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Reason

https://reason.com/archives/2017/03/15/ignorant-media

Has the Ignorant Media Gotten Worse?

2017-03-15

John Stossel, Peter Suderman, Noah Shepardson, Jonathan H. Adler, Mike Riggs, Elizabeth Nolan Brown, Jacob Sullum, Shikha Dalmia, Eugene Volokh

Has the media gotten worse ? Or am I just grouchier ? Every day I see things that are wrong or that so miss the point I want to scream . As this week 's storm approached the East Coast , the media reverted to breathless hype : `` monster storm … very dangerous . '' Here I blame my beloved free market : Predicting scary weather works . Viewers tune in . What galls me more is the reporters ' government-centric thinking . `` Everything is closed , '' they say . `` Employees ca n't get to work . '' But the corner grocery stayed open . So did many gas stations and restaurants . Why is it that when government buildings close , so many private businesses stay open ? Because their own money is at stake . The store 's employees probably make less money than government workers . They are less likely to own all-wheel-drive cars . But they get to work . Some sleep there . Their own money is on the line . Monday , The New York Times ran the headline `` What Happens When You Fight a 'Deep State ' that Does n't Exist ? '' The article explained that unlike Egypt or Pakistan , America does n't really have a powerful deep state , and to claim that it does `` presents apolitical civil servants as partisan agents . '' A deep state absolutely exists . Some call it `` administrative state '' or `` regulatory state . '' These are the people who crush innovation and freedom by issuing hundreds of new rules . Regulators , if they do n't pass new rules , think they 're not doing their jobs . Even `` anti-regulator '' President George W. Bush hired 90,000 new regulators . Calling them `` nonpartisan '' does n't make them harmless—it just means we put up with them through multiple administrations . Even if you exclude the military and post office , more than 20 million Americans work for the government . Because of civil service rules , it 's almost impossible to fire them . The Times calls these 20 million people `` apolitical '' . Please . Most are just as partisan as you or I . Maybe more so , as leaks and signs of bureaucratic resistance to presidential edicts demonstrate . People who choose to work for , say , the EPA , tend to be environment zealots . This should surprise no one . Somehow , New York Times reporters do n't see it . Speaking of the EPA and The Times , their front page claimed President Donald Trump appointee Scott Pruitt is `` at odds with the established scientific consensus . '' That makes Pruitt sound like an anti-science idiot . But the headline is bunk . Pruitt only said that he does not agree that man is `` the primary contributor to global warming . '' That 's `` at odds '' with Times reporters and government flunkies on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , but many scientists say there is so much uncertainty to climate measurements that no one can know if man 's greenhouse gases are the `` primary '' cause of warming . The earth warmed similarly last century , well before we emitted so much carbon dioxide . British comedian John Oliver hosts one of the better political talk shows . He 's like Bill Maher but funnier and not as mean . Yesterday , on an airplane , I watched an episode that led with a report on the chaos in Venezuela . I perked up , expecting Oliver to at least mention Venezuela 's caps on corporate profits , abolition of property rights , media censorship , regulation of car production `` from the factory door to the place of sale , '' etc . In other words : socialism . He mocked President Maduro 's speeches but said Venezuela was in trouble because its economy depends on oil and oil prices dropped . What ? Kuwait , Nigeria , Angola and other countries exported more oil than Venezuela . But they survived the price drop without experiencing the misery that Venezuela suffers . The suffering was created by socialism . America 's leftists can not see the horrors of socialism even when they are right in front of them .

Has the media gotten worse? Or am I just grouchier? Every day I see things that are wrong or that so miss the point I want to scream. Four examples: Storm Coverage As this week's storm approached the East Coast, the media reverted to breathless hype: "monster storm … very dangerous." Here I blame my beloved free market: Predicting scary weather works. Viewers tune in. What galls me more is the reporters' government-centric thinking. "Everything is closed," they say. "Employees can't get to work." But the corner grocery stayed open. So did many gas stations and restaurants. Why is it that when government buildings close, so many private businesses stay open? Because their own money is at stake. The store's employees probably make less money than government workers. They are less likely to own all-wheel-drive cars. But they get to work. Some sleep there. Their own money is on the line. Reporters don't think about the distinction. The Deep State Monday, The New York Times ran the headline "What Happens When You Fight a 'Deep State' that Doesn't Exist?" The article explained that unlike Egypt or Pakistan, America doesn't really have a powerful deep state, and to claim that it does "presents apolitical civil servants as partisan agents." Give me a break. "Apolitical civil servants"? A deep state absolutely exists. Some call it "administrative state" or "regulatory state." These are the people who crush innovation and freedom by issuing hundreds of new rules. Regulators, if they don't pass new rules, think they're not doing their jobs. Even "anti-regulator" President George W. Bush hired 90,000 new regulators. Calling them "nonpartisan" doesn't make them harmless—it just means we put up with them through multiple administrations. Even if you exclude the military and post office, more than 20 million Americans work for the government. Because of civil service rules, it's almost impossible to fire them. The Times calls these 20 million people "apolitical". Please. Most are just as partisan as you or I. Maybe more so, as leaks and signs of bureaucratic resistance to presidential edicts demonstrate. People who choose to work for, say, the EPA, tend to be environment zealots. This should surprise no one. Somehow, New York Times reporters don't see it. "Chief of EPA Bucks Studies" Speaking of the EPA and The Times, their front page claimed President Donald Trump appointee Scott Pruitt is "at odds with the established scientific consensus." That makes Pruitt sound like an anti-science idiot. But the headline is bunk. Pruitt only said that he does not agree that man is "the primary contributor to global warming." That's "at odds" with Times reporters and government flunkies on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, but many scientists say there is so much uncertainty to climate measurements that no one can know if man's greenhouse gases are the "primary" cause of warming. The earth warmed similarly last century, well before we emitted so much carbon dioxide. John Oliver British comedian John Oliver hosts one of the better political talk shows. He's like Bill Maher but funnier and not as mean. Yesterday, on an airplane, I watched an episode that led with a report on the chaos in Venezuela. I perked up, expecting Oliver to at least mention Venezuela's caps on corporate profits, abolition of property rights, media censorship, regulation of car production "from the factory door to the place of sale," etc. In other words: socialism. But no, Oliver didn't mention any of that. He mocked President Maduro's speeches but said Venezuela was in trouble because its economy depends on oil and oil prices dropped. What? Kuwait, Nigeria, Angola and other countries exported more oil than Venezuela. But they survived the price drop without experiencing the misery that Venezuela suffers. The suffering was created by socialism. America's leftists cannot see the horrors of socialism even when they are right in front of them. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

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Associated Press

https://apnews.com/818bb5b1758a6c37c0c56d8f8b0ee452

Americans snap to attention on virus as big events canceled

2020-03-12

Michelle R. Smith, Gillian Flaccus

Fort Worth ISD employee Yolanda Cintron assists with a deep cleaning at the Leadership Academy at John T. White Elementary School in Fort Worth , Texas on Thursday , March 12 , 2020 . ( Lawrence Jenkins/The Dallas Morning News via AP ) Fort Worth ISD employee Yolanda Cintron assists with a deep cleaning at the Leadership Academy at John T. White Elementary School in Fort Worth , Texas on Thursday , March 12 , 2020 . ( Lawrence Jenkins/The Dallas Morning News via AP ) Workers lost their jobs , parents came up with impromptu home lesson plans for children kept home from shuttered schools . Families fretted over dwindling retirement accounts , the health of elderly parents , and every cough and sneeze in their midst . Millions of people settled into new and disrupted routines Thursday as the coronavirus began to uproot almost every facet of American life . The spate of event cancellations that drove home the gravity of the outbreak a day earlier only intensified Thursday , with Disney and Universal Orlando Resort shutting down theme parks , the NCAA calling off March Madness and Broadway theaters closing their doors in Manhattan . All the major professional sports announced they are halting play , and officials ordered a shutdown of every school in the state of Ohio for three weeks . And with the cascade of closures , a new reality set in for American households . In the Pacific Northwest , parents scrambled to devise homeschooling using library books or apps . Others , desperate to get to work , jumped on social media boards to seek child care or exchange tips about available babysitters . Parents rushed to college campuses and drove away with their children ’ s belongings and bags of their clothing . College officials scrambled to pay for plane tickets home for others . A mother in Seattle organized small outdoor play dates where the kids are told not to get too close to one another . The parents stood awkwardly , several feet apart . Most big tech companies in San Francisco and Seattle have told employees to work from home , emptying out the downtown neighborhoods that are a hub for tech and venture capital firms . The restaurants , food trucks and other businesses that thrive off lunchtime crowds say that businesses has pretty much ground to a halt . Keny and Nancy Pham own a pair of businesses outside of the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco — a nail salon and a Vietnamese Banh Mi restaurant — where they say sales have dropped more than 50 percent this week . The salon was empty Thursday at the usually busy lunch time . Nobody wants to get manicures — because that involves hand touching . The salon typically gets about 100 clients a day and this week is down to about 10 a day , said Nancy Pham , co-owner of the Pampered Hands Nail Spa . Keny Pham says he is concerned about finances and paying their $ 10,000 monthly rent , but he has other worries as well . They have a child and live with Keny ’ s elderly parents , whose health he is most worried about . And it ’ s hard not to look at customers as potential germ carriers . Pham has asked his half dozen employees to rotate shifts and work alternate days , for now . “ We don ’ t want to lay anyone off , ” he said . “ We have to come up with a way to survive . ” In Las Vegas , where so much of the economy is wedded to big crowds from concerts , tournaments , conventions and tourists , many suddenly found themselves out of work . Las Vegas bartender Rique Rose works part-time at three different locations on the Las Vegas Strip , tending bar in event centers at the MGM Grand , the Mandalay Bay and in the T-Mobile arena , where the Las Vegas Golden Knights play . First , he lost Friday and Saturday shifts with the cancellation of the Pac-12 men ’ s college basketball tournament . Then , he saw that the NHL was suspending the rest of its season . He ’ s still waiting to see if the Post Malone concert he was scheduled to work Saturday night will be canceled . Every cancellation means more than missing out on his $ 8.25 minimum wage pay ; he also loses approximately $ 200 in tips . He wonders how he will pay his bills . “ I guess we ’ re just going to have to endure it , ” he sighed . And American Airlines announced Thursday that one of its pilots based at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport tested positive for the virus . More than 1,300 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the United States , and 40 people have died as of Thursday evening . About 128,000 people have been infected globally . For most people , the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough . For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia . The vast majority of people recover from the new virus . In every state , officials were taking dramatic new measures each day to keep the virus from spreading deeper into the country . And with each shuttered school , canceled outing , lost shift and work-from-home directive , people ’ s lives were being transformed in profound ways . Mom Natasja Billiau came up with a quick homeschooling plan for 8-year-old Victor and 5-year-old Anna Laura after their public school in Seattle closed for the first full day Thursday . They kept as close to their regular school schedule as possible , she said , with recess times and lunch built in . Billiau ’ s husband has been working from home since last week , and the family is moving to a new house in two weeks . “ Everything ’ s up in the air . I don ’ t know how I ’ m going to get it done , we ’ ll see , ” she said . “ It ’ s a day-by-day situation . ” She went forward with play dates , but everyone kept apart at a safe distance . “ And of course , as soon as we get home everybody has to wash hands , ” she said . Despite the scrambling and closures , for many people , life continued as usual . Hours after Brown University in Providence , Rhode Island , announced it was sending students home and would complete the semester online , customers stood in a busy line and ate lunch elbow-to-elbow at a crowded taqueria not far from campus . Many were working to see the upside of hunkering down and “ social distancing , ” swapping recommendations for Netflix shows or good books . Students at the University of Maryland in College Park are heading off to spring break this week and classes are moving online . On Thursday , students were packing up their belongings on a campus that was noticeably emptier than usual . Signs posted on the front doors of the University of Maryland ’ s journalism school said , “ If you are sick , please go home . ” Mike Davis , 60 , drove over from Annapolis , Maryland , to help his son Nick , a 22-year-old senior , pack up his stuff . Davis said the school ’ s decision to keep students off campus for several weeks make sense . Besides , he was looking forward to having his son around the house : “ I ’ ve got three bags of mulch ready for him to spread . ” The ███ receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education . The AP is solely responsible for all content . Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Fort Worth ISD employee Yolanda Cintron assists with a deep cleaning at the Leadership Academy at John T. White Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday, March 12, 2020. (Lawrence Jenkins/The Dallas Morning News via AP) Fort Worth ISD employee Yolanda Cintron assists with a deep cleaning at the Leadership Academy at John T. White Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday, March 12, 2020. (Lawrence Jenkins/The Dallas Morning News via AP) Workers lost their jobs, parents came up with impromptu home lesson plans for children kept home from shuttered schools. Families fretted over dwindling retirement accounts, the health of elderly parents, and every cough and sneeze in their midst. Millions of people settled into new and disrupted routines Thursday as the coronavirus began to uproot almost every facet of American life. The spate of event cancellations that drove home the gravity of the outbreak a day earlier only intensified Thursday, with Disney and Universal Orlando Resort shutting down theme parks, the NCAA calling off March Madness and Broadway theaters closing their doors in Manhattan. All the major professional sports announced they are halting play, and officials ordered a shutdown of every school in the state of Ohio for three weeks. And with the cascade of closures, a new reality set in for American households. In the Pacific Northwest, parents scrambled to devise homeschooling using library books or apps. Others, desperate to get to work, jumped on social media boards to seek child care or exchange tips about available babysitters. Parents rushed to college campuses and drove away with their children’s belongings and bags of their clothing. College officials scrambled to pay for plane tickets home for others. A mother in Seattle organized small outdoor play dates where the kids are told not to get too close to one another. The parents stood awkwardly, several feet apart. Most big tech companies in San Francisco and Seattle have told employees to work from home, emptying out the downtown neighborhoods that are a hub for tech and venture capital firms. The restaurants, food trucks and other businesses that thrive off lunchtime crowds say that businesses has pretty much ground to a halt. Keny and Nancy Pham own a pair of businesses outside of the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco — a nail salon and a Vietnamese Banh Mi restaurant — where they say sales have dropped more than 50 percent this week. The salon was empty Thursday at the usually busy lunch time. Nobody wants to get manicures — because that involves hand touching. The salon typically gets about 100 clients a day and this week is down to about 10 a day, said Nancy Pham, co-owner of the Pampered Hands Nail Spa. Keny Pham says he is concerned about finances and paying their $10,000 monthly rent, but he has other worries as well. They have a child and live with Keny’s elderly parents, whose health he is most worried about. And it’s hard not to look at customers as potential germ carriers. Pham has asked his half dozen employees to rotate shifts and work alternate days, for now. “We don’t want to lay anyone off,” he said. “We have to come up with a way to survive.” In Las Vegas, where so much of the economy is wedded to big crowds from concerts, tournaments, conventions and tourists, many suddenly found themselves out of work. Las Vegas bartender Rique Rose works part-time at three different locations on the Las Vegas Strip, tending bar in event centers at the MGM Grand, the Mandalay Bay and in the T-Mobile arena, where the Las Vegas Golden Knights play. First, he lost Friday and Saturday shifts with the cancellation of the Pac-12 men’s college basketball tournament. Then, he saw that the NHL was suspending the rest of its season. He’s still waiting to see if the Post Malone concert he was scheduled to work Saturday night will be canceled. Every cancellation means more than missing out on his $8.25 minimum wage pay; he also loses approximately $200 in tips. He wonders how he will pay his bills. “I guess we’re just going to have to endure it,” he sighed. And American Airlines announced Thursday that one of its pilots based at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport tested positive for the virus. More than 1,300 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the United States, and 40 people have died as of Thursday evening. About 128,000 people have been infected globally. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. In every state, officials were taking dramatic new measures each day to keep the virus from spreading deeper into the country. And with each shuttered school, canceled outing, lost shift and work-from-home directive, people’s lives were being transformed in profound ways. Mom Natasja Billiau came up with a quick homeschooling plan for 8-year-old Victor and 5-year-old Anna Laura after their public school in Seattle closed for the first full day Thursday. They kept as close to their regular school schedule as possible, she said, with recess times and lunch built in. Billiau’s husband has been working from home since last week, and the family is moving to a new house in two weeks. “Everything’s up in the air. I don’t know how I’m going to get it done, we’ll see,” she said. “It’s a day-by-day situation.” She went forward with play dates, but everyone kept apart at a safe distance. “And of course, as soon as we get home everybody has to wash hands,” she said. Despite the scrambling and closures, for many people, life continued as usual. Hours after Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, announced it was sending students home and would complete the semester online, customers stood in a busy line and ate lunch elbow-to-elbow at a crowded taqueria not far from campus. Many were working to see the upside of hunkering down and “social distancing,” swapping recommendations for Netflix shows or good books. Students at the University of Maryland in College Park are heading off to spring break this week and classes are moving online. On Thursday, students were packing up their belongings on a campus that was noticeably emptier than usual. Signs posted on the front doors of the University of Maryland’s journalism school said, “If you are sick, please go home.” Mike Davis, 60, drove over from Annapolis, Maryland, to help his son Nick, a 22-year-old senior, pack up his stuff. Davis said the school’s decision to keep students off campus for several weeks make sense. Besides, he was looking forward to having his son around the house: “I’ve got three bags of mulch ready for him to spread.” ___ Associated Press Writers Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco, Michelle Price in Las Vegas, Mike Kunzelman in College Park, Maryland, and Airlines Writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

www.apnews.com

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federal_budget

ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/congress-heading-government-shutdown-spending-talks-drag/story?id=53880685

Congress heading toward government shutdown as spending talks drag on

With Congress heading toward another government shutdown , House Speaker Paul Ryan says he is “ hoping today ” that negotiators will finalize an agreement Tuesday , and said congressional leaders are not yet discussing a continuing resolution as a backup plan . Interested in Government Shutdown ? Add Government Shutdown as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Government Shutdown news , video , and analysis from ███ . Add Interest “ There 's some unresolved issues . We 're working through them as we speak and we 're hoping to post it today , ” Ryan , R-Wis. , said . Appropriators are working nearly around the clock to finish the $ 1.3 trillion spending bill . One top GOP aide close to the negotiations said appropriators worked past 1 a.m. Tuesday , before calling it a night and picking back up at 7:30 a.m . The agreement requires bipartisan agreement from the White House and all four corners of Congress — Senate and House Democrats as well as Senate and House Republicans . A top Democratic aide says `` there are something like 20 riders still in play and at least a dozen other major issues still being discussed '' at the negotiations . `` This process just takes time , '' the aide added . Ryan signaled that Republicans appear ready to attach the Fix NICs gun purchase background checks bill , a move that could help build bipartisan consensus around the package . “ That 's something we 're discussing with our colleagues , ” Ryan said . “ I think we should do Fix NICS . I agree with Fix NICS . That 's something we 're discussing with our friends on the other side of the aisle . ” Rep. Dan Donovan , a New York Republican hoping to attach the Gateway Tunnel project to the spending bill , believes President Trump could be backing off his veto threat if the omnibus helps fund the project . “ This is important . It 's important to the nation . It 'd be an economic stimulus , ” Donovan said . “ Certainly after Hurricane Sandy , our two tunnels were deteriorating because of the storm and building two new ones and retrofitting those two old ones will be an incredible boom to the country . ” Rep. Dave Brat , a Virginia Republican and member of the Freedom Caucus , said he will vote no because of the $ 1.3 trillion price tag . “ I 'm not happy with the product that 's going to be there in four days , but we can get there . That 's the problem is we 're going to get there , ” Brat said . “ I 'm a no on just the spending piece alone , ” he added . For Donovan and the rest of Congress time is running out . Government funding lapses at the end of the day on Friday . “ We have to keep our government open , ” Donovan said . “ Nobody sent us to Washington to shut their government down . They sent us to make it work better for them . ”

With Congress heading toward another government shutdown, House Speaker Paul Ryan says he is “hoping today” that negotiators will finalize an agreement Tuesday, and said congressional leaders are not yet discussing a continuing resolution as a backup plan. Interested in Government Shutdown? Add Government Shutdown as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Government Shutdown news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest “There's some unresolved issues. We're working through them as we speak and we're hoping to post it today,” Ryan, R-Wis., said. Appropriators are working nearly around the clock to finish the $1.3 trillion spending bill. One top GOP aide close to the negotiations said appropriators worked past 1 a.m. Tuesday, before calling it a night and picking back up at 7:30 a.m. The agreement requires bipartisan agreement from the White House and all four corners of Congress — Senate and House Democrats as well as Senate and House Republicans. A top Democratic aide says "there are something like 20 riders still in play and at least a dozen other major issues still being discussed" at the negotiations. "This process just takes time," the aide added. Ryan signaled that Republicans appear ready to attach the Fix NICs gun purchase background checks bill, a move that could help build bipartisan consensus around the package. “That's something we're discussing with our colleagues,” Ryan said. “I think we should do Fix NICS. I agree with Fix NICS. That's something we're discussing with our friends on the other side of the aisle.” Rep. Dan Donovan, a New York Republican hoping to attach the Gateway Tunnel project to the spending bill, believes President Trump could be backing off his veto threat if the omnibus helps fund the project. “This is important. It's important to the nation. It'd be an economic stimulus,” Donovan said. “Certainly after Hurricane Sandy, our two tunnels were deteriorating because of the storm and building two new ones and retrofitting those two old ones will be an incredible boom to the country.” Rep. Dave Brat, a Virginia Republican and member of the Freedom Caucus, said he will vote no because of the $1.3 trillion price tag. “I'm not happy with the product that's going to be there in four days, but we can get there. That's the problem is we're going to get there,” Brat said. “I'm a no on just the spending piece alone,” he added. For Donovan and the rest of Congress time is running out. Government funding lapses at the end of the day on Friday. “We have to keep our government open,” Donovan said. “Nobody sent us to Washington to shut their government down. They sent us to make it work better for them.”

www.abcnews.go.com

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opioid_crisis

ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-opioid-commission-asks-trump-declare-national/story?id=48961153

White House opioid commission asks Trump to declare ‘national emergency’ to combat overdoses

Meridith Mcgraw

The White House Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis has asked President Donald Trump to “ declare a national emergency ” to help fight the deadly opioid epidemic . Interested in Opioid Epidemic ? Add Opioid Epidemic as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Opioid Epidemic news , video , and analysis from ███ . Add Interest “ The first and most urgent recommendation of this Commission is direct and completely within your control . Declare a national emergency under either the Public Health Service Act or the Stafford Act , ” wrote the committee , which is led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie , in its interim report released on Monday . “ Our nation is in a crisis , ” said the report . “ Our citizens are dying . We must act boldly to stop it . The opioid epidemic we are facing is unparalleled . The average American would likely be shocked to know that drug overdoses now kill more people than gun homicides and car crashes combined . ” Gov . Christie led a public conference call with the commission on Monday to discuss their findings and vote on their interim report . Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts was not able to join Christie , North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper , former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy and Professor Bertha Madras , Ph.D. on the call but the members present voted unanimously to move their report forward . The report underscores the grim toll being taken by the crisis , saying that with the 142 deaths per day blamed on opioids , `` America is enduring a death toll equal to September 11th every three weeks . ” The idea quickly gained support from Sen. Joe Manchin , whose constituents have been among the hardest hit . “ When I ’ m on the ground in my home state of West Virginia and when I hear the stories of those struggling with opioid addiction it ’ s obvious our country is in crisis , ” Manchin said in a statement . “ Declaring a national emergency will allow the Administration and Congress to act with the immediacy that ’ s needed to end this epidemic . The commission hopes that by declaring a national emergency , the federal government will be able to do things like negotiate pricing on naloxone for governmental units and grant waivers to states to increase treatment availability . Other recommendations in the report include mandating prescriber education initiatives , equipping more members of law enforcement with naloxone , developing ways to detect fentanyl , and combating the stigma that is often associated with addiction . One member of the commission , former congressman Patrick Kennedy , has been outspoken about both his struggles with addiction and his passion for removing addiction stigma . “ These diseases are really shunned and shamed by society , ” said Kennedy . “ And I appreciate you Gov . Christie speaking out so well on trying to address this issue of stigma which underlies all the issues as to why we got into this situation that we 're in today . ” Trump established the bipartisan commission in March and charged it with finding “ ways to combat and treat the scourge of drug abuse , addiction , and the opioid crisis . ” Out on the campaign trail , then-candidate Trump frequently remarked on the epidemic that has crippled communities across the country . “ As I campaign across this country , I hear so many stories and pleas , from women especially , about drug addiction and opioid use , ” said Trump at a rally in Chester Township , Pennsylvania . “ Even the best-laid plans can not always protect our youth , and increasingly , many adults , from the scourge of drugs . We lose thousands of our fellow Americans every year to opioid use . I will stop the drug inflow from our borders , ” vowed Trump . The commission has been criticized for missing deadlines for key reports . The interim report release on Monday came over a month late after missing two self-mandated deadlines . Before the commission releases their final report , they plan on traveling across the country to meet with communities and learn from successful treatment programs . “ We 're going to travel to meet with treatments across the country to try to replicate those on a national scale , ” said Christie . Their final report is scheduled to be released “ later in the Fall of 2017 . ” “ I 'm convinced that the president is committed to this , I look forward to his and his administrations reaction to the draft report , ” said Christie . “ And I look forward to continuing to work with the members of the commission to make sure that we 're giving the president and his administration the very best information we can to deal with this crisis . ”

The White House Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis has asked President Donald Trump to “declare a national emergency” to help fight the deadly opioid epidemic. Interested in Opioid Epidemic? Add Opioid Epidemic as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Opioid Epidemic news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest “The first and most urgent recommendation of this Commission is direct and completely within your control. Declare a national emergency under either the Public Health Service Act or the Stafford Act,” wrote the committee, which is led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, in its interim report released on Monday. “Our nation is in a crisis,” said the report. “Our citizens are dying. We must act boldly to stop it. The opioid epidemic we are facing is unparalleled. The average American would likely be shocked to know that drug overdoses now kill more people than gun homicides and car crashes combined.” Gov. Christie led a public conference call with the commission on Monday to discuss their findings and vote on their interim report. Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts was not able to join Christie, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy and Professor Bertha Madras, Ph.D. on the call but the members present voted unanimously to move their report forward. The report underscores the grim toll being taken by the crisis, saying that with the 142 deaths per day blamed on opioids, "America is enduring a death toll equal to September 11th every three weeks.” The idea quickly gained support from Sen. Joe Manchin, whose constituents have been among the hardest hit. “When I’m on the ground in my home state of West Virginia and when I hear the stories of those struggling with opioid addiction it’s obvious our country is in crisis,” Manchin said in a statement. “Declaring a national emergency will allow the Administration and Congress to act with the immediacy that’s needed to end this epidemic. The commission hopes that by declaring a national emergency, the federal government will be able to do things like negotiate pricing on naloxone for governmental units and grant waivers to states to increase treatment availability. Other recommendations in the report include mandating prescriber education initiatives, equipping more members of law enforcement with naloxone, developing ways to detect fentanyl, and combating the stigma that is often associated with addiction. One member of the commission, former congressman Patrick Kennedy, has been outspoken about both his struggles with addiction and his passion for removing addiction stigma. “These diseases are really shunned and shamed by society,” said Kennedy. “And I appreciate you Gov. Christie speaking out so well on trying to address this issue of stigma which underlies all the issues as to why we got into this situation that we're in today.” Trump established the bipartisan commission in March and charged it with finding “ways to combat and treat the scourge of drug abuse, addiction, and the opioid crisis.” Out on the campaign trail, then-candidate Trump frequently remarked on the epidemic that has crippled communities across the country. “As I campaign across this country, I hear so many stories and pleas, from women especially, about drug addiction and opioid use,” said Trump at a rally in Chester Township, Pennsylvania. “Even the best-laid plans cannot always protect our youth, and increasingly, many adults, from the scourge of drugs. We lose thousands of our fellow Americans every year to opioid use. I will stop the drug inflow from our borders,” vowed Trump. The commission has been criticized for missing deadlines for key reports. The interim report release on Monday came over a month late after missing two self-mandated deadlines. Before the commission releases their final report, they plan on traveling across the country to meet with communities and learn from successful treatment programs. “We're going to travel to meet with treatments across the country to try to replicate those on a national scale,” said Christie. Their final report is scheduled to be released “later in the Fall of 2017.” “I'm convinced that the president is committed to this, I look forward to his and his administrations reaction to the draft report,” said Christie. “And I look forward to continuing to work with the members of the commission to make sure that we're giving the president and his administration the very best information we can to deal with this crisis.”

www.abcnews.go.com

left

FnJaFur3so9MXu7a

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GeVwAZrcB2KmFHbt

politics

American Spectator

https://spectator.org/the-last-daze-of-conservative-democrats/

The Last Daze of Conservative Democrats

George Neumayr, William Murchison, Larry Alex Taunton, R. Emmett Tyrrell, Brandon J. Weichert

In 2004 , after the open secularism of John Kerry sunk his chances of defeating George W. Bush , it became briefly popular in Democratic circles to talk about renewed outreach to “ values voters. ” Bill Clinton had advised Kerry to fake up opposition to gay marriage in Ohio , but Kerry rejected his counsel , saying he didn ’ t want to appear “ intolerant. ” Even liberal Democrats like Nancy Pelosi browbeat Kerry for adopting a strategy that excluded the religious . “ Certainly Democrats are faith-filled , ” she said , “ but somehow or other that did not come across when 61 % of those who are regular churchgoers voted Republican . ” Out of these complaints came various con jobs : Hillary Clinton for a time revived her husband ’ s “ safe , legal , and rare ” hedging about abortion ( which vanished during her 2016 run ) , Barack Obama delivered windy “ post-partisan ” speeches about a “ new ” relationship between politics and religion , “ chaplains ” would pop up at Democratic events to try and give a religious flavor to the proceedings , “ people of faith ” tabs were added to party Web pages , and so on . But it didn ’ t take long for secularized Dems to grow tired of the posturing . By 2012 , liberals had pressured Obama into giving up his phony temporizing about gay marriage and were demanding that any mention of God be stripped from the party ’ s platform . At its convention in Charlotte that year , delegates booed after party hacks restored the deleted line about God . Obama , even as declared that America is “ not a Christian nation ” and persecuted the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious groups , kept up his quasi-religious uplift and his attempts to shoehorn Scripture into this or that progressive cause . But it was all a charade , which has now been confirmed by his own 2012 “ faith-outreach ” director , Michael Wear . Wear has said that he almost quit after Obama dropped a pastor from his Inauguration for disagreeing with the Democratic line on gay marriage . In an interview with the Atlantic , Wear unloads on the Democrats for their indifference to Christians . Asked why Trump swept evangelicals , he responded , “ Liberals have been trying to convince Americans , and evangelicals in particular , that America is not a Christian nation . The 2016 election was evangelicals saying , ‘ Yeah , you ’ re right ! We can ’ t expect to have someone who is Christian like us . We can ’ t expect to have someone with a perfect family life . What we can expect is someone who can look out for us , just like every other group in this country is looking for a candidate who will look out for them . ’ ” Wear acknowledges that the party is staffed by secularists for whom Christianity is an annoying impediment to their policy agenda and culturally incomprehensible : “ …there ’ s a religious illiteracy problem in the Democratic Party . It ’ s tied to the demographics of the country : More 20- and 30-year-olds are taking positions of power in the Democratic Party . They grew up in parts of the country where navigating religion was not important socially and not important to their political careers. ” When Wear once tried to sprinkle a little Scripture into a faith-outreach document for Obama , White House staffers were too clueless to catch the reference , wondering what he meant by the “ least of these. ” He got an edit back from a White House official , saying , “ Is this a typo ? It doesn ’ t make any sense to me . Who/what are ‘ these ’ ? ” Wear ’ s comments are likely to generate nothing but a shrug from Democrats , who recognize that the party ’ s commitment to secularism , moral relativism , and Islamophilia are too deep to permit any serious Judeo-Christian outreach . To Wear or Alan Dershowitz , the message from the party is essentially the same : The exits of the party are clearly marked . The Dems have become the party of transgender bathrooms and Ramadan dinners , which explains why Congressman Keith Ellison is even in the running to head up the Democratic National Committee . Ties to the Nation of Islam are less fatal to a Democratic leader ’ s career than mild opposition to abortion or gay marriage . In 2008 , Obama played the pensive pol , pretending to care “ about how to reconcile ” America ’ s Judeo-Christian traditions “ with our modern , pluralistic democracy. ” He was advising his party not to moderate its positions but its rhetoric — a balancing act in which he quickly lost interest . He spent eight years in effect calling Christians bigots . The door to the party for them had few cracks in it anyways , but Obama made sure to slam it shut , and it is too late to open it again .

In 2004, after the open secularism of John Kerry sunk his chances of defeating George W. Bush, it became briefly popular in Democratic circles to talk about renewed outreach to “values voters.” Bill Clinton had advised Kerry to fake up opposition to gay marriage in Ohio, but Kerry rejected his counsel, saying he didn’t want to appear “intolerant.” Even liberal Democrats like Nancy Pelosi browbeat Kerry for adopting a strategy that excluded the religious. “Certainly Democrats are faith-filled,” she said, “but somehow or other that did not come across when 61% of those who are regular churchgoers voted Republican.” Out of these complaints came various con jobs: Hillary Clinton for a time revived her husband’s “safe, legal, and rare” hedging about abortion (which vanished during her 2016 run), Barack Obama delivered windy “post-partisan” speeches about a “new” relationship between politics and religion, “chaplains” would pop up at Democratic events to try and give a religious flavor to the proceedings, “people of faith” tabs were added to party Web pages, and so on. But it didn’t take long for secularized Dems to grow tired of the posturing. By 2012, liberals had pressured Obama into giving up his phony temporizing about gay marriage and were demanding that any mention of God be stripped from the party’s platform. At its convention in Charlotte that year, delegates booed after party hacks restored the deleted line about God. Obama, even as declared that America is “not a Christian nation” and persecuted the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious groups, kept up his quasi-religious uplift and his attempts to shoehorn Scripture into this or that progressive cause. But it was all a charade, which has now been confirmed by his own 2012 “faith-outreach” director, Michael Wear. Wear has said that he almost quit after Obama dropped a pastor from his Inauguration for disagreeing with the Democratic line on gay marriage. In an interview with the Atlantic, Wear unloads on the Democrats for their indifference to Christians. Asked why Trump swept evangelicals, he responded, “Liberals have been trying to convince Americans, and evangelicals in particular, that America is not a Christian nation. The 2016 election was evangelicals saying, ‘Yeah, you’re right! We can’t expect to have someone who is Christian like us. We can’t expect to have someone with a perfect family life. What we can expect is someone who can look out for us, just like every other group in this country is looking for a candidate who will look out for them.’” Wear acknowledges that the party is staffed by secularists for whom Christianity is an annoying impediment to their policy agenda and culturally incomprehensible: “…there’s a religious illiteracy problem in the Democratic Party. It’s tied to the demographics of the country: More 20- and 30-year-olds are taking positions of power in the Democratic Party. They grew up in parts of the country where navigating religion was not important socially and not important to their political careers.” When Wear once tried to sprinkle a little Scripture into a faith-outreach document for Obama, White House staffers were too clueless to catch the reference, wondering what he meant by the “least of these.” He got an edit back from a White House official, saying, “Is this a typo? It doesn’t make any sense to me. Who/what are ‘these’?” Wear’s comments are likely to generate nothing but a shrug from Democrats, who recognize that the party’s commitment to secularism, moral relativism, and Islamophilia are too deep to permit any serious Judeo-Christian outreach. To Wear or Alan Dershowitz, the message from the party is essentially the same: The exits of the party are clearly marked. The Dems have become the party of transgender bathrooms and Ramadan dinners, which explains why Congressman Keith Ellison is even in the running to head up the Democratic National Committee. Ties to the Nation of Islam are less fatal to a Democratic leader’s career than mild opposition to abortion or gay marriage. In 2008, Obama played the pensive pol, pretending to care “about how to reconcile” America’s Judeo-Christian traditions “with our modern, pluralistic democracy.” He was advising his party not to moderate its positions but its rhetoric — a balancing act in which he quickly lost interest. He spent eight years in effect calling Christians bigots. The door to the party for them had few cracks in it anyways, but Obama made sure to slam it shut, and it is too late to open it again.

www.spectator.org

right

GeVwAZrcB2KmFHbt

test

sM2D4yHJqVtnx1BS

media_bias

Associated Press

https://apnews.com/ecbf188e7e200f6215e75f9fb5d6fa55

Did Fox’s Tucker Carlson play role in calming Iran pressure?

2020-01-09

David Bauder

FILE - In this March 2 , 2017 file photo , Tucker Carlson , host of `` Tucker Carlson Tonight , '' poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio , in New York . Carlson has advocated restraint in dealing with Iran , and resisted cheerleading the Trump-ordered drone killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani . ( AP Photo/Richard Drew , File ) FILE - In this March 2 , 2017 file photo , Tucker Carlson , host of `` Tucker Carlson Tonight , '' poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio , in New York . Carlson has advocated restraint in dealing with Iran , and resisted cheerleading the Trump-ordered drone killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani . ( AP Photo/Richard Drew , File ) NEW YORK ( AP ) — Here ’ s a point to ponder : To what extent is Fox News Channel ’ s Tucker Carlson responsible for President Donald Trump stepping away from a potential war with Iran ? From his prime-time perch on the top-rated cable network , Carlson has advocated restraint in dealing with Iran , and resisted cheerleading the Trump-ordered drone killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani . Shortly after the story of Iran ’ s counter-attack broke on Tuesday , Carlson hosted a show that mixed coverage of the story as details became known , emphasizing early reports of a lack of American casualties , and interviews with experts on the Middle East . Some of those guests pointed out the dangers of spiraling escalation . “ I continue to believe the president doesn ’ t want a full-blown war , ” Carlson said . “ Some around him might , but I think most sober people don ’ t want that . ” Trump , who announced his decision not to retaliate against Iran ’ s missile strikes in a nationally televised address 14 hours later , told some close to him that he watched Carlson ’ s show , according to BuzzFeed News . He told confidants in recent days that Carlson ’ s strong advocacy not to escalate the situation in Iran played a role in his decision-making , two White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing told The ███ on Thursday . Trump keeps a close eye on how his base responds to policy decisions , feeling their beliefs are often reflected and influenced by Fox News hosts . His Twitter feed reflects how he keeps close tabs on Fox , and he tweeted a link to a Carlson piece on Monday night . The president often consults with Fox News hosts off-air , including Carlson . Carlson was seen among the president ’ s entourage this past summer when he visited the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea . He conducted an interview with Trump that was later shown on Fox . Following Trump ’ s announcement on Wednesday , Carlson said that “ we ’ re back from the brink. ” He played a clip of the president ’ s speech where he said that a pause in hostilities between Iran and the United States was a very good thing for the world . “ That ’ s a big claim but in this case it is not an overstatement , ” Carlson said . His show moved on to a new cause , in this case encouraging the U.S. to leave neighboring Iraq . He was calm on Tuesday ’ s show , at a time there was breathless coverage elsewhere of the missile attack . A succession of guests threw cold water on the idea of further retaliation . Gil Barndollar of Defense Priorities suggested Americans were kidding themselves if they expected to incite a regime-change movement in Iran . With Kelley Vlahos , executive editor of The American Conservative magazine , they speculated on the role of Democrats and Trump staffers who didn ’ t have the president ’ s best interests in mind in advocating war with Iran . Trump was reminded that he was elected on a pledge to get Americans out of foreign entanglements . A frequent Carlson guest , retired Army Col. Douglas MacGregor , said a war without public support could not succeed . He said further destabilization in the Middle East would have disastrous effects . “ If you destroy Iran , you will get ISIS times one hundred , ” he said . Fox News anchor Bret Baier came on Carlson ’ s show to suggest that the moment was Trump ’ s biggest test as a leader . Carlson ’ s show contrasted with a more bellicose approach by the Fox personality who followed him on the air , Sean Hannity . Hannity , a more loyal Trump supporter , backed the attack that killed Soleimani . While Hannity didn ’ t advocate all-out war with Iran , he suggested that nation was about to be hit with the full force of the American military . “ You don ’ t get to do what they did tonight , ” Hannity said on Tuesday ’ s show . A.J . Bauer , a New York University professor who is an expert on conservative media , said he could not judge what kind of impact Carlson ’ s program had on Trump ’ s decision . He noted that it was consistent with other times where Trump had resisted more extensive foreign entanglements . Instead , Bauer found the different opinions expressed by Hannity and Carlson to exemplify how Fox must step carefully with an audience that reflects conflicting strains within the conservative movement , between a hawkish military approach and an “ America first ” attitude that resists overseas adventurism .

FILE - In this March 2, 2017 file photo, Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio, in New York. Carlson has advocated restraint in dealing with Iran, and resisted cheerleading the Trump-ordered drone killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) FILE - In this March 2, 2017 file photo, Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio, in New York. Carlson has advocated restraint in dealing with Iran, and resisted cheerleading the Trump-ordered drone killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) NEW YORK (AP) — Here’s a point to ponder: To what extent is Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson responsible for President Donald Trump stepping away from a potential war with Iran? From his prime-time perch on the top-rated cable network, Carlson has advocated restraint in dealing with Iran, and resisted cheerleading the Trump-ordered drone killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Shortly after the story of Iran’s counter-attack broke on Tuesday, Carlson hosted a show that mixed coverage of the story as details became known, emphasizing early reports of a lack of American casualties, and interviews with experts on the Middle East. Some of those guests pointed out the dangers of spiraling escalation. “I continue to believe the president doesn’t want a full-blown war,” Carlson said. “Some around him might, but I think most sober people don’t want that.” Trump, who announced his decision not to retaliate against Iran’s missile strikes in a nationally televised address 14 hours later, told some close to him that he watched Carlson’s show, according to BuzzFeed News. He told confidants in recent days that Carlson’s strong advocacy not to escalate the situation in Iran played a role in his decision-making, two White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing told The Associated Press on Thursday. Trump keeps a close eye on how his base responds to policy decisions, feeling their beliefs are often reflected and influenced by Fox News hosts. His Twitter feed reflects how he keeps close tabs on Fox, and he tweeted a link to a Carlson piece on Monday night. The president often consults with Fox News hosts off-air, including Carlson. Carlson was seen among the president’s entourage this past summer when he visited the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea. He conducted an interview with Trump that was later shown on Fox. Following Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, Carlson said that “we’re back from the brink.” He played a clip of the president’s speech where he said that a pause in hostilities between Iran and the United States was a very good thing for the world. “That’s a big claim but in this case it is not an overstatement,” Carlson said. His show moved on to a new cause, in this case encouraging the U.S. to leave neighboring Iraq. He was calm on Tuesday’s show, at a time there was breathless coverage elsewhere of the missile attack. A succession of guests threw cold water on the idea of further retaliation. Gil Barndollar of Defense Priorities suggested Americans were kidding themselves if they expected to incite a regime-change movement in Iran. With Kelley Vlahos, executive editor of The American Conservative magazine, they speculated on the role of Democrats and Trump staffers who didn’t have the president’s best interests in mind in advocating war with Iran. Trump was reminded that he was elected on a pledge to get Americans out of foreign entanglements. A frequent Carlson guest, retired Army Col. Douglas MacGregor, said a war without public support could not succeed. He said further destabilization in the Middle East would have disastrous effects. “If you destroy Iran, you will get ISIS times one hundred,” he said. Fox News anchor Bret Baier came on Carlson’s show to suggest that the moment was Trump’s biggest test as a leader. Carlson’s show contrasted with a more bellicose approach by the Fox personality who followed him on the air, Sean Hannity. Hannity, a more loyal Trump supporter, backed the attack that killed Soleimani. While Hannity didn’t advocate all-out war with Iran, he suggested that nation was about to be hit with the full force of the American military. “You don’t get to do what they did tonight,” Hannity said on Tuesday’s show. A.J. Bauer, a New York University professor who is an expert on conservative media, said he could not judge what kind of impact Carlson’s program had on Trump’s decision. He noted that it was consistent with other times where Trump had resisted more extensive foreign entanglements. Instead, Bauer found the different opinions expressed by Hannity and Carlson to exemplify how Fox must step carefully with an audience that reflects conflicting strains within the conservative movement, between a hawkish military approach and an “America first” attitude that resists overseas adventurism. ___ Associated Press White House correspondent Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report.

www.apnews.com

center

sM2D4yHJqVtnx1BS

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r6RPZk04oboqmF6C

politics

Reason

https://reason.com/archives/2018/06/15/how-anti-trump-republicans-can-change-th

How Anti-Trump Republicans Can Change the President's Behavior

2018-06-15

Matt Welch, Zuri Davis, Christian Britschgi, Josh Blackman, Cosmo Wenman, Joe Setyon

Is there a character more derided in modern American politics than the anti-Trump Republican ? Consider soon-to-retire Sen. Jeff Flake ( R-Ariz. ) , a possible primary challenger to Donald Trump in 2020 and author of a bestseller attacking the president 's America-first ideology . When Flake responded to the administration 's brutish comments about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by tweeting `` Fellow Republicans , this is not who we are , '' the condemnation was swift and brutal — from the left . `` This is exactly who you are , '' the Splinter 's Emma Roller snapped back . `` Flake 's criticism of Trump 's G-7 antics is a sham , '' hissed Think Progress . Hand-wringing GOP senators such as Flake , John McCain and Susan Collins , charged the activists at Blue Virginia , are just a bunch of melodramatic Democracy Peacocks — all plume , no teeth . The best version of these critiques is that Flake and his cohort should , you know , do something . So it 's interesting to examine the successful tactics of a Republican senator who did just that — Colorado 's first-term Sen. Cory Gardner . Gardner , 43 , is a former House GOP `` Young Gun '' known for being more problem-solver than bomb-thrower . He displayed both talents , however , in managing to convince a law-and-order president who appointed a drug-warrior attorney general to come out in favor of leaving legal marijuana alone . In a wide-ranging back-and-forth with reporters at the end of last week , President Trump was asked whether he supported a bipartisan bill introduced by Gardner and Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . ) — the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States ( STATES ) Act — which would make the federal Controlled Substances Act inapplicable in states where pot-related activity has been legalized . `` I really do , '' Trump said . `` I support Sen. Gardner . I know exactly what he 's doing . We 're looking at it , but we 'll probably end up supporting that , yes . '' While nothing in Trumpworld is guaranteed until the ink is dry , this could be a huge turning point against the long-ruinous drug war . How did Gardner work this magic ? By doing something Republicans excelled at when Barack Obama was president but which they have largely ignored since : Using every bit of leverage they command to frustrate a power-wielding president . Gardner went berserk in January when Atty . Gen. Jeff Sessions announced in January that he was rescinding the Justice Department 's 2013 memo guiding U.S. attorneys to de-prioritize federal enforcement against state-legal marijuana operations . Colorado had voted to legalize recreational marijuana in November 2012 , and had begun legal sales in January 2014 . Gardner was n't in favor of legalization in 2012 , but in 2018 he was ready to defend his state 's law . `` I believe that what happened today is a trampling of Colorado 's rights , '' he said in a podium-thumping speech after Sessions ' decision was made public . Prior to the attorney general 's confirmation , Gardner charged , he had promised that the 2013 memo would not be rescinded and that pot enforcement would not be an administration priority . `` Until he lives up to that commitment , '' Gardner said , `` I will be holding all nominations to the Department of Justice . '' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) likes to say that the world 's greatest deliberative body is largely in the `` personnel business , '' moving briskly through the confirmation of judges , Cabinet members and lower-level executive branch appointments . Gardner gummed up that machinery for three months by using his parliamentary ability to place a hold on a nomination , a barrier that can only be overcome through a time-sapping cloture vote . It took about 20 holds for Trump to crack . In April , Gardner issued a news release saying he had obtained a verbal commitment from the president to support legislation protecting states that legalized marijuana from federal drug law enforcement , despite his attorney general 's proclivities . The president 's comment last week was an indication that the promise will have more staying power than , say , Trump 's `` firm commitment '' to Flake to work together on a solution to the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program in exchange for Flake 's yes-vote on last year 's tax cut . So is Gardner 's form of hostage-taking scalable ? It 's certainly worth a try among Trump-averse Republicans in the Senate , given that chamber 's slim 51-47-2 GOP majority ( with the two independents caucusing with Democrats ) . But there are some unique aspects to the presidential buy-in on pot legalization . First , Trump favored state decision-making about marijuana when he was on the campaign trail . Second , keeping the feds out of the enforcement business in pot-legal states is widely popular — 70 % in an April Quinnipiac poll . ( Straight-up legalization is now polling at 63 % , a percentage no president has ever achieved in the popular vote . ) And finally , let 's not forget that Trump is n't exactly shy about tweaking Jeff Sessions . Favorable conditions aside , Gardner clearly forced the issue . The Senate is designed to be obstructionist , to thwart the ambitions of presidents and House members who want to get things done fast . For those senators who consider the president a challenge to the fundamental ideas of conservatism , Gardner 's example is instructive . Instead of merely standing athwart C-SPAN 's view of history yelling `` stop , '' they should use the power the Constitution and the Senate 's rule book gives them and stick out a foot when the president walks by .

Is there a character more derided in modern American politics than the anti-Trump Republican? Consider soon-to-retire Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a possible primary challenger to Donald Trump in 2020 and author of a bestseller attacking the president's America-first ideology. When Flake responded to the administration's brutish comments about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by tweeting "Fellow Republicans, this is not who we are," the condemnation was swift and brutal — from the left. "This is exactly who you are," the Splinter's Emma Roller snapped back. "Flake's criticism of Trump's G-7 antics is a sham," hissed Think Progress. Hand-wringing GOP senators such as Flake, John McCain and Susan Collins, charged the activists at Blue Virginia, are just a bunch of melodramatic Democracy Peacocks — all plume, no teeth. The best version of these critiques is that Flake and his cohort should, you know, do something. So it's interesting to examine the successful tactics of a Republican senator who did just that — Colorado's first-term Sen. Cory Gardner. Gardner, 43, is a former House GOP "Young Gun" known for being more problem-solver than bomb-thrower. He displayed both talents, however, in managing to convince a law-and-order president who appointed a drug-warrior attorney general to come out in favor of leaving legal marijuana alone. In a wide-ranging back-and-forth with reporters at the end of last week, President Trump was asked whether he supported a bipartisan bill introduced by Gardner and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act — which would make the federal Controlled Substances Act inapplicable in states where pot-related activity has been legalized. "I really do," Trump said. "I support Sen. Gardner. I know exactly what he's doing. We're looking at it, but we'll probably end up supporting that, yes." While nothing in Trumpworld is guaranteed until the ink is dry, this could be a huge turning point against the long-ruinous drug war. How did Gardner work this magic? By doing something Republicans excelled at when Barack Obama was president but which they have largely ignored since: Using every bit of leverage they command to frustrate a power-wielding president. Gardner went berserk in January when Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions announced in January that he was rescinding the Justice Department's 2013 memo guiding U.S. attorneys to de-prioritize federal enforcement against state-legal marijuana operations. Colorado had voted to legalize recreational marijuana in November 2012, and had begun legal sales in January 2014. Gardner wasn't in favor of legalization in 2012, but in 2018 he was ready to defend his state's law. "I believe that what happened today is a trampling of Colorado's rights," he said in a podium-thumping speech after Sessions' decision was made public. Prior to the attorney general's confirmation, Gardner charged, he had promised that the 2013 memo would not be rescinded and that pot enforcement would not be an administration priority. "Until he lives up to that commitment," Gardner said, "I will be holding all nominations to the Department of Justice." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) likes to say that the world's greatest deliberative body is largely in the "personnel business," moving briskly through the confirmation of judges, Cabinet members and lower-level executive branch appointments. Gardner gummed up that machinery for three months by using his parliamentary ability to place a hold on a nomination, a barrier that can only be overcome through a time-sapping cloture vote. It took about 20 holds for Trump to crack. In April, Gardner issued a news release saying he had obtained a verbal commitment from the president to support legislation protecting states that legalized marijuana from federal drug law enforcement, despite his attorney general's proclivities. The president's comment last week was an indication that the promise will have more staying power than, say, Trump's "firm commitment" to Flake to work together on a solution to the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program in exchange for Flake's yes-vote on last year's tax cut. So is Gardner's form of hostage-taking scalable? It's certainly worth a try among Trump-averse Republicans in the Senate, given that chamber's slim 51-47-2 GOP majority (with the two independents caucusing with Democrats). But there are some unique aspects to the presidential buy-in on pot legalization. First, Trump favored state decision-making about marijuana when he was on the campaign trail. Second, keeping the feds out of the enforcement business in pot-legal states is widely popular — 70% in an April Quinnipiac poll. (Straight-up legalization is now polling at 63%, a percentage no president has ever achieved in the popular vote.) And finally, let's not forget that Trump isn't exactly shy about tweaking Jeff Sessions. Favorable conditions aside, Gardner clearly forced the issue. The Senate is designed to be obstructionist, to thwart the ambitions of presidents and House members who want to get things done fast. For those senators who consider the president a challenge to the fundamental ideas of conservatism, Gardner's example is instructive. Instead of merely standing athwart C-SPAN's view of history yelling "stop," they should use the power the Constitution and the Senate's rule book gives them and stick out a foot when the president walks by. This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

www.reason.com

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politics

Associated Press

https://apnews.com/dab8261c68c93f24c0bfc1876518b3f6

After lobbying, Catholic Church won $1.4B in virus aid

2020-07-10

Reese Dunklin, Michael Rezendes

FILE - In this Sunday , April 12 , 2020 file photo , Cardinal Timothy Dolan , right , delivers his homily over mostly empty pews as he leads an Easter Mass at St. Patrick 's Cathedral in New York . Due to coronavirus concerns , no congregants were allowed to attend the Mass which was broadcast live on local TV . The Archdiocese of New York received 15 loans worth at least $ 28 million just for its top executive offices . St. Patrick ’ s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was approved for at least $ 1 million . ( AP Photo/Seth Wenig ) FILE - In this Sunday , April 12 , 2020 file photo , Cardinal Timothy Dolan , right , delivers his homily over mostly empty pews as he leads an Easter Mass at St. Patrick 's Cathedral in New York . Due to coronavirus concerns , no congregants were allowed to attend the Mass which was broadcast live on local TV . The Archdiocese of New York received 15 loans worth at least $ 28 million just for its top executive offices . St. Patrick ’ s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was approved for at least $ 1 million . ( AP Photo/Seth Wenig ) NEW YORK ( AP ) — The U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $ 1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid , with many millions going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups . The church ’ s haul may have reached -- or even exceeded -- $ 3.5 billion , making a global religious institution with more than a billion followers among the biggest winners in the U.S. government ’ s pandemic relief efforts , an ███ analysis of federal data released this week found . Houses of worship and faith-based organizations that promote religious beliefs aren ’ t usually eligible for money from the U.S. Small Business Administration . But as the economy plummeted and jobless rates soared , Congress let faith groups and other nonprofits tap into the Paycheck Protection Program , a $ 659 billion fund created to keep Main Street open and Americans employed . By aggressively promoting the payroll program and marshaling resources to help affiliates navigate its shifting rules , Catholic dioceses , parishes , schools and other ministries have so far received approval for at least 3,500 forgivable loans , AP found . The Archdiocese of New York , for example , received 15 loans worth at least $ 28 million just for its top executive offices . Its iconic St. Patrick ’ s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was approved for at least $ 1 million . In Orange County , California , where a sparkling glass cathedral estimated to cost over $ 70 million recently opened , diocesan officials working at the complex received four loans worth at least $ 3 million . And elsewhere , a loan of at least $ 2 million went to the diocese covering Wheeling-Charleston , West Virginia , where a church investigation revealed last year that then-Bishop Michael Bransfield embezzled funds and made sexual advances toward young priests . Simply being eligible for low-interest loans was a new opportunity . But the church couldn ’ t have been approved for so many loans -- which the government will forgive if they are used for wages , rent and utilities -- without a second break . Religious groups persuaded the Trump administration to free them from a rule that typically disqualifies an applicant with more than 500 workers . Without this preferential treatment , many Catholic dioceses would have been ineligible because -- between their head offices , parishes and other affiliates -- their employees exceed the 500-person cap . “ The government grants special dispensation , and that creates a kind of structural favoritism , ” said Micah Schwartzman , a University of Virginia law professor specializing in constitutional issues and religion who has studied the Paycheck Protection Program . “ And that favoritism was worth billions of dollars . ” The amount that the church collected , between $ 1.4 billion and $ 3.5 billion , is an undercount . The Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference , an organization of Catholic financial officers , surveyed members and reported that about 9,000 Catholic entities received loans . That is nearly three times the number of Catholic recipients the AP could identify . The AP couldn ’ t find more Catholic beneficiaries because the government ’ s data , released after pressure from Congress and a lawsuit from news outlets including the AP , didn ’ t name recipients of loans under $ 150,000 -- a category in which many smaller churches would fall . And because the government released only ranges of loan amounts , it wasn ’ t possible to be more precise . Even without a full accounting , AP ’ s analysis places the Catholic Church among the major beneficiaries in the Paycheck Protection Program , which also has helped companies backed by celebrities , billionaires , state governors and members of Congress . The program was open to all religious groups , and many took advantage . Evangelical advisers to President Donald Trump , including his White House spiritual czar , Paula White-Cain , also received loans . There is no doubt that state shelter-in-place orders disrupted houses of worship and businesses alike . Masses were canceled , even during the Holy Week and Easter holidays , depriving parishes of expected revenue and contributing to layoffs in some dioceses . Some families of Catholic school students are struggling to make tuition payments . And the expense of disinfecting classrooms once classes resume will put additional pressure on budgets . But other problems were self-inflicted . Long before the pandemic , scores of dioceses faced increasing financial pressure because of a dramatic rise in recent clergy sex abuse claims . The scandals that erupted in 2018 reverberated throughout the world . Pope Francis ordered the former archbishop of Washington , Cardinal Theodore McCarrick , to a life of “ prayer and penance ” following allegations he abused minors and adult seminarians . And a damning grand jury report about abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses revealed bishops had long covered for predator priests , spurring investigations in more than 20 other states . As the church again reckoned with its longtime crisis , abuse reports tripled during the year ending June 2019 to a total of nearly 4,500 nationally . Meanwhile , dioceses and religious orders shelled out $ 282 million that year — up from $ 106 million just five years earlier . Most of that went to settlements , in addition to legal fees and support for offending clergy . Loan recipients included about 40 dioceses that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the past few years paying victims through compensation funds or bankruptcy proceedings . AP ’ s review found that these dioceses were approved for about $ 200 million , though the value is likely much higher . One was the New York Archdiocese . As a successful battle to lift the statute of limitations on the filing of child sexual abuse lawsuits gathered steam , Cardinal Timothy Dolan established a victim compensation fund in 2016 . Since then , other dioceses have established similar funds , which offer victims relatively quick settlements while dissuading them from filing lawsuits . Spokesperson Joseph Zwilling said the archdiocese simply wanted to be “ treated equally and fairly under the law. ” When asked about the waiver from the 500-employee cap that religious organizations received , Zwilling deferred to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops . A spokesperson for the bishops ’ conference acknowledged its officials lobbied for the paycheck program , but said the organization wasn ’ t tracking what dioceses and Catholic agencies received . “ These loans are an essential lifeline to help faith-based organizations to stay afloat and continue serving those in need during this crisis , ” spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said in a written statement . According to AP ’ s data analysis , the church and all its organizations reported retaining at least 407,900 jobs with the money they were awarded . Noguchi also wrote the conference felt strongly that “ the administration write and implement this emergency relief fairly for all applicants . ” Not every Catholic institution sought government loans . The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy based in Stamford , Connecticut , told AP that even though its parishes experienced a decline in donations , none of the organizations in its five-state territory submitted applications . Deacon Steve Wisnowski , a financial officer for the eparchy , said pastors and church managers used their rainy-day savings and that parishioners responded generously with donations . As a result , parishes “ did not experience a severe financial crisis . ” Wisnowski said his superiors understood the program was for “ organizations and businesses truly in need of assistance . ” The law that created the Paycheck Protection Program let nonprofits participate , as long as they abided by SBA ’ s “ affiliation rule. ” The rule typically says that only businesses with fewer than 500 employees , including at all subsidiaries , are eligible . Lobbying by the church helped religious organizations get an exception . The Catholic News Service reported that the bishops ’ conference and several major Catholic nonprofit agencies worked throughout the week of March 30 to ensure that the “ unique nature of the entities would not make them ineligible for the program ” because of how SBA defines a “ small ” business . Those conversations came just days after President Trump signed the $ 2 trillion Coronavirus Aid , Relief , and Economic Security Act , which included the Paycheck Protection Program . In addition , federal records show the Los Angeles archdiocese , whose leader heads the bishops ’ conference , paid $ 20,000 to lobby the U.S. Senate and House on “ eligibility for non-profits ” under the CARES Act . The records also show that Catholic Charities USA , a social service arm of the church with member agencies in dioceses across the country , paid another $ 30,000 to lobby on the act and other issues . In late April , after thousands of Catholic institutions had secured loans , several hundred Catholic leaders pressed for additional help on a call with President Trump . During the call , Trump underscored the coming presidential election and touted himself as the candidate best aligned with religious conservatives , boasting he was the “ best ( president ) the Catholic church has ever seen , ” according to Crux , an online publication that covers church-related news . Catholic Charities USA and its member agencies were approved for about 110 loans worth between $ 90 million and $ 220 million at least , according to the data . In a statement , Catholic Charities said : “ Each organization is a separate legal entity under the auspices of the bishop in the diocese in which the agency is located . CCUSA supports agencies that choose to become members , but does not have any role in their daily operations or governance . ” The Los Angeles archdiocese told AP in a survey that reporters sent before the release of federal data that 247 of its 288 parishes -- and all but one of its 232 schools -- received loans . The survey covered more than 180 dioceses and eparchies . Like most dioceses , Los Angeles wouldn ’ t disclose its total dollar amount . While the federal data doesn ’ t link Catholic recipients to their home dioceses , AP found 37 loans to the archdiocese and its affiliates worth between $ 9 million and $ 23 million , including one for its downtown cathedral . In 2007 , the archdiocese paid a record $ 660 million to settle sex abuse claims from more than 500 victims . Spokespeople for Los Angeles Archbishop Jose M. Gomez did not respond to additional questions about the archdiocese ’ s finances and lobbying . In program materials , SBA officials said they provided the affiliation waiver to religious groups in deference to their unique organizational structure , and because the public health response to slow the coronavirus ’ spread disrupted churches just as it did businesses . A senior official in the U.S. Department of the Treasury , which worked with the SBA to administer the program , acknowledged in a statement the wider availability of loans to religious organizations . “ The CARES Act expanded eligibility to include nonprofits in the PPP , and SBA ’ s regulations ensured that no eligible religious nonprofit was excluded from participation due to its beliefs or denomination , ” the statement said . Meanwhile , some legal experts say that the special consideration the government gave faith groups in the loan program has further eroded the wall between church and state provided in the First Amendment . With that erosion , religious groups that don ’ t pay taxes have gained more access to public money , said Marci Hamilton , a University of Pennsylvania professor and attorney who has represented clergy abuse victims on constitutional issues during bankruptcy proceedings . “ At this point , the argument is you ’ re anti-religious if in fact you would say the Catholic Church shouldn ’ t be getting government funding , ” Hamilton said . After its lobbying blitz , the Catholic Church worked with parishes and schools to access the money . Many dioceses -- from large ones such as the Archdiocese of Boston to smaller ones such as the Diocese of La Crosse , Wisconsin -- assembled how-to guides to help their affiliates apply . The national Catholic fiscal conference also hosted multiple webinars with legal and financial experts to help coach along local leaders . Federal data show that the bulk of the church ’ s money was approved during the loan program ’ s first two weeks . That ’ s when demand for the first-come , first-served assistance was so high that the initial $ 349 billion was quickly exhausted , shutting out many local businesses . Overall , nearly 500 loans approved to Catholic entities exceeded $ 1 million each . The AP found that at least eight hit the maximum range of $ 5 million to $ 10 million . Many of the listed recipients were the offices of bishops , headquarters of leading religious orders , major churches , schools and chapters of Catholic Charities . Also among recipients was the Saint Luke Institute . The Catholic treatment center for priests accused of sexual abuse and those suffering from other disorders received a loan ranging from $ 350,000 to $ 1 million . Based in Silver Spring , Maryland , the institute has at times been a way station for priests accused of sexual abuse who returned to active ministry only to abuse again . Perhaps nothing illustrates the church ’ s aggressive pursuit of funds better than four dioceses that sued the federal government to receive loans , even though they entered bankruptcy proceedings due to mounting clergy sex-abuse claims . Small Business Administration rules prohibit loans to applicants in bankruptcy . The Archdiocese of Santa Fe , New Mexico -- once home to a now-closed and notorious treatment center for predator priests -- prevailed in court , clearing the way for its administrative offices to receive nearly $ 1 million . It accused the SBA of overreaching by blocking bankruptcy applications when Congress didn ’ t spell that out . Yet even when a diocese has lost in bankruptcy court , or its case is pending , its affiliated parishes , schools and other organizations remain eligible for loans . On the U.S. territory of Guam , well over 200 clergy abuse lawsuits led church leaders in the tiny Archdiocese of Agana to seek bankruptcy protection , as they estimated at least $ 45 million in liabilities . Even so , the archdiocese ’ s parishes , schools and other organizations have received at least $ 1.7 million as it sues the SBA for approval to get a loan for its headquarters , according to bankruptcy filings . The U.S. church may have a troubling record on sex abuse , but Bishop Lawrence Persico of Erie , Pennsylvania , pushed back on the idea that dioceses should be excluded from the government ’ s rescue package . Approximately 80 organizations within his diocese received loans worth $ 10.3 million , the diocese said , with most of the money going to parishes and schools . Persico pointed out that church entities help feed , clothe and shelter the poor -- and in doing so keep people employed . “ I know some people may react with surprise that government funding helped support faith-based schools , parishes and dioceses , ” he said . “ The separation of church and state does not mean that those motivated by their faith have no place in the public square . ” Contact the reporters on Twitter at https : //twitter.com/ReeseDunklin or https : //twitter.com/MikeRezendes .

FILE - In this Sunday, April 12, 2020 file photo, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, right, delivers his homily over mostly empty pews as he leads an Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Due to coronavirus concerns, no congregants were allowed to attend the Mass which was broadcast live on local TV. The Archdiocese of New York received 15 loans worth at least $28 million just for its top executive offices. St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was approved for at least $1 million. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) FILE - In this Sunday, April 12, 2020 file photo, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, right, delivers his homily over mostly empty pews as he leads an Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Due to coronavirus concerns, no congregants were allowed to attend the Mass which was broadcast live on local TV. The Archdiocese of New York received 15 loans worth at least $28 million just for its top executive offices. St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was approved for at least $1 million. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid, with many millions going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups . The church’s haul may have reached -- or even exceeded -- $3.5 billion, making a global religious institution with more than a billion followers among the biggest winners in the U.S. government’s pandemic relief efforts , an Associated Press analysis of federal data released this week found. Houses of worship and faith-based organizations that promote religious beliefs aren’t usually eligible for money from the U.S. Small Business Administration. But as the economy plummeted and jobless rates soared, Congress let faith groups and other nonprofits tap into the Paycheck Protection Program , a $659 billion fund created to keep Main Street open and Americans employed. By aggressively promoting the payroll program and marshaling resources to help affiliates navigate its shifting rules, Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools and other ministries have so far received approval for at least 3,500 forgivable loans, AP found. The Archdiocese of New York, for example, received 15 loans worth at least $28 million just for its top executive offices. Its iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was approved for at least $1 million. In Orange County, California, where a sparkling glass cathedral estimated to cost over $70 million recently opened, diocesan officials working at the complex received four loans worth at least $3 million. And elsewhere, a loan of at least $2 million went to the diocese covering Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, where a church investigation revealed last year that then-Bishop Michael Bransfield embezzled funds and made sexual advances toward young priests. Simply being eligible for low-interest loans was a new opportunity. But the church couldn’t have been approved for so many loans -- which the government will forgive if they are used for wages, rent and utilities -- without a second break. Religious groups persuaded the Trump administration to free them from a rule that typically disqualifies an applicant with more than 500 workers. Without this preferential treatment, many Catholic dioceses would have been ineligible because -- between their head offices, parishes and other affiliates -- their employees exceed the 500-person cap. ADVERTISEMENT “The government grants special dispensation, and that creates a kind of structural favoritism,” said Micah Schwartzman, a University of Virginia law professor specializing in constitutional issues and religion who has studied the Paycheck Protection Program. “And that favoritism was worth billions of dollars.” The amount that the church collected, between $1.4 billion and $3.5 billion, is an undercount. The Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference, an organization of Catholic financial officers, surveyed members and reported that about 9,000 Catholic entities received loans. That is nearly three times the number of Catholic recipients the AP could identify. The AP couldn’t find more Catholic beneficiaries because the government’s data, released after pressure from Congress and a lawsuit from news outlets including the AP, didn’t name recipients of loans under $150,000 -- a category in which many smaller churches would fall. And because the government released only ranges of loan amounts, it wasn’t possible to be more precise. Even without a full accounting, AP’s analysis places the Catholic Church among the major beneficiaries in the Paycheck Protection Program, which also has helped companies backed by celebrities, billionaires, state governors and members of Congress. The program was open to all religious groups, and many took advantage. Evangelical advisers to President Donald Trump, including his White House spiritual czar, Paula White-Cain, also received loans . ___ ‘TRULY IN NEED’ There is no doubt that state shelter-in-place orders disrupted houses of worship and businesses alike. Masses were canceled, even during the Holy Week and Easter holidays, depriving parishes of expected revenue and contributing to layoffs in some dioceses. Some families of Catholic school students are struggling to make tuition payments. And the expense of disinfecting classrooms once classes resume will put additional pressure on budgets. But other problems were self-inflicted. Long before the pandemic, scores of dioceses faced increasing financial pressure because of a dramatic rise in recent clergy sex abuse claims. The scandals that erupted in 2018 reverberated throughout the world. Pope Francis ordered the former archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick , to a life of “prayer and penance” following allegations he abused minors and adult seminarians. And a damning grand jury report about abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses revealed bishops had long covered for predator priests, spurring investigations in more than 20 other states. As the church again reckoned with its longtime crisis, abuse reports tripled during the year ending June 2019 to a total of nearly 4,500 nationally. Meanwhile, dioceses and religious orders shelled out $282 million that year — up from $106 million just five years earlier. Most of that went to settlements, in addition to legal fees and support for offending clergy. Loan recipients included about 40 dioceses that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the past few years paying victims through compensation funds or bankruptcy proceedings. AP’s review found that these dioceses were approved for about $200 million, though the value is likely much higher. One was the New York Archdiocese. As a successful battle to lift the statute of limitations on the filing of child sexual abuse lawsuits gathered steam, Cardinal Timothy Dolan established a victim compensation fund in 2016. Since then, other dioceses have established similar funds, which offer victims relatively quick settlements while dissuading them from filing lawsuits. Spokesperson Joseph Zwilling said the archdiocese simply wanted to be “treated equally and fairly under the law.” When asked about the waiver from the 500-employee cap that religious organizations received, Zwilling deferred to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. A spokesperson for the bishops’ conference acknowledged its officials lobbied for the paycheck program, but said the organization wasn’t tracking what dioceses and Catholic agencies received. “These loans are an essential lifeline to help faith-based organizations to stay afloat and continue serving those in need during this crisis,” spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said in a written statement. According to AP’s data analysis, the church and all its organizations reported retaining at least 407,900 jobs with the money they were awarded. Noguchi also wrote the conference felt strongly that “the administration write and implement this emergency relief fairly for all applicants.” Not every Catholic institution sought government loans. The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy based in Stamford, Connecticut, told AP that even though its parishes experienced a decline in donations, none of the organizations in its five-state territory submitted applications. Deacon Steve Wisnowski, a financial officer for the eparchy, said pastors and church managers used their rainy-day savings and that parishioners responded generously with donations. As a result, parishes “did not experience a severe financial crisis.” Wisnowski said his superiors understood the program was for “organizations and businesses truly in need of assistance.” ___ LOBBYING FOR A BREAK The law that created the Paycheck Protection Program let nonprofits participate, as long as they abided by SBA’s “affiliation rule.” The rule typically says that only businesses with fewer than 500 employees, including at all subsidiaries, are eligible. Lobbying by the church helped religious organizations get an exception. The Catholic News Service reported that the bishops’ conference and several major Catholic nonprofit agencies worked throughout the week of March 30 to ensure that the “unique nature of the entities would not make them ineligible for the program” because of how SBA defines a “small” business. Those conversations came just days after President Trump signed the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which included the Paycheck Protection Program. In addition, federal records show the Los Angeles archdiocese, whose leader heads the bishops’ conference, paid $20,000 to lobby the U.S. Senate and House on “eligibility for non-profits” under the CARES Act. The records also show that Catholic Charities USA, a social service arm of the church with member agencies in dioceses across the country, paid another $30,000 to lobby on the act and other issues. In late April, after thousands of Catholic institutions had secured loans, several hundred Catholic leaders pressed for additional help on a call with President Trump. During the call, Trump underscored the coming presidential election and touted himself as the candidate best aligned with religious conservatives, boasting he was the “best (president) the Catholic church has ever seen,” according to Crux, an online publication that covers church-related news. The lobbying paid off. Catholic Charities USA and its member agencies were approved for about 110 loans worth between $90 million and $220 million at least, according to the data. In a statement, Catholic Charities said: “Each organization is a separate legal entity under the auspices of the bishop in the diocese in which the agency is located. CCUSA supports agencies that choose to become members, but does not have any role in their daily operations or governance.” The Los Angeles archdiocese told AP in a survey that reporters sent before the release of federal data that 247 of its 288 parishes -- and all but one of its 232 schools -- received loans. The survey covered more than 180 dioceses and eparchies. Like most dioceses, Los Angeles wouldn’t disclose its total dollar amount. While the federal data doesn’t link Catholic recipients to their home dioceses, AP found 37 loans to the archdiocese and its affiliates worth between $9 million and $23 million, including one for its downtown cathedral. In 2007, the archdiocese paid a record $660 million to settle sex abuse claims from more than 500 victims. Spokespeople for Los Angeles Archbishop Jose M. Gomez did not respond to additional questions about the archdiocese’s finances and lobbying. In program materials, SBA officials said they provided the affiliation waiver to religious groups in deference to their unique organizational structure, and because the public health response to slow the coronavirus’ spread disrupted churches just as it did businesses. A senior official in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which worked with the SBA to administer the program, acknowledged in a statement the wider availability of loans to religious organizations. “The CARES Act expanded eligibility to include nonprofits in the PPP, and SBA’s regulations ensured that no eligible religious nonprofit was excluded from participation due to its beliefs or denomination,” the statement said. Meanwhile, some legal experts say that the special consideration the government gave faith groups in the loan program has further eroded the wall between church and state provided in the First Amendment. With that erosion, religious groups that don’t pay taxes have gained more access to public money, said Marci Hamilton, a University of Pennsylvania professor and attorney who has represented clergy abuse victims on constitutional issues during bankruptcy proceedings. “At this point, the argument is you’re anti-religious if in fact you would say the Catholic Church shouldn’t be getting government funding,” Hamilton said. ___ CASHING IN FAST After its lobbying blitz, the Catholic Church worked with parishes and schools to access the money. Many dioceses -- from large ones such as the Archdiocese of Boston to smaller ones such as the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin -- assembled how-to guides to help their affiliates apply. The national Catholic fiscal conference also hosted multiple webinars with legal and financial experts to help coach along local leaders. Federal data show that the bulk of the church’s money was approved during the loan program’s first two weeks. That’s when demand for the first-come, first-served assistance was so high that the initial $349 billion was quickly exhausted, shutting out many local businesses. Overall, nearly 500 loans approved to Catholic entities exceeded $1 million each. The AP found that at least eight hit the maximum range of $5 million to $10 million. Many of the listed recipients were the offices of bishops, headquarters of leading religious orders, major churches, schools and chapters of Catholic Charities. Also among recipients was the Saint Luke Institute. The Catholic treatment center for priests accused of sexual abuse and those suffering from other disorders received a loan ranging from $350,000 to $1 million. Based in Silver Spring, Maryland, the institute has at times been a way station for priests accused of sexual abuse who returned to active ministry only to abuse again. Perhaps nothing illustrates the church’s aggressive pursuit of funds better than four dioceses that sued the federal government to receive loans, even though they entered bankruptcy proceedings due to mounting clergy sex-abuse claims. Small Business Administration rules prohibit loans to applicants in bankruptcy. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico -- once home to a now-closed and notorious treatment center for predator priests -- prevailed in court, clearing the way for its administrative offices to receive nearly $1 million. It accused the SBA of overreaching by blocking bankruptcy applications when Congress didn’t spell that out. Yet even when a diocese has lost in bankruptcy court, or its case is pending, its affiliated parishes, schools and other organizations remain eligible for loans. On the U.S. territory of Guam, well over 200 clergy abuse lawsuits led church leaders in the tiny Archdiocese of Agana to seek bankruptcy protection, as they estimated at least $45 million in liabilities. Even so, the archdiocese’s parishes, schools and other organizations have received at least $1.7 million as it sues the SBA for approval to get a loan for its headquarters, according to bankruptcy filings. The U.S. church may have a troubling record on sex abuse, but Bishop Lawrence Persico of Erie, Pennsylvania, pushed back on the idea that dioceses should be excluded from the government’s rescue package. Approximately 80 organizations within his diocese received loans worth $10.3 million, the diocese said, with most of the money going to parishes and schools. Persico pointed out that church entities help feed, clothe and shelter the poor -- and in doing so keep people employed. “I know some people may react with surprise that government funding helped support faith-based schools, parishes and dioceses,” he said. “The separation of church and state does not mean that those motivated by their faith have no place in the public square.” ___ Data journalist Justin Myers contributed from Chicago. ___ Contact AP’s global investigative team at investigative@ap.org. ___ Contact the reporters on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ReeseDunklin or https://twitter.com/MikeRezendes .

www.apnews.com

center

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kKpMHkcRYhNVdGg7

media_bias

The Daily Caller

http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/06/journalists-struggle-to-define-fake-news-even-as-they-declare-war-on-it/

Journalists Struggle To Define ‘Fake News’ Even As They Declare War On It

2016-12-06

In the weeks following Donald Trump ’ s unexpected victory in last month ’ s election , liberal journalists have launched an all-out assault on “ fake news , ” which some have blamed for the disconnect between political journalists and everyday Americans . But many of those same journalists seem unable to agree on a consistent definition of what “ fake news ” is , oftentimes pushing leading conservative and alternative media organizations that provide ideological balance in the public forum under the same “ fake news ” umbrella alongside websites whose entire purpose is generating viral hoaxes . Left-leaning BuzzFeed News ’ coverage of “ fake news ” — which has been subject to accusations of misleading the public in service of a narrative — has focused on hoax websites run by teenagers in Macedonia pushing out lies like “ Pope Francis endorses Donald Trump. ” ( RELATED : CNN President Says Buzzfeed Not ‘ Legitimate ’ News Organization ) Other left-leaning news organizations , meanwhile , have lumped in legitimate news organizations alongside objectively fake sources . A list of “ fake news ” sites compiled by a liberal college professor — a list that was uncritically accepted and distributed by some liberal journalists — included top right-of-center sites like Independent Journal Review ( IJR ) and The Blaze alongside objectively fake sites . Left-leaning media organizations like the Los Angeles Times and New York magazine distributed the list to their readers . One website that the Washington Post labeled “ fake news ” — without providing a single piece of evidence — is threatening to sue the Post for defamation , after being included on a similar list . In an article last summer , liberal New York Magazine writer Brian Feldman tried to argue that “ conservative news ” and “ fake news ” are the same thing . ( RELATED : Journalist Tricked Into Spreading Hoax Trump-Inspired Attack ) That some liberal journalists are lumping in legitimate news organizations alongside objectively false sites while at the same time calling for censorship of fake news has lead to concerns that the crackdown on fake news sites — the actual influence of which remains unknown — will be used by liberals to censor their conservative competitors . ( RELATED : The Media Is Consolidating Power After A Disastrous Election ) Forbes contributor Frank Miniter argued that some liberals are using the “ fake news ” controversy to invite “ government control over First Amendment-protected speech or by asking Facebook and Twitter to become even bigger censors of certain views. ” ( RELATED : Former Facebook Insider : We Buried Conservative News ) In an interview with conservative site LifeZette , Media Research Center director of media analysis Tim Graham warned , “ The danger here is that when liberals try to define ‘ fake news , ’ it can be defined as ‘ fake angles , ’ as in ‘ things that should not be explored , ’ like paying for protesters. ” ( RELATED : Anti-Trump Protests Funded By Left-Wing Charity ) The sub-headline for that article read , “ Liberals take aim at right-leaning media outlets under the guise of taking down ‘ fake ’ news. ” ( RELATED : Snopes Caught Lying About Lack Of American Flags At Democratic Convention ) After conservative website The Daily Wire was listed as “ fake news ” without justification , contributor John Nolte warned that the “ fake news ” label is being used by frustrated liberal journalists to censor conservative viewpoints . ( RELATED : NBC News Complains About Fake News And Then Posts The Misleading Headline ) “ The mainstream media put itself on the 2016 presidential ballot , lost , ” Nolte wrote , “ and now they want to silence competing ideas by smearing , marginalizing and , yes , blacklisting us as spreaders of Fake News . ”

In the weeks following Donald Trump’s unexpected victory in last month’s election, liberal journalists have launched an all-out assault on “fake news,” which some have blamed for the disconnect between political journalists and everyday Americans. But many of those same journalists seem unable to agree on a consistent definition of what “fake news” is, oftentimes pushing leading conservative and alternative media organizations that provide ideological balance in the public forum under the same “fake news” umbrella alongside websites whose entire purpose is generating viral hoaxes. Left-leaning BuzzFeed News’ coverage of “fake news” — which has been subject to accusations of misleading the public in service of a narrative — has focused on hoax websites run by teenagers in Macedonia pushing out lies like “Pope Francis endorses Donald Trump.” (RELATED: CNN President Says Buzzfeed Not ‘Legitimate’ News Organization) Other left-leaning news organizations, meanwhile, have lumped in legitimate news organizations alongside objectively fake sources. A list of “fake news” sites compiled by a liberal college professor — a list that was uncritically accepted and distributed by some liberal journalists — included top right-of-center sites like Independent Journal Review (IJR) and The Blaze alongside objectively fake sites. Left-leaning media organizations like the Los Angeles Times and New York magazine distributed the list to their readers. One website that the Washington Post labeled “fake news” — without providing a single piece of evidence — is threatening to sue the Post for defamation, after being included on a similar list. In an article last summer, liberal New York Magazine writer Brian Feldman tried to argue that “conservative news” and “fake news” are the same thing. (RELATED: Journalist Tricked Into Spreading Hoax Trump-Inspired Attack) That some liberal journalists are lumping in legitimate news organizations alongside objectively false sites while at the same time calling for censorship of fake news has lead to concerns that the crackdown on fake news sites — the actual influence of which remains unknown — will be used by liberals to censor their conservative competitors. (RELATED: The Media Is Consolidating Power After A Disastrous Election) Forbes contributor Frank Miniter argued that some liberals are using the “fake news” controversy to invite “government control over First Amendment-protected speech or by asking Facebook and Twitter to become even bigger censors of certain views.” (RELATED: Former Facebook Insider: We Buried Conservative News) In an interview with conservative site LifeZette, Media Research Center director of media analysis Tim Graham warned, “The danger here is that when liberals try to define ‘fake news,’ it can be defined as ‘fake angles,’ as in ‘things that should not be explored,’ like paying for protesters.” (RELATED: Anti-Trump Protests Funded By Left-Wing Charity) The sub-headline for that article read, “Liberals take aim at right-leaning media outlets under the guise of taking down ‘fake’ news.” (RELATED: Snopes Caught Lying About Lack Of American Flags At Democratic Convention) After conservative website The Daily Wire was listed as “fake news” without justification, contributor John Nolte warned that the “fake news” label is being used by frustrated liberal journalists to censor conservative viewpoints. (RELATED: NBC News Complains About Fake News And Then Posts The Misleading Headline) “The mainstream media put itself on the 2016 presidential ballot, lost,” Nolte wrote, “and now they want to silence competing ideas by smearing, marginalizing and, yes, blacklisting us as spreaders of Fake News.” Follow Hasson on Twitter @PeterJHasson

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federal_budget

Associated Press

https://www.apnews.com/caeb6d6c4eff45e4bc5da12db06004bc

US deficit hits nearly $1 trillion. When will it matter?

2019-10-25

Martin Crutsinger

This Sept. 18 , 2019 , photo shows the view of the U.S. Capitol building from the Washington Monument in Washington . The federal deficit for the 2019 budget year is expected to have soared to near $ 1 trillion , up more than $ 200 billion from last year and the largest such gap in seven years . ( AP Photo/Patrick Semansky ) This Sept. 18 , 2019 , photo shows the view of the U.S. Capitol building from the Washington Monument in Washington . The federal deficit for the 2019 budget year is expected to have soared to near $ 1 trillion , up more than $ 200 billion from last year and the largest such gap in seven years . ( AP Photo/Patrick Semansky ) WASHINGTON ( AP ) — The Trump administration reported a river of red ink Friday . The federal deficit for the 2019 budget year surged 26 % from 2018 to $ 984.4 billion — its highest point in seven years . The gap is widely expected to top $ 1 trillion in the current budget year and likely remain there for the next decade . The year-over-year widening in the deficit reflected such factors as revenue lost from the 2017 Trump tax cut and a budget deal that added billions in spending for military and domestic programs . Forecasts by the Trump administration and the Congressional Budget Office project that the deficit will top $ 1 trillion in the 2020 budget year , which began Oct. 1 . And the CBO estimates that the deficit will stay above $ 1 trillion over the next decade . Those projections stand in contrast to President Donald Trump ’ s campaign promises that even with revenue lost initially from his tax cuts , he could eliminate the budget deficit with cuts in spending and increased growth generated by the tax cuts . Here are some questions and answers about the current state of the government ’ s finances . The deficit has been rising every year for the past four years . It ’ s a stretch of widening deficits not seen since the early 1980s , when the deficit exploded with President Ronald Reagan ’ s big tax cut . For 2019 , revenues grew 4 % . But spending jumped at twice that rate , reflecting a deal that Trump reached with Congress in early 2018 to boost spending . Fiscal hawks have long warned of the economic dangers of running big government deficits . Yet the apocalypse they fear never seems to happen , and the government just keeps on spending . There have been numerous attempts by presidents after Reagan to control spending . President George H.W . Bush actually agreed to a tax increase to control deficits when he was in office , breaking his “ Read my lips ” pledge not to raise taxes . And a standoff between President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich did produce a rare string of four years of budget surpluses from 1998 through 2001 . In fact , the budget picture was so bright when George W. Bush took office in 2001 that the Congressional Budget Office projected that the government would run surpluses of $ 5.6 trillion over the next decade . That didn ’ t happen . The economy slid into a mild recession , Bush pushed through a big tax cut and the war on terrorism sent military spending surging . Then the 2008 financial crisis erupted and triggered a devastating recession . The downturn produced the economy ’ s first round of trillion-dollar deficits under President Barack Obama and is expected to do so again under Trump . As far as most of us can tell , the huge deficits don ’ t seem to threaten the economy or elevate the interest rates we pay on credit cards , mortgages and car loans . And in fact , the huge deficits are coinciding with a period of ultra-low rates rather than the surging borrowing costs that economists had warned would likely occur if government deficits got this high . There is even a new school of economic theory known as the “ modern monetary theory. ” It argues that such major economies as the United States and Japan don ’ t need to worry about running deficits because their central banks can print as much money as they need . Yet this remains a distinctly minority view among economists . Most still believe that while the huge deficits are not an immediate threat , at some point they will become a big problem . They will crowd out borrowing by consumers and businesses and elevate interest rates to levels that ignite a recession . What ’ s more , the interest payments on the deficits become part of a mounting government debt that must be repaid and could depress economic growth in coming years . In fact , even with low rates this year , the government ’ s interest payments on the debt were one of the fastest growing items in the budget , rising nearly 16 % to $ 375.6 billion . Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the day of reckoning is still coming but isn ’ t here yet . Most analysts think any real solution will involve a combination of higher taxes and cost savings in the government ’ s huge benefit programs of Social Security and Medicare . ANY SIGN THAT WASHINGTON MAY TAKE THE POLITICALLY PAINFUL STEPS TO CUT THE DEFICIT ? In short , no . There has been a major change since the first round of trillion-dollar deficits prompted the Tea Party revolt . This shift brought Republicans back into power in the House and incited a round of fighting between GOP congressional leaders and the Obama administration . A result was government shutdowns and near-defaults on the national debt . But once Trump took office , things changed : The president focused on his biggest legislative achievement , the $ 1.5 trillion tax cut passed in 2017 . This appeared to satisfy Republican lawmakers and quelled concerns about rising deficits . Democratic presidential candidates have for the most part pledged to roll back Trump ’ s tax cuts for corporations and wealthy individuals . But they would use the money not to lower the deficits but for increased spending on expensive programs such as Medicare for All . It doesn ’ t seem likely , though former Rep. Mark Sanford , who has mounted a long-shot Republican campaign against Trump , is urging Republican voters to return to their historic concerns about the high deficits . And economists note that today ’ s huge deficits are occurring when the economy is in a record-long economic expansion . This is unlike the previous stretch of trillion-dollar deficits , which coincided with the worst recession since the 1930s . But analysts warn that if the economy does go into a recession , the huge deficits projected now will expand significantly — possibly to a size that would send interest rates surging . Such a development , if it sparked worries about the stability of the U.S. financial system , might produce the type of deficit crisis they have been warning about for so long .

This Sept. 18, 2019, photo shows the view of the U.S. Capitol building from the Washington Monument in Washington. The federal deficit for the 2019 budget year is expected to have soared to near $1 trillion, up more than $200 billion from last year and the largest such gap in seven years. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) This Sept. 18, 2019, photo shows the view of the U.S. Capitol building from the Washington Monument in Washington. The federal deficit for the 2019 budget year is expected to have soared to near $1 trillion, up more than $200 billion from last year and the largest such gap in seven years. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration reported a river of red ink Friday. The federal deficit for the 2019 budget year surged 26% from 2018 to $984.4 billion — its highest point in seven years. The gap is widely expected to top $1 trillion in the current budget year and likely remain there for the next decade. The year-over-year widening in the deficit reflected such factors as revenue lost from the 2017 Trump tax cut and a budget deal that added billions in spending for military and domestic programs. Forecasts by the Trump administration and the Congressional Budget Office project that the deficit will top $1 trillion in the 2020 budget year, which began Oct. 1. And the CBO estimates that the deficit will stay above $1 trillion over the next decade. Those projections stand in contrast to President Donald Trump’s campaign promises that even with revenue lost initially from his tax cuts, he could eliminate the budget deficit with cuts in spending and increased growth generated by the tax cuts. Here are some questions and answers about the current state of the government’s finances. ___ WHAT HAPPENED? The deficit has been rising every year for the past four years. It’s a stretch of widening deficits not seen since the early 1980s, when the deficit exploded with President Ronald Reagan’s big tax cut. For 2019, revenues grew 4%. But spending jumped at twice that rate, reflecting a deal that Trump reached with Congress in early 2018 to boost spending. ___ WHY DOESN’T WASHINGTON DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT? Fiscal hawks have long warned of the economic dangers of running big government deficits. Yet the apocalypse they fear never seems to happen, and the government just keeps on spending. There have been numerous attempts by presidents after Reagan to control spending. President George H.W. Bush actually agreed to a tax increase to control deficits when he was in office, breaking his “Read my lips” pledge not to raise taxes. And a standoff between President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich did produce a rare string of four years of budget surpluses from 1998 through 2001. In fact, the budget picture was so bright when George W. Bush took office in 2001 that the Congressional Budget Office projected that the government would run surpluses of $5.6 trillion over the next decade. That didn’t happen. The economy slid into a mild recession, Bush pushed through a big tax cut and the war on terrorism sent military spending surging. Then the 2008 financial crisis erupted and triggered a devastating recession. The downturn produced the economy’s first round of trillion-dollar deficits under President Barack Obama and is expected to do so again under Trump. ___ SHOULD WE WORRY? As far as most of us can tell, the huge deficits don’t seem to threaten the economy or elevate the interest rates we pay on credit cards, mortgages and car loans. And in fact, the huge deficits are coinciding with a period of ultra-low rates rather than the surging borrowing costs that economists had warned would likely occur if government deficits got this high. There is even a new school of economic theory known as the “modern monetary theory.” It argues that such major economies as the United States and Japan don’t need to worry about running deficits because their central banks can print as much money as they need. Yet this remains a distinctly minority view among economists. Most still believe that while the huge deficits are not an immediate threat, at some point they will become a big problem. They will crowd out borrowing by consumers and businesses and elevate interest rates to levels that ignite a recession. What’s more, the interest payments on the deficits become part of a mounting government debt that must be repaid and could depress economic growth in coming years. In fact, even with low rates this year, the government’s interest payments on the debt were one of the fastest growing items in the budget, rising nearly 16% to $375.6 billion. ___ HAVEN’T ECONOMISTS BEEN MAKING THESE WARNING FOR DECADES? Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the day of reckoning is still coming but isn’t here yet. Most analysts think any real solution will involve a combination of higher taxes and cost savings in the government’s huge benefit programs of Social Security and Medicare. ___ ANY SIGN THAT WASHINGTON MAY TAKE THE POLITICALLY PAINFUL STEPS TO CUT THE DEFICIT? In short, no. There has been a major change since the first round of trillion-dollar deficits prompted the Tea Party revolt. This shift brought Republicans back into power in the House and incited a round of fighting between GOP congressional leaders and the Obama administration. A result was government shutdowns and near-defaults on the national debt. But once Trump took office, things changed: The president focused on his biggest legislative achievement, the $1.5 trillion tax cut passed in 2017. This appeared to satisfy Republican lawmakers and quelled concerns about rising deficits. Democratic presidential candidates have for the most part pledged to roll back Trump’s tax cuts for corporations and wealthy individuals. But they would use the money not to lower the deficits but for increased spending on expensive programs such as Medicare for All. ___ SO THE DEFICITS WON’T ANIMATE THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN? It doesn’t seem likely, though former Rep. Mark Sanford, who has mounted a long-shot Republican campaign against Trump, is urging Republican voters to return to their historic concerns about the high deficits. And economists note that today’s huge deficits are occurring when the economy is in a record-long economic expansion. This is unlike the previous stretch of trillion-dollar deficits, which coincided with the worst recession since the 1930s. But analysts warn that if the economy does go into a recession, the huge deficits projected now will expand significantly — possibly to a size that would send interest rates surging. Such a development, if it sparked worries about the stability of the U.S. financial system, might produce the type of deficit crisis they have been warning about for so long.

www.apnews.com

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politics

The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/27/trump-2018-lowlights-kavanaugh-government-shutdown

From Kavanaugh to the government shutdown – Trump's 2018 lowlights

2018-12-27

Tom Mccarthy

Part two : Trump praises Putin in Helsinki , Manafort is convicted , Cohen pleads guilty , Democrats win House of Representatives , Sessions and Mattis out , and more … Donald Trump nominates circuit court judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring supreme court justice Anthony Kennedy . The pick is opposed by Democrats but hailed in conservative circles as a centrist choice . Nooruddean ( @ BeardedGenius ) HOW IS HE STRUGGLING TO WALK THE BIG FUCKING WEIRDO pic.twitter.com/dUpemhRpk4 Trump meets the Russian president in Helsinki and publicly declares Russia innocent of election tampering : “ I have great confidence in my intelligence people , but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today . ” Only 364 of the more than 2,500 children separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border had been reunited , days before a reunification deadline , officials disclosed in court documents . Trump denies a Cohen allegation that he , Trump , knew in advance about and approved a June 2016 meeting between top Trump campaign officials and Russian operatives at Trump Tower . Trump tweets that the special counsel has created “ a terrible situation ” and “ attorney general Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now , before it continues to stain our country any further . Bob Mueller is totally conflicted ... ” Trump tweets that he will postpone his military parade , accusing “ the local politicians who run Washington DC ( poorly ) ” of inflating expenses . From ‘ shithole countries ’ to ‘ a private agreement ’ – Trump ’ s 2018 lowlights Read more Manafort is found guilty on eight fraud charges in a resounding victory for special counsel Robert Mueller and his team in the first trial arising from their investigation . On the same day as the Manafort conviction , Cohen pleads guilty to eight federal crimes and says Trump had directed him to make two hush money payments to women in violation of campaign finance laws . The journalist Bob Woodward publishes an exposé claiming that the military and Trump ’ s staff ignore presidential orders , that the defense secretary called Trump a “ fifth- or sixth-grader ” and the chief of staff called Trump an “ unhinged ” “ idiot ” . Trump calls the book “ lies ” . Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort agrees to cooperate with federal prosecutors , in a deal that will later fall apart when Manafort , prosecutors allege , continues to lie to them . Dr Christine Blasey Ford tells the Senate judiciary committee that Trump ’ s pick for supreme court justice , Brett Kavanaugh , assaulted her . Asked if she was sure her attacker was Kavanaugh , she replied : “ 100 % . ” Kavanaugh denies the allegations , and his confirmation to the supreme court goes ahead . Trump deems as “ credible ” a Saudi explanation that journalist Jamal Khashoggi , who had disappeared inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul , died in a fistfight . Later Trump blames “ rogue killers ” and denies a US intelligence conclusion that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was directly involved in the killing . At a Mississippi rally , Trump mocks Christine Blasey Ford , delivering a crude imitation of Ford from her testimony , in which she vividly described a violent sexual assault she alleged Brett Kavanaugh committed against her in the early 1980s . At a rally , Trump blames media “ hostility ” after a wave of pipe bombs were sent to senior Democrats , prominent critics and the broadcaster CNN . After 11 worshippers are killed at a synagogue in Pittsburgh , experts warn that Trump had “ dramatically elevated the level of rhetorical tension in ways that do not discourage people from acting out their terrifying views ” . Despite the demonstrable dangers associated with his inflammatory rhetoric , Trump resumes calling the media the “ enemy of the people ” and blames “ the Fake News Media ” for the “ great anger in our Country ” . Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) There is great anger in our Country caused in part by inaccurate , and even fraudulent , reporting of the news . The Fake News Media , the true Enemy of the People , must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly . That will do much to put out the flame ... Days before the midterm elections , Trump deploys more than 5,200 troops to the border with Mexico in what a rights organization described as an abuse of the military and what Senator Claire McCaskill later called “ made-for-TV bullshit ” . Democrats win at least 39 seats in the House of Representatives , seizing control of the body ; flip multiple state legislatures ; swipe governorships ; and avoid losses in the Senate in an election that saw historic voter turnout . “ Tremendous success tonight , ” Trump tweeted . “ Thank you all ! ” In a news conference after the election , Trump threatens a “ warlike ” response if Democrats investigate him and yelled down multiple journalists . The White House suspends CNN ’ s Jim Acosta ’ s credentials , but is later forced to reinstate them . A day after the election , Trump fires the attorney general , Jeff Sessions , and installs Matt Whitaker , who had come to Trump ’ s attention through fawning appearances on cable television , as acting attorney general . Trump challenges multiple election results on Twitter , including in Arizona – “ Electoral corruption – Call for a new Election ? ” ; in Florida – “ An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected ” ; and in Georgia – “ It is time to move on ! ” Trump submits written replies to the special counsel ’ s office , in a move that is followed in short order by a flood of new moves in the special counsel investigation . Cohen pleads guilty to a new set of charges including lying to Congress about Trump Organization plans to build a tower in Moscow . Those plans were still active in the summer of 2016 , after Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination , Cohen revealed . Trump travels to Paris to mark the centenary of the end of first world war but he skips a ceremony at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial near Paris “ due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather ” . The next day he misses a procession of world leaders to mark the occasion . Trump defends the use of teargas against migrants , including many young children , at the southern border after some migrants attempted to cross the border . “ They had to be used because they were being rushed by some very tough people , ” Trump said . Trump blames poor “ forest management ” in his first comments on the deadliest wildfires in California history . Local elected officials and agencies fighting the fires call the comment “ inane ” , “ uninformed ” and “ dangerously wrong ” . Prosecutors and lawyers for Paul Manafort announce that an agreement between the sides has crumbled . Prosecutors accuse Manafort of continued lying which he denies . In a heavily redacted court filing , Mueller shields the details of former national security adviser Michael Flynn ’ s cooperation because they include “ sensitive information about ongoing investigations ” . He recommends no prison time for Flynn . Federal prosecutors in New York say Trump directed Cohen to make hush payments that resulted in felony campaign finance convictions for Cohen . Trump denies any criminality . A federal judge sentences Michael Cohen to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for campaign finance violations , bank fraud , tax evasion and lying to Congress . Cohen says Trump directed him to violate campaign finance laws . Prosecutors in New York are investigating donations to Trump ’ s inaugural committee , which totaled $ 107m , and investigating how that money was spent , the Wall Street Journal is first to report . Without warning or much of an explanation , Trump announces the withdrawal of the US military and state department employees from Syria , asserting on Twitter that “ we have defeated ISIS ” . Two days later Trump announces US forces in Afghanistan will be halved . The defense secretary , Jim Mattis , resigns in protest . Goaded by Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter , Trump makes a last-minute declaration he won ’ t sign Republican legislation to keep the government open and demands $ 5bn for a border wall . The lame-duck House Republican majority passes a bill that dies in the Senate . Trump blames Democrats for the shutdown .

Part two: Trump praises Putin in Helsinki, Manafort is convicted, Cohen pleads guilty, Democrats win House of Representatives, Sessions and Mattis out, and more … July Trump nominates Brett Kavanaugh for supreme court justice Donald Trump nominates circuit court judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring supreme court justice Anthony Kennedy. The pick is opposed by Democrats but hailed in conservative circles as a centrist choice. Confuses Queen Elizabeth II Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) HOW IS HE STRUGGLING TO WALK THE BIG FUCKING WEIRDO pic.twitter.com/dUpemhRpk4 Putin’s friend in Helsinki Trump meets the Russian president in Helsinki and publicly declares Russia innocent of election tampering: “I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.” Child reunification deadline passes Only 364 of the more than 2,500 children separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border had been reunited, days before a reunification deadline, officials disclosed in court documents. Denies knowledge of Trump Tower meeting Trump denies a Cohen allegation that he, Trump, knew in advance about and approved a June 2016 meeting between top Trump campaign officials and Russian operatives at Trump Tower. August Tells Sessions to stop Mueller Trump tweets that the special counsel has created “a terrible situation” and “attorney general Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted...” Cancels military parade plan Trump tweets that he will postpone his military parade, accusing “the local politicians who run Washington DC (poorly)” of inflating expenses. From ‘shithole countries’ to ‘a private agreement’ – Trump’s 2018 lowlights Read more Manafort convicted Manafort is found guilty on eight fraud charges in a resounding victory for special counsel Robert Mueller and his team in the first trial arising from their investigation. Cohen pleads guilty On the same day as the Manafort conviction, Cohen pleads guilty to eight federal crimes and says Trump had directed him to make two hush money payments to women in violation of campaign finance laws. September Woodward book Fear The journalist Bob Woodward publishes an exposé claiming that the military and Trump’s staff ignore presidential orders, that the defense secretary called Trump a “fifth- or sixth-grader” and the chief of staff called Trump an “unhinged” “idiot”. Trump calls the book “lies”. Manafort plea deal Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort agrees to cooperate with federal prosecutors, in a deal that will later fall apart when Manafort, prosecutors allege, continues to lie to them. Ford testifies Dr Christine Blasey Ford tells the Senate judiciary committee that Trump’s pick for supreme court justice, Brett Kavanaugh, assaulted her. Asked if she was sure her attacker was Kavanaugh, she replied: “100%.” Kavanaugh denies the allegations, and his confirmation to the supreme court goes ahead. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Christine Blasey Ford is sworn in before testifying the Senate judiciary committee on Capitol Hill on 27 September. Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images October Khashoggi cover-up Trump deems as “credible” a Saudi explanation that journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who had disappeared inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, died in a fistfight. Later Trump blames “rogue killers” and denies a US intelligence conclusion that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was directly involved in the killing. Mocks Ford At a Mississippi rally, Trump mocks Christine Blasey Ford, delivering a crude imitation of Ford from her testimony, in which she vividly described a violent sexual assault she alleged Brett Kavanaugh committed against her in the early 1980s. Attacks media after bombings At a rally, Trump blames media “hostility” after a wave of pipe bombs were sent to senior Democrats, prominent critics and the broadcaster CNN. Pittsburgh synagogue shooting After 11 worshippers are killed at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, experts warn that Trump had “dramatically elevated the level of rhetorical tension in ways that do not discourage people from acting out their terrifying views”. ‘Enemy of the people’ Despite the demonstrable dangers associated with his inflammatory rhetoric, Trump resumes calling the media the “enemy of the people” and blames “the Fake News Media” for the “great anger in our Country”. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) There is great anger in our Country caused in part by inaccurate, and even fraudulent, reporting of the news. The Fake News Media, the true Enemy of the People, must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly. That will do much to put out the flame... Deploys troops to border Days before the midterm elections, Trump deploys more than 5,200 troops to the border with Mexico in what a rights organization described as an abuse of the military and what Senator Claire McCaskill later called “made-for-TV bullshit”. November Blue wave sweeps midterms Democrats win at least 39 seats in the House of Representatives, seizing control of the body; flip multiple state legislatures; swipe governorships; and avoid losses in the Senate in an election that saw historic voter turnout. “Tremendous success tonight,” Trump tweeted. “Thank you all!” Hostile press conference In a news conference after the election, Trump threatens a “warlike” response if Democrats investigate him and yelled down multiple journalists. The White House suspends CNN’s Jim Acosta’s credentials, but is later forced to reinstate them. Trades in Sessions for Whitaker A day after the election, Trump fires the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, and installs Matt Whitaker, who had come to Trump’s attention through fawning appearances on cable television, as acting attorney general. Calls for ‘new election’ Trump challenges multiple election results on Twitter, including in Arizona – “Electoral corruption – Call for a new Election?”; in Florida – “An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected”; and in Georgia – “It is time to move on!” Submits answers to Mueller Trump submits written replies to the special counsel’s office, in a move that is followed in short order by a flood of new moves in the special counsel investigation. New Cohen guilty plea Cohen pleads guilty to a new set of charges including lying to Congress about Trump Organization plans to build a tower in Moscow. Those plans were still active in the summer of 2016, after Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination, Cohen revealed. Skips first world war events Trump travels to Paris to mark the centenary of the end of first world war but he skips a ceremony at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial near Paris “due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather”. The next day he misses a procession of world leaders to mark the occasion. Teargas attack on migrants Trump defends the use of teargas against migrants, including many young children, at the southern border after some migrants attempted to cross the border. “They had to be used because they were being rushed by some very tough people,” Trump said. Facebook Twitter Pinterest A migrant family, part of a caravan from Central America, run away from teargas in front of the US-Mexico border wall in Tijuana on 25 November. Photograph: Kim Kyung Hoon/Reuters ‘Dangerously wrong’ on California fires Trump blames poor “forest management” in his first comments on the deadliest wildfires in California history. Local elected officials and agencies fighting the fires call the comment “inane”, “uninformed” and “dangerously wrong”. Manafort plea deal crumbles Prosecutors and lawyers for Paul Manafort announce that an agreement between the sides has crumbled. Prosecutors accuse Manafort of continued lying which he denies. December Mueller describes Flynn cooperation In a heavily redacted court filing, Mueller shields the details of former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s cooperation because they include “sensitive information about ongoing investigations”. He recommends no prison time for Flynn. Trump ‘directed’ Cohen – prosecutors Federal prosecutors in New York say Trump directed Cohen to make hush payments that resulted in felony campaign finance convictions for Cohen. Trump denies any criminality. Cohen sentenced to three years A federal judge sentences Michael Cohen to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for campaign finance violations, bank fraud, tax evasion and lying to Congress. Cohen says Trump directed him to violate campaign finance laws. Inaugural committee under investigation Prosecutors in New York are investigating donations to Trump’s inaugural committee, which totaled $107m, and investigating how that money was spent, the Wall Street Journal is first to report. Precipitous troop drawdowns, Mattis resignation Without warning or much of an explanation, Trump announces the withdrawal of the US military and state department employees from Syria, asserting on Twitter that “we have defeated ISIS”. Two days later Trump announces US forces in Afghanistan will be halved. The defense secretary, Jim Mattis, resigns in protest. Government shutdown Goaded by Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, Trump makes a last-minute declaration he won’t sign Republican legislation to keep the government open and demands $5bn for a border wall. The lame-duck House Republican majority passes a bill that dies in the Senate. Trump blames Democrats for the shutdown.

www.theguardian.com

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education

CBN

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2019/october/anti-religion-group-says-public-school-mentoring-program-by-christians-unconstitutional

Anti-Religion Group Says Public School Mentoring Program By Christians Unconstitutional

2019-10-16

Officials from the Kingsport , Tennessee City Schools are reviewing the charge by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation ( FFRF ) that their mentoring program in partnership with a local church is `` unconstitutional . '' The FFRF , which describes its members as `` free-thinkers ( atheists and agnostics ) '' , alleges in a letter to the school district that its mentoring program with Christ Fellowship Church `` impermissibly advances religion '' and that the district `` can not allow its schools to be used as recruiting grounds for churches . '' As evidence that this is happening , FFRF cites the church 's Facebook page where it tries to recruit volunteers for the mentoring program and where current mentors describe their work as a type of `` missionary work '' and `` an opportunity to share Jesus 's love . '' `` They 're saying this is a proselytizing situation . This is not , '' Assistant Superintendent for Administration Andy True told the Kingsport Times-News . `` It 's not anything where religion is being brought into the school . '' The `` free thinker '' group does not cite a specific incident in the warning letter where a mentor has tried to proselytize a student . It does complain , however , that the program uses church people at all , saying ominously that it `` allows church personnel to come into the school during the school day to interact with students . '' `` Religious organizations should never be allowed access to such young public school children , '' FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said , according to the newspaper . Joe Gervais is a mentor from Christ Fellowship Church at Kingsport 's John Adams Elementary School . According to the Times-News , Gervais told a School Board meeting that mentors spend 45 minutes to an hour each week with assigned students , often eating breakfast or lunch with them , as well as playing games or reading to them . Gervais said he asks his student , whom he says does not have a father at home and who reminds him of his grandson , how his day and week have gone , about problems he might be having , about life in general and about what 's going on at home . School superintendent Jeff Moorhouse said churches as well as other groups participate in the mentoring program and described it as `` just having more hands grabbing an oar '' to help students in school and in life . According to Adams Elementary school counselor Ashley Marlowe , fifteen students were mentored under the program at Adams last year and just eight this year due to a shortage of volunteers . This is not the first time the Freedom From Religion Foundation has taken issue with some of the practices and traditions of communities , particularly in the Bible Belt , far from their Wisconsin base . Recently , the group complained that the governor of Oklahoma was mingling religion and state because of a speaking engagement he had at his own church . It also objected on so-called constitutional grounds to prayer before various football games and to the baptizing of football players in a tub on the school playing field after hours , to name just a few . But their stance is not surprising when the group states clearly its disdain for religious belief on its website , claiming – many would say erroneously – that `` most social and moral progress has been brought about by persons free from religion . '' The argument raises a defining question : if FFRF 's version of history and the Constitution is accurate , can Christians , acting from faith , ever be allowed to help with `` social and moral progress '' in their communities without leaving their religiously-motivated conviction to `` love their neighbors '' outside the door ? More narrowly , can a public school mentoring program keep going even though it 's staffed by Christian volunteers ?

Officials from the Kingsport, Tennessee City Schools are reviewing the charge by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) that their mentoring program in partnership with a local church is "unconstitutional." The FFRF, which describes its members as "free-thinkers (atheists and agnostics)", alleges in a letter to the school district that its mentoring program with Christ Fellowship Church "impermissibly advances religion" and that the district "cannot allow its schools to be used as recruiting grounds for churches." As evidence that this is happening, FFRF cites the church's Facebook page where it tries to recruit volunteers for the mentoring program and where current mentors describe their work as a type of "missionary work" and "an opportunity to share Jesus's love." "They're saying this is a proselytizing situation. This is not," Assistant Superintendent for Administration Andy True told the Kingsport Times-News. "It's not anything where religion is being brought into the school." The "free thinker" group does not cite a specific incident in the warning letter where a mentor has tried to proselytize a student. It does complain, however, that the program uses church people at all, saying ominously that it "allows church personnel to come into the school during the school day to interact with students." "Religious organizations should never be allowed access to such young public school children," FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said, according to the newspaper. Joe Gervais is a mentor from Christ Fellowship Church at Kingsport's John Adams Elementary School. According to the Times-News, Gervais told a School Board meeting that mentors spend 45 minutes to an hour each week with assigned students, often eating breakfast or lunch with them, as well as playing games or reading to them. Gervais said he asks his student, whom he says does not have a father at home and who reminds him of his grandson, how his day and week have gone, about problems he might be having, about life in general and about what's going on at home. School superintendent Jeff Moorhouse said churches as well as other groups participate in the mentoring program and described it as "just having more hands grabbing an oar" to help students in school and in life. According to Adams Elementary school counselor Ashley Marlowe, fifteen students were mentored under the program at Adams last year and just eight this year due to a shortage of volunteers. This is not the first time the Freedom From Religion Foundation has taken issue with some of the practices and traditions of communities, particularly in the Bible Belt, far from their Wisconsin base. Recently, the group complained that the governor of Oklahoma was mingling religion and state because of a speaking engagement he had at his own church. It also objected on so-called constitutional grounds to prayer before various football games and to the baptizing of football players in a tub on the school playing field after hours, to name just a few. But their stance is not surprising when the group states clearly its disdain for religious belief on its website, claiming – many would say erroneously – that "most social and moral progress has been brought about by persons free from religion." The argument raises a defining question: if FFRF's version of history and the Constitution is accurate, can Christians, acting from faith, ever be allowed to help with "social and moral progress" in their communities without leaving their religiously-motivated conviction to "love their neighbors" outside the door? More narrowly, can a public school mentoring program keep going even though it's staffed by Christian volunteers?

www1.cbn.com

right

jXfgzJDqplvbimZ5

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politics

Breitbart News

http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/08/29/again-anthony-weiner-deletes-twitter-after-embarrassing-clinton-campaign-with-more-racy-photos/

Again?! Anthony Weiner Deletes Twitter After Embarrassing Clinton Campaign With More Racy Photos

2016-08-29

Charlie Spiering

Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner deleted his Twitter account this morning , after his racy online behavior was again splashed on the front pages of the New York tabloids . This time Weiner was caught sending racy pictures to a woman while his son was in bed with him — a new low for the man married to Hillary Clinton ’ s top aide , Huma Abedin . EXCLUSIVE : Anthony Weiner sexted a busty brunette while his son was in bed with him https : //t.co/amX1TJIFn7 pic.twitter.com/qlJ8O22UvO — New York Post ( @ nypost ) August 29 , 2016 EXCLUSIVE : Anthony Weiner sexted a busty brunette while his son was in bed with him https : //t.co/f2C7tn1yoy pic.twitter.com/JNmerTREKD — New York Post ( @ nypost ) August 29 , 2016 Weiner ’ s account was active early this morning before disappearing altogether , suggesting that there is an organized effort to stem the damage . One of his last tweets featured Weiner joking that his behavior on Twitter caused the company to release a “ quality filter ” to filter out bad tweets . Abedin , the focus of a recent Vanity Fair profile , can ’ t shake the ongoing scandalous behavior of her husband , despite several attempts to reboot her image . She cited her Muslim faith giving her strength to move on , despite repeated embarrassing scandals . “ I tried to block out all the noise and move on with my life , ” Abedin said citing her faith and a “ a really supportive group of friends and colleagues . ” Weiner initially lied to Abedin after the photo was posted , claiming that he was hacked , before coming clean about his behavior . During his failed New York City mayoral run , Abedin again stood by Weiner in 2013 , as he admitted that his racy online behavior with other women continued . “ I love him . I have forgiven him . I believe in him . And , as we have said from the beginning , we are moving forward , ” Abedin said at the time . She also cited “ therapy ” for helping the couple stay together , and the future of their son . “ Our marriage like many others has had its ups and its downs , ” she said . “ It took a lot of work , and a whole lot of therapy , to get to a place where I could forgive Anthony . ” The Clinton campaign has been silent in response to the new photos .

Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner deleted his Twitter account this morning, after his racy online behavior was again splashed on the front pages of the New York tabloids. This time Weiner was caught sending racy pictures to a woman while his son was in bed with him — a new low for the man married to Hillary Clinton’s top aide, Huma Abedin. EXCLUSIVE: Anthony Weiner sexted a busty brunette while his son was in bed with him https://t.co/amX1TJIFn7 pic.twitter.com/qlJ8O22UvO — New York Post (@nypost) August 29, 2016 EXCLUSIVE: Anthony Weiner sexted a busty brunette while his son was in bed with him https://t.co/f2C7tn1yoy pic.twitter.com/JNmerTREKD — New York Post (@nypost) August 29, 2016 Weiner’s account was active early this morning before disappearing altogether, suggesting that there is an organized effort to stem the damage. One of his last tweets featured Weiner joking that his behavior on Twitter caused the company to release a “quality filter” to filter out bad tweets. Abedin, the focus of a recent Vanity Fair profile, can’t shake the ongoing scandalous behavior of her husband, despite several attempts to reboot her image. She cited her Muslim faith giving her strength to move on, despite repeated embarrassing scandals. “I tried to block out all the noise and move on with my life,” Abedin said citing her faith and a “a really supportive group of friends and colleagues.” Weiner initially lied to Abedin after the photo was posted, claiming that he was hacked, before coming clean about his behavior. During his failed New York City mayoral run, Abedin again stood by Weiner in 2013, as he admitted that his racy online behavior with other women continued. “I love him. I have forgiven him. I believe in him. And, as we have said from the beginning, we are moving forward,” Abedin said at the time. WATCH: She also cited “therapy” for helping the couple stay together, and the future of their son. “Our marriage like many others has had its ups and its downs,” she said. “It took a lot of work, and a whole lot of therapy, to get to a place where I could forgive Anthony.” The Clinton campaign has been silent in response to the new photos.

www.breitbart.com

right

4YGKWconCsWwzxJn

test

Mrs8HKuViJkiZJyz

media_bias

Breitbart News

http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/05/15/stephanopoulos-fails-to-disclose-full-truth-in-on-air-apology/

Stephanopoulos Fails to Disclose Full Truth in On-Air Apology

2015-05-15

John Nolte

After failing to disclose $ 75,000 in Clinton Foundation donations to both his employer and his viewers , ABC News ’ chief anchor and political correspondent George Stephanopoulos tried to contain the ongoing fallout Friday morning with an on-air apology . Rather than explain why he withheld disclosure and , more importantly , why he felt the Clinton Foundation was best suited to deal with his pet causes , Stephanopoulos used the “ Good Morning America ” apology to puff himself up as a big charitable giver : I want to address some news you may have seen about me . Over the last several years I ’ ve made substantial donations to dozens of charities , including the Clinton Global Foundation . Those donations were a matter of public record but I should have made additional disclosures on-air hen we covered the Foundation . And I now believe that directing personal donations to that foundation was a mistake . Even though I made them strictly support work done to stop the spread of AIDS , help the children , and protect the environment in poor countries , I should ’ ve gone the extra mile to avoid even the appearance of a conflict . I apologize to all of you for failing to do that . Note how Stephanopoulos uses the weasel word “ we ” when referring to coverage of the Clinton Foundation scandals . “ We ” did not cover Clinton Foundations scandals — George Stephanopoulos did . “ We ” did not go to bizarre lengths to defend the Clintons from this scandal on “ This Week ” and “ The Daily Show ” — George Stephanopoulos did . By using the word “ we , ” Stephanopoulos is again deceiving his viewers . According to The New York Times , Stephanopoulos violated ABC News rules by not disclosing the donations . Nevertheless , the network says it stands behind its chief anchor . The sometimes-underhanded way ABC News has handled this scandal stands in stark contrast to NBC News , a network that suspended its “ Nightly News ” anchor Brian Williams for deceiving viewers , and suspended then-MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann for not disclosing a $ 2400 political donation . That ’ s twice NBC News dropped disciplinary action on its most popular anchors at their respective networks . ABC News has also come under scrutiny for its initial handling of the scandal . After the Washington Free Beacon found the Stephanopoulos donations , the Beacon contacted ABC News for comment . Like a sleazy , dishonest politician , ABC News then ran to the left-wing Politico to spin the disclosure of the donations as pro-active .

— After failing to disclose $75,000 in Clinton Foundation donations to both his employer and his viewers, ABC News’ chief anchor and political correspondent George Stephanopoulos tried to contain the ongoing fallout Friday morning with an on-air apology. Rather than explain why he withheld disclosure and, more importantly, why he felt the Clinton Foundation was best suited to deal with his pet causes, Stephanopoulos used the “Good Morning America” apology to puff himself up as a big charitable giver: I want to address some news you may have seen about me. Over the last several years I’ve made substantial donations to dozens of charities, including the Clinton Global Foundation. Those donations were a matter of public record but I should have made additional disclosures on-air hen we covered the Foundation. And I now believe that directing personal donations to that foundation was a mistake. Even though I made them strictly support work done to stop the spread of AIDS, help the children, and protect the environment in poor countries, I should’ve gone the extra mile to avoid even the appearance of a conflict. I apologize to all of you for failing to do that. Note how Stephanopoulos uses the weasel word “we” when referring to coverage of the Clinton Foundation scandals. “We” did not cover Clinton Foundations scandals — George Stephanopoulos did. “We” did not go to bizarre lengths to defend the Clintons from this scandal on “This Week” and “The Daily Show” — George Stephanopoulos did. By using the word “we,” Stephanopoulos is again deceiving his viewers. According to The New York Times, Stephanopoulos violated ABC News rules by not disclosing the donations. Nevertheless, the network says it stands behind its chief anchor. The sometimes-underhanded way ABC News has handled this scandal stands in stark contrast to NBC News, a network that suspended its “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams for deceiving viewers, and suspended then-MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann for not disclosing a $2400 political donation. That’s twice NBC News dropped disciplinary action on its most popular anchors at their respective networks. ABC News has also come under scrutiny for its initial handling of the scandal. After the Washington Free Beacon found the Stephanopoulos donations, the Beacon contacted ABC News for comment. Like a sleazy, dishonest politician, ABC News then ran to the left-wing Politico to spin the disclosure of the donations as pro-active. John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC

www.breitbart.com

right

Mrs8HKuViJkiZJyz

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race_and_racism

Associated Press

https://apnews.com/eda3ffe8fbfcf7727270e67bba1c9566

John Lewis’ legacy shaped in 1965 on ‘Bloody Sunday’

2020-07-18

Jay Reeves

FILE - In this March 7 , 1965 , file photo , a state trooper swings a billy club at John Lewis , right foreground , chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , to break up a civil rights voting march in Selma , Ala. Lewis sustained a fractured skull . Lewis , who carried the struggle against racial discrimination from Southern battlegrounds of the 1960s to the halls of Congress , died Friday , July 17 , 2020 . ( AP Photo/File ) FILE - In this March 7 , 1965 , file photo , a state trooper swings a billy club at John Lewis , right foreground , chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , to break up a civil rights voting march in Selma , Ala. Lewis sustained a fractured skull . Lewis , who carried the struggle against racial discrimination from Southern battlegrounds of the 1960s to the halls of Congress , died Friday , July 17 , 2020 . ( AP Photo/File ) SELMA , Ala. ( AP ) — John Lewis saw the line of Alabama state troopers a few hundred yards away as he led hundreds of marchers to the apex of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7 , 1965 . Armed with gas canisters and nightsticks , the troopers were flanked by horse-riding members of the sheriff ’ s posse . A crowd of whites milled around nearby . Lewis , who died Friday at age 80 , was just 25 at the time . He had been leading voting rights demonstrations for months in the notoriously racist town , and he and the others were trying to take a message of freedom to segregationist Gov . George C. Wallace in Montgomery . That seminal step propelled him on to a global stage as a hero of the U.S. civil rights movement . The ensuing confrontation helped lead to the passage of the federal Voting Rights Act . With fellow civil rights activist Hosea Williams at his side , Lewis finally stopped a few feet away from the phalanx of troopers commanded by Maj. John Cloud of the Alabama Department of Public Safety . Other marchers stopped behind them , shifting their feet uncomfortably on the bridge shoulder . Williams asked Cloud whether they could talk . There would be none of that , said Cloud . Acting on Wallace ’ s order , he said the march was illegal and gave the group two minutes to leave . Seconds later , Cloud unleashed a spasm of state-sanctioned violence that shocked the nation for its sheer brutality . “ Troopers , here , advance toward the group . See that they disperse , ” he said through a bullhorn . Lewis stood motionless with his hands in the pockets of his raincoat , a knapsack on his back . Archival film footage and photos show a line of roughly two dozen troopers wearing gas masks as they approach the long , peaceful line led by Lewis . A trooper jabbed the butt of a nightstick toward Lewis and officers quickly pushed into the group . Feet became tangled and bodies hit both the grass roadside and the asphalt road . Screams rang out . Lewis , in sworn court testimony five days later before U.S. District Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. , recalled being knocked to the ground . A state trooper standing upright hit him once in the head with a nightstick ; Lewis shielded his head with a hand . The trooper hit Lewis again as he tried to get up . The officer was never publicly identified ; Lewis testified he didn ’ t know who it was , and a gas mask shielded the man ’ s identity . Others were beaten even worse as whites cheered from nearby . Amelia Boynton Robinson , who was in the line behind Lewis , was tear-gassed and beaten so badly she had to be carried away unconscious . Others were clubbed by the sheriff ’ s posse members on horseback . Lewis testified he never lost consciousness , but he also didn ’ t remember how he got back to a church where he was taken before being admitted to a hospital . He got out in time for a hearing before Johnson , who overturned Wallace ’ s order and ruled demonstrators could march to Montgomery . Lewis was just a few feet away from the Rev . Martin Luther King Jr. at the front of more than 3,000 marchers when they left Selma on March 21 , 1965 , for the epic 52-mile walk to Montgomery . Wallace , who had vowed “ segregation forever ” during his 1963 inaugural and served four terms as governor , refused to meet with them . Lewis outlived other key players in what came to be known as Bloody Sunday by many years . He addressed a throng atop the bridge in March , after his cancer diagnosis , to mark the 55th commemoration of the day . “ Speak up , speak out , get in the way , ” said Lewis , who appeared frail but spoke in a strong voice . “ Get in good trouble , necessary trouble , and help redeem the soul of America . ” Wallace died in 1998 , five years after Cloud , and Judge Johnson died in 1999 . Hosea Williams , the other march leader who was beside Lewis that day on the bridge , died in 2000 . Robinson , who recovered from her injuries and crossed the Selma bridge with Lewis and then-President Barack Obama during the 50th anniversary commemoration , died in 2015 .

FILE - In this March 7, 1965, file photo, a state trooper swings a billy club at John Lewis, right foreground, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, to break up a civil rights voting march in Selma, Ala. Lewis sustained a fractured skull. Lewis, who carried the struggle against racial discrimination from Southern battlegrounds of the 1960s to the halls of Congress, died Friday, July 17, 2020. (AP Photo/File) FILE - In this March 7, 1965, file photo, a state trooper swings a billy club at John Lewis, right foreground, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, to break up a civil rights voting march in Selma, Ala. Lewis sustained a fractured skull. Lewis, who carried the struggle against racial discrimination from Southern battlegrounds of the 1960s to the halls of Congress, died Friday, July 17, 2020. (AP Photo/File) SELMA, Ala. (AP) — John Lewis saw the line of Alabama state troopers a few hundred yards away as he led hundreds of marchers to the apex of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965. Armed with gas canisters and nightsticks, the troopers were flanked by horse-riding members of the sheriff’s posse. A crowd of whites milled around nearby. Lewis, who died Friday at age 80, was just 25 at the time. He had been leading voting rights demonstrations for months in the notoriously racist town, and he and the others were trying to take a message of freedom to segregationist Gov. George C. Wallace in Montgomery. ADVERTISEMENT So, rather than stopping, Lewis put another foot forward. That seminal step propelled him on to a global stage as a hero of the U.S. civil rights movement. The ensuing confrontation helped lead to the passage of the federal Voting Rights Act. With fellow civil rights activist Hosea Williams at his side, Lewis finally stopped a few feet away from the phalanx of troopers commanded by Maj. John Cloud of the Alabama Department of Public Safety. Other marchers stopped behind them, shifting their feet uncomfortably on the bridge shoulder. Williams asked Cloud whether they could talk. There would be none of that, said Cloud. Acting on Wallace’s order, he said the march was illegal and gave the group two minutes to leave. Seconds later, Cloud unleashed a spasm of state-sanctioned violence that shocked the nation for its sheer brutality. “Troopers, here, advance toward the group. See that they disperse,” he said through a bullhorn. Lewis stood motionless with his hands in the pockets of his raincoat, a knapsack on his back. Archival film footage and photos show a line of roughly two dozen troopers wearing gas masks as they approach the long, peaceful line led by Lewis. A trooper jabbed the butt of a nightstick toward Lewis and officers quickly pushed into the group. Feet became tangled and bodies hit both the grass roadside and the asphalt road. Screams rang out. Lewis, in sworn court testimony five days later before U.S. District Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr., recalled being knocked to the ground. A state trooper standing upright hit him once in the head with a nightstick; Lewis shielded his head with a hand. The trooper hit Lewis again as he tried to get up. The officer was never publicly identified; Lewis testified he didn’t know who it was, and a gas mask shielded the man’s identity. Others were beaten even worse as whites cheered from nearby. Amelia Boynton Robinson, who was in the line behind Lewis, was tear-gassed and beaten so badly she had to be carried away unconscious. Others were clubbed by the sheriff’s posse members on horseback. ADVERTISEMENT Lewis testified he never lost consciousness, but he also didn’t remember how he got back to a church where he was taken before being admitted to a hospital. He got out in time for a hearing before Johnson, who overturned Wallace’s order and ruled demonstrators could march to Montgomery. Lewis was just a few feet away from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the front of more than 3,000 marchers when they left Selma on March 21, 1965, for the epic 52-mile walk to Montgomery. Wallace, who had vowed “segregation forever” during his 1963 inaugural and served four terms as governor, refused to meet with them. Lewis outlived other key players in what came to be known as Bloody Sunday by many years. He addressed a throng atop the bridge in March, after his cancer diagnosis, to mark the 55th commemoration of the day. “Speak up, speak out, get in the way,” said Lewis, who appeared frail but spoke in a strong voice. “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” Wallace died in 1998, five years after Cloud, and Judge Johnson died in 1999. Hosea Williams, the other march leader who was beside Lewis that day on the bridge, died in 2000. Robinson, who recovered from her injuries and crossed the Selma bridge with Lewis and then-President Barack Obama during the 50th anniversary commemoration, died in 2015.

www.apnews.com

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INc7mFQWqmaE6GRy

race_and_racism

Associated Press

https://apnews.com/b33f9d6420d570ab3f3f7afece67b6bb

Prosecutors charge 3 more officers in George Floyd’s death

2020-06-03

Amy Forliti, Steve Karnowski, Tim Sullivan

This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff 's Office in Minnesota on Wednesday , June 3 , 2020 , shows Derek Chauvin , from left , J. Alexander Kueng , Thomas Lane and Tou Thao . Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder of George Floyd , a black man who died after being restrained by him and the other Minneapolis police officers on May 25 . Kueng , Lane and Thao have been charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin . ( Hennepin County Sheriff 's Office via AP ) This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff 's Office in Minnesota on Wednesday , June 3 , 2020 , shows Derek Chauvin , from left , J. Alexander Kueng , Thomas Lane and Tou Thao . Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder of George Floyd , a black man who died after being restrained by him and the other Minneapolis police officers on May 25 . Kueng , Lane and Thao have been charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin . ( Hennepin County Sheriff 's Office via AP ) MINNEAPOLIS ( AP ) — Prosecutors charged three more police officers Wednesday in the death of George Floyd and filed a new , tougher charge against the officer at the center of the case , delivering a victory to protesters who have filled the streets from coast to coast to fight police brutality and racial injustice . The most serious charge was filed against Derek Chauvin , who was caught on video pressing his knee to Floyd ’ s neck and now must defend himself against an accusation of second-degree murder . The three other officers at the scene were charged for the first time with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter . All four were fired last week . If convicted , they could be sentenced to up to four decades in prison . Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter . Those charges still stand . The new second-degree murder charge alleges that Chauvin caused Floyd ’ s death without intent while committing another felony , namely third-degree assault . It carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison , compared with a maximum of 25 years for third-degree murder . The other officers — Thomas Lane , J. Kueng and Tou Thao — face the same maximum penalties for aiding and abetting . All three men were in custody by Wednesday evening . Chauvin was arrested last week and is still being held . The multiple charges against each officer would offer a jury more options to find them guilty . The charges were sought by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison , who called the protests unleashed by the death “ dramatic and necessary ” and said Floyd “ should be here and he is not . ” “ His life had value , and we will seek justice , ” said Ellison , who cautioned that winning convictions would be hard and said that public pressure had no bearing on his decisions . Hundreds of protesters were in New York City ’ s Washington Square Park when the charges were announced . “ It ’ s not enough , ” protester Jonathan Roldan said , insisting all four officers should have been charged from the start . “ Right now , we ’ re still marching because it ’ s not enough that they got arrested . There needs to be systematic change . ” Ben Crump , an attorney for Floyd ’ s family , called it “ a bittersweet moment ” and “ a significant step forward on the road to justice. ” Crump said Elison had told the family he would continue his investigation into Floyd ’ s death and upgrade the charge to first-degree murder if warranted . The move by prosecutors punctuated an unprecedented week in modern American history , in which largely peaceful protests took place in communities of all sizes but were rocked by bouts of violence , including deadly attacks on officers , rampant thefts and arson in some places . Nationwide , more than 9,000 have been arrested in connection with unrest . At least 12 deaths have been reported , though the circumstances in many cases are still being sorted out . Minnesota Gov . Tim Walz , speaking after the new charges were announced , said the state and nation need to “ seize the moment ” and use the wrenching events of the past week to confront the effects of racism , including unequal educational and economic opportunities . “ I think this is probably our last shot , as a state and as a nation , to fix this systemic issue , ” he said at a news conference . Also Wednesday , the Hennepin County Medical Examiner ’ s Office released the full autopsy report on Floyd , which noted he had previously tested positive for COVID-19 , but was apparently asymptomatic . The report was released with the family ’ s permission after summary findings Monday that said he had a heart attack while being restrained by officers . President Donald Trump has pushed the nation ’ s governors to take a hard line against the violence . He again tweeted Wednesday : “ LAW & ORDER ! ” An overpowering security force — including officers from the FBI Hostage Rescue Team , the Secret Service , the Drug Enforcement Administration , the Bureau of Prisons and , according to a senior defense official , at least 2,200 National Guard soldiers — was out in force Wednesday as thousands of peaceful protesters demonstrated in the nation ’ s capital . Some remained near the White House while others marched toward the Capitol building . Military vehicles were parked on streets near the White House , and an array of agencies kept watch from the air . An FBI plane , an Army surveillance plane and a Park Police helicopter circled overhead . At one point near the White House , protesters began singing “ Amazing Grace ” as they knelt in view of law enforcement officers in riot gear . “ We are not going anywhere ! ” they chanted . There were no signs of confrontations . Protester Jade Jones , 30 , said the demonstrations would continue despite the new charges . “ That ’ s the least they could do , ” said Jones , who had been attending Washington protests for days . “ It ’ s not going to wipe away 400 years of pain . ” “ We are glad there are additional charges , but that doesn ’ t mean justice has been served , ” she said . More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the violence . In New York City , where high-end stores were looted in earlier days , some retailers fortified their property . At the luxury department store Saks Fifth Avenue , windows were boarded up , then covered in chain-link fencing and razor wire . The front of the store was guarded by a line of tattooed men with dogs . There was scuffling in some parts of the city Wednesday night , but no signs of major clashes between protesters and police . In Greece , police fired tear gas after young people attacked them Wednesday outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens . Some 4,000 protesters had been peaceful until near the end of the demonstration , when some threw gasoline bombs and stones at police . No injuries or arrests were reported . Other protests were held Wednesday in London , Helsinki , Rotterdam and Bogota , among other cities . The anger over Floyd ’ s death has spilled into an array of racial issues across the U.S . In Philadelphia , for example , a statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo was removed by the city Wednesday after repeatedly being targeted by vandals . Rizzo presided over a police force widely accused of racism and brutality in the 1970s . In Virginia , Gov . Ralph Northam was expected to announce plans Thursday for the removal of an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond ’ s prominent Monument Avenue , a senior administration official told The ███ . The statue in the former Confederate capital has been the target of vandalism during the protests .

This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, shows Derek Chauvin, from left, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder of George Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by him and the other Minneapolis police officers on May 25. Kueng, Lane and Thao have been charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP) This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, shows Derek Chauvin, from left, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder of George Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by him and the other Minneapolis police officers on May 25. Kueng, Lane and Thao have been charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors charged three more police officers Wednesday in the death of George Floyd and filed a new, tougher charge against the officer at the center of the case, delivering a victory to protesters who have filled the streets from coast to coast to fight police brutality and racial injustice. The most serious charge was filed against Derek Chauvin, who was caught on video pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck and now must defend himself against an accusation of second-degree murder. The three other officers at the scene were charged for the first time with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. ADVERTISEMENT All four were fired last week. If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to four decades in prison. Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Those charges still stand. The new second-degree murder charge alleges that Chauvin caused Floyd’s death without intent while committing another felony, namely third-degree assault. It carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, compared with a maximum of 25 years for third-degree murder. The other officers — Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao — face the same maximum penalties for aiding and abetting. All three men were in custody by Wednesday evening. Chauvin was arrested last week and is still being held. The multiple charges against each officer would offer a jury more options to find them guilty. The charges were sought by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who called the protests unleashed by the death “dramatic and necessary” and said Floyd “should be here and he is not.” “His life had value, and we will seek justice,” said Ellison, who cautioned that winning convictions would be hard and said that public pressure had no bearing on his decisions. Hundreds of protesters were in New York City’s Washington Square Park when the charges were announced. “It’s not enough,” protester Jonathan Roldan said, insisting all four officers should have been charged from the start. “Right now, we’re still marching because it’s not enough that they got arrested. There needs to be systematic change.” Ben Crump, an attorney for Floyd’s family, called it “a bittersweet moment” and “a significant step forward on the road to justice.” Crump said Elison had told the family he would continue his investigation into Floyd’s death and upgrade the charge to first-degree murder if warranted. ADVERTISEMENT The move by prosecutors punctuated an unprecedented week in modern American history, in which largely peaceful protests took place in communities of all sizes but were rocked by bouts of violence, including deadly attacks on officers, rampant thefts and arson in some places. Nationwide, more than 9,000 have been arrested in connection with unrest. At least 12 deaths have been reported, though the circumstances in many cases are still being sorted out. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, speaking after the new charges were announced, said the state and nation need to “seize the moment” and use the wrenching events of the past week to confront the effects of racism, including unequal educational and economic opportunities. “I think this is probably our last shot, as a state and as a nation, to fix this systemic issue,” he said at a news conference. Also Wednesday, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office released the full autopsy report on Floyd, which noted he had previously tested positive for COVID-19, but was apparently asymptomatic. The report was released with the family’s permission after summary findings Monday that said he had a heart attack while being restrained by officers. President Donald Trump has pushed the nation’s governors to take a hard line against the violence. He again tweeted Wednesday: “LAW & ORDER!” An overpowering security force — including officers from the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, the Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Prisons and, according to a senior defense official, at least 2,200 National Guard soldiers — was out in force Wednesday as thousands of peaceful protesters demonstrated in the nation’s capital. Some remained near the White House while others marched toward the Capitol building. Military vehicles were parked on streets near the White House, and an array of agencies kept watch from the air. An FBI plane, an Army surveillance plane and a Park Police helicopter circled overhead. At one point near the White House, protesters began singing “Amazing Grace” as they knelt in view of law enforcement officers in riot gear. “We are not going anywhere!” they chanted. There were no signs of confrontations. Protester Jade Jones, 30, said the demonstrations would continue despite the new charges. “That’s the least they could do,” said Jones, who had been attending Washington protests for days. “It’s not going to wipe away 400 years of pain.” “We are glad there are additional charges, but that doesn’t mean justice has been served,” she said. More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the violence. In New York City, where high-end stores were looted in earlier days, some retailers fortified their property. At the luxury department store Saks Fifth Avenue, windows were boarded up, then covered in chain-link fencing and razor wire. The front of the store was guarded by a line of tattooed men with dogs. There was scuffling in some parts of the city Wednesday night, but no signs of major clashes between protesters and police. The protests have also taken root overseas. In Greece, police fired tear gas after young people attacked them Wednesday outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens. Some 4,000 protesters had been peaceful until near the end of the demonstration, when some threw gasoline bombs and stones at police. No injuries or arrests were reported. Other protests were held Wednesday in London, Helsinki, Rotterdam and Bogota, among other cities. The anger over Floyd’s death has spilled into an array of racial issues across the U.S. In Philadelphia, for example, a statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo was removed by the city Wednesday after repeatedly being targeted by vandals. Rizzo presided over a police force widely accused of racism and brutality in the 1970s. In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam was expected to announce plans Thursday for the removal of an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond’s prominent Monument Avenue, a senior administration official told The Associated Press. The statue in the former Confederate capital has been the target of vandalism during the protests. ___ Full Coverage: Days of Unrest Associated Press journalists across the U.S. contributed to this report.

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