NFL national anthem protest: List of players who have kneeled

Anyone remember the old black panther party salute?

Anyone remember the old black panther party salute?

If you were under the impression that Colin Kaepernick's continued unemployment would cause NFL players to think twice before protesting during the national anthem, think again.

Last year, Kaepernick sat (and later kneeled) during the anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. Several other players joined him throughout the season. Yet despite the blowback Kaepernick received in some quarters, NFL players appear even more eager to protest than last season. Perhaps the biggest story of the 2017 preseason has been the willingness of players to demonstrate during the pregame rendition of the anthem. 

After the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month, momentum only seems to be growing. What started with Marshawn Lynch and Michael Bennett this preseason has grown to a wide range of players, mostly black but also white. During one preseason game, the Browns staged the largest group protest to date, with at least 10 players demonstrating.
Here's a look at the players who have knelt, sat or demonstrated in some way during the national anthem so far this season.

Regular season

• Marcus Peters, Chiefs (sat)
• Marshawn Lynch, Raiders (sat)
• Michael Bennett, Seahawks (sat)
• Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles (raised fist)
• Robert Quinn, Rams (raised fist)
• Martellus Bennett, Packers (raised fist)
• Chris Long, Eagles (put his hand on teammate Malcolm Jenkins's shoulder)
• Rodney McLeod, Eagles (put his hand on teammate Malcolm Jenkins's shoulder)
• Justin Britt, Seahawks (put his hand on teammate Michael Bennett's shoulder)
• Thomas Rawls, Seahawks (put his hand on teammate Michael Bennett's shoulder)
• Cliff Avril, Seahawks (sat)
• Frank Clark, Seahawks (sat)
• Johnny Hekker, Rams (embraced teammate Robert Quinn)
• Eric Reid, 49ers (knelt surrounded by teammates)

Preseason

• Marshawn Lynch, Raiders (sat)
• Michael Bennett, Seahawks (sat)
• Cliff Avril, Seahawks (sat during the end of the anthem)
• ​Seth DeValve, Browns (knelt)
• Duke Johnson Jr., Browns (knelt)
• Terrance Magee, Browns (knelt)
• Isaiah Crowell, Browns (knelt)
• Kenny Britt, Browns (knelt)
• Ricardo Louis, Browns (knelt)​
• Jabrill Peppers, Browns (knelt)
• Calvin Pryor, Browns (knelt)
• Jamar Taylor, Browns (knelt)
• Christian Kirksey, Browns (knelt)
• Jamie Collins, Browns (knelt)
• Ron Brooks, Eagles (knelt)
• Shalom Luani, Raiders (knelt)​
• Eric Reid, 49ers (knelt)
• Cameron Jefferson, Bills (raised fist)
• Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles (raised fist)
• Jurrell Casey, Titans (raised fist)
• Wesley Woodyard, Titans (raised fist)
• Robert Quinn, Rams (raised fist)
• Jeremy Lane, Seahawks (stood with his back to the field and flag)
• Chris Long, Eagles (put his hand on teammate Malcolm Jenkins's shoulder)
• Derek Carr, Raiders (put his hand on teammate Khalil Mack's shoulder)
• Justin Britt, Seahawks (put his hand on teammate Michael Bennett's shoulder)
• DeShone Kizer, Browns (put his hand on teammate's shoulder)
• Britton Colquitt, Browns (put his hand on teammate's shoulder)
• Rodney McLeod, Eagles (put his hand on teammate Malcolm Jenkins's shoulder)
• ​Other Browns players, such as Jason McCourty and Shon Coleman, stood near the group of kneeling players on Monday night in an apparent show of support.
•​ About 30 Browns players stood with their arms linked together before their game against the Buccaneers

'Tell That Son of a B***h He's Fired': Trump Blasts NFL Anthem Kneelers

President Trump railed against National Football League players who have knelt during the national anthem.
Trump said that he and Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.), who he was stumping for in Huntsville, are "unified" by "great American values."
"We're proud of our country and we're proud of our flag," he said.
He said players who disrespect the flag and kneel for the national anthem should be ejected from the stadium and cut from the team.
"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say 'get that son of a b***h off the field right now - he's fired'," Trump said.
"Some owner is going to do that," he said.
Trump said the shows of disrespect over the past few football seasons are the main reason behind a decline in NFL ratings.
He also mentioned that the game has grown more litigious, with hard hits and other recurring incidents during a game now being penalized more often.
Trump riffed on a referee from last weekend, saying his wife was likely proud to see him on television so often as he penalized such tackles.
"They're ruining the game," he said of flag-kneeling players and overly litigious officiating standards.

Ben Carson praises Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in apparent break with Trump

Dr. Ben Carson, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, on Friday praised Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in the state’s contentious runoff, an apparent break with the president who is backing another candidate.

"Judge Moore is a fine man of proven character and integrity, who I have come to respect over the years,” Carson said in the statement released by the Moore campaign. “I was delighted to hear he is running for the U.S. Senate. He is truly someone who reflects the Judeo-Christian values that were so important to the establishment of our country.”

It was released just hours before President Trump was set to take stage in Huntsville for a rally in support of the other Republican in the race, incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to the post when Jeff Sessions stepped down to become the U.S. attorney general.
Despite Trump’s endorsement, some of the president’s usual allies, including former senior adviser Steve Bannon, are supporting Moore. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin headlined a post-debate rally for Moore after Thursday's debate.
Moore, Alabama’s former Supreme Court justice, has been polling ahead of Strange, who is favored by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell. The runoff takes place Tuesday.
It's uncommon for Cabinet officials to wade into political races, as the Hatch Act limits political activities of federal employees.
According to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, federal employees are not allowed to engage in political activity while on duty, in the workplace or in any official capacity.
Carson's statement was carefully worded and did not identify Carson as a Cabinet secretary, but rather as a doctor. It also did not claim to be an endorsement.
In 2012, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was found to have been in violation of the Hatch Act after the Office of Special Counsel determined that she made "extemporaneous partisan remarks" during a speech. The speech had come during an official trip.

Alabama rally: Trump campaigns in last-ditch effort for Senate candidate Luther Strange

President Trump rallied with his Alabama supporters on Friday evening for more than an hour in a last-ditch effort to push incumbent Sen. Luther Strange across the finish line in next week’s tight Republican runoff.

During a campaign rally in Huntsville, the president said he appreciated how Strange agreed to vote for ObamaCare replacement legislation this summer without asking any favors from him.

“I called him up a week ago and I said, ‘You know, I think you’re down by a few points,’” Trump said. “But I’m going to come to Alabama and I’m going to make a speech for you on Friday night.”
Trump, who endorsed Strange last month, is tremendously popular in Alabama, winning 62 percent of the vote in the state during the presidential race.
But Strange has been trailing his opponent, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, in recent public polls.
The president also used the rally to draw attention to a variety of other political issues, including Arizona Sen. John McCain’s opposition to Republican ObamaCare overhaul bills, the nuclear threat from North Korea and the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the election.
“That was totally unexpected thing -- terrible," Trump said of McCain’s vote against ObamaCare repeal legislation.
He also referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un as “Little Rocket Man.”
“Rocket Man should have been handled a long time ago,” Trump said.
REPUBLICANS SPAR IN ALABAMA SENATE DEBATE OVER TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT
Speaking of the special counsel probe into possible Trump campaign ties with Russia, the president said: “And by the way folks, just in the case you’re curious, no, Russia did not help me.”
“I call it the Russian hoax, one of the great hoaxes,” he said.
Trump also made an apparent reference to football player Colin Kaepernick, known for kneeling during the national anthem as a protest against police shootings of African-Americans.
“We’re proud of our country," Trump said. "We respect our flag. Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say get that son of a bitch off the field, right now, out? He’s fired.”

Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) looks on during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC16E9F1A070

Trump argued during the rally that Strange would have an easier time than Moore winning the general election in Alabama if Strange secures the Republican nomination next week.
“That is why I’m here tonight to ask the good people of Alabama to send Luther Strange to the United States Senate, so he can defend your interests, fight for your values and always put America first,” Trump said.
The Strange campaign is banking on the president’s support to help him close the gap before Tuesday’s vote. During a debate Thursday, Strange repeatedly emphasized Trump’s endorsement, portraying himself as a loyal warrior in Washington for the president’s agenda.
Introducing the president during Friday’s rally, Strange donned a red “Make America Great Again” hat.
But the Alabama runoff has divided Trump from some of his usual allies, including former senior advisers Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who are supporting Moore.
A few hours before Friday’s rally, Ben Carson, the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, released a statement praising Moore and encouraging Alabamians to get out and vote.
BEN CARSON PRAISES ALABAMA SENATE CANDIDATE ROY MOORE IN APPARENT BREAK WITH TRUMP
"Judge Moore is a fine man of proven character and integrity, who I have come to respect over the years,” Carson said. “I was delighted to hear he is running for the U.S. Senate. He is truly someone who reflects the Judeo-Christian values that were so important to the establishment of our country.”
During Friday's rally, the president played to his crowd, expressing his love for the state, its people, college football and its former senator, Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
“I understand the people of Alabama,” he said. “I feel like I’m from Alabama, frankly. Isn’t a little weird when a guy who lives on Fifth Avenue, in the most beautiful apartments you’ve ever seen, comes to Alabama and Alabama loves that guy?”
Strange, the former attorney general in Alabama, was temporarily appointed to the seat in April after Sessions joined the Trump administration.

Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks to supporters, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. Moore, who took losing stands for the public display of the Ten Commandments and against gay marriage, forced a Senate primary runoff with Sen. Luther Strange, an appointed incumbent backed by both President Donald Trump and heavy investment from establishment Republican forces. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)  (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Moore, known in Alabama as the “Ten Commandments Judge,” is a Christian conservative who is famous for having been removed twice from his position on Alabama’s Supreme Court.
Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to fly to Alabama on Monday
The winner of the GOP runoff will face Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney under the Clinton administration who was endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden has announced plans to campaign for Jones in Alabama in October.

Democrats still Crying Cartoons

Iowa Dems hope anti-Trump sentiment will help them win GOP House seat

Iowa Democrats apparently ran out of gas between Caucus Day and Election Day in 2016, but nine months later, that’s changed.

The party is hoping it can parlay soured support of President Trump into the capture of Republican Huse seats.

“We’ve had more enthusiasm since the election results than we had prior to Nov. 8,” Linn County Democratic Party Chairman Bret Nilles told Fox News.

“We’ve had more enthusiasm since the election results than we had prior to Nov. 8."

Linn County sits in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, which delivered double-digit wins for Obama twice, before breaking for Trump by three over Clinton.
That makes this a swing district, and a top target for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in its effort to flip the House of Representatives in 2018.
Rep. Rod Blum, R-Iowa, represents the 1st right now, and isn’t letting the Democratic machine present a distraction.
“I’m not afraid of losing elections, I’m not even thinking about the next election,” Blum told Fox News.
Earlier this year, Blum hosted town hall meetings that were disrupted by demonstrators, who he believes were “organized by leftist groups.”
Blum also casts doubt on the impact of Trump's flagging approval ratings on this race, saying he thinks the president still appeals to his blue-collar constituents in a Reagan-like way.
Still, Democrats will try to flip the seat by tying Blum to Trump.
“Congressman Blum showed tremendous support for Donald Trump, I think that’s going to be in our favor,” Nilles said.
One of the locals trying to get on the ballot as a Democrat just hopes her party doesn’t repeat the last cycle’s mistakes.
“I think that the Democratic party did a very poor job of presenting that they cared about the problems in this district,” said Courtney Rowe, an engineer from Cedar Rapids.
Rowe, a supporter of single-payer health care, says a chord struck by both Obama and Trump in this state should be sought out.
“In 2012, they felt that Obama that was giving them hope and letting them know he cared about the issues in their life,” Rowe said.  “In 2016, they felt that was Trump.”

GOP retirements could signal trouble for midterm elections

The beginning of September inevitably brings a wave of Congressional retirements, especially in non-election years, as members return from their August recess to a thankless helping of gridlock, unrelenting criticism, and public approval ratings of 15.8 percent, according to the latest Real Clear Politics average of polls.

Pennsylvania moderate Republican Charlie Dent is one of seven House Republicans to recently announce his retirement.

"A lot of this was personal but also the polarization around here is pretty severe," he told Fox News.
TRUMP NOMINATIONS SET UP MORE SPECIAL ELECTIONS, CHANCES FOR DEMS TO UPSET
He joins soon-to-be retirees Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), Sam Johnson (R-Texas) Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) Jimmy Duncan (R-Tenn.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Dave Trott (R-Mich). Ten other GOP seats, mostly considered safe, are open as members run for higher office.
It could all signal trouble ahead for the GOP in the mid-terms, when the president's party traditionally loses seats. Former presidential adviser and Breitbart publisher Steve Bannon is promising to back conservative and economic populists to root out moderates in Republican primaries.
GOP REP. REICHERT OF WASHINGTON STATE RETIRING AFTER 7 TERMS
Yet, the far-right Freedom Caucus remain resistant to compromise.
"Both of these groups, whether it's Bannon or the Freedom Caucus still believe they can take over the Republican Party and dominate it," says Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President George W. Bush and a Fox News contributor.
Conservative primary challenges didn’t work out well in the 2010 election cycle, as untested GOP Senate candidates like Sharon Angle in Nevada, and Christine O'Donnell in Delaware faded in general elections with self-inflicted rookie gaffes.
Already in this new election cycle, former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Roy Moore, who's running against Sen. Luther Strange for Jeff Sessions’ seat, made an embarrassing misstep as he was queried on the local Dale Jackson radio show about "Dreamers" and the DACA program.
ALABAMA SENATE PRIMARY: MOORE'S POPULARITY SHAKES GOP ESTABLISHMENT
"You're not aware of what Dreamers are?"
"No," said Moore.
"This is a big issue in the immigration debate," Dale Jackson responded incredulously.
"Why don't you tell me what it is Dale and quit beating around and tell me what it is," Moore responded.
Republicans are heartened that seven retirements and 10 other open seats are fewer in number than in an average election cycle.
"I'm not overall concerned right now. Seven is well below the 22 average retirements that would normally happen," Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), the chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee, told Fox News. "Second... Democrats have retirement problems of their own."
Stivers also maintains Republicans have a distinct advantage in redistricting.
The 100 Congressional districts that were once considered in play at any given time, has been whittled down to about 70, making it much more difficult for House Democrats to win a majority.

Dems fight to wrest veterans mantle from GOP ahead of 2018 midterms

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks during fellow House Democrats' news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., March 24, 2017.  (Reuters)

Democrats are on a wide-ranging mission to wrest the veterans vote from Republicans – courting them with the promise of better jobs and running dozens of returning military service members in the 2018 midterms. 

The effort reflects the party's determination to retake control of at least one chamber of Congress next year. While Republicans' ideals of a powerful military and a boot-strap work ethic have long appealed to active and retired military – Donald Trump won 60 percent of their vote last fall, exit polls showed – Democrats think they can make inroads.

“We have seen an incredible amount of inspiring Democratic veterans step up to run for Congress this cycle. And that has absolutely helped us expand the midterm map and put Republicans further on their heels,” Tyler Law, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman, said.
While the DCCC’s recruiting efforts have yielded roughly 30 military veteran candidates, House Democrats have also begun a separate effort to pursue better employment opportunities for veterans, part of their larger “Jobs for America” initiative.
“Our agenda cannot just be against Donald Trump, alluring as that may be,” New York Rep. Joe Crowley, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said Sept. 13 in announcing the Reinvesting in Our Heroes Task Force.
Trump, a Republican, in large part won the presidency by appealing to soldiers and veterans with promises to spend more on defense to confront foreign enemies while improving their healthcare in the Department of Veterans Affairs, whose previous conduct he called a “national disgrace.”
"I'm going to build a military that's going to be much stronger than it is right now,” Trump said weeks before winning the White House race. “It's going to be so strong, nobody's going to mess with us.”
And within weeks of taking office, he created a White House veteran-complaint hotline, signed a VA whistleblower protection law approved by the GOP-controlled Congress and proposed roughly $700 billion in additional Defense Department spending.
So Democrats have their work cut out in appealing to the same, powerful bloc.
Among the veteran candidates looking to knock off a sitting House Republican in 2018 is former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath, who has flown 89 combat missions and has an admitted chip on her shoulder.
“When I was 13, my congressman told me I couldn't fly in combat. He said Congress thought women ought to be protected and not allowed to serve in combat,” McGrath, a Naval Academy graduate, says in a video announcing her bid to unseat two-term Kentucky GOP Rep. Andy Barr.
2018 MIDTERMS: DEMS TARGET 80 HOUSE SEATS
David Wasserman, who analyzes House races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, acknowledged Wednesday that Republicans have had the edge with veterans.
“But the dynamics have changed with a lot of liberal-leaning veterans. And a number of them could have a really good chance next year of winning,” he said.
Wasserman also warned that winning candidates need more than a muscular military resume, including a command of policy -- but cited Brendan Kelly, in Illinois’ 12th Congressional District, and Pat Ryan, in New York’s 19 Congressional District, as candidates to watch.

'We have seen an incredible amount of inspiring Democratic veterans step up to run for Congress this cycle.'

Among the other candidates getting attention are Josh Butner, a 23-year Navy veteran and former SEAL whose family's military history dates back to the Mexican-American War.
He’s challenging three-term GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, who won reelection last year in his San Diego-area 50th Congressional District with nearly 64 percent of the vote.
Democrats have to gain 24 seats to take control of the House, with veteran candidates part of the party’s ambitious effort to compete next year in as many as 79 of the chamber’s 435 races.
Their odds of winning the Senate appear more of a longshot, considering Democrats have to defend 25 seats, despite needing only a net win of three to take the majority.
Republicans have fewer veteran candidates in 2018, but point out they already have a large number in Congress, with fortifying incumbents a priority.
“A large portion of our Republican congressional conference is veterans, and we have others this cycle looking to join their fellow servicemembers in Congress,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Jesse Hunt said.
Among those running in 2018 are Steve Ferrara in Arizona’s 9th district; Dan DeBono in New York’s 3rd district; Andrew Grant in California’s 7th district; and Eddie Edwards in New Hampshire’s 1st district.
Ferrara is a retired Navy captain and doctor who pioneered life- and limb-saving surgical techniques on the battlefield.
Moving forward, jobs for veterans will be a focus for both parties.
The veteran unemployment rate continues to decline, at 3.7 percent in August compared to 4.3 percent at the same time last year.
But California Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley, co-chair of the House jobs task force, told Fox News more work is needed for veterans.
“Finding a high-quality job that meets their qualifications and potential is what most concerns those in the military. Servicemembers want to support their families and provide some stability, often after having to move so much,” she said.
Brownley, whose district includes Naval Base Ventura County, also argued that veterans, as a result of their military training, possess “intangibles” like leadership skills and team readiness that they occasionally undersell.
“Sometime a sailor might say, ‘My job was to swab the deck.’ But his job was really to be part of the team that makes sure planes land safely," she said. "That’s a really important skill.”

North Korea could test hydrogen bomb in Pacific, top diplomat says

North Korea's foreign minister has said the Communist nation may test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean after dictator Kim Jong Un vowed he would take the "highest-level" action against the United States, South Korean media reported Thursday. 

The Yonhap news agency reported on comments made to reporters by Ri Yong Ho on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"We have no idea about what actions could be taken as it will be ordered by leader Kim Jong Un," Ri was quoted as saying by Yonhap.
Such a test would be considered a major provocation by the U.S., South Korea and Japan. Ri was scheduled to address the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday, a day later than previously scheduled.
Ri's comments followed Kim's extraordinary statement lashing out at President Trump, calling the American leader "deranged" and vowing that Trump would "pay dearly" for his threat to destroy North Korea.
Kim's first-person statement was published by North Korea's state propaganda arm in response to Trump's fiery speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. South Korean media called it the first such direct address to the world by Kim.
Kim said Trump was "unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country." He also described the U.S. president as "a rogue and a gangster fond of playing with fire."
Some analysts saw Kim's statement as a clear announcement that North Korea would ramp up its already brisk pace of weapons testing, which has included missiles meant to target U.S. forces throughout Asia and the U.S. mainland.
On Tuesday, Trump mocked Kim as a "rocket man" on a "suicide mission," and said that if "forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."
Kim characterized Trump's speech to the world body as "mentally deranged behavior."

He said Trump's remarks "have convinced me, rather than frightening or stopping me, that the path I chose is correct and that it is the one I have to follow to the last."

Kim said he was "thinking hard" about his response and that Trump "will face results beyond his expectation."

Kim Dong-yub, a former South Korean military official who is now an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said Kim's statement indicated that North Korea would respond to Trump with its most aggressive missile test yet. That might include firing a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile over Japan to a range of around 4,349 miles to display a capability to reach Hawaii or Alaska.

In recent months, the North has launched a pair of still-developmental ICBMs it said were capable of striking the continental United States and a pair of intermediate-range missiles that soared over Japanese territory. Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date, drawing stiffer U.N. sanctions.

Robert Mueller Witch Hunter Cartoons

Mueller makes extensive request to White House for Trump documents

Witch Hunter

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has asked the White House to provide a wide variety of documents related to his investigation into Russia’s attempted meddling in the 2016 election, Fox News has confirmed.

Mueller’s office has provided a list of documents requested from the White House counsel’s office, a legal source says. The broad request covers multiple White House staffers and includes actions Trump has taken as president.

The request was expected, a source said.
The president’s legal team declined to comment.
"Out of respect for the special counsel and his process, the White House does not comment on any specific requests being made or our conversations with the special counsel,” White House attorney Ty Cobb said in a statement. “I can only reaffirm that the White House is committed to cooperating fully with Special Counsel Mueller."
MUELLER RATCHETS UP PRESSURE ON PAUL MANAFORT, BUT WHO IS LEAKING THESE DAMAGING DETAILS?
Mueller wants documents from 13 different areas including Trump’s firing of former national security adviser Mike Flynn and former FBI director James Comey, a source said.
He also wants documents related to Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Russian officials and Donald Trump Jr.’s infamous June 2016 meeting with a Russian attorney.
A source also told Fox News that the scope of the request shows that Mueller is operating well within the parameters of his mandate to look into Russian interference in the election – and has not strayed outside the lines.
The New York Times, which first reported the request for documents, said Trump’s attorney has told Mueller’s office he will turn over many of the documents this week.

Samantha Power sought to unmask Americans on almost daily basis, sources say

Samantha Power, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was 'unmasking' at such a rapid pace in the final months of the Obama administration that she averaged more than one request for every working day in 2016 – and even sought information in the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration, multiple sources close to the matter told Fox News. 

Two sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record, said the requests to identify Americans whose names surfaced in foreign intelligence reporting, known as unmasking, exceeded 260 last year. One source indicated this occurred in the final days of the Obama White House.

The details emerged ahead of an expected appearance by Power next month on Capitol Hill. She is one of several Obama administration officials facing congressional scrutiny for their role in seeking the identities of Trump associates in intelligence reports – but the interest in her actions is particularly high.
OBAMA OFFICIAL MADE 'HUNDREDS OF UNMASKING REQUESTS,' GOP CHAIRMAN SAYS
In a July 27 letter to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said the committee had learned "that one official, whose position had no apparent intelligence-related function, made hundreds of unmasking requests during the final year of the Obama Administration."
The "official" is widely reported to be Power.
During a public congressional hearing earlier this year, Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina pressed former CIA director John Brennan on unmasking, without mentioning Power by name.
Gowdy: Do you recall any U.S. ambassadors asking that names be unmasked?
Brennan: I don't know. Maybe it's ringing a vague bell but I'm not -- I could not answer with any confidence.
Gowdy continued, asking: On either January 19 or up till noon on January 20, did you make any unmasking requests?
Brennan: I do not believe I did.
Gowdy: So you did not make any requests on the last day that you were employed?
Brennan: No, I was not in the agency on the last day I was employed.
Brennan later corrected the record, confirming he was at CIA headquarters on January 20. "I went there to collect some final personal materials as well as to pay my last respects to a memorial wall. But I was there for a brief period of time and just to take care of some final -- final things that were important to me," Brennan said.
Three of the nation's intelligence agencies received subpoenas in May explicitly naming three top Obama administration officials: Former national security adviser Susan Rice, Brennan and Power. Records were requested for Ben Rhodes, then-President Barack Obama's adviser, but the documents were not the subject of a subpoena.
A spokesperson for Power had no comment on the number or timing of her requests. But in a previous statement, her lawyer David Pressman emphasized that, "While serving as our Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Power was also a member of the National Security Council responsible for advising the President on the full-range of threats confronting the United States. Any insinuation that Ambassador Power was involved in leaking classified information is absolutely false."
During congressional testimony since the unmasking controversy began, National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers has explained that unmasking is handled by the intelligence community in an independent review.
"We [the NSA] apply two criteria in response to their request: number one, you must make the request in writing. Number two, the request must be made on the basis of your official duties, not the fact that you just find this report really interesting and you're just curious,” he said in June. “It has to tie to your job and finally, I said two but there's a third criteria, and is the basis of the request must be that you need this identity to understand the intelligence you're reading."
Previous U.N. ambassadors have made unmasking requests, but Fox News was told they number in the low double digits.
Power has agreed to meet with the Senate and House intelligence committees as part of the Russia probe. She is expected before the House committee in a private, classified session in October.
Bret Baier is the Chief Political Anchor of Fox News Channel, and the Anchor & Executive Editor of "Special Report with Bret Baier.”  His book, "Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower’s Final Mission," (William Morrow) is on sale now.  
Catherine Herridge is an award-winning Chief Intelligence correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) based in Washington, D.C. She covers intelligence, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Herridge joined FNC in 1996 as a London-based correspondent.

Lincoln Memorial vandalized by student from Kyrgyz Republic, police say

See what the frigging idiot Democrats have got started?

A student from the Kyrgyz Republic was arrested Monday for allegedly using a penny to engrave the letters “HYPT MAEK” into the fifth pillar on the north side of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Fox 5 DC reported.

Nurtilek Bakirov, 21, was arrested and charged with malicious destruction of property, the report said. If convicted, the maximum penalty he faces is 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

The report — citing U.S. Park Police — said an officer caught Bakirov the act.
Last month, the Lincoln Memorial was tagged with red spray paint with an anti-law message.
A photo released by the National Park Service shows an expletive followed by the word "law" scrawled on the inside of one of the memorial's columns.
Workers are removing the graffiti using a "gel-type architectural pain stripper safe for use on historic stone." They say treatments will be applied until all evidence of the paint is gone.
The park service told Fox 5 DC that it is determining how to fix the structure.
"We'll have some different options over the next days and weeks to see what if any course of action there is to take, but until we know what that course of action is we can't really comment on the level of effort or amount of money that would be involved to do so," a conservator told the TV station's website.
The Kyrgyz Republic, also known as Kyrgyzstan, is a former Soviet Republic in Central Asia that borders western China.

Has asset forfeiture gone too far? Truck seizure case sparks outrage, a call for change

Two years ago, Gerardo Serano – an American citizen, Kentucky farmer and a one-time GOP Kentucky statehouse candidate – was driving his brand new, $60,000 Ford F-250 pick-up truck to visit relatives in Mexico, snapping pictures along the way, when Customs and Border Patrol agents halted him at the border, demanded his cell phone, and asked him why he was taking pictures. 

"I just wanted the opening of the bridge. I was gonna take the opening of the bridge, the entrance of the bridge. That’s all I wanted to do," Serano told Fox News.

As a self-proclaimed student of the Constitution, Serano said he knew his rights, and protested to Customs and Border Patrol agents vehemently when they asked him to unlock his phone.
SHOWDOWN LOOMS BETWEEN CONGRESS, POLICE OVER CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE
"You need a warrant for that," he says he told them. They searched his truck and found five bullets in a magazine clip that Serano, a Kentucky concealed carry permit holder, forgot to remove before leaving his home.

Gerardo Serrano showing a photo of his seized truck.  (Institute for Justice)

"We got you," he says border agents told him. He was detained, but never arrested, nor charged, nor tried, nor convicted. However, agents did seize his prized new truck. Two years since its seizure, they have yet to give it back.
Serano is still making monthly payments of $673 on the truck as well as paying for its insurance and Kentucky license fees.
His attorneys at the Institute for Justice say Customs and Border Patrol has told them the truck was subject to the government's Civil Asset Forfeiture program because it was used to "transport munitions of war."
SESSIONS OPENS DOOR FOR POLICE TO SEIZE ASSETS, FACES GOP PUSHBACK
The Civil Asset Forfeiture program has its roots in English law that American colonists rebelled against. Their rebellion was ultimately codified in the Fourth Amendment, which reads, in part: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated..."

Gerardo Serrano showing the notice of seizure he received when his truck was seized.  (Institute for Justice)

Despite that unambiguous language, civil asset forfeiture was revived in the 1930s Prohibition era against bootleggers and mobsters. It was revived again in the 1980s war on drugs and continues to this day.
"It’s absolutely astonishing that civil forfeiture is a policy that we have in this country,” said Clark Neily of the Cato Institute. “It is totally unjust, unfair, and I think it's unconstitutional."
Sen. Rand Paul, (R-KY) agrees.
"There are instances of people, young people, getting some money and saying, ‘I'm moving to California from Boston.’ They're stopping in some small town in Nevada, and they have a thousand bucks their dad gave them to get started,” Paul said. “And the police just take it and say: ‘You prove to us that this isn't drug money.’"

Gerardo Serrano's truck was seized over five bullets, which he says were lawfully his.  (Institute for Justice)

Morgan Wright, a senior fellow at the Center for Digital Government, spent 20 years as a police officer and detective in Kansas. He cites the benefits of civil asset forfeiture.
"We seized everything from cars to houses to money to jewelry to you name it," he said. "One of the cash seizures I had, had plans for a methamphetamine laboratory. They had documented intelligence that they had people working in these operations, people selling cocaine - cartel activity out of Mexico."
Wright acknowledges asset forfeiture may have gone too far.
"One of the worst things you can do in law enforcement is to take a good tool and abuse it," Wright said. "So that restrictive regulations come down on it, and it's taken away from everybody."
Many contend the program's abuses outweigh its benefits. Congressional critics were outraged, when, this summer, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ended Obama-era restrictions that blocked forfeiture without a warrant or criminal charges.
In a rare show of bipartisanship, conservative House Republicans joined liberal Democrats this month in rolling back Sessions’ undoing of the Obama-era reforms. During floor debate, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said: "Asset forfeiture is a crime against the American people committed by their own government."

Gerardo Serrano with his new, leased truck. He is still making monthly payments of $673 on the seized truck as well as paying for its insurance and Kentucky license fees.  (Institute for Justice)

Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) echoed his sentiment.
"The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution exists to protect the citizens of this country from being deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law. In practice and in principle, adoptive forfeiture is a violation of that Fourth Amendment," she said
The Senate is also poised to act.
"We have a free-standing bill that says the government shouldn't take peoples’ property without a conviction, that the burden is on the government that you actually agreed to commit a crime," Sen. Paul told Fox News.
"We also will look at, as the funding bills come through in the House, if they do bring up the Appropriation Bill for the Department of Justice, I will attach that language to it," he added.
Many say what's needed is a Supreme Court test case. It may get one.
Serano, represented by the Institute for Justice, is suing Customs to get his truck back and to end the policy of civil forfeiture once and for all. Justice Clarence Thomas has publicly said the high court needs a good case that address the problems of civil asset forfeiture.

Seattle Minimum Wage Cartoons

Seattle Gets Third Mayor in Just a Week (Stupid Liberals)

Former Seattle City Council President Tim Burgess is taking on a new role as mayor.  (Photo/Ellen M. Banner/The Seattle Times)

Seattle welcomes its third mayor in less than a week.
Councilman Tim Burgess was sworn in Monday following a busy week at the Seattle City Council.
The transition began when former Mayor Ed Murray resigned amid allegations he sexually abused teenage boys.
Following the resignation Council President Bruce Harrell was sworn in as mayor, but only served two days until he decided to decline the job.
Though Mayor Burgess will only serve until November, he says he plans to work diligently for his city.
Burgess was first elected to Seattle’s City council in 2007 and does not plan on seeking reelection this fall.

Jimmy Kimmel takes on Cassidy-Graham healthcare bill

Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel is seen at Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles, March 20, 2014.  (Associated Press)

Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel took aim Tuesday at Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy’s new co-authored healthcare bill that would undo central components of ObamaCare and replace it with block grants -- or federal funds -- to the states.

The host of ABC's “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” who delivered a memorable monologue in May when he revealed his newborn son’s heart condition, mentioned that Cassidy appeared on that show and “was not very honest.”

“It seemed like he was being honest,” Kimmel said. “He got a lot of credit and attention for coming off like a rare, reasonable voice in the Republican Party when it came to healthcare.”
Kimmel said Cassidy coined the term, "the Jimmy Kimmel test," which was summed up by Kimmel as: No family should be denied medical care, emergency or otherwise, because they can’t afford it.
They agreed the Jimmy Kimmel test would mean no lifetime caps, Kimmel said.
“This new bill does pass the Jimmy Kimmel test,” the host joked. “But a different Jimmy Kimmel test: this one, your child with a preexisting condition will get the care he needs, if and only if, his father is Jimmy Kimmel. Otherwise you might be screwed.”
The new legislation was penned by Cassidy, of Louisiana, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Earlier Tueday, Cassidy retweeted a message by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who wrote that the bill’s authors “want states to implement better #healthcare ideas by taking more decision-making power out of Washington.”
Republicans must act by Sept. 30 in the Senate, or face the prospect of a Democratic filibuster. That blocking action is currently staved off by budget rules that will expire at the end of the fiscal year.
The bill would allow states to set their own coverage requirements, allow insurers to boost prices on people with serious medical conditions, end President Barack Obama's mandates that most Americans buy insurance and that companies offer coverage to workers, and cut and reshape Medicaid.
The bill's full impacts are difficult to predict because the Congressional Budget Office has not had time to assess it. But senators plan to move forward without a complete CBO "score," heightening outrage from Democrats.
“This guy, Bill Cassidy, just lied to my face,” Kimmel said.
By Tuesday evening the legislation remained at least one or two votes short of the number needed for passage.
Democrats are unanimously opposed, arguing that the legislation would result in millions of Americans losing their health insurance, decrease access to affordable care and damage the Medicaid health program for the poor.
McConnell must get yes votes from 50 of the 52 Senate Republicans. That would amount to victory in the 100-member Senate, because Vice President Mike Pence -- as president of the Senate -- would then break a tie.
"Governors and state legislators of both parties would have both the opportunity and the responsibility to help make quality and affordable health care available to their citizens in a way that works for their own particular states," McConnell said on the Senate floor. "It's an intriguing idea and one that has a great deal of support."
Pence appeared at the Capitol on Tuesday and declared the Trump administration was "all in" on the effort. President Donald Trump himself was closely in touch with Graham and others.
If the bill passes, House Speaker Paul Ryan has committed to pushing it through as is, and straight to the president's desk, according to Graham.

Clinton slams Trump, Putin during interview with Stephen Colbert

Hillary will end up going to jail because she's to stupid to keep a low profile.

Hillary Clinton holds a copy of her book, "It Takes A Village," at the Warner Theatre in Washington, Sept. 18, 2017.  (Associated Press)

Hillary Clinton had plenty to say about President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during an appearance Tuesday night on CBS's "The Late Show."

Clinton told host Stephen Colbert that Putin interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election in part because she is a woman, and said Trump’s speech at the United Nations earlier in the day was “very dark, dangerous.”

The failed presidential candidate also reiterated her profound dislike for both Putin and Trump.
She said Putin interfered in the election partly because of her work as U.S. secretary of state (2009-2013), as that made her clash with Putin on numerous occasions. This, according to Clinton, evolved into a grudge on the Russian president’s part.
Clinton – who recently embarked on what critics have called a "blame game" book tour for “What Happened,” her account of her loss to Trump last November – claimed her gender bothered Putin and made him “agitated.” She also ridiculed the Russian leader for “manspreading” – a posture where a man sits with his legs spread widely.
Clinton suggested the Russian leader is “tied up with his anger and disappointment” following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
But Putin was not Clinton's only target during the interview. When Colbert asked her about Trump’s U.N. speech, which he delivered earlier Tuesday, Clinton did not hold back.
“I thought it was very dark, dangerous, not the kind of message that the leader of the greatest nation in the world should be delivering,” she said about Trump's remarks to the U.N. General Assembly, in which the president threatened to “totally destroy North Korea” and taunted “Rocket Man” Kim Jong Un.
“What I hoped the president would have said," Clinton critiqued, "was something along the lines of, you know, we view this as dangerous to our allies, to the region, and even to our country. We call on all nations to work with us to try to end the threat posed by Kim Jong Un.
“And not call him 'Rocket Man,' the old Elton John song, but to say, clearly, we will not tolerate any attacks on our friends or ourselves,” Clinton added, noting that, “You should lead with diplomacy, you should lead with the commitment of trying to avoid conflict however you can.”

Trump 'saddened' about Emmys' lackluster ratings

Tucker's Thoughts: What we're watching is no longer a debate between conservatives and liberals. It's an unbridgeable divide between those who've reaped the benefits of global capitalism, and the rest of the country, which hasn't #Tucker

President Donald Trump tweeted late Tuesday that he was “saddened” to learn that the ratings for Sunday night's Emmy Awards telecast on CBS, hosted by Stephen Colbert, were not good.

Trump tweeted, “I was saddened to see how bad the ratings were on the Emmys last night - the worst ever.”

The president’s Tuesday night tweet was a little off: The show was on Sunday, not Monday, and the ratings didn’t quite hit bottom, though they were close.
The Nielsen company estimated that 11.4 million people watched, slightly more than last year’s lowest-ever audience of 11.3 million. But six markets in Florida have not reported, as Hurricane Irma is still holding up the process in areas that were severely impacted by the storm.
“The Emmys are a Hollywood bubble show," Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor told Fox News. "Actors and directors get to pretend they are important because they are doing such insightful takes on life in America, when they have zero idea what life in America is for the other 330 million people."
Trump added, “Smartest people of them all are the ‘DEPLORABLES.’” That’s a reference to a remark Hillary Clinton made during last year’s presidential campaign, when she said half of Trump's supporters belonged in a “basket of deplorables.”
The Emmys went head-to-head against NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” which presumably didn’t help viewership, but the awards have now hit new ratings lows for three straight years. Perhaps some viewers want to enjoy the awards show as an escape from politics, or perhaps some viewers simply don’t agree with everything the Hollywood elite has to say.
Colbert and the event’s producers didn’t seem to care that roughly half the country wouldn’t be amused by non-stop attacks on Trump.