Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
agreed that Israel is “criminal” in its treatment of Palestinians, whom
she said have no other choice but to “riot” against the Jewish state. The
New York Democrat made her remarks during an appearance on the hip-hop
program “Ebro in the Morning” with Ebro Darden, where they touched on a
variety of issues concerning the freshman congresswoman. The host asserted that “corrupt” governments in Israel, the United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia were “all working in concert.” “How
do you have white supremacist Jews?” Ebro asked. “How do you have
people like Stephen Miller? How do you have these individuals who are
legit aligning with racism and white supremacy, but they're Jewish? And
it's something that most people can't wrap their brains around. But it's
a real thing.”
“How do you have white supremacist
Jews? How do you have people like Stephen Miller? How do you have these
individuals who are legit aligning with racism and white supremacy, but
they're Jewish? — Ebro Darden, host of “Ebro in the Morning”
He
added: “And what's going on with Israel and Palestine, while it's very,
very, deep, it is very, very, criminal, and it is very, very unjust.” But
rather than push back against the claims, Ocasio-Cortez agreed with
them, saying “Absolutely” and adding that “I think, too, where we're at
as a country when it comes to Israel-Palestine is very much a
generational issue.” She said the right-wing unfairly accuses her of anti-Semitism when she’s actually just being critical of the Israeli government. “Criticizing
the occupation doesn't make you anti-Israel, frankly. It doesn't mean
that you are against the existence of a nation,” she said. “It means
that you believe in human rights, and it's about making sure that
Palestinian human rights are equal to Israeli human rights, and there
are a lot of troubling things happening there.” Ocasio-Cortez went on to say that Palestinians also have no other choice but to resort to violence as they are “marginalized.”
"I
believe that injustice is a threat to the safety of all people, because
once you have a group that is marginalized and marginalized and
marginalized—once someone doesn't have access to clean water, they have
no choice but to riot, right?" — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
“Jewish
people have been persecuted throughout all of human history, but I
don't think that by marginalizing Palestinians, you create safety,” she
said. “I believe that injustice is a threat to the safety of all
people, because once you have a group that is marginalized and
marginalized and marginalized — once someone doesn't have access to
clean water, they have no choice but to riot, right? And it doesn't have
to be that way.” The
Democrat’s remarks come at a time she and her fellow progressive
freshman colleagues are being accused of anti-Semitism for embracing the
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Two
other Democrats, Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, have recently
compared boycotts of Nazi Germany to the boycott of Israel.
A lengthy joke about cows, sex and women apparently turned out to be no laughing matter in North Carolina this week. It has prompted the resignation of the chairman of the state’s elections board. Bob Cordle reportedly told the joke Monday before hundreds of elections officials from across the state,
many of whom were women. On Tuesday he submitted his resignation to
Gov. Roy Cooper, who appointed him earlier this year. Both Cordle and
Cooper are Democrats. "I sincerely apologize to those who heard my
joke at the elections conference on Monday and all those affected by my
words," he wrote. He had said he believed the joke drew “a big laugh” when he told it, Raleigh’s WRAL-TV reported. Cordle
is the third state elections chairman to resign in North Carolina since
December, the News & Observer of Raleigh reported. After word spread that Cordle had told the joke, a blogger posted a version of the joke in a post titled, “How Did Bob Cordle Get To Be Chair of the NC State Board of Elections?”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper speaks at the governor's mansion in Raleigh, N.C., Dec. 19, 2018. (Associated Press)
North Carolina’s elections board has faced a string of controversies in recent months, according to the News & Observer. Last
December, then-Chairman Andy Penry resigned over a string of social
media posts, including some that took shots at President Trump. Cooper
appointed Josh Malcolm to replace Penry, but Malcolm opted against
rejoining the board after allegations of election fraud in a U.S. House
race led to a power struggle between Cooper and Republican leaders in
the state General Assembly, the newspaper reported. Then Cooper appointed Cordle in February. After Cordle resigned, the spokesman for the state Republican Party blasted Cooper. “For a career politician who spent more than 30 years in state government, @RoyCooperNC continues to prove he has no idea what he’s doing,” Jeff Hauser wrote on Twitter.
President
Trump’s campaign claimed victory on Tuesday after some of the top 2020
Democrats faced off on CNN in a debate that showed a major divide among
some candidates on how far left to take the country. “Same
radical Democrats,” the statement from Trump’s campaign, read. “Same big
government socialist message. Same winner of tonight’s debate:
President Donald Trump.” Trump
has been making an effort to attempt to overshadow early Democratic
debates. Last month, he mocked NBC News for technical issues during its
debate and posted a satirical video showing him appearing at the debate
to “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne. The
Democratic debate on Tuesday did not result in a clear winner, although
longshot political outsider Marianne Williamson was the night’s most
“Googled” candidate. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D- Mass., and Sen. Bernie
Sanders, I-Vt., were pulled into what was essentially a
two-and-a-half-hour fight with their more moderate rivals. The
result was the party's divide on full display, with the center-left
(and lower-polling) contenders fiercely arguing that policies like
"Medicare-for-all" and the Green New Deal. Fox News’ Edmund DeMarche, Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
Fox News contributor Lawrence Jones traveled to Detroit, home of this week's Democratic presidential debates, to hear directly from residents how they view the performance of local politicians. Several of those residents, in interviews aired Tuesday on "Hannity," told Jones they rarely see lawmakers in the flesh. "The
leaders here, do you think they are representing the community
effectively?" Jones asked one woman who was on the front porch of her
home. "Who are they?" the woman responded. She told Jones she doesn't see them in her neighborhood very often. Another
woman told Jones that politicians and candidates often "talk a good
game" during campaign season but do little once elected. "It's hard when it comes up to campaign time to select someone," she said. She
added that crime and general conditions in the area make her want to
leave her neighborhood despite having lived there for decades. "I feel bad," she said. "I want to go," she said. "I've been here 66 years and I want to go." The first woman Jones spoke with concurred. "It's time to go, there's nothing here," she said. Recounting his trip to host Sean Hannity,
Jones said that he and his crew left the neighborhood for a while after
conducting interviews, then returned to find the quiet street a
homicide scene. "It's a depressing state here," he said. "There
has to be an opening for conservatives and Republicans to go into these
communities," Jones said. "I don't think these people care about party
at this point, they just want someone to fix their pain." Additionally, one resident Jones interviewed told him the recurrence of crime has affected her children's sleeping habits. "My
kids say, 'You all hear the gunfire?' and jump on the floor and that's
where they slept -- they refused to get back in bed because they heard
gunfire back there," she said.
President Trump signed a bill to extend health funding for the heroes
who responded to the tragic September 11th terrorist attacks. He signed
the 9/11 victims compensation bill, also known as H.R. 1327, during a
ceremony Monday. The move marked an end to weeks of congressional
debates.
“For your entire lives you have gone
far beyond your duty to us and today we strive to fulfill our sacred
duty to you. We love you, we honor you and we thank you. God bless you
all.” — President Trump
The bill will extend funds to pay for medical expenses of police
officers, firefighters, and other first responders who are experiencing
illnesses related their rescue efforts following the attack.
President
Donald Trump holds up H.R. 1327, an act ensuring that a victims’
compensation fund related to the Sept. 11 attacks never runs out of
money, after signing it in the Rose Garden of the White House as member
of the audience applaud and celebrate, Monday, July 29, 2019, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“This critical legislation would fully fund the September 11th
compensation fund to make sure all those exposed and impacted by the
related illnesses are thoroughly compensated, and for those conditions
diagnosed in the future,” stated Senator Cory Garner (R-Colo.). Tens of thousands of responders reportedly stepped in that day to
help search for survivors and manage the clean-up of the area. However,
that effort exposed them to toxic debris in the air, including asbestos,
lead and pulverized concrete. One of those heroes and an advocate for the legislation was Luis
Alvarez, a retired New York Police Department detective who testified
before Congress last month to tell of his battle with cancer and nearly
70 rounds of chemotherapy. “This fund is not a ticket to paradise, it’s to help take care of our
families when we cant,” he stated. “You all said never forget, well I’m
here to make sure that you don’t.” Alvarez died two weeks later. This measure is the first time the funds will be guaranteed to first
responders. Previously, lawmakers had to vote to renew the fund every
few years. The plan will now allow families to file claims through the
year 2090 and accept financial assistance through 2092.
A New Jersey law which will allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives will go into effect on Thursday in the state. The
Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act permits adult patients with six
months or less to live to obtain and self-administer life-ending
medication. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed the bill into law on
April 12 after the Democrat-led Assembly and Senate passed the measure
in close votes. “Allowing
residents with terminal illnesses to make end-of-life choices for
themselves is the right thing to do,” Murphy said in an April 12 press release upon signing the bill. Supporters
hail its passage as a victory in the so-called "right to die" movement.
Those in opposition say it fails to protect the most vulnerable members
of society and want the state to put more effort into improving its
health care system. The law mandates a psychiatrist
or psychologist first assess whether a person has the mental capacity to
decide to end their own life, the Washington Examiner
reported. A physician can then legally prescribe the drug to their
terminally ill patients who can administer the drug themselves. The
act has “safeguards” in place to prevent abuse, including requiring
patients to submit two requests for the life-ending medication and
giving patients the option to rescind the requests. Fox News’ Frank Miles and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Chris Kelley, who has collected eleven military medals as a
27-year veteran of the U.S. Army and Army Reserves and clocked more than
36,000 hours patrolling the Minnesota streets as a 20-year veteran of
the Minneapolis Police Force, has his sights set on usurping Omar from
her seat representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in 2020.
(Courtesy Chris Kelley)
When
Rep. Ilhan Omar ignited steep controversy in March describing
the September 11 attacks as “some people did something,” it was then
that a longtime cop in her neighborhood decided he needed to do more
than just bemoan what he perceived as a shocking trivialization of a
terrorist attack that tore through the fabric of his beloved country. Now,
Chris Kelley, who has collected eleven military medals as a 27-year
veteran of the U.S. Army and Army Reserves and clocked more than 36,000
hours patrolling the Minnesota streets as a 20-year veteran of the
Minneapolis Police Force, has his sights set on knocking Omar from her
seat representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in 2020. “September
11 was a terrible loss of life, not just for police officers and
firefighters and other first responders, but 3,000 people and
non-combatants died, and to be dismissive of that was an outrage. I
could sit and complain or I could do something about it,” Kelley, who is
campaigning as an Independent, told Fox News. “And I believe I can be a
positive voice in standing up for people in our country, and for our
first responders and the people every day on the frontlines.” In
his view, current representative Omar has devoted too much time to
crafting her “celebrity” than on being of service to the community,
which he insists he will serve honorably if elected. “As former
military, I am here to serve and not further my status. I want to do a
good job for the people I represent and I don’t have a personal agenda,”
noted Kelley, who deployed once during Operation Desert Storm and twice
during Operation Iraqi Freedom as an intelligence analyst and also
holds an master's degree in Criminal Justice Leadership from Concordia
University in St. Paul. “I’m passionate about service and I just want to
be able to continue that.”
Kelley deployed once during Operation Desert Storm and twice
during Operation Iraqi Freedom as an intelligence analyst. He also holds
a master's degree in Criminal Justice Leadership from Concordia
University in St. Paul.
(Courtesy Chris Kelley)
He isn’t totally a
political rookie. Kelley campaigned for the Republican Senate
endorsement in 2016 and, while unsuccessful, it gave the 49-year-old a
taste for what Minnesotans wanted and needed. “Immigration is a
big issue right now. I believe in having a secure border; if you don’t
have a country you don’t have a border and our border agents are doing a
great job, but they are being overwhelmed and Congress isn’t giving
them the tools they need,” he said. “But I would also like to see a
pathway to citizenship for those under DACA; they couldn’t help they
were brought here and need a shot to be able to stay here.” Kelley
stressed that he also remains firmly committed to boosting Medicare,
while ensuring private health insurance remains available and the costs
are driven down. He also supports term limits on representatives of both
the House and the Senate.
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., holds a 'Medicare-for-all' town
hall with other lawmakers, Thursday, July 18, 2019, in Minneapolis.
(Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)
Furthermore, as the father of a 5-year-old, he also
underscored the importance of addressing the ever-looming elephant in
the room. “A big concern I have is our national debt, and I would
like to work on bringing this down. It should be a priority,” Kelley
continued. “I have a 5-year-old and this debt will be in our children’s
lap.”
“September 11 was a terrible loss of life not just for police
officers and firefighters and other first responders, but 3,000 people
and non-combatants died, and to be dismissive of that was an outrage. I
could sit and complain or I could do something about it,” Kelley, who is
campaigning as an Independent, told Fox News. “And I believe I can be a
positive voice in standing up for people in our country, and for our
first responders and the people every day on the frontlines.”
(Courtesy Chris Kelley)
And despite the
blatant political differences he has with Omar, the local police officer
is vowing to run a “positive, fact-based campaign” that won’t entail
attacking or ridiculing his opponent. “I
won’t be bringing in controversy and scandal. I will be bringing
firsthand knowledge of the things that I know are going on in the
community as an officer. I see a lot every day – the homelessness, the
opioid crisis; I want to bring these things to the forefront and put
some ideas on the table on how to deal with them,” Kelley added. “I want
to do anything I can to make people’s lives better; I just want to sit
and listen to people and make some positive change.”
Radically transforming energy consumption under the "Green New Deal" (GND)
would cost the average household at least $70,000 in the first year of
its rollout, and a cool quarter-million dollars total after five years, a
new study concluded. The study, released by the Competitive
Enterprise Institute (CEI) on Tuesday, looked at a wide swath of data to
estimate how transforming the energy sector -- which includes
de-carbonizing transportation and retrofitting U.S. commercial and
residential buildings -- would affect the average household in five
representative states. Within the first year of implementing the program, the average household in each of the given states (Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania)
would incur at least $70,000 in expenses -- followed by roughly $45,000
in annual expenses for each of the following 2-5 years and over $37,000
after that time frame. Their estimates came on the same day as the Democrats' second primary debate,
which included leading progressive candidates who not only have
endorsed the GND, but who also sought public support from its visionary,
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. A
slew of other candidates -- including the party's frontrunner, former
Vice President Joe Biden -- have endorsed the basics of the project.
Three congressional Democrats introduced a carbon tax bill last week that similarly would seek a drastic reduction in emissions. While
it's early in the primary season, candidates will be competing soon for
voters in some of the states modeled by the institute. For example, the
study found that the battleground state of Pennsylvania would face over
$2 quadrillion in costs for upgrading residential, commercial and
industrial buildings. Florida would encounter a $1.4 quadrillion price
tag and New Hampshire, one of the first primary states, would face
$102.8 trillion in retrofitting costs. A quadrillion, which is
equal to one thousand trillion, is represented by a 1 followed by 15
zeroes. One quadrillion would be roughly 250 times the annual federal
budget. The two others saw costs that were much higher than even
the national debt -- $352.8 trillion for New Mexico and $533.4 trillion
for Alaska. Ocasio-Cortez has downplayed cost concerns and mocked
conservatives whom she argued were like Dr. Evil, demanding outlandish
ransoms in the "Austin Powers" movies. But a host of studies -- albeit,
mostly from right-leaning organizations -- have found that the Green New
Deal's costs would be astronomical. Biden and some other 2020
Democrats, meanwhile, have endorsed its "framework" -- yielding
environmental proposals that would cost much less but still reach
figures like $1.7 trillion over 10 years. Like other studies of the Green New Deal, CEI's cautioned that its findings likely underestimated the program's actual costs. "Most
provisions of the GND are so broad and open-ended that the list of
potential programs necessary to implement the program is limited by the
capacity of legislators to imagine a new government program," authors
Daniel Turner and Kent Lassman wrote. "Therefore, it is impossible to
calculate the whole or maximum cost of the GND. However, other parts of
the GND are more precise, sufficiently so that an approximate minimum
cost estimate is available." Both CEI and the Heritage Foundation
found that the Green New Deal's energy goals alone would cost households
hefty and likely impractical sums. When the American Action Forum
(AAF), led by former Congressional Budget Office director Douglas
Holtz-Eakin, looked at the GND, it accounted for several other goals
with primarily economic aims ("universal health care" and "guaranteed
jobs"). It found that the program could cost as much as $94 trillion. That
figure is likely much lower than CEI's total calculations because AAF
appeared to focus on household retrofitting rather than adding it to
more costly changes for commercial and industrial buildings. CEI's study
also provided perhaps one of the more detailed reports in that it broke
down how households would accumulate their eyepopping expenditures. Just
transitioning to electric vehicles and building a high-speed rail would
cost the average household at least $20,000 in each of the states
analyzed. Shipping cost increases ranged from $181 to $308 annually
while the costs for an electrical grid ranged from $22,773 in New
Hampshire to $52,796 in Alaska. Despite its support among 2020
Democrats, the Green New Deal has faced dismal political prospects. Not
only is the Senate dominated by Republicans, but the chamber also
defeated a measure to bring her resolution to a floor vote. Democrats
called it a "sham" move. The
legislation also has faced intense criticism from President Trump --
nearly guaranteeing a veto -- and Republicans in both chambers of
Congress. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has dubbed himself the "grim reaper" of socialism, an apparent response to proposals including the Green New Deal. In the House, the Republican Study Committee pushed a resolution that
declared the proposal a "thinly veiled" attempt to usher in a socialist
society and would violate the nation's core principles
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper speaks at the governor's mansion in Raleigh, N.C., Dec. 19, 2018. (Associated Press)
