Category: Politics

Four Arrested In Destruction Of Confederate Statue In North Carolina

Cfakepathmugshots212_20170816_180608There are now four protesters arrested for the destruction of a roughly century-old statue of a Confederate soldier in North Carolina.  The bold act of property destruction was carried out in front of news cameras in broad daylight.  As a history nut, it is painful to see old works of art destroyed in this fashion. The arrested include Takiyah Thompson, 22, Dante Strobino, 35, Ngoc Loan Tran, 24, and Peter Gilbert, 39.

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Charlottesville Protest Leads To Call For Expansion of Hate Crime and Terrorism Laws

james-alex-fields-jr-f77d1f9e078c37aeBelow is my column in The Hill on the calls for hate crime and terrorism charges against James Fields and possibly others.  The response is understandable, but the expansion of these laws raise serious free speech concerns that should be considered before prosecutors move beyond the current murder charge.

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Trump Administration Demands Information On Over A Million Visitors To Anti-Trump Website

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Train Wreck: Trump Reposts Another Image Attacking CNN

trump-retweet-train-killing-reporter-cnn-deleted_gi5iqhdonald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedI previously was highly critical of President Donald Trump for his reposting a video from his appearance at a professional wrestling bout that was altered to look like he was beating down CNN.  With the rising anger and attacks directed at the media, the posting was irresponsible and inflammatory.  While I have criticized some in the media for open bias in its attacks on Trump, I have been alarmed by his attacks on the press.  Undeterred, Trump again reposted an item this morning that featured a cartoon of CNN being hit by a train.  Some people have said that this is outrageous after the car attack in Charlottesville.  I think the objection should be directed at the pattern of images of press being beaten or run down by this President. The free press has helped guarantee civil liberties and good government in this country for over two hundred years.  Unlike much of the world, we have an independent media that is a constant check on the abuses and corruptions of government.  Trump’s open antagonism for the press is alarming and at times reckless.

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Trump Down To 34 Percent Popularity

donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedstock-149421_128045 is now at 34.  President Donald Trump has hit a new low in popularity according to the Gallup poll.  Gallup’s latest poll is 34 percent with a disapproval rate at a staggering 61 percent.  Yet, there is no indication of any change in the President’s continued use of Twitter or his unscripted comments like the damaging comments on Venezuela that led Maduro critics to denounce the United States.  The concern among GOP members and operatives is that Trump is being given tailored news in a daily positive portfolio.  Yet, he is also an avid news watcher so he clearly can see the continued decline in support not just among the public but GOP members.

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Intimidation By Salutation: Trump Accused Of New Form Of Obstruction For Sending His Appreciation and Greeting To Mueller

440px-Director_Robert_S._Mueller-_III-1donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedBelow is my column in the Hill newspaper on the most recent suggested crime committed by President Donald Trump or his family.  This allegation focuses on a greeting sent through President Trump’s attorney, John Dowd, to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.  It appears that Trump is obstructing if he voices criticism or appreciation of Mueller.    Dowd was in the news again yesterday in taking it upon himself to object to pre-dawn raid on the home of Paul Manafort.

Here is the column:

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Bloomberg: Manafort Alerted Authorities About Russian Meeting

New_Bloomberg_Logo.svgBuried in a new article out of Bloomberg is an understated but potentially significant statement: “In fact, Manafort had alerted authorities to a controversial meeting on June 9, 2016, involving Trump’s son Donald Jr., other campaign representatives and a Russian lawyer promising damaging information on Hillary Clinton, according to people familiar with the matter.”  That would be a huge development in this controversy if true, particularly if the notice occurred before the Russian meeting occurred.

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Trump Attorney Blasts Mueller Over Manafort Raid

582px-US-FBI-ShadedSeal.svgWhite_House_North_Side_Comparison2After just recently sending the President’s “appreciation and greetings” and triggering new allegations of criminal acts, one of President Donald Trump’s lawyers, John Dowd, is now denouncing Mueller for the pre-dawn raid on the Alexandria home of former campaign manager Paul Manafort.  I have commented that the raid seemed intentionally heavy handed and meant to convey a message to Manafort. However, I fail to see why the President’s counsel (rather than Manafort’s counsel) should be making such objections. It, once again, removes any perceived separation between President Trump and obvious targets like Manafort.

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Oregon Schools Strip “Lynch” Name From Three Schools Because They Sound Like “Lynching”

cropped-Lynch-Logo-Empower2It appears that the Centennial School District is really appreciative to the Lynch family for their generous donation of land for the establishment of public schools.  However, it appears that their name is simply unacceptable because, when used as a noun, it brings up painful images of lynchings.  We have previously discussed the same lunacy in higher education with buildings named after a Lynch.  It appears that even if a school wants to name itself after Loretta Lynch, the first female African American Attorney General, she will have to change her name.  Ironically, the first word in the motto of the Lynch Elementary School is “learn” but the learning curve appears too steep in the view of the board.  Under the same logic, animal rights activists could object that the school symbol is calling for the lynching of lion cubs — a highly disturbing and traumatic image for young children.

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Malaysian Minister Calls For Atheists To Be “Hunted Down”

400px-1922_hunting_license85px-Coat_of_arms_of_Malaysia.svgMalaysian Minister Shahidan Kassim has made international news by proclaiming that atheists should be “hunted down” and that constitutional rights do not apply to them. He is not alone in the heavily Islamic nation in this hateful view and many support such a crackdown.

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IT IS TIME FOR ROD ROSENSTEIN TO RECUSE HIMSELF

Rod_Rosenstein_Official_DAG_PortraitBelow is my column in the Hill Newspaper on the growing need for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to recuse himself from the Special Counsel investigation.  Rosenstein has alluded to the possible need for his recusal but continues to participate in an investigation that could have direct bearing on his own role and decision-making.  If he has material evidence on obstruction, he should not delay his recusal until he receives a formal request to appear before a grand jury.  His relevance to the obstruction investigation is obvious and he should not be determined questions of scope when his own conduct could fall within the jurisdiction of the Special Counsel.

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Polls Shows Both Trump and Macron Down In Popularity

Emmanuel_Macron_in_July_2017donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedWhile President Donald Trump has claimed that his “base” remains strong and is growing, the polls indicate that the reality is quite different.  Two additional polls continue to show a decline in support with one, the Investor’s Business Daily Poll, showing Trump at a remarkably low 32 percent.  There is however an interesting comparison with a politicians who is the polar opposite of Trump in style and substance: French President Emmanuel Macron.  Polls show Macron at the same not-so-sweet spot in polling: 36 percent.  That is even lower than the CNN poll for Trump out this week at 38 percent.  That is also one percent higher than Bill Clinton around this time.

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Trump Administration Hit With New Leak Of Transcripts Of Trump’s Call To the Mexican and Australian Leaders

donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedToday Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to discuss a new leak crackdown, but he will have to deal with questions raised by one of the most massive leaks in recent memory. Someone has leaked the entire transcripts of two heated January phone calls  with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.  The conversations are deeply embarrassing for the Administration because they directly contradict statements made by Trump to the public.  These transcripts would also be likely classified, making their release a federal offense.

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Eight-Six Percent Of Voters Favor Some Form of Legalization of Marijuana . . . But Sessions Is Reportedly About To Announce A Crackdown

jeff_sessions_official_portraitOne would think that with President Donald Trump at record low polling in the 30s  (and  Congress with even lower polling around 10 percent favorability), the Administration would not be struggling to find a cause further irritate the American public.  However, Attorney General Jeff Sessions appears on the brink of doing just that.  Despite many states either legalizing or moving to legalize marijuana, Sessions is expected to announce a new crackdown on the multi-billion industry.  Not only will the crackdown threaten billions in taxes now collected by these states, but it will contravene the wishes of roughly half of the population. Indeed, according to the  latest Harvard-Harris survey 86 percent of Americans now support either legalizing pot for either recreational or medicinal use or both.  Indeed, 49 percent want pot legalized outright for recreational use.  The Administration however is about to go on a direct collision course with many states — including red states — that has legalized marijuana.

 

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Inconceivable! Stephen Miller Attacks CNN Reporter Jim Acosta For His “Cosmopolitan Bias”

The heated exchange between White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller and CNN reporter Jim Acosta this week has been the focus of much coverage. Both men went after each other over immigration and, in my view, neither came off particularly well. Acosta at times seemed more of an advocate than a journalist while Miller seemed bizarrely eager to convert the press conference into some high school debating competition.  However, my greatest interest was Miller’s repeated accusation that Acosta had revealed his “Cosmopolitan bias.”  This may be a new term of art in political circles but it left me scratching my head.  It was like the scene in Princess Bride when Montoya stops Vizzini after he says “inconceivable” for the umpteenth time: “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.”

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