Trump deserves 'big credit' for sparking North Korea talks, South Korea's president says

President Trump deserves “big credit” for kicking off the first talks between Pyongyang and Seoul in more than two years, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday.

North Korea agreed Tuesday to send a delegation to next month’s Winter Olympics, which are set to begin next month in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The rival nations’ talks are the first sign of a possible thaw in their relationship.

Officials from North Korea meet with South Korea about the Winter Olympics.  (AP)

The talks were held for the first time since 2015 and Moon credited Trump for sparking them, according to Reuters.
“I think President Trump deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks,” Moon said at a news conference. “It could be a resulting work of the U.S.-led sanctions and pressure.”
Trump and North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un have gone tit-for-tat with threats and insults over the last year as the rogue regime bolstered its nuclear strength.
The U.S. had expressed concerns that North Korea’s willingness to talk with Seoul could drive a wedge in their relationship, but Moon downplayed that notion saying the main goal was still a denuclearized peninsula.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in answers reporters' question during his New Year news conference at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul  (AP)

“The denuclearization of the Korean peninsula the two Koreas agreed upon jointly [in the past] is our basic stance that will never be given up,” Moon said.
North Korea said it would still not discuss its nuclear weapons program with South Korea because its arsenal was only aimed at the U.S.
“North Korea’s weapons are only aimed at the United States, not our brethren, China or Russia,” said Ri Son Gwon, the head of North Korea’s five-member delegation at the talks with South Korea.
Ri added discussing North Korea’s nuclear program will only damage ties with South Korea.
A hat tip from South Korea to Trump could signal another foreign policy win for the administration that started the year with a ton of momentum after defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The Trump administration authorized a more intensive air strategy, which left the so-called “caliphate” decimated. The terror group lost 98 percent of its territory it once held, U.S. military officials said in December.
U.S. officials said fewer than 1,000 ISIS fighters remain in Iraq and Syria, down from a peak of nearly 45,000 two years ago.

'That's Deeply Disingenuous': Carlson Battles Jorge Ramos Over DREAMers, Chain Migration

Tucker Carlson debated Mexican-American journalist Jorge Ramos on the prospect of legalizing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants.
"I never thought I would be on Fox News listening to you criticize President Trump," Ramos said, referring to Carlson's opening monologue.
Ramos said Trump's eagerness to cut an immigration deal surprised him, but added that he didn't trust the president to follow through on such a liberal promise.

Thanks to all of the Republican and Democratic lawmakers for today’s very productive meeting on immigration reform. There was strong agreement to negotiate a bill that deals with border security, chain migration, lottery and DACA. https://t.co/SdqAQ3aL3z pic.twitter.com/8DYHZHspAy

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018

The Fusion TV anchor told Carlson that Americans are to blame for the amount of illegals in the country, citing the number that work as agriculture harvesters and hotel maids.

What kind of immigration reform is this? Nobody is talking about a solution for the 11M undocumented here. BTW they’re not going away. They’re here because of us and they deserve a chance to legalize their status.

— JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) January 9, 2018

"I find your premise somehow deeply disingenuous," Carlson responded. "[It's] not because of me. It's because a small number of employers wanted to pay less for labor and the Democratic Party wanted voters."
He asked Ramos why Americans should allow Democratic policies to import a new electorate and have them decide who runs their government.
Regarding "chain migration," Ramos said he prefers the term "family reunification" and asked Carlson if he enjoys spending time together with his family.
Carlson dismissed Ramos' premise, saying the argument is a backdoor way to accuse people who disagreed with him of bigotry.

A “Bill of Love”? Hard to believe that the same president @realDonaldTrump that ended DACA now wants to help 800,000 Dreamers and follow, next, with legalizing 11M.

The fact is that this goverment ended DACA, TPS, and is trying to cut legal migration. Rest is just talk.
— JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) January 9, 2018

Ramos said Trump's previous opposition to chain migration of Hispanic and Asian immigrants is code for "Make America White Again."

Judge rules against Trump administration on rescinding DACA

A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday barred the Trump administration from turning back the Obama-era DACA program, which shielded more than 700,000 people from deportation, Reuters reported.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that the program must stay intact during litigation is played out. 

Alsup ordered that until a final judgement is reached, the program must continue and those already approved for DACA protections and work permits must be allowed to renew them before they expire.

As I made very clear today, our country needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018

Dreamers who have never received DACA protections, however, will not be allowed to apply, Alsup ordered. Trump last year ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. He gave Congress until March to find a fix.
The Department of Justice said in a statement that the ruling does not change the department's position on the facts.

"DACA was implemented unilaterally after Congress declined to extend these benefits to this same group of illegal aliens. As such, it was an unlawful circumvention of Congress, and was susceptible to the same legal challenges that effectively ended DAPA," the statement read.
Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program was intended to keep the immigrant parents safe from deportation and provide them with a renewable work permit good for two years, but it was blocked by a federal judge after 26 states filed suit against the federal government and challenged the effort's legality.
Trump said he was willing to be flexible on DACA in finding an agreement as Democrats warned that the lives of hundreds of thousands of immigrants hung in the balance.
“I think my positions are going to be what the people in this room come up with,” Trump said during a Cabinet Room meeting with a bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump appeared optimistic that Congress could reach a decision on the program.
Trump ended DACA in September. Immigration advocates estimate that more than 100 people a day lose the protected status because they did not renew their permits before the deadline, The Journal reported.
Trump is using border security—including a border wall-- as a bargaining chip and Democrats want to use their sway on the spending bill to protect immigrants under DACA.  
The plaintiffs in the suit included, among others, attorneys general from California, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and the University of California
Xavier Becerra, California’s attorney general, filed a motion seeking the preliminary injunction in November, saying that the move is in violation of the U.S. Constitution and causes “irreparable” harm to DACA recipients.
Becerra said in a statement late Tuesday that the ruling is a “huge step in the right direction.”
“America is and has been home to Dreamers who courageously came forward, applied for DACA and did everything the federal government asked of them,” he said. “They followed DACA’s rules, they succeeded in school, at work and in business, and they have contributed in building a better America.”

Oprah Winfrey Cartoons. Would you really want to go down that path again?

Would you really want to go down that path again?

Would you really want to go down that path again?

Future president of America?

Stephen Miller calls CNN 'extraordinarily biased' after chaotic Jake Tapper interview, denies being escorted off set

White House policy adviser Stephen Miller, an architect of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Monday night he was not escorted from “extraordinarily biased” CNN after his fiery interview with Jake Tapper flew off the rails the day before.

“Like many things CNN says, this story has the most important virtue of all CNN stories, of being not true,” Miller told Carlson. “It’s an amusing story, but not a true one.”

Miller added, “CNN has been extraordinarily biased, extraordinarily unfair to the president, and is not giving viewers honest information.”
Carlson asked if Miller would be escorted out by security if he were an MS-13 gang member illegally in America.
Miller responded that if he were an MS-13 gang member, “they would be clamoring to get me into the voting booth.”
His interview with Tapper on “State of the Union” Sunday morning ultimately turned into a shout-fest, with the CNN star eventually cutting it off entirely.
The CNN anchor said, “I’ve wasted enough of my viewers’ time,” when the two men couldn’t come to an on-camera agreement regarding Michael Wolff’s controversial anti-Trump book.
Fox News previously reported that the conversation continued off-camera immediately after Tapper cut Miller off and the show went to commercial. Miller and Tapper argued until the commercial break was about to wrap up and the live set had to be cleared.
“I let you give like a three-minute filibuster at the very top,” Tapper said before Miller fired back, “You gave me two minutes.”
Miller said the leak of this post-interview exchange is evident of CNN’s “low journalistic standards.”
Miller appeared on Carlson’s show to further discuss Trump’s immigration policies: ending chain migration, ending the diversity lottery, and financing the border wall.
He said Trump’s immigration reform is based on that the country should be as loyal to Americans as Americans are loyal to the U.S. — citizens who obey the laws, follow the rules, pay their taxes, and show up and vote.
“Donald Trump has a very ‘radical’ idea. And that’s that when we make changes to our immigration laws, the group we should be most concerned about are hardworking, everyday Americans. The citizens who make this country run,” Miller told Carlson.
Miller said the tougher vetting procedures must happen because immigrants should only be allowed in America if they add value to the economy.
Miller told Carlson, “We can have an immigration system that 10, 20, 30, 50 years from now produces more assimilation, higher wages, more economic opportunity, and better prospects for immigrants and U.S.-born alike.”

Trump stands for national anthem at NCAA game; Alabama player heard saying 'F--- Trump'

Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough yells “F— Trump” before tonight’s title game. Future Football Hero for your Kids to Worship.

President Trump brought his fight against national anthem-kneelers to the field of the NCAA championship football game in Atlanta on Monday night, standing and singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Meanwhile, one Alabama player -- identified as running back Bo Scarbrough -- was heard yelling 'F--- Trump' before the game, Sporting News reported, showing video of the team apparently walking off the field after pregame warmups.

Trump was announced to a varied combination of cheers and jeers as he entered the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a dark suit and red tie. Waving and smiling to the crowd of thousands, Trump walked onto the field to hear the Zac Brown Band sing the anthem.
With his right hand on his heart, Trump smiled and occasionally sang along with the band.
President Trump attended the NCAA championship game in Atlanta on Monday, standing for the National Anthem prior to the start of the game.  (AP)
Both the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide stayed back in the locker room as the anthem played, which is common among college football teams. They stormed the field shortly afterwards.
But Trump left the game before rapper Kendrick Lamar started his halftime performance nearby.
Plans for the president’s visit had been met with criticism from the NAACP.
Atlanta's NAACP chapter said on its Facebook page that fans inside the stadium for the College Football Playoff title should send Trump a message by waving white towels "simulating a blizzard."
"We will not let the President’s visit go without a response. If you are lucky enough to attend the game, we encourage you to bring a white towel to wave simulating a blizzard while the president is in the packed stadium," the group said. "Trump supporters mockingly call the opposition snowflakes, but when we come together we create a mighty storm."
Trump’s appearance at the game followed a speech he gave in Nashville earlier Monday to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Convention.
"In every decision we make, we are honoring America's proud farming legacy," the president said during the event touting his administration's accomplishments. The "American dream," the president said, "is roaring back to life."

The pundits swoon over Oprah for 2020 – but running for president is brutal

She really looks presidential :-) 

'MediaBuzz' host Howard Kurtz weighs in on the mainstream media swooning over the possibility of Oprah Winfrey running for president, but why talk of running is sometimes better than actually running.

Oprah Winfrey suddenly has the best of all worlds—a flood of gushing praise about the possibility of running for president without actually having to do it.

And if she does do it, well, she’ll quickly learn that being an entertainment icon is far easier than taking positions on tough issues and dealing with a tsunami of political attacks.

What, for instance, is Oprah’s position on trade with China? Chain migration? Arming Syrian rebels? Financing infrastructure projects? It’s one thing to be a hugely successful talk show host and a pal of Barack Obama, and another to take on the world’s problems in a hyperpolarized atmosphere.
In the wake of her Golden Globes speech Sunday night, Oprah’s people were talking up the prospect. Her longtime partner Stedman Graham told the L.A. Times, “It's up to the people. She would absolutely do it."
And NBC seemed to be on board. “Nothing but respect for OUR future president,” the network tweeted in a huge embarrassment for its news division. (NBC yesterday deleted the tweet, saying it had been posted by a “third party” and was supposed to relate to a joke on the show. I think a special prosecutor needs to investigate how this shadowy third party got the Twitter nuclear codes.)
But Oprah also told Bloomberg backstage that she has no plans to run.
Winfrey was certainly sounding campaign-esque as she praised the press--which she said is “under siege”--and smoothly pivoted from the Hollywood women who have been subjected to “abuse” to half the electorate:
“They’re the women whose names we’ll never know. They are domestic workers and farmworkers. They are working in factories and they work in restaurants and they’re in academia, engineering, medicine and science. They’re part of the world of tech and in politics and business. They’re our athletes in the Olympics and they’re our soldiers in the military.”
The chattering class is chattering away.
“It's difficult to totally dismiss the idea of Winfrey 2020,” says the Washington Post.
“Oprah 2020 cannot be laughed off. This could really work,” says the Daily Beast.
“She delivered the kind of inspirational and aspirational message at the Golden Globes that Hillary Clinton had trouble hammering home in the 2016 presidential election,” said NBC’s Jonathan Allen.
Five years ago, the idea of a wealthy TV host with no political experience capturing the White House might have seemed far-fetched. Now, not so much. And wouldn’t the media love to cover a Trump-Oprah race?
Obviously, Winfrey is beloved on the left, has business experience and can spend some of her billions on assembling a crack team. She’s a woman who would have more minority support than Hillary and a zillion percent name recognition.
But I don’t think she’s going to run and face the searing scrutiny and personal attacks of a presidential campaign. Far better to have the pundits—and your fans—chewing the fat about how great it would be if you took the plunge.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m.). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz.

Spitzer reportedly accused of threatening to knife man's crotch

March 12, 2008: former Democratic New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is seen announcing his resignation.

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer allegedly threatened to stab a restaurant’s patron’s crotch for admiring his longtime archenemy-- Home Depot founder Kenneth Langone, The New York Post reported.

Jamie Antolini, who was dining with potential business partners, told the paper he was verbally ambushed by Spitzer at Avra Madison Estiatorio restaurant last week.

"I’ll get a f–king knife and stab you right in your f-----g c--k!” Antolini told the paper, recalling what he claims Spitzer said.
Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 amid revelations of being a high-priced prostitution patron, reportedly walked by Antolini’s table and heard him calling Langone an “amazing guy” and that “Ken Langone should have been president.”
The comments reportedly enraged Spitzer, prompting him to lean into the man’s face and allegedly yell, “I don’t know who the f–k you think you are! I’ll f-----g have you killed!”
Spitzer then left, but later came back to the table with more expletive threats, including threatening to knife Antolini’s private parts, the report said.
The incident reported lasted about 20 minutes, and ended when restaurant’s security escorted Spitzer from the premises, Antolini told the New York Daily News. “I never left my seat. When the video tapes come out, it will show I sat in my chair with a glass of wine in my hand.”
There were no police reports filed after the incident.
Lisa Linden, Spitzer’s spokeswoman, denied that her boss started the confrontation and said he was out celebrating his mother’s 90th birthday.
“The patron persisted in making aggressive remarks, which Mr. Spitzer initially ignored. An argument ensued, but at no time did he make any threats,” Linden said in a statement, according to the Daily News.
The incident last week occurred just days before former escort Svetlana Travis Zakharova, who accused the former governor of choking her, gave the police a recording where Spitzer is heard threatening her with death, the Post reported.
“You know what’s going to happen to you? You’re going to be f–king dead,” he allegedly says in the recording. “You’re going to die a slow painful death and your family is going to look at you and laugh because you’re a f-----g b–­h.”