Розділ: Політика
Shunned by His Party, Iowa’s Steve King Fights for His Seat
Rep. Steve King is fighting for his political life — but not because he’s compared immigrants crossing the border illegally to cattle. His Republican opponents in next week’s primary aren’t raking him over the coals for making light of rape and incest. His chief rival’s ads don’t mention the time he wondered when the term “white supremacist” became offensive.
Instead, the nine-term congressman known for his nativist politics is fighting to prove he can still deliver for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. Since Republican leaders stripped him of his committee assignments, in a rare punishment, King has been dogged by questions over whether he’s lost all effectiveness. Some longtime supporters are turning away, not because of his incendiary remarks but because they think he can no longer do the job.
“We all want to feel that we’re being represented in Washington, D.C., that we have a voice,” said Iowa state Sen. Annette Sweeney, a former King supporter.
Establishment Republicans in Iowa and Washington, some of whom share King’s policy views and have long tolerated his provocative remarks, have largely abandoned the congressman, throwing their weight behind Randy Feenstra, a conservative state senator.
That sets up the June 2 primary, a five-way fight in a GOP-heavy district, as a test of whether the establishment can effectively police the party and distance itself from racist and far-right voices who critics say have been amplified in recent years.
But Republican activists in King’s district, a sprawling swath of corn, soybeans and towering wind turbines, haven’t been quick to accept the influence from outsiders.
“He’s not what he’s portrayed to be by certain media outlets,” said Barb Clayton, a leading GOP activist in the district. Clayton says she “respects” King and believes his comments about white supremacy were taken out of context. Still, she’s backing one of his four opponents, though she won’t say whom, because she’s worried King’s diminished influence would cost him in November.
“My primary issue is being able to hold the seat. It makes it more difficult to do that when he’s lost his committees,” she said.
Sweeney, who has endorsed Feenstra, offered only glancing criticism of King.
“His comments at times were just off the cuff,” she said. “Sometimes some of them might have been him trying to be funny or cute, though some weren’t. In fact, some were repulsive.”
Still, Sweeney hosted two fundraisers at her home for King in 2012, when he faced what was expected to be a competitive challenge from former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack, a Democrat. King won decisively.
By then, King had a reputation for controversial statements about race, immigration and religion.
In 2006, King proposed electrifying the U.S.-Mexico border fencing to curb illegal border crossings, saying, “We do that with livestock all the time.”
In 2013, he said for every one well-intended “Dreamer,” immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, 100 more “weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes” from hauling drugs across the desert.
In recent years, King received scrutiny for his overtures to foreign, right-wing extremists. The outreach prompted the House campaign committee to pull its financial backing in 2018. King was stripped of his membership on the House judiciary and agriculture committees the following January after he was quoted in the New York Times seeming to defend white nationalism.
The punishment sidelined King from defending President Donald Trump during the impeachment hearings, a spotlight King would have relished. It also silenced him on agriculture policy, a blow in a district that ranks second nationally in agricultural production, according to federal statistics.
But it hasn’t muted King. He’s continued to defend his hard-right abortion stance with provocative comments. Asked in August about his opposition to abortion in cases of rape and incest, he wondered whether there would be “any population of the world left” if not for births stemming from rape and incest.
Feenstra has called the comments “bizarre” but hasn’t made them the focus of his critique of King. Instead, the 51-year-old former candy company executive promotes his work in the statehouse on big issues such as tax cut legislation and attacks King for a lack of sway on farming and agribusiness issues.
“Steve King, the congressman who couldn’t,” the narrator says in Feenstra’s television ads. “Steve King couldn’t protect our farmers and couldn’t protect President Trump from impeachment.”
It’s a tack Iowa Republicans say is working, in part because it doesn’t shame Iowans who have long defended King.
“You move away from the argument that he’s an embarrassment and into an argument of effectiveness — when you get into that zone, people say this matters,” said Iowa Republican strategist John Stineman, who’s unaffiliated with any campaign in the race.
King argues that establishment Republicans have targeted him for being such an effective defender of conservative causes.
“It’s no single thing,” King said. “But it gets back to their argument that this is part of a pattern with me they are uncomfortable with.”
But Feenstra’s focus on King’s diminished role also appears to have hit a nerve. In recent candidate forums, King started telling voters he has struck a deal with House leaders to resume his committee posts if he wins reelection.
King told The Associated Press that Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he would vouch for him when King appeals to his GOP colleagues for reinstatement.
McCarthy has dismissed King’s claim.
“Congressman King’s comments cannot be exonerated, and I never said that,” McCarthy told reporters last week. “He’ll have the opportunity to make his case, talking to the members of the Steering Committee. I think he’ll get the same answer that he got before.”
If King pulls out a primary win, McCarthy could have another headache on his hands. Some fear mainstream Republicans might leave the ballot empty rather than vote for King, allowing Democrat J.D. Scholten, who lost by 2 percentage points in 2018, to win.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, the GOP’s congressional campaign arm, declined Friday to say whether it would support King in November or opt for a second time to withhold support.
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By Polityk | 05/26/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
DFL Endorses Incumbent Ilhan Omar for Congressional Seat
First-term U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar has won the DFL endorsement to run in the August primary election for the Minneapolis congressional seat long held by Democrats.
The party endorsement Sunday pits Omar against primary challenger Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney and political newcomer.
The 37-year-old Omar was elected to Congress in 2018 after a rapid rise through the state Legislature. She’s the first Somali-American elected to both a state Legislature and to Congress. She has been a target of conservatives in Washington where she has publicly sparred with President Donald Trump on Twitter.
Melton-Meaux has collected some high-profile endorsements from Minneapolis-area DFLers, and has had some success in fundraising, the Star Tribune reported. The Republican-endorsed candidate is Lacy Johnson, a north Minneapolis businessman.
The endorsement vote was done online over a nine-day period because of the coronavirus outbreak. Democrats have held the 5th District congressional seat since 1963.
DFLers in northeastern Minnesota’s 8th District also voted to endorse health care advocate Quinn Nystrom to challenge Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber in November.
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By Polityk | 05/26/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Threatens to Move Republican Convention from North Carolina
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Monday to move his August renomination convention for a second term in the White House from Charlotte, North Carolina if the state’s Democratic governor doesn’t give the Republican party an immediate assurance that it will be able to fully occupy a basketball arena in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.“Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, Roy Cooper is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena,” Trump said on Twitter.I love the Great State of North Carolina, so much so that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August. Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, But Cooper gave Republicans no immediate assurances that the Spectrum Center would be fully available for their Aug. 24-27 convention.
“State health officials are working with the [Republican National Committee] and will review its plans as they make decisions about how to hold the convention in Charlotte,” Cooper spokeswoman Dory MacMillan said. “North Carolina is relying on data and science to protect our state’s public health and safety.” Cooper, like the other 49 U.S. state governors, has begun to ease coronavirus restrictions in his Atlantic coastal state. But restrictions remain and will be in effect yet for weeks.Charlotte, North Carolina’s biggest city, has had more confirmed coronavirus cases and more deaths from the virus than anywhere else in the state.Cooper last Friday lifted his earlier stay-at-home order, but instituted a “Safer At Home” directive.”Just because you can go more places, doesn’t mean you should,” Cooper said. Restaurants were opened in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, as were public pools at 50% capacity.National political conventions to nominate presidential candidates are a quadrennial tradition in the U.S. The national Democratic party is planning its convention in the midwestern city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from Aug. 17-20, a week before the Republican conclave in Charlotte.Democrats, however, are laying the groundwork for a possible virtual convention to give their presidential nod to their presumptive nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, with sharply scaled-back festivities in Milwaukee.Trump, however, has voiced his determination for a full-blown, four-day Republican convention, with thousands of delegates in Charlotte’s Spectrum Center cheering speeches attacking Biden and Democrats and culminating with the traditional drop of thousands of red, white and blue balloons from the arena rafters.
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By Polityk | 05/25/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
AP Fact Check: Faulty Trump Claims on Virus Drug, Vote Fraud
When President Donald Trump doesn’t like the message, he shoots the messenger.
So it was this past week when he took very personally a scientific study that should give pause to anyone thinking of following Trump’s lead and ingesting a potentially risky drug for the coronavirus. He branded the study’s researchers, financed in part by his own administration, his “enemy.”
Boastful on the occasion of Memorial Day, Trump exaggerated some of his accomplishments for veterans’ health care. Over the weekend, he also repeated a baseless allegation of rampant mail-in voting fraud and resurrected claims of unspecified conspiracies against him in 2016.
A look at the rhetoric and reality as the pandemic’s death toll approached 100,000 in the U.S.:Voting FraudTrump: “The United States cannot have all Mail In Ballots. It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history. People grab them from mailboxes, print thousands of forgeries and ‘force’ people to sign. Also, forge names. Some absentee OK, when necessary. Trying to use Covid for this Scam!” — tweet Sunday.The Facts: Voting fraud is rare.
It’s true that some election studies have shown a slightly higher incidence of mail-in voting fraud compared with in-person voting, but the overall risk is extremely low. The Brennan Center for Justice said in 2017 the risk of voting fraud is 0.00004% to 0.0009%.
“Trump is simply wrong about mail-in balloting raising a ‘tremendous’ potential for fraud,” Richard L. Hasen, an elections expert at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, recently wrote in an op-ed. “While certain pockets of the country have seen their share of absentee-ballot scandals, problems are extremely rare in the five states that rely primarily on vote-by-mail, including the heavily Republican state of Utah.”
Trump’s push for in-person voting runs counter to the current guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which urge Americans to maintain 6 feet (1.8 meters) of separation and avoid crowds.
The CDC guidelines “encourage mail-in methods of voting if allowed in the jurisdiction,” given the coronavirus threat. Last week, Trump threatened to “hold up” funding for Michigan and Nevada if they allowed more residents to cast mail-in or absentee ballots out of pandemic safety concerns. He later backed off the threat.
Trump cast an absentee ballot by mail in the Florida Republican primary in March.
A commission Trump convened after the 2016 election to investigate potential voting fraud disbanded without producing any findings.’Deep State’Trump, on the 2016 election: “I’m fighting the deep state. I’m fighting the swamp. … They never thought I was going to win, and then I won. And then they tried to get me out. That was the ‘insurance policy.’ She’s going to win, but just in case she doesn’t win we have an insurance policy.” — interview aired Sunday on “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.”The Facts: He’s repeating a false claim that there was a conspiracy afoot to take him out if he won the 2016 presidential race, based on a text message between two FBI employees.
Trump has repeatedly depicted the two as referring to a plot — or insurance policy — to oust him from office if he beat Democrat Hillary Clinton. It’s apparent from the text that it wasn’t that.
Agent Peter Strzok and lawyer Lisa Page, both now gone from the bureau, said the text messages reflected a debate about how aggressively the FBI should investigate Trump and his campaign when expectations at the time were that he would lose anyway.
Strzok texted about something Page had said to the FBI’s deputy director, to the effect that “there’s no way he gets elected.” But Strzok argued that the FBI should not assume Clinton would win: “I’m afraid we can’t take that risk.” He likened the situation to “an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.” He has said he was not discussing a post-election plot to drive Trump from office.Virus DrugTrump, on why he considers hydroxychloroquine safe for the treatment of COVID-19: “Frankly, I’ve heard tremendous reports. Many people think it saved their lives.” — interview with Attkisson. Trump: “I’ve received a lot of positive letters and it seems to have an impact. And maybe it does; maybe it doesn’t. But if it doesn’t, you’re not going to get sick or die. This is a pill that’s been used for a long time — for 30, 40 years on the malaria and on lupus too, and even on arthritis.” — remarks on May 18.Trump: “It doesn’t hurt people.” — remarks Tuesday after a GOP policy lunch.The Facts: He’s wrong to assert there is no risk of harm if people take the malaria drug to try to prevent a coronavirus infection. Trump’s own health agencies have cautioned that taking hydroxychloroquine to stave off the virus could be dangerous due to side effects. If the president is to be believed, he’s taking the drug himself.
Trump repeatedly has pushed hydroxychloroquine, with or without the antibiotic azithromycin. No large, rigorous studies have found them safe or effective for COVID-19, and they can cause heart rhythm problems and other serious side effects. The Food and Drug Administration has warned against the drug combination and said hydroxychloroquine should only be used for the coronavirus in hospitals and research settings.
Two large observational studies, each involving about 1,400 patients in New York, recently found no benefit from hydroxychloroquine. Two new ones in the journal BMJ, one by French researchers and the other from China, reached the same conclusion.
On Friday, a study published by the journal Lancet suggested that hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, with or without an antibiotic, did not help hospitalized patients and was tied to a greater risk of death or heart rhythm problems. Although it was observational rather than a rigorous test, it’s by far the largest so far to examine these drugs in real-world settings — nearly 100,000 patients in 671 hospitals on six continents. Researchers estimated that the death rate attributable to use of the drugs, with or without an antibiotic such as azithromycin, is roughly 13% versus 9% for patients not taking them.
The drug has been available for decades to treat the mosquito-borne illness malaria; it is also prescribed for some lupus and arthritis patients.
Technically, doctors can already prescribe the drug to patients with COVID-19, a practice known as off-label prescribing. But that is not the same as the FDA approving the drug specifically for the pandemic, which would mean it had met the agency’s standards for safety and effectiveness.
FDA regulators issued a warning alert last month in part based on increased reports of dangerous side effects called in to U.S. poison control centers.Trump: “The only negative I’ve heard was the study where they gave it — was it the VA? With, you know, people that aren’t big Trump fans gave it …they had a report come out.” — remarks on May 18.
Trump: “It was given by, obviously, not friends of the administration.” — remarks Tuesday at Cabinet meeting. Trump: “And if you look at the one survey, the only bad survey, they were giving it to people that were in very bad shape. They were very old, almost dead. It was a ‘Trump enemy statement.'” — remarks Tuesday after GOP policy lunch. The Facts: There’s no evidence of a political plot at the Department of Veterans Affairs or elsewhere to produce a study pointing to poor outcomes for veterans who took hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 in a bid to make Trump look bad. That study was led by independent researchers — at the University of Virginia and University of South Carolina — and grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Virginia school paid for the work.
The study released last month found no benefit from hydroxychloroquine.
The analysis, conducted by the researchers with VA approval, was not a rigorous experiment, nor was it peer-reviewed. Still, with 368 patients, it was the largest look at hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 at the time. Researchers stressed a “great and immediate need” to conduct the analysis due to limited scientific evidence on the drug’s safety and “increasingly widespread use” both as a way to prevent COVID-19 and to treat it.
Researchers analyzed medical records of male veterans hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infection at VA medical centers who died or were discharged by April 11. About 28% of veterans who were given hydroxychloroquine plus usual care died, versus 11% of those getting routine care alone.
“These findings highlight the importance of awaiting the results of ongoing prospective, randomized, controlled studies before widespread adoption of these drugs,” the researchers wrote.
It’s also a point that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has repeatedly made, urging caution on the drug.
“Although there is anecdotal evidence that hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin may benefit people with COVID-19, we need solid data,” Fauci said.
No drug has been approved for treating the disease, although several have “emergency use” authorization. Most people who get COVID-19 recover.Trump, on the study of VA hospital data: “If you look at that phony report that was put in, that report on the hydroxyl — was given to people that were in extraordinarily bad condition — extraordinarily bad, people that were dying.” — remarks on May 18.Trump: “There was a false study done where they gave it to very sick people — extremely sick people, people that were ready to die. … And the study came out. The people were ready to die. Everybody was old, had bad problems with hearts, diabetes, and everything else you can imagine.” — remarks Tuesday at Cabinet meeting.VA secretary Robert Wilkie: “They did not even look at what the president just mentioned — the various comorbidities that the patients who were referenced in that study had.” — Cabinet meeting Tuesday.Willkie: “The analysis did not adjust for patients’ clinical status.” — letter on April 29 to veterans’ groups.The Facts: Trump and his VA secretary are incorrect. Researchers did use standard statistical methods to adjust for differences in the groups being compared, including clinical status and the presence of other chronic health conditions. They did not cherry-pick only the oldest or sickest ones who took the drug.
Even though the VA hospital patients given the drug tended to be sicker than those in the comparison group, researchers still saw no benefit from the drug after taking that into account.
The study included all VA patients treated with the drug. One of the measurements was whether it helped prevent the need for breathing machines. It didn’t.
Researchers did not track side effects, but noted there were hints hydroxychloroquine might have damaged other organs. The drug has long been known to have potentially serious side effects such as altering the heartbeat in a way that could lead to sudden death.
The study noted that the median age of the test group was over 65, meaning half the patients were below that and half above it.
The NIH and others have more rigorous tests underway.Obesity
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Trump’s statement that he’s taking hydroxychloroquine: “He’s our president and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group — morbidly obese, they say.” — interview Tuesday on CNN.The Facts: Trump is not “morbidly” obese.
Trump is 73. At his last full checkup in February 2019 he passed the official threshold for being considered obese, with a body mass index of 30.4. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an index of 40 or above is considered “severe” obesity, which some also call “morbid” obesity.
Pelosi’s statement was not purely or even primarily an expression of concern about the president’s health. She said later she was giving him “a dose of his own medicine” for his history of putting down women for their weight.VeteransTrump: “You know we got the Veterans Choice.” — remarks Friday at veterans’ event.
Trump: “We’ve done the greatest job maybe of anything in the VA, because I got VA Choice … approved.” — remarks on May 18.The Facts: False. He didn’t get Veterans Choice approved; President Barack Obama did in 2014. Trump expanded it, under a 2018 law known as the MISSION Act.Trump: “Choice is when they wait for two months to see a doctor … they go outside, they get themselves a good doctor, we pay the bill, and they get taken care of.” — remarks Friday at veterans’ event.The Facts: His suggestion that veterans no longer have waits for care because of the Choice program is also false.
Since March, the VA actually has halted the program’s key provisions that granted veterans the option to see private doctors if they endured long delays at VA, citing the pandemic. Internal VA emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal that some veterans are being turned away, even when private doctors are available to see them.
The program allows veterans to see a private doctor for primary or mental health care if their VA wait is 20 days (28 for specialty care) or their drive to a VA facility is 30 minutes or more.
But since the program’s expansion in June 2018, the VA has not seen a major increase in veterans seeking private care. Two months ago, after the coronavirus outbreak, the VA also took the step of restricting veterans’ access to private doctors, citing the added risks of infection and limited capacity at private hospitals.
Under the temporary guidelines, the VA is reviewing referrals for nonemergency care “on a case-by-case basis for immediate clinical need and with regard to the safety of the veteran when being seen in-person, regardless of wait time or drive time eligibility,” according to VA spokeswoman Christina Noel. The department has boosted telehealth appointments and says VA referrals for private care will be made where it is “deemed safe” and private doctors are available.
Veterans’ organizations and internal VA emails suggest the department is painting an overly rosy picture of health care access.
“We have community facilities open and able to see patients; however, our Veterans are being denied community care granted under criteria of the MISSION Act,” one VA employee wrote in a May 14 email to Tammy Czarnecki, an assistant deputy undersecretary for health operations at VA.
The employee works in a rural region that covers Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Oklahoma, where private doctors are often key to filling gaps in VA care. The person said veterans were being told by their local VAs they may need to wait “well past July, August or September” for private care, according to the email, which was provided to the AP on condition the sender not be identified.
Czarnecki’s office replied by referring the employee to the VA guidance that set forth the restrictions due to a pandemic.
The VA on Thursday said referrals had increased in the employee’s city during the pandemic. It did not provide figures.
The VA, which announced this past week it would start returning to more normal operations, hasn’t said when it will remove its temporary restrictions on Choice.
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By Polityk | 05/25/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Judge Rules Against Florida on Felons Paying Fines to Vote
A Florida law requiring felons to pay legal fees as part of their sentences before regaining the vote is unconstitutional for those unable to pay, or unable to find out how much they owe, a federal judge ruled Sunday. The 125-page ruling was issued by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee. It involves a state law to implement a 2016 ballot measure approved by voters to automatically restore the right to vote for many felons who have completed their sentence. The Republican-led Legislature stipulated that fines and legal fees must be paid as part of the sentence, in addition to serving any prison time. Hinkle has acknowledged he is unlikely to have the last word in the case, expecting the administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to launch an appeal. The case could have deep ramifications in the crucial electoral battleground given that Florida has an estimated 774,000 disenfranchised felons who are barred because of financial obligations. Many of those felons are African Americans and presumably Democrats, though it’s unclear how that group of Floridians overall would lean politically in an election and how many would vote. The judge called the Florida rules a “pay to vote” system that are unconstitutional when applied to felons “who are otherwise eligible to vote but are genuinely unable to pay the required amount.” A further complication is determining the exact amount in fines and other kinds of legal fees owed by felons seeking the vote — by some estimates it would take elections officials several years for those pending now. Hinkle said it’s unconstitutional to bar any voter whose amount owed could not be “determined with diligence.” Hinkle ordered the state to require election officials to allow felons to request an advisory opinion on how much they owe — essentially placing the burden on elections officials to seek that information from court systems. If there’s no response within three weeks, then the applicant should not be barred from registering to vote, the ruling said. Hinkle said the requirement to pay fines and restitution as ordered in a sentence is constitutional for those “who are able to pay” — if the amount can be determined. The case, Kelvin Jones vs Ron DeSantis, consolidates five lawsuits filed by advocates of disenfranchised felons, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Brennan Center and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “This is a tremendous victory for voting rights,” Julie Ebenstein, senior staff attorney with ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, said in a statement. “The court recognized that conditioning a person’s right to vote on their ability to pay is unconstitutional. This ruling means hundreds of thousands of Floridians will be able to rejoin the electorate and participate in upcoming elections.” The 2018 ballot measure, known as Amendment 4, does not apply to convicted murderers and rapists, who are permanently barred from voting regardless of financial obligations.
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By Polityk | 05/25/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Wins Hawaii Presidential Primary Delayed by Virus
Joe Biden won the Democratic Party of Hawaii’s party-run presidential primary on Saturday, which was delayed by more than a month because of the coronavirus.Biden defeated Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders 63% to 37%.Biden won 16 of Hawaii’s delegates and Sanders will take eight. Biden has a total of 1,566 delegates to the party’s national convention, according to the count by the Associated Press. He needs 1,991 delegates to win the nomination, a threshold he is projected to reach in June.A total of 35,044 voters cast ballots in the party-run primary. All ballots were cast by mail.FILE – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden acknowledges the crowd during a campaign rally in Kansas City, Mo., March 7, 2020.The party had initially planned to hold the primary on April 4 and had expected most party members to vote by mail, with some casting ballots at about 20 in-person polling sites around the state.It began mailing ballots to registered party members in early March, when Sanders and Biden were the two front-runners and U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii was still maintaining her long-shot bid for the nomination.But concerns about the spread of the coronavirus forced the party to announce on March 20 that it would cancel plans for in-person voting and allow only mail ballots. To give those who expected to vote in person on April 4 a chance to cast a ballot, the party said it would mail another round of ballots to members and wait until late May for them to be returned and counted.Amid these shifts, Gabbard dropped out and endorsed Biden. Sanders ended his bid and endorsed Biden on April 13.Voters were instructed to mark their top three choices on paper ballots.Only candidates receiving at least 15% of the votes cast in a given congressional district were to be allocated delegates. Votes for candidates who didn’t receive at least 15% were redistributed to voters’ second-ranked choices, starting with the candidate who received the lowest number of votes.Gabbard represents Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District in Congress and got 4% of the vote in the first round of voting.FILE – Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, speaks during a news conference in New York, Oct. 29, 2019.She was absent from the district during much of the year while she campaigned for the presidency in Iowa and New Hampshire. State Senator Kai Kahele, a fellow Democrat, fiercely criticized her for neglecting her constituents and mounted a campaign for her seat, which covers suburban Honolulu and the more rural islands of the state. Not long afterward, Gabbard said she wouldn’t run for reelection and would focus on her presidential bid.Hawaii Democrats hired a contractor, Merriman River Group, to handle aspects of the election, including designing the vote-by-mail package and safely keeping returned ballots. The company has experience running elections for labor unions and organizations such as the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, the electric utility on Kauai island.The Republican Party of Hawaii canceled its presidential caucus after President Donald Trump was the only candidate to declare for the ballot by the December 2 deadline. The party is committing its national convention delegates to Trump.
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By Polityk | 05/24/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Says He was too ‘Cavalier’ About Black Trump Backers
Reader advisory: Note vulgarity in 17th paragraph beginning “In 2018.”Joe Biden declared he “should not have been so cavalier” on Friday after he told a prominent black radio host that African Americans who back President Donald Trump “ain’t black.”The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee quickly moved to address the fallout from his remark, which was interpreted by some as presuming black Americans would vote for him. In a call with the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce that was added to his public schedule, Biden said he would never “take the African American community for granted.”“I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy,” Biden said. “No one should have to vote for any party based on their race or religion or background.”That was an acknowledgement of the stinging criticism he received in response to his comments, which he made earlier in the day on “The Breakfast Club,” a radio program that is popular in the black community.The rebukes included allies of Trump’s reelection campaign — anxious to go on the offense after weeks of defending the Republican president’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — and some activists who warned that Biden must still court black voters, even if African Americans overwhelmingly oppose the president.“None of us can afford for the party or for this campaign to mess this election up, and comments like these are the kinds that frankly either make black voters feel like we’re not really valued and people don’t care if we show up or not,” said Alicia Garza, a Black Lives Matter co-founder and principal of Black Futures Lab.Picking a running mateNear the end of Biden’s appearance on the radio program, host Charlamagne Tha God pressed him on reports that he is considering Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is white, to be his vice presidential running mate. The host told Biden that black voters “saved your political life in the primaries” and “have things they want from you.”Biden said that “I guarantee you there are multiple black women being considered. Multiple.”A Biden aide then sought to end the interview, prompting the host to say, “You can’t do that to black media.”Biden responded, “I do that to black media and white media,” and said his wife needed to use the television studio.He then added: “If you’ve got a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or for Trump, then you ain’t black.”Trump’s campaign and his allies immediately seized on Biden’s comments. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, a Trump supporter and the Senate’s sole black Republican, said he was “shocked and surprised” by Biden’s remarks.“I was struck by the condescension and the arrogance in his comments,” Scott said in a conference call arranged by the Trump campaign. I could not believe my ears that he would stoop so low to tell folks what they should do, how they should think and what it means to be black.''Trump himself has a history of incendiary rhetoric related to race.When he launched his presidential campaign in 2015, Trump called many Mexican immigrants “rapists.” Campaigning in 2016, he asked black voters, “What the hell do you have to lose?”In 2017, he said there are good people onboth sides” of the clash in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and anti-racist demonstrators that left one counterprotester dead.In 2018, during a private White House meeting on immigration, Trump wondered why the United States was admitting so many immigrants from “shithole countries” like African nations. He also blasted four Democratic congresswomen of color, saying they hate America and should “go back” to where they come from, even though all are U.S. citizens and three were born in the U.S.Building a multiracial coalitionBlack voters helped resurrect Biden’s campaign in this year’s primaries with a second-place finish in the Nevada caucuses and a resounding win in the South Carolina primary after he’d started with embarrassing finishes in overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire. Sixty-one percent of black voters supported Biden during the primary season, according to AP VoteCast surveys across 17 states that voted in February and March.Biden is now seeking to maintain his standing with black voters while building the type of multiracial and multigenerational coalition that twice elected Barack Obama, whom he served as vice president. He has already committed to picking a woman as his running mate and is considering several African American contenders who could energize black voters. But Biden is also considering candidates such as Klobuchar, who could appeal to white moderates.There is little chance of a sudden shift in support for Trump among black voters. A recent Fox News poll shows just 14 percent of African Americans who are registered to vote have a favorable opinion of Trump, compared with 84 percent who view him unfavorably.Seventy-five percent of African American registered voters say they have a favorable view of Biden; 21 percent hold an unfavorable opinion.There is a risk, however, of black voters, especially those who are younger, staying home in November, which could complicate Biden’s path to victory in a tight election. “The Breakfast Club” is a particularly notable venue for Biden’s comments because the program is popular among younger African Americans.Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, a national organization that works to mobilize black voters, said many black Americans are loyal Biden supporters. But she said his comments make it harder to attract people who are on the fence about voting.“The first thing I thought about was to what degree did this just turn off those voters and how much more work the rest of us are going to have to do to convince people that it is worth their time and their efforts,” she said.Biden’s selection of a running mate, along with his pledge to appoint the first black female Supreme Court justice, could help motivate voters. He’s begun vetting vice presidential contenders, a process he’s said will likely last through July.Several black women are among those under consideration, including California Sen. Kamala Harris, Georgia voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Florida Rep. Val Demings, Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge and Susan Rice, Obama’s former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
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By Polityk | 05/23/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
GOP Weighs Jobless Aid Cuts as Layoffs Surpass 38 Million
Reconsideration of jobless aid is fast becoming the focus of congressional debate over the next virus aid package
After the Senate decided to take a “pause” on new pandemic proposals, senators faced mounting pressure to act before leaving town for a weeklong Memorial Day break.
Republicans are staking out plans to phase out coronavirus-related unemployment benefits to encourage Americans to go back to work, although it’s not clear when there will be jobs to return to. The Senate also began efforts to fast-track an extension of a popular small business lending program.
“Republicans and the White House are reaching consensus on the need for redesigning the unemployment benefits so they are not a barrier to getting people back to work,” Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, told reporters on a conference call. President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell huddled at the White House to discuss the issues.
The flurry of activity comes after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed a new $3 trillion aid package through the House last week. The Senate, under McConnell, says there is no urgency to act, and senators are expected to reconsider more aid only in June.
With the nation’s death toll poised to hit 100,000 and layoffs surpassing 38 million, some lawmakers see a failure by Washington to act as untenable. Yet Congress has moved beyond the political consensus reached at the outset of the crisis and is now splitting along familiar party lines.
The difference in approach and priorities between Democrats and Republicans reflects the partisan split that is defining both parties before the 2020 election.
At least one Republican, Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, was trying to prevent the Senate from recessing unless it considered more aid. No votes, however, were taken.
“Now is not the time for the Senate to go home,” tweeted Gardner, who is among the most politically endangered GOP senators running for reelection in the fall.
Gardner wanted agreement to extend the small business Paycheck Protection Program and pushed for more funds for state and local governments facing layoffs. He told reporters he had called Trump to express his concerns.
As a result, senators were trying to fast-track a proposal to extend the Paycheck Protection Program’s expiration. The proposed fix would double from eight to 16 weeks the window for business owners absorbing losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic to spend their federally backed loans and still qualify to have them forgiven. The program was established in March under an earlier coronavirus response bill.
While the House works remotely, the lights-on Senate has the legislative stage to itself. But the chamber that considers itself the world’s greatest deliberative body spent May debating almost anything but the pandemic. It confirmed several of Trump’s executive and judicial nominees, including John Ratcliffe on Thursday as director of national intelligence.
“You wouldn’t even know there’s a COVID crisis,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York told ABC’s “The View.” “Crazy. It’s just so wrong.”
McConnell argued that his side of the Capitol led passage of the earlier $2 trillion package. Better to assess how that money is being spent, he said, before approving more. He rejects the new $3 trillion package approved by the Democratic-led House last week as a “liberal wish list.”
On Thursday, McConnell mocked the House for working remotely and voting by proxy while senators in masks show up like other Americans returning to work. The District of Columbia has been under stay-at-home orders, but Mayor Muriel Bowser said Thursday the numbers are pointing to the start of a gradual reopening process at the end of May.
“The self-described ‘People’s House’ has been suspiciously empty of people,” McConnell said. “Every one of my Senate colleagues should be proud of how we’ve helped our nation win this first battle.”
Pelosi shot back: “We have the Heroes bill,” she said about the House-passed aid measure. “He has the zeroes bill.”
Unemployment insurance, though, was quickly becoming a new priority for Republicans staking out the next aid package.
Brady warned that generous benefits, with a $600 weekly boost during the pandemic approved under the earlier aid bill, would “handcuff” workers and discourage them from returning to work.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said, “It was a mistake to make it so high to begin with. It would be a mistake to extend it.”
Republicans are hopeful that as states reopen, the economy will improve, lessening the need for more federal funds. But if workers refuse to return to work, they worry companies can’t begin to rebound.
Brady proposes giving workers a one-time $1,200 bonus to get back to work. He said conversations were happening at the highest levels at the White House.
But polling shows Americans are concerned about a second wave of the virus as shops and workplaces reopen. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found 83% of Americans are at least somewhat concerned that lifting restrictions in their area will lead to additional infections, with 54% saying they are very or extremely concerned.
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By Polityk | 05/22/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Visits Battleground State Michigan
U.S. President Donald Trump traveled to Michigan on Thursday to visit an auto plant that has been making medical supplies during the pandemic. This is Trump’s third visit to a battleground state this month, where he hopes to drum up support ahead of the November election. But as White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports, his Michigan trip is politically fraught, following his clash with the state’s Democratic governor.
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By Polityk | 05/22/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Makes Coronavirus Response Partisan Election Issue
After initially acknowledging the authority of U.S. states to decide how best to mitigate the coronavirus outbreak, President Donald Trump has been encouraging anti-lockdown protests against Democratic governors in battleground states he needs to win to be reelected in November. As VOA’s Brian Padden reports, the president’s critics accuse Trump of trying to exploit the pandemic response for political gain, while supporters say Trump is channeling the frustration of American workers who say they are harmed more by the economic shutdown than the deadly virus.
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By Polityk | 05/22/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Wages Major Assault on Government Watchdogs
U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent purge of nearly a half dozen independent government watchdogs marked a new first: a president firing an inspector general at the urging of an agency head who was being investigated for possible wrongdoing.Trump fired State Department inspector general Steve Linick last Friday at the behest of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, both Trump and Pompeo acknowledged.Linick reportedly was examining allegations that Pompeo and his wife, Susan, were using a State Department employee to run household errands, including walking their dog and picking up dry cleaning.Pompeo also was part of an inquiry into whether the Trump administration declared an “emergency” in order to skirt a congressional freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife Susan Pompeo walk on the tarmac before departure at Luanda International Airport in Luanda, Angola, Feb. 17, 2020.Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Pompeo reiterated that he had sought Linick’s ousting but denied allegations that it was in retaliation for his investigation of Pompeo.”Frankly, (I) should have done it some time ago,” Pompeo said.It is not known whether other department heads in the Trump administration have made similar removal recommendations to the president. But Pompeo’s acknowledgment is unprecedented and could have a chilling effect on inspectors general across the government, said Ervin Clark, a former inspector general at the State Department and two other agencies during President George W. Bush’s administration.“I don’t doubt that some agency heads have privately advocated for (IGs’) removal from time to time, but I do not recall an instance where removal is publicly called for or acknowledged,” Clark, now a partner at the Squire Patton Boggs law firm, wrote in an email.The State Department inspector general also audits the operations of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the parent agency of Voice of America and other international broadcasting entities.Linick’s firing was part of a housecleaning Trump started in early April when he fired Michael Atkinson, an intelligence community inspector general, whom Trump said was not a “big Trump fan.”Atkinson became the target of Trump’s ire after transmitting a whistleblower complaint to Congress that led to Trump’s impeachment in December.FILE – Glenn Fine, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice,testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing on Patriot Act re-authorization, Sept. 23, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.In between the firings of Atkinson and Linick, Trump replaced three other watchdogs that critics say are part of his attack on the so-called “deep state” federal bureaucracy:Pentagon inspector general Glenn Fine, who had been tapped to lead the IG community’s oversight of coronavirus stimulus fundsChristi Grimm, the Health and Human Services watchdog who had released a critical report about testing and medical supply shortagesActing Transportation Department watchdog Mitch Behm, whose office was reportedly investigating department Secretary Elaine ChaoIn two cases, Trump put political appointees, including a former aide to Vice President Mike Pence, in charge of IG offices, raising questions about their willingness to take on their agencies.While Trump has made a habit of firing officials he perceives as disloyal or otherwise unfavorable, his assault on the independent watchdogs has sent fear and shock across a community that was created in the wake of the 1970s-era Watergate government abuse scandal.The IGs are widely credited by both Republicans and Democrats with reining in waste and abuse in the federal bureaucracy.With the fear of a presidential dismissal looming, inspectors general will likely avoid investigations that might antagonize their agency heads and the president, said Kathryn Newcomer, director of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University.“It’s not about just the State Department. It’s not just about that one inspector general,” said Newcomer, co-author of a recent book on inspectors general. “It’s about the message that it is sending across our government. We’ve never had a situation like this.”At the moment, more than 70 federal agencies have their own watchdogs. Their job is to prevent and investigate waste, fraud and abuse. Investigations carried out by inspectors general have exposed rampant abuse in government and saved taxpayers billions of dollars every year.With Congress having approved four coronavirus bills totaling nearly $3 trillion to cope with the pandemic, vigorous oversight to root out waste, fraud and corruption is critically needed, government experts say.While the inspectors general, like other political appointees, serve at the pleasure of the president, they report to Congress and have rarely been fired. Before Trump took office in 2017, only two inspectors general had been ousted under pressure from the White House, while about 15 others had been pushed out by Congress, according to Newcomer.”The notion of independence and being able to tell truth to power was very critical,” Newcomer said.Under the inspector general statute, Trump can fire any inspector general “without cause,” as long as he communicates the reasons for their firing at least 30 days before their removal.In Atkinson’s case, Trump disregarded the requirement. In Linick’s case, he gave Congress a 30-day notification last week, saying he no longer had “the fullest confidence” in him. He immediately replaced Linick with an acting watchdog.Not sufficient enough to fire IGSenator Charles Grassley (R-IA) arrives for the beginning of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 16, 2020.But Democrats claimed Linick had been fired because he had opened an investigation into Pompeo. And Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, a close Trump ally and staunch defender of inspectors general, demanded answers from Trump, insisting that “loss of confidence” was not sufficient reason for firing an inspector general.“This is in large part because Congress intended that inspectors general only be removed when there is clear evidence of unfitness, wrongdoing, or failure to perform the duties of the office,” Grassley wrote in a letter to Trump.At the Wednesday press conference, Pompeo flatly denied any wrongdoing and said he will “share with the appropriate people the rationale” for firing Linick.Linick’s removal may not be the last. With little serious pushback from Congress, experts fear Trump will likely continue what he has called “draining the swamp.”“I would not be surprised if we saw the president taking additional steps to remove inspectors general,” said Liz Hempowicz, director of public policy at the Government Oversight Project in Washington.To protect inspectors general against arbitrary dismissal, Hempowicz said Congress should pass legislation lengthening their terms in office and requiring “for-cause” removal.“It certainly would make it harder for the president to fire somebody for no reason at all,” she said.
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By Polityk | 05/21/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Pompeo Denies Retaliation, Won’t Say Why Internal Watchdog Was Fired
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo admits he asked President Donald Trump to fire the internal State Department watchdog but denies it was in retaliation for the watchdog investigating him. Democrats in Congress and the American Academy of Diplomacy see the firing as a troubling pattern in the Trump administration. VOA’s Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has more.
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By Polityk | 05/21/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Supreme Court Blocks House From Mueller Grand Jury Material
The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily prevented the House of Representatives from obtaining secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. The court’s unsigned order keeps previously undisclosed details from the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election out of the hands of Democratic lawmakers at least until early summer. The court will decide then whether to extend its hold. The federal appeals court in Washington ruled in March that the documents should be turned over because the House Judiciary Committee’s need for the material in its investigation of President Donald Trump outweighed the Justice Department’s interests in keeping the testimony secret. Mueller’s 448-page report, issued in April 2019, “stopped short” of reaching conclusions about Trump’s conduct, including whether he obstructed justice, to avoid stepping on the House’s impeachment power, the appeals court said. The committee was able to persuasively argue that it needed access to the underlying grand jury material to make its own determinations about the president’s actions, the court said. The materials initially were sought last summer, but by the time the appeals court ruled in March, Trump had been impeached by the House and acquitted by the Senate. The Justice Department said in its Supreme Court filings that the court’s action was needed in part because the House hasn’t given any indication it “urgently needs these materials for any ongoing impeachment investigation.” Former special counsel Robert Mueller, checks pages in the report as he testifies before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on his report on Russian election interference, on Capitol Hill, July 24, 2019 in Washington.The House had opposed the delay on the grounds that its investigation of Trump was continuing, and that time is of the essence because of the approaching election. The current session of the House will end Jan. 3, and lawmakers elected in November will take their seats. The committee investigation “continues today and has further developed in light of recent events,” the House told the justices, citing the “possible exercise of improper political influence” on decisions to seek a shorter prison term for Trump confidant Roger Stone and end the prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, despite his two guilty pleas. The case is one of several ongoing court disputes between the Trump administration and Congress. The Supreme Court heard arguments last week over whether Trump’s accountants and banks must turn over financial records to House committees. The administration is not a party to the case but is backing the president. The appeals court also is weighing whether former White House counsel Don McGahn must appear before the committee to answer questions related to the Mueller investigation. And the Justice Department has said it will ask the Supreme Court to step in and kill a lawsuit alleging that Trump is illegally profiting off the presidency through his luxury Washington hotel. Mueller’s report detailed multiple interactions between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia, and examined several episodes involving the president for potential obstruction of justice. Mueller said his team did not find sufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and the Kremlin to tip the election, though pointedly noted that he could not exonerate the president for obstruction. Portions of the report were blacked out, including grand jury testimony and material that Mueller said could harm ongoing investigations or infringe on the privacy of third parties. Grand jury testimony is typically treated as secret, in part to protect the privacy of people who are not charged or are considered peripheral to a criminal investigation. But several exceptions allow for the material to be turned over, including if it is in connection with a judicial proceeding. Lower courts agreed with lawmakers that impeachment is considered a judicial proceeding, rejecting Justice Department arguments to the contrary.
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By Polityk | 05/21/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Republican-Led US Senate Panel Backs Subpoena in Hunter Biden Probe
A Republican-led U.S. Senate committee authorized a subpoena on Wednesday for information in an investigation related to Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, President Donald Trump’s main rival as he runs for re-election in November.
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs voted 8-6, with every Republican voting yes, and every Democrat voting no, to approve a subpoena for documents related to work the younger Biden did for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
The subpoena was requested by the panel’s chairman, Senator Ron Johnson, for information from Blue Star Strategies, a public affairs firm that worked with Burisma. Johnson’s investigation intensified after Trump’s impeachment trial this year. He plans to issue a report in the coming months.
Trump was impeached on abuse-of-power and obstruction charges in the Democratic-led House of Representatives after he asked Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. He was acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Democrats say Trump and his party are trying to shore up his re-election prospects by targeting Biden. They have also said Johnson’s actions could aid disinformation efforts by Russia as it seeks to influence the 2020 election, after U.S. intelligence determined Moscow sought boost Trump campaign in 2016.
“Senator Johnson should be working overtime to save American lives – but instead he’s just trying to save the President’s job,” said Andrew Bates, a spokesman for Biden’s presidential campaign, noting the current health and economic crisis.
Senator Mitt Romney, the only Republican who voted to convict Trump of abuse of power, said in March he thought Johnson’s investigation of Hunter Biden appeared political. A no vote would have deadlocked the committee, but Romney joined other Republicans in approving the subpoena.
Senate Judiciary, led by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, is investigating surveillance warrants in the FBI’s probe of Russian meddling in 2016.
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By Polityk | 05/21/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Senate Panel Set to Vote on Nominee to Lead US Government Broadcasting
A key Senate panel Thursday is set to consider President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that oversees Voice of America among other entities. Documentary filmmaker Michael Pack’s nomination has been under consideration for nearly two years, held up in part because of concerns from Democrats over alleged financial self-dealing in his businesses.Last week, the committee’s vote again was delayed after the Washington attorney general’s office opened an investigation into whether Pack’s use of funds from his nonprofit, Public Media Lab, was unlawful and whether he improperly used those funds to benefit himself.Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, the ranking member on the committee, protested in an open letter that Republicans are appearing to move forward with the vote. FILE – Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez speaks with the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 5, 2019.“Instead of taking a step back and seeking a bipartisan solution, you are now planning to put Mr. Pack up for a Committee vote despite the fact that his business dealings are the target of an active law enforcement investigation and reportedly the subject of law enforcement subpoenas, and despite his continued refusal to correct false statements he made to the IRS,” Menendez and other Democrats wrote to Chairman Jim Risch. In a separate letter, Committee Democrats also expressed concern the Senate meeting also would not be livestreamed for the press and the American public. VOA has requested comment on both letters from Risch. FILE – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch speaks with the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 5, 2019.Trump nominated Pack to lead USAGM almost two years ago and has expressed frustration about the wait, saying it is due to Democratic obstruction. The president previously threatened to adjourn Congress to push the nomination through. The White House accused Democrats of stalling the nomination last week following reports of the Washington, D.C., attorney general investigation, writing “the President stands behind Michael Pack and is disappointed, but not surprised, that Do-Nothing-Democrats have once again decided to throw political mud on a public servant’s clean record.”In recent weeks, Trump has criticized VOA for its news coverage of China during the coronavirus crisis. When asked about the Pack nomination last week, Trump said, “Voice of America is run in a terrible manner. They’re not the Voice of America. They’re the opposite of the Voice of America.”VOA Director Amanda Bennett defended the U.S.-funded news agency’s mission and reporting in a statement last Friday. “We export the First Amendment to people around the world who have no other access to factual, truthful, believable information,” she said. “That’s why more than 80% of our 280 million audience in 47 languages in more than 60 countries say they find our work credible,” she added. USAGM oversees five U.S. civilian broadcast networks, which include VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and the Arabic-language stations Alhurra Television and Radio Sawa of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN). In his confirmation hearing last September, Pack addressed concerns he would attempt to impose a political bias on USAGM agencies, including VOA which is mandated by US law to be objective and balanced in its reporting. “The whole agency rests on the belief the reporters are independent, that no political influence is telling them how to report the news and what to say. Without that trust, I think, the agency is completely undermined,” Pack told the committee.
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By Polityk | 05/21/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Blasts Michigan Over Absentee Voting Plan
Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump picked a fight Wednesday with the key electoral swing state of Michigan over its expanded plan for absentee voting in the November presidential election. An election official in the midwestern state, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, announced Tuesday that absentee ballot applications are being sent to all 7.7 million registered voters in the state, The plan, she said, is to give Michigan voters an opportunity to vote by mail in upcoming Democratic and Republican party primary elections in August and the national election Nov. 3, instead of having to go to public polling sites during the coronavirus crisis. Trump voted by mail himself in a Florida election earlier this year, but he immediately objected to the Michigan absentee voting plan. “This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State,” he said on Twitter. “I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!” He also suggested that voting by mail was illegal in the western state of Nevada. Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!..— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) FILE – In this March 15, 2020 photo, former Vice President Joe Biden participates in a Democratic presidential primary debate at CNN Studios in Washington.Early polls in the state show Biden narrowly ahead but it is still more than five months from Election Day. With the coronavirus pandemic controlling life in the U.S. for the last two months, neither Trump nor Biden has been able to stage the massive public political rallies that are central to U.S. presidential campaign, although both hope to do so in the coming weeks if large crowds can again mass safely. Last month, Trump tweeted, “Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state-wide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it. Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn’t work out well for Republicans.” The country’s biggest state, California, is also advancing plans for massive voting by mail. But in a sense absentee voting there is less contentious than in Michigan because the state is heavily Democratic and Trump is likely to lose it no matter how voters cast their ballots, by mail or in person at polling stations. The Michigan plan calls for mailing out absentee voter applications. Voters then must fill out the applications and their signatures are checked against existing voting records on file to protect against fraud before the actual absentee voter ballots themselves are mailed to them. FILE – In this March 5, 2020 photo, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at a news conference in Lansing, Mich.“By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote,” Benson said. “Voting by mail is easy, convenient, safe, and secure, and every voter in Michigan has the right to do it.” Absentee voting has proved popular in Michigan during the pandemic as compared to earlier elections before the emergence of the health crisis. In about 50 elections held across 33 counties in Michigan on May 5, nearly 25% of eligible voters cast ballots and 99% of them did so by mail or in a drop box. That was more than double the 12% turnout from 2010 to 2019 in such local May elections. Vote fraud is rare in the U.S. although occasionally voters have been nabbed for voting in two different states if they have residences both places. There also is no statistical evidence that voting by mail favors one party over another. But voter turnout sometimes increases with the prevalence of absentee voting, which Democrats generally believe favors their electoral chances.
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By Polityk | 05/20/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
More than 1,100 Former US Prosecutors Slam Attempt to Drop Flynn Charges
More than 1,100 former U.S. federal prosecutors on Wednesday blasted the attempt by Republican President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to dismiss a charge against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, saying the move puts Trump’s personal interests ahead of the public good.
The criticism came in a legal brief the nonprofit The Protect Democracy Project plans to file in federal court in Washington. They accused Attorney General William Barr of abusing his oath of office by asking to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn, who has pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI.
The group included former Acting Attorney General Stuart Gerson — who served in that role under Democratic then-President Bill Clinton, and former Deputy Attorney General Donald Ayer, who served under Republican then-President George H.W. Bush — marks the latest development in an escalating drama over whether U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan will grant the department’s bombshell request to drop the case.
“The government’s request in this case does not appear to advance the interests of justice or the public, nor does it appear to be free of impermissible and unlawful taint,” they wrote in a prepared filing seen by Reuters, adding that the request “appears to serve President Trump’s personal political interests, rather than the interests of the public.”
Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general who was briefly Trump’s national security adviser, pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about interactions with Russia’s U.S. Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the weeks before Trump took office.
After agreeing to cooperate, Flynn switched lawyers and tactics, arguing the FBI tricked him and asked that his plea agreement be dismissed.
Sullivan has made it clear he is not willing to simply rubber-stamp the request.
He appointed retired Judge John Gleeson to present arguments on whether Flynn should face an additional criminal contempt charge for perjury.
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By Polityk | 05/20/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Federal Judge Orders Expansion of Mail-in Voting in Texas
A federal judge Tuesday ordered Texas to allow any of the state’s 16 million voters to cast a ballot by mail over fears of the coronavirus, paving the way for what would be one of the most dramatic expansions of mail-in voting in the country. The decision is unlikely to be the last word. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who in recent weeks has suggested that steering voters toward wrongly applying for mail-in ballots could result in prosecution, said the state would appeal. He called the ruling by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery a dismissal of “well-established law.” The fight in Texas is just one of several court battles across the country over efforts, mainly by Democrats, to expand access to mail-in ballots amid the pandemic. In Wisconsin, where election officials drew widespread criticism for holding its April 7 presidential primary even as other states delayed voting, a new lawsuit filed Monday argued that not enough has been done since then to ensure that the upcoming elections can be conducted safely and fairly. Voting by mail in Texas is generally limited to those 65 or older or those with a “sickness or physical condition” that prevents voting in person. In a lengthy ruling, Biery rejected Paxton’s assertion that fear of getting the virus doesn’t qualify as a disability under the law. “Clearly, fear and anxiety currently gripping the United States has limited citizens’ physical movements, affected their mental senses and constricted activities, socially and economically,” Biery wrote. He also dismissed claims that expanding mail-in voting would invite fraud in Texas, citing scant evidence. The ruling came just days after the Texas Supreme Court, which is entirely controlled by Republicans, handed Paxton a victory by blocking a lower ruling in state court that cleared the way for widespread vote-by-mail. Officials in Tennessee are also fighting efforts to expand mail-in voting under a similar defense as Texas, saying fear of contracting the coronavirus doesn’t meet medical criteria. “It is time for a few state officers to stop trying to force people to expose themselves to COVID-19 in order to vote,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party. Texas is pressing ahead with one of the swiftest re-openings in the country. On Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott gave permission to reopen practically every facet of daily life in Texas, including bars and child daycare centers, lifting most full lockdown orders. He said social distancing measures must still be in place, such as limits on customers and no fans at sports events. Texas has nearly 50,000 cases and at least 1,300 deaths related to the virus. The number of cases has climbed since Texas began lifting stay-at-home orders May 1, but Abbott has defended the speed by emphasizing that hospitalizations have remained flat and infection rates have dropped since April. President Donald Trump has claimed mail-in voting is ripe for fraud and “cheaters,” even as his reelection campaign and state allies are scrambling to launch operations meant to help their voters cast ballots in the mail. Other states have moved to expand absentee voting amid the coronavirus pandemic, including some controlled by Republicans, but Paxton has maintained that fear of getting the virus doesn’t qualify as a disability under the law. Texas will hold primary runoff elections in July. Abbott has already expanded early voting for that election, which will decide the nominees in key congressional races and which Democrat will face Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
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By Polityk | 05/20/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Senate Intelligence Panel Approves Ratcliffe for National Intelligence Director
The Senate Intelligence Committee approved the nomination Tuesday of Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe for the position of National Intelligence director.The committee’s decision on the nomination was a narrow partisan vote of 8 to 7, with all Democrats on the opposing side. If approved by the full Senate, Ratcliffe would become the permanent director of National Intelligence — a position left vacant since Dan Coats resigned in July 2019, and which is being temporarily held by Richard Grenell.Ratcliffe was initially nominated by President Donald Trump late last July, but he withdrew after tepid support from Republican senators, scrutiny about his credentials and limited intelligence experience. Trump’s Pick for Intelligence Chief is Longtime LoyalistJohn Ratcliffe of Texas, who criticized former special counsel Robert Mueller in hearing for report on obstruction, could head national intelligence systemThe Republican congressman’s experience, which includes serving on the House Intelligence Committee for one term, is a notable contrast to his predecessors, who generally have had decades of experience in the military or foreign service and have held positions in the intelligence community.During his confirmation process by the Senate panel, Ratcliffe has worked to shed his image as a Trump loyalist, contrary to his previous supportive tweets highlighting the president’s “historic accomplishments” achieved “with one hand tied behind his back.” Tonight President Trump will lay out a number of historic accomplishments he achieved with one hand tied behind his back. Imagine what could be done for our country if Democrats reached across the aisle and worked with him. #SOTUpic.twitter.com/088pg2EgtB— John Ratcliffe (@RepRatcliffe) February 5, 2020While Ratcliffe’s nomination was first met with lukewarm responses from Republican senators, former Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr had given the Texas congressman his full support.”I believe he understands the challenges facing the Intelligence Community in the 21st century and is ready to work to meet them. … I look forward to advancing Ratcliffe’s nomination and supporting it when it comes before the full Senate,” Burr said after Ratcliffe’s Senate hearing May 5.
Burr stepped away from his committee chairmanship, however, amid the FBI’s investigation into stock trades he made prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Senator Burr Steps Aside as Committee Chair Amid COVID Stock Sale ProbeSenate Intelligence Committee chairman being investigated over whether he used inside information to sell stock before coronavirus sparked steep market selloffRatcliffe’s nomination will need to be confirmed by the full Senate in a vote likely to be held after Memorial Day, according to congressional aides.
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By Polityk | 05/20/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Hires Former Harris Aide to Help with Latino Outreach
Joe Biden’s presidential campaign is bringing on the granddaughter of civil rights leader César Chávez as a senior adviser to help with Latino outreach and building out its operation in the states.
Some Latino leaders have criticized the Biden campaign, saying it’s not doing enough to reach out to the key demographic group.
The new adviser, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, previously worked as co-national political director on California Sen. Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign and was her California state director before that. She also served in the Obama administration, overseeing the White House’s engagement with LGBT, Latino, veteran, youth, education, labor and progressive leaders.
She’s joining Cristóbal Alex, a former president of the Latino Victory Fund, who serves as Biden’s senior adviser for issues involving Hispanic voters.
Biden is viewed with skepticism by some Latinos for his ties to deportation policies during the Obama administration. He struggled with Latino outreach throughout the Democratic presidential primary, facing pro-immigration protesters, and last November his most senior Latina aide quit the campaign after reportedly raising concerns that the campaign hadn’t focused enough on Latino voters.
Indeed, Latino voters strongly sided with Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary.
But the Biden campaign has ramped up its outreach to Latinos in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Biden held an online event with the League of United Latin American Citizens at which he focused on the poor conditions experienced by workers at meatpacking plants, many of whom, he noted, are black or Latino.
His campaign is reportedly working on a multimillion-dollar outreach plan focused on Latino men. And this month, Biden also spoke with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as she was named to a unity task force aimed at bridging the gap between Biden and Sanders supporters.
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By Polityk | 05/19/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Republican Marco Rubio Named Acting Chair of Senate Intelligence Committee
Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has been tapped to serve as the acting chairman of the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee. FILE – Senator Richard Burr listens as Rep. John Ratcliffe testifies before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during his nomination hearing to become director of national intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 5, 2020.The Florida lawmaker was named by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Monday to replace Richard Burr of North Carolina, who is under investigation over allegations that he used advance information to sell millions of dollars of stocks in February, weeks before the coronavirus pandemic caused a meltdown of global financial markets. Burr stepped down from his post last week after FBI agents seized his cellphone as part of its probe. Rubio has spent much of his Senate career focusing on foreign policy as a member of both the Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees. In a statement announcing his appointment, McConnell praised Rubio for his concern “for our nation’s security, advocacy for our values and interests, and vigilance toward threats.” “On subjects ranging from China and Russia to Iran and North Korea to tyranny and unrest in our own hemisphere, Senator Rubio has been on the case for years,” McConnell said. Rubio’s elevation to the post makes him one of the so-called “Gang of Eight,” composed of the top leaders of the House of Representatives and Senate and the chairs of the Intelligence committees of both chambers who receive the most sensitive classified briefings. Rubio, who ran for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, also currently serves as chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneur Committee, which has played a leading role in legislation aimed at helping American businesses recover from the pandemic.
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By Polityk | 05/19/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Barr Says He Doesn’t Expect Obama, Biden Criminal Investigation
U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Monday quashed calls by U.S. President Donald Trump for the Justice Department to investigate his predecessor, Barack Obama, saying he doesn’t expect the department to probe either Obama or his vice president, Joe Biden, in connection with the controversial Russia investigation.“As to President Obama and Vice President Biden, whatever their level of involvement, based on the information I have today, I don’t expect Mr. Durham’s work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man,” Barr said at a press conference, referring to a Justice Department review of the Russia investigation led by U.S. Attorney John Durham.Barr claimed the Justice Department’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton involved abuses by law enforcement and intelligence agencies under the Obama administration. But citing a recent Supreme Court ruling involving the so-called Bridgegate scandal, he said not every abuse of power is a federal crime.That scandal involved efforts by associates of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to retaliate against a political opponent by manufacturing massive traffic jams over the George Washington Bridge. On May 7, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that while the two officials had committed “deception, corruption and abuse of power,” federal laws do not “criminalize all such conduct.”Barr’s comments came in response to a question about Trump’s calls for the Justice Department and Congress to investigate Obama for seeking a probe of Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn’s conversations with the Russian ambassador to Washington shortly before Trump took office in January 2017.FILE – Attorney General William Barr speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, April 1, 2020.That investigation led to Flynn’s guilty plea for lying to the FBI – a plea Barr now is seeking to overturn. In a recent tweet, Trump alleged, without specifying, that Obama had committed “the biggest political crime in American history” as part of the Russia investigation.Asked about Barr’s comments, Trump told reporters Monday at the White House, “I’m a little surprised by that statement. I think he said ‘as of this moment.’ I guess. But if it was me, I guarantee they’d be going after me.”Barr last year ordered an internal Justice Department review of the Russia probe and tapped Durham to lead the effort. The Durham investigation is ongoing, and Barr left open the possibility that other Obama administration officials would be criminally charged.“Our concern over potential criminality is focused on others,” Barr said in response to a question about Trump’s call for an investigation.Although Barr did not identify the targets of the investigation, Durham is believed to be examining the role of former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, among other Obama administration officials.The Justice Department’s investigation of suspected ties between the Trump campaign and Russia ended last year, concluding that despite numerous contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives there was not enough evidence of a criminal conspiracy.Barr was a critic of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe before he was tapped by Trump as his attorney general after Trump fired Jeff Sessions. Echoing Trump’s criticism of the Russia probe, Barr lashed out at “the law enforcement and intelligence apparatus” for promoting a “false and utterly baseless narrative” about Trump’s collusion with Russia.“What happened to the president in the 2016 election, and throughout the first two years of his administration, was abhorrent,” Barr said. “It was a grave injustice and it was unprecedented in American history.”Portraying himself as an impartial chief law enforcement officer, Barr said he would not allow the Justice Department to conduct politically motivated investigations of presidential candidates. “Any effort to pursue an investigation of either candidate has to be approved by me,” he said.FILE – Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, leaves the federal court following a status conference in Washington, Sept. 10, 2019.Barr, who first served as attorney general in the administration of the late President George H. W. Bush, long enjoyed a reputation as a highly respected lawyer.But since returning to the helm of the Justice Department last year, his advocacy of the president’s policies and intervention in high-profile cases involving Trump associates have earned him criticism as the “president’s personal lawyer.”Last week, a group of more than 1,900 former Justice Department and FBI officials signed a letter demanding Barr’s resignation after he directed the Justice Department to drop its criminal case against Flynn. A federal judge is reviewing the recommendation.In February, Barr faced a similar backlash after he intervened in long-time Trump associate Roger Stone’s case, directing prosecutors to lower their sentencing recommendation. At the time, more than 1,100 former Justice Department officials and federal prosecutors demanded Barr’s resignation.
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By Polityk | 05/19/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Democrat Suggests Saudi Arms Sales Behind Firing of State Department Watchdog
A key U.S. Democratic lawmaker suggested Monday that President Donald Trump may have abruptly fired the internal State Department watchdog last week at Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s behest because he was nearing completion of a probe into Pompeo’s controversial fast-tracking of arms sales last year to Saudi Arabia.Initially, Democratic lawmakers contended that Trump ousted Steve Linick, the State Department’s inspector general, because he was investigating claims that Pompeo and his wife Susan have been using a government aide for personal tasks, such as walking their family dog, picking up dry cleaning and making dinner reservations for the couple.But Congressman Eliot Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted, “I’ve learned there may be another reason for IG Linick’s firing. His office was investigating—at my request—Trump’s phony emergency declaration so he could send Saudi Arabia weapons. We don’t have the full picture yet, but it’s troubling that Sec Pompeo wanted Linick pushed out.”Engel said Linick’s probe centered on the Trump administration’s emergency declaration a year ago to bypass Congress to approve $8.1 billion in arms sales to several countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. said at the time the weapons were needed to deter what it called “the malign influence” of Iran throughout the Middle East.Pompeo said in a statement a year ago, “These sales will support our allies, enhance Middle East stability, and help these nations to deter and defend themselves from the Islamic Republic of Iran.”But several Democratic and Republican lawmakers condemned the arms sales, citing the Saudis’ human rights record and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The White House has acknowledged that Pompeo recommended Linick’s ouster, the fourth time in recent weeks Trump has dismissed an inspector general who has played one role or another in holding his administration to account for its actions. However, inspectors general throughout government agencies serve at the pleasure of U.S. presidents.U.S. Senator Bob Menendez exits the chamber at the U.S. Capitol during U.S. President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial in Washington, Jan. 31, 2020.Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, and Engel sent a joint letter to the White House requesting administration officials turn over documents by Friday related to Linick’s firing.“The President can’t fire watchdogs without giving a proper reason and justification to Congress – all of Congress. Secret reasons don’t count,” Menendez said Sunday.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday told CBS News’s “Face the Nation” show that Linick’s dismissal was “unsavory when you take out someone who is there to … stop waste, fraud, abuse or other violations of the law that … they believed to be happening.“So, again, let’s take a look and see,” Pelosi said. “The president has the right to fire any federal employee. But the fact is, if it looks like it’s in retaliation for something that the attorney- the IG, the inspector general is doing, that could be unlawful.”Key Republicans came to Trump’s defense.Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro told ABC News’s “This Week” show, “I support whatever this president does in terms of his hiring and firing decisions.“There is a bureaucracy out there and there’s a lot of people in that bureaucracy who think they got elected president and not Donald J. Trump,” Navarro said, “And we’ve had tremendous problem with what some people call the Deep State. I think that’s apt. So, I don’t mourn the loss.”Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, told CNN that he felt that “not all inspector generals are created equal” and noted they “serve at the pleasure of the president.”Trump previously had dismissed Glenn Fine, who was overseeing the government’s financial relief response to the coronavirus pandemic; Michael Atkinson, who as inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community played a role in triggering Trump’s impeachment late last year; and Christi Grimm, the Health and Human Services inspector general Trump accused of producing a “fake dossier” on medical supply shortages at American hospitals dealing with the pandemic.Linick was appointed to the State Department inspector general post by former President Barack Obama, a Democrat Trump often criticizes.
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By Polityk | 05/19/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
2020 Watch: Battleground Map Taking Shape for Biden, Trump
Presidential politics move fast. What we’re watching heading into a new week on the 2020 campaign:
Days to general election: 169The Narrative
States are relaxing shutdown and stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump is traveling more, determined to model the confidence he believes the nation needs to return to normal. Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, continues a virtual campaign from his Delaware residence, determined to heed public health recommendations he says are the first steps toward a national recovery. Meanwhile, the U.S. coronavirus death toll now exceeds 89,000, and there are more unemployed working-age Americans than at any other point in history.
The Big Questions Is the battleground map really that big?
Biden’s advisers have struck a confident tone after other Democrats openly questioned how they’re using their early start to the general election. In her most recent conversation with reporters, campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon teased at “a much larger Electoral College victory than we would even need to capture the presidency.” She’s bullish on Arizona, a state Democrats have won exactly once since Biden was elected to the Senate in 1972. The Trump campaign, meanwhile, distributed a memo claiming the president leads in “the 15 states that could decide” the electoral vote outcome.
Recent polling actually gives Trump plenty to worry about. Yet it’s difficult not to remember that Hillary Clinton’s campaign conspicuously expanded its operation into Arizona, Georgia and other GOP strongholds in 2016. Clinton lost them all — along with the Great Lakes states where she didn’t campaign heavily because her aides considered them a “Blue Wall.” O’Malley Dillon notes, of course, that she isn’t investing in the likes of Arizona at the expense of Wisconsin.
It will become clear in coming months whether Biden is seriously aiming that wide or merely posturing to make Trump spread his ample resources across more states.Is this public keepsakes real?
Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar joined Biden for fundraisers. Stacey Abrams appeared with him on MSNBC. Tammy Duckworth headlined virtual events on his behalf. Elizabeth Warren co-signed an op-ed with her former primary rival. Several high-profile Democrats have floated their preferences — effectively advising Biden through the media (if not also privately). So does any of this matter? Are these events basically preliminary interviews? Does Biden read the chatter? All of the above? Those who’ve gone through the process before offer one consistent reminder: Once you get past the noise, it’s a choice made by one person only — the nominee.Is fundraising parity the new normal?
Part of the Biden campaign’s public optimism comes from finally getting his fundraising operation on track. In April, Biden and the Democratic National Committee cleared more than $60 million, just shy of what Trump and the Republican National Committee collected. That’s a win for a campaign that battled empty pockets in the primary and for a national party that’s looked up at its GOP counterparts for years. To be sure, the GOP team said it has more than $250 million on hand, compared with the Democrats’ $103 million. But if Biden roughly keeps pace with Trump in new collections, it will at least ease some Democrats’ concerns. Does the next coronavirus package matter on the presidential trail?
Capitol Hill Democrats want another coronavirus aid package, with a $3 trillion price tag, including support for state and local governments that have watched their tax receipts evaporate during the COVID-19 shutdown. For now, public sentiment still appears to favor aggressive government action to prevent a depression. But there’s no easy calculation for how that plays out in the presidential campaign, where the two contestants boast murky records and conflicting priorities.
Once a centrist senator who backed a balanced-budget constitutional amendment, Biden has generally endorsed his fellow Democrats’ moves for aid. His team sees little political fallout because of skyrocketing unemployment and economic paralysis. His argument: What is government for if not this? But it’s still potentially tricky branding.
Republicans are growing increasingly comfortable drawing a line in the spending sand and casting the opposing party as gluttonous spendthrifts. But Trump doesn’t fit neatly. He’s not a doctrinaire conservative or budget hawk by any definition, and he wants to boost an economy that just two months ago was his principal argument for a second term. Yet the president, always the eager rhetorical combatant, loves to magnify Republican cries of “SOCIALISM!” against any Democrat. Does the Flynn flap have legs?
Trump’s latest angle against Biden is “Obamagate,” the right wing’s chosen label for the revelation that Biden, as vice president, was briefed on the investigation of Gen. Michael Flynn’s interaction with Russia before Trump took office. Flynn’s “unmasking” — being identified by name after intelligence agencies tagged his communications with foreign agents — is a routine part of national security law enforcement. But Trump frames the case as evidence of an endless effort to undermine an entire presidency — now with Biden as a central player. That clearly animates Trump’s political base and makes Biden’s base yawn. But are the effects wider? Final Thought
Somewhat at odds with the whiplash of the first three years of Trump’s presidency, Year Four has a dominant, ubiquitous storyline. It’s forced the incumbent and his challenger into roles beyond their long-cultivated brands. Trump, whether he likes it or not, is the chief executive of a federal government at the center of a pandemic and resulting economic collapse, the showman now responsible for governing. Biden is the avuncular, back-slapping creature of the Senate restyling himself as a chief executive in the mold of Franklin Roosevelt. The winner in November may well be the figure who wears his new part more comfortably.
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By Polityk | 05/18/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
2016 Repeat? Trump Revives Clinton Playbook to Battle Biden
Accusations of a “deep state” conspiracy. Allegations of personal and family corruption. Painting an opponent as a Washington insider not to be trusted.
It’s 2016 again. Or at least that’s President Donald Trump’s hope.
Trump and his allies are dusting off the playbook that helped defeat Hillary Clinton, reviving it in recent days as they try to frame 2020 as an election between a dishonest establishment politician and a political outsider being targeted for taking on the system. This time, however, the so-called outsider is the sitting president of the United States.
Eager to distract from the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 89,000 Americans and crippled the economy, Trump and his advisers have started their fog machine again, amplified by conservative media as it was during the Russia probe and the impeachment investigation. Their latest target: the president’s likely general election foe, Joe Biden, in an urgent effort to drive up his negative approval ratings less than six months before the election.
The strategy already centered on playing up allegations that Biden’s son, Hunter, profited off the vice presidency. Trump recently added Biden’s ties to China, the country the White House now blames for the spread of COVID-19. And it kicked into overdrive last week when Trump seized upon revelations that Biden was informed of the investigation of ties between Russia and Michael Flynn, a senior Trump official, as evidence of a plot to undermine a presidency before it began.
Flynn’s so-called unmasking, a common request by a government official for an intelligence agency to identify someone in contact with a foreigner under surveillance, became the centerpiece of unprecedented attacks by Trump on his predecessor. Trump said, without evidence, that Barack Obama — and, by extension, his vice president — had perpetrated the “greatest political scam, hoax in the history of our country.”
“This was all Obama. This was all Biden. These people were corrupt — the whole thing was corrupt — and we caught them,” Trump said. “People should be going to jail for this stuff.”
The Biden campaign quickly pushed back, denying wrongdoing and noting the routine practice of unmasking to help officials understand intelligence. They paint Trump’s reaction as a tired play that will have little effect on voters who’ve watched three years of a scattershot presidency now struggling to handle the pandemic.
“We have a president who doesn’t want to talk about the central issue in this campaign right now,” said Mike Donilon, one of Biden’s longest-serving advisers. “This isn’t new. It’s not like Trump started attacking the vice president today or yesterday. He’s been at him all year long.”
The president, Donilon asserted, falls back on “an all-out effort to try to take people away from what they’re living through,” describing a tactic that he acknowledged “has succeeded in the past in terms of throwing up distractions and smokescreen.”
Trump’s ability to distract, deflect and dominate headlines remains peerless among politicians.
Four years ago, he claimed Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state endangered national security and alleged she used her government connections to enrich her family through the nonprofit Clinton Foundation. For many voters, the insinuations underscored doubts about the integrity of Clinton and her husband, the former president.
Polls suggest an uphill climb for a reprisal against Biden. Fewer voters dislike Biden than they did Clinton. And in 2016, voters who had negative views of both candidates overwhelmingly broke for Trump; for now, they favor Biden.
There are other inherent limitations to Trump’s effort to repeat his 2016 strategy.
The FBI investigated Clinton’s use of the email server and, while it did not bring charges, the fallout was politically damaging. But while the optics of the younger Biden’s lucrative work in China and with a Ukrainian gas company have frustrated some Democrats, no one has charged either father or son with any wrongdoing.
And it was Trump’s push for Ukraine to find politically damaging dirt on the Bidens that led to the president’s impeachment.
But the storyline won’t go away. Trump’s Senate allies will hold hearings into the younger Biden’s work overseas to portray the former vice president as a longtime Washington insider whose family benefited from his stature.
“From his involvement in the unmasking of General Flynn to his son Hunter Biden repeatedly landing lucrative foreign business deals while his father was vice president, Joe Biden embodies the D.C. swamp,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Sarah Matthews.
Trump’s attempts to turn the routine into the sinister has also fueled his latest effort to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which identified substantial contacts between Trump associates and Russia but did not accuse him of a crime or allege a criminal conspiracy between his campaign and the Kremlin. Now the plan is to link the Democratic standard-bearer to the probe.
Biden allies display something approaching amusement as they tick through the attacks Trump has leveled against the former vice president, including calling him “Sleepy Joe.”
The campaign argues the attacks demonstrate Trump’s own weaknesses. They point to the Trump family’s ongoing business entanglements across the world while his daughter and son-in-law work in the White House to his weeks spent complimenting Chinese President Xi Jingping before blaming Beijing for the pandemic.
Biden’s team doesn’t believe a pervasive narrative like “Hillary’s emails” will shadow this campaign.
“People have a really good understanding of who Joe Biden is,” Donilon said, arguing that Trump’s handling of the pandemic plays into arguments about Biden’s experience, competence and temperament.
Yet similar Trump smokescreens confused Americans about both the Russia and Ukraine investigations. And while the unmasking accusations may inspire the GOP base more than persuade swing voters, Trump allies believe it can prove a coordinated effort to thwart a duly elected president.
“It’s a reminder that Trump is the outsider trying to take on those who were entrenched in power for decades,” said Jason Miller, a top aide on Trump’s 2016 campaign. “And if Trump is the outsider, Biden is the insider.”
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By Polityk | 05/18/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Gulf Stands Between Democrats and Republicans on Next Stimulus Package
Do American workers need more financial help from the government? That’s the question being argued by U.S. lawmakers as another coronavirus relief bill now goes to the Senate. Many Democrats and Republicans have very different views on what it is going to take to help the U.S. economy after it was devastated by the pandemic. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details.Camera: Elizabeth Lee Produced by: Elizabeth Lee
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By Polityk | 05/18/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
