Conservative Blogger
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Pena Nieto reiterates Mexico will not pay for Trump's border wall
Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto Wednesday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order to build a wall on the border betwen the two countries, and reiterated that his country will not pay for it.
"I regret and reject the decision of the U.S. to build the wall," Pena Nieto said in a nationally televised address.
Pena Nieto did not directly mention whether he would still make a planned trip to Washington on Jan. 31, but said he would await reports from the high-level team of Mexican officials currently meeting with Trump administration officials in Washington.
"Based on the final report from the Mexican officials who are in Washington right now ... I will make decisions about what to do next," he said.
After talking tough about the wall, he held out an olive branch, saying "Mexico re-affirms its friendship with the people of the United States, and its willingness to reach agreements with its government."
TRUMP DRAFT ORDER REPORTEDLY WILL HALT REFUGEE PROCESSING FOR SYRIANS
The decision to possibly rethink the visit comes amid growing outrage in Mexico, and a sense among many that Pena Nieto has been too weak in the face of Trump's tough policy stance.
The senior official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press the administration "is considering" scrapping Pena Nieto's visit to the U.S. "That's what I can tell you."
It was not clear when a final decision may be made.
Trump's order came the same day Mexico's foreign relations and economy secretaries arrived in Washington, and its timing was seen by many in Mexico as a slap in the face.
Critics of Pena Nieto - whose approval ratings were just 12 percent in a recent survey, the lowest for any Mexican president in the polling era - have hammered him for his perceived weakness on Trump. Opposition politicians urged him Wednesday to call off the trip.
"The position is very clear," said Ricardo Anaya Cortes, president of the conservative opposition National Action Party. "Either one cancels the meeting with Donald Trump, or one attends it to say publicly and with absolute firmness that Mexico rejects the wall and we will not pay a single cent for it."
Trump has also promised to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Analyst Jorge Zepeda Patterson argued that Pena Nieto should keep the meeting as scheduled, saying Mexico should exhaust all possibilities for negotiating to minimize damage. He said Pena Nieto should try to reach an agreement that's enough to let Trump claim victory and then move on to another foil.
"Trump is more interested in boasting of an immediate success than an ambitious result. He is interested in appearances," Zepeda said.
The U.S. president has also promised to step up deportations. He launched his campaign with remarks calling immigrants crossing in illegally from Mexico criminals, drug dealers and "rapists." Trump added that "some" were presumably good people, but the comments nonetheless deeply offended many Mexicans.
Pena Nieto was roundly criticized after inviting candidate Trump to Mexico City last August and disappointed many of his countrymen by not publicly confronting Trump on the wall.
On Tuesday, ahead of their trip to Washington, the economy and foreign relations secretaries suggested that Mexico could leave NAFTA if negotiations with Washington are unsatisfactory - though that would not be the first choice.
Already Mexico is feeling the effects of the new tone from Washington. The Mexican peso has sharply devalued since Trump was elected, and several high-profile business ventures have been canceled amid threats to impose a border tax on goods made in Mexico and exported to the United States.
Hey illegals, start packing your bags!
Grab a shovel, America -- President Trump is about to build that wall.
The White House on Wednesday rolled out a series of executive actions on immigration and border security – designed to restore American sovereignty – an issue I address in my new book, “The Deplorables’ Guide to Making America Great Again.”
Among other things – President Trump announced a crackdown on sanctuary cities that harbor illegal aliens. He also plans to provide the Department of Homeland Security with more resources to fight illegal immigration.
And remember the Obama administration’s “catch and release” policies? Well, those days are now over.
In other words -- all of you illegals out there might want to pack a bag and catch the next Greyhound bus to Nuevo Laredo.
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The president also plans on temporarily suspending visas from countries that are loaded with radical Muslims – places like Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya.
“These executive orders will not make our nation any safer, rather it will make our nation more fearful and less welcoming, and such restrictions run contrary to (the) very founding principles of our nation,” Hassan Shibly, executive director of CAIR-Florida told CNN.
It’s no surprise that critics are enraged – accusing the administration of being xenophobic and Islamophobic. They seem to think we should roll out the red carpet for illegals at the expense of law-abiding Americans.
We are barely a week into the Trump presidency and he's already managed to dump TPP, engage pro-lifers, rattle Democrats and discombobulate the mainstream media.
I really like this guy.
I mean, the sheer scope of his immigration policies is incredible. He’s cracking down on sanctuary cities -- temporarily suspending visas from hotbeds of radical Islam and building a wall.
We’re going to build a wall, America! To be honest, there were moments during the presidential campaign when I wondered if the wall was some sort of metaphor. But no sir! By golly, he plans on building a great, big, larger-than-life, Trump signature wall.
Imagine that, folks -- a Republican president who does what he promised to do on the campaign trail. Never in all my life did I think I'd see that day.
All I can say is thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for keeping your word.
To be clear, the president's executive orders are not xenophobic or Islamophobic. They are not anti-Mexican or anti-refugee. Rather, President Trump's immigration and border security policies are pro-American. I know that must be a shocking concept – especially after the past eight years.
But President Trump promised to put America first -- and he's delivering on that promise.
To the nations of the world -- we are more than happy to welcome your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. But if it's all the same -- you can just keep the deadbeats and reprobates -- and the people who want to blow us up.
Priebus on sanctuary cities: 'If you defy the laws of this country, you shouldn't receive federal taxpayer dollars'
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus defended President Donald Trump Wednesday evening over a move to block federal funds meant for so-called "sanctuary cities" that harbor immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally.
"Should places in this country that ignore the laws of this country when it comes to immigration receive federal money into their communities?" Priebus asked Fox News' Sean Hannity Wednesday. "And the answer to me is no."
WATCH SEAN HANNITY'S CABLE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP THURSDAY AT 10 PM ET ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL
The sanctuary cities order was part of a flurry of executive actions from Trump Wednesday that dealt with immigration and border security. The president also issued orders moving ahead with the construction of a wall along the southern border and halting the processing of Syrian refugees.
TRUMP DRAFT ORDER WILL REPORTEDLY HALT REFUGEE PROCESSING FOR SYRIANS
Preibus told Hannity that halting funds to sanctuary cities has "been in the Republican party platform now for over eight years. This is not some sort of crazy thinking.
"The point is," Priebus added, "if you defy the laws of this country, you shouldn't receive federal tax payer dollars from the people of this country ... in some cases, you have folks that have committed crimes ... and in every other jurisdiction, they say ‘OK, you’ve committed a crime. You now have to leave the country.’ That’s normal, right? I think that’s normal, but they’re not doing that."
The chief of staff said that Trump would issue more executive orders relating to national security on Friday.
"I'll expect a series of executive orders to start tackling issues in regard to foreign policy, issues in regard to ISIS and our positions now through the world, especially through the Middle East."
Priebus also discussed Trump's orders designed to encourage U.S. manufacturing, including an order giving the Commerce Department six months to maximize the amount of American steel used in oil pipeline projects.
"The President was talking about [the Keystone and Dakota Access] pipelines," Priebus said, "And at that very moment ... President Trump said, 'Well, why aren't we using American steel? Shouldn't we be using an American pipe?' ... So he said, 'Well, okay, let's write an executive order that says wherever you can possibly use American pipe and American steel we should do it.'"
The former head of the Republican National Committee predicted that Trump's policies could lead the U.S. economy to growth as high as 7 percent per economic quarter.
"If we're going to be an administration that cuts regulation, that lowers business taxes so that these companies can expand, that dis-incentivizes [them] from moving overseas into Mexico and China," Priebus said, "and makes doing business in America better for them, well then the jobs are going to explode."
Sanctuary cities dig in after Trump executive order
The leaders of “sanctuary cities” across the country vowed Wednesday to stand firm on their policies offering protection to illegal immigrants, in the wake of an executive order signed by President Trump threatening to cut off federal funding.
“These jurisdictions have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic,” Trump’s executive order said.
Trump vowed to “crack down” on those cities during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security, setting up a showdown between his administration and the nearly 300 communities that have policies helping shield undocumented immigrants from deportation.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wouldn’t “deviate” from the city’s current approach of offering basic protection to illegal immigrants.
“We’re doing the right thing,” de Blasio said. “We have a city that is working economically, that is more harmonious and that is safer.”
He added, “We’re not going to deviate from that.”
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., who represents parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan, said she was proud that “city officials have made clear they will not be accomplices in enforcing policies that create fear in immigrant communities.”
“New York has always been a city of immigrants and we will not be bullied into dividing against one another,” she said in a written statement.
While there is no one-size-fits-all definition of a sanctuary city, the term loosely refers to places that offer political support and protections to people who are in the U.S. illegally. Trump has vowed since the campaign to confront them over their defiance of federal immigration law, but those cities gave little indication they'd reconsider the policies after Wednesday's signing.
“Shame on him,” Lawrence, Mass., Mayor Daniel Rivera said in a statement. “There’s so many other things to worry about. Nobody in a red state is going to get a job or have their life become better because he victimizes these immigrants.”
Northhampton Mayor David Narkewicz told The Boston Globe he felt stripping funding from sanctuary cities would be easier said than done.
“It’s very easy to campaign, that the king is going to wave his scepter and somehow take away federal funding, but this isn’t the campaign anymore,” he said. “This is a president who functions in a larger government. We’re a government of laws. So it’s a much more difficult process, which I think even his spokesman conceded.”
Trump's White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said earlier the order would direct the DHS secretary to look at funding streams and determine "how they can be cut off" for sanctuary districts.
Some of America's biggest cities, including Chicago and the city hosting this week's congressional Republican retreat -- Philadelphia -- are also poised for a fight with the Trump administration.
A spokeswoman for Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney says the city has no plans to change its immigration policy.
“Given that today’s [executive order] was simply a directive and did not even make clear if there were any significant funding streams that the Trump administration could cut off to Philadelphia, we have no plans to change our immigration policy at this time,” Lauren Hitt said in a statement.
She added that Philadelphia has a “responsibility” to keep “undocumented human beings” safe.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Senior Secret Service agent suggests she wouldn't take 'a bullet' for Trump
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| Kerry O'Grady |
A senior U.S. Secret Service agent posted social-media condemnations of President Trump during the past seven months, including one in which she said she wouldn't want to "take a bullet" for him.
She explained herself saying she viewed his presidential candidacy as a "disaster" for the country, and especially for women and minorities.
Kerry O'Grady, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Denver district, oversees coordination with Washington-based advance teams for all presidential candidate and presidential trips to the area, including all upcoming or future trips by the president, vice president or Trump administration officials.
Despite her senior security role, she has made her disdain for Trump and his incoming administration clear to her Facebook followers, who included current and former Secret Service agents and other people who were employees at the time of the posts. O'Grady's posts triggered at least one complaint to the office that oversees investigations into Secret Service misbehavior, two knowledgeable sources told the Washington Examiner.
Trump admin institutes media blackout for EPA, suspends social media activity
The Trump administration has instituted a media blackout for the Environmental Protection Agency, banning press releases and social media posts on official agency accounts, a source told Fox News.
The prohibitions came to light as the agency moved to delay implementation of at least 30 environmental rules finalized in the closing months of President Obama’s term, a potential first step to seeking to kill the regulations.
Staffers in EPA’s public affairs office are instructed to forward all inquiries from reporters to the Office of Administration and Resources Management.
"Not the most inspiring time at EPA right now but we're fighters,” the EPA staffer, who would only speak on condition of anonymity said.
The source, who also has direct knowledge of agency contracts and grants, confirmed that the agency has been asked to temporarily halt all contracts and grants pending review.
The Trump administration has also ordered what it called a temporary suspension of all new business activities at the department, including issuing task orders or work assignments to EPA contractors. The orders were expected to have a significant and immediate impact on EPA activities nationwide.
EPA contracts with outside vendors for a wide array of services, from engineering and research science to janitorial supplies.
The Washington Post reported Monday that an email was sent to employees of the Office of Acquisition Management from the incoming EPA administration to temporarily suspend “all contract and grant awards.” The email was reportedly sent within hours of Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
Competitive Enterprise Institute director Myron Ebell, who oversaw the EPA transition for the Trump administration, told ProPublica that the move isn’t unprecedented.
“They’re trying to freeze things to make sure nothing happens they don’t want to have happen, so any regulations going forward, contracts, grants, hires, they want to make sure to look at them first. This may be a little wider than some previous administrations, but it’s very similar to what others have done.”
However, one employee told the publication that he couldn’t recall a similar event happening in 10 years with the agency.
Similar orders barring external communications have been issued in recent days by the Trump administration at other federal agencies, including the departments of Transportation and Agriculture.
Staffers in EPA's public affairs office are instructed to forward all inquiries from reporters to the Office of Administration and Resources Management.
"Incoming media requests will be carefully screened," one directive said. "Only send out critical messages, as messages can be shared broadly and end up in the press."
A review of EPA websites and social media accounts, which typically include numerous new posts each day, showed no new activity since Friday.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday he had no specific information on the blackout.
"I don't think it's any surprise that when there's an administration turnover, that we're going to review the policies," Spicer said.
Doug Ericksen, the communications director for Trump's transition team at EPA, said he expects the communications ban to be lifted by the end of this week.
"We're just trying to get a handle on everything and make sure what goes out reflects the priorities of the new administration," Ericksen said.
State Department reviewing Obama admin's last-minute decision to send Palestinians $221M
The State Department announced Tuesday that it will review the last-minute decision by former Secretary of State John Kerry to send $221 million to the Palestinians late last week over the objections of congressional Republicans.
The department said it would look at the payment and might make adjustments to ensure it comports with the Trump administration’s priorities.
Kerry formally notified Congress that State would release the money Friday morning, just hours before President Trump took the oath of office.
Congress had initially approved the Palestinian funding in budget years 2015 and 2016, but at least two GOP lawmakers — Ed Royce of California, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Kay Granger of Texas, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee — had placed holds on it over moves the Palestinian Authority had taken to seek membership in international organizations. Congressional holds are generally respected by the executive branch but are not legally binding after funds have been allocated.
Granger released a statement Tuesday saying, “I am deeply disappointed that President Obama defied congressional oversight and released $221 million to the Palestinian territories.”
She added: “I worked to make sure that no American taxpayer dollars would fund the Palestinian Authority unless very strict conditions were met. While none of these funds will go to the Palestinian Authority because of those conditions, they will go to programs in the Palestinian territories that were still under review by Congress. The Obama Administration’s decision to release these funds was inappropriate.”
The Obama administration had for some time been pressing for the release of the money, which comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development and is to be used to fund humanitarian aid in the West Bank and Gaza, to support political and security reforms and to help prepare for good governance and the rule of law in a future Palestinian state, according to the notification sent to Congress.
The Palestinian funding is likely to draw anger from some in Congress as well as the Trump White House. Trump has vowed to be a strong supporter of Israel and has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Washington next month.
Trump appears to be approaching the Middle East differently then the Obama administration.
For example, some members of Trump’s administration have been split on whether to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
The Washington Post noted that most of the world doesn’t recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. East Jerusalem is also considered “occupied territory,” which Palestinians hope to call their capital if a two-state solution is ever reached.
Trump’s next ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, supports Israeli settlements and other changes to U.S. policies in the region.
Friedman said he looked forward to carrying out his duties from "the U.S. embassy in Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem," even though the embassy is in Tel Aviv. Trump advisers have said that the president-elect will follow through on his call for moving the embassy.
Trump to order construction of US-Mexican border wall; reportedly to suspend refugee program
President Trump today is expected to order the construction of his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and take other actions on immigration, a main cornerstone of his presidential campaign.
Trump is planning a visit to the Department of Homeland Security, where he will roll out executive actions on immigration.
Staying true to form, Trump took to Twitter Tuesday night, and posted, “Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!”
Trump's push for a border wall started with his campaign announcement back in June 2015.
"I would build a Great Wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for that wall, mark my words," Trump said at the time.
His wall announcement a rally cry for both his supporters and opponents. His supporters saw a candidate speaking plainly about border security, while his opponents called the plan divisive.
The New York Times reported that Wednesday's order will be signed the same day the Mexican foreign minister, Luis Videgaray, arrives in Washington prior to his country’s president’s trip at the end of the month.
Trump also expected to move forward with plans to curb funding of sanctuary cities that don't arrest or detain immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, which could cost individual jurisdictions millions of dollars.
A source told The Wall Street Journal that Trump, later this week, may order the suspension of entries to the U.S. from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya.
Other executive actions expected Wednesday include bolstering border patrol agents and ending what Republicans have argued is a catch-and-release system at the border. Currently, some immigrants caught crossing the border illegally are given notices to report back to immigration officials at a later date.
Trump's insistence that Mexico would pay for the wall was among his most popular proposals on the campaign trail, sparking enthusiastic cheers at his raucous rallies. Mexico has repeatedly said it will not pay for any border wall and Trump has not provided specific details about the project.
Earlier this month, Trump said the building project would initially be paid for with a congressionally approved spending bill and Mexico will eventually reimburse the U.S., though he has not specified how he would guarantee payments.
The reported that the low-ball project estimate is $10 billion. The Government Accountability Office reportedly said it may cost $6.5 million per mile for a single-layer of fencing.
Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said Tuesday that Trump’s priority is focusing on those “who pose a threat to people in our country.”
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Minnesota Gov. Dayton collapses while delivering State of the State speech
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's top staffer said he was OK and planned to return to work Tuesday after he collapsed during his State of the State speech.
The 69-year-old Democrat struck his head on a lectern Monday night after stumbling over his words and collapsing roughly 40 minutes into the annual address. He appeared conscious as he was helped into a back room within several minutes, and later walked out of the Capitol on his own.
Dayton's chief of staff Jaime Tincher said Dayton quickly recovered and returned home to spend time with his son and grandson after a routine check by emergency medical technicians at the governor's residence in St. Paul. She said Dayton would return to the Capitol Tuesday morning for a planned event to release a detailed budget proposal.
Monday night's episode raised new questions about Dayton's health as he is about to turn 70 — his birthday is Thursday — and as he moves into his final two years in office facing a newly GOP-controlled Legislature. He is not seeking re-election.
Dayton was hospitalized in February 2016 after he fainted at a hot and crowded event. His office said at the time that he had been feeling pressure in his lower back — he had undergone elective back surgery the previous December — before he lost consciousness. Dayton spent just a day in the hospital, and said afterward he had been treated for dehydration.
In addition, a series of back and hip surgeries in recent years has left him with a permanent limp.
The governor fell about three-fourths of the way through his speech as he laid out the opening salvo in a brewing battle with Republican legislative majorities over where to bring the state after November's elections, including his proposal for a state-run public health care option for all Minnesota residents.
Dayton appeared to stumble as he first entered the House chamber, but joked it away, saying he should have attended the walkthrough. But he appeared to lose his place in his remarks roughly 40 minutes into his speech, trailing off in the middle of a sentence before pausing to take a long drink of water from a bottle he had below the lectern.
When he tried to resume his address, he spoke only a few slurred words before his shoulders appeared to shake and he crumbled behind the lectern, striking his head. A frantic voice could be heard over the microphone saying "get him to the ground. Get him to the ground please" as those around Dayton rushed to assist him.
Daudt and fellow Republican legislative leaders declined to comment on Dayton's speech, instead only offering their prayers for his health and safety.
"That's our whole focus right now, just praying for our governor," Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said.
Dayton is facing an all-Republican Legislature his final two years in office after the GOP took control of the Senate in November and added to their House majority.
Facing a unified GOP front for his final two years in office — Republicans took back control of the Senate and strengthened their House majority in November — Dayton has increasingly looked to the past as he seeks to cement his legacy.
Dayton entered office in 2011 facing a $6 billion budget deficit. After a stalemate with Republican majorities led to a 20-day government shutdown that year, he and Democrats united to control the Capitol in 2013. They raised taxes on the state's wealthiest earners, increased the minimum wage and legalized same-sex marriage.
The state has posted several years of surpluses, and the governor has pointed to that financial stability as a hallmark of his six years in office, insisting he'll safeguard against a return to painful budget shortfalls.
"In 2010, I campaigned for governor on the promise of a better Minnesota. Now, and two years from now, I expect to be judged by you, the people of Minnesota, on how well I have kept that promise," he said during his remarks. "In my first inaugural address, I promised that I would 'clean up the state's financial mess.' I have kept my word."
In final act as president, Obama commutes 330 drug sentences
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| The Idiot. |
With his final offer of clemency, Obama brought his total number of commutations granted to 1,715, more than any other president in U.S. history, the White House said. During his presidency Obama ordered free 568 inmates who had been sentenced to life in prison.
"He wanted to do it. He wanted the opportunity to look at as many as he could to provide relief," Neil Eggleston, Obama's White House counsel, said in an interview in his West Wing office. "He saw the injustice of the sentences that were imposed in many situations, and he has a strong view that people deserve as second chance."
For Obama, it was the last time he planned to exercise his presidential powers in any significant way. At noon on Friday, Obama will stand with President-elect Donald Trump as his successor is sworn in and Obama's chapter in history comes to an end.
Even as Obama issued the commutations, the White House had been mostly cleared out to make way for Trump. In between carrying out their last duties, the few remaining staffers were packing up belongings as photos of Obama were taken down from the walls of the West Wing corridors.
The final batch of commutations — more in a single day than on any other day in U.S. history — was the culmination of Obama's second-term effort to try to remedy the consequences of decades of onerous sentencing requirements that he said had imprisoned thousands of drug offenders for too long. Obama repeatedly called on Congress to pass a broader criminal justice fix, but lawmakers never acted.
For Bernard Smith, it's a long-awaited chance to start over after 13 years away from his wife and children.
Smith was working at a restaurant in Maryland in 2002 when his brother asked him to obtain marijuana for a drug deal. Though it was his brother who obtained the crack cocaine that the brothers then sold along with the marijuana to undercover officers, Smith was charged with the cocaine offense, too.
His 22-year sentence was far longer than his brother's, owing to what the court called Smith's "extensive criminal history" prior to the drug bust. Smith still had 10 years on his sentence when he was notified Thursday that the president, on his last day in office, was giving him another chance.
"He's looking to turn his life around," said Michelle Curth, his attorney. "He's a good person who, like so many people, got involved in something he's been punished for already."
Curth said that Smith had learned his lesson and owned up to his crime — he asked for a commutation, she noted, not a pardon, which would have erased the original conviction. She said Smith hopes to get licensed in heating and air conditioning maintenance and has lined up family members to help with his adjustment.
But freedom for Smith is still two years away. Rather than release him immediately, Obama directed that he be set free in January 2019 — two years after Obama has left office — and only if Smith enrolls in a residential drug treatment program.
To be eligible for a commutation under Obama's initiative, inmates had to have behaved well in prison and already served 10 years, although some exceptions to the 10-year rule were granted. They also had to be considered nonviolent offenders, although many were charged with firearms violations in relation to their drug crimes.
Obama personally reviewed the case of every inmate who received a commutation, often poring over case files in the evenings or calling his attorneys into his office to discuss specifics. Although a backlog of cases remains as Obama leaves office, his administration reviewed all applications that came in by an end-of-August deadline, officials said.
Eggleston said Obama had been particularly motivated to grant clemency to inmates who had turned themselves around in prison. He said one inmate had trained and obtained a commercial driver's license through a prison program, despite having a life sentence that all but assured he'd never get to use it.
"The ones who really stuck home for the president and me are the ones who got their GED, they worked, they took courses in anger management, they took courses in getting over drug abuse issues, they remained in contract with their families," Eggleston said.
Obama has long called for phasing out strict sentences for drug offenses, arguing they lead to excessive punishment and incarceration rates unseen in other developed countries. With Obama's support, the Justice Department in recent years directed prosecutors to rein in the use of harsh mandatory minimums.
Earlier in the week, Obama commuted most of the rest of convicted leaker Chelsea Manning's sentence, arguing the Army intelligence analyst had shown remorse and already served a long sentence.
Yet Obama will leave office without granting commutations or pardons to other prominent offenders who had sought clemency, including accused Army deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He also declined to pardon former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Gutfeld Rips 'SNL's' Obama Farewell: 'Drooling Toadyism Is Not a Good Look'
One day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, “Saturday Night Live” bid farewell to President Barack Obama with a musical number.
At the conclusion of Saturday's episode, cast members Cecily Strong and Sasheer Zamata stood in front of a black-and-white portrait of the now former president and sang "To Sir, With Love."
The number is the theme to the 1967 movie of the same name, in which a group of students serenade their beloved teacher, played by Sidney Poitier.
At the end of the song, the duo held up a cup that said "World's Best President."
In his monologue on "The Five" today, Greg Gutfeld had some strong words for these Obama "groupies."
"While division and hate is scary, it's never as creepy as sickening love, something to keep in mind whether you adore Obama or Trump," Gutfeld said. "Drooling toadyism is not a good look on either side, and it paves the way for evil."
"Because while hate can drive people to do many things, love permits leaders to do all things, none of them good."
US quietly sent $221M to Palestinians in Obama's last hours
Officials said Monday that the Obama administration-- in its waning hours-- defied Republican opposition and quietly released $221 million to the Palestinian Authority that GOP members of Congress had been blocking.
A State Department official and several congressional aides told The Associated Press that the outgoing administration formally notified Congress it would spend the money Friday morning.
The official said former Secretary of State John Kerry had informed some lawmakers of the move shortly before he left the State Department for the last time Thursday.
The aides said written notification dated Jan. 20 was sent to Congress just hours before Donald Trump took the oath of office.
In addition to the $221 million for the Palestinians, the Obama administration also told Congress on Friday it was going ahead with the release of another $6 million in foreign affairs spending, including $4 million for climate change programs and $1.25 million for U.N. organizations, the congressional aides said.
The aides and the State Department official weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.
Congress had initially approved the Palestinian funding in budget years 2015 and 2016, but at least two GOP lawmakers — Ed Royce of California, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Kay Granger of Texas, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee — had placed holds on it over moves the Palestinian Authority had taken to seek membership in international organizations.
Congressional holds are generally respected by the executive branch but are not legally binding after funds have been allocated.
The Obama administration had for some time been pressing for the release of the money for the Palestinian Authority, which comes from the U.S.
Agency for International Development and is to be used for humanitarian aid in the West Bank and Gaza, to support political and security reforms as well as help prepare for good governance and the rule of law in a future Palestinian state, according to the notification sent to Congress.
The Palestinian funding is likely to draw anger from some in Congress as well as the Trump White House. Trump has vowed to be a strong supporter of Israel and has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Washington next month.
Some of Trump’s incoming administration has been split on whether to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
The Washington Post noted that most of the world doesn’t recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. East Jerusalem is also considered “occupied territory,” which Palestinians hope to call their capital if a two-state solution is ever reached.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump’s U.N. ambassador, said Wednesday that she would back the embassy move, while Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee retired Marine Gen. James Mattis said he would “stick to U.S. policy” regarding Jerusalem.
Trump’s next ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, supports Israeli settlements and other changes to U.S. policies in the region.
Friedman said he looked forward to carrying out his duties from "the U.S. embassy in Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem," even though the embassy is in Tel Aviv. Trump advisers have said that the president-elect will follow through on his call for moving the embassy.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Trump talks ISIS, Palestinians in call with Netanyahu, who accepts US invite
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accepted a phone invitation from President Trump to visit the United States next month, according to the White House.
The call was purportedly part of a broader effort to strength U.S.-Israeli ties now that Trump is officially president and included Trump restating that defeating ISIS and other Islamic terrorist groups remains a top priority.
The two world leaders “agreed to continue to closely consult on a range of regional issues,” including the threats posed by Iran and relations between Israel and the Palestinians, the White House also said.
Trump during the call also “emphasized that peace between Israel and the Palestinians can only be negotiated directly between the two parties, and that the United States will work closely with Israel to make progress towards that goal,” according to the White House.
The two leaders spoke after Trump won the presidential election on Nov. 9. And Netanyahu called Trump “a true friend of Israel,” after Trump’s victory.
Trump, a Republican, has been critical of how his predecessor, Barack Obama, and his administration treated Israel, considered the United States’ closest Middle East ally.
Most recently, the administration effectively backed a United Nations resolution that opposed Israel building more settlements in the disputed West Bank.
Counterintelligence officials probe Flynn's links to Russia
U.S. counterintelligence agents have investigated communications that President Donald Trump’s national security adviser had with Russian officials, according to people familiar with the matter.
Michael Flynn is the first person inside the White House under Mr. Trump whose communications are known to have faced scrutiny as part of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and Treasury Department to determine the extent of Russian government contacts with people close to Mr. Trump.
A key issue in the investigation is a series of telephone calls Mr. Flynn made to Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the U.S., on Dec. 29. That day, the Obama administration announced sanctions and other measures against Russia in retaliation for its alleged use of cyberattacks to interfere with the 2016 U.S. election. U.S. intelligence officials have said Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacks on Democratic Party officials to try to harm Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid
In a statement Sunday night, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said: “We have absolutely no knowledge of any investigation or even a basis for such an investigation.”
Earlier this month, Sean Spicer, then spokesman for the Trump transition team and now White House press secretary, said the contacts between Messrs. Flynn and Kislyak dealt with the logistics of arranging a conversation between Mr. Trump and Russia’s leader.
“That was it,” Mr. Spicer said, “plain and simple.”
U.S. officials have collected information showing repeated contacts between Messrs. Flynn and Kislyak, these people said. It is common for American officials’ conversations with foreign officials to surface in NSA intercepts, because the U.S. conducts wide-ranging surveillance on foreign officials. American names also may surface in descriptions of conversations shared among officials of foreign governments.
The Senate Intelligence Committee is also looking into any possible collusion between Russia and people linked to Mr. Trump, top senators have said. That is part of the committee’s broader probe into Russian election interference. Counterintelligence probes seldom lead to public accusations or criminal charges.
Trump on throngs of Sunday protesters: 'Why didn't these people vote?'
President Trump on Sunday expressed his unfiltered opinion of the Women’s March on Washington and other protests this weekend organized largely in opposition to his presidency, tweeting, “was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn't these people vote?”
He also said in the tweet, “Celebs hurt cause badly.”
Trump, a Republican sworn-in Friday, didn’t mention names. However, singer Madonna has been criticized for saying Saturday during the women’s march that she considered “blowing up the White House” after Trump’s victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The Secret Service declined to comment Sunday about reports the agency plans to investigate the comment as a threat.
Trump tweeted about 90 minutes later: "Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don't always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views."
The dueling tweets marked his administration's first response to the more than 1 million people who rallied at women's marches in Washington and cities around the world.
On “Fox News Sunday,” White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus responded to concerns that Trump would roll back women’s rights.
“President Trump wants to be president for all people, including every one of those marchers yesterday,” Priebus said. “And I think that over time, many of those people are going to be proud of this president.”
He also didn’t name Madonna but said, “Can you imagine saying that about President Obama?”
The suggestion that the Saturday rally in Washington appeared to attract more people than Trump's inauguration on Friday clearly irked the new president.
Trump spent his first full day in office berating the media over their coverage of his inauguration, using a bridge-building visit to CIA headquarters to air grievances about "dishonest" journalists and wildly overstating the size of the crowd that gathered on the National Mall as he took the oath of office.
Watchdog group to file lawsuit against Trump over foreign payments
A liberal-funded watchdog group said Sunday it plans to file a lawsuit against President Donald Trump alleging that he is violating the Constitution by allowing his business to accept payments from foreign governments.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics said they planned to file the lawsuit in the Southern District of New York on Monday.
The group claims Trump is violating a clause in the Constitution that prohibits his businesses from receiving anything of value from foreign governments and because he didn’t divest his businesses, the group claims he’s now receiving gifts from foreign governments via guests and events at his hotels, leases in his buildings and real estate deals abroad.
"When Trump the president sits down to negotiate trade deals with these countries, the American people will have no way of knowing whether he will also be thinking about the profits of Trump the businessman," the Washington-based organization said in a statement.
Hicks said in an email to the Associated Press: "She was very clear on this issue two weeks ago and nothing has changed; the president has no conflicts."
The New York Times reported that the group won’t seek any monetary damages, but instead hopes New York will order Trump to stop taking payments from foreign governments.
Eric Trump told The New York Times that the Trump Organization had taken more than the steps required by law to avoid litigation. He dismissed the lawsuit as, “purely harassment for political gain.”
The group’s impending lawsuit is one of many expected lawsuits to be filed against Trump.
The Times noted that the American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act request on Thursday asking the Department of Justice, the General Services Administration and the Office of Government Ethics for anything they have on addressing the possible ethical conflicts Trump faces.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Madonna gives profanity-laced speech at Women's March in Washington
Madonna is very angry about the election of President Trump, and she let the crowd at the Women's March in Washington know it without holding back during a profanity-laced speech.
"I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House," the 58-year-old pop star said, before adding that she "knows this won't change anything."
Later, she dropped an f-bomb and used another vulgarity to give some advice to President Trump.
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| What a piece of trash. |
"Well, good did not win this election. But good will win in the end," Madonna said.
Later, she performed two of her hits, "Express Yourself" and "Human Nature." During the latter, she led the crowd in a chant of "I'M NOT YOUR BITCH!"
A range of other performers and activists, including singers Alicia Keyes and Janelle Monae, trans advocate and writer Janet Mock,and filmmaker Michael Moore, also appeared onstage.
High-profile celebrities march at Sundance Film Festival (thought they were leaving the country)
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| 🙅 |
PARK CITY, UTAH – Celebrities at the annual Sundance Festival in Utah panned President Donald Trump's inaugural day performance with a rally and march on Saturday.
The Women's March on Main led by comedian Chelsea Handler included a handful of Hollywood royalty marching down Main Street in Park City.
Oscar winner Charlize Theron along with actresses Maria Bello, Mary McCormack, and Kristen Stewart were just a handful of high-profile celebs who participated in one of the 200 sister marches across the country. Actors Kevin Bacon, Benjamin Bratt and singer John Legend were also in attendance.
As the snow came falling down thousands of marchers chanting "Love not hate makes America great" and "Love Trumps hate" with signs from Planned Parenthood and stickers with the saying "I'm with Meryl" – in reference to actress Meryl Streep and her speech at the Golden Globe awards earlier this month.
STEPHEN BALDWIN: ALEC SHOULD RETIRE TRUMP IMPRESSION
Handler took the stage as the crowd cheered continuing to chant going wild. The comedian and activist shared a message of hope in her opening speech.
"We did experience a huge setback but the only thing you can do when you have a setback is to step forward and continue to fight and use your voice," she said. "And if there is a silver lining to be found regarding this past election it is that it opened our eyes to the amount of work that still needs to be done."
Handler continued: "And if the election had gone the other way maybe we would have gone complacent maybe we would have thought we did it, we pushed through the glass ceiling so the groundswell we needed before the election is happening now."
Teri Orr, journalist for the Park Record Newspaper and executive director of the Park City Institute, introduced Handler and spoke to FOX411 before the rally.
"For me it's more about the things we are for today than about the things we are against. That's too easy," she said. "And I think the media has gotten trapped in a lot of that and so have we by listening to soundbites and posting quick things instead of doing the work."
The march was not affiliated with Robert Redford’s annual film festival.
SHIA LABEOUF LEADS WITH 'WILL NOT DIVIDE US' ON INAUGURATION DAY
It was supported by Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, Justice Party, Summit County Democrats, Equality Now, Alliance For A Better Utah, Emily’s List, Sentry Financial and Impact Partners Film.
Stewart was among the crowd with her friends wearing an "I'm with Meryl" sticker. She declined to talk to FOX411.
Chrissy Tiegen tweeted Friday she was skipping Sundance to attend the larger march in Washington D. C.
"I was going to go to Sundance to support John tomorrow but feeling compelled to support my fellow women," she tweeted. "See you at the women's march, DC."
Day after Trump sworn in, hundreds of thousands protest presidency in celeb-studded march
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| These look like real working women to me🙌 |
WASHINGTON – Several hundred thousand people from across the country descended on Washington Saturday to protest Donald Trump just hours into his presidency, donning bright pink hats and carrying a dizzying array of political signs – in a celebrity-studded march that put the nation’s lingering divisions on full display despite the 45th president’s appeal a day earlier for unity.
The protesters, most of whom were women, were largely peaceful by comparison with the scattered bands of rioters who wreaked havoc on parts of D.C. during Friday’s inauguration. This crowd was far larger and more organized.
But the march grew more chaotic as the day went on and protesters moved from the National Mall into the streets. And despite indications from some organizers last week that the demonstration was not defined as “anti-Trump,” it was in every respect a march against the new president -- kicking off as he attended a National Prayer Service after waking up in the White House for the first time.
“A platform of hate and division assumed power yesterday,” actress America Ferrera told the crowd Saturday morning on the National Mall. “But the president is not America. We are America.”
Other celebrities including Madonna and Michael Moore stirred up the crowd, with Madonna making perhaps the most inflammatory comments. In profanity-laced remarks, the singer said she had “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House” but knows “this won’t change anything.”
While called the Women's March on Washington, the protest attracted families of men, women and children mostly sporting pro-women and anti-Trump messages. Hundreds of “sister marches” were held in other cities across the U.S. and internationally.
“Of course this is an anti-Trump march,” a local ambassador for the D.C. march, who declined to give his name, said as he directed the crowds toward the rally. “Sure, of course it’s for rights, but it’s really against Trump.”
Another protester called Trump a “terrible president,” though he has only had the keys to the Oval Office for one day.
In his inaugural address Friday, Trump spoke in stark terms about America's problems but also called for a "new national pride" to heal divisions. Saturday's march showed protesters united -- only in opposition to the new president, on the grounds where just 24 hours earlier, Trump supporters cheered their candidate’s ascension to power.
Women wearing “pussy-hats” -- hand-knit pointy-eared pink winter headgear -- held posters with derogatory messages and phrases bashing the president and filled the National Mall.
Officials estimated a crowd of 500,000 people, which is more than double what march organizers had predicted. One D.C. official told the Associated Press that the massive turnout also forced organizers to revise plans to march on the White House, and instead head to the nearby ellipse.
Children at times held political messages alongside their parents. One family pushed their toddler son through the crowds in a stroller, wearing a sign that read “Who will have a bigger tantrum? Trump or me?”
The signs touched on a range of other issues, including statements against controversial oil pipelines, drone warfare, voter ID laws and more.
The march, while mostly peaceful, did see isolated incidents, with some women vandalizing portable restrooms designated for the inauguration ceremonies by bashing the locks off with bricks, and some screaming in the faces of a group of people holding signs with Christian messages.
“We’re not here against Trump, but we’re not here for him either,” one of the sign-holders said. “We just want to share that God demonstrated his love towards everyone, regardless of what you believe in.”
March organizers also had uninvited the group “New Wave Feminists,” which initially co-sponsored the event, after finding out that the group held a pro-life stance.
“It’s a very specific type of diversity, which does not include everyone,” Founder and President of New Wave Feminists Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa said on “Fox & Friends” Saturday morning. She said despite the lack of invitation, her group still planned to march. “Any time women come together, exciting things happen – so we definitely wanted to be there with the pro-life contingent.”
The movement spread far beyond Washington, as more than 600 “sister marches” were planned spanning as far abroad as Myanmar and Australia. In Prague, hundreds gathered in freezing weather; in Copenhagen and Sydney, thousands marched.
The D.C. march attracted celebrity participants who took a lead role in pumping up the crowd -- like Ashley Judd, who spoke at a morning rally, and Ferrera, who led the artist contingent scheduling appearances and performances from singers Cher and Katy Perry, comedian Amy Schumer, and actresses Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Debra Messing and Patricia Arquette.
A day after the inaugural ceremonies, though, Trump supporters were still in town and keeping a presence. Overlooking the National Mall on Saturday were members of the pro-Trump group Bikers for Trump.
“I admire a group of like-minded people coming together to march and to demonstrate,” founder Chris Cox said. “But there are a lot of children out there and a lot of the signs are certainly inappropriate – I think maybe they should be a little more sensitive to some of their members.”
Cox said his group, whose message is to support Trump’s agenda regarding Islamic extremism, support for veterans, and illegal immigration, had several speakers scheduled, but was running late due to the congestion from the Women’s March. The list included bishops and two women whose children were killed by illegal immigrants.
Cox condemned the violence that broke out a day earlier.
“They say one thing, and preach and act on another and we don’t condone violence,” Cox told said of his group. “We’re the blue-collar, working guy, and we have a lot to lose – we’re not looking for a fight, but hey, we’re not ones to back down from one either.”
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