Harry Kazianis: Trump haters wrong to criticize him for Fourth of July celebration – Fox News
Harry Kazianis: Trump haters wrong to criticize him for Fourth of July celebration – Fox News
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Backlash over Trump’s ‘Salute to America’ event

Outrage over tanks in D.C.; Raymond Arroyo has this week’s edition of Seen and Unseen on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’

Once again, the radical left has found a new way to create a national controversy over something that should be celebrated by all Americans as a source of pride. But this time, they’ve gone too far and need to be called out.

Fueled by their hatred of President Trump, some on the left are telling us it is politically incorrect to honor America’s battle for freedom against tyranny and what keeps such tyranny at bay – our world-class armed forces.

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

RUSH LIMBAUGH: LEFT ‘SCARED OUT OF THEIR WITS’ ABOUT TRUMP JULY 4 PARADE, KAEPERNICK ‘FOOLED EVERYBODY’

Keep in mind, when the Declaration of Independence was issued on July 4, 1776, it did not transform America from 13 British colonies into an independent nation. It was just a statement of what our founders wanted.

It took the Revolutionary War – fought by brave patriots with the best weapons they could get their hands on – to convince the British to give up their colonies and recognize the United States of America was now truly independent.

Without a military force, which was led by Gen. George Washington, the 13 colonies might have remained under British rule for decades longer. Keep in mind that our neighbor Canada did not gain independence from Britain until 1867, and Britain held onto colonies in other parts of the world well into the 20th century.

Yet progressives, NeverTrumpers and of course The New York Times are outraged that President Trump is showcasing our armed forces in the celebration of Independence Day in our nation’s capital, which the president is calling a Salute to America.

The Greatest Generation didn’t defeat Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan and Fascist Italy by staging peace rallies and protest marches, or by diplomatic negotiations. It took the deadliest war in history – claiming an estimated 70 million to 85 million lives – to end the dreams of world conquest by the Axis powers.

Let’s face it: without a strong military, we not only would have failed to win our freedom in the Revolutionary War, we would have failed to keep it in later conflicts.

The Greatest Generation didn’t defeat Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan and Fascist Italy by staging peace rallies and protest marches, or by diplomatic negotiations. It took the deadliest war in history – claiming an estimated 70 million to 85 million lives – to end the dreams of world conquest by the Axis powers.

So the idea that the U.S. armed forces will play a big role in this year’s Independence Day festivities should not be considered shocking, offensive or inappropriate. Without a strong military, we could be dominated by another nation today.

The firepower on display on the National Mall will be impressive – as it should be. M1 Abrams tanks and world-class military gear will be displayed – and no, they aren’t rolling down the streets, but will be stationary.

There will also be a flyover by some of America’s most powerful aircraft, such as the B-2 stealth bomber, and the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets.

President Trump is showing off the best America’s armed forces have to offer – and calling attention to the brave men and women who have volunteered to put their lives on the line defending our nation.

But that is not all you will see if you head to the festivities or view them on TV. The celebration will be capped off by a speech by President Trump and a grand fireworks display.

This is something we should do every year – regardless of whether a Democrat or a Republican occupies the Oval Office.

No American should ever fear symbols of our national power. There are countless airshows, National Guard events, and open military base events around the country that act as symbols of pride in our country.

I will never forget how when I was a boy I was able to get close to a now-retired F-117 stealth fighter and speak at length to the pilot who flew it. That interaction might even be part of the reason why I work in think tank studying national security issues today.

In fact, the only people that should ever fear our awesome weapons are our foreign adversaries.  

What am I missing? What is wrong with taking pride in a U.S. military that is the finest in the world? How can we be upset by celebrating the wonderful men and women who defend our country and keep us free?

I would be willing to wager most Americans are – like me – are proud to see such a display of our nation’s strength. In fact, it was President Trump who made it a centerpiece of his presidential campaign to ensure our armed forces would receive the military equipment they need after years of lean budgets and budget sequestration when President Barack Obama was in the White House.

The support our current president gives daily to our military and his constant shows of patriotism should be a unifying force. These should be universal principles we all support, regardless of party, politics or anything else.

However, any conservative knows by now that anything involving President Trump is a triggering event to the left – and that’s a real shame.

Clearly, our nation has much bigger concerns to worry about these days than the celebration of our independence. Let’s have a meaningful debate on things like immigration reform, what to do about Iran or North Korea, how to fund our entitlement programs, how to keep our promises to seniors, or the state of America’s crumbling infrastructure.

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Fighting over the celebration of the Fourth of July is simply a waste of our time.

Happy Fourth America, and thank you to all who serve in our armed forces to keep us free.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY HARRY KAZIANIS

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/harry-kazianis-trump-haters-wrong-to-criticize-him-for-fourth-of-july-celebration

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DOJ reverses, says it’s trying to find ways to include citizenship question on 2020 census | TheHill – The Hill
DOJ reverses, says it’s trying to find ways to include citizenship question on 2020 census | TheHill – The Hill

A lawyer with the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Wednesday that agency officials have been ordered to determine whether there is a way the administration can include a citizenship question on the 2020 census, hours after a tweet from President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump appears to contradict officials, calls reports on 2020 census ‘fake’ Fox’s July 4 coverage to highlight charity for families of wounded, fallen service members Why Kim gets Trump’s love and Khamenei doesn’t MORE raised confusion over the status of the question.

Joseph Hunt, an assistant attorney general with DOJ’s civil division, said Wednesday that the department has been “instructed to examine whether there is a path forward, consistent with the Supreme Court’s decision, that would allow us to include the citizenship question on the census.”

“We think there may be a legally available path under the Supreme Court’s decision. We’re examining that, looking at near-term options to see whether that’s viable and possible,” Hunt said, according to a transcript of a teleconference held in federal court in Maryland.

The DOJ official said the agency currently plans to file a motion in the Supreme Court that would “govern further proceedings in order to simplify and expedite the remaining litigation and provide clarity to the process going forward.”

“It’s very fluid at present because we are still examining the Supreme Court’s decision to see if that option is still available to us,” Hunt added, according to the transcript.

Judge George Hazel, an Obama appointee, who is currently overseeing the federal lawsuit over the citizenship question in Maryland, gave the Trump administration until 2 p.m. Friday to say that it will no longer pursue adding the question to the census.

If not, he asked for a proposed schedule on how he should move forward on reviewing equal protection claims in relation to the question’s addition to the 2020 census.

During Wednesday’s teleconference, lawyers opposing the citizenship question suggested that Hazel could issue an order that would halt further speculation about the citizenship question’s status.

“Given the way in which this has developed and given the inconsistent statements that we’re hearing from the Justice Department and the Commerce Department, on the one hand, and from the president on the other hand, we think that to effectuate the relief that we’ve sought, which is an injunction barring the inquiring of citizenship status on the 2020 census, this is the kind of relief that’s necessary,” Shankar Duraiswamy, who is representing some of the parties in the Maryland case, said on the call. “And it’s appropriate and within the power of the court.”

The call was held after President Trump tweeted earlier Wednesday that his administration would continue to pursue adding the question to the 2020 census, after officials initially said Tuesday that the administration would drop that effort.

Hazel said during the call that he scheduled the conference in light of Trump’s tweet.

“I don’t know how many federal judges have Twitter accounts, but I happen to be one of them, and I follow the president, and so I saw a tweet that directly contradicted the position” the DOJ had given the day before, Hazel said, according to the transcript.

“I think I’m actually being really reasonable here and just saying I need a final answer by Friday at 2 p.m. or we’re going forward,” the judge said.

Hazel, an Obama appointee, has been tasked with reviewing whether there was a discriminatory intent behind the citizenship question’s addition to the 2020 census, a different legal question than the one addressed by the Supreme Court last week. That case could be potentially be dropped if it’s determined that the question won’t appear.

Joshua Gardner, another DOJ lawyer, indicated during the call that he wasn’t aware of the change in the status of the citizenship question efforts ahead of Trump’s tweet.

“The tweet this morning was the first I had heard of the president’s position on this issue, just like the plaintiffs and Your Honor. I do not have a deeper understanding of what that means at this juncture other than what the president has tweeted,” Gardner said. “But, obviously, as you can imagine, I am doing my absolute best to figure out what’s going on.”

Judge Jesse Furman, in federal court in New York, has also given DOJ until 6 p.m. on Wednesday to state their “position and intentions” on the citizenship question.

That order came after groups challenging the question requested that Furman, an Obama appointee, hold an emergency hearing on the question’s status, citing the president’s tweet stating that the administration would continue to pursue adding the question to the 2020 census.

Trump administration officials had said Tuesday that the 2020 census would be printed without a citizenship question, but Trump’s tweet appeared to contradict those statements.

“Because this statement is not consistent with the representations Defendants’ counsel made to Plaintiffs and a federal court yesterday, and because proceeding with a citizenship question at this point would violate this Court’s injunction — which the Court retains jurisdiction to enforce — Plaintiffs request an immediate status conference so the Court and the parties can determine Defendants’ current position and whether any emergency relief is needed,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, the American Civil Liberties Union and other attorneys wrote.

Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), which is involved in the Maryland lawsuit, said in a statement that under the Trump administration, “there’s no accounting for doubling down on stupid.”

“Unfortunately, and embarrassingly for our nation, today’s reversal from yesterday’s certainty repeats the pattern of this entire affair, which began with Secretary Wilbur RossWilbur Louis RossTrump appears to contradict officials, calls reports on 2020 census ‘fake’ Democrats celebrate announcement on citizenship census question Trump administration drops citizenship question from 2020 census MORE — who inexplicably remains in the Cabinet — lying to Congress and the public about the reason for the late attempted addition of a citizenship question to Census 2020,” Saenz said. 

“MALDEF is fully prepared to demonstrate in court that racism is the true motivation for adding the question, and by doing so, to prevent the question from appearing on the census.”

Denise Hulett, the national senior counsel at MALDEF and the lead attorney for the group in the Maryland case, said that administration’s actions “will result in the same kind of misinformation that leads our communities to be reluctant to participate in the Census, at a time when the Census Bureau should be actively encouraging everyone’s full participation.” 

Hulett said that Trump’s tweet “has some of the same effects that the addition of the question would in the first place and some of the same effects on the 18-month battle that was just waged over the citizenship question.”

“So we strongly believe that we’re going to need some affirmative commitment, whether it’s through a stipulation or by order of this court, an affirmative commitment from the government to counter misinformation wherever in the government that it comes from, a commitment that they will respond quickly and comprehensively to that kind of misinformation,” Hulett continued.

Hazel replied by saying that he didn’t think the lawyers were asking him to “enjoin the President of the United States from tweeting things,” adding that if so, it would “raise some concern.”

However, Hazel raised the possibility of him issuing an order requiring “the Census Bureau or the Department of Commerce to take whatever steps are necessary to counteract any such message, which, again, I this is an odd place for the judiciary to be.”

Gardner, the DOJ attorney, replied by noting that “this is a very fluid situation which we are trying to get our arms around.”

Furman said in his order that he will determine whether an emergency hearing should be held after the Trump administration makes its filing.

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 last week to block the citizenship question from appearing on the census for the time being, finding the administration’s argument that the question was needed to enforce the Voting Rights Act didn’t line up with evidence provided in the case.

Trump officials appeared to have conceded that the question wouldn’t appear on the 2020 census: Both the Justice Department and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Tuesday that printing would begin for census materials without a citizenship question.

But the president cast that outcome into doubt on Wednesday, when he tweeted that reporting based on his own administration’s statements was “fake news.”

“We are absolutely moving forward, as we must, because of the importance of the answer to this question,” Trump tweeted.

ACLU Voting Rights Project Director Dale Ho vowed Wednesday to continue fighting the issue in court.

“The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration’s effort to add a census citizenship question was illegal because it was based on a ‘contrived’ rationale. Despite that, and despite DOJ’s repeated statements that the census questionnaire cannot be changed after June 30, the administration is now examining whether it can concoct a ‘new rationale’ for its citizenship question,” he said in a statement. “The answer is no, it cannot — at least not a legal one. Any attempt at an end run around the Supreme Court’s decision will be unsuccessful, and will be met swiftly in court.”

—Updated at 6:50 p.m.

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/451639-doj-ordered-to-find-ways-to-include-citizenship-question-on-2020

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America will win even if North Korea diplomacy fails – Washington Examiner
America will win even if North Korea diplomacy fails – Washington Examiner

It’s a frequent refrain that President Trump’s North Korean diplomacy is delusional — that by building a personal rapport with Kim Jong Un, Trump gives Kim greater space and time to manipulate him in North Korea’s interests.

I think that’s untrue.

But even if it is true, even if Trump’s diplomacy is serving Kim more than it is serving America, it is at least offering the U.S. one useful thing. If diplomacy eventually fails, Trump will be able to make the unimpeachable case to the world that he went all out to reach a peaceful solution to the crisis.

The exhaustion of diplomatic alternatives to conflict is a standing expectation of just war. U.S. military strikes against North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs might not spark major North Korean retaliation. But if war does follow, it will be brutal. Thousands, more likely tens of thousands will die. Trump’s diplomatic efforts thus speak to the moral necessity of mitigating this risk.

Trump’s exhaustive diplomacy would also help the U.S. to rally the world to its side in the event that military action is necessary. While few nations are likely to join any U.S. action against North Korea, Trump’s efforts have not gone unnoticed in foreign capitals. Indeed, those efforts are widely regarded with great sympathy by foreign governments that otherwise dislike the president. So if his personal diplomacy fails, Trump will be more easily able to persuade foreign governments to support tougher sanctions against Pyongyang. Even if only marginally, his efforts will also lend greater international acceptance of last resort U.S. military action.

We must remember that diplomacy isn’t about nice photos. It’s about setting the ground, for good or bad, on what comes next. Either way, Trump’s diplomatic efforts will set the groundwork positively for the Untied States.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/america-will-win-even-if-north-korea-diplomacy-fails

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Why the number 16.33 is critical to avoiding conflict with Iran – Washington Examiner
Why the number 16.33 is critical to avoiding conflict with Iran – Washington Examiner

The distance between peace and conflict with Iran is now best measured by a number, 16.33%.

That’s the difference between the level to which Iran is currently enriching its uranium, and the percentage it is threatening to enrich to beginning next week. Why does that matter?

Well, because while Iran’s enrichment level currently stands at 3.67%, if it goes beyond 20%, it will be able to produce a nuclear weapon. That’s a difference of 16.33%. The stakes are clear.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned on Wednesday that if the European Union fails to provide sanctions relief to Tehran, “The level of Iran’s enrichment will not be limited to 3.67% anymore … we will enhance the level to the extent we need.” Considering that the European Union cannot satisfactorily address Iran’s concerns, we should expect Tehran’s enrichment policy to escalate next week.

At that point, the Europeans will have to decide whether to keep appeasing Iran or to address its brinkmanship by supporting renewed sanctions. If the Europeans choose the sanctions route and Iran realizes its options are limited, the regime will face a binary choice between implosion and new negotiations. If, however, Iran decides to increase its enrichment level beyond 20%, the U.S. and Israel will face a critical choice.

Because then Iran will be just a few months away from a viable nuclear weapon. And advanced Iranian ballistic missile research means we must also assume some risk that Iran can platform a nuclear warhead onto a missile. That threat will cross Israeli red lines but also pose an imminent threat to Saudi Arabia, and U.S. forces across the Middle East. It will thus be a casus belli for a massive air and missile campaign against Iran.

President Trump must make clear that Iran’s current course will lead the regime nowhere good. He must ensure that Iran’s leaders, especially Ayatollah Khamenei, realize that action against U.S. interests or in pursuit of nuclear weapons will meet an overwhelming response. And Trump must clarify that his only demand is Iran’s return to the nuclear negotiating table.

The immediate stakes are greater than many assume.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/why-the-number-16-33-is-critical-to-avoiding-conflict-with-iran

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Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher sentenced to pay cut and demotion but no more jail time – CBS News
Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher sentenced to pay cut and demotion but no more jail time – CBS News

Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, the Navy SEAL who was acquitted on Tuesday of killing an ISIS captive, will not serve any additional time after posing in a photo with a corpse and then posting it on Facebook. The jury reduced Gallagher’s rank by one grade to petty officer 1st class and ordered his monthly pay cut by $2,697 for four months.

The military jury that acquitted him had recommended a sentence of four months, forfeiting pay for four months and a demotion of rank to petty officer first class. The judge on Wednesday modified the sentence, capping the pay cut at two months and giving Gallagher 60 days’ credit for being held in overly harsh conditions before being tried and being deprived of treatment for a traumatic brain injury.

Gallagher also got credit for 201 days of pretrial confinement. Gallagher turned to his wife, shook his head and pretended to unpin his “anchors” — the insignia of a chief — and fling them across the courtroom. He then smiled and hugged her.

The sentence will not go into effect until it is approved by the commanding officer overseeing the court-martial.

Gallagher told CBS San Diego affiliate KFMB-TV he felt “fine” after the verdict. “It’s alright, you know, the jury came to the verdict and I trust them,” he said.

Earlier, Gallagher addressed the jury that had acquitted him Tuesday of murder, attempted murder and other counts stemming from an incident during a 2017 deployment to Iraq.  “I put a black eye on the two communities that I love — the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy — specifically the SEAL community,” he said.

He said he tried to lead by example but didn’t always succeed.

“I’ve made mistakes throughout my 20-year career — tactical, ethical, moral — I’m not perfect but I’ve always bounced back from my mistakes. I’m ready to bounce back from this,” he said.  

Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, right, walks with his wife, Andrea Gallagher as they arrive to military court on Naval Base San Diego, Wednesday, June 26, 2019, in San Diego.

AP


A Navy prosecutor had asked only for a reduction in rank, not confinement. The defense recommended no punishment. Gallagher told the jury he was fully responsible for his actions on the day he took photos with the body of the 17-year-old militant.

One image shows him clutching the hair of the corpse with one hand and holding a knife in another.

The photos were taken after Gallagher and other SEALs provided medical treatment for the captive who was wounded in an air strike in 2017 and handed over by Iraqi forces. The prosecutor, Lt. Brian John, said Gallagher was the platoon chief and should not have been the centerpiece of the photos in which nearly all the members posed with the body. John said Gallagher should have stopped the photos from being taken.

“For that reason, he no longer deserves to wear anchors,” the prosecutor said.

John said the photos had the potential to be used as propaganda by ISIS and be harmful to U.S. forces overseas. The verdict clearing Gallagher of the most serious charges was met with an outpouring of emotion.

President Trump, who intervened earlier this year to have Gallagher moved from the brig to less restrictive confinement, tweeted congratulations to the SEAL and his family. “You have been through much together. Glad I could help!” the president wrote.

The outcome delivered a major blow to one of the Navy’s most high-profile war crimes cases and exposed a generational conflict within the ranks of the elite special operations forces.

Asked in an interview Wednesday on Fox & Friends what his message might be to future Navy SEALs, Gallagher said he would tell them that “loyalty is a trait that seems to be lost. … You’re there to watch your brother’s back, and he’s there to watch your back.”

Speaking of his accusers, Gallagher said, “this small group of SEALs that decided to concoct this story in no way, shape or form represent the community that I love.”

Gallagher also thanked Fox News “for being behind us from day one,” and also thanked Mr. Trump along with Republican Reps. Duncan Hunter of California and Ralph Norman of South Carolina.

Defense lawyers said Gallagher was framed by junior disgruntled platoon members who fabricated the allegations to oust their chief. They said the lead investigator built the probe around their stories instead of seeking the truth.

They said there was no physical evidence to support the allegations because no corpse was ever recovered and examined by a pathologist. The prosecution said Gallagher was incriminated by his own text messages and photos, including one of him holding the dead militant up by the hair and clutching a knife in his other hand.

“Got him with my hunting knife,” Gallagher wrote in a text with the photo.

The defense said it was just gallows humor and pointed out that almost all platoon members who testified against him also posed with the corpse. The jury of five Marines and two sailors, including a SEAL, was comprised mostly of seasoned combat veterans who served in Iraq. Several lost friends in war.

Source Article from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/navy-seal-edward-gallagher-acquitted-killing-isis-captive-sentenced-for-posing-with-corpse-2019-07-03/

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Court rules Trump can’t use Pentagon cash for border wall – AOL
Court rules Trump can’t use Pentagon cash for border wall – AOL

SAN DIEGO (AP) — An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a freeze on Pentagon money to build a border wall with Mexico, casting doubt on President Donald Trump’s ability to make good on a signature campaign promise before the 2020 election.

A divided three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco agreed with a lower court ruling that prevented the government from tapping Defense Department counterdrug money to build high-priority sections of wall in Arizona, California and New Mexico.

The decision is a setback for Trump’s ambitious plans. He ended a 35-day government shutdown in February after Congress gave him far less than he wanted. He then declared a national emergency that the White House said would free billions of dollars from the Pentagon.

The case may still be considered, but the administration cannot build during the legal challenge.

“As for the public interest, we conclude that it is best served by respecting the Constitution’s assignment of the power of the purse to Congress, and by deferring to Congress’s understanding of the public interest as reflected in its repeated denial of more funding for border barrier construction,” wrote Judges Michelle Friedland, a Barack Obama appointee, and Richard Clifton, a George W. Bush appointee.

A freeze imposed by U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. of Oakland in May prevented work on two Pentagon-funded wall contracts — one spanning 46 miles (74 kilometers) in New Mexico and another covering 5 miles (8 kilometers) in Yuma, Arizona.

Honduran migrant Joel Mendez, 22, passes his eight-month-old son Daniel through a hole under the U.S. border wall to his partner, Yesenia Martinez, 24, who had already crossed in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 7, 2018. Moments later Martinez surrendered to waiting border guards while Mendez stayed behind in Tijuana to work, saying he feared he’d be deported if he crossed. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Honduran migrant Joel Mendez, 22, feeds his eight-month-old son Daniel as his partner Yesenia Martinez, 24, crawls through a hole under the U.S. border wall, in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 7, 2018. Moments later Martinez surrendered to waiting border guards while Mendez stayed behind in Tijuana to work, saying he feared he’d be deported if he crossed. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Honduran migrant Leivi Ortega, 22, wearing a rosary, looks at her phone while she, her partner and their young daughter, wait in hopes of finding an opportunity to cross the U.S. border from Playas de Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. In early December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that the San Diego sector experienced a “slight uptick” in families entering the U.S. illegally with the goal of seeking asylum. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

In a photo taken from the Tijuana, Mexico, side of the border wall, a guard on the U.S. side, at left, watches Honduran migrants jump the wall into the United States, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018. Thousands of migrants who traveled via caravan are seeking asylum in the U.S., but face a decision between waiting months or crossing illegally, because the U.S. government only processes a limited number of cases a day at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)




While the order applied only to those first-in-line projects, Gilliam made clear that he felt the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued on behalf of the Sierra Club and Southern Border Communities Coalition, was likely to prevail in their argument that Trump ignored Congress’ wishes by diverting Defense Department money.

Gilliam went a step further Friday by ruling definitively that the administration couldn’t use Pentagon counterdrug money for the two projects covered in his May order or to replace 63 miles (101 kilometers) in the Border Patrol’s Tucson, Arizona, sector and 15 miles (24 kilometers) in its El Centro, California, sector.

The administration immediately appealed.

N. Randy Smith, a George W. Bush appointee, strongly disagreed with the appeals court ruling, saying it misread constitutional separation of powers.

“The majority here takes an uncharted and risky approach — turning every question of whether an executive officer exceeded a statutory grant of power into a constitutional issue,” he wrote in his dissent. “This approach is in contradiction to the most fundamental concepts of judicial review.”

The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Its attorneys argued that the freeze on Pentagon funds showed a “fundamental misunderstanding of the federal appropriations process.”

At stake is billions of dollars that would allow Trump to make progress on a major 2016 campaign promise heading into his race for a second term.

Trump declared a national emergency after losing a fight with the Democratic-led House that led to the 35-day shutdown. Congress agreed to spend nearly $1.4 billion on barriers in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, which was well below the $5.7 billion the president requested.

Trump grudgingly accepted the money but declared the emergency to siphon cash from other government accounts, finding up to $8.1 billion for wall construction. The money includes $3.6 billion from military construction funds, $2.5 billion from Defense Department counterdrug activities and $600 million from the Treasury Department’s asset forfeiture fund.

Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper has yet to approve transferring the military construction funds. The Treasury Department funds have so far survived legal challenges.

The president’s adversaries say the emergency declaration was an illegal attempt to ignore Congress.

The administration said the U.S. needed emergency protection to fight drug smuggling. Its arguments did not mention illegal immigration or unprecedented numbers of Central American families seeking asylum at the U.S. border , which have dominated public attention in recent months.

The administration has awarded $2.8 billion in contracts for barriers covering 247 miles (390 kilometers), with all but 17 miles (27 kilometers) of that to replace existing barriers not expand coverage. It is preparing for a flurry of construction that the president is already celebrating at campaign-style rallies.

Trump inherited barriers spanning 654 miles (1,046 kilometers), or about one-third of the border with Mexico. Of the miles covered under Trump-awarded contracts, more than half is with Pentagon money.

The Army Corps of Engineers recently announced several large Pentagon-funded contacts.

SLSCO Ltd. of Galveston, Texas, won a $789 million award to replace the New Mexico barrier. Southwest Valley Constructors of Albuquerque, New Mexico, won a $646 million award for the work in Tucson. Barnard Construction Co. of Bozeman, Montana, won a $141.8 million contract to replace barrier in Yuma and El Centro.

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Source Article from https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/07/03/appeals-court-trump-cant-use-pentagon-cash-for-border-wall/23762704/

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‘Salute to America’ critics fueled by ‘hate for President Trump’: Kayleigh McEnany – Fox News
‘Salute to America’ critics fueled by ‘hate for President Trump’: Kayleigh McEnany – Fox News
Video

Kayleigh McEnany on the Ingraham Angle

Kayleigh McEnany on the Ingraham Angle

Critics of President Trump’s planned “Salute to America” celebration are letting their disdain for the Republican get in the way of celebrating the Fourth of July, according to the president’s reelection campaign spokeswoman.

There is no reason to object to the president’s Thursday evening celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, Trump 2020 national press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”

“Let’s be clear what this is about,” she said. “Their hate for President Trump is clouding their love for this country. This is a ‘Salute to America.’

TANKS ARRIVE IN DC AS TRUMP CONFIRMS JULY FOURTH CELEBRATION WILL FEATURE MILITARY DISPLAY

Video

“Leave it to the left to be unpatriotic the day before and day of the Fourth of July.”

In a montage played by guest host Tammy Bruce, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said on MSNBC she hoped, “that we never see this spectacle of our military force being on display as a show of force to our own people.”

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who represents neighboring Alexandria, claimed Trump, “must be the most insecure man I’ve ever seen.”

In another interview, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said tanks should not be rolling in her city.

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Earlier this week, an Associated Press photographer spotted the two M1A1 Abrams tanks, along with four other military vehicles, in a railyard at the southeastern edge of Washington. A military official earlier told the AP that the tanks were transported north from Fort Stewart in Georgia.

The vehicles include M1A1 Abrams tanks, the type currently used by American armed forces, as well as Sherman tanks, the kind commonly used during World War II, according to the president. Having tanks rolling down the streets of D.C. had raised concerns due to their weight, with the Abrams tanks weighing upwards of 60 tons each. Trump acknowledged these concerns Monday, without offering many details.

Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kayleigh-mcenany-trump-salute-to-america-critics

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READ: Transcript of Maryland hearing on census citizenship question – CNN
READ: Transcript of Maryland hearing on census citizenship question – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/03/politics/read-census-citizenship-question-hearing/index.html

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The complicated history of the Betsy Ross flag – Washington Post
The complicated history of the Betsy Ross flag – Washington Post

The 13-star flag is one of a number of symbols co-opted by some hate groups like white supremacists. The Post talked to flag expert Jeffrey Kohn to understand its controversial roots. Read more: https://wapo.st/2RRHiLw. Subscribe to The Washington Post on YouTube: https://wapo.st/2QOdcqK

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Source Article from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRa8R0Y35xc

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Facebook’s photo outage reveals how AI sees your photos – INSIDER
Facebook’s photo outage reveals how AI sees your photos – INSIDER

  • An image outage on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp showed how Facebook’s AI automatically tags your photos behind the scenes.
  • The tags sparked anger and amusement on Twitter, as people shared how their photos were interpreted — or misinterpreted.
  • On Twitter, people shared some of their tags, which included the mundane (“one person, beard”) and the disconcerting (“people standing, hoes, and indoor”).
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

An image outage across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp gives a behind-the-scenes look at how Facebook’s AI sees your photos.

The outage, which started on Wednesday and affected Facebook’s 1.5 billion-plus daily active users and rendered Instagram all but unusable, stopped social-media images from loading and left in their place descriptions like: “image may contain: table, plant, flower, and outdoor” and “image may contain: tree, plant, sky.”

(Or maybe that’s just my feed.)

This is the kind of thing a lot of people saw on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp instead of their actual photos.
Screenshot/Matt Weinberger

These descriptions, or tags, show how Facebook’s artificial intelligence interprets images.

On Twitter, people shared screenshots of how their photos were tagged. “To be fair, ‘one person, beard’ is pretty much a spot-on description of me,” Zack Whittaker, an editor at TechCrunch, wrote.

So, what’s going on?

Facebook automatically scans all photos on the social network with facial- and image-recognition software powered by AI to detect who or what is being pictured.

This is then used in the company’s accessibility efforts to describe photos to people who are blind or otherwise visually impaired, and who are accessing the site via a screen reader.

In short, Facebook uses machine learning to automatically interpret photos, then reads this interpretation aloud to blind users. The photo outage meant that we got an in-your-face look at those interpretations, too.

At times, it appeared the AI incorrectly tagged the photo, as in the case of the Fortune reporter Danielle Abril’s where the photo description read: “5 people, including Danielle Abril, people smiling, people standing, hoes and indoor.” Hopefully there was a gardening tool in the photo — we’ve reached out to Abril but did not immediately hear back.

So while there could be a benign explanation here, it’s still a stark reminder of just how much data Facebook is gathering at all times, even when we don’t realize it’s happening. Thanks to its increasingly sophisticated AI technology, Facebook can even gather information from something as innocuous as a vacation photo.

“Once something is legible, of course, it becomes easy to store, analyze, and extract data from. It’s only when the system breaks down, like today, that we realize it’s happening at all,” James Vincent of The Verge, wrote.

Source Article from https://www.insider.com/facebooks-photo-outage-reveals-how-ai-sees-your-photos-2019-7

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‘We have a predator living in the White House’: Harris sharpens attacks on Trump – POLITICO
‘We have a predator living in the White House’: Harris sharpens attacks on Trump – POLITICO

Sen. Kamala Harris flexed her law enforcement experience, saying she would be prepared to take on “a predator” like the president. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images

2020 elections

Kamala Harris on Wednesday debuted a new line of attack against President Donald Trump, saying that her background as a prosecutor made her uniquely suited to take on “a predator” like the president.

At an Iowa event, during a riff on Trump’s trade and health care policies and his handling of the surge of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, the 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful ripped the president for betraying the American people.

Story Continued Below

“I’m prepared to prosecute the case. And I’m going to tell you in terms of my background,” the California senator said, rattling off a list of groups she prosecuted in her more than two decades in law enforcement in California.

“I know predators, and we have a predator living in the White House,” she continued, earning raucous applause from the crowd. “And let me tell you, there’s a little secret about predators. Donald Trump has predatory nature and predatory instincts.”

The sharper rhetoric comes as Harris seeks to capitalize on a surge in polling since her commanding performance during last week’s Democratic debates. In particular, Harris dominated former Vice President Joe Biden in a bruising exchange over Biden’s civil rights record.

Harris performed well enough to catch Trump’s eye as he attended the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, where he downplayed her performance. Harris’ strong showing also caught the ire of conservatives who sought to cast doubt on whether Harris is “black enough” to speak with authority on matters of race, prompting her Democratic rivals to race to her defense.

The California senator indicated Wednesday that she isn’t ruffled by the incoming fire, implicitly labeling the president a “coward” who is merely preying on the weak.

“And so when we look at this campaign, and we look at the task before us, it will be to successfully prosecute the case against four more years of Donald Trump, and I am prepared to do that,” she said.

A handful of polls have shown Harris gaining ground in the crowded Democratic primary field since last week’s first round of debates. In at least one poll, Harris has leapfrogged into second place behind Biden. While it’s still extremely early in the primary, her debate bounce signals an ascent into the top tier of candidates heading into this month’s second round of debates.

Source Article from https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/03/kamala-harris-predator-donald-trump-1398852

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Court rules Trump can’t use Pentagon cash for border wall – AOL
Court rules Trump can’t use Pentagon cash for border wall – AOL

SAN DIEGO (AP) — An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a freeze on Pentagon money to build a border wall with Mexico, casting doubt on President Donald Trump’s ability to make good on a signature campaign promise before the 2020 election.

A divided three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco agreed with a lower court ruling that prevented the government from tapping Defense Department counterdrug money to build high-priority sections of wall in Arizona, California and New Mexico.

The decision is a setback for Trump’s ambitious plans. He ended a 35-day government shutdown in February after Congress gave him far less than he wanted. He then declared a national emergency that the White House said would free billions of dollars from the Pentagon.

The case may still be considered, but the administration cannot build during the legal challenge.

“As for the public interest, we conclude that it is best served by respecting the Constitution’s assignment of the power of the purse to Congress, and by deferring to Congress’s understanding of the public interest as reflected in its repeated denial of more funding for border barrier construction,” wrote Judges Michelle Friedland, a Barack Obama appointee, and Richard Clifton, a George W. Bush appointee.

A freeze imposed by U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. of Oakland in May prevented work on two Pentagon-funded wall contracts — one spanning 46 miles (74 kilometers) in New Mexico and another covering 5 miles (8 kilometers) in Yuma, Arizona.

Honduran migrant Joel Mendez, 22, passes his eight-month-old son Daniel through a hole under the U.S. border wall to his partner, Yesenia Martinez, 24, who had already crossed in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 7, 2018. Moments later Martinez surrendered to waiting border guards while Mendez stayed behind in Tijuana to work, saying he feared he’d be deported if he crossed. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Honduran migrant Joel Mendez, 22, feeds his eight-month-old son Daniel as his partner Yesenia Martinez, 24, crawls through a hole under the U.S. border wall, in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 7, 2018. Moments later Martinez surrendered to waiting border guards while Mendez stayed behind in Tijuana to work, saying he feared he’d be deported if he crossed. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Honduran migrant Leivi Ortega, 22, wearing a rosary, looks at her phone while she, her partner and their young daughter, wait in hopes of finding an opportunity to cross the U.S. border from Playas de Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. In early December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that the San Diego sector experienced a “slight uptick” in families entering the U.S. illegally with the goal of seeking asylum. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

In a photo taken from the Tijuana, Mexico, side of the border wall, a guard on the U.S. side, at left, watches Honduran migrants jump the wall into the United States, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018. Thousands of migrants who traveled via caravan are seeking asylum in the U.S., but face a decision between waiting months or crossing illegally, because the U.S. government only processes a limited number of cases a day at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)




While the order applied only to those first-in-line projects, Gilliam made clear that he felt the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued on behalf of the Sierra Club and Southern Border Communities Coalition, was likely to prevail in their argument that Trump ignored Congress’ wishes by diverting Defense Department money.

Gilliam went a step further Friday by ruling definitively that the administration couldn’t use Pentagon counterdrug money for the two projects covered in his May order or to replace 63 miles (101 kilometers) in the Border Patrol’s Tucson, Arizona, sector and 15 miles (24 kilometers) in its El Centro, California, sector.

The administration immediately appealed.

N. Randy Smith, a George W. Bush appointee, strongly disagreed with the appeals court ruling, saying it misread constitutional separation of powers.

“The majority here takes an uncharted and risky approach — turning every question of whether an executive officer exceeded a statutory grant of power into a constitutional issue,” he wrote in his dissent. “This approach is in contradiction to the most fundamental concepts of judicial review.”

The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Its attorneys argued that the freeze on Pentagon funds showed a “fundamental misunderstanding of the federal appropriations process.”

At stake is billions of dollars that would allow Trump to make progress on a major 2016 campaign promise heading into his race for a second term.

Trump declared a national emergency after losing a fight with the Democratic-led House that led to the 35-day shutdown. Congress agreed to spend nearly $1.4 billion on barriers in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, which was well below the $5.7 billion the president requested.

Trump grudgingly accepted the money but declared the emergency to siphon cash from other government accounts, finding up to $8.1 billion for wall construction. The money includes $3.6 billion from military construction funds, $2.5 billion from Defense Department counterdrug activities and $600 million from the Treasury Department’s asset forfeiture fund.

Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper has yet to approve transferring the military construction funds. The Treasury Department funds have so far survived legal challenges.

The president’s adversaries say the emergency declaration was an illegal attempt to ignore Congress.

The administration said the U.S. needed emergency protection to fight drug smuggling. Its arguments did not mention illegal immigration or unprecedented numbers of Central American families seeking asylum at the U.S. border , which have dominated public attention in recent months.

The administration has awarded $2.8 billion in contracts for barriers covering 247 miles (390 kilometers), with all but 17 miles (27 kilometers) of that to replace existing barriers not expand coverage. It is preparing for a flurry of construction that the president is already celebrating at campaign-style rallies.

Trump inherited barriers spanning 654 miles (1,046 kilometers), or about one-third of the border with Mexico. Of the miles covered under Trump-awarded contracts, more than half is with Pentagon money.

The Army Corps of Engineers recently announced several large Pentagon-funded contacts.

SLSCO Ltd. of Galveston, Texas, won a $789 million award to replace the New Mexico barrier. Southwest Valley Constructors of Albuquerque, New Mexico, won a $646 million award for the work in Tucson. Barnard Construction Co. of Bozeman, Montana, won a $141.8 million contract to replace barrier in Yuma and El Centro.

More from Aol.com:

Fotis Dulos, husband of missing Connecticut mother, fiercely defends his innocence

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Supremacist gets life sentence on federal hate crime charges in Charlottesville attack

Source Article from https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/07/03/appeals-court-trump-cant-use-pentagon-cash-for-border-wall/23762704/

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Record heat brings concern for children and pets – KTVA
Record heat brings concern for children and pets – KTVA

– Keep something you need in the backseat. Whether it be a purse, a phone, or your shoes, let it be something that is part of your daily routine.

– Keep a stuffed animal in the passenger seat beside you to remind you that your child is in the car with you.

– Write a sticky note and place it on the steering wheel. 

– Set a reminder on your phone. Smart phones now have the capability to remind you when you leave a set geographic area. 

– Make it a routine to look before you lock.

Source Article from https://www.ktva.com/story/40741666/record-heat-brings-concern-for-children-and-pets

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Donald Trump’s census confusion – CNN
Donald Trump’s census confusion – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/03/politics/2020-census-citizenship-question-donald-trump/index.html

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Court rules Trump can’t use Pentagon cash for border wall – AOL
Court rules Trump can’t use Pentagon cash for border wall – AOL

SAN DIEGO (AP) — An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a freeze on Pentagon money to build a border wall with Mexico, casting doubt on President Donald Trump’s ability to make good on a signature campaign promise before the 2020 election.

A divided three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco agreed with a lower court ruling that prevented the government from tapping Defense Department counterdrug money to build high-priority sections of wall in Arizona, California and New Mexico.

The decision is a setback for Trump’s ambitious plans. He ended a 35-day government shutdown in February after Congress gave him far less than he wanted. He then declared a national emergency that the White House said would free billions of dollars from the Pentagon.

The case may still be considered, but the administration cannot build during the legal challenge.

“As for the public interest, we conclude that it is best served by respecting the Constitution’s assignment of the power of the purse to Congress, and by deferring to Congress’s understanding of the public interest as reflected in its repeated denial of more funding for border barrier construction,” wrote Judges Michelle Friedland, a Barack Obama appointee, and Richard Clifton, a George W. Bush appointee.

A freeze imposed by U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. of Oakland in May prevented work on two Pentagon-funded wall contracts — one spanning 46 miles (74 kilometers) in New Mexico and another covering 5 miles (8 kilometers) in Yuma, Arizona.

Honduran migrant Joel Mendez, 22, passes his eight-month-old son Daniel through a hole under the U.S. border wall to his partner, Yesenia Martinez, 24, who had already crossed in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 7, 2018. Moments later Martinez surrendered to waiting border guards while Mendez stayed behind in Tijuana to work, saying he feared he’d be deported if he crossed. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Honduran migrant Joel Mendez, 22, feeds his eight-month-old son Daniel as his partner Yesenia Martinez, 24, crawls through a hole under the U.S. border wall, in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Dec. 7, 2018. Moments later Martinez surrendered to waiting border guards while Mendez stayed behind in Tijuana to work, saying he feared he’d be deported if he crossed. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Honduran migrant Leivi Ortega, 22, wearing a rosary, looks at her phone while she, her partner and their young daughter, wait in hopes of finding an opportunity to cross the U.S. border from Playas de Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. In early December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that the San Diego sector experienced a “slight uptick” in families entering the U.S. illegally with the goal of seeking asylum. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

In a photo taken from the Tijuana, Mexico, side of the border wall, a guard on the U.S. side, at left, watches Honduran migrants jump the wall into the United States, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018. Thousands of migrants who traveled via caravan are seeking asylum in the U.S., but face a decision between waiting months or crossing illegally, because the U.S. government only processes a limited number of cases a day at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)




While the order applied only to those first-in-line projects, Gilliam made clear that he felt the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued on behalf of the Sierra Club and Southern Border Communities Coalition, was likely to prevail in their argument that Trump ignored Congress’ wishes by diverting Defense Department money.

Gilliam went a step further Friday by ruling definitively that the administration couldn’t use Pentagon counterdrug money for the two projects covered in his May order or to replace 63 miles (101 kilometers) in the Border Patrol’s Tucson, Arizona, sector and 15 miles (24 kilometers) in its El Centro, California, sector.

The administration immediately appealed.

N. Randy Smith, a George W. Bush appointee, strongly disagreed with the appeals court ruling, saying it misread constitutional separation of powers.

“The majority here takes an uncharted and risky approach — turning every question of whether an executive officer exceeded a statutory grant of power into a constitutional issue,” he wrote in his dissent. “This approach is in contradiction to the most fundamental concepts of judicial review.”

The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Its attorneys argued that the freeze on Pentagon funds showed a “fundamental misunderstanding of the federal appropriations process.”

At stake is billions of dollars that would allow Trump to make progress on a major 2016 campaign promise heading into his race for a second term.

Trump declared a national emergency after losing a fight with the Democratic-led House that led to the 35-day shutdown. Congress agreed to spend nearly $1.4 billion on barriers in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, which was well below the $5.7 billion the president requested.

Trump grudgingly accepted the money but declared the emergency to siphon cash from other government accounts, finding up to $8.1 billion for wall construction. The money includes $3.6 billion from military construction funds, $2.5 billion from Defense Department counterdrug activities and $600 million from the Treasury Department’s asset forfeiture fund.

Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper has yet to approve transferring the military construction funds. The Treasury Department funds have so far survived legal challenges.

The president’s adversaries say the emergency declaration was an illegal attempt to ignore Congress.

The administration said the U.S. needed emergency protection to fight drug smuggling. Its arguments did not mention illegal immigration or unprecedented numbers of Central American families seeking asylum at the U.S. border , which have dominated public attention in recent months.

The administration has awarded $2.8 billion in contracts for barriers covering 247 miles (390 kilometers), with all but 17 miles (27 kilometers) of that to replace existing barriers not expand coverage. It is preparing for a flurry of construction that the president is already celebrating at campaign-style rallies.

Trump inherited barriers spanning 654 miles (1,046 kilometers), or about one-third of the border with Mexico. Of the miles covered under Trump-awarded contracts, more than half is with Pentagon money.

The Army Corps of Engineers recently announced several large Pentagon-funded contacts.

SLSCO Ltd. of Galveston, Texas, won a $789 million award to replace the New Mexico barrier. Southwest Valley Constructors of Albuquerque, New Mexico, won a $646 million award for the work in Tucson. Barnard Construction Co. of Bozeman, Montana, won a $141.8 million contract to replace barrier in Yuma and El Centro.

More from Aol.com:

Fotis Dulos, husband of missing Connecticut mother, fiercely defends his innocence

Navy SEAL acquitted of murder in killing of captive in Iraq

Supremacist gets life sentence on federal hate crime charges in Charlottesville attack

Source Article from https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/07/03/appeals-court-trump-cant-use-pentagon-cash-for-border-wall/23762704/

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Donald Trump’s census confusion – CNN
Donald Trump’s census confusion – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/03/politics/2020-census-citizenship-question-donald-trump/index.html

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Charges dropped against woman indicted after shooting miscarriage – Vox.com
Charges dropped against woman indicted after shooting miscarriage – Vox.com

One week after her story drew national attention, Marshae Jones, the Alabama woman who faced criminal charges after a shooting caused her to miscarry, will not be prosecuted, the Alabama district attorney announced Wednesday.

“After viewing the facts of this case and the applicable state law I have determined that it is not in the best interest of justice to pursue prosecution of Ms. Jones on the manslaughter charge for which she was indicted by the grand jury,” Jefferson County District Attorney Lynneice Washington said at a press conference. “Therefore, I am dismissing this case and no further legal action will be taken against Ms. Jones in this matter.”

In recent days, Washington’s office faced heavy criticism for Jones’s indictment, and Jones’s lawyers had filed a motion to have the case dismissed.

”There are no winners, only losers in this sad ordeal,” Washington added.

At the end of June, Alabama news outlets reported that Jones, a 27-year-old Birmingham resident, had been taken into police custody after a grand jury indicted her on manslaughter charges for the death of her then-5-month-old fetus. Police argued that Jones had initiated a fight with 23-year-old Ebony Jemison in December and was directly responsible for the fact that Jemison fired a bullet that struck Jones in the stomach.

According to a report from Al.com, police initially charged Jemison with manslaughter over the shooting. But a jury declined to indict her, saying that Jones initiated the altercation and that Jemison was acting in self-defense when she shot at Jones. That same jury later indicted Jones, arguing that she “intentionally caused the death of her unborn baby by initiating a fight knowing she was five months pregnant.”

Local police also blamed Jones for the shooting. “Let’s not lose sight that the unborn baby is the victim here,” Pleasant Grove Police Lt. Danny Reid said shortly after the shooting. “She had no choice in being brought unnecessarily into a fight where she was relying on her mother for protection.”

The indictment was heavily criticized and immediately raised questions about why the woman who was shot was the one charged. Reproductive rights advocates argued that Jones’s story was a troubling example of the ways pregnant women of color are criminalized in states like Alabama, which has prosecuted hundreds of women for things like “chemical endangerment” while pregnant. These groups argued that many more pregnant women in the state might be punished in the wake of a recently passed law that bans most abortions in Alabama. The law is scheduled to go into effect in November.

In a statement released Wednesday, Jones’s lawyers said they were pleased that the charges had been dismissed and that the district attorney “chose not to proceed with a case that was neither reasonable nor just.”

”With the dismissal of charges, the community of support that surrounded Marshae can now channel its immense passion and energy toward ensuring that what happened to Marshae won’t ever happen again,” they added.

Source Article from https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/7/3/20681511/marshae-jones-alabama-miscarriage-shooting-charges-dismissed

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Inside the effort to build suspense — and crowds — for Trump’s Fourth of July – The Washington Post
Inside the effort to build suspense — and crowds — for Trump’s Fourth of July – The Washington Post

Army personnel finish parking a Bradley Fighting Vehicle in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Juliet Eilperin

Josh Dawsey

Ashley Parker

Dan Lamothe

July 3 at 7:20 PM

As President Trump’s appointees have worked doggedly to assemble the most ambitious and costly Fourth of July ceremony the nation’s capital has ever seen, they have been guided by one overriding principle: It cannot be a repeat of his 2017 inauguration.

The transformation of the Lincoln Memorial’s grounds into a made-for-TV setting, complete with a VIP seating section for donors and other political supporters, represents the culmination of a four-month-long effort to produce the military celebration the president has envisioned for nearly two years.

For a public gathering that is ostensibly targeting an audience of hundreds of millions of Americans, the display of weaponry, aircraft and pyrotechnics has been scripted primarily to satisfy an audience of one. By having Trump speak to a select audience, flanked by armored tactical vehicles, organizers hope he will avoid the prospect of facing a smaller crowd of the sort that gathered on the Mall for his swearing-in.

But the White House has also been scrambling in recent days to line up enough attendees, as Trump’s aides fret that either thunderstorms or the traditional free concert on the other end of the Mall could diminish the crowd for Trump’s 6:30 p.m. speech. The issue of crowd size has been a sore point with Trump since his inauguration, when far fewer people showed up compared with Barack Obama’s 2009 inaugural ceremony and the president pressed National Park Service officials for nonexistent photographic evidence of a larger audience.

The administration has provided 5,000 tickets to the military, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. Trump’s reelection campaign has handed passes out to allies, donors and trade associations — from the American Bankers Association to the British Embassy, according to people familiar with the matter, while several fundraisers and operatives also were tasked to hand out tickets.


An aerial view shows the crowd and empty parts of the Mall at President Trump’s inauguration in January 2017. (National Park Service)

The White House has been a bit clumsy in some of its attempts to give away the passes, however, and officials said there were plenty of tickets still available this week. Members of one nonprofit advocacy organization — which does not accept any gifts from the government — received an email from the Office of Public Liaison this week, offering up to five tickets for Trump’s remarks.

The event will easily be the most expensive Independence Day fete on the Mall in history. The Park Service has committed to spending nearly $2.5 million for Trump’s involvement alone, and the air show and transport of tanks and other heavy machinery will also run into the millions. The president, however, described it Wednesday as a bargain.

“The cost of our great Salute to America tomorrow will be very little compared to what it is worth,” the president tweeted. “We own the planes, we have the pilots, the airport is right next door (Andrews), all we need is the fuel. We own the tanks and all. Fireworks are donated by two of the greats. Nice!”

While work on the project has accelerated in recent weeks, it can be traced directly back to the president’s July 2017 visit to Paris, where he attended a Bastille Day parade along the Avenue des Champs-Elysees. Current and former aides recalled that they were texting during the parade as they watched Trump’s reaction to the jet booms, gun trucks and marching troops, aware that he would want to replicate it back home.

Riding in the president’s specially armored limousine on the way to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, Trump again brought up a celebration of military might — and began sketching out a parade with tanks, flyovers and more before Air Force One even took off. Aides who warned him that tanks would tear up the streets said he dismissed such concerns — and said there would be ways around them.

“There were many long conversations with the boss about this,” said one former senior administration official.

Trump’s initial idea, to hold a military parade coinciding with Veterans Day last year, was scuttled after its projected cost of up to $92 million became public.


President Trump and first lady Melania Trump applaud the aerial show during the Bastille Day parade in Paris on July 14, 2017. (Markus Schreiber/AP)

One former White House official said that then-Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, who was sensitive to pushback he received from the Pentagon, helped put the brakes on the military parade that Trump has wanted for “forever.” But under current acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, this person added, Trump has more leeway to indulge his whims and impulses.

During Polish President Andrzej Duda’s visit to the White House last month, Trump arranged for an F-35 fighter jet to fly over the complex — and the president loved the display, one White House official said.

Discussions around the current event began at least as early as Feb. 21, when Trump brought it up in a lunch with Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, according to an individual familiar with the matter. Three days later, Trump urged Americans to prepare for “one of the biggest gatherings in the history of Washington, D.C., on July 4th . . . Major fireworks display, entertainment and an address by your favorite President, me!”

Since then, White House, Interior and Pentagon staffers have engaged in extended negotiations over what sort of commemoration the federal government could undertake without additional appropriations from Congress. Officials from both the Park Service and the Defense Department have raised logistical and budgetary concerns at several points, according to several government officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. Many of those concerns have been brushed aside.

Two U.S. defense officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the Pentagon has been planning for the July 4 celebration since at least February, when specific requests for aircraft such as the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber were made by the White House.

Military officials did not see a problem with the requests, considering them to be part of a civic event that the Pentagon would typically support. Briefing slides with aircraft on them were created and distributed in some parts of the Pentagon, one of the defense officials said.

But as July neared, the Pentagon ran into a challenge: The White House did not want defense officials to detail the military’s involvement out of deference to the president’s desire to have surprises for observers during the aerial show. The situation created a dynamic in which it appeared the Pentagon was less organized for the celebration than it really was, one of the defense officials said.


A worker pressure-washes a tank Tuesday in a rail yard in Washington in advance of President Trump’s Fourth of July celebration. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

One apparent exception was the president’s desire to include tanks in the celebration. A third defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said many top military officials were not aware that the president definitely wanted tanks involved until last week. Two M1A2 Abrams tanks were shipped up on rail cars from Fort Stewart in Georgia over the weekend along with other armored vehicles, including M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

National Park Service officials remain concerned that the deployment of tanks on the Lincoln Memorial’s grounds could damage its curbs and sidewalks, which are not designed to hold the weight of a vehicle weighing more than 60 tons. The federal government spent $30.7 million to refurbish the memorial under the Obama administration, including its sidewalks, and the Trump inaugural committee still hasn’t reimbursed the agency for damage it inflicted to the memorial during its setup in January 2017.

With the event less than a day away, some details were still being worked out. White House officials have repeatedly urged Trump to stick to the script his staff has prepared for him to deliver Thursday, which includes a unifying message about patriotism and avoids political taunts or attacks, and aides say he has agreed not to give a political speech. But his aides were tentatively planning to play campaign music when he takes the stage, according to one individual familiar with the plan.

And while the Park Service has dipped into a pot of entrance and recreation fees to transfer nearly $2.5 million for the White House portion of the event, it is unclear which parks will end up losing funds as a result. At one point, Interior officials raised the idea of taking money from sites located in liberal communities such as San Francisco’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area, according to a person familiar with the discussion, but that has yet to take place.

The decision to tap funds normally reserved for projects aimed at enhancing visitors’ experience has sparked howls of protest from Democratic lawmakers and National Park Service advocates, who note the agency has a $11.9 billion deferred maintenance backlog.

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on environment appropriations, said Wednesday that she plans to “schedule a hearing to get a full accounting from Interior Secretary Bernhardt on the use of National Park fees to pay for this event.”


Preparations are made Wednesday for President Trump’s “Salute to America” event at the Lincoln Memorial. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

“This administration needs to be reminded that the power of the purse belongs to Congress,” she said.

Will Ritter, co-founder of Poolhouse, a Republican ad agency, said that while Thursday’s event is more elaborate than past July 4 observances, some of the criticisms are overblown.

“Panicking partisans that think this is the cinematic beginning of a military state need to grab a sparkler and a Bud,” Ritter said. “It’s much bigger than one person, much more important than showing off metal, nailing the president or ‘owning the libs.’ It should be an unapologetic celebration that we are blessed to live in the greatest nation on earth, during the best time in human history. Have a hot dog!”

The president’s advisers say Trump sees the event as a way to associate himself with the flag and patriotism, which will resonate with many Americans the way his comments criticizing National Football League players for kneeling during the national anthem did.

After wading into the anthem debate, according to two former senior administration officials speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, Trump told his aides, “It’s a winning issue for me.”

“What are they going to say? I’m being too patriotic? I believe in America?” one official recounted Trump saying. “Give me a break.”

Asked about the event Wednesday, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh was unapologetic. “President Trump loves this country,” Murtaugh said. “He’ll never apologize for that.”

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-effort-to-build-suspense–and-crowds–for-trumps-fourth-of-july/2019/07/03/10c2b00a-9da8-11e9-9ed4-c9089972ad5a_story.html

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FACT CHECK: Did Trump’s 2020 Campaign Publish a Heavily Slanted ‘Trump vs Democrat’ Poll? – Snopes.com
FACT CHECK: Did Trump’s 2020 Campaign Publish a Heavily Slanted ‘Trump vs Democrat’ Poll? – Snopes.com

Readers responded with bemusement and skepticism in June 2019 after an “Official 2020 Trump vs Democrat Poll” emerged online and on social media, appearing to pose questions framed in a heavily anti-Democrat way.

For example, one survey question asked, “Who would you rather see fix our Nation’s shattered immigration policies? President Trump // A MS-13 loving Democrat,” while another somewhat tautological question asked: “Who would you trust to NOT raise your taxes? President Trump // A High Tax Democrat.”

Such bias in the questions, as well as some clear nods to Trump’s go-to insults against his political opponents (the poll referenced “a Lyin’ Democrat” and “a Low IQ Democrat”), prompted inquiries from Snopes readers who were uncertain whether they were reading a parody or hoax or an official Trump 2020 campaign poll. One reader asked, “Oh my gosh, is this really from the Trump campaign? Or some satire site?” while another wrote, “Is this for real? It sounds too crazy …”

The survey was indeed published by Trump’s official re-election campaign committee, on that campaign’s official website. An archived version can be read here. The site on which it appeared, donaldjtrump.com, is run by two formally registered, pro-Trump committees and the Republican National Committee (RNC). The website contains the following disclaimer, which makes clear the official nature of the June 2019 survey and all other content featured on the site:

“Paid for by the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, a joint fundraising committee authorized by and composed of Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. and the Republican National Committee.”

The poll’s true purpose may not have been to create a set of results that reflected in a misleadingly positive way on the president but rather to harvest contact information —  respondents were required to enter their name, zip code and email address in order to submit their answers.

The full list of questions was as follows:

  1. Who would you rather see fix our Nation’s shattered immigration policies? 
    – President Trump
    – A MS-13 Loving Democrat
  2. Who would you trust more to protect America from foreign and domestic threats?
    – President Trump
    – A Corrupt Democrat
  3. Who would you rather handle our Nation’s economy?
    – President Trump
    – A Radical Socialist Democrat
  4. Who do you believe is more transparent with the American People?
    – President Trump
    – A Lyin’ Democrat
  5. Who do you trust to NOT raise your taxes?
    – President Trump
    – A High Tax Democrat
  6. Who do you believe will ALWAYS put America FIRST?
    – President Trump
    – A Sleazy Democrat
  7. Who do you believe will keep their promises?
    – President Trump
    – A Lyin’ Democrat
  8. Who do you believe will fight for you every day?
    – President Trump
    – A Low Energy Democrat
  9. Who do you believe is better for America?
    – President Trump
    – A Low IQ Democrat
  10. Who will you vote for in 2020?
    – President Trump
    – A Radical Socialist Democrat

The “Trump vs Democrat” poll bore similarities to another survey on the subject of “mainstream media accountability,” which Trump’s website published in February 2017, and that included heavily slanted questions such as. “Do you feel that the media is too eager to slur conservatives with baseless accusations of racism and sexism?” 

Source Article from https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-democrat-poll-survey/

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Iran warns Europe it ‘will take next step’ to enrich uranium to weapons-grade level if new deal isn’t reached – Fox News
Iran warns Europe it ‘will take next step’ to enrich uranium to weapons-grade level if new deal isn’t reached – Fox News
Video

Iranian president threatens to enrich uranium to ‘any amount we want’

Hassan Rouhani gives Europe until July 7 to find a solution to Iran’s economic problems; Trey Yingst reports from Jerusalem.

Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani warned European nations Wednesday that Tehran will “take the next step” in increasing its uranium enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels this coming Sunday if they do not offer a new deal by then, adding that they will increase it to “any amount that we want”.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting in Tehran, Rouhani said: “In any amount that we want, any amount that is required, we will take over 3.67.

“Our advice to Europe and the United States is to go back to logic and to the negotiating table. Go back to understanding, to respecting the law and resolutions of the U.N. Security Council. Under those conditions, all of us can abide by the nuclear deal.”

Iran’s nuclear deal currently bars it from enriching uranium above 3.67%, which is enough for nuclear power plants but far below the 90% needed for weapons.

This week, Iran reportedly breached that low-enriched uranium stockpile limitation. Under terms of the multinational 2015 nuke deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 660 pounds of low-enriched uranium. The country originally pledged to stay within those limits if Britain, France, Germany and the rest of the European Union followed through with plans to provide Iran access to international banking systems.

IRAN SURPASSES URANIUM STOCKPILE LIMIT SET BY NUCLEAR DEAL, STATE MEDIA SAYS

Rouhani gave a Sunday deadline.

Video

The 2015 deal has been unraveling since the U.S. withdrew its support in 2018. The original deal saw sanctions on Iran lifted in exchange for limits on its nuclear program, but President Trump restored crippling sanctions against Iran upon pulling out of the accord, weakening the agreement altogether.

NEWT GINGRICH SAYS IRAN IS ‘VERY CLOSE TO BREAKING’ UNDER TOUGH SANCTIONS: ‘THIS IS A VERY SHAKY REGIME’

President Trump claimed the deal, which was agreed upon during President Obama’s time in office, only put weak limits on the regime’s nuclear activity and still would allow Iran to pursue a nuclear weapon once key parts of the agreement lapse.

Former President Obama released a statement at the time, arguing the nuclear deal “is working” and “has significantly rolled back Iran’s nuclear program,” saying that’s why Trump’s announcement “is so misguided.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News’ Nicole Darrah, Alex Pappas and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/world/irans-hassan-rouhani-warns-europe-nation-will-take-next-step-to-enrich-uranium-to-weapons-grade-level-if-new-deal-isnt-reached

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Methodist Hospitals In Memphis Suspend Debt Collection Suits Against Own Workers : Shots – Health News – NPR
Methodist Hospitals In Memphis Suspend Debt Collection Suits Against Own Workers : Shots – Health News – NPR

R. Alan Pritchard, one of two attorneys for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, heads into Shelby County General Sessions Court Wednesday in Memphis. He asked the court to drop more than two dozen cases as the hospital reviews its collection policies.

Andrea Morales for MLK50


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Andrea Morales for MLK50

R. Alan Pritchard, one of two attorneys for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, heads into Shelby County General Sessions Court Wednesday in Memphis. He asked the court to drop more than two dozen cases as the hospital reviews its collection policies.

Andrea Morales for MLK50

This article was produced in partnership with MLK50, which is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network.

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, the largest hospital system in Memphis, Tenn., said it has suspended “court collection activities” over unpaid medical bills — just days after an investigation by MLK50 and ProPublica (which also appeared on NPR) detailed its relentless pursuit of debts held by poor people and even its own employees.

“We recognize that we serve a diverse community and we are always thinking about how we can do more and serve our community better,” Methodist said in a written statement. “Over the next 30 days we will be reviewing our policies and procedures to ensure we are doing everything possible to provide the communities we serve with the care and assistance they need. Also, we will immediately suspend any further court collection activities during this period.

“As a learning organization that is committed to continuous quality improvement, we want to be absolutely sure that our practices continue to support our mission and vision of improving every life we touch regardless of ability to pay.”

Methodist dropped more than two dozen cases that were set for initial hearings on Wednesday’s morning docket at Shelby County General Sessions Court.

“Currently, Methodist is in the process of reviewing its collection processes,” R. Alan Pritchard, one of Methodist’s attorneys, told General Sessions Court Judge Deborah M. Henderson.

“You are free to leave,” Henderson told one defendant, who looked puzzled, a purse on her shoulder and a folder full of papers in her hand.

Henderson called the names of other defendants whose cases were on the docket.

Again and again, Pritchard said: “Dropped, please, your honor.”

One of the defendants whose case was dropped is Adrien Johnson, who works for the city of Memphis. Methodist sued him this year for an unpaid hospital bill of more than $900.

Reached by phone, Johnson said he believes the hospital bill was for X-rays he had taken while he was covered by his wife’s insurance. Wednesday was his first court date, and after the hearing, he said he wasn’t clear what the status of his debt was.

“I don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. “I need to find out what’s going on.”

From 2014 through 2018, the hospital system affiliated with the United Methodist Church filed more than 8,300 lawsuits, according to an MLK50-ProPublica analysis of Shelby County General Sessions Court records. That’s more than all but one creditor during that five-year period.

One story by the news organizations chronicled the struggle of Carrie Barrett, who makes $9.05 an hour at Kroger, to pay her 2007 hospital bill for $12,019. The bill has ballooned to more than $33,000 due to interest and attorney’s fees.

Another story detailed how Methodist sues its own employees, some of whom make less than $13 an hour, for unpaid bills related to care delivered at its hospitals. Its health plan doesn’t allow workers to seek care at hospitals with more generous financial assistance policies.

Defendants talked about how the lawsuits upended their lives and left them in a position where they would never be able to pay off their debts, which grew from year to year as interest mounted.

With $2.1 billion in revenue and a health system that includes six hospitals, Methodist leads the market: In 2017, it had the most discharges per year and profits per patient, according to publicly available data analyzed by Definitive Healthcare, an analytics company.

Methodist says it has “a hospital in all four quadrants of the greater Memphis area, unparalleled by any other healthcare provider in our region,” plus more than 150 outpatient centers, clinics and physician practices. The system also said it provides community benefits of more than $226 million annually.

The number of lawsuits Methodist files isn’t out of proportion to its size, at least compared to competitor Baptist Memorial Health Care and Regional One Health, the county’s public hospital. But Methodist stands out in other respects.

Its financial assistance policy, unlike those of many of its peers around the country, all but ignores patients with any form of health insurance, no matter their out-of-pocket costs. If they are unable to afford their bills, patients then face what experts say is rare: A licensed collection agency owned by the hospital.

Also, after the hospital sues and wins a judgment, it repeatedly tries to garnish patients’ wages, which it does in a far higher share of cases than other nonprofit hospitals in Memphis. A court-ordered garnishment requires that the debtor’s employer send to the court 25% of a worker’s after-tax income, minus basic living expenses and a tiny deduction for children under age 15.

Methodist secured garnishment orders in 46% of cases filed from 2014 through 2018, compared with 36% at Regional One and 20% at Baptist, according to an analysis of court records by MLK50.

Methodist’s announcement was welcomed by some local lawmakers.

“Methodist has been such a great community partner throughout Shelby County that I’m glad to hear they’re reviewing their process over the next 30 days,” said Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery, whose district includes Methodist University Hospital.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., said: “I was surprised to read about Methodist Le Bonheur’s billing practices, and I’m glad that the company is re-examining them. … I will continue to monitor this situation and look forward to the company’s assessment.”

But the Rev. Anthony Anderson, a United Methodist elder at Faith United Methodist in Memphis, was more reserved.

“I am still heartbroken, and I say that spiritually,” Anderson said. “It breaks my heart to know that a Methodist-related entity, a hospital, would have these types of practices.”

He welcomed the policy review, but only if it leads to the complete erasure of all outstanding patient debt.

“This debt needs to be wiped away,” Anderson said. “That will be the direction I will be pushing towards as a Methodist — that we don’t burden families with these type of financial penalties.”

New data obtained from Shelby County General Sessions Court shows that Methodist has filed more than 600 new lawsuits this year. Its most recent suits were filed on June 21, days before the MLK50-ProPublica stories were published. Its most recent garnishment order was filed on Tuesday.

Wendi C. Thomas is the editor of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at wendicthomas@mlk50.com and follow her on Twitter at @wendicthomas.

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for ProPublica’s Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/07/03/738638055/memphis-hospitals-suspend-debt-collection-suits-including-suits-against-employee

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