Trump 'deserves some credit' for foreign policy successes, ex-Clinton aide admits

A former Obama administration diplomat both praised and criticized President Trump's foreign policy during a forum Thursday at the University of Minnesota.
Jake Sullivan, who served as former national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden and deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, sat alongside former Vice President Walter Mondale at the university's Humphrey School of Public Affairs for the forum titled: "The Shrinking International Relevance of Donald Trump," FOX 9 of Minneapolis reported.
The discussion focused on the number of foreign policy initiatives enacted by Trump since taking office, including pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Iran nuclear deal.
Sullivan, who now teaches international law at Yale Law School, credited Trump with his handling of North Korea, the Islamic State group and getting other nations to share more of the burden in policing the world.
“I think that the way the administration built the maximum pressure campaign against North Korea was a real positive," Sullivan said. "I think carrying forward the work that President Obama did against ISIS to the point now where we really have reduced ISIS’s capacity to threaten the United States, the president’s team deserves some credit for that."

“I think that the way the [Trump] administration built the maximum pressure campaign against North Korea was a real positive."
— Jake Sullivan, a former adviser to Joe Biden and former aide to Hillary Clinton,

“And I think the president is on to some things when he says other countries need to step up and share more of the burden," Sullivan added.
But other moves by Trump have damaged America's standing on the international stage, Sullivan said. He added that he has faith that the world -- particularly western democratic nations that want to push back against Russia and China -- will embrace American leadership once more after Trump leaves office.
“That means an American president and United States of America that is once again stepping up to be the leader of the free world,” Sullivan said. "And I think if we have a president who is committed to that, then absolutely there is huge hunger around the world to rally to solve big problems."
In an extended interview with the station, Sullivan said Trump has "come in sort of like a hurricane and he's destroyed a lot of the basic institutions of American leadership in the world" and "undermined our alliances and harmed our position in international organizations that help solve big problems like climate changes and nuclear weapons."

Trump mulls plan to bar entry of all migrants at US-Mexico border

President Trump is considering a sweeping executive order that would block migrants, including asylum seekers, from entering the U.S. at the southern border in a bid to stop the caravan traveling north through Mexico.
The White House, if it goes ahead with the measure, would issue new regulations restricting certain migrants from seeking asylum. The rules would effectively block most if not all the migrants who are taking part in the caravan, Politico reported.
The order would be akin to Trump's previous aggressive immigration-blocking executive orders, such as the travel ban aimed at halting people from some Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.
Any attempt to block the entry of Central American migrants is likely to prompt legal challenges, though Trump is likely emboldened following a Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer that affirmed the president’s right to bar the entry of migrants who “would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.”
The plan for the executive order comes just in the final stretch before the upcoming midterm elections, with Trump trying to make the issue of caravan the defining topic as voters head to the polls.
"Every time you see a caravan, or people illegally coming, or attempting to come, into our country illegally, think of and blame the Democrats for not giving us the votes to change our pathetic immigration laws!" Trump wrote in a tweet Monday. "Remember the midterms!"
Democrats, while previously outspoken regarding Trump’s immigration policies, are staying largely silent on the issue, instead preferring to remain focused on tackling the GOP on issues like health care, saying it’s the winning issue this election cycle.
DEMOCRATS AVOID SPARRING WITH TRUMP ON CARAVAN AS MIDTERM NEARS
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrats in the country, slammed Trump in a statement earlier this week regarding the caravan of migrants, saying the president is “desperate” to change the conversation because “health care is the number one issue Americans care about.”
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey published last week, which surveyed people since the beginning of the caravan earlier this month, the issue of immigration isn’t the top concern for voters. It ranks below health care, which has consistently been viewed as the most important issue. Other key issues have been the economy, jobs and policies concerning gun rights.

Blue Wave Trickle Cartoons

Legal drama threatens construction of Obama Presidential Center

A federal judge on Wednesday said he will make a decision for a trial date in December regarding the construction of the Obama Presidential Center. (Associated Press)

A federal judge in Chicago announced Wednesday that a trial date regarding a lawsuit delaying construction of the Obama Presidential Center in the city will be made in December, further shelving the project and potential hopes of breaking ground any time soon.
The federal judge said at the hearing that both attorneys will continue gathering information, according to Chicago's WGN-TV.
Proponents of the Obama center are currently embroiled in a lawsuit with an environment group called Protect Our Parks, which contends the project should not be built in Jackson Park in the South Side neighborhood of Chicago.

Obama Presidential Center model. (Obama Foundation)

The group is citing a principle known as the public trust doctrine, which protects some public land from development, but is generally applied to waterfront land, according to the Chicago Tribune. The city argues the center does not violate state law.
Another group of environmentalists argues that if the center were to be built on parkland, it would violate Park District code and state law by transferring the parkland to a private entity, the Tribune reported.
The Obama Foundation, which is managing the project, said the keys would be handed over to the city upon completion, thus making it publicly owned, according to the paper.
Another hurdle lies with the impending departure of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, who has been a proponent of the center but announced he will not be seeking reelection.
A similar incident happened with film director George Lucas, who decided to build his Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles after a legal battle in Chicago over the use of parkland, the Tribune reported.

Democrat doublespeak -- Senate hopeful Jacky Rosen of Nevada slams Pelosi in English ads, attacks Trump in Spanish

Rep. Jacky Rosen is hoping to unseat incumbent Sen. Dean Heller in Nevada. (Associated Press)

U.S. Senate hopeful Jacky Rosen, a Nevada Democrat, is looking to have it both ways -- slamming House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in English-language campaign ads while taking shots at President Trump in Spanish.
The Democrat’s political ads in English tout her bipartisan record in the House and portray her as a check on Pelosi, despite her voting with the top House Democrat 89 percent of the time in the 115th Congress.
“Jacky Rosen wrote legislation to improve veterans’ health care, and President Trump signed it into law,” a man in Rosen’s English ad says. “Rosen stood up to Nancy Pelosi to reform the VA.”
It adds: “Rosen gets things done because she works with both parties.”
But Rosen, who’s running to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Dean Heller, has a radically different message in her Spanish-language ad that doesn’t mention Pelosi or bipartisanship and instead attacks Trump.
The ad shows fans of the Mexico national soccer team and a red card with the president’s face on it. The ad then declares that Rosen will stand up to Trump.
The stark difference between the ads was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Rosen told the outlet that the ads targeted different communities that care about different issues.
“In different communities, you go in and you try to meet people where they are and talk to them about issues they care about the most,” she said.
Another Spanish ad produced by Rosen’s campaign shows her Republican opponent as a friend to Trump who supports the plan to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico.
“Trump orders and Heller obeys,” the ad says in Spanish.
Rosen is in a dead-heat race to unseat Heller, who’s been consistently leading in the polls, though only by a small margin. The race is deemed a toss-up.
The race in Nevada is considered one of the key contests this election cycle, with Democrats doing their best to boost Rosen’s chances, considering Hillary Clinton won the state in 2016.
Former President Barack Obama campaigned with Rosen on Monday, just days after Trump visited the state to campaign for Heller. Former Vice President Joe Biden also visited Nevada to boost Rosen over the weekend.

GOP candidate received letter threatening his 7 children, reports say

Republican congressional candidate Jay Webber speaks at a reception in Wayne, N.J. (Associated Press)

A Republican running for Congress in New Jersey received a written threat that mentioned his seven children, his campaign said Wednesday, around the same time suspicious packages were reported sent to former President Barack Obama, the Clintons and CNN.
In a letter sent Tuesday to candidate Jay Webber’s law office in Whippany, he was warned to drop out of the race, Politico reported.
“What the f--- is wrong with you … s---bag?” the typed letter said. “You BETTER hope that you don’t win! Or else. How many kids do you have… 7? Unlucky 7. This is what we think of you. Time to get out of politics.”
The letter also accused Republicans of stealing from Social Security and Medicare and running up the national debt.
Webber, a five-term state assemblyman, has integrated his wife Johanna and their seven children into his campaign, even featuring them in campaign ads, NJ.com reported. The letter was reported to the New Jersey State Police for investigation.
"Criticizing a candidate on the issues is part of politics,” Webber tweeted Wednesday. “Threatening my children is not. We are thankful for the support of law enforcement as we work to find whoever is behind this gutless act. We will not be intimidated as we work to make #NJ11 better for everyone.”
The letter arrived a day after Webber’s campaign tweeted that the political left is “unhinged.” A video that accompanies the tweet shows defaced Webber campaign signs and prominent Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton and Maxine Waters advocating pushback against Republicans.
Webber is locked in a competitive race against Democrat Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and former federal prosecutor, in a bid to replace retiring Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen.
His conservative record has earned him the support of President Trump, NorthJersey.com reported.
Sherrill called the incident “absolutely appalling.”
“This is absolutely appalling,” she said in a statement. “No one who decides to run for public office should feel that, by doing so, they are putting their family in danger. I condemn this in the strongest terms and hope law enforcement determines who was behind this and holds them accountable.”
The letter comes amid a rash of suspicious packages sent to Democratic figures.
CNN's New York City bureau was evacuated Wednesday when "a live explosive device" was found in its mailroom. Others who received packages include liberal billionaire George Soros and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

Arizona troopers' union pulls support from Democrat opposing GOP's McSally in Senate race

U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., goes over the rules in a television studio prior to a televised debate with U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz. (Associated Press)

An Arizona union that represents state public safety employees withdrew its endorsement of U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema this week after its members said the executive board voted on the endorsement without their input.
Sinema, a Democrat, is locked in a tight U.S. Senate race against U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, a Republican, for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Jeff Flake.
After members objected to the board's actions, the Arizona State Troopers Association polled its members in an email Monday, asking whether they wanted to endorse Sinema or stay neutral, the Arizona Republic reported.
The poll indicated “the membership has indicated a preference to stay neutral."
"All members are encouraged to vote for the candidate they personally support," the email said. "AZTroopers will refrain from any political statements concerning the race until the conclusion of the election."

U.S. Senate candidates, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., left, and U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., prepare their remarks in a television studio prior to a televised debate. (Associated Press)

Dave McDowell, an association member and retired lieutenant, told the paper that members hadn’t been consulted prior to the Sinema endorsement.
“That displeased a number of members, including myself,” McDowell said.
McDowell said he supports McSally, but doesn’t think the union should be endorsing candidates at all.
"The Troopers have spoken," a McSally campaign spokeswoman said in a text message to the Republic.
Sinema, whose brother is a Tucson police officer, received the union's endorsement in her past three campaigns.
In an email to the paper, the Sinema campaign said it respects the association’s decision.
"We respect the association's decision to remain neutral given the divisive tone of the race and appreciate their support for Kyrsten's past three elections, as well as continued support from members and law enforcement officers across the state," a spokeswoman said.
The campaign touted the association’s endorsement in an ad spotlighting law enforcement and border issues. The ad is no longer running, the campaign said, because it had run its course and a change was ordered Friday.
President Trump recently endorsed McSally during a campaign rally earlier this month, calling her a “great veteran” and a “great fighter,” while describing Sinema as a far-left extremist.
The race has gotten ugly in recent weeks, with McSally asking Sinema to apologize for comments she made during a 2003 radio interview about American intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan at the end of a contentious Oct. 15 debate.
The radio host made a comment about joining the Taliban, to which Sinema responded, "I don't care if you want to do that, go ahead." McSally, a former fighter pilot, accused Sinema of supporting treason and asked her to apologize.
Sinema responded by accusing her opponent of playing dirty.
Recent polls show the two candidates in a dead heat, according to the Washington Times.

Caravan Immigration Cartoons