Rep. Joe Kennedy III to deliver State of the Union rebuttal: What to know

Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., a member of one of America’s most prominent political families, is taking the national stage to give the Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night. 

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who announced the news with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Jan. 25, labeled Kennedy as a “relentless fighter for working Americans.”

“From health care to economic justice to civil rights, the Democratic agenda stands in powerful contrast to President Trump's broken promises to American families," Kennedy said in a statement. "Our vision for this union is guided by a simple belief that equality and economic dignity should be afforded to every American.”
The 37-year-old also said that he’s “honored” to have been chosen to deliver the party’s response.
Ahead of Kennedy’s rebuttal on Jan. 30, here’s what you need to know about the representative.

Who is he?

Kennedy is the son of Joe Kennedy II, a six-term Massachusetts congressman. He’s also the grandson of Sen. Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968. And his two great uncles are former President John F. Kennedy and former Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy. (It’s worth noting that in 1982 Sen. Edward Kennedy, along with other Democrats at the time, gave a pre-recorded response to former President Ronald Reagan’s State of the Union message).

Kennedy, currently serving his third term, was born and raised in Massachusetts. He’s a graduate of Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in management science and engineering, according to his biography. He later attended Harvard Law School, graduating with a J.D.
He and his wife, Lauren, a health policy expert, met during a class that Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., taught at Harvard. The couple has two children together, a young daughter named Eleanor and a son, James, who was born in December 2017.
The young family lives with their dog, Banjo, in Newton.

A lawyer turned politician

Before entering politics, Kennedy served in the Peace Corps and then as an assistant district attorney in eastern Massachusetts, where he  worked for Michael O’Keefe, “an old-school rough-around-the-collar Republican,” Peter Ubertaccio, a professor of political science at Stonehill College, a school outside of Boston, told Fox News.
“It’s an interesting part of his career -- that’s really where he got his start,” he added.
In 2012, Kennedy ran for a seat in Massachusetts' fourth district after Barney Frank, a longtime Democratic congressman, announced his retirement.
Frank’s retirement was unexpected, said Ubertaccio. But for Kennedy, the timing served as the perfect way for him to “enter politics the way he wanted.”
As a representative, Kennedy has focused on educational access, healthcare and has “continued the conversation around STEM and STEM training,” Ubertaccio said. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math.

“He understands what it means to be a Kennedy. But he doesn’t rest on that name. He works hard to develop his [personal] reputation."

Kennedy is also a member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, where he’s focused on issues like mental health, addiction and energy costs, among other things. In the past, he was a co-sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The representative has also advocated for LGBTQ equality, voting rights and civil rights.
“He understands what it means to be a Kennedy. But he doesn’t rest on that name. He works hard to develop his [personal] reputation,” Ubertaccio said.

What does giving the rebuttal mean for Kennedy's career?

Kennedy has a good reputation in his home state, said Ubertaccio.
“He’s developed a reputation for himself in Massachusetts as thoughtful and conscientious," he said. And while Kennedy can be “passionate and aggressive” on issues that he deeply cares about, the Massachusetts representative has worked in a “bipartisan fashion which is still expected in the state despite its liberal reputation.”
But the rising political star has largely lacked national recognition up until now. Indeed, aside from introducing Sen. Warren at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, giving the rebuttal at the State of the Union is arguably one of Kennedy’s most significant political moves to-date, said Ubertaccio.
“The national recognition will benefit him. If he wants to move up politically, this opportunity raises his profile,” he added.
And giving the response does not just benefit the representative, Ubertaccio added. It also could be an advantage for the Democratic Party.
“In a time when the Democratic Party is struggling with its image, it’s a smart political move to give a young leader the rebuttal,” he said. “He’s done an excellent job in Congress and is well regarded by those across the [political] aisle.”

Trump ready to deal in State of the Union - are Democrats?

President Trump will use his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night to extend an olive branch across the aisle and signal he’s willing to make bipartisan deals on second-year-agenda priorities like immigration and infrastructure, officials say. 

But what’s less clear is whether the president will get buy-in from Democrats, who have been bashing his immigration deal proposals and who are wary of helping him secure policy victories in a midterm election year. 

“I think Donald Trump is going to offer the Democrats certain deals,” Bill McGurn, a former speechwriter to George W. Bush, said on “Fox and Friends” ahead of the speech. “They may not like the terms [on] immigration, infrastructure and so forth. One of the questions will be: can they take yes for an answer?”
A senior administration official said Trump will emphasize his trillion-dollar infrastructure plan to rebuild the country’s roads, bridges, ports and tracks during the annual speech to Congress.
The official also said the president will tout the framework his administration released last week for an immigration deal that includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children in return for funding for his wall along the Mexico border.
TRUMP IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL COULD PROVIDE PATH TO CITIZENSHIP FOR 1.8 MILLION IN US ILLEGALLY
“The president has offered a compromise solution, showing real leadership that reaches across the aisle,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah told Fox News on Monday. “We’re going to see if Democrats are serious about border security. We’re going to see if they actually want to fix a problem or demagogue it.”
Over the weekend, the president lamented that Democrats have, so far, rejected his immigration offer.
“I have offered DACA a wonderful deal, including a doubling in the number of recipients & a twelve year pathway to citizenship, for two reasons: (1) Because the Republicans want to fix a long time terrible problem. (2) To show that Democrats do not want to solve DACA, only use it!” he tweeted.
He added: “Democrats are not interested in Border Safety & Security or in the funding and rebuilding of our Military. They are only interested in Obstruction!”
In Tuesday night’s speech, the president, like other presidents before him, is also expected to use the speech to tout the successes of the last year, such as getting Neil Gorsuch confirmed on the Supreme Court and signing the GOP's tax reform bill.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday said the speech’s theme would be “building a safe, strong, and proud America.” She called it “must-watch TV.”
“Look, we have an economy that's booming. ISIS is on the run. We’re remaking the judiciary in a way that actually believes in upholding the Constitution,” Sanders said. “There are some great things happening in this country.”
The president also will talk up the economic boom and stock market record over the last year, emphasize his belief in fair and reciprocal trade and discuss his administration’s efforts to combat North Korea’s escalating behavior, the senior administration official said.
A sign of the tension between the president and Democrats: multiple liberal lawmakers are boycotting the speech, with Texas Rep. Frederica Wilson saying Trump doesn’t deserve “to be honored at this time.” A number of other Democrats have announced plans to bring DACA recipients as their guests to the speech.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus will likely engage in a number of “silent” protests during the speech, Fox News has learned. For example, lawmakers in the caucus were encouraged to wear traditional kente cloth in protest of Trump's reported comments about immigration from “s---hole countries,” many of them in Africa.
Sanders said first lady Melania Trump and all of the president’s children – with the exception of 11-year-old Barron Trump – will attend the primetime speech at the Capitol.
It’s customary for presidents to travel to promote their message after delivering a State of the Union address, but Sanders declined to say Monday whether Trump would partake in that tradition.

Nancy Pelosi Cartoons

Democrat hits Pelosi over 'make America white again' comment

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi addresses the media last week. She has been criticized over her recent comment on immigration.

Sen Joe Manchin, D-WVa., criticized House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for her response to President Trump’s immigration plan that she called a blue print to “make America white again.”

Trump’s proposal would offer a path to citizenship for 1.8 million so-called “Deamers.” He would insist on $25 billion in funding for a border wall and security. The proposal also called for a crackdown on chain migration and the diversity visa lottery program.

Pelosi wrote in a statement on Friday that the 50 percent cut to legal immigration and the “recent announcements to end Temporary Protected Status for Central Americans and Haitians are both part of the same cruel agenda. They are part of the Trump administration’s unmistakable campaign to make America white again.”
She tweeted the comment.
Manchin, who was on CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ said we “don’t need that type of rhetoric on either side, from Nancy, (Speaker) Paul Ryan or anybody else.”
Reuters reported that Manchin is a leader of a bipartisan Senate group that is working on an immigration solution.
The Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, dismissed Trump’s plan Friday as a "wish list" for hard-liners. He acknowledged the bipartisan common ground on protections for the immigrants now shielded by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
But he accused Trump of using them as "a tool to tear apart our legal immigration system and adopt the wish list that anti-immigration hardliners have advocated for years."

John Kerry makes fun of Trump's weight, asks for 'girth certificate'

Look who's Talking!

Lurch :-)

Former Secretary of State John Kerry could not resist poking fun at President Trump’s weight during a speech Saturday in Washington.

The Hill reported that Kerry, who was defeated by President George W. Bush in 2004, was giving a speech at the Alfalfa Club dinner and brought up Trump’s recent medical exam that listed the president's weight at 239 pounds.

Kerry, 74, said, “Personally, I just won’t believe him until he produces his long-form girth certificate.”
Kerry’s speechwriter apparently keeps a close eye on social media because the joke went viral shortly after Trump’s examination results were released. Sports Illustrated compiled a list of athletes who weigh the same as Trump to make a comparison.
Dr. Ronny Jackson, the president’s physician, said in a statement earlier this month that Trump’s exam went “exceptionally well.” Trump, 71, stands at 6’3 and weighed 239. Trump is known to enjoy fast food and steaks.
The “girther” comment is a response to Trump’s push to obtain Obama’s birth certificate, which became known as the “birther” movement. In 2016, Trump said Obama was born in the U.S. “period.”
Trump blamed the Clinton campaign in 2008 for starting the controversy.

Republicans weigh proposals to protect Mueller from firing

Republicans on the Hill appear to be divided on whether or not to agree on legislation that would help protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller from being fired by President Trump.

There have been conversations about protecting Mueller in the past, but last week’s report by The New York Times, claiming that Trump wanted to fire the investigator last summer, brought new attention to the matter, even though Trump denied the report and called it “fake news.”

“I have got legislation protecting Mr. Mueller,” Sen Lindsey Graham told ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday. “I’ll be glad to pass it tomorrow.”
The Washington Post reported that Graham has a bi-partisan proposal—joined by Sen. Cory Booker—that calls for a panel to approve any call to fire Mueller.
“Everybody in the White House knows it would be the end of President Trump’s presidency if he fired Mueller.”
The report said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R.-Calif., turned down calls to pass such a proposal, claiming that there is no need for the safeguard. He said Trump and his team “have fully cooperated” with Mueller’s investigation into possible Russian collusion with Trump’s staff.
The Times reported last week that Trump ordered for Mueller’s firing in June and only backed down after his White House counsel refused to carry out the instruction and threatened to resign.
Trump was asked about the report in Davos, where he was participating in the World Economic Forum, and denied the report and called it “typical” of the paper to run the report.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D.- N.Y., said that the report calls for Republicans in Congress to act, The New York Times reported.
“The most important thing Congress can do right now is to ensure that Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation continues uninterrupted and unimpeded,” he said.
Schumer was not joined by all of his fellow Senate Democrats. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said it would be “premature for us to go down that road. Manchin, The Post pointed out, is up for re-election this year in a state where Trump easily won.

Hillary Clinton makes Grammys cameo to mock Trump by reading 'Fire and Fury'

Idiot

Hillary Clinton surprised viewers by making an appearance in a pre-taped segment for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night -- and she mocked President Trump in the process.

"We know that our current president does love winning awards and the good news he may just be the subject of next year's winner [for Best Spoken Word Album]," host James Corden said. "The question I've got is who'll be the narrator?"

In a pre-taped video, outspoken anti-Trump stars John Legend and Cher then auditioned to be the narrator for Michael Wolff's book "Fire and Fury" about Trump's White House.
Snoop Dogg, DJ Khaled and Cardi B also read excerpts from the book during the fake auditions.
Finally, Clinton read from the book and Corden declared, "That's it! We've got it!"
Clinton said, "You think so? The Grammy's in the bag?"
Corden replied, "In the bag!"
The segment resulted in wild applause from the star-studded crowd. But not all were pleased. United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley slammed the bit. However, the harshest words came from Donald Trump Jr.

The more Hillary goes on television the more the American people realize how awesome it is to have @realDonaldTrump in office #GrammyAwards2018

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 29, 2018

Nailed it.
So sick of celebrity preaching, I could scream.

— Ben Lund (@RealBenLund) January 29, 2018

I have always loved the Grammys but to have artists read the Fire and Fury book killed it. Don’t ruin great music with trash. Some of us love music without the politics thrown in it.

— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) January 29, 2018

I disagree. That part ruined the Grammys. Such a shame.

— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) January 29, 2018

That 👏🏻 was 👏🏻 amazing 👏🏻 @HillaryClinton 😂 #GRAMMYS

— Megan (@m_jensen5) January 29, 2018

After the show, Grammys Execuitve producer Ken Ehrlich said getting Clinton to appear in the skit wasn't tough. However, he credited Corden with sealing the deal.
"She kind of took a couple of days to say 'yes,' but ultimately she saw the script, she knew what we were doing and she liked it."
Clinton recorded the segment near her home on Friday, the Grammys producer added.
He also admitted that he was aware the cameo was recieving some backlash, but said they stand by what they did.

Hollywood Hypocrisy Cartoons

Illinois Democrat's retaliation case cost taxpayers $500G: report

Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bob Daiber, third from the right, settled a retaliation lawsuit at taxpayer expense, a newspaper reported.  (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune via Associated Press)

Records of a 2010 retaliation lawsuit involving an Illinois Democrat running for governor have resurfaced after he called for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and touted an 80 percent female staff.

Madison County taxpayers paid nearly $500,000 to settle the suit against Bob Daiber, who allegedly retaliated against a former female employee by laying her off after she complained about not being paid as much as a male coworker, the Chicago Tribune reported, citing court records.  

Daiber, the Madison County Regional Office of Education superintendent, “denied retaliating against the employee,” and said he had tried to “work with her to find a resolution,” according to the report.
Mary Parker, a subordinate of Daiber's in the mid-2000s, had learned that male colleague with the same position was making more money than her, court records show.
The suit alleged that Parker had approached Daiber several times between 2007 and 2009 to ask for a remedy in the pay discrepancy. According to the Tribune, Daiber offered to give Parker a $4,000 raise as well as extend the job from 10 months to 12 months, both of which she rejected as unfair.
Daiber’s attorney said the male coworker had had higher qualifications and a contract that had been negotiated by the local teachers union, the Tribune reported.
Daiber later said in court he threatened Parker’s job because she had been insubordinate and not, as she claimed, for trying to negotiate a pay raise.
The jury rejected Parker’s claims of wage-based discrimination, but agreed with her claim that her position had been eliminated because she complained. A judge awarded her $432,145 to cover court costs and damages, the Tribune reported.  
The verdict was appealed, but later settled for $487,500 out of fear that the cost would increase as the legal battle wore on at the expense of taxpayers.
The general primaries for 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election will take place March 20. Daiber's Democratic rivals include Kenilworth millionaire Chris Kennedy, a son of the late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy who has made gun control and reducing violence in Chicago a centerpiece of his platform.

'All She Wanted Was an Apology': 'Scandalous' Chronicles Paula Jones' Accusation Against Bill Clinton

Paula Jones' former attorney joined Bill Hemmer on "America's Newsroom" to reflect on the "extraordinary time" being chronicled in the Fox News Channel documentary series "Scandalous."
The seven-episode series gives a riveting, up-close look at the Clinton scandals of the 1990s.
The second episode, which airs Sunday night at 8:00pm ET, follows Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against former President Bill Clinton and the high-stakes political drama that ensued.
Jones alleged that then-Arkansas Gov. Clinton propositioned her and exposed himself at a conference in Little Rock in 1991. He denied the allegation.
"She was a woman that really just wanted to have her good name cleared. All she wanted was an apology," said Joseph Cammarata, who represented Jones.
When that didn't happen, they filed a lawsuit, eventually reaching a $850,000 settlement with Clinton in 1999.
"It was an extraordinary time," Cammarata said. "It was amazing to have a case that attracted so much attention, nationally and internationally. It was a very, very good learning experience for me professionally. It was quite an important case to be on, and I'm glad I was on it."
He added Jones was a "wonderful client" who just wanted to have her reputation restored.
Tune in to "Scandalous" Sunday night at 8:00pm ET on Fox News Channel, and revisit last week's episode on the Whitewater scandal.