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The Serious Side - part 4

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Post by annemarie Thu 08 Feb 2018, 03:35

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5363391/Mexico-pay-wall-say-Trump-advisers.html

[size=34]Mexico WILL pay for the wall say Trump advisers as president plans to recoup the cost through 'indirect' payments[/size]

  • President Trump said repeatedly in the campaign that Mexico will pay for a border wall

  • His latest immigration proposal demands Congress pay $25 billion for it 

  •  A former advisor says he will 'find a way' to make Mexico pay indirectly

  • One option is to tax remittances that immigrants send to family members in Mexico

  • Fee on high tech workers also being proposed

  • Diverting funds from reworked trade agreements 

  • Tariffs would likely to lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers


By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:09 EST, 7 February 2018 | UPDATED: 14:44 EST, 7 February 2018

    


Aides to President Trump are digging through a menu of options including taxes and fees that would back up his campaign pledge to force Mexico to pay for a border wall.
The array of options include slapping a tax on payments immigrants send to family members back in Mexico, tweaking trade deals, and requiring skilled workers from other countries to pay.
All are 'indirect' forms of payment – and come as Trump is demanding Congress provide $25 billion for a 'trust fund' to pay for the wall as part of a broader immigration deal.
A former advisor in close contact with the White House told McClatchy Trump 'will find a way,” adding: 'The wall will be funded partially or all by an additional revenue stream.'
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President Trump is weighing 'indirect' ways to try to force Mexico to pay for a border wall
One idea already being floated is to tax 'remittances' that immigrants from Mexico send home. Remittances to Mexico totaled $29 billion in 2016 according to the report. But getting the revenue into the U.S. treasury could be a problem if people turn to ways to get around the tax.

A $2,500 fee on high-tech workers also being proposed. The high-tech workers who come here on H1-B visas would pay the fee in order to get expedited green cards. It could raise an estimated $4 billion, according to sponsor Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas. 
But most of these workers hail from China and India, not Mexico.
Trump repeatedly said during the campaign he would force Mexico to pay, even as its leaders refused. 'Who's going to pay for the wall?' Trump would ask, as audience members would shout out: 'Mexico!'
Backing away from that pledge could be politically problematic. Trump has showed more flexibility in recent tweets.   
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A border patrol agent drives along the US- Mexico border crossing on January 26, 2017 in San Ysidro, California
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Residents wait in line at the Banco Azteca banking outlet in Zamora, Michoacan, that handles Western Union wire transfers from the U.S. A large majority of the residents throughout Michoacan have relatives working in the U.S. and they rely on the money sent by relatives working in the U.S.
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Homeland Security secretary Kirstzen Nielsen listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with law enforcement officials on the MS-13 street gang and border security, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018

[size=10][size=18]Trump says he's been 'very consistent' on the wall




[/size][/size]
'The Wall will be paid for, directly or indirectly, or through longer term reimbursement, by Mexico, which has a ridiculous $71 billion dollar trade surplus with the U.S.,' Trump tweeted last month. 'The $20 billion dollar Wall is “peanuts” compared to what Mexico makes from the U.S. NAFTA is a bad joke!'
He also wrote: 'The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it. Parts will be, of necessity, see through and it was never intended to be built in areas where there is natural protection such as mountains, wastelands or tough rivers or water.....'
House Homeland Security chair Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas spoke about border security at a White House meeting that included Trump Tuesday – but using technical language beyond simply calling it a 'border wall.'
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 McCaul called it 'border security authorizing a wall-barrier system and technology and personnel and boots on the ground.'
Trump has also floated funding the wall through tariffs, but such a move could provoke counter-measures and force consumers to pay higher prices. The administration is in the process of renegotiating NAFTA and could try to steer funds from there to wall construction.
'The wall offer’s off the table,' said Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York last month, withdrawing an offer he presented to Trump to fully fund the wall in a deal to provide status for DREAMers and avoid a government shutdown that ended up happening anyway.

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Post by carolhathaway Thu 08 Feb 2018, 06:47

One issue which was discussed in this article just came to my mind as well:
So if Trump plans to put a tax on remittances immigrants send to family members in Mexico and feeing high tech immigrant workers, is he planning to just do it on MEXICAN immigrants or on immigrants from all other countries as well? Because reducing it on Mexican immigrants would mean a substantially unequal treatment which - at least in Germany - would be cancelled by our supreme court because it violates the principle of equal treatment.
And if he plans to fee immigrant workers from all countries, you may have difficulties in finding high tech workers in the future. We've got demagogues in Germany as well (and I guess in most other countries as well) who tell you that we don't need immigrants from other countries. Which is simply wrong because we hardly have any unemployed people, and you can't force somebody to work in a bakery when he's allergic to wheat, has no chance to get to the bakery at 3 a.m. because he's got no car or driving licence or is not willing to move to a very expensive region for a low paid job. So you need people who are willing to do that. In my village there's a family where the husband is Bulgarian. He's worked at a bakery for a poor salary for years because when he returned home in the morning, his wife went to work and was able to look after the little ones. When he finally quit, the bakery didn't find a worker for more than one year because of exactly the reasons I just mentioned. Now they've got a refugee from Syria who does this job.
Since nobody wants to work as a nurse in a hospital or old-peoples home, they import high-qualified nurses from the Philippines, teach them German and let them work for them. High-tech industries don't find qualified workers etc.

I've written it before: I wish that all the immigrants, the dreamers and other illegals in the States would go on a strike for one week which would show your country what life would be without them. No service and a lot of chaos is my prophecy.
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Post by LizzyNY Thu 08 Feb 2018, 13:22

Carolhathaway - I agree. If the immigrant workers here went on strike many people would be stunned to learn just how much they do for us. I've also believed for a long time that if the women of the world want to get attention for their issues they should strike as well - especially in the bedroom. How long do you think men could function if we stopped doing all the things we do for them?
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Post by carolhathaway Thu 08 Feb 2018, 16:50

Lizzy,
that's a great idea! Let them figure out on their own how to cook, that there's no machine which collects clothes from the floor, ckeans, dries and irons them and puts the back in the cupboard, let them clean the bathroom (that's something I really love to do Rolling Eyes !) etc. A bedroom strike would be the most effective one, I guess Laughing


Last edited by carolhathaway on Thu 08 Feb 2018, 16:53; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : corrected the text)
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Post by LizzyNY Thu 08 Feb 2018, 17:15

Carolhathaway - It could go a lot farther than that. Can you imagine what would happen if all women stopped all the work they do? No waitresses, secretaries, saleswomen or barristas? No nurses? No teachers (Here in the US most teachers are women.) Imagine the panic if men had to take care of their kids on their own - since Mom is on strike, too Very Happy Oh, and possibly worst of all (from their point of view)  NO HOOKERS! (After all, most of them are women, too) - I'm guessing most men could probably get by without cooking or clean clothes, but NO SEX? HA! That would bring them to their knees.   Very Happy
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Post by carolhathaway Thu 08 Feb 2018, 18:01

Yeah, if necessary, they can simply buy new clothes instead of washing them or go to restaurants and order take-away dinners. But look after their own kids for longer than an hour? And NO SEX? That works much faster...

It's actually quite interesting, in Germany most low-paid jobs are traditional womens jobs. Because men have to earn enough to feed their families. Kindergarden teachers are 99 % female (and if zhere's a man, it's often thought that he might be pedophile). Teachers at grammar schools are also mostly women, wheras secondary school teachers (who get a higher salary because they have to study more years) are mostly men. So men consciously choose better paid jobs (who often are better paid because mostly men do them who 'have to feed their families'). I work for our local government where there's no difference between men and eomen, but that's rare. Nevertheless, children still are a barrier for women and careers.
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Post by annemarie Thu 08 Feb 2018, 19:38

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5368213/Russians-infiltrated-voter-rolls-2016-election.html

[size=34]Revealed: How Russian hackers infiltrated the voter registration rolls of multiple states before the presidential election[/size]

  • The voter registration rolls in 21 states were targeted by Russian hackers before the 2016 presidential election, according to a new report

  • Jeanette Manfra, head of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security, told NBC the Russians only successfully infiltrated a few of those states

  • It's not believed that the Russians were able to alter the voter rolls 

  • However, the fact that they were able to breach the rolls in multiple states raises concerns about the upcoming 2018 midterm elections  


By ASHLEY COLLMAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:21 EST, 8 February 2018 | UPDATED: 13:12 EST, 8 February 2018

    




Russian hackers targeted the voter registration rolls of 21 states during the 2016 presidential election, a shocking new report has revealed. 
Jeanette Manfra, head of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security, spoke with NBC News and said that of the states targeted, the Russians were able to gain access to the rolls of a 'small number'.
The fear is that if hackers can get into the voter registration rolls, they can remove voters, causing chaos on election day and potentially swinging elections.
Scroll down for video 
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Russian hackers targeted the voting registration rolls in these 21 states during the lead up to the 2016 presidential election 
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Jeanette Manfra (pictured), head of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security, spoke with NBC News and said that of the states targeted, the Russians were able to gain access to the rolls of a 'small number'

[size=10][size=18]U.S. Official: 21 states were targeted by hackers in 2016 election




[/size][/size]

Luckily, there's no evidence that the Russians altered the rolls in the last election, but it does raise concerns about whether cyber defenses will be up to snuff in the midterm elections - now just nine months away. 
The federal government is now required to help states with their cyber security issues, after former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson deemed them 'critical infrastructure'. Critical infrastructure includes things like power grids that the federal government is given a duty to protect in the national interest.
Johnson, who was DHS secretary during the Russian hacking, says he's concerned that the 21 states that were targeted aren't doing enough 'to actually harden their cybersecurity' for the next elections.
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Jeh Johnson, who was DHS secretary during the hacks, says he doesn't think the states targeted are doing enough to harden their cybersecurity 
Manfra disagrees, saying 'they have all taken it seriously'. 
However, five of the states - including Texas and California - deny being attacked in the first place. 
Many of the states contacted by NBC said that the federal government didn't give them enough information on the hacks, and state officials can't read the report themselves because it's top secret. Manfra said that they are in the process of giving state officials the proper clearances. 

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Other states said they are still waiting for the federal government to help them with their cybersecurity issues. However, Manfra says there's currently no wait list at the DHS and they are obligated to help everyone. 
Some states have been balking at working with the federal government, saying it's an intrusion on state's rights. Johnson said these officials were being 'naive' and 'irresponsible to the people that [they're] supposed to serve.'
'2016 was a wake-up call and now it's incumbent upon states and the Feds to do something about it before our democracy is attacked again,' Johnson said.

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Post by annemarie Sat 10 Feb 2018, 00:00

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5374139/John-Kelly-insists-acted-quickly-boot-Rob-Porter.html

[size=34]John Kelly tells White House staffers to back him as he rewrites history insisting he acted quickly to boot aide accused of wife-beating as The Mooch warns him not to order a 'cover-up'[/size]

  • Rob Porter resigned from his role as White House staff secretary on Wednesday

  • Porter's two ex-wives came forward with allegations that he abused them

  • He was a key conduit to President Trump as White House staff secretary 

  • Chief of Staff John Kelly had earlier fiercely backed Porter in his initial statement that said he is a 'man of true integrity and honor' 

  • Said he was 'shocked' in a second statement that came 12 hours after DailyMail.com published photos and abuse allegations from Porter's first wife

  • Kelly issued a memo to staffers Thursday night regarding the 'shocking and troubling' allegations

  • On Friday Kelly contradicted two Trump spokespeople - and the president - with a claim that he'd ousted Porter on Tuesday just 40 minutes after learning that the abuse allegations 'were true'

  • Trump had just said of Porter while Kelly was in the room: 'We hope he has a wonderful career....Now, he also, as you probably know, he says he's innocent'


By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 18:16 EST, 9 February 2018 | UPDATED: 18:54 EST, 9 February 2018

    


White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was caught trying to rewrite history in the Rob Porter scandal on Friday as he claimed to staff behind closed doors – and then several reporters – that he ousted the former staff secretary immediately after learning that a domestic abuse allegation were credible.
Kelly told White House staffers to claim he acted against Porter 40 minutes later, the Washington Post this morning revealed.
He told several reporters this afternoon that he found out Tuesday evening 'that the accusations were true' and '40 minutes later he was gone.'
The claims are a total about-face from what the White House has already said publicly and fly in the face of advice that Kelly is receiving from former White House officials like Anthony Scaramucci who warned the chief of staff not to 'cover-up' what happened.  
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White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was caught trying to rewrite history in the Rob Porter scandal on Friday as he claimed to staff behind closed doors – and then several reporters – that he ousted the former staff secretary immediately after learning that a domestic abuse allegation were credible 
Scaramucci told David Axelrod, a former aide to Barack Obama, in an episode of 'The Axe Files' that 'the cover-up is always worse than the crime.'

'I would say, "Jeez, you know, I knew about it. I was going to give the guy a pass because he told me it wasn't true and I apologize to the American people for that. He's been let go,  and I'd still like to keep my job,' Scaramucci said, according to 'Axe Files' partner CNN. 'That's what I would do if I was General Kelly.'
Kelly was gunning to protect his position on Friday - urging staff not only to alter the timeline and impetus for Porter's departure but also to deny an ABC News report that he offered the president his resignation. 
He told NBC himself amid the hullabaloo that the item was not true. 
The denial capped off four days chaos in the White House as it struggled to respond to the Porter allegations.
On Tuesday evening, when DailyMail.com first reported on the accusations of spousal abuse from Porter's second wife, Kelly issued a glowing statement that referred to Porter as a 'man of true integrity and honor.'
At a news conference on Wednesday after a second report ran that included photos and accusations from Porter's first wife, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a statement from the departing Trump aide that proclaimed innocence and announced his resignation.
It was not until that evening that Kelly began to back off from his support for Porter. 
At the White House press briefing on Thursday, though, Raj Shah, another Trump spokesman said that Porter had not been fired.
'He resigned and we accepted his resignation,' Shah asserted.
Kelly sent a memo to staffers later that evening denouncing domestic violence in response to the 'shocking and troubling' allegations of spousal abuse that did not mention Porter by name.
Today at the White House it was the president's turn to answer questions about his former staff secretary.
Trump astonishingly said, 'We hope he has a wonderful career, and hopefully he will have a great career ahead of him. But it was very sad when we heard about it. And certainly he's also very sad. Now, he also, as you probably know, he says he's innocent.'
Soon after, the president was contradicted by Kelly, who told several reporters, including CNBC's Eamon Javers, that he told Porter to hit the road on Tuesday less an hour after he found out the allegations against Porter 'were true.'
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The claims are a total about-face from what the White House officials like Sarah Sanders (left) had already said publicly and fly in the face of advice that Kelly is receiving from former officials like Anthony Scaramucci (right) who warned the chief of staff not to 'cover-up' what happened
The senior-most Trump aide has faced intense criticism for his defense of Porter, who was by all accounts, except for Kelly's, allowed to resign from his position as staff secretary earlier in the week. 


Porter stepped down from his role as White House staff secretary on Wednesday following on-the-record claims to DailyMail.com from his ex-wives Colbie Holderness and Jennifer Willoughby about the abuse they say they suffered during their marriages to the former Trump aide.
Holderness claims Porter choked and punched her during their marriage, while Willoughby says he dragged her wet and naked out of the shower and was verbally abusive. 
Kelly has refused to issue a mea culpa but claimed in an email to staff on Thursday that he does not take allegations of physical abuse lightly.
'While we are all processing the shocking and troubling allegations made against a former White House staffer, I want you to know that we all take matters of domestic violence seriously,' he wrote. 'Domestic violence is abhorrent and has no place in our society.'
Kelly added that there were resources available at the White House for those seeking counseling.
The memo, a copy of which was tweeted out by CNN's Jim Acosta, had the subject headline: 'A Letter from the Chief of Staff.'
Kelly issued the memo as pressure mounted on him to abandon his support for Porter, whom he openly fought to keep in a highly-sensitive West Wing job after a first wave of accusations of spousal abuse.
The Post quoted a senior White House official as saying Friday morning that Kelly was instructing staff to adopt a new version of the story.
'He told the staff he took immediate and direct action,' the person said.
Kelly told Javers and several other reporters on Friday afternoon that he first learned of the allegations against Porter last fall.
'In November, I got an update about some of the investigations, and the update was that there were some things that needed to be looked into and literally that was it,' Kelly said. 'And Tuesday night I found out. And that's what I've been saying.' 
In a follow-up tweet Javers said Kelly claimed that Tuesday is when he found out 'that the accusations were true. 40 minutes later he was gone.'
The White House had refused to say when Kelly found out about the allegations.
A spokesman for President Trump would only admit that Kelly became 'fully aware' of the accusations on Wednesday when DailyMail.com published photos of Porter's first wife that she says were taken after he hit her on a vacation.
'I'm not going to get into the specifics regarding who may have known what pieces of information because they were all part of an ongoing background check investigation,' Shah said in his debut behind the White House podium. 
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Kelly sent a memo to staffers in the wake of the 'shocking and troubling' allegations of spousal abuse against Rob Porter from his two ex-wives on Thursday evening
Shah called the images 'graphic' and the women's allegations 'credible' in a televised briefing where Porter's resignation consumed the discussion.
He said the White House official was 'terminated' on Wednesday, although Porter been seen on the property earlier in the day, as he drove a full-scale defense of the White House's initial reaction to a pair of Daily Mail reports on the staff secretary's past. 


The reports were the first that President Trump learned of the accusations against Porter, Shah definitively said. He would not offer the same clarity on Kelly's knowledge of the situation during the televised event.

Kelly confirmed Friday that he knew about the spousal abuse allegations against Porter in November, when the FBI discovered them during a background check – yet Porter remained in his position.
The FBI concluded that Porter could be subjected to blackmail due to what was uncovered, a source previously DailyMail.com.
Shah insisted Thursday that the White House was right to give Porter the benefit of the doubt until the FBI had completed its review. 'We short-circuit an investigation just because allegations are made, unless they could compromise national security or interfere with operations at the White House. The truth must be determined.'

But Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who served as staff secretary for Bill Clinton, said, 'To have someone in that job who can be so easily blackmailed is crazy.'
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The White House would not say earlier on Thursday when Kelly found out about the allegations of spousal abuse against Rob Porter from both of his ex-wives
'Every day there's a stack of red folders on this guy's desk that have the most secret info the government possesses and he has been walking it into the president,' Maloney said. 
He noted that the staff secretary only has two 'direct reports': the chief of staff and the president.
'To have someone in that job for 14 months with no national security clearance, is outrageous. And John Kelly owns that and has some very tough questions to answer, not just about why he's still defending him, which is outrageous, but about why you would allow someone to be in this position who can be so easily blackmailed. It's crazy.'
Maloney is calling for a House Oversight Committee investigation into what happened and singled out Kelly's role. 
Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, also went after his Republican colleagues on Thursday for stonewalling his request to obtain information about the security clearance process.
'If you had agreed to any of our previous requests for information on these matters, the White House would have been required to answer key questions about why Mr. Porter was denied a final security clearance, who at the White House was aware of this information, and how Mr..Porter was allowed to remain in his position,' Cummings wrote in a letter to committee chairman Trey Gowdy.




Kelly is coming under fire for his efforts to shield Porter on several fronts at a time when the #MeToo movement is rocking Hollywood and the national culture.
A leading feminist organization is demanding the White House chief of staff's head over what it said was a 'pathetic' defense of Porter. The National Organization of Women called Kelly an 'enabler of sexual absusers' in a Thursday morning statement and said he must also resign.
In a phone call, NOW President Toni Van Pelt said, 'It's not honorable to beat up women. There is no integrity involved in being violent when you go home. These are not American values.' 

WHAT JOHN KELLY SAID ABOUT ROB PORTER ON TUESDAY 


'Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can’t say enough good things about him. 
'He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him.' 

Kelly had described Porter as a 'man of true integrity and honor' after he was informed that on-the-record spousal abuse allegations from the senior official's second wife would be appearing in a story on DailyMail.com. 
'I think its clear, starting at the very top in our country, that they see women as collateral damage that they see women as objects,' Van Pelt said. 'They are actually giving permission to abusers. They are giving permission to men to disrespect women and to treat them with disregard.'  

As staff secretary, Porter has had access to every piece of classified information that goes through the White House. He was a key ally of Kelly is his effort to vet information that reaches the president and impose discipline on the flow.
Two of Porter's ex-wives have said they spoke to the FBI during its standard background check on the White House official who was seeking a government security clearance for his high-level position.
The allegations delayed Porter's ability to get permanent clearance. He was granted interim clearance when he joined the White House in January 2017.
Temporary clearances are common in the first 4-6 months of an administration, and in the first 3 months of a new senior level hire.
But his extended for 13 months.

WHAT JOHN KELLY SAID ABOUT ROB PORTER ON WEDNESDAY


'I was shocked by the new allegations released today against Rob Porter. There is no place for domestic violence in our society. 
I stand by my previous comments of the Rob Porter that I have come to know since becoming Chief of Staff, and believe every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation. 
I accepted his resignation earlier today, and will ensure a swift and orderly transition.' 

Nevertheless, he remained in his role, where he acted as a key gatekeeper for information that gets to President Trump's desk. 
Porter's handling of classified information in his role as staff secretary, even though he had never been approved for permanent security clearance, came under serious scrutiny on Thursday at the White House, where Shah was briefing in Sanders' stead.
'This is part of an ongoing investigation. We trust the background check process. The chief of staff does not get detailed updates about what may or may not have been alleged,' Shah said.
Kelly joined the White House staff in July of 2017. He would not have been part of the team that vetted Porter during the transition.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was leading those operations until he was booted just after the election and replaced at the top of the president's transition team by Vice President Mike Pence.
Christie told ABC News in a Wednesday podcast that Porter's name never came up when he was in charge of Trump's transition team.
'If they didn’t know, it’s a failure of vetting,' he said of Porter's personal history.
The ex-politician who left office last month after two consecutive terms as New Jersey's chief executive said that Porter brought disgrace to his name and his reputation with the resignation.
'Because he didn’t resign voluntarily. It’s clear that he was forced to resign given the circumstances,' Christie assessed.
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White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah called the images of Porter's first wife 'graphic' and the women's allegations 'credible' in a televised briefing where the staff secretarie's resignation consumed the discussion
Sanders said Wednesday from the podium that Porter made a 'personal decision' to leave and it was 'one that he was not pressured to do, but one that he made on his own.'
Despite stating twice in his remarks on Wednesday that Porter had been 'terminated,' Shah insisted that the staff secretary had not been fired.
He let on that the White House had regrets about how it had handled the debacle, though, telling a journalist, 'I think it's fair to say that we all could have done better over the last few hours, or last few days, in dealing with this situation. 
'But, you know, this is a Rob Porter that I and many others have dealt with, that Sarah had dealt with, that other officials including the chief of staff had dealt with. And the emerging reports were not reflective of the individual who we had come to know.'
Shah declined to say, when asked later, what exactly the the White House wishes it had done differently. 
'I'm not going to get into a tick-tock on all these detailed specifics,' he replied. 'I think a lot of individuals were involved with the White House response to this, myself included, and a lot of us could have done better.'
The White House stood by Porter on Wednesday even after DailyMail.com published a follow-up story that included photos and new allegations from the official's first wife.



'Rob has been effective in his role as Staff Secretary, and the President and Chief of Staff have had full confidence and trust in his abilities and his performance,' White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a televised statement.
It was not until the 9pm hour on Wednesday - exactly 12 hours after DailyMail.com published its second story - that Kelly said he was 'shocked by the new allegations' against Porter.
'There is no place for domestic violence in our society,' Kelly stated.
But digging in his heels on his defense of Porter Kelly said, 'I stand by my previous comments of the Rob Porter that I have come to know since becoming Chief of Staff, and believe every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation. 
'I accepted his resignation earlier today, and will ensure a swift and orderly transition.'
Van Pelt, the head of NOW, said, Thursday that she believes 'it's good that the abusers and the predators themselves are seeing consequences' in the Me Too era.
'But the reason that they continue is because of people like John Kelly,' she said. 
Mentioning the photos and the restraining order that accompanied DailyMail.com articles, Van Pelt asked, 'What more does it take?' 

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White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Staff Secretary Rob Porter follow President Donald Trump as he walks to board Marine One to head to Missouri to push the Republican tax plan, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017
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Porter is dating White House Communications Director Hope Hicks. She, like Porter, accompanied President Trump to an economic conference in Davos, Switzerland. She also assisted in crafting statements responding to the allegations against Porter




As DailyMail.com first revealed in an earlier article, Porter is dating White House Communications Director Hope Hicks. 
In another unusual twist, Hicks participated in crafting Kelly's defiant statement on the matter Tuesday. Kelly was on Capitol Hill for immigration negotiations when staff learned about the DailyMail's exclusive on Porter.  
Shah on Thursday ducked questions on Hicks' drafting involvement in the White House's response to the allegations, yet asserted, 'The communications director did recuse herself from some matters concerning it.' 

 The White House and Kelly had stood firm and issued a defiant statement defending Porter as DailyMail.com published the allegations from Porter's second wife.
'Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor, and I can’t say enough good things about him. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional,' Kelly said. 'I am proud to serve alongside him.'
It was not until a second statement Wednesday night and Porter's resignation that Kelly said, 'I was shocked by the new allegations released today against Rob Porter' and that 'there is no place for domestic violence in our society.' 
After DailyMail.com contacted the White House Tuesday, Porter's former boss, Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, also vigorously defended him. Hatch released a new statement hours later condemning assault.
The retiring Senator told ABC News on Thursday that he doesn't believe all of the allegations against Porter, 'But there's enough there that you have to take it very seriously.' 
It was only after DailyMail.com published additional allegations, and a photo of first wife Colbie Holderness with a black eye she says Porter gave her when he punched her during their marriage, that a new round of statements went out and the White House announced that Porter would resign.
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President Trump was not aware of the allegations against Porter, according to a source
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Porter, described as one of the most important players in Trump's circle, resigned from his role as White House staff secretary on Wednesday following claims of domestic abuse

[size=18]Huckabee Sanders talks on Rob Porter resigning from White House



[/size]

Hatch, Porter's former employer, had issued a statement Tuesday scolding the 'vile attack' on Porter.
The Utah senator called it 'incredibly discouraging to see such a vile attack on such a decent man. Shame on any publication that would print this — and shame on the politically motivated, morally bankrupt character assassins that would attempt to sully a man's good name.'
After DailyMail.com's second story, Hatch – less than 15 hours after his initial statement – said he was 'heartbroken by today's allegations.'
Despite the White House's knowledge of the looming issue, Porter traveled with the president to an an economic conference in Davos, where he played a key role in drafting Trump's speech. Hicks also attended. 
Porter also had a role in crafting the president's State of the Union address the following week.  
The former staff secretary's first ex-wife Colbie Holderness told DailyMail.com that he choked and punched her during their marriage.
His second wife Jennifer Willoughby revealed on Tuesday that he had once dragged her wet and naked out of the shower and was verbally abusive, calling her a f***ing b***h' on their honeymoon. 
The two sets of revelations have stunned the White House and led to a dramatic exit for Porter. 
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White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday Porter was resigning but could be in his job for weeks during a transition period
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The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 48F0143800000578-5365657-Porter_s_second_wife_Jennifer_Willoughby_said_her_abusive_marria-a-89_1518060508923

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Colbie Holderness, Porter's first wife, (left) claims he repeatedly punched and choked her. His second wife Jennifer Willoughby has also claimed that Porter was abusive in their marriage

[size=18]
Rob Porter resigns amid abuse allegations


[/size]
 
'These outrageous allegations are simply false. I took the photos given to the media nearly 15 years ago and the reality behind them is nowhere close to what is being described,' Porter said in a statement Wednesday.
'I have been transparent and truthful about these vile claims, but I will not further engage publicly with a coordinated smear campaign.
'My commitment to public service speaks for itself. I have always put duty to country first and treated others with respect. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served in the Trump Administration and will seek to ensure a smooth transition when I leave the White House.'  


Porter's first wife, Holderness, 37, who is a senior analyst for the U.S. government, spoke on the record to DailyMail.com about their five-year marriage, detailing physical and mental abuse.
She said he broke down her confidence so badly with his verbal and emotional abuse that she took an extended leave of absence from grad school. 
Holderness said she was interviewed by the FBI – as was his second wife Willoughby – about their marriage after Porter was tapped for his current White House position as staff secretary. She shared the photos of her injuries with the FBI.
Porter required a security clearance – which he has not received. 
'I was his first wife and it wasn't until there was a second wife and then a long-time girlfriend reaching out to me, who was experiencing some weird things. I started to realize that he keeps getting away with it. It's a pattern now, it hasn't gone away,' Holderness said. 
In 2010, Willoughby – Porter's second ex-wife – filed a protective order against him after he violated their separation agreement and refused to leave their apartment.  
According to a complaint filed with the police, he punched the glass on the door to their home, cutting his hand in the process. 
Last week, DailyMail.com revealed that Porter, who is Mormon, and Hicks are dating, and were seen kissing in a cab on the way back to her apartment from a D.C.restaurant

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Post by Donnamarie Sat 10 Feb 2018, 05:02

John Kelly is lying.  Both he and the White House Counsel, Doug McGahn, should resign for knowing about these abuse allegations by Porter for months and not taking any action.  

Another White House staffer has resigned tonight after domestic violence allegations were revealed.
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Post by annemarie Sat 10 Feb 2018, 11:09

He is lying and he fits in well with all the people that work for Trump they get paid well to not tell the truth.
Trump praised the guy and said he said he wasn't guilty.

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Post by annemarie Sat 10 Feb 2018, 11:10

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5374235/Trump-weighing-response-Democratic-Russia-memo-White-House.ht

[size=34]'Hypocrite' Trump cites 'security issues' and refuses to release Democrat rebuttal to GOP Russian election meddling memo which he overruling the FBI's concerns[/size]

  • President Donald Trump on Friday blocked the release of a classified memo written by congressional Democrats to rebut a similar Republican document

  • The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee voted unanimously on Monday to release the 10-page document drafted by the panel's Democrats

  • But the committee could not do so unless Trump reclassified the document

  • Trump allowed the release of an earlier memo, made public on February 2, which was written by the committee's Republicans

  • In denying to release the Democratic rebuttal memo, the White House cited 'national security concerns' 

  • House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said the White House move is 'part of a dangerous and desperate pattern of cover-up on the part of the president' 

  • Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Trump's blocking the memo is 'hypocrisy at its worst'


By STEPHANIE HANEY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and REUTERS
PUBLISHED: 18:13 EST, 9 February 2018 | UPDATED: 01:13 EST, 10 February 2018



President Donald Trump on Friday blocked the release of a classified memo written by congressional Democrats to rebut a Republican document that he allowed to be made public last week.
That earlier document seemingly supported the idea that the FBI and Justice Department acted with bias against Trump and Republicans in general, in the early stages of the federal probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
In refusing to release the Democratic rebuttal memo, the White House cited 'national security concerns.'
Scroll down for video 
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 490B3D1300000578-5374235-image-a-30_1518230805931

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President Donald Trump on Friday blocked the release of a classified memo written by congressional Democrats to rebut a Republican document that he allowed to be made public last week. Trump is seen here in the Oval Office on Friday

[size=10][size=18]Trump blocks release of Democrats' secret memo on Russia probe




[/size][/size]

The Justice Department had identified portions of the Democratic memo that 'would create especially significant concerns for the national security and law enforcement interests' of the country, the Trump administration said.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said the White House move is 'part of a dangerous and desperate pattern of cover-up on the part of the president.' 
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and has read the classified information both memos are based on, tweeted that Trump's blocking the memo is 'hypocrisy at its worst.'
The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee voted unanimously on Monday to release the 10-page document drafted by the panel's Democrats, but the committee could not do so unless Trump agreed to reclassify the document.
A week earlier, Trump had overruled objections from the Federal Bureau of Investigation about releasing the Republican memo that took aim at senior law enforcement officials.
Trump allowed the release of the memo, made public on February 2, which was written by the committee's Republicans. 
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The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 490E54B200000578-5374235-image-m-9_1518240627168


The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 490E54B200000578-5374235-image-m-10_1518240648729


California Sen. Dianne Feinstein tweeted that Trump's blocking the memo is 'hypocrisy at its worst'
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President Donald Trump on Friday blocked the release of a classified memo written by congressional Democrats to rebut a Republican document that he allowed to be made public last week
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (center), R-California, standing with Rep. Peter King (left), R-New York, and Rep. Ron DeSantis (right), R-Florida, listens to a reporter's question as he speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on October 24
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White House counsel Donald F. McGahn II sent this letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes on Friday (page 1 of 2 shown)
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White House counsel Donald F. McGahn II sent this letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes on Friday (page 2 of 2 shown)
Democrats said the Republican memo mischaracterized highly sensitive classified information and was intended to discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of potential collusion between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.
Mueller is also investigating whether Trump has committed obstruction of justice in trying to impede the Russia probe.
Trump met on Friday afternoon with officials from the Justice Department, White House Counsel's Office and the FBI director, Christopher Wray, to get their input on the Democratic memo, the White House said.
'Although the President is inclined to declassify the February 5 Memorandum, because the memorandum contains numerous properly classified and especially sensitive passages, he is unable to do so at this time,' White House Counsel Don McGahn said in a letter to Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House panel.
He asked the intelligence panel to revise the memo with the help of the Justice Department. He said Trump is still 'inclined' to release the memo in the interest of transparency if revisions are made.
The White House also released a letter sent to McGahn by Wray and to Rod Rosenstein, the second-ranking Justice Department official, expressing concerns about the memo's release 'in light of longstanding principles regarding the protection of intelligence sources and methods, ongoing investigations, and other similar sensitive information.' 
The top Democrat on the intelligence panel, California Rep. Adam Schiff, criticized Trump for treating the two documents differently, saying the president is now seeking revisions by the same committee that produced the original Republican memo. Still, Schiff said, Democrats 'look forward to conferring with the agencies to determine how we can properly inform the American people about the misleading attack on law enforcement by the GOP.'
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Deputy Attorney General of the Department of Justice Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray sent this letter to White House counsel Donald F. McGahn II on Friday
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President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at a hotel in Washington, DC onThursday

[size=18]House GOP released controversial Nunes memo alleging FBI bias



[/size]

The Republican memo portrayed the Russia investigation as a product of political bias at the FBI and Justice Department against Trump. The president said the document 'totally vindicates' him in the Russia investigation, a claim disputed by Democrats and some Republicans.
Democrats last week warned Trump against using the Republican memo as a pretext to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who hired Mueller and oversees the investigation, or to remove Mueller himself. 
The Republican memo singled out Rosenstein and several other officials by name, including former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey, who Trump fired in May 2017, as the agency investigated the Russia matter.
Mueller took over the investigation from the FBI.
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential campaign using hacking and propaganda, an effort that eventually included attempting to tilt the race in Trump's favor. 
Russia denies interfering in the election. Trump denies collusion with Moscow. 
Read Trump's letter announcing that he would not reclassify the Democratic memo, below.

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Post by annemarie Sat 10 Feb 2018, 18:00

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5375009/Judge-inclined-assert-right-rule-border-wall.html

[size=34]US Judge who President Trump repeatedly attacked as 'Mexican' and 'biased' during 2016 election says he inclined to asserts right to rule on border wall[/size]

  • U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel said during 2½ hours of arguments Friday in San Diego that he was leaning towards presiding over the case

  • Curiel asked the administration and wall opponents to file additional briefings by the end of Tuesday

  • The state of California and advocacy groups want Judge Curiel to rule that a border wall with Mexico must go through normal environmental reviews 

  • Trump repeatedly criticized Curiel in 2016 as lawsuits against Trump University neared trial

  • Trump  suggested that the judge's Mexican heritage meant he could not be impartial 

  • At issue is a 2005 law that gave the Homeland Security secretary broad powers to waive dozens of laws requiring environmental and other reviews 


By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 01:55 EST, 10 February 2018 | UPDATED: 10:21 EST, 10 February 2018

    


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Judge Gonzalo Curiel (pictured), who was berated by Donald Trump during the presidential campaign, says he's inclined to rule on a case involving Trump's proposed border wall
A judge who was berated by Donald Trump during the presidential campaign says he's inclined to conclude he can decide a lawsuit that challenges the president's proposed border wall.
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel said during 2.5 hours of arguments Friday in San Diego that he was leaning toward deciding he has jurisdiction in a lawsuit that alleges the Trump administration overreached in waiving laws that require environmental and other reviews. 

The administration argues he doesn't have jurisdiction.
Curiel asked the administration and wall opponents to file additional briefings by the end of Tuesday.   
The state of California and advocacy groups want Judge Curiel to rule that a border wall with Mexico must go through normal environmental reviews, which could block construction or at least cause major delays.
The challengers contend that authority to waive the environmental reviews under a 2005 law expired. 
California is joined by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and the Animal Legal Defense Fund. 
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The state of California and advocacy groups want Judge Curiel to rule that a border wall with Mexico must go through normal environmental reviews
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 490D785600000578-0-image-a-63_1518243838966

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The challengers contend that authority to waive the environmental reviews under a 2005 law expired

[size=10][size=18]Trump says he's been 'very consistent' on the wall




[/size][/size]




The judge said he would likely within days whether to dismiss the challenge by the state of California and environmental advocates or let it proceed.  
Trump repeatedly criticized Curiel in 2016 as lawsuits against Trump University neared trial, suggesting that the judge's Mexican heritage meant he could not be impartial in the fraud cases. Trump settled for $25 million shortly after winning the election, without admitting wrongdoing.
Curiel, who was forced out of his home and needed around-the-clock protection when he prosecuted Mexican drug kingpins in the 1990s, was unfazed by Trump's criticism during the campaign, said Gregory Vega, a former U.S. attorney in San Diego and longtime friend.

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'He's had a credible threat made on his life. I don't think when he was called names, I don't think that really bothered him,' said Vega.
The Center for Biological Diversity was first to sue over the wall, with three other groups — Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and the Animal Legal Defense Fund — later filing a lawsuit. 
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, was close behind, and Curiel consolidated all three cases into one.
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 490E724100000578-0-image-m-66_1518243855037
Donald Trump (R) speaks as university president Michael Sexton (L) looks on during a news conference announcing the establishment of Trump University May 23, 2005
At issue is a 2005 law that gave the Homeland Security secretary broad powers to waive dozens of laws requiring environmental and other reviews, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act. The reviews are time-consuming and subject to prolonged legal challenges.
The Trump administration has issued three waivers since August, two to build barriers in parts of California and one in part of New Mexico. President George W. Bush's administration issued the previous five waivers.  
Trump has insisted on $25 billion for border security measures as part of an immigration deal that would include a path to citizenship for 1.8 million people. A proposal by Customs and Border Protection calls for spending $18 billion over 10 years to extend barriers to nearly half the 2,054-mile border.
One of the administration's environmental waivers is for San Diego, where private contractors recently built eight imposing prototypes to guide designs for future construction.
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 48E7C83600000578-0-image-a-67_1518244174647

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California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (pictured) talks during a news conference in Sacramento, California on Feb. 5, 2018

[size=18]Trump's 11 min rant against Trump University judge in May 2016



[/size]

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Post by annemarie Sun 11 Feb 2018, 17:09

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5378043/Father-son-5-battling-leukemia-deported.html

[size=34]Father, 30, whose five-year-old son is battling leukemia set to be deported, leaving behind his pregnant citizen wife and five children[/size]

  • Jesus Berrones' request for an extension to remain in the US was denied by ICE 

  • Had previously been granted an extension in 2016 because his son has leukemia 

  • The 30-year-old was told last year he didn't have to refile because he wasn't a deportation priority

  • He is currently taking refuge in a church in Phoenix, ICE doesn't arrest in church

  • Berrones lives in Arizona with his pregnant wife and five children and is the sole breadwinner 


By ABIGAIL MILLER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 08:35 EST, 11 February 2018 UPDATED: 10:05 EST, 11 February 2018



     

     

     

     
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An undocumented man from Mexico whose five-year-old son is battling cancer is battling a deportation notice by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Jesus Berrones' request for an extension to remain in the United States was denied by ICE on Thursday. 
The 30-year-old lives in Glendale, Arizona with his pregnant wife and five children, and has been ordered to appear on Monday to be deported, according to the Huffington Post
Scroll down for video 
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 4919A5B500000578-5378043-image-m-14_1518355658555
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 4919A5A500000578-5378043-image-m-12_1518355642854

Jesus Berrones, an undocumented man from Mexico whose five-year-old son has leukemia is battling a deportation notice after ICE told him his request for an extension to remain in the United States with his sick son was denied on Thursday
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 4919A59B00000578-5378043-image-m-15_1518355667251

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The 30-year-old lives in Glendale, Arizona with his pregnant wife and five children, and has been ordered to appear on Monday to be deported, according to the Huffington Post
Berrones has been living in the US since he was one-and-a-half, when his parents brought him here. It's not clear if he initially entered the country lawfully. 

When he was 19, in 2006, he was caught driving with a fake license and deported to Mexico, his wife Sonia told the Post. He has re-entered the country illegally twice to rejoin his family, all of whom live in Arizona. 
Berrones' five-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia since 2016 and is currently undergoing chemotherapy, Sonia explained. She is a US citizen and the couple were married just after the new year. 

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When it was first learned his son had the disease ICE granted the father, who is the family's sole breadwinner, a stay of removal so he could be with his sick child. ICE has the ability to use its discretion to grant stays in certain cases - and has done so more than once on the grounds of a sick child. 
But last year, under the new Trump administration, when Berrones went to refile a stay on the same grounds officials told him it wasn't necessary because he wasn't a deportation priority, Wilkes explained. 
Then last month Berrones was issued a notice from ICE that he will be deported. His lawyer refiled a request for a stay almost immediately, but it was denied.  
'He's a hard-working man,' Sonia told the Post as she wept. 
'We're scared. The kids will ask me: "Where's daddy?"' 
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Berrones took refuge at Shadow Rock United Church of Christ in Phoenix Friday (pictured) - which is one of hundreds of 'sanctuary churches' nationwide that welcome immigrants facing deportation. Immigrants are invited to live at these churches until they are no longer under threat of being kicked out of the country

Berrones took refuge at Shadow Rock United Church of Christ in Phoenix Friday - which is one of hundreds of 'sanctuary churches' nationwide that welcome immigrants facing deportation. Immigrants are invited to live at these churches until they are no longer under threat of being kicked out of the country. 
ICE has recognized that churches are 'sensitive' places that they do not go to when carrying out arrests. 
'We're just fulfilling our mission to provide a safe place for people, to keep families together,' Reverend Ken Heintzelman told the Post. 
'We think the immigration policy and its enforcement is unjust.' 
Berrones plans to stay at the church until he is granted a stay or Wilkes finds a legal solution. 
That resolution might involve Wilkes filing a petition arguing Berrones didn't have the opportunity to make a case before an immigration judge the first time he was deported as a teenager in 2006.
In June the ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan said undocumented immigrants should 'look over their shoulder,' a statement characteristic the Trump administration's emphasis on cracking down on illegal immigration.  [/size]

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Post by annemarie Tue 13 Feb 2018, 17:07

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5386725/FBI-director-White-House-4-warnings-Rob-Porter.html

[size=34]BREAKING NEWS: FBI director contradicts White House as he says they had FOUR warnings about Rob Porter going back to March 2017 – and his background check was 'completed' by July[/size]

  • FBi Director Christopher Wray testified Tuesday in a Senate hearing that the White House got four separate notifications about Rob Porter

  • The now-former Trump staff secretary was forced out of his job last week following DailyMail.com stories about his ex-wives' domestic abuse claims

  • Wray says the White House got heads-up warnings in March, July and November 2017, and again this month

  • FBI closed its investigation in January 2018, but the White House has refused to answer questions about what it knew and when – claiming the probe is 'ongoing'

  • Bombshell development could put John Kelly and Don McGahn on the hot seat 

  • Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said people with temporary security clearances (like Porter) should have 'limited' access to classified material


By DAVID MARTOSKO, US POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 11:06 EST, 13 February 2018 | UPDATED: 12:02 EST, 13 February 2018

    


FBI director Christopher Wray said Tuesday that the White House was given four separate reports about disgraced former aide Rob Porter's security clearance investigation – with the first heads-up coming 11 months ago.
The bombshell development could put White Houe Chief of Staff John Kelly and White House Counsel Don McGahn on the hot seat as they face new questions about what they knew and when they knew it.
Responding to a question from Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Wray spelled out the process in which the bureau 'briefed' the White House while Porter was operating with a temporary clearance and had access to some of America's most closely held secrets. 
'The FBI submitted a partial report on the investigation in question in March, and then a completed background investigation in late July,' Wray said, adding that 'soon thereafter we received requests for [a] followup inquiry, and we did the followup and provided that information in November.' 
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FBI Director Christopher Wray testified Tuesday in a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that the White House has had four separate notifications from the bureau about why Rob Porter couldn't get a permanent security clearance
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Rob Porter (right) was forced out of his sensitive position at the White House after DailyMail.com reported on his ex-wives' allegations of long-term domestic violence
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Colbie Holderness, Porter's first wife, (left) told DailyMail.com that he repeatedly punched and choked her. His second wife Jennifer Willoughby (right) has also claimed that Porter was abusive in their marriage
Wray added that the FBI 'administratively closed the file in January,' directly contradicting the White House's account.  

'Then earlier this month we received some additional information and we passed that along as well,' he said
He also declared that 'in this particular instance the FBI followed established protocol.' 

Porter was forced out of his job as President Donald Trump's staff secretary this month following DailyMail.com reports about domestic violence accusations from his two ex-wives.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said Tuesday – without mentioning Porter by name – that while it can be 'necessary to have some type of preliminary clearance in order to fill a slot,' people with such temporary statuses shouldn't have the same contact with classified material as people with permanent clearances. 
'Access has to be limited in terms of the kinds of information they can be in a position to receive or not receive,' Coats said.
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Porter was among President Trump's closest aides, managing the flow of documents and other paperwork that reached the Oval Office
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Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats (right) said Tuesday that people with temporary security clearances (like Porter) should have 'limited' access to classified material

[size=10][size=18]White House insists Kelly not under threat over Porter scandal




[/size][/size]

The news that the FBI's background check was completed and the file closed last month flies in the face of what the White House has publicly said.
'In the case of Rob Porter, we relied on the background check investigative process. That process hadn't been completed, so we were relying on the information that we had,' White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah told reporters last Thursday.
It's unclear from Wray's testimony who at the White House received information from the FBI. 



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Wray was fielding questions from Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat

[size=18]
Trump defends Rob Porter as aide exits White House




[/size]

The White house has been cagey about whether or when Kelly knew the seriousness of the allegations against Porter, but it has been widely reported that McGahn received the initial FBI briefings.
Press secretary Sarah Sanders refused to provide specifics on Monday about the Porter clearance investigation, saying it was still 'ongoing.'
'The process for the background was ongoing, and the White House had not received any specific papers regarding the completion of that background check,' she claimed.
'We learned of the extent of the situation involving Rob Porter last Tuesday evening,' Sanders insisted.

[size=18]White House insists Trump takes domestic violence 'very seriously'



[/size]

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Post by LizzyNY Tue 13 Feb 2018, 19:56

Lying Liar, liar, pants on fire!
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Post by party animal - not! Tue 13 Feb 2018, 20:12

Yep. You would have thought alarm bells might have started ringing with the partial report sent to the White House in March - wonder who was in charge of disseminating everything that went in? Could it possibly have been Porter??!

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Post by annemarie Tue 13 Feb 2018, 21:07

I don't see how any country can take our government seriously, all they do in the White House is lie.

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Post by annemarie Tue 13 Feb 2018, 21:14

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5387197/Bill-Murray-attacks-divisive-politics.html

[size=34]Bill Murray praises Republican tax cuts as he attacks divisive politics and blames Democrats for making it WORSE by trying to appeal to minorities instead of everyone[/size]

  • Murray warns that political discourse has degenerated into a 'Clash of Clans everyday, first thing in the morning'

  • He says Democrats can be divisive by striving to represent certain groups or minorities, rather than simply saying they represented Americans

  • 'The way the Democrats handle things is poor, where they try to pick out little pieces of a population, oh well... we represent the LGBT or something,' he said

  • 'Instead of thinking that each citizen has a right to be respected as a citizen first, under the laws of the country'

  • The 67-year-old said atmosphere made comedy of a political nature very difficult

  • Murray played former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on Saturday Night Live after being asked to do the skit by a friend

  • 'They had a really good wig,' joked the Ghostbusters star, and ex-SNL star


By HANNAH PARRY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 15:26 EST, 13 February 2018 | UPDATED: 15:52 EST, 13 February 2018

    

Bill Murray is rarely one to keep quiet about his opinions.
And in a recent sit down with CNBC's Squawk Box, the actor warned that political discourse and degenerated into a 'Clash of Clans everyday, first thing in the morning.'
'People are going to war about so much.' 


He added that Democrats could often create division by striving to represent certain groups or minorities, rather than simply saying they represented Americans.

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Bill Murray has criticized the current political discourse and blames Democrats for making it worse by trying to represent minorities
'My friend who's a great comedy writer, Jim Downey, he's accused of being a right-wing comedy writer, if there is such a thing,' Murray said. 'He says, 'No, I just think the way the Democrats handle things is poor, where they try to pick out little pieces of a population, oh well we represent the Hispanics, we represent the LGBT or something.'

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'And they're not speaking to everyone at once. And it's almost demeaning to say, 'I'm choosing you because you're a splinter group or you're a certain minority group.'
'There's almost a resentment that somehow you're separated, again, by a politician — 'You're my people. I'm in control of you, I represent you,' instead of thinking that each citizen has a right to be respected as a citizen first, under the laws of the country.'

Bill Murray talks politics, Hollywood and impersonating Steve Bannon from CNBC.
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The 67-year-old, who seemed to suggest that such times of political unrest often laid the 'compost and fertilizer' to nurture more stable times of unity ahead
The 67-year-old, who seemed to suggest that such times of political unrest often laid the 'compost and fertilizer' to nurture more stable times of unity ahead, added that the current divided atmosphere made comedy of a political nature very difficult.
'How can Kristen Wiig make everyone laugh?' he asked. 'She's not thinking about being political, she's thinking about what resonates and what is common to all of us. 
'I think that's harder and harder to do because people are trying to win their point of view as opposed to saying, 'What if I had spoke to everyone?' 
Despite the difficulties of getting a laugh from politics at the moment, Murray did play former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on Saturday Night Live after being asked to do the skit by a friend. 
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Murray played former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on Saturday Night Live after being asked to do the skit by a friend
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'They had a really good wig,' joked the Ghostbusters star, and ex-SNL star
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He said that the current divided atmosphere made comedy of a political nature very difficult, adding that comedians like Kristen Wiig (pictured) were successful because she's 'not thinking about being political, she's thinking about what resonates and what is common to all of us'
'They had a really good wig,' joked the Ghostbusters star, who was an SNL cast member from 1977 to 1980.
'My friend called me up and said, 'Would you like to be Steve Bannon.' I said, 'Who wouldn't.''
During the wide ranging interview, in which he also touched on the Harvey Weinstein scandal which has lead to people getting justice more quicker than usual, avid golfer Murray also discussed his reaction to the Republican tax reform.
'The change in the tax law is a great thing for the corporations, it's a fantastic thing,' he said. 
'I don't pretend to understand what that will mean in the future in terms of the economy or what the budget will have to do to take care of what people call entitlements,' he said. 
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Bill Murray putts on the 18th green during the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links on February 10
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The avid golfer is a regular on the course, and was spotted on Pebble Beach course on Saturday in his own brand of colorful pants
'In the first step, it's made things easier. I think people feel like there was probably too much regulation, and yet you just hope that they don't throw out the baby with the bathwater when breaking down regulations.'
The outspoken comedian, and star of Groundhog Day, will take a break from acting later this year, when he will fly south, with classical musicians, for a tour of Australia in November. 
Murray will be performing spoken word and singing in the unique show alongside classical music performed by German-American cellist Jan Vogler and his wife, Chinese-American violinist Mira Wang, and Venezuelan-American pianist Vanessa Perez.
Renowned for his quirky, yet approachable personality, Murray's latest venture sprang from an airport security line where he struck up a conversation with Vogler over the unwieldy size of his cello and a mutual love of the American greats.
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The outspoken comedian, and star of Groundhog Day, will take a break from acting later this year, when he will fly south, with classical musicians, for a tour of Australia in November (Murray performs during the T.J. Martell 42nd Annual New York Honors Gala at Guastavino's on October 17  in New York City)
They got together and created the album New Worlds which combines classical music by Ravel, Schubert, Saint-Saens and Bach with spoken word excerpts from American writers Twain, Hemingway and Whitman, and classics from the American songbook, including Gershwin, Bernstein and Foster.
'We are from four different continents and when the continents come together, the music moves right across the peninsulas from one to the other. It's just a short journey from one continent to the other,' Murray said.
Meanwhile, Murray has been keeping busy on the golf course, where he is a regular in California. While towards the end of last year, he helped fundriase for Puerto Rico by selling off his autographs.

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Post by annemarie Wed 14 Feb 2018, 00:40

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5386907/Trump-plans-Blue-Apron-scheme-replace-food-stamps.html

[size=34]Trump plans 'Blue Apron' scheme to replace food stamps with food boxes sent monthly to recipients[/size]

  • Trump's 2019 budget lays out plan to replace Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program with 'America's Harvest Box'

  • Feds say food would be nutritious and grown in the U.S.

  • Would include shelf-stable milk, juice, peanut butter, beans, canned meat, and canned fruits and vegetables

  • 'America's Harvest Boxes' would be delivered to families

  • Projected savings of $130 billion over a decade

  • Box would be half a family's monthly food benefit under SNAP

  • However, Blue Apron lets families choose meals, which include fresh vegetables and meats shipped to their door for preparation 


By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 13:29 EST, 13 February 2018 | UPDATED: 15:02 EST, 13 February 2018

    



The Trump administration is proposing a new 'Blue Apron-type' program to ship food stamp recipients boxes of canned and packaged goods – but the government's plan will hold the kale and other fresh ingredients.
White House budget director Mick Mulvaney described the program, which would hand out food boxes to recipients who get a $90 or greater food benefit per month, invoking the popular mail-order meal business. 
'I don't want to steal somebody's copyright, but a Blue Apron-type program where you actually receive the food instead of receive the cash' is how Mulvaney described it.
According to the Trump administration's 2019 budget, the boxes would contain shelf-stable milk, peanut butter, juice, canned meat poultry or fish, pasta, cereals, and canned fruits and vegetables. 
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White House budget director Mick Mulvaney called the new food stamps proposal 'a Blue Apron-type program where you actually receive the food instead of receive the cash'
The plan goes along with a $213 billion cut over a decade to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food stamps and electronic transfers that can be exchanged for food items.


'It lowers the cost to us because we can buy prices at wholesale, whereas they have to buy it at retail. It also makes sure that they're getting nutritious food. So we're pretty excited about that. That's a tremendous cost savings,' Mulvaney told reporters.

[size=10][size=18]Administration planning to replace food stamps with food boxes




[/size][/size]


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Brooklyn residents receive free food as part of a Bowery Mission outreach program on December 5, 2013. The Christian ministry says it have seen a spike in need since food stamps to low-income families were reduced in November with cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
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A Harlem resident looks at a color coding system before choosing free groceries at the Food Bank For New York City on December 11, 2013
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The government's Harvest Box would include canned food and shelf-stable milk
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In this photo illustration, a Blue Apron box sits on the porch of a house on June 28, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts
But the so-called 'America's Harvest Box' is already coming under criticism from those who say it won't live up to high-end standards and denies choices to people getting the benefit.
Blue Apron ships chilled meats, fish, and vegetables to people's doors so would-be chefs can follow instructions to assemble international meals. 
On the menu this week are Beef Medalions and Scallion Salsa Verde with potatoes and broccoli, Greek Chicken with olive tapenade, and Salmon and Dukkah-Spiced Vegetables with orange and endive. 
The government's food box contains made-in-the-U.S.A. products, but the feds haven't spelled out whether it would be shipped, whether boxes would be tailored to different recipients, and how it would organize the supply chain.
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The program is a way to find savings amid a $213 cut over a decade in food stamps programs
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SWEET: Juice would be included in the government's boxes, which would go to those who get $90 or more of food aid per month
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COLD COMFORT: The boxes would include shelf-stable milk that doesn't need refrigeration
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Said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in a statement: 'USDA America's Harvest Box is a bold, innovative approach to providing nutritious food to people who need assistance feeding themselves and their families -- and all of it is homegrown by American farmers and producers.'
He added: 'It maintains the same level of food value as SNAP participants currently receive, provides states flexibility in administering the program, and is responsible to the taxpayers.'
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DO YOU HAVE BLUE APRON IN A CAN? Recipe cards from a Blue Apron Holdings Inc. meal-kit delivery are arranged for a photograph in Tiskilwa, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, June 14, 2017. The Agriculture Department program would provide food boxes to assistance recipients
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Current programs allow qualified recipients to exchange food stamps or digital transfers for food item
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The plan is part of the Trump administration's 2019 budget
“Holy mackerel," Kevin Concannon, who ran the program in the Obama administration, told Politico.  "I don’t know where this came from, but I suspect that the folks when they were drawing it up were also watching silent movies.”
“It boggles the mind how that would play out,” Kathy Fisher of Philadelphia’s Coalition Against Hunger told the Washington Post. “We know SNAP works now, when people can choose what they need. How they would distribute foods to people with specialized diets, or [to people in] rural areas … It’s very expensive and very complicated.”
Blue Apron said it had no comment when asked for a response.

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Post by carolhathaway Wed 14 Feb 2018, 06:57

Sounds interesting, but there are quite a lot of questions left:

- I can't imagine that it's really cheaper to buy, pack and send packers to the recipients who also have the choice between different types of packets, rather than sending somebody food stamps. With the meals described in the article, I can't really imagine that.
- Canned fruits and vegetables have no vitamins or other valuable and necessary nutritive substances.
- How on earth do you prepare meals as described with canned fruits, vegetables, meat and fish?
- I think it's important that people have a choice. Enjoyning them what to eat by delivering it to them, leaves them no choice. I remember that, in the 1980s, people in Germany who relied on social welfare, got food stamps. My mother worked in a supermarket at that time and often described it as awkward and embarrassing that everybody knew when people had these stamps, they were sort of brandmarked (of course there are areas where it's normal to have food stamps, but it wasn't there). The people were also not allowed to buy items like cigarettes or alcohol on food stamps, so what do you do when you're a smoker or like a drink? You steal them or try to persuade the staff to sell it to you on the food stamps. I remember that people tried to sell their food stamps to other customers in order to be able to buy what they wanted. The courts then decided that it's against the human dignity to give people no cash (which of course caused problems as well because there are many people who simply can't deal with money).
- Does anybody control the contents of the boxes? What if you get items which are beyond the date of expiry? Because, if the government plans to save money, the producers won't give you first-choice items.
- What if the government changes the content of the packets? Decides that it's not necessary that it contains fresh milk, that milk powder is enough for them as well for instance? I remember that Ronald Reagan's government decided to declare french fries as vegetables in order to fulfill the regulation that lunch meals at school must contain vegetables (that was a question in a German  quiz show a while ago)

I see this critical because it means to infantilize and brandmarks people. Even when you've got no money, you should have dignity (but of course I know that many people say 'If they can't earn the / enough  money themselves, they have to take what they get.
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Post by LizzyNY Wed 14 Feb 2018, 14:29

Carolhathaway - You're not the only one asking those questions. Having dinner ingredients delivered to your door in a box is a trend for some people who can't find the time to shop for their own food. Maybe the Republicans think they're doing the poor a favor.

Forcing people to "eat healthy" by restricting their food choices is, IMO, obnoxious. It is also culturally insensitive. We are a country whose people come from many places and not everyone enjoys the same taste in food. Hopefully, Congress will realize the program we have now works and leave well enough alone.
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Post by party animal - not! Wed 14 Feb 2018, 14:44

My cynical mind just wonders if this isn't a massively obvious way for some billionaire's food conglomerate to get a huge government contract for their shareholders and distributors - would it have Trump on the box? I could have sworn food parcel drops were the route the UN and aid agencies had to take to feed the starving in a time of crisis?

I love this guy.......(speaking yesterday)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8PQjZfZvmM&t=7s

Mulvaney's face is a picture at the end of it

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Post by carolhathaway Wed 14 Feb 2018, 15:36

In most cities in Germany we've got volunteers who collect goods which can't be sold anymore from supermarkets, bakerys and other shops (because of upcoming date of expiry, overripe fruits and vegetables, yesterday's bread etc). So people relying on social welfare are able to get these goods for free or just  very little money. This is an addition to the social welfare they get, none of their money is cut when they go there.
A few years ago, I was responsible to connect with the volunteers in order to help them with problems, and we discussed a lot if issues. They said that many of the poorer people are very picky and just choose certain goods, they also ignore more exotic fruits and vegetables. We came to the conclusion that they might not know how to prepare and eat them, so we decided go offer them cooking classes. Which were mostly ignored or denied, so at a certain point we gave up. 

I don't think we're so different from you in the States. What do you think would happen if you got these packets and were told what to cook which day? You're right, your food is a variety from many countries and regions, somebody from Alaska will certainly have a different taste as somebody from Texas. So you can't have a standardisized box for all your country.  If you add all the dislikes, food intolerances and allergies, it requires a lot of time and effort which costs a lot of money.
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Post by LizzyNY Wed 14 Feb 2018, 15:58

Carolhathaway - We, too, have organisations that collect surplus food from restaurants and stores to distribute to the needy. Sadly, they are needed more and more every year.

The food-in-a-box idea probably isn't going to happen. It's a stupid idea proposed by a bunch of entitled people who are out of touch with real life and the people they represent. If the political backlash doesn't kill it maybe the logistics and cost will.
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Post by annemarie Wed 14 Feb 2018, 21:22

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5392559/Multiple-victims-Florida-school-shooting.html

[size=38]BREAKING NEWS: Gunman 'shoots up to 50' at Florida high school leaving 'many dead' after going on a rampage before being taken into custody a mile from the scene following dramatic showdown with SWAT[/size]

  • A gunman has been arrested after opening fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida

  • Authorities report 'multiple' casualties at the school while another 50 were injured in the shooting 

  • Some students barricaded themselves inside their classrooms while others were seen sprinting away from the school as police and SWAT teams swarmed the building

  • At around 4pm, two hours after he first opened fire, police took the suspected gunman into custody 

  • Police describe him as a student and member of Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program


By HANNAH PARRY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 15:02 EST, 14 February 2018 | UPDATED: 16:18 EST, 14 February 2018

    


A suspected gunman has been arrested after opening fire on aFlorida high school, leaving at least 50 injured. 
Police surrounded Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where the 'heavily armed' shooter, wearing a gas mask, pulled out a 'long' gun at just after 2pm and began shooting.
At around 4pm, two hours after the shooter first opened fire, police and SWAT teams took him into custody. Police describe him as a student and member of the U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.

Video shows him wearing a maroon colored top as he was put in the back of a cruiser by half a dozens officers.
Scroll down for video 
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The suspect, wearing a maroon colored top, is taken into custody two hours after opening fire on his high school
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Police described the gunman as a student and member of the U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program. The suspect is pictured being taken into custody
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Police are responding to the incident at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida
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An injured student was loaded into the ambulance by multiple emergency responders as crews tried to help the more than 50 hurt in the shooting
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  Police surrounded Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where the 'heavily armed' shooter, wearing a gas mask, pulled out a 'long' gun at just after 2pm and began shooting

[size=10][size=18]Multiple victims injured during a shooting at a Florida school




[/size][/size]

Students are reportedly barricading themselves into their classrooms, while others were seen running out of the building with their hands in their air as police and SWAT teams swarmed the school.
Those fleeing the school, in single file, each threw their backpack into a large pile and huddled together under trees across the street. 
The school district stated that the shooting happened shortly before dismissal time when students heard what sounded like gunfire.  



Desperate parents and relatives of students still locked down in the high school rushed to the scene to find out if their children were among the injured.
One mother, Michelle, whose daughter is inside, said there at least 20 students and teachers still barricaded in the school buildings. The unnamed mom said her daughter sent her a text that said: 'There's been a shooting in school ... and it's for real.'

[size=18]Students flee a Florida high school after a gunman start shooting



[/size]
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Majory Stoneman Douglas High School is located in Parkland, west of Boca Raton, in Florida 

[size=18]SWAT team responds to a shooting at a Florida high school



[/size]

Speaking outside the police perimeter, she said: 'She was texting me up until about four minutes ago and now she's not responding and I'm getting nervous. Last she texted me she was in a building from across where the shooting was at. I'm on pins and needles because she isn't responding to me now.'  
CBS Miami reporter Rick Folbaum said he was exchanging messages with a child still inside, who is hiding in a closet.
'I'm continuing to text with a student, a young girl who I know well, who is in the building right now who told me that she heard a loud noise and what sounded like gunfire, three shots', he said.
'She texted: All of a sudden there was a really loud noise…..people are crying the closet.'
A father named Caesar Figueroa told CBS: 'My daughter is with a friend and is trapped in a closet. She is afraid to talk out loud. It's like a war zone here with cops, machine guns, helicopters. The FBI is here, everyone is here. I told my daughter not to call me because I don't want anyone to hear her voice.' 

Photographs taken by students inside the school show they are crouching behind piles of chairs and hiding behind desks.

There are reports that the shooter, wearing a burgundy shirt and black pants, may have fled the school, mixing in with the other students as they fled the building. 

Video showed at least five people being treated by paramedics at the scene while students were led away from the school in a line. But reports show that many more were shot and injured.
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Shocking: Victims of the shooting were being treated on the sidewalk while the gunman was reported to still be at large and law enforcement officers from multiple agencies were flooding the area
The school remains on lockdown. 
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Treated on scene: Television footage showed police in olive fatigues, with weapons drawn, entering the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, then dozens of children frantically running and walking quickly out.
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A shooting at a Florida high school Wednesday sent students rushing out into the streets as SWAT team members swarmed in and locked down the building
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Boxed in: The school building seen from an aerial. President Trump 'has been made aware of the school shooting in Florida,' said Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters
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Response: Multiple fire trucks and EMTs arrived on scene after the Broward School District said around 2:40 p.m., staff and students heard what sounded like gunfire
Coral Springs police have advised people to avoid the neighborhood while the active shooter situation is underway.
President Donald Trump has tweeted about the shooting to offer his condolences to the victims. 
'My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school,' he wrote. 
He added that he'd spoken with Florida Governor Rick Scott and 'we are working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting.' 

White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters said in a statement, 'The president has been made aware of the school shooting in Florida. We are monitoring the situation. Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected.' 


Police asked parents to tell children still inside to 'remain calm and barricaded until police come to their room'. 


The incident comes just a few weeks after a 15-year-old boy opened fire at his rural Kentucky high school, killing two and injuring more than two dozen others. 


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Cops arrived on the scene of the shooting where victims were being carried out to the front lawn
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Video showed at least five people being treated by paramedics at the scene while students were led away from the school in a line

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Post by LizzyNY Wed 14 Feb 2018, 22:20

Can't wait for the NRA to tell us that if all the students had had guns they could have stopped this guy before he hurt anyone. I HATE GUNS!
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Post by Donnamarie Thu 15 Feb 2018, 01:01

Lizzy, all the rhetoric we will hear in the next few days is meaningless.  We’ve experienced so many of these tragedies.  I’m actually so sick of hearing all the politicians sending their thoughts and prayers to those who have lost loved ones.  Empty words.  It’s just sickening.  I hate guns and wish the Second Amendment to the Constitution could be changed.  I don’t believe in people’s right to own guns.  Maybe I’m un-American.
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Post by carolhathaway Thu 15 Feb 2018, 06:28

17 lifes lost, others are injured.
Like you I can't wait to hear the NRA talking that, if eveeybody had guns, they could have stopped him. And certain politicians regretting the losses but demanding the right to be armed to the teeth. I'm so fed up! And at the same time I'm really glad that we have stricter gunlaws (although, as we all know, people will always find a way to get access to ethal weapons).


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Post by it's me Thu 15 Feb 2018, 08:45

I just read some democrat telling "We need to do something
Those things happens in our Country only"

They are
More or less
one per week in 2018


Trump took away a lot of money on guns' control



Bravo
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Post by party animal - not! Thu 15 Feb 2018, 11:19

Eloquent statement by Golden States Warriors echoing everybody's thoughts:

http://www.oregonlive.com/nba/index.ssf/2018/02/steve_kerr_guns_florida_shooti.html

and Chris Murphy, the senator who represents Sandy Hook Newtown statement: This happens nowhere else

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-43067114/sandy-hook-senator-this-happens-nowhere-else

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Post by party animal - not! Thu 15 Feb 2018, 17:16

This says it all. Brilliant response from Jimmy Kimmel's scripwriter with a list of all the politicians the NRA paid millions to. They donated $21 million to Trump alone


http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bess-kalb-nra-tweets_us_5a84ee69e4b0058d5565cbac


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Post by LizzyNY Thu 15 Feb 2018, 17:22

I'm just wondering how much of that NRA money came from Russia. They don't have to disrupt our elections. they already own our government!
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Post by party animal - not! Thu 15 Feb 2018, 17:23

Oh, and should have said that Russia funds the NRA too................!!!

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Post by party animal - not! Thu 15 Feb 2018, 17:30

No surprises here either, Lizzy

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-russian-hackers-targeted-journalists-20171222-story.html

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Post by annemarie Thu 15 Feb 2018, 18:19

Of course the idiot says the problem is mental health and we will tackle that. No mention of the gun that was used that should not be in the hands of any one other than the armed forces.

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Post by it's me Thu 15 Feb 2018, 18:47

party animal - not! wrote:This says it all. Brilliant response from Jimmy Kimmel's scripwriter with a list of all the politicians the NRA paid millions to. They donated $21 million to Trump alone


http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bess-kalb-nra-tweets_us_5a84ee69e4b0058d5565cbac



Brilliant!!
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Post by Donnamarie Thu 15 Feb 2018, 19:08

Wow! Now that kind of says it all.  Powerful tweets from Ms. Kalb! These Republicans cloak themselves in empty words of sympathy to appear to be concerned and bereaved for all the lives lost to guns.  Clearly the NRA mantra for moments like these.  It’s disgraceful and disgusting.  Our country is being run by money grubbing cowards.
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Post by LizzyNY Thu 15 Feb 2018, 19:29

It is hypocritical and self-serving for these spineless politicians to offer condolences, considering it is their cowardly inaction that allows these "incidents" to happen.  Their tweets and the amounts they have received from the NRA should be printed on the front pages of every paper in the country.
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Post by annemarie Thu 15 Feb 2018, 19:35

http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/11/news/economy/trump-medicaid-work-requirements/index.html


[size=55]Trump administration allows states to make Medicaid recipients work[/size]


by Tami Luhby   @LuhbyJanuary 11, 2018: 5:42 PM ET


[url=https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2018%2F01%2F11%2Fnews%2Feconomy%2Ftrump-medicaid-work-requirements%2Findex.html&title=Trump administration allows states to make Medicaid recipients work][/url][url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump administration allows states to make Medicaid recipients][/url]






Medicaid patient: 'I miss working'


The Trump administration will allow states for the first time to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients.


The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a guidance Thursday outlining what states need to do to mandate that certain Medicaid enrollees work to qualify for benefits. The agency is expected to start approving state waivers promoting "community engagement activities" in coming weeks.

The historic move would be a significant change in how the government health insurance program operates and would fulfill a longtime Republican goal. States, for instance, could require non-disabled, working age recipients to work, volunteer, go to school or enter a job training program. The guidance also includes caregiving as one of the activities.
"Medicaid needs to be more flexible so that states can best address the needs of this population. Our fundamental goal is to make a positive and lasting difference in the health and wellness of our beneficiaries, and today's announcement is a step in that direction," said Seema Verma, the agency's administrator.






The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 SfA3q-HW_normalAdministrator Seema Verma

✔️@SeemaCMS

[ltr]Today @CMSGov is releasing guidance to support state efforts to improve #Medicaid enrollee #health outcomes by incentivizing community engagement among able-bodied beneficiaries.[/ltr]




5:34 AM - Jan 11, 2018



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[ltr]
Twitter Ads info and privacy[/ltr]


Critics, however, argue that Republicans are using work requirements to thin the Medicaid rolls. They fear many recipients will be unable to meet the mandate and be left uninsured. The work requirements will likely be challenged in court.

In its guidance, CMS pointed to studies that show working and volunteering can contribute to better health as justification that the requirement is in keeping with Medicaid's mission.






The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 4f4bc84e6902d816056552ce8ca211ff_normalJudy Solomon@JudyCBPP

[ltr]Don’t be fooled by all the bells and whistles in #Medicaid work guidance. Note instead no $ for work supports, need a doctor’s note to verify illness. History from other programs shows people who are working and those who should be exempt lose benefits.
https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/smd18002.pdf …[/ltr]




6:26 AM - Jan 11, 2018



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The agency's guidance provides states with a lot of flexibility in designing their programs and highlights that many recipients may need additional considerations.
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For instance, the guidance notes that some Medicaid recipients may have trouble meeting these requirements because of poor health, substance abuse or high unemployment in their areas. States should take these issues -- as well as recipients' employability -- into consideration and allow for modifications or exemptions, the agency said. Pregnant women will also be exempt.
The agency specifically calls out the opioid epidemic, saying that time spent in treatment can count towards the mandate and those in intensive recovery programs can be excused. Many governors, including Republican ones, have defended the Medicaid program as being critical to addressing the substance abuse crisis.
States will be required to describe strategies to assist recipients in meeting the requirements and to link them to job training and support resources, including child care and transportation. However, they will not be allowed to use federal Medicaid funding to finance these services.
The agency is encouraging states to align their Medicaid work requirements with those mandated by other federal safety net programs. Recipients who meet the work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, and by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, must be considered in compliance with their state's Medicaid rules.
Republicans have long wanted to add work requirements to the Medicaid program, which covers nearly 75 million low-income children, adults, elderly and disabled Americans. The broadening of Medicaid to low-income adults under Obamacare -- roughly 11 million have gained coverage under the health reform law's Medicaid expansion provision -- further spurred GOP efforts.
However, the Obama administration did not approve any state waivers that would impose work mandates, saying it was not in keeping with the program's mission to provide access to medical services. Consumer advocates and health policy experts fear that such a requirement could prove a big hurdle for many recipients, leaving them without the care they need.
The Trump administration swiftly signaled that it held a different view. Verma, sent a letter to governors hours after after she was confirmed in March urging them to apply for such waivers.
Related: Trump administration open to making some Medicaid recipients work, pay premiums
"One of the things that states have told us time and time again is that they want more flexibility to engage their working-age, able-bodied citizens on Medicaid," Verma told a conference of state Medicaid directors in November. "They want to develop programs that will help them break the chains of poverty and live up to their fullest potential. We support this."
The guidance release Thursday pointed to several studies that said unemployment is harmful to one's health and can prompt higher rates of hospital admission and death, as well as poorer general and mental health.
Ten states -- Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin -- have submitted waivers that include work or community engagement requirements, according to the agency. South Dakota's governor said in his State of the State address Tuesday that he would also look to require certain recipients to work.
Verma, who served as a Medicaid consultant for Indiana and Kentucky before joining the Trump administration, has long advocated for work requirements. Now, she is in a position to approve them.
"For the future of our country, we need all Americans to be active participants in their communities," she said in November. "Believing that community engagement requirements do not support or promote the objectives of Medicaid is a tragic example of the soft bigotry of low expectations consistently espoused by the prior administration. Those days are over."
Related: Millions of Medicaid recipients already work
Many Medicaid recipients are already employed. Some 60% of non-disabled, working-age adults have jobs, while nearly 80% live in families with at least one member in the labor force, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis. Most of those who don't work cite illness, disability or family obligations as the reason.
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 180110121247-why-medicaid-not-working-780x439
The work requirements will likely have an impact on a broad number of adults. Many Medicaid enrollees may have physical or mental health problems -- such as arthritis or asthma -- that don't meet the criteria for federal disability programs, but still interfere with their ability to work, Kaiser said. They could find it difficult to apply for exempt status and verify it, which may need to be done monthly in some states, while those who are working may have a hard time verifying their hours, especially if they have variable shifts.
Plus, state Medicaid agencies won't get any additional federal funding to help recipients find and hold jobs, even though they are generally not equipped to develop, provide, and administer work support programs, said MaryBeth Musumeci, associate director of Kaiser's Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured.
"The new [state programs] will penalize individuals by having them lose health coverage, rather than incentivize them, as a voluntary program with adequately funded supportive services necessary to overcome barriers, would," she said.
Consumer advocacy groups are likely to consider legal action once CMS starts approving state waivers. Requiring recipients to work would be illegal because it is not consistent with Medicaid's objectives, said Leonardo Cuello, health policy director of the National Health Law Program. He dismissed the agency's justification that unemployment makes people less healthy.
"Working doesn't make people healthy. It's making people healthier that enables them to work," he said. Taking away people's access to health care is a "terrible strategy if you want to promote work."


CNNMoney (New York)First published January 11, 2018: 6:38 AM ET


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Post by Donnamarie Thu 15 Feb 2018, 19:46

Agree Lizzy. Each time these cowards voice their condolences  for victims of gun violence it should be publicly noted how much money they have received from the NRA.

I also really resent Trump’s comments today suggesting that people need to be more vigilant in speaking out and speaking up when someone seems suspicious.  Of course  we should but he obviously wants to absolve himself and  other gun rights advocates of ANY RESPONSIBILITY.

Here is a powerful opinion piece written just today after Trump spoke to the nation...

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/opinions/florida-shooting-trump-tweet-guns-bailey-opinion/index.html
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Post by it's me Thu 15 Feb 2018, 20:14

I really hope something will change
But has to be FAST

So those kids won't be lost in vain
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Post by annemarie Thu 15 Feb 2018, 21:17

Sadly, nothing is going to change people who want guns will have their way. They don't seem to get that banning one gun
is not taking a way their rights to own guns. Their rights come before the safety of others. Our government doesn't care they want to please those that give them money so will go along with the NRA and the gun nuts.

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Post by LizzyNY Thu 15 Feb 2018, 21:36

Conservative writer David French says that when policies fail we should rise to the occasion. He should follow his own advice. Conservative gun policies have failed. We're all waiting for our conservative politicians to put aside their self-interest and rise to the occasion. I doubt they'd be so glib if their own families were affected.
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Post by party animal - not! Thu 15 Feb 2018, 22:12

Brilliant comment here:

https://twitter.com/MichaelSkolnik/status/963886147020697605

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Post by ladybugcngc Thu 15 Feb 2018, 23:00

party animal - not! wrote:Brilliant comment here:

https://twitter.com/MichaelSkolnik/status/963886147020697605
The good news is, there have been no more shoe bombers.  Taking off ones' shoes is an easy fix.  

Dealing with those who believe they have the right to take the life of another is an entirely different thing.

When political, business, and religious leadership have determined we're in a war on good people vs. evil people, it bolsters an enviornment were people believe they have the right avenge what and who they perceive to be evil.

The answer: Challenge lawmakers, hold religious leadership to a high ethical standards, and stand against oppressive business practices. 

I'm not sure how you teach children to respect life, when we have powerful business, political, and religious leadership who don't.


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Post by annemarie Thu 15 Feb 2018, 23:02

I had no idea this is crazy . The rules need to change.

Federal law dictates that you have to be 21 to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer, but 18 to purchase one from an unlicensed dealer who operates online or at a registered gunshow. 


Cruz purchased the gun yet he isn't old enough to buy beer.

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Post by party animal - not! Thu 15 Feb 2018, 23:57

Over 11,000 deaths from gun crime in the USA in 2017, 24 in the UK


Oh, and guns aren't banned, but Kinder eggs are..................!?

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Post by it's me Fri 16 Feb 2018, 00:12

annemarie wrote:


Cruz purchased the gun yet he isn't old enough to buy beer.


Shocked


Evil or Very Mad Evil or Very Mad Evil or Very Mad
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Post by annemarie Fri 16 Feb 2018, 10:42

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5397667/Bannon-answers-White-House-approved-questions.html

[size=34]Bannon only answers White House-approved questions in front of House Intel panel - though top Democrat says there's already an 'abundance' of evidence against Trump[/size]

  • The leaders of the House Intelligence Committee are annoyed that Steve Bannon would only answer White House-approved questions on Thursday 

  • Rep. Adam Schiff, the committee's top Democrat, indicated that he was looking into holding Bannon in contempt of Congress

  • Schiff expressed yesterday that there was an 'abundance' of evidence against Trump that showed 'collusion' and 'obstruction' over Russian matters


By REUTERS and NIKKI SCHWAB, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 19:25 EST, 15 February 2018 | UPDATED: 22:42 EST, 15 February 2018


        
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Miffed leaders of the House Intelligence Committee complained Thursday that former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon would only answer 25 questions approved by the White House when he appeared before them on Capitol Hill.  
Top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, called for the initiation of contempt of Congress proceedings against Bannon, who also refused to answer many questions during his first appearance before the intelligence panel – which is looking into the Russiamatter – on January 16. 
Schiff already said this week that there was an 'abundance' of evidence against Trump, both in the public domain and some that will come out, that demonstrates 'collusion' and 'obstruction,' but lawmakers wanted to hear from Bannon, who worked for both the campaign and the administration.



The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 493F2F1E00000578-5397667-image-a-39_1518740439311

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Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon only answered administration-approved questions before the House Intelligence Committee, annoying the leaders of the panel in both parties 
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 4941BDAF00000578-5397667-image-a-40_1518740447380

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Rep. Adam Schiff, the committee's top Democrat, called for the initiation of contempt of Congress proceedings against Bannon

[size=10][size=18]Adam Schiff says Bannon is 'stonewalling' on Russia inquiry




[/size][/size]

Declining to discuss with the committee the weeks after the November 2016 presidential election and before Trump's inauguration, or his own time at the White House, Bannon claimed executive privilege and special protections for presidential communications in refusing to say more, lawmakers said.
Bannon's attorney and White House aides did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
'He did not answer all the questions we'd like answered, so there was frustration among committee members with respect to that,' said Republican Representative Mike Conaway, who has been overseeing the committee's investigation of Russia and the 2016 U.S. election.
A source familiar with his appearance before the committee said Bannon told lawmakers he was 'not authorized to answer' about 35 times, and answered 'no' to all of the 25 questions that had been authorized by the White House.
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 493F31E800000578-5397667-image-a-44_1518740534348

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While not fully answering the House Intelligence Committee's questions, Steve Bannon (pictured) talked to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team twice this week 
U.S. intelligence agencies determined more than a year ago that Moscow sought to interfere in the campaign. The investigations by congressional committees and Mueller's team have shadowed the first year of Trump's campaign.
Russia has denied trying to meddle in the election. 
Trump, a Republican, has denied collusion between his associates and Moscow. Mueller has been conducting a criminal investigation of possible collusion between Russia and Trump's campaign to sway the 2016 presidential election.
'There was a refusal to answer any questions that would have brought out the full facts. That is not how privilege works. That's how stonewalling works,' Schiff told reporters.
Conaway said attorneys would have to consider the claims of privilege, and there would have to be discussions with House Speaker Paul Ryan and other officials about whether a contempt proceeding was appropriate.




'I think he (Bannon) should answer our questions,' he told reporters.
Bannon did answer questions from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team for two days this week. 
Three sources familiar with the Mueller proceedings said Bannon was interviewed for a total of about 20 hours by Mueller's investigators and prosecutors. 
One said he had answered a range of questions, unlike his refusal to do so before the House intelligence panel.
Another said Bannon was questioned on topics including his knowledge of President Donald Trump's reasons for firing James Comey as Federal Bureau of Investigation director last year, as well as dealings with the Russian ambassador by former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Trump fired Bannon, the former head of the hard-right Breitbart News website, from his White House position in August. 
Bannon had been a close Trump associate since he joined the Trump campaign and helped the political novice defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

annemarie
Over the Clooney moon

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The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 Empty Re: The Serious Side - part 4

Post by party animal - not! Fri 16 Feb 2018, 15:49

Florida

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-florida-shooting-gun-laws-mentally-ill-bill-photo-white-house-a8213536.html

The White House will not release the photo of Trump signing the bill which allowed this to happen

party animal - not!
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The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 12 Empty Re: The Serious Side - part 4

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