Democrat Political Rhetoric Cartoons

Steve Scalise shooting: 'Political rhetorical terrorism' contributed to attack, rep says

The shooting Wednesday at a congressional baseball practice prompted swift calls to ratchet down the country’s heated political rhetoric, with one Republican congressman who was at the scene saying the “hateful rhetoric” on both sides has to stop.
Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., specifically blamed “political rhetorical terrorism” – heated rhetoric on social media and in the news – for Wednesday’s shooting, in which House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and several others were wounded.
“This is the result, I believe, of political rhetorical terrorism. That has to stop,” he told “America’s Newsroom.”
According to a well-placed source, the suspect has been identified as Illinois resident James T. Hodgkinson.
Davis was at bat when the shooter opened fire in Alexandria, Va. He credited Scalise’s security detail with helping prevent the attack from being a lot worse, calling the officers “true heroes.”
But he said the country needs to take ratchet down the political discourse.
“Political rhetoric has led to this violent type of activity that has got to stop in this country,” Davis said.
He and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaking on the Senate floor, both noted this was practice for a bipartisan charity event.
Davis expressed disbelief that this type of event would be targeted.
The vitriol of political rhetoric has been increasing for years, but has been particularly high under the Trump administration.
Davis stressed, though, that many bills are still passed on a bipartisan basis and some of his best friends “are on the other side of the aisle.”
“I stand here today and say stop, we have to stop,” Davis said, urging the country to come together as Americans, not Republicans and Democrats.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., also said this is the time to come together.
“We’ve seen ourselves engulfed by the spirit of division and oppression and we have to find a way to crawl our way out of this hole,” he said.

Scalise shooting: Of course this was going to happen

What did you expect?
“Julius Caesar,” dressed and looking on purpose like Donald Trump, is knifed to death nightly in a New York theater presentation lauded by CNN as “a masterpiece.”
Tom Perez, the head of the Democratic National Committee, says “Republican leaders and President Trump don’t give a sh*t about the people they were trying to hurt.”
That noted political philosopher, Madonna, thinks a lot about blowing up the White House.
Words have weight. And now, a former campaign volunteer for Bernie Sanders has used violence to express his feelings. The scale on which he stepped registers the weight of guilt.
That’s no reflection on Senator Sanders, who despite his vicious criticism of Trump, has kept his remarks within the bounds of decency.
There is a kind of head-shaking inevitability about the attack on Rep. Steve Scalise, his protective detail and his aides. Democrats are fully justified in being disappointed, even enraged, that Trump was elected instead of Sanders or Hillary Clinton. But far too many seem to feel that because Trump is an unconventional president, there are no bounds to what can be said, threatened, broadcast or published about him.
Are there any late-night comedians who haven’t joined the competition to say the most shocking things about the president? Stephen Colbert, willing to do anything to breathe ratings life into his deeply unfunny show, concocted, that’s right, concocted a term to suggest Trump performs oral sex on Vladimir Putin. The result: uproarious laughter and higher ratings.
The once-venerable New York Times, whose anti-rich people, pro-transgender, government as nanny state agenda has been on view for years, has abandoned any attempt at objective reporting on the current administration. Surprisingly, some people still read the Times, and cannot help but be influenced by its out-there stridency.  
 Bellwether won’t even bother to call for restraint, now that the violent passions on display have crossed the line to shooting violence. Restraint seems too noble a goal to hope for. Instead, how about three days of silent, personal reflection among all the anti-Trumpers who have worked themselves into a collective hissy-fit that knows no trip-wire? Seventy-two hours of keeping your minds open and your mouths shut. Too much to ask?
No one expects liberals to fall in line behind Trump, who has made it easy to hate him with his undisciplined, sometimes uncouth speeches and tweets. He has magnified the natural, understandable conflicts that arise in politics.
It is possible to despise the president and his policies without violence? It is impossible to justify what happened Wednesday morning. But, just watch. Some will try.

Pres. Trump to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts

President Trump announces his intention to fill key administration positions.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer released a statement saying the president plans to nominate people to the Departments of Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the FCC.
He plans to appoint veteran CIA agent Isabel Patelunas as Assistant Secretary for intelligence and analysis at the Treasury Department.
Another nominee is former chief medical officer for Rhode Island hospitals’ Elinore McCance-Katz for HHS Assistant Secretary for mental health and substance use.
The president also plans to appoint former FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel as a member of the agency.

OAN Set to Have Exclusive Interview With Bill O’Reilly

Here at One America News we’ve been getting flooded with e-mails asking for Bill O’Reilly to come to our network.
Well, on Thursday at 3:00 P.M. eastern time and noon pacific time our very own Patrick Hussion catches up with the king of cable news.
From alleged Russian intervention, recent capitol hill hearings, the attack on GOP congressmen, and whether he will be joining our news team — we will have those answers and more.
So be sure keep it on One America News, and tune in a 3:00 P.M. Eastern and 12:00 P.M. Pacific for that exclusive interview with Bill O’Reilly.

Megyn Kelly Cartoons

NBC, Megyn Kelly vow to press ahead with Alex Jones interview amid ratings slump

The head of NBC News said Tuesday that the network would move forward with plans to air Megyn Kelly's interview with conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones, despite a backlash that has cost the show advertisers.
It was not immediately clear how many companies had pulled ads from this week's edition of "Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly." The only advertiser to publicly say it was doing so has been the financial firm JPMorganChase.
"That comes with the territory," NBC News Chairman Andy Lack told the Associated Press when asked about the commercial response. "It's not unusual. We kind of know when we're doing controversial stories, that's going to happen. It doesn't stop us from doing controversial stories."
The network has been taken aback by the response to booking Jones, the "Infowars" host who has questioned whether the massacre of 26 people, including 20 children, in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., was a hoax. Lack said the story will be edited with the sensitivity of its critics in mind.
"It's important to get it right," Lack said.

Kelly, who jumped to NBC News from Fox News Channel earlier this year, received more bad news from the ratings book Tuesday. After the debut episode of "Sunday Night" drew an estimated six million viewers June 4, the show's second episode pulled just 3.6 million viewers, less than half the number drawn by a repeat episode of CBS' "60 Minutes."
"What I think we're doing is journalism," Kelly told the Associated Press in an interview later Tuesday. "The bottom line is that while it's not always popular, it's important. I would submit to you that neither I nor NBC News has elevated Alex Jones in any way. He's been elevated by 5 or 6 million viewers or listeners, and by the president of the United States. As you know, journalists don't get the choice over who has power or influence in our country."
Sandy Hook Promise, an anti-gun violence group, said it had asked Kelly to step down as host of its Wednesday night gala in Washington. Nicole Hockley, the group's co-founder and managing director, said the group could not support Kelly or NBC's decision to give a platform to Jones and hopes NBC reconsiders its plan to broadcast the interview. Hockley, whose 6-year-old son Dylan was killed in the tragedy, founded the organization with Mark Barden, who lost his 7-year-old son Daniel.
Kelly said she understood and respected the decision, but was disappointed.
To some critics, NBC's timing in airing the Jones interview on Father's Day makes the decision worse. NBC said it was scheduled for competitive reasons, because Jones had been booked to appear on ABC's daytime show "The View" next week. A representative of "The View" said Jones had canceled his appearance there and he will not be rescheduled.
Lack noted that he had suggested approaching Jones for an interview to David Corvo, the NBC News executive who supervises the network's newsmagazines. He said there's nothing new about putting people on the air even if they're unpopular or have views that are deplorable to many.
"I've got tremendous understanding of why they're so upset, as they have every right to be," he said. "Of course we're looking at it. We're looking at the editorial process."upset, as they have every right to be," he said. "Of course we're looking at it. We're looking at the editorial process."
Jones, for his part, has already denounced the interview as "fake news" and said it was purposeful hit job on him.
"I knew in my gut this was going to blow up in their face," he said on his show.

Otto Warmbier: American student freed by North Korea back on US soil

A plane carrying Otto Warmbier, the U.S. college student arrested, tried and imprisoned in North Korea for more than a year, and who is now in a coma, landed in his hometown of Cincinnati Tuesday night and he was rushed to a hospital for urgent medical treatment.
The U.S. military flight landed at Lunken Airport at approximately 10:20pm ET and was met by an ambulance en route to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that Warmbier, 22, was in a coma and had been for "over a year." The official added that the North Koreans told the U.S. that Warmbier contracted botulism before slipping into a coma. However, the two U.S. doctors traveling with him have not been able to confirm that claim, the official said.

The New York Times, citing an unnamed senior American official, said the U.S. had received intelligence reports in recent weeks that Warmbier had been repeatedly beaten.
Warmbier has served just over a year of his 15-year sentence -- allegedly for taking down a sign of the late dictator Kim Jong Il while he was in the country with a tour group
Neighbor Tom Purdy described him to Fox News as "a great kid - truly outstanding... an athlete, a National Merit scholar and prom king. He is awesome."
"We're very concerned for his health and future. We hope he can return to normal. We've been praying for him every night."
Blue and white ribbons lined the street near the family home.
A group of students playing tennis outside Wyoming High School, which Warmbier attended, said he is known in the community as "an outstanding student" and a "wonderful guy". While happy he's home, one student said he was "heartbroken to learn he's in a coma."
His medical evacuation followed a brief flurry of diplomatic activity that involved the highest level of the State Department.
"At the direction of the president, the Department of State has secured the release of Otto Warmbier from North Korea," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. "Mr. Warmbier is en route to the United States, where he will be reunited with his family. The Department of State continues to have discussions with the DPRK regarding three other U.S. citizens reported detained. Out of respect for the privacy of Mr. Warmbier and his family, we have no further comment on Mr. Warmbier."
Warmbier's parents, who have appeared on Fox News Channel in the past to plead for their son's release, expressed somber gratitude.
“Our son is coming home,” Fred Warmbier told The Washington Post Tuesday morning, after his son had been evacuated from North Korea. “At the moment, we’re just treating this like he’s been in an accident. We get to see our son Otto tonight.”
Top U.S. officials were quick to express revulsion at North Korea’s reported abuse of the student.
“Otto’s detainment and sentence was unnecessary and appalling, and North Korea should be universally condemned for its abhorrent behavior,” Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said in a statement. “Otto should have been released from the start. For North Korea to imprison Otto with no notification or consular access for more than a year is the utmost example of its complete failure to recognize fundamental human rights and dignity.”
“Otto has been in a coma for over a year now and urgently needs proper medical care in the United States,” former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who worked for Warmbier's release with his Center for Global Engagement, said in a statement obtained by Fox News. “We received a call from Cindy and Fred Warmbier early today to update us on Otto’s condition. In no uncertain terms North Korea must explain the causes of his coma.”
Warmbier was detained on Jan. 2, 2016, at Pyongyang International Airport, while visiting the country as a tourist with Young Pioneer Tours. He was charged with stealing the sign from a staff-only floor in the Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang and committing “crimes against the state.” He was given a one-hour trial in March 2016, when the government presented fingerprints, CCTV footage and pictures of a political banner to make its case against the American student.
“I beg that you see how I am only human,” Warmbier said at his trial. “And how I have made the biggest mistake of my life.”
Despite his pleas, the college student was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. In a post-trial video released to the world, Warmbier, under obvious duress, praised his captors for his treatment and for handling of the case “fair and square."
Foreigners who have been detained or imprisoned in the Hermit Kingdom often have a shared experience: confusion, forced confessions, communication blackouts and isolation.
Warmbier's release leaves three U.S. citizens currently known to be held in North Korea: accounting professor Kim Sang Duk, businessman Kim Dong Chul and Kim Hak-Song, who worked at Pyongyang University.
AMERICANS RELEASED FROM NORTH KOREAN CAPTIVITY BACK ON US SOIL
Warmbier's release comes amid worsening tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, largely owing to Pyongyang's continued testing of nuclear-capable missiles.
The U.S. has no diplomatic relations in North Korea.
Meantime, former NBA star Dennis Rodman, a self-described friend of Kim Jong Un, recently landed in North Korea on a non-U.S.-sanctioned mission he said was aimed at promoting sports in the isolated nation.

Gingrich on Mueller: Can’t Trust Someone Who Only Hires Dems

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich doubles down on his claims special counsel Robert Mueller’s team can’t be trusted.
In an interview Tuesday morning, Gingrich said congressional republicans should investigate the democrats Mueller is hiring.
He added he can’t “give the benefit of the doubt” to someone who only hires democrats, and who he suggested will be “after President Trump.”
Gingrich also said he spoke with President Trump on Monday night to discuss his concerns, explaining it’s a mistake to think the investigation is going to be neutral.

U.S. Places Sanctions on ISIS Chemical Weapons Leaders

FILE — In this Saturday, March 26, 2016 file photo, a firefighter cleans houses exposed to a chemical attack in Taza, 10 miles (20 kilometers) south of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. According to a new analysis from Conflict Monitor by IHS Markit, the Islamic State’s chemical weapons capability has been degraded, although the group likely retains expertise to produce small batches of sulphur mustard and chlorine agents. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)

The United States is placing sanctions on ISIS chemical weapons experts, which is the first move of it’s kind aimed at the terror group.
The Islamic State has repeatedly used low-grade chemical weapons like chlorine, sulfur, and mustard gas in Syria and Iraq.
The State and Treasury Departments say the new sanctions stop two ISIS weapon makers from accessing property or interests under U.S. jurisdiction.
One weapon maker was in charge of an explosive manufacturing factory in Iraq.
The other ISIS leader was a member of the Taliban since 2003, and received chemical weapons training in Syria before returning to Iraq in 2015.

Planned Parenthood Cartoons

GOP senators may be willing to back health bill that funds Planned Parenthood

Several Republican senators have indicated that they would be willing to support a health care bill that funds Planned Parenthood or some abortion services, Fox News has learned.
The GOP is worried that any bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare would have to be carefully structured to hold the support of moderate and conservative Republicans. However, the apparent concession by conservatives might give leadership more room to maneuver.
The pressure is on Senate Republicans to try to move a bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare before the Fourth of July recess. The House of Representatives passed its own bill, the American Health Care Act, last month.
Fox News has also learned that Senate GOP leaders have been sending policy proposals to the Congressional Budget Office for evaluation and scoring. However, a full bill was not expected to be presented at the weekly Republican luncheon Tuesday.
Senate Republicans are winnowing down policy options in an effort to get the necessary 51 votes to pass any health care legislation. Some believe any bill will only get 50 votes, necessitating a tie-breaking intervention by Vice President Mike Pence.
Meanwhile, the government said Monday that about 16 percent of consumers who signed up for coverage this year through Healthcare.gov and its state counterparts had canceled their plans by early spring.
Figures released from the Health and Human Services department show that 10.3 million people were signed up and paying their premiums as of March 15. That's 1.9 million fewer than the 12.2 million who initially signed up during open enrollment season, which ended Jan. 31.
In the first part of last year, the dropout rate was similar, about 13 percent. It increased as the year went on. Monthly enrollment averaged about 10 million people in 2016.
Some of the main reasons for dropping out include finding job-based insurance, problems paying premiums, and becoming eligible for Medicare.
A new analysis from HHS also found higher dropout rates in areas where insurers have left the program. About one-third of U.S. counties only had one participating insurer this year, and next year there may be areas with no available carrier.
The Trump administration said the numbers are a sign of continuing problems with Obamacare, such as sharp premium increases and the departure of some major insurers that suffered financial losses. Democrats have accused Trump of trying to "sabotage" Obama's signature domestic achievement

Trump is considering firing special counsel Mueller, friend says

Christopher Ruddy, the founder of  Newsmax Media and close friend of President Trump, told PBS News Hour Monday that he believes the president is “considering perhaps terminating” special counsel Robert Mueller, the man charged with investigating Russian interference in the U.S. election and possible collusion with Trump’s campaign.
The comments come amid increasing frustration at the White House and among Trump supporters that the investigation will overshadow the president's agenda for months to come — a prospect that has Democrats are hoping for.
When reached by Fox News after the remarks, Ruddy said, “while I am not claiming the president said it to me, I am confident of my sourcing. He is definitely considering it as an option.”
Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said Ruddy “never spoke to the president regarding this issue. With respect to this subject, only the president of his attorneys are authorized to comment.”
The New York Times reported that to fire Mueller, Trump would have to order Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein to turn back regulations that protect ta special counsel from being fired for no good reason. If Rosenstein refused, Trump could fire Rosenstein.
As Mueller builds his legal team, Trump's allies have begun raising questions about the former FBI director's impartiality, suggesting he cannot be trusted to lead the probe.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an informal Trump adviser, tweeted Monday, "Republicans are delusional if they think the special counsel is going to be fair. Look who he is hiring," tweeted
Just weeks ago, Gingrich had heaped praise on Mueller, hailing him as a "superb choice" for special counsel whose reputation was "impeccable for honesty and integrity."
But after the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey last week, Gingrich said he'd changed his mind.
"Time to rethink," he tweeted Monday, citing Mueller's hiring decisions and Comey's admission that he'd instructed a friend to share with reporters notes he'd taken of his private conversations with Trump in order to force the appointment of special counsel.
Conservative commentator Ann Coulter offered a similar message, tweeting, "Now that we know TRUMP IS NOT UNDER INVESTIGATION, Sessions should take it back & fire Mueller."
The talk about dismissing Mueller appeared to be coming from Trump allies — including some close to White House strategist Steve Bannon — who are increasingly frustrated with the prospect of a long and winding probe.
They say Trump did not collude with Russia and see the investigation as a politically motivated sham that handicaps Trump's ability to execute his agenda, according to one person who advises the White House on how to handle the probe. The person demanded anonymity to discuss strategy on the sensitive matter.
Ruddy appeared to be basing his remarks, at least in part, on comments from Jay Sekulow, a member of Trump's legal team, who told ABC in an interview Sunday that he was "not going to speculate" on whether Trump might at some point order deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein to fire Mueller.
"Look, the president of the United States, as we all know, is a unitary executive. But the president is going to seek the advice of his counsel and inside the government as well as outside. And I'm not going to speculate on what he will or will not do," Sekulow said. Still, he added, "I can't imagine that that issue is going to arise."

$500K Lawsuit Filed Against Pa. School District Claims Teachers Paid to Teach, Not Work for Unions

A Pennsylvania school district is facing a lawsuit claiming more than $500,000 in tax funds have been used to pay for so-called “ghost teachers.”
The plaintiffs, Americans for Fair Treatment, say the money was used to illegally pay the salaries of union employees who were not teaching in the classroom.
They also claim these employees, or ghost teachers, have been illegally boosting their pensions while working for the union.
Americans for Fair Treatment is demanding union employees return their salaries to the schools.

Appeals Court Refuses to Reinstate Pres. Trump’s Travel Order

As the Trump administration waits for the Supreme Court to intervene, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refuses to reinstate President Trump’s travel order.
The California-based court upheld a Hawaiian district court ruling that blocked the order, which restricts travel and new visas from six terror prone countries.
President Trump signed the order in the interest of national security.
The three judge panel said the president’s order exceeds the scope of authority.
Last month, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia also ruled against the order, prompting the administration to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Sponsors flee New York City theater company over Trump-killing scene

Delta Air Lines and Bank of America became the first companies to announce that they are pulling their sponsorships of a Manhattan-based theater company’s portrayal of Julius Caesar as a Donald Trump look-alike in a business suit who gets stabbed to death on stage.
Delta and Bank of America both announced their intentions on Sunday.
"No matter what your political stance may be, the graphic staging of Julius Caesar at this summer's Free Shakespeare in the Park does not reflect Delta Air Lines' values," the company’s statement said. "Their artistic and creative direction crossed the line on the standards of good taste."
Bank of America added it was withdrawing funding for the production.
"The Public Theater chose to present Julius Caesar in such a way that was intended to provoke and offend," the bank said in a tweet. "Had this intention been made known to us, we would have decided not to sponsor it."
Performances at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater began in late May, just days before comedian Kathy Griffin was condemned for posing for a photograph with a bloodied rendering of Trump’s head.
Oskar Eustis, the Public Theater's artistic director who also directed the play, said earlier in a statement that "anyone seeing our production of 'Julius Caesar' will realize it in no way advocates violence towards anyone."
"Julius Caesar" tells a fictionalized story of a powerful, popular Roman leader who is assassinated by senators who fear he is becoming a tyrant. It is set in ancient Rome, but many productions have costumed the characters in modern dress to give it a present-day connection.

Republicans seek to clear air on whether Trump has Comey tapes

Republicans on Sunday urged President Trump to clear the air on whether he has tapes of private conversations with former FBI Director James Comey and provide them to Congress if he does.
The latest remarks was a sign of escalating fallout from the highly-anticipated testimony given by Comey last week of pressure from Trump, which drew an angry response from the president on Friday that Comey was lying.
"I don't understand why the president just doesn't clear this matter up once and for all," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a member of the Senate Intelligence committee. She added that she would support a subpoena for the tapes if needed.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who is also on the committee, agreed the panel needed to hear any tapes that exist. "We've obviously pressed the White House," he said.
Trump's aides have dodged questions about whether conversations relevant to the Russia investigation have been recorded, and so has the president. Pressed on the issue Friday, Trump said "I'll tell you about that maybe sometime in the very near future."
Lankford added that Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ testimony Tuesday will help flesh out the truth of Comey’s allegations, including Sessions' presence at the White House in February when Trump asked to speak to Comey alone. Comey alleges that Trump then privately asked him to drop a probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn's contacts with Russia.
Comey also has said Sessions did not respond when he complained he didn't "want to get time alone with the president again." The Justice Department has denied that, saying Sessions stressed to Comey the need to be careful about following appropriate policies.
"We want to be able to get his side of it," Lankford said.
Trump on Sunday accused Comey of "cowardly" leaks and predicted many more from him. "Totally illegal?" he asked in a tweet. "Very 'cowardly!'"
Several Republican lawmakers also criticized Comey for disclosing memos he had written in the aftermath of his private conversations with Trump, calling that action "inappropriate." But, added Lankford "releasing his memos is not damaging to national security."

The Comey Conundrum: Liberal critics embrace him now that he's attacking Trump

James Comey has gone from hero to zero and back more times than seems humanly possible.
He’s become a walking Rorschach test on which partisans project their passionate feelings.
At the moment, the fired FBI director is being hailed by the left and drawing applause from much of the mainstream media.
Comey is a “Shakespearean character,” the New York Times says, with “a theatrical swagger to match the moment.”
He is “blunt and folksy,” says the Washington Post, both a “prototypical G-man” and “the aggrieved victim of an undisciplined, line-crossing president.”
But Comey is being pilloried on the right for not having much of a legal case against President Trump, and for being a leaker to boot. The latter is not a crime in leak-crazed Washington, but it does tarnish Comey’s halo, since he scolds journalists for inaccurate leaked stories while slipping his memos through a friend to the New York Times.
Somehow, it often seems all about Comey. He infuriated the right by declining to seek an indictment against Hillary Clinton in the email investigation, while also upsetting the left by castigating her at a news conference for negligent conduct. Then he infuriated the left for reopening the case in late October for what turned out to be nothing. To this day, Clinton blames Comey for costing her the election.
This goes back to 2004, when Comey was Attorney General John Ashcroft’s deputy, got an urgent call and rushed to the bedside of his hospitalized boss. Comey was able to block other Bush administration officials from having Ashcroft sign a reauthorization of the president’s domestic surveillance program. And who did Comey take with him? FBI Director Robert Mueller, who’s now investigating Comey’s charges as special counsel in the Russia investigation.
The liberals treated him as a saint.
Trump has now called Comey a liar, and with his “100 percent” offer to testify under oath—if indeed that ever happens—the two men are on a legal collision course.
With the absence of a White House war room—and with officials under orders not to comment on the investigation—Corey Lewandowski is leading the rapid response.
The president’s first campaign manager was all over the airwaves late last week, defending his former boss and saying that Comey might potentially have to be prosecuted for leaking. Dave Bossie, Trump’s former deputy campaign manager and now a Fox News contributor, has been defending him as well.
Trump has explored bringing them into the White House, but that is apparently not happening, at least for now. And both men are more free to speak their mind on the outside than if they were part of the administration.
Whether Comey lays low now or not, he has become the president’s chief antagonist. And whether he is praised or pilloried depends heavily on whether you support Trump, just as it did when Comey was investigating Hillary.
Not long ago, Comey was resented by both sides. But now that he’s testified at a hearing watched by 20 million people, the ground has shifted once again.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m.). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz. 

Oscar Lopez Rivera gets place of honor at NYC Puerto Rican Day Parade

unbelievable.

A Puerto Rican nationalist who served 35 years in prison for his ties to the FALN terror group stepped off at the head of New York City's Puerto Rican Day Parade Sunday, with a top city official by his side.
Oscar Lopez Rivera drew cheers and boos as he stood on the first float of the parade, which moved up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Organizers had offered to honor Lopez Rivera with the parade's "National Freedom Award," but he declined after a backlash that saw sponsors, including AT&T and Jet Blue, and politicians like New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pull out.
"I feel good about being here," Lopez Rivera told the New York Post as he pounded his chest and chanting "Que viva Puerto Rico!" "This parade is for the Puerto Rican public."
New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito joined Lopez Rivera's float approximately halfway along the parade route.
"I'm here to celebrate," she said. "This is a day of unity and celebration."
As for those who chose to stay away because of Lopez Rivera, she said "that's their decision."
Lopez Rivera's supporters followed, carrying signs that read, "Oscar Lopez Rivera is our Mandela."
Nanchelle Rivera — no relation — was not among them. From the sidelines, the 28-year-old spectator said she refuses to back the man who was convicted for his involvement with the FALN, responsible for bombings that killed and maimed dozens in the 1970s and 1980s.
"He did not represent me," said the young woman visiting from Orlando told the Associated Press.
She said she would not have come to watch the celebration if she'd known Lopez Rivera would be there.
A supporter in the parade heard her booing, and shouted back, "This is your history!"
"This really pisses me off," spectator Mark Rivera told the Post. "This is a day for honoring the republic of Puerto Rico, not honoring a terrorist. This man has no place in our parade. He makes me ashamed to be a Puerto Rican."
Most of the tens of thousands of revelers turned out simply to celebrate Puerto Rico, happily salsa dancing and waving Puerto Rican flags. Some wrapped their bodies in it, others adorned their heads with the red, white and blue colors.
"We don't care that he is here," said Rosa Rosario, a 68-year-old New Yorker.
"I don't support a political movement," she said, explaining that she was at the parade to support "my hometown, Hormigueros" — a municipality in the western region of the island.
The parade has often been a venue to showcase the complicated history of the U.S. territory, now mired in a recession. This year, it comes on the same day Puerto Ricans vote among three choices: independence, statehood or their current territorial status.
Decades ago, FALN claimed responsibility for more than 100 bombings in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including a lunchtime blast in 1975 that killed four people at New York's historic Fraunces Tavern.
Lopez Rivera was convicted of seditious conspiracy though he was never charged with any specific bombings and has denied participating in attacks that injured anyone. He was released last month following the commutation of his sentence by then-President Barack Obama.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who for weeks defended his own decision to march, said last week that he was uncomfortable with the idea of honoring Lopez Rivera all along. He showed up for the march, making no comments but shaking hands with people across police barricades.
New York held its first Puerto Rican parade in 1958, when it was barely legal to display the Puerto Rican flag on the island and Puerto Ricans on the mainland faced harsh discrimination.
Congress will ultimately have to approve the outcome of Sunday's referendum. Some Puerto Ricans blame the current recession on the U.S. government, partly because of the elimination of tax credits that many say led to the collapse of the island's manufacturing sector.

Clinton, Comey, & Lynch Cartoons

Comey testimony: Trump responds, claims 'total and complete vindication'

Comey gave Hillary Clinton a get out of jail free card.

President Trump finally broke his silence Friday morning about James Comey's congressional testimony a day earlier, tweeting that he felt vindicated and emphasizing the former FBI director's admission that he leaked details of confidential conversations with the president to the press.
"Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!" Trump tweeted.
The morning message was Trump's first comment -- aside from a statement from his personal lawyer Marc Kasowitz -- regarding Comey's stunning Thursday testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Trump had uncharacteristically not addressed Comey's allegations on Thursday, but his Friday comments came ahead of a scheduled joint news conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in the Rose Garden.
Comey, who was fired by Trump on May 9, revealed during his testimony that he had a friend, later identified as Columbia University Law Professor Dan Richman, leak contents of his private memos to the media in hopes of prompting the "appointment of a special counsel."
Kasowitz was set to file a complaint with the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General and send a letter of complaint to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Comey's testimony that he orchestrated the leak of the alleged contents of his one-on-one talks with Trump, a source close to the president's legal team told Fox News.
Two days after Comey was fired, The New York Times reported on a January conversation -- allegedly sourced from those Comey told about the encounter -- in which Comey claimed Trump asked him for his loyalty. Trump has vociferously denied he made such a request and tweeted the following day: "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"
Comey, in his Thursday testimony, said it was that tweet that prompted him to enlist Richman to help him leak memos he allegedly wrote about incidents involving Trump.
While Trump disputed key parts of Comey's testimony, his legal team also welcomed statements that he did not seek the shutdown of the broader Russia probe and that Trump was told he wasn't personally under investigation.

What kind of governor would allow undocumented aliens into their state?

California gives immigrants here illegally unprecedented rights, benefits, protections

Idiot

 It started with in-state tuition. Then came driver's licenses, new rules designed to limit deportations and state-funded healthcare for children. And on Monday, in a gesture heavy with symbolism, came a new law to erase the word "alien" from California's labor code.

Together, these piecemeal measures have taken on a significance greater than their individual parts — a fundamental shift in the relationship between California and its residents who live in the country illegally. The various benefits, rights and protections add up to something experts liken to a kind of California citizenship.
The changes have occurred with relatively little political rancor, which is all the more remarkable given the heated national debate about illegal immigration that has been inflamed by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
"We've passed the Rubicon here," said Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist. "This is not an academic debate on the U.S. Senate floor about legal and illegal and how high you want to build the wall.... [The state] doesn't have the luxury of being ideological.... The undocumented are not going anywhere."
Democratic lawmakers and immigration activists, with diminishing opposition from the GOP, continue to seek new laws and protections. These measures include cracking down on employers withholding pay from low-wage workers and expanding state-subsidized healthcare to adult immigrants without papers.

These new initiatives face obstacles, but backers say such hurdles center on the hefty price tags of the programs, not political fallout from the immigration debate.
California officials have been spurred into action in part by the lack of action in Washington to overhaul the nation's immigration system. The stall in Congress has motivated advocates to push for changes in state laws. But they acknowledge that their victories are limited without national reform.

"The reality is, despite the bills that we've done, there are up to 3 million undocumented immigrants that still live in the shadows," said Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D-Watsonville), chairman of the Latino Legislative Caucus. "Their legal status as immigrants does not change — only Congress can do that."
Karthick Ramakrishnan, a public policy professor at UC Riverside, calls what's emerging "the California package": an array of policies that touch on nearly every aspect of immigrant life, from healthcare to higher education to protection from federal immigration enforcement.
Other states have adopted components of the package; Connecticut, for example, offers in-state tuition and driver's licenses, and passed legislation known as the Trust Act to help limit deportations before California did.
But Ramakrishnan said California is unique in how comprehensive its offerings are.
Most of these laws were passed after 2000, and became especially plentiful after 2012, when President Obama took executive action that shielded from deportation people who were brought to the country illegally.
California was one of the first states to authorize driver's licenses for those affected by Obama's order; two years later, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law enabling all immigrants in the U.S. illegally to seek licenses. The same year, the state expanded in-state tuition for more students in the country illegally and allowed people without legal status to obtain law and other professional licenses.
There have been symbolic wins too, such as a law last year to repeal vestiges of Proposition 187. The initiative, which overwhelmingly passed in 1994, denied immigrants in the country illegally access to public services; it had been mostly overturned by the courts. And on Monday, Brown signed a measure striking the word "alien" — seen as derogatory to those not born in the U.S. — from the state's labor laws.
Still, advocates at times have fallen short. They made the expansion of healthcare coverage a signature issue in recent years, but the estimated price tag of such proposals runs in the hundreds of millions of dollars. So far, they've notched a narrower victory — $40 million in the most recent state budget to provide Medi-Cal coverage to children younger than 19 regardless of legal status.
Brown also vetoed a measure in 2013 that would have allowed legal immigrant residents to serve on juries, saying in his veto message that "jury service, like voting, is quintessentially a prerogative and responsibility of citizenship."
A handful of Democrats — mostly from swing or politically conservative districts — had also opposed that measure.
Brown has appointed a number of noncitizens in the country legally to state agencies and departments, according to his office.
Other policies have run into criticism. The death last month of Kathryn Steinle, who authorities say was shot by a Mexican national who had previously been deported several times, thrust San Francisco's "sanctuary city" policy into the national political debate. The policy limits local law enforcement's cooperation with U.S. immigration officials.
San Francisco adopted sanctuary city status in 1989, and other major cities in California, including Los Angeles and San Diego, have followed suit. Under a statewide law passed in 2013, local law enforcement officials are prohibited from detaining immigrants for longer than necessary on minor offenses so that they can be turned over to federal officials for possible deportation.
Steinle's killing prompted swift criticism of the city's more permissive policy from GOP presidential candidates and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from San Francisco. Steinle's parents testified in an emotional hearing on Capitol Hill and Republican lawmakers in Congress have pushed several measures to clamp down on sanctuary cities.
In California, however, the backlash has been notably more muted. One Republican state senator, Jeff Stone of Temecula, has said he intends to introduce a bill that would require cities and counties to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. But none of his GOP colleagues in Sacramento has so far chimed in with calls for action.

The shift in tone is also evident in Republicans' voting records. Some of the earlier immigration measures —benefits such as in-state tuition and financial aid for higher education, for example — were generally opposed by Republicans, as were measures intended to limit deportations and enforcement.
A handful of GOP members voted in 2013 in favor of the driver's license law; several more backed the measure allowing professional licenses the next year.
This year, a sizable number of Republicans have voted for a proposal that would grant work permits to farmworkers living in the country illegally. GOP state Sen. Andy Vidak of Hanford authored a resolution calling for federal immigration reform that included a path to citizenship.
"There is a growing recognition now that we're a state of rich diversity. We're a state of immigrants and that's a positive," said Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto), the GOP leader of the Assembly.
Olsen, who said the national debate around illegal immigration has taken on a tone that's "too strident, too harsh," said her party is increasingly open to state action in the absence of immigration reform at the national level.
Nevertheless, she said some of California's new laws have gone too far — particularly those that dip into the state's coffers, like expanding college financial aid or healthcare to those who are in the country illegally.
The shift in the GOP's tone is coming in part because of demographic realities — Latinos have surpassed whites as the largest ethnic group in the state, and California's sizable Asian population also has large numbers of immigrants.
Recent polls by the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times and the Public Policy Institute of California have found broad support for a path to citizenship for those in the country illegally.
Even those who advocate for stricter immigration laws acknowledge their side has won few victories in recent years.
"Citizens are out of the loop on these immigration bills," said Joe Guzzardi, spokesman for the group Californians for Population Stability. "I question whether or not any of them would have passed on the ballot, especially the ones dealing with outlays of taxpayer money."

PERJURY: Comey Lies That Pres. Trump Tweet Prompted Leak

Former FBI director James Comey admits to leaking his own memos detailing conversations with President Trump in his recent testimony.
Comey leaked the memos through a law professor at Columbia University.
That professor has come forward since Comey’s Thursday morning Senate hearing to identify himself as Daniel Richman.
During the hearing, Senator Susan Collins asked Comey if he had shown copies of his memos to “anyone outside” of the Justice Department.
Comey replied, “yes,” saying he made the decision to do so after President Trump tweeted about possible audio recordings the day after he was fired.
However, that information seems to be inaccurate, because the memo was leaked to the New York Times May 11th and President Trump tweeted on the 12th.
Comey said he hoped to benefit from that leak.

House Republicans Set to Repeal Dodd-Frank Act

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan of Wis., speaks with reporters during his weekly news conference on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Republican members of Congress are gearing up to pass legislation to roll back the Dodd-Frank Act.
The legislation aims to eliminate taxpayer bailouts, simplify regulation, and hold financial regulators accountable.
On Wednesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan referred to the bill as the “crown jewel” of republicans’ de-regulatory agenda.
Ryan said the “choice act” allows small businesses across the U.S. to stop struggling, and start hiring.
The House is expected to vote on the measure Thursday.

House Republicans voted Thursday to deliver on their promise to repeal Dodd-Frank — the massive set of Wall Street regulations President Barack Obama signed into law after the 2008 financial crisis.
In a near party-line vote, the House approved a bill, dubbed the Financial Choice Act, , which scales back or eliminates many of the post-crisis banking rules.
The legislation is the brainchild of House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas.
"Dodd-Frank represents the greatest regulatory burden on our economy, more so than all the other Obama-era regulations combined," Hensarling told reporters Wednesday. "There is a better way: economic growth for all; bank bailouts for none."

Hawaii Obama Cartoons

Least we forget.

Least we forget.

Least we forget.

Least we forget.

Hawaii ignores Trump, is first state to pass law committing to Paris Climate Accord

 Boycott Hawaii, the average American can't afford to go there on vacation anyway.

The governor of Hawaii on Tuesday signed a bill that aligns the state’s carbon emissions with the Paris climate accord.
Gov. David Ige signed the bill that calls on documenting sea level rise and set strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Many of the greatest challenges of our day hit us first, and that means that we also need to be first when it comes to creating solutions,” Mr. Ige, a Democrat, said, according to The New York Times. “We are the testing grounds — as an island state, we are especially aware of the limits of our natural environment.”
“Climate change is real, regardless of what others may say,” he said.
President Trump withdrew the U.S. from that agreement last week.
Ige says Hawaii is the first state to enact legislation implementing parts of the Paris climate agreement.
Ige says the islands are seeing the impacts of climate change first-hand. He says tides are getting higher, biodiversity is shrinking, coral is bleaching and coastlines are eroding.
At least a dozen states including Hawaii have signed pledges to continue reducing fossil-fuel emissions despite Trump’s decision.
Ige also signed a bill Tuesday to reduce carbon emissions in the agriculture sector.

afford to go there on vacation anyway.

Comey testimony: Trump has constitutional authority to stop investigation of any person, Dershowitz says

Alan M. Dershowitz, a law professor at Harvard, wrote on FoxNews.com Wednesday that President Trump has the constitutional right to direct his FBI director to stop an investigation of anyone “by simply pardoning that person.”
“Throughout American history-- from Adams to Jefferson to Lincoln to Roosevelt to Kennedy to Obama-- presidents have directed (not merely requested) the Justice Department to investigate, prosecute (or not prosecute) specific individuals or categories of individuals,” Dershowitz wrote. “It is only recently that the tradition of an independent Justice Department and FBI has emerged. But traditions, even salutary ones, cannot form the basis of a criminal charge.”
READ PREPARED COMMENTS
Dershowitz wrote the column after fomer-FBI Director James Comey's prepared remarks were released ahead of his appearance on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
Comey is set to testify that Trump sought his “loyalty” and asked what could be done to “lift the cloud” of investigation shadowing his administration. The prepared remarks detail a series of conversations between Trump and Comey about the investigation into contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia, and Comey's discomfort with the interactions.
Other legal experts say the most damning statement in Comey's written testimony concerns former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, who was under investigation for making false statements about contacts with Russian officials.
Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other top government officials to leave the Oval Office on Feb. 14 before urging Comey to drop the investigation of Flynn. "I hope you can let this go," Trump said, according to Comey's testimony.
Dershowitz, however, wrote that the written statement “does not provide evidence that President Trump committed obstruction of justice or any other crime.”
Obstruction of justice is a federal crime, though it's an open question whether a sitting president can be prosecuted. It's also an impeachable offense, though Republicans who control Congress are extremely unlikely to go after a president of their own party.
Dershowitz wrote, “Assume, for argument’s sake, that the president had said the following to Comey: “You are no longer authorized to investigate Flynn because I have decided to pardon him." Would that exercise of the president's constitutional power to pardon constitute a criminal obstruction of justice? Of course not. Presidents do that all the time.”
Other legal experts see the statement differently.
Julie O'Sullivan, a former federal prosecutor who teaches at Georgetown University's law school, told the Associated Press Trump's decision to clear the room before talking to Comey is evidence that suggests that Trump "was aware that what he was doing was a problem."
Trump has previously denied that he told Comey to end the investigation.
A former FBI official and a prominent Washington, D.C., law professor told the AP that they don't see a crime in what Comey reported that Trump said. Instead, the document reveals a president woefully ignorant of standard protocol and of the historic wall of independence between the FBI and the White House, an inexperience that could work in his favor and make his actions simply improper instead of actually illegal.
"I think the request is inappropriate," said Andrew Arena, a retired senior FBI official. "Whether it crosses that threshold to being criminal, I'm not there yet."

President Trump: Dems are Destroying Health Care in the U.S.

President Trump says the GOP is working hard on its health care plan, and now it’s the Senate’s turn to act.
Speaking at the Cincinnati Airport on Wednesday, the President said Obamacare is in a total death spiral, and democrats have destroyed health care in the U.S.
He said premiums are 150 percent higher under Obamacare, and the problems will only get worse if Congress fails to act.
The President went on to speak at Rivertown Marina about improving U.S. infrastructure, saying we need to rebuild our country and bring back our jobs.
He also touted last week’s jobs report showing the unemployment rate had fallen to its lowest level in 16 years.

Lawsuit Against Comey Claims FBI Illegally Spied on Govt, Trump

Former FBI Director James Comey will testify Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee and speculation about his testimony is already circulating.
On Wednesday his opening statement was released to the public.
It outlines several meetings Comey had with President Trump, but these are admittedly not corroborated.
One America News has reviewed these statements and found several inconsistencies in his remarks and actions.
Meantime, Comey is facing a lawsuit filed by an ex-intel contractor… claiming the FBI illegally spied on millions of Americans.

Iran Nuclear Cartoons