Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Charlie Rose Cartoons





Newt Gingrich: Trump's historic impact on the federal court system will help our nation prosper for decades to come


As Congress and President Trump continue to work to pass the most significant tax cuts in more than 30 years, the president is also implementing another enormous conservative reform that will strengthen America for decades.
With the help of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the president is restoring the intended purpose of the federal judiciary – to uphold the rule of law as outlined in the Constitution.
Our Founding Fathers intended for the judicial branch to be an impartial institution with the sole mission of interpreting the law and ensuring it is applied fairly to all Americans.
Under the Obama administration, judges instead cast themselves as political activists pursuing a liberal-leaning agenda. Our Founders fully understood the threat that a politically saturated judicial branch posed to our God-given and legally protected American freedoms.
Fortunately, President Trump does too.
With help from adviser Leonard Leo, as well as guidance from John Malcolm and others at the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society, President Trump has already taken monumental steps to restore the integrity of the federal bench by appointing originalist judicial nominees who will apply the law as it is written, rather than in the way current political forces desire.
In addition to conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, 13 more of President Trump’s judicial nominees have been confirmed by the Senate as of last Thursday. By comparison, only eight of President Obama’s appointees had been confirmed by the end of November 2009 – when the Democrats controlled the Senate with 60 seats.
The numbers alone speak to how tremendously effective President Trump and Leader McConnell have been. Republicans have a slim 53-vote Senate majority (including Vice President Pence’s vote). Imagine what they could get done with 60 reliable votes – a point to keep in mind going into the 2018 midterm elections.
The left and the media are panicked because they know the large-scale changes President Trump is making will have long-lasting, history-shaping effects.
Federal judicial appointments are for life, and President Trump is selecting relatively young individuals, by federal court standards. This means these conservative judges could potentially occupy these positions for a long time.
In fact, Ronald A. Klain wrote in July in the Washington Post that the average age of President Trump’s Court of Appeals nominees was 48 – seven years younger than the average age of President Obama’s nominees. This means, “on average, Trump’s appellate court nominees will sit through nearly two more presidential terms than Obama’s,” Klain wrote.
In addition to serving longer terms, these judges will also bring new experiences and aptitudes into the judicial system. This can be tremendously helpful as cases involving cybercrime, data theft, and malicious use of technology become more common.
The importance of this dramatic reshaping of the entire federal court system cannot be overstated. While it is easy to focus on the U.S. Supreme Court, lower and appellate court judges will make decisions that impact ordinary Americans on a daily basis for decades to come. This Trump transformation in the judiciary could establish the most pro-American, pro-individual rights federal bench in modern American history.
There is no doubt that the tax cuts President Trump and Republicans in Congress are working on will do wonders to boost our economy, create jobs and increase wages. In addition, President Trump’s deregulation efforts will spur innovation and empower Americans to focus on the work they love.
However, the Trump revolution taking place in the federal court system will help our nation continue to prosper by ensuring that our judges protect our lives, liberty and core values for decades to come.
Newt Gingrich is a Fox News contributor. A Republican, he was speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. Follow him on Twitter @NewtGingrich. His latest book is "Understanding Trump."

Trump plays down Roy Moore allegations, blasts 'liberal' rival in Alabama race


President Trump minimized allegations of sexual misconduct against Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore Tuesday, telling voters not to support Moore's Democratic opponent.
"I can tell you one thing for sure," Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a Thanksgiving break at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. "We don't need a liberal person in there, a Democrat [Doug] Jones ... We do not need somebody that's going to be bad on crime, bad on borders, bad with the military, bad for the Second Amendment."
When pressed on the allegations against Moore, some of which date back 40 years, Trump said, "Look, he denies it ... He says it didn't happen, and you know, you have to listen to him also."
"Forty years is a long time," Trump added, questioning why it took so long for Moore's accusers to come forward.
The president did not rule out campaigning for Moore ahead of the Dec. 12 special election, telling the reporters, "I'll be letting you know next week." Trump backed Moore's defeated opponent, Sen. Luther Strange, in September's primary runoff election.
LIBERAL VIEWS OF ROY MOORE'S DEMOCRATIC RIVAL COULD POSE PITFALL AMID SCANDAL
Six women have accused Moore of pursuing romantic relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was an assistant district attorney in his 30s. Two have accused him of assault or molestation. Moore has denied the allegations.
Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have both called on Moore to leave the race in light of the accusations. The Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have pulled their support for Moore's campaign.
The allegations against Moore come amid a national reckoning over misdeeds by powerful men in media, business and politics. Trump said he is "very happy" that women are speaking out about their experiences.
"I think it's a very special time because a lot of things are coming out and I think that's good for our society and I think it's very, very good for women," Trump said.
More than a dozen women came forward in the waning days of the 2016 presidential election to say that Trump had sexually assaulted or harassed them over the years. He denied it. He was also caught on tape in 2005 boasting that he could grab women's private parts.
"When you're a star, they let you do it," Trump said on the "Access Hollywood" tape.
Trump declined to answer Tuesday when asked why he does not believe Moore's accusers.
Trump spoke moments after three of Moore's campaign surrogates held a press conference responding to some of the accusations against the 70-year-old Moore.
Attorney Ben Dupree described the allegations against Moore as "lies" circulated by "The Washington Post, the Republican establishment and the Democrat Party," who he said were waging a "three-front war to destroy Judge Roy Moore’s impeccable reputation."
The Moore campaign attempted to rebut claims by accusers Leigh Corfman, who claimed Moore molested her when she was 14; and Beverly Nelson, who said Moore assaulted her when she was a 16-year-old waitress. They also questioned reports that claimed Moore had been banned from a mall in Gadsden, Ala. due to his behavior around young girls.
The campaign also issued a statement Monday night that quoted two former restaurant employees and a former customer who said they did not remember Nelson working there or Moore eating there.
"Allegations are words, they are not facts." Moore campaign spokesman Stan Cooke said. "Allegations are words, they are not indictments and they are not charges."
Jones began airing a new ad Monday that features statements made by Sessions, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and first daughter Ivanka Trump responding to allegations of sexual misconduct against Moore.

Sessions said he had no reason to doubt Moore's accusers. Shelby, a Republican, said he will "absolutely not" vote for Moore. Ivanka Trump said there's a special place in hell for people who prey on children.

The ad was the first direct assault by the Jones camp against Moore on the allegations.

Gayle King talks with Stephen Colbert about Charlie Rose firing


"CBS This Morning" co-anchors Norah O'Donnell, left, and Gayle King, with their dismissed former colleague, Charlie Rose.  (CBS via Associated Press)
When Gayle King scheduled Tuesday's appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," her plan was to discuss "Oprah's Favorite Things," a holiday project with her friend Oprah Winfrey.
But Tuesday's news about the firing of King's "CBS This Morning" colleague, Charlie Rose, from both CBS and PBS over allegations of sexual misconduct, forced a change in the conversation.
“I came this close to canceling,” King told Colbert about her Tuesday late-night appearance. She said it was difficult to discuss the events leading to the dismissal of Rose, a man she described as "a friend."
Colbert commended King and CBS for how they handled the matter, explaining that King and fellow "CBS This Morning" anchor Nora O'Donnell had reported Rose's firing “objectively and fully” on their morning program earlier in the day.
“It’s still very painful. It’s still very hurtful,” King said. “Charlie and I, we have worked together, been friends. But when you think about the anguish of those women, despite the friendship, you still have to report the news.”
“It’s still very painful. It’s still very hurtful. Charlie and I, we have worked together, been friends. But when you think about the anguish of those women, despite the friendship, you still have to report the news.”
King also mentioned that she was “wincing” during Colbert’s opening monologue -- in which the late-night host cracked jokes about a sweeping number of recent sexual misconduct scandals involving high-profile figures in entertainment, media and government.
“It’s interesting,” King said. “When you were doing the monologue about other people I was like, 'Ah-ha,' and then it was Charlie and I thought, ‘He’s a friend.’ It’s difficult.”
Colbert replied jokingly, “Well, you did your job this morning. I did my job tonight.”
CBS fired Rose after the Washington Post reported that several women linked to Rose's PBS show accused the veteran journalist of sexual harassment. PBS dropped Rose's show and fired him shortly after the CBS announcement.

North Korean troops crossed into South while chasing defector, UN says


North Korean troops briefly crossed into South Korea while chasing one of their fellow soldiers who defected earlier this month, violating the armistice that ended the Korean War, the U.S.-led United Nations command said Wednesday.
At a live TV briefing, the command released dramatic video showing the unidentified soldier speeding down a tree-lined road past shocked North Korean soldiers, who begin to run after him. He crashes the jeep near the line that divides North and South in the so-called "truce village" of Panmunjom, where North and South Korean soldiers face each other at their closest distance just feet away.
Soldiers from the North sprint to the area, firing their weapons at the defector; one hurries across the dividing line before running back to the northern side. South Korean soldiers then crawl up to the defector, who has fallen injured in a mass of leaves against a small wall. They drag him to safety as North Korean troops gather on their side of the line.
Surprisingly, North and South Korean soldiers didn't exchange fire in the first shooting in the area in more than three decades.
U.S. Army Col. Chad G. Carroll, a spokesman for the U.N. command, said the North violated the armistice by "one, firing weapons across the MDL, and two, by actually crossing the MDL temporarily," referring to the military demarcation line that bisects the Koreas.
A U.N. Command statement said officials notified the North's military of these violations and requested a meeting to discuss the investigation results and measures to prevent future such violations.
North Korea hasn't responded and its official media haven't reported on the case. The North has previously accused South Korea of kidnapping or enticing North Koreans to defect. About 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea, mostly via China, since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
South Korea's military has said North Korean soldiers used handguns and AK rifles to fire about 40 rounds at their former comrade, who was hit at least five times.
The JSA, jointly overseen by the American-led U.N. Command and by North Korea, is inside the 2.5-mile-wide Demilitarized Zone, which has been the de facto border between the Koreas since the war.
Meanwhile, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that the North Korean soldier had regained consciousness after undergoing two surgeries at Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, south of Seoul. One South Korean official told Yonhap the soldier was able to talk to doctors and requested to watch television in his room.
The official added that the soldier was suffering from "fear and heavy stress" from his ordeal and was being treated with "psychotherapy." A South Korean flag had "apparently" been placed in the soldier's room in an attempt to improve his mental state.
Hospital official Shin Mi-jeong confirmed to the Associated Press that the soldier is conscious and is no longer relying on a breathing machine. While his condition is improving, doctors plan to keep him at the intensive care unit for at least several more days to guard against possible infections.
While treating the wounds, surgeons removed dozens of parasites from the soldier's ruptured small intestine, including presumed roundworms that were as long as 10.6 inches, which may reflect poor nutrition and health in North Korea's military. The soldier is 5 feet, 7 inches tall but weighs just 132 pounds.

Trump to Press Biden on Policing, Crime at Slain Officer's Funeral

Donald Trump will attend Thursday's wake of a New York City police officer gunned down in the line of dut...