Ben Carson praises Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in apparent break with Trump

Dr. Ben Carson, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, on Friday praised Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in the state’s contentious runoff, an apparent break with the president who is backing another candidate.

"Judge Moore is a fine man of proven character and integrity, who I have come to respect over the years,” Carson said in the statement released by the Moore campaign. “I was delighted to hear he is running for the U.S. Senate. He is truly someone who reflects the Judeo-Christian values that were so important to the establishment of our country.”

It was released just hours before President Trump was set to take stage in Huntsville for a rally in support of the other Republican in the race, incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to the post when Jeff Sessions stepped down to become the U.S. attorney general.
Despite Trump’s endorsement, some of the president’s usual allies, including former senior adviser Steve Bannon, are supporting Moore. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin headlined a post-debate rally for Moore after Thursday's debate.
Moore, Alabama’s former Supreme Court justice, has been polling ahead of Strange, who is favored by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell. The runoff takes place Tuesday.
It's uncommon for Cabinet officials to wade into political races, as the Hatch Act limits political activities of federal employees.
According to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, federal employees are not allowed to engage in political activity while on duty, in the workplace or in any official capacity.
Carson's statement was carefully worded and did not identify Carson as a Cabinet secretary, but rather as a doctor. It also did not claim to be an endorsement.
In 2012, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was found to have been in violation of the Hatch Act after the Office of Special Counsel determined that she made "extemporaneous partisan remarks" during a speech. The speech had come during an official trip.

Alabama rally: Trump campaigns in last-ditch effort for Senate candidate Luther Strange

President Trump rallied with his Alabama supporters on Friday evening for more than an hour in a last-ditch effort to push incumbent Sen. Luther Strange across the finish line in next week’s tight Republican runoff.

During a campaign rally in Huntsville, the president said he appreciated how Strange agreed to vote for ObamaCare replacement legislation this summer without asking any favors from him.

“I called him up a week ago and I said, ‘You know, I think you’re down by a few points,’” Trump said. “But I’m going to come to Alabama and I’m going to make a speech for you on Friday night.”
Trump, who endorsed Strange last month, is tremendously popular in Alabama, winning 62 percent of the vote in the state during the presidential race.
But Strange has been trailing his opponent, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, in recent public polls.
The president also used the rally to draw attention to a variety of other political issues, including Arizona Sen. John McCain’s opposition to Republican ObamaCare overhaul bills, the nuclear threat from North Korea and the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the election.
“That was totally unexpected thing -- terrible," Trump said of McCain’s vote against ObamaCare repeal legislation.
He also referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un as “Little Rocket Man.”
“Rocket Man should have been handled a long time ago,” Trump said.
REPUBLICANS SPAR IN ALABAMA SENATE DEBATE OVER TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT
Speaking of the special counsel probe into possible Trump campaign ties with Russia, the president said: “And by the way folks, just in the case you’re curious, no, Russia did not help me.”
“I call it the Russian hoax, one of the great hoaxes,” he said.
Trump also made an apparent reference to football player Colin Kaepernick, known for kneeling during the national anthem as a protest against police shootings of African-Americans.
“We’re proud of our country," Trump said. "We respect our flag. Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say get that son of a bitch off the field, right now, out? He’s fired.”

Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) looks on during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC16E9F1A070

Trump argued during the rally that Strange would have an easier time than Moore winning the general election in Alabama if Strange secures the Republican nomination next week.
“That is why I’m here tonight to ask the good people of Alabama to send Luther Strange to the United States Senate, so he can defend your interests, fight for your values and always put America first,” Trump said.
The Strange campaign is banking on the president’s support to help him close the gap before Tuesday’s vote. During a debate Thursday, Strange repeatedly emphasized Trump’s endorsement, portraying himself as a loyal warrior in Washington for the president’s agenda.
Introducing the president during Friday’s rally, Strange donned a red “Make America Great Again” hat.
But the Alabama runoff has divided Trump from some of his usual allies, including former senior advisers Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who are supporting Moore.
A few hours before Friday’s rally, Ben Carson, the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, released a statement praising Moore and encouraging Alabamians to get out and vote.
BEN CARSON PRAISES ALABAMA SENATE CANDIDATE ROY MOORE IN APPARENT BREAK WITH TRUMP
"Judge Moore is a fine man of proven character and integrity, who I have come to respect over the years,” Carson said. “I was delighted to hear he is running for the U.S. Senate. He is truly someone who reflects the Judeo-Christian values that were so important to the establishment of our country.”
During Friday's rally, the president played to his crowd, expressing his love for the state, its people, college football and its former senator, Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
“I understand the people of Alabama,” he said. “I feel like I’m from Alabama, frankly. Isn’t a little weird when a guy who lives on Fifth Avenue, in the most beautiful apartments you’ve ever seen, comes to Alabama and Alabama loves that guy?”
Strange, the former attorney general in Alabama, was temporarily appointed to the seat in April after Sessions joined the Trump administration.

Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks to supporters, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. Moore, who took losing stands for the public display of the Ten Commandments and against gay marriage, forced a Senate primary runoff with Sen. Luther Strange, an appointed incumbent backed by both President Donald Trump and heavy investment from establishment Republican forces. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)  (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Moore, known in Alabama as the “Ten Commandments Judge,” is a Christian conservative who is famous for having been removed twice from his position on Alabama’s Supreme Court.
Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to fly to Alabama on Monday
The winner of the GOP runoff will face Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney under the Clinton administration who was endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden has announced plans to campaign for Jones in Alabama in October.

Democrats still Crying Cartoons

Iowa Dems hope anti-Trump sentiment will help them win GOP House seat

Iowa Democrats apparently ran out of gas between Caucus Day and Election Day in 2016, but nine months later, that’s changed.

The party is hoping it can parlay soured support of President Trump into the capture of Republican Huse seats.

“We’ve had more enthusiasm since the election results than we had prior to Nov. 8,” Linn County Democratic Party Chairman Bret Nilles told Fox News.

“We’ve had more enthusiasm since the election results than we had prior to Nov. 8."

Linn County sits in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, which delivered double-digit wins for Obama twice, before breaking for Trump by three over Clinton.
That makes this a swing district, and a top target for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in its effort to flip the House of Representatives in 2018.
Rep. Rod Blum, R-Iowa, represents the 1st right now, and isn’t letting the Democratic machine present a distraction.
“I’m not afraid of losing elections, I’m not even thinking about the next election,” Blum told Fox News.
Earlier this year, Blum hosted town hall meetings that were disrupted by demonstrators, who he believes were “organized by leftist groups.”
Blum also casts doubt on the impact of Trump's flagging approval ratings on this race, saying he thinks the president still appeals to his blue-collar constituents in a Reagan-like way.
Still, Democrats will try to flip the seat by tying Blum to Trump.
“Congressman Blum showed tremendous support for Donald Trump, I think that’s going to be in our favor,” Nilles said.
One of the locals trying to get on the ballot as a Democrat just hopes her party doesn’t repeat the last cycle’s mistakes.
“I think that the Democratic party did a very poor job of presenting that they cared about the problems in this district,” said Courtney Rowe, an engineer from Cedar Rapids.
Rowe, a supporter of single-payer health care, says a chord struck by both Obama and Trump in this state should be sought out.
“In 2012, they felt that Obama that was giving them hope and letting them know he cared about the issues in their life,” Rowe said.  “In 2016, they felt that was Trump.”

GOP retirements could signal trouble for midterm elections

The beginning of September inevitably brings a wave of Congressional retirements, especially in non-election years, as members return from their August recess to a thankless helping of gridlock, unrelenting criticism, and public approval ratings of 15.8 percent, according to the latest Real Clear Politics average of polls.

Pennsylvania moderate Republican Charlie Dent is one of seven House Republicans to recently announce his retirement.

"A lot of this was personal but also the polarization around here is pretty severe," he told Fox News.
TRUMP NOMINATIONS SET UP MORE SPECIAL ELECTIONS, CHANCES FOR DEMS TO UPSET
He joins soon-to-be retirees Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), Sam Johnson (R-Texas) Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) Jimmy Duncan (R-Tenn.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Dave Trott (R-Mich). Ten other GOP seats, mostly considered safe, are open as members run for higher office.
It could all signal trouble ahead for the GOP in the mid-terms, when the president's party traditionally loses seats. Former presidential adviser and Breitbart publisher Steve Bannon is promising to back conservative and economic populists to root out moderates in Republican primaries.
GOP REP. REICHERT OF WASHINGTON STATE RETIRING AFTER 7 TERMS
Yet, the far-right Freedom Caucus remain resistant to compromise.
"Both of these groups, whether it's Bannon or the Freedom Caucus still believe they can take over the Republican Party and dominate it," says Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President George W. Bush and a Fox News contributor.
Conservative primary challenges didn’t work out well in the 2010 election cycle, as untested GOP Senate candidates like Sharon Angle in Nevada, and Christine O'Donnell in Delaware faded in general elections with self-inflicted rookie gaffes.
Already in this new election cycle, former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Roy Moore, who's running against Sen. Luther Strange for Jeff Sessions’ seat, made an embarrassing misstep as he was queried on the local Dale Jackson radio show about "Dreamers" and the DACA program.
ALABAMA SENATE PRIMARY: MOORE'S POPULARITY SHAKES GOP ESTABLISHMENT
"You're not aware of what Dreamers are?"
"No," said Moore.
"This is a big issue in the immigration debate," Dale Jackson responded incredulously.
"Why don't you tell me what it is Dale and quit beating around and tell me what it is," Moore responded.
Republicans are heartened that seven retirements and 10 other open seats are fewer in number than in an average election cycle.
"I'm not overall concerned right now. Seven is well below the 22 average retirements that would normally happen," Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), the chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee, told Fox News. "Second... Democrats have retirement problems of their own."
Stivers also maintains Republicans have a distinct advantage in redistricting.
The 100 Congressional districts that were once considered in play at any given time, has been whittled down to about 70, making it much more difficult for House Democrats to win a majority.

Dems fight to wrest veterans mantle from GOP ahead of 2018 midterms

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks during fellow House Democrats' news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., March 24, 2017.  (Reuters)

Democrats are on a wide-ranging mission to wrest the veterans vote from Republicans – courting them with the promise of better jobs and running dozens of returning military service members in the 2018 midterms. 

The effort reflects the party's determination to retake control of at least one chamber of Congress next year. While Republicans' ideals of a powerful military and a boot-strap work ethic have long appealed to active and retired military – Donald Trump won 60 percent of their vote last fall, exit polls showed – Democrats think they can make inroads.

“We have seen an incredible amount of inspiring Democratic veterans step up to run for Congress this cycle. And that has absolutely helped us expand the midterm map and put Republicans further on their heels,” Tyler Law, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman, said.
While the DCCC’s recruiting efforts have yielded roughly 30 military veteran candidates, House Democrats have also begun a separate effort to pursue better employment opportunities for veterans, part of their larger “Jobs for America” initiative.
“Our agenda cannot just be against Donald Trump, alluring as that may be,” New York Rep. Joe Crowley, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said Sept. 13 in announcing the Reinvesting in Our Heroes Task Force.
Trump, a Republican, in large part won the presidency by appealing to soldiers and veterans with promises to spend more on defense to confront foreign enemies while improving their healthcare in the Department of Veterans Affairs, whose previous conduct he called a “national disgrace.”
"I'm going to build a military that's going to be much stronger than it is right now,” Trump said weeks before winning the White House race. “It's going to be so strong, nobody's going to mess with us.”
And within weeks of taking office, he created a White House veteran-complaint hotline, signed a VA whistleblower protection law approved by the GOP-controlled Congress and proposed roughly $700 billion in additional Defense Department spending.
So Democrats have their work cut out in appealing to the same, powerful bloc.
Among the veteran candidates looking to knock off a sitting House Republican in 2018 is former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath, who has flown 89 combat missions and has an admitted chip on her shoulder.
“When I was 13, my congressman told me I couldn't fly in combat. He said Congress thought women ought to be protected and not allowed to serve in combat,” McGrath, a Naval Academy graduate, says in a video announcing her bid to unseat two-term Kentucky GOP Rep. Andy Barr.
2018 MIDTERMS: DEMS TARGET 80 HOUSE SEATS
David Wasserman, who analyzes House races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, acknowledged Wednesday that Republicans have had the edge with veterans.
“But the dynamics have changed with a lot of liberal-leaning veterans. And a number of them could have a really good chance next year of winning,” he said.
Wasserman also warned that winning candidates need more than a muscular military resume, including a command of policy -- but cited Brendan Kelly, in Illinois’ 12th Congressional District, and Pat Ryan, in New York’s 19 Congressional District, as candidates to watch.

'We have seen an incredible amount of inspiring Democratic veterans step up to run for Congress this cycle.'

Among the other candidates getting attention are Josh Butner, a 23-year Navy veteran and former SEAL whose family's military history dates back to the Mexican-American War.
He’s challenging three-term GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, who won reelection last year in his San Diego-area 50th Congressional District with nearly 64 percent of the vote.
Democrats have to gain 24 seats to take control of the House, with veteran candidates part of the party’s ambitious effort to compete next year in as many as 79 of the chamber’s 435 races.
Their odds of winning the Senate appear more of a longshot, considering Democrats have to defend 25 seats, despite needing only a net win of three to take the majority.
Republicans have fewer veteran candidates in 2018, but point out they already have a large number in Congress, with fortifying incumbents a priority.
“A large portion of our Republican congressional conference is veterans, and we have others this cycle looking to join their fellow servicemembers in Congress,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Jesse Hunt said.
Among those running in 2018 are Steve Ferrara in Arizona’s 9th district; Dan DeBono in New York’s 3rd district; Andrew Grant in California’s 7th district; and Eddie Edwards in New Hampshire’s 1st district.
Ferrara is a retired Navy captain and doctor who pioneered life- and limb-saving surgical techniques on the battlefield.
Moving forward, jobs for veterans will be a focus for both parties.
The veteran unemployment rate continues to decline, at 3.7 percent in August compared to 4.3 percent at the same time last year.
But California Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley, co-chair of the House jobs task force, told Fox News more work is needed for veterans.
“Finding a high-quality job that meets their qualifications and potential is what most concerns those in the military. Servicemembers want to support their families and provide some stability, often after having to move so much,” she said.
Brownley, whose district includes Naval Base Ventura County, also argued that veterans, as a result of their military training, possess “intangibles” like leadership skills and team readiness that they occasionally undersell.
“Sometime a sailor might say, ‘My job was to swab the deck.’ But his job was really to be part of the team that makes sure planes land safely," she said. "That’s a really important skill.”

North Korea could test hydrogen bomb in Pacific, top diplomat says

North Korea's foreign minister has said the Communist nation may test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean after dictator Kim Jong Un vowed he would take the "highest-level" action against the United States, South Korean media reported Thursday. 

The Yonhap news agency reported on comments made to reporters by Ri Yong Ho on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"We have no idea about what actions could be taken as it will be ordered by leader Kim Jong Un," Ri was quoted as saying by Yonhap.
Such a test would be considered a major provocation by the U.S., South Korea and Japan. Ri was scheduled to address the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday, a day later than previously scheduled.
Ri's comments followed Kim's extraordinary statement lashing out at President Trump, calling the American leader "deranged" and vowing that Trump would "pay dearly" for his threat to destroy North Korea.
Kim's first-person statement was published by North Korea's state propaganda arm in response to Trump's fiery speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. South Korean media called it the first such direct address to the world by Kim.
Kim said Trump was "unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country." He also described the U.S. president as "a rogue and a gangster fond of playing with fire."
Some analysts saw Kim's statement as a clear announcement that North Korea would ramp up its already brisk pace of weapons testing, which has included missiles meant to target U.S. forces throughout Asia and the U.S. mainland.
On Tuesday, Trump mocked Kim as a "rocket man" on a "suicide mission," and said that if "forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."
Kim characterized Trump's speech to the world body as "mentally deranged behavior."

He said Trump's remarks "have convinced me, rather than frightening or stopping me, that the path I chose is correct and that it is the one I have to follow to the last."

Kim said he was "thinking hard" about his response and that Trump "will face results beyond his expectation."

Kim Dong-yub, a former South Korean military official who is now an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said Kim's statement indicated that North Korea would respond to Trump with its most aggressive missile test yet. That might include firing a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile over Japan to a range of around 4,349 miles to display a capability to reach Hawaii or Alaska.

In recent months, the North has launched a pair of still-developmental ICBMs it said were capable of striking the continental United States and a pair of intermediate-range missiles that soared over Japanese territory. Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date, drawing stiffer U.N. sanctions.

Robert Mueller Witch Hunter Cartoons

Mueller makes extensive request to White House for Trump documents

Witch Hunter

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has asked the White House to provide a wide variety of documents related to his investigation into Russia’s attempted meddling in the 2016 election, Fox News has confirmed.

Mueller’s office has provided a list of documents requested from the White House counsel’s office, a legal source says. The broad request covers multiple White House staffers and includes actions Trump has taken as president.

The request was expected, a source said.
The president’s legal team declined to comment.
"Out of respect for the special counsel and his process, the White House does not comment on any specific requests being made or our conversations with the special counsel,” White House attorney Ty Cobb said in a statement. “I can only reaffirm that the White House is committed to cooperating fully with Special Counsel Mueller."
MUELLER RATCHETS UP PRESSURE ON PAUL MANAFORT, BUT WHO IS LEAKING THESE DAMAGING DETAILS?
Mueller wants documents from 13 different areas including Trump’s firing of former national security adviser Mike Flynn and former FBI director James Comey, a source said.
He also wants documents related to Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Russian officials and Donald Trump Jr.’s infamous June 2016 meeting with a Russian attorney.
A source also told Fox News that the scope of the request shows that Mueller is operating well within the parameters of his mandate to look into Russian interference in the election – and has not strayed outside the lines.
The New York Times, which first reported the request for documents, said Trump’s attorney has told Mueller’s office he will turn over many of the documents this week.

Samantha Power sought to unmask Americans on almost daily basis, sources say

Samantha Power, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was 'unmasking' at such a rapid pace in the final months of the Obama administration that she averaged more than one request for every working day in 2016 – and even sought information in the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration, multiple sources close to the matter told Fox News. 

Two sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record, said the requests to identify Americans whose names surfaced in foreign intelligence reporting, known as unmasking, exceeded 260 last year. One source indicated this occurred in the final days of the Obama White House.

The details emerged ahead of an expected appearance by Power next month on Capitol Hill. She is one of several Obama administration officials facing congressional scrutiny for their role in seeking the identities of Trump associates in intelligence reports – but the interest in her actions is particularly high.
OBAMA OFFICIAL MADE 'HUNDREDS OF UNMASKING REQUESTS,' GOP CHAIRMAN SAYS
In a July 27 letter to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said the committee had learned "that one official, whose position had no apparent intelligence-related function, made hundreds of unmasking requests during the final year of the Obama Administration."
The "official" is widely reported to be Power.
During a public congressional hearing earlier this year, Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina pressed former CIA director John Brennan on unmasking, without mentioning Power by name.
Gowdy: Do you recall any U.S. ambassadors asking that names be unmasked?
Brennan: I don't know. Maybe it's ringing a vague bell but I'm not -- I could not answer with any confidence.
Gowdy continued, asking: On either January 19 or up till noon on January 20, did you make any unmasking requests?
Brennan: I do not believe I did.
Gowdy: So you did not make any requests on the last day that you were employed?
Brennan: No, I was not in the agency on the last day I was employed.
Brennan later corrected the record, confirming he was at CIA headquarters on January 20. "I went there to collect some final personal materials as well as to pay my last respects to a memorial wall. But I was there for a brief period of time and just to take care of some final -- final things that were important to me," Brennan said.
Three of the nation's intelligence agencies received subpoenas in May explicitly naming three top Obama administration officials: Former national security adviser Susan Rice, Brennan and Power. Records were requested for Ben Rhodes, then-President Barack Obama's adviser, but the documents were not the subject of a subpoena.
A spokesperson for Power had no comment on the number or timing of her requests. But in a previous statement, her lawyer David Pressman emphasized that, "While serving as our Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Power was also a member of the National Security Council responsible for advising the President on the full-range of threats confronting the United States. Any insinuation that Ambassador Power was involved in leaking classified information is absolutely false."
During congressional testimony since the unmasking controversy began, National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers has explained that unmasking is handled by the intelligence community in an independent review.
"We [the NSA] apply two criteria in response to their request: number one, you must make the request in writing. Number two, the request must be made on the basis of your official duties, not the fact that you just find this report really interesting and you're just curious,” he said in June. “It has to tie to your job and finally, I said two but there's a third criteria, and is the basis of the request must be that you need this identity to understand the intelligence you're reading."
Previous U.N. ambassadors have made unmasking requests, but Fox News was told they number in the low double digits.
Power has agreed to meet with the Senate and House intelligence committees as part of the Russia probe. She is expected before the House committee in a private, classified session in October.
Bret Baier is the Chief Political Anchor of Fox News Channel, and the Anchor & Executive Editor of "Special Report with Bret Baier.”  His book, "Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower’s Final Mission," (William Morrow) is on sale now.  
Catherine Herridge is an award-winning Chief Intelligence correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) based in Washington, D.C. She covers intelligence, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Herridge joined FNC in 1996 as a London-based correspondent.