Friday, July 21, 2017
Democrats Harris, Kennedy dismiss talk of challenging Trump in 2020
President Donald Trump has been in
office for only six months, but that hasn’t prevented political junkies
from speculating about which Democrats may try to oppose him in the 2020
presidential race.
An upcoming scheduled appearance in
New Hampshire by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters of California has already
sparked talk that she might run, as Fox News reported Thursday.
But other Democrats – aside from obvious names such
as former Vice President Joe Biden – are also drawing attention. Fresh
faces being mentioned include Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Rep.
Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts.Speculation about Harris continues to mount following her recent trip to New York’s Hamptons, where she met with Hillary Clinton supporters and major donors.
“She’s running for president. Take it to the bank,” one fundraiser told the Hill about 52-year-old Harris. “She’s absolutely going to run.”
A recent poll showed that Harris would narrowly defeat Trump if the 2020 election were held today, Breitbart News reported.
The former prosecutor and state attorney general of California gained national attention during recent Senate Intelligence Committee hearings, when her questioning of former FBI Director James Comey and others was interrupted on two occasions – once by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and once by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.
However, Harris quickly dismissed talk of a presidential bid while at a Recode technology conference in May.
“I’m not giving that any consideration. I’ve got to stay focused,” Harris said.
But, according to Page Six of the New York Post, the senator is scheduled to make another trip to the Hamptons soon, where she will meet with influential Democrats, including Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and former Attorney General Eric Holder.
Meanwhile, Kennedy was recently featured in a Town & Country article that dubbed him “The next president.”
The grandson of Robert F. Kennedy is also known for his stand against Trump’s promise to repeal and replace ObamaCare, as well as his support for Planned Parenthood.
But just like Harris, the 36-year-old congressman quickly dismisses talk of a run for the White House.
He added that the headline caught him by surprise.
“Furthest thing from my mind,” he said after a rally in Quincy, Massachusetts. “So, no plans on that, thanks very much.”
California judge refuses to bring back Trump's sanctuary cities ban
Americans protesting?? |
In a seeming act of defiance toward the Trump
administration, a federal judge in San Francisco has refused to
reinstate the president’s sanctuary cities order.
The bold move to not reinstate
President Donald Trump's executive order -- which sought to slash
funding to cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration
authorities -- comes amid a battle between the State Department and
local governments across the country over the edict from Washington.
The U.S. Department of Justice had asked U.S.
District Court Judge William Orrick to reverse his own injunction in
April against Trump's executive order. The injunction was issued in
response to lawsuits by San Francisco and Santa Clara County in
California.Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote a memo in May saying the executive order should be applied narrowly to a small number of grants and to very specific violations of immigration law. The memo said cities that "willfully refuse to comply" with federal law could lose grants from the Justice and Homeland Security departments, but not other federal funding.
The Justice Department said the memo negated the need for Orrick's injunction.
Orrick said he found Sessions' memo unconvincing, asserting it would allow the attorney general to reverse his stand at any moment.
The judge's injunction stops enforcement of the executive order across the country, and allows the lawsuits to go forward.
And Orrick's refusal to reverse it strikes another blow to Trump's attempt to punish cities that give safe haven to those in the country illegally.
On Friday, Sessions is scheduled to visit Philadelphia, where officials have said its local law enforcement will not act as immigration agents — a stance Sessions has challenged as unconstitutional.
During a speech to law enforcement officials in Las Vegas, Sessions recently singled out Philadelphia, saying the City of Brotherly Love is "advertising" its policy and "protecting criminals."
Sessions' trip comes on the heels of a New York Times interview published this week in which Trump expressed frustration with Sessions for recusing himself from the FBI probe into Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Jobless Claims Plunge to 233,000, Lowest Level in 2 Months
Job seeker Dalvin Jones, left, chats with Valmira Haxhimusa during the Opportunity Fair and Forum employment event in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) |
Fewer people are filing for unemployment.
A new jobless claims report shows new claims for unemployment benefits dropped to 233,000 in the second week of July.
That’s the lowest level in two months.
Investors expected there would not be a drop, and the numbers would remain steady from the previous week.
Historically low unemployment levels from the past few months are one of the biggest signs of a healthy U.S. economy.
Turkish State News Agency Reveals Location of U.S. Troops in Syria
OAN Newsroom
Pentagon officials say a Turkish state run news agency published the location of U.S. military posts in Syria.
A Pentagon spokesman said the information puts U.S. troops in danger.
The news report published on Tuesday named the locations of 10 U.S. military posts in Northern Syria .
In some cases the story detailed the number of U.S. and French troops in the area.
Relations between the two nations have been rocky since the U.S. began supplying Kurdish YPG fighters with weapons to drive ISIS out of Syria.
Turkey considers the YPG a branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.
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