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Democrats face a 2020 choice problem


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On the roster: Democrats face a 2020 choice problem - Beto, Warren call abolish the Electoral College - Report: Deutsche Bank loaned Trump over $2 billion - Keep an eye on Andrew Yang - Better late than never?

DEMOCRATS FACE A 2020 CHOICE PROBLEM
Boston Globe: “With the party’s first national debates less than three months away, and the New Hampshire primary less than 11 months away, the big challenge for … [candidates:] how to stand out in such a crowded pack, without doing anything so bold it could backfire. …  A big field without an obvious front-runner could shake out in any number of ways, but history suggests it will most likely end up following one of two paths. The first is the long, (mostly) collegial search for a consensus candidate. That’s what we saw with the relatively large Democratic field in 1988 (11 candidates, plus a few fringe). In that race, the big names either sat out or flamed out early, and the campaign turned into a slow-moving grind… The 2004 campaign started out in similar fashion… The model for the second possible path is a lot more recent: The Republicans in the 2016 campaign. … After all, what an effective primary campaign does is put the candidates through a punishing stress test that toughens and strengthens them, giving everyone confidence that they have identified the strongest possible contender for the general election. … So this is the tightrope that Democratic contenders will have to walk: They’ll need to be unfiltered and distinctive enough to break out of the pack, but not so candid that they get disqualified by the wrath of summary judgment on social media.”

California’s early primary poised to pull 2020 Democrats further left - Fox News: “Unlike past elections, California will hold its primary early in the season – on March 3, 2020. That means the West Coast state, and its famously liberal voters, will hold extra influence this cycle. And while the 2020 candidates still have to connect with supporters in earliest-voting Iowa and New Hampshire – with their more moderate-leaning electorates – California’s combination of an early primary and massive delegate count could motivate the field to run decisively in the progressive lane from the start. … In another sign of California’s emerging influence this cycle, putative front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders plans to visit the state this week. … Not only is California’s primary now slated for Super Tuesday in March, but early voting is set to start around the time of the Iowa caucuses. With that in mind, Sanders’ visit this week is likely the start of a political gold rush of sorts, as the 2020 candidates look west for electoral gold.”

THE RULEBOOK: MORE THE MERRIER
“The choice of SEVERAL, to form an intermediate body of electors, will be much less apt to convulse the community with any extraordinary or violent movements, than the choice of ONE who was himself to be the final object of the public wishes.” – Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 68

TIME OUT: HOUSTON, WE HAVE A GOOD BOY PROBLEM
Atlantic: “To be clear, NASA’s ambitious plans for missions to the moon and Mars do not include dogs. … But dogs have been to space. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Soviet Union strapped dogs into capsules and launched them into the sky. … But [NASA] suggests that, unlike the Soviet dogs, a canine on Mars would not be a lab animal, but a valued companion on the journey to a distant land. … Designing a spacesuit for a dog wouldn’t be the hard part… NASA has decades’ worth of experience in manufacturing spacesuits, which are like little spacecraft of their own… The problem is the dog’s experience inside that spacesuit, which would circulate the same air over and over. … The enclosed environment of a spacesuit would be stifling. … There’s also the question of the dog relieving itself. Astronauts wear adult diapers during spacewalks; Mars explorers would have to train their canine companions to become comfortable with a similar arrangement.”

Flag on the play? - Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions.

SCOREBOARD
Trump job performance 
Average approval: 
41 percent
Average disapproval: 53.6 percent
Net Score: -12.6 points
Change from one week ago: down 1.8 points 
[Average includes: CNN: 43% approve - 51% disapprove; Gallup: 39% approve - 57% disapprove; Monmouth University: 44% approve - 52% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 38% approve - 55% disapprove; IBD: 41% approve - 53% disapprove.]

BETO, WARREN CALL ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Fox News: “Another 2020 Democrat has come out against the Electoral College. After addressing students at Penn State University on Tuesday afternoon, Beto O’Rourke lamented Hillary Clinton’s failure to take the White House despite winning the popular vote, adding there is ‘a lot of wisdom’ in calls for change. ‘I think there’s a lot to that. Because you had an election in 2016 where the loser got 3 million more votes than the victor,’ O’Rourke said in a video posted online. ... ‘If we really want everyone to vote, to give them every reason to vote, we have to make sure their votes count and go to the candidate of their choosing. So I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that.’ O’Rourke’s support for potentially abolishing the Electoral College came one day after Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pushed a similar proposal. ‘Every vote matters and the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting, and that means get rid of the Electoral College,’ Warren told an audience at the historically black Jackson State University in Mississippi.”

History shows Dems’ call isn’t all that surprising - WaPo: “Defenders of the electoral college system argue that it mandates visits to states like those above which might otherwise be overlooked. … That debate aside, there’s certainly no reason to be surprised that Warren would call for the electoral college system to be thrown out. There have been four elections since 1860 in which the electoral vote has given the presidency to the candidate who lost the popular vote: 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016. As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has pointed out, Republicans have won the popular vote only once in her lifetime, but have held the White House for 10 years. In each of those four elections where the popular vote winner lost the electoral vote, the losing candidate was a Democrat.”

Court-packing is another test on the left - The Hill: “Whether or not to expand the Supreme Court is emerging as a key litmus test in the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential primary field. Once dismissed as a fringe idea, reforming the nation’s highest court is gaining traction with a growing number of Democratic 2020 candidates as progressive outside groups and high-profile officials, including former Attorney General Eric Holder, have vaulted the idea into the national spotlight. The courts have emerged as a lightning rod during the Trump administration for the Democratic Party’s resurgent base, which remains deeply bitter over Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) decision to block Merrick Garland, President Obama’s final Supreme Court nominee. Supporters argue that sweeping reforms, including expanding the number of justices, are needed to counteract Trump and McConnell, who they say have 'packed' the judicial system with conservative judges — including two Supreme Court justices and a record number of influential appeals court picks.”

REPORT: DEUTSCHE BANK LOANED TRUMP OVER $2 BILLION
NYT: “Mr. [Donald] Trump and Deutsche Bank were deeply entwined, their symbiotic bond born of necessity and ambition on both sides… Then Mr. Trump won the 2016 election, and the German bank shifted into damage-control mode, bracing for an onslaught of public scrutiny, according to several people involved in the internal response. … More than two years later, Mr. Trump’s financial ties with Deutsche Bank are the subject of investigations by two congressional committees and the New York attorney general. Investigators hope to use Deutsche Bank as a window into Mr. Trump’s personal and business finances. Deutsche Bank officials have quietly argued to regulators, lawmakers and journalists that Mr. Trump was not a priority for the bank or its senior leaders and that the lending was the work of a single, obscure division. But interviews with more than 20 current and former Deutsche Bank executives and board members, most of them with direct knowledge of the Trump relationship, contradict the bank’s narrative.”

FOX TO HOST HOWARD SCHULTZ TOWN HALL
Politico: “He may not yet be a 2020 presidential candidate, but Fox News is already treating former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz like one, complete with his own town hall event scheduled for next month. Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will host the event, which is scheduled for for April 4 in Kansas City, Missouri, the network announced Tuesday. The town hall event will focus on ‘Schultz’s potential candidacy and the issues he plans to tackle,’ Fox News said. Schultz sparked a wave of criticism from the left earlier this year when he announced he would explore a possible run for president as a centrist, independent candidate. In touting his potential bid, Schultz trashed the Democratic Party, of which he was previously a member, criticizing its lurch to the left in recent years. He argued that he could garner the votes of centrist Democratic and Republican voters unhappy with President Donald Trump but uncomfortable with voting for a liberal Democrat.”

Keep an eye on Andrew Yang - FiveThirtyEight: “[Andrew] Yang is the only 2020 candidate thus far to put a universal income front and center, and his campaign says it’s been key to attracting support. But it’s probably not a strong enough issue to propel Yang to victory on its own. A Gallup poll from 2017 found the concept to be divisive — 48 percent supported a universal basic income, while 52 percent opposed it. … That said, if Yang does indeed make the debate stage, he could succeed in making the issue a part of the national conversation. … We’d expect Yang to get a good deal of support from The Left; most Americans think providing a universal income is a socialist position (though it has conservative adherents as well), and Yang has taken progressive views on a host of other issues. But he may not speak the language of The Left: He’s frank in saying ‘I’m a capitalist,’ and his campaign manager, Zach Graumann, says that the campaign doesn’t subscribe to the ‘capitalist/socialist dichotomy.’ Yang’s strongest constituencies might be Millennials and Hispanic and Asian voters.”

Klobuchar lists accomplishments while facing obstacles - NPR: “Minnesotans like Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. … She's hoping that strong support in her home state… But on the way, Klobuchar faces some obstacles: her moderate politics (at least, relative to many of her competitors for the nomination) may turn off some Democratic primary voters, as may some of the reports that she has mistreated her staff. … Her route to ‘universal health care’ doesn't mean putting everyone on a government-administered insurance plan. Rather, she first supports a … bill, which ultimately failed, would have stabilized the Obamacare exchanges. In addition, Klobuchar has said that she wants to allow people to buy into Medicaid via a bill sponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii — a ‘public option’ plan. That said, Klobuchar explains that she's not exactly against Medicare for All.”

Booker swipes at candidates for bragging about marijuana use - WaPo: “Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) appeared to take a swipe at two of his fellow 2020 presidential hopefuls during an MSNBC interview Monday night in which he criticized ‘senators bragging about their pot use.’ Booker did not mention anyone by name during the ‘Hardball’ interview with host Chris Matthews. But he suggested that it was inappropriate for lawmakers to make light of the issue when some in society face legal repercussions for similar actions. ‘We have presidential candidates — senators — bragging about their pot use while there are kids who can’t get a job because they have a nonviolent offense,’ Booker said. In a radio interview last month, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) … laughingly acknowledged that she has used marijuana in the past… Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), another 2020 candidate, has also recently spoken about having used marijuana, although his comments were not as widely reported as Harris’s. … Booker’s remarks in the MSNBC interview come one day after he made a similar statement during a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa.”

Bernie announces top staffers in wake of shakeup - Fox News: “One month after Sen. Bernie Sanders launched his second straight bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, his campaign is announcing major staffing decisions. The independent senator from Vermont on Tuesday formally announced a slate of national staffers. The move comes just four days after Sanders highlighted that his presidential campaign would be the first in history to unionize. And the announcements come three weeks after a major shakeup at the campaign, with several top advisers from Sanders’ 2016 White House bid heading for the exits. … Regardless of the shakeup, Sanders came out of the gate in strong position. He drew large crowds to his first two rallies in New York City and Chicago and along with former Vice President Joe Biden, who’s likely to announce his bid next month, is near the top of the public opinion polls.”

Give this a read: ‘The politics of Beto and Amy O’Rourke’s marriage’ - WaPo: “Then, there’s Amy and Beto. They are at once the most modern and most conventional of the families running for president in 2020. They are pioneers of social media, broadcasting much of their lives in real time; affluent, white and traditional — the political equivalent of ‘The Truman Show.’ They captured the hearts and minds of the left in their 2018 run for the Senate, but now, Beto won’t call himself a progressive. Amy, before putting her career on the back burner for her husband, ran a charter school. … In truth, even though Amy is fully on board, this isn’t the life she would have chosen. She recently finished Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming.’ Like Michelle, Amy says of being first lady, ‘I wouldn’t put it on the list of things that I’ve ever aspired to.’”

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Trump 2020 looks like another Facebook election - Axios

Nadler ‘encouraged’ by documents provided in Trump obstruction probe - Politico

Pergram: ‘Border wall standoff could lead to another government shutdown this fall’ - Fox News

SupCo rules in favor of Trump’s immigration detention - Reuters

Cornyn prepares for 2020 fight - Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan joins board of new Fox Corp. - Bloomberg

Trump admin proposes news limits on student loans - AP

AUDIBLE: BUT HAVE YOU TRIED A CHAI TEA LATTE?  
“I broke up with sleep last night and I’m dating coffee this morning. . . I appreciate her warmth and stimulating company.” – A series of old tweets from Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., from over the years have resurfaced about his on and off again relationship with sleep.

Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER?
Fox News: “A New Jersey man has finally returned a school library book he checked out 53 years ago. Harry Krame, of Fair Lawn, said he recently discovered ‘The Family Book Of Verse’ by Lewis Gannet while cleaning the basement of his home. ‘When he asked my name I told him I can’t give it to him because I was in the witness protection program,’ Krame, 65, told WCBS-TV. ‘I took it out to read and never brought it back.’ Krame checked out the novel when he was 13 years old in 1966. When he realized he still had the book all these years later, he said he felt guilty for ‘a few seconds. ... It was like, I still have (it), sorry about that.’ Dominick Tarquinio, the vice principal of Memorial Middle School, told the news outlet he was shocked when a former student returned his late book. He said that at today's rate, Krame would owe around $2,000 in late fees. However, he said: ‘We’re not looking to collect.’”

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“Regarding terrorism, we’ve developed a fairly reasonable balance. But it took time. With Ebola, we don’t have time. Viruses don’t wait. The sooner we reset the balance — the sooner we get serious — the safer we will be.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing for the Washington Post on Oct. 16, 2014.

Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Nadler Attacks Attorney General Barr Over ‘Spying’ Claims: ‘Complete and Total Nonsense.’

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Source: InfoWars

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FMC expects NxStage deal to close in next couple of days

Rice Powell, CEO of Fresenius Medical Care, addresses the media during the company's annual news conference at their head quarters in Bad Homburg
Rice Powell, CEO of Fresenius Medical Care, addresses the media during the company's annual news conference at their head quarters in Bad Homburg Germany, February 20, 2019. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

February 20, 2019

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) said on Wednesday it has won the green light from U.S. regulators to acquire U.S. home dialysis equipment maker NxStage and expects the deal to close in the next few days.

FMC agreed to buy NxStage in August 2017 for $2 billion but the deal has been held up due to competition concerns and most recently the U.S. government shutdown.

“Very early this morning, we were notified the Federal Trade Commission has approved our NxStage deal,” Chief Executive Rice Powell told reporters. “We would anticipate closing the NxStage deal over the next couple of days.”

FMC’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Brosnan also announced he planned to retire once a successor has been identified. FMC said it expects to name a new CFO by the end of the year.

(Reporting by Caroline Copley; editing by Thomas Seythal)

Source: OANN

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NFL releases 2019 preseason schedule

FILE PHOTO: NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
FILE PHOTO: Dec 31, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back De'Angelo Henderson (33) dives for a touchdown against Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Kenneth Acker (25) and cornerback Keith Reaser (40) in the second quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

April 9, 2019

The NFL released the 65-game 2019 preseason schedule Tuesday, kicking off with the Hall of Fame game between the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 1 in Canton, Ohio.

After the Broncos-Falcons clash (NBC, 8 p.m. ET), there are four nationally televised games scheduled for Week 2 of the preseason and three more for Week 3.

The Week 2 slate includes the Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals (ESPN, 8 p.m.) on Thursday, Aug. 15, and the New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers (CBS, 4 p.m.) on Sunday, Aug. 18.

Week 3 action includes the Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins (FOX, 8 p.m.) on Thursday, Aug. 22, and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans (NBC, 8 pm.) on Sunday, Aug. 25.

The Dallas Cowboys will face the Los Angeles Rams in Honolulu on Aug. 17, the NFL’s first preseason contest at Aloha Stadium since 1976.

The Super Bowl LIII champion New England Patriots will square off against the New York Giants in the preseason finale for the 15th straight season.

Specific dates and times for the remaining games will be released later this offseason.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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US, Canada Expanding Anti-Russia Sanctions Over Ukraine

The last expansion of anti-Russia sanctions by the US occurred in January 2018, when 21 individuals and 12 entities were added to the sanctions list.

The US has imposed sanctions targeting 6 Russian nationals, including Board Guard Service Deputy Director Medvedev, the notice from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control stated on Friday. At the same time, new sanctions have been imposed on 8 enterprises for their alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis.

According to the US State Department, Washington’s new set of restrictions have been introduced in coordination with the European Union and Canada.

Commenting on the reason behind the fresh sanctions introduction, the State Department referred to last year’s Kerch Strait incident.


Alex Jones breaks down how the Ukraine Government has declared Martial Law and threatened to suspend future Presidential elections based on the conflict with Russian naval ships in the Sea of Azov.

Later in the day, the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release that Canada has also imposed its new sanctions targeting more than 100 Russian individuals and 15 entities in response to the Kerch Strait incident and Crimea’s reunification with Russia.

“In coordination with the European Union and the United States, Canada is today announcing new sanctions in response to Russia’s aggressive actions in the Black Sea and Kerch Strait and Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea,” the release said. “The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is announcing these sanctions on 114 individuals and 15 entities, under the Special Economic Measures Act.”

On 25 November, Ukraine’s Berdyansk and Nikopol gunboats and the Yany Kapu tugboat illegally crossed the Russian maritime border as they sailed toward the Kerch Strait, the entrance to the Sea of Azov. Russia seized the Ukrainian vessels and detained 24 people on board after they failed to respond to demands to stop. After the incident, a criminal case on illegal border crossing was opened in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the incident a provocation, noting that there were members of the Ukrainian security service, who were in charge of the operation, on board the Ukrainian vessels. According to Putin, the provocation was prepared in advance as a pretext to declare martial law in Ukraine, which was announced after the incident and lasted for a month. Many considered the situation as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s attempt to shore up his falling approval ratings ahead of the March presidential election.

In 2014, the US imposed sanctions against Russia for the first time following the unfolding of the Ukrainian crisis. The sanctions have since been expanded several times to include more individuals, entities and entire economic sectors. The most recent expansion took place in January last year, when 21 individuals and 12 entities were added to the sanctions list.


Alex Jones takes calls directly from New Zealand to get opinions from those closest to this tragedy.

Source: InfoWars

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India central bank cuts rates by 25 bps, sees need to spur growth

FILE PHOTO: Reserve Bank of India logo is seen at the gate of its office in New Delhi
FILE PHOTO: A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) logo is seen at the gate of its office in New Delhi, India, November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Altaf Hussain/File Photo

April 4, 2019

By Suvashree Choudhury and Swati Bhat

MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points on Thursday, in a widely expected move to boost the economy, while keeping its monetary policy stance “neutral” despite subdued inflation.

The six-member monetary policy committee (MPC) cut the repo rate to 6.00 percent as predicted by 57 of 67 analysts polled by Reuters last week. The reverse repo rate was reduced to 5.75 percent.

Four out of six MPC members voted for a 25 basis points cut, while two called for the rates to remain unchanged. Five of them called for the policy stance to remain “neutral” while one MPC member voted for it to be changed to “accommodative”.

The RBI highlighted the need to boost domestic growth due to headwinds “on the global front”.

“The need is to strengthen domestic growth impulses by spurring private investment which has remained sluggish,” the RBI wrote in the policy statement.

The underperforming economy could hamper Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s prospects of getting re-elected for a second term in a looming general election.

While the central bank projected retail inflation at 3.8 percent by January-March 2020 – within its target of 4 percent – it also warned of the upside risks to price pressures if food and fuel prices rose abruptly, or if fiscal deficits overshot targets.

Annual consumer inflation was just 2.57 percent in February following five months of deflation in food prices.

The RBI lowered its economic growth forecast to 7.2 percent for the 2019/20 April-March fiscal year, from the February view of 7.4 percent.

Sluggish private investment and a weakening rural economy pulled India’s economic growth down to 6.6 percent in the December quarter, its slowest in five quarters, while the unemployment rate hit multi-decades high.

Voting starts next week, but the result will only be known on May 23 and uncertainty over which party will lead the next government has complicated the Reserve Bank of India’s task. It cannot be sure of the government’s fiscal plans, as the major parties made promises for heavy spending during their election campaigns.

“Should there be a fiscal slippage…this could crowd out private investment, impact potential output, and result in higher inflation,” the RBI said in a separate monetary policy report.

India’s financial markets were little changed after the policy decision.

The 10-year benchmark bond yield rose to 7.46 percent from 7.37 percent before the decision and the rupee strengthened to 68.78 to the dollar from 68.82 before.

The broader NSE stock index was down 0.18 percent at 11,622.35 points.

(Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

Source: OANN

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Deadly fire strikes oldest part of Bangladesh capital

A fire in Bangladesh killed at least 81 people and gutted a section of Chawkbazar, a section of Dhaka that dates to the Mughal era 400 years ago, in a stark reminder of the lapses in public safety that continue in the South Asian country despite its rapid economic development.

The fire leaped from building to building in the ancient district, a warren of narrow streets — some only one meter (3 feet) wide — with apartments squeezed over shops, restaurants and industrial warehouses on the ground floors.

Witnesses said many gas cylinders stored in the buildings continued to explode one after another. They said the fire also set off explosions in the fuel tanks of some vehicles that were stuck in traffic in front of the destroyed buildings.

Officials said firefighters struggled to reach the area because of heavy traffic and narrow alleys that were busy when the fire started.

After a fire in 2010 swept through Nimtoli, a district near Chawkbazar, killing at least 123 people, authorities promised to bring the area into compliance with building codes and regulations, and evict chemical warehouses from buildings where people lived.

Industrial facilities can't legally exist in areas that are zoned residential, said Mohammed Manjur Morshed, an assistant professor of urban planning at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology.

"This type of thing happens, there's a big initiative to move everything out, and then after some time people forget about it and the government is really not interested any more. It's like that," Morshed said.

In 2014, three people were killed and three others severely burned when a perfume warehouse on the third floor of a building in Chawkbazar caught fire. The following year, a fire gutted eight plastic factories.

Morshed said government regulations are sufficient, but are routinely flouted in Chawkbazar. "This is a historic area with a distinct culture," he said. "They are not really abiding by the government's rules."

The newer northern half of Dhaka, where many famous fashion brand factories are located, contrasts greatly with the southern half that includes Chawkbazar.

"As the area was developed continuously, there is very high population density and haphazard growth," said Shafiq-Ur Rahman, an urban planning professor at Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka.

"You need to consider preservation to maintain the heritage," he said, "but this is not the first time. We have an unfortunate history, and we need in redeveloping to figure how to provide services, like access for firefighters."

Denizens of the Muslim-majority nation throng to Chawkbazar each year for Mughal foods to celebrate iftar, when Muslims break their fast during Ramadan.

In the festive atmosphere, makeshift stalls and itinerant vendors sell spices, sweets, minced mutton, kebabs and other delicacies in tight passageways teeming with the faithful.

Thousands of animals are slaughtered in the open during Eid-ul-Azha, a sacrificial festival, near Chawkbazar Shahi Mosque.

A government eviction drive in Chawkbazar and other areas of Old Dhaka to clear makeshift stalls from walkways was met with protests last May on the eve of Ramadan by business owners and residents.

According to local reports, some 500 illegal stands were evicted from the narrow streets. In response, hundreds of legal shops closed in protest.

On Thursday afternoon, shops had opened and the streets were crowded in much of Chawkbazar, outside a police cordon where authorities continued to comb through the destruction left by the blaze.

The fire was about 500 meters (550 feet) away from Dhaka's 18th-century Central Jail, a former Mughal fort where ex-Prime Minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia has been held since February last year on corruption charges. Since 2016, the jail has only been used to hold opposition figures, and Zia is currently the only inmate. It was not threatened by the fire.

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Schmall reported from New Delhi.

Source: Fox News World

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“Outdated laws” need fixing to deal with the surge in illegal immigrant families crossing the U.S. border with Mexico, a top Border Patrol official said Friday.

Migrant families face no consequences if apprehended trying to cross the border illegally under present law, Border Patrol chief of Operations Brian Hastings claimed during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

“We need a change in the current outdated laws that we’re dealing with for this current demographic and this crisis that we have,” he said.

Hastings said as of Thursday there have been 440,000 apprehensions along the southwest border. There were 396,000 apprehensions all of last year.

SOUTHERN BORDER AT ‘BREAKING POINT’ AFTER MORE THAN 76,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TRIED CROSSING IN FEBRUARY, OFFICIALS SAY

And those numbers continue to rise, he said.

Historically 70 to 90 percent of apprehensions at the border were quickly returned to Mexico, Hastings said.

Now, 83 percent of those apprehended have come from the Central American northern triangle which includes Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, and of those 63 percent are “family units” and children who cannot be returned, he said.

“There are no consequences that we can apply to this group currently,” Hastings said. “We’re overwhelmed. If you look at agents there doing a tremendous job trying to deal with the flow.”

The law dictates children have to be released after 20 days of detention.

FLORIDA SHERIFF ON BORDER CRISIS AFTER MAJOR DRUG BUST: ‘IT MAKES ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY’

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., says that has forced immigration officials to release entire families because “you don’t want to separate families.”

Recently, he said he is drafting legislation that would allow children to be detained for more than 20 days.

Hastings said agents are frustrated with the situation but are doing the best they can with the resources they have.

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“Up to 40 percent of our agents are processing at any given time,” he said. “That should say that in and of itself is pulling from those border security resources.”

Source: Fox News National

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President Trump on Friday blasted liberal billionaire activist Tom Steyer for his continued push to impeach Trump — with Trump claiming Steyer is “trying to remain relevant” and doesn’t have the “guts” to run for the White House himself.

“Weirdo Tom Steyer, who didn’t have the ‘guts’ or money to run for President, is still trying to remain relevant by putting himself on ads begging for impeachment,” the president tweeted. “He doesn’t mention the fact that mine is perhaps the most successful first 2 year presidency in history & NO C OR O! [Collusion or Obstruction]”

TRUMP IMPEACHMENT BACKERS NOT GIVING UP AFTER MUELLER REPORT

Trump and his allies have pointed to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report’s conclusions that there was no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign and its decision not to make a conclusion on obstruction of justice as a vindication for the president.

But some Democrats and left-wing activists have pointed to the instances of possible obstruction of justice that the investigation looked into as proof of the need for more investigations or even impeachment proceedings.

ELIZABETH WARREN DOUBLES DOWN ON TRUMP IMPEACHMENT PUSH, SAYS IT’S ‘BIGGER THAN POLITICS’

Steyer has been one of the leaders backing a push to impeach Trump and founded “Need to Impeach” and has kept up that push since the report’s release. He announced on Thursday that he was calling on Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to support impeachment proceedings.

On Friday he responded to Trump’s tweet, calling him “angry and scared.”

“I know you want it all to go away. But for the sake of the country you must face your transgressions. Rage away, but that anger doesn’t matter,” he said in a tweet. The truth and the people will prevail.”

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Impeachment hearings have been backed by a number of House Democrats, as well as 2020 presidential hopefuls Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif. However, Pelosi has long been skeptical of impeachment proceedings against Trump.

“I’m not for impeachment,” Pelosi told The Washington Post in an interview last month. “Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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A Florida measure that would ban sanctuary cities is set for a vote Friday in the state’s Senate after clearing its first hurdle earlier this week.

The bill would effectively make it against the law for Florida’s police departments to refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

“The Governor may initiate judicial proceedings in the name of the state against such officers to enforce compliance,” a draft version of the Senate bill reads.

A House version of the bill, which passed by a 69-47 vote Wednesday, adds that non-complying officials could be suspended or removed from office and face fines of up to $5,000 per day. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign off on the measure, although it’s not clear which version.

FLORIDA MAY SEND A BIG MESSAGE TO SANCTUARY CITIES

Florida Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando), during a press conference at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, speaks out against bills in the House and Senate that would ban sanctuary cities in the state.

Florida Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando), during a press conference at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, speaks out against bills in the House and Senate that would ban sanctuary cities in the state. (AP)

LAWRENCE JONES: NEEDLES, DRUG USE AND HUMAN WASTE ARE THE NEW NORMAL IN SAN FRANCISCO

Florida is home to 775,000 illegal immigrants out of 10.7 million present in the United States, ranking the state third among all states.

Nine states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas — already have enacted state laws requiring law enforcement to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Florida doesn’t have sanctuary cities like the ones in California and other states. But Republican lawmakers say a handful of their municipalities — including Orlando and West Palm Beach – are acting as “pseudo-sanctuary” cities, because they prevent law enforcement officials from asking about immigration status when they make arrests.

“There are still people here in the state of Florida, police chiefs that are just refusing to contact ICE, refusing to detain somebody that they know is here illegally,” Florida Republican Rep. Blaise Ingoglia said earlier this month. “So while the actual county municipality doesn’t have an actual adopted policy, they still have people in power within their sheriff’s department or police department that refuse to do it anyway.”

Florida’s Democratic Party has blasted the anti-Sanctuary measures, while the Miami-Dade Police Department says it should be up to federal authorities to handle immigration-related matters.

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“House Republicans today sold out their communities to Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis by passing this xenophobic and discriminatory bill,” the state’s Democratic Party said Wednesday after the House passed their version of the bill. “It’s abhorrent that Republican members who represent immigrant communities are now turning their backs on their constituents and jeopardizing their safety.

“Florida has long stood as a beacon for immigrant communities — and today Republicans did the best they could to destroy that reputation,” they added.

Fox News’ Elina Shirazi contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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FILE PHOTO: Supporters of the Spain's far-right party VOX wave Spanish flags as they attend an electoral rally ahead of general elections in the Andalusian capital of Seville
FILE PHOTO: Supporters of the Spain’s far-right party VOX wave Spanish flags as they attend an electoral rally ahead of general elections in the Andalusian capital of Seville, Spain April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By John Stonestreet and Belén Carreño

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s Vox party, aligned to a broader far-right movement emerging across Europe, has become the focus of speculation about last minute shifts in voting intentions since official polling for Sunday’s national election ended four days ago.

No single party is anywhere near securing a majority, and chances of a deadlocked parliament and a second election are high.

Leaders of the five parties vying for a role in government get final chances to pitch for power at rallies on Friday evening, before a campaign characterized by appeals to voters’ hearts rather than wallets ends at midnight.

By tradition, the final day before a Spanish election is politics-free.

Two main prizes are still up for grabs in the home straight. One concerns which of the two rival left and right multi-party blocs gets more votes.

The other is whether Vox could challenge the mainstream conservative PP for leadership of the latter bloc, which media outlets with access to unofficial soundings taken since Monday suggest could be starting to happen.

The right’s loose three-party alliance is led by the PP, the traditional conservative party that has alternated in office with outgoing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists since Spain’s return to democracy in the 1970s.

The PP stands at around 20 percent, with center-right Ciudadanos near 14 percent and Vox around 11 percent, according to a final poll of polls in daily El Pais published on Monday.

Since then, however, interest in Vox – which will become the first far-right party to sit in parliament since 1982 – has snowballed.

It was founded in 2013, part of a broader anti-establishment, far-right movement that has also spread across – among others – Italy, France and Germany.

While it is careful to distance itself from the ideology of late dictator Francisco Franco, Vox’s signature policies include repealing laws banning Franco-era symbols and on gender-based violence, and shifting power away from Spain’s regional governments.

TRENDING

According to a Google trends graphic, Vox has generated more than three times more search inquiries than any other Spanish political party in the past week.

Reasons could include a groundswell of vocal activist support at Vox rallies in Madrid and Valencia, and its exclusion from two televised debates between the main party leaders, on the grounds of it having no deputies yet in parliament.

Conservative daily La Vanguardia called its enforced absence from Monday’s and Tuesday’s debates “a gift from heaven”, while left-wing Eldiario.es suggested the PP was haemorrhaging votes to Vox in rural areas.

Ignacio Jurado, politics lecturer at the University of York, agreed the main source of additional Vox votes would be disaffected PP supporters, and called the debate ban – whose impact he said was unclear – wrong.

“This is a party polling over 10 percent and there are people interested in what it says. So we lose more than we win in not having them (in the debates),” he said

For Jose Fernandez-Albertos, political scientist at Spanish National Research Council CSIC, Vox is enjoying the novelty effect that propelled then new, left-wing arrival Podemos to 20 percent of the vote in 2015.

“While it’s unclear how to interpret the (Google) data, what we do know is that it’s better to be popular and to be a newcomer, and that Vox will benefit in some form,” he said.

For now, the chances of Vox taking a major role in government remain slim, however.

The El Pais survey put the Socialists on around 30 percent, making them the frontrunners and likely to form a leftist bloc with Podemos, back down at around 14 percent.

The unofficial soundings suggest little change in the two parties’ combined vote, or the total vote of the rightist bloc.

That makes it unlikely that either bloc will win a majority on Sunday, triggering horse-trading with smaller parties favoring Catalan independence – the single most polarizing issues during campaigning – that could easily collapse into fresh elections.

(Election graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2ENugtw)

(Reporting by John Stonestreet and Belen Carreno, Editing by William Maclean)

Source: OANN

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The Amish population in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County is continuing to grow each year, despite the encroachment of urban sprawl on their communities.

The U.S. Census Bureau says the county added about 2,500 people in 2018. LNP reports that about 1,000 of them were Amish.

Elizabethtown College researchers say Lancaster County’s Amish population reached 33,143 in 2018, up 3.2% from the previous year.

The Amish accounted for about 41% of the county’s overall population growth last year.

Some experts are concerned that a planned 75-acre (30-hectare) housing and commercial project will make it more difficult for the county to accommodate the Amish.

Donald Kraybill, an authority on Amish culture, told Manheim Township commissioners this week that some in the community are worried about the development and the increased traffic it would bring.

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Information from: LNP, http://lancasteronline.com

Source: Fox News National

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