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Trump delays Air Force One to call officer injured in motorcade crash

A police officer involved in an accident lies on the ground as President Trump's motorcade travels past him in Indianapolis, Sept. 27, 2017.  (Reuters)

President Donald Trump delayed Air Force One’s departure from Indianapolis on Wednesday until after he was able to talk with a motorcycle officer who crashed in the motorcade to the airport.

Initial reports said Trump called the officer during the flight back to Washington, but the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police tweeted Thursday that the president delayed the flight.

“#BREAKING: Thank you @Potus for delaying wheels up to speak with injured Officer Turner. #ThankYou,” the tweet read.

Robert Turner, a police officer from Indianapolis, broke an ankle in the fall on Interstate 70. A photographer captured the officer on the ground with his uniform ripped.
Police released a cellphone video of Turner in the hospital taking the call from the president. He was wearing a neck brace, but laughed and appeared to be in good spirits.
The White House initially said Trump called during the flight back to Washington to check on the officer's condition and thank him for his service.
Trump was in the city to push his “middle class miracle,” and sell his plan to overhaul the nation’s tax code and revive his legislative agenda.
"This is a revolutionary change and the biggest winners will be the everyday American workers as jobs start pouring into our country, as companies start competing for American labor, and as wages start going up at levels that you haven't seen in many years," Trump told supporters at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Will Trump be re-elected? | Fox News

Jonathan Adelman

With the November 2020 Presidential election over three years away, it may seem strange to be discussing the prospects for President Trump to be re-elected.

Yet, even at this early stage, some things are clear if he is around and runs again. His biggest problems are his inability, despite majorities in the House and Senate, to pass any major legislation. He has not built the famous wall, torpedoed ObamaCare or done tax reform. He has repeatedly battled senior members of the Republican Party (Mitch McConnell and John McCain), tweeted frequently at three in the morning and even spoken about consequences for those who fail to salute the American flag at NFL games.

Yet, he has also done several things that led to a rise in his public approval rating to 43 percent.  His appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, continuing growth of 3 percent in the American economy, record highs for the stock market and low unemployment have aided his image. His response to the hurricanes in Mexico, Florida and Texas and his offer to work with the Democrats after his meeting with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer as also improved his image.  A recent poll showed him ahead of Hillary Clinton by six points, 36 percent to 30 percent
President Trump has already started campaigning for 2018 congressional elections and the 2020 presidential and congressional elections. He has visited so many red states so many times (like Mississippi, Alabama, Iowa, Indiana and West Virginia) that Real Clear Politics calls him the President of the Red States.
The issues of ObamaCare could be bad or it could be good for Donald Trump. If ObamaCare straightens out and maintains its 60 percent+ popularity next year, then the Republicans will look hopeless. If it has serious problems then it could have a neutral or even positive impact on the Republicans who tried to fix it. Similarly, the tough line on North Korea could look good for the president if he backed off or could turn into a disaster in several ways.
President Trump has a reasonable chance of being reelected.  Historically, 70 percent, or twelve of seventeen 20th century incumbent presidents seeking a second term have won re-election. Fully six of seven Democratic presidents and six of ten Republican presidents have been re-elected.
The likely Democratic candidate, as reflected in the 21 people most frequently mentioned as possible nominees, have their own problems. Overwhelmingly the great majority are either lawyers (12) or billionaire business entrepreneurs (5), people whose wealth and working places are far removed from those of the average American. This is reinforced in the fact that almost half of them (9 of 21) graduated from Ivy League schools, which account for only 1 ercent of college or professional graduates. The early leaders are white and wealthy which puts them far away from the large middle and working-class elements and the powerful Democratic base in the African American, Latino and Asian American identity groups.
They are overwhelmingly male (17 of 21 people) and the early favorites for the nomination will be disproportionately elderly in 2020--California Governor Jerry Brown (82), former Vice President Joe Biden (78), Senator Bernie Sanders (78), former Senator Hillary Clinton (73) and longshots such as Bob Iger (69), Howie Schultz (67) and Oprah Winfrey (66).
Also, they are overwhelmingly from the West or East Coast, areas that any Democratic candidate is likely to carry. Only a handful come from the middle of the country’s red states and working class/middle class elements that Trump carried so well in 2016.
Many of them have moved well to the left which calls into question their ability to carry the more moderate electoral elements in society. It may work and it might not.
Right now, the outcome of the 2020 elections for Donald Trump could well go either way, being re-elected or being drubbed at the polls. Only time will turn what happens but the very early indications are that either is possible.
Jonathan Adelman is a professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.  Adelman has written several books on Russia and was Condoleezza Rice's doctoral adviser.  

FEMA's Long: No time for mayor's 'spout off,' focused on Puerto Rico

FEMA Director Brock Long

FEMA Director Brock Long, leading the federal hurricane response in Puerto Rico, on Sunday slammed critics and the media for what he considers misinformation, saying “I don’t have time for that.”

“The problem is information is being misrepresented across the board,” Long told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace. “I don’t have time for that. What he have time for is being laser focused on helping the people of Puerto Rico. … You should come down here. You should see what’s up.”

Long acknowledged the difficulties, saying, “Every day we have progress. Every day we have setbacks. … Do we have a long way to go? Absolutely.”
However, he argued the response on the island of Puerto Rico is “the most logistically challenging event that the United States has ever seen.”
He also argued the financially-strapped country’s infrastructure -- including airports, roads, ports and bridges -- was “fragile” before being hit by hurricanes Irma, then Maria.
However, roughly two weeks later, 11 major highways have been reopened, 700 of roughly 1,000 gas stations now have petroleum, 300 pharmacies are now operating and 16 people so far have died, compared to about 1,800 deaths during and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in New Orleans, Long said.
“I think we have to filter out the noise,” he said from FEMA headquarters. “My guys here have been busting their rears for nearly 40 days to help Americans.”
Long spoke after San Juan Mayor Yulin Cruz criticized acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke for saying Friday that the federal response in Puerto Rico was a “feel good story.”
“This is not a good news story,” Cruz said. “This is a people dying story.”
Trump on Saturday responded to Cruz’s criticism, suggesting her lack of leadership has resulted in problems with the recovery effort.
“Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help,” Trump responded in one of the tweets. "They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.”
Long on Sunday also pointed to a recent Washington Examiner story in which another mayor said Cruz, a Democrat, has missed several recovery-effort meetings with U.S. military and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials.
“If the mayors decide not to be part of that, then the response is fragmented,” he said. “We can choose to look at what (Cruz) spouts off or what others spout off or we can choose to look at what’s being done.”
Long also suggested Duke’s comments had been taken out of context.
And he criticized a live report earlier on “Fox News Sunday” that pointed out fewer federal recovery-effort flights are landing at the San Juan airport.
“We are not using San Juan to the degree we were,” Long said, arguing other points-of-entry are now being used.

Trump praises 'leadership' of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands govs after slamming mayor

Puerto Rico Mayor Yulin Cruz, a Democrat

The White House says President Trump spoke early Sunday to Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló to reaffirm his administration’s commitment to providing an “unprecedented federal response” to widespread hurricane damage and thank Rossello for his leadership.

The call to Rossello, a Republican, and another to Independent Gov. Kenneth Mapp of the U.S. Virgin Islands, also impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria, came after San Juan, Puerto Rico Mayor Yulin Cruz, a Democrat, criticized the administration’s response and Trump tweeted that her lack of leadership had caused problems in the recovery effort.

Trump on Saturday seemed furious with Cruz’s criticism, tweeting nearly a dozen times on the matter, with the last several lauding Rosselló and Mapp’s efforts.
The White House summary -- known as a “readout” -- of the Sunday phone calls twice included the word “leadership.”
“President Trump thanked the governors for their leadership in responding to and recovering from these catastrophic events,” read one line.
“President Trump pledged his administration’s continued commitment to provide an unprecedented federal response in helping the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Both governors were very appreciative and complimentary of the administration’s effort, including the president’s leadership,” the summary also stated.
The row between Trump and Cruz started Friday when Cruz criticized the president's effort to get supplies, electricity and other relief to the U.S. island and suggest residents were “dying” as a result.
“Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help,” Trump responded Saturday in one of the tweets. "They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.”
He also tweeted: "Results of recovery efforts will speak much louder than complaints by San Juan Mayor. Doing everything we can to help great people of PR!"
Cruz, in response, said later Saturday morning that she’ll “continue to do whatever I have to do” to get federal hurricane assistance.
“I will continue to do whatever I have to do, say whatever I have to say, compliment the people I need to compliment and call out the people I need to call out,” she told MSNBC. “I am not going to be distracted by small comments, by politics, by petty issues. This is one goal and it's to save lives.”
Trump later tweeted: “The Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, is a great guy and leader who is really working hard. Thank you Ricky!”
He also tweeted: “Just spoke to Governor Kenneth Mapp of the U.S. Virgin Islands who stated that #FEMA and Military are doing a GREAT job! Thank you Governor!”

National Anthem Protest Cartoons

House to Vote on Budget Next Week

Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) announces the 2018 budget blueprint during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 18, 2017. (REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/Photo)

OAN Newsroom

The House is preparing to vote on a budget for the 2018 fiscal year next week.
On Thursday, House Budget Committee Chairwoman Diane Black said the new budget is the key for tax reform negotiations moving forward.
With spending deadlines pushed back to December, the budget’s main purpose is to unlock a tool known as reconciliation.
This requires a 51 vote majority to pass a bill instead of 60.
Republicans want to use reconciliation as a means to pass tax reform and bypass a Democratic filibuster in the Senate, which is something Representative Black says is critical for growing the economy.
“We see the economy growing at three, four, five percent…that’s what is going to be meaningful,” Black stated. “Where there is more money in people’s pockets there’s more business growing, and more opportunities for jobs.”
The Tennessee lawmaker believes Republicans have enough votes to pass the resolution.
The Senate Budget Committee is also expected to vote on its budget resolution when it returns from recess next week.