TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – The Kansas Republican caucus voted Friday evening to oust Senator Gene Suellentrop as Senate Majority Leader.
Behind closed doors and by secret ballot, the Kansas Republican caucus voted 22-4 Friday evening to remove Gene Suellentrop as Senate Majority Leader.
“It was important because it’s a message and so many people always think that you know because you’re a politician, or you’re in a place of authority, that you’re going to get by with doing something,” Sen. Rick Kloos explained. “We know that lives could’ve been lost through the situation and thankfully we didn’t lose any lives.”
“We have high standards on the values we think we should hold and I think as a party tonight, we showed that were holding accountability to that, that it’s not okay,” Sen. Kristen O’Shea added.
The decision comes a day after court documents provided an officer’s account of Gene Suellentrop’s actions the night he was arrested on charges of drunk driving, driving 90-miles an hour the wrong way on a Topeka highway, and fleeing from law enforcement.
Suellentrop was in the Senate chambers on Friday as they discussed and voted on several bills.
In a Republican caucus Friday morning, Senator Rick Kloos of Topeka made the motion to vote Suellentrop out of his role as Senate Majority Leader.
“I felt that before we went on break, we have plenty of time for the process and after yesterday’s results revelations on the blood alcohol content, it was time to make a decision,” Sen. Kloos explained. “I was waiting honestly for someone else to step forward and it just didn’t seem like it was happening, so I just talk to my colleagues and decided I would make the motion.”
Senate Democratic leader Dinah Sykes said in a statement Friday evening that Suellentrop has been held accountable for his actions in march and it’s unfortunate that he wasn’t self-aware to resign on his own.
Senate President Ty Masterson said Suellentrop was offered the chance to resign his leadership post, but declined, and called the vote a solemn, difficult, yet necessary choice.
“These are just heavy issues. You know we become friends with people in these chambers on both sides of the aisle. So, we build relationships in this chamber so it’s kind of a sad day when you see that.”
Masterson also released a statement after Friday evening’s vote removing Sen. Suellentrop from his role as majority leader, “The decision by the Senate Republican Caucus to not retain Senator Suellentrop as Majority Leader was a solemn, difficult, yet necessary choice. The Senate Majority Leader is a position with significant responsibility.”
“While the caucus would have preferred a resignation, they ultimately felt it was necessary to move forward due to the uncertainty and distraction caused by recent events. The caucus appreciates the continued leadership of Senator Alley as we conclude the people’s business this session,” Sen. Masterson continued.
Senator Brenda Dietrich agreed, “we came to the decision today that we put this off long enough. As difficult as it is, we have more information now and I think we came together as a caucus to make a good decision.”
Masterson says it’s up to Suellentrop’s constituents if they want to vote him out of the Senate, “he is non-retained and we think that’s best left to the people who elected him. They have the ability to recall a vote, right and there are options for them.”
The move against Suellentrop would be the first time in at least several decades a Kansas legislative leader faced an ouster vote before the end of his or her term.
Assistant majority leader Larry Alley will serve as acting majority leader for the rest of this session. On May 26th, 2021, the Senate Republican Caucus will vote to elect a permanent majority leader.
México, DF. Bajo la conducción de Carlos Reyes, esta mañana se llevó a cabo el noticiario de la primera emisión de Noticias MVS sin el menor rastro de la producción que se venia realizando con Carmen Aristegui. El locutor no hizo alusión alguna a su antecesora que fue aludida únicamente en dos promocionales emitidos insitucionalmente por MVS.
Durante la emisión matutina de 6 a 10 de la mañana que normalmente conducía Aristegui, apareció Reyes, que hasta ahora era el conductor del noticiero los sábados. Incluso en un momento, una de las cortinillas del noticiero anunciaba que la noticia no se detiene y anunciaba a Reyes en la conducción del sábado.
En ambos promocionales de la emisora se reproducía el comunicado que la víspera emitió la empresa en el cual destacaba que no admitía condicionamientos de sus colaboradores, motivo por el cual daba por concluida la relación con la señora Carmen Aristegui Flores, deseándole éxito en sus futuro desarrollo profesional.
El noticiero eliminó toda alusión a Aristegui Noticias y solamente un error de producción deslizó que era el espacio de Aristegui, cuando una de las corresponsales se presentaba “buenos días Carmen”. Con ello, MVS daba por superado el conflicto laboral con la conductora que estallo la semana pasado luego de que Aristegui anunciara su incorporación a Mexicoleaks
Días después, la empresa anunciaba el despido de Daniel Lizárraga e Irving Huerta, reporteros de la Unidad de Investigaciones especiales del noticiero, bajo el argumento de que se les había perdido la confianza, situación que no fue admitida por Aristegui. Al aire, la conductora planteó el viernes pasado que era condición irrenunciable la reincorporación de sus colaboradores para volver a la relación normal.
El domingo MVS dijo que en esa empresa no cabían actitudes individualistas en detrimento del resto de los colaboradores y no podían ceder a condicionamientos de Aristegui
En este contexto, el ombdusman de Noticias MVS se pronuncio por el diálogo entre las partes y los instó a no dirimir el conflicto mediante campañas mediáticas estridentes (en alusión a la empresa), y ayer censuró el cese de la empresa.
Una auxiliar de enfermería, de 21 años, identificada como Arianis Bolaños murió en un accidente de tránsito sucedido en el departamento de La Guajira cuando la ambulancia en la que iba se salió de la vía y se estrelló contra una cerca. El lamentable hecho se registró a las cinco de la mañana de ayer en el kilómetro 47 en la vía entre las ciudades Riohacha y Santa Marta, cuando venían de Barranquilla hasta donde habían llevado un paciente que había sido remitido. La joven víctima era oriunda de San Juan del Cesar, al sur del departamento, hacía donde iban nuevamente. Otra auxiliar de nombre Marilaine Herrera resultó herida y está en el Hospital Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. Las autoridades investigan si se les atravesó un animal o el vehículo tuvo alguna falla mecánica.
Capturan a dos por los saqueos en el Festival Francisco El Hombre
La Policía reportó la captura de dos sujetos que habrían sido responsables de los saqueos que se registraron el pasado 23 de marzo, durante un concierto del Festival Francisco El Hombre en Riohacha. Los capturados fueron identificados como Jean Carlos Daza de 19 años y Carlos Andrés Blanco Cantillo de 23 años, quienes tenían una orden de captura por receptación y hurto calificado agravado.
Pescadores artesanales ahora también los cultivan
80 pescadores, entre hombres y mujeres, de los municipios de Mahates y María La Baja (Bolívar) conforman la Red Piscícola del Norte de Bolívar (Repisnobol), en la que no solo se dedican a la extracción primaria de peces en las ciénagas, sino también a la crianza de tilapia, cachama y sábalo, ya casi inexistentes en el afluente. Es la solución que toman ante la escasez de estas especies.
Exparamilitares ayudan a buscar fosas comunes
Personal de la Dirección de Investigación Criminal de la Policía, Fiscalía General de la Nación y el Escuadrón Móvil de Carabineros investigan en el corregimiento Rincón del Mar con la colaboración de exparamilitares para esclarecer varias muertes.
Bruselas – Ni el primer ministro polaco, Donald Tusk, ni la jefa de la diplomacia italiana, Federica Mogherini, se toparon ayer con ningún obstáculo en su ascenso a la cúpula de la Unión Europea. Sus nombres llevaban meses en las quinielas y ayer no hubo sorpresas que estropearan un secreto cantado. El primero sustituirá al belga Herman van Rompuy al frente del Consejo Europeo el próximo 1 de diciembre, cuando expira su mandato, mientras que la italiana, que será además vicepresidenta de la Comisión, hará lo mismo con Catherine Ashton cuando el nuevo Ejecutivo comunitario de Jean-Claude Juncker comience a trabajar el 1 de noviembre.
Ambos comparecieron junto a Herman van Rompuy nada más ser confirmados por unanimidad durante la cumbre extraordinaria -en la de finales de julio los 28 no llegaron al consenso- convocada para cerrar un acuerdo esencial para que Juncker termine de perfilar el nuevo colegio de comisarios. La noticia no obstante se le escapó al belga al inicio mismo de la reunión cuando un micrófono abierto permitió escuchar una breve conversación con el presidente chipriota que le interrogaba sobre si había acuerdo. “Sí, pero no lo digas”, le espetó sobre el acuerdo que convertirá a Tusk en presidente del Consejo Europeo y de las cumbres de la Eurozona.
No hizo falta esperar mucho. “La sorpresa se ha desvelado. El nuevo tándem europeo está completo. Tusk y Mogherini trabajarán juntos para defender los intereses y los valores europeos”, anunciaba Van Rompuy que defendió el nombramiento de ambos. “Es uno de los primeros ministros con más experiencia en Europa. Merece el cargo porque es quien es y me parece suficiente”, zanjó sobre Tusk, a quien se le ha achacado su escaso dominio del inglés, un idioma esencial para tejer acuerdos y mediar en el Consejo Europeo. “Permítanme que hable en polaco. Voy a pulir mi inglés y les prometo que estaré listo el 1 de diciembre al 100%”, advirtió. Su nombramiento no es casual sino el resultado de los equilibrios geográfico, políticos y de género necesarios en la escena europea. La elección de una mujer socialista para alta representante, muy criticada en julio por los países bálticos y del este por sus vínculos con Rusia, obligaba a la UE a buscar en el caladero conservador y a tener en cuenta, por primera vez en la historia europea, a un candidato del este.
donald tusk
Nacido en Gdansk (antigua ciudad portuaria alemana de Danzig), en el norte de Polonia, hace 57 años, llega a la presidencia del Consejo Europeo en buena parte gracias al decisivo apoyo de la canciller alemana, Angela Merkel, con la que mantiene una estrecha relación. Al igual que la gran mayoría de miembros del centroderecha polaco, Tusk proviene del entorno del sindicato Solidaridad y de la lucha contra el comunismo durante los ochenta.
federica mogherini
Nacida en Roma hace 41 años, Mogherini se convirtió el 22 de febrero de 2014 en la titular de Exteriores italiana más joven de la historia dentro del Ejecutivo formado por el también primer ministro más joven, Matteo Renzi. Cursó Ciencias Políticas en la Universidad La Sapienza de Roma y se doctoró con una tesis sobre la relación entre religión y política en el Islam y ha cultivado un gran conocimiento de Oriente Medio.
Este martes la ciudad emitió la tercera alerta roja del año por altas temperaturas después de que el termómetro alcanzara los 40,5 grados centígrados y se viviera la cuarta jornada más calurosa desde que comenzaron los registros hace casi un siglo y medio. (Foto: AFP)
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Un peligroso incendio registrado en la provincia de Var, al sur de Francia. (Foto: AFP)
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El segundo en el Vaticano, Pell negó los cargos de pedofilia en su comparecencia ante el tribunal. (Foto: AFP)
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El paro nacional de 48 horas organizado por la oposición para el miércoles y jueves generó más movimiento en la frontera con Colombia. (AFP)
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Veraneantes siguen tomando sol pese a los incendios forestales en Francia. (Foto:Reuters)
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Los venezolanos que escapan y terminan durmiendo en la calle en Colombia. (Foto:AFP)
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Temer envía 8.500 militares a Río de Janeiro para restablecer la seguridad. (Foto:AFP)
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Alerta en Hamburgo tras ataque con cuchillo que dejó un muerto. (Foto:Reuters)
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Atropello masivo en Finlandia deja al menos un muerto y varios heridos. (Foto:AFP)
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Al menos cuatro personas han muerto en la ciudad china de Shanghai por una intensa ola de calor, con las temperaturas más altas vividas en la urbe en los últimos 145 años, informaron las autoridades locales.
Asimismo, en Brasil, una fuerza de 10.000 hombres -incluidos 8.500 militares- empezó a desplegarse el viernes en Río de Janeiro, un estado en pleno marasmo económico, devastado por la inseguridad y los enfrentamientos entre bandas de narcotraficantes.
Esto y muchas más noticias impactantes en la galería.
A presidente afastada Dilma Rousseff chegou pouco depois de 9h desta segunda-feira (29) ao Senado para falar em defesa de seu mandato no julgamento final do impeachment.
Dilma ingressou pela chapelaria do Congresso Nacional, entrada pela qual os parlamentares desembarcam e embarcam nos carros. Dezenas de simpatizantes aguardavam a presidente afastada do lado de dentro do prédio e gritaram palavras de ordem, como: “Dilma, guerreira da pátria brasileira”.
Também chegaram ao Congresso convidados da presidente afastada que assistirão ao depoimento dela. Entre eles, estava o cantor e compositor Chico Buarque. O ex-presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva chegou logo depois.
Chico Buarque chega ao Senado para acompanhar fala de Dilma (Foto: Reprodução/GloboNews)
A sessão desta segunda, aberta à 9h38, faz parte da fase final do processo, na qual a presidente poderá usar a palavra por 30 minutos – período que poderá ser prorrogado – e, em seguida, responder a perguntas dos senadores, da acusação e da defesa.
Até a última atualização desta reportagem, 46 estavam inscritos para fazer perguntas, pelo tempo de 5 minutos cada. Dilma terá o tempo que for necessário para responder as questões.
A decisão final, pela condenação ou absolvição da petista, deve ocorrer entre terça e quarta-feira (31), após debate entre acusação e defesa e novas manifestações do senadores. São necessários 54 votos entre os 81 senadores para o afastamento definitivo da petista.
Afastada do mandato há 110 dias, Dilma passou o último fim de semana no Palácio da Alvorada, residência oficial da Presidência, preparando o discurso que irá ler aos senadores nesta segunda.
Senadores aliados dela defenderam um tom “duro” e “firme”, enfatizando que não cometeu crime de responsabilidade e, portanto, não deve sofrer o impeachment.
Na sexta-feira passada (26), Lula esteve em Brasília e, segundo relatos de assessores e senadores petistas, se reuniu com Dilma no Alvorada.
Na semana passada, entre quinta (25) e sábado (27), os senadores ouviram as testemunhas de defesa e de acusação no processo. Ao longo de três dias, os parlamentares fizeram inúmeros questionamentos aos depoentes, colheram informações e pediram esclarecimentos.
Na sessão desta segunda, a cada quatro horas, o presidente do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), Ricardo Lewandowski, que comanda o julgamento, poderá interromper a sessão para intervalos de cerca de 30 minutos, conforme roteiro estabelecido com os senadores.
Nos intervalos, Dilma poderá se dirigir para a sala de audiências da presidência do Senado, anexo ao gabinete do presidente da Casa, Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL). No local, a presidente afastada poderá estar acompanhada de quem desejar com lanches e refeições.
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Los acontecimientos avanzan rápidamente en Venezuela.
En los últimos meses, Venezuela ha sido el escenario de intensas protestas, elecciones controvertidas, liberación de políticos presos y otros acontecimientos que avanzan a un ritmo frenético.
A pesar de la tensión que se vive en el país, la agenda del gobierno de Nicolás Maduro se ha cumplido, con la instalación el viernes de una polémica Asamblea Nacional Constituyente que reformará el Estado y redactará una nueva Constitución.
Esta semana ocurrieron eventos sin precedentes dentro del clima de enfrentamiento político entre un gobierno que denuncia a la oposición de ser terrorista y una disidencia que lo acusa de haber instalado una dictadura.
BBC Mundo te cuenta los cinco más relevantes.
1. Elección cuestionada y récord de muertes
La elección a la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente (ANC) que se celebró el domingo 30 de julio contó con una serie de particularidades sin precedentes en Venezuela.
Derechos de autor de la imagen Getty Images
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Según el órgano electoral venezolano, en los comicios participó el 41,53% del censo electoral.
En primer lugar, el Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) no llamó a un referendo previo para convocar el órgano legislativo plenipotenciario, como sí ocurrió durante el mandato del expresidente Hugo Chávez cuando se redactó la Constitución de 1999.
El presidente Maduro y otras voces oficialistas argumentaron que el trámite no era necesario pues la Carta Magna vigente no lo exige.
Pero la coalición opositora Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD) y otros países e instituciones denunciaron que el procedimiento era ilegítimo y suponía un mecanismo para instalar un gobierno sin separación de poderes.
Fue por este motivo que se intensificaron las protestas, que ya acumulan más de cuatro meses y han dejado casi 120 muertos.
El mismo día de la elección se registró un récord de al menos 10 fallecidos, según la fiscalía, en la jornada más mortífera desde que iniciaron las manifestaciones.
Mientras la oposición, que no participó en los comicios, trancaba calles como protesta, las urnas recibían a millones de venezolanos que escogieron a los nuevos legisladores de la ANC.
Los electores se agruparon por grupos sectoriales, como obreros, estudiantes y pescadores, en categorías nunca antes vistas en una votación.
Casi a la medianoche del domingo, el CNE informó que poco más de 8 millones de venezolanos habían votado, el 41,53% del censo electoral.
El gobierno exclamó una “victoria popular” de una ANC que “traerá de vuelta la paz”, pero los resultados fueron cuestionados como nunca antes.
2. Smartmatic denuncia “manipulación”
Derechos de autor de la imagen AFP
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El director de Smartmatic, Antonio Mugica, denunció “manipulación” en el dato de participación de la elección.
Desde 2004, la compañía de origen venezolano Smartmatic es proveedora de la plataforma tecnológica de votación para las elecciones venezolanas. Desde entonces no había reportado sobre ninguna irregularidad en los procesos.
Sin embargo, el miércoles su director ejecutivo, Antonio Mugica, dio una sorpresiva conferencia de prensa desde Londres en la que denunció “manipulación” en el dato de participación del domingo pasado.
Mugica afirmó que Smarmatic estimaba “la diferencia entre la cantidad anunciada y la que arroja el sistema de al menos un millón de electores”.
“Una auditoría permitiría conocer la cantidad exacta de participación”, aseguró Mugica.
La presidenta del CNE (Consejo Nacional Electoral), Tibisay Lucena, tachó su denuncia de “irresponsable” y “sin fundamento”, al tiempo que defendió la cifra informada el domingo.
La oposición interpretó lo dicho por la empresa de tecnología como una confirmación de sus acusaciones de fraude. Sin embargo, el CNE no convocó a un nuevo conteo de votos.
En paralelo a las denuncias de fraude electoral y los preparativos para la instalación de la nueva ANC, el bolívar, la moneda nacional, sufrió un histórico hundimiento con respecto al dólar libre del mercado negro, que cada vez más sirve de referencia en el país.
Derechos de autor de la imagen Getty Images
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Venezuela atraviesa una grave crisis económica con escasez de alimentos y medicinas.
Dos días después de la elección, cada dólar tenía un valor de Bs. 12.000. Ahora, la tasa de cambio no oficial ya se sitúa en casi Bs. 19.000, de acuerdo al portal web Dolar Today, que publica los valores en función de las casas de cambio en Cúcuta, ciudad colombiana fronteriza con Venezuela. Su valor es el más usado en las transacciones.
El resultado fue que esta semana el bolívar se depreció más del 50% con respecto al dólar que se vende en el mercado paralelo.
Aunque en el país rige un control gubernamental de las divisas, este sistema no ha servido para contener el aumento desmedido de los precios de los bienes y la inflación más alta del mundo, que según el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) ya roza el 700% anual.
4. Primera sesión: destitución
En la primera sesión de la ANC en 1999, los legisladores escucharon el proyecto del expresidente Hugo Chávez para la nueva Constitución: crear cinco poderes públicos independientes y un periodo presidencial de seis años con reelección inmediata, además de cambiarle el nombre al país por República Bolivariana de Venezuela.
Derechos de autor de la imagen Getty Images
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La primera acción de la nueva ANC fue destituir a la fiscal general, Luisa Ortega.
Casi dos décadas después, en la primera reunión de la ANC de Maduro, el primer punto en la agenda fue destituir a la fiscal general Luisa Ortega Díaz, quien se ha vuelto la voz más disidente dentro del oficialismo.
En lugar de discutir ideas sobre cómo deberá ser el nuevo Estado, los constituyentes hicieron uso de su poder para apartar a una figura incómoda.
La decisión se adoptó por unanimidad a iniciativa de Diosdado Cabello, constituyente y peso pesado del chavismo, quien propuso destituirla de su cargo e inhabilitarla.
Antes, en la sesión, se leyó la notificación del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ), que considera que hay causas para abrir un juicio contra Ortega.
En la sentencia leída el sábado, se reiteró que la ahora exfuncionaria no puede salir del país y sus bienes y cuentas bancarias se mantendrán embargados.
Ortega, que acusa al gobierno de Maduro de violaciones de derechos humanos, corrupción, delitos de lesa humanidad y fraude electoral, no reconoció la medida y denunció un “golpe contra la Constitución”.
5. “Dictadura”
La convocatoria de Maduro a una Constituyente sin referendo previo el pasado mayo provocó un cambio de percepción de su gobierno en varios países e instituciones, que hablaron por primera vez de “tintes autoritarios”.
Derechos de autor de la imagen Getty Images
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Maduro ha criticado a quienes lo acusan de dictador.
Pero fue luego del anuncio de los resultados de la elección el domingo que varios dieron el paso y le llamaron abiertamente “dictadura”.
Uno de ellos fue Estados Unidos, que al imponer sanciones en contra del mandatario al día siguiente expresó en un comunicado que las “elecciones ilegítimas” confirmaban que “Maduro es un dictador que desprecia la voluntad de los venezolanos”.
Con la destitución de la fiscal Luisa Ortega en la primera sesión de la ANC el sábado, el presidente colombiano, Juan Manuel Santos, habló del “primer acto dictatorial de una constituyente ilegítima”.
En el mismo día, se sumó el canciller argentino, Jorge Faurie, quien justificó la suspensión indefinida de Venezuela del bloque comercial Mercosur por la existencia de “una dictadura”.
Y el diario brasileño Folha de Sao Paulo publicó un editorial en la que anunció que de ahora en adelante se referirá a Maduro como “dictador”.
El presidente venezolano ha rechazado la acusación en varias ocasiones. El miércoles, durante un mitin, dijo: “A mí me dicen dictador, pero yo no tengo nada de dictador. Pero a veces provoca convertirse en un dictador frente a los especuladores hijos de la gran madre”.
Obama administration alum Roger Fisk and Republican strategist Chris Turner weigh in on what the 2020 presidential election field would look like if Howard Schultz ran as an independent
President Trump on Monday fired back at Howard Schultz, saying the former Starbucks CEO doesn’t have the “guts” to run for president after he announced he was mulling a 2020 White House bid as an independent — and took a few shots at Trump himself.
“Howard Schultz doesn’t have the ‘guts’ to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the ‘smartest person.’ Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!” Trump tweeted Monday morning.
The president’s tweet comes after Schultz’s interview on CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” where he revealed he was “seriously thinking” about running for president in 2020 as a “centrist independent,” and challenged Trump’s fitness for office.
“We’re living at a most fragile time, not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what’s necessary on behalf of the American people,” Schultz said, specifically citing the national debt as “a reckless example, not only of Republicans but of Democrats, as well, as a reckless failure of their constitutional responsibility.”
A fiery response from Trump was expected. When told during the interview that Trump would be tweeting about him in response, Schultz said, “I’ve become bored with President Trump and his tweets.”
Schultz, though, is taking heat from both sides amid fears from Democrats he could play the role of spoiler, especially considering Schultz described himself as a “lifelong Democrat” yet is now contemplating a run as an independent.
“Howard Shultz running as an independent isn’t about bringing people together,” Tina Podlodowski, the Democratic Party chair in Schultz’s home state of Washington, said in a statement Sunday. “It’s about one person: Howard Schultz.”
Neera Tanden, the president for the liberal Center for American Progress, also blasted Schultz, saying she would boycott Starbucks if he ran.
“Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting,” she tweeted. “I’m not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win.”
However, some of his views might also clash with a Democratic Party gearing up to unseat Trump. Some potential nominees, including Massachusetts 2020 candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Sen. Kamala Harris, have endorsed single-payer health care, heavily taxing the rich or free tuition at public colleges. Schultz has criticized such proposals as unrealistic and instead emphasized expanding the economy and curbing entitlements.
“It concerns me that so many voices within the Democratic Party are going so far to the left,” Schultz told CNBC last June. “I ask myself, ‘How are we going to pay for all these things?’ in terms of things like single-payer or people espousing the fact that the government is going to give everyone a job. I don’t think that’s realistic.”
During his “60 Minutes” interview, Schultz dodged a question about whether his potential independent run would make him a spoiler for the Democratic nominee.
“I wanna see the American people win,” he said. “I wanna see America win. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, Republican. Bring me your ideas. And I will be an independent person, who will embrace those ideas. Because I’m not, in any way, in bed with a party.”
No third-party or independent candidate has won over 5 percent of the popular vote since Ross Perot in 1996. But Schultz argued that a majority of the electorate is “exhausted” with politics.
“What we know, factually, is that over 40 percent of the electorate is either a registered Independent or currently affiliates themselves as an Independent,” he said. “Their trust has been broken. And they are looking for a better choice.”
Fox News’ Samuel Chamberlain contributed to this report.
An apparent tornado hit Lawrence, Kansas, on Tuesday, injuring 11 people in the town, while Kansas City International Airport briefly shut down due to damage.
NWS issued a “tornado emergency” alert for parts of eastern Kansas on Tuesday night as dangerous weather touched down in the area.
Police in Lawrence, the home of Kansas University, said a massive tornado left large trees, power lines and debris along the streets, making some major roads impassable. There were 11 people injured in the town, mostly minor, according to a Lawrence Memorial Hospital spokesperson.
Kansas University is already out for the summer.
Kansas City International Airport said two flights were diverted and passengers waiting in the airport were rushed to the parking garage tunnels at about 7 p.m. The”all clear” was given about 45 minutes later.
The airport remained closed, however, due to “unsafe conditions from area storm debris.” The airport planned to reopen after 11 p.m. local time.
“Most structural damage appears to have occurred near Lawrence as the tornado passed just outside the city limit,” the Lawrence Police Department said in a tweet. “Please do not go sight seeing tornado damage. This only hampers the efforts of emergency workers.”
Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP
A man and woman inspect the damage to their home and classic cars after being hit by a tornado on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in a neighborhood south of Lawrence, Kan., near US-59 highway and N. 1000 Road.
There were also about 13,000 customers without power in the Lawrence area late Tuesday.
Tornadoes devastated parts of Ohio on Monday night, leveling homes and leaving thousands without water and power.
“I don’t know that any community is fully prepared for this type of devastation,” Dayton Assistant Fire Chief Nicholas Hosford said Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “We have homes flattened, entire apartment complexes destroyed, businesses throughout our community where walls have collapsed,” Hosford said.
Residents near New York City also braced for a possible tornado, but despite warnings it did not materialize.
The National Weather service issued tornado warnings for several counties surrounding Manhattan on Tuesday evening, urging residents in the path of the “dangerous storm” to stay inside.
The service has said the storms could produce hail the size of quarters.
“Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely,” NWS said in a statement. “This Tornado Warning replaces the Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for the same area.”
The warning covers areas surrounding Staten Island and parts of northeastern New Jersey, including Hudson County, Union County and southern Essex County.
Duke phenom Zion Williamson likely played his final college game Sunday, in a 68-67 loss to Michigan State in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. So what’s next?
We’ve never seen a prospect quite like Williamson, whose combination of productivity, athleticism, competitiveness, skill and feel for the game makes him the runaway favorite for the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. Combine that with his sheer star power and it’s easy to see why no other prospect is currently under consideration at the top — regardless of which team wins the Zion lottery May 14.
Williamson can sit tight until draft night after his freshman season, as he’ll be under no obligation to prove anything before he hears his name called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET on June 20. Picking an agent will be his camp’s first line of business, though there’s a chance someone close to the family gains certification and negotiates his sneaker deal.
It’s highly unlikely Williamson will do more than a photo shoot at the facility of whatever team ends up with the No. 1 pick, as it’s his call if he wants to submit to a medical examination for NBA teams. It’s also up in the air if we’ll see anything more than a token appearance from Williamson at the NBA combine in May, outside of perhaps some media obligations.
Basically, since Williamson is such a clear top pick, fans can forget about seeing him with a basketball in his hand until NBA summer league in Las Vegas in early July. — Jonathan Givony
Longer answer: Plenty of teams can convince themselves they have some shot.
This is the first year with the new lottery rules, making it much less likely that a league-worst team such as the Knicks lands the No. 1 pick — and much more likely that a team in the middle jumps up.
Here are the new odds for the 14 lottery slots compared to the old ones:
And with a little more than five games to go for each team, here are the projected lottery odds, via ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.
The Chicago Bulls still have a small chance of jumping into that group of three sharing an equal 14 percent chance to land Williamson. But even if they don’t, under the new system they’ll hold a 12.5 percent chance to snag No. 1.
The Dallas Mavericks (top five) and Memphis Grizzlies (top eight) both owe protected picks, but if they jump up to No. 1, that won’t be a concern. The protected picks will roll over to next season.
The Boston Celtics should enter the lottery with one of the worst odds to select Williamson, as they own the Sacramento Kings‘ pick unprotected. What once looked like one of the best trade assets in the league, the Sacramento pick will have a less than 2.0 percent chance of moving up to No. 1 after the Kings’ surprising playoff push.
These new odds are a big reason why you don’t see teams freaking out about every win down the stretch costing them a chance at such a talented prospect. This is going to be a massive toss-up.
Is this an unprecedented sneaker recruitment?
The first step for Williamson’s emerging marketing profile will be landing a massive sneaker endorsement deal. His star power and explosive game are expected to place him among the highest annual earnings for rookies ever, right alongside the seven-year Nike deals that LeBron James signed for $87 million and Kevin Durant signed for $60 million.
As many as six brands will look to sign him, including Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, New Balance, Puma and Anta. The expectation is that Williamson will sign his deal before the May 14 draft lottery, when the draft order will be set.
“In my lifetime, I think it’s going to be the biggest bidding war ever done,” former sneaker executive Sonny Vaccaro said. “I would put them all on go.”
Vaccaro signed Michael Jordan at Nike in 1984 and later looked to offer James a $100 million contract at Adidas. Sources at multiple brands across the industry expect Williamson’s deal to potentially reach that astronomical tier. — Nick DePaula
At that point, I speculated that Williamson might be able to pass Davis if he were able to play at the same level over all of Duke’s remaining games. His knee injury prevented that possibility, and because Williamson’s numbers were down a small amount — most notably on defense, where he averaged just 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks after returning as compared to 2.2 and 1.8 before his injury — his projection slipped a small amount.
Nonetheless, Williamson will still enter the draft as the best collegiate prospect since Davis by my projections. — Kevin Pelton
La fiscal general de Venezuela, Luisa Ortega Díaz, encrudeció sus acusaciones contra el gobierno de Nicolás Maduro, al que acusó de cometer un “delito de lesa humanidad” y de tener “ambición dictatorial”.
Un día después de la elección de los miembros de la Constituyente que redactará una nueva Constitución y reformará el Estado, Ortega, convertida en azote del gobierno desde dentro del Estado, aseguró desconocer al nuevo suprapoder, tal y como hace la oposición.
Ortega dijo desconocer “el origen, el proceso y el presunto resultado de la inmoral Constituyente presidencial”.
El Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) dijo el domingo que la elección, en la que no participó la oposición, superó los ocho millones de votos, cifra que la propia fiscal puso este lunes en duda.
Ortega denunció la “ambición dictatorial” del gobierno del presidente Nicolás Maduro, que ya ha mostrado su deseo de que la plenipotenciaria Constituyente reforme el Ministerio Público. Se espera que una de las primera decisiones sea la destitución de la fiscal, que se considera chavista.
El gobierno la acusa de “traidora” e “indigna”, de haberse pasado a la oposición y de haber fomentado la impunidad de lo que considera como acciones “terroristas”.
Más de 120 muertes
“Estamos ante un delito de lesa humanidad que se ha venido cometiendo de manera sistemática y sostenida desde la convocatoria de la Constituyente presidencial”, denunció Ortega, que aseguró que si es destituida llevará las investigaciones de presuntas violaciones de derechos humanos a instancias jurídicas internacionales.
Derechos de autor de la imagen Reuters
Image caption
Ortega, convertida en azote del gobierno desde dentro del Estado, aseguró desconocer al nuevo suprapoder, tal y como hace la oposición.
La fiscal dijo que ya ha habido 121 muertos en los cuatro meses de protestas contra el gobierno.
“La Constituyente podría enconar aún más la polarización que vive un país en crisis económica y política dado que, con el control del oficialismo, tendrá poder absoluto y podrá destituir a la fiscal y disolver el Parlamento, de mayoría opositora”, dijo el corresponsal de BBC Mundo en Venezuela, Daniel García Marco.
En la actualidad, las redes sociales son usadas por millones de personas de casi todos los rangos de edad. Por ello, muchos delincuentes cibernéticos o simplemente “tramposos” las usan con fines deshonestos. Esto se repite una y otra vez, especialmente en Facebook.
Ahora, estos trucos se han aprovechado de la proliferación que han tenido las noticias a través de Internet. Muchas personas se informan en portales o páginas de Facebook antes que en los noticieros televisivos o radiofónicos.
Por ello, no falta la invasión de noticias falsas; muchas de ellas con titulares tendenciosos y llamativos. Esos que hacen casi imposible no dar click. La más reciente es la noticia que aseguraba la muerte de Brad Pitt. Desde luego, es falso.
Algunas veces son hechas con la finalidad de conseguir seguidores y otras tienen motivos más oscuros: acceder a sus cuentas o robar información.
Pero, ¿cómo detectar las noticias falsas en Facebook?
Las noticias falsas no son tan difíciles de identificar. Sólo tengan en cuenta lo siguiente:
Alarmismo
Si la noticia en cuestión suena excesivamente alarmante, lo mejor es dudar. Un consejo es siempre comenzar por los comentarios en vez de ir directo al click. ¿Qué dice la gente al respecto? Si es falso o un virus, seguramente alguien lo mencionará.
Medio
Luego de ver los comentarios, revisen qué medio está publicando la noticia. ¿Lo conocen? Lo mejor es informarse siempre en páginas conocidas. Hay muchas webs que se describen como noticiosas, aunque no lo sean.
Buscar en otras fuentes
Si el sitio que comparte la información no les da confianza; busquen la misma noticia en medios con más renombre. Si ellos no la están publicando, es probable que sea falso.
Buscadores
Otra excelente alternativa es buscar en las mismas redes sociales. Una de las mejores en cuestión de noticias es Twitter, debido a que es “al momento”.
Como ejemplo pondremos el reciente virus que circula en Facebook asegurando que Brad Pitt murió. Al ver el encabezado, pongan en el buscador las palabras clave: “Muerte Brad Pitt”.
Si es real, la gente estará hablando del tema, además de que encontrarán otras fuentes de medios más grandes.
Fotografías
Usualmente, este tipo de noticias falsas se ilustran con una fotografía impactante. Algo que llame la atención de los usuarios. En este caso se recomienda tomar una captura de pantalla o guardar la imagen en su celular u ordenador.
Posteriormente, vayan al buscador de imágenes de Google. Ahora sabrán si dicha fotografía es de otro acontecimiento diferente al que aseguran o está retocada digitalmente.
Algo importante es tratar de abrir enlaces de fuentes conocidas y confiables. Esto no sólo en redes sociales, sino también en correo electrónico o mensajeros como WhatsApp.
LAS VEGAS — Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid thinks Republicans have been seduced by President Donald Trump and forgotten the whole point of the US Senate.
Sitting at his desk in his old Senate chair with his name engraved on the back, Reid complained that the Republican-led upper chamber has become too subservient to the president under current Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“I can’t imagine how the Republicans are being so compliant on everything [Trump] wants,” Reid told me during a recent interview in his Las Vegas office. “What’s the Senate all about?”
It’s not because Trump is an aberration, he cautions: “Trump did not create the Republican Congress; the Republican Congress created Trump.”
Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sits at his desk during an interview in his Las Vegas office. Krystal Ramirez for Vox
If Reid thinks the Senate is a shell of its former self, Republicans would likely tell the former Senate majority leader he helped hasten its demise. Reid was an effective but controversial leader, who will be remembered for “going nuclear” in 2013, blowing up the Senate filibuster that was long considered sacred.
Reid attributes that to a matter of practicality, saying he had “no choice” in the face of McConnell obstructing former President Barack Obama’s court and Cabinet picks.
“It was the right thing to do,” he told me bluntly.
Reid blames congressional Republicans for the fall of the Senate — pointing to their conduct on Obama’s Supreme Court pick, Merrick Garland, who never got a vote. More recently, he watched as Senate Republicans allowed Trump to issue an emergency declaration in an attempt to fund his border wall. With that precedent now set, Reid warned Democrats could do something similar in the future on an issue like gun control.
The former leader, 79, is now three years retired and returning to work after undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer (which he recently said is in remission). Reid is largely confined to a wheelchair these days but seems on top of his game. With a steady stream of Democrats running for president seeking out his advice on policy, he’s certainly still an influential player in Nevada and national politics.
Reid has not endorsed a Democrat in the 2020 race. But he’s warning the entire party that winning the election is no given and Trump could very well succeed again. “We have to first approach this recognizing that he could be reelected,” Reid said. “We cannot let this man be elected again. I think he has to be taken on. You need to fight him, but not on his terms, on your terms.”
And he was clear: Democrats should try to beat Trump in 2020, not waste their time attempting to impeach the president. Even with the current “tribalism” on Capitol Hill, Reid told me it’s crucial for Congress to do their work rather than become mired in impeachment.
“We’ll get nothing done if there’s impeachment proceedings,” he said. “We’d spend all of our time on that; nothing else.”
In a lengthy interview, Reid reflected on the state of Congress and Democratic politics — complete with his signature burns.
Ella Nilsen
I wanted to ask you about the filibuster. Do you stand by your decision to get rid of the filibuster for most presidential nominations in 2013?
Harry Reid
Let’s go back and look where we were. Obama was president of the United States. We had the DC Circuit that was four, five members short. DC Circuit is the second most important court in the country, right below the Supreme Court. The Republicans don’t like organized labor, they couldn’t take them on directly, so what they did is defang the National Labor Relations Board. They couldn’t even get a quorum because they wouldn’t approve any new people coming on the board.
We had Cabinet and sub-Cabinet officers that Obama couldn’t get approved. So we had no choice; I had no choice. And that’s why the Democrats agreed to change the rules. Now, first of all, understand the rules have been changed in the Senate lots and lots of times. I did it; it was the right thing to do. We approved over 100 judges for Obama, we filled all his Cabinet and sub-Cabinet officers with rare exception, we took care of the National Labor Relations Board, we did a lot of good things. And it would not have happened otherwise. We had to do that or the White House, the president, would become a meaningless person.
Ella Nilsen
Some 2020 candidates including Elizabeth Warren have called for the elimination of the filibuster entirely. Do you agree?
Harry Reid
No, I don’t. I think it should be done gradually. I didn’t author, but I approved, an article written by one of my longtime staff members, Bill Dauster, in the NYU Law Journal. It was a good, good article, because what it said was unless things changed, the House of Representatives was just going to move across the Capitol and you would have two Houses of Representatives. Now, would that be the end of the world? No, because it would still be bicameral. But you would have a simple majority determine what happens in the Senate. As I said, it’s not the end of the world for the Senate, but it would be better if we didn’t do it.
In the past, the filibuster has been used very sparingly. However, the Republican Congress in the last many years have filibustered everything so that 60 votes became the vote. As we wrote in that article, unless it changed, the House of Representatives will move across the hall and we’ll just have two Houses of Representatives.
Ella Nilsen
With that question about obstruction, when you look at what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has done, what is the mark you think he has left on the Senate?
Harry Reid
Well, I think the worst thing that was done by the Republicans has been what they’ve done with the Supreme Court. To think — now, first of all, the chairman of the Republican Judiciary Committee when they were in the majority, [Orrin] Hatch from Utah, said the most qualified person to be a Supreme Court Justice is Merrick Garland. He said that. I’m not making this up; that’s what he said. And so when Merrick Garland came up … we were all very happy, but Orrin Hatch walked away from it and this man never even got a vote. So that’s what the Republicans have caused to happen in the Senate. If they have a black mark against them, it is certainly what they’ve done with the Supreme Court.
Ella Nilsen
When you got rid of the filibuster in 2013, were you concerned that it would be taken a step further with the Supreme Court? And now, given what McConnell has done with the Supreme Court?
Harry Reid
Well, that’s possible. As I said, the rules in the Senate have been changed many, many times over the years. But what goes around comes around. Republicans, for example, voting to give — hard to mention his name as president — President Trump the authority to make an emergency declaration for this wall. If they do that, they’ve set a precedent to say, “Okay, seems to me if he can do that for a wall, then we can do something about guns.” 57,000 Americans are killed every year. So I repeat, what goes around comes around. They better be careful.
Ella Nilsen
If we did get to a point where the filibuster was eliminated, do you think it would be possible to govern in such a closely divided Senate?
Harry Reid
Oh, sure, of course. It would be easier probably to do that than what the Republicans are doing now, causing a filibuster on everything. You need 60 votes on everything — that isn’t the way it should be. The Congress would still work, [but] it wouldn’t work nearly as well as it has in the past because of the rules in the Senate. But if we changed them, the Senate would still have six-year terms; they would have to, as Jefferson said, pour the coffee in the saucer and let it cool off. It wouldn’t end the world of Congress.
Reid responds to questions during a Vox interview.Krystal Ramirez for Vox
Ella Nilsen
What do you think about McConnell tying himself so closely to Trump?
Harry Reid
Well, I know Mitch McConnell; I consider him a friend. I can’t imagine how the Republicans are being so compliant on everything he [Trump] wants. What’s the Senate all about?
As I always said, I didn’t work for the president, I worked with him. We are a separate branch of government — we’re the legislative branch of government. Let the White House, which is the executive branch of government, do what they want to do. But we should be a buttress to keep the White House from going crazy, as this one has done.
Ella Nilsen
So you don’t think that’s happening now — do you feel the Senate or McConnell is serving the president?
Harry Reid
I think the Senate has lost their way.
Ella Nilsen
Are McConnell and Trump matching your and Obama’s legacy on judicial nominations at this point?
Harry Reid
[long pause] Matching … if you just go by numbers, of course they’re fairly equal at this stage. But I think if you look at quality, they’re not close.
Ella Nilsen
Are you concerned, though, about the number of Trump/McConnell judges that are now going to serve lifetime appointments, given some of their track records?
Harry Reid
Yeah, but of course, they’re concerned about what we did too. But I hope that the judges who are put in the courts around the country will understand they’re a separate branch of government. Once they get to be a judge, they no longer have to please Donald Trump. They are lifetime appointments. And we find around the country that a lot of these judges who I think a lot of people thought would just roll over and play dead for this administration aren’t doing it.
Ella Nilsen
How do you think Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have handled President Trump so far, with the government shutdown and now all this talk about impeachment?
Harry Reid
Well, I served as leader when Pelosi was the speaker the first go-round, and I have such admiration for her, and the public feels about the same way I do. She has been one of the few people that took on Trump, and he had no answer to her questions and her pressure. Sen. Schumer and I have a longstanding relationship. Everyone knows that I brought him into Senate leadership. He did very well. As a leader, I hope I helped prepare him for that, but I’m not in any way [going] to second-guess him. I think the world of Chuck Schumer; we will always be friends. So I’m the wrong guy to ask, because I’m prejudiced.
Ella Nilsen
Well, looking at the challenges Trump has posed. The shutdown, when I was covering that, it felt like DC was gripped by this chaos.
Harry Reid
Well, I, during my political career, have heard people talk about the Constitution and the framework it has to protect our country. I never really felt that until Trump was elected president; I really feel that now. I think we’re going to overcome Trump because of our Constitution. We’re going to get through the next less-than-two years of him and then we’re going to have a new day. As Pete Seeger sings, “I can see a new day, soon to be, when the storm clouds will soon pass.” But I do believe that. I think that Trump will be gone because of our great Constitution. Our country will move on and get past that.
Ella Nilsen
There’s been a lot of discussion about impeachment since the Mueller report came out. Do you think Democrats should pursue that?
Harry Reid
There’s some who say the Mueller report is only an invitation for impeachment. Now, that would be a better view if it was a year ago. But it’s now; it’s not long until the 2020 election. I have no problem with there being hearings held based on the Mueller information. But I think to have impeachment now would eat up precious time we have before the general election, and I think even though there’s a lot of tribalism going on in Congress — some say, “Well, we’re not going to get anything done anyway.” I don’t believe that. We have to get a few things done, we can do that, and we’ll get nothing done if there’s impeachment proceedings. We’d spend all of our time on that, nothing else.
Ella Nilsen
Trump is talking with House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer about an infrastructure plan. Do you have any hope anything bipartisan is going to happen?
Harry Reid
We’re not going to get anything done unless it’s done on a bipartisan basis. That’s the way it is, no matter who’s president. And Trump, even though he hasn’t been good at most things … he’s a great starter but a lousy finisher. He starts a lot of stuff and rarely finishes anything. So I would think there’s hope for a good deal on the need for infrastructure. A trillion dollars — it’s more than that, but let’s start at $1 trillion. We have highways, roads, bridges, dams, waterways, sewer systems, just to name a few things that are deeply in trouble. We have water lines leaking all over America, and why aren’t they being fixed? Because people don’t have money to do it. Governments don’t have money to do it.
Now, we all agree there should be something done on infrastructure, so how are we going to pay for it? I don’t even think you can find a Republican writer, a journalist, that says anything good about the Trump tax cut. It just didn’t help; it didn’t help anyone. And I would hope we could use some of that money for infrastructure. We need to have money to pay for the infrastructure. It’s good to go to a meeting in the White House and say how much we need to improve our infrastructure system, it’s another thing to say we have problems with our infrastructure but we need to pay for it, and then outline how it’s going to be paid for.
Ella Nilsen
If Democrats can’t show a bipartisan achievement like infrastructure or another piece of legislation, could that hurt the party in 2020?
Harry Reid
I don’t think there’s any way to blame Democrats for the problems we have in Congress. Trump did not create the Republican Congress; the Republican Congress created Trump. It would be really a stretch to blame Democrats for things not getting done in this Congress.
Ella Nilsen
What do you think about the current push for Medicare-for-all in the House? They recently held hearings.
Harry Reid
Well, one of the things I’m very pleased that I worked hard on and we accomplished was Obamacare. That was very, very hard to get the votes to pass that. Pelosi and I were running the Congress at that time and we were able to get it done. A tremendous accomplishment for this country, and we know what it’s done: It’s improved the health care delivery system in America today. The Republicans have done what they could to chop it up and try to get rid of it; they haven’t been able to do that. They’re afraid to get rid of it.
But I think what we need to do is go back and restore Obamacare and keep progressing in that way. It’s easy to talk about Medicare-for-all and just eliminating everything and have it change tomorrow, but it’s much harder to do; it’s not that easy. And I think we would be better off going back and taking care of Obamacare, which did so many good things for so many different people. It allowed people who had prior disabilities who couldn’t get insurance [to get it]. Insurance companies ran roughshod over everybody. They couldn’t do that with Obamacare. But now they’ve weakened that a lot. So now what I say is let’s go back and restore Obamacare to make it better.
Ella Nilsen
How do Democrats defeat Trump in 2020?
Harry Reid
We have to first approach this recognizing that he could be reelected. We cannot let this man be elected again. I think he has to be taken on. I keep reminding the American people what’s in the Mueller report, what they see every day about his fabrications, about things people can’t believe he fabricates. This man who is president of the United States brags about what he can do to women, what he has done to women. I think he has to be taken on. You can’t take it lightly, but you can’t walk away from him, be afraid to fight him. You need to fight him, but not on his terms, on your terms.
Ella Nilsen
What do those terms look like?
Harry Reid
Take him head on. Let’s talk about an issue. Talk about health care delivery. Talk about what he’s done to foreign relations, what he’s done to our trade policy, what he’s done with renewable energy, which is nothing. What he’s done to destroy the environment, which is a lot. He ignores climate change — the most significant problem facing mankind today, or maybe ever. He doesn’t think it exists.
Ella Nilsen
Do you think Democrats are better off saying, “Look at these issues, here’s what he’s done on these issues,” rather than focusing on the Mueller report and Russia — this thing that’s consuming Washington?
Harry Reid
I think it’s a mix of both. I think that you can’t put your playbook and just have one play; you need to be able to adjust as time goes on.
Ella Nilsen
Looking at some of the candidates that are running, you see this left-wing populism coming from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Do you think that is an effective counter to the right-wing populism that Trump embodies?
Harry Reid
It’s a little more loud now than in the past. But ever since I’ve been involved in national politics, the Republicans are monitored and pushed by the far right. That’s the way it’s always been. Democrats have always been pushed by the left. That’s why we had the big flare-up in Chicago when [Hubert] Humphrey was running for president [in 1968]. So it’s always been there. It’s just louder than it’s been in the past.
Ella Nilsen
Even than in the ’60s?
Harry Reid
Oh, yeah, I think so.
Ella Nilsen
Why do you think it’s gotten so much louder?
Harry Reid
Because of Trump. I think he’s so outrageous in so many things he does that people are trying to find a way to respond to that. And as I said, I think that for example, on health care delivery, we’re not going to change the world in a day, but we can change it a few hours at a time and restore Obamacare to what it was and make it even better. On climate change, we’re not going to change it overnight, but we have these things we have to do. Renewable energy is something… we need to get rid of coal — get rid of it! Fossil fuels, do everything we can to get rid of it. America can supply all the energy it needs with wind and sun and geothermal and biomass, all kinds of things. We do not need fossil fuel.
I fought coal in Nevada; we don’t have one plant left in Nevada. It’s on its way out. People don’t want coal. We have Trump — he held out false hope for the coal industry. It’s gone, it’s just a question of how long it’s going to hang around, and we need to speed up its demise.
Ella Nilsen
What 2020 candidates are you keeping your eye on? There are so many of them now.
Harry Reid
Well, I had the good fortune of being able to visit with almost all of them. I have a meeting over the weekend with Beto [O’Rourke]. So we’re fortunate to have the good people running that we do. I of course served with Joe Biden in the Senate for 34 years; he’s a friend of mine. We’ve got our caucuses coming here next February, so I’m going to be very, very cautious and not endorse anyone. But everyone knows of my affection for Joe Biden.
Ella Nilsen
It seemed like Biden’s pitch when he announced was, first of all, taking Trump on very directly. And then also it seemed to me kind of a return to the Obama years, and I’m curious if you think that’s an effective pitch to the American people.
Harry Reid
Joe Biden’s rollout was very, very good, because it made a contrast to what we’re doing now under the Trump administration and what he has done. But he did it very, very subtly and very well, because remember he was eight years vice president for Obama. So I think everyone quickly realized that he’s not going to have Obama before the primary out waving banners for him, but everyone knows of their close relationship.
Ella Nilsen
What about Elizabeth Warren? There were reports you encouraged her to run for president for 2020. Why was that, and have you encouraged anyone else?
Harry Reid
Those reports are absolutely true. Her chief of staff and campaign manager was my former press secretary, so I have a longstanding relationship with Sen. Warren. I helped her get started and put her on that commission; she did a great job. To make a long story short, we wanted her after we passed Dodd-Frank to be in charge of consumer affairs in the White House and the Republicans stopped her from doing that, so she ran for the Senate. I wish they had given her that job. She’s done well. I think the world of her; she knows I can’t endorse her, I can’t endorse Joe or anybody else. But that doesn’t mean I can’t tell everybody how good they are.
Ella Nilsen
What do you think she brings to the campaign?
Harry Reid
First of all, she brings a Harvard brain with her. Being a law professor at Harvard, she’s a very, very bright woman. She is someone who I think is respected for what she’s done, not what she plans to do but what she’s done. … She started with nothing, became a single mother, got out of school because she was smart, and has done well.
Reid sits in his old chair from the US Senate. Krystal Ramirez for Vox
Ella Nilsen
On the Nevada caucuses, what have Democrats in Nevada done in order to turn out the Latino/Hispanic vote that other states have struggled to do?
Harry Reid
There was an article that came out today that was so good. It talked about the reason that [Jacky] Rosen beat [then-Sen. Dean] Heller was the strong, strong Hispanic vote. I had been a fan of Hispanics and their organizations for a long, long time and people actually used to make fun of me. “Why are you going to do that? A lot of them are illegal; they never register to vote. If they are registered to vote, they don’t vote and turnout’s awful.”
When I ran last time, they thought they had me. The first ad they ran [was] “Harry Reid, the best friend illegal immigrants ever had,” and it had all these dark people look like they were coming across the water or something. And all it did was make Hispanics mad. So they joined together and reelected me. People said I couldn’t be reelected, leaders never do well in the state and it hurts to be a national leader. I did just fine and from that day forward — people around the country understood that Hispanics make a difference, and they do.
Ella Nilsen
Do you see that happening in 2020 with Trump’s rhetoric on immigrants?
Harry Reid
Oh, sure, yes, I think so. As I said two years ago here in Nevada, they make all the difference. [They] elected Congresswoman Jacky Rosen, who had only served one term in the House and became a senator.
Ella Nilsen
I feel like states like Texas have struggled to do this in the same way. Do you think there are other state parties who haven’t quite figured out how to do it?
Harry Reid
Texas has always been a difficult state. I’ve tried many times to elect a senator there. The problem we’ve had in Texas is there’s 22 separate media markets. It’s so expensive. But Beto did pretty well. I wish he had run against [John Cornyn], but he decided not to do that. But I just think that Texas is demographically a Democratic state; it’s only a question of time until they become one.
Ella Nilsen
How important are the Nevada caucuses in 2020?
Harry Reid
Well, I worked hard to get them established. It’s also been good for the country. The four early states — South Carolina, Nevada, Iowa, New Hampshire’s the only direct vote; the rest are caucus states. Nevada is the only state that is representative of our country: 30 percent Hispanic, 9 percent African American. Our balance is so interesting. We have a heavy Filipino population here. So the caucuses are just remarkably good for the country. If you want to do well in the West, you have to come to Nevada because we educate people in public lands, we advise them on renewable energy, we educate on nuclear waste, how bad it is.
Ella Nilsen
When you look at the power that Iowa and New Hampshire have, do you see Western states like Nevada and California taking a chunk of that power and getting to decide the president?
Harry Reid
Oh, yeah, for sure. And look what’s happened in the last few years. Two Democratic senators in California, two in Washington, two in Oregon. The West Coast is pretty Democratic, and we even got a Democratic congressman out of Utah, can you believe that?
Ricardo Caballero, presidente del Frente de Lucha de La Convención, saludó la voluntad de diálogo de Ana Jara, a quien volvió a solicitar su arribo a Quillabamba.
Dirigentes y pobladores de la localidad de Quillabamba, en la provincia de La Convención, región Cusco, esperan con expectativa la llegada del ministro de Agricultura, Juan Manuel Benites, junto a un alto comisionado de la Presidencia de Consejo de Ministros, con quienes sostendrán la primera mesa de diálogo en la Ciudad Imperial.
La cita se desarrollará a las 11:00 horas en el Gobierno Regional del Cusco, pero previamente se sostendrá una reunión de coordinación con siete congresistas, quienes actuarán de garantes en este primer encuentro.
En este primera mesa de diálogo se establecerán las fechas y lugares donde se instalarán las demás reuniones, a fin de abordar los temas planteados por el Comité Central de Lucha de Quillabamba.
Por su parte, Ricardo Caballero, presidente del Frente de Lucha de La Convención, indicó que esperan con mucha esperanza el resultado de la mesa y saludó la voluntad de diálogo de la presidenta del Consejo de Ministros, Ana Jara, a quien volvió a solicitar su arribo a Quillabamba.
La población se encuentra en huelga indefinida en rechazo al proyecto del Gasoducto Sur Peruano, en contra de la corrupción y exigen la construcción de la planta de fraccionamiento en Kepashiato.
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California Rep. Nunes files major lawsuit giant social media giant; David Spunt breaks down the details.
California GOP Rep. Devin Nunes filed a major lawsuit seeking $250 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages against Twitter and a handful of its users on Monday, accusing the social media site of “shadow-banning conservatives” including himself to influence the 2018 elections, systematically censoring opposing viewpoints and totally “ignoring” lawful complaints of repeated abusive behavior.
In a complaint filed in Virginia state court on Monday, obtained by Fox News, Nunes claimed Twitter wanted to derail his work on the House Intelligence Committee, which he chaired until 2019, as he looked into alleged and apparent surveillance abuses by the government. Nunes said Twitter was guilty of “knowingly hosting and monetizing content that is clearly abusive, hateful and defamatory – providing both a voice and financial incentive to the defamers – thereby facilitating defamation on its platform.”
The lawsuit alleged defamation, conspiracy and negligence, and sought not only damages, but also an injunction compelling Twitter to turn over the identities behind numerous accounts he said harassed and defamed him. The lawsuit is separate from Nunes’ work on the House Intelligence Committee, where he is now the ranking member.
“Twitter is a machine,” Nunes’ personal attorney, Steven S. Biss, told Fox News. “It is a modern-day Tammany Hall. Congressman Nunes intends to hold Twitter fully accountable for its abusive behavior and misconduct.”
Although federal law ordinarily exempts services like Twitter from defamation liability at all levels, Nunes’ suit said the platform has taken such an active role in curating and banning content — as opposed to merely hosting it — that it should face liability like any other organization that defames.
“Twitter created and developed the content at issue in this case by transforming false accusations of criminal conduct, imputed wrongdoing, dishonesty and lack of integrity into a publicly available commodity used by unscrupulous political operatives and their donor/clients as a weapon,” Nunes’ legal team wrote. “Twitter is ‘responsible’ for the development of offensive content on its platform because it in some way specifically encourages development of what is offensive about the content.”
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Twitter’s algorithms and content monitoring in September 2018. (REUTERS/Chris Wattie, File)
Additionally, as the complaint stated, Twitter has a duty to exercise reasonable care to avoid hosting outwardly defamatory content because of its increasingly important role in current affairs.
“Access to Twitter is essential for meaningful participation in modern-day American Democracy,” the complaint stated. “A candidate without Twitter is a losing candidate. The ability to use Twitter is a vital part of modern citizenship. A presence on Twitter is essential for an individual to run for office or engage in any level of political organizing in modern America. That is because Twitter is not merely a website: it is the modern town square. Twitter is equivalent to the private owner of a public forum who has fully opened its property to the general public for purposes of permitting the public’s free expression and debate. That is, in fact, what Twitter has always claimed to be.”
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has testified previously before Congress that his platform is a kind of “digital public square,” although he has insisted that Twitter, as a private company, retains the right to censor speech.
In large part because of Twitter’s actions, Nunes “endured an orchestrated defamation campaign of stunning breadth and scope, one that no human being should ever have to bear and suffer in their whole life” in the past year, according to the complaint.
“Twitter is a machine. It is a modern-day Tammany Hall.”
— Devin Nunes’ personal attorney, Steven S. Biss
The complaint also named specific Twitter accounts that spread allegedly defamatory material about Nunes. One defendant, identified as “Liz” Mair, purportedly published tweets that “implied that Nunes colluded with prostitutes and cocaine addicts, that Nunes does cocaine, and that Nunes was involved in a ‘Russian money laundering front,'” according to Nunes’ lawyers.
The complaint quoted a June 22, 2018 tweet from Mair that implied Nunes invested in a winery that “allegedly used underage hookers to solicit investment.”
Mair did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment. Fox News has also reached out to Twitter for comment on the lawsuit, and was told only that “we’re not commenting at this time.” (The lawsuit seeks joint and several liability, which permits plaintiffs to recover from one defendant, and then leaves the defendants to sort out what each owes.)
The complaint also named “Devin Nunes’ Mom,” “a person who, with Twitter’s consent, hijacked Nunes’ name, falsely impersonated Nunes’ mother, and created and maintained an account on Twitter (@DevinNunesMom) for the sole purpose of attacking, defaming, disparaging and demeaning Nunes.”
Nunes lawyers’ wrote, “In her endless barrage of tweets, Devin Nunes’ Mom maliciously attacked every aspect of Nunes’ character, honesty, integrity, ethics and fitness to perform his duties as a United States Congressman.”
One tweet from the account, cited by the complaint, contained a crude drawing of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump, and Nunes in a physically linked, symbiotic arrangement like the characters in the horror film “The Human Centipede (First Sequence).”
As of Monday afternoon, the @DevinNunesMom account was suspended by Twitter when Fox News tried to access it. The complaint stated that “Twitter only suspended the account in 2019 after Nunes’ real mother, Toni Dian Nunes, complained. … Twitter permitted @DevinNunesMom, for instance, to tweet and retweet with impunity throughout 2018.”
However, according to the complaint, “Twitter did nothing to investigate or review the defamation that appeared in plain view on its platform. Twitter consciously allowed the defamation of Nunes to continue” despite reports and purported reviews by Twitter’s content moderators.
“As part of its agenda to squelch Nunes’ voice, cause him extreme pain and suffering, influence the 2018 Congressional election, and distract, intimidate and interfere with Nunes’ investigation into corruption and Russian involvement in the 2016 Presidential Election, Twitter did absolutely nothing,” the complaint stated.
Another account named as a defendant was “Devin Nunes’ Cow,” or @DevinCow, which purportedly called Nunes a “treasonous cowpoke” and an “udder-ly worthless” criminal. The timing and substance of the tweets, according to Nunes’ team, suggested that Mair was working jointly with @DevinCow and @DevinNunesMom accounts.
In response to the lawsuit, the @DevinCow account — which was still active as of Monday evening — posted numerous tweets mocking Nunes. “I’m not quitting my day job,” one read.
Calif. GOP Rep. Devin Nunes has sued Twitter for over $250 million. (AP, File)
The complaint also charged that Twitter “shadow-banned” Nunes in 2018 “in order to restrict his free speech and to amplify the abusive and hateful content published and republished by Mair, Devin Nunes’ Mom,” and other accounts.
“The shadow-banning was intentional,” the complaint continued. “It was calculated to interfere with and influence the federal election and interfere with Nunes’ ongoing investigation as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Twitter’s actions affected the election results. The combination of the shadow-ban and Twitter’s refusal to enforce its Terms and Rules in the face of clear and present abuse and hateful conduct caused Nunes to lose support amongst voters.”
The lawsuit cited numerous articles, including a Vice News story from last summer, reporting that Twitter had, for a time, downplayed the visibility of prominent conservatives in its search results.
On Monday, Sean Davis, the managing editor of The Federalist, wrote that he recently had been an apparent victim of a form of shadow-banning on Twitter.
Jack Dorsey admits mistakes were made during an interview.
“Twitter gave me no notice or explanation when it shadowbanned one of my Tweets about Russian interference in our elections,” Davis wrote. “But what’s worse is how Twitter apparently gives its users the fraudulent impression that their tweets, which Twitter secretly bans, are still public.”
Davis charged that Twitter “claimed in its e-mail to me that it ‘mistakenly remove[d]’ a completely anodyne tweet about public congressional testimony, but didn’t explain why it left the tweet–and metrics showing no engagement–visible to me when logged in. Is conning users a bug, or a feature?”
Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s chief legal officer, said that the company would learn from its mistakes.
“Where we draw a line is when people use their voice and their platform to use their voice to silence someone else on the platform,” Gadde said on the podcast. “It’s rare for us to outright ban someone without warning.”
Severe flooding caused by historic rainfall has led to dozens of deaths in western Europe, and many other people remained missing as of Thursday.
“In some areas we have not seen this much rainfall in 100 years,” Andreas Friedrich, a German weather service spokesman, told CNN.
Flash floods have swept across western and southern Germany, causing buildings to collapse, police said. Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland have also been affected by flooding.
Rabat – With over 40 companies in an area of 130,000 square meters, Technopolis is a space dedicated to high-technology foreign companies, in the fields of electronics, biotechnology, nanotechnology and other services, only a few minutes away from the Moroccan capital city center. Created in 2008, the park will undergo two expansion phases and is seeking new partners interested in setting shop, including Brazilian companies.
“We have two industrial zones. One of them is a free zone, open to companies that export at least 8% of their production. The other follows the normal legislation and is open to those interested in establishing themselves here,” explained Hnya Brick, Project and Development Director at Technopolis, to a group of Brazilian journalists who visited the place this Monday (27). The free area inside Technopolis is the most recent in the country, set up less than one year ago, and the first companies in this part of the park should be established by the end of 2014.
Brick notes that one of the main attracting factors for companies to come to Technopolis are the human resources from the universities located in the region. “We have partnerships with three universities, one private, the International University of Rabat, and two public, University of Souissi and University Mohammed V,” she emphasized. With the partnership, as well as technicians and engineers, the companies may also benefit from these institutions’ research and development laboratories.
Among the companies that have already established themselves at Technopolis are known names in Brazil, such as Nestlé, Dell, Accenture, HP, Bosch and BNP Paribas. The procedure for moving into Technopolis is quite flexible, and companies may customize their contracts with the park administration, choosing whether to purchase or rent the land, negotiate building construction and the duration period.
The Moroccan state-owned long-term investment fund manager, CDG (Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion), is responsible for the Technopolis construction costs. According to Brick, the companies at the park do not reveal their revenues, but information from the Technopolis website indicates that from it’s opening until 2015, the park is expected to contribute with over US$ 606 million to the Moroccan GDP.
The second phase of the expansion project includes the construction of another 13,000 square meters. Currently 8,000 people work at Technopolis.
Automotive systems
Aurea Santos/ANBA
Lear: sales expected to reach US$ 250 million this year
One of the firms to establish themselves at Technopolis is Lear Corporation, of automotive systems, particularly seating and electrical distribution, whose clients include the great German carmakers. The North American company opened their Moroccan plant at the Rabat park in 2011.
“In our first year revenues added up to US$ 20 million; in 2012, US$ 100 million; last year we reached US$ 150 million and we expect to sell US$ 250 million this year,” revealed Aissam Chaouki, the Rabat Factory Manager.
Chaouki says that 70% of the Moroccan production is sold to BMW. Other clients of the Arab branch include Volkswagen, Jaguar, Audi, Land Rover and Renault-Nissan.
“We chose Morocco because of the country’s economic development and political stability. From here we are able to supply the main carmakers in Europe,” he emphasized. In august last year, the company opened a second plant in the company, in the city of Kenitra.
An interesting fact about Lear in Morocco is that of the 700 employees working at the factory, over 90% are women. “They are more precise,” says the manager. Among the engineers, 15% are women.
Investment opportunities
With two main trade partners, France and Spain, Morocco wishes to diversify the country’s investment sources and aims to include countries like Brazil. Among the strategies the Arab country is employing to attract Brazilian attention is to promote business opportunities using the national press. The government is also seeking to approach Brazilian entrepreneurs, by organizing workshops and a business trip with Brazilian executives to Morocco, planned for this year.
Aurea Santos/ANBA
For Fihri, Africa is the future
“The message we are sending to Brazilians is that Africa is the future, it is a green field (to be developed), and we can help form partnerships between Brazilian and Moroccan companies,” stated Ahmed Fihri, General-Manager at the Moroccan Investment Development Agency (AMDI).
According to him, Morocco wishes to develop partnerships in sectors such as agribusiness, aerospace technology and renewable energy. “Morocco may be a platform to access other countries in the Middle East and North Africa,” said Fihri.
Driss Sekkat, Business Development Manager at the AMDI, noted the joint efforts of his agency with the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp). “The Chamber is doing an excellent job,” he stated, about the help offered by the entity in introducing the Brazilian market.
For the Brazilian ambassador in Rabat, Frederico Meyer, there are good business opportunities for Brazilians in Morocco. “Bombardier is here, and even so Royal Air Maroc purchased two Embraer 190 aircrafts,” he noted, referring to the Canadian and Brazilian jet companies. According to Meyer, Embraer’s representation in the fleet of the Moroccan company, which started direct flights between São Paulo and Casablanca at the end of 2013, may still increase.
“Royal Air Maroc announced last year it was planning to buy 10 to 15 airplanes. There are three competitors, the Russians, Canadians and Brazilians, and we are well set in the competition,” said Meyer.
*The journalist travelled at the invitation of the Moroccan Investment Development Agency (AMDI)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would consider it punishment were her city saddled with more undocumented migrants while they await their court hearings.
The thrust of a Washington Post report on Friday, citing anonymous Department of Homeland Security “officials,” was that the White House had asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement about unloading illegal immigrants detained at the border in places proudly known as “sanctuary cities.”
Pelosi’s office said the suggestion exposed the administration’s “cynicism and cruelty” in “using human beings … as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants…”
The whole point of sanctuary cities, from the standpoint of their lawmakers, is that illegal immigrants need a safe place to evade deportation. Illegal entrants and asylum seekers, after all, are only here to pursue a better life for themselves and their families (and all the better if Democrats can load them up on welfare).
Why, then, would a city like San Francisco, which lies in Pelosi’s district, not leap at the chance to bring in more of their well-meaning friends?
Outside of providing more beds, free healthcare, and free child services, courtesy of the American taxpayer, Democrats in Congress have shown no interest in doing anything about the hundreds of thousands of migrants making their way to the U.S. from Central America.
Wouldn’t these well-meaning foreigners be best served in cities like New York, Boston, and Seattle, where local authorities refuse to comply with federal agents in deporting illegal aliens?
The Post’s story never really demonstrates that the intent of the White House was to “retaliate against President Trump’s political adversaries,” as the article puts it. It cites unnamed sources who claim that was the purpose but, even though the story’s authors, Rachel Bade and Nick Miroff, said they reviewed “email messages,” the one email by a White House official in the report is completely innocuous.
“The idea has been raised by 1-2 principals that, if we are unable to build sufficient temporary housing, that caravan members be bussed to small- and mid-sized sanctuary cities,” White House deputy policy coordinator May Davis said in an email dated Nov. 16, according to the report. “There is NOT a White House decision on this.”
That’s it. That’s the one supposedly damning email sent by someone from the White House included in the Post’s story.
Acting Deputy Director of ICE Matthew Albence replied to the email, suggesting that transporting aliens long distances from the border would be yet another strain on the agency and that there were liability concerns if anyone were hurt during the trip. In a statement to the Post, Albence denied that he was ever “pressured by anyone at the White House on the issue” and that he was merely “asked my opinion” and that his advice was heeded. A statement from the White House said effectively the same thing.
Yet, even if the proposal was crafted as a politically cynical move, it doesn’t explain why Democrats wouldn’t eagerly invite more illegals or undocumented asylum seekers into the districts and cities that are supposed to be the most welcoming. Pelosi had said herself Thursday, “Of course there’s room and there’s a need” for more immigrants showing up at the border.
Debris and rubble are seen at the site where an Iranian missile struck Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq’s Anbar province in January. The U.S. has repeatedly raised its injury report from the strike; it now says 109 personnel suffered brain injuries.
John Davison/Reuters
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John Davison/Reuters
Debris and rubble are seen at the site where an Iranian missile struck Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq’s Anbar province in January. The U.S. has repeatedly raised its injury report from the strike; it now says 109 personnel suffered brain injuries.
John Davison/Reuters
The Defense Department says 45 more U.S. service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iran’s attack on the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq last month — raising the total number of troops injured in the ballistic missile strike to 109.
Of those who were injured, 76 have returned to duty. A Pentagon statement about the injuries did not include details about the service members, such as their age, rank or military unit.
Monday’s update is at least the fifth time the U.S. has revised the number of personnel injured during the Iranian attack.
President Trump initially reported no U.S. troops were injured. “No Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime,” Trump said shortly after the strike. He added, “We suffered no casualties.”
But the Pentagon later said that 11 people had suffered TBI. And on Jan. 24, the number jumped to 34. Nearly a week later, the Pentagon said 50 personnel were injured, only to revise the figure days later to 64.
Discussing the increased injury toll given late last month, Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that TBI often “takes some time to manifest itself.”
Milley has also said the military will take good care of the service members who suffered traumatic brain injuries in Iraq, saying they will be monitored for “the rest of their lives” and receive any treatment they need.
According to the Pentagon’s breakdown of the 109 military personnel’s status. (Some service members are listed in more than one category.)
75 returned to duty after being treated in Iraq
1 returned to duty in Iraq after being treated in Germany
27 were transported from Iraq to U.S. medical facilities in Germany
21 were transported from Germany to the U.S. for treatment
7 are currently en route from Iraq to Germany
5 are still being evaluated.
The Iranian attack targeted at least two Iraqi military bases housing U.S. personnel, including Ain al-Asad. Iran’s action was in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed one of its most prominent military commanders, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Trump recently seemed to downplay the service members’ condition, saying in late January, “I heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things, but I would say, and I can report, it is not very serious.”
The president reiterated that stance in an interview with Fox Business on Monday night. And he described how he was initially impressed that no one was killed in the Iranian missile barrage.
“And then a couple of weeks later, I started hearing about people having to do with trauma — head trauma,” Trump said. “And that exists, but it’s, you know, I viewed it a little bit differently than most, and I won’t be changing my mind on that.”
An expert on combat-related brain injuries such as TBI, David Cifu of Virginia Commonwealth University, recently told NPR: “All concussions, all brain injuries are serious. So they’re serious.”
Cifu added, “The good news is that 95% to 98% of people with concussions who are diagnosed early on, who are managed in a comprehensive way, which the military knows how to do, are going to do well, are going to have wonderful short- and long-term outcomes.”
But the doctor, who leads a national team researching brain injuries, said that if concussions, TBI and similar conditions aren’t diagnosed and treated early, patients face a higher risk of additional problems or symptoms.
Cifu noted that among civilians, concussions aren’t diagnosed 50% of the time and said that in regard to U.S. military personnel injured at Ain al-Asad, “the important thing is it’s diagnosed now and they’re acting on it.”
The Defense Department is committed to providing “the best possible outcomes for our service members,” Alyssa Farah, the Pentagon press secretary, said in the statement about the latest injury report.
“We are grateful to the efforts of our medical professionals who have worked diligently to ensure the appropriate level of care for our service members,” Farah said, “which has enabled nearly 70 percent of those diagnosed to return to duty.”
Sen. Tim Scott, who delivered the closing speech at the Republican National Convention Monday night, said he is not concerned about potential fraud due to expanded mail-in-voting, contradicting President Donald Trump who accused Democrats of “trying to steal the election.”
“I have a lot of confidence in our electoral process,” the South Carolina Republican said when asked about Trump’s fraud concerns on NBC’s “Today” show Tuesday morning. “I’m very confident that we will have fair elections throughout this country.”
Several states – including some with Republican governors or secretaries of state – have eased requirements for absentee ballots, or moved to send ballots to all registered voters, to give those concerned about coronavirus infection the option of avoiding potentially crowded polling stations. Trump has repeatedly railed against those efforts as opening the door to potential fraud, though experts say there is little evidence to support those concerns.
Democrats have decried Trump’s claims and have accused the administration of implementing changes at the Postal Service to impede the ability of voters to mail in their ballots. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy sharply disputed those allegations as a “false narrative” during a contentious House hearing on Monday.
“We will do everything we can to handle and deliver election mail in a manner consistent with the proven processes and procedures that we have relied upon for years,” DeJoy said.
The president spoke at length about voting-by-mail during his appearance at the RNC roll call of states in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday.
“This is the greatest scam in the history of politics,” Trump said. “What they’re doing is using COVID to steal an election.”
Scott disagreed, telling NBC, “This process of mail-in ballots will prove to work out just fine.”
“I think every single American should have the right to vote. How we do so is important. That we do so is more important. And I’m going to have confidence that all of the moving pieces will actually fit together and we will have a very strong, integrity-driven, character-driven election,” Scott said.
Scott was widely praised for what many called an uplifting and positive speech after other RNC speakers delivered dark and dire warnings about what would happen to the country if Trump was not reelected.
When asked about those differences in tone, Scott said “drawing contrasts is very important” but said he prefers to focus on the fact America has “evolved into a better nation and we continue to move towards that more perfect union.”
“The importance of the messages I’m trying to provide to the American people is that we are better together and this election cycle we’ll have a chance to decide the fate of this nation and the direction of this nation, and I’m actually very optimistic and excited about where we’re going,” Scott said.
Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary who is now serving as Melania Trump’s chief of staff, told MSNBC
she is “confident” in voting by mail and has never experienced any problems with it. She said she did not know what the first lady thought about the issue.
“In my personal opinion, I have never had any issues with that,” Grisham said. “I think the things that the president has brought up are very, very valid. But, if you’re asking me if I have had personally any problems with it, I have not.”
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