Tulsi Gabbard elevated in Iowa by Clinton spat

WEST BRANCH, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Clinton’s suggestion this past week that Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is being “groomed” by Russians to act as a spoiler in the 2020 race may have had the opposite effect of what the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee intended: It’s elevated Gabbard’s candidacy and may have inspired even more ardent interest in her campaign among Clinton critics.

On Saturday, Gabbard found fans among the many Clinton skeptics across Iowa, where Clinton barely won the 2016 Democratic caucuses against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“What is this horrible thing that Hillary said about you?” one person asked Gabbard at a house party in West Branch.

Gabbard responded that “it revealed the truth that I have been experiencing for a long time now — which is that, because I have been trying to bring about an end to our country’s long-held foreign policy of waging one regime-change war after the next . I am labeled as a traitor.”

“This is a message that is being sent to every single American . who speaks out for peace,” she said.

Gabbard’s longshot campaign came under scrutiny this past week after Clinton appeared on a podcast where she did not mention the Hawaii congresswoman by name, but said she believes the Russians have “got their eye on somebody who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third party candidate.” There was no mistaking whom she meant.

Although Russian interest in Gabbard is apparent, Clinton produced no evidence that Moscow is grooming or directly backing the congresswoman.

Gabbard’s campaign has been promoted by Russian state-owned media and a number of alt-right websites and defended on Twitter by the Russian Embassy. She’s previously faced controversy and criticism from leaders in her party for her unorthodox foreign policy positions, like her decision to meet Syrian President Bashar Assad.

On Friday and Saturday, Gabbard refused to disavow the support she’s seen from Russian actors and alt-right sites. But she repeatedly said she will not run as an independent or third-party candidate if she doesn’t win the Democratic nomination.

And Gabbard encountered supporters across eastern Iowa on Saturday. During a campaign stop in Iowa City at a University of Iowa tailgate, a man came up to give Gabbard a ushanka-style yellow Hawkeye hat.

“It’s a Russian hat!” Gabbard said with a laugh, before hugging the man and taking a picture with him.

And at the West Branch house party, Gabbard found many Clinton critics who were supportive of her campaign.

Clinton’s comments were “divisive and despicable,” said Patricia McIntosh, 83, a semi-retired university employee who liked Gabbard’s “anti-regime-change message.” McIntosh said: “I have no respect for Hillary Clinton at all.”

Robert Rodriguez, a 35-year-old food delivery driver, drove from Minneapolis to see Gabbard speak. He, too, appreciated Gabbard’s anti-war stance and said Clinton had “sowed division in this primary” with her critique. He also noted Gabbard’s support from some alt-right websites

He asked: “You have people praising candidates for being able to reach across the aisle and garner support from the so-called other side, but Tulsi’s a problem because she has support from the other side? Isn’t that what we want?”

Both Rodriguez and McIntosh described themselves as longtime Gabbard fans and skeptics of the Democratic establishment, and both said they weren’t sure if they’d support the eventual nominee if neither Gabbard nor Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, another anti-establishment candidate for president, didn’t win.

But Gabbard also managed to win over some people who hadn’t been familiar with her campaign, like Jennifer Rogers, a 38-year-old nurse from North Liberty, Iowa, who liked that Gabbard was a military veteran.

“I really like that she answers questions,” she said. “She doesn’t just shout talking points and campaign slogans.” Rogers said she’s been on the fence but “today I’m pretty convinced that I think she’s going to be my candidate.”

Still, it’s unclear exactly what Gabbard hopes to achieve with her unorthodox campaign, as she’s struggled to raise money and hit the polling threshold to make it on the debate stage. She has yet to qualify for next month’s debate.

Gabbard has just three staff members on the ground in Iowa.

Asked whether she plans to add staff in any of the early states, Gabbard demurred.

She said she’s “continuing to use every platform possible to reach voters directly” when asked about her path to the nomination, and wouldn’t predict how she’d finish in Iowa. But she suggested that might not matter — even if she doesn’t have enough delegates to win, “we’re taking this all the way to the nomination.”

US troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq, defense chief Esper says

All U.S. troops leaving Syria as part of the withdrawal plan recently announced by President Trump will be stationed in western Iraq, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday.
In addition, the U.S. military will continue its efforts to prevent a resurgence by Islamic State group (ISIS) terrorists, he said.
“Things could change between now and whenever we complete the withdrawal,” Esper told reporters while flying to the Middle East from Washington, according to the Associated Press, “but that’s the game plan right now.”

“Things could change between now and whenever we complete the withdrawal, but that’s the game plan right now.”
— Defense Secretary Mark Esper

The U.S. departure from Syria will take “weeks not days,” Esper said, and involve both aircraft and ground convoys as about 1,000 troops relocate, Reuters reported.
Esper’s comments were the first specific details on where American troops will go as they leave Syria, according to the AP. Fox News reported last week that President Trump said only that troops would be redeployed "in the region."
The 55-year-old Pentagon chief, who assumed the office permanently July 23 after serving as acting defense secretary for about three weeks following the departure of former Defense Secretary James Mattis, said he has spoken to his Iraqi counterpart about the plan to shift the more than 700 troops from Syria into western Iraq, the AP reported.
Esper, who previously served as Army secretary, did not rule out the possibility that U.S. forces relocated to Iraq could still conduct counterterrorism missions inside Syria. But he said those details will be worked out over time.
The U.S. defense chief was traveling as a fragile cease-fire, negotiated by the U.S. and Turkey, was underway in Syria – but according to Reuters some Turkish military vehicles crossed into Syria on Saturday, and Turkish officials claimed aboyt 14 “provocative attacks” had been launched from the Syrian side.
In Iraq, U.S. troops were heading to a country that has seen violent political protests in recent week, leading to more than 100 deaths, Reuters reported.
Trump ordered the withdrawal of most of the U.S. troops in Syria after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his forces were about to invade Syria to push back Kurdish fighters that Turkey views as terrorists.
Critics of the president say the plan amounts to an abandonment of the Kurds, who have helped the U.S. military combat ISIS, but Trump argued that the Kurds have not always been the pro-American allies their supporters claim them to be.
“They’re not angels, if you take a look,” Trump said Wednesday. “They did well when they fought with us. They didn’t do so well when they didn’t fight with us.”
Meanwhile, a group of House Democrats, accompanied by one Republican, traveled to Syria neighbor Jordan on Saturday, where they held talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and other Jordanian leaders about the Syria situation. Results from those talks were not immediately known early Sunday in the U.S.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Just one Republican in group of US lawmakers with Pelosi on trip to Jordan for Syria talks

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other U.S. lawmakers announced late Saturday U.S. time that they had arrived in Jordan for meetings with King Abdullah II and other officials regarding the situation in Syria.
Although touted as a "bipartisan" delegation, the group includes just one Republican -- Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, ranking member of the House Armed Services Commitee. Thornberry is among a group of Texas Republicans who've announced they won't seek reelection in 2020.
REP. PAUL GOSAR: TRUMP WAS RIGHT TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM SYRIA -- WE SHOULD PROTECT US BORDERS INSTEAD
“Our bipartisan delegation is visiting Jordan at a critical time for the security and stability of the region,” Pelosi said in a statement.  “With the deepening crisis in Syria after Turkey’s incursion, our delegation has engaged in vital discussions about the impact to regional stability, increased flow of refugees, and the dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran and Russia.”

Pelosi and other members of the U.S. delegation met with Abdullah, who has been king of Jordan since 1999, as well as Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and other senior Jordanian officials, according to Reuters.
Jordan is located directly south of Syria. The two nations share a border that is about 233 miles long.
The talks in Jordan come as both Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claim the other side is violating terms of a 120-hour cease-fire brokered by the U.S. and Turkey on Thursday.
Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized the cease-fire deal as a "sham."
President Trump has also taken criticism from some Republicans for his recent decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria. Critics from both parties contend that the move has left Syria's Kurds vulnerable to attacks by Turkish forces and increased the likelihood of an ISIS resurgence in the region.
But other lawmakers, such as Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., have defended the president's move.
In what was seen as a bid to temper some of the criticism, Trump earlier this month announced a pledge of $50 million in humanitarian aid to Syria.
Along with Pelosi, the other Democrats in the delegation are Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Foreign Services Committee; Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee; Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee; Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., member of the House Ways and Means Committee; Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., member of the House Armed Services Committee; Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., chairman of the House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on national security; and Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Michael Moore Cartoons

Seoul police up security after rally at US envoy residence ( Ungrateful bunch )

In this Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, photo, a detained college student shouts a slogan into a police bus in front of the U.S. ambassador's residence in Seoul, South Korea. South Korean police said Saturday, Oct. 19, they beefed up security at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Seoul after a group of anti-American students used ladders to break into the compound. The sign reads "Stop" (Chun Jin-hwan/Newsis via AP) 

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean police said Saturday they beefed up security at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Seoul after a group of anti-American students used ladders to break into the compound.

They were protesting demands by the Trump administration that South Korea pay more to help cover the costs of keeping U.S. troops in the country.

Officials from three Seoul police stations didn’t immediately say whether they will seek to formally arrest any of the 19 university students who were detained Friday afternoon at the residence of Ambassador Harry Harris.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police agency said Saturday the number of officers guarding the residence was more than tripled to 110.

The demonstrators, who broadcast parts of their protest on Facebook, used two steel ladders to climb over the compound’s wall. They shouted anti-U.S. slogans and held up signs that read “The United States has called for a five-fold increase in defense costs!” and “Harris, leave this land!” before police officers dragged them out.

At the time of the protest, Harris was at Seoul’s presidential Blue House attending a reception for foreign ambassadors hosted by President Moon Jae-in.

Harris tweeted about the incident on Saturday, saying, “Big shout out to Embassy guards & Seoul Metro Police Agency for responding to protesters who breached perimeter around my residence. 2nd incident in 13 months in Heart of Seoul. This time they tried to forcibly enter my home itself. 19 arrested. Cats are OK. Thanks @polinlove!,” referring to the Twitter account of South Korea’s National Police Agency.

South Korean police in September last year detained a Chinese woman who had trespassed into the residence, but said she wasn’t making a political statement.

About a dozen leftist students rallied in front of Seoul’s Namdaemun district police station on Saturday calling for the immediate release of the “righteous” protesters.

“You may have the support of foreign powers, capitalists, police and the military, but we have the united voice of like-minded colleagues bound by loyalty!” shouted one of the students.

Another student said South Koreans would see the United States as “nothing but an invader” if it continues to “disrespect” the country with excessive demands on defense costs.

The U.S. State Department has expressed “strong concern” over the illegal entry and urged South Korea to strengthen its efforts to protect all diplomatic missions.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry criticized the protest, saying in a statement that “any attack or harm inflicted on foreign diplomatic missions cannot be justified under any circumstances.” It said the government will take “every appropriate measure” to protect the facilities.

In a country deeply divided along political, ideological and generational lines, the United States is a source of anger for some leftist South Koreans.

Washington backed the South during the 1950-53 Korean War against the North and still stations about 28,500 troops here, but some anti-U.S. activists view the U.S. military presence as a major obstacle to their goal of an eventual reunification of the rival Koreas.

There was a major security scare in 2015, when a leftist activist slashed the face and arm of then-U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert on a street in downtown Seoul to protest the annual U.S.-South Korea military drills. Lippert recovered from the injuries.

Friday’s protest came as Washington and Seoul prepare to begin negotiations over sharing the costs for the U.S. military presence. The countries struck a one-year deal in February where South Korea agreed to contribute about 1.04 trillion won ($880 million) for 2019, which represented an 8.2% increase from last year.

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that the countries are scheduled to talk in Hawaii on Oct. 23-24 to negotiate a new deal and that Seoul is seeking a “reasonable and fair share of costs.”

Michael Moore joining AOC at Bernie Sanders rally in NYC to announce endorsement

Idiot

Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore announced Friday that he will be joining Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., at a rally in New York City on Saturday for 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“I am joining Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tomorrow to officially & publicly endorse a true hero of the people, Senator Bernie Sanders, as our next President of the United States!” Moore posted on Twitter on Friday afternoon. “I will speak tomorrow for him at his “Bernie Is Back!” rally at 1pm in Queensbridge Park in NYC. Join us!”
Ocasio-Cortez is also expected to formally endorse Sanders for president at the event. Her ally in Congress, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., endorsed Sanders earlier this week.
Sanders’ “Bernie is Back” rally in Queensbridge Park, across the East River from Manhattan, will be the senator's first campaign rally since he was sidelined after undergoing a medical procedure following a heart attack Oct. 4.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a Democratic presidential primary debate in Westerville, Ohio, Oct. 15, 2019. (Associated Press)

Moore also endorsed Sanders for president in 2016, saying at the time that he first backed Sanders when he was running for Congress in 1990.
“I’ve been a supporter of his ever since, and he’s never given me reason to not continue that support,” Moore wrote at the time.
Sanders addressed his recent health problems during Tuesday night’s debate in Ohio.
“I’m healthy. I’m feeling great," he told the audience. "We are going to be mounting a vigorous campaign all over this country. That is how I think I can reassure the American people.”
The rally will be held near the country’s largest public housing development and a power plant, the Huffington Post reported, and Sanders plans to speak about affordable housing and Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal.
The rally is meant as a reset after his heart attack and his lagging poll numbers behind surging progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

Hillary Clinton backs out of DC event also set to include Tulsi Gabbard, Kirstjen Nielsen: report

The Hawaii congresswoman and combat veteran fired back in a scathing series of tweets later Thursday, challenging Clinton not to “hide behind your proxies” and join the presidential race "directly."
Nielsen, who resigned in April, oversaw the Trump administration’s controversial “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which resulted in the separation of thousands of migrant children from their families at the border. The policy was later rescinded.
More than 51,000 people signed a petition asking Fortune to pull Nielsen from the summit’s roster, Slate also reported. About 100 speakers were still scheduled to attend the summit as of Friday evening.
Gabbard and lawyer Anita Hill are among the more high-profile scheduled speakers, on a list that also includes business executives, journalists, scholars and some elected officials. (Hill became a household name in 1991 when she accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, who had been her supervisor at the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, of sexual harassment.)
In her remarks Thursday on “Campaign HQ,” a podcast hosted by former President Obama aide David Plouffe, Clinton did not mention Gabbard by name, though Plouffe ended the podcast by noting Clinton’s “belief that Tulsi Gabbard is going to be a third-party candidate propped up by Trump and the Russians.”
Clinton also singled out 2016 Democratic candidate Jill Stein, accusing her of being a Russian asset. The former first lady, whom Donald Trump defeated for the presidency in 2016, has recently been promoting a book co-authored with her daughter, Chelsea Clinton.
Gabbard has faced criticism from several other fellow Democrats, who have accused her of being a "puppet for the Russian government." The former Army National Guard major, who served in Iraq, has repeatedly defended her antiwar, anti-interventionist beliefs, which have led to some comparisons between her and President Trump.
At Tuesday's fourth Democratic debate in Ohio, Gabbard relentlessly slammed CNN, which was broadcasting the event live, and The New York Times, calling them "completely despicable" for news coverage that has raised questions about whether she is a "Russian asset and an Assad apologist," a reference to the leader of Syria.
Fox News’ Vandana Rambaran and Alex Pappas contributed to this report.

Biden campaign warns of cash shortfall, urges backers to 'pick up the pace': report

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign sent a fundraising email this week, claiming it hasn't raised as much money as its competitors after spending more than expected in the third quarter, according to a report.
Third-quarter filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show Biden has just $9 million in cash on hand, less than half of what both of his top competitors for the 2020 Democratic nomination -- Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. -- reported, according to The Hill.
“I hate to say it, but our opponents are way ahead of us when it comes to money in the bank,” a campaign fundraising email for Biden said. “If we don’t pick up the pace here, we might have to make budget cuts that could seriously hurt our momentum in this primary.”
Less cash on hand means the campaign will struggle to respond to “twists and turns of this race — and with Donald Trump constantly pushing his false smear campaign against Joe, that’s a HUGE problem,” the letter says.
The letter closes with an appeal, according to The Hill.
“We can’t afford to fall behind, so I’m asking you to step up now and make a donation to fuel our campaign."
Democratic operative Michael Ceraso said Biden's cash flow could dry up "as the primary enters the homestretch, which may prevent the VP from competing and challenging his opponents in Super Tuesday states and beyond."
Biden is spending money at a greater rate than the amount he raised, with a burn rate of 112 percent. Warren’s burn rate - the pace at which candidates are spending their campaign cash – was a much more modest 76 percent.
The 76-year-old former vice president started off as a solid frontrunner in the polls, but more recent surveys have shown Warren either catching up or surpassing him.
FEC filings show Warren has $25.7 million in cash on hand and Sanders has  $33.7 million.
Fox News' Joshua Nelson contributed to this report. 

Obama Nobel Peace Prize Cartoons

Syrian American group says Trump deserves Nobel Peace Prize, US troops should come home

A Syrian American doctor is spearheading an initiative to nominate President Trump for a Noble Peace Prize after Trump managed to convince Putin to throttle back on plans to seize the Syrian refugee city of Idlib in 2018, an attack that could have potentially killed upwards of 3 million civilians.
Dr. Tarek Kteleh, a rheumatologist in Indiana and board member of a group that promotes national security issues in Syria called Citizens for a Secure and Safe America, told Fox News Thursday that Trump "deserves credit" for preventing the potentially deadly attack on one of the last remaining cities not under the control of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian military and their Russian and Iranian allies surrounded Idlib, a sanctuary city that nearly 4 million civilians fled to, ready to attack and push out the Syrian rebels by the end of summer 2018. The small province of land was a necessary stronghold for rebel forces, vital to preventing the dictator from accessing control of the Northern portion of the Middle East.
Kteleh and president of their group, Dr. Rim Al-Bezem, a cardiologist from New Jersey, met Trump at a fundraiser in Indiana specifically with the intention of bringing attention to the plight in Syria.
Al-Bezem explained to Trump the potential slaughter of innocent lives, almost a quarter of whom were children and Trump assured them that he was "not going to let this happen," Kteleh told Fox News.
Kteleh admits he was skeptical that Trump would take action, instead believing he was trying to appease himself and Al-Bezem, both of whom had families living in Idlib at the time.
Days after their meeting, on Aug. 31, 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted about the dire situation in Idlib warning, "The U.S. sees this as an escalation of an already dangerous conflict."
"The 3 million Syrians, who have already been forced out of their homes and are now in #Idlib, will suffer from this aggression. Not good. The world is watching," Pompeo said.
"We thought maybe that was just an accident," Kteleh said, after seeing Pompeo's tweet. "But it could not be an accident--- that the president said he's not going to let this happen and then the next morning for the first time Secretary Pompeo says this."
Two days later, Trump used his active presence on social media to further the calls for the three foreign powers to stand down in Syria.
"President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Don’t let that happen!"
"This is the first time ever in the last seven or eight years that anyone has done anything for the Syrian people and many of the civilians,"  Kteleh said, singling out former President Barack Obama's approach to interventions in Syria, and refusing to react with force to Assad's use of chemical weapons on his people.
"Unlike your predecessor, you bombarded Assad's military airport when he launched chemical weapons against civilians. We are grateful for this display of strength. The world now knows: you mean what you say," Kteleh and Al-Bezem wrote in a letter to Trump Thursday.
"He said 'the media did not give me credit for it. It's OK. I hear it from Syrian Americans, they thank me for it,'" Trump told Kteleh and Al-Bezem, who praised him for his efforts and told him he deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
"We took it seriously and started thinking about how we could give him credit for what he's done. Number one because he deserves the credit. Saving millions of people is an honor people need to be awarded for," Kteleh said. "And number two because we feel that if he gets the nomination or gets considered, that will shed more light on these people who became refugees and at any point in time if Putin and Assad start assaulting them again it will give them hope and make the world recognize it."
Kteleh and other members of his advocacy group, made up of doctors, businessmen and activists, launched a petition and Facebook page in support of nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.
"We were surprised with the amount of support we got in a short period of time," Kteleh said, adding that in less than 10 days of creating the page, it garnered almost 28,000 supporters, a number that he says continues to climb by the thousands daily, as well as 21,000 signatures on a petition.
Kteleh said that despite allegations of collusion and Russian meddling in the 2016 election, a nearly two-year investigation that has clouded much of Trump's presidency, he doesn't believe the president is anything other than "sincere."
"He would not have done that," Kteleh said of Trump working with the Russians.
"We witnessed this firsthand. We went, we talked to the president, told him this was going to happen. He went out. Put pressure on Putin and Russia to stop the massacre. I don't believe it," he said.
Kteleh says he also fully supports Trump's withdrawal of nearly 1,000 troops from the northeast border of Syria, which many politicians and officials on both sides of the aisle condemned as an abandonment of U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who now struggle to fend off Turkish enemies in the region.
"We're American first. We understand where he's coming from. He promised he'd bring the troops home. He promised during his election and campaign. He promised he would not be intervening in wars all over the world," Kteleh said. "He's just trying to commit to what he promised the people who elected him."
"When he protected the people in Idlib he did not have to commit troops or anything. All that he really did was give warnings to the Russians and the Iranians and Assad, that if you can attack and commit crimes, we're going to respond to you. That's all that he did. He did not have to put troops there. And we hope that he can do the same thing here. The ceasefire announced today is very similar."
Vice President Pence successfully negotiated a ceasefire after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara Thursday, with the foreign nation agreeing to halt Turkey's shellings in Syria for five days to allow the Kurdish YPG forces to pull back from the roughly 20-mile safe zone on the Turkish-Syrian border.