Trump urges fans to boycott NFL in ongoing criticism of flag-kneeling players

A picture is worth more then a thousand words.

A picture is worth more then a thousand words.

A picture is worth more then a thousand words.

President Trump on Sunday extended his attack on NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, and suggested fans boycott games as he continued his call for team owners to “fire or suspend” the offenders.

“If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast,” Trump tweeted. "Fire or suspend!”

Several minutes later, he tweeted: "..NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S."
Trump started his criticism in earnest Friday night when he asked a crowd at a political rally in Alabama: "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say 'get that son of a b ---- off the field right now? He's fired.'"
He continued the criticism Saturday when he rescinded Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry’s invitation to the White House this spring to honor his team’s 2017 NBA championship.
Trump’s weekend remarks were met with sharp criticism from professional athletes and team owners -- including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who called the remarks “divisive,” and NBA star LeBron James, who called Trump a “bum.”

North Korea stages massive anti-US rally

Totally Brainwashed.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans packed into Kim II Sung Square in Pyongyang on Saturday as the government staged a massive rally against President Donald Trump and the United States.

The huge crowd listened to speeches from senior officials, and a parade of marchers carried signs with slogans such as “Decisive revenge" and “Death to the American imperialists."

The rally capped two days of response to a combative speech by Trump on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
In response to recent weapons tests by North Korea and a steady stream of provocative statements from the government of Kim Jong Un, the U.S. president mocked Kim as a "Rocket Man" who was on a "suicide mission," and said the U.S. would “have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea" if forced to defend itself or its allies.

Totally Brainwashed

Saturday's rally in Pyongyang, North Korea, capped two days of response to a combative speech at the U.N. by U.S. President Donald Trump.  (Associated Press)

Kim responded last week by comparing Trump to a “barking dog,” Fox News reported.
Rallies like Saturday’s in Pyongyang are regular occurrences in North Korea, as part of the government’s effort to win approval from citizens, Agence France-Presse reported.
Members of the crowd voiced support for their government and criticized Trump and the United States, the news agency reported.

Video

North Korean foreign minister calls Trump 'deranged'

"Trump is a warmonger and a backstreet gangster," said Ri Il Ung, 24, a student at Pyongyang Mechanical University. "It's quite ridiculous that such a person could become a politician."
Ordinary North Koreans normally share only government-approved statements when speaking to foreign reporters, according to AFP.

Trump: North Korean leaders 'won't be around much longer' if they strike US

If North Korea's foreign minister hoped to draw a response from U.S. President Donald Trump with his Saturday speech to the U.N. General Assembly, he succeeded.

"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N.," the president tweeted late Saturday. "If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"

The president was referring to Ri Yong Ho, who on Saturday called Trump "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania," and promised that a strike on the U.S. mainland was "inevitable."
"Little Rocket Man" was Trump's now-infamous label for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

A U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle takes off from the Kadena runway Sept. 23, 2017, at Kadena Air Base, Japan.  (Senior Airman Quay Drawdy/U.S. Pacific Command)

With his tweet, Trump seemed to reiterate a previous asserton that any strike by North Korea against the U.S. or its allies would be met with an overwhelming response.
The address by Ri in New York City began as the Pentagon announced it had flown bombers and fighter escorts to the farthest point north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone by any such American aircraft this century.
"This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," Defense Department spokesman Dana White said in a statement.

"North Korea's weapons program is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies," White said.

The Pentagon said B-1B bombers from Guam, along with F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday. Unlike on previous so-called "show of force" missions, the U.S. aircraft were not accompanied by South Korean or Japanese planes.
"While conducted unilaterally, this mission was coordinated with regional allies - namely the Republic of Korea and Japan - and was a strong testament to our ironclad alliance," U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Cmdr. Dave Benham told Fox News, using the official name for South Korea.

B-1 bombers are no longer part of the U.S. nuclear force, but they are capable of dropping large numbers of conventional bombs.

U.S. Pacific Command would not be more specific about many years it had been since U.S. bombers and fighters had flown that far north of the DMZ, but Benham noted that this century "encompasses the period North Korea has been testing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons."

At the United Nations, Ri said that his country's nuclear force is "to all intents and purposes, a war deterrent for putting an end to nuclear threat of the U.S. and for preventing its military invasion, and our ultimate goal is to establish the balance of power with the U.S."

He also said that Trump's depiction of Kim as "Rocket Man" makes "our rocket's visit to the entire U.S. mainland inevitable all the more."

Trump on Friday had renewed his rhetorical offensive against Kim.

"Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!" the president tweeted.

On Thursday, Trump announced more economic sanctions against the impoverished and isolated country, targeting foreign companies that deal with the North.

"North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development is a grave threat to peace and security in our world and it is unacceptable that others financially support this criminal, rogue regime," Trump said as he joined Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a meeting in New York.

Hours later, Kim responded by saying Trump was "deranged" and vowed the president would "pay dearly" for threatening to "totally destroy" North Korea if the U.S. was forced to defend itself or its allies against an attack.

In a speech last week at the United Nations, Trump had issued the warning of potential obliteration and mocked the North's young autocrat as a "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission."

Trump's executive order expanded the Treasury Department's ability to target anyone conducting significant trade in goods, services or technology with North Korea, and to ban them from interacting with the U.S. financial system.

Trump also said China was imposing major banking sanctions, too, but there was no immediate confirmation from the North's most important trading partner.

If enforced, the Chinese action Trump described could severely impede the isolated North's ability to raise money for its missile and nuclear development. China, responsible for about 90 percent of North Korea's trade, serves as the country's conduit to the international banking system.

North Korea has said it intends to build a missile capable of striking all parts of the United States with a nuclear bomb. Trump has said he won't allow it, although the U.S. so far has not used military force to impede the North's progress.

Nfl Players Kneeling During National Anthem Cartoons

Standing for the National Anthem

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.