authentic” was not always translating when it came to their concerns.
“Pete has a black problem,” Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), the former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, told The Daily Beast. “I don’t know of one black person out of Indiana that supports him.”
More: https://www.thedailybeast.com/pete-buttigieg-has-a-black-problem-top-african-american-leaders-say-he-is-naive-on-race
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