Monday, February 15, 2016
Trump hit hard in debate, but can the attacks in SC break through?
Much of the media is convinced that Donald Trump had a lousy debate in South Carolina.
“Trump Bludgeoned In Nasty GOP Debate,” said Politico, whose “insiders” (who utterly failed to predict the Trump phenomenon) said The Donald had “flopped.”
The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza branded Trump one of the debate’s losers, with Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio (and moderator John Dickerson) the winners.
Rich Lowry, whose National Review has savaged Trump, offered this frustrated headline: “Trump Half-Crazed, But Does Anyone Care?”
My own view is that while Cruz and Bush landed some blows, Trump punched back quite hard. The reason the CBS debate, and the campaign, turned so ugly is that the other Republicans know this is probably their best shot at derailing the Trump express.
I was surprised that Trump used as much of his high energy as he did to go after Jeb, who trails him badly in the polls. Bush may have gotten under his skin in this debate. Cruz held back for the first 90 minutes, then seemed to unload every anti-Trump attack line he had been saving up all at once.
Keep in mind that the media have often turned thumbs down on Trump’s debates and controversial comments, only to discover that they didn’t hurt him among Republican voters. About the only concession he’s made to South Carolina is to announce that he’ll stop cursing.
Of course, Trump did attack George W. Bush over 9/11 and the Iraq war and went a step further, saying he and his administration lied about Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction. Trump also defended Planned Parenthood’s non-abortion services. I’m sure we’ll hear more about this, but it also plays to his self-description as a “common-sense conservative,” not a doctrinaire one.
For all the ink spilled on South Carolina as the land of dirty tricks, none of the punches thrown have been below the belt. Unless you count Cruz having to pull an ad that featured a soft-core porn actress, a silly controversy that became a distraction.
The attacks on Trump have gotten so noisy that they may have trouble breaking through the static. And they mostly recycle past charges that haven’t stuck.
A Cruz ad accuses The Donald of having been a sleazy businessman. Since Trump has said he gave big bucks to politicians to help him on the real estate front, the charge is not exactly new.
The ad says Trump has abused eminent domain for his own profit, dramatized by footage of an elderly widow whose home the billionaire wanted for an Atlantic City casino parking lot. Left unsaid is that he offered the woman $1 million and the project fizzled in any case. After Mitt Romney was portrayed as unfeeling for laying off thousands, a single example feels small.
(Trump responds in tweet form that he might have to sue Cruz for not being a natural-born citizen.)
Bush’s Super PAC also looks backward, to Trump’s shifting position on abortion and his insults directed at John McCain and Megyn Kelly. (Trump mocks him for bringing in his mother and now his brother as surrogates.)
Meanwhile, Rubio makes a present-tense charge, portraying Trump as having no foreign policy experience other than building hotels abroad.
The recitations of Trump’s past heresies have been tried several times, to no avail. His supporters don’t seem to care that he once gave money to Democrats, took liberal positions in New York or worked what he now calls a corrupt system as a businessman. In their eyes, his successful real estate career is a plus.
As the media have learned, when it comes to Trump, the wayback machine usually malfunctions.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz.
“Trump Bludgeoned In Nasty GOP Debate,” said Politico, whose “insiders” (who utterly failed to predict the Trump phenomenon) said The Donald had “flopped.”
The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza branded Trump one of the debate’s losers, with Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio (and moderator John Dickerson) the winners.
Rich Lowry, whose National Review has savaged Trump, offered this frustrated headline: “Trump Half-Crazed, But Does Anyone Care?”
My own view is that while Cruz and Bush landed some blows, Trump punched back quite hard. The reason the CBS debate, and the campaign, turned so ugly is that the other Republicans know this is probably their best shot at derailing the Trump express.
I was surprised that Trump used as much of his high energy as he did to go after Jeb, who trails him badly in the polls. Bush may have gotten under his skin in this debate. Cruz held back for the first 90 minutes, then seemed to unload every anti-Trump attack line he had been saving up all at once.
Keep in mind that the media have often turned thumbs down on Trump’s debates and controversial comments, only to discover that they didn’t hurt him among Republican voters. About the only concession he’s made to South Carolina is to announce that he’ll stop cursing.
Of course, Trump did attack George W. Bush over 9/11 and the Iraq war and went a step further, saying he and his administration lied about Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction. Trump also defended Planned Parenthood’s non-abortion services. I’m sure we’ll hear more about this, but it also plays to his self-description as a “common-sense conservative,” not a doctrinaire one.
For all the ink spilled on South Carolina as the land of dirty tricks, none of the punches thrown have been below the belt. Unless you count Cruz having to pull an ad that featured a soft-core porn actress, a silly controversy that became a distraction.
The attacks on Trump have gotten so noisy that they may have trouble breaking through the static. And they mostly recycle past charges that haven’t stuck.
A Cruz ad accuses The Donald of having been a sleazy businessman. Since Trump has said he gave big bucks to politicians to help him on the real estate front, the charge is not exactly new.
The ad says Trump has abused eminent domain for his own profit, dramatized by footage of an elderly widow whose home the billionaire wanted for an Atlantic City casino parking lot. Left unsaid is that he offered the woman $1 million and the project fizzled in any case. After Mitt Romney was portrayed as unfeeling for laying off thousands, a single example feels small.
(Trump responds in tweet form that he might have to sue Cruz for not being a natural-born citizen.)
Bush’s Super PAC also looks backward, to Trump’s shifting position on abortion and his insults directed at John McCain and Megyn Kelly. (Trump mocks him for bringing in his mother and now his brother as surrogates.)
Meanwhile, Rubio makes a present-tense charge, portraying Trump as having no foreign policy experience other than building hotels abroad.
The recitations of Trump’s past heresies have been tried several times, to no avail. His supporters don’t seem to care that he once gave money to Democrats, took liberal positions in New York or worked what he now calls a corrupt system as a businessman. In their eyes, his successful real estate career is a plus.
As the media have learned, when it comes to Trump, the wayback machine usually malfunctions.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz.
Putin, Obama agree on closer cooperation over Syria
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Both sides said the two leaders discussed a possible cease-fire in Syria, but separate statements issued in the Russian and U.S. capitals suggested continued diplomatic jockeying. The conversation between Messrs. Putin and Obama followed an international security conference in Munich last week, where top Russian officials warned that relations between the Kremlin and the West were descending into Cold War-style confrontation amid the Syria crisis.
On Sunday the Kremlin issued a statement saying that the phone call was at Washington's initiative, and that the two leaders agreed to "intensify cooperation through diplomatic agencies and other entities" to implement an agreement reached in Munich to determine the technicalities of a Syria cease-fire.
"In particular, Mr. Obama emphasized the importance now of Russia playing a constructive role by ceasing its air campaign against moderate opposition forces in Syria," the White House said.
Though diplomats have discussed a cease-fire in Syria that could take effect soon, doubt persists about whether the deal will hold. Russia's intervention with a massive bombing campaign in Syria has given the Kremlin an upper hand in bolstering Mr. Assad. U.S. officials complain that the Russian bombing campaign is doing little to dislodge Islamic State from Syria, and is targeting instead moderate opponents of Mr. Assad, some of whom are supported by the U.S.
The White House said the two presidents discussed the simmering conflict in Ukraine, where Moscow has been supporting separatists on Russia's border. The U.S. and Europe have dangled the possibility of lifting economic sanctions against Russia if it helps implement a peace accord signed last year in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, and the White House said Mr. Obama "also urged combined Russian-separatists forces to fulfill their Minsk obligations, especially adhering to the cease-fire" and ensuring that international monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have access to rebel-held areas.
Western diplomats say Russia has been trying to downplay its role in Ukraine while it uses its intervention in Syria to raise its profile as a player on the world stage.
In its statement Sunday, the Kremlin said Mr. Putin in his conversation with Mr. Obama "once again stressed the importance of creating a common front against terrorism with the rejection of double standards…emphasizing the need to establish a solid working relationship between the militaries of Russia and the United States."
Top Senate Democrat slams proposed Obama cuts to counterterror programs
NEW YORK – Sen. Charles Schumer is slamming a White House proposal that would reduce funding for counterterrorism programs across the country by nearly $300 million.
The New York Democrat is pushing President Barack Obama to reconsider the cuts.
Schumer notes that the cuts to the Urban Area Security Initiative were included in the proposed 2017 budget released last week by the White House. The initiative helps fund programs in cities across the U.S. to prevent extremist attacks, or respond to and recover from them. The proposed budget would cut the funding from $600 million to $330 million.
"These proposed cuts are ill-advised and ill-timed and they must be reversed. End of story," Schumer said in a statement to The Associated Press. "In light of recent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, and the vow by our extremist enemies to launch more attacks on our shores, it makes no sense to propose cuts to vital terror-prevention programs like UASI."
Schumer, who decried the cuts at a news conference on Sunday, said the program is necessary to adequately fund counterterrorism programs in high-density urban areas like New York City.
"New York City remains terror target number one and the NYPD relies on these programs to keep us safe," he said.
In New York, a portion of the funds are used for the fire department's response training and the NYPD's counterterrorism training programs and the active shooter training course. The money also helps pay for teams that patrol at local airports, transit hubs and waterways. Elsewhere in the New York area, the funds cover the cost of other training exercises, including multi-jurisdictional response drills.
The White House released a statement saying the proposed budget provides "robust funding to support a sustainable and effective approach for combating terrorism."
"In addition, the budget provides $100 million for a new Regional Preparedness Grants Competition and $39M for grants to help States prepare for and respond to complex coordinated terrorist attacks, both of which offer New York City additional opportunities to secure funding for counterterrorism efforts," the White House said.
'In complete repose': Scalia died of natural causes, investigators say
The body of late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was being flown to northern Virginia from Texas late Sunday after investigators determined there was no foul play in the 79-year-old's death.
Jose Amezcua, a manager at Sunset Funeral Homes, told Fox News that he personally loaded Scalia's casket onto a private plane bound for Fairfax, Va. at El Paso International Airport. Terry Sharpe, assistant director for operations at the airport, told the Associated Press a private plane carrying Scalia's body departed around 8 p.m. EST. Scalia's body was accompanied to the airport by U.S. marshals.
Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara told Fox News that she determined Scalia had died of natural causes. Guevara also said that she had spoken to local investigators and U.S. marshals, as well as Scalia's family and personal physician, before determining that an autopsy was not necessary.
Guevara said Scalia's doctor told her that the justice was suffering from minor ailments, but did not elaborate further.
The owner of the Cibolo Creek Ranch, the West Texas resort where Scalia spent his final hours, told reporters Sunday that Scalia was part of a group of about 35 weekend guests and had arrived at the ranch at around noon Friday.
John Poindexter said Scalia ate dinner with the group and was his "usual, personable self". According to Poindexter, Scalia retired to his room at around 9 p.m., saying he wanted a long night's sleep.
Scalia was found dead in his room Saturday morning. Poindexter said he was found "in complete repose" and added it was obvious that he had "passed away without any difficulty" in the night.
Guevara says the formal declaration of death was made at around 1:52 p.m. Saturday.
A procession that included about 20 law enforcement officers brought Scalia's body to the El Paso funeral home more than three hours from the ranch. Kristina Mills, a history teacher at nearby Chapin High School, came to the funeral home to pay her respects and brought flowers.
"Recognizing his contribution to serving our country just compelled me to come," she told the Associated Press. "I wanted to do yellow roses because for him dying in Texas. I didn't want his family to have bad memories of Texas."
In the nation's capital, President Barack Obama ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the high court, where Scalia served for three decades, and other federal buildings throughout the nation and U.S. embassies and military installations throughout the world.
Even while the flags were being lowered, the campaign-year political heat began to rise over the vacancy on the nine-member court.
At issue is whether Obama, in his last year in office, should make a nomination and the Republican-led Senate should confirm that choice in an election year. Obama pledged Saturday that he would submit a nomination to replace Scalia on the court "in due time."
The Constitution gives the Senate "advice and consent" powers over a presidential nomination to the Supreme Court. Ted Cruz, one of the two GOP senators running for president, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that the GOP-controlled Senate would be doing its job by blocking a nomination by a president with less than a year left in office.
"We're advising that a lame-duck president in an election year is not going to be able to tip the balance of the Supreme Court," Cruz said.
But the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which would hold hearings on a nominee, said it would be "sheer dereliction of duty for the Senate not to have a hearing, not to have a vote."
Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy told CNN's "State of the Union" that he believes McConnell is "making a terrible mistake. And he's certainly ignoring the Constitution."
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Supreme Court Justice Scalia dead at 79
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the judicial standard-bearer of the conservative movement and the court's most provocative member, died Saturday. He was 79.
His death means President Obama could have an unprecedented chance to try to shift the balance of the court during his final year in office -- setting up a Senate battle in the heat of an election year.
Obama said he planned "to fulfill my constitutional responsibility to nominate a successor in due time."
The U.S. Marshals Service in Washington confirmed Scalia's death at a private residence in the Big Bend area of south Texas.
The service's spokeswoman, Donna Sellers, says Scalia had retired for the evening and was found dead Saturday morning when he did not appear for breakfast.
"He was an extraordinary individual and jurist, admired and treasured by his colleagues," Chief Justice John Roberts said on behalf of the high court and retired justices. "We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Maureen, and his family."
Scalia used his keen intellect and missionary zeal in an unyielding attempt to move the court farther to the right and to get it to embrace his "originalist" view of judging after his 1986 appointment by President Ronald Reagan.
His 2008 opinion for the court in favor of gun rights was his crowning moment in more than 30 years on the bench.
"President (Obama) and first lady extend their deepest condolences to Justice Scalia's family," principal deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said in a statement.
Scalia was a strong advocate for privacy in favoring restrictions on police searches and protections for defendants' rights.
But he also voted consistently to let states outlaw abortions, to allow a closer relationship between government and religion, to permit executions and to limit lawsuits.
Scalia advocated tirelessly in favor of originalism, the method of constitutional interpretation that looks to the meaning of words and concepts as they were understood by the Founding Fathers.
Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill honored Scalia and his contributions to America.
"Justice Scalia did more to advance originalism and judicial restraint than anyone in our time, and it all started with just two words: 'I dissent,' " said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. "I knew him. I respected him. I looked up to him. We all did."
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the next likely Democratic Senate leader, tweeted: "While we disagreed on many issues, Justice Scalia was a brilliant man & a great son of Queens w/ a genuine joy for life."
GOP presidential candidates, hours before their debate in South Carolina, also remembered Scalia.
"We have lost a great man and a great Supreme Court Justice," said retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a strong conservative. "For the past three decades, his towering intellect and trenchant wit has characterized the deliberations and decisions of the high court."
Scalia's impact on the court was muted by his seeming disregard for moderating his views to help build consensus.
His impact on the court was muted by his seeming disregard or moderating his views to help build consensus, though he was held in deep affection by his ideological opposites Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan.
Scalia and Ginsburg shared a love of opera. He persuaded Kagan to join him on hunting trips.
His 2008 opinion for the court in favor of gun rights drew heavily on the history of the Second Amendment and was his crowning moment on the bench.
He could be a strong supporter of privacy in cases involving police searches and defendants' rights.
Indeed, Scalia often said he should be the "poster child" for the criminal defense bar.
But he also voted consistently to let states outlaw abortions, to allow a closer relationship between government and religion, to permit executions and to limit lawsuits.
He was in the court's majority in the 2000 Bush v. Gore decision, which effectively decided the presidential election for Republican George W. Bush.
"Get over it," Scalia would famously say at speaking engagements in the ensuing years whenever the topic arose.
Bush later named one of Scalia's sons, Eugene, to an administration job, but the Senate refused to confirm him.
Eugene Scalia served as the Labor Department solicitor temporarily in a recess appointment.
A smoker of cigarettes and pipes, Scalia enjoyed baseball, poker, hunting and the piano.
He was an enthusiastic singer at court Christmas parties and other musical gatherings, and once appeared on stage with Ginsburg as a Washington Opera extra.
Ginsburg once said that Scalia was "an absolutely charming man, and he can make even the most sober judge laugh." She said that she urged her friend to tone down his dissenting opinions "because he'll be more effective if he is not so polemical. I'm not always successful."
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