U.S. is sending 200 more troops to Syria to help fight ISIS

MANAMA, Bahrain –   U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Saturday that as many as 200 more American troops are being sent to Syria to help Kurdish and Arab fighters capture the Islamic State group's key stronghold of Raqqa.
The extra troops will include special operations forces and are in addition to 300 U.S. troops already authorized for the effort to recruit, organize, train and advise local Syrian forces to combat IS.Addressing a security conference in Bahrain, Carter also took gentle jabs at U.S. Middle East partners for failing to provide more military muscle in the broader campaign to defeat IS and counter extremism.
Without mentioning any by name, Carter suggested the U.S. has been the target of disingenuous criticism from "regional powers here in the Middle East" for not doing more to help fight extremism.
"I would ask you to imagine what U.S. military and defense leaders think when they have to listen to complaints sometimes that we should do more, when it's plain to see that all too often, the ones complaining aren't doing enough themselves," he said.
He said it is not unreasonable for Washington to expect regional powers who oppose extremism in the Middle East to do more to help fight it, "particularly in the political and economic aspects of the campaign."

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Carter noted that many Sunni-led Gulf countries have expressed concern about the spread of Iranian influence in the region.
"The fact is, if countries in the region are worried about Iran's destabilizing activities - a concern the United States shares - they need to get in the game. That means getting serious about starting to partner more with each other, and investing in the right capabilities for the threat."
Carter said the 200 extra troops going to Syria will help local forces in their anticipated push to retake Raqqa, the de facto capital of the extremist group's self-styled caliphate, and to deny sanctuary to IS after Raqqa is captured.
He said President Barack Obama approved the troop additions last week.
"These uniquely skilled operators will join the 300 U.S. special operations forces already in Syria, to continue organizing, training, equipping, and otherwise enabling capable, motivated, local forces to take the fight to ISIL," Carter said in his address to the IISS Manama Dialogues in the Bahraini capital, using an alternative acronym for IS.
"By combining our capabilities with those of our local partners, we've been squeezing ISIL by applying simultaneous pressure from all sides and across domains, through a series of deliberate actions to continue to build momentum," he said.
The military push is complicated by the predominant role played by local Kurdish fighters, who are the most effective U.S. partner against IS in Syria but are viewed by Turkey -- a key U.S. ally -- as a terrorist threat.
A senior defense official said the troop boost announced by Carter will give the U.S. extra capability to train Arab volunteers who are joining the Raqqa push but are not well trained or equipped. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of internal Pentagon planning.

The First 100 Days: Can Trump really 'drain the swamp'?

In his often-repeated calls to "drain the swamp" of Washington, President-elect Donald Trump has targeted in particular the capital city's so-called "revolving door."
If there is a poster child for what that door represents, it might be former Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana -- a 12-term Democrat turned Republican, who chaired the influential House Commerce Committee from 2001 to 2004 and pushed the controversial Medicare Bill of 2003 through Congress.
The bill was designed, in part, to make drugs cheaper for senior citizens. But it ended up costing  taxpayers a fortune -- $549 billion over nine years. It also made huge profits for drug companies, partly because it prohibited Medicare and the federal government, which represented millions of senior patients, from negotiating for lower prices from pharmaceutical companies.
A few months later, Tauzin left Congress to become chief lobbyist for and CEO of The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America where he made an estimated $2 million a year.
"It's a sad commentary on politics in Washington that a member of Congress who pushed through a major piece of legislation benefiting the drug industry, gets the job leading that industry," Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, said at the time.
Tauzin denied Fox News’ request for an interview, but has often defended his move. He told the Washington Post that he was diagnosed with intestinal cancer after leaving Congress and credited cutting-edge pharmaceuticals for his survival. "I wanted to work in an industry whose mission is no less than saving and enhancing lives,"  he told the Post.
Tauzin's route from Capitol Hill to the lobbying world is hardly unique. "Many of the top staffers who helped write the Affordable Care Act then became health care  lobbyists," said Tim Carney, commentary editor at the Washington Examiner.
Yet, this common practice is not illegal. Some believe it’s not even unethical.
Paul Miller of the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics says the public benefits from the revolving door. "People don't like to hear that, but government is run a different way. You have to understand how it operates, and you need people like myself to be here every day looking out for your interests, because if you're not, somebody else will," he told Fox News.
Trump’s plan to drain the “swamp”  includes three ambitious components:

• A five-year ban on White House and congressional officials lobbying after they leave government.
• A lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government.
• A complete ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for American elections.

History has proven it may be easier said than done. Of the thousands of influence peddlers in Washington, one is only considered a "registered" lobbyist if 20 percent or more of one's time is spent lobbying. Nobody measures that 20 percent. It’s an honor system.
"That's where the gray line is," Miller said. "You have people in the PR arena  who will say, I do some lobbying but most of it is in PR, so that’s not lobbying, so I don’t have to register. Its people skirting the system in my opinion.”
This has allowed the Obama administration to hire people who did lobbying work, after it vowed it would not. The same test awaits the Trump administration.
Miller said previous attempts to shut the revolving door have backfired. He cited the 2006 ban on lobbyists paying for a congressman's meal. Forbidden from picking up the tab, lobbyists simply found new ways to buy time and influence. "I can call your boss and say I want to have a one on one for an hour over a meal and talk about my issue, settle up with the check, and then push an envelope across the table and say, ‘Oh, by the way, here’s your campaign check.You tell me what looks more corrupt,’" said Miller.
The revolving door’s effect can be insidious, not only enriching those who pass through, but raising the cost of government. Take, for example, the Pentagon where former high-ranking military officers are scarfed up by major defense contractors to not just acquire their expertise, but to preserve the contractor’s connections and their business.
"Fewer and fewer companies are involved in the defense business because the Pentagon does play favorites," said Tom Schatz of Citizens Against Government Waste."  He added, "Smaller, newer, more agile companies have trouble getting into the process itself. When the Pentagon has 469 billion dollars in cost overruns in its major defense acquisition portfolio,  then something really needs to be done."

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Remembering Reid: Senate's political punch-thrower says farewell, leaves trail of gaffes

Sen. Harry Reid gives farewell speech

Outgoing Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid delivered his farewell address Thursday after more than three decades in Congress – leaving in his wake a trail of gaffes and gloves-off political punches that won’t soon be forgotten.
Despite Reid’s reputation for rhetorical warfare, he and his adversaries set aside their differences for Thursday’s sendoff.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., introduced Reid, D-Nev., highlighting a rarely seen friendship between the two.
“Go ahead and make up all the stories you want, but the truth is we don’t [despise one another],” Reid said. “Here’s one you can write: thank you, Mitch.”
Reid told stories from his childhood, explaining how his upbringing shaped his ideology and the agenda he pursued – namely, helping pass ObamaCare and focusing on suicide prevention. Reid's maneuvers on President Obama's behalf were also responsible for the passage of bills ranging from the economic stimulus package to the financial regulation overhaul. At the same time, Reid brought home major benefits to Nevada, funding countless projects, blocking a nuclear waste dump and helping protect many thousands of acres of wilderness.
He acknowledged how much the political climate has changed over his time in Congress and closed by urging the next generation to uphold the integrity of the chamber.
“I hope that everyone would do everything they can to protect the Senate as an institution. As part of the Constitution, it should be given the dignity it deserves,” Reid said.
But Reid has played his own part in the coarsening of American politics. Here’s a look back at his more memorable and controversial comments from a 34-year congressional career.
Romney tax claim
During the 2012 general election season, Reid took to the Senate floor and boldly declared that GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney had not paid taxes in 10 years.
The former Massachusetts governor, though, had released two years of tax returns, from 2010 and 2011, showing he had, in fact, paid close to $5 million in taxes in both years combined.
Fact-checkers were quick to call out Reid for his claim.
Reid never retracted the accusation, instead suggesting ends justified means.
He remarked, “Romney didn’t win, did he?”
Kennedy death upside?
At the height of Senate deliberations over ObamaCare in 2009, Reid openly discussed the political implications – and even upsides – of Sen. Ted Kennedy’s death. Health care reform had been one of Kennedy’s highest priorities throughout his career, and Reid bluntly told the Reno Gazette-Journal, "I think it's going to help us."
‘Hottest member’
In one of his more cringe-worthy moments, Reid in 2010 reportedly described fellow Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand as “the hottest member” during a fundraiser she attended.
At the time, her office said Reid was merely referring to Gillibrand’s high ranking on The Hill’s “most beautiful” list. But some analysts still accused Reid of going well over the line by commenting on her looks.
‘Light-skinned’ Obama
In their book on the 2008 presidential campaign “Game Change,” journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann wrote that Reid described Obama as the kind of African-American president America was ready for – a “light-skinned” figure with “no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one.”
Reid apologized for the remarks, following their publication.
Hispanic Republicans, really?
During his re-election campaign in 2010, Reid told a room of predominately Hispanic voters he didn’t know how any could be Republicans:
"I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican, okay? Do I need to say more?"
‘Smell the tourists’
Reid had high hopes for the opening of the Capitol Visitor Center in 2008 – but apparently a low opinion of tourist hygiene.
Speaking about how the new center would improve the environment on the Hill, he said at a dedication ceremony:
"My staff has always said, 'Don't say this,' but I'm going to say it again because it's so descriptive because it's true. … In the summertime, because [of] the high humidity and how hot it gets here, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol."
Parting shot at Trump
As other top Democrats ranging from Nancy Pelosi to President Obama congratulated Donald Trump on his White House win last month, Reid took another direction.
He issued a 473-word statement saying Trump’s win has “emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry” as the country is overcome by “tears” and “fear.” 
"White nationalists, Vladimir Putin and ISIS are celebrating Donald Trump's victory, while innocent, law-abiding Americans are racked with fear -- especially African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Muslim Americans, LGBT Americans and Asian Americans. Watching white nationalists celebrate while innocent Americans cry tears of fear does not feel like America,” the retiring Nevada senator said. 

Terrified by Trump: Activist groups stoke fears, raise funds on incoming administration

Veteran to anti-Trump protesters: Quit being crybabies

Stoking the fears of a Trump presidency, liberal activist groups have launched campaigns online and around the nation to help people cope – and even survive – their version of democratic doomsday.
Some are based on Trump’s mixed signals about illegal immigration, while others seem aimed at a more generalized sense of unease. One effort that launched this week, called “WhatDoIDoAboutTrump.com,” is depicted by its organizers as a non-partisan “website [that] turns Trump angst into action – online and off.”
“Not sure how to protect yourself if some of Trump’s campaign promises become reality?” the San Francisco-based site asks.
It provides links to websites of organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, which advise people about what steps to take or what they may face if Donald Trump follows through on some of his promises. One link leads to “Welcome to the OH CRAP! WHAT NOW? SURVIVAL GUIDE,” which describes itself as “a crowdsourced collection of health, legal, and safety plans and resources + social, digital and economic security related resources urgent now as an outcome of the recent US election.”

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Hundreds of Rutgers University students march last month to protest some of President-elect Donald Trump's proposed policies. (The Associated Press)

Experts say scaring consituencies about politics is standard operating procedure for activist groups, but what's different this time are the intensity, and the fact that it has started well before Jan. 20, 2017, when Trump will be sworn in.
Corinna Kester, one of the founders, says the group, which includes a former national press secretary for the Democratic National Committee, is not pushing an agenda.
“If people are upset about the election, we encourage them to figure out how to get involved and work with that, from donating to petitions to protests.”

We can say, in one sense, it is intensifying divisions in America.
- Fred Siegel, senior fellow, Manhattan Institute

Organizations and, in many cases, lawyers, are urging people and groups they deem at-risk under a Trump presidency to take action now to protect themselves. School administrators are assuring students concerned about immigration raids that they won’t be spirited away, some city officials are vowing to provide a sort-of buffer to any federal attempts to strip benefits or programs. On Monday, the Los Angeles Unified School District announced that it was setting up a hotline and "support sites" in response to the deep anxiety among students about Trump as president.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is organizing a rally of black activists and lawmakers in Washington D.C. days before Trump’s inauguration in mid-January to, as he told The Hill, “put the Democrats on notice to use the confirmation hearings to really go after” Trump’s nominees.
One of the most high-profile efforts aimed at creating preemptive buffers against Trump policies are so-called sanctuaries for immigrants who are here illegally.
Students at various colleges are pushing their campuses to be designated sanctuaries. Some cities are moving toward declaring themselves safe zones for such immigrants, saying they will not report them to immigration authorities if they come across them during the course of providing a service.
On Tuesday, the Santa Ana City Council voted to designate the municipality a sanctuary, a non-binding action that they may make enforceable through an ordinance, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Times noted that “the move is in direct defiance of President-elect Donald Trump, who was critical of illegal immigration and sanctuary cities during his campaign.”
“The day after Donald Trump got elected, our kids were falling apart emotionally,” the Times quoted Councilmember Sal Tinajero, who is a high school teacher, as saying. “They thought their parents would be deported.”
“The reason you’re seeing this push now is that us leaders ... want to tell them they are going to be protected. If they are going to come for them, they have to come through us first.”
Trump has denounced such efforts as divisive and the people who have protested his election as “crybabies.” His supporters, as well as some who voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton or third party candidates, say it behooves everyone to accept the results of the election and work to be united.
“This sounds like a large group therapy session,” said Fred Siegel, a historian who is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and professor at Saint Francis College. “There’s a way in which this is all good and right in democratic terms.”
Siegel said the trend to organize in advance of Trump assuming the presidency is intriguing, and more in line with the kind of actions taken against policies and governments that are seen in Europe, particularly France.
“We can say, in one sense, it is intensifying divisions in American society,” Siegel said to FoxNews.com, “What that represents is President Obama’s success in Europeanizing American politics.”
“In France, the argument has always been when something occurs in Parliament that is unacceptable to you, you take to the streets. These [actions] are occurring in advance of – not in response to – policy being initiated.”
Louis DeSipio, a political science professor at the University of California-Irvine, said that the patchwork efforts to organize against Trump and his expected policies reflect an already-divided nation.
“President-elect Trump set out broad principles, and wasn’t specific about some policies,” DeSipio said. “There will always be people who are unhappy about an election. In any election, you can see a complete reversal of fortunes. The challenge for any president in this situation is to build bridges to some of his former opponents.”
President George W. Bush did so in response to concerns – among those who did not support his election – over how he would handle education and Medicare prescription costs, DeSipio said.
“He worked with Democrats, with Sen. Ted Kennedy, on both of those issues,” he said.
DeSipio expressed misgivings about efforts underpinned by a refusal to accept Trump as president, a movement that has a hashtag -- #notmypresident.
“Philosophically, I don’t accept it,” DeSipio said. “He was accepted by rules in place before the election.”
The approach of some groups to try to influence policy and laws at the local level can be both healthier and more practical in many cases, he added.
“We may get some criticism from Trump supporters,” said Kester. “But we’re all getting involved in a democracy.”

Trump chooses 'Band of Brothers' over 'Team of Rivals'

Trump taps General Kelly for DHS secretary

By choosing retired Marine General John Kelly to serve as Homeland Security Secretary, President-elect Donald Trump appears to be assembling a 'Band of Brothers' rather than a 'Team of Rivals,' the model used by President Obama to form his first cabinet.
Reached by phone in Canberra, Australia, Kelly told Fox News, "I have been asked and would consider it an honor."
In addition to three-star General Michael Flynn, the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Trump has now chosen two Marines - both close friends - to lead the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security. A third Marine, General Joe Dunford, is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
Trump tapped Gen James Mattis to be Defense Secretary pending Senate confirmation and Thursday crossed a hurdle in Congress with the House passing language as part of a budget bill that would allow for a one-time exception to the law that states that a person needs to be off active duty for seven years before serving as Defense Secretary, a role typically reserved for civilians.
Dunford ,now the chairman of the joint chiefs, is a longtime friend of Kelly's. In fact, Dunford delivered the news that Kelly's son, then 2nd Lieutenant Robert. M. Kelly, also a Marine, had been killed in Afghanistan six years ago. He appeared at Kelly's front door wearing his full dress uniform.
Dunford was assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps at the time.
Kelly said when he saw his old friend at the door, he knew immediately his son was dead. Kelly is the highest ranking military officer to have a child killed in combat.
Four days after his son was killed, he delivered an emotional speech in St. Louis to the Semper Fi Society, a speech that has become iconic within the military and among military families. He called out the fact that so few families serve and so few are protecting so many.
"We are in a life-and-death struggle, but not our whole country," Kelly said in the November 2010 speech. "One percent of Americans are touched by this war. Then there is a much smaller club of families who have given all."
Dunford and his wife Ellyn attended a gala dinner that Veterans' Day. Earlier in the day, they accompanied Kelly and his wife to Dover to retrieve their son's remains.
There is no underestimating the bond that these two Marines feel for each other. They will now be in a very senior advisory role to President-elect Trump.
When asked about losing his son at his final Pentagon press conference, Kelly spoke for all Goldstar families: "I think the one thing they would ask is that the cause for which their son or daughter fell be -- be carried through to -- to a successful end, whatever that means, as opposed to 'this is getting too costly,' or 'too much of a pain in the ass,' and 'let's just walk away from it.' Because that's when they start thinking it might have been not worth it."
Kelly served as then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates' senior military adviser when the current DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson was General Counsel at the Pentagon. Kelly has been advising Johnson in recent months.
He served as the commander of the U.S. Southern Command from 2012 to 2016, when he oversaw the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. southern border and worked with the DEA on drug interdictions.
At his final press conference in the Pentagon, Kelly told reporters that one of his frustrations was having the military's hands tied in some ways when it came to interdicting drugs, including note enough helicopters and surveillance.
"I don't need an awful lot," Kelly told reporters at the Jan. 8 press conference. "But drones would be nice, because they can stay up forever and they don't get tired, and they're less expensive to operate. But no, we have not seen anything, any increases -- certainly no drones."
He expressed concerns at the time that the U.S. had rushed to release certain prisoners who might return to the battlefield.
"Well, I mean, they're all bad boys. We have dossiers on all of them. Some of them were more effective in being bad boys than others. You know, you -- we can -- I think we can all quibble on whether 13 or 12 or 8 years in -- in detention is enough to have them -- having paid for whatever they did, but they're -- they're bad guys," Kelly said.
He is not afraid to speak his mind. Here's what Kelly said when asked about the military being told to open all combat positions to women last year:
"It will be the pressure for not probably the generals that are here now, but for the generals to come, and admirals, to lower standards because that's the only way it'll work in the way that I hear some people, particularly, the agenda-driven people here in Washington -- or in the land, the way they want it to work," Kelly told reporters Jan. 8 at the Pentagon.

Trump renews China criticism, visits Ohio State attack victims on 'Thank You' tour

President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that the Chinese "haven't played by the rules, and they know it's time that they're going to start" as his victory tour of states of states that helped him win the presidency made its way to Iowa.
Trump accused Beijing of "massive theft of intellectual property" and of levying "unfair taxes on our companies," as well as "not helping with the menace of North Korea like they should."
"Other than that, they have been wonderful, right?" Trump asked rhetorically, to laughter from the Des Moines crowd.
Trump also brought Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad onstage and praised his pick to be the next ambassador to China, saying Branstad "knew how to get things done" and would improve "one of the most important relationships we have."
Trump cited Branstad's friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and vowed there would be "mutual respect" between Washington and Beijing.
"We're going to have mutual respect, and China is going to benefit and we're going to benefit," Trump said. "And Terry is going to lead the way."
Earlier Thursday, Trump flew to Columbus, Ohio to meet with several victims of the Nov. 28 terror attack at Ohio State University. Investigators say student Abdul Ali Razak Artan, 18, first rammed a campus crowd with his car before getting out with a knife and stabbing students before being fatally shot by police.
The president-elect spent about 30 minutes with some of the victims and their families.
"These are great people, amazing people," said Trump, who also paid tribute to the first responders who tended to the victims and shot the attacker. "The families have come through this so well."

Trump met with the families privately and aides did not immediately provide an accounting of what was discussed. But, in his brief statement to reporters, he took on the role of comforter-in-chief, avoiding the inflammatory rhetoric that has marked his response to other attacks.
Immediately following the Ohio incident, Trump had tweeted that Artan, a legal Somali immigrant, should not have been in the country. And last week, in nearby Cincinnati, Trump said lax immigration policies enacted by "stupid politicians" led to the "violent atrocity."

Later in Iowa, he did not mention the attacker but declared: "This horrific assault is just one more tragic reminder that immigration security is national security. A Trump administration will always put the safety and security of American people first."
Trump also paid tribute to former astronaunt and U.S. Senator John Glenn, who passed away Thursday at the age of 95.
The president-elect called Glenn "one of our great heroes ... a giant among men, and a true American legend who inspired generations of explorers and dreamers. We will honor his legacy by continuing to push new frontiers in science, technology, and space."
On Friday, the president-elect is to make an appearance in Louisiana to boost the Republican Senate candidate ahead of that state's runoff before holding a rally in Michigan

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