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Kirstjen Nielsen makes first public comments after resignation as DHS boss

Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen made her first comments to the media Monday after resigning her post over the weekend, saying she shares President Trump’s goal of securing the border.

From outside her home in Alexandria, Va., on Monday, Nielsen thanked the president for allowing her to serve in his administration.

NIELSEN RESIGNS AS DHS SECRETARY AFTER WHITE HOUSE MEETING WITH TRUMP

“I am forever grateful,” Nielsen said, praising Homeland Security officials who work to “execute their missions and to protect the homeland.”

“I’m looking forward to supporting them from the outside,” Nielsen said, noting that since her Sunday afternoon resignation, she has spoken with administration officials and lawmakers on Capitol Hill to ensure a smooth transition during her exit.

“I share the president’s goal of securing the border,” Nielsen said. She did not take any questions from the media.

The president announced Nielsen’s would “be leaving her position” after 16 months on the job on Sunday evening. Nielsen took over leadership of the Department of Homeland Security after Trump appointed former DHS Secretary John Kelly to be White House chief of staff. Kelly has since resigned from that post.

Trump also announced that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would replace Nielsen as acting secretary, tweeting: “I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!”

Later, Nielsen tweeted that she had submitted her resignation.

“Its[sic] been an honor of a lifetime to serve with the brave men and women of @DHSgov. I could not be prouder of and more humbled by their service, dedication, and commitment to keep our country safe from all threats and hazards,” she tweeted with an image of the resignation letter.

The letter, addressed to the president, said: “Despite our progress in reforming homeland security for a new age, I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside.”

She later tweeted that she was “eternally grateful and proud” of the work of “the brave and dedicated men and women” of DHS.

Nielsen’s resignation came after a meeting with the president at the White House on Sunday, amid an ongoing influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Associated Press reported that Nielsen had been frustrated with the difficulty of getting other departments to help to deal with the growing number of families crossing the border.

Administration officials told Fox News on Sunday that Nielsen’s background in cybersecurity made her a poor fit to handle border issues, while McAleenan best fits Trump’s requirement of being the “toughest cop” on the frontier.

Sources told Fox News that Nielsen had been viewed as resistant to some of the immigration measures pushed by the president and his aides, specifically related to protected status for some refugees and policies at the border.

A senior administration official told Fox News that National Security Adviser John Bolton long felt that Nielsen was not the right person for the job and opposed her policy of using United Nations organizations to try to stem the flow of illegal migrants. The official added that Bolton and Kelly had a heated disagreement over Nielsen’s approach during an October 2018 policy meeting, after which Bolton went to Trump to protest what Nielsen was doing.

KEVIN MCALEENAN, NEW ACTING DHS BOSS, HAS LONG RECORD IN BORDER SECURITY

Once Kelly left the White House at the end of last year, Nielsen's days appeared to be numbered. She had expected to be pushed out last November, but her exit never materialized. And during the government shutdown over Trump's push for funding for a border wall, Nielsen's stock inside the White House even appeared to rise.

Trump nominated McAleenan as CBP commissioner on the first day of his presidency, but McAleenan was not confirmed by the Senate until March of 2018. He was appointed CBP deputy commissioner in November 2014 by President Barack Obama.

Sources tell Fox News that it remains to be seen whether McAleenan can handle the political duties required to be permanent homeland security secretary, though they noted that he has excellent relationships with the Pentagon, State Department, and National Security Council. McAleenan also has a reputation within CBP as a "brilliant" mind with "tremendous organizational skills."

Nielsen's departure is the latest staffing shakeup in the department, which was founded to combat terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

On Friday, Trump confirmed he had withdrawn the nomination of acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Ron Vitiello to become the permanent head of the agency, telling reporters that "Ron’s a good man, but we’re going in a tougher direction, we want to go in a tougher direction." Administration sources tell Fox News that the withdrawal of Vitiello's nomination was the first step in Trump's plan to control the border crisis.

The second step was asking for Nielsen's resignation.

Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Source: Fox News Politics

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Firefighters contain fire in China’s mountains where 30 died

Firefighters have contained a blaze high in the rugged forested mountains of western China that claimed the lives of 30 of their colleagues.

State media say open flames had been extinguished and only a few areas continued to emit smoke as of Tuesday with no further threat of the fire spreading.

The bodies of the dead firefighters were brought to the town of Xichang in Sichuan province, while three helicopters had brought in reinforcements to extinguish the blaze for good.

Changing winds Sunday apparently trapped the 27 firefighters and three helpers.

The death toll appeared to be the worst among firefighters since 2015, when an explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port of Tianjin killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and other first responders.

Source: Fox News World

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EVIL: Democrats Vote Against Bill to Protect Babies Who Survive Abortion

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Democratic Senators voted against a bill on Monday that would have ensured medical care for infants who survive an abortion, leading the American people to only come to one conclusion: Democrats support infanticide.

The bill, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, ended in a 53-44 vote, 7 votes shy of the 60-vote threshold needed for a proposed piece of legislation to pass the chamber.

Republican Sens. Scott (SC), Cramer (ND), and Murkowski (AK) were not present for Monday’s vote.

The purpose of the bill would have been to prohibit a health care practitioner from “failing to exercise the proper degree of care” in the case of a child who survives an abortion.

“Senate Democrats just voted against legislation to prevent the killing of newborn infant children,” President Trump tweeted following the vote.

“This will be remembered as one of the most shocking votes in the history of Congress,” the president continued, adding: “If there is one thing we should all agree on, it’s protecting the lives of innocent babies.”

In this Jan. 18, 2018 file photo, professional singer Joy Villa participates in the annual March for Life towards the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

In his annual State of the Union address earlier this month, President Trump discussed the issue of abortion and the “fundamental importance of respecting human life.”

Embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, defended a very controversial pro-abortion bill last month, and in a radio interview, essentially advocated for infanticide. Trump later said he was “surprised” by Northam’s remarks, in an interview with The Daily Caller News Foundation.

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Upstart Russian oil firm, with Goldman Sachs backing, bucks industry blues

A view shows an oil treatment plant in the Irkutsk Oil Company-owned Yarakta Oil Field in Irkutsk Region
A general view shows an oil treatment plant in the Yarakta Oil Field, owned by Irkutsk Oil Company (INK), in Irkutsk Region, Russia March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

April 16, 2019

By Olesya Astakhova

YARAKTA OIL FIELD, Russia (Reuters) – In the frozen taiga of eastern Siberia, where bears roam in spring after waking from hibernation, an independent Russian oil company is bucking the domestic industry trend by rapidly ramping up its output and expanding operations.

Irkutsk Oil Company, known by the Russian acronym INK, has increased its crude production levels 30-fold over the past decade and has negotiated access to a pipeline network that allows it reach the Asian market.

The company told Reuters it is planning investments worth $3-$4 billion over the next three years, including developing its gas business by building four processing plants.

INK stands out in the Russian oil sector, more than half of which is in state ownership, and is dominated by massive players like Rosneft and Lukoil. Production growth in the sector has been sluggish and a combination of low oil prices and Western sanctions have weighed on new investment.

There is no immediate prospect of the industry landscape changing, leaving INK as a throwback to the 1990s, when the state had a smaller role and enterprising businesses blossomed.

However, its experience suggests there are still opportunities in the sector for smaller, nimbler independent players, backed up by some international know-how and a dose of good luck.

INK is not subject to the U.S. sectoral sanctions that apply to Russia’s biggest energy firms and which place restrictions on the type of financing they can attract from Western creditors. INK’s minority shareholders include Goldman Sachs and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Its crude production was 9 million tonnes last year, or 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) – small beer compared to the 230 million tonnes, or 4.6 million bpd, produced by Rosneft.

The company faces a series of obstacles that could put the brakes on its growth, including the increasing risk of being swallowed up by a larger rival, the need to invest huge amounts of money to build infrastructure in eastern Siberia and a lack of skilled staff in the remote region.

-58 CELSIUS, SNOW DRIFTS, FLOODS

Producing oil in such a hostile environment is also challenging. Winter temperatures fall as low as 58 degrees Celsius below zero, and snow drifts reach 1.5 meters in height, according to INK workers.

When the snow melts in spring, rivers flood, cutting the oil workers off from the outside world and meaning they have to travel in and out by helicopter.

To reach reserves in the fledgling oil region, INK has to sink wells up to 5 km (3 miles) in depth, compared with 1-3 km in western Siberia which is more developed.

A global deal to curb oil production agreed by OPEC and Russia, which means INK will have to keep its output at 9 million tonnes until July, has come at an opportune time for the company, according to Dmitry Zotov, its head of oil production.

“The OPEC deal has given us a chance to stop and draw breath,” said Zotov, adding that INK was using the time “to touch up the paint here, do some repairs there”.

To help with exploring in such a difficult environment, INK said it had hired Don Walcott, an expert in oil production who has previously worked for Schlumberger and YUKOS, the Russian oil firm taken over by Rosneft.

INK does not have publicly-traded shares so there is no independent estimate of its value.

The company’s estimated value in 2013, when Goldman Sachs acquired its stake of slightly less than 4 percent, was $2.7 billion, according to a source familiar with the terms of that deal who declined to be identified as the information is confidential.

The estimated value of the firm now is at least $4 billion, Yuri Rubin, INK’s chief financial officer, told Reuters. He did not detail how that estimate was calculated.

Andrei Polishchuk, an analyst with Raiffeisen, said the $4 billion estimated was plausible. “The company has good production assets and their proximity to ESPO infers a premium on the company’s value compared to competitors,” he said.

ESPO is the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline, which pumps Russian crude to Asian markets.

Goldman Sachs did not respond to a request for comment on its investment. The EBRD, which owns a 1.6 percent stake in INK, said it was satisfied with its investment and had no plans to increase its holding.

SIBERIAN OIL TO ASIA

The company started out in the oil-producing business in the late 1990s when its main shareholder, Nikolai Buinov, whose family had run a local fuel transport business, acquired three oil concessions from the local government. The previous owners had run into financial difficulties.

At the time, eastern Siberia had no infrastructure and was thousands of kilometers from markets. Oil majors were preoccupied with easier prospects elsewhere.

Luck played a part when the first wells found oil of an unusually high quality. Some of INK’s wells have a yellow-reddish color, a sign of low residue levels. 

In 2011, INK’s fields were connected to the ESPO pipeline, where its crude mixes with other blends. INK now sells 300,000-400,000 tonnes of oil a month, or around half of its production, for export. The rest of its production goes to the local market.

(Editing by Christian Lowe and Pravin Char)

Source: OANN

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Huawei to open first flagship store outside China in Vienna

Mobile phones are seen at Huawei store in Madrid
Mobile phones are seen at Huawei store in Madrid, Spain February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Juan Medina

February 21, 2019

VIENNA (Reuters) – Huawei is to open a smartphone flagship store in Vienna, its first such outlet outside China, as part of a charm offensive in Europe where its future hangs in the balance.

The world’s biggest producer of telecoms equipment is under scrutiny in the West over its relationship with the Chinese government and U.S.-led allegations of enabling state espionage, with Washington asking allies not to use Huawei’s technology.

Huawei has repeatedly denied the allegations and did again at a news conference in Vienna on Thursday.

Joe Kelly, Vice President of Corporate Communications said at the news conference: “We have never been asked by any government or any authority anywhere in the world… to do anything that would compromise or jeopardize… the security of customer networks.”

“If we ever are asked to do so, we will refuse,” Kelly said.

Huawei has deals with all three major Austrian telecoms groups: A1 Telekom Austria, controlled by Mexico’s America Movil, Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile Austria and Hutchison Whampoa’s Drei Austria.

The company is ready to help them build 5G infrastructure for the next generation mobile networks, the CEO of Huawei’s Austrian business said.

“We are more than ready to support Austria on its way to becoming a 5G pioneer with our know how and our solutions,” Pan Yao said.

Austria, a laggard in the European Union for fast broadband connections, wants to become a 5G pioneer in Europe. It is among the first in the European Union to auction the licenses. Results of the 3.4 to 3.8 GHz band auction, which will mainly speed up data services in densely populated areas, are expected within weeks.

The allegations against Huawei have led several Western countries to restrict the company’s access to their markets and the European Union to consider proposals that could amount to a de facto ban.

Austria’s technology ministry on Thursday reaffirmed it was aiming for a European stance on whether or not to allow the Chinese firm to equip 5G networks.

“Our priority is to protect our networks,” a spokesman for the technology ministry said, adding that he was not aware of concrete suspicions against Huawei.

Huawei, which says it is the second biggest smartphone seller in Austria with a market share of 28 percent, said it was considering whether to invest in research and development in the country but did not provide any details.

It plans to open its Vienna flagship store in the summer.

(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Source: OANN

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APNewsbreak: Police say immigrant suspect killed for drugs

A detective says a Salvadoran immigrant charged with four Nevada murders told police he robbed and killed his elderly victims during a 10-day rampage in January because he needed money to buy methamphetamine.

The detective told the grand jury, which indicted Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman in Reno last week, the 20-year-old who is living in the U.S. illegally broke into tears and repeatedly called himself an "idiot" before confessing to the murders during an interrogation hours after his arrest in Carson City on Jan. 19.

According to the grand jury transcript obtained by The Associated Press, Washoe County Sheriff's Detective Stefanie Brady testified March 13 that Martinez-Guzman initially denied any wrongdoing and was smiling and giggling through part of the questioning.

But after she confronted him with several contradictions in his story during a nearly three-hour interrogation, he said through a Spanish interpreter he had "done something that's unforgiveable."

She says he told her he shot the victims "because of the drugs."

"He said he needed the money for the meth and it was the meth," Brady testified, according to the 268-page transcript filed late Tuesday in Washoe District Court.

The grand jury indicted Martinez-Guzman last week on four counts of murder with the use of a deadly weapon, three counts of burglary while in possession of a firearm and one count each of burglary, burglary while gaining possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm.

A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf during an arraignment Tuesday. His trial isn't scheduled to begin until April 2020.

His public defense attorney, John Arrascada, did not immediately respond Wednesday to messages seeking comment.

Federal officials have said Martinez-Guzman is in the U.S. illegally but they don't know how or when he crossed the border.

The case has drawn the attention of President Donald Trump, who says it shows the need for a border wall.

District Attorneys Chris Hicks of Washoe County and Mark Jackson of Douglas County announced last week they are seeking the death penalty but that Martinez-Guzman's immigration status had nothing to do with that decision.

The four slaying victims include Gerald David, 81, and his 80-year-old wife, Sharon David, a prominent Reno Rodeo Association couple who had employed Martinez-Guzman as a landscaper last summer at their house where they were found dead Jan. 16.

Police say they were shot with a .22-caliber handgun that Martinez-Guzman stole from them earlier.

Court documents allege that Martinez-Guzman's DNA was found on the same gun that was also used to kill Connie Koontz and Sophia Renken in their homes in Gardnerville south of Carson City.

Detective Brady told the grand jury that Martinez-Guzman was "engaging" and made "lots of eye contact" during the early stages of the interrogation at the Carson City sheriff's office.

"He smiled, kind of giggled through some of the questions. But he was very engaged in the conversation," she said.

After she read him his Miranda rights, "he actually acknowledged that he was fine not having an attorney because he hadn't done anything wrong," she said.

He indicated he had buried "a bunch of stuff" that he found by a river in Carson City. But when she confronted him about several contradictions, his answers became slower, his body posture was more slumped and he started touching his face uncontrollably.

When she asked him about some fishing poles that had been stolen from the Davids, "there was a really long pause. And at that point, he had dropped his head and began to cry with long deep breaths."

"He talked about how he was an idiot. He repeated that several times," Brady testified. "He talked about how he had done something that's unforgiveable."

"He said ... something about if he tells me what he did, it's not going to bring back the people that he shot," she said, and then shortly after that blamed the killings on his need for money to buy drugs.

She said he initially denied he killed Renken, but ultimately acknowledged he shot her too.

Source: Fox News National

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Novartis pays $310 million upfront for inflammation specialist IFM

FILE PHOTO: Swiss drugmaker Novartis' logo is seen in Stein
FILE PHOTO: Swiss drugmaker Novartis' logo is seen at the company's plant in the northern Swiss town of Stein, Switzerland October 23, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

April 1, 2019

ZURICH (Reuters) – Novartis on Monday said it had agreed to pay $310 million upfront, with the possibility for more later, for some assets of Boston-based inflammation specialist IFM Therapeutics as the Swiss drugmaker seeks to expand its immunology pipeline.

The deal for the IFM subsidiary IFM Tre could eventually reach nearly $1.6 billion, IFM said in a statement, should the portfolio of clinical and preclinical molecules meet milestones. IFM has one molecule, IFM-2427, in an early Phase 1 trial, as well as other less-developed assets.

(Reporting by John Miller, editing by John Revill)

Source: OANN

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Representatives of Russian Transneft, Ukranian Ukrtransnafta, Polish Pern and Belarusian Belneftekhim gather to hold talks on fixing tainted oil supplies to Europe, in Minsk
Representatives of Russian Transneft, Ukranian Ukrtransnafta, Polish Pern and Belarusian Belneftekhim gather to hold talks on fixing tainted oil supplies to Europe, in Minsk, Belarus April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

April 26, 2019

By Katya Golubkova and Andrei Makhovsky

MOSCOW/MINSK (Reuters) – Russia is confident it can soon resolve a problem of polluted Russian oil contaminating a major pipeline serving Europe and affecting supplies as far west as Germany, a senior official said on Friday at talks with importers about the issue.

Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin did not give a precise timeframe but Moscow has previously said it would pump clean oil to the border with Belarus from April 29, seeking to end a crisis hitting the world’s second-largest crude exporter.

Sorokin was speaking at talks with officials from Belarus, Poland and Ukraine in Minsk on the issue. Belarus said the issue had cost it $100 million, while analysts say alternative supply routes for refiners cannot fully fill the gap.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine and Slovakia have suspended imports of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline. Halting those supplies has knock-on effects further along the network.

The problem arose last week when an unidentified Russian producer contaminated oil with high levels of organic chloride used to boost oil output but which must be separated before shipment as it can destroy refining equipment.

Russia’s Energy Ministry said pipeline monopoly Transneft and other Russian companies had a plan to mitigate the effects of the contaminated oil. It did not give details.

Russian officials have said contaminated oil has already been pumped into storage in Russia and Friday’s talks would focus on how to partially withdraw the tainted crude from the Druzhba pipeline running via other countries.

The suspension cuts off a major supply route for Polish refineries owned by Poland’s PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, as well as plants in Germany owned by Total, Shell, Eni and Rosneft.

Some refiners have outlined plans for alternative supplies, but analysts say other routes cannot meet the shortfall.

OIL PRICES

Ukraine’s Ukrtransnafta suspended the transit of oil through the pipeline on Thursday, closing supplies via Druzhba’s southern route to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The pipeline issue, which has supported global oil prices, lifted Russian Urals crude differentials to an all-time high on Thursday.

With pipeline supplies to Europe shut, Russia faces a challenge of how to divert about 1 million barrels per day (bpd) that was meant to be shipped through the network to other destinations at the time when export capacity is at its limits.

State-run Russian Railways held talks with energy firms on using up to 5,000 rail tankers to transport crude, RIA news agency reported on Friday.

Concerns about the quality of Urals crude also caused delays in loadings at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, when buyers refused to lift cargoes, resulting in a brief shutdown of the port on Wednesday and Thursday. An Ust-Luga official and traders said on Friday loadings had resumed.

Russian loading plans indicate it aims to boost Urals exports in May before the expiry of a deal on output cuts agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, Reuters calculations and Energy Ministry data show.

The provisional loading plan for Russia’s Baltic Sea ports and Novorossiisk in May show exports rising to 10.7 million tonnes, the highest level in half a decade.

Minsk estimated its loss from lower oil product exports due to contaminated Russian oil at around $100 million, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing Belarusian state oil company Belneftekhim.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, in charge of government energy policy, said this week that those found responsible for contaminating the oil could be fined. He did not provide names.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko in WARSAW, Sandor Peto in BUDAPEST, Jason Hovet in PRAGUE, Matthias Williams and Natalia Zinets in KIEV, Katya Golubkova, Olesya Astakhova, Gleb Gorodyankin, Olga Yagova and Maxim Rodionov in MOSCOW, Andrei Makhovsky in MINSK; writing by Katya Golubkova; editing by Michael Perry and Edmund Blair)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO - A worker sits on a ship carrying containers at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat
FILE PHOTO: A worker sits on a ship carrying containers at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – India has once again delayed the implementation of higher tariffs on some goods imported from the United States to May 15, a government official said on Friday.

The new tariff structure was to come into force from May 2, the spokeswoman said without citing reasons for the delay.

Angered by Washington’s refusal to exempt it from new steel and aluminum tariffs, New Delhi decided in June last year to raise the import tax from Aug. 4 on some U.S. products including almonds, walnuts and apples.

But since then, New Delhi has repeatedly delayed the implementation of the new tariff.

Trade friction between India and the U.S. has escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans earlier this year to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States.

In a further blow, U.S. on Monday demanded buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers which allowed Iran’s eight biggest buyers including India to continue importing limited volumes.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar in New Delhi and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva and Raissa Kasolowsky)

Source: OANN

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One of Joe Biden’s newly-hired senior advisers has seemingly had a very recent change of heart.

Symone Sanders, a prominent Democratic strategist and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., staffer in 2016, was announced as one of the big-name members of Team Biden on Thursday.

But Sanders, who has also served as a CNN contributor, is seen in resurfaced footage from November 2016 expressing her opposition to a white person leading her party after Donald Trump’s election.

“In my opinion, we don’t need white people leading the Democratic party right now,” Sanders told host Brianna Keilar during a discussion on Howard Dean potentially becoming DNC chairman.

BIDEN HIRES FORMER BERNIE SANDERS’ SPOKESPERSON AS SENIOR ADVISER

“The Democratic party is diverse, and it should be reflected as so in leadership and throughout the staff, at the highest levels. From the vice chairs to the secretaries all the way down to the people working in the offices at the DNC,” she said.

Sanders wrapped up her remarks by saying: “I want to hear more from everybody. I want to hear from the millennials and the brown folks.”

Footage of the interview was resurfaced by RealClearPolitics.

After news of her hiring broke on Thursday, Sanders backed her new boss on Twitter.

TRUMP ASSESSES 2020 DEMS; TAKES SWIPES AT BIDEN, SANDERS; DISMISSES HARRIS, O’ROURKE; SAYS HE’S ROOTING FOR BUTTIGIEG

“@JoeBiden & @DrBiden are a class act. Over the course of this campaign, Vice President Biden is going to make his case to the American ppl. He won’t always be perfect, but I believe he will get it right,” she wrote.

The hiring of Sanders has been viewed as another indication of the expected tough fight that Biden and Sanders are in for as the two frontrunners battle a deep Democratic field.

While Sanders himself didn’t torch Biden as he jumped into the race, it’s clear that many of his progressive supporters view the former vice president as a threat.

Biden’s entry into the race – at least in the early going – sets up a battle between himself and Sanders, who thanks to his fierce fight with eventual nominee Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination, enjoys name ID on the level of the former vice president.

BIDEN VOWS THAT ‘AMERICA IS COMING BACK,’ SPARKING ‘MAGA’ COMPARISONS

Justice Democrats — who also called Biden “out-of-touch” – is an increasingly influential group among the left of the party. They’ve championed progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York as well as Sanders. The group was founded by members of Sanders 2016 presidential campaign.

Biden has pushed back against the perception that he’s a moderate in a party that’s increasingly moving to the left. Earlier this month he described himself as an “Obama-Biden Democrat.”

And Biden said he’d stack his record against “anybody who has run or who is running now or who will run.”

Former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile – a Fox News contributor – highlighted that “Joe Biden can occupy his own lane in large part because he’s earned it. He’s earned the right to call himself whatever.”

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But she emphasized that “elections are not about the past, they’re about the future…I do believe he has the right ingredients. The question is can he find enough people to help him stir the pot.”

Fox News Andrew O’Reilly contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who is facing increased calls for her immediate resignation, remains in poor health and is not “lucid” enough to decide whether to step down, her attorney told reporters late Thursday.

Steve Silverman, speaking outside one of Pugh’s residences which was raided by the FBI and IRS earlier in the day, said the embattled city leader could make a decision as early as next week.

“She is leaning toward making the best decision in the best interest in the citizens of Baltimore City,” he said, adding that Pugh has “several options” to consider.

“She just needs to be physically and mentally sound and lucid enough to make appropriate decisions.”

BALTIMORE MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH, ON LEAVE AMID BOOK PROBE, HAS HOMES AND CITY HALL OFFICE RAIDED BY FEDS

Silverman said Pugh met with a doctor at home Thursday and plans to do so again Friday, the Baltimore Sun reported.

In the latest image-tarnishing scandal for struggling Baltimore, the first-term Democratic mayor faces accusations that she used children’s book deals to cover up kickbacks for favorable treatment as a state lawmaker and city leader that earned her roughly $800,000 over several years.

BALTIMORE’S ACTING MAYOR SAYS HE ‘WOULD HATE TO SEE’ EMBATTLED MAYOR RETURN AFTER BOOK SCANDALS

As a state senator, 69-year-old Pugh sold $500,000 worth of her self-published “Healthy Holly” illustrated paperbacks to the University of Maryland Medical System, a major state employer whose board she sat on for nearly 20 years.

Baltimore police officers stand outside the house of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Pugh and also in City Hall. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Baltimore police officers stand outside the house of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Pugh and also in City Hall. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

UMMS reportedly paid Pugh for 100,000 copies of her books between 2011 and 2018 with the stated intention of distributing the books to schools and day care centers. But some 50,000 copies remain unaccounted for and officials are probing if they were even printed.

Pugh also made $300,000 in bulk sales to other customers including health carriers that did business with the city of Baltimore.

BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL CALLS ON EMBATTLED MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH TO RESIGN IMMEDIATELY

The politically isolated Pugh slipped out of sight on April 1 after a hastily organized press conference where she called her no-contract book deals a “regrettable mistake.” That same day, Maryland’s governor called on the state prosecutor to investigate allegations of “self-dealing.”

Pugh took an indefinite leave of absence, citing her health deteriorating intensely after a bout with pneumonia.

Federal agents arrive at the Maryland Center for Adult Training in Baltimore. MD, Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall, as well as the office of her lawyer and the home of a top aide.

Federal agents arrive at the Maryland Center for Adult Training in Baltimore. MD, Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall, as well as the office of her lawyer and the home of a top aide. (Loyd Fox/Baltimore Sun via AP)

On Thursday morning, agents with the FBI and IRS searched her two Baltimore homes, her City Hall offices, and a nonprofit organization she once led. The home of at least one of Pugh’s aides was also scoured.

Silverman said federal agents also served a subpoena at his law firm, retrieving Pugh’s original financial records. They did not seek any attorney-client privileged communications, he said.

Pugh’s attorney said she was “emotionally extremely distraught” following the searches by FBI and IRS agents.

“There was nothing incriminating that came out of her home,” Silverman said.

UMMS spokesman Michael Schwartzberg told reporters that the medical system received a grand jury witness subpoena seeking documents and information related to Pugh.

Other probes against Pugh include a review by the city ethics board and the Maryland Insurance Administration.

BALTIMORE MAYOR’S $500G DEAL FOR ‘HEALTHY HOLLY’ CHILDREN’S BOOKS DRAWS SCRUTINY

In recent weeks, the calls for Pugh’s resignation have intensified with the strongest voice coming from Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who did not mince words after Thursday’s early morning raids.

“Now more than ever, Baltimore City needs strong and responsible leadership. Mayor Pugh has lost the public trust,” he said. “She is clearly not fit to lead. For the good of the city, Mayor Pugh must resign.”

Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service agents search the home of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service agents search the home of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in Baltimore, MD., Thursday, April 25, 2019. Agents with the FBI and IRS are gathering evidence inside the two homes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and in City Hall. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun via AP)

Many of her fellow Democrats, including those on Baltimore’s demoralized City Council and state lawmakers, are also insisting that Pugh put the citizens’ interests above any attempt to preserve her political career.

City Council member Brandon Scott called the Thursday raids “an embarrassment to the city.”

However, only a conviction can trigger a mayor’s removal from office, according to the city solicitor. Baltimore’s mayor-friendly City Charter currently provides no options for ousting its executive.

Six of Pugh’s staffers joined her on paid leave earlier this month; three of them were fired this week by the acting mayor.

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Pugh came to office in late 2016 after edging out ex-Mayor Sheila Dixon, who had spent much of her tenure fighting corruption charges before being forced to depart office in 2010 as part of a plea deal connected to the misappropriation of about $500 in gift cards meant for needy families.

She would certainly face a bruising 2020 Democratic primary if she were to return and run for reelection. Veteran City Council leader Bernard “Jack” Young, who is serving as acting mayor, said as she went on leave that he would merely be a placeholder. But this week, before the raids, he said “it could be devastating for her” if she tried to return.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations has blasted the United State and the European Union for imposing sanctions on his country, describing them as “economic terrorism.”

Bashar Ja’afari made his comments Friday in the Kazakh capital of Astana where Russia, Turkey and Iran held a new round of talks with the Syrian government and the opposition on steps to bring peace to the country.

His comments came as government-held parts of Syria are witnessing widespread fuel shortages that are largely the result of Western sanctions on Syria and its key ally Iran.

Ja’afari says: “This is economic terrorism that is escalating through unilateral economic measures.”

A final statement issued at the end of Astana’s 12th round rejected President Donald Trump’s formal recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over Syria’s occupied Golan Heights.

Source: Fox News World

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