If U.S. Sen. Cory Booker wins the White House in 2020, he’d make history as the first vegan elected U.S. president. The
New Jersey Democrat recently told VegNews that he started experimenting
with a vegetarian diet around 1992 and then eliminated dairy foods as well, making his diet completely animal-free. “I
remember my last non-vegan meal was Election Day, November 2014,”
Booker, a former mayor of Newark, N.J., told the news outlet. CORY BOOKER COMPARES GREEN NEW DEAL TO GOING TO THE MOON, DEFEATING NAZIS These
days, Booker says, we may all be heading toward a vegan diet because,
in his view, meat consumption is not sustainable in the future. “You see the planet earth moving towards what is the Standard American Diet,” he told VegNews. “We’ve seen this massive increase in consumption of meat produced by the industrial animal agriculture industry. “The
tragic reality is this planet simply can’t sustain billions of people
consuming industrially produced animal agriculture because of
environmental impact. It’s just not possible, as China, as Africa move
toward consuming meat the same way America does because we just don’t
have enough land.”
"The tragic reality is this planet
simply can’t sustain billions of people consuming industrially produced
animal agriculture because of environmental impact. It’s just not
possible." — U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.
VEGAN ACTIVISTS STORM STEAKHOUSE, ARE MOCKED BY PATRONS MOOING AT THEM Booker says there are a number of goals he hopes to accomplish through legislation that would affect what people eat. “Legislatively,
I want to continue to be a part of a movement of folk who are fighting
against corporate interests that are undermining the public good and the
public welfare,” he says. “So, I’m going to continue supporting bills
that are about public health, whether it is pumping in all these
antibiotics into animals that are literally threatening the safety of
Americans. I believe that Americans do care about the cruelty to
animals, and that’s why you see public movement to stop pig crating,
which is harmful and violates our collective values as a country.” But don’t count U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., among those who share Booker’s meat-free vision. After Booker’s comments to VegNews were reported, the congresswoman – whose state is home to some 60 meat plants, according to the Wyoming Department of Agriculture – fired off a Twitter message that made it clear where she stands on the issue. “Hey @CoryBooker,” Cheney wrote. “I support PETA – People Eating Tasty Animals.”
Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton unloaded on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal and said the media were “complicit” in burying the most radical parts of the deal. Cotton, a staunch Republican, appeared on The Hugh Hewitt Show on Tuesday and discussed the widely ridiculed Green New Deal that aims to implement sweeping changes across the nation. UNION LEADERS WARN GREEN NEW DEAL MAY LEAD TO POVERTY: 'MEMBERS ARE WORRIED ABOUT PUTTING FOOD ON THE TABLE' But
what particularly caught Cotton’s eye was how the media became
complicit in hiding the now-infamous FAQ document circulated by the
Ocasio-Cortez office, which included lines such as promising a job to
“all people of the United States” – including those “unwilling to work”
– and making air travel industry obsolete. “I understand the
Democrats that proposed this immediately tried to retract that white
paper that went along with their resolution,” Cotton added. “And too
many people in the media have been complicit in the Stalin-like or 1984
technique of disappearing it, sending it down the memory hole.”
“And
too many people in the media have been complicit in the Stalin-like or
1984 technique of disappearing it, sending it down the memory hole.” — Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton
Hewitt asked whether the Democrats who immediately jumped to endorse the radical package have actually read what’s inside it. “Sure.
I mean, Hugh, it’s pretty remarkable that when these Democrats put out
the Green New Deal last week that you had many Democrats running for
president leap onto a proposal that was going to confiscate every
privately owned vehicle in America within a decade and ban air travel so
we could all drive or ride around on high-speed light rail, supposedly
powered by unicorn tears, yes,” Cotton said. Multiple
Democratic 2020 candidates such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker,
Kamala Harris, and Kirsten Gillibrand have endorsed the deal.
Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton unloaded on Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal and said the media were “complicit” in
burying the most radical parts of the deal. (Associated Press)
Cotton finished the
interview the segment saying the Green New Deal, in essence, is what
Democrats believe in and want for the U.S. “But
this is where their heart lies,” he said. “They believe that Americans
driving around in trucks on farms, or commuting from the suburbs where
they can have a decent home into the city to work are a fundamental
threat to the world, and they have to have the power and the control of
those Americans’ lives to implement their radical vision for humanity.”
Chelsea Clinton on Tuesday called out Vice President Mike Pence for saying that Rep. Ilhan Omar’s apology for earlier Twitter posts called anti-Semitic was "inadequate," and blasted President Trump for peddling hate. Clinton,
who was critical of Omar's tweets, posting that "we should expect all
elected officials, regardless of party, and all public figures to not
traffic in anti-Semitism," but said on Tuesday that Trump is a "far more
powerful person" and has never apologized "for his embrace of white
nationalism & anti-Semitic & Islamophobic hate." Omar said
she had no intention of offending anyone, including Jewish Americans,
when she insinuated that lobbyists were paying lawmakers to support
Israel. Trump called her apology "lame" and said she should resign from
Congress or at least not be allowed to serve on committees. Pence
tweeted Tuesday that Omar's comments were a disgrace. He said "those
who engage in anti-Semitic tropes should not just be denounced, they
should face consequences for their words." The freshman Democratic
posted tweets on Sunday that suggested that members of Congress support
Israel because they are paid to do so. In a pair of tweets, Omar
criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. "It's
all about the Benjamins baby," she wrote, invoking slang about $100
bills. Asked on Twitter who she thought was paying members of Congress
to support Israel, Omar responded, “AIPAC!” Left-wing historian
and Politico Magazine contributing editor Joshua Zeitz tweeted: "I'm one
of those American Jews who opposes the occupation [of the West Bank and
Gaza Strip], laments Israel's anti-democratic drift, and doesn't regard
the country as especially central to my Jewish identity. And I knew
exactly what the congresswoman meant. She might as well call us
hook-nosed." Omar supports a movement known as BDS, for “boycott,
divestment and sanctions” aimed at Israel. And it’s not the first time
she’s fought accusations of anti-Semitism. She insists her rejection of
the Israeli government refers to its stance toward Palestinians and is
not directed at Jewish people. Omar
has expressed regret for tweeting in 2012: “Israel has hypnotized the
world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of
Israel.” She said the statement came in the context of Israel’s
treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Fox News' Samuel Chamberlain and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz thinks convicted Mexican drug cartel Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán should finance President Donald Trump’s long-promised border wall. “America’s
justice system prevailed today in convicting Joaquín Guzmán Loera, aka
El Chapo, on all 10 counts,” Cruz tweeted Tuesday shortly before the
Sinaloa cartel boss was convicted
on drug trafficking, weapons violations and money laundering charges in
a federal courtroom in Brooklyn, N.Y. “U.S. prosecutors are seeking
$14 billion in drug profits & other assets from El Chapo which
should go towards funding our wall to #SecureTheBorder.” Trump’s has said the construction of a wall would cost around $5.7 billion. The Texas Republican then urged his colleagues to pass the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order Act – or El Chapo Act – which would divert drug proceeds from cartel bosses to fund border security. Cruz
first introduced the bill in April 2017 and reintroduced it in
January. The reintroduction puts pressure on lawmakers to put in place a
border security spending bill. A bipartisan group of lawmakers on
Monday tentatively agreed to provide $1.4 billion for border barriers,
including 55 miles of new fencing along the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.
Drug proceeds could go a long way in securing the southern border, Cruz
said. “Fourteen billion dollars will go a long way to secure our
southern border, and hinder the illegal flow of drugs, weapons, and
individuals,” Cruz said of his bill in a January news release.
“By leveraging any criminally forfeited assets of El Chapo and other
murderous drug lords, we can offset the cost of securing our border and
make meaningful progress toward delivering on the promises made to the
American people.” Supporters of the wall argue it will deter
criminals from entering the U.S. illegally while opponents say the wall
would have a minimal impact on the flow of people and drugs into the
country.
President Trump held a campaign-style rally Monday night in El Paso, Texas — just as possible 2020 contender and former U.S. Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke led a border wall protest roughly a half-mile away. Trump's
event, held at the El Paso County Coliseum for his first "Make America
Great Again Rally" of the year, didn't identify the dueling rally
nearby, in the town that sits along the U.S.-Mexico border, but the
president did mention O'Rourke. The "young man" with a "great name," "challenged us," the president said in reference to O'Rourke. "We
have, let's say, 35,000 people tonight, and [O'Rourke] has 200 people,
300 people — not too good," Trump told the crowd. It was not immediately
clear how many people were at Trump and O'Rourke's events. Trump added, "In fact, what I would do is, I would say that may be the end of his presidential bid, but he did challenge it." The president announced his rally last week during
his second State of the Union address, in which he alleged El Paso is
now one of the nation's safest cities because of a "powerful barrier"
that was put in place — a claim that others disputed. He
reiterated that point on Monday night. Speaking to the crowd, in front
of a large red banner that read, "finish the wall," Trump said El Paso
is one of the "safest cities" in America "thanks for a powerful border
wall." LAWMAKERS REACH 'AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE' IN BORDER SECURITY TALKS, WITH $1.3B FOR BARRIER He
claimed that El Paso, compared to Juarez, Mexico, just across the
southern border, had far less murders than the nearby Mexican city,
adding: "Walls work." Moments before the president took the stage Monday, lawmakers reached "an agreement in principle" to
fund the government and avoid another partial government shutdown. The
deal includes around $1.3 billion for a barrier along the southern
border. Trump mentioned on stage that he didn't know details, as
news of the deal broke just before his rally, but acknowledged that
"progress [was] being made" for border security. The White House
last month agreed to a temporary spending bill to end a 35-day partial
shutdown, although Trump said at the time that the move was not a
"concession" and that he would not relent on his demands for a wall. The
talks had cratered over the weekend because of Democratic demands to
limit immigrant detentions by federal authorities, but lawmakers
apparently broke through that impasse Monday evening. Trump — who
touched on several topics throughout his rally — was interrupted several
times throughout the event, seemingly by protesters. His supporters
responded by shouting chants of "USA" and "finish the wall" over the
disturbances. The president brought up embattled Gov. Ralph
Northam, D-Va., after speaking on Democrats' position on abortion. He
said he liked Northam -- who is facing calls to resign after his medical
school yearbook page featured one person in blackface and another in a
KKK robe -- because he steers negative news coverage away from his
administration. “I like him,” Trump said. “Keeps us out of the papers. I’d like to find a few more guys like this one.” Trump
also mentioned Northam's first news conference regarding the ordeal
— "He almost moonwalked!" — in which the governor recalled how he
darkened his skin when he dressed as Michael Jackson once for Halloween.
Why in the hell did the Democrats vote this piece of trash into our government??
President Donald Trump on Monday said freshman Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar
"should be ashamed of herself" over tweets suggesting that a powerful
pro-Israel interest group paid members of Congress to support Israel. "I
think she should be ashamed of herself," Trump told reporters on Air
Force One while flying to a campaign rally in El Paso, Texas, according
to The Hill. "I think it was a terrible statement, and I don't think her apology was adequate." DEM REP. OMAR APOLOGIZES FOR ISRAEL COMMENTS, CALLS OUT 'PROBLEMATIC' ROLE OF AIPAC, 'OTHER LOBBYISTS' The
Minnesota congresswoman "unequivocally" apologized earlier Monday after
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats rebuked her. Omar said she had no intention of offending anyone and thanked her colleagues for educating her on anti-Semitic tropes. When asked what she should have said, Trump replied, "She knows what to say."
Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton unloaded on Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal and said the media were “complicit” in
burying the most radical parts of the deal.
