Progressives' frustrations with Feinstein spark talk of 2018 Senate challenge, report

Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s solid stature on Capitol Hill and in California Democratic politics may be in peril, with progressives purportedly frustrated enough about her views on President Trump, DACA and single-payer health care to possibly mount a 2018 challenge for her Senate seat.

A strong potential primary challenger is state Sen. Kevin de Léon, a Los Angeles Democrat, according to Politico.

Feinstein most recently upset progressives on Tuesday, the day the Trump administration announced the dismantling of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era executive order that protects young illegal immigrants from deportation.
The 84-year-old senator said she supports DACA but acknowledged the administration’s argument that the order is on shaky legal ground, amid legal threats from Republican states' attorneys general, and should be codified by Congress.
“We need to pass a law, and we should do it," Feinstein told MSNBC.
Her analysis came several days after being criticized at a town hall meeting in San Francisco for expressing optimism about Trump becoming "a good president.” The remark resulted in so much Democratic backlash that she issued a clarification about being “under no illusion” about Trump.
Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, was elected to the Senate in 1992.
“Assuming she runs, she’ll be tough to beat,” Ben Tulchin, a California Democratic strategist, said Saturday.
Tulchin, president of San Francisco-based Tulchin Research, also said Feinstein’s solid backing among California Democrats, especially with Bay Area and women voters, make it “tough to outflank her in that capacity.”
California Democrats until recently appeared on a nearly endless wait to rise in political circles -- with Feinstein and fellow Democrat Barbara Boxer as the state’s long-standing U.S. senators and fellow party member Jerry Brown serving four straight terms as governor.
However, Boxer’s retirement allowed former state Attorney General Kamal Harris last year to win that Senate seat. Brown leaves in January after a fourth-and-final term. And Feinstein has yet to say whether she’ll seek re-election next year.
If victorious, Feinstein would be 91 at the end of that six-year term.
Feinstein has continuously expressed reservations about the so-called single-payer health care plan championed by many progressives, including Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, a 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and a potential 2020 challenger.
California state Democratic lawmakers this summer split on such a plan, which would create a universal health care system for residents.
House Speaker Anthony Rendon shelved the Senate-approved $400 billion proposal, arguing it had no funding plan.
Politico also reports 38-year-old businessman Joseph Sanberg is being encouraged to run against Feinstein.
Courtni Pugh, de León’s political director, has tried to tamp down speculation about him possibly making a run for Feinstein's seat amid a purported groundswell of grassroots
“Senator de León has his head down and is focused on California’s Legislative business,’’ she told Politico.

Pro Football Political Cartoons

Pakistan’s Largest Bank Fined, Ordered to Shut Down Operations in U.S.

OAN Newsroom

Pakistan’s largest bank is ordered to shut down its only branch in the U.S.
The New York Department of Financial Services ordered Habib to surrender its license to operate in the state after discovering it failed to comply with a number of laws.
A recent investigation found the Pakistani bank facilitated billions of dollars in transactions with a Saudi bank that has alleged ties to Al-Qaeda.
The bank also permitted transactions by the leader of a Pakistani terror group, and a sanctioned Chinese arms dealer.
Habib was fined $225 million, and has agreed to surrender its license.

Another spoiled NFL player makes fans furious after he disrespects the USA

What in the hell is wrong with the owners of these football teams letting their employees get away with crap like this. If it was you or I we would lose our jobs over it.

I don't see any attitude and my s**t don't stink, on this face do you?

pitiful

Anyone remember the black panther salute?

America love it or leave it.

You can now add Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters to your list of no-account, unpatriotic pinheads who hate the red, white and blue. 

Peters brought shame upon himself and his family Thursday night when he refused to stand for the national anthem. It happened during the NFL's season opener between the Chiefs and the New England Patriots.

Click here for a free subscription to Todd's newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives! 
Instead of honoring our nation and our military, Peters plopped down on a bench and sulked -- like an overgrown, spoiled brat.
"I think it was disrespectful to our country. He should have stood up," football fan Sandra Lowman told Fox4KC.com.
Fan Steven King was so angered that he took off his Number 22 jersey and tossed it aside.
"I had so much respect for him before he did that. He's a good player and all that, but now you can have that jersey. I don't care what you do with it. I don't want it!" he told our Fox television affiliate.
Last season, Peters thrust his fist into the air during a game -- in defiance of Lord-knows-what.
“I was just stating how I’m black, and I love being black, (and) I’m supporting Colin (Kaepernick) in what he’s doing as far as raising awareness with the justice system,” Peters told the Kansas City Star at the time.
I'm a huge football fan, but I've decided to boycott the NFL this season.
I might reconsider, if the NFL can muster the courage to tell players that if they ride the bench during the national anthem, they'll be riding the bench during the game.
Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary. His latest book is “The Deplorables’ Guide to Making America Great Again.” Follow him on Twitter @ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook.

Trump is dismantling Obama’s executive action legacy

Obama Statue :-)

President Trump has yet to sign legislation that repeals ObamaCare, funds a new wall on the border with Mexico or reforms the country’s tax code.

But gridlock in Congress has not stopped the president from unraveling former President Barack Obama’s executive action legacy during his first eight months in office.

The latest reversal came this week with the president’s announcement to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program implemented in 2012.
Obama’s program gave a deportation reprieve to hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants, something conservatives have called unconstitutional.
“Only by the reliable enforcement of immigration law can we produce safe communities, a robust middle class, and economic fairness for all Americans,” Trump said Tuesday as he argued Obama didn’t have the authority to enact a policy he referred to as amnesty in the past.
Obama reacted with outrage to Trump’s action on DACA, calling it both “wrong” and “cruel.”
“Ultimately, this is about basic decency,” Obama said.
WHAT IS DACA AND WHY IS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ENDING IT?

DACA could yet live on in some form, as Trump has challenged Congress to come up with a replacement. But for now, it marks the latest in a string of reversals for Obama’s executive actions -- something Trump vowed to achieve during the presidential campaign.
"We're going to be unsigning a lot of executive orders, especially his order that basically lets anybody they want just pour into our country," Trump told a crowd during a campaign rally in Virginia in 2015.
Transgender policy for military
In July, Trump surprisingly announced plans to reverse the Obama administration's decision to allow transgender people to serve in the military.
Trump said last month he wants the order implemented by March, though Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the current policy will remain in place while experts study the issue.
Cuba diplomacy
Trump in June announced plans to roll back some of Obama's Cuba policies, ordering the reinstatement of certain U.S. travel restrictions to the country, though he left other Obama policies in place.
“The outcome of last administration's executive action has been only more repression and a move to crush the peaceful democratic movement,” Trump said at the time. “Therefore, effective immediately, I am canceling the last administration's completely one-sided deal with Cuba.”
Paris accord
Trump also announced in June his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, the environmental pact Obama joined through an executive order.
“So we’re getting out,” Trump announced in the Rose Garden. “But we will start to negotiate, and we will see if we can make a deal that’s fair. And if we can, that’s great. And if we can’t, that’s fine.”
Pipelines and power plants
Trump has used the stroke of his pen to roll back other Obama environmental-related orders.
After taking office, Trump signed an executive order green-lighting the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines.
In March, Trump signed an executive order at EPA headquarters calling for a review of the Clean Power Plan, which restricts greenhouse gas emissions at coal-fired power plants.
In April, Trump ordered Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to conduct a review of the country’s national monuments, accusing his predecessors of a “massive federal land grab” in an attempt to protect the environment.
Help from Congress
Trump, along with GOP lawmakers, have also been able to use the Congressional Review Act, an obscure rule-killing law, to chip away at Obama's legacy, wiping out a wave of last-minute regulations pushed through before Trump took office.
The Congressional Review Act has been used to nix everything from a rule that would have required oil and gas companies to report payments to foreign governments to a gun safety regulation Obama proposed following the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Mueller looking to interview Spicer, Priebus and others as part of Russia probe

Witch Hunter

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is looking to interview a range of current and former White House staffers – including top former aides Sean Spicer and Reince Priebus – as part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Fox News has learned.

The investigators want to speak with aides connected to Donald Trump Jr.’s controversial meeting at Trump Tower last year with a Russian lawyer, among other incidents.

The Washington Post first reported that Mueller is specifically looking to interview a half-dozen Trump associates connected to those episodes.
The list includes press aide Hope Hicks and White House Counsel Don McGahn, as well as Spicer and Priebus – who until recently served as White House press secretary and chief of staff, respectively.
Mueller has not requested to speak with the president himself, Fox News is told.
According to the Post, investigators also are interested in perspective the advisers might have on discussions about President Trump’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey and the response to warnings that former national security adviser Michael Flynn withheld information about his discussions with the Russian ambassador.
Democrats have particularly pointed to the Trump Tower meeting to argue collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election. The Trump campaign has denied the accusations.
Trump Jr.’s meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya was revealed in July.
TRUMP JR. SAYS HE WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT CLINTON'S 'FITNESS' FOR OFFICE IN RUSSIAN LAWYER MEETING
On Thursday, Trump Jr. appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee and told congressional investigators that he agreed to last year’s meeting with the Russian attorney promising dirt on Hillary Clinton because he was interested in any information on the Democratic candidate’s “fitness, character or qualifications.”
In a prepared opening statement, the president’s son again denied any Russia collusion claims and sought to explain the nature of contacts he has had over the years with Russian individuals.
"I did not collude with any foreign government and do not know of anyone who did," he said.

Paul Ryan Cartoons

Conservatives Tout ‘Family Friendly’ Tax Plan

Washington, D.C. — John Hines, OAN Political Correspondent

On the same day that President Trump was touting tax reform in North Dakota, the president’s Special Assistant Ivanka Trump joined Utah Senator Mike Lee and the taxpayer advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform to make a push for tax cuts targeted to families.
“It is very important to the President and this Administration that this is really a tax cut for the middle class and working families. One of the ways, we can deliver a tax cut is through a more generous child tax credit. This administration is pushing for the largest child tax credit possible,” said Ivanka Trump at a forum at the Washington-based headquarters of Americans for Tax Reform.
President Trump’s statement is really an affirmation of similar proposals in Congress, including a proposal for an expanded child tax credit introduced in the Senate by Utah’s Mike Lee who says the current tax code is anti-family.
“We need to end the marriage tax penalty, and we also need to end the child tax penalty. That’s a little known–lesser understood feature of our tax code, but it actually punishes parents,” Lee explained.
And talking about the possibility of a broader tax reform package, Lee struck a positive note.
“I’m optimistic about it because this is something we have to get done. We have no choice but to do it…” Lee stated
And if Lee and Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist have anything to do with it, that reform may soon tilt more towards families.
“The top issue before the American people before Congress this fall is dramatic, pro-growth tax reform. Ivanka Trump has been a leader in the argument for making it a pro-family tax cut, as well by increasing the per child tax credit,” Norquist explained.
Increasing that per child tax credit ultimately means more money to be spent–and more options–for working families, thats according to Ralph Reed Chairman and Founder of the Faith and Freedom coalition.
“The liberals often say, well, you know we care about the children. Well, we do too, we think the best way to meet the needs of those kids is to let the parents keep the money they earn and spend it on those children and not ship it to Washington, DC,” Reed stated.
Ivanka Trump says she’d like to see the child tax credit at least double from its current level of $1,000 to $2,000.
Senator Lee’s proposal goes even further–up to $3500.

House GOP Blocks Dem Proposals to Ban Federal Spending at Trump Businesses

House GOP leaders block Democrat’s proposals to prevent taxpayer funds from being used at President Trump’s businesses.
Democrats filed amendments for a spending package to be considered on the House floor later this week
The move is aimed at prohibiting federal funds from being used at Trump-owned entities.
However, the House Rules Committee declined to green light votes on any of those proposals.
Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of the House Intelligence Committee also submitted an amendment to prohibit the Secret Service from spending money at President Trump’s businesses to ensure the president is not — quote — “personally enriched” by the federal government.

Ryan won't back scrapping debt ceiling amid reported Trump-Schumer pact

House Speaker Paul Ryan told Fox News' "The Story with Martha MacCallum" in an exclusive interview Thursday that he would oppose any deal to eliminate the U.S. debt ceiling despite a reported agreement between President Trump and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to pursue that goal.

"As imperfect as this tool is, I always see this as a good tool for fiscal discipline," Ryan told host Martha MacCallum. "I like the fact that Congress controls the power of the purse and that gives us opportunities for fiscal discipline."

The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump and Schumer, along with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., discussed the idea of scrapping the debt ceiling at a White House meeting Wednesday and agreed to pursue the matter over the next several months.
Ryan added that he "wasn't furious" with Trump for cutting a deal with Pelosi and Schumer raise the nation's debt ceiling and keep the government operating for another three months.
In doing so, Trump overruled Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Ryan himself to agree to the short-term debt ceiling increase, a position the Speaker had slammed as "ridiculous and disgraceful."
"I completely understand why [Trump] was doing what he was doing," Ryan told Martha MacCallum Thursday night. "I think you expect the president to talk to the other party. Isn’t it natural that a president should be speaking with members of leadership of the other party?"
"I think what he’s trying to do is clear the decks so we can get focused on our big things like tax reform," Ryan added. "Second point is, we’re getting hit with two hurricanes ... and he wanted to make this a bipartisan moment. He wanted to make this a bipartisan moment where we weren’t fighting each other up in Washington about hurricane aid. He just wanted to get it done."
Ryan also reacted to anotherWashington Post report that former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon had held informal discussions with Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, about possible replacements for Ryan as Speaker.
"When I took this job at the request of our members [in October 2015], I knew it would come with lots of slings and arrows," Ryan said when asked about his position. "This is not something I’m worried about or focused on. I’m worried about getting our agenda passed."
Ryan declined to comment on his future if tax reform did not pass Congress, saying "I’m not going to get into any of that stuff ... Mark and I have had great conversations and I think there’s a lot in the press that isn’t accurate. But I’m not going to worry about any of that stuff."
Late Thursday, Ryan dined with Trump in what a White House official described as a "productive working dinner to review the fall legislative agenda," including "tax reform, the FY-18 budget, funding for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, raising the debt ceiling and the continuing resolution to keep the government funded.
"The President looks forward to working together with Congress on bipartisan solutions to improve the lives of all Americans," the official added.

Out-of-staters may have won New Hampshire for Clinton, data suggest

New data suggest that more than 5,000 people who cast ballots in New Hampshire in the 2016 U.S. presidential election might not have been residents of the state.

These voters likely used out-of-state driver’s licenses and have not since obtained an in-state license or registered a vehicle.

New Hampshire House Speaker Shawn Jasper, a Republican, released the data Thursday following his inquiries to the state’s Department of State and the Department of Safety, which supervise elections.
The new figures could potentially call into question the validity of the New Hampshire results for Nov. 8, when Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton outpolled Republican nominee Donald Trump by a mere 2,736 votes.
Conservatives have long criticized certain practices of voter registration, such as same-day registration, claiming lax rules invite fraud and abuse of the electoral system, the Washington Times reported.
In February, White House adviser Stephen Miller came under fire for suggesting that nonresident Democratic Party voters arrived in droves to New Hampshire to vote for Clinton.
Miller told ABC in February: “Having worked before on a campaign in New Hampshire, I can tell you that this issue of busing voters into New Hampshire is widely known by anyone who’s worked in New Hampshire politics. It’s very real. It’s very serious. This morning, on this show, is not the venue for me to lay out all the evidence.”
The Washington Post described Miller’s claim as “the same bogus talking points that have been repeatedly shown to be false.”
The figures obtained by Jasper, however, reveal the potential abuse of the voting procedure. According to the data, 6,540 people registered to vote, and voted in the New Hampshire election, provided just out-of-state license.
Only 15 percent, roughly about 1,014 of the voters, have since obtained the in-state license, while 200 other people had since registered a vehicle in the state.
Despite New Hampshire law mandating that drivers acquire a state driving license within 60 days of becoming a resident in the state, more than 80 percent of people who registered to vote with out-of-state licenses still had not received their in-state license or registered a new vehicle – nearly 10 months after the election.
In addition, 196 people were under investigation for voting in two states.
Recently, three elections in New Hampshire were won by fewer than 5,000 votes, the Concord Patch reported. Clinton won against Trump by 2,736 votes, Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan beat U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte by 1,017 votes and U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter won against incumbent U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta by 4,900 votes.
Democrats have fired back at the new data, calling it an attempt to use “selective data and misinformation” to justify claims made by the White House about the voter fraud.
State Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley claimed Jasper “selectively requested information about voters who registered with out-of-state licenses, an entirely legal and normal practice. They can easily be accounted for by college students and other new Granite Staters who deferred acquiring an in-state license or don't intend to drive in the state,” WMUR9 reported.
State Senate Democratic Leader Jeff Woodburn seconded: “Using cherry-picked data in order to support a false claim is dangerous and irresponsible. Today’s release of information by Speaker Jasper’s office fans the flames of misinformation in order to further suppress our citizens’ right to vote.”
Jasper addressed the criticism that the figures can be accounted with just college students, claiming there were multiple people who “did not comply with the law.”
“College students are eligible to vote if they declare domicile here, but anybody who does that then has to comply with the laws of the state,” he said, according to WMUR9. “If someone is domiciled in New Hampshire (and has a vehicle), then within 60 days, they need to obtain a driver’s license. I think we will find that within that 5,000, there will be many who did not comply with the law.”
The two state agencies that issued the data to Jaspers also released an explanation of why certain people could have voted without having an in-state driving license or have registered the vehicle even 10 months later after the election.
“It is likely that some unknown number of these individuals moved out of New Hampshire, it is possible that a few may have never driven in New Hampshire or have ceased driving, however, it is expected that an unknown number of the remainder continue to live and drive in New Hampshire. If they have established their residence in New Hampshire, they may have failed to obtain a New Hampshire driver’s license,” wrote Safety Commissioner John Barthelmes and Secretary of State Bill Gardner.
The letter does not suggest all people who voted with out-of-state driving licenses voted illegally.

Southern Poverty Law Center Cartoons

China agrees more U.N. actions needed against North Korea after nuclear test

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors are seen as they arrive at Seongju, South Korea, September 7, 2017. Lee Jong-hyeon/News1 via REUTERS

BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) – China said on Thursday it agreed the United Nations Security Council should take further actions against North Korea in the wake of its latest nuclear test, while continuing to push for more dialogue to resolve the crisis on the Korean peninsula.
The United States wants the U.N. Security Council to impose an oil embargo on North Korea, ban its exports of textiles and the hiring of North Korean laborers abroad, and subject leader Kim Jong Un to an asset freeze and travel ban, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Pressure from Washington has ratcheted up since North Korea conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sunday. That test, along with a series of missile launches, showed Pyongyang was close to achieving its goal of developing a powerful nuclear weapon that could reach the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump has urged China to do more to rein in its neighbor, which has pursued its weapons programs in defiance of U.N. sanctions and international condemnation.
China said on Thursday it hoped North Korea refrained from further challenging the international consensus.
“Given the new developments on the Korean peninsula, China agrees that the UN Security Council should make a further response and take necessary measures,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters, without elaborating.
“Any new actions taken by the international community against the DPRK should serve the purpose of curbing the DPRK’s nuclear and missile programs, while at the same time be conducive to restarting dialogue and consultation,” he said, using the initials of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
China is by far North Korea’s biggest trading partner, accounting for 92 percent of two-way trade last year. It also provides tonnes of oil and fuel to the impoverished regime.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he had an executive order ready for Trump to sign that would impose sanctions on any country that trades with Pyongyang if the United Nations does not put additional sanctions on North Korea.
THAAD DEPLOYMENT
Amid the rising tensions, Seoul installed the four remaining launchers of the U.S. anti-missile Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on a former golf course in the south early on Thursday. Two launchers had already been deployed.
More than 30 people were wounded when around 8,000 South Korean police broke up a blockade of about 300 villagers and civic groups opposed to the THAAD system deployment, fire officials said.
“It is very unfortunate there some wounded, but it was an inevitable choice in order to protect the lives of the people in this situation made serious by North Korea’s recent nuclear test,” South Korean Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum told reporters.
The decision to deploy the THAAD system has drawn strong objections from China, which believes its radar could be used to look deeply into its territory and will upset the regional security balance.
China said it had lodged another stern protest over the THAAD deployment on Thursday.
“We again urge South Korea and the United States to take seriously China’s and regional nations’ security interests and concerns, stop the relevant deployment progress, and remove the relevant equipment,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular media briefing.
“China has already lodged stern representations with South Korea over this,” he said.
MOON, ABE MEET
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke at a regional meeting in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok and agreed to try to persuade China and Russia to cut off oil to North Korea as much as possible, according to South Korean officials.
The European Union’s foreign and defense ministers will discuss further sanctions for North Korea on Thursday, the bloc’s top diplomat said ahead of an EU ministers’ meeting in the Estonian capital.
However, sanctions have so far done little to stop North Korea boosting its nuclear and missile capacity as it faces off with Trump.
China and Russia have advocated a “freeze for freeze” plan, where the United States and South Korea would stop major military exercises in exchange for North Korea halting its weapons programs, but neither side appears willing to budge.
South Korean Marines wrapped up a three-day firing drill on Thursday aimed at protecting its islands just south of the border with North Korea, while the air force will finish up a week-long drill on Friday.
North Korea says it needs to develop its weapons to defend itself against what it sees as U.S. aggression.
South Korea and the United States are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.
For a graphic on nuclear North Korea, click: http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/NORTHKOREA-MISSILES/010031V7472/index.html
(Additional reporting by Soyoung Kim in SEOUL, Christian Shepherd and Vincent Lee in BEIJING, Steve Holland, Eric Walsh, Jeff Mason and Jim Oliphant in WASHINGTON and Gabriela Baczynska, Robin Emmott and David Mardiste in TALLINN; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Nick Macfie and Paul Tait)

Trump Admin. Urges Dreamers to Arrange, Prepare For Leaving U.S.

Dreamers Karen Caudillo, 21, of Florida is comforted by Jairo Reyes, 25, of Rogers, Arkansas as Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., accompanied by members of the House and Senate Democrats, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

OAN Newsroom

The Trump administration urges recipients of the DACA program to prepare for departure from the U.S.
Talking points distributed to GOP lawmakers Tuesday said so-called ‘dreamers’ should get their affairs in order following President Trump’s decision to rescind the program.
The Department of Homeland Security urged recipients to use the remaining time on work authorizations to prepare for leaving the U.S.
Officials say once the program expires dreamers will be in the country illegally, and lawmakers expect them to no longer remain in the states.
The sixth month grace period would allow Congress to draft new legislation to either legalize the program or do away with it entirely.

Conservatives sign letter warning media against Southern Poverty Law Center

Forty-seven prominent conservatives have signed an open letter warning the mainstream media against using data on hate groups compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

The letter calls the SPLC a "discredited, left-wing political activist organization that seeks to silence its political opponents with a 'hate group' label of its own invention."

Founded in 1971, the SPLC gained fame by successfully prosecuting legal cases against white supremacist organizations, including the Ku Klux Klan. It describes its mission as "fighting hate and bigotry and ... seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society."
Today, the SPLC is best known for tracking hate groups, which the organization defines as having "beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristic." Currently, the SPLC says 917 hate groups are operating in the United States.
SPLC's "hate map" gained prominence in the media after last month's deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. However, critics say the organization has falsely slapped the "hate group" label on non-violent groups who hold traditional beliefs about hot-button issues such as gay marriage and abortion.
Last month, a prominent evangelical ministry based in Florida filed a federal lawsuit accusing the SPLC of defamation after it was labeled an "active hate group." In July, Fox News found that at least seven organizations are listed as hate groups by the SPLC despite explicitly prohibiting violence by their members.
The letter also warns that receiving the SPLC's hate group label "endangers the lives of those targeted with it." It references the 2012 shooting at the headquarters of the Family Research Council in Washington. The gunman, Floyd Lee Corkins, said he disagreed with the group's opposition to gay marriage and prosecutors said he selected the group as a target using the SPLC "hate map."
"By recklessly linking the Charlottesville melee to the mainstream groups named on the SPLC website," the letter went on, "we are left to wonder if another Floyd Lee Corkins will soon be incited to violence by this incendiary information.
Prominent signatories of the letter include Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and former Attorney General Edwin Meese III.

Report: Cohn seen as unlikely pick for Fed chairman after Charlottesville remarks

Gary Cohn, the former Goldman Sachs investment banker and President Donald Trump's current economic adviser, is now considered an unlikely pick to lead the Federal Reserve after criticizing the White House’s response to violence in Charlottesville, Va.

Trump has openly floated the idea of nominating the former banker as the potential successor to Fed Chair Janet Yellen -- whose term ends in February – saying in July that he has “great respect” for him.

But Trump has backtracked on the idea recently in private, people familiar with the president’s thinking told the Wall Street Journal. The job prospects shifted mostly due to Cohn's comments about the president’s response to violence in Charlottesville, the sources told the paper.
Cohn issued a stark rebuttal of Trump’s comments in an interview with the Financial Times last month, where he said the administration “can and must do better” to denounce hate groups, including neo-Nazis and the KKK that marched in Charlottesville.
“Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the KKK,” he told the newspaper.
The comments were a cold shower to Trump, who did not expect such an attack from his economic adviser, prompting the president to bristle at the very mention of Cohn, one White House official told the paper.
But the chances of Cohn of being appointed the next Fed chairman were still not completely lost, according to another official. A lot hinges on tax reform.
Cohn is considered one of the smartest businesspeople close to Trump and -- along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin -- has been working on Trump's long-awaited tax plan.
Yellen has not publicly said she would serve another term. Some of her former colleagues told the Journal that she would continue to serve if asked.
Trump was critical of Yellen while campaigning last year, saying her decision to keep interest rates low was aimed at helping the Democratic Party and President Barack Obama. His opinion appeared to change after taking office, saying in a July interview that he was also considering keeping Yellen in her position.
Others said to be under consideration for the Fed job include former governors Lawrence Lindsey and Kevin Warsh, former BB&T Bank chief executive John Allison, and Stanford University economist John Taylor, the Journal reported.
A White House spokeswoman said Cohn was “focused on his responsibilities … including a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver meaningful tax reform that creates jobs and grows the economy.”

Liberal Teacher Cartoons

Russia May Reduce More U.S. Diplomats in Moscow

OAN Newsroom

Russian President Vladimir Putin is floating the idea of eliminating more U.S. diplomats in Moscow as a response to the recent closures of several Russian embassies in the U.S.
Putin said America has the right to reduce the number of foreign diplomats, but went about removing the staff members in a — quote — “boorish” manner.
Putin also said the closing of the Russian embassies was a violation of property rights, and he plans to sue the U.S. over the matter.
The Russian president made clear that he is reserving the right to reduce U.S. diplomats in Russia, but will wait to see how the situation develops.

House intel panel subpoenas for records on unverified Trump dossier

Christopher Steele Spy :-)

The House Intelligence Committee has issued subpoenas requesting records related to the FBI's relationship with a former British spy who compiled a dossier of unverified allegations about President Donald Trump's connections with Russia.

The committee subpoenaed the FBI and the Justice Department on Aug. 24, giving them until Sept. 1 to turn over information about the nature of the bureau's relationship with Christopher Steele. The panel also wants to know how much Steele was paid and to what extent the dossier was relied upon to obtain FISA warrants and launch the FBI's investigation into Russian activities during the 2016 election campaign.

The subpoenas were first reported by the Washington Examiner.
The FBI and Justice Department did not respond to the initial request for records and the committee has now given them until Sept. 14 to comply. If the records are not provided, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be directed to appear before the committee to answer questions.
Steele compiled the 35-page dossier while working for U.S.-based Fusion GPS, an investigative firm headed by former Wall Street Journal reporter Glenn Simpson. The document was initially created as opposition research on behalf of Trump's political rivals and contained a number of salacious allegations involving Russian prostitutes. None of the allegations in the dossier have been corroborated.
However, the dossier was part of the evidence the FBI used to obtain a FISA warrant to monitor communications of Carter Page, a peripheral adviser in the Trump campaign. Former FBI Director James Comey considered the dossier so important that he insisted it be included in January's final Intelligence Community Report on Russian meddling in the election and reportedly offered Steele $50,000 to corroborate the dossier---something the bureau denies paying.

Ex-Sheriff David Clarke to join pro-Trump super PAC

Former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke Jr. announced Tuesday he will join the super PAC devoted to electing candidates who support the Trump-Pence administration.

Both the super PAC, America First Action, and a spokesperson for Clarke announced that he would join the team as a senior advisor and spokesman.

“It’s truly an honor to join the America First Action team, most importantly because we share the same values that most hard-working, law-abiding Americans do,” Clarke, who resigned last week from his post as sheriff, said in a statement Tuesday. “It gives me the chance to do what I love most—promote President Trump’s agenda, including his fierce support for the American law enforcement officer, and ensure the will of the American people who got President Trump elected is not derailed by the left or the self-serving Washington establishment.”
In June, Clarke announced that he had rescinded his acceptance of a post in the Office of Public Engagement for the Department of Homeland Security. However, the office had never confirmed that it offered him the job, in which he would have served as a liaison between DHS and state and local law enforcement.
Since his resignation last week, Clarke, who has been a loyal Trump supporter, had been rumored to take a post within the administration.
On Friday, DHS pointed Fox News to its announcement in June that “Sheriff Clarke is no longer being considered for a position within DHS.”
“His status with DHS has not changed,” a DHS official told Fox News. Also Friday, the White House told Fox News that it had “no announcement” in regards to a potential administration post for Clarke.
“David Clarke is an American patriot, and we are very proud to welcome him to America First,” Brian O. Walsh, president of the PAC, said Tuesday. “Having spent a lifetime in law enforcement –protecting and serving his community and fighting for justice and the Second Amendment –Sheriff Clarke doesn’t just believe in making America safe again; he’s devoted his life to it.”
Clarke had built a following among conservatives with his social media presence during the 2016 presidential campaign. He spoke at the Republican National Convention last July.
Clarke recently published a memoir, titled, “Cop Under Fire,” which President Trump promoted on Twitter last week.

Illinois Democrat Gutierrez: Kelly a 'disgrace to the uniform' over DACA

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat Idiot

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly

An Illinois congressman blasted White House Chief of Staff John Kelly — a retired Marine Corps general and Gold Star father — as a “disgrace to the uniform” Tuesday after the Trump administration announced the dismantling of the DACA program.

DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) was created by former President Barack Obama by executive action in 2012.The program gives hundreds of thousands of young people brought to the country as children protection from deportation and allows them to work in the U.S.

The Washington Examiner reported that U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat, took personal aim at Kelly because Kelly once reportedly spoke favorably about the program. House members reported in July that Kelly told Latino lawmakers in a closed-door meeting that he was supportive of the program, but pointed out that it was probably illegal.
“He's personally for it. He thinks it will not hold up, according to the attorneys he's spoken with,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, told the Associated Press at the time. “He was challenged by those of us in the room, by lawmakers, to publicly announce his own position and to be a leader and to stand up and defend DACA. He said he would consider it.”
Gutierrez also said, after the July meeting, that Kelly, who previously headed the Department of Homeland Security, took credit for keeping the program alive for so long since Trump took office.
Gutierrez changed his tune after the Trump administration's Tuesday announcement.
“General Kelly is a hypocrite who is a disgrace to the uniform he used to wear,” the congressman said in a statement.
"General Kelly, when he was the head of Homeland Security, lied straight to the faces of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus about preventing the mass deportation of DREAMers," Gutierrez also said. "He has no honor and should be drummed out of the White House along with the white supremacists and those enabling the president's actions by ‘just following orders.'"
The Examiner reported that Kelly is a retired four-star general and Gold Star father. One of his sons died in Afghanistan. 

INSANE! High school teacher calls Trump shirt a "swastika" and makes stu...

Mayor de Blasio Cartoons

New York's de Blasio hints there should be a parade in his honor

Mayor de Blasio claims he’s running the city so well that “you’d assume they’d be having parades out in the streets” — and insisted he’d be more popular if it weren’t for “the time in history.”

“When I think about how crime’s gone down for four years, graduation rates up, test scores are up, more jobs than ever in our history — I think, ‘Wow, just that quick profile, any candidate anywhere would want it,’ ” he boasted to New York magazine.

“You’d assume they’d be having parades out in the streets. But that’s not the time in history we’re living in,” he arrogantly added.
De Blasio’s job-approval rating plummeted over the summer to a 50 to 42 percent margin, according to a Quinnipiac University survey released in late July.
New Yorkers are split — 46 percent to 46 percent — on whether he deserves a second term, the poll found.
The mayor admitted he had made “missteps” and had “insufficiencies as a communicator” — but said New Yorkers were simply taking out their frustrations with the current economic climate on their leaders.
“The Great Recession, specifically, but really the decades of people being economically stagnant, deeply affected people’s views, understandably,” de Blasio said. “And the increased cost of living around here.”

Cuba opens 5-month transition likely to end Castro reign

HAVANA — Cuba on Monday began a five-month political transition expected to end with Raul Castro's departure from the presidency, capping his family's near-total dominance of the political system for nearly 60 years.

Over the rest of September, Cubans will meet in small groups to nominate municipal representatives, the first in a series of votes for local, provincial and, finally, national officials.

In the second electoral stage, a commission dominated by government-linked organizations will pick all the candidates for elections to provincial assemblies and Cuba's national assembly.
The national assembly is expected to pick the president and members of the powerful Council of State by February. Castro has said he will leave the presidency by that date but he is expected to remain head of the Communist Party, giving him power that may be equal to or greater than the new president's.
Cuban officials say 12,515 block-level districts will nominate candidates for city council elections to be held Oct. 22.
An opposition coalition says it expects 170 dissidents to seek nomination in the block-level meetings that began Monday. A few opposition candidates made it to that stage previously but were defeated.
The government does not allow the participation of parties other than the ruling Communist Party and has worked to quash the election of individual opposition candidates, leading critics to call the votes an empty exercise meant to create the appearance of democratic participation.
Cuban officials say dissidents are paid by foreign governments and exile groups as part of a plan to overthrow the island's socialist system and reinstall the capitalism and U.S. dominance ended by the country's 1959 revolution.
At one session Monday evening, about 400 people gathered to choose their neighborhood's candidate, meeting in front of a house adorned with photos of the late Fidel Castro and Cuban flags. Choosing between their current delegate and a young challenger, they re-nominated physician Orlando Gutierrez. Both men were praised as "revolutionary" and "honest."
"We have to be here to defend our revolution and the social gains we have won," said one voter, Ivis Garcia, who works for a state-owned real estate enterprise.
Raul Castro, 86, became president in 2008 and launched a series of slow-moving and limited socio-economic reforms after his brother Fidel stepped down due to illness. Fidel Castro died last year at age 90.
Cuba's new president has long been expected to be First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel, a 57-year-old career party official who has maintained a low public profile in recent years.
Many Cubans' greatest exposure to Diaz-Canel this year has been through an unusual video of the vice president speaking at a private Communist Party event, footage that was leaked to the public by an unknown culprit and widely distributed on thumb drives and online.
In the video, Diaz-Canel discusses plans for crackdowns on independent media, entrepreneurs and opposition groups trying to win municipal positions.
"We're taking all possible steps to discredit that," he says in the footage. "We're involved in this whole process."
The workings of the Cuban government are highly opaque and the public only rarely hears from high-ranking officials, with the exception of a few annual speeches and edited selections of talks at twice-a-year sessions of congress and similarly infrequent party meetings. In addition, the government maintains tight control of the media and internet use in the country and leaks of high-level meetings and speeches are highly unusual.
The Diaz-Canel video may have been leaked by the government itself to telegraph that Diaz-Canel will not accelerate the reform process started by Raul Castro, said Armando Chaguaceda, a Mexico-based Cuban political scientists.
"It could serve to send a signal of official intentions not to create any political opening, without being an official government statement," Chaguaceda said.