Presumptuous Politics

Friday, September 23, 2016

Trump calls for unity in Charlotte, says there is no right to violence

Donald Trump struck a measured tone and called for unity when speaking about the riots in Charlotte, North Carolina today at a shale conference in Pittsburgh.
"We need to become one America nation united by shared principles,shared values as American citizens. And we have to respect our flag. We all have to walk a mile in someone else's shoes, to see things in their eyes and to get to work fixing our very wounded country," he said.
However, he also condemned the violence in Charlotte, saying it "must come to a very rapid end."
"There is no right to engage in violent disruption and threaten the safety and peace of others," he said. "Everyone is entitled to live in safe communities."
He praised the actions of the police, saying it is very difficult to be a police officer.

Email shows federal immigration bosses in OT push to swear in new citizens 'due to election'

An internal Obama administration email shows immigration officials may be literally working overtime to swear in as many new “citizen voters” as possible before the Nov. 8 presidential election, a powerful lawmaker charged Thursday.
The email, from a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office chief and part of a chain of correspondence within the agency, urges the unnamed recipient to swear in as many citizens as possible “due to the election year.”
“The Field Office due to the election year needs to process as many of their N-400 cases as possible between now and FY 2016,” reads the email, which was disclosed to FoxNews.com by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who chairs the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
“If you have cases in this category or other pending, you are encouraged to take advantage of the OT if you can,” the email continues. “This will be an opportunity to move your pending naturalization cases. If you have not volunteered for OT, please consider and let me know if you are interested.”
Parts of the email were redacted before it was disclosed to FoxNews.com, but it was sent by the branch chief of the Houston Field Office District 17. It was not clear to whom it was addressed.
“I couldn’t have said it better!” reads the July 21 note introducing the forwarded missive. “It’s the end of the year crunch time, so let’s get crunchy! Go Team Houston! Thanks for all your hard work!”
Johnson and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, in a Wednesday letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, said it appears the agency is trying to swear in new citizens as the election between Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton and GOP choice Donald Trump approaches.
“Your department seems intent on approving as many naturalization cases as quickly as possible at a time when it should instead be putting on the brakes and reviewing past adjudications,” the senator’s letter read.
Johnson referred to a report this week from the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General that found at least 858 people from terror hotspots and other countries of concern had been mistakenly granted citizenship despite facing orders of deportation under other identities.
"Considering that USCIS already has a troubling record of inadequate review of naturalization applications, and mistakenly giving away citizenship to terrorists, criminals and other fraudsters, it is disturbing that they are now in full and blind rubber stamp mode to crank out new citizens," said Jessica Vaughan, director of Policy Studies for the Center for Immigration Studies.
In a USCIS planning document submitted to Congress earlier this year, USCIS reported it expected to receive 828,000 total applications this year, up from a planned 815,000 last year, an increase of 13,000, Vaughan said.
A DHS official did not immediately offer comment on the matter.
The effort is reminiscent of a similar bid to bring in new voters when Bill Clinton ran for re-election in 1996, said Claude Arnold, a retired U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations.
"I am not at all surprised by this revelation," Arnold said. "This is a repeat of the Clinton election playbook. Then it was to help re-elect Bill Clinton, this time it is to help elect Hillary Clinton."
The all-out push shows the Obama administration is using levers to help Clinton win, said Dan Stein, president of Federation for American Immigration Reform.
"In the pursuit of a partisan advantage, one party has decided integrity in the system is irrelevant," Stein said. "They don’t really care about checking backgrounds or verifying status and eligibility – it is more about increasing the number of eligible voters in the upcoming election."

Top Democrats determine that Russia behind spate of cyberattacks

Cybersecurity expert talks signs Russia hacked US emails

Some of the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees said Thursday that they’ve concluded that Russian intelligence agencies are making a “serious” effort to influence the U.S. presidential election.
A joint statement from Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Adam Schiff point a finger at Russia for the recent hacking of political computer systems, which have targeted Democrats and party-affiliated groups.
Federal officials have been investigating the cyberattacks at the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Election data systems in at least two states have also been breached.
"Based on briefings we have received, we have concluded that the Russian intelligence agencies are making a serious and concerted effort to influence the U.S. election," the two lawmakers from California said. "At the least, this effort is intended to sow doubt about the security of our election and may well be intended to influence the outcomes of the election. We can see no other rationale for the behavior of the Russians."
Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied claims that Moscow was behind any of the security breaches.
“There’s no need to distract the public’s attention from the essence of the problem by raising some minor issues connected with the search for who did it,” Putin told Bloomberg News earlier this month. “But I want to tell you again, I don’t know anything about it, and on a state level Russia has never done this.”
The U.S. hasn't formally blamed Russia for the hack of Democratic emails, but the White House has publicly noted that outside investigators have determined that Russia is to blame. Determining Russia's involvement in the public disclosure of the emails is seen as a prerequisite to any sanctions the U.S. might levy on Russia in response to the hacks.
Earlier this month, Lisa Monaco, President Barack Obama's homeland security adviser, said it would be difficult for someone to hack into America's voting systems in a way that could alter the outcome of an election. She said election systems by and large are not hooked up to the internet and are diffusely operated by state and local governments.
Asked whether the U.S. might respond to the hacking, Monaco said "Stay tuned."
Lawmakers from both parties have called for a U.S. response to the hacking.
"When we have an adversary who so brazenly strikes at the heart of our democratic process, I think that indicates how low they believe the cost of that behavior is going to be," Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said Thursday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing where she questioned top military officials about the recent cyberattacks.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Food Stamp Cartoons

Trump praises 'stop-and-frisk' police tactic at African-American town hall

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump praised the controversial "stop-and-frisk" police tactic Wednesday, saying it "worked incredibly well" when it was used in New York City.
Trump was speaking at a town hall moderated by Fox News' Sean Hannity at a mostly black church in Cleveland, Ohio when he was asked how he would stop violence in black communities.
In response, Trump pointed to "stop-and-frisk", which allows police to stop and search any person officers deem suspicious.
"I think you have to [do it]," Trump said. "We did it in New York, it worked incredibly well and you have to be proactive."
"Now, we had a very good mayor, but New York City was incredible, the way that worked, so I think that could be one step you could do."
"Stop-and-frisk" drew complaints from New York City minorities, who claimed they were being disporportionately stopped for searches by officers. In 2013, a federal court ruled that the practice was unconstitutional and its use has since been scaled back.
The event was held amid ongoing controversy and unrest over two more police-involved shootings of African-American men, one in Tulsa, Okla. and the other in Charlotte, N.C.
Trump appeared to criticize the female officer involved in the Tulsa shooting, saying the victim "was doing everything he was supposed to do."
"I don't know if [the officer] choked," Trump said. "He was walking. His hands were high. He was walking to the car. He put the hands on the car. Now, maybe she choked. Something really bad happened."

Fox News Poll: Trump tops Clinton in battlegrounds Nevada, N. Carolina, Ohio

Donald Trump narrowly leads Hillary Clinton in the battleground states of Nevada, North Carolina, and Ohio.
That’s according to Fox News statewide likely voter polls conducted Sunday through Tuesday evenings.
Trump is helped by strong support from working-class white voters, while Clinton is hurt by a lackluster performance among younger voters and women.
In each state, Trump’s advantage is within the margin of sampling error. Here’s how the numbers breakdown state-by-state:
Nevada
Trump has a three-point advantage over Clinton among likely voters in the Silver State (43-40 percent). Libertarian Gary Johnson receives eight percent. Nevada voters also can cast a ballot for “none of these,” and that option takes four percent. Green Party candidate Jill Stein is not on the ballot in Nevada.
Independents back Trump (42 percent) over Clinton (23 percent) and Johnson (21 percent).
The Democrat is trailing expectations among women and younger voters.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE NEVADA POLL RESULTS
Those under age 45 are almost equally likely to back Clinton (42 percent) as they are to back Trump (39 percent) -- and Johnson garners double-digit support (11 percent).
Women in Nevada backed Barack Obama over Mitt Romney by a 16-point margin in 2012, according to the Fox News Exit Poll. Clinton’s up by just six points.
Both Clinton and Trump supporters have a high degree of vote certainty (93 percent each).
“There is a huge geographic disparity in Nevada,” notes Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Republican Daron Shaw. “Clinton is ahead in Vegas and urban areas, while Trump leads outside Vegas and in rural areas -- this is an obvious advantage for Clinton in get-out-the-vote efforts.”
The race is mostly unchanged in a head-to-head matchup without Johnson: Trump 46 vs. Clinton 42 percent.
Views of President Obama’s job performance are divided: 49 percent approve, while 48 percent disapprove. He won Nevada in both 2012 (by 6.7 points) and 2008 (by 12.5 points).
North Carolina
In North Carolina, Trump is up by five points among likely voters. He receives 45 percent to Clinton’s 40 percent, and 6 percent favor Johnson. Stein is not on the ballot.
Whites back Trump by a 31-point margin (58-27 percent), while blacks support Clinton by 82 points (85-3 percent).
Independents favor Trump (41 percent) over Clinton (24 percent) and Johnson (14 percent).
And while voters under age 45 prefer Clinton by 46-32, Johnson gets 11 percent of them.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE NORTH CAROLINA POLL RESULTS
Ninety-five percent of Trump supporters and 90 percent of Clinton backers feel certain of their vote choice.
In the two-way ballot, Trump’s also up five (47-42 percent).
North Carolina was red in 2012 (Romney by two points) and blue in 2008 (Obama by less than one point). By a 50-46 percent margin, more voters disapprove than approve of Obama today.
Ohio
The Buckeye State is another must-win for Trump, and the poll finds him up by five points among likely voters: 42-37 percent. Johnson receives six percent and Stein gets two percent.
Trump’s edge over Clinton comes mainly from independents (+20 points) and working-class whites (+26). Clinton’s up by just three points among women. Obama won them by 11 in 2012.
Most of Clinton’s (89 percent) and Trump’s supporters (88 percent) are certain they will back their candidate.
“Clinton’s mistakes on the campaign trail have driven many disaffected Republicans into Trump’s camp,” says Shaw. “Just as consequential is the fact Trump is ahead of Clinton among independents by 17-20 points in these states. If that holds, he might actually pull this off.”
Meanwhile, by a 58-30 percent margin, voters approve of the job Republican John Kasich is doing as governor. Among those who approve, 45 percent support Trump, 33 percent back Clinton, and 7 percent Johnson.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE OHIO POLL RESULTS
Without third-party candidates in the mix, it’s Trump over Clinton by 45-40 percent.
Currently, 47 percent of voters approve of the job Obama is doing, while 48 percent disapprove. He won Ohio in both 2012 (by three points) and 2008 (by almost five points).
“Trump has been much more disciplined in his comments recently and is almost certainly benefiting from keeping his attacks focused on Clinton as opposed to other Republicans or Gold Star families,” says Anderson.
Meanwhile, Clinton trails Trump by two points among voters living in union households. That voting bloc went for Obama over Romney by 23 points in 2012.
Senate Races
The polls, released Wednesday, also ask about the senate races in these key states, and find the races within the margin of error in Nevada and North Carolina, while Republican Rob Portman holds a double-digit lead in Ohio. In each state, the GOP senate candidate fares slightly better than Trump.
There’s good news for Republicans in Nevada, where they hope to pick up the seat of the retiring Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid. Joe Heck leads his Democratic opponent Catherine Cortez Masto by seven points: 43-36 percent. Independent American Party candidate Tom Jones trails with 6 percent and “none of these” gets 5 percent.
In North Carolina, incumbent Sen. Richard Burr bests Democratic challenger Deborah Ross by 43-37 percent, with Libertarian Sean Haugh at 6 percent.
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman holds a 14-point lead over Democrat Ted Strickland: 51-37 percent. The incumbent senator tops the former governor by 28 points among independents. Portman also garners the support of most Republicans (88 percent), as well as 15 percent of Democrats. He won the seat in 2010 with 57 percent of the vote.
“Winning the four-to-five seats needed to regain control of the senate becomes a tricky proposition for the Democrats if the GOP gains the Reid seat and Burr holds on,” notes Shaw. “The Democrats have to win their tight races in Pennsylvania and Indiana, and even that might not be enough.”
There’s also a gubernatorial race in North Carolina. Republican incumbent Pat McCrory tops Democrat Roy Cooper by 46-43 percent. Libertarian Lon Cecil receives 3 percent.
The Fox News Poll is conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). The polls were conducted September 18-20, 2016, by telephone (landline and cellphone) with live interviewers among a sample of likely voters selected from statewide voter files in Nevada (704), North Carolina (734), and Ohio (737). Bilingual interviewers were used in Nevada. In all three states the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the total sample of likely voters.

New low: Disgraced Dem Anthony Weiner sorry after texts to 15-year-old revealed

NYC child services investigating Anthony Weiner

Disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner told FoxNews.com Wednesday he knows he has a problem after his never-ending sexting scandal reached a new low with revelations he sent X-rated messages to a 15-year-old girl.
Weiner’s alleged sexting with the then-high school sophomore, who was not identified, began in January and lasted several months. Weiner’s wife, top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, announced in August that she was separating from Weiner after a different sexting scandal hit the news.
"I have repeatedly demonstrated terrible judgement about the people I have communicated with online and the things I have sent," Weiner told FoxNews.com.
Weiner said, however, that he had “likely been the subject of a hoax."
"I have no one to blame but me for putting myself in this position," he said. "I am sorry."
But screenshots provided by the girl clearly show Weiner’s Twitter handle responding to direct messages. At one point she notes she goes to high school and Weiner asks “Where do you go to school?” Messages on the Kik app – where Weiner allegedly used the alias “T Dog” – and on Facebook show Weiner’s face and often picture the former congressman shirtless.
Weiner could potentially face legal trouble due to the interactions.
New York law makes it a crime to persuade someone younger than 17 to create sexual or nude images. It's also criminal to disseminate indecent material to a minor. If the unidentified girl is from out of state, the lewd messages could become a federal issue.
"She's underage, so she's under the age of consent," said Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl, who added both the pictures and texts sent by Weiner could potentially prove criminal.
"Both are sexually promiscuous," she said. "He's sending them for sexual satisfaction. There's really no other way to take the texts other than for his sexual gratification. It's certainly encouraging indecency of a minor over the Internet."
Police investigated Weiner in 2011 after it emerged he was messaging a high school junior in Delaware, FoxNews.com reported. A Weiner spokesperson said the interactions with the 17-year-old girl "were neither explicit nor indecent." Anyone under the age of 18 in Delaware is considered a minor, however, Weiner was not charged with a crime at the time.
In one picture allegedly sent to the 15-year-old girl by Weiner, he's shown sitting outside with his shirt pulled up and his 4-year-old son sleeping on his stomach. The picture was eerily similar to a sext published by The New York Post in August showing the boy lying in bed with a scantily-clad Weiner.
After the August picture came out, the Administration for Children's Services launched a probe of Weiner, The Post reported.
Weiner's most-recent alleged sexting partner described some of their conversations when the chats took place on Skype.
"He would tell me that he was very lonely and that it had been a year since he and his wife had sex, and that she really didn’t pay him any attention,” the girl told The Daily Mail. “We would talk, just chatting for about 30 minutes and it would lead to more sexual things…asking me to undress…he’d comment on my body. He asked me about masturbation, and that kind of thing.”
Weiner has been the subject of numerous sex scandals since it emerged in May 2011 that he sent explicit photos of himself to a woman on Twitter. He resigned from Congress that June. In 2013, Weiner entered the New York City mayoral race. But his candidacy ended when his sexts with a 22-year-old woman were discovered. Weiner used the alias “Carlos Danger” in those messages. Abedin announced the couple’s separation in August when the New York Post published a sext showing Weiner lying in his bed with his son.

Man arrested after hitting Sacramento mayor in face with pie at charity event

A man was arrested Wednesday night after shoving a pie in the face of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson at a charity dinner.
Sean Thompson, 32, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a public official, which is a felony, the Sacramento Police Department said. An official said Johnson, a former NBA star, didn’t take the act lightly.
The mayor had given a speech at the Seeds of HOPE dinner at Sacramento Charter High School before the man came up, pulled the pie from a bag, grabbed Johnson and shoved it into his face, the mayor’s Chief of Staff Crystal Staff said. She said the mayor defended himself against the man, but wouldn’t elaborate.
According to the East Bay Express, Johnson tackled Thompson and “repeatedly” punched him in the face landing “five to 10” blows. A witness told the East Bay Express that the protester was hit multiple times.
The mayor tweeted that he's "doing fine" and added, "Thank you to Sac PD for being there."
Strait emphasized that it was a genuinely serious and scary situation and there was nothing funny about it, especially because no one including the mayor could tell immediately that it was a pie the man was holding.
"The mayor was assaulted. I was standing right there and I'm still pretty shaken up," Strait said, speaking some three hours after it happened.
Thompson was treated for a minor injury before he was booked into jail. Both police and Strait said Thompson was previously unknown to the mayor and his staff.
After he cleaned up, Johnson spoke again to the audience to calm nerves at the event, which was held in the school's garden and featured many of the city's top restaurateurs.
Johnson, who had a long career as an NBA All-Star with the Phoenix Suns and a brief stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers before becoming mayor, has about two months left as mayor after deciding not to seek a third term.
The 50-year-old is married to Michelle Rhee, a former chancellor of Washington, D.C., schools, who was at the event Wednesday night.
Johnson's signature achievement in office was getting a $500 million arena built for the city's NBA team the Sacramento Kings.
His final two years in office were marked by the re-emergence of a decades-old claim of sexual abuse from a woman who was a teenager at the time, when Johnson played for the Suns. The Phoenix Police Department investigated but did not file charges.
Johnson has both denied the allegations and denied that they had anything to do with his decision to leave office.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Thursday, September 22, 2016

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