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Dershowitz: Dems Have ‘Unbelievable’ Double Standard on Mueller

Democrats have an "unbelievable" double standard when it comes to their demands for the release of the unredacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz said Monday, while responding to Rep. Jerrold Nadler's comments that he wanted to see if the document contained proof of "bad deeds and motives."

"Would he have said the same thing if [former FBI Director James] Comey started talking about Hillary Clinton?" Dershowitz told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."  "Yeah, there wasn't enough evidence to go after her, but maybe she really did some terrible things?"

When Comey said Clinton had engaged in "extreme carelessness," Nadler and other Democrats went after him, saying it was not Comey's role to say such things, said Dershowitz.

"The role of the prosecutor is to say indict or don't indict," he said. "You don't express opinions about bad things people did where there wasn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The double standard is unbelievable."

The Mueller report will be released on Thursday, and  Dershowitz said he doesn't believe there will be that many redactions on it.

He added that he believes there will be two separate reports involved, with half of those on the Mueller team thinking President Donald Trump was guilty and the other half saying there was insufficient evidence or he was not guilty.

He added that while he wants to read both reports, he does not think there will be new facts, as the obstruction case is based on what Trump said publicly and in tweets.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Netroots make it rain for Bernie: $6M in one day


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On the roster: Netroots make it rain for Bernie: $6M in one day - I’ll Tell You What: Off topic - Trump campaign’s new look is corporate, complex - Bombshell testimony in N.C. House race inquest - ‘What can you do?’

NETROOTS MAKE IT RAIN FOR BERNIE: $6M IN ONE DAY
Fox News: “Sen. Bernie Sanders has raised nearly $6 million since launching his 2020 bid for the White House -- a day ago. The independent senator from Vermont’s presidential campaign announced Wednesday morning that they received an eye-popping $5.9 million in contributions in the 24 hours since 7 a.m. Tuesday, when Sanders officially announced his candidacy. The campaign touted that 223,047 individuals made contributions, averaging nearly $27 per person just like during his 2016 bid. The haul was the product of an aggressive fundraising push by the Sanders campaign, with emails and texts asking for contributions late into Tuesday evening. One email, hitting inboxes around 9 p.m. ET, pointed out that ‘as the clock ticks toward midnight, we’re pretty close to reaching a pair of milestones we frankly didn’t think would be possible on day one.’ The large fundraising haul is more than double the $1.5 million Sen. Kamala Harris of California … raised last month…”

Could Klobuchar outdo Schultz? - WaPo: “Former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz appears to believe he could perform well in a presidential race with voters turned off by President Trump and those fearful that the Democratic Party is moving too far left. … Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) might be able to change those numbers. While Schultz believes he has ideas and solutions to the problems concerning moderate voters, Klobuchar has actually been able to communicate them when asked, in addition to having a policy record on many of these topics, winning her support from both sides of the aisle. During a CNN town hall Monday, she put some meat on the bones of ideas that are popular — or at least of interest — to left-leaning voters. … Schultz did not fare as well when asked to address similar issues at his town hall and has not done much to answer lingering questions since.”

Beto as beta? - AP: “Beto O’Rourke said Tuesday that he hasn’t ruled out being a 2020 vice presidential candidate — even as he plans to decide in the next 10 days if he’ll seek the presidency. Answering a question in Spanish about the possibility of being another candidate’s running mate, the Democratic former Texas congressman answered in Spanish: ‘I’m going to consider every way to serve this country. And, yes, that will include anything.’ … He said in English that he may yet opt to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the Republican whip, in 2020. … Advisers to former Vice President Joe Biden, who is considering a White House run of his own, said in December that they’d approached O’Rourke’s camp about his being a vice presidential candidate. O’Rourke said then that he’d not spoken to Biden, and his camp hasn’t dismissed the idea since.”

Tim Ryan warns party perceived as ‘hostile to business’ - Fox News: “Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who is considering a 2020 presidential run, said Wednesday that his party has to be ‘very careful’ not to appear too anti-business as it tries to win back the White House. ‘I think we’ve got to be very careful. We come off sometimes as hostile to business,’ the Ohio congressman lamented as he spoke with Fox News and two New Hampshire news organizations on Wednesday. … Ryan, who raised his national profile with an unsuccessful leadership challenge against Nancy Pelosi in 2016, said Wednesday he’s ‘getting close’ to making his own decision on whether to run for president. … Ryan spoke during a three-day swing through the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire. The trip is full of private meetings with leading Democratic state and local lawmakers, rainmakers and union leaders.”

Infighting continues over location of 2020 Democratic convention - AP: “Leaders in three major cities are in a last-minute scramble to win the 2020 Democratic National Convention, an event that could funnel millions of dollars into the local economy and put them at the center of the political world for one week next summer. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez is choosing among Houston, Miami and Milwaukee. In recent weeks, some Democrats have privately suggested Milwaukee would get the nod… But since then, a fierce debate has unfolded behind the scenes… [Perez is] insisting that each finalist still has a legitimate chance to win and that he would decide by the end of February. Perez has promised a convention that showcases the nominee and gives the Democratic ticket an opportunity to unify the party after what’s expected to be a bruising, wide-open primary fight.” 

THE RULEBOOK: TWO IF BY SEA
“When a nation has become so powerful by sea that it can protect its dock-yards by its fleets, this supersedes the necessity of garrisons for that purpose…” – Alexander HamiltonFederalist No. 24

TIME OUT: THE ABSTRACT IN REFLECTIONS
NatGeo: “[Photographer Jodi Cobb’s] mission was to document [Venice’s] vulnerability to water—the threat of flooding and how the Venetians were trying to prevent it. [Cobb] made a few photographs of the reflections, but [she] was there to investigate the only unknown: Would Venice vanish underwater? Those reflections held no clues. … The reflections in the canals inexplicably enticed [her]. [Cobb] often stopped to photograph them, confounding [her] young Italian assistant who knew the magazine did not publish abstract images and thought [she] was just wasting time. … When the assignment was over, [Cobb] didn’t show those reflection pictures to anyone. … Five years later [she] found them … [and as she] began to edit, strange creatures emerged from the depths of the images: bizarre mythical beasts, cartoon characters, carnival masks, snakes, and gargoyles. They had been there all along, waiting for my imagination to bring them to life.”

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

SCOREBOARD
Trump job performance 
Average approval:
 41.8 percent
Average disapproval: 54.4 percent
Net Score: -12.6 points
Change from one week ago: up 0.8 points 
[Average includes: Fox News: 46% approve - 52% disapprove; Gallup: 44% approve - 52% unapproved; CNN: 42% approve - 54% disapproval; IBD: 39% approve - 57% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 38% approve - 57% disapprove.]

I’LL TELL YOU WHAT: OFF TOPIC
This week, Dana Perino and Chris Stirewalt discuss relatable moments on the campaign trail, the importance of civics and expensive naps. Plus, Dana goes through the mailbag and Chris answers trivia. LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE

TRUMP CAMPAIGN’S NEW LOOK IS CORPORATE, COMPLEX  
Politico: “President Donald Trump is assembling a sprawling, corporate-style reelection campaign with 10 divisions reporting to a single senior adviser, campaign manager Brad Parscale — a top-down structure that represents everything Trump’s improvisational 2016 effort was not. … The campaign has hired more than 30 full-time staffers so far and has begun building out a surrogate network devoted exclusively to putting pro-Trump talking heads on TV and radio and in newspaper op-eds — a move that reflects Trump’s fixation with how he’s portrayed in the media. … The setup has the hallmarks of a more traditional campaign associated with a president running for reelection. But coming from this ad-lib president — whose 2016 effort was wracked by constant infighting that spilled into the press, no apparent organizational structure, and unclear lines of authority — it marks a major departure from business as usual.

Hogan: Trump looks ‘pretty weak’ for 2020 - CBS News: “Maryland's Republican Gov. Larry Hogan says that while President Trump is likely to fend off a GOP primary challenger, he may be vulnerable in the general election against the eventual Democratic nominee. ‘The issue I'm concerned about is he has a very low re-elect number, I think in the 30s, high 30s, low 40s,’ Hogan said of Mr. Trump's poll numbers in an exclusive interview with CBS News Tuesday. ‘So the chance of him losing a general election are pretty good. I'm not saying he couldn't win but he's pretty weak in the general election.’ If the president's approval ratings continue to dip heading into the campaign cycle, Hogan said the Republican Party will need to consider what his potential defeat next November could mean for GOP office holders across the country. ”

‘TOM WHO?’: HOUSE DEMS BUCK STEYER’S IMPEACHMENT DRIVE
Politico: “House Democrats are rallying behind Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler as he faces growing pressure from the left flank to launch impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. Driving the campaign is billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer, who is spearheading a $40 million campaign to push key House Democratic chairs investigating Trump and his administration to begin holding impeachment hearings. Steyer’s Need to Impeach PAC held a town hall in Nadler’s Manhattan district Tuesday evening, and the group is running a 30-second television ad powered by a six-figure digital buy encouraging Nadler’s constituents to press him to back immediate impeachment…. When asked about Steyer’s efforts targeting Nadler, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a fellow New York Democrat and Judiciary Committee member who also has found himself under scrutiny from the left, quipped: ‘Tom who?’”

BOMBSHELL TESTIMONY IN N.C. HOUSE RACE INQUEST 
Raleigh News & Observer: “Contradicting his father, the son of Republican Mark Harris testified Wednesday that he told his father as early as 2017 he had concerns about a political operative hired to run an absentee ballot campaign in Bladen County. The testimony from John Harris contradicted suggestions by Harris and his campaign that they’d seen no red flags about McCrae Dowless, who is now at the center of allegations into voting irregularities in the 9th Congressional District. John Harris’s often dramatic testimony came on the third day of a hearing by North Carolina’s State Board of Elections that could decide the nation’s last unresolved congressional race and has drawn national attention. Mark Harris, sitting next to his wife, began crying as he watched his son’s testimony.”

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Tim Carney: ‘The one trait that predicts Trump fever’ - Politico 

Which Republican senators are for, or against, Trump’s national emergency declaration - WaPo

Michael Cohen prison date pushed back to May 6 Fox News

Trump backs away from March 1 deadline for China tariffs - WSJ

Marc Short heads back to the White House, this time as Pence's chief of staff Politico

Justice Clarence Thomas calls for SupCo to reconsider case that shields reporters - NYT

AUDIBLE: MAYBE EVEN A CUP OF COFFEE  
“I would say I'm being approached from a lot of different people. And I guess the best way to put it is I haven't thrown them out of my office.” – Gov. Larry Hogan when asked if he is thinking about running for president by CBS News

FROM THE BLEACHERS
“I do not understand your polling methodology and my concern is that you don't either. The polls you use have never successfully predict[ed] any election in my memory. I admit I don't know their polling pool but [I] suspect that the criteria is they must be breathing and most likely never held a paying job. Polling anybody but likely voters are of no practical use. There are polling organizations that have good predictive records but they seem to be excluded from you list.” – Paul Hill, New Bern, N.C.

[Ed. note: We don’t want to be repetitive, but we get so many letters about polling from readers that from time to time we like to talk a little about what we’re doing and why. First, we believe that in the long term it’s more useful to focus on polling averages than individual polls. We’re keenly interested in the findings beneath the surface on individual polls, but to track a race, or for now, the president’s job approval, the average is more useful. We set some pretty high standards for the polls that we use for our average, too. The surveys have to be 1) non-partisan, 2) conducted by live interviewers using a representative mix of cellular and landline numbers, 3) have a sample of sufficient size to be representative and 4) have been conducted over an appropriate period of time to capture a single snapshot of voter attitudes. At this point so far from an election it’s too soon to talk about who will be a likely voter. That’s only germane once the candidates and issues are set since the first choice many Americans is whether to participate or not. I’m not sure which surveys you mean, but I know that several of the most predictive pollsters from 2016 are included in our current average. Most of all, I would encourage you to not put too much stock in polling. It’s a useful snapshot of a moment in time and can help us see which way voters are moving and, ideally, what’s driving those moves. But they are not oracles that predict the future.]     

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

‘WHAT CAN YOU DO?’
The [Adelaide, Australia] Advertiser: “It can get boring on test flights. Hours spent quietly winging it from point A to point B with no other purpose than testing out a new engine. But then inspiration strikes. For one pilot, that inspiration was to use the Mid North as his own personal canvas to voice how boring test flights can get. Written in letters dozens of kilometers long, the pilot spelt out the words ‘I’m bored’ during a return flight from just north of Port Broughton. The pilot, who is understood to be a recently qualified instructor at Flight Training Adelaide, left Parafield Airport in a single propeller Diamond Star plane at 8.53am on Tuesday, taking a circuitous route north. … Flight Training Adelaide director Pine Pienaar said the pilot’s actions were not condoned and that ‘apparently he got bored.’ ‘Young instructors, what can you do?’ Mr Pienaar said.”

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“Hillaryism embodies the essence of modern liberalism. Having reached the limits of a welfare state grown increasingly sclerotic, bureaucratic and dysfunctional, the mission of modern liberalism is to patch the fraying safety net with yet more programs and entitlements.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post on June 23, 2016.

Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. 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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Officer fled civil war as a child, resettled in Minneapolis

Mohamed Noor fled Somalia's civil war as a child, following a well-worn path with his family to a refugee camp in Kenya, the U.S. and eventually Minnesota. After a difficult start, he "fell in love" with his new city, Minneapolis, and carved out a life in business.

Then he spotted an online ad recruiting police officers.

"I always wanted to serve," Noor said Thursday, breaking more than 18 months of silence since shooting and killing an unarmed woman who approached his squad car.

Noor, now 33, is on trial for murder and manslaughter in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual U.S.-Australia citizen who had called 911 to report a possible crime minutes before she was shot.

His testimony added some detail to what was already known about Noor, whose hiring in 2015 was welcomed by city leaders seeking to diversify a police force in a melting-pot city with the nation's largest population of Somalis.

Noor described his early years near Mogadishu as the oldest of 10 children in a middle-class family whose patriarch both farmed and worked for a non-governmental organization. When he was 5, he said, the family fled to Kenya because of strife in Somalia and spent nearly two years in a refugee camp before his father got a U.S. visa.

The family lived for about five years in Chicago. Noor didn't know any English when he arrived and was behind in school, but some teachers helped get him caught up. The family then moved to the Minneapolis area, where he found it difficult at first.

"When I moved here, no one liked Somalis, and I picked that up right away," he testified.

But things got better after Noor signed up for football and began making friends. He became a citizen in 1999 and eventually graduated from Augsburg University, a school close to the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood that is home to many of the city's Somalis.

Noor studied economics and business administration and worked as an assistant general manager for a hotel. He was in a job handling pharmaceutical benefits when he spotted the Minneapolis Police Department's ad.

He joined the force through a 29-week cadet training program and had some bumps. Noor testified Thursday about once clearing the ammunition from his gun incorrectly, leaving a round in the chamber, and being chewed out.

Damond's death led to questions about Noor's training, but then-Police Chief Janee Harteau said Noor "was very suited to be on the street."

The cadet program is aimed at finding candidates who already have a two- or four-year college degree in another field, said Nate Gove, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, which sets licensing and training standards for law enforcement agencies and officers.

"Nobody is waved through the program," Gove said. He said such programs are "not fast track" and that candidates still must meet minimum standards and pass license examinations.

After Noor completed the program successfully and was assigned to the city's Fifth Precinct, city leaders heralded his arrival.

"A wonderful sign of building trust and community policing at work," then-Mayor Betsy Hodges posted on Facebook.

Noor, who is married and has a son from a previous marriage, was fired from the force after he was charged with killing Damond. He renewed his peace officer license a few days later, making him eligible to serve as a police officer until 2021 if he's acquitted and can find employment.

A felony conviction prevents anyone from being a law officer in Minnesota.

___

Check out the AP's complete coverage of Mohamed Noor's trial.

Source: Fox News National

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Venezuela crippled by power blackout, China warns over foreign meddling

People are seen inside a shopping center during a blackout in Caracas
People are seen inside a shopping center during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela March 8, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

March 8, 2019

By Vivian Sequera and Brian Ellsworth

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela shut schools and suspended the workday as the worst blackout in decades paralyzed most of the country for a second day on Friday, while China warned Western nations against meddling in the South American country’s domestic affairs.

Power went out across the recession-stricken country on Thursday afternoon due to a problem at Venezuela’s main hydroelectric plant, the government said, calling the event an act of “sabotage” by ideological adversaries.

While blackouts are routine in many Venezuelan provinces, nationwide power outages under the ruling Socialist Party have never extended for more than a day, despite five years of grueling recession and widespread and severe shortages of basic goods.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido, who most Western nations recognize as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, criticized the government for bungling the country’s energy supply and said Maduro was the one sabotaging the nation.

“Sabotage is stealing money from Venezuelans. Sabotage is burning food and medicine. Sabotage is stealing elections,” Guaido said on Twitter.

Humanitarian aid trucks went up in flames last month when Maduro deployed troops at the Colombian border to prevent the opposition from bringing in relief supplies.

Despite international outcry at Maduro’s decision to turn back the aid convoy, Elliott Abrams, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special representative for Venezuela, on Friday ruled out the use of force to deliver humanitarian assistance.

Washington, which has led calls for Maduro to step down, pledged on Thursday to “expand the net” of sanctions against Venezuela, including more foreign banks providing financing to the government.

The United States in January levied crippling oil industry sanctions meant to starve Maduro’s government of revenue.

Beijing, which together with Moscow backs Maduro, issued a stern warning on Friday about the risks in imposing sanctions and interfering in Venezuela.

“External interference and sanctions will only exacerbate the tense situation,” said the Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi. “There’s already enough of such lessons from history, and the same old disastrous road should not be followed.”

Adding to Venezuela’s economic woes, a World Bank arbitration tribunal ruled on Friday that Maduro’s cash-strapped government must pay ConocoPhillips more than $8 billion for seizing the oil and gas company’s oil assets as part of a wave of nationalizations. Venezuela can still contest the award.

SOME POWER BACK

In Caracas, state television and social media users reported that power had returned to some neighborhoods on Friday, though much of the city remained without service.

It was not immediately clear if the power shortages affected oil operations in the OPEC nation. State oil company PDVSA did not respond to a request for comment.

Scores of people walked through the streets of the capital early in the morning due to the closure of the metro, while others took the few buses that were running. Many did not realize the government has suspended the workday because they could not watch television or listen to the news.

In the upscale Caracas neighborhood of Los Palos Grandes, several hundred people gathered for a rally where Guaido was expected to speak.

“Everyone is hoping that with Guaido, the country will go back to being normal,” said Yamila Oliveros, a 53-year-old architect. “That’s all a person wants, to live normally. That when I open the tap, water comes out. That when I flip the light switch, the lights come on.”

The opposition has set protests for Saturday in the capital as it seeks to maintain pressure on Maduro to step down.

Venezuela has become mired in a major political crisis since Guaido declared himself the president in January and denounced Maduro as an usurper.

Maduro says Guaido is a “puppet” of Washington and dismisses his claim to the presidency as an effort by the Trump administration to control Venezuela’s oil wealth.

Maduro, who was re-elected last year in a vote widely viewed as fraudulent, blames Venezuela’s economic crisis on a U.S.-backed campaign to wreck the economy and force him from power. Maduro has consistently attributed major power outages to sabotage by opposition adversaries, without providing evidence.

Government officials on Thursday said the massive Guri Dam was damaged by a cyber attack, and initially said power would return within three hours. They have not updated their timetable.

“We will once again defeat this electrical sabotage. We are going to recover this important service for the population,” Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said in comments broadcast over state television.

Thermoelectric plants, which are meant to back up the hydroelectric dam, are operating well below capacity, said Miguel Lara, an electrical engineer who formerly ran a state agency that oversaw the national power grid.

He added that shortages of parts as well as a lack of skilled technicians, many of whom have fled the country, will complicate any efforts to repair any damage.

More than 3 million people are believed to have left Venezuela amid the crisis.

The U.N. refugee agency said on Friday that Venezuelans lodged nearly one-quarter of a million asylum applications in 2018 alone, double that of the previous year.

Maduro’s critics say his government has mismanaged the power sector since late socialist leader Hugo Chavez nationalized it in 2007 while setting aside billions of dollars for power projects that were swallowed by corruption.

Venezuela suffered major blackouts in 2008 and 2013 that affected significant parts of the country, but they were resolved in less than six hours.

Local power outages continue to be chronic, particularly in the sweltering western state of Zulia where residents complain of days without power or with limited electricity and voltage fluctuations that damage appliances.

(Reporting by Vivian Sequera, Brian Ellsworth and Corina Pons; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Chizu Nomiyama and Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: OANN

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Take 5: 2019 NFL Draft mock-busters

NCAA Football: Senior Bowl Practice-North
Jan 24, 2019; Mobile, AL, USA; North offensive tackle Dalton Risner of Kansas State (71) blocks against North defensive end L.J. Collier of TCU (91) during the North squad 2019 Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

April 21, 2019

Mock drafts are like noses, everyone has one.

The same 25 or so names pop up in everyone’s forecast of the 2019 NFL Draft, with only slight variations to the order. Projecting the “surprise” players who sneak into the top 32 picks is the real art to the profession.

That task could be especially challenging this year with little consensus at the top of each position. Poll a few NFL scouts and analysts to name the top quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback or safety in this class and you are likely to get different answers – which is fairly uncommon this late in the process.

That should result in a suspense-filled first round.

In the same way that a hot-shooting 12 seed can blow up your March Madness bracket, these are the five players destined to wreck mock drafts.

5. L.J. Collier, DE, TCU, 6-2 1/4, 283, 4.91

Players drafted in the first round typically dominated in college. Collier didn’t even start until his fifth year with the Horned Frogs, when he registered more tackles (43, including 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks) than in his previous three seasons combined (38 tackles) after redshirting his first year on campus.

The late-blooming Collier nevertheless was invited to the Senior Bowl, where his disproportionately long arms (34″), raw power and junkyard dog mentality made him a standout. He is a much more well-rounded defender than his 11 career starts suggest, showing an impressive array of pass rush moves and a commitment to run defense that should get him on the field early and often in the NFL.

If the anticipated early run of edge rushers comes to fruition, Collier could sneak into the late portion of the first round – perhaps as a plug-and-play replacement for Trey Flowers in New England.

4. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S, Florida, 5-10 7/8, 210, 4.48

Most draft enthusiasts know by now that the Class of 2019 offers an extraordinary bounty of defensive linemen, but the safety position isn’t far behind in terms of star power and depth. Though he is not included in many first-round projections from the media, Gardner-Johnson’s raw athleticism, versatility and penchant for turning turnovers (nine INTs in three seasons) into points (three TDs) very much has the attention of NFL teams.

Given his hyphenated name, it is perhaps appropriate that Gardner-Johnson played a slash role for the Gators, seeing action as a single-high free safety, in-the-box striker and nickel cornerback over his career. He led Florida in special teams tackles (eight) as a true freshman and punctuated that year by being named MVP of the team’s bowl game – joining Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith as the only first-year players at Florida to earn that distinction.

3. Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State, 5-11 7/8, 205, 4.31

One could argue that Campbell is the most under-appreciated receiver in this class. While the media blustered over the 40-yard dash time by Ole Miss workout warrior D.K. Metcalf and the straight-line speed shown by Oklahoma’s Marquise Brown as a vertical threat last season, Campbell, a two-time team captain, proved lightning fast on the field and in workouts.

Campbell led the Buckeyes in catches (88), receiving yards (1,062) and touchdowns (12) in a breakout 2018 campaign alongside two other receivers (Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon) who also will be drafted this week. He wasn’t asked to run complicated routes in Ohio State’s scheme, serving a Percy Harvin-like role on shallow crossers and jet-sweeps in Urban Meyer’s offense.

The traits and work ethic are there to suggest that Campbell’s route-tree will grow more branches and his production will only further bloom in the NFL.

2. Kaleb McGary, OT, Washington, 6-7 1/8, 317, 5.05

The massive and country-strong McGary is as battle-tested as any offensive tackle in this class. He started the past four years at right tackle for Washington before turning critics into believers at the Senior Bowl, Combine and well-attended pro day with his rare athleticism.

One of the biggest blockers in the class, McGary quietly wowed in workouts, generating top 10 performances among offensive linemen in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump (33.5″), broad jump (9’3″), 3-cone (7.66) and short shuttle (4.58) at the Combine. He then out-shined media darling and projected top 20 pick Andre Dillard (Washington State) in their respective pro day workouts – both of which I attended. That may not surprise Pac-12 observers, as the conference’s defensive linemen voted McGary the best blocker in the league with the Morris Trophy.

1. Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State, 6-3, 305, 4.90 (estimated)

Simmons is likely facing a medical “redshirt” in his first NFL season after tearing his ACL during pre-combine workouts, so it is easy to see why he could slip out of the first round despite possessing top 10 talent. His projection is further clouded due to a disturbing 2016 video of Simmons repeatedly striking a woman on the ground.

Of course, in the talent-tops-all world of the NFL, the tape that matters most is what Simmons did at Mississippi State – not the family dispute caught on video prior to his joining the Bulldogs or the injury, from which he is expected to make a full recovery.

If a team is willing to invest in Simmons on Day Two, it might make more sense (and cents) to draft the three-time SEC honoree in the first round, given the fifth-year option provided in the NFL’s rookie contracts for players drafted in the opening frame.

–Rob Rang, Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Christianity grows in Syrian town once besieged by Islamic State

Children play near damaged houses in Kobani
Children play near damaged houses in Kobani, Syria April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho

April 16, 2019

By John Davison

KOBANI, Syria (Reuters) – A community of Syrians who converted to Christianity from Islam is growing in Kobani, a town besieged by Islamic State for months, and where the tide turned against the militants four years ago.

The converts say the experience of war and the onslaught of a group claiming to fight for Islam pushed them towards their new faith. After a number of families converted, the Syrian-Turkish border town’s first evangelical church opened last year.

Islamic State militants were beaten back by U.S. air strikes and Kurdish fighters at Kobani in early 2015, in a reversal of fortune after taking over swaths of Iraq and Syria. After years of fighting, U.S.-backed forces fully ended the group’s control over populated territory last month.

Though Islamic State’s ultra radical interpretation of Sunni Islam has been repudiated by the Islamic mainstream, the legacy of its violence has affected perceptions of faith.

Many in the mostly Kurdish areas of northern Syria, whose urban centers are often secular, say agnosticism has strengthened and in the case of Kobani, Christianity.

Christianity is one of the region’s minority faiths that was persecuted by Islamic State.

Critics view the new converts with suspicion, accusing them of seeking personal gain such as financial help from Christian organizations working in the region, jobs and enhanced prospects of emigration to European countries.

The newly-converted Christians of Kobani deny those accusations. They say their conversion was a matter of faith.

“After the war with Islamic State people were looking for the right path, and distancing themselves from Islam,” said Omar Firas, the founder of Kobani’s evangelical church. “People were scared and felt lost.”

Firas works for a Christian aid group at a nearby camp for displaced people that helped set up the church.

He said around 20 families, or around 80 to 100 people, in Kobani now worship there. They have not changed their names.

“We meet on Tuesdays and hold a service on Fridays. It is open to anyone who wants to join,” he said.

The church’s current pastor, Zani Bakr, 34, arrived last year from Afrin, a town in northern Syria. He converted in 2007.

“This was painted by IS as a religious conflict, using religious slogans. Because of this a lot of Kurds lost trust in religion generally, not just Islam,” he said.

Many became atheist or agnostic. “But many others became Christian. Scores here and more in Afrin.”

MISSIONARIES AND CRITICS

One man, who lost an arm in an explosion in Kobani and fled to Turkey for medical treatment, said he met Kurdish and Turkish converts there and eventually decided to join them.

“They seemed happy and all talked about love. That’s when I decided to follow Jesus’s teachings,” Maxim Ahmed, 22, said, adding that several friends and family were now interested in coming to the new church.

Some in Kobani reject the growing Christian presence. They say Western Christian aid groups and missionaries have exploited the chaos and trauma of war to convert people and that local newcomers to the religion see an opportunity for personal gain.

“Many people think that they are somehow benefitting from this, maybe for material gain or because of the perception that Christians who seek asylum abroad get preferential treatment,” said Salih Naasan, a real estate worker and former Arabic teacher.

Thousands of Christians have fled the region over decades of sectarian strife. From Syria they have often headed for Lebanon and European countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to help minorities fleeing the region when he imposed a travel ban on Muslims in 2016, but many Christians were denied asylum.

“It might be a reaction to Daesh (Islamic State) but I don’t see the positives. It just adds another religious and sectarian dimension which in a community like this will lead to tension,” said Naasan, a practicing Muslim.

Naasan like the vast majority of Muslims rejects Islamic State’s narrow and brutal interpretation of Islam. The group enslaved and killed thousands of people from all faiths, reserving particular brutality for minorities such as the Yazidis of northern Iraq.

Most Christians preferred not to give their names or be interviewed, saying they fear reaction from conservative sectors of society.

The population of Kobani and its surroundings has neared its original 200,000 after people returned, although only 40,000 live in the town itself, much of which lies in ruins.

(Editing by Tom Perry and Alexandra Hudson)

Source: OANN

0 0

Weak first quarter seen for U.S. refiners, but brighter summer expected

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Valero Houston Refinery is seen in Houston, Texas
FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Valero Houston Refinery is seen in Houston, Texas, U.S. August 31, 2017. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

April 23, 2019

By Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. independent refiners are expected to roll out lower than expected first-quarter profits after a spate of outages, weak gasoline margins and a surge in the price of Canadian oil, according to analysts.

Major independent refiners cut production dramatically during the quarter, with some electing to undergo maintenance rather than produce barrels at a time when gasoline margins slumped.

Several major U.S. refiners, including Valero Energy Corp, HollyFrontier Corp, and Marathon Petroleum Corp, are all expected to fall short of consensus estimates when they report results, according to Refinitiv Eikon’s SmartEstimate model, which values more recent revisions from higher-ranked analysts.

However, reduced refining output in the early part of the year sets up the industry for a potential rebound as the critical summer months approach. With gasoline stockpiles at a four-year low on a seasonal basis, margins have rebounded in anticipation of driving season.

U.S. refinery utilization dropped to 87.5 percent in early April, the lowest seasonally since 2014. Refiners had been running full-tilt for much of 2018, encouraged by strong demand for distillates. But in the process, they overproduced gasoline, tanking margins for the fuel along the way.

Those margins fell to $3.64 a gallon in January, the lowest since 2009. They have since recovered, and were at about $23.00 a gallon on Monday, as inventories have fallen to about 228 million barrels from almost 260 million barrels in mid-January.

(GRAPHIC: Gasoline stocks fall as refinery runs drop https://tmsnrt.rs/2Iafyjp.)

Refiner earnings kick off this week with Valero on Friday. Since the beginning of April, analysts, on average, have revised projections for refiners lower by more than 5 percent, according to Refinitiv data.

Analysts have sharply lowered estimates for Valero, Marathon and HollyFrontier, along with PBF Energy and Phillips 66, in the past month, putting them in the bottom quartile among U.S. companies in terms of revisions, according to Refinitiv data.

On top of heavy maintenance, fires broke out at facilities over the last few months, including at Valero’s Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, Exxon Mobil Corp’s Baytown, Texas, refinery and HollyFrontier’s El Dorado, Kansas, refinery.

HollyFrontier lowered the amount of crude it expected to process in the first quarter by 5,000 bpd. Analysts at Goldman Sachs downgraded the company’s outlook last week on concerns that profits would take a hit after Canadian crude differentials collapsed.

Sandy Fielden, director of commodities and energy research at Morningstar, said PBF also lost out because of “the Canadian crude discount just disappearing.”

Canadian crude oil had been heavily discounted due to oversupply and lack of pipelines, but that discount eroded after the province of Alberta instituted production cuts. Western Canada Select (WCS) recently has traded around $9.25 a barrel under U.S. crude, compared with $15.65 at the beginning of the quarter. [CRU/CA]

BUMPER BUNKER PROFITS?

Some refiners decided to undergo heavier planned maintenance during the quarter to ready facilities for new low-sulfur marine fuel requirements. The new regulations required by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are due to come into effect on Jan. 1, 2020 and could produce bumper profits.

The rules outlaw high-sulfur fuels traditionally used for shipping – a boon for complex refineries that can break down products used by marine vessels into lower-sulfur products with higher margins.

Refiners could now run their plants at higher rates to take advantage of the higher margins, and analysts expect gasoline inventories to climb through the remainder of the year as a result.

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Susan Thomas)

Source: OANN

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An employee looks up at goods at the Miniclipper Logistics warehouse in Leighton Buzzard
FILE PHOTO: An employee looks up at goods at the Miniclipper Logistics warehouse in Leighton Buzzard, Britain December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

April 26, 2019

LONDON, April 26 – British factories stockpiled raw materials and goods ahead of Brexit at the fastest pace since records began in the 1950s, and they were increasingly downbeat about their prospects, a survey showed on Friday.

The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) quarterly survey of the manufacturing industry showed expectations for export orders in the next three months fell to their lowest level since mid-2009, when Britain was reeling from the global financial crisis.

The record pace of stockpiling recorded by the CBI was mirrored by the closely-watched IHS Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ index published earlier this month.

(Reporting by Andy Bruce, editing by David Milliken)

Source: OANN

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Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks at the opening ceremony for the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks at the opening ceremony for the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Florence Lo

April 26, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Fewer than half of Malaysians approve of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, an opinion poll showed on Friday, as concerns over rising costs and racial matters plague his administration nearly a year after taking office.

The survey, conducted in March by independent pollster Merdeka Center, showed that only 46 percent of voters surveyed were satisfied with Mahathir, a sharp drop from the 71 percent approval rating he received in August 2018.

Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan coalition won a stunning election victory in May 2018, ending the previous government’s more than 60-year rule.

But his administration has since been criticized for failing to deliver on promised reforms and protecting the rights of majority ethnic Malay Muslims.

Of 1,204 survey respondents, 46 percent felt that the “country was headed in the wrong direction”, up from 24 percent in August 2018, the Merdeka Center said in a statement. Just 39 percent said they approved of the ruling government.

High living costs remained the top most concern among Malaysians, with just 40 percent satisfied with the government’s management of the economy, the survey showed.

It also showed mixed responses to Pakatan Harapan’s proposed reforms.

Some 69 percent opposed plans to abolish the death penalty, while respondents were sharply divided over proposals to lower the minimum voting age to 18, or to implement a sugar tax.

“In our opinion, the results appear to indicate a public that favors the status quo, and thus requires a robust and coordinated advocacy efforts in order to garner their acceptance of new measures,” Merdeka Center said.

The survey also found 23 percent of Malaysians were concerned over ethnic and religious matters.

Some groups representing Malays have expressed fear that affirmative-action policies favoring them in business, education and housing could be taken away and criticized the appointments of non-Muslims to key government posts.

Last November, the government reversed its pledge to ratify a UN convention against racial discrimination, after a backlash from Malay groups.

Earlier this month, Pakatan Harapan suffered its third successive loss in local elections since taking power, which has been seen as a further sign of waning public support.

Despite the decline, most Malaysians – 67 percent – agreed that Mahathir’s government should be given more time to fulfill its election promises, Merdeka Center said.

This included a majority of Malay voters who were largely more critical of the new administration, it added.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: OANN

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The German share price index DAX graph at the stock exchange in Frankfurt
The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Staff

April 26, 2019

By Medha Singh and Agamoni Ghosh

(Reuters) – European shares slipped on Friday after losses in heavyweight banks and Glencore outweighed gains in healthcare and auto stocks, while investors remained on the sidelines ahead of U.S. economic data for the first quarter.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.1 percent by 0935 GMT, eyeing a modest loss at the end of a holiday-shortened week. Banks-heavy Italian and Spanish indices were laggards.

The banking index fell for a fourth day, at the end of a heavy earnings week for lenders.

Britain’s Royal Bank of Scotland tumbled after posting lower first quarter profit, hurt by intensifying competition and Brexit uncertainty, while its investment bank also registered poor returns.

Weakness in investment banking also dented Deutsche Bank’s quarterly trading revenue and sent its shares lower a day after the German bank abandoned merger talks with smaller rival Commerzbank.

“The current interest rate environment makes it challenging for banks to make proper earnings because of their intermediary function,” said Teeuwe Mevissen, senior market economist eurozone, at Rabobank.

Since the start of April, all country indexes were on pace to rise between 1.8 percent and 3.4 percent, their fourth month of gains, while Germany was strongly outperforming with 6 percent growth.

“For now the current sentiment is very cautious as markets wait for the first estimates of the U.S. GDP growth which could see a surprise,” Mevissen said.

U.S. economic data for the first-quarter is due at 1230 GMT. Growth worries outside the United States resurfaced this week after South Korea’s economy unexpectedly contracted at the start of the year and weak German business sentiment data for April also disappointed.

Among the biggest drags on the benchmark index in Europe were the basic resources sector and the oil and gas sector, weighed down by Britain’s Glencore and France’s Total, respectively.

Glencore dropped after reports that U.S authorities were investigating whether the company and its subsidiaries violated certain provisions of the commodity exchange act.

Energy major Total said its net profit for the first three months of the year fell compared with a year ago due to volatile oil prices and debt costs.

Chip stocks in the region including Siltronic, Ams and STMicroelectronics lost more than 1 percent after Intel Corp reduced its full-year revenue forecast, adding to concerns that an industry-wide slowdown could persist until the end of 2019.

Meanwhile, healthcare, which is also seen as a defensive sector, was a bright spot. It was helped by French drugmaker Sanofi after it returned to growth with higher profits and revenues for the first-quarter.

Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES led media stocks higher after it maintained its full-year outlook on the back of the company’s Networks division.

Automakers in the region rose 0.4 percent, led by Valeo’s 6 percent jump as the French parts maker said its performance would improve in the second half of the year.

Continental AG advanced after it backed its outlook for the year despite reporting a fall in first-quarter earnings.

Renault rose more than 3 percent as it clung to full-year targets and pursues merger talks with its Japanese partner Nissan.

(Reporting by Medha Singh and Agamoni Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Gareth Jones and Elaine Hardcastle)

Source: OANN

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U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to his audience as he hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

April 26, 2019

By Jan Wolfe and Richard Cowan

(Reuters) – The “i word” – impeachment – is swirling around the U.S. Congress since the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted Russia report, which painted a picture of lies, threats and confusion in Donald Trump’s White House.

Some Democrats say trying to remove Trump from office would be a waste of time because his fellow Republicans still have majority control of the Senate. Other Democrats argue they have a moral obligation at least to try to impeach, even though Mueller did not charge Trump with conspiring with Russia in the 2016 U.S. election or with obstruction of justice.

Whether or not the Democrats decide to go down this risky path, here is how the impeachment process works.

WHAT ARE GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT?

The U.S. Constitution says the president can be removed from office by Congress for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Exactly what that means is unclear.

Before he became president in 1974, replacing Republican Richard Nixon who resigned over the Watergate scandal, Gerald Ford said: “An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history.”

Frank Bowman, a University of Missouri law professor and author of a forthcoming book on the history of impeachment, said Congress could look beyond criminal laws in defining “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Historically, it can encompass corruption and other abuses, including trying to obstruct judicial proceedings.

HOW DOES IMPEACHMENT PLAY OUT?

The term impeachment is often interpreted as simply removing a president from office, but that is not strictly accurate.

Impeachment technically refers to the 435-member House of Representatives approving formal charges against a president.

The House effectively acts as accuser – voting on whether to bring specific charges. An impeachment resolution, known as “articles of impeachment,” is like an indictment in a criminal case. A simple majority vote is needed in the House to impeach.

The Senate then conducts a trial. House members act as the prosecutors, with senators as the jurors. The chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presides over the trial. A two-thirds majority vote is required in the 100-member Senate to convict and remove a president from office.

No president has ever been removed from office as a direct result of an impeachment and conviction by Congress.

Nixon quit in 1974 rather than face impeachment. Presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 were impeached by the House, but both stayed in office after the Senate acquitted them.

Obstruction of justice was one charge against Clinton, who faced allegations of lying under oath about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Obstruction was also included in the articles of impeachment against Nixon.

CAN THE SUPREME COURT OVERTURN?

No.

Trump said on Twitter on Wednesday that he would ask the Supreme Court to intervene if Democrats tried to impeach him. But America’s founders explicitly rejected making a Senate conviction appealable to the federal judiciary, Bowman said.

“They quite plainly decided this is a political process and it is ultimately a political judgment,” Bowman said.

“So when Trump suggests there is any judicial remedy for impeachment, he is just wrong.”

PROOF OF WRONGDOING?

In a typical criminal court case, jurors are told to convict only if there is “proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” a fairly stringent standard.

Impeachment proceedings are different. The House and Senate “can decide on whatever burden of proof they want,” Bowman said. “There is no agreement on what the burden should be.”

PARTY BREAKDOWN IN CONGRESS?

Right now, there are 235 Democrats, 197 Republicans and three vacancies in the House. As a result, the Democratic majority could vote to impeach Trump without any Republican votes.

In 1998, when Republicans had a House majority, the chamber voted largely along party lines to impeach Clinton, a Democrat.

The Senate now has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents who usually vote with Democrats. Conviction and removal of a president would requires 67 votes. So that means for Trump to be impeached, at least 20 Republicans and all the Democrats and independents would have to vote against him.

WHO BECOMES PRESIDENT IF TRUMP IS REMOVED?

A Senate conviction removing Trump from office would elevate Vice President Mike Pence to the presidency to fill out Trump’s term, which ends on Jan. 20, 2021.

(Reporting by Jan Wolfe and Richard Cowan; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Peter Cooney)

Source: OANN

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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft attends a conference at the Cannes Lions Festival in Cannes
FILE PHOTO: New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft attends a conference at the Cannes Lions Festival in Cannes, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s lawyers on Friday are set to ask a Florida judge to toss out hidden-camera videos that prosecutors say show the 77-year-old billionaire receiving sexual favors for money inside a Florida massage parlor.

The owner of the reigning Super Bowl champions plans wants the video to not be used as evidence against him as he contests two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution at the Orchids of Asia Spa in Jupiter, Florida, along with some two dozen other men.

His legal team is fresh off a win on Tuesday, when they successfully persuaded Palm Beach County Judge Leonard Hanser to block prosecutors from releasing the hidden-camera footage to media outlets, which had requested copies under the state’s robust open records law.

Kraft, who has owned the franchise since 1994, pleaded not guilty, but has issued a public apology for his actions.

His attorneys have argued in court papers that the surreptitious videotaping of customers, including Kraft, inside a massage parlor was governmental overreach and the result of an illegally obtained search warrant.

The warrant, Kraft’s lawyers claim, was secured under false pretenses because police officers cited human trafficking as a potential crime in their application. Prosecutors have since acknowledged that the investigation yielded no evidence of trafficking.

Palm Beach County prosecutors in a court filing on Wednesday said Kraft’s motion should be rejected because he could not have had any expectation of privacy while visiting a commercial establishment to engage in criminal activity.

That prompted an indignant response from Kraft’s attorneys, who said the prosecution’s position on privacy was “unhinged.”

“It should go without saying that Mr. Kraft and everyone else in the United States have a reasonable expectation that the government will not secretly spy on them while they undress behind closed doors,” they wrote.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax, editing by G Crosse)

Source: OANN

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