Pence promises federal assistance to California as it battles deadly wildfires

Vice President Mike Pence pledged federal assistance to California on Monday as the state battles deadly wire fires that have already claimed at least 10 lives.

Pence traveled to California to raise money for Republican congressional candidates and bolster support for the Trump administration’s recent tax proposal.

Speaking outside a small manufacturing company near Sacramento, Pence deviated from his talking points to offer his guarantee that the government will jump in to help deal with the devastating fires.
“I can assure you, as I did the governor, the federal government stands ready to provide any and all assistance to the state of California as your courageous firefighters and first responders confront this widening challenge,” Pence said.
Although it was unclear if he was promising to answer Gov. Jerry Brown's request for a federal disaster declaration, Pence did say that he would speak with the governor.
"We'll be working very closely with Gov. Brown and California to see you through these challenging times," Pence said.
Pence arrived Sunday in Los Angeles for a three-day swing through the state, and he'll head back to Southern California on Tuesday.

Sanctuary City Cartoons

FEMA head Brock Long dismisses San Juan mayor's complaints: 'Political noise'

FEMA Administrator Brock Long said his agency has "filtered out" San Juan Democrat Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz.  (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, Reuters/Jonathan Ernst, File)

FEMA Administrator Brock Long said on Sunday that as his agency responds to the crisis in Puerto Rico, it's also "filtered out" San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, adding: "We don't have time for the political noise."  

More than two weeks after Hurricane Maria lashed the island, killing 36 people, Cruz tweeted Sunday: "Increasingly painful to undestand the american people want to help and US Gov does not want to help. WE NEED WATER!" She later wrote, "Power collapses in San Juan hospital with 2 patients being transferred out. Have requested support from @FEMA_Brock NOTHING!" 

"We filtered out the mayor a long time ago," Long told ABC News' Martha Raddatz on "This Week" Sunday, after Raddatz mentioned the tweets. "We don't have time for the political noise. The bottom line is, is that we are making progress everyday in conjunction with the governor."
SAN JUAN MAYOR DONS 'NASTY' SHIRT FOR INTERVIEW ON TRUMP'S PUERTO RICO RESPONSE

Birds of a feather flock together ( Two Idiots )

Cruz and President Trump have traded shots in the weeks after the monster storm made landfall. Late last month, the mayor appeared on television in a black shirt with white letters that read, "HELP US, WE ARE DYING." Cruz argued that federal aid had been slow to reach Puerto Rico following Maria, which knocked out power to the entire island.
Trump tweeted the following day: "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." He added that Cruz was "very complimentary only a few days ago," but "has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump."
Later, Cruz wore a short emblazoned with the word "NASTY" for an interview with Univision.
Trump visited the island last Tuesday. Afterwards, while Cruz said she hoped new channels of communication with the White House would "put in motion what is needed" to save lives, she also said Trump sometimes was more a "miscommunicator in chief" than a commander in chief.
"In regards to the power failure, we are restringing a very fragile system everyday," Long explained. "As we make progress, simple thunderstorms pass through, knock the progress out."
Rebuilding the island, he said, "is going to be a greater conversation for the Congress in conjunction with the governor."
When hospitals have power failures, intensive care unit patients are being flown to the USNS Comfort, according to Long.
"As far as the political noise, we filter that out, keeps our heads down and continue to make progress and push forward restoring essential functions for Puerto Rico," Long said in the interview.

Pennsylvania mayor attacked by her son at campaign office, police say

Democrat Mayor Kim Bracey of York, Pa. and a mugshot (r) of her son Brandon Anderson, 30  (York Mayor's Office/York City Police Department)

The son of a Pennsylvania mayor was charged with assault last week after he punched and stomped the politician, who says her son is battling an opioid addiction.

Police said the son of York Mayor Kim Bracey attacked her at her campaign office on Sept. 30, the York Daily Record reported.

The reports quoted police as saying Brandon Anderson, 30, of York, was charged with punching his mother in the face, knocking her to the ground, and then stomping on her back, head and face while she was down.
"Like thousands of families, our family is confronting the fact that my adult son is battling an opioid addiction," Bracey said. "No family is immune from this epidemic -- which is why we must do everything in our power to solve it."
She also asked for privacy.
Bracey is running for a third term as mayor.
A person who witnessed the attack intervened when Anderson tried to hit the mayor with a wooden flag pole, the York Daily Record reported Saturday.
A “Biker for Bracey” event was taking place at the campaign office the day of the alleged attack, according to the paper.
Bracey's Facebook page shared a photo showing her with bikers who attended the event.
A Democratic campaign operative who said he was speaking on Bracey’s behalf said the mayor was doing okay physically but said the family was shaken, the paper reported.
After a week behind bars, Anderson was released on bail Friday, the York Dispatch reported.
Cops didn’t say what, if anything, provoked the alleged attack.

Trump seeks sanctuary-city crackdown, curb on unaccompanied minors for 'Dreamer' deal

The Trump administration on Sunday announced it's seeking several major changes to the country's immigration system —  in exchange for extending the Obama-era program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. 

The requests included additional crackdowns on “sanctuary cities” that protect illegal immigrants; reducing the number of incoming refugees; 10,000 more Customs and Border Patrol agents; and new initiatives curbing the number of unaccompanied immigrants who come to the U.S. illegally as children. Democrats already have said many of the White House's terms are off the table.

“Unfortunately, over the last several decades respect for the rule of law has broken down and immigration enforcement has been sacrificed for the sake of political expediency. This has made us less secure and it cannot stand,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “Now President Trump has put forth a series of proposals that will restore the rule of law to our immigration system, prioritize America’s safety and security, and end the lawlessness. These are reasonable proposals that will build on the early success of President Trump’s leadership. This plan will work. If followed it will produce an immigration system with integrity and one in which we can take pride. Perhaps the best result will be that unlawful attempts to enter will continue their dramatic decline.”
DACA essentially allows law-abiding illegal immigrants brought into the U.S. by their parents to live and work in the country without fear of deportation.

Carlos Esteban, a student from Virginia, with pro-DACA activists outside the White House in September.  (AP Foto/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

The Trump administration argued earlier this year that federal courts were ready to strike down DACA as unconstitutional, which would put the future of so-called “Dreamers” in jeopardy.
Trump gave Congress six months to find a legislative alternative, then struck a framework deal last month with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, leaving the door open for extending DACA.
In a joint statement, Pelosi and Schumer said the White House's new list of requests “goes so far beyond what is reasonable” and “fails to represent any attempt at compromise.
“The Administration can’t be serious about compromise or helping the Dreamers if they begin with a list that is anathema to the Dreamers, to the immigrant community and to the vast majority of Americans,” they wrote.
“If the President was serious about protecting the Dreamers, his staff has not made a good faith effort to do so,” they said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., accompanied by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, and other House and Senate Democrats, at a news conference in September.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

The White House also asked to limit family-based green cards to spouses and the minor children of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, in addition to creating a point-based system. And, it called for boosting fees at border crossings, making it easier to deport gang members and unaccompanied children, and overhauling the asylum system.
“When crafting the Administration’s immigration principles, the President asked us to focus on measures that will assist the Department of Homeland Security’s law enforcement personnel with what they need to enforce our immigration laws, secure our border, and protect American communities across this country,” Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Elaine Duke said in a statement.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., fired back: “The President’s draconian and anti-immigrant principles jeopardize the bi-partisan, bi-cameral progress that has been made to pass a legislative solution that will protect nearly 800,000 Dreamers. It is immoral for the President to use the lives of these young people as bargaining chips in his quest to impose his cruel, anti-immigrant and un-American agenda on our nation.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan’s spokesman Doug Andres said the House immigration working group would review the list and consult with Republican members and the administration.

Jerry Jones gives Cowboys players ultimatum: Stand for anthem or sit for game

Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, wants his team to stand for the national anthem.  (AP)

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Sunday any player who disrespects the flag will not play.

Jones’ comments, the strongest made on the anthem controversy, came after he was asked about Vice President Mike Pence leaving the game in Indianapolis early after several San Francisco 49ers players took a knee during the national anthem.

"I know this, we cannot ... in the NFL in any way give the implication that we tolerate disrespecting the flag," he said following the Cowboys’ 35-31 loss to the Green Bay Packers. "We know that there is a serious debate in this country about those issues, but there is no question in my mind that the National Football League and the Dallas Cowboys are going to stand up for the flag. So we're clear."
Jones and the rest of the team knelt arm-in-arm before the national anthem before a game against the Arizona Cardinals two weeks ago, days after President Trump reignited the anthem-protest controversy.
Dallas players have stood on the sideline, many with hands over their hearts, during the anthem ever since former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling last season in protest of what he believed were instances of racial injustice in the U.S.
Jones said showing respect for the flag and the anthem is more important to him than any potential issues of team unity.
"There is no room here if it comes between looking non-supportive of our players and of each other or creating the impression that you're disrespecting the flag, we will be non-supportive of each other," Jones said. "We will not disrespect the flag."
Jones said he wasn't aware of whether any of his players had raised a fist at the end of the anthem before the Green Bay game.
"I don't know about that," Jones said. "But if there's anything that is disrespectful to the flag, then we will not play. OK? Understand? If we are disrespecting the flag, then we won't play. Period."
Additionally, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said he changed his view on how his team should handle the national anthem. Ross said because Trump made standing for the national anthem about “patriotism,” he evolved the way he looks at the protest, according to the Miami Herald.
Ross now wants all of the Dolphins players to stand for the anthem. Three Dolphins players – Kenny Stills, Julian Thomas and Michael Thomas – remained off to the sideline during the anthem Sunday.
The NFL has said the game operations manual distributed to teams includes a reference to players standing for the anthem, but that it's a policy and not a rule. The league has said it doesn't plan to punish players over anthem protests.
"The league in mind should absolutely take the rules we've got on the books and make sure that we do not give the perception that we're disrespecting the flag," Jones said.

Hollywood Hypocrite Cartoons

James Woods retires from acting after saying he's blacklisted because he's conservative

Just weeks after James Woods said he was blacklisted in Hollywood because of his conservative views, the Oscar-nominated actor said he was retiring from the industry.

Woods tweeted this summer that he had “accepted the fact that” he was blacklisted from Hollywood because of his views. He has said being conservative has made it tough to find work in Hollywood the past few years.

The “Casino” actor has twice been nominated for an Academy Award and has won an Emmy Award three times.  His movie credits include “Salvador (1986)” and “Ghosts of Mississippi (1996),” both of which earned him a nomination for an Oscar. He's also played H.R. Haldeman in Oliver Stone's "Nixon (1995)," starred alongside Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford in Sydney Pollack's "The Way We Were (1973)" and was also in Martin Scorsese's epic crime drama "Casino (1995)."

James Woods with Sharon Stone in the 1995 epic crime drama "Casino."

Woods was a Hollywood favorite -- and a Democrat -- until at least 1998, when he broke ranks with the party after former President Bill Clinton's impeachment.
He said on Twitter that he switched parties because of his disgust with the former president.
"Every single #Democrat without exception stood behind a convicted perjurer," he wrote on Twitter this summer. "That was the end."
His luck in Hollywood turned sour soon after he became a Republican. He has not had a major role in a film in at least a decade.
The news of his retirement was included in a press release issued by Woods' real estate agent offering Woods' Rhode Island lake house for sale.

Woods was recently in a Twitter feud with actress Amber Tamblyn, who accused him of trying to pick her up when she was 16.  (AP)

Allen Gammons said Friday that Woods is 70 and wants to relax. He says the actor's brother and mother recently died, and he hopes to spend more time on passions including photography, antiquing and poker.
Gammons said Woods' decision was not political.
The announcement comes after Woods was in a Twitter feud with actress Amber Tamblyn, who last month accused him of trying to pick her up when she was 16. Woods called it a lie. Gammons said Woods declined to comment Friday when asked about Tamblyn's accusation.
Woods has said there are many conservative stars who didn’t speak up because “the blacklist against conservatives in Hollywood is very real.”