Michael Goodwin: As Trump soars higher, Dems reach their lowest point yet

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President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the Oval Office of the White on Saturday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Predicting what history will decide was significant is always dicey. But in the context of our fractured nation and the nonstop Washington tumult since 2016, events in the last three weeks have been nothing short of ­remarkable.
Against an enormous army of antagonists, political and cultural, academic and judicial, Donald Trump is enjoying some of the best days of his presidency. His power and popularity are expanding.
Meanwhile, Democrats and the left, including the media, have suffered one crushing blow after another. Their recent confidence that Trump was not long for the Oval Office is suddenly morphing into a panic that he could win a second term.
The worm began turning on the ­afternoon of Sunday, March 24, when Attorney General William Barr released his letter summarizing the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller. There was no collusion with Russia, Mueller found, and no obstruction of justice, Barr determined.
The momentous victory for Trump vindicated his claims of innocence. The fog of accusations that he was an illegitimate president was destroyed by a news flash that left no room for ambiguity.

Pelosi plays down influence of AOC wing of Democrats, says it's 'like 5 people'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tried to tamp down the perceived influence of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive freshman Democrats, saying their wing in Congress was "like five people."
Speaking with CBS News' Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes," Pelosi said the 29-year-old congresswoman from New York didn't have a significant impact on the Democratic Party. The House speaker also said she rejected socialism "as an economic system."
"You have these wings, AOC and her group on one side," Stahl told Pelosi, to which the 79-year-old replied: "That's like five people."
"No, it's the progressive group, it's more than five," the interviewer pushed back. Pelosi contended that she herself is a progressive.
The speaker added that she believes Congressional Democrats "by and large ... know that we have to hold the center, that we have to go down the mainstream," and said she "reject[s] socialism as an economic system."
"If people have that view, that's their view," she said. "That is not the view of the Democratic Party."
When pressed on whether Congress has been productive, she said Democrats regained control of the House only three months ago, and that things were moving. She added: "The power of the Speaker is awesome."
President Trump responded to the interview by tweeting it was a "puff piece," and said Pelosi "has passed no meaningful Legislation."

Oakland Mayor Ice Raid Warning Cartoons

Rashida Tlaib claims Dem leadership uses party’s minority members as tokens of diversity

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Because I Want It All.

Another sign emerged Saturday of frustration between far-left Democrats in Congress and the party's entrenched leadership.
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., claimed in a Twitter message Saturday that she and other minority members of the party have been used as tokens whenever the party wants to project an image of inclusiveness.
The message appeared to be triggered by a California Muslim activist's assertion that Democratic leaders hadn't been adequately supportive of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who has been accused of trivializing the 9/11 terror attacks as "some people did something."
AOC, RASHIDA TLAIB LEAP TO DEFENSE OF ILHAN OMAR AFTER HER 'SOME PEOPLE DID SOMETHING' 9/11 REMARKS
“They put us in photos when they want to show our party is diverse,” Tlaib wrote. “However, when we ask to be at the table, or speak up about issues that impact who we are, what we fight for & why we ran in the first place, we are ignored. To truly honor our diversity is to never silence us.”
Tlaib later retweeted a post by Omar, who also expressed frustration.
“I did not run for Congress to be silent,” Omar wrote. “I did not run for Congress to sit on the sidelines. I ran because I believed it was time to restore moral clarity and courage to Congress. To fight and to defend our democracy.”
Tlaib also retweeted a post by Roza Calderon, a human rights activist.
“More and more we're realizing that POC [people of color] are used as props by @TheDemocrats,” Calderon wrote. “When we run, we're told to wait our turn. When we speak about our struggles, we're told we're angry. When we ask them to stand up for us, they say we're being divisive.”
Previously, three progressives -- U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. – objected to a plan by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) to blacklist organizations that assist candidates who look to challenge Democratic incumbents in party primaries, as the progressives had done to win their seats.
“The @DCCC’s new rule to blacklist+boycott anyone who does business w/ primary challengers is extremely divisive & harmful to the party,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote March 30.
“If the DCCC enacts this policy to blacklist vendors who work with challengers,” Pressley wrote, also on March 30, “we risk undermining an entire universe of potential candidates and vendors - especially women and people of color - whose ideas, energy, and innovation need a place in our party.”
Meanwhile, other examples indicate that leading Democrats may have frustrations of their own regarding some of the party’s newer members and the media attention they’ve received.
“While there are people who have a large number of Twitter followers, what’s important is that we have a large number of votes on the floor of the House,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told USA Today earlier this month in what was interpreted as a dig at Ocasio-Cortez, who has nearly twice as many Twitter followers as Pelosi despite being in office a little more than two months.
In March, in a speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., pointedly noted that the new Congress had 62 freshmen Democrats.
“You hear me?” Hoyer said. “Sixty-two. Not three.”

Trump blasts New York Times reporting, says paper will be gone 'in 6 years'

President Trump speaks during a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the Oval Office of the White House on Saturday. (Associated Press)

Apologizing over putting out fake news.

President Trump unleashed a barrage of criticism against the New York Times in a series of tweets Saturday, describing the newspaper as “phony” over its coverage of his immigration policies and predicting it would cease to exist within six years.
In his first Twitter post, the president blasted the paper for its story about his administration’s threats to release migrants into “sanctuary cities” as retaliation against Democrats.
"The New York Times Sanctuary Cities/Immigration story today was knowingly wrong on almost every fact," the president wrote. "They never call to check for truth. Their sources often don’t even exist, a fraud. They will lie & cheat anyway possible to make me look bad. In 6 years they will be gone........."
Maggie Haberman, the White House reporter for the Times, refuted Trump's accusation that the paper never reached out for comment.
"POTUS really ought to check in with his press team more often, or they with him. NYT emailed three times for comment and press office acknowledged receipt of emails," she tweeted.
Trump has repeatedly suggested releasing migrants into "sanctuary cities." A statement from the Department of Homeland Security to Fox News said the idea to release immigrant detainees onto the streets of sanctuary cities "was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion.”
Trump's follow-up post said the Times “begged” its subscribers for forgiveness over its "pathetic" 2016 election coverage of him. The tweet referred to a November 2016 letter from Times publisher Arthur O. Sulzberger that promised readers it would “reflect” on its coverage and rededicate itself to reporting on America and the world honestly."
"....When I won the Election in 2016, the @nytimes had to beg their fleeing subscribers for forgiveness in that they covered the Election (and me) so badly. They didn’t have a clue, it was pathetic. They even apologized to me. But now they are even worse, really corrupt reporting!," Trump wrote.
The Times denied apologizing to Trump.
Trump then denied a Times report that claimed he directed acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan to close the U.S.-Mexico border and offered to pardon him if things went awry.
"I never offered Pardons to Homeland Security Officials, never ordered anyone to close our Southern Border (although I have the absolute right to do so, and may if Mexico does not apprehend the illegals coming to our Border), and am not “frustrated.” It is all Fake & Corrupt News!"

Trump reciprocates after North Korea's Kim says he's open to third summit

President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un take a walk after their first meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel, in Hanoi in February. (Associated Press)

President Trump on Saturday tweeted glowingly of his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and that a third summit “would be good," citing their personal relationship and knowledge of “where we each stand.”
"I agree with Kim Jong Un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate, and that a third Summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand,” Trump posted to Twitter.
“North Korea has tremendous potential for....... ...extraordinary growth, economic success and riches under the leadership of Chairman Kim," Trump continued. "I look forward to the day, which could be soon, when Nuclear Weapons and Sanctions can be removed, and then watching North Korea become one of the most successful nations of the World!"
Trump’s remarks come a day after North Korea’s state-run media, the Korean Central News Agency, reported Kim said he was open to another meeting during a speech to the country’s rubber-stamp parliament.
"We of course place importance on resolving problems through dialogue and negotiations," Kim said in his address. "But U.S.-style dialogue of unilaterally pushing its demands doesn't fit us, and we have no interest in it."
Trump and Kim first met in June 2018 in Singapore. Talks between the two leaders abruptly ended during their second meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February.
The U.S. said the meeting ended early because of North Korea’s demand for sanctions relief. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier this month he was confident Trump and Kim would meet again.

Trump and Oakland mayor trade Twitter barbs over immigration policies

Mayor empty-headed :-)

President Trump and a California mayor traded barbs over Twitter on Saturday, prompted by the president's repeated threats to release detained immigrants into “sanctuary cities.”
The exchange between Trump and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf also appeared triggered, at least in part, by recent New York Times articles about the president's immigration policies.
"So interesting to see the Mayor of Oakland and other Sanctuary Cities NOT WANT our currently 'detained immigrants' after release due to the ridiculous court ordered 20 day rule," Trump tweeted.
Schaaf fired back, saying: “It’s time to stop fanning hate and division @realDonaldTrump - I’ve been consistent and clear: #Oakland welcomes all, no matter where you came from or how you got here.”
Trump fired off another tweet soon after: "Just out: The USA has the absolute legal right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities. We hereby demand that they be taken care of at the highest level, especially by the State of California, which is well known or [sic] its poor management & high taxes!"
In 2017, California passed a “sanctuary state” law limiting cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration officials. Administration officials said Trump's proposal to dump undocumented immigrants in "sanctuary cities" was floated and rejected. Trump insists he is still giving the idea strong consideration, according to the Los Angeles Times.
White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said the administration was working with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to advance the plan.
"They have said they wanted all of these illegal aliens into their communities," Gidley said on Fox News' "Justice with Judge Jeanine." "We're working with DHS, we're working with ICE, to try and make sure that happens because after all, it's what they want. They should not say 'This is retribution politically,' they should say, 'This is an olive branch."
Schaaf told NPR on Saturday that her city would accept a busload of 5,000 migrants if it had to.
"My job as a mayor is to welcome people," she said. "I don't build walls. It's our job to welcome everyone into our city, ensure their safety, ensure that their families can thrive. And that is my job no matter where those people came from or how they got there."
"This is about an outrageous abuse of power," she continued. "The idea that you could use human beings, families as instruments of political payback to use public resources to exact retribution on your political enemies."
Mayors in other cities have also said they are willing to take in migrants.
“We have people who are routinely coming to this city. We have a whole infrastructure that’s built up to make sure that their rights are protected while the city of Chicago has, under the current administration, provided funding for various groups to help support asylum seekers and other people that are going through the immigration court system. I expect it will continue, if not expand upon, those kinds of resources,” said Chicago Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot.

Ninth Circuit Court Cartoons and Dumb Democrats