Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Foul-mouthed, anti-Trump professor accosts U.S. Senator on hiking trail
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) was hiking in the woods near his home in Chattanooga – enjoying the outdoors – minding his business – when he was accosted by a foul-mouthed anti-Donald Trump Biology professor.
University of the South professor David Haskell and several companions were hiking on Stringer’s Ridge when they came upon Sen. Corker (who happened to be traveling alone).
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“Professor Haskell began shouting at Senator Corker in a profanity-laced tirade while pointing a finger in his face and told the senator that he was embarrassed to live in a state where the citizens voted to overwhelming elect Donald Trump,” Corker spokesperson Micah Johnson said in statement.
Haskell, who was a Pulitzer Price nonfiction finalist, admitted in a blog post that he had a potty-mouth, but denied he was overly aggressive.
“I’m afraid my profanity was no match for that of Mr. Trump and I showed no aggression,” he wrote. “Anger, for sure, but I stood at a respectful distance and listened to Corker. First Amendment speech is not aggression, it’s a right. Grabbing women, punishing them for abortions, egging on rallies toward violence: now that’s aggression.”
To continue reading Todd Starnes’ column, click here.
Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. His latest book is "God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values." Follow Todd on Twitter @ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook.
Some New York City students allowed to skip class to join in Trump protests
'Here's Something New': Anti-Trump protesters didn't vote |
Sources told the New York Post reported that about 200 kids from Beacon High School in Manhattan joined other students in the city to demonstrate in front of Trump Tower.
However, English teachers at the same school firmly opposed the history teachers’ decisions. The students’ English teachers told them that they’d be penalized if they skipped out on their class.
“No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA!” some were heard chanting as they protested Donald Trump’s election.
One student told the paper that they would’ve preferred to be in class.
“Kids are crazy,” she said. “They fail to realize that America voted for him.”
Immigration activists retool their push for reform, reach out to Trump and GOP
A new roster of moderate and conservative Latino
groups could have a seat at President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration
policy table.
Trump, who campaigned on taking a strong stance against illegal immigration, and did better with Latino voters than expected – getting 29 percent of their vote, and more than 35 percent in some regions -- could find common ground on the issue with groups like the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and even conservative leaders who did not endorse him and have leaned toward a moderate approach to immigration.
Since the election, groups and Latino leaders around the country who vehemently denounced Trump for his calls for strict enforcement have called meetings to strategize how to tailor their push for immigration reform to the new political landscape that few expected to see in 2017. Many have reached out to Trump’s transition members to arrange meetings or pledge to work together – despite differences of opinion -- to move forward the long-stalled plan to fix the immigration system.
TOP TRUMP ADVISER PREDICTS SWIFT CHANGE ON IMMIGRATION
Their efforts have been unfolding at the local, state and national levels, though they have generated little attention compared to the spotlight on protests against Trump and warnings by some advocacy groups about mass deportations.
“By the will of the people, Donald Trump was elected
the 45th president of the United States, that is the fact of the
matter,” said Javier Palomarez, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce, to FoxNews.com “Just as we asked Donald Trump to adhere to
the election results, to be respectful of the process, we, as Latinos,
must do the same in return. Now we need to come together as Americans
and put aside differences.”
Palomarez, who had been a vocal critic of Trump and who endorsed Hillary Clinton, said he called Michael Cohen, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and special counsel to Trump, to express his desire to work with the president-elect on immigration and other issues of concern to Latinos.
“We both agreed to let bygones be bygones,” Palomarez said of his conversation with Cohen the day after the election. “Our job is to remove the emotion, do what’s right for this country, and offer ourselves to the extent that we can add value.”
“We’re in favor of an economic approach to immigration,” Palomarez said to FoxNews.com “For us and the 4.1 million Hispanic-owned firms in the United States, immigration reform has always been an economic imperative.”
A feasible approach to immigration reform, Palomarez said, would continue to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to hard work that “make businesses stronger and advance the American Dream.”
Palmorez said that he and other leaders will be closely watching Trump’s steps to gauge how open he will be to ideas about how to deal with immigrants here illegally who have not committed crimes.
“Can we advise him on his policies before he acts or pushes for policy changes?” Palomarez asked rhetorically. “Can we collaborate with him on areas of mutual interest?”
On social media, many immigrants without documents have been debating how to move forward – whether to try to legalize their status and take a risk, whether to hide, whether to return to their homelands, whether to keep protesting.
Many have posted comments assailing Obama, saying that in eight years he did nothing to advance comprehensive immigration reform, and instead deported nearly 3 million people. Many say they hope that Trump deports criminals and people who pose a threat to national security.
Daniel Garza, executive director of the conservative group Libre Initiative, funded by the Koch brothers, said that immigration must be dealt with on a piecemeal basis, not comprehensively. Garza said that most Latinos agree with the need to secure the nation’s borders and enforcing immigration laws.
“There’s a consensus for permanent immigration reform,” Garza said, adding that Libre has opposed the Obama administration’s executive actions to give a temporary shield from deportation to immigrants brought to the United States illegally as minors.
“No president can undermine the constitution,” Garza said. “That doesn’t mean we can’t move quickly on immigration reform, it has to be the first order of business.”
Garza’s group is planning to focus its efforts in the next few weeks to pushing for the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who qualified for the executive action program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) from being deported.
Trump has denounced DACA as executive overreach by Obama, and his immigration advisers says it is one of the Obama administration’s executive actions the president-elect plans to rescind.
Garza said that DACA was an unconstitutional stopgap by Obama, but that those who qualified for it – and therefore were able to obtain work permits and driver’s licenses – should not be punished for coming forward.
“I worry a lot about the DACA kids, we need to protect them, they’re vulnerable, we will push to move quickly toward immigration reform. “We’re concerned about kids who came forward because the president promised them protection and exposed them to quick deportation. That’s not fair.”
Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, which advocates for more lenient policies, said that many Republicans support allowing some people who meet strict criteria a chance to legalize.
Many activists groups see these Republicans as a conduit between them and the new administration.
“We’re going to have meetings with House and Senate Republicans,” Noorani said. “We can have a functional legal immigration system, and effective and humane enforcement.”
Trump’s tough talk on immigration dominated the headlines. He vowed to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as step up interior enforcement by going after criminals, making sure they are not released back into the community, and deport them.
At the same time, several times – including in a town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity – Trump said that he was mindful of people who, other than breaking civil immigration laws, were hard-working, have built lives and raised families here, and were eager to legalize their status.
Trump said that he would determine how to handle this population after the borders are secure.
“He said he was going to deport only those involved in nefarious activities – the rapists, murderers and drug traffickers,” said Reverend Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, who met with Trump during the campaign.
“Donald Trump spoke at some of our churches,” Rodriguez said.
“He acquired the support of 30 percent of the Latino community, the reason is because Latinos are people of faith and Hillary failed miserably. Donald Trump can grow that 30 percent if he engages the community with compassion.”
“I don’t want Latinos living in fear,” he said.
“He must build a wall, but also a bridge,” the pastor said, noting that he is seeking another meeting with Trump to discuss working together. “I want to make sure he’s faithful to his commitment” to help minorities gain access to better education and job opportunities.
Rodriguez said he wants to help -- through his vast network of multicultural faith leaders and congregants -- bring people together and stop the vitriol pervading social media.
All told, Palomarez said: “One thing I’ve learned in last 12, 13 14 months is to not underestimate Donald Trump.”
“I think he will bring that same grit, that same drive, to his policy agenda and get a lot of what he plans done,” he said. “He may not do it the way others would, but by God he gets it done.”
Trump, who campaigned on taking a strong stance against illegal immigration, and did better with Latino voters than expected – getting 29 percent of their vote, and more than 35 percent in some regions -- could find common ground on the issue with groups like the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and even conservative leaders who did not endorse him and have leaned toward a moderate approach to immigration.
Since the election, groups and Latino leaders around the country who vehemently denounced Trump for his calls for strict enforcement have called meetings to strategize how to tailor their push for immigration reform to the new political landscape that few expected to see in 2017. Many have reached out to Trump’s transition members to arrange meetings or pledge to work together – despite differences of opinion -- to move forward the long-stalled plan to fix the immigration system.
TOP TRUMP ADVISER PREDICTS SWIFT CHANGE ON IMMIGRATION
Their efforts have been unfolding at the local, state and national levels, though they have generated little attention compared to the spotlight on protests against Trump and warnings by some advocacy groups about mass deportations.
Related Image
Palomarez backed Hillary Clinton, but now hopes to influence Trump's immigration policies.
Palomarez, who had been a vocal critic of Trump and who endorsed Hillary Clinton, said he called Michael Cohen, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and special counsel to Trump, to express his desire to work with the president-elect on immigration and other issues of concern to Latinos.
“We both agreed to let bygones be bygones,” Palomarez said of his conversation with Cohen the day after the election. “Our job is to remove the emotion, do what’s right for this country, and offer ourselves to the extent that we can add value.”
“We’re in favor of an economic approach to immigration,” Palomarez said to FoxNews.com “For us and the 4.1 million Hispanic-owned firms in the United States, immigration reform has always been an economic imperative.”
A feasible approach to immigration reform, Palomarez said, would continue to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to hard work that “make businesses stronger and advance the American Dream.”
Palmorez said that he and other leaders will be closely watching Trump’s steps to gauge how open he will be to ideas about how to deal with immigrants here illegally who have not committed crimes.
“Can we advise him on his policies before he acts or pushes for policy changes?” Palomarez asked rhetorically. “Can we collaborate with him on areas of mutual interest?”
On social media, many immigrants without documents have been debating how to move forward – whether to try to legalize their status and take a risk, whether to hide, whether to return to their homelands, whether to keep protesting.
Many have posted comments assailing Obama, saying that in eight years he did nothing to advance comprehensive immigration reform, and instead deported nearly 3 million people. Many say they hope that Trump deports criminals and people who pose a threat to national security.
Daniel Garza, executive director of the conservative group Libre Initiative, funded by the Koch brothers, said that immigration must be dealt with on a piecemeal basis, not comprehensively. Garza said that most Latinos agree with the need to secure the nation’s borders and enforcing immigration laws.
“There’s a consensus for permanent immigration reform,” Garza said, adding that Libre has opposed the Obama administration’s executive actions to give a temporary shield from deportation to immigrants brought to the United States illegally as minors.
“No president can undermine the constitution,” Garza said. “That doesn’t mean we can’t move quickly on immigration reform, it has to be the first order of business.”
Garza’s group is planning to focus its efforts in the next few weeks to pushing for the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who qualified for the executive action program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) from being deported.
Trump has denounced DACA as executive overreach by Obama, and his immigration advisers says it is one of the Obama administration’s executive actions the president-elect plans to rescind.
Garza said that DACA was an unconstitutional stopgap by Obama, but that those who qualified for it – and therefore were able to obtain work permits and driver’s licenses – should not be punished for coming forward.
“I worry a lot about the DACA kids, we need to protect them, they’re vulnerable, we will push to move quickly toward immigration reform. “We’re concerned about kids who came forward because the president promised them protection and exposed them to quick deportation. That’s not fair.”
Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, which advocates for more lenient policies, said that many Republicans support allowing some people who meet strict criteria a chance to legalize.
Many activists groups see these Republicans as a conduit between them and the new administration.
“We’re going to have meetings with House and Senate Republicans,” Noorani said. “We can have a functional legal immigration system, and effective and humane enforcement.”
Trump’s tough talk on immigration dominated the headlines. He vowed to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as step up interior enforcement by going after criminals, making sure they are not released back into the community, and deport them.
At the same time, several times – including in a town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity – Trump said that he was mindful of people who, other than breaking civil immigration laws, were hard-working, have built lives and raised families here, and were eager to legalize their status.
Trump said that he would determine how to handle this population after the borders are secure.
“He said he was going to deport only those involved in nefarious activities – the rapists, murderers and drug traffickers,” said Reverend Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, who met with Trump during the campaign.
“Donald Trump spoke at some of our churches,” Rodriguez said.
“He acquired the support of 30 percent of the Latino community, the reason is because Latinos are people of faith and Hillary failed miserably. Donald Trump can grow that 30 percent if he engages the community with compassion.”
“I don’t want Latinos living in fear,” he said.
“He must build a wall, but also a bridge,” the pastor said, noting that he is seeking another meeting with Trump to discuss working together. “I want to make sure he’s faithful to his commitment” to help minorities gain access to better education and job opportunities.
Rodriguez said he wants to help -- through his vast network of multicultural faith leaders and congregants -- bring people together and stop the vitriol pervading social media.
All told, Palomarez said: “One thing I’ve learned in last 12, 13 14 months is to not underestimate Donald Trump.”
“I think he will bring that same grit, that same drive, to his policy agenda and get a lot of what he plans done,” he said. “He may not do it the way others would, but by God he gets it done.”
Pence removing lobbyists from Trump transition team
Lobbyists are being purged from official roles in President-elect Donald Trump's transition team, sources told Fox News late Tuesday.
The move to get rid of lobbyists in key roles was one of the first decisions made by Vice President-elect Mike Pence in his role overseeing the construction of a Trump administration.
One source said the decision to remove the lobbyists "makes good on [Trump's] vision of how he wants his government constructed."
Tuesday evening, Pence formally signed a memorandum of understanding putting him in charge of the transition team. A similar document had been signed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who spent months running transition operations before his demotion last week.
The switch slowed Trump's ability to coordinate the transfer of power with the Obama administration. White House spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine told the Associated Press the administration was waiting on more documents required by law before agencies could begin sharing information with the transition team.
Pence ignored questions from reporters Tuesday, both as he entered Trump Tower with a thick binder tucked under his arm, and as he left six hours later.
A person familiar with the transition efforts told AP different factions in Trump's team "are fighting for power."
"That organization right now is not designed to work," according to the person close to the efforts, who like others involved in the transition, insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the internal process.
The group organized by Christie had featured a litany of lobbyists, former bureaucrats, academics and corporate lawyers. That caused consternation from Trump, who won cheers on the campaign trail for his repeated promises to "drain the swamp" in Washington.
It had also drawn the attention of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who repeatedly attacked Trump during the campaign on behalf of his opponent, Hillary Clinton. On Tuesday, Warren called on Trump to replace more than 20 members of his transition team with ties to Wall Street firms and other corporations.
"If you refuse," Warren wrote, "I will oppose you, every step of the way, for the next four years. I will champion the millions of Americans you will fail to protect. I will track your every move, and I will remind Americans, every day, of the actions you take that fail them."
Among those who departed Trump's transition team Tuesday was former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Christie recruit and a respected Republican voice on national security issues. The Wall Street Journal reported that Frank Gaffney, a former defense official in the Reagan administration, had been brought in to assist on national security issues, along with Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and former Rep. Pete Hoekstra.
Former GOP national security official Eliot Cohen blasted Trump's team on Twitter, calling them "angry, arrogant." Cohen opposed Trump during the campaign, but in recent days, he said those who feel duty-bound to work in a Trump administration should do so. But he said Tuesday that after an exchange with Trump's team, he had "changed my recommendation."
Trump's transition team was also reviewing secretary of state candidate Rudy Giuliani's paid consulting work for foreign governments, which could delay a nomination or bump Giuliani to a different position, according to a person briefed on the matter but not authorized to speak publicly about it.
Giuliani founded his own firm, Giuliani Partners, in 2001, and helped businesses on behalf of foreign governments, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. He also advised TransCanada, which sought to build the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, and helped the maker of the painkiller drug OxyContin settle a dispute with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Businessman Carl Icahn disclosed on Twitter, based on conversations with the president-elect, that Trump was considering Steve Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs banker, and Wilbur Ross, a billionaire investor, to lead the Treasury and Commerce departments.
Trump himself broke with protocol Tuesday night by leaving Trump Tower without his press contingent. The transition team had told reporters and photographers there would be no movement by the president-elect for the rest of the day and night, but less than two hours later a presidential-style motorcade rolled out of the building, suggesting that Trump was on the move and leaving reporters scrambling.
Trump turned up at Club 21, a midtown Manhattan restaurant where he was having dinner with his family. Reporters were not allowed inside, and Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks asked that they respect that he was having an evening out with his family.
A short time later a tweet appeared on Trump's account: "Very organized process taking place as I decide on Cabinet and many other positions. I am the only one who knows who the finalists are!"
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
President of university founded by Jefferson asked to not quote Jefferson (IDIOTS)
The president of the university founded by Thomas Jefferson is being asked to stop quoting Thomas Jefferson.
A Friday letter signed by 469 students and professors objected to University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan quoting the third U.S. president and Declaration of Independence author in a campus email because Jefferson owned slaves, The Cavalier Daily reported.
“I think that Jefferson is often celebrated for his accomplishments with little or no acknowledgement of the atrocities he committed against hundreds of human beings,” said Asst. Psychology Prof. Noelle Hurd, who drafted the letter.
MIDTERM OPTIONAL FOR STUDENTS DISTRAUGHT OVER TRUMP WIN
Though Jefferson penned the line “all men are created equal,” Hurd said Jefferson’s words “communicated to me a message of exclusion.”
The trouble started for Sullivan due to a Nov. 9 email she sent to try to urge unity following the presidential election.
NYU BRINGS BACK PROFESSOR WHO BLASTED PC CULTURE, GIVES HIM A RAISE
“Thomas Jefferson wrote to a friend that University of Virginia students ‘are not of ordinary significance only: they are exactly the persons who are to succeed to the government of our country, and to rule its future enmities, its friendships and fortunes,’” Sullivan wrote. “I encourage today’s U. Va students to embrace that responsibility.”
The student-professor response acknowledged that Jefferson's legacy had inspired some students and faculty to come to the University, however, "others of us came here in spite of it."
Politics Prof. Lawrie Balfour, who signed the letter, said Jefferson’s words have often troubled her during her 15-year tenure at the University.
“Again and again, I have found that at moments when the community needs reassurance and Jefferson appears, it undoes I think the really important work the administrators and others are trying to do,” Balfour said.
The Cavalier Daily could not immediately reach Sullivan for comment.
Jefferson, who also served as a U.S. vice president and secretary of state, founded the University of Virginia in 1819 and was involved with the University until his death in 1826.
A Friday letter signed by 469 students and professors objected to University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan quoting the third U.S. president and Declaration of Independence author in a campus email because Jefferson owned slaves, The Cavalier Daily reported.
“I think that Jefferson is often celebrated for his accomplishments with little or no acknowledgement of the atrocities he committed against hundreds of human beings,” said Asst. Psychology Prof. Noelle Hurd, who drafted the letter.
MIDTERM OPTIONAL FOR STUDENTS DISTRAUGHT OVER TRUMP WIN
Though Jefferson penned the line “all men are created equal,” Hurd said Jefferson’s words “communicated to me a message of exclusion.”
The trouble started for Sullivan due to a Nov. 9 email she sent to try to urge unity following the presidential election.
NYU BRINGS BACK PROFESSOR WHO BLASTED PC CULTURE, GIVES HIM A RAISE
“Thomas Jefferson wrote to a friend that University of Virginia students ‘are not of ordinary significance only: they are exactly the persons who are to succeed to the government of our country, and to rule its future enmities, its friendships and fortunes,’” Sullivan wrote. “I encourage today’s U. Va students to embrace that responsibility.”
The student-professor response acknowledged that Jefferson's legacy had inspired some students and faculty to come to the University, however, "others of us came here in spite of it."
Politics Prof. Lawrie Balfour, who signed the letter, said Jefferson’s words have often troubled her during her 15-year tenure at the University.
“Again and again, I have found that at moments when the community needs reassurance and Jefferson appears, it undoes I think the really important work the administrators and others are trying to do,” Balfour said.
The Cavalier Daily could not immediately reach Sullivan for comment.
Jefferson, who also served as a U.S. vice president and secretary of state, founded the University of Virginia in 1819 and was involved with the University until his death in 1826.
Mayor says Chicago will 'always be a sanctuary city' in face of deportation threats
Chicago laws prohibit government workers and police officers from asking the locals about their immigration status, according to the Chicago Tribune. Emanuel reaffirmed that the policy will continue.
"To all those who are, after Tuesday's election, very nervous and filled with anxiety as we've spoken to, you are safe in Chicago, you are secure in Chicago and you are supported in Chicago," Emanuel said. "Chicago will always be a sanctuary city."
Emanuel’s vow is likely to go head-to-head with Trump’s campaign promises to depot millions of illegal immigrants and block federal funding to sanctuary cities as well as building a wall along the Mexican border.
In an interview with “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Trump doubled down once again on his vow to build a wall along the southern border and to deport illegal immigrants.
"What we are going to do is get the people that are [criminals] and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers," Trump said. "We have a lot of these people. Probably two million, it could be even three million. We are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate.
Emanuel didn’t address any of Trump’s campaign promises directly, but this was the most he’s spoken on the immigration issue as he tries to bolster support that had sharply decreased with the handling of the Laquan McDonald police shooting investigation.
"Now, administrations may change, but our values and principles as it relates to inclusion does not," Emanuel added. “People from all faiths, all backgrounds and all parts of the world have beaten their path to the city of Chicago because Chicago offers them and — more importantly, as the son and the grandson of an immigrant — their children and grandchildren a chance at the American dream."
Emanuel had urged any immigrants who are fearful of their legal status to contact the city’s 311 center to get information about legal resources and other programs.
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